While I eagerly await any news from what delights this GenCon brings, I will while away the time with another post. This is about my 20-year relationship with the miniature gaming hobby - which, by the way, is the longest relationship I have had. Really, aside from reading, this is the one constant thread in my interests over the years. I wrote a different version of this elsewhere a while ago, and will no doubt revisit this topic in the future.
Two things prompted me to think about this: (1) recently, I was told that because I have never played, nor have any particular knowledge of, RPG's that I have somehow messed with the order of the universe. I know pretty much nothing about how RPGs are run, what people do there. I don't see myself getting into it either, mainly because I am a tactile person, I like holding my minis, I like painting and collecting my minis. And the RPG thing just seems very social, which freaks me out a bit. I'll get to (2) in a bit.
My younger brother received the Heroquest game and a few expansions for Christmas one year, probably 1990 or 91. My brother got much more cool toys than me - so even though I am a few years older, I stole his toys a lot over the years (and dismantled several of his Lego creations to make my own, sorry about that). This game was somehow affiliated with GW, and inside the box was a tiny advert for Warhammer and 40K. My boyfriend at that time was British, and had played Warhammer in its earlier incarnation with friends there before moving to the States. So I came to understand that models were put on a table and stuff got blown up with magic and such. This was not too exciting. But those space marines, and the promise of a future ruled by "grim darkness" and war, that sounded awesome. Trying to find the minis became a challenge, which is it's own tale. I think I managed to order/buy Rogue Trader from the Waldenbooks in the mall eventually.
Point is, I didn't learn about the hobby from friends or enter into it as a natural progression from RPGs. It was luck and advertising that got me into it.
(2) The second point which prompted me to write this, I am meeting a number of people who are starting their adventures in miniature gaming with a game system that is produced by someone other than Games Workshop. This is just crazy to me - it's like skipping beer and pot and jumping straight into smack.
I think it is great, and really shows that the hobby is diversifying rapidly, but at the same time, it creates differences in the understanding of how things work. Particularly in regards to how customers are treated by various gaming companies. For any of you that have played GW games for more than a few years, I am sure you can agree that the way the company functions has, um, evolved over the years. Back when I got into this in like 1992, I was on a road trip and decided to make a detour of several hours to hit the GW store in Arlington, VA (there were only a few in the States at that time, mostly centered around their HQ in Baltimore/Glen Burnie). I was thoroughly let down as the store had a really pathetic selection in stock (in retrospect, they were probably just about to shift to 2nd edition). So I wrote GW a letter, letting them know what a disappointed teenager I was. And their response? They sent me a $20 gift certificate to use through their mail order. Seriously - can you imagine that these days? I loved GW, up until several events signaled a change in their operating practice - particularly the closing of their forum and the descent into suckiness of White Dwarf.
Luckily, I had a serious stash of minis to work through. I moved to Orlando, FL for a while and met some of the nicest gamers ever at Rhubarb Games (sadly they have closed) and at about the same time, new Eldar and Dark Angels codexes were released, so I started purchasing stuff for a while. Then I moved away and again put new GW purchases on hold. About a year and a half after I moved, I received a random email from Rhubarb announcing Malifaux and its exceeding awesomeness. I was hooked immediately, and so put the pointy ears and the power armor away for many years.
Two different themes here at this point, I will resolve them individually. First, it is hard to understand the frustrations of non-GW veterans when reacting to the customer interactions and general information relay of other companies. Because everything they do is so much more involved, faster and generally more gracious. Waiting less than a year for an update or a model fix or an FAQ? That's nothing, as I am sure any of you who played Dark Eldar since 3rd edition can agree. And at least Wyrd, and maybe PP too (I have no idea about them), has the guts to maintain a forum where people can discuss, and criticize, their game and business practices. GW hasn't done that for what, 10 years now? So, when I see people getting upset at Wyrd for not doing this or that at the beck and call of some of its customers, I get annoyed. So do others obviously, because I guess we have learned patience from having seen much worse.
Second thing, though, I have decided I am not really mad at GW anymore. I am willing to give them some of my money, luckily not so much as the bulk of my main armies have already been purchased. (***oh how this statement was proven false***). They lost a lot of business from me, because I am a collector, not the type to finish one army and then stop. If they hadn't made me mad, I would probably have about 6 40K and at least 3 WFB armies at this point, instead of 2 and the beginnings of 2. (**now that is more like 5 and 3**)
I never quit GW, I just needed a break. I didn't hate them, they just disappointed me. And they do make some really nice models. And Eldar were my first love, which just doesn't leave you. And because I have met some nice people in the area who play GW games exclusively.
That said, I will be picking up the new 6th edition box next month (I hope). I will finish painting my Ravenwing, probably strip my plastic troops just to get them uniform (and because I am a much better painter now). I will get the last few Eldar boxes I need to feel complete there and finish painting up the machines and possibly strip and repaint the troops. I really like some of the High Elf models, so will probably get that going. And I have always wanted a Lizardmen army, but that would be well down the road.
So for any locals, you may see me showing up at DL without my Malifaux stuff on occasion. Please be nice.
Your story reminds me of the time back in 1989 when I bought a $40 bunch of Rogue Trader minis (they were in blisters stapled to a strip of plastic) because they were irresistibly cool, but had no idea how to get a hold of the game that went with them. Mail order didn't occur to me (probably because I didn't have a checking account). Forty bucks went a long way back then, I seem to recall having at least a half-dozen each of Space Marines (beakies!), Eldar, Orks and Squats. Too bad I never got into Rogue Trader, because by the time 2nd edition 40k came out and I got sort of interested in it, a ragtag assortment of multi-cultural space pirates was unplayable junk.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, on the subject of forum rage -- I tend to assume it's the way people who've overinvested their time and emotions in hobby/internet activities level themselves out. Messy and embarrassing, but whether in real or online life I suspect everyone's done it at least once.
Yeah, my first purchases were at a little shop in Charlotte, NC, and the staff really didn't know the game. I ended up with blisters of eldar pirates (guardians), spaces marines, and for some reason the packs of chaplains and apothecaries I bought included 3 in each. The trip to the GW store mentioned above, I bought several boxes of plastics, including Squats, Orks, and the Terminators and Tyranids box, which must have been meant to go with Space Hulk. I never really played RT much, by the time I got stuff painted and all, 2nd edition had come out.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, we have all probably behaved in some undignified and excessive manner at some point. Probably better to do so in the relative anonymity of the internet than around people you actually have to look in the face regularly. I think the thing is - learning to reserve such outbursts for when they may have some measurable impact in the larger scheme of things. Otherwise, it's just embarrassing.