Cover Models

After enjoying painting the last bunch of aged miscreants I've continued with my Oldhammer vibes and painted a couple of legendary characters inspired by the ancient texts.

I present Aldred Fellblade and Garg Gorgul.

What do you mean, "who?"

Aldred Fellblade is a Templar of the Sigmarite Order of the Fiery Heart who battled Garg Gorgul, the Ogre pit fighter bodyguard of an Orc warchief whilst on a quest to retrieve a the sword Karagul from the ruins of Karak Eight Peaks. His travelling companions included one Gotrek Gurnisson, Trollslayer at large, and Felix Jaeger, who both went on to bigger and badder things.

This was in the 1990 short story 'The Dark Beneath The World' by Bill King, which was later the basis of a mini campaign for Advanced Heroquest featured in White Dwarf #125, which is where I first encountered the characters.

However, the short story was actually inspired by the cover image from the first edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (published in 1986), a seminal text in fleshing out the Warhammer world, which I still own.

This piece of art, by John Sibbick, featured characters which were in turn inspired by several miniatures in the Citadel range at the time and the story made use some of those same miniatures' names, including Aldred Fellblade.

Part of the C01 Fighters range of 1986, Aldred Fellblade has actually gone by several names in the Citadel Catalogues: Aldred Fellblade, Arion, Knight of Harkness (from 'The Tragedy of McDeath'), and Sword 1. He even featured as Captain Grullman Grosz, Mercenary Warrior in the Citadel Combat Cards.

Sadly, my copy is a little miscast, something I've never noticed over the past 35 years, and has missing detail and a flat area on his forearm. I suspect this might be because I bought one of the later casts of this venerable mini.

I'm pretty sure the window of opportunity to ask for a replacement has closed.

My version of the Garg Gorgul the Ogre is not the model that inspired the artwork, but is a model inspired by a model based on the one that inspired the art that inspired character of Gorgul.

Let me explain. The ogre in the artwork is based on the C23 Ogre Gladiator from 1985, and I think also inspired the design of the first Blood Bowl Ogre (mohican, cestus, single shoulder pad, etc.). Ogre 1, designed by Bob Olley for Blood Bowl second edition in the nineties was clearly an homage to the first edition model, and so, in essence, a distant relative of Garg Gorgul.

I have no specific plans for either of these models, although Five Leagues from the Borderlands and 7TV are always an option, but it was an enjoyable nostalgia trip to take.

Acquired: 15

Painted: 117

Lead Mountain: 642

Path of Damnation: Damned, but not Lost

Regular readers of the blog will know that just over a year ago I sold my soul to Nurgle and set out to create a Warriors of Chaos army for Warhammer: The Old World using only models that were collected in the dim and distant past by a teenage me.

I have now put the finishing touches to that army by adding a handful of models and a command group to the Chaos Marauders, the unit I began with.

My own personal rule for this army was that it needed to fit the Oldhammer brief and only feature miniatures which were produced in the early 90s or before, and there were to be no duplicate models.

The aim was to get an army which evoked the cover image of Realms of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned).

I've drafted in every metal Chaos Warrior, Chaos Thug, Beastmen, Chaos Dwarf, Barbarian, Minotaur and monster that I could lay my hands on, supplemented with a handful of plastic miniatures from Heroquest and Warhammer Quest.

Perhaps the most recognisable model in this batch is the dynamically posed, and taller than I remembered, Warhammer Quest Barbarian.

He will take the role of unit champion, but I may need to lighten his skin at some point as I think he lacks a little definition.

Also from the boardgame department is this Zombie from Heroquest. I've come to really like this sculpt and have started to look for ways to use more of them in other projects.

Although he's joining a unit of, very much alive, Chaos Marauders, he's also a nod to the fact that the first Nurgle army list did allow units of Plague Zombies and Plague Skeletons.

I've also been drafting in a handful of Blood Bowl star players, who are very much Chaotic in nature and add a flamboyant amount of mutation to the army.

This is Dieter Hammerlash, one of a very early batch of star players, whose star card I first got from a copy of White Dwarf.

Although he could quite easily have been given a Tzeentchian flavour (he has a touch of the Pink Horror about him), I've gone for a more fleshy look and just added a weapon.

The most obvious Blood Bowl player of the bunch is also the most fitting for a Nurgle army: Bilerot Vomitflesh.

I was presented with a conundrum of how to get his very 'football' look to fit in, and so I opted to turn him into a musician, by giving him a bell ( which I think is from the Grenadier Undead Mammoth I wish I still owned) to dangle.

I also added a shield on his other arm to make him a little less sporty looking.

The final miniature and standard bearer for the unit is Slarga Fourstrike (which I've discovered the internet often, wrongly, refers to as Slarga Fourstrike - check his card).

I commited Oldhammer sacrilege and pinned the banner, which was cobbled together from my bits box, in place and left him at that.

I'm really pleased with this one.

And there we have it.

A 2000 point Warriors of Nurgle army for Warhammer: The Old World. Admittedly it's probably not very good and needs a hefty chunk of magic items to get across the points threshold, but that's pretty normal for Chaos armies.

This army has been at least 37 years in the making and I'm actually a little bit choked up to finally have the Chaos army (or at least a variation of it) that I planned so long ago.

In other news, I've printed and painted some rock formations.

They're not really exciting enough for their own post, so they're here.

Acquired: 15

Painted: 79

Lead Mountain: 698

Path of Damnation: Organised Chaos

After a bit of a hiatus, I've finally got around to working on the last few models for my Oldhamner Nurgle army by completing the command models for my unit of Chaos Warriors.

This includes a Chaos Sorcerer of Nurgle. Along with a standard bearer and a musician bringing along a little bit of star quality to the army.

This is because two of these models are actually converted Blood Bowl star players.

The Chaos Sorcerer, however, has nothing to do with Blood Bowl and is one of the frankly excellent range of metal Chaos Champions that were released around the same time at Realms of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned.

This model, along with a small handful of nuglings and a single Pestigor, is one of the factors that convinced me to sell my soul to Grandfather Nurgle, as I couldn't see a scenario where this model would fit into a force dedicated to one of the other powers.

The standard bearer is based on Dorjak Sureclaw, a Chaos Star Player for the second edition of Blood Bowl. He was a somewhat lacklustre player, having fairly average stats, a couple of minutes not skills and the claw mutation.

It always seemed odd to me that he had the Sure Hands skill as he wouldn't be handling the ball with his claw. Mind you, his other hand is massive.

