Writer's Block

Some of you may have noticed that the Pen-type content has been on minimum levels lately.  Life throws out curveballs, sure, but it's honestly been mostly because I've been stuck with a nasty case of writer's block.

Uh, something like that...

While Endalyon and Tevesh churn out amazing articles like this one and this one, I'm stuck scratching my head like an untrained monkey trying to figure out how to mash buttons on a keyboard. I don't like letting problems keep me down, though, so I'm trying to puzzle through my writer's block one step at a time.  Hopefully, this process might help some of you writers out there, too.

What's Causing It?

Where all my inspiration has gone

I've been giving it a lot of thought, and I think there are a few major obstacles to my writing process.

1) Not Enough Play
Although I head out to our LGS every week, I haven't played more than a handful of games for a few months now.  For one, the wait for N3 has really blown the wind out of my Infinity sails.  It's hard to get excited about a "new edition that will change everything" when said new edition takes months (after being announced) to roll out.  We've fully had people just stop showing up for N2 because they didn't want to invest in a game that was going to change in a few months' time.  Now that N3 has arrived, I find myself lacking enthusiasm for the game because it just hasn't been played for a while now.

As for BMG, I haven't gotten many games in lately chiefly because I'm tired of seeing advantages in other lists that my band doesn't have.  Every game, it seems like I go up against cheaper and/or better-at-similar-cost and/or more flexible bands, because I decided to play a crew that Knight Miniatures just hasn't bothered to update.  When I got into BMG, I was just coming off the tail end of Arkham Origins, and I really liked the way Bane was depicted in that game.  He was a beast with brains to match, and actually managed to puzzle out Batman's identity, make it to his batcave, and beat Alfred to a pulp before Batman could react.  Screw Arkham Asylum/City Bane, where he's just an angry addict the size of a truck...this Bane was badass.

So I got into the Bane band.  Which has all of one release ever (not only in the past year, like some other factions).  The stock answer I hear in response to my complaint is that there are many Free Agents to choose from (and I own a handful, including Riddler, Catwoman, and Deadshot), and yes, there are, but that doesn't do much to flesh out the gang in ways that are unique from other bands.  That's like saying, "don't complain about your options because you have access to the same options that most other people do...but by the way, they have more."

Another possible solution to my band woes is picking up a new band, but BMG minis are pretty expensive.  I bought the new Ivy blister because it's awesome, and rounded it out with Classic Harley and Catwoman, but again - not much variety, not much choice.  KM's arbitrary release schedule isn't helping matters either, because I can't even anticipate what my bands might be getting in the future.  I've already written on almost every model I own, which doesn't really leave me much writing space for BMG.

2) Game Frustrations

I don't usually take the time to air my complaints in online forums, because it's more productive to be positive than to be negative.  I don't want to be "that guy" who is always harping on things because nothing makes him happy, but there are some things that have frustrated me of late, both with Infinity and BMG.  These may be contributing to my writer's block, too.

In Infinity, I play Ariadna - the low-tech faction without powered armour and lots of Camouflage.  Now, N3 has gone a long way towards balancing out the problems with the previous edition of Infinity, but there are a few issues with my faction that cause knee-jerk negative reactions in me.  Worse, these concerns are sometimes utterly disregarded by people (typically players of other factions) who don't believe that Corvus Belli can do any wrong.

The first big issue is that Camouflage has changed, and not (for my purposes) for the better.  I understand and appreciate that people apply their Camo models differently, but I tended to use them against low-durability units with evasion or high power counter-attack abilities (ODD, Total Reaction, Neurocinetics).  The key was to disallow these models a chance to react, because their abilities made "fair" fights not-so-far.  In N3, though, Camo does not allow a normal roll; instead, it gives the defender a chance to oppose the rolls, albeit at a penalty.  When you're squaring off against Myrmidon armies or Total Reaction remotes, though, you don't want your enemy to have a chance to shoot back before you can destroy them.  Shooting back means that they're able to fully use their abilities, and that often means that your model might not win the face-to-face roll.

That looks like a good spot for a Camo ambush...prepare for face-to-face rolls!

My second big issue is the "Hacker's Spellbook" that N3 has introduced.  There is now a wide variety of cool things you can do with Hackers, which I think is fantastic - except that Ariadna still only gets the token mercenary hacker.  Other factions have webs of hacker support (remotes, multiple hacker systems, better devices, remotes to buff, etc.), but Ariadna really doesn't.  I haven't tested the hacking metagame, but I'm really worried that Ariadna will fall off because of its inability to deal with the infowar aspect of N3.

I've got more recent experience with BMG, so I'm hoping that my issues will sound more grounded here.  I'm honestly not sure what to write about, because I keep getting frustrated with my opponents' models in BMG.  I have a 30ish point guy with Handy and Tough?  There's a Ninja around the same points value that has Handy + Sharp + Combo.  I have semi-elite guys?  Other factions have the freedom to chase objectives while I have to be extra-careful about each model's position.  And hey, I have Bulletproof Vests?  There are a lot of factions that simply don't care about guns, or - worse - use mechanic/thrown weapons, which totally negate the vests' effectiveness.  This is especially frustrating because there is no Bane band option that avoids Bulletproof Vests, which means that I'm overpaying for units even if I know my opponent won't be bringing firearms.  I bought into the Bane band because I thought they looked cool, but I'm feeling more and more outclassed for lack of choices.

How Can I Fix it?

Ready to work!

Ideally, the easiest way to fix writer's block is to address its causes.  In this case, it seems like an easy enough solution: just play more games!  I've got to get over the negative blocks that keep me from playing (feeling frustrated and outclassed), which is easier said than done.  After all, not many people like repeating an activity that they feel frustrated with.  Sometimes, though, this frustration is because of a lack of information and experience, and I think I need to correct this before I can write any more.

I invariably end up playing against the same opponents in BMG, so I think I need to start seeking out players whose bands don't make my advantages feel wasted.  I will still definitely feel like I'm lacking variety, though, and I don't think this feeling will go away until Knight Miniatures releases something other than named characters for bands that already have enough options.  In the meanwhile, though, I can get playing and bring some of that experience to my writing desk (keyboard?).

The gaming frustration issue is harder to deal with.  I feel like I'll need to be even more ruthless in Infinity, to deny my opponents an opportunity to use their complex new toys, but that will lead to a less gentlemanly game.  Not something I'm fond of, especially against newer players.  My BMG issue will probably feel less serious once I play against gun-toting bands more often, but the spectre of "I'm overpaying for guys that are actually less awesome than stuff available to others for a similar price" will hover over me for a while, I'm afraid.

I hope that something in this article has resonated with you, because as much as we all love our favourite games, there are always little things that might nag at us.  It's important to not lose hope, though - the key to overcoming a problem is to always keep trying!