Day 1 of the painting marathon began today, and it has been moderately successful with touchups to my Mauler complete, as well as the Fennblade leader completed and 3 more stage painted to about 60% or so complete. Pics included here:
Mauler Front: http://yfrog.com/69maulerfrontj
Mauler Left: http://yfrog.com/htmaulerrearj
Mauler Right: http://yfrog.com/eqmaulerrightj
Fennblade Front: http://yfrog.com/jpfennleaderfrontj
Fennblade Left: http://yfrog.com/befennleaderleftj
Fennblade Right: http://yfrog.com/3ufennleaderrightj
Current Progress (work in progress/complete)
Borka Kegslayer
Pyg Keg Carrier
Dire Troll Mauler
3 Champions
10 Fennblades (Leader complete, 3 more 60% complete)
10 Kriel Warriors
5 Long Riders
Krielstone Bearer and 5 Stone Scribes (Krielstone Bearer complete)
Stone Scribe Elder
Fell Caller
Stone Scribe Chronicler
Horthol, Long Rider Champion
Wednesday 31 March 2010
Sunday 28 March 2010
Painted Stuff (28/03/10)
OK so here we go with a few pictures (apologies for poor quality still getting used to this digital camera thingy) of what I have done so far.
EDIT: The blog formatting doesn't like putting the pictures up here directly, so here is just web links.
Champs
Front: http://img98.imageshack.us/i/champsw.jpg/
Fell Caller
Close Up:http://img202.imageshack.us/i/fccloseup.jpg/
Front: http://img231.imageshack.us/i/fcfront.jpg/
Rear: http://img88.imageshack.us/i/fcrear.jpg/
KSB
Front: http://img651.imageshack.us/i/ksbfrontgc.jpg/
Rear: http://img710.imageshack.us/i/ksbrear.jpg/
EDIT: The blog formatting doesn't like putting the pictures up here directly, so here is just web links.
Champs
Front: http://img98.imageshack.us/i/champsw.jpg/
Fell Caller
Close Up:http://img202.imageshack.us/i/fccloseup.jpg/
Front: http://img231.imageshack.us/i/fcfront.jpg/
Rear: http://img88.imageshack.us/i/fcrear.jpg/
KSB
Front: http://img651.imageshack.us/i/ksbfrontgc.jpg/
Rear: http://img710.imageshack.us/i/ksbrear.jpg/
Thursday 25 March 2010
Tournament Countdown - Painting List
OK so my objective for this tournament is to try to get my main list painted, I will be trying to update this weekly with status reports. Tomorrow is my last day of uni for three and half weeks (easter break!) so I intend to sit down and attack the painting list hard.
The tournament is on May 8th and 9th, so I have six weeks to get it done.
Bold - Complete
Italic - Partially complete
Borka
Keg Carrier
Mauler - Painted
10 Fennblades
10 Kriel Warriors
5 Long Riders
3 Champions - Full unit painted
Krielstone Bearer and 5 Scribes - Bearer painted only
Stone Scribe Elder
Fell Caller - Painted
Chronicler
Horthol
The tournament is on May 8th and 9th, so I have six weeks to get it done.
Bold - Complete
Italic - Partially complete
Borka
Keg Carrier
Mauler - Painted
10 Fennblades
10 Kriel Warriors
5 Long Riders
3 Champions - Full unit painted
Krielstone Bearer and 5 Scribes - Bearer painted only
Stone Scribe Elder
Fell Caller - Painted
Chronicler
Horthol
Welsh Open - 6 weeks to go
OK cool so the big tournament is just six short weeks away and I find myself still no closer to deciding on my second list with my Borka force currently looking like the main choice I will take to the table. What can a second army bring that my Borka list does not?
After much deliberation I think I finally have it, a number of spoilers and hordes updates (eMorg I'm looking at you) has seen a significant increase in the number of models in the game that either ignore Tough themselves, or grant the ability to do so to models around them. An army of warbeasts just isn't feasible or possible at the moment, so the alternative is an army made up of warbeasts and multi wound troopers.
I don't currently own two units of champions, so that means one unit of champs and one unit of long riders to form the bulk of the army, plus Horthol to make the long riders awesome. The army needs to be fast, so I choose Grissel to lead it and give her a Mauler for the damage buff and Mulg to help provide raw beatstickery (plus an ideal target for Hallowed Avenger due to reach). Add in the KSB and Chronicler to really push up the survivability of the army and some Swamp Gobbers to help shield line of sight to Grissel and it looks like a decent army.
Fast, tough, hard hitting and nothing in the army that attacks (except the Mauler) has a MAT below 7. This army should be able to frustrate the enemy when it comes to objectives and can provide a pretty significant spellcasting and order deadzone on the feat turn ensuring my boys get the charge.
