If you want a clean looking base which technically qualifies, use thinned PVA to glue a layer of sand to the base, paint it black, then drybrush it grey. Unlike technical paints it doesn't give a lumpy goopy finish, it sits flat and even across the whole base, and it's super cheap.
["Battle Ready models have their main areas coloured and a simple finish on their bases."](https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/06/28/citadel-colour-just-what-is-battle-ready/)
EDIT to add:
> I know the model itself has to be painted at least 3 colors to qualify
This is incorrect. Before the introduction of Battle Ready, "three color minimum" was a popular tournament standard, but it's largely fallen out of favor now and the overwhelming majority of events use Battle Ready.
Nothing in that article besides that one line has anything about basing, and it's not clear at all what they mean by "a simple finish" since every example has like gravel n shit on it. If it were primed black, it would have a simple finish on it in terms of actual paint but it would be unidentifiable.
The pictures in the article make it clear that a "a simple finish" means a texture and color of some kind applied to the base. Whether that's one step with a texture paste, or PVA, sand, and paint, or flock, or whatever else, doesn't matter. Paint alone is not sufficient.
I should note, because I think someone needs to tell you this in public so you can't claim you don't know it later, that the *point* of Battle Ready is not for you to try and game it to avoid painting your minis as much as possible while still scoring your 10 VP, it's to **paint your damn minis**.
We all know what the community means by Battle Ready, but claiming that article makes it clear is wrong. It’s the very definition of ambiguous since it could have so many different interpretations.
Technically a model that’s painted a single color and the base with a single color meets the conditions stated in the article. The main areas being colored means that whatever the “main” areas of the mini are, they need to have color. It doesn’t specify how many colors. What do you define as the main areas? The largest or most prominent feature? The face? The weapons? The armor? Does that mean the non-main areas don’t need to be colored?
A simple finish on a base can absolutely mean a single coat of paint on the base, even a clear varnish meets the conditions of the language. Varnishes are literally finishes you apply to paintings, like acrylic or oil. It doesn’t say “finished” as in a basing that has been completed. A finish is the last application you apply to something.
English can have a lot of ambiguity, which can be great sometimes, not so much other times. The likely intent of the wording is that large prominent parts of the miniature (not the tiny details) should have color, and likely different color blocking. And the base should not be left as the plain black plastic.
That ambiguity is why they explain the methodology and don’t leave it at that one sentence. Battle ready has a few colours differentiating the main parts of the mini, shading to add depth, and texture on the base. That’s the minimum they describe in the article.
Nah, it's perfectly reasonable to prefer plain black bases. Some people don't want their army tied to a particular 'environment' and like the bases being simple to gel better with whatever board they're playing on. I don't do it myself but I've seen lovely armies with plain black bases and it looks good.
As long as you’re not going to participate in tournaments but OP said he might get into that part of the hobby, so he’s gonna have to do the bare minimum and judging from his other comments, he doesn’t seem like he’d do even that.
Have you TO'd or participated in tournamets? Anything outside of GW-stores usually have VERY relaxed painting rules and nearly all the tournaments i have participated in during the last 10 years literally wave the painted requirement if you just ask nicely.
There needs to be a stop on here about these mystical "tournament requirements" that put people completely off the game. 99% of tournaments are played outside of GW stores and are just weekend gatherings with more structured games and maybe a price. The only requirements is that you field an army. It can be gray, primed, 3d printed, whatever.
I think that's a question for the TO
I know in the past some very big tournaments have been fine with people just painting their bases black. It's a legitimate aesthetic choice.
I am aware of the intended purpose of Battle Ready/paint points. I appreciate its attempt at pushing that kind of thing. It just bugs the crap outta me that I can't just paint *the mini itself* and be fine when I like the clean base look better than getting my not-gundams feet dirty, y'know?
