Closet Gamer

Storm of Magic Advance Orders

2011-06-25T06:29:00.001-07:00

Just put in my advance order for the new Storm of Chaos book and the 'while stocks last' items currently on the website.

The book looks rather impressive - 152 full colour pages - with new rules and background. It'll be interesting to see how it takes off what with all of the new monstrous creatures.

I've been impressed with the GW's magic cards (still waiting for the Vampire Counts ones though!) and these look to be of similar quality. Since they're 'while stocks last', they're bound to go quickly.

Still to find out exactly how these will be used but with the sheer amount of calamitous magic sure to be unleashed in a Storm of Magic game, these vortices will certainly come in handy.

The GW website was remarkable slow this morning and it took me two attempts to make a purchase. Hopefully the money GW make from this might ensure the Warhammer Quest re-release dream is realised (ever the optimist). Looking forward to July 8th when the Storm of Magic is released. Better paint up some more wizards.

Warhammer Quest Mystery Box?

2011-06-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

This is me laying my cards down.

The rumours have begun about the possibility of a new mystery box release for October (in the Space Hulk 3rd Edition vein). The rumours are obviously sketchy at the moment but from what I've read, it's basically a two horse race between Blood Bowl and Warhammer Quest.

The most obvious choice would be a 25th Anniversary edition of Blood Bowl which would be ok but, and here's the crux of it, what's the point? It's still available on the GW website. Anyone who wants it can shell out £51.50 for a copy of an excellent game.

However, I'm throwing my weight behind a re-release of Warhammer Quest. It is a completely self contained game (unlike Blood Bowl which has teams which need to be purchased) and whilst I know there were add-ons back in the day, the same could be said for Space Hulk, and GW managed to include the best bits from Deathwing and Genestealer in the 3rd edition. Furthermore, Warhammer Quest is a more desired and sought after game. Anyone in their right mind wants a copy of the game. Whilst I never played it, I did waste many years playing HeroQuest, which is a 'lite' version of Warhammer Quest.

Games Workshop, I hope you've done the right thing. I know an anniversary edition is lovely and all, but I hope beyond hope that it's Warhammer Quest which we can expect in October. I know it's more work and more money etc. etc. but it will restore the faith of everyone back in your company if you do the right thing.

And to return to the point I made at the beginning, why re-release a game which anyone can currently buy from the GW website? How are you going to make us yearn for a copy if we can get it anyway?

Necromunda and the glorious 1990s

2011-06-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

Had another spending spree on eBay recently and came away with some fondly remembered minis from the great and glorious 1990s.

First up is a real steal, the limited edition Kal Jerico (limited to 500 castings) which I will spend as much time as possible painting to do it justice.

Next purchase is Karloth Valois. I remember when this was released back in the 1990s and liked the model but thought little of it. Now it's no longer available, it seems much more desirable!

Finally, a gang I have always like the look of, and all the background, but never got round to buying, the Redemptionists.

I'm not quite sure how/if I'll try the flames on their cloaks. I fear that they'll be ruined if I attempt it and it fails.

This spending spree brings me back to a favourite topic of mine - the glorious 1990s. The Games Workshop, whilst still a small company compared to what they are nowadays, were churning out some truly brilliant games. Necromunda, Mordheim, Man O War, Space Hulk, Space Marine (or Epic 40,000 depending on the year) to name but a few. Perhaps the reason I keep collecting and playing these games is because it reminds me of a simpler time (was there anything bad about the '90s?!) or perhaps because they are just really fun games to play with well written and thought through rules. The supplements were worth the money too and really added worthwhile rules, minis and concepts to already great games (Genestealer, Deathwing, Outlanders, Deathzone etc. etc.).

I've been reading various rumour sites recently too and I wonder if GW are preparing another splash release (in the same vein as Space Hulk's 3rd edition) which, if my understanding is correct, could be Warhammer Quest. I didn't quite realise it, but the game which I spend many a long evening playing, HeroQuest, and the add-ons like Kellar's Keep and Against the Ogre Horde, was the basis of Warhammer Quest. With the GW teasing us with images of the latest Warhammer supplement, Storm of Magic, it stands to reason that they might want to make another quick buck by pushing a limited release of Warhammer Quest. I still have no idea how much they made from the latest Space Hulk, I hope it was a lot, so that they make the right decision and continue down this route!

Perhaps this is another pipe dream, reminiscing about the great games which GW have published over the years, and yearning for them to continue re-publishing them, but maybe, just maybe, this one will come true? I guess I'll get back to my Redemptionists then.

Planetary Empires

2011-05-01T14:22:00.001-07:00

Whilst I've not posted here for a while, I have kept the hobby going. Managed to get in a few more games of Necromunda (more Underhive News to come!), two games of 8th ed. Warhammer using the contents of the Island of Blood box as well as my almost complete, and painted, Vampire Counts army (which is awesome, by the way).

I also bought a copy of Planetary Empires to use in an upcoming campaign. Quite an interesting set and should be interesting to paint up. It'll be a change from Vampire Counts at least.

I've been reading Horus Rising and False Gods and, you guessed it, I've taken an interest in Pre-Heresy armies, particularly the Luna Wolves. The Great Crusade website site a great resource for all things 30k and I'm contemplating a Luna Wolves force run as Space Wolves; cost and time will be the deciding factors.

I received no reply from the Games Workshop re: out of print games which is a shame but we'll see if they 'do-another-Space-Hulk' this year or the next.

I'll post some pictures soon of things I've been working on, but for the moment, it's taking all my willpower not to spend far too much money on some Pre-Heresy goodies on the ForgeWorld website.

Underhive News

2010-10-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

GW Limited Editions?

2010-09-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

I've been getting a bit of an Ebay bug recently looking out for classic GW products. I recently sold my copy of Man O War and I fancy using the profit to purchase something from the specialist games range. I know I'm not the only one who can't stop myself from searching for those really hard to find minis, like Epic Tyranids, Necromunda gangers etc. etc. Oh and looking at just how much another copy of Warhammer Quest will go for (there is one currently selling for £102 with 7 days remaining!).

With the Games Workshop's limited release of Space Hulk last year, it's had me thinking about how else they could make some easy money (which is important in the current climate) but also please thousands of gamers. Would a series of limited releases over the next few years not become a goldmine for the GW? Whilst I'm not an expert on the profit/loss margins, I'm certain that they made an absolute killing on the Space Hulk release last year. £60 sold a few thousand times, in full knowledge that all the sets would be sold with the limited edition label, with no need for additional releases (such as extra minis etc.) - it was surely a win-win situation for our favourite games manufacturer.

With that in mind, I've come up with a few suggestions for the Games Workshop which could both make them money but also satisfy the cravings of many a veteran gamer.

1. Warhammer Quest: whilst I never got into this when it was released (1995), I did like the premise (a much better version of Heroquest, a classic from the late 80s!) and the fact that a number of individual characters were released to add to the already huge game. It currently sells for over £100 regularly on Ebay and a limited run by GW (perhaps with a few of the additional character sets) would be a certain winner and, in the spirit of causing the least impact on the now three system GW.

2. Necromunda: now I know that the gangs can be purchased from the GW website, but the release I'm thinking of here is the original boxed game - in particular, the brilliant urban scenery which accompanied it.

