A rare and special
treat today. Famous primarily (as much as he would like to think it is for
other reasons) for being the breaker of that international sensation and internet
heartthrob Sewell (there was a bucking bronco involved… It’s a Cardiff thing),
Amit is also one of the scene’s Good Guys and is now Chairman of the South London
Legion (comparisons with Chairman Mao unfortunately don’t really work, as much
as we wish they did).
The South London Legion,
for those uninitiated in such things, are the most handsome, and arguably best
smelling, gaming club in the UK.
I don’t get down
there enough, but would recommend anyone passing by (or even living in) London
to check them out. Over the past year they have really got all organised (which
is something I am naturally suspicious of) and have their own blog up – http://southlondonlegion.blogspot.co.uk/
The below rambling
remembrances are the story of Amit the Mighty and his time with Warhammer is taken from there – go check it out!
Let me start by saying I have been a big fan of 8th edition since I
started (re-)playing almost 4 years ago, and my initial concern was regarding
what would happen to tournaments in the 7 seconds it took me to realise out the
box AOS was unsuitable to such a forum. I raged (and by that I mean I became
more sarcastic) and slowly drifted through the stages of denial (no, I'm not going
to rebase my armies, yes I'll accept new stats for Warlocks however sad that
makes me) and decided as an excersise to write down why I was concerned. Below
you'll find my introspective ramblings. Beware reader, I start at the
beginning, the very beginning.
I played Warhammer as a child, with the usual youthful innocence that
leads you to take units of 20 Orc Boys (single sculpt plastic, all facing
diagonally forwards), 30 Goblin Spearmen (with helmets that caused scars to the
soles of my feet I still have to live with) and a metal Wyvern so heavy I could
use it was a weapon if someone were to break into my apartment. These were good
times. It was the start of 5th edition, and Slann Mage Priests could kills Orc
Lords in combat, and Vampire Lords were strength 7. It was Hero-hammer at its
finest. And I was hooked.
By the time 6th edition rolled along, I was a teenager and had managed
to amass an Orc and Goblin Army, and a Lizardmen Army. With the onset of a new
edition, I chose to buy and paint my first High Elf Army. Metal Swordmasters.
Metal Imrik. A mage making the devils horn's at the world. I loved that army. I
still have no idea where it ended up. I can only assume it’s in a box in my
parent’s attic waiting to be dusted off. Much like Ulthuan now, I suppose.
It was at this point I began to take the game more seriously - heading
down to my local Games Workshop and obliterating (other) noobs with
Swordmasters with the Banner of Might (+1 to hit). After a year of this, I
managed to grow a beard. I don't mean in the gaming sense, that had been there
for years, but the literal. I could now get served. Warhammer went out the
window, and the Age of Beer began. This edition would last through university
and the first few years of employment post university, and a year out
travelling the world. Then I took a job at a well-known investment bank.
Tedium. Boredom. A lack of motivation. I'm not sure what it was. I found
I had almost nothing to do. I could do my entire week's work in sub 6 hours if
I put my mind to it. I'm pretty sure my colleagues could too if they put their
minds to it (no one ever did!). I found I had hours to spare. And I had the
internet. I spent the first six months learning things. I learned of sharks and
badgers, of wasps and of spiders. I learned a new language. I taught myself
European history. When trying to learn about Komodo Dragons I stumbled upon a
website. Lustria Online. This was not a Komodo Dragon fan site. It was
Warhammer. And ten minutes of reading in, I was hooked again.
8th edition had been around a year. I was in my mid-twenties and had
enough disposable income to purchase a new army or two. I chose Orcs and
Goblins.
Buying the book at my local Games Workshop, I then proceeded to buy
pretty much every unit in the book. And paint them in a month. The painting
style was poor, the colour choices clashed and frankly I had no idea how to use
the army, but I cared not. I was in love with the hobby once again. Now, during
my respite from all things Warhammer, I had gotten into online gaming. This
included Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, a PVP MMO. I have always been
competitive, and my forays into the online world had taken me to a new extreme.
No longer content with simply being involved, I was a Power Gaming min-maxer.
How is this relevant you ask? Well, with my re-found hobby, I wanted to take it
one step further. I wanted competition. I found TWF.
The Warhammer Forum. It advertises itself as 'Doing exactly what is says
on the tin'. This is false. It does so much more. It provides access to the
independent tournament scene. Which is where I found my home.
Reading around the interwebz, I noticed an army that seemed to play how I wanted to . Dark Elves and 12 dice Mindrazor. I found a YouTube channel recorded by a young gent named Tom Richards. If you could get past the huffing, puffing and whining (take that Tom!) his videos were very good. They taught me several things about 8th edition tactics and list building. Note, at this point I did not own a rulebook, belong to a club or had met anyone from the UK scene (other than Sami Michaels – met at my local Games Workshop) decided to build a Dark Elf infantry army, and book myself into a tournament. I chose a Wandsworth Waagh, a one dayer around 40 mins drive away. I had fully built and painted my Dark Elf army, and was ready to play my first competitive game of Warhammer. Against Dwarfs.
I drew the game. I cannot remember how. It finished 10/10. And I was
lucky. My redirecting was poor. My target selection was abominable. My opponent
and I finished the game inside 1hr 30, and then he offered me some tips. I listened
intently and decided to put them to action. I won game 2 20-0. I then won game
3 19-1. My first tournament (16 players). And I won the damn thing. I made
friends with my opponents - all really nice guys. And I became a member of OG
Games in the process. Next step was a 2 dayer - AGOM, followed the weekend
after by South Coast GT.
AGOM went well, I came 8th/64. I realised I could do this. I could make
an impact. Roll on SCGT.