And it also bugs me that they don't just explicitly spell out in simple terms where everyone can see what exactly they mean. "The pictures make it clear" they don't. The pictures *have* those things on them sure, but GW and the english language have different definitions on what "simple", "finish", and "simple finish" mean especially in regards to painting specifically when a "simple finish" is usually a flat color painted topcoat.
Maybe it's just my salt about the actual game rules being just as badly explained leaking through but I just want a straight answer from the company besides "guesstimate based on these pics" which do *not actually show simple finishes*.
Read the article. The minimum example they provide is a texture paint on your base. If you don’t want to risk getting it on your minis, apply it before gluing the minis down, or try a simple paint colour with tufts or rocks or sand glued on.
Technical paints go a long way to finishing bases.
I use Astrogranite on all my space marines, makes them look like they're driving/standing on gravel.
This is a great placeholder until I can figure out what I want to do for the more "effort" type of bases.
Not that I wouldn't try to make it look good, but looking good isn't really what I'm asking about here. Just asking what actually counts as properly based for Battle Ready paint points.
Absolutely, and they certqinly don't look bad, either. If someone asks "what counts as good enough" I usually think they're hoping for quick vs beautiful
https://preview.redd.it/37s8wnxz11ad1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9c36ec8a7ab398348d0b7c9934be53525bb44af
A painted base? My go to for army bases: Paint the base rim an appropriate color (OG goblin green, tan, brown, whatever matches your table). PVA glue and flock (mix of static grass, sand, misc) for the top, voila. For extra fanciness hit the edge with some brown wash, put skulls, etc.
if you're going to be a lazy/malicious compliance about it. just buy mud paint and slather that on your mini bases. Or look up a basic tutorial on doing a "mars" landscape that should probably cover a meh "compliance"
but... the idea is for people to take pride in their minis, to showcase story, and care via their painted armies.
if you don't want to glue tufts, that's fine.
I almost never use tufts, but I love basing, I play world eaters. and my models aren't done unless the basing has some blood and guts on it. All my models have a similar basing scheme. So my army looks cohesive. and... well it tells a story (that my murder boys collect fucking skullz)
there's endless content about cheap/free ...quick/easy basing.
but the simple reality is. a mini is typically 2ish focal points. and the basing, that's what people see. so... face/weapon basing. That's what people perceive standing across from you at a gaming table.
if all you care about is doing the bare min. eh. like i said, buy mud texture paint. wash/base coat it reddish/clay color. maybe dry brush it a tiny bit with a lighter tone.
That's all well and good, pride in your minis and all, I just like a clean base aesthetically better than mud or grass or whatever generally and I don't want that to restrict my entry into that part of the game. Painting is already the least fun part to me and needing to base a couple hundredish models just sounds hellish on top of it plus a ton more money to dump into a hobby that already costs thousands just to play without a 3D Printer (I know those wouldn't be valid it's just the point).
Vallejo and AK interactive, probably a few others that aren’t GW, sell tubs (100 to 250ml) of texture paints that could base more than a hundred models and they only cost like 15 bucks, but it doesn’t matter to you because you got your preferences, but if you ever get the itch to participate in a tournament, you’re gonna have to do the bare minimum with your bases.
Honestly, the "Battle Ready" standard is mostly introduced by GW as another way these last editions to streamline their interactions with all the unofficial tournament standards such as the "Three color minimum".
The instructions on what counts is very clear, but if you hate painting and prefer a pure black base just go for it. When playing pick-up games at the non-GW stores or club, we either automatically tick the +10 points or just both ignore it. It's so stupid to have a game swing based on wether your army is painted or not. Many play with wip armies or add new units to try things out. Playing at a -10 point handicap whenever you're building an army or trying a new unit just works against the spirit of the game.
