Progress Report 6/10/16 - What's in a Daemon?

Played my first game of 40k (of the current edition) last week. Had a good time vs Eldar?! I think I surprised myself with that. It was a learning game/testing out a scenario for the upcoming escalation campaign tournament at 750 points. Here is my current list:

HQ
Daemon Prince
- Daemon of Nurgle
- Greater Daemonic Reward
- Daemonic Flight

Herald of Nurgle
- Lesser Locus of Virulence
- Psyker Level 1

Troops
Nurglings x 3
Plaguebearers of Nurgle x 11

Fast Attack
Plague Drones of Nurgle x 3

Heavy Support
Soul Grinder of Chaos
- Daemon of Nurgle
- Phlegm Bombardment

Total Points: 750 (of 750)

Game started off with a fantastic Warp Storm roll turning the Eldar Warlord (a Farseer I think?) into a Herald of Nurgle who proceeded to dance in front of his former allies before getting shot into many pieces. 

In general there was a lot of shooting nurgle forces into tiny pieces but with the power of the Daemon Prince (who is just downright nasty all around) and some fire support from the Soul Grinder the Nurgle forces managed to sneak out a win... until they gave it up on Turn 8 when another roll on the Warp Storm table had Khorne reaching down and crushing the one remaining troop in the Eldar deployment zone the nearby Plaguebearers and Herald needed to charge and kill for 2 VP.

It was surprisingly fun to play the game! Even though there are a lot of rules I don't know (and frankly don't feel like learning all these damn weapon types) I managed to hold my own and outmaneuver the Eldar while rolling a lot of 5+ saves in the process. 

I think the fantasy model will work well for my Soul Grinder but my Daemon Prince was certainly not the right size. After purchasing the Daemon Prince kit with the intention of heavily nurgle-fying it I picked through my bits box and started slapping some parts together...

I filled in some of the holes with plastermold (kinda like a soft plaster of paris mix I use for bulking out sculpts and filling things) and then wondered what a head might look like on this guy. 

Kinda silly and gross! Perfect for my Nurgle force. With the basic forms in place I started the GS sculpting and detailing on the front. 

And you gotta have some tiny wings for a flying Daemon Prince right? That gaping maw/jetpack won't keep you suspended forever. 

Still going to add more details to the front and finish up the filling and scuplting on the back but so far I am very pleased with how he is turning out. Should be a glorious rotten Warlord for my Nurgle army moving forward. 

Progress Report 1/28/15 - Time after time.

Well so much for those "resolutions"!!! At least the one where I update every week. In my defense it has been quite hectic with the new job/traveling for weeks at a time situation. Still! I have managed to get some gaming in here and there. 

About half way through a Risk: Legacy board. I have won 2 of the 7 games and at least 2 more of those were narrow victory margins where my opponents kept me from winning (as they tend to do). It has been a fun time though and I look forward to seeing where the game goes in the last half. 

Also managed to get in some Pathfinder in one of my societies games. Almost level 7 with my half-orc Monk and having lots of fun hugging and punching things out of the fight (unless they have DR or Hardness or some other thing I can't overcome which is starting to be more common). 

And then there is the tabletop action. Hopefully playing some Mordheim practice games this week and there is a WHFB escalation group hitting the ground next month. Hoping to bring my Vampires to those games and wrote two lists I am trying to pick between for our first games (at 800 points). 

A doodle I did while working and thinking about undead dudes.

First list is all mounted Vampire all the time.

HEROES: 200
Vampire - HA, Enchanted Shield, Sword of Striking, Luckstone, Red Fury(50), Barded Nightmare (200)

CORE: 220
Skeleton Warrior x 20 - Spears, Champion, Standard (180)
Dire Wolves x 5 - Doom Wolf (50)
Dire Wolves x 5 - Doom Wolf (50)

SPECIAL: 377
Hexwraith x 5 (150)
Black Knights x 7 - Lances, Barding, Champion, Standard, Musician, Banner of Swiftness (227)

Total Points: 797 (of 800)

Basic idea is to put the Vampire in the Black Knight unit and use the Hexwraiths and Dire Wolves to screen and redirect until they can get into combat where hopefully the Red Fury kicks in and shreds a few units along the way. Never used Hexwraiths either so it would be good practice.

The other list I have is more of a foot slogger list with more Core units and no Vampire. 

HEROES: (200)
Wight King - HA, GW, Dragonhelm (100)
Necromancer - Level 2 (100)

CORE: (345)
Skeleton Warrior x 20  - Spears, Champion, Standard (180)
Zombies x 20 - Standard (65)
Dire Wolves x 5 - Doom Wolf (50)
Dire Wolves x 5 - Doom Wolf (50)

SPECIAL: (255)
Corpse Cart - Balefire (105)
Hexwraith x 5 (150)

Total Points: 800 (of 800)

This list is more traditional and less fighty with okay magic, decent hero, tricks, and more bodies. Also a good reason to get more of my Core units painted up. This is probably the list I will go with even though I think it has less chance of winning. Not really worried about winning just want to have fun and get some paint on my army. 

My "competitive" VC list would be different and be more of an Undead Horde and less of the standard 8th edition VC book. Skeleton power!!! Thoughts and suggestions are welcome of course. 

Also working on getting ready for the third Dog Bowl held at the local gaming event here in town Marmalade Dog. Working on prizes and a dugout to give away to one of the winners. All of this and I leave again on Friday for another week!! So much to do and so little time to do it.

Chaos Cup 2014 - A Very Chaotic Recap: Part 1

Here we are. A week after the Chaos Cup was held in the mighty chaotic lands of Palatine, IL. Once again I made the trip across the not so cold and not so frozen northlands of Indiana and around the mighty Lake Michigan to get in 6 games of tournament Blood Bowl action. This year I decided to bring a "fun" team and the Ogres of the Bulltimore Bullies hit the pitch with a slew of Snotlings and a couple Star Players to round out the roster. It looked a little something like this roster here.

But before the festivities could begin I had a Friday night Mordheim party with Furry - both of us playing our first games in the old GW system and having a lot of fun in the process. 

I brought the Undead warband with no name nor fluff. The list was 500gc and looked like this:

Leader
Vampire - Heavy Armor, Sword, Mace, Bow - 183

Heroes
Necromancer - Sword, Bow - 55
Dreg - Club x 2 - 26
Dreg - Club x 2 - 26
Dreg - Club x 2 - 26

Henchmen
Ghoul - 40

Ghoul - 40  

Ghoul - 40 

Dire Wolf - 50

Total: 496gc

Knowing nothing about Mordheim I went with basic kit on the Vamp with a bow to make use of his higher BS and for when I can't close the distance to stabby stab. The Necro is for hanging back and maybe holding objectives so I gave him a bow too (which I forgot to use in the game at all). 

Dregs are clubbin' it up and are there to knock folks down and around so they can be killed at a time which works for the Undead and the Ghouls are running around with bones looking for a fight with the killer undead dog friend. That was the plan anyway. Thing about plans is...

We rolled up the 8th mission in the main book (can't recall the name at the moment) which set the objective as a "take and hold" with buildings. We only had a few "buildings" proper so we used a few other cardboard boxes to fill the role (like this Bell's Best Brown box in my deployment zone)

 

After getting our warbands out on the table the match started! It was limited to a certain number of turns so the clock was ticking and it was time to move into position. 

