REC.GAMES.MINIATURES.WARHAMMER
Newsgroup Frequently Asked Questions, last updated 9th February 1999
Updates history:
Index:
Welcome to the r.g.m.w. FAQ:
This FAQ is designed to introduce you to the Usenet newsgroup rec.games.miniatures.warhammer. It provides you with information about this newsgroup, its place in the rec.games.miniatures.* hierarchy, and gives you pointers to other sources of material about specific game systems in the Warhammer universe. Even experienced users should find this FAQ useful for reference purposes.
The rec.games.miniatures.warhammer newsgroup passed its vote for creation by 318:30 as reported in news.announce.newgroups on 29 May 1995. The newsgroup charter, culled from the call for votes:
Rec.games.miniatures.warhammer shall be an unmoderated recreational newsgroup devoted to the discussion of various fantasy and science-fiction miniatures games set in the "Warhammer" universe, including but not limited to such games as Warhammer Fantasy Battles (WFB), Warhammer 40000 (40K) and Man o' War (MOW).
Note that rec.games.miniatures.warhammer is an unmoderated newsgroup. This means that your posts are not vetted or controlled in any way - you can effectively say what you like. However, please try to be a mature and responsible member of the newsgroup. Read the sections 'Some Guidance on Posting' and 'The Usenet Evil Twin' below for more detail.
Questions and answers about rules interpretations and errata are beyond the scope of this FAQ. The Games Workshop web site contains on-line FAQ's for many of the games set in the Warhammer universe.
If you wish to circulate binaries (e.g. pictures) the best etiquette is to simply make them available on an ftp or www site, and post a note about where to find your binaries. This is not a binaries group.
The r.g.m.w. FAQ was originally assembled by T. Jordan "Greywolf" Peacock in May 1995. Since September 1995 it has been maintained by Andy Sheppard [andy@sheppard.demon.co.uk], who is not a moderator of any sort, without any authority (or desire!) to dictate what anyone may or may not do on this newsgroup.
The other r.g.m.* newsgroups:
At the time of writing, there are two other r.g.m.* newsgroups at this step in the hierarchy: rec.games.miniatures.historical and rec.games.miniatures.misc. r.g.m.historical deals with the discussion of historical/modern tabletop games, and related issues. r.g.m.misc is a "catch-all" miniatures group that covers topics that are not more specifically covered by r.g.m.historical or r.g.m.warhammer, including discussion of various non-Warhammer sci-fi and fantasy game systems, and technical discussions (such as painting, sculpting, molding, storage, etc.) that do not pertain to any particular game system.
At this writing, there is no miniatures "marketplace" newsgroup. Therefore, any for sale/trade posts should be posted on the appropriate sub-group. Cross-posting to multiple sub-groups (i.e. to all of the r.g.m.* newsgroups at once) is not acceptable. If your post does not pertain to either the Warhammer universe or historical gaming, then the ".misc" group would be your best bet. Until a proper "marketplace" group is established, commercial posts would be acceptable so long as they pertain to the topic at hand. You should nor post ads for collectible card games, video games, "get rich quick" schemes, etc. to any of the r.g.m.* newsgroups.
Other potentially relevant newsgroups:
For some of the games that are covered by this newsgroup, the following are just a few suggestions of other newsgroups you might want to check out if you do not find enough discussion of your topic of choice here. This information may be somewhat "dated", as threads come and go.
Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play - this game was previously discontinued by Games Workshop, but has been licensed to and revived by Hogshead Publishing. For more information about this game, send queries to:
Furthermore, since this group is mostly dominated by wargames, an alternate newsgroup you might consider for discussion about WFRP would be rec.games.frp.misc, where role-playing games (and role-playing topics) are continually discussed.
Warhammer Quest - this was Games Workshop's replacement for Advanced HeroQuest, and can either be played as a board game or as a role-playing game. Hence, discussion threads for this game have appeared on both rec.games.board and rec.games.frp.misc.
