Fluffy Armies at Tournaments? A Statistical Look into the Success of Narrative Armies at the LVO

Last weekend, like most of you not in Sin City, I was trying to find a way to convince my wife that we should take a trip to Vegas next year in early February. Rolling dice on the Strip and not losing money? Yes, please! The LVO is the hot ticket in 40k these days. So, let's say I do convince the boss and I get to go next year. What type of army should I bring? I doubt I'm a top 8 player, but somewhere in the top 100 would be nice. How many knights/flyrants/riptides/etc. do I need to buy and paint over the next twelve months? Do I need to bring these things to be competitive? Can a narrative player succeed at a competitive event?

I thought this was pretty interesting, so I decided crunch some numbers and see what they had to say. I reviewed the top 100 players with a focus on how these armies were constructed (You can see my research here). In my opinion, I think these results show that narratively themed forces are the norm, even in large competitive events. For example, check out the top 100 players:

The general perception of the competitive gaming community is that the allies matrix is abused to create "cheesy, power-gaming" lists. According to the above chart, it seems like most players are following the narrative and rule structure created by Games Workshop. Out of one hundred lists, only nine use Desperate Allies or Come the Apocalypse formations. That means that 91% of the top 100 used a "narrative" army (this includes single and double force org from the same source and Battle Brothers or Allies of Convenience allied forces). When you look at the average final position, we see that single force organization lists with no allies have the highest average finish (43rd). 

The outliers here are the nine Desperate Allies and Come the Apocalypse lists.With an average finish of 41st and 43rd, these formations do seem heads above the rest. So, in order to find out more about these numbers, I looked into the top 25 finishers. Here we need to remember the variable of player skill, as this includes the top 8 (arguably the best 40k players in the United States). Still, this data bodes well for the narrative. Nearly half of the Come the Apocalypse armies finished in the top 25. These top players, who one would assume could finish top 25 with any army, are skewing our numbers a bit. The remaining top players, an rather hefty 88%, use a narrative list as set out and decided on by Games Workshop.

So, according to this data, is it safe for narrative players to participate in large competitive events? Yes! Players will always bring competitive lists. This is a game, and everyone should be able to play the army that they want to play. Some of these players may not build an army that fully fits the background of their chosen race. That's ok! You can still forge a fluffy army and have a good chance at finishing in the top 50% of a large tournament.

The 2015 LVO shows how important the narrative is to modern 40k. These days, you can build any list, with any mix of units and models you want. But, players still desire to hobby (buy, paint, model, and game) within the stories and background of the Warhammer Universe. That's good! Hopefully I'll see some of you next year. For now, I need to get back to painting my Imperial Knight.

Until next time!

The Fluffy 500 (An Army Building Concept)

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After looking at some the LVO lists from this past weekend, it got me thinking. What if every tournament required a 500 pt narrative component of your army? You could spend the rest of your points however you wished, but those 500 points would have to be fluffy and based on a short (couple paragraph) story. What would your "Fluffy 500" be? Here's mine:

Ordo Sicarius Strike Force 

(using Codex: Eldar)

Inquisitor Galden 

(counts-as Illic Nightspear)

Assassin-Acolytes x8

(counts-as Pathfinders)

X-04 

(Vindicare Assassin)

Total 490 pts

The Story

The night was bitter cold. Wind howling in the darkness. The mesh armor that encased Inquisitor Galden’s tall body kept his core comfortable, but not his face. He tucked part of the deep purple scarf covering his head over his nearly frostbitten nose. His unit had been in the tower for fourteen hours now. Fourteen hours in a blizzard. Soft wisps of snow curled into the air, whipped from drifts of snow along the castle wall. 

He knew X-04 was patient, but this was ridiculous. Galden spotted him through the scope of his rifle. The vindicare assassin was perched about two kilometers to the west, balanced on the head of a sad looking stone gargoyle. His target was of no consequence, death would find him soon. The inquisitor’s mission was two-fold, protect the assassin and keep him on a tight leash. The first was easy. The second…

A muffled crack broke the silence. Distracted, the inquisitor turned to the source of noise. Shattered glass fell from an illuminated window. A headless body tumbled down the wall and into the courtyard below. Bright red blood ruining the purity of the wintry scene. Screams followed, ringing through the cold stone walls. Galden snapped his scope back to the gargoyle. The sniper was gone. 

This is all still pretty fresh, but it seems like a fun list building concept to me. Feel free to share your ideas in the comments below. Until next time!

Gonna Go Back in Time!!! (Historical Wargaming in the 40k Universe)

I love historical wargaming. Growing up in New Jersey, you are surrounded by history. As I learned more about it, it became more a part of me. Visiting sites and battlefields from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars drove this passion. I was lucky enough to see first hand artifacts from the soldiers that shaped the history of the United States. This passion inevitably grew into a large collection/addiction for 15mm miniatures. But, along with it comes the responsibility of painting ancient armies. Historical wargamers meticulously represent uniforms down to the color of their socks and the design of their flags. The issue with this is that sometimes it feels more like a responsibility than a creative endeavor.

Part of my Norse Irish DBA Army (15mm)

I think that's why I've fallen so hard for 30k. I have been day-dreaming in the 40k universe since I was a teenager. Doodling army lists in class and reading Black Library stories on my commutes. In my hobby life I think I would often use GW games as my creative outlet (creating chapters and finding odd stories in the fluff). With historical armies, I would spend time researching colors of cloth and histories (often focusing on my own European ancestry). Within the Horus Heresy, I am able to combine both of these aspects of the hobby.

