Rockin' Out with Models!

The post title is so much more exciting than the actual post. 

A lot of people have music that goes with their various armies, kind of a soundtrack to their army.  I think I have that for a couple of my armies, but not all of them. 

Dark Elves - Prokofiev's Dance of the Knights
Bretonnia - Muse's Knights of Cydonia
Space Marines - Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries
Beastmen - Modest Mouse's March into the Sea

I can't say that each one has anything to do with the army it goes with, rather these are just the songs that are shuffling about in my head as I play each army (generally as I deploy).  Anybody else (and I've seen quite a few people already) out there who has something like this going?

Models that Inspire Me: Firey Angel by Victoria Lamb

Way back in the day (okay, about three years ago), when I picked up my first model sets (Macragge and Skull Pass, respectively), I got a White Dwarf at the same time.  I remember flipping through it, not really understanding much of it, but eventually hitting the page where this model was featured and having my first "Wow" moment. 

I love two things about this miniature.  The first should be immediately obvious:  the fire and lighting effects.  I remember thinking that I'd never be able to paint anything like that, and I still can't come anywhere close.  The thing I love most about the miniature, however, is something I've actively tried to do with my miniatures when I can, and that is the sense of motion and story that the models here convey.  It's not two combatants standing around and looking at each other, it's a still picture of an active moment.  I love the waving arms of the Kan as the fire strikes, and the sense of wonder you get as you try to figure out what is going to happen next. 

If I can ever convey that sense of story half as well, I'll be happy with my painting and modeling. 

Beastmen Book Review, Part Four (Specials and Rares)

Ah, the Special and Rare choices.  This is where the book really shines.  Shall we?

Specials

Minotaurs - While still glass cannons, these bad boys can boast S7 attacks with Great Weapons, or more S5 attacks with Additional Hand Weapons.  They're not badly priced, and like the Hero and Lord level Bulls have Bloodgreed, which means the more that they win, the stronger they get.  I had one the other night dishing out 10 attacks.  An easy A.

Centigors - Initially, I didn't like these much, and it's tough to justify using them in the Special slot.  Lots of S5 attacks with a long charge range is nice, but it's rough right now to justify them when there are better choices.  B-.

Harpies - Flying scouts to march block your opponent on his first turn are a must.  My opponent last night was march blocked on turn one, and stayed that way the entire game.  A+.

Bestigors - They wouldn't be awful...if they were core, or had options, or were cheaper.  But they're none of these things, and so they get a C-.

Razorgors - Fast, tough, fear causing hurt machines.  I haven't quite figured them out yet on the table, but I like their ability a lot.  They make a good complement to Minotaurs, and I think will be excellent in combination. B+

Razorgor Chariot - Just because of the slot, I'd be more tempted to run these as character mounts.  They'll hit like a truck, though, and keep on chewing.  B.

Rares

Spawn - Spawn are pretty neat, and are the cheapest Rare choice.  Unfortunately, they're not neat enough compared to the other nasties we have.  However, if you're strapped for points, these are a decent investment.  B.

Giants - A little cheaper, and a little better.  Again, not one of the terrible nasty choices you'll get elsewhere, but it still does everything that a Giant does, and can regain wounds now as well.  B.

Ghorgon - S6, T6, W6.  Seven attacks with Frenzy, and has Bloodgreed.  In two games, while this guy hasn't done a ton of killing for me, he has managed to tie up the nasty hitting power in the other player's list for several turns.  I don't care about his silly regen attack, which I'll most likely never, ever use.  It's his sheer destructive power, and M7, which make him a great choice.  A+.

Jabberslyth - Like the Ghorgon, he's an amazing distraction.  He was my MVP last night, and forces people to either ignore the rankbreaker in your back or turn your army around.  A.

Cygor - I haven't used him yet, but a Stonethrower that can mess with magic phases is nothing to scoff at.  He'll die to basic troops, but he should beat anything remotely magic down pretty well.  I like the possibilities for first turn assassinations.  A.

