Playing with non-gw models

[Slann]

I have been a pretty big tourny person although I play in a lot of indy GT's so iam used to see non gw stuff , but as lng as it is in the spirit of the army i say go for it , I have had the pleasure to see some fantastic non gw 40k and fantasy army's . dont blame someone if they like the game that all there peers play but don't have the money for some gw stuff . There prices are through the roof way more than they should charge , I have been playing this game a long time GW keeps on getting more for the money rather than the hobby year by year , you think it was game play that made them make troops the only unit that can claim an objective , it made almost everyone that played elite armys have to go and redo there list and buy more troops .

The above pictured stuff really ant that bad at least they changed the weapons to make it WYSIWYG .

And also indy events is where its at , little to no young rude kids , fairly priced , and offer a prize in models if you win and the trophy , they also take the time to have a hotel close by give special rates .

[mono]

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with using non-GW models in an army -- but only 1 or 2, perhaps as special characters/heroes/etc.

Gotta agree with Joe on this...my old IG used a non-GW mini for a HSO, but it was in the process of being converted to 40K visual theme. If someone uses a non-GW mini and goes to the effort of converting it, that's cool, more power to 'em, and if it really is cool, then rock on! But a plastic army men jeep? That's just being cheap...the hobby's not a cheap one to get into, and if you want to be in it, be willing to foot the bill for it!

[Slann]

I guess it can also be in what context like I sometimes use pre painted hero scape stuff in a necromunda/=I=munda/spacequest hybrid game I run . in the campaigns I tend to use the pre painted stuff as NPC stuff just cause its hard to play both 40k and fantasy and than have to paint up npc stuff for the games I gamemaster for .

[Diagnosis Ninja]

Man, I'm lucky that I play down at Games of War if people are as stingy as that.

Sure, I haven't seen an army made of non-GW as a majority, but to say that everything HAS to be blah percent GW? Kinda sucks. I mean, The only reason I would be able to use my scratch built Ork Deff Dread is because I used like 70 Ork shoulder pads as armour plating on it :/

If somebody came up to me and suggested using Army Men as guardsmen, I think I would have to pull out the Bolsa Wood Manta, the Lynx Daemon Princes, and the Pirate Ship Rhinos :S

[AdamHarry]

I see these topics pop up pretty frequently, and I've got to say that it saddens me a great deal. Hell, it even makes me mad.

Think about this: How would you like it if your kids weren't allowed to play sports at the local playground because their equipment was Bauer or Majestic instead of Nike or Reebok? Or because their "uniforms" were kids in the same color t-shirts instead of custom printed/sewn jerseys? Or because the equipment was second hand or mis-matched?

But that is not a fair comparison.

When you buy sports gear you're buying gear to play the sport. doesn't matter where it's from as long as it's regulation (meets the standards for that sport).

When you buy GW-model's you're (typically) buying them to play a GW-game.

When you buy a tonka truck to "convert" it into an ork battlewagon, you're just trying to screw over gw, local retailers, and cheating the people you play with.

Support the stores you play at, and buy the products. And yes, i realize that it's an expensive hobby, but it's a hobby...and if you aren't even trying to support the hobby then maybe you should pick a new one.

[Slann]

I can see supporting you local game store sure , but I can also see why people are going other routs to play warhammer/40k , now I buy GW I like there stuff but they have lost there mind with some of the prices and what do you do when that happens ?

You either buy into there poor excuse for there marketing or you stop buying ther stuff til they change the price , does that mean stop playing the game you bought the rules for and have been playing for years no , but it can mean stop buying there models til they lower there price . I mean come on $45 bucks for 10 plastic great sword ! , that's the same cost as 10 chaos knights that are mounted .

Like I said I probably will always buy there stuff I love there plastics and most of there metals but Iam not going to look at someone with a crooked eye when they are fed up with the price hikes .

[Diagnosis Ninja]

When you buy a tonka truck to "convert" it into an ork battlewagon, you're just trying to screw over gw, local retailers, and cheating the people you play with.

Support the stores you play at, and buy the products. And yes, i realize that it's an expensive hobby, but it's a hobby...and if you aren't even trying to support the hobby then maybe you should pick a new one.

The problem I have with that is that I bought my Orks army hardcore, spending £72 on boxes of Ork Boyz alone. after that, I've bought AOBR, 3 boxes of Tankbustas (when they were £15 each) Lootas, burnas, a Weird boy, and about another £50 worth of stuff. Yet, by your count, I'm stinging by making a Deff Dread from a match box, and shoulder pads, or a Killa Kan from bits off the Ork Trukk, and a paint pot? Not buying it, like. I only play GW games, so how can I not support them?

[Aldramelech]

If I'm playing 40k then I want to play 40k, I wouldn't turn up to a game of badminton with a golf club.

I have no problem with conversions of GW models, but they have to have started life as a GW model. Scratch-building is fine as long as its well done and looks like what its supposed to be.

My main pet hates are playing with unpainted figures (people who play with unpainted figures play with themselves!) and cheating at WYSIWYG.

To combat the unpainted figure problem a local tournament introduced a rule saying each model had to have at least three colors on it.......... You can imagine what happened there! "The black undercoat is a color" what a nob.

In another tournament a guy with a white scars army was busy telling his opponents that "Yes, he has got a plasma pistol, it broke off" "Oh hes got a flamer, that broke off too" I would have walked off and let him win as winning is obviously that important to the guy.

I spend alot of time fielding well painted, properly converted, correctly WYSIWYG armies and it annoys the hell out of me when people turn up who couldn't be bothered.

[Diagnosis Ninja]

Man, I must seem really aggravated over this conversation >.< haha.

The three colours thing seems to be a pretty decent idea, Aldramelech. Shame I could never get my Independent Stockists behind it

I suppose, now that I've thought about it, my answer is simply "If I can tell what it is, then I'm happy to play against it." As for the playing against a painted army thing, I'm currently trying to get through the marines my best mate gave me before he left for the army. I already had a couple of hundred points worth, and have added to it since then, but he gave me a full army, so it's pretty big now. I have about 1000-1200 of it at least started, if not fully painted.

It is annoying though that most people I'll play against down at Games of War will never have a fully painted army I don't feel cheated by it, but it is a little sad that they can't be bothered to spray something black, and at least dry brush everything XD

[Aldramelech]

I feel your pain! lol

I left the hobby 7 years ago, sold the lot and walked away. Now Im back and painting furiously to get armies back on the table. Im painting a 2000pt IG army at the moment and have 1000pts done, So on wed Im playing at my local club with 1000pts, I wouldnt dream of turning up with the unpainted 1000pts, I just couldnt do it! lol 2000pts of Space Marines to do after that.