Axis Infantry Painted

The sniper's shoulder isn't really yellow, it's just a reflection.

Big day for the Axis cause: frequently-used models have been painted.  The gorillas I did a few weeks ago were selected because they don't find a place in many lists, so if they took longer than expected it wouldn't cause (m)any problems.  Today I took a bigger leap by tackling a unit of snipers, along with a unit of the recently intriguing spotters, both of which have featured in every list I've run since getting the Hades book.  I wanted to take a bigger bite since I felt confident in my at the time untested scheme, but was restrained by my lack of prior preparation.  I'd cleaned mold lines and glued wiggly components on the radiomen, snipers, and medium walkers a few days back and didn't like the idea of painting something that might twist around and rub away my work.  I almost went with the walkers instead but I'm less confident in my approach as it involves a number of techniques I've never tried before, but there will be time for that later.

As always, my pictures turned out dark.

You are no doubt wondering about my amazing approach to these models.  (As an aside, I've spent about the last half hour looking for a close up of just hands, mini, and brush so I could make up a "my painting technique is unstoppable" picture.  You have failed my stock photo needs again Internet.)  To scratch your curious itch, and to keep a record for myself, this is how it went.  Start with a heavy drybrush, or the closest I can manage, of VGC (Vallejo Game Color) Stonewall Grey on everything that isn't going to end up flesh or metal.  Next apply VGC Gunmetal to all metal areas.  VGC Bronze Fleshtone goes where you'd expect.  Follow with a liberal coating of GW Badab Black wash, assuming you still have a pot.  Because I was working with a small batch and had a heavy hand with the wash, I let the models dry for a while before continuing, but once I get rolling on a couple units at once I don't think drying time will be required.  Regardless, after the wash came Vallejo Model Color Yellow Ochre on the backpacks.  After a bit of experimenting, and taking stock of my materials, I went with a Vallejo Umber Shade wash over the yellow to get that mustardy-sorta-brown color I wanted.  I picked out the toes and tops of the boots, grips on the guns, belts, a strip of trim on the bottom of the jackets, the odd strap on a hat, and all the metal bits on the backpacks with VGC Black.  The penultimate step was a VGC Chainmail Silver highlight on the existing metal areas, plus picking out the metal bits on the backpacks.  Another Umber Shade wash on the backpacks, especially the metal bits, and the job was finished.  Basing still needs to happen, but the models themselves are done.

You can see the belts and jacket trim in this one.

The only real hitch in this process was figuring out the yellow.  My initial approach was to thin down the VGC equivalent of Snakebite Leather as a wash.  While this still seems like the right tactic, I watered it far too much and didn't get the results I wanted.  I tried a GW Ogrun Flesh wash on the left backpack, but the result was red instead of brown.  My thought now, and always, was Devlan Mud, but my supply is all but exhausted and it's part of my Legion scheme, so I want to preserve it for that use.  I've had the Vallejo wash for quite a while but never really use it, so I gave it a shot and it was almost exactly what I had in mind. 

Overall I'm happy enough with the result to begin preparations for the rest of my troops.  This batch strikes me as a bit on the drab side, so I may go back and do up some flesh colored hands, but mostly I'm hoping that having a non-grey base will give them some visual life.

Dust Up: Supremacy Showdown

Not this kind.  Well, maybe a little.

Special Disclaimer: New ground is breaking in this very post.  Etna's Vassal and I doing something I've been thinking about for a long while, a double battle report.  This is different for me as I generally try to cover both sides, successfully or not, when I do a battle report, whereas this time it's (mostly) all from my side.  You can find EV's half of the story here. 

You'd never know it from this blog, but I've been playing a lot of Dust Warfare lately.  It took a decent amount of sniffing around and shuffling feet, but I'm now at the helm of a nearly complete collection of Axis forces, thanks in part to the Escalation league that's been running for the last month or two at Huzzah.  (Wednesday nights if you're a curious party.)  I've had a good time with Dust, which is quick and interactive, and am now starting to appreciate the depth of the system.  It's one of those easy to learn, hard to master things.  I've even settled (I think) on a scheme and approach, which should make a certain reader happy.  Once I get going on it of course.  The Huzzah league is wrapping up currently, with EV and I finishing up tied for first.  We hadn't played each other during the league since we get in a weekly game on Tuesdays, so there were no handy head-to-head tie breakers available.  The only way to determine a champion was to duke it out.

Monkeys

Turns out dark models that lean forward are hard to photograph.

I've been a lazy hobbyist of late.  Games aren't a problem, and I'm probably playing more than ever since getting back into gaming a few years back.  The struggle against unpainted (and worse, unassembled) models isn't going as well.  Today I struck a tiny blow against the unpainted masses in the form of four apes.  Before painting began my focus was on speed, but that fell down the priority totem pole in the usual manner as I got to work.  Despite dragging my feet a bit the actual painting went quick enough, though it was accompanied by a large pail of drying time.  I "drybrushed" the fur (aka 90% of the model) straight over the "primer" that the models come out of the box with, then gave it a heart black wash.  Panzerfists got a coat of black, then bronze, then a slathering of Tamiya Smoke (along with the silver generator on Markus' back).  Final details were eyes and tongues, both red, along with white teeth and colored wiring.  I had been set to base my Dust mans in the same manner as my Blood Angels, meaning painted ballast with static grass tufts, but now I'm reconsidering.  My base edges are painted black because I'm not going for a super-realistic style.  These aren't real mans, they're little bits of plastic, so I feel no compulsion to try and camouflage the base to make it look real.  As such I'm thinking about painting the bases silver since they have a diamond steel plate sort of texture, plus the rivets around the edge.  Maybe a silver top and rivets with a black edge, though that's a bit more work than I want to sink into these bases.  Will this be the much looked for start of painting Dust?  Hopefully.  The monkeys were the first because they didn't need any flash cleaned or pieces straightened.  The rest of the stuff?  Not so much, which presents a bit of a hurdle.  Maybe Santa will bring me a fat sack of hobby momentum.

