Friday, December 20, 2013

Happy Holidays and Thank You


Hello everyone, I want to wish you all merry Christmas and happy holidays.  I am taking off today to visit my family for the holidays so posting will decline dramatically for the next week.  I will do a few posts if I find the time but it is going to be busy for the next week.  I over promised in delivering tactics articles, I did not expect so much time to be taken up preparing for my trip but thats ok, I'm sure you all will survive a few weeks, its not like tyranids are coming out or anything.  I want to thank everyone that reads and comments on this blog, it is an awesome experience to have different people from around the world sharing in the same hobby and enjoying the Imperial Guard.


I did get some painting done this week though and my bastion is nearing completion, so when I get back I will be finishing up my fortifications and whatever additional Christmas warhammer gifts I receive.  I like how its looking so far so hopefully it ends up looking well with my other fortifications.  One thing that does suck around this time of year is finding both time and people to get a game in.  I don't know if anyone else has this issue but it has been nearly impossible to find someone to play for the last two weeks or so.

So I played some Only War instead.  Its pretty darn fun and if you like the imperial guard and role playing, it really is a good time if you can find the right group of people.  I struggle sometimes since I am in the military and find it hard to deal with people who's experience of tactics is CoD is different from my own(Comparing to CoD was a little harsh).  Nothing wrong if you aren't an expert but when you are setting up a polish ambush (google has gone all PC on me and won't find a pic of one) maybe you should listen to someone who is saying the we shouldn't set up across from one another so we don't hit each other.  Just saying.  That and just how things work in general from the strategy of the campaign and missions that the squad gets sent on.

I know a lot of people like big missions, but most cases a squad is not getting sent on a mission of strategic importance as their first major mission.  No they are going to go set up an ambush or do a patrol and such at least to start.  I know a lot want to be heroes, but as I see it, you have to become heroes, not just start as one.  Its usually the little things that bug me, for example our squad was sent out to secure a large refinery.  A single squad would never be sent to do this, real world or IG.  Now demo the refinery is a whole different story.  Had we had one other squad go with us, that would have made everything fine and dandy for me, they didn't even have to do anything.  Now I don't want you to think I am against different play styles or differences in story telling.  I know it kind of comes off that way.  Its just a difference of how I like to play to how others like to play.  And usually when I am in those groups I am the minority and I just grumble in the corner(in Character) when things get too silly.  Its still lots of fun and it has so much potential.  I would love to do a storm trooper group, with a small squad combat focus.

Anyways I hope you all have a good holiday and look forward to the new year of gaming.  Thank you again for all the comments, suggestions, and ideas.  More will be coming soon.

GG

28 comments:

  1. I think your blog is awsome and I really like your style of writing and I do love that you have a focus on Imperial guards. I follow this blog every day to see if you have wrote something new. Good that you take a break to relax but I can´t wait for more. :D

    Merry christmas (or god jul as we say in Sweden)!

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    1. Thank you, Merry Christmas and hope everything is well over there in Sweden :)

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  2. Merry Christmas and get some rest....The Guards are coming right after the Nids....

    We'll all help each other get the most out of them....

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    1. Merry Christmas and same to you. Oh yes we will, we'll figure things out and deal with what we get.

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  3. merry Christmas and happy new year from across the pond. hope Santa get you everything you want!

    looking forward to the new year and the new codex and more blogs. and I know what you mean about the tactics stuff, don't bother playing online as I just get annoyed with all the arm chair generals.

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    1. Merry christmas and I hope you get what you are looking for.

      Oh it is what it is, I just try and not get to wound up about it and let people have their opinions

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  4. Only recently found this blog and really love it. Guard were my first army and will always be my favourite. I just love tanks!!
    Anyway, just finished reading all your batreps today and look forward to reading more in the new year. Merry Christmas and keep up all the great work!

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    1. Merry Christmas and hope it is good for you.

      Tanks are just so much fun. Well I hope to get more up in the new year. It can be hard sometimes to get games in. But Hopefully once the holidays are around the corner people will have more time to play.

