What Do You Love About Warhammer 40k?

[H0urg1ass]

This topic has been a long time in coming from me. I am usually a very critical consumer of GW products, and I tend to devote a large amount of time pointing out their deficiencies.

This post is not the place for that.

This post is so that all of us can open our arms wide and yell to the heavens all of the things that keep us drawn to 40k like a fly to the blue bug zapper.

Here's my list:

1) The models. Oh my GOSH, the models that GW puts out are the best in the whole industry. Some games come close, such as confrontation, however nothing compares to the little details and great character that most of their models have.

2) The intricate story line. I'm not a fluff master, all of you who know me realize that, however the stories that are involved with this game are incredibly detailed and very much alive. While I don't pay attention to too much fluff outside of the Imperial Guard stories, I have read bits and pieces and I understand what people love about it.

3) The rules. Yes, I'm very critical of many of the sillier rules, but honestly, the basic rules of the game are a great working set of rules for a Wargame. They are simple enough for the younger generation, yet complicated enough that I've spent days on end arguing back and forth about the value of different units.

4) The choices. No other Wargame, with the exception of De Bellis Multitudinus, has as many army choices as 40k. Heck, even most armies have sub-armies that can be played: Kroot Carnivores, 13th Company, Kult of Speed, LaTD, Chaos God themed armies... ect. The sheer amount of choices in this game keep me coming back again and again with new ideas for new armies that I have neither the time nor resources to complete, but I sure wish I could. (Damn you Dave Taylor for being able to make every damned army you want and then some)

5) There are no good guys. Every army in the game can be viewed in both a negative and positive light. The Space Marines, at their very core, are the most racist beings in the universe. Only the Tau are generally argued as being the "good guys" of the universe, but their communistic view on things is enough to keep me from hugging them like cuddly bunnies.


Ok, that's my list, now give me your list. If any darned one of you turns this into a debate about the things they don't like about 40k, then I will seriously Rephammer (tm) your arse for ruining this happy topic. :yes:

[Phobos]

The models are pretty damn funky, it has to be said. It may be the circles I move in, but I personally have yet to see realistic-looking models with the kind of definition that GW moulds have without going OTT and looking like models, if you get my drift.

The one overriding factor for me is the background. I'm pretty pissed off with most sci/speculative fiction going "Ooooh, in the future, everyone will be free, equal and happy!"

Bull****.

Due to my perspective on the world, that of a: people basically default to being out for their own gain, and b: succeed at the expense of others , it makes sense to me for things not to be all rosy in the future. That and its damn cool.

[Da Mighty Camel]

I dont agree with you on the minis, altough most of them are great (espesially Eldar! Love 'em!) but rackhams minis are better sculpts.

The rules would have been better if they had continued with 2ed and just making these minor updates like for WHFB.

But I love the game, mostly because of the fluff. No other fantasy realm outside LotR feels so "alive".

Also there is the hobby itself. Without the White Dwarf and such, the game would have been useless. With the constant encouragement from GW to make individular armys and such there is always a new armie that I want (at the moment I want a LatD horde, a Saim-Hann Wild Rider Host and a Tallarn Desert Raiders army).

[cadre_of_storms]

i would disagree in saying the GW models are the best, they are not confrontation models are much nicer, however some of the models particualrly the new wood elves. grey knights and sisters of battle are excellent,
The Sci-fi bhind the 40k armies is without peer though, the diversity and the depth are excellent and keeps you gripped as to what wil come out next.
For me its the social aspect of the game, most of my friends are all from GW, and because there is so many stores there is always someone knew to speak with and the people who go in there are for the most part sound people

[H0urg1ass]

I dont agree with you on the minis, altough most of them are great (espesially Eldar! Love 'em!) but rackhams minis are better sculpts.

Rackham does have nice minis. That goes without saying. However, they don't have incredible mini's throughout a range of 20+ fully playable armies. They merely have a handful of well sculpted miniatures for their scale. Remember Rackham Mini's are designed on a notably larger scale, where it is easier to get more detail.

[chaosdude]

For me it's a combination of many things:
WHOHOO, finally a game that does NOT rely on dumb luck with throwing dice, but actually needs some thinking.

