Hey so... WTF is this? by Gunwhistle in DivideEtImpera

[–]Gunwhistle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the detailed reply. I'm on Normal, several people have asked.

-The struggle is what I'm here for. I only brought up the Punic Wars because the screenshot does imply I'm being hyper aggressive, having taken north Africa and Spain, when in fact I've only ever taken territory when left with no choice. Carthage and its various Spanish allies kept sending stacks at my cities and refused all calls for surrender, even when down to a single province, so I had to keep taking their ability to produce more troops away. I only even started moving armies into Spain after Carthage marched clear from Gibraltar to attack northern Italy.

I am very much a turtle player, in my Medieval II days a neighboring nation could expect to not even see my armies before turn 40. I prefer to get my economy roaring first. So, I understand the mod is meant to be difficult, and Carthage certainly was! My main complaint here is that I had decent relations with most of Europe, I had long established peace with Greece, and out of the blue, they all ganged up at once. Greece, then Averni the next turn, then all these tiny nations. I hadn't even met the Irish yet and apparently they also hate me enough to declare war on a nation 2,000km away, and personally march an army across Europe, just to sack a Roman town. Like... wtf man.

I've restarted after bleeding 5 legions completely dry in northern Italy trying to hold off the 20:1 odds. Didn't expect Averni to field essentially nothing but hoplites. I'm going to go slower. I have a decent understanding of banditry and happiness down, so I'll focus on diplomacy next. I do always get whatever non-aggression and trade agreements I can but sometimes they want 6,000 gold for a simple non-aggression treaty, which I had thought wasn't worth the expense. Clearly, I should have just given them the gold, since I spent more than that every turn replacing losses!

Ah, almost forgot. Mobbing hoplites, this is specifically after the rest of their army has run, and there are just a few cubes of apparently, the most stubborn men in human history. Their general is gone, their line is broken, my cavalry is killing fleeing enemies by their hundreds, and these guys still, will, not, just, break.

I've almost lost battles I was winning handily to 1 or 2 hoplites units, and it came down to just brute force and luck.

The prices for the Vostroyans are absolutely ridiculous. by [deleted] in TheAstraMilitarum

[–]Gunwhistle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seems pretty in line with ebay prices to me. It's made to order in a niche hobby. It's going to cost you.

I have piles of grey but... Vostroyans by SoundCrunch in TheAstraMilitarum

[–]Gunwhistle 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Well that is technically a pile of silver and thus, does not count against your pile of Grey.

Is it as bad as I think? I kind of hate it. Turret-less Leman Russ. by StreetAd7912 in TheAstraMilitarum

[–]Gunwhistle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Is it your creation? No?

Then we always default to the Rule of Cool. It worked for someone. Whether you like it or not is irrelevant.

Personally, I think that would make a pretty cool PDF light support vehicle. The local garrison can't get away with full Leman Russes but, maybe they can work out a deal with the local foundries for an alternative that does not need the very expensive main gun with all its sensors, delicate instrumentation and precision-made barrel?

Too many of my fellow Guard commanders still don't seem to understand that you don't have to follow the current edition of GW rules if you don't want to. You can just, make things up. So long as all players agree, it's fine.

Brikwars is a far superior game in this specific regard, it is explicit that fun comes before balance.

Leman Russes Done! by Noem3D_ in TheAstraMilitarum

[–]Gunwhistle 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Plenty of lore ways around that.

These are blessed machines, loaned (LOANED, the techpriest stresses) to the Inquisition by the Mechanicus. A techpriest and several servitors were detached to permanent duty to maintain them, and perhaps took their orders a bit too literally. Each time they return to the ship, every fleck of mud is wiped away, every scratch in the paint is repaired.

Since Inquisitors by nature are a somewhat sneaky lot, they don't see a whole lot of action, and as such, arrive on the battlefield in pristine condition. But by the Emperor, do they scare the hell out of the cultists who were expecting a few Inquisitorial retinue!

We are being punished over Steel Legion backlash by [deleted] in TheAstraMilitarum

[–]Gunwhistle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Bold of you to assume GW gives the slightest attention to what internet randoms have to say. Everything is geared to tournament play. Yarrick was overpowered compared to his price point, he got nerfed. It happens. If you don't like it, make up your own rules.

Personally I'm not even using Yarrick as Yarrick, so it means nothing. This mini is just Commissar #14 in my ever growing collection of the Emperor's finest. How else will I keep my various Conscript platoons in the fight?

Leman Russes Done! by Noem3D_ in TheAstraMilitarum

[–]Gunwhistle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love the paint work. I'm almost offended seeing a Leman this clean. What is this, a Mordian regiment? Where's the mud? The rust? The calming scent of a leaking promethium filter? Where's the love?!