Grail Quest 2010 Results

 

Grail Quest Results

Best Overall - Lon Sims

Best General - Bart Bartkowiak

Second Overall - Steve McNamara

Third Overall - Ian Holland

Best Sportsmanship - Tony Nelson

Best Painted - Brett White

And the overall Battle Score Breakdown:

Player Name	Overall Battle
Lon Sims	48
Bart Bartkonian	39
Steve McNamara	37
Ian Holland	36
Justin Nolan	33
Lance Lagroue	30
Charlie Hand	30
Collins Mullen	29
Nate White	26
Tony Nelson	24
Chris Robertson	22
Erik Lindley	18
Blair Anderson	18
Robert Gifford	18
Reid McCurry	18
Tom Geater	18
Brett White	17
Michael Ryker	16
Marcus Davis	15
Kevin Lindley	12
Tim Morton	11
Adam Wright	6
Pat Morten	1
Dallas Posey	-1

Congratulations to everyone who attended, and thank you so much for making this such a great success this year. 

Removing "Yes, the Truth Hurts"

I've removed "Yes, the Truth Hurts" from my links.  I've always tried to balance Stelek's decent advice about gaming with his obnoxiousness and attention-whoring, but claiming that dead IRS employees from yesterday's attack should get no sympathy because the IRS is an awful institution is incredibly beyond the pale.  I urge other bloggers to do the same.

Grail Quest 2010 Sportsmanship and Painting Scores Format

 

Soft scores at tournaments are always controversial.  Last year, at Grail Quest, I handed out separate painting and sportsmanship scores, but kept the main rankings limited to Battle Points.  This year, I'm including painting and sports, but they still will have a low impact on the Overall winner.

Each game will get you (with points in parentheses):

Massacre (15) / Solid Victory (12) / Marginal Victory (10) / Draw (5) / Lose (0)?

You can also earn 2-3 points per round in Scenario Points.

Each round, players will use the following Painting Checklist, each of which awards a painting point:

• The army looks like a cohesive force (or Bretonnian Pageantry, etc.)

• The army is colored in a pleasing and consistent manner.

• The army uses highlighting or shading techniques to add depth and lighting to the models.

• Character models and army centerpieces stand out.

• Time was taken to paint the details of the models/units to bring out the individuality of the army (i.e. gems, lenses, ribbons, etc).

• The army is in the top 25% of armies represented at this tournament.

• The army is in the top 10% of armies represented at this tournament.

• All models are based in a consistent or cohesive manner

• The army contains some conversions.

• Some models have extensive and intricate basing.

They also answer the following Sportsmanship Questions, each awarding a Sportsmanship Point:

1. Was your Opponent on Time and Prepared to play with all needed items? YES/NO

2. Did your Opponent Measure accurately and play at a timely pace? YES/NO

3. Did your Opponent know his/her rules and handle rules disputes reasonably? YES/NO

4.  My opponent was (Circle One):

a.  The worst opponent I ever played

              b.  An awful sportsman

              c.  An average sportsman

              d.  A better than average sportsman

              e.  A very good sportsman

              f.  My new Super Best Pal for Life / The Best Durn Sportsman Ever

If you chose option a. or f., explain why:

The formula for best overall is:
Overall Score = (Game and Battle Points) + (Average Painting Score / 2) + (Average Sportsmanship / 2) + (Points for being chosen as someone's favorite opponent (1) and painted army for the day (.5).)

So if Bob Smith had 48 Battle and Game Points from Playing, an Average Paint Score from opponents after three games of 6 (I believe it's out of eight), had a Sports score of 5 (again out of eight), and had one Best Painted (.5) and one favorite opponent (1)...he'd end up with 48+(6/2)+ (5/2)+.5+1 = 55, with soft scores contributing 7 points.

I'm giving prizes for:

Best Overall
Best General
Second Best Overall
Third Best Overall
Best Sports
Best Painted Army

I expect about $300 in the overall prize pool minimum, so prizes should be good. 


Ideas and opinions on this are very welcome, as I'm always looking to improve the system. 

Up to My Ears in Tournament Preparation

 

Every year, I run Grail Quest, a 2,250 one day Warhammer Fantasy Tournament.  It's two days away, and I'm officially stressed.  Aside from the creation of scenarios and score sheets, I need to make sure there are enough tables, find a ringer (after mine backed out for the second year in a row), and I'm not sure what else, but I know there has to be something.  So it's a bit crazy right now.  

