Why do you play?

[Primarch]

As the title says, what got you into wargaming/roleplaying etc? What is it that keeps you hooked?

Whilst I enjoy playing the games I play a lot (and I play a lot of games), thats probably not the reason why I am in this hobby. The logical part of my brain loves the rules, the math-hammering and analysis side of the hobby, whilst the illogical side loves to buy lots of little tiny things and stick them together. Everything I do, I have to try and get the full set, or one of everything. Be it Comics, Magic the Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons or Warhammer.

In short, I figure I have some kind of compulsive obsessive disorder. Gotta catch 'em all!

[me_in_japan]

i think i suffer from the same disorder (which is why i forced myself to quit Magic before I bankrupted myself.) I feel I need to collect one of everything. The only way I can limit it is to tell myself "ah, but that isnt really part of this set." e.g. im not collecting Cryx. Im collecting Cryx witches. This cuts out the compulsion to buy the entire fricking Cryx line of minis.

I enjoy the cerebral side of things too. Army composition is a big part of it for me. I feel that what actually happens on the battlefield is the aftermath, rather than the main event. The main part of the game is the selection of forces. Like, if you win, it's cos you picked your army well, not cos you maneuvered it well. Almost like the actual gameplay stuff (e.g. use reapers to kill marines, use fire dragons to kill tanks, outflank and pincer and that kinda stuff) is basic stuff. Learn that first, and then you can really start to play the game. And that game is: army selection.

O course, I totally understand that this is a somewhat skewed way of looking at the game, but its what I enjoy about it.

[Colonel Voss]

I'm a huge background fan. I love to take the background, add my own parts to it and see it unfold on the battlefield as well as watch the armies grow. This is probably why my armies have named characters that I stick through thick and thin even if at a disadvantage. The Warhammer worlds (fantasy & 40k) are very deep and great to work with which gives me a great many ideas for armies and campaigns so I invest a great deal of time and energy into them. It is also a strong reason why I won't get into warmachine as the background just doesn't sit well with me.

I'm also a strategic nut. I love to have games unfold before me and face different missions (the current two are ok, but not as much fun as the old 2nd edition games). In a way, my preference is the opposites of Dave's in that I like the battlefield adapting and overcoming issues as they arise more than the heavy thought on the list. Naturally I put thought into my lists and I can do the list building as well as others, but the chaos of the battlefield is music to me and to take what ever I have and bring about a solid victory through the crucible of fire is great.

[Spevna]

I play because it is something fun to do while hanging out with my mates, having a few beers, and just shooting the sUGAR in general.

I don't game because I like gaming ( of course I like it) but because it's a fun thing to do with my mates.

That's part of the reason I am not into the idea of tourneys. I want to have a fun time with like minded people. I don't think that my mind set and that of tourney players are in sync with one another. Not saying one is better than the other, just more a matter of chalk and cheese.

[Primarch]

I play because it is something fun to do while hanging out with my mates, having a few beers, and just shooting the sUGAR in general.

I don't game because I like gaming ( of course I like it) but because it's a fun thing to do with my mates.

That's part of the reason I am not into the idea of tourneys. I want to have a fun time with like minded people. I don't think that my mind set and that of tourney players are in sync with one another. Not saying one is better than the other, just more a matter of chalk and cheese.

So which is the cheesey one I wonder?

[The Other Dave]

Well, it's obviously not because I enjoy winning...

I probably game for a mix of Spevna and Primarch's reasons. Gaming is a way to meet and get to know folks like myself (i.e., nerds), plus it scratches my creative and collecting-impulse itches. I agree with Spevna about gaming for competition's sake - it adds a level of stress I'm not fond of, made worse by the fact that some folks get unpleasant when they get competitive.

[Spevna]

I shower twice a day so I know I'm not the cheesy one. Unless I've been eating cheese in which case, yeah, I can be a bit on the cheesy side.

@ TOT - I hear you mate, some folks get plain douchey when they game. Thats why I was upset to miss out on the last Nagoya event. The doubles games with the different FOC's looked like loads of fun. But rest assured, I will be there next year if there is a similar one.

[Primarch]

I shower twice a day so I know I'm not the cheesy one. Unless I've been eating cheese in which case, yeah, I can be a bit on the cheesy side.

@ TOT - I hear you mate, some folks get plain douchey when they game. Thats why I was upset to miss out on the last Nagoya event. The doubles games with the different FOC's looked like loads of fun. But rest assured, I will be there next year if there is a similar one.

There will be. And it will be MORE awesome!

[Spevna]

Of course it will be more awesome, I will be there

[Grim Fandango]

I enjoy tabletop role-playing because I like stories. As a DM, its a genuine pleasure to make a world for my players to live in, populate it with interesting people, and let them build a story through their choices and actions. As a player, I enjoy making a new character with their own personality and motives, and acting them out in a new enviroment. I suppose that makes me less of a "numbers" player, and more interested in the fluff. I've always been happy playing a less powerful character rules-wise if I find their concept interesting, and I'm not against sinking a few skill points into an otherwise useless Craft or Profession skill to represent a character's background training.

Escapism is also a big part of it. Playing characters in an imaginary world lets me do things I can't in real life, in a world that's a lot more exciting than the daily grind. It's a break from reality, where I can put on the skin of somebody else and enjoy thinking and acting differently from my usual me.