Quit Warhammer?

Over on The Warhammer Forum a thread started overnight regarding the End Times release.

Titled "Does Endtimes make you want to quit (serious)?" It is getting quite a bit of traffic.

My contribution was the following:

It doesn't make me want to quit....but I do think that from a tournament pov things are much harder to balance.

This becomes more of an issue where you move from the more hobby event (variable sports, variable presentation taking a high percentage) to one where trinkets are given out largely based on game score.

I worry that we are moving to "End of 7th Times" where success in uncomped tournaments was unduly influenced by race selection

And that is my concern...purely towards the tournament game. I think things are going to be very hard in the next 12 months until we get to a final state. In the interim there is going to be flux.

However outside the tournament game I couldn't be more excited. Change, new models, new rules, new narrative. It really is the best of times from a hobby point of view. Suddenly everything is possible - not in a silly Warhammer 40k sixth edition way - but in a structured narrative driven story.

So quit Warhammer? Not likely.

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They Think It's All Over.....Well It Is Now

I suspect that the internet will blow up in the next couple of hours.

Won't someone please thing of the children!!!

Hordes of Chaos march again.

Tablescapes - Kickstarter Delivered

So a year after its original delivery date , Secret Weapons Miniatures' Tablescapes have finally arrived.

I arrived home from work last evening and parcelled up were these two boxes. Each contains sixteen tiles 1' x 1'. I had backed the two Urban Streets set and so have a box of 16 Damaged tiles and 16 Clean tiles.

This is one of the damaged plaza tiles and you can see the nice crisp detail that has been captured.

This tile shows the elevated sidewalks. There is nice attention to detail with grates and manhole covers moulded into the tile.

Here are four of the damaged tiles together. They can be connected using a set of connector widgets that comes with them.

Just to continue the illustration, here are six tiles showing the construction of intersecting road. They are again just pushed together rather than connected.

The detail is very crisp and I can see them painting up extremely well. I am looking forward to see the video tutorials that SWM is promising.

So while it is a year late, I am very happy with the delivered product. I can't wait to put together a 40k table using the tiles. Getting a mix of damaged and clean tiles means I can customise to my heart's content.

The tiles are due to be released to the public once the Kickstarter pledges are filled.

Check back after Xmas when I'll hopefully have them painted.

 

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Characters and Combat Reform

Umpiring events you are always learning.

I have always seen it played that in Combat you could not move a character out of contact with another character. However on the weekend, study of the Rulebook showed that was not the case.

At the end of Combat - and assuming not fighting enemy on two facings - either party can Combat Reform. As long as models are not taken out of combat, there is no restriction on moving around in the fighting rank.

So if your Mage is fighting a Chaos Lord you can move the model as long as it remains fighting. This can get quite interesting.

The order in which Combat Reforms is decided is by "roll-off". If you win the roll-off and go second then conceivably you can move the Mage to a safer position.

All covered under "Combat Reform".

I had always thought you Mage was stuck if a hitty character got into base to base with him - he is, but only for the first round of combat. If he survives, he can slip away - albeit to be snotted by rank and file or another character.

Always learning.

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End Times Over For Another Couple Of Months

The Glottkin model coupled with the second End Times book release this coming weekend sees the end of new WHFB stuff until January.

We are being told the releases for November are a new wave of Tyranids including a dual Monster kit. This is likely to be supported with a new "codex" especially as this year's main Tyranid book was derided as dull in the extreme.

And this seems to be the model going forward for 40k. An initial release of a blandish codex then followed with all the embellishments in a themed second book with condiments in DLC format.

From a sales point of view it makes sense. It transforms what used to be a soft back codex costing $55-60 - and included special characters and variant lists etc - into a full package costing between $150-200.

It will be interesting to see whether it is transposed to WHFB. At the moment we have the different Campaign route for refresh. Similar costing though.

In both cases I'd like to see more after sales support in the form of frequent FAQs (if needed - they currently are).

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Nurgle Daemons Get A Run

On Saturday - while umpiring Skitterleap - I took the opportunity to get a game in against John Tailby and his Dark Elves.

