40k: Beer & Pretzels or WAAC - is this the same game?

After tearing through the forums for the last 6 months I have come to this conclusion. There seems to be two crowds forming in the Warhammer 40,000 playing community.

The first crowd, let's call them the Beer & Pretzel players, or "BP". Now BPs are the type who tend to play the game for pure entertainment. They couldn't care less about winning or losing, but instead want to get together with some friends, throw together an army list, and roll some dice. This is usually how all of us begin our career as players of this fine game.

There is a second crowd, who need to Win At All Costs, so we'll call them "WAAC". These are the kind of people who would never throw a list together, but instead carefully design lists and most often only take the most optimized choices from each codex. These players must win, they are not concerned with having a good time or making friends. Their good time hinges on victory and victory alone.

I, personally, am somewhere in between, walking the line. I love to play Warhammer 40,000. Period. I love everything about the hobby, the fluff, the collecting, the painting (though I don't do enough of it), the bitching, and most importantly playing of the game itself. Now, I also have an analytical mind, I enjoy pouring over the codexs, discovering new tidbits and combinations. I also deeply enjoy competition of any sort. I hate losing, but I am a good sport (or I try to be) and give credit where credit is due, when I lose. I always try to find the reason I lost and devise a good way to counter it for the next battle.

Having said this I have discovered that this disparity can be evident even in the smallest of gaming groups. Sector 420 is host to several players, all of which fall into one of these two categories. This isn't a problem, the problem as I see it, is when two people from the opposite spectrum of enjoyment come together to play a game.

You see, when you agree to play against someone, you agree to have a competition, a match between yourselves and the forces which you've created, to see who can take the day. 40K, much like any other dice based game, has a tremendous amount of chance involved, so it is really an "any given sunday" kind of mentality. You can only prepare so much. You can only pour over lists so much. You can only submit your lists to the online community (read: WAAC - for the most part) for review for so long, and then you actually have to play the game... and this is where things fall apart.

Now, without going crazy with detail, I think we all know how this plays out, one guy is way more serious and then suddenly there is a rules debate and our friendly gaming night turns into defusing arguments and preventing debates from escalating into a verbal conflict.

My point is this... We are all wargamers, 40k Players to be more specific, but wargamers is a much better tag for us. We know how these games go, we know that the dice gods are truly in control of any fight, but somewhere we lose this. Maybe it is the hundreds of dollars we spend collecting and assembling and painting, before we even field these dudes, who knows, but we need to band together again. We need to ensure that when you are lining up your next bout that you and your opponent understand what is expected. Making sure that each player is having fun.

In the end who wants to spend hours and hours of their time and piles and piles of their money to play a game, or involve themselves in a hobby which brings nothing but anger and frustration? No one. So do like we try to do here at Sector 420 and keep the lines of communication open. If I am testing a hardcore tournament list and I plan on taking out some of the aggression from my week on my friends army, well as long as he knows he'll be removing a lot of dudes due to your firepower, then it's all good! lol

Game On!!!

-The Overlord

Greetings from The Overlord

Within the last year or so I have had a personal resurgence and re-initiation back into miniature wargaming. It all started last fall when a small group of us decided to play Bloodbowl. Our Tuesday Night Bloodbowl League grew to about 8 or 9 different players during the height of the 2010-2011 Season. While no overall champion was declared, the season had a far greater impact than any of us could have imagine.

Through hard work and diligent fostering, I have been able to convert half of our community to a far superior game called Warhammer 40,000. Now, I have been a huge fan of Warhammer 40,000 since first being introduced to it, sometime in 1994. The game had recently been updated to 2nd edition and was really hitting it's stride. I remember being so excited to get the Dark Millennium boxed set which added further equipment and depth to the game. Now here I am many years later in the 5th iteration of the rule set.

Sector 420 is based out of Western Massachusetts, which, fortunately for us, has a relatively active gaming community including 3 or 4 gaming stores within driving distance of our headquarters. We are all still getting our sea legs in the 5th edition ruleset, so we tend to do most of our gaming at Sector 420 Headquarters. Soon, however, I believe we will be better equipped to take on some more unfamiliar foes.

Most of Sector 420 gaming is made up of veteran 40k players from days past who have once again decided to don their power armour and entire back into the fray. There is also a breathe of fresh air as some veteran gamers are learning 40k for the first time. Allow me a moment to introduce the Sector 420 gaming group.

The Overlord - Eldar, Necrons, Dark Eldar, CSM
Warboss Mo Dakka - Orks
Dryadgangrape - Imperial Guard
Hive Mind Wang - Tyranids
Brother Captain Marshall - Ultramarines
The Blood Priest - Blood Angels


We are an open gaming group, ready to play all oncomers, as well as, ready to educate and assist those who are just learning the game. So, if you'd like to come down and join us, simply let us know. We are always willing to learn and pass on valuable information to others involved in the hobby. This includes tactics, painting tips, battle reports, reviews, etc...

The Sector 420 blog will serve as our soapbox for all things miniature gaming. As our gaming group continues to grow and flourish it is important for us to establish an online presence and a place to share our collective thoughts and ideas. So, here we are.

There is something I need you to do for me....

subscribe to this blog.... "like" our facebook page... and of course play 40k!

Please comment below or feel free to email me with ideas for future articles or just merely comments on what has been said. The best part of being in such a large and connected community is the fact that we can spread and disseminate information quickly and accurately, so let ensure we are putting the best information out there.

Until Next Time.... Game on!


-The Overlord