Chibi Army

I've been trying to get Demitra to agree to gradually build a new army with me, 250 points at a time, from 500-1,750 points. Things are looking pretty good on that front, and I know where I want my army to end up (see the last post), but what should I start with?

We'll be starting with Combat Patrols. For anybody who doesn't know, Combat Patrol was a game option from the 4th edition rulebook (originally introduced in an article titled "40k In 40 Minutes" in White Dwarf) that takes place on a 4' x 4' board (so that buys me some time to make those last two sections). The restrictions on units is pretty tight (no 2+ saves, no more than 2 Wounds, etc.) but the Force Organization Chart is altered. HQs are 0-1, Troops are 1-6, and the rest of the FOC looks the same as usual. The question is what my little baby raiding force should look like.

I'm positive I'll be fielding a unit of Kabalite Warriors. These are my firebase, and they'll be my main source of anti-armor. Of course I'm probably going to be facing Orks, so fat lot of good Dark Lances will do me. If I do face any Trukks, however, they'll die QUICKLY. The confusion arises at the remaining couple of hundred points. Without my army construction software close at hand I can't be sure how many points I have remaining, but it's 200+ for sure.

I want to use Incubi. I really do. The models are gorgeous, they're absolute butchers in melee, and they're going to be amazing at uprooting anything squatting on objectives. The trade-off is that I'll be left with only a single scoring unit. This may or may not be a problem. Depending on if we end up using the 4th edition scenario or the 5th edition ones, this could put me at a serious disadvantage. Ten Dark Eldar with no leader and especially no close combat weapons is a very exposed squad. As nightmarish as the Incubi are, I just can't expect them to hold everything on the board in check.

The alternative is Wyches. There's never any harm in taking a second Troops choice, but this one is little more than an Agoniser delivery system, with the remaining avalanche of attacks probably pattering off whatever they assault due to either high Toughness or good Armor Saves (or both).

I also need to look forward to the future. As soon as we enter the 750 point level, I'll need a second Troops choice, as well as an HQ. The HQ is simple enough- a single Archon. He won't be quite as tooled up as he would be at later levels, carrying an Agoniser and Shadowfield only (no need for Combat Drugs or a Huskblade), but he still eats up a fair few points. The second Troops choice may end up having to be as small as a ground-bound Kabalite Warrior squad, and a Dark Eldar unit without its ride is usually pretty dead.

No matter what I'm probably going to go with the same paint scheme as my Battlefleet Gothic fleet. I like the way these colors bring a model together. The models' skin will be brown (Scorched Brown > Vermin Fur > Snakebite Leather to be exact) while their hair will be white. I've already used this color scheme on some Dark Elf miniatures, and the result is quite striking.

I'll be going for a sort of "comic book" feel, with the shading and highlights sharp and defined. This is a very deliberate system which really makes the miniatures pop off the table, and compliments the models' already "supervillain" look. I will be keeping metallics dark and to a minimum. Some parts of the models' guns and knives, but Agonisers and Klaives will have more of a polished obsidian look, shiny and with deep blue highlights. The paint scheme is going to look striking as vibrant purples, whites, and greens offset deep blacks. Hopefully I'll be able to get this show on the road pretty soon.

My next post will probably be sample army lists.

For now, however, back to the G. W. site to lust after those sweet, sweet Incubi...

Considering Incubi

I've been reading up on Incubi recently. It seems they're about the biggest gamble in the game since any sensible opponent will try to down them ASAP. Well, duh.
The upside to these guys is the immense melee bite they bring to the table, and with the attaches Archons more than makes up for their bullet-magnet status. All my eggs in one basket? Well, yes. Should I hit you with that basket, however, I'll break your face.
The Klaivex, however, are probably not worth the cost of almost two Incibi each.

The army I've written up still has the added threat of the forthcoming Wych assault. These girls (and guys) are more than capable close combat opponents.

Fourteen Dark Lances are capable of offing vehicles and mangling dangerous close combat opponents. The problem remains with the army being a glass cannon, and amassed anti-armor fire will quickly strip my evil warriors of their rides.

Without further ado, here's the revised army list:

HQ

-Archon with Combat Drugs, Huskblade, & Shadowfield
-Archon with Combat Drugs, Huskblade, & Shadowfield

Elites

-7x Incubi; Raider with Flickerfield
-7x Incubi; Raider with Flickerfield

Troops

-10x Kabalite Warriors with Dark Lance; Raider with Flickerfield
-10x Kabalite Warriors with Dark Lance; Raider with Flickerfield
-10x Wyches; Hekatrix with Phantasm Grenade Launcher & Agoniser; Raider with Flickerfield
-10x Wyches; Hekatrix with Phantasm Grenade Launcher & Agoniser; Raider with Flickerfield

Heavy Support

-Ravager with Flickerfield
-Ravager with Flickerfield

I'm thinking that this army has a more rounded feel, and with the Archon's  Combat Drugs he'll have a lot more of a combat punch (to the point he may not even need the assistance of the Incubi). The more amassed Incubi squads should be more survivable with their Space Marine armor save (as well as the fact that there are now seven of them).

Another thought, but another concern- Do I have enough Dark Lances?