Blood Bowl - this game is often discussed (at the time of writing) on rec.games.board.
Talisman - this game is also discussed on rec.games.board, where a Talisman FAQ is also maintained.
Some guidance on posting:
There are a few key points about posting to newsgroups that you should be aware of. It is worth mentioning that this is only guidance (at the end of the day, you can do what you like!), but a little sensitivity will help you to become a popular and productive member of this newsgroup. Etiquette is what separates us from mere beasts!
Do:
Don't:
This isn't an exhaustive list of the things that you should and shouldn't do, and it is worth reminding you that ultimately you are free to do whatever you want. You are answerable only to yourself.
The Usenet Evil Twin:
This section started life as a bit of a joke, but it is too close to the truth for comfort. Still, try to see the funny side.
Usenet newsgroups seem to give rise to a strange psychological phenomenon - the Usenet Evil Twin. This is the "persona" that some people assume while they are on-line or in their messages.
In real life, most of us are probably reasonably friendly, polite and responsible. If we aren't, nobody will like us. We'll have no friends and nobody will talk or listen to us. We can't stand in front of people and be really rude or obnoxious, or they may take offence, drag us outside and give us a good hiding (unless we're too big, in which case everyone will hate us, avoid us and call us names when we're not around).
Because of this, we conform to certain behavioural standards. We don't want everyone to dislike us, or think that we are a sarcastic idiot. We want other people to socialise with us, to listen to us, to respect us and our views. To get this respect (and to avoid regular fist fights) we behave in an acceptable manner. In real life.
On Usenet, things are different. Nobody can see us. We can use a false name, or several e-mail accounts. We can say what we like, and damn the consequences. Nobody can find us, let alone punish us for our stupidity. We will never even meet most of the people we speak to.
In certain people, this can lead to Usenet Evil Twin syndrome. They adopt a different persona for their Usenet life. This alternative character is not restricted by the rules that apply to real life. He (or she) can be a complete ass, and usually is. In effect, they let their Evil Twin out. Without the normal behavioural constraints imposed by proper contact with normal people, they become something else - a bizarre, often caustic or abusive version of their real self. The temptation to behave badly is great, and they lack either the willpower or the maturity to resist it.
How to spot a Usenet Evil Twin:
Fortunately, they are pretty easy to spot. Here are four of the best clues:
You will come across the occasional Usenet Evil Twin on the r.g.m.w. newsgroup. Remember, the cruellest (and best) thing you can do is ignore them. That is what would happen if they behaved the way they do in real life. If you totally ignore them, they have to start behaving properly in order to be involved. They will either change their behaviour, or drift off into obscurity because nobody will talk to them. And good riddance.
Finally, don't be a UET yourself. Ask yourself what you are like in real life. If you aren't a worthless peasant in real life, don't be one on Usenet.
Subject line abbreviations listing:
The subject line abbreviations (SLA's) listed below are an important part of the r.g.m.w. newsgroup. The SLA's allow you to "tag" your posts in order to let people know which game they refer to.
Rec.games.miniatures.warhammer covers a large number of games set in the Warhammer universe. Some concepts (e.g. Shooting or Victory Points) or armies (e.g. Chaos) exist in more than one of the game systems discussed on this newsgroup. If you title your post "Fighting Daemons", nobody can tell from your subject line which game you are refering to because Daemons appear in both WFB and 40K.
Some players may be interested in WFB, for instance, but have no interest in 40K. If you post a question about "Chaos" or "Juggernauts", which exist in both games but are handled differently in each, you need to make your audience aware of which game you want to talk about. This is where the subject line abbreviations come in.
All you need to do is start the subject line of your post with the appropriate SLA from the list given below.
Games:
Companies:
Miscellaneous Other Abbreviations Sometimes Used:
Here are some examples of subjects that have been tagged correctly:
| Daemonic Saves | Chaos Army, please comment |
| Working out victory points | Choosing a target |
| Campaign rules? | Saving throws |
Think about these sample headers; without the SLA at the start, nobody would have the faintest idea what game your message talks about!
