Disqus - Latest Comments for erfunk

Re: Instant Deck Tech: Tezzeracker (Modern)

erfunk — Mon, 22 May 2017 14:16:09 -0000

This deck seems super fascinating. You should play it this week.

Re: Instant Deck Tech: Haakons Vengeance (Modern)

erfunk — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 00:35:48 -0000

Super excited about this one.

Re: Instant Deck Tech: Smallpox (Modern)

erfunk — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 00:57:50 -0000

I'd love to see this deck in action. It looks amazingly fun. I've got a Deathcloud deck in the works, but WB Smallpox is undeniably awesome.

Re: Dilbert's External Brain Stimulator - Dilbert Comic Strip on 2015-08-18 | Dilbert by Scott Adams

erfunk — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 13:22:47 -0000

I guess due to her expression I interpreted her 'What?' as a threat (providing him the opportunity to take back his retort) more than actually missing the thrust of his point. That she completely got what he meant, but was unhappy being called out on her hypocrisy. I also expected the next comic to begin with Dilbert and a broken device, as she bludgeoned or otherwise destroyed it.

Re: 40k Editorial: Feast of Blades Lists of Major Nerfs | Warhammer 40k, Fantasy, Wargames & Miniatures News: Bell of Lost Souls

erfunk — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 21:04:44 -0000

It does make more sense with some context. It's still an arbitrary method of limiting power, but with a wider group I can see using it over leaving it to individual judgement since players will have different opinions on how potent or acceptable something is without definite rules (eg, how many heldrakes are 'too many'). I guess I see them as symptoms and not the actual issue with regards to imbalance in a player group. It's more about setting expectations.

We use what amounts to an unspoken gentlemen's agreement to bring a list aimed at the power level of the other player, as it gets old being on either end of one-sided matches. The players in my group are all adults with careers and/or families (still not sure when that happened!). Before that we were poor college grads trying to make ends meet. Thus we collect, build, and paint slowly enough that an arms race has never been an option, as it would take years. Instead, we're stuck how the whims of fate affect our existing armies as editions and codices rise and fall.

For my most frequent opponent, optimizing his list is fully part of the game, and doesn't really enjoy playing below his best. He primarily plays Eldar, with no special characters and no allies, and routinely wins best overall at the shop tournaments, generally being in the top 2 for generalship. He stopped using his jetbike seer council shortly after the latest codex was released, both due to how good it could be as well as its dependence on random powers. He rarely plays his Eldar against me in friendly matches, as I currently have little that can compete with them. We often experiment with proxying new codices or new styles of lists in friendly matches, and save our actual lists for the monthly shop tournaments.

We've had a couple other players that insisted on bringing the most broken things they could, within their codices of choice, but it never put them ahead of the other strong players and lists in our group. It just made it unfun to play against for those with weaker lists. Both had an increasingly tough time finding games as how they enjoyed the game put them at odds with other players, but it doesn't make their idea of fun wrong. One didn't like playing the other, or the Eldar player, and now plays M:tG instead. The other only plays occasionally outside the monthly tournaments, but we know what sort of list is needed if playing him.

I'm prone to trying new things before I've finished the previous force, so multiply that by my slow pace and nothing ever gets fully painted.... I've played mostly primered Adepta Sororitas since I started 40k in 4th ed, and it took me a few years to reach 2k. It's also the only army I could legally play under your groups' rules, which would have been pretty abysmal without Celestine during the 6th ed + White Dwarf codex era.

Beyond that, I play non-pure Deathwing counts-as post-decimation Relictors, usually mixing in radical Inquisition. The army is nearly all conversions. I have an IG contingent for use with my SoB, and a small Thousand Sons warband with a few allied Daemons, but SoB and Deathwing are the only two forces I can field alone at our usual 2k. So while I'm the primary user of special characters and allies in my group, my armies aren't exactly the pinnacle of competitiveness either. I do pretty well at the shop's swiss tournaments, but most of that is a combination of experience and needing to run trim lists in order to stand a chance.