 

 

After getting around the various walls and barricades that blocked their way the undead minions and Dregs rushed to take and hold the middle building while the crazed flagellants of the Witch Hunters ran forward to meet them.

 

On the other side of the building a crew of Witch Hunter heroes made their way through the rubble in hopes of taking out a few Ghouls on the way. This is where we learned about the intercept rules and how setting up your position on the board is very important! 

After a few rounds of combat the Witch Hunters were missing all of their flagellants and one of their Witch Hunters and the Undead were missing one of their clubbin' Dreg heroes but nobody was killed. In the end it was a tie with both forces holding one building and the third (middle) objective being contested.

All in all it was a lot of fun and even the half finished terrain pieces from Dave Graffam looked fantastic on the actual table top.

Tavern Talk - List Building.

Time for another edition of Tavern Talk courtesy of the Trading Post! This time around Kuffy asks:

"After listening to a recent show of Heelanhammer I came across the idea of list building. I wanted to see how people went about building their lists. There are a host of methods people use. Some start with the rare slots or their character choices, while others get the core choice out of the way. Do you see a difference between a friendly pick up game list and a tournament list? One thing it seems many gamers often appear to view and consider with their lists is the meta game - how much attention do you put on the local meta-gaming? Are your lists consistent or do you change from game to game? I have heard of gamers tailoring their lists to work against certain armies or lists, does this appeal to you? How do you feel on the topic of tailored lists?"

It feels a little disingenuous to be writing about "list creation" when I haven't played a game of WHFB since last year... but since when does a lack of experience keep me from blabbing away!?

My approach to list creation typically depends on the type of games I will be playing. Taking part in a tournament or other competitive play requires a different type of list with different tactics - specifically being able to handle threats and challenges of all types (the all comers list). Playing a random (or planned) pick-up game with others is a different type of list, though I rarely tailor my lists to be "the best" against a certain army it is important to have a fighting chance of a fun game.

I have refused games against opponents who have brought lists tailored to destroy my specific army - like bringing double doomwheels or aboms against my Ogres if you are a Skaven player for example. This decision has never been made from the "I don't want to lose" place, but more from the "I want to have a fun game" zone. Playing with my Ogres is already an uphill battle in most situations!

"Grey Seer at 1k LOLOLOL"

When creating a list I usually look at an overall theme. That might be completely subjective, fluff driven, or keyed to one or two specific phases or capabilities of my army. I try to have at least one thing I can do each phase if possible (neither Vampires nor Ogres get much in the way of shooting), and I usually start each list with my character selection. This is most likely due to the two armies I own both being very much character driven - Ogres with CC ability and Vampires with magical support.

The final filter that must be applied to each list I build is purely an economic/realistic one - do I have the models required to field this list? I am not rich nor do I own enough models to make every list possible with either of my forces so some sacrifices must always be made to make it work.

I think for tournament play it is most important to build a list and practice with it several times before making changes. Once you have learned how the army plays you will have a much easier time making those types of decisions without the aid of "theory hammer".

So that's it! The basic overview of what I look at when building my army lists. How about you? What goes into your lists and how do you go about deciding that?

Whispers of the blood god...

Khorne has been whispering sweet murder musings in my ear over the past few weeks. This has led me to come up with a list that incorporates the WoC models I currently have with a couple of new additions. Very straight forward, punch you in the face style gameplay but I think it could be fun...

BEHOLD! KHORNE!

LORDS: (403)

Chaos Lord - Mark of Khorne, Juggernaut, Halberd, Helm of Many Eyes, Dragonhelm, Talisman of Preservation, Favor of the Gods, Diabolic Splendour (403)

A down right nasty example of Khorne's chosen sporting 6 ASF S6 attacks (with another 3 S5 from his mount), a 4+ ward save (2+ vs flaming attacks), a 0+ armor save, and a few nasty Chaos tricks to boot. He'll live in the unit of Chaos Knights for one hard hitting Khorne-powered steamroller.

HEROES: (314)

Chaos Sorcerer - Infernal Puppet, Talisman of Protection (135)
Exalted Hero - Mark of Khorne, Fury of the Blood God, BSB, Halberd, Shield (179)

The Sorcerer isn't "fluffy" in the list but he will be modeled in a way that matches the Khorneyness of the army (hahahah). He will actually be the puppet - a sort of head and torso being controlled by one of Khorne's chosen and there simply to protect his forces (and manipulate the miscast table for extra fun.. especially when the Hellcannons misfire). The BSB is a must in an all Frenzy bonanza such as this and a nice opportunity to use the Fury of the Blood God gift in a fluffy and functional way. The BSB will deploy in the Warriors while the Sorcerer will live in with the "Marauders".

CORE: (683)

Chaos Marauders x 39 - Mark of Khorne, Musician, Standard, Champion (176)
Chaos Warriors x 24 - Mark of Khorne, Halberds, Musician, Champion, Standard, Lichebone Pennant (459)
Chaos Warhounds x 8 (48)

Two big fat units of nasty fighty things. I skipped the flails on the "Marauders" as I will be using Beastmen instead and I don't think the flails look good on them. If only they had the additional hand weapon option...

The Warriors are pretty basic but I wanted them to have the Halberds as a way of really dealing some serious damage to incoming heavies, plus a little magic protection in the form of the MR1 standard. Hmm... I should look into how MR works in a unit for 8th (as the BSB has MR2 already and I might be able to use those 15 points on a character elsewhere).

SPECIAL: (440)

Chaos Knights x 8 - Mark of Khorne, Musician, Standard, Blasted Standard (420)

Common 8th edition WoC tactics say... DON'T TAKE KNIGHTS!! To hell with that I say! Sure they aren't quite as impressive as they once were, but used in the right way this unit can still deliver one hell of a punch. I've given them the 5+ ward vs shooting banner to ensure that most (if not all) of them make it through til the Turn 2 charge that will get them into CC. Overall this unit could probably be seen as a Chaos Lord delivery system.

RARE: (410)
Hellcannon (205)
Hellcannon (205)

Yup. I went there. The Hellcannon is just so damn cool and the only thing cooler than one Hellcannon is TWO! I played a one day tournament last year (or was it at the start of this year?) with Goatboy's WoC models and I had a blast with two of these guys running around the field. Unpredictable, deadly, and fun to field. Yes it can suck to be on the receiving end of a Hellcannon but I am counting on most players learning how to deal with the evil bastards. 

Total Points: 2,250 (of 2,250)

So there you have it.. my "all Khorne" Warriors of Chaos list that features both Magic and Shooting. I like the idea of a Khorne army twisting these two hated things to their advantage and best of all I only have to buy another 4-5 models to make this list a reality.

It's been quite a while since I had much WHFB content here and even longer since I wrote a new army list (for 8th no less). If you have critiques and/or feedback I would love to hear from you.

Army of Malal - 2,250 Warriors of Chaos list (version 1.0).

 Malal!!

