Well, well, well. What do we have here then? This isn’t one of my usual rambling articles, but just a quick post regarding GW’s new teaser trailer. Have a quick watch (if you’ve not done so already) and let’s discuss…
So, we have an Aquila-shaped skull. That’s already interesting. I mean, trust GW to turn a two-headed eagle into a skull because, hey, everything should be a skull, right? 😉 And inscribed above it, we have “B50-AP/78903//M/h” inscribed above the skull eagle (Skeagle?). Now what the heck does that mean?
Now, as regular readers will know, I don’t usually just post these vids up here, but the reason I’m posting this is that it’s a genuine mystery at the moment. I’ve had a quick check in comments sections and a couple of forums, and there’s nothing certain. Usually when one of these teasers comes out everyone is just like “Oh, so Dwarves then” and then it’s just about waiting. This one has had people talking about Grey Knights, Death Watch, Dark Mech, a new campaign, Legio Cybernetica, Necromunda, Assassins, and about a billion other things. I like it! True intrigue! And does that code mean something? Or perhaps it’s a red herring and it means nothing. Who knows!? Whatever this is, you can call me intrigued.
So what do you think? Got any cunning theories? If you do, stick them below in the comments. I genuinely have no idea so happy to hear any and all theories. Onwards!
I wanted to show off a bit more of the Orc Blood Bowl team but it’s still not done and I didn’t want to do just another WIP post as I’ve shown them off a couple of times now. So what I thought I’d do was show you how I’m painting them. I’m not much of a batch painter, and this method has worked for me throughout this project. You may do something like this yourself already and if that’s the case, you may as well skip on to the last photograph and see the finished project. But for those of you who are interested in how I do what I do, this is where it starts…
Stage 1: Undercoat
Not the most interesting of stages, I shall grant you. I put the muddy stuff down first (I used Blackfire Earth which is a difficult bugger to get down but leaves a lovely effect) and undercoated in black because this is going to be a dark looking miniature when finished. When you start, you may see some patches didn’t get much of the Chaos Black Spray so just touch those up with a little watered down Abaddon Black.
Stage 2: Basecoat
The entire miniature is given its base colours. There aren’t that many of them but keep it all neat. I made the skin with black and Waaagh! Flesh – after all this is a Black Orc and you want a nice dark, almost ‘Dark Angels’ sort of green. In the words of our Lord and Saviour, Duncan, you want to use two thin coats all over. And don’t get frustrated if you miss the odd bit and have to go back to a colour you’d thought you were done with – it happens to the best of us. Also, Rhinox hide has gone down on the base.
Stage 3: Wash
Everything gets washed aside from the red and black on this miniature. Use a complimentary shade for each different colour, such as an orange wash for the yellow areas, or a deep green for the green areas. The silver areas, and a few gaps and cuts in the red get treated with Nuln Oil to add some real depth. In fact, this is going to add shadow and depth all over the model, which you then bring back up in…
Stage 4: Highlight
This is a bit of a long winded stage but it really does add so much to the model. With steady hands avoiding the recesses and keeping to the edges, you work with lighter colours than in the basecoating stage. For skin, you want to build up the colour over several stages for a more natural look. And for both the silver areas and the red areas, you can use a highlight and lowlight. For example, over Mephiston Red, for down facing edges use Evil Sunz Scarlet, and Fire Dragon Bright on the upward facing edges to represent light hitting them. But for many areas, you only need a single highlight colour.
Stage 5: Details
Think of this as drawing with a brush. You’re adding patterns and details that aren’t built into the sculpt. This is the little brother of true freehand painting, and on this Orc, I’ve added the ‘Orcidas’ stripes, the torch emblem on one shoulder and the number on the other. Because it’s Orcs, I don’t want to be too neat, but if you’re working on a miniature that ought to look a little more perfect, you need to practice your steady hand. I also took off some of the white by using a rough old brush with a little Mephiston Red on it. This neatly leads us on to…
Stage 6: Effects
Typhus Corrosion is your friend here. This is the stage where you add the mud, rust, wear and tear. A bit of rust on the bare metal is always a nice touch, and of course a bit of mud on a Blood Bowl player is very good. In fact, after taking these photos, I went back and added a little more mud (especially to the shoes) and I sponged on some black spots and ‘wear patches’ too. I also added some ‘Ardcoat to the mud to make it look wetter, and a touch to the eye as well to give it some life.
