Epic is awesome. I might even be able to talk the group into starting epic IF they released all the armies before shutting down
no love for the tyrannids (not even forgeworld) :(
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
Yes. Future posts will deal with proxying for 'Nids, Necrons and Dark Eldar. There are more than a few options around, and some awesome examples I can show that highlight how great proxy armies can look.
intellectawe
· 10 months ago
Nice little article. You forgot that you can also buy entire epic armies on the cheap from eBay and from Bartertown.
That is a sure fire way to get epic started at your LGS.
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
True, but my experience is that it's hard to find unpainted minis when buying 2nd hand, so I avoid those options--that's just the purest in me, though.
LEGION3000
· 10 months ago
The sad thing is when you go to these sites and look for someone to play with and find the closest person with an epic army lives 100 miles away :(
But that is why I keep more than one army on hand.
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
Maybe it's because I live in Australia, but I'd happily travel 160km (100mi) for a game of Epic. It's worth it. :)
Shin_Ra
· 10 months ago
i remeber when i was starting 40k an was looking for an army on ebay; i saw a 5k point army on ebay with a buyitnow option for $80, i seriously *gasp* i was on the verge of completing my transition when i saw the photo of these mini SM on like square bases. now the photo quality was very good an i couldnt tell that they where nano size ^_^ good times
Tolathian Wisp
· 10 months ago
hah, might just be me but I thought those were 40k models before I clicked on the thumbnails and realised they were epic...they look amazing :D
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
Some of the guys out there really blow my mind with their attention to detail. Particularly markconz, Onyx and Mark_Logue on the TacComs forums. I recommend checking out their work.
They recently held a competition, too--EPICOMP--that showcases some of the best work in the Epic field. Perusing those galleries is HIGHLY recommended. :)
abhinavjain
· 10 months ago
awesome article...
by the way... how tall is an epic-scale warlord titan?
Cybertuna
· 10 months ago
About 4 inches, I think.
Marcos
· 10 months ago
Thank you so much for all these Epic Posts. Unfortunately, GW doesn't give this game too much attention, but at least they are not cancelling it's distribution.
Given that BOLS has a great deal of influence and projection, you could use all this power to re-launch EPIC!
Thanks a lot, anyway
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
I would, of course, LOVE to see that happen, and I think we will at some point in the future. It's too good a system to let wither on the vine.
It's all about sales, though. If you want to see this great game prosper, give it a go. Set aside a little of your hard-earned for some infantry and a blister of armour and hit up the Specialist Games section of the GW online store. You won't regret it. :)
cybertuna
· 10 months ago
I too am VERY glad to see Epic articles. It has re-awakened a desire to play in me, and now I'm organizing a local league to get everyone playing 2000-point Epic armies. I have been organizing big Apocalypse games a lot lately, but I am beginning to realize that the only reason I have even been doing Apocalypse is because I SO MISS MY EPIC! So, it's time to dust off the 13,000 point IG army I have packed away in a single Army Transport case and start playing again! Yay!
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
13,000pts is awesome. My biggest game to date was 12,000pts, which raged across about 8-10 hours. That game saw my Imperator Titan striding across the battlefield. Fantastic stuff, and a tight game all the way. It teetered on a razor's edge for the last turn, and could easily have gone either way even then.
That happens a lot in Epic, I should mention--you know it's a well balanced game when you consistently see victories that marginal. Awesome fun. :)
zaarin7
· 10 months ago
Ho Cybertuna what up?
On topic: Warlord height depends on the model. The older beatle back ones are a little shorter than the new one which actually IIRC dates back to 3rd edition.
Finding folks to play any of the Specialist games can be a challenge which is a shame because IMHO the Specialist games are better than WHFB/WH40K.
Those are fantastic minis in the article.
My vote is for more epic coverage.
Faolain
· 10 months ago
I actually just put two epic armies, Orks and Marines (mostly unpainted) up on Ebay. If you want to get into it you've got a good chance now to get started for cheap.
DustDevil
· 10 months ago
Yep, I would also be very keen on some Epic coverage.
Epic is a great way of introducing new people to the 40K universe. I've been into the 40K background and models for over 15 years, but when I was a teenager I never had the money, patience or skill to paint a full army, so whilst I continued to buy new Codexes and rules I never collected a proper 40K army (I bought the occasional model, but never painted them). However when the revised rules for Epic came out 4(?) years ago my mate and I decided to give it a shot. Being able to cheaply and quickly collect and paint a good looking army gave us both the 'gaming bug' again, and it wasn't long before we were back into full 40K gaming. I now have both a huge marine and ork epic army, a large Ulthwe 40K army (about 5000pts), about 2000pts of SM's and am planning to go fully Imperial with a Guard army when the new Codex comes out in May. Buying a SM Strike Cruiser to deploy my epic marines was also responsible for sucking me into Battlefleet Gothic, so I now have a SM and an Imperial Fleet, with a Battlebarge, 2 Battleships, 10 cruisers, 5 strike cruisers and about 30 escorts.
