A more substantial Dwarf Ironbreaker regiment

Given that I got my painting target for April done several days early and having built up some momentum, I figured I should try to get some extra models done before the new month (and with it, a new target) began. I considered a number of things, but ended up settling for something I decided would be a "quick win" - Ironbreakers.

The reason I figured they would be quick was that my Ironbreakers are all ancient Marauder-era models. And they wear a lot of armour. Like, a lot of armour. They're pretty much entirely chain and platemail, and the odd bit of beard and face. It was like painting knights again, only this time without the annoying horses to slow me down...

I had 16 models left in my unpainted pile, and decided to do the lot of them in a single batch. Normally this would have been a mistake, but given how simple they are, this time it worked. A few days later, here they are!

16 Dwarf Ironbreakers, painted in the same style as my existing unit of 22. Because ultimately, unless I paint another command group, these guys are just bulking that regiment out to a decent number.

Duelling Gamers - Month 1 target complete!

Well we have nearly a week left to go in the first month of the Tale of Duelling Gamers, but my target for the month is complete! This is very pleasing given how long it took me to get working on my quota, but it's a tribute to how small I deliberately made my target. Turns out I was slightly conservative in what I thought I could get done, but I still had to apply myself.

The final few models for this month are as follows:

This is the old Dwarf Queen Helga model, which appeared as part of the Grudge of Drong campaign supplement. Her face looks a lot cleaner when the camera has not zoomed in so unforgivingly upon her. You'll just have to take my word for it. Stupid clear photos...

A less blurry Empire

The last time I took a whole army photo of my Empire, I was still trying to figure out how the new camera worked. Whilst I do not claim to have come close to mastering it yet, I do seem to be improving. Whilst I was doing something of an inventory (I'll talk more about that in a later post) I thought I would take the opportunity to have another attempt at some decent army shots.

Given how much these images really need to be blown up to be seen properly, I am putting them up at "original size". Apologies for what this will doubtless do to your beautiful browser window...

My entire Empire army as it currently stands.

Duelling Gamers Progress II

In recent days I've managed to find a bit more time for painting, and my progress is starting to improve. I'm still working on the Slayers, but I've got more of them to show this time. Lots of pictures, not a lot else...

8 more painted Troll Slayers, including a standard and musician.

Duelling Gamers Progress

It seems to be a pretty universal theme for this Tale of Duelling Gamers that progress for the first month has been slow. Nobody shot out of the blocks, and most of us have not offered a lot of updates. Here is a bit of a list of how people are going:

Owen (Terrain for Hippos) has just about completed 8 converted marauders
Nick (Den of the Eternal Youth) has posted some WIP marauder horsemen
Rupert (Not about to grow up) has displayed some (still mostly white) Dwarfs
Nick (Carrot and Stick) has a regiment of undercoated Eternal Guard
Chris (Moruya Marauders) has announced his intention to paint Grave Guard
Pete (The Breathless Host) has decided how to paint his Dryads
Justin (Holiday Hobbyist) has been assembling Orks

All in all, for so many hobbyists, it's really not a lot of progress.

Well, I do at least have a few painted models to show. I made my usual mistake of starting to paint most of my monthly quota at once, before realising what I was doing and pausing most of them in order to complete a few of them. So behold, I have a few painted slayers!

4 completed multi-coloured Slayers. The orange one is a normal Troll Slayer (they will all be orange). The rest of them will probably see some use as characters.

A couple of milestones

I figured I should acknowledge that the Hoodling's Hole has achieved a number of milestones over the last few weeks. The following things have all happened very recently:

• 300 posts
• 100 followers
• 400,000 hits

None of these milestones is necessarily significant in its own right, however together I think they're an indication that the blog is alive and well. Thanks to everyone who keeps coming by, and I'll endeavour to ensure there are more things for you to look at each time you visit in the future!

