#BattleReport - 500pts Tyranids v Orks

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity it's been a long time since I've done a 40k battle report - February 2019 in fact at the Last chance Open. Nearly 3 years since my last game! And, there's been a new edition, so this is my cherry being well and truly popped. 🍒 Ben suggested we have a game, so we played the Only War mission to get a feel for the rules with just 500pts. There were 4 objectives [spore mines]:

• one in the trees in my deployment zone on the right, 
• one in the 'trees' in the centre of the board
• one beside the Imperial statue, bottom middle
• one in the crater field, top left

Ben had a Weirdboy, Megatrakk Scrapjet, Ork bikers and 20 Ork Boyz.

I had a Tyranid Prime and 3 Tyranid Warriors [all with Deathspitter and Scything Talons, because I misplaced my kitbashed Prime Lashwhip and Bonesword], 10 Termagants with Fleshborers, 3 Hive Guard and a Carnifex with 2 twin Devourers with Brainleech Worms, Enhanced Senses and Spore Cysts.

Ben went first, moving his Scrapjet up and then getting Da Jump to move the bikers across the board to face my Termagants. He fired all over the place but the combination of the Light Cover, Spore Cysts and Leviathan's Synaptic Imperative [6+ save to ignore wounds, which worked a few times in the first turn] meant nothing died. Only one Hive Guard took 2 wounds and he failed the bikers charge into the Termagants.

In response I moved forward and shot everything at the bikers. As the bio-ammunition did it's job there were just two bikers and their boss left. The Carnifex couldn't bundle into the charge, leaving the Termagants on their own. But I used the Caustic Blood stratagem in hopes their sacrifice might bring about the bikers doom.

As the Termagants got squished one more bike would succumb thanks to Morale. We'd later find out that their Choppas should have been -1AP making the Termagants even easier to kill but they'd clearly forgotten to sharpen them this game.

The Boyz moved out from the barricades, able to conga line between both backfield objectives. The Weirdboy, holding one objective and casting Smite at the nearest target, killing the last two Termagants and releasing the bikes from combat. The Scrapjet drifted round the melee aiming for the Carnifex. I was relieved the Carnifex was taking the heat off the Hive Guard but all the shooting took 6 wounds off the Carnifex.

The Scrapjet multi-charged the Carnifex and Warriors and would be backed up by the bikers. The Carnifex was down to 2 wounds, so it didn't take much to put paid to the monster and the Warriors, though I think they did damage the Scrapjet a bit with overwatch and attacks.

Having wiped out my centre the Bikes consolidated into the Hive Guard - this gave me free attacks but would leave them locked in combat, rather than able to shoot. Even with the Tyranid Prime's Swarm Leader rule still in place on the Hive Guard [re-roll hits] they couldn't do more than a wound or two. In my turn they attacked again but it wasn't enough, with the Prime entering the combat I came to regret not finding the Lash Whip and Bonesword Prime as his Scything Talons failed to penetrate their t-shirt armour.

The Scrapjet barrelled in to what was left of my army and they were ground into past beneath its tracks and drill. Tabled and many VP's to Ben. I hadn't even scored one thanks to his Bikes being ObSec.

Ben felt it had been very one-sided but I think initially it looked like I would have taken out all the bikes with my first round of shooting. I had held off shooting twice with the Hive Guard as it was our first game and I didn't really want to remove the entire unit in the first turn. We're learning and deleting a unit straight away is no fun and wouldn't help encourage us to continue playing. Ben thought I should have done it, so for research purposes I rolled a second round of shooting to see what would have happened to the three remaining bikes in that first turn and indeed they would have all died.

So, what did we learn - that two Ork Bikers are still pretty lethal - don't let them get close [somehow]. Find your Lashwip Bonesword Tyranid Prime - Scything Talons are pointless [does that mean I have to rethink all my Warriors?]. And, always shoot twice with Hive Guard 😉

Manufactorum Container No.2

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I've been #paintingwarhammer Manufactorum Containers. Having varnished the yellow and black container I thought I'd continue with an easy red one.

It's effectively just the same as my Imperial Knights, but also a preparation for more of my building colour scheme.

