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I have a lot of variation in my army from buying different types of models made by different companies, just to add variety as well as my poorly constructed conversions. I'm just kind of wondering if cons like NOVA , BAO, or Adepticon ( one I plan on attending in the future). Actually care as long as your explicit in what the model is.

I can only really speak to AdeptiCon, as I keep meaning to attend Nova (in my backyard!) and even registered and paid for it one year, but just keep having conflicts come up

But in 2012 and again this year in 2014 I fielded an army at AdeptiCon with no GW models.

However, I did all of the following:

1. Adhered to a strong visual theme (there is a clear theme reason for every model chosen)
2. Converted the models with GW weaponry so that special weapons could be easily identified
3. Contacted the TO with my plans and pictures of the assembled models for approval before painting the army
4. Made an army list with pictures of each model next to it's unit entry, and pointed out each to my opponents beforehand

I got better in 2014, as in 2012 while I was given approval, I really used a model that was too big for it's intended function. This was allowed because it was actually a disadvantage, but preferably the model should be close to the size of the model it is representing and have a similar line-of-sight profile. Here is a spoilered pic of the 2014 army:


Other than the above (emphasizing making everything really clear and easy for your opponent, and not modelling for advantage / using appropriate models) let your imagination run wild

That's an amazing army! Did you do that from green stuff and molded everything by hand? Very impressive and the colours were striking as well. Do you have WIP pictures or a blog about it? Would be cool to see them take shape.

I can see that some may "complain" about them having no "eyes" to draw line of sight. lol

Hollismason wrote:
I have a lot of variation in my army from buying different types of models made by different companies, just to add variety as well as my poorly constructed conversions. I'm just kind of wondering if cons like NOVA , BAO, or Adepticon ( one I plan on attending in the future). Actually care as long as your explicit in what the model is.

WHy don't you ask them?

 milkboy wrote:
That's an amazing army! Did you do that from green stuff and molded everything by hand? Very impressive and the colours were striking as well. Do you have WIP pictures or a blog about it? Would be cool to see them take shape.

I do have a blog, although it's been mostly dormant since AdeptiCon as I was waiting for 7th ed to shake out a bit . I plan to get the army ready for 7th edition soon, though! Here's the link:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/575283.page

All but 2 of the models are from the Trollforged alien assimilation host kickstarter, which is still delivering but they should be available generally by the end of the year, I hope!

Sorry for the brief diversion but actually, I'd love to see more examples of counts-as / converted armies posted here. A lot of times these threads can be very hypothetical and it's helpful to see what people have done that's worked and been considered acceptable for tournament play . I know Hulksmash does a ton of converting, and I saw some other great examples at AdeptiCon this year, will have to dig through my camera and see if I snapped pics!

Then there was that Pony army at Crossroads...

That's a good point, Ravenous, but in the opposite sense- as it was not well received by some and caused a lot of controversy, I think that's a useful example of what not to do / what a signifcant number of players would not be happy to play against at a GT. (You can see pics in a locked thread over here).

Note that it does not have converted weaponry, is using riderless mounts to represent knights, was not additionally painted by the creator, has minimal basing, etc. A lot of this will come down to "rule of cool" and the ease with which your opponent can know exactly what each model is, due to conversions or selecting the right alternate models to use.

RiTides....love the army !

Having gone to Nova a number of times i think RiTides description is spot on. Last year i played against a demon army made from dollar store fish. It was pretty cool.

The same goes here for the BFS tournaments. We have had many armys that barely have had an official GW model in them. As long as they are basically the same size and base and there is a clear deffinition of what they represent i think its fine.

As long as they are in the

Yeah, the important points are...

- Correct size models. If you're converting, use the most current model as a guide.
- REALLY obvious what each model represents. Like, if you're opponent can't tell what everything it first glance, it's too confusing.
- Don't use alternate models to represent something when there something in the codex they look more like. (I remember someone on here a while back who wanted to use FW Scimitar jetbikes as Thunderwolfs, which is confusing because they look a hell of a lot more like Landspeeders or Bikes).
- Correct weaponry. Like, actual recognisable GW weapons.

