A/B Machines

Got my A machines on the table, got my B machines in the drawer
-Sleigh Bells


Hey folks, SinSynn here.

So there I was, tentacle poised above my left mouse button, prepared to click. My multi-lensed ocular appendages focused intently on the lil' box upon which my on-screen cursor hovered.
'Download Warhammer 40k 6th Edition Rulebook.pdf,' the words inside the box stated. It wasn't even phrased as a question. It was like the internet wanted me to have it.
Nevertheless, I sat there, and stared at the box for a while.
Stupid box, Y U mock me? You know I sorta swore off that stuff a while back....

My cellphone, which had been sitting quietly on my desk, interrupts my one-sided argument with the box (which never responded to my accusations). It begins to do a merry 'vibrate my way off whatever flat surface I'm planted on' dance, and I thankfully manage to catch it before it hits the floor.
I just got it turned back on a couple of weeks ago (Don't you judge me! If I could get my hands on Infinity accessories, which always seem to be out of stock everywhere, it still wouldn't be on), I don't want to have to replace it already.
Since my Star Wars badguy ringtone accompanies the vibrating, it can only mean one thing.

The Ultimate Rival is calling.
No wonder the phone tried to jump off the desk.

*Yeah, that's him. This is how he moves his models*

I make sure to turn down the 'earpiece volume' setting a couple of notches, and answer.

'City morgue. You carry, we bury. How can I direct your call?'
'I'm sorry, I must have the wrong number,' comes the gruff reply, 'I dialed 1-800- IDIOT. Is this not the donations hotline to help re-introduce maladjusted dumbasses into society? I have my credit card ready.'
'Please hold, ma'am,' I say in my best toneless operator voice, 'I'm transferring you now.'
(I make beeping noises for a second, and switch to my answering machine voice)
'Hello, you've reached Mr. Dumbass, and I'm unavailable right now. If you'd like to leave a message, please begin recording after the tone....'

The Ultimate Rival sighs, and begins the conversation I've been dreading for a while now.

'I'm calling to see what you think about 6th Edition.'

Oh boy...what to say?

Shortly after the arrival of the Grey Knights Codex, I grew discontented with 40k. I know many of my fellow Xenos felt the sting of that particular book, but I gotta say I was already sort of 'on the outs' with the game, and the company that makes it, as well. Years of playing with the same army book (my beloved Tau), with no mention of an update, followed by my decision to build a Tyranid Army....

Sigh @ my 'nids. Ultimately, I'm proud of what I accomplished with the army. I learned how to kit-bash stuffs, I experimented with painting techniques I never had before, I even learned to use green stuff.
Properly. Without swallowing any, and trusting the Crazy Lady I Live With to call poison control. Again.
I really love my 'nids....
But, y'know....

*Can somebody write rules for the Lictor that work? Anybody? I mean, c'mon...*

So, yeah...I was sorta wandering around, pouting 'bout Games Workshop, and generally being 'hobbyless.' Since I wasn't playing or buying new stuffs for 40k, I had little to do, hobby-wise...and complaining about GW, and blaming them for my hobby woes didn't solve anything, or make me feel better.

Shorty thereafter I started playing Flames of War, and pretty soon the 40k stuff went into storage. There it remains, to this day.

It didn't take long for the Ultimate Rival and I to reach a decision during our phone call. We won't be playing 40k again any time soon.
I have nothing bad to say about 6th Edition. It's just...not for me, that's all.
*shrug*

Despite the fact that it was an easy decision for me to make, I have this strange sense of sadness about it. I feel like I'm letting go of something I loved deeply, but who's time has passed- like an old Nintendo console, or my first bicycle, or...something, I dunno.


There's always that issue of, 'well I invested a ton of time and money into this, so I'm obligated to play it.'
...I did. I did invest a ton of money in 40k.
Hey- I invested a ton of money in Nintendo cartridges, too...and a bunch of time playing them and...whatevs.
Some new shiny thing came along, and I went with that. Dunno what else to say....

I'm grateful to Games Workshop for many things. They introduced me to 'the hobby,' after all. Because of them, I can assemble and paint minis somewhat handily, which is totally a valuable survival skill in the event of a zombie apocalypse.
I can roll snake eyes like a boss, too....believe it.
More than that, 40k led me to, well...this, and you, so that's what's up. I'll take the mad skillz I've developed, and continue to explore new games.
 

*Sheesh...you had me at hello, Infinity*

I suppose I'm blessed to have the Ultimate Rival.
You know how long it takes us to play a game of FoW? Like four hours, sometimes.
Most of that time is spent cursing at one another, casting complex, diabolical hexes on each other's dice, and generally being knuckleheads. I can honestly say that the game we play doesn't matter to me as much as the time we spend playing it, or arguing about it, or what have you.
Cuz he's my boy, and that's all there is to that.

I'm branching out a bit on my own now, doing the Infinity thing with another friend. Although the Crazy Lady I Live With nearly had an triple aneurism when I walked into the apartment with my first 'games table' (a 4x4 foot piece of plywood), it was worth it.
Despite the fact that I got stuck with 'night time doggie walkies' for like, ever, in the subsequent negotiations, I'm psyched about embarking on a new hobby adventure. Not just for the game itself, but for the chance to spend time gaming with a friend.

I never wanna be 'hobbyless' again. I don't wanna play a game I'm not really feeling just because I happen to have a bunch of the models lying around, either. By no means was any of the money I spent on 40k a bad investment, since I got so many hours of enjoyment out of it, and learned the valuable new skillset I now possess- skills I will now pass on to my friend, if I can.
Which means, of course, that I'll be e-mailing him a link to Laubersheimer Industries when he hits me with painting questions.
;)


Until next time, folks- Exit with catchphrase!

-SinSynn