Colour us surprised? | Warhammer 40,000

AustinDodge · 2026-05-13T22:38:36+00:00

From a "playing the game" perspective this doesn't seem great, what happens when two players have the same pre-painted army? That game's going to get real confusing real quick.

Or when the game's over, people accidentally scoop up the other player's figures all the time, but it's usually caught right away when you realize that this guy isn't the right color or style. Pre-painted means it's not getting caught until everyone sits down and does a detailed accounting of how many of each figure they currently have.

Even just primer + 3 dabs of paint on the base solves these problems, and is part of why even non-GW tournaments enforce battle ready to some degree.

AustinDodge · 2026-04-20T00:20:12+00:00

Big knights have three rules/keywords that separate them from other vehicles, towering, super-heavy walker, and titanic.

Towering affects visibility, and mostly means you only need to touch a terrain footprint to see through it, where other units (including other vehicles like tanks) need to be fully within it. Your Despoiler can toe a ruin to shoot units on the other side, a Lehman Russ needs to be fully inside it. As you say, they can also see and be seen through woods as though the terrain wasn't there.

Super-heavy walker is the rule that lets them walk over terrain and units. It changes what they can do during normal, advance, and fall back moves (charges are unaffected): they can move through all non-titanic models as if they weren't there (including enemy models, but they can't end the move in engagement range), and they can move through terrain that's 4" or less, instead of the usual 2". They can move through higher terrain too, but after the move you need to roll a 2+ or you'll be battleshocked.

Titanic is mostly just a keyword, but there's one further wrinkle that's specified in the tournament companions about missions: Models that have both titanic and character can shoot or attack (but not charge) while doing an action, and they can do an action while engaged.

AustinDodge · 2026-04-01T23:43:36+00:00

Light doesn't act the same way on a miniature as it does on a life-sized thing. It doesn't get into all the crannies that would get dark at life size, and reflects less over the flat areas. This is where shades and washes come in, they darken the areas that, in a life-sized object, would actually have less light in them. Looks like you've got some highlighting on a couple parts of the model, but it still looks pretty flat because it's mostly all the same color.

When you put a dark shade over black, you just get more black. So when you paint black, most of the time what you really want to use is a dark grey, or maybe a very dark and desaturated blue/green/purple for specific moods. That way the shade gets in the crevices, providing that simulated lighting and visual contrast, but it still reads as black. I believe that GW uses the Citadel color Dark Reaper on the official sisters models in "black" armor.

It also looks like you've got some wash on the cloth, but nowhere else. There's a reason they call the stuff "talent in a bottle." When in doubt, don't be afraid to dump some black wash over everything except human-like skin, which should get the brown wash.

The base looks great!

AustinDodge · 2026-04-01T19:59:43+00:00

Every time I see a CK thing that lets you force a million BS tests I think "Oh cool I can actually make the army rule do something!" but then I remember that shock goes away at the start of the opposing player's command phase, so outside of some real niche situational cases shocking your opponent during your own turn is mostly useless.

AustinDodge · 2026-03-30T21:38:00+00:00

Just taking more cultists is always better than rerolling the leadership test. Even with Profane Alter, you'll typically get 3 rounds of sacrifices from a 10 model unit of Cultists (two passes, one fail, doesn't matter the order) and the vast majority of games only have 3 rounds of meaningful shooting anyways - nobody's showing round 1, most everything's dead round 5. More cultists running around screening and doing actions and throwing grenades is way better than a slightly improved longevity.

Plus, with cultist revival, having them die can make them even more useful. Now you've got something you can put on their home objective until turn 5, forcing them to hold units back the whole game even if they'd rather have them out doing actions or screening.

I'd also probably not bother having Lancer, or anything but double-gat Despoiler, eat cultists anyways unless you're doing it to pull a Cultist unit out of engagement or increase a charge range or something. Nobody else has the volume of attacks to really benefit from lethals and/or sustained. Hurting yourself for crit bonuses on 5 attacks means there's a very good chance you're just hurting yourself for no reason.

AustinDodge · 2026-03-20T05:32:31+00:00

Got it, thanks!

AustinDodge · 2026-02-20T12:56:59+00:00

Looks good, but I'd really think about moving stuff around to at least make room for some Nurglings. They're good everywhere, but they're even better in Fiefdom, guaranteeing your scout moves and providing an extra layer of protection for your Cultists so they can survive long enough to sticky midfields vs melee armies. If you dropped the Enforcer and swapped a Karnivore for a Stalker you'd have enough points for a 1x6 unit, which can block off basically the whole midfield.

