What Floats Your Boat?

G'day all, it's been a while since I last did a pure opinion piece, but today I thought I would. I was chatting with a mate who works at Games Workshop and he was talking about how he liked a miniature that I dislike. The conversation got me thinking, isn't it funny what we like and how strong our opinions are when we don't like something?

There are some things almost universally disliked and yet somehow loved at the same time, such as "Billy the Intern", but who is Billy?

Billy the Intern is an invention of mine who has started to catch on with the Australian hobby scene. Simply put, he is a made up person who answers the emails at GW, the guy who gives you a different answer every time you ask, leading people to email Billy several times until they get the answer they want.

Seriously, that's a real thing.

Example?

Q: Hi Billy, I want to take a Grey Knight Thunderhawk in my Solar Auxilia, since the section in the Red Books says I can take any Super Heavy from Apoc or flier from Aeronautica so long as it has no HH equivilant. Can I? ~Gamer McCheese

A: Sure you can take a Grey Knight Thunderhawk in your Solar Auxilia. That's how we play the rule around here. ~Billy

This isn't true hate, it's just a laugh, because, 'Billy' isn't real, in fact the random emails is a side effect of the sheer volume of emails and questions submitted to GW/FW daily, not every question can be cross-checked or fact-checked against another. We know this, so we don't take the joke too seriously or hate on Billy too much.

At home, I can tell you who doesn't like what about the hobby, we'll see if you can guess who in my household clashes with me....

At the core of the issue however, is that hobbyists have different opinions about what they like, and they are really quick to share them. That said, we hit the main point of this topic:

What floats your boat?

For everyone, it's different. We have to accept what others love, even if we don't agree with it. Sure, I don't like the direction GW has taken with Monstrous and Gargantuan Creatures hiding around every new release, but some deluded exceptional individuals do. I don't like the GW style of painting with extreme highlights and edge highlighting all over, yet some of the best painters in the world not only use that technique, but have mastered it, making the rest of our efforts look shameful. If I don't like a miniature or a business decision, I want to vent and complain, I think we all do, but at some point, we have to take a step back and just let it happen. Games Workshop doesn't care what I think, after all, only 25% of us even game. Sometimes I have to understand that what isn't my cup of tea might be the dream of someone else.

Maybe, ever so slowly, one day I will reign in my cynicism...

Or not.

The point here today is that it's nice that hobbyists have different opinions, it can give you a different viewpoint yourself if you take the time to listen, as very few people will go off half baked supporting crazy concepts. I can only hope as time passes I can try and remember this, and maybe, just maybe I will be a better hobbyist and person for it.

~Macca