A special episode of forumitis, largely brought into existence by this: http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2011/07/editorial-bandwagon-armies.htmlWhen everybody got Iphone4's, did you rage about bandwagoning, holding aloft your original Iphone from 2007 to the heavens, or did you whine, loudly accusing everybody of being idiots, while proudly picking your old Nokia with black-and-white monitor from your pocket, ranting like a crazy person to 'the new kids' that as long as you know how to use it properly, you don't need all this new, cutting-edge tech, internet access, or even color displays?
The answer is 'you did neither.'
No, not even mac users will rage about bandwagons. Like comp and hating winners, this is something almost exclusive to warhams.
Contrary to what forums will tell you, it's absolutely fine to buy the newest, shiniest, most up to date version of whatever.
Warhammer, computers, cellphones, gaming consoles, magic cards, medicine... Assuming you have the cash, and the new is actually - you know - new, as opposed to repackage old, why wouldn't you buy the latest version?
Guys, you aren't special snowflakes for playing a bad, old, terrible army from a long-abandoned design. Sorry, but you just aren't.
So grey knights were really, really cool, but they played like ass. There's a lot of appeal in number one, but an equally huge downside in number two.
Now that they play as well as they look, is it any surprise new people pick them up? Not only is it the newest army, it's a Wardex. That means it WILL take advantage of everything 5th edition has to offer, and use minimal gimmicks. People could buy tyranids, but why would they? The army sucks, has almost no model support, and the codex reads like a study paper.
Old armies are old. New armies are new.
That used to be how you gauged popularity. Now? It's Ward, or it's not Ward.
You can hate the man with the fires of ten-thousand Dante hells, but it doesn't change the fact that Ward knows the game, and doesn't add 50% useless units to his books. He's a consistent, reliable performer in the world of warhams grimdark, and new players know this, too.They can put two and two together as well as you. It goes like this.
"Hmmm, so all these marine books are by this one guy, and they perform better than these bugs and robots, that were written by other guys. Oh, he wrote the main rules, too? And when I look at these armies, they don't all look the exact same, but still win convincingly against all these other armies. Yeah, no - thanks for suggesting these 'eldar' that always look the exact same way, but I'm gonna wait for the next book by the marine man."
This is why there was no 'bandwagon' for dark eldar, or tyranids, but one for red marines. You think it's a coincidence people dropped their space wolves? They assumed the marine man writes all marines, but he didn't, so they were tricked into this codex with 50% useless units, and set gimmicks that one must use to win.
Blood claws? Oh, lordy. Anything with 'claw' in its name is a bad investment. Meanwhile, these grey knight-dudes can run henchmen, terminators, paladins, or power armor knights for their troops, and they're all viable and useful.
There's more to this debate, however. Something we in the business call 'marked elitism.'
You're not helping anyone when you whine that you're not a special snowflake. You turn people off the game - the game that's been shrinking for a long time. Do you want to play the same, old, balding guys at the club forever? No? Then stop acting like it.
If someone picks up an army you have experience with, why don't you educate them? You know, like people do in EVERY OTHER GAME, SPORT, AND TECHIE THING EVER. Jesus, some of you, people.
Stop killing my game with your toxic elitism.
Welcome n00bs with arms wide open, and know that you were once in their shoes. Necron picture at the start very much related to this point. People are gonna flock Wardian necrons, too. Are you gonna be there to call them lame, completing the circle of gamerlife, and evolving into the ultimate, final form of neckbeard, or will you show them the ropes?
