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Regarding Necron Scarabs on the 40mm bases - I've seen pictures of it done both ways, is it modeling for advantage to only put 3 on a base? I'd prefer to do 3 since it would let me field more of them, but I wouldn't want to generate issues later on.

Thoughts?

If its a 3 wound base model - 3 satisfies it for me!

I dont see how putting 3 on a base is modelling an advantage.

The way I see it is that each base has 3 wounds, so I model 1 Scarab per wound as it makes some sense.

^

johnscott10 wrote:I dont see how putting 3 on a base is modelling an advantage.

The way I see it is that each base has 3 wounds, so I model 1 Scarab per wound as it makes some sense.

My thought was that some people may complain in terms of LOS. Maybe I'll give them more scenic bases to counter act that.

morgendonner wrote:

johnscott10 wrote:I dont see how putting 3 on a base is modelling an advantage.

The way I see it is that each base has 3 wounds, so I model 1 Scarab per wound as it makes some sense.

My thought was that some people may complain in terms of LOS. Maybe I'll give them more scenic bases to counter act that.

I can see the LOS being a cause for concern. However, given that the scarabs are like gaunts now then the LOS may be less of an issue if you have say 5 bases of scarabs.

Put one scarab at the highest point the model normally has, then when you go to base the model, make some of the base a darker color to represent the other ones being 'stealthed'. Then treat the base as you normally would, ie if they can see a place that would normally have a scarab, they the opponent may shoot at it. You should be able to make a whole bunch of swarms with just a few models that way.

thecapn226 wrote:Put one scarab at the highest point the model normally has, then when you go to base the model, make some of the base a darker color to represent the other ones being 'stealthed'. Then treat the base as you normally would, ie if they can see a place that would normally have a scarab, they the opponent may shoot at it. You should be able to make a whole bunch of swarms with just a few models that way.

Or just not be a cheap arse and go look on the multitude of sites that are selling resin not Scarabs...

Honestly, do people have no pride in their models any more where they'll stoop to the lowest possible "feth it, that'll do" stance to spam the units required?

I agree with the 3W=3 models thought

Grimtuff wrote:

Honestly, do people have no pride in their models any more where they'll stoop to the lowest possible "feth it, that'll do" stance to spam the units required?

In some people's mind, game play>miniatures. Of course it does not help that in many cases that it is tough, if going by GW kits alone, to fill out certain army lists

Grimtuff wrote:
Or just not be a cheap arse and go look on the multitude of sites that are selling resin not Scarabs...

Honestly, do people have no pride in their models any more where they'll stoop to the lowest possible "feth it, that'll do" stance to spam the units required?

To satisfy who exactly? the gamer in question? his opponents? the moral majority?
Considering the subject i really dont see a problem. Certainly doesn't make my bile rise, like when you see horridly converted ork vehicles made from something obviously pointless and called "fluffy" because it looks random...

Grimtuff wrote:

thecapn226 wrote:Put one scarab at the highest point the model normally has, then when you go to base the model, make some of the base a darker color to represent the other ones being 'stealthed'. Then treat the base as you normally would, ie if they can see a place that would normally have a scarab, they the opponent may shoot at it. You should be able to make a whole bunch of swarms with just a few models that way.

Or just not be a cheap arse and go look on the multitude of sites that are selling resin not Scarabs...

Honestly, do people have no pride in their models any more where they'll stoop to the lowest possible "feth it, that'll do" stance to spam the units required?

You will probly find,imo, that the majority of players who model "advantages" onto bases, such as higher height over a few mm or in this case 1 scarab per base tend not to care about the models and more then game itself.

Iv justified why Iv used 3 scarabs per base so I cant be that bad surely.

The OP said he would prefer to use 3 so he could field more. So I suggested a way to stretch them out even further. I actually take great pride in my army being modeled correctly, but I realize thats a personal choice and not everyone is willing to pay money just to get a bit or two.

Are people really arguing about LOS to this degree that one scrab "missing" is going to make a difference?

If it is questionable I give my opponent the benefit of the doubt. I would expect any resonable player to do same.


Any tool that argues this sort of stuff is somebody I won't make the mistake of playing twice...

The old scarab models, the metal ones, had 2 scarabs on a base, so I don't see any problem with 3 on a base. I wish I had thought of 3 on a base prior to me putting together 10 bases, otherwise I'd have done that. The new scarab rules just seem so awesome, prior to that my scarabs were simply to annoy my opponent and tie him up for a bit.

Grimtuff wrote:

Or just not be a cheap arse and go look on the multitude of sites that are selling resin not Scarabs...

Honestly, do people have no pride in their models any more where they'll stoop to the lowest possible "feth it, that'll do" stance to spam the units required?

I'm not just trying to be cheap, and on the contrary I'm planning of giving them very scenic bases displaying them crawling around interesting terrain bits so I do take pride in my models, thanks.

It is simply a matter of I have X amount of scarab sprues already laying around my desk and I wanted to get a general consensus on using 3 versus 4 per base (especially since, as mentioned if you direct order scarabs they come as 2 per base) so I can build as many as possible with what I have before buying more things. While I said I'm not just trying to be cheap, I do not have the luxury of infinite money and I like to buy all my product from my FLGS.

Something more constructive in terms of criticism would have been preferred but thank you for your thoughts.

morgendonner wrote:

Grimtuff wrote:

Or just not be a cheap arse and go look on the multitude of sites that are selling resin not Scarabs...