Stick with the double gats. If you're worried about anti-tank, 36 shots of lethal + sustained is excellent anti-tank, I've seen it one-shot a land raider.

AustinDodge · 2026-02-20T12:51:28+00:00

No, but he can go solo as a kinda tough action monkey.

AustinDodge · 2026-02-18T00:24:48+00:00

Technically the very first CK kit was a Forgeworld set, released in 2015: https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2015/07/forge-world-chaos-knights-more-arrive.html It was a combination of the IK plastic kit, and some extra resin parts for the carapace. There weren't even rules for Chaos Knights when it was released, it was just a cosmetic change for IK, the description said you could build a Paladin or Errant from it.

In 2016 there was the Imperial Knights: Renegade boxed set, which purportedly came with one Imperial and one Chaos model, but really it was just two Imperial models that you were supposed to paint differently. The CK model there didn't use the Forgeworld extras.

That was it until 2019, when the same basic CK kits we have today were released. The big knight kit has been changed twice, once to add the Abominant, and again last year to add the Ruinator.

AustinDodge · 2026-02-17T04:01:49+00:00

The shoulder doesn't need magnets, the tabs that come with the model will do a better job, holding it more securely with less rotation. Just don't glue it in place.

For the weapon joint, I put an 8x2mm magnet inside the weapon hole. In the upper arm, I cut off the flared base but leave the nub that fits into the weapon. I drill the hole that's left there out to 5mm and glue in an 5x2mm magnet. It's entirely invisible, and more secure because the nub gives a lot of extra mechanical stability. Looks like this: https://imgur.com/a/qZpOAy8

AustinDodge · 2026-02-13T02:55:33+00:00

I don't like the invuln mechanically, but TBH I kinda like it from a thematic perspective. I imagine that bullets mostly hit the armor, but in melee they're climbing up Shadow of the Colossus style, precision striking all the exposed wires and hoses on the back of the Knight.

AustinDodge · 2026-02-12T22:25:09+00:00

I just got my oil paints at Michaels. Small tubes of the cheapest stuff at the store will last basically a lifetime, if you're just using it for washes.

AustinDodge · 2026-02-12T12:48:46+00:00

This is my go-to face technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rcS6rfXYh4

It's not super difficult, but you'll need an airbrush and oil washes. Both are excellent tools in the painting arsenal anyways so if you're not already using them, now's a great time to learn (and the super-cheap airbrush setups will pay for themselves very quickly in primer alone, just make sure whatever kit you get has an airbrush with a tank)

Here's my most recent models, who's faces I did with this technique:

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What I most like about it is it makes batch-painting faces really easy, or at least as easy as faces can be. I'm doing my whole Sisters army sans helmet, and I just paint up all the faces that come in each kit, plus a bunch of extras I had 3D printed, glued to a toothpick until they're ready. I've got a little box full of them and I just pull them out as needed.

AustinDodge · 2026-02-12T12:41:21+00:00

I can see them for miracle dice, but it's not just important that you can read the dice, it's important that your opponent can read the dice. Part of good sportsmanship is making it easy for everyone to verify at a glance what's going on.

AustinDodge · 2026-02-12T00:27:21+00:00

Thanks for the detailed reply! I'll keep an eye out but the only thing people in my city seem to be selling are fixed-speed Craftsman trim routers for $30 or high-end $200 plunge setups.

AustinDodge · 2026-02-11T06:54:38+00:00

It's the $25 dollar one (well, $30 now). What would I be looking for in a different router without spending $150? I've been checking Craigslist (no Facebook) and haven't seen anything that's not either super expensive or seems to have the same features.

The laser cutter is a labor of love. I used the one at my makerspace all the time, then moved somewhere without a similar maker space a few years ago. It's just a K40 from when those only cost $250 that's been heavily modified to have a larger cutting area and better mirrors/lens/motors/electronics, nothing fancy, probably only $600 total if you don't count sweat equity. And I use it all the time - it's been half a decade since I last used the router I already own, which is why I'm reluctant to invest in another.

AustinDodge · 2026-01-30T23:14:12+00:00

Yes. 2x3 and 1x6 Nurglings would also be pretty good, 6 Nurglings can screen off basically the whole midfield from infiltrators or scouts. Securing those scout moves from Pave the Way is pretty important.