Again, complete box sets go for £70-80 on Ebay and this would be another surefire winner. Whilst it's probably more lucrative for GW to push the selling of the Imperial Sector and other 40k terrain kits, the romanticism of the Necromunda box set would surely be much more appealing. They could even include two new gangs (Escher, Van Saar or Delaque instead of Goliath and Orlock?) to ensure they sell within a few days.

3. Tyranid Attack: now this might seem like a bit of a left-field suggestion but I remember being more impressed with this than some of the Space Hulk campaigns because of the seemingly endless map (there were 6 board tiles and when the first tile was empty of troops, it was rolled around to the end creating an almost never-ending map).

Furthermore, not only were there genestealers with the game but tyranid warriors with ranged weapons! And the tyranid minis themselves were huge (to my adolescent eyes) compared to the scouts who were fighting against them. This game could be released in exactly the same way as the recent Space Hulk game - no additional support or minis would be required and it would be another lucrative sell for the GW. I can also see many gamers using their tyranid collection to add to the game (imagine the impact of a carnifex or hive tyrant?!). This could be done because the board tiles in the game were much larger than the cramped Space Hulk corridors.

4. Mordheim: as with the Necromunda suggestion above, my suggestion here is for a re-release of the original boxed game with the brilliant scenery which was included. These regularly sell for over £40 on Ebay and sets of scenery alone sell for just as much suggesting that GW are really missing a trick by not stocking the game any more.

5. Epic: Armageddon Tyranids: this suggestion is probably the least likely to appeal to the Games Workshop but again, would be unbelievably lucrative. For reasons unbeknown to many, almost as soon as the Tyranid minis had been released for Epic 40,000 (in 1998 if my memory serves me correctly), they were shelved, as was the entire system (to be replaced by Epic: Armageddon in 2003).

The epic scale tyranids are now the most sought after and expensive minis I have ever come across. The tyranid titans like the heirophant and dominatrix are quite readily available and sell for about £30 but boxes of the rank and file troops sell for upwards of £50. Even a small run by GW would sell out almost immediately and since they offer no support for Epic: Armageddon (other than selling minis), they wouldn't need to start following a tyranid release. As is the theme running through this list, it would merely serve to satisfy the craving of many veteran gamers and would make them a shedload of money. They could conceivably release an army box set (as they did in 1997 with Space Marines, Orks and Eldar) which could bring costs down.

This list probably sounds like the desperate ramblings of a GW addict but the Specialist games of old were some of the best things GW have ever produced. Look at the current Forgeworld advance orders of the Badab War (which Epic: Armageddon Swordwind is based upon) - the ability to create SM armies which are different to the norm, those which hark back to some of the GW classics, are sure to have great appeal.

I know I've missed off a number of GW games which have a huge following (Man O War being the most obvious - but since no minis are currently available, I dismissed it as being too much effort for GW to consider bothering with, oh and Gorkamorka) but the list is an attempt at being cost effective and therefore a viable option for the next few years. I am going to send this list to GW (or maybe just Jervis) and wait for a reply. Maybe, just maybe, one of my suggestions could be realised.

Corpse Cart

2010-09-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures of the corpse cart I've finished. The things you do to start on a new Warhammer box set...

Island of Blood: first thoughts

2010-09-04T08:02:00.001-07:00

I was kidding myself if I thought for one second that I wouldn't purchase the Island of Blood, I just surprised myself that I was so desperate to buy it this morning!

The GW store I went to was packed with various people swapping either Skaven or High Elves out of the box. I declined an offer to do this but I was surprised at how many people wanted the High Elves because you receive so much less (in terms of a legal army) than if you opted for the Skaven contingent. What could you do with two griffons? And two High Elf sets would only give you 17 swordmasters and sea guards because of the command figures. Each to their own I suppose.

In terms of the contents of the box, as has been seen from the images on the GW website and those in store, the minis look brilliant - even better when they're your own! Furthermore, the rulebook is simply magnificent. It is full colour throughout and comes in at 184 pages. The best thing about it (missing from the rulebook in the Battle for Skull Pass) is the scenario section which will give games many interesting twists.

There is one downside to the box though and that is the 'read this first' booklet. In the Battle for Skull Pass set there were some scenarios to play through (as in the Assault on Black Reach box) but anything like this is sadly lacking. There aren't even step by step guides to painting up the armies. There is simply background for the two armies and a few pictures of a Warhammer battle taking place. It reminded me of those GW booklets that used to come with old box sets which gave details about the various game systems GW offered. I still have a couple of the old booklets from days of yore with a double page spread on Warhammer, 40k, Necromunda, Epic, Warhammer Quest, Talisman, Man O War and other board games (like the brilliant Tyranid Attack). What ever happened to all those great games?! I still think it's a shame that GW limit themselves to 3 main systems rather than expanding to encompass more of their classic games.

After that great reminiscing tangent, I need to get back to reading through the rulebook and getting my head around the changes. I also need to be disciplined and finish the corpse cart sitting in front of me (90% complete) rather than beginning to sort out the first clash between the High Elves and Skaven.

Vampire and Crypt Ghouls

2010-08-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

My Vampire Counts army is coming along nicely, ready for the release of Island of Blood. Here are some pictures of the crypt ghouls from the VC battalion box. I decided on a leviathan purple wash which has come out quite well.

I used the painting guide on the GW website so the bones are 'cathlan brown - bleached bone - devlan mud - skull white' which I actually prefer to the method I used to paint the huge unit of skeletons finished earlier in the week. I also learnt from my mistake and laid off the skull white for the final highlight so they retained the colour of bleached bone.

Yesterday I started on my first character, the ubiquitous winged vampire, and I'm pleased with the results. I have found red armour so difficult to paint in the past and as I scoured various forums for tips, I finally came across a viable method. In the end, the armour was 'mechrite red - red gore - blood red - baal red wash'. By avoiding the recesses of the armour (in classic 'eavy metal style') the effect was dark enough for what I wanted.

The wing was tausept ochre follow by various watered down highlights of dheneb stone, elf flesh and bleached bone.

As I was painting, little areas of paint kept coming off so naively I decided on a purity seal finish. After reading the horror stories of 'the frost effect', I shook the can vigourously and ensured it was at room temperature etc. and even did a test model. Then it happened. On drying, 'frost' appeared on the leg of the vampire and on the cloak. I managed to rescue the vampire by adding another wash of baal red on the leg and badab black on the cloak.

Why would GW continue to sell the purity wash if the frost effect is so commonplace? I admit I had one of those 'it'll never happen to me' moments and thankfully the 'frost' was limited to two small areas but for those who regularly finish minis with a seal, it must be like Russian roulette!

On a trip to a GW store today, I purchased a varghulf and Konrad von Carstein to add to the army. I've also got some dire wolves to finish as well as some zombies and skeletons for those raise dead moments and then I'll finally have a solid WFB army to take on what I imagine will be many skaven and high elves armies.

Vampire Count Skeletons

2010-08-19T08:50:00.001-07:00

With all of the excitement surrounding the release of the 8th edition of Warhammer, I though it only appropriate that I jump on the bandwagon by attempting to paint up an Vampire Counts army. I've already got a unit of zombies completed and now a unit of 30 skeletons. Whilst it's not very original, I do like the red theme from the army book, so I decided to follow suit. I'm not brave enough to add a design to the banner yet - if anyone has any ideas, I would appreciate it!

I still struggled with highlighting large flat areas of colour (the red shields mainly) because the border between the colours seems too obvious. Whilst I should water down the paint and grade the colours more, with 30 rank and file skeletons, I didn't bother.

