Are games with old armies more fun?

[panic_puppet]

Yesterday I brought my Tau army out for their first game in quite a while, and ended up having an enjoyable game against Chaos Space Marines. With 6th just around the corner, and a pair of 4th edition codices going toe to toe on the battlefield, it just felt like a very different game from the ones I've had with my Blood Angels. Codex creep, and net-lists, have led to a lot more cut-throat armies around, but the older books don't really have the potential for that, leading to more balanced lists. Perhaps this is just me, or just using an army with a radically different playstyle to what I've been using recently, but does anyone else find that battles with 2 older armies are more enjoyable than 2 more recent ones, or an old army versus a much newer one?

[Happicus]

You play with an older codex the fun of the army or a change of pace rather than to win or use the latest greatest. Just this change in goals can change the way you play, the way your opponent plays and thereby the whole tone of the game.

[stroller]

Or maybe it's as simple as a change being as good as a rest?

[Lord Damocles]

Hell, yes.

2nd edition Eldar vs. [insert helpless mook army here]


...wait...

[Senbei]

People tend to use Eldar as the 2nd ed boogeyman too much. They forget the Space Wolf list of "Only Terminators armed with assault cannon and cyclone launchers", the "Guard list of pre-battle bombardment", "Polymorphine Assassin in your Attic" and "Viruses! Viruses EVERYWHERE!". Nids were also pretty OP. Eldar were bad, but so were many other armies.

[BigRob]

People tend to use Eldar as the 2nd ed boogeyman too much. They forget the Space Wolf list of "Only Terminators armed with assault cannon and cyclone launchers", the "Guard list of pre-battle bombardment", "Polymorphine Assassin in your Attic" and "Viruses! Viruses EVERYWHERE!". Nids were also pretty OP. Eldar were bad, but so were many other armies.

They also forget the FAQ in every other issue of White Dwarf at the time saying Cyclones couldnt be taken with assault cannon

TBF all armies in second edition had some pretty nasty options.

[BooTMGSG]

People tend to use Eldar as the 2nd ed boogeyman too much. They forget the Space Wolf list of "Only Terminators armed with assault cannon and cyclone launchers", the "Guard list of pre-battle bombardment", "Polymorphine Assassin in your Attic" and "Viruses! Viruses EVERYWHERE!". Nids were also pretty OP. Eldar were bad, but so were many other armies.

Ah Polymorphine assisins, I lost a craftworld worth of farseers to these vortex grenade weilding maniacs. The farseers always saw it coming, but were powerless to stop that odd looking Guardian from lobbing death at them.

[GrogDaTyrant]

Using the late 4th ed Ork, prior to their current codex, is a lot more fun. I personally enjoy having about 8 variant armies to work with, and lots of customization. Even when you remove the Choppa rule, because it seriously had issues.

[obithius]

Still playing 2nd edition here, and yes it is more fun!

[Escaflowne_Z]

A modern codex still stacks up fine against older ones well, IF the new book is played with an older collection. A few of the new toys added in is nice too. The problem is when a new book is released and gets optimized for wins. That is my experience anyway.