From the Desk: Weekend Roundup #111

Sleepy. Just highlights.

Finished Ace and the Foundry.
Work moving on Stormguard (as pictured).
Started Batman project. More on that in a separate post.
Painted numbers on Murder Ponies to keep them straight for damage marking.
Primed the gators for the Vault.

My pCaine paint target is completed! I'll figure out a new paint target next week.

Cygnar Paint Taget (tier 4):
pCaine - done
Ace - painting
Reliant - done
2 Gun Mage Captains - done
Gun Mages + UA (1st) - done
Gun Mages + UA (2nd) - done
2 Hunters - done
Black 13th - done
Tempest Blazers - done

Battle Report: Caine2 vs Axis

So much shooting at so many targets.

My list: Caine2, Ace, Squire, Gun Mages (6+UA), Tempest Blazers (5), Black 13th, Jakes, Avenger, Gun Mage Captain Adept, Stormsmith, Eiryss1, Tarin, Acosta, Reinholdt, Bunker Objective.

My opponent: Axis (tier 4), Corollary, Inverter, Conservator, 4 Enigma Foundries, 2x Clockwork Angels, 2x Obstructors (10 each), Reductors (10+Transverse Enumerator), 2x Optifex Directives, Armory Objective.

I won the initiative but due to terrain I opted to choose sides, which meant I ended up going second. This was actually ok with me since with my volume of guns I expected to be able to leverage my 1st turn well. As it turned out, that was exactly true. Top of 1, Axis' force surges forward. Bottom of 1 I unleash a massive volley of shots and take a pile of models off the table, including a full unit of Angels. Top of 2, Obstructors are able to push forward and either shield wall or charge, causing some consternation for me, but other than losing a single Blazer and Eiryss, I was unscathed. Bottom of 2 I then lay into a bunch more stuff and take even more enemy troops off the table. Unfortunately I end up leaving my zone uncontested (except for Caine sitting in the back corner), and the enemy zone only had Acosta in it (after he made a big charge against the objective). Top of 3, Axis feats and pushes in with his force, destroying my objective and scoring 2 points. He would have scored 3, but by some miracle Acosta survived the charge from the Inverter and managed to dodge away from it. At this point I have 17 minutes left of my clock and I decide to go for the assassination. Axis is sitting in a forest with 4 focus, so I needed a plan. First my Gun Mages moved up and Thunderbolted a Foundry so that it was within an inch of Axis. Then Jakes Energizes the Avenger forward 3", at which point the Avenger takes a boosted shot at the Foundry, hits, and knocks down Axis. At this point I use Ace to hit another Foundry with Shadowfire to clear the LOS and Caine moves up, feats, and unloads all of his focus shooting into Axis and dusts him on his last shot. Boom!

Lessons learned: Having a whole list built around delivering Caine2 assassination is pretty amusing. It's a fun list because it's a toolbox of ranged assassination.

Games this year: 9

Enigma Foundry

This was actually painted for my buddy Lance who plays Convergence. I thought it would be fun to try out a Convergence model and he needed to paint 4 of these for his Axis tier list anyway, so I offered to paint one of them for him. I will say that this happens to be one of the most obnoxious models to assemble in the PP line. However once I had it assembled, and then broke it, then fixed it again, then had it break again, then got it fixed and attached to the base properly, it was actually quite fun to paint! The base is a Secret Weapon resin base that Lance gave me as well for it. I hope he enjoys it!

Ace

This one was a really quick paint job. So much so that I decided to go crazy on insignias on it, as I think would be fitting for Caine's pet jack. Beyond that I'm just going to let the pictures tell the amusing story of this sweet sweet sculpt.

Gun Mages (new style)

This is my third (and final) set of Gun Mages. I would never have painted a 3rd set, but there were 3 compelling reasons. First, this is the new sculpt of the models, which I do like better. Second, I needed a set that matched my Cygnar color scheme as both previous sets were painted to be used as mercs with Ashlynn. And third, they came with the Cygnar all-in-one box, so I had them anyway. So now they are speed painted and done!

