Okay, so with my recent purchase of some Primaris marines, I’m trying to adapt to 8th ed 40k. Not going to lie, its okay…but certainly not inspiring. To be honest, 8th ed reminds me a lot of the mental shock that was the jump from 2nd to 3rd ed 40k (which I also resisted full force). However, in regards to our local gaming group, without moving forward into the new edition, we’re already stagnating and that's only going to get worse...
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| When it comes to the death of 40k locally, I think that asteroid might be better labeled as the entry of 7th ed rather than 8th... |
Sure there’s other games, but everyone is all over the place on what they want to play (and the FLGS primarily sells 40k). Just showing up with a 40k army (or any game’s army) and being all but guaranteed to find an easy pick up game with somebody is a fond memory. Instead, due to the lack of consistency in regards to what we're playing, we have to schedule something in advance and then hope that whomever we're playing doesn't bail last minute.
We have a FB group, and there’s always a signup for game night, but of the 230+ members, only two dozen or so are ‘regulars’ and out of them, getting anyone to actually commit to going is kindova sad joke (and of course there are those who ignore the FB group posts all together and just show up at random).
We have a FB group, and there’s always a signup for game night, but of the 230+ members, only two dozen or so are ‘regulars’ and out of them, getting anyone to actually commit to going is kindova sad joke (and of course there are those who ignore the FB group posts all together and just show up at random).
What we really need are some new people to breathe some new life into the group, but therein lies the problem. New people want to play 8th ed. 40k, but when they come and find we aren’t playing it, they have little want come back.
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| Just another wayward soul, looking for an 8th ed opponent... |
So…I guess this is it guys and gals. Either we adapt to what’s new, or else we need to eBay off our collections (an idea I’m dangerously close to doing already…) and find some new hobbies, because at this point our gaming group is on life support!
5 comments:
I'm sorry to hear that. That's what I'm seeing all over the internet as well. I agree in that the ball seemed to start rolling (or crashing into the dinosaurs) with the announcement of Seventh so close on the heels of Sixth. I remember posting something like 'Seventh? Seriously?' on my blog at the time, and that I hadn't even finished buying Sixth.
I hope things work out better soon, buddy, I really do. The hobby blog-o-sphere is getting pretty sparse lately.
40k isn't dead locally, it's just dying at HT. The short transition between 6th amd 7th definitely did hurt. Our group was pretty big when we got the big room across the hall and that was at the end of 5th and the beginning of 6th. 7th came out too soon after that there was far too much rage-quitting over it (seriously, the books were compatible and it wasn't THAT different!). But it hurt our game night. Also, we lost the big room shortly after that, and we had to squeeze the games into the space of a closet. That problem is fixed, but the perception is damaged. Negative comments left on a public review board by the petty Blood Bowl league players haven't helped either.
Our problem is, IMHO, that the people HT has put "in charge" of game night are no longer employees of HT (none of the employees are players), have no interest in 8th ed or helping HT move product, and aren't willing (or able) to show up early. Seriously, gaming could take place ANY TIME during the day while the store is open, yet we have a strict deadline on the start time, which coincides with the store's close time, and if no one is there the whole thing gets cancelled. HT has expanded the playing area, which is great, but it is still basically in a storage area which means that they either have to watch who is in there or know/trust them.
Dewaynes World extended it's Friday and Saturday hours to 10pm to accommodate gamers. If they are sticking with this and are consistent, then new players are going to be more willing to go out there as opposed to going to HT to find it either closed or that there are no available players. The infrequent times that I manage to get over to DW, during store hours, I have seen 40k 8th being played. I have seen the large Bolt Action group playing, I have seen the new Star Wars game being played. I have seen Warmahordes being played. In the adjacent room I have seen card and board games and RPGs being played also. All during store hours! And they close at 6pm most days while HT closes at 7pm.
As for me, personally, I am NOT without "blame" here. I used to be able to get to our HT game nignt semi-regularly but it was always easier for me to do gaming on Fridays vs. Saturdays. It still is. But lately work has been scheduling me to stay on both nights until 8:00, well past the 6pm start time. I am willing to play 8th ed, and I am willing to play damn near anything actually. But I am no longer in charge of my own work schedule.
It is frustrating, as I know you have orks that need to die. 😉
I agree that the 7th ed rush job, intended more to prop up the declining a profit margin rather than improve the game in any valid way (and it felt like it too), along with heisting the 'Magic' rules from WHFB for psychic powers, formations as the whole (Spend $$ Get bonuses!!!) marketing BS, the arms-race of giant stompy whatevers that should have stayed in apocalypse and several other odd decisions is what I think shattered our FLGS' 40k crowd as much as the downsizing of the gaming area did (don't recall which preceded which.
Also, its 'our' shop where the decline is an issue as Neverness commented above. Dewayne's world, in the next town over is now the area's definitive table top gaming hub. However D fucked me over on a personal level (nothing at all to do with his store) about a decade ago, and I've refused to patronize his shop ever since. So yes, I can hold a grudge. (ever the business man, he 'has no idea' why I won't shop there) So that's an issue for myself personally to which there's no solution.
I also agree that the store doesn't do much to promote it aside from the gaming space (though considering the amazing terrain, who am I to complain?) Patrick (both gamer & employee, sold all of this toys), Justin (moved back home after college) and Neverness (the latter ending his employment at the FLGS due to some stupid notion of wanting to be able to afford food, insurance and the like...) were the driving force for the game nights for years. Technically HT didn't put any of us in charge, we volunteered. Or rather Screech did initially (but currently puts little to no effort into it at all). Hell, aside from posting the events and accepting/declining* new members, there really is no effort at all from any of us.
All attempts at Armada tourneys have folded on low turn out/lack of effort, and screw the blood bowl crowd! 'We got put in the hall cause there wasn't enough room whilst we took EVERY SINGLE TABLE & CHAIR (away from the regular, blindsided and and thoroughly ticked off 'regular' gamers) complaint ought to be deleted from all record.Fuck those guys!
...but back on topic...
Unfortunately, there are just too few who actually give a fuck in our crew at this point for the game night to be sustainable in its current form. Worst of all, there's no one to pass the torch to. Games ARE played during store hours and on other days, by those who can't attend on Saturday nights (or don't want to/or just want more games), but again they need to be scheduled in advance, its not like the old S&S which had an all but permanent crowd hanging out all day, everyday.
I think us 'old timers' were very much spoiled by that.
*The 'TN' in our name (meaning 'Tennessee' for those not local) generates a lot of middle eastern membership requests from players thinking we're affiliated to a similarly named Tunisian gaming group.
I did NOT know about the Tunisian requests. That is funny!
I too do miss the old Sword and Stone. It was a "scene" and it took next to no effort to just walk in and pick up a game. 3rd ed, despite my criticisms, was a hard transition from 2nd like you said, but it played FAST. I used to be able to get in 2-3 games in a day easy, which also made it fun in those days.
Yup, I was an eventual convert to 3rd. I'm thinking 8th will be the same after having the 'Aha!/Deja vu' moment a little ways back.
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