The claw and big hand perhaps suggest Dorjak might be more suited to the service of Slaanesh or Tzeentch, but the gods of Chaos are fairly easy going when doling out mutations.

I'm not massively happy with the banner. It feels a bit too simplistic but I'm never great with free-handing.

Also from the second edition Blood Bowl stable of Star Players is my musician, Galmen Goreblade, who was much more useful in a Chaos team, being fast, strong and having the Mighty Blow skill.

I really like the fallen noble aesthetic of this model.

To make him a musician I have used the same trick I used on my Age of Sigmar Skaven. Giving him a bell-flail. This is also a nod to a very old model in the Chaos range that has a similarly blank helmet and was armed with a mace and a bell.

And so there we have my full unit of Chaos Warriors on foot (the Warhammer Quest model will be the unit champion).

I want to do something more with the banner and there hasn't been an edition of the game where 10 expensive and easily avoidable heavy infantry haven't been a bad choice, but perhaps having a sorcerer in their ranks will bring the enemy to them.

I just have a handful more thugs/Beastmen/marauders to finish off and my Path of Damnation will be complete.

Acquired: 11

Painted: 50

Lead Mountain: 723

Fun Guys

I had a bit of a super glue issue over last couple of days. I used a rather large amount of it securely sticking together a rather chunky miniature that's in the pipeline and I ran out.

This, and the fact that not one but two gaming stores had also run out forced me, at least for a day or two, to turn my attention to something that did not require sticking together.

Which all led to these chaps...

These are three Reaper Bones Mushroom Men that I bought a few years ago to be part of a 7TV: Fantasy cast for an event.

I ended up changing my mind about the cast and taking He-Man and chums instead, but not before I had base coated them and slathered all three in Agrax Earthshade.

I suspect that this might have been the cause of the change of heart as the Agrax Earthshade had dried shiny and dulled the colours.

Therefore, my first order of business was to sort that out by giving the models a coat of matt varnish, dry brushing the bodies and redoing the red on the caps. I also used some Snakebite Leather contrast paint to pick out the fungal growths on their backs.

Can fungus grow on fungus?

The leader, a Mushroom King apparently, took a bit more work, mainly because he's bigger.

However, I did need to pick out moss on his cap, along with vibes and other fungal growths on his staff.

I suppose I could have been a bit more varied and imaginative with the colours I used for this, but as I'm not really painting these chaps for any real reason, I didn't feel the need to go to town on him.

Personally, I think he's turned out fine for whatever I end up using him for.

The original plan was to add these three as stars and co-stars to the Mushroom-Folk I'd painted as a proxy Halfling Blood Bowl team (the Mushington Redcaps) and use them as a 7TV cast, and in fact I took the opportunity to brighten up the rest of the models.

I could still use them as a Blood Bowl team, with the new models as a wiizard and couple of cheerleaders. Alternatively, they could easily feature in a game of Five Leagues from the Borderlands, or they might come in handy if I ever DM some D&D again.

Whatever happens, you'll be delighted to hear that I now have more super glue.

Acquired: -124

Painted: 466

Lead Mountain: 251

Path of Damnation: What a load of bull!

With the recent addition of several hard hitting characters and monsters, I figured I should probably get another unit on the table.

This also gave my another reason to procrastinate about the standard bearers and musicians that are needed for my Chaos Warrior and Marauder units.

Therefore, I took a different bull by the horns.

This unit of Minotaurs with function as Chaos Ogres in my Warhammer: The Old World army because the teaming hordes of Chaos have a somewhat rigid structure dividing them into Beastmen, Warriors and Daemons.

I, however, refuse to be bound by such restriction, and also don't have that many more options regarding units to add to the army.

I'm not sure how useful just three Minotaurs/Ogres will be, but that's what I have.

 

 

The unit champion is a lightly converted Warhammer Quest Minotaur, and these were a truly feared sight for adventurers, particularly when you drew three of them in the first room of the dungeon and immediately died.

The light conversion is a hand replacement, giving him an Ogre spiked gauntlet I had left from making a Bloodbowl team many years ago. This is to give him two hand weapons to match the rest of the unit.

I actually have two more Minotaurs like this one (although one has a club) but opted not to use them because I want the army to have no duplicate models in it. Also, the fact that he's bigger than the other two makes him an imposing champion.

The other two members of the unit are metal second edition Bloodbowl Minotaurs, hence the large pads and spiked gloves (additional hand weapons).

They are significantly smaller than both the Warhammer Quest model and the 'modern' plastics (which I hate, btw, just for reference). These were the 'big guys' of their time but stand no taller than a Primaris Space Marines.

This was from a time when something being the equivalent of seven or eight foot tall would be rightly viewed as imposing.

The final model is a curiosity, because I have no idea what this pose is meant to be representing. As a single piece model I'd that he's just a natural consequence of having to sculpt in a flat plane and try to make him visually different from the other guy.

He's also the reason why I didn't try any conversions to give the unit double handed weapons as I have no idea how I could go that on this model and make his pose look remotely natural.

This unit was unbelievably quick to paint and leaves me with about half a dozen metal models left to do from my initial plan to complete the army.

Acquired: -73

Painted: 400

Lead Mountain: 372

Meeting targets without mushroom to spare...

Told you I'd get them done:

Apologies for the rubbish picture. These are my re-roll, score and turn markers for my new Blood Bowl team, all ready for my first defea...erm...game of the season on Sunday.

These were very kindly sculpted by Andy from air-drying clay and had a typical 'splosh' paint job from me. I may, if I can be bothered, go back and highlight up the red as I over-egged the pudding with the wash and so they look a bit grubby - however, they are fungus.

I sense that the re-roll counter will get more action than the score counter...

The End of the End of the Beginning...U.S. Triumphant

The club Flames of War campaign spluttered to a appropriate finish with Matt leading his hard charging Americans to victory over Pete's combustible Germans.  This allowed the Americans (Matt and I) to capture Tunis before the British, and before the Russians had even got within the same timezone as their target of Kursk.

To be honest, the victory is a little hollow for me as I only actually used my Americans once, and got beaten. So the campaign was actually won by Matt on his own, however I did contribute a bit with two victories over the Russians and one over the British, helping keep our rivals in check.

