Silliness and Stuff

The lighter side of this hobby, these posts and pages are meant to give you a chuckle, a giggle and a laugh.

World Building – Episode 1: Metaphysical Cartography

Posted by johnnya10 on 03/06/2021
Posted in: Silliness and Stuff. Tagged: . 1 Comment

Hello readers. I’ve had a bit of a bee in my bonnet of late that buzzes around the honeyed idea of building my own world for Warhammer 40,000 (and to torture the metaphor even more, it’s probably a “hive” world). And this got me wondering about, well, where to start. How do you create your own fantasy world? I kind of want to make this a bit of a community project if anyone’s up for contributing (you know where the comments section is), but the bones of the world will have to come from me. And so this is the first in a series of articles about creating an actual world for the Warhammer 40,000 universe. And where better to start than with a good map?

I learned this technique for D&D a long time back, but I’ve extended it and developed it to help me build a planet in a way that works for me. I started with a piece of graph paper and my bits tub (which is different to my bits box(es) and bits trunk… I may have a problem). I took a few bits and scattered them across the paper thusly:

fantasy cartography

I tried to keep it random, but sensible too. A couple of big central piles and some scattered bits and bobs here and there. Next, I took a marker pen and roughly traced around the pieces here (no need to worry about being too neat – it’s almost impossible not to nudge the odd piece here and there). Here’s what I ended up with:

how to create a fantasy map

Not bad, right? In the past, I’ve employed dry pasta and pebbles to help me do this but I think the bits tub gave me a better variety of shapes and we’ve got a passable map with some big continents and some larger islands. Now, you’ve got one last job for that marker pen of yours…

creating a fantasy map

…and that’s adding some reference numbers to the graph paper – more will be explained about these very shortly. I also added a few random small islands here and there. These are more the size of Sicily, Taiwan, Jamaica and the like on a map of our own world. Next up, we’re turning to everyone’s favourite thing – dice!

dnd dice

But we’ll need more than our faithful D6 for this. I turned to my slightly fancy DnD dice set as D4s, D10s, D20s and the like will be far more helpful to us here. While we have our continents and islands, I want to give our map here a little more detail. That’s going to start with major cities (perhaps Hives) and major rivers (think Amazon and Nile rather than Thames and Trent), and the dice will help me determine where these are, and in the case of rivers, how long they extend for, so let’s see what the Dice Gods contributed here:

map making

Turns out, the dice gods were pretty kind to me (for a change). Using a D10 and a D20, we determined which squares the rivers would start in, and then, using a D4, we determined how many large squares they should go across. A bit of random squiggling with the pen and we get our 7 major rivers. I thought about adding lakes too, but decided against it as I thought it would be a notable characteristic not to have any significant inland seas or super-lakes. Then the D10 and D20 (obviously ignoring results 15-20) helped me place the cities. I kept these quite coastal (given that this is the trend across our own world) with only one exception on the main continent, but I kept this close to a river that was luckily flowing near by. Oh, and as we had 10 major population centres, and because this is 40k map, I wanted a planetary capital. A roll of 8, and working down and across, I could assign this roll to the city to the south of the main continent. Next up, I think we need some mountain chains…

how to make a mountain chain

And what better to use for mountain chains than an actual chain? This is my chain of pinning material (some casuals refer to them as ‘paperclips’, I believe) but you can use any chain or even a piece of string. Again, this is just a guide so let’s see what it guided me to create on the map:

world building

And with a couple of extra smaller ranges dotted around at random, we have our mountain chains. You’ll see I’ve also added a couple of dashed “tropics” lines. That’s because we’re now going to assign primary terrain types to the rest of the map and the rough rule is no deserts in the polar regions, no tundra in the central region. A bit of help from the dice and here’s what we have:

my own fantasy world

And so now we have a map! Arid deserts, deep, dark forests, snowy tundras and expansive savannahs cover the world that I’ve just created. I guess this is what it feels like to be God, or at least Slartibartfast. I’m quite happy with the results really. It’s amazing what some dice, a few bits and some stationery can produce.

But this is just the start. I don’t want this to be a world confined to a bit of graph paper. We need to turn this planet into a living, breathing part of the galaxy. We need names, histories, mythologies, horticulture, bestiaries… Though that will all have to wait for the further editions of this series. Until then, i hope this has helped to get your creative juices flowing, and if you have any ideas for this world, let me know! Onwards!

