Thursday, December 10, 2009

The State of the Waaagh

Orks have always been one of my favorite armies, ever since I started in the hobby back around 1998 I almost instantly took to orks. Any time I would attempt to start another army it wouldn't retain my interest and all those bits would just end up going to orks. Over the years I have collected bits and pieces of old ork history (both the books and miniatures) and I vowed that when orks received their new codex that I would make an army of a true veteran.

Year or so later after orks received their codex and I still have not progressed much but a handful of boys painted. So to get myself back on the painting (battle)wagon I will try and paint my orks in a timely manner. Who knows I may even go down to play with them sometime.

I will start off slow and come up with a rough 1,000 point list and add/adjust from there. Hopefully I will get to log all the adventures my orks have now all I have to do is come up with a witty name... But for now the rough list I was thinking up.

"Fingaz" - Big Mek with Kustom Force Field, Eavy Armor and Burna
- I have always been a fan of the Kustom Force Field giving my boys cover saves while avoiding all that difficult terrain. In the current edition it is also really good when paired with vehicles. The burna gives Fingaz a power weapon in close combat as well as a flame template to handle with a number of situations/enemies.

"Grubb Da Loon" Wyrdboy with Warphead upgrade
-Most people think that the Wyrdboy is too unpredictable and would rather a nice Warboss or an additional Big Mek. Well I had so many Wyrdboys I decided to paint one up and he made his way into my army.

"Thrugg's Shooty Gits" Shoota Boys x25 with big shoota x2, Nob with big choppa and bosspole.
- a nice mob of boys, you figure with that many shots the enemy is bound to stumble into a wall of lead.

"Gutstab's Killas" Slugga Boys x25 with rokkit x2, Nob with powerklaw and bosspole.
-my main attack block nothing like a handful of boys making through enemy fire and still getting an astounding number of attack dice!

Grots x20 Runtherd x2
-I don't care what people think of Grots, i have always used them to great effect. People have such a great hatred for these little bleeders and they always do something great.. maybe it's because I expect to little from them. Regardless now with BS of 3 they have a better chance at distracting my opponent and taking the heat away from my ork mobs.

Lootas x10
-a decent sized mob of lootas, hopefully they will lay waste to anything they point their guns at..

Looted Wagon with boom gun, grot riggers and big shoota

Looted Wagon with boom gun, grot riggers and big shoota
-I also added two boom gun toting Wagons, more to soak up points than anything else, two large blasts will also help the cause.

I believe I have about 60-70 points left which I am considering adding a pair of wartrakks into the mix to harass small enemy units. Well I better get going work calls, hopefully in the coming posts I can post small pieces of fluff as well as pictures. Till then!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Driven by magic..

Recently our group has been really into the game Malifaux. I had painted these a few weeks back but didn't get a chance to update the blog and thought while I was using the camera for commission work that I would also post these up.

These are Witchling Stalkers, former outlaw magic users that are tortured and their magical energy sapped from their bodies. They now work for the Guild (evil corporation types) hunting down magic users.. kind of ironic no? lol

Also in the works I am working on Sammael Hopkins, Sonnia Cridd and the Executioner, but since those are all character models i'm taking my time on them. I'm still torn on what will be my next purchase for Malifaux, it is between the Ortega Family or Lady Justice box sets. It will most likely be the Ortega Family in the long run as they have the most character.





I am waiting on getting a few extra dollars to spring for static grass to adorn the bases. Also because I haven't been transported in my regular carrying case they have some wear and tear on them that I have to fix. Otherwise i'm quite pleased on how they turned out and I can't wait to finish the characters.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Reinforcements have arrived! ... sort of?

So about two months back I made a sizable order of WWII German Infantry to use in my Weird War II games. Despite having a bad reputation I still ordered from Black Tree Designs, 50% off just about everything in their online store made it far too tempting so I gave in.

The first couple of weeks I sent an email but no miniatures came, so I took the advice someone posted on TMP forum and wrote on their website asking about my order. Well in no time they sent about a third of the order. I waited another week and a half then I wrote again soon after I received everything minus four miniatures (infantry character models).

The miniatures themselves are of excellent quality and look better in person than they do on the site. They are about the same scale as my other Weird War stuff, alternatively because I have so many of them they can create their own battle groups (for skirmish games).

I'm still on the fence about about converting the miniatures or not, part of me might want to use the miniatures in a historical scene. But I do have some Pig Iron heads that would look quite good on them.. hmm decisions.. Update soonish

Monday, October 26, 2009

Oil Fields of Elysia

Arturo led his cadre around their usual rounds, command had said there was some unusual activity in the area and that his patrol should check it out. The MILICIA was made up of undiserables and as such most utilized older era Gears. Often seen as disposable plenty of patrols have "gone missing" and weren't missed.. there were always more recruits for the MILICIA.

It seemed to be a routine patrol of the oil fields but Arturo had a feeling something was up, though the MILCIA was handed second hand gears the veteran pilots were quite experienced at staying alive. He split his squad sending two gears to make a sweeping action to search through the oil refineries while himself and two others took to high ground to spot any trouble.

Without warning autocannons barked and the enemy was revealed, four paratrooper jagers intent on keeping the oil refinery in a hostile takeover. Though the initial fire was an impressive sight the shots did not connect to any gears leaving his squad intact. With practiced ease his squad mates took up firing positions on the hill and started to fire downward onto the paratroopers. Caught in the open and being surrounded the paratroopers didn't stand a chance and they were eliminated piece meal.

Red lights flashed in Arturo's gear as the enemy grew desperate and fired all their guns at him. Though his gear was heavily damaged and sluggish his flanking team showed up behind the enemy and finished them off before his gear finally sputtered and gave out. "Command we got rid of the problem, four paratroopers send a scout team to look for survivors...".


This was my first full game of Heavy Gear Blitz without referring to the rulebook every few seconds lol. The game played out quick enough even after we rolled the special event "Friendly Fire" that had random blasts dotting the battle field. Cash and myself were playing the same faction "The South", though we played two different types of forces. While I was playing with a more general force that focused on numbers and speed, Cash chose the more elite Paratrooper Jagers with plenty of upgrades.

My list:
Command Jager with Medium Auto Cannon
Jager x3 with 1 Medium Auto Cannon and 2 Light Autocannons
Stripped Down Jager with Light Autocannon

The game itself went by pretty quick I managed to get the high ground with my command jager and two others while I sent a stripped down jager and a regular jager into a flanking move. It turned out that Cash had no real option to hide from my group on an elevated position and paid for it dearly. If he had tried to climb the tiered mountain he would be wasted time and get shot all the way up, if he tried to run I still had a clear view of most of the board.

All and all it was a very enjoyable game and it got me motivated to finish putting together my gears. Which I might add are pretty detailed though they are the size of a regular 25-288mm miniature they represent a large mech rougly the size of a house, so all the gears and servos are crafted along with a few extras.