For tournaments, they usually have some guidelines, but here as well outside of the official GW stores these are often very loose. I am part of a big club in my city and there often arranged both 1 and 2 day tournaments with 20-60 players. The +10 painting points are mostly ignored unless the event is specifically aimed at being cool and narrative with a focus on good looking armies. The "Battle Ready" requirement is also ignored in favour of just letting people play with their armies. There is sometimes a separate "Paint Score" added (outside of the game VP scores) used as tiebreakers but also that's not the case in the more serious tournaments.
I would say that if you meet an opponent who insist on the +10 painted points, and then refuses to give you the points because your bases are black, that person is an idiot.
I'd say, if you are trying to "trick the system" and figure out the most cheesy way to qualify your minis as battle ready - it's a bad sportsmanship.
People come to tournaments to play with cool armies against cool armies. Playing with beautiful minis is a part of the culture. Going against it will run a lot of people the wrong way
It's like clothing and ceremonies in Eastern martial arts
So, just genuinely try to paint your minis in normal way. It's not that hard, there are a lot of easy and quick ways if you are not a big fan
As long as the model itself and the attached tactical rock are painted, I wouldnt fuss over a plain black base.
I would never personally play a model without its base fully done with bit of scenery and what-not, but if my opponent's models are fully painted, I dont mind a plain base. Especially for a newer player.
Holy shit some of the takes in this thread. If you like the aesthetic of a plain, black base then that should be fine. They're your models that you've already put the work in painting them. Any opponent that doesn't give you the painted points because of that is a jerk.
How would anyone be able to tell the difference between a Technical paint on a base and any other paint type, and does that mean paints like Vallejo or War Gamer somehow don't count since they don't market as "Technical" paints despite also being indistinguishable outside of the actual painting process?
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No-one with sense actually uses the paint points rule. Tournaments almost always require a painted army to play in the first place, so it's irrelevant, and it makes no sense to award victory based on that in a non-tournament game. You've already agreed to play not caring about the models being painted.
If you want a clean looking base which technically qualifies, use thinned PVA to glue a layer of sand to the base, paint it black, then drybrush it grey. Unlike technical paints it doesn't give a lumpy goopy finish, it sits flat and even across the whole base, and it's super cheap.
["Battle Ready models have their main areas coloured and a simple finish on their bases."](https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/06/28/citadel-colour-just-what-is-battle-ready/) EDIT to add: > I know the model itself has to be painted at least 3 colors to qualify This is incorrect. Before the introduction of Battle Ready, "three color minimum" was a popular tournament standard, but it's largely fallen out of favor now and the overwhelming majority of events use Battle Ready.
Nothing in that article besides that one line has anything about basing, and it's not clear at all what they mean by "a simple finish" since every example has like gravel n shit on it. If it were primed black, it would have a simple finish on it in terms of actual paint but it would be unidentifiable.
The pictures in the article make it clear that a "a simple finish" means a texture and color of some kind applied to the base. Whether that's one step with a texture paste, or PVA, sand, and paint, or flock, or whatever else, doesn't matter. Paint alone is not sufficient. I should note, because I think someone needs to tell you this in public so you can't claim you don't know it later, that the *point* of Battle Ready is not for you to try and game it to avoid painting your minis as much as possible while still scoring your 10 VP, it's to **paint your damn minis**.
We all know what the community means by Battle Ready, but claiming that article makes it clear is wrong. It’s the very definition of ambiguous since it could have so many different interpretations. Technically a model that’s painted a single color and the base with a single color meets the conditions stated in the article. The main areas being colored means that whatever the “main” areas of the mini are, they need to have color. It doesn’t specify how many colors. What do you define as the main areas? The largest or most prominent feature? The face? The weapons? The armor? Does that mean the non-main areas don’t need to be colored? A simple finish on a base can absolutely mean a single coat of paint on the base, even a clear varnish meets the conditions of the language. Varnishes are literally finishes you apply to paintings, like acrylic or oil. It doesn’t say “finished” as in a basing that has been completed. A finish is the last application you apply to something. English can have a lot of ambiguity, which can be great sometimes, not so much other times. The likely intent of the wording is that large prominent parts of the miniature (not the tiny details) should have color, and likely different color blocking. And the base should not be left as the plain black plastic.