Overall, there were a number of lessons learned by all:

• Americans need to be used in a blood and thunder manner, charging hard and turning flanks
• Genuine mid-war British tanks struggle against the wall of heavy tanks that non-desert lists throw at them
• Pete's tank fixation can be exploited for an early finish
• Panthers in mid-war are bent as hell
• Matt actually knows what he's doing (in the context of our club)

 Thoughts now turn to the annual Blood Bowl tournament that kicks off this weekend. My money is on Aneurin's Orcs, da Nu Ork Jets; despite his Vampire induced collapse last year, he's actually a pretty handy player, is running a good team and is out for revenge.

January Targets Met (...well, sort of)

So my target for this month was to paint and base my Blood Bowl team - the  Mushington Redcaps. That's fifteen little guys and two big guys. Here they are with their bases finally done.

If I'm honest, I also said I'd get my re-roll, turn and score markers done as well, but I've had them made for me by Andy and so will be picking them up tonight. With luck, I'll succeed in getting them done by the actual end of the month.

I'm really pleased that I've got these chaps done as their first game is next Sunday against JP's Necromantic Team with the most convoluted name I've ever encountered, the 'Shhh....Arrggh! Noooo! Scares'. I'm hoping that I can hold them to a whitewash!

As for next month, I'm off to Vapnartak in York at the weekend, and I've got a few purchases in mind. Primarily I want to get some terrain for my superhero gaming, and possibly some models for my 1812 Americans. I've also got some miniatures on order, their for the new Batman: Arkham City game from Knight Models - Killer Croc and some Policemen to be precise.

These models are absolutely gorgeous, although I'm a little uncertain as to whether the scale (nominally 35mm) will match some of the larger Heroclix models I've got, so I've help back on ordering more for now. If they do match, I'll probably end up only buying the minis for characters I don't have decent Heroclix sculpts for (Catwoman and Nightwing spring to mind), as the range is somewhat pricey. If they don't match, I will have a bit of soul searching as to whether to pursue expensive quality or stick with what I've got.


Anyway, those decisions will come later - for now my target for February is:

• Paint and base Killer Croc and the two Gotham Policemen to a higher standard than my usual
• Rebase and repaint/touch up at lease three Heroclix characters
• Construct and begin painting my first piece of urban terrain

That's quite a big target, but February does include a half term. However, I'll work on things one at a time and that last target is suitably vague as to allow me to prioritise effectively.

Bloodbowl Champignons!

Presenting...the MUSHINGTON REDCAPS!

This is my new Blood Bowl team for the coming season. As a Halfling team, I don't have the highest hopes for victory (or even scoring), but I felt like that at the start of the season a couple of years ago when I eventually won the club league with my Ogre team, the Tiny 'n' Titans.

The models are from Rapier Miniatures, one of those old school eclectic miniatures manufacturers, which I stumbled upon amidst all the corporate stands at the Derby World Wargames show last year. I'd highly recommend having a browse around their site, especially the Witches and Beastmen sections, as there are some really original models in there - I did consider a Pumpkinman Undead teams...maybe next year.

The team was a doddle to paint in my usual 'hurl-paint-from-across-a-darkened-room' style, and as you can see, the only need the bases finishing. I'm waiting for the weather to improve a bit because I need dryer weather to get them varnished before I add the static grass.

I've gone for a thematic numbering system with the white spots, although it began to get tricky at the higher numbers due to limited space, so I invented the 'Fungal Numeral' system. A spot with a black outline is worth 10 so the numbers below are 8, 2 and 13 (not the best picture...).

My goal for the season is to win at least one game (probably Matt's Gobbos), finish above at least one team in the table (probably Matt's Gobbos) and to gloat over every touchdown I manage to score over 'proper' teams (everybody except Matt's Gobbos).

In other news I played another campaign game of Flames of War on Sunday, and it turned out to be the fastest game I've ever played. I rolled out the mid-war Pantherkompanie (8 CT Panthers...and that's it!) because I'd forgotten my Ostfront book and could remember everything's stats and ran them up against Pete's Red Arm Tankovy (15 T-34's, 2 SU-somethings and a unit of motorised infantry) in a No Retreat scenario.

I was attacking so Pete had to leave two units off the table as reserves (the T-34's) and could put one unit in ambush (the SU's). I took the opportunity to put my objective as far as possible from the one Pete placed, thus forcing him to dig his infantry in around one of them and use his ambush to protect the other.

To cut a long story short, I rushed forwards with the Panthers to put pressure on the 'unprotected' objective. Pete sprang his ambush and across two turns, managed to bail two Panthers. In return I managed to destroy both heavy tanks and land on the objective by the end of my turn 3. Pete had been unlucky with his reserves, none arrived until turn 3, he had been (understandably) reluctant to run his conscript infantry across open ground towards the threatened objective, and he'd also placed his objective too far forward for his T-34's to even contest it when they did arrive.

Unable to do more than scratch my front armour, Pete was forced to concede defeat. It was possibly my most convincing win ever. Admittedly, there were a number of factors in my favour - the scenario, Pete's list choice, his objective placement (unfamiliarity with the scenario caused this), his reserve rolls - but ultimately, it was one of those rare reminders that a Pantherkompanie has it's cheesy moments despite being hideously one-dimensional.

This week holds hopefully varnishing and basing the Mushrooms, and perhaps a start on a project which I hope will see me trying to demonstrate a significant improvement in my painting. I'll also try to get a final campaign game in with my Americans as Matt and I try to win the whole damn shooting match.

It's not easy being green...

Last Thursday saw my quarter final match in the club Blood Bowl match. I'd finished fourth in the league and so was drawn against the fifth place team, JP's Nurgle team, the Rottenham Tight 'Uns. To say that I was wary of this match would be an understatement. The Nurgle team seem to have everything that is required to really make a mess of the Slann. Not only can they pummel to frogs into the ground (like most teams) but the disturbing presence of the Nurgle Warriors prevents the Slann from moving the ball effectively, and as annoying as Leap is, it doesn't help put distance between squishy Slann Catchers and slow-moving crumpers. Being unable to move the ball, as I found out in our league game, means that the Slann have to get up close and personal much more than I'd like to.

Despite this, I was determined to try to play fast with the ball and aim to score quickly and avoid the worst of the pummelling. We'll see how that went...

