GW 'Warrior's Code' for Tournaments (True but distorted) and Plastic Thunderhawk/Sisters

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**pretre**

Denzark on the Bols Lounge wrote:
Just back from my latest foray into the GW tournament, Throne of Skulls. I thought you might like some information on the meta there, things I saw over the weekend, and a few rumours etc

Rules
GW yellow staff were being quite tight in areas. There is a new 'Warrior's Code' coming in for 2014, but they seem to apply them from this weekend. This included:

All painted Armies. Now, GW state they will not apply a '3 colour standard' because this is open to abuse. They picked up on someone with a very basic paint scheme that was supposed to be white scar bikers that seemed to be a white primer, a wash and some boltgun metal on the bike engines.

No proxies. This is subject to interpretation, but they seem to enforce it based on 'if it has a model is must be used' and conversions must be pre-approved if heavy and not blatantly obvious what the mini is. One fellow who fell foul had an immaculately painted army with Dark angel minis, but painted as White Scars. Even though it had conversions like landspeeders with twin lascannons for preds, he was made to re-write the list as a White Scars list. So the big ugly speeder was a LR etc. I thought this was quite harsh.

Others included me being asked why my drop pod doors were glued shut - ummm because I don't like them flapping around, I can't be arsed to paint the insides and also because i was not aware the rules said a vehicle's doors must be modelled to open?

Rumours
These were picked up from attendees not any GW staff. I cannot comment on the provenance. But, 2 main ones. Firstly, plastic T-Hawk is designed. However it currently takes 7 sprues. Apparently the problem is that the big boy kit machine can only do 6 at a time. So the sprues need rehashing to try and cram it all in to make it economical. (I know, I know...) The other is that plastic Sisters are done. The timing of the new codex is an attempt to whittle down some apparently high stocks of current metal.

http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m3520006a_Warriors_code_V1.2.pdf
The Warrior's Code is partially true although not in the way he presents it (No counts-as isn't true, specific paint for specific chapters isn't there, and it appears to be only for WW)

From Larry Vela, re: Thunderhawk:
http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2013/11/40k-rumors-apocalypse-big-kits-and-more.html

Then stuff like this started to show up from multiple sources:

-Plastic Thunderhawk - 2014
-Not an exact duplication of Forgeworld's kit due to the need to streamline for a limited number of sprues and boxing size limitations.
-Additional weapon hardpoints and weapon options compared to the Forgeworld kit. Look for weapon hardpoints and options from other Space Marine flyer kits for clues.
-Multiple T-Hawk sub-variants can be built from the kit. ~editor's note: Forgeworld only offers the "standard" and "transport" versions, unless this is referring to things like Marine, Grey Knight, Inquisition, CSM variants...The Thunderhawk and other(s) plastic Apocalypse kit will be the featured new models in the 2014 Apocalypse Supplement.

Now if there is something that the 40K community treats like an urban legend it's any talk of the semi-legendary plastic Thunderhawk. Like Nessie, Bigfoot and UFOs, we all want to believe. There have been second hand accounts over the years, always just out of touch... But this is the highest concentration and most specific chatter we've heard so far.

We rate these rumors as follows:
Apocalypse Stuff: Probable coming from multiple known sources
Thunderhawk Stuff: Possible coming from multiple sources, but it involves the words "Thunderhawk" and "Plastic" so we rolled it back one notch...

I can't even imagine what it will cost... Have at it.

**Azreal13**

"GW: Warriors Code" coming soon to one location that still runs GW's sanctioned events (somewhat) near you soon!*

*Location may not be somewhat near you

**OrlandotheTechnicoloured**

It sounds (assuming this is true) that there may be a bunch of FAQs going up to make people fix their lists as white scars or ultramarine etc

Wonder how 'outside' tournaments (or stores) would handle things if this did happen

(although for games with mates it will not matter)

**pretre**

azreal13 wrote:
"GW: Warriors Code" coming soon to one location that still runs GW's sanctioned events (somewhat) near you soon!*

Yeah, what's left at this point? Throne of Skulls which is once yearly? And store events? Which basically don't happen since they are one man stores in most places now?

**Ferrum_Sanguinis**

If only the LA Battle Bunker was still open, then I'd actually have a reason to complain!

