The Show Must Go On

For the first time in over two years I was able to get to a warganes show. So with Matt riding shotgun headed down to Newark for Partizan.

There's not much to this post other than pictures. I didn't get details of specific games, it was just a pleasure to see some big setups of the kind I haven't seen for some time.

The two pictures above and two below were from an immense 40mm Napoleonic set up. Clearly somewhere in the Peninsular War.

This was a display where I actually spoke to somebody (rare for me), although I didn't get details on the battle. There were landsknechts though, so that puts it somewhere in the vicinity of the Wars of Religion.

This big game was definitely from the Thirty Years War...I think. Pike and shot as far as the eye can see.

This was a 'Cold War Gone Hot' game using teeny-tiny tanks.

This is a big game that I believe was possibly dark ages Ireland. I really should read the signs.

Ah, now this is definitely the American War of Independence. I know this one.

Something somewhere in the middle ages.

Tiny boats on a shiny river.

Dead Man's Hand. Matt is trying manfully to get me to buy onto this game as he and Wes have already succumbed.

Something colonial. I presume India given that there are elephants.

The group putting this display on were particularly impressive. Not only were some of then dressed as period British officers, but they were also all holding rather large glasses of red wine at 10:30 in the morning.

This one was definitely Culloden. I recognise it enough and I also overheard people talking to confirm my suspicions.

Yes, I could just ask or look for signs, but where's the fun in that?

Little Big Horn, or Custer's Last Stand. The group putting this on had also put on Native American headdresses in a move that some would call cultural appropriation, but 10 year old me would have called, "really cool!"

An Aliens themed demo game. Each time I walked past this board, nobody had managed to leave the first corridor, so either there were balancing issues or it was just really thematic to the movie as to the Marines' effectiveness.

I've done a little bit of retroactive alterations to allow me to tick off another Hobby Bingo box. I used the Board In Brum 7TV day as and 'event/show' not a 'tournament'. However, it could count as either whereas Partizan was definitely a 'show', so I've now got both boxes ticked.

Obviously, attending a show had a detrimental effect on my purchase/painted numbers, but in terms of actual miniatures, I only bought a single model. However, I did get given what looked like a saxon king as I entered and picked up and unexpected Secret Santa gift of two miniatures. I also grabbed some mdf jetties which I suppose count as models, so I'm now in the red again.

Acquired: 85

Painted: 83

Carnevale - Reinforcements

With the mysterious medallion in the hands of the Guild, the Rashaar launch a viscious counter attack to retrieve it.

This is the fourth scenario from the introductory campaign in the Carnevale starter set and is the first one to have asymmetric objectives.

My Rashaar: 2 Ugdru and 2 Slaves reinforced by a hulking Raadru, needed to complete agendas to score victory points. However, Matt's Guild: 3 Citizens and a Gondolier (with a Gondola) aided by 2 Fishermen, would score points for each of them that survived.

Therefore, with 6 Guild members in play, the Rashaar would have to kill several whilst also completing agendas.

With only 5 turns to play, there would be no hanging around for the Rashaar, with the added complication of the Guild always having initiative due to the command points of the Fishermen.

Turn One

With survival as their goal, the Guild realised that being as far away from the Rashaar infested canals as possible would their priority and began clambering up onto a nearby building for safety.

Seeing their prey climbing out of reach, the Rashaar surged forwards, but the Raadru exposed itself to a viscious counter attack from the spear-wielding Fisherman.

Meanwhile, one of the Lesser Ugdru ordered the Slaves to imitate the Guild and they all clambered up onto rooftops as well. They were planning something.

Guild 6 - Rashaar 0

Turn Two

The Raadru was exposed to another flurry of attacks from both Fishermen (a harpoon shot flew from the roof), leaving it severely wounded, before it was able to grapple one of them into the canal, where an Ugdru began trying to drown him.

Seeing the monstrous Raadru in pain, one of the Slaves performed a flawlessly controlled dive into its jaws, restoring its vitality with her sacrifice.

Seemingly linked to this ritual death, the other Slave also leapt from a rooftop simultaneously with the other Ugdru, which landed on top of the floundering Fishermen in the water.

Agenda Complete - Get To Ground

Guild 6 - Rashaar 1

Turn Three

The struggling Fishermen, isolated from his companions, fought valiantly and managed somehow to slay one of the Ugdru, which had already been skewered by a harpoon.

However, he finally succumbed and was dragged beneath the surface to a watery grave.

Agenda Complete - Watery Grave

With one of the Guild dead, the Rashaar redoubled theory attack. The remaining Ugdru clambered up the wall, hurled one of the Citizens into the water and then leapt in after the poor souk, attempting to drown him too.

Guild 5 - Rashaar 2

Turn Four

Whilst failing in an attempt drive off the Ugdru, the desperate Citizen didnt see the clossal shape moving towards him through the water, and he too was dragged to his death.

