Do painted models play better?

[Blusox69]

It sounds like a daft question, but I was wondering if you feel like you play better with models you have taken the time to paint? Or do you tend to "look after" and play more thoughtfully the models you have put a lot of time in to painting during a game?

I'm not great at painting miniatures, but because I started airbrushing model planes when I was 6 or 7 back in the 80's I'm now awesome at vehicles as some of the younger players at my club tell me. I also sell a few of my pieces regularly so I guess I must be okay. For stuff I intend to keep I often spend weeks masking, airbrushing, stenciling, highlighting etc until I get it just right and as a result I feel I play those units more carefully and thoughtfully. I've never fielded a purely undercoated vehicle/suit/mini so can't really compare, but there are a few players in my club who field what I can only describe half mangled pieces of GW plastic that look like they used a paintball gun to paint, or in some cases have been unbelievably badly undercoated with a black or white spray can. More often than not these players lose quite badly compared to similar armies that have been painted. It's not about the quality or skill of the painting, but that the player has put time on their models

[PaD]

Of course painted figures perform better!* EVERYONE knows that!! :)



*unless it is thier first game - in which case they will suck!

[DrLove42]

Of course painted figures perform better!* EVERYONE knows that!! :)



*unless it is thier first game - in which case they will suck!

This. Absolute truth.

They work better if you talk to them, and if you give them names sometimes to. Berate them when they screw up and praise their successes.

[isotope99]

A really extravagant model however can become a fire magnet that you opponent takes pleasure in destroying before it gets to fire a shot (stupid warhound titan :( )

[Cap'nSmurfs]

Don't know if they play better, but models painted even to a basic standard look about 95,000 times better than grey plastic. :)

[Cpt Codpiece]

its just the same as new model syndrome, and converted bullet magnets...

whenever you plonk a new model, fresh painted squad or your new conversion down on the table EVERY shot that may wound/damage/kill, WILL!

my friend and i had a little game a while back, neither of the armies were fully painted BA v orks... but my friend has a new dread... and he was just twitching to get it into action..... 2nd turn my plaslas razorback one shots it with the lascannon LOL in fairness though he did wipe my bikes out in one turn too (my new unit)

[Tyrendian]

This. Absolute truth.

They work better if you talk to them, and if you give them names sometimes to. Berate them when they screw up and praise their successes.

yep - talking to them definitely works! Had one game against IG where his Heavy Weapon squads didn't hit anything for three turns in a row. He threatened to have them executed for cowardice and incompetence, put a spare Commissar with the perfect pose (gun drawn, other hand behind his back - you know the one) behind them to emphasize his point - and they promptly blew up one of my tanks next turn... (we even agreed the squad would get a single re-roll for the turn because of the Commissar, but should they fail again he would carry out his threat and execute one of the teams... guess it worked^^)

[Wolfshade]

This. Absolute truth.

They work better if you talk to them, and if you give them names sometimes to. Berate them when they screw up and praise their successes.

That is not the case, Frank the Missile-Man is an abosulte boob. He has failed to hit Valkryies, Monoliths, Tyrannofex and a LBT while being stood 1" away.

If you need a target hitting, Frank is not your man. He could miss the broadside of a barn.


I do think playing with (nicely) painted minatures on a proper board helps forge the narrative, in my group, the partially painted or badly painted are taken as casulaties first, or swapped over with a better painted..

[Learn2Eel]

I've found that, particularly with Tyranids, the better they are painted, the scarier they are to face. My buddy has an awesome looking fully painted Tyranid army, and people simply lose their minds against it.

[jifel]

Based on my research, there is quite a bell curve on the army, on how well they perform based on how well they are painted compared to the rest of your army. Lets say you have a normal, tabletop standard army. If you add an unpainted unit, it is guaranteed to suck, roll poorly and die inexplicably. On the other side of the curve, if you put lavish detail and attention onto a single model compared to your otherwise normal army, that one unit will go down like a chump for the first few games. Fortunately, "newly painted shiny model" syndrome has been demonstrated to wear off after time, while "grey ugly model" syndrome requires drastic measures to cure. Like painting.

Tl;dr: Paint all your models, and you will play better. True story.

