Painting up Sacrificial Lambs

I've just finished painting up five Wood Elf archers. They are from an era long before Glade Guard, they are Marauder archers with plenty of character (I think so anyway). they were one of my long term half painted figures that always had enough paint on them to play with but not enough for them to look nice. So anyway, I have painted them up and now feel a wee bit sad as all the internet experts all say a unit of five scouts are there to be an annoyance to your enemy shortly before they are exterminated! This rankles a bit with me, not because I cherish every single model I paint, and definately not because I play in a protective style (indeed my Skaven army is used as a Kitcheneresque WWI attritional type of warfare). No the problem for me here is the ethos of the army, I simply can't see such a small population of elves glibly sacrificing themselves for the temporary gain of holding up a unit of bloodthirsty beastmen for a turn when they are so few. So what I intend to do with these guys is to use them in an aggressive forward manner but not with the intention of losing them in my opponents first magic phase. Of course how I achieve this is not yet worked out...

Suicide Squad?

Paintwise they came out ok, I sculpted a spite on the central archer who i will be using as a Lord's Bowman more often than not, I suppose in a vain attempt to provide an extra reason to keep them alive I may well throw a mage in the unit for mutual protection.

I also managed to get rid of some figures and CDs on ebay that amounted to €1.45 more than the price of Storm Of Magic, which basically means that my ebay wealth stayed in the Paypal account for approximately 45 minutes. Ah well, easy come, easy go!

Defeated by Saint Patrick!

Well due to a clerical error, Saint Patrick's day and the ensuing alcahol prevented me from playing a game of warhammer last weekend. All I did do was nearly finish my 5 Wood Elf Scouts, I say nearly but as I half made a woodland spite on the base of my would be champion he has probably got another week of work on him.My other significant hobby related acts were to sculpt a pair of balls on Red Maw the Chaos Hound and submerge my Sludge Jellies in Wooden Floor Varnish. Oh yeah, I downloaded Battle Chronicler to make super snazzy battle reports. By the way floor varnish is not a good idea, it eats milliput a bit!
No more Guiness for me until I make a dent in my painting list.

Preview of Wood Elves Vs Lizardmen at the weekend.

This Saturday me and Boy! are going to have another game of Warhammer. My wood Elves vs Lizardmen. I'm using (obviously) the old Wood Elf army book as there hasn't been a new one since 2005! The Lizardman army book is from 2003 so I'm not sure how under/over pointed it may be so to err on the safe side, Boy! is fielding 2750 points Vs my 2500. As this is his first attempt at writing an army list too I thought it might be fun to have uneven forces.
 After looking at the Lizardman book I'm not so sure it will be any fun as Scar Veterans are nasty, as are quite a lot of the army. As far as I can tell he will be using two blocks of 30 Saurus each, 20 Temple Guard and the rest made up of shooty Skinks and Salamanders.
 For me I will run will a fairly Glade Guardish force with 2 units of both Wardancers and Dryads. A Treeman, some Glade Riders and a hero on a Great Eagle. I'm trying to fit a second mage in the army as I know there is a Skink Priest in the list who will be used to cast spells through. I'm thinking of taking a Spellsinger with Calingor's Stave and hope to use the woods as a battering ram!
So I've got to go up into my Man Cave/attic and make sure all the Lizardmen are ready for some arras up their jacksies!

Super Viper Assasination Squad and Clan Pusfoot Sanitation Dept.

Well I've done a bit more painting and would like to share my efforts. As I wasn't very impressed with last years painting total, I thought that to knock out a few figures from my nearly finished but can't quite work up enough enthusiasm pile, would be the way to go. So firstly my Super Viper Assasination Squad:

Super Viper Assasination Squad

Head Murderer Solam Stabb

This is an old Citadel assasin from the late 80's, a real Old School miniature. I painted him black, high lighted grey (not gray) black ink washed him and repeated the process. As with a lot of my photogaphy, it looks better in the flesh. He was on my prepped but not ready for painting pile/table/area for at least 10 years if not more. Now he's finished I can use him as an Eversor™ or even a non Imperium affiliated freelance buttonman.

The rest of the squad

The four remaining members are Black Tree Design sci fi figures that are no longer available, so that makes them priceless! The paint job was the same principle and are just intended to be a bit of added muscle for Stabb, although I think they will double up nicely as law enforcerment officers on various Imperial planets. I have another 4 or 5 of them including a heavy stubber type weapon so the whole unit could be fielded in some interesting hit type scenarios.

Necromundan Icrotic Slime

Icrotic Slime

Two simple to make Death World Gribblies next: Icrotic Slime for Necromunda and beyond! They encyst on your head filling you with euphoria making you a semi superhero until the timely help of a buddy chisels it off or your brain becomes a larder for millions of the little buggers. Making them was a joyfully easy affair. Two blobs of green stuff on a base painted green. Simples!

 Clan Pusfoot Sanitation Dept.

