Project Random - Update!

I'm about to call Project Random a failure...I have gotten the base coat done on a few of the models, and need to wash/highlight, etc.  But its been so long since I have painted anything, and there are 3 big tournaments coming up, where I want to be fully painted for, and I'm thinking of painting the skorne up for them.

Feburary 11th is the inaugural Gold Rush Rampage in Sacramento:   http://goldrushrampage.com/

March 2nd-4th is the 2nd annual Bay Area Open: http://www.frontlinegaming.org/community/bay-area-open/

May 25th-28th is the Khan of Cons, Kublacon: http://www.kublacon.com/

Deciding what I'm going to play, I might play with my Skorne instead of the Trolls....Which means Trolls get to sit for a bit, which means, Project Random is on hold at the very least.

Project: Random Model

  I wasn't sure what I wanted to paint next, I've got a few models with some paint on them, some models with primer, some models just built, some models in packages.
  After the Slow Grow League, I'm not sure what I want to paint.  So I put together all the play cards for every model/unit I do not have fully painted, and randomly picked out a card.  And the winner is:

TROLLKIN FENNBLADES!!!!

RAWR!! PAINT ME NOW!!

  Ok so why is there paint on them....well these were one of my models units where I started painting, but I had just finished another previous unit, so I really was trying to push these guys through, and I just couldn't do it.  But fate has spoken! Fennblades you will be finished and be able to stand on the battlefield proud and fully painted!

  To be continued...

Battle On!

  End of the League Escalation Tournament!  We had decided as a group to try out the SR2012 Beta rules, and they were interesting.
  4 League players ultimately showed up (6 folks were there during the day, Dan the shop owner who also played didn't have anyone to watch the shop for him, and Kyle the Troll player had to work so stopped in to say hi)
  First mission: Supply and Demand (Objective Scenario), 15pts, 3 min turns, 1 min extension.  The idea of the scenario, keep your objective 'alive' and its control zone clear while trying to destroy your opponents objective and contest his zone.
  I ran pMorghoul with this, I wanted to run both of my lists (Naaresh being my other caster, and both lists are in my previous post).  Plus I decided that pMorghoul would be easier to run at 3min turns.  My opponent had eKruger, and pretty new to the game.  The game went pretty quickly, as we only had 3min per turn, and a 30min round.  I ended up getting a quick control point by sacrificing my savage holding his beasts up (woldworden and a warpwolf) and then slamming my gladiator into the warpwolf, contesting his zone while keeping mine clear.  Game goes to time before I can run pMorghoul in and plink eKruger to death.

Megalith is on the other side of the table trying to find some daises to run through

  Second mission: A Flag Too Far (Flank Scenario), 25pts, 5pt reinforcements, 7min turns, 3min extension.  This was against Ryan, who was the other experienced Warmahordes player in the League.
  The idea was to control the scoring flag closest to you (in the picture, my scoring flags have the green chip on them) while having the scoring flag furthest from you contested.  You got bonus points for controlling both flags.
  Our TO Dustin decided to bump up the time restrictions because of the new players, so we went to 7min turns instead of 5min.
  Ryan brought his Circle forces with Baulder and Runs Through Daisies a.k.a. Megalith.  I brought Naaresh, and his Gators.  I am really enjoying Naaresh and his shenanigans.  This was also a reinforcement scenario, so I had Thrullg and a Croak Hunter available to come in on the right flank of the board, 20-some-odd inches from the back of my side of the table, and 3 inches in.  This is where I ultimately won the game, my reinforcements were solos and able to act independently and Ryan's reinforcement was a beast, a Woldwyrd.  I was able to run my reinforcements to my furthest scoring flag, and get a quick control point, while Ryan though it was better to have his beast closer to do major damage to my Iron Fleshed Gators.  There was much back and forth in the game, unfortunately my Gladiator died early, but luck was on my side as I did major damage with multiple free strikes from Gators on Megalith as he tried to charge my caster with ARM 20 from his whippings.  He rolled poorly, as his mind was taken out, did I mention my lucky rolls?  All the free strikes hit, and I rolled way above average for all of them, each hit doing 7-10 damage.  Megalith was unbuffed since Naaresh had Lamentation on, and Baulder was worried about upkeeps and casting spells with his 6 fury.  After Megalith, I used Cyclone to get away, and charged Baulder who was engaged with my Cyclops Shaman, only to come 1/8th of an inch away from melee.  But again my luck prevails as time is called, and I was sitting on one control point to nil and win.

