Skaven Verminlord

A couple evenings last week were spent painting a Skaven Verminlord. I'd picked up the model in a dire state a few weeks ago locally - it was painted (poorly) and broken. I'd always wanted to add a Verminlord to my Skaven army, though, and couldn't resist picking this one up for a song.  So I broke it down, threw it in paint stripper and repainted it.

Doom Glaive blade painted with Boltgun Metal, washed with Devlan Mud and rusted with Dark Flesh

Photographing models is driving me increasingly bonkers. Flash - colours are washed out with distracting shadows. No flash - everything is blurry. I am hoping the solution is this - I've ordered one and will let you know how that works out...

In the meantime, I'm happy with the Verminlord as a two-evening job. I'm thinking of picking up some more old-school Skaven and painting this guy hasn't helped dissuade me... nor has this blog, about one very talented man's obsession with miniatures from the '80s...

Review - White Dwarf 384 (January 2012)

Needing to get some Citadel paint last weekend, I stopped at my local. I'd also recalled that Conscript Mike A. had mentioned that the new Vampire Counts book is about to be released for Warhammer Fantasy. So being as I have a VC army I thought I would pick up the WD as I haven't read one for a couple years.

So what's the verdict on the Dwarf this month? A solid "meh"... with added pretty pictures. Let me explain. the focus this month is solidly on Vampire Counts and I liked that. However, the content appears to be largely lifted from the forthcoming army book, with excerpts of model statistics, some background fluff, and model pictures. I liked the photos and descriptions of the new VC models (Coven Throne/Mortis Engine, Vargheists/Crypt Horrors, Black Knights/Hexwraiths) and I applaud GW for creating unit boxes that include the option of building more than one type of unit - this actually helps soothe the intense pain of their pricing by giving extra value in the form of spare bits. But I was really irritated by the fact that the New Releases section didn't list any prices for the new models?!?!? Yes, I know I could guess that "they're expensive" but it irks me to pay $10 for what is essentially a catalog, and have to go on the website to see the prices... in typical GW fashion, the pictures of the models are as mouth-watering as the prices are eye-watering!

Other than the VC stuff there was a Necron tactics article. Although I briefly had a Necron army a few years ago, most of the content in the article went straight over my head as the units in the army are mostly all different to what I remember.

Jervis Johnson's "Standard Bearer" article was pretty good. It was basically an apologia about why Jervis loses games when he designed the game system. The idea is that as a designer, you have an idea in your head about how things "should" work and you write the rules accordingly. As a player you take the rules as immutable and try to exploit them as best you can. Jervis says that it doesn't occur to him to do this because as he plays, he's thinking more about game design than winning. Fair enough! I just want an excuse that I can use when I don't win. 

So all in all the mag was "OK" but not great. As far as the VC content went I would have liked to see a rundown on what and what isn't new in terms of units and troops. For example, I have no idea how usable my old army is in the new book. Are there still Fell Bats units? How about a Black Coach? (apparently they're both still around but I wouldn't have known this from the mag). The 40K content was super-focused on Necrons and nothing else... of no interest if you're not a Necron player or nerdy tourney-type who fights 'em. However I am looking forward to next month's rag which is hyped to be a "celebration of the 25th anniversary of Warhammer 40,000"... and with our group's enthusiasm for Rogue Trader I am hoping there will be some good stuff there.

Detailed Contents:

New Releases: VC models. 10 pages
"Also Available": old VC stuff. 2 pages
Dreadfleet ad. 2 pages
Black Library ad: 2 pages
VC extracts from army book, lists etc.: 26 pages
Battle Report: 11 pages
Store Ad: 1 page
Standard Bearer column: 2 pages
Tactica: Necrons and ad: 10 pages
Painting a Ghorgon and Beastmen ad: 7 pages
Civil War: 9 pages
Forgeworld ad: 2 pages
Sorcerous pact (allies): 4 pages
Gamesday ad: 2 pages
Armies on Parade (Haradrim): 2 pages
Terrain ad: 2 pages
Painting the Mortis Engine:8 pages
Miscellaneous ads, Store Finder, Events etc.: 14 pages
Citadel HoF (model spotlight): 1 page

...And We're Back!

