Monday, December 16, 2013

The Tournament Minded Gamer...to Net list or not to Net list

By Newbreed

^Insert overused war gamers meme here^

NB: Hey everybody,  My name is NewBreed and I am a war gamer.

War Gamers Anonymous: Hi Newbreed!

NB:  It has been approximately 2 weeks since I had my last game.

WGA:  Great Job!  *clapping*

So that pretty much explains it.  I am NewBreed, a new contributor to the Prey in 40k blog.  I am mainly a 40k player with some stints into WHFB and Dust.  I love all aspects of the game and hobby but try to think of myself as a bit of a painter and a tournament player.

But enough about me and more about the game!  Today's topic is to discuss something the general consensus of the interwebz says is a bad thing (because everything on the internet is true), but everyone does it.  What am I talking about?  NET LISTS!

Net lists seem to be everywhere these days.  From the 5 Riptide Farsight Spam, to the dreaded Screamerstar, to the ridiculously expensive to craft Jetbike Seer Council; they are everywhere at tournaments, in local games, in friendly pick ups, and hell even in Apocalypse games.
 


From several discussions with players that play at a much higher than myself (I tend to stick to local tourneys and GT's), it seems that the general train of thought around these lists is that they are what are required to win on the national tournament scale but most see it is a necessary evil.

Something considered extremely normal in the TCG world is taboo in ours?

The WAAC attitude has taken over the game in some cases and I am not innocent in this case.  I have my own Screamerstar with an eye of trying to win a couple tournaments and move on to the big stage of national play.  *Yes I am the one who lost to TheGravemind below*

Are the days of a carefully crafted list with some amazing fluff, some great conversions that make absolutely no sense in a WYSIWYG world, and bringing some "out there units" gone? (yes Skarbrand and Penal Legion I am looking at you)

So what does this all mean NewBreed you ask?

My question to the community at large is "What do you think of net lists?"  

Do you play them?
Do you consider them cheap or the "only way to win"?
Do you stick to fluff that the hobbyist in you adores knowing that there is a good chance your amazingly fluffy, well balanced list won't be able to compete with the top tier lists?
Does this drive you away from the tournament scene?
Do you even know what a tournament is?
Do you understand that we are talking about Warhammer 40k and not stuffed animals?

Ok I am done with my attempt at humor but think about it for a bit my fellow war gamers.
Forget about the Lords of War and Revenant titans for a bit and think "Is net listing a positive or negative thing for the hobby we all so love?"

Also a big shout out to TheGraveMind for letting me post some of my ramblings.  I look forward to giving my own personal views of 40k and attempting to further the hobby we all so love.

Until next time...

NewBreed


2 comments:

  1. I was wondering if anyone had actually picked up a Screamerstar for local events in Indy.

    I'll be honest, I have some issues with yours--trying to hybrid it with Hounds seems like a poor decision in particular, which is the same opinion I have for people who do Screamerstar Lite and try to hybrid it with Flying Circus. You kinda have to go all-in to make it work at a GT level, and Hounds are a big investment that just don't synergize well with the rest, in my opinion.

    I might try to track you guys down for a game next time I'm back in town; I'm particularly intrigued that GraveMind has been apparently doing so well with that Tau/SM list, since I haven't seen much of them elsewhere. Most people run into the "Eldar do it better" problem when trying to ally into SM.

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    1. Well I don't have eldar so thats one limiting factor. haha. The marines are less likely to grab objectives for me, but keep my tau at full power better. Most games my two tactical squads are literally my only casualties. It's grabbing midfield objectives that becomes my problem.

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