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From Facebook. Very sad news. Rest in peace.

To those of you who like greenskins, Ive also got a small Bad Moonz army In working on. Here we have Badzag, warboss of Badzag's Bad'uns, the meanest, greenest, bad moonz mercenaries this side of Armageddon (atleast according to Badzag).

I've been involved in the physical side of the hobby (i.e. miniatures and gaming) since the early days of 5th edition. I'm sure my fond memories of 5th and 6th edition are largely down to nostalgia, but I genuinely preferred Warhammer back then. I want to believe that what I'm about to say is objectively true, but unfortunately, I'm too self-aware to make that claim: Warhammer in the days of 5th and 6th edition didn't feel as soulless as it does today. It felt more like a casual game and a fictional universe than a corporate product or IP. I prefer the older aesthetics and the design philosophy behind the kits (e.g. Space Marines with separate legs, two-part torsos, arms, backpacks and weapons). The miniatures also made better gaming pieces. Today's models are undeniably and incomparably superior from a technical standpoint, and they make excellent collector's pieces. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, I generally find them less characterful than the older designs. Having never been particularly interested in the competitive side of the game, I also vastly preferred the old approach to army building and rules: a core ruleset supplemented by universal special rules, without formations or detachments. The game seemed much more approachable and enjoyable back then. I also preferred the old sales model and pricing. 40K has always been an expensive hobby, but I could still afford to build a Space Marine army on a student's budget. I also don't recall having much trouble getting hold of kits. At least in my experience, there weren't the availability issues we seem to hear so much about nowadays. On top of that, the individual army ranges seemed smaller, and units tended to remain available for longer. Allow me a related tangent. For a couple of weeks now, I've been meaning to start a separate thread about how much Warhammer has changed, to the point where 40K has become something I personally no longer recognise or feel particularly inclined to engage with on a deeper level. I think this thread is spiritually as good a place as any to share some of those thoughts. A bit of context: my last games were played in 9th edition. For a long time, I'd refrained from buying new miniatures, as I already had a large, unfinished Firstborn Templars army (I'm still not entirely comfortable with the term "Firstborn", mind you). Only later did I start a small Primaris force, alongside a few even smaller projects involving other factions and races. Over the years, I've mostly been painting, converting and scratch-building my miniatures, while following and experiencing the wider Warhammer hobby through this forum. Only very recently did I realise just how enormous the miniatures range had become. I stumbled across some really cool sculpts and thought I'd pick them up. Except I couldn't: many of the models I'd found were no longer available or had been discontinued. But discovering the sheer size of the miniature range also left me feeling... inadequate and ignorant. There was this vast, sprawling Warhammer universe of miniatures that I hadn't even known existed, despite having considered myself someone who actively followed and engaged with the hobby. Around the time of the 11th edition release, I even subscribed to GW's newsletter. That gave me a glimpse into the entire promotional machine, another aspect of modern Warhammer I'd previously been oblivious to. Add to that the constant rules changes and what seems like an inexhaustible library of books, games and other media, and I've come to realise that I'm simply too old for contemporary Warhammer. My Meta (FB/IG) account also realised that I'm interested in 40k so I have had a glimpse into the whole influencer ecosystem with their pro-painting reels or reel-format rule explanations. All of this made it abundantly clear: Warhammer has grown way too big and demanding for me to keep up with. So I've unsubscribed from the newsletter, stopped browsing the ever-expanding catalogue of models I can't actually buy, and decided to retreat to my safe little corner of the hobby: the days of Dawn of War II; a world where AdMech, Imperial Knights, Custodes and Votann aren't armies; a simpler time, with a more stable game and a more manageable miniatures' range. A time when Warhammer was an expensive but more approachable and affordable hobby, rather than something that felt like a part-time job. And that's absolutely fine. Still, these two brief experiences – first, trying to hunt down miniatures I'd missed out on, and then getting a first-hand glimpse of the entire pre-11th-edition promotional machine – got me thinking. They made me realise something that should have been obvious: there are people who have only ever known modern Warhammer, and to them, the very things I find intimidating and overwhelming are perfectly familiar and normal. I don't want to pass judgements here, mind you. Warhammer hasn't necessarily become something worse (even though I subjectively feel it has). It has simply become something different, something much bigger and more demanding than the hobby I used to know and enjoy. I still have my miniatures, my memories and my little corner of the hobby. But these experiences also made me realise just how significant the generational gap between me and younger (or perhaps simply more internet-savvy) hobbyists has become. It's something I must have known on some level, something I'd been subconsciously aware of, but had never really stopped to think about. I must concede: I'm no longer a Warhammer hobbyist or fan. At least, not in the way I used to be. I don't know what Warhammer is anymore. I still enjoy a Warhammer, though.

Of course! Happy to oblige. Here is the first ork kommando I did, still 9 more to go Obviously painted as blood axes, but with the yellow details to tie them into my Bad Moonz warband.

Final 2 boyz of the squad Ive been working on. To think this kit has been looking at me for aboyt 3 years its so NICE to fibslly have it all done. As you know, Im doing a primarily bad moonz army. What do I mean by that? Well the tribe includes all the klan kultures of the orks, because I like to think thats how orks work. After all their kulture is more like a sect within the ork tribes. So for example my walkers, meks and tankbusters will be deff skulls and to represent this I will use yellow armoue with blue details. Vehicles will be evil sunz, so yellow with red details, etc. Now my BOYZ, are the orks who may not yet have found their calling. So they will be a bit of a weird mix. You can see one of them wears camouflage, I have a couple of other boyz with camouflage in variois patterns. My thought process being that perhabs these boyz have begun to take a liking to the ways of the kommandoz but have reached the peak of their adaptation.