First of all, I have to extend my sincere apologies for the lack of recent updates to the blog. A combination of work, travel and (gasp) non-gaming-related activities has recently conspired to prevent timely updates.  But no more!  I promise I'll try to post more often :-)

Every year around this time I like to host a Great War game to commemorate Remembrance Day.  It's a great opportunity to wheel out the Great War collection and have a game using some neat terrain.  This year I wanted to use my cavalry from Blaze Away! Miniatures and a tank, so that meant a "Hundred Days" battle with the British on the attack!

I set up the terrain on the funky little 4x4 table I acquired a couple years back from a local enthusiast who couldn't take it in his family move.  It weighs a ton, but as you can see it is very well made and pretty flexible in terms of gaming period. It was built to represent "Minas Tirith" but the modeler cleverly left the buildings and walls modular, so with a change of accessories it can stand in for anything from Napoleonic to future terrain.
 

We used the Warhammer "Great War" rules and selected the Blitz mission. The British were the attackers, and had the benefit of "sustained attack", meaning that platoons that were wiped out could re-enter from their table edge to resume the assault. The British have eight plus a variable number of turns to get a platoon into the town.

 The Germans set up behind the bags with a good-sized mobile reserve to deal with any breakthroughs.

The Mark IV tank rumbled forward for exactly one turn, then was immobilized with a mechanical failure. Such was the state of reliability in the Great War!

After a couple of abortive starts (i.e. wiped out platoons and regeneration at the start line) the British pressed the attack on their left.

 The cavalry charged over the bags and late in the game, looked to have the situation well in hand...

While earlier, the fanatical battalion commander and his command section wiped out the remnants of the German defenders in a bloody assault...

 ...only to be barbequed by a flammenwerfer team rushing out from the town.

Eventually the press of attackers was too much for the beleagured Germans...

... but this was as far as the British would get, as time ran out before they could reach the objective.

I like the Great War rules as they use the "Warhammer" engine with which we are all familiar, and the sustained attack rule is brilliant (and essential) when facing dug-in defenders. Eight dice from a Maxim '08 with no saving throw is brutal!

Thanks to Greg, Frederick, Perry and Brian for coming out to push around some lead.

In Trees' Company

In the Wood Elf army, the Treekins are apparently one of the most efficient unit. Efficient = $ in GW's evil plan to get my money ($25 apiece). To further exasperate me, the Treekin models exhale an ugliness I've never seen before. They evoke a pile of dead logs animated by a semi-evil spirit instead of an anthropomorphic tree. But inspired by MikeF's trebuchet and Dallas' fabulous scratchy scratchbuilts, I've decided to build my own Treekins! On the Web, I found that many players do the same, and it could be as simple as picking up twigs in the backyard and gluing on extra Dryads' parts.

For my project, the ingredients would be scenery material. All the tree units in the Wood Elf army are deciduous, so I opted to create a conifer creature.

Two tree trunks tied together with metal wiring make the "skeleton". Extra bits from the Dryads were then added. For the colors, I tried to reproduce the bark of the Japanese Red Pine. Adding the "needles" proved to be tricky. Instructions suggest to simply cover the branches with white glue and dip the tree in a box full of green flock. But to get the look I wanted, I had to glue the bits of flock one by one. Total cost of material to produce 12 Treekins? About $25.

Here is a family picture of the different kinds of tree units enrolled in the army. From left to right:
- GW Treeman
- GW Treekin
- GW Ent
- My Treekin
- GW Dryad
I didn't like the look of the Treeman either, so I bought an Ent from the Lord of the Ring collection to use instead of the official Treeman. I call this fellow "Bob the Birch" (wave back to Bob). Next to the right is "Mama Matsumoto" (the "real pine tree") and "Baby Birch".

These eagles were completed in time for the challenge. The right one is an albino. On the bases, some Brettonian peasants are taking a nap.