The 49ers recieved the ball and began to head down the left flank. The Nurgle team moved to block and so the 49ers switched to the right and caged up only to be fireballed. A beastman came pummelling through to grab the ball, but his following cage trip on a go for it leaving him exposed. The subsequent block sent him flying and the Slann had the ball again and switched over to the left flank once more. The putrescent tide swept across the pitch again and the Slann were forced to go for a pass into the end zone. The pass was successful (despite the disturbing presence of two Nurgle Warriors) but the catch was dropped. The Nurgle players again surged towards the ball and managed to get two tackle zones on the ball, the the third player tripped, fell and injured himself. With the ball still sitting in the endzone, the Slann Can't-Catcher leapt over the intervening Nurgle players and scooped up the ball from beneath their noses. 1-0 to the 49ers, two turns left in the half and ominously, three Slann were already in the injured box...

The teams set up again and the Nurgle team realised that they'd have to go for something ostentatious to equalise. Beastmean rushed through the line, Rotters scurried back for the ball and Warriors smashed faces. The Slann were able to hop their blitzers through the lines to strip the ball away and spoil any chance of the Tight 'Uns equalising this half.

Once again the teams set up and the Slann were bracing themselves for a beating. However, their fans stormed the pitch, stunning all three Nurgle Warriors on the line. The 49ers had a window of opportunity. Realising that they were vulnerable, for the only time in the match, the Tight 'Uns elected not to hit frogs and moved to protect the ball.

This was the chance. Slann hopped in to removed assists an the Blitzer leapt into the cage to flatten the ball carrying Beastman. The ball went flying...straight into the arms of a rotter. The half then became predictable. The Nurgle Team moved slowly down the pitch, breaking things as they went, whilst the Slann threw increasingly desperate leaps into cages to go for one dice blocks and began to run out of players. By the time the Tight 'Uns ambled into the endzone there were only five Slann on the pitch, and another two in the injured box. 1-1 with two turns remaining.

It would be tricky, but it was possible. The Slann recieved deep in their own half and rushed two players into positions where they could score (the Tight 'Uns could only hit one). The Catcher was flattened which meant that victory required a Blitzer to run to the end zone and then a long bomb to be thrown. The Blitzer tripped on his first square of movement, was injured and the game was going to over time.

The ball was once again kicked to the Nurgle team. Vainly throwing leaping blocks at cages, the Slann were powerless to stop their opponents taking the lead. When they set up with four turns of over time to go, there were only five Slann remaining. There just weren't enough of them, and even though one lone lineman made a death or glory rush towards the end zone, he was flattened and injured and the Tight 'Uns trotted in another touchdown.

With most of their team injured, the 49ers go out of the tournament and into retirement. The Tight 'Uns go on to the semi-finals and potential glory.

Rottenham Tight 'Uns 3 - 1 Slann Frogcisco 49ers (Casualties: 7-1)

OUCH!

I took a beating and there's no denying it. I could complain about dice, but that would ignore the fact that JP took exactly the right approach to cause me as much trouble as he could. I also had a (slim) chance to win but couldn't bring it home. In the end, the mounting casualties meant that I just couldn't compete in overtime.

This is the second time I've used the Slann in a league and I have to admit that they are hard work. To get the most out of them, you have to take risks and risk-taking is always punished in Blood Bowl. Unless someone drops out of the inter-club Chumpions' League then the Slann Frogcisco 49ers will be put away for a long time. However, they will keep the honour of having the best team name I've ever thought of...

Next year, I'm going for a team that can hit folks. There's some payback to be had!!!

They call it 'winning ugly'

The final game of the regular season. I was already guaranteed a place in the play offs, but I was playing for league position and (theoretically) an easier game in the quarter finals. Kelly, my opponent, was still struggling to secure qualification. After a rough start to the season, his Wood Elves had slowly shown improving form and he'd won his first game the previous week.

Slann Frogcisco 49ers 2 - 1 Barrowman's Ball Benders (Casualties 1-2)

In front of a packed house of their own fans (all Slann, no Elves) the game was delayed by a riot which began at the snack bar (they'd run out of flies). The 49ers, who'd elected to kick because they expected to have time to respond to the Benders' inevitable score, were suddenly very worried. Their worry deepened when a Treeman came crashing through their lines shortly followed by half the Wood Elf team and the ball.

A desperate defence began and ball was stripped from the Elf Catcher's hands, however it bounced to a Slann in the middle of the scrum and so the 49ers were forced to leap in to the ruck to even the odds. The Elves then uncharacteristically began to put the boot in. Three Slann were stretchered off but the ball stayed safe in the 49ers' grasp. However, up field a lone Slann Lineman was mobbed by a pack of Elves (I think the collective noun is a 'pretention of Elves') who proceeded to jump up an down on his head.

Realising that scoring was out of the question, the 49ers set about keeping the ball from the Benders. A series of extremely flimsy cages were formed, with the Blitzers forming the major impediment to agile elves. Wardancers twice leapt into cages but were unable to claw the ball from Slann flippers and the half ended as it began at 0-0.

The Elves found themselves a two player's short at the beginningof the second half and so were naturally concerned at their ability to hold back the 49ers. Ever conscious of the leaping Wardancers, the frogs took up a formation known as the 'safe' (it's a bit stronger than the cage) and began to barge their way slowly down field.

With the Treeman stranded away from the action the Benders were unable to offer any real threat to the safe as it scraped along and so busied themselves with ambushing lone catchers and fouling them. One of the elves was sent off for a particularly nasty foul and the normally cold-blooded Slann lost their cool and began to respond in kind. Stupidly, this enabled a plucky Wardancer to launch a desperate block to shove a Slann into the ball carrier and knock him off the pitch.

The ball was thrown into the centre and a mad scramble began infront of the Elf touchline. Elves and Slann scrabbled for the ball and twice the ball was knocked from Wood Elf hands. Eventually pass was fumbled and a Slann Catcher was able to grab the ball from under the nose of a Wardancer and jump into the end zone.

The Elves, even further depleted, set up to recieve the ball. Three went back for the ball, the Treeman and two others stayed in the centre and the Catcher and a Wardancer went long. The Slann Blitzers went for man marking on the Wood Elf recievers and the Kroxigor and Linemen traded blows with the Benders' centre. A Lineman and a Catcher went deep for the ball (which was still on the floor) but were unable to reach it and had to settle for putting tackle zones on it.

The Benders looks set to go for a big play, but the Treeman made a mess of a block and suddenly the Slann had an opportunity. The Catcher grabbed the ball (again under Elven noses) and hopped away to score and take the 49ers into a completely undeserved 2-0 lead.

One turn remaining and Barrowman's Ball Benders were feeling justifiably robbed. However an in depth coaching discussion came up with a strategy to restore some pride. The ball was recieved and passed to the catcher. A single Slann lineman was then pushed and shoved from pillar to post until hi bundeld the Catcher forwards. The lithe Elf then broke into a run, skipped through the Slann defensive line and danced into the end zone for a consolation touchdown.