**Azreal13**

OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:
It sounds (assuming this is true) that there may be a bunch of FAQs going up to make people fix their lists as white scars or ultramarine etc

Wonder how 'outside' tournaments (or stores) would handle things if this did happen

(although for games with mates it will not matter)

As with all things, their authority to enforce these things extends exactly to their front door, I doubt many independently run tourneys will be adopting much of this.

Of course, this could be the first signs of GW gearing up to run more events, but my gut says no.

**plastictrees**

Maybe this is intended to make people less annoyed that there are almost no official events anymore. "Look how terrible we would be making these tournaments for everyone!"

One of the best things about the GT circuit was seeing that years crop of awesome heavily converted, often "counts as" armies. Ugh, I don't even know how to adequately express my irritation at what they seem to want their game to be. feth.

**pretre**

plastictrees wrote:
Ugh, I don't even know how to adequately express my irritation at what they seem to want their game to be. feth.

Allegedly. According to some dude from BOLS, who mentioned a Plastic Thunderhawk... I would take this as about as indicative of the future of GW as ghost21's predictions were.

**plastictrees**

pretre wrote:
plastictrees wrote:
Ugh, I don't even know how to adequately express my irritation at what they seem to want their game to be. feth.

Allegedly. According to some dude from BOLS, who mentioned a Plastic Thunderhawk... I would take this as about as indicative of the future of GW as ghost21's predictions were.

Sure. Ultimately this just comes down to "what events?", that spells out GWs attitude to organised play pretty clearly.

**Blacksails**

They'll make it into a rules supplement and charge you 39.99 for the pleasure of owning it.

It will contain 10 pages of tournament fluff, with some pictures of red shirts posing around minis.

**Tannhauser42**

I think we all already suspected that the digital Sisters codex was intended to help dump the remaining stock of SoB models.

As far as the plastic Thunderhawk, that is certainly believable. After all, it's one thing to design the sprues on the computer, but something else entirely to tool the molds. So, yes, I can believe that GW has had the model designed on the computer for a long time now, until they can find a way to reduce the costs of actually making it.

These new painting, WYSIWYG, and conversion rules do sound fairly harsh. Almost sounds like they don't want people even doing conversions anymore, and instead using the actual released models and only that.

**Palindrome**

Surely having a fully painted army that is fully WYSIWYG has been part of tourney ground rules for years? The whole Ultramarine/White Scar thing and the seeming ban on conversions is idiocy but aside from that I don't see a problem here. Not that I go to 40K tournaments.

**pretre**

Tannhauser42 wrote:
I think we all already suspected that the digital Sisters codex was intended to help dump the remaining stock of SoB models.

Right, that's not too far off from the truth.

As far as the plastic Thunderhawk, that is certainly believable. After all, it's one thing to design the sprues on the computer, but something else entirely to tool the molds. So, yes, I can believe that GW has had the model designed on the computer for a long time now, until they can find a way to reduce the costs of actually making it.

Sure, and plastic sisters are just waiting for the right time. I have heard Plastic Thunderhawk so many times in the last 15 years that it isn't even funny any more. Would they like to make it? Sure. Is it ever going to happen? Not likely.

**Azreal13**

pretre wrote:
Tannhauser42 wrote:
I think we all already suspected that the digital Sisters codex was intended to help dump the remaining stock of SoB models.

Right, that's not too far off from the truth.

As far as the plastic Thunderhawk, that is certainly believable. After all, it's one thing to design the sprues on the computer, but something else entirely to tool the molds. So, yes, I can believe that GW has had the model designed on the computer for a long time now, until they can find a way to reduce the costs of actually making it.

Sure, and plastic sisters are just waiting for the right time. I have heard Plastic Thunderhawk so many times in the last 15 years that it isn't even funny any more. Would they like to make it? Sure. Is it ever going to happen? Not likely.

Hell, I'm fairly sure I remember gossip about a plastic THawk soon after the metal one was released!

**Madcat87**

The other is that plastic Sisters are done.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

**xruslanx**

i really don't care about how gw run their tournaments...if they want to impliment hyper strict wysiwyg, so be it.

Other than that, plastic sob and plastic thunderhawk...woo. Heard both of these rumours before, don't really care.