Printing out a sheet which makes it clear which is which is useful, but I'd say if your opponent can't immediately tell what everything is from a one line description of the army, then it's too confusing.

TOs can be awful people sometimes. Friend of my had his IG army removed from a tournament years ago because the tanks were not GW.

He was thrown out in the 3rd round, after already winning 2 games. The judge said they were too big, when in fact they matched the height, width and length dimensions of Leman Russ' almost exactly. His opponent, who did not take issue with the models, was fielding a Tyranid army filled with non-GW models. No one said anything to him and he eventually won the tournament.

My suggestion would be if you have any doubts, to send a few pictures to the TO and make sure its ok. So far ive never turned down anyone doing this.

 Ravenous D wrote:
Then there was that Pony army at Crossroads...

Just saw the MLP army lol I cant believe someone actually pulled that off

Cool thanks it was just something I was wondering, I have some assorted Daemon Models so that there is some difference etc.. in the models. Plus I don't like some of them.

RTides, how did you get your Alien Assimilation stuff so fast? I thought he had only sent out the Grubs and Bases levels so far.

MasterSlowPoke- He was allowing people who only wanted models that were already done to contact him and get things sooner, too, which allows them to basically fulfill your order immediately.

I actually had two pledges, because I bought someone's out... so for my larger pledge I basically got everything that was completed and went with a wyrm themed army. For the remainder I have coming (basically the second pledge) I'll mostly just be getting a few other models that fit that theme (queen guard, larvae swarm, and sky hunter).

So, basically if you want to "cash out" and get only models that are ready now, you can. Most people were waiting for the big beasties he was still finishing, but Host level is about to start shipping I believe (I would look for it to start shipping in August) as he was on the very last item for that (alternate stealth swarm poses).

Do most tournaments not care if you don't use GW models?

I have only played at one tournament venue (2 tournaments at this years adepticon), but I saw a number of non-GW minis.

Some were pretty cool.

Some were gakky.

But they were allowed.

Here's a question. Would TOs recognize that these are not GW models?

http://evilcraft.eu/product/chaos-squad/

On the one hand, I think they would be tough to spot. On the other hand, these things are very easy to pose. It would not be hard to make an army of them where no 2 look the same.

As most, if not all, tournaments do not have any connection to GW at this point, it is up to the individuals organizing these tournaments to decide what models are allowed. So, the best advice is to contact the tournament organizers to see what they will allow you to do.

If I were a TO, I would definitely allow 3rd party models (so long as there is no confusion as to what they are supposed to be). If GW isn't going to support my event, why should I have to support GW?

 RiTides wrote:
MasterSlowPoke- He was allowing people who only wanted models that were already done to contact him and get things sooner, too, which allows them to basically fulfill your order immediately.

I actually had two pledges, because I bought someone's out... so for my larger pledge I basically got everything that was completed and went with a wyrm themed army. For the remainder I have coming (basically the second pledge) I'll mostly just be getting a few other models that fit that theme (queen guard, larvae swarm, and sky hunter).

So, basically if you want to "cash out" and get only models that are ready now, you can. Most people were waiting for the big beasties he was still finishing, but Host level is about to start shipping I believe (I would look for it to start shipping in August) as he was on the very last item for that (alternate stealth swarm poses).

Awesome, thank so. I think I'll stay till the end and then double down on a Queen level and get all the Nids I'll ever need. Your army is inspiring, though, and is making me excited for a delivery that probably won't come for at least a year.

 techsoldaten wrote:
TOs can be awful people sometimes.

People can be awful people sometimes. It's not something particular about TOs, who from my experience are generally giving up a substantial amount of their own time (and in many cases cash) to run what they hope will be a fun event for those involved, and who often have to put up with a lot of crap from the players who benefit from their efforts.

Yes, some TO's make bad calls at times. So can everyone else.