Hopefully I get a few more games in to get a better feel for the game and actually motivate me to paint.. though there are plenty of "toys" already on the painting line..

Friday, October 9, 2009

Tales of the Weird West...

I finally got to try out Malifaux, a game set in a sort of victorian/steam punk/wild west setting. If you have ever played the rpg/cc/ttg of Deadlands it is very similiar in many aspects. The story line is there is a mining town of Malifaux that is between the rift of different dimensions. This tear in reality has caused many a curious adventurer to settle the town and mine for riches. What they mine are called "soul stones" which help fuel/bolster the magical essences of magic practioners.

There are five factions in Malifaux:

"Guild" which is the company that regulates and oversees the mining operations in Malifaux. They could be seen as the "good guys" but in reality they are watching over their interests first any citizens second.

"Arcanists" run under the guise of a "Steamfitter's Union" which is a cover for their crime syndicate, this faction is made up of powerful unlicensed magic users.

"Neverborn" are for lack of a better word demons that were former residents of Malifaux before the humans decided to come in and populate the town. They are the things of nightmares and fairy tales that humans have dreamt up come to haunt them.

"Resurrectionists" those that experiment and raise the dead, this faction is made up of necromancers, gravediggers and mad surgeons leading an army of undead. They do not live in the town of Malifaux themselves they live on the outskirts or closed off sections of Malifaux as the Guild is relentlessly hunting them down.

"Outcasts" made up of clones, gremlins, martial artists and other guns for hire. This group is made up of individuals each with their own agendas to complete, some of them are for hire and others only exclusively work for their own faction.

Each faction currently has three sub-factions or "Masters", you can mix and match your minions to suit your playstyle. That makes for 15 different "armies" in the game and I think that's quite good for the first printing of a rulebook.

The things I like about this game:
-Alternating Activation

-Each model has many different rules and abilities down to the lowest costing model, there is so much each model can do

-Deadlands-ish setting, till now I haven't seen many games in this type of genre especially seeing such a positive reaction in such a short amount of time.

-Skirmish level. The starter boxes bring you 4-5 miniatures which actually makes for a full and enjoyable game. Some people have run "starter box" tournaments which has quite some appeal that you are ready to game right away.

-Use of cards, you can use regular playing cards or the custom cards to play Malifaux. There are no dice instead you use cards to determine everything, it is actually quite refreshing. You feel like you have more control because you can "cheat fate", if you don't like what you flipped you can use a card in your hand! It gives the player more control over whats happening, but watch out use all your high cards early on in a turn and you may not have anything for when a nasty surprise comes later in the game.

With that said I am really a big fan of the game already and I am quickly seeing how it's popularity is spreading. In our group we have 3 other players besides myself and we have a few guys that also might interested. Hopefully in my next update I can show you some pictures of my painted crew or at the very least battle report. Stay tuned..

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Hoodoo what you don't dare do people?

In an effort to to tidy up my painting/computer desk I decided to go into a painting frenzy and paint up anything that was primed. These miniatures are from the Dark Age line a post apocalyptic game based on the artist Brom works. First up is Hoodoo a lone swordsman from the Skarrd faction that coats his weapons in poison when he heads into battle.




The second miniature is also from the Skarrd faction and she is the Toxic Mistress an addict to her own poisons which she unleashes on her opposition via a rigged pressure system much like a flame thrower.. but with toxic waste! She is missing her twin to complete her "group" but other than that I am quite happy how she turned out.



Here is a group shot with a confrontation miniature I plan to use for Dark Age as a Kaustic (a sort of lieutenant for the Toxic Cult sub-faction of Skard) which seems to fit in just fine with his friends.


Alas I came to that point where I ran out of primer before I got to do more of my Dark Age miniatures. But a quick order to The Warstore and I was back on track, I even managed to order myself a Malifaux book. Apparently this game is getting rave reviews and is selling out of just about everywhere. Malifaux has the look of a "weird wild west" type of game with heavy steam punk influences. Sort of like the game Deadlands which was an rpg, card game AND miniature game.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The mastermind of it all..

Here is my Logician from the AE Bounty line, which is the last miniature I had to do for this particular crew. All I need to do is wait for the book to come out at the end of October and i'll be fully prepared to play. Now all I have to do is come up with a few names.. hmm the battle is never over is it?






Here is a picture of the whole crew together, when you see these guys around you better be somewhere else!



I am slowly starting to organize and sell off a lot of the miniatures I have laying around. I even started to paint up random miniatures within arms length on my painting table. Till I hit every painters nightmare... no primer! Ah well this week I will stop by my local hobby store and pick that up as well as a few paints.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Down time..

Being caught up in my "Weird War" phase I decided to purchase a sizeable German Platoon from Black Tree Designs. The miniatures look quite well sculpted and a lot of positive reviews come from the minis themselves. The only problem was that their shipping/customer service has become very infamous on the net. I decided to take a dive when they threw their "Summer Sale", 50% off was just too great to turn away.

With that said I ordered:
Wemacht Infantry with MP 44 Rifles x2 (8 miniatures)
German Platoon (30 miniatures, mixture of SMGS, LMGS and rifles)
Wermacht Character Set x2 (8 miniatures)
Wermacht Mortar Team (3 miniatures)
Wermacht Panzershreck Teams (4 miniatures)

53 assorted miniatures for $48.91 thats INCLUDING the shipping! Now time to play the "waiting game". Most people said that 2-3 weeks is the norm when it comes to ordering with horror stories of it lasting longer. With that said I think ill wait till next monday to send them a "friendly" email/reminder.

Now all I have to do is order a bunch of "lipped" bases so that I can use these minis in "Secrets of the Third Reich" and "AE WWII". Two games that I am really into at the moment, there has always been something about the last 'romantic' war that has always caught my interest but I was too scared to jump into.. till now of course.

Another game that has caught my interest is Heavy Gear Blitz a game of tanks, mecha and infantry by Dream Pod 9. Though I am still grasping to fit all the rules I think it's a fun game, I have to admit I don't really like to read rules though I love flipping through rulebooks. I am more of the type to learn more from a demonstration rather than reading.

Looking through the book I had my choice of which army to pick (besides Peace River Defence Force which Ray picked first) and I chose the "South" in particular the "MILICIA" sub-faction. Something about convicts and renegades piloting outdated or damaged mechs into battle just called to me. That and the image of a horde of mecha barreling at the oppositiion!

Ray and myself have agreed to try a small 200 TV (threat value) squad in order to further famalirize ourselves with the rules. With that in mind I decided to get a box set that I would get the most use out of and that would be part of a larger force later on.

