Wednesday 29 June 2011

Apocalypse Terrain: Gothic Cathedral Pt 2

Not a massive update today, but a few days ago i ordered some Lino flooring with a really great cobblestone effect on it for the base of the Cathedral. Yesterday it arrived.....and it turned out to be quite a lot!


2M x 1M, more than enough for my needs, and them some! Here's a close up of the texture:


I cut out a piece the right size, slapped on a load of wallpaper paste, and stuck it on:


I'll be leaving this to dry overnight and during the day when I'm at work. Once its all secure, then building can begin!

The GunGrave

Tuesday 28 June 2011

NUSU Tourney: The Aftermath - Day 2



Well after the disaster that was Day 1 i was in the mood for some ass kicking today! But, as i was grimly aware, that didn't mean that it was going to happen!

Game 4: vs Tyranids - Capture and Control : Dawn of War
5 objectives had to be placed for this mission, each of which scattered 2D6in after placement. 3 did not scatter, while 2 scattered only a few inches. This did mean that there were 3 objectives all within 12in of each other....The board had a few buildings on it, and a large amount of vegetation, mainly trees and bushes.

My opponent was a young lad, no older than 18. I had been warned about this guy earlier in the day, being advised not to trust that innocent exterior, and that he was in fact a stone cold killer! I groaned inwardly, picturing my 4th loss already!
Roughly he was packing: Flyrant with TL Devourers, 20 Gargoyles, 20 Termagants, 6 Warriors, a 'Few with Scything Talons in a Mycetic Spore, and 8 'Stealers with a Broodlord.

So we rolled off and i got to go first. I chose the side which had the grouping of objectives on it, and deployed a Vet' squad with Chimera and my Command Squad on top of the centre most objective in my deployment zone. 2 other objectives lay to the right of my position, while 1 remained firmly in his deployment zone, with the last one in No-Mans-Land. He deployed his 6 Warriors and the Termagants in a stand of trees near the objective in his DZ, and the Flyrant on my right flank.

He failed to seize the initiative so i went ahead and brought on everything bar the Vendetta and Vet' squad in it. I secures the right flank and put a Russ on the left to make a pain of itself. The shooting phase saw numerous Termagants die to the Russ, and the Flyrant take 2 wounds from the other Russ and the Chimeras.

Tyranid turn 1. The Flyrant surged forwards closely followed by the Gargoyles that came on from reserve. He kept he 'Stealers and 'Fex in reserve for later. The Warriors and the Termagants stayed in cover and took a pot shot with a Barbed Strangler at my Command Squad, which failed to wound. The Flyrant and the Gargoyles ran about 2in.

My turn 2. My Vendetta failed to come on. The 2 Chimeras and the Russ on the right flank got busy making a wall of firepower ready to welcome the Flyrant and Gargoyles, while the Command Squad and the other Russ remained stationary. On the right flank many Gargoyles died to the massed firepower that i set up, and the Flyrant took another wound, leaving it with 1. The Command Squad ordered themselves with 'Bring It Down' making the Sniper rifles twin linked in an effort to kill the Flyrant. They failed to wound. The Russ on the left flank managed to kill a Warrior and a few Termagants.

Tyranid turn 2. His 'Stealers and 'Fex failed to arrive, and his Warriors and Termagants stayed where they were. The Flyrant and Gargoyles continues to move towards my tanks on the right flank, and i was happy for them to! The shooting phase saw me loose 2 snipers to a Warriors barbed straggler, and the Gargoyles ran. In the assault phase the Flyrant charged the Russ on the right flank, and destroyed it. Shock horror! The up side is that it exploded and took the last wound off the Flyrant which bought it! Oh i did laugh! He didn't.....!

My turn 3. The Vendetta arrived this turn, and he came in on my left flank near the objective in No-Mans-Land. The Command Squad and the nearby Chimera stayed put, as did the Russ on the left. One of the Chimeras on the right Tank Shocked the remaining Gargoyles, and as they were now out of Synapse, they failed their morale check and fled 14ins! The other Chimera went and sat on top of the second objective that was near me, while the tank-shocker finished his 12in move about 6in from the third objective near my DZ. The right was secure. I didn't bother shooting at the Gargoyles as they couldn't rally, and would eventually flee off the board. The Warriors lost 2 of their number to the Vendetta, while the Russ claimed more Termagants who were now down to about 8.

