So not too long ago, I talked about this great deal on a starter Empire army I had acquired. I was really proud of that purchase. It was a bit heavy on the shooty side, but honestly, I could play a 2K game with it. Well time has gone by and I thought I'd give you a small progress report.
Obviously, there were lots of things I could get for the army still. I had this nice little plan laid out. I was going to pick up a unit of knights. That would be eight models in the current box set. Now I already owned a mounted Luthor Huss model, so I'd need one more to fill the unit up to a full 10 man unit. So during the OFCC (Ordo Fanaticus Club Challenge - google it) I got the opportunity to buy the Empire General box set (makes a mounted and foot character). Also ended up getting a sweet deal on a Steam Tank. So lets say at this point, I've dropped $140. Still, an amazing deal for the army.
But see I really love models. I love cool models. And the Empire has cool models...cool models that I did not own yet. So I started to scour the interwebs for deals. And luck was not mine to have, i.e. the models I wanted were expensive and I couldn't justify getting them.
Then a fateful day at my LGS, and lo and behold, they had a copy of the Empire starter army. It was the box set that GW released when the 8th edition book came out. So it had lots of the new toys basically. It has the new griffon model, one of those wizard wagons, the new character combo, an engineer, and new great swords. At retail though it was sitting at $240. I'm not sure if it was just due to its age and GW's lovely pricing policies, but somehow this box was a bit of a bargain (it was cheaper than buying everything separately). My conundrum though was that it was $240. So once again I scoured the interwebs for a copy for sale at discount...and once again Lady Luck passed me by. Now realize also the pressure that during all of this, the great Age of Sigmar upheaval was happening. Who knew what models would continue on from GW?
So faced with the prospect of possibly not getting these models for who knows how long, or at what prices, I bit the bullet and bought the box set at retail. Glad to support my LGS, but not so glad to pay retail for a GW product. I hate doing that.
Okay, so now my Empire army just got a solid boost. I got a swordsmen regiment, knights, greatswords, some more shooting, and some great centerpieces with the griffon and wizard wagon. And I got it all for under $400. Life looked good. In fact, the only thing I was planning to expand was the greatsword unit, as the box only came with 10 guys.
Here is where my disease really rears its ugly head. This weekend I have a friend who is selling his empire stuff. He has greatswords. I have an opportunity to help my friend out, and get the models I want, and at a fair price. Lady Luck has arrived! But then there, on Ordo's bartertown forum...an empire army is for sale. Assembled, all new plastics, primed but no paint. Sure, it has lots of stuff I don't need, but it does have some stuff I want. Also, now that I'm playing KoW, it will give me lots of options. I could have several horde level units now. And then the killer, the price is only $275 shipped, with foam. We are talking less than $2 a model, every model (cav, characters, steam tank, warmachines...). It was my kryptonite. Great models, amazing deal.....how could I resist?
Well I couldn't. It took me all of about 4 hours of mulling it over and the seller tossing in some free company guys for me to pull the trigger. So here I sit, with now a substantial Empire army (300ish models), and a hole in the wallet to the amount of $655.
I have to admit, that looking at that total makes my chest tighten up a bit. I just blew over $600 on plastic soldiers in the span of two months. I also went for a reasonable painting project (100ish models), to an absolute bear of a project.
Now once I get all of my models together, I will sit down and see what I can cut out from that mound. Hopefully I can trade/sell off what I don't need and bring that total down just a little. Because if I don't, then I'll really know the answer to the above question and I'm not sure what I'd do then.
Till next time.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Back in the saddle
Hail and well met!
Hmmmm flashback to Everyquest days. Hail! heh...I remember the first time logging on with my human mage. Some guy was trying to talk to me and I hadn't figured out that "enter" opened the chat window. :) Good times.
So, back to the now....and a strong need to focus. Darn Kings of War keeps tempting me with all these new lists. You see I have a beastman army for WFB that I have actually never played. And now Mantic has this Herd list that keeps calling to me. Stupid gamer ADD.
Well I'm not falling for it, do you hear me? Nope, I'm going to stay on the path of my new Empire army. In fact, I'm hoping to pick up a few more units this weekend as a friend of mine is selling off his models. I really don't have too much left to get. In terms of WFB, I have more than enough, but strangely, KoW seems to require a little more still. Those darn horde formations just need so many models. Yeah I know I could use filler pieces, but I'd rather have the rank and file troops. Just my own preference.
Oh, and I finally ordered some movement trays for Shogun Miniatures. These are nice little metal trays with flanged edges on three sides. Plus I've ordered some of their magnetic bases to try out too. You see I much prefer to build a unit and then keep it on its movement tray instead of packing it away in foam. At the craft store Michaels, they have this great plastic storage system. It is a stand with six bays, and each bay comes with a clear plastic case about four inches high. In fact, in that battle report I recently posted, I was able to fit my entire army into one case. Some of the really tall models had to be put on the side, but for the vast majority of them, they were fine to stand upright on the tray. And since the case is enclosed, no dust! I just slide it back into the bay and yadda yadda yadda, army is put away. The whole thing costs around $80 to $100, but you can typically find a sale or coupon for Michaels which cuts its price dramatically. I'm going to get more as I get movement trays for all my armies and magnetize them. Currently, I have four fantasy forces in the bays and two flames of war armies. For the flames of war troops, I fill the bottom of the tray with stands, and then I put a foam layer down and then repeat. I put my entire eastern front Italian army in that way.
So where was I? Oh yeah, my empire army. So I'm refocusing back on them. I've got lots of models now, and quite a few that need assembly, so that is going to take off soon. I need to prime up a few test models for painting. All in all, I'm pretty excited about it.
Till next time....
Hmmmm flashback to Everyquest days. Hail! heh...I remember the first time logging on with my human mage. Some guy was trying to talk to me and I hadn't figured out that "enter" opened the chat window. :) Good times.
