Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Drogheda Gamesday Report

So after my failure to complete the Warpcon report, I have pushed myself to complete this report in one night. I took my Dark Elves to this 3 games 1 day event. I didn't want to take my Dragon or any magic, so my list was as follows:


Dreadlord
Soul Render, Pendant of Khaeleth, Armour of Darkness


Sorceress
2x Dispel Scrolls

Assassin
Extra Hand Weapon, Manbane, Rending Stars

Assassin
Manbane, Rending Stars


17x Black Guard
Tower Master with Ring of Hotek
Standard Bearer with Banner of Hag Graef

5x Shades
Great Weapons


5x Shades


20x Dark Elf Warriors
Full Command, Shields

10x Crossbow Men

5x Dark Riders
Crossbows

5x Dark Riders
Crossbows

5x Harpies
5x Harpies


Hydra

RBT




In the maps for each game, it is pretty obvious what is what. Only ambiguation would be the characters, the one that goes in the Black Guard (18 man infantry block) always is the Dreadlord, the other one which is once in the Warriors is the Sorceress. Also note that the Shades and Assassins scouted and so are not on the maps.


Game 1 - Kevin McHugh (Orcs and Goblins)

First game was on table 8 against Kevin and his oddly built Greenskins. His list was roughly as follows:

Orc War Boss Light Armour, Shield, Boar, Akrit Axe, Iron Gnasha's, Talisman of Protection


Goblin Big Boss
Giant Spider, Light Armour, Shield
Note that I am oblivious as to what magic gear this character had


Goblin Shaman
[ Level 2 ]
Dispel Scroll, Nibbla's Itty Ring, Wolf

Orc Shaman
[ Level 2 ] Dispel Scroll, Boar


15x Savage Orc Boar Boyz
Full Command, Warbanner

Orc Boar Chariot

Orc Boar Chariot


Spear Chukka'



20x Savage Orcs
Full Command

10x Spider Riders
Full Command, Bows

10x Wolf Riders
Full Command, Bows


Doom Diver

Giant




Strange list was the first thing that struck me. Second was that on a charge those Boar Boyz would mash anything in the way, so I had to play their frenzy against them.

Deployment was as follows:

http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y117/EpiphanyFilth/DroghedaFebruary/?action=view&current=G1Deployment.jpg

From left to right, that's his Wolf Riders with wizard, Spider Riders with Big Boss, Boar Boyz with War Boss, Chariot, Savage Orcs, Chukka, Diver, Shaman, Chariot, Giant.

For spells I took the Chillwind in the Dark Lore. His wizards rolled Foot of Gork/Mork Wants Ya and Gorks Warpath/'Ere We Go respectively. I rolled first turn. You will notice I don't mention animosity in the report, that is because Kev never rolled a 1 or a 6, nor did he declare a Wagh! I also did not mention the Bolt Thrower as it missed every shot!


Turn 1

With the start of the turn, the Assassins immediately popped out of the Shade units which were both scouting in the two forests. The one's in the west moved to the edge of the forest out of the sight of all the greenies, but able to see his Chariot and Boars. The Assassin had left the unit but moved along side them. The one's in the East had a similar break with the Assassin darting past the Giant, and the Shades moving around his flank. A unit of Harpies flew over to join them, with the other flying over the lake. The Dark Riders both tore up their respective flanks, though the ones facing the wolves stayed at distance so as to be able to stand and shoot next turn should they charge. The Warriors moved up to get the Sorceress' spell in range, and the crossbows moved up to get in range also. Finally the Hydra entered the forest, while the Black Guard hung back.

In shooting, both Chariots fell apart to the wrath of the Assassins' S7 rending stars on both sides of the table. The Dark Riders in the east took a wound off the Giant while the Shades on that side took a wound from the Orc Shaman. Shades on the other flank killed a Boar Boy, while the Dark Riders on that flank killed three Wolf Riders, who subsequently passed their panic check.