I've got the crypt ghouls, corpse cart and more zombies (from the battalion box) left to paint up as well as Vlad von Carstein and a winged vampire and some dire wolves. Choices, choices.

I'm debating whether to purchase the new Island of Blood box set when it's released on 4th September or whether to buy the Warhammer rulebook. I quite like the look of both the Skaven and High Elf armies in the set but I didn't even finish painting up the contents of Skull's Pass! Dilemma. I still have mountains of minis waiting to be painted, but I know that's not the exception but the rule amongst other gamers.

The Island of Blood

2010-06-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

Just received an email from GW about the new Warhammer fantasy boxed set which will accompany the new 8th edition rulebook. Here is the blurb from the email.

"The Warhammer world; it is a place riven by battle, where mighty armies clash for glory, honour or the entertainment of Dark Gods. Darkened skies, tortured by cataclysmic magics tear open and rain blood upon the ceaseless combatants and the landscape is wracked by the carnage around it. Trees writhe in mutated agony, lashing out with limb and branch and rivers flow thick with the corpses of the slain.

All upon the land are consumed by the unending battle, an age of war in which victory and defeat hang in the balance. Cast against this macabre tableau fight mighty armies -warriors by their million raise banners of defiance or icons of dismay, taking up arms in the clash for survival. Beleaguered and surrounded, the forces of Order fight desperately to stem the tide of the armies of Destruction. Delighting in the carnage and ruination, the Dark Gods look on.

The Island of Blood is but one battleground upon the face of the Warhammer world, a mystical and dangerous place that has been twisted and mutated by the warping power of Chaos. In ages past the Island of Blood was a battleground upon which armies have bled and died in the ageless battle for supremacy... and they will do so again. Soon.

The Island of Blood is the new boxed game for Warhammer and is released this September. Packed full of stunning plastic Citadel miniatures and containing all the rules, dice and templates you'll need to play, it's the essential purchase for fans of the Warhammer hobby.

In August we'll feature more information about The Island of Blood on games-workshop.com and the full details will be released in September's White Dwarf.If you can't wait until September to get your hands on the new rules then don't forget that the new Warhammer Rulebook and complete range of accessories are available."

From the look of the picture, the two races will be High Elves and Skaven. Seems to make sense since Skaven have just had a host of new plastic box sets released using GW's new plastic technology. I'm not too sure High Elves are a good idea (despite not being in a boxed game since the 4th edition way back in 1992), I find them too 'clean' and uninteresting.

There are various rumours about the impact of the 8th edition, some even going so far as to state that it will 'make or break' the fantasy game. Clearly, GW are pursuing the Apocalypse mould with massed ranks of troops and large, sprawling battles. They're going to have to speed up the game mechanics if that's the plan. I've read somewhere that the War of the Ring may have been a dry run for the new 8th edition rules. Not long to find out!

Flames of War - the beginning

2010-06-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

After months of consideration, I've finally done it. Finally taken the plunge and invested in something outside of a Games Workshop store. It feels disloyal but after reading through the Flames of War rulebook, I'm looking forward to playing my first game.

Here are a few pictures of the contents of the Open Fire! boxed set (three Shermans and two StuG Gs) plus an extra VC Firefly and a StuG IV.

The process was reasonably painless - the most difficult part was using GW paints to recreate the WW2 colour schemes. After reading through some posts on the FOW forums, it's amazing how much some people desire absolute perfection when it comes to WW2 armour and uniform.

As you can see from the picture below, I had a mare trying to add camouflage to the StuGs. In fact, it was so terrible an effort, I attempted to remove the layer of paint which resulted in something even worse. I've put it down to experience but if anyone has any tips then please share! I thought I had watered down the paint enough but clearly I hadn't. Also, I found it difficult to know what shape the camouflage should take (despite using some of the FOW books for inspiration).

I've got some German Grenadiers on the way and will update once they are painted.

Man O' War for sale

2010-06-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

It's an odd feeling to sell one of my treasured Games Workshop games. Bought right back in 1993, Man O' War didn't really have the time to cement itself (despite what appears to be a cult following nowadays) because it was out of print by 1995. Furthermore, I didn't have the money to purchase much in the way of a fleet (pocket money of a few pounds was not enough even in the early 1990s!) and so it's time to sell.

I've never sold any of my GW products and whilst I haven't played a game of Man O' War for a number of years, it does feel strange. I guess the best way to get over the feeling is to buy more (Epic Armageddon being the flavour of the month), but we'll see.

If anyone is interested in a complete copy of Man O' War, with unpainted wargalleys etc. etc., follow the link below.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Warhammer-Man-O-War-Complete-Boxed-Game-/320542218484?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Toys_Wargames_RL&hash=item4aa1ce18f4#ht_500wt_1154

Epic Armageddon Space Marine Army Almost Finished

2010-02-21T14:40:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of my EA Space Marine army which is almost finished. The pictures don't seem to show it too well but there is shading and highlighting on the minis - honest! The longest task were the shoulder trims but they unify the army (aside from the obvious yellow). 'Why Imperial Fists?' you might ask, no other reason than there was a guide to painting them in the Epic 40,000 boxed game and I've never painted up an Imperial Fists army.

With the various upgrades, this force comes out at 3175 points (using the standard SM list on the GW website). It gives me 8 activations each turn in a game of Epic Armageddon which is good enough to react and adapt to most situations.

As can be seen in the image above, I have yet to finish the vindicators and obviously, the bases of the troops need to be flocked. I'm undecided as to whether to base the tanks. It will avoid unnecessary wear and tear but I like the tanks as they are at the moment, so I'll decide at a later date.

The assault formation has some simple conversions using paper clip wire to lift some of the marines off their bases.

I've yet to play an Apocalypse game and whilst if the opportunity arose, I would not say no, the sheer amount of troops that you can field in an EA game more than make up for the lack of Apocalypse games (and it's considerably cheaper!).

Cityfight Battle Report: Salamanders vs Eldar

2010-02-20T10:05:00.000-08:00

Salamanders

Captain - boltgun, hellfire rounds, artificer armour and power sword

Chaplain - melta bombs and jump pack

Elites

Terminator squad

Dreadnought - extra armour

Troops

Tactical squad - flamer and missile launcher

Fast Attack

Assault squad - sergeant has thunder hammer and storm shield

Eldar

Farseer - singing spear, spirit stone, runes of witnessing, doom and guide

Troops

Dire Avengers - exarch has power weapon, shimmershield and bladestorm

Rangers

Elites

Howling Banshees - exarch has executioner, war shout and acrobat

Striking Scorpions

Fire Dragons - exarch has firepike

Fast Attack

Swooping Hawks

Heavy Support

Dark Reapers

The mission was domination which meant the player controlling the most ruins by the end of the game would be the winner.

The Space Marines took the first turn and moved into the ruins to lay their claim. There were five potential objective ruins and the marines held two of them as a result of their first turn. The terrain was so dense there was nothing for the marines to shoot at. On the left, the chaplain-led assault squad pushed forward, spying the banshees in front of them.

The reapers and the rangers moved into better firing positions, supported by the farseer. The banshees moved towards the assault squad supported by the Striking Scorpions and the Dire Avengers moved through the centre of the ruins towards the middle of the board.

Turn two saw the terminators deep strike into the midst of the Eldar line. They fired ten shots from their storm bolters at the dark reapers and yet none fell. The assault squad charged into the banshees killing two of them for only one loss. On the right, the dreadnought and the Space Marine captain moved towards the fire dragons.

