Is there life on Mars? In the Warhammer year 30,000 the answer is yes. Forge World put on this great display board at Warhammer Fest 2014. The Alpha Legion siege a Cult Mechanicas outpost and factory. The Colours used on these Alpha Legion are amazing. I understand the technique involves spraying thinned down washes of blue and green over silver.
Games Workshop have been accused of not listening and not communicating many times over the years. Their product, prices, product releases, product retirements, product rules and even product names have all been blasted by bloggers, ex staff and gamers a like. One thing they seldom do is make the same mistake twice in a row. But that’s not to say they don’t get the same complaint twice in a row.
Let’s look at what Games Workshop need to do to their models to keep Everyone Happy
Hire the best sculptors in order to produce best looking model kits in the world.
Buy the best production tools and hire the best model makers in order to produce the highest quality models in the world.
Never put up their prices and make new models no more expensive than the old ones.
Never retire old models
Make each model available in plastic, resin and metal, this is for every unit they have ever produced..
Now let’s look at what the perfect Games Workshop store looks like.
It’s big enough to stock every model GW has ever made, since time began.
It has the friendliest staff who have recently painted the model you are interested in to a golden demon standard in your chosen armies colours. The staff have put said model on a game board arranged in such a way that you can spend a few minutes rolling a some dice and finding out how it stacks up against the models your regular opponents use. This is all done on a beautifully painted game table with lots of GW’s buildings and custom made creations also painted to a golden demon standard.
There are also enough game tables for everyone who wants a game to bring in their models and role some dice.
And then there’s the rules. The envy of the war games community. These rules are dynamic, strategic and provide both players with enough space for tactical geniuses while providing the escape routes for tactile blunders, which result in a game that it’s over till it’s over. These rules are of course available for free download, as well as being available as Limited edition, Hardback, Paperback and interactive digital versions at a modest price.
These rules also scale from small detailed skirmish games, to larger games. The mechanics provide reduced complexity and increased game speed for games of Apocalypse without removing the character of individual models contribution to the battle.
Now let consider the army books and codex.
Each army book is available as free download, as well as being available as Limited edition, Hardback, Paperback and interactive digital versions at a modest price. These army books are constantly FAQ’d. They provide the newest army with some an instant quick win tactics that can be beaten within a couple of games and then stabilise to a position of balancing well against every army and unit GW have ever produced rules for.
The background in each new book draws on the content from previous versions of the army book, but is presented in a fresh way with lots of new information and fantastic artwork.
GW achieves this by testing each book to the hilt for months before
It is released using a extensive team of games designers and testers. Remember these rules are still free to download as PDF files, as GW make enough money from their cheap models to cover all the man hours required.
Each week there is a 100 page White Dwarf which provides a small amount of content covering making, painting and gaming with the new models along with content which provides something of interest for every army in the Warhammer universe, no no player feels like the issue was a waste of money.
Are you still with me or have I lost you?
It never ceases to amaze me what people say online about Games Workshop, my self included sometimes. Maybe this year, in the year when GW destroy and remake their oldest game system out of alleged shear desperation for the lack of people now buying some of the models for Warhammer Fantasy Battle. Maybe this year I should fully think through the implications of what I complain about before putting keyboard to Internet forum or blog post.
I the mean time I’m going to get back to day-dreaming about what the best Games workshop in the world would would look like and think about painting some models.
Having given up on 40k and writing for ChapterMaster’s Ben has managed to kick out an amazing amount of Gaming standard models over the last year. Ben has this to say.
“This year has very much been a case of quantity over quality in my model painting. There have been a few reasons for this.
1)The ever increasing number of unpainted models in my collection.
2)The house I recently moved to having a lot less natural light reducing my ability to put finishing touches on models to certain times of day, when I’m in the office normally.
3)A general reduction in spare time due to work and famIly commitments.
4)Being disheartened by some of the releases this year, mainly codex causing me to abandon projects part way through such as my Tyranid, Grey Knight and now Blood Angels army.
5)My new airbrush. Which is good at covering models in paint but not so good for painting parts of models.
In many respects this has been the year of finishing the gaming table, which I’ve done both to inspire battle thirst and because I can paint buildings in poor lighting and while half asleep watching TV.
Space Wolves
2014 started out with Space Wolves, some of these Grey Hunters were technically painted in 2013 but I forget which. This intent was to complete a Great Company for Apocalypse however I’m yet to get any further than coating the dreadnought in frendress grey.
The year also finished with Space Wolves as I tried to get my final remaining Rouge Trader Space Wolf painted, alas N’jal is no way need complete.
These Thunderwolves are also far from complete, but are just about table ready.
Tyranids
My long and troubled love affair with Tyranids ended this year as the studio failed to un break my hormaguant and geanstealers with a new codex for the last time, so I’ve moved to pastures Greener. In other word I quit using Tyraninds and started another attempt at an Ork Army. Before doing so I managed to finish base painting my Swamlord and got a Zoanthrope finished for what would have been my new Hive Fleet.
Ultramarines
These Ultramarines were started during Christmas 2013, but it took me a few months to get to the last 3 marines. These were also my last plastic Tactical Squad for my 4th company.
These devastator marines were painted for my last game of Apocalypse in order to add a few more heavy weapons to a devastator company. These are
Obviously a mix of old Rouge Trader power armour variants with Forge World Horus Heresy heavy weapons
These veterans were from the very large box of metal marines in the cupboard. I’ve banned myself from ebay for my New Years resolution. We’ll see how many months I manage. These 3 models enabled me to field a full 10 man stearnguard squad.