With no charges to declare, the greenskins began to move. The wolves approached the Dark Riders with caution, and the Spider Riders entered the wood with caution also. The Boar Boyz moved up to allow themselves a charge next turn and the Shaman got off the hill where he was visible to all. The Giant also turned to face the Shades.

All magic and shooting failed to give results, and so it was on to turn 2.


Turn 2

To start the turn, the Shades failed their terror test (taken due to the proximity of the Giant) and ran. Meanwhile the Harpies over there charged the Doom Diver. The Assassin moved out of the Giant's charge arc and the Dark Riders on that side moved up to the wall. The Hydra moved up to the flank of the Spider Riders, and the Shades and knewly joined Assassin in the west moved out to bait the frenzied cavalry. The Harpies from the lake also flew behind enemy lines while the archers flexed their vantage point.

Shooting opened up more pain for the greenskins. The Dark Riders killed another two wolves (who would later pass thie panic check again), while their brethren in the east wound the Giant once more. To add to that, the Assassin's rending stars took three more wounds from the Giant. The archers (that's what I am calling them) killed the Orc Shaman with their marksmenship, while the Assassin and Shade combo in the west killed three more Boar Boyz. To finalize shooting, the Hydra's flame killed 7 Spider Riders. Guess what?!? They passed their check!!!

In combat the Harpies made short work of the Doom Diver and overran into the Spear Chukka.

Charges for the greenskins. The Boar Boyz' frenzy compelled them to charge the Shades who fled through the forest causing a failed charge and a big ass cavalry deathstar stuck in a forest. The Giant also charged the Dark Riders. Finally the Savage Orcs advanced.

Ranged attacks finally rendered results for the OnG with a single Dark Rider falling. In combat, first the Harpies destroyed the war machine and overran again. The Giant rolled Yell and Bawl, breaking the Dark Riders, who fled the table. The Giant ran to the table edge in forced pursuit (failed retrain), but didn't fall over the wall.


Turn 3

For the Dark Elves, it was time for more blood. The Dark Riders charged the Wolf Riders, their depleted numbers no longer causing a threat. The infantry once again remained in place while the rest did the work. The Hydra moved back to the flank of the Boar Boyz who were now knee deep in branches, and the Shades rallied. The lone Assassin followed the Giant, looking to finish the beast off. His Shade allies rallied next to him. One unit of Harpies moved up behind the Boar Boyz then, while the other stayed put.

Magic killed off two Savage Orcs, with the archers taking another. The Assassin took out the Giant, with Hydra unfortunately only killed one Boar Boy.

In combat the Dark Riders killed the remaining Wolf Riders, while their mounts wounded the Shaman once. In return, he killed a single rider, and then rolled insane courage on his break test.

The Orc turn was dull. The Spiders edged their way through the woods while the Boar Boyz did the opposite. The Savage Orcs continued to approach the Black Guard. In combat, the Shaman fell to the Dark Riders, who killed him with ease and glee.


Turn 4

At this point in the game the end was looking near and I decided to start wrapping things up. The Shades and Assassin in the East closed in as the Dark Riders moved around the forest to come around the rear. The Shades moved into the forest to finish off the Spiders, while the Harpies flew on front of the Boar Boyz to lead them away from the Black Guard.

From magic and shooting, another Spider, and two Boar Boyz fell, as well as well as five Savage Orcs.

The Orc turn came and frenzy was rampid. The boar unit charged the Harpies and the Savage Orcs on foot took on the Black Guard, with the Spider Riders charging and finishing the Shades. The SOBB took down the Harpies and overran into the back corner. Unfortunately for Kev, the Black Orcs took chopped down the Savage Orcs, man for man.

Turn 5

Here came the last turn of the game. I moved to take all quarters, and then surrounded the remaining enemies, and then the opponent conceded.


