Yesterday we saw the first bit of information about this year's Armies on Parade that will be hosted across the globe at Warhammer and Games Workshop stores. I always enjoy this event and have managed to do quite well in the past few years I was able to participate. Sadly I missed last years competition, but I am planning on returning this year and have already begun looking at what I might bring and what categories I will be chasing. There are plenty of categories for both Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar so there will be plenty of awards to compete for on October 19th.
Before I dive in it is fair to say I have some trepidations though as my local Warhammer store’s recent Everchosen event had a few issues in how the event overall was managed that I won't dive into here. I am hopeful the manager can correct those issues going forward and create a great event for the community to enjoy. With this in mind, let's dive into the event itself and some ideas I am throwing around in my mind.
The event will have separate categories for Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000 for Youngblood, Newcomer, Best Painted, Best Monsters and Machines, Best Scenic Board, and Best Themed Army. I am very happy to see the newer categories added to help encourage younger hobbyists as well as hobbyists who may never have completed for one reason or another. While I was initially unsure about the separation between the game systems for the categories I have come around on the idea as it will help one game system taking over another even when a store might have more players for one over another.
I decided to look at what armies I currently have in some form or another and what new armies I might consider painting. Currently, I have Stormcast, Sylvaneth, Daughters of Khaine, Idoneth Deepkin, Blades of Khorne, and a small Sisters of Battle force all painted up. After listing these out I removed my Stormcast, Sylvaneth, and Sisters of Battle armies as they have all won awards at previous Armies on Parade and Inner Circle competition at the Warhammer store. I also decided to remove my Idoneth as they were commissioned painted and not painted by my own hand. My Blades of Khorne and Daughters of Khaine would both be great to bring and currently my Daughters of Khaine, as you would likely guess, are my current top runners to use.
While having an army already painted that I could use is a good option I do enjoy the idea of creating a brand new army for the competition. I am already planning on a Slaanesh Army for an event this autumn, but while it would align nicely I am not wanting to rush the army and it might not be ready in time. I have also been feeling the 40k itch lately and the idea of repainting my Dark Angels is very strong. I could easily focus on any of the three wings of the chapter or show a nicely displayed mixed force if I took this option. I also have a lot of stored models that are looking likely to represent a nice Cities of Sigmar style army, but without a concrete date for the book, I am not so sure I want to pursue this concept just yet. The last idea that is striking me is painting up a brand new Primaris Space Marine force in the colors of the Blood Angels.
I have plenty of ideas to think through and thankfully plenty of time to decide and get to work. If you are already planning like I am let me know in the comments. It is always a fun event and I have hopes it will go off without issue and I cannot wait to get started. Happy Hobbying.
Chuck Moore