Perhaps we might need to agree to disagree about the method of restraining power levels. But do you at least see how your groups' particular restrictions wouldn't work for my play group? For me, it would have been asking me to retire an army, while the strongest couple armies in our particular group would be untouched.

Re: 40k Editorial: Feast of Blades Lists of Major Nerfs | Warhammer 40k, Fantasy, Wargames & Miniatures News: Bell of Lost Souls

erfunk — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 20:32:45 -0000

Apparently I had a really off day with the whole brain-to-keyboard thing. Yes, I did mean White Scars and Khan. But even without Khan, any SM captain or chapter master on a bike do indeed make squads of 5+ bikes into a troop choice for SM. DA need one of a couple special characters to do their equivalent.

My point about Ravenwing was simply that SM can do roughly the same thing, about as well or better, without needing a special character (depending on much you weigh scout vs the better SM support units - but I tend to think SM get the better end of that trade). I guess it just seems like unnecessarily punishing C:DA when it already struggles to keep up.

You mentioned not having a few of the power builds. I'm genuinely curious, as player group dynamics interest me. Is there something stopping people from fielding them, or is it not wanting to be "that guy"? If the latter, is there a reason that didn't work for keeping the strongest special characters off the table? Eldar and Tau seem like the obvious winners from your groups' bans; do you have regular players that use them? What sort of lists tend to be the top contenders in your player group? Do you tend to see the better players coming out on top regardless of list, or do stronger lists routinely prevail? Do your better players also tend to play stronger armies, or do they 'comp' themselves by playing weaker lists? How much do your players' lists change over time (game to game, but also over months/years)?

I'm not trying to say you and your group should play differently if that's what you all agree upon. Maybe no one in your group has any attachment to special characters or desire to use them. I admit these specific changes aren't how I would approach imbalance issues and would personally object if my group suggested these, so I am offering a counterpoint perspective for hypothetical others to consider if their group is looking for a solution. Banning something existing means asking players to retire something. That could be just one model, but it could also be a detachment or an entire army, thus hundreds of dollars and countless hours of investment. And those detachments or armies being banned may not even be close to abusive, hence my Codex: Dark Angels example.

Changes of this nature will have unintended casualties and make new power builds, just like in standard play, so this sort of change shouldn't be done lightly or without consensus from the entire player group. If in a hypothetical group people are not having fun due to imbalance, you have to examine why people are fielding these combinations as well as why others can't deal with them. Maybe the issue is on both ends?

I tend to think it's preferable to talk to players directly and ask them to adjust their lists down rather than banning. That gives them the choice of how they balance their list, say by tweaking their Eldar into a fluffy Ulthwé list with Eldrad or by trading their unkillable fortuned Archon for something more subdued, or counter-requesting that their opponents improve their list as well / instead. If you can't come to an understanding, then just don't play each other, but both sides should be willing to look at compromising first.

Re: 40k Editorial: Feast of Blades Lists of Major Nerfs | Warhammer 40k, Fantasy, Wargames & Miniatures News: Bell of Lost Souls

erfunk — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 18:36:06 -0000

Codex: Space Marines. Sorry if I wasn't clear. Salamanders would need Vulkan to get scout, something I'd forgotten, but even without him the largest differences are plasma vs grav, and scout vs better support units. And Iron Hands bikers seem to be pretty effective without even having special characters available.

Re: 40k Editorial: Feast of Blades Lists of Major Nerfs | Warhammer 40k, Fantasy, Wargames & Miniatures News: Bell of Lost Souls

erfunk — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 16:24:11 -0000

"Who else has dedicated flyers with transport capacity?" The Inquisition!

Re: 40k Editorial: Feast of Blades Lists of Major Nerfs | Warhammer 40k, Fantasy, Wargames & Miniatures News: Bell of Lost Souls

erfunk — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 16:09:46 -0000

Dark Angels are hit pretty hard by banning special characters. C:SM can do something similar to Ravenwing with just a generic chapter master on a bike, and it's not like Deathwing are overpowered right now.

Re: Warhammer 40k, Fantasy, Wargames & Miniatures News: Bell of Lost Souls

erfunk — Tue, 08 Oct 2013 12:12:17 -0000

I was recently tabled by a 'friendship is magic' Ravenwing list (wip). It's kind of embarassing, really. https://plus.google.com/106...