So a huge massacre start for the Dark Elves. Only 16 of my models died, which was a fantastic feat for me I think. So it was up to table one to face the Beasts of Chaos of an old adversary.


Game 2 - Dave Leahy (Beasts of Chaos)

I had played Dave before when he had Nurgle Daemons and he was a great and fun opponent, so I knew this was going to be a fun yet challenging game. The scenario held that opponent's table quarters were worth 200VP while your own were worth none. His list was pretty menacing:

Great Shaman [ Level 4 ] Horn of the Hunt


Wargor BSB

Shaman
[ Level 2 ]
Power Stone

Shaman
[ Level 2 ]
Note on heroes, he likely had more items than this, but this is all that came into play, you will see why soon


3x Dragon Ogres
Light Armour, Great Weapons


18x Beast Herd
Full Command, Shields

18x Beast Herd
Full Command, Shields

17x Beast Herd
17x Beast Herd
17x Beast Herd


10x Hounds

8x Hounds


Tuskgor Chariot

Tuskgor Chariot


Deployment was as follows:

http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y117/EpiphanyFilth/DroghedaFebruary/?action=view&current=G2Deployment.jpg

His units left to right are Hounds, Chariot, Chariot, Dragon Ogres, Herd with 2 wizards, Herd with level 4 and BSB, Hounds. The rest were going to ambush.

My Shades were all scouting in the forest.

For spells he rolled collectively every spell except The Oxen Stands. I rolled Doombolt. He got first turn and took it.


Turn 1

The main herd moved right into the forest within two inches of the Shades. The other herd held back while the Dragon Ogres and Chariots moved forward, the Chariots slightly to the west. The Hounds all stayed put.

For magic, The Bear's Anger was cast on the BSB, and the Crow's Feast killed four Shades, the last passing his panic test. The Hunter's Spear also killed three Black Guard. I had to scroll the Beast Cowers to keep my Hydra in action.

So over to my turn, and both Assassins come out again. The one in the smaller unit left the unit, taking a hike around the forest. The lone Shade stayed where he was, with the full unit also standing still. The Dark Riders both took full swings of the flanks, though the eastern ones held back to shoot the Beast Herd in the forest, who were visible to them. One unit of Harpies flew in front of one of the Chariots, while the other unit flew to the flank of the other. The infantry stayed put while the Hydra approached the woods.

Doombolt managed to then take two wounds off a Chariot, and the Bolt Thrower dealt two wounds to a Dragon Ogre. The Dark Riders in the west failed to hurt the Hounds, while everything else shot at the Level 4's herd, with minimal results due to the 6's to hit (-3 to hit; multiple shots, soft cover, skirmishers), but did a few wounds thanks to the Assassins.


Turn 2

Top of turn two the best happened for me that would turn the game. A Hydra induced terror test on the general's beast unit was failed and the unit fled through two other units, though they passed their tests. This would prove pivotal to the game. The other Herd charged the Harpies, who fled (obviously). The three ambushing herds all came on where they wanted, two on my edge behind the Bolt Thrower and beside the archers, and the other right behind the Dark Riders on the western edge. The Chariots edged forward again, trying to remain out of my charge range. The Dragon Ogres shuffled past the Black Guard, more worried by them than the Hydra. Both units of Hounds turned and moved to be more in the battle.

With the level 4 fleeing, the magic phase failed to give results (though a power stone was used trying) and so it was onto my turn.

Harpies rallied. My Dark Riders took the opportunity and charged the fleeing unit who managed to flee out of charge range, but just shy of fleeing the board. The others took on the Hounds. The Dark Elf Warriors and Harpies both charged one of the Chariots, Dave having miscalculated the distance from my unit. The Black Guard angled so as to have the option of where to charge next turn depending on where they were needed most. Seeing the BT in trouble, the Shades and Assassin moved back toward it through the forest. The Hydra and lone Shade then approached the wizards' herd. Finally the archers turned to face their newly arrived threat.

