Thanqol Learns To Draw Six: Stealing Time

[Thanqol]

I just want to reflect on this feeling I've had ever since I started this 40K hobby three months ago. Specifically, if I was a miniature cartoon pony, I think that this is the feeling I would be having upon discovering my magical butt symbol.

This has been the most consistent and unbroken creative flow I've ever had. For three months I've spent minimum two hours every night painting, usually more. For a while I was so deep in the flow that I was actually endangering my health and making myself sick and I've had to deliberately pull myself back to a more restrained schedule. But even then, at 10 each night when I'm about to turn in, I find myself looking over at my art desk and thinking 'I should touch up that white'.

I've got a diverse range of interests - history, art, strategy, optimization calculations, roleplaying, writing, small group socialization, trashy sci fi pulp - and they're all finding expression here simultaneously. It almost feels like I've been watching professional StarCraft for the last five years because the understanding I was developing of tactics and unit movement would help me in Warhammer. It feels that my entire art thread to this point was just to build up skills and fundamentals so that I could execute my visions properly on the plastic - and so that I'd forge the relentless determination to art every day.

I've relentlessly had the problem with digital art that I have always hated all my brushes, that I didn't want to put in the hours of effort fiddling with unknowable opacity and texture sliders to try and just get a damn pencil. If you go back through my drawthreads you'll see dozens of posts of me whining about this. With that problem lifted from me there's nothing keeping me from the raw crystal flowstate. With my living room designed to perfectly support my creative process there are no distractions or reasons to not be in the flow. All the problems I've had with 'how' are either settled or solvable. Now it's a clean line between vision and execution and I'm not sure anything's ever felt as good.

I'm aware as anyone of the importance of tattooing 'this too shall pass' on one's buttocks but in three months the sensation hasn't even showed the hint of fading. It's been my dream since I was six to play Warhammer but I legit had no idea it would connect with me on this many different levels. Bless this big dumb setting.

(Incidentally, I'm actually glad I didn't get into it earlier than I did. I simply wouldn't have had the mental, physical and financial infrastructure to do what I have been doing before now - and also, I seem to have dodged the worst of Games Workshop's evil phase.)

I've been working on getting Africa together, and I've noticed a couple of peculiarities regarding their Bonuses.

This is always on Tier 1. Should this also always have the Ban keyword?

Um, yes.

The Tier 2 bonus here is identical to slapping the Ban keyword on Rogue Nukes. It makes for an underwhelming Tier 2.

Good point, add Output: Agent

This doesn't seem to be any different than just giving them the associated Bonuses. Am I missing something?

It's just flavour text, you're right.

Hot dang. That...is a game on a mind-bogglingly huge scale. I didn't even know they got that big.

Neither did I! That Imperator was the size of a large dog!