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This thread is a result of this thread here: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/594854.page

I was wondering what people's personal rules on proxies are? What you'll allow in a friendly game.


For infantry
Myself I'll allow anything of proper base size. Shoota boyz proxied as guardsmen? Sure!
Heavy weapons teams as Killakans? Wynaut?
Termies as Meganobz? Okay!
Chaplain in PA as Termie chaplain...

Baseless vehicles: If it's the proper size I'll allow it. A brick of LEGOS as a Rhino? Okay!
A tank that I built before I started 40k it actually amazingly the EXACT size of a Battlewagon and I often use that as a third Battle wagon because I only own 2

But try and bring a LEGO V-Wing or Deapool copter as a flyer?

If you build something special to be a certain vehicle, (I once saw a awesome LEGO Rhino online somewhere) bring it on! But if it's the wrong size by too much. OUT WITH YOU.

So what are your rules for proxies?

My Defiler is a Soul Grinder. Technically it already has a battlecannon (phlegm bombardment) Harvester Cannon (Reaper Autocannon) and Iron Claws.


I also say my DP has wings. But he is the old metal nurgle so if anyone asks I say he is powered by magical farts.


And actually, Termies used to be on little bases too.

In game, I don't really mind. I used to play WHFB with cardboard. Being a student is awesome.

Yay! I'm an inspiration!

With me it's pretty much if it makes sense to my personal (somewhat flawed) logic.

Not so much termies= meganobs, and SM= Orks, but I would have no problem with Catachans as Orks or termies representing Crisis suits.

As you may have guessed from my thread, it makes sense to me that Warhawks could be Windrider Jetbikes, and that Waywatchers are essentially exodite rangers.

Does it look good?
Does it look 'Warhammery' and does it fit in the aesthetic of the faction you are using?
Is it about the same size of the model you are proxying?
Is the base size the same?
Do you have fluff explaining why your model looks different and giving it a place in the 40k universe?

If all of the above questions have been answered with yes, I would love to play a game with you and your proxies.
Basically, as long as the sizes are about equal and the model does not look too immersion-breaking, it is okay.

I allow anything and everything, from milo tins as drop pods to bases with letters on them. Now my main group are a lot older with fatter wallets we havent had to do proxies in a long time. But as poor kids we made do with junk for most of our wargaming years.

We once made a city of books for a cool map. Best map i ever played. I never put a limit on proxies because I personally feel its a dirtbag thing to do. Especially since I shouldnt be the one who decides how others play the game. If they cant afford a block of 40 saurus? Then just cut our a cardboard square and write numbers on there. Same thing really, just looks different.

No limits from me.

I'm fine with 'the guy with a plasmagun actually has a meltagun' type proxies anytime (or 'this generic captain is actualy a special character' or the other way around)

I'll allow 'this cardboard box is a baneblade' type proxies once or twice

For anything else (mainly products from other manufacturers), my fist rule is 'could is be confused for something else?' If it can easily be confused for something else, I'd rather not have you use it.

Pretty much anything - usually the player's personality is more important than his or her model in my opinion.

 Swastakowey wrote:
I never put a limit on proxies because I personally feel its a dirtbag thing to do. Especially since I shouldnt be the one who decides how others play the game. If they cant afford a block of 40 saurus? Then just cut our a cardboard square and write numbers on there. Same thing really, just looks different.

No limits from me.

I feel like this is the right thing to do as well.

I'm happy with proxies and as long as we decide before we start what is what (and write it down) then usually nobody gets too lost during the battle.

Without proxies people can't 'try before you buy' and if you want to evaluate a unit before spending a bucketload of money then it is the only way to do it. In a similar vein, i do a lot of conversion work and counts-as, and as long as something is roughly the same size (my Battlewagons are about an inch out of the standard 6.5x3.5) then nobody really seems to care if it fits thematically.

I think that base size is pretty much a must. other than that nothing as long as I can keep track, its nice for people to try out diff stuff and/or have cool custom models.

For testing purposes, anything goes - I've even let people use pieces of styrofoam as stand-ins for land raiders (a guy was testing a 3 land raider Black Templar army).

