WHFB Players killed their game, don’t let them kill AoS too

 
  Hopefully the hate has died down and I can write this without getting lynched.  When GW announced that they were killing WHFB, I was not too surprised.  Everyone knew the game was dead (from a sales perspective) and it showed.  I won’t list the litany of problems with the game, from convoluted rules, to an entry price that was too high even for well heeled folks.  Not to mention the drudgery of painting 62 skeletons/skaven/troopers/etc. only to have them destroyed before turn one.

  Now, I know I am not breaking new ground here, but it really was the existing fan base that killed the game.  I know none of them ever intended it, or even meant for it to happen, it was a by product of the system and the evolution of the game.  All the players I know of had their armies, and they were not adding to them.  They were not buying new stuff.  Add to that the fact the GW hadn’t really put out anything new of fresh in a while and stagnation is the only possible end result.

  One thing that really surprised me though was the pure vitriol that spewed forth over AoS.  I know EXACTLY how I would feel if WH40K got the same treatment, so I am not saying anyone was wrong for it.  I’m just kind of shocked at the energy that was put into hating on AoS and GW.  If half of that energy had been put into creating a vibrant, demanding WHFB community, who knows where we would be by now?  But for the community to so soundly crush AoS before ever even seeing it or playing is pretty astounding to me.  I know when rage overcomes reason that things tend to get ugly, but seriously, come on. 

  I have played some AoS (and I never would have played WHFB) and I have enjoyed it.  I have been reasonably amused at the folks that have put up video batreps and other such items without understanding the idea of the game.  I played through a few scenarios and found that there are some VERY important differences with this game and other GW type games.

1 - Scenarios are critical.  If you play a “kill the warlord” game, it is going to suck.  Flat out, suck.  It is a system designed for the warscroll/battleplan paradigm that they have introduced with the game.  Scenarios are often designed with some strange rules that make sense only when you see them in action.  Also pay attention to the Time of War entries as well.  Some of these rules are critical to recreating the scenarios.

2 - Terrain is required and critical as well.  Playing on a wide open board is lame as hell and ruins the effect as well as the game play. 

3 - You can buy into this game VERY inexpensively - Hell all the rules are free.  This really is a gateway drug, and there aren’t many of those games left.  New folks to the hobby can get into this game with just a starter set and have some reasonably good fun for a while.  Then they can branch out more and more until they scratch that itch or chuck it all.  Along the way they will find other races, new models and who knows, we may have a new 40k gamer out there, or a Warmachine player…  who cares, as long as the hobby grows.

4 - The game is fun.  That’s right, it is anathema to tournament players.  It is the anti-christ for all hard-core gamers.  It is designed for fun, meant to be fun and is fun.  It is not for the beat-face, net-listing, IN YOUR FACE gamer.  So if you are that guy, please don’t run it down  just to make yourself feel superior.  All your doing is killing the hobby and ruining it for everyone.
 
  I have never understood why someone who does not like a particular game/system/faction has to run it down, loudly for everyone to hear, just to make them fell better about themselves??  You do not need to explain to me how much AoS sucks in the face of the death of WHFB.  All your blustering will not bring WHFB back.  It’s dead, turn the page.  If you cannot get over it, move on to other systems and stfu.  (I hear wrath of kings is a good replacement and they are trying to get rules out to cover every WHFB model ever made.  Very good idea, I must say.)  Just don’t try to ruin my fun, and anyone else’s who wants to give AoS a legitimate chance.  If it’s not your thing, fine.  Move along.  You ruined your game, don’t ruin mine.
     

A letter to Horus, the wussy warmaster!

(Ok, so I have re-read the first three books again, and I’m still pissed. Sometimes, you just gotta rant, people. I’m tired of chaos lovers… I’m especially tired of Abaddon, the man-lover and I’m really tired of Horus, the Half-baked, whiny-warmaster!!! Here is my open letter to Horus the Wussified Warmaster.  Do not read if you have not and plan to read the Horus Heresy novels :)

Yeah, yeah, Horus, so you’re a Primarch and all. You’re still the ultimate girly-man, and I’ll tell you why. You have no guts, you have no self-confidence, you lack the self-esteem a warrior needs and ultimately, you’re weak in character. You let minor, petty things get to you and you forgot to check your ego at the door. As a result, mankind has spent the last ten thousand years in the ol’ grimdark!