My final instalment of Ultramarines is Ureal Ventris and his command squad. While not quite finished, I’m very happy to field this unit.
Imperial Knight
Time for the big guy. The long awaited model. Those that follow my blog will know I’ve been bugging the design team for an imperial knight since they did the BaneBlade. Again there is a lot still to be done to this model, but it’s fine for the table.
Shortly after starting on the knight A friend and I discussed playing one of the 5th edition special missions with a mind field, so I finally and quickly knocked out these mines from the original planet strike release.
Orks
As part of my drive to complete old models I had another go at the Black Reach set. This time I found the experience a lot more enjoyable, so there is hope I’ll finish of the job in 2015.
Grey Knights
After picking up the last model needed to add a power armour Squad to my very small Grey Knight army, thanks Gaz. Unfortunately the new codex, which I understand had nothing wrong with it other than not being available in paperback, means continuing with my Grey Knights sits a long way down my priority list. So another project is on ice.
Now to the buildings.
And the good old moon scape
Objective markers
Emporer’s Children
The final work of the year was the Emperors Children and Hawk Lords.
I’m not very keen on the Purple and Gold Emperors Children vehicles that I’ve seen. I also want to be able to use my Forgeworld tanks in all my marine armies so I’ve painter my Land Raider in codex grey an will be fitting changeable doors and extra armour.
Eldar
This jet bike is not really mind but I quickly painted the helmet and nose for someone In December.
It’s been a bit of a weird year for 40k fans. The surprise end of 6th edition 2 years earlier than expected, the rise of Imperial Knights and other super heavies, six new 40k codex, the end of White Dwarf and Games Day, the start of Warhammer Visions, Warhammer Fest and White Dwarf weekly, the second wave of new Tyranids less than 12 month after their new codex releases. The end of Matt Ward and kidnaping of Jervis, Phil and Jemery (have you seen them recently?) If nothing else you can’t say it’s been boring year for 40k. I don’t know anyone who has dropped the hobby this year, quoting the cost of competitive play and the unbalance created by super heavies. However I don’t know of anyone who has rejoined after quitting under 6th edition. Lets all hope the new CEO will understand the damage GW management have done over the last few years and start to invest in the segments of the market that promote long term growth of the hobby. I hope your own game group faired well this year and you have been able to keep modelling, gaming and painting.
Jon, Ben and Gaz.
Ben has been hard at work in his Christmas Break building a Desert Game Table for 40k. Ben had this to say.
I’ve been wanting a desert game board for a long time. The news that Gaz had to give his desert mat back to his brother convinced me it was time to stop wanting and commit some time to the desire.
To start of I wanted to try out and cost up a few alternatives. First in my mind was the GW Realm of Battle Game Board. Certainly the easiest way to go but also the most expensive and way beyond my budget and storage capacity.
The other alternative was F.A.T’s Urban Combat’ F.A.T. Mat. While it’s a lovely design and also a much cheaper alternative to GW realm of battle board, it’s beyond my budget due to international shipping cost almost doubling the price.
So the only option I had left was to upgrading my trusty old hardwood 6 by 4 board.
I looked at a few alternatives for how to create the sand effect. My hope was to use a few cans of spray sand. While the finish was promising the coverage of 1/6 of a table per can meant it was going to cost £60 to get the basic sand covered before even looking at additional paints and rocks.
I then looked at simply glueing sand to my game board or painting it with the GW sand effect paint. While this would have provided an acceptable solution it would have been very boring to create and more importantly to game on. I wanted something that better justified the amount of effort I was going to put into the project. I went to a local model railway shop and bought a number of different grades of sand as well as some larger rocks, about £20 worth in all. I tryed out different combinations mixed in a cup until I found a mix I was happy with.
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I then had a dig around my own base making kit to see what else o could add to the board to make it more visually interesting. I came across some slate which I though I could use for small scatter rocks.
Before applying the sand I gave the whole board a spray with GW Zandry dust, sand coloured paint.
After giving this just about enough to time to dry, I used a sponge to damp down the wood and applied PVA neat. I used a plastics ruler to spread out the PVA around each board section. Some one who had done a textured board told me bush would have created brush marks in the PVA. I started the texture application by sprinkling on my largest basing slate, then smaller slate pieces, then rocks and then worked I worked down the coarseness of my different sands to create natural patterns, I tried to represent two craters on one section of the board and a rock ridge on another, but this ended up looking more like a path. Most of the sands where applied by dropping them on to the board from about 30cm, this to reduces man made patterns in the rocks. Once all the larger rocks and sand were applied I created wind effects by dropping on the smallest grade of sand from about 15cm away. This all took about 3 hours.
Once the sand has had a bit of time to dry on, I sprayed sections with GW Zandry dust paint to break up the sand pattens.
I then applied the same sand a paint to some old buildings and hills. I also edged some of my craters with sand and called it a day. All this had taken around 5 hours. Although there are a few patches Witch needs a second application I’m very happy with the results.
And the cost?
Sand (model shop) £30
Spray paint and purity seal (GW) £30
Sand spray (HomeBase) £10
Sand pants and 1.5l of PVA (GW and pound land) £10
48x72x6mm Hard board (estimate wicks) £25
Polystyrene (skip) free.
Total build time inc hills and buildings 10 hours.
Total £105
