Month 1 has drawn to a close with a rush of activity from all players involved! To take you all back and remind you of the task at hand, each of the 6 players were asked to start a new 40k Force of up to 500 points that must include at least 2 Troops and 1 HQ choice (the minimum required for playing games of Warhammer 40k. Somewhat predictably, in the Wargaming hobby, all players were painting their models right up until the very last moments in a bid to get complete before the deadline, and not all made it! Shame on them! *cough*

Note: Those that players who didn’t quite make the deadline have a 1 week extension until the 8th July to get a reduced points reward.

So, let’s hear the start of each players tale…

Mr Wigg and his Space Sharks

Mr Wigg (real name Ian) a 26 year old self professed sales monkey from Tamworth, is one of the more meticulous painters at our local club, known for his precise detail and ever so steady hand. Although a keen tactician,  he has often cited a strong theme as more important than a cheesy army list.

From speaking to Wigg we found out just why he picked Space Marines and indeed, why such an ‘unknown’ chapter?

“They are a project i have had planned for many, many years and only ever tinkered with. I collected lots of bits and specific models over time but have never really had the opportunity to sit down and work on them at any great length, this seemed like an opportunity to finally get to work on them!”

> Space Sharks, did you make the chapter up?

“[they are] one of the less fortunately named official chapters out there (I think only the Rainbow Warriors are worse off!)”

“For the uninitiated, the Space Sharks are a chapter that took part in the Babab War on the loyalist side. There was a brief section about them in one of the original Rogue Trader books that documented the conflict, but other than that there’s very little official fluff regarding them. What is known is that they have access to large amounts of Terminator armour and Dreadnoughts, and prefer drop pod assaults.”

> What Models have you painted for Month 1, do you have an Army list you are working to?

“The list i have been roughly working towards is:

Captain - bolter and power weapon -115

Tac Squad - 10 marines, meltagun and plasmacannon -180

Tac Squad - 5 marines, just bolters -90

Scout Squad - 5 scouts, sniper rifles -75

Drop Pod (undecided as to which squad to give it to) -35

—Total -495pts —-”

Unfortunately Wigg hasn’t quite finished for the Month 1 deadline.

> Can you talk us through your colour scheme and let us know how your army theme is represented?

1- Black undercoat

2- Basecoat of the Foundation Adeptus Battlegrey. Being a foundation colour it spreads nicely when watered down slightly but still covers in one coat. I try to stick to just the armour but at this stage i don’t try to be too neat

3- The chest eagle and any skull or other Aquila motifs are picked out in white. The backpack vents and bits of bolter not covered by casing are painted chainmail

4-Badab black wash over the whole model. Just one coat usually works fine, i try to do this quickly and use a big brush to avoid streaks.

5- Finally the detail work. Pouches are picked out in bestial brown, straps and gun grips in Scorched brown, then brown ink is put over all these. Cabling, suit seals and the bolter casing are painted black, eyes are filled in with black and then coloured with Regal Blue, any metal studs are picked out in black and then painted Chainmail, the battle damage and scratches on the armour are done the same. The helmet stripe is Red Gore

> what is your main goal for the event?

“I’m hoping this will give me the motivation to get a sizeable, and more importantly, workable force. I’ve not done too many so far, but I’m impressed with the ones i have. They’re still not finished either, i still haven’t had the nerve to try out any degree of weathering for fear of wrecking them, but there’s already bullet holes and scrapes modelled on and waiting”

There really is nothing like playing with a completed and fully painted force! We all know painted Missile Launchers hit more often, right?

Month 1 Points Total:

4-500points of painted models | 0 Points

You can keep up with Mr Wigg’s progress at his ‘a Tale of…’ Blog here

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Magnus and his Pre-Heresy Space Wolves

Magnus (real name Ben), 30 year old College Lecturer from Coventry, is Often dubbed ‘King Fluff’. Not one to be deterred by a challenge, Magnus will often go to the ends of the earth just to make something fit GW canon. Being Competitive really does come a distant second to his ambitious conversions and strict themes.

