Wargaming round up end of May

So went and took my High Elf list for the one practice game before Nicon and with little time to get any more in the results are pretty atrocious. I faced a Warriors Combat army and got slaughtered to a man in little over four turns humm need to rethink strategy me thinks. Here's how the list looks.

Arch mage 225
Lvl 4 35, Annulian Crystal 40, Iron curse Icon 5, Folariaths Robe 45
Lore of Shadow 0                                                                               345

Mage 100
Lvl 2 35, Opal Amulet 15, Seer Staff 30
Lore of Death 0                                                                                  180 Caress, Doom & Darkness.

Noble 85
BSB 25, Armour of Caledor 25, Pidgeon Pluckers Pendant 5,

Dawn Stone 25, Gt Weapon 8                                                            173

Noble 85
Helm of Fortune 25, Amulet of Light 15, Elven Barded Steed 16
Dragon Armour 6, Gt Weapon 8, Shield 2                                           157

25 x Spears 225
Full Command 25, Bann of Eternal Flame 15                                       265

18x Archers 198
Muso 5                                                                                               203

12x Archers 132
Muso 5                                                                                               137

16x Swordmasters 240
Full Command 30                                                                                270

17x Whitelions 255
B,M 18, Banner of Sorcery 50                                                             323


6x Silverhelms 126
B,M 20, Shields 12                                                                               162

Tiranoc Chariot                                                                                     85

Eagle 50

Eagle 50                                                                            Total Points: 2400pts

Painting up a storm but not for the tournament at the moment. It's the Lizardman permanent loan army for my local club. It should have 2400pts and be there for anyone that walks in to try the game out or anyone short an army if they are up for the weekend. Still after donations to give the force some options but the models are there for a basic three block of lizards list.

The Temple Guard Unit so far with 7 ranks with two characters and a Slann.

Quite happy with the frog that I green stuffed together and he turned out well enough for the table top. You can see him in previous WIP in the blog. 

Been a bit sick so been on drugs the entire week. Can you say Drugs and Wargaming and thats just for a day those pills! :)

Boardgame of the week is "Arkham Horror".

Thanks Johnny for introducing us to the good stuff. We had eight players in all in our first game ever and it was epic. Johnny was the only one who had played so we turned the setting on easy and went about closing dimensional doors and battling other worldly creatures in a very social game. It was a small night at the board game club and I'm sure we made enough noise to annoy the neighbours. We managed to close every dimensional portal and exacted a win from the game. Highly reccommend this to all.  4 outta 5 stars.

The game comes with a huge assortment of pieces and characters. Suitable for a large group or 4 dedicated hunters. The myriad of different scenarios and combinations will mean it has great replayability.

Do you like Scenario's at a tournament?

I have just had a little bird whisper in my ear as I'm in the midst of finalising the Players pack for GuardCon2012 WFB. The discussion is about including scenario's in NZ tournaments. I have always liked the idea and their inclusion in tournaments once the 8th edition book was released. They added a depth and character that spiced up my Warhammer enjoyment. It was one of the big things that made me embrace the gaming system more and brought me back to the wargame. It has been argued that scenario's significant skew the results in favour of some armies and they are not a true test of skill between players because of the random elements involved.

So do we like scenario's or should we be black and white and face off with 5-6 matches of Battle line every tournament?

Conga lines do we like?

Interesting development or contentious flubergastory? Warhammer, I have always believed in playing represents a battle field on the table top and thus my utter fascination with it and where I get my enjoyment factor from the game. Granted it's set in a Fantasy world it still needs to represent aspects that follow the realism of the combats to maintain that interest. Some of the rules changes in 8th edition Fantasy have really added value for me and is covered extensively in this blog here. So it brings me to the Humble Conga line which is to some a gamy piece of wtf and others a tactical fomage of  intellectual acumen. I took 2x5 Whitelions with a champion in conga line formation recently to find out what all the fuss was about.

We'll all line up behind the big fella. Since he's a champion When we charge into a mass of enemy troops in a big line they won't be able to attack any of us but him and we'll be stubborn/unbreakable ftw. Example of Igor's superior intellect overwhelming factual physical reality.

Suffice it to say my conga lined Whitelions assassinated his general and held up his two blocks of Saurus for a sizable win. My opponent was all good with the tactical conga-line even as I ran him through the possibilities at the beginning of the game and made him aware of the nuances in combat. He wasn't sure after the game when squishy 5 elves became the doom of his army. It left me with a very mixed feeling and a taste of after cheese which means I'll not do that in a hurry again.

