River Trolls are coming...

 ... But then, trolls are very slow. It would be inappropriate for them to be finished too quickly. Let's just assume that I'd be producing them at a great rate of knots, but I am hindered by my inability to pass stupidity tests.

In truth, this post has been a long time coming. I did actually get the first of my 3D printed river trolls painted something like 6 weeks ago, but because I hadn't photographed him properly, I figured I would wait before posting here. But now it becomes apparent that my standards were unrealistic. Who knows when I'll actually set things up and take proper photos? So it's best just to use what I already have here...

I started off painting this guy as a prototype, and all I really knew was that he was going to have a blue-green skin colour and that his belly would be a different tone. Not having a clearer picture than this proved a bit of a blocker for me, and I was fiddling with lots of different paints to try to work out if I could blend it into a light skin tone or something else. In the end I went for a purple-light grey sort of thing. Even the basic blue-green of the skin didn't really come out the way I had imagined it would under my plan, but I'm OK with it anyway. I have questionable standards, after all.

He's actually one of the river trolls I converted after printing. I'm pretty sure I chose him at random. You can get a decent feel for the theoretically blue-green skin (which is really mostly green) here. 

The skin gets roughly blended to purple for the belly, which is eventually highlighted up with a light grey colour. I've already forgotten exactly which colours I used. I'll regret that later.

His back is a bit rough, and actually includes a few places where I didn't do a good enough job of cleaning off the printing supports. He was black resin, undercoated black, printed in bulk. By the time it was easy to see these details, he already had paint on him. And in real life, these details really just look like little bumps or warts. They don't bother me enough to go back and fix them.

In the end, once he had his little details done and was based, I was happy enough with him. I decided I could handle following this as a rough template for the rest of the river trolls. I figure I might vary the colour of the tufts of hair a bit. These ones are kind of purple. I could easily have some that are black, some a little brown etc. Just things to add a little more variation to the unit.

I also decided that I needed to do some of the work on the remaining models en masse in order to save pouring too much paint and wash and wasting some. This could have been adding another hurdle for myself, but in the end I managed to give them all a base coat and a wash. They're all now mixed into a big troll pile on my painting table. I took this photo a couple of weeks ago. Nothing has moved since then. Stupidity, don't you know... 

The painted guy is in the mix, along with a few GW trolls I half painted many years ago and am yet to finish. They're on this ride too. I want them to fit in properly with the new arrivals.

In the end I'll get there. But I make no promises about how long that will take...

Dwarf army photo

Right, so after the fight I had with trying to get a decent picture of my Empire, I found the Dwarfs a bit easier. Or maybe I have already just lowered my standards and stopped caring. Whatever. Either way it's a win, right?

So this is what I currently have ready to go for my Dwarf army. It translates to about 7000 points in 8th edition. There are number of incomplete elements that join the gang for games of Kings of War, like Elementals. I need to finish them. Anyway...

First a "sensible" picture that people might be able to look at without scrolling around...

Empire Army Photo

Looking back through some of my old posts, I discovered it had been quite a long time since I took a whole army photo of my Empire army. Actually, it seems that quite a lot of my armies are in need of a new family photo - some of them are missing a lot of units.

I decided it was time to go through and try to take up-to-date photos of each of my armies. Then, like 2 months after I decided this, I actually got around to doing something about it... And discovered that it's really, really difficult taking a photo like this. There are too many models, and even playing with a lot of settings on multiple cameras, I just couldn't get a crisp shot of everything. Of course, this problem will be most pronounced with my biggest armies. I probably shouldn't have started with the Empire. Oh well. Live and learn. If I actually discover something magical that can improve this, I'll come back and try again.

Anyway, here is about the best I could manage with the tools I had on hand. It's about 20,000 points of stuff in 8th edition. I stuck a number of random Empire Ogres around the place too, because they were essentially made to match the army and they are useless in their own right if all their friends are off pulling duty as unit fillers (which was always their primary function).

Spoilt by choice?

I started in this hobby back in about 1992. Well, I might have been idly collecting and longing for models for some time before that, but realistically the timing is about correct for when we first got our hands on the rules for Warhammer. Thus began our downward spiral into the murky depravity that was Games Workshop products, getting into 40K, Epic, Blood Bowl, etc... So many games, so little time.