The Gift of Going Green

Posted by johnnya10 on 20/04/2021
Posted in: Silliness and Stuff, Uncategorized. Leave a comment

There are many wonderful things to enjoy in the Warhammer hobby. Thanks to the different settings, the vastly different factions and armies, and the different characters, there really does seem to be something for everyone. What’s more, if you’re like me, and you like to sample a little bit from each area of the hobby (just call me Mr Magpie), there is so much there to thrill, excite, enjoy and it can be a whirlwind of different ways to play, different ways to paint and so much more. But as with too much of any good thing, eventually, the broad horizons can often mean that there’s too much of a trudge between points. Miniatures that once looked as if they were cast in glittering gold can fade into fiddly, frustrating finecast and laborious lead. You can be overwhelmed by obligation, and crushed by the pressure of the grey tide. It can all get too much, but I’ve found the magic colour – green.

Whether you call them Orcs, Orks or Orruks, I just wanted to write a post about why I love greenskins and everything that they have brought to the game and the painting desk. They are, to me at least, an oasis of perpetual enjoyment when I am lost in the desert of pressure, fatigue and overburden. They are honestly one of my favourite things about the hobby, and I’ve never even painted an army of them. Heck, I’ve only ever painted a small handful and they still find their way to my list of the best Warhammer things ever. And while they may have come from a different fantasy setting, over the years, within Warhammer, they have become something wonderfully unique.

I’ve got a few projects on the go at the moment, and for at least a couple of them, I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself. I want things to be perfect in my eyes and that can lead to a lot of time when I should be painting, spent instead worrying and debating with myself – almost a painter’s paralysis. One particularly tough project had me fretting, changing things, thinking I’d found solutions and then finding they caused more problems… it was daunting. So what did I do? I decided to paint something green and now my hobby block has gone and I’m constantly raring to go when I get the time to put paint to toy soldier.

But why do greenskins work like this for me? It’s a question I’ve pondered over several decaf black coffees today and I think it’s a combination of things that I will now elaborate on. I think the first point to make is that all greenskins from Snotling Blood Bowl teams to Ironjawz, from Grots to Mega Nobz, have an inherant sense of humour to them, both in terms of the models and the lore. Oh sure, there are some fierce Orruks and Orks, but even in those we can find humour. Gordrakk may look fearsome on his Mawkrusha, but just try and get the image of that fat dragon trying to actually fly out of your head and I’m sure you’ll at least smirk before it’s gone. They have a unit actually named “Nobz” for Mork’s (and Gork’s) sake!

More over, the humour is usually far more overt. From the gretchin being sucked into the Shokk Attack Gun, to the very idea of a Megatrakk Scrapjet, and to the entire cast of the Gobbapalooza. Tankbustas strapping missiles to sticks and using them as hammers, the gloriously gobsmacking guns of Flashgitz, that rumour that big Ghaz’ name is somehow a riff on Margaret Thatcher’s name… this list goes on. And I like that. I need that. The grimdark can get all too grim and far too dark sometimes and it’s just layer after layer of agenda and one-upping and that gets so dull so fast… and then there are the greenskins. They like fightin’. That’s it. So as well as being funny, they are also not too serious. Sounds like the same point, but I’d argue it was two. 

From a converters perspective, they are a gift. Want to turn a Necron Monolith into a buggy? Do it. Want to turn that Dunecrawler into a helicopter? Have at it. Want to turn Nagash into some sort of Squig? …well, I mean if you can do that, I really want to see it! Some might argue that this is converting on “easy mode” but so what? It’s fun! And honestly, when you try and convert with anything else, it’s like you’re looking to create character, but with Or(ru)ks, the character is intrinsic. You’re simply bringing out what is already there rather than trying to implant something artificial. You are only limited by your own lunacy and I love that. Be mad, be free.

The lore is full of gems too, and I shall merely scratch the surface over this paragraph. From Gloomspite Gitz constantly tripping balls as they gobble up mushrooms, to the fact that Ork guns work because they put a bullet in a box with a tube on the end and they believe that’s what a gun is so of course it has to work. I adore the idea that Orks are keeping the Emperor of mankind alive because they believe him to be the biggest baddest boss in the galaxy and so he has to stay around – and their collective will is keeping his withered old heart beating. Humour, often so missing from modern Warhammer, has been allowed to grow and develop in the greenery.

