Sir Gorbag of Bash. Empire Ogre Knight

Just a quick post of another Ogre Iron gut finished up.

This one is based on an Ogre being influenced by his time hanging out with 'The Second Sons' from my Empire army.

Not 100% happy how he's turned out but I am trying to bang the miniatures out in order to hit the 5th of Feb deadline for 'Riotville Live'.

For that reason I am considering him one and done!

I have also sorted out about a hundred miniatures which will be making their way on to eBay soon.

Got to be honest I am glad to see the back of another one (pun intended!).

Now the numbers

Miniatures painted / sold this year = 12

Miniatures bought 15 due to new Mordheim campaign and Riotville live!

464 miniatures to go!

Peace on Earth and good will to all men . . . . But NOT Rats . . . .Definitely NOT Rats!!

Christmas Eve Lano hosted a WHF 1850pts 'Seasons beatings', bring and bash in his garage . . . . With drinks and nibbles . . . .all very civil.

I set up opposite Phil and his new Skaven army.

Got to be honest with Jiri returning to his homeland and Russel MIA I did not expect to see Skaven again.

I finish setting up first and win initiative.

First thing I do is line up my cannons in the Skaven Stone thrower . . . . . .  

Warhammer Fantasy. Coming full circle.

Last Sunday I finally got some down time so run out the door and over to Lano's for a game of little soldiers. Lee and Damon also rocked up so Lee and I decided to lock horns.

No fancy scenarios, just 1850 points of smash mouth Warhammer.

And it will be smash mouth as Lee is fielding Khorne and I have brought a cavalry heavy Empire force!

Warhammer Fantasy. The Battle of a thousand cuts

The end of half term saw Lano (the smiling assassin) and I lock horns as my Empire forces took on his High Elves.

This battle happened over a week ago and I have had a week of work since then so some of the details are going to be a bit fuzzy.

The battlefield is set.

Warhammer Fantasy. The Battle of Small Haven

Against all his prayers to Sigmar it seemed the rumours were true. The plumes of smoke in the distance seemed to confirm the reports that Small Haven had been ravaged by Orc raiders. General Custoras could probably cover this up by sending reports back to Altdorf about a rogue plague ravaging his first settlement outside of New Haven but he would have to ensure that any survivours of the Small Haven were 'disappeared' as well as destroy the Orc raiders to recapture the riches of Small Haven to bribe his men to keep quiet!

The warning shouts of the outriding scouts snapped his attention back into the present. One way or the other this mess would be settled . . . . .NOW!

Ogre Empire conversion finished and 50,000 hits!

Woke up yesterday to see my blog about little soldiers had crossed the 50,000 hits mark!

Unfortunately my blog is at that stage where I am picking up a lot of spam hits from Russia and the like but a mile stone is a mile stone!

50,000 hits would have been inconceivable back in 2013 when I started this blog of sillyness.

Back to the proper stuff. I finished up my Ogre Empire spearman yesterday.

Have to be honest he was a LOT more fun to paint then those pigs that are my old Empire Spearmen sculpts!

I am also playing with converting an Ogre into a Knight and a Warpriest but we will see how that plays out.

Miniatures painted / sold this year = 85 (silver tower does not count)

Target 100

Miniatures bought 15 (silver tower does not count)

369 miniatures to go!

70 in the black this year

Holiday painting. Reaper, Village of Kullhaven, Townsfolk

Here are some pics of the painting I managed to complete while away.

This is the bartender from the Reaper Kulhaven set.

This fella is painted up as a NPC element for my games of Mordheim.

He has also ended up in my Empire army militia and has already seen off a Orc Stone Golum and a unit of 20 Arrow boyz!

What a boy!

The lovely fact is the weather was beautiful and we had a brilliant time so I spent very little time with the brushes.

I did get 4 Greatswords finished as well. The truth is they are not great sculpts and I have a lot of duplicates in the set I bought. Thankfully I bought a set of the modern efforts and the set above will probably end up in the rear ranks.

I also wanted to show off a effort of my friend Lee. He is a WHF salty dog and it was a pleasure to play his fully painted Orcs. Unfortunately the sun was setting so I never really got a chance to take any photos.

Real shame!

One realisation I have had is that I am going to need to field more spearmen as it looks like we will be playing 1500 to 2000 point games. This is great but there was no way I was looking to paint another dozen of the pigs!

This has led to me pulling out the green stuff and creating this guy . . . . .

Miniatures painted / sold this year = 83 (silver tower does not count)

Target 100

Miniatures bought 15 (silver tower does not count)

371 miniatures to go!

68 in the black this year

Al fresco Warhammer.