The game ended a 2-1, but the Wood Elves were showing signs of developing into a bigger threat than everyone had previously had them marked as. The Slann we just happy they'd got away with daylight robbery.

Kelly was right to feel a touch robbed in this game. He'd taken advantage of mistake I made well and was unfortunate that bouncing balls and key blocks didn't work out for him. I was also aware that I wasn't burning my rerolls at my usual rate (partly because I was trying to avoid taking risks as dropping the ball against fast teams can hurt). The game felt like a draw, and it certainly wasn't a 2-0 win so the last turn touchdown was well deserved.

I've now done for the regular season and I'm guaranteed to finish at least fourth. However, as this will 'win' me another game against the Rottenham Tight 'Uns and their annoying disturbing presence, I'm hoping that my rivals (Matt's Chaos team and Tom's Dwarves) slip up in their last games so that I can avoid such a tricky game.

A Rotten First Half...

This week I took on JP's Nurgle team, the Rottenham Tight 'Uns. Before we went into the game, I knew that the oppostion would play havoc with my passing game, but I wasn't aware quite how bad it would be...

Slann Frogcisco 49ers 2 - 2 Rottenham Tight 'uns (Casualties 3 - 2)

It must have been the stench that distracted the Slann as they were caught horribly flat-flippered by the Tight 'Uns in the first half. The Rotters received the ball and began laying about the frogs and pummelling them into the crowd at a breakneck pace. The 49ers' response stumbled and the team from Rottenham got another turn to flatten some frogs and push another one into the crowd).

When the Slann finally got their act together, they were able to get inside the Rottenham cage fairly easily and send the ball carrier flying. However, they were unable to capitalise as the Nurgle team retrieved the ball and headed for the wing, and ensured that another Slann was stretchered off. Another flying blitz into the cage sent the ball bouncing again, but again the Slann couldn't get to it. Antoher 49er was ploughed into touch and the Tight 'Uns got the ball back. By this time there were only five 49ers left on the pitch, and they were all on their backs. The Nurgle team trotted in to make the score 1-0.

With limited time available on the clock, the Slann panicked and were called for illegal procedure. They then forgot about the effect of the Nurgle Warriors' disturbing presence and a pass into a cage was fluffed. Rottenham closed in again, bt couldn't reach the ball. With time ticking away, the Slann Catchers hopped towards the end zone. The only way to get the touchdown was to go for a throw, again disturbing presence was forgotten and the throw was failed. However the ball came down adjacent to the Catcher who made a spectacular diving catch to score on the stroke of half time. 1-1.

Aware that they'd been lucky to equalise, the Slann decided to go for a calmer approach to the second half...right up until the pesky Tight 'Uns blitzed them. However, the ball was under no pressure as the Catchers flooded down field and a cage was formed in the middle. The Rotters and Beastmen were drawn off to the Catchers, and only a thin line of Warriors opposed the cage which rolled to the flank whilst the Catchers escaped their markers.

However, there was suddenly an explosion. A fireball had decimated the cage and the Slann all lay sprawled about. The Tight 'Uns closed in but their star Beastmen fumbled the ball which bounced to another Beastman. The Slann Blitzer came in to strip the ball away and it bounced amongst the Nurgle players. A Slann Catcher had to dodge into the cage, manage to retrieve the ball from amongst three players but failed to leap out to where h could pass to an open retriever.

The ball scattered off the pitch an was thrown in to the centre of the field. The sure-handed Beastman again went for the ball and again fumbled it in a position where one Slann Catcher could finally grab the ball and pass it to his compatriot in the end zone. 2-1 to the Slann.

The final drive and Rottenham had the ball. The kick was short, reducing the distance it needed to travel to the end zone. A cage was formed and the Nurgle team once again began battering their way down field. The frog tried in vain to leap into the cage to hit the ball carrier, but were unable to slow it's progress. An inevitable drive took the ball into the end zone leaving the 49ers no time to reply. Final result 2-2.

A tough game that really went badly to begin with, however, I'm not going to complain about dice (although I was a touch grumpy at the time) as it swung in the second half and a series of 1's when the Beastmen tried to pick up the ball, really got me back into the game. What I did notice is that the addition of a few skills has really changed the situation with the Slann and they're becoming a very dangerous team. The only way the JP could find to stop me attacking the ball was to knock all my players down. I'm beginning to feel a bit more confident that the frogs can now give any team a run for their money.

My final match of the regular season is against Kelly's Wood Elves. That should prove to be a bot of a shoot out as both teams play in a similar way.

49ers Strike Gold (up to a point)

With the extra time that half-term brings and n an effort to get caught up, I've managed to fit in two games of Blood Bowl this week. On Thursday I played Trevor's Undead team, Rest In Pieces, and on Friday I went to Andy's to play the Stilton Stealers, his Skaven team. Both of these teams are battling for qualification at the foot of the table, however Trev is a wily veteran of several Blood Bowl leagues whilst Andy is a Blood Bowl rookie who has been catching more experienced coaches off guard. I was taking nothing for granted.

Slann Frogcisco 49ers 4-1 Rest In Pieces (Casualties 1-2)

A game that saw the very best of the Slann and the very worst of the Undead began with a pitch invasion that left five players, including both Mummies, stunned. The first drive began with the 49ers receiving the ball and rolling a cage round to the flank whilst Catchers leapt into the Undead backfield. In an attempt to stop the bouncing Slann, R.I.P. sent half their team to cover the Catchers whilst the others tried to stop the cage. However, they learned that the Slann can’t be held back with conventional tactics and Pascal leapt out of the cage and passed to Antoine (who’d shaken off his marker) for the first touchdown.

The teams lined up again, with the Undead intent on causing some pain. However, the slippery amphibians caught them on the hop with a blitz and once again the Catchers were over the line and threatening the ball. The Wight managed to get hold of the ball and punch his way free, but was left exposed to a blitz from a Line-frog. He went down, the ball bounced away and the Catchers once again did their thing, with Gilles passing to Thierry for the second touchdown.

With time running short, the Undead did what they could to equalise. The Wight gathered the ball again and a Ghoul slipped through the 49ers line to be in with a chance of scoring. However, with only one Ghoul as a scoring threat the Slann were able to put him in a position so tricky that he would have to work miracles to escape and score. The brave Ghoul tried to punch his way out of the hole but tripped and fell. 2-0 at half time.

