Progress Report 8/6/14 - Malal beckons...

What twisted madness is this!? WHFB!? Warriors!? Malal!?!!

For some reason I felt compelled to pick up two test minis from a couple years ago when I started working on my Malal WoC force and slap some touch ups and Malal themed black/white on them. The results are as follows...

Things I know about these minis... I have improved as a painter since two years ago and I can't spend too much time on each rank and file mini in the army if I ever want to finish (and I do). I think these tests are a compromise between the two. Decent quality for the time spent. I've learned some things I want to do differently on the next painted minis (particularly the Warriors). 

For those who don't know Malal I recommend this article over on the Realm of Chaos blog. orlygg does a fantastic job of covering the history of this lesser known Chaos God as well as unearthing some unknown lore and information in the process. 

My take on this WoC Malal force is simple... his followers are secretive. They are unknown among the ranks of the various faithful and when called upon they quickly cover themselves in the colors of their god (bisected black and white) and go to war in his name. The army will not feature iconography of the other Chaos Gods nor will it contain any god-centric units (like the awesome Khorne monster cav). Each unit will look like a mish-mash of different warriors from different regions... or at least that is my hope! In place of Marauders I will be using Beastmen as they are natural followers of Malal. I will also work in some Hellcannons (Chaos Dwarf mercenaries for hire) and probably some monsters like Trolls and Ogres. Ultimately the one unifying theme is the lack of theme and the focus on the variety united. 

With that in mind I added a few Beastmen to the existing unit I started a couple years back and figured it was about time to get a standard in there!

Still some GS work needed for his severed head shoulder pad, some hair on the mini, and to tie the braided skulls and hair into the standard on the back. Digging the look though! 

Here is the unit as it stands now. I hope to add some Minotaurs and other stuff to the unit to make it really big - including another 20 or so Beastmen! 

The short burst of WHFB centered modeling and painting has me quite fired up for the game and I am thinking about registering for an upcoming winter tournament event as well! Perhaps it will be a good reason to get my WoC done or perhaps to pull out the much neglected VC or Ogres?!

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?

New Skaven madness has been unleashed!

The new Skaven book is upon us! Run for your lives!!

I have only seen one game with the new book but it was a doozy - a classic Skaven SAD list vs a zombie spamming Vampire list. The Skaven won the game but blew up half their force in the process. Fun!

Today I will be playing a few games here at home with the new book. I will post my thoughts on the book as a whole after seeing a few more games in action.

I have already noticed a continuation of the trend started with the Warriors of Chaos book - I could probably make a better Ogre-type force from the Skaven book. Is it really a new trend or do I just really love armies with nothing but Monsters and 40mm troops? Double Hellpit Abomination and Rat Ogre madness lists ahoy!

*chitter-chitter*

Sprue pics: Warriors of Chaos - Chaos Knights.

When I first started collecting and building my Ogre army there was one thing I really wanted to find but couldn't - pictures of the OK sprues! It was very difficult to get any useful information from the web, and it made it much harder to plan out my various conversion and collecting plans.

I currently have a large pile of unassembled models sitting around collecting dust (until I can get to them) and I thought, why not put up some pictures of these sprues to help other WHFB collectors and painters?

So here is the first entry in what I hope becomes a "regular" addition to the blog; back and front pictures of the Warriors of Chaos - Chaos Knight sprues. I hope this helps someone out there, and I hope I am not angering the GW gods by posting these to the web! The photos aren't the greatest (sorry, I was in a bit of a rush to take these) but you can click on them for a larger version with more visible details.

Sprue #1 - Back

Sprue #1 - Front

Sprue #2 - Back

Sprue #2 - Front

Sprue #3 - Back

Sprue #3 - Front

If you have pictures of new sprues feel free to send them to me and I will get them added to the site! Thanks.