AstroPeg 2010 Day Two: Game Four - X-Factor

Overview: The wind howls like the souls of the damned, filling the air with sand, grit and death. The sandstorm blew up unexpectedly as you approached and now your troops stagger forward, bent double against the powerful winds and scything grit. You know others also seek the base but you cannot see them through the brown murk of the storm. A shot rings out, and those nearby duck as a trooper falls. So - someone is here already. Someone who can see through the storm; an X-Factor in what should have been a simple equation...

The game was against DaveS and his Chaos Space Marines force, "The Skin Thieves":



- Daemon Prince, "Pollux the Blighted", w/ wings, Lash, Mark of Slaanesh
- Summoned Greater Daemon, "Korasch T'Kalth"
- 7 x Plague Marines, w/ Meltagun, Plasmagun
- 7 x Plague Marines, w/ Meltagun, Plasmagun
- 10 x Summoned Lesser Daemons
- 7 x Chaos Terminators, w/ 6 x Combi-Plasma, Heavy Flamer
- Dreadnought, w/ TLLC, DCCW, TLB
- Blight Drone
- Defiler, w/ BC, 2 x DCCW, RAC, Possession

Objective: You must control more Table Quarters than you opponent at the end of the game to win.

Several special rules applied. Because a sandstorm covered the entire table, accurate firing was limited to only 12"; beyond that you needed a "6" to hit, regardless of the firer's Ballistic Skill. All movement in the sandstorm counted as difficult terrain. Skimmers ignored that penalty, but on a roll of "1" on a D^ skimmers would be blown up to 3D6" in a random direction. This last one was very bad for all those Eldar skimmers - if a skimmer was blown off the table, it and its contents would be counted as destroyed!

To top it all off, a Vindicare Assassin was in the base at the centre of the table, as a third party. He could see through the sandstorm and fire special ammo. Each turn the players would roll off to see who controlled this sniper. In the photo below, the Vindicare can be see taking up a firing position.

The Eldar only had two scoring units. The plan would be to keep them alive until the end of the game, and try to maintain control of either the southwest or southeast table quarters, contesting the remainder. This would be a hard fight. DaveS is a skilled opponent, and his forces were very resilient.

I won the roll and went second. Deployment was in opposite table quarters. The Chaos forces deployed in the northeast table quarter. One squad of Plague Marines set up in the northernmost bastion, the other just to the southeast of them. The Dreadnought was set up to the east of the central bastion. The Daemon Prince and the Defiler deployed near the bastion. The Blight Drone deployed near the centre of the northern table edge.

The Night Spinner deployed in the southwest quarter.

As the game started, the Vindicare tried a shot at the Daemon Prince, but he missed.

The Blight Drone moved Flat Out into the northwest table quarter. The Daemon Prince, realizing that the Vindicare was the greatest current threat, flew onto the base and charged the Vindicare. The photo below shows the outcome of that fight.

The Eldar received the bulk of their reserves. Two Dragon Serpents, one Avenger Serpent, and the Vypers moved into the southeast quarter. An Avenger Serpent can be seen in the bottom right of the photo below, shielded by the bulk of the Dragons' tanks. The second Avenger Serpent skimmed Flat Out onto the southwest table quarter, hugging the western table edge.



The Night Spinner targeted the Plague Marines out in the open. Its twin-linked gun made up for the bad visibility, and three of the Chaos Marines were rended away.

A pack of Daemons was summoned by the northernmost Plague Marines. In the Southeast, the Chaos forces summoned the Greater Daemon and teleported in the Terminators, to try and deal with the threats posed by the Eldar skimmers. The left Dragon Serpent was Stunned, the right Dragon Serpent was Immobilized.

To the east, both Dragon squads dismounted to give fire. Concentrated Eldar fire gunned down both the Daemon Prince and the Greater Daemon. The Night Spinner, shooting like Daniel Boone, killed more Plague Marines, and even put down a couple of Terminators.

