Pass and Review

I have always been afflicted by what I call "Hobby ADD". Anyone who has read this blog for more than a few months will likely be completely unsurprised. Tonight, I am playing around with a list of  armies I am currently working on, and some possibilities for the future... Figure I may as well go by system, that should keep things simpler to sort. Maybe.

30k
Death Guard - My primary 30k force, currently around 1700 points fully painted, and another 1300 or so waiting for my attention to swing back their way. Theme plan for them is that they are members of the 1st Great Company, and thus (mostly) loyal to Typhon, Mortarion, and Horus.

Night Lords - Still sitting at under 700 points, they started out as my 30k force, but were quickly knocked from that dark throne. I want to add a bit more, maybe move them to a full 1000 points, and use them as an allied force. Don't really have a theme for them currently, but as I write, Im getting an amusing idea to use them as Loyalists instead. I may toy with this idea...

Knight House Hodagi - Currently consists of a single Knight Errant, to be used as a Lord of War or an ally. Long term plans are to add a few more so I can play them as a Questoris Knight Crusade, or as Imperial Knights in 40k. Currently there are a few knights that don't cross over (Styrix, and the three new plastic variants), but I like them all, so Ill probably get what I like and pick the appropriate list to use what I want. Theme for this force is tied in with my ideas for Forge World Gersi, as their subject world.

Skitarii/AdMech/Mechanicum* -  My Skitarii are currently sitting at about 1000 points, with just the Onager painted (though I did work on the Vanguard earlier today!). Plan is to continue work on the Battle Maniple formation, an easy list to work with. In the longer term, I want to add models from the assorted 30k Mechanicum lists, to represent all the resources that my home-grown Forge World has available. Theme for them is that Mortarion stumbled upon and saved their world early on, and they have been supporting his interests during his part of the Great Crusade, and followed him into heresy.

*technically the Skitarii and other Adeptus Mechanicus book(s) are 40k, not 30k, however local opinion is to count them as Mechanicum until we hear otherwise.
 
Chaos Daemons (Nurgle) - Actually a bit of a placeholder, as the only model I currently have is a single Daemon Herald, with a box of Plaguebearers in the mail. Plan is use them as summoning filler for the Occult Binder (Librarian) I am converting for the Death Guard, though if things work out, I might expand into a full army. Theme here is that Mortarion is teaching some few former Librarians in the arts of binding, banishing, and controlling "witchery". Of course, who do they gravitate towards binding? You got it.

40k
Storm Fists - Im sorta losing interest in these guys at the moment. Roughly 2000 points, all painted except a unit of bikers. I have a few other boxes of Space Marines as well, but they are on hold, in case I decide to do a Chapter hop.

Dark Angels and other assorted Space Marines - In addition to the above, Ive got a few units and/or characters from the Dark Angels, Space Wolves, Minotaurs, Black Templars, and Blood Angels. Keeping them handy to use as allies, but only the first is reasonably fleshed out to play solo. Possible I will pick one of these as my next 40k army, but then maybe not. 

Red Scorpions - These guys got boxed up, and on the Forgotten Shelf, but they are still around. A full battle company, minus four rhinos. Biggest thing keeping me from doing anything with them? The yellow/brown I used for their trim is out of production, and the closest variant is still too bright. Havnt been able to mix it properly.

Chaos Marines - Ive got a bit of a collection together right now, almost all in grey plastic. I was inspired by the Crimson Slaughter, but then I got distracted and moved on. As usual. As of right now, they are somewhere between getting hauled out to the shed, and being saved for whenever Nurgle Daemonkin get done.

Necrons - Another bit of a placeholder. Currently I have two boxes of Tomb Blades, as a start to a Reclamation Legion. Might migrate from Space Marines for a while. Or maybe not.

WHFB
Warhammer is in limbo right now, really. We dont really know what is going on, what will change, what is still viable. So, no plans to work on until I hear otherwise from the horse's mouth.
Skaven - Currently I have a fully painted Island of Blood set of Skaven, and a few other units I need to finish painting, or just need to build.

Ogre  Kingdoms - Ogres are sitting at 2000 points, mostly half painted. I can (and have recently) play them, but they are mainly a filler army for when I don't or cant play something else.

Undead Legion - About 2/3s of my legion is built, about 4-5000 points all told. Nothing is painted. Nothing is even primed. Bleh.

Chaos Warriors (Nurgle) - A leftover from the Great Purge, maybe a thousand points of half painted, or unassembled Warriors. I like the idea of a Nurgle force, I just get really bored with these guys. Since Glottkin was released, Ive pulled these guys out a dozen times. Ill look at the models, or make a list, or whatever... then box them up and put them back up. Eventually Ill admit defeat.

Warmachine/Hordes
Circle Orboros - In theory my prime faction. Ive managed to collect all the models I need to make a 35 point tier 4 theme force list for every Warlock in the faction, minus Bradigus. And for that, I just need the dude himself. Problem is I bit off more that I could chew. Half the models are unopened, and maybe three of the lists are fully painted. Someday Ill knock them out. Hopefully.

