Pimpcron: Forge World – Fluffy or Fierce?
Hi everybody! Let’s talk big resin models.
If it isn’t all of my favorite sets of eyeballs attached to my favorite sets of eye sockets. You know, I can see you when you read my articles.
I recently had a discussion with some people and they asked why I don’t like Forge World. I told them that I have always seen FW as pay to win. The people I was talking to vehemently denied the fact that Forge World could be anything but fluffy and casual. My gut reaction is to disagree immediately but let’s explore this topic for a moment. Maybe I’m wrong [scoffs].
Things Aren’t All Black And White
Unless of course you are describing chessboards, soccer balls, dice, text, or that famous Michael Jackson song where he said it didn’t matter. I am admittedly anti-FW as a knee jerk reaction, while some would be automatically pro-FW. I would be quick to point out powerful units such as the ridiculously weaponized Dreadnoughts or deadly super heavies. My opponent would be quick to point out things like Chaos Ogryn and various Imperial Guard infantry units that are geared much more towards fluff. I can’t sit here and say that all Forge World units are competitive and all well costed because clearly they are not. But there are some very obvious reasons why many of Forge World’s units are competitive.
That’s one way to forget your weekend.
Barrier to Entry
First and foremost we cannot forget that Games Workshop is a company with a bottom line to meet. I’ve actually heard some people say that resin is cheaper to make than plastic, but I am not an industry expert on that so I will error on the side of assuming they are relatively the same in cost. But even if they are relatively the same in cost, there is a barrier to entry in buying Forge World models that makes it harder for newer players to buy those models due to availability and needing specialized hobby skills for resin.
Don’t hate me because I’m Hell-forged.
Incentive To Be Powerful
Being that FW models and units are not included in the normal Warhammer codices, many players (especially new players) may not be aware of Forge World at all. And when you tell people that FW models are generally pricier than standard GW models, people might shy away from them. The answer to that issue I think is very obvious. Ignoring the exceptions such as Chaos Ogryn, the reason why players go out of their way to buy FW models is because they are regularly better and more powerful than regular 40K models.
You Get What You Pay For
Let’s disconnect ourselves from this topic because we have too many emotions attached. Let’s change it completely. This will make everything clear.
Let’s say that we are walking the streets and stumble on one of those common apple street vendors. He has red, juicy apples for $2 each. We like apples, so we are debating on buying some. But then he says that he has a friend that sells red, juicy apples for $3. And his friend only sells them in one particular store on the other side of town. Now, please tell me why you would ever go all the way to other side of town to buy more expensive apples? Especially when there is an honest, hard-working street apple vendor right here?
So good, just so good.
The Fluffy Side
That being said, if used thematically Forge World can be fun, and adds so much to the hobby and game. They do make a lot of really cool awesome models and entirely themed armies, not to mention all of 30K. But again, it seems like you see a lot more of the competitive units added to normal 40K lists based on what’s hot in the meta right now, than all-Forge World themed armies. But that’s the real rub – is it the rules, or the competitive community that is driving this?
Maybe a …tad too good.
What’s your stance on Forge World? Do you buy it for the fluffy cool units, or the competitive stuff?
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