#68: My Cold, Dead Hands...

I am really excited for my upcoming Death army! They have such strong aesthetics, the current range of models are exceptional, and I think Death has more army-wide synergy and combo potentials than any of the other three! The secret is unlocking them!

I've honestly never tackled Vampire Counts or Tomb Kings before Sigmar. Vampire Counts felt like there was only one way to play them, while Tomb Kings suffered from many crippling drawbacks, not the least of which being if your horrifically fragile Heirophant died (usually to rune-etched Dwarf cannonballs), it was basically game over. 

Not that I can really use that excuse. I was, at the time, playing Beastmen which were arguably as bad! 

So when I pondered my options for a new army for 2017, there were three real contenders. Ironjaws, with their plate-armoured wall of infantry and the infamous toad-dragons. Nurgle Rotbringers, with a disgustingly low model count of Blight Kings and a heavy focus on Characters riding virulent monstrosities. Or Death, in its entirety, complete with masses of infantry, several cavalry options, and a menagerie of monsters and constructs that loom over the battlefield. 

A handful of players in the local scene already played Ironjaws, and all of them centred around the Ironfist Warscroll (who can really blame them), which meant I'd be running a similar kind of army as everyone else... Because I would also be succumbing to the lure of the Ironfist (who can really blame me?).

So Ironjaws got scratched. 

Rotbringers were written off for a different reason entirely. Mostly because I felt they lacked range and that I would get distracted from them far too easily! To do a true-to-the-cause Rotbringer force, I was spoilt for choice with characters, both named and generic, but with Blight Kings as my only real unit (Battleline or otherwise), I felt that it would get stale for me very quickly. That's not to say that they are bad models; in fact, they are fantastic. But with an attention span as deficient as mine, it wouldn't take long for me to meander away from an army that revolves around a single kit. I know my flaws, and I can recognise the warning signs!

This made Death an easy decision. Currently, it is by far the smallest and least represented of the Grand Alliances, but here in lies it's beauty. I didn't feel as if I had to pick a sub-faction in order to keep a unified theme. 

While Order for example, is much bigger, and has had several sub factions fleshed out to complete stand-alone armies, it has a lot of sub-factions that borderline on redundant. Stormcast Eternals, Sylvaneth and even Fyreslayers have complete ranges (although it still feels like we're getting a brand new Stormcast character every couple of months), while many other forces (High Elves, Dark Elves and Empire spring to mind) have each been split into several branches that are almost too small to sustain an army themed around them (until GW shows them some love of course!). And I do love a strong cohesive theme, especially on armies as big as the one I'm planning! While I love all of Order's models (and I'm picking Order as an example, not as a target), the grand alliance contains factions so diverse in appearance that I don't know how I could make it into a single cohesive army.

Not so with Death! Literally every sub faction in Death is useful and cohesive with the next. Keywords are abundant and synergies stretch across the entire Grand Alliance! Not only that, but the Death Grand Alliance is currently small enough that tackling it as a single army does not feel unrealistic! Not only that, but every model looks like a natural fit to the eye. The whole Vampire Counts range is just amazing, and really plays on that Victorian Horror theme! Tomb Kings obviously have a strong Egyptian theme, which looks altogether out of place next to VC's but I have a solution! More on that later, though...

Death will be my main army for '17, and I'm keen to try out different units and combos. The options are expansive! But you gotta start somewhere, so I decided to open my foray into Death with Deathrattle. 

This was an easy choice. Skeleton Warriors are generic Battleline, meaning that no matter what kind of army I was building, they could help reach the obligatory requirements if needed. The Wight King offered me with a fantastic (and let's be honest, pretty darn powerful) Hero to lead the first stage of the horde. With Battleline and Hero requirements within easy reach, I was also supplied with faster support in the form of Black Knights and the sheer, horrific damage output potential that can be found in Grave Guard. 