Tyranid turn 3. The 'Fex in the Spore arrived and dropped down between my Command Squad and Russ, while the 'Stealers failed to emerge. The Gargoyles then fled off the board, and the Warriors and the Termagants stayed put again. More Barbed Strangler action came my way but failed to wound.

My Turn 4. The Vendetta moved next to the objective in No-Mans-Land, while the Chimera next to the command squad moved to intercept the 'Fex and claim the objective. The tank-shocker went and parked on the third objective, while the final Chimera went and parked on the second objective. The Command Squad ordered themselves with Bring It down' and targeted the 'Fex, causing 2 wounds. The Russ fired everything it had at the spore, wounding the 'Fex with the battle cannon and killing the Spore with everything else. The Vendetta finished off the 'Fex with 3 well placed Lascannon shots. The Chimera guarding the third objective took pot shots at the Termagants and only killed 1.

Tyranid turn 4. The 'Stealers finally arrived on my left flank, with the intention of claiming the objective my Vendetta was guarding. The Warriors and the Termagants stayed put. The Warriors targeted the Command Squad again killing the Astopath. The 'Stealers ran a huge 1in.

My turn 5. The Vet's in the Vendetta disembarked and moved on top of the building with the objective on it. The Vendetta then moved flat out to contest the objective in the 'Nid DZ. The Russ pivoted to target the 'Stealers, and killed 4. The Chimera by the Command Squad claimed another 2 'Stealers with its heavy bolter, and the Vet' squad ran to firmly secure the objective in No-Mans-Land. The Russ took shots at the Warriors killing all but 1 and leaving 3 Termagants.

Tyranid turn 5. The remaining Termagants and Warrior unleashed a punishing hail of fire with the Devourers and Barbed Strangler, killing the whole Vet' squad in No-Mans-Land!! The 'Stealers ran in to claim the free objective.

The Game went on for another 2 turns, and i spent the remainder of the game removing every model he had! The game ended on turn 7, by which time he had nothing left. 3-0 on objectives. WIN.

Game 5: vs Eldar - Pitched Battle : Annihilation

I didn't take any notes for this game I'm afraid! Suffice to say, it was another bad game for me, ending in a loss, 10KP - 5KP. Just like game 1 i was out maneuvered by fast moving transports and boxed myself into a corner. I made the mistake of ignoring his Avatar, and he took a heavy toll! LOSS.

So tournament over, 4 Losses and 1 Win. Well, at least that's something! I did learn a lot from this tournament though, and all the Losses i had could have been prevented. I needed to pay a bit more attention to the capabilities of the enemy, which is what really let me down.
Finally, the painting competition. Each category (40K, Fantasy and Infinity) had its own award. Round 1 was judged by the ref's who chose 3 armies from each category to progress to round 2. The Vosties made it through to that one, where the remaining armies were judged by the players. however, players couldn't vote within their category, only the other 2. Having seen the other 2 armies in my category, i was confident of the win. But alas, blatant club member in-voting saw me loose out to an average Ork army. Inwardly, i was a bit pissed off the say the least. 2 months of repainting to loose out to an army anyone with two eyes and opposable thumbs could have painted. Argh, never mind.....guess its just the way it goes for club-run tourneys.
Now, PICTURES! As i forgot the camera for day 1, I've only got a few random snaps of day 2.

Vostroyans ready for second round judging

A Beastmen army in the second round of judging

A really nice Slaanesh fantasy army - which I voted for




Some nice Orks and Goblins, the third contestant in the Fantasy painting heats



The eldar army that i played in Game 1 - his vehicles were nice, but the infantry let him down. He got throough to second round voting


This is the Ork army that won the 40K painting.



So thats the lot, another tournament under the belt for 2011! The next tournaments not until the last weekend in November for me, so plenty of time for me to relax until then. If the Bristol Vanguards 'Spoils of War' campaign weekend is the same as last year, then i may well be taking 1500pt Vostroyans, 1750pt Elysians and 2000pt Death Korps Armoured Regiment! After that its 'Blog Wars II' in December! I think 4 tournaments is enough for one year!