Gobbler Tinker

Now this model is one of those rare conjunctions of highly frustrating and highly entertaining. The entertaining comes in the form of the huge amount of character that the model has. The frustrating part comes in the form of getting it put together. Once I finally got it assembled, I painted it separate from the base but had fortunately got a base prepped with holes already drilled for the pins. And even then while I was trying to get it on the base, I managed to bust it apart in two different places. However I managed to get it back together and on the base properly. I will say though that it was worth the effort. The myriad of sculpted details on this model make it really fun to paint. From the wagon full of random parts, to the characterful expression on the Tinker's face, it was all very fun to paint. I'll admit that there are some secluded parts of the model that didn't get painted properly but they are also pretty hard to see anyway. I highly recommend painting this model.

From the Desk: Weekend Roundup #110

Crazy good week for playing and hobby time.

Time to review my progress for this week. Trimmed, assembled and primed Stormguard. Repaired the Enigma Foundry and got it primed properly. Base coat work on Ace and Enigma Foundry. Finished Gun Mages and Tinker. Oh, and I bought Storm Lances, despite my desire to reach fully painted, in order to support the new LGS which is just a mile and a half away from my home.

Cygnar Paint Taget (tier 4):
pCaine - done
Ace - painting
Reliant - done
2 Gun Mage Captains - done
Gun Mages + UA (1st) - done
Gun Mages + UA (2nd) - done
2 Hunters - done
Black 13th - done
Tempest Blazers - done

Battle Report: Stryker2 vs Synthrion

Re-rack and roll out again!

My list: Stryker2, Squire, Ol Rowdy, Stormclad, Sentinel, Lancer, Stormguard (10), 2x Stormblades (6+UA), 2 Stormblade Captains. Fuel Cache Objective.

My opponent: Syntherion (tier 4), Axiom, Corollary, Cipher, Assimilator, Diffuser, Galvanizer, Emergence Projector, Algorithmic Dispersion Optifex, 2x Optifex Directives. Bunker Objective.

So after the first game finishing quickly, we picked things back up and my opponent swapped to his Synth list. Again it was the Recon scenario with deathclock, but this time I won initiative and decided to go first. There was a bunch of jam and the Axiom laid out a lot of ranged death upon my troops. However on my third turn I managed to press in hard and clear the zone, allowing two important things to happen: destroying his objective and letting Stryker dominate. The counter attack was not as successful as I was expecting though, with Axiom failing a trample attempt due to the landing zone not being big enough. This made things very awkward for Synth and on my turn I was able to easily clear the zone again and dominate for another 2 points, winning the game. As a coup de gras though, I ran the assassination attempt with Stryker and handily put Syntherion into the dirt at the same time. I'd like to note that on this game I ended with about 8 minutes left on my clock as well, so I was really happy about my time usage as well.

Lessons learned: Going first and having advance move on Stormblades from Stryker2 is really nice for getting the drop on scenario. Also playing for scenario is something I'm starting to get better at, however I still need more practice. I probably need to re-think my objective selection with this list as well.

Games this year: 8

Battle Report: Stryker2 vs Lucant

Sometimes foolish decisions result in beautiful destruction.

My list: Stryker2, Squire, Ol Rowdy, Stormclad, Sentinel, Lancer, Stormguard (10), 2x Stormblades (6+UA), 2 Stormblade Captains. Fuel Cache Objective.

My opponent: Lucant, Corollary, Axiom, 2 Emergence Projectors, Enigma Foundry, Obstructors (10), Reductors (6), Optifex Directive. Bunker Objective.

We played the SR2015 Recon scenario with deathclock, and I lost initiative which meant I got to chose the side with the hill just outside my deployment zone. The first round was pretty much as expected, with everything running towards each other, my own forces trying to fan out as much as possible so that the battle engines wouldn't be able to spray too much down. Then instead of advancing and spraying down at my wall of troops, Lucant opts to feat and jam the Axiom and one battle engine right up into my front line. My counter attack was vicious, with a unit of Stormblades wrecking the battle engine and then Stryker using overpower to roll up and chop down the ARM 24 Axiom handily after rolling +14 for STR. However it left Stryker in a dangerous position and Lucant was able to drop 2 boosted spells onto Stryker who only had 4 health remaining which ended him pretty easily.