We decided to play 3000 points. John's list had four big infantry blocks - Witch Elves, Executioners, Corsairs and Spearmen - a bunch of Warlocks, two units of Harpies, Shades and a selection of characters. His general was a Dreadlord on a steed with kit and Chillblade (Warlocks), a BSB in Execs, Pegasus Master, Level 2 Dark Mage (also in Execs) and Level 4 Fire in Spears. It was rounded out by two RBTs.

I had GUO Level 3 Nurgle, Nurgle Herald BSB and Epidemius as character selections. Rest of the army was 2x mid 20s blocks of Plaguebearers, two units of Nurgle Furies, 6 Beasts and two single Beasts, two 3x Drones and a Soulgrinder with MoN. So the whole 3000 points was Nurgle.

We rolled up Battle for the Pass. Looking at John's army I thought he had the tools to take me apart. This would be a lot easier if he removed Epi early. Both his Pegasus Master and Dreadlord had the tools to do it, so I was happy when he deployed them on one flank - all my characters went on the other.

The Drones are fighting the remnants of the Executioner block

I managed to get the tally to 5-6 on Turn 1 but in Turn 2 it went to max as the Executioners (magic, shooting then combat vs Drones) started to take damage. The Beasts had charged the Witch Elves Turn 1 and started to rip them apart - especially when they lost Frenzy and had to fight the Beasts with tally up Turn 2.

John got unlucky when his Level 2 cascaded and killed 6 Executioners that had charged the Drones. This was compounded when his Master with the Cloak of Twilight fluffed his attacks into the flank of the Drones. From here, a second unit of Drones was able to countercharge the flank of the Executioners, killing them and the BSB.

On my left, Big Poppa Nurgle charged the Horde of Corsairs and though he only did 4 wounds he broke them in combat, running them down.

Yum Yum - Dark Elf, the other white meat

Fully tallied now, the Beasts finished off the Witches, running them down and falling on the RBTs. This left the Spearmen - now ensconced in the tower - as the only infantry block left.

The Warlocks and Dreadlord had cleaned out my chaff and were now in my back field but with the three infantry blocks gone, John's options were limited.

Nurgle in control of the middle of the battlefield

What is good in Life? Baleful Torrent!

In the wrap-up it was a solid victory for the Forces of Good. The key lesson...you need to get Epi early. Once the tally is up and running the combination of +1 St, +1 T, Killing Blow and Re-roll Wards is......unpleasant.

Somehow I missed getting any pics of John's army which is looking very very nice. Nice to see Dark Elves with solid infantry blocks.

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Armies On Parade - Death Guard Legion

I put my Death Guard into the local Games Workshop "Amies on Parade" which was held on Saturday.

It was the first time out of its case since Adepticon - so no new units were added.

Looking forward to getting onto the new Tablescapes tiles when they arrive.

Managed to snag 3rd Place behind a Death Korps of Krieg army and a Necron flying force.

 

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This Picture Deserved Its Own Post

James Brown calls himself DILF (Google it if you need more info). Pretty strange monicker, not least because he isn't actually a father.

I'm only guessing that Sam is confused and trying to work out "WTF?"

Either that or it's his best "Dom Hook" impression.

You can write your own caption in the comments section - but keep it seemly please!

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Skitterleap Photo Album

Here's some photos from the weekend at Skitterleap.

Sam Whitt enjoying the two Ironblaster experience

Ryan Lister took a couple of games to find the Wood Elf auto-pilot switch

FOB NZ Rankings - Warhammer Fantasy updated for Skitterleap

The rankings have been updated for Skitterleap. This is the last event of the tournament year and if you click on Masters mode you can see the final season breakdown.

What is really interesting is I think this is the first time that every member of the Top 10 has simultaneously held an icon.

Congrats to Peter Williamson for Squeezing into Masters contention with his win at Skitterleap.

Skitterleap Results - The Elfpocalypse Reigns Supreme

Skitterleap was held over the weekend here in Wellington and drew sixteen players. The turnout in terms of absolute numbers was very disappointing but that didn't detract from what was a hardfought event.

Armies were 2000 points using FOB Lite. We also played the rulebook scenarios - bar Meeting Engagement.

Here's the results:

Best Army:

1. Sam Whitt (Warriors of Chaos)
2. Alix Barclay (Orcs & Goblins)
3. Neil Williamson (Warriors of Chaos)

Best Sports:

Ryan Simister

Well done to all the players for an extremely friendly and stress free event. No doubt this was due in no small part to the absence of Dwarfs at the event!

