The 40k blog that restored my faith... And why it needed restoring.

Just wanted to put in a good word for the stuff I'm reading at Legio Minimus.  Specifically, the posts on Tyranids by Ghoulio.

Hi! According to the internets, you need to buy about 5 of me to convert into Tervigons and Tyrannofexen.  Otherwise, the Imperium armies will beat you, and then you'll have to kill yourself!

Kisses,

Carnifex

After reading so much on YTTH and Whiskey40k, as well as other websites, I got really discouraged about playing 40k at all.  Based on what I had read, I essentially could build this list:

Fozzy the Tyranid Prime (Or Hive Tyrant, depending on the list)

3x3 Hive Guard

3 Tervigons
3x10 Termagants

Harpy
Harpy

T-Fex
T-Fex

Fill in the blanks to get to your needed point total.





Basically there were so many negatives: Trygons are fire magnets, Zoeys die too easy, everything else in the list sucks.  Space Wolves and IG will break you because they will have 7+ vehicles on the table.

This really sucked the life out of me, and made me want to give up my fledgling hobby before I even started.  What was the point?  I really really didn't want to play any of the 'Top-Tier' armies, so I was doomed to pull models off the table while watching a bunch of filth in tanks too small to hold their contents zoom around the table in a poorly designed ruleset.

Then three things happened.

First, while talking to my FLGS owner, trying to hash out my unbeatable Tyranid strategy, he stopped me and said:

"Listen.  You can theorize all you want, but you need to realize that once you start trying to play the game like that, at that competitive level, it all falls apart.  The game wasn't meant to be played like that, and the rules don't hold up to that level of min/maxing.  Just play the units you like, so long as you can see what you'll use them for."


That same day, I saw a phenomenal comment on an article on (I believe) Bell of Lost Souls.  Someone was talking about how the point of the game was to win, and how people who said otherwise were just lazy, stupid, or poor tacticians who were using that as an excuse to cover their failure.

The comment, paraphrased:  Racing on broken bicycles might be fun, but you shouldn't be too proud if you happen to win.  In other words, play the game because it's fun, but don't brag about twisting a broken rule set until you make the game un-fun and un-winnable for your playing partner.


Aha.  So... the point of the game is to... have fun?  Well noone on the internet told me that.

Second, I realized that in order to field, say, a Space Wolf list with all the cheese (max razorbacks, raiders, etc) or any other mech spam army, you have to spend a chunk of change.  Like over $1000, on one build for one army.  I guess what I'm saying is that when I see an army like this, I'm pretty cool with the other guy winning.  He certainly paid for the privilege.

I'm also pretty sure that, much like I wouldn't want to golf with someone I don't have anything in common with, I don't really want to play fun toy soldier games with these people.  They live on the same planet, but in a different world.

Third, And most importantly, I ran across Legio Minimus.


Lists with hormagaunts?  Zoanthropes? Trygons? Raveners?  A RUNNING KILL COUNTER FOR TRYGONS IN A TOURNAMENT??? YES!

Seriously, Ghoulio is having fun, playing with a list that, if posted on Yes The Truth Hurts, would be ripped to shreds (along with ad hominem attacks!).  He even wins games! And a tournament!  He beat a cheesy Space Wolf list!

Couple this with the absolutely gorgeous pictures of his masterfully painted miniatures, and it's a breath of fresh air.  Seriously, the pictures of his models should come with an NSFW warning.  They are filth.

UP NEXT:

Painting article!

Also:

I yearn for you tragically.

A.T. Chapman,

Chaplain
U.S. Army.