The Great Marine Repaint!

I've decided to give my Space Marines a big-boy paint job.  I'm abandoning my old Void Hounds to their fate in the Warp (Brother Hector has been perminantly assigned to the Deathwatch, so the gene seed will live on). 

Muggins has convinced me to take a look at the chapters from the Badab War book for inspiration, much as he did for his Mantis Warriors. 

We will likely be running a Badab War campaign at Gamers Sanctuary early in 2012, so we figured we'd get the ball rolling on that by taking chapters on opposite sides of the battle.  Because the Mantis Warriors are rebels, it was up to me to pick a loyalist chapter.  Bill's Salamanders will obviously be represented, so they were out.  I thought about the Carcharodons and their brutal Chapter Master, but the idea of Space Sharks was more rediculous than Space Wolves!  However, I have always been a Space Ghost fan!  The Star Phantoms have fluff I like (they're obsessed with death), tactics and loadouts I favor (Lots of melta and plas, prefer heavy weapons and Devastator squads, and use a lot of Drop Pods) and I've always wanted to paint a white army.  Besides, it was a Star Phantom Captain who shot Huron in the face with a melta gun!  How cool is that!  I painted up a test model last week. 

They look rather Storm Trooperish, but that just makes them cooler, if you ask me.  I just need to think of a basing scheme and I'm done.  It will likely be something that fits the campaign.  I'm in the middle of stripping all my vehicles and repriming them all white.  I'll get one of my Dreads done this week and post it here.  Thoughts?

Don't worry; my Eldar repaints are coming along nicely.  I have three more tanks and the guardians to do, but they all go quickly.  I'll have them ready for the tournament at GS in two weeks.

Later

Monday Warmachine

With a slow week at work, I found myself with a TON of free time.  I managed to finish my Shining Spears for the August painting challenge at Gamers Sanctuary.

I also managed to finish my Stormclad and Captain Caine.

On Monday I was lucky enough to get in a game of Warmachine against Muggins from Fresh Coast 40K.  We settled on 35 points, Khador vs Cygnar.  We have both been trying to concentrate on getting more acquainted with a single Warcaster, Strakhov and Caine respectively.   The game started as most do, with both our forces advancing and the Casters buffing their units.  A few shots were taken in turn two by my Gun Mage Captain Adept and Caine against Muggins' Kazay assassins.  As luck would have it, they failed their Command check and stopped advancing, nullifying his attempt to outflank my forces.  The following Khador charge managed to destroy one of my Hunters and cripple the other significantly.  It also wipped out my Stormblades.  However, Caine was able to destroy the Great Bears and finish off the Doom Reavers using his feat in a single round of shooting.  However, that move left Strakhov a small windoe to make an assassination run on Caine.  He rolled three shots with his Riot Gun and added a fourth with Reinholt.  I thought I was doomed, especially after this was his first hit roll;

However, when his damage roll came up this;

I felt better.  He then promptly missed all three of his following Boosted attacks.  Caine's 17 Defense is just wrong.  At that point, the game was over.  Caine shot Strakhov to pieces, giving me the win.  Here are some more pics of the game.

Later

Warmachine Lessons Learned

I was able to play a few games of Warmachine Sunday at a friend's house with a bunch of other guys.  Here are a few of the hard-knock lessons I picked up.

1. Cryx cheats.  Not really, but many of their rules are so different from the other factions that it feels like it some times.  My Cygnar are fairly straight forward; shoot and counter-punch.  Cryx have so many power combos, buffs and debuffs they can call on that it can be hard to follow.  More exposure to them on the table, as opposed to just reading the book, will help.

2. The wrong build can make your day difficult.  I had an eCaine gunmage list the first time around against his eSkarre, witches and Deathjack.  They held their own until Deathjack trampled my Black 13 and ate Caine.  The second game saw my eNemo lightning list against pGoreshade and a ton of Bane Thralls.  Every model in his force could have Stealth, effectively nullifying my shooting.  If I had the lists switched, I think things would have been much easier.  Deathjack's charge targets would be limited with Nemo's Polarity Field and Caine, the Gun Mage Adept and one of the Black 13 could have shot his stealthed Bane Thralls to pieces before they closed.  I think the two list tournament format is awesome.

3. Be careful how I use my casters.  both games ended because I left my caster too close to my opponent's forces.  They were ripe to be picked off.  I was trying to get Caine in position for an assassination run and ended up getting him eaten while Nemo should have used his Jacks as charge blockers more effectively.

4. On second thought, Cryx does cheat.

5. Pay attention to what your opponent can and CAN NOT do.  In the third game we played, a two on two between me and Brian and Adam and Jeremy, we tried setting up an assassination run with Caine by dragging Adam's Phoenix (which I HATE to face) into combat with a mass of Bane Thralls.  The Thralls had already attacked that turn, but he would have been locked in combat.  We decided not to because Adam could just use telekinesis to pull the Phoenix out of combat to charge Caine before my turn.  However, we didn't realize Rhan was out of range for his spells and that the Phoenix could not be used as an Arc Node while in combat.  Consequently, the Phoenix channeled a spell for Rhan that Slammed my Charger into Caine, knocking them both down, taking away his awesome def of 17. 

There is SO much to keep track of in Warmachine it is daunting.  One of these days I'll get it figured out. 

