Quote from: thedungeondelver;918281My favorite That Guy story was a That Guy at a con who had these troops that could deploy anywhere on the board so long as it wasn't within 2" of an enemy model, he would use it for HUEG RAEP in show after show.  Well the rule was that if he deployed off the board, for purposes of the game his force was considered "lost".  Well he stated his movement, that he was going to deploy directly behind his opponent's Kroot force...well, the Kroot player had enough troops, and the way Kroot work (or worked at the time) was that single models could be up to 2" from each other and still not face morale problems.

So the Kroot player deployed exactly on the table edge of his side, which means that the guy with the teleporting unit by default had to deploy off the board, and thus lost.  The GW game judges were quite happy as this guy had been fucking everyone left right and center with this BS in match after match, until Mr. Kroot stopped him.

Hehe yeah, here's the money shot.


Nice collection of White Scars bikes, too bad the guy has to play like a whiny little bitch with them.

Don't underestimate the importance of terrain.  You don't need a bunch to start but it really adds to the look and feel of the game.  You can buy it or make it yourself from bits and pieces you have lying around.  It doesn't have to be expensive.
[video=youtube;7N6Tii5N0NM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N6Tii5N0NM[/youtube]

I love cool terrain bits. I don't even care if it messes with my force. It adds so much to the game and my immersion in the gameplay.

Quote from: Spinachcat;918417I love cool terrain bits. I don't even care if it messes with my force. It adds so much to the game and my immersion in the gameplay.

There's a US company that makes some great stuff.  We're probably about to throw some money at them. http://www.armorcast.com/fantasy/cathedral

The truth is, though- I want the stuff to make a Necron Tomb World.  I've got mats for desert and urban.

Quote from: Crüesader;918420There's a US company that makes some great stuff.  We're probably about to throw some money at them. http://www.armorcast.com/fantasy/cathedral

The truth is, though- I want the stuff to make a Necron Tomb World.  I've got mats for desert and urban.

I wonder if GW will hit the point where they change all the graphical presentation of 40k from gothic to overtly techno gothic, so that someone couldn't use "cathedral" stuff that could come from Armageddon or Paris circa 1944.

What is that, a third of GW's prices?

Quote from: CRKrueger;918425What is that, a third of GW's prices?

Yeah, but it's also resin.  Which means a lot of cleaning up the pieces, and they can sometimes turn out to be absolute shit.  My friend ordered a pyramid from some place in Europe.  When he got it, it had pockmarks all over the sides (which, I guess was okay for 'blast marks').  Then when the thing was assembled, the sides were warped.  We had to 'fix' it with hot water and even then it was just shit.  And on the site's picture, the sides were smooth and flat like 'Necron stuff'.  But the one we got was 'rough and brick'.  It was also wafer-thin.  For $15.00, I guess it wasn't -terrible-, but it's almost more work than its value.

Quote from: Crüesader;918420There's a US company that makes some great stuff.  We're probably about to throw some money at them. http://www.armorcast.com/fantasy/cathedral

The truth is, though- I want the stuff to make a Necron Tomb World.  I've got mats for desert and urban.

Have you considered HirstArts? With right kind of paintjob, their Egyptian blocks would do well as Necron stuff.

Speaking of cathedrals, I made this little thing with HA blocks some time ago for my then-Mordheim (currently Song of Ruins and Ratmen) project.
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Quote from: Dr. Ink'n'stain;918665Have you considered HirstArts? With right kind of paintjob, their Egyptian blocks would do well as Necron stuff.

The only problem with their stuff is that's it's really heavy.

That it is. And casting just the stuff you actually need in great quantities can be a pain. Which is why most of my more recent stuff is made with only about 20% HA blocks, and the rest being foamcore, balsa and cardboard.

Quote from: Crüesader;918420There's a US company that makes some great stuff.  We're probably about to throw some money at them. http://www.armorcast.com/fantasy/cathedral

The truth is, though- I want the stuff to make a Necron Tomb World.  I've got mats for desert and urban.

Quote from: yosemitemike;918288Don't underestimate the importance of terrain.  You don't need a bunch to start but it really adds to the look and feel of the game.  You can buy it or make it yourself from bits and pieces you have lying around.  It doesn't have to be expensive.
[video=youtube;7N6Tii5N0NM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N6Tii5N0NM[/youtube]

Quote from: Dr. Ink'n'stain;918665Have you considered HirstArts? With right kind of paintjob, their Egyptian blocks would do well as Necron stuff.