Farrow - Another example of biting off more than I could chew. I ordered tier 4 for all the Warlocks, thinking "Hey, there are only a few of them, and they all share everything anyways!". Now, I still think this one is doable, if I get my ass in gear. Just a few units and beasts and Id be done. It is just a matter of looking at that box, and seeing it all.

Cygnar -This is where I have started to learn my lesson. I ordered a single theme force. Commander Stryker and his goons. I did pick up a few other models, but they are not on the radar yet. As far as I am currently concerned, Stryker1, Ol' Rowdy, 2 Lancers, and 2 units of Long Gunners are all I need to work on. Once they are dealt with, then Ill allow myself to realize I have that 35 point "All-in-One" to work on still.

Other Games
Deadzone - From what I hear, this still gets played locally from time to time, I just happen to miss out on it. My force is assembled, and one day might get painted.

Malifaux - Bit of a dead duck for me. I know some locals play it, but the locals I play with do not. I have the Seamus crew (mostly) assembled, but no feel for them.

Table - Not a game, but needed for them all. Ive got the Realm of Battle set-up, that I need to paint one of these days. Going to be a quick deal, mostly brown spray and drybrush, with some grey and bone for rocks and skulls. Also got terrain I need to sort out.

The End

This past weekend, Bear, Kev and I talked about the End Times books, and recorded a beastly two hour episode of Flock and Awe.

Go and listen, but remember: "Sally Warning", and Spoiler Alert.

Listen to me!

Happy New Year and all that

Think I was supposed to do my yearly wrap-up a few weeks ago (at least going by my habits so far)... Ahh well.

Overall, I had a decent year in 2014. Dont remember off the top of my head if I had any specific goals, and dont really care anymore if I did.

I didnt game as much as I could have, and I didnt paint anywhere near as much as I wanted. My number of armies has shrunk though, so Ill call that a win.

This coming year, I think Im going to stick with two goals.

1: Build Less.
2: Paint More.

See, from mid-September to the end of December, I didnt paint at all. Nothing. I was too busy trying to build an extra 3k points of undead for a mega-battle that I ended up missing because I got sick. Well, now Ive got a decent chunk of models for the games I play built. Not all built, obviously, but I can have a decent game without stressing that I dont have enough models.

So, Im going to *TRY* to avoid starting the new shiny. Obviously I will fail, but Ill be satisfied if I can keep the financial damage to a minimum.

As of the new year, this is where I am sitting:
40k Storm Fist Space Marines
30k Death Guard Legion
WHFB Undead Legions
WM/H Circle Orboros

I do have extras tacked on to half of these, or will soon. Ive got my 30k Night Lords to use as allies, if I feel like it, and plan to add some Dark Mechanicus and a Knight household for my Death Guard, maybe even some Imperial Army too. For my Circle, Ive got all sorts of Farrow to build and paint.

I still have my Skaven force as well, and we will see if I can resist the call of the Horned Rat when the next End Times book hits....

Schemes

"No, Master, please no!!!!"  The messenger's plea quickly devolved into a horrendously long and pain-filled death scream, eventually ending it's atonal assault as a quiet death rattle.

Mannfred von Carstein, Mortarch of Nagash, until recently the master of Sylvania dusted his hands over the dessicated remains of his spy. With an imperious gesture, he flicked a speck of necromantic energy into the corpse, directing it to get back to it's feet and join the massing zombie regiments.

How could this be? Vlad had been back for less than a year, torn screaming from the realm of the truly dead by their mutual Master, and yet he has managed to secure through guile and negotiation what Mannfred had been denied for nearly half a millennia of bloodshed and scheming. Vlad had managed to stumble into the perfect way to restore his fortunes, luck of the damned and pure happenstance, that is all it could be, Mannfred told himself.

And yet, in the darkest corner of what remained of his soul, a doubt lingered. Vlad was his bloodfather, the font of darkness that had started Mannfred's own journey into true power. Could it be that despite, or even because of his years beyond the living world, that Vlad's power, his intelligence, his sheer will to rule had emerged intact, perhaps even enhanced?

Vlad was now officially an Elector Count of the Empire. His name was now on a very short list of souls that could inherit the title of Emperor, once Karl Franz died. He could deliver the Empire to their Master's embrace merely by waiting for one mortal to eventually succumb to time, and what was time to the dead? The very thought of how he was cheated of his rightful place threatened Mannfred's long-suffering calm, and he resolved to once again bring Vlad to his deserved death. He had managed it once before, he just needed the opportunity to do it again...

Lore of Undeath Summoning Cheat Sheet

Something Ive been meaning to write out for myself, and finally got around to it. There might be other versions out there, but Ive not see them yet. So, decided to share! If you spot an error, let me know.

I skipped the non-summoning spells, as this is all about the summoning. I decided to make the list based around the minimums. "If I cast this at base cost, and added no tokens, what could I get?" For units that need more than the minimum, I added a note. However, rather than make the list (particularly the Character section) unwieldy, I put a cap of 5 tokens on top of the minimum.

Some entries have an upgrade listed, this is either because it is free, or there are enough points left over that it is silly to not take the upgrade. These are usually (but not always!) the single model choices, where there is nothing else to add. In cases where I list units at higher than their minimum size, you should feel free to drop models to add any upgrades you feel are appropriate. In all cases here, I rounded down to whole numbers.