  Third Mission: Demolition (Distant Scenario): 35 pts, 10min turns, 5min extension.  Without looking at the scenario packet, and working from memory, there was one objective in the middle, which, if controlled, allowed a warcaster/warlock within 4" of the objective place a 5" template on the table (within 4" of the caster) and do a magic POW 14 unboostable damage on everything under the template.  You got points for controlling the zone furthest away from you (2 zones, diagonal to the center).  Bonus points were awarded for using the blast on your opponents side of the table.
   I played against the final possible opponent JJ.  Now JJ is new to miniatures in general, and is about 10 years old, and is hard to keep focused on the game because there is so much going on in the store by this time.  He plays Cygnar and eHaley and lots of Jacks, which is fine.  But he allocates all of his focus out, and has his Sentinels and Chargers do most of the heavy lifting.  At some point when he gets older he will be a terror to play.  He understand how his Jacks work, and can do damage with them, but he doesn't focus fire on targets to take them out, and he doesn't understand how to use his solos in combination yet.  I did teach him you can charge your own guys, as I train wrecked my Bronzeback into a Gator and made room so i could train wreck off his Sentinels so I could get to Haley.  Train Wreck is a crazy animus.  He did put me off a turn by popping eHaley's feat and throwing my plan off, but i was able to at least maneuver things around to set up the train wreck next turn.

  So two games go to time, and I win by grabbing 1 quick control point and the games going to time, while the last was a caster kill.

  Ultimately I win the League Tournament, I came in 3rd place overall for the League, and won Best Painted Army!  So this League was pretty successful for me I would say, and I have a least 75% of my Skorne + many Minions all  painted.

   Mad props for Dustin the Press Ganger and TO out of Olde World Gaming in Elk Grove, CA for hosting the Slow Grow League.

Ready for the Battlefield!

Today is the end of one of my LGS's Slow Grow League and I put enough touches on my Gators so I have a fully painted 35 point army.

We are running an escalation tournament using the Beta SR2012 rules, I do intend to take pictures and have a report up for it.

I have two lists ready:

15 pts   pMorghoul                          Naaresh
                  Savage                               Krea
                  Shaman                              Shaman
                  Gladiator                            Gladiator
             Full Beast Handlers            Full Beast Handlers

25 pts   add:
             Full Arcuarii                       Full Gatormen
             Extoller Soulward              Pain Giver Task Master

Reinforcements(5pts):
             Thrullg                                Thrullg
             Croak Hunter                      Croak Hunter

35 pts   add:
             Cannoneer                           Bronzeback

Reinforcements(7pts):
             Thrullg                                 Thrullg
             Croak Hunter                         Croak Hunter
             Pain Giver Task Master         Extoller Soulward

With the escalation, we know we are going to be trying the Reinforcement rules for the 25 and 35 point levels.  The additional caveat is that the Reinforcement from the 25 point list, needs to be somewhere in the 35 point list (in the list itself, or as Reinforcements)

I took this week to redo my Gatormen (just had them base previously).  I had picked up some new resin swamp bases made by Secret Weapon Miniatures, they look perfect for Gators.  They still need to be detailed, I need to do some jewelry, and do some highlights, but I think they look spectacular so far, and good enough to place on the battlefield.

I am very excited that I have all of these lists fully painted.  Well OK I'm missing paint on the Arcuarii, but I had gotten them used, and need to fix them up.  But i'm secretly planning to use Morghoul for the 15 point and Naaresh for the 25 and 35 point level.  So everything I put down on the table, will be fully painted.  It makes me very excited to say that!

