200 Pt Warmachine Hordes Game

My friend J and I have been playing through the Oblivion campaign for WarmaHordes.  He is the Guardian and I am the Corruptor.  We both won some and lost some and yesterday we started out Gateway to Oblivion game.  Throughout the campaign, you build from a 10pt skirmish group up to the final game with 2 casters and 100pts.  As we were building our lists, we decided to up the last game to 200pts and 2 casters.  Here is my list from conflict chamber:

https://conflictchamber.com

and here is J's list:

and Malvin & Mayhem for 17pts

We played on https://wartable.online  It is a great free program that makes long distance games possible.  It has also allowed us to try out models and even whole factions we don't have the models for.

This was our pre-game setup, though I had forgotten to put out the Storm from the North Snow rings yet.  J won the roll and chose to go first.  I chose the top table edge.

Initial deployment

End of Turn 1

At the end of Turn 1, I had Borka2 pop his feat which gives everyone in his control area Stealth.  Both Krielstones were giving +1SPD and +2 ARM.

After the top of Turn 2 - Notice the missing Glacier King?

 J had a great Turn 2.  He jammed up the Mountain King on the left and got him down to 15 boxes.  The Vulcan power attacked the Earth Born Dire Troll and Threw him into the portal, causing instant death.  On the right, the Glacier King is just gone!  It took a couple of shots from the Railless Interceptors and he was  finished off by the failed experiments.  I also lost Madrak0 who was controlling 2 war beasts.  It was late in the evening and we decided to reconvene the following night for the second half of turn 2.

I spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how to kill his two casters.  Neither of them had popped their feat and Bennet1 has a DEF of 17.  My Trolls are not known for their accuracy and if you miss her once, she gets to reposition 2" away ignoring free strikes.  After a lot of thought, I decided I would not be able to kill either of his casters on turn 2.  Instead, I focused on taking out targets I could get to, opening a lane for the Mountain King, and popping Kolgrima's feat.

The Pig Lookouts worked really well.  They Ambushed in from the table edge, moved 6", Marked the Dragon's Breath Rockets and shot them in the back arc.  They hit on 3+ and killed on 4+.  I did that on both sides of the board.  I also Ambushed in the Polar Bears and Bumbles.  They did a little damage but it was more about clearing out what they could.  They really need to hit from the back and get the Gang bonus to ensure they hit.  

The Long Riders were able to get out of the way and the Mountain King snacked on the whelps to regain 16 pts of health.  He was then able to maneuver up to the Vulcan and unload.

Kolgrima moved as deep as she could and popped her feat, sending out a pulse that takes away flight, eyeless sight, and pathfinder.  It also prevents enemies caught in it from shooting for 1 round.  Finally, she pushes enemies 2" away from her.  I wasn't able to push anyone into the portal (instant death) and Push does not create free strikes but it was nice to control the board a little bit.  J's army is very shooty and he placed "Neutered" yellow markers on his shooters that wouldn't be able to range attack next turn.  Kolgrima cast Vanish, moved B2B with the two war beats that had gone wild and claimed them for her battle group.  She also drew back some fury from the stone in case J made an assassination run.  Finally, the Dire Troll Brawler was able to pound on one of the Railless and remove it.

End of Turn 2

J started Turn 3 without most of his ranged attacks.  The Rocketmen took out some bears, Gubbin missed taking out the right Pygs, and Aurum Ominus Alice Marc transformed into a Bear and took out the right side bears threatening caster Lukas.  It was a tough round and he was really denied a lot of his actions.

After Top of Turn 3

Facing another full round of Trolls, and some bad luck with the dice, J called it.  It's probably a  good thing.  When games stop being fun, it's time to stop playing.  All in all, it was a win due to attrition.  Trolls are Tough, have healing options, and Kolgrima's feat was really a sucker punch to the gut.  

It was really cool playing such a large game.  I planned out my first turn of activation a day in advance to get the best use of all the abilities.  I didn't know what the map would look like but the portal and the cultists were set by the scenario.  I also really benefited from the day to think about my Turn 2.  Normally I would have jumped at his casters but after running the numbers, I just couldn't make it happen.  I did not feel good starting my second turn but it was nice at the end to see how the board had shifted.

