Creating a unifed theme for your army (FTW Collaborative Post)

Ron over at From the Warp has posed this as a collaborative post for the FTW Bloggers Group. I have not been able to post on the last few collaborations so I just had to jump at the chance to write up an article for this one.

In general there are 3 ways that I create a unified theme for my armies aside from using army composition. The first is when selecting the color scheme for my army. The second is when deciding how I am going to base the army. The last one is using some form of iconography or other extra detail that can tie the theme together.

In the image above I am showing two different ways of how I achieved a unified theme with 3 different units from my Dwarf army. The first of these unifying elements is the use of two colors, a burgandy red and polished gold. If you notice these two colors appear on every model in each unit. They can be used on small or large section of the model. For instance the heavily armored Ironbreakers in the middle have both colors appearing on their shields. Similarly, my dwarf lord with shield bearers had the red appearing on the shield but it also seen on the bearer's helmets, while the gold is used on numerous details as the entire model. Lastly with my bolt thrower crew the red makes a dominant appearance in the color of the war machine as well as the crew clothing and the gold once again shows up on many of the details.

The second method I have used to unify this army is the material and colors used to base the models. When doing an army I will stick to using the same material and colors throughout. I also will take down notes so that in the future when I added models to the army I know exactly what material I used to get the bases looking the same. With my Dwarfs I used cat litter that was based in Chaos Black then drybrushed with layers of codex gray, fortress gray and finally skull white.

With some armies, especially in 40k, you may already have a unified color scheme, but that doesn't prevent you from making your army stand out from others of the same type. This is where I will use Iconography or other extra details to make armies like my Black Templars look unified but still stand out from other Black Templar armies.

The image to the left is the heraldry for the Kilburne Crusade, otherwise know as my Black Templars army. I tried to keep it very simple so that I could easily duplicate it on my models with paint or decals. Throughout my entire Templar force I have used the iconography to tie the army together in a unified theme.

In the image above you can see how I managed to get the heraldry on several of my vehicles. While in the image below I show examples of how I fit the heraldry onto my Marshal as well as a crusade squad unit. The round knee pads are particularly good for using the heraldry colors on.

I have also used a similar technique on my Orcs and Goblins for Fantasy Battles. There I used red tattoos as well as red war paint to unify the army. I plan to do the same with my Orks for 40k only using blue tat and warpaint. The option are only limited by your creativity.

Well there you have it, those are the three main ways I choose to use to give my army a unified theme. I would love to hear or see some examples of how other accomplish this. As always thanks for taking the time to read my thought. I welcome any and all comments, so please feel free to leave them.

Till next time,

-BJ

My Must Have Unit: Sword Brethren

Ron over at From The Warp, has asked all of us members to take part in another collaborative post with the topic of our Must Have unit. In Ron's own words he is looking for " the one unit you always find a way to squeeze into your army, regardless of how well it does or how points effective it may or may not be".

This was an easy topic for me. I fell in love with the Black Templar Sword Brethren the day I bought my codex and first saw their models. I thought they were some of the most amazing Space Marine models GW had ever created and to this day I still do. I couldn't wait to get my own and start painting them.

Now as far as a unit goes I am sure some people will tell me I can do better, and I am sure I can, but I never play my Templars without these guys. They cost 19 points each and have the same stat line as the 16 point Templar Initiates, but where they really shine for me is the fact I can get two power weapons in the unit and have a choice of Furious Charge, Counter Attack or Infiltrate for free.

I run my unit as pictured above, an 8 man squad with 6 armed with BP/CCW, 1 BP/PW and 1 Pair of Lightning Claws. I give the unit Counter Attack and then mount them in either a Rhino or my Crusader depending on what list I am running. This unit has been very effective for me even though they seem far inferior to Codex Marine vets. When combined with my "Accept any Challenge, no matter the odds" vow this little unit can become quite a killing machine.

So there you have it, my must have unit is my Sword Brethren. They have become a permanent part of every Templar army I run. They may not be the most points efficient unit out there but I love the unit. The models are fantastic and their fluff is just how I would imagine Templar veterans.

-BJ

What is your life?

My honour is my life.

What is your fate?

My duty is my fate.

What is your fear?

My fear is to fail.

What is your reward?

My salvation is my reward.

What is your craft?

My craft is death.

What is your pledge?

My pledge is eternal service.

Spray Varnish: How I beat the frosting effect!

Ron asked the members of the FTW blogger group to post some of our thoughts on spray varnish and how to deal with frosting.

In the past I had come across the problem of frosting after using a spray varnish. I asked around my gaming club on how to fix the issue and what caused it. I was told that it is caused by high humidity or overspraying and the number 1 recommended way to fix it was to do a clear coat followed by another matte coat.

While their method did fix the frosting the miniatures still looked different from ones I had sprayed without frosting. I started doing some research online and found many art students recommended using Krylon Matte Finish.

I picked up a can and it worked beautifully. I have been using the Krylon Matte Finish ever since. As of writing this I have yet to get a frosted model in about 4 years of painting minis and using this product. The instructions on the can still recommend not using it in high humidity, you can apply a second coat in just 2 minutes and the models are dry in 10-15 minutes.

I have had allot of success with this product so I just wanted to pass it on to my fellow gamers. I still pay attention to the humidity before I spray but this product has worked like a champ in 102 degree Texas summer heat. It costs around $5-6 a can and can be found at various stores from Walmart to hobby/art supply chains. You can find more information about this product at http://www.krylon.com/

-BJ