Warhammer 40k Chess.

[ZellFish]

The name explains it self. I will be making chess pieces from 40k miniatures. I request suggestions as to what models should be used for what. I'm doing Marines vs Tau.

Current idea:

Pawn = Marine w/ Bolter
Rook = Marine w/ Chainsword and BP
Knight = Terminator with Hammer\Shield
King = Force Commander
Queen = Sister of Battle Mistress (Whatever their HQ is called..)
Bishop = Grey Knight

All suggestions are appreciated!

[juckto]

Change:
Rook - To something less pathetically weak. A Devastator, perhaps.
Knight - Assault Marine. The whole 'jumping over stuff' is a lot more applicable.
Queen - To either Chaplain or Librarian. Keep it in the same army.
Bishop - Same as above. Perhaps a Terminator.

Good luck with the project - are the SM going to be the white or the black? Which Chapter?

[Random Person]

Space Marines:

Pawn = Marine W/Bolter.
Rook = Devastator.
Knight = Assault Marine.
King = Commander.
Queen = Librarian.
Bishop = Chaplain.

Tau:

Pawn = Firewarrior.
Rook = XV88 Broudside Battlesuite.
Knight = XV8 Crisis Battlesuite.
King = Commander.
Queen = Etherial.
Bishop = XV15/XV25 Stealthsuite.

[GorkAndMork]

hmm..maybe rook should be kroot. and knight vespid?

[ZellFish]

Nah, I wanna keep it pure Tau. Keep the suggestions coming, though! Many thanks!

[omega the end]

Heres my input and why I think each model would be good

Tau:
Pawn- Gun Drone(Easy to obtain and are just pawn like)
Rook- Broadside(The strait shooter, just fits the job perfectly)
Knight- Stealth Suit(Everyone loves to see Stealth suits hopping around the feild)
Bishop- Fire Warrior(Like to take out enemys from a far and different angles)
Queen- Crisis(The killer of the Tau army, suited for any job)
King- Etheral(Mainly becuase in TT this is the one guy you DON'T want taken off the board)

[Hazchem]

To be honest with you, i have to disagree to this idea. Sorry Zell, just my own opinion here. Many people have tried and failed with a chest concept to 40k and WHFB.

I think it doesn't really show that you have respect for the game systems really (not saying that you don't). It's sorta like a naive way of looking at the game systems. For example, an average dickhead walks into your local GW store, and starts bagging the hobby, asking if it's like chess. Maybe it's just me, but i find that bloody annoying.

Oh, and whatever you do, do not enter it in Golden Daemon, open category. Many people have tried it, and I've had a GD judge say to me that that's just not what the game is about. Of course, he didn't win anything...

Just bare in mind that I'm not having a go at you Zell, or your idea. It's just an honest opinion, with no offensiveness attached.

[ZellFish]

..Right. I'm simply taking 40k PIECES, and using them in liue of Chess pieces. They're not even going to be painted like the rest of my models, don't worry. They're going to be done in marble crackle-paint, by hand. Gold and white for Tau, black and silver for Marines. I'm not saying that I disrespect the 40k system. I play it, and love it, all the time. I know that 40k is almost nothing like chess, in any way.

And, for those of you with constructive responses: Keep them up, I'm loving the various ideas for the Tau.

[Hazchem]

I know what you are saying Zell, and will support you with the idea, even though i don't like it as much as other things...like chocolate :)

For Marines:
Pawn- Tactical Marine
Rook- Devestator
Knight- Assalt Marine
Bishop- Veteran (I didn't say termi because of the 40mm bases. They might looks a little wired on a board of 25mm bases)
Queen- Chaplain/Librarian
King- Chapter Master

As for Tau:
Pawn- Fire Warriors
Rook- Sniper Drone
Knight- Stealth Suit
Bishop- Ethereal Guard
Queen- Commander Shadowsun? (25mm base
King- Etheral

Hope that helps.

[GorkAndMork]

i think the system would be easier to use IG instead of marines

pawn:ig
rook:ogryn
knight:ratlings
bishop:sentinal
queen:tech priest
king:commisar

[Voyager_I]

For Marines, I'd go with the following;

Pawn:Tactical Marine with Bolter
Knight: Assault Marine
Bishop: Chaplain
Rook: Terminator
Queen: Librarian
King: Master


And for the IG;

Pawn: Guardsman with Lasgun
Knight: Rough Rider ... durr
Bishop: Sacntioned Psyker
Rook: Storm Trooper
Queen: Commissar
King: Heroic Senior Officer

[Dooks Dizzo]

Pawn: Scout
Knight: Terminator
Bishop: Chaplain
Rook: Dreadnought
Queen: Techmarine
King: Emperor

[Ap0k]

i think the system would be easier to use IG instead of marines

Apart from the fact that, y'know, he explicitly said he was going to use Marines.

[Lancaster]

How about the 'cron

Pawn: Warrior
Knight: Wraith
Bishop: Pariah
Rook: Immortal
Queen: Lord
King: C'tan

Also, dooks, if you know of an emperor model by GW, I have one question for you:

Where do you get your weed?

[TS_ahriman]

Imperial Guard, with style:

Pawn: Chimera with passengers
Knight: Basilisk
Bishop: Sentinel
Rook: Leman Russ
Queen: Baneblade
King: Warhound Titan

I don't see why you'd use anything less.