These are the last units of my Wood Elf Army. The project is now completed. It's time to work on those Russians.

Acts of Disappearance

Yesterday, I had a rematch with Allan, this time with armies worth 2000 points. The Wood Elves were totally wiped out and did not score a single point against the Dwarves. But great lessons were learned and it was, as per the common expression on this blog, a definite morale victory for the Wood Elves. But let's review the story.

The scenario was "Battle for the Pass" and it is played along the narrow side of the table. The Dwarf army had 2x Grudgethrowers (1), one group each of Quarellers (2), Warriors (3), Hammerers (4) and, I think, Ironbreakers (5). There was a banner providing a 5+ ward save against missiles with the Hammerers and all the characters were with the Ironbreakers. Note the group of 5 Waywatchers (1 green) in the background deployed using the "Scout" special rule.

The Wood Elves had the usual Glade Guards (1), Dryads (2) and Glade Riders (3). This time, the Treewoman "Big Bertha" was present (3 again, oups). There was one hero with the Riders (5) and a Battle Standard (6) with the main forces. Note that because of the scenario, deployment was cramped and had to be done in two rows for the Dryads. The Glade Riders are pushing forward thanks to the "Vanguard" special rule.

Before the start of turn 1, the Dwarves did a preparatory move thanks to a special rune. This allowed the Quarellers (2 blue) to get within charge range of the Waywatchers. The rest of the Dwarf units (1 blue) moved quickly forward to reduce exposure to arrow rain. I moved the left Glade Guards back (1 green), as the Dwarves were already within 12 inches. I moved the Dryads forward (2 green), with the hope to slow down the progression of the main group. The Glade Riders (3 green) raced to the rear and the Treewoman (4 green) marched toward the centre.

On turn 2 (see the die), the Quarellers connected with the Waywatchers. This was the first unit to disappear.

In the center, the Dwarves attacked my first unit of Dryads on two sides. That unit too soon disappeared.

Bolstered by their success from last game, the Glade Riders attacked the Quarellers. This time, all the Riders, including the General attached to them, were killed. Another quick disappearance act.

This image of the main battle tells the rest of the story. After sending the white Dryads into rout, the Dwarf main unit turned to face Big Bertha. Facing a Runelord armed with a magic weapon causing D6 flaming damage (Treeman are flammable), Big Bertha was chopped into firewood in no time. The Battle Standard was soon to follow, as well as the rest of the Glade Guard unit he was part of, who ran out of the battlefield. A total of 5 units and 2 characters disappeared.

Again, the Dwarves were great teachers and the Wood Elves are grateful for the precious lessons learned.

Lesson from a Dwarf Teacher

The Dwarf Sebastian de Morra
Diego Velázquez, c. 1645
Oil on canvas, 106,5 x 81,5 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

In order to gain some experience in the wonderful warring world of Warhammer, I invited local veteran player AllanL to my place to teach me a lesson in Warhammer. Allan commands a nicely painted Dwarf Army, mostly painted by someone else, but what he painted shows some great talent. After being distracted for over half an hour chatting about comics and manga, we remembered that we were supposed to play a game of Warhammer and set up our units.

We agreed on armies worth 1500 pts. Allan set up two Grudgethrowers (catapults) on the hill and deployed the rest of his troops to protect them. There was a unit of Warriors, a group of Quarellers and one of Hammerers. It was a strange feeling for the Wood Elves to be overgunned. Each Grudgethrowers could remove up to 8 models per turn. Nonetheless, the Wood Elves decided to close in, confident that the Wardancers (used for the first time) would shave clean the beards of these puny intruders in no time. The above picture shows the situation after turn 1. Three units of Glade Guards, supported by 2 orchards of Dryads, one squadron of Glade Riders and one troop of Wardancers are closing in on the iron clad Dwarves.

Hey, wait a minute! The Dwarves didn't miss the opportunity offered to them in turn 4 to engage in melee. It took them one close combat segment to send the Wardancers backstage and two to unroot the Dryads. In the meantime, the Grudgethrowers were winning the shooting duel against the Glade Guards. Was the fate of the Wood Elves sealed already?

