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Showcase: Stormcast Eternals Stormdrake Guard

Posted on by Recommended Internet Blogger in Fantasy & SF, Internetblog

Today I take to the skies to invade the blog with my finished Stormdrake Guard pics. Games Workshop kindly sent over this box set for me to take a look at before it’s released.

The Stormcast Eternals Stormdrake Guard boxset retails for £68 / €85 / $100 USD. It’s a multipart part box set that includes 2 models. You can build a few options, including a Knight Draconis and a single Stormdrake Guard or 2 Stormdrake Guards armed with either lances or swords. There are a choice of 4 female heads (1 is helmetless) and 5 male heads (1 is helmetless)There are 4 shield choices (1 is round for the Knight Draconis). The Dragons have a choice of 4 necks which is a really neat trick to add a lot of variety to the poses. There are three Dragon heads (1 is the Knight Draconis one is more ornate) each dragon head fits on any of the 4 necks. The wings are interchangeable on each dragon body too, so you can have 2 up, 2 down or 1 up and 1 down. With all this interchangeability you can field lots of Dragons and have them all a little different.

These are large models with an impressive flying height. Measuring the model with it’s wings down it’s height is 170mm to the top of the Stormcast’s head. The wingspan is also 170mm. Finally the length of the tail to the snout of the Drake is 170mm. The flying stands have a clever balljoint system with a square peg on top that locates securely in the Dragons’ bellies. If you snip the square lug off you can glue the dragons at an angle adding even more posing options.

I painted my Stormdrake Guard using the same Citadel paint recipes that I used for Krondys. You can check out that post with this link here.

Krondys and the Stormdrake Guard.
Dracothion.

In the above photograph I’ve set all my Dracothion models. I painted the Dracothion Concussors and Vandus Hammerhand a few years ago now and I really wish they matched the new green scheme. I’m pleased I ditched the brown though. I’m really happy with the forest dragon vibe I have going on.

Finally, I have a picture of all my 3rd Edition Age of Sigmar Stormcast models painted in my Primal Kings colour scheme. It’s a small force but it totals 2185pts.

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Showcase: Silver Skulls Primaris Impulsor Grav Tank

Posted on by Recommended Internet Blogger in Fantasy & SF, Internetblog

Here comes mechanised support for my Silver Skulls: a Primaris Impulsor, a fast-moving assault transport outfitted with an assortment of secondary weapons to protect its deadly cargo. For my version I used a few 3D printed upgrade parts, so find out more in this post.

Silver Skulls Primaris Impulsor with missile array

For this model, I went the extra mile and bought a Gladiator so I could have both variants. In fact, the model can be built completely modular even without magnets, check out my handy guide here.

  • Side shot of a Silver Skulls Primaris Impulsor
  • Rear view of a Silver Skulls Primaris Impulsor

I also used a few alternate parts such as Repulsor style front grav plates and a more streamlined automatic heavy stubber, which are 3D printed parts by Tightbore Design. Last but not least, I upgraded the base to an oval flyer base, which I think compliments the shape of the model better.

I also painted a shield dome so I have a few options to choose from.

  • Silver Skulls Primaris Impulsor with shield dome
  • Silver Skulls Primaris Impulsor with shield dome

Painting-wise, I started with a black basecoat, then applied a zenithal highlight/basecoat with Vallejo Mecha Color Dark Steel, which I then sealed with gloss coat. For shading I used an enamel wash (Tamiya Panel Lina Accent Color Black) for the first time, and it really helped to speed things up, as I could easily correct any imperfections with white spirit and cotton swabs. Then I gave the hull a drybrush of Vallejo Mecha Color Light Steel, and that’s it. The remaining details were painted as explained in my Silver Skulls tutorial.

All in all I’m quite happy with the model, even though it was my first time combining airbrushing and enamel washes in one model. I’m one step closer to expanding my small Silver Skulls collection into a 500 pts Combat Patrol army, and I wonder what should I add next. I’m torn between the Primaris Captain from issue 5 of Warhammer 40.000: Imperium or a squad of Eradicators. And I also need to paint the extra Gladiator parts at some point.

