I was able to get some assembly work done this week on the Long Riders and the Extreme Mauler. The Long Riders are all done and assembled, but the Mauler still needs a lot of work. That guy is a beast! He must weigh about a pound.
I also did the skin on two troll champions. It went a lot more slowly than I thought because I've not done the skin for so long that I completely forgot how I normally paint it.
Even so, it was a ton of fun to get back into the painting/modeling groove. It was especially nice because I was able to paint with an old college buddy (who happens to be working on a GW Tomb Kings army). Painting with a buddy always makes it seem to go a lot faster and it's really nice to just relax on a Sunday afternoon and chat. The football game was also on in the background too for added entertainment.
It was really nice to catch up with my old buddy, and I got a lot done to boot as well! All in all quite a wonderful day.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Borka's Night on the Town
Had a fun game tonight with Scott and his Menoth. I brought the Borka beast list I posted in an earlier entry. I had to proxy the Pyre Troll, but everything else was correct. I'm not going to put up a full report, but instead just go over some things I learned about Borka today.
1. Borka is TOUGH! With Champs and a Kriel Stone Bearer, they are all DEF14 ARM19. They took a full barrage from zealots and only lost one champion.
2. The Mosh Pit spell is nasty! Anyone ending their activations in melee range of a troll gets pushed back one inch, generating free strikes. This totally fouls up any melee troops.
3. The Keg Bearer is awesome...because Scott didn't want to kill him, Lil' Keggy was able to kill 3-4 zealots and get in the way of others. It was a lot of fun running him in like the crazy kamikaze drunk pygmy that he is.
4. I need to remember to transfer damage when I get hit. I had two fury and forgot to transfer damage when some Daughters got in and backstabbed him.
5. The High Reclaimer is pretty gross when he can get tons of soul tokens...he got I think close to 20 focus one round and almost killed Borka in one round. Amazingly, Borka lived with 1hp to spare, and the Arm19 from the KSB really paid off big this game.
6. Borka is pretty bad with three beasts. I found that I couldn't really support three and had to make many frenzy checks during the game. I just couldn't pull enough fury off to keep the beasts cool. Also, he doesn't really have any spells that help beasts out. I need to drop one for more troops.
7. When the Fell Caller gets a free strike, it's brutal! Well it was also a monster roll too, but still, he did a POW 30 hit to a revenger leaving combat. Took out the two middle columns in one giant cleave. Go Fell Caller!
8. I still hate Daughters and Zealots. They're too fast and they do hit very hard! If not for the KSB and toughness of the champs and Borka I think I would have gotten quickly swamped.
Overall I think it was a really fun game, though we couldn't play it out to the death. Borka was on fire with 3hp left at the end of the game, while a lot of the Menoth troops were dead or routed. I think it could have gone either way, though probably was more in the Menoth's favor since my beasts were all mostly wild and I was down to 3 champions.
I'm definitely looking forward to next week, and maybe I'll have my champions painted in time for that battle.
1. Borka is TOUGH! With Champs and a Kriel Stone Bearer, they are all DEF14 ARM19. They took a full barrage from zealots and only lost one champion.
2. The Mosh Pit spell is nasty! Anyone ending their activations in melee range of a troll gets pushed back one inch, generating free strikes. This totally fouls up any melee troops.
3. The Keg Bearer is awesome...because Scott didn't want to kill him, Lil' Keggy was able to kill 3-4 zealots and get in the way of others. It was a lot of fun running him in like the crazy kamikaze drunk pygmy that he is.
4. I need to remember to transfer damage when I get hit. I had two fury and forgot to transfer damage when some Daughters got in and backstabbed him.
5. The High Reclaimer is pretty gross when he can get tons of soul tokens...he got I think close to 20 focus one round and almost killed Borka in one round. Amazingly, Borka lived with 1hp to spare, and the Arm19 from the KSB really paid off big this game.