Meanwhile, the Farseer and the Warp Spiders had moved onto the southwest table quarter, and began a cautious advance northward. The storm blew the western Avenger Serpent towards the southeast. They were lucky not to be blown off the table. A lucky shot exploded the Blight Drone in a spray of acidic goo.

The Chaos Dreadnought destroyed the Stunned Wave Serpent. The Terminators followed up and wiped out a squad of Fire Dragons. Below can be seen the wreckage of the Wave Serpent and the crater left by its explosion.

The other Fire Dragons and the Vypers gunned down the surviving Terminators. The Bright Lance armed Avenger Serpent skimmed to the eastern table edge.



The Defiler killed some Warp Spiders, whose morale held.

The Night Spinner moved up as a speed bump for the Defiler. The Vypers were blown north by the sandstorm. The Autarch finally appeared, and moved north towards the action.

The Chaos Dreadnought blew up the Lance-armed Serpent. Four Avengers survived and hunkered down. In response, the Autarch moved up and blew away the Dread with a meltagun shot.



In the centre, the Defiler destroyed the Night Spinner, but could only contest the southwest quarter.

The game ended with the Farseer in the northwest quarter, contesting it. She stood off out of range of the Plague Marines in the base. The Autarch and the Vypers had moved north to contest the northeast quarter. The surviving Dire Avengers held the southeast quarter.

In the photo below, Dave poses just after the game ended.

Result: Eldar Win

Losing the two big Daemons early was a serious blow to the Chaos forces. More aggressive movement on the part of the Lesser Daemons might have resulted in a draw, but they faced the firepower of the Vypers and a potential charge by the Autarch. The game MVP award goes to the Night Spinner, whose cannily accurate fire killed more Chaos Marines and Terminators than could reasonably have been expected.

Please click here for Game Five - Sulfur Flats.

AstroPeg 2010 Day One: Game Three - Hill 0.25

Overview: It has been decided that the high ground is of great tactical importance for the outcome of the campaign. Your mission is to occupy the high ground and the surrounding area.

The game was against ChrisB and elements of the Tyranid Hive Fleet Colossus:



- Hive Tyrant with Tyrant Guard
- Tyranid Prime leading 5 Warriors
- 3 Zoenthropes
- 10 Genestealers
- 30 Gargoyles
- 30 Termagaunts
- Carnifex
- Mycetic Spore

Objective: You must hold more Table Quarters than your opponent at the end of the game to win. The hill in the centre of the table counts as a Table Quarter.

Again, Night Fighting was in effect for the entire game. Too bad the Eldar, who used to move stars and planets, did not retain the seemingly rare "searchlight" technology. I wouldn't be able to rely on the Eldar skimmers' medium- and long-range firepower. The plan for the Eldar would be to try and draw the Tyranids into short range firefights, avoid getting bogged down in close combat, and try and contest all but one table quarter late game.

I won the initial die roll, and decided to go second.

Setup was in opposite table quarters. Chris set up the Termagaunts in the ruins to the northwest, controlling that quarter. The Gargoyles and Carnifex hunkered down behind the hill. The Spore came down to the northeast of the hill, and the Zoenthropes got out. The Tyrant and its Guard followed the Warriors, running onto the hill proper. The Genestealers were held in reserve.

I deployed the Night Spinner in the southeast corner, which shot at the Zoenthropes in the dark.



The Eldar rolled well for reserves. In the photo below, the Vypers have moved flat out, gaining a cover save and providing some cover to the skimmer wall behind them. To the west of the line, both Fire Dragon squads dismounted and killed off most of the Warriors. Using her second move, the Autarch interposed herself between the bugs and the dismounted Dragons.



The Autarch was bait - but would the bugs bite?



The bugs indeed bit. The Tyrant moved up and shot away one squad of Dragons, cover notwithstanding. The Warriors plowed into the Autarch, who bravely faced her impending doom.

In the photo below, the Vypers have moved back, which was a mistake - they failed to see anything in the dark. The remaining Dragons mounted up, safe for now behind wraithbone tank armour. Meanwhile, the Farseer and Warp Spiders showed up to play. The Autarch finally succumbed to the Warriors' talons.



