I have to want to paint the models. I play the games so infrequently that 80% of my time with the hobby is spent just painting. The rules just need to not be complete garbage, and the theme/setting has to interest me as well.
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Miniature Gaming ERA - Modelling, Playing & Painting
- Thread starter MyQuarters
- Start date
I'm getting faster. And also sloppier and lazier. Especially with the initial cleanup. All those mold lines...
For me, it's the setting and the minis. Rules I don't care that much, but I have learned I'd rather have an easy to grasp set of rules than very robust and difficult. In other words I couldn't get into Warmahordes and I love the 8th edition of 40k. I just want to see those armies on the table and throw some dice and not think about the rules too much.
Considering the setting and the minis, they go pretty much hand in hand. I feel like I enjoy painting more if I am invested in the setting it comes from.
I'm okay with game evolving (who doesn't like new minis?!) but for the setting, I'd actually like them to keep things relatively still if the setting has a good explanation for that. I think WH 40k is (was?) a good example. The whole setting is just a background for me to make my own stories (ie. what happens on the table) and there is a good explanation for all the fighting (after all, there is only war). That being said, I'm not 100% behind with the new hero -focused narrative style GW seems to be going for.
Looks like I slipped quite heavily into the grimdark future side, but what can I say lol?
Haha, it's funny you say that, 'cause I find 40k's rules far more confusing. In Warmahordes, the math just makes so much more sense to me. Roll dice, add a value, compare to enemy's value. I can't handle all the different stats in 40k without someone sitting there telling me how it works. Plus, customizing the units when making a list is just a huge barrier for me every time. I end up giving up and picking something at random almost every time.
There's definitely more going on in Warmahordes once a game actually starts, though. Terrain, boosting, charging, blast, chain lightning, spells, etc etc etc. There's a lot of crunch.
Warmahordes stressed me out like 40k never does. There's so much to remember during your turn and missing just one detail ( like activation order, or one fury too much or too little) would quarantee a lost game was just not fun for me.
I only play Warmachine. I like the rules, it's pretty easy to learn if you start slow in a Journeyman league or do something to limit how much of the catalog you're exposed to at once. When it does click, the game is sublime.
I picked up an Infinity box at one point because I was interested in the more interleaving-turns kinda style, but then the minis were so tiny and fiddly that I couldn't assemble them cleanly and I was so dreading painting them that I never got around to it. So I guess tiny, fiddly models is a dealbreaker.
I only play things that I've painted. That's a big part of the draw for me.
I picked up an Infinity box at one point because I was interested in the more interleaving-turns kinda style, but then the minis were so tiny and fiddly that I couldn't assemble them cleanly and I was so dreading painting them that I never got around to it. So I guess tiny, fiddly models is a dealbreaker.
I only play things that I've painted. That's a big part of the draw for me.
When I started I played without anything painted, but my new rule is that I won't play anything unpainted unless I've already played with it. That way I always paint new stuff when I get it and catch up on old stuff over time, without getting rid of options I had before.
Or that's what would happen if I stopped buying so much new shit all the time...
Or that's what would happen if I stopped buying so much new shit all the time...
RE: Warmahordes
It could be that the guys I started journeyman with were familiar with the game and had a pretty competitive mindset. They wanted to play with a timer very soon (on my third match or so) et cetera. In the end, I just wasn't having fun with the game and didn't want to invest in more minis.
It could be that the guys I started journeyman with were familiar with the game and had a pretty competitive mindset. They wanted to play with a timer very soon (on my third match or so) et cetera. In the end, I just wasn't having fun with the game and didn't want to invest in more minis.
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all this talk has got me really interested in Malifaux again - I hear it's pretty innovative and a bunch of fun to play, plus the models look fantastic.
I mean, I'll never have time, what with all this 40k to paint & play, but interested nonetheless
I mean, I'll never have time, what with all this 40k to paint & play, but interested nonetheless
Know what you mean. I have my Raven Guard, Tyranids and Eldar and I keep eyeballing AdMech and Genestealer cults...
And let's not get started on the rumoured plastic sisters...
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I've got Saint Celestine up next in my paint queue & some alternate bits to make 6 SoBs (5 normal and a special weapon troop who I'll magnetize) so plastic sisters on the horizon interests me greatly.
Thinking of getting an Immolator for something to transport them too...
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Would love to see a group shot of your Raven Guard - they're my favourite non-Blood Angels legion
Have you got the Forgeworld contemptor dreadnought? the Raven Guard one looks awesome
Thinking of getting an Immolator for something to transport them too...
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Would love to see a group shot of your Raven Guard - they're my favourite non-Blood Angels legion
Have you got the Forgeworld contemptor dreadnought? the Raven Guard one looks awesome
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Sure! Here they are in all their not quite finished painting glory. I'm pretty happy about some parts and some need a lot of work still.
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This is the latest model I'm working on. Attempted to follow a bit of an nmm tutorial for the light placement. About done with the red of the armour. May change the shoulders, and have the gradient towards the highlight start a little earlier.
Edit: image not showing up?
