From Email: Scott

Scott Asked:

My first question would be are all my old codex's and rule book out of date?

Second is the game fairly balanced? I mean I know there are points and stuff, but does any army dominate the tournament scene? I always thought space marines were really over powered, but I was pretty naive last time I played lol.

Then is there a website or message board for finding players, tournaments or just general strategy? The few guys at the hobby shop near my house think they are better than the world and aren't really cool to talk to.

Thanks,
scott

Reply:

First off, probably almost all of your old codexes are no longer tournament legal. Since you last played in 3rd edition, the only codexes that are still valid are the following:
Necrons
Dark Eldar
Witch Hunters
Daemon Hunters

Every Other codex and the rulebook has been updated since. mostly for the best with a few exceptions.

Secondly, in the new edition, things are very well balanced AGAINST EACH OTHER, which is to say that the 5th Edition Codexes may seem a bit overpowered against the 4th edition codexes because of GW's push to have more models in your army. The 5th edition codexes include:

Space Marines
Imperial Guard
Space Wolves
Tyranids

There are those who say that there are more, but they are wrong. the others are 4th edition codexes and while some are still very powerful (Tau, Dark Eldar, Witch Hunters, Eldar) for the most part they do not stand up to the viability of those 4 codexes.

And lastly there are a lot of places around the web that offer lots of advice.
It really depends on the army you play though. as far as a "Game Finder" service I know that there are some out there, but I've had absoloutely no luck using them. It could be because I'm from a backwater area, but more of a possibility is that nobody uses them and just goes to their local shop to find a game.

Keep at it and if you have any more questions, be sure to let me know. I'll answer them as best I am able.

Stephen.

Why "Comp" is killing Competitive 40k

I’m not going to sit here and think that I will convince everyone that comp is a bad thing. People are used to it and may even believe that it levels the playing field between codexes.

I take the opposite stance. It does not level the playing field. It limits us as gamers. So I want to take the time to put together an outstandingly brutal list that is built to not only wipe my opponent off the table but win the match, wait, what? I get penalized and dropped in standings because I can figure these codexi out? What a bunch of crap that is.

Comp limits us as gamers because it specifically says “If you take this unit you get dinged in points”. Why? This is supposed to be a competitive setting. I did not come to a tournament to play a beer and pretzels game. I came to a tournament to get my ass handed to me and learn from those that are better than me. Next tournament I’ll do better and teach a few people things. What is the point of playing in a competitive environment if you take the competition out?

Am I disillusioned enough to think that nob bikers are not great? No. I’ve played them. Are they unbeatable? No. Is Vulkan so overpowered that I should take a penalty if I include him in my army? No.

Perhaps we should just start penalizing people if they fill their 1850 list to the max of 1850? It’s just as arbitrary. Oh you squeezed that extra 2 points into your army? -10 Battle points.

Am I the only one that sees comp this way? If you have to rely on the comp system to make your army a worthwhile choice, why are you playing in a competitive environment? Honestly, if you don’t have what it takes to stand up and take your licks (I Did) and learn how to build a strong army AND play it with good tactics, why are you playing this game? For fun? If that is the case you do not belong in a tournament. If you can, and prove your mettle against all the competition, take your prize, and the glory and enjoy it knowing that you have what it takes to play competitively.

Comp kills our competitive environments because it limits what we are allowed to come up with for our armies. You show up at a comp tourney and you see 10 Space Marine armies that are 90% the same, and you see maybe 6 other armies that are built to a different standard. Who usually wins? The xenos. Why? Because all the comp systems are built around the Space Marine Codex. The Xenos are built around fluff.

Ever seen that super anti-Space Marine army play against a xeno army? 7/10 times it get’s it’s ass handed back in it’s transports.

So what do we gain by playing comp tourneys? Well, you get your options limited, you get your creativity stifled, and you get somebody else’s sense of how the game should be played shoved down your throat.

I challenge each and every one of you to build the nastiest list you can and go play in a non-comp tourney. Why? Because you will see that it is not about the list, it is about tactics. Yes your list will help you, but without a plan of action you will get bogged down with so many mundane rules and special effects that you will forget what you need to do. I’ve been there. I’ve done it. I’ve forgotten snikrot behind cover on my opponent’s edge within an inch of a terminator assault squad that would have been crushed had I charged.

My plea: Drop Comp, let people learn what a competitive environment really is. Let them build tactics, Let them build their army to be theirs, not a cookie cutter “NetDeck” yes, it’s brutal, yes it can lead to hurt feelings over a crushing defeat, but you know what else it leads to? Original thought. Nobody learns much by winning every game because comp limited your opponent but not you. Everybody learns something when the guy across from you kicks your ass because you don’t know how to use tactics to win.

I’m not encouraging “That Guy” to be an ass and lord it over his opponents when he wins, I’m not encouraging cheaters, I’m encouraging original thought and to step out of the mold and look at your codex so that when you go to a tournament, you’re more worried about YOUR army than you are about YOUR OPPONENT’s army.

Also, a few points that have been brought up is that comp is used to make things "Fair" or "Fairer" for the people that play outdated codexi, I'm calling bullshit on this. Dark Eldar, Necrons, Tau, Inquisitors, and Eldar all have some of the most competitive armies in existance. No Dice there folks.

Also cripling somebody elses army so yours does better should be done on the battlefield. not bo somebody who thinks that orks are too powerful. Duh, that is the point of the game isn't it?

Tournament Scoring, At Least How I Think It Should Work.

Round 1: Random Seeding with the exception of people from the same gaming club not fight each other IF POSSIBLE.
Subsequent Rounds: Players face people with equivalent battle points with the exception that no 2 players ever face each other more than once.

Maximum 25 Points Per Round:
Massacre – 20-0
Major Victory 17-3
Minor Victory 14-6
Tie – 10-10

Conditions for what constitutes a massacre, etc. are defined in each round's mission.

Bonus Points:
Up to 4 Per Round Determined by Tournament Organizer
Examples Include but are not limited to: Did all of your HQ choices Survive? Did more of your Troop Choices Survive than your opponents? Etc.

Sportsmanship:
1 Point for sportsmanship is available for each player for each round.
Simply answer if you would play the person and their army outside of a tournament environment.

In a standard 3 round tournament you will have a maximum score of 75 for the tournament.
In a GT Setting, you will have a maximum score of 150 points.

Painting is a separate category that SHOULD NEVER be included in tournament play, Thus a person Could win both Best Painted and Best overall for a tournament.

Welcome To The World of Competitive Warhammer 40k

This is an Extension Blog of Dilusions Of Grandeur, My Main Blog.

I'll be Copy/Pasting all my rants and ravings about competitive gaming onto this site so that well, you can get it all at one time.

Enjoy.