The days of the Elfpocalypse have arrived.

Skitterleap - This Weekend

Skitterleap is on this weekend (Saturday/Sunday) at Cashmere Avenue School in Khandallah.

Unfortunately I had one withdrawal on Wednesday evening (work commitments) which leaves me with an odd number of participants. I've managed to jack up players to play the bye for all rounds except Round 3 (3pm Saturday afternoon). If anyone would like to help out and play that round for me it would be greatly appreciated - just drop me an email. Otherwise someone will be going under the Vampire bus!

Looking at the field, there are a number of very strong lists there. Here's my picks for the Top 5:

#5 - Wil Hoverd (Empire)

List is nails and Wil has proven in the past that he can perform at Skitterleap

#4 - Ryan Lister (Wood Elves)

Net list Wood Elves. The forests have been stripped of all available Wild Riders, Trueflight arrows and Waywatchers.

#3 - Peter Williamson (Wood Elves)

In danger of missing out on the Masters. Needs a podium here....and probably a win.

#2 - Sam Whitt (Warriors of Chaos)

All the toys.

#1 - Greg Greenfield (Dark Elves)

Retiring and reticent Aussie exile is playing Dark Elves. Nuff said.

However amongst all the sharks, dogfish and little tiddlers, there swims one that I hope rises to the top. It would be bloody fantastic if Neil Williamson can conquer all with his Valkyia Khorne list. Neil, you are the hipsters' hope at this event.

Dark Elf Comp - Bubbling Away

I've been reading a few comp discussions overnight - largely in light of the GW FAQ.

One issue that keeps getting raised (unintentional End Times jape) is a limit on the number of Sea Dragon cloaks in Dark Elf armies.


Are we looking at the impending desolation of the Naggarothi garment industry?

This could get interesting very quickly.

Behold The Glottkin

Here's a much nicer picture

About the size of a Gorkanaut I understand

Optimisation is the New Black

So in the past you when you were limited to 25% Lords and Heroes you were forced to make choices. At 2400 points you had 600 points to spend in any one category which generally precluded the ability to take two optimised Lords or three optimised Heroes.

That's no longer the case. Now you can use your Special and Rare allowance (in reality the spare points in Rare after you take your optimal choice) and devote them to optimising your characters.

A case in point is Ogres. You could not get both an optimised Slaughtermaster and a optimised Tyrant as you ran into your 600 point cap. That's no longer the case and I expect you'll see around 650-700 points spent on the Lord choices. You can still fit in your two Ironblasters so in essence Ogres likely got stronger.

With Dark Elves its the same. You can now get both an optimised Level 4 - or Morathi AND the fully kitted Dreadlord. The extra 50-60 points comes from your Special choices (if you were taking them other than RBTs....Ha Ha) or by dropping your Warlocks to 18.

So overall we are likely to see overall stronger characters where the lifting of the envelope allows you to remove what compromises you previous had to make.

Most armies won't approach the 1000 points for Lords - the obvious exceptions being WoC and High Elves. In most case we'll see increased spamming of an optimal choice eg. CO Scar Vets but Magic Item Deficit Syndrome will eventually make it a game of diminishing returns.

Comp systems are going to become very interesting....and like the failed socialist governments of yore we will see people try to pick winners, boost losers etc. Over time this will see layers and layers of comp added to band-aid the latest abuse.

A serious question is: Given this sea-change in army construction, are existing comp systems even valid anymore?

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End Times It Is - FAQ Up

New GW Rulebook FAQ up.....and Little Timmy shrieks with delight!

AMENDMENTS
Page 134 – Lords
Replace both paragraphs with: “You can spend up to 50% of
your points on Lords. Lords are the most powerful characters
in your army, individuals possessed of fearsome martial or
magical might.”
Page 134 – Heroes
Replace both paragraphs with: “You can spend up to 50%
of your points on Heroes. Heroes are lesser characters, not
as intrinsically deadly as Lords, but still worth a score of
ordinary warriors.”
Page 135 – Army Selection Summary Table
Replace “Lords – Up to 25%” with “Lords – Up to 50%”
Replace “Heroes – Up to 25%” with “Heroes – Up to 50%”
Page 162 – Spell Generation
At the end of the second paragraph, add:
“The Lore of Undeath is available to any Wizard.”