It's just some Vermillion art acrylic drybushed highlights. Trying to keep out of the corroded areas.

It was very easy but it does make me question adding orange rust in the corroded areas as currently the contrast is working really well and I don't want to muddy things up, so to speak.

I went through some debate with myself on whether the centre stripe would be Stonewall Grey or Bonewhite. 

But you can see I decided to paint the inside Bonewhite. I masked off the outer and used my Army Painter Skeleton Bone spray on the inside. Naturally I wasn't too fussed about getting all the way to the back as it would be darker.

I then thinned down some of my Burnt Umber art acrylic with Lahmian Medium and it mad a great wash. I think it's sufficient not to even require any further highlights inside.

But that decision meant the centre stripe would be bone, to match the inner. 

Burnt Umber splodges and mottling were used to add texture and weathering, I love this paint.

Again, it works really well with the darker rust, so I worry a bit about potentially adding any orange that might dilute the effect so far.

And I added a BIG flippin' number.

Proof , once again, that BIG flippin' numbers make everything cooler.

I had a spare stencil from my own Future Containers which worked OK stippled on and then I neatened it up with the brush, again avoiding some of the rust.

The bone worked so well with the rust I have begun to question whether my white and orange container should be bone and orange.

So at this stage I decided to pause a little bit.

This was to give me time to think things through on how to progress my two remaining containers. In the mean time I looked a bit at some of my other buildings. I'd done a bit on my Sector Imperialis terrain as it was effectively the same colours as here but decided to move my TT combat terrain forward so I can address some of it's remaining colour choices..

Manufactorum Container No.1 Almost TO DONE!

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I've been #paintingwarhammer Manufactorum Containers. Naturally the thing I thought I just fly through has taken a little longer, even with some of the shortcuts I've taken.

But, I've really enjoyed doing it. I applied the Vallejo Rust Model Wash, mixed with Secret Weapon Rust Orange weathering pigments. It got a bit unrealistic in places so I tried toning it down with sepia wash, which worked.

I did forget that ultimately the matt varnish will tone this down even further but this stage is pre-varnish but effectively completed as I wanted to capture it at this 'save point'.

You can see where I've added numbers and how challenging it is to fit round some of the rust and weathering.

Oopsy. Here's where I stuffed up the number 7 stencil and had it too far away from the 2. It is quite annoying but I don't want to go back into it so it'll just have to be imperfect.

Some decals on the centre panel too. I chose to replicate those used on my Hapag Lloyd containers. These were from the old vehicle decal sheet. A quick sepia wash over the top helped them blend in.

However, the skull in the black diamond - it didn't register with me you wouldn't see the black diamond, or that there are skulls embossed in the centre of each panel making the warning symbol somewhat redundant.

It doesn't really matter though, it just adds a little bit more detail and texture to it. The control panel and servo skull got finished off too and all the buttons will get Tamiya Clear once it's varnished. The lights above and below the door will also get a coat.

At some point I'll have to do the Storm Bolters that go on the top but I'm really pleased with weathering. It is far from the recommended process - salt of hairspray technique but I think it works really well and was a lot of fun to play around with.

The more I try the more I'll experiment and maybe one day get even more realistic. This is effectively complete but I add a Great Big BLESSED VERDIGRIS Stamp of Approval when all three are done and varnished. For now I may just take advantage of my Great Big BLESSED VERDIGRIS Minor Stamp of Approval! I don't usually get to use it so any excuse.

Manufactorum Container No.1

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I've been #paintingwarhammer Manufactorum Containers. First up was this yellow one, hoping to capitalise on my yellow and black chevrons on my Armiger Helverin I thought this might be straightforward.

A number of successive stippled coats of my Gamboge art acrylic, trying to leave some of the rusted areas still in place.

I used the Instar IV-16 yellow as a highlight on the Helverins, but I'm going to ignore that for speed and to see the effect on this.

The plan is to just highlight with VGC sun yellow. Removing a step from the process may make my plan to paint my Mechanicum terrain in yellow that much easier.

The plan is to paint the central bit black, but I'm definitely liking the red stripe too. It might be nice to do one in those colours in the future - of course that means more containers to buy when I have no real purpose for them!