Some news on the Catherdral: I've ordered some lino flooring to create a textured base for the Catherdral, which will hopefully be here later today, so more on that tomoz!
The GunGrave






Monday 27 June 2011

NUSU Tourney - The Aftermath: Day 1



This weekend saw Exeter Inquisitions second incarnation of their 'Nut Up or Shut Up' tournament, although this was the first time that i attended. It was a two day event with three games on the first day and then two on the second. Pretty standard set up really, and i decided to take my Vostroyans along to see how they fared in tourneys. So how'd it go? Here follows a dreadful tale of woe.....

Game 1: vs Eldar - Seize Ground : Spearhead

I was fortunate enough to get the first turn, and deployed in a quarter with plenty of cover, and a large hill protecting my right flank. A large river with a bridge separated the board. My opponent was packing 3 Wave Serpents, two with Dire Avengers, and one with Fire Dragons and his Farseer. He also fielded an Avatar and a three-strong squadron of War Walkers. To keep me on my toes, he also kept a unit of Striking Scorpions in reserve ready to outflank, and infiltrated another.

He failed to seize the initiative, and the game started well when one of my Russ destroyed one of his Wave Serpents with a well placed Lascannon shot through the window of a building! The Dire Avengers got out and lingered in cover near his objective (where they remained for the whole game!) Nothing else really happened that phase, and so he took his turn.

The remaining Wave Serpents moved flat out towards the centre of the board, while his War Walkers lingered at the rear of the field taking pot-shots at my tanks. The Avatar lumbered forwards in the centre, while the infiltrating Striking Scorpions tackled the hill to my right flank. His turn came and went without incident.

My turn 2 rocked around, and my outflanking Vendetta failed to emerge. Movement was limited for me, but i did create enough space to target the infiltration Scorpions with my Command Squad, Chimera, and Medusa. A Few Scorpions fell to the fusillade, but they made good use of the cover, and i couldn't force a morale check. Further shooting from the Leman Russ tanks saw another Wave Serpent destroyed, and the Fire Dragons and the Farseer facing a long walk to my lines. Things seemed to be going OK.

The Eldar took his second turn, moving his Fire Dragons and Farseer through the river towards my left flank. The Avatar continued to plod on towards the bridge, and the War Walkers moved in a little closer to bring more of their guns to bear. The remaining Wave Serpent moved flat out again across the river, and parked itself in between my Chimera and Russ. The Scorpions continued to advance and managed to clear the hill. The shooting phase saw the War Walkers Stun the Chimera parked on my objective, and the Fire Dragons managed to toast the Chimera on the left flank, forcing the squad to disembark. It was then that i started to sweat!

Turn 3 came, and my Vendetta arrived. It outflanked about 12in from his objective, and right behind the War Walkers. I continued to maneuver out of the way of the Scorpions, but a charge was inevitable if they survived my shooting phase. The Russ moved into a better position to target the last Wave Serpent, and the disembarked squad made a break for cover to get a better shot at those Fire Dragons. A very tense shooting phase followed, seeing the demise of all three War Walkers at the hands of the Vendetta and the Vet' Melta Squad it was carrying. The disembarked Vet' squad took a few shots at the Fire Dragons, managing to kill most of their number. Both Leman Russ fired everything they had at the remaining Wave Serpent, but failed to hit or penetrate its armour or cover save! ARGH! The Command Squad and troops defending my objective continued to take shots at the Scorpions, but failed yet again to wipe them out! It was time to fix bayonets and prepare to receive the inevitable charge!

Eldar turn three saw his second unit of Scorpions arrive via outflank, and they appeared next to my Vendetta and Vet' squad. The remaining Fire Dragon and Farseer moved to engage the Vet' squad, and the Avatar moved close enough to be within charge range of a Russ. The Wave Serpent then did the inevitable, and moved flat out right next to my objective. This did mean that he had to survive an awful lot of firepower, but this Wave Serpent had been particularly lucky, and it had plenty of that in supply! The shooting phase saw the Vet' squad loose 2 men to the Fire Dragons and the Farseer's flying spear thinggy. No further shooting took place, as my opponent was keen to get into combat! The Fire Dragons and Farseer charged the Vet' squad, the Avatar charged a Russ, the outflanking scorpions charged the Vet' squad and Vendetta, and the infiltrating scorpions duel charged the Medusa and a Chimera. Phew! The Vendetta and the Vet' squad bought it, but a few Scorpions were killed in the explosion! HA! They then consolidated closer to his objective. The Avatar completely OWNED the Russ, but its explosion failed to wound. The Fire Dragons and the Farseer killed a few men, as did the vets, but the combat continued. The other unit of Scorpions failed to damage the Medusa and inflicted a Shaken result on the Chimera.

