Falling out of love with a faction?

[Lucerne]

Daemonhunters due to them being flayed to spawn the Grey Knights 5e codex and then being a dead faction.

 

I'd settle for a proper Inquisition KT at this point.

[Brother Sergeant Tiberius]

Dark Angels and Raven Guard due to the Thorpe effect

 

Switched to Wraight's WS and never looked back

Thorpe and just being harassed with DA are traitor memes at local GW/FLGS and it just become too tedious everytime wanted to play/do something instore

[jaxom]

N1SB1, thank you and I'm going to let what I read sit and digest a bit. If possible could you PM any of the titles of those book you remember? I'm a teacher in the US and we're using a lot of online resources at the moment. The lack of a "progress bar" is something I (or any of my peers) seem to have thought of.

[MARK0SIAN]

Grey Knights in 8th for me. Their rules were just so unbelievably bad. They weren’t even the army I would choose if I knew I’d be fighting daemons which is sad. I went from loving the models to just shelving them and pretty much never playing them in 8th at all.

[omo667]

Space Marines, because my cute little figurines have grown and are now so different :(

Look at how they have massacred my boys :( :( :(

[bushman101]

I love my Blood Angels. I've been playing them since 2nd ed.

But they haven't always been fun to play. 

Space Marine releases can be long and painful.....drawn out over several months before all the books are released and the rules are stable.

And some editions just haven't been friendly to the BA (6th and 7th)

 

I started a Ork army sometime ago to get me through the rough times. 

One army gets played, one gets shelved. And I rotate my 2 armies with the seasons

[Fajita Fan]

 

 

Space Marine releases can be long and painful.....drawn out over several months before all the books are released and the rules are stable.

LOL  Xenos players would like a word with you about drawn out codices...

[Azekai]

 

Space Marine releases can be long and painful.....drawn out over several months before all the books are released and the rules are stable.

And some editions just haven't been friendly to the BA (6th and 7th)

 

 

 

Yeah, I get what you are saying, but what you are describing is actually the opposite problem- marine releases are constant, coming out so quickly that it basically outpaces GW's rule-making treadmill.

 

And now that you mention it, edition doldrums are absolutely a thing. 6th and 7th editions basically destroyed my interest in playing  games of 40k. 4th and 5th were not perfect by any means, but in these more recent editions, flier supremacy and psychic shenanigans were a big turn off. Still liked the lore, enjoyed the flavor of my Nurgle-aligned armies- but actually playing was a chore.

Edited September 17, 2020 by Azekai

[Skywrath]

Grey Knights in 8th for me. Their rules were just so unbelievably bad. They weren’t even the army I would choose if I knew I’d be fighting daemons which is sad. I went from loving the models to just shelving them and pretty much never playing them in 8th at all.

 

You should try them now - they are one of the armies to beat. I'm running a double paladin bomb list in the tournament on Saturday, so far going pretty well in the practice games (lost only 2 out of 10, I'd say). Also swing by our forum, mate.

 

Personally, as I'm in a similar boat to you Jaxom - when I started this hobby, after reading the lore, I wanted to go Grey Knights off the bat. However the Lion's personality and the whole ends justify the means mentality is something I relate to deeply, so with a bit of gentle coaxing from the GW employee (and after he said GK were bad), I went Dark Angels as my first army. Played DA for a bit, still enjoyed playing them, despite being tabled by turn 2 (this was before COVID). During this time, I was starting to look at Grey Knight models, and one fine day, brought Draigo. Integrated a GK bit into my Deathwing army, and the more I played with Draigo and the two Grand Masters in Nemesis Dreadknights, the more I loved the playstyle. I started reading the lore of the GK, and more and more I grew to enjoy it. Then I started running pure GK armies, and even though I still lost, it wasn't half as bad as when I was playing Dark Angels. Then it hit me - this more akin to my playstyle (aggressive, in your face) compared to getting shot off the board with the Deathwing.