So there we go kids. It's End Times or the Highway!

They've also answered a question re Wood Elves, no-one ever asked. But nothing on Pred Fighter, duplication of arrows, re-roll to wound shooting hits with Cauldron etc.

Well done Guys!! Take the rest of the year off!

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Warhammer:Glottkin

So the pricing has been sighted for the new Glottkin model. He will be GBP 66....so a touch more than Nagash.

The interesting bit is that the new book Warhammer: Glottkin is "only" GBP 40. The Nagash book was GBP 50.

I think we can take it that this book will not be as lavish as the first one. Possibly we'll only get a single volume with a lot less less than Nagash.

Certainly hope not, as the Nagash book was a truly wonderful sourcebook.

Lack of GW Errata - Causing Problems in the Game

One of the most frustrating aspects of GW's current operating model is the lack of errata and FAQs.

This means that some of the more recent books do not have glaring errors addressed.

Be it "Predatory Fighter" or something else, everyone will have their particular bugbear.

For me the most glaring mistake is the classification of Dark Elves' Warlocks as "Rare". Anybody with a passing interest in the game will tell you that there is no way in hell that these are rare, often outnumbering infantry in DE armies (that assumes you exclude RBT crew as infantry models - the 8 you field are only wound markers afterall).

Generally the number of Warlocks on show will outnumber Dark Riders, but here's a funny thing. They really are a force multiplier as they seem to have an uncanny ability to attract swarms of other Fast Cavalry and characters on Pegasus mounts.

Obviously no self respecting Dreadlord (or Morathi or Level 4 Death Sorceress in lower point games) will be seen with out ten of these - to quote the hipster jibe - "bad boys". But really that's just the door price as 90% of DE armies will shoe-horn in 20 of the cute little donkeys.

So GW has obviously erred here. The playing base are showing "These aren't Rare at all". I look forward to their inevitable shift to "Special", perhaps even "Core".

And aren't they just great looking models!

Weekend Hobby

Over the weekend I continued on my current "crusade" on finishing up my existing armies before I make any significant new purchases.

So Saturday saw me base the metal Corsairs that Sam Whitt had painted for use as White Lions in the High Elf army I purchased off Phil Comins. Sam has done a great job matching Phil's original paintjob and it means I now have 33 rather than 14. At the same time I based the Frostheart Phoenix and an Eagle to go with the army. They will see table this weekend as James Brown is borrowing for Skitterleap.

I also finished the bases on my Black Knights and Hexwraiths and built scenic movement trays for them. While looking at my Vampire Counts I saw I had 20 Mantic Skellies, 9 Werewolves and a spare Terrorgheist. A quick tweet later and they have a new home. I'm now working through repainting some GW skeletons to match my army.

Rummaging through the box marked "VC" I found a bunch of the new plastic characters - Wraith, Necromancer and Wight King - which I've moved into the painting queue. I also have the metal Blood Dragon Vampire on foot and the Sartosa Vamp that may see some paint. My final VCs will then be finishing the Terrorgheist which is currently base-coated and then some Gamezone figs to use as Blood Knights.

Once this is done then all my TKs and VCs will be complete.

Summer will be for the Empire - Demis, Stank, Greatswords, Flagellants, 30 Sisters of Sigmar, Hurricanium and the Luminarch. Plus about a zillion characters.

End Times - The Big Question

The big question re the End Times will be answered in the next fortnight.

In End Times: Nagash we were given "The Undead Legions" which allowed people to combine their Vampire Counts and Tomb Kings armies - as part of the campaign ( though this is up for some debate as to whether it extends further).

However that was just "playtime". The real question comes when you consider Chaos. A lot of people have assumed that this "combining" will be extended to other races and has such we will see ET2 giving us a WoC/DoC abhorrence.

However perhaps the models are giving us a lead. Everything is Nurgle. Now apart from Nurgle being the only true God perhaps this signals what we'll see in Book 2.

Combination of DoC and WoC limited to those units with the Mark of Nurgle.

This still gives a strong potential army but would knock some of the more abusive aspects out of the list - no Skullcrushers, no Skullcannons etc.

