How time flies

I can't believe it's been three weeks. The time has just flown by. Warmachine work had slowed down a bit, but I'm getting back into the swing of painting stuff again. I've managed to play a game, listen to a ton of podcasts, and get a much better idea of what the game is.

My game didn't really finish. It was a learning affair with what models I actually own. What lesson I took from it was to play much a more aggressively. The man o war did well, but their speed needs to be handled. I'm thinking of just running them first turn and getting an ironfang kovnik. He'll give them +2 speed when they shieldwall. So they'll move 14 inches in two turns with a run. The widowmakers did fine. I used the marksman's swift hunter ability to move them after each kill. It will be very valuable to keep them moving while remaining stationary to hit high defense targets. The Butcher did great with iron flesh and fury. And I was happy to see eCaine have trouble with my high armor and health. The best unit had to be the Destroyer. It landed a bombard round on Boomhowler's head and eliminated him. Then it beat down Ol' Rowdy in melee.

I had the chance to assemble one of my berserkers and get some base colors painted. Sadly, the week I was working on it, three separate podcasts mentioned how terrible they were. Yeah, they're one point cheaper than a juggernaut, but not nearly as good. I plan to sacrifice them though. They won't need any focus to just let go and head straight for the enemies front line. My widowmakers are almost finished, just need some basing. And I have decided on a basing technique for now. I'm going with earth-tones. I just find black to be too boring. Actually, the only black I have painted on models is hair...on one guy... Otherwise I use the panzer ace color "dark rubber" with a nuln oil shade.

As for future plans... I want to get pVlad, some Greylord outriders, winterguard mortars, and that ironfang kovnik. There are also half a dozen loose ends I want as well. But I plan to eventually get every model Khador has to offer. For now, I'll stick with utilitarian units and try to build good, competitive lists. Once I have the models, then I can play more games and try to get tournament experience.

The dates for adepticon have been released, and I'd like to play in Warmachine events. I've already booked my own hotel. So far I've got one guy staying with me. There will be room for four, I just need to find others who want to make the trip. Well, I don't NEED to, I just want to save some money on the room.

A steady pace.

I've managed to keep up hobby work at a steady pace. I have just finished the boomhowlers and squire. Reinholdt and another man-o-war are halfway done. I think I'll do the shocktroopers one at a time, so I can at least play with 3 when they're done. I have also added some ballast to the bases of what Khador I have painted. Not 100% sure what they will look like, but more than likely a temperate forrest with some snow clumps. I think I'll trim the bases with brown though. Two shades to identify the back and front arc. Assembly-wise, I've got some gun mages and widowmakers to put together and paint next. I was worried about greenstuffing bandanas on the smaller models....but I think I found a way to cheat. I'm going to apply a few layers of liquid greenstuff. Folds and wrinkles in the fabric will be detailed by the paint I put on them.

I have picked up a copy of the rulebook finally. I have also managed to get the Khador force book, Khador tokens, and some card sleeves. I have some red adepticon 2012 dice and dry erase markers to use as well. Now I just need to get some objective and wrecked warjack markers. I wonder if I should make a generic destroyed warjack and cast it... Going through my bitz has turned up a few scraps that can be used for terrain as well. Some low walls and building corners will add to the GW forrest and large hill I have. I'll need a battle mat too once I begin to focus on terrain.

I'm having fun getting everything together for Warmachine. I have managed to sell some painted stuff and trade 40K models for Warmachine. I should have some Skorne on the way to add to the Legion battle box I got from adepticon. If this pace keeps up, I'll need more Khador models within a month. But for now, I'm happy with a small force. I need to finish reading the rules and play some friendly learner games. I'm eager to actually play.

I have found a few things that I don't really enjoy about Warmachine though... The plastic models aren't that good. They are not worth their price. 85$ for ironfang pikemen is out of line. And the rulebook intro is full of adolescent machismo. "Play like you have a pair." is sexist. I like the message, but not how it's delivered. I feel the whole outlook and way the game is presented overlooks the hobby aspect. I'll give the game some time before I weigh-in on the painting. I want to give Warmachine the benefit of the doubt.