So, back to the now....and a strong need to focus. Darn Kings of War keeps tempting me with all these new lists. You see I have a beastman army for WFB that I have actually never played. And now Mantic has this Herd list that keeps calling to me. Stupid gamer ADD.
Well I'm not falling for it, do you hear me? Nope, I'm going to stay on the path of my new Empire army. In fact, I'm hoping to pick up a few more units this weekend as a friend of mine is selling off his models. I really don't have too much left to get. In terms of WFB, I have more than enough, but strangely, KoW seems to require a little more still. Those darn horde formations just need so many models. Yeah I know I could use filler pieces, but I'd rather have the rank and file troops. Just my own preference.
Oh, and I finally ordered some movement trays for Shogun Miniatures. These are nice little metal trays with flanged edges on three sides. Plus I've ordered some of their magnetic bases to try out too. You see I much prefer to build a unit and then keep it on its movement tray instead of packing it away in foam. At the craft store Michaels, they have this great plastic storage system. It is a stand with six bays, and each bay comes with a clear plastic case about four inches high. In fact, in that battle report I recently posted, I was able to fit my entire army into one case. Some of the really tall models had to be put on the side, but for the vast majority of them, they were fine to stand upright on the tray. And since the case is enclosed, no dust! I just slide it back into the bay and yadda yadda yadda, army is put away. The whole thing costs around $80 to $100, but you can typically find a sale or coupon for Michaels which cuts its price dramatically. I'm going to get more as I get movement trays for all my armies and magnetize them. Currently, I have four fantasy forces in the bays and two flames of war armies. For the flames of war troops, I fill the bottom of the tray with stands, and then I put a foam layer down and then repeat. I put my entire eastern front Italian army in that way.
So where was I? Oh yeah, my empire army. So I'm refocusing back on them. I've got lots of models now, and quite a few that need assembly, so that is going to take off soon. I need to prime up a few test models for painting. All in all, I'm pretty excited about it.
Till next time....
Thursday, August 20, 2015
KoW Battle Report - Undead Vs Kingdom of Men 2000pts
Welcome back Sports Fans,
So yesterday, I got my first taste of a big game of Kings of War. My friend Nathan and I threw down the gauntlet for our first 2nd edition game. I had mistakenly thought that Nathan had been playing with his brothers, but instead, they had only ran through some specific scenarios, instead of playing a full game.
So here we were, with our first game of the new edition. Cherries were popped. I was running Undead, mostly because the army was still on movement trays and it took the least amount of work to get ready. Nathan fielded a Kingdom of Men army, represented by his awesome looking Bretonnians.
My forces (bottom of pic) reading left to right: Soul Reaver Cav troop with pathfinder item, skeleton spear regiment, catapult, liche king, revenant reg with stealth item, necro with heal, zombie horde with +1 hit item, BSB, skeleton regiment, necro with bane change, ghouls, werewolf horde with phalanx item, and vamp on dragon with +1 armor item. Every unit that could have the rat upgrade did except for the skeletons without spears.
Nathan's forces (top), reading left to right as best as I can remember: Knight reg with pathfinder, three archer troops with a spearmen horde behind with +1 to hit, mounted wizard with wind, archer horde with jar, mounted BSB, two catapults, mounted general behind tower with +1armor, spearmen horde with CS(1), archer troop with a foot wizard with lighting behind, and a knight regiment with elite.
Nathan won the rolls for board side, and first turn (bastard). Pic above shows table from his side.
End to turn 1: he moved some stuff, and his trebuchets both hit my catapult and sent it back to the afterlife. He also put a wound on the zombie horde and two on the werewolves.
End of Turn 2: I moved some stuff up, surged a few units, and my werewolves were in charge range of his knights.
End of turn 3: He moved up some more, shot me a bit here and there, both trebs missed (as I foretold) and his right side knights backed up. Our left side knights were doing the "just out of range dance"
End of turn 4: I made a huge goof here and thought I could surge my vamps into his knights. We had actually gone through the combat and I had even routed his knights...and then had to take it all back as I realized my mistake. I was able to take out two of his archer troops and then threaten the third. However, the resulting free pivot for my revenants was done after I thought his knights were gone, and I forgot to reposition them once they were back on the field.
End of Turn 5: His left side knights charge the flank of the revenants but fail to route them. His left horde of spears and general hit the zombies, but fail to route them. His right side knights continue their retreat dance. But he shifts his archers over to help.
End of Turn 6: The revs and spear skels charge his knights while my soul reavers reposition for a charge. My zombies countercharge and my skels charge his general. Not wanting his right side archers to block a charge, I take the risk to hit them with the werewolves, positioning my general to breath attack his knights. No routes occured.
End of turn 7: His knights charge the revs, but rolls snake eyes on the route. His spear horde and general sends the zombies off, and his archer troop charges the skeletons. His knights charge the werewolves and then proceeds to roll an 11 which is just enough to route them! My inspiring vamp is too far away.
End of turn 8: I triple charge his knights, but the reaver rear charge was enough to do it on their own and his knights route. My skeletons counter charge his archers and route them. My ghouls flank charge his other horde and the vamp on dragon hits them in the front. Good damage was done, but they hold.
End of Turn 9: I forgot to take a picture here, but his left side horde hits the revenants, and again rolls snake eyes! His trebs don't hit anything else the whole game (as I predicted). He was pin cushioning my liche king, but regen saved him over and over again. His right side horde counter charges the ghouls and routes them.
End of turn 10: My left side forces slam into his horde and route them. My dragon positions to flame his right side horde, but fails to route.
At this point, we had to call the game. Current score: Undead - 760, Kingdom of Men - 655.
Result - Tie.
