(40k) Blue Moonz Waaagh!, Good Games Brisbane, Shadowfist, Flames of War

Apologies for the lack of updates over April - I've been gaming and painting fairly solidly but not reporting any of it. Slackness.

Blue Moonz Waaagh!
The side-project for April was to get a small 1000 point Ork force organised, built and painted (for me, that's a big job!). Having mostly completed the first two objectives Marc and I had a small 600 point battle in the garage; Orks versus Orks!

Orks need a 5 or better to hit their target when shooting, this image shows a lack thereof as rolled in the heat of battle :(

Blue Moonz Meganobz (progress; left to right) Blocked, Inked, Detailed.

Good Games Brisbane
Meanwhile a new game shop has opened two blocks away; Good Games Brisbane. This has become the new HQ for all of my gaming - it is central, well lit, comfortable and the owner/managers are wonderfully friendly. I do however feel a need to mention my good friends at Ace Comics in the city; I would game there but rental prices in the CBD prevent them from having a sufficiently spacious gaming area, which is understandable. Support Good Games, support Ace Comics - they are both local stores supporting the hobby. Soapbox over.

Good Games 22/04: Justin digs out some Chaos Terminators while Marc shakes his fist at me, presumably due to my criticism of his footwear. Marc and I have joined our Ork forces together; my bright blue Trukks advance aggressively with a Battlewagon full of Mega Armoured Nobz (led by no less than Ghazghkull Thrakka of course) while his black and red Boyz hold the right flank to deny a Chaos push into our rear.

The J-Dawg

Confusingly we have a second Justin who has joined the group with Tau (ordered from UK, not yet received). "The J-Dawg" sub-commanded some Blood Angels with a surprisingly inaccurate Las-predator and an objective seizing Razorback full of Red Thirst Assault Marines (who never needed to get out of their ride). He assures us he had fun despite the Dreadnoughts and Killa Kans stealing the spotlight for much of the game! Everyone is looking forward to seeing his Tau hit the table once they are delivered... and built... and painted...

Good Games 29/04: Putting the Blue Moonz aside I try my hand at a Blood Angels Drop Pod Assault, with satisfyingly results. My unpainted grey drop pods land behind Marc's advancing Orks and unload unpainted grey Furioso Dreadnoughts. His undercoated Orks are understandably surprised and begin to spin in furious circles of confusion.

Shadowfist
So, one of the many advantages of Good Games is that (too my surprise) the old Shadowfist gang who I know and love have chosen it as their preferred venue for games. Shadowfist is a collectable card game that I have had an on-again/off-again obsession with since it was released, fifteen years ago. Thursday nights is the (current) regular night for games and I've dusted off my old Architects of the Flesh deck for some abomination shenanigans. For variety I also put together a simple Seven Masters deck based on a design I was tweaking the last time I dropped out of the scene. Of course as I continue to modify both decks I will inevitably stuff them up!



Flames of War
As if all this wasn't enough Matthew has begun collecting Flames of War! Blowing even more dust off even more gaming bits I have consolidated my collection which had become spread across many storage boxes under piles of accumulated stuff. I still have my old Fallschirmjager (German Paratrooper) army and the various half-finished and unconstructed bits of a Panzergranadiers (German bad guys in halftracks or trucks) to field as Axis.

Of course no collection is complete without some Allies, so I have slowly added to my small set of Shermans (United States tanks) over the past few weeks with Armoured Rifles (US version of Panzergrenadiers) and M10 Tank Destroyers (ambush tanks with big guns).

Of course, this means more building... and more painting!

Project: Reaver Titan (5) -&- The Reclamation of Galimimus IV

Project Reaver Part 5: Body assembly complete
All that remains now are the weapons and decorative bits such as pistons and plates... oh, and painting of course

With the torso added I can see for the first time the full size of this beast

Towering over the kitchen bench!

Size comparison: 40k Forgeworld Reaver beside vintage Epic Citadel Reaver

Size Comparison: The little epic Reaver is smaller than the footprint of the 40k version!

The Reclamation of Galimimus IV
Last night my garage hosted a 4000 point Apocalypse battle which saw Marc (Orks) and Justin (Chaos Marines) vs Matthew (Deathwing) and Troy (me! Imperial Guard).

As host I set the table up with a ruined Imperial city on one edge and an abandoned Feral Ork village on the other. In the center was the last remaining forest of Galimimus IV (once a world covered in woodland)... a tiny clump of trees.