Cinematic shot of a Silver Skulls Impulsor grav tank and Primaris Reivers

Hope you enjoyed this showcase of my Impulsor and if you would like to learn more about enamel washes, let me know in the comments.

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Thoughts on Field of Battle for New Players and Convention Games

Posted on by Recommended Internet Blogger in Horse & Musket, Internetblog

First, let’s be clear; with players of some experience, or solo games, I like Field of Battle just fine as written.  In fact, it’s my favorite game by far!  However, the vagaries of the sequence deck can sometimes be challenging, especially when it is a long time between MOVE cards, which drive much of the game’s energy. Hence the following thoughts, which I plan to employ at the next FoB game I will be running, the battle of Eylau, February 8, 1807. 


For FoB3, each side’s sequence deck has almost the same composition:


3 Each:

MOVE
MELEE
ARTILLERY FIRE
INFANTRY FIRE
ARMY MORALE


2 Each:

TACTICAL ADAVANTAGE

1 Each: 

MOVE ONE COMMAND



Variable
1 – 3 LULL
2-4 LEADERSHIP
? 1 SPECIAL EVENT






Without unduly changing the character of the game, it could be played with small 10 card decks, with one each

MOVE
MELEE
ARTILLERY FIRE
INFANTRY FIRE
ARMY MORALE
LEADERSHIP
TACTICAL ADVANTAGE
LULL
UNIQUE EVENT
MOVE 1 [D6] COMMAND[S]

The MOVE ONE COMMAND becomes Move D6 (or it could be D4, or D8, etc depending upon the game/size), BUT the commands activated cannot belong to the same player (unless there are more activations than players, but even then no more than 2 per player). This is mostly to avoid players standing around with little to do.

For Eylau, the  UNIQUE EVENT card will be used as follows:

Each time the Russians turn the card, roll a D6; on a “1” heavy snow develops. All movement is halved, and all fire takes place at one range band farther than measures; no long range fire is possible. Once heavy snow begins, it lasts for the rest of the game; no need for any additional rolls thereafter!

For both sides, may propose a special action for any ONE unit or officer. 

GM will judge if the action succeeds, or if there will be a die roll to determine success.

Initiative:  Roll C-in-C’s LD vs LD as usual, but compare the results similar to the Initiative roll:

Tie = both sides pick up all their cards, shuffle their decks, and then roll again
Difference of  1,2 = 1 Card
Difference of  3,4 = 2 cards
Difference of  5, 6 = 3 cards
Difference of  7,8 = 4 cards
Difference of  9, 10 = 5 cards
Difference of  11, 12 = 6 cards


I have also updated the back of my QRS with a summary of the cards and their effects. 

Also, for Eylau, at the start of the game, roll for one special characteristic for each player; it may be assigned by the player to any one officer they are playing:


D12 roll

Special Effects

1

Poltroon: DOWN 1 for all Rally rolls, BUT may always withdraw at FULL rather than half speed! 

2

Epileptic: LD roll of 2 also = no move. May re-roll failed leader survival tests

3

Fabian: DOWN 1 die type for MOVE rolls (Can go down to a D6!), BUT may *always*  expend 1 segment to change facing or formation.

4 – 9

No special effects

10

Aggressive:  UP 1 die type for MOVE rolls. 

11

Charismatic: UP 1 for all Rally rolls

12

Heroic: all units in his Command Group get UP 1 in Melee while he is in charge, but roll for Leader  loss on D8 instead of D12

Blunders On The Danube

Historicon 2021: Fuentes de Onoro

Posted on by Recommended Internet Blogger in Horse & Musket, Internetblog

6 PM Saturday night at Historicon was the time for my large Peninsular War game, Fuentes de Onoro, using Field of Battle, 3rd edition. The scenario is included at the end of this post. 

We wound up effectively having 6 players, which is a little bit light for a game of this size. Only one of the participants had ever played Filed of Battle before, which made things a bit challenging to coordinate as well. Additionally, the players at the other three games in the room were having a great time, which was fantastic, but it made the noise level quite high… although nothing like Saturday night the first year in Fredericksburg, after which *everyone* had tinnitus!

I was very happy with the look of the game. I didn’t get to take many pictures due to assisting players with learning the rules. 

