'nids part 207 - Genestealer cult - Aberrants et al progress - skintone 1

Probably because there are elements that are comfortably familiar the Aberrants continue to receive my attention. I thought perhaps the Bonewhite highlights would be sufficient effort for me to switch to another project but I think I may have reached a tipping point of focus whereby I believe the work remaining is sufficient that a concerted effort would finish them off 'tout de suite'. I mean I'm wrong, there's loads to do on them but it feels like the home straight.

The Familiars are almost done, they need some detail on their loin cloths and faces, claws and detritus on the base but they're pretty close

Aberrant and Primus have the Bonewhite, you can see in the background the Magus has had some basecoats applied to try to catch up and have the Broodcoven complete as a whole. You can also see I've picked out some the areas that will be black but most of the claws still to do.

The following night I had every intention of not painting but I had to nip out and put some veg in the compost bin behind the shed and next minute I was painting the skin of these two. Now I'm not sure why I did this, I could have gone the easy route and done one of the other two but all these skin tones and Chitin plates took me an hour or two. Whatever, it was midnight by the time I was happy.

Now this isn't quite as pale a skintone as I can go, it started out as Vallejo Bronzed flesh, was washed with Army painter Soft and Strong Tone. Highlighted with Bronzed Flesh and a Pale Flesh I picked up. I think I'll do the Primus and Magus in Pale Flesh. These are quite jaundiced looking, which is cool, yet more skintones but I need to do some anaemic looking cultists too. I like how these have come out, particularly the red and purple elements help make the skin a little 'raw' looking and mark the join between human and xenos. I also highlighted the orange kilt[?] but tried to keep the bits on the bottom still quite grungy looking.

I added some very watered down spots of Khorne red on the head for skin blemishes. They look OK and help differentiate the skin from the Bonewhite a little.

The paint strokes are really quite messy in places but I'm happy with that, the faces could do with more definition and I might add some more shadow around the eyes so I can pick out a yellow eyeball or two. I'll probably be adding some Tamiya Clear Red X-27 to the mouth as well - I want the idea that even if they're not hammering you with their mining equipment they'll just rip you to pieces with their teeth.

Progress - because I managed to get 90% of the skin tone on these two done, but slow progress. It's amazing how much I enjoyed this but feel it's such a limited part of the process that manages to take up such an inordinate amount of time. Anyway, I still have the other two skintones to do, then it's extra metallics on the weapons and their powerfields - I was originally thinking red but now pushing towards blue, like the ones in my crashed Aquila Lander. Then I need to pick out the mining armour plates and any other details, like chips on the base, teeth, tongues etc.

1500pts [not a] battle report - Tyranids v Khorne Daemonkin

Before Caledonian Highlander PeteB and I got in a practice game in his man cave. I promptly lost the score sheet and it's so long ago now I can hardly remember what happened but I took the pictures and thought I'd just post it up as a couple of standout moments do need to be recorded for posterity.

Looks like it was Hammer and Anvil I think Night Fighting was in as my shooting was at a massive disadvantage for cover saves.

Pete had his Forgefiend safely ensconced in a Watchtower while the other flank was anchored by the Soul Grinder

I bunkered down in my Skyshield, as usual.

Pete has a Chaos Lord on a bike with an Axe of Ruin [?] he wants the biker to die so it can release a Greater Daemon of Khorne. Well I wasn't falling for that. Given the Tyrrannofex and Carnifex opposite I did not assault after whittling him and his Juggernaut buddies down. I hoped overwatch would remove the last wound and then his Daemon would be stuck out in the open for me to fire and shoot at in my own turn.

He did split his unit [thanks to the Lord being an Independent Character] in a very unexpected way though, which put me on the back foot again.

However, the biker did not survive.

And was promptly replaced by a bigger baddie. Somehow he survived the resultant fusilade. He even survived the assault, wiping out the Carnifex, the Malanthrope and I think the Tyrranofex as well. He subsequently killed my Tervigon on the Skyshield, wreaking havoc across my entire deployment zone... 

except for the fact the remaining Termagants, ravaged by the death of their brood mother killed it with two wounding Fleshborer shots!

I'd just like to share that point again because I know Pete was going to tell his son about it the next day.

The remaining Termagants killed the Greater Daemon of Khorne with Fleshborer shots.

I think I ultimately won the game on Eternal War and Maelstrom objectives, despite pretty much everything else of significance being wiped from the board [an immoral victory for Khorne?], not that it really matters as

the remaining Termagants killed the Greater Daemon of Khorne with Fleshborer shots.