Warhammer was not the only fantasy battle game on the market back then (the main alternative being Grenadier's Fantasy Warriors), but it had a clear advantage in terms of presentation and marketing thanks to White Dwarf, and the beautiful photos and battle reports contained therein. Naturally we were attracted to the bright and shiny objects (it was GW's Red Period, don't forget - everything was bright and shiny and red). Thus was our loyalty to a particular game setting won.

Something fishy is going on

Well, it's been a while since my last post. Lockdown has done strange things to timetables and to hobby habits. It's hard to be motivated to work on models when you have no idea when the next game will be (other than this: that it will probably not be soon)...

I really haven't managed much painting recently. I have good intentions and have laid the groundwork, but I'm yet to really apply myself. I do feel a bit guilty about it, but there have been other developments that are quite promising.

My friend bought a resin printer a while ago, but had been unable to find the space to set it up and get it running. He was using the box as a coffee table, with the printer still in it. Eventually the absurdity of this became too much, and we arranged to bring it around here and get it working. Since then, I have printed an entire regiment's worth of some cool Greatsword models, a number of horses to pull wagons, and Trolls. Lots of Trolls.

 12 River Trolls, all assembled and waiting for their glue and putty to dry.

Baby steps

Somehow it's been over a month since my last post. I've barely left the house during that time, but somehow my days feel busier than ever. This probably has something to do with the builders who are working on our garage, cutting a door through right next to the painting table, and generally covering everything in dust.

The general chaos has obviously affected my painting progress as well. I've managed to (literally) blow the dust off a few things, but really my achievements over this time have been limited.

I did finally get around to trying to tidy up the paint on the wolfybirbs, who have sat in their mostly-finished state since Cancon. I figured now I should really take their picture before hiding them in a cabinet, where they will hopefully not gather too much more dust.

Life in the slow lane

So the world is shutting down and everyone is hiding in their homes. It's all quite surreal. I'm fortunate in that my job fairly easily accommodates working from home, so that puts me in a much more comfortable position than the countless people who have been stood down from work or are out of a job (my condolences if you're in that sort of situation). 

The internet is full of people suddenly finding themselves with more hobby time as a result of the various lock-downs, but that doesn't really apply to me. We do have a lot of regular stuff cancelled, but that is not necessarily translating into more time to paint. Not yet, anyway. Maybe that will change.

I have continued to work away on my Ostland swordsman regiment, and now I have 22 of them done. Unfortunately there are still 18 more of them staring at me from the other side of the painting table. 

22 painted swordsmen, with just the banner detail still waiting...

So, where to now?

This is just a bit of a general hobby update. I don't post as many of these as I used to, even when I am actually getting some hobby work done. I'll see if I can get more into the habit again.

First, a bit of catching up to do. My mad sprint to try to get ready for Cancon was only modestly successful. As you might have seen in the tournament photos, both the flying wolves and the halflings got to the point where they were usable, but not finished. The halflings in particular didn't really get close, but were hiding in amongst finished ones, which helped to distract from my shame.

I haven't taken any really decent specific shots of either the wolves or the halflings in their incomplete state, but this will give some idea...

Not the best shot, but there is some very black hair in there, and a severe lack of detail if you look at them up close.

The wolfybirbs actually got nearly finished. More finished than in this pic actually, given the bases were finished. This was to show a friend where I got to on the wings, which in the end were about the only incomplete detail. I had to call it given I was out of time, and decided unfinished wings were something I could get away with.

The Gob-Off: Chapter 3 - Part 2

This is the continuation of the report of the 3rd game in our goblin campaign. You can find the first half here.

When we left our heroes, matters were coming to a head in the centre of the field. If you recall, things looked like this...

 3 units locked in combat, including 5 characters, with units all around...

The Gob-Off: Chapter 3 - Part 1

This is the continuation of our all-Goblin 8th edition campaign. You can find the previous segment here, or go back to the start here.

Mush, night goblin shaman extraordinaire and Chosen of Mork (self-proclaimed), stomped along confidently at the head of his army. From behind him came a constant cacophony of snarls and shouts, with the occasional blood-curdling scream followed by the sound of splintering bone. Mush tried not to think about how many squig handlers they had left. It was fewer than they had started with, but they were nearly at their destination. It would be enough.

