Comp Sucks (but Theme is AWESOME)

[the_trooper]

As per the request of the other OP in the other thread,

As a "fluff nazi", which I have been called on several occasion, I think the idea of comp sucks.  It is a bad idea because it actually hurts "fluff" and theme of an army's composition. 

"But Rich, you must be crazy because obviously your list should be a cross section of an entire army!"  my answer can only be "But what if I am using a splinter group of a chaos cult legion?"  Renegade marines or base chaos space marines have no business with the true believers and neither do the followers of other gods.  Sure, diversity is nice (and I dislike cookie cutter internet lists) but I'll be the first person with a sour stomach when I see Lash Princes leading an army of plague marines.  The problem is that while there are a lot of themes that are widely accepted as "acceptable" it can be quite subjective.

I love theme.  I love when players go through great lengths to flesh out their armies to take part in a story.  I love when it is done in a way that fits into the universe so well that it seems like it belongs there.  Comp restrictions can hamper a person to the point of not being able to play even though it could be an exact replica of a "historical" 40k army.

Comp should die but Theme should make a hard come back.  Much like paint, theme should not go into overall scores but a side bar for awesome story tellers in tournaments.   

Best General, Best Sportsman, Best Theme, Best Painting. 

Pretending Comp is a rubric for "fluff" is just an insult to intelligence.  Comp is a rubric to prevent "internet lists" because people are afraid of something.  The problem is that it tries to fix a problem that is only truly addressable by GW and is a fix that is too subjective to be fair.  Don't punish me for playing an under powered list because it holds itself strict to only certain choices.

[keithb]

I agree with why you don't like, comp, in particular Da 'Boyz comp.

I am not sure "best theme" is needed, many large tournament has a "Players choice" award for their favorite army.   Which most of the time includes a well painted, themed army!

[the_trooper]

It's more so to replace comp but a player's choice award sounds like a great way to implement a "theme" category.

[Benjamin]

I see both sides, so I've split my preference.

Singles - pure competition
Doubles - hobby rules!

BG's Doubles event have a Best Theme, often times accompanied by a story. I think its a great example of where players can be truly creative.

[the_trooper]

I'm talking about replacing Comp as in Composition rules.

[Bill]

Player's choice has always been one of my personal favorites. To me it is extremely
Flattering and gives you feeling of respect amongst Peers.

[Chase]

(This might not make any sense or be on topic... I'm just sort of spewing my thoughts, which some of you may or may not be interested in)

I will never have an army comp restriction in any "standard" 40k tournament I run or organize.  As long as I have a say in things, I will not endorse comp in any "standard" 40k tournament Battleground runs or organizes.

I have strong opinions on tweaking rules in a competitive environment.

I believe that the community at large is capable of doing a better job balancing the game than GW is.  I do not think that they have yet.  I am not sure they ever will, considering the life of an edition and the rate at which new rulebooks come out.

Anyone that has any experience with the Megabattle knows that I am a big fan of changing rules around such that the organizers can produce an event closer to what they want.  I see nothing wrong with this.



Theme is incredibly subjective.

Theme is very difficult to "judge".

Judging theme correctly requires an incredible amount of knowledge.

Awarding the best theme is fantastic.

Fielding thematic lists is awesome and I would like to see a lot more of it in general.

I wish more people played thematic lists exclusively (from an organizer, fan, and business aspect).  I feel like it's VERY good for the game for a community to endorse thematic lists and thematic play.

I understand why people do not.  Most of our events (all of our events?) discourage doing so.



I am afraid of "Player's Choice" awards and the potential "politics" involved considering the relatively small number of people (or clubs) that attend our events.  It is something I am willing to experiment with... for various reasons.  It has a lot of upside.

I would like to keep the Singles events as competitive or "serious" as possible.

I would like to keep the Doubles events as casual and "for fun" as possible, but there are various obvious and non-obvious challenges with that.

I often think about toying with the Doubles events specifically.

If it a'int broke, don't fix it....?

 

[Rurouni Benshin]

I am afraid of "Player's Choice" awards and the potential "politics" involved considering the relatively small number of people (or clubs) that attend our events.  It is something I am willing to experiment with... for various reasons.  It has a lot of upside.

One easy and casual way of experimenting with this is awarding a small amount of store credit for the award ($5-$10?).  See how people react based on that, and judge accordingly.  If it turns out great, with a good reception and players enjoying it, great.  If not, then the worst case scenario is that you lost out on $5-$10 worth of store credit for a mediocre experience, and we never speak of this again... 

If it a'int broke, don't fix it....?

QFT. 

[Ian Mulligan]

Chase, be consistent and get rid of that character restriction nonsense in WM/H. You would make me love you.

[jhobin]

I use to be a huge proponent of comp.

Now I just don't care. As a competitive and a casual player it doesn't matter to me. If I decide to go to a competitive event usually it is because I have friends that are going. So once I know I'm going to an event I look at there rules, I then pick what award I am going to shoot for and gear my army that way.

I would never not go to an event because of the way there event was setup, that seems, well just plain silly. Back in my hay day of being all about competitive events, GW ran a GT with your main list and two side bar's list, I remember the all of the player's bitching about this format and a bunch saying they were not going to go because of it. You know what the event filled up and I played in it and had a blast.

The only reason I would not go an event because I don't know anyone there.

What it all basically sum's up to is play to the event.  

-Jeff

*The last official comp event by GW was years ago and some people may have never played in one, if you haven't I would offer this as advice, give it a try you might like it.