Warhammer 40,000

Warhammer 40,000 (informally known as Warhammer 40K or simply 40K) is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1988 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics. Expansions for Warhammer 40,000 are released from time to time which give rules for urban, planetary siege and large-scale combat, respectively. The game is currently in its fifth edition. Players can assemble and paint individual 28 mm (1.1 in) scale miniature figures that represent futuristic soldiers, creatures and vehicles of war. These figurines are collected to comprise squads in armies that can be pitted against those of other players. Each player brings a roughly equal complement of units to a tabletop battlefield with handmade or purchased terrain. The players then decide upon a scenario, ranging from simple skirmishes to complex battles involving defended objectives and reinforcements. The models are physically moved across the table and the actual distance between models plays a role in the outcome of combat. Play is turn based, with various outcomes determined by tables and the roll of dice. Battles may last anywhere from a half hour to several days, and battles may be strung together to form campaigns. Some game and hobby stores host games periodically, and official tournaments are held on a regular basis. Warhammer 40,000's space fantasy setting spans a vast fictional universe. Its various factions and races include the Imperium of Man (the human race 38,000 years hence), the Orks (similar to Warhammer Fantasy Orcs), and the Eldar (similar to Elves in Warhammer Fantasy Battle), among others. These races, along with their playing rules, are covered in the game's rule books and supplemental army 'codexes' (called this by Games Workshop despite the correct plural being codices, hence this spelling is used throughout this article), along with articles in the Games Workshop magazines, White Dwarf and Imperial Armour. Lines of these miniatures are produced by Citadel Miniatures and Forge World. The Warhammer 40,000 setting is used for several related tabletop games, video games, and various works of fiction, including licensed works published by Black Library, a subsidiary of Games Workshop.

Warhammer

The Warhammer 40,000 game takes place in a highly-dystopic, science-fantasy universe.[2] Set in the 41st millennium, most of the major storylines that provide the backdrop and history span over millennia. Central to the Warhammer 40,000 universe are the Space Marines, giant, genetically-enhanced super-soldiers with world-destroying firepower and unswerving, fanatical loyalty to the Emperor of Mankind. While Space Marines act as the special forces of the Imperium, the bulk of mankind's military power is found in the Imperial Guard, which consist of billions of regiments, each thousands of soldiers strong.[3] Their quintessential opposition is the Chaos Space Marines, who betrayed the Emperor during the Horus Heresy, led by Warmaster Horus (who was eventually killed by the Emperor). Much of the Milky Way galaxy is controlled by the Imperium [4] the Tau, a young and technologically-sophisticated civilization of aliens that work for the "greater good" of their empire and its inhabitants; the Necrons, soulless, living-metal constructs tricked into slavery by space entities; and the Tyranids, an all-consuming, all-organic, bio-engineered, extragalactic hive-swarm.[5] Each of these races have playable armies. Other playable armies include the Witch Hunters and Daemonhunters, organizations within the Imperium, as well as the fallen Dark Eldar and the capricious Daemons of Chaos.[6]

Warhammer Gameplay

Games are held between two or more players,[7] each of whom fields a group of units they have purchased, painted and assembled. The size and composition of these groups, referred to as armies, are determined on a point system, with each unit (figurine) assigned a value in points roughly proportional to its worth on the battlefield (a better unit or model is worth more points). Before a game, the gamers agree on how many points will be used as the maximum army size and each assembles an army up to that maximum limit. The composition of these armies is usually constrained by rules contained within the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook, as well as in several army-specific rulebooks called 'codexes'. These rules and preparations are generally taken seriously among players.[8] Common game sizes are between 500 and 2,000 points and played on tables four feet in width and four to eight feet in length, but it is possible to play much larger games given the time and inclination (larger point battles tend to be played by multiple gamers on larger tables).[9] At the onset of each game, a set of rules and goals is determined for that battle. These are collectively referred to as the scenario or mission being played. Players are assigned basic goals which range from the defense or capture of sections of the board to the destruction of enemy units. Additional rules may represent conditions for fighting at night or in environments that affect troops' abilities. These scenarios may be straightforward, taking only an hour or so to complete, or they may be quite complex and require several hours or even days to play out.[10] A series of scenarios may be organized into a campaign, where two or more players fight against each other in a number of battles. These campaigns may feature their own special rules, and are typically tied together by a storyline that can evolve based on the results of each scenario.[11] Many scenarios and campaigns are designed by Games Workshop and printed in the 'codexes', rulebooks or White Dwarf. Alternately, gamers may design their own scenarios or build new campaigns from premade scenarios.[12] A ForgeWorld Tyranid Trygon resin kitPlay is divided into "phases" where each player moves, shoots, and/or engages in close combat with various units. In the movement phase, a player determines the direction and distance individual units will travel, unless a special rule states otherwise. Some units can travel further than others in a single move, and terrain may inhibit movement. In the shooting phase, the player has the opportunity to make long-distance attacks with units that are within range of the enemy. In the Assault Phase, units may engage in close-quarters fighting with enemy units in close proximity. After one player completes all three phases play is turned over to the opposing player. Contingent events such as weapon hits and misses are determined by the roll of a six sided die (note that the rulebooks use the word "dice" to refer to a single die) and unit characteristics.[13] A specialty die called a scatter die is used to determine deviation for less accurate events such as artillery barrages or reserve units deploying onto the battlefield through irregular means.[14] Unlike some wargames, Warhammer 40,000 is not played on a hex map or any kind of pre-defined gameboard. Instead, units can be placed at almost any physical location on the table. Range between and among units is important in all three phases of play. Distance is measured in inches using a ruler. Determination of line of sight, is made at "model's eye view"—gamers may bend down to observe the board from the specific model's point of view.[15] Victory is determined by points, awarded for completing objectives and/or destroying enemy units.

