Now, I know that I've been somewhat remiss in my contributions lately, and perhaps this has added to the overall feeling of malaise and disinterest that seems to be seeping throughout the interwebs.
I also keep tweeting about my adventures in learning Dystopian Wars, so for those of you who follow me in that medium perhaps it appears that my love for GW's primary system is as in decline as many others express theirs to be.
This is simply not the case.
I mean, yeah, sure, I'm learning another game system, and that has taken up a bit of my 'Hobby Time' but those of you who're Friends on XBL will know that I've also invested plenty of time into Halo:Reach, finally reaching Field Marshall in the rankings.
This obviously impacts the amount of time I have for Hobby activities, and for Blogging - but the simple fact is, I haven't really had any articles I wanted to write.
I have a vague half-formed desire to write an article that'd serve as a better introduction to the Hobby than that mediocrity that featured on the BBC website the other day - not least because I found that article mildly offensive in failure to portray the Hobby the way *I* see it.
I haven't done so though, because blogging is a fairly time-consuming activity. I spend hours reading various websites, each and every day (near enough) and yet I am much more reluctant to spend half an hour writing an article. Maybe that's just me being lazy. Maybe it's my love for reading surpassing my liking for writing. Maybe I feel the quality on show at, say, Penny Arcade, is ahead of my own whitterings enough that I defer subconsciously. I can't say. Saying, TKE would know. TKE does not know, so cannot say. [Cookie for reference.]
Apart from all this, and the many many IRL distractions, I care as much about the Hobby, and indeed the Game, as ever - so, please - tell me why it's supposedly stale and bland and uninteresting, and whatever other adjective you choose to use to describe it. I genuinely don't understand your POV here, and without understanding, there can be no peace.
5 comments:
Why not write some articles randomly like I do, maybe based on a certain unit, or your random views.
For me I'm bascialyl done on models from GW which makes me wane as I have nothing more to paint as of yet (Until the next marine of sorts codex...) so all I have hobbywise to focus on is making ists and maybe playing a game at Lisburn some weeks.
While i want more minis to paint i know I have too many already. Maybe another tourney will perk you up and get you writing?
Well, perhaps it is our local group of 20 or so dying out, or perhaps the perception that there are a VERY limited number of playable armies and that is further limited by only some of the units in the armies being usable... I took an Eldar force through our latest campaign, but found once again that there are really only a few builds that can even play against most of the modern ones. Looking at the latest "Marine" codexes, you get the BA and GK which are like Marines, but better in many ways... After a while you just don't often see "inferior" armies out to play and it gets a bit old seeing the same handful of armies being played by everyone... Making it a giant rock/paper/scissors game.
So, other than that having the company go silent until they actually release anything does make it seem that GW views the consumers as something of an "enemy". No information coming with the expected move to 6th ed looming is causing a number of the locals at least to adapt more of a "let's see how this shakes out" stand and withdraw from playing and purchasing of models, etc...
Mind, I'm NOT saying that this is happening everywhere, but it does appear to be a trend that is spreading, at least where I am "looking" online...
Maybe I should just try to power through and write articles anyway. That would certainly keep my toe in the proverbial water, and so it's more likely that I'd rediscover my mojo for writing that way.
I certainly get your pain re more models to paint than interest - I honestly don't even want to know how many points of things I have half-painted or less around the place...
@pchappel - well, certainly the number of clearly playable Codexes doesn't make for inspiring reading, not that there isn't a fair amount of variety under that umb-er-ella.
GKs and BAs are better at some things, sure - but inferior in other respects to Ultras, so let's not dance that tango. :p
With regard to Eldar, well, obviously as an eldar player I empathise and agree - but the thing I have different (possibly prompted by my stupidly large collection) is that I am able to simply shrug off the fact that a 4e army can't compete on the cusp of 6th (and I think it shouldn't be able to, either, given the changes from 4th) and play a different force.
It's been said before - but Wolves was the first Codex I bought, and BA were the force I first played, back in the Battle For Armageddon Scenarios. Building, as I am, a BA force and a SW one, is therefore exciting for me, and feels good - I miss the fact that I can't play my Orks, Eldar or CSM much less because I have alternatives I have strong connections to already in place. Certainly if I didn't have these emotional ties it might be much more frustrating for me.
All that said - while my desire to play hasn't really changed in recent months, I suppose I've seen it in others, and reduce my variety of opponents. Naturally, it's hard to say how much is that, and how much is the fact that it's almost universally recognised now that I'm one of the best players around. Woe is me. ;) Lol.
Certainly, I'd be much more 'wait and see' with regard to purchases if it wasn't for the fact that I'm buying into Power Armour, which is a fairly safe bet...
Food for thought, so thanks to you both.
The frustrating part for me is the vain hope that a sixth edition would 'fix' the varying codex imbalances. I think it's worth continuing to write - and like you, I've spent the lion's share of my time lately reading other blogs, rather than writing, for mostly similar reasons. I'd like to see more Tyranid or Eldar stuff out there, regardless of whether they are considered a'top codex' or not. With both Eldar and Tyranids at the bottom however, I'm faced with either getting a new army to slake the competitive desire, or continuing to play (and post) with what feels like a handicap. And I already have more models than I can paint =) The simple answer for me at least is to stick to the wheelhouse and keep trying to innovate with what I've got to work with. Neat post, and really summed up how I've been feeling lately. About half malaise, half ambivalent, with a smidgen of frustration. Much easier to write about the frustration though ;)
@Ghostin
Expecting a new core ruleset to fix the imbalances between Codices is like changing the horse on a cart with no wheels.
Only the scorched earth of a new Codex range will do that job, and the slow pace of development coupled with the ongoing vulnerability to 'bigger Giant!' design fallacies in Team GW means that doesn't stick as well as it should.
Not that I'm actually feeling malaise or anything. I'm feeling pretty hobby-positive at the moment, apart from Warmachine ironically, which is not dead to me, but certainly sleeping deeper than Cthulhu...
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