{Click on images for larger versions}

Setup: The empty Imperial city (West table edge)

Setup: The empty Feral Ork village (East table edge)

Deployment: Matthew claims the Feral Ork village with his Imperial Guard auxiliaries.

Marc and Justin continuously choose to deploy zero units each turn, allowing Matthew and I to put models on the table wherever we like. Our suspicion that they have both chosen Flank March assets seems to be confirmed.

At the start of our third turn we are forced to deploy whatever we have left in reserve. We reveal that we have both chosen Flank March and place the Reaver and Baneblade wherever we like... but our enemies have yet to reach their third turn and so still have nothing on the table!

The forces of Disorder finally deploy onto the table in turn three, as suspected they too have both chosen Flank March! A Stompa appears beside my Reaver close enough to ignore the void shields and manages to remove a structure point and damage the titan's drive. Marc's other Stompa appears on the other side of the table and peels a few void shields off my Reaver, allowing Justin's Chaos Reaver to continue applying fire. I make an accounting error whilst adjusting my remaining structure points and attempt to correct the mistake but Justin is having none of it an insists the damage is correct. Sensing an argument growing I yield and wear my mistake - in future we will not be using dice to record shields/damage!

My heavily damaged Reaver concentrates on Justin's Chaos Reaver, managing to do some damage and wreck its drive. Again there is dice/damage confusion but we push on.

One of my Vendettas zooms across the table to ping the Chaos Reaver from point-blank range, close enough to ignore the void shields although no damage is caused. It is however ready to land and help contest the nearby objective. Meanwhile the Deathwing continue to quietly claim and hold objectives while the Reavers and Stompas blast away at each other. My Reaver takes a destroyer hit while his void shields are down and loses his last structure point. Matthew's Baneblade also goes up in a mushroom cloud.

Vendettas take a few shots at big targets and prepare to land near objectives to unload passengers.

The game ends next turn with Matthew and I on every objective while Marc and Justin are contesting two.

Deathwing/Guard: Four Objectives (Victory)
Orks/Chaos: Zero Objectives

Notes: As mentioned above we must stop using dice to indicate damage effects, remaining shields and remaining structure points as this is causing confusion and arguments. I will be making sets of tokens which clearly indicate "Structure" and "Shield" with values. Also, explicitly stated damage effects will also be required. Gone are the days of "just put a dice on it" - fishing out the correct token may be slower than putting a dice down but the clarity gained will be worth the wait...
Notes: Reviewing the rulebook, we cannot take the same Strategic Asset twice on the same team - so no more double Flank Marches!

Project: Reaver Titan (4)

Part 4: Leg construction.
There are a million points of articulation on the Reaver's legs - making it quite tricky to hold all the bits in position long enough to get some glue on!

Dry build, laying the major leg bits out on the bench so I can get an idea of how big it is - and how it will fit onto the base.

Left leg as seen from rear. I decided to keep this leg fairly straight with only a little bend at the knee.

Leg construction almost complete, view from the front. There are FIFTY bits all glued together in this shot (with still more leg bits to come before this stage is complete) ...and of course my fingers are covered in glue!

I placed a blob of spak-filler within the pelvis to help keep the legs in place, although there are pistons which reinforce the joint I wanted a little extra support while adjusting position. Spak-filler was also applied under the left foot so that it had a solid point of contact with the knobbly base (rather than being perched up on the tips of rocks it now rests flatly on a little plateau which cannot be seen - adding a LOT of stability). The right foot sits flatly on the roof of the wrecked Chaos Rhino so only a little glue is needed - although I may drill and pin this in the future if it comes loose.

Spak-filler was also used to plug up gaps in the craters so they will hold a little more Water Effect when added much later in the project. I found the gaps simply by filling the craters up with water and watching where it ran out... :)

Project: Reaver Titan (3)

Project Reaver III: The Washening
How did you spend your Saturday night? I stayed in and scrubbed all the resin parts of my Reaver Titan... there are many many more bits than expected, even after going through them when the big box first arrived. Scrubbing every one of the components with a toothbrush has given me an intimate understanding of the kit!

The largest piece of flash is found on the rear of the Turbo-laser (resting on my pinky finger in this shot). This badboy is going to need to be cut off with the unfortunately named Bone Saw hobby tool.

Upon initial inspection I was concerned by the confusing block of flash attached to the Laser Destructor's capacitor. Consulting the construction guide the distinction between flash and pipe can be determined.

In the sink; all the many leg bits

The upper leg bits suggest Victorian/Steampunk gun turrets when resting out of context

The Moderatus Princeps does not seemed pleased with his soaking. He is accompanied by the superbly detailed Tech Priest and various optional decorative bits.

