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The Art of War: A Look into Your Next Hobby with the Lads Next Door

You don't have to wait 40,000 years to dive into the fascinating world of tabletop wargaming. Featuring the voices and talents of local players and artists, The Art of War blog takes you on a comprehensive tour of the hobby that's attracted strategists, artists, and storytellers alike. Articles relate to you the muses and inspirations of the average player, and bring you into the heat of a pitched battle as well as right to the desk of an avid painter. You'll learn the hobby's humble origins, find out the best way to start a collection yourself, discover the basics of painting, and see pictures captured in the thick of tabletop combat or in the midst of feverish artistic passion. Be forewarned, in that knowledge of this hobby will without a doubt ruin any prospective gambling career: wargaming will forever taint your dice luck. 

The blog and all its colorful contents can be found at https://navigatorkyle.tumblr.com/. 

The madman behind the humble project, Kyle Kreisher, can be contacted at [email protected].

#warhammer 40k #hobby

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The Making of a Warrior

The act of building and painting models is arguably my favorite aspect of the hobby of tabletop wargaming, and is also the most artistically involved part of it. My skills are still developing, but it's become such a passion that the drive to create outweighs the dissatisfaction with the result. There are a number of ways to improve, from brush techniques to better equipment to a better eye for color. However, even a burgeoning hobbyist like me has a discrete process to follow when unleashing the fiendish artist within.

The first thing I do when I want to tackle a hobby project is gather my tools at my usual desk. At bare minimum when assembling models, you'll want a small exacto knife that can fit between your fingers like a pen, a pair of clippers, and a small bottle of superglue. I personally use Loctite, as the brand is sold everywhere and the bottles are very ergonomic and easy to handle. On top of those three tools, I use a pair of sanding instruments with two different levels of granulation, to sand down unwanted details or to smooth out imperfections. Furthermore, I have a special tool called a moldline remover that does exactly what it says on the tin- easily shaves off the unsightly lines left on the model from when it was cast from a mold. When painting, I have four brush sizes to use for inks, basecoating, details, and fine details. This is probably the minimum number of brushes one would want to employ for this sort of artistry, but brushes are very expensive. Also necessary for painting is a cup of water, and a square of cardboard to act as a pallet. I find it's also important to have a nice cup of tea with you, regardless of whether you're painting or building. Hobbying's first and foremost a relaxing, stress-relief activity, and nothing maxes relaxation more complete than a piping hot cup of tea.

When you first open a miniature kit, you'll notice the parts are all connected to a plastic scaffolding called a sprue. I start modeling by removing a number of parts from the sprue using the clippers, and cleaning them up with the knife. For this showcase, I've removed all the parts necessary to assemble one member of this infantry squad. I'll spend quite a while fussing over each part, making sure I've hidden the places where the parts were connected to the sprue, and shaved down all the moldlines. After a model is glued together, it can be hard to reach some areas with a file, and thus it's much more prudent to handle all the imperfections now. Once all the parts are liberated, I test-fit the interchangeable parts, like different heads or guns, to see what would look the coolest. Once I'm satisfied with equipment and pose, I use the glue to set it all in place. The glue dries completely after about fifteen minutes, but I always wait a day in between building and painting.

Unlike building, which I usually do in peace, I go out of my way to pick out music to listen to while painting that suits the theme I'm going for with the army that model is a part of. The sword-swinging soldier I assembled the other day featured in the photos hails from an evil, brutal band of undead warriors, and so while painting them I listen to a lot of old school rock and metal. For this new model, a more organic looking alien rifleman that is a servant of a vagrant, mysterious alien race, I like to listen to piano solos when painting them. Anything to help me stay in the right mindset.

I changed models halfway through the showcase due to the improper temperature for spray painting. Before you can use the brushes, each model must be sprayed with a base coat that helps the traditional paint stick easier, and adds a slight tint to the colors you'll apply. If the temperature is too low, the spray will not dry properly and the model will look ugly.