Let’s see if I have this straight… Horus is a genetically engineered super-human war machine. A real Lord of War, if you will. Horus has genetically enhanced everything and the benefit of massive intelligence. You are the Emperor’s fave child.  When the Emperor has to be other places, you know, to do Emperor things, he puts Horus in charge of… well… EVERYTHING in the freaking imperium of mankind. Yeah, that about sums it up, right old boy?

So, instead of using your amazing emperor-given gifts of wisdom and brain-power, our little girly-man starts to have nagging doubts and gets to feeling all lonely.  “Oh golly, daddy, am I good enough for this?” Get a life, you loser!  Yes, you’re good enough; the emperor didn’t make YOU warmaster because of your steely good looks (even if that’s what Abaddon thinks). He TRUSTED you! Move on!  There is an old saying, “When you’re in command, Command!” That means that you do what you think is right Horus, you whiner, and trust your own judgment. If the emperor thinks you’re screwing up, he’ll let you know.

Then you start with the whole, “oh golly, this is hard, being in charge of everything”. Man up, you little dork. If it was easy, the emperor would have had a normal man do it, but he picked you, a FREAKING PRIMARCH to do it. The emperor kind of thought you might actually, oh I don’t know, Primarch up and become a leader. Instead, you picked the easy route and wimped out.

It took some real nerve to actually try to blame the emperor for your own lack of male genitalia. To actually say that it was his fault that you were weak, because he should not have left you with such a heavy burden to bear. What did you think? Being a Primarch was just about war and swords and bolters? You didn’t see that it might take some real thought? You whiny little bitch, go change your panties, I think you may have leaked a little.

And what about this ‘ability’ you have to see into men’s hearts and souls? You really mean to tell me you didn’t see Erebus coming? You didn’t see this addlepated twit of a space marine chaplain manipulating you? Some Primarch you turned out to be. The minute the going gets tough, you whine like a girl and sit on a Nurgle infested moon and cry.

I could almost deal with you when you had the whole Mournival thing going. Good idea, that was, always good to have some other opinions around. As long as you realize the final decision rests with you!! You’re the gol-durned WARMASTER. But, instead of listening to everyone all around, no, you prefer to go to Abaddon, who has the galaxy’s biggest man-crush on you, for advice. (Yeah, and after you die, you twinkle-toed panty-stuffer, you leave him to run thirteen freakin crusades from the eye of terror because of his failed man-crush… way to go, good disciple choice there…) So, yeah, you almost had a good idea, but like everything else, you lacked the willpower to do it right. You’re not a leader; you’re a whiny follower with delusions of leadership. It’s like putting the schoolyard bully in charge, you may win a few fights, but as soon as there is a challenge, you’ll fold like a house of cards.

And boy did you fold up. The minute some warp entity shows you a scene of some emperor worship, your bruised up little ego takes over and you go on a three day crying binge. Your complete lack of character, confidence and leadership showed up that day. Even Angron would have seen through that shit, but not you, you had to be the one everyone liked. You wanted statues to Horus, didn’t you, you freak.

I’m not going to fault you for your betrayal and what you did to all your loyal brothers. Your complete lack of moral fiber and character means that you wouldn’t learn the lesson anyhow. For you, making the plans to murder your own people, to kill your own brothers was easy once you took the gutless way out. It was easy to use their strengths against them, as a coven of women might. And I’m sure your little privates-polisher; Abaddon was helping all the way. It’s quite easy to be the warmaster when you’re planning a seditious little war on your own family, your own father. Just remember, jack-wagon, it’s hard to keep an oath; it’s very easy to break one. But the measure of a man comes from keeping his word, not breaking it.

I wonder how you could look Sanguinious in the face that day. How could you look upon someone who had upheld their convictions, stood true to their word, and their brothers? Is that why you killed him? Was the reflection of your sorry little ass in his eyes too much to bear? Did you realize, all too late, that your entire life was forfeit, meaningless and wasted? I may be giving you too much credit. Petty men hardly ever see the truth when it stares them in the face, they would rather blame someone else for their failures.

Being cut low was too good a fate for you. It should be you on a golden throne as well as the Emperor. Although, I suspect your throne would be made of a quivering mass of jelly, as befits your spineless nature. You should have been forced to watch ten thousand years of misery and strife, caused because you couldn’t do as men do. You could not keep your word, your faith or your honor.

Death was too good for you, you pretentious little sot. In your final act, as in all things, you took the easy way out. Wuss!

(Thus endeth the lesson :)