And I will say this too – the game. Like I said, I don’t have an Ork army (which may be another reason why I love them – familiarity breeds contempt after all), but if i did, it would be a hundred Boyz and a load of big stompy shooty things, and I’d get to roll a billion dice and be fine with most of them missing. I’ve never come across an ork player who wasn’t fun to play against. Anyone who could literally use a shovel to pick up their dice for one round of shooting and expect to hit maybe 5 times, and does it with a smile on their face is aces in my book. Ork people are the best people.

That’s all the reasons I have to love greenskins. I’m currently having such a blast working on one of the Gobbapalooza and it’s bringing me so much enjoyment after a week of hobby-struggle. It’s so relaxing and pleasant.What’s more, it makes me smile because it’s bonkers. A real treat, and I hope you’ve enjoyed me extolling the virtues of going green every once in a while. Honestly, if you ever feel stressed out painting, and you want to have fun, pick up an Orruk, or an Ork, or even an Orc and have fun with it. Leave that confusing and frustrating project you were working on to one side, and spend a couple of days just having fun and giggling about “Nobz” – I promise you it’s an excellent tonic. In a hobby that can take itself too seriously by default, the greenskins remind you that you’re meant to be having fun. And with that, this little love letter is done, and I’m going to get back to my brushes. Onwards!

Heresy & Heroes – A Virtual Tour!

Posted by johnnya10 on 16/04/2021
Posted in: My Painting and Modelling, Silliness and Stuff. Tagged: . Leave a comment

So, it has come to this. Video. I recently spruced up my hobby room and I wanted to show it off a little bit because it’s looking hella dope (I don’t think anyone says that anymore, do they?), and you know how I am with photographs. Couldn’t tell my F-point from a hole in the ground, or an aperture from my elbow. So then I had a crazy notion; why not shoot a wobbly, single cut video using my phone and, it turned out quite nicely! And I ended up not showing off the room, but more my miniatures because they are looking, well, in focus!

I’m putting this video up for anyone who would like to see my collection. It’s like 10 minutes long so you certainly don’t have to watch all of it, and it turns out my voice can go a bit higher than I thought it could, but if you want to see all of my favourite minis from the last few years, you can see them all here. I’m also putting it up here because I want a record of it as it is now. Hopefully I’ll shoot another video in a few years and there’ll be more shelves and more minis I’m really proud of too.

Top 7 Observations when I watched this video back after uploading it:

  1. “How and why is your voice going that high?!”
  2. “You have way too many unfinished projects, dude”
  3. “I wonder how much money I’ve spent on mi- lalalalalaicanthearyouiamnothtinkingaboutthatlalala…”
  4. “How have you got a face for radio but a voice for mime artistry?”
  5. “Like, way too many unfinished projects”
  6. “You say ‘errrr’ way too much”
  7. “Why is it flashing! What’s with the weird white flashes!?”

But there you have it! A 10 minute virtual tour of what I joking call the “Heresy & Heroes Studio” (if I can remember the damn name of my blog – good grief) and lots of fun minis to look at at. I even say “Onwards” at the end because that’s something I do.

Anyway, I’m off to go drink too much beer and enjoy my weekend – I hope you have similar or better plans too. Onwards (again)!

5 Things That Can Help Your Hobby That Don’t Involve The Hobby

Posted by johnnya10 on 15/04/2021
Posted in: Silliness and Stuff. Leave a comment

I’m guessing you’ve probably stumbled across several (if not hundreds) of lists of things that can help your miniature painting that involve paints, brushes and all the sensible things that are actually involved in miniature painting. They’re often very useful and informative, so there’s no real point in me doing another one of those lists here. But, what if I told you there were things that you can do to help improve your painting and enjoyment of painting that have nothing to do with brushes and paints? If you called me mad, you’d not the first one to do so, and though you may be right, I’d say you were wrong here. Here are my 5 tips that will help you to paint from beyond the hobby.

Work Out

I am about as far from a gym bunny as you can get. More of a couch elephant, actually. But I do lift weights. Not big ones – but weights big enough for me to (and I immediately apologise for using this term) feel the burn. By doing this, it tightens up all the muscles in my arms, and makes them stronger which makes them steadier. After a little while doing this, you will feel things tighten up and as you paint, you’ll notice how much steadier you are with both your brush hand, and the hand you hold the mini with. Obviously don’t try and paint immediately after lifting weights as you’ll be wobbling all over the place like a jelly on trampoline that’s being bounced on by couch elephants, but if you give it a bit of time, you’ll eventually see the results. 