Clan Pusfoot is the name of my skaven warlord clan that I use when I'm using the big wormy tailed feckers. I always imagined them to be in a fairly large lair somewhere in the badlands but with good infrastructure so a quick commute to the Empire wasn't out of the question. Access to the Chaos Wastes was also a vital as was a big Clan Skyre teleportation device that got them to the South Lands pretty damn smartly as well. Access to Athel Loren a bonus. Empire, Chaos, Lizardmen and Wood Elves were (and probably still will be) their main antagonists so equidistant  from each of those realms is where they have dug their warren.

Skik Mishik Maize Stirrer

This is a Skavenslave spearrat that has received some modification. Instead of being armed with something useful, the Slave Overseer decided to give him a large bronze maize stirrer to defend himself with in battle, just one more indication that he isn't required to survive the battle.

Gurk Jizzik Tunnel Maker

Another converted Skavenslave, this time with a pick for digging tunnels and splitting unarmoured skulls. unfortunately I made the top of the pick too big but I am very pleased the way the pet rat came out.

Snikket the Hedge Cutter

This slave has been given a slashhook for trimming hedges and beating the Bejasus out of other lightly armed troops.

Gypsy the Rat

The rather large base on this model was made simply because I had a lump of DAS modelling clay and no other idea about what to do with it. The pinkish blob of something on the base is meant to be a rag but I suppose it could be flesh either. Your choice.

Whats in the Figure Case?

A new (and possibly very shortlived) feature I'm starting is; Whats in the figure case?
I'll take a pic of my figure cases with stuff I intend to paint and hopefully this will help motivize me into painting the bloody stuff!

Figure Case #1

In figure case #1 we have:
Telekinetic Wyrd
5 Attilan Roughriders
2 Orlock Juves
4 Mutants
Chaos beastmaster (converted)
Nurgle Sorceror
Eldar swooping Hawk Exarch
Astropath
Genestealer Hybrid
Beastmaster Wyrd
2 Ice Warriors of Valhalla
Catachan Luitenant

Figure Case #2

In figure case #2 we have;
The Skaven Screaming Bell
Ratling Machine Gun
3 Jezzails
Deathmaster Snikch
Skaven Assasin
5 Wood Elf Archers
Necromancer
Gotrek & Felix
Mutant
Glam the Laughing Elf
Wood Elf Hero
4 Dwarf Ne'er Do Wells
Norse Warrior Woman 

The varied collection of figures just emphasise my goldfish type attention span shows how none of my armies ever get finished. As you can see there are quite a lot of figures in there and if I can get all of these finished this year I will be delighted with myself! What is unfortunately more likely is I'll prep a load more miniatures and start them instead!

Suckling once more on the dark tit of Games Workshop!

Well its finally happened to me again! I just ordered the latest warhammer rulebook (8th Ed). I've been painting a lot and reading a lot of Bat Reps, tactics and army lists, and just generally tormenting myself with a rules I don't understand so I just buckled and went to GW online and spent €60,€45 of it from paypal. I am pointing the blame at the Catholic Church and their Lentan denialfest that has me off Alcahol and Chocolate for the next 34ish days! Were I fully beered and chocolated up my resistance to a €60 book that I have 3 previous editions of, would have maintained at a healthy 'No, sorry love, I'm married' level. I'm sure I'll get the book by Mon-Tues next week and then I'll know what the whole fuss is about!

The Seven Realms of Ni' Ghiollarnath

Some of the greatest games you can play are campaigns, a campaign is simply a linked series of battles where you play the leader and make the decisions for it. A bit like a film or a soap opera in which you are starring. Sometime around 1995 I started to run a fantasy campaign. There were seven players and a controller (me). It started as a Mighty Empires game, but soon I devised so many new rules and changed existing ones that it soon became my own baby. The game lasted for about eight (game) years over many months. As is commonly the case with such things people couldn't maintain their enthusiasm and the game sort of petered out. I enjoyed running it so much that I vowed that it would rise again! As I spent so much time creating the game I thought I would put it "out there" to see what kind of reaction I would get. The seven players controlled the following factions: humans, barbarians, orcs, dwarfs, wood elves, dark elves and demon worshippers. These races battled for supremacy in the world I created and shaped the world. I think this project will take a considerable length of time to transfer from scribblings on scrap paper to a coherrent game so your patience is requested. So here we are, the Seven Realms of Ni' Ghiollarnath, a campaign setting. 

Daxia

Daxia is the largest and most prosperous realm. The population is predominantly human. Vast plains and a long coast make food plentiful. Daxia is actually made up of nine provinces that make up this realm, they are Blarse, Daxia, Krieglund, Labomartii, Longshore, Reachveldt, Trabaagh, Theldeg, and Yengar. Each realm is semi autonimous and provides troops and weapons for the defense of the realm. Also on the borders of Daxia are several independant city states that are so well defended or innaccessible that it is not worth the huge cost to subdue. Daxia maintains on friendly terms with the dwarfs to the east. An uneasy truce is kept between Grikai (northeast) and Shendul Pacre (north). Border skirmishes and raids are a constant threat from the Cren Lar to the east.