I ordered myself a General Purpose Cadre which is composed of five models, the miniatures come with plenty of options and all the available weapons/upgrades that they can recieve. I may leave off the heads momentarily so that I can switch them out when the need arises. But as the miniatures have not come yet I will have to see just how much work needs to be done on them. With that I am off to work on the last model of my AE Bounty crew. farewell.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

A Devon

Here is my fourth figure from the AE Bounty line, a "Devon" sporting some sort of heavy weapon. For this miniature I drew inspiration strangely enough from the Cadian Imperial Guard battle fatigues. The model just seemed as if it had experience in military service, so I went for something basic and recognizable.

I put the "201" on his should as a regiment number, 201 being the area code of where I live I thought it was quite funny. The miniature painted up rather quick and I want to add some battle damage once I get an idea where exactly the miniature will be about done. With the Devon done I am down to one miniature to finish my "crew" my leader and the "brains" of the whole operation a "Logician". Till then folks!





Saturday, September 5, 2009

Haedi, the mischievious duo

Here are my next to miniatures for the AE Bounty game, these miniatures are labeled Haedi. Neing a "regular" choice my my crew meant they were grouped into a "squad" of two. Now in bounty you can group just about any of the miniatures but these appealed to me because I had the mental image of two little sneaky aliens causing all sorts of trouble.






And here they are together ready to game unfortunately the rulebook for bounty doesn't come out for another month but at least I am going to have a fully painted crew by then. Next up is a Devon!

Monday, August 31, 2009

Shoot first leave the paper work for later..

I started to work on the AE Bounty figures that I bought at Gen Con this year, they are quite nice figures. They have this pulpy retro sci-fi look to them which are a blast to paint, one of the first miniatures that I worked on was the "Graffi". Now I based my purchases on a fully ready to play crew BUT I do not remember any of the rules I just know once the rules get released I will have a ready crew to game with.

Before I started work on this miniature something in my mind screamed "Cop" to me I took it a step further and created a small back story for this miniature and how he came under the employ of the "Red City Raiders" my Bounty Crew. I thought to myself corruption cannot just be a human trait especially to one in power, why not also aliens? After all life is so much easier when you can cut through all the red tape and not have to be arrested for "ashing" a target and the such.




Saturday, August 22, 2009

Secrets of the SS

This is my mini write up of the Competitive Campaign Darkson Designs held for AE WWII at Gen Con Indy 09.

My List: SS
-Scutzkommando Hero (Natural Leader) with Teutonic Blade (gains lethal), Magical Item that stops Berzerk and Ring that gives +1 Wound.
-Krieg Hexe with Blur (-2 to hit, +2 versus suppression checks) and Second Sight (model within 12" is granted re-roll next turn).
-Hellhost
-Vril Engineer with Rune of Tyr (12" one model gains an AP) and Lyr (12" one model's weapon gets +1 to strength and to hit).
-Waffen SS with StG 45s
-Sharfuhrer with StG 45
-Waffen Sniper with WA46

It should be noted that my list was some what erratic due to going to Gen Con with the intention of trying out units I never played with. I specifically converted some units (Krieghexe, Hellhost and Vril Engineer) knowing that they would be in the book but having no clue how useful they would be.

Game 1: Aaron
-OSS Sapper Hero
-Airborne Officer Hero
-Airborne Squad
-Airborne Squad
-Airborne Squad with BAR
-Airborne Heavy Weapon Team with Browning

The Straggler special order was ever popular knocking my Kommando into reserves, letting Aaron easily win the intiative. After he placed his OSS agent right behind my Sniper and Vril Engineer hunkering down near some sandbag cover. Initially we messed up the rules on demo charges which led to the OSS agent being removed and put back on the table. I didn't mind as I barely read OTW unless I take it in my list, regardless I managed to roll a 1 for my Kommando to come in the second turn. Who promptly walked up to the OSS agent and gunned him down before any more of this Demo Charge Madness.

While the Hellhost (with second sight) absorbed Aaron's attention and firepower my sniper was busy plinking off a guy every turn. He even managed to take care of two airborne that rushed to his cover intent on putting an end to his bloody reign. By the end of the game only the browning armed Airborne was left on the table and he was about to rout as soon as he was activated. I rushed my Vril Engineer across an open field to achieve my secondary, denied my opponent getting into no mans land (achieving primary) and also got the attrition rate going for me. So full points to meI have to admit that Aaron did give me quite a scare with his OSS sapper who if he took out my sniper it would of been a different game.

Game 2: Maurice
Soviet Reconnaissance Detachment
Veteran Psi Officer
Veteran Cossack Uryandnik (War Hero)
Regular AT-Rifle
Regular Soviet Guard
Regular Starshina (Criminal)
Green Chumans
Green (sacrificed for 2nd hero)
Green Criminals (free w/ Criminal hero)
Jeep w/ heavy MG

When I first looked at Maurice's list I was scared of his jeep but I should of been MORE scared of his Cossack Hero. The terrain meant that I knew from the start that the primary objective would be tied.. or at least I was hoping. Maurice advanced with his chumans heading for the temple (the primary) and hiding there behind cover. On my left his criminals and Starshina took cover in some rubble throwing random pot shots my direction. On the right his jeep and War Hero advanced, for some reason Maurice didn't quite advance his jeep that far into the flank. I thought he would swing through the right and essentially ignore all the cover my SS were gaining.

The War Hero after being gravely wounded by my Waffen and Sniper charged across teh field taking care of the soldiers and being tied up in combat with the Krieghexe. I sent the Hellhost in to assist believing it would be a short affair. Boy was I wrong the Hellhost and war hero took various turns trying to kill each other while the battle raged around them.

The Sniper as always did his job pinning everything he could see from the Criminals with attached Starshina on my left, what I could see in the center of the ruins (where the Psi Officer died) to the right flank the jeep did not advance. A thing of beauty I might add. Despite that I was still losing there wasn't a doubt in my mind as anyone not in cover would have criminals and a starshina plinking into them. Also despite the Jeep staying out of line of sight of my sniper he made sure to have visual access to the rest of my army.

When all hope seemed lost the Hellhost won the ONLY round of combat against the War Hero it should be noted the War Hero won EVERY round of combat he just couldn't kill the Hellhost.. and it proved fatal to the War Hero. The Hellhost then proceeded to walk up to the temple and contest the primary objective despite all odds.

Game 3: Scott
-Airborne Hero (natural leader)
-Airborne Weapon Team with Flamethrower
-Airborne with BAR
-GI Squad
-GI Squad
-Jeep with Browning
-Jeep with Browning

At first like everyone of the Axis players I feared the double jeeps but with German determination I was determined to take a few out with me. Scott deployed a Jeep on each side with most of his infantry supporting the left flank (one GI unit went with the rightmost jeep). I deployed centrally around the bunker not sure why I didn't just sit in the bunker and wait for him to come close but then again i've never really been a defensive player..

The game was quite short in as much as when I needed my Sniper the most he had failed me, even needing 3+'s to hit in long range I managed to miss! When I did manage to hit Scott trumped my rolls by rolling exactly what he needed a 6. I guess my sniper felt he did enough the lat two games. Attempting to wrestle the initiative from Scott a made a few mistakes, I probably could of retreated my forces into the bunker and waited for Scott to come and dig me out. But by then it was too late and the Sniper despite his best efforts was the last to die giving Scott the win.