Ditch the Caffeine

Speaking of wobbly hands, and without wanting to sound all preachy about it, but you should probably drop the caffeine. Again, this will remove a little tremor from your hand. A few years ago, I developed a somewhat dramatic intolerance to caffeine (panic attacks are a hoot) and so switched to decaf (still love me the taste of a black coffee). The main benefit to this is of course not feeling like I’m going to die all the time, but another benefit involves the steadiness of my hands, and also, my energy levels. While caffeine gives you an initial hit, it burns you out faster, so if you like painting long into the night, ditching it can help a lot. I do have the rare Irn Bru, but that’s part of my heritage so allow it.

Go To Art Galleries & Museums

This may seem very obvious to some, but it’s always worth reiterating. When they reopen after lockdown, go and check out every museum and art gallery you can. It doesn’t even matter what’s on really. Inspiration is everywhere and whether you’re looking at Raphael or Rembrandt, Blake or Banksy, you will gain so much from seeing how they applied their paint, how they framed their subjects, how they work with light… all incredibly useful. And in museums, you may find inspiration in weaponry and armour, but you might find a new way to paint wood while looking at a Chippendale (no, not those ones), or a new way to paint glass while admiring a Steuben. Again, Inspiration is everywhere.

Go On Holiday

And leave the paints at home. While painting everyday is a great way to get good, everyone needs a break from time to time. Another one for when we come out of lockdown; go away. Doesn’t matter where. As with above, you will find new things that inspire you from different foods to foreign soil, from sandy beaches to streets you’ve yet to tread. Then, when you return in a week, you’ll be rested, full of ideas, and raring to get painting again with a head alive with new sights to interpret through the bristles of your brush. When it’s safe do so again, go see a bit more of the world.

Have Another Hobby

Warhammer can be a bit, how shall we say, “all consuming”? There are rabbit holes to get lost down, and then there are 40k rabbit holes, the depths of which are so low, even the Duardin couldn’t mine them. Have something else in your life to balance things. Read books, collect stamps, play football… just have something else because if you let yourself drift under those tides you will find yourself drowning beneath pressure, resentment, disassociation and a one-dimensional existence. I’ve been there, and the way to get out is to have something else you can turn to to help you deal with the times when the grimdark gets a bit too grim and dark. Take up knitting, pick up some watercolours, bake a cake… just have something else.

So those are my tips. I hope they are in some way useful, and I hope they lead to a more enjoyable hobby for you too. If you’ve got any other non-hobby hobby tips, let me know in the comments below. Until then, Onwards!

Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018 – Heresy & Heroes In The New Year

Posted by johnnya10 on 27/12/2017
Posted in: Silliness and Stuff. 3 Comments

Heresy & Heroes has been a lot of fun to work on in 2017, and I want to have just as much fun with it in 2018. What’s more, you’ve all been reading, liking and enjoying the posts and pages here, and we definitely want that to continue, right? So, rather than review everything that’s happened in 2017, I’m looking ahead to the future (and because I barely remember half of it), and I wanted to give you lot a quick update on that. A preview, if you will.

What You Can Expect

In short, more of the same with a few sprinkles on top. 2017 started off with me heavily entrenched in my Blood Angels Legion project, and as 2018 is more than likely to bring us a Forge World book and miniatures introducing the Sons of Sanguinius to the table top, I’ll be onboard with that. As I’m going to a Horus Heresy (and Necromunda) weekender in February, I’m hoping that I see a bit more evidence of this in the flesh/resin. Imagine if they have Sanguinius on a little plinth in a cabinet there! I’ll be squealing like a stuck squig.

blood angels veteran tactical squad

I’m still nuts for Necromunda too, and there’s plenty for me to do there. I have and Escher gang that I need to start on, and I’m hoping to bring you some game and campaign reports too – we’ll see about that. Bounty hunters, hive scum, NPCs and lots more will hopefully all pass across my table in the new year as well. I’ve got some very fun conversion ideas that I’ve already picked up a few bits for, so I’m really looking forward to working on those.