All in all, it was a very smooth game. The only major hiccup we had was when I tried to surge the reavers. Other than that, the only thing we needed to catch was pivot limits for characters. We did have a few LoS cover questions pop up. I will post on the Mantic forums to get some answers there. But for the most part, the game went well and quick. With only one turn left for each of us, I could see him sending off the revenants with bow shots. They had more damage done to them than Nerve and only were there by the grace of snake eyes. I am not sure if I could get any more points out. My dragon might be able to reach his trebs, but I think my left side forces were too far from anything else. So I think a tie would have taken place anyways.
Till next time.
So yesterday, I got my first taste of a big game of Kings of War. My friend Nathan and I threw down the gauntlet for our first 2nd edition game. I had mistakenly thought that Nathan had been playing with his brothers, but instead, they had only ran through some specific scenarios, instead of playing a full game.
So here we were, with our first game of the new edition. Cherries were popped. I was running Undead, mostly because the army was still on movement trays and it took the least amount of work to get ready. Nathan fielded a Kingdom of Men army, represented by his awesome looking Bretonnians.
My forces (bottom of pic) reading left to right: Soul Reaver Cav troop with pathfinder item, skeleton spear regiment, catapult, liche king, revenant reg with stealth item, necro with heal, zombie horde with +1 hit item, BSB, skeleton regiment, necro with bane change, ghouls, werewolf horde with phalanx item, and vamp on dragon with +1 armor item. Every unit that could have the rat upgrade did except for the skeletons without spears.
Nathan's forces (top), reading left to right as best as I can remember: Knight reg with pathfinder, three archer troops with a spearmen horde behind with +1 to hit, mounted wizard with wind, archer horde with jar, mounted BSB, two catapults, mounted general behind tower with +1armor, spearmen horde with CS(1), archer troop with a foot wizard with lighting behind, and a knight regiment with elite.
End to turn 1: he moved some stuff, and his trebuchets both hit my catapult and sent it back to the afterlife. He also put a wound on the zombie horde and two on the werewolves.
End of Turn 2: I moved some stuff up, surged a few units, and my werewolves were in charge range of his knights.
End of turn 3: He moved up some more, shot me a bit here and there, both trebs missed (as I foretold) and his right side knights backed up. Our left side knights were doing the "just out of range dance"
End of turn 4: I made a huge goof here and thought I could surge my vamps into his knights. We had actually gone through the combat and I had even routed his knights...and then had to take it all back as I realized my mistake. I was able to take out two of his archer troops and then threaten the third. However, the resulting free pivot for my revenants was done after I thought his knights were gone, and I forgot to reposition them once they were back on the field.
End of Turn 5: His left side knights charge the flank of the revenants but fail to route them. His left horde of spears and general hit the zombies, but fail to route them. His right side knights continue their retreat dance. But he shifts his archers over to help.
End of Turn 6: The revs and spear skels charge his knights while my soul reavers reposition for a charge. My zombies countercharge and my skels charge his general. Not wanting his right side archers to block a charge, I take the risk to hit them with the werewolves, positioning my general to breath attack his knights. No routes occured.
End of turn 7: His knights charge the revs, but rolls snake eyes on the route. His spear horde and general sends the zombies off, and his archer troop charges the skeletons. His knights charge the werewolves and then proceeds to roll an 11 which is just enough to route them! My inspiring vamp is too far away.
End of turn 8: I triple charge his knights, but the reaver rear charge was enough to do it on their own and his knights route. My skeletons counter charge his archers and route them. My ghouls flank charge his other horde and the vamp on dragon hits them in the front. Good damage was done, but they hold.
End of Turn 9: I forgot to take a picture here, but his left side horde hits the revenants, and again rolls snake eyes! His trebs don't hit anything else the whole game (as I predicted). He was pin cushioning my liche king, but regen saved him over and over again. His right side horde counter charges the ghouls and routes them.
End of turn 10: My left side forces slam into his horde and route them. My dragon positions to flame his right side horde, but fails to route.
At this point, we had to call the game. Current score: Undead - 760, Kingdom of Men - 655.
Result - Tie.
All in all, it was a very smooth game. The only major hiccup we had was when I tried to surge the reavers. Other than that, the only thing we needed to catch was pivot limits for characters. We did have a few LoS cover questions pop up. I will post on the Mantic forums to get some answers there. But for the most part, the game went well and quick. With only one turn left for each of us, I could see him sending off the revenants with bow shots. They had more damage done to them than Nerve and only were there by the grace of snake eyes. I am not sure if I could get any more points out. My dragon might be able to reach his trebs, but I think my left side forces were too far from anything else. So I think a tie would have taken place anyways.
Till next time.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Kings of War tonight
Hello Sports Fans,
So I am finally back from vacation and getting ready to hop back into the thick of it. Tonight I meet a friend on the field of KoW. Nathan is an experienced WFB player and though it pains me to say it, a fairly bright sort, even moreso than me. :(
However, I have somehow kept an edge on him when playing fantasy games. He kicks the holy crap out of me in 40K though. He has been trying out KoW 2 since the fall of Fantasy Battles. At this point, he probably has more experience with actually KoW2 games than I do. However, I have full confidence in my luck that it will carry the day and let me win regardless of how much better of a general he is than I. :)
On the building front, not much has been done. Mostly because I have been out of town. I did put in quite a bit of time building movement trays though. I was using the GW custom trays and then using a adhesive magnetic card to go on top. For the most part it works well, even with models not yet magnetized.
What I have been doing lately is adding to my collection. That seems to be a step that is always in my hobby process. Recently I just picked up some warmaster models. First off, I love Warmaster as a game. Probably the best game GW has ever produced. Second, I think I will be able to use Warmaster models to play KoW2. Think of the armies you could array on a standard table using that scale? Gives me goosebumps. Sure, the base dimensions don't quite work out, but I think it can work for the most part with just minor tweaking. Also, I've doubled my Empire army with a major purchase and had added to my beastmen as well.