One final note, Nagash and Arkhan have special rules regarding this lore, and you could/should double or triple the unit sizes listed as appropriate.
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Ryze - The Grave Call
Infantry unit up to 50pts or up to 100pts (50pt casting listed)
Vampire Counts units
-16 Zombies
-10 Skeleton Warriors with hand weapons or spears
-10 Crypt Ghouls
-4 Grave Guard (need higher cost spell and 1 token for minimum unit)
-1 Cairn Wraith (need higher cost spell and 5 tokens for minimum unit)
Tomb Kings units
-12 Skeleton Warriors
-8 Skeleton Archers (need 1 token for minimum unit)
-4 Tomb Guard (need higher cost spell and 1 token for minimum unit)

Monstrous Infantry unit up to 150pts
Vampire Counts units
-3 Crypt Horrors
-3 Vargheists
Tomb Kings units
-3 Ushabti with great weapons, extra hand weapons, or great bows
Undead Legion units
-1 Morghast Harbinger (need 1 token for minimum unit)
-1 Morghast Archai (need 3 tokens for minimum unit)

Razkhar - The Abyssal Swarm
War Beasts unit or Swarm up to 75pts
Vampire Counts units
-9 Dire Wolves
-4 Fell Bats
-2 Bat Swarm
-1 Spirit Host
Tomb Kings units
-1 Tomb Swarm (need 1 token for minimum unit)
-3 Carrion

Monstrous Beasts unit up to 150pts
Tomb Kings units
-1 Tomb Scorpion
-2 Sepulchral Stalkers (need 2 tokens for minimum unit)

Kandorak - The Harbinger
Single Character up to 65pts
Vampire Counts units
-Necromancer (Level 1)
-Vampire (need 4 tokens for minimum)
-Wight King (need 2 tokens for minimum)
-Cairn Wraith
-Tomb Banshee (need 3 tokens for minimum)
Tomb Kings units
-Tomb Prince (need 4 tokens for minimum)
-Tomb Herald
-Liche Priest (Level 1) (need 1 token for minimum)
-Necrotect

Single Monster, Chariot, or War Machine up to 200pts
Vampire Counts units
-Corpse Cart with any upgrade
-Varghulf
-Black Coach
-Terrorgheist (need 3 tokens for minimum)
-Mortis Engine (need 2 tokens for minimum)
Tomb Kings units
-Necrolith Colossus with any upgrade
-Hierotitan
-Necrosphinx (need 3 tokens for minimum)
-Screaming Skull Catapult with Skulls of the Foe
-Casket of Souls

Akar'aran - The Dark Riders
Cavalry, Monstrous Cavalry, or Chariot unit up to 150pts
Vampire Counts units
-7 Black Knights
-5 Hexwraiths
-3 Blood Knights (need 5 tokens for minimum unit)
Tomb Kings units
-12 Skeleton Horsemen
-10 Skeleton Horse Archers
-2 Skeleton Chariots (need 2 tokens for minimum unit)
-2 Necropolis Knights (need 3 tokens for minimum unit)

Wandering Eye

Funny thing with my attention, I can reasonably expect my attention to wander off about a week or so into drooling over an army that I am not physically working on. As I mentioned before, I got some undead to start my End Times force. Well, Ive managed to keep them on the sprue, telling myself to work on them when I get back from the trip. Not on table, out of mind, right?
Not quite. Ive been carting around those books like a 3-year old and his favorite teddy bear. I have been rereading the rules and the fluff, and while I am still a tactical noob, Ive gotten a better understanding of the new lore and rules than Ive ever had about any army before. I have gotten Evil Ideas on how to play these boneheads, and am chomping at the bit, ready to glue stuff together. And buy more. As always.

The great thing, and the problem, with how my plans will shape together is that Im going to need a significant number of "spare" units. Unlike the Lore of the Vampires, which for the most part only refreshes damaged units, the Lore of Undeath actually creates new ones, and you have choice there. Take a look at Ryze - The Grave Call. Off that one spell, you have 12 potential units to choose from. Granted, you will only be able to summon some of them with a few (or more than a few) tokens saved up. Deciding which unit to summon and where to actually put them (as long as in range of the caster) is going to be a bit of a mini-game in itself.

Right now I am torn between Arkhan the Black, and Mannfred as my Mortarch of choice. Arkhan can summon bigger point value units (33 zombies on a 9+), but Mannfred has the wider area in which to place them, which has more potential to mess with your opponent's plans. Assuming their plan isnt just "run in and fight!".

So, for right now my plan is go on vacation, come back all recharged, and build dead things. Probably add some Tomb King models once these first few units are done, then look into who will lead my force.

Looking for a story

On Friday, I was on a mission. On the hunt. Tracing the hidden trail towards prey they did not wish to be discovered. And I found it.

As the entire internet knows, Games Workshop dropped their newest book this past weekend, a book that has drawn widespread praise for a company that is (often deservedly) wargaming's favorite punching bag. Nagash is back, and the Warhammer world will never be the same.