As I researched further, it just so happened that Deathrattle even have their own Warscroll battalion that nearly bundles everything together and gives it some handy bonuses! With that in mind, I punched out a 1000pt list to work toward! And here it is...

Deathrattle Horde Warscroll Battalion (80)

Wight King (120)

20 Skeleton Warriors (160)

10 Skeleton Warriors (80)

10 Skeleton Warriors (80)

20 Grave Guard (320)

5 Black Knights (120)

Eventually, I'll fill all three units of skeletons to twenty and add another five Black Knights (for the OCD in me), but this formation will be the foundation upon which my whole army will be built! But I want to have the 1000 points painted by the Blog's birthday in January. 

Not so hard, right? It probably wouldn't be until I realised how intricate and detailed even the most basic infantry is!

First off the bat was, of course, my fearless leader, the Wight King!

Well, I wanted this army to catch people's eyes and pop on the table, and I'm happy with where my pallet landed. The worn, rusty armour and dark cloth of the model are offset by the pale bones, and of course, the flashes of pink that are designed to contrast starkly on the table! Not to mention, pink armies are few and far between, and I'm hoping this gives it a unique look!

After finishing my hero and settling on colours, I got stuck straight into the masses of infantry on my painting desk, the first of which were half the unit of Grave Guard. I'm really happy with how the colours looked on a full unit, as it can sometimes be hard to visualise how it will appear after only painting a single model. 

It's a long process painting the Death infantry, but hopefully I can slog my way through it! I better; there's plenty more to do. 

After I finish this formation, I'm going to pick another subfaction to give attention to, and hopefully build my army in large chunks that way, though I'm not opposed to picking and choosing random units that catch my eye or to break up the monotony of painting bones. The key is to keep it fun! 

Flesh Eater Courts will make an appearance at some point, as will Nighthaunt and Deadwalkers. These two factions could have some fantastic work done on them I feel, similar to the love that FEC received. Both are iconic to the Death faction, with the spirits and ghosts of Nighthaunt floating across the battlefield (oh, for a new Black Coach model!), while it would be great to see Deadwalkers get some new models in the form of perhaps some monstrous infantry (zombie ogres?) or perhaps even a Zombie Giant! Wishful thinking I know, but wait! I'll fill you in on one of the elements of this project that most excites me! 

Conversions!

With the Tomb King range gone, and the Egyptian theme not matching anyway, this opens the door to many potential hobby projects, not the least of which are Ogres and a Giant being converted and 'zombified' to represent Ushabti and a Bone Giant respectively! This allows me to continue using these out of production units, while still fitting the theme and looking the part! I also have some plans for Necropolis Knights and a Casket of Souls that will fit seamlessly into the force! 

All in all, I'm very pleased with how this project has launched! It's humble beginnings, but I feel that if I can remained focused (and I am determined to do so), that it won't be long before I'm adding some of the titanic models in the Death range to my own army! Yes, Nagash, you...

Cheers for reading, and for coming on this journey with me!

Gabe

#67: The Road Ahead...

Today, I want to look back as well as looking forward. 

This year has been a big one, both in hobby and in life. In hobby, I painted a Tau army, a Bloodbound army, and made some considerable additions to my Salamander Legion. Throughout the year, I also added models to projects here and there, as well as a few new projects that never really got off the ground (Tyranids, I'm looking at you...), as well as repaint ing elements of my Grey Knights. 

In life, I changed jobs, became a dad, and rediscovered a lot of great things that I used to enjoy as a young chap. So yeah...

You could say it's been a big year on all fronts. But this post is not about all fronts. It's about this here blog!

I want to chuck out a few shout outs before we carry on to thank a few people. Al and Blake, two Games Workshop store managers from my city,  have been constant supports of the blog and my endeavours. You're both enablers of my spontaneous hobby projects, and you've revitalised the Toruament scene for me through your series of events focused on celebrating the great aspects of the game!