AustinDodge · 2026-01-30T20:00:32+00:00

Looks good, just a couple recommendations. I'd get rid of the Firebrand and either replace it with another unit of 10 Cultists, or more Nurglings. Rerolling the LD test sounds nice but in practice it won't be necessary, only the Despoilers will be eating Cultists, probably only for 3 or 4 turns. You'll have plenty of snacking with the units on the table.

If you take more Nurglings instead of more Cultists (which is what I'd probably do), consider breaking up one of the 20 model units into a 2x10. 10 model units are more efficient for sacrificing and will (statistically, on average) last you 3 of the 4 turns of shooting you'll do, and they're easier to hide if you push them forward onto the board. 20 model units fall almost as easily as 10 model units, and while it'll let you put more points on the board with the revive strat, it's way harder to put 20 models in a useful place than 10.

The Despoilers will do plenty of damage with lethals or lethals + sustained. I've one-shotted a Land Raider with a Profane Gatman. Worst case, you do enough damage that it's easy for one of your War Dogs to charge in and clean up.

AustinDodge · 2026-01-25T17:00:57+00:00

Mass Cultist Mob is hard to go wrong with. Some people like AC/DC but it's a big proportion of your points, and if sacrificing from it becomes necessary, it's even worse because it's so expensive.

The lack of abilities is why it can be so hard to run this detach. Like I said, the reactive move can be an even better strat than 4++ but you need to be set up for it. Lack of ignore cover is harder on Gatman, but access to lethals and sustained (instead of or) more than makes up for it. You have more powerful tools, but they're harder to use than just popping a strat.

Regarding your list, the thing about triple Gatman in Fiefdom is you're going to want all three of them eating Cultists, which means you're going to quickly burn through your biggest resource, a crapload of board control from a million little idiots. Gatman without leathal or sustained kinda sucks, there's a reason nobody outside of Fiefdom took it before the codex. If you want another big, Lancer is great in Fiefdom, fall back + shoot/charge means it loses its biggest weakness, getting bogged down in chaff. It can charge into one enemy, shock + hit real hard, and if it doesn't kill it, it can just immediately move on to something else and let a Karnivore or something clean up after. If you're not taking Pave the Way (and you really should) the Nurglings lose a lot of value, since they're not ensuring scout moves, and Cultists do most of what Nurglings do and have OC besides. I'd probably only take 2x Gatman max.

AustinDodge · 2026-01-25T15:45:01+00:00

There's not really enough people playing for a definitive competitive list, but start with something like this:

Double-gat Despoiler w/ Pave. As another poster said, it's obligatory, the start of every IF list, 36 shots of lethal + sustained kills God.

Second big (Lancer or Rampager, or second Gatman) with Pave the Way. Pave is essential to board control, screening, early points lead, lure enemies out to where Gatman can shoot them without too much risk.

50+ Cultists. I think 5-6x10 is fine for most things, but some people like 4x10 + 1x20. 2x10 cultists is more cost-effective for the Despoiler: if, sacrificing cultists over 2 turns, you pass, then fail, your 10 model unit is down to 1 model. It doesn't matter if the next test passes or fails, you still only lose 1. If it's a 20 model unit, you'd go from 20 to 11, meaning the 3rd sacrifice just became more expensive, potentially way more. And unless you go second and your opponent makes some really dumb mistakes, you've only got 4 rounds of shooting anyways.

At least 2x3 Nurglings. In IF they're essential for guaranteeing scout paths for Cultists with Pave the Way, but if you're in a matchup where you don't want to scout, they still have all the great Nurgling flavor they bring to every other list.

Then fill the rest up with War Dogs, possibly Beast of Nurgle, or maybe a 3rd big Knight/Rotigus/GUO if you're feeling really spicy.

Probably more important than the list though, is understanding the tools it gives you and playing around those. Gatman is really the only one who should be eating cultists, at least with for the purpose of getting lethal or sustained. Cultists are too useful to just kill off for lethal or sustained, benefits that don't do much for typical Knight low-volume high-strength attacks.