Later

Battle for the Candidus Callipus

Prince Yriel looked out across the bridge of the Candidus Callipus at the small strike force he had assembled.  The fight to the fire control station had been far too easy for his comfort.  The soft Mon Keigh manning the Hulk’s massive orbital batteries were no match for the silently whirring blades of the Striking Scorpion attachment he had tasked with leading the assault.  Within minutes his raiders would have the guns firing on the surface of Reth into the Imperial forces armored brigades massed outside the city of Caul.  Usually not one to give in to the intuition of others, Farseer Eth’El Ret was seldom wrong in his visions and Yriel had come to trust his judgment in such matters.  When Eth’El Ret told him it was crucial that the guns keep firing on the planet at all costs, Yriel chose not to tempt fate.  The rest of the Candidus Callipus would be ignored and the bridge would be held. 

“They are coming,” the Seer whispered to Yriel.  Seconds later, the echoing cacophony of massively armored Terminators storming through the halls of the ship began.  Silently, his warriors readied their weapons and moved into position.  The Dire Avengers would hold the bridge itself as long as possible while the Scorpions and Banshees took up positions at either entrance.  The Fire Dragons, their Fusion guns ideal for cutting through even the thickly armored Marines, took up position on the observation deck overlooking the fire control station.  With a silent grace belying their size, the pair of Wraithlords Eth’El Ret cryptically requested took firing positions along the narrow hallway from the engine room.  The ripping sound of the Marines cutting through bulkheads in distant chambers seemed to come from everywhere at once.  Gripping the Spear of Twilight tightly in his hands, Yriel joined the Banshees and prepared to give these foul smelling Mon Keigh a true accounting of the might of the Eldar.

Eth’El Ret nearly wept at the carnage on the bridge of the Candidous Callipus.  The brightly colored bodies of the twenty Dire Avengers assigned to man the weapon controls lay broken and bleeding throughout the bridge.  Here and there the dull grey and crimson of the Blood Wolves Terminators that tried to wrest it form them could be seen.  Most had been vaporized by close blasts from the Fire Dragon’s Fusion guns, and others had been literally broken in half by the massive Wraithbone warriors behind him.  Yriel himself was barely clinging to life, the mysterious energies of the Spear of Twilight sustaining him for better or worse.  The Hulk was undoubtedly back under the control of the Mon Keigh.  However, aside from a brief moment where the Marines had broken through the Avenger’s gun-line, the bridge remained in the hands of the Eldar.  Eth’El Ret had learned long ago not to question the purpose the strands of Fate had laid out for him.  He had faith that Fate would not have asked such a high price for nothing.  He might never know the reason for their actions, but he had faith that their actions on Reth were necessary.  Turning towards the escape shuttle attached to the emergency bulkhead, the few surviving Eldar gathered the collected Spirit Stones of their fallen comrades and abandoned the Hulk to its original owners. 

Eldar Codex thoughts

I've been finishing my Eldar army as much as possible so they look great on the Space Hulk table in our Apocalypse game today.  This got me thinking; the Eldar Codex is showing its age.  I know it isn't as old as the Necron Codex, but I don't play Necrons, so I can't gripe about them.  I started brainstorming about what I would like to see out of the next Eldar Codex.  here are five things I thought of.  Yes, they are a bit fanboyish, but so what.  This is MY blog.  If you don't like it, write your own.

1. Wave Serpents should be Assault Vehicles.  The Eldar are a highly mobile, close shooting, and assault based army.  Not having transports that Banshees or Harlequins can assault out of doesn't make sense for a "fast" army.

2. Phoenix Lords, Wraithlords, and Wraithguard need Invulnerable saves.  If your average Marine Captain gets a 4++ from an Iron Halo, why cant a Phoenix Lord, an ancient, godlike, immortal warrior have one as well?  Wraithlords and Wraithguard should get a 5++ like Terminators.  They are basically robots.  Their high toughness is great, but Power Weapons can wreck them too easily.  I wouldn't mind paying more for them either.

3.  Phoenix Lords should unlock their Aspect Warriors as Troops or at least make them scoring units.  I LOVE this trend in Codex construction.  Yes, the Aspects need to work together to be effective, but I'm not a power gamer.  I want to field nothing but Striking Scorpions with Karandras at the helm. 

4. Give me the rest of the Phoenix Lords.  Shining Spears and Warp Spiders aren't the most popular Aspects, but I am a completist. 

5. Bring in some of the Forge World units.  Shadow Spectres, Hornets, and Assault Walkers all would have a place in my army.  An HQ Wraithlord (who unlocks Wraithguard as Troops) would also be welcome with open arms.

One final plea to GW; PLEASE REDESIGN THE JET BIKE MODELS!  The Dark Eldar jet bikes are so sweet looking, I am on the verge of buying a ton of them and making them less evil looking.  The current Eldar bikes are very useful, but they are 3rd edition models.  They look frighteningly out of place in 5th edition.

Later

Solaris VII League Ready to Launch

Last night I hosted the first Solaris VII League meeting at Gamers Sanctuary.  While a few players who will be participating in the league weren't able to make it, I had a few first timers show up for some pick-up Battletech.  The real thing kicks off next Thursday.  Until then, here are some pics from last night's impromptu three-on-three. 

Robo-Cop takes it in the rear from Jessica's Javelin.

Scott's Mongoose kept charging everything in sight.  He just ran up the hill at Adam's Valkyrie and...

...knocked them both flat on their backs.  Absolutely the highlight of the evening.

Never enough time...

Here's a quick look at my WIP box.  Some of this stuff has been there for weeks, while others are less than a day old.  I think I have issues closing...