I now play 40K & Mordheim...Help! What should I do?
The warhammer hobby can be a lot of fun, but consider...
The biggest difference (and for me, sticking point) between the various Warhammer games and D&D is that they are conducive to a different kind of "having fun with your mates" as games.
With few exceptions, the Warhammer games lead to antagonistic gameplay. I've seen far more arguments and ill-feeling across games of Blood Bowl, 40K or Necromunda than I ever have over any RPG I've ever played. The gameplay is aggressive and sometimes frustrating, and so often leads by default to an aggressive, frustrated atmosphere.
In GW games, there will be a loser - either you or your opponent, so ideally everyone involved must be good sports. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. GW games seem to be as bad as Diplomacy in the "starting arguments" stakes. RPGs are far superior in the "having a laugh with your mates" stakes.
Warhammer games: 0. RPGs: 1.
The Warhammer games, as an out-of-game-time miniatures hobby, can be very rewarding, but at a cost of a lot of money and huge amounts of time. RPGs as a DM's hobby in worldbuilding or campaign-building can also be very rewarding, at the potential cost of a lot of time. As for me, I didn't have a preference over creative outlet, and RPGs are an order of magnitude cheaper.
Warhammer games: 0. RPGs: 2.
The third consideration is the amount of actual play time you get out of the game. On the whole, regular play of a gaming group is easier to organise and happens more regularly than miniatures gaming, with few exceptions. With regards to the actual amount of gameplay time versus preparation time/cost, RPGs win again by a long shot.
Warhammer games: 0. RPGs: 3.
In terms of decorating your shelf or just plain looking pretty in general, the miniatures wargames have it, because they encourage painting and collecting to a much larger degree than your average RPG, and even have regular competitions, articles and advice in that vein..
Warhammer games: 1. RPGs: 3.
So there you go; a breakdown of why you might want to dust off your DMG at some later stage after you've blown your budget on minis. Or, if you like Mordheim enough, there's little stopping you running a Mordheimesque game as a D&D campaign. Throw in minis and you may have the best of both worlds (although the minis would still blow your budget).