[ZellFish]

:lol: Eh, I'll put up a list of what I'll use here in a bit. :p

[Sword_Monkey]

Nids! For true Chess, no rnaged malarky.

Pawn: Hormagaunt
Knight: Lictor
Bishop: Zoanthrope with catalyst.
Rook: Genestealer
Queen: Hive Tyrant
King: Screamer Killer

[nareik123]

Pawn: Termagaunt (The worst in the army book)
Knight: Winged Warrior (Flies)
Bishop: Warrior with Venom Cannon (Shoots in Diagonals)
Rook: Hormagaunt (Very fast)
Queen: Broodlord (Second best Hq)
King: Hive Tyrant (Most important thing in a 'nid army)

[GorkAndMork]

ok Ap0k. YA GOT ME!!

hmm...maybe this?
pawn:marine
knight:assault marine
rook:assault bike?
bishop:terminator with assault cannons or cyclonemissle launcher
queen:librarian
king:Commander with lightning claws

[BrianGeneral]

Oh well, Chaos time. Maybe we can get to use 4 Gods as well as Undivided?
Let's see.

Pure Undivided Chaos
Pawn: CSM with Bolter
Rook: Chaos Havoc
Knight: Chaos Biker
Bishop: Possessed
Queen: Lieutenant
King: Terminator Lord

Any ideas about the 4 colours?

[Sword_Monkey]

Meh shooting doesn't make for good chess.

Close combat is the way to, and it could be interesting, and not just another game of 40k.

[nareik123]

Khorne

Pawn: Khorne Bezerker with chainsword (The worst in the army list)
Rook: Khorne Biker (Moves really fast)
Knight: Flesh Hounds (Can jump high)
Bishop: Khorne Aspiring Champion (Known for there unpredictibleness)
Queen: Chaos Lord (Second greatest HQ)
King: Daemon Prince (Probably the greatest)

Perhaps we could enter a few special rules for each army?

Khorne: Pawns may always move two spaces, to represent their bloodthirstyness)

[BrianGeneral]

Ugh.
Then try this:

Pure WE chess
Pawn: Berzerker
Rook: Khronate Biker
Knight: Chaos Dreadnought+Destroyer
Bishop: Khronate Possessed
Queen: WE Lieutenant with Daemonic Flight/Speed
King: WE Terminator Lord

Better?

Edit: Naerik, DP in fact=Chaos Lord in some sense.;)

[nareik123]

Yeah, i know, but a daemon Prince would have daemonic stature, which the chaos lord wouldn't have.

[BrianGeneral]

Nah, in fact when a Lord received too much Daemonic Gifts he'll become one eventually.

Khrone All-Daemon list:
Pawn: Bloodletters
Rook: Chaos Spawn from WE
Knight: Mounted Bloodletters
Bishop: Flesh Hounds
Queen: Bloodthirster
King: Daemon Prince

It seems look better.

[Sir Plasma]

Space Marines:
Pawn-Tactical Marine
Rook-Devastator
Knight-Assault Marine [possibly biker?]
Bishop-Chaplain
King-Commander
Queen-Librarian

Tau:
Pawn-Fire Warrior
Rook-Broadside
Knight-Pathfinders
Bishop-
King-
Queen-
Don't really care much for the tau, will fill in later.

[orkmobzta]

Ive seen a lot of people saying devastaor for rook but I see the rook as a more study and strong thing which is why I think a terminator would be better suited (like some people have suggested)

[jesukrixto]

For the sm bishops I'd use one of the minis from the DA miniatures, with their tunics and hoods and all that. Or an apothecary maybe.

For the rooks, I'd have close assault termies, preferably hammer n shield.

Knight, assault marines.

I was tempted to propose scouts as the pawns, but the core of a SM chapter is the tacticals, so I guess it really suits better. But I wouldn't use marines in power armour in any other position (vets or devs). They look too similar to tacticals. Assault for knights is ok as the jump packs really make them stand out.

King a commander and queen a librarian.

[MooFreaky]

Marines

Pawn - Scouts
Knight - Assault Marines
Bishop - Assault Terminators
Rook - Techmarines
Queen - Librarian/Chaplain
King - Foce Commander

Tau
Pawn - Kroot (I know you want Tau only. But they are almost symbiotic with the Tau)
Knight - Stealth Suit
Bishop - Firewarrior
Rook - Broadside
Queen - Commander (Crisis Suit)
King - Ethereal (these guys are the true leaders, and weak as crap)


EDIT : I think this is a great idea.
I'm going to convert some of my armies into Chess pieces. Even if for nothing but display. If done well I think it'd look mad.

[Miticu]

How about trying to make a wicked terain that loks like and old temple (ruined ofcourse)? Something like the BT temple GW made on the USA site, just with less ammount of debris and the chess black&white pattern.

[Doohicky]

Nurgle...

Pawn - Nurglings
Knight - Plaguerider
Bishop - Plagueberaer
Rook - Plague Marine
Queen - Nurgle Sorcerer
King - Typhus

Wanted GUO as queen, but slightly too big maybe...

[Dooks Dizzo]

Tzeench:

Pawn - Changed
Knight - Changed
Bishop - Changed
Rook - Changed
Queen - Changed
King - Changed

[ZellFish]

Wonderful ideas. Now I may have to pick up some chaos for this project as well.

