I started another army…

I know you did, that’s why I’m writing this article. The real question is what do you do now? It’s easy to jump head first into the new army, completely disregarding your old army for the new shiny one. I say, go ahead and do it, at least for a while. It’s exciting to do, and will force you to adapt and change how you think to pull off successfully. It’s a neuroplastic activity and is great for your game comprehension, so you have my blessing, do it.

Now, after the new faction glow has worn off, you find yourself with a couple (or several) armies. You love them all for different reasons, and need to get them onto the table, but you can’t possibly play them all. This is a bit of a dilemma for sure, and I’m happy to share what’s been working for me. At the beginning of every season, I pick which army is going to be my tournament army for the duration (aka, my main, which currently is Steel Phalanx). This means, no matter what, I’ve committed to playing it at events I go to, painted or not, practiced or not. Since I’m likely to play 6-10 tournaments a season, this actually adds up to quite a few games on it’s own (I figure around 20-30). Your main army may change after a few months, mine often does, but I try to stick it out for at least 6-months, so I really can get a solid understanding.

For practice games, I alternate between my main faction, and whichever other faction I own that sounds fun to play that week, so 1/2 to 1/3 of my practice games are still with my main. To some people, this jumping between armies can be jarring, since each one requires different tactics, with different units. It’s easy to feel out of practice with any particular army, and you instinctually will want to have the most practice with your main army. In my experience in doing this, it actually exposes me to more rules than I’d normally come across, and gives me a better understanding of the game, and my main army.

By playing a game or two with another army, I learn more about their rules so am more well equipped to deal with that army in a tournament. On the flip side, it also teaches me more ways to take advantage of rules I have access to, but might not get the most mileage out of, or thought of using. By playing Druze I’ve become more comfortable with expensive troops with large toolkits. By playing USARF I’ve become accustomed to dealing with vis mods without MSV. By playing Steel Phalanx I’ve become aware of how to better take advantage of my own vis mods and V:NWI. By playing Morats, I’ve become better at the core mechanics of the game, and figuring out backup plans.

What this all adds up to is simple: If you can leverage your experience and knowledge from playing different factions, into your main faction, you won’t be wasting time by hopping around, and it will make you a better player in the end.