At least, that is what all the promotions say. They call it The End Times. From what I have read of the book so far, I am not disagreeing. Many characters dead. Both non-combatant and Special Characters. Even ones recently updated with new models. Nations are falling, and those long thought banished walk freely under the Chaos-torn skies.

So, this hunt I was on? Was not for the book. I had no difficulty tracking a copy of that down. No, my hunt was for a set of spell cards. I am fortunate that there are several local gaming shops nearby, because these are harder to find than a fart in a hurricane. I did get my set, but that was not all...

As soon as Id seen the Nagash model, I knew I was lost. Id be back into WHFB in a hard way soon enough, likely starting a new Vampire Counts force. Maybe use the new Undead Legion rules to pick up some Tomb Kings to round things out. However, I made myself swear that this army would wait, wait until I got back from vacation. I could do that, right?

Yeah, wrong. I walked out of the game shop with a lighter wallet, and a sack bulging with the rotting remnants of the Empire's finest. Whoops. Well, now I am telling myself to wait until I get back from vacation before I start building. Give myself time to digest the new setting.

So, that story I am looking for in the title? That is me looking for an idea of how I am going to theme these lost souls. For the longest time, I was planning on starting Vampire Counts, and theme it off of the von Carstein's march through history. Vlad & Isabella, Konrad, and Mannfred, and a few converted other vampires. That idea can still work, maybe even better now that... well, now that things have changed.

However, Im am not setting this idea in stone quite yet. I am also considering having my way with greenstuff and some plastic zombies, to make Necrarch vampires. Or haunting eBay to find old metal Blood Dragons. Or just using the new Neferata and Coven Throne for Lahmians.

The point is, I want a story within the story. A theme to anchor my colors to, and a reason to be proud of my dark works. If you have any ideas to share, let me know. I know Ill be sharing my ideas soon enough...

An update!

Yeah, blog has been kinda dead, hasnt it? Last post of any significance was back in January. Made a total joke of my goals for the year.

Oh well, moving on. Stuff that has happened in the past six months.... I am still co-hosting on the Flock & Awe podcast, going nearly weekly now.

The wife and I purchased a house, and I have a ma-hoo-sive basement/mancave/hobby area. Seriously, some people have suggested turning it into a hobby club, as I could probably get three game tables in. Just the one is fine by me though, thanks. ;)

Ive gotten some painting done here and there, though as always not as much as Id like. Ive added a few armies, and abandoned some others, often in the same day. Current list looks like this...

40k
Red Scorpions
Storm Fists
Orks
Tyranids

30k
Night Lords
Death Guard

WHFB
Skaven
Ogres

Warma/Hordes
Convergence
Circle

Also kinda working on Plague for Deadzone, and the Redchapel Gang for Malifaux, though very slowly.

Lets see, I am still making a nuisance of myself on Twitter...

The Scotland and England trip is still on, really looking forward to it now. Only about seven weeks to go!

Alright, time to wrap this up. I am intending to set up some auto posts of pics of stuff Ive painted lately, should last until I get back from vacation, plus interjecting a bit more often than I have been lately. We will see how that goes...

Fantasy for 2013

I meant to get to these a month ago, honest!

Been completely uninspired with Fantasy lately, was half thinking of not bothering with it at all this year. And then... Chaos happened. You have seen the pics, I wont bore you.

The problem with the current/old book is that is lacked feeling. Very uninspiring to me. Im going off the assumption that the new book wont suffer from that problem (fingers crossed!).

So, Ive decided to start Ryan's Chaos Army X.0. X.0, because I have NO idea how many Chaos armies Ive started over the years. :P Anyways, I decided to "bend" the rules a bit, and have fun with this collection. Collection, not army, take note of this.

Raise of hands, who remembers the Realm of Chaos book? They had a fairly unique (for Warhammer) army selection method in that book. You chose your Hero, then an equal or greater number of points worth of units. Select another hero, repeat. I have decided to replicate this, though Ill probably change it to 1 Hero +2/3 units. And, Im not limiting it to Warriors of Chaos. Going to do the same for Beastmen and Daemons. I plan to eventually have enough models/units to field a proper, legal army (ok, three armies!), but for right now Im just looking for fun stuff to paint. I do have an overall theme in mind, but for the moment lets just call it a gathering of forces in the Chaos Wastes.

As far as painting, Ive got a base color scheme planned out, and will have God-specific variations for those units so marked. Likely cloaks and shields will be in God-specific colors.

And now, to show that this isnt just idle thinking out loud (like usual), the first Hero (a Nurgle Sorcerer) and his Warrior retinue:

Ill lay out more of my ideas once Ive solidified them.

2012 in review, 2013 in the headlights

Been a quiet year on the ol' blog, huh? Posted some pictures, talked about my armies, and even posted a bit of (crappy) fanfic. The table was a bit more active though. Ill go through by system, hopefully I wont miss anything...

Oh, and before we get started, you do know my TwitPic folder has a LOT more pics then what I post here on the blog, right?