In the Eldar turn, the dire avengers unleashed a devastating fusillade helped by the fact the farseer had successfully doomed the terminator squad and yet only two of the elites fell. The Striking Scorpions charged the assault squad to help the banshees and managed to wipe out three marines, but lost two in return.

The Swooping Hawks entered play by deep striking near to the Space Marine Captain and the dreadnought. They fired off their lasguns and managed to wound the leader.

In turn three, the terminators fire upon, and then charged into the Dire Avengers, slaughtering them and causing them to break and flee. The combined might of the banshees and the scorpions brought down the chaplain leaving just the assault squad sergeant.

The Swooping Hawks were wiped out by combined bolter fire from the tactical squad. The farseer cast doom on the terminators again and then guide on the rangers. This, with the withering fire from the reapers wiped out what remained of the squad.

The Fire Dragons managed to score three glancing hits on the dreadnought and destroyed its multi-melta and immobilised it, rendering it useless. The squad was then charged by the captain and wiped out.

The reapers targeted the tactical squad killing three, despite the 4+ cover save and the rest of the squad were wiped out by the remaining banshees.

As turn six drew to a close, victory went to the Eldar who held three of the five potential objectives. The Space Marines had been all but wiped out.

The game was really fun, despite the Eldar army being fragile, they managed to hold up some of the key Space Marine units and the ability of the farseer to doom units, and help other with guide, was invaluable. The banshees are brilliant, their low strength of 3 is offset by their power weapons. I still need to figure out how to use Swooping Hawks more effectively. My aim was to use them to assault the dreadnought to make use of their haywire grenades, but they were wiped out before they got the chance.

Having never played a cityfight scenario before, but having played Necromunda and Mordheim, I wasn't sure how the dense scenery would impact on the game, but made the game much more intense and the troops longer lasting!

WIP Buildings

2010-02-07T07:42:00.001-08:00

I can't help myself - flitting from one project to the next. First it was Eldar Guardians, then Empire flagellants, Night Goblins and now Warhammer/Mordheim scenery. I guess it keeps me on my toes but I'm getting a pile of half completed minis which I will have to get some closure on soon.

After scrutinising the Mordheim scenery I have (from the boxed game), I decided on a mock-tudor house design with one half of the house open. I toyed with the idea of keeping the lower floor open but it posed too many problems.

The walls are made from foamcard with lollypop sticks (broken and aged) for the beams. I've been using Copydex glue to hold everything together which is very strong but it does leave a yellow stain. Hopefully this will disappear with the paint job.

I'm planning to order some accessories from Antenociti's Workshop (http://www.barrule.com/Workshop/index.html) which is based in Shropshire and have a great range of items for scratch-building scenery. I'm looking to buy crates, barrels, windows etc. etc. to make the scenery that more authentic. I did look into purchasing some Hirst Arts moulds but I lack the confidence to assume they will come out as I want them!

The plan is to finish another building and then paint them up (using some simple washes and drybrushing techniques from Town Cryer). I will post a Mordheim battle report with these in action when I find the time (and an opponent) to do so.

Rather alarmingly, whilst being a bit of a GW fanboy, I've been interested in the Flames of War articles on BoLS. I'm not sure I could afford to start yet another army (and since I've got Epic Armageddon to ease my tank battle cravings) but the premise of the game seems solid and fun. We shall see.

WIP Night Goblins

2010-01-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

After an incredibly busy holiday (and a wedding) things have calmed down enough to get back to the painting table.

I bought the Vampire Counts battalion and a couple of boxes of skeletons (I see my Vampire Counts army having many, many ranks of skeletons). Whilst it may be a bit of an impulse purchase, I've always fancied having an undead army, so why not in 2010?

Before breaking open the box, however, and getting bogged down with much bleached bone, I thought it would be a good idea paint something easy and of minimum effort, and decided on the contents of the Battle for Skull Pass boxed set. Well, the Night Goblins.

After undercoating the contents, I realised I had made a classic (and terrible) schoolboy error in that I'd left the mould lines on. As the pictures show below, I've had to remove them before starting and now have a lovely black/plastic-grey effect going on. That'll remind me not to rush!

Once these are completed, I'll make a start on the Vampire Counts.

In other interesting news, I've found what could be a local gaming group (i.e one not full of twleve year old children) and am awaiting a response. This could be a chance to get some interesting and challenging games in!

New purchases imminent

2009-12-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

Had a busy month because I'm getting married tomorrow. On the gaming front, our 'minimoon' will enable me to spend some of the hard earned cash gifts on some new minis for my growing Empire and Vampire Counts armies!

Will update with new purchases when I return.

2009-11-16T13:09:00.001-08:00

It's been far too long since my last post but I haven't been completely useless. I've taken break from painting Salamanders and the contents of Space Hulk so I invested in some Vampire Counts (I've wanted some for a long, long time). I currently have some zombies, skeletons and Vlad von Carstein. I will invest in the battalion boxed set at some point in the future.

Here are some pictures of the zombie regiment I've just finished. After reading some of the Vampire Counts help pages, I imagine I'll be painting up far too many of these.

I'm pleased with the overall result, with the next set I paint up, I will add more fluffy bits from the box like grave stones etc.

Space Hulk Terminators

2009-09-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

Received my copy of Space Hulk yesterday and have now finished cleaning up the terminators. As many people have said, they look amazing. Just some minor clipping was required to fit the arms on some of the terminators and I will need some green stuff to clean up a few gaps but they will look great when painted.

Since these are a one off (and that's confirmed with the GW website announcing they had sold out of Space Hulk sets online) it's only fair these terminators get some quality time in terms of painting. I'm not saying my skills are great,but with patience, they should stand out during Space Hulk games.

Salamanders' Chaplain

2009-08-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the Salamanders' Chaplain which was really fun to paint. Normally I find small details difficult to paint consistently, but the model looks great and so this didn't bother me. Tried a few different painting methods (using some of the techniques listed in WD357, namely the shoulder pad and the crozius arcanum) which seem to have worked well and the washes were invaluable for the many scrolls.

The Chaplain will lead my assault squad and with all the special rules he comes with, the squad assaults with 14 attacks, with re-rolls for failed hits, 6 of which ignore armour saves and the squad is fearless. Brilliant!

Assault Squad and Salamanders' Army

2009-08-25T09:06:00.001-07:00

Here are the finished assault squad I was painting up. Used a thunder hammer and storm shield from an old terminator for the sergeant (actually a terminator I bought for the original Space Hulk!). Armed another of the SMs with a plasma pistol. Never used one of them before so it will be interesting to see if they're worth it.

Here is my Salamanders army as it stands and it's only taken a year to get to this point! Honnestly though, despite being a collector for years, I have rarely ever got around to completely painting an army but determination, and this blog (as well as the helpful comments from readers) have helped to spur me on. I also feel my painting skills have improved (obviously still have much to learn!).

The list for the above is as follows:

HQ: Space Marine Captain - boltgun, power sword, artificer armour, hellfire rounds

ELITES: Terminator (x5)

ELITES: Dreadnought - extra armour

TROOPS: Tactical squad (x10) - flamer, missile launcher, sgt. has chainsword and melta bombs

FAST ATTACK: Assault squad (x5) - plasma pistol, thunder hammer, storm shield, melta bombs

I've got another tactical squad to add, a command squad (an old Blood Angels' Honour Guard with the iconography removed) and a chaplain to lead the assault squad (which I'm going to work on next).