[MooFreaky]

While we're at it.

Orks
Pawn - Sluggas
Knight - Stormboys
Bishop - Skarboys
Rook - Nobs w/ Klaw
Queen - Big Mek
King - Warboss


Dark Eldar
Pawn - Warriors
Knight - Mandrakes
Bishop - Wyches
Rook - Grotesques
Queen - Incubi
King - Archon

[ZellFish]

Oh! Dark Eldar. Now that'd be special..

[juckto]

EDIT : I think this is a great idea.
I'm going to convert some of my armies into Chess pieces. Even if for nothing but display. If done well I think it'd look mad.
My Next-Months-Competition sense is tingling.

[jackster]

eldar
pawn-guardian
knight-warp spider (jumping!)
rook-bright lance platform (or maybe howling banshees)
bishop-warlock
queen-farseer
king-avatar of khain (or a young king)

[Tarot]

You stole my idea, ya bastich. ;) Doing the same thing with Cryx and Menoth. :p

[Ze_Mole]

How about for ork

pawn= Slagga boy
Knight= warbike
Bishop= wyrd boy
Rook= Nob in Mega Armour
queen=Big mek
King=Warboss

[Gorb]

Iron Warriors! Sorry, I have to:
Pawn: IW with Bolter
Rook: Obliterator
Knight: Raptor with flamer
Bishop: IW Chosen (i.e. heavy weapon dudes)
Queen: Terminator Lieutenant
King: Daemon Prince

[Sir Plasma]

For tau, Fire Warriors as bishops would make no sense, as they are the core of most Tau forces and thus should be pawns.
Guard-
pawn= Guardsman
Knight= Rough Rider
Bishop= Priest
Rook=Storm Trooper
queen=Commissar
King=HSO

[FerociousBeast]

I haven't waded through all the entries, so if someone already has posted what I'm putting down, assume I'm seconding their motion. (I'm bolding my favorite suggestions)

In comment to some other SM suggestions I've seen, don't make the bishop an HQ unit. Bishops in chess are equivalent to knights: above pawns and lower than rooks, queens and kings.

Space Marines (black):
1) Pawn - Tac Marine w/ bolter (the only choice, obviously)
2) Knight - Assault Marine (knight jumps, ASM jumps)
3) Rook - Terminator with AssCannon (while I like the idea of a Devastator -- the two fulfilling similar roles in the two games -- I simply think too many power armored models are being used. The rook needs to look bigger and different. Plus the AssCann goes hand in hand with the suppression role of a rook in chess)
4) Bishop - Sniper Scout (a little odd, maybe, but if the model is tall and slim, the visual effect can be similar. Plus, in chess, bishops are kind of like snipers anyway)
5) Queen - Librarian (would be good if a female could be used, but I agree it should be kept SM, and the lib is the most powerful single model unit)
6) King - Commander

Tau Empire (white)
1) Pawn - Firewarrior (no other choice)
2) Knight - Crisis suits (? -- I don't know, don't really like any Tau options for this one. I'd go with a Vespid ideally)
3) Rook - Broadside (long range power piece)
4) Bishop - Pathfinder (Again, ? -- maybe Tau isn't a good choice for a chess army)
5) Queen - Commander (I guess, but it may look too much like a Broadside)
6) King - Ethereal (ethereal is fragile, must be protected, king is fragile and must be protected. Both are in charge of their armies)

[Alpha_Dog]

I had an idea for a Warhammer 40k Chess Set, as I am a big fan of the classic strategy game and play it often. I tried doing a google search for it, but turned up nothing. I thought it would be great to own a chess set of the Warhammer 40k universe; one side playing space marines and the other maybe Orks...yeah, they would look good on a chess board. Anyway, thought I'd toss this out there. Does anybody else think it would be really awsome to own a 40k chess set, or for that matter does anybody know where I can buy one, if such a set exists?

[Tak]

You could always buy some of the models online and make your own. The standard base fits in a 1"x1" square. I don't think I've ever seen one pre-made.

[Gacu666]

Just buy some plastic figures put em on a chess board made of stone (or make one yourself) and you got yerself a pretty darn set :P.

[ILEC]

I think Space Marines and Chaos would be a really cool chess set.

[Silverdeath]

Its a pretty sweet idea actually.

Pawn: Tactical Space Marine
Rook: Devestator Variant Space Marine
Knight: Space Marine Biker
Bishop: Assualt Marine
Queen: Chapter Champion
King: Force Commander

[simmat]

You calling a Chapter Champion a queen :gonemad:

[Tak]

That would require minuterizing (sp?) bikes, and the dev would probably be too clumsy for a board. It would be better to stick to infantry models. Terms, tacts, scouts, FC, Lib.


And Orks must use Grots as their pawn. There simply cannot be any other way. The cuteness factor alone would win.

[zenprime]

Actually it'd be kinda neat to see this using DOW.

[GothicHorror]

Heresy!!

[HorusHeresy]

Sister of Battle as queen then if you're all gonna whine =P

[Alpha_Dog]

Just buy some plastic figures put em on a chess board made of stone (or make one yourself) and you got yerself a pretty darn set :P.
Yeah, I thought of that, but the problem with plastic is that there's no weight to them; quality in chess usually go hand in hand with how much the pieces weigh...it has a nicer "feel" to it, i.e., heavy stone as compared to plastic.