40k: This year was primarily the year of the Tyranid, I managed to collect and paint a 1500 point army. I also continued work on my Red Scorpions, they are down to a single Assault Squad, and a few Rhino/backs until the company is complete. Ive been working on those Dark Vengeance Dark Angels and Chaos Marines as well, but they are not nearly close to being prepared for anything.

Ive also bounced some half-assed projects around: some Dark Eldar, Space Wolves, and maybe that Dark Angels and Chaos Horde project from a while back, havnt really decided on that yet. There were also a TON of projects that never had models purchased for them.

WHFB: Fantasy didnt get nearly as much love. I did some work on my Ogres, but not as much as I could/should have. I also dusted off my Warriors of Chaos box, and did a bit more with them, but nothing too exciting.

This year, I did not start any new WHFB armies. Im starting to think Im moving on from this game, or maybe there was nothing that really grabbed my attention...

WM/H: More work was done here, this year. My Circle Orboros project was started and continues unabated. The collection is about half painted at this point, and I only need to buy a few more things to finish. On the Warmachine side, my Cryx are nearly all painted, only Rengrave and a Warwitch Siren remain. Im not entirely sure what my goal with this faction is. I might try to go "all the theme forces" like the Circle.

As far as other games... I didnt start any. I looked at Malifaux, but none of the factions jumped out at me, saying I had to start them. Same for Infinity. Dust Tactics and Dystopian Legions are interesting, but break my "No Alt History Games" rule.

Think that is about it for this year... Going to try to hammer out ideas for 2013, for my next post.

Not quite dead yet

Right. Pretty quiet here lately. I am still kicking, and still painting. Been quiet because Ive been trying to decide on some stuff.

For WarmaHordes, Ive pretty much dedicated myself to painting and collecting Circle Orboros. In fact, I received my newest order earlier today: a few new warbeasts, a second unit of druids, Mohsar, and the Lord of the Feast. My overall goal for these guys is to get a tier 4 list for each and every Circle Warlock. So far, I have Baldur 1 & 2, and Mohsar "collected". I have the model for Cassius, but his full force is further down the road, as I want those plastic Skinwalkers, rather then the expensive metal ones. So, what is the paint status for this collection? Aside from the new stuff in today, and a Wayfarer I picked up on Saturday, its all painted. Ill see about taking pics... eventually.

Ive got myself a shopping list made up, what I think is the most efficient order to pick up models and knock out tier lists, and I might even stick to it! A few things are on hold for that new 2-player set, like any caster needing Skinwalkers or more Argus (Kaya2, Cassius, Grayle).

As far as 40k, WHFB, and all else GW... Dunno. As Ive stated on Twitter, Im not sure if GW has priced themselves out of my reach yet. I dont want to "Doom & Gloom" or Ragequit, so Im taking my time to decide. Knowing me, another couple months and Ill decide to go with it. Maybe. Im not entirely sure, but I think something will change, no matter what, and I dont mean just upgrading from 5th to 6th.

So, what about other games? Infinity, Malifaux, others? Nothing is really grabbing at me right now. Malifaux swamp gremlins are amusing, but not enough to want to start a new system right now.

Last thing before this wall of text falls over and crushes us all: The Top Ten. My home computer has been restored to its rightful place of power. In theory, I could start it up tomorrow morning, after work. In practice, Im thinking Im going to let it stay. For now. Maybe. Dunno.

Doesnt that figure?

So, ever since 8th edition came out for Fantasy, Ive been putting it off. I toyed with Empire a bit, but for the most part I was willing to sit and wait for the new Tomb Kings book.

Well, a little while back I got nipped by the Fantasy bug, and was looking at the Isle of Blood set, with the intention of starting Skaven... but that kinda died.

Then they stuck the new Greenskins up on Advanced Order and.... I was tempted by a Wild Waaargh! for a night. Then it died. I wasnt really surprised, I just sold off another Ork army.

Last week, the bug stopped nipping, and flat out bit a chunk out of my leg. So, I was looking at Beastmen, and pulled out what I have that could be updated to the current book... which turned out to be three characters and ten centagors. Not a promising start, so I looked at my Empire force. A moment looking at the halberdiers and I almost put them back, then I saw the knights.... a few hours later, Id finished all the armor, and had started on painting horse flesh.

This morning I get up, and go to slap a bit on the knights plumage... and what do I see? Yeah, Tomb Kings in May. Figures.

I think Ill finish painting the 500 points I have, and squirrel some money away for the new dusty goodness.

State of the Empire

So, I finally got my Empire army assembled, and today I actually got them primed. Next up is painting. So, obviously this is my last chance to reconsider my Reikland/Altdorf theme. Think, think, think... Ok, Im done, on with the plan!

So, the question now is how do I reflect that theme in such a small and diverse force? Well, that part is actually going to be easy. The hard part will working that diversity back into a coherent army.

This is my plan currently:

General: Mostly armor, but the little bits of cloth will have the Altdorf colors.

Wizards: Obviously will have the colors of their schools (red for the Fire, dark purple for the Death).

Halberdiers: I figure the "poorer" Reikland will provide the melee state troops to start off with, so these guys will be painted in an off white.

Handgunners: These guys will represent Altdorf, so a red/blue scheme is in the works. Not sure if I will quarter or half these guys, but something like that.

