Can't lose again, Chaos...

   After painting the Lion, my son and I planned for a game in the middle of the week (work schedules are a real obstacle these days), but we didn't get the chance due to having company.  This gave me time to introspecting on my recent success (or lack thereof) with my Chaos Marines.  I've used the new codex three times, twice against his Dark Angels and once against the Black Templars, and I was convincingly annihilated each time.  My conclusion- I suck at Chaos!

  For this post, I'm going to spend a little time talking about my favorite units in the codex and why I use them frequently.  After that, I'll reach a conclusion as to why I fail so badly somehow.  Now, it should be noted that I'd normally fall back to the "Dice tell the story" addage, but my rolls haven't been characteristically bad for the most part.  But I'll get to that later.  

The Leaders

  I always use my Daemon Prince.  For decades, I got owned across tables all around the nation by heretic players and their Daemon Princes, so I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder for this guy.  Now that I'm also a heretic player, I feel the obligation to put him in my lists.  In previous editions, this was always a good choice.  These days are different and he shouldn't be an auto-include now.  In fact, the difference between the winged one and the normal one is more than the just the ability to fly.  

  The winged version is a lower Toughness, making him only slightly more vulnerable to mid-strength weapons compared to the other guy.  But he causes 'impact hits' when he charges, which makes that extra movement really helpful.  Unfortunately, his wings make him hard to hide so it's always only a matter of time before he's eliminated by those mid-strength bullets.  The walker is tougher, but his most important trait is spreading the Shadow of Chaos and giving allies nearby the Stealth rule, making all of them harder to hit!  That matters enough that I asked my son to paint up the foot-version for our game.  

  Next up are my Terminator characters- the Lord and the Sorcerer.  The Lord is a beat-stick and has always 'traded up', so he's definitely my leader even when the Daemon Prince is involved.  But the real hero is my Sorcerer- giving his bodyguard squad faster movement with his Warptime power.  Unfortunately, this leads that squad to being a 'minesweeper' and being eliminated after a trade.  Not bad, but that's a lot of points spent for less results.  

Vehicles and Armour

  I used to be a big believer in the Defiler, despite the common impression.  The unit is little more than an over-costed Dreadnought with a weaker Battle Cannon on the front, with options for more weapons.  I've tried to use this a couple of times, but it doesn't seem to destroy anything, so it has become a tarpit.  And a tarpit does not a victory earn!

  

  Being a little disappointed in the Defiler, I'm not entertaining the use of Helbrutes (Chaos Dreadnoughts).  While they're not the most game-breaking unit in the game, their ability to inspire nearby allies to use BOTH of the Dark Pacts abilities is really handy- especially for those Possessed that need all the help they can get.  

Troops and other units

  Speaking of Possessed- they are by far my favorite unit in the codex!  More than simply Imperial marines with spikes and chains, these guys actually reflect the boons of following the Dark Gods.  These guys are tough and can be dangerous when going up against stock troopers.  The problem that they have is they don't have a lot of high-strength attacks.  This means that they need to make Dark Pacts or use their once-per-game ability (or both!) to really cause any damage.  Add in a Master of Possessions to buff them, and they're almost the most powerful unit in the game!  But the unit comes with the character- and dice roll-taxes to reach that effectiveness.  

by Diego Gisbert Llorens

  Now we get to the Terminators again.  Regular Chaos squads are cheap but don't do anything other than take and hold objectives, while Raptors and Havocs are a lot of points but almost always underwhelm.  Terminators come with the resilience and firepower to be worth their points and can serve as a tarpit or a damage-dealer.  But they come with that character-tax as well, so it's always a bit of an investment.  Unlike most other units, the Terminators are actually fun, meaning that they often exceed expectations and, just as often, fall short.  

  Next comes the Obliterators.  While Havocs carry the heavy weapons (and can move and shoot without penalty- pretty handy!), they go down quick and aren't often around long enough to get their points back.  Obliterators, on the other hand, are as resilient as they come and can lay down blistering salvoes to wipe out troops and vehicles with ease.  Better- they can deep strike!  I only use them occasionally, but I think they need to make it into every list now.  

