What is kit bashing?

[kladams707]

Someone asked on another thread and never received an answer, I don't know myself, and it doesn't seem to be on the "common terms" thread.

[Erom]

Meaning creating something new by combining parts together from other things. It can have a negative connotation (haphazardly combining things without proper attention to detail) or a positive one (saving time by reusing other things.)

The term originated from tabletop games like Warhammer where you have to assemble and paint your own miniatures. They tend to do things like, if you buy a squad of 15 infantry, send you more than 30 arms in various poses so you have some freedom in how you construct your models. Or if you buy a big mech they may send you a few choice for what weapons to stick on the arms. Buy enough stuff, and you probable have enough parts left over from various kits to combine them into something new. Indeed, sometimes people buy a kit not to make the model it's supposed to make, but for some part they really need for an idea they have.

[RPGuru1331]

Huh. Thank you, Erom. I'm not the OP, but it's interesting to learn the Etymology of words I use.

[Erom]

Happy to help.

[kladams707]

Meaning creating something new by combining parts together from other things. It can have a negative connotation (haphazardly combining things without proper attention to detail) or a positive one (saving time by reusing other things.)

Thank you for the explanation.

[Fax Celestis]

I was under the impression that "kitbsahing" usually involved taking a piece of a mini from one set and using it on a mini from another set.

[BardicDuelist]

Yeah, I was pretty sure that it applied more specifically to mixing parts from different brands (such as Citadel and Reaper), product lines (such as Warhammer and Lord of the Rings), or, rarely, armies (such as Kahdor and Cynagar in Warmachine), not just putting together models with different pieces than those intended (that's often lumped into "modding").

Also, it is often used to imply a bit of a hap hazard fashion (and the similar term "kit mashing" is often used).

[Sinfire Titan]

I was under the impression that "kitbsahing" usually involved taking a piece of a mini from one set and using it on a mini from another set.

That's one use of the word. It can result in awesomeness, such as a Skorne mini wielding an ax like it was a guitar. Do an image search to find some examples of kitbashing being applies to Zoids models.

[Burley]

I read the title and thought: Seal Clubbing? What?

We've torn apart some minis before... on accident, and never fixed them.

[RagnaroksChosen]

i thought it had something to do with 2nd ed?

[Sinfire Titan]

I read the title and thought: Seal Clubbing? What?

We've torn apart some minis before... on accident, and never fixed them.

So... a baby seal walks into a club and......

[ocato]

Given the connotation that I vaguely recall from the thread in question, it seemed that the person was more or less saying "build criticizing." Whether this is his actual intent/a different use of the term or just a misunderstanding of context clues on my part, I cannot say. I can't remember the thread off the top of my head, so I can't quote.

[kbk]

i thought it had something to do with 2nd ed?

In some 2nd edition supplements, before skills and powers, the vogue thing was alterations to classes by specific kits. Hence, kit bashing when applied to 2nd edition meant to use those kits, usually, but not necessarily, in a min/maxing way.

[Riffington]

Just be aware that it also has another (slightly more violent) meaning.

[Mando Knight]

I read the title and thought: Seal Clubbing? What?

Well, yeah. If you go to the Brotherhood of the Smackdown, but you're not a Turtle Tamer, you're definitely a Seal Clubber.

Alternately, it could mean getting your miniatures kits, and then using a giant hammer on them...

[Townopolis]

I believe I read the thread the question originally came from, and in that context the meaning seemed to be extrapolated to apply to builds, as in taking bits and pieces from different classes to build a character.

Ranger 3/swordsage 2/barbarian 1/druid 5/scout 4/beastmaster 10
as opposed to just ranger 20.

anyway, that seemed to be the meaning they were going for, bashing a build together out of various classes. I've never really considered that anything special in the character building arena though, so I may be way off base.

PS. I just made up that build, I've no idea what it would do.

[kbk]

I believe I read the thread the question originally came from, and in that context the meaning seemed to be extrapolated to apply to builds, as in taking bits and pieces from different classes to build a character.

Ranger 3/swordsage 2/barbarian 1/druid 5/scout 4/beastmaster 10
as opposed to just ranger 20.

anyway, that seemed to be the meaning they were going for, bashing a build together out of various classes. I've never really considered that anything special in the character building arena though, so I may be way off base.

PS. I just made up that build, I've no idea what it would do.

I believe I was the person to use the term in question in the thread in question ;-).

I simply wanted to find a different term for min/maxing that grasped the idea of selecting different 4th edition weapon style feats and powers, etc.

In fact, I used it to mock threads that were about this, and admitted that I wasn't very good at kit-bashing in 4th edition. Yes, I'm stretching the meaning. We need a new term for Min/maxing at this level!

[fusilier]

The term kit bashing, comes from scale model building. It is the result of using several different model "kits" to produce a single model. For example, sometimes the modeller wants a particular variant of an airplane, but no kit exists for that variant. So he/she takes one kit, then the appropriate pieces from another kit, and "bashes" them together, to get the desired model. Conversely, sometimes different manufacturers, get one part right but another part wrong. Using multiple kits the modeler might be able to make a more accurate model. Of course it can also be used to make original models, etc.

The term obviously carried over to scale miniatures (like warhammer).

Perhaps this definition would be acceptable(?):

In a generic sense "kitbashing" is the combination of two or more items that were not originally intended to be used together. --?