The second half began with R.I.P. beginning to put good play together. The Wight got the ball and ran up the centre to where a cage was being formed out of crumpled Slann Line-frogs. Meanwhile the Ghouls once again ran through the flimsy frog line. Revealing the rather surprising Undead passing game, the Wight passed to the Ghoul and he was away and free. However, in his excitement, the Ghoul tripped on the line, face-planted, broke his neck and died! The ball bounced into the crowd and was thrown back in. Pascal grabbed the ball, threw a long bomb to Antoine who ran for the corner to score. 3-0.

It’s fair to say that the Undead were having a bad day. Unable to cause serious damage and suffering from misfortune after misfortune, they realised that the game had slipped away. However, there was still pride to play for. Once again, the Wight grabbed the ball, the Mummies bashed a hole, the Ghouls scuttled through and a pass was followed by a touchdown. That was how it was meant to happen.

With only a couple of turns remaining the Slann set up for another assault on the endzone. The Undead set up deep, but the Catchers were able to rune free. A cage rolled round the flank again and Pascal passed the ball to Thierry who hopped into the safety of the cage. Unbale to get to the ball, R.I.P. did what they could to stem the green tide, but Thierry was able to hop over the defence to complete an emphatic win.

To be fair to Trev, in the first half if it could go wrong, it did. He also wasn't helped by a complete inability to harm my players until the last few turns. However, for me it felt like something clicked with the Slann and I was finally playing effectively with them. Not risking too much, but relying on them to foil the opponent's cunning plans with their 3D strategies. Next up were Andy's Skaven...could I keep the improvement in form going?

Slann Frogcisco 49ers 2-2 Stilton Stealers (Casualties 2-0)

A game of two halves.

The game began with the 49ers receiving. They formed a cage in the middle of the field and then rolled to the flank as the Catchers flooded downfield dragging Skaven out to mark them. The Stealers tried vainly to block the inevitable leaps, but Antoine ran in the touchdown. 1-0 and all was going to the Slann plan.

The Skaven received the ball and began their move upfield. Typically moving the ball with grace and ease to a cage in the centre of the field. However, the Slann Blitzer leapt into the cage, stripped the ball away from the Gutter Runner and the Catchers moved in to scoop up the ball, pass it wide and run in a second touchdown. 2-0 at half time and the frogs were in command.

The Stealers began the second half with the same plan: pick up, hand off, pass and the ball was once again in the centre of the field. A fluffed blitz by the 49ers new signing (a Kroxigor) gave them another turn to move the ball, and another handoff saw a Gutter Runner scooting down the edge of the field. Although the side-stepping rat couldn't be pushed into the crowd, the Slann Blitzer once again came in to do his work. However, a fluffed block (with a reroll!) saw the Blitzer down and the Skaven free to skip past the last frog and score. 2-1; the rats were back in it.

The Slann received the ball and began the now familiar process from both teams; pick up, hand off cage. A two-headed Skaven then pulled off a deft move and dodge into the cage and flattened the ball carrier and the ball then bounced around to settle outside the cage. Aware that the Skaven had a wizard lurking in the crowd and that they couldn't form a cage properly, the Slann opted for the risk move to go for a long pass to a Catcher waiting in the end zone, however the sunny conditions played havoc with the pass and the ball scattered. The Skaven then did what they do best, the ball was scooped up by the thrower, passes to a Gutter Runner who scooted down the flank again. Only a single line-frog could get to him but the blitz failed and the Stealers ran in to equalise.

Three turns remaining and the frogs were still aware that a wizard was lurking. Once again; pick up, hand off, cage...but the fireball didn't come. The Skaven vainly assaulted cage, still no magic. The Slann rolled left and formed a wall along the edge of the pitch, still not a sizzle. Las turn, the Skaven ran in to close with the frogs and make moving the ball difficult...suddenly there was an arcing bolt of lightning and the ball carrier was down. The ball scatted into three Skaven tackle zones. Without a reroll the Slann began a series of once dice blocks to clear the ball. Only two tackle zones remained when a Catcher went for the ball...it was enough as he failed to scoop up the ball and the game was drawn.

As I said, it was a game of two halves. In the first half, everything went to plan and had my Blitzer succeeded in stripping the ball away from the Gutter Runner (literally a 99% chance of success with a reroll) then I think I would have been away and clear at 3-0. I'm more irritated that I broke one of the cardinal rules for playing against Skaven by taking a risk and throwing long. This allowed Andy to do a standard Skaven 'steal & score' move to equalise. I panicked at the ease with which he'd got into my cage and was concerned about the wizard. I should have concentrated on protecting the ball again and risked the wizard. As it was, I not only allowed Andy to equalise, but had he remembered the wizard in time, he would have won. I almost threw this one away.

The upside however, was once again the team functioned as I intended and a fluffed block and a mistake from me were the reasons my lead was overturned. I'm cursing the team any more - I think I've got the hang of the Slann.

However, the good news is that these two results have guaranteed my progression into the play offs. I've now got two games to play to secure league position and a favourable draw. My next opponent is JP whose Nurgle team, the Rottenham Tight 'Uns, are currently on the same points as me (although I have a game in hand). Win this one and I think that I'm certain of being in the top half of the draw.

So close...

This week saw me begin my push to catch up on the Blood Bowl League games I’ve fallen behind on. It’s a bit embarrassing that as League Commissioner I’ve played less games than anyone else, however, I am limited to one game per week and the leagues been so well supported that folks have been getting game sin throughout the week.

However, despite a decent start, the slip up against the Vampires and the bore draw against the Dwarfs had seen my progress halted. Additionally, other teams had used their additional games to overtake me in the table. It was time for action!

Sadly, the game I’d arranged for this week was against the run away league leaders, Crouching Vermin, Hidden Rodent; Stu’s Skaven. Stu has been trouncing everybody, and not just in results. His rats have been giving good account of themselves in casualties as well. There was almost a 250,000 difference in team value and I was doubtful of my ability to compete…

Slann Frogcisco 49ers 1 – 1 Crouching Rodent, Hidden Vermin (Casualties 0-2)

The Slann got the first drive but an all too familiar handling error saw the ball turned over deep in the Skaven half and the rats scurrying back up the field like lightning. They seemed certain to score. However, a trip on the line caused the ball to scatter into the crowd for it to be helpfully thrown back up field by the crowd into the waiting flippers of a Slann Catcher. A hop, a skip and a jump saw the ball carried to the edge of the end zone, but a quick check over the shoulder saw not enough Skaven within reach so the frogs stopped for a chat (to howls of derision from the Skaven coach). The Skaven scurried back in tie to see the Slann hop over for a touchdown. 1-0 to the 49ers.

