Yes, the #1 obstacle to recruiting new players for this game is finding models, and it's a challenge I've had to overcome in recruiting my local crew. It actually required quite a lot of work and hand-holding. I know for myself, gathering my own collection was quite labor-intensive and time-consuming as well, with a lot of time spent on ebay and bartertown with some help from very kind Tac Com members.

If there was a way to make getting models easy for new players, I think that would be a great way to retain players from all of this interest generated on 3++. Maybe we could come up with ideas for a follow up article to this one? An article solely focused on collecting an Epic army in the current unsupported environment.

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Former Blood Angels Army Champion
Epic Gamers Los Angeles Chapter
Armies Played:
Blood Angels
Black Legion
Codex Marines
Imperial Fists

I posted a link on the danish Powerfist forum; I listed a couple of "sample 3K armies available for purchase" in response to comments that the minis were expensive and hard to find.

The discussion is in danish, but, Google Translate to the rescue, complete with unintentional humour:
http://translate.google.com/translate?s ... .0&act=url

I found it fun to window-shop for complete armies and would encourage anyone to do the same and post their bundles for common inspiration.

Just to pile on with the model availability comments, I have to ask - HOW??

Yes if there is one thing I would change, it would probably be not to open with stating you bought two of what will probably become some of the most sought after hard to get models in the entire game!! At least until someone comes up with a suitable proxy.

Say you bought two Warhounds or Baneblades or something...

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http://hordesofthings.blogspot.co.nz/

Excellent work with the article Matt!

One thing you should be promoting the s**t out of are Epic tournaments. In the UK there are 12 Epic tournaments taking place this year, an average of one a month. – clearly mention this! There'll be a load of people who look and think 'hey cool epic...' but then dismiss it as they think they'd never get a chance to play it (particularly competitively if this is a tournament orientated site) – and this proves that's not the case. Include this link in your next article! - http://www.epic-uk.co.uk/wp/event-calendar/ May be worth mentioning that Epic-UK put up all the lists people take to their tournaments online, which can help others select theirs - http://epic-uk.co.uk/ukepicachampionship/albyr.php Add links to Cancon and the other epic tournaments around the world too.

Get as many photos of fantastically painted models as you can! This really draws in and inspires people and shows you can paint as well in epic scale too. Some tournament players are interested in the painting side and winning the best army trophy as much as winning games or tournaments.
Carl Woodrow is one of the best epic painters and excellent at posing and photography – ask if you can use some of his photos from his site? http://www.dropship.org.uk/epic/sword01.asp For example his Eldar.
The photos and models from The Epic Lounge are particularly inspiring too e.g. take a look at this titan legion or his fully painted Ultramarines chapter– message wostisname and ask if you can re-use some in your articles too.

Do a conversion / counts as article featuring:
Your Star Wars army
Elsmore's Eldar Exodite and Corsairs army
The tyranid bio-titan from the Epic Lounge made from 40k tyranid bits.
Feature some photos of Mageboltrat's Nurgle army, one of the best converted and painted epic armies I've seen. Link to his old thread here but see this, this or this for examples.
Vaaish's models could be good to include too, though avoid showing certain models.
If you like you're welcome to include a photo of my Forge Knight conversion (it's made from an old epic knights and bits from 4 different Forge World kits).

Mention Minigeddon at some point (variant of the Epic rules for smaller point games, good for beginners?) https://sites.google.com/site/epicarmag ... minigeddon

Mention and link to the supplements at some point – Raiders and Siege. Mention other supplements are being work on, including E&C's one and Fattdex's Horus Heresy supplement/rules (cheap way of playing huge heresy battles could well interest some).


You probably wouldn't be aware but Eldar Revenants are particularly topical at the moment for the 40k tournament scene as GW recently released rules allowing superheavies to be used in regular games of 40k (to sell more models) and under these new rules the Revenant is meant to be by far the most powerful superheavy to use.

Ah I see, good point then.
Truly excellent ideas in the rest of your post too!

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http://hordesofthings.blogspot.co.nz/

Lol I assume you don't also play 40k
The reason I open with Revenants is because they are the single most controversial unit in 40k at the moment. A couple months ago GW released an expansion called Escalation that put d-weapons and super heavies into a game that really struggles to support them.

The revenant is the worst example, as it can basically just make the opponent pack their army up over a couple of turns. No saves, no cover, no armour, no invulnerables, no tactics.

It's against that backdrop that I say I bought two, and no one minds.

I would suggest you change the word to "brought" so as to indicate that you already owned them, not bought, which makes people think of purchase in a financial sense more immediately than an army list sense (Games Workshop enthusiasts favourite pastime is buying games workshop figures afterall)

I'd want to focus a bit on how, unlike 40k and especially 40k/apocalypse where the larger items and forces come into play, that the Epic armies all, for the most part, play like they should. Prime example would be that Eldar in 40k play in no way like the fluff indicates they should, because they have no room to maneuver, so their Hit And Run aspect is minimised, and to compensate, their armour values increased. It may not be a huge draw for a lot of the 3++ crowd, but its a pretty strong selling point to the more background oriented members of the 40k community.

In my experience with bringing 40k and Fantasy players into a new tournament environment (especially one without a regulation like comp scores) that you will get a statistically higher content of "Play to win!"ers. 3++ is hardly Yes The Truth Hurts, but this hoped for influx of new competitive players is a prime reason why the so called "asshat defence" of design loopholes is inadequate.

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~Every Tool Is A Weapon, If You Hold It Right~

I bought them about 2 weeks ago. Got them 2nd as part of an eldar army.
Sorry skeptics, there are still great deals on models out there.

I will try to appreciate them more now I know they are rare though

Outstanding article and work. We salute you!

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https://www.cybershadow.ninja - A brief look into my twisted world, including wargames and beyond.
https://www.net-armageddon.org - The official NetEA (Epic Armageddon) site and resource.

And if they want a sweetner about the extent of Epic in other formats, point them to the really excellent campaign thread "Beyond the Green River" on TacComs, or here in the EA Total War site.

This is a truly awesome demonstration of the rules, the wide range of models and artistic terrain encompassed in an "Epic" story-line that has all the makings of a good book.

While I certainly love my Revenants it's not that hard to convert them I'd imagine. They pretty much look like 40k infantry with weapons for arms. Sure the real model is probable more slender, but that's less of a difference than between old and new Falcons e.g.

viewtopic.php?p=349632#p349632

Apoc is pretty handy with the ol' GS and plasticard, but I'm sure this kind of thing is within the skill level of quite a few....

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Just some guy

My hobby/painting threads

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