Eldar List Build

I'd like to try something different today. Instead of me getting on a soapbox or pulpit, I'd like to hear from the followers and RSS Readers of this blog. Especially you Eldar players.

I Challenge Thee to an Foot-Eldar List Building Exercise!


OK, so here's the deal. Create a 1,000 and/or 1,500 point Eldar List(s) that includes NO tanks. Yes, good ol' fashioned FOOT'DAR (as the interwebs has so graciously deemed to name it). Put a summary of the list below in the Comment Section - don't worry about all the nitty gritty details, just list what the unit is, how many in it, and any paid-for upgrades.

Here's an example

Seer - Spear, RoWard, Doom
Aspect A (10) - Exarch, Exarch Weapon, Exarch Skill
Guardians (16) - Warlock, starcannon
Jetbikes (3) - shucannon
Aspect B (6) - Exarch, Exarch Skill, Exarch Skill


If there are enough responses, then I will compile them in a future post or two and discuss them. I may even be able to create a competition out of it, but we'll see how the response is first... ;-)

There we have it for today. A short one. But hopefully it will be fun for those who post something. TGIF!

MJ;-) Project Log: Deathguard Terminator Lord/Sorcerer

Personal Confession. I am NOT a converter. But what I AM, is a Kitbasher.

"What's the difference" you ask?

Converters are the types that can take something and add-to or alter it through the use of scratch items - sculpting epoxy, plasticard and plastic rods, cardstock, etc.

Kitbashers are the types that can combine pieces from different kits into a single model.

So today's topic is how I recently kitbashed a Deathguard Terminator Lord/Sorcerer. The inspiration comes from the existing GW Typhus model. What I wanted was a similar looking figure, but for use as a standard Lord or Sorcerer.

Oh yeah, and my apologies for the horrible pictures. Not only am I not a converter, but I'm also NOT a photographer...



Here we have a literal pile of bits. There's a mix of Chaos Terminator Lord bits, some standard Chaos Terminator bits, a few odds and ends - mostly from the WHFB Zombies sprue, and the coup de grace - a Forgeworld Deathguard Terminator Torso and Shoulder Pads. Ultimately, I did not use all of the bits shown, but I did use most of them.



Here we have the Deathguard Lord taking shape. I glued the Chaos Terminator Lord's scenic base and also used some 2-part plumbing putty to bulk it out a tad. After all, as a Chaos Lord, the guy certainly needs something epic to stand upon.



One of my most extensive Kitbashes to date is the Lord's Daemon Weapon. This one arm and single weapon took bits from five different kits. The most stressing part of this, but by no means was it "hard" to do, was cutting the Terminator Power Mace and hand off at the wrist so that the sorcerer's staff and hand bit would join seamlessly. Mission accomplished. So anyway, with a Terminator Arm, Sorcerer's Staff, Scythe blade from a Zombie sprue, a Possessed hook bit, and a few spikey things from who knows where, I welded all these things together to form a very Typhus-like Daemon Weapon.


In the end, I used my tried and true Lazy Man's Painting Method to give this guy some un-life. At some point, I hope to create a banner for his banner pole. Speaking of which, using mostly Zombie bits, the banner pole features some rotting carcasses/skeletons hanging from the crossbar. Good Nurgle Lord, Good Nurgle Lord...






Again, sorry for the poor pictures, but eh, what can I do...

Toys for Tots 40k Charity Tournament - SUCCESS!

A week ago, I ran what we hope is "The 1st Annual Toys for Tots Warhammer 40,000 Charity Tournament." Planning is already underway for "The Second Annual..." event in 2011.

Turns out, a few other locations also held charitable events that weekend. So we'll see how that impacted our results below. Gamers' Armory in Cary held an event, and SciFi Genre in Durham extended their help by acting almost as a Brother Event where toys were collected and added to the donations from the event I ran at All Fun & Games in Apex. It is rumored that a store in Southern Pines also (independently) held a Toys for Tots charity event. Research is underway in regards to this rumor... Stay tuned for additional details to come...