FoB/Piquet veteran, Freddie Avner (green sweater) was a big help, teaching the rules to the players on his half of the field. 

Although I had “stacked” the sequence decks a bit, as I usually doe for a convention game, making sure that there was at least 1 MOVE card in the first few cards in both decks, on the second initiative roll of the game, after turning just 2 cards, a tie was rolled and the decks shuffled before the cards appeared. It took a long time for a French MOVE card to appear after that, resulting in a long range exchange of cannon fire of long duration.  

The French finally got on the move, and launched attacks along the line. For the most part, the British were up to the task of repulsing them. There were quite a lot of French reinforcements available; given the number of players and the unusually slow pace of the game, I opted to leave them in their boxes. It became clear that Massena would not be able to reverse history… this time!

This game lead to my having some thoughts on how I might modify Field of Battle, 3rd edition, for Convention Games/New Players. That will follow in a post immediately after this one. 

The Scenario:

S18:476 Battle of Fuentes de Onoro, May 5, 1811 Saturday, 6:00 PM, 5 hrs, Players: 8, Location: Maple/Juniper: MJ-5 


French Army of Portugal

Commander-in-Chief:  Marechal Andre Massena

Exceptional, LD D10

Sequence Deck: Average   Morale Points  54 units * 62 MP

II Corps, GD Jean Reynier 

Skilled, LD 12


1st Division, GD Pierre Hugues Victoire Merle

Average, LD 10

5 Leger  DD 6, CD 12

6# Foot Battery DD 6, CD 12

 

2nd Division, GD Etienne Heudelet de Bierre 

Average, LD 10

1 Legere  DD 6, CD12

4 Ligne  DD 6, CD 10

6# Foot Battery  DD 6, CD 12

 

VI Corps, GD Louis Henri Loison

Skilled, LD 12


1st Division, GD Jean Gabriel Marchand

Exceptional LD 12

1 Legere  DD 6, CD 12

5 Ligne  DD 6, CD 10

6# Foot Battery  DD 6, CD 12

 

3rd Division, GD Claude Francois Ferey

Skilled, LD 10

3 Ligne  DD 6,  CD 10

1 Legion  DD 4,  CD 10

6# Foot Battery  DD 6,  CD 12

 

 

VIII Corps, GD Jean-Andoche Junot

Skilled, LD 10


2nd Division, GD Jean-Baptiste Solignac

Average, LD 10

4 Ligne  DD 6,  CD 10

1  Legion  DD 4,  CD 10

12# Foot Battery  DD 6,  CD 12+1

 

IX Corps, GD Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Compte d’Erlon

Skilled, LD 10


1st Division, GD Michel Marie Claparede

Skilled, LD 10

4 Ligne  DD 6, CD 10

2 Converged Grenadiers  DD 8, CD 12+1

1 Legere  DD 6, CD 12

6# Foot Battery  DD 6, CD 12

 

 

2nd Division, GD Nicolas Francois Conroux

Average, LD 10

4 Ligne  DD 6,  CD 10

1 Legere  DD 6,  CD 12

6# Foot Battery  DD 6,  CD 12

 


Reserve Cavalry Division, GD Louis-Pierre Montbrun

Exceptional, LD 12

2 Dragoons  DD 6, CD 12

3 Chasseur a Cheval  DD 6,  CD 10

1 Hussar  DD 8,  CD 10

1 6# Horse Battery  DD 8, CD 12

 

Army of the North (cavalry), Marechal Jean-Baptiste Bessieres

Skilled, LD 10

Dutch Lancers  DD 10, CD 12+1

Grenadiers a Cheval  DD10, CD 12+1

1 6# GuardHorse battery  DD 10, CD 12+1

 


Anglo-Portuguese Army

Commander-in-Chief: Lt Gen Viscount Wellington

Exceptional, LD 12

Sequence Deck: Average     Morale Points  41 units * 47 MP

 

5th Division, Maj Gen Sir William Erskine

Average, LD 10

1 Portuguese Line (Brunswick)  DD 4,  CD 10

4 Line  DD 6,  CD 10

6# Foot Battery  DD 6,  CD 12

 

