I'd Like to See Some Tourneys Where Only Painted Armies Are Allowed
I've been playing for a few years now. I came in near the end of 4th edition. I remember showing up at my first Rogue Trader tournament and being surprised to see unpainted armies... I'd got the impression (mostly from White Dwarf and perhaps the 4th edition rulebook) that three colors and basing were de rigueur for such events. I remember being a bit disappointed.
Here's the thing: I'm a bit of a painting snob, albeit a gentle one. I personally just like painted armies better! In the time I've been playing I've yet to see a tourney where the only folks allowed to play were those with at least three colors and basing. I've heard about said tourneys from my friends who have been playing longer so I know they've happened.
I'm going to state the obvious: we all take different things from this hobby. There are folks who only want to play the uber-competetive games, there are folks who are really into the fluff, there a people who love making terrain... etc... etc...
I feel that there are LOADS of tourneys out there that cater to folks who don't give a whit about painting and I find that to be well and good... GW's 'Ard Boyz and Privateer's Steamroller tourneys spring instantly to mind. My suggestion is a simple one: we need a tourney now and then that caters to folks like me.
Before anyone gets outraged (and I am aware how fast that happens on the interwebz) let me point out that what I am proposing wouldn't take anything away from the folks who don't care about this aspect of the hobby that I dig... there will always be PLENTY of tourneys where you can show up with a case full of grey plastic. If you just don't want to/have time/are offended by having a painted army just keep on walking past this hypothetical tourney I am suggesting. Cheerfully let those of us who are really into this aspect of our hobby have this one tourney.
Now, I am not telling ANYONE how they should enjoy our hobby. I am not some kind of fascist handing down dictums about what is right and wrong. I'm just suggesting that those of us on the pro-painting side of the equation should also be able to peaceably indulge ourselves in this aspect of the hobby from time to time also...
Cheers, Copeland
PS I stated some of my views on this in a related thread. I said Some of us on the pro-painting side don't see this as a debate: rather we just soldier on, preferring painted armies over unpainted armies. Personally, I have more respect for folks who paint their armies and I have more fun playing against painted armies... However, I mostly keep that to myself. Sometimes I'll pass on a game versus an unpainted army (especially if I can get in a game with a painted one instead) but I'd never make an issue of it with the owner of the unpainted army... I'd certainly never tell them WHY I wasn't playing them.... I'd just move on graciously...
Some of us live by the idea of "playing with painted minis as much as possible". I play with unpainted minis from time to time... I certainly prefer painted armies.... I won't make an issue of folks not seeing things my way: I just carry on...
So paint your minis... Don't paint your minis... Whatever... I'll continue to think better of those that take the time to paint but there is no harm in that... Most of the folks in my circle take the time to paint their stuff. I shan't enforce my beliefs on anyone else but I'm human enough to know what pleases me more... And painted minis please me more. Obviously, we all bring different desires to this hobby. Please don't imply that liking painted minis more and admiring folks who paint their minis more is out of bounds.
Good gaming to all... Cheers...
if unpainted is okay, why stop there?
If you aren't even going to paint the models, then why even take them out of the box?
Yeah, just buy the box, and push that around the table. It has pretty pictures on the outside... a defiler comes in a defiler box, a land raider in a land raider box, etc. You can just push blister packs and boxes around the table.
I'm on the pro-painting side. It's part of the overall hobby. If you don't paint them, then why even buy or build them?