"There is a name whispered quietly and with fear even by the most depraved, the most evil, and the least sane of the worshipers of Chaos. That name is Malal, the Renegade God of Chaos. Any man who dares look within the unholy black pages of The Great Book of Despair, that foul tome held sacred by worshipers of Chaos, would find the following words: "...and he that went before now came last, and that which was white and black and all direction was thrown against itself. Grown mightily indignant at the words of the Gods, Malal did turn his heart against them and flee into the chambers of space . . . And no man looked to Malal then, save those that serve that which they hate, who smile upon their misfortune, and who bear no love save for the damned. At such times as a warrior's heart turns to Malal, all Gods of Chaos grow fearful, and the laughter of the Outcast God fills the tomb of space . . ."

In eons past Malal was cast out from the bosom of Chaos by the other Gods, or else abandoned them of his own volition, no one is sure which. In any case, Malal's relationship to the other Gods of Chaos is a strange one. All Gods of Chaos pursue purposes that are wholly their own, yet only Malal occupies a position so resolutely parasitic upon his own unfathomable creed.To be a follower of Malal is to be a Chaotic warrior bent upon shedding the blood of other Chaotic creatures. As such, Malal is both feared and hated by the other Chaos Gods. Malal's worshipers, too, are loathed by other Chaotics; they are outcasts beloved by neither the friends nor enemies of Chaos, dependent upon the least whim of their patron deity. Few men worship such a God; fewer still live long in his service. The bonds that tie master and servant ever drain upon the soul of the warrior, and it is a rare man that can loosen the bonds of Malal once forged."

Sounds pretty cool... but where does Malal come from? Well, since you asked!

"The concept of the Chaos God "Malal" was created by comics writers John Wagner and Alan Grant along with Malal's champion, Kaleb Daark, for the Warhammer Fantasy world in the Citadel Miniatures Compendium and Journals. In the comic strip adventure Kaleb Daark's mission allied him temporarily with the forces of good. He fights at the siege of Praag and confronts the followers of the Chaos God Khorne, and also finds himself at odds with the Skaven. Less mutated than other followers of Chaos, he is equipped with his soul-drinking daemon axe "Dreadaxe" with its pterodactyl-like head on a shaft of bone. His shield was shaped in the form of Malal's skull symbol, his armor was all-black with white details and his steed was a black mutant horse. Kaleb himself appeared pale, as the contact with Malal supposedly drained him of energy. His battle cry was "Dreadaxe thirsts for you!"

I've been crafting a themed Malal Warriors of Chaos list since the new WoC book was first released. The basic elements of my Malal force will be a small band of Malal followers being led by a "Kaleb Daark" style hero (a Chaos Lord). Since Malal's followers rarely get together, preferring to work alone, I wanted to force to be representative of a small "elite" force. As such the idea of the Chaos Chosen fit perfectly.

While my first attempt was a Chosen "deathstar" (months before it became all the rage at tournament events/etc), my version of the list isn't as "cheesy" as others I have seen but still features some pretty hard elements. 

In addition to the hard Chosen center the force is backed up by two hard hitting Chaos Knight units and three sacrificial bands of Chaos Marauders (modeled as Beastmen to represent the "Claws of Malal"). 

So what does my list look like? Glad you asked!

LORDS: (400)
Chaos Lord - Mark of Khorne, Juggernaut of Khorne, Shield, Soporific Musk, Axe of Khorne, Crimson Armor of Dargan, Necrotic Phylactery (400)

My first Chaos Lord build featured the Chaos Daemonsword as a way of representing Kaleb's "Dreadaxe". Instead I decided to go with a build that is focused on destroying other followers of Chaos. With both the Crimson Armor and Phylactery the Lord will be immune to Poison, Killing Blow, and the magic lores of Nurgle and Death.

In close combat he has 6 strength 6 Killing Blow attacks with a 0+ armor save to keep him alive. The model will be a version of Kaleb on his mutant steed and will not feature any Khorne related imagery - I am just using the rules to represent Kaleb's desire to destroy the forces of Chaos.

HEROES: (680)
Exalted Hero - Mark of Tzeentch, Flail, Shield, Disc of Tzeentch, Bloodcurdling Roar, Book of Secrets, Golden Eye of Tzeentch (219)
Exalted Hero - Chaos Steed, Mark of Nurgle, Shield, BSB, Banner of the Gods (301)
Chaos Sorerer - Mark of Tzeentch, Level 2 Fury of the Blood God (160)

The other characters in this list all serve a very specific purpose. The BSB and Sorcerer will be deployed in the Chosen unit to give them the benefits of magic resistance 2, Terror, and Stubborn. Meanwhile, the flying Exalted will be harassing the enemy flanks and flyers or rushing off to kill enemy war machines. Not sure how I will model the flying aspect of this (perhaps he will be riding a Malal daemon or Malal inspired flying mount?) but I really like this character build and I want to include it in the list.

CORE: (174)
Chaos Marauders x 11 - Mark of Slaanesh, Musician (58)
Chaos Marauders x 11 - Mark of Slaanesh, Musician (58)
Chaos Marauders x 11 - Mark of Slaanesh, Musician (58)

Three units of minimum Core units, these guys are just bait. They will deploy near the Chosen to take advantage of the Stubborn rule and pull enemy units into position for a counter charge. As mentioned above, these units will be modeled as Beastmen to represent the "Claws of Malal". The number 11 is the number of Malal.

SPECIAL: (854)
Chosen x 16 - Mark of Tzeentch, Shields, Champion, Favor of the Gods, Standard, Banner of Rage, Musician (414)
Chaos Knights x 5 - Mark of Slaanesh, Musician (220)
Chaos Knights x 5 - Mark of Slaanesh, Musician (220)

The "meat" of the list - two hard hitting units of Chaos Knights and a solid block of Chosen. The "always Frenzy" banner of the Chosen allows them to ignore the units of Marauders that may be fleeing through them, and increases the chance of getting the "good" rolls on the Eye of the Gods table (in addition to their Stubborn and Terror abilities). The Mark of Tzeentch is for increasing their probable 4+ Ward Save to a 3+ Ward Save when they get a roll of 12 on the EoTG chart.

RARE: (140)
Chaos Warshrine - Mark of Slaanesh (140)

The Warshrine is basically just in the list to supercharge the unit of Chosen or the units of Chaos Knights as needed. Mark of Slaanesh keeps it from running off the table due to a bad failed panic test (or two), or from fleeing units of Marauders that may come too close. Not sure what the model will look like, but I am tossing around ideas such as a defaced Chaos statue or a sort of shrine to Malal.

Total Points: 2,248 (of 2,250)

Malal approves! What do you think?

Vampire stuff - The Invocation Issue #4 review.

Hey! I know, I know ... I am a little late to the "look there is a new issue of this webzine out now" party. I can't help it! Busy life, lots going on, blah blah blah ... but I am getting to it now aren't I!? 

For those who didn't know the new issue of the Invocation came out at the end of last month. You can view and/or download it here. I've spent some time going over the content, but as the subject has been covered on other blogs I will save you the long version of my review. Instead you get bullet points! Yay! Everyone loves bullet point lists!!