To begin, I sprayed this model in a light gray, as it will complement the turquoise and gray scheme I'll paint over it. After waiting a few hours, the base coats are applied.- turquoise for the main body, with light gray secondary colors to accent it. The details on the miniature like tubing and gemstones I paint brass, to give the model a bit of metal to catch the eye. I paint the gun casing a darker shade of gray to keep in line with the color scheme, but also to differentiate it as not part of the wielder.  Lastly, the cloth is painted a muted green color, to bring a more grounded, military aspect to the alien rifleman, which is called a wraithguard.

The next step in painting is washing. To wash a miniature is to apply a shade, kind of like an ink, into the recesses of a miniature to simulate dramatic lighting. Washes come in many colors,so for this miniature I've selected a black wash for the gray areas, and a reddish brown wash for the brass areas. Black sits on the monochrome scale, and thus is perfect for the secondary armor color. I selected red and brown for the brass to give it a warmer hue, and make it really pop. The turquoise is a special kind of base coat that automatically functions as a wash, allowing me to tackle the main armor color in one swoop. Because the model is very vibrant and bright, I will only apply the shade to the recesses, instead of on the whole model- I don't want to darken all the color down. When applying paint of any kind to a model, it's very important to apply a brushful of the paint you want to use to your pallet, and thin it down with water until the paint becomes slightly runny. Thinning your paints and applying multiple thin coats will always get you better results than fewer thick coats. Thick coats of paint run the risk of congealing into recesses and clogging up the nice details of a model.

It's almost inevitable that one makes mistakes while painting something of this size, and shaky hands can exacerbate this issue. To mitigate mistakes, I set my elbows on the table and bring my hands close together, in a pose the internet likes to refer to as the 'triangle of power.' When I do make mistakes, it's not too difficult to simply go back over them with a few thin coats to correct them. Once the mistakes are fixed, I move on to the last stage of painting the wraithguard itself.

The next step is highlighting- using thin paints in small quantities to brighten the raised areas of a model, picking out important details in such a way as to make it look like the light is catching them. This is mostly applied to raised surfaces and edges. For an example, I apply a lighter gray tone to the outside edges of the alien soldier's eerie faceless mask, to make the armor color stand out. Here I also apply a much lighter brass back onto the metal details to bring some of their sheen back, and a more vibrant green onto the cloth to make that color really attract the eye.

The last step in painting a model after the highlights have been applied and the mistakes fixed is called 'basing.' This process aims to make the model's circular black base much more pleasing to look at, and to simulate the terrain the model may be fighting on. I wanted to continue the theme of eerie, alien majesty for this army, and to that end I wanted to make it look like they were standing on the moon. To accomplish this, I start with a special texture paint, which is a paint that's had granules of sand added in to make it chunky, like mud. I apply the grey mud to the base with a piece of sprue, because doing so with a paintbrush will ruin the brush in short order. Before it fully dries, I add some pools of PVA glue, and set some small pebbles into the mud on top of the glue piles. This will give some definition to the terrain, and make it a bit more hostile. Once the glue and mud dry after about two hours, I wash the pebbles with black wash. The next step is to use a technique called drybrushing to apply more color to the base. Drybrushing involves taking a larger, flat brush, and getting a bit of paint into the bristles. Then, rather than applying it to the pallet and thinning it, I rub the brush forcefully into a paper towel, until most of the paint is off the brush. Then, I lightly feather the brush over the terrain and partially over the model's feet, leaving faint traces of color. I used a darker gray for this, trying to emulate the dark side of the moon. Next, I drybrush a lighter grey over the rocks and the raised areas of the mud. Lastly, I drybrush an almost white color to catch just the edges of the rocks and the absolute most raised areas of the mud. Once the base colors are applies, I apply black to the outside edge of the base to make sure it looks clean and crisp, and the model is complete.

This lengthy process goes into each and every individual in a tabletop army, from soldiers to tanks to fighter jets. There is infinite depth to the craft, and it is a painstaking but very rewarding hobby. Sometimes it can be difficult to get up the motivation to try once again to improve your craft, but inspiration can come from absolutely anywhere. I try to keep my mind as open as possible when working on a hobby project, and I never know where it will take me.

