Once You Pop You Can't Stop

Apologies to all! No Wednesday Gaming Night (again) for the 2nd week in a row, us lot being busy and all. Still, next Wednesday comes round it’ll be a battle royale between Laur’s Ultramarines VS Doug’s Chaos Marines in their first proper outing! Chaos has only ever reared its’ spiky head twice on Wednesday Gaming Night, once in an 800 point battle, and another in a 3-way battle as well. They’ve performed well so far, and now with an all new Defiler in the mix, we’ll see how this goes.


AN UPDATE FROM THE 512th CADIAN

Just thought I’d put a little post here to take stock of what I’m intending to do, 40K-wise. Real-life really does get in the way, but here’s what’s happening:

Modelling:

1. Colonel de Groot – Almost finished, still working on it!

2. Plastic Stormtroopers with Forgeworld heads – Still gathering bits.

3. {comment removed} squadron – Still gathering bits

4. Valkyrie – still unassembled

Painting:

1. Catachan Devils, 512th Cadian-style – Halfway thru.

2. Ogryns & Roughriders – Will they ever be finished?

Project Big Kahuna:

1. Lieutenant Curtiss Heisen, Sergeant Van Stoken, {comment removed} Reavers – Finished!

2. {comment removed} Big Kahunas – 90% finished! Requiring new artwork.

3. Anubis-pattern Jackal – Working up rules, 20% finished. Model 100% finished and painted!

4. Specialist wargear –Halfway thru! Think Dropzone Flares, and Plasma-cutters.

5. Count Radu “The Handsome” – Just started on this today! My new diversion.

When it comes to Project Big Kahuna, I just couldn’t help myself when a bolt of inspiration hit me out of the blue, and ‘Count Radu’ was born. I’ve sketched out the basic skeleton of this new character, aiming to really push the boat out a bit more than I have done so in the past, and I can tell you, his “Despicable Leadership” rule is one of the most fun homebrew rules I’ve ever had to write up, and I can’t wait for people to playtest it!

JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE DESIGNING A CHARACTER, DOESN’T MEAN IT HAS CHARACTER

Also, as a note regarding ‘character design’, while I’m sorely tempted to enter a couple of entries for this competition from the already-finished sections of Project Big Kahuna (e.g. de Groot, or Heisen, as seen from the previews so far), I’ve already hinted too much and it will definitely spoil the surprise! :)

Project Big Kahuna is intended to work as a whole, much like the current crop of 5th edition 40K ‘dexes, and it is my aim that playtesters and ultimately players of Project Big Kahuna can not only bring a little something extra into their games by picking and choosing certain entries or units, but also should they choose they will be able to play the entirety of their pre-existing force in a very different way!

But the rest of you should check out Atrotos’ competition, (with hefty prize support I might add!), I can’t wait to see the different types of entries submitted, and vote for the winning concept.

The one thing I like particularly is the emphasis on, and I’m paraphrasing here, “making a strong connection between a character’s rule and background (fluff) “.

To me that is essential to character design, not just a long rambling fan-fiction piece of fluff with no relationship whatsoever to the special rules (which very much can feel like a mere afterthought).