Hey folks. I hope posting old figures is ok here, most of these are actually conversion pieces featuring converted Mk VI legs. To have long term repeatable quality i made casts of my conversion work giving me 8 different styles of the legs to use along with some torsos without the eagle on. I also took the time to remove some of the many skulls. Some of the arms are also resculpted or repositoned and things like the pelt on the terminator and the warhammer on the mantis have been sculpted/built from scratch. When starting out my idea was to make a display board featuring a Horus Heresy era army using some rare figures in my collection and using my heavily converted Mk VI figs. Please bear in mind that I'm not massive in to all the fluff and was ignorant even to the fact that GW had even made a Horus Heresy game system! As such this is a road map to picking a Legion for this project with some paint tests, some of the figures are not finished, rather left at the point I became bored or the idea had been realised. The Mantis chapter figure is a display figure that is unfinished, it has been heavily converted and has been waiting for some love for some time. Test fig 1 Dark Angels figure I enjoyed the simplicity of these, black undercoat and a deep green zenithal spray shaded with a scab red nadir spray and some fine washes of scab red to line the joints and shadow ares makes for very fast troops. Another bonus point is the chapter symbol is a doddle to hand paint. The downside is they are very dark and that makes for quite a bland looking army at any sort of distance in my personal opinion. Test figure 2. Death Wing terminator This figure was painted to make use of the legs in the Dark angel upgrade sprue from way back when... I remember it was a ton of fun to paint but not however quick by any sense lol! This did make me reconsider my bland from a distance remark from earlier. I also used this as an opportunity to paint Hawk Talon, Eagle Wings ancestor from the first 40k novella 'Death wing' Hawk talons personal heraldry. In the short story he is entombed in a venerable dreadnought so this must predate that time Test figure 3. Emperors Children Yet another fun one to paint! also a very quick mini to paint starting from black with zen Vallejo purple of some sort and again scab red/black nadir and some washes in same to do lines and recesses/shadow. The chapter symbol is a pain in the bum to freehand quickly but boy do they look purdey! Probably the Mrs favourite of the lot and her suggestion to paint from the Visions of Heresy book (next from her is Night Lords!) Test figure 4. Space Wolves Yet another fun figure to paint! This was made using some bits gifted to me from the manager of a local GW (yes before it became War Hammer) and a healthy dose of green stuff to make the pelts. This was in no way quick, mostly due to the fun in enjoying the process. I would love to revisit this paint scheme as it is a little basic and could do with some very dilute scab red and turquoise washes to the shadow areas to reinforce shading and to add depth to the colour. I would also do the battle damage very differently now. Chapter symbol not too hard to freehand but still not a quickie, the fact that its on a yellow background also adds some challenge. Test figure 5. Imperial fists Well this felt like a perfect balance, plenty bright enough to be interesting at a distance. Relatively easy to paint with both a standard over white with basic zen - nad spray to keep simple but also plenty of scope to push contrast and depth of colour with the character figures. The red spot colour works nice to keep everything readable at a distance. This also fits with the molded detail on one of my rare and to be used figures although it will make for a hell of a lot of work for a whole bunch of others, sometimes it is worth the struggle. Chapter symbol not too tricky to freehand once I had figured out some cheats. Bonus. Mantis marine WIP This figure was built as a conversion project on its own, a bit of a challenge to make a weapon from scratch and get involved with some mini sculpting after working in a much larger scale for quite a long time. Lots of stuff here to finish with no Chapter icons, no wear or tear on anything, base coat head and the limbs stuck on with bluetack... I like painting green and according to the painting masters, painting the colour green makes you happier and helps with stress release. Getting this mini out to photograph made me want to give it some love Yet again green shaded with a dark red in thin glazes. The hardest thing with this for me is trying to figure out what combos of paint I had been working in, Vallejo something or other I guess. Anyhoo, Mr Garibaldi signing out. Off to watch some Bugs bunny, eat some Bagna càuda and get a nice stiff glass of water

Thanks The Pounder & BadgersinHills Back once again with some more paint flickin'. So after the test figs were done and I had settled on painting up some Imperial Fists I had to decide on what type of squad to paint. Rather than getting stuck in to all the hacking and sculpting, mold making (almost as much of a ball ache as the sculpting if you want good parts at the end) and resin casting I decided to take a scout squad and modify almost every figure, almost... Out of these first four figs only two have been under the saw, featuring subtle arm resculpting and weapon swaps. All of them have had the skulls removed off the gauntlets. There is another scout figure I have yet to paint but sad to say, I got bored and I wanted to get on and do some sculpting. So it was time to mix up some putty and and set about sculpting a scout captain complete with a power fist. My inspiration was some of the art for Advanced Space Crusade (RIP). While at the time I was reasonably happy with the outcome, after spending some time painting the figure all I can see is that the legs are too short! It is not by much but it is enough to notice and something I struggle with when sculpting heroic style figures. Maybe at some point I will have another go at this but for the time being Captain shorty will suffice. With the sculpting done it was time for some paint... Its funny how when I look at these I spot all the bits I forgot finish off in my rush to get them playable! You might notice that the regular scouts have no battle damage or weathering and that is because I'm saving all that to do until all the units are complete, this way the basing and weathering will be cohesive across the whole army. Maybe there are some sniper scouts floating around on Ebay to add to this unit?