Re: Warhammer 40k, Fantasy, Wargames & Miniatures News: Bell of Lost Souls

erfunk — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:08:03 -0000

Will you add the past BAO winners to the Belt of Russ, so it chronicles the whole history?

Re: 40K Deep Thought: Do Any of these Units Break the Game?

erfunk — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:41:01 -0000

If you ask them, they were most certainly right.

Re: Showcasing an Average Game Club

erfunk — Tue, 31 May 2011 01:48:45 -0000

Double post...

Re: Showcasing an Average Game Club

erfunk — Tue, 31 May 2011 01:47:56 -0000

The weapon is from MaxMini. http://www.maxmini.eu/store...

Re: 40K Deep Thought: The Place of the Sororitas

erfunk — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 02:02:50 -0000

With the ban on 'men-at-arms', there can't be Ecclesiastical Stormtroopers without some semantic legalism and ensuring they were all female. Hence the Adepta Sororitas. Iirc Sebastian Thor, the one who disbanded the Ecclesiarchy's Templar Frateris after overthrowing Goge Vandire, was also the one who arranged for the Brides of the Emperor to become their Order Militant.

Re: Goatboy's 40k Lists - Foot Armies?

erfunk — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:46:15 -0000

The point was the horde with minimal KPs (8, if you'll note), but you're right. Smaller squads will be better, but still not as effective as 10 in a Rhino. I haven't played a list like this since 4th.

Re: Goatboy's 40k Lists - Foot Armies?

erfunk — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 04:01:26 -0000

Known as 'Too many Sisters'...

HQ: Canoness, Blessed Weapon, Bolt Pistol, Book of St. Lucius, Frag & Melta
HQ: Celestian Retinue x10, VSS, Eviserator, Melta x2, Frags
Troop: Sisters x20, VSS, Eviserator, Book of St. Lucius, Melta x2
Troop: Sisters x20, VSS, Eviserator, Book of St. Lucius, Melta x2
Troop: Sisters x20, VSS, Eviserator, Book of St. Lucius, Melta x2
Fast: Seraphim x8, VSS, Eviserator, Brazier of Holy Fire, Book of St. Lucius, Twin Hand Flamers x2
Fast: Seraphim x8, VSS, Eviserator, Brazier of Holy Fire, Book of St. Lucius, Twin Hand Flamers x2
Heavy: Retributors x10, VSS, Book of St. Lucius, Multi-Melta x4

1843 pts - 8 KPs - Model Count - 97 Nuns with guns in power armor! And 9 Faith points.

Re: Wargames Gallery 1-8-11

erfunk — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 23:08:48 -0000

*Ice cream truck song plays*

Re: Wargames Gallery 12-15-10

erfunk — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 02:25:13 -0000

I see a dance fight in the near future.

Re: USA Readers: VOTE!!!

erfunk — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 01:08:48 -0000

The fine state of Oregon does all its voting by mail. Brilliant, in my opinion.

Re: Halloween Poll: The Spookiest Army in Wargaming?

erfunk — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 23:48:30 -0000

I'd argue 40k society is a lot more like 600 years ago than it is like now.

Re: Halloween Poll: The Spookiest Army in Wargaming?

erfunk — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 19:03:14 -0000

The Inquisition. No one expects them! Dragging off people in the night, black ships, ordering exterminatus on whole worlds, etc. Their mere arrival means something really horrible of the chaos/heresy/genestealer variety is already there. Even the Imperium's faithful scare their children into being good by telling them stories of the last time one of the Ordos visited their hive.

Re: Wargames Gallery 8-28-10

erfunk — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:10:26 -0000

I hope it tastes like cream cheese frosting!

Re: The Stupid, It Burns!

erfunk — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:04:41 -0000

I think he's describing Orks. They survive through luck, 'enthusiasm', and sheer numbers.

Re: Wargames Gallery 3-8-10

erfunk — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:20:36 -0000

And on that note, I think some tank commander has not read Double Eagle.