Fluff and Me

Fluff was what got me into miniature gaming.  I had borrowed the first few Horus Heresy books from  my neighbour.  I thought they were pretty cool.  Unfortunately, I didn't think 40K was very cool.  Warhammer Fantasy Battles was more to my liking though.

However, since those early days, I have not paid too much attention to fluff.  I have read a few Black Library books and generally found them wanting.  I own a copy of the Big Red Book and have only read a few pages of the massive fluff section.

I think of this subject after listening to the Garagehammer podcast. David Witek is crazy for fluff.  The man loves his stories and likes to think of the game as a movie in his head.  Wayne Kemp on Heelanhammer, also likes to talk about the fluff of a race and how his armies and conversions would fit into those stories.  I find I never think like this.

I look at Warhammer and Warmachine (the two systems I play currently) as games.  Games have rules and these games also happen to have cool little dudes that I use to play them.  The games have strategies and plans.  I can honestly say that I have never thought of a game I was playing in any other terms than the pieces on the board and the next move to make.

I guess it is nice that some people like the fluff because they are the ones that come up with the really cool little dudes that I get to paint up and play my favourite games.