Equal Time

Trees are hungry.  Maybe that's why the DMV kills as many as possible.

Living in the dark heart of the DMV, as I always have, the idea of giving both sides their chance to talk is one that I've grown around like a tree grows around anything that is nearby and isn't a tree.  With the decision between a Conquest and an Archangel still to be made, I figured it was time to give the opposition party (in-game effectiveness) a chance to argue its case.  As with my initial AA test, I didn't put a whole lot of thought into the list.  Because this was my first time with Khador in quite a while I went with an uncomplicated caster (pButcher with obligatory Wardog), put in a couple effective units (WGI Deathstar, Kayazy, Mechanics), then filled with things I like to play (Shock Troopers, Widowmaker Marksman).  I faced off against what seems like a pretty poor match up in the High Reclaimer (lots of LoS clouds to stop Conquest shooting) and a Judicator (more shooting denial) played by one of my most competent locals.

Painting and more Archangel

Should be less shiny after varnishing.  . 

Let's start with what everyone is interested in: a WIP shot of a Destroyer.  While the exact timeline is lost in the misty depths of my less than airtight memory, this Destroyer may be the first Warmachine model I put paint on.  At worst it's one of the first three, and regardless it's been "in progress" for the better part of two and a half years.  If you're wondering why I haven't finished it off yet then you've probably never played Khador.  As the faction stands there's no compelling reason to take a Destroyer instead of Black Ivan, despite the latter costing an extra point, and I'd argue there's no reason to take a Destroyer to begin with outside of some wacky Harkevich Broadsides list.  But that's a tangent for a different day.  Taking up the 5th Border Legion scheme again after a significant break was somewhat uncomfortable as I'm sure this Destroyer will look a little off compared to the rest of my jacks, but it was a nice change of pace to play around with a different palette.  The jack itself is done but I still need to texture the base, then varnish, then paint the base and arcs, then final varnishing.  While it won't take long to do it's still time consuming with all the drying time required.  Fortunately there's still almost two weeks before the Paint the Target deadline which I'm determined to hit this month after slacking in October.  In a perfect world I would have painted up my still unassembled Nephilim Protector, which has begun to figure in AA musings, but I'm not convinced I'd be finished in time.  Plus it's nice to send a little bit of love back to the Motherland every now and again.

Archangel first impressions

Some imagination required. 

We'll start with the obvious: I am still not dead, despite the lack of recent posts.  I blame my lack of painting, which leads to a lack of pictures of what I've painted, in turn leading to an absence of drive to post said pictures and formulate some sort of text to accompany them.  Trickle down apathy at work again.

And then a ray of sunshine: Archangel stats.  After being taunted by the gorgeous model-in-progress for so long, finally its capabilities were revealed.  (I won't post up the stats here as they aren't hard to find and they're also in the forthcoming No Quarter, so you have two different avenues to get them if you're so inclined.)  At first blush it looked underwhelming.  The Internet agreed.  Still the lure to (sort of) see it in action was strong.  What's a boy to do?  Write those stats on a CD (it's the same size as a Huge Base you know), take a stab at arc markings, and take it out for a spin at the FLGS. 

Caution: alliteration ahead

The most kick-ass B and B ever.

It's been far too long since I actually painted anything.  When combined with the looming league deadline this provided all the motivation I needed to get back to the table.  I felt a little slackerly when I picked assembling and painting Bethayne and Belphagor as my design-your-own hobby badge goal for the (tardy) Dark Secrets league...until a few days ago when I realized I had until Sunday to get the pair (plus inserts) out of the box and finished.    I flew through assembly, though I fear my lack of pining will come back to haunt me, and got the models primed yesterday morning.  Fast forward through today (you can slo-mo through some of the brushwork, I won't tell anyone) and I've managed to crap out not just one but two models (and a pair of inserts) in a single day of painting.  Even after being away from it for a while I slide back into my Legion scheme effortlessly, as if it were a thing I designed (mostly) myself and (arguably) perfected over countless (~70) repetitions.  Varnish will have to wait a few days, but this newly painted pair won't be debuting until Thursday at the earliest.  Hopes are high that Bethayne is the spell slinger I always wanted pVayl to be, or something close enough to hold me over until I finally free eVayl from her plastic prison.

A List, Mostly For Me

I'd love to use this mini, it just doesn't fit.

I'm gearing up for the IKRPG and need a mini.  Matters are complicated because I'm not entirely sure what I'll be playing, but I've found quite a few models that I like which will inform my eventual choices.  The huge collection of bookmarks I've put together is a bit unwieldy, so I'm putting together a "best of" for easier reference and figured maybe someone out there could get some use out of it as well.

Werner Klocke does great work, so I'm separating his out:
Female caster with staff and sword
Female in armor with sword
Female caster with (separate) familiar
Female swashbuckler
Female caster(ish) in armor with sword
Female hunter (pre-Sorscha)

Other ladies:
Generic caster(ish)
Rope-climbing adventuress
Flaming sword
Caster with many details
Steampunk caster
Fireballer with flaming sword
Generic caster with spell effect
Generic with pistol
Generic with hopefully removable head

And the dudes:
"Alas, poor Yorrick" caster
Caster with clingy zombie
Generic conquistadorish, needs more hair

As you might have guessed, most of my ideas are for casters.  I'm trying to avoid just using the closest PP mini as it seems like a bit of a cop-out to plunk down a Greylord from my Khador army.  Of course the fact that Zerkova (closest match) is more horsefaced than Sarah Jessica Parker doesn't help...

Something Is Better Than Nothing

A different sort of gun mage.

