Kids should be outside playing sports! No, they should be inside playing Warhammer.

Of course I’m just kidding; however, I believe that wargaming such as Warhammer 40k is good for more than simply a few hours of entertainment here and there.

Warhammer is far more than just a game, it’s a hobby. For many of us, battling it out with out friends is only one facet of the wargaming experience. Let’s face it, anyone can go onto a 40k forum and takes someone’s army list. Add some lucky dice roles and you just won yourself a game of 40k. Your army of miniatures is now standing triumphant on the tabletop and you may and may not be mocking your opponent during your victory high. However, are you really the winner if before you is a mass poorly glued plastic which has been sloppily covered in two colours?

When I first began playing Warhammer 40k, the profile of the player I mentioned above was that akin to myself – minus the triumphant laughter because I often lost. My painting consisted of simply spraying a black base coat, followed by armour touch ups of whatever primary colour I had selected. The result: my army was completely painted at a fast pace. Yet, when placed next to an army of someone of comparable skill who had simply put a tad more time and effort, my force looked extremely lifeless. Had I been playing my Necron army, this would be fine, but this was my Tau army.

There is just such an array of options that allow a player to customize their army’s appearance that I intend to take advantage of including:

- Paint schemes (Here is an example of amazing work: http://www.gmmstudios.com/gallery/alpha/40k)
- Basing
- Model conversions using kits (Forgeworld resin is simply beautiful)