I was doing a lil' cleaning and organizing this past week, and I came across my old 40k 'army list book.'
Does anybody else have one of these things?
It's like, a completely innocuous school-kid 'marble pattern' thingy, exactly like this:
*Contains Phases 1 through 25 of my plan to conquer the....never mind, moving on*I have several of these books, one for my Tau, one for the 'Nids, and even one for Flames of War now.
I had pretty much forgotten about them, since I use dat fancy 'Army Builder' and whatnot now, and 'Easy Army' for FoW....Infinity has it's own ultra-cool flash program doohickey at their website, and my starter set is awaiting attention.
So maybe the 'notebook list' is getting phased out....
'When I was a boy, we had to chisel our army lists on rocks, or carve 'em into our skin. We didn't have no fancy 'pee-see com-pooters'.....and we only played outdoors...in February....all the tables were slanted...'
Anyway, I was looking through my Tau book, and I realized the whole thing read like...a timeline.
My first lists were fun affairs, and I chuckled at my early fascination with things like Stealthsuits, Sniper Drones, Pathfinders with Rail Rifles and even....Vespid.
Somewhere about 1/3rd the way through, a definite change occurs. SinSynn learned a lil' sumpthin' in the interim, it seems, and the lists become more...competitive.
Gone are the 'fail units,' and in come Squads of Fireknives and Deathrains.
Oh, look- here's where I figured out how to spam stuff....isn't that cute?
Towards the end, it's clear that I was accumulating a bunch o' Broadsides.
Lists contain two squads of three, then three times three...
Finally it appears as if I decided it was a good idea to settle on two squads of three Broadsides, and keep a Hammerhead around, mainly to block stuff....like incoming Land Raiders.
*Lie down, old friend, I'll use you as a shield*
I know what happened, of course, I got better at the game.Through a (somewhat painful) process of trail and error, I discovered units that worked, and worked well. I was able to eliminate chaff from my army and design an effective fighting force.
Yes, it was built to do one thing: Kill...fucking...Space Marines.
And at the time, it was very, very efficient at doing just that.
Looking back, I can't say I ever really thought anything of it. I just wanted to win, I guess.
*shrug*
Let's completely overlook the fact that back then, every Codex had a bunch of units that blew monkeys. Let's just gloss right over that fact, shall we?
Ok, moving on...
I do remember being a lil' burnt that Stealthsuits were so full of fail.
Mainly cuz I spent a bunch o' time painting mine, and they were the best looking units in my Army.
Still, BS3 and Burst Cannons with 18 inch range meant these guys would get gang raped by Assault Marines regularly.
*Those Blood Angels said I had a purty mouf...and then they...DON'T LOOK AT ME!*
So...back in the foam they went, to join the Vespid and Sniper Drones at the bottom of the bag.
The last filled-out page in the notebook contains 'the list.'
The ONE, singular Tau list that I ended up running until I began building my Tyranids.
It was fine-tuned and distilled until it ran like clockwork.
Like I said, at the time...meh.
It didn't seem like any kind of big deal, just a natural progression.
I stopped tweaking the list when a Space Marine player told me he thought 'Tau are broken.'
I figgered, 'Good enough, then' and played that list until the Tau eventually got...dated, I guess.
Now, however, I see it clearly, don't I?
I'm like, 'Joe Mini-Gamer Guy.'
I even play another system now.
And you know what? It pains me to say it, sorta...
But I know better now.
Once I had a clear understanding of the intricacies of Flames of War, I was able to avoid the pitfalls I suffered in 40k.
I proxied stuff I wasn't sure about, I made snap judgements and declared this or that 'fail,' and I quickly began building lists in a cold, clinical fashion with an eye towards 'competitiveness.'
As a quick example, I know that a Stug is a better purchase than a Panzer IV, due to a curious 'field of fire' rule in the current edition of the game, and the way models can 'turn in their firing step' and not have to count that as movement.