Learning new angles

I haven't been making much hobby progress recently, but I do have something slightly different to report. Over the last couple of weeks I have taken possession of a tripod and remote for our DSLR camera. The hope is that with these additional tools, I will be better equipped to improve some of my photos. 

Specifically I am hoping to get better at taking wider angle shots - shots across the battlefield that take in more than a couple of units, and put more of them into focus. As far as I can tell, this means playing with something called "aperture". I don't truly understand how it works, but in practical terms it seems to mean spreading the camera's focus over objects at a range of depths. It also means leaving the shutter open for a really long time. When I crank the setting up to 32, the noise between the shutter opening and closing is something ridiculous like 20-30 seconds. As such, the tripod is obviously essential - nobody can hold a camera dead still for that long.

Anyway, I had a bit of a play with my new toys and thought I'd share my progress thus far.

This shot was taken at aperture 32. The 3 rows of models here are about a foot apart from each other. So although it's not the best shot, I've got things 24" apart more or less in focus. Given how enthusiastically the DSLR normally focuses on a small point to the exclusion of all else, this is a dramatic change.

Army photos have proven challenging with the new camera. Fiddling with aperture (32 again here) seems to help. Oh yeah, this is what all my painted Dwarfs look like at this point. Yay!

The Battle of the Bacon, Part 6 (Finale)

This is the 6th (and final) part of a battle report spanning multiple posts. You can read the previous turn here, or you can go to the main report page here.

Dwarf Turn 6

Dwarf Turn 6

With more a wheezing cough than a shout, Lord Dungrim signalled to the shieldbearers fighting by his side and together they dragged themselves into the flank of the Savage Orc Shaman, intent on putting an end to the villain before their own strength gave out entirely.

Dungrim charges in for the final combat

The Battle of the Bacon, Part 5

This is part 5 of a battle report spanning multiple posts. You can read the previous turn here, or you can go to the main report page here.

Dwarf Turn 5

Dwarf Turn 5

With most of his remaining warriors locked in bitter combat, Dungrim's axe arm was itching from a lack of use. He practically danced atop his shield in agitation, which did little to improve the mood of his bearers. Then he spotted his opportunity as the Savage Orc boar riders turned their formation to face the Iron Guard. With barely concealed desperation, he hissed to his shieldbearers, “There! Now is our chance, and they are so close even you two can make it!” For once the Lord and his shieldbearers were in agreement, and they staggered toward the combat with a jubilant roar (and a couple of half-hearted wheezes coming from somewhere underneath).

Even as the Trolls appeared in their flank, Peg Leg's Quarrellers spotted an opportunity elsewhere.

The Battle of the Bacon, Part 4

This is part 4 of a battle report spanning multiple posts. You can read the previous turn here, or you can go to the main report page here. 

Dwarf Turn 4

Dwarf Turn 4

The Dwarf line was still in turmoil, however a strong showing from the forces to his right gave Dungrim some hope. They needed to press any advantages that were to be found. Looking through the forest he could see the fleeing forms of the remaining Kleenskins, and called for his staggering shieldbearers to harden up and charge once more. “Come on you pathetic beardlings, they're getting away! There is Orc blood to be spilt!” he growled. His bearers tried to respond, however their hearts (and legs) were not in it. Nevertheless Dungrim's curses apparently carried to the fleeing Orcs, as they glanced over their shoulders and quickened their pace. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Dungrim tried a different tack. “What about those other savages over there,” he asked, forcing calm into his voice and pointing toward the struggle between da Red Faces and Arri's lads. “It looks like they could use our aid.” His bearers shifted direction ponderously and set off toward the new target, but all involved knew they were never going to make it and soon gave it up as a lost cause.

Snorri saw the fleeing Kleenskins and sounded a charge of his own, however this only further hastened their departure and they were soon clambering over the Rock Lobber in their haste to leave the field. The Goblins looked around in a panic, wondering what was going on and doing their best to hide behind their machine in the face of the stampeding Orcs.

