Crunching the numbers . . .

Hi,

Between our various summer excursions (the last of which involved helping my in-laws move), I've been continuing to prep my Khador, along with some Bartertown shopping for Cryx, and a fair bit of number / point / list crunching, always a favourite pastime of the skirmish wargamer.

I'm now 2 figures away from completing the prep on my 35p Khador list, but tragically, have run out of super glue.  Once the remaining models are prepped, I'll break out the gesso, and have at them. As an aside, I mentioned this to my wife, who had been talking about picking up some groceries tomorrow; I asked her, if she got the chance to pick some up some Lock-tite. "You use the one with the blue cap, right?" she asked. To hell with hearts and cupids; I'm married to a woman who knows my preferences in super glue.  That, my friends, is love.

While waiting for my glue to dry, I've been shopping. Bartertown, for those of you unfamiliar with it, is an excellent source of deals on used miniatures.  I've been able to set up two buys in the last week, and as I write, the following should be winging their way to me via the US (and eventually, Canadian) postal service.

Asphyxious
Deneghra
eDeneghra
Witch Coven
Stalker x2
Defiler x3
Deathripper x2
Seether
Cankerworm
Magnetized plastic slayer kit x2
Necrotech and 7 Scrap Thralls
Warwitch Siren x2
Pistol Wraith x2
Skarlock
Full Satyxis
Withershadow combine

In other words, pretty much everything I'd need to run any of the "arc node" warcasters from Cryx.  I'd have preferred nightwretches to defilers, but at the price at which I'm getting them, I won't be too picky. As I've said before, I used to play Cryx.  In fact, I've painted a Cryx army twice.  The second time forms some of the earliest posts on this blog, but I've been going through old pictures of the various Warmachines armies I've painted, starting with my first Cryx army, from when I was just learning the game.



To be honest, I'm wondering what possessed me to sell these off at the time, or for that matter, to sell off the last Cryx army I painted either. I think I hit some sort of saturation point on game expansions.  Warmachine is a game where to play competitively, you need to stay on top of everything in the game.  List building is a factor, and I think I got to a point where staying on top of the game felt more like work than like fun.




What I forgot was that I'm not really a competitive player.  While I like to win, play to win, and expect my opponents to do the same, half the fun of this game is when someone pulls out some evil new trick, and you learn the hard way ;)



It may just be that I needed a break.  Coming back into the game, looking over the forces books that have been released since I dropped out, along with expansions like Wrath, have gotten me wildly excited to play.





I find myself wanting to simultaneously reboot every force I've ever built for the game, all at the same time.





What's so exciting about my dip back in this time, is how fresh everything seems.  The impact of things like tier lists (which exchange a more limited list build with rewards for accepting "tiers" of limitations) and the impact of the new faction models (key utility solos like Warwitch Sirens, for example), have essentially made the game new;  much of what I took for granted as the "meta", the context for play, no longer applies.



While the Privateer Press forums are as full of drama and nerdrage as ever, they're also revealing.  I was reading a post the other day talking about the utility of machine wraiths, a long-time favorite model (it remains, I think, my favourite in the warmachine range), but a long-time loser in terms of utlity.  A version change in the game, a revamp of his abilities, and a radical shift in meta, and it's now a useful, if subtle, component to lists - what it should have been from its introduction back in escalation.



I've been looking over the tier lists for both pDennie and the Coven, 'casters I've used before, but not to the extent of pGaspy and eDennie.  I think the game plan will be to use the Khador as a "get playing" force while I spend some time really doing up the painting on my Cryx.  I have some ideas for a desert colour scheme, based on some pictures I gleaned of Navaho country.

For whatever reason, Warmachine seems to be back in my life.  I hope this time it's here to stay.  In the meantime, for those of you who are historical games, and have been viewing the last few posts aghast, fear not.  I've word that my missing bases are on their way, so I should have some Spartan content up in a week or so, plus I've booked off a Wednesday two weeks from now to play the next game in our Maurice campaign.  You may have to put up with the occasional steampunk extravaganza, but there's still load of historical painting and gaming in the works.

FMB

WIP- eddy doo-dah, wippedy. Eh?