I don't think I want to play another game this big anytime soon.  It was a lot of thought and energy.  It was also tough staying engaged when the other player's turn takes an hour+ and you are just getting hammered on.  It turns out I like small games, although I do like playing with the big gargantuans too!

Game Store Copy of Hordes Battle Box

Hordes Battle Box Assembled

A while back, I had the opportunity to put together my local game store's copy of the Hordes Battle Box. It gave me chance to put hands on the plastic Trollbloods and I was pretty excited.

Trollblood Fenblades, predominantly made of 2 pieces.

Arms glued in place. Used the box to line up which body went with which arms.

The light war beasts had a lot more parts to them but seemed to have good posts and sockets for connection and glue surface.

Done with Trolls

The trolls went together like a dream. Then snapped together with little fussing. The only things I pinned were the arrows on the back of the spear chucker and the spiky ball on the end of the basher's chain.

Then I got to the Skorne.

These guys were each made up of made of 6 pieces minimum. The head, each arm, and each shoulder pauldron were separate and did not have strong attachment points. 

How is this a good beginner box???

Here they are. The warbeasts are pinned, the war caster in the front left is pinned, all the fiddly bits are glued. I left off the distinctive back flags as there was not a good way to attach them and have them stay attached durning rough handling. If they were mine, I would have fashioned something with green stuff but these guys are staying unpainted.

Overall, I think this is a lousy beginner box.  If this was a first time modeler trying to put stuff together, I would have thrown the box against the wall.  Maybe if they just printed on the outside of the box, "Hey! Yeah you! Have you tried other miniature games? Do you have a moderate level of skill and patience? Come try our game!"  I love the Warmachine/Hordes universe, game system and mechanics.  However, they have a lot to learn about boxes meant to draw people into the game.

If you are still interested, click on the link below and purchase the game.  I get a small percentage through the link. However, I am not sponsored by this or any other game.

New minis and new paint

I broke down and bought new minis today. The first is the Cygnar Character Heavy 'jack Ol'Rowdy. He fills in several of Stryker's theme lists and is pretty cool all on his own. He can charge without paying focus and he can counter charge if someone gets too close. He is a all metal 'jack and I foresee pinning in my future. 

 

The next mini I got was the Trollbloods plastic kit that can build a Blitzer, Bomber, or Mauler. Or,with good magnets the Blitzer and Bomber! I already have one of the old metal Maulers and I thought the painting would suffer if I tried to magnetize the back piece. 

I also purchased 2starter kits of the P3 paints. Until now, I have mostly been using craft paints. They had lots of pigment and didn't cost an arm and a leg for an ounce. I also have used old citadel paint and was not a big fan. The only ones I really like we're the old citadel washes. Now... I may never paint with anything else! I know I am late to the party but these flow off the brush, cover well and naturally shade into the other colors. I'm a happy girl!

New Favorite Site

One of my friends recently pointed me towards Bartertown.  It is a great place where people can trade their miniatures to new homes.  Speaking of new homes, some Trollbloods are making their way to mine!  I picked up a great deal on:

• pMadrak
• 2 Axers
• 6 Impalers
• Winter Troll

All but one of the Impalers are well painted and are ready to hit the board.  I will post pics as soon as I get them in the mail. 

Suprises

My significant other surprised me with nerdy presents!  I opened the bag to find two units of Circle mini's.  These are the Tharn Bloodtrackers.

Picture from Privateer Press Website.  Buy their stuff!

 These ladies are the Circles version of forward scouts.  They have advance deploy, pathfinder, and stealth.  They can also select and enemy's model or unit as their prey, giving nice bonuses.  They are a tad on the squishy side but for 5 pts for 6 or 8 pts for 10 they feel like a nice unit.

I also received a unit of Reeves of Orboros.

Picture also from Privateer Press.

This is a nice little shooting unit.  Their crossbows have a range of 12" and POW of 10 but they also benefit from combined ranged attacks, ignore concealment and cover effects, and they have pathfinder.  They also have a rule that if they kill an enemy model, they get to take a second shot.