**KaryudoDS**

pretre wrote:

Sure, and plastic sisters are just waiting for the right time. I have heard Plastic Thunderhawk so many times in the last 15 years that it isn't even funny any more. Would they like to make it? Sure. Is it ever going to happen? Not likely.

I just don't really see the point myself. Models that size to me just aren't fun in 40k to begin with and then they simply couldn't be cheap anyway so while it would be awesome as a display piece I think that's about it for me, maybe terrain. Although unlike the FW one I might consider it if I had the money, wouldn't feel AS bad for rarely using it.

Still...yeah we hear about Thunderhawks regularly.

The rules bit though was (also?) chuckle worthy. I mean a guy showing up to a tourney using a Landspeeder as a Predator? Might look great but that just seems like an odd thing to do in that case.

**derek**

Kind of expected the Thunderhawk rumor to start when the big Khornedozer and torn apart monolith were released a few months back. This seems rather late on that one.

As to the rest, don't think it will have any effect on how 99.99 (repeating of course) % of tournaments are ran. No wonder they're doing their best to shut down bits sellers though, conversions are apparently now on the list of things they think are bad.

**Khan Raider**

GW has any idea on a Warrior's code? That's Laughable. so...what are they going to accept as a "paint scheme" now?

**StarTrotter**

Hey look it is my successor army to DA! Yeah I knwo they look like White Scarrs but I really like the color white and just happened to paint my entire army including models that are obviously DA that way. Also I'm sorry my units have black as one of their three primary colors and it is just the spray paint because I'm not going to waste the time to mix grey and black together to paint over black on the thousands of IG I must paint.

But I'm okay with this if we get plastic SoB

(yes I don't think this stuff is true but if it is I hope that SoB is

)

**Miguelsan**

Fully painted armies? No conversions?

I'm guessing that someone at HQ stepped out of the Ivory Tower for a while and saw all those cool count-as armies full with non-GW figures with 3rd party bits making the rounds on all those non-GW sponsored tourneys and had a fit.

My position on the rumoured "Warrior Code"

I only play 1 tournament yearly in Japan, organized by a very cool guy at Nagoya. He puts up his own money upfront to rent the premises and makes all the hard work almost by himself and never, ever got an ounce of support from GW. Guess what, I'll follow the rules of the guy that helps me having my yearly fun not some

that never had any official tournament in Japan that i'm aware off.

M.

**Jehan-reznor**

What my Kitty army is not ok?!

I don't play GW tournaments anyway so these rules don't bother me.
HM, MS what army to take to Nagoya this year!

**Miguelsan**

You Kitty army is an aberration in the eyes of GW!

You totally broke the Warrior's code! Repent and in penance buy a new one, in finecast and paying inflated japanese prices to boot.

M.

**Happygrunt**

That's cool, but how do they expect to enforce these new policies? There is one GW event still running, and the rest of the tournaments have their own policy.

**jason1977**

Denzark on the Bols Lounge wrote:
Firstly, plastic T-Hawk is designed. However it currently takes 7 sprues. Apparently the problem is that the big boy kit machine can only do 6 at a time. So the sprues need rehashing to try and cram it all in to make it economical.

How many sprues in the Stompa??

**dementedwombat**

Ferrum_Sanguinis wrote:
If only the LA Battle Bunker was still open, then I'd actually have a reason to complain!

Lol complaining about not being able to complain. There are so many bad 40k player stereotypes that could be brought out here...

Seriously though I like the idea of enforcing model quality standards at tournaments, but the way they're doing it isn't what I call a good idea.

**Ascalam**

jason1977 wrote:

Denzark on the Bols Lounge wrote:
Firstly, plastic T-Hawk is designed. However it currently takes 7 sprues. Apparently the problem is that the big boy kit machine can only do 6 at a time. So the sprues need rehashing to try and cram it all in to make it economical.

How many sprues in the Stompa??

Three or four. I forget which.

**dkellyj**

The day GW starts to provide serious support to the Tourny scene is the day they can start dictating rules on what is acceptable and what is not.

**punchdub**

Google is your friend.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?aId=2200016a&_requestid=690809

**StarTrotter**

Wait flyer bases are supposed to be based? Huh?