But it'll be fun in a couple days.

Interlude: 2250 Beastmen First Game!

 

Last night, I got to field my new Beasts for the first time, and play against the new Skaven for the first time, all in one game!  Tom is one of my regular opponents here in Durham, and is a great guy to play against.  

I brought:  

Doombull with Brass Cleaver, Blackened Plate, Shield, Gouge Tusks, and Gnarled Hide

Gorebull with Ramhorn Helm, Heavy Armor, Shield, Sword of Battle

Gorebull with Chalice of Dark Rain, Biting Blade, Heavy Armor, Shield

Bray Shaman with two Dispel Scrolls

Eight groups of five Ungor Raiders

Five Warhounds (with the Doombull)

Two groups of three Minotaurs with Additional Hand Weapons (each got a Gorebull)

Two Razorgors

Five scouting Harpies

Ghorgon

Jabbersclythe

He brought (from memory):

Gray Seer on a Bell w/ 40+ Clanrat Warriors

BSB

Plague Priest on a Furnace w/ 35+ Plague Monks

Three Units of 25+ Slaves

Two units of Plague Censer Bearers

Doom Wheel 

Hell Pit Abomination

He had two huge unbreakable units in the middle, with the Wheel and the HPA on (my) left flank.  His two units of Censer Bearers covered his other flank and rear, with slaves scattered through the line.  

I put my two units of Minotaurs and my unit of Hounds down in the middle, and covered them with screening Ungor Raiders.  The Ghorgon held my left flank, and the Jabbersclythe my right with the Razorgors.  My harpies managed to scout behind some trees on his right flank. 

First Turn:

On my first turn, three units of Ungor Raiders ambushed in on the right side of the board near his line.  They didn't do anything, but were march blocking some slaves, which would soon spark the wimpiest side war in game history, in which fifteen Ungor Raiders and twenty-five slaves battled the whole game for a board quarter.  The rest of my stuff moved up.

On his turn, his Doom Wheel shot forward eighteen inches towards my Ghorgon!  It then misfired, and shot another eighteen inches off the side of the board!  His lines moved up, but I just managed to hold down his shooting and magic.  

Turn Two:  

I moved my lines up a bit more, and used my Ungor Raiders to make him charge me with his big blocks and turn them at an angle.  I did the same to his Abomination.  I charged his Slaves with one group of Ungor Raiders, who managed to whittle away at them, but lost just the same...they held on, though!  

In his turn, he charged with his Abomination and two big blocks.  Shockingly, they destroyed my Ungors.  The Plague Monk block overran through some other Ungors, who fled, into one of my Minotaur Groups.  Whoops!  The Abomination overran and was hanging out in front of my Doombull (who would charge it in the front) and the other Minotaur group (who would flank it).  His Doom Wheel came back on and shot my Ghorgon for three wounds. 

Turn Three: 

My Jabbersclythe charged a unit of Censer Bearers and ate them, but had a huge overrun to land in front of another group of Censer Bearers.  My Doombull charged his Abomination, as did the other Minotaurs.  The Doombull promptly beat it to death...wow!   It was at this point that I really started to realize his monstrous potential, which would come out full force this game.  The Minotaur group that had been waiting to fight the Abom had a nice overrun into the side of the Plague Monk block, while the Doombull charged into the front of some Slaves.   This allowed me to use the Minotaurs in the Plague Monk Combat.  Long story short, I chopped up 15-20 monks, and he wounded the Minotaurs in front just a bit.  I win, but he's unbreakable.  

In his turn, he killed my Jabberslythe, and then his Doomwheel got S 10 shots and killed my Ghorgon.  My Doombull killed his Slaves, and my Minotaurs continued to grind Plague Monks, steadily getting more and more frenzied.  My Razorgors were stuck out on the east side of the board, and one would die to Crack's Call.  The harpies and remaining Ungors were hanging out and claiming quarters.  

Turn Four:  

I continued to grind Plague Monks.  My Doombull headed over near his other big block.  I should note that his other big block had pretty much gotten stuck between the Plague Monk combat, my Razorgors, and a river, and was trying to back up to do something.  It hadn't moved all that much.  