40K break

I've taken a break from the last two 40K projects I have to complete for a few weeks. Painting Warmachine has been a great relief. I'm actually spending hours once again at the paint desk. And it doesn't feel like a chore anymore. I can't wait to get the last few 40K things done and out of the way. So far I have put up and will probably sell all of my painted Space Wolves. The only painted things I kept were Bjorn and any model in terminator armor. I'll still be able to field a Logan-wing if I want to...but it's unlikely to happen anytime in the near future. I've gotten a few Khador models painted and some work done on the Cygnar army for a friend. There are still a few units I want to pick up for my 50 point list. And I need to get a rulebook. Hopefully this weekend I can pick one up from a local game store. I plan to stop by on Saturday to check out a tournament that is going on. I have been listening to podcasts and reading, but I want to see the game played in person. A great number of the guys I play WFRP with are starting Warmachine, so I'm sure we'll all be playing pretty soon. It'll be nice to learn the system with people who should be at the same skill level.

With any luck I'll be done with 40K projects and focused solely on Warmachine by next post.

A few changes

The 5 days off I had were going to be an amazing amount of free time to get some models built and painted for my Grey Knights. Day one, I assembled three multi-melta servitors and three plasma gun warriors. And that's it. I began looking into the new Eldar and started to become more than a little disappointed. Eldar were my other choice for 6th edition. I figured they'd get a new codex near the end of the year. So rather than build an army and have it change when I was done, I went with GK. Shortly after investing a good sum of money into my GK...the Eldar codex comes out. An Iyanden supplement also comes out with exactly what I've always wanted...a wraith guard army and new models. Had I only known, I would have saved my money and spent it on Eldar. Sadly, the codex and Iyanden book are a bit expensive. By this time I'm getting a little disappointed in how terrible my GK are going to be. In order to play a fun list, I have to lose nearly every game. That's no fun. So I decide to make a change.

I received a Khador battle groups box for Warmachine at adepticon a few years ago. Now, I had played Warmachine when it first came out. I played Rhulic mercenaries, although I wanted to play Khador...but someone else was playing them. I've been seeing many of the models for Circle of Orboros over the last month and loved how they look. If I can find some people to play, or a good community, then maybe Warmachine is a better wargame for me. As it turns out, a few of the guys in my roleplaying group actually play. So I painted my two Khador warjacks and order most of what I need. In a short period of time I will have all the units I want to begin playing and have friends who play. This is probably one of the final steps to finally finding a place in the Madison area after I moved 3 years ago. It looks like 40K doesn't really fit with my lifestyle or circle of friends anymore. I'll never be able to get rid of all my 40K stuff, but I don't really want to. My goal right now is to liquidate much of it and finish the few painting projects I have going on right now.

As for the future, Warmachine will most likely be my main hobby. Which means I'm still going to adepticon every year, and there will still be plenty of tournaments to play. But for 40K, the game is just too out of line on several fronts for me. I don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth.

Yeah, dreadknight!

I got a lot done on my dreadknight this week. I've just got to get some hands and a few minor touches before I finally paint it. Still picking at the 5 GK termies that I've been painting as well. Building henchmen, and questioning my choice of grey knights over Eldar with the codex release. One of my goals was to become a better player, and to place better at local tournaments. I have to constantly remind myself that Grey Knights still have the tools to get the job done. It's just going to take me a bit to figure them out. I need to play more...a lot more.

As new codexes arise, I am painfully aware of the threats they bring. The Tau will out shoot me, and the Eldar have a ton of psychic buffs and frightening shruriken weapons. The possibility of bladestorm giving AP2 can ruin my terminator core of troops. There are also the flyer lists, the pure assault lists, and blob squads to contend with. Finding something to handle all of these elements means that I have to keep an open mind. I may have to drop more beloved terminators from my list. And I know I will have to build more henchmen. As it stands, I am bringing back the servitor idea. As a replacement for the dreadnought, I'll playtest a dedicated unit for Coteaz. 3 multi-melta servitors, a Jokaero, and 7 warriors with 3 plasma and 4 bolters cost the same as the dreadnought. The unit will be scoring, and they will be a place for Coteaz to fit into. Otherwise, the guy really doesn't have a dedicated place. The crutch is that mind lock will limit their ability without him.