 

Eventually a few days before COVID hit, I got tabled so brutally with my Dark Angels, that no amount of being enamoured with the lore, wanted me to pick them up again. I decided to bite the bullet and purchased two boxes of strike squads. Painted them up, converted some models to other figures, and the rest is history. I still do get pangs about going back to Dark Angels, and when the happen, I get my DA out and play them, but that chapter where I was a DA fanboy is far behind me. Turns out, while I loved their lore (and still do), their playstyle wasn't mine. I'll still play them, but they aren't my main army anymore (however if we get the Lion, you can be damn sure, I'll be picking them up again!). So all of this combined together is what eventually lead me to know that I'm now a Grey Knight first and foremost. Who knows? Maybe in 2-3 years I might be a Thousand Sons, or a Tyranid player. Point is, things changes, and so do tastes. 

 

Onto your dilemma - perhaps it might be in your best interests to approach this from three angles (funny how angles is spanish for angel haha), the lore, the gameplay, and what does your intuition tell you. The first two are simple - do you like the lore of <insert faction here>, and is the lore enough to sustain you on a bad day on the table-top? Second is gameplay - according to a friend, there are two axes which determine your playstyle. Those are aggressive/defensive, pro-active/reactive. Personally, I fall under aggressive/pro-active, while the GK is defensive/pro-active. What is your style? Then perhaps a person with that playstyle could tell you about his faction, and you could try it. Table-top simulator is good for getting a "feel" of a new faction.

 

The last one is difficult - intuition, and this may not even apply to you. What is your gut telling you - is your time with Dark Angels over, and if not, what is keeping you playing them? And if there is something that is keeping you there, can you turn that spark into a raging fire. Contrary to that perspective, if you feel like your time is over with Dark Angels, then what is causing you to burn out (bad day on the TT, time to move on, etc) - and can this be corrected? If it can, then try it, if not, then you know your time as a Dark Angel is at an end. Stobz had a similar problem a while back on the DA thread, but he got over it, and now is even more greener than ever! Point is, don't fear change, embrace it. Hope this helps.

[Jukkiz]

This primarinading every SM is getting seriously repetive and boring... This is why i keep with old models and i´ve yet to see primaris that intrests me in buying way. Sure some of them look cool-ish but olden lore and models are the way for me

[Noserenda]

Its a rare person who can sit with one army forever, find a new army to play with and move on. Or take a break if you need to.

[Corswain]

Space Marines because of Primaris. I just took a break. Worked on Age of Sigmar for a few years and have recently made the return to Horus Heresy. Still not feeling 40K Marines but I still get my power armour fix.

The key for me is not to force myself to do something I'm not motivated to do, otherwise it becomes a chore, not a hobby. It means that I do have a fair chunk of unpainted plastic at home but I usually cycle back to things eventually.

[Fajita Fan]

We should, as a community, do a Bloodbowl 40k thingy. Bloodbowl is fun and a great palate cleanser from your typical 2-troops-1-hq-3-elite style of army building. Just 12 or 15 guys, wild conversion possibilities, and most of us can make teams just from unassembled sprues in our bits boxes. It would be as easy as cutting the guns/swords out of hands and a greenstuff ball.

 

Maybe a fun little diversion like this could get players back into their army? Your Eldar not really doing it for you any more? Whip up an Elf Union team from Guardians or Dire Avengers. Marine fatigue? Make an Iron Hands human team. Feeling the Necron blues? Make an undead team.

[jaxom]

In a few ways that's why I like Nurgle; there's actual humor there instead of stuff like, "Dark Angels? You mean Chaos Space Marines? Hur hur."

[Slave to Darkness]

I get this with literally every army I start that isnt Chaos. Really struggling to keep on track with my Wolves, Guard and Eldar... But that may be due to mental health and general hobby burnout as I am feeling the same with music and video games.. 

Usually having a break from the faction/hobby as a whole can be a good way to get the vibe back... 

[bushman101]

 

 

 

Space Marine releases can be long and painful.....drawn out over several months before all the books are released and the rules are stable.

LOL  Xenos players would like a word with you about drawn out codices...