6th Division, Maj Gen Alexander Campbell 

Average, LD 10

3 Line  DD 6,  CD 10

2 Portuguese  DD 4,  CD 10

Portuguese 6# Foot Battery  DD 6,  CD 10

 

Light Division, Brig Gen Robert Crafurd

Exceptional, LD 12

1 95 Rifles  DD 8,  CD 12+1

2 Light  DD 8,  CD 12

1 Cacadore  DD 6,  CD 10

6# Foot Battery  DD 6,  CD 12

 

Portuguese (Brunswick) Brigade, Brig Gen Charles Ashworth

Average, LD 10

2 Portuguese (Brunswick)  Line  DD 4,  CD 10

6# (Brunswick) FA   DD 6,  CD 10

 

Cavalry, Maj Gen Stapleton Colton

Exceptional, LD 12

1 Portuguese Light Dragoon  DD 4,  CD 10

1 Dragoon  DD 6,  CD 12

1 Hussar  DD 8,  CD 10

1 Light Dragoon  DD 6,  CD 10

2 x 6# Horse Battery, RHA  DD 8, CD 12

 

 

Column Commander: Lt Gen Brent Spencer

Commanding 1st & 3rd Divisions; Skilled, LD 12

 

1st Division, Maj Gen Miles Nightingall

Average, LD 10

2 Guards/Fusiliers  DD 8,  CD 12+1

3 Highlanders  DD 6,  CD 12

1 Highland Lt Infantry  DD 8,  CD 12

1 KGL Line  DD 6,  CD 10

6# Foot Battery  DD 6, CD 12

 

3rd Division, Maj Gen Thomas Picton

Exceptional, LD 12

1 Fusilier  DD 8,  CD 12+1

2 Portuguese Line  DD 4,  CD 10

3 Line  DD 6,  CD 10

6# Foot Battery  DD 6,  CD 12

 

 

Spanish, Don Julio Sanchez  (NO MP costs for losses!)

Average, LD 10

1 Guerilla Infantry  DD 4,  CD 10

1 Lancer Cavalry  DD 4,  CD 10.


Map from my freind James Fisher’s Avon Napoleonic Fellowship blog. 

Blunders On The Danube

Showcase: Warcry Varanite Delve

Posted on by Recommended Internet Blogger in Fantasy & SF, Internetblog

Welcome weary traveller, your journey across the Bloodwind Spoil must have been treacherous and fraught with danger. You’ll find no respite here at them there mines, for this is a deadly Varanite Delve where even the Daemon bound cursed machinery can end your mortal life. Check out my finished Warcry Red Harvest Terrain and I’ll share the paint recipes too.

What is a Varanite Delve? It’s an area being mined for precious transmutative realmstone called Varanite. Because of it’s valuable nature mining equipment such Pit Dredgers and Vananite Syphons are fought over by rival prospecting warbands that want to buy the attention of Archaon with coveted Varanite.

Varanite Syphon and Pit Dredger are called Delve Engines

In Warcry, Delve Engines are interactive and you can turn them on and off by spending Ability Dice. It costs a Double to turn on and a Triple to turn off. Turning on a Delve Engine makes any attached Sluices hazardous. Standing on a Sluice will see you suffer 2D6 damage points when it’s turned on and standing within 3″ will inflict D6 damage points.

Sluices
Warcry Red Harvest includes plenty of platforms, ladders and spiky obstacles

Wood Paint Recipe

  • Undercoat black
  • basecoat Mournfang Brown
  • Drybrush Steel Legion Drab
  • Drybrush Karak Stone

Dirty Bronze Metals

  • Paint metals with Retributor Gold
  • Wash metals with 50:50 Wyldwood + Contrast Medium mix
  • Lightly drybrush metals with Runefang Steel carefully

Tutorial: Making stone slabs for your terrain

For the masonry parts, check out this tutorial here.
The Warcry Red Harvest Starter set includes an incredible amount of terrain. 7 large sprues worth!

I hope you enjoyed my tour around my completed Varanite Delve. It was a lot of fun to paint as I kept it super simple. It was still time consuming picking out all the metal trim and skeletons but in the end I turned this terrain set around in a single week. Not too bad!

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