Despite the complete lack of blog activity over the past bit, I have neither died nor forsaken gaming.  Having finally obtained a copy of the IK RPG I've been deep in its pages for the last few days.  The game has a much stronger focus on combat than I'd hoped for, but on further consideration that isn't surprising.  RPGs are what you make out of them though so the possibilities are endless.  My initial impulse was towards a spell slinger of some flavor, a Greylord most likely to keep with my theme.  Pistoleers look interesting too though with the added benefit that there are lots of models out there that are appealing (this one in particular).  I could combine the two into a Gun Mage except that I'd want to do an Amethyst Rose flavor which doesn't really click with the Khador thing.  For now ideas will just swirl while I make my way through the book. 

Plus there's the small issue of finding a group, but I'm hoping that resolves itself with little fuss.

Also in recent news, I finally have a Dust army to push around on the table.  When I put the order in the Revised Core Set was out of stock which put a sizable spanner in the works since the plan incorporated most of the pieces in it.  Of course you can only get those in that particular box, which is a rant I've indulged in elsewhere, so I went back to the drafting table to hammer out a collection that could stand by itself until I could get the Core-only models.  After a pair of speedy field tests with EV I found my force to be fit for fighting.  Of course the real test remains: painting.  In addition to figuring out a scheme (I'd like something at least inspired by what the Germans wore while fighting in Russia) there's the question of mold lines and bent barrels.  Mold lines aren't as bad as they could be, though they're far from wonderful while also being trickier than usual to get to since the minis are already assembled.  Part of me wants to embrace the economy of the game and just paint them as-is, stock primer and all.  The rest of me knows that I'll get halfway through the first squad and wish I'd taken the time to clean them properly.  I think I'll give it a week or three to simmer and see how it looks after a couple more games.

Strider UA Painted and Ready

Now the UA will blend in with the rest of the unit. 

Title says it all.  Now my Striders will all look the same.  Once I get the UA varnished of course.  The pair painted up nice and easy, as most of my recent projects have, but all was not peaches and puppy dogs.  While transporting the models from bag to painting table I lost another bit, this time the officer's scabbard.  As with the Strider leader's bow and BFS hand, I stuck it into a blob of bluetac to deal with later and pressed on.

Beyond the simple joy of crossing another item off my list of things to paint, I'm glad to get the Striders finished off so that I can really sink my teeth into them without the easy out of having only part of the unit painted.  Striders look like a versatile tool on paper, but my experience with them on the table has been somewhat underwhelming.  Then again I'm not a particularly patient player and don't do the whole "skirting around at the edge of your threat range" thing very well.  Of course that's why I want to start making a study of the Striders in the hope that they'll help develop that part of my game.

Nova Open Recap: Masters

After I failed to qualify for Masters (or the Championship, whatever you want to call it) after the Team tournament I threw caution to the wind and did the Deathrace tournament that started somewhat after midnight.  I'll do a tiny bit on it later, but for now the important bit is that I got into bed around 3.  After checking out and meeting up with NGF for breakfast (and to leave my non-gaming baggage with him) I made my way back to the Warmachine room trying to figure out how to make a list without knowing who my caster would be.

Nova Open Recap: Team

All for one and one for all and all that. 

Going into the Open the team tournament was a big question mark for me.  I didn't try to find a team before the event as conventional wisdom said it would be good to have some non-event time at a con.  With Iron Arena going, and a total lack of details before the Open began, I figured I could either get in Iron Arena games, nap, tour the con, or fill out someone's squad.  There was a bit of chatter about finding people on Thursday which grew in intensity through Friday and into Saturday.  I knew I could find a place to play if I wanted to, but the question of whether I wanted to or not was still undecided after the close of the morning's Steam Roller.  After three tournaments in a day and a half what I wanted most was to have a leisurely meal so I strolled over to the Bozzelli's that had spurned my breakfasty advances that morning to get a big, greasy meal that I could lord over like a dragon and its hoard.

Another painted warlock

Painted, but when will she see the table? 

Following the painting frenzy that was the Journeyman league, I took a bit of a break from the brushes.  Today that ended, resulting in a painted Rhyas.  Painting went along as it usually does, though I nearly repeated the scheme mistake I made with Saeryn.  Fortunately I have this handy record of my progress to check back on and was able to dodge disaster. 

The more interesting part, at least to me, of this latest project is that it represents a return to painting what I don't plan on using any time soon.  While I like the idea of a ninja sword princess just fine, looking at the cards that come with Rhyas doesn't fill me with playing fervor.  My first thought for painting was eVlad, but there's a high probability that I'll be fielding him tomorrow and most likely wouldn't have the time to finish and varnish the model.  Because I'm not itching to play Rhyas I could paint her at a leisurely pace, not that I did, without hearing the gaming clock ticking.  Of course there's more delicious irony here.  Now that Rhyas is painted, I'll be more eager to play her.  Having painted minis languishing in my bag is something I try to avoid.  I also need a new "noobhammer" (the caster I'll play against someone who's new to the game) as I've been getting better with pLylyth, my previous choice, who isn't as hamstrung as I first thought.

On the horizon are two events this weekend, located in the newly installed tab I posted about previously.  I got over my reluctance to dedicate another weekend to Warmachine after the marathon that was the Nova Open a mere two weeks ago.  Between recaps for those two, the three Open recaps that are still waiting to be done, and all the non-Warmahordes stuff I've been meaning to post about I'll have more than enough content to keep me, and of course my readers, busy.

Nova Open Recap: Steam Roller

The lead-up to Saturday morning's SR event could have been better.  The tier tournament ran a little late (1:45 instead of midnight), it took me far too long to fall asleep, and the place I'd spotted for breakfast (Bozzelli's) didn't open until 10 on Saturdays.  Most places around the hotel were closed, so I soldiered on with nuts and trail mix before I got back to the tables.

It was eventually decided that this event was Divide & Conquer, which I was happy about.  There's lots of talk about picking complimentary lists, good/bad matchups, and getting "locked in" to a particular list on the podcasts I listen to, so I was eager to see how the format played out.  I've since tinkered with the existing lists instead of making new ones, as is my custom, so these may be slightly off, but this is what I ran:

Nova Open Recap: Tier

Tiers not as tasty as these. 