On another note, Trollblood Runebearer and Dire Troll Bomber look awesome! And initial info appears to put them down as a June release so theres an outside chance that they will be available at the UK Games Expo in June in time for the UK masters. At the very least the Bomber will provide me with another possible AoE source, and hopefully one with RNG10. Makes ranged warbeast lists look more and more possible for us, especially one with AoE saturation with bombers, pyre trolls and runeshapers. Especially if the Bomber's animus (like I hope) will provide Explosivo to a friendly faction model.
After much deliberation I think I finally have it, a number of spoilers and hordes updates (eMorg I'm looking at you) has seen a significant increase in the number of models in the game that either ignore Tough themselves, or grant the ability to do so to models around them. An army of warbeasts just isn't feasible or possible at the moment, so the alternative is an army made up of warbeasts and multi wound troopers.
I don't currently own two units of champions, so that means one unit of champs and one unit of long riders to form the bulk of the army, plus Horthol to make the long riders awesome. The army needs to be fast, so I choose Grissel to lead it and give her a Mauler for the damage buff and Mulg to help provide raw beatstickery (plus an ideal target for Hallowed Avenger due to reach). Add in the KSB and Chronicler to really push up the survivability of the army and some Swamp Gobbers to help shield line of sight to Grissel and it looks like a decent army.
Fast, tough, hard hitting and nothing in the army that attacks (except the Mauler) has a MAT below 7. This army should be able to frustrate the enemy when it comes to objectives and can provide a pretty significant spellcasting and order deadzone on the feat turn ensuring my boys get the charge.
On another note, Trollblood Runebearer and Dire Troll Bomber look awesome! And initial info appears to put them down as a June release so theres an outside chance that they will be available at the UK Games Expo in June in time for the UK masters. At the very least the Bomber will provide me with another possible AoE source, and hopefully one with RNG10. Makes ranged warbeast lists look more and more possible for us, especially one with AoE saturation with bombers, pyre trolls and runeshapers. Especially if the Bomber's animus (like I hope) will provide Explosivo to a friendly faction model.
Saturday 13 March 2010
Battlefoams Case has arrived!
Its taken a little over a month but finally my Battlefoams order has arrived. Complete with one large warjack tray, two 40mm troop trays and two 30mm troop trays. The extra dosh paid out for it compared to the GW cases I have been using is well worth it, to transport my Borka list for example I required two GW cases (including one specifically cut for 40mm models and cavalry) and a tupperware box with egg foam I cut specifically to transport my Mauler Extreme.
I can fit my entire army in the battlefoams case with half a tray of 40mm bases spare and even better it accommodates my Mauler Extreme and Mulg in the extra large warjack pockets with ease, and the normal large warjack trays are perfect fits for the five man unit of long riders.
Also there is the added benefit of comfort, carrying two (frankly fairly heavy) hard plastic cases gets quite tiring on the arms and hands compared to a single bag that can be carried across the shoulder. The fact that it has sockets aplenty too for dice, templates, tokens, tape measure, etc is just gravy.
The case is currently carrying the following:
pMadrak
eMadrak
Grissel
Calandra
Mulg the Ancient
Earthborn Dire Troll
Dire Troll Mauler Extreme
Axer
Impaler
Bouncer
Pyre Troll
Slag Troll
Winter Troll
10 Kriel Warriors + Piper and Standard + 1 Caber Thrower
10 Fennblades
5 Champions
Krielstone Bearer and 5 Scribes + Stone Scribe Elder
3 Runeshapers
5 Long Riders
6 Pyg Burrowers
Horthol
Stone Scribe Chronicler
Fell Caller
Hero
Totem Hunter
Swamp Gobbers
Victor Pendrake
And I still have half a 40mm tray free! The battlefoams case was expensive, but it gets my official seal of approval.
I can fit my entire army in the battlefoams case with half a tray of 40mm bases spare and even better it accommodates my Mauler Extreme and Mulg in the extra large warjack pockets with ease, and the normal large warjack trays are perfect fits for the five man unit of long riders.
Also there is the added benefit of comfort, carrying two (frankly fairly heavy) hard plastic cases gets quite tiring on the arms and hands compared to a single bag that can be carried across the shoulder. The fact that it has sockets aplenty too for dice, templates, tokens, tape measure, etc is just gravy.
The case is currently carrying the following:
pMadrak
eMadrak
Grissel
Calandra
Mulg the Ancient
Earthborn Dire Troll
Dire Troll Mauler Extreme
Axer
Impaler
Bouncer
Pyre Troll
Slag Troll
Winter Troll
10 Kriel Warriors + Piper and Standard + 1 Caber Thrower
10 Fennblades
5 Champions
Krielstone Bearer and 5 Scribes + Stone Scribe Elder
3 Runeshapers
5 Long Riders
6 Pyg Burrowers
Horthol
Stone Scribe Chronicler
Fell Caller
Hero
Totem Hunter
Swamp Gobbers
Victor Pendrake
And I still have half a 40mm tray free! The battlefoams case was expensive, but it gets my official seal of approval.