Hello all, I made an account on here back in, God, all the way back in 2013. I stopped posting at some point because I guess I was a teen and had better things to do (that's probably what I thought with all the arrogance of a teen haha) Anyways, I have an account of instagram, some of you may know it: Manta_man_miniatures. Anyways, that wss fun in the beginning but then it just got worse and worse... the apps, the brainrot, the doom scrolling, the toxic people (there were more good people that toxic people, but the bad ones are just louder). And now as a 31 year old dad of a chronically sick toddler, I just can't handle the social media stress. So this is me, trying to get back to those easier times. The good old forums. Not constant reminders. No notifications, commercials, false information and all that non sense. So, hi everyone. Looking forwars to sharing my stuff

Yes I do. Old habits die hard.

20+ years in the hobby….late 2nd Edition right around the time of the Sisters of Battle release. I have lost 2 armies due to new edition/ rules changes. At one point I loved scouts and decided to build a 10th company army ( Raptors project 1) with support in the form of dreadnoughts, predators and land speeders. While building it in one edition when the new edition dropped scouts went to elites and the force org chart allowed max 3 elites. So I lost 3 squads of scouts. Eventually I decided to build an all phobos army 10th company army (Raptors project 2), well during the build rule of 3 happened and eventually the infiltrators were removed from battleline/ troops. Losing thematic armies has really tarnished my love of 40k. Best thing about 40k, is when I got into 40k I was dating a girl, we got engaged and we would eventually break up. 40k help me move past the break up make new friends and have. Place to not think about her. Fast forward to now, my FLGS is closed, and I got to tell the owner how much his store meant to me and how it helped me recover from that break up. And it was funny that after 20+ years, the girl the store helped me move on from, was now my wife. He was so happy to hear that. So 40k was a distraction that allowed me to grow and mature, make new friends and have a life that she was not a part of, and as my wife now, she enjoys that I have my hobby and she does not want to participate in it.

I wish Alan Bligh was still among us.

I had totally forgotten that Aeronautica had hex bases. Maybe that's why I didn't play it. I have a severe trauma associated with hex based games. Click at your own risk. You've been warned:

I started 40k with one model. Did you read "Master Strategist"? I did. And I turned into a douchbag for multiple editions. I built an Artillery Armoured Company. I took maximum Troops (All Basilisks). Heavy Support ( Griffon Mortar Carriers). Elites (Leman Russ Vanquishers). And some Stormtroopers in a Chimera to hang out with Lord Solar "I go First" Macharius. You remember the pie plates? I got to put them everywhere! I was so happy then. I felt like I had For some reason, I always got really low Sportsmanship Scores at Tournaments. I could never figure out why. But then I built an Iyanden Wraithguard/Wraithlord army. And then Dark Angels Deathwing/Ravenwing. Now I have Custodes. I don't see a pattern. Do you? Maybe I should buy Knights next...

That's a pristine looking torso for a wreck though. And lots more details than terrain warrants. Edit: or Kevin Rountree got pissed at the leak and has taken a mallet to the moulds.

I liked the hobby much more before corpo greed and the tournament scene made it miserable. i liked it when every codex had a hobby section. i liked it when they printed rules for building your own vehicles. i liked it when people were creative with their table set ups. i liked it when terrain did so much more than “u no c me now” i don’t think I’ve seen a river on a table that wasn’t some YouTuber’s project of the week video in 20 years. also, something that I don’t think was possible back in the day with force organization charts was skew lists. i don’t like exchanging army lists with people before the game I don’t want to worry about someone getting my list and spec’ing theirs out to counter me before they send theirs and I don’t want them to worry about it in reverse, but I’m tired of pulling up to games with a generalist TAC style list just to find out my opponent has 3 demon princes, 6 greater demons, and named greater demon characters or a bunch of the big knights. In fact feth knights and chaos knights in general. Feth lists of any super heavy/lord of war.

That's part of the old Void Shield Generator kit. Guessing somebody went bin diving and grabbed it alongside the Titan sprue? Be interesting to see if it's getting a re-release as part of a return to Apocalypse being supported in 11th to along with the Titan (whether the Eye of Terror 10th rules or otherwise). Could just be leftovers of a made-to-order run though.

++ Our world has survived the chaos and darkness of old night, it is a cold wind that blows from the stellar fires. Many a gleaming orb has been purged by the freezing flame of the void. These bones are all but dust. Our Adamantium lies tarnished in the sands of many long forgotten conflicts, battles fought for unremembered gods and unworthy leaders... Scarified by the depths of time and the unyielding, remorseless power of an uncaring and indifferent universe. Somehow we emerge from this bleak abyss a lone flame amongst the clearing spray of stars. Are there other lives out here amongst the decaying embers of humanity? Has all been lost to entropy, our shining achievements swept aside by the tides of the warp. Maybe this time we will remember the peril of the dwellers of the imaterium. For theirs is the lure of the damned, a path to despair, the ever flowing gravity of temptation ++ Hey folks, long time lurker from the UK. Been looking for painting tips here for many a year (my old night) but never made an account. There seems to be an amazing community here and tons of content, truly a place for all, I hope I can join in. I'm a collector of 1st edition 40K literature, tried some of the old RTB01 plastics in all their soft detail glory and rapidly decided to convert some figs to make my own RTB01! Now I discover this Horus Heresy stuff... Truly an age of wonder! P.S sorry about the intro but hello seemed a bit bland

Who, me?

The Horus Heresy Predator support tank makes a decent Baal if you want something with a more vintage look.

TITH I am working on a brick of Wolf Guard to accompany Logan now that Terminators are actually good again. Still a lot of detailing and shoulder pads to do but they are starting to look decent. I am trying to decide whether to drill the barrels. I find it a chore but painting consistent barrels on storm bolters is really hard.