> Magnus, why Space Wolves?

“Space wolves were my first army, over 15 years ago now…”

[as he places his head in his hands]

“They are something i have wanted to re-visit for absolutely ages but have always got so many projects on the go!”

Magnus’ garage could double up as a Forgeworld Retail outlet, boxes and boxes of unfinished goodies fill every shelf!

> Did the new codex (hopefully arriving this year) have much to do with it?

“not really, although i am really looking forward to that! I love the fluff around the Battle for Prospero with Magnus the Red’s Thousand Sons waging war against the Space Wolves, i have recently completed a pre-heresy Thousand Sons force, so it made a lot of sense to undertake a Pre Heresy Space wolf force too!”

> What Models have you painted for Month 1, do you have an Army list you are working to?

“For those that don’t know, Space Wolves are predominantly a Drop Pod force, this is something i wanted to focus on”

“Initially the force looks like this:

Dreadnought with twin-linked heavy bolters and a heavy flamer + Drop Pod (storm bolter)

8 Bloodclaws + Drop Pod (storm bolter)

8 Bloodclaws + Drop pod (storm bolter)”

“I REALLY hate making these damn Drop Pods! tehy are great kits but so fiddly!”

Unfortunately Magnus didn’t really get close to finishing the painting site, mainly because he has decided to pretty much build his marines (yes all 16 of them) from scratch! (1000 babies cry out in pain!) He assures me however that the tough part is now over and he will “easily” make the 8th of July extension. Check back here then to find out! [edit: unfortunatly Ben didnt make the extension, boooo!]

> what is your main goal for the event?

“I like the idea of collecting an army in this way! in the past i have always bought all of the models and then slaved away at them en-masse until complete, I’m genuinely interested in seeing how this building block, step by step system works and if it can help me build my armies in future.”

Couldn’t agree more! hopefully others observing this can take something from the process and have more success getting a finished army to the gaming table.

Month 1 Points Total:

4-500points of painted models | 0 Points

You can keep up with Magnus’ progress at his ‘a Tale of…’ Blog here

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Monkey and his Swordwind Eldar

Monkey (real name Adam), 24 year old Software Engineer from Tamworth, is an Ork. No really. monkey has played

Orks for some time now, and as much as we have tried to persuade him to look into other armies, its never

really come off. As an expert Fantasy player, Monkey has a keen eye for tactics and can make even the poorest

odds fall in his favour; however monkey is no powergamer, delivering gorgeous models time after time (even if

they are mostly Orks!).

> Monkey, why Eldar?

“Firstly i didn’t want to play humans of any kind! Especially not Power-Armoured humans! Everyone knows how much I detest the fact that the Imperium is central to every event in the WH 40,000 universe and feel that the Xenos need more attention. I can’t stand painting hordes because it lowers the quality of each paintjob. I like to control the battlefield and use tactics to achieve my aims and I want to perform in the movement phase, shooting phase and assault phase. No more one-dimensional armies, no more gunline vs hordes.

So I decided to go for Eldar. I wanted an elite-heavy army that functioned like a very intelligent toddler who knew exactly which hole to put the square peg into”

> Are you going to follow any particular Craftworld of Eldar?

“I decided to go for Swordwind. This is styled around the Biel-Tan Craftworld and their aggressive stance against the rest of the galaxy - but it isn’t Biel-Tan. My particular force is centralised around a Farseer and her cadre of warriors as they fight to reclaim one of the lost Maiden Worlds from a bunch of confused, trespassing aliens.”

> What Models have you painted for Month 1, do you have an Army list you are working to?