Necromunda Wyrd

And there will be all the random characters, retro miniatures, wish lists, reviews and a few pop culture nods that you’d expect from this place. Retro miniatures is an area I want to focus on a bit more, as they’ve provided a lot of satisfaction over the last year. And the random ones of course; what will be 2018’s Pickle Rick?

blood angels hammer land speeder

 

The Sprinkles

I also want to try some new things here. Maybe it’s time we heard a few more voices on these pages, and that this blog had a couple more features too. We shall see, but this is also a good time for you to tell me what you want to see. Should I be doing more of something? Less of something? Do you have any ideas of something else you’d like to see me do? Do you fear change and cower in the corner at the slightest alteration of the norm? All suggestions will be considered, so shoot me your best ones in the comments section below.

sprinkles

And at some point, and I make no promises here, I may even try a few characters from armies I’ve never tried before. I may make some things specifically for Golden Demon competitions – we shall have to wait and see. I may even get back to my Warhou …never mind. The point is, there’ll be plenty of newness going on around here as well as all the things you enjoy about this blog.

A Message For 2018 – A Brief Bob Ross Moment

bob ross your world

Approach your hobby time like a treat. Over this year, I think I’ve enjoyed painting more than during any other year, though I’m not sure why. Focussing on smaller projects that I really care about has probably helped, but no matter what I’ve been working on, I couldn’t count the amount of times that I’ve been near giddy with anticipation at work for getting home and hunkering down over my paints an brushes. And I want you to enjoy your painting like that too. 2017 has been a rough year for all of us (some more than others) and your painting and gaming time should offer you a bountiful oasis in a storm of bad news, real life and all the horrors that assail us throughout the days, weeks and months. Treat the time at your desk or table as a respite from all of this, and a chance to really enjoy yourself, better yourself, and feel innocent and rapturous pride in your work.

One of my resolutions for 2018 is to play more. I lost the bug for playing games probably back in 2016, but with both Blood Bowl and Necromunda now out, I’m going to use these as gateway games to help me really get back into the swing of it all, and with the Blood Angels getting their book at some point, I want to give Horus Heresy a real go too. And that’s one of the great things about this hobby. There are always areas to be revived or explored for the first time. I challenge you to find an area of this pursuit that you have not devoted much time to in 2017, and spend some time on it. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to continue to do it, but you might find something new to do that you love doing.

So trying something new, and enjoying ourselves – that sounds like the perfect way to sign off on 2017 don’t you think? May 2018 bring you all the joy you could wish for, both within and without the world of your toy soldiers. May you learn valuable lessons, make friendships that will last a lifetime, and find all of the things that can make you happy. Thank you so much for reading Heresy & Heroes, and may the Dice Gods be forever on your side.

And One Last Thing…

Before I sign off, I can give you a quick clue as to what will be appearing on this blog soon. All I’ll say is this; It’s almost time to… KICK OUT THE JAMS!

Happy New Year! And, as ever; Onwards!

fireworks

Necromunda Name Generators – Escher & Goliath

Posted by johnnya10 on 15/11/2017
Posted in: Silliness and Stuff. Tagged: . 2 Comments

necromunda underhive logo

Because you love them, because I have nothing better to do with my free time, and because we’re all just so darned excited for Necromunda: Underhive to be released in the very near future, I’ve put together a few name generators here for you to enjoy. The dingiest depths of the 41st Millennium are full of characters and personalities, and if you’re struggling to come up with appropriate names for yours, hopefully this post will be of some service to you.

First up, we have the Escher Gang Name Generator. I wanted the words here to evoke ideas around not only femininity, but also poisons and chemicals – the stock and trade of the Escher clan. As with many name generators on this blog that have come before it, you take the first letter of your first name, and the first letter of your surname, and this will give you a gang name for your band of femme fatales.

escher gang name generators

So, in this instance, as my initials are JA, I get The Jealous Aces, which ain’t half bad. If your initials are SD, you’d get The Stiletto Dames which I happen to think is a seriously cool name invoking an idea of Film Noir assassins played by the likes of Lauren Bacall or Katherine Hepburn. Nice. What did you get? Stick it in the comments below and let me know what you thought of it.