I probably went into Caledonian with a much higher opinion of my abilities because of this, hence my poor result, ha, ha! These are the reasons we game.

Birthday Bash 2.0 - Update

For all those interested in the Birthday Bash I had chance to nip to Wargames at the weekend, they were hosting Aceface's ITC Last Chance Open and I was hoping to pick up Blood Bowl Death Zone Season 1 [more on that later]. Martin was pleased to let me know that so far there are 18 tickets bought and he'd be letting the 54 guys in attendance know about the event, if they wanted to take part in something a little less competitive. So rest assured it's going to happen, we only needed 10 people to make the prize support viable and we've eclipsed that already. Our number one priority is for everyone to have three fun games, I suppose we could organise a clown and ballons to ensure everyone must have fun! ;)

But while I was there I thought I'd take a few pictures of the tables just so folk can get an impression of what will be on offer. As you can see there's a wealth of terrain and all tables come with a gaming mat to ensure the most immersive gaming experience, and you don't have to take my word for it, that's the one and only Nick 'IDICBeer' in the purple T-shirt, a stamp of approval in itself.

 This is just one of the floors, there's another one upstairs, a maximum of 54 gamers but we'll be happy with whatever we get. Hopefully you're all getting as excited as we are.

We've had a number of queries regarding lists, Ian Plumpton pointed out his Skitarii can't make a normal CAD, to which I replied that if that's the only way to take them then that was fine.

Jonathan Lyness also asked about using the Maynarkh Dynasty Faction rules from Imperial Armour 12. They're a little outdated but he's managed to align them with the current Codex in a series of posts on his own blog http://dragonseyeminiatures.blogspot.co.uk/ I've had a look at it and I can't see why it isn't acceptable as he's taking it primarily for fluffy reasons. Feel free to check them out and see if you agree.

Bottom line, granted we've made some, almost archaic, limitations on list choice this is purely to reduce the options for win at all costs lists. If you're worried about your list please get in touch but so long as it's in the spirit of the event it'll probably be fine. We accept that if someone wants to come expressly to win the tournament that's their choice. We want prizes, we want a winner but we want everyone to celebrate gaming and enjoy the spirit of the hobby - the dice rolls that go badly, the failed charges, the fact Deathleaper always gets killed, that's why the tournament loser gets the same as the winner. Some of the best time I've had have been on those bottom tables, with no prizes to play for and everyone in the same boat ripping each other's army choices and decisions apart with the banter.

With that said, we'll be list checking at some point, not sure how we'll organise it but we'll get there, I shouldn't think there'll be any problems. In the mean time, as it's a reduced set I'll be making a set of Maelstorm Objective Cards for each entrant so it's easier to play. So, if you are interested, like what we're trying to do and still haven't bought a ticket then you can get them here:

www.wargamesuk.co.uk/events

'nids part 206 - Genestealer cult - Abberants et al

I have so many projects that have reinvigorated my mojo I just do not have the time, or the speed to tackle them all. Somehow my Genestealer Aberrants have queue jumped, maybe because there are only four of them. Despite their sudden prominence I was not at all happy with what I'd done with the skin so far.

I'd already set a precedent with my original kitbashed cultists about the diversity of skin tones and I knew it would cause problems combining it with the Hive Fleet Gorgon colours. However I must remember to only pass judgement once it's complete.

But at least I have some reference for the 'Rogue Trooper' blue and dark skinned abberants. Hopefully it'll resolve itself in time.

It's quite daunting to have this variety. So many Genestealer Cult armies retain a level of uniformity which looks great. I'm once again going against this urge to create a rag-tag, messy disparate gang that uses reds and oranges as pseudo camouflage, with the occasional chitin blue/turquoise as a colour of prominence within the cult.

Survival suits are grey/white though.

And while I was doing the Aberrants it made sense to try and do the Primus and his familiars.

You can see how his colour scheme ties in with the Crashed Aquila Lander uniform, further indicating the pilots mixed allegiance.

And why not throw in the Patriarch? I literally just found myself doing the Bonewhite on this, I didn't know how it happened. I wasn't even using the Vallejo paint I usually use and next thing I know he was half done but with far more of the darker washed areas visible.

I also picked out the skulls on the base and some of the debris.

I've no idea why I'm painting him but he is on my list [sort of] so I'm going with the flow.

Of course I did realise shortly after it would have made sense to begin the Magus as well so they progressed as a group so he's been duly fished out and had his coat painted orange - update to follow.

The Great Build part 4 - TO DONE! Blood Bowl Orks and Humans

As you can see I've gone a little further than just base the human team, I've started to do the grey base coat for the quartered red and white of my original Middenheim Marauders colour scheme. But yeah, bases are done.

