[Changing armies with 40 days to go...]

On the positive side of things, at least skeletons are quick as a whip to paint and still have them look half decent! Good luck!

[The Elephant in the Room: Why Matched Play Should Not Be The Default]

What a comforting thing to hear, thanks for writing this up!  I agree with your points on all accounts. To me if anyone has never played a true narrative campaign before they are REALLY missing out.

IMO the feeling of being part of a story trumps "winning" by miles and points have only ever been the "illusion of balance" that serves as a platform to support someone feeling that they beat someone else fair and square in order to pump up their ego.  Wish we had more players like you here in Georgia! I would be thrilled. We have a fairly large "in it to win it" crowd here and it's pretty disheartening.