Age of the Emperor

After a few games of 40K I have found the new edition understandable, playable and so much less of a grind than it's previous (7 lets be honest) incarnations.  However it still isn't quite nailed on for me and I find Age of Sigmar a better game.

So, with that in mind, I present the following variant to 40K.  Obviously this is just the start and I might have another think about it after a few games but here you go, just click on it for a bigger version:

Happy Christmas all! Emperor bless us, everyone.

Did me some photos

Inspired by Iron Sleet's excellent guide and helped by those most brilliant of people Curis and Tears of Envy I made myself a light box out of card and sticky back plastic and tried to actually get some shots of my models I don't hate.

The set up (I soon moved the lamp away from the edge)

 My first shot. I brightened the shot and fiddeled around with the Cast setting*

Tech Gangers!

Some ne'er do well Marines.

This morning I was thinking over the photos and now I am actually more inspired to get back painting than I ever have before! A success in my eyes.

 Looks it is like White Dwarf and everything! Many thanks to Curis for the background.

*I have no idea what that means.

All quiet in the Underhive

It can be a lonely place down here...bring a friend.

A hectic work life at the moment means my hobby is taking a bit of a kicking but I planned for this and actually, a 3 week gap means I am really keen to get down with the paints and glue as soon as I can. 

 In the meantime here is a shot from a Necromunda game I played earlier in the year, seems to be the season of the Underhive at the moment so thought I should join in!

Warhammer: A personal canon.

The Alpha

Bit of an odd post this but I have been thinking about how all the Warhammer Worlds could fit together and if they can exist as “one”.  In the end I have come up with the following timeline which fits well for me:

The Old World/The World that Was: The “original” world of WFB & WFRP, created by the Old Ones. The Old World is destroyed by Chaos at the End Times.

Age of Myth: Sigmar & Dracothian unite the gods and form the Mortal Realms.

Age of Chaos: The big bad are back and wreck house in the Mortal Realms.

Age of Sigmar: The gates of Azyr are opened, the Realmgate Wars, the forces of Order fight back against Chaos.

This is my leap of faith:

At the end of the Age of Sigmar, the Old World is reforged by Sigmar as Earth. This would explain the geographical and cultural links between the Old World and modern Earth.  Sigmar himself is reborn with the world as the Emperor, appearing in Anatolia at the dawn of civilisation. 

End of leap.

Age of Terra: Based on Earth/Terra, mankind begins to colonise the nearby planets & stars.

Dark Age of Technology: Mankind reachers it’s cultural and scientific zenith spreading through the galaxy.

Age of Strife: Well that doesn’t last long, Terra collapses to factional warfare, nukes, bio weapons, cats & dogs living together. The Emperor unifies Terra and then the former colonies of mankind using the Thunder Warriors/proto-Astartes.

Age of Imperium: The Emperor founds the Imperium using his Adeptus Astartes and Primarchs. I bet this goes well...


What do you think? Makes sense? Square peg/round hole?

The Omega

Clash at the Guerac Throne

So, the skirmish game!

This played out really well for a "pick up" game.  We both had 44 Renown to play with and although Tear's force wasn't "strictly" legal, (you need one Hero figure to act as General so instead the Protector Prime was chosen), the game, and I am sorry if this sounds like a battle report in an issue of White Dwarf, came down to the last few dice rolls!

The scenario played was Treasure Hunt from the Skirmish book and we totally ignored all the Allegiance Abilities, Skirmish Abilities etc. as we mostly just forgot.  Bonus internet points to whoever gets the Guerac reference without heading to Google.

 

The Warbands Engage (bonus finger)

 

The First Clash, I quickly realised my Ghosts had no chance one to one.

 

We are really playing! My forces have scattered to take objectives.

 

Clash of the Generals!

 

The very last round and EVERY objective is contested! 

The game head to the finish with a threeway (stop sniggering Curis) tie over the objectives, the last blows struck took out my final Hexwraith leaving 2 objectives as contested and 1 objective held by the Stormtonnians giving them the win. The Guerac Throne had been liberated! Curses.

Bringing a gun to a knife fight

"Let's play a 1250pt, nice and easy game of 40K." said my opponent. "Ok!" said I.

"Hmmm, bringing a Lord of War wouldn't unbalance it would it? It is a Forge World unit so is probably underpowered right?" said my brain.