Speaking of cathedrals, I made this little thing with HA blocks some time ago for my then-Mordheim (currently Song of Ruins and Ratmen) project.
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Thanks for the find these are cool.

Quote from: Dr. Ink'n'stain;918799That it is. And casting just the stuff you actually need in great quantities can be a pain. Which is why most of my more recent stuff is made with only about 20% HA blocks, and the rest being foamcore, balsa and cardboard.

Would you be willing to give a little detail how you go about this?

Quote from: kosmos1214;918867Thanks for the find these are cool.


Would you be willing to give a little detail how you go about this?

Luckily, I haven't always been as lazy as I am today (OMG has it been three years already!): Ruined houses Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Although these design rely a bit for my own custom molds, but door and window frames are easy enough to do from balsa dowels as well, and the corner bricks could be just straight pillars. I just wanted to streamline the process a bit.

Aand here are a couple of shots at a 95% finished stage (Mostly just some finishing touches painting left to do):

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Hope these give some inkling of the process.

Quote from: Dr. Ink'n'stain;918987Luckily, I haven't always been as lazy as I am today (OMG has it been three years already!): Ruined houses Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Although these design rely a bit for my own custom molds, but door and window frames are easy enough to do from balsa dowels as well, and the corner bricks could be just straight pillars. I just wanted to streamline the process a bit.

Aand here are a couple of shots at a 95% finished stage (Mostly just some finishing touches painting left to do):

[ATTACH=CONFIG]376[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]377[/ATTACH]

Hope these give some inkling of the process.

Yes some thank you.

Quote from: yosemitemike;917277One thing a new player should know is that people cheat in this game especially in competitive events...

Yes.  There are a small number of tournament players that pull some wild tricks.  

They'll intentionally make a move that they know is 'wrong', just to see if you'll catch it.  If you don't call them on it before their turn/phase is over, it's too late.  If you try to call it after the fact, they'll tell the judge it was a 'mistake', but the judges will usually say it's a mistake and you didn't stop it before the end of the turn or phase- so you have to go with it, no 'do-overs'.  As long as he doesn't repeat it, he's fine by many tournament rules... but keep in mind, there are quite a few other opportunities for 'honest mistakes'.

On the flipside, they'll even try to challenge you on your rules.  While you're looking the rule up, they'll escalate and say that they 'know' the rule and try to make you uncomfortable because you're 'slowing down the game', and even act like they're going to call over a judge. Most people don't do well with confrontation, and these sorts will many times start the game out being extremely nice, so it makes them being upset feel that much more uncomfortable.  No matter what, don't let this get to you.  It's a trick, these guys have done this for years and gotten away with it and they know how to push you.  It's a mind-game.

When it comes to dice rolls and the like, if people are rolling and counting extremely fast and making calculations faster than you can comprehend- tell them to slow down.  When someone throws dice and snatches them up quickly and states a total- you have to tell them to slow down.  Cheaters have played this game for years.

Quote from: yosemitemike;917277Never, ever leave your miniatures unattended in a public venue.  These things are expensive and, sooner or later, they will disappear on you.  Measuring tapes and side cutters also have a way of disappearing.  Some of that may well be honest mistakes because everyone tends to have the same few brands but some of it isn't and your  $15 side cutters are gone either way.

After doing quite a bit of thinking on tournaments/conventions, and listening to some other people have a discussion... I wanted to come back to this point.

One thing that happens a bit at these things is theft.  More so than you want to believe.  And to be fair, a lot of these folks aren't straight-up players.  A lot of them are 'spectators'.  There's a particular tactic to be aware of, and I think it's worth sharing.  

You're playing your game, and several people show up- many times young kids (and yes, this is part of the reason I hate gaming around children).  They'll bombard you with distractions- asking questions, complimenting your painting, sometimes even going as far to touch your models so you instinctively put your eyes on them.  What you don't realize is that your bag or box with your other models, books, cards- it's getting pillaged by one of those people or someone walking by that's planned this.  People have lost hundreds and even thousands of dollars worth of gaming materials.  And it's quite easy for them to snag a model from the casualty pile when you're not looking.  Wargame models are stupid expensive, and people know this.  They'll snag your models, pocket them, and then sell them off for a quick buck.  There are plenty of stories out there about kids doing this, and they travel in packs.  If you try to confront them, they'll freak out and make a scene.  

