How Is 40k Doing In Your Local Wargaming Community?

[MajorWesJanson]

Locally we are doing pretty well- 12-20 regular players. The occasional new player, or player leaving, but most of our turnover is due to people moving/getting deployed (lots of military around) rather than people quitting or joining, though we have had a few people start playing or get back in after long breaks.

Fantasy is smaller, with 6-10 regulars.

LotR is dead, dead.

No Warmahordes that I know of. Malfeux is starting, and X-Wing is picking up rather quickly, soon to start maybe a league/tournaments for it.

Magic is king though, of course. But 40K is still prince, along with comics.

[Wargamer30]

I'm a new player myself. One of my friends took me to my local GW store to play a demo game. They're always packed and have 40k events every weekend.

[Voltigeur]

In my area we still have a traditional Games Workshop with 6 gaming tables and space to paint and hang out. They seem to do a pretty good business, which I attribute to the staff and manager who have always been good guys. What is troubling is that both flavours of Warhammer seem to be disappearing from our Independent game stores. We used to have four stores that both sold Warhammer and ran events for it. Now we are down to two that sell and one that runs events. I fear that if we ever lose the local GW or if it changes to a one man store that the wider community might disappear very quickly.

[Defenestratus]

I answered for the market I just moved from (Orlando) since I'm still too new in my area to really get a gauge of the community.

The LGS I started playing at when I moved there was 50/50 40k/Other stuff. By the time it closed, the only 40k that was being played there was between 4 guys really.

The store I went to after that - started out as GW-only. It was an LGS but all they carried, and all they played were GW. I was in heaven. Within 8 months or so, the strong 20+ players in the 40k community seemed to disappear and instead, Warmachine was taking up EVERY table. Literally on 40k nights, there would be more people playing Warmachine than would be playing 40k. When I'd ask the store owners, who were die hard 40k players when they first started the store, why they seemed to give up on 40k, they said that Warmachine "was just a better game".

I don't think thats true, but I'll tell you what, the exact situation was true with the store I went to in the Atlanta suburbs when I lived there. Went from strong 40k/WFB, to Warmachine and Flames of War within a year.

[BeardMonk]

they said that Warmachine "was just a better game".

I hear this a lot down my LGC and among my other wargaming mates. However, even though im a big Warmachine and Hordes player, its not really “true”. Its just a different game with a different play philosophy.

However, I think what attracts a lot of new players is you can get straight into it with one of the faction starter kits. For about £30 you get all you need (caster, warjacks/warbeasts, rules and unit cards) for a viable 19pt game. From there its only a short hop to 25pts, the basic level that most players will play regularly at.

Interestingly, people have just tried to run a mini 40K one day tournament in out club. There were not enough takers to make it viable. BUT, people are showing interest in a fantasy tournament. Which is great because I consider WHF to be massively superior to 40K.

I wonder how many people are actually put off by commercial philosophy of GW vs other games companies? That’s a different matter.

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

it's mixed. the tournament scene went from 30-40 people at an event down to 20 or so. and this new group of To's seem to be making the same mistakes as they did in 6th. they fail to realize that you don't ban core rules or prevent game dynamics from being used. instead the listen to the boogie man they ban codex items, follow the typical internet garbage and act like sheep.. i was going to give one of their events but after posting on a 40k facebook forum all i found was a bunch of sheep. they fail to understand that when you ban or change how an army operates you artificially boost another army at its expense. so instead of a truly open and dynamic game we have 6th edition ala 40k lite as i am deeming it.