[Unforsaken]

Sounds like a great idea, but it would be wierd if the Witchhunters were in it :p

[Alpha_Dog]

That would require minuterizing (sp?) bikes, and the dev would probably be too clumsy for a board. It would be better to stick to infantry models. Terms, tacts, scouts, FC, Lib.


And Orks must use Grots as their pawn. There simply cannot be any other way. The cuteness factor alone would win.
i agree, infantry models would work best. For the space marines, the king would be the force commander, the queen the Librarian, the bisops could be the chaplin, knights of course the grey knights, and pawns would be the scouts....not sure about the rooks however. :)

[Mullertime]

I like it!

Rooks eh?

What about terminators? They're 'rook-like'

Orks are a bit trickier, cos they're 'similar' in some respects:

Pawn: grot
Knight: Stormboy
Bishop: Tankbusta/shoota boy
Rook: 'Eavy Armoured Nob / 'Ard Boyz
Queen: Big Mek/Mad Dok
King: Warboss

[Adonis]

I think this is better off in the TableTop section considering WH40k miniatures really aren't involved in playing Dawn of War. :p

[Mullertime]

Or...perhaps this could a mod?

You know, a 'spin-off' of Dawn of War'
DoW chess on your comp.
Everytime you capture a piece, you see a sync kill of that particular unit.
Odd idea perhaps?

[Inferior Being]

I think the Space Marine Tacticals should go as the pawns. Not scouts.

[Brother Wolf]

Search search search (http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?t=105628&highlight=40K+Chess) search

Threads Merged

[Innonexess]

i dont think this has been said so instead of do tau Vs. SM. Do order Vs. disorder.
O also for all thoses people that were saying slugga/shoota boyz for pawns i belive grots are the real orkoid meat sheilds ( or even a squig)
and a necron pawn would have to be a scarab/a cluster of thre mini scarabs
and for a nids pawn it would have to be a spore
sheild drones are definatly good for tau pawns...
*edit*
mabey even a warhammer fantasy version
OR
a wh40K Vs. fantasy

[BloodySloth]

I realize you've said you wanted a pure Tau army, but I think Kroot would be great as pawns (and make more sense than fire warriors). They form the front battle line, they're the shield for all the tau firepower, and it would look great aesthetically with the armored super-tech units in the back row hiding behind the tribal Kroot models.

[Random Person]

Hmm, i already did one long ago, but anyway, here we go.
By the way, 40mm squares would work good.

Space Marines:
Pawn: Tactical Marine.
Rook: Terminator.
Knight: Assault Marine.
Bishop: Chaplain.
Queen: Librarian.
King: Commander.

Tau Empire:
Pawn: Fire Warrior.
Rook: XV-88 Broadside(Bit big).
Knight: XV-8 Crisis(Bit big).
Bishop: XV-15/25 Stealth Suit, or a Pathfinder.
Queen: XV-8 Crisis Commander(Bit big).
King: Etherial(Protected, if he dies, forces loose heart.).

Orks:
Pawn: Boy.
Rook: Mega Armored Nob.
Knight: Storm Boy.
Bishop: Nob, or a Kommando.
Queen: Big Mek.
King: Warboss.

Imperial Guard:
Pawn: Guardsmen.
Rook: Ogryn.
Knight: Rough Riders(Bit big).
Bishop: Priest.
Queen: Commisar.
King: Heroic Senior Officer.

Eldar:
Pawn: Guardian.
Rook: Dark Reaper.
Knight: Warp Spider.
Bishop: Warlock.
Queen: Auturoc(sp).
King: Farseer.

Chaos Space Marines:
Pawn: Chaos Marine.
Rook: Obliterator.
Knight: Raptor.
Bishop: Furrie(sp).
Queen: Sorcerer.
King: Chaos Lord.

Necrons:
Pawn: Warrior.
Rook: Scarab Swarm(Couldn't think of one.).
Knight: Flayed One.
Bishop: Immortal.
Queen: Pariah.
King: Lord.

Deamon Hunters:
Pawn: Inquisitorial Storm Trooper.
Rook: Grey Knight Terminator.
Knight: Assassin.
Bishop: Grey Knight.
Queen: Brother Captian.
King: Inquisitor.

Witch Hunters:
Pawn: Battle Sister.
Rook: Retributer.
Knight: Seraphim.
Bishop: Priest.
Queen: Cannones.
King: Inquisitor.

Tyranids:
Pawn: Gaunt.
Rook: Tyrant Guard.
Knight: Gargoyle.
Bishop: Genestealer.
Queen: Broodlord.
King: Hive Tyrant(Way big), or maybe Warrior, or possibly Zoanthrope(Bit big).

Dark Eldar:
Pawn: Warrior.
Rook: Scourage.
Knight: Hellion.
Bishop: Incubi.
Queen: Haemonculus.
King: Lord.

[eleveninches]

SM:
Pawn: Space marine
Castle: Devastator
Horsie:Assault marine
Bishop:Chaplain
King:Chapter Master
Queen:Librarian

[tyrion]

eleven has it right, although I'd put a scout as bishop, they play more like a sniper than a character model.

