Ahoy hoy!
The other day Straw and I decided to mix up our usual game of Guild Ball. No, we didn’t play it naked (vomit), we decided to use national teams instead. You can watch it HERE if you fancy. While Guild Ball does have a very tight organised play document for standard tournaments it also has something called “mob football”, a set of scenario based game types that include the national teams as well as “Guild Ball, Dodge Ball” and rules for using multiple balls. You can find both of those documents HERE. This got me thinking how I had with Jason and he said he really wasn’t interested in playing those alternate game types as he doesn’t have a huge amount of time for gaming and so wants his games of GB to be tourney legal. So where am I, standard or scenario?
I’m a big fan of standard, tournament-style games. You usually have a regular force size, unit composition and win condition. Once you’ve invested in your army of minis, you have most, if not all, of what you could want for any upcoming challenges. No need for that unit that you might use “one day”. Also, game companies that support tournament play should have a reasonable balance across their forces. Not for us the worries of codex creep or pay-to-win. Generally speaking, if you rock up to the club with a “standard” army list of your game-of-choice, you can face off against an opponent and you know where you stand. Usually crying and cursing the dice gods for abandoning you when you needed them the most.
On the other hand, I’m a big fan of scenario based games. Sure, I might be vastly outnumbered by a superior force but I’ll make sure that my tiny, plastic men go down fighting and the survivors have a story to tell their tiny, plastic grandchildren. You want to use those minis that you bought years ago and were left out of the current edition rules? Of course! We’ll even come up with some bonkers house rules for them. You’re just getting into the game and only have one illegal unit cos they looked cool? Cracking, bring it on! We can work out something. Knowing that the story is key means you’re more likely to get those watercooler moments too. Both players will be chomping at the bit to get their mighty generals into combat with each other. It’s not about the destination, it’s about the swathe of destruction you leave behind getting there.
OK, you’ve got me. I’m a big fan of both. I want a fair, balanced competition where the best person wins. I also want an epic tale of glory where the scenario tells a story other than “they meet, they fight”. Do you have a preference? Is there a game that you think brings both? Is there a story based scenario that you’d love to play, no matter how unbalanced? Let us know in the comments below.
Until next time gentle readers.
P.S: “Why the picture of Spoony passed out drunk?” I hear you ask. No reason. It just amuses me.
TheBattlehammer 