A Moment's Consideration As Time Goes By

I wish I was this classy.

Greetings Gentlereaders,

I just wanted to take a moment to consider something that happened today: Rites of Battle crested the 100,000 page views mark.  It's an accomplishment, it's a testament to how many hours we've all put into this website and I'd like to give Corvus, Godfrey and Ishmael a hand for all of their hard work  They've brought their perspective and insights I couldn't hope to synthesize.

But most of all, I'd like to thank you all, our readers.  I can't speak for my co-authors, but I can say I would have given up writing a long time ago if it hadn't been for you all.  I'm honored, flattered and humbled that you all have given us the chance to talk with you about this game we love and that you've stuck by us this long.

Here's looking at you, kid.

The Big Crunch Pt. 1

In a recent article, Godfrey mused that marines, despite having received basically the whole of the updates last edition, are in one of the worst positions this edition. Many of you may be thinking, "How can this be? Matt Ward would never allow the Imperium of man to fall! Not after 5th edition!", and I'm here to say that the Imperium hasn't fallen, but it has certainly tarnished (not that that's completely a bad thing). Herein, I'll list the various talks Heretic, Godfrey and I have had regarding the state of 6th after its first half a year, and specifically how the Emperor's angels of death fare in current conditions.

Boltguns & Brushstrokes- Tool Time

                People ask me, “Horus, how do you paint how you do?” And obviously, there’s not a simple answer to that question—I’ve been touching on technical things here and there with other articles. But the simplest answer to how I get the results I get is that I have the best tools I can find. This isn’t a sales article or anything, although I imagine it will come off that way. There’s an old saying, “A man is only as good as the tools he uses.” Or something like that. The point is, your results are going to be limited by the quality of the materials you make available to yourself, and with brushes in particular, high-end results are impossible without equally high-end tools due to the limitations of lesser products.

This is a red sable. Cute, huh?
This is what your brushes should be made of.

                So first, let’s talk about brushes.  A brush that’s suitable for miniature painting will be made of either synthetic hair, sable hair, or a blend of the two.  The best brushes are going to be 100% sable hair. Sable hair comes to a natural point, and is very strong. A lot of brushes are described as sable brushes, but you should look closely at the packaging on the brush to determine if it is a blend of synthetic hair, and if not, what kind of sable hair is used. Games Workshop brushes, for example, are advertised as sable brushes, but are actually a blend of synthetic and male sable hair. Male sables’ hair is not as fine as the female’s, and is not as lasting for a fine brush.  Usually, but not always, you can tell what kind of sable hair (and the amount of synthetic hair) in a brush by price—you won’t get a good, 100% sable brush for less than $20 usually. This is a case of getting what you pay for, though—a good sable brush will last for years if cared for properly.

Bring Out Your Dead! Burna Boys

ERE'S SKORCHY!

Greetings Gentlereaders,

By popular request I'm looking at one of the more interesting units in the ork codex that's waned, but has it waned justly?  Admittedly, I haven't seen orks in my local playgroup for about a year, as one of our players has taken up hunting, funded by sellin his army, and the other has moved to Dallas, TX.  So I ask leniency, as this is primarily going off theory and my own crack-pot ideas about orks.  I think the changes to sixth edition have on the whole helped orks and have especially helped burna boys become more versatile, and I love versatility.  Let's recall the rating system: I Feel Happy!, Getting Better, or Stone Dead.  Allons-y!

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Pew-Pew

Greetings Gentlereaders,

If there's any army in 40k that I love I've got to say that it's the Tau.  They're sleek, orderly and have gundams.  For someone who grew up on the Power Rangers, with their zords and emphasis on teamwork there's a bit of nostalgia when I play the army.  I love how they've got a story that is deeper than it appears if you read between the lines and I'm really excited for where the story of The Young will go when they get a new codex.

The philosophy of the greater good permeates their society, but they view themselves as primus inter pares, the first among equals with the ethereals being the first among the Tau.  I'm a social scientist in training and would love to see more on the dynamics of their society, but until Games Workshop, Black Library or Fantasy Flight decide to delve into  that more, all we have is the codices and Fire Warrior.  As I've not yet completed my Coming Back from the Brink series and given serious thought to each unit, I really can't say whether there is as much depth in the viable units in the Tau codex as there is in the story of the Tau.  Here's why...

Sniping Big Targets with Big Guns

Hey everyone, I thought I'd chime in with another look at how 6th edition rules have really changed the "scope" of the game.  Today's topic is about sniping.  With high-priority targets really meaning a fair bit these days, it's fair to say that the game has taken it upon itself to push for a change here.  We can see this with the new inclusion of the "Precise Shots" rule.  A lot of weapons and/or anything wielded by a named model will have this ability to hope for some sixes to pop up on those to-hit rolls.  But while the sniper rifle is not a bad gun... it's not the real subject of my discussion.  Yes, even the powerful Barret 50 cal or the 40k equivilant will have to submit to the awesome power that is sniping with one of these...