I really like both units and I didn't have either of them.  So the good news is I got two new units for free!  The down side... Well, I have to pick up the extra mini's to fill out the units before I start painting them!  Seriously though, picking up the 8 extra mini's to fill out the ranks would run me about $37.50.  The Reeves also have a unit attachment that I would get, adding another $13.50.  While writing this up, I just almost ordered them but I convinced myself to wait, at least until after vacation.  I guess we will see how long my resolve holds up =)

Quick Update

Tomorrow is the last day of our three week Warmachine campaign.  I have been able to get in 4 games and I had a great time.  I played against Trollbloods, Mercenaries and twice against Retribution.  My win/loss record isn't that great but I am learning more each time I play.  I am really enjoying the system.  I am also looking forward to the release of Hordes MKII which will be out soon.  I haven't touched my Circle stuff in a while but I know I will be buying the new core book and the faction deck.  Now where can I scrounge up another $55...

I Kicked Butt!

So, in my last post, I wrote about how my Cygnar warcaster Haley got eaten by a Earthborn Dire Troll (picture below).  I played a great game, aggressive and threatening his warlock.  I lost but I was really happy with the game and it wouldn't have taken much for it to go my way.

Well, as I was writing my post, I wanted to include my opponents Trollblood's list.  I started piecing it together from what I remembered but I couldn't get it to equal 35pts.  I messaged him and asked for his list so I could read up on the mini's.  This is what I got back.

@9:30pm, he wrote:
pMadrak
Earthborn Dire Troll
Dire Troll Bomber
Troll Axer
5 Long Riders
Horthol
6 Pygmy Burrowers
Fell Caller Hero
Stone Scribe Chronicler
I believe that was the whole list.

@10:30pm, he wrote:
HOLY &#!+! WE PLAYED A 35 POINT GAME! I played 50 points against you, I am so sorry. I'm gonna let [the Press Ganger] know and give you the win for that night and fix our cards. I am so sorry. It was still a good game, but you totally should have won.  I think it was because I had just played a 50 point game, and I just f@#$ up. I'm sorry, I hope we can play a real game again sometime.

I think it clicked when he was sending the info to our Press Ganger.  Either way, I feel really good about the game!  It was a really fun game and I liked the way I played.  Now I know he had a 15pt advantage and I was still doing good.  I don't know if I would have won with equal points but I can't wait to give it a try =)

League Game

So I got to play a league game last night.  My LGS is hosting Privateer Press's Shattered Grounds League.  We are currently in the Blasted Heath movement of the campaign.  (You can check out the map here)  I missed the Nightfall part with the move but I am excited about the league.  Apparently, the campaign last year determined the release schedule for the new codex books.  Not sure what this year will bring but I like the real world application.

I played my Cygnar against Trollbloods last night.  I felt really good about the way I played.  I was aggressive in my style and his warlock was in danger beginning in turn 2.  I believe he killed Haley in turn 4 but there were some great moments.  My Hunter was able to advance deploy on an impassible cliff and snipe at people (including the Madrack, his warlock) all game long.  Two full units of Long Gunners with Officer attachments were shooting anywhere from 26-78 shots each turn.  Many of these were combined into single shots for more dmg.  they were able to clear lines of sight and allow others to target Madrack.  My sword knights distracted his Long Riders for a turn and kept them wrapped up in combat for another turn.  Much to our surprise, they were also attacked by his Dire Troll Bomber (right) who failed a Threshold check.  Finally, his Earthborn Dire Troll trampled its way through my lines and ate Haley!

Great game and new people to play against.  What a great evening!

Scheduled August 30th Post

Shelexie, do you have your Tharn completed? This is the day you said you would have them done by... (I automated this post when I set my painting deadlines).

Edit: I finished them ahead of schedule! They are painted, varnished, and have static grass!

Tharn Ravagers Finally Finished!

Okay, so it only took me several months but they are done! In fact, these are the first miniatures I have ever taken from start to finish (meaning based and varnished). I can still see places that I wish I had fixed but it is nice to have them done and sealed where I can't go back to them again! Here are the pics (click for a bigger view).

There is also one more red head shown in the group shot but not here. Tharn Ravagers were 97% ---> now 100% complete! While I had the varnish and static grass out, I also finished up the movement tray (click here for how I made it) for the Saurus Warriors. The Saurus still need varnish. I may get these done before I start my Cygnar Warmachines for my September deadline.

