Utsanomiko wrote:Forgeworld makes all sorts of things that GW does not, but in smaller quantities (that dreadnought drillbit arm, for example). Their models are cast in resin, which holds a lot more detail than standard polystyrene plastic.
This is good for 40k, but rubbish for Epic.
Currently, the only way you can get Epic Tau is from Forgeworld. They are, like the 40k models, cast in resin. Which is very hard and brittle.
Which means that on a 6mm figure, they are guaranteed to break with worrying frequency.
They are also expensive. A friend of mine was considering an Epic Tau army, as their army list in the new Epic looks quite fun, very shooty, but very little power in assaults. (the concept of an assault at epic scale is that you reduce an entire 4-6 turn game of 40k to two dice rolls. Carnage tends to ensue). But even a standard base of firewarriors cost about £2.50. And , and they're resin, so they shatter with the slightest of impacts.
Anyway, after about 12 years out of the hobby, I have now been dragged back in to playing Epic again, and have started building up a Steel Legion tank company. Currently I only have some half painted Hydras and a big stack of unpainted Leman Russ MBTs. (which, in Epic, are very shooty indeed). (oh, and some sprues of guardsmen, but I don't need so many of them. I like the tanks.)
I like the new Epic rules, they have all sorts of nice things like emphasising surpressing fire and morale with the system of Blast Markers (you get them for being shot at and taking casualties, each one you have surpresses a unit from shooting, and more blast markers than units breaks the formation. Though if you're the big scary Space Marines you get one unit surpressed for every two blast markers, They Shall Know No Fear, and all that.)
The army lists also give a lot of character to the armies. Marines and Eldar are somewhat regimented but very flexible on the battlefield, whereas Imperial Guard come in great big monolithic formations. (The core of my army is ten Leman Russ tanks, six stands of infantry, two stands of snipers, four chimeras, and three griffons, and it all acts together, which means that if you're on the wrong end of its guns you're in big trouble), and Orks come in almost amorphous blobs that could be comprised of almost anything, and come at any size.
Of course, being Epic you don't have space to trick out all these fancy character types. They're just represented as a weapon on the unit's stat line and a few special abilities. (most characters just add a Macro Weapon to a unit, usually only in assaults as well, and give you special leadership powers)
Anyway, when I have some units painted up (going for an ashlands camo scheme, so all greys), I'll grab some snaps.
Cool.