In shooting, one Assassin was out of range, and the other fluffed, getting only one wound on the Dragon Ogres. The Hydra torched the herd before it, killing three. The archers and bolt thrower worked their way into the newly arrived herd near the archers, but were one kill short of a panic check. The Shades also failed to wound the Dragon Ogres.

In combat, the Hounds were easily beaten and overrun by the Dark Rider, who managed to fight their way out of the charge arc of the herd behind them. The Warriors and Harpies both made short work of the Chariot, running it down and hitting the other Chariot.




Turn 3

With what became a trend for the game, the other main herd failed a terror test, as did the Hounds, and the general's unit failed to rally and left the board. The eastern most herd charged the RBT, with the other one in my half charging the archers, taking heavy kills from stand and shoot and failing the subsequent panic test. The final Beast Herd followed the Dark Riders. The Dragon Ogres moved the try follow the Shades and get out of the arc of the Black Guard. In combat, the Warriors broke the Chariot, but failed to catch it. The RBT was destroyed, but the herd opted not to overrun.

One set of Harpies zoomed in to try help protect the Dark Riders while the other chased after the fleeing herd and wizards, catching them and destroying them. The Assassins, Shades and Hydra now all started to gather around the Dragon Ogres, trying to keep out of sight so as to try shoot them down. The Dark Riders in the east charged the fleeing Hounds sending them off the board. The Black Guard turned to face the Herd, trapping them into an oncoming fight. The Warriors approached the fleeing Chariot. The Sorceress left the Black Guard to avoid combat.

Shooting rendered four Gors dead in the west thanks to the archers, with the rest of shooting accounting for very little other than two wounds on the Dragon Ogres and three on the Herd.


Turn 4

The three Herds charged the Dark Riders, archers, and Black Guard respectively. The Dragon Ogres charged the Shades. The Chariot rallied.

In combat the Dark Riders were wiped out, the archers were brought down to seven men and broke but got away. The Black Guard annihilated the herd at the expense of two men. The herd broke and were subsequently run down. The Dragon Ogres managed to only kill one Shade (fluffed it) but the Shades broke. However the Dragon Ogres rolled snake eyes for pursuit roll.

In my turn, the archers rallied while the rest of the army started to move around the take Dave's quarter, as well as get the best vantage points for the last two turns. The Warriors charged the Chariot.

The herd in the south west were reduced to four by the archers while another Dragon Ogre was killed.

In combat the Chariot was destroyed.


Turn 5

As a last move (as the TO shouted for last turn), the herd charged the archers again and the Dragon Ogre charged the Shades again.

Beasts won both fights, the Shades leaving the board but the archers again broke, but again got away.

In my turn I charged everything at the last Dragon Ogres that I could while the archers rallied.

The Sorceress cast a final spell to try and panic the last big herd, but miscast. However, it was of no consequence.

As the final act of the game the Dragon Ogre was cut down and that heralded the second massacre to Chaos.


This game was much more challenging than the first, and Dave was great laugh as usual. I was happy with the game, though I can obviously chalk a hefty chunk of my victory up to his lousy luck with terror tests. So I would stay exactly where I was to face my final opponent.


Game 3 - Niall Gallagher (Daemons of Chaos)

The thought of Daemons didn't daunt me so much after getting some good experience fighting them, however I did feel it could be a challenge. The scenario held a flag in the middle of the table that could not be moved. It could be captured like a table quarter with a 6" radius, and was worth 500pts. Niall's list was roughly as follows. The exceptions are items as usual:

Tzeentch Herald
Disk

Slaanesh Herald

Nurgle Herald
Noxious Vapours, BSB, Great Standard of Sundering, Slime Trail

Khorne Herald


5x Flesh Hounds


3x Screamers



20x Bloodletters
Full Command

20x Plaguebearers
Full Command

20x Daemonettes
Full Command

10x Horrors

5x Furies 5x Flamers


So not the best list, but still handy and capable and could have some challenges.