Hi,

So far, this seems to be the summer of not getting much done, but making lots of plans ;)  I've made a little headway on the Dytopian Wars project, and finished off the decking on a squadron of frigates, the remaining cruisers, and the battleship.  I've also assembled and primed the sky fortress.



I'm quite chuffed with the battleship model - I'd forgotten how much I liked it.  The detail on Spartan's stuff is terrific, and they make good use of it on the larger models.



As with the sky fortress, the battleship is magnetized.  The turrets turn, and the disruption generator at the back (the dome thing) can be swapped for twin shield generators.  I'd like to deal with the DW stuff as a coherent project, so I'll likely do the decking on the sky fortress and second frigate squadron next, and then proceed to windows, etc. for the entire fleet.  Not as focussed in terms of painting, but the goal here is to get stuff done, so the more assembly line, the better.

On a completely unrelated note, I came across a facebook post recently that put me on to this guy:

For those of you more historically oriented, it's the latest incarnation of Asphyxious (fondly referred to as "Gaspy"), from the Cryx faction of Privateer Press' Warmachine game.  Gaspy was my first warcaster way back when I started playing Warmachine, and to this day, those early games with him remain some of, if not the most, fun I've ever had playing a miniatures game.  The prospect of a new version of him had me very seriously considering starting up Cryx AGAIN (for the third time), and I went so far as to investigate the possibility of trading my Khador for some Cryx.  I held off at the last minute (as the Khador stuff I have is part of a bucket list project), but I may putter with a slow-grow 35 point list in the fall.  Gaspy revival is hard to give up.

In the process of inventorying my Khador stuff, however, I started to realize how much I missed playing the game.  I kind of burned out on Warmachine a few years back - the game had expanded beyond the point that I could effectively keep up, andgiven the nature of the game (where broken combos are part of the fun), I felt both our of the loop, and resented the "need" to keep up.

As a casual game, however, it remains both a fantastic rule set and a fun setting.  I'm regretting selling off my Cryx army.  For the last 48 hours, I've been itching to teach someone why you should never, ever, get within charge range of eDeneghra, and sorely missing the joy of a bonejack rush.  As a consequence, my geek table now looks like this.



That's the basis of a Khador Man of War list.  Basically, the antithesis of Cryx.  I've loved these models since they came out, and have started the somewhat laborious process of putting them together.

I'm finding that with both kids here, and all the stuff we're doing (lots of out and about and family visits), time for painting and playing is at a premium.  I can snatch ten or fifteen minutes here and there, but generally, that's it.  The way I paint, that's not enough, but I can do prep work under those constrains.  I get the feeling the focus this summer is going to be planning, assembling, and otherwise prepping stuff to be painted in the fall and winter.  Come the fall, I'll have a number of "black" armies I can putter with, and paint as I go.

FMB

Tourney results

Hi,

Had a 25 point tournament at the LGS Sunday. Scenario-based, but not SR2010 - TO just took some scenarios from the book. Came in 3rd (of 6). Lost my second game by failing to take out Drago by 3 points. With the Nightmare, and backstrikes. Which left eDennie hanging out in the wind, for easy pickings. Note to self - use the ARMOUR debuff on 'jacks. 2nd / 3rd came down to a run off between the 0 and 2 players, and the one I beat lost. To be fair, it was her dice - she played a good game, and just came up a few points short on an assasination run. The atmosphere around the table at that game was pretty tense - plenty riding on the game ;) I ran:

eDennie
Scarlock
Nightmare
Deathripper
Nightwretch
Full McTHralls
2 Pistol Wraiths

Some pics:

McThralls taunting the opposition:



Nightmare eating Rahvyn



Nightmare not eating Drago:



Notes and reflections - eDennie is ridiculously fun, as is Nightmare, athough I think I may just skip the prey shenanigans and declare the opposing warcaster from the outset. Epic D brings so much board control and movement shenanigans that opponents struggle to predict where the attack is coming from. I'm currently prepping a 40 point list (don't ask) for next months tournament - and will update with info when it's fully painted. I'm hoping we get some more bodies out at that one - there are apparantly other players in the area, so hopefully they'll show.

The Dragonfather's way . .