Edit: image not showing up?
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This is the latest model I'm working on. Attempted to follow a bit of an nmm tutorial for the light placement. About done with the red of the armour. May change the shoulders, and have the gradient towards the highlight start a little earlier.
Edit: image not showing up?
if you're using imgur, change https to http and it should work
Thanks. I feel my light source and highlights are not consistent. The nmm tutorial I was following suggested on flats putting the shades closer to the light source and the highlights further away. I tried that for the breastplate in the centre but it feels weird to do.
With red I found the key was to go darker than normal as your base, and have what would normally be your base the first highlight. This is because the red goes unite pinky when you lighten it up.
I'm still terrified of trying anything like NMM or OSL. Any time I try to do gradients, I end up getting so tired of it because I keep not thinning my paints enough or thinning them so much they don't do anything or using the wrong colors or or or. ;_; I just make it look "good enough" until I'm done.
If me and my friends played with timers, I'd have quit day one. We can get pretty competitive but none of us are fast enough. Sometimes we set up a timer just to try it and we always always always go over it past the first turn.
lmao timers
If me and my friends played with timers, I'd have quit day one. We can get pretty competitive but none of us are fast enough. Sometimes we set up a timer just to try it and we always always always go over it past the first turn.
Shadespire is so much better than I ever would have though. What a well designed game. Models are cool, and cause they forces are small you can really take your time with them. The deckbuilding is so fun, and the randomness of the objective decks makes it anything but a game where you just run in and fight. They got a real winner on their hands. They cant keep it in sock at my local store fast enough. Gonna have a big group 2 nights a week for the GW run stuff and for a free play/ learn to play night.
Yeah I think it turned out well, too! I've successfully added some slight glowing to runes and junk before.
Also imo those people are kinda jerks for forcing that on you, haha. But, I get it. Sometimes you try to roll with the punches and then the punches hit too hard.
I want to like Shadespire but am constantly frustrated because it feels so RNG focused. Games with RNG I can tolerate but games ABOUT RNG turn me off. I know deckbuilding is supposed to mitigate that, but I dunno. I also know I just suck at it so I can't really say if I'm just salty or if I genuinely don't like it, haha.
Still, I haven't bought in yet. My plan was to get the Skaven when they come out. At the very least, I'll have fun painting them. I like those ratfriends.
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Although I should be painting my Blood Bowl team (as there are a couple Kickstarters teams that should arrive in the next weeks), I'm currently working on a 'Goatliath' band for Necromunda inspired on the lovely Gor Half-Horn from Forgeworld.
For now I have completed a juve, a champion and Half-Horn himself that I will use as gang leader, while a regular gang member is waiting for his arms and weapons. They all still need some green stuff to fix the fuck ups on the joints and cuts.
For the juves I'll use full Gors with Goliath's accesories and arms/weapons. The other gang members are Goliath bodies with heads and lower legs from Gors.
For now I have completed a juve, a champion and Half-Horn himself that I will use as gang leader, while a regular gang member is waiting for his arms and weapons. They all still need some green stuff to fix the fuck ups on the joints and cuts.
For the juves I'll use full Gors with Goliath's accesories and arms/weapons. The other gang members are Goliath bodies with heads and lower legs from Gors.
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I'm thinking of buying a cheap airbrush to use mainly for priming, and maybe some base coats on larger minis (i.e. my Zombicide Boss models). Specifically this starter kit on Amazon. Any thoughts, suggestions? Anyone have any experience with that specific brand?
Also, those Necromunda minis look pretty cool. What is that game?
Also, those Necromunda minis look pretty cool. What is that game?
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I just bought a cheap ABEST one from Amazon UK for this exact reason and it's done me proud so far.
I've been thinking about doing this.
Is this the one you got? https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B012S2J8DM/?tag=e100-21
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I'm crazy late answering all this but I wanted to throw in my thoughts.
Miniatures are the first thing that will attract me to a new game. The setting informs the miniatures, but the setting alone will rarely do it for me. I'm really into Infinity, but the fluff hasn't grabbed me at all, for instance. I don't know the first thing about the Malifaux story but the minis are great. The Guild Ball premise sounds like nonsense but I can acknowledge the rules are very solid and there are more hits than misses in the miniatures range.
If I play the game, then yes, the rules need to be clear and sensible. Notice I didn't say concise, as the Infinity rules are anything but. I prefer each new edition to be an evolution and not a revolution, but sometimes it's necessary as the current edition of 40k and Age of Sigmar shows.
As for the kinds of rules I like I'll try and list mechanics and themes from a few games:
-ARO from Infinity. Allowing your opponents to react to your actions not only makes your tactical decisions matter in a major way, but it keeps both parties engaged. Your opponent doesn't have time to be bored or disinterested because they could miss on an important opportunity.
-Damage Trees from Arena Rex. In Arena Rex, you do not just compare a single dice with an opponent to see how many hits land and how many saves they take. Instead, those net successes allow you to follow a path down a damage tree that offers options for how you want to resolve your damage. You can either deal straight damage, push and follow your target, reposition yourself to gain better footing for a different engagement, and even use special character abilities. It's an added layer of mechanics that doesn't slow the game down because it's quite elegant in its simplicity and execution.