The opening image of this post shows most of the donations to Toys for Tots received at the event at All Fun & Games. Three additional items were donated after that picture was taken, bringing the number of donations at the AF&G event to 26 items! Not bad for only 6 participants... What is surprising is the number of non-participant donations we received. All Fun & Games donated several games, which is greatly appreciated! 40k gamers who could not attend the event also stopped by, or sent family members, with toy donations. And a number of AF&G customers who saw what was going on proceeded to purchase items for donations along with the items they initially came to the store to get. That was phenomenal - there may have been six participants (plus myself) at the event, but we likely received donations from well over a dozen sources all combined.
The AF&G event ultimately consisted of six players, with what I'm going to say is probably one of the strangest list of armies present at a tournament that I've ever seen:

• TWO Necron armies
• TWO Daemonhunters armies
• One CSM Undivided
• One Tyranids

If you'll recall from THIS POST, the missions used in this event were basically home-made, but followed the recent trend at events where a series of tiebreakers are listed, pretty-much eliminating any "Draw" results. The three primary win conditions were alternately the three main scenario types in the 40k v5 rulebook. Although I did alter the objective-capturing-based missions to dictate where the objectives would be ultimately placed for each game. All three of the secondary conditions (1st Tiebreaker) were largely updates to old rules - capturing Terrain Features, Table Quarters, and Moving into the Enemy Deployment Zone (Recon). The Tertiary objective (2nd and Final Tiebreaker) was Victory Points - yet another homage to the 4th edition missions. VPs followed the system laid out in the current rulebook (pg. 108) but differed only in that a player won this condition if they scored even 0.5 points more than their opponent.

Daemonhunters and Necrons Battle Over 5 Objectives

Following a tiered-scoring system for the win conditions, a possible 60 points was available for Battle Points (3 wins on primary conditions).

Sportsmanship was scored as well, similar to the Battle Points just discussed. Sportsmanship was scored each round by opponent with bonus voting at the end of the day - the third round report form also asked players to list "their favorite opponent of the day." Sportsmanship was scored on a similar scale to BPs, so 60 sportsmanship points would be a perfect score.

In the end, we crowned the three following winners:

Best Overall - Todd Craig, Tyranids

Hive Fleet Craig Fans-Out on the Offensive

The Overall Winner of the event was Todd Craig, or should I say Hive Fleet Craig! Craig wasn't pulling any fancy schmancy hooligans. No, Todd fielded a straight-up Tyranid force of some Monstrous Creatures backed by a handful of Genestealer units. Todd helped show that the Tyranid codex is still a punishing opponent to deal with - that whole "brick to the face" thing often hurting...


Best Sportsman - Barry Wilson, Necrons

Compared to some of us, Barry is a relative newcomer to the game of 40k. However, his Necron force is well though-out, and can deliver on a number of battlefield situations simultaneously.

Best General - Randall Elmore, Chaos Space Marines

Sons of Malice CSM Grab Center Field Early-On, and Never Let Go.

So in all, we had a great day. Participants were very giving with their donations, and many other folks - gamers who couldn't make the event and strangers at the store who saw what was happening and contributed toys on their own - gave to this worthy cause as well.

Above, I eluded to the "Brother Event" at SciFi Genre in Durham. A Shadow Agent of mine, who goes by the handle Russ, attended the 40k tournament in Durham, challenging participants there to donate toys to be included with the items from the AF&G event.

Fifteen toys and games were donated at that event! Combined with the 26 at AF&G, our concerted efforts raised OVER 40 TOY DONATIONS FOR TOYS FOR TOTS!!!!

SciFi Genre Toy Donations - THANKS GUYS!!!

So, in the end, a lot of people had a great day of playing Warhammer 40,000. And they plus a number of other individuals managed to collect 41 toys and games for the Toys for Tots charity here in the Triangle.

THANK YOU ALL!!!! Keep an eye out for next year's event - likely to be held the 2nd Saturday in December. We hope to round up the other local area stores and see how many are willing to host events for this worthy cause!

Scenery Review: Temple of Skulls, Arcane Ruins, and Urban Barricades

Boy, it sure has been a while since I've posted here. Lot's of medical issues, plus a couple of secret projects that I'm not ready to make public yet. Big thanks to MJ for keeping the home fires burning!

For some reason I got it in my mind recently to spend some money on the scenery that GW has been putting out recently. I'm a HUGE fan of the Moonscape and a firm believer that every single 40k player should own at least one set. (I have two!) The Planetscape-specific version fell a little flat due to the weird decision to use vac-forming instead of injection molding like the Moonscape, but the original is still available and awesome.

So, thanks to a gift certificate to The War Store, I got my hands on The Temple of Skulls. It is really, really cool.

