Your Army Is Invalid. Please Build A New One And Try Again

Hey, folks. SinSynn here.

When it comes to mini-gaming, list construction is obviously an important consideration. In fact, it pretty much ranks second in 'levels of importance,' preceded only by 'picking your army.'
There are many ways to approach it, of course. There are websites that'll help you, applications that make it easy to build and analyze, and of course you can just work it out via trial and error if you'd like.

*Yes, this is my preferred method. Don't you judge me*

There comes a time in every mini-gamer's life when he realizes that he's gonna hafta make some compromises with his list. All those cool units you like, that you desperately wish you could cobble together into something both awesome and effective?
Yeah, that ain't happening.

There seems to be some unwritten rule in mini-gaming that the more cool-looking any given model is, the harder it's gonna be to work into your list. Every mini-gamer wants to run that ultra-elite buncha tough guys, but the first time you watch them get torrented to death by some nickel and dime horde troopies, you'll begin the compromises.
It's kinda sad, but it is what is.

*When I Googled 'compromise,' this image of Michelle Rodriguez popped up. So I compromised*

I'd hardly consider myself a 'Win At All Cost' type, and I'm not exactly a 'Fluffy At All Cost' type, either. I fall somewhere in the middle. I wanna win some, but not at the cost of leaving the cool models at home.  I've never run a Tau list without Shadowsun, despite the general consensus that's she's not a good HQ choice.
Frankly, I don't care. That's my girl, dawgz, and don't let me catch you eyeballin' her.

Total side note- I recently pulled the lovely Miss Sun from the depths of the bedroom closet, since the Ultimate Rival and myself have broken down like the total wimps we are, and are preparing to play 40k again.
Shaddup. Not a word outta you.
-_-

Total side note #2- Michelle Rodriguez should totally play Shadowsun in a big budget 40k movie. That would be da awesome.
...distracted now with thoughts of awesomeness....
*Ahem*
Where was I?

*The beleaguered Ultramarines are beset by the forces of Chaos (led by an extra-snide Alan Rickman), when Michelle Shadowsun arrives and rescues them. Together they save da universe, but Rickman gets away with severe Melta wounds. Cue sequel*

Ok, Sin...seriously now...

*But wait! Megan Fox as a Slaneeshi Priestess! Awright!*

The Hamster That Lives In My Head is informing me that I've gotten totally off track here...

*Milla Jovovich as a Sister of Battle!*

We, uh...now return you to our irregularly scheduled program thingy.
Friggin' Lauby makes me wear a shock collar now.
Blah. Blatant Xeno discrimination, I tell ya.
:P

So we build our lists, we make our compromises, we maybe try and win the odd game, or whatevs. We get pigeonholed into neat lil' WAAC or FAAC categories depending on which way we lean, and then...
BAM!
A new edition arrives, or a new army book, and suddenly you're screwed.

No matter what game you play, this is very likely to happen to you. I don't care how supposedly 'balanced' the game is. The companies making our games exist to sell us stuff, and they'll do what they have to in the hopes of accomplishing that.
I don't resent them for it, cuz it is what it is, and waddayagonnado?

My Flames of War Stug/Panzer IV swarm was completely invalidated with the release Blood, Guts & Glory.Yes, I gnashed my teeth and stomped my feet in childish hissy fits as I shouted 'OP bullshit,' losing pretty much every game I've played against the new American Tanks featured in that hateful, miserable piece of...
Panzer IV's don't even get an armor save against AT 13, fer cryin' out loud!
Tiger tanks are AT 13...how did AT 13 find it's way onto a Sherman?

*It doesn't matter when yer in screwed-ville, does it?*

In retrospect, I sorta saw it coming. The Americans already had one of the best units in the game (the American Rifle platoon), as well as what is pretty much the most broken (Seek, Strike, Destroy ambushing tank destroyers). Combine that with their artillery rules, and they were good to go when Version 3 of the rulebook arrived.
Sigh.
It just so happens, in some sorta amazing cosmic coincidence, that the Americans were Battlefront's least popular army prior to the new edition. Now? The top four Late War winners at NOVA ran the same American list.
The new shiny has arrived.
I didn't even finish painting my Stugs and Panzer IV's, and they're already in a drawer.
Sheesh.

While the Ultimate Rival came out on top with Flames of War, Games Workshop ROFL-stomped his close combat oriented 40k Black Templars in 6th. This was clearly confirmed in some, ummm...test games that may or may not have occurred recently- 40k is totally a shooting game now.
Lolz.
Irony...it's ironic.

And so, both of us are in the middle of a brand new set of compromises. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm gonna need moar Panthers, despite the fact that I don't like them as models, and the Ultimate Rival is plotting on...something. He won't tell me yet, cuz that's how he rolls.
This is the nature of the beast, I guess. Armies go on the shelf for a while, and hopefully at some point what goes around will come around and eventually we'll pull 'em back down...if we haven't sold 'em dirt cheap on E-Bay.
:D


Until next time, folks- Exit with catchphrase!

-SinSynn