Stage 7: Basing
Our final stage! Clean up the base (you don’t need to go green – I’m going retro for this) and keep it neat. A subtle bit of white lining on the patchy flock that was added using a little PVA glue and a quick dip in the flock box.
And that’s your lot. I love seeing how the miniature comes together under the paint. I’m getting closer to finishing the core of the Orc team so keep a look out for that, though there are a few other little bits to add to the overall squad. But more on that later. I hope that’s given you a bit of an idea regarding how I do what I do, I also hope that it might help an aspiring painter or two. But who knows. If you have any questions, stick them below, and I will do my best to answer them. Onwards!
I’ve seen this topic crop up a few times in recent weeks. On various message boards, there has been moaning on both sides of the argument regarding the painting side of the hobby, and I thought I’d chip in my two cents. I’ve mentioned it briefly before but this time I want to write a little more on the subject, and why, to me, painting your miniatures is a must.
First of all, do remember that you can tell me to get on my bike. You don’t have to take one bit of notice of what I’m going to say, but I’m still going to say it. Anyone who disagrees is welcome to leave a comment below (constructive preferred) or ignore the whole damn article.
The opponent that I dislike facing the most, is the unpainted horde. A hundred grey miniatures and not a drop of paint upon them. It’s awful. I loathe the very prospect. I’ve even heard of some players having special house rules to deal with this. In older editions, giving your army Hatred (Unpainted) was a popular one. I just used to say that if it wasn’t painted, you weren’t playing it on my table, but I always bent that rule for new players. They have an excuse, but the more long-in-the-fang gamers have none.
So why do I hate it? For me, a big part of the game is the thematic, almost cinematic nature of the battle. When I survey my 6×4 board and toy soldiers, I like to imagine that it’s a scene from an epic war film, and unpainted miniatures kill this for me. It’s like facing a load of training robots rather than a real enemy and it’s just not as fun.
I’m not the greatest painter in the world, but I practice a lot and I put a lot of effort into painting my miniatures to help me achieve this level of imagination-positive work. Now I do this because I enjoy painting, and I totally get that not everyone does. That’s cool, but many players don’t necessarily like having to remember complex tactics or exact rule wording in order to use their miniatures, but they put the effort in.
That’s the trade off, I guess. We have a set of rules and the game pieces, and technically, that is all we need. However, there are standards within that, are there not? I could turn up to play someone with the rule book and my relevant codex and spend hours looking things up each turn. I could turn a three hour game into a six hour game just because I own the rules so therefore, I don’t need to memorise them. I have access to them, and that’s all I need. As frustrating as it is for my opponent, I can tell him that ‘sorry, I spent my money to buy the rules, but I don’t need to memorise them because I don’t really like doing that’. To me, there’s no difference there to someone saying they don’t like painting and so they’re not going to paint, even if it affects the way you enjoy the game.
It’s about mutual respect. You wouldn’t turn up for a date having not washed for three days and saying ‘well, all you need is right here, so what are you complaining about?’, right? In the same way someone doesn’t turn up to a pick up or tournament game with a codex still in the wrapper saying ‘it’s alright, I’ll read it as we go along’. This hobby is, for most people about the two different elements – painting and playing. Most people lean one way or the other, and so don’t run the risk of disrespecting your opponent by either not knowing your rules, or by playing with unpainted miniatures.
And most primarily-painting-orientated hobbyists will tell you that it’s better to have three colours down than none at all. And if anyone tells you that your painting sucks, tell them they suck. The overwhelming majority of the painting community wouldn’t dream of doing something like that (even if they thought it) and it’s only a small number of squigg-brains who are dicks about it.