Varnish

Question: Does anyone know what happens if you spray varnish (gloss or matt) onto static grass? Does it work fine or make things weird? Please comment before I decide to spray my Saurus Warriors!

2 months ago, I wrote into The Painting Corps asking about varnish. Lots of people sent in their tips and tricks. Yesterday, I painted Winsor & Newton's Gloss Varnish (that I found on sale!) onto the areas that I thought would get the most wear. I hit the axe blades, the bracers, and the cloaks near the base. I wasn't shy about it but I didn't leave puddles either. I did notice that if a puddle formed and my brush dipped into it again, it picked up a hint of the paint. I was more careful there after and had no problem with it.

I waited about 4 hours to let the varnish completely set, then sprayed the models with 2 coats of Krylon's Acrylic Crystal Clear Gloss. I wanted to give it a full 24 hours between the painted on and the spray but I was excited. I was able to wait over night before I sprayed on 2 coats of Krylon's Acrylic Crystal Clear Flat coat. All I have left is a little static grass and these will be done!
Tharn Ravagers were 95% ---> now 97% complete!

Tharn Ravagers, Steaks, and Sales!

Tharn Ravagers: I have the details finished as good as they are going to get. I think there is still a feather I hadn't painted in these pics but other than that, the painting is done! These are well on their way to being completed by my Aug. 30th deadline. I just have to varnish and flock them. Tharn Ravagers were 83% ---> now 95% complete! (click on the pic for a larger view) 

 

 

 

Steaks: I wanted to throw this in. A while back, I read Andy's post over on Little Lead Heroes about salting steaks. I was skeptical but checked out the Cooking Page link he referenced. It talks about coating your steak with a layer of sea salt, then letting sit for a while (time table based on thickness of steak provided at the end of the cooking page). I had a skirt steak (cheap and thin) so I decided to give it a shot. If I messed it up, I was only out $2. I wish I had an after shot but we ate it too quickly! It really did work and the steak tasted great. It was still a little chewy, but it was a skirt steak. However, it was much better than it would have been with out the salt treatment. Follow the directions on the two links above and try it for yourself. I also really enjoyed making garlic and basil butter, as per the directions near the bottom of the cooking page. The basil was fresh from my garden!

Sales! I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and they are having a good sale on stuff I wanted.

• All Brushes = 50% off
• All Art Paper = 30% off
• Winsor & Newton Gloss Varnish and Matt Varnish bottles found on a clearance rack normally $9.49 each = $5.69 each! That's 40%.

I am feeling pretty good about that =)

Tharn Ravager Details

I started working on my Tharn again. Their last post is here. When I can't quite figure out the next color, they often get left alone for a while. I recently read on GWpertinent's site that this is why you should have several units going at once. That way, if you get stuck on one unit, you can paint another one for a while. I like his advice (and his site!) and I'm considering which other unit to start again. Several notes:

• Sorry these aren't the best pics but thankfully I was focused on the painting rather than the photography.
• Just a reminder, I use the Folk Arts (FA) paints on my models unless otherwise noted.

• I did a wash of Burnt Umber over the bracers, which you couldn't really see once it dried.

• Next, a wash of Honeycomb over the bracers which lightened it but ultimately I wasn't happy with.
• I did like the GW Dark Green Ink (I don't think you can get this anymore) over the axe, letting it run into the runes.
• I dry brushed FA's Metallic Gunmetal Gray over the green on the axes. It darkened and mostly covered the green, leaving a slight green hue and the runes. I really like FA's metallic line and recommend y'all check them out. They have a high density of metallic particles and come in a variety of colors.
• Then, I edged the "sharp" part of the blade with FA's Metallic Silver Sterling. I am really pleased with this effect.

• The hair looks crazy here and even crazier in person. I used FA's Alizarin Crimson, one of their Artist Pigment line. The artist pigment line has a higher concentration of pigment in the paint. It has to be thinned some but offers great coverage. Normally, this color looks like deep brick red but somehow on him it looked punk!

• Thankfully, drybrushing FA's Pure Orange brought the hair back where I wanted it!

• Here, I have lined the bracers with a thin coat of Honeycomb. I also lined the straps and axe bindings and painted the head coverings (not shown on this model) with the thined Honeycomb.
• I did a light wash of GW's Chestnut Ink on the bracers and I think I can finally live with them.