Additionally, I 'd seen someone else do some head swaps on Facebook and I was immediately reminded I;d planned to do the same. With a fair few Space Wolf heads knocking around that PeteB had given me I finally found a use for them. I was particularly tickled in making one of my Throwers 'visually impaired', you know me I'am ll about the diversity.

I also managed to get a pretty cool lineman and Thrower head swap. There's only the three changes I made as some of the other heads were a little too 'mangy dog' looking but I thought these worked really well and will break up the uniformity of the team just a little bit.

I also had a spare Stormcast Eternal head but it didn't quite fit. I've quartered four players so far and picked out the big shoulder pad on the remaining. Four seems to be the maximum I cand do in a sitting so I'll just try that and chip away at an arm or a leg here and there so I can finish them up quicker.

The Orks got based too, I'm less interested in these because although I was going to go with a black colour scheme it's still percolating in my head how to do it.

I probably could have done some head swaps on these too, with my Assault on Black Reach boyz but it feels like a lot of faffing at this poing

Anyways I get to award myself a couple of Big* Purple and White Stamps of Approval for their completion.

 

* Big, but shown little ;)

Kill Team Battle Report - Dark Angels v Necrons v Ravenguard

PeteB, Ben and myself were lookign to have a boardgame night butBen suggested a trip to Wargames, have a Kill Team battle and check out what's in store and how the Birthday Bash tickets were doing [8 confirmed so far!]. We set up the three way Kill Team on this urban motorway overpass table that Martin subsequently used in his first battle report.

Ben had a mix of Flayed Ones, Necron Immortals and Scarabs
PeteB went with the Ravenguard formation that comes with the Kill Team box [they were unpainted and unfinished but to hand so he'd picked them for convenience]
For simplicity I just proxied my Ravenwing bikes as Black Knights, five of them, done!

Ben managed to Infiltrate his Flayed Ones so that he was deployed in both corners to my right, while PeteB was deployed in front of me on the left.

My inital Scout move put me inside my 'biker club house' a place where all my kills would subsequently congregate.

Ben got off to a good start, killing one of Pete's Marines, which is more than can be said for the Ravenguard, whose shooting included five 1's, one after another! I did point out Pete had brought figures with no arms so it was 'cinematic and fluffy' at least.

I split my Knights in two groups, two went for the middle and the other three headed for the Ravenguard. i did kill something first turn, but I can't remember what it was.

Ranguard continued to hold the high ground on the overpass.

This gave them a perfect vantage point on the Knights [or at least someone got a good shot] and I foolishly decided not to Jink and lost one of the bikes [I think it was also the one that ignores cover on shooting]!

The second bike was overrun by Flayed Ones and Scarabs, suddenly I was down 40% of my Kill Team.

My remaining bikes whittled down the Marine numbers in the corner.

With the last Ravenguard ending up locked in Assault with my Black Knight.

The unengaged bikes headed for the on-ramp, turbo boosting to the top.

The Assault ended with the last of my bikers gaining the ramp, I think he also shot the Scarabs to pieces. He'd later jump off that wrecked section to the left [much like in Tron Legacy] and head to the objective in the crater.

Meanwhile the other Knights managed to shoot and assault almost all the opposition on top of the overpass, with just a Scarab and Marine left, which were overcome. The

The only objective left was the one enarest my biker club house and a furiously ineffective round of shooting meant that the last Ravenguard missed again on a 1 and the Immortal failed to wound or was saved. 

End result was me holding two objectives and a full house of dead 'party goers' in my bike club house with Pete and Ben contesting the last objective. I'd heard Ravenwing Knights were effective but their twin-linked Plasma Talons, BS2 overwatch, skilled rider and Jink re-roll is a great combination. If I hadn't been stupid with my first saving throw it would have been an even more one-sided affair. That said the Flayed Ones were pretty brutal too and as usual the extra shots from 6s on the Tesla are even more telling in a Kill Team situation. As for Pete's dice, they were appalling and probably should be consigned to the bin! We had a laugh though.

I'd like to swap in a Land Speeder into this force, five Knights seem a little OP but I think the Land Speeder will make play different and more of a gamble. However, I wouldn't be able to take a Typhoon without failing to meet the 4 non vehicle model KT requirement as I'd have to drop two Knights. Unfortunately the other option is replace the Ravenwing Command Squad for standard bikes which are cheaper, but then that takes up my Fast Attack slot. Maybe the guys will let me try 3 Knights and the Land Speeder anyways...