Path to Parade
Armies on Parade is fun event that in the past meant you get to take home some cool looking hardware if you win and the bragging rights to go along with it. The basic rule is paint to your level and display your army within a 2ftx2ft area. That’s it. You could do a couple colors, wash, and dry brush your army put them on 2x2 board and be done, but where’s the fun in that?
As I post this the first week has kicked off so definitely crunch time for those participating and if you didn't this year and aren't starting to plan for next you are falling behind 😉.
Now this year they have changed things up a bit. No longer is there going to be just a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. There will be categories as well that separate weeks for Age of Sigmar (Oct 23-Oct 29) and Warhammer 40k (Oct 30-Oct 5). So far the known categories are Best Theme, Youngbloods (I assume for our younger hobbyists), and Best Board. The Warhammer-Community site says there will be more but that info will be release later (1 week out form AoS week and no new info). While I don’t mind the separate weeks and the Youngbloods category is a good idea… Can’t say all these other categories seem all that great to me… Only because it starts to boarder on the “everyone’s a winner” and we all get a trophy when we all know that’s not true in games and life. I feel this is a response to the community at large as many have complained of past results at their local stores. From people saying only the regulars that frequent the store win, votes where padded as people got as many of their friends and family in to vote as they could, or outrage that some stores required a purchase (of any amount so a 0.75 scatter dice would grant you a vote (when they where still valid)) to try and off set just anyone voting or that the store managers where the tie breaker vote when the situation arose. I also fear that with these changes we will lose the awesome medals that they have had and just get some Certificates printed on thick poster paper that the GW mangers hand write the winners names on.
Whew!... Ok off the soup box of my issues with some of the changes. I will say again my favorite changes are splitting up the two lines (AoS/40k) and the Youngbloods category. Last year I saw a kid bring in his modest T’au collection and very simple board and set it up and then to see his expression as the adults started bringing in their more elaborate armies and boards. He was crushed that he didn’t have a chance. Armies on Parade to me is more of a community building event where people can share what they have been working on and get tips from others as the see their work and wonder how they accomplished something.
Alright lets get down to brass tacks…
-To Parade or Not to Parade… Is that even a question?-
Well of course it’s a question and there are many things to consider before deciding to commit. The first two are pretty interchangeable at the top, time and money, money and time. Parade day has pretty regularly been around the end of October each year so depending what time of the year it is will play a factor. Along with how close to parade day you are is your real life commitments. Whether it is family, school, or work you have to figure out when you are going to work on your AoP things with out being a complete shut in. The last thing you want is your significant other to leave you, your social life to fall apart or the neighbors to phone the police because you are up at all hours of the night and strange smells are coming from your home (from all the spray paint cans 😉). So time management will be key. We will get more into that a little later.
Money… The root of all evil, and evil of all roots…? If you are reading this contemplating AoP then most likely you’ve already invested your 2nd mortgage into the hobby (in all seriousness I hope not). But you already know the financial investment of this hobby so you will need to plan accordingly. Of course if you already have an army that is ready or pretty close to ready then that is a good thing as the only real expense you will most likely have is what you want to spend on your board. Or if you are like me I like to do a different army each year to further challenge myself and to do something different, this of course usually means more money. So figuring out what you want to do is important and we will dive more into that next as well.
-The first casualty of any battle is the plan.-
So now you are about 80% sure you are going to do AoP but to truly know what you are getting into and to get to that full 100% commitment you have to come up with the “Plan.”
As stated in the header of this section the plan is usually the first casualty of any battle as things are ever changing in the very non static field of war. As such having contingency plans, acceptable losses, and being fluid and flexible are key. So start out with a plan of attack to get the ball going but be ready to roll with the punches as the two main factors of even starting on this path (time/money) will be the biggest obstacles as you move forward. There is never enough time and depending on what you are trying to pull off, money can start to run short.
Tips of the trade:
-Army List
Now this is where you list out all the units you think you want to bring. This doesn’t have to be set in stone as when you start your “blue print” it may change as you realize you don’t have enough room or maybe you find you have more room and want to add stuff. Also having a few items that if you don’t get to them they can be cut with no big deal these are your “acceptable losses.”
-Blue Print
This doesn’t have to be any thing crazy but grab a pencil and a blank sheet of paper and start to pencil out a rough idea of what you want to do even if it’s just drawing a square and then blocking out areas where you want things to go is better then nothing and can start to give you an idea on how things might work out. A bit later I will share some of my insight on things to include on your boards/models that help give you that little bit of edge over the competition.