My turn four! I moved the Medusa and the Chimera out of the was of those pesky Scorpions, and turned the remaining Russ around to target the Wave Serpent. The third Chimera moved in to contest my objective and bring the Vet' squads weapons to bear as well. The Chimera that was in combat with the Scorpions disembarked its Vet' squad on the other side of the building, enabling them to bring their plasma and melta guns to bear on the Wave Serpent. The shooting phase saw the Wave Serpent destroyed by a Danger-Close shot from the Russ with its battlecannon! The squad disembarked but wasn't pinned. I then fired 2 Vet' squads, a Chimera and a Medusa at the Dire Avengers now sitting on my objective, but failed to wipe them out! I had to be happy with 3 casualties!! The command squad took pot shots at the Scorpions killing all but 2 of their number. The assault phase saw the Vet' squad engaged with the Fire Dragons flee and be destroyed, but not before killing the last 2 Fire Dragons. The Farseer now had to go it alone.

Eldar turn four. The remains of the Scorpion squad moved closer to their objective on the far side of the board, while the Avatar and the Farseer picked a tank each and made towards it. The Scorpions in my midst prepared to charge my Command Squad. The shooting phase saw the Farseer immobilise my last Russ with his flying spear thinggy, and the Dire Avengers Blade Storm'ed my disembarked Vet's to death! The Avatar then assaulted the Chimera on my objective, while the Scorpions charged the Command Squad. The Farseer's charge failed, not having the inches to make it into combat. The Command Squad lost 2 Snipers, but the Company Commander managed to slay both Scorpions in a suitably heroic fashion! The Avatar wrecked the Chimera, and the squad disembarked without being pinned.

Turn 5 - all or nothing! The only movement was from the Medusa and the last Chimera as they targeted the Dire Avengers. Shooting from the Vet' Squad, Medusa, Command Squad and Chimera failed to kill all the Dire Avengers, but forced a morale check which they passed due to the proximity of the Avatar!! No assault for me.

Eldar turn 5 was short, the Avatar charging the Vet' squad and wiping them out, while the Dire Avengers stayed put. The Farseer charged the Russ but failed do destroy it. The game ended on turn five, with the Eldar player securing his objective, and mine being contested. LOSS.

Game 2: vs Imperial Guard - Capture and Control : Dawn of War

I won't bore you with a turn by turn account of this one, as it was all over for me by turn 2! He went first, picking a terrain rich deployment zone for his foot-slogging guard. I had no cover and few objectives close to me, of which there were 5. My command squad and 2 Vet' Squads fled off the table by the end of turn 3, and my transports were systematically destroyed my mass Autocannon and Lascannon fire. I couldn't make any roll was required of me, and the game ended on turn 5 with my opponent controlling all 5 objectives, with little of my Vostroyans left o the board. I was trashed!! LOSS

Game 3: vs Tyranids - Implacable Advance : Objectives

This mission  was out of the Battle Missions book (as all missions and deployments were pre set for this tournament) We played length ways for this one, with 3 objectives being placed in the centre of each 'third' of the board. The objectives were claimed in the usual way, but once claimed, the unit could move away while still retaining the objective. The only way that could change is if an enemy scoring unit came and claimed it for themselves. Objectives would still be contested as normal by scoring units, but could not be contested by non-scoring units. No units were allowed to outflank this mission, but infiltrators could be deployed as normal.

My opponent was fielding (roughly): 3 Trygons, a Tervigon with 20 Termagants. 8 'Stealers, two broods of 3 Hive Guard, a Prime and a Vermathrope.

I went first for this game, deploying so that my objective would be secured from the start. My opponent did the same. Turn 1 saw me move my ranged firepower into possition to get a good shot at the 'Nid troop choices, while keeping enough firepower back to prepared for the third Trygon's inevitable deep strike (he kept 1 in reserve you see). He kindly grouped all his units together, which enabled my Leman Russ to take a fearsome toll on his troops. One Trygon took 4 wounds, and he lost god knows how many Termagants. The Vendetta killed 2 Hive Guard on the right flank, forcing them out of Synapse range and subsequently failing their morale check. They fled, and eventually went off the board.

