A Crisis of Game Faith, Contemplating a Change

Welcome back scratch build fans!  I'd like to take this time to be a little selfish and explain my current thoughts on the blog's namesake and what I'm currently debating with myself.  So hopefully you stick with me to the end and maybe give me your own thoughts on the topic at hand.

Two Chaos Land Raiders, built from scratch

When I began playing 40k around the year 2000, I had a lot of income to spend on whatever I wanted.  Everything was new and shiny, and gosh darn it if Warhammer Fantasy didn't scratch an itch I had!  That's right, 40k wasn't my first Games Workshop love.  I really loved the story behind the Lizardmen (and just about everything else) and had a blast playing it.

One of my first Fantasy models

However, the players of Fantasy started to dwindle and move on to other games, one of which was Warhammer 40k.  Again, we had a lot of fun playing the game, but it was pretty obvious which armies were stronger than others after a few months, but by then it was too late.  The lack of balance often caused arguments and frustration for the players.  Most of us put away our models at this time (4th edition) and happily stuck with console gaming.

The first army I bought for 40k, Iyanden Eldar

When 5th edition hit a group of friends were really excited to play again, building tables and bringing their armies out of storage.  We even played some Apocalypse games.  A few years ago, though, we started to realize people were getting frustrated again.  Some armies were left behind (Black Templars, Chaos) while others we owned were way ahead of others (Grey Knights).  Friends stopped having game nights and no one really wanted to get together anymore.

Warhound Titan I built from scratch, gave away as a SB40k Prize

So, I've been waiting.  Waiting for the game to rekindle their interest.  Waiting for that itch to need scratching.  I was certain eventually my main playgroup would want to dive back in again.  I've had a couple 6th edition games played, but for the most part it's only been hobbying, which I share here.

And while I understand a lot of people are excited by the changes which have come for 6th edition, I'm not really thrilled.  I don't want to play a game dominated by gun line armies.  I hate the idea of taking tons of screamers and heralds in the hopes of getting a 2++ reroll so I can survive against 140 shots.  To me, that's not fun, and I've seen a lot of others who feel the same way.

So many Daemons!  No reason, just wanted to add them

What this means, however, is my own joy in the game, and hobbying for it by extension, isn't what it used to be.  You may have noticed I've struggled to continue delivering posts on scratch building for 40k.  Posts are short and I don't put as much effort into the writing as I used to.  I'm just afraid the thrill is gone.

This is not to say I don't have joy in hobbying.  Far from it!  I've just felt my interests drifting toward board gaming and X-Wing in particular.  I began building a X-Wing game board and repainting the miniatures of the game.  To top it off, I've been playing Android Netrunner, Eminent Domain, A Study In Emerald, and tons of other games which my current board game group has been playing like crazy.




And what I've learned is this- I don't have to play and build for a game which has bad rules.  I don't have to wait 8 or 9 months for a FAQ which doesn't answer the questions the community wants answered.  In essence, I don't have to play a game where the company who makes it continues to blame players for not playing the game 'as they intended'.

Ok, so where does that leave Scratchbuilt 40k?  Honestly, I don't know.  I love blogging and sharing with you fine folks all the weird stuff I'm building and what I've done.  Most of all, I love talking about games.  The main problem is when I began this blog I sort of focused on a very narrow topic- building from scratch stuff for Warhammer 40k.  Right there in the title, fairly self explanatory.  But if I start blogging about other stuff here, I'm not being honest about the site and what I'll be providing to those of you who have stuck with me for so long.  And that's where I am now.

I haven't pulled the plug on SB40k yet, and I don't know if it will come to that.  I've done my best not to allow my negative feelings about 40k to seep into the blog, instead focusing on the hobby aspect.  For now, though, it feels a little overwhelming and I just don't know if I can keep up appearances.

Anyways, thanks to all for reading this far through my rambling novel.  You've all been great and given me so much inspiration to continue hobbying and blogging about my efforts in this crazy game.  While I don't know exactly what will happen, I'll be sure to let you all know what I finally decide in regards to Scratchbuilt 40k.  Till then, take care and keep hobbying.

-Krisken
(Brian Paasch)

P.S.  I'd be thrilled to hear from you fine folks on your own thoughts on the game.  Are you enjoying it more than ever?  Do you turn to other games in the meantime because you're not thrilled?  What would you do in my shoes?  I'd love to know and I'll happily respond to each one of you.