#warhammer 40k #hobby

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To You, 40,000 Years in the Past

Graham Littler, with his overlooking view of the battlefield, considers his tactical options. His forces are clustered around a central, vital objective, which must be held if victory is to be achieved. The enemy was slower to reach the objective, but they are almost upon Littler's soldiers now, and if they were to engage in melee then the day would surely be lost. To make matters worse, a precision ambush mere moments ago had taken his tank column out of commission- it was down to the foot soldiers to clinch victory. But how to break this charge? Abandon the objective to take the enemy head on, hoping to recapture it if they survive? Have the troops hold their ground and pray they can endure? Spend precious resources to bolster the defense? Littler considers the pile of dice in his hand, and the lovingly crafted miniatures in the center of the six-by-four table. His forces would hold. After all, they were his. As ever, the victor would be decided by fortune. He shakes the dice in his hand, and lets them roll across the table.

Back to Basics

It is the year 2020, and the giants of the modern entertainment industry, wherever one draws its boundary lines, is held in the iron grip of technology. Television has evolved, and is now more accessible and ubiquitous than ever. Mobile phones have become astoundingly complex, and everyone who has one understands how difficult it is to go without. Video games have shouldered their way further into the mainstream, with increasing levels of fidelity and capability provided by the blistering pace of technological progress. It's not difficult to imagine that the sheer dynamism of these forms of technology would have buried the more retro forms of entertainment, like board games. This is not the case. In fact, the amount of money in the millions of dollars being poured into tabletop games up for funding on websites like Kickstarter is only increasing- last year that number rose to $176.4 million, up 7% from 2018. And as tabletop games industry giant Games Workshop's stock continues to rise, it seems more and more people are being drawn into the fascinating hobby of tabletop wargames.

The Daydreamer's take

The appeal of games like Warhammer 40,000, Games Workshop's flaghip Intellectual Property and by far the most popular tabletop wargame in the world, can be understood in the way its players look at themselves. Take luck, for example. Littler shook his head as he scraped excess plastic off of a piece of a sculpt fresh off the sprue- a shoulder pad he planned to add to one of his officer miniatures. “When I use my lucky dice... I'd say it's up there, but compared to everyone else, probably on the lower end.” Everyone who plays sees themselves this way- an underdog, battling against their opponent and their own rotten luck at the same time. Narrative is the core of this hobby. Games like Chess, or Mahjong, or Abalone, or Shogi are deep and complex contests of wit, but they lack a certain context. Warhammer, on the other hand- “It's massive. My army of thousands is merely a cog in a giant machine of war in this huge universe that we can explore, through this game.” To put it in perspective, when you purchase a rulebook for Warhammer 40,000, you don't just get the rules. You get pages upon laden pages of rich lore and absurd, fantastic storytelling that gives depth to 40k's grimy, grungy vision of our galaxy. It's a time-honored tradition among players to reserve the right to name a miniature after they have- through sheer luck of the dice or supreme tactics on behalf of the player- performed some incredible feat. It's notions like this that transform tabletop wargaming from a purely competitive experience to something akin to a combination of collaborative storytelling and competition. “With things like video games, your interactions with people usually go something like 'why aren't you playing this correctly, you absolute bonobo.' Whereas, with this game, you're usually only playing with one other person. So if they're not playing well, you'll either give them pointers, or 'teach them the hard way,'” Chuckles the veteran Littler. The advantage of tabletop games over internet-based games is a much more helpful, generous, and tight-knit community. What's more, the game is only half the hobby.

Arts and Crafts

There's something incredibly fascinating about watching someone with an eye for artistic composition carefully and painstakingly apply tasteful colors to a small, heroically posed model soldier, while listening to heavy metal music. This is the second draw of tabletop wargames- the hobby behind the game itself, or the building and painting of a collection of miniatures with which to play the game. Essentially, it boils down to personalizing your band of merry fighters. “I feel a lot more when I lose one of my Intercessors, or a T'au, or one of the cultists I worked on, because that model has some real personality- I think it helps me invest myself in the game more,” Says Littler as he carefully glues a pouch of grenades the size of a termite to the belt of a 32mm tall, revolver-toting gunslinger. No two armies look the same in this hobby. Every faction out of the 32 available has a unique aesthetic and art style, with models ranging from the blocky, brutish tanks of the grim Astra Militarum to the sleek, graceful organic contours of the sophisticated Eldar. On top of that, acrylic paints drawn from every color under the sun are widely available from any number of established paint companies, allowing for literally limitless artistic expression. Among Littler's regular play group can be found his black-and-patina Space Marines, blood-red and bone-white space pirates of the Dark Eldar, Ghastly green and gunmetal of the notorious Chaos Space Marines, and the gore-spattered browns and greens of the Death Guard.