[lattd]

My newly painted models win their first match then rest on their laurels and get beaten the next game :/

[Chaoschrist]

Well, for one I enjoy my games more playing with and against painted models (and probably to some standard even), as well as a nice table with beautiful scenery... so perhaps that enjoyment adds more excitement and makes it more immersive.

I don't know if I'd play better if they're not painted. Hard to tell since I can't recreate the exact circumstances with unpainted models when I had my last battle.

[Blackcloud6]

I think it makes the game more enjoyable if all the units are painted. I tend to play better if I am enjoying the game. However, I do think there is an inverse proportion of how long it takes to paint a model as to how long it survives on the battlefield. ;)

[SotonShades]

Mine have a nasty habit of failing regardless of if they are painted or not... actually that could just be me. I certainly enjoy playing with fully painted armies more.

NMS (New model syndrome) is definitely a thing though, particularly for vehicles. I cannot tell you how many time I have put a new unit on the board, only for it to be killed before even getting a chance to move, or attacking something to only get missed hits and fail wound/penetration rolls. The absolute pinnacle of this was the first time I used my Warlord titan. It got assaulted on turn 1 by an Ork Stompa, who promptly took of all 9 structure points and caused it to go Apocolyptic, resulting in a 34" out of a possibly 36" explosion. On the brightside it did wipe everything off the board, bar a Chaos Doomsday device.

[Finnegan]

That is not the case, Frank the Missile-Man is an abosulte boob. He has failed to hit Valkryies, Monoliths, Tyrannofex and a LBT while being stood 1" away.

If you need a target hitting, Frank is not your man. He could miss the broadside of a barn.


Yup. My friend has "Dude with Lascannon" - an Ultramarine in one of his tactical squads. He always misses (or fails penetration rolls). It's hilarious.

Newly paited models usually do nothing in their first battle (apart of dying in most spectacular ways) but there are exceptions, and those exceptions will be remembered forever.
Few years ago we played one of our cyclic "Battle Royale" (basically an Apocalypse game, usually 6-10K per side, but without Strategic Assets rules). We knew that our adversaries will use Stompa and I've promised myself that my newly painted Fire Dragons (until then I've borrowed them from one of my friends) will hunt it down (of course we all were laughing about it - everyone knew "newly painted model syndrome" ;) ).

We've held Dragons in Wave Serpent, waiting for Stompa to close in, but unfortunately, in second turn we had to destroy somehow an Ork Battlewagon that was threatening some our units with Death Rolla. We've tried to destroy it with other units but we've failed and in the end Fire Dragons were only option left. They've done it nicely but it seemed that they will be anihillated in next turn, there was so many enemy units in vicinity.
For the rest of our turn, we were trying to save them. We've killed the Warboss with lucky three shots from four Pathfinders, we've also managed to tie in close combat few Ork units, but could not held them all. Fire Dragons were finally charged by some Kommandos and few boyz, but they stood their ground. For next two turns(!) Dragons fought(died) bravely and valiantly, until few allied Space Marines slew the orcs, but then only Exarch stood alive.
And it in this final hour it was the Exarch, who raised his Firepike and shot at the Ork Stompa.
And he missed it, rolling 1 :p
Then, our opponents made their greatest mistake in that battle - they've ignored the lonely Exarch, concentrating their wrath on greater threats.
In next turn the Exarch moved toward the Stompa (I wanted him to be able to charge and do some more damage with his Meltabomb) and shoot again. This time 6s rolled like a rain and Chain Reaction occured. Stompa lost 2SP from a single shot and exploded in apocaliptic blast (3D6'', S9 AP2), decimating enemy units along with key building held by their troops. The battle was won.
And the Exarch? He was caught in explosion but he managed to survive the blast (one rolled to wound him) :cool:.
Thus ended the first battle for my newly painted Fire Dragons.



TL;DR: paint your models, and you will always remember when they will do something spectacular in their first battle :)

[Allen Broussard]

not all my stuff is painted and i loose alot, but i think it has more to do with the fact that i tend to tell my opponents how to beat me during the game.

[DarkLink]

Newly paited models usually do nothing in their first battle (apart of dying in most spectacular ways) but there are exceptions, and those exceptions will be remembered forever.

