The Hobby Standard: What is expected and what you need for a tournament legal list.

UKTC events are a competition, but they’re also friendly, fair, and a celebration of the hobby. A big part of that is making sure every table looks like Warhammer: painted armies, identifiable units, and no “unfinished” models. Our requirements are listed in our policies and procedures documents you can find them here.

This article takes a look at the Battle Ready standard using Games Workshop’s own guidance (here), then explains how we apply that standard, and what the policy is if an army doesn’t meet it.

Games Workshop uses “Battle Ready” as an achievable minimum standard for tabletop play. at its simplest it requires that you have:

The main areas of your model coloured plus a simple finish on the base. 

It’s explicitly a baseline intended to support a better shared gaming experience, not as a barrier to entry.

What we expect from our players

For UKTC Warhammer 40,000 events, all models must be painted to a Battle Ready standard, and we directly point players to the Warhammer Community Battle Ready guide for this reference standard. Simply, this means that all the models must be fully painted and based to be considered legal. Models that do not meet the standard are at risk of being removed from play. 

Bases and partially assembled models

Models must be fully assembled, and whilst an element of variable posing for the kits is allowed and conversions are encouraged, models must not be particularly assembled if this offers any in-play advantages.

Models must also be based on the correct size base as documented in the tournament companion, and as bases are considered part of the model, they must be complete to a battle-ready standard.

Conversions, Proxies, and vintage models

All conversions and proxies should bear a logical resemblance to the original model and should be of comparable dimensions to the latest Games Workshop model. 3D printed models are treated just like any other proxy.

Weapon loadouts should also be clearly demarked and consistent to prevent confusion for your opponent to see at a glance.

Vintage models are allowed and are treated as proxies. However, you must use the current model’s dimensions for game play decisions, and it must be on the correct base size. 

What happens if models aren't battle ready

As we clearly state in our policies, unpainted or incorrectly based models are not allowed. Please do not bring them as they will be removed from play.

How to handle non-compliant models

If your opponent's army is not painted to a battle ready standard and you do not wish to make a complaint, you should still inform a judge. You can do this via the digital sportsmanship form or in person. If you wish to make a complaint, you may do this discreetly via the Call a Ref card, requesting a Battle Ready check at your table. All players are expected and required to have their full army painted to this standard.

On Parade

As mentioned at the start, our events are also celebrations of the hobby - we love seeing all the hard work that goes into people's models. It is exceedingly rare that we have to action models that do not meet the standard, as the vast majority of players significantly clear this bar.

On the Sundays of events we host a best painted competition where players can put forward armies, units, and even single models. These works of art are for the entirety event to vote on, and specific judge nominated awards. If you would like to be part of the experience and showcase your hobby skill with a like-minded community buy your ticket on our store today: uktc.events/shop