“My list is:”

HQ: Farseer (55) Doom (25) Singing Spear (3) = 83

Troops: 5 Rangers (95) = 95

Troops: 8 Dire Avengers (96) Exarch (12) Power-Weapon & Shimmershield (15) Bladestorm (15) = 138

Elites: 5 Fire Dragons (80) = 80

Dedicated Transport (For Dire Avengers): Wave Serpent, Twin Linked Shuriken Catapult, Energy Field (90)

Twin-Linked Shuriken Cannon (10) = 100

Total: 500 Points

“This is a list that I know will not win every game. It’s implicitly weak because it relies getting fragile units close to the enemy in order to do any damage (apart from the rangers) without any cc support.”

Unfortunately Monkey was another of the unfortunate players to not meet the painting deadline.

“I had an issue with a delivery of most of my models for this month so only had just over a week of painting, which wasn’t enough in the end!

I plan to build the entire army without helmets, Exarchs aside, and so I made use of some Wood Elf heads courtesy of Mr. Golding. [Josh, from Tamworth Games Club] I was hesitant initially, but decided that the half-masks really make stylish alternatives to helmets.

I feel that many hobbyists get overly concerned with being completely loyal to the fluff of whatever game system they happen to be playing, and this often turns budding creativity into obsessive canonism. I’ve never

gotten on well with the dark, gothic, overly ‘real’ theme of the 40k universe and usually seek to break away from/bitch about this whenever I can; so my girly Space Elves have anime hair!”

> what is your main goal for the event?

“I’m very interested in the ‘tale of’ method to building a new army, i have never done something like this before, it should give us a great opportunity to learn the tactics and create the fluff for our armies as we go along; I also really needed a new 40k force (other than Orks), its very refreshing!”

Here, here! We shall be watching the space elves with a keen eye in months to come! ….cheesy beaches!

Month 1 Points Total:

4-500points of painted models | 0 Points

You can keep up with Monkey’s progress at his ‘a Tale of…’ Blog here :

http://leavesfallingtocut.blogspot.com/

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Moon and his Son’s of Orar

Moon (real name Mat), 26 year old Online Marketing Manager from Tamworth, often has 1 and a half eyes on cheese. An enthusiastic but inexperienced painter, Moon’s attention often lies in crafting competitive Army lists.

> Moon, what or who are the Son’s of Orar?

“Firstly they are an(other) Space Marine chapter, so i will be using the new Space Marine Codex i have been hearing so much about; One of Games Workshops latest Powercreep Codex’s. The Son’s of Orar are a second Founding Ultramarines chapter with very little official fluff. They have 1 picture in the New Codex and tiny mentions here and there. The idea is they were founded in the name of Captain Orar of the Ultramarines, someone who made his name fighting the many Xenos races of the galaxy.”

> Why did you pick Space Marines and this chapter in particular?

“I’m Mainly a Chaos Marine player and have always been a bit jealous of our loyalist brethren and all of their nice new clean toys! so for some time i wanted to start a Marine force. when the Black reach set came out and then the new codex, it made a lot of sense to bring forward these plans. The major reason for Son’s Of Orar is colour scheme, i really wanted to paint something Red and White…”

> What Models have you painted for Month 1, do you have an Army list you are working to?

Captain, Relic Blade, Digital Weapons - 140

Dreadnaught, Multimelta, DCCW + Heavy Flamer - 115

5 man Tactical squad, Powerfist, Rhino - 150

5 man Scout Squad, Combat blades, Power weapon - 90

Total 495

Moon did not finish painting his models in time either - some did though, honest!

“I had my test model painted ages and ages ago, however things just get in the way, days of apathy, a crazy basing scheme and spending a whole week on a rhino have plagued this month! I will get it all finished by next week though! i promise!” [edit: Moon did complete the challenge before the 1 week extension]

“I have played a good handful of games with this force and derivatives of across the month trying to get a feel for space marines and the best way to play them. i have come to the conclusion that 500points really isn’t the best level to play them at! i lost 3, drew 2 and won only 1 game this month, it has been soul destroying!