But wait! An opportunity occured for the Glade Riders to blitz behind those mean armored units. By the time it takes to say "1-2-3", one Grudgethrower was overrunned, a second stampeded, then the Riders reformed in time to trample the Quarrelers from behind.

But it was turn six already and the final score favored Allan's Dwarves by about 80 points. I must thank Allan for his patience in explaining the mechanics of the game. More than the great learning experience for me and the fun we had together, I am grateful for the opportunity to meet Allan. I am looking forward for another gaming session, be it Warhammer, Battlefleet Gothic (yes, he has a few fleets) or Trafalgar.

You can read his own version of the battle here.

Glade Parade

"At the end of this parade of Elves,

our enemies will find no "HoHoHo"

but "Woe, Woe, Woe"".

(Queen Ariel improvising a joke at the

annual Glade Guards Review without

consulting her speech writer.)

So this is what I have so far. Initially, I've bought 3 battalion boxes. Later, I've bought a nicely painted army that included 60 Glade Guards, 12 Dryads, 10 Wardancers, 1 Treeman and 4 heroes. I've decided to repaint a few of the figurines I bought, to help create a cohesive look. Now the total is:
- 120 Glade Guards (1440 points)
- 48 Dryads (576 points)
- 10 Glade Riders (240 points)
- 10 Wild Riders (260 points)
- 10 War Dancers (180 points)
- 10 Waywatchers (240 points)
- 1 Treeman (285 points)
- 6 characters on foot
- 4 mounted characters
So the Wood Elf Army went from 0 to 219 figurines in about 3 months.

Now some people (nobody in particular in mind) may think that 120 archers might be too much. But consider this: statistically, it would take 162 shots to kill an average dragon with Toughness 6 and scaly skin 3+ at a range of 30 inches. Even with 120 archers, the Wood Elves can't kill a dragon in 1 turn!

Here is a close up on the special and rare units as well as on the characters. When painting the Waywatchers, I made their face green, as if they would have dyed their skin, and their weapons black, as if they were blackened by fire smoke to prevent the steel from shining. Oddly enough, they ended up looking like mini Doctor Dooms.

Because this is my first 28mm army, I was eager to see how chain painted figurines would look like. From left to right: a single figurine I painted 10 months ago, a figurine I bought painted, my first Glade Guard and my last Glade Guard. I'm happy with the progress I made painting faces. I still find highlighting clothes challenging. Oh well, I'll just keep on practicing.

Band of Bi#ches

As the title says, here is a band of Birches, a band of Maples, a band of Elms and a band of Oaks. I bought the band of Dryads on the right side already painted, but added a quick drybrush to make the texture dry, as the original models were heavily washed a looked a little wet. I also painted the leaves, because I think it's the signature feature of this model. I think they are the better looking of the lot, which suggest that I should learn new techniques to improve my painting skills.

The Wood Elves Army now has 4 "orchards" of Dryads, at 144 points each. I intend to use them as screens to protect the Glade Guards, who are efficient at range, but desperatly weak in melee. If they fight well, I might treat my Dryads with potash, now that the resource is secured in Saskatchewan.

24 Pretty Horsies

I've just finished a batch of cavalrymen for my Wood Elves Army. On the left are 10 Glade Riders, light cavalrymen with spears and long bows. In the center are 4 characters: 2 mounted wizards, 1 mounted battle standard and 1 mounted lord. On the right are 10 Wild Riders, supposedly "heavy" light cavalry, armed with spears and fury. I bought 3 battalion boxes for the Wood Elves and ended up with 24 riders. So instead of making them all into Glade Riders, I've painted them into different troop types. Besides, I found odd that the "official" Wild Riders, who are supposed to have a better armor save than the Glade Riders, are riding bare chest. So I've painted the armor as leather for the Glade Riders and as metal for the Wild Riders.

Here is the charge of the Wood Elf Light Cavalry. Since my last batch, I am making better bases, but I still need to work on contrast for the horses. The darker ones are OK, but the white ones need more depth.

