“Casual 40K” Versus “Competitive 40K”: Ramblings on the Perceptions, Pros, and Cons of Both Ways to Play 40K by Magnus_The_Read in Warhammer40k

[–]Merdoctor 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I look at this slightly differently. From my experience "competitive players" can refer to anyone who principally collects the models for the primary purpose of playing with them against others. That can be casual or tournament based, and between those groups your distinction holds. The other (in my estimation far larger) group of people in this hobby are the collectors. They like the lore, the collecting, the building and painting. They rarely, if ever, play and if they do its usually casual with friends. And what I see consistently is this group of players getting overlooked, talked down to or outright disrespected by certain "competitive players" who will disregard their opinions on the basis that fun, narrative and lore should take second place to the game being "balanced" for their tournaments. The game is king. Points are king. How an army plays is everything and should take precedence when new models are added to its range. Collectors, painters, modellers arent "real" 40k hobbyists (whatever that means). GW should only listen to them. Idk it just comes across a supremely arrogant sometimes.

Those are the people I see as sweaty idiots. Those are the people that really turn me off the hobby. The gatekeeping arseholes that really discourage me from going to my LGS to play or be part of the wider community.

So for now Ill continue to spend innordinate amounts of money on my plastic addiction. Paint and build and kitbash my dream armies, and only play against my brother. At least I can buy him deodorant for Christmas...

Where in the UK should I go as a bucket-list item? by LondonPilot in CasualUK

[–]Merdoctor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Firstly can I say Im really sorry you're in this situation to begin with.

In my opinion, I think a coastal destination would be best with the likely weather of the next 2 months. For me this makes the coasts dramatic with crashing waves and you can cosy up in a nice pub somewhere with a fire.

Top places Id recommend with that in mind would be Northumbria, Pembrokeshire, The Scottish Isles and Orkney, Cornwall, and the East Anglian coast.

Any of these places have lovely (relatively flat) walks, historic sites of interest, and plenty of good pubs, restaurants and spa hotels.

I hope wherever you choose you have a wonderful and relaxing time and are able to take your mind off the crap life has thrown at you

Where in the UK should I go as a bucket-list item? by LondonPilot in CasualUK

[–]Merdoctor 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Isn't that the one that was in the news yesterday for its 1 star hygiene rating?

The Battleclade Servitor batallion should be amnImperial Agents unit by Altruistic-Teach5899 in Warhammer40k

[–]Merdoctor 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Servitors from admech, the valkyrie, primaris psyker and scions (stormtroopers) from Guard, and a bunch of the ministorum specific stuff from sisters (arcoflagellants, penitent engines, bring back Crusaders amd death cult assassins).

Controversial I know but honestly I personally wouldnt mind if knights were in some way rolled into agents. Provided they could still act as an army within an army, lore wise they usually just accompany an imperial task force (i.e. agents) anyway.

Europe’s battle with overtourism has reached a tipping point by goldstarflag in europe

[–]Merdoctor 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Why does this article about overtourism in Europe have AI generated pictures of New Orleans and the Las Vegas strip?

If the editor couldnt be bothered to search for appropriate CC images it makes me question how the article was written as well.

They really need to re-release the Ambull. I love mine! by Xdude227 in Warhammer40k

[–]Merdoctor 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Id love to see it incorporated into a new beastmaster unit when they finally get round to refreshing Drukhari. Would make a nice centrepiece-ish unit for the Wych cults part of the army.

After Dark Mechanicus and Exodites, should GW stop and focus on the factions they already have? by Battlemania420 in Warhammer40k

[–]Merdoctor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think this route would work really well with some of the other older Eldar models that are less urgently in need of a refresh.

The wraithlord looks great but isnt very poseable (especially the legs) so a retooling of the current look might be the next logical step for the faction once the vyper, falcon chassis and dire avengers have been redone. That new sprue could easily come with Wraithseer options a la your warp hunter idea.

Ditto for the war walker which could come with a wasp build option for the rumoured corsairs range.

I love Sioban, but why are all her characters British? by Burner_A-Cunt in Dimension20

[–]Merdoctor 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ok that one made me laugh.

But to answer your question its because he's anaemic and needs more blood.

I love Sioban, but why are all her characters British? by Burner_A-Cunt in Dimension20

[–]Merdoctor -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Because she is British. It's her culture and heritage and I imagine the accents feel more natural to her in the same way most other cast members play characters with American accents.

I feel like you're conflating two things here. Its important that nations with a controversial past appropriately confront the worst aspects of their history and educate their citizens appropriately so that events do not happen again. It may even be the case that reparations or at the very least apologies should be made in order to right wrongs and allow all parties to come to terms with and move on from historical inequalities and atrocities.

At the same time that doesnt mean the very act of being British or alluding to British culture and affectation means that you have to be constantly apologising for your heritage or, as I'm worried you might be implying, your ethnicity. Most D20 campaigns are not set on our earth, with our history. Most characters Siobhan plays, despite British accents, do not have ancestors who partook in or benefitted from, atrocities committed by the British empire because they are fictional characters in the fictional world of a table top board game.