6. Borka is pretty bad with three beasts. I found that I couldn't really support three and had to make many frenzy checks during the game. I just couldn't pull enough fury off to keep the beasts cool. Also, he doesn't really have any spells that help beasts out. I need to drop one for more troops.
7. When the Fell Caller gets a free strike, it's brutal! Well it was also a monster roll too, but still, he did a POW 30 hit to a revenger leaving combat. Took out the two middle columns in one giant cleave. Go Fell Caller!
8. I still hate Daughters and Zealots. They're too fast and they do hit very hard! If not for the KSB and toughness of the champs and Borka I think I would have gotten quickly swamped.
Overall I think it was a really fun game, though we couldn't play it out to the death. Borka was on fire with 3hp left at the end of the game, while a lot of the Menoth troops were dead or routed. I think it could have gone either way, though probably was more in the Menoth's favor since my beasts were all mostly wild and I was down to 3 champions.
I'm definitely looking forward to next week, and maybe I'll have my champions painted in time for that battle.
Borka Built for Battle
I put together Borka last night. No real major issues with assembly and all the pieces fit together nicely. I did however do one pretty major change. I didn't really like his codpiece so I left that off and instead tried to sculpt my own belt and loincloth for him. This was my first major attempt at sculpting anything big with greenstuff.
I found it really hard to get the loincloth folded right; I think I may have been trying to shape it too soon after mixing the greenstuff because it just wouldn't hold it's shape and kept getting stuck to the table or my fingers/tools. I remembered later that to sculpt a wavy piece of cloth, it's best to wait an hour for it to harden before trying.
I also had some trouble doing his belt buckle and so it doesn't quite look right to me either.
I'll post up a picture later today, once it's all dry.
As for the list I'm going to be using him in tonight, I think I'm going to try this out:
Borka
-Pyg Keg Carrier
-Mauler
-Axer
-Pyre (using my Impaler to proxy)
Champions
Krielstone Bearer + 4 scribes
Fell Caller
I know he should be a lot better with just two beasts and more infantry, but I don't have the models to include Kriel Warriors or long riders yet. The Pyre in this list is kinda extraneous since the Mauler is there.
I'm expecting to get crushed tonight by Scott since he'll have his tournament list there, but it should be fun anyway to see what Borka can do.
I found it really hard to get the loincloth folded right; I think I may have been trying to shape it too soon after mixing the greenstuff because it just wouldn't hold it's shape and kept getting stuck to the table or my fingers/tools. I remembered later that to sculpt a wavy piece of cloth, it's best to wait an hour for it to harden before trying.
I also had some trouble doing his belt buckle and so it doesn't quite look right to me either.
I'll post up a picture later today, once it's all dry.
As for the list I'm going to be using him in tonight, I think I'm going to try this out:
Borka
-Pyg Keg Carrier
-Mauler
-Axer
-Pyre (using my Impaler to proxy)
Champions
Krielstone Bearer + 4 scribes
Fell Caller
I know he should be a lot better with just two beasts and more infantry, but I don't have the models to include Kriel Warriors or long riders yet. The Pyre in this list is kinda extraneous since the Mauler is there.
I'm expecting to get crushed tonight by Scott since he'll have his tournament list there, but it should be fun anyway to see what Borka can do.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Hordes: Evolution - Quick Review
So I'm back from Taiwan now, been back for about a week. It was a pretty good trip; I got a lot of things done work-wise, the people there are great, and I enjoyed my stay there for the most part. While I'm glad I'm back to the US now, I will probably have to go back there again in a month or two.
A nice bonus that waiting for me at GameCastle was my preorder of the Hordes: Evolution book. I spent most of yesterday reading the fiction, which was quite a bit of fun. I really like how they advance the storyline with each new book they release. (No big spoilers for those that haven't read it yet, just general thoughts and impressions).
