Overread

And by means of giving an update (whilst managing to achieve nothing much at the same time ) behold my super rough slaanesh plan https://pileofpotential.com/Overread?project=91068221 And no that is not all that I plan for this project that's just the messy sorta overarching plan for everything Slaanesh! But it gives you some idea of my strengths (buying and building) and my weakness (everything after that!). So I will do a proper one of these for starting the army. And now for the start of a force, which going by the rules the smallest forces are now 750 points (the rules don't actually have an entry for 500). https://pileofpotential.com/Overread?project=27979903 Got to amid I still find the whole "reinforcements" side to army building overly complex and limiting. I get why GW does it and I see the bonus in allowing more varied units and options for middle weight units to get a place in the army without always being overwhelmed by big full compliment troop blocks, but gosh darn it "troops" of just 10 models with command just seem visually wrong to me. Then again GW has been cutting banners from infantry units, so perhaps the next generation of deamonettes won't have banners and we'll get a generic banner hero instead. Which makes far more sense its just likely a good 10 years off Still as my core weakness is paint this beginning of demonic incursion is simple; deamonettes for the most part. Something to cut the pincers on in terms of painting. Not that diverse, not that interesting and perhaps even a touch simple narrative wise. Yet from small starts do great things arise So first step - clear the desk and find my rattlecan of primer! The Grey shall become the White (wizard?!)

Even if the rumour isn't true, don't forget Malarion was in the Core book for AoS launch and still hasn't got an army and it took Lumineth until last year to appear. So long time lags for armies and races hinted or outright said in the lore is a given thing.

Actually so far they've not taken down any fan works. The only restriction they've imposed is demonetizing (youtube ads, patreon etc...) of existing fan works and that's been after the creators have been typically made a contact offer to work for GW/distribute through Warhammer +.

I just want to note GW has not taken any action toward "If the Emperor had a text-to-speech device". The creator has taken this action upon themselves based on their interpretation of GW's current stance and actions. However thus far we've not seen GW take any action against them; furthermore parodies do have some degree of legal protection in themselves. However how much or how far that protection extends and such is not something I'm well versed in. In the end unless either party starts negotiations we won't know for sure if GW's implementation of their position matches with the content creators interpretation of it.

With the way you buy units now, having lots of infantry isn't always as viable. Because of the reinforcement rules you can't so easily load up on lots of infantry and a few monsters because now a lot of your infantry units will have to be single squads. You don't have the reinforcement allocations to allow you to have 4 or 6 full units on the table. So you're fielding a lot more minimum composition units, which has the side effect of also starting to favour elite units, monsters and heavy things as well as leaders and heroes. Because now you can't put all your power into a huge infantry block.

Just remember GW has had Eldar Exodites in lore and in artwork and lore articles for decades. Through that entire time they've only produced a tiny handful of models and most of them are decades out of production.

People I must draw your attention to something important regarding moderators on the forum which goes into effect right now:

MODERATOR NOTICE Let us please move on from arguments over nicknames for plastic models.

MODERATOR NOTICE Just a very quick thing here to keep this thread respectful (toward each other and others) By all means be critical, but this is a thread we will keep a close eye on in case it turns anywhere near hostile since this is a topic and snip of information that has the potential. Again no one has done anything wrong, this is just a reminder.

Yep new rules new army - or at least finished army! Myself I will be working on a Slaanesh force themed lightly around Ghur. I'll freely admit some of these models for me are built, but my primary weekly/monthly output is going to be focused on motivation toward painting - a skill that I've dismal skills in and put so little time into over the years compared to the rest of my hobby. So this project is, for me, all about paint more so than anything else. It's about having a force that will stand on the tabletop with paint, that will look better than a sea of grey! My force will be starting simple with a Viceleader and Deamonettes with a view toward growing and fleshing out a full demonic force with some mortal allies. I'm also starting it simple so that I can grow painting toward more complex models later rather than try to bite off too much early on and ending up leaving them till last or simply not doing a job that's good enough for my standards. And heck along the way I'll be replacing some of the battles that might take place in reality with some short writing bits on the adventures of the host as it grows from a mere handful of demons into a powerful host designed to sweep away all that RuneBrush has in a tide of painful depravity!

I think some people have been viewing the FA site far too much to the point where they see it everywhere ;). Plus don't forget the style that GW has painted these in (which is very in keeping with their paint style in general) is going to influence how you see them. Bright and very colourful and simple colours. I'm sure once they are in the hands of other painters that might change your impression of the dragons greatly.

FW has an error on the site that lists some things which are just "out of stock" as "sold out". It also does that whenever they update the package contents (eg new box) because it generates a totally new order code in the system. That said the AOS line has generally been gutted since the start of AoS and very much so in the last two years. So it might well be genuine removal. It's hard to know for sure unless you email FW.

