Is it me, or is this not fun anymore?

Hey everyone.

Bear with me while I vent, rant and sound generally miserable (about this hobby)

I remember years ago, before Texas Hold'em was the circus it is now, it was a 'gentlemans' game. There was certain ettiquite you followed, and a certain way of doing things. Now, due to the popularity, it's become a gong show of embarassing proportions. Really, do we need to have a name for every 2 card combo? Let's get real and get back to the old days.

Now to our beloved Warhammer, and Warhammer 40K. I've been into my local store many times to try and play a game or 2, and I find the environment, well, like a playground. A noisy, screetchy, obnoxious playground. The place is over run with young players, who, to be frank, have to clue what ettiquite is, and what investing time and money into these mini's. I can see it in the faces and expressions of older, more mature players who look like they are being tortured!

I'm in an unfortunate situation where I work opposite days to my gaming collegues, therefore I look to my local store for games. last game I played was in April.

I usually pack up my stuff, head home and start the e-bay process. After all, why should I spend my $$ on something I can't use anymore. I've sold over 10000pts worth of Space Marine stuff since April.

I've relegated myself to just a modeller and painter now, not a player or general any more. Which is too bad. I love the game, but the direction in which the game has turned is brutal. I know for a fact, and I've heard it myself that parents will leave thier kids at the local store while they shop or go to a movie. It's absurd.

Things like shouting, high fiving and generally being a douche is not the way I see 'Strategic Tabletop Gaming.' It's something I'd be embarassed about, but hey, maybe I'm old school. I'd like to make the game enjoyable, engaging and most of all fun for my opponent... but none of that happens in my store at all. There's no respect anymore.

I could go on, but it's lunch time.....

rant over.

 

Ever think of building your own game table...?
(thats what I did)

 

In combination with what n810 suggested, how about creating your own club or group that fits your hours? It looks like to me that there are still plenty of people playing when you're off work. And if those are all the types of people you don't want in-group, then place an ad at your local store. It's your club, make the rules. That's what I did and so far, has been great! Don't' want the added responsibility of club/group lead? Then just make it a casual club with democracy... or have someone else organize.

In my opinion. If there is a want or a need, then one can be found or made. But if you're set on your current path, then that's alright too. The most important thing is - are you having fun? If not, then what would you do to make it fun? Society isn't going to change overnight.. but you can change your environment.

 

For the last few years, GW has been marketing more and more heavily toward the younger crowds, kids. This is reflected in the rules being dumbed down, some of the darker aspects and more adult things removed, brighter colours on the packaging, bigger monsters and more 'killy' stuff, and of course, GW stores acting as glorified childcare centres.

It is a shame, but I guess if the kids who buy big for a few months then quit the hobby gain more money for GW than us veterans who already have multiple armies, its a sound enough business decision. GW is definitely not the company it used to be, games are not what they used to be (though I do enjoy 8th ed), and I have not walked into a GW store in several years, nor do I have any desire at all to.

 

I can only speak to my own experience. I've been playing WHFB since 1996. Never got into 40K for exactly the reasons you cite - a younger crowd, devoid of etiquette (and hygiene), a game that always struck me as tactically very straight forward and simple and therefore somewhat unrewarding and miniatures that quite frankly always looked, to me anyway, like big toys, the armies knock offs of storm troopers, the borg, aliens, etc., with a few of the most popular (i.e. best selling) fantasy races thrown in (i.e., Orks)

8th edition scares me because I see a very blatant attempt being made transpose the success and marketing of 40K onto Fantasy. But I don't think they've succeeded yet in taking all the life out of it - after all, 40K was never as bad as I imagined it, and the depth and breadth of the game-verse that WHFB exists in is quite large and hard to mess up with just a few changes being made to the rules. We experienced players, and even the hoi polloi, will always have the tournament scene to look to to get the latest comp restrictions to keep the game competitive, even in the face of a design team in Nottingham that must occasionally take orders from the Corporate Boardroom and not their own conscience.

Since 1996, I have played in game stores about 2 dozen times. I generally play with my friends at either my home or at their place. Right now I find a campaign with a monthly scheduled battle is working really well for me. Frankly, with my career and family obligations, I need 3 weeks between games just to sculpt, convert, glue together, prime, paint and base that latest addition to my army that will put be over the top in my next game (or at least look good enough to garner some ooohs and ahhhs from my friends)

I guess what I am saying is that if WH is in your blood, don't give that up. I am about to start playing semi weekly at a new game store that just opened up by where I live - my son is old enough to play now and he's excited to test his skills outside my small gaming club (he mostly plays with us Grognards and gets his butt whupped, so he's looking forward to taking those lessons and applying them to some kids his own age!). If I find the scene a circus, I will do what I can to make my displeasure known and have some ground rules discussed. Gaming is a social thing, to be fair, and some amount of social interaction/negotiation and compromise is necessary and to be expected.

But if the scene proves unmanageable, I will be content to just go on playing with the 4 or 5 (or 6, depending on everyone's schedules) people that I have grown to know and enjoy playing with. Even if that means playing only one game a month. Or less. Heck, once my son was born I didn't play regularly for about 5 years. But so be it. NEVER, sell your minis, especially if you've worked hard on painting them.

Trust me, you will regret it if you do. Sorry if this rambled on a bit...

 

Is it the crowd is getting younger or is it just a case of us getting older?

I have just started playing 40k and I have noticed that in general Fantasy players, at least at my local, are on average 10 - 15 years older than the 40k players. And while there is the occasional younger player (15 - 18 years old) WHF is the Old Boys club, mostly because you need a lot more disposable income to play and a level of maturity to be competitive.

On a Sunday afternoon we will have 8 tables of WFB going on and yes you here the occasional "Woo-Hoo! He Lives!" or someone yell "Dude Salamanders are so Broken!!" but it is overall a pretty laid back room.

On Saturdays there are 14 tables of 40k going on and you have to yell to talk over the "In your face Biotches!" and "Suck TWIN LINKED LASCANNONS!" and "I know this is 40k day, but Lizardman Salamanders ARE STILL REALLY BROKEN!"

It is a very different crowd for sure.

And until the 40k players mature and start playing WFB - "GET OFF MY LAWN YOU DAMN KIDS!"

 

Like any hobby, its what one makes of it. Where there's a will there's a way.

I frequent different hobby stores from time to time. I try to find days where they aren't as crowded as other days, that tends to lessen the noise and makes for a better level of enjoyment. And in some stores the noise level is much lower than others.

Making your own game table is another good idea. Then you can invite family or friends over for enjoyable times, and not need to worry about obnoxious people sometimes found at a local store.

As far as rules go, if there is a rule the two people playing don't like, as long as you can agree on a change, than go for it.

 

Table at home = Beer.