First time I ever played my painted Dreadknight, he punched Mephiston to death.

[Bigred]

Of course you and the models play better when they are painted.

I present people's exibit A: IG Guardman Private 1st Class Rico Suave
4250

Rico's squad was recruited from the gangs of Necromunda and over ten years ago, Rico singlehandedly stopped an Eldar advance upon his position, breaking the back of the xenos battleplan. Rico's squad was deployed on highground in a wooded area overlooking a prime route of advance. The xenos scum focused heavy shuriken firepower on his squad leaving only Rico alive.

Over the next three minutes (turns) Rico held his position and singlehandedly destroyed 2 Wave Serpents, and their aspect warrior passengers, and laid low the xenos leader identified by Imperial Strategos as "Jain Zar". he now proudly wears two Alaitoc sword icons stitched into his Necromundan vest.

These days, Rico hangs out with his plasma rifle in IG Command Squads - he's earned it. He's also unnaturally lucky with that plasma!

[Alex the Everchosen]

Painted figures die faster, because it means that the models you spent hours on will die first turn, and the sh*t you primed and put 3 colours on will survive till the bitter end...

[mearn4d10]

I feel that the pride in having a painted army on the table leads to a generally more thoughtful, involves sense of play and the field of battle. I do tend to name my 'generic' HQ's, notable figures, and tanks as soon as they're painted. All of my Warmahordes TrollBeasts have names lovingly added to their bases as the last step before sealing. It's fluff-ish and slightly silly... but we ARE playing with metal an plastic soldiers, after all.

“There’s no point in being grown up if you can’t act a little childish sometimes.” - Tom Baker, the Fourth Doctor

[Lord Commissar Wolf]

Of course painted figures perform better!* EVERYONE knows that!! :)



*unless it is thier first game - in which case they will suck!

I just used a Dark Angels Drop Pod for the first time in a game. Got me Linebreaker, won me the game. Wasn't even fully painted up yet!

[sukigod]

Of course painted figures perform better!* EVERYONE knows that!! :)



*unless it is thier first game - in which case they will suck!

This.

[Crazy Jedi]

All of my fully painted models have done way better than my unpainted ones, except for Brother Cornelius, my Dark Angel venerable dreadnought, who has managed to kill off, 3 tau drones, 1 fire warrior, 1 possessed, and 1 chosen, over the course of 7 games.

[TheyStoleMyName!]

Took out my Eldar for the first time in the new book with a brand new spray based Crimson Hunter Exarch. Long story short, the majority of my army performed very well (they've been painted for 10+ years), but the unpainted hunter exarch managed to miss 6 of 12 shots he took in the game despite having BS5.....

[Kawauso]

Of course they do!
It's a scientific fact!*




*Citation needed.

[Kamin_Majere]

I dont know about playing better, but it certainly hurts a lot more when your brand new painted unit gets destroyed. Now that i have a little more time i find i can get units painted now (more so than before) but i know it really sucks to get that next squad done and watch as my opponent gleefully destroys them just because of the new paint scheme :p

But play better or not the more of my army i get painted up the better i feel about it :)

[lobster-overlord]

Sgt Ardopholus Rambanar is my case for my vote of YES.

In the summer of 1996, while in college, we were playing Star Wars RPG. We were using the miniatures battles rules for certain events to play them out. We were using a painted Star Trek runabout, some LEGO base plates for the tarmac, an AMT Falcon kit and the minis. Very few were painted, but my one biker scout was completely painted and based.

I as the GM was running the Imperials and left the scenario up to the actual rules of the miniatures game and figured i would base the rest of the adventure on the outcome of this game. This one lone biker scout ended up neutralizing a majority of the party and managed to keep them from obtaining their objective (to steal the runabout or some such...) This one scout got promoted and made his way up as a major antagonist for the remainder of the campaign, and even developed into a major character side store for the 2 tie in campaigns that would be run through the summers of 2001 and 2008. (He ended up being a cloned version of one of the party members from the 3rd campaign who was a main NPC associate of the members of that first campaign in 1996).