The Dragons are awesome and just what I'd love to see from GW in terms of dragons. I also love that they have lost that blocky chest design that some of the bigger models have suffered from over the years (The Trygon for Tyranids and the Stardragon for AoS). Those are real wonderful dragons. Now freaking heck GW give some other armies some dragons!! Please please please? Or some big winged reptile monsters or something. My Slaanesh/Ossiarchs/DoK need some monsters

And that's enough. When we've dropped proper debate and sharing of ideas/opinions and started making passive aggressive comments toward each other its a clear sign that any will to debate and discuss has been lost.

Almost everything is lifted and inspired by something else. The vast bulk of modern fantasy draws inspiration from mythologies and religions and real history. Heck a huge amount drew on inspiration from Lord of the Rings, meanwhile today I'd wager that World of Warcraft is having a similarly huge inspirational impact on visual fantasy mediums. That's often just how humans create things. New things have inspirations on things that people see, hear, experience, do and generally come into contact with.

You do realise that the one time GW actually went to court over copyright - they lost. In fact they lost really embarrassingly badly, in part because their legal advisor/team at the time wasn't actually as well qualified/experienced as they'd made out. Which had been fine for sending legal letters but not when it came to actually defending things in a court. Which I think shows that legally speaking GW has no greater protections than any youtube creator. Furthermore if those youtube creators were making their own sci-fi settings with their own IP and content then GW couldn't touch them, nor would they even want to bother doing so. Edit also most small miniature firms run a legal company entity as well. Oathsworn, Privateer Press, Reaper Miniatures. Even one man design brands run things like Mini Monster Mayhem and Lord of the Print and you don't get much smaller than 3D print design teams. They all use companies because it protects them as an independent person if the company falls and such.

Updated - as always if there are any that I've missed or got wrong please do feel free to say

Consider modern day domestic breeds. Dogs, horses, cattle and more show significant physical variation the world over. Even within the same country different uses and needs of the animal and different regional stocks can produce very different appearing breeds, even if they are all the same species. This is likely much the same. They might be the same species or based from the same wild species, however the two races have bred them in isolation from each other for a significant length of time. To the point where they have significant visual differences. We don't often see this in wargames, indeed things like horses are often very similar and many games even use the same horse body to cut down on the number of moulds they need to cast from. In this case the two also represent different styles and ages of sculpting. There's years of shifting styles and technology and sculpting skill between the two.

Actually AoS has had more massive battles than Old World. Heck the whole setting for the Age of Sigmar starts with vast legions of Stormcast marching to war. The only difference is that on tabletop Old World went rank and file style and AoS has gone free movement skirmish style. Both are grossly under-numbered for real armies and battles. TW fits for both styles and honestly they've done a fantastic job working monsters and heroes into their system.

I don't see Malarion merging with Daughters of Khaine at all. Right now the most likely potential merge would be GW remaking Dark Elves by merging the remains of that range with the DoK which they have "soft" done with the campaign book and the narrative. Personally I sort of hope that's as far as they go with the idea. Not because I dislike the idea of restoring the Dark Elf force (seriously its pretty much all there save a few leaders and the repeater bolt thrower); but simply because Daughters of Khaine have a unique identity of their own and I'd feel it would dilute it and change them from what they are to remerge them fully. I'm aware any old DE fans are likely thinking the opposite and would love their full army to be fieldable again. Malarion though I see as fully his own force, unique in all ways. It's just been a long time coming; but don't forget Lumineth were just as long hinted at and only just got released this last year. As for Total War - Warhammer has done CA a huge amount of good. I can see CA wanting to continue that and doing AoS would be a way for CA to be able to stick with the licence that works and the rough same setting and style; whilst also having al ot of new forces, story, setting and material to work with. Esp since its unlikely that a new Total War Warhammer Old World could be made now for quite a few years - the 3 game series is going to be a king for a long long time. But who knows perhaps CA will secure the Lord of the Rings licence; or the Malazan Book of the Fallen, or even something else or do their own fantasy game

I've seen a few firms where the creator cared 100% for the product and the customer and nothing else. Most of them fold. You have to care about the numbers and finances and legalities of a business AS WELL AS the customer and product. It's not enough to focus on one not the others. The difference for GW is they have enough money that they can hire someone who's whole job is just the numbers and business side of things. That's their job, their passion, their skill. That's what they are there for - to balance the numbers, to do the forms, to make the business work. By making it work there's the money for creative teams to work on projects; there's the money for staff to earn a living wage and make it a career not just a stop gap after uni/college/school. Heck look at Warhammer+ in a less than a month we get to see GW releasing videos that they've commissioned. Actual animations and adventures in the Warhammer setting. They can only do that because they have passionate creators and staff who worked hard on models, art, stories, rules, photography, painting. sculpting, casting, taxes, forms, legal, finances, shops, retail etc.... All those parts came together.