Movement flitted through the trees beside the path they were following. They were enemy scouts on wolves. There was no point in trying to chase them. They were too quick. And by now the alarm would already have been raised. 

Mush smirked evilly to himself. His foe knew he was coming, but that would not save him.

*****

Skuzzbutt tried to sit calmly atop his spider as his warriors scurried about around him in a frenzy of activity. His legions of spear-armed goblins stood at the ready in relatively tidy ranks, the occasional non-rusty bit of armour shining in the weak sunlight. Chariots rolled into position with remarkably few parts falling off as they went. Atop the towers nearby,

voices could be heard arguing about what they would skewer first with their spear chukkas. Skuzzbutt felt his heart swell with pride at the sight of such martial prowess. 

Nearby, a gaggle of tiny snotlings milled about, crashing into each other haphazardly. They were a motley group, equipped with old rusted saucepans, broken weapons and the odd rock. Skuzzbutt knew that they also figured they were ranking up and preparing for battle, but he also knew that their enthusiasm for outweighed their potential. He tried not to think about it. Hopefully they would trip up the enemy more than his own forces.

Scouts reported that the enemy were bringing a lot more squigs with them this time. Well, Skuzzbutt was ready. Let them come.

Chapter 3: The attack on the Forgotten Fort 

Skuzzbutt and his allies had set up their headquarters in an old, long-abandoned human fort. The walls were mostly rubble, however a few structures had been salvaged in a semi-permanent manner using the questionable wonders of goblin engineering. The mostly intact ancient Sigmarite temple had been defaced and "updated" to reflect the leanings of the new tenants. All in all, the settlement was an indefensible abomination. And now it was under attack.

The Armies
Skuzzbutt's Home Guard

• Skuzzbutt - Goblin Warboss on Gigantic Spider with Gambler's Armour, Sword of Might, Shield
• Idjit - Goblin Big Boss with Battle Standard, Charmed Shield, Sword of Battle, Light Armour
• The Mad Gik - Goblin Shaman (Level 2)
• Razzie - Goblin Big Boss with 2 Hand Weapons, Light Armour
• Groucho's Ladz - 30 Goblins with Spears, Shields, Light Armour, Full Command, 1 Nasty Skulker
• Grumpo's Ladz - 30 Goblins with Spears, Shields, Light Armour, Full Command, 1 Nasty Skulker
• Lumpo's Legion - 30 Goblins with Hand Weapons, Shields, Light Armour, Full Command, 1 Nasty Skulker
• 10 Goblin Wolf Riders with Spears, Shields, Light Armour, Full Command
• 5 Goblin Wolf Riders with Short Bows, Light Armour, Musician
• 5 Goblin Wolf Riders with Short Bows, Light Armour, Musician
• Goblin Wolf Chariot
• Goblin Wolf Chariot
• Snotling Pump Wagon
• Snotling Pump Wagon
• Snotlings (2 Bases)
• Snotlings (2 Bases)
• Spear Chukka
• Spear Chukka

True to Skuzzbutt's plans, I basically stuffed as many spearmen as possible into the army. However, unlike Skuzzbut, I knew that the spears were unlikely to help in the face of lots of squigs. So I added a couple of extra elements that would hopefully give the game some semblance of balance - a pair each of Goblin Chariots and Snotling Pump Wagons. And some Snotling bases to fill out the list a bit. Why not?

Mush's Home Wreckers

• Mush - Night Goblin Great Shaman (Level 3) with Earthing Rod
• Room - Night Goblin Big Boss with Battle Standard, Shrieking Blade, Light Armour
• Max Club - Night Goblin Big Boss with Berserker Sword (Club), Light Armour
• Hoppo - Night Goblin Big Boss on Great Cave Squig with Spear, Light Armour, Shield
• Parry's ladz - Night Goblins with Hand Weapons, Shields, Full Command, Netters, 1 Fanatic
• Stabba's ladz - Night Goblins with Spears, Shields, Full Command, 1 Fanatic
• Jabba's ladz - Night Goblins with Spears, Shields, Full Command, 1 Fanatic
• Robbing Hood's Arrer Boyz - Night Goblins with Short Bows, Boss, Musician, 1 Fanatic
• Squig Herd with 12 Squigs, 6 Handlers
• Squig Herd with 12 Squigs, 6 Handlers
• 8 Squig Hoppers
• 8 Squig Hoppers
• 3 Stone Trolls
• Mangler Squig

Tim was relatively restrained in terms of how many Squigs he stuffed into the list. I mean, there are plenty of them there, but he could have had even more. He also continued to keep a lid on the number of Fanatics he was putting in his units. The whole thing was an exercise in restraint, really.