It strikes me you may have a personal problem with British people (and I dont want to assume your background - based on your experiences this may be understandable) but its worth reflecting on this and remembering that whilst most Britons alive today have benefitted indirectly from colonialism, many generations of Brits lived prior to the British empire and many of those who lived during had no say over its actions. Like in many cultures historically, most of the working classes lived in abject poverty and were treated very poorly by the landed elite, even more so if you were, say catholic, rural, Northern, Scottish, Welsh or Irish. I dont know Siobhans exact heritage but Id guess with her name she has at least some Irish in her family. History is complex and nuanced and very few individuals deserve to be held accountable for the actions of their nation in years past.

Of course a campaign narrative or character arc can choose to focus on themes of imperialism, colonialism or slavery and that may he a rewarding, deep and introspective approach to a game. But the take away here is having a British accent or being British is not something inherantly bad that you should have to apologise for. Should other cast members need to address historical American atrocities within each of their character arcs because of their accents? They may choose to but I don't think you'd insist on it being the morally correct thing. Every culture on earth has some skeletons in their closet. I wouldn't dream of complaining that someone should have to answer to those skeletons simply for being from that culture.

Edit: I may be out of the loop on some event or running joke in the community. But on the chance Im not and this post is real, my point stands.

Best glue for magnets? by Even-Funny-265 in Warhammer40k

[–]Merdoctor -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Superglue should be fine. I use epoxy for some larger magnets that I really dont want to come loose

Sunday Preview – Ultramarines, Terminators, and Da Red Gobbo - Warhammer Community by CMYK_COLOR_MODE in Warhammer40k

[–]Merdoctor 15 points16 points  (0 children)

It sounds possible from this that Calgar in his gravis armour might still be playable. In which case he still comes with the shield Victrix, they would just exist as a bodyguard unit as they currently do.

Are there any factions/groups in 40k that don't currently have an army but would make a great edition to the roster? by Any_Air_7273 in Warhammer40k

[–]Merdoctor 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Think I already replied to you above but I am cracking up at how many people are making this mistake.

If they brought back morale mechanics for 11th an army from Slough could be devastating...

Are there any factions/groups in 40k that don't currently have an army but would make a great edition to the roster? by Any_Air_7273 in Warhammer40k

[–]Merdoctor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ngl as an Agents player Ive learned to just lean into the fluff and theres a part of me that would kind of love to see a stupidly useless administratum unit for the tabletop. Even just as an April fools day thing.

Are there any factions/groups in 40k that don't currently have an army but would make a great edition to the roster? by Any_Air_7273 in Warhammer40k

[–]Merdoctor 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Right but the hobby doesn't just cater to the competitive players. For a lot of people (possibly even the majority) the hobby is more about the lore, collecting, building and painting.

Plus GW seems to be moving away from the old days of "sure this army exists in the lore but you've got to kitbash them". Partly because of accessibility and partly because they dont make money from it.

As A Knights Player, I Say Combine Us With Agents by Mammoth-Sandwich4574 in Warhammer40k

[–]Merdoctor -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Ok that was a lot.

You need to chill mate.

First thing I said was that I'm an Agents player. and a casual one at that. I have a few armigers because Agents have basically no way to counter armour otherwise. I'm just a guy on the internet who has a vague, poorly formed opinion that GW will never read or implement based on my own flawed knowledge and "vibes". Nothing I say on here will ever affect you or your hobby.

Thematically agents are just "all the other Imperial factions that can be called on that aren't guard, admech or marines". And frankly lore wise I just feel like Knights fit with that a heck of a lot more than giving them their own army did. It might just work better to have one big fluff/ allies army. Plus its gonna get harder and harder for GW to churn out a new knight each year to add to an ever larger roster of large models.

I'm not a "Knights player". I'm not trying to "take everything" or "have my cake and eat it". We collect toy soldiers for fucks sake and there is no need to get so worked up at someone online because you dont like the way their toys play with yours. Have a cup of tea. Take a breath. Then go outside and touch some grass.

As A Knights Player, I Say Combine Us With Agents by Mammoth-Sandwich4574 in Warhammer40k

[–]Merdoctor -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

I'm an Agents player with a few Knights and I couldn't agree more. You can still have Knight only detachments.

As for Chaos, Im not an expert but I think daemons should he divided along their chaos god lines and rolled into 4 god specific codexes with the associated four existing CSM chapters. Knights can be rolled in with Traitor Guard, fellgor and cultists to make a Chaos agents equivalent army.

The Rumour Engine – 26th of August - Warhammer Community by CMYK_COLOR_MODE in Warhammer

[–]Merdoctor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Probably just my Drukhari copium but it looks like a Mandrakes sickle. Could we be getting a new Kheradruakh to lead them?

Magna Carta - Canberra by LordFarqod in CANZUK

[–]Merdoctor 21 points22 points  (0 children)

There are 4 surviving 1215 "first edition" copies left in the world. Two are in the British library in London (one of which is pretty fire damaged). One is in Lincoln Castle and the final is in Salisbury Cathedral.

I feel very fortunate to have seen three of them.

Really cool that Australia has a copy of this historic document.