The Iron Guard find themselves spoilt for choice

The Battle of the Bacon, Part 3

This is part 3 of a battle report spanning multiple posts. You can find the previous turn here, or go to the main report page here.

Dwarf Turn 3

Dwarf Turn 3

Lord Dungrim was worried. The left flank was folding, and the centre was in danger. His finest warriors, his personal guard – they were gone entirely. A monstrous killing machine lurked behind what remained of his lines... Things were not going well.

All was not lost, however. The more dire the situation, the greater the opportunity for heroism. It was time for Dungrim to teach the filthy greenskins the meaning of fear. Striking a heroic pose, he gave a wordless roar and raised his axe toward the Savage Orcs struggling to bring down Snorri's Gyrocopter. His shieldbearers charged forward in response, rushing toward the enemy. Then going slightly slower toward the enemy, breathing heavily. Then going at little more than a lame shuffle, gasping and wheezing. Dungrim growled in frustration and cursed the weaklings underneath him. Greatness awaited him, and his bearers were too weak to see it!

Chaaarge!!

The Battle of the Bacon, Part 2

This is part 2 of a battle report spanning multiple posts. You can find part 1 here, or go to the main page here.

Dwarf Turn 2

Dwarf Turn 2

The destruction wrought upon Dungrim's Guard had unnerved him to the point where he nearly toppled off his shield. With a cry he halted the unit's advance and instead ordered them to back up in the face of the rapidly advancing Mangler Squig (which already appeared to be chewing on something as it glared balefully at them). The Iron Guard kept pace with them as they stepped back and Dungrim called somewhat desperately for the Grudge Thrower to target the beast. The crew responded swiftly to his orders, however their aim was off once more, and the shot landed closer to the Hammerers than it did the enormous Squig.

The Dwarf centre backs off after its optimistic advance in the first turn

The Battle of the Bacon, Part 1

This is the first part of a battle report covering multiple posts. You can find the navigation page here.

Prologue

The Dwarfs maintained a relentless pace as they emerged from the foothills of the Black Mountains into the green farmland of the southern reaches of the Empire. The path they followed was ancient and well-worn, but the recent passage of the Orcs they pursued had left fresh scars upon the crumbling paving stones.

At the head of the column, Lord Dungrim swayed atop his enormous shield as its loyal bearers stepped carefully around discarded scraps of whatever the greenskins had been eating, as well as other signs that their digestive systems were in full swing. The Dwarfs had been marching for hours, and whilst this would normally be of no account for such hardy folk, the shieldbearers were starting to puff a little. It was a point of honour for Dungrim that he never dismounted from the shield whilst outside the comfort of his home Hold, Karak Hirn. Bearing one's Lord into battle was normally a much sought-after position amongst a Dwarf throng, but competition for such an honour when Dungrim marched forth had been decidedly thin of late. He could have sworn he heard his current bearers muttering to each other that they hoped this pursuit would soon be over, but it was hard to tell in between their wheezing and gasping. Dungrim had hand-picked these two from those who had been slowest to step back when volunteers were called for, and he had hoped they would display more enthusiasm when bestowed with such a noble duty. He made a mental note to choose the long way home once this dirty business had been dealt with and the Orcs run to ground.

Busy busy busy

April is shaping up as a busy month for me from a hobby perspective. The Tale of Duelling Gamers officially kicks off today, however it may well be a few days before I can sink my teeth into it. Then there is the battle report I have started working on. Or maybe that will have to come first...

I have been meaning to do another proper battle report (of less than ridiculous size) for a while now, and on Friday Nick (or Elmo, Cookie Monster, or one of any number of the other muppet-based nicknames he seems to go by nowadays) and I finally got around to organising and playing one. We decided to use Orcs and Goblins against Dwarfs, both of which are actually my armies. Nick doesn't really have an operational painted army at the moment. Go over to his blog and hassle him about it.