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Hello Dakka.

Gonna start playing with my Nurgle marine army soon (Havn't played in a while) so im out of touch on whats ok and not ok to use in Games Workshop.

I understand that any mini not from GW is a no no.

Ive converted a few of my minis form different kits including the ravenwing bikers from the DV boxed set using green stuff and kit bashing to make them nurgle bikers.

The plague Marines in my army are also the standard chaos marine minis with some green stuff (more options in the chaos marines box so I got those instead of fine cast plagues).

Some of my army is also not painted fully. Will they need to 100% finished?

Any input would be great I don't wanna turn up with a friend to play just to be turned away.

Probably better to call the store and ask. I know at my store, they said that they dont care about the minis being painted, but some stores do etc etc.

The place I originally wanted to play at wouldn't let me play unless I flocked my bases and had a fully painted army. So call ahead and ask.

Hmm yeh that's probably best think I'll message their facebook page or something.

chuxfm wrote:
Hmm yeh that's probably best think I'll message their facebook page or something.

haha, must be young Theres a thing called a telephone, itll get you an instant reply!

I went to uni with a guy who works at my local GW so I was gonna message him

I hope they dont care. Especially if you worked hard to convert them. I dont know about the store but I've met a few people down here at FLGS (no GW in hawaii) who wouldnt play against a half painted army or allow any proxying which I feel is rediculous for a hobby thats supposed to be fun

what?????? I have never heard of GW forcing you to have a fully painted army...
That would be such a let down if I went to one with my still working on army...

 Makutsu wrote:
what?????? I have never heard of GW forcing you to have a fully painted army...
That would be such a let down if I went to one with my still working on army...

Yep, they should never expect you to have anything more than 80% assembled plastic-grey models really. If they still ran tournaments it'd be a different issue or if your conversions involved parts of non-GW minis but other than that they shouldn't care.

Don't really understand what you mean by the 80% thing, you mean models with no arms and stuff???

Tournaments, eh yes & no. I personally don't mind since mine isn't fully painted up. Maybe if it was like a serious tournament instead of some friendly tournament that an FLGS is having.

I think it may be different in the US. Basiclaly back in the day (2nd 3rd edition 40k) in the uk you had to have ALL your minis painted. I heard its changed now I just wanted to be sure.

Back then I don't think there weren't many GW's in America and I think people still predominantly play/buy from independant retailers (correct me if i'm wrong). Not the same story in the UK really where GW's are EVERYWHERE. I think the GW's in US have had to be a bit more lenient in an attempt to get people to use the stores?

That's "uber user-friendly" what if I am a beginner playing the game?? not allowed until I spend 40 hours into painting them?
Guess that's why GW is like that these days, since they've never changed

 Makutsu wrote:
what?????? I have never heard of GW forcing you to have a fully painted army...
That would be such a let down if I went to one with my still working on army...

Oh, it happens. Believe me.

 Makutsu wrote:
That's "uber user-friendly" what if I am a beginner playing the game?? not allowed until I spend 40 hours into painting them?
Guess that's why GW is like that these days, since they've never changed

I was kinda hoping they woulda changed... I've only just started again from scratch with a lot of unpainted minis and converted stuff.

If GW was more like an independent stockist/club (which I don't think we have anymore in Brighton,uk) I'd be down there now playing all the time.

Instead I've gotta paint a lot of minis before I even get the chance to use them (they've been sitting here since November I find it hard to get the time to paint nowadays).

Anyways I've sent off the message to them I'll let you guys know what they say.

well if they are being a stickler about a fully painted army, just slap 3 different colors somewhere on the model, tournament rules say you need to have 3 different colors on the model does not say how much or if it has to be detailed.

And no forge world models? i thought FW and GW were all buddy buddy.

just add 2 dots of different colors + the primer color lol

 Backspacehacker wrote:
well if they are being a stickler about a fully painted army, just slap 3 different colors somewhere on the model, tournament rules say you need to have 3 different colors on the model does not say how much or if it has to be detailed.


And no forge world models? i thought FW and GW were all buddy buddy.

It really depends on the store, both the GW stores in my area are pretty good with FW, with more than a few FW armies, and many FW units thrown in, I have yet to see someone refuse to play against FW either, other stores may be different however.

 Backspacehacker wrote:
well if they are being a stickler about a fully painted army, just slap 3 different colors somewhere on the model, tournament rules say you need to have 3 different colors on the model does not say how much or if it has to be detailed.

GW is not a tournament. Stricter GW's often enforce "Fully painted and based" rules.

CoI wrote:
The place I originally wanted to play at wouldn't let me play unless I flocked my bases

This is probably the worst idea possible when it comes to being a finished mini snob. I understand why stores want to see painted minis...kinda. I think demanding them be completely painted and flocked for casual play is idiotic. I spend a good bit of time converting and painting some of my stuff, but I leave them all on black bases. I don't like the way grass basis look on an ice or rock map.

I would have no problem telling a store that demands such a thing to shove it sideways.

Conversions of all kinds are ok in a GW as long as they are 100% GW, or you can't identify the parts as NOn-GW (just say that you greenstuffed or converted using sprue or something).
As dfor painting, depends on the staff. Some are admant that all models must be a minum 3 colour paintjob, some let you away with having a dipped army, and some don't care. Generally most stores I know tend to look the other way if they know its a new purchase, like right after christmas or using an Unpainted models the day after their release.

CoI wrote:
The place I originally wanted to play at wouldn't let me play unless I flocked my bases and had a fully painted army. So call ahead and ask.