Deployment was as follows:

http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y117/EpiphanyFilth/DroghedaFebruary/?action=view&current=G3Deployment.jpg

The Shades scouted in the forest and behind the hill to the left.

His army from left to right is Horrors, Bloodletters with Herald, Plaguebearers with Herald, Flamers, Tzeentch Herald, Daemonettes with Herald, Hounds. Behind are Screamers. There should also be Furies behind the Flamers but I forgot to put them in the diagram.

He rolled Flickering Fire and Gift of Chaos for his Tzeentch Herald. I took Chillwind once more, hoping to nullify the Flamers with it.

Niall rolled first turn.


Turn 1

Very little happening here. The Furies flew out on front to see how eager my army was. The Screamers moved to their right a bit, seeing that side lightly protected. The Flamers moved around the Plaguebearers to hide in the rocks.

Magic had no effect and so it was my turn already.

My Harpies charged the Furies, but not before the Assassins popped out.
The Hydra moved up to the edge of the forest. The Assassin in there left his unit and strolled around the side of the Hounds. The Dark Riders took up the east flank full speed, and the others moved into position between the two hills. The Shades there moved up onto the hill for a better LOS, and the Harpies flew over in front of the Bloodletters.

The Sorceress cast Chillwind at the Plaguebearers, causing one wound. The Assassin and Shades in the east also managed to kill two hounds. Their brethren in the south killed three Horrors, while the Assassin (who had left the unit) killed two Screamers. The Dark Riders and archers then took out a full rank of Bloodletters. The Bolt Thrower then fired killing three Plaguebearers.

In combat the Harpies killed three Furies for nothing in return, but the Furies managed insane courage.


Turn 2

The Plaguebearers and Bloodletters charged the two units of Harpies respectively, one fleeing, while the remaining Screamer performed its slash attack on the Assassin, wounding him. The Flesh Hounds charged the Shades who fled through the woods, leaving the Hounds stuck in there. The Flamers moved to their vantage point, and finally, the Sorcerer moved back to try and magic the Assassin to heaven.

Needless to say from the above, he failed thanks to a scroll. In shooting, the Flamers managed to take down three Black Guard.

In combat the Harpies were easily dispatched. The Furies ended up right on front of the Bolt Thrower.

In my turn, the Warriors and Dark Riders charged the Bloodletters. The Harpies failed to rally and fled the table. The other Dark Riders continued to press around the rear of the Daemon army along with the Assassin while the Shades rallied. The Hydra moved up and perched itself ready to fry Plaguebearers while the Black Guard prepared for the charge.

In shooting, one Assassin killed the Tzeentch Herald, while the other killed a Hound. The Dark Riders shot and missed the Daemonettes. The Shades meanwhile finished off the last Screamer. The Bolt Thrower also took out the Furies. The Hydra let the breath rip, killing no less than seven Plaguebearers with its impressive S5 regeneration killer.

In combat the Dark Riders and Warriors struck wound after wound on the Bloodletters, but Niall had the luck, and only failed one save. He wiped out the Dark Riders, but failed to catch the broken and fleeing Warriors.


Turn 3

The Bloodletters advanced after the Warriors while the Plaguebearers finally initialized the battle for the flag in the dead center, themselves versus the Black Guard. The Hounds got themselves out of the forest, facing the Dark Riders.

In shooting, the Flamers avenged the Plaguebearers by taking three wounds off the Hydra.

In combat, there was a stalemate, with the Nurgle Herald declining a challenge from the Dreadlord.

The Hydra decided the charge into the rear of the Plaguebearers so as to avoid suffering another round of shooting. The Warriors rallied. The Assassins and Shades continued to lurk around the two flanks, with the Dark Riders moving around the rear of the Daemon army.

Shooting saw the Horrors lose two more and the Bloodletters lose 4 more. The last of the Hounds were taken out too along with three Flamers.