Another thing to look out for is the 'dice drop under the table'.  Sometimes people will drop a dice under the table, go under to 'get it' and end up grabbing stuff from your bag.

Mike's statement is 100% valid- always keep an eye on your stuff.  Any tournament/convention I've ever seen has posted the advisory that they are not responsible for lost, misplaced, or stolen items.

Invest in a box that can lock, and keep it at your feet or with a trustworthy friend nearby.  

If you can cable-lock it to the table... do it.  

And mark your models and materials.  I recommend carving your initials under the base.

So, Warhammer 30k, AKA 'Horus Heresy'.  I did some research on this because I have a lot of Space Marines in boxes just kind of... sitting there.  I haven't really played it, ever- so most of what I'm going off is from other players.

Pros:

Cool models, a much bigger variety of interesting looks for the Astartes.  All the legions have their own little unique helms and torsos.  Not to mention, things like Dreadnaughts and Terminators had different versions back then.

A lot of wargear to add new strategies.  A lot more tanks and stuff, some very interesting weapons beside the basic stuff you see Space Marines use in 40k.  Some of it is very situational, but from what I've read it looks like it could be fun.

Being entirely 'Space Marines', people who swear by it will tell you that there's no 'this army isn't competitive because of no Codex update/bad formations/whatever'.  It generally boils down to everyone having access to just about exactly the same stuff, so if you lose it's because you chose poorly, the dice gods were not with you, or you didn't use a solid strategy.  Some folks say it's a more 'pure' tabletop strategy game that suffers from fewer balance issues because Crunch writers aren't boosting their favorites and nerfing the ones they dislike.

Cons:  

It's Forge World stuff.  Unless the UK does a Double Brexit, those prices are gonna stay steep (and even then, if you're in the UK it's not gonna change).  We're talking like, $20.00 for a box of 10 helmets (not an exact calculation).  Some of the vehicles run near what some folks make in a pay period, so... yeah.

Not all of the things from 40k are here.  You're using huge squads of Space Marines (around 20), and it's one of those things where they get cheaper if you start taking more after around 10.  Since there's not a whole lot of options to throw that many guys into a vehicle, and even then you're sacrificing firepower on the transport- you've got this.  I'm not sure how Drop Pods work in 30k, either.  In the end, you're looking at Space Marine blobs, and apparently they don't have 'And They Shall Know No Fear'.  

Apparently while you can still technically use a 30k army against a 40k army, I've never seen this done.  What I've come to understand is that 30k armies either stomp other armies senseless or they get shredded by mobile/fast armies.  I don't know of anyone that would even want a game against them, because....

Your rules are spread across several ludicrously expensive books.  Again, Forge World prices.  You'd think that they're paying divine beings to come and make this stuff.  And it's not just that it's expensive- it's expensive and not in the same book.  Which means you need to tote a library with you, and most people don't want to play an army they can't read up on.

The game is best played at 3000+ points.  Which means LONG games.  And a lot of models.  Which is a huge deterrent.  While it'd be cool to see the layout on a table, that's just asking for a good 6 hours of your life to play.  Most 40k players don't even have forces for points that high, and even if they had enough models- that doesn't mean they're all usable at once, because people buy other stuff to swap around for a ~2000 point army, not to make that army bigger.


I can't tell you whether you want to play this or not.  If you've got the income for it, knock yourself out.  But even the guys at my FLGS have never seen someone bring in a 30k army.  For all the coolness it seems to offer, it doesn't seem to be worth it.  You'd be hard-pressed to find a game, and finding several games would mean you need to travel.

IMHO, the best thing you could do is see what things from 30k are usable with a 40k army and do that, whether they're cosmetic or mechanical.  The custom stuff looks really cool, and is a great way to give Astartes a unique look instead of the ho-hum look they usually have.  If you had a 40k Army like Ultramarines, White Scars, etc. that was one of the original Legions you could probably build up on that and have a 40k and a 30k army to play with.  

But if you can afford the stuff, I'm impressed.  As much as I love the game, I can't justify spending that kind of money.