Going into the Open I had circled the Tier tournament as one I expected to do well in.  I've had a lot of success with Absylonia's tier list, which includes everything that I want (beasts and fury management) and gives some nice benefits (cheaper, faster beasts).  Aby is a pretty straight-forward caster, one of a small group (which might only include pVlad) that I feel comfortable playing competitively with no warmups or practice games.  My list was as such:

Absylonia, Terror of Everblight  +5 points
* Angelius  8 points
* Scythean  8 points
* 3x Shredder  2 points each
* Typhon  11 points

Shepherd  1 point
3x The Forsaken  2 points each

All the lessers get AD, all the heavies get to Advance Move, I get an extra Forsaken, what's not to like?  Oh, and all the heavies will have Reach.  The only real weakness is a lack of magic weapons/attacks, but that's common to many tier lists.  I would have liked another heavy, but the points just don't mesh at 35.  Enough rambling, on to the meat.

Journeyman Painting Log # 27

Ready to drop some clouds.

Earlier this week I realized that I was done painting for the Journeyman league.  I hadn't hit my ultimate goal (paint all the Legion) and the league hadn't ended yet (technically it goes until Sunday, at least I think so), but painting was done all the same.  Why?  In order to get the points for painting a model you had to play it in a game.  I won't play with something that's painted but not varnished and the usual DMV humidity wasn't going to allow any spraying in time to get something varnished for Thursday, so I called it a job well done.  After all I'd hit my first goal (be painted for Hardcore) and then some, so I took a well deserved break from painting.  At least until today.

Nova Open Recap: Hardcore

Where I spent my long, long, loooooooong weekend. 

Starting at the beginning of the Open may not be the best idea as my recollection gets hazier the further back I go, but I am no more capable of reporting outside chronological order than I am setting up non-symmetrical terrain.  We all have crosses to bear in life.

To really start at the beginning, I arrived Thursday night.  There weren't any events scheduled and Iron Arena wasn't running yet, so it was pretty quiet.  There were a pair of games running when I poked my head in for the first time.  After taking a lap of the 40k hall and future vendor area I returned to the Warmahordes room and got in a friendly with James, who I hear is a PG in training over at Huzzah. A very relaxed start to the chaos that would follow.

New feature, Nova Open coverage to come

Behold my newest creation! 

I've finally added a local events page to the blog.  This has been on the to do list for quite a while, and at long last I can take it off.  Part of the feet dragging was due to the nigh-identical list over at Anything But a One, but a quick glance will show the depth of dust that has settled there.  I do sweeps of my "local" stores periodically, trawl the forums a bit less frequently, and am on two local mailing lists so I hope to catch all the events and keep the list current.  It's possible, perhaps likely, that I'll miss stuff or slack on updating, so if you my modest cloud of readers see something I've missed be sure to let me know.  I'm restricting the list to single day events currently, so leagues won't show up as they're not the sort of thing I'd travel for.  Greater coherency in the DMV Warmahordes scene is something I'd love to see and keep bugging PGs about, but there's no reason I can't chip in even if my contribution is modest.

In other blog news, I'm putting together a Nova Open recap.  Things are a bit fuzzy so it's taking longer than expected, but considering the lack of Open coverage, or more precisely Warmahordes Open coverage, I'm more inclined than usual to ramble on about an event.  The plan now is to break it up by day.  Hopefully I can get Friday up today and get the whole recap done this week.

Last(?) bit before the Nova Open

Shamelessly plundered from the PP forums.

Once again I slacked on going out to Huzzah.  On the one hand it's unfortunate as I haven't been there in a while and won't have a chance to hit Game Parlor on Thursday before heading to the Nova Open, so this was my last chance to test lists pre-con.  On the other hand I assembled the rest of the pieces for those lists today, so it's not like I just sat on the couch eating truffles and watching Oprah.  What did I get built?  Just this:

• Strider UA
• Totem Hunter
• Naga Nightlurker
• Nephilim Bolt Thrower
• Rhyas

Rhyas was more bonus than anything as I wanted to assemble another caster and she looked easier to deal with than eVayl and her huge, floaty cloak.  I may prime this latest batch if the opportunity presents itself tomorrow, but I'm content with my collection as it stands and don't feel compelled to do anything else to get ready for the Open.

Between now and Thursday I'll need to pack a suitcase, which is boring, and also pack the new bag that just showed up today, which is exciting.  I got some purpose made Legion and Khador foam to fit the problem pieces (warnouns and MoW) and am looking forward to splitting my collection later tonight.  The one issue I foresee is gaming accessories: dice, markers, tape measure, that sort of thing.  Perhaps I'll look into a small shaving kit sort of bag to keep all those bits in so I'm not fishing things out of one bag and plopping them in another.  Fortunately there aren't many, if any, models that work for both Khador and Legion so I won't have to worry about which bag a model is in.

This is probably the last post until I get back as I don't have anything exciting to do between now and then, but you never know.  I keep hearing about this Twitter that all the kids are going on about, and it seems the Open is using it to make announcements and the like.  It's possible, though highly unlikely, that I'll be Twittering during the Open.  If that sounds interesting my handle there is demitra_kmnb.  I have no idea how to link it, or where to link it to, or really much of anything about twits in general.  Just in case I've missed the mark, let me stress again that there will likely be nothing happening there.  With that, I'm vacating this particular part of the intertubes.  For now...

Journeyman Painting Log # 26

Head scratching monkey is also confused.

Before getting on with the meat of the post a little diversion.  I took a look at where I get traffic from today and found something quite surprising.  I got a handful of hits from the UK's "#1 Adult Social Network," which in turn looks to have been bounced from what sure looks like a site that streams shaky cam versions of current movie releases.  Pure happenstance, or is my little corner of the internet getting a bit bigger?  If the latter, is this really the sort of traffic I want?