Tactical acumen or gamy thuggery gents?

High Elf Blender

Just went to a local appliance store and they had this High Elf Blender for sale. Note on the instruction book clearly states that contact against an enemy must be made otherwise effectiveness of unit will be reduced dramatically.

Speed painted in about 15mins and add devlan mud. They look way better than the photo suggests and the Samaurai-esque look is fast growing on me. I had to go get the IOB set to get these extra figures and I hope they were worth it.

Extra's added to the parent unit and ready for Nicon the next tournament we go, go!

More Daemons

Some of the Daemons that a friend painted for me that will be the mainstay unit of the army. I must build a photo box at some stage and get some better lighting, not to mention a some more practised paint skills.

Very happy about how the unit filler turned out with the custom Khorne base.

The unit of Bloodletters below, which has acquired another 3 ranks. I've found that matching the colour scheme and making it look table top quality is within my skill range. Will have to ask what wash was used as it's much brighter and vibriant than my GW equivalents. .

Working on the movement base and found that the resin edges you can buy from base retailers are mint. Will have the pictures up once  its complete

Learning to paint quick

Took to using some faster than conventional techniques to quickly solve painting a whole lot of new units for a tournament. This figure took as long as it was for the paint to dry sufficiently and to blam on a coat of wash. The Internet how to home make you own magic black wash will be my next test for a cost effective  time saver. 

First up is a watered down red and watered down brown apply liberally but making sure its a thin coat.

5 mins to dry and then a coat of half blazing orange and chaos red. Add blazing orange highlights followed by sun burst yellow. With this test mini painted in less than 15mins the Blood Thirster should take next to no time.

NiCon Prep & WIP for the Week

NiCon is at the top of the table of prep this week. So I've still got a few ideas on what army to take to the event. Most of which is related to this figure that I'm working on. He needed a extension on his back leg and some green stuff to fill the gaps after a quick hobby knifing. He's head hunting for certain armies as you can see by his trophy under foot.

So just as you settle to take an army your friends supply you with another unit of that internet doomed apparently under performing army book. There's a couple of facets of the Wood Elves that would surprise a few people at the tournament but they still aren't at the top of the list. Look Aaron those models fixed up real good.

I found out about Fenris grey this week too. It's fast becoming extinct but until we still have it around the terrain cupboard is getting that coat of paint that might see some really impressive new monuments at the next tournament.

The Board Game for the week is EVO. Not really one of my all time favourites but a quick fire fun game between 2-5 players. Evolve and breed Dinosaurs in a dinotopic world. Most points gets you the cigar. Great for a quiet night in with friends and a board game.
3 outta 5 stars.

What to take to NiCon

NiCon which is the North Island Convention that's hosted in turn by a different city in NZ annually is only 3 odd weeks away. My first Big Tournament for the year and it's a bit of a headache to decide what to take. I've been trying out a few different armies out this year and they have all done well and all have their appeals.
My first choice would be High Elves as they have always been my favourite play style army in warhammer. I took them to OTT in Feb and they were immensely fun and only due to rusty play and me making mistakes did they not get higher on the podium. With a selection of three fully painted forces I can grab off the shelf they are still the most likely of the four armies I may take.
Second choice would also be Elves and the Wood Elves which I have owned and been working very sporadically on for the last five years may make an appearance. I took them out for a doubles tournament in April and they were spectacular. I was very drawn to the mythos and the Ninja Waywatchers. More so the Ninja Waywatchers and the amazing sculpts that I got in their all metal goodness before failcast. Another podium so the rumours of Internet doom for the army was another failed omen. So much like other internet omens and I wonder if they dress up in flowing robes and light a lot of candles when predictions like these are made.
Third Choice would be Daemons which I took out for a stroll and a 1400pt tournament in the weekend and won decisively. The sheer simplicity and effectiveness of the mass direct assault of the army makes them a very powerful force. As long as you know what your bad match ups are and what they are weak against I can see these guys doing very well at Nicon. The only thing that makes me hesitant to use these guys is just that they aren't as multidimensional on all phases as say the Elf armies. I've got to the stage in the hobby that I'd like to take armies that give me maximum enjoyment out of my 6 games of the tournament. The Daemons may just not fit the role but who knows if I can paint a blood Thirster in record time, the sheer novelty of something new may override any doubts.
It brings me to my final choice and that would be Warriors of Chaos. I have all the models but they haven't really seen any love after Feb's win at Fluffycon. With another 400pts to add to the list it could hatch some very devastating combo's. In all reality I've moved on from the Warriors a bit and it'll have to take some scion of redemption before I go back to them me thinks. A mate with superb painting skills has just picked up an army of warriors and I'll get to see some of his work this week which may sway me back in that direction.