Tyranid turn 1. He advanced into the teeth of my big guns in true 'nid style! He secured the middle objective with his 'Stealers and backed them up with the second unit of Hive Guard. The Tervigon spawned 14 Termagants which sat on his objective. The doubles that he rolled though ensured that no more Termagants would be spawned for this game. No shooting came my way.

Turn 2. I continued to pound away at his troops and monsterous creatures, while creeping my Chimeras up the right flank to give the 'Stealers and Hive Guard a hard time. The Vendetta moved flat out up the right flank in an effort to get close to my opponents objective. More 'Nids died, but he still had troop choices running around.

Tyranid turn 2 saw his bugs continue their advance in an effort to engage me in combat. Little shooting came my way, with most of his units opting to run. The Hive Guard targeted my Vendetta but only managed to inflict a shaken result, mainly due to some lucky cover save rolls!

My turn 3. These bugs were getting a little close, so i started to move towards my right flank and make use of the buildings in the centre of the board to hinder his assaults and maximise my firepower. I left a Russ on the left flank as bait for his Trygon. The Vendetta moved flat out again to get within striking distance of his objective. This turn saw the demise of his mid-field Termagants and a Trygon, but i couldn't target his remaing 2 'Stealers holding the centre objective.

Tyranid turn 3. This is where it all went wrong! The bugs advanced up the centre, but with the 'Stealers and the Tervigon guarding the centre obective, he had nothing to claim my objective with. The Trygon went for the Russ as planned and destroyed it. Never mind! The Prime and the Vermathrope milled about in the centre, and his other Trygon failed to arrive from reserve. The Hive Guard targeted my Vendetta, and only 1 penetrating shot got through the cover save - but it was enough! The Vendetta exploded, and as i moved flat out last turn, i lost the whole squad inside as well! I'd never get anything within range of his objective before the game end, so the middle objective was my only chance for victory!

My turn 4. I moved everything i had towards the centre objective; 3 Chimera and 3 Vet' squads in the hope of dislodging the defenders.  I didnt have the distance to make it in one movement, so they all moved 12in and popped smoke, while the nearest squad disembarked to make a run for it. They'd have the weather the storm and hope to contest next turn. The remaining Russ continued to shoot, and killed the last Hive Guard squad in its entireity. The Command Squad remianed behind to bravely tackle the Trygon that destroyed the Russ!!

Tyranid Turn 4. The Trygon assaulted the Command Squad and the other Trygon failed to materialise again! The Prime assaulted the closest squad along with the two 'Stealers, killing them all. The Command Squad lost all but the Company Commander who passed all his Invunerable saves, and sucessfully disengaged from the combat! They still held 2 objectives.

My turn 5. This was it: a second Vet' squad was moved into range of the middle objective and disembarked, while the last squad in their Chimera continued to close on it. The disembarked Vet's shot at the prime, but failed to kill it due to its cover saves provided by the Vermathrope! Its consolidation moves from last turn put it out of sight of the Russ, as were the 'Stealers. Now it all hinged on the next turn!

Tyranid turn 5. The Trygon finally arrived, coming up behind my last Russ. The other one moved towards the closest Chimera, while the Prime set itself up for another charge. The newly arrived Trygon shot at the russ, doing no damage. The 'Stealers and the Prime charged the second Vet' squad to contest the objective, wiping them all out.

The game then ended on turn 5, 2-1 on objectives. LOSS!

So i lost all three of my games on the first day!! Not good!

I'll post up the day 2 results tomorrow, as i think this is enought battle reporting for one day!

The GunGrave

Thursday 23 June 2011

Apocalypse Terrain: Gothic Catherdral

I LOVE Apocalypse, and would play it every weekend if i had the opportunity! This expansion rarely gets the praise that (i think) it deserves, for one reason or another. I really enjoy busting out my big Super-Heavies, wiping out whole units with one shot from my Reaver Titan, and chucking all the Kriegsmen i can find into the meat-grinder.....and not give a dam! Now this wonderful game is the focus of a new terrain project that I'm starting, an Apocalypse scale Gothic Cathedral!

