Why I (Still) Play 40k

Wow, has a lot changed in the last year. If you were to tell me that 40k would take a back seat to other game systems a year ago I would have had a tough time believing it. Without question, though, I must have played at least 100 games of Warmachine this year. Two games every Monday, toss in a few Steamrollers and over the course of the year you've clocked in a LOT of game time.

At first, in the weeks leading up to 6th Edition, the idea was that we were all just waiting for 6th. Things would pick up once it was in our hands. Never happened. I played so much Warmachine in the first half of the year that I was in deep. Deep.

Then, when I read through 6th, I almost spiraled into depression, lol. What a painful experience. With every page read, competitive 40k was buried deeper and deeper into the ground. I salute people who try to tournament with it in its current form, it takes either a deep love of the game or a refusal to connect with the real world, lol. I assume it's the former ;)

A Muse on Minis guest said that the best thing to happen to Warmachine was 8th Edition Warhammer Fantasty. I would like to give 6th Edition an honorable mention. Suffice it to say, I was in a bad way mentally. I wanted to play competitively. I don't want to pay an entry fee and lose because of some list building nonsense or some dumb quirky rule, the imbalance created by allies or some such. I was hurting.

Then it happened. One day something just bloomed within me like the 2nd heart of a powerful Astartes. If I'm not playing seriously, maybe I'll finally try that Forgeworld model or this stupid unit. I have mentioned this before but it's been on my mind lately as I just received my first Forgeworld models (MK3 power armor and Autocannons). I have thought it about as I played in a recent Steamroller and plan for my next one in January.

My FLGS is full of GW faithful, so I travel nearly 2 hours to play now. There are a few 40k tournaments happening and I find I have no interest at all in participating. What I do want is full my army with MK3 power armor. I want to buy a Stormeagle and I want to fill my entire army with as much Forgeworld as possible (minus the stupid old school Land Raider...rubbish models are rubbish).

Anyways, the point of this little rant is that it's happened. Finally, I'm one of them. I'm one of those guys who wants to play 40k to relive the Horus Heresy. I want to send my Chaos Champion at a Thunderlord. It's a bad idea. He's going to get smoked. But it will be fun. I still play 40k because, despite some of the stupid rules, it's fun.

But Dave, you sound resentful of the direction that GW took 40k, how can you still play? Well, folks, because one thing has nothing to do with the other. It's not a competitive game, but it's still fun. Battleship, Risk, etc. Those are all fun. They can be enjoyed for what they are.

Thanks for reading. I needed this for peace. Lots of WIPs upcoming.