Lessons learned: Remember Stryker's feat! If I'd remembered it, Stryker could have moved back 3" and that would have made all the difference for him surviving. Beyond that, I was just very happy with how my army performed. Just a matter of more practice.

Games this year: 7

Captain Allister Caine

This model was a bit of a challenge to get put together, but painting was overall quite easy. The pose is lovely and despite being meant for the custom base, I found that it did fine on a flat generic base. Not a whole lot more to say on this one overall though. I'm almost out of Cygnar warcasters to paint a this point.

From the Desk: Weekend Roundup #109

Hobby halt for Valentine's Day.

Great week. Finish Caine2 and Sloan. The Gobber Tinker is nearly done as well, as can be seen here. And the final unit of Gun Mages is started, although not terribly far along yet. Got a big batch (23 30mm and a 120mm) of Tau Ceti bases painted up for future Cygnar models as well. Painting up the 120mm is basically wishful thinking that the Hurricane will come out before I get bored of Cygnar (hee hee). I also got Ace assembled and primed. At the same time I was attempting to prime the Enigma Foundry but it decided to explode and fall to the cement floor of my garage. I picked up the pieces and I'll assess the damage later. *sigh*

I also painted this terrain piece. It's one of the Secret Weapon Miniatures' Archeo-Tech Obelisks. It's was a breeze to paint. I didn't go for amazing quality obviously, but I did aim to make it match my newer style of mercenary bases just because I like the look. It was a fun and quick side project while painting other things.

At this point I'm honestly not sure why I'm tracking this paint target except that it nails finishing up another unit and gets me closer to fully painted. But that list is getting shorter and shorter anyway.

Cygnar Paint Taget (tier 4):
pCaine - done
Ace - primed
Reliant - done
2 Gun Mage Captains - done
Gun Mages + UA (1st) - done
Gun Mages + UA (2nd) - painting
2 Hunters - done
Black 13th - done
Tempest Blazers - done

Captain Kara Sloan

Nothing fancy to say on this one. Closes out another Cygnar caster for my collection.

Battle Report: Stryker2 vs Madrak2

And then dice happened...

My list: Stryker2, Squire, Ol Rowdy, Stormclad, Sentinel, Lancer, Stormguard (10), 2x Stormblades (6+UA), 2 Stormblade Captains.

My opponent: Madrak2, Mulg, Pyre Troll, Axer, Fell Caller, Fennblade Kithkar, Stone Scribe Chronicler, Fire Eaters, Fennblades (10+UA), Krielstone Bearer (4+UA), Long Riders (3).

This report is going to be abbreviated because I'm sleepy, and the game was last night and I'm not remembering it all clearly. We played the SR2015 Outflank scenario again (cause we were lazy) and played a loose deathclock (more on that below). I lost initiative of course (because I seem to always lose it). There was rushing forward on both our first turns, followed by a running of Fennblades into melee and then Madrak feating to clear a lot of troops. Then at this point I had a potential assassination run, but an unfortunate snake eyes roll by a Stormblade Captain left a whole unit of Stormblades pinned by a single Fennblade. From there things just continued to be an uphill battle that I would only win through a protracted attrition battle. Now I should note that I'm a little torn on how to report this one. By clock, I won this one handily. However at the beginning we both agreed we'd just use the clock as a guide but not play strict. In the end, I was losing on scenario and failed an assassination run, at which point I conceded.

Lessons learned: Stryker2 is amusing because he's always threatening. Madrak2 is tough to kill because he's always going to be camping a couple fury and can sacrifice nearby warrior models. In hindsight I think I could have won this one if I'd played things a bit differently and not had rough dice for a big chunk of the game.

Games this year: 6

From the Desk: Weekend Roundup #108

What a horrible week. Migraines suck.

Pretty busy week, but not a lot actually completed. The Gobber Tinker, Caine2, and Sloan are all in progress, along with a piece of terrain. I also finished assembling the Sacral Vault (man was that a lot of candles) along with an Enigma Foundry (which I'm painting for my buddy Lance). Hopefully this week will result in a lot of completed stuff. Odds are this week will also result in an influx of new models since the new LGS branch will be opening just a couple miles from where I live.

