Painting and modelling has been moving right along. Gaming has still taken a back seat as Jackie is working a lot of overtime.
This past weekend I did happen to make it to Battle Bunker in Downers Grove Il (Chicago for everyone who doesn't care about the 400, 000 burbs around that town) for Headbangers ball 2, a blood bowl tournament.
I took Norse, and loaded them up with Frenzy. My goal: KILL EVERYONE! Maybe win a game or two.
As luck was in my favor I took home the trophy for most casualties. I actually took the tournament champion right down to the wire. He had to score on his last turn to beat me 2-1. Next time your ass is mine, Extreme!
Jackie has been painting, and for a rookie doing very well in my opinion.
So, clearly unpainted... Whatever...Primed with Army Painter Barbarian Flesh Primer.Painted, washed, and slightly highlighted Ogre. No basing yet. We are waiting for Citidels new Texture pots to arrive so we can give them a try. We are going to use the light grey and drybrush white to give the model the look of walking across a light dusting of snow. Mountains of Mourn style, bitches.
Next time I'll have some pics of my lord on Disc, and maybe a battle report.
Its been a few since my last blog post. There is a reason for that... I haven't done anything. Sad I know. Lets recap though, if we can, the past month.
Jackie has started painting her Ogre Kingdom army. This is her first foray into painting and modelling and, though her work has taken most of her time, she has been fairly enthusiastic about what most folks consider a chore.
She used Barbarian flesh from Army painter as a basecoat. With her first Ogres it looks like she has basically painted and washed and the results are just fine. Honestly, her first models look FAR superior to my first attempt at painting.
I have done very little. I did finally get my Lord of Tzeench on disk and painted the disk. It turned out well, I layered Tin bits out to shining gold and the effect is nice. I apparently have finished the 'Remission' stage of Crohn's disease and am in full blown flair up again which just saps my energy. So, most of my last month has been work, doctors appointments, tests from doctors, and home with the kids. Honestly, I am getting a little worried about BiTS. Will I be ready in time? I hope so.
BIG NEWS!!!
Hell Cannon in Finecast! As anyone who has talked to me knows, this was a must for me. I did NOT want to assemble that metal mess. So, when I saw the release on GW's page I actually giggled like a school girl. A fat, hairy, old school girl. I must have soon!
Big news part 2!
I have obtained a completely painted Daemons of Chaos army. This lot includes: 1 Bloodthirster 1 Lord of Change 6 Bloodcrushers 90 Bloodletters 30 Pink Horrors 12 Flamers 3 Daemon Princes
All for less that $200. Yep... Fukken Uber!
Now, I need ideas for mounting them on round bases as opposed to the square ones they are on so I can use them in both WHFB and 40k. My thought is to buy some round movement bases I have found online. Also, I have seen pre-magnitized 25mm round bases from Galeforce nine. Anyone have any experience with these?
Are you swamped with primed plastic minis? Do you have shelves filled with beautifully modeled minis just screaming for a drop of color? Do you break out in a cold sweat, and convulse of the floor at the very thought of washing and highlighting the mass of plastic sitting in your foam case? If this is, in fact, the situation then maybe I can help. Lets start by not getting our hopes too high. I think that would be better for everyone involved.
First. A word about where I stand. I own many Warhammer 40k and Fantasy Battle Armies. I currently own Necrons (Painted), Chaos Marines (Painted), Ultra Marines (Mostly Painted ~90%), and Orks (about half painted). On the Fantasy side I have Warriors of Chaos (They were painted 15 years ago, I'm currently replacing old models with new hotness), and Ogre Kingdoms (Jackie is painting... Someday). I have had an Orc and Goblin army which was fully painted and based when I sold it. I also had a Dark Elf army and Imperial Guard, both painted before I got rid of them.
My current policy is to never, NEVER sell an army. I wish this had been my policy forever as I would still have some sweet armies to play games. Oh well.
I have painted hundreds, maybe over a thousand models. I will never win a painting award. Will not happen. That being said, I think I'm fairly good. My models are shaded, highlighted, and based. I would say I'm high-middle tier at most events. Like I said, I wont ever win an award, but I like to think that my models add to a gaming table rather than take away from one. What I'm saying here is that anyone who has put the time into painting, basing, and building movement trays knows that it takes just a little away from the game when you're playing an army full of proxy pieces, black primer, and trays that don't fit.
