If you could rewind time, would you still start 40k?

[Xantige]

This is something I asked myself in the shower the other day, and it made me pause in thought. So I thought I'd put this question to the hive, because I know a lot of us moan and groan about GW, the game, the codex and all that.

Personally, I straddle between yes and no. No is easy to justify, I've barely played more than 10 games in the 2 years I've had models, I don't even have 1000 points of any one army painted, none of my armies are anything more than slapped together groups of cheap, gifted or second hand models. And, I've had to put up with a lot of grief from the community, and frustration at losing, feeling lied to about just what 40k is about, and all in all feeling like nothing more than an outsider whose not drunk enough of the 40k kool-aid to fit in. All the hours and dollars put into 40k could have gotten me a lot more else where... but that's where we get to the "yes" answer.

Because, I could have more wisely used my hours and dollars towards my art hobby, or I could have bought myself loads of things, and dealt with less grief... but I think if I'd walked away from it, I'd lack things money can't buy. Sure, I wasted a lot of time letting idiot gamers bother me, but I met a few really awesome people too. And while I still don't know how to deal with every jerk or basement-creep that tails me in a club setting, I've learned some ways of dealing with them, and for someone as reclusive and shy as I can be, that's a good thing. 40k also got me out of the house and doing things on my own without my parents driving me around and being around to see what I say and do, I was allowed to be my own person, for better or worse. And oddly enough, the hobby has given me a wealth of skills that have become practical in other areas of life. I've got magnets and glues and knowledge to repair little things that has saved quite a few household cables and nick-nacks, and the painting has improved my halloween prop painting. I used to mourn broken things, but now I've got the tools to fix things, or learn how to fix them. And finally, as bad as GW and 40k is, as pricy as it is... I wanted to get into this hobby for more years than I've been in it. And while I dislike the gaming and the logistics of gaming (transport, time, set up, so many rules, etc), I know I just can't give it up. Painting is fun, the occasional battle with my (please do not swear) forces is fun, delving into the fluff, good or bad, is fun. Even if I pursue it on an extremely casual level, and I may not have 1500 points in nids for another 5 years unless someone rains free models down on me.

And true, maybe that all could have happened with another wargame, but I don't think I'd have found the opponents or the models, or even known about them if not for GW and 40k.

And of course, had I walked on by my LGW, I'd never have found my way here to the Hive. I don't want to gush, but this has seriously been THE best community of people I've been a part of on the internet.

So what about you guys? If you could rewind it all, and had full knowledge of all of this, would you have gotten into 40k/wargaming?

[gigasnail]

i'd still play but i'd have made smarter initial purchases.

[WestRider]

Yeah, I would have changed some of the things I bought and did, but I'd still get into it if I were back then knowing what I do now. I've met a lot of great people and had a lot of great times through this hobby, and it's definitely been worth my investment of time and money.

[gigasnail]

i wouldn't have bought the nearly $2k worth of chaos and daemons as my first purchase. i'd have bought my CSM stuff (minus the 3.5 edition codex the store clerks flat out lied to me saying it was still usable), and not bothered with the daemons and instead spent it on booze, cigars, the girl i was seeing at the time, and probably got a warhound or something instead.

go big, or go home.

[robomummy]

Yeah, I have spent a lot of money on the hobby (and still do) but everything I have bought since I started is still viable and I always use it in games. There is a guy at my LGS who has played since rogue trader and he has spent thousands on the game, for 30 years of entertainment I'd say that that is worth it. I don't think I would change anything.

[coredump]

I think so. I would have loved to have spent my money differently... and would have tried to play more games.

[biomassbob]

Interesting question Xantige. If I knew then what I know now about GW and 40K to be honest I wouldn't have bought a thing from GW or played this game. I would have met some of the same people as I would still go to the local gaming store (it is an excellent store with lots of tables for gaming) but not in the same way as many of them only play GW games for the most part. I have been a gamer for 40 years and played a vast amount of games from board wargames from companies such as Avalon Hill (some of my favorite games - a few which I have played by mail over the years and will likely get back into since its even easier with the internet), GDW, SPI, TSR and Victory Games to RPG such as AD&D 1st and 2nd edition, Boot Hill, Top Secret, Space Opera, Traveller, to games such as Star Fleet Battles and many other newer games. In tabletop gaming I played an Airfix miniatures WWII game with models when I was young but 40K and Fantasy from GW were the first big tabletop miniatures games I played (started 40K in 4th edition with Tau (sold now) and quickly went to tyranids which are my favorite and space marines (Salamanders and White Scar successor).