Now some people were not fond of his two Jeep list but I thought had I managed to hit more with the sniper Scott would of been in a sort of pickle. Had I managed to kill off both the Jeep gunners (I did tag one.. eventually). Scott would have had to advance towards a bunker to achieve his primary objective. Not exactly a peachy prospect as it was at least two or more activations of no mans land before the can deny the armor bonus to my troops.

After thoughts:
I had great fun at the tournament many thanks for the Darkson crew putting together an inventive way to play a tournament without all the stress or wacky missions. My only suggestion might be moving it to friday? Possibly next year due to saturday being such a high traffic day I think it would have an even higher turn out. I know my two friends were itching to play but had schedule conflicts.

Thanks to everyone who played I can't wait to see what kind of lists next year will bring to the table. I know that I will bring something different as I always do a new army for every tournament I go to in order to keep things fresh and interesting. Hopefully we also get more board members next year it was good to put names to faces!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

The Road to Gen Con..

The time is almost here for the biggest Gaming Convention in the USA.. GEN CON Indiana! It has been the continued mecca for gamers from all over the states just pick your poison. Cards Games? Board Games? Role Playing? Live Action Role Playing? Miniature Games? Video/Computer Games? Yup it has all that and so much more, it is four days on gaming and shenanigans.

This year for Gen Con I had grand plans to come swinging with quite a few new armies.. it should be said that I have a fetish to play new armies to every convention I go to... BUT unfortunately for me plans for a commission pay out to have money to fund new armies fell through. So now we do something more exciting/challenging, I will create playable and hopefully semi-competitive from models I have laying around the house.

AE WWII - German Geneticists

German Officer*
SD Agent*
Wermacht Sniper
Volkstrumm Group Leader*
Wermacht Soldiers w/ StG 44's*
Mad Doktor*
Emaciated Soldiers*

Dark Age - Skarrd
The Father
Warhead
Toxic Mistress
Kaustic
Hoodoo
Chitin
Saber
Bolas

Alkemy - Aurlock Nation
Starter Set
Also some commission work for Jon

Thursday, July 23, 2009

AE Officer Challenge: Volksstrum Group Leader

Roaming the AE message boards I found a challenge thread to paint an officer, i found this to be an excellent opportunity to start painting up some of my Weird War II miniatures. Also this is a great opportunity to start building up my new army for AE WWII for their tourney at Gen Con Indiana. We all know how much I love to attend tournaments at conventions. Well here is A Volkstrumm Group Leader, it is an Artizan miniature with a green stuffed gas mask.



Saturday, June 13, 2009

Stomp Em Flat...

So i have been off the radar for quite some time I apologize for that, I have been busy at work keeping the girlfriend happy and toiling at work. Always a lethal combination when it comes to anything hobby related as both activities require time and attention.

Through peer pressure Cash has managed to sign me up for the Apocalypse League for the Game Room store, it is a 5k running league with a few additions/changes posted on his site. I immediately called for help from my group to pony up some ork models for me to field enough things for the games. Amazingly I found out between my personal collection of orks and what i have borrowed that i have more than enough to make quite a few different army lists.

I played a practice game against Mike our resident Imperial Guard player in a test game. Our group is still pretty new to this 5th edition thing so the game went a little slower than usual games. Still the game was GREAT fun, we played outside on a sunny Saturday afternoon while drinking beer and BBQ'ing... Can it really get any better?

The lists (roughly):

Mine (Orks)
Big Mek x7, assorted gear including 3 Kustom Force Fields, 2 Shokk Attack Guns and 2 with just Burnas
Warboss w/ combi skorcha and power klaw
Wyrdboy Warpheads x2

Killa Kan x9 w/ assorted gear
Looted Wagon x2 w/ boom guns
Battle Wagon x2
Lootas 10 x 2
Boyz Mob 25 x 5-6
Tankbustas x9
Grots 2 x 20
Mega Armored Nobs x9
Big Mek Stompa

Mike (Imperial Guard)
Command HQ
Inquisitor
Independent Commissar x3
Calidus Assassin

Conscript Platoon 50 x2
Guard Platoon x2 with 5 squads each and 3 heavy weapon squads each.
Stormtroops 10 x 2
Leman Russ x4
Veterans 10 x 2
Penal Legion

Sentinels x3
Leman Russ Demolisher x2
Basilisk x3
Colossus x2
Punisher


Here are a few pics with a small description of what was going on...





Here we have deployment where i bid the max time thinking for some odd reason that i would need it. Well i was sorely wrong and mike pummeled my stompa leaving it with a single structure point.. he also left huge gaps in my infantry by firing multiple blasts from leman russes and basilisks.





Here you can see some neat holes punched through a mob of grots near the front of my line. Along with a nice template outline on a mob of boys on the right flank.. damn artillery.



The general orky advance! forward! I must say that the Lifta Droppa that the Stompa is armed with.. pure fun! Nothing like lifting tanks into the air and tossing them about causing havoc on everything!





About a turn later a bunch of holes are starting to form in the guard lines, mainly from a few moved infantry lines.. Guard advancing? well some of them!




Some very clear damage among both lines the destroyed husks of leman russ tanks shows that the right flank is definitely in peril to fall.




The last turn was pretty much a mop up operation for my orks i stopped moving some of my infantry as i was eating while playing. I'll admit i was a lazy son of a bitch as the battle drew to a close.



Last picture of the battle, the Imperial Guard casualty pile. These boys won't be returning home in anything but a wooden suit case. The group tried to guess how many casualties in total the game would reach. With about 400-500 infantry models being the result. Some of the highlights in the the game were two Killa Kans charging a conscript squad killing about 2-3 of them while the Commissar uses a powerfist to blow a Kan apart killing 21 conscripts... yup! Also despite the fire that Mike poured into the Stompa the first turn I thought it would surely fall the second turn.. This was not to be as Mike continued to pour fire into it and could do nothing but fail to roll the 5 or 6 needed to destroy it.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

General Update..

WHFB:
Sorry for the lack of update guys so far my "Mongorcs" are doing good in the league getting two victories over Orcs and a victory over High Elves. Though I did have a close fought defeat against Vampire Counts (i misjudged the distance between one of my units...) before a unit of black knights and wraiths mopped up most of my line. But other than that I am quite satisfied on how my new army is doing.

My dark elves were mostly a shooting type of army with some quick counter assault units to mop up depleted units. With the orc army I tend to be more aggressive using anti-magic to make things 'more fair' lol. I found out just how amazing goblin wolf riders are, when the points jump happens I plan to put quite a few units in.

Painting wise I am copying what I see online as far as 'nomadic hordes' so lots of blue/turquoise with brownish/red pants, the skin I painted graveyard earth giving them a very muted skin tone. The first few models I cranked out look quite good despite being far from finished.

