Quote: (dptdexys @ Oct. 27 2009, 09:44 )
Players are not only allowed to change the rules for their own games if they don't like/agree with them but are encouraged to do so.
The problem I and it seeems others have is with the overly negative attitude to tournaments and players who attend them by gamers who don't/rarely attend them.
Here in the UK we have a group of guys (epic-UK) who are trying to keep epic alive and in GW's mind for future development. This involves trying to get an active tournament scene to encourage people to take up epic.
The work done by these guys is constantly being undermined when those who have been encouraged to come and view this site see posts about rules being wrong,WAAC players at tournaments,power gamers,unsporting players at events etc. etc. etc.
Things like these discussions are actualy turning people away from taking up epic here in the UK.
At the gaming club I go to (1st Co Vets) we get 40k players constantly asking about epic,especially, is it better than the 40k mind set at tournaments.We are finding it harder and harder to back up our claims when those players see some of the post's on here.
I agree that there has been (and in some cases still is) ill feeling, and unintentionally I've had my hand in some of it through my lack of clarity when writing (which i regret, because I've only had fun at EpicUK tournaments)... unfortunately the EpicUK group have long made their feelings clear about this forum (just read Matt Otter's post in this very thread, for example, to see a negative attitude expressed), and with such low-level sniping going on back and forth between the TacComms and UK tournament communities it's unsurprising to me that EpicUK is encountering some difficulties in presenting the community as friendly and welcoming.
Like EpicUK, the members of this forum too attempt to support Epic, largely not through tournaments (though some do occur), but mostly through writing and testing community army lists and professionally produced supplements* like
Raiders,
Siege,
Total War, and others still to come, which EpicUK has refused to partake in despite assurances that their voice will be heard, and apparently rejects the merit of any and all army lists produced by the fellows here / the ERC system. Comments about how this forum is 'cliqish' and hostile, etc. have also understandably caused ill feeling and given off a poor impression of UK tournaments (one that I know first hand is not true)... so I think the blame for the bad blood is to be equally levvied at both groups, to be honest.
Neither community has acted in an unflawed manner, and it's past high time both groups took stock of where they are, and where their current course will take them if left unchecked.
One thing I do think would help to close the rift would be some sort of combined project that both groups could work on in a unified manner, possibly some kind of large supplement project developed here on TacComms but led and Championed by a prominent EpicUK member, with engagement from other EpicUK members too... I admit to being a hopeless idealist there so the idea is probably a non-starter for a number of reasons (not the least includes the time commitment required), but I am sure that such a move would salve the undeniable wounds that seperate TacComms and EpicUK.
Whether that is an appealing prospect, to either group, I don't know.
*Though the regular fruitless yet irrepressable pitches of models to Forgeworld by a group of modellers (including my un-humble self) from this forum and beyond should not go unmentioned, as far as attempts to support Epic go.