=] EVENT: Call to Arms 2026 [=

[Dr_Ruminahui]

@Brother Argent, hopefully the following helps answer your questions:

 

1.  Characters are given a bump up (from what is usually 1 to 5 points) based on certain assumptions - that they are more highly detailed and that they will be painted to a higher standard than "basic" models.  Note, that bump up applies regardless of whether those assumptions are true - a character model (especially older models) may be less detailed than some basic models, and we don't adjust point values based on the quality of the paint job or the time and care taken in painting the model.

 

2.  To allow for kitbashing and conversions, whether a model is a "character" for the purposes of CtA is based on the models intended use (or for the many members who don't actually play, their appropriate use) in the game.  So if you are converting a chaos marine to be a chaos lord (aspiring champions are sergeant equivalents, so not characters), it would be valued as a character as that is what a chaos lord is.  Conversely, if you are using a lord model to be a champion in a squad, it would be valued as a basic model.  Note, similar issues also come up when character models are being used as statues as part of terrain pieces.

 

3.  I'm not familiar with the Limited Edition series, but I suspect the same thing occurs with many kill teams where they consist of more detailed and often updated versions of models.  Such models are not given any additional point value - old models are worth just as much as new models, despite many old character models being less detailed than some new "basic" models.  In other words, a fancy, detailed version of something that would be a basic trooper or squad sergeant (or other non-character model) in the game is still just valued as a basic trooper in CtA.  That said, some such models may have be characters if they do have an character role in game - for example, a guy with a flag might be a character, depending on the given faction's rules.

 

4.  When in doubt, contact me in thread or by message with a photo of the model and how you see it being used, and we can figure out what point value is most appropriate for it.

 

5.  The last note is that this is for fun and on an honour system.  So, as a rule I accept what a member says their intended purpose for a model is.  That said, if it appears that the rules are being used abusively (for example, painting a kill team and calling each member of it a character), I will adjust point values appropriately.  To date, I haven't needed to.

 

 

As an example, for the 2024 CtA I painted this chaos ogrynn model.  In the 40K chaos codex, he forms a unit with the character keyword with this chaos enforcer model.  Given that I wasn't certain whether the keyword applied to both models, I contacted the organizer Grotsmasha and asked what its point value should be.  He asked me if I intended to be using the ogrynn as a Neddog type equivalent (an epic hero type ogrynn character from the Astra Militatarum codex) and I said no.  The squad was therefore pointed at 5 for the enforcer as a character and the ogrynn as a squaddie (which for ogrynn sized models wast 2, I think).  Which was, IMHO, quite fair.

 

 

Edited May 30 by Dr_Ruminahui

[sitnam]

@Dr_Ruminahui How much do you think the recent character command squads will cost? I know my Dark commune last year was 9 points (5, for the leader, 4 for the retinue), and I assume something similar for Cadian/Krieg command squads.

 

But squads like the Masters of the Maelstrom and Wardens of Ultramarine really seem like a whole squad of characters.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Don't know about Wardens, but Masters, while all having the "Epic Hero" keyword, aren't characters so I would imagine they are all 1 point each.

 

And yes, the AM command squads would be 5 for the character and 1 each for the squaddies.  I would need to look at their rules to see how attaching commissars work before speaking as to their points.

[Hfran Morkai]

C'mon Artisans of Vaul and finish up your Sixth Legion Cataphractii bits so I can build my Terminators. 

[Lord_Ikka]

My goal is now to complete at least 5 points (one character) in each of the 5 Strongholds. I'm not normally a Heresy player, but I have a Belial count-as coming in (Marduk Sedras) who will be painted in HH-era DA colors anyway for my 40k army, so it all works out.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

The Strongholds are now up, but can't be posted in until June 15 when the event begins.

 

Astartes / Imperium / Chaos / Xenos / Heresy

 

More detailed point values for each subfaction are in the subfaction Rally Points.

 

In the meantime, if you have any questions please post them in a Rally Point or message me @Dr_Ruminahui.  Happy plotting and planning!
 

For those who haven't done so already and are able, please consider donating to Bolter and Chainsword, as the current fundraising drive has not yet met B+C's yearly financial needs.  All the mods and event organizers do their work out of love for the site, and the funds being raised are to keep the servers running and the software up to date.

Edited June 2 by Dr_Ruminahui

[AvePicante]

Absolutely psyched to see this come back around, I have a few combat patrols worth of models from the Hachette series, so I'll bring them all for Xenos! Looking forward to it.

[drakheart]

This will be my 3rd year in a row, got plenty of contenders including probably the marine half of the Armageddon box. Any idea what forum a Zoat (the archivist) will go under?

[Grotsmasha]

9 hours ago, drakheart said:

This will be my 3rd year in a row, got plenty of contenders including probably the marine half of the Armageddon box. Any idea what forum a Zoat (the archivist) will go under?

 

In previous years, as a Blackstone Fortress model, it would've been allowed in any Stronghold. Although, as a Xenos, that would probably be the most appropriate Stronghold, lore wise (iirc) Zoat were emissaries of the Tyranids, so GSC or Tyranids for a specific Forum I guess.

Edited June 5 by Grotsmasha

[drakheart]

Thanks, although I thought the original lore got retconned to have them as a race fleeing the tyranids explaining them turning up just before a nid invasion and the Hivemind isn't big on diplomacy to start with. 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Xenos would seem the best fit, for whatever xenos subfaction you want to support most.