• I like the cover, although a little less text might have been nice. 
• Still appreciating the switch to Landscape format.
• The use of the same backgrounds and fonts for multiple articles can be confusing. Some variation would really help the varied content stand out a bit better.
• The Bellower ad looks pretty cool.
• I enjoyed reading the tactics articles scattered throughout the new issue.
• The comic was radical.
• Model photos looked good and I enjoyed seeing them included in some of the articles.
• The painting tutorials were really well done and helpful. 
• Battle report was a fun read and well laid out.
• Way too much fiction, didn't even attempt to read it, this isn't a literary webzine it is a WHFB one! Please don't keep doing this!!

So there you have it, my "review" in bullet points. Some really good content here for anyone interested in Warhammer. A little bit of everything which is what I like to see, but way too much space devoted to the fiction. With content like this, and a more creative layout (use of varied backgrounds, fonts, etc) this zine could be one of the best on the net. This is still one of the best issues of the Invocation I have read and I highly recommend it to anyone reading this. 

In other news ... I am still toying with Vampire Counts lists in an attempt at finding "the one" that I wish to pursue to a painted state (before all others). This past weekend I played two games with a list that I found to be quite fun and challenging. Here it is ..

HEROES: (620)
Vampire - Dark Acolyte, Lord of the Dead, Night Shroud, Black Periapt, Sword of Striking (200)
Vampire - Flying Horror, Summon Creatures of the Night, Helm of Commandment, Cadaverous Cuirass (195)
Vampire - BSB, Infinite Hatred, Walking Death, Talisman of the Lycni, Flayed Hauberk, Sword of Might (225)

CORE: (354)
Skeleton Warriors x 19 - Musician, Standard, Champion (172)
Skeleton Warriors x 15 - Musician, Standard (132)
Dire Wolves x 5 - Doom Wolf (50)

RARE: (275)
Cairn Wraiths x 5 - Banshee (275)

Total Points: 1,249 (of 1,250)

Deployed the BSB with the Dire Wolves with the Wraiths nearby as well. The Flying Vamp was there to buff and support them as needed. The caster Vamp was my general and pretty much just sat back and raised up Skeletons for the duration. 

Ended up winning both games I played, one against a shooty/magic heavy Skaven list and one against cav heavy O&G. Fun! This list marked the first time I have ever used the Helm ... and I can't see myself going back to not using it. It really makes a big difference!

Still toying with ideas for what a 2,250 version of this list would look like. I have a few things in mind but I want to see them in practice before I commit. Working on building my winged foot Vampire so I guess that is a pretty strong indication of things to come!

The Beer Gut Tribe marches to war! - 1,000pt Adepticon Team Tournament list.

Hey look! It's Friday the 26th of March, which also happens to be the first day of the Adepticon events. Sadly, I was not able to afford the time nor money to attend all of the Adepticon events I would have liked, but I am still stoked to be playing in Sunday's Team Tournament event.

My Ogre models are painted, touched up, sealed, and prepped to go. But what am I bringing you ask? Well ...

Here is all of the Ogres my 1,000pt list contains. I'll let you take a guess at what I am bringing ...

No? Can't quite figure it out? Alright, just for you I present my "top secret" list:

HEROES: (312)
Bruiser - Heavy Armor, Great Weapon, Fistful of Laurels (157)
Butcher - Bangstick (155)

CORE: (612)
Bulls x 3 - Bellower (115)
Bulls x 3 - Bellower (115)
Ironguts x 3 (144)
Ironguts x 3 (144)
Gnoblar Fighters x 20 (40)
Gnoblar Trappers x 9 (54)

RARE: (75)
Gorger(75)

Total Points: 999 (of 1,000)

My teammate will be bringing 1,000 points of Skaven to back this up. The Furry Fatbacks will take home the gold!!!

This will be my first time at Adepticon, and from what I hear this is the biggest the event has ever been. I'll be arriving at some point on Saturday to poke my head into the events, say hi to folks, and check out the dealer room. Sunday is the TT event. Keep an eye out for me if you'll be there! I'll be wearing a maroon BattleForge Games shirt on Saturday and a red Austin Miniature Minions shirt on Sunday. Hope to see you there!

Last Tournament here in Austin (for now??) - 2,250 Warriors of Chaos list.

Packing up and heading off to my last regular tournament here in Austin before I move. Goatboy was kind enough to lend me his Warriors of Chaos models to use for the event as all my models are packed up and ready to move. Based on the models he had access to I made this list to play:

LORDS: (400)
Chaos Lord – Mark of Khorne, Juggernaut, Rending Sword, Chaos Runeshield, Favor of the Gods, Soporific Musk, Bloodcurdling Roar (400)

HEROES: (726)
Chaos Sorcerer – Chariot, Level 2, Mark of Nurgle, Conjoined Homunculus, Black Tongue (310)
Chaos Sorcerer – Chariot, Level 2, Mark of Tzeentch, Infernal Puppet, Talisman of Protection (290)
Chaos Sorcerer(85) – Chaos Steed, Dispel Scroll (126)

CORE: (225)
Marauder Horsemen x 5 – Mark of Slaanesh (75)
Marauder Horsemen x 5 – Mark of Slaanesh (75)
Marauder Horsemen x 5 – Mark of Slaanesh (75)


SPECIAL: (485)
Chaos Knights x 5 – Mark of Slaanesh, Lances, Musician (245)
Chaos Knights x 5 – Mark of Khorne, Musician (240)

RARE: (410)
Hellcannon (205)
Hellcannon (205)

Total Points: 2,246 (of 2,250)

Pretty simple - run at enemy, bait with Marauders, kill with Knights and Chariots. The Hellcannons do all kinds of crazy stuff, usually eating something as they rampage across the board. I've played the list twice over the past two days and managed to win both games so I am looking forward to seeing what it can do against some of the nastier tournament lists today.

In other good (and exciting) news, I just received a call from the game store I am trying to secure a job at and they are interested in scheduling an interview for next week! Sadly it was for two days when I will still be in Austin or on the road to my new home in Kalamazoo, but after speaking with the owner he asked me to give him a call once I was back in town. Encouraging!

UPDATE:  It was a really fun last tournament here in Austin and the Warriors went 1-1-1.

First game was against High Elves with a lot of shooting and magic. Managed to squeeze out a Draw in the last few rounds with two great casts of Rot, Glorious Rot from my Nurgle Sorcerer.

Second game was against Vampire Counts and basically ended on Turn 2 when my Chaos Lord and Khorne Knights made it into his caster Vamp Lord's block. I finished off the Vamp Lord in CC and overran into his other main block with Lvl 2 casty Vamp. Meanwhile one Hellcannon kept a unit of Wraiths tied up while the other kept a nasty block of Black Knights with Hatred and Regen banners stuck on the far flank. Minor Victory for me in the end as he had a lot of points tied up in the Black Knight unit.

Third game was against the new Beastmen. It would have been an more interesting game but Slugtongue killed off half my army before the game began, dealing half wounds to the two Hellcannons, killing my Nurgle Sorc and severely wounding his Chariot, picking off some Knights, and erasing some Horsemen. The Hellcannons must have been pissed at this because on Turn 2 they misfired and I rolled the miscast misfire then used the Puppet to kill Slugtongue and another Level 2 Bray Shaman. Chaos Lord whiffed some important attacks on the Doom Bull and died in a challenge. Beware of Slugtongue!!!

Beer Gut tribe 2,010 list for the Capital City Carnage Fundraiser.

