Hey Game Fans, Zardoz back again for another, hopefully, exciting article. Today’s article is for new players or players who are thinking of making a change from their existing armies.
Helping you identify the game you want to play and the best way to play it can be hard. I’ll be the first to admit it, everyone needs a change of pace once in awhile. Armies lose their flavor, get stale, or just aren’t quite so fun to play anymore. What are we supposed to do? Well, let’s take a look at a couple of the underlying questions for this phenomena and see if I can’t help you get your groove back.
I HATE THIS GAME
Is the problem you’re having with your army a problem with the army itself? Is it part of a larger problem with the system? If the problem you’re having is that you aren’t finding the overall game to be fun anymore, then changing armies may not help. Changing armies can give you the buzzed feeling that you’re looking for, but that’s no guarantee. My suggestion if you’re looking at changing armies completely is to start small. If you’ve got an army all ready, you have models you can use to test the new army. Buy the codex for your new baby and play with it. Study the army, read what the internet is saying, and figure out what you want to do with it. Trust me, it’s not a lot of fun to buy into two armies that you end up not liking.
If you’re starting from scratch, that’s a different situation. If you play at a club or a store, get to know the other players. The community of hobbyists for Miniature Wargaming is an under-utilized resource. Some of the veterans are going to give you crap. That’s the nature of veterans. That’s fine, you’re looking to get into the game, and being open and honest about that can give you a wealth of information to pull from. The brightest hope is that one of the other players will let you borrow models while you’re playing so you can test a lot of different armies. Window shopping in this case, is not a bad idea. Don’t commit to anything until you have had time to play with it, and read up on it.
Wargaming is an expensive hobby, so I want to make sure you get the best return (in terms of fun and enjoyment) on your money that you can. You’re spending both time and money on a purely recreational activity. If you keep trying different armies within the same game, then it’s possible that this isn’t the game for you. That’s okay. Find a Game you like and play that instead.
I Like this Game but I hate my army!
What don’t you like about your army?
- My army looks stupid: If it’s a matter of paint choices that has you disliking your army, then it’s a matter of a bucket of simple green, a tooth brush, and starting over from primed plastic. If it’s the army’s models that you don’t like, then it’s a bigger problem. See if you can find compatible 3rd party manufacturers that produce kits to change the look and see if its what you want. We always suggest going aesthetics first, and deciding from there to avoid this specific Kerfluffel.
- Why can’t my Army do this anymore, they could with their last army book? The old change up that happens with every new codex release. Some people would say that the company changes rules between editions to get you to buy their shiny new 3 guys in a $78 dollar kit that you need four of. Other people will say that some things were just over powered and had to be changed to make the game fun for everyone. The reasoning for why the change happened isn’t as important as your reaction to it. You can gripe about how your old units aren’t as good as they used to be, or you can treat this as an opportunity to expand your army and see what cool things the new additions add.
- My army sucks, I can’t ever win against /Insert army here/? Well, Warhammer 40,000 specifically doesn’t have the best balance between armies. Some armies are better at specific things than others. Accepting that fact, and tailoring your expectations to meet the new state of normal can go a long way to helping you enjoy the army you’ve decided. Some armies don’t fare well in the current tournament scene while others are more than capable of stomping holes in anything that comes their way. Decide if you want to be a tournament gamer or a casual gamer.
Making all the Changes
So you’ve got an army that you mostly like, but have some issues with. That happens to all of us. Taking a look at the things that you don’t like gives you the perspective you need to make some changes. My best piece of advice is to not make any rash decisions. Emotions can run hot after a long streak of war gaming, and you may keep coming back to the feeling that your army sucks and you’re a terrible general who shouldn’t have ever been given command of tiny plastic men. Relax, it’s not the end of the world. Think about the games you’ve been playing and try to figure out where things keep going wrong. Sometimes the army does exactly what its supposed to do, but your opponent has a plan for that.
If you do need to make changes, make them gradually. Practice with new units before you commit to buying them. Read up on what the internet thinks about your army. Some people call it net-listing, but it can give you a starting point when figuring out your army. Don’t just copy and paste your list and run out and buy those models.
Read your codex and figure out where the synergies are. Be the guy that comes up with the newest hotness. Take it slowly, and you’ll find the fun and joy in the game again.