Hi,

So, a couple weeks now since my last post. I've had my son with me, and have been spending as much time with him as I can, so there's been limited opportunities (or energy ;) for geeking. I'm proud to announce, however, that when I took him to the LGS the other day, he left the delighted owner of his first 30-sided die - a giant red monstrosity that caught his eye at the cash register.

I have had a chance to do a little painting, the fruits of which you can see below. First off, Master Necrtech Mortenebra, and her loyal sidekick, Derlyss.









Not sure what that crud on her chin is - I'm going to go at her with a file and touch-up brush I guess. I'm intrigued by this caster, but likely won't get her on the table until I get a few more combat 'jacks painted - I've got something like 3-4 heavies assembled, but want to get some brushwork done before they hit the table.

Next, is an almost obligatory Deathripper. I used to take these for the sheer cheapness (and still do - the much vaunted price hike of Cryx arc nodes seems overstated). I've had actual utility in-game of late, however - at the last LGS tourney, I think a deathripper ended up with the caster kill in at least two games. The MAT boost they've received, plus a slight boost to their attack, makes a significant difference to their threat potential.







Last, but not least, is machine wraith #1 (of 2 planned). this is one of my favorite models in the game, and likely my favorite in Cryx. It's a fantastic example of the steampunk horror aesthetic that first drew me to the faction. They seem to have a new lease on life in Mk II, and I'm eager to try this guy out on the table-top.









Last, I found out yesterday there's going to be a 25-point tournament at the LGS this coming Sunday, and I should be able to make it. I'm leaning towards either Gaspy or eDennie. One list I've played around with is:

eDennie
Deathripper
Nightwretch
Nightmare
Skarlock
full McThralls
Pistol Wraith x2

This list opens up a fair number of attack vectors, has great speed, solid terrain management, and a good combination of ranged and melee threat. A second option is to switch out the wraiths for some other units / solos - maybe a Warwitch Siren, Gorman di Wulfe, and a Necrotech and Machine Wraith. I like having the death chill option and 4 ranged shots to go with eDennie's marked for death, but wouldn't mind some utility support (and getting more figs on the table). Either way, I have a couple models to get finished for Sunday. Wish me luck.

TMtW

Cryx wins!

Hi,

So, been a week or so since my last post, and in that time, I've played a 1275 tournament for Flames of War and a battlebox tournament for warmachine. Much to report.

The FoW tourney was small - both in terms of points (1275) and in terms of players (3!!). I managed to pull out a best painted award, which, given that I was the only one with a fully painted army, wasn't too much of a stretch. The force in question can be seen below:



It consisted of a full company of T-34s, with 5 85mm tanks, a full company of Shermans, and a full company of SU-85 assault guns, plus the T-34/85 command tank. I've posted close ups of the shermans and T-34s in the past, but here's some of the SU-85s:





They're a new addition - I just finished them a week before the tournament, and I'm finding the extra unit of 85mm guns adds a fair bit to the army I'm playing. I've also managed to flesh out the infantry company I've been grinding away at:













And, finally, here's a shot of the entire soviet force I've painted to date:



In the Cryx tournament on Sunday, I won, coming in first overall - again, not a super-surprising result, since I was the only one of the 7 playing with any real experience of the game. It was posted as a battle-box event, but on the day I arrived, the organizer told me that they had relaxed the restrictions to include any 18 point mangled metal force. Apparantly, there was a Retribution player (who turned out to be my first opponent). As the Ret. doesn't have a battlebox, the point cap was instituted, and then broadened to all participants. I ended up sticking with the battlebox (there's nothing wrong with Deneghra, three arc nodes and a slayer), but it made for some unexpected match-ups.

My first game was against the aformentioned Retribution player, who took Rhayven, a Phoenix, and a Manitcore. This was the first time I've played against a Retribution player, and I'm kind of glad that she was as new to the game as she was. The Retribution has a potent mix of shooting and magic, and I won the game mainly because my opponent hasn't learned how to effectively guard her 'caster. Rhayven was exposed, and the Withering plus a few Venoms did the trick.