Not sure what they'd do for Beastmen but perhaps the intro of a Mark of Nurgle to the list (and my 40 Pestigor would welcome this).

Guess all will be revealed in the coming fortnight.

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Rules - Focus on the New Maggoth Lords

The latest White Dwarf has the rules for the new Maggoth Lords included, so I thought I'd get my initial thoughts up.

Orghotts Daemonspew (430 points)

Monster

M6 WS8 BS 3 S6 T5 W9 I7 A8 Ld9

His Chaos Armour gives him a 3+ AS (mounted).  He also has a 6+ Ward.

If he suffers unsaved wound in CC then model that inflicted it must pass I test or take S4 hit.

In addition MoN means he's -1 to hit and he causes Fear. He has a pretty innocuous shooting attack (S4 6" range with KB and Poison - it is Quick to Fire so may have some minor utility).

He has Paired Weapons that are +2 S and are Poisoned.

Verdict:

He's obviously a close combat machine. Nine S8 attacks at I7 with a Thunderstomp....ouch. He doesn't have great protection but those nine Wounds means he is likely to stick around. Statistically it will require 3 cannonballs to get rid of him. Only 6" ground move means he is susceptible to being redirected.

Overall I like him but not sure 430 points isn't better spent on a MoN DP with Wings

Bloab Rotspawned (415 points)

Monster

M6 WS5 BS3 S6 T5 W8 I5 A6 Ld8

Again 3+ AS but no Ward. Causes Fear and obligatory MoN -1 to hit.

He is Lvl 3 Nurgle Mage who has +1 to all casting rolls. Enemy mages within 12" subtract 1 from theirs.

At start of Magic Phase all enemy units within 6" suffer D6 S3 magical hits.

He also has the 24" "stonethrower". S3(4) no AS....meh.

Verdict:

Jack of all trades, master of none. He can do a bit of everything - fight, shoot, magic. However I don't think any are done sufficiently well to justify his points cost. Putting him in your army it would be hard to define his exact role. Certainly lacks comparable survivability (and damage output) alongside Orghott. And that Leadership 8 bothers me....a lot.

Morbidex Twiceborn (385 points)

Monster

M6 WS 7 BS3 S6 T5 W8 I6 A7 Ld8

This guy has Orghott's 3+/6++ saves. However he adds Regeneration to the mix as well.

He also picks up the old CSM Plague Marine trait of Nurgle's Rot. All enemy in btb take a S1 hit, no AS.

Morbidex has MoN for -1 to hit and Fear. In addition he has a QTF S6 6" range shooting attack.

His special ability is to give Nurglings within 12" Regen but given they have base 5++ that's also a bit meh.

Verdict:

He's okay...ish. By that I mean better than Bloab. Is he worth 385 points? I doubt it. You are paying points here that require you to take Nurglings but the improvement is marginal especially in light of the outlay.

Overall:

In a competitive list I can only see a place for Orghott. And for me that jury is still out. The standard WoC MoN DP looks better value - Unbreakable, more manoeuvrable - just better.

In narrative driven list construction, all would have a potential place.

Overall, I don't see any breaking the game.

The Glottkin - Continuation of the End Times

My White Dwarf tells me that the End Times continue next week and a new picture floating the net confirms it.

The model is supposedly at least Giant-sized and is subtitled "Nurgle's Earthly Emissaries". From what I can see in the picture the model appears to have two riders on its shoulders.

The Maggoth Lords' mounts are a little underwhelming - perfectly ok but they appear to have been phoned in i.e. A bit predictable and uninspired. Hopefully the Glottkin knocks IG out of the park.

My Painting Desk

I cleaned up my painting desk during the week so thought I'd take a few snaps and show my set up.

I have a computer desk I bought that gives me a stable platform. On it are the Back2Bas-ix racks the boys bought me for Xmas.  I use two lights - a negative ion painting light and a desk lamp with a daylight bulb in it. 

On the right is my Dremel with the Dremel vice I have bolted to the desk. I normally lay some paper and have a large white ceramic tile as my palette. There are four water bowls for cleaning. I try to stick to one for metallics. The worst thing I can do is let Jack near the water bowls. Within minutes they are all full of black water. He struggles with the concept of using them for different types of brush cleaning.

