Nick Nanavati Interview

[techsoldaten]

Interview with Nick Nanavati on Miniwargaming.

 

 

For those that don't know, Nick is a highly rated competitive player and has won many major tournaments going back about a decade.

 

Worth watching. Highlights:

 

- Nick talks about 9th edition. Controversial opinion: it's the best one ever.

 

- Nick talks game theory. The way math and probability fits into his game is interesting, very practical application of decision making.

 

- Nick talks list building, specifically for Chaos and CSM. Some of his comments surprised me, he thinks they're well-equipped at the moment.

 

- Nick has a very frank discussion about other games and how 'sport' fits into 40k.

 

- More.

 

[Warhead01]

Is there a text transcript?

[Azekai]

- Nick talks about 9th edition. Controversial opinion: it's the best one ever.

 

 

 

 

It’s the best one ever... if you think ITC format is worth a damn. I don’t. I never went to those events and when a modified form was brought into regular 40k, l found it very off putting.

 

I think the secondaries are overly complicated and are intensely game-y. There is strategy in choosing and executing them, but it is not an aspect of the game I relish.

[ThePenitentOne]

Funny, I too feel like this is the best edition ever, but to me, it's all about Crusade. As a tourney guy, I doubt Nick will talk about that, but it's interesting to me that an important figure from the competitive world would so strongly endorse an edition which in my opinion also happens to be the best edition for Narrative Play.

[techsoldaten]

Funny, I too feel like this is the best edition ever, but to me, it's all about Crusade. As a tourney guy, I doubt Nick will talk about that, but it's interesting to me that an important figure from the competitive world would so strongly endorse an edition which in my opinion also happens to be the best edition for Narrative Play.

 

Yeah, one thought I had after watching, Nick really likes 9th edition for a reason.

 

He's a game theory guy, the complexity appeals to him. At one point, he talks about deciding whether to charge or hold a point. You can tell he's really playing a game of board control informed by probable outcomes of actions. Moving and attacking are secondary to occupying space and wounding at range.

 

At another point, he talks about the kind of opponent he likes to play. Not going to try to characterize the difference, except to say it operates more on autopilot.

 

I can see why he'd be enamored with 9th.

[Lord Marshal]

Men with vested financial interest in 40k's continued success calls current edition the best edition ever. More on this shocking development at 11.

[Jorin Helm-splitter]

Men with vested financial interest in 40k's continued success calls current edition the best edition ever. More on this shocking development at 11.

Yeah its really hard to argue this point. I really like 9th edition alot but I have a lot easier time believing the negative statements from people with a stake in the game's success than the positive ones.

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Remember these are the guys who thinks the game is designed for them.

[Azekai]

Remember these are the guys who thinks the game is designed for them.

I mean... it kinda is, currently. Therein lies the problem.

 

Crusade is an option but it still feels like an unpolished and kludgey beta concept, the stepchild of the much reworked and errata’d ‘main’ game that is matched play.

[Kenzaburo]

Wait, so he's fine with how tanks and vehicles feel? Because aside from dreadnoughts, SM vehicles aren't worth all that much.

[Excessus]

- Nick talks list building, specifically for Chaos and CSM. Some of his comments surprised me, he thinks they're well-equipped at the moment.

The way he talked about them was as a soup though, and that they have a lot to choose from when building lists. CSM together with Daemons, Death Guard and Thousand Sons have a lot of options when you build lists even though many of us prefer to only use one of those sources for our lists. There are quite a few synergies between the codexes thanks to psychic powers, marks and the many daemon units.

[techsoldaten]

 

- Nick talks list building, specifically for Chaos and CSM. Some of his comments surprised me, he thinks they're well-equipped at the moment.

The way he talked about them was as a soup though, and that they have a lot to choose from when building lists. CSM together with Daemons, Death Guard and Thousand Sons have a lot of options when you build lists even though many of us prefer to only use one of those sources for our lists. There are quite a few synergies between the codexes thanks to psychic powers, marks and the many daemon units.