Oi! My first tournament of 2,010 is coming up this Sunday - a 2,010 point fundraiser event for the Austin IGT known as Capital City Carnage. Sadly I won't be able to participate in the actual CCC tournament (May 1st and 2nd) so this smaller event is as close as I will get this year.

I'll be taking my Ogre Kingdoms as I don't have my Vampire Counts fully painted nor do I feel fully confident in my abilities as a VC general yet. Anyhow, here is the list:

LORDS: (321)
Tyrant – Cathayan Longsword, Heavy Armor, Luck Gnoblar, Sword Gnoblar x 2, Beastkiller, Wyrdstone Necklace, Greedy Fist, Greyback Pelt (321)

HEROES: (579)
Bruiser – BSB, Heavy Armor, Luck Gnoblar, Sword Gnoblars x 2, Gnoblar Thiefstone x 2, Sword of Might (224)
Butcher – Bangstick, Dispel Scroll (180)
Butcher – Skullmantle, Dispel Scroll (175)

CORE: (525)
Bulls x 3 – Bellower (115)
Ironguts x 3 – Bellower (154)
Ironguts x 4 – Bellower (202)
Gnoblar Trappers x 9 (54)

SPECIAL: (405)
Scraplauncher (165)
Leadbelchers x 2 – Champion (120)
Leadbelchers x 2 – Champion (120)

RARE: (180)
Maneaters x 2 – Heavy Armor, Great Weapons (180)

Total Points: 2,010 (of 2,010)

The now "classic" Tyrant build for smashing characters and monster will be joined in the Maneater unit with the Bruiser BSB and possibly also the Skullmantle Butcher. The Bangstick Butcher will join the unit of 3 Ironguts with the other Ironguts and Bulls supporting the flanks of the Maneater unit.

The rest of my army is made up of diversions/support with a Scraplauncher and two units of Leadbelchers for dealing with Fast Cav and Flying units.

Pretty straight forward stuff. Not a lot of Ogres on the table but with any luck I will have my Gut Magic buffs up and running on them to keep them alive.

Previously I was toying with a Brahmir Statue/Skullmantle list for the -4 to Leadership tests against Chaos and Skaven forces but I dropped that at the last minute. I would rather rely on my abilities as a general and not some cheesy -4 to Panic/Terror tests to win me games. Also there is a ton of ItP/Frenzy/MoS troops out there that simply wouldn't care (and knowing my luck I would play nothing but Elves for the duration of the event).

Vampire Counts 2,250 list take 4 - Revenge of the Skeledudes.

About two years ago when I started playing WHFB I had a really hard time winning. At best I could manage a draw, but I lost far too often. My first army and games were with the Ogres which are known to have a steep learning curve and hard time winning some match ups. Still ... I grew discouraged. With practice and patience I managed to achieve a winning record with the fatties and life was good.

Flash forward to last weekend's tournament where I brought my "new" Vampire Counts army out for a test run. The results? 1 draw (against Beasts) and 2 losses (against Skaven and a Night Goblin army). While the dice were not with me that day I still felt as if my list was the one letting me down. My magic phase didn't help matters; I only cast 11 spells in three 6 turn games with 10pd each phase. My vamps are some of the worst spell casters.

I learned a few things though:
1. VC core troops are really bad. No, really. They can't do anything.
2. A unit of 3 vamps (one being the Lord) and some Black Knights can wreck most things on the charge.
3. Wraiths are good and the unit of 5 with Banshee is quite powerful in the right situation.

Most of my games came down to me running my two units that could actually kill things into the enemy while the rest of my army was systematically destroyed. My plans to invoke enough Skeletons to keep them alive failed as I often needed to focus my casting on the costly (and fragile) Grave Guard unit. With that in mind I have made some changes to my list. Perhaps you can spot them in the following?

LORDS: (400)
Vampire Lord - Level 3, Red Fury, Beguile, Dread Knight, Blood Drinker, Walach's Bloody Hauberk, Black Periapt (400)

HEROES: (645)
Vampire - Dark Acolyte, Lord of the Dead, Book of Arkhan, Cadaverous Cuirass (195)
Vampire - BSB, Flag of Blood Keep, Dread Knight, Walking Death (250)
Vampire - Dread Knight, Supernatural Terror, Dispel Scroll x 2 (200)

CORE: (575)
Skeleton Warriors x 24 - Musician, Standard, Champion, Warbanner (237)
Skeleton Warriors x 24 - Musician, Standard (204)
Zombies x 20 - Musician (84)
Dire Wolves x 5 - Doom Wolf (50)

SPECIAL: (355)
Black Knights x 12 - Heavy Armor, Shield, Lance, Standard, Champion, Standard of Strigos (355)

RARE: (275)
Cairn Wraiths x 5 - Banshee (275)

Total Points: 2,250 (of 2,250)

Gone are the Grave Guard (right after I spent a week assembling them and making sure my vampire on foot would rank up in their unit), I have used to points to beef up my two Skeleton units and the Black Knights. As more added protection I have ditched the Hellfire Banner in favor of the 4+ ward save banner for the unit as most of the causalities I suffered came from shooting and magic missiles. The Skeleton Warriors where the caster vamp will live have gained a champion and a warbanner. I considered changing up the Vampire thrall to have Lord of the Dead (for early game invokes when he is near the Skeletons) but I like the insurance that 2 dispel scrolls brings.

I am considering changing up my warband list as well. I just don't see 10 Skeletons doing much against the types of forces I am likely to be facing. Comments, suggestions, and theory are welcome and encouraged. I don't really know what the hell I am doing with these undead!

Vampire Counts 2,250 list - this is what I am working towards.

I have posted a few variations of this list previously but this is what I am working towards for assembly and painting at the moment. Overall I am pretty happy with this list. I have played two games with it so far and won both. Would love to get feedback from the more (or less) experienced VC generals reading this. The overall theme is still Skeletons.

Skeledudes!

LORDS: (400)
Vampire Lord - Level 3, Red Fury, Beguile, Dread Knight, Blood Drinker, Walach's Bloody Hauberk, Black Periapt (400)

With the exception of the level 2 Vampire the rest of my characters are deployed in the unit of Black Knights. This Lord build is a bit of a hybrid but mostly combat orientated. He has a 1+ armor save, a 5+ ward save, and the Blood Drinker to help keep him alive. Combined with Beguile and Red Fury he can really do a number on most units/models while still supporting the rest of his unit.

HEROES: (605)
Vampire - Dark Acolyte, Lord of the Dead, Book of Arkhan, Cadaverous Cuirass (195)
Vampire - BSB, Royal Standard of Strigos, Dread Knight, Walking Death (210)
Vampire - Dread Knight, Supernatural Terror, Gem of Blood, Dispel Scroll (200)

The level 2 Vampire is deployed with the Grave Guard, typically with units of Skeletons to either flank. He spends most of the game buffing up these units while trying to stay close to the action to make use of the book. The BSB is mostly a support character but he can do plenty of damage on his own, plus he bring +2 CR and Hatred to the unit of Black Knights. Initially I was planning on making my BSB a Wight King but I have not been able to find a model I like enough to use so he has become a Vampire instead.