It is very useful if readers of the newsgroup can tell at a glance which game you are trying to discuss. This helps people identify the posts that interest them (and the ones that don't!) and it attracts these interested parties to your message because they can see that they want to read it.
In addition, you can use your kill-file to filter out the posts that don't interest you by entering the SLA's into it. For example, if you only play WFB you could instruct your kill-file to remove all messages beginning [40K] and avoid seeing all of these posts.
Please note that the square brackets ( [ ] ) around each SLA are important. They help to avoid ambiguities. For example, if you set your kill-file to weed out "*SM*" for "Space Marine", you could end up blocking subjects like "Small Figures", "Painting Smiles", "Abysmal Tactics" or "Smile When You Say That", because these headers all have "sm" in them somewhere. Including the brackets allows you to specify "*[SM]*" in your kill-file, eliminating any posts on the game Space Marine (provided the poster bothered to use the correct abbreviation!) but retaining all of the other examples given above.
Note that for the prefix system to work properly it is vital that everyone uses the same abbreviations. A kill-file which has been instructed to search for [NEC] will not find NEC: or [NM] (two of the more common "alternative" prefixes for Necromunda). A full list of prefixes is included above, for your convenience.
If you need more help please e-mail me directly.
Note that this group is not moderated in any way, and that these conventions are not being imposed on you. However they do allow you to demonstrate your consideration for other users, who may have to pay for the privelidge of downloading threads that are of no interest to them.
You have every right to express your opinions on this newsgroup, but no real right to impose them forcibly on people who don't want to read them. Please be considerate - use the prefixes in your subject line.
Splitting the newgroup:
About once every three to six months someone posts a suggestion that involves r.g.m.w. being split into several sub-groups (typical examples include r.g.m.w.40K and r.g.m.w.fantasy, but the list is often slightly different each time).
Lively debate on this issue rapidly declines into flame wars (people insulting each other over differences in opinion). The flames persist for about a month or so then things gradually return to normal. The newsgroup does not split.
If you are new to this newsgroup, please be aware of the following:
I don't want to read about [the game I don't play] so we should split those posts off so I don't have to see them.
I play all of the games and I don't want to have to trawl through at least twice as many newsgroups.
The traffic to the existing group is not high enough to justify a split (debatable, but technically true at the time of writing).
Two newsgroups would cause twice as much spam (you have heard of RAM Doublers, a newsgroup split is a potential SPAM Doubler).
Improper crossposting would mean some messages (like auctions) would appear in all of the new newsgroups. If you don't like seeing a certain type of post once, think how much you'd hate seeing it several times.
If you don't want see posts relating to a particular game system, use the Subject Line Abbreviations (SLA's) listed in this FAQ when you post, and encourage others to do the same. Add the SLA's for the games you don't play to your kill-file and you won't see them. See the appropriate section of this FAQ for more details.
Other frequently posted threads:
There are a number of other threads (topics) that crop up on r.g.m.w. fairly regularly. Most long-term readers will have seen these threads at least once, sometimes considerably more than once. When a thread has been discussed at length (possibly recently), people won't want to discuss it again, for a while at least.
As a new r.g.m.w. reader it would be very helpful to know whether a certain topic has been beaten to death in the recent past. Fortunately, someone has gone to the trouble of listing all of the frequently posted threads for you, so you can appraise yourself of these before you post. The FPT (Frequently Posted Threads) list is maintained by Ryan P. Arndt at:
http://www.trail.com/~moebius/faq.html
Common abbreviations found within messages:
Lots of posters make use of abbreviations when they post to the newsgroup. For your convenience, some of the more common abbreviations are listed below:
Glossary of other terms:
The following are various terms which may be seen in posts on this group which have particular relevance to miniatures and sometimes to Warhammer gaming in particular.
beardy : A word which has started to crop up in the Citadel Journal (GW's "other" magazine, published bi-monthly) with a similar meaning to "cheese" below. A "beardy" player is more interested in winning at any cost than observing such niceties as background material and game balance.
