Games Workshop -- Warhammer: Daemons of Chaos

So I prefer Warhammer Fantasy to 40k..  I just think the rules are better, and the game as a whole has a lot of tactics and strategy to it, where as 40k is written more for the kids to be a fast paced shoot’em’up style game.  I still play 40k, but I prefer fantasy..

I also believe in having multiple armies for your game.. I have two 40k armies; Tau and Orks.  I like them both and am not really looking to change them..   But right now I only really have one fantasy army;  Skaven.  I love my rats, but I want to find another army to play and have been looking for a while..  I tried Ogre’s and I tried Tomb Kings but really didn’t get into them.  I have a lot of TK stuff painted up and I very much like the models and the lore, but for whatever reason the TK army just doesn’t excite me..  The Ogre’s never even got that far..

So I’m back on the hunt and I think I have settled on getting a Daemons of Chaos list going.

I think all of the models are pretty neat, and I like that that its sorta 4 armies in one; one list for each god.  Something that also appeals on a lesser level is the fact that they are the exact same models used in Fantasy and 40k.. So if you have them ready to go in Fantasy, its easy to use them in 40k.  (Just have to solve the bases problem which I’ll get to in a moment.. )

My number one reason for picking this army is because I dig the models.  I am most likely going to go an all Slaanesh army, or if that’s not viable I’ll fill in with Nurgle or Khorne..   I’m going to leave Tzeentch out because it seems it’s what ever one is doing and I like doing things others aren’t..

I really look forward to painting these guys (gals?) up.. I think the Slaanesh models all look pretty cool and should be quite fun to paint.. I know I wont get anywhere near as good results as the professional painters do, but still they look good and should come out okay..

The only issue at this point is that the new core rule book is coming out in July and is rumored to nurf the Daemons down something harsh..  If the current rumors hold true then the DoC army as a whole may be unplayable.. I find that unfortunate, but not enough to dissuade me from getting the army in the first place..

I have also heard tell that half the reason for the new rule book is to correct issues in the DoC army and a couple other newer armies that introduced issues into the game.. It’s really too bad they feel the need to completely rewrite the main rules, instead of just fixing the issue with the individual army..


Fantasy and 40k approved!

The Bases:  So, I listed above that these models can be used in both fantasy and 40k.. that’s pretty cool.. The only issue is that fantasy uses square bases, and 40k uses round bases.  That issue can be complicated further by the fact that 40k bases are one inch in diameter, and fantasy bases are typically 20mm or 25mm square..  So, if you want to use the same models in both games (as opposed to buying the same models twice.. ) then you have to get clever about your bases..

I solved it this way;

1.  I got some washers that are smaller around than both the 40k bases and the fantasy bases you’re going to use.  With the Daemonettes I was in luck, they use  25mm bases so I could get a slightly larger washer than if I was stuck with 20mm bases.  Also make sure the washers have as small a center hole as possible.  The washers I’m using are 7/8 (0.87”) with a 7/32 (0.20”) inner hole, got them at Lowes for $3 or $4 for a hand full..

  1. I then assembled the model as I wanted it and glued it to the top of one of the washers – trying very hard not to foul the hole in the washer.

  2. I then drilled 4 itty bitty holes in the base and stuck in some of the tiny magnets I have.   I mean it these things are small.. 0.05” is small man..  4 of them hold the washer down nicely, and are small enough to not cause clustering.. (Where a bunch of magnets jump to one another.. )  Drill all the way through the base with a drill bit slightly smaller than the magnet, and then enlarge it a bit by in and out movements..  This is a tiny hobby drill bit.. Once that’s done, I glued the magnets in from the underside so they wont go anywhere.

  3. I then got a dowel from Walmarts hobby area that was the exact fit for the washers..  You can get a bag of like 20 of them for $0.89..   I drilled a whole in the direct center of the base and pushed the dowel through.. I had to be very careful not to split the base.. And I made sure to push the down through the hole a bit so that it touches the table the same time the edges of the base does.  It helps with gluing later.

5.  I then took the thinnest washer I had ( they are varying thicknesses for some odd reason ) and slid it down the dowel until to stuck to the magnets..  Put the dowel in a vice, and used a coping saw to cut the dowel at the washer.  Once that was done I applied glue to the underside, again ensuring that nothing goes anywhere.

6.  And that’s it..  Paint and flock it up.. When you flock the square base you want to make sure that you use an extra washer because it gets kinda nasty.. And when it dries you might have to do some minor surgery to get that washer off.. I had to carefully Xacto around the edges to free it from its flocky jail..

Click the image to see the results.. it works out nicely..  The 40k round bases snaps up in there and only requires a touch of flocking on the top of the dowel.. the fantasy base you see snaps down nicely too almost 100% hiding the washer..