2.15.2013

Ogres vs Vampires

Since I started playing my new ogre army I have learnt a lot in Ogre tactics. First set of games was all about learning how to play what units and how to divide my attention to the battle field. Actually I also learnt a lot on the 8th edition WHFB ruleset. Still we are forgetting rules and I keep forgetting abilities of my precious Ogres but we have come a far way since then. Still the ogre army has many possibilities and since I am painting a lot of members for the army that is also input for choosing troop types for the roster that I am going to play. This time it was the gnoblars as a general theme for this battle. I am busy painting 90 gnoblars (and have another 10 ready to round it of to 100) and have a set of 70 that I found play worthy. Also the first horde unit I am going to field with 8th ed. With the big block of gnoblars I was going to field the scraplauncher as well to have a gnoblar themed army but I was facing vampires and went for more ogres to crush skeletons. I fielded a block of 12 ogres with a bruiser BSB and a set of 6 ironfists with my butcher. These were the hitting power and the gnoblars the anvil. Supporting this I had 2 sabretusks and a gorger for stray units/delaying tactics/warmachine hunting. To top it off 4 leadbelchers to shoot the rest to pieces. What I was facing here were 2 units of skeletons with a vampire each. some groups of war hounds, a set of dread knights and a black coach. None too big an frightening units but still tough enough to tear through in one go. The battle started with the ogres lining up for the charge and on sabretusk tearing through a set of hounds completely shredding them to pieces. The black coach started with a big gulp of magic and directly advancing on the chart. I found out one of the sabretusks was too far out and had to head back over the battlefield, the rest pretty much placed good enough. The gnoblar unit of 70 was a bit difficult to maneuver but all in all not a bad start. Second turn had more interesting stuff going. My leadbelchers shot a volley to the knights but did not do much damage. The black coach managed to gobble up almost all the magic and was fully charged at the end of turn 2! Also the coach charged the sabretusk and with max. impact hits, shredded the big cat to pieces. My ogre unit charged a group of skeletons and really cracked some bones, slaying one vampire in the proces. What a result! Turn 3 got nasty for the vampires. The coach charged into my ironfists and the other skeleton unit as well since they were frenzied by some blood tower nearby. The coach managed only 3 impact hits not doing much and the skeletons were unable to hit very much. The ironfists however almost maxed the amount of to hits and also to wounds. Very impressive dice throwing against all statistics. The black coach did not managed to hit very much with very little impact hits, it was ethereal and flying and whatnot so I couldn't hit it back. The result of the skeletons combat part for this unit was so good for my part having the BSB there as well I won this combat breaking the black coach! The dread knights were charging the group of gnoblars in the meantime not knowing the all the traps set by the trappers in this horde of gnoblars. already some horses tripped and fell taking their riders with them, the rest managed to delve into the unit but the amount of gnoblars was overwhelming. In no time all knights were done for. If 10 of the gnoblars died no one noticed in the melee of green skins. The gnoblars tore the knights apart leaving not much but bones and even these were picked up for clubs. We looked at the rest of the table and threw some dice for some of the left over units to see if the VC went somewhere but it was to no avail. The flow of events was set and the outcome was inevitable: a win for the ogres. The battle was good with some epic dice rolls deciding the game. However I got a good feeling on the block of gnoblars and it is true that 8th ed needs horde units to swing victory to your side. I saw the need for swift cavelry and therefore need to paint up those mournfang cavalry quickly!

1.31.2013

Hobby time

The yearly event of making scenery took place just after christmas this year. We gathered to create new scenery pieces. As known from this blog we have sets of Hirst Arts Moulds that we pull out each year to create new buildings and ruins to play our games with. All hobbyists from all the corners of the Netherlands came out (actually Rick was the furthest away and the rest could come by bike, but still!). Crates full of plaster bricks and accessories were hauled in to build. MDF bases were at the ready and the day could start. Coffee was provided for and we actually used an agile process to get the architecture right. Not the first time right mind, but we got it in the end. Buildings sprouted aplenty and since we get better every year, the buildings become more complex and interesting. We produced a nice church, a nautical themed inn, another two more undetermined buildings but nonetheless very interesting. In the end fries were brought in to sustain any hunger so we could complete the building madness in the evening hours. To finish stuff off Zombicide was put to the table and the night ended with my house being taken over by zombies. What a great day it was. Now the painting of the buildings is on the way and I actually some finished parts as well, but that's for another post.

1.21.2013

More Ogres!

