Epic - On the Paint Table 31/01/18

Progress,

Finished the BA Scout Company, the IG Assault Company, the BA Dev Rhinos and Bikes, Wave Serpents and Braincrushas. All done to a pretty basic standard, more as a bit of a test of speed/efficiency rather than trying to win any awards.

next up, I'll make a start on magnetising and painting the rest of my Warlord titans so i can field a nice 3 vs 3 in matching schemes.

Epic - On the Paint Table 29/01/18

Just a quick update with what I've started painting today - hopefully should have it all finished by the end of the week unless something like pesky work gets in the way!

Blood Angels Scouts - I've sold all of my official scout minis, and always hated the scale difference on them anyway, so knocked together all the 'Sergeant' models i could muster (which was the exact number i needed!) and used DRM's 'Scout' models to represent the sniper rifle/camo cloak elements of these guys. got a full companies worth based and base coated in a sandy colour which i'll add red armour details to.

Blood Angels Bikes - Based and base coated 10 stands of bikes and a company HQ which i can add to my existing detachment to bring it up to company size.

Blood Angels Rhinos - Base coated for the devastator company completed last week.

Imperial Guard Medusas - was about to stick my left over (and hated) 2ns edition basilisk models up on eBay when it struck me. If you chop the barrel down and take of the top scope thing then they make for pretty good medusa proxies... So i did.

Brain Crushas and Wave Serpents - clearing down to the bottom of an un painted lead pile and got to these guys, just primed/base coated at the mo.

Imperial Guard Assault Company - Painting another on of these, on square bases this time to fit with the rest of my IG forces. Plus it meant i could finally separate out my excess IG infantry and get rid of them. Going for a traditional grey uniform here, will highlight with a lighter grey, add face, weapon and squad colour details and call it done with them!

Epic - Campaign Game 2

Game 2 - 3475pts Eldar vs 3000pts Imperial Guard

Armies

Eldar

Falcon Host
Jetbike Host
Spirit Host

Revenant Scout Titans
Phantom Titan (D-Canon, Pulsar, Las Wing, Missile Launcher)

Striking Scorpions
Fire Dragons
Swooping Hawks
Shining Spears
Doom Weavers

Avatar

Imperial Guard

Assault Company (w/2x Chimedon detachments - proxied as Leman Russ)
Shadowsword Company
Predator Company

Leviathan
Leviathan

Marauders
Hellhounds

Setup

The objectives are placed roughly along the centre of the battlefield, forcing both sides to push forward to take them.

The Eldar Concentrate the bulk of their army on the left and right flanks, with a fast moving force of bikes and a scout titan in the middle to react quickly and reinforce whichever side under most threat.

The Imperial Guard place their heavy hitting armour to the left of centre and their faster moving infantry and fliers, supported by a Leviathan command centre on the right.

Turn 1

Eldar forces push hard on the left flank, charging forward with the relative safety of the intervening cover. The Imperial armoured wrecking ball slowly makes it way forward but finds few targets after the initial movement.

The faster predator tanks crest the hill and take the objective in the open, but again find few targets. The Eldar scouts at the edge of the forest call on the spot targets for the Doom-weaver artillery. Deadly mono-filament webs from descend on the tank company but fail to cause any damage.

Out of frame the 2nd scout titan pushes into the middle to snatch the objective from the predators. confident that its speed and agility will save it from the inevitable hail of fire still to come.

Imperial Guard Assault troops push into the park forest and prepare to breach and clear the buildings in their deployment zone. This action is met with Eldar jetbikes and Shining Spears swooping down on them to engage in close combat.

Fire Dragons deploy on the objective building on the right and are left just of of range for the armour in the streets below.

The Phanton Titan is drawn out engage the predator company in the open, but its massive weapons fail to do any real damage.

As it moves the roar of jet engines can be heard above as the Marauder fighter-bombers unleash their full salvo on the Titan. One missile breaches the holo-field and impacts on the wing-mounted weapon, causing maximum damage, causing a flashback that blows the head off of the towering machine! it crashes to the ground and the normally stoic eldar drop their jaws in shock.