Day 1: Win game 1 20-0. Game 2, up against a (now) friend of mine in Michael
Pritchard, I lost 11-9 and suffered my first lost in 8th edition. I then lost
12-8 to Adi Mac, The Nicest Man in Warhammer. I was pumped. Still around the
top third by the end of day 1, and 3 great games. I proceeded to do something
I'm now well-known for. I got smashed.
Day 2 post hangover was interesting. I won game 4, 20-0. then game 5
17-3. Table 4 for game 6. And i won, 20-0. I did not know where I'd finished.
As Wayne Kemp read out the podium places, I heard my name mentioned. I was
third. And had two trophies. The next half hour was a blur. I had multiple
people come and congratulate me. I was invited to a podcast (what the hell was
one of those?). I had landed.
Over the next year, I proceeded to make friends and take names. While
throughout the rest of 2012 I never managed to hit the heady heights of that
day at SCGT, I laid the foundations for a new assault the following year. I got
to spend time with the Black Sun. I made friends with Bad Dice. All the while
playing Warhammer with my own unique brand of always being hammered and games
never taking very long. I got to experience the highs of the Cardiff scene, and
meet the 'Northerners' at Warlords. By the end of the year I was pumped. And I
like to feel, had made an impact on the scene.
2013. A new year. A new army. Games workshop released the Warriors of
Chaos book. And so I built an army. And due to their nature, I could play even
drunker. And faster. Games would pass in the blink of an eye. I picked up my
second podium (Tides of Chaos) and became 'part of the furniture' around the
scene. By now, I'd also moved jobs and had much less free time. A girlfriend
didn't help either, but I managed to just about balance my time. All was well,
until November 2013 when the new Dark Elf book came out.
Over the following 3 months i theroycrafted and painted. And
theroycrafted and painted. I painted 6,000 points in 3 months. And must have
written hundreds of lists. Thus for me, began the 'Golden Age of Warhammer'. I
went to every tournament I could, picking up multiple podiums and generally
ruining hobbies with the Dark Elves. I tried different lists. Cold One busses,
Shadestar, MSU, Witchstars, Flying Circus (with Beasts Magic on one now
infamous occasion). All seemed to work fine. I even (finally) joined twitter.
The gaming meta changed significantly. No more could you simply ball up lots of
1+ save units and ball them forward. Ballistic skill shooting was key, and the
movement phase (or as my opponents liked to call it, Amit’s avoidance phase) became
key once more. I think my favorite moment of this time in my tournament career
was coming 2nd at Stormlords despite being too drunk to roll dice. Dark Elves
took skills. I helped run the first 50+ player 2 dayer in London
(London's Calling) and during this period became a member of South London
Legion, and later Angel Wargamers. I was asked to ref at multiple events – and
for the most part enjoyed it. What shocked me the most was that people listened
to my rulings. I couldn’t get my pets to listen to me. But these people did. I
was first bemused, then aghast. Finally I settled on smug and remained that way
henceforth. After 12+ tournaments this calendar year, I made the Masters,
during the backdrop of the End Times hitting.
I took Wood Elves. Why, I have no idea. Every tournament up to that
point I'd placed at was with my Dark Elves. I think I needed a break. The
Masters was great, and I loved the social side more than anything. Stopping
Chris Tomlin from scoring was without doubt one of the most enjoyable moments
I’ve had with other gamers. After a solid start to 2015, I started
attending team tournaments. They. Are. Epic. Team tournaments are the best
thing on the scene. If you have never tried one, I feel for you. Over the
course of the first 5 months of 2015 I played in 10ish tournaments, and again
helped TO London's Burning, and helped Ming run HMV15. My tournament life was
perfect. Every single one I went to, I knew people I could chat to. Hell, I
play 5 a side football with some of my gamer friends, and was voted in as
Chairman for South London Legion. I took a short break, and decided to bide my
time until 9th. And then the Age of Sigmar rumors began.
To say I was not pleased was an understatement. It felt like a large
part of my life by this point (the tournament scene) would simply vanish. And
then, after 3 days, the comp pack writing began. It was as if everyone felt the
same thing. The game we play matters. But it's the people we play it with that
matter more. Over the last two weeks, I've played Age of Sigmar and seen
multiple packs come out that try and translate the game into something we can
play on the independent tournament scene. It's like the scene became a living,
breathing thing. No one wants it to die, so it's evolving. I'm less
apprehensive, and more excited now to see what happens. The game won’t be the
same. The people playing the game won’t be the same. I was not around at the
onset of 8th where apparently something similar occurred, but it seems like the
tournament scene is in such a healthy state now, it'll take something
catastrophic to kill it in its entirety.
Am I happy the game I loved has changed? No, I guess I'm not. But I am
excited to try a new game, and help to build on the current tournament scene,
so that if some fresh-faced mid-twenties young man suddenly re-discovers the
hobby there is a tournament scene to enter. I'm a little older now, a little
wiser. It's not the game that keeps me interested, that's just the backdrop.
It's the people. To quote Mr Jon Warmington ‘I'll do whatever game the tourney
scene moves to. It's the people I want to hang around with, and I'll play
whatever I need to make it happen'. Jon is an example to us all. Except on the
dancefloor at Popworld. Then he’s simply making an example of himself.
I think my initial trepidation has gone. What I would have missed most
will still be there. There has been a huge shakeup. We'll need to build our own
comps now - effectively decide how we want the game to be played. Forget
Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. Bring forth Warhammer: Age of Discovery.
Amit Hindocha
Follow the club on twitter and keep an eye
out on their blog and TWF for upcoming events and pictures of Men In Black At
Events (it’s a thing).
Seriously, after the ETC is out the way I am looking
forward to getting down there more often.
Follow them on twitter: @sthlondonlegion
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