I am also entertaining the idea of adding purifiers. I'd have to drop the psycannon termies though. And probably cut back on the points I have spent on the landraider crusader. I enjoyed playing Necron when they were underpowered and old. So I believe I can enjoy GK, especially with allies. What really bugs me is that the army will still be called "cheesy". When I first played Space Wolves they were called "cheese-wolves". It pissed me off. True, I had thunderwolves. But I spent a lot of time and money on the models and they were a fun project. I also used expensive characters and didn't spam any units. The same guy played a Draigo wing against me the next month. The point is that in tournament play, there is no place for complaining like that. You can lament about missed opportunities because of mistakes or in-lucky dice. But to assume that people aren't going to try everything within the rules to win is absurd. If I wasn't afraid of losing sportsmanship points, I'd bring this topic up to opponents at tournaments. But even when friendly and logical, people don't like to be told that their view is biased. Either way, I'm in it with Grey Knights, and I will show no mercy on the tabletop...not I just have to start playing and winning.

On a side-note. I've got a 2-day work week then 5 days off. I'll be spending the time with my daughter, but she lets me hobby much of the day. I'm looking forward to getting a lot of work done.

Busy hobby holiday weekend

Well I had the chance to playtest my list the first day of my 3 day weekend. I played down to 1650, but only dropped the strike squad. I lost horribly to Eldar/DE. Reserves came in late and piecemeal, and I'm not sure how well I played to the mission. At first I thought about completely scrapping the list and starting over. But these are the growing pains I have to expect. So I have made a few changes, still keeping within the general terminator theme. Here's an updated list.

HQ
-Coteaz....because I need him to play competitively. I have a fine cast model already painted, so it's not a big deal. The other inquisitor I made may make an appearance in big games though.

Troops
-10 terminators, same incinerators
-10 terminators, same psycannons
-6 warrior acolytes with bolters in a psybolt razorback. They are cheap and I had the models nearly built for the unit anyway.

Fast attack
-same storm raven

Heavy Support
-same dreadknight
-same Crusader but now with a multi melta. This thing is costly, but I believe it can and will be hard to kill.
-psybolt dreadnought with autocannons. I was originally going to use gun servitors...but realized that I can only have 3 with guns. So they were scrapped for this guy.

I think this list is better, although I did spend a few days getting bitz ready to make 10 gun servitors only to realize I can only have 3. I need today with it before I make more changes. I think I need more henchmen or some purifiers. Maybe the psycannon termies will have to go. On the bright side, I won't have to convert 10 servitors...sadly I have some multi meltas coming in from eBay that I won't need.

I spent Sunday playing Talisman Prologue on the iPad. It's pretty addictive and makes me want to actually try the board game. Monday I was able to get a game of WFRP2nd edition. Just continuing the campaign. I had to rush at the last minute to get things prepared. We made the plans on Saturday, so I had a little time to read over the first campaign adventure and flesh out some subplot stuff. The game went great once again. It's not a challenge at all to GM. Everyone just works together great, like we've known each other longer than the 4 times now we've played. So overall, it was a GW weekend.

Ready to playtest

I've gotten some good progress this week on my GK. I've put the legs on the dreadknight and assembled most of the inquisitor. Everything is good enough to playtest on the tabletop in friendly games. I just need to find some time to actually do that. I even put paint to one of my termy justicars. I wasn't even thinking about it, I just picked up some new paints and started working on it. I tested out a value scale with the grey paints I had chosen. It helped a lot with choosing the exact colors. I'm happy so far, even though the armor is drybrushed. I usually stay away from large amounts of drybrushing, but I think these guys will need it.

I've also shuffled around the list. The dakka stormraven has been dropped for a land raider crusader. I figure I can put the inquisitor with a combat squad of terminators in it. Keeping with the all-comers theme, I figured it wild he more balanced that way. The raider is also a big target that opponents may not have an answer to. The profile is also big enough to hide units behind it. Combine that with possible 2nd turn assault and I may have a beta strike strategy on my hands provided all of my reserves come in.

So my plan is to pick my targets right away. So 2nd turn the storm raven can come in and take out a target, the incinerators drop down to cause havoc in the enemies back lines, the raider brings it's contents into assault, and the two units on foot provide support fire to whichever unit needs it. I don't want to be reactive, but proactive. If I focus on the mission and disrupting my opponent, then I may just win the game through determination and strategy rather than a better army list. Jack up a player's flow and see if they fall apart. I should also begin to define the dual roles of each unit. That way I make sure they are always persuing their goals and not wasting time being indecisive.