Reiksguard: These guys have an obvious color set, but I am thinking of adding a small red trim to the barding, just for kicks. I havnt decided whether the horses will be brown or grey, but it will be one of those two, and I want to keep it the same for the full unit.

Greatswords: I have three options for these guys. Paint them as Altdorf, ordinary Reikland, or as the Carroburg Greatswords. Two of the three options will match the rest of my army fine... the third would just look awesome. I could save that for a later unit of Greatswords though.

As far as actually painting, these are my plans. They are all primed white, aside from the Knights and Amethyst Wizard.

Reikland White: Im thinking a couple washes of bleached bone to get it started, maybe a bit of snakebite leather or bubonic brown to tint it, followed up with a quick drybrush of skull white.

Altdorf Red/Blue: I am thinking I may finally break out that mechrite red thats been sitting around for a while and play with that, followed up with some blood red. The blue will be Ultramarines blue with a black wash, followed by a touch-up.

Armor/weapons: These will get my usual coat of Boltgun Metal, followed by a black wash and BGM touch-up. The Knights will get a bit of Chainmail after that to shine things up.

So, plans made, there is just one thing left to consider: how do I base them (probably brown dirt with static grass)...

Starting work on the Empire

Tomorrow morning I am heading out to my local GW to get an Empire Battalion box set, and likely another comparatively cheap box/blister pack. Im trying to decide between a Cannon, more Handgunners, a Warrior Priest or a box of Mages.

Today I spent a good amount of time working on that Valten model Ive been hoarding for years now. I really like how he is turning out, but my camera refuses to take a decent picture. Bleh. Anyway, he will make a good Captain for low point games, and a nice General for higher.

So, the expanded idea for my Empire army is to base it around Altdorf and the Reikland. Altdorf is home to the Church of Sigmar, the Reiksguard, and the Colleges of Magic. I want to say there is another Knightly Order around there, but I cant remember off the top of my head. The only significant organizations not represented are the College of Engineers and the Church of Ulric. This works out that my state troops wear either off white, or red and blue uniforms (except the Carroburg Greatswords!). I am planning that any war machines will wear the standard uniforms, but engineers will wear the colors of Nuln. The end result will be a riot of colors. How am I going to tie it all together as a cohesive army? Good question. Not entirely sure yet, besides basing.

Coincidentally, this gives plenty of fluff reasons to include all the special characters besides Luthor Huss, and its even possible for him to be in the area, spreading the word of Sigmar's return. However, I do want to create a character of my own to be the leader when the Emperor and his cronies are busy elsewhere, thus enters Klaus Franz, nephew of the Emperor, and General of the Empire. I am thinking that cool Captain with the hammer and pistol will be the base for this model.

Trying to decide on a new army, again...

So, with the new edition of Warhammer, I, like many others, am considering a new army. Or maybe sprucing up an old one. Or maybe finishing one thats been sitting. Or something. Im not exactly sure (as in I have no idea) what I want to do yet, but Ive managed to squirrel some cash from selling those Dwarves away... Enough to add a few units to an old army, or start a (small) new one. So, lets see, gonna talk my way through the armies, maybe come up with an idea to work on...

Beasts of Chaos - One of my top contenders, adding some Ungors would make the current collection work, sorta.

Bretonnia - Not really interested in these guys, even if I have a few.

Daemons of Chaos - I like the idea of Daemons, and the new stuff is looking pretty spiffy, but there are two things holding me back: No plastic Plaguebearers yet, and the only model I have for them currently is a Keeper of Secrets. Id have to put a good chunk of money in just to use it.

Dark Elves - Ive got a 1k list for this army, all primed and even a bit of paint... however, I just cant get into the Corsairs, and the Warriors are really starting to show their age. Its getting harder for me to take them seriously.

Dwarves - Kinda funny, I sell off a bunch of these, and they get a bit of a buff from 8th. Ill pass for now, but reserve the right to come back eventually. ;)

Empire - I have always liked the Empire, and Ive got this fun idea of an Altdorf/Reikland combined force... But the only model I have is an old "limited" Valten in armor on foot. They are the lead in the "starting from scratch" list.

High Elves - These guys are currently taking up desktop real estate, Im assembling the archer unit that came in the Battalion box, then they will all be assembled. But I dont know if they are what I really want to be working on. Im thinking they are going to be fairly easy to paint, and do decently on the table. Close to the top of the "starting with existing models" list.

Lizardmen - I have a single problem with the Lizardmen, and its the goofy looking Cold Ones. Normally Id just ignore them, and go with the rest of a cool looking range, but they just ruin it all for me. Bleh.

Ogre Kingdoms - Another addition to the "got some" list, Id guess somewhere around 2k points, and little interest in doing anything with them.

Orcs and Goblins - Ive got the Skull Pass Night Goblins still, shouldnt be too much to get them to a minimum playable size, but really dont want to deal with a horde army...

Skaven - Speaking of horde armies...

Tomb Kings - Ive got over 2k of these guys, but I am thinking they are going to gather a bit more dust until the new book comes out.