If you happen to be 'That Guy' understand that it's your prerogative. It's your time, your money, and in the end your decision on what your happy putting on the board. Its a question motivation. If its important to us, we find a way to make it happen.
Now, a few tips to get you moving. First, and this is important: Models never unpaint themselves. I have 180 OrkSluggaBoyz, and 80 OrkShootaBoyz. How did I get these painted? One at a time. Guess what? Eventually they get done. You just have to put the ass in the chair and the brush to the mini. Make it a point to paint SOMTHINGeveryday. I'll join you in this endeavor. I have a lot more to do with my Ork army, as well as Warriors of Chaos.
Next. If you're looking at a lot of unpainted minis, or about to begin collecting a new army... consider dipping. Most experienced painters will scoff at this, and in their defense a dipped mini wont hold up to a nicely painted mini at close inspection. However, a dipped army does not look inferior to a hand painted army at table level. Don't know about dipping? Watch here:
Now, this is using Army Painters Quickshade. I have in my possession MinwaxPolyshades. It's about a third the cost of the Army Painter shade and its exactly the same stuff. Go to Lowes, Homedepot, or any local hardware that sells wood stain. Make sure that you get their dark stain, tudor, or walnut. You will also want a can of Testors Dull coat to remove the shine from the minis.
Another good way to trim some of the time out of painting minis and still get solid results. (We are doing this for Jackies Ogre Kingdoms project) Get yourself some Army Painter colored primer. In this case I firmly believe the Army Painter product is the way to go. For Ogre Kingdoms we got Barbarian flesh, and we are priming the entire model. Painting painting paints, boots, weapons, and hair... then using washes to add shading.
Now while you're painting you may want to enjoy a few podcasts dedicated to the hobby. A few of my personal favorites are Garagehammer, Ohio Hammer, and The Painting Tabled. The last one, you guessed it, deals very directly with the subject at hand.
Whats this? You suck at painting so you just don't do it? Well, in this case you will always suck. Frankly painting is indeed something that some people are just really good at doing, while the rest of us have had to practice. Like I said earlier, its all about putting the ass in the seat. Most everyone sucks at first, and if you never do it, you wont ever get better.
Now, go get yourself a good set of brushes. Again I'll point you to Army Painter. They have a 3 pack of very good brushes for about $16. A fine detail, 'Standard', and drybrush. Citidel also makes good brushes. Just make sure that your brush comes to a point. No matter what size it is it should come to a nice point.
I tend to use Citidel paints, as these are just the paints I have always used. I understand that Reaper paints are very good. I know that they come in a dropper which I find interesting. I actually am thinking of picking up a set here in the next few months and trying them out.
Alright, in closing. Just do us all a favor and paint your stupid miniatures. Don't hire it out. Don't slack off... you spend a lot of money on these things, paint them! Do us all a favor already!
This week I was looking forward to two games... I had one. Well, that frees up a bit of time for painting and modelling, good thing I ordered up a couple boxes of Warriors as well as a Lord on a Disk of Tzeentch. Except that as of Friday the order (local hobby store) had not even been placed. (Never mind that I placed the order more than a week prior) Okay then... What to do... what to.. Internet PORN!!! Umm, wait... kids around. Oh! I'll help Jackie assemble Ogres.
So, that's what I did. Jackie has started a new job which she absolutely loves. However, her hours are not kind to her new found love of Modelling and gaming. While I work a standard 9-5, my lovely wife (I have to refer to her as such lest I get punched) has accepted a job at an assisted living facility. The hours for her shift are 2-midnight. Poopy. She studied nursing, or something... I don't understand all this college stuff her and her smart friends did. Needless to say, she may have her dream job, but I lost my modelling/gaming buddy during the week.
While my Chaos Warriors are awaiting an order, Jackie is sitting pretty currently with her Ogre Kingdoms. She now has:
Slaughtermaster 6 Ironguts 18 Ogres 4 Leadbelchers 1 Ironblaster/Scraplauncher (She is still debating on which to build...Tips?)