I hope Island of Blood is dead and gone and that in its wake GW will instead produce brand new sculpts. Instead of a single mortar weapon team, make a new weapon team set with multiple weapon options so that Skaven can have all variations in plastic. Island of Blood was a great set, but it was a twin set with sprue shared with High Elves and in the end whilst it added some much needed models its was limited in that they couldn't be sold on their own.

I've seen one or two of the emails that GW has sent to 3D designers doing 3D prints when GW is claiming copyright/IP/Trademark/etc.... In general are being firm but fair, they are requiring specific ones be pulled and outlining the reasons for it. They even offer that they'll review the designs if the designer wants to keep them up but make changes so that they are no longer infringing. Basically I think GW today is more keen to work with the community, but at the same time still has to defend their legal position. I think GW is honestly taking a very good approach and is being much more lenient than many firms (or indeed GW in the past) would behave in similar situations.

Consider that GW is currently in deals with firms to produce animated productions. Consider that video game companies currently pay a licence fee to GW to produce a game with GW's IP. If GW never shut down a fan made game; then those companies that paid GW for the licence might turn around and question the contract. Why should they be paying a fee when "fans" are making a product and selling it (or getting donations) or even just releasing it for free ot the market. Suddenly that fan creation is having a real world impact on the legal agreements of the official content. The same is true of the videos. I don't actually know if GW are paying them or if they have licenced to work within the GW IP (I would assume GW is paying them right now but it could even be a mix of both). GW can't be seen to allow others to profit "for free" whilst others can't. And furthermore on the can/should angle - GW can shut them down; they should because of agreements with other animation firms. However at the same time GW doesn't have to offer the fan creators jobs - but they have. GW has gone out of their way to not just shut down the competition, but to absorb them into their ecosystem. To me that's a best of both worlds situation - a win win. GW is protecting their IP and their current and future animation and TV production contracts (that means we fans have more chance of official bigger budget productions); and GW are offering jobs to talented fan creators who then then earn and work for the firm who's lore and games and product, they are so passionate about. So far the only fall out is that some "fans" have attacked at least one content creator who took their videos down to work with GW. Attacking that person to the point where they openly said they will just walk away from the whole deal and 3D animation of warhammer stuff. GW didn't do that, "fans" within the community did that. Likely a similar group to those who sent death and violent threats to those who authored the childrens book series. To me that is the most horrible thing of this whole affair. The open and increasing display that the casual GW hate has gone on so long and promoted iteslf so much that there is a small, but significant group of the fanbase who are so hostile to GW that they attack those who work for GW directly. Who are willing to turn their hate that GW "charges too much" or "doesn't write rules right" into death threats.

GW is certainly outreaching with the cash they've got. One big benefit though is that GW never takes on debt (they even paid back 100% of their government loan money for the furlough scheme). So if their Warhammer + fails GW can cut it loose and not suffer long term costs. A lot of firms often expand by taking out loans and then if the project fails (or things take a downturn) they are left with high interest rates and a big loan they can't just abandon, even if the original thing they used the loan for has failed and been abandoned. It's a move that has left GW in a robust position. It perhaps means they aren't potentially as big as they "could" be. They could have expanded far faster by taking on big investors and loans; however it also means that they have a more solid foundation and more direct control over their outgoings. As for the whole "companies only for profit" thing. Lets not start to make companies out to anything that they aren't. Companies are simply collections of people who work together to produce an end result. Most often companies work to maximise profits as best they can in a general sense because the more money the more you can do. However there are many individuals within firms who are not in it just for the money; who are passionate and keen and really fired up over what they do. It's easy to demonise companies as a faceless monster, but in doing so we forget that behind that company face are real people just working their job. And for a firm like GW most of them are working a job they want to do; that they perhaps dreamed of doing and that they get satisfaction out of. So sure they'd all love more money; and sure GW will work toward ensuring that its investments are made in ways that they hope will generate more money and strengthen their position in the long and short term. But its not just about money -- as noted above if it was GW would be doing things very differently. Heck GW isn't just shutting down these fan content creators; they are offering them jobs ontop of the jobs GW is already paying people to do to make stuff for them. GW is INVESTING in a portion of their fanbase. Bringing them into the fold. And again I'll remind people that patreon and other payment systems mean that fan creations can generate significant income for creators. It's a wonderful thing that allows creators to create and get paid for it; however when their creations are based fully or heavily on the works of others, then it is something that can be challenged by the rights holders. Be they 1 guy who wrote a book or a company or a multinational.