The third Vampire is mostly there for extra killing power, a bit of Terror for fun (this might get dropped), and the nasty trick that is the Gem of Blood. Great in a challenge when you just need to get that last wound in (especially if your opponent doesn't have a ward or regen save). It can be dangerous though .. on a roll of a 1 it does 2 wounds to the Vampire instead. This item might be dropped for another Dispel Scroll but for now I am going with just one.

CORE: (468)
Skeleton Warriors x 20 - Musician, Standard (172)
Skeleton Warriors x 20 - Musician, Standard (172)
Zombies x 20 - Musician (84)
Dire Wolves x 5 (40)

Skeletons! Initially wanted to field two units of 30 but I couldn't find the points to include the extra models and the Grave Guard. Zombies are my tar pit and redirecting unit, typically deployed near the flank of one Skeleton unit to stop and nasty stuff from getting a flank charge. The small unit of Dire Wolves is mostly a nuisance I use to chase off flyers and other Fast Cav. Also good for throwing at war machines to give them something to worry about for a turn. Would love to run more but I don't have the points!

SPECIAL: (501)
Black Knights x 7 - Heavy Armor, Shield, Lance, Standard, Champion, Banner of Hellfire (210)
Grave Guard x 19 - Heavy Armor, Shield, Musician, Standard, Banner of the Barrows (291)

Black Knights have the always important champ for taking challenges I don't want to throw a Vampire (or Lord) at. They bring the Banner of Hellfire for regen and anything that needs to be hit by magic attack. The Grave Guard are 19 strong and have the banner of +1 to hit. Always nice to hit most things on a 3+ especially when you have Killing Blow!

RARE: (275)
Cairn Wraiths x 5 - Banshee (275)

Wraiths. People don't like them and I know why. The biggest issue I have seen with this unit is it's larger frontage. I often throw these at a flank and they tend to kill themselves out of CC. Without the wounds for CR things can get dicey. You never want to crumble with a unit of 5 models that costs 275 points!

Total Points: 2,249 (of 2,250)

So that is what I am working towards finishing at the moment. As for the status of the models ...

• 40 Skeletons (60 assembled, 20 painted, 20 in progress, 20 yet to be primed)
• 20 Zombies (20 assembled and primed)
• 5 Dire Wolves (10 assembled, 4 painted, 6 in progress)
• 19 Grave Guard (10 assembled and waiting to be primed, another box to be assembled)
• 7 Black Knights (16+ assembled, 1 painted, 2 in progress, the rest are primed)
• 5 Wraiths w/ Banshee (5 assembled, 1 painted, 4 to be primed)
• Vampire on foot (1 assembled and waiting to be primed - may make a different model still)
• Vampire Lord (1 assembled and primed - a bit tipsy though and he doesn't rank up well)
• Vampire BSB (1 assembled and primed - using one of my Blood Knight models)
• Vampire on Nightmare (1 painted)
  

As you can see, most of the work to be done is in the painting stage. I am still hoping to have this done by the end of the year but it isn't looking likely. Even if I finish multiple units a week I will probably run out of time. I will have it all assembled and primed though dangit!!

Vampire Counts Warband - Is this too much?

One of the FLGS is starting an escalation league next month. I have joined with my Vampire Counts in the hope of getting more models painted before I move (always helps to have some impetus).

The first part of the league is a 500 point Warband (using the Warband rules) and I have created a list I am considering playing. My question to those reading - is this too much? Am I being a bit of a prick by bringing the Wraiths?

Are you ready for the bad touch?

HEROES:
Vampire - Lord of the Dead, Biting Blade, Flayed Hauberk (145)

Vampire lives in the unit of Skeleton Warriors and spams Invocation of Nehek to raise more Skeletons with his 3 power dice and +1 to cast. I gave him the 2+ armor save and -1 AP magic sword just in case he does manage to get into CC. My original build was a bit nastier but I had to squeeze in under the 150pt limit for Warbands.

CORE:
Skeleton Warriors x 10 - Musician, Standard, Champion, Banner of the Dead Legion (125)
Zombies x 20 (80)

Zombies tarpit and guard my flank. Skeleton's have the double US banner to ensure I get the outnumber from Fear but that is only really useful once I have raised more Skeletons in the unit. I am considering dropping it for a Warbanner, or I could add a Banshee to the Wraith unit.

RARE:
Cairn Wraith x 3 (150)

"Like bringing a bazooka to a knife fight" is what I called the Wraith unit when someone played them against me at 500pts. I think there will be enough things to deal with them on the table that they won't be as devastating as the might be, but it is still a rather nasty surprise for most players. Without Van Hel's to back them up they become substantially less powerful.

Total Points: 500 (of 500)

Overall I am happy with this list and it is made up almost entirely of models I still have to paint (which is the point). I'm aiming to have this done for the first week of January. Time to break out the brushes and get to work!

Last Tournament of the year - Ogre Dark Horse list.

Last tournament of the year, and this season, happens tomorrow at BattleForge Games. This one is for placement in the "Tournament of Champions" next month. As of this writing I am 11th in the rankings and I need a place in the top 9 to participate. This year's events have really put a damper on my first (and last in Austin) tournament season but I am hoping to have a good showing tomorrow to squeeze into the finals.

Tomorrow's event is a "Hobby" tournament which means that painting score and some light comp are involved. That should make for some "soft" lists but since it is the last tournament of the season I expect to see some nasty stuff on the tables still.

With that in mind here is the list I will be playing during tomorrow's three games:

LORDS:
Tyrant – Heavy Armor, Luck Gnoblar, Cathayan Longsword, Beastkiller, Greedy Fist, Wyrdstone Necklace, Greyback Cloak (311)

A now "classic" build - I have been using this loadout for my Tyrant almost all year and I love it. It is a more defensive build but I have yet to lose a challenge with it. Destroying magic weapons is something I love to do. My biggest success was eating a Frostblade but I almost always manage to eat at least one magic weapon each game. The Tyrant is deployed in the unit of Maneaters with the BSB and Cookbook Butcher.

HEROES:
Bruiser – BSB, Heavy Armor, Sword of Might, Gnoblar Thiefstone (194)
Butcher – Bangstick, Dispel Scroll (180)
Butcher – Halfling Cookbook (155)

Nothing too crazy here. BSB has the SoM for a little extra wound potential and Wraith killing. The Thiefstone is good for initial magic defense before I can get my Gut Magic buffs up on the Maneater unit. This is the first tournament list I have taken with the Cookbook and I have to say it is pretty cool. Played two games today with this list and the Cookbook spared me a couple wounds (about 1 a game) but I am still not sure I would take it over a Dispel Scroll in a more competitive list.

CORE:
Bulls x 4 – Champion, Bellower, AHW (186)
Bulls x 4 – Champion, Bellower, AHW (186)
Ironguts x 4 – Champion, Bellower (222)
Gnoblar Trappers x 9 (54)

How did I live with my Ogres before I started playing with Champions!? They have saved my ass on so many occasions since I don't know if I can go back to playing without them. In a game against WoC today I cleared off an entire army and only lost 3 Ogres thanks to the Champions. Running these units a little wider with 4 wide instead of 3. Makes for more attacks but also means I have to commit to a charge - not a lot of room for error.