After painting loads and loads of dwarfs and them being so tiny, I started with some Ogres. Just to be on the other side of the spectrum. Not only painting wise but also gaming wise they are a complete different army. Not less fun to paint however. The set of Ogres I got needed some painting to do, I can field approximately 4000 points of Ogre menace not including magical items but the amount of models involved equals by nearly 2000 points of dwarfs! Should the painting go that much faster was the first thing I asked myself and first impressions this was the case. Of course painting something new induces a new drive to paint and thus taking more time to paint, hence more output in painting! Still good, the ogre army expands rapidly and I got a couple of games already to play with them. I still have to develop a feel for how to play, but each game gave me some valuable learning points and rules I forgot about to play. Also this is an army with magic opposed to the dwarfs, also something new to consider and hell of a lot of fun. The ogres are fast, hard-hitting but can still be outmaneuvered. Magic is good, leadership is rubbish. Stuff to keep in mind :) On to the painting then, I started of with a tyrant just to get a feel for ogre models and to have something nice to paint. A set of leadbelchers followed and the Tibet style color scheme proved good and clean on the ogres (clean and ogres in one sentence?). Also in the set of Ogres I bought was the best model ever: the old scrap launcher. A big contraption pulled by a large beast. Loads of gnoblars everywhere on the model to give it the lively feel of chaos and mayhem. That was the next to paint. The wood was quickly done, however I kept touching up on the wood. It had to be more grainy, more red, more yellow, but in the end it got good enough. The wood was fairly quickly done and I got the idea that only painting some gnoblars was not that much of a work. It is when each individual needed to be picked out with its own set of colors and devices. There was also the amount of metal on the model. I wanted it to be a seemingly random mix of iron and copper with its corresponding corrosion. In the end not en easy task and took a while, but worth it. The cloth where the scrap launcher rests had to be some captured flag or something so I painted the imperial eagle on it that was also on one of the shields that is being loaded as scrap to be shot at the enemy, all in-keeping with the model. I myself am happy how it turned out, however I keep on seeing stuff that can be improved. I put it aside for now and I'm moving on to next models and ways to paint, since I got me a nice airbrush set and just started painting the skin of a...GIANT!

1.03.2013

Hell cannon insurance

Rattling noises reflected against the cliffs of the small pass as the demonic cannon was pulled by panting Dragon Ogres. Three small creatures were running around the troublesome carriage commanding and cursing in an old strange language.
'These terrible high hats better make sure the cannon will be safely transported to the fortress. We payed a high enough price for this machine.' Nurgly mumbled by himself. The chaos wizard and his warrior revenue had made the long travel into the Dark Lands to obtain the Hell Cannon. Negotiating with the Dawi'zharr was hard, but gold, wyrdstone and above all a group of captured dwarfs was a price the Chaos Dwarfs could not resist. 'The imposing war machine would be an important resource in his masters army' Nurgly observed, 'but this one looks even more menacing and tempestuous.'

The chosen path took the small detachment through a cramped mountain pass. Nurgly sent a group of scouts ahead. They took off on their horses towards the left flank and some time later their horns could be heard in the distance, raising the alarm. After a small curse Nurgly organised the battle line. He could feel the presence of magic forces nearby, even of a kind of magister he had not encountered before. Stretching out in the palanquin, he scanned the pass. There were some arcane ruins halfway, but the forces he felt were stronger... With a small kick he commanded the Nurgling mounts forward. The warriors followed, leaving the Dragon Ogres to guard the precious cannon and it's crew.


On both flanks forests hid the enemy, but in the centre a group of Ogres was spotted, carrying what seems to be barrels on their shoulders. 'Curses, those dumb brutes.. I would have been happy to recruit them' went through the mind of the wizard 'let's hope they're few in numbers...' Behind him the chaos cannon roared and fired, spitting a foul projectile towards the ogres. The shot missed and the demon inside the machine screamed and grumbled. 'Hopefully those high hats will keep it under control!' Nurgly crackled.

The Ogre unit marched nearer and from the woods on the left flank two giant tiger like creatures emerged, threatening the marauder scouts. 'Move a little closer to those' came from the mouth of the wizard before he descended in deep concentration. Dark energies were folded up into a powerful spell, hitting one of the sabre tusk, killing it instantly. Moments later the scouts hurled a volley of axes towards the second beast, with the same effect. The Hell cannon added to this by hitting the lead belcher's. The ogres only took one wound, but the impact of the shot made them panic.

However the Ogres did not give in that easily. The lead belchers rallied and with a agile move occupied the center position again, bringing Nurgly and his group within shooting range. Even worse, from the forest on the right flank a massive group of Ogres broke out, being led by a huge Ogre. In this unit Nurgly spotted his adverary, a Butcher. 'Fire at them' Nurgly had jumped up and screamed in the direction of the Hell cannon crew. The chaos dwarf tried to turn the warmachine toward the Ogre unit. But then the demon bound inside the cannon jumped at the change. The spirited machine broke loose and devoured the three chaos dwarfs!

Things went downhill for the Nurgle worshippers. Nurgly and his revenue took two salvo's of cannon fire from the ogre cannon carriers. And how hard the chaos wizard tried, his magic powers could not overwhelm thite raw forces of the ogre magic. The winds of magic caused more victims amongst his bodyguard (despite that the Butcher was one time lucky to escape with just a wound left). Manoeuvring hard to keep his revenue out of charge range of the big block of Ogres, Nurgly saw the Hell cannon stampeding towards them! The ogres took their change/bait and charged the broken free demonic warmachine. A terrible clash broke out. The hell cannon was damaged by impact hits and the attacks of the butcher and his ogres. But somehow it survived, the demon was still bound to the carcass of the machine, howling and twisting. With a final move it puked out the remains of its venomous ordnance, killing the butcher!