So yes, painting a miniature fully helps bring out his inherent abilities as a character :-)

John M>

[Asuryan]

this is probably going to sound like trolling, but i just don't understand how people need a painted model/unit to think about the best way to use said model/unit. i don't bother painting my stuff unless i think it's good already and i think i will be fielding it more often, because yes i do like the aesthetics of a fully painted unit/army but my dice won't magically get better if i have that.

You know what will make my models play better and my dice roll hotter? Loaded dice

[TalismanOfVaul]

Personally, I don't think painted armies influence dice roll probabilities (unless its Ork Go Fasta Red...) but if you take time and effort to paint them, I think you feel more invested in them and almost demand they perform well, as to reward your time and effort :)

A friend of mine has a fully painted Dark Angel army and 9/10 times, his Plasma Cannon/Plasma Gun marines roll 1s and fail their save. I don't recall this problem when they were unpainted (same '1s roll to hit' problem with his Necromunda Goliath leader with melta gun).

As a aside, I wonder if proxy models perform better than official ones?

[Mystery.Shadow]

A new 40k player once asked me about Target Priority. Of course I told him to shoot the ones with big swords and close-combat those with big guns!

But the best advice is: Kill the well painted ones first.....

[henrythesecond]

yep - talking to them definitely works! Had one game against IG where his Heavy Weapon squads didn't hit anything for three turns in a row. He threatened to have them executed for cowardice and incompetence, put a spare Commissar with the perfect pose (gun drawn, other hand behind his back - you know the one) behind them to emphasize his point - and they promptly blew up one of my tanks next turn... (we even agreed the squad would get a single re-roll for the turn because of the Commissar, but should they fail again he would carry out his threat and execute one of the teams... guess it worked^^)

Lovin' the on-the-fly house rules. That's how this whole narrative, cinematic sandbox that is 6th Ed 40k is supposed to be played!

Just my opinion of course. I do recognise the right of individuals to play 40k in a dry, up-tight, power-gaming, competitive way if they so choose...

[hawkdiver]

Mak the player feel better about his or her army.. you care for your models more and try no to let them die.

[chicop76]

Interesting enough I have a badly painted model do really well. I was bored and slapped on paint on him. Well it did way better than the base coated riptide.

[Pssyche]

I've never fielded an unpainted model in my life, so I wouldn't know.

[bluepowerade]

All my painted models perform better, except for some of my favorite, them being plasma guys. I got this cool plasma effect on them, but apparently I painted it with too much power as they seem to cook themselves off a lot... I even used a SM command squad with them and a divination dark angels librarian and I still rolled two 1's, failed my armor saves, then failed my feel no pain....

But other than that I think my painted models always do so much better because whenever a painted model dies he replaces a random base coated model. They seem to live forever! :)

[JMichael]

Having painted army certainly makes me feel better!
But like many other's said, the newly painted one that your opponent is showcasing around the room...must die first!
Last week my enemy was showing off his Skarbrand conversion. Painted and very proud of it...So after my Eldar killed the 1st Flying Daemon Prince, Skarbrand came on, and promptly died as well!

[Rissan4ever]

I've never fielded an unpainted model in my life, so I wouldn't know.
You should try it sometime. C'mon, live dangerously! :)

[Popsical]

Ive never done it either. I cant bring myself to field sprue coloured or base coated figs.
The whole point of wargaming as a hobby is to paint an army and fight pretty toy soldier battles.
Why bother otherwise?
Non painted figs put me off gaming, id rather not play that game. Id go paint instead.

[Wolfshade]

You should try it sometime. C'mon, live dangerously! :)

They aren't unpainted, there colour scheme is gray, or they have suffered extreme damage so the techpriests haven't had time to paint it...

[Psychosplodge]

They're not base coated they're Relictors...

[Pssyche]

You should try it sometime. C'mon, live dangerously! :)


With approaching 18,000 Points of fully painted and based Eldar, it's much to late in the day to start doing that, I'm afraid...

[Dave Mcturk]

forget talking to the plastic men... talk to the dice gods !

[flum40]

The longer it takes to paint your model the quicker it will be eliminated from the field of battle! (this seems to be the case most times)

[Cactus]

I've never fielded an unpainted model in my life, so I wouldn't know.

You should put on a monocle after you say something like that.