The Galaxy is Your Oyster

Tabletop wargaming as a hobby has never been easier to experience. “I think pretty much anyone can get into it, considering the amount of content they have- there are so many points to get into the game.” Littler says when asked about the accessibility of Warhammer 40,000. There's a little something for just about everyone. The hardcore strategists, the painting demons, the modeling gurus, the lore junkies- all enjoying a shared hobby. “It starts when you play your first game,” Littler grins. “Then you're hooked.”

#warhammer 40k #hobby

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The Art of War

The hobby of tabletop wargames is competitive by nature, and fueled by the ruthless cunning and ever-sharpening strategy of the astute tactical minds who play the games. However, there is an opposite side of the competitive coin. For every diehard strategic commander with a thirst for victory on the battlefield, there is an artist who simply can't resist the allure of the massive canvas Warhammer 40k provides. One such artist is Andre Schneider, an active member of Marblehead's local play group, frequent patron of Saugus' friendly local games store, and incorrigible space pirate scum.

Schneider's chosen niche in the world of tabletop wargaming is aesthetics over competition. Armed with hobby saws, files, knives, drills, and other fine tools, Schneider brings together pieces from myriad different plastic kits, discarding assembly instruction manuals whenever possible to give his armada of bloodthirsty raiders the most obvious personality and flair- to make them wholly unique. Likewise when the time comes to paint his army for use on the tabletop, he stains his hard work in shades of deep red, bone-white, and pitted silver.

I sat down with the man to discuss his craft, and to look for where that boundless inspiration and imagination comes from.

  Kyle Kreisher: So. Where would you- what would you say your sort of hobbying origin story is?

  Andre Schneider: My hobbying origin story... Well, to be completely honest, it started with you, I think. Sort of transitioning from the occasional video games to Warhammer- and you showing me kind of the ins and outs of the game. And I think that that really started my hobby journey is what it would be, obviously.

  Kyle Kreisher: Yeah.

  Andre Schneider: And I just got super into the story and into the lore of Warhammer and the backstory and the characters, all that stuff. And I think that's how it started.

  Kyle Kreisher: Yeah, I can't remember if we did Dungeons and Dragons or Warhammer first.

  Andre Schneider: I think it was Warhammer first, but not by much. Although I do remember I got into Warhammer slower than I did into D&D because you got me into that and I jumped into it quite quickly because I love how organic it was and how easy it was to world-build and to create amazing stories and character arcs and to just experience that was really cool. And I think it took me a little bit longer to get into Warhammer because there was a bit more of a learning curve when it came to the actual mechanics of the game. But once I got a hold of that, that was- yeah, that was kind of it. It was really fun. [chuckling].

  Kyle Kreisher: Yeah, yeah- so my understanding is like even now, you still- you kind of lean more heavily towards like the hobbying side of things rather than just playing a game.

  Andre Schneider: Yeah, I'd say so. I'd say so.

  Kyle Kreisher: Like you're all about the painting and modeling.

  Andre Schneider: Yeah, definitely. And I can definitely see the appeal for those who are very competitive and whose love really getting into the nitty gritty of the mechanics of the game. I can definitely see how that would appeal to those people. And I think I'm starting to get into that too, like figuring out how to optimize strategies and points and all that stuff. But I think naturally I'm more inclined to the painting, the building, especially building custom models and things like that. It is very, very fun. It's just like better Legos, you know? That's basically what it is.

  [Both laughing]

  Kyle Kreisher: Yeah, I totally hear you. So what would you say- Are your big creative inspirations like music, artwork?