The Genestealers came on in the southwest table quarter, covered by some woods. The Tyrant shot at and killed most of the Spiders.

One Serpent full of Avengers moved Flat Out to the northeast. A couple of other Serpents moved west. The surviving Dragons dismounted, shot away the Tyrant Guard and wounded the Tyrant. The Night Spinner targeted the Gargoyles, killing several of their number and breaking them. Everything else that could fire opened up on the Warriors and the Zoenthropes, and gunned both units down.



The Gargoyles fled off the table to the north. The Genestealers advanced on the run and tore apart the Fire Dragons. The empty Serpent at the bottom of the photo was brought down by Tyranid fire.



In response, one Serpent moved Flat Out into the northwest quarter, contesting it. The Termagaunts had nothing to take it down. In the centre, a Serpent moved onto the hill, contesting it. To the northeast, the Avengers dismounted and destroyed the Spore with their Shuriken Catapults.



The Tyrant had been reduced to only one wound. With Runes of Warding on the table, Chris was loathe to use a psychic power because of the threat of Perils of the Warp. He moved the Tyrant and the Carnifex to the northwest corner of the hill, shielding them from the Vypers' fire.

As the game wound down, the dismounted Avengers' Wave Serpent moved into the northwest quarter. The Avengers moved northeast, behind a hill.

When the game ended the Eldar controlled the northeast table quarter with the dismounted Dire Avengers; every other quarter, including the hill, was contested.



Result: Eldar Win

This was a hard-fought battle. The Eldar benefited from some lucky rolls - especially the loss of the Gargoyles, the Tyranids' fastest-moving unit. Chris admitted afterward that the Tyranids could have stayed back, and forced the Eldar to come forward to engage.

The first day ended with me having played three fun games. With one tie and no losses, I would probably be playing DaveS the next morning.

Please click here for the second day and Game Four - X-Factor.

AstroPeg 2010 Day One: Game Two - Convoy Raid

Overview: Both sides are attempting to secure cargo modules being transported by a Planetary Defense Force convoy. Fight off any hostile forces and liberate the cargo. The convoy won't let you have it easily though and it's fragile, so be careful.

My second game was against BenI and his Slaanesh Chaos Daemons:



(IIRC)
- Daemon Princess, with Pavane of Slaanesh
- Herald, with Pavane of Slaanesh
- Fiend
- Fiend
- Daemonettes of Slaanesh
- Daemonettes of Slaanesh
- Slaanesh cavalry

Pavane is a very interesting daemonic power. With an 18" range, the caster can move an enemy unit (including walkers) D6 inches.

Objective: You must secure as many Supply Crates as possible and hold them at the end of the game.

This was an interesting scenario. The PDF convoy consisted of three Chimera armoured fighting vehicles (each of which contained one Supply Crate), escorted by a pair of Sentinel walkers. The convoy moved and fought on its own, according to various special rules. The only way to get at the Supply Crates was to Wreck or Immobilize the Chimeras, but the Crates were very fragile and would be destroyed on a Destroyed/Explodes! result or possibly upon a penetrating hit. The Crates could be picked up, and placed in another vehicle.

The convoy was set up in single file along the centre line of the table, starting at the eastern short table edge, facing west.

I won the initial die roll and chose to go second. In this way, the convoy's Sentinels would move to engage the Slaanesh forces, and maybe the daemons would be kicked around for a couple of turns. My plan was to try and seize the easternmost Supply Crate, and then play keep away, and maybe even destroy the other Crates. To win, the Eldar would only require control of one more crate than their mortal enemies!

A couple of challenges arise for Codex: Chaos Daemons players. One, you have to hope you get the correct part of your army and, two, you have to hope that enough of your force comes in fast enough.

Ben divided his army, and rolled for which part would appear on the first turn. Unfortunately, his Daemon Princess was in the initial attack wave. Not what he wanted.

In the photo below, looking west, Ben can be seen placing his cavalry unit. To the east, Ben's left, can be seen the Princess, the Fiends, and the Herald just to the northeast of the large crater.



Below, the convoy can be seen heading west.