-Timeline
Now that you have a blue print you need to figure out a timeline. If your army is painted then you are half way there and just have to figure out you board. How I plan out is by weeks. I like to see how many weeks I have and then set weekly goals. One squad of ten this week, two tanks next, etc… I leave at least a week (preferably two) before the parade open for last minute details or if I’ve fallen behind and have to play catch up. Also having those units/models/terrain that you are willing to cut if need be can also help if you find time is slipping away.
-Going to Whole Foods. Need anything?-
(10pts to Gryffindor if you get this reference)
-Grocery List
That’s right time to go shopping but first you need to make a list of everything you are going to need. Of course the obvious supplies if you don’t already have them like models, glue, paint, etc… But also if you are making your own board something for the board itself. The most common supplies are the Styrofoam insulation boards they are about an inch thick and pink or blue in color found at any home improvement store. It works well as the surface can be roughed up, cut, shaped, and textured easy but be careful the type of glue you use as some can eat through. Another type that is good is the particle board that they make peg boards out of. Its nice if you don’t want the extra height but you do need to put some sealer glue on the rough cut ends or else it can start to warp if moisture gets in there.
Other supplies you are going to need will depend on what you are doing. If you are making your own mountains then you will need the associated supplies based on the technique you are using and there are plenty of was to do it just google/youtube search and you will find plenty.
-Something witty about Models.-
So somethings to consider when choosing what models are going to make it unto your board. Now for AoP there is no force org. or anything like that but you should have a good mix of Characters, Infantry, and Vehicles. This way you can showcase the different skills it takes to do each different type.
Of these you should pick one that you want to be your center piece model. This can be anything but most likely it will be a Character or a Vehicle. That way you have a focal point. Now you don’t want this to paint this one crazy awesome and the rest look like a base coat, wash, and dry brush. It should be just a step above the rest. If you go way overboard on the center piece and the rest isn’t close to matching it will end up looking like you ran out of time or didn’t want to bother and that will work against you.
Along with your center piece you want to have some conversions. Now they don’t have to be anything crazy but you are going to want to have some models that deviate from the norm of what can be bought off the shelf. It doesn’t hurt either if your center piece model happens to be converted to showcase your modeling and painting skill all at once 😉.
-That’s no moon…”-
I knew I could figure out a way to get in a Star Wars reference 😊. So when it comes to terrain for best results you are going to want to mix and match GW terrain with homemade and kitbash some stuff to show something unique. When it comes to AoP the terrain isn’t just a back drop but it is helping tell the story of whatever your army is or perhaps what you are trying to depict is happening if you are creating a scene. So as an additional player the terrain should compliment your army that means your model’s bases should be based around the board to better blend them to one story. A side not though is that there is no rule saying that you can’t glue your models directly to the board without the use of the game bases but then you will have some extra work removing them later. But back to terrain you want it to be fully painted to better complement your army. You could also have a center piece for terrain as well but isn’t a requirement as terrain is more of a supporting role for your army.
Similar to the earlier though you will want to do some conversion as well whether that is combining some terrain kits or combining GW terrain kits with some homemade, people are coming to AoP to see something they haven’t seen or thought of. So if you can come up with a really cool combination to create something that everyone is like “wow how’d you do that,” then mission accomplished.
Final words on terrain… Height is your friend. There is no height limit to the boards so long as you can transport it and get it in the building. I have found that having some height to the board helps to draw people immediately to your board as they enter. Even after going to look at the other boards they can’t help to come back to yours or notice it and that will keep your fresh in their mind when it comes time voting.
-Loose rounds.-
To start wrapping things up I’m going to go over a few pointers that some probably don’t need to be said but just to reiterate.
Fully paint your models. At a minimum if you want to be competitive you will need to base coat, wash, layer, edge highlights, details, transfers/decals, and completed bases.
Special effects as in lighting, fog, sounds, movement, etc… if you can figure out a way to do it, all mechanisms should be contained within your board and any electoral component should be safe and also self contained and internally powered. So no extension cords running all over creating trip hazards. The reason why I say no external power source even if your local GW manager says it’s ok, it helps to avoid any upset objections from other participants that may say if they would’ve known they would’ve tricked out their board too. So if you can internally figure out a way to power your bells and whistles go for it.
-All good things...-
Well hopefully you have found some of these insights helpful. AoP is a celebration of our hobby and of each persons blood, sweat, tears, and money poured into it and so while it is a “competition” (although maybe not as much this year with multiple winners in multiple categories but we shall see) you should also have fun with it. Use this as a way challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone either way win or loose you will have achieved something (hopefully a fully painted army).
“Keep Calm and Hobby On!” -The Paintmarine