Building to 2,000 Points: League Pressure, Thanquol, and Going in Blind
We had one of those very relatable hobby chats recently: when is the first game, how many points do we actually have, and how far are we from a proper 2,000-point list?
In this case, the answer is equal parts exciting and slightly chaotic.
Michał is aiming at a league that starts on 16 February, but there is a catch: he is only coming back at the beginning of March. So instead of a calm start, it sounds like the first week may immediately turn into two games back to back. A proper baptism by fire.
And the best part? He has not even gone to see how it all looks in advance.
“I’m going in blind.”
Honestly, we respect that approach. Sometimes there is no better hobby motivation than just signing up first and figuring it out on the table.
Current points count
The conversation quickly moved into the most classic army-building topic possible: counting points, including the unpainted stuff.
Michał is currently sitting at 3,050 points in “Battle”, and he estimates he still needs around 800 more points. The goal is not just to scrape together one list, but to have five solid 2,000-point sets available. That is the kind of collection milestone we really like: not just “I can field an army”, but “I have options”.
At the same time, End3r did his own count and landed at 860 points, including 300 points of frigate. Which is also a very hobbyist kind of result: one big flashy piece eating a huge chunk of the total.
The 2,000-point target
The league itself is being played at 2,000 points, so that number is currently the main benchmark.
That always changes how we look at a collection. Suddenly every unit matters differently. Some models are there because they are efficient, some because they are useful glue pieces, and some because they are simply too cool not to include.
Which brings us to the real star of the conversation.
Thanquol: expensive, but look at him
For Michał, Thanquol clocks in at 360 points, which immediately triggered the obvious reaction: that is a lot.
And yet also… completely understandable.
As Michał put it, the model is fantastic.
Sometimes that is the whole story behind an army choice. Yes, the points are steep. Yes, you feel it when building a 2,000-point list. But if the miniature has presence, character, and that special we absolutely want this on the table energy, then suddenly the cost hurts a lot less.
End3r summed it up perfectly: for that many points, it had better deliver.
The fun part: learning by playing
One of our favorite bits in this exchange was Michał casually admitting that he would also like to see how he plays, because he has never actually done it before.
That is such a familiar stage in the hobby journey. There is a special kind of excitement when the collection starts becoming real game material, but the actual table experience is still ahead of you. Lists exist in theory, points are counted, league dates are marked down, and then eventually comes the moment where the dice hit the table and everything becomes practical.
Dubry already called dibs on watching a game if there is a chance in March, maybe at 2D6. And honestly, we are fully on board with that plan. Watching the first proper games of a fresh army is always great, especially when the player is discovering the army in real time.
Hobby momentum matters
What we like most here is the momentum.
There is a league running until June, there is a clear 2,000-point goal, there is a collection already well underway, and there is still enough uncertainty to make it exciting. No overplanning, no pretending everything is perfectly rehearsed — just building, counting, and getting ready to throw models on the table.
That is often the best kind of army-building phase: when the collection starts crossing the line from “stuff we own” into “armies we can actually play”.
We will definitely be cheering for the first games in March — especially if Thanquol gets to justify those 360 points in style.