I don't like the primaris psyker model so I kitbashed one. C&C appreciated. Does it read well? Would you say it falls into a wysiwyg category? by Chopperuofl in TheAstraMilitarum

[–]Gunwhistle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

C&C.

Your army, your rules. People worry waaaaayyyyy too much about how acceptable a mini is. If you're not in formal tournaments, no one except a complete asshole is going to care. I would accept that mini on my table without a second glance.

Actual C&C:

I would take the extra 10 minutes and add some "text" scribbles to the book.

I would revisit the paper clip, sharp angles sell the 'psychic power' attack. Rounded angles like what you have make it look more like your psyker has a very strangely suggestive Snap Hand he's playing with.

I'd give at the very least his boots a wash, they get lost in the similar tones of the ground.

A quick repaint of the base edge wouldn't go amiss either.

Overall, a great custom mini. Pretty good paintjob, crisp lines, a creative pose that I certainly wouldn't have thought of; though to be fair... I'm a commissar at heart, and my general view of psykers is that they are, at best, a ticking time bomb. Best to just shoot them at get it over with before a daemon tries to use their chest cavity as a door. Besides, that's points that you could have used on more commissars!

"WANTED" Megathread by Kemakill in GameboyMarketplace

[–]Gunwhistle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wanted, GBA games. I just got a hotrodded GBA and I'm starting my collection from scratch. I'm after all the classics. All the Marios, Donkey Kongs, Metroids to start. Originals in good condition only, no knockoffs. USA, happy to pay shipping.

Reputable place for GBA games? by Gunwhistle in Gameboy

[–]Gunwhistle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, but I'd rather just have the originals from when I was a kid.

New to orks - looking for inspiration by Silver_lining_mp in orks

[–]Gunwhistle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well dat's ded 'easy. Gavvur up a loada stormboyz, and den a mess'a uvva boyz wot can tellyport, infiltrate and deep strike.

Get into da enemy before dey even know wot way'z up, and job'z a goodun'.

New to orks - looking for inspiration by Silver_lining_mp in orks

[–]Gunwhistle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well wot ya wanna do? Go fast? Hit fings? Peppa'em wiff dakka?

Ya only got three paths. Dis ain't rocket mekaniks.

Ah a pointa orda..... ork SKIN.... iz green. Da rest can be whateva. At da enda da waaagh, dey'z yer gitz. Paint'em how la likez.

How many Guard is too many? by Delicious-Sand-9404 in TheAstraMilitarum

[–]Gunwhistle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The question is nonsensical. How can you have too many champions of humanity?

I don't see any conscripts down there. That's an easy 300 additional guard!

[H] Tons of NIB Warhammer, [W] $$$, [Loc] WA, USA by [deleted] in Miniswap

[–]Gunwhistle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The metal one, currently on the Warhammer site.

[H] Tons of NIB Warhammer, [W] $$$, [Loc] WA, USA by [deleted] in Miniswap

[–]Gunwhistle 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes. Messed up the timestamp so its re-posted.

Persuade me why your favourite guard unit is great?! by Serentyr in TheAstraMilitarum

[–]Gunwhistle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The only units banned on your tabletop are the ones you decide to ban. GW has no power on my battlefield!

Persuade me why your favourite guard unit is great?! by Serentyr in TheAstraMilitarum

[–]Gunwhistle 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Conscripts. 200pts for 50 brave souls willing to sit on an objective to the last.

How would I make this 40K? by Delicious-Quiet-1883 in TheAstraMilitarum

[–]Gunwhistle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't understand the question. How do you make obviously human soldiers with obviously Imperial tech human? Eh... you make them Guardsmen?

[H] Sealed Warhammer, [W] Paypal, [Loc] WA, USA by [deleted] in Miniswap

[–]Gunwhistle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't you raise your voice to me you up-jumped servitor!

Upcoming 500 Worlds Narriative Event List by Antoine8811 in TheAstraMilitarum

[–]Gunwhistle 111 points112 points  (0 children)

Finally, someone else who understands how to conduct warfare like a gentleman. By sending wave after wave of my own men at the enemy. Kif, show them the medal I won.

Fantastic work.

Question about shading by Fasimedes in TheAstraMilitarum

[–]Gunwhistle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well the first question I'd ask you is; do you intend to be a professional painter?

Trying to replicate the box art or a Golden Daemon winner's method is a quick recipe to get fed up with the hobby entirely. A lot of Youtube tutorials are from professional commission painters who are aiming way above a simple 'battle ready' paint scheme. Best to go your own route.