 

 

yes and no

 

With my Blood Angels, I need the Space Marine dex, then the BA supplement. So I can expect my rules to change again with the supplement. Previously, we needed a separate supplement to use Doctrines.

 

Current state of my Orks, I just need the Ork dex (unless everything is going to the supplement route)

[Scribe]

I get this with literally every army I start that isnt Chaos. Really struggling to keep on track with my Wolves, Guard and Eldar... But that may be due to mental health and general hobby burnout as I am feeling the same with music and video games..

 

Usually having a break from the faction/hobby as a whole can be a good way to get the vibe back...

I feel that. Only other army I stuck with for any amount of time was Dark Eldar, in 5th...

[N1SB]

We should, as a community, do a Bloodbowl 40k thingy. Bloodbowl is fun and a great palate cleanser from your typical 2-troops-1-hq-3-elite style of army building. Just 12 or 15 guys, wild conversion possibilities, and most of us can make teams just from unassembled sprues in our bits boxes. It would be as easy as cutting the guns/swords out of hands and a greenstuff ball.

 

Maybe a fun little diversion like this could get players back into their army? Your Eldar not really doing it for you any more? Whip up an Elf Union team from Guardians or Dire Avengers. Marine fatigue? Make an Iron Hands human team. Feeling the Necron blues? Make an undead team.

 

oh man, when the Norse team (or maybe i can do this with just the existing Chaos Team) comes out Imma headswap them with Mk III helmets to make...

 

GRIDIRON WARRIORS

 

Green stuff the power armour plugs onto their torso (I accidentally came up with a technique where you put a small green blob and push a mechanical pencil into it, leaves a port-like thing), like they just take off their armour to play American football with an artillery shell or something.  Thanks for the idea.

 

Incidentally, I agree with you, Brother Fajita, I sped paint a Nurgle Blood Bowl team with Contrast in the last year just as a break from 40k.  It's a good idea!

[Fajita Fan]

Well Bloodbowl is an absurd diversion of the Warhammer Fantasy universe, why not an absurd diversion from 40k?  The Enforcer models from Necromunda would make a great team, Marines are practically MADE for this (like those melee primaris in the Indomitus box), Demons are doable, Harlequins, heck almost the whole model range could work. I made an orc team from Black Orcs and 40k Orks including the potbelly runtherd. 

 

I have Army Attention Deficit Disorder where I gain/lose interest in projects at an alarming rate so that my paint and assembly tables look like someone let a bull loose in a GW stockroom.  Games like Bloodbowl, AT, and AI are nice diversions.

 

You know come to think of it any of you who haven't started AT should give it a go, if you get the battleforce it's really cheap to start (comparatively speaking  )

[Slave to Darkness]

 

I get this with literally every army I start that isnt Chaos. Really struggling to keep on track with my Wolves, Guard and Eldar... But that may be due to mental health and general hobby burnout as I am feeling the same with music and video games..

 

Usually having a break from the faction/hobby as a whole can be a good way to get the vibe back...

I feel that. Only other army I stuck with for any amount of time was Dark Eldar, in 5th...

 

An army I have wanted to try for years but dont want to end up with half built unpainted minis. Might dip my toe into a Haemonculus Coven as Kabalites and Witches dont do it for me, but I already have Hellraiser themed Slaanesh marines and daemons so realistically I can see myself giving up after 6 months. 

[Blank Dave]

I get this with literally every army I start that isnt Chaos. Really struggling to keep on track with my Wolves, Guard and Eldar... But that may be due to mental health and general hobby burnout as I am feeling the same with music and video games..

 

Usually having a break from the faction/hobby as a whole can be a good way to get the vibe back... 

Yeah, I've been having a major issue that too.  I'm so bloody exhausted/burnout getting myself to do anything is  a chore.  Video games, nope; guitar, nope; paint, nope...  I'm so frazzled, I don't even trust my own judgement on buying stuff.