What’s more, in the same way that I can ask people for tactical advice because, while I am more painting-orientated, I still like to win the odd game, if you’re more gaming orientated and you’d like your army to look better, ask a painter for some tips. There are ways to quickly paint things and ways to make things look better for very little money or time investment. You won’t win Golden Demon with those skills, but hell, I’m not going to win Golden Demon any time soon and I’ve been painting miniatures for ages! We all like good games and good looking armies, so how about we help each other out here? A coat of wash and a quick drybrush will take you seconds and will make a big difference.
Of course, many of us are both painter and gamer, and in truth I haven’t run into a grey horde player in a very long time. Just remember that in this game, you should always show respect for your opponent. Whether that means learning your rules or painting your miniatures, it’s worth doing, and there’s no problem asking for help.
But, hey. If you don’t like painting your miniatures, and you’re in a group that doesn’t mind facing a grey horde, then don’t worry about it. I’ll promise you this though – even with a basic paintjob, your enjoyment of the game will go up.
I hope that’s set my position out. Certainly not trying to have a go at anyone, and I totally get that those of us not interested in painting don’t want to paint. But mutual respect and enjoyment is such a big part of this hobby – if not the best part, and I hold it to be true that just as painters should spend time learning rules, gamers should spend a little bit of time throwing colour down. And I want more of those big, epic, cinematic war zone vistas – I can’t imagine that my opponents wouldn’t like this too.
Hopefully-not-a-rant over. 😉 What about you? Do you mind facing grey plastic armies? Or do refuse to play the unpainted? Interested to know, so stick a comment below. Onwards!
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
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.
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.
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:
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
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.
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!
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…
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…
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…
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!
It’s getting closer. Are you looking forward to it? Am I? You know I am. Yes, Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition is just a few days away from landing on the shelves, and I for one am excited. Not only that, I feel that I already know so much about the game, that I’m genuinely eager to play it. And that’s what I want to talk about now – the benefits of knowing a game before you play it.
Think about it like this; You’re new to a country or community and one day your friends invite you to play a game. It’s a local game called, I dunno, ‘Dooperball’. You like playing games and meeting people, so you agree to come along. When you get there, you find that Dooperball looks like a bizarre combination of Rugby, Monopoly, Chess and Water Polo. There are a billion and one things going on and you have no idea what any of them are. You give it a go, and make a lot of mistakes but you carry on. And then, a couple of years later, when you’ve got your head around playing Dooperball, your mate says ‘We’ve updated Dooperball’s rules!’ and everyone else has read them except you, and you find out that it’s more of a cross between American Football, Scrabble, Checkers and Synchronised Swimming. Similar, but different, and it feels like you’re learning it all over again, and by the time you master it, another new set of rules come out.
That’s what Warhammer 40,000 used to be like. You’d get good, get your army list set how you liked it, and then a new edition (or even just a new codex) would come out and change all of that. Well, no more.
In yet another example of GW opening up and talking to their fans and the community is the fact that 8th Edition has been play tested by external players who have a better understanding of what the people want. And on top of that, we heard all about it long before release. Articles about each faction, interviews with designers and a steady stream of information about all the changes have allowed us to ready ourselves and, dare I say it, look forward to the changes to come. You can even go into your local GW store and have a game right now! It’s like we’re goldfish and, very thoughtfully, they left us in the bag before tipping us into the tank, allowing us time to adjust and not suffer a goldfish-heart-attack (or whatever happens to them).
And of course, just as Rogue Trader borrowed from Oldhammer Fantasy way back when, 40k 8th has borrowed heavily from AoS. I won’t profess to being an expert in AoS having only played a handful of games, but it’s a much better system for someone like me in comparison to the old WFB system. And what’s more, it hasn’t made it like for like – there are some subtle differences that very much retain the feel of 40k, and 8th Ed looks like it’s taken the very best bits of AoS that make the game genuinely fun and enjoyable to play, while still keeping it challenging. This is not AoS – It’s 40k that nods to a system that has surprised many by how popular it is.