In a bid for vengeance the Vyper jetbikes push their machines to the limts in a desperate attempt to shoot down the fast moving jets, but to no avail.

The Bikes and Assault infantry trade casualties in close combat.

VPs

Eldar 25

IG 16

Turn 2

At the start of turn 2 the Imperial guard forces concentrate all fire on the Eldar scout titans that are weaving in amongst their lines. they manage to blow the pulse laser from one of them, but the retaliation from the titans is weak and they fail to do much damage, however their role as a distraction is vital.

More webs fall around the predators and again, no casualties are inflicted.

The Spirit host continue to advance on the left, but are out of sight of the action and can't find their mark at this range.

The battle in skies continues with the enraged vypers managing to take out 2 of the marauders in exchange for 2 of their bikes, before the surviving jet pulls back to start another strafing run.

The Imperial Assault troops seek cover in the buildings surrounding the park and try to hold the two objectives inside. Eldar striking scorpions are delivered at the rear out of sight and try to cut their way through to the top.

The jetbikes and Shining Spears engage the remaining tanks in the open.

Swooping Hawks deep-strike in to ensure the central objective is secured, one unit misses its mark and horrifically ensnared on deadly filament that litters the battlefield. 

The close combat is bloody and the imperial armour is no match of the speed and ferocity of the Eldar bikes. The assault troops put up a valiant effort against the elite Striking Scorpions, but is in vain as the objective is snatched from the outside.

VPs

Eldar 52

IG 13

Post Game

Final Casualties were relatively light on both sides, however the Maruaders for the IG and Phantom for the Eldar could prove too costly to replace.

The next battle will be crucial. It could be the Imperial Guard's last chance to close the gap in Renown. An imperial victory next time will allow both forces to field 3500 points, with an Eldar victory meaning a potential 1000pt advantage.

Brushin' - Epic, Gaslands etc...

Just a quick update with some works in progress (actually finished the blood angels in the photos below, but put them away without taking final photos, and i'm too lazy to dig them back out... so...)

Eldar Shining Spears - chopped up some Warhammer fantasy bows, knifes and spears and cobbled these guys together.

Gaslands - base coated 10 cars and stuck a couple of guns on. reckon i'll make up some lists later with the cars in duos, can see we already have Military, Cops, Racers, Crazy-Europeans and Redneck teams starting to emerge!

Blood Angels - Terminator Company, and Devastator Company (as well as some Death company)

Epic - Campaign Game 1

As mentioned we are kicking off a new campaign this year and we have just had our first game, so i thought i'd get a write up in as soon as possible before my brain erases it.

For those interested i'll include the campaign rules in this post.

Apologies for the sporadic and crap photographs, they were more for reference than artistic value!

Brief fluff
A decade ago Imperial Governor Warmmonth of Brecksitt 7 made the decision to secede from the empire, this split the planet in half with those loyal to the empire and those who had been turned by whispers in the night. the 45th Highland Battalion of the Imperial Guard held a coup to overthrow the governor and were victorious by the slimmest of margins, leaving them significantly weakened. They now control the planet and have sent out the call for reinforcements and guidance from Holy Terra.
The planet was once ruled by the Eldar a millennia ago and More recently a fragile truce was brokered to allow both races to focus on the Chaos threat in the sector.
Fearing the planet may have fallen, or be on the cusp of falling, an exploratory fleet from the nearby Eldar craftworld has been dispatched to investigate and secure any artefacts from their past. The two forces tentatively send out their scouting armies to size up the opposition. It isn't clear who fired first, but it's fair to say that the truce is broken.

Game 1 - 3000 Pts Eldar vs 3000pts Imperial Guard

Armies;

Eldar

Falcon Host
Jetbike Host
Spirit Host

Revenant Scout Titans
Phantom Titan (Heat Lance, Pulsar, Las Wing, Missile Launcher)

Striking Scorpions
Fire Dragons
Swooping Hawks


Imperial Guard (from memory)

Heavy Infantry Company (w/ 3 Chimedon Detachments - Vindicator Proxies)
Leman Russ Company (Predator Proxies)
Shadow Sword Company
Rough Rider Company

Mole Mortar Detachment


Turn 1

A unit Eldar Jetbikes push forward into the forest containing objective 5, The entire Company of Rough Riders take up position in the opposite forest staging themselves for a charge.
The Avatar smells the flesh and is drawn towards them.
A Revenant Scout titan pushes out wide on the left flank, charging past the rough riders as it is unable to make out any targets in the dense woods.