Painting wise, I've done just a little work on my Planetfall models. I should be able to find some time this weekend to finish up a few and then can post pics.
For the most part, I'm at peace with my hobby. I'm enjoying it again, which is its main purpose to begin with. There are a few ripples on the water though and for once, it isn't my fault. Many of my friends who were WFB players are trying to find a new hobby game. The problem is that they are all picking different ones. Some are indeed trying KoW2, but some are switching over to skirmish games as well. On the one hand, it is great to see people branch out, but on the other hand, I don't own those games...and now I'm being tempted to buy in so that I can play too. Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a gamer.
Well, that is all for now. See you guys next time.
So I am finally back from vacation and getting ready to hop back into the thick of it. Tonight I meet a friend on the field of KoW. Nathan is an experienced WFB player and though it pains me to say it, a fairly bright sort, even moreso than me. :(
However, I have somehow kept an edge on him when playing fantasy games. He kicks the holy crap out of me in 40K though. He has been trying out KoW 2 since the fall of Fantasy Battles. At this point, he probably has more experience with actually KoW2 games than I do. However, I have full confidence in my luck that it will carry the day and let me win regardless of how much better of a general he is than I. :)
On the building front, not much has been done. Mostly because I have been out of town. I did put in quite a bit of time building movement trays though. I was using the GW custom trays and then using a adhesive magnetic card to go on top. For the most part it works well, even with models not yet magnetized.
What I have been doing lately is adding to my collection. That seems to be a step that is always in my hobby process. Recently I just picked up some warmaster models. First off, I love Warmaster as a game. Probably the best game GW has ever produced. Second, I think I will be able to use Warmaster models to play KoW2. Think of the armies you could array on a standard table using that scale? Gives me goosebumps. Sure, the base dimensions don't quite work out, but I think it can work for the most part with just minor tweaking. Also, I've doubled my Empire army with a major purchase and had added to my beastmen as well.
Painting wise, I've done just a little work on my Planetfall models. I should be able to find some time this weekend to finish up a few and then can post pics.
For the most part, I'm at peace with my hobby. I'm enjoying it again, which is its main purpose to begin with. There are a few ripples on the water though and for once, it isn't my fault. Many of my friends who were WFB players are trying to find a new hobby game. The problem is that they are all picking different ones. Some are indeed trying KoW2, but some are switching over to skirmish games as well. On the one hand, it is great to see people branch out, but on the other hand, I don't own those games...and now I'm being tempted to buy in so that I can play too. Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a gamer.
Well, that is all for now. See you guys next time.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Flashback!
So here's a little something I wrote about 6 years ago.
Witch Hunters by Brother Glacius
So, here we are at the dreaded crossroads of GW hobbies once again. This is a place every GW gamer eventually finds themselves. The big question of course is, do I start a new army? To the right of you, your last army that could use a new unit or two. To the left, that army still in blisters and boxes that you were really excited about for a good month, but then lost interest. Straight ahead, fueled by the propaganda giant that is GW, is the prospect of a new army. If you are like me, most of the time when you find yourself standing in this place, you choose the fourth option…and that’s to turn around and go hide under your bed for a while. But no…sometimes you have to move on.
Being an avid Warhammer Fantasy player for some time, my dark future side was getting a little dusty. A break from the swords and sorcery was needed. An lo, out there on the horizon, a new Codex was calling…Witch Hunters….Witch Hunters…and it was much louder than the little voice off to the left saying “what about the Tau you wanted to start…” which was quickly silenced with a quick bolter round. Foul blasphemous alien scum. The Righteous fury of the faithful will not be silenced. Run and hide heretic, for your doom stalks you.
And so, with a quick check to the bank account, a purchase was made! I was hoping to buy the new codex…but the foul winds of retail did not blow in my favor…out of stock! One movie later, with even more grim determination, I strode back into the store with one burning question on my mind…”have you got anything for Witch Hunters?” And yes! They did. A quick swipe with the plastic and I was the proud owner of a Sisters of Battle Squad. Personally, I think your bank card should get shaved down a little each time its swiped so you have an idea that your money is going away. But it really didn’t matter…new figures were mine!
Sisters of Battle Squad – 10 figures including Sister Superior and two special weapon sisters. Retail price $35.00. You know, I remember a time when I could buy a GW product without wincing…
All metal figures, no duplicate poses. Sweet. I’m pretty impressed with this squad. All the figures look great.
Now the die is cast…you can’t just buy one squad. See, that’s the real trap of GW. If you can stick to getting the Codex first…you should. The reason being is that you can always justify your purchase by saying you just want to know your enemy. But buying figs…that’s the death knell of your will power. So here I am with my first step to a new army for 40K, a step I have not taken in quite a long time (but what about the Ta...BANG!)
So I welcome you to join me on this journey down the dark path that is GW. Traveler beware.
Part 2: Army Design
So, there I am, staring Witch Hunters in the cover…what to do, what to do? I needed a theme for my army. I had to come up with an idea that the force would be built around. I knew I wanted an Inquisitor Lord. After about three days of on and off thinking…finally came up with Nostramus, Inquisitor Nostramus. I like it. But what kind of man is Nostramus? Immediately the thought of him using the sisters for his own ends popped into my head. He liked them because they were competent and fanatical…a rare mix. Even better, he could control them. So right there, I knew the army was going to have Sisters in it, but not as the main theme for the army. No, the Inquisitor was in charge, and he used his men to achieve his ends…no matter the cost. Throw away Sisters doesn’t seem right.
Thus, you’d think Imperial guard might be a good element to add to the army. Yes and no. On the one hand, they are cheap…and plentiful. However, they are rather soft and squishy. Nostramus doesn’t like soft and squishy…besides, guard are too easily swayed by the heretic. No, only inquisition storm troopers would satisfy his needs. And before I knew it…I had my first 500pts planned out.
