So I got some "Space Marine Command Figures" - Why do I bother with GW figures?

I do not consider myself a Games Workshop 40K wargamer - not at all. The toys I have amassed over the years (decades) are bought purely out of the Sci-Fi feel good factor - spawned I think from the sculpts and art work rather than belief in their universe (Note: GW have still done very well out of me). No I am not a 40K gamer per se, I do not possess the complete 40K Orc hide-bound rule tome for one thing. I do not posses any complete "army". I have a basic knowledge of the 'sequence of play' from a starter/primer magazine used to lure people in but I am sure I would be torn apart in a "competitive shop game". Over the years I have acquired various "now out of date" Codex's from second hand shops or bought some new (Tau, Necrons and Tyranids - now out of date) to assist painting and modelling, but artwork first or a cheap bargain is my motto. All this is not going to stop me from buying some Space Marine Command characters (old school, not Primus) .. because I see a use for them in an expanded Space Crusade system (see below, I class these as "character painting projects"):  

My children, well my eldest son for now, have inherited my Sci-Fi and fantasy troops as I was running out of space in the loft so they surreptitiously "moved into a downstairs bedroom" (I should really call it a tactical loan). I have never fought a Warhammer 40K with my "own" troops but have enjoyed an intro squad game at a shop (they were very complementary about my Tyranids). The one club game I once played was with other peoples toys (Orcs [me] versus Chaos Space Marines) and frankly was a terrible experience, as I was one half of a historical gamer pairing trying to understand the system, thankfully some "grown-up" (middle-aged) teenagers came over to help and salvaged something. I didn't even get to do a proper "Waagh" ;) 

My hope is to recycle these troops 'character' into exploring "The Black Fortresses" (modern versions of the Space Hulks to my mind) akin to move-style horror RPG. I'll mix in other ranges. So although for 90-95% time I enjoy ignoring GW, I still like that they are there - particularly as I will freely borrow from their paint ranges and techniques.  

The Blackstone Fortress Unboxing

It came (see below, a birthday present to myself which I will play with the kids, but make no mistake I will be the biggest kid): 

Behold the land of sprue all of which looks totally compatible with standard 40K stuff, so Warhammer Quest is my excuse for me to make use of GW 40K miniatures I buy "for no apparent reason other that I have to have them" - so I may indeed by their target audience (see below, the adventurer sprue was most beguiling, though some of the baddies were "yuppy" too - spindle drones coming immediately to mind and a nice Chaos Lord):  

Lots of deck cards and fancy dice too (see below, nice, I am resisting the temptation 

Ah, reading material (see below, be sure to read this soon, before unsealing the cards and popping teh playing boards but after the miniature assembly): 

Ah, multiple books .. my eye fixates on the "assembly instructions" (see below, I shall try not to be drawn into the depths of the background - I just noted that there seemed to be many "Black Fortresses" floating around, a bit like Space Hulks from Space Crusade perhaps): 

First impression on unboxing .. looks very good! Winter is coming and this may just keep me entertained during the dark nights ,, the Imperial Robot has already "caught my eye" as a painting project!  

Birthday Present - The Black Fortress

I am still a big kid, so a shiny toy in a sale for my birthday treat is a no-brainer (see below, a current GW offering that is a mix between Hero Quest and Space Crusade - family fun [it is my birthday and I chose which games to play, you can hear the groans already] and there are plenty of toys to put together to paint later): 

Watch out for a game report coming soon.