On top of all of that, Games Workshop has been working with other content producers to help get the word out there, while using its own Twitch channel to further give people plenty of insight. At the moment, I’m loving watching the guys from MiniWarGaming get to grips with their factions and test out the games. We’re getting some insight into tactics, but not the full breakdown – it’s revealing while still being enticing. It’s a classic marketing tactic and I’m thrilled that GW are using it, because my interest is growing with every round of gaming that I see.
Now I’ll confess; 7th Ed passed me by. I got in a couple of games, but I didn’t play nearly as often as I did with 6th, or even 5th. I just never had the desperate urge to play it. But now, I’m actually thinking that I could become much more of a gamer. I might even push myself to enter a tournament at some point. I’m not coming into this like a Dooperball noob – I already feel like I know pretty much what I’ll be playing, and I’ve got the basic rules lodged in my head. And that is a nice feeling.
So here is my declaration to you – I will be playing more games of 40k this edition, and any that I do play, you’ll hear about here. And GW deserve a lot of credit for that pledge and attitude because of their own attitude. The openness is refreshing, and it’s got me very excited for the new edition. And that seems ti be true for many – not all of course, and many have their gripes, both legitimate concerns and not. To those people, I would urge them to wait and see – I think it’s going to be a good game. And if you hate it, no-one’s stopping you from playing 7th. But I, for one, can’t wait. With excitement; Onwards!
Yes, I am taking a break from 40k, albeit a brief one, because I am getting into Blood Bowl again with my Orc team – Da Mighty Redz. In an homage to old-school basing practices, and my beloved Liverpool FC, this team will soon be taking to the pitch, and I even hope to get a couple of tournaments under my belt by the end of the year. So let’s meet the players…
Only four players have passed through the paintbrush process so far, but I was happy enough that I wanted to show them off. Two linemen and two throwers are ready to take the field, and I’m very happy with them so far.
Starting from the bottom, yes, those are goblin green bases. Well, Skarsnik Green (as it is these days) to be exact, but it’s as close as I’m going to get. It suits the “field of play” look that a Blood Bowl team should to have, and is gloriously retro to boot. I’ve been able to use flock again for the first time in years, and there are a few rocks on those bases too – well, this is an orc pitch. To them, the rocks just make the game more fun.
Their bases also feature their names; Brute Goblar, Hip-Prya, Stabya Lonzo and Burnz. For those of you who don’t get the references, that’s Bruce Grobbelaar, Sami Hyypia, Xabi Alonso and John Barnes – a selection of my footballing heroes. The rest will have equally orc-y monikers too.
So of course, they have a red strip (well, the armour is red), and their kit sponsor is Orcidas. Their team badge is a flaming torch, and they all feature their numbers – the same as those of their name-inspiring Liverpool players. Goblar even has “YNWA” painted on his chest plate, but rather than standing for “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, it stands for the far more orc-appropriate “Yu’ll Neva Walk Again”.
I didn’t know how I’d feel about there being two of each model in this team, but I’ve found that with some minor mods, and a few change ups in the paint jobs, that this isn’t an issue. As someone who briefly played American Football, a uniformity in stances is actually a good thing. What’s more, I like my Orcs being different shades of green. It really does help to give them each an individual look.
And finally, I wanted to show these guys off against my old Dark Elf team. These particular Dark Elves were only painted (by me) perhaps four years ago (too many models have passed over my painting table since then to recall exactly) but you can see how far I’ve come since then. At least I hope you can – I can and that’s what’s important. Not only that, but it gives you an idea of how much larger and more impressive the new models are. I can’t wait to see the Elven Union team and, dare I dream, a Dark Elf team in the future too.
That’s your lot for now. More Scouse Orcs (Scorcs?) to come in the near future. But for now, that’s all on my models.