Last week Lano and I managed to meet up for 1500 points of al fresco, WHF, 8th edition gaming.

Year of puns. July / Crewly.

Here is my entry for July for my year of puns.

My original intention was to paint a set of miniatures which homaged a rather striking picture from the original Mordheim rulebook but once again time and tides got in the way.

July was to be a entry relating to Groo ly (dim swordsman) or crews (pirates etc) so I pulled out an Empire cannon and crew to paint up.

They all ended up boss eyed or blind as I am yet to hit anything with a cannon in any of my WHF battles!

It just seemed fitting.

Regardless, they are done and I am looking forward to Au(pus)t.

Miniatures painted / sold this year =78 (silver tower does not count)

Target 100

Miniatures bought 15 (silver tower does not count)

376 miniatures to go!

63 in the black this year.

My WHF 8th edition Empire Army

With the sun out and my 'Sons of Sigmar' getting a run out in the fine weather I decided to take some army pics to see where I was with my 1st Company Lustrian Expeditionary Forces.

Here we are. . . . .

Group shot of all my painted elements.

My Militia, which thanks to Mordheim are the best painted regiment in the whole army!

Centre of picture are my 'Deamon Slayers' spearmen with my Warpriest.

My hard as nails, Demigryphs.

Custoras my Grand Master, with Rags and Marcus Darklore my level 2 Wizards. In the back ground you can see my units of 'Second Sons' mounted Knights.

Here are my cannon and crew, Matilda and the boomtown rats.

Here is my gunline. The guy on the end is a sniper.

My 'Noble flashes' pistolliers. Basically my suicide troops.

At some point this lot below will end up as a detachment of crossbows or Huntsmen.

There are still lots of elelments to add to this army but there is no rush as there is still a strong following for 8th amoung my gaming circles.

I am currently painting up a second cannon and crew for Crew(ly) / July and below is a photo with my Greatswords and other unpainted elelments added.

Warhammer 8th Edition battle report. "Is it really only turn 2?"

When would the Ratmen learn? More importantly when would the Imperial Administrators listen to his dispatches and take his reports of men sized Rats seriously?

Despite sending the heads of several specimens to the zooilogical institutes, they had been proclaimed fakes, conjoured up to scare the citizens of the Empire.

Then Ambassadors of the Emperor had arrived at his camp and instructed him to push further into the forests to investigate further and report back to the Emperor personally. Of course Custoras negotiated a good price for his silence.

Awakening of the woods part 5. End game!

Rags was bustled into Custoras' tent as soon as he returned to the camp!

Custoras stood at the campaign table with the pitiful maps of the area spread before him. The maps were useless as the forests seemed  to move of their own accord!

Every scouting party he had sent out to reconnaissance the area has failed to return and Custoras had been forced to hang several 'Red Caps' after their refusal to leave the camp.

Finally a Lizardman had appeared at the edge of the camp fires and simply stood there pointing at Rags until he had obeyed the summons!

At dawn Custoras had heard the sentry challenges and light had streamed into his tent as the flap had been pulled aside to admit the Wizard. Rags was visably shaken by the experience and had reverted to his unhinged mannerisms and babblings, simular to when they had found him in the Lustrian forests years ago.

"Xhua-Ekko their 'Gods will' has decreeded that they will not attack the naked primates in the forthcoming battle. Their Gods wrote of this battle aeons ago. They declaired the blood of the apes would not be shed by the Cold Ones."

"And how do we know we can trust them?" Custoras demanded!

Their Gods have decreed it!" Rags stated with a finality that stifled all argument.

As the sun rose on the clearing, the Lizards had wheeled away towards the hordes of Goblins and their possible mutual destruction without even a sideways glance towards the Imperial forces.

Rags had glanced up at Custoras and shrugged "Their Gods have decreed it." he stated simply.

"And what had 'their Gods' decreed for those?" Custoras enquired, pointing towards the Elves just clearing the forest.

"Death my Lord! Ours or theirs, they did not say. Xhua-Ekko had simply uttered one word . . . . DEATH!"

awakening of the woods pt4

Custoras looked across at the Dwarves arrayed on his flank. Despite the battles between them the armies had realised only a truce would delay their mutual destruction by the force of Goblins and Undead assemblying across the field.

Could their new allies be trusted?

By Sigmar Custoras hoped so. . . . . .

Awakening of the Woods pt.3. The Two towers.

Custoras had not known tiredness like this since his days as a tanners apprentice in his youth before his real father appeared and rescued him from a life of poverty.

Thankfully he had his charger to carry him. The 'Red Caps' were not so fortunate and trudged behind him with weary steps.