Next up, is the Goliath Gang Name Generator. I want this to bring to mind ideas of extreme masculinity, and also the forges and foundries where this bunch of meatheads hammer away. You get how to do this by now, so give this one a go:

goliath gang name generator

In this instance, I get The Jagged Aggressors, but if your initials are HS, you’d get the Hotwire Skulls. Personally, I want someone with the initials UW to use this, because I miss tassels and face-paint. Also, it would kind of fit with the whole hulking(sic) steroid user thing. Moving on…

Now, that’s usually all that you get from me with these things, right? Well, this time, I decided to spend a lot of my free time (trying to save money and stay out of the pubs a bit with Christmas coming up) working on something a bit more in depth. As mentioned, this is a game full of characters and personalities, and having defined names to attach to every member of your gang makes it all the more personal. So, I’ve been a bit ambitious. I’ve created Gang Member Name Generators for both House Escher and House Goliath. Here you go…

House Escher Gang Member Name Generator

House Escher Gang Member Name Generator

There are no hard and fast rules as to how you use these. It’s done on a D66 basis, and you can use it as you see fit. I’ve kind of been using the following formula: Gangers get a name combo from the Name 1 columns, Champions get a ‘Name 1’ and a ‘Name 2’, and Champions get something from each of the 3 Names. When I rolled my D66 for the Goliath Gang, it meant I got the following:

Ganger 1: Slamgorn

Ganger 2: Joltnak

Ganger 3: Drillsnag

Ganger 4 : Skardrag

Ganger 5: Fragcred

Ganger 6: Harksmelt

Ganger 7: Skorcon

Champion 1: Lankstab Goreshrieker

Champion 2: Tragras Bloodchomper

Gang Leader: Drakloss “The Imperator” Toothcrusher

I’m interested to see how well this one works to be honest. I’ve never tried these sorts of name generators before, but like I said, you can use them how you want. Just have names made from column 1 and column 4, or just use the nicknames, or Name 2 and nicknames combined… it’s up to you and I hope you get a bit of fun out of it however you use it. Or just enjoy five minutes wasting time when you should be working.

Tell me what you think in the comments below. Get any good names? Get any bad ones? I should have something painted to show you soon too, so stay tuned for that. But with all of that done, I shall just wish you happy painting, and happy naming. Onwards!

goliath ganger

Friday Fun – Ork Name Generator

Posted by johnnya10 on 20/10/2017
Posted in: Silliness and Stuff. Tagged: , . 3 Comments

I figured, as I’ve been banging on about the Desk Project that I’m doing at the moment rather a lot recently, I’d do something fun and silly for this Friday. So, to give you a couple of minutes of hopefully Orkish giggles at the end of a long week, I give you the Ork name generator. Now, long ago, I did the Ork clan name generator and it was a lot of fun. But I wanted to test myself (and particularly my Orkish vocabulary) by making a generator that can help you come up with the name of an Ork character, boss or boy. So here you go:

ork name generator

As you can probably tell, it works pretty simply. Your first initial and second initial make up your Ork’s forename, and the first letter of your street name and mother’s maiden name will give you the Ork’s surname. Well, I don’t think it’s really a surname – more of an dis-honorific. A nickname… whatever it is, this is how it works. So my name would be Jabarm Squigtroopa. If your name was Rob Stevens and you lived on Jones St, and your mother’s maiden name was Howard, your Ork name would be Redshag Jawhacka. Get it?

Well, you know the drill. Have a go, leave a comment below and tell me what you think of it. Did you like what you got, can you think of improvements, or do you now wish you were called something else? Either way, I hope it gives you a brief moment of Orky goodness after a hard week – you’ve earned your teef, and a good weekend to be sure.

40k orks rogue trader

And one final word about the desks project; I’ve started to build the page! It’s coming along great and we’ve had more submissions than I was expecting. Provided I can get everything organised by next week, it should be going up then, so keep an eye on the blog for that update. Onwards!