[BloodySloth]

The problem is, would there be enough of a difference between a devastator and a regular space marine if they were painted the same? If placed next to each other it would just seem like a pawn and a pawn with a missile launcher. A terminator with an assault cannon would fit the suppression role a lot better (as was said earlier) and would be markedly different in sculpt to everything else on the board. The only problem is fitting it on a normal base, but it could be done.

[Waterbizkit]

I've been contemplating this myself lately. Been playing chess for fifteen years, and I think it would be nice to do my first home-made set with 40k miniatures.

I've decided to do Loyalist Marines versus Chaos, as it seems a nice epic battle for the set. For Marines I have my models down:

King: Space Marine Commander
Queen: Librarian (going to wait for the DA release, as there will be four new Librarians released, like the Chappys with the BT release)
Bishop: Chaplian (unsure which of the four yet)
Knight: Assault Marine with a Storm Shield, though unsure of whether to give him a power sword or a Lightning Claw.
Rook: Veteran Space Marine (the one with the power axe)
Pawns: Tactical Marines with Bolt Pistols and Close-combat Weapons

I decided on the Vets for the Rooks because the power axes and the general look of the Vet model will make them look different to the Tacs, which was my original problem. I only know I did not what any ranged weapons, as they seem a tad stupid to me for a chess set given that in order to take a piece, you must "get into combat" with it.... to put it in 40k terms

Chaos is being a little awkward. Right now I'm thinking:

King: Lord (one with marine head in power fist)
Queen: Sorcerer (probably a conversion)
Bishop: These are hard. I was thinking of using the Lord/Leutenant model, the one with the power axe standing on a marine head. This would make for a nice model and certainly look different than the lord.
Knight: Rapotor
Rook: Unsure at the moment.

Still need to work out a few kninks, and I need to design the board, as I will be building that myself, with room inside of it to store the pieces.

~Bizkit

[MooFreaky]

Personally, I'd have the Chappy as the rook. It's the second highest point value, after the queen, and the power of it suits the Chappy.
Plus, running in straight lines and shooting at angles just seems to work better somehow...


Chaos Rook could be an Obliterator

[Waterbizkit]

That could work. Initially I was thinking of using the Chappy as the Bishop for the obvious reason that the titles match up rather nicely given that they both relate to religion. Still, it would help me mirror the forces a little better.

I've been writing and reworking my ideas in a notebook, since not only am I going to be using the 40k pieces for my chess pieces, but also intend to scratch build my board with an interior for holding the pieces. One thing I notice is that should I switch the Chappy to the Rook position, and then switch the Vet. Marines with power axe to the Bishop slot, I can mirror the forces a little better:

Loyalist King: Commander with power fist and some other weapon (pistol, combi-weapon, doesn't completely matter)

Chaos King: Has power fist and I believe a combi-weapon.

Loyalist Queen: Libby with either sword or staff and pistol. I'm going to wait to see the new ones released with DA since they stand a good chance of being better than the existing ones.

Choas Queen: Sorcerer with staff or sword and a pistol. The aim will be to match the chaos queen to the loyalist in terms of weaponry (i.e. sword or staff).

Loyalist/Chaos Bishop: If I swap over the Vets. with power axes to this spot then it would better mirror my plans to have the Chaos Lieutenant with axe taking the Bishop slot for Chaos.

Chaos/Loyalist Knights: These guys are the only ones who currently won't be matching in weaponry. I want to give the Loyalists a Power Sword and Storm Shield to really drive home the idea of being a "Knight". The Raptors on the other hand will probably end up being the Raptor Champion with power claws. I don't see this as being too great a problem though, at least they're both still jump troops even if thier weapons won't match.

Loyalist/Chaos Rooks: Difficult to get a match, since using Chappys really stop me from getting a strong match on the Chaos side unless I want to end up converting Dark Apostles. I'm more than likely going to use the Chappys on the loyalist side, but Chaos is still a problem, regardless of wanting to match or not. With getting an exact match essentially impossible, I could consider Oblits. I originally wanted to avoid terminator sized models, even though I'm going to be using the larger bases. Still, it really does come down to Oblits or possessed, and the new possessed suck except for perhaps one of them.

What do you folks think would be better? An oblit, or this guy:

The Possessed with Power Fist, Horns, and Chain Sword (http://uk.games-workshop.com/storefront/store.uk?do=Individual&code=99060102097&orignav=10)

It's the only possessed that even remotely looks good to me, as I've always maintained that these possessed are the worst things I've seen GW produce recently. The rest are just total crap, but that guy doesn't make me want to tear my eyes out.

Things are coming along though. Once the model list is set I can polish my board designs.

~Bizkit

[Dr. Awesome]

Space Marines

Pawn; Space marine
Rook; Terminator
Knight; Assault Marine
Bishop; Veteran
Queen; Librarian
King; Captain

Tau

Pawn; Fire warrior
Rook; scaled-down Broadside
Bishop; scaled-down Crisis
Knight; Pathfinders
Queen; Commander
King; Ethereal (perfect candidate)

Chaos?

Pawn; Chaos Marine
Rook; Terminator
Knight; Raptor
Bishop; chosen
Queen; Sorceror
King; Chaos Lord

Eldar?