Deployment
Given this was an attacker/defender scenario, we decided that the Skuzzbutt's forces should completely set up first, but would get the first turn automatically. We also decided in the end to ban vanguard moves, as it would have been too easy for me to drag out fanatics before the enemy could even move.

Skuzzbutt's defenders form up around the ruins of the fort as the Mush and Room's attackers emerge from the trees.

Cancon 2020 Aftermath - Part 6

This is the final part of my report of the recent Clash of Kings Australia tournament that was held as part of Cancon 2020. You can find the previous part of the report here, or go back to the first part here.

Game 6 - Control
Jeff Traish - Forces of the Abyss

• Horde of Abyssal Ghouls
• Regiment of Abyssal Ghouls
• Regiment of Abyssal Ghouls
• Horde of Molochs with Blade of Slashing
• Horde of Molochs with Mace of Crushing
• Abyssal Fiend
• Manifestation of Ba'el
• Abyssal Warlock
• Abyssal Warlock
• Abyssal Warlock
• Horde of Lesser Obsidian Golems (Abyssal Dwarf allies)
• Horde of Lesser Obsidian Golems (Abyssal Dwarf allies)
• Hexcaster with Weakness (Abyssal Dwarf allies)

Well, I had done it again. After my "correction" game dropped me back into the middle tables, I had won two more games and now I found myself on what was probably one of the top 3. I think I was in 5th place coming into the final round. Not really where I had intended to be. And now I was to play Jeff, a man who had actually played more than 2 games of 3rd edition before the tournament, and who clearly knew what he was doing. I resolved that I would try not to throw this game away. Try to focus and play tighter. Well, it was not a bad resolution...

One of the Lesser Obsidian Golem units went hard on the flank, with the Fiend lurking right behind them. I wasn't sure where to put the Halflings, so planted them in the corner where they could sit all game and hopefully contest or control that table segment. This was dumb, of course. I should have put them nearer the join of 2 segments, where they could shift about as needed. This occurred to me just after I declared they were sorted.

Cancon 2020 Aftermath - Part 5

This is a continuation of my report of the recent Clash of Kings Australia tournament at Cancon 2020. You can find the previous part here, or go right back to the start with the first part here.

Game 5 - Push
Angriartists - Goblins

• Troll Horde
• Troll Horde
• Troll Horde
• Troop of Mincer Mob
• Troop of Mincer Mob
• Troop of Mincer Mob
• Troop of Mincer Mob
• Troop of Mincer Mob
• Troop of Mincer Mob
• King on Chariot with Piercing Arrow
• King with Jareth's Pendant (gives him a Headstrong aura)
• Mincer
• Mincer
• War Trombone

OK, so... This list confused me a lot. I admit I had never really read up on what a Goblin Mincer did, and now I was paying the price. I stole my opponent's army list so that I could make sure I understood what I was up against during deployment. Aris explained the general concept of the list as the Mincers being the anvil, and the Trolls the hammer. That made sense. The Mincers are not quick, but they're Defence 6+ from the front. Of course, if they got a clean charge on you, you might know about that too...

What the hell am I looking at? I immediately had guilt about the pile of unpainted pump wagons at home.

Cancon 2020 Aftermath - Part 4

This is a continuation of my report of the recent Clash of Kings Australia tournament that was held as part of Cancon. You can find the previous part of the report here.

So we were onto Day 2 of the tournament, and after the savaging I had taken in Game 3, I was hoping I would be back into a realm of relative safety on the tables. But then I arrived at my table, and this is what I found...

What the hell? We didn't sign up for this!

Turns out the tanks belonged to the 40K player at the other table. Probably for the best, really...