Unable to strike back at the water monsters, the Guild Citizens cowered on the rooftop awaiting the inevitable.

Once again the nimble Ugdru hauled itself out of the water, grabbing and hurling a screaming woman into the canal.

Guild 4 - Rashaar 2

Turn Five

Unable to help the stricken woman, the Gondolier struck fiercely at the Ugdru, injuring it.

In return the beast grabbed him and hurled him off the edge, leaping after the man and attempting to drown him.

Agenda Complete - Let The Tide Take Them

The Gondolier fought back bravely and didn't succumb. A harpoon flew straight and true at the Ugdru, slaying the beast and giving the chance for the Gondolier to get out of the water before anything else came along.

The woman in the clutches was not so lucky and her screams were stifled as she disappeared from view.

As the dust settled and the forces disengaged, all that remained in the square was a solitary Slave, leaping off barrels and and cavorting around as if he were trying to perform some sort of Acrobatic Display.

The reasons and motivations for his bizarre behaviour could only be guessed at...

Guild 3 - Rashaar 3

The game ended in a draw, although it really was bizarre as the life and death struggle in the water finally became overshadowed by a Slave's attempt to perform three 4" jumps in a row, failing the third one with the last roll of the game. The agendas are odd sometimes.

The Rashaar are lethal in the water, as they probably should be, and although climbing up on a roof kept most of the Guild out of danger, it did prevent them from using their ability to support each other and gang up on their enemies.

I was quite fortunate in getting g two drowning related agendas, and without this I would really have struggled to get on terms with him.

I like Carnevale. I'm looking forward to thr next scenario which introduces leaders and magic.

Unleash the Dragon...again...

When Matt and Pete started playing 6th edition Warhammer Fantasy Battle again, it was only a matter of time before I caught the nostalgia bug and, like Heinrich Kemmler,  went searching for something from the past to dig up  and bring to life.

Presenting Count Cisqo von Oldhammer.

This 4th Edition Zombie Dragon dates from 1994. I'm not sure if that's when I bought it, but I've definitely owned it for a very long time. The dragon itself has been painted at least three times but the rider had never got past being undercoated.

I'd never actually stripped the dragon before repainting in the past (I have so many bad habits to address), and so the first job was to get the layers of gunk off. The dragon spent a few days in the freezer (to deal with the superglue) allowing me to break the parts down (fortunately, I also never bothered with pinning), before it took a long dettol bath.

The whole model is a glorious example of Games Workshop's design aesthetic in the 90s. The iconic sword in the air pose; overwrought armour complete with massive hat; needless back banner mounted on a telegraph pole; etc.

The only bits that aren't from the original kit are the banner, which is Bretonnian (the thick plastic flag matches the thickness of the pole quite well), and the shield, although that is from one of the Black Knights from the same era.

Painting was a combination of contrast, drybrushing, washes and slopping Blood for the Blood God technical paint all over the place.

I took more a bit care with the rider and actually went to the effort of edge highlighting his armour. Overall I'm really quite pleased how it's all come out.

The finishing touch was using some ancient Dark Elf transfers on the banner. I was delighted that they still worked but amused that they are just an outline and I had to paint the colour of the skulls on first and tidy up the edges afterwards.

Despite being a chunky beast, which has the weight and sharp edges to actually be used as a weapon, this model still only counts as one.

However, in Hobby Bingo terms, I've crossed off another box as I've visited several FLGSs numerous times this year and I don't know why this box hasn't been crossed off previously.

Acquired: 77

Painted: 83

Did somebody say Horus?

Lots of people online are getting fizzy about the big Horus Heresy event at Warhammer World. The levels of excitement and nostalgia are high.

Unfortunately, nostalgia, especially about the Horus Heresy, has an unfortunate effect on Blood Angels.

I picked up a batch of metal Blood Angels on eBay, including six almost completely painted Death Company Marines with the aim of adding to my existing unit of five.

I had planned to simply rebase the models, tidy up chips and damage and finish off the jump packs.

However, unfortunately the seller is a much better painter than I am, and massively better than I was when I originally painted the Death Company.

Therefore, I had to revisit the three metal Death Company in my unit and try to bring them closer to the standard of the new models.

This involved changing the colour of the chest plates, armour details and pouches to match what the seller had done.

It also meant scratching some transfers off and free-handing red crosses on the right shoulder pads (I also removed the crosses on the knee pads).

I also had to freehand the chapter symbols. I'm not great at freehanding. Simple geometric lines and patterns are okay, but the winged blood drop was a bit of a bugger.

Hopefully all of this has meant that the models now hang together as a cohesive unit.

I'm planning to put together another of the metal models as the final member of the squad, but this is going to involve a bit more work as I'll be building and painting it from scratch.

Despite not doing them from scratch, I'm counting all nine as painted for a few reasons. Firstly, I counted the new models as acquired. Secondly, the older models needed much more work than I originally envisaged. Thirdly, I make these rules up as I go along.

Acquired: 77

Painted: 82