For most games, I go by:
1) Has to be roughly the same size and shape
2) Rule of Cool

Example: a friend of mine uses the mini dreamforge leviathans as Dreadknights, and no-one has a problem with that. They're very close to the same size, and look significantly less stupid than the "proper" model.

I don't make lists with units I don't have so I've rarely proxied anything but I'm fine with my opponent doing it. The only time I can actually remember proxying was using some extra orks as chaos cultists. Playing with just bases is kinda lame, but I understand the need so I don't complain out loud about it.

1. Proper base size.
2. WYSIWYG. I should be able to tell at a glance what kind of equipment the model has.
3. Rough approximation of the same profile. I use a horde of scarabs to represent a Razorwing flock in my DE army, and I elevated a couple of them on terrain elements so that they wouldn't be a quarter the height of the regular models.

Y'know I thought myself rather lax, but compared to some of the other posters here I'm quite a stickler!

@welshhoppo
I know that. And if they're using Rogue Trader Termies then that's fine (I guess) but if you're proxying anything else then I'd prefer you use the modern base size

Considering that my friends and I grew up where half our armies were empty bases, legos, and bars of soap, I'm really fine with anything.

All i really care is its relatively the correct size of what youre trying to proxy it as and its obviously different from the other proxies you have, if any.

None of this "These marines are actually Havocs, while these with the same loadout are Nurgle Marines" heh..nonono...whether its the actual model used or some kind of definite wargear difference doesnt matter but they gotta be different nontheless. I used to use random marines are Loota proxies, but i never had another marine in my army to cause any confusion.

Is it temporary?
Is it based correctly?
If both are yes, you are in 100% no additional requirements. We all have our troubles with money, shouldn't get in the way of the hobby. So, you want a cheap proxy for your units? Just base them right, it's cool.
If its permanent, thats a different story.
Is it the right scale?
Does it fit in to the look of your army?
Does it exist in the lore?
Does it look cheaply made or poorly molded?
If so, can you explain in-universe why?

Anything goes for me. I even use small paper tokens to represent miniatures most of the time! I play against myself so anything goes when I play, but as long as you tell me what you're proxying, by all means, proxy the whole thing if you want!

Well... As long as it's roughly the same size base-wise.

Ooh, this is my kind of thread.

Well, me and my fellas barely have minis outside IG and CSM. So we have to proxy a lot of stuff, usually with same base size.

There are exceptions, though:
Chimeras and Leman Russes become MCs, while Vendettas' flying bases become FMCs/Flyers. Heck, twice I've put a comb over a Pringles' tube to represent Necron flyers.
HWTs are Dreads and our proxying epitome was a 2L coke bottle being a Wraithknight.
All for testing the rules!

A) I need to be able to tell what the unit is and how it is armed.

B) I need to be able to differentiate different unit-types from one another.

C) Base-size must be very close or identical to the standard for that unit type.

D) Model size must be close to the standard for that unit type.

E) Our gaming group has a rule...we don't play with any models that aren't at least 1 step better than base-coat.

F) No cheese like Barbie dolls with metla guns.

If it is the proper size and has a proper w40k base , I don't care what my opponent models look like . I replaced all my IG models with Infinity caledonians. Chain rifle dudes are plasma guns , HMG dude is my auto cannon dude . GL skirts are my melta gun models . Wulvars were my GH , but they no longer fit in to my army .Coteaz is McGregor . My two veteran squads are made out of SAS , where chains are plasma and plastic GW GL are melta. The only GW models I use are those which I like most .My 3 Chimeras , my vendetta and my two lemman russes .

I'm pretty easy going, you don't give me BS about my Company Commander, I won't give you BS about your ork marines...

I played a game against a guy once where he had the Marine metal captain from the OOP box set. He was using it as he deamon prince. Thinking I could kill it before it got to close I let him use it. I forgot what it was after turn 1 and it kicked my pred to an explosion. Never never again.


1 right base (been said before)
2 if testing a new army, use similar war gear (marines with pistols and chainswords can be used as orks with slugga choppas- Ive done this)
3 correct height-wanna try a DP but use a captain with PF-build up that 60mm base
4 if you are using the same proxies for more than 3 months you really need to buy the correct models.

Rule of cool. Lego-made thingies: hell effing no. Must have the same or similar proportions as the original model; alternatively, have the original model at hand for size comparisons.

