Just curious about everyone's gaming experience that led to W:I. Here is mine:
Euros: Currently Agricola, Pandemic, Ticket to Ride, Settlers, Chaos in the Old World.
Games Workshop Specialist Games: Man O' War, Warmaster, Necromunda, Epic 40k, Battlefleet Gothic, Space Hulk.
Cards: Magic, Legend of the Burning Sands, Doomtown, W:I (obviously)
Actually, just thinking about GW specialist games is more fun than some of the Euros.
I have a lot of different games. That said, the games that led me to WH:I most directly are Warhammer: Online and Magic.
Currently on my "playlist" of tabletop games: WH:I, Agricola, Dominion, Magic, Space Alert, Puerto Rico, Through the Ages, Race for the Galaxy, Battlestar Galactica & Descent: Journeys in the Dark. I'd highly recommend all of those except for a few caveats:
Race for the Galaxy has good game mechanics but bad graphic design, so it will take a couple of games to get the hang of it. Definitely worth picking it up though, although I'd probably skip the expansions.
Descent has a really long playtime and an exceptionally fiddly ruleset. It also does not play the way you initially expect it to - instead of a dungeon crawl, it's more like a dungeon sprint.
Through the Ages is fantastic but can take 5+ hours for a game.
Impressive - you both have excellent taste in games. Bravo.
I've played way too many of both CCGs and Board Games. Are we supposed to list our favorites or games that we feel were spiritual precursors to playing and enjoying W:I? Just trying to clarify what you're looking for here, Scarow.
Only about collectible card games: Magic TG, Pokémon TCG, Middle Earth CCG, Legend of the Five Rings, Yu-Gi-OIh!, VS, Harry Potter TCG, A Game of Thrones CCG, World of Warcraft TCG, a little of Cthulhu CCG and Warhammer: Invasion. Can also count FMA TCG on Nintendo Portables.
Looks like I didn't even answer my own question correctly. Classic.
What I meant to ask is the gaming experience that led you to W:I (not favorate games, which is what I answered). To answer correctly, mine would be an affinity to Games Workshop Specialist Game + Magic, although I would lump Legend of the Burning Sands in there to.
Pure AT through and through. Theme is my #1 priority with any game. Theme doesn't appeal to me (looking at you Eurogames), you can have the greatest mechanics ever, not giving the game even a first look. Another important issue is PvP. If a game is not co-operative, there should be the possibility of directly attacking other players (again, looking at you Euros). Card-based combat is nice and all, but I do like rolling "buckets of dice" over a course of a game more.
Dam, I totally agree with your game choices (I much prefer AT over boring Euro repetitiveness).
Okay, to answer the originally question of what games in my background led me to want to buy and play W:I, that would be the following (as I interpret things):
1. Spellfire CCG - Loved it for Multiplayer, as it was the best in that regard out of any other CCG I'd tried. Loads of fun but imbalanced (in design) in places and not really great as a 1v1 game.
2. A love for Games Workshop games, in general, despite an annoyance at their business practices and pricing. 
3. The original Middle Earth CCG - by Iron Crown Enterprises
4. A temporary affinity for Magic: The Gathering - short-lived infatuation but I enjoyed many aspects of this CCG
I'm definitely on the side of AT, although Arkham Horror was a miss for me. Euros miss far more often (Power Grid and Tigris and Euphrates were total misses for me, and those Euros are beloved).
As for GW business practises, I completely agree. I mean, on boardgamegeek.com, they had Space Hulk a gate-way game to their 40k cash cow happily sitting at #6 on the top ten list. A huge potential for a new market. What did they do, they completely squandered it. I think/hope that the partership with FFG will do them loads of good.
The path of how I got to W:I is a dual one. The shorter path is directly from Magic. I started playing in 1994 in Grade 9 and played it quite extensively through high school.
The longer path involves a series of games:
Mine is a mix of card games and mmos. Started with Magic way back in the day. Gave up on TCG/CCG games for awhile. Tried Spoils, and failed. Started playing WoW the MMO. So I decided to give their TCG. Another fail. Started playing the Warhammer MMO. And decided to give W:I a shot. Epic win.