Shendul Pacre

Shendul Pacre is the second largest realm and arguably the most agressive. Large tracts of forest are the home of the elves that live there, while fertile plains make great breeding grounds for the mighty herds of elven steeds. Many of the deep forests contain vast wealth in the form of Geasawood, a tree that is startlingly easy to enchant, making it much sought after by all the races of Ni Ghiollarnath. To the west lies the Vale of the Lost Ones, a rather unpleasant neighbour. To the southwest is Cren Lar and sporadic fighting is the norm across it's borders. Because of the exhausting war against the barbarian invaders to the north and west the once enormous armies of Shendul Pacre are greatly diminished. Only to the south is there relative peace.

Cren Lar: The Bleak Coast

The furthest west of all the realms, Cren Lar is an elven land that is the main naval rival to Daxia. Many years ago there was only one elf realm but two elven princes Kephoire and Thesalmin could not co-exist peacefully in Shendul Pacre, so Thesalmin ventured east with his followers and founded Cren Lar. Thesalmin was resentful of his older brother and this resentment turned to hate. On many occasions the two nations have been at war and now so much blood has been spilt that reconciliation is now impossible. An alliance with the people of the Vale of the Lost Ones allows the elves of Cren Lar to devote their time to the destruction of both Daxia and Shendul Pacre to the east. Unfortunately for the elves of Cren Lar, their long coast is quite often raided by pirates, fishmen and barbarian freebooters from the north. On the borders of Cren Lar and Daxia is the city state of Therncote, a place of legend. In the times of nation founding Therncote was invaded by the elves of the west and the humans of the east so many times that it was said the elders of Therncote had revolving banners depending on whose army was the nearest. Now free, the city boasts a large population of half elves and a steely determination to never again feel the tyranny of oppression.

Prahklamsuia: The Vale of the Lost Ones

Up in the far northwest lies a small realm of semi-humans. They live in a few coastal cities that are almost constantly raided by the elves of Shendul Pacre. There is a strict cast system in Prahklamsuia. Demonborn, Demonkith, Demoncursed and Speakers. Magic use is commonplace in the higher caste - Demonborn and the bulk of the military is made up of Demonkith. Demoncursed are little more than slaves, while the Speakers are religious fanatics. They lanch raids via they sea to enslave Daxians and occasionally attack the elves of Shendul Pacre. The alliance with the elves to the south pose a very real threat to their eastern neighbours.

Crag Targ: The Realm of the Tribes

Not a nation as such, the Tealm of the Tribes is a loose alliance of barbarian tribesmen. They are human but tend to be much larger than those of Daxia, the menfolk are regularly over 6 and a half feet, and the women generally are the height of an average southerner. They also tend to be far more muscular and resilient. A common rite of manhood is a sucessful cattle raid into either Krieglund (the northernmost province of Daxia) or Grikai. The tribesmen's culture is based on plunder and as a result inter clan skirmishing is commonplace. To the southeast lie a long chain of mountains that act as a barrier between Crag Targ and Grikai, with only a few passes, the most notable is called "The Gouge". To the southwest is the border of Shendul Pacre and the river Tannog leads through the plain of Aurochs into Krieglund. Long ago a bloody war between the barbarians and elves denoted both nations boundaries, but now as the tribes seek more plunder hostilities have restarted.

Grikai

Thousands of years ago an invading horde of orcs from the east enslaved the once pleasant land of Noromere and the humans that resided there. Centuries of interbreeding has heralded the birth of a new race the Grikaan, or half-orcs. Called mixbloods by many, the half orcs are surly and unfriendly, they have a particular hatred of purebred orcs and spend a great deal of time and effort trying to eradicate them. Despite their efforts many tribes of orcs live in the mountains to the north, and regularly raid southwards. Their society is ruled by those of near-human blood and to this end many slave raids are sent east to Daxia to obtain blood brides. To the south lies the Ironlands which is home to the dwarfs and the Grikaan's bitterest foe.

Ranknarthod: The Iron Lands

Not so much an empire but more an interlinked series of fortress cities, that lie in a large highland area, close to the sea. Each city fortress delves deep underground and therefore house far more dwarfs than would first appear. These Dwarf's have an uncontrollable lust for gold and a hatred of all things orclike and as such are constantly at war with Grikai to the north. They are staunch allies of Daxia and both realms prosper due to mutual trade and defense. The only other hazards are from long range raids from Cren Lar, but these are usually fended off with relatively small losses.

Something for the weekend?

As I'm in a bit of a Warhammer mood I have to share these: Forge World - SKAVEN WOLF RATS . I like them a lot, well more than a lot. A bit pricey at £32, so I'll proxy them for now with some old goblin wolf riders that I will have to prise off their backs! the rules are pretty cool and at 16 points each with 2 wounds and a move of 8" they look like the sort of thing I won't be able to resist for long!

Nasty looking buggers!

If that isn't bad enough the Brood Horror is even more erotic! This thing is far too good a figure for me to cock up painting, especially with a £42 price tag. Still if I lay enough hints around fathers day I might get lucky. Here's hoping anyway.