You may also see "beardy" used on the newsgroup in a different context. Some use "beardy" to describe an older player who has been in the game for many years. Players who have been in the game for many years often also possess "Gamer Rewards" in addition to their long grey beards. These Gamer Rewards work similarly to Chaos Rewards and include things like "Magnificent Gut" and that old favourite "Miasma of Stale Sweat". An older gamer is not obliged to take these rewards though, so not all mature players will have them.
bitz : "Spare bitz" refer to spare, alternate parts provided with some miniatures kits (such as the old Skeleton Army pack), or which are left over after conversions. A collection of such spare piece kept on hand for customization of miniatures is often known as a "bitz box". (Or a "bits box", for those who prefer to avoid Orky spelling conventions.)
cheese : This is a derogatory term of frequently argued definition that generally refers to tactics or troop selections by an opponent which are considered unfairly advantageous. It is also applied as a criticism of game systems that allow certain combinations (such as special characters with lots of powerful magic items) that are alleged to encourage such behavior.
kitbash : The process of "kitbashing" generally refers to the practice of taking pieces from various different miniatures and recombining them in order to make a customized model. This term is sometimes more generally applied to other modifications to a model, such as blending out certain details, or adding new ones with putty. Perhaps the most common "kitbash" procedure is simply to replace a model's weapon with a different one.
munchkin : This is a derogatory term of frequently argued definition that usually has more application to role-playing games than wargames. In the context of wargames, it is usually closely related to "cheese", applied usually in the context of the practice of sinking resources into immensely powerful special characters with special monsters, special magic items, etc., rather than regular troops. (With this sort of outlook, it is possible that Conan the Barbarian was a "munchkin". :-) )
Other FAQ's:
There are a number of additional FAQ's that may interest readers (including a scenery/terrain FAQ) on the web at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/5177/
Addresses for Games Workshop:
Games Workshop has a well-developed and fully-featured WWW site. You can find it at
An incomplete list of WWW sites run by enthusiasts is given below.
Tim Huckelbery, GWUS's Customer Services person, can be reached at:
custserv.games-workshop.com (rather than tyranid@aol.com)
or by leaving a message in the newsgroup and hoping (!) that he sees it. Add something like "Attn: Tim H" to the header if you want it to be noticed.
He can also be reached on 1-800-492-8820, where they also handle rule and product queries.
For normal mail, the addresses for Games Workshop US and UK are:
and
GWUK Mail Order:
Phone +44 115 91 40000 / Fax +44 115 91 68002
Other Useful Addresses:
The following companies have all made resin models of Epic vehicles in 40K scale. At the time of writing only Armorcast holds a current licence from GW to make these vehicles (although their license expires shortly) and their resin kits are not available for export from the USA.
ARMORCAST Tim DuPertuis, David Garton PO Box 14485, Santa Rosa CA 95402-6485 (707) 576-1619 Voice / (707) 571-7719 Fax timdp@armorcast.com (Tim Dupertuis) http://www.armorcast.com
EPICAST 1495 Quail Valley Run, Oakley CA 94561-3425 (510) 625-5862 http://www.epicast.com
Both companies make resin terrain suitable for many game systems.
Submitting rules questions to GWUK via the Internet:
Many of the questions that are eventually published in the Q&A pages of White Dwarf have come from members of the Internet community.
Recogising that the potential number of rules questions arising from this newsgroup alone could be rather large (!), GWUK have enlisted the assistance of several people who act as a focal point for questions regarding one or more game systems.
These people collate the questions that are submitted, provide an instant answer to any that have been raised (and answered) before, eliminate duplicates then forward those questions that are left to GWUK for an "official" response. Although the answers are not officially official (!?) until they appear in White Dwarf the answers received rarely change before they make their way into the magazine.
If you would like to submit a question, e-mail it to the appropriate person listed below. Please ensure that you put the name of the game system that the question relates to (e.g. 40K) in the header of your message, and try to phrase your question in a manner that allows a short answer (preferably Yes or No).