-Skirmish Level Encounters. More and more I'm beginning to favor skirmish level games over giant wargames. To me, the combat feels more intimate and you feel more attached to your warband when you have one particular hero who always seems to pull their weight or you finally manage to destroy that one nemesis on your opponents side that has been causing you fits every game. Reputations seem to build more easily at the individual miniature level.
-True LoS. This is paired with my love of Skirmish games. I'm on the fence between using True Line of Sight or Hard Cover (don't know the real term) for cover rules. Hard Cover would mean that you must declare and be touching cover in order to receive its benefits. True LoS allows for units to be in the open but obstructed by intervening terrain. Again, I'm on the fence about this but generally I lean towards preferring True LoS as it's the most intuitive.
-Stat/Profile Cards. This is something I've taken from other games and adapted. Arena Rex and Team Yankee for instance supply stat and special rule cards for individual units which makes it super easy to reference in the middle of a game. No need to bookmark and flip to individual pages like in Infinity.
Christmas haul!
Nice haul! Eldar are my first true 40k love. That Wraithknight is such an amazing model. I will own it one day!
What craftworld are you painting your eldar?
I have my own special snowflake craftworld, but I kinda wish I painted Ulthwe instead lol. I'll post a pic later when I got a chance.
I think I have that same one! Nice, quiet compressor. Enthusiasts will tell you to get a better one, but it works great for me. You really have to thin your paints though. Also, get usedto cleaning the brush a lot. All of these are great habits to learn before going the more expensive route.
And Necromunda?
From the lore, to the miniatures, to the gameplay itself, Necromunda is a top tier experience. It's a self contained skirmish game using small groups of models ranging from 4ish to around a dozen depending on the gang/scenario. The new edition comes with a new style of play, via tiles that is a simpler version of the way the game is meant to be played. It was meant as both a warm up for the proper way to play as well as a way to keep costs down for the initial buy in. You have to buy the "Gang War" book supplement and then you have the rules to play on 3D tabletop terrain. You use line of sight and cover. It also has extensive campaign rules.
Shadow War: Armageddon is basically a carbon copy of Necromunda, but with 40k factions. I went all in on this game, buying a squad for almost every faction in the game.
Both games are amazing opportunities to flex your creativity in terms of story based missions, user created scenarios, painting/modeling, and building scratch built scenery.
Ok, all set to start painting Wednesday, my paper is almost finished finally. Would prime today, but I'm traveling tomorrow, and will be using the minis Sunday,so I can't risk wet paint. Also read through the layer up how to guide, and I think I can use the elf mage walkthrough directly on my larger ninjas instead!
Nice, yeah I think once I'm done painting my generic zombies for Black Plague I'll go ahead and pick up that airbrush.
Necromunda sounds pretty cool, but I have to admit I don't think my group would be into it. One of my gaming buddies accidentally looked up Blood Bowl once and saw that you had to use a ruler/measuring tape and immediately vowed against all miniatures games of that ilk. Maybe one day.
Honestly, the "birds eye view" from the miniature's perspective is half the fun! It really does get people more invested in their little people and makes them think twice about placement. We actually use a laser pointer lol. Getting that well geared sniper up to a high point and watching him rain down death is so satisfying. The only thing better is taking out an opponents sniper in melee, of course!
I'm starting my Massive Darkness project this weekend. Mini selection, prep/prime tonight, and painting off and on over the next 4 days. I'm really looking forward to it. My planning stage is over. It's time for some results.
Crazy late reading all the answers... I was going to follow up my questions with something else but frankly i've forgotten what i was going to ask/talk about. Probably was gonna answer for myself as well...
Still, it is interesting to see what interests people.
I need to get back to working on my BT minis. Somehow the entire year went by... Starting is the hardest part. Can't do anything now, lacking proper space for working inside and balcony being unsuitable for anything during winter.
Happy 2018 miniEra!
Any hobby goals?
Our New Year's went in the middle of moving, so my goal so far is to get a hobby spot set up somewhere and find people to play with.
Any hobby goals?
Our New Year's went in the middle of moving, so my goal so far is to get a hobby spot set up somewhere and find people to play with.
My hobby goals are to stop buying Warmahordes minis until I've painted everything that I have now.
HA HA HA HA
good joke
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Anyway I painted this. I stole the idea for red swamp gobbers from someone else earlier in this thread. I liked the colors!
HA HA HA HA
good joke
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Anyway I painted this. I stole the idea for red swamp gobbers from someone else earlier in this thread. I liked the colors!
SillyEskimo here are some pics I found from my phone where my Craftworld scheme can be seen. I do like it, but feel like I can't just quite execute it as well as I'd like to, yet. Mostly having trouble with the whites, which there are a lot and highlighting the black round parts.
They are the planetoid sized ships made of psychic bone containing the souls of their dead the Eldar sail on and try not to get eaten by the Great Enemy. #just40kthings