My gaming experience has lasted 60 years and is still undiminished. My CCG experience started like most gamers with Magic. Great innovation, but has been bettered since. In my opinion, Wizards 'Netrunner'' topped it, but seemed to get underestimated. My favourites until WI were 'Game of Thrones' and 'Cuthulhu'. Both started out as excellent and reasonably simple games. I still play both, but only to the original rules. The changeing of the card graphics in 'Thrones' vitually killed it for me, and all that board rubbish was the end. I can't say how 'Cuthulhu' in the box has changed as I now only play with my original 50+ pre-built decks. Plenty of variety. As for WI, I can see it going the same way. Brilliant when it started, but trying to follow all the arguments and changes in the Forums is spoiling it. The 2 new Elf factions in 'Assault'' were a boost and I only have the first 4 Packs - UK a bit behind - but already I am disliking how things are going. Too many 1 card winners. Changeing the 1 rule that no-one complained about or had trouble with, really damaged this game. I mean having to now 'KILL' all defenders before hitting zone instead of the vastly better equal 'HIT POINTS' of the original rules. Too many virtually indestructable units out there now. I shall still continue to play 'my way' as the core idea is still good, but definitely not going to spend much more on it in the future. Cheers!
Rashley, excellent post. I think that there are still quite a few of us that would prefer the original way of handling combat damage.
On a sidenote, though, I have had some experience and familiarity with the designers and the current game lead developer and I can assure you that while they do take the community's concerns to note, they also realize that a vocal group from the forums may or may not reflect the realities and desires of the greater game's community as a whole.
Wytefang said:
Rashley, excellent post. I think that there are still quite a few of us that would prefer the original way of handling combat damage.
On a sidenote, though, I have had some experience and familiarity with the designers and the current game lead developer and I can assure you that while they do take the community's concerns to note, they also realize that a vocal group from the forums may or may not reflect the realities and desires of the greater game's community as a whole.
Well that is most excellent.
Wytefang said:
Rashley, excellent post. I think that there are still quite a few of us that would prefer the original way of handling combat damage.
On a sidenote, though, I have had some experience and familiarity with the designers and the current game lead developer and I can assure you that while they do take the community's concerns to note, they also realize that a vocal group from the forums may or may not reflect the realities and desires of the greater game's community as a whole.
If you're not a member of this forum you're probably still playing with the original rules and have no idea the convoluted mess the current rule set is in regarding combat damage: "You mean I have to assign all my combat damage to your unit who can't be destroyed!"
On the flip side, if you're THAT unaware that people actually use (gasp!) the Internet for game support of many kinds (both videogaming and tabletop gaming), then you're probably not likely to be aware of tournaments or other competitive venues where knowing the most current rules would really matter, anyway.
It's hard to imagine someone who enjoys this game NOT wanting to link up online to discuss this great game and make sure you have the latest rulings.
Interesting. I had no idea about the rule change about assigning damage to the defenders only before assigning to the zone. I have not purchased the game yet, I've just been excited about it due to The D6 Generation podcast and the Warhammer: Invasion video on the FFG site. I might have to reconsider purchasing this game.
At first I was considering the Call of Cthulhu LCG, then I changed my mind to Warhammer: Invasion... I might have to go back to my original plan.
If you've not actually played the game yet, and would be that upset over a rule change that you really haven't even had time to properly absorb, let alone the original rule, then you may find that you might have issues playing any card-game of this nature. Things can change rapidly. I wasn't terribly enthused myself at first about it and for a day or so considered just house-ruling it to the old way but after listening to several well thought-out arguments in favor of it, I came around and have zero issues with it.
Good luck either way if you do decide to stick it out. If not - it's my opinion that you'll certainly be missing out but each to his own.
Me, I dig the "corrected" damage rules in the biggest of ways! *gasp* "Toughness actually means something now?! WOOHOO!'
But, I know that every topic has many thoughts and opinions, so right cool on that. No worries.
Sheesh, gaming experience. Eh, I made up this simple but addictive boxing game using a standard poker deck when I was a kid, and haven't stopped "alternative gaming" since. My first hobby game was D&D, but my biggest influence was Car Wars, hands down. Honorable mentions go to Shadowrun and GURPS - TMNT in particular. Clearly, RPG's shaped my hobby gaming affections tremendously. Board games did as well: Careers, Excalibur, Maul of America, Reiner Knizia's Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars Epic Duels lead that list. Miniatures of note include HeroClix, HorrorClix, Star Wars minis, and Blood Bowl (yeahhh!
). But card games will always be my #1. My first, of course, was Magic. Not my favorite, however. Those would be Deadlands: Doomtown (best multiplayer card game ever), Jyhad, Decipher Star Wars (best head-to-head card game ever), Sabertooth Games' Warhammer 40K, MLB Showdown, BattleTech, Illuminati, NetRunner, Harry Potter (do NOT knock it 'til you've tried it!
Great strategy and flavor with fast-paced, smooth gameplay), and Redemption. Yes, I am Christian, but I have several non-believing friends who enjoy that game. Surprisingly gamer-oriented for a Christian game; elements of several prominent TCG's, believe it or not. Have to nod at Playoff Corp's NHL Hockey One-on-One Challenge, which featured not just collectible cards, but team-specific collectible dice, as well. Great little game.