Bits And Bobs – Random Hobby Thoughts In July ’17

Posted by johnnya10 on 06/07/2017
Posted in: My Painting and Modelling, Silliness and Stuff, Thoughts and Comment, Uncategorized. Tagged: . 2 Comments
Every now and again, as my regular readers can attest to, I like to put up a post that isn’t really about one thing. It’s about lots of things that maybe don’t deserve their own posts. The little bits and bobs of hobby-related ideas and activities that are worth voicing (well, I think they are and it’s my blog, so there) but not stretching out to a full post. So, here goes…
WoundWangs
Bits And Bobs - Random Hobby Thoughts
Heard of a WoundWang before? Well, now you have. These little bits of pointy plastic are the genius brainchild of Mönk Stevens and they are incredibly useful for tracking wounds in 40k now that there are some beasties out there with dozens of wounds on them. They come in a wide range of different sizes to cater for models with just a few wounds, to the really big stuff as well. The project is now backed on Kickstarter (and I count myself among the backers) but seeing as it’s such a darn good idea, it’s worth spreading the word a bit more. And if nothing else, you can giggle at the name. Wang. Lol.
Back the Woundwang project on Kickstarter today!
WIPs
I have found a little more time to paint recently and my Blood Bowl team, Da Mighty Redz, are progressing, though slowly. I’ve added three more linemen since the last time I posted, and I’ve also done their turn/score icons as well.
orc blood bowl team wip
I’ve also got a crazy plan for their cheat tokens, but more on that later.
And hot on the heels of last week’s Primaris Lieutenant, I’ve decided to get my grossness on again and I’m having a crack at the big bell bloke from the Dark Imperium box (I’ll learn his name later). He’s in his very early stages right now, but you can get an idea of what I’m working towards here:
nurgle marine wip
Some classic Nurgle green, and plenty of tainted metallics as well. Yuk, but yay. A few more bits to base layer and wash before highlighting happens, but I’m hoping to get a chance to work on it this weekend.
Orks & Primaris 
orcs and space marines
This is just a shower thought I had about how the appearance of Primaris Marines must have affected the greenskins. We know that Orks associate a great deal of importance with size. The bigger the Ork, the more authority he has. Snotlings are at the bottom of the food chain, then grots, then boys and then Nobs. Well, for all these millennia, presumably the Orks have considered the Space Marines to be the Nobs, and the Guardsmen the grots, right? So how did they react when they saw the new Primaris Marines? Surely these new humies must be the real Nobs! They’re so much bigger! Which of course to orks means that there’s more humie to kill, which is all well and good, but they still must have had a shock when they realised that what they thought were humie nobs were just boys and that the nobs have only just now arrived. Just one of those random thoughts that pops into your head when you spend too much time hunched over your paints and minis. Has anyone else thought this, or had a similar sort of thought recently?
Codices Are Coming
And what a schedule to look forward to. For those indignant that the Space Marines get the first book, you need to hush up a little. A) Often times the first book is the weakest (Baby, I know the first book is the weakest / But when it comes to rolling lucky I’m cursed / When it comes to learning rules I’m the worst… *cough* sorry about that. Anyway…) and B) Of course they were going to get the first book! They’re the poster boys and they just got a load of new fancy units. It would be weird if they didn’t go first.
8th edition codex
But by the end of the year (and that’s not that long) they’re talking about having 10 books out, which is darn good. While the index books have been fine for getting us all familiar with the new rules, they lack personality, they’re a bit bloated and cumbersome, and obviously, they don’t include the fluff or miniature galleries either. This will be a busy and very interesting schedule and I’m sure I’ll cover it in more depth as the books get released – I will definitely be getting a copy of the Space Marines book though, so I’m looking forward to that.
And that’s sort of that. Not too much specific, but plenty going on. I hope your own hobby efforts are going well. Onwards!