AE WWII/Secrets of the Third Reich:
Other projects on my table are AE WWII American sci-tech force, a little bit difficult to put together but good minis with lots of detail none the less. I hope to get the force painted up quickly to demo it to the Game Room (a semi-local store). I have people have shown interest in non-GW skirmish games, especially of the "Weird War II" variety. Secrets of the Third Reich seems like a solid game with some cool mechanics I will definitely look into the game in the next month or two.

Pulp City:
I eagerly await to get an order big enough to get some of the new villain supremes they have released. They are quite nasty and help expand the game way beyond what just came in the 'starter' box. Now sporting an assortment of over 22 miniatures split between hero's and villains the game now has more range and variety and that is always a good thing. This is also one of the games that my group wants to formally introduce to the game room... after all who doesn't like hero's and villains?

Well that's about it for now I have a bunch of 'party' pictures on my camera as soon as I clear them out I want to snap a few pictures of my work. Till then!

Monday, March 23, 2009

From the Mountain Pass... Part 1

The sun had rose up from the earth, the morning light giving life to what was once dead casting away the shadow of the night. Mongke steadied his steed taking in the beautiful sight as the sun rose into the sky. His bravest warriors had followed him on an expedition to claim a land that they might call their own. His goblin scouts had told them of a nearby camp of orcs and goblins, their camp fires and raucous behavior giving them away.

Mongke had sent an envoy but it had not returned yet he worried for the safety of his men under his command. His worst fears were confirmed one of his riders came riding in on his wolf bruised and beaten. The goblin tried to speak but was having great difficulty Mongke put his hand upon the goblin's head and said "have no fear brother we march out against these savages.." as he soberly donned his helmet and marched to war.


Well this was my first game of the escalation league starting at 1000pts I was wondering how many games I could get into this bracket seeing as I had no reliable way of getting to the store but I later found out I would have nothing to worry about..

My list:

Mongke (orc big boss) w/ spear, light armor, boar, enchanted shield and boss best 'at
Bartan (orc big boss w/ spear light armor, boar, bsb and mork's spirit totem

Orcs x25 w/ shields and full command
Orcs x25 w/ shields and full command
Goblin Wolf Riders x5 w/ spears and musician
Goblin Wolf Riders x5 w/ spears and musician

Goblin Squig Hoppers x5
Orc "knights/heavy lancers" (boar boys) x5 w/ spears and musician

Enemy List:
Goblin Big Boss w/ ?
Goblin Shaman w/ lvl 2 and ?

Night Goblins x20 w/ full command fanatic
Night Goblins x20 w/ full command fanatic
Night Goblins x20 w/ full command archers fanatic
Night Goblins x20 w/ full command archers
Goblin Spider Riders x10 w/ full command

Black Orcs x10 w/ full command
Troll

To be fair my opponent was limited by funds/time and the skulls pass set though i'm glad to see that the next points jump he had more freedom and money to make a more effective and fun list for himself.

The armies were arrayed against each other and the mountains were crawling with hundreds of robed goblins forming a rather ragged battle line. They were bolstered by some black orcs they must of bribed of coerced to join their army. On the other side of the battlefield stood Mongke's army forming a solid center line with their fast elements on their flanks ready to harry the enemy.

Mongke spoke in a controlled but loud booming voice to his men "Do not worry men! Their numbers seem inexhaustible but they lack discipline and martial prowess! Onwards to victory!". His army responded by marching solemnly forward heedless to the goblin's superior numbers ready to fight and die for their Khan.

The lack of goblin discipline showed early in the battle as their line advanced haphazardly towards Mongke's army. The brave goblin wolf riders and squig hoppers were given the order to draw out any fanatics and give ground to any enemy that opposed them to separate units from their battle line. This worked wonderfully as fanatics flew out of their units far from the main battle line wrapping their chains around their necks and crashing into trees before they could do any discernible damage.

The spider riders decided a head long charge into Mongke's regiment realizing their folly too late as the orcs simply shrugged off their blows. Several died before they called for a rout despite the swiftness of their steeds they were run down by the orcs. Who were then harassed by bow fire from the hilltops above, despite their torrent of fire few orcs fell as they covered their advance with their large shields.

In the center the Bartan and his regiment smashed through the black orc mercenaries running them down as their courage faltered. The shaman was caught off guard and could not stammer the words of power to stop the advance as Bartan ran through his own unit and drove them to the ground.

Elsewhere the orc heavy lancers were beleaguered by the goblin general and his massive cohort. Despite their best efforts cleaving down foe after foe their enemies were too numerous and they retreated. The goblin general laughed for his cronies to see but soon stopped when the field of battle was as silent as the grave. Most of his army had been destroyed their bodies laying all over the field and with that he called retreat.


This was a relatively fast game as far as thinking went for me, I set out to not be mangled by his fanatics using my squig hoppers and wolf riders as bait. After drawing them out I waited a turn for them to either crash into terrain or move out of the way as I reformed my battle line. Almost everything went to plan except my heavy lancers (boar boys) bouncing off the generals unit! I figured between 10 attacks (boars and riders) hitting and killing on 2+'s I would get the 5-6 kills I would need. Instead I believe i only killed about 4? or so and ran from combat for shame.

In this battle despite him having a level 2 magician his unit squabbled 3 turns in a row! He didn't squabble a fourth turn because Bartan and his unit charged them and ran straight through them. I was lucky that he did not get a chance to cast anything, despite me having 5 dispel dice you never know when you aren't going to roll like crap..

At the end of the battle he had:
goblin general w/ 20 night goblins full command
night goblin archers x20 w/ full command
night goblins x20 w/ spears

I had:
Mongke w/ Orcs x25 full command
Bartan w/ Orcs x25 full command
I also captured 3 banners and we contested on table quarters

Mongke looked out at the countless bodies of goblins that littered the ground there were few survivors that would retreat into the mountains. It did not have to come to this but their misguided greenskin cousins could never understand. As night drew campsites were set up and fires were lit in preparation for the long journey to new lands... a land they would call their own.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Graveyard Summoning!

A week or two ago Jon and myself played a game of Pulp City, a game where super heros and villains clash in the city streets of the 1980's. We picked up this game last year in Gencon Indy, as always I scouted the game months ahead of time and simply led my two friends (Jon and Hoj) to their table. It took a whole miniature or so before Jon and Hoj were already trying to think up how to split up the starter sets.

Though we have had the game for a fair few months our group tends to be quite diversified and there are always more than a handful of gaming systems being played at any one time. This is an account of my 3rd game(?).

It was a level 5 encounter, in pulp city a supreme (hero/villain) is given a number value based on their abilities. So far there are only level 1's and 2's out but soon level 3's will be released. Level 1 supremes tend to be small blitzer or support type of characters, most of the time they have few abilities that can't take a punch too well. Level 2 supremes tend to be greatly varied in their abilities, some are the traditional bruisers while others tend to be better at range using blasts of energy to win the day.