Journeyman Painting Log # 25

Leader lost a hand, as is tradition. 

Quite the round number this series has gotten up to.  Today was more relaxed than yesterday's frenzy, but I still got some good work in.  I finally got started on the Striders, as you can see, and would guesstimate that I'm about halfway through them.  I'm still slacking on building the UA, which is one of four things I absolutely have to construct by the Nova Open, but there's still time to get it done.  Ideally I'd assemble and paint them before the Open, but a look at the 48ish hour forecast shows that the next likely spraying window is midday on Monday.  Priming should be no problem for the stuff that I hope to build by then, but painting and varnishing before I leave for the Open is a longer shot.  The current plan is to finish the Striders Monday morning before my spray window opens, then varnish my recent haul and prime the stuff I hope to build tomorrow.  If everything goes according to plan and if there's another spray window sometime Wednesday then I'll push to get the Strider UA done as well and call it a job well done.  I've already hit my (realistic) goal for the painting portion of the Journeyman league, namely getting a list painted for Hardcore, and will even take a decent run at my unrealistic goal of painting all my Legion stuff.

In non-painting news (!) I realized I've made a mistake over the last few weeks.  Hardcore has been my overwhelming focus for most of August, and July, and I still haven't fully settled on a list.  I have a general idea and a few iterations, but it's looking like an executive decision will trump play testing.  This is not ideal.  Even worse, I've neglected the rest of the events.  Since Hardcore is 50 while the non-"Championship" rounds are 35, this is a double whammy as I've been focused on one level and so haven't gotten a lot of practice at the other.  The lists themselves haven't been much of a problem, aside from a complete lack of recent testing, but a bigger issue has emerged: reinforcements.  At 35 points I'll need 7 points of reinforcements (I think, another bad sign) and I have few viable options for that level.  Striders are 6, but lack the UA.  No beast comes in at 7 points with the exception of a discounted Seraph, which will likely be in my Absylonia list already.  Raptors run 6 for a min unit, which would be ideal, except I don't have Raptors.  The best solution I've come up with thus far is Annyssa and a Totem Hunter, but best is relative here.  I've played Annyssa exactly once, which is one more game than the Totem Hunter has seen.  At least Annyssa is assembled.  On paper I like the pair as they're both fast, Stealthed, and reasonably resilient, but my lack of experience with them is unsettling.  Then again I'll be less familiar than I'd like with most of my lists, so at least they'll have company.

Journeyman Painting Log # 24

You can never have enough Shredders. 

Today was my most productive day of painting probably ever, but certainly since I made my triumphant return to wargaming.  While finishing the Angelius yesterday I got a start on a trio of Shredders.  That's really a bit generous since my "start" consisted of a single layer of my flesh base, which was already present on the models when I got them from EV.  My plan for today was to finish off the Shredders and get a similar start on the remaining Swordsmen, though I hoped to proceed further with the Swordsmen than the Shredders.  I was confident that I'd finish off the Shredders since they're so small and relatively simple sculpts, but the Swordsmen were less certain.

Journeyman Painting Log # 23

Engage place to put picture mode.

Actual post to follow.

Update: Painting has outstripped blogging.  Bad news is that this is now an actual post.  Good news is that there'll be another up soon(ish).

Journeyman Painting Log # 22

Spell or sword?  Why not both? 

Finished up the Blackfrost Shard yesterday.  Turns out they had as little left to do as I thought.  The most annoying part was the scabbards, which I had neglected during prior session and thus needed to be worked up from scratch.  Of course "annoying" is relative here as the scabbards only needed 4-5 layers, mostly with colors that I was working with anyway.  This is all a roundabout way of saying the BFS finished up both easy and quick.  This is a boon at any time, but especially with the Nova Open getting closer by the hour.

Journeyman Painting Log # 21

Nearing the finish line. 

This is an odd post to write.  The pictures are from yesterday and I'm writing just before I sit down to paint today so the content won't be current (for me) for too long.  Your experience will be unaffected though.  The Blackfrost Shard nears completion, which is good since I still have plenty to paint for the Nova Open and not much time left to get it done.  I finished off the skin and creamy bits, plus sort of finished the orange bits.  All that remains now is detail: hair, rivets, glowing runes, leaves, scabbards, little metal bits, anything else I find.  Really not much...

Tournament Mode: Soft to the Core

A different kind of softcore. 

This will be lackluster when compared with my other tournament recaps.  Hardcore timing does not encourage in-game photography.

Yesterday there was a Softcore event at my FLGS.  Perhaps you've seen murmurings about it on this very blog?  There was a good turn out, 14 in all I think, with a decent spread of factions.  There was uncertainty as to the turn out, in terms of both numbers and geography.  There was only one non-regular contender. of whom I'll speak in a bit, with the rest being part of the cast you'd likely see on any given Thursday at Game Parlor.  While I always like playing against different people, in a way it was nice to face familiar opponents as it removed one variable from the equation while testing a new(ish) list and format.  The previous post is about the list I ran and my rationale behind it, so if you've stumbled across this post and want some context just hop back one.  This post will wait until you get back, it's patient.

'Twas the Night Before Softcore

Not quite 100%. 

Before I start, an unrelated bit of head-scratching.  If you dare, turn off safe search on Google.  Search for "hardcore" images, then repeat for "softcore."  You might be surprised by which search turns up more porn.

Further note before beginning: I try to keep the jargon to a minimum and explain things so that just about anyone, provided a modicum of wargaming knowledge, can figure out what I'm babbling on about.  This time, not so much.  This is as much an exercise for me as it is a post for you, so if you don't know much about Legion, Hardcore, or Warmahordes you'll either want to pick a different post (there are many to choose from, all high quality) or bring yourself up to speed.  Battle College is a handy resource that should do the trick.