Chaos Space Marine Warband Name Generators

Posted by johnnya10 on 20/06/2017
Posted in: Silliness and Stuff, Uncategorized. Tagged: . 4 Comments
chaos space marine
Well, if I learned one thing last week, it was that you lot like name generators. It’s been a rather warm week where i am now, and so there’s not a great deal appealing about sitting in my baking hot flat watching my paints dry out as I water down the acrylics with my own sweat. Yes, it’s that hot here. But even hotter than that, was the blog post that I put out last week that contained a couple of new name generators for the armies in your Warhammer 8th Edition box set.
Almost a thousand visitors came to Heresy & Heroes on one day which was incredible. And lots of good comments both here, on social media sites and via emails too. And so, because a couple of people asked and because I wanted to do it, I’m giving you three more name generators! Because I did a Nurgle one last time, followers of the other dark Gods were a little miffed that they had been left out, and I shall now rectify this…
Also: Check out the links at the bottom of the page to the automated random name generators that have been uploaded to Ritual Miniatures. You can have plenty of fun refreshing those.
Tzeentch Chaos Space Marine Warband Name Generator
For all you Thousand Sons players out there whose miniatures no longer follow Ahriman and Magnus from within the XV legion, I bring new way of coming up with a new warband name…
thousand sons tzeentch name generator
I got The Jackels Of The Ruinous Alter – quite fitting for a band of Half-Dead Space Egyptians. What did you get? And are you happy with it?
Slaanesh Chaos Space Marine Warband Name Generator
Ah, my favourites. This name generator is all about pleasing She Who Thirsts, and pandering to The Prince of Pain and Pleasure itself, Slaanesh. Plenty of warped takes on conventionally unwarped things should come from this one…
emperors children slaanesh name generator
I’m more than happy with The Juggernauts Of Arrogance (I know ‘juggernaut’ is a bit Khorney, but even that is a little subversive which fits fine with Slaanesh) but did you get something even better?
Khorne Chaos Space Marine Warband Name Generator
And then there’s Khorne. I was tempted to make every entry here a variation on either ‘blood’ or ‘skull’ but in the end I tried to be different. A little bit, anyway. ‘Skulls’ is still an option. But every warband that already exists that I could find was something like ‘The Blood Slaughter’ or ‘The Slaughtering Skulls’ or something like that. So, hopefully this will give you something a bit different…
khorne warband name generator
In this instance, my army would be called The Jagged Axe which is perfectly Khorney. What did you think about this one?
Anyway, that’ll be it for these for a little while probably (unless a lot of requests come in). Next up will be more on my painting efforts and a bit more on the 8th Edition changes – played my first game of it yesterday and have a lot of positive things to say about it. A couple of downers too, but it was an overwhelmingly positive experience. Onwards!
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And for those of you who want to try something a little different and far more usefully put together, the eminently talented Dan over at Ritual Miniatures has put together some fancy automated versions as well. Check out the Tzeentch, Slaanesh and Khorne random warband name generators now!

Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition: New War Band/Chapter Name Generators

Posted by johnnya10 on 14/06/2017
Posted in: Silliness and Stuff. Tagged: . 12 Comments
oprah primaris marines
As a bit of fun, and because we’re just a couple of days away from the release of Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition, I have put together two new name generators to help you do just that – generate some names. As well as the Primaris Marine Chapter Name Generator, there’s a Death Guard War Band Name Generator too – how’s that for a slice of fried adamantium?!
primaris marine
Let’s start off with the “Good” guys; The Primaris Marines. Now of course, you can add these hulking, super-sized killing machines to any existing chapter, from Blood Angels to Space Wolves, from Nova Marines to Howling Griffins, but if you’re one of the people thinking about collecting a brand new chapter, made purely of Primaris Marines, you can do that too. And that’s where this name generator comes in. As with before in the classic marine variant, you take your initials to get your chapter name. Here’s it is:
primaris marine chapter name generator
Now, I’ll come clean, there are some repetitions in there from the original because some of the more high-scoring-in-scrabble letters just don’t have that many useful words. You shouldn’t get something completely the same, but if you do, try using your middle initial, or the name of a loved one instead. As my initials are JRA, I would be the ‘Jade Avengers’ but if I wanted to change things up a little, I could always switch to ‘Jade Redeemers’ or ‘Revenant Avengers’. What did you get? And how do you like it?
blanche_nurgle_-_Google_Search
And now for the really fun one; the Nurgle Name Generator. If you’re starting a new Nurgle marine force and you don’t want to go with the Death Guard or any of the other existing War Bands that venerate the generous Grandfather, here’s a war band name generator for you:
nurgle death guard war band name generator
Sorry to all the Dave Greens in this world – you’re stuck with it. It was so much fun coming up with this one. All those lovely, plague-ridden words. Everything should sound gribbly, rotten, horrible and gross. In this iteration, I would be building the ‘Jagged Afflicters’ War Band, but if I wasn’t too happy with that (I am – I may well work on those soon!), then I could go with The ‘Jagged Rot’ or even ‘Rusting Afflicters’. How about you? Have you found something suitably gross and disgusting?
I hope you had fun with those – I certainly enjoyed making them. And it definitely helped me stave off the ravenous hunger I have to get hold of the 8th Box set. Speaking of which, I’m likely picking it up on Sunday, but will do a review for it here next week. Onwards!
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Update: The very clever and talented Dan at Ritual Miniatures has created a far prettier and slightly more randomised version of these Name Generators over at his site. Check out his name generator now!