Since this is the first 'proper' Space Marine army I've collected, I'm not really sure what I need to add to the list. I was thinking about the ubiquitious rhino but then what?

Space Marine Commander completed

2009-08-22T13:04:00.001-07:00

Here is the finished commander. Two posts in one day! Can you tell it's the holiday?

WIP Space Marine Commander

2009-08-22T06:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the SM commander from AoBR. Reasonably pleased with it so far.

I looked for some inspiration regarding the cloak - since the army are Salamanders I couldn't have the ubiquitious red cloak for fear of the christmas effect.
In the end I went for a dheneb stone base, thraka green wash, highlighted with rotting flesh and finally bleached bone. The result was the photo below.

I felt the cloak was a bit bare so I decided to add something. What it is, I'm not entirely sure. I can't tell if it's ruined the model or if it's ok. Feedback would be greatly appreciated. What could I replace it with if it is rubbish?!

Salamanders' dreadnought

2009-08-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

In the midst of all the Space Hulk excitement, I managed to make the time to finish painting up the dreadnought from Assault on Black Reach.

I quite enjoy painting up vehicles and large creatures - they don't seem to take as long and the details are easier to paint!

Also did a small conversion for my second tactical squad. I want to make the sergeant stand out so I'm giving him a storm bolter and a power fist. Since being equipped with a power fist doesn't confer any extra attacks with another close combat weapon, it seems a waste to merely leave him with a bolt pistol.

All I did for the conversion was to take a bolt pistol arm from the tactical squad sprue and chop of the bolt pistol. I then took a storm bolter from one of the AoBR terminators and took that off and attached them. The only other issue was that the ammo feed pointed in towards the body (it was from the right arm of the terminator and this was on the left arm of the sergeant) so one quick slice later and some glue re-attached it the right way around.

Currently have an assault squad, command squad and tactical squad to finish. By the time that's done, Space Hulk will be released and I will be reverting to Blood Angels.

Space Hulk: first play through

2009-08-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

Went to my local GW store today and they had a copy of Space Hulk to prepare for the September 5th release. As a result, I was lucky enough to play the game and understand the rules, both as Space Marines and the genestealers.

The game mechanics are similar to the 1st edition with a few (important) additions.

The Space Marines have 4 action points (AP) and the genestealers have 6. Space Marines can also randomly pick command points (CP) (from 1-7) to add to any actions during a turn. They also have a time limit of 3 minutes to move, shoot and complete their entire turn! The genestealers have no such time limit.

It takes 1AP to move and fire, open a door, turn 90 degrees and start a close combat action. It takes 2AP to go on overwatch and this enables the terminators to fire at a moving genestealer (during the genestealer turn), once for every square they move. It also takes 2AP to move backwards one square.

Storm bolters roll 2D6 and kill on a 6. If the terminator stands still and fires (sustained fire), the second shot kills on a 5 or 6. Bulkheads can also be destroyed on a 6 although the chainfist can automatically destroy a bulkhead for 1AP.

The terminator armed with the heavy flamer is one to protect since a number of missions require rooms to be set on fire. The flamer template is placed on a tile and also ignites every square around it. This can kill genestealers on a 2+ and remains on fire until the next Space Marine turn. Very handy for limiting genestealer movement but the ammo is limited to 6 shots!

The thunder hammer is great rolls 2D6 and forces the genestealer to lose 1 attack. Similarly, lightning claws roll 2D6 +1. The standard attacks for terminators in 1D6.

Similar to overwatch, terminators armed with close combat weapons can go on 'guard' (for 2AP) which means they can force genestealers to re-roll one attack.

The genestealers have 3 attacks in close combat and whoever scores the highest kills the other. The terminator captains have +1 in close combat and can force a re-roll.

The broodlord is stupidly hard - it requires double 6 to kill with a storm bolter and has a similar rule in close combat.

The librarian has 20 psi-points which can be used to cast psychic powers or be added to dice rolls (much like might in LOTR) and is therefore one to protect (but is also one of the only Space Marines who can take on the broodlord).

The game was brilliant to play - the mission we played involved the terminators trying to burn two rooms (which housed barely-alive techmarines which the genestealers were using to breed more genestealers). It is really hard to win as the Space Marines simply because the 'stealers are neverending. The randomness of the blips is good, both for the Marines and genestealers and the game hinges on every dice roll.

I cannot wait to get my hands on it now! Will be playing more Space Hulk over the next few weeks prior to the official release.

Space Hulk Revealed

2009-08-17T01:02:00.000-07:00

So it's finally been revealed. Possibly the worst kept secret, but it's what everyone's been expecting and it looks awesome.

The one issue? Strictly limited edition. And aren't they going to be worth something in a few years!

12 Terminators including a librarian and 23 genestealers including a broodlord. The fluff on the GW website says there are deadend tunnels too - I wonder if there's going to be an element of surprise (similar to Heroquest) where the full layout of the map isn't revealed straight away. Not entirely sure how that would work without a gamesmaster but we'll wait and see.

The minis look awesome, the board is similar to the old editions - let's just hope the rules are like the 1st edition and not the 2nd.

I've already pre-ordered mine - I suggest you all do the same.

Now, where's my cup for those command points...

Space Hulk take 3?

2009-08-07T07:57:00.001-07:00

Back in the day I used to play a lot of Space Hulk. And I mean a lot. That and Tyranid Attack were the beginning of my foray into GW. Simple to understand, great minis (well, the genestealers, not the terminators particularly) and quick to play, they got me hooked from far too early an age.

I didn't bother with the Second Edition, despite the fact the minis were much better than the First Edition, because the rules were simplified far too much (similar to the 3rd Edition 40K rules I believe) and also due to the fact I was still enjoying the expansions - Deathwing and Genestealer.

Now it seems that the rumour on the grapevine is that a Third Edition of Space Hulk is being released. Whilst it's difficult to find the fact amongst the fiction in the rumours, the basics will be the same but some are suggesting there will be 2 metal minis - a broodlord (or in my opinion, even better would be a genestealer patriarch - remember the version of one sitting on a throne?) and a Terminator Captain or librarian.

Some of the rumours (and I think this is where it gets a little far fetched) have suggested that the new edition will include 3D terrain. The implications of making this are tremendous and far too much for a £50 boxed set. Aside from 3D doors (which were the classic card and base in the original), I doubt we will be seeing a 3D space hulk anytime soon. The picture below is of a 3D Space Hulk board and it's huge, each square had to be 2"x2" in order to allow for the new size terminators and genestealers.

What this whole rumour (and I hope it's true) seems to suggest is that there is a huge market for the old board games that GW used to make. From Man O' War (of which I've already written about) to Warhammer Quest and Tyranid Attack, these games provided an exciting and worthwhile aside from the main systems. It is a shame GW felt the need to stop these.

The final rumour I've heard which is of the most concern is that the Third Edition of Space Hulk may be limited edition and there might not be enough to go around. If this is the case, whilst being a clever marketing ploy by the GW, they should understand that there will be many, many gamers, myself included, who will be desperate to get their hands on this new edition and they will have to face a demanding public if there are not enough published!

Ork Overload

2009-07-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

Just a few bits and bobs. I bought a few Epic Armageddon pieces from ebay including an Ork Gargant and two gunfortresses. This has taken my Epic Ork army to 2500 points, which will prove useful for the Planetary Empires campaign I intend to run.

