No blogging but plenty of gaming!

The last few months have been a bit of a gaming marathon for me, playing weekly games of Age of Sigmar Skirmish for the Malign Portents global campaign:

All pics from the most excellent Warboss Kurgan

The odd Matched Play game of Age of Sigmar:

Legion of Nagash in action!

To a fully packed Salute weekend of games:

Star Wars Legion

 8th edition 40k

Advanced Song of Blade & Heroes

Mutants & Death Ray Guns

Basically, I have been very busy getting the stuff I have painted actually on to the table.  My visit to Salute was a pretty cheap one considering and I only returned with two boxes of figures, neither for any game system I play...dammit.

Down in Goblin Town

Clap! Snap! the black crack!
Grib, grab! Pinch, nab!
And down, down to Goblin town
You go, my lad!

14 days late but I managed to finish up my Goblin Town warband for the Lord of the Rings Battle Companies.  I am very happy with these and may even expand them into a full force for the battle game.

Goblins quaff, and Goblins beat.

That means that so far for 2018 I have:

-  Completed a Goblin Town Warband.

-  Rejigged and added to my Death AoS army.

-  Painted a Shadespire Warband.

- Modelled and converted a second Shadespire Warband.

Not bad going really! Add to that getting my scenery collection in order (more on that soon) and selling off a lot of unwanted lead and plastic to fund everything, I am pretty happy with how things are going so far!

On to some Malign Portents games!

Harbingers, Portents & HDR

Managed to purchase, assemble and paint the Harbinger of Death: Knight of Shrouds for Malign Portents this week to fit in with the rest of my Death forces.

At this point the focus is still very much Nighthaunts (and he provides an excellent General) for this, but now I am looking to expand into some more "generic" Death units.  Ghost Hounds have always had some appeal.

My latest photograph really emphasises that I need to go over the red eyes of my ghosts with purple (sorry, amethyst) to tie into the latest vogue.

Also, did you know phone cameras have an HDR setting? Because I didn't...

Ghouls & Ghosts

Doing more Shadespire bits

The last few weeks have mostly been concerned with Shadespire, listening to podcasts, the audiobooks and painting/modelling up some warbands to take to the Grand Clash.  So far I have come up with:

The Sepulchral Guard - painted to match the rest of my Death army.

Punk Rock Stormcast!

New year, new projects

Well, turns out I have managed to get involved with two new games and it is only January!  The release of Battle Companies for the Lord of the Rings SBG is exactly what I have wanted for the system for a long time, so I took the plunge and am painting up some nasty goblins from the mountains:

Love this design of goblin.  One of the few things the Hobbit films got right.

And then there is also the game I swore I wouldn't play. Shadespire.  Turns out it absolutely ticks all my boxes, gives me small, self contained painting projects and lets me get in many games, fast.

Just so elegant a game!

In fact it has so taken me, I have signed up to the Grand Clash in March. My first ever tournament in 25 years of the hobby!

A game from the past!

Well, last year anyway. I am so bad at reporting the games I played.

Managed to catch up with Curis over the Christmas holiday and played an Age of Sigmar Skirmish game against him.  Like the previous game versus Tears we played the Treasure Hunt scenario (a favourite!) and once again I was beaten. Curses!

The ghosts ride again.

 Curis's absolutely beautiful Chaos warband. Check his blog for more!

 Riders head out to cause early damage.

Both warbands get stuck in. The Objectives turn out to be fairly spread across the board.  My Cairn Wraith does NOTHING.

 Attempt One to kill the pesky wizard.

 

 Attempt Two.

 

The wizard is triumphant and holds the central Treasure Horde until the end of the game.

Spoopy Lads

Decided that my ghosts didn't look "done" after their last few outings so, fuelled by the growing Malign Portent tease, I have done a few touch ups and adjustments.  Basically drybrushed another layer of white, gloss washed them black, added blood stains and spooky red eyes.  Also added a black rim around the base rather than dark brown.

I also realised that I just do not like the more modern Spirit Host figures, all swirly and that, so switched them out for bases of figures painted all ghostly to represent the collected victims of the army.

I picked Free Company figures and a few Orruks to represent the souls reanimated from the ghost's initial foray into the Harrowmark

Spirits of the Harrowmark

Lord Radclyffe's Company

The Middoth, The White Lady & The Wraith

Age of the Emperor

After a few games of 40K I have found the new edition understandable, playable and so much less of a grind than it's previous (7 lets be honest) incarnations.  However it still isn't quite nailed on for me and I find Age of Sigmar a better game.

So, with that in mind, I present the following variant to 40K.  Obviously this is just the start and I might have another think about it after a few games but here you go, just click on it for a bigger version:

Happy Christmas all! Emperor bless us, everyone.

Warhammer: A personal canon.

The Alpha

Bit of an odd post this but I have been thinking about how all the Warhammer Worlds could fit together and if they can exist as “one”.  In the end I have come up with the following timeline which fits well for me:

The Old World/The World that Was: The “original” world of WFB & WFRP, created by the Old Ones. The Old World is destroyed by Chaos at the End Times.