Met some great people gaming and had many memorable and enjoyable experiences. But with GW I have never had such an experience with a company before. I like many of the models and when I was motivated painting them was enjoyable but I like games of this type to be relatively balanced with proper and structured rules, and with a company that will fix problems (rules-wise as model problems GW sorts out very well) where with the internet it is the easiest thing to errata problems. The game can be fun at times but can often be frustrating. When I started during 4th edition we had some fun and the comments often heard when referring to codex/rulebook problems that the game has gotten better - still has some issues - but GW has been improving over the years. Certainly they have some interesting ideas and armies but my climbing interest in 40K plateaued with the 5th edition nid dex which was a poor product that seemed rushed released around many other dexes that were good (some too good in some areas) so I hoped that GW would errata the problems. Never happened. I put up with it for 4 years (never played tervigons as I hated the concept and implementation by GW) since it was the main social game with my friends and when 6th edition came out I hoped that GW would take the opportunity to release army-wide errata to really fix up some of the issues to try to make most units decent but didn't happen. Then came the 6th edition nid dex. I had hopes but after so many disappointments had misgivings and sure enough the dex was another poor quality product. I really do hope 7th turns the mess around towards making 40k a better game but I will not get my hopes up as I don't expect much at this stage.

I have been looking at other games such as Flames of War and Star Trek Attack Wing as I have heard many good things about them. To put things more plainly if a group of gamers in my area played Avalon Hill board games such as the Russian Campaign, Battle of the Bulge 81, Flat Top, etc or Star Fleet Battles I would have sold, given away or tossed in the garbage my 40K stuff. The saddest thing is 40K is a game with so much potential and is yet such a mediocre game. If only GW would contract out the rules to an actual game company and focused only on the models it could be a great game.

[killercroc]

I would still be into it for sure, but I would make a lot more informed purchases, and I'd learn to stop picking up armies on a whim. I've started like 3 side armies that never took off, sigh the wasted monies. But still, I love the game and the people I play with. 10/10 would still be a player.

[Xantige]

Like all of you guys, I'd probably make better decisions. I probably would have gone right to the club/store I go to now, and I'd have started my army the way I wanted to before the peer-pressure: kit by kit. The gamers that went to the GW store I first went too were all about speed in collecting and gaming. Painting was just what you did for tournies, so about 10% of players had fully painted models, and maybe 5-10% more had 25-75%, the other 80-85% were grey, white or black tides with a few hapzardly painted models. They would gently tease me about how I'd take 3-4 weeks to finely paint 20 devilgants. But I like the idea of slowly growing an army. That way you learn your units, learn to do unique things with them, and as you buy bit by bit your army grows more organically than if you buy 2000 points right there on the spot with no idea if you'll like it or not. Well, that's my theory anyways.

But I guess there's the chance that I'd have played more games before buying into a ruleset first. Although to be honest, I adore the Tyranid models. I may hate 40k and GW, but unfortunately I love many of the models too much to move wholly to another system. If nothing else, I'd remain a collector/painter. I've never seen another army aesthetic or model range that has made me want to buy it all in a heart beat like Tyranids.

[biomassbob]

i agree, the tyranid models are great. I love the ravener, warrior, lictor, deathleaper, hive tyrant, trygon, hormagaunt, and carnifex models in particular. That is one of the things that keeps me interested and why I hope that GW fixes enough with this edition that most units are decent options so will often end up on the battlefield.

[gigasnail]

mah raveners ; ;

[Davor]

If I knew now, back then what we know now, NO I wouldn't have started 40K. OH I so wish they showed me Bundle deals so I could see how much things actually costed.

I really want to know how many new people started 40K seeing the One Click bundle deals.

[l0rdf1end]

Same for me,
I have learnt to test play before purchase.

Getting back into 40k a few years back pulled me out of playing Eve Online and for that I am grateful.

[Moontyranid]

Yes Will still play it i never had any regred.

[Deleted]

I think this largely depends on the whole "if I knew then what I knew now" factor. When I started 40k the person who got me into the hobby also voiced mild warmachine interest as he had some of the models, but I chose 40k and our gaming group catalyzed from there.

I love the fluff in 40k, I mean I feel that's mostly the reason people play(or at least get involved). In an alternate timeline I would have read more 40k novels and played a different but similar game.

Mostly just because I tend to disagree with GW's philosophies about customers, investing, and their own self image. Those aren't elements I like concerning myself with in a hobby, and I don't see other wargamers in similar systems doing that.

EDIT: don't get it twisted though, for all my griping if there weren't alternative wargames in this divergent timeline I'd still play 40k.