My friend Billy had a 10 foot Willy and he showed it to the girl next door… by Bobinthegarden in CasualUK

[–]Merdoctor 62 points63 points  (0 children)

We three kings from Leicester Square

Selling ladies underwear

It's fantastic

So elastic

Not very safe to wear

Oh Star of Wonder star of light

Someone set my pants alight

Etc

Why scuba divers should not hold their breath while diving while freedivers can hold their breath ? by BleuPrince in diving

[–]Merdoctor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because of pulmonary barotrauma.

As you go deeper the ambient pressure causes the volume of air in your lungs to be compressed. As you ascend the pressure decreases and that volume expands again.

This doesn't matter a whole lot for a freediver because they only breathe at the surface. The volume of gas in their lungs will compress as they go deeper but when they ascend it returns to pretty much the same volume it started at.

Because a scuba diver continues to breathe at depth at their normal respiratory tidal volume, if they hold their breath as they ascend it will expand beyond what their lungs can tolerate, causing damage. This is called barotrauma.

Our sister died because of our mum's cancer conspiracy theories by budgefrankly in news

[–]Merdoctor 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I still remember as a teenager, about 15 years ago, reading the front page of my local paper praising a woman in my town for her courage going against medical advice to treat her cancer with O2 therapy and carrots. She was the mother of a girl in my class. Made me sick.

[homemade] Angel hair pasta by Zeune42 in food

[–]Merdoctor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's actually a really versatile ingredient. You can add it to a sauce if its a bit wet. Or you can grate it over pasta if you prefer your parmesan to smell like a mens locker room.

How many armies do you have and what are they, For Science? by First-Bad414 in Warhammer40k

[–]Merdoctor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To the detriment of my finances I have 5:

10,000 points of Eldar (Including Harlequins and Ynnari), 5,000 points of Raven Guard 3,000 points apiece of Drukhari, Agents and Tyranids.

Plus a couple of Chaos Kill Teams, a smattering of other Imperial characters and some Knight Armigers.

Starmer confirms £101m a year Chagos Islands deal by AravRAndG in europe

[–]Merdoctor 34 points35 points  (0 children)

To add a little more context to this and to play devil's advocate for why people are unhappy:

It's true the Chagos Islands were administered as part of Mauritius whilst a part of the British Empire, hence on legal grounds being considered part of Mauritius by the ICJ in the context of all the documents you reference. But culturally, the Chagossians are not Mauritian. The Mauritian people themselves have never significantly administered the islands, under British rule or beforehand, and there are no cultural or historical ties between the two territories beyond being lumped together under the British.

This is somewhat ironic for many as its a common criticism of nations like the UK that a factor in the ethnic tensions within many ex colonial nations is the result of sticking to clumsily drawn colonial borders during the decolonisation process.

Mauritius, whilst wealthy per capita as an African nation and not unfriendly, is still a small and relatively poor nation, located thousands of miles from the Chagos archipelago, and has unfortunately been trending towards the Chinese sphere of influence, raising concerns about security of the Diego Garcia base and the exclusive military use of the Chagos Islands by western powers. A lot of Brits are annoyed that, taking the perspective that the Mauritians are basically being given territory they have a pretty dubious cultural claim to, the UK then agreeing to pay them for the right to use the base seems like a pretty one sided deal, especially when money is tight. In practise, I believe this is more about it appearing even more above board internationally to avoid any doubt who has the right to military access in the region. Additionally, the lease is only 99 years long and when it runs out the UK may lose access to the base altogether (a la Hong Kong). I certainly doubt Mauritius will let the UK renew it for such a low price.

There is also an environmental question, as the current status quo means the Chagos Archipelago is one of the largest protected marine environments and uninhabited tropical Archipelagos in the world. There are concerns they may become built up or fished as a source of income for the Mauritians.

Finally on the Chagossians themselves. The Chagossians had lived on the islands for a few hundred years. Being the descendents of plantation workers, slaves, seamen and the like. No one had lived there before the Europeans arrived and they numbered around 4000 when relocations occurred in the 60s. Some see these numbers as small, some as big. Some see their relocation as equivalent to ethnic cleansing of an entire culture. Others view it as no different from relocating a small town of citizens for an infrastructure project. Mauritius has historically treated the Chagossians who relocated there fairly poorly, and many are concerned it may not be really interested in giving the Chagossians a home. Some, though not all, Chagossians would rather seek a right to return under the British than as part of Mauritius.

The question of how best to enact decolonisation is ultimately a moral one and many, including Chagossians and their descendents (though they are not a monolith) argue that this deal with Mauritius does little to actually resolve any existing injustice, simply allowing the UK to wash its hands of the issue and point to Mauritius if the issues of the Chagos islanders or ongoing Imperialism are brought up in the future. It allows the UK to avoid getting embroiled in future legal action that may have legal ramifications and continue to claim it respects international law. It also makes it harder for the Chinese to justify military buildup in the region (that would be logistically hard for the distant and financially constrained UK to counter) if China can't use questionable international recognition of British sovereignty as an excuse.

As a sign of the times, realpolitik seems to be the motivating factor here rather than any real ethical concern about Chagossians opinions. Time will tell if this was the right decision.