The Story
The trolls have carved out a little corner of Cygnar for themselves, but things are very tenuous and life is still hard for them. I really liked the way they expanded Alten's character as well as using him to explore Grim's character a bit. I found it interesting that they are making Doomshaper into a serious warmonger, trying to instigate a fight between the trolls and Cygnar. Not really much else of note on the troll story front though.
What I found the most interesting though was the legion fluff, in which they showed the "nicer" side of it, where Everblight is seen as a loving father rather than a crazy evil dragon, and all the warlocks are a sort of weird extended family. Very strange, but interesting nonetheless.
I didn't really like the Circle fluff much...it was all very political, and dealt with characters I'm not really interested in. I was pretty disappointed in Kaya's story progression though. She's just going to be used by Morvahnna now as a pawn. It was sad that she was too dumb to realize this. Oh well.
The Skorne story was pretty interesting in the parts that involved Magnus. The last part was especially interesting, and it makes me wonder what Zaal and Hexeris are up to, and what Vinter's master plan really is. Cool stuff.
The Art
The art throughout the book is very well done, and there's quite a lot of it. I like most of the new troll art, especially the full page picture of the keg carrier and his whelp. Circle art was pretty nice too, though since I'm not really interested in them, I didn't pay much attention though. I do think a lot of their new units looks pretty nice though. I especially like the wolves standard bearer and champion though, and the new Satyr heavy warbeast looks pretty cool.
Legion art was ok, nothing super special. Same with Skorne. The Agonizer art is even worse than the mini, so if the mini bothered you, then be prepared for the art. It's pretty gross looking. Other than that, it seems like more of the same for the Skorne.
The Troll Units
I'm sad that the trolls didn't get a pygmy bushwhacker UA, but happy that there is another pygmy miner unit. I'm definitely picking up a set of these guys as they seem really useful in scenario games and for claiming/contesting objectives. Plus popping out and dishing out a bunch of POW 14 slug gun shots to the face seems quite strong.
The troll bouncer light warbeast seems pretty useful. He's got decent power, great armor, and some nice defensive bonuses for having him near your warlock. Still, I'm not sure how I'd fit him into my army, especially my 500 pt. lists as he just doesn't seem quite good enough for me to want to replace my Axer in most cases. He might be more useful in 750, or maybe with Doomshaper and an Earthborn.
The best new unit/addition though has to be the new Standard Bearer, Musician, and Caber Tosser. These three guys make Kriel Warriors incredibly good. The standard bearer and musician make the Kriel Warriors tougher (tough on a 4+, unit members can't be knocked down) and faster (extra movement if not running, more spread out formation ok), while the caber tosser adds a much needed attack oomph to the unit. With the option to lay down 6" of pow 13 death, or a single target POW 20 hit, these caber tossers are brutal. Plus I really like the art for these guys and I hope the minis look cool too. I'm definitely going to be picking up a unit of Kriels once these additions come out.
Lastly, I've got mixed feelings about the new Solo, the Stone Scribe Chronicler. He's pretty much like the testament of menoth, where he has to read his special abilities in order. The bonuses are nice, but the order might cause some trouble. He's cheaper than the Fellcaller though, but doesn't quite seem as nice. Maybe in larger games he'd be a good addition, but I probably won't be getting one.
And of course there were all the guys covered by the previous NQ magazines (Earthborn, Long Riders, Grim, and Winter Troll). I'm definitely looking forward to some Long Riders soon. I think they should be out in a few weeks.
Which brings me back to painting. I really really need to get started again soon. I think my goal for next week will be to slam out the Champions, who have been sitting patiently in my army transport for months now, waiting their turn to get painted. I also want to get Borka assembled and primed for a game next week against Scott too. I'm sure he's sick of seeing Grim across the field. :)
So the week after will be Borka, and then maybe a break to paint the swamp gobbers or the Rhyas I got just to paint.
A nice bonus that waiting for me at GameCastle was my preorder of the Hordes: Evolution book. I spent most of yesterday reading the fiction, which was quite a bit of fun. I really like how they advance the storyline with each new book they release. (No big spoilers for those that haven't read it yet, just general thoughts and impressions).
