Back when I played World of Warcraft, one of the worst things imaginable was the idea of losing your character. Whether your account was hacked or banned, logging on one day and realizing that hundreds of hours had been lost would make anyone's heart drop. There are some people who've invested 9 years in to that game, logging on once a day or once a month. Their character has a lot of time and effort behind them.
When I played the game and heard about someone's account being tampered with, or even banned for "no reason," I would always ask myself what I'd do in that situation. After 5+ years of learning a character, completing quests, doing PvP, conquering raids... would I have the heart to continue, or would that be my time to cut ties and start fresh with an entirely new game?
Assuming yes, would I make the same decision? At the time I quit I only had one main character and a plethora of characters I'd play when I was bored. Paladin is what I knew and excelled at. If I had to start from scratch, I don't know if I'd do anything different, but that's because I enjoyed the journey of paladin, as well as the destination.
So what got me thinking about this? The other day I was browsing a gaming forum and there was an APB out for someone's stolen miniatures army. I've seen these before but I'd never really applied my WoW question to the situation. But that day, I started thinking about my path in wargaming and what I'd do if my army(s) simply vanished.
Unlike video games, collecting and painting an army isn't something that'd be nearly as fun the second time around. I could do a new paint scheme, but I'd still be sending my brush over very familiar details. I'd remember a struggle I had here, a lesson I learned there, and I don't think I'd have the heart for it.
The major question is if I'd even have Khador as my "main" faction. Assuming I lost Khador and my 2 smaller armies, I don't really know what I'd pick. Khador gave me a lot of good memories with the game, but a small part of me regrets "mastering" the game with that faction. While I love its straightforward style, it also lacks a lot of the tricks found in other armies. I've always known I started Khador to have an easier time learning the game and stuck with it simply because I was already decently invested in it.
Of course that's not to say I don't love Khador, because I do. But given the choice of slowly collecting and painting the same force or cutting ties and trying something else, I'm inclined to say I'd send my allegiance elsewhere. Would I miss Khador? You bet I would! They're my first love in the game, and they are my only faction that I feel somewhat competent playing. But without the ability to fall back on old reliable, I think I'd use this chance to pick an army like Circle Orboros (again), Skorne (again), or maybe even Mercenaries or Gators.
However, there's absolutely no question about whether I'd stick with the game. I love Warmachine, and there isn't another miniatures game I wish I'd played instead. What about you? Whatever your game of choice, would you stick with it if you'd lost all your progress? Would you make the same decisions or use your second chance to avoid mistakes you'd made? Let me know!
See you tomorrow!
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