Hi everyone, been a long time and thought I would update what's been going on in my hobby the last year.
First of all, the pandemic might be one of the best things that ever happened to me. I know its certainly been terrible for a lot of people, but I got to work from home, focus on my personal life and take care of a lot of things around the house in ways that normally was impossible. Would have taken me a few years to accomplish what I have the last year on a more normal schedule, so glad I was fortunate to take advantage of it.
So one of the things I did was focus on my hobby stuff. Last we left off, I was sorting through what I wanted/needed from my Warhammer armies. I have to be honest, I haven't done a whole lot for WFB, but what I did to inspired me to do the kind of the same with 40k and its been a fun ride.
One of the things I did with WFB that I had done with 40k was buy too much stuff. I was blown away by much of what I saw, and figured
get it while it was available. And surprisingly, I was lucky to get it all just in time. I am stunned at the prices on ebay or even GW as I am sure many of you are. Also, in a year where I had a ton of time, I still couldn't find time to paint. I love building, but painting is something that takes all the planets to line up a certain way. I essentially set aside a lot of time to build properly, give a coat of primer, then set the models aside to hang out in purgatory until I get inspired to paint.
One of the realizations I made was how much I like the starter sets. I almost got rid of the 7th and 8th sets (but keeping the models) when I decided to focus on 6th as my core rules, and are so glad I didn't. I really view all the starters as gems now, and they are really where my collection revolves around now, as opposed to the Battalion sets as they once had. I even hunted down 1st and 2nd edition to see what they are about.
I also found little things over the year I didn't know about. Like the Island of Blood novel and the metal Prince on foot. I found him by accident. Some of you might remember I had made a Prince on foot to go with the one on the Griffon, but I really liked the idea of having one that REALLY matched. I also made a copy of the shield and used it for the version on horse.
Anyway, I am using the book to inspire me on what I do with the set (same with the Skull Pass novel for 7th), and this actually had a dramatic effect on my 40k interest. I have been in and out of 40k since Rogue Trader, some editions I was really into, others I completely skipped. I had accumulated way too many models, in addition to the Battleforce sets.
So how do I re-organize? Clean out some space? Decide what to keep and not? Well, I was really influenced by this post off of Tale of Painters:
https://taleofpainters.com/2014/05/showcase-completed-2nd-edition-boxed-set/where Garfy had painted up an old school 2nd edition set as it would have looked back in the day. And since I had played a great deal of 2nd edition myself back in the day, I thought this was amazing. I too, had acquired another 2nd ed starter some time ago, but hadn't done much with it buy a bunch of additional models.
So it really got me thinking. I took a long look at the starter, and even after setting aside the expansions Dark Millenium and Storm of Vengeance, as well as all the codexes, there is a lot to this starter. It came with a scenario pack, which I wish all starters would, and the mission cards. I realized I probably could do just what Garfy had done, adding a few other models, like the Space Marine captain they released a few years ago based on the one on the cover of the box, and I would be set. I would have enough to enjoy the personal nostalgia of working on the models of this era, and if I ever played the game, I wouldn't be bogged down with a bunch of rules spread out over a bunch of books. Just keep things basic, like the original set did.
And it was like being hit by lightning. I sold off a lot of stuff, even a pretty big metal Squat army. Just focusing on what came in the box and is mentioned in the scenario pack. I do have a 2nd ed era Eldar force I am keeping though. I even hunted down a MIB Rogue Trader Battlewagon since its mentioned in the scenario pack too. I have always wanted one of them and never really had a reason to get it. Added a metal Ork Dreadnought from that era to replace the card one that came in box, as well as added the plastic Dreadnought from Black Reach since its also mentioned in the scenario pack.
Anyway, the last year I not only hunted down the remaining starters I either had and got rid of, or never got in the first place, like 8th edition, or the original Imperial Marines and Space Ork sets for Rogue Trader. I actually bought the smaller sets first if they existed, like First Strike, not knowing if I was going to like the newer stuff. I was really surprised how much I liked them. The 8th edition starter is one of the best starters GW has ever made, but I also really like First Strike. Its a fun little game, nice rulebook, and add some datasheets of some characters and you have a great little game.
