Serious question, why does everyone treat their first wargame like some kind of test?

Back in 2019 I had to choose between buying Warhammer 40k starter set at Forbidden Planet in Chicago or the older but cheaper Battle for Macragge off eBay. I grabbed the cheap one for 60 bucks and spent 6 hours gluing those old plastic marines together, then got my ass handed to me at a local tournament. The rules were fine, the models were fine, but I learned way more from losing to a guy who ran Guard with three Leman Russes than any tutorial. Anyone else pick the ugly, cheaper option and actually stick with it longer because of it?

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jade6189d ago

Man, people overthink this way too much. A first game is just a loud, messy way to learn why you shouldn't glue your fingers to the sprue. I grabbed a beat-up copy of some old fantasy starter set for cheap, and the models looked rough, but I knew every inch of those dudes because I had to fix them with green stuff. Losing fast at a local meet taught me more about range and cover than any codex ever did. The ugly option sticks because you're not scared to mess it up, so you actually play with it.