Age of Myth: Sigmar & Dracothian unite the gods and form the Mortal Realms.

Age of Chaos: The big bad are back and wreck house in the Mortal Realms.

Age of Sigmar: The gates of Azyr are opened, the Realmgate Wars, the forces of Order fight back against Chaos.

This is my leap of faith:

At the end of the Age of Sigmar, the Old World is reforged by Sigmar as Earth. This would explain the geographical and cultural links between the Old World and modern Earth.  Sigmar himself is reborn with the world as the Emperor, appearing in Anatolia at the dawn of civilisation. 

End of leap.

Age of Terra: Based on Earth/Terra, mankind begins to colonise the nearby planets & stars.

Dark Age of Technology: Mankind reachers it’s cultural and scientific zenith spreading through the galaxy.

Age of Strife: Well that doesn’t last long, Terra collapses to factional warfare, nukes, bio weapons, cats & dogs living together. The Emperor unifies Terra and then the former colonies of mankind using the Thunder Warriors/proto-Astartes.

Age of Imperium: The Emperor founds the Imperium using his Adeptus Astartes and Primarchs. I bet this goes well...


What do you think? Makes sense? Square peg/round hole?

The Omega

Clash at the Guerac Throne

So, the skirmish game!

This played out really well for a "pick up" game.  We both had 44 Renown to play with and although Tear's force wasn't "strictly" legal, (you need one Hero figure to act as General so instead the Protector Prime was chosen), the game, and I am sorry if this sounds like a battle report in an issue of White Dwarf, came down to the last few dice rolls!

The scenario played was Treasure Hunt from the Skirmish book and we totally ignored all the Allegiance Abilities, Skirmish Abilities etc. as we mostly just forgot.  Bonus internet points to whoever gets the Guerac reference without heading to Google.

 

The Warbands Engage (bonus finger)

 

The First Clash, I quickly realised my Ghosts had no chance one to one.

 

We are really playing! My forces have scattered to take objectives.

 

Clash of the Generals!

 

The very last round and EVERY objective is contested! 

The game head to the finish with a threeway (stop sniggering Curis) tie over the objectives, the last blows struck took out my final Hexwraith leaving 2 objectives as contested and 1 objective held by the Stormtonnians giving them the win. The Guerac Throne had been liberated! Curses.

Warband glamour shots

I did play those games this weekend, honest. Just not blogged them yet.

For proof here are a pair of glamour shots for the warbands involved in the Age of Sigmar skirmish games.  These photos were both taken by my opponent and lovely person all round Tears of Envy

The Ordsall Host summoned once more!

Tear's incredible Stormtonnians ready for war.

Prepping for games

I think I might be a bit odd. 

I have two games scheduled this weekend with Tears of Envy so have spent the week putting together rosters, scenarios, quick ref sheets etc. and I love it.  Is that weird?

This may tie into my love of world building more seen in roleplaying games (currently playing Numenera & Pathfinder), but the gaming prep lets me expand a bit more than "two groups of lads stand around eyeballing each other"...

In case you are interested the games planned are an Age of Sigmar Skirmish game based around relic of the World that Was in the dust choked plains of Shyish and the others is a Mutant and Death Ray Guns game were our warbands will be grubbing around in the dirt looking for artefacts!

Pictures to follow...well once we have played! Don't expect them to be good.

Altar of an Abandoned Sun

Ooh! Some excellent Shyish/Death based news & articles from the Warhammer Community and beyond:

This lad will be an instant purchase for the Host.

A campaign focused on Death? Yes please!

This article from the excellent Mengel Miniatures is a great read about doing some Nighthaunt modelling: From the Mind of Mengel: Tomb Banshee

Finally my absolute must listen at the moment is Altar of an Abandoned Sun available now at Bandcamp.  The track An Old Sad Ghost seem particularly apt for the army...

Back from exile and to the Fields of Blood

I am back from my trip down to the Big Smoke in the Realm of Metal so can finally catch up on my blogging.

The last clash that the Ordeshal Host talk part in was a skirmish around the crash site of an airship, full of plunder and currently swarming with humans and orruks...familiar foes.

A Wylliam eye view of the field

The Ogresuns and the Gilded Hand clash in the centre of the field with Lyrd Radclyiffe and Squire Percy being held at the edge.

By the time they are freed most of the blood had already been spilt between the orruks and humans

The White Lady was noticible in her absence during this battle, only stalking forward near the climax to cast arcance majicks at any foes still bearing arms.  She was unable to stop Kalyustar of the Guilded Hand from retreiving his prize from the wreckage and escaping deep into the forest...

However, something could surely be done with all these tortured souls still freshly freed of their mortal husks...

(Much more detailed accounts of this clash can be found both here and here courtesy of my excellent opponents Viktor and Warboss Kurgan.)

When the dice play along...

A real benefit of playing in a narrative gaming mindset is how the smallest in-game event can spark a whole story line or progress one already in play.