So what is Apocalypse scale? In my mind its something that's too big to practically fit onto a standard 40K board, but big enough to be a centrepiece for an Apocalypse battle! And that's exactly what i'm aiming to create!

Voila! (sorry, the pics are a bit poor)




This bit of MDF is 4ft long and 2ft wide - big enough for Apoc' i feel! I would have liked to have found a 3ft wide piece, but this was the best i could do. I wanted to keep the base board solid, as its going to be supporting an awful lot of resin and plastic by the time its finished!

The building panels that you can see are from the Pegasus Gothic Building range, and one of the best terrain kits that you can buy! This Cathedral will be made up entirely of their building range, aside from the front door, which will be a Shrine of the Aquila eagle. There are very few parameters for this project. It just had to be BIG, and it had to be playable. By that i mean its not too full of rubble, details and whatever, that you can't place a model in or around it!

So at this stage I'm planing out the footprint of the Cathedral. The panels that you can see in these pictures are just blu-tac'ed together for the moment until I'm happy with the shape (which i think i am). The side walls will be 3 panels high, and the 2 towers at the front of the building will be 5 panels high! I wanted it big enough to hide a Reaver behind! I'll be contructing a pitched roof to cover the bulk of the Cathedral at some stage. You can also see a large courtyard at the front which will have a few statues and things leading up to the front door of the Cathedral.

So for the foreseeable future I'll be assembling building kits and raising mighty edifices to the Emperor! I'm not sure how long this projects going to take, but I'm thinking along the lines of 2 months from now, which i hope is an over-estimate. I already have another 2 Apocalypse Terrain ideas ready to go: a giant promethium refinery (which will take up a whole Apoc' board!) and a replica of Forgeworlds Imperial Fortress walls! Things are going to start getting BIG around here!
The GunGrave

Tuesday 21 June 2011

Vostroyan Firstborn (1500pts) Army Showcase

Well its been a mad dash to get this army list repainted and ready for the NUSU tournament at the weekend! Admittedly the Regimental Advisors were a bit rushed towards the end, but other projects beckon, and i needed to get this repaint out of the way! I would have loved to repaint the vehicles as well, but i really didn't have time to get them done to.

I present the Vostroyan Firstborn, 1500pt tournament list!

Company Command Squad


Company Commander


Astropath


Officer of the Fleet


Veteran Squad 1


Dedicated Transport: Chimera


Veteran Squad 2


Dedicated Transport: Chimera


Veteran Squad 3


Dedicated Transport: Chimera


Veteran Squad 4


Vendetta Gunship


Leman Russ 1


Leman Russ 2


Medusa with Enclosed Crew Compartment



There are a few more Vostroyans that make up the entirety of my collection, but for the moment i only need the models I'm going to use at the Tourney, so their new paint job will have to wait! Apologies for the photos as well - they're a little more ropey than usual 'cos i was in a bit of a rush to take them today!

So that's the Vostroyans out of the way. I'm pleased that i took the time to repaint these gorgeous models, and they really were a joy to paint! Its just that they take SOOOO long to do! These guys have taken me almost 2 months to do (47 models) and i have to say, i was keen to see it all done!

Anyhoo, I mentioned other projects at the beginning of the post.....

Theres a lot of moulding and resin casting  going on:


Some large bits of wood lying around:


An awful lot of Pegasus Gothic Building kits knocking about to!


More on this project later in the week!

The GunGrave

Monday 13 June 2011

Vostroyan Firstborn: Third Veteran Squad Complete

I've been very lazy with the Vostroyans lately, but with NUSU Tournament just 2 weeks away I decided to get my finger out!

I've been picking away at this squad now for a week or two, but today i saw it completed.


This Veteran Squad is armed with 3 Meltas, and will be riding in a Vendetta for the tournament. This, combined with the Vendetta, will hopefully give me a guaranteed AV14 kill should i need it (which I'm sure i will!)

One of the in-laws is up this week (sigh.....) so between cleaning the house from top-to-bottom and entertaining her, so I'm not gonna see much hobby action. Although i will try, as I've got one more Veteran Squad to do and the Company Commander as well! Then I'll be ready for the tournament on the 25th + 26th June.

The GunGrave

Thursday 9 June 2011

Dear Diary - JACKPOT MK2!

