[Sir_Servo]

Sorry I am going to have to disagree with you on the fantasy being easier and more balanced. Neither game is easy nor balanced. Both systems lend themselves to being broken quite easily. In fact due to the new codexs being released in 40k the tournament scene has changed dramatically. 2+ years ago I used to be a heavy participant in tournament play and any one that brought a Dark Eldar (if any one actually had one) or a regular eldar (if no dark eldar were present) then they would basically win.

I played in tournaments in the Twin Cities, Rochester, and Winona in Minnesota. La Crosse and Madison in Wisconsin. And I traveled to Chicago for both Grand Tournaments and Adepticon a few different years. I would say that 80% of the time, if not more, one of the two different army lists mentioned above won the tournament. Now that I am back in the tournament scene I have seen different army lists winning including, S.Marines, Chaos, Necrons, and Tyranids.

As for Fantasy when I played, witch I will give you wasn't in current rules, but I had a Skaven list that I took first place in 6 consecutive tournaments (Chicago was the only place I didn't take the list to). With a deadly mixture of Shooting and Magic, along with a screaming bell, I did quite well for myself (I have my old list lying around some where with my finall tally before I retired from Fantasy, Memory serves it was something like 40wins and only 5 losses). The thing about fantasy is the result of the game is dependent on deployment. I know I will catch flack for this, but I can tell the result of a fantasy game basied soley on deployment and I will be correct at least 75% of the time. Every once and awhile luck will intervine and allow you to pull out a win if you deploy incorrectly. But because of the static nature of the game deployment will make or break a game. Even calvary, unless it is fast cav, will be used to march straight forward in order to get the charge. Fast Cav is used to get a flank charge, but then again that relys on you deploying them in an advantageous position, otherwise they will get chewed up by shooting, a different close combat unit, or magic.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, the mobility of 40k allows you to compensate for a infierior deployment than your opponents. Does this make the game better? No, but it does make it different. I mean if you really want to compare 40k and fantasy, you simpily can't. It would be like comparing Poker and Euker, both have rules, both use cards, both require more than one person to play, but that is where the similarities end. Both use different stratedgies, both have different styles of stradgies that you can employ, and both are enjoyed by a multitude of different people.

Sorry don't mean to rant, but I am grumpy today and this has triggered some old feelings from when I worked in my old hobby shop. There was one guy there that no matter who walked through the door he tried convincing them that Fantasy was the best way to go. Now this could be a kid that has a hover-board from Back to the Future, a Darth Vader replica helmet, and a shirt that says 'losers live in the past the future is where it's at!'. And he would still try and convince them to play fantasy. If I wasn't there to stop him they would actually try it, hate it because they wanted Sci-fi and not only do we loose another player, but the store lost another paying customer.

I think that is more than my two cents,
Servo

PS: Sorry if I offended or upset any one with this post. It is ment to be informitive. After I take a nap and relax a little I will revisit it and see if I can tone down any harshness that may be lurking in here.