  Finally, the infantry I love to use most often includes my Daemon Prince's bodyguard- the Warp Talons.  I converted my own (I still think GW's models are terrible at representing what a Warp Talon is supposed to be- a warp-mutated Raptor that's more daemon than warrior now), using the old Possessed bodies and wings.  Unfortunately, this unit is terrible on the tabletop.  I've tried all the tricks (including having a Defiler nearby to 'interrupt' and keep his buddies alive) and I'm always disappointed.  Even against regular line-troops, they don't do much.  But they have wings and move quickly, so I like them.  

So what's the problem then?!

  Well, this is where it gets fun.  Obviously, I use the least-good units but they don't suck as bad as most people think.  Plus, the theme of "not just Imperial Marines with spikes and chains" is key for me as I already play enough of the good guys.  I want something different, and including all the daemonically-infused stuff is a great way to keep that theme.  My dice-rolling is typically bad, but not so much that it would result in a 100% loss rate with this army.  At least with one exception- 

DARK PACTS!!!

  Chaos Space Marines have the ability to gain 'sustained hits' or 'lethal hits' simply by taking a Leadership test.  This is great- increasing the unit's effectiveness (with the roll of 6's to hit, of course) and doesn't require special wargear or other upgrades.  They just pray to their Dark Gods and suddenly have more super superpowers.  Unfortunately, failing that Ld check results in a sacrifice that causes up to three Mortal Wounds to the unit.  Guess who can't pass a 2d6 check, requiring a '6', with rerolls?  This guy!  Worse, both my Terminators and my Possessed happen to roll a '3' each time they wound themselves, meaning they lose 20% of their output before they even attack!  Yeah, that's not good.  In two of the three losses, I did more damage to my own army than my opponent did.  Wow.  

  With the extra time (hopefully we can play this weekend), I'll be 'finessing' an army list.  If I can break my unhealthy adherence to the 'fluff', maybe I'll use different units and see more success.  But it's not my unit selection that's killing me, it's me!  Pray better, heretics.  Pray better.  

Let me know what advice you may have below or if you have a similar situation with one of your armies.  As always- Happy Gaming! 

Painting The Lion

   Just a few posts ago, I noted that I had shifted to getting my son's Lion El'Jonson painted and that I would be posting about it soon.  Well, soon has come and I'm posting about my progress on this model.  This is the Primarch of the 1st Legion and deserves quite a bit of attention.  Even then, I'm trying to get him done so my main opponent can stop hounding me and finally put the demigod of war on the table.  

  Last weekend, I spent the entire day just working on the 'core' of the model- the main body and cape.  The model was sub-assembled and primed, and that meant I could focus on one bit at a time.  I discovered that this is not my preferred style as it requires me to return to the same colours and techniques over and over, and that can feel very sisyphean.  But this model just happens to come with so many layers and details that it requires the sub-assembly if you hope to reach even half the details.

The core

  I already painted the inside robe and the inside of the cape a cream-color- I used Ushabti Bone and successive mixes with more and more White Scar on the layers.  Because I painted it so subtly, the layers don't really show up in the pics.  I then went to work on the outer robe and cape, which would be the traditional Dark Angels green color.  

  To keep the green dark and subtle, I layered on Caliban Green first, then added a smidge of Ushabti Bone to add to the upper layers successively.  At first, I wanted to wet-blend everything, but I just didn't have the patience (or have my wet-palette set up), so layering with very subtle mixing of a lighter colour with the basecoat was going to be the method today.  

  After the cream and green, it was time to attack the browns and whites.  The Lion has a best, holster, and even a pelt, so it was time to start the smaller details.  Keeping with the theme of mixing colours for the layers (I'd resigned to it after working with the cream and green!), I basecoated all the leather with the Rhinox hide and then layered on successive mixes with Scrag Brown.  

  I then moved to the purity seals.  Because of the cream-colour of the robes and cape, I couldn't fall back to my normal technique for painting parchment, so I tried something different this time.  I basecoated the parchment with White Scar and then planned to wash it with Seraphim Sepia to give that effect.  

  The Sepia wash wasn't bad, but it left behind a glossy sheen that I did not like.  I try later to edge highlight with the White Scar again but I just won't be satisfied.  I like my methods!

  Now came some of the fun- I had to paint white iconography and that was one of my specialties (I hate painting white, but a sharp paintbrush can do wonders!).  The Lion has his legion symbol splayed across his chest, some icons on his kneepads and holster, and his symbol again dominating his forearm.  Now returning to my tried-and-trusted old techniques, I decided the layers would be Dawnstone to White Scar.  But there's a trick...