In his turn, he shot some Minotaurs with his Doom Wheel, but they finally killed the Plague Monks and the Furnace.  At this point, they were each attacking a lot.  

Turn Five:  

My turn started with one Gorebull charging his Doomwheel, and everything else charging the front of his huge Gray Seer / Clanrat block.  They killed roughly twenty of the rats in one round of combat, and he didn't do much back.  My Gorebull on his Doomwheel (there to keep it out of the back of my Doombull) did some wounds to it, lost, and held.  

In his turn, I killed the remaining Clan Rats, and his Doomwheel killed my Gorebull.  At this point, my regular surviving Minotaur was making ten attacks a turn, and my Doombull was making thirteen or fourteen.  It was nuts.  

Turn Six:

My Doombull beat his Gray Seer to Death despite the 4+ Ward Save, and my Minotaur and Gorebull killed his BSB.  I moved the Harpies over to prevent his Doom Wheel from charging my Doombull.  In his turn, he killed the Harpies.  

Results and Analysis:  

I killed everything he had on the table minus the Doom Wheel.   He killed about 1100 points worth of stuff, mainly the two big monsters, 1.5 units of Minotaurs, a Gorebull and a couple handfuls of Raiders.  

Minotaurs are real combat monsters, and against big blocks of unbreakable stuff will just go absolutely crazy.  Combined with the Brass Cleaver, there were a few turns of the Doombull dishing out over a dozen S6 attacks.  Getting these guys into combat is awesome.  

Ungor Raiders are, as expected, a pain in the opponent's butt.  Protecting the big guys is something I need to work on, but they keep the opponent busy trying to get them killed.   Overall, I'm pleased with the army's performance, and will see where they go from here.  

 

Beastmen Book Review, Part Three

 

It's good to be back.  

Let me start by saying how sorry I am that there weren't updates the second half of last week.  That little cold I had turned out to be a full blown stuck in bed on my back disaster, and I'm finally recovering from it, although I'm still not fantastic.  At least I'm able to get back to work, and maybe get some games in.  Speaking of which, I'll get my first couple Beastmen games tonight, so lets talk some Beasts!

Lords and Heroes:  There are two interesting choices here for me, with the Great Bray-Shaman taking third place.  

Beastlord - The Beastlord provides one single attribute that the rest of the army sorely lacks:  leadership.  With Ld 9, this is the choice that will keep other units moving and stop them from running quite as much as they would otherwise.  He can be tricked out to be a pretty good fighter, as well.  He will have to be in a chariot, which to me always seems to make him an easy cannon target, or in a group of Gors, Ungors, or Bestigors.  I give him a B+.

Doombull - A true close combat monter, especially if he gets the charge.  I'm running him tonight, in a group of poison hounds.  If you want to smash things left and right, the Doombull is your guy.  As with all Minotaur characters, he'll provide the blessing and curse of frenzy to his unit.  He's a mean machine, but only Ld 8.  I'll give him a B, since he's got the lower leadership and frenzy to offset his obvious killing skills.

Great Bray-Shaman - At leadership 8, and with a weak lore, he's the weakest choice right now, and a C.  If magic changes with Eighth addition, perhaps his score will as well.

Core:  An pretty wide selection here, but much of it is pretty poor.  Gors and Ungors are separate now, and rank and file.

Ungors - Cheap and junky...kind of like a cross between man and goblin.  C-.

Gors - A little less junky but way too expensive.  With ambushing, I think you could spam these semi-effectively, but the price would rapidly get too high.  I can't see going beyond 10 under the current rules. At least it's an upgrade to ranked Ungors. C+.  

Ungor Raiders - Cheap as heck skirmishers with short bows that can ambush.  I love these suckers for march blocking and hunting war machines early on.  You can do it at a bargain price, and use the non-ambushing units to screen.  These guys get an easy A.

Warhounds - Cheap and easy screeners.   I'll also use them from time to time to give my Doombull some ablative wounds.  B+, but only because the Raiders take their spots somewhat.