It really is a great way to hook players who otherwise would baulk at the time and money required for 40K. It certainly worked for me.
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
You're absolutely right DustDevil. That particular door swings both ways.
If there's a mate you reckon would get into 40K, but the entry cost is too steep, maybe Epic can provide the entry point? Brand new, a 3,000-point army can cost less than $US100.
Near...and...Far
· 10 months ago
Anyone ever try playing 40k with .. EPIC minis?
That would be fun, I reckon. And talk about affordable. And super-packable too. Two armies, all in a small box.
Gibbtall
· 10 months ago
Look for anyone with really squinty eyes.
closetgamer
· 10 months ago
Thank you for the continued EA updates - I had dusted off my old epic armies purely because of the recent articles. For any interested, there is an EA tournament taking place in Feb/March in London. See the link here: http://www.tacticalwargames.net/forums/index.cg...
Mephiston
· 10 months ago
Just a quick note that the tournament mentioned here is not taking place in London. It is taking place at the home of the Mansfield wargames club, in Mansfield.
There is likely to be a tournament in London sometimes in July but the organiser hasn't confirmed this as yet.
FerociousBeast
· 10 months ago
Thanks again GR00V3R! I've been checking BOLS pretty regularly the past month or so in hopes that you've posted your next Epic article, so thanks much! I hope you'll keep up the good work.
We still need that Titan batrep, and an article on making/finding Epic-scale terrain would be great also!
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
Titan post will be next, promise! It's not a battle report, though. Just a discussion of Titans and other war engines in the game. I think you'll like it, though. :)
Admiral Drax
· 10 months ago
Yay! I like the Epic stuff - any chance you might (a) do a bit of Epic IG coverage, and (b) do a (small-scale?) Epic - 40K tie-in battle?
- Drax
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
Hi mate,
(a) I did already do some IG coverage in the IG vs Marines battle report--did you have something else in mind?
(b) Certainly, in campaigns, we tend to use 40K for before-the-big-battle skirmishes (eg "Prior to an assault on the Ork stronghold, a task force of Ultramarines is dropped deep behind enemy lines to take out a firecontrol bunker") and Epic for the battle itself.
Admiral Drax
· 10 months ago
Cool - just what I was thinking. And I must've missed the IG report: I'll look it up - thanks!
I've still got my brother's old Epic 'Space Marine' stuff - I think it might be time to dust it off, and maybe invest in some guard, too...
Thanks again,
- Drax
Veahirin
· 10 months ago
I would double the Terrain idea. It would be ncie to see terrain iddeas for epic (Me thinks it might be easier than terrain for 40k.)
Also, I would love to see an Imperator battle report... Just cause.
All in all I must again reinforce my love/hate relationship with BoLS, Just when I think I am solidly in the 40k camp I get pulled into other areas like EA, AI and BG. I feel like the dude from Army of Darkness when he grew a second head!
Good job Groov3r
-V
WholeHazelNuts
· 10 months ago
I just found a huge box of unpainted sprues dating back to the late 80s and beyond... I must get off my behind and sort them and sell them. Don't play it any more and have a baby to feed! Will stick them on ebay. Is that the best place? Have marines, squats, painted tyranids, chaos, eldar.. the lot...
you will find a battle report from my first game of the year were my Eldar faced up to a combined guard and titan army, featuring an Imperator.
Enjoy.
Angelic Despot
· 10 months ago
Another great article. I'm really glad about all of this epic coverage.
I haven't played in a decade or so, but back in the day, I played more Epic: Space Marine than any other game, and had more complete armies (of which a much higher proportion were painted) than the larger scales.
The scale is brilliant for building scenery - I would love an article on that. It's small enough that you can have really exciting battlefields without having to compromise too much. You want a mountain, but are worried your 6" infantry move will take all game to walk up one side? Not a problem in Epic.
Actually, one of the main things holding me back from getting into the game again is the different basing. All of my stuff is glued into the old square bases. I would hate to have to (or try to) rip them all out and rebase them in lines. I think I prefer the look of the square bases too.
How do you (and other Epic players) deal with this issue? Or do you all use stuff bought since the line bases became standard?