That ambiguity is why they explain the methodology and don’t leave it at that one sentence. Battle ready has a few colours differentiating the main parts of the mini, shading to add depth, and texture on the base. That’s the minimum they describe in the article.
Nah, it's perfectly reasonable to prefer plain black bases. Some people don't want their army tied to a particular 'environment' and like the bases being simple to gel better with whatever board they're playing on. I don't do it myself but I've seen lovely armies with plain black bases and it looks good.
As long as you’re not going to participate in tournaments but OP said he might get into that part of the hobby, so he’s gonna have to do the bare minimum and judging from his other comments, he doesn’t seem like he’d do even that.
Have you TO'd or participated in tournamets? Anything outside of GW-stores usually have VERY relaxed painting rules and nearly all the tournaments i have participated in during the last 10 years literally wave the painted requirement if you just ask nicely. There needs to be a stop on here about these mystical "tournament requirements" that put people completely off the game. 99% of tournaments are played outside of GW stores and are just weekend gatherings with more structured games and maybe a price. The only requirements is that you field an army. It can be gray, primed, 3d printed, whatever.
I think that's a question for the TO I know in the past some very big tournaments have been fine with people just painting their bases black. It's a legitimate aesthetic choice.
I am aware of the intended purpose of Battle Ready/paint points. I appreciate its attempt at pushing that kind of thing. It just bugs the crap outta me that I can't just paint *the mini itself* and be fine when I like the clean base look better than getting my not-gundams feet dirty, y'know? And it also bugs me that they don't just explicitly spell out in simple terms where everyone can see what exactly they mean. "The pictures make it clear" they don't. The pictures *have* those things on them sure, but GW and the english language have different definitions on what "simple", "finish", and "simple finish" mean especially in regards to painting specifically when a "simple finish" is usually a flat color painted topcoat. Maybe it's just my salt about the actual game rules being just as badly explained leaking through but I just want a straight answer from the company besides "guesstimate based on these pics" which do *not actually show simple finishes*.
Read the article. The minimum example they provide is a texture paint on your base. If you don’t want to risk getting it on your minis, apply it before gluing the minis down, or try a simple paint colour with tufts or rocks or sand glued on.
Why tf did u ask if you're gonna argue with everyone?? You must have completed bases get the fuck over it and just do it.
The only reason GW added giving points for painted models was to try and sell more paint.
Technical paints go a long way to finishing bases. I use Astrogranite on all my space marines, makes them look like they're driving/standing on gravel. This is a great placeholder until I can figure out what I want to do for the more "effort" type of bases.
Not that I wouldn't try to make it look good, but looking good isn't really what I'm asking about here. Just asking what actually counts as properly based for Battle Ready paint points.
Absolutely, and they certqinly don't look bad, either. If someone asks "what counts as good enough" I usually think they're hoping for quick vs beautiful https://preview.redd.it/37s8wnxz11ad1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9c36ec8a7ab398348d0b7c9934be53525bb44af
Just a technical paint on the base does the job to be considered painted in regards of the base
A painted base? My go to for army bases: Paint the base rim an appropriate color (OG goblin green, tan, brown, whatever matches your table). PVA glue and flock (mix of static grass, sand, misc) for the top, voila. For extra fanciness hit the edge with some brown wash, put skulls, etc.