It is marketed as a Fantasy Battle terrain piece, which doesn't make much sense to me. Yes, it has more skulls and less guns, but it is pretty impractical in a game of Fantasy Battle. Only skirmishers, monsters, and individual characters have any chance of making it onto the thing without falling over. The slope on the side is very steep.


It comes in a large box around the size of a starter army set. The base is one single piece and it comes with a great "skull and column" sprue for the three upright skulls and the two columns. I've painted mine in a rough limestone style that I can't keep myself from using. (I think I'll be painting the opposite side of my three 2'x4' table toppers in a similar fashion so they all match.)

The most impressive thing about the Temple is how sturdy it is. Years ago this would have been so flimsy that you wouldn't have been able to put a dragon or Land Raider on the top of it without risking permanent damage. Now, you could safely stand on it. See the following picture of the underside.

It obviously was made as a proof of concept for the design process which made the Realm of Battle boards a possibility. I'm fairly certain if the RoB had kept its rumored $200 price point that a great many more would have sold. If I could have received the internet's normal discount I'm pretty sure that I would have one by now. Having two would have made my in-house Apocalypse game setup much easier, but there's no way I'm dropping that much on it.

I was so pleased with the Temple of Skulls that I picked up the Arcane Ruins set as well. This is another set that will be very difficult to use in a game of Fantasy Battle, in which case it will probably just be impassible to any ranked unit. See below for the 'assembled' version.

Of course, it is a ruin by name and looks even better knocked over.

I've been planning to make a skull-themed table for a while, inspired by the recent battlefields featured in a few recent White Dwarf reports. The Isle of Blood was particularly nasty looking. One of the great and unmentioned things about the Arcane Ruins is that it comes with way more skulls than you could ever use on the piece itself. Below is what I had left over, perfect to be used on my project to tie everything together. That's a lot of skulls!

Even more delighted, I decided to spring for the Urban Barricades set. As you can see below, you get six barricades in the set. I have the unfortunately-discontinued Sandbags set which came pre-painted (looks like a single coat and drybrush) and flocked. I think it is some sort of light resin. This set is also resin, but unpainted. It has a much higher level of detail, though, including a crashed Space Marine bike. Unlike pretty much everything else mentioned in this review, these really need painted before use, especially the one with the bike. There are a wide variety of textures and they don't look very good in the default grey resin.

I painted the bike in a non-descript color, added some metallics and rust here and there, and now they look great.

So, to cut to the rankings: (With a Moonscape at a 10/10.)

• Temple of Skulls: 8. Less useful as a Fantasy Battle terrain piece, but very, very sturdy and nicely detailed.
• Arcane Ruins: 7. Not as nicely detailed as the Temple, but the abundance of extra skull bits helps a lot.
• Urban Barricades: 7. Nice off-the-shelf, impressive if painted.

For the money, the Moonscape is still the best bet. Every player needs a set, and the price is low enough that everyone should have one. If you are thinking about a second Bastion, I'd recommend the Temple of Skulls instead. It might make a good, albeit small Landing Platform (if protected by chaos magics, that is).

Next time, notes about joining in the Biggest Apocalypse Game in the World!

MJ;-) Project Log: Logan's Hunters, Logan and Njal

Hmmmm... Looks like a week has (almost) passed me by, and no updates to the blog.

Epic Fail on the 12 step program.

In my defense, its been a busy week. Work has had me slammed, there's been a death in my family, AND I'm gearing up to run a TOYS FOR TOTS 40k tournament tomorrow.

A few weeks ago, I managed to finish SQUAD 2 for my LOGAN'S HUNTERS army.

At pretty much the same time, I painted my two characters - Logan Grimnar, and Njal Stormcaller.

So today, I'll post up some pictures of these bad asses!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so given my time constraints today, I think I'll just let the pictures do (most of) the talking.

MJ;-) Project Log: Logan's Hunters, Squad 2

OK. So its a Terminator Thanksgiving! Continuing with the Terminator Theme that has run through my last two posts, here is an update on the Second Squad for my Logan's Hunters (Wolfwing) Army.

One thing I intend to do with the army is to demarcate different squads through the use of different accent colors. In the FIRST SQUAD, the primary accent color was red. For the second squad, the primary accent color was yellow. I used the Foundation paints Mecharite Red and Iyanden Yellow, respectively.

I have also decided to wait until all the squads are done and then do all the bases at the same time. I find that (a) gives me more of a sense of accomplishment (churning out squads faster, even if the base is not done), and (b) makes basing across all the models more coherent.