Speaking of other chapters, I did do this to the sargeant from the Armageddon box. He was initially me dilly dalliyng with different lesser known chapters in my struglw to figurw out what to do with the boxed set, but now he has just become part of my chapters proyect. So Space Marine Chapters #2: Eagle Warriors. Now I gotta say I love the colour scheme, it looks badass, but Im was not entirely convinced. I may still use it for an entire army, I dont know

You love to see it. Imperium At War Core Mission PDF. Primary Detachments PDF.

BadgersinHills: Thanks mate. :) Batu: Here you go. So finally getting somewhere with a project. This is the Captain of what I want to be my first 4th ed army, I will post the lore later but I am toying with either calling them the Confessors or delving back into ancient Rogue Trader lore and calling them the Star Leopards. The rough outline is that I'm going full grimdark and probably just doing my own thing rather than worry about the current timeline. The rough overview is that the Chapter home world is part of an important shipping lane with lots of pirates and other gribblies constant attacking Imperial worlds along the lanes. They are deeply religious viewing the Emperor as a god. Their homeworld is very feudal and the main export is harvesting the radiation of their system's star with large solar farms which they convert into crystals used in the likes of Gellar fields and Aegis armour. As a result there is a large number of unstable psykers. Anyways... This is my nearly finished Captain of the second company which is known as the Resplendent Sun. Still lots of areas I need to tidy up and the blending seems to have washed out on the banner but I am fairly happy with him so far. I'm using the transfers from the Old World Empire knights for the chapter icon. Pretty much a speed paint, drying brushing AK Eternal green over a black undercoat and then washes of one of their leather colours. I am enjoying using them but they are quite thick and I found them great for blending. Rather than use Rhino variants I want to go full lost the ability to invent stuff, as the Imperium should be in my mind, so they use ancient Solar Auxilia vehicles in the same way the regular Astartes use Rhino STCs. They have no idea about the Heresy or the Solar Auxilia, as most of the Imperium shouldn't, but their home world was an ancient Great Crusade era supply depot. I'm using a Malcador as a Predator and an Infernus as a Vindicator. I have all these cool kits laying around so may as well actually put them to good use. I'm not making the tacticals full man squads because I am not a fan of Chapters operating on mass at every single warzone so I have one nine man squad and a second eight man squad. I have made use of Wargames Atlantic Sorcerer's Spoils bits set that they now make with lots of candles, books and seals which are really nice. Edit: Forgot to mention, base coated a Word Bearer as a potential Heresy/4th ed force.

Please ask about Crime, everything else is secondary

Honestly they can keep pandaemonium. I am going to try and get a ticker and its not even in my top 5 wanted books. You might be suprised at how many people will be asking about things like Black Legion 3, Watchers of the Throne 3, Belisarius Cawl 4, Emperors Spears 2 etc. Heck when is the next Necron Yaoi installment GW???? But more then any novel i want to find out if BL has plans to do things like Xenology, Sabbat Worlds Campaign book, liber chaotica, etc again. Not reprints, new things in that vein. Novels is but one facet of what BL can offer and i for one really miss source books and in universe tomes being put out. Things like indomitus could really use a pure source book to clean up, iron out and present the lore in one cohesive vision. Like wise a source book about the dark imperium outlining the various chaos/xenos/independent realms that have sprung up, and the last remaining bastions of Imperial might would not only be great, but actually help explore the half of the galaxy they keep ignoring. Explore some minor xenos races, set up some zones of interest, give people the fuel for a decades worth of projects and armies. And if they have no plans for it, i would still like to know. And ask why?

I do have electrical skill and hadn't thought of it. It needs a war horn and LEDs.

Thanks @Bonehead! I’m completely in love with these! I have to say the sculpts are amazing. I’ve finished my first squad of infantry! Praetorian Guard Infantry Praetorian Guard Infantry Praetorian Guard Infantry Praetorian Guard Infantry I have a Squadron of Rough Riders and some Heavy Weapons coming soon!

Hell hath frozen solid

Why wouldn't we? That is all they have ever been named.

Oh yeah. And another of my all time favorite. The blood angels smash captain! I really went all in with the NMM on this one. Its also the last Blood Angel I painted and I can never seem to get good enough pictures of him.

I’ve done a chunk more on that Cataphractii but I forgot to photograph him. He’s a lot tidier and has a Luna wolves etch for his belt buckle. In a vain attempt to get a playable army I purchased myself a box of terminators for my World Eaters and I dug out my 15 year old FW terminator upgrade sprue and got to work. I also have Zhufor who looks absolutely dope but is a bit skinny. in hindsight I should have chucked this, and my power armour one on eBay because they’re listed at £100. They look awesome but they’re obviously too small for the new indomitus terminators so like a true Berserker surgeon I’ve started hacking away at the poor Imperial scum. This fella is my proof of concept to see if I can do the detail fine enough to not look crap. If it looks rubbish I’ll use chaos terminators as the base instead. I just don’t like the trim being so wide. For those interested the process is time consuming but simple: 1 - Snip the top off the imperial terminator back plate 2 - shave the sides of the FW bit so it slots in 3 - fill gaps on top 4 - shave the waist so it aligns properly 5 - bulk the torso as best you can preserving the details, or resculpting those you can’t. This dude still needs a bit of cleanup and I’m on the fence of whether I can sculpt a world between the jaws on his shin but we’ll see…

Hello everyone, On Friday, November 13th at 7:30 PM EST, we'll be performing a site upgrade to the newest Invision 4 patch. This shouldn't take long, but the site will be unavailable for a little bit during this process.

