EDITORIAL: Getting back in the game.

Ahoyhoy internets, DaveHowitzer here once again asking for a little advice this time.

I dunno if I've mentioned it, but I've not been back to a GW or to a club for a game in...phhh....ermm.....hmmm....

-Well you get the picture, a while-

So, recently the only games I've managed to get are Vassal games with some buddies or the occassional tabletop game with a mate from Uni, which I now no longer attend. So it seems to get my fix I really, really, really get back into the old social scene of playing this game. But that for me seems a bit daunting for several reasons;

1) It's like being a new gamer again. By this I mean remember when you got into the hobby? Maybe you were an older guy who saw these guys your age or a bit younger playing with SUPER COOL SPACE DUDES and thought to yourself, "Hmm me, to alleviate myself of this chocolate and Honey-Nut Cheerios addiction I have here, perhaps I should indulge in that spiffy looking hobby." 

-Alas dear reader, the chap in the above example swapped gluttony for plastic crack. An all too common case of GW Syndrome, or "Adeptusastartesitis" -

Perhaps like me you got into it at a younger age, when a friend at school of college comes in with a shockingly painted Space Marine and says to you, "DUUUUDE, check out my SUPER COOL SPACE DUDE here, he's like mini Master Chief dude, yeeeeeah duuuude," to which you think to yourself, "Hmm me, to alleviate myself of the chronic boredom that is full time education that I have here, perhaps I should indulge in that spiffy looking hobby."

Ok I digress, anyway, remember the first time you walked into that GW store or FLGS with your new spiffy looking Marines or whatever and hit the wall of sweat and hair that is the local gaming crew. Its daunting as hell the first time you meet them. Sometimes you get lucky and they are the nicest chaps in the world; if, a bit like yourself they are a little odd. Or maybe they are super-asses! You know the sort!

Getting into that group can take time, finding your new friends and the guys you just want to slap in a new, perhaps competitive environment can be a daunting challenge. Perhaps its me being bashful but thats difficult sometimes. -Which if fething wierd 'cos I'm a cocktail barman and its my job to entertain strangers, which they tell me I do quite well @_@-

2) Coming back and the old crew has moved on. This kinda links in to the previous point about a new gaming group; what if like me you did have an old group of friends in the hobby who have now moved on. It kinda speaks volumes to me that I'll be going back to a GW and I won't see any of the old guys again. I guess I take the blame for that one, getting out of the hobby in the first place, but it's still a pain in the arse.

Hopefully one or two remain when I head back in today though, I'll no doubt keep you updated anyway. Swiftly moving on!

3) Thrust into a new metagame. Ok now this wouldn't worry most folks out there. But me...I love to win, no two ways about it. Albeit I've picked very hard armies to do well with, C:DA and C:E along with Chaos Slaanesh Cavalry in Warhammer 8th, but I despise the point and click army. See if you can win against your opponent using a better grasp of tactics and against the odds, it makes me feel better than tabling him first turn.

-On second thoughts, that is pretty fething great too-

I know there's leafblowers and razorspams and Thunder Wolves blah blah blah out there, but what the hell is gonna be there when I turn up!? Will people know how to play or will it be a crew of window lickers?! As much as I love the win, I don't love the win against a Smurf player with 2 inches of paint on his models who doesn't know what a Lance weapon does. It's like flogging a dead horse, shooting a barrel of fish, taking candy from a baby. -insert more random easy things...right here-

At the same time I don't know if being thrust back into a hyper competitive environment would be great at this point either. Back in the day I loved the trash-talk, the mathhammer, the screaming of "NOOB" in the club, but now I'm a bit more laid back in life in general, will I get back in the swing, or like my time endgame raiding in WoW, will I be put iff by these geeks arguing over the merits of Vulkan vs -insert random SM Character here-

Don;t get me wrong...gimme a month and I'll be doing that too, but there is such a thing as going in at the deep end too early.

-...and drowning in the urine filled chlorene water until some lifeguard guy who is unashamedly more attractive than you jumps in and saves you in a crazy homo-erotic moment that kinda turns on all the hot girls in the pool, but at the same time making him look like solid awesome and you like a stupid man who can't swin and kinda looks like Ed Milliband...or even scarier than that...-

 

                                                     OH NOOOOOOOO

I guess the jist of this article guys is about how whilst this is a really exciting moment for me, getting back into the game I've loved for years after what...2 years of not playing regularly kinda scared me. I've followed the hobby don't get me wrong, I'm addicted to all your blogs and podcasts just like everyone else but actually getting there with an army and rolling some dice is a different thing. Will I stilll be a decent enough general; probably not, but I'll re-learn again. Will I try to be as sporting as I can to folk; yeah I always am. Will I lose my temper if it all goes tits up; perhaps, we'll see if the new GW crew is full of arses or not. -God I hope they aren't full of arses...-

Anyway guys, I'd love your thoughts and advice regards to getting back into our little game of plastic crack men!

Love, Dave

-PS....sorry for the wall of text XD -