NH2015 - Days, Format, etc. - Opinions Wanted

[Primarch]

Ok gang, with the venue booked, it's time to start sorting stuff out so we all have a clear idea of what's going on.
First and foremost, I want everyone to have fun at the event and that means I want to know what works best for you.

I would like as many people as possible to be able to play the games that they want, based on their availability. If you think you will be limited to only one day of the two (May 9th and 10th), then please vote accordingly. If you have no strong preference as you can attend both, choose the either day option. One day WILL be organised 40K and one day WILL be free play and demo games.

The other question I'd like an answer to is do folks want a tournament to test themselves against the rest of the community or is a more casual campaign style like we had last year more your cup of tea?

Of course, opinions, ideas and discussion can be posted below.

[kojibear]

Hey guys

Well I put my vote for the 40k campaign event after having a great time this year. I am quite keen on the narrative, and I do enjoy having story based objectives rather than just capture random locations on the table and/or purging each other. Not to say there is not some satisfaction in killing the enemy, though.

Some might say that only a tournament can give them that feeling of high tension, adrenaline and pride in victory, and perhaps that may be true. However, if you have never tried a narrative event, then how can you truly know which you enjoy more? I definitely felt excitement during my games this year and while it wasn't so much personal pride, it was a team, faction or race pride that drove me on to do my best. Oh, and the narrative motivated me to do things that I would not normally do, like move units forward that would normally just sit back, or allow my opponent's deep strike mishap to not send them to some far corner of the board, but right into the middle of all the action. Why? Simple - it is fun, and not just for me, but for my opponent.

And you know, I want to bring units and models that I like, and I can do that with a narrative campaign as it is not all about crushing my opponent and countering all of their cared for and well-matured cheese . Sure, we like to win regardless of the type of game - that is our natural human competitiveness - but the road to victory is much more fun and satisfying when you are playing with the units or figures you love rather than the ones you bring just because they are a must or auto include that tournament play does encourage. Again not to say that there is not fun and satisfaction in both, just that I reckon a narrative game is a more positive experience overall in my humble opinion.

A good man once told me that when he plays 40k, he wants to play 40k. What does that mean? Well I have my Raptors marine chapter, for example, and they are infiltrators, lightning attack specialists and legendary marksmen. They make extensive use of scouts, landspeeders and even take control of any local guard regiments. That is their 40k story, their character, their fluff, and that's how I would like to play them. I am much more able to do that in narrative event. In a tournament, however, where people are expecting me to bring the most powerful units in my codex or even ally with other powerful races to fill out my codex's weaknesses, then I would be letting them down by possibly giving them no challenge or an easy win.

Anyway, whatever we end up doing I will enjoy spending time with my fellow gamers and friends as always.

The Bear has spoken!

[me_in_japan]

I opted for 40k campaign saturday, free/demo sunday. My voice is a small one in this particular gaming event, as I'm not sure at this point whether I can even go, but if I can go, Sunday is more likely than Saturday, and although I would certainly participate in a 40k campaign or tourney should it come to be held on the Sunday, I plan on putting a fair amount of effort into preparing to demo Infinity at next year's Nagoyahammer, and it would be sorely vexing if I went to the trouble of painting two factions, built and painted terrain, and then not actually be able to run the demo. I appreciate many other people bring many other reasons to their choices - I'm just explaining why I chose what I did. Having done so, I leave it in the lap of the gods* to see what happens.

*Prim

[Primarch]

Well, so far we have a clear leader in having a campaign style event rather than a tournament. The day of the event is a bit closer, with Sunday 40K having a bit of a lead. Only two people have given reasons for their choice so far, which is a bit disappointing really. I had been hoping for a bit more interest, but at least people are voting, so I can still get some info.
If things keep going the way they are now, I have some ideas for the main event... All will be revealed in due course.