As long as whatever is being proxied has simaliar dimensions, its all good. Tanks have to be pretty darn close, infantry has to have the right base. Its all cool at that point.

For me it really comes down to intent: If you're doing a one-off game for fun, or testing something out I really have no problems with any proxies as long as they're roughly the same size and you have a good attitude about it. But after a few testing games, I fully expect you to buy the minis. I'll never complain about a "flamer is a plasma gun" though, unless you do it for 15+ games in a row.

The problem with generic proxy discussions is that in real life it's never cultists for ork boyz. It's something for a riptide, dreadknight, or warhound titan. Alot of anti-proxy players are unfortunately vilified when it is in fact their opponents who are being the poor sports.

 greyknight12 wrote:
For me it really comes down to intent: If you're doing a one-off game for fun, or testing something out I really have no problems with any proxies as long as they're roughly the same size and you have a good attitude about it. But after a few testing games, I fully expect you to buy the minis. I'll never complain about a "flamer is a plasma gun" though, unless you do it for 15+ games in a row.

^This.

Although, I don't mind a constant proxy if:

-It follows rule of cool. Helbrute remodelled with greenstuff (or expert application of blu-tac), and has been equipped and painted to be a DP, and looks badass? Hell yes.
-It is pretty much the same size as what it represents, with all the weapons in the right place. Land Raider crusader that's taken off the hurricane bolters, and glued on quad lascannons to be a Spartan? Yep.
-It isn't MFA. Lascannon guy with a 12" tall periscope to see over bastions? Nopecicles.

I am fine with opponents using coins to represent where models should be, provided I get to keep the coins after the game.

 techsoldaten wrote:
I am fine with opponents using coins to represent where models should be, provided I get to keep the coins after the game.

They'd need an arrangement of £1 and/or £2 to represent any MC's

By that point, it'd be cheaper to just buy the damn thing

I have a double standard, myself.

For me, I try to get wysiwyg, but I also like mixing things up, so I'll have little weapon swaps and stuff now and again. For things that look like they might get more serious (as in, I'm still sort of trying them out, but probably will be for the next couple of months), I usually try and slap together some plasticard and aluminum tubing.

For example, I ran hydras for a little while at the beginning of 6th ed, and I spent an evening making little turrets that reasonably approximated hydra guns:



And of course, I'll always be working, so eventually stuff like that will get a permanent something made for it. Especially if I try it and like it, then it tends to get brought to wysiwyg rather quickly.

On the other hand, for other people, it's a near free-for all. I'd play against an army with little print-outs of miniatures on those old-timey little slotted bases (cf. old talisman), or against an army of star wars miniatures (which I have, on several an occasion), or practically anything. 40k can be expensive, and most people have no artistic or engineering talent whatsoever.

I find it's best if I keep my expectations very low and then become pleasantly surprised when something nice comes my way. It keeps me playing games, and stops me from being a huge pretentious jerk.

Pretty much the only time I get irritated is when someone is proxying for advantage. Like when the new tau codex came out and people immediately wanted to run triptide spam so went to the dollar store and bought cheap little gundam models so that they could bring powergamer lists without being tied to the miniatures part of the game as much as they could get away with.

Proxy all you want, but don't do it for no other reason than you want to spam cheese.

I currently run proxies a lot, since I'm still learning the various units in my army and trying stuff out. I also live on a fixed income, so I acquire models at a slow rate. Most of the time I'm just playing against my fiancee though.

The proxies at least end up having the same base size, and are usually about the same size, it just looks weird seeing dark angel terminators sitting next to a hellbrute or something, because they're representing Tyrant Guard and the Swarmlord or something. (This means I've borrowed models from the store/store manager.) Or my venomthropes are zooanthropes for this game.

I am super picky and OCD when it comes to painting my stuff, so it's often paint then assemble with a lot of my stuff.

I try to WYSIWYG my stuff, so I stick magnets in a lot of my bigger models, which takes me longer.

Big games (like the store apoc) I run what I have. My knight might not have guns since the arm gun magnets aren't done, and it's not painted. However, its the right height and the right base is on the table. And if you needed a proper example of the right model, there's another knight in the store, or I sticky tack the parts on. That is the only time where it's going to look a little odd on the table.