[Da Gargoyle]

I sort of have an exception to the rule on that point. I have to visualise the colour scheme on the models before I can paint. So for a long while my Eldar pathfinders were simply base coated in black. Thing was it made them hard to see, especially in city scapes and they inevitably finished the game in 1 piece. Damage to the enemy was minimal but they held their objective.

[burad]

As someone who painted and played mostly historical miniatures for 35 years before getting into 40k, I won't put a unit on the table that isn't fully painted. It doesn't feel like it's 'my' unit if it's not painted, it's just plastic.

[Brass Scorpion]

The whole point of playing miniatures games is for the look of all the painted models isn't it? For me the fun is seeing two (or more) painted armies moving around in painted scenery, creating a diorama that changes from turn to turn.

[Ironfaith]

Ive recently started playing games with my vanilla codex space marines, and in the past 7 games ive won 6 and drawn 1, and even that was a techincality. The secret, its my only fully painted army. And matching dice, cant forget the matching dice.

[eversor21]

i believe that painted armies as a whole typically outperform their counterparts more because of the person behind the force rather then the actual paint job.

When you see fantastic looking armies arrayed against you, in the back of your mind you come to the realization that the opponent you face has considerable time behind their force and that is a larger factor then if the model is painted or not. it also stands to reason that if the person behind the well assembled and painted force has the time behind the belt to know their force, they also know how to better utilize their forces and will therefor out perform those of the grey assembled type.

just my 2 cents.

[Scylla]

As well as being a firm believer in painted models playing better I have to advocate naming your best painted and most successful models. Klaus the Fist (of my Imperial Fists) never fails to disappoint and despite being a sergeant has a tendency to cover himself in glory ever battle.

[Blusox69]

Really didn't expect this thread to get so much attention :-)

Personally I like nothing more than going up against a well painted army. There's nothing like seeing an amazingly painted miniature and wonder how they got it so good.

I usually base my target priority list on openent units abilities but I'm guilty of occasionally wasting a few rail gun shouts out of sync on a well painted mini.

[Scylla]

I'm guilty of occasionally wasting a few rail gun shouts out of sync on a well painted mini.

Psychological warfare! Deliberately targeting and killing your opponent's favourite model might seem cruel, spiteful and occasionally unnecessary but it might also get in their head... Or just give you bragging rights, which are good too.

[Pendragon38]

Psychological warfare! Deliberately targeting and killing your opponent's favourite model might seem cruel, spiteful and occasionally unnecessary but it might also get in their head... Or just give you bragging rights, which are good too.
I played a tau player with a brand new riptide with fresh paint. On turn two my birds came on and I wasted it with two talons. He was pissed and gunned down all three of them by turn three.

[gwensdad]

sometimes I paint a model as it's being assembled. For me frequently, that means unpainted=not fully assembled=harder to user "properly" in game. So painted models for me do have higher useablity.

[simonbeard]

If well-painted miniatures win more often, it's probably due to the amount of time the hobbyist has spent on the hobby. If I've spent 15 years painting and playing, I probably field an army with mostly decently-painted models and few or no unpainted models. And, if that's the case, and I've spent 15 years painting and playing, then I have probably learned a thing or two along the way. If you notice trends of well-painted armies winning, it's probably because the person has had a long time to refine their strategies, and have developed a well-oiled machine of an army (or at least avoid taking any units that would be obvious mistakes with their chosen strategy).

That, or the person is just having a lot of luck. I mean, dice. Right? Ultimately, if you've the best-painted models, and the most-well thought out strategy, but the worst luck, you're going to lose. If you roll 100 dice, and all 100 dice come up 1's, all your beautifully painted models with rocket launchers are going to miss.

[rickyard]

I got a really WELL painted Imperial guard army... it is so well painted that, as my local group always plays in a an ash grey tabletop I decided their cammo to be stripped grey/black. They are SO good painted that sometimes some players FORGET that some unit is there, they don't notice them inside my really BIG army of about 110 models, all of them painted grey, with the bases exactly painted to match the terrain they always play... grey. So I have taken some last turn objectives with a 5 men command squad that wasn't taken into account by the enemy simply because they don't notice them till it's too late :D

[Rissan4ever]

Camouflage at its finest.

[Popsical]

Fielding unpainted figs should be a flogging offence lol.