Shoulders, Armour plates and Internals; including the rather disturbing installed servitors
(there's another one in the roof under the carapace weapon mount)

Scrubbing the carapace. The murkiness of the water convinces me all this scrubbing is doing something good.


As promised in an earlier post; the size comparison of Reaver head to Rhino tank - almost the same!

My reward for an hour or so slaving over the kitchen sink; a restorative dram of Highland Park *grin*. Sadly this finished the bottle - although gave the perfect excuse for opening my waiting bottle of Glenmorangie.

Project: Reaver Titan (2)

Part Two: Preparing the base

I chose the Warhammer 40,000 Battlescape to use as a base for the Reaver Titan because I like the crashed/wrecked Rhino. Opening the box I was a little dismayed to see that the tree stumps and broken branches were moulded onto the base although an hour or two with my rotary tool saw the details grinded away. Of course now I have lots of holes that need to be filled in - or which can be used to pin the mighty Reaver's feet to the base for stability. Actually, I'm not sure the base is going to be wide enough so I may need to add more real estate.

It's hard to see (because it's a ruin anyway!) but there are many holes left from grinding the tree details away.

Workbench update

Otherwise I've been tinkering with my Dreadnoughts. I've customised three 'Assault on Black Reach' Dreadnoughts to give a little more detail by adding various bits from the bits box. Two of them even have clipped lengths of sprue to extend their exhaust stacks.

Two others are a kitbash of Ironclad and Venerable components (with a few Forgeworld bits) to make Furioso Dreadnoughts, the last of which is waiting for his legs to arrive from eBay.

(Apologies for the tiny picture)

Project: Reaver Titan (1)

Part One: Opening the Box

As many of you know I was promised a Reaver Titan for Christmas by my lovely wife Emily (well, we went halves in the cost).

Yesterday it arrived... and only now do I realise how huge this project is going to be!

Unboxing the beast. The package is large, weighty and filled to the brim with bits.

The head is large! When I get a chance I'll place it beside a Rhino.

I suspect this is going to take a long time to finish, but with fingers crossed I'm hoping I can get it done within a month so I can drag it down to the Apocalypse event at Cancon being run by an old friend from back-in-the-day. Crikey.

(40k) Battle of the Four Heads

Friday Night Allied Battle!
Last Friday was another night for Warhammer 40,000 - although this time we had a fourth player, allowing us to play a 'two-headed giant' style game. Matthew, an old friend of mine from my adolescence, made contact via this blog and managed to find a babysitter for the night.

Marc and I formed an Imperial alliance with my Blood Angels and my wannabe Imperial Guard Armoured Company. Matthew and Justin took the other side of the table with Chaos Space Marines and Dark Eldar.

I was a little apprehensive facing the new Dark Eldar codex - but managed to get a very broad idea of their tricks by reading the November White Dwarf battle report and getting a quick summary from Riptide on 40kNation.

After a little socialising and a lot of secret planning we got down to business. Matthew brought the Battle Missions book and we rolled up a Dark Eldar "Feigned Retreat".

Feigned Retreat: The board is divided into thirds with the Dark Eldar forced to deploy bait in the centre zone. Victory Condition: Kill points.


Imperial Deployment: Blood Angels Predator "Archon" and Vindicator "Cauldron" positioned forward with Razorbacks and Imperial Guard Leman Russ' up against the backline.


Chaos Deployment: Justin places a wedge of Predators on a flank supported by some footslogging Chainfist Terminators and a Rhino seeking cover in the background. This warband seems to have raided an Ultramarines motor pool ;P
(The very handy green Deployment Zone marker is from Gale Force Nine, sadly I placed it upside-down so the words are flipped)


Dark Eldar deployment: Raiders lurk behind the woods. In the top left another of Justin's Chaos Rhinos, having been chosen as bait, wisely hides behind an unpainted Bastion supported by another Raider. Yes, the sun was still up when we started.


Dark Eldar Deployment: A clearer photo of the above-mentioned Rhino bait. As you can see there is a potential face-off between the Raider's Dark Lance in the foreground and my Predator Annihilator in the distance.


And we're off! Leman Russ Vanquisher hits and kills the Raider shown in the previous image.


The passengers tumble out of the wreck - that should slow down the Dark Eldar HQ and his friends a little.


Surprise! Meanwhile on the other side of the table my Librarian Furioso lands in his drop pod on-target and immediately behind the wedge of Chaos Predators! Sadly his Blood Lance fails to penetrate their rear armour (I roll two ONE's!!! wth!?) .