Vampire Counts - On one hand, I could do that historical Von Carstein Family army Id been thinking about a while back, on the other, the VC are just another flavor of Undead, and I like my Mummies...

Warriors of Chaos - I keep pulling these guys out of their box, setting them up, looking at them, then tossing them back. Me from ten years ago is screaming. Im just not feeling it anymore.

Wood Elves - Know how the Cold Ones from the LM ruined them for me? For the Woodies, its one detail on a large number of models. Those stupid half masks. They just ruin the whole look for me.

So yeah, Ill be thinking about this for a while more I bet.

Another option would be to forget it all, and pick up the two rhinos I need to pump my Red Scorpions to 1500...

8th Ed First Game

Went out to play against Deo on Saturday, my first game of Warhammer since before Thanksgiving and moving to the new house... Due to limited space and time, we were only able to get three turns in, but what an interesting three turns!

I brought 2k of Tomb Kings (once I found out that Incantations were not screwed), and he had Skaven. Im not going to give my full list, cuz it sucked very bad (I actually made a 3k list and gutted it down, got rid of the wrong things).

Mission was the Watchtower, I started with a unit of archers in there, I lost that real quick.

If anyone ever says to me "You play TK, you dont have to worry about miscasts" again, I will likely punch them in the neck. Why do I say this? Because my Banner of the Undying Legion miscast on the first turn. Didnt have to worry about anything going crazy, just the banner turning to dust.. But as I rolled the dice, know what happened? Power Outage at the store. Let none doubt the power of Tomb Kings miscasts!

So, anyways. I also got a nice wad of cash from him from selling some Dwarfs, and now I am looking to add to an army, but which one? Not TK, since they are rumored to be getting a new book and models come October. Not really wanting to start something new, so looking at the armies I have, Im considering either Warriors of Chaos or High Elves... We will see.

Remember how I was planning on prepping the Top Ten on Monday Nights from here on out? Yeah, I am working 12s the next couple days. Shot that plan in the foot for this week. So, as I type this, Im looking through stuff. Im hoping to have enough stuff lined up to get it ready as soon as I get home in the morning. And I am back to marking a lot of stuff, instead of just opening them in new tabs, so I might actually get another "The Rest of the Story" up... Maybe.

Regarding Fantasy...

Im still struggling with my ideas for a Warhammer Fantasy army... Up until this morning, these were the main contenders:

Skaven - New book, new models, wide variety of units. One of my favorites, and was the army that got me playing Fantasy in the first place.

Orcs and Goblins - Crazy variety of units, always good for a laugh.

Beastmen - New book coming up looks interesting, always been a fan of the more feral Children of Chaos.

Lizardmen - Models are nice, dinosaurs have always fascinated me.

Tomb Kings - Completely reliable army, new book is on its way. Added advantage of already having a significant amount of models.

So, these were what I was wracking myself over. If I were to choose a single force, I wanted to be sure it was one I could keep working on for the year. Then DT brought this to my attention.

Looks interesting, just gotta play one game on a specific weekend. Not bad at all. Four core choices and 1 dispel scroll? Not a problem. 2500 points, fully painted? Hrm. I have a good chunk of Tomb Kings, that wouldnt take too much work to get to 2500 fully painted points... But I have none of the Special units that are useful, like Carrion or Tomb Scorpions, and with the new book on its way, I dont know how easily I could lay hands on some, or if Id even want to.

I was planning that if I went with the Tomb Kings, I was going to start from scratch with the new book. New plastic skeletons and Tomb Guard are pretty much a given, and most of the rest of the stuff I have could use an update... But maybe Ill think about going with the dead ones in 2010, and just expand on what I have instead.

New Years 2010 Resolution Stuff

2010. Interesting number, huh? I get the feeling its going to be an interesting year as well. We will see.

So, yeah. My gaming resolutions. Ive already laid out what Im wanting to do with the ol blog, but Im not going to count them as resolutions, more as goals, so I wont ding myself if I dont hold to them. ;)

First off, actual gaming: I will try to have at least one game every two weeks, whether at the bunker, my place, or someone elses place... or even if I have to drive to the mall *shudder*.

Second up, painting, modeling, and army collection: Fantasy was going to be easy, Tomb Kings are coming up sometime this year, so I was just going to hold out for them... then I got to thinking that maybe I want to do this army or that... I still havnt decided. Whichever I choose, my goal with this army will be to have them tournament legal and ready just as quickly as finances allow. All the rest of my existing Fantasy armies are going into the box, until 2011.

For 40k, my plans are a lot more interesting. Ive mentioned that I have models from ten different Space Marine chapters on my table right now.... Yeah, you can see where this is going. "I shall build a grand army of the Imperium", to paraphrase my hero Senator Palpatine. At least ten different chapters, some Imperial Guard (Cadians, Catachan, Elysians, Kreig, Tallarn), those Grey Knights that have been in hiding for a few years, and maybe Ill pick up a few more Nuns with Guns. No specific goal as far as points or model counts or anything like that. I just want something extremely over the top. Plans are to get what I have painted first, then start adding whatever I decide I want to paint.