Their 40k phobic non adaptable and afraid of change. to them formations are bad data slates should be banned and oh ya forgeworld you know the really interesting units that cost an army and a leg are broken and over powered oh ya lords of war are evil. and they do not want a pay to play game.. yet when you go to one of their events you see the flavor of them month represented in grey mini's but that's right they think its unfair to allow people to use game mechanics... because super heavies are so broken becasue well the interwebs told them so and they couldn't be bothered to try the game.

but that's right i was told i should drive else where... funny i've been active at that store since 2005 and these kids just showed up. but it's okay when i show up there's a fully painted army based with cool toys and conversion and not grey plastic so let's see how long these guys stick around i give them 6 months to a year its not like i haven't see 4 groups come and go at he gaming store.... what's one more

[Gamgee]

it's mixed. the tournament scene went from 30-40 people at an event down to 20 or so. and this new group of To's seem to be making the same mistakes as they did in 6th. they fail to realize that you don't ban core rules or prevent game dynamics from being used. instead the listen to the boogie man they ban codex items, follow the typical internet garbage and act like sheep.. i was going to give one of their events but after posting on a 40k facebook forum all i found was a bunch of sheep. they fail to understand that when you ban or change how an army operates you artificially boost another army at its expense. so instead of a truly open and dynamic game we have 6th edition ala 40k lite as i am deeming it.

Their 40k phobic non adaptable and afraid of change. to them formations are bad data slates should be banned and oh ya forgeworld you know the really interesting units that cost an army and a leg are broken and over powered oh ya lords of war are evil. and they do not want a pay to play game.. yet when you go to one of their events you see the flavor of them month represented in grey mini's but that's right they think its unfair to allow people to use game mechanics... because super heavies are so broken becasue well the interwebs told them so and they couldn't be bothered to try the game.

but that's right i was told i should drive else where... funny i've been active at that store since 2005 and these kids just showed up. but it's okay when i show up there's a fully painted army based with cool toys and conversion and not grey plastic so let's see how long these guys stick around i give them 6 months to a year its not like i haven't see 4 groups come and go at he gaming store.... what's one more

They sound like top tier scrubs. I get that from time to time. Rather than up their game they insist on banning stuff or you. I'm not even all that good a player either really. [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q0Rer4vfzk#t=0m51s[/url]

[Defenestratus]

it's mixed. the tournament scene went from 30-40 people at an event down to 20 or so. and this new group of To's seem to be making the same mistakes as they did in 6th. they fail to realize that you don't ban core rules or prevent game dynamics from being used. instead the listen to the boogie man they ban codex items, follow the typical internet garbage and act like sheep.. i was going to give one of their events but after posting on a 40k facebook forum all i found was a bunch of sheep. they fail to understand that when you ban or change how an army operates you artificially boost another army at its expense. so instead of a truly open and dynamic game we have 6th edition ala 40k lite as i am deeming it.

Their 40k phobic non adaptable and afraid of change. to them formations are bad data slates should be banned and oh ya forgeworld you know the really interesting units that cost an army and a leg are broken and over powered oh ya lords of war are evil. and they do not want a pay to play game.. yet when you go to one of their events you see the flavor of them month represented in grey mini's but that's right they think its unfair to allow people to use game mechanics... because super heavies are so broken becasue well the interwebs told them so and they couldn't be bothered to try the game.

but that's right i was told i should drive else where... funny i've been active at that store since 2005 and these kids just showed up. but it's okay when i show up there's a fully painted army based with cool toys and conversion and not grey plastic so let's see how long these guys stick around i give them 6 months to a year its not like i haven't see 4 groups come and go at he gaming store.... what's one more

It seems that the area I moved to, the LGS is a very competitive scene and they're very much the same. I read the store/community forums where they talk about banning dataslates, Forgeworld, unbound... and I'm rather sad.

[40kGamer]

It seems that the area I moved to, the LGS is a very competitive scene and they're very much the same. I read the store/community forums where they talk about banning dataslates, Forgeworld, unbound... and I'm rather sad.

In my area there's an anything goes mentality for most tournaments with the exception of Warp Charge which is being limited at ~12-15 in some (not all) events. Never mind that this effectively neuters some armies but whatever. I guess the high pitched internet super whine found its way into their brains.

[CoffeeGrunt]

In casual play we're pretty much anything goes. Tournaments have banned Superheavies and Forge World, though, despite protests. (Manager just simply doesn't like them.)