The next turn was eventful. The convoy fired on the Slaanesh forces, wounding the Princess and the Herald. The Chaos cavalry attacked the lead Sentinel, hoping to put it out of the fight quickly.

The Eldar forces received from reserves the two mounted Fire Dragon squads and the Autarch, which moved together onto the western table half, skimming (respectively) Flat Out and Turboboosting, to garner cover saves from the convoy's shooting. In the southeast, the Night Spinner moved on to pot shot the Fiends, the two Avenger Serpents moved on poised to strike at the convoy, and the Warp Spiders used Deep Strike to teleport behind the easternmost Chimera, knocking it out and revealing a Supply Crate.



The Sentinel at the head of the convoy somehow survived, staying locked in combat. A pack of Daemonettes appeared to the northwest. The Princess and Daemonettes moved towards the lead Chimera. The Fiends tried to take out the lead Eldar Wave Serpent, but failed. In an interesting move, the Herald used Pavane and sent the rearmost Sentinel walker back towards the Spiders, who were subsequently locked in close combat with the Walker, which they couldn't hurt in close combat.



The convoy managed to shoot down the Princess, who failed her saves. The Daemonettes attacked the Autarch, wrong-footing her so she couldn't use her lance. The Fiends piled into the attack on the Sentinel, which still managed to survive.

The two Dragon skimmers split up after one unit dismounted to blow up the middle Chimera and its cargo, and the other moved to block the convoy. The Vyper squadron appeared to the southwest, immobilizing the lead Chimera with laser fire. At the bottom of the picture, a Dire Avenger squad can be seen dismounted, having seized a Supply Crate.



The lead Sentinel carried on its hopeless fight, damaged by the Slaanesh surrounding it. The Autarch went down under the talons of the Daemonettes. Another squad of Daemonettes appeared via Deep Strike in the northeast, running onto the cover provided by the rear Chimera's wreck.



The lead Sentinel finally went down, so the Fiends and the cavalry moved east, into the crater left by the exploded Chimera. The far Daemonettes, looking for another foe after their victory over the Autarch, ran east.

The Avengers with the Supply Crate mounted up and moved southeast behind a wall made of Eldar skimmer tanks. The other Dire Avengers had dismounted as a speed bump for the near Daemonettes, who were greatly reduced by concentrated firepower. The Farseer finally arrived, and attacked the surviving Sentinel, but failed to hit it. To the northwest, Shuriken Cannon fire destroyed the lead Chimera and the third Supply Crate. The game now turned on possesion of the last Crate, held by the Eldar.



As the game wound down, a couple of Daemonettes made it into contact with the dismounted Avengers. The other Daemonettes managed to contact the Farseer, hoping for a moral victory. However, there was scant likelihood that the Slaanesh would be able to break through the mobile skimmer wall to get at the still-active Wave Serpent containing the sole remaining Supply Crate.



Result: Eldar Win

Slaanesh versus Eldar is a classic match up. The battle fortunately went well for the Eldar, whose fast skimmers were able to maintain the initiative against the Chaos forces. The game MVP award goes to the lead Sentinel, who survived much longer than it should have.

Please click here for Game Three - Hill 0.25.

AstroPeg 2010 Day One: Game One - Over the Top

Overview: The entire theatre has bogged down into a brutal trench war. Forces face one another across a no-man's land that has been turned into a shell churned muck from weeks of shelling and rain. Thousands have died and the stench of the rotting bodies can be detected miles away. Tonight, in the rain and darkness, the stalemate ends. You go over the top and it's kill or be killed!

The game was against MichL and his Necrons:
- Destroyer Lord with Resurrection Orb
- Immortal Squad
- Warrior Squad
- Warrior Squad
- Warrior Squad
- Tomb Spider
- Tomb Spider
- Destroyer Squad
- Heavy Destroyer Squad

Objective: You score Victory Points equal to the value of each unit you have in your opponent's deployment zone at the end of the game. Scoring units are worth double their value.

A trench line was near each side's long board edge. Each side could deploy up to 14" onto the table from their board edge. Several special rules were in effect; some are outlined below.

