The Friendly Face of the Hobby

[Lantern]

In these days of Internet cynasism, it's easy to forget that the hobby we take part in is, at heart, a game to be enjoyed with others. Now whilst I'm sure many of us have seen the ugly underbelly of the hobby, with cheating, bitterness, theft eyc, it's easy to forget how just plain decent people can be. Inspired by a recent post where someone was trying to track down a particular model (which was found and identified for him by friendly hobbyists), I was hoping people would share some stories of common decency within the hobby, perhaps strangers going above and beyond for you, be it giving you a model for free, or putting up with you as you learned the hobby. Remind people that its a game to be shared and enjoyed and let us hear about it please .

[Makaber]

I went to a Lord of the Rings tournament at Warhammer World a couple of years back. At some stage, this kid collapsed while playing; dehydration, epilepsy, I don't know. Anyway, of course he couldn't continue and his opponent would have been awarded a walkover victory, if he (the opponent) hadn't insisted on it being recorded as a draw instead.

[Malorian]

Best example I can think of are the local people running tournaments.

I'm not talking about my small scale tournaments, but rather the 80+ people tournaments that these people run just out of their love of the hobby.

[Saxtomancer]

When I was just starting this hobby in summer at the lgs and had not played a single time these friendly guys invited me to a megabattle to play with Warriors of chaos, at the same time I was meeting nice people, having fun, learning the rules and playing the game! I loved it, even thought me and a local skaven player lost!

[Sexiest_hero]

I asked a guy if he was going to sell some fingures he wasn't using and he just gave them to me. In turn some guy was starting up Orcs, and I gave him some I had no need for. A unused model for you may be a great hobby memory for somebody else.

[Dreadlordpaul]

Today i went into my local GW store and someone I know in there gave me 2 empire horses a old metal empire wizard and 2 epic chaos warriors. The empire horses now serve as my chaos lord and my BSBs chaos steeds while the empire wizard is now my tzeench sorceror and the 2 warriors are going to be useful for when i cast call to glory

[Lantern]

Back when Scotland had its first conflict tournament, I was feverishly painting up Tyranids (the second codex had only just been released). 1 week before the tournament, I was in my local GW and happened to mention in passing how unlucky it was that the lictor was released the day before the tournament and that not only would I not have time to buy it, but I wouldnt have time to paint it even i could get to the store either. In a kind display I've rarely seen a staff member repeat (mostly due to corporate rules), he sold me the model on the spot and wished me luck in the tournament. It's worth baring in mind that most staff understand things about our hobby that most people just don't get.

On a similar note, a friend of mine (GW staff member) noted how much effort input into my Ultramarines army and after a friendly game, gave me the hard to find Cassius varients with combi weapon. Sad to say, I've not painted it yet, but when I do, it will, be great for after I use my combi weapon.

[Worship]

What comes to mind is when I changed location and started to go to the nearby LGS and always just grabbed what I needed and was out, until some fellow enthusiasts took the initiative to find out what armies I owned, etc. It was just a cool experience to be able to share that with a stranger and have that hobby connection.

[Duke Ramulots]

I was helping a new store owner(2004) make some terrain and he gave me a Hive Tyrant(I couldnt afford one) for helping out.

[thesheriff]

This is the friendly face of the hobby....

But in all seriousness, helping the hobby commmunity is both rewarding and fun IMO. Giving away old models, or aiding in creating something cool is as much part of this hobby as winning games and painting minatures. Charity is something we should always try and work into our lives, as it keeps us fundementally human.

One thing I have been a vitim of, to dampen the mood, is that when i was given a set of Khorne beserkers in a GW store by a friend (not a sale of models, just a charitable endevour), he got told to do it outside by the manager. This made me angry. I can understand GW not wanting the trade or sale of models on their premises (as is there right). But, as a company (or just as a branch) they were stopping charity?? Thats, to be blunt, ****ed up!

No-one is perfect. I am prone to being a sometimes mean-spirited person. And I think, onething that the "Friendly-face" idea teaches you that while you may sometimes be inpatient with a young regular, or you may say something that is offensive, you can give back to the community (or that person) as an apology with something practical, which can only enrich you as a person.

Bravo to anyone who has ever helped or donated anything to anyone in need, either in our hobby, or in general. And I would encourage anyone, whether they have benefited from this or not, to do it. Human contact and an overwhelming sense of community is what differentiates wargaming from many forms of entertainment nowdays, including video games and the like. So, us this human resorce, and go and become the friendly face of your Hobby!

thesheriff

[Saxtomancer]

@thesheriff Quoted for truth x100 *thumbs up*

[thesheriff]

@thesheriff Quoted for truth x100 *thumbs up*

Thankyou. Nice to get something right once in a while. Might even sig that

[Saxtomancer]

Thankyou. Nice to get something right once in a while. Might even sig that

That would be a honor if you sig me! And nice to see that I can compliment properly lol.

[Beastlord]

Not strictly Warhammer related but for the last few years over at Frothers they've been running an annual charity sculpt where leading sculptors make a figure for free, casters mould and cast it for free and members then distribute them. If you donate online you get one of the limited edition casts and all the money goes to charity. There is one on at the mo - check it out.

[benvoliothefirst]

I moved to Sacramento and was new to the gaming scene, decided to take in a painting class at my local hobby store, Great Escape Games. I had to buy a whole new starter hobby set with paints, brushes, etc. since all my old stuff was in storage. When the class was almost over they told us that if we bought something new afterward they'd give us a discount. I asked the manager if they could discount the supplies I'd already bought and he said that they'd work something out.

He ended up giving me one of the new cairn wraiths for free. I was pretty impressed. Needless to say I've spent lots more money there!

[Hicks]

one employee from the LGS agreed to help me learn the rules for fantasy, by playing a 2500pts game with me. He gave me lots of tips and even sold me some OOP skink cold one riders for cheap (and I was having a hard time finding any).

It really helped me to get back into the game, because learning by playing is so much better than just reading the book.

[Darnok]

Believe it or not, for me the friendly face of the hobby are still the GW stores. I'm always treated friendly there, I can always get some inspiration. Exceptions exist, but usually my local GW store is just a friendly place to be.

[Battleworthy Arts]

Ive been dealing with a lot of pettiness and mercenary attitudes in my hobby area lately. Im hoping this thread is uplifting.

[wizbix]

I was given a free white dwarf at a gw store once, probably on account of how much I spend at the store. Does this count?

[abdulaapocolyps]

I detest going into GW stores purely due to them not being able to converse on a different level to 8year olds and adults.
My nicest gaming moment came when a friend saw I wanted to start up a dwarf army and I really liked the oop models so gave me a full,almost entirely unpainted marauder dwarf army.all of them.
He insisted I don't pay for it but I went out and got him some Ork boxes for his new army...I forget people can be as supportive as this.he's already a really good mate but on eBay prices there was at least 300qids worth,closer to 5.
Oddly the hobby reminds me of gym culture.you have your overbearing dcks who try to lecture you on the 'right way' and your really competitive types that constantly try to put you down but the majority of people,especially those that know what they are doing,are supportive and encouraging in a way you seldom see in our society.