I feel that my recent run of bad luck on the gaming tables has been nicely off-set by todays bit of fortune!

Remember a few months back a guy that i knew from work gave me all of those Codicies and Imperial Armour books? Well today i recieved the MOTHERLOAD from him today, and this time in miniatures!

Behold.....


Yep, its a good as it looks! Most of this lot is still on the sprues and about 95% complete as well! We have here:

Imperial Guard Battleforce - Complete
Space Marine Supression force (2 Whirlwinds and a Landspeeder) - Complete
Space Marine Scouts - Complete
Dark Angles Bike Squadron - Complete
Master of the Ravenwing - Complete
3 Space Marine Attack Bikes - Compete
Space Marine Bike - Complete
Black Templars Rhino - Complete

Theres also 2 MASSIVE boxes of various Space Marine bits and pieces. I reckon i can make at least 2 Tactical Squads and 1 Deathwing Terminator Squad out of the bits there, and then some. Theres a load of Black Reach Orks in there, a brand new set of  templates, some brass etch Imperial Eagles to.

As for the ready made stuff:


Theres a Bastion, a Space Marine Dreadnought, an Interceptor Gun and a Vindicator! Sweet!

Quite the haul i think you'll agree! I think that this is the Fate's way of saying:

 "Now you have these plastic Cadians, why don't you get some of those sweet Forgeworld Cadian Hazardous Environment suits?"

And:

"Hey, have you seen those sweet Astral Claws Converstion sets offa Forgeworld? Now you have a load of plastic Space Marines, why don't you make a few?"

I think it might be a daemon of the Warp whispering to me.....either way, these are some dam good ideas! But hang on, it gets better!

I go back on Friday to get EVEN MORE stuff from his house! More on that lot when i get it!

The GunGrave

Monday 6 June 2011

Blog Wars - The Aftermath


Well i returned home late last night after an excellent days gaming at the newly founded 'Blog Wars' tournament, which was held in Mansfield at Maelstrom Games. I have to say, it was a blast!

For me, this tournament attracted all the right kinds of people. Though it was a tournament, it was always advertised as a Friendly Tournament, more of a community meeting than a tooth-and-nail competition! It was really great to meet some of the other bloggers out there, people who you only know by Blog and alias! As for the venue, well, it was perfect. The place was huge, with more than enough gaming tables to accommodate three times our numbers! The terrain provided was also great, with a good mix of GW and home-made features.
So how'd it  go? I took my Elysians to this one, as its probably the only tournament that I'm EVER gonna be able to take an Imperial Armour list, and out of the 3 games played, i managed 2 Draws and 1 Loss. The point of taking the Elysians (besides being my favorite army!) was to see how they performed in a more competitive setting against more optimised lists. The results speak for themselves, and the lack of serious firepower really let the Elysians down this time.

I tried to take notes for full battle reports, but by the middle of the second game, i lost the will! So what you've got here is a brief summary of each game, followed by some random pictures!
The first game was Spearhead and Seize Ground. GW may as well called this mission 'Draw' 'cos it was exactly that for most people! I played Mick from Claws & Fists and his Space Wolves. Every list had to include a Special Character, so Mick took Bjorn the Fell Handed! Mick went first and deployed defensively around his objective at the rear of the table, i followed suit. The game basically consisted of pot-shots at each other from a distance, with the fast skimmers trying to contest the objectives! I managed to Outflank 2 Vulture Gunships and a Valkyrie full of Vet's onto his objective, but after 2 turns they were destroyed by one (or all!) of Mick's many Long Fang squads! It was a good, smooth game which ended in a Draw (cue shocked intakes of breath!)

The second game was against Drew from Excommunicate Traitoris and his Imperial Guard. The Special Character he took was Sergeant Harker, though he didn't get much of a look in this game. This mission was Dawn of War deployment with Annihilation. From the start Drew outgunned my quite significantly with 2 Leman Russ, 2 Hydras and a Vendetta Squadron- perfect for taking out my flimsy AV12 flyers! And that's exactly what he did, with terrifying accuracy! I barely got out of my deployment zone, spending most of my time trying to hide from his big guns! The 2 Vultures didn't get a single shot off before they were turned to scrap by his Hydras and Vendettas! Coupled with the fact my dice were rebelling against me (yes, i AM blaming my dice for this one!!) it became pretty one sided. The game mercifully ended on turn 5, and Drew claimed victory at 11KP to 5KP.

