A New Month, a New Commander, and the Eternal 1000-Point Problem
We started the month in the most hobby way possible: by immediately trying to stretch a points limit until it squeaks.
It began with a very innocent question from Michał: do we want to play at 1000 points? Or maybe, purely hypothetically, at 1045? You know, just a tiny bit more. A completely reasonable amount more. The kind of number you arrive at when your list is almost done and then one more cool model starts looking necessary.
A moment later the negotiations evolved, as they always do, into the classic compromise: 1005 points. Which feels extremely fair in the way only hobby math can.
Of course, there was one small issue: Ender pointed out that his warband is still not assembled, so for now the whole thing remains theoretical. But honestly, theorycrafting lists before glue touches plastic is half the fun anyway.
The real January hobby plan: self-gifting
Then Michał had the most relatable realization of all: it is a new month, which means it is entirely legitimate to buy yourself a present. In this case, that present would be a new commander.
And really, we respect that logic. We may not be saying that every new month requires a new miniature purchase… but we are also definitely not saying the opposite.
Hero limits and list reality checks
At that point Ender dropped an important rule reminder: in the band you can have a maximum of 3 heroes total, including 1 leader, with basically one hero per group.
That immediately shifted the conversation from “buy cool stuff” to the more dangerous territory of “buy cool stuff, but legally.” Michał admitted he did not even know about that limit, although luckily he only had one hero so far, so no disaster yet.
This is exactly the kind of list-building detail that sneaks up on us. You start with vibes, then suddenly the roster has structure, limits, battlefield roles, and painful choices.
Sky dwarfs, commanders, and the biggest lad
Ender started looking at what he could build out of the Spearhead, listing four different character options:
- Admiral
- Captain
- Mizzenmaster
- Custodian
Naturally, that was not enough. Because hovering over all of this was the real temptation: the absolute biggest boss for 275 points.
And when we say biggest boss, we mean it in the most Kharadron way possible. According to Ender, this glorious specimen:
- has seven guns
- flies
- talks
- offers the full premium package
- and, perhaps most importantly, has the biggest balloon
That is a sales pitch we fully understand.
The parrot question
No discussion about ranking cool models is complete without one very serious question: what about the guy with the parrot?
Michał reasonably asked whether the parrot-bearing miniature was not actually the coolest one. At first Ender dismissed him completely, saying that the parrot model was not even a hero, just a regular Thunderer hanger-on.
A few moments later came the correction we all know and love from list-building chat: actually, sorry, wrong — the parrot guy is the Gunnery Sergeant, and he is a hero after all. He clocks in at 165 points.
However, the verdict still stood: he does not fly, so in the hierarchy of airborne duardin excellence, he remains a lesser legend.
Why we love these conversations
Nothing was fully finalized here. No battle happened. No polished army list emerged from the smoke. But this is still one of our favorite parts of the hobby: the early-stage chaos of building towards a game.
A proposed 1000-point match turns into 1045, then 1005. A half-built force becomes an excuse to browse heroes. A rules reminder changes what is possible. And somewhere in the middle of it all, we end up passionately discussing whether a flying gun-platform with a giant balloon is more elite than a guy with a parrot.
For us, that absolutely counts as progress.
If this is how the month starts, there is a good chance it ends with at least one new commander on the table — and probably a points limit that has been “slightly adjusted” for completely valid reasons.