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
Great news on that front...there is no issue. Both the old bases and the new ones are tournament-legal. You can retain all your old bases, and even have armies with both--I do. :)
There are even some situations, such as street-to-street or interior fighting, in which you may prefer to field you square-based units, using them in specialised task forces.
So there's no reason to hold back--use them and abuse them! :)
Angelic Despot
· 10 months ago
I knew (or was pretty sure) that you can use both. I guess I just feel uncomfortable mixing the styles. Plus it looks like the rules are designed for long bases (with control zones and things). Does it really make no practical difference which bases you use?
The other thing is that I'd like all mine to be based the same way, but I assume the old bases are not available any more.
Which do you prefer? And do you get the impression that most people prefer one or the other?
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
The practical difference is limited, but there are certain occasions where one base shape is more useful than the other--they're very few and far between, however.
I have a mixed-base army, but I have a definite preference for the look of the rectangular bases, so I know what you're getting at. In my case, it's because my rectangular based minis have better paint jobs because the models were easier to get to. Having said that, I frequently play games where I use both, and once their on the tabletop all are equal in the all-seeing eyes of Supreme Commander GR00V3R. :)
My impression is that there is no "preferred" base shape. Just looking through a few battle reports on TacComs shows that both base types are prominent.
Angelic Despot
· 10 months ago
That's cool. It was one of the things that actually pushed me out of Epic. When Epic 40000 came out it looked good, but was pretty expensive, and looked like you had to re-base everything. And then GW virtually dropped the game.
But I might give it a go again. As I said, it used to be one of my favourites.
I tell you what else I'd like to see you write about; painting.
I would love an article talking about the different approaches people take, perhaps some painting tips. How to strip and repaint old miniatures too. (I would like to do that but I'm scared of disolving my guys or obscuring all the details.)
I'm sure there are painting articles online, but I have found the articles you've written for BoLS to be really accessible, so something else in the same style (and place) would be great.
Thanks again.
Near...and...Far
· 10 months ago
Grover, you are awesome!
Your Epic articles are where it's at, and that's saying something.
BOLS, pay attention, these are the types of articles we gamers want!
YAY GROVER!
Internet Hate Machine
· 10 months ago
uh... I think they ARE paying attention seeing as BOLS reached out and got these articles made and up?
What are you trying to say sir?
Fritz bayerlein
· 10 months ago
As opposed to the goatguys artikles.
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
Thanks, mate! Great to see you're digging on the Epic action. And yes--a big thanks to bigred and the guys for allowing me to post these articles.
It's GR00V3R, though, by the way.
"There's two Os in Groove, boys". (Is paraphrasing from Top Gun showing my age?) ;)
Near...and...Far
· 10 months ago
On March 3, 1988 the Games Workshop established an elite game for the top one percent of its gamers. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of having fun and to insure that the handful of men who played were the best, funnest gamers in the world. They succeeded. Today, the Games Workshop calls it Epic Armageddon. The gamers call it: EA.
You should totally play up the Top Gun stuff. And change your name to Grover. Because I am Near. And you are Far.
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
Dude. That intro is awesome. I am fully going to thieve that for my taglines... =D
Near...and...Far
· 10 months ago
Hehehe. Glad you liked it.
VonKoeder
· 10 months ago
Suggestions?
I have a fair bit of epic stuff.
31 land raiders 6 whirlwinds 56 rhinos more marines both on and off the sticks more then I can count of which there are at least 4 are command
4 stompas 6 fighta bomaz 30 battle wagons 12 gun trucks boyz boyz boyz on and off the sticks more then I can count of which there are at least 4 are command
the command also has terminators bikes boar boyz nobz ect. ect.
I have never played nor do I know any one that has.
It may seem silly but very basic things are hard ti figure out with out someone more experienced to plod you though it.
I would love to learn to play, but first love to converse about it more with out coming off without feeling like a total tool.
Any one care to share the knowledge? perhaps on yahoo messenger or some such other more real time forum?
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
Depending on what country you're based in, I would recommend you check out your local gaming forums and reach out there. It's likely you'll find an Epic gamer who's happy to walk through it with you--we're a friendly bunch. :)
VonKoeder
· 10 months ago
Central Mississippi USA.
No stores or groups other then ours within 2 hours any direction.
No one here know anything about it but we have a couple interested.
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
I'm pretty sure you'd find several players in that area if you write on the TacComs forums. :)
Of course, if you already know people who are interested in getting into the hobby with you, you can purcahse the miniatures from the Games Workshop online store's Specialist Games section.
Forhekset
· 10 months ago
It's hard enough finding local 40k players out west in Melbourne.
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
Search out the thefloppy1 of the Monday Knights group on the WargamerAU forums. Send him a PM and say g'day.