Another Two-Fer, This Time: Terrain

As I sit here pondering the idea of a 40k escalation "League" (if you can call two people a league) I have come to a conclusion. My current 6'x4' table is simply out of date. I have a desert themed table that would look much better, and has a lot more line-of-sight blocking terrain. This, of course, leads me to a couple of problems.

One- I need two more 2'x2' squares to make the table out of.
Two- I need more fine ballast to texture the boards.
Three- I may need to buy new paint. Mine has been in storage since early fall, and I'm sue re all the pigment has settled to the bottom. What I'm not sure about is being able to re-mix the paints without making a gigantic mess somewhere in / near the apartment.
Four- I need a new paint roller. Or at least the spongy bit that goes over it. I'm sure Wal*Mart has one, it's just another thing on my terrain building checklist.

More terrain would be even better, as I'm not so sure I have enough terrain to fill up a quarter of a 6'x4' table, but if not I'm pretty close.

Once the two other board sections are / would be done, I('d) need to flock and Static Grass the sections, as right now they're bare.

This project would need to be put off until the snow stops around here any way and the temperature is a bearable state for some time.

This is a project I'd love to jump on, but weather and space constraints keep getting in the way. Don't think for a second though that this is over- My MalifauX / Warmachine boards and terrain components will not go to waste!

Dark Elfdar

Well, with all of Demitra's ravings about starting a Grey Knight army, that would leave us with a Blood Angel, Grey Knight, Plague Marine and Deathwing army. Quite a few MEQ armies there, and more than a few loyalist chapters. This has me pondering a Dark Eldar army. Two of my army lists have really caught my interest, and I will post them both here (of course).

The 1,750 point Wych Cult

HQ

-Lelith Hesperax
-Succubus with Agoniser & Haywire Grenades

Troops

-9x Wyches with Haywire Grenades, Hekatrix with Agoniser & Phantasm Grenade Launcher, Raider with Flickerfield
-9x Wyches with Haywire Grenades, Hekatrix with Agoniser & Phantasm Grenade Launcher, Raider with Flickerfield
-10x Wyches with Haywire Grenades, Hekatrix with Agoniser & Phantasm Grenade Launcher, Raider with Flickerfield
-10x Wyches with Haywire Grenades, Hekatrix with Agoniser & Phantasm Grenade Launcher, Raider with Flickerfield
-10x Wyches with Haywire Grenades, Hekatrix with Agoniser & Phantasm Grenade Launcher, Raider with Flickerfield
-10x Wyches with Haywire Grenades, Hekatrix with Agoniser & Phantasm Grenade Launcher, Raider with Flickerfield

Fast Attack

-2x Beastmasters & 8x Khymerae
-10x Hellions, Helliarch with Agoniser

This list has Troops-spam out the wazoo. The Wyches are highly aggressive attacking units, which could in the end spell their doom. The HQs are both butchers. Lelith is perfect for clearing out tough combatants like Space Marines. The Succubus with Agoniser is there for Monstrous Creatures (her fixed to-wound roll and ability to ignore armor saves will make a mess out of high-Toughness enemies). The low Armor Value of the Transports may be a hinderance, since any Raider that fails its Flickerfield save will probably be grounded, however the assaults pouring out of the vehicles will likely massacre anything they touch.

The alternative is a more balanced army, focused on more of an all-comers approach.

1,750 point Dark Eldar Kabal Army

HQ

-Archon with Huskblade, Shadowfield
-Archon with Huskblade, Shadowfield

Elites

-5x Incubi, Klaivex with Demiklaves, Raider with Flickerfield
-5x Incubi, Klaivex with Demiklaves, Raider with Flickerfield

Troops

-10x Kabalite Warriors with Dark Lance, Raider with Flickerfield
-10x Kabalite Warriors with Dark Lance, Raider with Flickerfield
-10x Wyches with Haywire Grenades, Hekatrix with Agoniser & Phantasm Grenade Launcher, Raider with Flickerfield
-10x Wyches with Haywire Grenades, Hekatrix with Agoniser & Phantasm Grenade Launcher, Raider with Flickerfield

Heavy Support

-Ravager with 3x Dark Lance, Night Shields, Flickerfield
-Ravager with 3x Dark Lance, Night Shields, Flickerfield

This is an army that focuses on redundancy. Two of everything leads to more target priority issues, especially with Ravagers and Incubi closing to take out big targets. The Archons' Huskblades and  Shadowfeld make him perfect for eliminating Monstrous Creatures and Independent Characters with its Instant Death capabilites. For Eternal Warriors and vehicles the Dark Lance volleys should make short work. Of course, Wyches are there to help remove objective squatters. Haywire Grenades make them capable of tearing open transports, and Agonisers are there for MEQs and the like. The Incubi assisted by their Archons should slaughter anything they touch, especially now that their armor no longer prevents them from being Fleet.

I'm leaning toward the second army, but the theme of the Wych Cult is just so hard to ignore.