Stugs have an extra pip of front armor, and the current ruleset renders the turret of the Panzer IV virtually useless, except in situational, uh...situations.
Since both units cost exactly the same, well...duh.
So...back in the foam they went, to join the Vespid and Sniper Drones at the bottom of the bag.
The last filled-out page in the notebook contains 'the list.'
The ONE, singular Tau list that I ended up running until I began building my Tyranids.
It was fine-tuned and distilled until it ran like clockwork.
Like I said, at the time...meh.
It didn't seem like any kind of big deal, just a natural progression.
I stopped tweaking the list when a Space Marine player told me he thought 'Tau are broken.'
I figgered, 'Good enough, then' and played that list until the Tau eventually got...dated, I guess.
Now, however, I see it clearly, don't I?
I'm like, 'Joe Mini-Gamer Guy.'
I even play another system now.
And you know what? It pains me to say it, sorta...
But I know better now.
Once I had a clear understanding of the intricacies of Flames of War, I was able to avoid the pitfalls I suffered in 40k.
I proxied stuff I wasn't sure about, I made snap judgements and declared this or that 'fail,' and I quickly began building lists in a cold, clinical fashion with an eye towards 'competitiveness.'
As a quick example, I know that a Stug is a better purchase than a Panzer IV, due to a curious 'field of fire' rule in the current edition of the game, and the way models can 'turn in their firing step' and not have to count that as movement.
Stugs have an extra pip of front armor, and the current ruleset renders the turret of the Panzer IV virtually useless, except in situational, uh...situations.
Since both units cost exactly the same, well...duh.
*No Turret? No problem! We've got 180 degree field of fire! DON'T QUESTION IT!*
So...technically I'm, like...'exploiting the rules,' huh?
It's only taken me a few short months to work this stuff out, and begin 'eliminating the chaff.'
I'm sure in a few months more, I'll arrive at 'the list.'
I already have certain units and formations I like, and now I've begun whittling.
Yes, there's been a few painful experiments, and as it stands right now I've lost more games than I've won.
Each loss teaches me something, however, and now that I'm all 'Joe Mini-Gamer Guy,' I take a much more discerning look than I did way back when...and choose units accordingly.
With a jaundiced eye, if you will.
I tried, I really tried, to take a different approach to Flames of War. I did.
But the Ultimate Rival and I quickly descended into our usual pattern of hostility and outright aggression towards one another- hateful threats sent via e-mail and late night phone calls promising vast fields of burning armor and piteously screaming troopies crying out in vain for the sweet release of death.
Yes- we really do stuff like that.
It's like a sickness we have, I dunno...like an 'arms race for dummies.'
But, at the same time, we 'try stuff' versus each other, with an eye towards improving both our lists and our game overall. We do 'post game breakdowns,' we have lengthy discussions (and arguments, natch) debating the value of this unit or that unit...
At some point, I kinda think, maybe...the game gets lost somewhere?
Everything becomes a pile of raw statistics and mathammer efficiency?
After a while, do I start to look for...broken things?
Or am I trying to break it myself?
Is that...the nature of a gamer? To try and 'break the system,' or at least 'game it'?
Shortcuts and workarounds?
Exploits and 'glitches'?
All for the sake of...winning?
No, I'm not invoking some 'WAAC vs. Fluffy' argument, I'm just kind of...thinking out loud...sharing my thoughts with you.
Is this like, a game design problem, or just the nature of the beast?
Is there a game, somewhere, that doesn't encourage this kinda behavior?
I've heard people say friggin' chess is broken, cuz 'white is OP,' fer cryin' out loud.
Ugh...this whole train of thought is makin' my poor hamster spin too much, and maybe I'm over analyzing this a bit, or something, I dunno.
I just know that somewhere, Jervis Johnson iz disappoint, and he wants me to build a 'characterful' army.
I wish I could, Jervis...but there's an arms race goin' on, and I can't let the Ultimate Rival get the upper hand...or anyone else, for that matter.
I guess that means I'll break shit if I gotta.