Squad 2 is pretty self-sufficient in just about any role. It features two Wolf Guard with storm bolter and power weapon/frost weapon, two Wolf Guard with storm bolter and power fist, and one Wolf Guard with cyclone missile launcher, storm bolter, and chainfist. This unit can lay down some serious small arms anti-infantry fire, can hunt tanks at range, butcher infantry in close combat, and even rip tanks a new (deleted by the Inquisition) when they assault armor.

This storm bolter/power weapon WG model is from the Space Hulk set. For this one, the primary accent color is used on the cape.

Here we have Mr. Storm Bolter/Power Weapon Number 2 (hmmm.... I may have to come up with real names for these guys someday).

Unfortunately, this Assault on Black Reach model did not lend itself well to using the Iyanden Yellow accent. I plan to do some somewhere on him, just need to figure out where. Maybe a gauntlet (or both). Hmmmm.....

Ahhh... Another of the wonderful Space Hulk terminators. Here, the primary accent is the power fist.

To give the model a little pop of color, I painted the Tyranid carcass purple and dry-brushed it with a lavender.

Next up is a terminator that has used mostly Wolf Guard bits, although I believe the storm bolter arm is from an Assault on Black Reach model.

Again, the primary accent color here is on the powerfist.

Last, but certainly not least, is Mr. Rockets. As a side note, I've found that more often than not, if you say during a game that you're shooting your "missile launcher," that it will miss. After all, "miss" is the root of "MISSile launcher."

The primary accent color is on the chainfist as well as the trim of the CML. Although you can't see it, I did not do the whole CML in yellow, just the "band" that wraps around the front of it.



So there we have it. Squad Number 2 is (almost) complete.

I've also (mostly) completed the two characters for the army - Logan Grimnar and Njal Stormcaller. However, that will be for a future post (or two).

Until then, make sure the safety switch on your chainfist is ON - I'd hate for anyone to take off a nose while digging into some delicious Thanksgiving Dinner!

Terminators, Terminators, and more TERMINATORS! (Part II)

Continuing from my EARLIER POST regarding my favorite 40k models - Terminators...


Last post, I dealt with the traditional terminator army, the old school one if you will - Deathwing. Today, I'll expand our terminator horizons by discussing the use of the Space Wolf codex to field an all-terminator army and also discuss the use of "Counts As" for fielding terminator armies that aren't Dark Angels or Space Wolves.

First, lets cover the alternative to Deathwing - that which the interwebs has dubbed "Wolfwing."

Prior to the current Space Wolf codex, Codex:Dark Angels was the ONLY way to legally field an all terminator army outside of games of Apocalypse. But the current Codex:Space Wolves came with one interesting chain reaction.

Logan Grimnar allows Wolf Guard as Troops. Wolf Guard may be clad in Terminator Armor (TDA). Therefore, one could field Logan + Terminators (as Troops) for a legal all-terminator force that differs from their Deathwing counterpart.

Image from Sons of Thunder Blog

"How are the two Terminator Armies different?" you ask? Well, if you're not familiar with the details of both Codex:Dark Angels and Codex:Space Wolves, let me give you the nutshell version.

Standard "Ultramarine" armies can field 2 types of terminator squads, one with guns, and one with close combat weapons.

Deathwing Terminators collapse these two into a single terminator squad - one in which you can field terminators with guns or terminators with close combat weapons, but mixing-and-matching the two types within each squad. In the end, though, each individual terminator is either like an Ultramarine Tactical Terminator or an Ultramarine Assault Terminator.

The Space Wolf codex takes this "mix-and-match" idea one step further, allowing a Wolf Guard to essentially equip each arm as he sees fit. So instead of being a "Tactical Terminator" with a Storm Bolter/Heavy Weapon and a Power Weapon-Fist-Chainfist OR an "Assault Terminator" with twin Lightning Claws or Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield, the Wolf Guard in TDA can equip each arm individually to combine Tactical AND Assault roles into a single model. Storm Bolter and a single Lightning Claw? No problem. Power Weapon and a Storm Shield? No problem. Thunder Hammer and a Combi-Melta? NO PROBLEM! It should be noted, and will be touched upon in more detail below, that this "ultra mix-and-match" style of equipping terminators is not new; it is how Chaos Space Marine Terminators have equipped themselves for a while now.