There is still a great deal to love about this hobby. However the corporate greed, while always a thing, has as in almost every aspect of modern life become so much more overt that it casts a long shadow over things. I remember Templates. I never encountered any issues with them and the thrill of seeing a Demolisher Cannon hit a squad of aspect warriors dead on was great. Heck even missing with a template was fun because with scatter dice you didn't know where it might end up. It was an element of unpredictability that made it feel fun - at least for me and my opponents. There was a great feeling of it being a 'beer and pretzels' game back then. I feel in general that Warhammer was just less serious then. It was more about good times with people than list optimisation. Yes the balancing could be...uneven...but the flavour was so much more. Personally I also miss the Force Organisation Chart. I liked having a structure and limitations to build around. I've never found the Detachment system to recreate that buzz for me. I do remember how infuriating and miserable it could be having to wait years and years for a codex. That was brutal for several factions. I don't find GW's constantly barrage of faq's, errata, point changes, balance slates an improvement though. More just jumping from one extreme to another and bypassing a reasonable middle ground entirely. I also remember the absolute chaos of 7th and Formations where things went bat s**t insane. It was a crazy time but honestly I miss it. It was less sanitised, more mysterious, more for hobbyists. It was less of a commercial product, less mainstream.

OK, at least I'm moving forward. Moving forward slowly but at least getting more paint on the models

Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment

Illuminor Szeras! My first real attempt at NMM, and I'm absolutely chuffed with how it turned out. Did I base him? No. Did I do NMM on the back side of the blades? Heck no. But he's shiny and evil and my wife likes him! Another model that's been in my backlog for close to two years now, done (enough) and dusted! I played around with some elements and rushed others and am very satisfied with the finished product. I don't think this is the start of a Necron army, just a palette cleanser, but he was a lot of fun to paint and I'm so pleased with how he looks that I've put him on the main shelf of my display cabinet. I think the section of the blade, the two pincers at the top, took me an hour to do.

Well plastic reaver titan confirmed!

TITHI'm letting my youngest daughter work on some eldar guardians. After a light white dry brush, she's applying apothecary white right now

Hi there, back again on this forum after about a decade. In that decade Ive still been active in the hobby with lots of different proyects. I have an instagram account that maybe some of you know: manta_man_miniature, though Im still a small fish over there. So, I just want to chill and share everything Im working on or have worked on in the past woth you fine people. Let me start of with my profile picture and without a doubt one of the minis I am proudest of: a Blood Angels apothecary that I painted and donated for The Apothecarion last year. Oh and a question, because I can't quite recall how things worked here. Do i only share minis on this thread or can I add lore blurbs and stuff Ive written aswell? Admins? Thank you!

ACCESS - Guild of Bounties personnel files ACCESS - Varn, Krex AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED INPUT - [REDACTED INFORMATION] AUTHORIZATION GRANTED - WELCOME INTERROGATOR [REDACTED} Personnel file (94944.049 - Varn, Krex) Details Name: Krex Varn Home World: Hephestar V, Hive World Occupation: Guild of Bounties bounty-taker Age: 19 Appearance: Lean and broad-shouldered, with a permanent stoop caused by years of lung damage. His dark hair is kept cropped close beneath a battered cap or hood. A long scar runs from beneath his left ear to his collarbone, vanishing beneath his armored bodysuit. Trenchcoat worn over bodysuit: weathered and stained, with numerous hidden pockets for warrants, restraints, and ammunition. Chainsword and hand cannon generally kept in visible holsters, potential autopistol backup in boot/lower-back holster. Background ** Note - Information collected via Guild entry interview and subsequent history interrogations. ** [[ INQ insert - Guild of Bounties background information summaries appear to be structured in a rather informal, or even literary, style. Advise monitoring summaries author(s) for subversive thoughts. ]] Krex Varn was raised in the sumpward reaches of Hive 3, where rust-colored rain leaked through cracked hab roofs and children learned to run before they learned to read. His father worked as a collection agent for the Guild of Bounties while his mother maintained filtration systems for hab-blocks deep below the hive's sprawling markets. When Krex was twelve, a collapsing transit platform hurled him into one of the hive's massive reclamation reservoirs. The polluted water filled his lungs before rescue crews pulled him free. He survived, but the toxins permanently scarred his respiratory system. Since then, prolonged exposure to damp air or large bodies of water triggers violent coughing fits that can leave him struggling for breath. Unable and unwilling to pursue a laborer's life, Krex entered the Enforcer-sanctioned Guild of Bounties. The instructors quickly discovered that while he struggled with negotiation, hierarchy, and proper procedure, he possessed a nearly supernatural ability to locate those who wished to disappear. He noticed patterns others missed. Habits. Routines. Tiny clues that led him unerringly toward his quarry. After graduation he was issued the standard tools of his trade: an armored bodysuit, a hand cannon, a chainsword, and a threadbare trenchcoat bearing the guild seal. The instructions he received were simple: "Go forth and do the Emperor's work." Several months later, his arrest tally has become difficult to ignore. Reputation Current Success Rate - 87% completion, 44% bounties delivered deceased Among local guilders, Krex has earned several nicknames: The Bloodhound Sump-Tracker The Coughing Hunter Dead-End Krex Most regard him as socially abrasive but effective. He rarely drinks with fellow bounty-takers, rarely boasts, and speaks only when he believes he has found something important. Guild reports frequently mention the same observation: "Subject demonstrates exceptional quarry-location aptitude." A second annotation appears almost as often: "Avoid deployment to maritime districts where possible." Personality ** Note - section contains observations from Guild-aligned employees and supervisors. ** Krex tends toward silence and observation. Trusts evidence more than testimony and has little patience for excuses. Social skills are rough, often causing him to appear suspicious, blunt, or unintentionally insulting. Dislikes falsehoods, even those he must tell to pursue prey. Cough makes him appear sickly, but is potentially a psycho-somatic response to trauma rather than a physical issue. Possesses a strong sense of duty. Genuinely believes his work protects ordinary Imperial citizens from predators and criminals. His greatest fear is helplessness. The memory of drowning in toxic water remains vivid, and he becomes noticeably agitated around deep water, docks, reservoirs, or flooded structures. Mannerisms ** Note - section contains observations from Guild-aligned informants and supervisors. ** Constantly scans crowds for faces and exits. Taps shell casings against his thumb while thinking. Sleeps lightly and seldom more than a few hours at a time. Breaks into coughing fits when stressed, exhausted, or exposed to damp environments. Remembers faces almost perfectly but frequently forgets names.

