Back To The Hammer is a series of articles entirely made up of the good people of the Fluffenhammer Facebook Group. Enjoy!
How Did You Start The Hobby?
I've told this story a few times before so here's the short version.
I had a friend who had started playing 40K and I fully admit I joined in on taunting him about it. After awhile he dared me to have a go at it and after showing me the Dark Angel Chapter Master model, Azrael, and since I was reading the Azrael comics, I decided to go in to Games Workshop Carlisle and give it a go.
I played a game and I was hooked. It wasn't long after that I made my first purchase (Eldar I'm ashamed to admit) and not long after that I started my first proper army, Blood Angels.
I've told this story a few times before so here's the short version.
I had a friend who had started playing 40K and I fully admit I joined in on taunting him about it. After awhile he dared me to have a go at it and after showing me the Dark Angel Chapter Master model, Azrael, and since I was reading the Azrael comics, I decided to go in to Games Workshop Carlisle and give it a go.
I played a game and I was hooked. It wasn't long after that I made my first purchase (Eldar I'm ashamed to admit) and not long after that I started my first proper army, Blood Angels.
Know that men call you betrayer.... Know that men call you...oh, wait, wrong Azrael
What Games/Armies Did You Play?
Games wise I've played Warhammer Fantasy with Orcs (nothing to fancy there, mostly inspired by Brian Nelsons awesome "Big 'Uns models), Dark Elves and a pure Night Goblin army which was a Squig selling based theme force. EVERYTHING was squig based, Wolf chariot? UH UHH! SQUIG CHARIOT!! Rock lobba? NOOOPE! SQUIG FILLED WITH ROCKS LOBBA!! The Snotling pump wagon was basically the same but the distance moved was more about how far the thrown snotling ran before the Squig pulling the cart ate it. Even my herders where converisons, not a single one looked like the others, I had a Squig (lion) tamer, a guy with fireworks (and only one arm) and many more.
A lot of love went in to that army and I even won best army at a tournament with it!
Games wise I've played Warhammer Fantasy with Orcs (nothing to fancy there, mostly inspired by Brian Nelsons awesome "Big 'Uns models), Dark Elves and a pure Night Goblin army which was a Squig selling based theme force. EVERYTHING was squig based, Wolf chariot? UH UHH! SQUIG CHARIOT!! Rock lobba? NOOOPE! SQUIG FILLED WITH ROCKS LOBBA!! The Snotling pump wagon was basically the same but the distance moved was more about how far the thrown snotling ran before the Squig pulling the cart ate it. Even my herders where converisons, not a single one looked like the others, I had a Squig (lion) tamer, a guy with fireworks (and only one arm) and many more.
A lot of love went in to that army and I even won best army at a tournament with it!
The Nineties. Where Men were Orcs, and the Women were too
With 40K and I've done a little bit of everything over the years.
Blood Angels, Ravenwing (I always remember the game where I only lost a single Techmarine on bike because he was the easiest biker to hit, oh 2nd edition speed modifiers to hit and a jink, 7's to hit for Guardsmen. The 6's to wound with a 3+ save? Ouch. Sorry Allan.), Chaos Marines,Space Wolves, Praetorian Imperial Guard, Dark Eldar, Tyrannids, Flesh Tearers, Space Wolves, Black Templars, Angels of Absolution, Iron Warriors, Lost and Damned traitors (complete with crazy mutant conversions, no two alike!), Space Wolves (for a third time!), Black Legion, Orks, Word Bearers, Ork Speed Freaks, Iron Hands and finally back to Night Lords Chaos Marines.
I love me a bit of Chaos Marines I do!!
I've also dabbled with Warmachine and I have a decent sized Cryx force as well as a smaller Cygnar force.
What Made You Leave?
A combination of things really. Games Workshop had started to make a more financially biased turn. That started it, I drifted away not long after that, with a combination of long work hours leaving no time for any kind of hobby work and the "Sell! Sell! Sell!" mentality that kicked into overdrive meant I didn't want to step into my one time second home. I kept reading the books but I started to go elsewhere to buy them. I didn't want to go into the shop and get harrassed about buying stuff when all I wanted was a book to read on what little breaks I got. The final nail in the coffin was when the story about them going after a small writer who used the term "Space Marine" in the title for their book hit. Full legal action for a term that they don't even own or create themselves. Disgusting.
What Brought You Back?
Before moving to the States I'd already thought about taking a 40K army with me. It would be a way to meet new people and new friends. Sadly there wasn't anywhere that sold GW products near where I would be living (though a Warhammer store did open not long after I landed but I didn't learn about it until almost a year and a half later). I'd kept an eye on 40K releases, mostly because I had friends still playing and painting though.
After a while I had that urge to paint again. The Cryx I'd brought with me served to scatch that itch for awhile but after ahwile I wanted something else. I found some cheap Heresy era marines and I was brought right back in.
I still didn't have anywhere to play but I was happy enough painting. Cut to a couple of months later and while I was looking for some plasticard/styrene sheets to help build the armor for the Rhino I was hoping to build I found a store 15 minutes (via bus) away from me. Not only did they do a healthy discount on GW products but they had a games night every other Friday. I've yet to head down to a night but I've been blasting away at getting an army ready.
What's keeping me going is all the 8th edition news. It's looking good!
the company itself has done a full 180. Gone is the money obsessed CEO and in his place is a man with a love for the games and what a change it's been. The community page, Warhammer TV, even bringing back White Dwarf and making it good again. EVERYTHING they're doing now is great. Even making snarky comments against people trying to troll them.
What Catches Your Eye Since Returning?
The story advancements, moving forward from the stalemate that I'd played in for years is awesome. Everythings shook up and we've got Primarchs popping up here and there. Great time to be an Imperial or Chaos Marine player right now.
Instead of jumping between armies like I used to I really want to expand my Chaos forces. The new (to me any way) Raptors look awesome as do the Daemon engines that came out during my abscence. Even Daemons which I never really messed with (had a unit in my Word Bearers and that's about it) are tempting. Those Nurgle Daemons look especially disgusting and I really want some, bonus is I can use them for Age of Sigmar as well should I want to try that out to. Of course wth all the new Death Guard AND Mortarion on the horizon they would be a good next step.
With the reveal of rules for the Thousands Sons and the AMAZING models for them, they've suddenly become tempting to and let's face it why have one Daemon Primarch when I can have two?
My main drive at this point is that in Carlisle I had the biggest Chaos Marine force in the area, clocking in at around 15000 points (maybe more). I want that title again and my Night Lords are but the first step towards earning that title.
DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPEROR! AVE DOMINUS NOX!
 | Stu "Darkageis" Murray is the General For Life of The Old Oilhouse, a lifelong transformers nut and collector of Sentai and Kamen rider in most of it's forms. He sometimes takes epic trips and tells tales of these sagas often. When not watching people in spandex fight each other he paints miniatures, go HERE to take a look. |