There are several other people who I'm going to send messages to in the next couple of days, who have been steadfast supporters! 

The reason that I'm getting all sentimental is because the Rune Axe has its second birthday in January! There'll be some special stuff coming up to celebrate! I'll be doing a bit of a give away, too, to show some love back to you, the readers!

As with every new year, and accompanying resolutions, I have two. I know, right? A bit early to be doing resolutions, isn't it? Perhaps. But wait, it will all make sense soon!

My biggest weakness (but definitely not my only one) in my hobby is a minuscule attention span, to the point where it can be difficult to finish a project before starting two more!

So my goal for the first six months of 2016 is to work on two main projects! 

Despite my love of Chaos, my Age of Sigmar focus will this year be aimed almost (disclaimer for future distractions) exclusively at the Death Grand Alliance. I'm kicking things off with a large contingent of Deathrattle, and a heavy focus on creating a unique force of Death to spread their cold grasp amongst the realms!

My second project that will be getting attention is none other than my 40k Word Bearers, who are getting dragging out of suspended animation (a.k.a. My shed) to once more launch crusades across the galaxy in the name of Chaos. Unsurprising, this was inspired by the recent announcement that not only are Thousand Sons getting all the love they deserve and more, but that Chaos Legions are getting a codex supplemen, doubtless full of delicious goodies and new tools of war that are hazardous to people's health! I've had a large Chaos Marime army for a long time and I feel now is their moment! Let's go big!

So they're going to be my main armies (for now) for next year! 

Other big announcements. I'm finally going to be moving toward some video content with elements of my blog changing from written word to film! This has been something I've talked about for some time and have dabbled in behind the scenes, but I feel it is the natural next step in growing this media platform that we all share here!

To do that, I need you! Id love to get you involved, whether it be an army showcase, a narrative campaign or a straight-down-the-line battle report. If you have a fully painted force, get in touch! Next year is going to be the year of community, where this blog is less about me and more about us.

Because at the end of the day, this game is about community and relationships and coming together to celebrate a common interest with other like-minded people!

I know this has been a bit rambling, but what I want to really convey to you is that I appreciate your support, and the future holds bigger and better things! 

Wow, I condensed pretty much the whole post into one sentence! 

Next week, I'm going to be showing you the fledgling start of my Death army! I can't wait! Thanks for reading, guys and gals!

Gabe

#66: Age of Sigmar Battle Report - Hunters of Khorne VS. Harbingers of Decay

After game two, which ended with my Great Unclean One's corpse face down in a ditch, I was ready for some redemption! And when the draw was read out, I found myself staring down an imposing (and very fast) Khorne army, captained by one of the gentlemen who regularly visited the store. This game was going to be a laugh! Both of us knew that, as the field sat, we were unlikely to hit podium grounds, so we both went into this game with nothing to lose. 

This is a view of what I was staring down! Hounds, a Daemon Prince, more Hounds, three Skull Cannons, a Bloodthirster...

...more Hounds and Skulltaker!

The scenario was Gift from the Heavens, where at the start of turn two, a meteorite lands somewhere in each player's deployment zone and each turn, whoever controls the meteorite gains points! 

I went first and advanced very, very cautiously.

I didn't mind getting to grips with the enemy, but both my opponent and I were vividly aware that we really didn't know where our objectives would land, and therefore were hesitant to commit large portions of our armies to prolonged combat!

Unsurprisingly, my opponent did the same, resisting the urge to attempt the long charges that my movement had offered. 

Cannonballs started flying, and while my Great Unclean One remained relatively und amazed, the Herald responsible for keeping the Beasts under control caught one straight to the face, only just saving a single wound. Lucky! I was going to need  his help in the ensuing struggle. 

