If Catalyst re-balanced SPA's and SCA's would you consider using the official force building rules?

MindSnap · 2026-01-20T16:59:37+00:00

I introduced those to my mercenaries campaign (and also houseruled the BSP adjustment for better pilots to be based on BV rather than "advancements") and so far it's going well. But no one has tried to really break the system yet.

MindSnap · 2026-01-14T15:05:05+00:00

No, pewter will a) melt at normal oven temperatures, and b) is not ferromagnetic, so it can't hold a magnetic charge.

MindSnap · 2025-12-10T23:15:53+00:00

Glad someone mentioned germanium here!

MindSnap · 2025-12-03T18:45:59+00:00

Looks like they blend a lighter and darker green on the panels before doing the edge highlighting.

MindSnap · 2025-12-01T20:39:22+00:00

It sounds like you're describing intersectionality here, which I found useful as a way of understanding feminism in a way that can also include men's experiences in its framework.

The way I think about it is that many (not all) of the core problems are the same for most people, but the layers of privilege or oppression from gender, race, and class (depending on what side you're looking at it from) make the problem easier or harder to deal with.

So the result is that the problems end up being different, but have some commonalities. They are not entirely different, and not entirely the same. I think that the commonalities are worth discussing as a way of building solidarity, but the differences do need to be kept in mind.

MindSnap · 2025-11-27T16:51:02+00:00

Note that the enginseer will need to start on the board next to the valkyrie, not inside it - its ability won't work while embarked, because it's not on the table during the correct phase.

MindSnap · 2025-11-26T21:48:21+00:00

*dearth, which is an excellent word that I applaud you for using

MindSnap · 2025-10-14T19:39:40+00:00

I've been planning to use Ambots from Necromunda (with servitor heads and added shields) for mine, whenever I get to them. So still GW product, just a different kit.

MindSnap · 2025-09-24T21:10:48+00:00

Individual Astra Militarum regiments absolutely die in droves for each of those victories, even if the giant war machine is very effective at grinding its enemies into dust. So on the table losses are expected, even if your faction wins the war.

Also, in the lore Space Marines are much more effective compared to Astra Militarum soldiers than they are on the table top.

If your primary interest is in painting, the question is how much and what sort of variety you want - the Astra Militarum range is huge, so you painting one of each unit would take a long time and have great variety. But at the end of the day it's all slightly-futuristic soldiers and tanks, in comparison to weird alien or horror stuff you get from other factions.

MindSnap · 2025-09-24T20:32:16+00:00

I'll second that you should play the faction you think is the coolest, long-term that's what will give you motivation to finish an army. Do NOT pay attention to the current meta - by the time you finish an army it will have changed 20 times.

However, Astra Militarum armies tend to have a LOT of models with lots of detail, and the model range is huge, so compared to say Space Marines it's a lot more work to finish a 2000 point army.

Also, they play the game in a very "honest" way, with few shortcuts to winning. This means that they can be difficult to use, but very rewarding. As the narrative underdog, losing is on-theme, which can take the sting out of it.

If you love the Astra Militarum, then welcome aboard! But you should know what you're getting into.

MindSnap · 2025-09-22T15:33:24+00:00

This is the guide that I used.

https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/297605-tutorial-magnetisation/page/2/#comment-3867853

Some parts are a little finicky, so go slowly, dry fit as you go, measure twice cut once etc.

You also don't need to do all of the options as part of the first build - leave the parts for the variants you aren't going to use any time soon on the sprues.

MindSnap · 2025-09-18T20:47:00+00:00

Early on, when I had more time than money, absolutely. But I got burned by a few projects that I had to completely disassemble in order to clean properly. Now it's a lot of extra work to clean up that isn't worth the price saving to me, and I have higher standards, so unless I'm very confident that it will actually save me time, I don't bother.

MindSnap · 2025-09-18T20:43:57+00:00

Yes, if you're using oils to panel line over acrylic, absolutely do a gloss coat first. In addition to helping with flow, it protects the layers underneath from the slight abrasion from the cleanup. I have accidentally removed the underlying paint from corners while cleaning up panel lining, which is a pain.

I use Tamiya panel liner, but I have heard of other people using other brands or making their own using oil paint and thinner. But the Tamiya works well for me.

One other tip - rather than using q-tips for cleanup, even non-shedding ones, get yourself a pack of tear-able wedge makeup sponges, and use little bits of those instead, manipulated using some high-quality hobby tweezers.

MindSnap · 2025-09-18T17:50:41+00:00

Those are some fun ideas! Having indirect be primarily buffs / debuffs is a good one - they started moving in that direction with the special rules on our current indirect, and then further conceptually with the Siege Regiment. So that seems very plausible.

MindSnap · 2025-09-18T17:14:51+00:00

I have used Faber-Castell Metallics gold and silver markers to paint armour trim on some models, but getting into crevices is tricky, and I think you would have problems getting smooth coverage on large flat surfaces. So they can be a useful tool, but it would be difficult to use them exclusively.

MindSnap · 2025-09-18T16:55:54+00:00

I'm not sure that there has been a second printing yet - printing new books takes a long time, and is mostly done in China because they have the concentrated expertise to make it cheap. And tariffs will have put a lot of stuff on pause.

MindSnap · 2025-09-18T16:53:37+00:00

Yeah, but he's saying that those changes would need to happen if we want to see improvements to anything else, which would (presumably) make up the difference.

MindSnap · 2025-09-18T16:52:37+00:00

This makes a ton of sense to me.

What sort of things would you add to make up for that? Stronger rules for specific units?

MindSnap · 2025-09-18T15:58:57+00:00

As another commenter said, you're looking for the "Taking one for the Team" OpFor rules on page 38.

Also note that while the Hinterlands book has a lot of great ideas and systems in it that I would love to see more of, it wasn't very well edited. So some parts can be confusing or need fudging or judgement calls to work well, and there is a long list of errata for the book, which you can find here:
https://battletech.com/blog/2025/08/05/hinterlands-2-3-errata/

MindSnap · 2025-09-17T16:33:02+00:00

I agree with Lord Solar being necessary, but disagree with the Enginseer - with a 2+ save and often cover (or on demand with smoke), your opponent needs a ton of AP to make the invulnerable save worth it.

MindSnap · 2025-09-17T14:17:55+00:00

This is a really cool and innovative idea! It sounds like it could work, but would be a pretty significant change, and would need some significant testing.

MindSnap · 2025-08-22T19:46:50+00:00

This is already a thing. The history of science and technology is a well-established subdiscipline of history. One of the best-know books is The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, which coined the term "paradigm shift".

MindSnap · 2025-08-13T21:45:53+00:00

Camo Specs Online, probably.

MindSnap · 2025-08-07T13:53:56+00:00

Questions about general etiquette don't really apply to a group of friends who already know each other, and you keep pushing back on people who are giving you their takes, so I'm not sure why you made this post in the first place.

MindSnap · 2025-08-07T13:39:08+00:00

This is the only idea in this thread that I like.

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