The Skaven had limited time to score and the Gutter Runners burst down field. The 49ers got as many players close to the shifty little rats as possible and a lightning bolt arced out of the crowd to fry the fastest. The remaining Gutter Runner was unable to escape the amphibious net and the 49ers took their lead into the break.

A determined Skaven team set up to receive the ball again, secure in the knowledge that there were no more wizards to contend with. However, they were caught off guard by a blitz and one of the 49ers' Catchers hopped over the line, grabbed the ball and almost succeeded in passing it into a cage on their left wing.

The Vermin grabbed the ball back and set of at pace down the opposite flank, a lone Gutter Runner breaking free. A single Slann Linefrog was in reach; he hopped after the scurrying rodent and slammed him in the jaw, knocking him flying. The ball once again bounced into the crowd and was once again helpfully thrown long to where the rest of the Slann team was.

Scooping up the ball again, the Slann began a slow cage walk up their right flank, each turn doing just enough to keep the greasy quick rats from the ball. However, the march was costing them and they seemed to be losing a player every turn. The Blitzer and a Catcher broke free, however, the blitzer sprawled on the floor after failing a leap and the Catcher was suddenly the only target for the rats.

The Vermin pounced and the Catcher was knocked flying and the Skaven thought momentarily that their end zone was safe and surrounded the cage again. However, they'd reckoned without the Blitzers ability jump up and he leapt over his markers and looked set for the end zone to receive a game winning pass. To gasps from the crowd, the Blitzer failed to dodge away from the last rat and suddenly the ball carrier was vulnerable.

Knocked flying into the crowd the ball once again was flung back in, however, with only four Slann players left on the pitch there was nowhere that was helpful for them and the Skaven duly picked up the ball and ran in for the equalizer; the only consolation being that there was no time for either team to score again.

The 49ers proudly managed what no other team has this season, they held the rampant Skaven in check. They were helped a bit by the crowd, a wizard and a Skaven shoelace, but could also look to their own missed opportunities and feel somewhat heartened that they were the team that had come closest to winning the match.

A good game, and sadly for the rest of the league, it was clearly Stuart's duff game for the season, his next opponent can look forward to a drubbing. We both suffered from duff dice, but I feel that Stuart experienced his at more crucial moments, and the crowd were clearly on my side with the throw-ins. I at least feel like I've got back a bit of the pride I lost for losing to the Beaten By All Ravens.

My schedule is now due to pick up with Trev’s Undead and Andy’s Skaven next week. Both teams have been struggling to find form so I can’t look forward to any magical trickery helping me against them. On the up side, my team have begun to pick up skills at last and I now have Guard on a Lineman. Trev’s going to discover what the implications are of a Slann with Guard…

Back to Black

Final post of the month and EVEN MORE progress!!!

VBCW

With a three-way game lined up this week, I returned to the B.U.F. infantry to try to match the horde of socialist sailors (seriously) that are heading my way. I've added a couple of riflemen, a five man assault squad armed with sub-machine guns and an officer.

These are the last of the Plastic Soldier Company Russians that I'm painting, partly because I've run out of models in forage caps, but also because painting a drab colour scheme onto less than brilliant models is no fun. However, I am rather pleased with how the officer has turned out and I need to come up with a suitable name for him...something appropriately caddish (suggesstions welcome).

Which leaves me with a picture of the final force. The more eagle eyed amongst my readers will notice that not only have I sorted out their bases, but they've not been done with my usual boring basing technique. Admittedly, all I've done is add another type of basing material to contrast with the static grass, but I think it looks better than my usual efforts.

So there we are, a complete squad of the South Yorkshire Cohort of the B.U.F. This squad has been tasked with blocking one of the passes across the Pennines to their stronghold in Manchester. They struck lucky recently and intercepted a socialist convoy smuggling Russian weapons to the reds in Sheffield. Being practical fascists, they've armed themselves with the Russian armaments with the intention on turning the guns on their intended recipients as soon as possible.

My royalist faction is going to grow, however, I'll be stepping away from the B.U.F. to add some more characterful militia units. More later...

Blood Bowl

Slann Frogcisco 49ers 2 - 2 Bugman's Bar Wenches (Casualties 1-1)

The game opened with the Slann team catching the Dwarfs on the hop (so to speak). A well aimed rock from the crowd flattened a Dwarf Blitzer and the 49ers leapt to exploit the opening, bursting down the flank towards the end zone. A spirited pursuit from the surprisingly nimble Dwarfettes briefly halted the drive as Pascal the Catcher went sprawling. However, his was able to hop up and away with the ball and bounce in to score. 1-0 to the 49ers.

The Bar Wenches received the ball from the kick off and set about defying public perceptions of Dwarfs, moving quickly, passing and even selling the Slann a dummy as they deftly crossed the pitch. However the frogs proved difficult to outdistance as a series of brave leaps knocked the ball from the Dwarfs' hands twice and the 49ers were able to steal the ball. Bugman's girls only chance was for a Blitzer to dodge past her marker and sprint to plant one on the Slann with the ball. She succeeded but was only abe to push the Slann back. However, it wasn't over. The Slann fluffed an attempt to block the Blitzer (double skull) and gave her a second chance. She flattend Antoine, scooped up the ball and trundled in to score. It was 1-1 at half-time.

The Dwarfs looked to be in control as the second half began, however, a rush from several Slann players hopping over their lines really put their Runners under pressure. However, once again defying convention, the Wenches completed a pass to safety and began to drive up field. The 49ers hopped, skipped and jumped all over the place in an attempt to slow the rumbling cage but were unable to halt the drive. 2-1 to the Dwarfs, two turns remaining.

The clock was running out and the Slann were running on empty (no rerolls), but there was still a chance to score. Two catchers leaped into the opposing half in an attempt to get within striking range of the end zone, whilst the third scooped up the ball and ran up to the half way line, the linefrogs forming a rough cage. Knowing that they had to stop the catcher, the Dwarfs caged one and then knocked the other into the crowd in a frenzied attack. With nothing to lose, the caged Catcher, hopped and dodged to the endzone to await the ball. Slann forced a passage for Pascal to close the distance for his pass. He ran, he threw, the ball was caught, touchdown, game over!