Really? Flocked bases? That is just ridiculously anal...

The advice is generally sound, though, that you need to call and talk to the store you intend to play. They will tell you what the constraints are. Some don't mind unpainted minis, while others require the insanity I have quoted above. Hopefully you'll have more than one option nearby so if one store is ridiculously crazy in their demands you can hopefully find a place that isn't.

As for your minis themselves, your conversions sound really cool and you should make a thread to post up some pics. If anyone sees that converted army and complains about it, please feel free to consider them an idiot and not worry about it.

Skriker

My local GW required painted and based armies, but this was ten years ago.

Nowadays they stopped caring.

Each store is different. At mine, you're not allowed to bring in anything higher than a 1,000pts (as we only have two tables and he wants to make sure games will be quick, to prevent people from hogging up the space)

He doesn't care if you have them painted, but he very much PREFERS you do, so if someone comes in they'll see what the game looks like at it's best. Having a bunch of half assembled unpainted minis doesn't look good for the game.

3rd party bitz and whatnot are a no-no, although that is company policy, and managers have no say in that. My manager doesn't seem to have any qualms with them, but all the same, they're not allowed (fair enough, it's they're bussiness) Greenstuff and heavy conversions using official parts are a-ok though. My warbikers are mounted on dark vengeance bikes, and I do quite a bit of conversions in general on my orks, and he has no complaints as long as I can point to any part and say "its from such and such GW kit"

Best thing to do though is call or message your store. They'll be more than happy to explain what is and isn't allowed.

I used to go to a store where the front table was all fancy and awesome, but you could only play on it with fully painted. You could play on other tables with whatever. Thought it was a cool compromise, as anyone coming in would see an awesome battle going on but you could still play there without worry. Plus it felt pretty cool finally getting to play on that damn table.

my store is pretty lax, they dont really care as long as they are assembled, when they do tournaments though you need to have a fully painted army

Gee yeah it seems real criminal of GW stores to want it's customers playing fully painted and based armies instead of a sea of unpainted, half built grey models all over it's tables showing off the hobby in the best possible light.

SHAME ON THEM! They should totally just encourage people to use pop bottles as drop pods and filthy neckbeards that don't know the meaning of personal hygiene to bring in all their weaponless plastic grey marines into the store for potential new hobbyists to see just what the community is like am I right?


Seriously though of course GW is going to try and encourage people to fully paint and base their models before playing on the limited table space in their stores. If your playing in their store you are basically showing off the hobby to any potential hobbyist who comes in and what would you personally rather show? gakky unpainted models or lovingly painted armies?

Don't get me wrong their should be leeway for folks just getting started to come in and play as long as they are showing progress in building/painting their army but I'm betting everyone here knows TFG who keeps showing up with the same army that's gone unpainted for years!

As for basing models.....Yeah, you should base em, a black base on a rocky table looks a helluva lot worse than a simple sanded base with a quick brown paint job by far. Seriously, that some people get bent out of shape by GW trying to have some standards is sad....GTFO of my hobby!


:End Rant:

To the OP, just check, my experience with GW's has been they are very reasonable and while many have insisted or prefered fully painted armies most have no problem with someone who's in the midst of building/painting said army playing a game or two as long as they are showing progress in the building/painting between visits and aren't coming in with the same unpainted/unprimed/half built models week after week.

 Makutsu wrote:
what?????? I have never heard of GW forcing you to have a fully painted army...
That would be such a let down if I went to one with my still working on army...

When I was younger, my local GW had a rule in place that models used on the table were not only fully painted, but based in the manner of the terrible old Eavy Metal models (goblin green sand drybrushed with sunburst yellow).

Like, you have brown dirt? No go. If you wanted to use them, you spent 20 minutes repainting the bases.

My brother actually did that old basing style, but the base edges in black. No go. He had to sit at the station paitning the edges green to use them.

 -Loki- wrote:

 Makutsu wrote:
what?????? I have never heard of GW forcing you to have a fully painted army...
That would be such a let down if I went to one with my still working on army...

When I was younger, my local GW had a rule in place that models used on the table were not only fully painted, but based in the manner of the terrible old Eavy Metal models (goblin green sand drybrushed with sunburst yellow).

Like, you have brown dirt? No go. If you wanted to use them, you spent 20 minutes repainting the bases.

My brother actually did that old basing style, but the base edges in black. No go. He had to sit at the station paitning the edges green to use them.

Yeah see that's just insane.

Wanting people to base their models I can understand. I probably would just accept that I won't be playing there again.

But expecting everyone to base their models in a very particular way is ridiculous. What did they do if your orks were too dark a shade of green, or if your ultramarines were the wrong shade of blue? Make you repaint those too?

 Skriker wrote:


As for your minis themselves, your conversions sound really cool and you should make a thread to post up some pics.

Skriker

I was going to at some point when they were finished. Bikers just need painting now. Just a bit of kit bashing and basic Green stuff-ing really (Grandfather Nurgle is forgiving with the green stuff - even a noob like me can do it )

I'm also still waiting on a reply from GW. Hopefully they are relaxed about it so I can play on saturday.. If not looks like my living room floor with makeshift scenery xD

Surely if you turned uup with a nearly-finished army, they'd be able to sell you more paints to finish them off.
Or, after telling you that you've not spent too much time on them yet, how about buying the new models to use in their place.

Forcing a rule about fully painted armies only, they're not allowing themselves to show a WIP to their customers.

If not, put a post in the Find a Game forum here, and play somewhere other than GW. There'll be something near you.