The Monday Knights is an active Epic group that plays every Monday night (strangely enough). ;)
They're in Hawthorn, but that's an easy enough drive down the Eastern carpark, or easy to get to via train if you're keen. :)
fattdex
· 10 months ago
Joooooooooooooinn Ussssssssssssssss
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
Don't be scaring off the new guy, fattdex. ;)
Nick
· 10 months ago
I have also seen people make travel space hulk using epic minis. That is pretty neat.
And even though I do have the odd one or two epic models, I still prefer 40k (kill team in fact)
But for those getting into the hobby, epic is a really good starting point if money is a problem.
Fortis
· 10 months ago
The travel space hulk sets are pretty cool but you wouldn't do one now, check out how much tyranid infantry sprues are worth on ebay... it's rediculous.
Also Forhekset, you've gotta be joking it's hard to get 40k out west of melbourne? Altona has one of the best and biggest gaming clubs in the state. You should check it out: http://www.wargamerau.com/forum/index.php?showf...
solkan
· 10 months ago
The part I haven't been clear about is where the rules for Tyranids and Chaos are. Are they in the $40 rulebook, or are they in one of the missing PDF's?
GR00V3R
· 10 months ago
They were released later as downloadable PDFs. Since then, the community has taken them forawrd. You'll find all these resources and more here:
All Comments
Epic is awesome.
I might even be able to talk the group into starting epic
IF they released all the armies before shutting down
no love for the tyrannids (not even forgeworld) :(
That is a sure fire way to get epic started at your LGS.
But that is why I keep more than one army on hand.
They recently held a competition, too--EPICOMP--that showcases some of the best work in the Epic field. Perusing those galleries is HIGHLY recommended. :)
by the way... how tall is an epic-scale warlord titan?
Given that BOLS has a great deal of influence and projection, you could use all this power to re-launch EPIC!
Thanks a lot, anyway
It's all about sales, though. If you want to see this great game prosper, give it a go. Set aside a little of your hard-earned for some infantry and a blister of armour and hit up the Specialist Games section of the GW online store. You won't regret it. :)
That happens a lot in Epic, I should mention--you know it's a well balanced game when you consistently see victories that marginal. Awesome fun. :)
On topic:
Warlord height depends on the model. The older beatle back ones are a little shorter than the new one which actually IIRC dates back to 3rd edition.
Finding folks to play any of the Specialist games can be a challenge which is a shame because IMHO the Specialist games are better than WHFB/WH40K.
Those are fantastic minis in the article.
My vote is for more epic coverage.
Epic is a great way of introducing new people to the 40K universe. I've been into the 40K background and models for over 15 years, but when I was a teenager I never had the money, patience or skill to paint a full army, so whilst I continued to buy new Codexes and rules I never collected a proper 40K army (I bought the occasional model, but never painted them). However when the revised rules for Epic came out 4(?) years ago my mate and I decided to give it a shot. Being able to cheaply and quickly collect and paint a good looking army gave us both the 'gaming bug' again, and it wasn't long before we were back into full 40K gaming. I now have both a huge marine and ork epic army, a large Ulthwe 40K army (about 5000pts), about 2000pts of SM's and am planning to go fully Imperial with a Guard army when the new Codex comes out in May. Buying a SM Strike Cruiser to deploy my epic marines was also responsible for sucking me into Battlefleet Gothic, so I now have a SM and an Imperial Fleet, with a Battlebarge, 2 Battleships, 10 cruisers, 5 strike cruisers and about 30 escorts.
It really is a great way to hook players who otherwise would baulk at the time and money required for 40K. It certainly worked for me.
If there's a mate you reckon would get into 40K, but the entry cost is too steep, maybe Epic can provide the entry point? Brand new, a 3,000-point army can cost less than $US100.
That would be fun, I reckon. And talk about affordable. And super-packable too. Two armies, all in a small box.
http://www.tacticalwargames.net/forums/index.cg...
There is likely to be a tournament in London sometimes in July but the organiser hasn't confirmed this as yet.
We still need that Titan batrep, and an article on making/finding Epic-scale terrain would be great also!
- Drax
(a) I did already do some IG coverage in the IG vs Marines battle report--did you have something else in mind?
(b) Certainly, in campaigns, we tend to use 40K for before-the-big-battle skirmishes (eg "Prior to an assault on the Ork stronghold, a task force of Ultramarines is dropped deep behind enemy lines to take out a firecontrol bunker") and Epic for the battle itself.
I've still got my brother's old Epic 'Space Marine' stuff - I think it might be time to dust it off, and maybe invest in some guard, too...
