The New Errata vs Competitive Play

Today, the new errata dropped. There will be much talk in the days to come on the effect that it will have to the game, which is not what is prompting this post. Rather, there is the unfortunate effect that the errata dropped after lists were locked in for the World Team Championship (WTC).

As someone on the local meta GroupMe feed posted, “This only affects like 200 players.” There was also the statement of, “Elite players can adapt in the two months where some players will quit without the changes.” In light of my last post, I think it's important to look at the role of high-level competitive play and how it affects the rest of us.

Let us look at NASCAR. Large amounts of money are spent by a fraction of the population to build “stock” cars capable of high-performance. Followers of the races, casual hot-rodders if you will, purchase parts that were either used in a racing vehicle or built to such specification. Perhaps they buy a slightly less costly part based on either a previous racing specification or made with lesser materials. Others look for parts and accessories stamped with “the official [wiper-blade/motor oil/spark plug/etc] of NASCAR.”

Take a casual tour of any competitive “sport.” Fans and aficionados follow their favorite elites whether they are athletes, musicians, or artists. To improve their own skills and abilities, they try to establish a similar home rig so that their skills might be compared on a equal basis or hints might not have to be translated to different materials.

For instance, I play a variation of Keith Christiansen's epic Caine list that he took to Warmachine Weekend a few years back. Instead of working my way slowly through a bunch of models to come to an ideal place, I jump-started with a known quantity. I am also able to watch video of Keith playing that list to get hints on how to play it effectively. My play improves by piggy-backing on the work of others.

If they were to dramatically shift Caine's feet just before a tournament, then it is likely that a player like Keith might not do as well. All the hours of practice he put in will work against his tournament performance.

Well, in the case of the WTC, they have two weeks to adjust, right? Sure. They have to mentally incorporate how the new errata affects their lists. There is also how their lists work within the framework of their team. If someone's Denegerah pairing was intended for a certain list, then can it still handle that list? Will team captains also have to learn how the errata affects their team?

The WTC might also decide to disregard the errata. That would be great on one level, but bad on another. Every player that a WTC player played against would have to disregard the errata as well. This might harm their performance in tournaments as they have not incorporated the errata into their play. Just consider every time that you have played and had a rules interaction come up that affected you negatively. This is something that might happen to an upsetting degree.

I diverged. This is only 200 players that we are talking about. Perhaps just a percentage of a percent of the Warmachine and Hordes community make up their numbers. Then there are those that were not able to make it on a team, who want to see those who represent their meta do well. Add those who want to see personalities that they like or their national teams. Then there are the players who will be following the data, which 'casters performed better. While you might not follow the WTC, the WTC may end up being on the other side of the table in the form of a list your opponent saw played there.

The errata is what it is. There is nothing that can be done about the timing of its release at this time. It is unfortunate from how Privateer Press interacts with the community. While many of the changes in the errata may have been pondered for years, it none of them affect models that have been in play for less than a year. Holding the change in reserve until mid-November, when all the major tournaments are complete would likely not harm anyone's game. The timing would allow for adding in changes with the updated Steamroller documented. Everyone can win. Hopefully, the mantra of slow to change will guide Privateer Press in the future to best make sure that erratas improve play experience for everyone.

Casual Players - Gaming's "Silent Majority"

There is a term that we often throw around in the war gaming community. For all that we use it, it seems to have no solid definition. Some players use it to describe others, and some players use it to describe their own self. Yet, if you were to ask those players what the word meant, then you might be surprised at how many definitions you come up with. The word is “casual.”

I had always lived with the prospect of a casual player being familiar but not expert with the rules. He or she plays for the enjoyment of playing with winning being much lower on the list of goals than camaraderie or creating interesting stories. That's what I thought as I approached a friend when I was explaining how a competitive game system benefited the casual players.

For my friend, he saw himself as a casual player. He would get his models out a couple of time a year. He would do his best to build a hard army to beat. While the bit about familiarity with the rules was there, rules would be remembered in a manner that benefited my friend; or challenged when they did not. Play further degenerated when the books were turned to for seeing exactly what the rules were.

I realized at that point, we were speaking of different things. There are things about his playstyle that reminded me more of what some would find in a competitive player. Yet, by his own definition, he was casual.

Since Warmachine and Hordes were built with competition in mind, we try to be considerate of our expectation of a casual player. On podcasts when a new ruling about a rule comes into play like unit attachments granting their troop type to a unit they join or Rhyas gaining reach; there is some mention that casual players might not be aware of the changes or be able to understand the full implementation of the ruling without the play style that competition brings. Think, for a second, of how that shows how we think of casual players.