Rat-A-Tooie

My second 2,250 point Skaven army today, this one is totally hand-to-hand combat focused. This army consists of:

Lords
-Grey Seer on Screaming Bell with Power Scroll, Shadow Magnet Trinket, & Skalm

Heroes
-Chieftain Battle Standard Bearer with Charmed Shield & Talisman of Preservation
-Warlock Engineer with Doomrocket

Core
-44x Clanrats with Shields & Poisoned Wind Mortar Weapon Team
-40X Clanrats with Shields & Poisoned Wind Mortar Weapon Team
-40x Skavenslaves
-40x Skavenslaves
-6x Giant Rats with 1x Packmaster

Special
-6x Rat Ogres with 4x Packmasters
-8x Gutter Runners with Slings & Poisoned Attacks

Rare
-Doomwheel
-Hell Pit Abomination with Warpstone Spikes

This is a much more straight forward army list. This one simply wants to get in close to the enemy and beat the snot out of them. The avalanche of attacks provided by the Rat Ogres (21 at full strength) will help take heat off of your Hell Pit Abomination and / or Doomwheel. If not, the Rat Ogres will make mincemeat of whatever they touch. It's a win-win scenario!

This time the Hell Pit Abomination has Warpstone Spikes. This is to keep ethereal units like Wraiths from being able to dismantle the creature with no return attacks.

The Giant Rats are another war machine hunter. They attack from the front as the Gutter Runners attack from the rear.

All the other models act exactly as they did in the previous list, with the exception of the Screaming Bell, which wants to advance with the army.

This is one of my personal favorite lists, which trades the Magic Phase for raw hitting power. Once the enemy is crushed and driven before me, I do a little happy dance.

...In theory...

Rat-A-Tat-Tat

Well, I know I promised a Chaos Warrior army in my next post, but today you'll get one of my Skaven army lists. Admittedly this army is untested, but it's equipped to deal with any enemy threat.

You'll note that this army has a wide variety of model types. It's also a fairly small (185 models) army for 2,250 points. This is because this army favors "hammer" units over "anvil" ones. In this army list you get:

Lords
-Grey Seer (Lore of Ruin & Dreaded 13th) mounted on Screaming Bell with Power Scroll, Shadow Magnet Trinket & Skalm

Heroes
-Chieftain Battle Standard Bearer with Talisman of Preservation & Charmed Shield
-Warlock Engineer (level 2 Wizard) with Warp-Energy Condenser & Ironcurse Icon
-Warlock Engineer with Doomrocket

Core
-40x Clanrats (pushing Screaming Bell, with Battle Standard & Lvl. 2 Warlock Engineer) with Shields & Poisoned Wind Mortar Weapon Team
-40x Clanrats (with Doomrocket Warlock Engineer) with Shields & Warpfire Thrower Weapon Team
-40x Skavenslaves
-40x Skavenslaves

Special
-7x Gutter Runners with Slings & Poisoned Attacks
-7x Gutter Runners with Slings & Poisoned Attacks

Rare
-Hell Pit Abomination
-Warp-Lightning Cannon
-Doomwheel

The Grey seer is a casting powerhouse with his access to the Dreaded 13th spell or Skitterleap. Ideally you want both of these spells (roll a 1 and trade out another spell for Curse of the Horned Rat) in order to "bamph" your Doomrocked-equipped Warlock Engineer onto the flank of your enemy's army. From there you'd want to decimate whatever you can with the rocket (large Strength 5 blasts are amazing) and wait for just the right moment to burn your Power Scroll to get off Curse of the Horned Rat on some hyper-elite unit. The Screaming Bell provides the Grey Seer with a 4+ ward save and a 2+ Ward save against spells! Skalm allows the army's general to heal back up to full wounds at the beginning of any phase. Very handy. The Shadow Magnet Trinket provides protection for the unit pushing the bell, as well as the bell itself- since things like bolt throwers will be trying to whack the Screaming Bell as fast as possible.

The Chieftain Battle Standard Bearer, as with any Battle Standard Bearer, is geared for survival. In 8th edition Warhammer everything, and I mean EVERYTHING will be gunning for your army standard. Keep him alive at all costs. This model is geared for survival as much as any model can be.

The level 2 Warlock Engineer is there for the potential 2 Power Dice he can contribute. The added bonus of his Warp Lightning spell (his default) getting +2 hits is just icing on the cake. The Ironcurse Icon is there to combo with the Shadow Magnet Trinket to keep the Grey Seer's ride alive. The Clanrats pushing the Screaming Bell are almost as important as the Grey Seer riding it!

The Doomrocket equipped Warlock Engineer is a suicide character. Intended to teleport to the flank of your opponent's battle line, he should launch his rocket into the midst of whatever he is most likely to decimate. Don't bother with high Toughness or multi-wound models, just see how much of a body count he can wrack up.

The Clanrats should be pretty straight forward. The unit with the Poisoned Wind Mortar should hang back and protect the bell at all costs. Yes, the bell can be a very potent combat model, but it's of much more value alive than splattered at the hands of some Chaos Lord.
The Warpfire Thrower unit should accompany its weapon team forward before seeing what havoc the model can inflict. Believe me, Warpfire Throwers are terrifying opponents for any unit.

The Skavenslaves are tarpits. They have no use other than absorbing charges and being targets for shooting / casting spells into combat. Indeed, in a Skaven army life is cheap.

Gutter Runners- where to begin? These are war-machine hunters extraordinaire! Poisoned slings make for a hail of death for any unit, especially one with only three wounds. In melee these demi-ninjas will make short work of weapon crews, with a dozen Weapon Skill 4, Poisoned attacks. After eliminating all of your enemy's war machines, it's time to rear charge any combat you have trouble breaking up.