Honestly, do people have no pride in their models any more where they'll stoop to the lowest possible "feth it, that'll do" stance to spam the units required?

I'm not just trying to be cheap, and on the contrary I'm planning of giving them very scenic bases displaying them crawling around interesting terrain bits so I do take pride in my models, thanks.

It is simply a matter of I have X amount of scarab sprues already laying around my desk and I wanted to get a general consensus on using 3 versus 4 per base (especially since, as mentioned if you direct order scarabs they come as 2 per base) so I can build as many as possible with what I have before buying more things. While I said I'm not just trying to be cheap, I do not have the luxury of infinite money and I like to buy all my product from my FLGS.

Something more constructive in terms of criticism would have been preferred but thank you for your thoughts.

You have to realize that the GW community is fractured into a number of factions, one of which is the "I spent more money than you so I am a more legitimate player" faction. They also demand that their opponents do likewise or rule they are somehow inferior. It is the 40K version of class warfare...

If LOS issues really are a concern, how about modeling the three scarabs to the base, but also including a rock or skull on the base that is the same size as a scarab and letting your opponent draw LOS to it if they wanted to?

I think three scarabs per base is a good rule of thumb because the base has three wounds, but I would have to argue that only one scarab wouldn't be WYSIWYG for the swarms universal rule. (Ok, I really don't want to see bases of one scarab from a modeling perspective, but I'm trying to come up with a different reason to appease the tournament gamers).

3 because per box it gives me another base and they have three wounds. Now that im done with warrior boxes for my army I will buy "scarabs" from various other sites to fill out what I need. I see nothing wrong is making it cheaper. The profit they make on em is huge, so ill save myself a few bucks

If you have 3 wounds, put 3 on the base. LOS isn't really an issue in my opinion. They're a swarm, they're small and annoying. If I'm not mistaken they also suffer penalties from being so small vs. templates/blast weapons, so the LOS argument is really invalid.

I also have, currently, 9 bases of 4 per base scarabs. Previously I had wanted to get more scarabs per base, to make it more visually obvious that each base was a 'swarm'.

[ ]
As GW does not allow the modeller to buy just the scarabs they require - no more ordering sepperate components of a model for conversion purposes or to enable a gamer to field a unit withoug being forced to buy stuff he does not want to anymore - I cannot see a justifiable reason not to have 3 per base.

Many players have cited the 3 wounds = 3 models, it has been seen as common in both GW store matches and in tournaments, so it can in no way be looked down upon. It is neither being a "cheap arse", nor does it mean that people with 3 per base have no pride in their models. In my mind it says more about a company that prides conversions above all else - since when was an OOB model with just an amazing paint job given a Golden Demon award? - but no longer allows modellers to buy sepperate components.

Granted, that is harder to do with plastic and recycling whole sprues just to let someone have a particular piece, but they generally don't even sell just a single sprue out of a box set. And yes, I am aware that even with the old alloy bits, there comes a time when the rest of the product is not as good as it could be due to re-cycling parts but at least then there was a chance they could just cast up a couple of extra of the most popular bits.

If people are arguing about LOS differences based on 3 or 4 scarabs per base, just let them draw LOS to the base itself, never mind how many scarabs are on it - they are supposed to be targetting a 'swarm' are they not?

As I have just re-painted my scarabs, they now are of a standard where they deserve to be based properly, so I will be going with the 3 per base that is increasingly common, and will be getting some decent desert type bases to put them on, hence raising the thickness of the base and increasing the chance my opponent will be able to draw LOS to somewhere on the base, but I will not be bleating about giving him an unfair advantage.

If I can get enough money together over the next 6-12 months, I will probably even get a whole host of after-market scarabs and replace my whole set - meaning I can go back to my original plan of at least 9 on a base. Will my oponent make a fuss about all the extra scarabs he can see on a base? No? Then he has forfeited the right to complain if I go down from 4 to 3!

[/ ]

I model all my scarabs 3 per base, and on top of that I also magnetize one base per squad so that I can remove them, once they take a wound. You just have to be careful not to lose them!

I use a desert-themed based with sand, and I use 2 models to a base, but I've cut one of the models in half so that each base has one scarab on top of the sand, half a scarab popping out and half a scarab going in. It let's me effectively double the number of scarabs I have, while still using 3 models to a base. Plus, it gives the Scarabs kind of a "Screamers" feel.

And there's nothing cheap about this. I did this back before anyone cared about scarabs.

EDIT: And there shouldn't be any LOS issues with them at all. I can put 4 scarabs on a base, all huddled in one small corner of the base if I wanted to. It would look like crap, but it could make LOS very tough, and still perfectly legal. So the LOS argument should be invalid to anyone but the most anal-retentive WAAC players out there, and nobody wants to play against someone that's measuring your army with a micrometer anyway.

Grimtuff wrote:
Or just not be a cheap arse and go look on the multitude of sites that are selling resin not Scarabs...

Not everyone has unlimited funds, this is an expensive hobby already and I don't think you can look down your nose at people for not wanting to spend extra money on their minis when there's a passable solution available using what they already have. On top of that, non-GW minis don't fly everywhere (for example, GW stores) so additional expense for non-GW stuff isn't a magic bullet for everyone.

3W, 3 scarabs.

3W, 4 scarabs is just going to confuse people (let's face it, many 40k players aren't the brightest tools in the shed).

Odd numbers of things look better so go for 3. Makes more sense for the wounds too as others have said.