I am very much looking forward to the following months where i can get stuck into some meaty/cheesy combo’s and start to hold my own.”

> what is your main goal for the event?

“I don’t own a 100% painted army, this really bothers me! because i chop and change units a lot trying to find nice combo’s i rarely get to finish anything, I’m really keen to use this process to get a complete painted force to play with.”

Month 1 Points Total:

4-500points of painted models | 3 Points

You can keep up with moon’s progress at his ‘a Tale of…’ Blog here :

http://www.moonwatcher.co.uk/category/moons-tale-of-6-gamers/sons-of-orar-moon/

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Lex’s Deff Skulls Orks

Lex (real name Alex), 30 year old UniversityAccademic Publishing Rep from Tamworth, loves his fluff! As a fairly new player but veteran hobbyist, Lex brings an interesting twist of knowledgeable enthusiasm to a tale of. Lex’s Painting skills improve by the day, we just wonder if an Ork Hoard will be the breaking of him!

> Lex, why Orks?

“My other army are Crimson Fist Space Marines and i wanted to pick something that was completely different to that style! Ork’s made sense because of the black reach box set, and i have always liked the orky idea.”

> Was it easy to pick your clan/theme?

“yeah i knew from the very beginning that i wanted to do deff Skulls with some snakebite influence. Unsurprisingly this was largely based on the fluff. I had this idea for a wierdboy exiled from his clan and then worshiped by grots, so i ran with it and it was the starting point for my army. I couldn’t resist the ‘Blue’ of the deff Skullz when i saw them and just knew they would form the main part of my army.”

> What Models have you painted for Month 1, do you have an Army list you are working to?

Rag-gutz wierdboy warphead - 85pts

10 grots + Runtherd - 40pts

11 Ard boyz + Nob with Klaw - 150 pts

looted wagon with 2x big shootas and skorcha - 65pts

12 boyz + Nob with Klaw - 113pts

Trukk with red paint - 45pts

498pts

Lex completed his painting challenge!! *sound the bells!* Congratulations Lex, a maximum 5 points!

It’s worth noting that Lex also has the largest model count for Month 1 too, no mean feat!

“For Rag-Gutz himself I used an old rogue trader Mad boy model and converted the pose to look spaced out and down. i have also tried to use quite a few conversions in the army, like the looted wagon/rhino, chaos lord’s Power Fist and an old Ork Trukk.

To make up the points for this week (without painting 40 boyz) I gave the ‘Ard boyz a looted wagon as transport with a Burner. I have chosen to convert a rhino for this adding a speeder flamer and an orc driver. I have painted this with a base of Necron Abyss, a dark blue wash, the detail paint in utra blue and then highlight in ferris grey.”

And a very good start it is too! The wierdboy looks very small, but with the Grot’s he kind of fits in nicely! We like!

“I played 3 games this month, won 2 and lost 1, im very new to Orks and still getting to grips with the different playstyle, but I’m enjoying it so far!”

> what is your main goal for the event?

“It was the process that interested me most, i was going to start Orks anyway, however when i heard about this from moon it sounded like a cool idea - i loved the White Dwarf on recently and it was perfect timing!”

Month 1 Points Total:

4-500points of painted models | 5 Points

Congratulations again Lex! Top of the table!

You can keep up with Lex’s progress at his ‘a Tale of…’ Blog here :

http://www.moonwatcher.co.uk/category/moons-tale-of-6-gamers/Death-Skullz-Lex/

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Whitehorn’s Forge of Souls Daemons

Whitehorn (real name Ross), 25 year old Web Developer from Tamworth, is a Veteran 40k player of over 15 years. Collecting for so long its understandable that Whitehorn is a very competent player and has at one time or another played with almost every army around! a Dab hand with a paintbrush, he recently won the local gaming clubs annual Painting competition; Whitehorn should provide a good balance of excellent models and tactical success.

> Whitehorn, why Chaos Daemons?