Speaking of breaking up combats, the Hell Pit Abomination will make short work of any unit it meets. Tons of attacks, many of which hit automatically, will turn the tide of a losing combat into a winning one in no time.

Of course, no army would be complete without its artillery, and the Skaven have a wonder-weapon in the form of a Warp-Lightning Cannon. When used correctly (and with a touch of luck) this wonder-weapon will leave heaps of bodies in its wake. Learn how to get the "bounce" of the warp-lightning to land in the middle of units and watch the enemies evaporate.

Finally, the dedicated Large Target hunter, the Doomwheel. Three lightning bolts doing D6 damage each will make short work of any big gribbly. Arachnarok Spider? Hydra? Treeman? Watch them all fry (provided they're the closest target) in short order. The model is also great at helping break up prolonged combats with its impact and "Grind" attacks.


Now don't think this is the end of my Skaven army lists. I have several others with other units included. This is just an example of what I may bring to the field.

Don't get me wrong- I would NEVER build an army based on what opponent I'm playing. This is just one of my armies-in-testing. Hopefully I'll be able to post a finalized version of my army soon.

The Lure of the Dark Gods

Further experiments with my army construction software have caused me to consider Warriors of Chaos. This would be a much more expensive army, as it requires the purchase of a LOT of halberd blisters, and several sets of Chosen heads, but the choppy doom the army unleashes! So many Strength 5 attacks!

Plus, the flying level 4 sorcerer with a 2+ armor save and a 3+ ward save.

So much fun could be had with this book! I'll post whatever army list I create later, but suffice it to say with the ease I can create army lists, and the speed I can crank the armies out, it's tough not building another army.

Just gotta stay focused on my Skaven and Ogre Kingdoms armies.

...And The Lists Just Keep On Comin'

I was messing around with my army construction software again, and came up with this pretty strong Dwarf army list. The last thing I need is to start another Warhammer army, so I'll post it here in order to get it out of my system.

2,250 point Dwarfs

Lords
Dwarf Lord with Shield, Shieldbearers, Runic Axe (Master Rune of Smiting, Rune of Cleaving, Rune of Fire), Runic Armor (Rune of Preservation)
Runelord with Shield, Runic Armor (Rune of Shielding, Rune of Stone), Runic Talisman (Master Rune of Balance, 2x Rune of Spellbreaking)

Heroes
Thane with Battle Standard, Runic Armor (Master Rune of Gromril, Rune of Preservation), Runic Talisman (2x Rune of Luck)

Core
20x Longbeards with Full Command, Runic Standard with Rune of Battle, Great Weapon
20x Longbeards with Full Command, Great Weapon
29x Dwarf Warriors with Full Command, Shields
10x Thunderers with Shields
10x Quarellers with Shields

Special
Grudge Thrower with 2x Rune of Penetrating
Cannon with Rune of Burning, Rune of Forging

Rare
Organ Gun

This army is based around the contents of two Dwarf Battalions and adds only a minimum of needed artillery, warriors, and characters.

The Dwarf Lord is tooled up to take on and win challenges against some of the biggest baddies around. With a 1+ armor save and immunity to Poison & Killing Blow, he should survive long enough to lay down the punishment with his +1 Strength, D6 Damage, Flaming axe.

The Runelord is kitted out to stay well away from the action. He sports a 2+ armor save and a 2+ ward save against ranged attacks and Magic Missiles. His runes help him shut down the Magic Phase, stealing a Power Die and adding it to his Dispel Pool. Finally, he can simply stop two spells dead in their tracks with no roll required.

The Thane is geared for survival, pure and simple. He has a 1+ armor save and can re-roll two to-hit, to-wound, or armor save rolls. The idea is to save the runes for botched armor saves.

The Longbeards should be pretty easy to understand. Their Weapon Skill 5, Strength 6 close combat attacks allow them to chew through the toughest infantry with ease. The unit with the Runic Standard should be deployed to take on the biggest, nastiest thing it can find.

The Dwarf Warriors are the anvil to the Longbeards' hammer. With Toughness 4, heavy armor, hand weapon, and shield, they are there to grind. They are accompanied into battle by the Lord and Battle Standard Bearer. This will provide the close combat bite the unit lacks.

The Thunderers and Quarellers are your clean-up crew. Anything the artillery doesn't adequately mangle or destroy gets finished off by these guys. The shields are there for survivability, giving them a 5+ save against shooting, and the all-important Parry save. The Quarellers are there for range, and the Thunderers provide accuracy and armor penetration.

The Grudge Thrower is there to obliterate infantry. Don't let its Strength 10 center fool you, if it is shooting at anything else either you have won the game or are just doing it wrong. The reason this weapon exists is for the Strength 5 "splash" damage caused. This weapon is devastating against all kinds of infantry, so have fun squashing things.

Your Cannon is a monster hunter. Giants, Hell Pit Abominations, Hydras, Arachnarok Spiders... All of these can be dealt with by a Strength 10, D6 damage inflicting cannon ball. Should you roll on of those accursed "Misfire" results, the cannon can re-roll. Oh, and just for those pesky gribblies with Regeneration, this cannon sports Flaming shots.