In the background you can see the roller desk I bought earlier this year. Lynne hates it but it's great for me. It has storage below - basing materials, some models - a drawer in middle where I keep my Foldio and other shit and then a work area behind the roller. On top are my set of Citadel Paints. 

So that where I work. I try to keep it tidy - constant fail - and I am trying to get away from hoarding all brushes and other crap past their use by date. 

Skitterleap Lists Released

Here are the lists for Skitterleap.

There's a real mix of lists on show. Surprisingly no Dwarfs.

Very disappointed that the event only managed to attract eighteen participants. This was a bit frustrating as I had earlier shelved the event due to lower numbers earlier in the year but was asked to resurrect it. Unfortunately a lot of people who had earlier indicated interest didn't translate that into registrations.

Hopefully people will get behind the last two local events - Vermintide in November and Inepticon in December (same weekend as Masters).

Next Friday is Deadline for NZ ETC 2015 Nominations

Nominations for the New Zealand 2015 ETC team close next Friday - October 24th.

If you want to be part of the NZ team that participates in Prague then get your application into Chris Willcox on or before that date.

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What is Good In Life?

Last night local Dwarf Tane wandered around to the Dunn-geon for a 2400 point game.
I thought I'd give some potted highlights for the amusement of all.

• Tane rolled a "2" for his unpaid for benefit roll at the start of the game. Meant his General hated mine. Cost "nada".
• Both Spelleaters were activated but failed to work. Ha....starts to balance the points I wasted on a Dispel Scroll.
• One of his Grudgethrowers decided to have a sleep-in and moved onto the board on Turn 1.
• The other decided to misfire Turn 2 before being run over by Hexwraiths.
• En route to said Grudgethrower, the Hexwraiths took out a Gyrocopter whose pilot had been drinking the Koolaid that they were the new hotness.
• Still he wasn't going to be alone. All three of his mates met ignominious deaths (one did eventually kill a unit of Dire Wolves).
• Between a rock and a hard place - well actually 3" from back board edge and with the Khandallah #43 bus 8" in front - a unit of Hammerers Longbeards with BSB and Runesmith General charge said bus.
• Hating the enemy general - even for free - is of no use when you don't get to strike. Baby Vamp makes short work of Runesmith General.
• Over three rounds of combat the Dwarf "Anvil" disappears, forcing the cowardly BSB to eventually fight....and immediately die.
• Further ignomy when sole remaining Hammerer Longbeard rolls snakes eyes for his flee roll. The bus spends the rest of the pursuit removing crushed dwarf and ginger beard from under its hooves.
• Two units of Miners arrive and immediately hightail it for my board edge, well away from the nasty vamps.
• The remaining unit of Quarrellers (plus attached Runesmith) spend the rest of the game in their tower (let's call it "Terminus") surrounded by 161 very scary zombies.
• Game ends with the bus removing the last Warmachine who has beaten and bullied a unit of wolves and bats.

So this was one for all the enlightened. Recently there's been a lot of nonsense written about how exciting Dwarfs now are. I can confirm the only exciting thing about them remains their squeals when they die.

My cup of tears tastes satisfying this morning.


Edited: To reflect that there are apparently differences between the various Dwarf infantry types

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The View From Lenton

On one of the boards I peruse a forum member has posted a copy of an email to Games Workshop Investor Relations and the response he received.

I think it is a very good read as it reinforces a number of views people have picked up re GW especially over the past two years.

To me the most important of these is that they see "collecting" as the hobby. This appears to mean the decision to purchase and then buy the figures. Reading their reply what you do after the purchase is up to you and is of secondary importance to them.

I suspect that this creates a significant disconnect between the company and a large number of their customers. However it does explain why they make some of the decisions they do. For instance it explains lack of official competitive tournaments, the lack of up to date FAQs for rules, the lack of customer support (other than for broken/missing physical product) etc.

In essence they seem to say once you walk out of the shop their part in the "purchase" is over. I can understand that such a view is commonplace in the retail world.....but....but.....GW products are not a bunch of bananas and I suspect that a large number of customers believe they are buying something more enduring.

I'm not sure long term this is the best approach. I'm cynical enough to believe that in 2-3 years the impact of such an approach will see a 180 degree turnaround where we go back to the "holistic" approach of the early 2000s (and likely before).