Sorry Dave.

So yes, I fielded a 650pt Lord of war in a 1250pt game last night, and yes, it murdered an army.  I have wanted to use my Morbidex Twiceborn figure for some time so had him sub for Scabeiathrax the Bloated (Say that 3 times fast) as the figures are the same height and on the same base.

Despite the best attempts of a Culexus Assassin and Chapter Master Shrike, it was all over once Morbidex the Bloated (See what I did there?) hit the Marine battle line!

Lesson learnt!

All set up - please note Morbidex in the background

Charge of the Plaguebearers! This lot actually got torn to shreds by Aggressor fire.

The moment of truth as Morbidex starts his rampage. But look...fully painted terrain and miniatures!

Warband glamour shots

I did play those games this weekend, honest. Just not blogged them yet.

For proof here are a pair of glamour shots for the warbands involved in the Age of Sigmar skirmish games.  These photos were both taken by my opponent and lovely person all round Tears of Envy

The Ordsall Host summoned once more!

Tear's incredible Stormtonnians ready for war.

Prepping for games

I think I might be a bit odd. 

I have two games scheduled this weekend with Tears of Envy so have spent the week putting together rosters, scenarios, quick ref sheets etc. and I love it.  Is that weird?

This may tie into my love of world building more seen in roleplaying games (currently playing Numenera & Pathfinder), but the gaming prep lets me expand a bit more than "two groups of lads stand around eyeballing each other"...

In case you are interested the games planned are an Age of Sigmar Skirmish game based around relic of the World that Was in the dust choked plains of Shyish and the others is a Mutant and Death Ray Guns game were our warbands will be grubbing around in the dirt looking for artefacts!

Pictures to follow...well once we have played! Don't expect them to be good.

Hive Fleet Moloch: The Albino Swarm

A large part of my recent hobbying has been assemebling an army for the latest edition of 40k.  I was going to stick with my Nurgle Daemons but, well it never quite works like that, and after discovering I had managed to amass a large amount of original Tyranids (pre-1992) I decided to get them into shape for 40k.

This coincided with a new campaign with Warboss Kurgan and Viktor so finally paint touched lead and I have managed to get enough together for a "legal" army.  I also got to do my favourite acivity of digging through 40k books, codicies etc. and putting together a piece of background to give this particular swarm of all consuming insects some "character".

So, introducing  The Albino Swarm:

The Alien fails because it cannot embrace the Emperor.

“It is my opinion that one of the biggest threats posed by the Tyranid Hive Fleets are their ability to split and regroup at will, sending shards of their forces into deep space, bypassing any form of resistance and falling upon unsuspecting system far away from the traditional borders of the Imperium’s wars.

With regard to Hive Fleet Moloch, although the bulk of the Hive Fleet have now engaged Imperial forces within the Ultima Segmentum [Cross Ref Files. *Karak Prime* *Jollov System* *Forbidden - Death Spectres*], various tendrils have since spread in pursuit of other, unknown targets.

My own forces have now tracked an unusual example to the Malfactus system, a tendril I have designated “The Albino Swarm”.

Since the Hive Fleet crossed into His Most Holy Galaxy in 998.M41 the Albino Swarm has yet to make planetfall on any inhabited worlds and instead has remained in deep space. Indeed, my colleagues in the Magos Biologis Xenologis are particularly interested in the Swarm as they believe the species contained within will be closer to a “pure Tyranid” that made the initial journey across the void which had not yet consumed the bio-mass of this galaxy.

 It is unknown why, at the dawn of 111.M42, over a hundred years after first encroaching on Imperial space, the Albino Swarm has finally moved to engage Imperial and Xenos forces across the Ghoul Stars.”

-          Inquisitor Brellis, Ordos Xenos, Fort Pykman, 111.M42

My armour is contempt.

New post, new launch, new focus

So I have decided to try and relaunch this blog (on the sly) as a place to collate all my gaming and hobby stuff from the last year and now on.

I have a habit of creating very specific blogs (Tales from Shyish being the last example, which I have now subsumed into this blog below) that run out of steam as I complete a project or collection and then...well have nothing more to say about it!  I am terrible at recording games as I forget within 1 turn what has happened and to take photos.

Instead this time I shall just try and collate everything and all I get up to in one place.

Lets see how far this one goes eh?

