Project Press Ganger: The Requirements

I've been tossing around this idea for some time now: I want to be a Press Ganger.  As much as I still enjoy playing and learning other game systems, Warmachine/Hordes has really stuck with me.  It's a system that I've come to appreciate in Mk II way more than I did in Mk I, and I think my maturity as a wargamer has helped with that.  I love this game and so I've decided that I want to be a Press Ganger - especially since a couple of my close wargaming friends are also Press Gangers.  It's not as easy as just knowing someone and getting in, however.  I plan on chronicling my efforts to become a full-fledged Press Ganger, and now that I've found a store nearby, I'll have a place to call "home" finally.  There are a few requirements for applying to be a Press Ganger, so I need to make sure I can meet those requirements first.


According to the Privateer Press site, here are the basic requirements:

1. A completed online application telling us about yourself and your gaming experience
2. Three digital photos: of yourself and either two different, painted Box sets if applying to support WARMACHINE and HORDES; or two Starter boxes if applying to support Monsterpocalypse. Note: When sending photos of your painted Box sets, both sets must be the same game type, as we do not endorse demoing Battle Box sets against Warpack Box sets.
3. An endorsement from a store in your area- An owner/manager's name, the store's name, address, and phone number are sufficient.

We hold our members to the same high standards as we do our own staff, but we give as good as we get. Be aware that there are several reason as to an application can be rejected, some of the more common are below...

• Coverage: We can only support a few members in any one area. If there are already enough active members we will not add more.
• Employee status: In general, game store employees and staff are ineligible. The program requires neutrality and the ability to support multiple stores.
• References: All references will be checked and confirmed before acceptance.
• Missing information or images: The application must contain all requested information and images for us to properly process an application.
• Quartermaster’s verdict: Based on all data we have about an applicant we must make a final verdict on whether or not an individual will be a fit for our program.

 While I own a lot of Warmachine/Hordes models and am committed to the game, believe it or not, I actually don't own even one fully-painted battlebox set.  Seriously!?  Ugh.  Well that's going to be the first step in my application, it seems.  Fortunately, I do have the models necessary for the following battle box sets:
Warmachine:
Cygnar - acquired second hand models and they are partially painted
Khador - from the Two Player Battle Box
Menoth - "

Hordes:
Legion - shredders are partially painted
Circle - Feral is completely painted but I need to finish the arguses (25% done) and paint Kaya
Trollbloods - recently purchased, models are only primed

The added complication is, of course, the Hordes plastic battle boxes are coming out soon, so do I really want to put the effort into painting these guys if I'm just going to buy the plastic box?  Do I really need 2 Kayas?  The Legion box I can probably pass on, but the Circle one is really interesting because I really want that plastic Feral and having 6 Arguses will tempt me into some hilarious lists.  The plastic Trolls would be nice too, as I can always pawn off models I don't want to my buddy who told me that he'd play Trolls if he moved north.

I REALLY like the new plastic sculpts for Trolls!

So where does this leave me?  I can paint the Menoth and Khador boxes, but their traditional paint schemes don't appeal to me so I'd have to do some research on how I wanted to paint them.  The Cygnar stuff is partially painted in a close-enough scheme to mine, but the models are a bit poopy (the old Charger and Lancer look terrible compared to the new plastic ones).  For Hordes, I could easily paint the Trollbloods warpack as I want some practice on my paint scheme for them anyway, and Madrak can always be slightly different than the rest of the models I acquire - at worst I can give him away as a prize if I buy the plastic box.  I also really should paint Kaya, as I really like playing with her - despite all of the negative publicity she gets.  Plus, once the Griffon comes out, I feel like he'll be hugely important with her.

The Argus now looks more like a wolf than a dog.  I approve.

In conclusion, it looks like I will paint up my Trollblood warpack and the Circle warpack for my Press Ganger application.  Warmachine seems to be more popular for people to start anyway, so being able to teach people how to play Hordes will be more advantageous methinks.  Plus I think the fact that I am also a teacher (and am thus around high school students constantly) will make me the perfect Press Ganger!  Let's hope Privateer Press thinks so...