The stubborn and murderous fight of the hell cannon turned out to be the pivoting point of the battle. Not only did the Ogres lose their general, their main unit was stuck too long in battle with the war machine and was outmanoeuvred by the unit of dragon ogres. These creatures charged into the rear of the big block of ogres and despite losing a dragon ogre in the fight, wounded enough ogres to break them. Simultaneously Nurgly and the remains of his unit chaos warriors charged like they were blessed by Khorne (rolling 11 on their distance roll where a 9 or 10 was needed). The lead belchers were overwhelmed and broken. In one and half turn the battle had turned completely, even the late arrival of a Gorger could not change the outcome...
Nurgly sighed as he walked around the remains of the hell cannon. A bubbling puddle of reeking mud indicated the place where the Ogre general had been submerged by the spit of the demon. Some nurglings were paddling in it and swarming over the twisted and bruised metal barrel and parts that once formed a mighty cannon. With a sudden kick Nurgly send one flying into the mouth of the barrel and a swallowing noise could be heard, followed by a hiss of steam. 'Let those prisoners take the barrel and as many parts as they can carry' the wizard ordered. The warriors and dragon ogres forced the group of captured ogres to comply. The small caravan took off, back towards the Dark Lands. 'Hopefully those pesky high hats will be able to repair the cannon' Nurgly thought 'perhaps I could claim that this should be within insurance regulations?'

11.22.2012

Light and heavy support


Finally some reinforcements arrive for my russian/czechoslovak tank army. Three hard hitting SU-85's and five (slightly less useful) T-70's.
With these vehicles ready, I'll start painting their adversaries, german Waffen SS troops. (Unless I happen to find a 1:144 Lavotchkin La-5 for some air support...)


The business side of the SU-85's..



.. the T-70's holding a picknick (in the town center of Zwolle?)



11.12.2012

Chaos in Carpathia, our first attempt

About a year ago we purchased the rules for chaps in Carpathia. Also a year ago we purchased the mini's that we were going to play for this game. Our warbands were collecting dust ever since :) But now was the time to dust of the old rules and get the game started. Something different then the ever present Mordheim, WHFB and whatnot. Since it was our first game, we chose a simple scenario within the city just to get to know the rules a bit. 3 warbands were present: Vampires, Witchhunters and my own warband: werewolves. I actually had some time this year to paint them, so fully coloured my warband members took to the battle field. My assylum inmates were some victorian ladies that banded with the wolves. The leader of the pack is the "dottore" in human form, but with the wolf features to distinguish him from a regular human. This post will from the werewolves point of view obviously. First thing I noticed with the werewolves was there movement. Specifically the enormous movement available to them (maybe I'm a bit biassed by playing with dwarves). Anyway, the werewolves were running around on buildings and parapets en suddenly getting shot at by vampires (or there henchmen). The order of play is refreshing. Every time a character or group moves, shoots, fights etc. until the next warband character or group can make its actions. This gives a good sence of everything happening at once. The werewolves were running and hiding while the witchhunters and vampires quickly got to grips with each other. It was a matter of who got control of the mob of our scenario. Nice to see influence working and a mob swirling back and forth. Eventually the withhunters got control of the mob after they lost a victim to it. My werewolves were getting in combat with the vampires and slayed some bloodsuckers. The combat mechanics gave us at first the idea, that all warband stats and members were very evenly matched. It took a while before a casualty fell in hand to hand combat. My wolf pack suffered a big loss at the beginning leaving only 2 wolves but they held out in the next rounds of combat. I found that odd, since their vitality (life) is measured by the amount of wolves left. Apparantly their stats were enough to survive and getting no wounds. The vampires had a bad time against the wolves, the fact that the withchunters were harassing them, wasn't helping either. All in all a fun game and our first contact with the game mechanics of Chaos in Carpathia. Defintely a game we will pick up and start a campaign with. For me, new wolves have been painted and the warband grows! :)

10.19.2012

My first Ogre

It's been a while since I last posted about painting. I got a good deal on an Ogre army that a friend had lying catching dust. Parts sparsely painted and all undercoated, it was a great painting project.
Ogre painting has started! The first I got to the painting table was this tyrant. Much trial and error on painting loads of skin. My first oxidation on copper painted, in short a lot of firsts and a lot of new techniques to be learnt. I have now something of a paint scheme: Tibetan style ogres on ice they are my working title. The ice\snow bases are somewhat under test still, but they will get there.
Be prepared to see more Ogre posts on the blog. More important, be prepared for my first Ogre battle! I have 3500 points of Ogre goodness and the first painted Ogre skirmish army should be finished soon.

My opponents be warned, one of these days I field my Ogreeeeees!