  Andre Schneider: Oh? Wow. Well, I think it comes from a myriad of places. I think one- reading for sure. You know, I've got a couple favorite authors that write fantastic science fiction like Brandon Sanderson, obviously. So I think a lot of my, I guess, spark of imagination is stoked by those books, but also to be completely honest. Spending time with you guys, like spend time with you and Ian especially and just sort of that social environment in which we're just constantly bouncing ideas off of each other for stuff and that- that really elevates the creative process for me.

  Kyle Kreisher: Huh.

  Andre Schneider: Yes.

  Kyle Kreisher: Good answer.

  Andre Schneider: It's true for sure.

  Kyle Kreisher: So on that note, can you take me through what your average like painting or assembling session looks like? What do you set up so that you can just sort of sit down and vibe for, you know, however long?

  Andre Schneider: Yeah, yeah. Well, usually before I even set up, it starts to usually some kind of idea, you know, or golden nugget of an idea that pops up usually from from talking to you or Ian about custom models or about story for a character or a paint scheme or something like that. And I think, oh yeah, that'd be awesome, you know? And so then I usually grab whatever pieces I need to assemble some of the models. So pieces, some super glue. I usually put down- you know, those white poster boards?

  Kyle Kreisher: Yeah.

  Andre Schneider: Like a flat white poster boards. Yes. I usually put one of those down because that helps with seeing the colors properly. If you have if you're painting a model over a dark surface, it gets pretty hard to see contrasting colors and things like that for me. So I usually like to put something white down in that I don't really care about getting paint on. Get some good light. You know, like a desk light is obviously nice and usually just some music, man. You know, I usually put on- but then again, like that, music varies from either, you know, like Pantera and rock and metal to, you know, like Chillwave stuff. [laughs]

  Kyle Kreisher: Yeah.

  Andre Schneider: It kind of depends what I'm feeling. I think it also depends on what I'm actually doing. If I'm making a custom model that I'm very excited to build, I'll usually be listening to more exciting music and rock and things like that, that'll kind of get you just stoked. But I'm just kind of painting grunt models or something or just kind of hanging out. Then it's more more the chill vibes.

  Kyle Kreisher: Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.

  Andre Schneider: Yeah, you do!

  [Both laughing].

  Andre Schneider: Well because sometimes we're painting together, so- we have a very similar state of mind when it comes to that, I feel like.

  Kyle Kreisher: Do you write fiction on the side? Like you mentioned lore a bunch.

  Andre Schneider: Yeah. I actually I definitely get into very much a rabbit hole in that regard. I remember thinking up some initial backstory for the army that I created and ended up writing like 15 pages worth of stuff. Just 'cause.

  Kyle Kreisher: Just kind of like vomiting it all onto a page?

  Andre Schneider: Yeah, pretty much. Pretty much just because I just love the creative act of worldbuilding. And of story building. And I can easily get carried away with that stuff. You know, I think of I think of, you know, where this army comes from and what their motivations are and where and what why that's happened. And I think, oh, and they've taken refuge on this hostile world that's like this! And then I think of this new term and I'm like, oh, well, this actually references this. And blah blah blah, And then it just goes, you know?

  Kyle Kreisher: Yeah.

  Andre Schneider: Yeah.

  Kyle Kreisher: How different do you think the game would be without that sort of- the sort of extra steps like extra little nooks to the hobby?

  Andre Schneider: I think it I think it definitely wouldn't be as popular. I think there'd be less people doing it because like I remember saying, you know, that that Warhammer has a little something for everyone in the sense that if you're really into the strategy side of it and optimizing, you know, army compositions and things like that and plays and all that stuff, there is a real area for you to do that. But if you're more about the creative side and assembling custom models and painting and making up story, then there's also a side for that. Because also just the Warhammer universe has thousands of pages of lore already written and the community sort of can just sort of insert their own ideas into it. And that's- that's really cool. That's a very sort of organic hobby, I think, in that sense. So if that didn't exist. I think a lot less people would be playing it.

  Kyle Kreisher: Yeah, I agree. Are you- do you have any projects sort of hanging out in the background currently?

