A guest editorial from Skari in response to Raw Doggers article about Forgeworld in tournaments.
Welcome to the Friday post! It has been a great week full of awesome hobby content and today is no different. Here on SkaredCast I like to chat about things that make our gaming experience better. I am writing up a small rebuttle to an article that was posted up on FrontLineGaming yesterday:
Raw Dogger: A Gentleman’s Case Against Forgeworld (kind of)
So head over, and read the original article. RawDogger makes some very good points on the matter of FW when related to the point values within the 40k game. I am just going to touch on a few key points that he made and elaborate on my point of view on them.
Lets Dive In:
Key Points- 2000pts is too much. Takes list building skill out of the equation, and helps armies that have an abundance of powerfull units to choose from. Also that FW units allowed does not help (as the most powerfull options are for the Imperial Guard).
– I do indeed think that 2k points are a lot for a tournament. Now, RD touches on the issue that at that point level you can take all the “toys” you want and then some within a list. I think that is indeed the case… the ability to take multiple units to add redundancy to a list is almost unparalleled at that point level… why only take 2 chimeras when you can have 12? I believe that smaller point games are key for tournament play, not only to encourage more thought put into list building but also, and I believe this is more important -time-. A 2k game takes 2-3 hrs to play… and at a tournament time is prime. The tournaments in the region that I play at are usually 1500pts and we have anywere from 1.5 – 2 hrs to play a game and this is plenty of time for that point value, and also allows for 4 games in a day. This format is great for a RTT format event.
Sometimes a few models are enough: 
Secondly, the options within army lists. I think that the point value of 2k is not meant to hinder armies that have overloaded FOC slots… simple reason? That you should be considering the double force organization! This is something that is often overlooked at 2k events (AKA 1999+1pts.. lame). Armies like dark eldar, tyrannids, eldar and other armies that really like specialty units can benefit greatly from having more than three choices in a slot. And I think this is kew when considering large point value tournamets. So I think that the format for larger tournaments is there but that the full rule set should be embraced, so far… no one has really given it a chance at the larger GT’s so there is no framework in place or anything to really use as a measuring stick and untill larger tournaments that run large point values embrace the idea of double FOC then we cant really tell.
Thirdly – Forgeworld is always a sore issue for many a player. I have touched on it before, the basic premise being – cheapness for awesomeness and if you have more money = win…
Yes, sometimes money can buy awesome: 
Now, I can see how the addition of Sabres and Hyperios platforms has really become the main topic of this discussion because of the prevalence of the “flier armies” such as triple Helldrakes and 9 scythes and what not… then again you have voltures that do annihilate units of infantry with their punishers. I think that Tau will slowly see this move aside and become more prevalent I also feel that many options for the other armies are overlooked, some of the eldar stuff is really good! and some of the space marine units are also awesome. Nids might not get as big a selection (but i reiterate the 2K double FOC point i made earlier).
So, this brings me to the final point of the article. That limiting the point value will cut down on spam.
I feel that no matter the point value, spam will exist… within redundancy or within a single unit. Even if you play at 1000pts or if you play at 2500pts, the ability to maximize the army is there. Will it take more skill to pull off? I believe so. But at the same time instead of taking 9 sabres sometimes 6 will do… This makes the point sort of fall within a grey area… I disagree with comping a tournament and forcing arbitrary restrictions on armies but at the same time I feel that something can be done to increase the experience for all gamers. Is there a “perfect” point value? Nope.
Anyhow, these are some of my thoughts. I hope you enjoyed them. Do you have any thoughts on the matter?
Thanks for reading!
Skari – out