Chapterhouse Studios Sued by Games Workshop

I was over on Bell of Lost Souls and it looks like Chapterhouse Studios got an early Christmas present in the manner of a lawsuit from Games Workshop. If you don't know, Chapterhouse Studios makes conversion bitz for Warhammer 40K. You can check out their website here.

Games Workshop is suing Chapterhouse Studios for copyright infringement. If you are curious, you can read the filing here. I'm no lawyer, but I am one of the co-founders of Inner Circle which is an RPG company that I ran for several years so I have a fair amount of experience with IP. There's an old saying in the hobby industry, "You aren't officially in the hobby industry until you get sued by someone." That was one thing Inner Circle was fortunate to avoid.

Looking through the filing, it looks pretty bleak for Chapterhouse Studios. It's one thing to create resin kits and sell parts for models. It's a different thing entirely to sell something utilizing someone else's trademarked IP. There's a fairly large thread debating this over at Dakka Dakka. A lot of people like to call Games Workshop the evil empire and all of that, but I have to side with them in this case. While the timing was really crappy, it seems pretty obvious to me that Chapterhouse Studios has benefitted greatly from using Games Workshop's IP and they need to protect it.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Is this another case of Games Workshop throwing their weight around or is this something they should be pursuing? Next time I'll post a brief battle report in a game I got to play against the Space Wolves.

Until then,
–The Harrower

Before beginning, plan carefully.

So I've had the new Blood Angels Codex since April and I've put together a lot of new models, but I haven't really did much in the realm of painting aside from my 3 Razorbacks. I've been wanting to get more done and get the "Red Furor" on the table.

When the DED 'ARD Gaming Club gets together every month, I've mostly been using painted miniatures I did during my first stint of 40K back in the 3rd Edition days. I definitely like my newer models better, but I'm superstitious when it comes to any type of gaming and I swear that painted models play better. I am also crazy superstitious when it comes to dice, but that's a topic for another time.

I haven't had a lot of time to devote to 40K with the Game Art Degree program I am enrolled in at Full Sail. The classes run a month at a time with no breaks in between and that coupled with a full time job and a wife and two kids doesn't leave much room for anything else.

I've been getting pretty burnt out with all of the work that my classes entail, but I really need to get back into the hobby to get my mind off of things and to help me relax. The XBOX is good for some mindless fun now and again, but I really want to get to at least one GT next year and while I really want to start redoing my scenery collection, it's about time I get my army finished.

My plan is to work on my Blood Angels Army for at least a couple hours a week and to update this blog on my progress. We've all seen the fabled Tale of Four Gamers articles in White Dwarf and while I won't offer as much breadth, I hope I can offer something similar and take everyone along for the ride.

First thing I need to do is decide on a solid core for my army. I'm not uber competitive, but I do want an army that can take on all comers and gives me a good chance to win. Next time I'll go into all the choices one makes when putting an army together from both the gaming and hobby perspectives.

Till next time, Enim Sanguinius!
–The Harrower

Welcome!

Welcome to DED 'ARD! I have been meaning to start a project blog for quite some time. Jawaballs recently had a post asking for contributing writers, and when I saw that post I figured I would send him an email and see how that goes.

Also, it made me realize that I really should start my own blog for our gaming group that recently got together. So even if Jawaballs has enough contributing writers, I can still do my own thing here. It's something that I wanted to do, but I haven't had the time until recently.

I've played 40K since 3rd Edition after which I left the hobby and my beloved Blood Angels on the shelf to start a company that produced supplements for Dungeons & Dragons via the d20 System. The company I formed, the Inner Circle, has pretty much been put on hiatus as we stoked that fire as long as we could.

This is a new chapter in my 40K hobby career. Hopefully I can convince some of the other members of my gaming group to post some articles on painting, tactics, and terrain. I'll be posting progress on my second go at my Blood Angels Army and hopefully you'll learn something along the way through the various tutorials I have planned...

Here is what I am currently working on. A Razorback with twin-linked assault cannons and a Rhino.

It's been quite some time since I did any painting, so I figured I'd try and cut my teeth on a hand painted Blood Angels Symbol. I still have some weathering left to do as well as vehicle markings and final highlights. Also, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the side doors. I'll post some progress shots as they get closer to completion.


I hope you like them!

More soon,

–The Harrower