And with the black stripe done. 

I added a bit more Gamboge in places and also some light highlights of Sun Yellow.

Naturally I want to add a big number somewhere and I'm not sure about some decals too.

But, the excessive rusting is making it a little difficult of where I can position these embellishments.

Hopefully, I'll find a way to add them that works for me.

Of course that decision making so is likely to slow things down as I mentally process what I want to achieve and how I go about doing it.

I will be adding some weathering next - rust effects etc.

I also need to pick out the details on the control console and it's servo skull.

Pleased with how it's going anyway.

So much so that I've actually started on the red and white one too, but will share those pics in a future post.

#ArmiesOnParade2022

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity anyone that follows the blog knows I am a big fan of #ArmiesOnParade I first entered in 2013 and have taken part every year since. Only last week we had Parade Day, or I would have done if not for the COVID, but there was the Awards show for the online entries [which I shared earlier this week], so it seems odd to be talking about Parade Day 2022

But that is what Games Workshop is doing - they posted a new community article here: www.warhammer-community.com/2021/11/23/armies-on-parade-gets-bigger-and-better-with-a-year-round-schedule-of-events/ Announcing a 'year round schedule of events'. And here they are:

• January – February: New Year New Army
• March – April: Battlefield Behemoths
• May – June: Gods of War
• July – August: Wizards and War Machines
• September – October: Fields of Battle
• November: The Grand Finale

I'm hopeful that this will really help the event grow. Honestly, I thought this year's AoP was a little lacklustre. Despite, or perhaps because of instore entries I think there was far less boards shown on social media. Although I'm not a huge fan of the competitive aspect it did always prompt people to celebrate what they'd won and share their boards in the process. But I don't recall seeing half as many of those sorts of posts, even compared to last year when it was all online submissions. Additionally, Tyler Mengel has been sharing multiple posts on Warhammer Community about AoP months in advance to gee up interest. It was quite an increase in promotion for it, although sadly the official website hasn't had quite the level of attention it should - still showing AOP 2020 information. I did message them about fixing it but they didn't update it.

I do have some reservations about the new format though. I'm not sure which year AoP started, it was at least 2012. I thought at that stage I didn't have an army to display and certainly not a board, and boards were mandatory back then. I wasn't naïve either - AoP is a great marketing tool to encourage hobbyists to buy more figures. I think this in part is why some folk were dismissive of seeing the same army displayed in successive years. But I always felt it was a parade of your army and no one should be penalised for not having the funds to start a whole new army. So, January - February's theme feels a little disappointing. 

From a commercial sense it's genius - lots of Christmas money to spend and hobby pressies fresh out of the box, it's ideal for the community and GW. However, I hope they're clear about just how optional these themes are. The most important thing I learned about AoP over these 8 years is just how inclusive it is, a fact that I think is lost on many hobbyists. They see the competitive side, they see the amazing boards and there are many people who are just daunted by the level of effort and detail. And, they believe they can't win and so don't join in. But it is a parade, it is an opportunity to showcase your army, your hobby, in whatever form that takes. People get too hung up on winning rather than standing up and saying "this is my army, and I'm proud of my hobby". The minimum requirements have come down, you don't need a board and there are no model requirements. So, even the newest beginner with a handful of figures - even a Warhammer Underworlds warband could theoretically take part - that's how inclusive it's become. So I hope this aspect doesn't become 'pay to win', or even 'pay to join in' - that even taking part you need to evidence a new army or similar requirement. 

On the plus side I'm not entirely sure what I would display in 12 months, so perhaps these themes might provide suitable direction to focus my hobby efforts. But I am a slave to my whims and motivations and they don't always align with what I want or need to do - just look how long it took me to fit #DreadTober into my hobby schedule. Perhaps some folk refer to do their board first, which helps inform their basing with countersunk bases in the board. But, and I'm guessing here, if boards are supposed to be 'September - October: Fields of Battle' that could throw some people's plans out of whack. This is all new though and the details are very light at the moment. With more information down the line I'm sure some of my fears might be averted. 

What do you think about this new format? Does it make you more or less inclined to take part? Does it feel too much like 'organised fun' or a great structure to build a board and army around? Let me know.