Pawn; Guardian
Rook; Dark Reapers
Knight; Swooping Hawks
Bishop; Howling Banshee
Queen; Autarch
King; Farseer

Orks?

Pawn; Boy
Rook; scaled-down Killa Kan
Knight; Kommando
Bishop; Nob
Queen; Bik Mek
King; Warboss

Dark Eldar?

Pawn; Warrior
Rook; Hellion
Knight; Scourge
Bishop; Haemonculus
Queen; Wych Archite (perfect candidate)
King; Archon

Necrons?

Pawn; Warrior
Rook; Immortal
Bishop; Pariah
Knight; Flayed One
Queen; Necron Lord
King; Nightbringer

Tyranids?

Pawn; 'Gaunt
Rook; Ravener
Knight; Lictor
Bishop; Warrior
Queen; Tyrant Guard
King; scaled-down Hive Tyrant.

I see no need for Imperial Guard or Sisters of Battle.

[sang]

Maybe for space marines you can have different kings for the chapters like for blood angels danta or primarchs .

[Overlord101]

Im working on a 40k (fully painted) chess set at the moment

Im using a 'Imperial' vs 'Chaos' Theme

Imperial Side:
Pawn : Cadian Trooper
Rook : Orgyn
Knight : Rough Rider
Bishop : Preacher
Queen : Saint Celestine
King : Inquisitor



Chaos:

Pawn : Mutant (Cadians spliced with Warhammer Zombie Sprues!)
Rook : Oblitorator
Knight : Raptors
Bishop : Chaos Scorceror
Queen : Cypher
KIng : Abbaddon

The Bishops, Rooks, Knights are all different versions of each other so they appear different (its the look i wanted)

These are all work in progress and will be painted as if for a real army

then it will go on display on top my glass display case (which holds vintage star wars action figures!)

[MooFreaky]

are you able to post Pics on the painting&modelling sub forum?

EDIT : Also, I have one planned to begin the moment this year's GT is over.

Dark Eldar vs Eldar (the old nemesii)

DE
Pawn : Warriors
Knight : Hellions
Bishop : Wyches
Rook : Incubi
Queen : Lelith
King : Archon

Eldar
Pawn : Guardian
Knight : Warp Spider
Bishop : Harlies
Rook : Wraithguard
Queen : Autarch
King : Farseer

eventually I will expand this to more races.
I just love the concept. And taking the time to do so few unit, converted, based perfectly etc is exciting.

[Overlord101]

I agree, the modelling and painting is very exciting, not reayl into the GW 'Gaming' Side of things, its been years since ive played one!!

[Capt. Andronus]

S. Marines:

Pawn: Marine w/bolter
Knight: Grey "Knight"
Bishop: Librarian
Rook: Termi w/T. Hammer
Queen: Chaplain
King: Chapter Master w/Daemon Hammer (<-Awesomness :D)

[I Heart 69]

Chapter Master w/Daemon Hammer (<-Awesomness :D)

You need to take a break from DoW.

[spead_Eagle]

here is my idea
SM
Pawn: marein because it is the core of the sm army
tower: devestator with las gun because lase guns soot very far in a srait line and because i think terminators are too elite to be a tower
Knight: Assult marien with the whole jump of peopl thing definatly not grey knights because they do not suit the role exept in name
bishop: Chapin because they a in essan the same type of person
Queen: Liberian
King: Comander
p.s. i kept all idears to the 25mm base for easy sqare size

p.p.s i like the idea of terain on the map

[antinice]

Pawn = Marine w/ Bolter
Rook = Terminator with Hammer/shield
Knight = Flying marine guy w Chainsword
King = Chapter Commander with iron crown
Queen = Sister of Battle Mistress (Whatever their HQ is called..)
Bishop = Chaplain

Make the bases a little more majestic for the rook, queen, and king. A smaller base for the knight and bishop, and small bases for the pawns.

For the board, make it out of plaster (see hirstarts.com to learn all you ever want to know about casting plaster) Each white square could have an aquila cast into it.

[driftster]

Pawn = CC Scout
Knight = Assault Marine
Rook =Terminator w/Hammer Shield
Bishop = Techmarine
Queen = Librarian
King = Black Templar High Marshall Helbrecht(sp?)

[Avatar 720]

Pawn - SM with bolter/bolt pistol and chainsaw
knight - tough choice this, either assualt marines, attack bikes or land speeder
rook - SM with a heavy weapon (preferably rocket launcher or somthing similar)
Bishop - Grey Knights without a doubt, the holyness fits.
Queen - What's with all these men? I thought queens were female, leave as is.
King - Commander

for tau

pawn - either pathfinders or fire warriors
knight - stealth suits
rook - either a broadside or hammerhead
bishop - Ethereal
queen - (choose any, I don't know any females of the earth caste)
King - Either shadowsun, farsight or crisis commander.

[MooFreaky]

You don't need to be so tied up in the names. Queen, Bishop, Pawn etc are the CURRENT names given to the pieces. When changing the piece you will be giving it a new name, thus removing any semblence of title that previouslyu existed. Thus a queen does not have to be female, and Bishops do not have to be religious.
However, if having a female is extra important I would point of that Shadowsun is actually female.

Grey Knights are far too powerful to be a lowly Bishop. They would probably be better suited to be either a Queen, or at the vey least, a Rook.

