What is Forumware?

Something that I have been delving into more in relation to my hobby projects is forumware. This term defines any small scale independent production of miniatures that are typically used for an existing game system such as Epic Armageddon or Warhammer 40K. If you look hard enough on certain fan forums like Tactical Command (hence the term “forumware”) or individual hobby blogs you will encounter this product. If you can find someone producing their own you can sometimes purchase it for a modest price or alternatively if it’s no longer being produced (like Otterware) then you can sometimes spot it on Ebay going for a hefty price.

 

Forumware Grey Knights for Epic

 

I wanted to show off some of the forumware that I am working on for my Epic Necrons. I recently acquired a Ghost Ark that is being used as a Warbarque in Epic. I have also included a pic of a rare Otterware Obelisk for Necrons. As of the timing of this article you can still purchase the Ghost Arks off of Ebay at a reasonable price.

 

Trolls Ghost Ark

OOP Otterware Obelisk sans corners

 

 

Forumware is the gaming communities’ answer to filling the gap that Games Workshop left after dropping specialist games. Just because specialist games are no longer supported doesn’t mean that you have to resort to the secondary market to build your army. So far the people that I have dealt with when purchasing this product have been reputable and the quality of the miniatures are top notch. If you are looking to purchase some for yourself be patient because the process takes a bit longer than your normal web purchase and be sure to use a paypal account for your transactions just in case the deal turns sour.

Epic Armageddon Project

I have recently had a renewed interest in a classic GW game called Epic. It’s currently supported by the online community after GW decided to pull the plug on supporting their specialist games line. It’s more properly known as NetEpic Armageddon these days.

Funnily enough my interest was rekindled by the Squat race being added back into the rulebook fluff in the 2 most recent editions of Warhammer 40K. I had some old models from second edition in my display case and thought how cool it would be to have an actual list back in Warhammer with all the awesome warmachines that they had available in Epic. I thought it was a long shot if this were to ever occur in 40K, but then I was thinking that it would be fairly easy to get back into Epic and I could run a Squat army in that game.

I did some research online and found that the rulebook is currently free as a .pdf, which is nice because I wanted to avoid have to spend $50.00 on any books (here’s looking at you hard-bound codecies)..... There is also a living army list (it receives updates based on playtest data) that covers a wide variety of Epic scale armies. Some lists are clearly listed as Tournament Ready to Experimental. Although my primary interest was in running a Squat army I was also eyeing some future project armies like Necrons and Dark Elder, “but GW never made those armies!” I can hear you say. That’s correct, but there are other industrious hobbyists out there that have. Keep in mind, GW defends it’s IP seriously. I personally feel it is to their detriment in some situations, but it’s their ‘right’ and some would say ‘obligation’ to do this. Exodus Wars makes Edenite models that make convincing Necron infantry. You can get “death bot” or “space pharaoh” models off of Shapeways for their vehicles. You could event design your own if you are good at 3D modeling. Onslaught Miniatures makes Stygian minis that make convincing Dark Eldar units in Epic. If you would prefer a classic line of Epic minis there is also plenty being listed on Ebay for cheap to average prices.

So in summary, NetEpic Armageddon is:

• Relatively cheap to play. My 2000 points of Squats cost my around 120.00 USD
• Supported by a dedicated group of people on the Tactical Command forum
• Grimdark in theme and designed well rules-wise
• Super easy to paint up

I will be posting my works in progress and would eventually like to see if my community is interested in eventually doing an Epic League/Campaign.

Assembly of my brotherhood warriors

My 40K Squat Warrior paint scheme was transitioned to Epic