A very tight game. I made a mistake blocking rather than dodging at the end of the first half. Tom made a mistake by sportinglty not castling at the end of the second. There's nothing between these two teams. We're currently third and fourth in the table and separated by a single casualty.

My next game is against the runaway league leaders, Stu's Skaven team, Crouching Rodent, Hidden Vermin. He's demolished everybody he's met so far and even with the return of my dodging Catcher and the development of a passing Catcher, I'm not holding out much hope that my inconsistent amphibians will be able to do what every other team has failed to do.

Progress

It's the end of the month and time to show off my progress to my fellow Tale of Gamers bloggers. Amazingly this month doesn't involve just a single picture. What follows is all the stuff that I've done some work on this month (not including the fascists above), from basing to full painting:

This not setting targets lark seems to have suited me...

I'm feeling justifiably proud of myself this week. I've made another significant lump of progress towards my secret target...more on that when I've actually achieved it. However, on this weeks blog there's the staple diet (for January at least) of Flames of War, Blood Bowl and a Very British Civil War. So, on with the show...

Flames of War

Following on from completing my two platoons of Panzergrenadiers last week, I've painted an entire platoon of Pioneers including a 3-Ton Supply Truck, a Flamethrower stand and a Goliath Demolition Carrier.

This platoon will be representing 11 Pioniere Kompanie who fought alongside SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26 just outside Fontenay-le-Pesnel in Normandy, 25th June 1944, when General Montgomery launched Operation Martlet just prior to Operation Epsom. This is the action I mentioned last week and these units fought against (and severely mauled) the Hallamshire Battalion (a future project). In creating this force, I'm doing what Battlefront always seems to do in their scenarios and having each platoon represent a company. For the initial force, I still need to add a Mortar Platoon, another Infantry Platoon and some PaK40 Anti-Tank Guns.

Next up will be the PaK40's due to the fact that I got an Amazon voucher for Christmas and discovered that I could get reduced price Flames of War stuff from there. I've also noticed that with a bit of luck, I might be able to squeeze enough extra models out of the PaK40's to enable me to bring my two Panzergrenadier platoons up to full strength.

Painting this unit also involved constructing a 3-Ton Supply Truck to allow me to field Barbed Wire and Minefield when defending. The model I used for this is a Zvezda Opel Blitz German Truck. Although not as detailed as their Battlefront counterpart, this is a plastic model that costs the princely sum of £2.75. It's a bit fiddly to put together, and the rear wheels don't seem to fit the axle at all (I had to do some cutting and gluing), however at fraction of the cost for something that will be sent to the rear on turn two (if it isn't blown up on turn one), this is a bargain. With FoW3 apparently making transports better, Zvezda could be sitting on a little goldmine. I will certainly be buying Zvezda trucks should I decide to add transports for my platoons.

Finally on the Flames of War front, some good old-fashioned Cheaphammering. My funds are severely limited at the moment and I wanted some HMG's for my Germans. However, the list I'm using allows for HMG Nests to be purchased even when not playing a Fortification mission and given that the Germans were dug in and defending during Operation Martlet, I thought "let's make some!" These were simply made with cocktail sticks cut up and laid around a GW 20mm plastic base. A bit of wire for the HM sticking out and Bob's your uncle. I think that they still need a bit more in the way of camouflage (some static grass and suchlike), but I'm wary until I have a clearer or how not to ruin them. However, I'm really happy with them and they should play merry hell with the screaming hordes of US Paratroopers I've been plagued with in the past.

Blood Bowl

This week saw the Slann Frogcisco 49ers take on Aneurin's struggling Bite 'Em All Ravens Vampire team. I knew that I'd got a bit lucky in the last two games and was due some payback. And boy did I get paid.

The first half seemed to go well, despite my star Catcher (the only player with a skill so far) getting injured and missing the next game, I was somehow able to keep the Vampires out of the end zone. I was severely helped in this by the Vampires' propensity to fail their Bloodlust tests and have to knock out their own players rather than move where they wanted to. However, a few daring blocks helps affairs and I even got the ball at the end of the first half but hadn't left anyone in strike range of the opposite end zone (I needed them all to defend) and the half ended 0-0.

The second half began with me receiving the ball. Here's were I screwed up. I should have caged around the Catcher with the ball, however I was too busy failing to wound thralls and so ended up with a thin flat line defence. When not succumbing to Bloodlust the Vampires are scarily good and with deft use of Hypnotic Gaze they were through my lines. This was where the Slann revealed their big weakness, in a key moment, I succumbed to bad dice without re-rolls (no Dodge, Pass, Block, Catch or Sure Hands) and was unable to clear the ball. A Vampire grabbed it and scurried in for a touchdown.

I then had to go through the same mess again, but this time with only one Catcher. This time I did it right. I caged up and began a slog up field. The Vampires were impossible to keep away from my ball carrier (damned Hypnotic Gaze) as I didn't have enough players to run interference, but I was burning re-rolls like there was no tomorrow. I did managed to get into range of a touchdown on the final turn, but with no re-rolls left I was asking a lot to try to get a Leap, a Dodge, a Pass, a Catch and two Sprints off in one turn. Needless to say, I failed.

I was really annoyed with myself after the game as not only had I played stupidly at the beginning of the second half, but I'd also gifted Aneurin an additional 60,000gc to his inducements by forgetting to deduct my missing Lineman from my Team Value. Anuerin played the game well, and actually coped with worse dice than me. He used Hypnotic Gaze to make sure that he always had the initiative.

The most annoying thing? I didn't get a single SPP from the game beyond my MVP (which of course went to a player who didn't have any points already). Next week I'm playing Tom's Dwarfs with only 3 Catchers. It's small comfort that by having the Catcher with Dodge out of action, he won't get to use the Tackle skill at all. How do you like them apples beardy?

VBCW

Just a quick update here to show off another vehicle for the B.U.F. This is a fuel tanker which, although not tactically useful, could find itself being an objective in several games. Really easy to paint and quite effective looking.

With one more week to go in my record breaking month I'm feeling quite chipper. This painting on a whim thing is working out for me. I find that the key thing is to not let painting become a chore. This week I might be doing some more Fascists for an upcoming VBCW game (and this could include another vehicle) and, depending on the post, could see me get started on the PaK40's. It will also see a very tough game of Bloodbowl as Tom and I are sitting joint third in the table, I'm pretty sure that I can't stop him scoring, however, can I score twice?