Ethereals are far too valuable to be Bishops. These are the heart and soul of the army. There are disastrous effects on the Tau when they fall, thus it makes perfect sense for him to be the king.

Hammerheads are also too large to fit on a chess board.


Tau are very interesting, IMO as they can be done in different ways depending on locations.
The Tau's Western frontier (IE the IoM's Eastern fringe) has ALOT of Human Auxillaries.

Thus you could have

Pawn = Human Auxillaries
Knight = Stealth
Bishop = FireWarrior w/ Rail Rifle
Rook = Broadside
Queen = Crisis Suit
King = Ethereal

However, many use alot more Kroot. Thus allowing

Pawn = Kroot Carnivore
Knight = Stealth Suit
Bishop = FireWarrior with Rail Rifle
Rook = Krootox
Queen = Crisis Suit
King = Master Shaper

[Avatar 720]

He said he wants it to be all SM and Tau, no kroot or vespid. Im new to this so I don't know a lot, but I do know that chess is different to the game, so in this chess, the ethereal might not be all too important, unless you are playing a game of warhammer whilst at the same type playing chess, then it would be important, but seeing as it's only chess, I don't think morale ect. apply. But you could have them instead of bishop (religious, can't make them not be) ect. you could have:

HQ - King and Queen
Troops - Pawn
Fast Attack - Knights
Heavy Support - Rook
Elites - Bishop

That way it would be easier to decide which peices to use and also narrow down the selection a bit.

[driftster]

Except when i think rook i think Assault Terminator..

When I think bishop I Think "Holy"

When I think Pawns, I think fodder used to manipulate the enemy but also capable of great things....


So

Pawn = Scout
Bishop = Chappy
Knight = Assault Marine
Rook = Assault Terminator
Queen = Mephiston
King = High marshall Helbrecht

Tau
Pawn = Firewarrior
Rook = Broadside/Hammerhead
Knight = Stealth Suit
Bishop = Standard suit/Sniper drone controller
Queen = Shadowsun
King = Farsight

[Zug_zug]

No, no, no. Here's how I'd do it. Then it would look as if they all from the same chapter.

Pawn - Marine w bolter
Knight - Assault Marine
Rook - Devastator
Bishop - Chaplain
Queen - Force Commander (mind you, "queen" in chess is after all simply the most powerful and mobile piece on the board).
King - Librarian

[driftster]

Force commander is not the most Mobile piece nor is it the most powerful..

Therefore it should be a Librarian..

[MooFreaky]

I have no such compunction with "holy" or whatnot. I look at the piece, its value/power/role in the game of chess and thus apply units accordingly.

Avatar, You aren't playing an actual game of 40k but the pieces being used should reflect a similar role to their army. Thus a rook, being a brute, powerful attacking piece would require, IMO, a very powerful model to represent it.

Bishops are less powerful than Rooks, but are more finess oriented, which I think lends itself well to some of the Veterans (Marines w/ Power Claws perhaps?). Grey Knights/Chappies, which in the fluff are ultra powerful seem a bit out of place as they are being overshadowed by the Rooks. The only reason religion comes into it on any level is because of the title given to the piece, which is merely a name to represent it. It wasn't designed to represent religion, it is merely something the Christians who played it named the piece instead of the foreign name.

This is the same reason that Ethereals are the prime King piece as their fluff lends itself to it perfectly. they are the heart and soul of the Tau Empire, the other Tau basically exist to serve them, the loss of an Ethereal can spell the doom of an entire force.

But again, that is the beauty of the whole thing, everyone can create a set based on what they think is best suited and it isn't such an issue. It is far more about the modeling of it, as the modeling side will probably have far more to do with the end result than what units you choose to place where.

[driftster]

I could have sworn it's name was given to it due to the heirachy of the pieces themselves.

which would further justify the choice of chaplain.

[MooFreaky]

When you say the Heirarchy of the pieces, you are saying that the Bishop is the 2nd strongest piece on the board?

Otherwise I do not understand what you are saying


Regardless, Bishop was a rename given in the West. The initial name was 'pil', meaning " the elephant". However, people in the West had little/no idea about such creatures, thus it was renamed based on the typical shape of the piece. Not visa-versa.
In many countries the Bishop goes by other names. In Russia it is still Elephant (their word for it), while other countries have different names. I think India is Camel, or somesuch.

[scavenger]

i would say use tau gun drones as pawns, they seem to fit the bill.

[spead_Eagle]

Nooooooooooo!
No gun drones for pawns because pawns are like the core basic unit in medivle fights it was the sawds man in tau 40k it is the fire warrier and not drones!

oh and with space marines not scouts but marines with bolters. In a space marine chapter only one company has scouts and that is the tenth where as 8 companys have marines. Oh who ever said that pawns were troops, rooks heavy support, knight fast attack, bishop eliet and king + Queen hq has the right idea.

P.S. try to keep them on 25mm bases outherwise things look out of place.

P.P.S. try puting the HQ on a rased base like some typ of stubby coloum! Keep it hopping:bunny: ! :)

[tyrion]

Small problem with knights as fast attack, they aren't fast! I'd be inclined to go for harlequins for knights as they are nimble enough to jump around the infantry but they don't have the speed of a bishop/rook/queen.