Inquisitor Lord and Retinue………………………………………………………200pts.
Sisters of Battle squad…………………………………………………………….150pts.
Storm Troopers……………………………………………………………………150pts.
To make it easy on me, I decided to equip the troops just like they come in the box. Saves me a bit of cash since I don’t need to buy additional figures too. For the inquisitor, all but one of the figures will be used. Not bad. $105.00 though for three $35 box sets. Ouch. Again with the wincing. But for now, we just have the sisters and the other two will wait until they are done painted.
Now originally, I had wanted transports for these units, but two things stopped that idea. One, I didn’t have the points. I would need at least another 170pts to transport all three groups. Two, it is even more money. Wince. Transports aren’t cheap to buy. And worst of all, they don’t sell a Sisters of Battle Rhino kit. I want my Sisters to travel in style, and I’m not about to buy overpriced bits from Forgeworld either. So for now, transports are out, and footslogging is in.
So at this point, we have a plan. We have an army. And we even have some figures. We also have a promise to the wife-unit that we won’t buy any new figures until we paint the ones we have. So it’s on to painting the sisters! Up next, how I decided on the color scheme and the step-by-step painting process.
Part 3: Painting Sisters
Welcome back gentle readers. Today we look at the incredibly detailed and scientific process of how I choose the color scheme for my Sisters of Battle figures. First step, attach the color wheel to the dartboard…okay…just kidding. Actually, the first thing I did was look at the White Dwarf articles on the Witch Hunters and then at the painting section of the Witch Hunter Codex. GW’s web page on the army had some painting tips there too. Now some of you sharp people might be saying, “I thought he didn’t buy the Codex?” Well I didn’t, but I did borrow one, so there.
Anyways, so now I’m looking at the official paint schemes for the sisters. I really don’t want to copy simply what GW has already done. Its not that they don’t look good, but I like to be a little original. However, I don’t want them looking silly either. Gold armor at first really appealed to me. But, the more I thought about it, the more I thought that was being a bit too high and mighty. A whole unit with gold armor? What makes them so special? Could I justify that over a whole army? No way. But I do like gold…so it will stay on as a trim.
So we are back to square one…what color for the armor? Well, after looking back and forth at models and schemes, I finally settled on one I saw in the Codex. In the back of the book, they have a special character done in red armor, with gold trim, and white cloth. Wow, what a great look. The red is nice and flashy and really stands out. The gold gives it that oomph that says, “We have style”. And the white cloth really contrasts very well and helps to give it the clean and virtuous look. And with that, I have my color scheme.
Going back to the codex, I notice the Order of the Bloody Rose is pretty close in colors. They have the red armor, but use black for their cloth and gold for the trim. Fairly darn close to what I want. A quick read into the background for the Order is done. Not bad at all. I like my armies to fit into the current history of the universe. So making my Sisters an offshoot of the Bloody Rose sounds good.
So I grabbed my trusty can of black spray primer and set for the outdoors with my sisters in a big cardboard tray/box type thingy. Now personally, I think I over-prime. I like every inch of that figure to be coated. So after about an hour’s time, I had all 10 sisters and their backpacks primed black. I chose black because its 40K, and things tend to be dark. Also, I’m not a great shader. Dry brushing is my friend. I know lots of the painting snobs look down at dry brushing, but I don’t’ care. If it looks good to me, then I’m happy. And really, that’s all that should matter, unless you want that Best Painted Trophy.
A day or so later, I talked to an excellent painter about my sisters and the color scheme I wanted to do. His advice was to prime them red. Crap. So I’m not re-priming my figures. However, as I’ll have to do other sisters down the line, I’ll probably give it a go then. Pics of the lovely ladies in black are soon to follow.
Part 4: A Bump in the Road
Hmmmmm finding time to paint amongst all my slacking is proving to be quite difficult. I have started on a figure though. I tried to go thru and put down the red on the armor sections. Now maybe it’s just me, but I’m finding it kind of difficult to nail down the sections I need to paint red. Which means I’m actually going to grab the codex and look at the painting section. Also, an issue of WD had a good article on painting sisters, which I will look over. I’m more of a visual learner, so having reference materials is a great way to keep me focused.
I also need a new Inquisitor name. As fate, and GW’s odd pricing policy goes, I didn’t get the Inquisitor boxed set. I was able to pick up similar figs in blisters for much cheaper. So I did. But that has now left me with a slightly smaller retinue, but most importantly, a female Inquisitor. As cool as Nostramus is, it doesn’t fit a female model. This may seem like a minor thing, but it can actually be very important. For me, a big part of an army is the inspiration for it. The connection I feel with the army directly affects how much I want to play it. Which in turn, affects how much I want to paint it.
So now I have a female inquisitor. I had always thought of Nostramus as a guy’s guy. While he respected what the Sisters of Battle could do…he always thought less of them simply due to the fact that they were women. Well, that would hardly stay true for a female inquisitor. But first things first…a name. I like my names to be inspired as well. Right off the bat, looking at the figure, we have kind of a 19th century thing going on. Big hair, regal manor…I’m thinking Russian nobility. A quick google search brings me to a web site with the 90 most common Russian female names. Three pages later, we have it: Nadezhda – pronounced Nah-Deyz-da. Inquisitor Nadezhda…ooooo sends shivers down my spine just saying it. Now for her, she sees the Sisters of Battle as an image of strength for women. Men have their uses, but if you want a job done, then a woman is called for. There is no room for weakness in her army. She is cold, hard…Russian.
And just like that, the whole theme of my army has changed. Where once we had a hard inquisitor that was going to rely on storm troopers and simply use the sisters, we now have one that relies on the strength of the sisters to win the day. This really won’t affect the first 500pts for my army. However, it will impact the units I select further on. For instance, now it seems fitting to have a unit of Sisters Repentia in the force. Where Nostramus wouldn’t really care about the fate of a sister that had fallen from grace, Nadezhda does, and thus ensures that those sisters have a chance to redeem themselves in battle.