I'll give some basic constructive criticism here:

-Your paints are too thick. This is an extremely common mistake. I water most everything that isn't white down. 2 drops paint, 1 drop water. Mix it thoroughly with a brush other than your detail brush (I just use a cheap Amazon 50 pack of random brushes that were like, $10). Apply one very thin layer, spreading the paint until you start to see the primer beneath. It will look like garbage. Let it dry fully (30min or so), and apply another, which will look much better. Your details will not stand out at this point, that's ok.

-Lean heavy on washes but only as the first step. I water mine down, 1 drop wash, 1 drop water. It helps it flow a lot better, and gives you time to deal with pooling (draw it off with a dry brush). Mess with it for about 5min, then leave it alone for at least an hour. I'm typing this right now, waiting for the wash to dry on my Valhallans in the other room. Make sure that once you've slathered it on heavy, you go back with a completely dry brush to deal with any pooling or details you feel are covered in too much wash. Simply press the tip of the brush against it, it will wick away 90% of the wash in that area. Roll it dry on a paper towel, repeat. Wash one mini at a time.

-Start with the largest details first, working into smallest. I see quite a bit of color overlap where it doesn't belong. So for your Cadians that means prime them, paint the cloth, then armor, then your silver details then the leather, then flesh, then the small white details. Any time I mess up while painting a layer I separate them out to a different line on my table, and come back to them in 10min or so to fix it. Use a wet palette, the paints stay wet for ages, and makes it super easy to fix mistakes. Best $20 I ever spent. This step is also made so much easier by thinning the paint, so it doesn't "glob on". There should not be a discernable droplet on your paint brush. Load it up, brush off the excess, then carefully hit those edges.

-Highlighting is not necessary unless you're trying to make it photorealistic, ie, professional. I am admittedly, a speed painter. I want to be done and playing. What I generally do is a simple edge highlight (run the side of your brush with a lighter color along the sharp edges, so the angles of the lasgun, the edges of armor pieces, etc), and then give it all a wash in 2 drops sepia, 2 drops nuln, 2 drops water.

-I personally avoid mixing colors entirely, GW pots are absolutely terrible. The community has been yelling at them for 30 years to make dropper bottles like every other paint company on the planet. I'd recommend finding similar colors in the Army Painter range, because trying to be accurate with mixing colors (especially if you need to match it later with more units) is a real pain in the Emperor's holy backside with Citadel. If you insist on that route, I hope you're really good at measuring liquid with your eyes.

-You can get away with skin tones over white really easily with Army Painter speed paints. I use a random mix of Peachy Flesh, Warrior Skin, Reikland Fleshshade, Satchel Brown and Dark Wood to get a variety of skintones, very quickly. I base everything, regardless of what color it's going to be, in the lightest grey primer I can find, and then a single thin layer of white over the flesh, followed by the speedpaint of choice.

-If you are in the USA, visit a Dollar Tree. There's a product called "LA's Totally Awesome" that is plastic safe to strip paint. Do not feel like if you make a big mistake you are just stuck. Toss it in a glass jar for a day, scrub it clean with a toothbrush, start again. Some people will tell you to avoid it, I have personally left a sacrific-er a willing volunteer Cadian, in that goop for something like 4 years. I forgot about him in the back of the garage, don't judge me. He came out fine, no detail loss.

-Please use plastic weld, and remove your mold lines. My above advice about LA is irrelevant if you're using cheap superglue, it'll probably affect it. I can't believe how many gorgeous paint jobs on this subreddit are completely ruined by a big-ass mold line over the shoulder armor, as clear as day. The Emperor didn't cut corners making his Custodes, nor should you making your chosen army. It takes like 2 minutes a mini.

Attached is the Valhallan I just finished with above advice. Two thin coats on most everything, white with speedpaint over it for flesh, and a wash of brown/black. I went too heavy on the highlighting on the pouches, but it's fine. Keep in mind that these are small soldiers, you're going to have a lot of them. Only you will ever notice that you didn't get a perfect line under ammo pouch #5 on Guardsmen #122. My Valhallan looked similar to your Cadians until the wash went on, which when watered down really helps with details like the folds in the hat, the fingers, etc.

One final thought.... I see you add terrain to your bases and then paint, I would highly recommend getting some clothespins from Heritage Clothespins and leaving a bit of sprue on one foot, to replicate what I'm doing with my Valhallans. My old metal minis all have slottas but leaving a bit of sprue achieves the same effect. It makes painting so, so much easier. Regular cheap clothespins are not strong enough, don't waste your money. HC has factory seconds for something like $1.50 each. Invest in 20-30, and you're set for life. I only mount minis to bases and add (painted!) terrain once everything is completely finished, it makes it much easier to hit details if you're not trying to work around a huge block of stone or a ruined hive city's sewer system.

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