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On a sadder note, I just wanted to pay my own little tribute to Alan Bligh who unfortunately passed away a few days ago. I had the privilege of meeting him on more than one occasion at Forge World Open Days and other GW events, and he was such a nice person, and a genuine fan of the game as well. He was funny too – some of his Q&A answers at the Warhammer Fest I attended a couple of years back had the room in stitches.
For me, his work on the Badab War books was a glorious achievement. I read those two hefty tomes from cover to cover and loved every word of it. Thanks for that, Alan.
Finally! My Blood Angels Veteran Tactical Squad is, at last, done. The Horus Heresy now welcomes Squad Castor – The Black Helms, 1st Squad of the XIIIth Chapter of the IX Legion. It’s a bit of a long title, so let’s just call them the Black Helms, shall we? It’s taken me a couple of months to find the time to finish them, but I’m happy I took the time – not too shabby looking, and certainly unique, even if I do say so myself.
This marks the last bit of the Betrayal of Calth box and the penultimate unit of ‘Phase 1’ of my 30k Blood Angels Legion project. And boy, do these chaps like setting fire to things. I showed them off in the WIP from last month, but you can see better above that these guys are certainly packing plenty of templates (which should still be around in 30k for a little while at least, even if they’re not long for 40k). Let’s take a look at the rest of the squad shall we?
So, why the black helmets? Well, I initially planned to paint them gold, as per the conventions regarding Blood Angels vets, but for whatever reason, this didn’t sit quite right when I was imagining them. This project, as long term readers will recall, has drawn a lot from the 2nd Ed 40k box art from John Blanche, and there’s not a whole lot of gold going on there. I guess there could be, but there isn’t and the effect felt a little alien to the rest of the army’s aesthetics. Then I realised that, without the Death Company around in this era, and with no other unit claiming the colour for their helmets, I thought; why not? I used mostly Forge World upgrade BA heads and I’m really pleased with the way it turned out. Also, this can add to the unique narrative I’m forging for the XIIIth of the IX. Black means death to the Blood Angels, and maybe these warriors have cheated death for so long, that they wear its own colours in defiance. Something like that, anyway.
I also wanted a bit of yellow throughout to make them pop. Maybe this shows off that they have the ability to operate as assault vets, though on this occasion they’re favouring a tactical load out. The knee pads, and yellow blood drops on their shoulders help to liven them up a bit, and help to tie them in to the themes of my army as a whole.
You’ll notice that my Legion Vexilla is a little different for this squad too – a piece borrowed from the Sanguinary Guard kit that helps these guys to both fit in and stand out in the army. The heavy flamers are a great looking bit of kit but if you want to avoid hobby-inspired rage, you should be warned that fitting the fuel line from the tanks on their backs to the weapons can be a nightmare. They actually led to me thumping a model with my fist (don’t worry, I pulled the punch) for the first time in decades. “Fiddly” doesn’t begin to describe it. But hey, that’s what super glue, green stuff and therapy are for, right? Oh, and as with other minis in this army, heavy flamers mean white flames and their shoulder pads do help them to pop a little more.
I’ve given the squad a bit of height and variation with some very simple but effective basing too. Half on slate, half not – it’s a very easy way to keep things interesting and it takes very little effort to do. Oh, and the sergeant is wearing the Master of Signals’ backpack. It was meant to be the nuncio vox upgrade from Forge World, but I mixed them up, and in the end decided to stick with this. I’m not intending on using my Master of Signals any time soon, and it does look rather fancy – again, it helps to make him a little different from the other sergeants.
Speaking of the sarge, meet Sergeant Castor. He’s got his black flames, yellow cloth, and even a golden Sanguinius mask to be getting along with. He also has his trusty hand flamer and a stonking great power fist for no other reason than it looks cool, and when you’re packing a squad like this full of bells and whistles, the additional points involved with power fists… well, you just think ‘Why not?’. And there’s the “SaOlNpS hOaF lHeOgRiUoSn” (read the caps and lower case letters separately) helmet on his base, with its bolt hole. I’m really happy with various parts of this particular mini. The power fist looks good, it’s one of the best bare heads I’ve done, and that’s some of my best ever script work on both the fist and his shoulder. Winner.