In my current project, a post-Istavaan V Raven Guard army, I feel really fulfilled both technically and creatively. The Horus Heresy is the foundation of the 40k universe. I am able to read about the history in the Forge World reference books, and also enjoy narrative stories like Raven's Flight and Deliverance Lost from the Black Library catalogue. Being able to play the game I love, while also focusing on recreating one of the great armies of the Imperium is a real joy. And, the tools for building these armies are right at our finger tips. Just check out this awesome reference chart from Horus Heresy Book Three: Extermination:

The level of detail here is nuts! Following charts like these provided in the Horus Heresy books are an excellent guide to creating historically themed 30k armies. That being said, don't forget that this hobby is a creative outlet. Paint and play the army that you want to play. But, it is always good for us to push our boundaries and step out of our comfort zones. Putting a little bit of research and working within the loose historical guidelines of 30k will surely make an army even the Emperor would be proud of!

Until next time!

Tools for the Wishy-Washy Wargamer

Hi, my name is Joe and I'm a wishy-washy wargamer. I have a bunch of boxes in my closet filled with grey plastic sprues. A graveyard where weird army ideas go to die. I will dream up an idea for a really cool hobby project, only to have a new vision only a couple weeks later. Early on, this prevented me from building any large collections of one specific force. When allies came around, this got a bit easier. But, it also became more expensive. So here I am, treading water in a sea of grey plastic. 

Our hobby is an interesting mix of creativity and impulse purchasing. Hell, Games Workshop's business model is based on our desire for shiny new toys on a weekly basis! Unless you have carls upon carls to spend on models, how do you manage this? How do you show self control in a swirling sea of pewter and plastic? Luckily, we have some help. Here are a couple resources I've used in the past that have helped me seize control of my hobby.

Independent Characters Hobby Progress Challenge

The mother of them all. The knight in shinning armor in the battle against grey plastic. Committing to this challenge is a great way to keep your focus on one specific project. Let all the internet know that you are going to paint a squad or model over thirty days. Accountability and support are so important when working on a large project. The forum members at the ICs are there to offer both, in spades. Submissions for February are due on the 15th, so make sure to get your commitment in soon!

1HourANight Facebook Group

A take on the #rudgietime/#tuttletime method. Spend one hour a night focused on the hobby. That can be modeling, sculpting, painting, etc. Post your pictures and get great feedback from an active community. Feedback can be a difficult thing to receive, but every gamer knows where you are coming from. Once you get rid of that fear, you will see that you can really produce some beautiful minis in a short amount of time. I also advocate the hour a night method as an almost meditative activity. Allowing yourself to be fully consumed by the hobby you love should leave you feeling relaxed and confident in your abilities. 

Blogs, Gaming Groups, Friends and Significant Others

If either of those options make you feel uncomfortable, then I'd suggest reaching out to your friends and family. Tell people what you are working on, and talk about it! My wife is a huge help when it comes to this. I'll tell her about one of my projects, and she'll ask me what I'm doing or how it's coming along. If your friends know you are working on a neuron army but see you painting something else, they'll ask how your death robots are coming along. Pallet cleansers A little motivation goes a long way. The blog has also been a big help here.

I had written in a previous post that I was going to do my Raven Guard on 32mm bases. Being the impatient guy I am, I immediately based them on their snug 25mm rounds. Once I finally received my 32s in the mail, I was stuck on what to do. Should I rebase the marines, or just leave them as is. Remembering my written commitment to 32mm bases really helped here. Like runes etched in stone, I was bound to upgrade. So I went from this...

To this!

And you know what? I was happy! Probably why I originally made up my mind on the larger bases. Commitments in your wargaming hobby are important. Don't overburden yourself, but make sure to set high goals. And, most importantly, be proud of your work! 

Until next time!

Lords of Chaos Painting League (January Winner)

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Almost three years ago my wife and I moved from Fresno to the Bay Area. It was a really bittersweet moment for me. Living near San Francisco had always been a dream of mine. But, leaving my gaming buddies behind was one of the harder things I've had to do. Sure, we still keep in touch. But, we don't get to see each other or play nearly as often as we used to or I'd like. So, last year we started a Facebook group called the Lords of Chaos. Originally, it was going to be a Warhammer Fantasy league. That didn't work, so it continued as a way for us to share gaming stories and photos of our minis. Even though we were scattered across California, it was a way we could all keep in touch.

Fast forward to this year, Mark had the excellent idea to start a hobby progress competition amongst our group. We all jumped on board and started the Lords of Chaos Painting League. Rules are simple; post a picture of your unit/mini and then get it painted within the month. Then, everyone votes on their favorite model (you can't vote for your own, Joel). Winner for the month gets four points, second gets three points, third gets two points, and fourth gets one. We just finished our first month, and Scott took home the win with Lokhir Fellhart (pictured above). Here are the standings as of now.

Scott 

1st, (4pts)

Joe

2nd, (3pts)

Joel

3rd, (2pts)

Mark

4th, (1pt)

This has already been a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to the way this pans out over the rest of the year. The competitive aspect drives you to push your own skills, but the fact that it is just a group of really close friends keeps everything light. If you have gaming buddies you don't normally see, try it out! If there are two things that gamers love its painted miniatures and beating their friends. Watch out Scott, I'm coming for you!

Until next time!