There is a part of the more competitive community that does not think that the casual community pays attention to rest of the world. Read the big boards, though, and you will see casual players looking for advice on better army builds. (I'll have to deal with that topic at some point, there are bad army builds. You know it, and I know it.) You'll see questions pop-up in the rules forum that could be answered by most competitive players, but casual players don't come across those types of situations very often. Care to venture a guess how many of the views for those posts are casual players trying to find an answer to a question that came up in one of their games? Something that made them feel bad about their play experience?

This is something to think about when we posit ways that Privateer Press and the Warmachine/Hordes community might fix models that have gathered dust on the shelves of gaming stores and competitive players by posting new rules or cards. However, we defend inaction to do such things with the thought that casual players won't be able to keep up with the changes. It may be time to change how we think about what casual play means. Perhaps we need better terms than “casual” player.

Ruin-nation: or why new releases depress me.

In the dark days of my youth, my parents took us school shopping along with my not-yet school aged cousin and her parents. My brother, my sister, and I got all the supplies that were requested on the slip we got from the teacher. Since my cousin wasn't in school yet, she got a toy. As it was explained to me, “she would love to be getting school supplies, but we got her a toy so she would get something.”

That's what I hear with many of the new releases for Cygnar. Don't get me wrong, we have gotten some amazing stuff. The Stormwall revitalized 'jacks in the faction. The Stormblade Captain got me excited enough to buy two when I was in a year of playing another faction. We do get good things.

We also get a lot of less than stunning things. Constance Blaze, Triumph, and Artificer General Nemo (the 3^rd one); come easily to mind.

With Reckoning coming out, Cygnar players are getting Dynamo, a fine 'jack that has the unfortunate distinction of being another attempt to get Cygnar players to play Nemo. While there are those that might consider Nemo to be amongst the best of Cygnar's 'caster, it is hard to argue that in the face of how little he shows at competitive events; much less places.

Enter Ruin. Just from the entry in No Quarter, Ruin is one of the top two 'jacks in the faction. (The other being Behemoth.) By himself, Ruin is really good. As a special issue for Orsus “the Butcher” Zoktavir, he is likely to be in every competitive Khador list; the Butcher being one of the most used 'casters in the faction.

On Ozmachine #28, the concept of playstyle came up. In this concept, a faction that excels with a certain type of tactic is likely to perform well for a player that thinks in line with that tactic. Ruin plays right into Khador's playstyle, and the Butcher's especially. Khador players get good stuff for playing Khador like Khador should be played. Ruin Khadors harder.

Then I look at Dynamo. Should I be playing more Nemo? If I play all the things designed to give the old man a decent chance in a fight, then will I find my play is rewarded for embracing what I turned awat from?  Cygnar's playstyle is all the lightings?  

So Khador players, when Ruin is Boundless Charging an old man and his electric company, think about how Cygnar players didn't want school supplies. We would like some new toys too.

Thoughts on Steamroller 2015

Player Responsibilities

Being prepared for a tournament is essential for every player. In the Logistics section, they list what all a player should bring with them and they even include a link to a pdf with all the templates published in No Quarter for convenience of printing at home or elsewhere. Be sure to have spell effects next to the model, and some markation for when a warcaster has popped feat; judges are likely to rule that such effects are not in play if there is no marker.

It should be noted that players should have two copies of their lists with them. A list cannot be more than 2 points down from the point level of the tournament.

Army lists have to have an SR2015 objective (all 8 varieties are on page 8) for each army list. In effect, an objective needs to be picked for list A and list B. They can be the same, or different. They will remain the same through out the tournament This also means that you have to select it before you even know who you'll be playing.

Permission has been granted to photo-copy theme forces. I wonder if this also applies to the document that Press Gangers can access that has all the theme forces. They don't provide a link like they do to the template sets.

Modeling and Painting

There are rules for all the Privateer Press Exclusive models, including the Kilt-lifter. Nice to have some confidence.

There is a note that units must be clearly identifiable. Having two or more of the same units may necessitate a very clear paint scheme so that others can tell the difference. Green, dark green, and light green might not be enough of a difference in models. If painting them to have some distinct difference is goes against the paint scheme of the army, then consider getting different colored rubber bands to mark them differently. If a judge gets called over and can't tell the difference in units, then it is unlikely that they will judge in your favor.