[Schlitzaf]

So, I think reason folks fall away from the army, is they surrender to the memes:

An example here actually listed was the

1-2 HQ’s

2-3 Troop’s

3 Elite’s

 

Or

 

“Loyal 32”

 

The first army is often the army of 2 Cpts, 3 MSU DblPlas Tacti, 3 Elite Squads. Is a unforgivable terribly bad list.

 

Cleaner list which he wrote just before or around the new codex while ostensibly a fluff list. Is awful in every sense of the word. MSU Tacticals without Razors, then Skywrath Triwing lists I looked at are just as awful.

 

Marines being weak was not why you failed there. Where competitively a marines weak 8th Ed Book? Yes. But its not because “3 Gaurdsman > 1 Marine”. Now I go back to mentioning the memes. Why is this relavent.

 

Tacticals are Bad Meme. Tacticals are ungodly terrible yes (Intercessors exist now tbrough). But you need them. Not just in pathetic useless 5 man squads (unless in Razor transport) but as 10 Man (and before anyone says 2 5 Man > 1 10 Man Mathwise. To math wise they are the same. And Battle Shock 10 Man Marine is interesting hecause.

 

2 5 Man Squads

If you lose 4 Dudebros you lose 25% a portion of firing capacity, 5 Dudebros = :(

1 10 Man

If you lose 5 dudebros you have 75% chance of passing morale cause your marines

)

 

I think, for those falling out of love of an army, look at your lists and tell yourself “why did I build this”. Not why you made the army but why the list is what the list is. Many of the 3 MSU dbl Plas NoRazor Tacticals are because “Internet said so.”

 

That list or setup is a very very specific list which requires playing Razorbacks. Or why you are taking a loyal 32 “I need to CP cause Internet said CP hungry”. When you are also taking a Vangaurd Detachment with 2 HQ’s of Marines. 3 Scout Squads is same as 1 Loyal 32.

 

But a more grand example are Ork players newer ones espacially. Whom pick the army cause popular diffusion of memes. They are often I noticed the first to drop the game in a playgroup. Or bemoan something GW. The reason to tie back into tje thread:

 

Its not wrong to lose love for an army it happens. You should ask yourself why? And if cause your losing, or tabled look at your lists. Are they garbage (an easy way to see is ask yourself “why” did you build the list; often times is internet said this is right the list is garbage because, the thing is good in a specific context).

 

Marine Armies espacially; are actually one of rhe hardest armies to not build garbage. For same reason Eldar armies are actually “easy” to build. (You could apply the Eldar logic to Primaris btw). A Marine army while saturated with Options, is Saturated with Options that do nothing. A tactical squad does “nothing” and requires Gear and Bodies. That as a player you are required to “pick” a Dire Avenger is “Exarch, Exarch Powers?” In contrast. A Scout squad has three very different loadouts for a infilitrating unit compared to Pathfiners. And does nothing unlike Pathfinders unless you choose the right one for what your list requires.

 

Your Elite Units Vangaurd, are easily able to do “You get a Thammer and SShield. You get a Hammer & Shield” which is wrong you should mix and match who get what options. Even in power level due to -1 to hit. Compared to Scorpions or Banshees, want Anti-Heavy army Infantry take Banshees. General all purpose anti-infantry take Scorpions.

 

Devies vs DReapers and otherwise follow same principle. This makes building a Good Marine Iist even a casual one, hard. As you every unit has an option that is hard to pick from. Espacially given internet advice is generally while not wrong, not placed in proper context of what you need for that to be good.

 

Grey Knights being bemoaned is interesting because Strikes and lesser extent Terminator are actually incredibly points efficient in 8th. The Awakening Book just helped them or really only a “slight” nudge that made them competitive.

 

Necron’s have two or three competitive lists and bemoaning about protocols, which once again not wrong. Also actually misses the truth, Necron Units when compared to similar pointed and “base” tough models (for example Destroyers v Custodes, or Warriors vs Scouts) you actualky are around the several points.