Tuskgor Chariots - You'll have to spam these to be effective, but with a Beastlord this can be a very good option.  The loss of rerollable psychology and scythed wheels is a bit rough, but at least the price is right, as is the slot.  B+. 

Sick Day

Yuck!  I try to update seriously every weekday, but I'm just falling down sick at the moment and am not going to be able to dig through the Beast book today with any real thought.  For those dying for something to read, I present to you:

Ron's awesome Shrike conversion WiP via From the Warp:  http://fromthewarp.blogspot.com/2010/02/shrike-conversion-part-1.html

The latest Ogre Kingdoms rumors from Drinkin' and Modelin':  http://drinkinandmodelin.blogspot.com/2010/02/ogre-kingdoms-new-army-book-rumors-part.html

See you tomorrow!

Beastmen Book Review, Part Two (Army Special Rules and Magic)

 

 

Now that we've talked about the fluffy and pretty stuff in the book, we can move on to the meat and potatoes (or in the Beastman's case, meat and more meat).  An army book eventually boils down to the last few pages of charts, numbers and fancy items, and while the Beastmen may not have received the feast that some other books have enjoyed, they aren't left to starve either.  

Army Special Rules:  We've got two special rules.

Primal Fury - Beastmen (but only the actual Beastmen and not Minotaurs and the like) take a leadership test in close combat.  If passed, they gain hatred.  On a double one, they gain hatred and frenzy.  This test is taken in every round of combat. 

So remember when the Dark Elf book was coming out, and there were a lot of cries that Hatred would make the army awful, because overruns and such would become unmanageable?  Hatred actually makes the army fantastic.  There's whining now about Primal Fury, and how it's awful and terrible.  This is like Super Hatred.  Sure, our leadership is low, but important units will most likely have a character or be near the General, while smaller support units (little Ungor units) shouldn't count on passing the check all the time.  When they do, what a fantastic bonus.  I think Primal Fury is the hidden gem of the book, in that people haven't realized how great it is yet.  I give it an A.  

Ambush - Units are held back to ambush.  Each turn a d6 is rolled per unit.  On a one, the opponent places the unit on a board edge.  On a two or three, it doesn't come on at all.  On a four, it comes on anywhere on the left side, and on a five, the right.  On a six, it enters whatever board edge you like.  

At the moment, it's a bit unclear how this rule will actually work.  There are two interpretations.  The first interpretation is that you can have a unit of one type not ambushing, and then multiple units of the same type and of equal or lesser size ambushing.  The second interpretation is that for each ambushing unit, you'll need an equal or greater non ambushing unit of that type.  I'm going to play my army under the second, more conservative interpretation until GW FAQ's the issue.  

The question will become whether to ambush at all or not.  Especially under the conservative interpretation, it's an all or nothing deal, because you'll need plenty of ambushers to make it work.  I plan on attempting multiple small units of ungor raiders and perhaps a small Gor Heard in order to try ambushing effectively.  If it works, being able to put any kind of distraction in the opponent's backfield on Turn 1 is incredible. 

If it turns out that the more liberal interpretation of ambushing was somehow the case, this ability will become amazing.  As it is, it requires big investments and is shaky, but can have a great upside.  For the vagueness of the rule, and under the conservative interpretation, I give it a B-.  

The Wild Lore:  So Beasts got their own magic.  It's kind of like how Warriors of Chaos have their own three lores, except we got one, and it's not very good!  Oh well, let's see how what works and what doesn't.

0.  Bestial Surge - Our default spell, which casts on a 7+...which is a lot!  All units within 6" move d6+1 inches towards the closest enemy.  They can't charge.  This spell is pretty garbage with it's high casting value and restrictions (nearest enemy, can't charge).  I give it a D.

1.  Viletide - 7+, 5d6 Strength One Hits.  Absolutely terrible for a cheap magic missile, F.

2.  Devolve - All enemy units within 12" take a leadership check and take wounds for what they lose by, with no armor saves.  Casts on a 9.  Pretty great situationally, and for protecting a shaman.  B+

3.  Bray-Scream - 10+, Str. 3 breath weapon from any character within 12", no armor saves.  Nice spell.  B+.

4.  Traitor-Kin - Makes monsters and mounts attack crew and riders, casts on a 10+.  This can be very useful for things like Hydras and against certain armies like Bretonnia.  A-.

