Kosh's Korner - Wargaming on a Budget

There are many reasons why people choose to play a specific army in the 40k universe. Some just like the look of that army's particular models or paint scheme. Others like the fluff of their chosen army. Having the most advantage in a game of 40k is still another reason for some and there is nothing wrong with that line of thinking. Whatever your reason, you still have to choose and the best thing to do first, is a little research.

Research
These days the best way to research just about anything is on the internet. There are plenty of websites that pop up if you do a Google search of Warhammer 40k. The first one you should check out, of course, is Games Workshop. They do make the game, you know. ;)

Over on the 40k page of GW, you can select any of the armies available from the top bar by selecting that armies icon. From there you can go to many pages devoted to painting, modeling, the history, gaming, and many more subjects on that particular army. You can also get even further in on some of the armies if they have specific clans, legions, or chapters. While you're there go to their online store and check out the prices of any army your interested in starting.


If you're really into the fluff of 40k one of the best places I've found is Wikipedia. For instance, if you search Wikipedia for Chaos Space Marines, it will bring up a page that tells you the history as well as the difference between CSM and regular Space Marines. From that page, via links, you can also go to each CSM Legion page and Chaos Gods page to read more fluff about them. You do have to take what you read on Wiki with a grain of salt though. It's an open encyclopedia, meaning just about anyone can make entries, but it's usually pretty good.

Also on the internet, there are plenty of forums, blogs (just like this one), and fan sites. One forum in particular that stands out is Warseer. Warseer is huge with over 33,000 members and has subjects on just about anything to do with the hobby. Don't be afraid to go on there and ask questions. The worst problem you may have is finding your post later on, as the amount of posts per day over there tend to make them scroll pretty fast. Another good site is Mini Wargaming, it seems to be a relatively new site. It has quite a few how to videos, a forum, and a store. It's really a great site and I hope they do well and grow. There are also a ton of blogs out there, all the blog links to the left there <--- are highly recommended. Last but not least, don't forget about your FLGS - favorite local game store. More than likely these are the people you're going to be playing the game with, you might as well get to know them. :P Don't be afraid to introduce yourself and ask questions, everyone was a noob at one time. You'll find 99% of them are normal friendly guys and gals that are willing to help you out. My FLSG is Grand Adventures in Murfreesboro, TN. They also have a webpage and a forum for talking about gaming while not at the store. I've recently been talking with The Hoder over there and he plays an army that I'm interested in playing. Hoder is going to let me play a game or two with his army to see how I like it.

What am I choosing?
I haven't decided yet. I'm on the fence between two armies. I'll be back and let you know after I check out Hoder's army this Thursday.

Why a Specific Space
I'm going to set up a specific place to do my modeling and painting. I don't know about you, but I like to have a designated space to do specific things. You could always just paint on your dining table, but that could cause a lot of problems with the rest of your family. There will be times when you'll need to leave your current project sitting, either to let it dry or whatever. Leaving things sitting on the dining table doesn't go over well in my household. There are also times when you'll be struck with the mood to just sit down and paint. Having a specific place set up and ready will alleviate wasting this mood with dragging everything out and setting it all up. The space will just be ready and waiting for whenever you are.

The Basics
The three basic things to set up a painting and modeling space are: a place to work, a place to sit, and lighting. First, you're going to need a table for a place to work. You want something big enough to work on and keep your tools and painting equipment. Next, you'll need a place to sit your bottom, no one wants to stand up and work. I'd suggest a moderately comfortable chair, nothing too luxurious, you'll be working after all and you don't want to fall asleep. I'm looking for something with a straight back that doesn't recline. Last, you'll need to get a decent swivel lamp for when you want to work at night.

You want to set up the table near a window. This will give you natural light during the daytime and is very important. Artificial light gives off a yellow tinge which will cause you to see colors in a different way. Just as important, is getting a 'natural light' light bulb for your lamp. If your painting during the day in daylight and at night with an ordinary light bulb you'll be viewing your work in different conditions. Having a 'natural light' bulb will keep you consistent.

Budget
After getting my $100 for this two week pay period I set out looking for these items. By the way, I'll be rounding all prices to the nearest dollar after taxes. I picked up a 4ft x 2ft folding table for $41 at the local Office Depot. This will give me plenty of space for my tools, paint, and still leave plenty of space for the actual work of modeling and painting. Next, I picked up a sled based stacking chair. I got the chair at Officemax for $38, it was actually the Officemax brand, similar to this chair but about half the price. Last, I picked up a cheap lamp at Hobby Lobby for $12 and a 'natural light' light bulb for it at Home Depot. It was a nice halogen bulb that will last a good 2 years for $4.



That's a grand total of $95, so we used up most of the budget this time. That won't always be the case, believe me. There will be no eating lunch out this pay period, but at least I can buy 5 cups of cheap coffee the first week. Oh well, I'll live.

Introduction

Hi, I'm Kosh and welcome to my little korner of the world. This blog is about starting and getting into the miniature strategy tabletop game, Warhammer 40k. I'm going to be starting from scratch, while on a budget. I know almost nothing about the Warhammer 40k back-story, building and painting miniatures, or playing the game itself. This is going to be a great journey for you, the reader of this blog, and me.

Like I said, I know very little about Warhammer 40k. I have painted a few minis about 10 years ago. I used to play Dungeons & Dragons and a friend of mine had some unpainted minis. I offered to paint a few for him, even though I knew absolutely nothing about painting them. Needless to say, they came out terrible, although I had a lot of fun in the process. I'm going to try to learn as much as possible about painting minis, as well as all the other aspects of this hobby, and I plan on recording my adventures here in this blog. I'm hoping to go from something like this:




To something like Doug Jones' Gold medal Golden Demon award winner:




I know, I know, I have high ambitions. It's going to take some patience, time, and talent to paint something that great. I'm hoping to find that I possess all three of those traits.

Being that this is going to be on a budget, it's going to take some time to work into certain things. My plan is to start out with buying the necessary supplies for modeling and painting. From there, I'll move onto the actual modeling and painting. Eventually, I'll get into the gaming aspect of the hobby. It may be as long as 6-8 months before I get into the gaming portion, so please have some patience with me.

The Budget

Let's talk about the budget. I get paid on a bi-weekly basis, and like most families, my family and I are on a tight budget. I get $100 every two weeks as "blow" money, or an "allowance" if you will. That's money I can spend on whatever I like, disposable income. That doesn't mean all $100 will go towards Warhammer 40k every pay period. I also use this money to buy coffee, lunch out once in a while, and other boring and mundane things. Also, I'm an avid video game player, once in a while I'll need to drop $60 on the latest "must play" video game. This is going to leave the budget at anywhere from $40-$100 every two weeks. I think that will be plenty as long as I have some patience.

This Friday (Jan 18th) is payday. I'll see you next week, when I delve into, Space: The Final Frontier - Creating a Place to Paint.