 

 

Yes, but that's always the situation. 

 

We have the faction we prefer, we ignore others because they don't appeal the same way.

 

When Nick started talking about World Eaters using Furies to tie up opponents, Dave acknowledged he'd never thought about that. Perfectly legal, probably useful, but not obvious to someone who only thinks about their own faction. Better than the default cheap troop option in many situations.

 

Funny how that works. Going through that right now with Deathwatch, trying to think outside the box.

[sitnam]

 

 

 

 

- Nick talks list building, specifically for Chaos and CSM. Some of his comments surprised me, he thinks they're well-equipped at the moment.

The way he talked about them was as a soup though, and that they have a lot to choose from when building lists. CSM together with Daemons, Death Guard and Thousand Sons have a lot of options when you build lists even though many of us prefer to only use one of those sources for our lists. There are quite a few synergies between the codexes thanks to psychic powers, marks and the many daemon units.

Yes, but that's always the situation.

 

We have the faction we prefer, we ignore others because they don't appeal the same way.

 

When Nick started talking about World Eaters using Furies to tie up opponents, Dave acknowledged he'd never thought about that. Perfectly legal, probably useful, but not obvious to someone who only thinks about their own faction. Better than the default cheap troop option in many situations.

 

Funny how that works. Going through that right now with Deathwatch, trying to think outside the box.

I don't play the game, I'm just into models and lore, but I think one nice thing about the various Chaos codices is how easy it is to throw together a theme with various. My homebrew CSM are a vassal warband of the thousand sons, with a multitude of Tzeentch followers. So in a perfect world it could be a soup of CSM/TS/CD/R&H without seeming unloreful. I don't think Imperial factions integrate quite as well, lore wise. I have extensive lore for homebrew Sisters and Iron Hand successors who are allies, but it doesn't fit together as well

 

Just to clarify, everything I just said is from the perspective of someone who prefers lore-friendly homebrewery to strategic gaming

[Snazzy]

 

 

- Nick talks list building, specifically for Chaos and CSM. Some of his comments surprised me, he thinks they're well-equipped at the moment.

The way he talked about them was as a soup though, and that they have a lot to choose from when building lists. CSM together with Daemons, Death Guard and Thousand Sons have a lot of options when you build lists even though many of us prefer to only use one of those sources for our lists. There are quite a few synergies between the codexes thanks to psychic powers, marks and the many daemon units.

 

 

Yes, but that's always the situation. 

 

We have the faction we prefer, we ignore others because they don't appeal the same way.

 

When Nick started talking about World Eaters using Furies to tie up opponents, Dave acknowledged he'd never thought about that. Perfectly legal, probably useful, but not obvious to someone who only thinks about their own faction. Better than the default cheap troop option in many situations.

 

Funny how that works. Going through that right now with Deathwatch, trying to think outside the box.

 

 

This is because of how poorly designed for 9th ed the CSM rules are.  Most mix and match factions have some benefits to being exclusively whatever, Cadians, White Scars, etc.  CSM are not as heavily rewarded  for being exclusively CSM.  Heck, Legion Traits don't even apply to their vehicles.  Many of the best parts of the CSM Codex are not even Legion Specific, like Veterans of the Long War, Dark Hereticus table, and the Mark specific stratagems.  You can even mix and match different Legions in the same Detachment and still qualify for using the Legion specific Stratagems and Relics found in the Codex, though not the PA Legion stuff.

 

Let's not pretend things like the Loyal 32 weren't a thing back in 8th edition, where CSM, Daemons and Chaos Knights all currently reside.

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

I hope geedub will give csm some real love this edition - they are deserving.

[Excessus]

I hope geedub will give csm some real love this edition - they are deserving.

I guess we'll see at the earliest after summer sometime, since we still have four codex releases before it even is possible for it to be our turn.

 

...let's just hope it won't be a 4th ed codex all over again...