5.  Mantle of Ghorok - Casts on a 13, +D6 Str and +D6 Attacks for a turn.  If sixes are rolled, take a wound.  C+ for a high casting value and the drawbacks.  

6.  Savage Dominion - On a 16, summons a Jabberslythe, Ghorgon, or Giant.  The shaman can't do anything while the monster is summoned, and takes toughness tests as the monster is wounded.  A B for coolness, although the effectiveness of the spell is questionable, as I can't see getting it off very often.  

The Lore as a whole suffers from high casting values, and will have trouble working unless you go extremely magic heavy with all the bonus items.  For smaller magic, I'd go with the other available lores.  I'll give the magic a C.

Beastmen Book Review, Part One (Fluff and Pictures)

 

Each year, I switch to a new Warhammer Fantasy army to work on for the year. This year, as of this past Saturday, I switched from Dark Elves to Beastmen.  I've been following the Beast rumors for the past few months, so it was with some nervousness that I actually got the book this weekend.  Is the army really terrible?  Should I have to assemble a couple hundred models through tear filled eyes?

After reading through the book, I'm fairly confident that I can make Beastmen work well for me on the table, although there will be some colossal failures caused by incredibly low leadership and randomness.  The army seems fun though, with the aforementioned randomness and some big fun monsters.  So lets dive right into the book, starting with the background and painting sections, and see what this whole big bag of furry craziness holds.

Background:  So this whole section is a bit weird, coming from the old Beast background.  In the old Beasts of Chaos background, Beastmen were mutated people from the Chaos Incursion, who were savage followers of the Chaos Gods.  Nowadays, Beastmen are neanderthals mixed with beasts, who naturally from birth follow Chaos.  Chaos doesn't need to really pay attention to Beastmen, as they instinctively have to follow...which is a fancy way of explaining how Beastmen don't get Marks of Chaos or any of the fun Chaos items anymore.  

On the whole, the background section is well done, though.  It's got 20+ pages of heft, and some neat stories dealing with attacks on mankind, especially Empire and Bretonnia (The Brets show up a lot in this book, which is a good sign that my first army is coming soon, I hope).  The fluff on the new units, like the Ghorgon and Jabberslythe, explain them well.  I especially liked how the vicious and cruel character of the Ungors and Gors were fleshed out.  

I could have done with a bit more background on some of the Special Characters.  Morghur, one of the big characters of the old book, is relegated to small time status now.  Moonclaw, who seems like a cool idea for a special character, only gets a couple paragraphs and one of those fuzzy John Blanche drawings.  I like Blanche and his art, but to get a character who isn't really well described (he looks kinda like a Beastman!) and then an unclear drawing to go with it is a bit rough.  Apparently there's a Beasty looking guy who is not a Beast.  He flew down from the moon and rides a weird mount.  GW, I could do with a bit more description.  

I also miss the timelines.  Man, those things are awesome in the books they've appeared in, because they allow for all kinds of tiny fluff droppings (heh) to happen.  This book lacks the little name drops that are so fun elsewhere.  

Of course, any complaints I have about the background section are pretty much null as I remember that there's a story in here about a Beastlord who gets drunk on Dwarf ale, mauls an entire Dwarf clan, and then randomly wanders away in the morning with a hangover.  Quality stuff.  

Overall, I'm going to give the background section a B+.  A lot of the fun is there, just not to the optimal level that I've seen in many of the recent books.  

Painting:  Take your television and jack the contrast up to the highest level possible.  Welcome to the new Beastmen paint job.  I know I've mentioned this before, but GW sure shows the ability to maul nice looking models with a garbage paint selection (see Witch Elves).  Here, they've chosen a flesh color for all the Beastmen, and highlighted and shaded until things look completely absurd.  On the Gors and Ungors, there are a few terrible examples, but most things look okay.  On the Minotaurs, which I have and aren't bad models, I think they've managed to make the models look awful, and probably cost themselves some customers in the process.  