 

They are not paying for protocals contrary to popular belief and the internet memes. If you want to see where Necrons paid for RP, it was in overly expensive HQ’s (GK have a similar issue ironically). And looking through Necron List, you often have 2 Big Squads of Warrior, 1 Big Squad of Warrior and Toy. Which actually isn’t bad but to remember, you wouldn’t only take 40 Sisters of Battle/Scions (which NecWars are) and 10 Marines (basically what Immortals) in a list as your bodies count. But okay thag is less rant. But the thing is I guess, ask yourself did you build the internet or did you build the list?

[bigtrouble]

So, I think reason folks fall away from the army, is they surrender to the memes:

Maybe a bit of a rant, but it was a good read.

[Vykes]

Hmm, I'll fully admit, this very much happened to me.  The reasons are very much model and presentation evolution clashing with my nostalgia (I don't care about mechanical crunch unless the mechanics are constraining my choices from a larger list IE, 'you may not take X unit'. Which, naturally, playing primarily chaos in 40K means I'm stripped of a ton of immensely fun loyalist warmachine and wargear options as I REFUSE to do any gribbly daemon garbage).

 

I started the game back in 2^nd and avoided Blood Angels just because painting red wasn't exactly easy for me. But they were always the group that I liked. They became even more appealing when I learned they were the 'guardians of the steps' as it were, defending the Emperor in the battle of Terra.  So, when 3^rd rolled around, I was happy with them but had started a Sons of Medusa force after my initial experimentation phase with Ultramarines. As the editions wore on, I still had the same mental image of the 'codex' style Blood Angels and stuck with my nostalgia so much so, that they became my immediate go-too army when Age of Darkness was released. For a time, I was happy. Grungy red angels, big squads and fast units trying to get into hand to hand combat and doing the stabby-stab with bayonets was a lot of fun that I could use in AoD and 40K.  Meaning I could stay far away from the Bling Angels of 40K, which since 4^th had been transitioning even more into the shiny gold vampires and black blood soaked maniacs with their blood missiles and blood talons and Sanguine swords, and Crimson cuirasses. Much like the Black Templar 'knight' revamp, I just didn't care for this new direction.

Then the recent rococo renditions from FW came out, and they became more flowery and stylish than the Emperor's Children, as did their weapons and new units. The new books started making them even more pretty, more 'woe is me', the whole aesthetic was changing around me and I wasn't into it.  Sure, I absolutely could have continued with the usual battered heroes of myth and legend, but I just kinda 'grew' out of them as it was harder and harder to maintain my oblivious nostalgic aesthetic going forward.  Especially when I wasn't getting any support from the narrative that I had hoped for.  Somewhere in the back of my mind I was asking "Why do I keep clinging to this?" 

 

By chance, I loaned the army out as a display, and never got it back. So, in that way, I was forced to move on rather than try to recapture what I had.  I'm happy I did, it left a space for me to look at alternatives, and I've got my eye on a few others these days.  The odd thing is that despite an absolutely horrendous literary pounding and miserable handling in the 30K narrative, as well as my utter contempt for their predecessors in 40K land, I'm still enthralled with the 16th.  They're in almost the same position as the Blood Angels for me, they've grown way too spiky and literately busted, but something makes them far more endearing.  So I pushed through all my frustration and headaches, and still find that after all this time, I keep coming back.

Edited September 20, 2020 by Vykes

[Slave to Darkness]

 

I get this with literally every army I start that isnt Chaos. Really struggling to keep on track with my Wolves, Guard and Eldar... But that may be due to mental health and general hobby burnout as I am feeling the same with music and video games..

 

Usually having a break from the faction/hobby as a whole can be a good way to get the vibe back... 

Yeah, I've been having a major issue that too.  I'm so bloody exhausted/burnout getting myself to do anything is  a chore.  Video games, nope; guitar, nope; paint, nope...  I'm so frazzled, I don't even trust my own judgement on buying stuff.

 

Thats why I dont buy things as soon as they come out. Im glad I waited to see if I still feel the same after a few months, otherwise I would have sunk a load of cash on the recent Necromunda and Indomitus boxes...