For the Glory of the Emperor!

You all know that I'm a big geek. I admit it, and I embrace it. So let me tell you, Dear Reader, just how excited I am about the upcoming Warhammer 40,000 releases.

WH40K (as we geeks call it online) is a sci-fi wargame. There a whole backstory about the grim, religious-cult fueled future of humanity and their numerous enemies -- all of whom bear a suspicious resemblance to Fanatsy mainstays such as orcs, elves, and at one long-ago time, dwarves. But the story is just an excuse to field incredibly detailed armies of crazy figures. There's always some reason for the players to pit armies gainst each other, even when they are suppossed to be allies.

Much of the fun is in building those armies. No matter how large an army a player owns, it started out a a pile of anonymous bits of plastic and white metal. Each piece had to be put together, posed, primed, and painted. Some gamers choose a quick color scheme ("These will be 'camo'.") and use no more than one spray can ("Where's that forest green can?"). Others will slave for hours over every figure, tryng hard to breathe life into each one. I fall into this second category. Since most of my hobby time will be spent making the figures rather than playing the actual game, why not try to make each one look his best?

I actually have four different armies. But my main army is the Black Templars, a force of formidable armored Space Marines. The beauty of the WH40K system is apparent frm this statement. With that simple description, you probably have some idea of the army's form and function without every having played a game.

The BT's are a fanatic bunch, utterly devoted to their religion. They excel in close combat, and though you would expect a sci-fi wargame to include all manner of death ray devices, the BT's preferred weapon is the evocatively named, "chainsword." But as a group, they maintain their share of missiles and death rays.

For years, BT players have had to cobble together a fighting force from various unrelated parts. But in October, we shall see the release of specialized Black Templar box sets of figures. Now our Marines will finally take on the image of crusading knights we hace all long imagined. I already have the equivalent of two full BT playable armies on my shelves. Nonetheless, I envision melding my current set with enough figures to make a third army in their own right. This shall swell the ranks of my Black Templar Crusade to a force of enormous proportions! No force in the Galaxy will be able to withstand my relentless advance!

whew.

And what's next for me? Well, something smaller. I'm imagining a squad of the Legion of the Damned. Or perhaps a tiny, but powerful Kill Team from the Deathwatch...