Conversion

Conversion rules stay pretty much the same. As an occasional EO, be upfront with any conversions that you intend to bring. What you think might be a very sweet conversion might not pass muster to another. This also might fall in line with making it so that your opponent has an idea of what they are facing.

Sportsmanship

While the serious tourney players need not fear the inclusion of soft scores, there are some interesting things to note in this section. The one that gets me is in the concession area. An EO can disqualify someone that concedes if they feel that the concession was done in an unsporting manner. I dislike that someone who removes themselves from a tilting situation to not be an unsporting player might have to suffer more than just losing the game.

This brings up another point, you need to be your own advocate. Nothing is worse than a judge telling you that he would have done something if he had been told about it during the game. If something is fishy, then ask for a judge.

Event Organizer Responsibilities

There's not a lot here that will concern most players right off. Number of rounds, timing, how scenarios are chosen; things that happen that a player can't really control. Only a few changes to begin with, but there are some things to think about.

Terrain

There are classifications for terrain and how they can be placed. No terrain in deployment zones, basically outside of 10 inches from either board edge. Restricted terrain (i.e. - linear obstacles and obstructions) needs to be 5 inches or more from flags, objectives, and other terrain. Other terrain needs only 2 inches of space. Anything added after deployment follows the normal rules for placement. Trenches can be placed touching other trenches.

Scenario elements that are scored but in the wrong place due to shifting during play, are scored and then corrected. Resetting scenario zones is an acceptable reason for pausing the clock.

Starting the Game

The starting roll has an interesting bit of wording.

The player with the higher result can choose to be the first or second player. The second player chooses his table edge. The first player deploys first and takes the first turn.

This is interesting as winning the roll can be used to go second and then decide table edge. I'm not sure that this is for the best, as I think one player should get to choose first or second, and the other gets to pick table edge. One player getting to choose both... Well, them's the rules.

I'll cover the scenarios and variants in the next posting.

Looking at 2014 and 2015

As a new year rolls in, it's time to look at the resolutions made in the past year. Alas, I fell asleep at the wheel on this one. I'll attempt to do better this year.

So, what to talk about? Let's look at what has happened, and what can be hoped for in the year to come.

I am no longer a Press Ganger. Studying and working were too much for me to keep that schedule going. Our local Press Gang goes on strong without me needing to be there, though I'm always glad to help when I can.

2014 was quite a year for rule changes. The painting/conversion guidelines were a bit odd. In the end, I think that it's mostly going to be the TO's judgement except at the few Privateer events that really matter (Iron Guantlet, Lock and Load).

The death of the “Khador Arc Node” by ruling solves a problem, but creates an exploitable situation that may end up souring folk on the game. Essentially, if a player's unit is not all within command of the leader, then they cannot receive beneficial spells from the friendly 'casters. However, the same rule does not hold true for an opponent who can cast malignant spells on the out of command unit. It's even possible for the opponent to create that circumstance. I can foresee that I would go on tilt when the ruling is used against me.

Lock and Load is growing for the better. Every year has been an improvement on the previous year. I'm looking forward to Lock and Load 2015. I hope that the success that they had in getting people to play the Bodgers games and High Command will translate over into giving the RPG more love. It would be nice if there were enough organized play sessions to meet demand.

I'm disappointed that I didn't play in any tournaments at Lock and Load. I was at work both times that the schedule went live. I'll probably give this year a pass as well, unless the Old Guys Pro-Tour makes an appearance. There will always be a part of me that hopes we will see a less grueling tournament schedule.

A few year's ago, cameras started hitting the scene. It really affected the 40k side of the street, as it showed players that were cheating in a format that really called to Win at All Cost (WAAC) players. This was the year that enough footage made it out to the masses to present questionable situations. It also showed how ugly the community can get.

I can only hope that more respected voices of the Warmachine community take a lead on such things. How many podcasts have briefly touched on the issue with an immediate deferment of willingness to talk about it? Oz Machine really handled the issue of video taped cheating well, and I hope that it will serve as a template of how to properly handle such issues in the future.

There are a lot of good things on the horizon. Privateer's models are getting better and better; Dozer and Smig, Bradigus, Jaga Jaga... So good. The community is looking at improving some of the problems that organized play can have. (Check out this idea for fixing Journeyman leagues: http://museonminis.com/forums/index.php?topic=4639.msg82585#msg82585) It will be great to see how it all unfolds.

Fiona's Lich List

July 2^nd

My local crew goes by the handle, the Cog Collective. Post Lock and Load, one of our more prominent players has decided to turn to Cryx. This leads me to the Quandary Zone!

Todays quandary, how to beat epic Asphyxious with Fiona.