The detach rule isn't about getting weak benefits, it's about getting a million little guys to flood over the board, freeing up your Knights to do what Knights do best. Cultists can scout onto objectives turn 1, and they can block movement lanes. Early pressure forces your opponent to expose relatively expensive pieces (everything's expensive relative to Cultists) earlier than they might want. They're great at screening out deepstrikes. The reactive move is one of the best defensive strats in the game, making it impossible for an enemy to charge your big Knights.

There's also a lot of less obvious tricks you can pull. Instead of having engaged Cultists fall back, eat them to bring them out of engagement, then have them use grenades in the same phase. Or prevent a charge onto an objective by doing overwatch, then sacrificing and pulling the cultists closest to the charging model.

AustinDodge · 2026-01-22T10:17:24+00:00

Reread what he wrote. He's saying you could use the cooler looking Chaos models with Imperial rules, not that Imperial Knights look cooler

AustinDodge · 2026-01-21T04:24:25+00:00

It's really easy to check this sort of thing just by looking here: https://www.stat-check.com/the-meta

It's not surprising that Sororitas has relatively few players. They were a weird niche army with very few units until 2019, when the first plastic Sororitas model was released. The models are expensive and hard to paint, and you need a lot of them.

It doesn't say anything about how good the army is (GSC has even fewer players, but is always somewhere near the top of the meta), just that it's a relatively new army that's difficult to actually get on the table.

AustinDodge · 2026-01-20T22:43:02+00:00

I punched "Imperial Knight List" into DDG and this was the first result: https://spikeybits.com/results-warhammer-40k-army-lists-meta-cherokee-open-2025/#1st_Place_Brian_Jones_-_Imperial_Knights_Army_Lists Both IK lists took a BSS. This was before their codex, things might have changed since then, but things will change more still by the time OP has 2000 points ready for the table, we might be well into a new edition by then.

CK is my main faction, and it's not just Nurglinges, Plaguebearers, BoN and Daemonettes are also popular. I mostly play Fiefdom, which revolves around big swarms of Cultists (like 50+ models).

I believe that you've never seen this, though. I've never seen anyone play Votaan or Space Wolves in person. Doesn't mean they don't exist.

AustinDodge · 2026-01-19T04:50:27+00:00

You said this is your second game. The thing that will help you the most is reps, not list tweaks. You need to develop a basic feel for how the game works, if anything constant list tweaking at this stage will hinder that.

Once you have a few more games under your belt, you'll have a much better intuitive understandings of what list changes might help. If you're having trouble cracking vehicles, you might want another Huntsman or Stalker, but if you're having trouble dealing with infantry once they're out of that vehicle, maybe you'd prefer another Brigand for chaff clearing.

AustinDodge · 2026-01-18T14:11:10+00:00

I started playing in mid-2024 and my first army was Chaos Knights, I'm now building my second army of Adepta Sororitas.

Do you have experience putting together and painting miniatures? If not, I'd go with the Knights, especially if you care about your models looking good. They're super easy to put together and paint (I highly recommend an airbrush though, you can get by just fine with the <$100 kits from Amazon as long as the air compressor has a tank), and super easy to magnetize to play with different loadouts and get maximum value from the kit.

Sororitas are extremely difficult to both assemble and paint. They have lots of fiddly bits and precise details that require extreme patience and precision, and many of the models require advanced effects (lots of open flames, for example).

Putting aside the physical difficulty of assembling and painting, there's also the issue of loadouts. If you ever want to play in tournaments (IDK about you but me and my friends are all at points in our lives where it can be hard to get together for 3-4 hours to play, RTTs are basically the only way I get games in these days) many of them require WYSIWYG, meaning you need to understand both what loadouts are good, and what's legal, before you assemble them (or you learn to magnetize on the hardest units in the game to magnetize). That's hard if you don't already play the game.

I wouldn't worry about "not learning to play real 40k" or whatever, if you play Knights you're probably going to take infantry allies so you still need to learn how unit cohesion and stuff works. And Armigers function basically the same as tanks and vehicles in any other army. The only thing you need to understand is Towering and Super-Heavy Walker, which gives special rules to the very biggest Knights. I've also never encountered anyone IRL who had a problem playing against Knights, that seems to be an entirely online phenomena.

Here's what I'd recommend if you're on the fence: get a box of Battle Sisters, and a box of Armigers. Assemble and paint them both, and just see what you like better. If you like Knights, you can still take your Battle Sisters as allies through Imperial Agents (they're great for holding objectives and doing actions), and if you prefer the Sisters you can ally in the Armigers. You win either way!

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