I have for my warriors:
An urge to collect something else.
Ha! I'm kidding... but not really.
Game Time!
Saturday night Chris came down and we threw out 2000 points. WoC Vs Daemons, the rematch... Since he's my best friends this match-up will get a lot of playtime.
My list:
lvl 4 on a Disk Exalted Hero BSB
15 Khorne Warriors Dual Hand weapons 15 Khorne Warriors Dual Hand weapons 20 Marauders of Slaanesh with Flails 15 Chosen of Tzeentch
Hell Cannon
5 Warhounds 5 Warhounds 5 Warhounds
He brought (This is an estimation) Lvl 3 Keeper of Secrets 2 Heralds of Tzeentch
Big unit of Bloodletters Big unit of Bloodletters Unit of 6 Bloodcrushers
Big unit of Pink Horrors...
So, this game was interesting. 2 Big time casters, and yet the magic phase was actually not a factor the entire game. Our last game was basically won on my magic phase. He had no answer for Infernal Gateway. This time around he had an ample supply of Dispel scrolls, I also failed to roll Pandaemonium... Sucky!
I used the small group of Warhounds to harass is flanks and win deployment. They did their jobs splendidly. I ran them up the flanks and positioned them behind or next to units, outside the charge arc, to make him test leadership whenever he wanted to march. I placed my big Marauder unit right in the middle between to large rock outcroppings, and used the terrain to draw him in. One of my warrior units had the Banner of Swiftness, which I used to move them around the terrain and through a series of tactical advances and withdraws from my Marauders I was able to flank with both my Warriors and Chosen.
Chosen are GREAT! Except when you fail to roll enough for a charge for 3 turns.
Like I mentioned, the magic phase was infective on both sides. He shut down my big spell for the first 3 turns, and on his turns the dice just did not like him. He either failed to cast because of AMAZINGLY bad rolls, or I was able to counter. All that aside, this game was another route for my Warriors. I don't know what Chris is doing wrong with his Daemons because I am just getting back into the game after a long absence playing 40k, but everyone says Daemons are amazing. Thus far, they have been anything but...
A few thoughts: Can I take a few small units of hounds to help with Deployments in a tournament setting? Should I make room for a lvl 2 in my list to help counter opponents money spells? Lurker, Purple sun, Mindrazor? If I decide that I just can't stomach painting another Warrior can I collect, build, and paint a new army by June? Skaven sound like fun... !!!
Jackie's obsession with Ogre Kingdoms has lead to an invasion of fat plastic men with sizable breasts! Seriously though, these models look even better up close than the pics on GW's website. Jackie spent most of the past few nights assembling her first unit of Ogre's. She did add a lot of the detail bits that come with the box set, though I warned her: Anything you glue on now, must be painted later. Don't add what you wont want to spend the time to make look good!
After I shook off the effects of her punch (Which would have really hurt if I had not blocked it with my face) I took a moment to appreciate her work. For a first time modeller she is taking to the task with an admirable enthusiasm. I hope that continues when the painting begins.
As far as gaming goes, she has another unit of Ogre's, a unit of Lead Belchers, a unit of Ironguts, and a Slaughtermaster to assemble (Hopefully done by Sunday evening) before she can commence serious gaming with her new mini's.
My Warriors of Chaos are another story. I am still painting Warrior models and prepping them for the big Dip. I used Testers flat red to spray the mini's, and that worked really well. Brown cloak, bone colors on the horns, metal here, brass there. My test model dipped well, and came out a deep maroon. I took a few minutes to highlight a few of the features. Added some lighter red around the eye holes on his helm for effect and am mostly pleased with the appearance. I wont win any painting competitions, but my models are not 3 color standard either.
I did manage to get a couple games in this past week. Once against an Ogre player and close friend named Randall, and once against a DoC player and bro-seph Chris.
Game 1, my introduction to 8th edition and the end of more than 4 years of Fantasy exile. Randall is a hard core gamer with a tournament history. He takes all aspects of the hobby seriously. His gamesmanship is tight, he stratagizes well, and his modelling and painting is superb. Randall is a guy I need to play a lot more.