Game 4 - Plunder
Daniel Harwood - Ogres

• Horde of Ogre Warriors with Mead of Madness, Crocodog
• Horde of Ogre Warriors with Brew of Haste, Crocodog
• Horde of Ogre Warriors with Crocodog
• Horde of Ogre Warriors with Crocodog
• Horde of Ogre Warriors with Crocodog
• Red Goblin Blaster
• Red Goblin Blaster
• Berserker Bully
• Berserker Bully
• Grokagamok
• Ogre Warlock with Drain Life
• Ogre Warlord on Chariot with Blade of Slashing

OK, that looks more like a Kings of War list. I admit I was concerned when I saw 2 Blasters in the list. I really had no ranged attacks or expendable elements with which to remove them. Then I discovered they don't blow up like they used to, and have to charge to hurt me. Well, that changes things...

So many Ogre Warriors. I mean, I get it. They're a solid unit. But I was glad none of them were Siegebreakers instead. One of those units had Mead of Madness and the Berserker Bully (character closest to the rock) came with Wild Charge. Otherwise that was a wall of Speed 6, so I had the upper hand in terms of dictating terms.

Cancon 2020 Aftermath - Part 3

This is a continuation of my report of the recent Clash of Kings Australia tournament that was held as part of Cancon. You can find the previous part of the report here.

Game 3 - Invade

Adam Storey - Undead

• Horde of Revenants with Fire-Oil, Undead Giant Rats
• Horde of Revenants with Brew of Strength, Undead Giant Rats
• Horde of Wights with Mead of Madness
• Horde of Wights with Brew of Sharpness
• Horde of Zombie Trolls
• Troop of Wraiths
• Troop of Wraiths
• Cursed Pharaoh with Wings of Honeymaze
• Mhorgoth the Mandatory
• Necromancer with Inspiring Talisman, Drain Life, Surge

I was a bit worried that I was heading for the wrong end of the tournament after 2 wins. I knew I was due for a correction. Well... 

These things (the Zombie Trolls) were just gross. A lot of Adam's models are 3D printed, and he'd managed to complete these ones with bloody streaks as they dragged themselves across the ground... Eww. Anyway, they were hard on my left flank. Next to them were the Revenants, and behind them sat one of the Wight units.

Cancon 2020 Aftermath - Part 2

This is a continuation of my report of the recent Clash of Kings Australia tournament that was held as part of Cancon. You can find the previous part of the report here.

Game 2 - Raze
Brent Rabid - Dwarfs

• Horde of Ironclad with Throwing Mastiff, Hammer of Measured Force
• Regiment of Shieldbreakers with Throwing Mastiff
• Regiment of Shieldbreakers with Throwing Mastiff
• Horde of Earth Elementals
• Horde of Earth Elementals
• Regiment of Berserker Brock Riders with Brew of Sharpness
• Regiment of Mastiff Hunting Pack
• Dwarf Lord on Large Beast
• Berserker Lord on Brock with Blade of the Beast Slayer
• Steel Juggernaut
• Steel Juggernaut
• Stone Priest with Bane Chant

Brent's army was not what you normally expect to see in Dwarf force. No artillery. There was only a small amount of mobile shooting. And no Herneas. I'm so glad he's been retired off to a separate list...

Anyway, I liked Brent's list, but based on my own limited experience I was worried he would suffer for a lack of control over the engagements without much shooting or foot speed. I guess we would see...

That is a pretty compact deployment.

Cancon 2020 Aftermath - Part 1

So after all the fuss about raging bushfires, damaging hail and the various other signs of the apocalypse that have been this Australian summer, the trip to Cancon ended up going pretty smoothly. The weather was relatively mild (especially compared to last year, which basically had me trying to play game 3 curled up the fetal position), there was little to no smoke whilst we were up there, and the long drive was uneventful. Of course Canberra was on fire the day before we arrived, and again immediately after we left. It was good of the fires to pause so we could all attend a convention and play with toy soldiers...

I survived the tournament, and somehow took over 300 photos on my phone. I'm sure I'll be able to weed my way through them to keep these posts manageable, but it seems like one game per post will be the way to go.