 The Spirit Host Wraith Guard stride into the city and their Wraithlord companions take up position to make shots at the incoming mechanised heavy support troops in their Chimedon transports as they  disembark into the nearby buildings.

The Mole Mortars take out one of the advancing Wraith Lords with their subterranean artillery.

Eldar Falcons deliver Fire Dragon Aspect Warriors to the building containing Ojective 8 and they proceed to exchange fire with the Heavy Company troops and supporting Leman Russ tanks.

Striking Scorpions are also hurled into combat and begin trying to clear out the buildings of Imperial Forces in Close Combat.

The 2nd Detachment of Jetbikes secures objective 7, whilst fire is exchanged between the Falcons and Wraithlords against the Leman Russ company and ShadowSwords.

Out of shot the Second Scout Titan secures the objective between the forests. The Phantom Titan manages to damage a Shadow Sword super heavy tank, but leaves itself exposed to a las canon shot that slips through its shields and whizzes over its wing tip.

VPs

Eldar 25

IG 10

Turn 2

At the beginning of turn 2 the towering Eldar Phantom titan fails to do any significant damage and after firing slips behind a tall building to find some shelter from the titan killer tanks that it has stirred up. Thankfully for the titan the Volcano canons fail to find their targets again and the Phantom is safe once again.

The Imperial cavelry make their charge against the jetbikes in the neighbouring forest and the enraged Avatar piles in.

The bloody battle for control of the city continues with Striking Scorpions being slain by las canon fire as they charge in and the brave company commanders leading by example and laying fire into the approaching Vyper jet bikes.

The Vypers retaliate by strafing the building containing the HQ units managing to take one out of action.

One of the scout titans pushes behind enemy lines and lights up the damaged Shadow Sword and Leman Russ', Their retaliation fails to damage the agile titan.

From the sky, Swooping hawk aspect warriors descend to sieze the objective from the Imperial Guard tanks and accurately land surrounding it.

The remainder of the Rough Rider company spreads its units out across the valley in order to try and hold two objectives.

The Eldar jet bikes leap over the charging cavalry to hold objective 7, leaving them to take Objective 5 and deal with the Avatar.

The 2nd Jetbike detachment push into the Heavy Guardsmen who are exposed in the open holding objective 2 at all costs, with no communication with their command.

The 2nd Scout Titan charges around the forest to bare down on the brave commissar sitting on the Objective.

Close Combat follows and the Avatar Survives and onslaught of lance blows from the Rough Riders. The Titan's defence matrix slays the commissar before he can draw his chain sword and the Jetbikes wipe out the exposed troops on the hillside.

After a quick check of Victory Points it looks like the Eldar have snatched victory at the end of Turn 2. To the relief of both sides the casualty count was quite low and the battle was more of a sizing up exercise, i think the next time they meet there will be much more blood...

VPs

Eldar 41

IG 15

XP

First Blood - Writh Lords (Destroyed a detachment of chimedons from the heavy company)

Break their spirit - Fire Dragons (Broke the Heavy Company)

Bloodied Fists - Avatar (survived Combat against 3 rough riders)

Lead By Example - IG Heavy Company HQ

RP

Eldar 22

IG 14

Renown

Eldar +2

IG 0

Post Game;

22RP from Game 1 + 2 Renown

Reinforced KIA units;

2x Wraithlord 100pts

1x Wraith Guard 25pts

1x Vyper Jetbike 50pts

1x Striking Scorpion 37.5pts

3x Falcon Grav Tank 150pts

Total = 362.5 Pts 

Divide by 50 for RP Cost

= 7.25, Round up to 8RP

New Units Purchased

1x Shining Spears Detachment @ 200pts (4RP)

Purchased Forward Operating Base (to allow 3500pts army to be fielded) = 5RP

New RP Total = 5

Rules link;

http://www.tacticalwargames.net/taccmd/viewtopic.php?f=146&t=32879&sid=bbf5657236b4d19ac80bc7272f44811c

The foot of the mountain - Hobby Update

Figured i'd post as i go, so here's today's work, just picking away at a few bits before starting a batch of something.