Journeyman Painting Log # 20

The best I can say is she's finished. 

Depression and elation in today's post.  I will begin, as you might expect, with the bad.  But first, the good part of the bad: Annyssa is finished.  What's the bad?  Look at the picture and you'll find out.  I was really looking forward to painting this model, which may well be the first cavalry model I've ever taken to completion, but as I progressed through it I became more disgruntled with each brush stroke.  Nothing quite turned out like I wanted it to, with (perhaps) the small exception of the hooves.  The face in particular caused much grief as it went from bad to worse before finally settling on a pretty good impression of Aughra from the Dark Crystal.  I'm no psychic so I can't know what the sculptor was shooting for, but I feel confident saying that they probably drew inspiration from a different source.  To close this paragraph in the only way possible I present an apology to whoever sculpted this model: I'm deeply sorry for what I've done to your work which deserved better, despite the ginormous gap between Annyssa's butt and the saddle.  I'll let the game developers take credit for the game entity having no melee weapon when the model has a big sword strapped across her back.

Journeyman Painting Log # 19

Got some bolts that need throwing?  Call this guy. 

Today I turned away from the scattershot, "economical" approach I employed during my last painting session and went back to what's been working for me lately: finishing off one project without worrying about others.  You can see the results to the right, but if your image loader is broken or you're otherwise unable to see the pretty picture I can instead tell you that it's a Nephilim Bolt Thrower.  While I had no problem applying my scheme to the model, the results were (as usual) a bit surprising.  Looking through the PP gallery, the Nephilim as a whole lack the extensive armored plates that feature on the other beasts.  Considering this it isn't so surprising that the Bolt Thrower came out as white/blue as it did.  The armor covers up some plates on the head which would stick a little more orange/brown in the scheme.  Variety is a theme I keep coming back to and this is no exception.  Armor on beasts is a strictly Nephilim thing that helps set them apart from the spawned-from-blood beasts that I've painted up to now.  I'm taken by a desire to photograph everything I've painted so far together as a group to see, and show, how they all look standing next to each other, but that will have to wait until closer to the end of the Journeyman league.

In other news I (mostly) finished putting together the second set of Ravagore bits.  All the pieces are together, they have magnets, they just need a bit of putty around the elbows to smooth the transition between pieces.  Hopefully I do that puttying tonight while also addressing the exposed wire on the second Angelius, which would allow me to prime them when I seal the Bolt Thrower, which would leave me with a large pile of stuff that's ready to paint.  I'm finally getting into new stuff now, models I've never put on the table before, which will be a nice change from just painting stuff I've been playing with but haven't finished yet.  A lot of the new stuff is very shooty and, with any luck, will work so well that it shakes up my list building process which has settled into some well-worn grooves, if not yet ruts, of late.

Journeyman Painting Log # 18

Still dark despite my best efforts. 

After a longer than anticipated delay I returned to the painting table today.  The current crop of victims has been on the sidebar for a while but hadn't suffered from my attention until now.  My initial plan was to focus on the Blackfrost Shard and apply any paint left in the well on the other models.  While assembling them, I decided to make the BFS a little more colorful than the rest of the army.  This was spurred on in part by the vast swathes of multilayered cloth requiring some sort of color variety to keep them separate visually, but also because they're a character unit and merit a little extra kick.  The plan is as follows: cream cloaks with orange trim, purple interior clothes with possible orange trim, the rest of the model as usual.  Of particular note here is the catastrophe in the center.  I dropped the leader while painting which busted his hand off.  This unfortunate occurrence had extra punch as I was thinking this morning about all the glue + greenstuff I'd used on the latest batch of assemblies, how poorly that worked out with pIrusk (who lost his glue+gs-attached sword hand while coming out of the bag one day), and how bad I felt about not pinning said latest batch in my zeal to get them assembled.  I hoped it wouldn't bite me in the ass, but it did all the same, and now the leader's hand is just jammed in the bluetac while the rest of him gets painted.  I think I'll finish the body, varnish it up, reattach the hand (this time via pinning), paint the hand, then varnish again add snow and all that jazz.

Journeyman Painting Log # 17

Coming to single wound infantry in your backfield soon. 

Today, and this past weekend, were nice and productive.  First, I finished off the lingering Deathstalker.  While you can't tell so much from the picture, the model ended up a bit darker (or at least browner) than anticipated.  This isn't a bad thing as Striders are all stealthy, ambush-through-the-woods types, so being covered in dark leather makes plenty of sense.  It's a bit outside my scheme, but when I get to the Striders that won't be as much of an issue. 

Speaking of Striders, there's a segue to the rest of my productivity.  I have begun, and in some cases finished, assembling the following:

• Annyssa Ryvaal
• The Blackfrost Shard
• Striders
• Succubus
• Swamp Gobbers
• Nephilim Bolt Thrower
• Angelius

Some of these items have appeared previously.  In particular the Striders still need arms, while the Succubus needs...love? work? a miracle?  Hopefully the model grows on me, but I have my doubts.  It looks to be super smexy on the table though, so I'll power through the model itself.  Maybe a paper bag?  In the meantime I'll be hoping for a break in the humidity so I can seal the Deathstalker and prime the swathe of new stuff on deck.  As for painting, maybe some Shredders?

Journeyman Painting Log # 16

Cooking up some beasts.

Today I finished up the Spawning Vessel which, if iBodger can be believed (mine has certainly been acting up of late), puts me at 50% painted for Legion.  This seems a bit high since it feels like I still have a whole faction in boxes and blisters, but on reflection it's probably accurate.  The unit pile is down to Striders and the Blackfrost Shard (who have seemed like a very attractive option recently), plus the straggling Swordsmen parts.  Beasts and casters are both down to a handful.  While I'm just reaching halfway, the finish line already seems closer than expected.  That said, my stated goal (get my Hardcore list painted) is not yet completed (settling on a list would help), much less my other stated goal of painting all the Legions.  Perpetual doom and gloom aside, it's nice to hit a milestone like this every now and then.  What's next?  I should finish off the (potential) Hardcore list, but I may detour into a Bolt Thrower along the way.  And there's still that Deathstalker.