Wild Riders en route to intercept the vanguard of the Beastmen Hord of Kurtz the Unperfumed. I've used light cavalry in 2 games so far and they already have forged a reputation for dying spectacularly tragic and sudden death within the first 2 turns: they were fried by the ray of a Skaven Doomwheel in their first battle, then mowed down by an Empire "Gatling" (I forgot the official name) in the second one.

On a different subject, here is my painting station. For some reason, the picture turned out dark, but I can assure you that the room is brightly lit. One special feature is that the shelves are hinged. All the paint containers can fit in the sides and the two blue sections can be folded in. The idea is to be able to shut down the station when guests are sleeping in the room. The little stuffed buffalo is used to rest my elbow when I paint and my daughter keeps on stealing it from me.

Before I end this post, here is a link I would like to share with the conscripts.

It is a battle report from the blog of Kage, a friend in Regina with whom I played a game of FOW some time ago. The boards, scenery, Soviets and Fallschirmjägers are mine. The Stugs and barbed wires are his. The first picture is a vibrant example of the one thing that bugs me most about FOW: cramped deployment zones. All my units were literally in base contact. Anyway, it became a fun game after some of my units were killed, allowing for more dispersal.

Rat October

Some recent progress made on the Skaven horde.  Total now is 145 Clanrats, 36 Plague Monks, seven Jezzail teams, two Ratling guns, two Rat Ogres, and...



...one suitably grungy-looking Plague Lord to lead the army into battle!

Next up in the painting queue are some more characters - Moulders to herd the Rat Ogres and giant rats, a Warlock Engineer or two, a Grey Seer maybe...?  Then back to painting rank-and-file - Stormvermin - and maybe a Plague Furnace?  I just picked up a set of Skaven from the new Island of Blood box so it promises to be a Rat October indeed!  



Project "Elfes Sylvains"

This is not a photoshopped image. This is the actual cover of the French version of the Warhammer Fantasy Wood Elves Codex. Among the projects I have been considering in the last few years, a Warhammer army was always high in my list of temptations, and among the WH armies I knew there was one with my name on it, literally. Warhammer was also among the many challenges that Curt seeded along our gaming sessions, and with the release of a new edition of the rulebook, I thought that all the ingredients were gathered for me to start a new insane project.

This is what I have so far: 20 Glade Guards ("Gardes Sylvains" in French) and 12 Dryads. The two characters are proxy heroes that will be in command of the army until I get new ones painted. The right hand one died a glorious death in Curt's brutal Fantasy RPG campaign not long ago. The left-hand one is my new character for the next chapter of the campaign.

Here is a close-up of the Glade Guards. This is the first time I am painting a 25/28mm army and the learning curve was not too steep, thanks to all the precious tips that were generously provided by master painter Curto Da Vinci. I've tried various colors for clothes, leather armors and hair. Not all combination of base color/highlights were successful, but I will re-use the best ones for the next batches. I digressed from GW usual bright palettes with sharp contrasts for something darker and a lot more toned done, more in the line of their "Lord of the Ring" collection. I opted for a Fall palette of colors. The next Regiment I will be working on will be a lot more yellowish. If you know a few painting tips that could help me improve my next batch of Wood Elves, please do not hesitate to let me know.

The codex says that Dryads cause fear... This is one skull holding angry plant that I would rather avoid. I've painted the bark and leaves in a way to suggesting Autumn. I found these tree creatures very pleasant to paint. Actually, it was like painting scenery. The base could use more work. From this angle, it looks like the Dryads are walking on a carpet. For the next batch, I intend to use a gel with beads that Curt recommended.

For the "national" colors of my Wood Elves army, I've decided to use the green/yellow duo of the Saskatchewan flag. I thought about green and white, but then I feared that I might get into trouble if I ever play against a Roughriders' fan.

I plan to paint 3 regiments of 20 Glade Guards, 3 "orchards" of 12 Dryads, 2 squadrons of 10 Glade Riders and a few War Dancers, Waywatchers and Treemen. I hope to be finished before Christmas.