Finally, the Organ Gun. This is a multi-purpose weapon. Since it simply inflicts an Artillery Die's worth of hits, it can pick off skirmishers and anything else conventional weapons have a hard time hitting. Fast Cavalry, Skaven Gutter Runners and Ogre Gorgers are the bane of your artillery, so this gun will help keep the enemy away from your line. Of course, you can always employ it against anything small and foolish enough to wander into range, or any wounded monsters who just plain refuse to die.

Astute readers will note that this army list has no Gyrocopters. The reason for this is because "march blocking" is pretty much a thing of the past, and the Steam Gun is only really effective against amassed, low Toughness infantry. Any concerted effort on your opponent's part will see this "wonder weapon" off in almost no time.

This is a very traditional Dwarf army, shying away fron the Anvil of Doom (which is just too unreliable for my taste). You'll sit there and soften up the enemy as they close, before charging in for the kill with your valiant (if filthy) Dwarfs. This is certainly not an optimized list, but it is plenty competitive.

Battle Report: Ogres vs Lizardmen- The Watchtower

Well, here it is, my second Warhammer battle report. This time I forgot the actual camera, so I had to make do with the camera in my phone, so please excuse the picture quality.

We had agreed on a 2,000 point battle earlier in the week, so I used the army list I had published previously in this post.

Once again facing the Lizardmen, I wound up rolling "The Watchtower" as the scenario for this game. Anyone who's played me in this scenario knows that this is my least favorite game of all six (though, to be fair, I haven't played "Battle for the Pass" yet). If the Lizardmen ended up garrisoning the Watchtower first, I was pretty sure I was borked. As it turned out, I was the one to start out in the watchtower. My only unit small enough to fill this role, however, was my Leadbelchers.

Look, Leadbelchers are a roaming harassment unit. They are not objective squatters. When the large block of Sarus lined up ready to charge the tower, I was once again uncertain about the outcome of the forthcoming assault.

The rest of my army formed up in an unusual formation (for my ogres). The Ironguts took the left flank, ready to go through the forest and eliminate the Sarus block. The unit of Bulls with the Slaughtermaster took the center. Their mission would be to relieve the Leadbelchers once they (hopefully) held the tower for a short while. The last eight Bulls would be the other half of the claw closing around the heart of the army. Of course, having fewer units to deploy than almost any other army in existance (I have just over the minimum three units), my plan was easily disrupted by the Lizardmen's continued deployment.

There was no slann, nor were there Temple Guard this time (hooray!) but there was a Sarus Oldblood riding a Carnosaur (boo!). This beastie does D3 damage with every unsaved wound, and is purpose-built to take out large models like my ogres. Also, I would be staring down a unit of Kroxigor, but with their great weapons, I figured the avalanche of attacks the Ogres create would bee enough to finish them off before they got to swing at me.

Once deployment was done, our battle plans seemed pretty clear- I would try to roll the left flank, and the Lizardmen would overwhelm my right.

My armies seem to have this knack for being hopelessly outnumbered...

After three attempts at breaking tied roll-offs, the Lizardmen won the roll for first turn. As I predicted, the Sarus charged the tower and the noose began to close around my right flank. The combined efforts of the Carnosaur and the Stegadon would easily obliterate the bulls stationed there.

The Chameleon Skinks exited the ruins they had scouted into and unleashed a volley at my Bulls. One ogre fell, riddled with poisoned darts. A volley of Skink javelins pattered harmlessly off the heavy armor of the Ironguts, leaving one slightly wounded, but the unit no worse for the wear.

Inside the watchtower itself, the Saurus took a casualty or two from the Leadbelchers before inflicting five wounds on the unfortunate ogres. Lickily, the general was nearby, and the Steadfast unit held its ground.

During my turn, the now mangled Leadbelcher exited the watchtower to unleash a final defiant salvo against the onrushing Lizardman horde, as the Slaughtermaster's Bulls entered the tower to replace him. The Ironguts and second Bull regiment advanced more cautiously- not wanting to get charged / shot off the board by the combined efforts of the Lizardman army.

In the next turn, the horrifyingly inevitable happened. The Carnosaur and Stegadon declared a charge against the rightmost Bull unit. The regiment gripped their weapons tightly, stared at their onrushing foes, gritted their teeth and boldly...

...Fled. This led to much cursing from the Lizardman side of the table. The Stegadon and Carnosaur were stranded away from the fight moving only a few inches each due to their failed charges.

Not shockingly, the Saurus again assaulted the tower, this time finding a more capable foe. Several wounds were inflicted on both sides, but this time the Bull ogres emerged the victors due to having Gut Magic cast on them.

Another salvo of javelins, this time accompanied by Salamander fire felled an Irongut (at the cost of one Salamander devouring all of its crew and becoming Frenzied, and the Chameleon Skinks offed another Bull ogre as the regiment fled past them.

The Ogres then rallied easily, and turned to face the dinosaurs, this time protected by a screen of Chameleon Skinks. The Ironguts declared a charge against the Skinks with Javelins hiding in the forest, who elected to stand and shoot at the onrushing Ogres- inflicting a wound. The Skinks were gleefully slaughtered by the combined efforts of the Ironguts, Bruiser Battle Standar Bearer, and the Tyrant. Victorious, the regiment elected to hold its ground where it could see the Suarus assaulting the tower.

