Tanksgiving 2025

This year I participated in the Tanksgiving event at the local Warhammer store. 

The idea is that you pledge to build and paint a new vehicle or monster for Warhammer 40,000 and then show up with it on the designated day to participate in a mega battle. Now, obviously, it's to get people to BUY more BIG TANKS AND MONSTERS... but you don't HAVE to buy new ones. You could bring in some old stuff still on the sprue sitting in you pile of shame... and I DID consider that - as I have more than a few Imperial Guard tanks and other vehicles I could have brought in and pledged.... but I was worried that might distract me from my plan to FOCUS on Age of Sigmar stuff... so instead I bough a brand new Great Unclean One to build and paint... and I did that:

Great Unclean One

Now... for a tank battle... A Great Unclean One probably wasn't the smartest choice... It doesn't really have much in the way of ranged attacks... (it does have a vomit attack with a range of 12" - but most tanks have guns with ranges in the neighbourhood of 24-36") and id doesn't go very fast, compared to most tanks (so the tanks could just keep backing away - if there's space). But I've never been known as one who made SMART choices, when it came to army selection... or... much of anything, but it was the one way I could assemble and paint something that would be usable in Age of Sigmar and still participate in the event, so there it is... 

I rode out to the Warhammer Store on Saturday - and ended up being a bit late - it was the first really COLD day and it was windy (cold headwind!) and a ride that normally takes me 40-45 minutes took well over an hour. I'd planned to leave early... anyway, people were supposed to show up at 3:30, but I didn't make it there until almost 4pm... and everyone was all lined up and waiting for me... which was a little embarrassing! 

The sides were split up into Imperial and NOT Imperial and the two sides were to fight until one was eliminated, then it would be free-for-all for any remaining Vehicles/Monsters

Like in the latest version of Apocalypse, damage didn't take effect until the end of the round, so if your stuff got blowed up before you got to go, you'd still have a chance to shoot/hit things. 

The winner would be determined by who dealt the most damage, in total. 

On my right was a little Leages of Votann light scout vehicle of some sort and a Chaos Knights Warhound. 

To my left was a Chaos Predator and a Genestealer Cult super heavy tank of some sort. 

There was also another Chaos vehicle... might have been a Rhino or something built on a rhino chassis. Wasn't sure if it was Thousand Sons of Nightlords or some other Traitor Marine Chapter... 

Each vehicle went through a turn entirely on their own: moving, shooting, charging, and fighting, before the next player went. 

First turn of the first round, this little warhound rocked out to the middle of the table, poured some fire into this Marine tank (Space Wolves?) and then charged it and destroyed it!? YIKES! 

It did get to shoot back on the Imperium turn... but failed to take the warhound out. 

Over on the left all the other tanks shot each other up and most died in the first round...

When the dust settled, all that was left was the Dark Angles Fellblade... 

Which was in the opposite corned of the table from me... 

I briefly considered moving forward under cover, but the Votann car and the Warhound had the same idea and, going before me, hid behind the building I was thinking to take cover behind... so I just ran at the thing... 

The Fellblade took a few shots and then charged right in... I DID get to hit it with my sword... ONCE... and dealt THREE damage... Didn't get to use my flail or vomit on it... The other two finished it off and when it exploded, it finished the rest of US off... and that was the game! 

In all I think it took less than an hour! 

Vehicles of all the participants. 

Seemed like a fun bunch of guys. 

I'd probably do it again next year... but next time I'll build one of those Guard tanks that I already have!!

Or maybe a Valkyrie? Could be funny to have a flier! John, the store manager, floated that idea at one point - suggesting maybe make it so EVERYONE had to bring a flier...? I do have an Imperial Guard Valkyrie in a box (not sure how great that would be, it's not really a fighter aircraft, it's meant to be more of a transport!). Somewhere in the house is an Ork and Aeldari fighter, gifts I'd gotten for the kids one year- when they were both still interested in 40K... but neither ever got around to building... 

If they do the Beast Feast again next year (the Age of Sigmar version of this event) I'll definitely get in on that... I have NO IDEA what I'd build and paint, that's MONTHS away... I have no idea what I'll be doing NEXT month most of the time, let alone what I'll be doing in 9-10 months... Lots of things I COULD do.. Bloodthirster... ANOHER Great Unclean One... maybe a Treelord (or I could do a Greater Daemon of some sort AND a Treelord, for Amanda to bring out!?) 

I have a few more games of Age of Sigmar lined up for this next week - and have a few more Warhammer Quest game reports to finish up - so stay tuned for those!