Deep Thought of the day – The right way to play?
Before I write anything else, I can probably save us both some time by simply showing the following picture I had linked to me on Facebook… Its fan made and I did not write it – if you happen to know who did please let me know!
I am not sure how I could agree more to be honest!
There is no right or wrong way to use the miniatures you have spent time and money on. There is no elite gaming special forces unit who is going to bust in your door for deploying your deathwing terminator force turn 1 rather than auto losing the game as the official rules suggest. If you and your opponent agree then that’s all that you need.
It can be strange to ask your opponent about making these changes, especially when outside of your home – perhaps at a FLGS or GW store. Its easy to feel like you will get pressure from other players to ‘play it right’. Ultimately, its only you and your opponent that can decide this!
As an organiser myself, I especially like the comments about organised play at the end of the answer – ultimately these are just house rules as well set by the organiser ahead of time which all participants agree to abide by. Its easy to get caught up in thinking that these are the only way to play the game and you should be using these rules/missions when ever you play. I am guilty of this myself.
Its interesting the perspective this simple, tongue in cheek, fan made ‘FAQ’ can offer to any gamer. I have shown it to several people and shared it on the Obsec facebook page already and everyone has a slightly different take on it. I think this can only be attributed to peoples own perspectives on the hobby they enjoy and their own self awareness of how seriously they take playing the game.
There is nothing wrong with breaking the rules if its to the benefit of the game you are playing and if both players agree! Its easy to forget this sometimes. As humans, we tend to be competitive by nature and its easy to get swept up in the heat of the game and forget that having fun is more important than winning. That is the most important rule in the 40k rule book after all!
Hi Massaen,
While I have mainly always tried to follow the ruleset available (self confessed ruleslawyer here), but I originally enjoyed war gaming because of its flexibility. My father and I created several missions for 40k with special rules, objectives and even units to embrace what our minds imagined. I’ve also played with some friends who altered entire phases or order of phases which led to some very interesting and fun scenarios.
I recommend players on at least one occasion try some different rules or changes to see what fun could be had. Low gravity? Lightning storms? Rescue missions? The list is quite probably endless.