And there you have them! All done, and on to the next project. Which will definitely not be another 10 man squad. Not for a while at least. No, I think these guys need a unique and fancy ride… but more on that later.
Was a pleasure working on these, and I hope you like them too. Any comments, or questions, just let me know in the section below. I hope your own hobby efforts are bringing you plenty of satisfaction. Onwards!
With the ever-present publication that is the one and only White Dwarf turning 40 this month, I thought I’d pay my own tribute to Grombrindal’s rag right here on H&H. I’ve even pulled out a few of my favourite issues and covers – the sight of which still enthuse me with the hobby spirit (though I’ll confess that a couple were from before my time). I, like nearly every gamer, have a stack of these magazines at home, and though all my older editions long since were thrown away, I still remember those old monthlies like it was yesterday…
When I was but a slip of a lad (the lad in question being my father, and the slip being me) I, like several other children, enjoyed toys. And, being that I was a boy child, I liked guns and swords and tanks and all the really fun things that I’m now told aren’t fun and are in fact a stereotypical cage with which to assign children their future gender roles based on patriarchal pigeon holing (which sounds like an incestuous sex act but moving swiftly on) but I, as a child, didn’t really care about all that. I liked guns, and I didn’t like dolls, and I don’t think that did me any harm (nor would it have done any harm if I’d liked dolls instead of guns of course). What’s more, being an avid reader, I liked comic books because these were like books but thinner, cheaper, and full of guns and swords and silly words like ‘Waz-Bo!’ and ‘Zoorp!’.
I remember all those years ago that I was once in a news agents when I was of an age to still be receiving pocket money (which narrows it down to anywhere up to the age of 31) and I saw what looked like a comic book, and it had a free toy on it. What’s more, that toy was holding a gun! Just as a pizza covered in curry sauce and topped with chocolate bars would be a combination of my three favourite foods now, this was a combination of my three favourite things then. Incidentally, my three favourite foods back then would have been chips, bread and roast potatoes which, while nice, wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting. I scraped together what little pocket money I had, and bought a chocolate bar which I used as a distraction while I stole the magazine. And I haven’t looked back (or gone back into that news agents) since.
That pinched magazine was White Dwarf Issue 166 from 1993. I was almost 10 years old. And it was glorious. I didn’t understand half of what was going on inside, and it certainly wasn’t a comic book (which was a little annoying at the time) but it was so much fun. It was a new world full of strange words like ‘Space Orks’ and ‘Norse Raiders’ and ‘Man O’War’. And then I discovered that you could actually buy all of these things! Oh, the elation! Well, you can see how many exclamation marks I’ve been using here – that should give you some idea of how exciting this all was back then. But just in case I haven’t quite conveyed that, here are some more!!
My birthday was a few days later and I actually asked for a subscription to the magazine for my main present. This was unusual because it wasn’t made of lego and, as far as my mum could tell, wasn’t covered in guns and swords. Then she opened my copy and saw that it was full of guns and swords at which point she rolled her eyes (she got a 3 and a 2), shrugged her shoulders and sent off for what would be one of the most influential birthday gifts I ever got. Thanks, mum.
And so it has been ever since. Well almost. During my teenage years, I replaced White Dwarf with Loaded for a while (along with some much studied copies of Playboy that I purchased with a deep voice which, at the time, was more valuable than Sterling) but even when I was trying to be all cool, I would keep myself up to date. But before that, I saw some amazing things in those old White Dwarf issues. 4vs4 battle reports, the birth of characters like Captain Tycho, games like Epic 40,000, Titan Legions and the 3rd Edition of 40k being announced, and so much more. Names like Jervis Johnson, John Blanche, Adrian Smith, Mike McVey, Andy Chambers, Rick Priestly, Gavin Thorpe and so many others became familiar monickers that were uttered with the same levels of veneration that popes typically reserve for saints.