Random fun games that led me here: DiskWars (we ALL have this game to thank for FFG's very existence. True story), Lunch Money, Chez Geek, Fluxx, ButtonMen, Chrononauts, Guillotine, Dragon Dice (still play that killer game), Frag!, On the Edge, Last Man Standing, Orcs at the Gates, Settlers of Catan, and Are You a Werewolf?
Whew. Vol. 2 coming soon...........
games I've enjoyed & played more than a couple of times:
HeroQuest -> Battle Masters -> Mutant Chronicles -> Magic the Gathering -> [college, marriage, house, kid, divorce] -> AT-43 -> Dust -> Arcana -> Space Hulk 3rd -> Tannhauser -> Warhammer Invasion
SpaceHulk is soooo money....... even the original.
been wanting to play the first one again - played just one game after it came out...that & Hybrid. but Horus Heresy has next dibs.
Interesting topic ! Lets see...
- It's maybe started in 1992 with my first try in wargames at a friends place. It was Harc Európáért (War For Europe)... I was just twelve then. It effected me so much that I bought a copy of this out-of-print game more than 10 years later.
- In 1994 I started to play rolepalying games. First M.A.G.U.S. - The Chronicles of Adventurers and then came Star Wars 2nd Edition some weeks later. I don't dare to try to list all RPG-s I played... but I had my first meeting with the world in a single-seat Warhammer FRPG adventure in about 1996 or 1997. Currently I play mostly Mutants & Masterminds, Mutant Crhronicles 2nd edition and DnD 3,5 if I have time, and a team to play.
- From about 1998 I played the already OOP hungarian Mythos CCG, my first try into this area. It was based on German, Keltic, Hellenic and Egyptian mythology, and both (in a small number) on more generic fantasy flavor. I think maybe these old experiences with this flavourfull game makes me so "hungry" for flavour in every other cardgame I play. (MtG is really lacking here...)
- From 2001 I delved deeply in boardgames, mostly wargames and other non-euro games. I had a 2 year pause since that, but now I have Arkham Horror, Descent, Runebound, Marvel Heroes and a couple of non-FFG games as Napoleonic Wars 2nd edition, Panzer Leader (this is my pride, as it is printed in 1970, so it's 10 years older than myself, and in a perfect shape expect some damage on the box) I also keep a lots of wargame (SPQR, Africa 2nd ed etc.) or war related game at my self which is not mine, but my friends keep it at my flat. (because I play those more often anyway...)
- I'm not sure about the exact date, but I think I was literally "dragged" into Magic : the Gathering at 2004. Basically the local gaming community changed from RPG+variable CCG-s to 95% MTG, and I joined later. I stopped to spend money on MtG at 2009 summer, before I was knowing about W:I... I could not enjoy the new sets from about the beggining of 2009, so I now only play ocasionally (about once in two month)
- I play Warhammer : Invasion from the moment the first boxes arrived into Hungary. From the first prewievs I knew I need this game. 
Sorry being that long with my CV. 
No worries, Cain_Hu. Good to hear your experience! 
Wytefang said:
If you've not actually played the game yet, and would be that upset over a rule change that you really haven't even had time to properly absorb, let alone the original rule, then you may find that you might have issues playing any card-game of this nature. Things can change rapidly. I wasn't terribly enthused myself at first about it and for a day or so considered just house-ruling it to the old way but after listening to several well thought-out arguments in favor of it, I came around and have zero issues with it.
Good luck either way if you do decide to stick it out. If not - it's my opinion that you'll certainly be missing out but each to his own.
Sorry, maybe my posting was a bit unclear. It sounds like some of the rules for the game have been retconned into something completely different than what they were originally written. If that is true, then it's something I personally would want to include in my decision-making process. I've played Magic for a long time, and I'm accustomed to new rules being added to the game. Only recently did Magic do some rule retconning, and I thought those changes made sense. So far, it looks like a fairly even break between those who like vs dislike the new rule on damage allocation.
I wish I had enough disposable income to spend it willy-nilly on games just so I could try them, but I don't. So I do a lot of up-front analysis before I purchase a game.
I just finished listening to The D6 Generation podcast review of the game, and I think I'm sold. I just have to pry the forty dollars out of my wife's clenched fist!
It appears that I am not alone in my oppinion of the new rule change about assigning damage to 'kill' defenders before zone. The game is still good, and I wouldn't want to put off any new comers. The producers can change the game in any way they like, just as the players can play it as they like. Who can stop them? But you must see the obvious pitfall if they are still selling a game with the old rules very clearly stated. To follow all the varients in the forums takes a lot of time and dedication, and that change in particular was an important and significant one. It is a lot more difficult to unlearn a set rule you are used to than to learn additional ones. Cheers