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  5. There is no reason to be so elitist about Only War because you are in the military. You have to remember that the Imperial Guard is not Modern Military. A RP is about a story that progresses over time, a squad can be used as a special operations unit in the IG. Just look at Traitor General in the Gaunts Ghosts series. Doing just Ambushes and Patrols will be dull afterwhile, people want to be the heroes of the Imperium not some rank and file Guardsman that dies by tripping on a rock.

    I love your posts about 40k and tabletop, but I feel you are new to the RP scene and dont understand that realism does not mean fun.

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    1. I unfortunately agree with Anon. I love your posts but this one is way way wrong about Only War. You are looking at this in the eyes of man in the modern military and that is why it doesnt look like you agree with w/e is going on.

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    2. Same here, you for sure came off like an ass in this post Grumpy.

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    3. Agreed, that was rather arrogant of a thing to say, Grumpy. If you have expressed this to a player or your GM that is grounds to explusion in our groups. If you are not already kicked out then you are one lucky SoB for have a patient GM.

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    4. I think once you know a fair bit about realism you find it hard to enjoy the same thing that the people who dont know much about it enjoy. I can sympathize with him.

      I run a lot of Role Plays and stuff like this happens a lot when you got the hero/medal hunter guys (which is most of them) play it like, well CoD because its fun and one or 2 guys think its kinda lame and have to make do with it.

      I played paintball with my friends once (as kids) and there was a military guy who was playing and he hated the game. We all ran around shooting and playing it like in the movies but he was crawling through the bushes and trying to do it like he was trained.

      The fast paced heroes and villians run and gun type glory play-style is just hard for some people to enjoy. Frankly i wouldnt enjoy it either (thats why i run role play games and dont join them) otherwise i end up just playing along rather than enjoying it. Its hard to play when you cant, well, role play yourself and have to do what everyone else is doing.

      At the end of the day its just another taste in fun, i would love for my friends to enjoy realistic style things but they just dont, It sucks. Who knows, one day it might be the other way around it will be you guys complaining about us realism guys haha.

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    5. Its just a difference of opinion in how people like to play and there is nothing wrong with that. I am right there with you on the paintball comment, I have to make a conscience effort to just let go when I am playing or I get way to wound up.

      Though I find it funny how wound up people get on the other side as well. C'mon its just a differing of play style and opinion, no need to get to crazy over that. Everyone has a different Idea of fun and sometimes you just go your different ways or find a balance as a group. You have to give a little sometimes

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    6. @ Bruce- if having a difference of opinion is enough to be kicked out of your group, then I would have no problem being kicked from such a closed off group. I think that is an unnecessary way to go about things, you can always accommodate different ways to play and that is a good GM's job to make sure the GROUP is having fun, not that a certain belief is being supported and others are sidelined because they disagree.

      @Paul- Well I am an ASS :), its my blog I get to be one. Though I wish I had explained my view better as I did not realize I came off in a way that made you feel that I thought people who like to play a different way were dumb and wrong, because that is not how I feel. People like playing different ways, I see nothing wrong with that.

      @Randy & Anon- I will admit that I am not a veteran RP player, but I am not a wet babe either. I fully admit my life experiences in war and in the military affect my viewpoint, it is something I struggle when RPing and I will be honest it is one of the reasons I don't really get into fantasy RP as much, I try but it just doesn't interest me. I was not intending to come off as elitist and I think you are overreacting over my viewpoint. My point with doing ambushes and patrols was that that would be a good STARTING point, especially to see how a new group interacts, especially if the group is supposed to be Brand new guardsmen, sorry I have been playing IG for ten years I know a little about the fluff and in those said books most of those squads were supported by full companies. As a squad proves itself and achieves heroic actions, more dangerous and exciting. A new squad does not get sent on a mission of strategic importance for an entire warzone. That does not mean that a couple missions after the ambush they don't get sent on one. Hey on the ambush they found documents that detail a secret weapons cache. Then the next mission they go to recon the cache and secure it. When they secure they discover an artifact or powerful weapon, then have to survive the enemy counter attack. Thats just off my head. You are only limited to your imagination and how you want the story to progress. I would like to remphasize that this is not about being right or wrong as you seem to want to steer this, its just a differing of opinion and how you like to play. I recognize how I like to play is different from others and compromise so that everyone can have fun. A story should never be about one person hijacking the group, if someone wants to play different, I will grumble(in character) but that is about it.