SPECIAL:
Leadbelchers x 2 – Champion (120)
Leadbelchers x 2 – Champion (120)
Scraplauncher (165)

I stopped shooting with my Leadbelchers and I haven't lost them in the past few games. I often find the threat of the shots is enough to keep units at a distance. I use their shooting ability only when I think I can weaken or destroy a unit, usually in the case of flyers or Fast Cav. Scraplauncher has been a real disappointment the past few games, almost always scattering 8-10 inches away from my target and misfiring about once a game. Here's hoping it does better for me tomorrow!

RARE:
Maneaters x 2 – GW, Heavy Armor (180)
Slavegiant (175)

Fairly minimal Rare selection but you need a unit of Maneaters to use as a character delivery system. The Slavegiant is fun and I have him painted so he makes the list. In a more competitive list I might drop him for more Maneaters but he has been doing really well lately and seems to enjoy jumping up and down quite a bit.

Total Points: 2,248 (of 2,250)

Not really my "ideal" list but I wanted to ensure all of my models in play were painted as I lost a third place spot during the last tournament because they weren't (stupid Hunter...). In the two practice games I played today the list performed well so I expect to win at least one or two of my games during the event. Here's hoping I can go all the way and grab a spot in the finals!

Since I am a dark horse to win tomorrow's event, and place in the top 10, I thought a review of a Dark Horse beer would be appropriate. Here is one I really enjoy from the Dark Horse Brewing Company out of Marshall, MI. I'll be adding photos of each beer as I review it so those reading at home can track down the ones they wish to try.

Dark Horse Brewing Company - Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

Beer Type: American IPA

Appearance: 12 oz. brown bottle with an off-white label and a picture of a crooked tree. Beer poured a hazy amber with a thick off-white head that left plenty of lacing.

Smell: Some fruity aroma (apricots or oranges?) at first, followed by floral hops and some malt. Smells damn good!

First Drink: Sweet malt followed quickly by a sharp bitter hops. Oddly refreshing!

Mouthfeel: A little dry but not overly carbonated which makes it work.

Last Drink: Not a lot going on here, just tastes like a damn good IPA. A little bit more "dark" biscuit flavors are coming through in the aftertaste along with more of the bitter hops.

Drinkability: Can't complain! It tastes like a better (more refined) version of the first homebrew we made! 6% ABV makes the time fly while drinking a few.

Notes: Drank this on a recent trip back to my home state of Michigan. Then I drank it again. Then I brought some back to Austin with me. Now I want more and can't get it here. Oh well, I have something to look forward to when I move back home!

Verdict: 4.25 out of 5.

Links: Beer Advocate and Dark Horse Brewing Company.

Skaven - 2,250 Clan Moulder Freak Rat Romp!

I love monsters. The Skaven have their Clan Moulder who love monstrous rat creatures. Here is a monstrous rat creature list made with the new Skaven book that I hope to proxy and try out (perhaps collect, assemble, and paint):

LORDS: (225)
Throt the Unclean (225)

HEROES: (270)
Warlock Engineer(15) - Level 2, Shadow Magnet Trinket, Warp-Energy Condenser (150)
Warlock Engineer - Level 1, Dispel Scroll, Warpstone Token, Warpmusket (120)

CORE: (1255)
Rat Ogres x 10 - Master Moulder w/ Electro Whip, Packmasters x 3, Skweel Gnawtooth (580)
Rat Ogres x 10 - Master Moulder w/ Thingcatcher, Packmasters x 4 (485)
Giant Rats x 26 - Master Moulder w/ Thingcatcher, Packmasters x 3 (155)
Giant Rats x 9 - Packmaster (35)

RARE: (500)
Hellpit Abomination - Warpstone Spikes (250)
Hellpit Abomination - Warpstone Spikes (250)

Total Points: 2,250 (of 2,250)

Two big units of Rat Ogres w/ Packmasters and a big block of Giant Rats with Engineers. The smaller pack of Giant Rats is for harassing flanks or claiming table quarters. Giant monsters do what they do best - kill things! I have never played Skaven. Just looking for something fun to play with and model and huge mutant rats seem to be on my mind at the moment. Suggestions for the list are welcomed and encouraged!

It has been awhile since I featured a beer review on the site. I still have a huge backlog of beers I need to review but I thought this one was thematically appropriate.

Indian Wells Brewing Company - Lobotomy Bock

Beer Type: Doppelbock

Appearance: 12 oz. brown bottle with a red "cartoony" label on it. Beer poured a dark reddish black color with a thick head.

Smell: Bready... a bit of sweet dark aroma (chocolate?).

First Drink: A little bit of chocolate but nothing that really sticks around.

Mouthfeel: Thin and a little flat feeling (more carbonation would be nice).

Last Drink: More malt and bread flavors but overall this is a very simple beer.

Drinkability: Seems a bit like Shiner Bock in taste and mouthfeel, but I feel like there should be more going on.

Notes: This beer is 10% alchohol but you can't really taste it. Not great, not bad, this one is just alright (and my brains are still intact).

Verdict: 3 out of 5

Links: Beer Advocate and Indian Wells Brewing Company.

'Ard Boyz: Scenarios are out - Beer Gut Tribe army list in the works.

The preliminary 'Ard Boyz scenarios are now available via the Games Workshop website. They are pretty basic, no real shockers there for me personally. I don't know that I care for the second scenario which gives the advantage to Immune to Pyschology troops (as if Daemons of Chaos or Vampire Counts needed any help). As an Ogre player I like the focus of the other two scenarios; free Stubborn on my BSB's unit, and a focus on killing my opponent's Army General? Awesome.

I haven't written it in blood (or stone) yet, but here is my current list for 'Ard Boyz:

LORDS: (721)
Skrag the Slaughterer (400)
Tyrant – Heavy Armor, CLS, Luck Gnoblar, Sword Gnoblar x 2, Beastkiller, Wyrdstone Necklace, Greedy Fist, Greyback Pelt (321)

Skrag rides near some Leadies/Bulls for screening and charge redirection. Tyrant lives in a unit with the BSB, Siege/Skull Butcher and the Maneaters. He is my Large Target killing machine, and magic weapon eating buddy.

HEROES: (589)
Bruiser – BSB, Lookout Gnoblar, Heavy Armor, Sword Gnoblar x 2, Luck Gnoblar, Tenderiser (229)
Butcher – Siegebreaker, Skullmantle (180)
Butcher – Bangstick, Dispel Scroll (180)

BSB and Siege/Skull go in the Maneaters, Bangstick Butcher probably in with the Ironguts. 1 Scroll and 6 DD should get me through the worst (I hope) until I can get into CC.

CORE: (610)
Bulls x 3 – Bellower, AHW, Champion (147)
Bulls x 3 – Bellower, AHW, Champion (147)
Ironguts x 3 – Bellower, Champion (174)
Gnoblar Trappers x 10 (60)
Gnoblar Fighters x 20 – Groinbiter (42)
Gnoblar Fighters x 20 (40)

Fighters will sit on table quarters or take objectives as needed, Bulls are bait/flankers, and the Ironguts will go 40mm/Knight hunting as needed.

SPECIAL: (725)
Gorger (75)
Gorger (75)
Gorger (75)
Gorger (75)
Scraplauncher (165)
Leadbelchers x 2 – Bellower. Champion (130)
Leadbelchers x 2 – Bellower. Champion (130)

Can't have a Skrag list w/o some Gorger love! Leadies are there for flyers/fast cav and flank support/bait. The Scraplauncher is just another hassle for my opponents to have to deal with and can be used in CC to break ranks if needed.