Everything outside the trench lines was treated as difficult terrain. Night fighting was in effect for the entire game. Each side was allowed a star shell to negate the effects of darkness for a turn. Each side was allowed a preliminary bombardment of the opposing forces.

Mich won the initial roll and decided to set up first on the northern side of the table.

Mich set up his Warriors right across his deployment zone. From west to east, he also set up the Immortals, the Heavy Destroyers, the Lord, one Tomb Spider, the Destroyers and the remaining Tomb Spider.

Looking at the Necron long range firepower (even in the face of night fighting) and the preliminary bombardment, I declined to set up the Swordwind. I could not rely on the Eldar medium- and long-range shooting, because of the Night Fighting rules. My plan was to push up the western flank and get as much of the Eldar army into scoring position. I would sacrifice the Dragons to help reduce Necrons moving into the southern trench.

The preliminary bombardment did nothing.

The first few turns went fairly quickly, as Mich made a general advance across his entire front. The Swordwind received from reserves one Avenger squad, the 2 HQs, the Warp Spiders, the Vypers and the Night Spinner. The photo below shows the action starting to heat up, as the Immortals in the advanced trench sap receive a cloud of mono-filament wire from the Night Spinner.



The Immortals and western Tomb Spider nailed the Warp Spiders. This was OK, since they were then still in range of Eldar guns.

Next turn, the Farseer Fortuned the Autarch, who separated off to get within charge reach of the Heavy Destroyers. The other Avenger squad showed up and moved flat out north. The two Fire Dragon squads showed up in the middle of the southern table edge, dismounting for ground action.

Eldar firepower reduced the Immortals and the westernmost Warriors a bit. After all the stabbing was done, the Heavy Destroyers were gone and the Autarch consolidated into the sap:



The Destroyers moved east, away from the Eldar guns. The rest of the Necrons pushed on towards the southern trench line. The Necron Lord wiped out one squad of Dragons in close combat.

In response, the Farseer Doomed the Immortals. The Wave Serpents all pushed north. The western Tomb Spider was dropped by Scatter Laser and Shuriken Cannon fire and the Immortals were wiped out by the Autarch in close combat. Below, Mich oversees the aftermath of the carnage.



By the end of the next Necron move, all the Warrior squads and the Lord were within the southern trench line. Mich set off his star shell, but the Eldar weathered the Necron shooting. The Lord turned his attention to the last Dragon Squad, who had been firing at the western Warriors. The Lord whiffed his close combat rolls, leaving the Dragons alive.



The Autarch had been pushing south, gunning for the reduced Warrior squad. The Farseer Doomed the Warriors, before moving north. The Autarch slew the last of the Warrior squad, and the Lord only killed one of the Dragons, whose morale held. As the game ended under the random game length rules, the rest of the surviving Eldar were in the northern deployment zone, and the bulk of the surviving Necrons were in the southern zone.



The large Warrior squads were worth a LOT of VPs once you factored in the doubling of their score. After losing one Warrior squad in its entirety, Mich was convinced that he had lost the game. In actuality, the sides were within 150 Victory points of each other. The Autarch's solo charge was just enough to snatch away the Necron's potential win.

Result: Draw

This was a very fast and fun game. At the end, neither Mich nor I had any real idea who had won, not until we had totaled up VPs. The game MVP award goes to the Autarch, who slew a mountain of Necrons with her Laser Lance. Special mention must go to the surviving Dragons, who held on in the face of a superior foe.

With the Swiss pairings, a draw placed me well for the second round, since I wouldn't be facing the Round One winners.

Please click here for Game Two - Convoy Raid.

Astronomi-con Winnipeg 2010 - pre-tournament thoughts

Another summer, another Astronomi-con Winnipeg. Hard to believe that this year's tournament is the 10th annual event! Astro has grown to include annual tournaments in Toronto, Vancouver and Dallas.

