The Cost Of Winning

For all it's drawbacks WFB does mask the gamer's personality - in part because of the imbalances between the armies.

40k being a more balanced game the personalty of the gamer comes to the fore.

Last week I faced the cheesemonger, and this week it was the win at all costs powergamer.

Ok it was partly my fault. I haven't read the rules for ages, and there are parts f the rules I haven't read at all. So we get to set up the tabe and that was were the disagreements started. I wanted walls and barbed wire and lots of cover, he didn't - so we didn't.

The set up took ages as he insisted on showing me his painting skills. Now fair enough everyone thinks their minis are wonderful - and his were nice - but I can do without having to bil and coo over stuff I couldn't give a shit about. I mean conversions are nice enough but they are rather overrated imo - or rather it is something for the other player to notice and admire, not something to be rammed down their throat.

Oh and then he picked up one of my minis and says, 'oh you've gone for the blobby camo,' in a disparaging manner, which I point put is a based on German WWII camo, which illicts a speach on how he used a 5 layer sponge technique. Now not wishing to be unkind, because his army was nicely painted, but to be honest his camo was brown, and it wasn't camo, it was mottled brown.

So after an eternity, he finishes setting up. So I start setting up. Which provoked the next round of carping from my opponent. Apparently I had deployed 2mm over the line - which in fact I hadn't, the dice marking the centre of the board was on a slight angle. So instead he started going on about where the deliation was between two 30 boyz mobs. Now fair enough this might be an issue, but frankly it was in deployment, and it might be an issue that crops up on forums as a cheat tactic in tournaments, but let's be honest this was a 'friendly' game, and I knew where the line was, and as soon as they moved it would become obvious.

But the point was that even before the game he was trying to pay wuth my troops as well as his own.

And let's put this game into a proper context. He has three battlewagons, and I have no AT except for the rokkits on the copters, and a combi-rokkit with the bikers -unless I can get a side shot from the looters. So the game basically boils down to my having to footslog it over to his tanks, assualt them, blow them up and then withstand the counter attack.

Anywho, the game gets under way and by turn two the disagreements have started again. This time it is about the nob bikers, which are kitted out to maximise wound allocation, which he says is cheating - yeah right - he then starts waffling on about whther or not I have done this bu accident - which of course I haven't - why would I? I try to point out that I have done it because I have just started the army and the megaforce comes with 9 bikerz - which unless it had I wouldn't have had bikerz at all, and since I have the figures I have maxed them out to get an army big enough to play with - he doesn't listen to this and continues arguing about the matter and calling me a cheat.

The second argument breaks out when my trukk blows up. As he thinks he is playing my army and I am just there to enjoy watching his skill at 40k, he immediately removes the trukk and starts putting out the figures, which I of course object to, since he shouldn't be handling my minis without my permission and because we are now in the inevitable position of having an arguement of where the trukk was when it blew up.

Anywho, as mentioned above the game went the way predicted above with me blowing up the battlewagons on the charge and he winningthe counter attacks. At which point he apologises for making such a fuss about the bikerz.

It was an interesting game in that I learned a little more about the Orks but it certainly wasn't a fun game.

Still I have a plan to get him back - very Orky - which whilst bound to cause a row, will hopefully remind people that Warhammer is suposed to be a fun role playing battle system.

Oh and aparently the fluff for my army is wrong - lol.

peace:)