In essence, with one fell swoop of the Codex:Space Wolves hitting the shelves, the Terminator Community was in an upheaval. Do you scoff at the "new, shiny" and play Deathwing because you always have, and always will? Or are you tired of Cyclone Missile Launchers that only shoot one missile and Storm Shields that provide a 4+ invulnerable save in close combat only and break from the ranks of the old school to embrace the new generation?

Seriously. The release of the Space Wolves codex really lit some flames under hardcore terminator players, with folks arguing and defending both options.

Sgt. Brisbane at The Sons of Thunder blog did a really nice article on the PSYCHOLOGY/PSYCHOSIS OF A 'WING PLAYER. I highly recommend this read.

DEZARTFOX, RON (both featured in the previous DFIR Terminator post), and RUNTMCRORY (of The Military of Ultramar blog) also discussed their views on the subject, comparing and contrasting the two, and ultimately sticking with the Deathwing.


{insert awkward segue here}


The release of Codex:Space Wolves also fostered the expansion of another element of Terminator Armies.

COUNTS AS

Counts As Terminator armies weren't new per se; however, I've seen a huge upswing in the number of Counts As Terminator armies since the release of Codex:Space Wolves.

Not surprisingly, given that there are two ways to field an all-terminator army, there are two general trends in the Counts As Terminator army choices.

There are those who follow the traditional Deathwing template, such as RuntMcRory at The Military Of Ultramar. Runt is an Ultramarines player. Rightfully so, he drew the conclusion that at some times, the Ultramarines would be faced with a challenge that only a Terminator Force could solve. So Runt has added enough Terminators, Dreadnoughts, and Land Raiders to his Ultramarine army that he can field them by themselves as a Counts As Deathwing army.


And I think that Runt's use of the Deathwing Template is very appropriate to depict an Ultramarine force consisting solely of Terminators and Terminator Support.


Another application of the Counts As Terminator army is to field an all-terminator Chaos Space Marine force.

Ron at FTW was one of the first I saw do this with his (now famous, and now sold to someone else) LUSTWING.

The Lustwing is a Slaaneshi-themed all Terminator Counts As Deathwing force. I guess it goes without saying that the Lustwing uses the Deathwing template (but I better say it nonetheless, just in case you haven't had your coffee/Red Bull yet).

The army is beautifully converted and painted. It definitely gives off a Slaanesh vibe, even if the "rules" driving it are imperial.








Another Chaos-themed Counts As Terminator army, and another stunning example of high-quality conversion and painting work, is THE GOREWING.

Unlike Ron's Slaaneshi-themed Counts As Deathwing Lustwing force, Elazar The Glorified used the Space Wolves codex to formulate The Gorewing.

Given that the standard Chaos Space Marine Terminator is similar in its options as a Space Wolf Wolf Guard in TDA, the use of the Space Wolf template really fits with this army, just as much as RuntMcRory's use of the Deathwing template really fits his Ultramarine terminator army.

For example, Elazar's use of "Lone Wolves" with "Fenrisian Wolves" (Fleshhounds) puts a little icing onto the Gorewing cake, IMO.











So there you have it. Deathwing, Wolfwing, and a variety of Counts As Terminator armies.

So, where do I stand in all of this?

I put one foot into each of the camps. I played Deathwing from way back. Lets just say that my first Deathwing army was all metal. Ron's Lustwing really inspired me visually, and then the splash release of the Doombringer Annihilation Force bundle by GW to support Apocalypse Reload caused me to sell the all-metal Deathwing force and replace it with a Counts As Deathwing Chaos force (Flawless Host color scheme, kind of - Homage to Ron!).

But over time, I became more and more dismayed by the neat toys other Space Marine armies got that my Deathwing didn't have.

Master of the Deathwing does NOT have a 4+ invulnerable save Iron Halo? Seriously? You're trying to tell me that the Master of the FIRST COMPANY of the Dark Angels doesn't have what his nine other counterparts have?

Cyclone Missile Launchers with one shot. Meh.

Sub-standard Storm Shields. Meh, again.

No Land Raider Redeemer. Meh, again.


So, as my WOLFWING posts of late have shown, I have chosen to build up a Space Wolves Terminator force now. There is definitely a place in my heart and soul for my first ever 40k army, the Dark Angels. But I have divested myself of all those models, and patiently await the day when a new Codex:Dark Angels comes to life. I suspect that another True Deathwing force is in my future, once we see that release.


Well, I guess that is about it for today. Until next time, keep your Crux Terminatus polished, and have a Happy Thanksgiving (if you live in the U.S., that is).