Journeyman Painting Log # 15

Behold my latest endeavor. 

Today I started on the Spawning Vessel, the single largest concentration of unpainted models left in my current (for now) Hardcore list.  Doing the cream bits has become my favorite part of painting Legion and these models provide plenty of opportunity for that.  A little too much opportunity really as they're 95% cloth, which requires a bit of creative interpretation.  The models wear skirts? loin cloths? let's call the petticoats, which are separate from their larger cloaks.  Normally cloth becomes creamy, but I do hate to put the two swatches of the same color together.  I thought about doing them purple like the Swordsmen's loincloths, but instead I went with orange.  Since the goo in the pot will also be orange it should help tie the unit together visually while still staying within my palette.  The models all have the ninja bandanas, plus quite a collection of jewels, so I'll have chances aplenty to fit some purple in.  The pot itself is a bit more of a problem with all the filigree.  Normally I'd do that in gold, but I've decided that my Legion doesn't have any gold, so I'll need an alternative.  I had hoped a simple blue wash would get the job done, and when it didn't I even went back and highlighted the metal (for all the good it did), but it's still a bit bland.  When I finish off the unit I think I'll do the details in orange as befits a big ol' pot of blight.  Once this unit is finished I'll be down to a set of Ravagore bits, some random lessers to spawn (probably a pair of Harriers and another Shredder so I have a bit of choice), maybe the other Angelius, and perhaps a Succubus.  After my maiden voyage into the Hardcore format last night, along with the debut of my list for said format, I've spent plenty of time last night and today considering changes.  I have a direction in mind, but I'm not sure about it just yet.  When I have some time I'll write up a post about it, mostly to organize my thoughts and work through the list for myself, but you all might as well get some entertainment out of it as well.

What's a battle report? Blood Angels vs Space Wolves

Like this, but not really. 

Spurred on by EV's recent battle report, I decided to get back on the horse and do one of my own.  It's only been...four months since my last full blown battle report.  Let's see if I remember how these things work.

I'm skipping the usual army listings in favor of a more abstract, descriptive approach.  I ran the mech/jumper hybrid list that I've settled on recently.  It has a pair of assault squads for troops, a Death Company filled Land Raider, a pair of Predators, a Vindicator, and a Multimelta Attack Bike.  Oh, and Mephiston.  I wanted to field some Scouts, since I haven't put them on the table in a decade, but got sucked into the TV last night instead of writing up an army list.  EV ran my list through Army Builder after our last game and came up 90 points short, so I took another Sanguinary Priest to fill the gap.  When I make up that Scout list I'll double check my math and see who was wrong, me or Army Builder.

Journeyman Painting Log # 14

Another one (or ten) bites the dust. 

Attentive readers will remember how happy I was a month or three ago when I was painting a model from start to finish in a single day.  I upped the ante today by painting not one but ten models, taking them from primer through arc markings.  Granted the Legionnaires you see to the left aren't as pretty as, say, the Manhunter that I did back in April, but quantity has a quality all its own.  I'm too hard on my Legion offerings anyway, they turn out just fine.  I aim for somewhere between tabletop and display quality and I think I hit the mark.  The most important thing is that I get them painted, and with a quickness as the Nova Open is just over a month away.  My current Hardcore list, which I have yet to play, only needs a max Spawning Vessel and a set of Ravagore arms and head to be fully painted, plus maybe some spare Shredders and Harriers for the pot.  Considering my first goal for the Journeyman league was to get my Hardcore list painted I'm pretty happy with where I am.  Of course I haven't assembled any of the remaining models, but that's a problem for another day.

Journeyman Painting Log # 13

Ready to drop more F bombs. 

Did you know last Friday was the 13th?  I had no idea until I heard an offhand comment about it on the radio yesterday.  They used to be mini-events for me, but now I don't even notice.

Steering back to this blog's subject matter, I finished up the last two Forsaken yesterday.  They painted up quickly, as has been the trend of late, and they add in a little variety to an otherwise uniform army.  I won't know for sure until I line them up at once and take a look, but comparing pictures just now tells me that these two came out roughly the same as the first one, excluding the addition of the cream obviously, which pleases me.  My scheme seems to have shifted a bit over time, so being able to turn out multiple copies of a model at different times and have them look similar is very nice.  With these two models done all my Fury management is painted.  Combine that with the majority of my beasts also being painted and I'm in a good place entering the first week of Journeyman games. 

What's on the horizon?  I'm not entirely sure.  The Deathstalker is the obvious choice, though it's already showing the signs of a lingerer.  Legionnaires are the likely next target since they're assembled, primed, and look like they'll paint up quicker than usual.  While I'm eager to get after them, ultimately I'd rather do some Striders or maybe the pair of Bolt Throwers.  The problem with these is that they aren't assembled, let alone primed, and I've been having a hard time mustering any assembly momentum recently.  This sort of funk has always broken in the past, and I'm confident it will again soon enough, but it's a bit frustrating all the same.  In the meantime I'll focus on the Deathstalker and probably get a start on the Legionnaires as well.

Journeyman Painting Log # 12

A little dark, but workable. 

There wasn't a lot of progress made on Sunday, but there was some.  I blocked out the colors on my remaining Forsaken as well as a Deathstalker.  While the picture is a bit dark, if click for the larger version you can make out the colors.  Initially I was just going to paint everything the same for ease of production, but after finishing the first Forsaken and realizing it was all blue and brown I figured I'd throw some white into the mix.  After all, nothing says rampant mutation like a Forsaken.  I also tweaked my plan for the Deathstalker to go with leather wrappings instead of cloth to avoid having areas of cloth overlapping each other.  This means I'll be doing metal armor instead of leather, but that's a fine compromise even if it doesn't really mesh with my idea of Striders as rangy outdoorsmen.  Or outdoorselves as the case may be.  Hopefully the Deathstalker gets some hunting companions soon when I finally get those Striders together.

