Conquest Protocol: 40K - The Game (Spring Clean Hobby Challenge Edition)

Hello, fellow gamers and OnTableTop fans!

SenjiMakoto here! Most of you probably don’t know who I am, and that’s ok. A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet. I am usually found on here commenting on various Weekenders, as well as the multitude of announcement posts about Atomic Mass Games’ Marvel Crisis Protocol (seriously, one of my favorite miniature lines). I am a freelance writer and graphic design illustrator (fancy way of saying I make comic books), and I run a gaming blog called The Late Night Players (sorry, had to shamefully plug my side gigs).

Anyways, I missed out on taking part in the previous “Spring Cleaning Hobby Challenge” so I wanted to make sure I did this time, no matter how limited I may be able to participate. After amassing far too much unpainted plastic toys (from a multitude of boardgames to various miniature games), I decided I need to at least try to accomplish something.

Since I am the type of person to try taking on too much at one time, I wanted to have a field of vision and a clear set of goals that are somewhat realistic. At the same time, as my normal hobby group is in lockdown, I’m making a game out of it to keep myself focused and motivated.

What am I trying to accomplish?

First thing is first – what am I trying to work on that should have priority. Taking board games out of the equation (like Mythic Battles Pantheon, Batman Gotham City Chronicles, and the slew of CMoN Kickstarters), I want to focus on miniature games. Prior to the pandemic, this was a growing area of interest, both locally and in my immediate group. Prior to the Pandemic, Marvel Crisis Protocol was a big hit as it had just came out and the new waves were releasing. During lockdown, I went down the rabbit hole of Games Workshop, diving into Killteam. Finally, thanks to the coverage here, I fell in love with Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings.

For Marvel Crisis Protocol, I currently own 44 of the 65 available miniatures, including the core set and the massive Thanos model. The way the game is played, each player brings a set of 10 figures to the table, building their team from that. My first goal is get the 10 main figures I want on my team painted and bridge out from there. Currently, I’m a fan of the Webbed Warriors, A-Force, and the mutants, so I’ll start there.

For Warhammer 40K/Killteam, the journey began with the second Killteam 2-player box (Space Wolves vs T’au). Since then, I’ve picked up the Indomitus box, the Primaris Space Wolves Start Collecting Box, and the Drukhari Starter Set “The Slicing Noose” for Killteam. The goal here would ideally be get it all painted, but I’m going to focus on trying to paint a basic kill team for Space Wolves, Necron, T’au, and Drukhari. My core group only has one Warhammer player, so I’m hoping if I come to game night (when it is safe) with four teams, maybe we can get more people playing.

Finally, the newest game in the collection is Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings. Currently this is the set that will need the most work. I have the 2-player starter and an added regiment expansion for those two factions. Only three or four figures have been assembled. So the goal here would be to get that all assembled and painted, ready to teach the game to new players.

Three lofty goals for sure. I know I probably won’t get them all 100% accomplished by the deadline, but that is where the game comes into play!

Making a game of it all!

One of my favorite things about playing video games on Xbox are the achievements (and the trophy system on Playstation). To help keep me moving along, I’ve come up with a point system and achievement system to motivate me into getting as much done and at least tabletop ready as possible.

The point system is rather straight forward:

One-Time Point Awards:

+1 for a model being assembled.

+1 for a model being primed

+2 for a model being based

+3 for a model being painted with at least 3 colors 

Penalties (on-going each week):

-0.5 for a model being unassembled

-0.5 for a model not being primed

-0.5 for a model not being based

-1 for a model not being painted with at least 1 color

Achievements (points awarded only once):

“Marvel Crisis Protocol Goal Completed” – 25 points

“Warhammer 40K Goal Completed” – 50 points

“Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings Goal Completed” – 75 points

“1 Model Completed” – 5 points

“5 Models Completed” – 10 points

“10 Models Completed” – 25 points

~More Achievements To Unlock Later”

Going into this, I’m probably going to start with an unfair amount of points as 95% of my Crisis Protocol stuff is assembled (nothing else) and 80% of the Warhammer stuff is assembled (nothing else). I’ll take a pretty big hit on Conquest, but that is the sort of motivation I need to stay productive!

Last but not least!

The goal is to update on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Mondays for progress from the weekend, Wednesday for any mid-week progress and a look at what is to come, and Friday for tallying points and seeing what achievements have been unlocked. That being said, I will post infrequent updates for anything that I am rather proud of or just catches my eye.

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I hope whatever I bring to the tabletop is remotely worth posting in comparison to the fantastic works I’ve seen on here. I’m always happy for feedback as I try to improve my skills.

Also, enjoy these slightly outdated photos from my Instagram of my growing piles of shame.

So, until next time, thank you for stopping by, stay safe, and keep your dice warm!