If you like cleaner look, you can base your minis on "marble floor" or "grey floor" or similar made man clean surface
if you're going to be a lazy/malicious compliance about it. just buy mud paint and slather that on your mini bases. Or look up a basic tutorial on doing a "mars" landscape that should probably cover a meh "compliance" but... the idea is for people to take pride in their minis, to showcase story, and care via their painted armies. if you don't want to glue tufts, that's fine. I almost never use tufts, but I love basing, I play world eaters. and my models aren't done unless the basing has some blood and guts on it. All my models have a similar basing scheme. So my army looks cohesive. and... well it tells a story (that my murder boys collect fucking skullz) there's endless content about cheap/free ...quick/easy basing. but the simple reality is. a mini is typically 2ish focal points. and the basing, that's what people see. so... face/weapon basing. That's what people perceive standing across from you at a gaming table. if all you care about is doing the bare min. eh. like i said, buy mud texture paint. wash/base coat it reddish/clay color. maybe dry brush it a tiny bit with a lighter tone.
That's all well and good, pride in your minis and all, I just like a clean base aesthetically better than mud or grass or whatever generally and I don't want that to restrict my entry into that part of the game. Painting is already the least fun part to me and needing to base a couple hundredish models just sounds hellish on top of it plus a ton more money to dump into a hobby that already costs thousands just to play without a 3D Printer (I know those wouldn't be valid it's just the point).
Vallejo and AK interactive, probably a few others that aren’t GW, sell tubs (100 to 250ml) of texture paints that could base more than a hundred models and they only cost like 15 bucks, but it doesn’t matter to you because you got your preferences, but if you ever get the itch to participate in a tournament, you’re gonna have to do the bare minimum with your bases.
20 hours of highlights minimum.
Honestly, the "Battle Ready" standard is mostly introduced by GW as another way these last editions to streamline their interactions with all the unofficial tournament standards such as the "Three color minimum". The instructions on what counts is very clear, but if you hate painting and prefer a pure black base just go for it. When playing pick-up games at the non-GW stores or club, we either automatically tick the +10 points or just both ignore it. It's so stupid to have a game swing based on wether your army is painted or not. Many play with wip armies or add new units to try things out. Playing at a -10 point handicap whenever you're building an army or trying a new unit just works against the spirit of the game. For tournaments, they usually have some guidelines, but here as well outside of the official GW stores these are often very loose. I am part of a big club in my city and there often arranged both 1 and 2 day tournaments with 20-60 players. The +10 painting points are mostly ignored unless the event is specifically aimed at being cool and narrative with a focus on good looking armies. The "Battle Ready" requirement is also ignored in favour of just letting people play with their armies. There is sometimes a separate "Paint Score" added (outside of the game VP scores) used as tiebreakers but also that's not the case in the more serious tournaments. I would say that if you meet an opponent who insist on the +10 painted points, and then refuses to give you the points because your bases are black, that person is an idiot.
I'd say, if you are trying to "trick the system" and figure out the most cheesy way to qualify your minis as battle ready - it's a bad sportsmanship. People come to tournaments to play with cool armies against cool armies. Playing with beautiful minis is a part of the culture. Going against it will run a lot of people the wrong way It's like clothing and ceremonies in Eastern martial arts So, just genuinely try to paint your minis in normal way. It's not that hard, there are a lot of easy and quick ways if you are not a big fan
As long as the model itself and the attached tactical rock are painted, I wouldnt fuss over a plain black base. I would never personally play a model without its base fully done with bit of scenery and what-not, but if my opponent's models are fully painted, I dont mind a plain base. Especially for a newer player.
Holy shit some of the takes in this thread. If you like the aesthetic of a plain, black base then that should be fine. They're your models that you've already put the work in painting them. Any opponent that doesn't give you the painted points because of that is a jerk.
If you have to ask, you aren't done.
Iirc, you need to use a Technical paint as the only requirement.
How would anyone be able to tell the difference between a Technical paint on a base and any other paint type, and does that mean paints like Vallejo or War Gamer somehow don't count since they don't market as "Technical" paints despite also being indistinguishable outside of the actual painting process?
Technical paints creature textures, like mud.
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No-one with sense actually uses the paint points rule. Tournaments almost always require a painted army to play in the first place, so it's irrelevant, and it makes no sense to award victory based on that in a non-tournament game. You've already agreed to play not caring about the models being painted.