  After painting the basecoat of Dawnstone (being sure to fully cover- no transparent layers or missed spots!), I then watered down Abbadon Black to an almost-clear liquid to use as a wash.  Simply brush that watery pigment over the ares that you want to shade and let it do the work.  After that dried, I then pulled out my cleanest, sharpest paintbrushes and got to work layering a half-and-half mix of the gray and white onto each feather and sword.  It is tedious, but worth it in the end.  Note that I'll use this same technique on the shield later.  

  There were still a couple more details to paint on this part of the model- all the metal stuff (his pistol and cape clasps).  For the pistol, I basecoated with Iron Warrior, washed with the watered-down black paint as above, and then highlighted with Ironbreaker.  For the clasps, I basecoated with Balthasar Gold and then layer-highlighted with that gold mixed with a little bit of Ironbreaker.  While here, I also based the shield-brace and the studs along the armor/  

More for the core

  Now we get to the cape and back-side of the sub-assembled model.  Remember when I pulled out the browns to paint up the belt and holster?  The basecoat of Rhinox Hide had already been done for the pelt, but now it was time to get the rest of it done.  I wanted the pelt to be as neutral as possible to keep the attention to the front of the model, so I kept the theme of mixing a bone color into the brown in successively lighter tones to stipple on lighter- and lighter-coloured fur.  I then mixed that Rhinox Hide with Mephiston Red in the same way to get the paws and folded parts.  Later, I added black to the nails and highlighted with Dark Reaper.  Most importantly, I wasn't interested in making this pelt a central detail like some other Imperials, so I didn't spend too much time on this.  

    I then had to get the trim on the cape done as it was driving me nuts.  That was the detail that was stopping me from getting to the shoulder pads and moving on with the assembly.  I painted this the same way as the white details above, working from Dawnstone to White Scar in layers.  But I didn't got as hard on the pure white as normal as this was the back and the detail should be focused on the side the enemies will see...

Not the core anymore

  Sub-assemblies are convenience until you realize that you're just doing the same work over and over.  But sometimes, you have no choice, and this model is a great example.  The model comes with a ton of pieces (but no options except heads), so it was time to launch into everything outside the main body and cape.  This meant the shield, sword, head, and backback would all become the focus.  Where to start...

  First, the same Mephiston Red that was used for the purity seals was painted onto the flat of the shield's front (and any purity seals there).  Then I used two different shades of gold to add at least a little interest to the otherwise-boring black-armoured paint scheme.  I was out of my favorite gold- Retributor Armour, so I had to settle for Balthasar Gold for most of the details.  Used this as a basecoat for any non-silver as it would set the tone.  Then, I used Runelord Brass for certail areas of gold- the bottom of the wings, the script on the backback, and the lion and eagle icons on the shoulderpads.  

  Finally, I added some Iron Warriors to any silver parts.  If I haven't mentioned my appreciation for this colour- Iron Warrior is a dark silver and covers beautifully!  I dig this colour and suggest it strongly for any time you could use a gunmetal.  Both the Runelord Brass and Iron Warrior colours are strong and cover very easily, and I was more than a bit appreciative.  

  Finally, I mentioned my little 'trick' above- watering down the black paint until I can use it as a wash or ink.  I did that again and used this to effortlessly pop details like the studs and layers.  Such a simple step and yet so effective...

  Each of the colours listed was then mixed successively with more and more Ironbreaker and applied as highlights.  As noted above, I'm not trying to make this model cartoony and want to keep things subtle to reflect Lion El'Jonson's propensity for stealthiness.  After that simple step, it was time to finish the shield.  

  This was the most harrowing detail of the entire model.  Everything else was simple (if not frustratingly so), but the detail on the shield required some attention as this was the Emperor's Shield.  All the pics showed this done in gold, but I wanted to make it pop as well as consider the balance of colour on the model, so I chose to continue to the white details already the common feature on him.  Taking out the Dawnstone and White Scar, I began that layering process of successive mixes from 100% gray to 100% white.  It was worth it...