Added some edge lines to my roads for Gaslands and gave a bit of a drybrush to bring out the texture, they look a lot better now!

Started to mod a few cars, painted a Zombicide model for Frostgrave (or any other fantasy stuff that comes my way)

Painted a new HQ Vindicator for my Epic IG army to replace the old brick style model.

Detachments of Chaos Minotaurs and Trolls

And That's about it!

Will see what takes my fancy the rest of the week and report back.

Cheers!

Happy New Year - 2018 Hobby goals

Happy New Year!

Looking back at the blog for the last few years it does seem i get a burst of hobby energy during the festive season. Maybe its the crap weather, or the time off work, or simply the guilt of the unpainted boxes upon boxes of miniatures that sets me off?

Anyhoo, I've not done much since my last post aside from a bit of hobby admin.
I've knocked together a campaign rule set for Epic which we are going to test in the New Year. I've photographed and boxed up a bunch of excess stuff for trading/eBay-ing (still lots to go there!)

Also, my Brother gave me a new game for Christmas - Gaslands, which seems to combine a Mad Max/Death Race 2000 aesthetic with X-Wing style template movement, like a an updated Dark Future, using the same 20mm Matchbox/Hotwheels cars given an apocalyptic make over!

I've collected a few together and will knock out a few gangs in the near future, as well as this I've made a modular road system, and have some ideas for other terrain pieces.

Hobby Goals 2018.

I've got an ever growing list of things i want to achieve hobby wise and i'm going to list them in no particular order below, with the aim of checking back on progress later and seeing how derailed i've became.


Epic:

• Finish painting Dark Angels (mix of GW/Vanguard minis) - its about 50-75% done. just need a final push!
• Put together a chaos army - Finally picked up some sprues of GW plastics after the last lot got lost in the post/warp. Bit of a slow grower here, as the metal minis are crazy expensive so just biding my time until i spot them a decent price.
• Paint remaining missing Ork and imperial units and sell the rest (not too many left to do).
• Re-base Blood Angels - started putting sand/grass on over the old 'Goblin Green' bases and need to continue as the mix and match is a bit crap looking.
• build some more terrain for fortifications, mine fields etc to use in game.
• Play more epic (got a campaign starting soon!)

X-Wing;

• Not much here - will continue to pick up the odd ship that takes my fancy and hopefully get a regular game in.

Imperial Assault;

• Paint the last 2 troopers for the Return to Hoth Expansion which will mean everything is painted.
• Play some more games of it! (no excuse now the companion app is out)

Gaslands;

• Quickly mod/paint 2-3 factions with some different load outs and get it played!
• Make some terrain (road obstacles, billboards, fences, walls etc...

Warhammer 40k;

• Play more Heralds of Ruin this winter, played a good bit in 2017 and it was decent.
• Paint Tau boxed set - Bought this for HoR and haven't got round to painting them yet
• Sell any excess bits, Tyranids etc - got boxes full of random minis as well as a pristine 2nd Edition boxed set, which are little or no use to me - set them free to get back some shelf space!

Necromunda;

• Play it? - The White Whale of my hobbying... The game that may never happen!
• Trim down to my Cawdor gang + a few hired guns and sell all the crappy old starter set plastics and excess terrain etc as it takes up a lot of space for a game that doesn't get played.

Misc;

• Paint up 'Frostgrave' minis scavenged from Zombicide Black Plague box - just in case anyone fancies a game!
• Paint remaining Flames of War stuff - just a few tanks to paint, should be fun and a nice change of style/scale but not had the motivation yet - Still can't see me getting a game of it anytime soon, and don't really want to buy in much more.
• Paint Space Crusade and Hero Quest board games

So yeah, not much!