This will also mean adding more specialized sister units to the roster and most likely, SoB vehicles as well. Since I didn’t have huge plans drawn out for my army yet, a change like this isn’t too much of a big deal. There were certain units I had already decided that I wanted in the army, regardless of theme. But now what this change in theme does, is allow me to use different auxiliary units to fit the new concept. Army composition is a tricky thing. Not only does an army need to fit your play style, but it should also fit your visualization for it. I think its very critical to know what you want your army to look like, and have it fit your play style. As I said before, the greater the connection you make with your army, the more enthused you will be to paint it, and play it.
Painting pics soon…I promise.
Yeah, nothing has really changed has it?
Witch Hunters by Brother Glacius
So, here we are at the dreaded crossroads of GW hobbies once again. This is a place every GW gamer eventually finds themselves. The big question of course is, do I start a new army? To the right of you, your last army that could use a new unit or two. To the left, that army still in blisters and boxes that you were really excited about for a good month, but then lost interest. Straight ahead, fueled by the propaganda giant that is GW, is the prospect of a new army. If you are like me, most of the time when you find yourself standing in this place, you choose the fourth option…and that’s to turn around and go hide under your bed for a while. But no…sometimes you have to move on.
Being an avid Warhammer Fantasy player for some time, my dark future side was getting a little dusty. A break from the swords and sorcery was needed. An lo, out there on the horizon, a new Codex was calling…Witch Hunters….Witch Hunters…and it was much louder than the little voice off to the left saying “what about the Tau you wanted to start…” which was quickly silenced with a quick bolter round. Foul blasphemous alien scum. The Righteous fury of the faithful will not be silenced. Run and hide heretic, for your doom stalks you.
And so, with a quick check to the bank account, a purchase was made! I was hoping to buy the new codex…but the foul winds of retail did not blow in my favor…out of stock! One movie later, with even more grim determination, I strode back into the store with one burning question on my mind…”have you got anything for Witch Hunters?” And yes! They did. A quick swipe with the plastic and I was the proud owner of a Sisters of Battle Squad. Personally, I think your bank card should get shaved down a little each time its swiped so you have an idea that your money is going away. But it really didn’t matter…new figures were mine!
Sisters of Battle Squad – 10 figures including Sister Superior and two special weapon sisters. Retail price $35.00. You know, I remember a time when I could buy a GW product without wincing…
All metal figures, no duplicate poses. Sweet. I’m pretty impressed with this squad. All the figures look great.
Now the die is cast…you can’t just buy one squad. See, that’s the real trap of GW. If you can stick to getting the Codex first…you should. The reason being is that you can always justify your purchase by saying you just want to know your enemy. But buying figs…that’s the death knell of your will power. So here I am with my first step to a new army for 40K, a step I have not taken in quite a long time (but what about the Ta...BANG!)
So I welcome you to join me on this journey down the dark path that is GW. Traveler beware.
Part 2: Army Design
So, there I am, staring Witch Hunters in the cover…what to do, what to do? I needed a theme for my army. I had to come up with an idea that the force would be built around. I knew I wanted an Inquisitor Lord. After about three days of on and off thinking…finally came up with Nostramus, Inquisitor Nostramus. I like it. But what kind of man is Nostramus? Immediately the thought of him using the sisters for his own ends popped into my head. He liked them because they were competent and fanatical…a rare mix. Even better, he could control them. So right there, I knew the army was going to have Sisters in it, but not as the main theme for the army. No, the Inquisitor was in charge, and he used his men to achieve his ends…no matter the cost. Throw away Sisters doesn’t seem right.
Thus, you’d think Imperial guard might be a good element to add to the army. Yes and no. On the one hand, they are cheap…and plentiful. However, they are rather soft and squishy. Nostramus doesn’t like soft and squishy…besides, guard are too easily swayed by the heretic. No, only inquisition storm troopers would satisfy his needs. And before I knew it…I had my first 500pts planned out.
Inquisitor Lord and Retinue………………………………………………………200pts.
Sisters of Battle squad…………………………………………………………….150pts.
Storm Troopers……………………………………………………………………150pts.
To make it easy on me, I decided to equip the troops just like they come in the box. Saves me a bit of cash since I don’t need to buy additional figures too. For the inquisitor, all but one of the figures will be used. Not bad. $105.00 though for three $35 box sets. Ouch. Again with the wincing. But for now, we just have the sisters and the other two will wait until they are done painted.
Now originally, I had wanted transports for these units, but two things stopped that idea. One, I didn’t have the points. I would need at least another 170pts to transport all three groups. Two, it is even more money. Wince. Transports aren’t cheap to buy. And worst of all, they don’t sell a Sisters of Battle Rhino kit. I want my Sisters to travel in style, and I’m not about to buy overpriced bits from Forgeworld either. So for now, transports are out, and footslogging is in.
So at this point, we have a plan. We have an army. And we even have some figures. We also have a promise to the wife-unit that we won’t buy any new figures until we paint the ones we have. So it’s on to painting the sisters! Up next, how I decided on the color scheme and the step-by-step painting process.
Part 3: Painting Sisters
Welcome back gentle readers. Today we look at the incredibly detailed and scientific process of how I choose the color scheme for my Sisters of Battle figures. First step, attach the color wheel to the dartboard…okay…just kidding. Actually, the first thing I did was look at the White Dwarf articles on the Witch Hunters and then at the painting section of the Witch Hunter Codex. GW’s web page on the army had some painting tips there too. Now some of you sharp people might be saying, “I thought he didn’t buy the Codex?” Well I didn’t, but I did borrow one, so there.