Daemon Dog Days

Every where I look these days there is a shortage of Daemon lists at tournaments. With the Ogre Train and Skaven circus it seems the Daemons have taken a bypass by most and will sit on a back shelf gathering dust. Surely this cannot be as they are the favoured sons of the battle against the forces of order. So to revive the 7th edition favourites I thought it would be high time they got a run. This weekend there is a small tournament/gathering of 1400pt armies at the local gaming store in the City and a perfect time to raise some literal hell.

 Rocking it all out and a bit of green stuff harks then back to the metal models. Unit filler for the Daemonettes.

The 'Rock Band of Slaneesh', is a long awaited WIP that needs more love but no time unfortunately.

Daemon Dogs for the win and no army is complete without a unit of these guys. I had these old edition metal warhounds ready for sale for $20 and noone wanted them. I had a epiphany and went hey these guys would be perfect as some Flesh Hounds and instantly saved myself 60 buckeroos, yeah!!

Here's my list and C&C from you Daemon maestro's would be great

Herald of Khorne	Armour of Khorne	115
Herald of Tzeentch	BSB, Greater Icon of Despair	230
	Flames of Tzeentch
		Heroes	345
5 Flesh Hounds		175
		Specials	175
32 Bloodletters	MBC	414
22 Pink Horrors	MB, Banner of Change	309
		Core	723
4 x Flamers	PyroCaster	155
		Rare	155
	Total	1398

Really looking forward to tomoz, it'll be funtastic.

Club day and Frog Army WIP.

Another week and another army it seems on the modelling table. The lure of the Lizardmen is strong so with the help of a couple of club members and friends who provided some bits and bobs I managed to scrap together a reasonable force with three units of over 25 strong. Big thanks to Derick and Paul for being top chaps. This gives me very good options with two big units of Saurus and a big unit of Temple guard to chose as my main stays.

The start of some mix and match models. The lone guy is Qertzl, so named from the original from his previous owner.

Without a Slann to lead the force I thought I'd try my hand and see if my sculpting skills were developing. It was really rewarding putting this Floating Frog together. Some more work needed and waiting for the green stuff to set is the major time consuming bit of this build.

The green stuff bubbles are for the swamp themed bases. First stages of the Slann on the right with some Orc arms attached

I'm still working on my wood Elves so, here's the new additions to the army with some Ninja Waywatchers. The local Vagabonds had these sitting around and I was pretty happy to be able to pick up all the different models of the range.

And with a couple of coats of paint & some green stuff rocks. .

Club day at Auckland City Guard club saw a large crowd of Heroclix players. They met every 2nd week and are looking for new people to join them. Fast paced and fantastic collectables miniatures.

I managed to get in a game against some Warriors and they steamed rolled my army of Elves. Three blocks of solid Warriors with very little chaff seems to be the optimum 8th build. I was surprised to face later a very 7th edition build of Dark Elves with a Dragon Lord and supporting level 2. It was very effective and even though I killed the Dragon it was very hard to nail the Lord as well to get the points. It was similar to the 7th list I ran with High Elves but DE seems to definitely do it better.

Big venue, lots of space, tables and terrain. Come join us for a game or two every Sunday.

Board game for the week is Kingsburg. Fast becoming one of my favourites and will be added to the collection as soon as I can get a hold of a copy. Very easy to learn and you're up and running first game. It's a economy building game with a medieval theme. You become a lord of a town influencing advisors who provide you with resources as you build down a tech ladder of buildings. More details can be found Here.
Rating 4/5.

GuardCon 2012

GuardCon 2012

Hosted by the Auckland City Guard Club:

September this year.

Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Warhammer 40K Doubles, Lord of the Rings, Blood Bowl and much more.

Register your interest to aucklandcityguard@gmail.com now.


http://www.cityguard.co.nz/forum/index.php/topic,4170.msg45035.html#new