DON'T YOU JUDGE ME!
....
...
Well, maybe you can judge me, a little...I dunno.
Am I a bad gamer? A bad sport? Because maybe I aspire to go '2 and 1' at my next tourney, and not '1 and 2'?
Is that wrong?
I go to tournaments to...basically act a fool an' get my hobby on, why do I get all...'competitive-y,' and whatnot?
Is it nurture or nature?
Sigh...
Maybe I'm just goin' through a phase...or I've been staring at lists too long, trying to find 'the list.'
Anyway, I gotta get back to plotting the Ultimate Rival's demise, we've got some more test games this week, and he's won the last two.
I...won't...fucking...STAND FOR IT!
Until next time folks, HAVE A VERY XENOS DAY!
And...play nice, if you can...
;)
-SinSynn
It's only taken me a few short months to work this stuff out, and begin 'eliminating the chaff.'
I'm sure in a few months more, I'll arrive at 'the list.'
I already have certain units and formations I like, and now I've begun whittling.
Yes, there's been a few painful experiments, and as it stands right now I've lost more games than I've won.
Each loss teaches me something, however, and now that I'm all 'Joe Mini-Gamer Guy,' I take a much more discerning look than I did way back when...and choose units accordingly.
With a jaundiced eye, if you will.
I tried, I really tried, to take a different approach to Flames of War. I did.
But the Ultimate Rival and I quickly descended into our usual pattern of hostility and outright aggression towards one another- hateful threats sent via e-mail and late night phone calls promising vast fields of burning armor and piteously screaming troopies crying out in vain for the sweet release of death.
Yes- we really do stuff like that.
It's like a sickness we have, I dunno...like an 'arms race for dummies.'
*Oh yeah? Well...yer mom is so fat she fell in love and broke it*
But, at the same time, we 'try stuff' versus each other, with an eye towards improving both our lists and our game overall. We do 'post game breakdowns,' we have lengthy discussions (and arguments, natch) debating the value of this unit or that unit...
At some point, I kinda think, maybe...the game gets lost somewhere?
Everything becomes a pile of raw statistics and mathammer efficiency?
After a while, do I start to look for...broken things?
Or am I trying to break it myself?
Is that...the nature of a gamer? To try and 'break the system,' or at least 'game it'?
Shortcuts and workarounds?
Exploits and 'glitches'?
All for the sake of...winning?
No, I'm not invoking some 'WAAC vs. Fluffy' argument, I'm just kind of...thinking out loud...sharing my thoughts with you.
Is this like, a game design problem, or just the nature of the beast?
Is there a game, somewhere, that doesn't encourage this kinda behavior?
I've heard people say friggin' chess is broken, cuz 'white is OP,' fer cryin' out loud.
Ugh...this whole train of thought is makin' my poor hamster spin too much, and maybe I'm over analyzing this a bit, or something, I dunno.
I just know that somewhere, Jervis Johnson iz disappoint, and he wants me to build a 'characterful' army.
I wish I could, Jervis...but there's an arms race goin' on, and I can't let the Ultimate Rival get the upper hand...or anyone else, for that matter.
I guess that means I'll break shit if I gotta.
DON'T YOU JUDGE ME!
....
...
Well, maybe you can judge me, a little...I dunno.
Am I a bad gamer? A bad sport? Because maybe I aspire to go '2 and 1' at my next tourney, and not '1 and 2'?
Is that wrong?
I go to tournaments to...basically act a fool an' get my hobby on, why do I get all...'competitive-y,' and whatnot?
Is it nurture or nature?
Sigh...
Maybe I'm just goin' through a phase...or I've been staring at lists too long, trying to find 'the list.'
Anyway, I gotta get back to plotting the Ultimate Rival's demise, we've got some more test games this week, and he's won the last two.
I...won't...fucking...STAND FOR IT!
Until next time folks, HAVE A VERY XENOS DAY!
And...play nice, if you can...
;)
-SinSynn
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