First of all, sorry I haven't been posting (BSFade). Been busy. Really busy. And gone. Like so far gone this was all I could see.
And unfortunately, I will be gone all of July as well. BUT As school starts again in august posting will become regular again after that. And I will make great efforts to try and post every day until I leave.
I wanted to do a post today on posing, but unfortunately someone took the camera with the photos on it for the day. So that will have to wait.
So I came up with this. NOTE: THIS IS SOLELY MY OPINION BASED ON MY EXPERIENCES!!!!
SO RPGs vs Wargaming. My opinion boils down to this:
Okay so that is a little exaggerated, but I will explain why I am inclined to feel this way.First of all, to me the depth of the hobby of wargaming is far greater. The painting, modeling and gaming aspects are all there, while with RPG it is only the game really. And if you take DnD 4th edition, RPGs are in a way trying to emulate wargames them selves, so why not get the whole package.
Next, all the effort that goes into creating my wargaming force is permanent. My attachment to my models won't be pulled out from under me. Essentially, my army can always be used and doesn't get dropped in the waste bin along side my character sheet after I got killed by an instant death trap or something of that sort.
Next is the social interaction. I like the constant interaction of the wargame with my opponent. The problem I find with RPGs is that the GM/DM is constantly shifting their focus from player to player and there are periods of time where I am not doing anything.
Then as well, it is easier for a RPG to get too personal I think. While wargames can become personal too, I can always pack up and refuse to play that player ever again. The problem in a RPG campaign is that you probably have an established group that you regularly play with as a group, so if you want to keep playing, then you have to keep interacting with the person you hold a grudge against, or you just stop playing.
I also never liked being told what type of character I can and cannot make by the GM/DM. It just was never fun to want to do one thing and be told that it wouldn't fit in so I couldn't do it. But in wargaming, no one can tell me what army I can play or not. The only exception I have encountered with this is my club megabattles, where we sometimes limit points, super heavies, formations and teams to keep the game balanced fair and fun for everyone. Which yes is the dame reason I was told not to play my RPG character the way I wanted. The difference is that the Megabattle is a single event while a RPG campaign takes place over months.
Time consumption is another point. I am a slow 40k player, but the game generally can go fast if driven. And it is easier to schedule one off games with one person because of this. RPGs though are all day and/or night affairs and everyone needs to keep a large part of a day at the same time free, which is hard for several people to do, especially college students.
Investment wise though, RPG gaming can be cheaper, but then again I have seen people who own 50 some rulebooks and bins full of monsters and all sorts of accessories, so I think both can develop into wallet drains. Though I will say wargaming has a greater chance of being a drain.
Then there is this:
Really this is to be more funny than anything, but it is how I perceive it to an extent. I personally find dedicated wargamers more level headed and less eccentric. But that is my encounters. I have nothing against dedicated RPG players, I just find myself more comfortable around wargamers. I myself am a casual RPG player, but given the choice between an RPG and a game of 40k, I will play 40k every time.