Tired of chasing the WAAC (Win At All Costs) Meta Dragon when it comes to gaming? Here’s a way to play some of your favorite games and actually enjoy them again!
Time to bring enjoyment back? If you’re feeling burnt out with the pace Warhammer releases, there’s a simple trick you can use to take a break! It just takes a few friends.
With the monthly releases that GW is putting out in 40k and AoS…heck, even the bi-monthly releases for games like Necromunda and Warhammer Underworlds, the pace of new content can cause a lot of anxiety and burn-out.
If you’re feeling the pressure from all this, there’s a cool format we’ve been talking about locally that you can do to get back to your game of choice’s roots with a couple of friends.
Tired of Chasing the WAAC Meta Dragon? Try Purehammer!
If you and your friends are feeling the burn-out that’s bound to come with such a fast pace of releases, you can take a break with something we call Purehammer. This is essentially picking a GW skirmish game (Warhammer Underworlds, Necromunda, Warcry, Kill Team, etc.) and only playing the base rules.
Why the base rules? Because these are the rules that were more than likely play-tested the most and lacks any convoluted synergies with other cards released from later expansions. Take the new Warhammer Underworlds cards, or all the new wargear/gangs for Necromunda for example.
Back then Warcry was first released, there were only a handful of Warbands and everyone thought it was going to be a savage chaos-exclusive game. However, shortly after, card packs for other factions and beasts were added. This really just injected so much more to the content into the game that some people could process at any given time.
We could say the same for Kill Team, Necromunda, and any other specialist game that GW supports. And it’s really not surprising. GW is a business and they make money off of the product they sell- we get it. But a secondary element to all the content is rules bloat, followed buy rules reset- all offering “new” products. Players, unfortunately, can get left in the dust if they step away from the game too long (which as we know, is purely a subjective amount of time lol).
To “cut ties” with all of the meta releases for a while, you can grab a few friends and come to some mutual agreements not to go past a certain release to a game.
All You Need is a Loyal Playgroup
Just because a new release hits a game, it doesn’t mean that the old content is outdated. Some major D&D fans out there are still playing the first edition and they love it. The same can be said for the first edition of X-Wing, Pathfinder, etc. You just have to find the right groups of people.
The same exact thing can be done with your friends at your LGS. You can keep playing your big games like 40k at GW’s pace. But why not grab a group of friends and only play the “SHADESPIRE” expansion of Warhammer Underworlds? That means only playing cards and warbands from that set.
Game to Have Fun- Not to Be WAAC
Or you can pick a series of Necromunda books and use them… Think of Necromunda: limited format! It’s way easier on your wallet and everyone that you normally play with has a good time. There’s nobody winning because they are playing the GW “flavor of the month” that we’re seeing in AoS and 40k.
Whatever your playgroup’s game interests may be… There’s a way to remove the anxiety of having to constantly keep up with new rules/content being injected into the game. You just have to have a strong group that may vote on which rules/books you guys can use. Remember at the end of the day, the game is meant for you to have fun. Not stress over, or be a WAAC player.
Just take a break, dive into a core book of a game and forget the world for a bit!
Have you and your friends tried playing Purehammer before? Which game is awesome in a limited format?
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today!
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