And then there's the conversion front.  This is an army with a ton of new monstrous choices.  You've got your Cygor, Jabbeslythe, and Ghorgon.  Instead of showing any awesome conversions, which GW used to do, we get a million pictures of the basic Giant kit.  This is not exciting stuff at all.  

Overall, the painting section is nothing special, and a real missed opportunity.  You've got some technically well painted but badly painted models, and a complete lack of the cool conversions that could have been shown.  I give it a C-.  

The list beckons, and we'll start digging into it tomorrow! 

What's Your Local Meta?

 

It's my belief (and a not too controversial one) that the way we play is shaped by the players around us.  While there are many aspects to this, one of the most basic things we can look at are the armies around us.  While planning for a local tournaments, many of us think about the armies we are most likely to face.  For Warhammer Fantasy, I know that the following armies are in the area and likely to appear.

One Bretonnian

Two Dark Elves

One Daemons

Two Vampire Counts

One Warriors of Chaos

Two Lizardmen

Two Skaven

One Dwarfs

One Empire

One Orcs and Goblins

One Ogres

It's a good mix.  I also know that magic is not super popular in the area, but that I have to be prepared for a decent chance of hitting either Vampires or Lizards, who can maul you with the magic phase.  I know that with my Dark Elves, I can usually get a speed advantage on many of the armies.  I'm lucky in that Daemons are relatively rare in the area.

So what's your local meta look like? 

Seven Thousand Points of Painted Dark Elves

 

So here we have it, roughly 7,000 points of Dark Elves, fully painted.  I worked that out roughly in a spreadsheet yesterday, and can just do a bit over 7,000 if I really stretch the upgrades.   It's a very reasonable 6,000. 

Here's what's pictured:

Lords on Dragon and Manticore

Sorceress on Pegasus

Three Sorceresses on Foot

Lokhir Fellheart

Three Assassins

Four Heroes on Foot

Three Heroes on Horses

Cauldron of Blood and Attendants

Fifteen Shades

Fifteen Executioners

Twenty Black Guard

Six Cold One Knights

Two Cold One Chariots

Ten Witch Elves

Forty Five Spearmen

Thirty Crossbowmen

Twenty Dark Riders

Twenty Corsairs

Hydra

Two Bolt Throwers

So yeah....I'm assembling Beasts now.  Seven down, only a couple hundred to go!

It's a Beastman Halloween

It's always a major temptation to put pictures of Beastman from He-Man up.  I don't know how I resist it every time. 

So it's down to Beastman crunch time now, and I'm pondering how to make up each of the Big Bad Beasties that are available in the new book's Rare section.  There are no models for several of the models, specifically the Cygor, Jabbersclythe, and Ghorgon. 

Here's what I'm thinking for each one:

Cygor:  I have a Giant.  That Giant is getting an eyepatch.  Pirate Beastman Cyclops Action!  And we're done.

Jabbersclythe:  I really have no idea, but I'm thinking maybe the new Lord of the Rings Fell Beast.

Ghorgon:  Dragon Ogre Shaggoth, you have a new lease on life! 

I'm fishing for other ideas for these bad boys, so let me know if you have any.  And as always, I'm searching for a place to use my personal hero, the Wereshark. 

An Interview with You, the Wargamer

I love reading the stories that people have about wargaming...what it means to them, how they got started, things like that.  I started a thread over at Librarium Online for people to contribute their stories, and thought it'd be fun for people to do so here or there.  I came up with some basic questions to get people started, and hopefully I'll have some great responses.  Here we go!

1. Name (or username) and location.

2. How did you get started in wargaming?

3. Are you primarily a gamer, or more into painting and modelling, or perhaps both equally?

4. Which games do you play? What is your primary game?

5. Tell us about your greatest and / or proudest achievement in the hobby.

6. What is your favorite model? What's your best painted or converted model?

7. Do you play more on a casual level, or in tournaments?

8. What are the best and worst experiences you've had in gaming?

9. What are some wargaming websites that you really like?

10. What should we know about you as a wargamer?

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I'll start.