Anyway check out the emails.

Maggot Lord Variants Spotted

More shots of Nurgle goodness coming our way. Following on from Monday's Maggot Lord, here are the tri-kit variant models.

There are rules floating around but the translations are "ambiguous". I'll wait until there is more clarity before commenting.

However I think both variants look much nicer models that the WD cover Maggot Lord Glotkin.

 

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When Was The Last Time You Saw A Giant

Driving to work this morning I was trying to remember the last time that I saw a Giant across the table from me.

It must be over two years ago. I honestly can't remember the last person I saw using one.

The GW pic gives a solid guide to why we don't see them - lack of defence in a world where 6s always wound. And that's before we start with Poison.

So when did you last play/use one?

 

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Vermintide Reminder

Just a reminder that registrations for Vermintide close on the 18th October.

Vermintide is a one day event hosted by the Wellington Warlords and Masterton Marauders at the Warlords on 15th November.

Neil Williamson is your man for more details

Race Breakdown for Skitterleap

The lists are in (and have been checked - bar one) for Skitterleap....and there are a few surprises.

Here's the breakdown:

• Ogre Kingdoms - 3
• Warriors of Chaos - 3
• Wood Elves - 3
• Dark Elves - 2
• High Elves - 2
• Daemons of Chaos - 1
• Empire - 1
• Orcs & Goblins - 1
• Skaven - 1
• Vampire Counts - 1

So it is particularly pleasing that the event won't be soiled by the presence of any Dwarf armies. Looks like the arrival of Spring has sent the grizzled stunties scampering back to their dark mountain holes. Or perhaps it because the Ogres have cornered all the cannons. Counter-battery fire not too much fun for Dwarvies when they need to wipe out the Monstrous Infantry providing cover.

I'll post the lists in the next couple of days.

Welcome The New Maggot Lords

And Chaos starts to get its roll on. This week we have the release of the "Maggot Lords" - a triple character kit like the Mortarchs.

Single profile just like the Mortarchs, each around 400 points, 100mm x 50mm base.

One acts as a 24" Str 3(4) Stone Thrower that ignores armour.

Hobby Update

Skitterleap is a couple of weeks away and lists were due yesterday. I have taken over the umpiring role so that Ryan can play. Being an all round nice guy, I'll give participants until tonight to get their lists to me before I start dishing out penalties....currently there are five outstanding.


When I look at the lists the word "dichotomy" springs to mind. Units of Night Runners, Lothern Seaguard and Slaanesh Chariots mingle freely with maxed out Wild Riders, full sized Warlock units, wall to war Tz Exalted Heroes on Daemonic Mounts. Well for the first round anyway!


My Sarissa Movement Trays turned up. They are now magnetised and have had sand applied. This will finish off my Tomb Kings and also provide a 12 man tray for my Black Knight bus.


On Saturday I went to the Kapiti Club Buy,Sell & Swap and managed to pick up a unit of Ellyrion Reavers and a crewless O&G Rok Lobba (I have crew from my Plague Claw Catapult conversion). I also picked up a bag of the old range of GW paints (that cover some holes in the existing spectrum). Thanks guys, great initiative.


I was lucky enough to snaffle a further box of new "metal OOP' Wild Riders off eBay. These come up intermittently and the price varies from a discount to new plastics to about 1.5x the cost. Great to get some NIB.


Painting wise I've been focused on Tomb Kings. I have finished Settra and started work on Khalida. Also painted a new Liche for my Casket of Souls. Following this I have a BSB, Tomb Prince and Hierotitan and then I should have between 4000-5000 points painted. I do have an additional 20 archers available if I need more Core (currently I have 60 archers).


Lastly, I based some High Elves White Lions. These are the old metal Dark Elf Corsairs. My High Elf army had 14 of these Phil Comins had done and Sam Whitt has painted a further nineteen. They've now been based on Iron Halo resin bases for James Brown to use at Skitterleap.


Reading wise, I finished the Nagash novel and have reached the invasion of Khemri in the fluff book.


So all in all a pretty busy week.

New Nurgle Champ - Gutrot Spume

Who doesn't think belly tentacles are a great idea!

The new Nurgle Special Character has a real nautical theme to him with gaping maw and squid tentacles - I'm really keen to hear what his back story is.