For questions regarding WH: sage@gil.com.au (replacing Todd Sheldon who has "retired")
For questions regarding 40K: rules_40k@yahoo.com (Devin Smith).
You may also e-mail questions to GWUS directly using the following address: roolzboyz@games-workshop.com
Warhammer-related WWW addresses:
This section details some of the additional web sites that you might like to visit if you are a fan of one of the games covered by this newsgroup. I have pruned this list right down because it is so difficult to keep up-to-date.
The following web sites make it their business to include links to many, many, many others. Visit one or both of these, and you should be able to find plenty of other sites to visit:
The Games Workshop Gateway by Kaare Rud Flarup, with links to
many others
http://www.cybernet.dk/users/flarup/gateway.html
The Ultimate Games Workshop Links, also with links to many
other sites
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Battlefield/6003/index.html
The following URL's are aften asked for on the newsgroup, so they are repeated here for your convenience:
Portent
http://www.portent.net/
Mailing Lists:
There are a number of mailing lists that cover the various games set in the Warhammer universes. This section is intended to help you identify and join any mailing lists that may interest you.
Important: the mailing lists are generally not like the newsgroup. They are set up and run by enthusiasts, normally at their own expense in terms of time and money. As a result the person running the mailing list will often define a set of rules or a code of conduct for those wishing to join the list, and these rules are rarely negotiable! If you violate the rules the list maintainer can and will suspend your posting privelidges or kick you off of the list entirely. For this reason it is very important that you appraise yourself of the rules for the list you are joining (they normally arrive as your first message from the mailing list) and observe them for as long as you want to remain a subscriber.
At this point you may be wondering why you would want to subscribe to a mailing list if it has lots of rules and you can't always say exactly what you'd like. The answer is that most mailing lists enjoy a much better signal to noise ratio than the newsgroup. Signal to noise ratio broadly means how much drivel (noise) you have to wade through to find each pearl of wisdom (signal), and at times the signal to noise ratio on the newsgroup can be extremely poor. The mailing lists tend to be more focused and relevant. If in doubt, try one and see!
Some lists offer a digest mode as well as an ordinary mail mode. If you subscribe to the ordinary mail mode every posting to the mailing list will be sent on to your mailbox. This can mean that you receive dozens (possibly hundreds!) of e-mails from the list each day, something that you need to be a bit wary of if you share a mailbox with someone else. The digest mode "bundles" groups of messages together and sends them out at regular intervals. Each digest might contain ten or more individual messages, making it easier to manage your mailbox. The choice is yours, but choose wisely.
I have listed below the mailing lists that I am aware
of. If you run a list and would like it added, please
e-mail me.
40K List (igcom.net)
| To subscribe to: | Send an e-mail to: | Message: |
| MAIL mode | 40k-list-request@igcom.net | subscribe |
| DIGEST mode | 40k-digest-request@igcom.net | subscribe |
Warhammer List (direwolf.com) - Please note: I am led to
believe that this list may be closing soon.
| To subscribe to: | Send an e-mail to: | Message: |
| MAIL mode | Majordomo@direwolf.com | subscribe warhammerfb |
| DIGEST mode | Majordomo@direwolf.com | subscribe warhammerfb-digest |
Epic List (acc.umu.se)
| To subscribe to: | Send an e-mail to: | Message: |
| MAIL mode | subscribe-epic@egroups.com | subscribe space-marine [your e-mail address] |
| or see http://www.egroups.com/list/epic/ for on-line subscription instructions. | ||
Bloodbowl List (cs.utk.edu)
| To subscribe to: | Send an e-mail to: | Message: |
| MAIL mode | Owner-bbowl-l@cs.utk.edu | subscribe |
You should then be contacted by the mailing list and told what to do next. Most of the lists send detailed instructions on how to use the list (including how to unsubscribe) and I would strongly recommend that you save these instructions somewhere for future reference.