From one of those amazing 4vs4 battle reports
In later years, those personalities have all but disappeared from regular issues, and the magazine has gone through many changes. We had the recent run of weekly mini-Dwarf and monthly Visions magazines, and while I was fine with this, it didn’t really feel like White Dwarf (though issue 16 of Visions is a sure classic because some of my miniatures are in that one). As the hobby has grown, so have the depth of features and now these magazines are full of useful painting tips, conversion ideas and inspiring armies and miniatures from very talented painters. Not that those haven’t always been there, but it’s amazing to be able to chart the progression of the talent involved in this hobby.
Even today, as a sour, embittered middle aged man who has to deal with things like paying council tax, tinder dates, and morning commutes, I still get a wee pang of joy when I get my hands on the latest White Dwarf. It’s an escape that lives in my rucksack for much of the month, and is taken out to quietly enliven long train journeys and boring periods of waiting around (often waiting for those trains). It has been a near constant in my life since the age of 9, and it has brought me so much joy and inspiration that has lead me to be the hobbyist that I am today. Thanks, White Dwarf.
So, as this sickly sweet and saccharine puff piece of a blog post draws to a close, and my trip down memory lane leads me back to the fast moving motorway of modern responsibilities, I shall simply say this; I like White Dwarf. It is not the perfect magazine, but it is one that I read religiously. It has its issues with its issues but I am forever glad that it is there, and for the most part, it oft plays a blinder. And I’d like to thank the thieving little git that I once was for swiping me my first copy. It was good enough that I have paid for every issue since.
So, you may have noticed this little thing about a new edition of 40k appearing some time in the very near future. No? Not heard anything? I don’t blame you. It’s not like everyone everywhere within the wargaming community has been obsessing over it for the last month. It’s not like the battle lines between those excited and optimistic, and those already googling “how to set fire to my Tyranid army” and rage quitting have been drawn. Nothing like that. All is as calm as a mill pond in the hobby at the moment.
Though it’s hard to convey sarcasm through the written word, I think you can probably tell that the above statement was made with the lowest form of wit. I’m actually surprised that I haven’t witnessed people running around inside GW stores shouting ‘The Sky Is Falling! The Sky Is Falling!’. And given that everyone is weighing in on the subject of the new iteration of everyone’s favourite grimdark game, I thought I’d start shouting as well.
The Basics
You know what TV news items I hate? When there’s something big going on, and the guys in the news room “go live” with their reporter on the scene – usually some poor journalist who is stood out in the torrential rain. They ask him something like “what can you tell us?” and he starts with “Well, we don’t know anything for sure just yet, Jim but things are certainly happening!”. It’s at this point that I typically throw my remote at the TV and resolve to never watch rolling news again.
My point is, that there are so many sites already dealing in what we don’t know right now, and I really don’t want to do this. Let’s focus on what we do know first, eh? We know that a new edition is coming. We know that it has been simplified (though not “dumbed down”) and that existing codices will no longer be valid. We know that templates are gone, WS/BS rolls have been standardised/simplified and that charging armies strike first in combat.
We also know that it’s going to be Death Guard and Space Marines (likely smurfs) in the starter box. The movement stat is back, there isn’t a different profile for vehicles anymore, and that the core rules will be free. In this blogger’s opinion (humble or otherwise), I can’t see anything to be upset about here. What’s more we know that there are going to be three ways to play the game (casual, story-driven, competitive) and that there will be two ways to work out your army points – simple and detailed. Can this addition really be all things to all wargamers?
The Details: Books
So, your codices are going to be ‘useless’ in this addition. That’s not entirely true though. Yes, the rules won’t work, but given that most codices are filled with fluff, artwork and painted minis anyway, they’re still a great source of inspiration. And the fact that GW will refund (with a voucher) any codices that have been purchased in the eight weeks prior to 8th’s launch is pretty awesome of them. That being said, yes, it is still annoying. But a sacrifice I’m willing to make for progress. But then again, I haven’t recently spent £30 on a big book.