I think the model GW has come up with is really interesting. It seems to traverse the spectrum between Mortal and Daemon. In this it has a lot of utility to represent your Eye of the Gods outcome be it Daemon Prince or Chaos Spawn.

Blightkings - On a Knife Edge

So this Saturday sees the new Nurgle End Times unit "Putrid Blightkings" unveiled in White Dwarf.

These are WS6 S4 T5 W3 I5 A3 with the Mark of Nurgle -1 to Hit costed at 40 points per model. They come in units of 5+.

However there is one real kicker. Although they are on 40mm bases - normally the preserve of Monstrous Infantry - they are listed as Infantry.

And this is where the real debate starts. As Infantry they:

• Have no Stomp Attack
• Can be Stomped or Thunderstomped
• Are susceptible to Killing Blow
• Are required to be 5 wide to get a rank
• Can't stop a cannonball (?)

In fact the only real advantage they have is if they "infest" a building - ten rather than three can fight. 

As Infantry they are very very fully priced. As Monstrous Infantry they are in the "Warlock" value aisle. 

I personally don't think it is a typo. Instead I think that they will be the preserve of fluffers or the basis of conversions. 

Thoughts?

Podcasts on Nagash Fluff

The recent episodes of both Garagehammer and Heelanhammer have been dedicated to the fluff sections of the Nagash End Times book.

Both have followed a similar format - a round table discussion of the content and its implications for the Warhammer world.

Garagehammer is more structured in form following the chronological path of the book pretty much. The panel is made up of Dave Witek, Chris Yu and Chris Tomlinson (from The Black Sun podcast). I'm not so sure on the "fluff" readings by what I suspect is one of Dave's students, but the panel discussion is fun and thought provoking.

The Heelanhammer offering is a bit more chaotic. In this case the panel is Dan Heelan, Wayne Kemp, Chris Appleford and Simon Hyett. They jump around a bit more but benefit from the longer period in the hobby that someone like Wayne has been. They regularly reference the similarities and differences with GW's 6th Ed "Storm of Chaos" campaign - that the End Times effectively replaces.

Both are well worth the time taken to listen. I regularly picked up things I missed or nuances I hadn't thought about. Well done guys!

I'm loving this narrative direction that GW have taken with the End Times and can't wait until the second wave hits.

Miniature Monday - Refurbished Tomb Kings Basing

The Tomb Kings were my first ever Fantasy army. I bought them off Charles Black in 2003 - he had picked up multiple army boxes from GW as the prizes for winning GTs (those were the days).

I didn't play them until 2006 - focusing on 40k up until then. Still they have a soft spot in my heart - my first WHFB event was the Games Workshop NZ Grand Tournament in 2006 where I won Best Sports

Last weekend I decided I would tidy up their basing and movement trays as they had become a bit tired. I'm still waiting for the trays for the cavalry and Tomb Guard to complete the army.

Steel Sheet for Magnetic Basing

I magnetise all my models so that they stick to the movement tray. The base of the model gets adhesive magnetic sheet - you can use rare earth magnets as an alternative - but you need something to "stick" to. You can use other magnets but that can get fiddly and also can create a bond that is too strong (you end up snapping models or pulling them off their base).

The product I've found best to line your movement tray is Rubber Steel Sheet from GF9. This comes in packs of three sheets 5" x 8" for USD 9.99. Battlefront NZ used to sell it but now you get it from their UK warehouse. All up with postage three packs cost me NZD50.00. It is adhesive and can be cut with scissors so it is very workable. Transit from the UK was less than a week.

Nurgle Chaos in This Week's White Dwarf

This week sees the start of a month of Chaos releases.

So the first week sees the Putrid Blightkings. These appear to be Nurgle Chosen.

Also expected is Nurgle Special Character Gutrot Spume plus a large Nurgle Monster with variety of builds.

Interestingly the rules for the Blightkings show them as "Infantry" on a 40mm base - so only single attack from second rank :-(  These look very overpriced game wise. And they cost $110 NZD for 5 models so not cheap wallet wise. Expect that they will get used as Nurgle champs in WoC armies....oh wait.

They can be used in all three Chaos armies confirming an upcoming merging of the force - perhaps some people won't be so keen to see ET armies at tournaments now!

Happy times indeed.