Altar of an Abandoned Sun

Ooh! Some excellent Shyish/Death based news & articles from the Warhammer Community and beyond:

This lad will be an instant purchase for the Host.

A campaign focused on Death? Yes please!

This article from the excellent Mengel Miniatures is a great read about doing some Nighthaunt modelling: From the Mind of Mengel: Tomb Banshee

Finally my absolute must listen at the moment is Altar of an Abandoned Sun available now at Bandcamp.  The track An Old Sad Ghost seem particularly apt for the army...

Shyish is a big place...

Well summer has truly put a spanner into the regular gaming plans but they have once again picked up and so I can catch up on the campaign updates.  I did however, manage to get in a skirmish game recently with the most excellent Tears of Envy.

We both wanted to play an Arabian Night themed games and after looking through my collection I was able to piece together a brand new warband made up of a mysterious warlock, his assassin henchman and a gaggle of Ghouls.

The warband.

We played a pair of linked scenarios set around a cursed village, deep in the sandier regions of Shyish with a troupe of Trasure Hunters trying to locate as much loot as possible while my evil do'ers attempted the same thing.

 

Ghouls go a-hunting.

Sadly my luck did not hold out in these games and I was beaten twice!  My warlock tried to run for it in the last game but sadly, well, the dice say it all:

 

"You're nicked sunshine!"

Back from exile and to the Fields of Blood

I am back from my trip down to the Big Smoke in the Realm of Metal so can finally catch up on my blogging.

The last clash that the Ordeshal Host talk part in was a skirmish around the crash site of an airship, full of plunder and currently swarming with humans and orruks...familiar foes.

A Wylliam eye view of the field

The Ogresuns and the Gilded Hand clash in the centre of the field with Lyrd Radclyiffe and Squire Percy being held at the edge.

By the time they are freed most of the blood had already been spilt between the orruks and humans

The White Lady was noticible in her absence during this battle, only stalking forward near the climax to cast arcance majicks at any foes still bearing arms.  She was unable to stop Kalyustar of the Guilded Hand from retreiving his prize from the wreckage and escaping deep into the forest...

However, something could surely be done with all these tortured souls still freshly freed of their mortal husks...

(Much more detailed accounts of this clash can be found both here and here courtesy of my excellent opponents Viktor and Warboss Kurgan.)

When the dice play along...

A real benefit of playing in a narrative gaming mindset is how the smallest in-game event can spark a whole story line or progress one already in play.

I had already established the the mysterious White Lady is fleeing deep into the Harrowmark from Nagash.  Why? So far I haven't decided but the idea of being on the run from such a powerful being really appeals to me.

During the last skirmish with Admiral Kurgan's Ogresuns I had deployed the White Lady at the foot of a Realmgate so that she could survey the battlefield and prevent the pesky Orruks from trespassing any further into "her" domain.  As the Realmgate has been modelled with Spirit Hosts spilling out it is obviously a portal to another part of Shyish...perhaps a part under the sway of Nagash?

The Lady Awaits

Once the game began he first roll I made was for the Realmgates abilities (these change every turn due to their eldritch nature!) and promptly rolled a double on the two dice.  Game-wise this translates to anyone stood nearby taking a few Mortal Wounds but narrative wise this means a huge blast of energy had spilt out of the Gate and caught the White Lady in it. Immediately this sparked a story line idea; what if the White Lady had been at the gate to seal it from Nagash and his minions but at the very last moment the distraction caused by the arrival of the Orruk warband to the field had meant the binding ritual failed and Nagash had managed one last attempt to reach the White Lady before the gate closed for good.

Orruks on the horizon.

The battle itself was a short, sharp affair which is detailed here.  For the White Lady and her followers the consequences are clear however; The Great Necromancer now knows where she is...and no-one escapes Death...

To the field of battle!

Although taking part in a skirmish campaign is the main drive of this blog and really the army as a whole, I will be playing "full" games of Age of Sigmar with the Ordeshal Host.

Tonight was the first of these games, with the host defeating a force of Seraphon who had been caught out in the blighted plains of M'nchtyr Aran'dl. My, as yet unamed, Mourngul was pushed to the brink of destruction but rallied after defeating a Saurus Oldblood riding a Carnosaur.

The Host Arrayed

The Fyrst Tale...

“What is my name?”