RARE: (355)
Maneaters x 2 – CLS, HA (180)
Slavegiant (175)

I wanted two units of ME but couldn't fit them any the Tyrant in. Slavegiant is flank support/shoot me sillyness.

Total Points: 3,000 (of 3,000)

Are you planning on attending this year's Fantasy 'Ard Boyz? What are you taking and why?

2,250 list review from Saturday's tournament.

While I often add my thoughts and commentary on a list before the army hits the tabletop I rarely share my thoughts on a list after it has been played. Well starting today I want to keep track of the effectiveness of the lists I play – what works and what doesn't?

Starting with the Lord choice...

Tyrant – Heavy Armor, Luck Gnoblar, Sword Gnoblar x 2, Cathayan Longsword, Gut Maw, Wyrdstone Necklace (281)

I typically play my Tyrant in one way only; get into close combat and kill a lot of rank and file troops or challenge and crush an enemy champion or character. I usually build my Tyrant to live up to this challenge although he doesn't need a lot of help - the Ogre Tyrant is a close combat machine.

Heavy Armor is a must for 6 points and I usually give him a magic Gut Plate to up the armor save to a 4+. In this list I went with the Gut Maw which "heals" the Tyrant if he wins a challenge, restoring a number of wounds equal to the champion or character he has killed. This only came up once in last weekend's tournament when he smashed a Saurus champion and was able to add +1 wound to his profile. The armor save was often negated by 1 or 2 points giving him (most often) an armor save of 5+. Overall I am still not a huge fan of the Gut Maw but I can see it having a place in the OK army.

I am a huge fan of the Cathayan Longsword at the moment. The addition of +1 to the Tyrant's WS and Ini makes him more of an equal to truly elite fighty Lords and allows him to hit sooner in extended combats or challenges. The Cathayan Longsword also confers an armor piercing bonus of -1 which gives the Tyrant's attacks a -3 AP thanks to his strength of 5. This is a nice even number for armor piercing as it makes a 0 or 1+ armor save something that can actually fail.

I almost always give my Tyrant the 5+ ward save with the Wyrdstone over the more expensive and situational Spangleshard - although I am interested in seeing that item in action at some point.

The sword and luck gnoblars are the first things to go if I need the points but it is great to have some insurance on that crucial saving roll (from the luck) and I have found the extra two attacks from the Gnoblars (mostly wounding on 6's) to be effective as well. I think of them like a mount's attacks, and horses seem to always wound when you don't want them to.

During the three games I played this past weekend the Tyrant only participated in two challenges and won both of them. He wasn't crucial to my success in any situation but I was still glad to have him "on my team" when it came time for close combat. Overall he fared as well (if not better) than I had expected.

Next up are my Hero choices...

Bruiser – Heavy Armor, Cathayan Longsword, Luck Gnoblar, Sword Gnoblar x 2, Greatskull, Gnoblar Thiefstone (207)

Basic anti-magic loadout with the magic armor that makes all rolls of double count as a miscast if the spell is targeted at the Bruiser or the unit he is with, and a Thiefstone for magic resistance 1.

Not a single spell was directed at the Maneater/Tyrant/Bruiser unit in the three games I played. Was that a coincidence or was it because of the Great Skull? I have used this item a few times now and it has never come up - not once. I can't say I am terribly impressed.

Bruiser – BSB, Dragonhide Banner, Lookout Gnoblar, Sword Gnoblar x 2, Heavy Armor (234)

Ah the Dragonhide Banner. Certainly overcosted and probably not worth it, I doubt I will be running this again... unless I can find a way to combine it with the equally useless Thundermace!

A Bruiser BSB without magic items just isn't that good. He had next to no survivability (just his 5+ Armor Save) and I tried to keep him on the ends of the unit as much as possible to ensure he wasn't in combat.

Hunter – Sabertusks x 2, Longstrider, Sword of Battle (235)

The Hunter. His job was to deal with Forest Spirits and Wraiths, neither of which came up in my games. He shot his Harpoon Launcher almost every turn in every game and failed to kill anything with the exception of 1 Cold One Cav in the first game. A total waste of points, I don't think I will be bringing him out again any time soon.

Not the "best" character loadout I have ever used but none of them died in the three games I played either so it wasn't all bad. Now on to my Core choices...

Bulls x 3 – Champion (125)
Bulls x 3 – Champion (125)
Ironguts x 3 – Champion, Bellower (174)
Gnoblar Trappers x 9 (54)
Gnoblar Trappers x 9 (54)

The Bulls were the first to die in most of my games, but it was always for a good cause. Trading 150 victory points for a chance of getting back 200+ is a good trade off in my opinion (killing the Army general, destroying a block of infantry, claiming standards, etc).

The Ironguts failed to do anything impressive in most of my games. I have to say I am very disillusioned with Ironguts in general. I know most Ogre Kingdoms generals swear by them but I find that they rarely hit with their WS3 and they still have next to no survivability with their 5+ armor save since they tend to fight nastier close combat troops. One to two units is the max I plan on running in any one list, I just don't like them for the points when Bulls can do almost the same (bad) job for a cheaper price.

My Trappers were the MVP of this army list - killing two characters in the first game, and grabbing table quarters and sharp stuffing things in the last two. I wish I could field two units all the time without having to take a Hunter.

Leadbelchers x 2 – Champion (120)
Leadbelchers x 2 – Champion (120)
Scraplauncher (165)

I have really come around to liking my Leadbelchers, especially with the champions randomizing incoming hits from shooting and magic. It does sting to lose 120 point per unit, but by keeping the units small and relatively inexpensive I have managed to make their points back in most games I play. If I have them alive at the end of the game - great! This weekend they did not misfire at all and did an average of 12 shots with 4-6 hits and 3-4 wounds per volley. Not too shabby.

The Scraplauncher did not perform any massive hits with its shots but my guesses were also really off for some reason. It did perform rather well in close combat against the Vampire Counts list I played and in one instance actually saved me from losing a combat thanks to it's rank busting unit strength. Nicely done! Now how about those Rare choices...

Maneaters x 2 – CLS, Heavy Armor (180)
Slavegiant (175)

The Maneaters made back their points and more in every game I played. I know some people frown on the idea of a "Death Star" but I don't consider two Maneaters, a Tyrant, and two Bruisers to be equal to such a thing. To me that unit is simply a character delivery system to ensure I get the most points back out of the points spent gearing them up. The unit survived every game I played and did plenty of damage. Points well spent I think.

My Slavegiant has really been on a losing streak for the past few month but this past weekend he made up for it by rolling two "Yell and Bawl" rolls when I needed them, crushed a unit to death the one and only time he died, and helped win or at least tie some combats that were not going the Ogre's way. All in all I am very glad I took him and I really want to get another model sometime soon.

So there you have it... certainly some changes I would make if I were to play this list again but overall it was fairly effective in the matches I played. I think I learned a thing or two about these units and hopefully my lengthy ramble has proved to be informative to someone reading this out there.

As always comments, critiques, rants, and rebuttals are welcome and appreciated.