Finally a game that looks as cool as the stories can tell it(not with simple red/blue pawns that move over an area of squares)

The models look really cool, you can play the game with every tactic you like, since there is always an army that suits your own playing style.

You can (must) paint your own models, That's the part I might like the most. Painting some grey model into a cool character.

The possibility to convert EVERY model you like. Unlike fantasy where converting gets more difficult by the restraining "regiment-based" units. That's what draws me more to 40K than Fantasy,
+ Most fantasy-players I know are of the type OH NOO! I'm gonna whine about 3mm movement. That usually doesn't happen with 40K-players.

A huge amount of freedom in what you can do to annoy/kill/fool your opponent, while the rules are still pretty clear and strict.

The fluff(which I started delving in not too long ago) really makes it a "realistic" universe.

You can play a game, win/lose it and still have fun with whatever happened.

You're not throwing some dice and count the scores afterwards, while playing and throwing dice, you can see what effects it had, and stuff happens WHILE your playing, not when the game already ended.

Someone finally came with a fun game-system for playing with armies.
We all had those people who see it for the first time and ask: Is it like chess? Or risk? NO!!!! It's actually fun to do!

[H0urg1ass]

@chaosdude

Well, at least two people like GW mini's. Sheeeesh. I sure wouldn't drop GW prices on a set of miniatures if I thought another companies mini's were better. :rolleyes:

I haven't personally read enough of the fluff for the game. I've only actually read the Abbadons 13th crusade campaign book and the Battle For Armegeddon campaign book, so that's pretty much my view on the fluff.

As soon as I finish reading Dragonlance: Age of Mortals novels, then I'll move on to some 40k books. They do seem quite interesting.

[wolfkin]

My answer to what I love about 40k....

....I simply really enjoy playing the game.

I enjoy the thrill of battle, I enjoy the sense of acheivement when I add to or complete an army.

I love finishing the painting of a squad, (but don't really enjoy actually painting it that much).

I take great enjoyment out of seeing a game in progress even if I'm not participating.

Cheers,
Wolfkin

[Hadrian]

It's so easy to be critical that its tough to remember why I have this hobby...

40K is a great creative outlet for me and my friends. As a hobby it's very flexible. If I want some time alone to just build, I can assemble minis. But I can also get together with friends for a painting party. The plastic models and the metal bitz let me get really creative and come up with unique models without requiring me to be a master sculptor. And yet, if I want to go "all out" I can mix up a little green stuff and adapt miniatures to my personal vision.

The models are nice enough that anyone can paint them well with a little care and not too much practice. And with lots of skill and time you can really make them look awesome.

If I don't want to build, then I have a little army made up and I can just play. And with the new types of games, like Kill-Team and Combat Patrol, getting together to play a game does not have to be an all-day event.

There is almost always something new going on. New armies, new models, new codexes, new rumors and new players...it keeps things fresh.

And it's really not difficult to introduce your friends to the game. Keep the game small and simple and anyone can play.

And best of all, it's a way to meet other people who have interests similar to mine. It's a good way to have something in common and get to know a person.

[Bob Dole]

What do I love about 40k?

First, painting the models. (After that, I'm fond of the sentence fragments.) I've been seeing these amazing looking models put on display in game stores for as long as I've been going to them. Since I've been in high school I've looked at the things going 'Damn, those are nifty. I wish I could do that.' I finally had a chance to try my hand at it this summer between finishing school and getting a job. I could've gone with a more affordable game, but I've had Warhammer waved in front of my face for so many years... there's just a special feel to it.

Second, I've enjoyed the game itself as many times as I've had to play it. I enjoy the fairly straightforward 'beer-n-pretzels' rules. It's nice to not have to sit at a table with 4 other geeks and try to figure out how to out strategerize everybody else. I enjoy mental acrobatics as much as the next guy... but it's nice to just try and blow the living crap out of anything that blinks.

Finally, the forums over here give me plenty of stuff to read while I'm twiddling my thumbs at work waiting to be assigned some projects that take more than an afternoon to finish.