I think that the bishop is the fourth in the heirarchy btw, third if you discount the king. The reasoning usually given is that the queen and rooks can access any square on the board whilst the bishop can only reach half of them. This is why it's actually quite difficult to deliver mate with a bishop, which tends to fall into a supporting role on the long diagonals. I'd go with scouts for bishops as they are most useful sniping across those diagonals rather than being a melee piece.

[Zug_zug]

Since I play guard, I'd have to improvise.

Pawn - guardsman
Rook - ogryn
Knight - psyker
bishop - commissar
King - Colonel
Queen - Veteran Kas Sergeant

[spead_Eagle]

My advice is to keepthem all in the same race so no grey knights and no charicters because it is too comfusing

[firestorm]

(bumped on permission of pokky, in interests of keeping everything in the same place)

seems to be that people before me have had this idea :p

anyways, imo, the army that's the most difficult to convert to chess pieces would be tau, as their core infantry (commander, crisis, broadside) are all mounted on 40mm bases, which are, iirc, just under 2 inches in diameter, which means a 16x16" board, which is not an inconsiderable size. every other army can field a completely 28mm base army without trouble.

the 'only close combat' idea is intriguing, but unfortunately, it really doesn't work for armies such as, say, tau (again), as while a shaper can replace the commander, krootox can replace either xv8s or xv88s, but not both.

my personal thoughts for marines run along the standard configuration, i.e:
pawn: tactical
rook: devastator
knight: assault
bishop: codicer/reclusiarch
queen: master of sanctity/epistoliary (opposite of bishop)
king: chapter master

considering that pawns promote on reaching the end of the board, the selection of tacticals as the pawns works very well, for obvious reason :p

anyways, i believe somebody in this thread was talking about legion armies, so...

world eaters:
pawn: berzerker
rook: chosen
knight: raptor
bishop: hounds
queen: bloodthirster
king: chaos lord

thousand sons:
pawn: cultists
rook: rubric marine
knight: screamer
bishop: aspiring sorcerers
queen: changer of ways
king: chaos sorcerer

emperor's children:
pawn: noise marine w/sonic blaster
rook: noise marine w/blastmaster
knight: deamonette (mounted?)
bishop: noise marine w/doom siren (?)
queen: keeper of secrets
king: chaos lord

death guard:
pawn: plague marine
rook: havoc
knight: (? i don't think death guard have any fast movers...)
bishop: plague champion
queen: great unclean one
king: chaos lord

[Svartmetall]

To keep this in the live thread rather than the closed one...

Daemons:

King - Skarbrand
Queen - Fateweaver
Bishops - Epidemius & The Blue Scribes
Knights - Skulltaker & The Masque
Rooks - Bloodcrushers
Pawns - Plaguebearers

And for ye olde Death Guard:

King - Great Unclean One
Queen - Sorceror with Mark Of Nurgle
Bishops - Forge World Renegade Apostate Preachers Of Nurgle
Knights - Plague Marine Champions
Rooks - Plague Terminators
Pawns - Plaguebearers

[Avatar 720]

Khorne in General!:
Pawn: Berzerkers
Knight: Juggernaught
Rook: Khornate Daemon Prince
Bishop: Bloodletter
Queen: Kharn the Betrayer
King: Bloodthirster!

[Zeydus]

Pawn: Tactical Marine
Rook: Devastator Marine
Knight: Assault Marine
Bishop: Terminator
Queen: Cannoness
King: Force Commander

[son of tzeentch]

Wow, we are arguing over what somebody should use for chess peices. wow.
...
...
...
...
...
Eh, screw it.
For Chaos:
Pawn: basic dude
Knight: Biker/Raptor
Bishop: Havoc with lascannon
Rook: Termie
Queen: Daemon Prince
King: Abaddon

[firestorm]

zeydus: why canonness? that's a space marine army...the 'queen' simply represents the most powerful piece on the board.

1st company chess:

pawn: terminator
rook: terminator w/cyclone launcher
knight: terminator w/lightning claws
bishop: terminator w/assault cannon
queen: terminator chaplain
king: chapter master

[Shoota Fodder]

IG Chess set:

Pawn: Guardsmen
Rook: Ogryn
Knight: Rough Rider
Bishop: Priest (Dur..... :p)
Queen: Commissar
King: Senior Officer

[Elerium]

Bit of a resurrection of a thread eh? Either way, my thoughts on Tau:

King: Ethereal
Queen: Tau Commander
Knight: Stealthsuit
Left Bishop: Kroot Shaper
Right Bishop: Vespid Strain Leader
Pawn: Fire Warrior
Rook: Broadside

[Flagg]

I was just thinking, how cool would it be if they made a 3D video game of this? Each unit could have an awesome sync kill for whatever piece they took/killed.

[Schwertbruder]

Yes 40k chess with the battle chess engine! Nice!

[RedOnesGoFasta]

Gotta have some orks.

King: Warboss in Mega Armor
Queen: BigMek w/ Kustom Force Field
Pawn: Sluggas
Bishop: Mad Dok
Knight: Stormboys
Rook: Nob w/ Power Klaw or Killa Kan

[Fading Echo]

Something a little different for the Necrons:

Pawn: Warrior
Knight: Destroyer
Rook: Spyder
Bishop: Wraith
Queen: Immortal
King: Lord