The game... well, it went about as well as I thought it would. He kicked my ass. He was able to use his Leadbelchers to destroy my Knights of Chaos. His Ogres picked their spots, charged well and inflicted too many impact hits to handle. But most damning for me: The Greedy Fist! This thing sucks SOOO bad. My lvl 4 on a disk was a lvl0 before I even got to move him. Going to have to do some research and find a way to beat that spell/item combo. Very Deadly.
Game 2: Warriors of Chaos Vs Daemons of Chaos. Chris and I both tried a few different things with our lists for this match. I took a Hell Cannon, and he didn't run an actual Wizard. He decided to leave the magic phase in the hands of 2 big units of Pink Horrors, and ran a choppy Daemon Prince.
It was clear early that this was a mistake. My lvl 4 on Disk eliminated an entire unit of 30 Bloodletters on the first turn with Infernal Gateway. (This happened once more to one of his units of Horrors) I was able to completely dominate the magic phase, and the results were devastating. I won by 777 points, and he had just a single Flamer of Tzeentch left at the end of round 6.
What have I learned as I reintroduce myself to WHFB? Magic is key, Big units, or Big-ish units are a must, and I need to play a lot before Blood in the Sun. Not just play a lot. But play a lot of good players, and a lot of different armies.
Next post will have some pics of Jackies Ogres and my dipped Warriors.
So, holy hell its been a long time since I've blogged about anything. I guess now is as good a time as any.
The Big News: Signed up for Blood in the Sun. A 2 Day WHFB tournament north of Chicago.
The Bigger News: Jackie has decided to return to her collection of Ogre Kingdoms which started way back when the army was first released.
The Biggest News: Jackie is also going to B.I.T.S!
So, hubby and wife combo... Full of nerd rage from months of frantic modelling and painting. Driving from beautiful Kalamazoo Michigan to Chicago. Why for? A weekend of gaming.
I have never attended a Warhammer tournament. Be it 40k or Fantasy... I have only played casually around town, or with close friends. This is the logical next step in my mind. That being said I do have some reservations. For instance... If I begin playing against a super mega-fanboy... and he gets all jerky about rules I may have to destroy him and make him bleed all over the table. I play hockey son, I am not a docile gamer, and I don't deal well with cockbreatheddoucheheads. Lets just hope this situation doesn't arise.
Now, B.I.T.S may be 6 months away, but that does not mean we just sit around and wait for the tourney. There is a lot of work to be done!
My Warriors of Chaos are 15 years old! I need to do some serious modelling. I need to replace a lot of my old, ugly warriors with new hotness. I need Hellcannons! You know what... now is the perfect time for a list!
What Tim has:
Crap.
What Tim needs:
Everything!
More specifically... I am planning on purchasing the following. (These will also have to be assembled and painted before the tourney)
-Lord on Disc -Exalted Hero for BSB -1 Box of Marauders (possibly depending on how my play testing goes) -2 Boxes of Warriors -1 Box of Knights -Hell Cannons
These things, coupled with what I already have should give me a competitive list. That doesn't mean I'll win anything. But if I lose it wont be because my list sucks.
Jackie has a tougher hill to climb. Not only does she have NOTHING assembled or painted at the time of this writing. She doesn't know how to play. No sweat. Fanboys beware: Whatever reaction your douchebaggery might have elicited from me, Jackie will do 10x worse. Don't want to bleed on your models. Think twice before you smart off to a mother of 4. Just sayin' nerds.
Jackie is, as I type, assembling Ogres. She is diligently reading the BRB, and the plan is for at least a game a week around the house, and then another at the hobby shop. We'll see how that plays out. Honestly, her enthusiasm for the game is really awesome.
So, clearly unpainted... Whatever...
Primed with Army Painter Barbarian Flesh Primer.
Painted, washed, and slightly highlighted Ogre. No basing yet. We are waiting for Citidels new Texture pots to arrive so we can give them a try. We are going to use the light grey and drybrush white to give the model the look of walking across a light dusting of snow. Mountains of Mourn style, bitches.