Knight's Folly

 Hello all,

I have content and time to post it. Go figure. So lets jump right into it.

First off, I got my first game in the Ordo Fanaticus 40K Crusade. I went with my knights and fielded three Armiger Warglaives, each with melta guns. I did upgrade one with the Armor of Sainted Ion, and the Ion Bulwark warlord trait. I ended up facing off against a Primaris Salamander force. It had assault intercessors, bladeguard, the meltagun guys, and a captain with big honking shield. The game was really quick. I think it lasted all of three rounds. I was able to get the first turn and shot/charged the melta-marines and wiped them out.

He counter charged into the lead knight with everything else, which allowed my warlord to Heroic into the melee. His bladeguard cut down the knight, but left his warlord and other squad stranded. I think killed a bladeguard with the warlord. Those guys are tough. My third knight which was holding the back objective ran forward to help my warlord out. 

In the shooting phase, I took out the rest of the intercessors, and took down another bladeguard. The knight then charged in to help with the bladeguard.  I took down another bladeguard, leaving one, but taking some wounds on my warlord. 

His turn, he charged in with his captain and put some wounds on the fresh knight. I choose to then select my warlord to finish off the last bladeguard. With that gone, my final knight was able to kill his captain.

Getting the first turn, and getting off the charge vs the meltagun guys really paid off. It eliminated the shooting threat from his army. That being said, his stratagem use killed off a knight with his vicious bladeguard. I'll have to prioritize them next time too.

Next week is another 500pt game. Luckily my destroyed knight did not gain a scar and my warlord was actually able to gain a rank. I have to say, there is so much to keep track of in 40k now...it really is bloated. I had to keep track of primary objectives, secondary objectives, agendas, honor & oaths, and quests, which included keeping track of kills and where those kills occurred. It really is quite silly. 

Looking ahead at 750pts, that one is going to be an odd one for me. We get to add 250pts to our rosters for free (will not cost RP). We'll see how that goes.

I have been working on adding a Helverin to my force. Now the three warglaives are magnetized already, but as I have two unassembled ones, I decided to build it.

I took my ques from the warglaive so that the weapons were magnetized in the same way, so I could swap weapons around with any of them. I primed with leadbelcher and then eventually went over it with a valejo black dip wash. It really grimed up the model and brought out a ton of detail. Next up is drybrush with gunmetal over the parts I want a bit cleaner, and then paint the armor panels and such. Then it will be down to a little detailing. I've been thinking of doing the new ones in averland yellow instead of the blue the painted ones are in.

 If all goes well, I should be mostly done before Thursday. I have to say, I'm really happy right now. I played a game, and then built a model and intelligently designed and primed it for once.

Well that is it for now. See you guys next time.

An actual Crusade!

Two posts in a year?? What sorcery is this? There goes that low bar. So yes, another post, not that I think anyone will actually see this. But it seemed appropriate to make one anyways. Things have been happening and going on, and well, why not share it?

First off, the title. Yes, I'm taking part in a 9th ed 40k crusade league. In all honesty, 9th edition has been sort of a let down for me. GW really cranked up the rules bloat across the board and I found the game extremely intimidating and confusing, which is why I haven't played it. Well that changed last week as my local game club started up a Crusade league and I got tired of sitting on my horde of models. So I mostly dusted off my necrons and went in to see how things were. I got completely stomped, for a large variety of reasons which we won't get in to, but overall, decided that it could be fun with the right army. That and pretty much everyone there told me that the only way to learn 9th edition was to play it, as trying to read the rules and absorb everything that way was just too hard. And they seemed to be right. So I'm taking the plunge with an Imperial Knight army. I probably won't win much, but I think I'm getting a handle on the rules for IK and I think I can have fun with them.

Next up, I played some Bolt Action recently. My buddy Robert (and yes, I do have a few more friends than just Robert...but yeah, same Robert as in the other posts..) came over and we threw down with a small game of BA. I played my dashing Italian Bersagilieri vs his less dashing British. 

Yeah baby! Pictures even to prove it. All things considered, I think the table didn't look too bad. I even own just a couple more pieces of desert terrain that I could toss in. I really need to buy/make a well though for an oasis. Any ways...the game was actually pretty intense, but the Italians won the day. The hero of the match was the Italian Sniper. He accounting for the British heavy MG, the mortar, and the LT. Meanwhile his counterpart was only able to kill as single infantryman. The Brits pushed along the two flanks while the Italians held the center. I was very lucky that Robert is not more aggressive as he could have totally swung around the two building side and crushed me, but he was focused on keeping the objective and didn't see that tactic. His Brits made a heroic push on the other flank, but the Italians were able to pour their fire into the squads and keep them pinned and taking casualties. His final charge was thwarted by heavy fire that cut them down to the man.

It was really nice to play a game, and it really showcased to me how awesome Bolt Action is. I gotta play that game some more.