  Andre Schneider: Well, kind of. I'm sort of dipping my toes into a second army, but I'm telling myself to finish the first before I go on to the second. And in terms of my first army, I still have some ideas floating around in terms of extra detachments to add like different sort of custom squadrons that fit into the story that I created for it. And I think also, yeah, I've got a few ideas for custom models and conversions, but I don't really have anything that I'm actively assembling.  

  Kyle Kreisher: All right.

  Andre Schneider: I've always got ideas. I mean, like, you know, you've always got ideas for more stuff like, you know, midway through, finally assembling the thing you've been thinking about for months, like you're like, I should do this next.

  Kyle Kreisher: You're so right! My poor wallet. So what other avenues of my creative output are similar to this that people who are interested could also look into it? Do you have any ideas?

  Andre Schneider: Hmm. Dungeons and Dragons. One hundred percent.

  Kyle Kreisher: That's the big one, isn't it?

  Andre Schneider: Yeah, it is the big one. And I think a lot of people sort of judge it before they actually know what it is. You know, let people who Dungeons and Dragons and think oh, it's like the nerd basement thing. But what it literally is, it's a mechanism in which you can realize your imagination. And I think that's super cool. And so that's sort of the purest form of this creative process that takes place in Warhammer. And also, at least for me, another one of my hobbies that I really enjoy is Magic. Magic: the Gathering. And for me, It's not so much the lore side of it. It's more of the process of creating decks and, you know, synergizing mechanics and things like that. And that's that's quite fun for me as well. So I think somebody who's into Warhammer might like that aspect of Magic as well.

  Kyle Kreisher: All right. Well, thanks so much for your input.

  Andre Schneider: Dude, no worries, man. Thanks for allowing me to do your interview, that was super fun!

  Kyle Kreisher: Absolutely. Thanks so much.

  Andre Schneider: Yeah, don't worry bro.

#warhammer 40k #hobby

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A Day in the Life

War has changed. In the 33 years since the first rulebook for Warhammer 40k was released, the rules of engagement have undergone countless iterations of revision and rewriting. Today, players use the 8th edition rulebook: hitherto the most beginner-friendly and accessible version of the game. Simply talking about the game is not enough to capture its appeal, so I decided to venture out and transcribe the events of a game with a friend, in a time-honored tradition of recording the results of matches, called 'battle reports.'

Battle Report: The Ether Conflict

In the Northwestern corner of the galaxy, at the fringes of human space, renegade factions battle each other for resources. Raiders harass supply lines, fortresses are built and destroyed, and fleets slink about, searching for ripe targets. Traitors to the empire of humankind, these lawless vagabonds are collectively known as the followers of Chaos- but they are anything but united. Today, two factions prepare to do battle for one reason or another. Ian Cushman has brought to the table the vile Death Guard, a faction dedicated to the worship of a god of disease, who are just so happy to get the whole galaxy sick. I have decided to command the Gravewalkers, a group of sorcerers with the capacity to raise the dead to serve them.

After a beer and a chat about the backstory of the match, Ian and I set up the table. 40K regulation tables should be 6 feet long by 4 feet wide, and festooned with all sorts of terrain. We use home made cardboard buildings, and various bits of 3d-printed goodies like tank traps, concrete barricades complete with ragged bullet holes, and decrepit squat buildings. A good board will feature lots of large terrain pieces to block line of sight so that armies with a lot of long-range firepower won't dominate the match. The goal is the arrange the board so you can't see from one side to the other. Once the sprawling, ruined cityscape of a board is arranged, the game type can be selected. There are a great many ways to play the game: one can set up objectives that need to be taken and held, points can be gained from destroying enemy units, the list goes on. There are even decks of objective cards for each faction that can be employed to add an element of randomness- high command could issue you an order to hunt down the enemy one , then turn around and tell you to sit tight and hold your gains the next. Ian and I settled for a mission called “The Relic,” which is essentially capture the flag. We set up a little piece of 3d printed plastic in the middle- a miniature arcade cabinet our mutual friend Graham printed for fun. Our armies will battle to get into contact with the arcade cabinet, and whoever is in possession of it by round 5 wins.

