It's true. There's no way around it. I like stupid things.
Not like this kind of stupid:
I can be one of those 'fluffy gamers'. Doesn't mean I I don't sometimes stumble into a powerful army build or combination, I don't want to like stupid things, I just tend to by nature. To clarify, I don't think they are stupid, but the more competitive of gamers out there might pose questions about the teams, forces, and armies I gravitate toward with "Why not take X?" or "Beta would be a lot more effective than your Gamma." etc. But these suggestions invariably break the theme, the fluff, or the sheer goofiness of what I have in mind. And I'm left wondering how they could suggest these changes: like people who want to put mushrooms on pizza: I know it's common but it is just so wrong. And let's not even approach the taste bud imbalance required to want pineapple or BBQ sauce on pizza. Or Corn. Do you know that it is common to put corn on pizza in Belarus? To be fair though, I don't think anything called pizza there should count as pizza other than the home made pizzas I made there. OK, this is going off topic, as Pizza will tend to impose.
Back to the stupid: I like it.
I like to game with things that are different, odd, characterful and other euphemisms for stupid. Why? Because it is fun!
Having a theme makes an army or team more interesting. Compare it to a book or movie: the story is better if the characters are interesting. If a character has a sense of humor, serious flaws, personal limitations or requirements of conscience, then the character feels more real and draws you into the story more.
Gaming is like that, or it can be.
I tend to like some under powered things. When I played 40k years ago, I really liked orks (still do) but I liked the idea of orks with lots of shootas: the shootas looked cool (esp the ones with drum magazines). people would say "pistol & choppa is much better, much more point-effective".. so? Shootas are cool.
I was thinking about all this today because I've had the itch for something stupid.
I want to make a Lizardman stunty Blood Bowl team. Usually accepted as the '4th stunty team', Lizardmen can field a legal stunty team if they take no Saurus players: A Kroxigor & Skinks only.
This has got to be stupid.
Halflings can take 2 Treemen, strength 6! and if Star Players are allowed they can take Deeproot who is strength 7! Plus they have cheap access to the chef. That's not a bad team.
Goblins are also a good stunty team. Sure, trolls are not as strong as treemen, but they can have two of them, could have Ripper the star troll for a third Big Guy, and can have (with star players) up to 2 chainsaws, 2 ball & chains, 2 Bombers... yikes!
Ogres are considered the weakest stunty team, even though they can have 6 Ogres (and other Ogre Stars that are usually too pricey to squeeze in) because their stunties are only strength 1.
But the Lizardman stunty team gets only 1 Big Guy. Now, the skinks all move 8, but are very pricey for stunty players: twice the cost of halflings! It just seems like a hopeless team.
But it sounds so fun. I picture a skink village, or skink trade union guild who put together a team, simply because they love to play. They are who they are... sure, they're smaller and weaker, but that isn't going to stop them, they're fast! They'll give it a go.
Here is a skink I started to convert as a test:
I was really tempted to try to get such a team ready in time for the West Coast Quake. You probably can't imagine how tempted! But, I've been sick for almost a week, have a lot of work to get to, don't want to rush the team even if I could squeeze the time in, and the Orcs deserve their day on the field, they even have Orcvis all themed for the event. So it has to be. But the skinks are on my mind, and they'll have their turn, I have no doubt.
It's just too stupid not to do.
So go forth and do stupid things! Just make sure it's the right kind of stupid, or we'll end up like this:
With the final result being this:
Not like this kind of stupid:
But what 'serious gamers' might call stupid.
I can be one of those 'fluffy gamers'. Doesn't mean I I don't sometimes stumble into a powerful army build or combination, I don't want to like stupid things, I just tend to by nature. To clarify, I don't think they are stupid, but the more competitive of gamers out there might pose questions about the teams, forces, and armies I gravitate toward with "Why not take X?" or "Beta would be a lot more effective than your Gamma." etc. But these suggestions invariably break the theme, the fluff, or the sheer goofiness of what I have in mind. And I'm left wondering how they could suggest these changes: like people who want to put mushrooms on pizza: I know it's common but it is just so wrong. And let's not even approach the taste bud imbalance required to want pineapple or BBQ sauce on pizza. Or Corn. Do you know that it is common to put corn on pizza in Belarus? To be fair though, I don't think anything called pizza there should count as pizza other than the home made pizzas I made there. OK, this is going off topic, as Pizza will tend to impose.
Back to the stupid: I like it.
I like to game with things that are different, odd, characterful and other euphemisms for stupid. Why? Because it is fun!
Having a theme makes an army or team more interesting. Compare it to a book or movie: the story is better if the characters are interesting. If a character has a sense of humor, serious flaws, personal limitations or requirements of conscience, then the character feels more real and draws you into the story more.
Gaming is like that, or it can be.
I tend to like some under powered things. When I played 40k years ago, I really liked orks (still do) but I liked the idea of orks with lots of shootas: the shootas looked cool (esp the ones with drum magazines). people would say "pistol & choppa is much better, much more point-effective".. so? Shootas are cool.
I was thinking about all this today because I've had the itch for something stupid.
I want to make a Lizardman stunty Blood Bowl team. Usually accepted as the '4th stunty team', Lizardmen can field a legal stunty team if they take no Saurus players: A Kroxigor & Skinks only.
This has got to be stupid.
Halflings can take 2 Treemen, strength 6! and if Star Players are allowed they can take Deeproot who is strength 7! Plus they have cheap access to the chef. That's not a bad team.