Meteorites started raining! My enemy's objective lagged behind his Daemon Prince, leaving my Beasts with one job and one job alone; kill everything in their way to claim that objective! Things, however, did not start well; the Herald and left unit of Beasts failed 6" and 5" charges respectively, leaving the right unit to slog it out on their own! Far from ideal, but if there's one element of the army that I can trust to deliver, it's the Beasts. They've proven this again and again. 

My meteorite (as represented by a Nurgling base at bottom of picture) landed right at Epidemus' feet! Perfect! He is almost always on a position of being protected as it is, so there was double the incentive to keep him safe! Plaguebearers made a string across the front of terrain in order to screen my objective, while the Drones and Soul Grinder advanced quite aggressively, opting for a offensive defence; take the fight to my enemy and keep them far away from where they needed to be! Shooting did very little, but I managed to put down two Hounds. Every little bit helps!

With some frankly ridiculous charge rolls, my central battle line hit the unit of Hounds with considerable force, pinning the middle battle in place. I was confident I had the numbers to overwhelm him, but last game taught me numbers don't always save you...

Both charges were successful on the right flank, as both units slammed into the hounds. These were currently the biggest threat to Epidemus, so the sooner I could be rid of them, the better!

The Beasts, being out of range of their Herald, didn't have the impact I was hoping for, but they made up for it by taking zero damage from the furious dogs!

The right flank put work in and killed a few more dogs, while in the middle...

The GUO and company made quick work of several hounds, while losing only a few in return. 

Straight out of the gate, the counter charge was feirce! Karanak, two Skull Cannons and the towering Bloodthirster all joined the fray with bloody (pun wholeheartedly intended) results! 

The ensuing carnage saw more than twenty Plaguebearers fall and the Great Unclean One suffer several horrific wounds! I managed to keep my eye twitch under control as I started having flashbacks to Game Two. It was happening again! On the bright side, before getting punched in the throat by the Thirster, GUO managed to turn Karanak to paste with his massive flail! Moral victory!

With the Beasts getting serious about killing things, the Prince sprung into action, leaping over the swirling melee to severe the head of my Herald lurking in the shadow of the Realmgate. As the game moved forward, I realised that victory lay not in claiming the enemy objective, but simply denying my opponent the points for a turn, launching me into the lead! With a fresh unit of beasts, I knew that I had a Cannon and a Prince to get through but I was confident!

And I wasted no time in getting stuck in!

On the right side of the board, a single hound opposed me! With my Soul Grinder on a measly three wounds, he was nearly crippled to the point of redundancy, but he had managed to mash Skulltaker into the ground before he could unleash his fearsome blade!

So you know how in Game Two, my Great Unclean One had suffered a horrible and lightning fast death? Not so in this game, despite spending the first half of the game catching cannonballs. His accompanying Plaguebearers had fallen. His foe had amassed lethal combat units to go in for the kill! But he would...

not...

die. 

He took three cannonballs to the face in one shooting phase, and shrugged almost all off, taking a single wound. Then in combat against the entire remaining centre force of my enemy, he took zero wounds. Zero! The hell blades, the hounds, even the Bloodthirster's gigantic axe could do nothing against him!

He was a sole light of pestilent optimism holding back the darkness of bloodshed and non-surgical skull removalists!

In the dying moments of the game, my Beasts got the job done, getting stuck into the Daemon Prince and successfully denying my opponent points essential to victory!

And with that, the game ended. 

What a hilarious match! The too's and fro's of battle, Lady Luck tipping the scales one way and then the other, and non stop banter between myself, my opponent and everyone watching the game. Voting Best Sportsman to my opponent from game three was an easy choice, and he ended up winning Sports overall!

All in all, it was a very evenly matched game. I don't think either of us made major blunders. I think if my opponent had sent his Thirster behind my Drones and Soul Grinder, he would have butchered the units guarding the meteorites, and changed the outcome dramatically! While the GUO was certainly an object of pressing attention, his location and role on the battlefield had not a great deal of effect upon the outcome or objectives!

As always, thanks for reading!

Gabe