Before we settle in for the game, I carefully consider my options. Ian's army is slow and ponderous, but incredibly durable. He has a strong artillery contingent which can hang back and belt out awesome firepower, but if approached at close range it becomes useless. Furthermore, his line infantry consist of mobs of mindless zombies, which excel at distracting and bogging down more important units in fruitless melee. His army, in a nutshell, is an anvil. It relies on absorbing punishment effectively, and wearing the enemy down slowly. My army is quite the opposite. My units lack the resilience of the Death Guard, trading defense for lightning-fast offense. I've forgone artillery in favor of monstrous, close-range cavalry. My infantry are fragile, but pump out a lot of mid-range damage. If I'm to win, I must take care not to let my important units get tied up before they can shut down his artillery, and I should ensure my troops remain intact long enough to make off with the arcade cabinet.

After some more idle chatter, we set up on either of the long table edges, and fetch the only essential tools of the game: dice and measuring tapes. Distance in the game is measured with inches, and so having a measuring device longer than a foot is imperative. Furthermore, everything else is decided with dice rolls, and so having a lot of dice on hand is a good idea. It's bad luck to hold onto a set of dice for longer than one edition of the rules, but they're very cheap and so replacing them isn't bad. Ian and I finish up the first round in short order, and the board changes significantly.

Each player gets one turn per round, and each player turn consists of a movement phase, where you move all your troops, a psychic phase, where all the magic literally happens, a shooting phase, where you can fire any ranged weapons you have, a charge phase, where melee units get to grips with the foe, and a fight phase, where models duke it out in close quarters with sword and rifle butt. I had gone first, as settled by dice roll. Lacking long-range options, my turn was simple- monster and mercenary alike moved as quick as they could, forgoing shooting, toward the enemy. I had to ensure as much of my army as possible closed with the enemy, or I'd be whittled down before I could secure the arcade cabinet. Ian's turn was more lengthy, setting up fields of fire for his artillery, and organizing his cannon fodder to better defend against a charge from my monstrous, beast-like war machines. A few cursory shells were fired off, but my machines shrugged off the damage.

Round two begins, and I'm just able to slip my heavy armor past the tar pit of misshapen zombies, but it'll be a turn yet before Ian's big guns are silenced. My sole sorcerer bolsters the defenses of my infantry, to hopefully prevent them from being removed before they can attain the relic next round. Finally, some firepower is exchanged between my infantry and Ian's, and the number of grunts on the board is shaved down. In his turn, Ian responds with a brutal barrage, his cannons removing one of my three war machines and cutting down a number of fodder infantry, while shuffling closer to the objective. I'll now have to consider spending firepower to delete the zombies before it's safe to move in and snag the arcade machine.

Round three makes things considerably bloodier. My monstrous machine-beasts make contact with the enemy back line, but his heavy infantry are far enough up the board to affect the battle. Troops engage in melee in the center of the board, in between buildings and around the central objective. I'm at a disadvantage here, the enemy should have been cleared from the area. I'd underestimated my opponent's resilience, or overestimated my dice luck. Despite being on the back foot tactically, I'm looking forward to a potentially interesting situation, wherein his commander unit and mine look to be about to brawl on the right flank, between my war engines and the rest of my army. His commander is superior, statistically, and on paper he would win a duel. But I won't back down- fortune favors the bold, and glory isn't earned through cowardice.

Come round four, the game is mostly decided. My war machines managed to bring down the artillery, but the zombies looped around and caught up to them, rendering them too bogged down with fodder to help my main force. Ian's victorious commander and his elite bodyguard rip through my infantry with ease, deleting my sorcerer and neutering my ability to coherently resist. Ian and I shake hands, and we share another beer over discussion of what we could have done differently, or what units might have been better to take. In essence, I'd lost sight of the bigger picture- the objective. I'd been too busy hunting down problem units to protect my own means of securing the victory. Furthermore, I had underestimated the sheer resilience of the Death Guard. A tactical maxim of tabletop wargames goes something like “Shoot what you can kill.” I'd failed to target those units I was likely to remove in one go, and suffered for it.

The depth of strategy for games like this is astounding, and this game could have gone any number of ways had I made a different minute decision for each trooper in my army. The endless replayability of the game draws me back every weekend, to test my mettle against friends in a galaxy rife with conflict.

#warhammer 40k #hobby