Turn three saw the charge of the Kroxigor against the tower, as the Stegadon and Carnosaur maneuvered into more advantageous positions. The Sarus reformed to accept the forthcoming Irongut charge.

The Chameleons continued to rain fire into the Bull Ogres, felling two of the monsters.

During close combat the Bull Ogres killed a Kroxigor with their higher Initiative, losing an Ogre in return. Having inflicted one more wound than their foes, the Ogres again emerged victorious. The Kroxigor unsurprisingly held their ground.

In response, the Ironguts did indeed charge the Sarus, and the Bulls charged the Chameleon Skinks.

The Bulls massacred the Chameleons, and the Ironguts won their combat against, and broke, the Saurus warriors. As the Lizardman Battle Standard Bearer fell defending the army's standard to the last, the Skinks who had advanced behind the Saurus to attempt some pot-shots at the Ironguts panicked and began to flee the battlefield.

Unsurprisingly the Saurus rallied as the Skinks continued to flee The Oldblood riding the Carnosaur goaded his mount toward the Watchtower, intent on slaughtering the ogres inside.The Kroxigor turned about to prepare for the Ironguts' implacable advance around the tower. The Stegadon turned about to face the Bull Ogres who had decimated the Chameleon Skinks.

More Salamander fire continued to thin the Ironguts' numbers. The Bulls stationed inside the tower inflicted a wound on the Carnosaur, and the Carnosaur devoured three ogres.

The Ogres responded by charging the freshly rallied Saurus, as the Bull ogres on the right reformed to face the Stegadon. This time there would be no escape for them.

The Saurus were again broken by the Irongut charge, and this time (with only two remaining) would only rally on a double 1.The Ironguts reformed after their victory to face the two remaining Kroxigor.

In the Lizardmen's next turn the Kroxigor charged, along with the Frenzied Salamander, into the Ironguts. The Carnosaur again assaulted the tower. The Stegadon charged the Bulls, who boldly held their ground against the onrushing beast.

Combats were short and bloody for both sides. Unsurprisingly the Bulls were broken by the charge of the Stegadon, who turned about to face the Ironguts. Two further Bulls were devoured, but they managed to continue wearing down the Carnosaur, inflicting another wound. The Salamander wounded the Bruiser Battle Standard Bearer twice, who in return inflicted a pair of wounds on the fire-spitting reptile. The Kroxigor managed to fell an Irongut, but the Tyrant made short work of them with his Tenderizer. The Salamander turned an fled the carnage, again to rally only on a double 1.

The Ironguts continued their orbit around the watchtower, and the Slaughtermaster prepared for his demise at the jaws of the Carnosaur.

Realizing it could only end in the complete slaughter of the dinosaur, the Stegadon held its position. The Salamander Hunting Pack drew closer to the tower, and the Carnosaur commenced its final assault against the Slaughtermaster holding the watchtower.

The Slaughtermaster was messily devoured by the Carnosaur.

In response, the Ironguts charged the Carnosaur-mounted Oldblood. This would be the deciding move of the game.

The now depleted Irongut unit (if you can call a single model that) rushed forward, and the Bruiser Battle Standard Bearer delivered the killing blow to the ravening Carnosaur. The Oldblood failed to kill anything in his Initiative step, and the Tyrant, now unable to attack due to the Oldblood's now diminished base size, could only watch as the last remaining Irongut failed to fell the enemy General.

In the end the Bruiser was closest to the Watchtower, so the scenario ended in a victory for the Ogre Kingdoms.

This was a really close game. Magic played a very small part in this one due to my throwing up buffs on units preparing to receive charges, and the Lizardmen dispelling them in their own turn.

I was pleased at the performance of the Tyrant, even though he never really got to swing his weapon to full effect, his Toughness of 6 and the -1 modifier to hit him really saved his bacon against the Saurus and Kroxigor blocks.

Another fun game goes down in the history books. I hope that even my losses will be this much fun, as this was my second win with this army that day.

Blog Alterations

Boredom is a wicked thing.

While I sat here contemplating my next battle report (to be posted tomorrow, hopefully) I decided that this blog's layout just isn't me. That is why the site is now a bit more... purple. As time goes on I will continue to tweak the page to my liking, so if you don't like the new look, or are offended by the color purple, I'm sorry.

Now, back to contemplating Ogres.

Another Quickie Post From Work

Well, looks like my Ogres will be facing off against the Lizardmen  tomorrow. I'm a little scared since I'll be facing off against a player who has a superior command of his army (I played about two games with my original Ogre army about three years ago). My plan is to stick to my plan. Form a rigid battle line, ignore as much poison as possible, and go straight for the throat. I don't have the armor or assets to piddle around with skinks, all my focus needs to be on squishing that Slann.

Magical superiority will have to be abandoned, and I'll just have to weather the inevetable hell storm of offensive magic coming my way. Bull Charges and salvoes of attacks wil be the order of the day.

That stupid Stegadon may just have to have a run-in with my Tyrant if at all possible.

Another potential issue arises with the big mass of Temple Guard surrounding the Slann. This unit will have to be combination-charged in order to be dealt with. Models with two Strength 5 attacks each are not to be trifled with.

Of course, as they say, "no plan survives contact with the enemy". We'll just have to see how things pan out.

...That reminds me! I need to bick up a pack or two of movement trays. Those big units will be too much of a bear to scoot around one ogre at a time.