[Lovejoy]

Gomen..I voted for campaign too, on either day. I didn't have much to say that hasn't been covered really, but the narrative or campaign idea seems much more what our laid-back and mature community enjoy. Personally I want to take part in a great story - to run characters and a force that I can personally invest in a little, and perhaps upgrade from game to game, so as many roleplaying, random or unusual events in the 40k games as you like would be my ideal. I can probably come to both days, and run something as a demo on the freeplay day, most likely Dredd or Saga depending on interest.

[kojibear]

Gomen..I voted for campaign too, on either day. I didn't have much to say that hasn't been covered really, but the narrative or campaign idea seems much more what our laid-back and mature community enjoy. Personally I want to take part in a great story - to run characters and a force that I can personally invest in a little,.

I quite like the idea of characters having a more definitive and narrative role to play. I wonder if we can encapsulate this idea in the event?

I have always thought it cool to try out small teams, inside a bunker or space hulk, all trying to capture something or escape before it blows Again, not sure if we can include such an idea into the event, but food for thought as they say.

Glad we have another Nag Hammer to look forward to and get our paint brushes into gear. Having something to look forward to is always a great thing in life, eh!

[Mike the Pike]

I was the one who voted for a tournament.
I just thought a tournament might attract a few more people. However It doesn't have to be (and I hope it wouldn't be) a full-on, cut throat, WAAC tourney.
If not a 'fun' tournament then I deffo don't mind some kind of campaign event. But perhaps like the first Naghammer (iirc) the player who gets the most point for his team/faction could be the 'winner' or sumpin'.
Finally, the main event really needs to be on the Saturday, mainly because, from first hand experience, that gaming whilst one is a bit worse for wear is rather hard work.

[job]

I actually wouldn't mind a tournie. At least you know what to expect. They also do attract people from further like the way Danguinius is attracting people from all over Japan to Hiroshima.

But, that said, I'm all for a campaign event. It is slightly more mellow and I think interesting. I like the idea of adding a narrative and some way to level up a general. Also I feel 40k has become a game horribly unsuited for tournaments with the obvious unbalance and plethora of rules and ambiguities. After all I guess it is now best described as a beer and pretzels game.

My only suggestion or idea other than having pretzels is that any campaign rules be simple. The rule book offers I think enough rules to easily craft something like unique terrain rules or character leveling without inteoducing too much. For leveling up generals, why not let players choose their warlord trait after they accomplish a certain number of simple feats? Kill a character or defeat a squad get a personal warlord trait. Hold an objective at the end I the turn with a warlord, gain a strategic trait, etc.

Anyway, I look forward to NagHam in whatever form.

[kojibear]

If not a 'fun' tournament then I deffo don't mind some kind of campaign event. But perhaps like the first Naghammer (iirc) the player who gets the most point for his team/faction could be the 'winner' or sumpin'.
Finally, the main event really needs to be on the Saturday, mainly because, from first hand experience, that gaming whilst one is a bit worse for wear is rather hard work.

All nice points mate.

The idea of a 'fun' tournament is hard to ensure though, as 'fun' is pretty subjective for each individual.
I'm all for attracting people to NagHammer. It would be awesome to see new faces. The challenge I see is there are two radically different approaches to how to play the game. We'd have to work hard at creating an event that would satisfy both of these gaming styles. In order to do so, we'd need to hear from those players in different meta as to what they would like. Maybe we can post a message up on other forums that we are looking for opinions. I don't know which forums are popular but I know of DakkaDakka and Warseer. I guess other players in Japan search those forums.

[Dekana]

I like the idea of adding a narrative and some way to level up a general. Also I feel 40k has become a game horribly unsuited for tournaments with the obvious unbalance and plethora of rules and ambiguities. After all I guess it is now best described as a beer and pretzels game.

My thoughts exactly. For me at least, the lore of 40k is more interesting than the actual gameplay. It would be great if we could set up a narrative, with the team with the most wins also claiming the storyline victory.

I would also be interested in seeing what the folks at DakkaDakka and Warseer think. Maybe we could even round up some more interested players.