The red gunge on the gargant is the basecoat leftover from the previous owner (and apparantly gallons of superglue!). I used white spirit and nail varnish remover to get rid of most of it but the corners and nooks have proved difficult, as you can see. Thankfully, the gunfortresses only had a white undercoat, which will be must easier to paint over.

The other thing I've done (inbetween holidays) is to prepare some Ork nobz in mega-armour. This was the first attempt at pinning metal minis and it seems to have been successful - the proof will be once I've painted and then glued them. I plan to use this technique with other 'heavy' metal minis (old chaos knights etc.).

I'm now really looking forward to getting my hands on the new Planetary Empires set - 40k campaigns ahoy!

Empire state troops

2009-07-12T14:02:00.001-07:00

I've taken a break from painting 40k recently to focus on the multitude of unfinished Warhammer armies I have. There are over 1000 points of an Empire, Chaos and Dwarf armies waiting in boxes. That's one of my flaws: impulse buying. Here are some pictures of the Empire troops I've painted up.

All the new Planetstrike releases, and in particular the new Planetary Empires expansion, are turning my mind back towards 40k. The scope for in-depth campaigns are simply limitless if the Planetary Empires expansion is combined with Cities of Death and Apocalypse. Whilst I don't have enough to host an Apocalypse game, it would be rude not to play a few games of Epic: Armageddon.

I've been looking on ebay to pick up a copy of Battlefleet Gothic (I've already downloaded the living rulebook from the GW website) to get hold of a good number of ships. This would, again, lend itself to the Planetstrike campaign.

I'll be interested to see how others use the new Planetstrike rules and the campaigns which ensue.

Eldar vs Salamanders Battle Report (Part 1)

2009-05-28T06:05:00.000-07:00

Thought I should actually use some of the Eldar army I've painted up so I decided to pit myself against a friend's Salamanders force. Only a small game, just under 600pts per side but interesting nonetheless (and yes, I know we haven't entirely stuck to the rule re: troops but I haven't finished my Guardians yet!).

Eldar

Farseer: singing spear, spirit stones, runes of witnessing, doom, guide (133)
Dire Avengers (x10): Exarch with power weapon and shimmershield and bladestorm (162)
Howling Banshees (x6): Exarch with executioner, war shout and acrobat mounted in a wave serpent with shuriken cannon, twin linked missile launchers and star engines (273)
Striking Scorpions (x5): (80)

Salamanders

Space Marine Captain: boltgun with hellfire rounds, power sword, artificer armour (140)
Tactical Squad (x10): Flamer, missile launcher, sgt. has chainsword and melta bombs (175)
Terminator Squad (x5): (200)
Dreadnought: multi-melta and extra armour (120)

These pictures show the setup for both armies. The terminators were kept in reserve to deep strike in during turn two (at least, that was the aim) and the Howling Banshees were in the Wave Serpent.

Turn 1

The Salamanders edged forward with the tactical squad splitting into two combat squads so the missile launcher toting marine could fire upon the Dire Avengers which he did, although only taking one of them out.

The Eldar turn was considerably more successful with the Farseer casting doom on the missile launcher combat squad and then guide on the Dire Avengers. After 16 rerolled attacks from their shuriken catapults, the combat squad were annihilated. The Wave Serpent pushed up the right flank at full speed to avoid drawing too much attention from the dreadnought's multi-melta.

Turn 2

The terminators arrived and their deep strike was spot on - no casualties. They appeared behind the Eldar lines, with the Farseer looking rather vunerable.

The dreadnought moved to deal with the Wave Serpent and the remnants of the tactical squad, with the captain, moved closer to the Eldar lines. The Terminators unleashed 10 shots with their storm bolters but only caused a single wound on the farseer. The dreadnought failed to hit the Wave Serpent and the tactical squad failed to find a chink in the Scorpions' armour.

In the Eldar turn, the Banshees disembarked from the stationary Wave Serpent and moved (with their fleet move) to within assault range of the tactical squad. The Wave Serpent swept around the bunker but failed to damage the dreadnought. The farseer doomed the terminator squad and cast guide on the Dire Avengers who opened fire and killed three terminators (if that had been a tyranid brood, they would have been completely wiped out!). In my haste to shoot at the terminators, I forgot to move the Scorpions to within assault range, so they were wasted for another turn!

Wave Serpent and Eldar army so far...

2009-05-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Managed to blitz the wave serpent today. Strange what you can do when you put your mind to something. I'm finding yellow a very difficult colour to paint, and the main reason I started an Iyanden army was because I thought yellow would be easy to shade and highlight. Tried a slightly different approach to the colour for the wave serpent: iyanden darksun - baal red (shade) - golden yellow - sunburst yellow - bad moon yellow (yes I still have some!). The black I highlighted with astronomicon grey, it is quite difficult to see, however, not sure what to add to the black underside to make it stand out more. I haven't glued the missile launchers just yet - still unsure whether to paint up all of the weapon options and using some of the magnets I read so much about to secure them to the turret.

Also taken some pictures of my current painted Eldar army. I've still got guardians, striking scorpions with Karandras, warp spiders, swooping hawks and dark reapers left to do. Lots of late nights ahead!

Eldar Farseer

2009-05-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

After my attempt at the carnifex and the Howling Banshees, I emailed BOLS about painting large areas of flat colour and avoiding the drybrush effect (which looks rather rough and unfinshed). Thanks to Jay from BOLS who replied with no less than a step by step guide to painting an Eldar Guardian's helmet! Since I was slightly bored of painting many guardians, I decided on a farseer to lead my fledgling Eldar army and the results are below. I attempted some blending and I'm really pleased with the cloak (I know some may be surprised at the colour scheme, but I think it works) and the inside trim (blue, to match the Iyanden theme for the rest of the army). I still can't effectively paint gems, but I guess that'll be the next area to concentrate on to improve this further.

Any comments and advice would be much appreciated. Once I've finished the Guardians, I've recently bought a Wave Serpent to tackle which I hope won't look too garish with the Iyanden scheme. I'm going to use the yellow effect from the Ork Nob in WD351 (tausept ochre - golden yellow - skull white) and see how it turns out.

Tyranid Carnifex

2009-04-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of a carnifex I've just finished. It didn't take too long to do and I'm pleased with the way it turned out. I still can't figure out how to achieve a smooth finish - I keep ending up with a rather grainy/powerdery effect (much like the Howling Banshees - see previous post). Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

It's been a good week for painting (holidays do help) but I'm stuck for what to tackle next. I've got the Orks from AoBR (as well as two mega-armoured nobz I bought last week) to do which are reasonably easy to paint, there are just a lot of minis (20+). Or there are some Eldar Guardians (which I've already started) but I'm struggling to create a deep enough yellow for the Iyanden colour scheme I want. In a recent White Dwarf, there was a yellow effect for a Bad Moon Ork (using Iyanden Darksun etc.) which I could try. Does anyone have a solid method for a good yellow colour?

I'm sure I'll make it past what is clearly a difficult decision...thoroughly enjoying the painting side of the hobby at the moment.

Howling Banshees

2009-04-11T03:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the Howling Banshees I've just finished. Whilst the pictures pick up every little detail (good and bad!) I'm pretty pleased with the result. My ony issue is that the paint on the metal minis seems to chip off far too easily (compared to the plastic ones). Does anyone know how to solve this? I'll try some 'ardcoat (unless there is a cheaper, effective alternative).