I had already established the the mysterious White Lady is fleeing deep into the Harrowmark from Nagash.  Why? So far I haven't decided but the idea of being on the run from such a powerful being really appeals to me.

During the last skirmish with Admiral Kurgan's Ogresuns I had deployed the White Lady at the foot of a Realmgate so that she could survey the battlefield and prevent the pesky Orruks from trespassing any further into "her" domain.  As the Realmgate has been modelled with Spirit Hosts spilling out it is obviously a portal to another part of Shyish...perhaps a part under the sway of Nagash?

The Lady Awaits

Once the game began he first roll I made was for the Realmgates abilities (these change every turn due to their eldritch nature!) and promptly rolled a double on the two dice.  Game-wise this translates to anyone stood nearby taking a few Mortal Wounds but narrative wise this means a huge blast of energy had spilt out of the Gate and caught the White Lady in it. Immediately this sparked a story line idea; what if the White Lady had been at the gate to seal it from Nagash and his minions but at the very last moment the distraction caused by the arrival of the Orruk warband to the field had meant the binding ritual failed and Nagash had managed one last attempt to reach the White Lady before the gate closed for good.

Orruks on the horizon.

The battle itself was a short, sharp affair which is detailed here.  For the White Lady and her followers the consequences are clear however; The Great Necromancer now knows where she is...and no-one escapes Death...

To the field of battle!

Although taking part in a skirmish campaign is the main drive of this blog and really the army as a whole, I will be playing "full" games of Age of Sigmar with the Ordeshal Host.

Tonight was the first of these games, with the host defeating a force of Seraphon who had been caught out in the blighted plains of M'nchtyr Aran'dl. My, as yet unamed, Mourngul was pushed to the brink of destruction but rallied after defeating a Saurus Oldblood riding a Carnosaur.

The Host Arrayed

The Fyrst Tale...

“What is my name?”

The Whyte Lady looked out at the windswept clearing, which was dominated by a skull laden tower, sheathed her blade and smiled.

Her retainers had done well in scouring the humans and strangely garbed orruks from the structure although the pest Radclyffe had got himself shattered at the hands of the largest of the green beasts and his soul had needed plucking from the ether before the Great Necromancer had noticed…that fool would give them away! The Lady had not fled into the cursed Harrowmark just to be pulled back by the Lord of Undeath to have her soul consumed.  She had lost her mortal shell to his rage, she would not lose everything…

Noisy Wylliam staggered out of the forest groaning, blood staining his hands and dripping down his legs...blood…that had meant something to the Lady in her past…

“Come Wylliam! We move on.” 

The Whyte Lady turned with a practised, almost courtly flourish and headed towards the tower with William staggering close behind, moaning with every step he took.

Just Wylliam

The first game in the Harrowmark Campaign ended as a victory for the Ordeshal Host, defeating both the Ogresuns and the Free Companies of the Gilded Hand in a scramble for territory.

Warboss Kurgan has written up the report here.

The Ordeshal Host march to war...

And so, newly christened (thanks to Warboss Kurgan), the Ordeshal Host, led by the spirit of the slain Whyte Lady have fled from the wrath of Nagash, deep into the Harrowmark and in there stumbled across other warbands and ne'er do wells...

The Ordeshal Host of the Whyte Lady, Lyrd Radclyffe and Noisy Wylliam. 

Photo by Warboss Kurgan

Into the Harrowmark!

This was the first game in our Harrowmark Run Age of Sigmar skirmish campaign which was a threeway clash.  I will put up a proper write up as soon as I have better photos stolen from my adverseries.

When is a Mourngul not a Mourngul?

So of course, I need an Mourngul if my force is going to pack any punch on the battlefields of Shyish.  However, I really do not like the "official" Forge World figure, it just doesn't tally with the rest of the army for me and I hate the in-built horse at its base.

Scouring the rest of GW's range I remembered the C'tan Shard Nightbringer which, to my eyes, is a perfect towering ghostly figure. Even better I had been given the majority of a Nightbringer figure by the most excellent and generous Tears of Envy minus the scythe.  A quick weapon swap later, add my patent basic paint job and Bob's your uncle:

Change of plan(s)

Having completed one Age of Sigmar Skirmish campaign and learning a couple of lessons I have decided to rejig my starting line up from the one that I presented below.

As we starting the Harrowmark campaign with a hefty 35 renown points I decided to go for something a little different and chose a Vampire Lord.  However to fit her into the general ghosts and spooks vibe of the army I painted her identically to the other miniatures and have called her the White Lady.

I have stolen this name from the White Lady of Ordsall Hall which is just down the road from me. Seems like a perfect fit really!

To accompany the White Lady I have Lyrd Radclyffe, a Hexwraith, who is named after another spook of Ordsall Hall, Lord Radcliffe.  This ghost apparently goes around pinching ladies bums so we shall see how he behaves in game...

Lastly is Noisy William.  Basically I needed 3 models to make the warband legal. I had 1 point left and a Zombie fit the bill!  He is "Noisy" as he is the dedicated Noisemaker of the Zombie Warscroll so I can at least always rely on a 6" charge from Bill!