In combat, the Herald was killed by the Hydra, and combat resolution saw only one Plaguebearer survive the whole thing (sickener).


Turn 4

The Daemonettes now charged the rear of the Hydra. The Bloodletters charged the archers and took another three casualties to the stand and shoot reaction. The Horrors turned around to face the Shades behind them.

The Flamers took out one of the Assassins with their shooting.

In combat the Bloodletters easily destroyed the archers but their overrun did not take them far enough to avoid the Warriors charge arc. The Black Guard killed the last Plaguebearer, while the Hydra fought on against the Daemonettes, winning and turning around, as well as some 'Nettes dying to CR.

In my turn, the Dreadlord charged out of the unit and into the Daemonettes. The Warriors flank charged the Bloodletters also. The rest of the units did their usual skulking about.

Shooting saw one Horror and one Flamer go. Not a great result!

The Dreadlord issued another challenge which was again refused. Unfortunately, the Daemonettes managed to kill the Hydra, his masters fleeing the combat but the Dreadlord getting insane courage and holding.
In the other combat, the Bloodletters were overwhelmed between wounds and CR.


Turn 5

With their PD gone, the Horrors charged the Shades, taking two wounds to S&S.

In shooting, the Flamers managed to kill the other Assassin, happy to see the scourge gone.

In combat the Dreadlord took his first wound of the day but managed to kill some daemons too. In an act of God almost, he rolled insane courage again. The Horrors only killed one Shade and were consequently cut down.

In what would be the last turn of the game, the Black Guard charged in to help their Lord.

The Dark Riders and Shades took it upon themselves to take out the last Flamers while also securing table quarters.

Now standing on the flag, the Black Guard cut a swathe through the Daemonettes, killing every single last one.


And so that was game, a third victory for Chaos, taking a whopping 3100VP thanks to the flag.

And so after it was all said and done, I was delighted to find out I took first place by a god margin.

Looking back, I am both happy with my playing and, more importantly, my list. It proved that even without the cheesy stuff, a good build can still be rock hard. Just the Assassins alone make it a tough adversary and I look forward to the GT in May.

Anyway, that is the end of that, hope you all enjoyed the report.


Cheers,
J.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Bloghammer - Dunmer update


Just a quick blog, with a quick update. I have pulled out two more games and two more massacres with the Dark Elf list. There have been some minor changes, that being the dropping of the ten Warriors and the Great Weapons from a single Shade unit to get 10 Crossbowmen, who worked out well.



I faced my usual Wood Elf opponent, and also a Lizardmen list. Massacres all round for the Druchii, and so the first real test comes this Sunday at the Drogheda Gamesday. I will see you all when it's all said and done.


Cheers,
J.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Bloghammer - My "friendly" Dark Elves

Lately, I have been thinking about the current situation that is Warhammer. The power creep is slowly dying out, but the mess left in its wake still cause problems. The players still choose to take the optimized choice in every situation, and that leaves little room for us players that want to just have fun. This got me thinking about my own builds, and if I had anything people may not consider fun. I found myself guilty as charged.

So, deviating from my normal Dragon or heavy magic Dark Elf lists, I've decided to try something different, throw away my crutches and start anew. So the resolve was to make a list without either the Dragon and heavy magic, but still be competitive. I've come up with the following:

Dreadlord
Crimson Death, Armour of Darkness, Pendant of Khaeleth


Sorceress
2x Dispel Scrolls

Assassin
Manbane, Extra Hand Weapon, Rending Stars

Assassin
Manbane, Extra Hand Weapon, Rending Stars


17x Black Guard
Tower Master with Ring of Hotek Standard Bearer with Banner of Hag Graef

5x Shades
Great Weapons

5x Shades
Great Weapons


20x Dark Elf Warriors
Full Command

10x Dark Elf Warriors

5x Dark Riders
Musician, Repeater Crossbows

5x Dark Riders
Musician, Repeater Crossbows

5x Harpies
5x Harpies


Hydra

Reaper Bolt Thrower
I tried out the list once against Skaven and scored a massacre victory, so a good start by all means. The Assassins were mint at keeping the Warp Lightning Cannons from decimating my lines, and the Dark Riders kept the Plague Monks away from the main lines, as well as taking the Ratling Gun fire away from the Black Guard. Walking across the board was hard though, as the Storm Banner prevented my Harpies from making an impact on the missile troops and magic casters. Thankfully the Ring of Hotek caused my opponent to miscast three times (what a broken item :P).