Anyways, so now I’m looking at the official paint schemes for the sisters. I really don’t want to copy simply what GW has already done. Its not that they don’t look good, but I like to be a little original. However, I don’t want them looking silly either. Gold armor at first really appealed to me. But, the more I thought about it, the more I thought that was being a bit too high and mighty. A whole unit with gold armor? What makes them so special? Could I justify that over a whole army? No way. But I do like gold…so it will stay on as a trim.
So we are back to square one…what color for the armor? Well, after looking back and forth at models and schemes, I finally settled on one I saw in the Codex. In the back of the book, they have a special character done in red armor, with gold trim, and white cloth. Wow, what a great look. The red is nice and flashy and really stands out. The gold gives it that oomph that says, “We have style”. And the white cloth really contrasts very well and helps to give it the clean and virtuous look. And with that, I have my color scheme.
Going back to the codex, I notice the Order of the Bloody Rose is pretty close in colors. They have the red armor, but use black for their cloth and gold for the trim. Fairly darn close to what I want. A quick read into the background for the Order is done. Not bad at all. I like my armies to fit into the current history of the universe. So making my Sisters an offshoot of the Bloody Rose sounds good.
So I grabbed my trusty can of black spray primer and set for the outdoors with my sisters in a big cardboard tray/box type thingy. Now personally, I think I over-prime. I like every inch of that figure to be coated. So after about an hour’s time, I had all 10 sisters and their backpacks primed black. I chose black because its 40K, and things tend to be dark. Also, I’m not a great shader. Dry brushing is my friend. I know lots of the painting snobs look down at dry brushing, but I don’t’ care. If it looks good to me, then I’m happy. And really, that’s all that should matter, unless you want that Best Painted Trophy.
A day or so later, I talked to an excellent painter about my sisters and the color scheme I wanted to do. His advice was to prime them red. Crap. So I’m not re-priming my figures. However, as I’ll have to do other sisters down the line, I’ll probably give it a go then. Pics of the lovely ladies in black are soon to follow.
Part 4: A Bump in the Road
Hmmmmm finding time to paint amongst all my slacking is proving to be quite difficult. I have started on a figure though. I tried to go thru and put down the red on the armor sections. Now maybe it’s just me, but I’m finding it kind of difficult to nail down the sections I need to paint red. Which means I’m actually going to grab the codex and look at the painting section. Also, an issue of WD had a good article on painting sisters, which I will look over. I’m more of a visual learner, so having reference materials is a great way to keep me focused.
I also need a new Inquisitor name. As fate, and GW’s odd pricing policy goes, I didn’t get the Inquisitor boxed set. I was able to pick up similar figs in blisters for much cheaper. So I did. But that has now left me with a slightly smaller retinue, but most importantly, a female Inquisitor. As cool as Nostramus is, it doesn’t fit a female model. This may seem like a minor thing, but it can actually be very important. For me, a big part of an army is the inspiration for it. The connection I feel with the army directly affects how much I want to play it. Which in turn, affects how much I want to paint it.
So now I have a female inquisitor. I had always thought of Nostramus as a guy’s guy. While he respected what the Sisters of Battle could do…he always thought less of them simply due to the fact that they were women. Well, that would hardly stay true for a female inquisitor. But first things first…a name. I like my names to be inspired as well. Right off the bat, looking at the figure, we have kind of a 19th century thing going on. Big hair, regal manor…I’m thinking Russian nobility. A quick google search brings me to a web site with the 90 most common Russian female names. Three pages later, we have it: Nadezhda – pronounced Nah-Deyz-da. Inquisitor Nadezhda…ooooo sends shivers down my spine just saying it. Now for her, she sees the Sisters of Battle as an image of strength for women. Men have their uses, but if you want a job done, then a woman is called for. There is no room for weakness in her army. She is cold, hard…Russian.
And just like that, the whole theme of my army has changed. Where once we had a hard inquisitor that was going to rely on storm troopers and simply use the sisters, we now have one that relies on the strength of the sisters to win the day. This really won’t affect the first 500pts for my army. However, it will impact the units I select further on. For instance, now it seems fitting to have a unit of Sisters Repentia in the force. Where Nostramus wouldn’t really care about the fate of a sister that had fallen from grace, Nadezhda does, and thus ensures that those sisters have a chance to redeem themselves in battle.
This will also mean adding more specialized sister units to the roster and most likely, SoB vehicles as well. Since I didn’t have huge plans drawn out for my army yet, a change like this isn’t too much of a big deal. There were certain units I had already decided that I wanted in the army, regardless of theme. But now what this change in theme does, is allow me to use different auxiliary units to fit the new concept. Army composition is a tricky thing. Not only does an army need to fit your play style, but it should also fit your visualization for it. I think its very critical to know what you want your army to look like, and have it fit your play style. As I said before, the greater the connection you make with your army, the more enthused you will be to paint it, and play it.
Painting pics soon…I promise.
Yeah, nothing has really changed has it?
Monday, July 27, 2015
Call to arms in Ostermark!
As I stated last time, I was able to get a small Empire army for a very good price. That has then led me down the road to collecting more models so that I can expand my options. Also, I have to say, I really like the Empire. I think it is a good solid army with lots of ways to build it.
As such, I have decided to make it my next tournament ready army. I'm going to be focusing my attention on building, painting, and playing the Empire. I've decided to build an Ostermark army. These poor guys are just under Kislev and just over Sylvania. So they have to be the most battle-hardened troops in the whole Empire. Also, the paint scheme of purple and yellow seems fairly interesting to me. I'm going to go for more deluded shades, and will probably spend quite a lot of time finding just the right colors to use.
Should be an interesting project for me. I was very lucky in that my local store still had the latest empire boxed army in their inventory. I was able to snag all of the latest plastics in one shot, and got to support my favorite store to boot. The only thing I really have left to buy/trade for will be more plastic greatswords, and some wizard options.
