The doubles tournaments had not allowed armies to share abilities as it had in the past, but this was apparently different and in my opinion really did not work. I would argue that the game really wasn't balanced, but perhaps the real problem was the abusive army combos, from thunderwolves with FNP to Vulcan leading an army of sisters, The abusive lists really put our fluffy IG and Tau combo on their heels. What had once been a nice and friendly environment has quickly morphed into a WAAC environment and to me, that is just sad.
I don't mind the WAAC environment so much if it is in a light vein. People pulling every trick and little thing they can in order to win just really pisses me off. In the first game there is no need for schinanigans as there is so much tournament to play. One could even argue that at the top table in the last round it is somewhat acceptable to play and exploit every little mistake your opponent makes. If you are not really in the running, then don't be a douche bag dude, you are playing with little plastic men.
In the first round everyone at the store got to take 2 minutes to listen to a grown man piss and moan because a model was not fully wysiwyg. Two turns later, my friend and I got the displeasure of playing this very guy and his partner.
Game 3 of a doubles tournament sitting middle of the pack is the perfect time to play a nice relaxing game with your friend against two new opponents. Even if they brought kick ass hard lists there is no reason not to be civil right? Wrong. These dudes clearly didn't like each other, or were sick of each other by that point.
First of all no list was ever offered from them. I guess they had run out. Some slight of hand and use of props allowed them to infiltrate a scout squad away by all of their books and papers so that they were covered up by a mountain dew can and out of view. Only by chance did I see them at which point they both remarked "darn, they saw them."
After moving my blob squad on turn 1, I turn away for one minute to look over the board and see my opponent measuring the distance between his thunderhammer terminators and my blob squad IN MY TURN. Hmmm, wonder if he was thinking about assaulting that squad next turn.
A discussion then ensued in which we were told that the doubles tournament at Veterans Game was tough, didn't I know? And that they wouldn't be playing these lists in this way if it was a friendly game, but it wasn't, it was a tournament game. Why can't game 3 of a tournament that you are clearly not going to win be a friendly game? In-fact, this differentiation that they made between these two types of games speaks large measures of their character on the board, where you separate games into friendly games and non-friendly games. At the end of the game one of the guys remarked that it was the most enjoyable game they had ever played.
MAYBE THAT'S BECAUSE I DON'T NEED TO WIN THE GAME TO ENJOY IT.
It's kind of funny as it was one of the worst games I have ever played. The funny thing was that it ended in a draw. I couldn't have planned a better result, their trickery got them no farther in the game than our good nature.
After the game, one of our game 3 opponents informed us that they were the main 40k organizer of Templecon. Good god! I couldn't have heard a better reason NOT to go to Templecon! I guess there is no room for friendly games there.
Unless I run my genestealer army....hmmm...
