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KingCracker wrote:[recounts the ignominious death of his biker boss to a razorback's heavy bolters] It was just hilarious. I gave him an Ork nob head for his razorback, it deserved it

Just read KC's post in another thread and it got me thinking. I've heard of people playing in campaigns or who have a favored enemy that like to model appropriate trophies (does your buddy play Salamanders? Paint the SM helmets on your nob's bosspole green. You know, that kind of thing), but I've never heard of a gesture like his.

What would Dakka think of making a gesture like KingCracker's more commonplace? Anyone who has managed to build more than 500pts. of any army is bound to have some bits lying around. It wouldn't take much effort to grab a handful of gubbins you probably won't ever use (or will have gathered more of by the time you get around to that "next project, I swear!"), paint them up, and stick them in a bag in the corner of your gaming gear. Tankbustas somehow prove useful and wreck your LR? Give them a hatch cover for their armor. Grots defy the odds and eat a tac squad? Give them a trophy head or a spare bolter to wield. Squad of fire warriors magically off some termies? Give them... well, termies are expensive. Just give them a PA marine's helmet, or something.

Of course, I'm not suggesting a "trade every game or you're a jerk" sort of practice. I just think toting a few army-specific trophies around with you when you play so that you can help opponents commemorate epic moments would be a really cool gesture. I know I'd be proud to plunk that nob head on my razorback, not to mention thankful to my suddenly more awesome opponent. People more finicky about their army's look might not glue the thing on, but I doubt they would devalue the gesture for that reason.

So, Dakka, what do you think? Would something like that make your day? I was amazed at all the goodwill displayed in the Great Marine Swap thread and thought, "Hey, this seems like another way to bring gamers together and add a bit of bling to your army at the same time. Hell, the bling has a badass (or ridiculous) story attached to it, too! Bonus!" I, for one, am totally doing this if I ever start making it out to the FLGS to play.

I read that post and thought it would be a great idea, I would love to stick some guy's marine head on my nob'z boss pole after a game. The problem is, at least at my most frequented store that opponents I give a bit too would most likely look down confused at there barely put together, unpainted models, before looking back at me and asking "you expect me to do what with this?".

Seriously, a fully painted army is a rarity here, let alone one with any cool modeling going on.

Genestealer sprues come with a small genestealer skull with a bullet hole through it. I keep meaning to give em a quick paint job so I can give them to a particularly fun opponent.

That's actually a pretty awesome thing to do for a game you had a good time in! I'm doing something similar to the thing you mentioned about painting your trophies a certain color (one of the guys at my main FLGS plays Crimson Fists, so I'm using some CF logos as plates on my Battlewagons ) but I think that carrying around a few extra bitz to give as trophies is a great way to add some excellent sportsmanship to fun games.

This is some sick sh*t. Although it will not work in general. I cant imagine giving space marine equipment or heads to my eldar buddy and vice versa. But from now on I will consider "rewarding" future ork opponents with heads of my tacticals from dead pile. Painted spare bits? Oh really? 'Eadz of dead humies gotta be from, um, dead humies not from some humie 'elmet shop.

yournamehere wrote:The problem is, at least at my most frequented store that opponents I give a bit too would most likely look down confused at there barely put together, unpainted models, before looking back at me and asking "you expect me to do what with this?".

Ah, yes. Um, about that...

I realized (well after I wrote this, of course) that I was speaking with some magical hypothetical future in mind, where everyone (including me, whose armies are still 90% gray plastic, all told) paints their armies and has at least some semblance of basic modeling skills. I think I spend too much time on Dakka educating (to the best of my meager ability) newbies and learning from old hands (and people at my own level that fancy themselves experts ) - makes me forget that the real gaming world doesn't have the exact same bell-curved cross-section of ability and drive. Plus, since one of my armies is Orks, every trophy meets fluff and aesthetic requirements, from limbs to skulls to weapons to scrap metal. Still, if you like the concept and have a few bits that would make cool trophies, it couldn't hurt to paint up one or two and shove them in your bag. You never know when you may end up playing the right opponent and a 28mm head really doesn't take up much space (or painting time, for that matter).

@Jolrael: Is the issue that you can't fluffily justify Eldar and SM trophies held by the other side or that neither of you would be willing to model such things in your army for aesthetic reasons? You could always treat the trophies as, well, trophies and make objective markers with them.

[minor edits for "needs coffee" errors of spelling]