* Rocinante (9pts)
Alexia Ciannor & the Risen (Alexia and 9 Risen Grunts) (5pts)
Dannon Blythe & Bull (4pts)
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt (4pts)
Press Gangers (Leader and 9 Grunts) (6pts)
Press Gangers (Leader and 9 Grunts) (6pts)
Sea Dog Crew (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
* Mr. Walls Sea Dog Crew Quartermaster (2pts)
Bosun Grogspar (2pts)
Doc Killingsworth (2pts)
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution (3pts)
First Mate Hawk (2pts)
Ragman (2pts)
Reinholdt, Gobber Speculator (1pts)

The main weapon here are the Press Gangers. Being able to cycle Banes and Satyxis into Sea Dogs will hopefully help to mitigate their returning on Gaspy's feat turn. Blythe and Bull are there for more Remove From Play (RFP) action.

Even with Killingsworth and Grogspar there to keep the Press Gangers on their feet and in the fight, four plus tough is not forever. Alexia will gather their souls, hopefully denying them to Gaspy, and creating my own private army of the undead.

Between Nonokrion Brand from Fiona and Aiyana giving magic weapons, the Press Gangers and Seadogs should be able to deal with any incorporeal models that try to get in. Mr. Walls gets Telgash Mark so that Fiona can spell sling a bit. Rheinholdt will help make things more dependable if Fiona has to spell something to death.

Normally, I would take a Vanguard with her. However, Shield Guard is unlikely to be needed against Gaspy. Guard Dog from Rocinante may prove more useful to keeping her alive.

Ragman and Eiryss are there for some utility: some armor and kill some upkeeps. It's unlikely that Eiryss will be able to shoot focus off Gaspy, but you never know.

So, just need to get me more Press Gangers and Alexia, then the list is go. I'm comin' for you, lich!

June 24, 2013

Gear Con and the Adeptiquest

Little more than a week and a half remain until Gear Con. I'm pretty excited. The convention experience is sweetest just before getting in line for registration. I'll be demoing both Warmachine and the Iron Kingdoms RPG. On July 6^th of the con, there's going to be a 35 point tournament that I'm planning on playing in.

With any luck, I'll get to do more than just the Privateer Press thing. There's a Victorian era martial arts demonstration. Abney Park, a steampunk band, will be performing. There seems to be a goodly lot of things to do. 

Preparation has added to my painting table. I'm just about finished with my Cryx battlebox. Convergence is up next, and the pirate “battlebox” will follow after that. Hopefully, this will be enough time. Even more hoped for, that I'm not just sitting there with Nathaniel playing battlebox games to pass the time.

With Lock and Load 2013 in the rear view mirror, I find myself pondering the state of war-gaming specific cons in the Northwest. Initially, I can think of only three: Lock and Load, TSHFT (it stands for something like the Seattle Heart of Flames Tournament or something like it), and OFCC Club Challenge. My mind has just dredged up Walpurgis Nacht. Some of the gaming and sci-fi conventions like Game Storm and Orycon allow some space for miniature war-gaming. 

The problem that I have is that none of them approach what I have heard about Adepticon. I've never attended, but the stories that come out of it make me want to attend it. Unfortunately, I don't think that it is a trip that I would be able to make on my own. So, I think that having that level of convention here on the west coast is my best chance to get to attend one of that size.

What Adepticon brings is some of the things that would end up being on the fringe at a smaller convention. The Gladiator, a tournament that allows for any legal army that GW has created, has a solid place with plenty of players; where it would have a much smaller number of players at a smaller con. Vendors come out of the woodwork to sell their products and services to such a gathered mass of potential customers. The increased range of panels and seminars that cover the gamut from hobby to tactics are taught by folk that can only brought in by such a large event. Best of all, swag bags that nearly cover the cost of entry.

I have no illusions that I'm a strong tournament player. I tend to find my place in the middle of the pack these days. Entering tournaments just to confirm that does not seem productive to me, though I still do. Getting something for my money aside from the knowledge that I have contributed to the winner's takings would be a great thing.

There are obstacles for the Pacific Northwest gaming community toward getting our own Adepticon. We have larger distances between communities. There is not a lot of cross culture in the gaming clubs by either system or communication. The giant in our backyard is content with the way things are.

The history of the larger cons is that they developed over years. Perhaps, like myself, they were only seeing what was; the future a mystery. Perhaps they saw what might one day come. Each year, we hope to see more and more things, with more and more players. Only by being ready for somethng big will something big happen.