The "Bandwagon" Syndrome

With the release of the new Necron codex and figures, you had to of known this article was coming, right?

After having bought a codex myself this past Saturday, I started looking through it. My first thought was "Ooooh, Shiny!". No seriously, it was. I've already admitted to having that particular Syndrome, so lets not be too surprised over that either. Luckily I got out of my local shop with only having bought the codex.

My second thought though was, "Oh dear Lord, I wonder how many Necron players we're going to see at Adepticon this next year"

Enter, the "Bandwagon" Syndrome.

This particular syndrome is not to be confused with the "Ooooh, Shiny!" Syndrome, though it may appear similar in it's symptoms. Both share a love of a new army book or codex, and many times will also include the purchasing of new models. However, while the "Ooooh, Shiny!" Syndrome does this for pure lack of willpower and attention span, of which I am guilty of, the "Bandwagon" Syndrome purchases these new books and models for one primary purpose.

Everybody else is buying it, so to remain in the mainstream of the meta, I must therefore purchase it.

Let me follow that up by saying I'm not saying this is something horrible to do. I'm merely stating an observation I've seen, just the same as my own hobby addiction that I'm a victim of!

I can't even say that this particular Syndrome hinges on the competitive gamer in order for it to flourish either. Why? Because with the prolific nature of the interwebz, so many theory- and math-hammered lists are out there, that someone who isn't truly all that competitive in playstyle or by nature will purchase exactly what they need to make "Internet List X", just because they think they should to stay up to date with the game. Sure, a competitive player will happily tear apart and dissect every page of a new codex, but they do it with the intention of seeing if it's indeed better than what they currently are winning with. If it's not, they don't buy it. A player with the "Bandwagon" Syndrome typically doesn't apply that much logic to it, they just go with what the masses say works the best and buys exactly that.

I can honestly say I've never been a victim of this particular Syndrome, and am Happier for it. Yes, I've been accused of being a victim of the "Bandwagon" Syndrome with my current Grey Knights. I argue against that for the simple fact that I wanted to bring a new army to Adepticon 2012, but it had to be a small army so that I could also concentrate on my competitive painting entries for the year. If I hadn't done that, my wife would have had the "Kill the Gamer Husband" Syndrome, and I wouldn't be writing this right now. That, and the Grey Knight plastics caught my attention and were, indeed, Shiny.

So is there a good side to the "Bandwagon" Syndrome? I think so, as ultimately it keeps the game alive. Without people who fall victim to both the "Ooooh, Shiny!" and "Bandwagon" Syndromes, our local game stores and companies who put out the games themselves would lose a good deal of revenue.

Now be honest… Have you ever fallen prey to the "Bandwagon" Syndrome yourself?

- Tim