I also hunted down Battle for Macragge (which I did have back in the day but got rid of), Assault on Black Reach (which I never got), and picked up Indomitus. I want to say how blown away I was by Black Reach. I had never seen the models in person till last year, and was blown away by the Orks. The starter comes up super lite on learning how to play or scenarios, but I really liked the models. I do think what GW is doing as far as splitting up the sets across beginner and veterans is the way to go, even if I end up buying both.
The idea was I was going to do the same thing I had done for WFB: focus on getting the most out of the starters. So I bought whatever additional items that came out in support of the sets, like 'The Battle Rages On' for 4th edition - which is a GREAT expansion book for the starter, as well as Citadel's fortified position that is used in that book that was released around that time. I also grabbed things like the Objective Sets that were released for 8th and 9th, the Open war cards, etc. Even when it came to terrain, I used the getting started or white dwarfs of the day for inspiration. So for example, in my 3rd edition set, I have several of the original Gothic buildings that came out back then, but for 5th and 6th, I built smallish buildings using the Imperial Sector set. Of course I would have saved a lot of money using the same terrain for each, but I really wanted to capture the look and feel of the time period for each of these sets. I even kept the card building trays from 8th Know No Fear and 9th Command Edition to use. (1) it holds things in the box, and (2) gives me a larger piece of terrain. I know many would look down at me using both cardboard and plastic terrain features, but again, I am trying to capture the spirit of the game and they were included so why not.
Also what influenced me were the new carboard tiles to play on, especially from Kill Team. Years ago I would have scoffed at these. I had a Primaris Quadrant waiting to be painted and there was no way I would think of playing on cardboard before that. But then I noticed the Kill Team ones, the variety, and realized how many looked fine if you put the same ones side by side, like the Wall of Martyrs, or even many of the city ones. And rather than playing on a dedicated gaming table, I can just play on my kitchen table. I don't even play large games anymore - more like the combat patrol or slightly larger, so I didn't even need the 6x4 custom table I made. So I recently sold off the Quadrant set on ebay for a surprising $500. In return I bought the Moon Base Klasius set, added Ryza buildings from Kill Team Fronteris, and I love it.
So now when you open one of my starters, it looks something like these:
Each contains all of the models that came in the starters (or mini starters in case of 8th), as well as some terrain from the time period. I just put 2 or 3 of the cardboard tiles together, add the terrain in the box, and maybe some other stuff I have. The important thing is that everything can be stored in the starter, so even the buildings are either assembled small enough to fit in the box, or if I am really lucky, don't require glue like 9th, and I can just take them apart for storage. And since I don't have any vehicles larger than a Rhino, I don't need huge buildings. Its def a packed fit with little room to spare, but I make it work.
This has changed everything about how I collect games now. Everything is based around the contents of the starter. I'll buy any tokens, novels, whatever that helps me get the most out of the starter. And the beautiful thing is that GW mixes up who comes in the starters, so I have variety. I prob would never have bought the new Necron models before this, so I am happy they came in the starter, as its just enough to satisfy my curiosity, yet keep me from spending a ton of money on an army I prob would normally not be interested in playing.
I also think that the rules are the best when dealing what is in the starter - meaning that as the edition goes on longer, the more imbalance occurs, and before long everyone is complaining about what a mess the system is. Or how someone might be disappointed that their 2000 point Dark Eldar army is useless now. I avoid all of that. And to be honest, by the time I actually finish painting everything, playing enough of the game to get bored of the scenario packs or Open War cards, I have another edition with other armies to play with. Its actually a fun trip down memory lane.
None of my close friends are gamers, but I have been able to get in a couple of games in with 2 of them and I can probably get them to play once every 3 months or so. So I really don't need a lot anyway. A couple of Kill Team tiles, a starter set, and thats usually it. Keep it short and sweet.
I know I am leaving a lot out of the hobby, and have no business playing against a real 40k fan who has Knights and flyers, but in my little world, I have a manageable collection that doesn't take up space, and I can get rid of a lot of the extras I no longer have any need for. And that is something that GW excels in - getting you to buy shit you really don't need or will ever use.
And by the time I finish whats in these starters, 10th edition will be out.