The Story
The trolls have carved out a little corner of Cygnar for themselves, but things are very tenuous and life is still hard for them. I really liked the way they expanded Alten's character as well as using him to explore Grim's character a bit. I found it interesting that they are making Doomshaper into a serious warmonger, trying to instigate a fight between the trolls and Cygnar. Not really much else of note on the troll story front though.
What I found the most interesting though was the legion fluff, in which they showed the "nicer" side of it, where Everblight is seen as a loving father rather than a crazy evil dragon, and all the warlocks are a sort of weird extended family. Very strange, but interesting nonetheless.
I didn't really like the Circle fluff much...it was all very political, and dealt with characters I'm not really interested in. I was pretty disappointed in Kaya's story progression though. She's just going to be used by Morvahnna now as a pawn. It was sad that she was too dumb to realize this. Oh well.
The Skorne story was pretty interesting in the parts that involved Magnus. The last part was especially interesting, and it makes me wonder what Zaal and Hexeris are up to, and what Vinter's master plan really is. Cool stuff.
The Art
The art throughout the book is very well done, and there's quite a lot of it. I like most of the new troll art, especially the full page picture of the keg carrier and his whelp. Circle art was pretty nice too, though since I'm not really interested in them, I didn't pay much attention though. I do think a lot of their new units looks pretty nice though. I especially like the wolves standard bearer and champion though, and the new Satyr heavy warbeast looks pretty cool.
Legion art was ok, nothing super special. Same with Skorne. The Agonizer art is even worse than the mini, so if the mini bothered you, then be prepared for the art. It's pretty gross looking. Other than that, it seems like more of the same for the Skorne.
The Troll Units
I'm sad that the trolls didn't get a pygmy bushwhacker UA, but happy that there is another pygmy miner unit. I'm definitely picking up a set of these guys as they seem really useful in scenario games and for claiming/contesting objectives. Plus popping out and dishing out a bunch of POW 14 slug gun shots to the face seems quite strong.
The troll bouncer light warbeast seems pretty useful. He's got decent power, great armor, and some nice defensive bonuses for having him near your warlock. Still, I'm not sure how I'd fit him into my army, especially my 500 pt. lists as he just doesn't seem quite good enough for me to want to replace my Axer in most cases. He might be more useful in 750, or maybe with Doomshaper and an Earthborn.
The best new unit/addition though has to be the new Standard Bearer, Musician, and Caber Tosser. These three guys make Kriel Warriors incredibly good. The standard bearer and musician make the Kriel Warriors tougher (tough on a 4+, unit members can't be knocked down) and faster (extra movement if not running, more spread out formation ok), while the caber tosser adds a much needed attack oomph to the unit. With the option to lay down 6" of pow 13 death, or a single target POW 20 hit, these caber tossers are brutal. Plus I really like the art for these guys and I hope the minis look cool too. I'm definitely going to be picking up a unit of Kriels once these additions come out.
Lastly, I've got mixed feelings about the new Solo, the Stone Scribe Chronicler. He's pretty much like the testament of menoth, where he has to read his special abilities in order. The bonuses are nice, but the order might cause some trouble. He's cheaper than the Fellcaller though, but doesn't quite seem as nice. Maybe in larger games he'd be a good addition, but I probably won't be getting one.
And of course there were all the guys covered by the previous NQ magazines (Earthborn, Long Riders, Grim, and Winter Troll). I'm definitely looking forward to some Long Riders soon. I think they should be out in a few weeks.
Which brings me back to painting. I really really need to get started again soon. I think my goal for next week will be to slam out the Champions, who have been sitting patiently in my army transport for months now, waiting their turn to get painted. I also want to get Borka assembled and primed for a game next week against Scott too. I'm sure he's sick of seeing Grim across the field. :)
So the week after will be Borka, and then maybe a break to paint the swamp gobbers or the Rhyas I got just to paint.
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