Friday 12 March 2010
Welsh Open Countdown - Borka and Long Rider Impressions
So my first game with my Borka infantry spam resulted in a victory, as well as brought a lesson about never to let Borka's wind wall defenses down even if the match looks like it is in the bag after a Siege assassination run left him on 7hp.
Just the one warbeast sometimes feels like it detracts from what makes Hordes and Warmachine such a great game, which is a great big bunch of honking beasts and robots tearing each other to pieces and comes closer and closer to the old infantrymachine that I hated when fighting against the Harbinger or the High Reclaimer. I do still hate the Harbinger but I digress...
Troops under Borka are impressive and his feat allowed my entire army to charge 11-12 inches (most of them with reach) to close the distance on a gunline army while still being able to make attacks at the end of it. Ironically I passed only two out of fourteen tough rolls that match (14.3% instead of the expected 33.3%) but the match ultimately was decided by the three surviving long riders who ran straight through a unit of long gunners into Siege.
No matter what anyone may tell you otherwise, MAT9+3d6 POW14 impact attacks will kill anything and hit standard DEF13 infantry on anything except triple ones (1 in 216 chance) and autokill any infantry of ARM15 or less, reliably killing ARM18 infantry (most shield wall units fall in this category) 83% of the time. Follow that up with MAT11 charge attacks that ignore base sizes smaller than their own at POW14 (POW15 in the game I won due to KSB) that can reliably reach POW18 and there isn't much that will stand up to that.
Long Riders on their own are good, but it is the extra 5 points for Horthol that make them great. On his own he is a decent solo, MAT8 POW15 with reach and POW14 impacts are alright but giving both Follow Up and Linebreaker to Long Riders makes him a steal for 5 points. Granted you have spent 16 points of your army right there (you did take max long riders didn't you?) but they are fast, brutal on the charge and the Bull Rush order gains a vicious new twist thanks to Follow Up. They are very survivable for cavalry (ARM17 8hp) which are easily even more survivable with buffs accessible to any warlock via the KSB and SSC taking them to a formidable DEF14 ARM19 8hp which means against all but the meanest gun lines you won't lose more than two on the way in. Borka and Madrak possess the ability to make that even better with Iron Flesh or Sure Foot bringing them up to a terrifying DEF17 or 16 respectively. Even three as I witnessed on Monday night have the potential to run straight through a unit and end a warcaster with an attack to spare.
Just the one warbeast sometimes feels like it detracts from what makes Hordes and Warmachine such a great game, which is a great big bunch of honking beasts and robots tearing each other to pieces and comes closer and closer to the old infantrymachine that I hated when fighting against the Harbinger or the High Reclaimer. I do still hate the Harbinger but I digress...
Troops under Borka are impressive and his feat allowed my entire army to charge 11-12 inches (most of them with reach) to close the distance on a gunline army while still being able to make attacks at the end of it. Ironically I passed only two out of fourteen tough rolls that match (14.3% instead of the expected 33.3%) but the match ultimately was decided by the three surviving long riders who ran straight through a unit of long gunners into Siege.
No matter what anyone may tell you otherwise, MAT9+3d6 POW14 impact attacks will kill anything and hit standard DEF13 infantry on anything except triple ones (1 in 216 chance) and autokill any infantry of ARM15 or less, reliably killing ARM18 infantry (most shield wall units fall in this category) 83% of the time. Follow that up with MAT11 charge attacks that ignore base sizes smaller than their own at POW14 (POW15 in the game I won due to KSB) that can reliably reach POW18 and there isn't much that will stand up to that.
Long Riders on their own are good, but it is the extra 5 points for Horthol that make them great. On his own he is a decent solo, MAT8 POW15 with reach and POW14 impacts are alright but giving both Follow Up and Linebreaker to Long Riders makes him a steal for 5 points. Granted you have spent 16 points of your army right there (you did take max long riders didn't you?) but they are fast, brutal on the charge and the Bull Rush order gains a vicious new twist thanks to Follow Up. They are very survivable for cavalry (ARM17 8hp) which are easily even more survivable with buffs accessible to any warlock via the KSB and SSC taking them to a formidable DEF14 ARM19 8hp which means against all but the meanest gun lines you won't lose more than two on the way in. Borka and Madrak possess the ability to make that even better with Iron Flesh or Sure Foot bringing them up to a terrifying DEF17 or 16 respectively. Even three as I witnessed on Monday night have the potential to run straight through a unit and end a warcaster with an attack to spare.
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