Also, I finally got a 3D printer! Now its still literally in its box. I have however, purchased the horde of other products needed to get started. I have resin, rubbing alcohol, spill mat, UV lights, and screen protectors. So I'm basically all set to try. Now I just gotta find a place for it and take the time to prep. Who knows, maybe this weekend will work. Kind of exciting. I've been collecting a ton of STL files from various patreon artists. So who knows, with a little luck, I could be showing off some prints...you know, the next time I post...which should be about nine months from now. :D

Not only that, but I think....I do really think...that I'm done with buying models. My collection is quite large and at this point, buying more seems wasteful and unnecessary. Not that I intend to go crazy making models either. But for my current needs and mostly my "I wish I had..."s, I am done. I never actually thought I could get here...but there we are. 

So what is next then? Well I should have a Crusade update later this week. And then, I might be able to prep the 3D printer. However, I do have other non-hobby stuff going on which could impact that. So no promises. Well, until next time....just don't hold your breath.

One post a year, a new bar has been lowered!

 So sue me. Not like anyone is actually even reading this. This is just a place where I can come and procrastinate from doing real work. You know it, I know it, might as well say it.

Lets face it, the last couple of years have been crappy for most. For me, not so much, but that is because I'm introverted and not socializing isn't a big loss for me. Not only that, but I've been very lucky in that most of my friends and family have been playing it smart and staying healthy.

So why am I posting now, after a whole year has gone by with nothing? Well again, I'm procrastinating and I actually have something I wanted to share. So there :P

I could talk about how I've gotten into Kill Team by GW. I didn't jump in to the first edition game, but the 2nd ed box set was just too good to pass up. Turns out the game is pretty good too. But that isn't actually why I'm here today. The real reason is because of Battlefront's Team Yankee.

Team Yankee...or actually now it is called, World War III: Team Yankee, is Battlefront's take on what would have happened if WWIII had started in 1985. Now this game has been out for a few years. Originally, I completely passed on it even though I'm a pretty big fan of Flames of War, their WWII game. Something about the modern tanks and such just didn't appeal to me.

Well, here we are, years later, on a newer edition (2nd I believe), and I've finally taken the plunge. Okay, not so much a plunge, more like a toe dip at this point. But the plunge is coming, oh yeah...its coming.

My friend Robert, who by now must seem like my only friend...not true...but not far from false either, has been interested in TY for some time. Not sure what it was about it...but he kept a steady eye on it over the years. My flat refusal to even entertain getting the game though probably held him back from taking his own plunge...at least for a while. Some time last year he did manage to collect some US forces. He started talking about it...saying how great a deal the starter was...and yada yada. I listened, as any good friend would, but again...no interest in getting it.

And then the bane of my existence stepped in. Mindtaker.org. A more wretched hive of scum and villainy you will not find.... no actually, they are fine people and Mindtaker.org is one of my most favorite place to shop...in fact, I've probably spent more money there in the last few years than anywhere else. Well recently they received some TY collections and posted them up for sale. Nothing draws me in faster than a chance to save money on stuff I really don't need. The nail in the coffin was a very nice batch of West German forces, new in box. I nearly went in on the whole collection...but thankfully, surprisingly, my common sense won out and I held off. But it did basically make me research the game, the army, and everything Team Yankee for about two days. 

"and that is how you set the hook..." said the cruel universe. 

So, now I'm hooked and to complete the bonding, a purchase has been made. Now originally, there was no intention of a purchase. I went to Geeks and Games with the sole purpose of buying the new Genestealer Cult codex, and talking to my friend Adam, the store owner. He has one of the few stores around that even carry Team Yankee, if not the only one. Plus, he's a good guy and a player of Battlefront's games. Well he wasn't there...boooo....but the starter set was, and it was at a very good price. Also, I know Robert is going to take the US forces from the box off my hands as I'm going Warsaw Pact all the way.

So here we have the BMP-3, a recon vehicle that can also be used by mechanized infantry. Let me tell you, this kit is nice. First off, check out that detail. Second, that turret is also magnetized, so it turns freely, yet securely. Honestly, one of the nicest models I've put together recently. 

Emboldened by my success, I then went on to the T-64s. Also a very nice kit. the side skirts were a bit of a pain, but no cursing...so pretty good. I ended the night with a T-80 (sorry, no pic) and I have three more to assemble. But wow, I was just having fun building models. My wife laughed at me as I was driving them around my little table making vroom noises and going pew pew. Because who wouldn't?

I am super impressed. These models rocked. Great looking, and actually fun to put together. As I'm a bit obsessive compulsive when it comes to collecting, I have sort of planned what I intend to do next. At this stage, unless an unusual opportunity pops up, I'm done until the new Warsaw Pact book is released later this year. Also, they have previewed two new army sets and one of them is actually a Mech Infantry one. I love infantry in FoW, so will probably wait on that box set before doing any more. Not only that, but I don't want to get too distracted by TY while I'm finally actually playing Kill Team.

Anyways, it was worth sharing and I had taken pictures. I mean if that isn't a reason to make a blog post, well...then fine, everyone is allowed their own opinion I guess.

And if this thing actually gets some views, maybe I'll take pics of my Kill Team stuff and start posting that up as well.