40K 5th edition has been around for a couple of years now, and two things are clear: (1) tanks are great, and (2) the newer codices are powerful and well balanced, allowing multiple builds. However, that means that older codices (like Codex: Eldar) have a bit of an uphill struggle against the likes of Codex: Space Marines or Codex: Imperial Guard.

I chose to run again with my Eldar Swordwind - with a few twists, arising out of extensive playing under 5th ed.:



Ciara Lorcáin (1#, 158 pts)
1 Farseer @ 158 pts ( Doom; Fortune; Runes of Warding; Eldar Jetbike; Singing Spear)

Saoirse Riagáin (1#, 133 pts)
1 Autarch @ 133 pts (Banshee Mask; Eldar Jetbike; Laser Lance; Fusion Gun)

Companions(7#, 192 pts)
6 Dire Avengers @ 72 pts
Fencing Master –1 Wave Serpent @ 120 pts (TL Missile Launchers)

Blood Redeemers (6#, 195 pts)
5 Dire Avengers @ 60 pts
Peacemaker –1 Wave Serpent @ 135 pts (TL Bright Lances)

Fate's Tears -1st Chorus (6#, 180 pts)
5 Fire Dragons @ 80 pts
The Kid –1 Wave Serpent @ 100 pts (TL Shuriken Cannons)

Fate's Tears -2nd Chorus (6#, 190 pts)
5 Fire Dragons @ 80 pts
Ancient Whispers -1 Wave Serpent @ 110 pts (Shuriken Cannon; TL Shuriken Cannons)

Breaking Waves (3#, 210 pts)
1 Vyper Jetbike Squadron @ 210 pts
1 Vyper (Scatter Laser; Shuriken Cannon)
1 Vyper (Scatter Laser; Shuriken Cannon)
1 Vyper (Scatter Laser; Shuriken Cannon)

Dream Weavers(5#, 127 pts)
4 Warp Spiders @ 88 pts
Soul Hunter–1 Exarch @ 39 pts (Death Spinner x2)

War Prayer (1#, 115 pts)
1 Night Spinner @ 115 pts

Total = 36 models @ 1500 points

There it is. Five skimmer tank hulls. Everything moves at least 12" a turn, with the majority able to move up to 24". Lots of firepower, and very little close combat capability.

Back in 4th ed., I ran full 10-strong Avenger squads with Exarchs. I've now pared back the squads to just about the minimum they need to be to do their jobs. The Avengers stay in their tanks, and make them scoring. They get out to physically pick up some types of objectives (the Astronomi-con series has some scenarios like that) or to lend their firepower if required. The Dragons typically only need 5 to kill a tank, and I'll throw both squads at targets of opportunity (e.g. a Terminator command squad without Storm Shields).

The Autarch and Farseer often run together as a small unit, Fortuned up to re-roll their saves. They hang back behind the tanks, waiting for an opportunity to lend a hand or to contest late game. I can use one or both as bait, drawing in an enemy unit and setting up a counterattack. The only dedicated close combat weapon in the entire army is the Laser Lance of the Autarch - I can't count the number of times she's gone down fighting, being a "speed bump" for the enemy, allowing the rest of the Eldar forces to redeploy. Sometimes I run the two HQ's with the Warp Spiders (who move 12") as an ersatz mini-council; they've all got a 3+ Fortuned save and the unit then throws out more S6 firepower than bikes would.

As part of this season's tournament prep I played variations of this list a couple of dozen times against a varied set of opponents and armies: Marine variants, Tau, Orks, Chaos, Eldar , etc.

With such a low model count, my toughest opponents will be massed Orks and Imperial Guard. If the scenario and terrain allow, I'll try and jam up Battle Wagons or heavy tanks with my Dragon Serpents, then disembark and sacrifice the Dragons to destroy the armour next turn. Meanwhile, the other Wave Serpents can move and fire at long range. The Vyper squadron (often interspersed behind and between the Avenger Serpents to get cover) can throw out from 12 to 21 Strength 6 shots. The Spiders can Deep Strike anywhere on the table, contributing another 12 S6 shots to targets of opportunity. The Night Spinner hangs back, forcing Dangerous Terrain tests on every model in the units it hits; if I'm lucky and hit two big Boyz mobs that's up to 60 tests even if no casualties are at first caused (unlikely with S6, Rending).