Thanks again,
- Drax
Also, I would love to see an Imperator battle report... Just cause.
All in all I must again reinforce my love/hate relationship with BoLS, Just when I think I am solidly in the 40k camp I get pulled into other areas like EA, AI and BG. I feel like the dude from Army of Darkness when he grew a second head!
Good job Groov3r
-V
Have marines, squats, painted tyranids, chaos, eldar.. the lot...
We can talk turkey. :)
http://www.tacticalwargames.net/forums/index.cg...
you will find a battle report from my first game of the year were my Eldar faced up to a combined guard and titan army, featuring an Imperator.
Enjoy.
I haven't played in a decade or so, but back in the day, I played more Epic: Space Marine than any other game, and had more complete armies (of which a much higher proportion were painted) than the larger scales.
The scale is brilliant for building scenery - I would love an article on that. It's small enough that you can have really exciting battlefields without having to compromise too much. You want a mountain, but are worried your 6" infantry move will take all game to walk up one side? Not a problem in Epic.
Actually, one of the main things holding me back from getting into the game again is the different basing. All of my stuff is glued into the old square bases. I would hate to have to (or try to) rip them all out and rebase them in lines. I think I prefer the look of the square bases too.
How do you (and other Epic players) deal with this issue? Or do you all use stuff bought since the line bases became standard?
There are even some situations, such as street-to-street or interior fighting, in which you may prefer to field you square-based units, using them in specialised task forces.
So there's no reason to hold back--use them and abuse them! :)
The other thing is that I'd like all mine to be based the same way, but I assume the old bases are not available any more.
Which do you prefer? And do you get the impression that most people prefer one or the other?
I have a mixed-base army, but I have a definite preference for the look of the rectangular bases, so I know what you're getting at. In my case, it's because my rectangular based minis have better paint jobs because the models were easier to get to. Having said that, I frequently play games where I use both, and once their on the tabletop all are equal in the all-seeing eyes of Supreme Commander GR00V3R. :)
My impression is that there is no "preferred" base shape. Just looking through a few battle reports on TacComs shows that both base types are prominent.
But I might give it a go again. As I said, it used to be one of my favourites.
I tell you what else I'd like to see you write about; painting.
I would love an article talking about the different approaches people take, perhaps some painting tips. How to strip and repaint old miniatures too. (I would like to do that but I'm scared of disolving my guys or obscuring all the details.)
I'm sure there are painting articles online, but I have found the articles you've written for BoLS to be really accessible, so something else in the same style (and place) would be great.
Thanks again.
Your Epic articles are where it's at, and that's saying something.
BOLS, pay attention, these are the types of articles we gamers want!
YAY GROVER!
What are you trying to say sir?
It's GR00V3R, though, by the way.
"There's two Os in Groove, boys". (Is paraphrasing from Top Gun showing my age?) ;)
You should totally play up the Top Gun stuff. And change your name to Grover. Because I am Near. And you are Far.
I have a fair bit of epic stuff.
31 land raiders
6 whirlwinds
56 rhinos
more marines both on and off the sticks more then I can count of which there are at least 4 are command
4 stompas
6 fighta bomaz
30 battle wagons
12 gun trucks
boyz boyz boyz on and off the sticks more then I can count of which there are at least 4 are command
the command also has terminators bikes boar boyz nobz ect. ect.
I have never played nor do I know any one that has.
It may seem silly but very basic things are hard ti figure out with out someone more experienced to plod you though it.
I would love to learn to play, but first love to converse about it more with out coming off without feeling like a total tool.
Any one care to share the knowledge? perhaps on yahoo messenger or some such other more real time forum?
No stores or groups other then ours within 2 hours any direction.
No one here know anything about it but we have a couple interested.
You'll find the forums here:
http://www.tacticalwargames.net/forums/index.cgi
Of course, if you already know people who are interested in getting into the hobby with you, you can purcahse the miniatures from the Games Workshop online store's Specialist Games section.
The Monday Knights is an active Epic group that plays every Monday night (strangely enough). ;)
They're in Hawthorn, but that's an easy enough drive down the Eastern carpark, or easy to get to via train if you're keen. :)
And even though I do have the odd one or two epic models, I still prefer 40k (kill team in fact)
But for those getting into the hobby, epic is a really good starting point if money is a problem.
Also Forhekset, you've gotta be joking it's hard to get 40k out west of melbourne? Altona has one of the best and biggest gaming clubs in the state. You should check it out: http://www.wargamerau.com/forum/index.php?showf...
http://www.tacticalwargames.net/forums/index.cg...
Enjoy. :)