So I am pretty happy with the list. It means some more painting than intended, but I guess I can live with that. I will be trying to list out at the Drogheda Gamesday in two and a half weeks, expect a full report here when I get back.

So until then,
Cheers,
J.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Bloghammer - Lizardmen and the GT

Howdy folks.

So the Irish GT is in May, and I have decided to take my Lizardmen as people don't look too kindly to my Black Dragon.

I have most of the army bought, and a good portion assembled, but only one model painted so far and that is this little dude below:




























I will have a total of 56 of these little dudes to do between the normal units, crew, handlers, and Chameleons.

Will post the list later.


Cheers,
J.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Bloghammer - Painting Armies

So I have gotten into the idea of actually materializing my thoughts on a lot of things Warhammer in my blog. I could post topics on forums but it is hard to lay everything all out of the table in one go as part of a mass discussion. So, I have decided to start keeping regular blogs here on my musings, etc.

So to kick this resolution of mine off, I've decided to write a bit about painting armies.

It is now the earliest hours of Tuesday morning, and this weekend is Warpcon, the biggest gaming convention in the south of Ireland. Been going 19 years and still strong. I will be entering the two day Fantasy battle tournament with my Warriors of Chaos (whose progress can be seen further back in the blogs). This of course has got me excited to finish painting my army due to the generous painting scores been giving out, which leads me to now.

I have just finished the first of five in my last unit, my Marauder Horsemen. As I lay the model down after a hard day of painting, I begin to feel the aches of the trials of the last week or soof working on the army. It's gotten me thinking, what can people do to make painting an army easier? It is a daunting task no doubt, but some seem to find it more easier than others. Some people take years to finish armies, others take weeks, and the standards are never consistent to what is expected from the taken time. So let's take a look at different techniques and such that might help people with painting whole armies.

Comfort -
Being comfortable is the most important thing to be sure of while painting. If in a comfortable setting, one get's more relaxed, and thus the work load suddenly seems less a chore and more a joyous activity. Putting on some music can really help get one into the right place of relaxation. I have found some music better than others. I am an avid fan of metal (all hail the mighty Machine Head), but while painting I find that with such talented musicians playing it draws your attention away from your work as you concentrate on every technical riff and solo that is in a track. At the same time, if you put on your classical collection, you are likely to get so relaxed you may wonder into the land of nod. So I have found that the in between works best. I like a nice mix of Breaking Benjamin, Nickelback and Alter Bridge to keep me relaxed and at the same time concentrated. Strangely enough, the sound of the title screen of my Lost DVD being played by the girlfriend in the background is also rather soothing. Ah well, c'est le vie!
Cushy for your tushy. I don't know how I can truly stress how important proper seating can be (says the guy who has been sitting on a bar stool for the last few weeks while painting, this will kill me when I'm older). A firm back rest is essential, however, I would not advise arm rests while at a painting table as you need the flexibility to keep your elbows in comfortable positions while you lock your wrists. This steddies your hand and gives a finer finish to the model obviously. An arm rest might disallow a good positioning the paint under your horse's belly for example. Most important, note that spinny office chairs distract one's attention!
Location is also important. You must be in a location you feel good in, and where you can easily access all that you need, be it your music, a book to reference a colour scheme, etc. Most people will choose their bedroom, and why the hell not?!