Also, I have a slew of games to use these guys in. I can play warhammer 8th edition, kings of war, or even age of sigmar. That should help keep me focused on working on these guys and getting them ready. Now when I say tournament ready, what I really mean is OFCC ready. The OFCC is an event that I helped start with my club many years ago as a way for gamers to bring armies they really wanted to bring, with the focus on fun instead of winning. It has grown quite a bit and morphed from time to time, but is still, at its heart, an event as opposed to a typical tournament. This year's event just wrapped up, so I basically have a year to get this done.
My big challenge is how do I make the bases? You see I'd really like to make stand out bases for this army. However, that really isn't my forte. Plus, that means taking everyone that is currently built and getting them off of their bases. Still...if I can think of something, I just have to do it...you know..expand my hobby skills. :)
As such, I have decided to make it my next tournament ready army. I'm going to be focusing my attention on building, painting, and playing the Empire. I've decided to build an Ostermark army. These poor guys are just under Kislev and just over Sylvania. So they have to be the most battle-hardened troops in the whole Empire. Also, the paint scheme of purple and yellow seems fairly interesting to me. I'm going to go for more deluded shades, and will probably spend quite a lot of time finding just the right colors to use.
Should be an interesting project for me. I was very lucky in that my local store still had the latest empire boxed army in their inventory. I was able to snag all of the latest plastics in one shot, and got to support my favorite store to boot. The only thing I really have left to buy/trade for will be more plastic greatswords, and some wizard options.
Also, I have a slew of games to use these guys in. I can play warhammer 8th edition, kings of war, or even age of sigmar. That should help keep me focused on working on these guys and getting them ready. Now when I say tournament ready, what I really mean is OFCC ready. The OFCC is an event that I helped start with my club many years ago as a way for gamers to bring armies they really wanted to bring, with the focus on fun instead of winning. It has grown quite a bit and morphed from time to time, but is still, at its heart, an event as opposed to a typical tournament. This year's event just wrapped up, so I basically have a year to get this done.
My big challenge is how do I make the bases? You see I'd really like to make stand out bases for this army. However, that really isn't my forte. Plus, that means taking everyone that is currently built and getting them off of their bases. Still...if I can think of something, I just have to do it...you know..expand my hobby skills. :)
Friday, July 24, 2015
July has been really hot
Global warming...that's right, its real, and its here. Sheesh. Since when does my part of the country hit 100 degrees on multiple days? Ugh. My poor AC unit has been working overtime.
So besides that, what's been going on? Well, I've done some progress on my Planetfall models. Nothing new has been completed yet, but I am getting closer. I should probably take the next cool day and prime some new models while I'm at it, just to be able to work on the next thing. That is how close I am....kind of exciting.
As far as playing, well that hasn't gone so well. My schedule just hasn't worked out for me to get in games with the rest of the community around here. However, I am hoping to do some Kings of War v2 soon. I may even toss down for some AoS.
Where the world shifted to the left quite a bit was my building schedule. I had originally planned to put together my militarum tempestus stuff. However, this small part of my brain which doesn't normally speak up, decided to send the thought through my head that I have too much stuff. Turns out it was right. So I'm currently selling a small portion of my collection. And the first thing that hit the door was my MT models. I just didn't have enough to build an army with it and while it would be fine as a allied detachment, I have plenty of full armies that need assembling.
Now of course, in typical fashion however, I was presented with a sweet deal on some empire models. Now I had owned empire many many moons ago when they had that Middenheim box army. I should never have sold that.
But I did....but now I had an opportunity to pick up close to a 2000pt army, new models, assembled...pretty cheap. Even came with the book. Now I've really liked the Empire army since 8th came out...I thought was was well done....not a top tier army, but a good middle ground army with lots of interesting builds. So while I ditched one army....I have acquired another. And since it is a fantasy army...I'm probably going to expand it out and end up with close to 3000+ points. It isn't hard to do really.
Plus, I can use it for KoW, so that's another reason I don't mind owning more fantasy armies. :)
I did decide to sell off my deadzone stuff. Ever since the kickstarter, it has just been sitting there. So might as well let someone else have it. Plus it is funding my Empire expansion :)
So besides that, what's been going on? Well, I've done some progress on my Planetfall models. Nothing new has been completed yet, but I am getting closer. I should probably take the next cool day and prime some new models while I'm at it, just to be able to work on the next thing. That is how close I am....kind of exciting.
As far as playing, well that hasn't gone so well. My schedule just hasn't worked out for me to get in games with the rest of the community around here. However, I am hoping to do some Kings of War v2 soon. I may even toss down for some AoS.
Where the world shifted to the left quite a bit was my building schedule. I had originally planned to put together my militarum tempestus stuff. However, this small part of my brain which doesn't normally speak up, decided to send the thought through my head that I have too much stuff. Turns out it was right. So I'm currently selling a small portion of my collection. And the first thing that hit the door was my MT models. I just didn't have enough to build an army with it and while it would be fine as a allied detachment, I have plenty of full armies that need assembling.
Now of course, in typical fashion however, I was presented with a sweet deal on some empire models. Now I had owned empire many many moons ago when they had that Middenheim box army. I should never have sold that.
But I did....but now I had an opportunity to pick up close to a 2000pt army, new models, assembled...pretty cheap. Even came with the book. Now I've really liked the Empire army since 8th came out...I thought was was well done....not a top tier army, but a good middle ground army with lots of interesting builds. So while I ditched one army....I have acquired another. And since it is a fantasy army...I'm probably going to expand it out and end up with close to 3000+ points. It isn't hard to do really.
Plus, I can use it for KoW, so that's another reason I don't mind owning more fantasy armies. :)
I did decide to sell off my deadzone stuff. Ever since the kickstarter, it has just been sitting there. So might as well let someone else have it. Plus it is funding my Empire expansion :)
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