Do you prefer 'symmetrical' or 'asymmetrical' factions in your wargames? Should factions be more like Battletech, where everybody mostly has similar lore and equipment, with only minor variations between them? Or more like Warhammer where you might end up with major differences between any two given factions and their playstyles?

>>96143462 (OP)
I prefer a wide range, but fuck 40k because it's a shit game, I prefer Battletech.

Also, you CAN have a wide disparity between forces and play styles in battletech games - copters and bombers straffing a base defended by Riflemen mechs, dropships trying to fight to the planet surface past areospace defenders, hordes of hovercraft vs a couple of assault mechs, a tank lance trying to clear a city of a hidden infantry regiment, hunchbacks vs archers, succession wars tech vs clanners, mechs vs battlearmor, etc. Not everything has to be 5 clanners vs 5 clanners in an arena.

>>96144389
That wide disparity isn’t really dependent on factions though, and in reality social norms will pretty much force you to use a similar force to your opponent, attempting to deviate too much is discouraged since it breaks the game.

Everyone has everything, factions are just an overlay of modifiers.

>>96143462 (OP)
It really depends on the design space of the units. Battletech has such variety and granularity in its units that bringing different mechs is what gives the game a lot of replayability. It's akin to a TCG where you have 10,000 cards but you can only bring 50-60 of them.

Most wargames are not as granular as Battletech in their unit profiles, and have a much narrower design space. This tends to make them less tedious to play, but it also means they tend to rely on factional asymmetry to provide their variety.

>>96145589
Well if Battletech wanted more unique factions they could make factions that don't use battlemechs and rely on more powerful ground vehicles/planes/VTOLS/infantry instead.

>>96146603
It doesn't really need it, because an Atlas feels different than a Highlander, an Enforcer feels different than a Vindie, a Hunchback feels nothing like a Trebuchet.

There's a lot more variety in mixing and matching your lance against your opponent's mixed and matched lance, you don't need hard factions with different gameplans

>>96143462 (OP)
Extremely asymmetrical. The only reason I don't play factions different to the point of each one being almost an entire different game is that it's a bitch to find people to play them with.

>>96146603
Why not make a faction that's just all really good chefs, and while your opponents plays their mechs in their mech game, you can try to reinvent the reuben sandwich? He can bring particle cannons and you can bring a daring honey mustard.

>>96143462 (OP)
Asymmetry is great because it really makes the factions feel different, gives them unique identities. It also blunts that chess-like grinding feeling symmetry causes in which both sides have to meticulously execute pretty much the same game plan while trying to pick at every minor error of the opponent. I still have fun in symmetrical games, but I find asymmetry less taxing.

>>96146639
Sure but that's not really asymmetry because every player has the same variety of options. The factions in-game are for the most part just background lore.

>>96149630
It's asymmetry in practice if no one has the same game plan.
My last game was a 1v1v1 using just BV and an era, and our forces were anything but similar. My tactics would have had to be completely different if I were using either of their lists with my original objective.

>>96149630
>Sure but that's not really asymmetry because every player has the same variety of options. The factions in-game are for the most part just background lore.
bro there are so many options you can't even suggest that.
i play a low tech punchbot list while my buddy plays high tech chinese.
in the vast majority of cases you can play different eras against each other.
build your own designs
use your own gimmicks

battletech isn't symmetrical or asymmetrical it's an infinite warchest

>>96143462 (OP)
Idea:
Humans factions have same tech but different command structures.
3 Monster factions are each weird.

>>96143462 (OP)
Usually I prefer asymmetrical games, but Battletech has so many units and you field so few of them that it's my favorite wargame
Games always feel fresh, especially with people not meta chasing