I was just going through and updating my squads on vassal for the new version.

And it hit me...

I keep trying lists .all different ships. All the time.

And I'm not getting better at..any of them.

It might be time to just pick something and really LEARN it.

Yes. I think it's time to choose.

Yeah, focus it down. You can't figure out a list in one game, you need practice and repetition and varied opponents with varying levels of insight.

Having played a lot of lists will be nice when you play against them though, so you know exactly how they work

There is something to be said for playing lots of different lists, you get a good feel for all the other ships your opponents will be flying.

For me the opposite is true,

Winter kit: had played the list a whole bunch was very familiar with it: came in 10th i think

Store championship: Tweaked the winter list the night before (swaping out about half the list): 2nd place

Spring kit: Made up a list the night before having flown only one of the three ships before: 1st place

Spring kit (at another store): Used my store championship list planning to practice it for regionals: Really crappy result dont remember my position

Regionals: came up with the list 2 days before played it one time: 2nd place

So for some reason fresh lists for me preform way way better, in fact the list i came in second at my store championship i have abandoned because i cant seem to win with it anymore.

I think i get over fancy and overthink myself once i have played a list for a while and it all just goes to hell.

I find it more fun to keep playing with new lists, and trying new things. Sure, I'll never win any kind of a championship that way, but I also don't care. Every weekend, I put something different on the table just to see what some idea I had might be capable of. I lose about as often as I win, but it's a blast either way.

I find it more fun to keep playing with new lists, and trying new things. Sure, I'll never win any kind of a championship that way, but I also don't care. Every weekend, I put something different on the table just to see what some idea I had might be capable of. I lose about as often as I win, but it's a blast either way.

I feel exactly the same way. Should my goal actually be to win something, I know that's not the best approach. My record against grown up is not yet 0.500, but I'll get there

For the most part im quite the opposite.

I rarely fly the same list more than a few times. Couple of ships trip me up on movement but for the most part i dont seem to have that issue. Probably because im primarily a swarm player lol

F*** that!

Why are you playing the game? Seriously... why are you playing the game?

Do you ENJOY trying out different ships and interesting combinations?

Would you prefer to limit your options... your experiences?

Would you prefer NOT to experience as much of the game as possible?

Are you playing the game to WIN?

Or...

Are you playing the game to have FUN.

If you are playing AND having fun...

you are already WINNING!.

*** Yes, "winning" can be fun... in fact, I quite prefer that to "losing". That said, the question still remains...

WHY are you playing? And, are you ALREADY getting that? ***

I have a few "core" lists that I'll roll out relatively frequently. Beyond that it's quite fun to experiment with slightly oddball stuff to see if anything sticks.

I try to keep a fairly clear cut boundary between when I'm playing for fun & when I'm playing to win (although the two are far from mutually exclusive).

Occasionally one of the fun lists may graduate to the "tried & tested" camp, but that's a relatively rare thing.

I guess you could say I'm trying to get the best of both worlds... It's working out reasonably well so far.

I alternate between the list planning on playing tournaments with and whatever list I'm thinking could be fun that day.

Occasionally I'll have a few goes with a 'meta' list so I get a feel for how they play.

Also a note that you might click better with certain ships.

I'm pretty bad with Soontir I found. I play everything. Except the falcon. F that ****.

I find it more fun to keep playing with new lists, and trying new things. Sure, I'll never win any kind of a championship that way, but I also don't care. Every weekend, I put something different on the table just to see what some idea I had might be capable of. I lose about as often as I win, but it's a blast either way.

^^this^^

Though sadly not every weekend

I'm similar. but I try to limit my lists to a handful every month, and I refine them along the way so it doesn't get or feel stale since I'm making minor changes consistently.

I have three lists at a time that I play and tweak every game ( usually three or four games) until I think its garbage and move on to the next list, or think its about as good as can be and mark it down as comp or casual. Helps learn lots of ships and combos.

I have never played the same list more than once.

Some lists are so fun, even if they don't win. Some lists are fun just because you can get a win with them. I prefer the former, but I've played both.

I'm lucky that one of my best friends (Mike) comes over every Wednesday and we usually play 2 games. Most times, each game, we fly different lists. I also go to my FLGS Wednesday evenings and usually fly something else. I do have a few lists I will play often when practicing for a tournament, but otherwise, I like to spice things up. I didn't buy all my ships to just fly 3 or 4. I love that I can constantly try new lists. At the end of the day though, just do what is most fun for you. Don't forget, this is a game so we should be enjoying ourselves.

This issue is all about your strategic aim. If you love playing a different squad every time out, and that's your goal, terrific! If you're looking to ramp up for competition and see how high you can place, repetition is mandatory. A common link between top players is having put in >100 reps in with their squads.

There's no wrong choice here. The only mistake is doing one, but aiming for the other. Any combination or point in between is valid, as long as it's consistent with your operational parameters.

I struggle with this myself. I love experimenting, and especially messing around with sub-optimal ships just to see what I can get out of them. But I only do this during the "offseason" (which feels shorter and shorter every time). At least this past year, I devoted myself to playing a singular squad from store champs through to regionals, and it paid off.

I find it more fun to keep playing with new lists, and trying new things. Sure, I'll never win any kind of a championship that way, but I also don't care. Every weekend, I put something different on the table just to see what some idea I had might be capable of. I lose about as often as I win, but it's a blast either way.

I feel exactly the same way. Should my goal actually be to win something, I know that's not the best approach. My record against grown up is not yet 0.500, but I'll get there

Yep, I fly lots of different lists, use the weak ships, and suck with all of them. Seriously, I have not won a game in 2 years, but I still love playing. Hey, I live in Chicago, home of the Cubs, so losing forever is kind of a thing here.

I find it more fun to keep playing with new lists, and trying new things. Sure, I'll never win any kind of a championship that way, but I also don't care. Every weekend, I put something different on the table just to see what some idea I had might be capable of. I lose about as often as I win, but it's a blast either way.

I feel exactly the same way. Should my goal actually be to win something, I know that's not the best approach. My record against grown up is not yet 0.500, but I'll get there

Yep, I fly lots of different lists, use the weak ships, and suck with all of them. Seriously, I have not won a game in 2 years, but I still love playing. Hey, I live in Chicago, home of the Cubs, so losing forever is kind of a thing here.

Law of Avg says you will win soon and a lot:-)

I feel your pain OP. I do the exact same thing and am just now going to work on two or three lists, rather than the constant rotation I usually do.

One way to split the difference is pick one ship and put it in most of your lists. You gain a lot of familiarity with the ship, and it makes the learning curve for each new squad a little flatter.

I feel different. If you play everything at least once then you soon learn it's weaknesses for when your opponent fields it. And you have a better idea of how to take it down.

Better to enjoy yourself than to win all the time..

At least this past year, I devoted myself to playing a singular squad from store champs through to regionals, and it paid off.

You mean, it helped you do okay, but not spectacular until your spidey-powers kicked in