Another Possible Deathwing Solution?

More tooling around with my army construction software, and I've come up with another possible army list:

Belial (Thunder Hammer / Storm Shield)
Deathwing Squad with Assault Cannon & Chainfist
Deathwing Squad with Assault Cannon & Chainfist
Deathwing Squad with Cyclone Missile Launcher
Deathwing Squad with Cyclone Missile Launcher
Deathwing Squad with 2x Thunder Hammer / Storm Shield, 2x Lightning Claws, Chainfist & Heavy Flamer
Deathwing Squad with 2x Thunder Hammer / Storm Shield, 2x Lightning Claws, Chainfist & Heavy Flamer
Ravenwing Land Speeder with Multi-Melta
Ravenwing Land Speeder with Multi-Melta
Ravenwing Land Speeder with Multi-Melta

A little more Ravenwing saturation with this list, which in all honesty the last lists needed. I'm not totally sold on an Interrigator Chaplain- the re-rolls are nice, but is he really worth his whopping 145 points? Against many armies he'll never even see combat.
The two dedicated close combat Terminator squads are for either counter-charge or objective baby-sitting duty. With their weapon loadouts they're better for wound-allocation shenanigans as well.

Perhaps one day I'll drop the two Assault Cannon squads and replace them with naked Land Raider Crusaders. That will help deliver my two hand-to-hand squads into melee, and give anti-tank assets something else to focus on as my infantry advances.
...Of course there's just that certain something about 31 pairs of feet on the ground clad in 2+ save armor.

It's a shame in a way that the new Dark Angel FAQ came out as soon as my army was completed. The new Deathwing build of choice seems to be Cyclone Missile Launcher saturation, which seeing as they're now Heavy 2 I can get behind. Unfortunately for me, however, I had just finished two squads with Assault Cannons.

I'm just baffled by this army. My Dreadnoughts will just die the turn they arrive, Land Speeders would get picked off too quickly, and the Chaplain is just so situational. I guess I'll have to keep picking at this army list.

Another Completed Army

Well, my Ogre Kingdoms army has been finished. Yes, I know their skin isn't the usual gray shown in the book, but I think the fleshtone looks much better. Shown is the full 2,250 point army. My army lists are as follows:

2,000 point army
Tyrant with The Tenderiser, Glittering Scales, the Other Trickster's Shard, & Mawseeker Big Name
Slaughtermaster
Bruiser with Battle Standard, Heavy Armor, Enchanted Shield, Talisman of Preservation
7 Bulls with Ironfist, Bellower, Standard Bearer
8 Bulls with Ironfist, Bellower, Standard Bearer
10 Ironguts with Bellower, Standard Bearer, Banner of Eternal Flame
2 Leadbelchers

2,250 point army
Tyrant with The Tenderiser, Glittering Scales, the Other Trickster's Shard, & Mawseeker Big Name
Slaughtermaster with Bloodcleaver, Wyrdstone Necklace, Ironcurse Icon, Luck Gnoblar, Tooth Gnoblar
Bruiser with Battle Standard, Cathayan Longsword, Heavy Armor, Enchanted Shield, Talisman of Preservation, Luck Gnoblar
7 Bulls with Ironfist, Light Armor, Bellower, Standard Bearer
8 Bulls with Ironfist, Light Armor, Bellower, Standard Bearer
10 Ironguts with Bellower, Standard Bearer, Banner of Eternal Flame
2 Leadbelchers with Bellower
2 Leadbelchers with Bellower

I like the compact size of the army, The Light Armor and Ironfists are usually panned on the internet, but the little bit of deflection helps against swarms of lower strength attacks, and the Ironfists give me a Parry Save in hand-to-hand combat.

The Mawseeker Big Name does make my tyrant Stupid, but with him bunkered together with the Battle Standard in the Ironguts, he should almost never fail a leadership test to shake the effects off, and it makes him Immune to Psychology, meaning he'll never be reduced to WS 1 against Terror inducing opponents. His equipment loadout makes him adept at fighting in challenges, where he'll hit at Strength 7, inflict D3 wounds per failed save, and force the re-roll of any successful ward saves. His Toughness of 6 and inflicting a -1 to-hit modifier should help see him through all but the most difficult opponents, and then he'll have his 5 wounds to fall back on.

The Slaughtermaster will buff units, and with his loadout at 2,250 points he should be able to keep himself alive by preying on rank-and-file troops. Even if the Wyrdstone necklace inflicts a wound on him before the battle, between the Bloodcleaver and being able to heal himself with Gut-Magic he should make it through any battle without a problem.

The Bruiser Battle Standard Bearer is geared up for pure survival. His Cathayan Longsword buffs his Weapon Skill, making him tougher to hit for heroes. His other equipment should be pretty straight-forward- He has the best Ward and Armor save available to him.

Two large-ish units of Bulls form the mainstay of the force. Their ability in combat comes entirely from volume of attacks. Note the lack of Champions- 20 points for only a +1 attack bonus simply isn't worth it. This does cause a bit of a problem for my Slaughtermaster's bunker unit (the 7 Bulls) in that he either has to accept challenges or hide in the second rank. Luckily he won't have to retire until after the Magic Phase!

