Pimpcron: Warhammer Is Better As Co-op
Pimpcron has all the answers, like usual. It goes without saying.
Do you ever get sick of complaining about how OP the new hotness is for Warhammer? Yeah, me neither. But in case you ever do, I have found the best way to play Warhammer is with your opponent instead of against them. Do I sound like I’m talking nonsense? Well let’s see.
Warhammer is Competitive
I don’t care who you are, or what you say, or what you do for a living, or who you know, or where you’ve been, or what army you play, or what religion you are, or what political persuasion, or how old you are, or what your childhood was like, or if you play this game, or if you’re even still reading this sentence, Warhammer is a competitive game. Whew. Now try reading that sentence with one breath. Point being, at its very core, this game is player versus player. Of course some people take the competitive nature too far at the expense of the other player’s enjoyment. But it doesn’t have to be that way, you know.
Thanks for backing me up, Morgan.
Warhammer Could Be So Much More
Back in the days of Rogue Trader there was a Game Master that ran the game for two or more players and it was much closer to an RPG. What are RPG’s traditionally like? Co-operative, that’s what. I feel like we should go back to those days and make the game more about scenarios rather than always trying to bash each other’s face in. One way to do this would be to bring back the GM, but I’m guessing that a lot of people would feel left out; like they’re not really getting a game in. But I disagree, if you are playing the GM for the game, you get to make the secret army lists, choose where deploy, and try to tell a story.
With the new enthusiasm for RPG’s in today’s society, in geek culture, in schools, in shows, in movies, in video games, in the general zeitgeist, and in long lists of things that contain RPG’s, you’d think that this idea would have caught on already. But alas, it has not. Did you know that the legendary Gary Gagax helped in the development of Warhammer?
I just failed my persuasion check and now I have to admit that was a lie.
Co-op Brings Fun Back
It is far more fun to me when I team up with someone else in a game. I don’t know why, I guess it’s because you get to strategize with another person, and all the highs and lows are shared. Suddenly you have a team when you add someone else, not just a single player. Another core element to Warhammer is that it’s a social game, though not everyone has gotten this message, apparently.
They’re not just for sitcoms anymore!
When you team up with someone else versus an NPC army, all of the cheese that you can normally find in games tends to go away. The pressure to win is shed, and the game is more about telling a story. The GM can’t really get mad if he loses, because it was never really the goal anyway. I feel that this type of play could really tone down the general aggressiveness this game can have from time to time.
Oops, Here’s a Plug
Wow, the thought never occurred to me until now. I seem to remember some sort of awesome book that included A.I. charts and logic trees to play co-op versus NPC armies. Hmm, what was that called? It was written by a really awesome, clever, sexy, smart, athletic, desirable, wealthy, adorable, good-smelling, and-all around charitable paragon. Oh, that was me!
Anyway, I honestly did not start this article to make a plug, but whatever. CAPITALISM! My Epic Warplanner book has A.I. Charts and logic trees so you and a buddy can play versus NPC armies. That is designed for typical, massive games like 1,500 or more points. There is also a Scenario Mode which is different every game, and is designed for less than 1,500-sized games. Scenario Mode throws you right into the action with enemies all around you interfering with your mission. Anyway, enough of that.
There is More Than One Way to Skin a Kroot
Everyone talks about points-balancing, Errata, and FAQ’s. But nobody talks about the idea that we might be need to change how we play, not what materials we play with. When you aren’t so hell-bent on crushing your opponent, you can let your hair down and have fun. And as a bonus side-effect, if you do want to crush your opponent, they are an unfeeling A.I. force at the end of the day so who cares? Sorry Bender.
Have you ever played co-op 40k?
Hey! This article is brought to you by my top-tier Patreon supporter Mike Cowley!
Thanks Michael, smooches!
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