[SgtSharp]

I have resolved this year to take part in every strong hold, at least a little bit, this will be... silly, as is in character for me.

[Antarius]

19 hours ago, SgtSharp said:

I have resolved this year to take part in every strong hold, at least a little bit, this will be... silly, as is in character for me.

I commend you on your silliness 
 

I briefly considered doing the same, but I ended up on “let’s wait and see”. In any case, I’ll be focusing my efforts on Chaos (as always), but likely make a few forays into at least Xenos and Astartes as well.

Edited June 8 by Antarius

[Agnostic Doggo]

Misrememberd this as starting on the 10th so may have just mentally tripped over trying to figure out why i couldn't place a vow. I attribute this oi egarness and definitely not being a dumbass >< 
looking forward to the start

[Wormwoods]

Like most of the server, I imagine, much of my painting will be marines from the 11th ed starter, but I promise to convert a bunch of them and add in some other stuff from my pile of opportunity for flavour. 

[Antarius]

On 6/11/2026 at 12:26 PM, Wormwoods said:

Like most of the server, I imagine, much of my painting will be marines from the 11th ed starter, but I promise to convert a bunch of them and add in some other stuff from my pile of opportunity for flavour. 

Yeah, I'm likely gonna be doing those at some point too and I'll definitely be converting them to look more like "regular" (that is: old) Space Marines.

I think I'll also be doing the Orks. Earlier this year I was going to sell my Warriors of Chaos army and an old friend turned out to be starting a WoC army at the same time, so I ended up trading it to him for a shedload of Orks. So now I also have a semi-enormous Ork army lying around...

[Khulu]

I have a question. I'm considering starting this CtA with my last few unpainted Imperial Knights, but most of what I need to paint is for Heresy. Can I just pledge my Knights in the Heresy section? If I do that, am I limited to models that are legal in Heresy (e.g. I don't believe the Destrier or the Questoris Defender have Heresy rules)?  

[Lord_Ikka]

Question on model points, piggy-backing on @Khulu slightly, what would a Knight Destrier count as? It is a Titanic, Towering Character model like a regular Knight, but slightly smaller in form...

As well as Chaos Obliterators/Multilators/Saturnine Terminators for Heresy - they are all big models on 50mm bases, so would they still be 1 point each for infantry or something similar to calvary at 2?

Edited June 14 by Lord_Ikka

[Khulu]

5 hours ago, Lord_Ikka said:

Question on model points, piggy-backing on @Khulu slightly, what would a Knight Destrier count as? It is a Titanic, Towering Character model like a regular Knight, but slightly smaller in form...

As well as Chaos Obliterators/Multilators/Saturnine Terminators for Heresy - they are all big models on 50mm bases, so would they still be 1 point each for infantry or something similar to calvary at 2?

Think I saw in the Knights stronghold its 7pts but I may be misremembering.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

@Khulu - You can paint your imperial knights that are playable in both 30K & 40K in either forum, while those that are only playable in 40K will have to be vowed in the Imperium Stronghold.  That said, you can make vows in each Stronghold, so there is no reason you can't do most of your knights in Heresy and your non-30K knights in Imperium.

 

@Lord_Ikka - As noted by Khulu, I suggested 7 points is appropriate for the Destrier in the Imperial Knights Rally Point, though I'm open to other suggestions.  Obliterators are 2 points, so the similarly sized Mutilators and Saturnine Terminators will be as well.

 

I hope everyone is excited for the event starting tomorrow.  

Edited June 14 by Dr_Ruminahui

[Antarius]

I am quite excited although I will likely not be able to get started before the 16th or 17th, as we have a visitor coming over tomorrow.

 

I originally wanted to do a lot of prep work, assembling and priming all my vows in advance, and just blast right out of the gate, but my schemes have gang somewhat a-gley as they oft do. So the prep work will have to be done along with the event itself.

 

Still, I have vows planned in pretty much all strongholds and I do have a bunch of terrain that's ready to go (in the Imperium stronghold), if I can mange to make my new camera work.

Edited June 14 by Antarius

[Antarius]

A final question before the Call to Arms gets rolling, as well as a little test of my new camera (I haven't totally gotten the hang of it yet, but I think I've at least managed to make it take pictures in a resolution that doesn't make the files too large for the site...).

Here are a bunch of my custom terrain. As you can see, some of the sections are primed in different colours, which I hope is permissible in a similar vein to sub-assemblies being allowed. I'm not quite sure what the individual pieces are worth, though, so I though I might as well ask in this thread.
I've included a Goliath ganger and an Enforcer for scale.

Anyway, here we go:

The two black smudges in the final picture are some barricades that I stumbled across while setting up, so I thought they might as well be part of the vow as well. I guess they're just 1 point each.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

* ALL STRONGHOLDS ARE NOW OPEN, YOU CAN NOW MAKE YOUR VOWS *

 

Happy painting!  Be sure to cheer on your fellow stronghold participants!

As a reminder, all vows must be completed by September 15th.

 

I will no longer be monitoring this thread or the threads in the faction forums - if you have any questions, please ask me in the Strongholds, by messaging me, or by choosing my name from the dropdown menu when typing @ then my name (@Dr_Ruminahui).

 

@Antarius - message me with photos of your terrain, and we can work out points.

Edited June 15 by Dr_Ruminahui