The Ironguts are sort of a Gut-Star lite. The unit isn't big enough to qualify as a true Gut-Star (in my opinion), but with the Tyrant and Bruiser in it the unit should be a fairly brutal opponent. The Banner of Eternal Flame is to deal with tough monsters like Hydras, Hell Pit Abominations, and other units with Regeneration.

The Leadbelchers serve a dual purpose. On one hand they deal with smaller threats like skirmishers and fast cavalry. On the other hand they hunt warmachines. Of course, with only a single casualty inflicting a Panic test, they are a touch fragile...

In the end, the army is theoretically sound. Next step; taking it out on the battlefield.

Random Deathwing Wishlisting

As I sit here at work, I've been considering my Deathwing now that I've finished my Thunder Hammer / Storm Shield Belial mini. As it stands now, the list looks like this:

Belial
2x Venerable Dreadnoughts with Multi-Meltas & Extra Armor in Drop Pod
2x squads of Terminators with 1x Chainfist & Assault Cannon
2x squads of Terminators with 1x Cyclone Missile Launchers
1x squad of Terminators with Chainfist, Heavy Flamer, 3x Lightning Claws, Thunder Hammer / Storm Shield

I have come to believe that the Dreadnoughts are nothing more than fire magnets, arriving one at a time just to be annhilated by heavy weapons fire. This is not okay.

So, out comes my army construction software, and I sit down to write a revised army list. The final product looks something like this:

Belial
Interrogator Chaplain in Terminator Armour
1x squad of Upgraded Terminators with 1x Chainfist, 1x Heavy Flamer, 4x Thunder Hammer / Storm Shield, Apothecary, Standard Bearer
2x squads of Terminators with 1x Chainfist & 1x Assault Cannon
2x squads of Terminators with 1x Cyclone Missile Launcher
1x squad of Terminators with 1x Chainfist, 1x Heavy Flamer, 3x Lightning Claws, 1x Thunder Hammer / Storm Shield

OR

Belial
1x squad of Upgraded Terminators with 1x Heavy Flamer, 4x Thunder Hammer / Storm Shield, Apothecary, Standard Bearer
2x squads of Terminators with 1x Chainfist & Assault Cannon
2x squads of Terminators with 1x Cyclone Missile Launchers
1x squad of Terminators with 1x Chainfist, 1x Heavy Flamer, 3x Lightning Claws, 1x Thunder Hammer / Storm Shield
2x Land Speeders with Multi-Melta & Typhoon Missile Launcher

I'm honestly torn here. The top army build has resiliance in spades. Nothing has less than a 2+ armor save, and the command is almost entirely 2+ armor / 3+ Invulnerable, plus Feel no Pain and an extra attack on the entire squad.

The second army is a bit more flexible. With a possible eight missiles a turn and two Multi-Meltas, this army will hunt armor better than the first. Of course, any half-way savvy opponent will figure this out immediately and take out the Land Speeders ASAP. Missile Launchers, being little better than any anti-infantry weapon against my infantry, will be drawn as if by magnets to the speeders, which will go down like flies unless they are cared for with the utmost caution.

In the end, the question is what do I spend my money on the next time I have some cash? I'm leaning more toward the first army, but I just can't be sure.

For Whom the Bell Screams

Today, as you may be able to tell by looking at the "On the Workbench" bar to the right, I finished most of my recovered Skaven miniatures. This post will show you how the models came together. Of course, all the miniatures were first cleaned with Simple Green, and washed under hot water with a toothbrush. That bit was already covered in a previous post. After that, it was time to re-base everything for the current Skaven army book. The Screaming Bell needed a 100mm x 60mm base, the Doomwheel a 50mm x 100mm one, and the Jezzails and Warpfire Throwers needed cavalry bases (25mm x 50mm). The Gutter Runners were based on current 20mm x 20mm bases just for good measure.

The Doomwheel was left apart at this stage so I could prime inside the wheels.

Next, I had to cover all the unsightly gaps in the cavalry bases/ This was achieves by tearing up an old receipt and gluing it down to the base using Elmer's Glue-All. This is the stuff I use for all of my basing, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Once the glue had dried, it was outside for priming. The Screaming Bell and Doomwheel got a black coat, while the Grey Seer, Bell Ringer, Jezzails, Gutter Runners, and Warpfire Throwers got a coat of Army Painter's "Army Green" primer. It's a nice dark green which goes together nicely with the dirty dark yellow I use for the rest of the uniform.

Thus primed, I set about painting the models, along with my new conversion for Captain Belial for my Deathwing. Once all the colors were laid down, I glued the Grey Seer and Bell Ringer to the Screaming Bell carriage.
Now it was dipping time. Eager to finish three armies in one go, I spent the evening, brush in hand, dipping every last Ogre, Space Marine, and every Skaven except the Warpfire Throwers. This was because I already have two painted, and have no current need for three more. Also, I was running out of steam.

Today I set about basing my Skaven. After coating the bases (including the Ogres' bases) Khemri Brown, I Then flocked all the Skaven bases, and finished them with a few clumps of static grass. Finally, into the humidity-controlled confines of my bathroom for Matt Varnish.

And thusly are my Skaven reinforcements completed. Now it's a matter of getting a 2,250 point game in to try out my two new engines of destruction. I keep hearing such great things about the Doomwheel...