This weeks rumor mill was in full force with lots of rumors regarding the next two codex releases Tau and Chaos Daemons. I am also moving full forward ahead at getting the various model projects I have been sitting on, and making some good progress at it.
Presence of Faeit is my weekly editorial. I generally report during the week what is going on, and today is my day to comment on what exactly it is that I am thinking of.
Tau Rumors
The Tau rumors we have been seeing are early and in fact are playtest rumors. The rumors are all over the map, and regarding many things, but as it was discovered, there were three playtest rule sets, so the rumors are giving us quite the variations. (example is the different stat lines we have seen for the Tau Uber suit).
I do really wish we had a better name for the Tau Uber suit, as I am tired of the name it currently has in the rumor mill. On that front, shaso_iceborn over on Warseer did have something to say regarding the name of the suit.
I have heard a couple of names thrown around, the one that I hear the most is the Tau "E.R.S." or Emergency Retaliation Suit, although I highly doubt that will be the final name. (or at least I hope not as a couple others sounded better to me)
The Tau ERS or emergency retaliation suit is much better than Uber Suit. Anything is better than Uber Suit.
Otherwise, Tau is one of those armies that I am getting excited to see hit the field with a new codex. Although I personally consider them a strong ally, they will be able to stand on their own much better with a new codex and a lot of new options.
Chaos Daemons and a Good Marketing Strategy
Chaos Daemons are right around the corner, and I expect that we will be seeing something on them in the next couple weeks. Assuming of course that the Chaos Daemon codex is coming out at the end of this month. (march release). I know a lot of people that will be severely disappointed if that does not happen.
I really think the codex needs a new release, and if indeed a new release is coming, I think its a very masterful plan on the part of Games workshop.
Look at it like this.......
A White Dwarf release 6 months or so before a release is smart. It gets people digging out their old armies and buying new models. Then a codex is released 6 months later, and bam, people are creating an ever expanding Chaos Daemon army. I know so many people that fell in love with Daemons, and started a new army just because of the White Dwarf release (they had an interest in them before as well, but the white dwarf insert sealed the deal). Its quite a good marketing strategy, and it really gets the hype going for a particular army.
I think Games Workshop would be wise to follow this model. Not only for the excitement it creates in the hobby, but to help expand peoples armies and to start new ones.
There will be people that believe that this kind of strategy is just to steal their money. Well, show some restraint in your spending.
Tough Topics and Comments
This week was a lot of controversial posts, regarding Trademarks, and an Iran stealth fighter.
Regarding the Trademark "Space Marine" for the amazon removal of the book "Spot the Space Marine", we followed the drama all the way to what appears to be the end of it. At least I hope so, because its really a non issue subject on my end, and all it does is bring out a bunch of inflamed comments about something that does not really matter for us.
The other issue with the subject, is really I do not have the time that often to go through and moderate 100
+ comments per post that this subject has seemed to generate. I have gotten to see some of them, but moderating a subject like this is not really going to get us anywhere. (hence why I have not been removing any flaming comments.). Lets just hope that this subject is over, so we can move on to more important things, like watching the grass grow outside.
Then we come to the whole Iran stealth fighter post. The first thing I thought of when I saw this plane, was the awkwardness of the stormraven, and that this plane puts its design to shame.
I am a news junkie (real world news) first and foremost, which is somehow why the format on this site works for our hobby. No other game in the world has the kind of news and rumors that warhammer 40k has. Its quite amazing, and I find it fascinating. So when something in the real world reminds me of something in 40k, I have in the past brought these events up in posts. Probably not as much in the last year as I used to, but I used to do it a lot more.
Note that the Iran stealth fighter post really is not political, but a lot of commenters spun it into a political post. Those that consider it warmongering, or have some conspiracy theory about it, are really reading a lot more into it than is really posted. I find it funny that some even went as far as declaring it a Fox News story, when in reality the best article on the subject was from CNN, and literally lots of online news blogs covered the subject.
So for those that forgot to read the article, and think there is a political motivation behind it, or consider it warmongering, or are showing their hatred for others by declaring it a fox news story.... I really don't mind you posting those accusations, as they were quite entertaining and really made my morning before I had my caffeine.
My Projects
I have some serious projects that I am working on, and have an urgency to complete.
1. Dark Eldar
Converting an old 3rd edition army over to a hopefully competitive 6th edition army list. Its a lot of work, and until I get some models done, the army is rather weak sauce. I literally have 160+ 3rd edition warriors, lots of bikes etc from 10+ years ago that I am working on.
I love Dark Eldar, and getting my vehicles done, is a huge push in getting the army ready for the tabletop. The vehicle conversions are the most time consuming, so they were my biggest roadblock in accomplishing this. Now with them mostly done, and just in need of painting, I am excited that some serious progress is finallu complete.
2. Dark Age
Now that I have mostly completed the 500pt Skarred force I have with paint, I need to wrap up the Brood force, so that I have two painted forces for demo games with friends at my house. I am really starting to like the Brood, but some of the other models from other forces, like the Skarred Abomination, are just too beautiful to pass up on playing some.
Dark Age is a beautiful game, that I am thoroughly enjoying. It is quite the amazing game, not just with the models, but in the game mechanics and background, and provides a good alternate to 40k.
So this week, maybe even later this evening, I will be getting some more painting done on the Brood, so that I can get in some battle reports with painted models.
3. Terrain
I am back to the terrain building process, and need to get some serious terrain work going to have some variables on the tabletop that will work for both Dark Age and 40k. It looks like a friend of mine has some plaster molds that I will be borrowing to get some ruins going in the next week or so.
4. Imperial Guard/ Grey Knights
My competitive list that I am working on, is making good progress, however, a lot of painting lies in wait. I need to dig in and get some serious infantry painted. 40 Conscripts and a mass of 30 plasma gunners makes up the majority of what I need to get painted.
So with all that said, I need to get off the computer and get my butt to work.