Goblins are also a good stunty team. Sure, trolls are not as strong as treemen, but they can have two of them, could have Ripper the star troll for a third Big Guy, and can have (with star players) up to 2 chainsaws, 2 ball & chains, 2 Bombers... yikes!
Ogres are considered the weakest stunty team, even though they can have 6 Ogres (and other Ogre Stars that are usually too pricey to squeeze in) because their stunties are only strength 1.
But the Lizardman stunty team gets only 1 Big Guy. Now, the skinks all move 8, but are very pricey for stunty players: twice the cost of halflings! It just seems like a hopeless team.
But it sounds so fun. I picture a skink village, or skink trade union guild who put together a team, simply because they love to play. They are who they are... sure, they're smaller and weaker, but that isn't going to stop them, they're fast! They'll give it a go.
Here is a skink I started to convert as a test:
I was really tempted to try to get such a team ready in time for the West Coast Quake. You probably can't imagine how tempted! But, I've been sick for almost a week, have a lot of work to get to, don't want to rush the team even if I could squeeze the time in, and the Orcs deserve their day on the field, they even have Orcvis all themed for the event. So it has to be. But the skinks are on my mind, and they'll have their turn, I have no doubt.
It's just too stupid not to do.
So go forth and do stupid things! Just make sure it's the right kind of stupid, or we'll end up like this:
With the final result being this:
12 comments:
I like themed armies/forces/teams too, they beat optimised yawnfests any day of the week. One thing you do have to look out for, is that they are not too one-dimensional. It seems fun at first, but frustration is not fun. I have not played much blood bowl but I know a little about the lizzies, and the skinks are very easy to knock down. And injure. But, like you say, it would be different.
'Stupid is as stupid does!' Now I am more than happy to support 'stupid' in the right way; I find it just helps to get the old creative juices flowing, after all it is meant to be fun. Bring on the Skinks!
I must have a severe imbalance because my favourite pizza is mushroom & pineapple :p
I like stupid, silly thought out stupid, it´s fun.
Cheers
paul
PS..welcome to cosco..I love you..welcome to cosco....
Love the themed lists.. I still have my Orks, still play them time to time, and still play them Grot heavy.. like 4 out of 6 core Grot heavy!
Also, don't have the pizza in Turkey then.. Corn, Mushrooms are the norm.. along with the Black Olives.. but sadly.. no pineapple.. ok.. am now homesick for Canadian Ham and Pineapple pizza.. thanks :)
I liked themed or fluffy lists over power gaming lists that are very common on tables. People want to win, so they do it.
As for Lizardmen, we had a guy place high in the league with Lizards, Sarus are nothing to sneeze at and with a few games and a couple of skills they can be nasty and those little skinks can be a real pain, in two turns I saw one score on me before I could react and catch him with my Orks due to some good blocking and movement.
Who cares if it's stupid? Go for it. I play to have fun. I don't need to win a game in order to do that. I played Warmachine mercs before they were a proper army. When I start a new game, I chose the army (and an army list) that fits the fluff and looks challenging to play. When you win with a force that hasn't been min-maxed to the hit, victory tastes all the more sweet!
Nice to see so many fellow fans of the stupid!
Hobby Horse: that's a good caution. I tend to start getting excited about the purity of a theme,have to be careful it isn't so hobbled it's unplayable. The biggest problem I see for s stunty skink team is that the agility skills aren't the most usful for them. I really think the skill 'Fend' should be both general and agility access. It makes sense and it would also give such teams as this a chance to be more playable.
Michaeln & Paul: I agree, it does open up a lot more possibilities.
In Chingh: Really? Mushrooms & pineapple together? First I've heard of that. Way back in high school I worked at a pizza place, and I saw all kinds of odd combinations.
- the oddest pizza was onea woman got every week. She'd order a large combo pizza and a personal size pizza with extra sauce, anchovies and no cheese. One week I finally asked her "No offense, but I have to know, this is such an odd pizza, what's up with this?" She smiled and said "Oh, it is for my cat. He can't chew the cheese" ;)
Mr. Lee: sounds fun! I once planned an Ork army with nothing but grots and their machines (Kans & Dreads & Buggies), with one 'super grot' as a warlord. I still get tempted to make that army. And yes, I noticed that Turkey is a fan of Corn on Pizza too. I'll pass on it, same as I'll pass on putting peas & green beans on the pizza... guess it wouldn't ruin a pizza, just not very compelling to me ;)
Styx: Yes, Lizards can be a very impressive team, especially when Sauri start to get skills. Without a Saurus, not so sure. But I'll give it a try someday.
Lead: Definitely!
Would be cool to see a Lizardman team
Brummie, I have 2 Lizardman teams in the 'Hall of Fame Page' (tab at the top of the blog), one is converted lizards and the other is an alligator style team. Those gators are probably my favorite team, so I guess I may end up with two Lizardman teams- since if I do make the skink team (and think I will) eventually I'll probably expand it to add some Saurus to them too, just for variety options.
You have such an eclectic mix of figures and you do great work. You also have a wonderful sense of humor which makes your blog unique. Embracing fun is the way to go.
My Friend,
Everyone of your "stupid" armies that I remember, Britonians and Cardinal Fang come to mind, have done amazingly better on the table then anyone expected. I'm sure this one will be no exception. Can't wait to see them.
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