What I will say is one weekend had us visit Liverpool, the well-spring of my hobby journey and aside from peaking int the Cat Cafe and Worlds Apart [independent comic shop] I was allowed to visit Warhammer. I wasn't going to buy anything but the youngest did comment he's the only one never to play 40k [which isn't true but I wasn't about to argue with him], so I decided to rectify the situation.
I set up the Warhammer Conquest intro board with a number of my future containers, that in pairs perfectly fit a Munitorum Container footprint. A couple of other bits of scatter scenery [which I really must paint] and we were ready. I gave him 3 Tyranid Warriors and I took 5 Space Marines, one with a Flamer, so I was outgunned from the get-go. Conquest give ethe Space Marine player first turn and I moved forward. Oscar moved the Warriors behind the containers, but one had just enough line of sight to target a marine and killed 2 for my hubris.
I would subsequently get into combat but after overwatch I only had the Sergeant and another Marine left. I did some damage to a Warrior.
But I was utterly outclassed by this stage and he wiped the floor with my Dark Angels.
We couldn;t have played for more than 20 minutes but I was struck how hard it was to try and introduce some of the concepts - AP for instance is a minus modifier but when you describe it it's always a 3+ save becomes 4+. Try explaining to your child 3+ -1 = 4+!!! Anyway, he enjoyed it, said we'd play another game a few hours later after 'a rest' but it didn't happen, which is fine. I'm more inclined to want to try Deathwatch Overkill with him again, it seems a lot simpler and might be more of a springboard game.
Meanwhile, a little elf has mentioned how he may want to paint some things with me, these things would appear via a mystery red-suited fat man. So I have to think about things I would like, that might be suitable for a novice to also paint. I immediately though of the Warhammer Underowlrds Sepulchral Guard - Skeletons are easy to paint. Bone and rusted armour, or spectral skelly-bobs with rusted armour a doddle, but they only come as a box set without the cards now. I also thought of some Death Guard, as again Nurgle is very forgiving to the novice painter - rust, corrosion and slime hides a multiple of sins.
However, I think I might suggest the Nurgle's Rotters Blood Bowl team. OK that may seem left field, I hadn't played Blood Bowl since 2017 [I actually had a game last week but that's not necessarily a call to arms]. But this has the same sort of advantages as the Death Guard painting wise, and has at least a couple of each model type so he can paint one and I can paint one and then I'll do all the bases to tie them altogether. Seems like a plan but if you have any suggestions for alternatives, or ways to teach 40k to a novice I'd be very interested.
I've found when trying to explain things like AP, it's better to go the other way. What I mean is the you take the dice and take the AP and then look at the result. Basically keeping the result needed the same but adjusting the dice, physically in some cases. Take longer to start but I found it easier to teach my 8 year old that way.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Steve, use the modifiers to actually change the dice roll, it soon becomes clear that to get the 3+ you actually need to roll a 4. Other than that, I start games small, but not too small (otherwise they never get to see the fun bits), print off profiles for the units they are to use and get them to identify which part of the profile relates to what is going on at the time. To start with I help them calculate rolls, but gradually get them to do this themselves. A simple print out showing the turn sequence is also helpful. As a teacher, I have started quite a few gaming clubs over the years ;-) Also: wooohooo!!!
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