When it comes to tabletop wargaming, there are basically two levels of games that I play: army-level games like 40K or Warpath, where you might have 50 or more models on each side; and skirmish-level games like Necromunda, Blood Bowl or Kill Team, where your entire gang (or squad, or team) is a dozen models, give or take a few. Games like Warmachine or Hordes kind of straddle the line, depending on the points level and your army composition.
READY FOR THE TABLETOP
I don't get a lot of time to play - and I don't like playing with unpainted models. So my spare time is "paint first, play later". As much as I enjoy 40K, I know it will be a while before I get either my Custodes or my Dark Angels armies ready for the table. Even though Custodes are a little easier in terms of model count, there are still many more models than in a skirmish game. And that means not just less time, but less money spent on your squad.
And let's be honest, looking at a pile of plastic and realizing how much time it's going to take to clean up, build and paint dozens of models is daunting and often discouraging - so one might decide to spend time doing something else entirely. But my philosophy is that any time hobbying is progress - even if it's just priming a model or laying down a glaze or wash before I leave for work so that it will be dry when I get home. The benefit of doing this with a small force is that you can see the progress more readily. I've spent the weekend working on the flesh tones for my Goliaths and they already look far better than they did two days ago!
So, for someone who doesn't have as much time to spend on the hobby, skirmish games let you put a team or gang on the table quickly - because you have far fewer models, it can take much less time to paint, you have more opportunity to paint to a little higher standard.
MORE TIME TO PLAY
So you've got that small force ready fairly quickly, and now you can spend your hobby time actually playing! When you finally get a chance to play, the games tend to go quicker - and you can get more of them in. Or you might find the opportunity to squeeze in a game of Necromunda or Blood Bowl when you have 2 hours free, where you probably couldn't fit in a game of 40K.
Like Thor says in his article, I'm a fluffy gamer too and I also don't care to put in the effort to "git gud" at 40K. I do enjoy playing it - and I haven't noticed 8th being particularly unfriendly to fluffy players, but that might have more to do with how laid-back the players in my area are. Even the guys who play in tournaments are pretty easy going in pickup games. It's not 2nd Edition to be sure, but better than 6th or 7th for certain.
But I digress. I've probably played a few dozen games of 40K in the past 30 years, but skirmish games got a lot more play than that. We played a couple games a week of Necromunda for a couple years (then I moved away from my gaming group and sold my gang) and a lot of Blood Bowl (still use my 2nd Edition metal Skaven team because they look so good):
(Here's a recent addition, though I do have a WHFB Rat Ogre conversion I used until I got this one)
(My 2nd Edition End Zone overlay)
(I even have a goalpost!)
A RICHER EXPERIENCE
The extra time we saved let us really go all-in on our Necromunda league - we had a newsletter (the Underhive Press™, coming soon to a blog near you) and a special rule that let players trade randomly-generated territories for ones of their choice, as long as they built scenery to represent it. We would never have had the time to do all that with our 40K games - although we did get in a few very memorable ones.
We used to enjoy a skirmish game by Grenadier called Future Warriors: Kill Zone and came up with a load of house rules and scenarios. My favorite was a scenario based on John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13, where my Enforcers had to hold their station against waves of Scavengers and Savages bent on killing the prisoners. I still have my Enforcers and Troopers in my display case - perhaps some day I'll get around to rebasing them and feature them here!
And like Thor, I'm good at skirmish games. My Goliaths were top of the league and I honestly don't remember ever losing with the Doomtown Rats™ in all the games I've played). My record in 40K is not quite as good. Back in 2nd, maybe - my army was dubbed "Cheatin' Space Wolves" because they did so well (I didn't actually cheat)... but when I came back in 5th it was a rude awakening. Casualty rules meant you lost special models much more readily - the "Look Out, Sir!" mechanic replaced the more sensible concept that if your machine gunner went down, one of the riflemen would pick up the weapon and fight on. It wasn't much fun when my Space Wolves that had given me many victories were wiped out to the man by the perfidious Eldar, after epic tales had been written of their previous glories against the "Space Elves".
So, which kind of game is a better fit for me - the kind where I need to paint dozens of models and stand a better-than-average chance of getting my butt kicked (if and when I finally have an army built and painted)... or the kind where I can take my time and show off my skill on a dozen models and not only have the chance to enjoy more games but maybe actually win some too? It's a no-brainer for me.
One of the other factors for me is space. I don't have a dedicated gaming room like I did years back, and the closest store with big tables isn't exactly close by. So a game that fits on my dining-room table is a lot more likely to see play. I don't have a lot of storage space for terrain, either - but a Blood Bowl pitch or enough terrain for a pitched battle between two Kill Teams will easily fit on the 3-by-5'ish table at home.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I love tabletop wargaming - and don't get me wrong, I do still enjoy playing 40K when the stars and planets align and I find the opportunity and the spare time at the same moment. But when you take a look at all the factors - time to play, time to build and paint your force, the cost factor, space, and so forth - skirmish gaming is easier all around and can offer more opportunities for enjoyment, especially for a new hobbyist.
So if the idea of spending hundreds of dollars (and hours!) getting an army ready for a large-scale game is what's keeping you from really getting into the hobby, think smaller. There are so many skirmish games to try - from the aforementioned Blood Bowl and Necromunda, to Guild Ball, Malifaux, Infinity, Frostgrave or Gaslands and the list goes on. There's sure to be one (or more) that you'll really enjoy.
What's your favorite skirmish game, and why? How many do you play, and how long have you played them? Do you have any favorite stories - or even pictures of your squads - you'd like to share? Let us know!
Well said. Basically, play whatever suits you. I’m all for learning a game, taking the time to get good at it, but when that starts to feel like work then it’s time to step back.
ReplyDeleteIndeed - I came to have fun, not for self validation or to prove a point. I've never been a competitive player in any kind of game, because I think games should be about having fun first and foremost. If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong!
ReplyDelete