Once again I find my self arrayed opposite Phil and his Dwarves.

There could be no respite, they had to clear the forest! Everytime they stopped to make camp the forest would erupt into a frenzy of wooded demons, forcing them onwards. . . . . . But towards what?

Shortly before, the scouts had reported a tower in the distance. It's outline against the horizan reminded Custoras of the castles he has seen as the '1st Lustrian' had been escorted through Bretonnia.

Jac the 'last Bretonnian' had confirmed Custoria's deductions and the towers Bretonnian origins. Could this be where they were being herded towards? If so for what purposes?

I figure I will deploy with my Infantry and detachments first as a bullet shield before my Cavalry destroy them.

Blood and Thunder. WHF Campaign Game 1.

General Custoras bloody hated spiders! He hated this particular spider even more then the tiny, sneering, green, miscreant sitting on its' back!

At least the Gobbo had learnt to fear cold, sharp, Imperial steel. Unlike the giant arachnid he was riding which had cowled his beautiful Demigryphs.

Custoras turned away from the baleful, red eyes of the Goblin General and surveyed the other participants of this parley.

The Slink Priest stood there, alien and aloof. Rags had told him that the Priest was probably following instructions laid down millennia ago by their Gods and Sigmar help anyone who tried to disrupt the wishes of their Gods.

The four Generals meet on the large hill in the centre of the battlefield to talk terms. Their armies eye each other warily around the outskirts.

The forth participant was a mystery to Custoras. The Dwarf General was sweating profusely from the climb up the steep hill while wearing heavy armour.

Good let the stuntie, little, bastard sweat!

All four armies had fought each other to a stand still in this cursed isle and this truce had been called to discuss terms.

Custoras glanced over his shoulder at his personal body guard arrayed at the edge of the forest clearing, their beautifully wrought, armour glinting in the rising sun.

Suddenly the trees transform into Dryads and charge into the parleying Generals!

As he was about to turn back to his fellow protagonists, a small movement from one of the surrounding trees caught his eye. His hand had barely touched the pummel of his sword when the forest had erupted into a frenzy of shrieking, wooded demons!

Arise you sons of Sigmar!!

General Custoras peered into the Lustrian mists. Despite the chill of the dawn, Custoras was bathed in sweat. Surely it it just the humidity Custoras thought to himself . . . . .surely!

Despite his bravado Dogstein knew the boy better then he knew himself and could hear the apprehension is his General's voice as he extolled the fighting virtue of his men and the numerous foes they had overcome during their time in Lustria!

The truth was Custoras had never recovered from their decimation at the hands of the lizards when they first arrived on these shores.

Despite his best efforts, the Lizard men had forced his hand and drawn him into combat. Despite his victories and learnt experiences, was he ready? 

With the sun rising to their back Custoras had done all he could to set the field. With one final bellow of defiance towards the Lizard men line he ordered the bugler to sound the advance.

"Sigmar is with us" he bellowed into the mists . . . . . surely?

2015 a year in review.

Once again it is that time of the year where we secretly pat yourself on the back under the pretence of looking back over the previous year.

This one is going to be easy.

The first six months of the year can be summed up in a single word MORDHEIM!!!!!!!!

Painting Mordheim,

creating mordheim terrain, 

Top night at the 'Essex Legion'!

Despite the two losses!

With the School Holidays begun and me absolutely hanging by the end, I was allowed to skip the Kids Swimming and Bed time and get down the Legion for the full 5 hours!

I knew it was going to be a big night when I turned up bang on 5pm and the Car park was already chock a block.

Age of Sigmar. Slam your body down and wind it all around. Slam your body down Sig a Sig ah

Unlike most people on the web, I decided to wait until I had actually played a game of Sigmar before I passed Judgement.

This resulted in me revisiting Games Workshop Enfield to give my Empire Army a run out against the Sigmarites. 

Like everyone else I was confused by the whole "Just put what you want on the table, and I will do the same" way of balancing the game. Knowing the blokes I do (yes I am looking at you Ed and Russell), I can see this being abused in all sorts of ways. If you are out numbered by a third you can declare a 'Sudden death victory" but this just means your opponent will set up one less figure than you require to be able to claim this. Also how can plonking 3 bloody great Dragons on the table mean you are at a disadvantage if I field ten Spearmen?

Anyway I set up all my painted cavalry, Steve who runs the store and was kind enough to walk me through a game, fielded some Sigmarites from the starter box set.

A misreading of the rules meant we set up as follows,

What we should have done was split the table in two and then set up alternate units, more than 12" from enemy territory.

Steve was kind enough to print out all the Empire war scrolls for me to use. They are very, very simple.