But my Predator and Marc's other Vanquisher manage to shake and stir two of the Chaos Predators.


Justin's chainfist Terminators assault the Librarian Furioso. My Dreadnought manages to kill five of the seven Terminators (making up for his bad luck with the Blood Lance) although he loses both arms in the process.


Matthew and I consult a faded printout of the Imperial Guard roster. Tilting the head sideways helps get oxygen to the part of the brain which is used for readin' rules. Sadly I have chosen the wrong angle.


Marc mocks us with his blurry hand technique. I can't recall what we're trying to figure out but it looks important. The sun has set...


Dark Eldar Talos emerges from a Webway portal on the blindside of the Bastion. All armour is instructed to bring it down before it can get its claws into our metal hides!


Chimera transports arrive from reserve and immediately wish they didn't. Perhaps they can linger behind the wood and wait for some Dark Eldar infantry to come closer...?


The tide begins to turn: The armour exchange continues on the left flank; a Chaos Predator loses its weapon but my own Predator is wrecked :(


The tide continues to turn: A second Talos appears from reserve via the Webway portal and they both run at the nearest tank. A grey Raider has snuck up the side of the table while the Razorbacks and Leman Russ' sent shots wild over the top of the seemingly more-immediate Talos threats.


The tide has turned... okay no more talk of tides: Imperial forces pull back to the starting line to try and put some distance between themselves and the Dark Eldar... classic Imperial Guard tactics but not a good sign!


Unpainted Raider unloads its cargo of Dark Eldar Incubi... uh-oh...
Meanwhile Matthew demonstrates the terrible power of his nearest Talos by allowing it to pinch his finger. Or something.


I attempt to show Marc how to move his tanks to avoid a traffic jam while he laments my lack of confidence in his ability to maneuver armour. To be fair I got in the way of his Vanquishers twice - mercifully the error was detected (by Marc) before our Movement phase ended both times.


On the topic of maneuvering armour, we manage to coordinate a defensive line to protect the thinner Chimera transports from the advancing Chaos Predators by hiding them behind my shaken Vindicator.


One of my Razorbacks explodes when attacked by a Talos. As the passengers tumble out they are assaulted by Dark Eldar Wyches, although before they are cut down my HQ Librarian Malpheus kills the Talos with his Force Weapon. This photo shows the aftermath of a crater depicted with green corner markers while the Wyches gleefully cavort away. Cheeky!


Conga Line! Shuffle to the right! The Chimeras continue to seek protection behind my Vindicator while opening a fire lane for the Vanquisher in the table corner.


Dark Eldar Incubi in the centre of this photo have been whittled down by one of my assault squads, who in turn were destroyed.


Dark Eldar Incubi assault the nearby Leman Russ, Immobilising it and (due to the vehicle squadron rules) destroying it! Chaos marines disembark from their Rhino and assault my empty Razorback, destroying its heavy bolter and Immobilising it.


Endgame: Imperials have been pushed right up against the back of the table and have suffered many losses, in part due to my aggressive Blood Angels throwing themselves into the fray. Chaos has lots of shaken, stunned, weapon destroyed and immobilised tokens on them but frustratingly few wrecks.

Dark Eldar / Chaos Space Marines: Eight Kill points (Victory!)
Blood Angels / Imperial Guard: Four Kill points (Defeat)

It was great to have Matthew join us and certainly good to see him again after all these years, although sadly we had too little time to catch up properly. The battle was enjoyable (despite our loss) and I like mixing up the forces by playing allied 1000 point lists as it presents interesting blends of strengths and weaknesses.

In post-match analysis I put too much effort into trying to kill the Chaos Predators and thus neglected the greater threat of rampaging Dark Eldar advancing under the frustratingly inaccurate hail of Imperial Guard fire up the flank. Placing three tanks opposite the Chaos Predators was not required, although they did manage to lock things down over there I suspect the Vindicator probably should have moved Flat Out once it was Shaken to help kill Dark Eldar instead of ping shells off Chaos Marine armour.

I have mixed feelings about the drop-pod Librarian Furioso, perhaps Blood Lance is not required (although Might of Heroes was fantastic!). Broadly I think the Drop Pod Assault requires more drop pods to work. One creates a distraction but three (or more) would be more effective - having walkers dropping into your rear is a threat that cannot be ignored.

Having Matthew there was good to learn a few more of the rules that had slipped past me and I hope Marc and Justin moved further up the learning curve too :)