The counter to this is that the core rules, and the stats for all existing miniatures (and one presumes a few new ones at launch – plus-sized space marines if a few grainy snaps are to be believed) will be free for the new edition is pretty huge. GW giving away free rules!? GW giving anything away for free!? What’s not to love about that?
What’s more, those who love to clutch their codex as they fall asleep at night (I may have done this once or twice) will still have the option of picking up new books in the future. GW confirmed that books are not a thing of the past, and just like with AoS, army tomes will still be published. If you don’t want them however, you will probably get free rules still, but at the very least you’ll be able to spend a couple of quid to get them in a new 40k app.
When it comes to printed words, I think this is a slight win for GW. Killing the current codices wasn’t the kindest of moves, but by giving a lot away for free, they’ve probably made up for this.
The Details: Rules
We’ve seen only a fraction of these so far. The two wound terminator stat line was a great thing to see, and details of how the template-less flamer will work already have some people declaring it OP, while others think that they will suck. By the looks of it, I think they’ll operate much the same, and it means we won’t have to worry so much about wasting time spreading models wide to avoid those deadly transparent plastic discs and shapes being placed over them.
The movement stat is actually a great call. And getting rid of vehicle profiles and unit types, while moving to a keyword based system is a stroke of genius. Not only does this mean that people who get all pissy about larger Tau suits being called ‘Gargantuan Creatures’ will be silenced, but it also means that the cross-codex death star will become a thing of the past (one can hope).
Charging armies fighting first in close combat is a good call, and it does away with the initiative step (though I now wonder what boon of Chaos the Emperor’s Children will get instead – we just got good, guys!!) and the simplifying of the BS stat is a godsend. No more explaining to people that ‘it’s the opposite side of the die’ or ‘subtract it from 7’ – that needless nonsense is gone.
The two methods of costing your armies is also a great idea. A time saver for those who need it, or a detailed system for those who want it.
So when it comes to individual rules, I think GW have scored very well at first glance. The proof of the plasma is in the firing though, so we’ll see how that goes when we know a little more.
The Details: Sigmar-isation
So, all those people who were panicking and threatening to rage quit if the game went down the AoS route are still a little upset about this, but given the resurgent popularity of the fantasy system, and that it looks like GW are cherry picking the best bits of this and applying it to 40k, I’m pretty happy about this.
Again, we don’t know enough to comment (oh, God! Now I’m doing it!!), but based on what I’ve seen and heard, I’m optimistic. The three ways to play being introduced to 40k is a great shout – fun for everyone. If you want a super competitive matchup, you can enjoy that sort of game while someone else plays something else that’s super narrative.
That’s what i think we’ll get. All the best bits of 40k, smushed together with the best bits of AoS. Not bad at all.
Then There’s The New Stuff
We know that the Death Guard are on their way. And we know that Papa Smurf (aka Roboute Guilliman) is working on some super-sized new Space Marines. Ok, this isn’t new edition dependent, but it is something that we can expect sooner rather than later. And to all those moaning that they’re going to have to remake entire armies with new Sigmarite-Sized Marines (Wait, does this mean we’ll have to call these Sigmarines as well!?), you won’t. Your old minis will all be valid, but you will be able to add to your armies with the new breed of super soldier. That’s what I’m hoping at least. And if I’m proved right, how’s that for a win?
We’ve also been promised a bit of a return for close combat so suddenly those Orks and Nids aren’t looking so bottom tier any more, are they?
That’s Probably Enough For Now
Quite right. This has rambled on for long enough now. One of the reasons that I kept going was that I was looking for some genuine negatives because, going by what I can see above, I am feeling really good about this. The codices thing is annoying, but GW have done enough to deal with this as far as I’m concerned. What’s more, they have dealt with one of the main issues that was making the game a real pain to play – the rules bloat. I welcome the simplification, but I’m glad that, from what we can see, it hasn’t gone full AoS. Taking the best from the Mortal Realms, and marrying it to the Grimdark is a great idea, and I look forward to seeing more details emerge in the coming days and weeks. Onwards!
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