Any comments would be apprecitate - particularly how to achieve a smoother finish for the armour (my method involved drybrushing/overbrushing the armour to ensure the base colours and shading came through).

My next project is a carnifex painted in the Leviathan colours.

Lord of the Rings battle report

2009-03-07T03:20:00.000-08:00

Finally managed to win a game at the weekend! It made up for all of the defeats I've suffered with my Warhammer and 40k armies recently. Below are the army lists for the game. I was playing with the Isengard army which performed admirably. The scenario was the 'To kill a king' one from the Legions of Middle Earth book. Saruman and Eomer were the designated 'kings'.

Isengard

Saruman
Lurtz
Uruk Hai Captain (shield, heavy armour)
Warg Riders (x6, some with bows or throwing spears)
Uruk Hai Warriors (x11)
Beserkers (x3)
Uruk Hai Scouts (x8, bows)

Rohan

Eomer
Boromir
Gimli
Warriors of Rohan (x22, some with throwing spears, bows or shields)
Riders of Rohan (x15, some with throwing spears)

My wargs managed to take out the first wave of riders (6 of them) on the charge which enabled them to aim themselves at Eomer fairly early on. My archers were typically off target and, since they were led by Lurtz, I forfeited their bows to charge into some of the Rohan warriors mid-way through the game.
I finally found the usefulness of Saruman by carefully hiding him between the Uruk Hai and then unleashing command and sorcerous blast as often as I could. This dispatched Boromir and Gimli with ease (Gimli lacks the will to defend against this for more than 2 turns) and it was left to the wargs to take out Eomer.
I'm not really sure where the Rohan army went wrong, it seems that an Isengard army is very hard to beat, no matter what the opponent.
Perhaps I will expand the army when the War of the Ring is released in a few weeks time.

Epic Armageddon

2009-01-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

I've taken a break from the Salamanders for a moment to consider where I'm going with them. With Gw being all about Apocalypse at the moment, and me not having the money, space or time to play an Apocalypse game, I've been thinking about how to push into campaign play whilst being able to have an Apocalypse style game. My solution? Epic Armageddon (EA)! I've dug out a copy of Epic 40000 (ebay is great for old GW games) and starting painting up a Space Marine force (and an Ork one waiting in the aisles) which can be inserted into a campaign to enable a huge meeting of armies. Forgeworld have some brilliant Epic minis which I will add in the future to the current force. Whilst the new 40k stompa looks great, logistically I've not the patience to paint it (nor the necessary paints) or the space to store one of them, but with EA I've got 3 already and a gargant on the way. Similarly, I'm keeping a good eye on ebay for a SM titan, either a warlord or warhound titan. It's quite refreshing to be modelling in 6mm scale because even my humble 4'x4' gaming table enables a huge amount of epic troops. The differing ruleset to EA is also good - it's taken me a good few weeks to understand exactly how it all works (the post on BOLS was invaluable) and a few practice games have shown me the basics (and some glaring tactical errors on my part!).
Rumours from WD have recently mentioned a way of using the Mighty Empires set for 40k which would be great for my campaign thoughts. I'm looking at a potential Eldar army to add to my Epic minis because of the superb titans available (and will also be a substitute for my 40k Eldar army). My fiancee labelled me a 'whore-hammer' the other day for dipping in and out of so many GW games - but in my defence, there is method in my madness.
I've also been scouring the internet for any local gaming groups, but there don't appear to be any. Does anyone know of any way of finding them?

Salamander Terminators

2008-12-31T13:54:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of the Salamander terminators I've just finished. It took a lot less time than I thought which is good for keeping me motivated. I've started on an assault squad and a command squad to add to my growing army. The command squad is an old Blood Angels Honour Guard squad from a few years ago which should work fine (as long as I can remove the BA imagery from the marines). Then it'll be time to start on some vehicles.

Salamanders

2008-12-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of the Salamanders I've been working on. I'm pretty pleased with the results although it is frustrating that so much time is spent detailing the chests, only for them to be covered by the weaponry. At least I know it's been done.

I'm going to make a start on the terminator squad from the AoBR set to add to these troops. I'm also strangely enjoying painting these models at the moment - smaller squads are the way forward.

Painting: Redux

2008-12-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

So I've started painting in earnest again after a break of a few weeks. My enthusaism in this area really does come in fits and starts. I'm currently painting up the contents of the AoBR set. I've decided to paint them as Salamanders (breaking a habit of a lifetime as all my other Space Marines are Blood Angels). I thought it would be easier to paint and highlight green rather than red and overall, I'm finding the painting of Space Marines a much better affair than usual. Since my painting skills aren't the best, lots of flat armour doesn't suit me well because it's difficult to drybrush or extreme-highlight. I'm doing my best.
Most of the tactical squad is done and some of the dreadnought. Then I'll tackle the Captain (without trying to make him look too 'Christmassy' - green armour, red cloak) and finally the terminators.
I'm still getting to grips with the foundation paints and the new washes, but they appear to be working well and are generally making the job a whole lot easier. Thankfully, WD have been printing a lot of painting advice, as well as adding new content to the website to help which is exactly what I need. I'm not sure I'll ever have the confidence to paint something without a guide because more often that not, it'll go wrong!
I was thinking about my aim in painting yet another new army, and I've decided that within a year, I'll enter a tournament to try my hand at something new. Whilst this does put pressure on what little painting skill I have, it'll be worth it to be working towards a goal, and try and win some games in the process. But we'll wait and see.

Another game, another defeat

2008-11-24T10:58:00.000-08:00

Played one of the missions from WD345 using the contents of AoBR and, surprise, surprise, I lost again. I don't know what it is with my tactics but defeat haunts me at every corner (of the battlefield). Awful dice rolling and poor tactics were the mainstay of the game. On the other hand, I've never seen an opponent roll so many 6s!
I made more silly mistakes and came across some real issues. In one example, I sent a mob of boyz towards a SM 5 man combat squad. I fully expected to rip them to pieces, what with the Ork's furious charge and subsequent 3 attacks at S5, but along the way (with a fleet roll of a 1) I was charged by the SM dreadnought. Without a single Ork who could actually hit the thick armour of the dreadnought, I was completely stuck. An entire mob stuck in limbo without any hope of getting out of the mess.
I searched the rulebook for any hint of a way out - is there anyway a unit can voluntarily fall back? The rules seem to suggest that falling back can only happen as a result of a failed morale test. In the situation I came across, it effectively lost me an entire unit.
Any help would be much appreciated and any hints so I can secure a victory in the future would also be very much welcome.