The final game was against our gracious host, Alex from From the Fang and his Space Wolves. The Special Character he took was Ragnar Blackmane, which he used to terrifying effect! The deployment was Pitched Battle and the mission was Capture and Control. Objective games are where the Elysians really excel, but another list full of Long Fangs was really gonna ruin my day! Alex went first and consolidated most of his forces on the right flank where 3 objectives were placed. The left flank had 2 with only a token force guarding them. I decided to keep all my forces in reserve bar Captain Gerek, the Ground Scanner, and the 2 Vendettas with Vet's in them. The game pretty much went as expected, my Outflanking forces contesting objectives and making a pain of themselves, while Alex's Long Fangs kept up the heat on my flyers. I managed to take the left flank by turn 4 (a very resilient Lone Wolf made the task VERY difficult!) but by then my scoring units were either chopped to pieces by Ragnar (who killed 2 entire squads on his own!) or fleeing. I have to say, my Leadership rolls had a lot to be desired in this tournament!! My only options by this stage were to contest the 2 objectives Alex held with my flyers, and leave the others unclaimed. So by the end of Turn 5 that was the situation. Alex had all his Meltas and Chainfists in position ready to turn my contesting flyers to scrap should the game go into Turn 6, now all that was left was a roll of  the dice. And that's when Mrs GunGrave turned up, and the fate of the game was placed in her delicate hands! Following a stern briefing, and the threat of a single-woman's life should she fail me, she rolled the dice..........and rolled a 1!! HA, i couldn't believe it - the game ended in a Draw. I was very pleased to say the least, and i couldn't possibly comment on how Alex felt (but i could take an educated guess!) All in all it was a very good game, and my favorite of the day!

So now some pictures. They'll probably be out of sequence, but they're just some snapshots of the day.

The set up at Maelstrom Games

Outflanking Valkyrie and Vet's contesting objectives in Game 1

Vendettas guard my objective in Game 1

Vultures Outflank onto Micks objective in Game 1

More guard duties for the Vet's in Game 1

Drew's Imperial Guard ready for judging

Drew's Vendetta Gunship

Some Elysian Drop Troops from Drew

Drew's Hydras that i really liked!

A great novelty Ork!

Cool Objective marker

An interesting Tau colour scheme

The worlds only yellow Blood Angels!

Some nice freehand work

The tournaments only Drago

Some more cool objective markers

A home-made Harker!

The Hydras eye up my Vendetta in Game 2

The Elysians hide during deployment in Game 2

A Valkyrie-Off in Game 2!

Rangnar Blackmane makes a move for the objective in Game 3

Some very concerned Guardsmen in Game 3!!

Outflank! Game 3

More Outflanking in Game 3

Sentinels tackle the Lone Wolf in Game 3

Once enough men had died, and the friendly gloating had subsided, it was time for the awards! I'm sorry to say that i can only remember the wining army of the tournament, which was a Dark Eldar list, but i cant remember the guys name - sorry dude! It goes without saying that i didn't rank very well, coming somewhere in the 20's! Check out Alex's blog over the next few days for details of that one. There was also a raffle, with some Finecast/Gash-cast minis as the prizes. I dipped out in that one to.

HOWEVER, I'm very pleased to say that i was voted Best Painted Army for the tournament!! There was one catch though......i drew with another guy for this award, and that was Drew and his Imperial Guard who i played in game 2! As it turned out, i voted for Drew's army myself (kinda wish i hadn't now - DOH!) as it was a really well painted and characterful army in a desert camo theme. His Hydras were especially nice!! We decided to split the prize of £25 store credit at Maelstrom, and i picked up the novel 'The Chapters Due', a Uriel Ventris book which i hadn't read yet. The remaining money that i didn't use i gave to Drew, in an unfathomable act of kindness! I haven't got any armies on the go at the moment and probably wont have for the near future, so i figured that he could make better use of the money than me!

So that's it, back to the Forge to get the Vostroyans ready for the tournament in Exeter in a few weeks time. I for one will look forward to the next 'Blog Wars', which will be a real highlight in my tournament calender in the future! A big thanks to Alex again for organising a great day!

The GunGrave