My second game was against one of the unexpected match-ups I mentioned, a Khador player with Vlad, a Kodiak, and Drago. I advanced, using my usual bait tactic with a forward bonejack. My opponent's tactics mainly consisted of casting Blood of Kings, hiding Vlad in some woods, and sending his 'jacks out to fight. I managed to tag Vlad with the feat, but only was able to land one of two venoms, and did minimal damage. We traded some 'jacks, Vlad healed, and the game ended with a draw, as by the end of the game, neither one of us had a wounded warcaster.

My third game was against a Cygnar battlebox, run by one of my students. He's still learning the game and how to use the force, so in many ways it went like my first game. Withering plus Venom, with I think a little deathripper munching, did for Stryker, and I was left with a 2-1-0 record. Which turned out to be the same as my round two opponent. Rematch in the death cage for the final.

For the final round, win conditions were (in order): caster kill, points eliminated, or in the result of a tie, sudden death - first one to lose a model lost. This time around, I moved toward the forest aggressively, and he make the (I think) mistake of splitting up his 'jacks so they couldn't support each other. I kept Deneghra within 15-16" of Vlad, kept an arc node dancing in and out of LOS of Vlad within the woods, dropped Crippling Grasp on the Kodiak (making it more or less useless) and went to work on Drago. My opponent tried to play it cagey, keeping Drago out of charge range of my Slayer, but that left me able to slowly whittle it down with Parasite, Venom, and the Defiler's spray. After a couple of rounds, my opponent decided enough was enough, and charged Drago in on the Defiler. This allowed me to charge him in turn with the Slayer, wrecking Drago.

On his turn, Vlad finally managed to razor wind my arc node in the woods out of commission (no head or arc node), and I was left with a Slayer, an arc node, and Dennie. I was able to move Dennie within control range of Vlad, popped Deneghra's feat, and cast Ghost Walk (though the 'node) on the slayer. The Slayer, fully loaded, was able to charge into the woods to Vlad, and a couple of boosted POW 16s later, Vlad was toast.

I had a blast. It's been ages since I've been able to play that many games of Warmachine, and it looks like there's a growing crowd interested. I can't wait to get some more games in.

Finally, a little taste of Cryx.

Thinking - always a mistake

Hi,

Been a tad busy of late, so not much to show. I've got a 1275 Flames of War tourney this weekend at the FLGS, but find my mind wandering to Gencon.

Yep, it's a go. I am off to gamer wonderland this coming August. It'll be my first time, but I've been meaning to go for yonks. I'm definitely planning on playing in Hardcore, and would like to try and get in some FoW games as well.

It's the hardcore lists that have me thinking. There has been much ado on the PP boards of late about "the new meta", i.e., the supposed tendency in Mk. II towards shooting. Given that the local community is only just starting to get into WM / Hordes, it's not like I'm seeing much of this new meta in my games, so list design for Gencon remains something of an intellectual exercise.

I figure I have two main options - the French and the German. In other words, I can either accept the conventional wisdom (that shooting is where it's at), and perfect that strategy, or I can assume that everyone else will be attempting to do so, and instead work on something designed to circumvent or foil that meta.

Couple this with the usual parameters for Hardcore list design (the need to create assasination opportunities, the need to prevent assasination vulnerability, and the factor of time pressure), and I have some thinking to do.

TMtW

Cryx, cryx, cryx

Hi,

Sooo. some new Cryx to post, first of the "50 points to Gencon" project. Behold, Mechanithralls!



Momma say knock you out!



This season, collars are worn high:





In addition, I finally got around to finishing a necrotech:



And this one was an absolute nightmare to paint ;):



Had a little trouble with focus on this, but it's a nice touch on the model:



Finally, a couple of happy families shots of what's painted in my resurgent Cryx army.





Getting back into Cryx has me excited, I have to admit. Looking forward to getting in some more games soon.

TMtW

The "To do" pile . . .

Hi,

Well, here's the pile of things to be painted by Gen Con:



That's a 50 point Mortenebra list. Interestingly, it doesn't seem to have made a dent in my pile 'o lead, which leads me to think my soul is safe from the keeper for now. In the process of digging up all this stuff, I discovered I have the makings of decent little Trollbloods force as well - though I could probably use a Mauler . . .