I posted previously about my list, but here it is again for convenience:

League of Rhordia (2000 points)

• Horde of Honour Guard with Indomitable Will
• Horde of Honour Guard with Indomitable Will
• Regiment of Knights
• Regiment of Knights
• Regiment of Knights
• Regiment of Halfling Archers
• Duke on Ancient Winged Aralez
• Duke on Ancient Winged Aralez
• Baron on Aralez
• Mammoth

(I warn you now that the Dukes on Ancient Winged Aralez are likely to be referred to as "birbs" for much of the report, as that is how we were talking about them all weekend. I can't get it out of my head. I'm sorry...)

I didn't quite get everything finished before the tournament, but my efforts the night before the event ensured the halflings were at least not obviously incomplete. That was about the best that could be hoped for. Anyway, on with the report!

Game 1 - Smoke and Mirrors

Tim Stewart - Kingdoms of Men

• Horde of Polearms with Indomitable Will
• Horde of Polearms with Indomitable Will
• Horde of Polearms with Indomitable Will
• Regiment of Polearms
• Troop of Knights
• Mammoth
• Mammoth
• Giant
• General on Winged Beast
• General on Winged Beast
• Army Standard Bearer with Lute of Insatiable Darkness
• Hero on Pegasus with Indomitable Will

For once I know exactly what was in my opponent's list, because I printed it myself. And they're my models. Tim was in fact the only practice game I played with my army before the event, so it was a little funny to find ourselves matched up again in the first round.

Ah, this won't be confusing at all... Look how samey it all looks! You can see the hidden objective markers scattered all over the place. It's an interesting scenario. Each player only knows the value of the tokens that they placed on the other half of the field (they vary from 2 down to dummies with 0), and each player reveals one at the end of each turn.

Time is running out

In the proud tradition of tournament preparation, I am running out of time in the lead-up to Cancon. The tournament starts on the 25th, and we'll be driving up the day before. That's 10 days from now, which would be a reasonable amount of time. Unfortunately, I'll be away on a separate trip immediately before that. So realistically my last chance to get any tournament preparation will be this coming Friday - 3 days away.

Friday is also the deadline for lists to be submitted, so I guess I will have a final chance to assess what I have left to do and adjust my plans accordingly. In the meantime, this is what I'm planning on taking...

League of Rhordia (2000 points)

• Horde of Honour Guard with Indomitable Will
• Horde of Honour Guard with Indomitable Will
• Regiment of Knights
• Regiment of Knights
• Regiment of Knights
• Regiment of Halfling Archers
• Duke on Ancient Winged Aralez
• Duke on Ancient Winged Aralez
• Baron on Aralez
• Mammoth

So that's it, I have a list. The downside is that I currently only have 8 painted Halflings. That's 12 short. I've started work on another 10, but they have a long way to go. At least they're short...

The other problem is that I don't currently have proper models for Ancient Winged Aralez. I could cheat and use griffons, but I'd have to rebase a pair of them onto correct bases, and it would be cheating. I need some proper winged doggies. So that's my main focus right now.

I had 2 partly assembled Thunderwolves that I bought second-hand years ago at Cancon. So I set about turning those into the models I needed.

The wings for this one were printed for me. I think they're from some sort of flying lion from the Titan-Forge Patreon.

New year update (everything is on fire)

So we're into a new year, and the blog is not yet dead! I know better than to make bold new year resolutions, but things are still ticking along.

The Goblin campaign has resulted in me getting a moderate amount of painting done, which is an improvement on how things were going beforehand. I posted previously about the first batch of squigs I got done. I then had to try to rush through another group and some handlers before the report in which I needed them. The squigs are basically done apart from static grass, but the handlers range from being about 80% done (the ones I needed for the game) through to 50% or less. Who know when I will actually get around to finishing these guys, or the remaining pile of partly painted squigs and mountain of undercoated squig hoppers...

Squigs, handlers and random assorted things in various states of completion. The pile of night goblins  behind the squigs was actually started for the campaign battle before I realised I was being too ambitious and cut them from the queue.

The Gob-off Interlude 2 - Mork save us!

The holiday period and Cancon preparations have kind of put our Gob-off on hold, but here is a bit of an explanation of what happened to Mush and Room after our last game...

Mush drifted. He didn't know for how long. He felt nothing. He could see nothing. And yet, somehow, everything felt kind of... green.