40K: Attitudes towards Non-GW models and mods at organised play events

[lawnor 25939xp 0]

My friends and I are talking about trying 40K via the narrative campaign thing they’ve been discussing.  I’ve recently got myself a 3D printer so I’ve been thinking what I can use that for to make my Space Wolf force playable.  I would understand GW only want us playing with their models at their events, and I understand when its my friends and I alone we can play with standees or bottle caps if we are happy doing so.  My questions are:

1: How does GW feel about people playing at their events with 3rd party mods to GW models (IE wolf headed backpacks for my SW marines, or shoulders with wolves sculpted in to them)

2: How do Non-GW organised events usually deal with players wanting to play with 3rd party models or GW models with 3rd party mods?  Is there a general consensus on this, or does ti vary wildly between events?

3: If I have a unit of Primaris modelled with Bolt Rifles and I’m at an event, can I normally use them as Auto Bolt Rifles so long as that’s whats on my list and I tell my opponents before each game?  Likewise for marines modelled with jump packs used as non-jump pack models, and other similar situations.  Just how tight on WYSIWYG are GW and non-GW events/tournaments usually?

If anyone has any links to suitable files for home printing Space Wolf equivalents I’d be curious to see them.  I assume this is no less questionable than other companies sculpting equivalent models?

[crazyredcoatParticipant 13642xp 1]

My understanding is that GW are pretty tight on it. As for conversions, it always used to be a certain percentage had to be a GW mini, so a few headswaps is probably not a problem, but I am not 100% sure if that is still the case. As for non-GW events, they are done to the whims of the ones running it, though not doing WYSIWYG too tightly opens the event to exploitation of the rules, so I think they are tight on that for that reason. It should also be noted of non-GW tournaments some of them basically create their own rules at this point, so bear that in mind if you chose to go to tournaments of those kinds. The best thing to do is to ask, though. In my experience GW staff are quite helpful with questions like that and I’m sure they’re all briefed on official policy. Bit difficult to pop into your local and ask at the moment, but I think there’s a way of asking questions online.

[lawnor 25939xp 1]

Thanks for the reply, @crazyredcoat

So it varies wildly from event to event and the only way to be safe is to have official GW products.  I was watching their twitch channel the other day and I’m pretty sure I heard them mention something about models needing to be 55% GW (By volume, mass, visible surface area, or parts cut from sprue???), but I wasn’t completely listening.  Something was definitely 55%.  I think I’ll be using my Khorne Daemons instead for my casual Crusade thing, and I appear to have 80 power level of them in official models anyway.  Enough to get started and make some decisions.  We are happy to play non GW between us so long as everything is clear.  Its just always good to future proof.  I’d hate to spend hundred and months of time painting only to have to do it all again for official models.  i’d rather do it right firs time, or at least know what I’m signing on for.

Having seen some of the wording on events for the local GW store on FB I’m not really keen on going there.  They have event requirements like “You can field anything you like so long as it fits on one standard size GW case” forcing you to buy a GW case and allowing for massive skews in points level between armies while encouraging you to damage your models.  I hated their intro event: “Want to learn to play?  Bring along your fully built and painted starter army along with every rule book that mentions your models.  Now you have spent £150+ we will actually give you a demo game so you can find out if the game actually interests you or if you’ve just wasted all that time and money”.  This is the kind of thing that makes me really dislike GW as a company.  Never been to the store, but I have this fear that anyone at anything in there will be around 14 and I am 41.  They also seem to time most of their stuff to run for kids coming out of school so its over before I’m home from work.

[crazyredcoatParticipant 13642xp 1]

GW do have some strange policies and I think they are slightly slipping back into their old ways of ‘money first’, but it’s not a universal thing. It should also be noted that with the new edition coming soon many of those rules may change because of the changes to army building. GW has spent a lot of time with 8th Edition to curtail exploitation of their ruleset to min/max lists and such at a competitive level which everything they have put out for 9th so far seems to stop dead in its tracks. However, the game is what you make it. I tend to play with my brothers more than anyone else and we either use homemade table or I play in gaming clubs and such where everything is a little more relaxed.

[lawnor 25939xp 0]

I will be playing with friends only, but i always like to build with an eye to doing more in the future.

Didn’t GW bring on board the ITC guy to be the head of their organised play?  I’m hoping this makes for some huge changes in attitudes there.  Even if the company attitude doesn’t improve hopefully we will see organised play documents that are more community oriented.  We will see.

[crazyredcoatParticipant 13642xp 1]

I believe they have two sets of play testers for the games and one is ITC based. I honestly think the game is best played among friends, to be honest. It’s much more relaxed and goes quite nicely with a few beers and after-game pizza!

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