Motivation -
Surprisingly enough, the hardest thing about painting an army is acquiring the motivation to actually spend the time on it. As stated above, most people will likely paint in their bedroom, so distraction comes with the territory, be it your Xbox, your guitar, or the significant other looking tasty on your bed. So all this considered, there has to be something to really make you want to paint over all these other things. There are a few things that help, and they differ for different people.
Tournaments are a main one. I can speak from experience, when a big tournament is coming to town, you instantly get that notion that you really want your army painted for it. And so you set to work.
Deadlines. Something that will come with the above is a deadline. With a forseeable goal to reach, you will always know where to go. With all the time in the world, people procrastinate. This is the one good thing about events where painted armies are a requirement, people are forced to buckle down and get the work done. I currently have five monthly deadlines for the Chamber of the Everchosen online magazine, and this has really kick started my engine and coupled with the upcoming tournamnet which I mentioned in the intro, I am now down to just four models to paint.
Punish yourself. If there is a model you really want, or one you already have been haven't to work on yet, tell yourself you can't go near it until you have your current projects finished. This has helped me not to impulse buy quite a lot, and has also worked with my painting (though my mind is so strong I can sometimes even break through my own mind barrier, grrr).
Theme. Setting a theme for your army, with some ideas for fun and unique conversions can spark and interest that often can't be stopped. That picture in your head, of the model you haven't finished, and that no one else will have, it pushes you onward to glory. This also results in a better and more unique and exciting army, and I would recommend trying this for your next project.

Breaks -
Just a short section here on taking breaks. Painting can be a tedious job (perilous if you are not careful). It is important not to slave away at it. Get up and go for a walk. I'm sure when you were at school, you were always told about how important it is to take breaks during study, and the right times to take them. The same applies to painting. Usually when you get hungry can be a good time to scidadle.

Selections -
Army selection and colour selection are two things that can really decide how you will go about painting an army. If you pick an army who plays well but you don't like the look of it, you are unlikely to ever touch it with a paintbrush unless you really have to. Likewise if you set a colour scheme that annoys you, etc. you are less likely to do the work. So first thing is first, army selection.
When starting a Warhammer army, I think the imagery is the most important thing to consider. Armies evolve, and a few years later your army may play a new way which you do not like, yet your models are still valid and the imagery of that stays with you forever. Asking most Warhammer players even, what got them into this hobby, they well tell you a picture did.
Picking your colours is very important here. Not only will it determine how often you paint, but also how your army well look when (if) it is finished. So, pick colours you are good at painting. A lot of people mightn't realise this, but everyone has their strengths and weaknesses as far as colours go. For instance, I paint pretty good reds I have been told, however I have been critisized on my browns and rightfully so. So now the only browns I use tend to be in small and/or raggy areas with lots of contours so that I can do a quick drybrush of the area and move on. If you pick a colour you are good at the result will be good, and so from this you gain confidence and want to do more. If you pick a colour you suck at, your model tends to come out dodgey, and this puts you off more painting for the night. It can be that simple really. Also, the amount of colours on a model determines how long it will take to paint. For most people, if a model is quick and easy to paint, they will prefer painting it.

Time allocation -
Just a final thing to note here is the importance of time allocation. You are much less likely to get distracted if you have your painting times set out. If you know you will be painting for the next two hours, you also know that when you are finished that game you've been craving to play is all yours. This also falls into the catagory of creating goals. Set a standard or aim to accomplish each evening/session, and accomplish it. If one just paints on and off randomly, you will find you get a lot less work done.

A final note, do not paint when you are tired as you will mess it all up and then you have to do it all again!

:)

Anyway, that concludes the first part of the Simple Design. I hope you will all subscribe and keep reading the future installments. Cheers.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Bloghammer - Eldar Warseer


I found this model on CMON. Absolutely amazing, I just felt people needed to see this. It is without a doubt one of the best models I have ever seen and beats anything 'Eavy Metal have done.