My "team" consisted of..

Hellsmith, Level: 2 Supreme - think something of a fallen/forgotten greek god with a runic hammer and you aren't that far off.

Nuke, Level: 2 Supreme - is a powerful melee opponent made up of nuclear energy held together by a suit of experimental armor.

Mourn, Level: 1 Supreme - hailing for the necroplane or the realm of nightmares/death i'm not quite sure how to use him to be honest but he is an awesome model.

For their resources/equipment I gave hellsmith his "hell hammer", nuke his "reinforced suit" and mourn "hired guns"

Jon had:

Solar, Level: 2 Supreme - a german superhero who uses the power of the sun.


Ace of Wraiths
, Level: 2 Supreme - an old gunslinger who won a lot more than he bargained for when he bested the devil in a hand of poker.

Red Riding Hoodoo, Level: 1 Supreme - mix little red riding hood and voodoo you can't be that far off!

Jon's Resources were: solar's "tiara", ace of wraiths "deck of cards" and red riding hoodoo's "zombie wolf"


The Scenario:




We both took a good look at the terrain and decided that the game took place in a run down neighborhood by a cemetery. The villians need to gain access to the crypt for some nefarious purpose while the heros would try and hold them off.

We placed the 5 civilians and said they were worth scenario points (1 for each heros would try and keep them alive villians wanted to kill them) holding the cemetery would be worth 3 points also. Whoever won the initiative for the turn was allowed to move d6 civilians and his opponent would move the rest if any.

The Game!

Hellsmith wastes no time charging forward with such bravado! Nuke decides to creep up slowly avoiding any direct fire from Solar or Ace of Wraiths while Hoodoo decides to hide in the cemetery for protection.



Mourn takes his hired guns and hides among the ruins careful to alert the zombie wolf or Ace of Wraiths suspicions...



Hellsmith approaches the car attempting to take some cover knowing full well the deadly energy blasts that both Solar and Ace of Wraiths have at their disposal...



Solar rushes to the car that Hellsmith was hiding behind and lifts it over his head throwing it at the colossal Hellsmith who simply shrugs off the damage and tosses aside the car.



Nuke decides to dash forward between Ace of Wraiths and Solar and claps his hands unleashing a apocalyptic wave of radiation! Which hurts both heros and kills a civilian!



Nuke's victory was short lived as both Solar and Ace of Wraiths combined their powers to send Nuke away for good. His body dissipating in a nimbus of nuclear energy and a bright flash. Hellsmith smashed down his ornate hammer sending tremors through the ground which knocked Solar off his feet! Next he assaulted Ace of Wraiths and knocked him out of action after he was severely wounded by Mourn's hired guns.



Solar then managed to get up and easily handle the two hired guns before Hellsmith's war bellow caught him off guard. Hellsmith seemed all but unstoppable knocking out Solar and Hoodoo's zombie wolf! But even the mightiest villain must fall as Hoodoo used all her power to put an end to Hellsmith's bloody reign!



I had a lot of fun during the game as my villains tried to gain access to the graveyard but the lowliest of hero's took down the bruiser which was Hellsmith! The only thing I would have liked to change was either use twilight or gentlemen as my level 1 supreme as I am still looking how to properly use mourn.. but other than that i'm glad that my favorite figure (Hellsmith) managed to carry the day for the villains till the very end!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Invasion of the Coasts: Part 9

Such a small town harbored a terrible secret or so Goethe was told from one of the marauder horsemen who was abandoned on the field from the last battle. It had seemed a charismatic leader had risen through the ranks claiming himself a prophet. A garrison of foolhardy empire troops fell prey to his fiery oratories and were now on the road to damnation to the ruinous powers... humans thought Goethe such simple beasts...

Apparently the garrison had marched into the capitol under friendly flags massacred the city militia and offered the peasants as a sacrifice to their gods. Letting roving bands of chaos warriors and demons to roam the country side as they finished their rituals involving some of treasures that Goethe had been so desperately seeking. The marauder had more to say but Geothe grew tired of the captive and simply cleaved him in two with a powerful swipe of his halberd.

"These fools meddle with powers they could not even comprehend..." Goethe could care less for the countless of innocents slain, but they sought to destroy certain magical treasures that could make more gateways for demons to flood the material plane. With grim determination Goethe donned his armor and told his personal guard "It is time to take what belongs to me! Assemble the army we march to riches!"


This was the third and final battle of the tournament and at this point I was quite tired, my last tournament was in August and it was for Dark Age/Infinity (both skirmish games). I was pretty optimistic despite visually seeing quite a few threats, when my opponent handed me his army list it looked like this:

Arch Lector w/ war alter, sword of power, shield of the gorgon and van horstman's speculum.
Warriors Priest w/ great weapon, armor of meteoric iron and icon of magnus
Battle Wizard w/ lvl 2, dispel scroll and wizards staff
Spearmen x22 w/ full command Detachments: Halberdiers x7 Halberdiers x10
Handgunners x10 w/ full command Detachments: Crossbows x5 Crossbows x5
Flagellents x16 w/prophet
Great Cannon x2
Goblin Hewer
Pistoliers x5 w/ champ
Pistoliers x5 w/ champ
Knights x5
Knights x5
Steam Tank

Looking over the army list I was quite puzzled with some choices he took but the two glaring things were mainly the Steam Tank and the War Alter two things I have never faced!

Magic: Sameth: Rule of Burning Iron, Commandment of Brass and Spirit of the Forge. Nimue rolled Chillwind and Black Horror. I believe that his Wizard rolled Commandment of Brass and another spell he never used.

Sorry guys unfortunately I did not take any pictures of this battle for a number of reasons, first it was late and I admit I was pretty tired. Second because of some scheduling error my opponent was brought in as a semi ringer with only half his army so I was facing half of a nicely painted army and some movement trays with dice... yes... So with that said the whole report will just be one flowing narrative.


The skies were a dark purple and red haze that blended into the horizon peals of lightning struck constantly and randomly. Even the air seemed thick and unnaturally humid as if reality was slowly starting to come apart one sense at a time. Goethe spat the foul magics of chaos were at work here, all along the country side the bodies of dead civilians were left there to rot strange markings carved into their skins.

Hymns of praise could be heard till finally Goethe caught a glimpse of his enemy, their skin was an unhealthy gray their once proud uniforms were covered in blood and their faces bore a blank expression as if they were drugged. At the center of the army Goethe could spot the ring leader that had started all this mess as he strode into battle among his chariot carrying a false idol of some sort of bovine creature. The impostor held up his book of flayed skin and preached to his followers hitting them with a cat nine tails as he rode by much to the delight or sometimes indifference of his followers.