On a side note, as I was writing up my battle report yesterday and recording the game in Steam Genius, I noticed that so far I am 0-5 for this year. How sad. Last year overall I was 20-16. Not amazing, but interesting none the less.

Cygnar Paint Taget (tier 4):
pCaine - done
Ace - unowned
Reliant - done
2 Gun Mage Captains - done
Gun Mages + UA (1st) - done
Gun Mages + UA (2nd) - primed
2 Hunters - done
Black 13th - done
Tempest Blazers - done

Battle Report: Saeryn and Rhyas vs Axis

My list: Saeryn & Rhyas, Zuriel, Seraph, Bloodseer, Shredder, 2x Blightwasps, 2 Shepherds, Blackfrost Shard, Hex Hunters (10+UA), Bone Grinders (6).

My opponent: Axis (tier 4), Corollary, 2x Inverter, 4x Enigma Foundry, 2x Obstructors, Reductors, 3x Clockwork Angels, Optifex Directive.

My list above was essentially a "stuff I've painted but haven't played" list for Legion. I tried to turn it into a legit list, but it still had some issues. I'd probably drop the Wasps for something else next time.

We played the SR2015 Outflank scenario again (cause we were lazy) and played to deathclock (more on that below). I lost initiative so of course the Axis jam was fully on. I'm going to fast forward the game though to where this picture was taken. I jammed Rhyas right in and slayed 2 fully loaded Foundries which caused no end of chaos for Axis. On the next turn, the nearest Inverter totally failed to knock her down or even hit her more than once, which triggered a pile of Riposte attacks. Unfortunately the second Inverter slammed the first over her and that left her in a bad situation where she ended up getting killed by Obstructors of all things. This all happened after Axis feated which left Saeryn unable to properly counterattack. I chose to press forward and mop up more stuff, including getting Zuriel in to destroy the other 2 Foundries. Axis then moved around trying to dominate the zone but with the clock running low things were getting frantic. At this point that he clocked over to me I had 3 minutes on my clock and was losing on scenario 0-4, so I went for it. Saeryn gets slipstreamed by the Bloodseer (which moved in to engage an Inverter and prevent any countercharge, then she charged forward and feated to put Rhyas into melee with Axis. Unfortunately he was camping full focus putting him at ARM 23. I swung a bunch of time but unfortunately it wasn't enough. At this point I clocked out and essentially lost on time and scenario, if not assassination.

Lessons learned: First, operating the Twins is tricky business. They have independent control areas which affects how leeching can be done, plus if one is killed then there's a surplus of fury on the table usually. And since they are a unit, it's extra tricky (kinda like Haley3 is). Beyond that though, I really enjoyed playing them. I'm sort of excited at the idea of playing them again sometime. I'm also much more sold on Zuriel now having played him.

Games this year: 5

Bone Grinders

So these were speed painted. Seriously, I cranked them out really fast. I used a trick from my buddy Bryan on this. I did basic base coating of the flesh, leathers and fur, and then drybrushed those parts, then washed the whole thing with SWW Sewer Water. Then I did details like metals and bones and such. The whole unit probably only took me 5 hours tops. I'm pretty happy with the result, the time spent, and perhaps most importantly getting these done after them sitting in a blister for at least 3 years.

From the Desk: Weekend Roundup #107

Apparently it's flu season.

Technically this is a staged photo, but it does portray what my desk is like right now. Bone Grinders are nearly done. I realized that I need to drill and prep a bunch more Tau Ceti bases for Cygnar, so I got them cleaned up and found my drill/bit/magnets for that task. Also have the Gobber Tinker prepped for painting, and got the Gun Mages and Sloan ready for priming. No additional work on the Sacral Vault unfortunately. In general this felt like a slow week, but not a stagnant week. Work has been exhausting and really drained my energy. However painting definitely seems to recharge me more than anything else right now.

I'm still sort of aiming at this pCaine tier list, but it's going to be a while before I get there. I'm more focused on finishing up my unpainted minions first.

Cygnar Paint Taget (tier 4):
pCaine - done
Ace - unowned
Reliant - done
2 Gun Mage Captains - done
Gun Mages + UA (1st) - done
Gun Mages + UA (2nd) - assembled
2 Hunters - done
Black 13th - done
Tempest Blazers - done