“Many of the models, both old and new, exist within the limbo that is my archived projects (bits box). Being part of my bits box means somewhere, sometime, I planned to invest in and develop this army. everybody else chose ’samey’ armies and i wanted to pick something a bit different”

>  what’s the Forge of Souls?

“I took an interest to a small piece of background material attached to the Soul Grinders. Mention of a neutral daemonic forge within Chaos that produced such engines really grabbed my imagination. Also, being a Pre-Heresy fanatic, this opened a door into another interest of mine - the Dark Mechanicum of Mars. Imagination or not, I think the two are linked in various ways, a way - a path that I have chosen to explore.”

> What Models have you painted for Month 1, do you have an Army list you are working to?

Lord of Change 265

Master of Sorcery

Instrument

6 Horrors 107

Changeling

7 Plaguebearers 110

Instrument

482

Congratulations to Whitehorn, who also completed his painting challenge for month 1! a Maximum 5 points to you too!

We clearly saved the best till last huh?

“My army will be largely metallic and blue tones, but each unit is likely to be slightly different. Here’s a breakdown of my Plague Bearers which are based on Servitor models”

1. Paint with TIN BITZ completely.

2. Drybrush BOLTGUN METAL.

3. Wash with BADAB BLACK.

4. Drybrush BOLTGUN METAL

5. & 6. Paint flesh areas with DHENEB STONE

7. Wash flesh with ASURYAN BLUE

8. & 9 Paint raised flesh areas with DHENEB STONE

10. Highlight skin with DHENEB+SKULL WHITE mix

“Being neutral, I have the freedom to employ the entire armoury of the daemons without repercussions from over-zealous fluff fanatics. The Forge employs and serves all deities, with the constructs holding strong reverence and oaths of fealty to it. I would like to have a heavy representation of constructs as far as feasible, it’s just a shame Obliterators are not within the list. Drawing inspiration, I have focused upon the works of H R Giger. String impressions of hybridisation between flesh and machine flow well with my plans. The dark metallic’s and eerie blues are definitely a style I wish to explore.”

> what is your main goal for the event?

“Much like the others, it is the process that interested me most, getting an army completed to a good standard bit by bit”

Month 1 Points Total:

4-500points of painted models | 5 Points

Congratulations again Whitehorn! Joint Top of the table!

You can keep up with Whitehorn’s progress at his ‘a Tale of…’ Blog here :

http://revered-at-dusk.blogspot.com/search/label/Tale%20of%206%20gamers

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In Conclusion

Getting the First Month out of the way is a great feeling, the signs of relief are showing across many faces. The prospect of beginning a new army is never easy but the hard work is now over for most, pushing on to month 2 and beyond we can see all of these 6 armies develop and change.

The Score Board:

1.Lex | 5 points

- Whitehorn | 5 Points

3. Moon | 3 Points

4. Magnus | 0 Points

- Monkey | 0 Points

- Wigg | 0 Points

Month 2

After Month 1 each player should have a 4-500points army capable of playing small games of 40k with the minimum of 2 troops and 1 HQ. In Month 2 the first aim is for every player to add to their force to bring it up to 750 points. As an extra task each player will be required to make an objective marker for use in their Tale of… games.

The scoring:

5 points are awarded for painting ‘on time’ (end of July)

3 points are awarded for painting ‘1 week late’

5 points are awarded for a complete objective ‘on time’

3 points are awarded for a complete objective ‘1 week late’

With a Maximum of 10 points available this month and over half of peoples progress from month 1 looking so bad, this could be a great opportunity for people to get right back in the game!

Remember: You can view any of the ‘Moon’s a Tale of 6 Gamers’ articles and progress logs by using this Index; bookmark it and check in occasionally to see how things are going. See you next month!

Disclaimer: quotes may have been paraphrased, this is intended to let the article flow, if you would like more information on any of the Players or any particular part, feel free to drop a question on here or one of the player blogs and you are sure to get an enthusiastic response!