40K: Making the Game a Family Affair
I had a great time at WGC this year… before the con plague hit me 🙁 I’m bulking up on vitamin C so I can get my fill next year.
As many of you know, I played Eldar in the Armageddon narrative track this year. I ended up with what I like to call the “Rebel Alliance” army… I had to borrow from BigRed and BushidoRedPanda to fill out my force because my army is in the hands of talented others at the moment.
Cobra [Bright Lance, Star Engine]
Vampire Raider
Guardian Jet Bikes x3
Guardian Jet Bikes x3
Fire Prism [Holofield] x3
Wraithguard x5 w/Warlock [spear enhanced]
Wraithguard x5 w/Warlock [spear enhanced]
Wave Serpent x 2
Avatar
Eldrad
My run down of Saturday is kind of lame [I missed Sunday because I got sick]: I got to fly around and blow stuff up. My team mates and opponents were all really great and fun to play with – there was strategy and excitement, but not the stress that comes from regular tournament play. I think we were all hyped to see the big toys throw out templates without caring what side they were on, or who they were blowing up… just that they were blowing things up.
For those that are not into competition, but want a fun weekend at a big con I can’t stress this enough: play narrative at WGC. I don’t think I want to play 40K any other way again. If my exam schedule allows me to I’ll be at Feast of Blades in November for more big game insanity.
If you want a better, more technical overview of narrative this year be on the look out for Rabscutle’s take.
What really struck me this year, though, were some of the teams I saw at the pairs event on Friday. There were a lot of well painted armies, some with hilarious fluff and even more goofy team names… but what really caught my eye were the father and son, and couple based teams that came out to play. At one point in the day 4 of those teams – all father/son pairs – faced off against each other. I couldn’t help but smile as I walked by their tables – there’s a heartfelt gratification that comes from watching things like this, at least for me. During a time when the media is going off about how fathers aren’t doing their jobs as parents anymore because of x,y, and/or z I got to see these pairs having fun by sharing a hobby together….
It’s great to see the game being passed down, and serve as something that a son can enjoy doing with his dad. Playing may not be something they all keep with them past their formative years, but the memories will be with them for years to come. It’s just really nice to see.