* Deployment was rather simple all his fast stuff pistoliers and knights on my left flank his General in the center of the field (closer to the left flank though with the steam tank taking a slight lead) with all his infantry occupying the center. The right flank consisted of two cannons...

My deployment was Jotan facing off against his fast stuff more or less alone. Center was just about my whole army. Right flank was spearmen with Nimue, executioners, a unit of harpies and a chariot. I figured I would be able to turn a flank or at the very least detract some of his troops.

The field of battle had no hills but rather had many trees(note for some reason we didn't think they would be forests?) occupying the flanks with the center dominated by many pillars something of an alter.. how fitting..



Giving praises to their gods the misguided shuffled forward more content with casually strolling forward mutilating themselves than to get to grips with the enemy. Perhaps this led to the artillery crew to haphazardly load their guns more entertained with their own twisted visions than the enemy their shots going wildly off target. Daubed with bodily filth and ruins of horrific power the steam tank fired it's cannon as it's crew laughed maniacally as the ball went cruising through the regiment of dark elf crossbowmen.

The pistoliers once great nobles turned deviant followers of the dark powers rode through the forests firing their pistols at Jotan who simply flew higher with his pegasus avoiding the shots. Jotan gripped his lance and dove into the dumb founded pistoliers who found that their pistol's were too slow for the natural grace of an elf. Underneath his helm Jotan smiled as he gored one of the over indulgent nobles to his own mount, he drew his sword in one swift motion and set upon the other two nobles who fell off their mounts in pieces. The force of the pegasus' legs smashed in the helmet of another leaving one rather stunned survivor who attempted to flee but was cut down for his troubles.

Flying low Jotan retrieved his lance from a corpse and charged a second regiment of pistoliers who were powerless against the savagery of the elf. This time there were no survivors and all the young nobles lay in a tattered heap the price for serving the gods of chaos. Jotan laughed and flew into the dark skies to avoid retribution from the empire army, he only needed to get a bit closer to his target...

Elsewhere the knights raced down the field their once bright armor was filth encrusted and daubed with runes of devotion to their new prophet. They came across a cold one chariot who refused to move due to some pesky spell the opposing wizard cast on it. The elves jumped off the chariot just in time as the knights smashed it apart with their broadswords and continued into a unit of corsairs. Despite the ferocity of the knights the nimble elves managed to avoid the worst of it with only a few falling almost in twain. With a stern gaze Goethe made sure the corsairs did not even think of breaking the battle could be won or lost in the next few actions.

Goethe called for a charge against the foolish knight's flank despite their heavy armor the corsairs jumped and brought them down from their horses. Stabbing them in the joints of their armor till they stopped screaming their filthy armor given a new coat of blood their own.

Though the army of crazed men were without a doubt devoted to their leader they lacked the brilliance and cunning of the dark elves. In their rush to come to grips with the enemy they got in the way of their supporting artillery. The dark elves on the other hand held their center line still making the foolish humans run into the teeth of their fire paying the butcher's bill for their mistake. Bodies fell left and right punctured by the black bolts of the dark elf weapons, they hardly noticed trampling over their injured as they continued onwards.

On the right flank Nimue led the attack blasting the crossbowmen of the empire with bolts of pure energy. With all her might she fought through the magical defenses of the opposing wizard summoning a vortex of energy that sent most of the hand gunners into another dimension. Harpies came down attracted by the scent of blood and filth that filled the air. They swooped down on the cannon crew leaving a mound of half eaten flesh as they flew into the sky once more.

The prophet was too busy motivating his troops into higher depths of depravity to notice Jotan who thought it a perfect time to introduce himself. Jotan hovered a few feet from the war alter a golden calf emanated unholy energy that was getting stronger and stronger as battle raged all around. The prophet spoke in a booming voice "Unbeliever! Perish to the combined might of the pantheon of the most righteous!" Jotan reached into his bag and produced a glass orb with a liquid inside. Sameth had taken time to prepare the concoction and had instructed Jotan to use this against the source of the prophet's power.

Jotan swung his arm back menacingly as the prophet stopped talking and saw the danger to his war alter.. "NO!!! STOP HIM MY PETS!!" but it was too late Jotan had already thrown the orb at the golden calf. The prophet tried to jump and catch it but a life of gluttony has it's disadvantages. The orb hit the calf and shattered the liquid was set free in every direction even splashing the prophet himself. Within seconds smoke could be seen as it burned through the solid gold calf and the prophet who began to scream as it melted his body away. Jotan knew better than to stick around and took to the air once again as he heard reality buckle behind him within seconds there was silence again and there was no trace of the "prophet" or his golden calf.

Without their mighty prophet leading them it seemed as if many of the soldiers snapped out of the daze only to find themselves in a nightmare. Many began to wail and go crazy stabbing and slashing all those within arms length. Others began to weep and took their own lives. A teeming mass of uncontrollable emotions played at to the amusement of the dark elves who simply let the scene play out as they pushed passed and claimed their rightful prize...


This was a very interesting battle that I wish we had more time to play out, apparently we didn't notice the time and we only managed to play 2-3 turns? wow. I was deathly afraid of the steam tank but it turned out I didn't even get to face it. Since one turn he wanted to go for max steam points and was rewarded by rolling a 6 meaning it couldn't do a thing and it took a point of damage!

When we first started counting up points in my mind i thought we would draw as it didn't seem like a lot of points were scored. But when we added up the points it came up I only lost about 240 odd some points to 500+ points and an extra 100pts for a table quarter! Giving me a nice win on my record!

My scoring wasn't bad I expected to do slightly better in painting but other than that I placed in 7th or 8th I believe not bad going 1-1-1! When awards were given out they called my name and I wasn't paying attention as I didn't expect to win anything. As it turns out my opponents voted me as best sportsmen (must be all the off the cuff humor) I received a $35 gift certificate which I used to buy a battle wagon for my 40k army.

All and all a great tourney I had lots of fun and can't wait for the next fantasy tournament. On the horizon my orcs are being built for a fantasy escalation league that starts next week. I hope to post up a few pictures in a day or two stay tuned!

The black arks were still being loaded with fresh slaves and the magical treasures that he had so desperately sought. He stood looking into the horizon as the sun was setting the purple and the red meshing in the sky. A small grin was appearing on his face till a slave bumped into him, Goethe back handed the slave with his gauntlet almost knocking off his head. "Bring this sorry whelp to my chamber.. it will be many a lonely night back to the land of chill... pray you die pf my attentions on the first night".

Friday, February 20, 2009

Invasion of the Coasts: Part 8

After the last battle few survivors had made it back to camp but there were always more reinforcements on their way from the black arks. It only took a few days for his army to be back in fighting strength before Goethe gave the order to march again. It wasn't long before they heard the the clanking of full plate armor and praises to the dark gods. "The mortals of chaos think they can stop me do they... form a line the tribes of the north march against us!"

This was the second game of the tourney and I was facing one of the locals named Kyle, who is actually a fairly laid back player who plays more with what he likes rather than what would be effective at least in my opinion. His list looked like..