  Later, I did the typical 'gem' effect on that shield, using Kantor and Alaitoc Blues and White Scar.  I used the old-school technique of painting the whole gem in the dark blue, the bottom half with a mix of Kantor and Alaitoc, the bottom quarter with Alaitoc, and the bottom border with half Alaitoc and white.  Then I added a white dot or two inside the darkest parts of the gem towards the top.  

The S-word

  Finally, I was down to the sword.  This was going to be a problem as I just didn't know how I wanted to pull this off.  Was this going to be coloured?  Or silver?  Or silver with some glow?  Or how about a lightning/power pulse effect?  

  Either way, I have to paint the handle and chose to keep the same colours that I'd been using the whole time already.  First, I painted the handle with Mephiston Red.  Then the guard and pommel got a Runelord Brass coat.  I used the watered-down black paint as a wash and eventually reapplied the basecoat as above.  

  But now came the hardest part of the model- the blade!  Because I was lacking some of my normal colours, I was prevented from some normal techniques.  Which means I tried something new:  I basecoated the blade with Ironbreaker.  Then I watered down the Alaitoc Blue and 'washed' that over it all to get that blueish glow.  Then I layered on Stormhost Silver to highlight it up, hoping that blue tone would show through.  I wasn't happy with the effect. 

  After struggling for some time with it, I finally just resurrected some old pencil-art techniques.  I used darker blue (the Kantor) to draw in 'pulsing' glow lines under the lighter blues already.  Then I made the thinnest line of Abaddon Black to trace the center of the blade, reinforcing that illusion of sharpness.  To the naked eye, I rescued my vision and made a convincing weapon.  In the awesome pics above, not-so-much.   I promise that the blade is much more detailed in-person!

The Lion's head

  It was time.  This was the last detail for the Primarch himself, and I really thought it was going to be difficult.  My son let me know that he preferred the hooded head, which immediately eliminated most of the detail!  First, I based the face with Cadian Fleshtone (this took a couple layers, even for such a small area), then I painted the beard with Abaddon Black.  Mixing a bit of white into the black to create a quick gray, I layered the beard with some striations to give the impression of hair.  Then I washed the entire face (including that beard) with Reikland Fleshshade to give it some depth.  

  Once that dried, I relayered the Cadian onto the raised areas of the face (the nose and cheeks below the eyes), and then highlighted that with Kislev Flesh.  I decided not to fuss with the beard as it now looked like a grayed version of blond/brownish hair- mission accomplished!  A properly used 'wash' can make so many things easier.

Oh yeah- the black armour too!

  Now I must admit that I've been painting bits of the armour along the way through almost all these steps.  The most frustrating part of sub-assembly is doing the same work over and over, and the the armour was the most frequent exercise in that.  

  This is just the standard method for painting black- first, the entire area was basecoated Abaddon Black.  Then the black is mixed with a small amount of Dark Reaper and used to paint the outlines and sharp edges.  With successively more and more gray added to the black, these lines were layered and made smaller and smaller until only the very corner of the bristles are being used.  Finally, the corners and high edges were line-highlighted with Dawnstone.  I chose those colours because I wanted the armor to be subtle (keep the attention on the details, not the palette!) and I wanted a slightly bluer tint to the edges just to set them apart from the gold and green that dominates this model's paint scheme.  Nothing special here, this is just the tedious highlighting black step that everyone loves so much.  

But wait, there's more!
  Now the Lion is completely finished, but his base is still busy.  The statuary that the Primarch is standing on was given the Eshin Gray basecoat and drybrushed with Dawnstone and white.  The shell-casings on the ground were based with Runelord Brass.  And then...

  The 'Watchers' that follow the Lion around also need to be painted.  These weren't hard as they are tiny little dudes and the gear they hold can all be painted with the techniques above.  But I would be remiss if I didn't at least show the colours that I used in successive layers to paint their robes.  I used the dark purples- Nagaroth Night, Xereus Purple, and Genestealer Purple, as this would keep the focus higher on the  model.  I briefly considered the maroon-ish colour shown on the box art, but that is reddish and would draw the viewer's eyes down on the already-dark scheme.  Yay, art!  

  And that's it for now!  I've glued everything together and added grass, flock, and foliage to the base to finish it.  But I'm not including the pics here yet.  We've planned to use the model in a game already- let's see if I can use that game as an excuse to reveal the work!

Happy Hobbying!