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I've been looking at making an Imperial Guard killteam force, and one of the things I wanted to do was to use some of the Victoria Miniature female heads, to add some more variety in a smaller force that has more details to it. I normally game at a non-GW FLGS, but I was curious as to if a small change like this would be frowned upon in actual GW stores?

Ask the store manager where you plan to play. Some will be cool with it; some won't.

Don't ask him/her when the regional manager is visiting....

As stroller said. In the GW store I frequent sometimes they have the rule of thumb that as long as you bought one GW model to build one of yours conversions are OK. So what I mean: I use Cadian bodies and legs, but with different heads, backpacks and sometimes arms and weapons - no problem. I build Rough Riders out of AoS models + 3rd company rider bodies: also OK.

If anyone asks, you converted GW heads using GW-bought tools and Green Stuff.

 Dannyrulx wrote:
I've been looking at making an Imperial Guard killteam force, and one of the things I wanted to do was to use some of the Victoria Miniature female heads, to add some more variety in a smaller force that has more details to it. I normally game at a non-GW FLGS, but I was curious as to if a small change like this would be frowned upon in actual GW stores?

There is no gospel, 100% hard and fast rule when it comes to GW stores. It can best be summed up as "ask the manager". I hate giving that answer but given the wide variety of attitudes of GW stores it's the best I can give.

Some are hard and fast no 3rd party allowed. Some are cool with minor stuff like headswaps or the odd bit. Some have a % rule the model must meet of GW parts (ie 50% may mean the legs and torso are GW but arms and heads could be different) I've never heard of a store cool with 100% 3rd party, as they want you to play with their product so when someone says "that's a cool army, I want that one" the manager can walk them to that part of the store and sell them a box. I've heard some stores being so stingy they don't even allow FW, which is a GW product, just because they can't sell it in store, though I've never seen it.

For non GW flgs, go nuts. As long as the model looks cool, fits the part, and is painted, most don't care. And even if they do, it's pretty rare for a FLGS have an encyclopedic knowledge of 40k models to even be able to call you on 3rd party in the first place. And if they do, odds are they're doing conversions themselves.

Either way, remember etiquette when gaming with 3rd party models in a store that doesn't sell them. It doesn't matter how much money you spend in the store, if you're sitting there loudly proclaiming GW models suck and you'll only ever buy Victoria lamb models, you're going to be removed so you don't chase off customers. Best practice is answer any questions truthfully if someone asks ("yeah this came from Mad Robot, this bit is from Victoria lamb, and the backpack is a warlord Soviet one" for example) but overall if you act like business as usual a lot of people will just assume they're GW models and never know the difference. I've had people call my 2nd Ed metal Cadians 3rd party while saying my Mad Robot Catachans were legit for example, which shows you how much the average player can tell the difference

Gonna echo those who say "Ask the manager."

Also going to echo Moustaffa by saying, don't be a dingus about your 3rd party stuff.

Is the manager even likely to notice?


And if he does, just tell him you wanted an actual face for each of your guardsmen, as opposed to what looks for all the world like a potato having a stroke.

I'll put it this way: My old GW manager had to ask (very nicely) my friend to put away his non GW paints in the store because it wasn't allowed.

The only place this really matters is official GW stores, and the occasional major tournament if it's heavily endorsed/supported/promoted by GW. GW carries the streaming for some major 40K tournaments and as an exchange, they require GW miniatures, etc.

When you're playing at a GW store you're basically trading a gaming table space for advertising their game to other potential customers.

Beyond those, as long as the model is properly representative, and a similar size/based on the same size bases you won't have any issues.

Definitely an 'ask the manager' question, the answer will largely depend on how in demand their tables are.

Not getting into specifics, I know of one who would politely thank anyone who asked him permission to use 3rd party components for not doing so - but he wouldn't ask the guy who had a fully painted primaris space marine army with 3rd party lady heads to pack up and leave either.

So long as you weren't calling attention to it he was generally cool - but God help you if you brought an obviously 3D printed forgeworld tank or a painted hydralisk figure and tried to pass it as a carnifex.

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
I've heard some stores being so stingy they don't even allow FW, which is a GW product, just because they can't sell it in store, though I've never seen it.

Same guy had that rule too - it has since become clear to me it had less to do with bloodbowl or titanicus games as it did with Horus Heresy players locking down the store with continuous space marine on space marine action for days on end.

At the end of the day, you're paying for the use of the GW shop's tables by volunteering yourself as a live advertisement, so long as you don't mind that and aren't actively sabotaging it its a decent arrangement.

At GW stores, I work on a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ basis. And don’t rub their faces in it. The Citadel back catalogue is big enough, including pre-slotta figures, to cover the odd unusual miniature.

But personally, I adhere to a 50% GW policy that was current too long ago. Or it’s 100% scratch built. Never had a problem.

 Captain Joystick wrote:

Same guy had that rule too - it has since become clear to me it had less to do with bloodbowl or titanicus games as it did with Horus Heresy players locking down the store with continuous space marine on space marine action for days on end.