Assault on Black Reach Playtest

2008-09-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

Just played my first game using the contents of AoBR and the new 40k rulebook. My overarching experience are the sheer amount of special rules to remember. I'm sure that there weren't that many in the 2nd Edition!
I was facing the Orks in the scenario from the WD345 and I made rather too many 'schoolboy errors' leading to a rather poor defeat. I had no idea about the 'turbo booster' rule that the deffcopters have allowing them to move 24" and gain a 3+ cover save in the next turn! Bah. Nor did I realise the effectiveness of being able to run in the shooting phase if units forfeit shooting (essentially allowing a fleet roll). The Orks were upon me by turn 2 leading to some unnecessary casualties. The terminators pulled through, however, smashing the Nobz apart (hooray for power fists and s8 attacks!).
I also neglected to remember the 'And They Shall Know No Fear' special rule for Space Marines leading to my Commander falling back and being cut down by the Ork Warboss. Bah.
I haven't played a proper game of 40k for so long I'd completely forgotten the basics! It was much fun though, especially using my newly painted Salamanders for the first time.
I will endeavour to get my revenge when I can, and once I've finished painting the terminators. Then I can tackle the Commander. With green armour, I'm not sure what cloak he should have. The Ultramarine paint scheme is white and red but I'm not sure if that will work with a Salamander leader. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Assault on Black Reach

2008-09-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

Got my hands on the new 40k box set (on the day of its release surprisingly) and what an immense set. Without a doubt, the greatest set GW have released (Battle for Skull pass obviously outdoes its 40k counterpart due to the number of models, but not it terms of minis) simply due to the detail of the models. Not only are the rules included, but the two armies are a great starter for anyone. Whilst it has taken an age to prepare the minis for painting, it's going to be worth it!
I've decided to paint the marines as Salamanders, mainly because I've had enough of painting Blood Angels. I'm using snot green as a base with a thraka green wash and a highlight of scorpion green. Still getting to grips with the new inks - do you wash the entire model with the ink or just the recesses that you want to be shaded? I'm sure that I'll find out through trial and error.
My only gripe with the new boxed set is the lack of a playable campaign in the rules, but I guess the White Dwarf campaign will make up for it.
The photos below are of the Salamanders in progress.

Specialist Games

2008-08-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

Just dug out an old copy of Man O War and it's got me thinking about all of the games of old which GW used to stock. Such classics as Space Hulk (thankfully have that too), Tyranid Attack, Warhammer Quest, Epic etc etc. I've been having a browse for information about these long lost games and it's such a shame that they no longer exist apart from as ridicuously expensive sets on Ebay. Whilst I spend many an hour playing Space Hulk in my youth, I neglected Man O War meaning that if I want a new fleet to play with I'm going to have to fork out far too much on Ebay for the privilege. After reading some of the fan sites for Man O War, there appears to be quite a market for some sort of re-release of the products. Now, I'm not up on the political reasons for GW getting rid of these standalone games (there appear to be many theories) but surely they would make some money out of a limited re-release? Even something as basic as re-releasing the card ruins for Necromunda or for Mordheim would reap in the money for GW. In this month's White Dwarf, the Standard Bearer section is going on about eventually developing more minatures for the Specialist Games range for the 'veterans' out there. Whether this is true or not I don't know but it makes a lot of sense if you ask me.
I'd love to be able to play some more Man O War, and I'm currently watching some models on Ebay, but I'm not sure I'll be able to afford the final bids. It would be so much easier to be able to order them online straight from the GW website. So if you're listening GW, sort out these forgotten gems.

Finished Dire Avengers

2008-08-13T10:02:00.001-07:00

Finally finished the Dire Avengers and I'm pretty pleased with the final result. Used some of the new foundation paints and attempted to use the washes (but to little effect) on them. I've noticed, since claiming to have finishing them that I've missed a gem off the Exarch's chest but that can be done another time. And I've yet to add anything to the Exarch's banner.
Next task is to finish some Striking Scorpions and I need to find an appropriate colour scheme for an Iyandan farseer. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Frustrating Painting

2008-08-12T07:28:00.000-07:00

During the holiday I'm enjoying at the moment, I thought I'd be able to get through all the painting that's currently hanging over my head. Hundreds of points of models which have yet to have any more than a basecoat put on them. I don't really have a painting style - I'm not that good to have developed one yet - but it takes me a frustratingly long time to paint up even one unit. And whilst I'm sure it'll all be worthwhile in the long run, I wish I could hurry up about it all and get them onto the tabletop! Just been browsing few a through blogs about quick ways to paint up various Eldar aspect warriors and I have found a few good ideas which I will be trying ot use over the next few weeks in order to get the army off the ground (and actually be able to play some games with them). The foundation paints and new washes appear to be much better then I had previously thought so I'll be using them to full effect.
My mind keeps wandering over to the Vampire Counts army book which looks brilliant but with an incomplete Eldar army and a 1000 pt Empire army still waiting patiently to be used, my imagined Vampire Counts' army will have to wait.

Assault on Black Reach

2008-08-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

Just seen the picture for the new 40k boxed set and it looks unbelievable. I thought that the GW was being generous with the Warhammer boxed set, 'Battle for Skull Pass' with over 100 minatures, compared to the 'Battle for Macragge' (which had about 30), but they have really outdone themselves with the contents of the new boxed set.

A full tactical squad, teminator squad, commander and a dreadnought! And three deffcopters! Regardless of whether I like either army, that is a must purchase for only £40. I wrote to the GW only a few months ago complaining about the price rises (£40 for Vampire Counts Blood Knights was one of many examples) and whilst I would love to think they've taken on board the comments, they must have found a cheaper way to mass produce the minatures for this boxed set. Which is great.

Perhaps this means another foray into a Space Marine army (of which I've started a few, but never had the patience to finish them - they seem so dull in comparison to the other option in 40k)? Or a brand new Ork army? More likely, they'll be cannon fodder for the Eldar army I'm concentrating on at the moment.

The Dire Avengers are almost finished so I'll post some images of them for closer scrutiny soon.

Eldar army list

2008-08-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

Still painting the Dire Avengers, they're taking much longer than I thought - I think I need to learn the benefits of speed painting.
In the mean time, this is a rough army list for the Eldar army I'm creating, based on what I have at the moment.

HQ
Farseer
Singing Spear, Rune of Witnessing, Spirit Stones, Doom, Guide

ELITES
Striking Scorpions (x5)
inc. Exarch with scorpion's claw, shadowstrike

Fire Dragons (x5)
inc. Exarch with firepike, crack shot, tank hunter

TROOPS
Dire Avengers (x10)
inc. Exarch, power weapon and shimmershield, defend

FAST ATTACK
Swooping Hawks (x5)

Warp Spiders (x5)
inc. Exarch with additional death spinner, powerblades, surprise assault, withdraw

Viper
bright lance, shuriken cannon

HEAVY SUPPORT
Dark Reapers (x3)

Total: 999

Not sure how this will fare in games and I'll have to split the Dire Avengers into two groups of five in order to make the list legal. With the changes in the new 40k rulebook, this is seriously lacking in 'troops' which will have to be remedied. Some jetbikes, guardians and rangers should sort that out.
Best get painting.

Dire Avengers

2008-08-06T01:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos of the Dire Avengers I'm currently working on. I always paint the torsos seperately from the arms (so I can get to the details) which makes the process slightly slower (but hopefully worthwhile). I've given the exarch a power weapon and shimmer shield in an attempt to give the squad a little bite if they get drawn into combat.

The Beginning

2008-08-05T09:46:00.000-07:00

This is an outlet for my army building of Games Workshop models across all of their ranges. I'm currently working on an Eldar army as well as an Empire army with the aim of using them to take part in some future tournaments (of which I have never taken part before).
You'll notice the name of the blog is 'closet gamer' which is intentional and a reflection of my current state of mind. I have an irrational fear of letting others know about my gaming obsession which goes some way to explain why I'm using this as an outlet for the fruits of my labour.
I also want to use this blog as a way to allow others to comment on the quality of the army I'm creating, both in terms of the lists, but more importantly, the paint job. So as soon as the pictures go up, any feedback would be apprecitated.