Sufficient players compared to 40K?

[Cassiel]

I'm going to be taking WHFB up as a hobby soon, or so I hope, and I've been doing all the reading/research/etc possible on the game and some on 40k. The thing I've noticed, if only evidenced by the fact that there are seemingly always 2 to 3 times the amount of people viewing 40k threads as FB threads, is that 40k seems to be much more popular and played. I'm wondering if those of you who frequent games-workshop stores and other hobby shops that have open gaming feel that you are fairly well outnumbered by the amount of people playing 40k, or have trouble sometimes finding other FB players while 40k players are in no short supply.

[Cap'n Umgrotz]

Hmmm.
I don't have trouble but I find there are less fantasy players around. Fantasy is a better game (more tactical, fair and the armies get equal coverage instead of one getting all the attention), so generally if you can get you 40K mates to play a game or two they're hooked.I started on 40k, and still play it, but I prefer fantasy.
I play in a club, and it started with me and a friend with bretonians and lizard men, now I have dwarves, beastmen and orcs and goblins, theres a high elf player, a wood elf player, an ogre player, an empire player, a dark elf player and a Horde player.That's inside one year! We get less annoying, obnoxious kids playing too.(Not intended as a slur on 40k players, all the sound players are 40kers as well, but more braindead eejits seem to like 40K than fantasy in my experience.)
What army were you thinking about?
(And research like this is very smart)

[devolutionary]

They're different games. 40k is designed to work faster, and is a bit less personal. WHFB is a game where your characters and units tend to develope more, and the emphasis is on drawn out thought and tactics than it is on a quick rumble. Most people prefer the latter, and folks like big guns. Don't worry about a lack of players though, because even though 40k may have more, it doesn't mean that WHFB has any lack

[Trunks]

It really varies from area to area.

When 4th edition 40k came out, most of the people in my area did not like the rule changes (including myself) and pretty much quit playing 40k. We hadn't been playing 40k very often anyway since we were playing fantasy alot to begin with. 40k use to dominate, but us Fantasy players slowly convinced the people who only played 40k to try Fantasy and those that converted pretty much never looked back.

[StarFyreXXX]

That is not really true, about the armies. Chaos still has tons more options than any other army.

I'd love for all armies to get such treatment... but it will never happen unless one of us gets a job designing at GW and can make them all agree.

hehe


Sanjay

[Cap'n Umgrotz]

Not to the same extent as 40K, but you have a point.
I think the designers are just proud of Chaos because they didn't nick it wholesale from tolkien like most stuff.

They nicked from moorcock (sp?)instead!

[NaT]

When i first started i noticed pretty much no fantasy players, that was about 5 years ago. But now i would dare to say its even! Now that all the armies are out and fully supported i can only see fantasy growing, thinks are only looking up for the old timers.

[grimgorkgalle]

I played 40k for nearly 10 years from the roque trade beginnings on, but since I first did my WHFB-game 4 or 5 years ago, my 40k armies started to get a dusty patina... Why? Doing close combat in 40k is still a crappy thing ( and I luv doing cc), even after 4th ed. Psi-Powers tended to get useless... Space orcs got boring...
WHFB rules (including cc) are more logical and easier to do.The background is as good as in 40k. If I miss my Marines and my Evil Sunz? Not really...
And do I feel outnumbered by 40k players? No, most of them are kidz playing their 1500 pts Space Marines - I don't care...

[Bortus]

Seems to me that 40K is much more popular at shops out here. To roughly quote one individual who works at a local games store "Fantasy seems to be making a come back but not many are interested" after I asked where all the fantasy players were on a Warhammer battle day where both games are played.

[ice]

And do I feel outnumbered by 40k players? No, most of them are kidz playing their 1500 pts Space Marines - I don't care...

i agree, i went to my first 40k tourny this past weekend, and there 4 14-15 year old kids playing space marines! and here in Saskatoon, there's a warhammer club with about 15 people in it! infact it's more popular them the 40k club!

[ashc]

There certainly isn't a numbers problem, Fantasy seems to attract the more mature player (not just in age but in general attitude) and is often the game people move on to from 40k. If you have real issues with who to game with just look around your local area and see what is played where.

Ash

[Cassiel]

Thank you guys so much for the replies, it confirmed my suspicions: that, while both games certainly attract excellent players, 40k has the greater appeal to the "Kiddies" (though I am only 17, soon to be 18 this July). My concern was simply that I would start collecting, building and painting an army this summer, then come September when I move out to Boston (to attend Suffolk University) I'd find that nigh everyone would be playing 40k at the local store. If any of you are from the Boston area and happen to frequent the games-workshop store at 11 Dunster St, Cambridge, MA 02138-5002 please do tell how the player-base is.

Also, based on the reading I've done on both games, it does seem that WHFB is more about actual strategy, whereas 40k focuses on tactics and micromanagement. That is, WHFB can be easily won or lost in the movement phase, while 40k focuses less on battlefield strategic maneuvers and more on squad based tactics. Is this an accurate conclusion?

[ashc]

Also, based on the reading I've done on both games, it does seem that WHFB is more about actual strategy, whereas 40k focuses on tactics and micromanagement. That is, WHFB can be easily won or lost in the movement phase, while 40k focuses less on battlefield strategic maneuvers and more on squad based tactics. Is this an accurate conclusion?

Yes pretty much, fantasy also has less focus on armylists, i.e. games being won purely on what you take within your list due to a wider variety of roles/units within the fantasy game.

Ash

[unwanted]

As for the ratio in WHFB:40K, it used to be so (10 years ago when I first started showing an interest) that here in Denmark, Fantasy was the rule-all, with a marginal few playing 40K.

Nowadays, there's some leaning in the other direction, but there's still plenty of WHFB-players around. Used to be so with Tournaments as well, but I don't really know anymore...

[Artemis_Quinn]

Fantasy players are generally outnumbered by 40K players in most areas.... But then again you also have a lot of the people that expend to play both...

I've speculated to why this is, and overall I think it's just that 40K is a lot more simple to play (no armor modifiers or combat res.) and a lot of people are all about the guns.

But overall, Fantasy is the game for the people who are in it for a battle of strategy, 40K players are there for a fun game that doesn't require them to worry so much about little stuff (not saying that thre isn't strategy in 40K, but by comparison it is a lot less strategy based than fantasy).

[Kasrkin 666]

Ya know I just started WFB and I find it waaaaay better than 40k.Most of the time people play 40k is because it looks cooler.Thats why I played but teh call of the Tree Hippes burdend me. Don't worry,once allthe armies reach 7th ED. status,then everyone will follow the call.
-666