Tuesday, 13 April 2010

40k Hobby: Sons of Medusa Razorback



It hasn't been too long since my last Sons of Medusa addition, but school and life found a way to get in the way of painting anything new for them, not to mention other projects that have come along as well.  Spring Break found me at just the right time with just enough freedom to allow some SoM love.

I've had this Razorback for some time now, it was the subject of my magnetic post a long time back, and sat around primed and sprayed green for the many months between then and now.  I dreaded working on vehicles thanks to my incessant need to have a smooth base color, and the time consuming number of layers it takes to do that by hand.  As fate would have it, I now find myself in possession of an airbrush, and the time saved when working with a color like Scorpion Green is worth its weight in gold!

The piece started in Tamiya PS-8 Bright Green.  As some might know, I found this color to be just off from the final hue I was hoping for, and end up painting much of the model over again with Scorpion Green leaving a bit of the later showing along with a wash of Thraka Green for some additional depth.  For vehicles, I've found that I can leave out a step or two from this formula, and get much the same finish.  I went straight to work with my airbrush mixing my Scorpion Green 50/50 or so with Windex.  I gave the entire model a few passes until the color was nice and even.  I can't tell you how much I love my new metal paint cup.  Since it's arrived I haven't used a siphon pot since.  If you have a siphon pot set up, look into getting a metal side mount paint cup, it's a small change that you won't turn back from when doing mini painting.

Once the base layer dried, I painted in the black sections by hand.  I then went to work adding a Bleached Bone highlight to panel lines, armor plates, joins, etc.  I went with a single pass for much of the detailing, I just wanted to accent them, not make them stand out against the base color. 

The highlights completed, I broke out my trusty gnarled brush and sponge for some battle damage and paint chipping effect.  For mine I use Catachan Green with a lower edge highlight of Bleached Bone, even on the black surfaces.  I don't go further than this with my chipping, though some will add additional shading to each section to give more of a dented/scratched out look.  This works great for smaller pieces/show models but for a table top model, the two step approach more than does the trick.

After the battle damage is highlighted, I went in with freehand detailing.  I like to have at the freehand at this point because I don't want take a lot of time on some freehand details only to have it completely covered by the chipping.  Placement is key here and try to not overdo it.  Sticking to the palette of your force will help these details fit in as well.  I use Skull White for all of the freehand details on my vehicles to help tie them back to the troops.  Multiple thinned layers with a steady hand will do wonders.  I don't go with the usual white formulas here as I want that nice flat look, it's meant to look painted or stenciled, I'm not trying to get a three dimensional look.

With the freehand in place, Gryphonne Sepia is applied in streaks and into crevices all around the vehicle.  I use a few paint chips as starting points here and there, while trying to stick to mostly rivets, armor joins and corners.  For the top, I only pool the wash around the details instead of dragging it in any direction.  Angled surfaces get the streaks though. 

Rivets are done after the streaks using a black base followed by Chainmail.  I don't bother to wash them down, they're too small for it to really matter and I like the way they stand out.

Headlights are done using Golden Yellow highlighted with Skull white to the center of the sections, as seen in my headlights tip from this very vehicle!

The black armor lines are highlighted with Codex Grey followed by a very light Fortress Grey final highlight. 

Smokestacks were painted Chainmail and washed down twice with Gryphonne Sepia.  The soot is done using my Tamiya Weathering Compact.

The tracks were painted Chainmail to start, washed heavily with Bestial Brown, dry brushed Chainmail and finally dusted with Bleached Bone.  Expect a tip with full photos in the future for this.

Gems and Lenses were painted in either red or blue using the following forumlas:  Red Gore, Blood Red, Fiery Orange, White or Shadow Grey, Space Wolves Grey, White.

Metals that were not already mentioned I went with a very simple Chainmail washed heavily with Badab Black.

With a full dusting of the entire piece of Bleached Bone, I sealed the model with Purity Seal and called it finished!  A good bit of feedback from my friend migsula will have me going back with Bleached Bone to add a bit more dusting to the skirts and rear of the vehicle.  I normally don't bother to go back on a vehicle to change things, but with the amount of time saved by the airbrush I wasn't burnt out on this one as I've been in the past.

I hope this look into my methods helps some of you and gives a new idea to consider for others.  Expect more tips from this project as I get the write ups done with a bit more depth to what I've explained here.  Until next project!http://thepaintingcorps.blogspot.com/

Like what you see here?  Be sure to check out The Painting Corps for more tips, tricks, highlights and features! 
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