Warmachine/Hordes: I really do want to get back into this. Im unsure if Im going to continue with my Cryx or if I want to run a different faction... Both Cygnar and the Protectorate are appealing. Khador is not so much, they are too much sledgehammer, not enough finesse. I like my armies to be a little sneaky at least...

500 Points of FUN!

This past weekend I drooled on my army books a lot, trying to decide where Im going with this new army bug Ive got. The answer? Nowhere new.

Plain and simple, I cant find anything new and exciting I havnt touched on before, but Ive got a closet full of stuff Ive not done anything with at all. So, I decided to make a 500 point list for each of the fantasy armies Ive got models for, and hopefully will give them each a run in the fairly near future. Im not sure if Ill expand on any of them, but having the lists will make quick pick up games easier... I actually have all the models needed for each of these, though a few still need to be assembled, like the High Elves and the Bretonnians.

HIGH ELVES
Noble w/ Great Weapon, Heavy Armor
97

10 Seaguard w/ Shields, Full Command
155

10 Archers w/ Full Command
135

5 Silver Helms w/ Shields
105

Total: 492


DARK ELVES

Master w/ Heavy Armor, Shield
86

10 Repeater Crossbowmen w/ Full Command
120

12 Warriors w/ Shields, Full Command
99

17 Corsairs w/ Full Command
195

Total: 500

ORCS AND GOBLINS

Night Goblin Big Boss w/Great Weapon, Light Armor, Guzzla's Battle Brew
51

Night Goblin Shaman w/Lvl 2 caster, Staff of Baduum
125

20 Night Goblins w/Spears, full command
100

20 Night Goblins w/Spears, full command
100

20 Night Goblins w/Shortbows, full command
80

1 Troll
40

Total: 496

BRETONNIANS

Paladin w/Shield, Barded Warhorse
76

Paladin BSB w/ Barded Warhorse
74

6 Knights of the Realm w/ Full Command
216

8 Knights Errant w/ Full Command
181

TOTAL: 499

DWARFS

Thane w/ Great Weapon
69

14 Warriors w/hand weapons, shields, full command
151

10 Thunderers w/ shields, full command
175

1 Cannon w/Engineer
105

TOTAL: 500

OGRE KINGDOMS

Bruiser w/ Ironfist, Brace of Handguns, Heavy Armor, Wyrdstone Necklace
176

3 Bulls w/ Ironfists, Light armor
129

3 Ironguts w/ Full Command
194

TOTAL: 499

Tomb Kings

Tomb Prince w/ Shield, Light Armor
104

Liche Priest
115

15 Skeleton Warriors w/ Spears, Shields, Light Armor, Full Command
175

10 Skeleton Warriors w/ Bows, Full Command
105

TOTAL: 499

WARRIORS OF CHAOS

Chaos Sorcerer w/ Lvl 2 Caster
120

10 Chaos Marauders w/ Flails, Light Armor, Full Command
80

15 Chaos Marauders w/ Shields, Light Armor, Full Command
110

10 Chaos Warriors w/ Shields, Full Command
190

TOTAL: 500

New Army Bug

Its taken a while, but the bug has hit me again. I want to do something new and different. In 40k, thats a problem, since the only army that has ever had a book that Ive never attempted before is Daemons. Ive got some daemons, from different Chaos Marine armies, but nothing concrete as an army.

Ive been thinking whatever I do, has to not be Space Marines. Ive done tons of them. Im actually considering a Fantasy army. Empire is tempting cuz I like humans, and they are a fairly flexible force. Beastmen have been on my list, mainly because of the potential for conversions. Id have to pick up a few more Chaos Spawn sets just for all the tentecles Id want to add... and Id need the "Skippy's Revenge" Chaos Hound unit (inside joke). I was talking to Mikie earlier, and he suggested Ogre Kingdoms, and Im still not really interested in continuing work on the models gathering dust in my closet. Then we started talking about High Elves... He seems to think they are a powerful army (top 5 or so), where I think they may hit decently, but have something even worse then a glass jaw. So, I got to thinking, maybe he is right... Ive still got that battalion box in my closet...

I made up a few lists here, first two are 40k Daemons, one Nurgle and one Slaanesh. For each of those all Id have to buy is two boxes of lesser daemons. The third list is 500 poins of High Elves, using stuff I already have.... oddly enough, it looks a lot like the Dwarf list I made up for the Escalation Thing... I still dont know for sure what Im doing for a new army, but those High Elves are at least getting assembled, and I might throw some money at one of the Daemon lists next week, at the very least I could use the Plaguebearers for my Purge CSMs...

NURGLE DAEMONS
GUO w/ Aura of Decay
180

5 Plaguebearers w/Noxious Touch
85

5 Plaguebearers w/Noxious Touch
85

Daemon Prince w/MoN, Iron Hide, Noxious Touch
150

Total: 500

SLAANESH DAEMONS
KoS w/Pavane of Slaanesh, Soporific Musk
245

6 Daemonettes
84

6 Daemonettes
84

6 Daemonettes
84

Total: 497

HIGH ELVES

Noble w/ Heavy Armor, great weapon, Helm of Fortune
122

14 Spearmen w/full command
141

10 Archers w/full command
135

Repeater bolt thrower
100

Total: 498