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    7. Dont get me started on fantasy, i had to make an historical army just to play the Warhammer fantasy game. But i think what really made people upset is when you mention CoD. I find if the thing you like is compared to that game people HATE IT. A lot. Comparing to CoD is a sure way to annoy people. Despite its popularity.

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    8. Yeah I forget sometimes how prone to extreme and hyperbole us gamers can be. Even myself. Comparing to CoD was a little extreme, forgot how much people hate that :0.

      You see if you told me you wanted to roleplay an ancient rome game, I would be so F'ing down for that. Throw sorcery and other stuff in there and it just doesn't tickle my fancy.

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    9. lol, that's kinda strange that you say that, cos playing guard is kinda like playing modern military with sorcery and stuff! I'll agree with the fantasy stuff though, not a fan at all, tried a few times and just get bored.

      whilst I'm fairly green at the whole RP stuff, mostly cos it doesn't interest me and people take it far to seriously, its a difficult job to GM and keep everyone happy.

      as for paintball, always find it best to go somewhere in the middle, a little bit of tactics to get up close and personal, then just go mad!

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    10. Id love to do a historic roleplay but no one is into it in my area so im stuck doing fallout and fantasy due to popular demand. And thats why i do Impeial Guard because i can make them as realistic as possible and still enjoy the game, whilst chucking in the odd silly thing here and there.

      But yes, comparing to CoD among most people (even people who play it) is a big no no. Better to compare it to something like run and gun (which means CoD but you know...)

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    11. Yeah SJb I know its weird, but psykers are just enough different from magic and sorcery that its acceptable for me. Weird I know, but I honestly have never been a huge psyker fan either and have never had a desire to play one. I would totally agree that people take RP too seriously, or at least some do.

      The odd silly thing here and there is no problem, its when its an odd silly thing every few minutes that I struggle with.

      Comparing to CoD was a mistake, I was a little caught up in the moment and getting ready to get on the road, didn't do my usual proof read. I forget how serious people can take things. I should know, I take my imperial guard pretty serious :)

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    12. But its common at pen and paper RPG. When someone has higher skill, experience, knowledge, it can be difficult to blend. For example, when I play some setting in VtM where I have better knowledge of historical period than rest, soon it will crumble into mess because we have simply differente knowledge bases and act according those. Its not elitism, you just can simply forget what you know and drive by "common knowledge" :)

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    13. I can't say I've every fielded a psyker either, faced plenty though and there annoying.

      on a side note, played a game of escalation, played a chaos demon player with one of the FW models, won on points, but only cos he didn't have a shootery army, but his demon was trouble, took 4 wounds but he recovered 2 :-(

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    14. No you can't, its hard to forget your knowledge base. I have to try and work it into my character and tone it back a little so its not over the top. Its a little out of character for a guardsman to be a highly trained tactician :).

      Oh, nice good to know that they are faceable. Did you use the lords of ward warlord table or just carry on with your own? Deamons are just nasty, especially the FW ones.

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    15. Heck, in my post was meant to be "can't" not "can" :) One single word and changes the meaning of the whole paragraph :)

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    16. used the lords of was table and got the one about deep striking which was useless as I don't do that! ran my usual list with couple of your suggestions, commissars mainly, but didn't have enough heavy hitters for a strength 9 MC. with your 'detts you would have made mince meat out of him.

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    17. Yeah there is only so much you can do sometimes. Unfortunately the warlord table has useful stuff for everybody, but since it does it means there are useless ones as well. Its a gamble and Im sure if you got one of the good ones then it would have been different. detts are pretty awesome

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  6. Enjoying your blog man. Thank you and have a great Christmas and New Year.

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