Given that GW has been moving 40k in that direction for years, I'd have thought the store manager would be pleased.

 Captain Joystick wrote:
Horus Heresy players locking down the store with continuous space marine on space marine action for days on end.

Ugh, that sounds horrendously boring. Glad he put a stop to that.

 Melissia wrote:

 Captain Joystick wrote:
Horus Heresy players locking down the store with continuous space marine on space marine action for days on end.

Ugh, that sounds horrendously boring. Glad he put a stop to that.

Not at all unlike the current situation right?

Right guys?

there is nothing boring about space marine on space marine games.

Karol wrote:
there is nothing boring about space marine on space marine games.

yes there is.
And i say that as a spikey marine player.

Not a GW store? Manager is unlikely to care, but everything is about sales for them; if somebody likes those heads on those bodies, try to be sure you can steer them to order from the FLGS you’re playing at.

I have got a long way with being polite and taking the attitude of I only bring in additions that you don’t sell.

There is so many variables that really every community will not be the same, I have even been to home groups more strict than GW stores. Real strict hobby devotion and authenticity.

Not Online!!! wrote:
Not at all unlike the current situation right?

Difference is I can play things like my Sisters including their new units and rules, without debating houserules, unlike 30k.

 Melissia wrote:

Not Online!!! wrote:
Not at all unlike the current situation right?

Difference is I can play things like my Sisters including their new units and rules, without debating houserules, unlike 30k.

I mean, if you play their (or any other army's) Assault weapons as actually being functional, then technically you're playing with House Rules.

All rules are house rules in practice.

 vipoid wrote:
Is the manager even likely to notice?

Given that the good managers are invested in what's happening int he stores and have a good relationship with their customers? Yes.

In the GW stores I've played at, the policy has been, 'you don't tell, we don't ask.' Conversions, 3rd party character models, 3rd party mods and bases, they have no issue with, even if corporate is lurking around. The only thing I haven't gotten to use is the Vespid squads, which are all bugs from the Infinity miniature game. That got a no-go as just being too overt to turn a blind eye on.

 Bookwrack wrote:

 vipoid wrote:
Is the manager even likely to notice?

Given that the good managers are invested in what's happening int he stores and have a good relationship with their customers? Yes.

In the GW stores I've played at, the policy has been, 'you don't tell, we don't ask.' Conversions, 3rd party character models, 3rd party mods and bases, they have no issue with, even if corporate is lurking around. The only thing I haven't gotten to use is the Vespid squads, which are all bugs from the Infinity miniature game. That got a no-go as just being too overt to turn a blind eye on.

Which is not fair, because the current Vespid models are just awful.
Which models are you referring to by the way? I've only seen Infinity models once in person.

Not Online!!! wrote:

Karol wrote:
there is nothing boring about space marine on space marine games.

yes there is.
And i say that as a spikey marine player.

So why don't play a different (non-marine type) army?

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:

 Bookwrack wrote:

 vipoid wrote:
Is the manager even likely to notice?

Given that the good managers are invested in what's happening int he stores and have a good relationship with their customers? Yes.

In the GW stores I've played at, the policy has been, 'you don't tell, we don't ask.' Conversions, 3rd party character models, 3rd party mods and bases, they have no issue with, even if corporate is lurking around. The only thing I haven't gotten to use is the Vespid squads, which are all bugs from the Infinity miniature game. That got a no-go as just being too overt to turn a blind eye on.

Which is not fair, because the current Vespid models are just awful.
Which models are you referring to by the way? I've only seen Infinity models once in person.

I honestly don't remember. A subfaction was getting dropped from the game so the models were going cheap, and I liked them a lot better than the vespid kits. I don't find it particularly unfair that the GW store attitude has been, 'an entire unit of totally no GW models is just too much to let go.'

 Bookwrack wrote:

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:

 Bookwrack wrote:

 vipoid wrote:
Is the manager even likely to notice?

Given that the good managers are invested in what's happening int he stores and have a good relationship with their customers? Yes.

In the GW stores I've played at, the policy has been, 'you don't tell, we don't ask.' Conversions, 3rd party character models, 3rd party mods and bases, they have no issue with, even if corporate is lurking around. The only thing I haven't gotten to use is the Vespid squads, which are all bugs from the Infinity miniature game. That got a no-go as just being too overt to turn a blind eye on.

Which is not fair, because the current Vespid models are just awful.
Which models are you referring to by the way? I've only seen Infinity models once in person.

I honestly don't remember. A subfaction was getting dropped from the game so the models were going cheap, and I liked them a lot better than the vespid kits. I don't find it particularly unfair that the GW store attitude has been, 'an entire unit of totally no GW models is just too much to let go.'

I mean, they could just as easily see it as a form of market research and take notes. If people are consistently using alternative models for a certain unit, it would suggest that there's a demand for that unit that's currently not being met by GW's own models.