Cleaned up and expanded upon the saga of Gamma-N9. Designation: Magos Biologis Gamma-N9 (Formerly Enginseer Rho-77) Homeworld: Forge World Phaelos Background: Adeptus Mechanicus Role: Chirurgeon Status: Reassigned // Attached to Inquisitorial Retinue Born into the cold, metallic embrace of the Adeptus Mechanicus on Forge World Phaelos, Rho-77 was once a promising Enginseer of impeccable credentials. His maintenance records were exemplary, his adherence to established liturgical protocols unquestioning, and his faith in the Machine God's divine wisdom absolute. He was, by all accounts, a thoroughly dependable servant of the Omnissiah. Unfortunately, he was also somewhat overconfident. That confidence was permanently corrected during the Siege of Malvolion IV. In the midst of the campaign, a squad of increasingly desperate Imperial Guardsmen presented Rho-77 with an unblessed, mud-caked M34 Imperial anti-tank mine. They complained that its machine spirit was behaving erratically and requested technical assistance. Appalled by their apparent disregard for proper maintenance procedures, Rho-77 reprimanded the soldiers for their negligence. Taking the offending device in his own hands, he proceeded to explain the importance of proper ritual observance. "The machine spirit is merely displeased by your ignorance. Observe, as I apply the Sacred Oils of—" The mine detonated. The machine spirit, it would seem, had other opinions. Rho-77 survived, though only in the technical sense of the word. The explosion destroyed most of his torso and lower organic frame, leaving his remaining biological components in a condition that even the most optimistic Enginseer would have classified as requiring extensive maintenance. Unfortunately, the incident also claimed the life of the nearby Chief Magos Biologis Gamma-M7, senior veterinary medical officer responsible for the regiment's Rough Rider cavalry assets. In the cold, utilitarian calculus of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the loss of a senior Biologis represented a considerably greater investment to replace than that of a standard Enginseer. Consequently, rather than permit Rho-77's surviving organic components to go to waste, his superiors authorized an extensive reconstruction. His ruined torso was replaced with heavy cybernetic assemblies. The surviving cranial data-coils, surgical mechadendrites, and biological reference archives of the deceased Gamma-M7 were recovered and incorporated into his new frame. The resulting individual possessed the mechanical expertise of an experienced Enginseer and the accumulated biological knowledge of a senior veterinary specialist. His new designation was Gamma-N9. His former rank was revoked, his occupational classification amended, and his duties reassigned to the field of Chirurgery. The transition was not entirely without complications. Gamma-N9's newly integrated data archives contained extensive information on equine anatomy, genetically enhanced cavalry mounts, xenopathology, battlefield veterinary medicine, and the maintenance of cybernetic prostheses designed for quadrupedal biological assets. Unfortunately, the transfer did not include a particularly comprehensive understanding of conventional human medicine. His subsequent medical practice has therefore been characterized by a somewhat unconventional approach to organic maintenance. Furthermore, following a formal review of the circumstances surrounding his original reconstruction, his superiors determined that Gamma-N9 presented an unacceptable risk when exposed to unexploded ordnance. A hard-coded behavioral inhibitor was consequently installed within his cortical implants, preventing him from attempting to inspect, repair, or otherwise interfere with explosive devices without triple-signed authorization from appropriately ranked Mechanicus personnel. The restriction remains in effect. Now seconded to an Inquisitorial warband, Gamma-N9 finds himself responsible for the continued biological integrity of a collection of decidedly troublesome organic assets. Heretics, mutants, xenos, and fellow acolytes are all afforded the same clinical attention, diagnostic scrutiny, and occasionally questionable surgical procedures. He remains convinced that his medical methods are entirely sound. After all, he has successfully repaired numerous damaged vehicles, reconstructed several severely compromised cavalry mounts, and survived an anti-tank mine. By Mechanicus standards, this constitutes a respectable professional qualification.

Yes, I fear what happened with last edition will happen with this edition: They will finally get mostly everything updated, the game will be stable, and the building blocks will be in place for them to do really interesting new things. And then instead of doing that, they will reset everything.