Astro is a hobby tournament, not a purely competitive event. That is, scoring is not just a result of gameplay, but includes "soft" factors such as sportsmanship, painting, composition, army list and the like. As another Astro alumni has remarked, you can lose the event by being "nickel and dimed" to death. By trying to max out on those points that are completely under your control, you are in a better position come game day to just try and play some good, fun games and see where your battle points leave you. Therefore, it pays to spend time pre-tournament trying to meet the criteria for the various soft scores.

The modeling this year was fun, especially the single-seat and drone Vyper jetbikes. I finished the Night Spinner's turret a couple of nights before the tournament (I need to go back and detail the tank's guns a bit more, to match the Warp Spiders' weapons).

I also spent some time to create a bespoke army list and an interesting movement tray. I give a copy of the list to each opponent, which I hope enhances the cinematic aspects of our games. Conscript KevinH cleaned up an image which I then took to Staples to make into a poster, to line a wooden tray I already had. As a practical matter, a good tray also eases moving my army around in between rounds.

In the end, though, LCF (Looks Cool Factor) is the biggest reason I play games with toy soldiers.

Please click here for Game One - Over the Top.

First Black Powder Austrian battalion completed

Well, the progress was a little slow at the outset, but I have managed to complete my first Austrian unit for Black Powder, part of Curt's Napoleonic challenge. The figures are all Sash & Sabre castings, with the exception of the mounted officer, who is from Foundry.



The unit is comprised of 38 foot models and one mounted model, all in 25mm scale. The unit is mounted on a total of nine bases. Eight of the bases are 30mm x 50mm, while the command base is mounted with eight models on a single 60mm x 50mm base. The bases are all thin steel, for extra heft. The extra depth (an inspiration of Curt's) allows for less risk of wreckage when units charge each other on the table, while also giving extra room for things like the banners, the mounted officer etc.



Still a long way to go, but getting the first unit done is definitely an inspiration. The next unit will be all Foundry figs - another "German" unit in march attack pose. Watch for more progress here on the blog.

Astronomi-con Winnipeg 2010 - Army Showcase

Here are some of the armies at Astronomi-con Winnipeg 2010. Unfortunately, it was a busy weekend and I apologize for only taking photos of maybe half the participants' armies.

MarioR's excellently modeled and painted Ultramarines (he deservedly won Best Appearance):


Another angle:


Mario's dreadnought:


ChrisB's Tyranids (note that the big spore/drop pod thingy was made from a dog's chew toy):


DaveS' Nurgle Chaos Marines (his Blight Drone won him Best Single Figure):


GraemeB's Witch Hunters (he won Best Army):


Graeme's very detailed Sisters of Battle armoured personnel carrier:


ThurstonH's Saim Hann Eldar:


AlexB's Orks (the balloons are his Trukks):


Closeup of Alex's Bomma, heavily converted from jet to propellor power:


DaveB's Orks (the extra stuff is really funny):


DustinS' "Tonka Toy" Imperial Guard (yes, the vehicle crews have orange jumpsuits):


MikeM's Space Marines army, used by KeithG as the tournament "ringer" army in the case of an odd number of entrants:


BenI's Chaos Daemons:


BrockJ's Imperial Guard (he won Best Overall):


DaveG's Witch Hunters (he won Best Sportsman):


FabioF's "Death from Above" Blood Angels:


KevinN's "Tiger Marines" (using Codex: Space Wolves):


SteveB's Imperial Guard (note the Forge World model tanks):


My Eldar Swordwind (even shootier than earlier incarnations):


Here's a PDF of my army list (I gave a coil-bound hardcopy to each of my opponents):
http://www.deviantart.com/download/173050437/Asurmen__s_Academy_by_DaveV.pdf

Lots of great armies, playing cool scenarios on tables with varied terrain. "Hobby" style 40K doesn't get any better.

Next up, some pre-tournament thoughts.

Cheers,

DaveV