The Whyte Lady looked out at the windswept clearing, which was dominated by a skull laden tower, sheathed her blade and smiled.

Her retainers had done well in scouring the humans and strangely garbed orruks from the structure although the pest Radclyffe had got himself shattered at the hands of the largest of the green beasts and his soul had needed plucking from the ether before the Great Necromancer had noticed…that fool would give them away! The Lady had not fled into the cursed Harrowmark just to be pulled back by the Lord of Undeath to have her soul consumed.  She had lost her mortal shell to his rage, she would not lose everything…

Noisy Wylliam staggered out of the forest groaning, blood staining his hands and dripping down his legs...blood…that had meant something to the Lady in her past…

“Come Wylliam! We move on.” 

The Whyte Lady turned with a practised, almost courtly flourish and headed towards the tower with William staggering close behind, moaning with every step he took.

Just Wylliam

The first game in the Harrowmark Campaign ended as a victory for the Ordeshal Host, defeating both the Ogresuns and the Free Companies of the Gilded Hand in a scramble for territory.

Warboss Kurgan has written up the report here.

The Ordeshal Host march to war...

And so, newly christened (thanks to Warboss Kurgan), the Ordeshal Host, led by the spirit of the slain Whyte Lady have fled from the wrath of Nagash, deep into the Harrowmark and in there stumbled across other warbands and ne'er do wells...

The Ordeshal Host of the Whyte Lady, Lyrd Radclyffe and Noisy Wylliam. 

Photo by Warboss Kurgan

Into the Harrowmark!

This was the first game in our Harrowmark Run Age of Sigmar skirmish campaign which was a threeway clash.  I will put up a proper write up as soon as I have better photos stolen from my adverseries.

When is a Mourngul not a Mourngul?

So of course, I need an Mourngul if my force is going to pack any punch on the battlefields of Shyish.  However, I really do not like the "official" Forge World figure, it just doesn't tally with the rest of the army for me and I hate the in-built horse at its base.

Scouring the rest of GW's range I remembered the C'tan Shard Nightbringer which, to my eyes, is a perfect towering ghostly figure. Even better I had been given the majority of a Nightbringer figure by the most excellent and generous Tears of Envy minus the scythe.  A quick weapon swap later, add my patent basic paint job and Bob's your uncle:

Change of plan(s)

Having completed one Age of Sigmar Skirmish campaign and learning a couple of lessons I have decided to rejig my starting line up from the one that I presented below.

As we starting the Harrowmark campaign with a hefty 35 renown points I decided to go for something a little different and chose a Vampire Lord.  However to fit her into the general ghosts and spooks vibe of the army I painted her identically to the other miniatures and have called her the White Lady.

I have stolen this name from the White Lady of Ordsall Hall which is just down the road from me. Seems like a perfect fit really!

To accompany the White Lady I have Lyrd Radclyffe, a Hexwraith, who is named after another spook of Ordsall Hall, Lord Radcliffe.  This ghost apparently goes around pinching ladies bums so we shall see how he behaves in game...

Lastly is Noisy William.  Basically I needed 3 models to make the warband legal. I had 1 point left and a Zombie fit the bill!  He is "Noisy" as he is the dedicated Noisemaker of the Zombie Warscroll so I can at least always rely on a 6" charge from Bill!

Music to explore dungeons by...

Bandcamp recently published this excellent piece on Dungeon Synth which has introduced me to a genre I never knew existed but have always wanted!

The music of Spectral Kingdom has become my defacto theme for my Malignants...

A year later...

Well, this has been some time but the last year has been one of the most productive of my hobbying life with the amount of painting and gaming I have been getting in.

Age of Sigmar has totally revitalised my playing habits and with the trend of skirmish games being released by GW (Shadow Wars & Age of Sigmar Skirmish) I am getting in more games than ever.

Recently I have joined up with Warboss Kurgan and Godfather Viktor to play a Shadow Wars campaign and now we are moving on to Age of Sigmar...handily set in the Realm of Shyish...specifically in the Harrowmark

Gaming will commence soon but I have got my warband together and ready to serve the undying lord...

A Warning to the Curious

Cairn Wraith - Nathaniel
Spirit Host - The Ager
Zombie - William
 
Spirits, forever held in Shadespire, defending the old family treasure from plunders who venture to the city from across the Mortal Realms.