I have come to the conclusion that I will never be a great painter but I wouldn't feel too bad sticking this on a game table. There are a few more fidely details to paint but these are nearing completion! Tharn Ravagers were 63% ---> now 83% complete!

Catching up

First of all, thanks to Mik for the nice words and welcome to the new followers! I spent a week in West Texas and the high ever day was over 100! When I got back, I wasn't real happy with the way my Tharn Ravagers were going (you can check out their progress by clicking on the Tharn label to the right). I love the models but I had gotten a little carried away with the highlights on the flesh. I am only looking for table top quality but I wasn't happy. As a result, I let them sit for about a week. I just wasn't quite sure how to fix them. After Mik posted about my site, I knew I was ready to tackle them again. I went over the flesh with a wash of the old GW Brown ink. It toned down the highlights and I can live with them now. Then I moved to the leather bits and bracers. They are based with a mix of Folk Arts Burnt Umber and Black, about 3 or 4:1. They are still in progress, but I feel like I am over the hump somehow. Tharn Ravagers = 63%

  

 My garden: While I was in Texas, it went crazy. My room mate watered it and we have harvested about 6 zucchini so far. I grilled them up and they have gone in omelets, pasta salads, and stew. Just for fun: 

I have a fat, pissy cat named Callie (think Garfield). I tell people she bites and they say, "Oh animals love me." 5 minutes later, they are complaining that she bit them!? Anyway, I like her. We get along just fine. Last night, my room mate bought new work shoes. I have no idea how Callie was able to fit her big ___ in here but I took a picture of it.

 She got back at me later for taking her picture by jumping up on my painting table. Luckily, she didn't step in the paint (this time).

Tharn Ravagers Skin Tones

In a previous post, I worked out the colors I wanted to use for the brown fur/skin. The base is FA's Burnt Umber. The mid-tone is a mix of Burnt Umber to Tapioca 1:1. The highlight is Burnt Umber to Tapioca 1:2. Then I lined in the extreme overhead highlight with the same mix. My lining is a little sloppy but I feel like it reduced the overall dusty look. Drybrushing is a little bit of a crutch but I had decided that these were going to be table top quality and that freed me up to use it. 7 models with two layers of highlights and lining done in 1 hour. Not bad for table top. Now I gotta figure out the details. Tharn Ravagers = 60% 

Tharn Ravager Cloaks

An update on the Tharn Ravagers: I black washed the bases and the axe heads. The wash got into all the crevices but it was not very dark. A coat of black paint darkened up the base. The greens weren't quite dark enough in the recesses so I mixed some old GW Dark Green Ink with water 1:1 and washed the green cloaks with it. I dry brushed the cloaks with Folk Arts Aspen green, then a lighter dry brush of Aspen Green and Tapioca 1:1. Then I lined in that same highlight mix on the edges of the cloak. I'm not sure it makes a big difference but I liked doing it. Aside from the bits of bone and the things on the belts, I think I am calling the cloaks done. That feels nice! Tharn Ravagers = 55% 

Tharn Ravager Colors

I decided to quickly block in my colors.

  

Body, leather, and haft - Block in with Folk Arts (FA) Burnt Umber #462. Green cloak - Block in with 1:1 mix of FA's Aspen Green #646 and FA's Hauser Green Dark # 461. I started to do the green with just the Aspen green but over the gray primer, it was too light. If I had used my normal black primer, it probably would have been just fine. Next, I want to block in the bone colors and the black on the base. I plan on drybrushing the base some so I can't leave it too long. 

Basing Tharn Ravagers

I finally got the last pieces glued onto the Tharn Ravagers. I really like the way these guys look. 

I usually base last but I ran into problems with that before. I decided to try basing before priming this time. I tore off pieces of cork and super glued it down. Some of the cork I cut in half, as it was too tall. 

 

I used a little watered down glue to add sand and I like the effect. The cork seems to blend in well. 

 Here is the unit with cork and sand. 

 I moved outside and used Valspar's gray primer (not paint) that I picked up at a home improvement store. This is going to look a little funny until we mow. 

 The coat went on well and provides plenty of tooth for the first layer. Up next: blocking in colors. I had to refer back to my original color blog to remember the mix I wanted to use.