Brother Lutheriel, I say this not with pride, but with shame, that it's about 35 years with me. Freebooterz was newly released then. I appreciate your wish to learn, your wish to understand, Brother Lutheriel. I'll start with your actual questions. I saw Horus Rising in a Barnes & Noble when I went back to the US for my master's. B&N had already expanded beyond normal books to comics in trade paperbacks, manga (this was actually their profit centre for awhile), even Magic: the Gathering (they hosted events, I've never seen a group of kids so quiet in my life, because they're in some Pokemon event, it was awesome). It's not the 1st time Games Workshop released novels, I had read Ian Watson's Space Marine about Imperial Fists from Necromunda before. Tbh, it felt like how the Street Fighter movie is coming out now. Like, oh, I used to play this. The Primarchs had been around a bit, they even had miniatures for Epic scale (like the original Legions Imperialis): They were just named Greater Daemons. People actually bought Mortarion for conversion on Dark Angels projects. HH became HH here on B&C for me I agree with the others that the peak of Warhammer was when 30k 1st ed, the Black Books, came out. From what you described, Brother Lutheriel, you may know 40k and HH from this YouTuber or that LoreTuber. Nothing wrong with that, but for me, it was the likes of Lady Atia, Mr_Parker, AND others in this very thread! That's when HH became "magical". It continues with my local meta discovering 30k 3rd ed for the 1st time. What is the difference? The Black Books are like a political history of the Heresy. The novels more like fantasy, which is fine, Warhammer 40k was originally pitched as science fantasy. But when filtered through influencers, they kinda became comic bookish, the Primarchs became like the Avengers. Ourhammer vs. Warhammer Brother Lutheriel, I'll tell you something I seldom share with others, because I think you're ready to hear it. Yourhammer is more important than Warhammer. Y'know, there's all these lore videos and discussion about a Warhammer streaming show (they already exist on Warhammer+, but) on Amazon. There's been a pretty successful Dungeons & Dragons film, I don't see influencers dissecting the lore on that one. It's because in D&D, what people are interested in their own characters, their own party, their own campaign. That mindset was closer to what 40k originally was. In fact, 1st ed, a Game Master was supposed to run games. After 35+ years, I think I'm just beginning to understand Warhammer. Not painting, rules, lore, but the Hobby.

I could finally live out my dream of fielding all Assassins and a Warhound.

What an interesting idea for a thread – thanks Brother Lutheriel. Those who have posted so far in this thread have answered very elegantly and affectionately about the ups and downs of 40k. It's been a treat to see the variety and depth of the answers – as well as drawing out some common threads from those Brethren with a few service studs in their heads. +++ + Space to explore + I wanted to post with some thoughts, but found myself going round in circles trying to figure out quite where to start answering! 40k's a huge arena, and the sense of scale is perhaps a good way in. Looking back now on the 80s and 90s, it's interesting to have the broader perspective of where Warhammer 40k fits into broader sci-fi. Like lots of our cohort, 40k came into my life around the time television and film was filled with space adventures – and a game that had a spiky subversive architecture (what has come to be called 'Grimdark') was an exciting development of the sort of grubby anti-authoritarian sci-fi (2000AD, Aeon Flux etc.) that was still evolving from the optimistic 50s and 60s. Anyway, the great appeal of 40k for me was always that sense of space. That great yawning emptiness (and 'safely miniature danger') was hammered into players from the original tagline – a sentence that has been trimmed off in the more recent editions: 'But the galaxy is a big place, and whatever happens, you will not be missed.' I don't think that really stuck with me at the time – I was far more into the cool space knights and bug-eyed monsters rather than looking for any philosophy – but the fact that the game came in with that sense of wilderness and opportunity for creativity and exploration was a huge part of the appeal. The other aspect for me was that the artwork was so varied and immersive and weird – looking back, the 70s and 80s it was a real golden age for sci-fi art, and WH40k's sails were filled out with that visual imagination. To look at the change in the nature of 40k of time, for me the artwork is the real bellwether. Early 40k had such varied styles. I remember genuinely feeling uncomfortable looking at John Blanche and Ian Miller's esoterica, or really gripped by Gary Harrod's distinctive style – and it's the reason that I those artworks stuck with me. Today, the artwork is generally more polished and refined. It's much more clearly commercial, focussing much more heavily on showing the models rather than expanding the universe. That's not to say it's bad – there are still some great artworks today, and there are none of the clunky amateurish pieces you'd see back in the 90s – but it certainly doesn't grip me in the same way. The technical improvements mean there's less imaginative work I need to do. I look at the battle scene and nod, rather than spot something that draws me in. Far worse than blander artworks is the absence of it, or its replacement with edited miniatures pictures. The Legions Imperialis rulebook is the absolute nadir of the trend for me, particularly when contrasted with its predecessors. +++ + Spelling things out + Being written in the 80s and 90s by a bunch of (mostly) lads (mostly) in their 20s – and for an audience of the same as well as teenagers, there was still lots of silliness in Rogue Trader and 2nd edition, and a real sense of exploration, creativity, make-do-and-mend and inclusiveness. The rules writers were named, and hobbyists like yourself. It was occasionally made explicit that (horror of horrors!) their rules weren't, in fact, the law; and you and your mates should adapt, tweak and change them entirely – but I think that sense of shared ownership, and expectation that readers were entirely capable of doing their own thing, was implicit anyway. That mindset hasn't gone away entirely – there are lots of amazing artists and creators in the hobby, and doubtless many, many more who don't share their stuff online – but the overall presentation of 40k from GW is much more polished, and with it has come the audience's weird sense of reverence for the rulebooks, and expectation that things will be mapped out entirely: literally in the case of the galaxy, and metaphorically in how you're invited to share the game. It's a very 40k twist for any group when the game moves from toolbox to pre-fab; or in other words, what was intended as a starting point for you to build on has become a venerated cathedral that can only altered except by nebulous authority figures every six months. Personally I'd like GW to row back on the technical side of the writing and embrace that discursive, friendly, art-led style of rulebook again, just to remind people of the appeal of social tabletop wargaming in comparison to (say) computer games. You don't need any qualifications or equipment to tweak the rules of a wargame. Having everything spelled out and accessible – from rulesets to painting schemes – is undoubtedly useful to bring people in, but without the sense of ownership that creating your own Chapter/warband/paintscheme, I do think that the (very well-intentioned) accessibility fights against the appeal of collecting your own little toy soldiers to explore your own little corner of the Dark Millennium. +++ + Simulation versus game + In fairness to GW, I think they still talk the talk about it being your hobby. The personalities involved are still keen for people to be creative and riff on things, but the scale of the business now means that they can genuinely expand and build and sell all the things that once would have been the realm of kitbashing and conversion. Scratchbuilt Titans and Gargants and tanks, for example, have always been around – I certainly made a few myself – but I think the collective urge to do so has been pushed back a bit in the hobby by the availability of off-the-shelf kits, and the level of detail in the models. I was absurdly proud of the (dreadful) cardboard tanks I made to give my Imperial Guard a fighting chance against my brother's orks, but I think I would have been put off developing the scratchbuilding and conversion skills if there had been such a range of models as are available. +++ + Simulation versus game + As a couple of Fraters have noted above, complaints and suggestions for change have always been part of 40k and the community. It's a sign that people care enough to want to engage with it! I played every edition from RT through to 8th or 9th, but most around 3–6th. I remember wishing GW would get rid of templates and tighten things up, and discussing with my gaming group how they could write their rules more clearly, so things would be 'fairer' and clearer... but now that I've got that, the game seems weirdly abstract and 'light'. Careful what you wish for, I guess! That lack of engagement and feeling that the models are just game tokens rather than anchors for imagination, coupled with the mechanics not really reflecting how I'd expect things to work, and getting tweaked and refined and updated far more often than I get to play, has meant that I've walked back from 40k recently, as I feel the rules have become more and more distanced from what's happening with the models on the table. Happily, the 40k universe is hugely expansive, and there are lots of ways to be involved, from other games old and new (like Epic) to books and online discussion. Ultimately, I guess, 40k was a more grown-up version of playing with my spacemen and alien toys, and a great way to meet up with friends and meet new people. It is still that. Giving some structure to imaginative play is great, particularly when you're growing up – and that tension between 'playtime' and 'serious stuff' has been in the game ever since. It's in every aspect, from the way the rules are written; the variety and weight of the artwork compared with the text; to the models themselves. Today we're in the happy place that all the old editions are now 'complete', and often have frothingly enthusiastic online communities that have adapted and refined things to their own taste; and are very welcoming. Modern 40k is still a great gateway into tabletop wargaming, and long may it continue to be so. I hope it continues to adapt and change and grow for every new generation for a long time to come!

