Neophytes

Go from this...

(This is a repost of an article I originally wrote for the Deepstrike Radio blog.  I expect to bring things I post there over here in most cases after a delay, but definitely check it out for the podcasts and other folks' posts too!)

We all got our start in 40K at some point.  As with so many other things, first impressions are powerful, and early experiences can really influence if you stick with something like a game or hobby.  I had some good early experiences, and I’m still here.  I imagine that most of you reading had good early experiences as well.


I first discovered 40K as a young teen in the local game store I spent most of my Saturdays at in those days.  Rogue Trader was brand new, and I loved the book.  Lots of great stuff, influences pulled from everywhere, and very British.  It was far from the only game we played then, and wasn’t even the only sci-fi skirmish game.  But the background and the miniatures made an impression.  As a poor kid at the time I wasn’t able to really get many minis of my own, but I played plenty of games using other people’s figures.  Not only 40K and games like it, but also big historical games that folks from out of town brought in (notably the Triangle Simulation Society and game designer Larry Brom) that helped cement the miniatures gaming bug in my soul.  Rather than being snobbish or looking down on someone who wasn’t bringing their own figs to the table, they were happy to have another player and gladly gave me aliens or a battalion of grenadiers to push around.

Later on I went off to college, and left those miniatures and 40K behind, or so I thought.  The local gaming club was mostly centered around role playing and board games, but one day someone brought in Space Marine (Epic, Titan Legions, whatever you want to call it – little teeny 40K) and I was hooked again.  He had several extensive armies, and a group of us happily played tons of games using his collection.  We started up forces of our own and gradually got them into the mix, but without his willingness to front the whole thing at first and encourage the rest of us it wouldn’t have happened.  I stuck with Epic after college and that interest eventually led me back to “full scale” 40K.

That’s all basically a long way of saying that I wouldn’t still be into this game and this universe without some very helpful, welcoming people along the way.  I try to pay it forward nowadays, now that I’m the more experienced guy, with lots of figures on hand.  I talk to people that show an interest, try to help new players, run little demos and walkthroughs and so forth.

...to this.

I hope that you will too.  Today’s kid looking interested at your figures or the new guy with his unpainted starter-set army could be your next regular opponent and a lynchpin of your local community.  Give ‘em a break, give ‘em a hand, give them some time.  Someone did for you once.

(As fate would have it, a great article in a similar vein just went up at White Metal Games - check it out!)