Journeyman Painting Log # 11

Upside down for no good reason... 

Today I finished up the arms and heads that I started earlier this week.  While the scheme followed the usual guidelines, I had to improvise a bit in how I applied it, literally, to the bits.  When I painted the Marauder arms (which I see I never posted a final shot of) I could hold the shoulder ball and not worry much about rubbing paint off because they'd be hidden away inside the socket.  With these Scythean and Ravagore arms I didn't have the luxury of using a spot that would later be hidden.  While doing the skin there weren't many issues, but once I started all the chitin I had to pick a spot to grip for the rest of the process.  When I finished the rest of the arm, or head as the case may be, I went back and painted (quickly) the spot I'd held onto while wearing a latex glove to avoid rubbing paint off the finished areas as much as possible.  The results are acceptable and while I can see where the transition is I think it'll be harder for someone who doesn't already know which bit was the handle to pick it out. 

With this set of bits done I've gotten a reasonable selection of models painted before games start for the Journeyman league on Monday, which brings along a fully painted requirement.  The "suggested" game size ramps up from week to week, starting out at battlebox level, so I don't have to worry about not having enough fieldable points for quite a while, but aside from that it's nice to have most of my beasts painted.  When I finish off my final two Forsaken I'll be able to put down a fully painted 50 point tier 4 Absylonia list that I've ridden to glory many times in the past, plus other less heralded builds.  After I get those lingering support pieces done I can turn my attention fully to infantry, crazy as that is to say, while still adding in the odd Nephilim, Angelius, or additional set of magnetized arms as a change of pace. 

Journeyman Painting Log # 10

Building strength up the middle. 

Got the torsos finished today according to schedule, complete with arc markings.  Arms and heads are ready for priming, also (mostly) according to schedule.  They'd be primed and possibly base coated by now if the weather had co-operated, but it decided that 90% humidity sounded great for the morning.  Hopefully things are more reasonable tomorrow or it'll be time for gesso.  Since I had more time left to paint after finishing the torsos, I got started on a Deathstalker.  There's no picture because "got started" means I put down the first layer of cream.  While that covers a significant amount of model, it doesn't make for the most exciting viewing.  The painting plan hasn't changed (torsos, arms/heads, Forsaken), but after that I'll have to do some considering.  While I have a few ready-to-paint options available the majority of my options still reside in blisters.  Current front-runners include the Swamp Gobbers crew, Annyssa Ryvaal, flushing out the Swordsmen, finishing off the Spawning Vessel, and getting some Striders ready.  Or I could just knock out some Shredders.  Or Legionnaires.  Or get a Bolt Thrower done.  Many choices ahead.

Journeyman Painting Log # 9

The body issue. 

Took the plunge today, crossed the Rubicon, passed the event horizon, take your pick of cliches (I love them all).  Torso talk is the order of the day here as I got started on my beast chassis.  I hope to get the heads and limbs ready for painting over the weekend, finish the torsos Monday, and have at least one set of attachments for each chassis finished by Thursday.  A lofty goal?  Perhaps, but it's well within my reach.  The torsos need a final highlight on the skin and underplates, pure white in both cases, while the upperplates just have a base coat.  The upperplates also cover claws, little scales on top of toes, and the ridges down the back, so it's a bit more than it sounds, but I'm still confident that I'll be able to finish them off on Monday even with a trip out to Kettler for Hockey Christmas in July (Caps Development Camp).  Last night at the FLGS I fielded a fully painted Legion list for the first time.  The ability to do so without compromising my build is just around the corner.

Journeyman Painting Log # 8

Salute! 

 First things first, Happy Birthday USA.  Let's all celebrate with some eye candy.

I took a pass on Huzzah yesterday to get some painting in.  Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to post about it, but considering the crapfest that was the previous post perhaps that was for the best.  Remember all that planning and analysis I put into which models to paint next from the so-recently slandered last post?  Out the window.  Instead of painting up some beast torsos I went in a direction no one expected, myself included: Swordsmen.  A couple factors entered into this move.  First was how our Journeyman league works.  To boil it down, for the first four weeks I need to paint 5 points worth of models with small bases being 1 point, medium bases 2, large bases 3, and huge bases being something else that I don't know because I don't have any huge bases.  My tally for the week was sitting at 0, which was the same number as the odds of my finishing two beasts this week (considering that those two beasts don't have heads and arms ready for painting.)  Since I've been working on that Spell Martyr for the past few days I wanted to get it done, which would then require another four small based models (as I have no medium based models ready to paint either).  I could have done four Legionnaires, but I didn't want to paint just part of a unit.  I could have done the other two Forsaken, a Deathstalker, some Shredders, or any combination of those, but frankly that didn't occur to me until just now.

Journeyman Painting Log # 7

Looks much better now. 

Short but productive session today.  First on the agenda was fixing Saeryn as outlined in the last post.  The fix was a success that made Saeryn look like part of my growing army instead of some sort of spiky clown.  Normally I'd have more to say when finishing a model, but I kinda blew my load earlier today.  Instead enjoy some nice white space before the next picture.

Journeyman Painting Log # 6

Armor?  What armor? 

For real this time.  Finished up the first Angelius and Saeryn on Friday before the storm hit and threw a wrench into everything.  The Angelius went much quicker than the Seraph did, probably thanks to less total wing space to paint.  Days after finishing I realize I did the Angelius a little different than the other beasts, with no dark brown on the tips of spikes and plates.  I may "correct" that next time or I may just embrace having beasts that are all subtly unique.  Maybe this Angelius is just younger than the others and hasn't put in the time to get the dark tips yet.

Looks right.