If GW dont do a battle report of a Warhound v Angron then we all may as well go and play Buckaroo

You raise many very valid points. I am losing motor control to Parkinsons and I struggle to use superglue as it sticks my fingers together (as they won't go where my brain wants them to). Plastic - for me - is far more forgiving and allows a measure of drying time when if I've put a plate in the wrong place or upside down I can move it. You are right in resin's flexibility in design and detail but there's another side to that with the hobbyist himself - we're not all Duncan Rhodes with his surgeon's hands! When my Thanatar arrived in resin way back there were many warped pieces. Those were hard to straighten and when you've hundreds of pounds of model and are already a bit clumsy it's incredibly intimidating to heat and bend it.

I'm happy to see quite a few people here are talking about positive experiences with Forge World kits. With some of my smaller kits I've had less hassle with them than some GW plastic kits. Some GW plastic is amazing, other times you get infantry models made from 11+ parts, some of which don't even resemble anything until they are fitted to the rest of the model and don't have a clear biting point so they just slide against all the other parts into you get them just about right. I tried gluing together that odd Warcry samurai vampire wolf guys and the wolfy one was miserable to build and I eventually hat to fill a massive gap with plastic putty because of a part that didn't even make sense. There's a certain expectation that a resin kit is a modelling project to be tackled but plastic kits are just supposed to fit together and that isn't always the case. It doesn't help that some Youtubers from the last few years talk about resin kits like they are radioactive and will cause your skin to peel off because they haven't been in the hobby long enough to appreciate when resin and metal models were relatively commonplace. I swear, I could give these people a metal landspeeder and a brittle plastic base and it would give them a panic attack. (at this point I might as well add a second Simpsons meme, only this time it would be the "Old man yells at cloud" meme)

I'll eat some down votes to say that guard have had plenty. Yes the catachans are a travesty atm, but maybe they should have sorted that instead of krieg and having to panic promise steel legion. Marines of all factions are not lacking for anything really. I'll bet a reasonable wager that when the new rhino/land raider turn up they'll probably be criticised for something. Eldar aren't in great peril waiting for 1 character, its weird and sucky he was missed but you can safely assume that's an easy 1 model release this edition. Drukhari and grey knights are legitimate complaints in my eyes, but I don't see why a likely 30k branded mini is of any real impact to them.

Morning ladies and gentlemen. The previous Imperial Fist was part of a proyect I wanted to do, painting every space marine chapter, a proyect that takes way too long but I still find interesting and want to do more of. However in regards to gaming, I have about 1500pts of Blood Angels (less now after the latest legends updates ) and a slowly growing Bad Moonz WAAAGH!!. But here, is my Astorath, Redeemer of the Lost. In a, in my opinion, more fitting black and red instead of gold and red scheme. Despite my disapointment with GWs tratment of Blood Angels they did a banger job with this mini.