Here is my quick pick of the Gatormen:

Something Skorne....and Brown

So I continued my Skorne Slow Grow model painting, and well...things turned out brown.  I was thinking they beasties were from the desert, they are browns most likely, and well this is what happened:

  I was going to write some things about this, but the editor doesn't want me to make some text along with the pictures and i'm not liking how it looks, so you just get pictures.  Things I like, the Grey goes well with the brown, I've been doing well on the green jade gems on the Krea, and the Purple tentacles on Thrulg has been given complements.

Painted to Completion

     I actually painted something to completion, and thought I would share.  Ok ok, I know I have some dygmies painted and ready to share (taken to the Bay Area Open).  But at another LGS we have a slow grow league, and I've decided to paint up the Skorne that I have laying around, so I can get back into painting.

     For your viewing, I present pMorghoul

   


   

     Ok it has been awhile since I've done photos, its a quickie photo done with the iphone and a quick brush up, really so I make sure to post something, and share rather than having them look good.  So I apologize in advance.

     I am so so happy with the red on the cloth cloak, it came out fantastically, other parts are ok (me being my harshest critic), but practice makes perfect, and thats what I need right now, lots of practice.  The other thing I love on the model, is the gem on his left hip, the Jade look came out fantastically, the one on the right, didn't come out as well as the left.  One reason why I went with Skorne for the slow grow.  I can get it painted and try out techniques and make it better than tabletop, but not worry about how it looks and having to strip them so I can paint them better later.

Post-Kublacon

  Its been more than a week since Kublacon has been over and I haven't blogged anything.  I know I know, bad blogger.  I will not make an excuse, but after some blog taunting, I have felt the need to post SOMETHING.  I entered 4 models, eEiryss, Janissa Stonetide, Earthborn Dire Troll, and Troll Whelps (as a squad).  I've already featured the EBDT and the Whelps previously, they were in there to get a gauge of where my painting level is.  Previous work, I wasn't expecting to win anything with them, certainly, in my opinion, better than average tabletop level of painting.  They did not medal, but eEiryss and Janissa did!  Both netted me Bronze medals.  What I do not have are pictures of my winning entries.  I am expecting to set up the proper photos for them soonish, depending on how busy I end up getting this week.

 What I do have, pictures of my continuing legion projects, and props from Lost Hemisphere Radio!

  First the props.  My Trollsaken, which was featured as a Runner-Up in the Bring the Blight contest in No Quarter 36 was mentioned in the May 20th episode 28 of Lost Hemisphere Radio Podcast (http://lhradio.blogspot.com/).  The comments from the podcasters were, I like the Trollsaken, and its NEAT, but that Mauler is crazy good.  I did send an email to the podcasters:

 So I've been catching up with Warmachine podcasts and listening to new ones, and I want to say thanks for the 'shout out' when my Trollsaken model was mentioned in your podcast.  I was super excited when I made it and showed it off to my friends, and even more excited when it was featured as a runner up in NQ36.  It made me smile that people I don't know enjoy what I created, and wanted to drop a note and say thanks.

  -M


 and received a reply:

Most awesome, Mike. We’re glad to bring a smile to your face, you certainly impressed!

Rock on

Gdaybloke

   I mentioned this to my gaming/painting buddies, and was promptly taunted by my blogging nemesis to enter the next contest.  So after a back and forth, I have the Let the Banners Fly entry in my head, and am currently working on that (I'm actually waiting for some molded parts to dry, and I need to get my plasticard out)

  Also at Kublacon, I was able to attend a vehicle weathering seminar being presented by misterjustin of secret weapon miniatures. http://www.secretweaponminiatures.com

  Now I'm not currently working on any vehicles, I am taking much of what i learned for basing, the mud/snow information is fantastic.  misterjustin also had a complete vehicle weathering class locally in Sacramento this past weekend, and I also attended that.  I absorbed so much information, recorded the session, and took notes.

  What I have done so far with this information, and with help of their website I used a "dot filter" method of painting and created a rocky base:

  Since I am essentially playing around with the base, I wanted to get the "snowy" look, so get an idea of what the end product will look like, I painted the snow parts white:

  Finally I added the unpainted Absylonia to see how the model would "look" with the base:

  Not bad for my prototype so far, now I want to add some more "realistic snow" to the white and see how it works out, and possibly make another base and just add the snow and let the stone underneath show through more possibly.