Pre-game Report: I'm fething tired

Ever pull an all-nighter to work on your models before a big event? So today is my 40k Escalation tournament that I've been looking forward to. I haven't been to a tournament in literally years, not since 5th edition at least, and I am relishing the idea of getting back into the mix.

Having a painted army is a big part of my motivation to get my stuff done. I like to have every piece I am taking painted to a minimum standard of quality. Today, that will not be the case. I spent too much time fooling around over the last two weeks to get as much done as I wanted to have done. However, I have most of my army painted to a 3 color minimum, so I suppose it is at least "tournament-legal" even if it is not to my personal standard.

In other news, the "Little General" got his birthday present a week early last night, for being such a good sport at a long practice game I had. He was pretty excited, in case that wasn't evident by the look on his face. I knew he'd like mecha suits ;)

What's On My Table: 03/10/2016

So a lot of things going on for me this week. I have a practice game tomorrow, in preparation for this weekend. On Saturday, I plan on attending my first tournament since 5th edition... a 40k Escalation tournament (in which we gradually increase the points limits over the rounds). First and foremost in my list is my CSM lord with a "jump pack" which I made sure to be fully painted and ready to go. You may recognize him, though I used some new colors to brush up his paint job and bring him into line with other models I have painted more recently!

Next up is my Forgefiend. Being one of the only models I have that can provide me with any sort of anti-aircraft cover outside of Bloodthirsters, I put this guy in every level of the list (also because we have to... we are required to take the same units in the 1850 list as we did during the 1250 list. And the 1250 list must contain units chosen in the 750 list... and the Forgefiend was an early take for me.)

He's coming along nicely, much better than the giant lump of red plastic he was before today. Still a long way to go on that one, but he's tournament legal already with a 3-color standard.

Third for today, and probably the biggest undertaking, I have somewhere around 30 cultists being made table-top ready. Ideally, I want them to match the previous batch of 10 I completed, but that was years ago and I have a different set of paints now. I will try to replicate it as close as I can, and bring the other unit to match with the new colors if I have time.


I was going to post the lists I planned on taking to the tournament, but I think I'll wait and do more of an "After Action Report" type summary, and I'll include it there. This is the last time I am likely to update before Saturday, as I have a lot of painting to do so that my force is up to minimum standards! I don't even know if there is a standard of painting at this tournament, but I'll be darn sure to exceed it. Call it a personal challenge.

-Teun135

On My Table: 03/05/2016

On my table lately, I've just been trying to find a scheme I like for the Juggernauts in the Bloodcrusher unit. I finally settled on this one, as the bronze/gunmetal contrasts nicely with the bright red of the Bloodletter riding it! This is a WIP still, have some washes to do, but the unit definitely pops on the battlefield so I am pretty happy with it.

Speaking of battlefields... Finally won a Maelstrom game with my Daemonkin! It was a narrow margin of victory (7 points to my opponent's 6) but I finally feel like I am starting to get a decent grasp on how the army handles. I also have started moving away from what internet lists tell me to do, which helps since internet lists are not my local meta!

For example... internet wisdom says that Forgefiends are not a viable unit for the codex. I disagree... my Forgefiend has been a reliable source of S8 shooting that my army badly needs. Could I do the same with Heldrakes? Sure, but I'd be cutting 4 of my S8 shots out for a unit that costs approximately the same points, and has to remain zooming to be any more resilient. The Forgefiend already has a 5+ Daemon save so the extra autocannon is worth it to me. I can pretty reliably strip 2 HP or more off a AV12 vehicle with it each turn, which is very valuable. It has become a valuable anchor to my rear lines.

Anyway, I'm on a tangent. I should be getting a lot done in the next few weeks, as I have a tournament coming up on March 12 that I want my models to be completed for.

As if I could get any paler!

-Teun135

Local Blogger Feature: Warhammer 39,999

For today's Local Blogger Feature, we have Warhammer 39,999, a venerable and long-standing blog that has been around for nearly as long as mine (though Rob, the owner of Warhammer 39,999, did a much better job of keeping his updated!) and I have been a long time fan.

From Rob's "About Me" page:

-"I started 40k back in ’92, when I was in high school.  All of my friends were already into it, and I was stuck on AD&D skirmishes.  I just couldn’t make the leap to warhammer because my passion at the time was goblins, and GW’s variant were so darned goofy looking.  Ironically now, those classic goofy looking models are dear to my heart, and I can’t believe they’ve made their greenskins evil and scary.

That aside, my miniature wargaming career has mostly been true to Games Workshop, and more specifically 40k.  Though I’ve dabled in Warhammer Quest, Necromunda, Man-o-War and Warhammer, only 40k has stuck around through the years. 

I’ve played virtually every available army except for Tau, & Necrons (oh, and Dark Eldar–sort of).  The time my army switching was in full-swing was 2nd edition, so it’s logical that the armies that didn’t exist at that time are the ones I’ve never played.  A more detailed approximation of the armies I actually have owned can be found here.

As of right now, I own a few armies, and one day I plan to create army pages for each.  Right now, they’ll have to settle for a bulletized list:

• Chaos Renegades / Lost & the Damned
• Eldar (Biel-Tan / Exodites)
• Imperial Guard
• Ultramarines
• Tyranids

Having basically played the gambit, my fascination for unstoppable armies has waned.  Now, I’m more interested in using units that are more “balanced,” even going so far as to play units that are largely thought of as “inferior,” in hopes that I can find some tactical advantage to them.  Largely, I fail at this, but I have fun doing so–and that’s ultimately why I play the game.  Truth be told though, I often enjoy talking about the game as much (or more) than playing it…"

His posts cover the entire hobby, so his page is definitely worth following. Thanks for all the hard work, Rob!

New Feature! Local Blogger Feature: The Arctic Warlord

What started as a simple request for local wargaming blogs to follow has turned into a pretty good idea for a regular feature. So I decided to do a new preview for each of the local blogs that I start following, to help spread the blogging love!

Vilicate runs the blog, and is a local player in Alaska. His blog has a simple but pleasing design, not hard to read at all! I enjoyed his multiple battle reports and pictures of games in progress. Apparently he is also a highly competitive player and participates in many local tournaments and competitions, from what I hear!

Give his blog a read, and maybe leave a comment so he is inspired to write more articles. Maybe some tactical insight or editorials?

-Teun135