There has been a lot of negative content regarding the state of competitive 40k in last couple of months. Some of that content might have even been written by my own hands, but in light of the holiday I find myself celebrating today (I won’t be posting to the Fit 40k Facebook Group today) I wanted to go over some things that the hobby of Warhammer has brought me this year that I am extremely thankful for. While it is easy for members of the community, including me, to focus on the negative things happening in the hobby it is important to reflect on what the hobby of playing competitive 40k actually provides us with.
My Teammates:
Even if I do get salty when they beat my poor Necrons again and again the friends I have made in this hobby have been the biggest reason I have stuck with Warhammer for so long. There are other games out there, but the people I have met playing 40k have become some of my closest friends. Some of my teammates I met through work by randomly discovering we both had a love for little plastic soldiers, some I knew as a kid and was lucky enough to reconnect with through the hobby, and some I have met just this year at events (Chris I’m sure joining our group chat was a shock and I’m sorry). One of my teammates even recently moved to a place where getting games with him is basically impossible, but I am extremely thankful he was able to make it back to the area to murder my poor Tau with the Knights he brought with him specifically to get a game in with some of us again.
This hobby can sometimes be portrayed as one where the extremely nerdy sit in a dark and damp basement painting models alone, but this could not be further from the truth in my experience. Playing Warhammer 40k competitively has introduced me to so many people just within my own gaming community that I would have never crossed paths with otherwise. The sense of community Warhammer 40k tournaments create is amazing, and without it I just might be in the dark basement playing video games until my eyes bleed. Instead I’m writing lists, planning, and painting until my friends are annoyed at the amount of army lists I’ve sent them. This is much healthier.
My Local Hobby Store:
This past year has seen an explosion in the popularity of competitive 40k and participation in the ITC. The places that make this possible are the local shops and organizations that hold 40k tournaments throughout the year, and I am lucky enough to live twenty minutes from Maryland’s biggest competitive 40k community at Tables and Towers. This area has not always been a hotbed of 40k activity, and if you would have told my younger self that over 100 people Major’s would be held at a venue at the mall that was 20 minutes from where I went to high school I wouldn’t have believed it.
Local stores are extremely important in keeping competitive 40k thriving. Providing all that gaming space (usually on just the hopes that the players will purchase something), organizing events, and taking the lead in organizing the competitive community is a thankless job a lot of the time. I am extremely lucky to have a quality place to play 40k tournaments so close to home when so many other businesses are struggling or closing their doors forever due to the rough times caused by the pandemic. Remember to support the businesses that support your hobby so that they can stick around to provide the services they provide the 40k community.
These Articles:
When I sent in an article to FLG I did not think it would lead to a chance at writing weekly content for the company that created competitive 40k as we know it. Being able to share my thoughts, tips, tactics and ramblings about this game I love with you all has been my privilege. I am very excited for the future of the meta in competitive 40k. With the recent Games Workshop balance patch showing they are committed to keeping the game more balanced in the future with quarterly updates (I believe in you GW do not let us down with these), and with the quick release of the Black Templars FAQ it is looking like 40k is going to go back to regular rebalancing and updates.
As most of you can probably tell from my author bio artwork I am a fan of the Genestealer Cults. I was extremely pumped to hear they were going to be one of the next Codexes to be released (less excited to hear it was pushed back to beginning of 2022 but there’s a global pandemic I get it). I cannot wait to use these articles as a way to dive into the new GSC book, and I am extremely thankful that I have a platform to provide content for my favorite army. Now I am not guaranteeing you will win if you read my future GSC articles, but I can guarantee they won’t make you lose more.
I am extremely excited to see what the future holds for the competitive scene and the ITC. Soon this season will come to an end, and we will be moving on to the 2022 ITC season. For reasons we are all familiar with the 2021 ITC season will always have a special place in player’s memories, but here’s to an awesome next few months and beyond into 2022! Enjoy being with family and friends today and get in some games of 40k with friends if you are lucky enough to have some free time during the holidays.