Khorne Lord on Juggernaut not sure what kind of gear but MR 1
Chaos Knights x5 full command
Warhounds x5
Warhounds x5
Warhounds x5
Warhounds x5
Chaos Warriors x10 w/ full command, shields and double hand weapons
Chaos Warriors x10 w/ full command, shields and double hand weapons
Marauder Horsemen x5
Dragon Ogre Shaggoth
Giant w/ Mark of Slannesh
Wulfrik w/ marauders x15 full command

Nimue rolled: Word of Pain and Bladewind. Sameth rolled: Rule of Burning Iron, Commandment of Brass and Law of Gold.


Turns 1-2:

With screams of devotion to their god Khorne the north men charged towards the dark elf lines heedless to any casualties being trampled underfoot in their dash into glorious combat. In a blink of an eye the chaos line was already past the halfway point of the field, the crossbowmen eyed each other nervously wondering if their missile fire would be enough to deter these crazed warriors.

The shaggoth roared to the skies as it galloped forward ignoring the bolts piercing it's body. A flock of harpies were brave enough to attack the shaggoth in it's weakened state flying in circles and gouging deep wounds in it's body. The shaggoth launched himself into the air and swung his great axe knocking most of the harpies out of the air, he clutched one in his hands and bit his head off scattering the rest of the harpies. It bellowed a great laugh as it fed on the harpies too late did it realize that the bolt thrower crew were merely adjusting their war machines to aim at him and he fell to the floor quite dead a giant bolt stuck in his chest.

Even the full plate chaos armor of the warriors was not a match for the keen eye sight of the shades. Who aimed at the exposed flesh between the armor plates and joints bringing down the warrior knights on foot. Sameth raised his hand and one of the warriors broke ranks screaming as his armor burned him alive.

On the other flank the massive giant stalked through the forests and assaulted the crossbowmen who despite their fire could not bring down the mighty giant. The titan swung his chain around making a few warriors fly off their feet into the distant sky in an explosion of blood and bone. To their credit the warriors braced their shields and prepared for the worst confident that reinforcements would soon come... at least they hoped..




The first two turns was the chaos army advancing while I positioned my units to get the most shots off as is the usual procedure for my army. The giant hid from most of my fire by running the far right flank. I did manage to put two wounds on him with a unit of crossbows I had left there.

Wulfrik had appeared on the flank of my spearmen on the bottom of the second turn. I knew that he would charge them so I simply turned to face him as Nimue fled the scene this could be messy...

Turns 3-4:

The Khorne lord and his much feared knights punched a whole separating the center from the left flank. In their bloody wake they left what could of been called a chariot at one point and the remains of shattered armor and crossbows. They continued their murderous parade by slamming into Goethe's corsairs. In what could be at best called a whirlwind of severed body parts the nerve of the corsairs broke and they were duly run down.

The giant laughed as he jumped up and down on the crossbowmen crushing quite literally underfoot. The crossbowmen decided that they did their duty and ran off the field tossing their weapons aside in order to run faster. The executioners managed to cut down plenty of the chaos warriors with wide arcs of their driachs but even their martial skill could not protect them for long from the frenzied warriors. Their ornate heavy blades spelled out their doom as the warriors set upon them quickly with their double hand weapons running down the rest.

Seeing the spearmen in trouble of facing the hulking brute named Wulfrik Nimue decided to make things a bit more 'even' for the spearmen. She smiled as she finished her incantations and saw the Wulfrik and his marauders howl in pain as they were greeted with a wall of spears.





As expected anything that went against the Lord and his retinue of knights were utterly crushed anything they faced. Which included crossbowmen, goethe and his corsairs and soon more victims... Nimue proved her worth by continuously casting Word of Pain on Wulfrik and his marauders, making them hit on 5+s. He would only kill 1-2 spearmen but I would return the favor by killing 3-4 marauders every turn.


Turns: 5-6


The knights victory cries could be heard around the field as they once more charged into more corsairs. Quite predictably not one survivor was left once the Lord and his mount were finished mangling the remains. They sped off into the distance their roaring laughter could be heard by all those on the battlefield a grim reminder for those who chose to stand against their lord khorne.

Wulfrik and his followers could not concentrate as they tried to clutch their ears and stop the bleeding that was coming from their eyes. Their attacks were clumsy and uncoordinated unlike the dark elves who took advantage impaling many a marauder on their spears. Seeing the battle go against his favor Wulfrik called the retreat to the longboats and his marauders broke ranks and ran away from the spearmen who cheered on the cowards as they took fled.





Jotan in a fit of bravado charged into the giant easily dodging an uprooted tree it used as a weapon. He broke off his lance in the chest of the giant who roared in defiance attempting to catch his flying nemesis. The chaos warriors charged in to give a hand to the giant throwing their axes and wounding the pegasus who was forced to land on the ground. It didn't take long for the warriors to wrestle Jotan off his steed and beat him into unconsciousness.



Their victory was short lived however as Nimue called a storm of blades upon the giant who tried in vain to swat out the hundreds of blades circling him. Little by little the giant of slannesh came apart as it screamed at the exquisite pain it was suffering before it finally fell backwards and died. Both repeater bolt throwers concentrated on the warriors leaving a heap of dead armored bodies dozens of black bolts protruding from their armored hides.

A very exciting game that turned into a draw once we tallied up points! I was but a few scant points away from claiming a minor victory, if I had only used my cloak of twilight on the assassin to fly out of the unit that the Khorne lord was charging at I would of gotten victory. But alas Sameth decided that would be a bad idea and miscast ending the magic phase, as an aside EVERY time I have miscast with Sameth and I always end the magic phase. I think it really is a conspiracy!

Credit given where credit it due Kyle is still a relatively new player still getting used to the nuances of warhammer but I think he did rather well. I made a few mistakes on part which led his unit through way more of mine I think the tally was:
Goethe + Corsairs x15 w/ full command and warbanner
Corsair x12 w/ musician AND Assassin
Crossbowmen x10 w/ musician

About 700-800+pts (counting banner and general bonus) they managed to wipe out, I knew there was nothing that I could do while fighting on their terms but I honestly wasn't focusing attention on them and I definitely paid for it.

Overview:

Goethe picked himself out of the dirt and coughed blood out as his vision slowly returned to him. Sameth as always had a smug yet unamused look on his face Goethe had started to wonder if Sameth ever changed his facial expressions. He regained his footing and looked at the sorcerer "Tell me good news demon or I will send you back to the aether where you belong...". The sorcerer looked onto the battlefield ignoring the gaze of Goethe and said "I sense activity near by... a camp of misguided men of the empire... they wish to open a portal using the artifacts you seek".

As the next pairings were up for the next round I noticed I was against an army that looked quite fierce at a glance.. it was an empire army with a war alter, plenty of artillery and it had a steam tank... to be continued..