1. Name (or username) and location.

Ben T. (Tekore on most forums). Durham, NC

2. How did you get started in wargaming?

I got sick a few years ago, and was looking for a relaxing, low stress hobby. Painting army men sounded like fun, and soon I was hooked! I remember seeing the cover of the Bretonnian book from Warhammer Fantasy in a storefront, and thinking that I really liked the look of the Knights...one thing led to another, and I've never regretted a thing!

3. Are you primarily a gamer, or more into painting and modelling, or perhaps both equally?

I got into the hobby to paint and model, but I have grown to enjoy playing games as well, and do so quite successfully. If forced to choose, I suppose I'd go with painting, but only by a bit. I think I'm a good all around wargamer.

4. Which games do you play? What is your primary game? What armies do you have?

I have armies for Warhammer 40K, Warhammer Fantasy, Hordes, and Warmachine. WFB, however, is my main game. I get a few games of 40K in a year, and very little of the Privateer Press games.

My armies are:
Warmachine - Khador
Hordes - Trollbloods
40K - Raven Guard, Imperial Fists
Fantasy - Bretonnians, Dark Elves, Beastmen

5. Tell us about your greatest and / or proudest achievement in the hobby.

Wow. Finishing a fully painted Raven Guard army was a big moment for me, and my Dark Elves are looking pretty good as well. On the gaming side, any tournament where I get top sportsmanship and painting scores makes me pretty proud.

I also run a Fantasy tournament each year in Durham, NC, called Grail Quest. It's at www.thebigbluewaaagh.com/grailquest. It's been a big success, and is something I'm proud of.

6. What is your favorite model? What's your best painted or converted model?

My favorite model is the Harbinger of Menoth from Privateer Press. I've owned it for years, and haven't had the nerve to paint it yet. The painted models that I'm most proud of are my Dark Elf army, as I managed a unique and good looking paint scheme universally across a large army.

7. Do you play more on a casual level, or in tournaments?

I'm very much a tournament player, as those are the events I'm best able to schedule around my work, as compared to weekday night games. I also enjoy playing to the best of my ability and challenging myself.

8. What are the best and worst experiences you've had in gaming?

Best - I think the best experiences I've had in games are those cinematic moments that come from throwing caution to the wind, like a lowly Scout Sergeant charging and killing Abaddon in close combat. The greatest thing I've gotten from the hobby are the people I've gotten to know, near and far, through the game.

Worst - Rude and unfriendly gamers ruin my experience. I've had a few just outright hostile opponents, especially in tournaments, and they can really flush my day. However, I've found that these folks tend to work themselves out of the scene, so it's worked out in the long run.

9. What are some wargaming websites that you really like?

One of the first sites I came across, and one of my absolute favorites, is Librarium Online. It's friendly and helpful. I'm also a regular reader of Warseer, although I don't post there much. I have my own blog, The Quiet Limit of the World, at quietlimit.blogspot.com. Also, a great site for the North Carolina and surround community is http://www.thebigbluewaaagh.com/.

10. What should we know about you as a wargamer?

I'm a perfectionist with my own play, but I think the most important thing in a game is for both players to have a great time. I'm constantly friendly and cracking jokes at the table, or at least I try to be that way. I'll almost always give you the benefit of the doubt.

Lokhir Fellheart

 

Last night at around nine p.m., I finished up my Dark Elf Manticore.  Sighing, I set it down on the table, and looked over the one hundred plus painted Dark Elf models nearby.  He was my last Dark Elf model that I needed to paint.  Project complete.

Or so I thought.  

As I lay in bed last night, a face came to mind.  A squiddy face.  It was Old Lokhir Fellheart, and he wanted to know what was up with not being painted.  After all, he's the reason I bought into a Dark Elf army in the first place. 

Lokhir was actually the first Dark Elf model that I painted.  He was also the only model that I became so disgusted with as to strip the whole thing down to do again.  His pieces went into a ziploc bag, and were stored in a drawer to get to later.  

So it is that I'll begin my Dark Elf army where I started.  This evening, I'll paint Lokhir Fellheart.  My entire Dark Elf army will watch from shelves above as their primogenitor is painted anew, and this time, I hope not to have to strip him down again.  

The way is clear for The Beastmen.  Pictures of the completed army are coming this week.  Cheers!