Mustering the NuMarines

  I haven't posted anything about the new starter kit, the 8th edition 40k rules, or even any thoughts on the Primaris space marines.  I have all kinds of thoughts, mostly positive (mainly because I saw it all coming, what with that pesky Age of Sigmar game being the 'test' platform now), but I just don't feel like going on and on about them.  After all, the game has been out a year, almost all the armies are redone and updated, and the opinions of every hobbyist with a camera and keyboard has already been splashed across the blogosphere.  So why waste the time?

  I've already played a gazillion games, most of them with my younger son and most of them with just a handful of the armies.  My boy built and painted all the Death Guard I could buy (he was like a little machine) and I built and spraypainted a small force of the new space marines.  That Dark Imperium starter set provided some great minis and the rules are really easy and fun (without losing that general feel to the game that we've grown used to).  So all in all, it's about getting the hobby going for this new stuff rather than waxing on about it.

  So the new marines, eh?  Larger versions of the dudes that I've painted literally thousands of, with cooler details and that 'true scale' (that I never really cared about anyway)?  How could I not be all about these!?  Unfortunately, a little mix-up saw me using a can of twenty year-old Ultramarine Blue spraypaint.  While I was happy to still have a working can, I was not terribly forgiving when it 'fuzzed up' on most of my marines.  This matters because it means I can't use my typical 'car wash' approach as fuzzy base means spongy base.  That dryness saps the water right out of paint and washes, killing any hope of doing this as well as I'd like.

  As cool as those Primaris models are, I was simply demoralized.  They've sat for months at that stage before my wife's industriousness motivated me to give them a shot.  So I got to work.  Please note a few things on the Intercessors (that's the squad of 'normal' guys)-
  1.  I'm taking pictures with my phone's camera.  I've gotten lazy and simply don't feel like pulling out the real camera to then hook it up to the computer and all that.  I'm just lazy and I have a camera on my phone.
  2.  I've only done the basecoat and wash.  That means regular 'block coloring' with a targeted wash over each color.  There's so much layering to do yet, so don't be too critical.  I've recovered worse, so this is just a 'first step'.
  3.  Finally, I'm using the original colours for the Ultramarines 2nd company.  That means a bright blue (remember that old spraypaint?), yellow trim, and red weapon casings.  I saw someone do it online (I think it was one of the BoLS guys, but I am likely wrong) and I thought it was neat to return to my roots with the newest stuff, so I copied the idea.  I forgot how good that old paint scheme used to look...

  Because the blue couldn't take the wash like I was used to, I'm going to have to layer it all the way up.  This may take a little bit, but at least it's only squads of five.  The bolt rifles and chest eagles are going to be quick and fun, so I'll save those for last.  It's that armor that I'm really going to have to focus on.  

  I had to get the captain painted.  The best things was that I based him by hand, so no ill effects of the old spray-paint on him.  I know that I should take him up at least one more layer in highlights, but I'm not sure if I want to do that now or when I finally put his markings on.  And the markings are confounding me because I'm not sure if I want to use decals (I can't find Microsol anywhere around here!) or hand paint everything.  But he looks good on the tabletop as he is, so I'm in no rush to solve these conundrums.  

  Oh, as a bonus to myself, I also painted up the Primaris Librarian at the same time...  

  Now that I'm trying to rebuild a game group and sell some more toy soldiers, I need to have a beautifully painted demo set.  The Dark Imperium is all about these Primaris Ultramarines defending against the Death Guard and that's what I'm going to work on.  In fact, my son and I are revisiting his Death Guard to start sprucing them up.  Wait till you see how well a 12-year old can swing a paintbrush with a little direction- I think I might just be proud!

  Also, I had anonymous ask about how I painted my old Word Bearers recently.  First, thank you for visiting my site!  I always love the attention.  Second, it was coincidental to be asked about that army as I'd just pulled it out and blew the dust off for a game recently.  After no use for some time (I think it's been on the tabletop once since Adepticon), the bearers of Lorgar's Word are suddenly drawing that attention that I love so much!  I decided to post a pic of that battle just out of a sheer sense of providence...

The Underhive

  In case you missed it (and many actually did), Games Workshop finally got around to releasing that game I love so much.  It's the game that commissioned me as a lifelong GW fanboy and segued me into the grimdark universe that eventually took over all things gaming.  It's the game that I recruited many an unwary friend and developed their need for 'the versus' as well. 

  And no, this isn't about some Trolls in the Pantry .  Oh no, this is much more serious.  You see, the grimdark is all about the galactic struggle of mankind in an uncaring galaxy beset on all sides by foes unimaginable and incessant.  But what about the local struggles of that same mankind against foes that are wholly predictable and downright exhausting?  That's where this game comes in.  That's where the setting takes on a much more personal feel, especially if those persons are the forgotten masses of wannabe punks at the literal bottom of society.  If you haven't figured it by now, I'm talking about Necromunda. 

Is my personal 'rabbit hole'

  When I was much younger, I begged my Dad for the greatest game I'd ever seen.  Despite his obvious disdain for all things gaming (I had long before worn him thin with my nerdy addictions to comics, D&D, and Star Trek), he relented and gifted me with the core game for Christmas.  Of all the things he's ever done for me, this was probably the most influential (it directly led to a career, for Emprah's sake!), and I rode that horse until it fell dead right under me. 

  Obviously, the game died and I moved on to such pursuits as 40k.  I had collected many of the gangs, painted more than my fair share of Orlocks and Van Saars, and even hoarded and built multiple terrain sets from the game and its expansion.  That terrain (and more gifted to me by an awesome buddy) still sits in a box in my garage.  I even occasionally opened it up to investigate the usability and condition.  But I never went back to it.  I graduated high school, dropped out of college a couple of times, and started my time in the Emprah's service across the U.S., and just never got back to it.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the plastic bulkheads that make up that terrain was actually worth quite a bit to some people.  I never sold it, but I still didn't use it.  

(pic stolen from Google Images, not mine); hi-tech 90's terrain!!!

   I really loved Necromunda.  I could spend a ridiculous amount of time waxing on about the gangs and the setting's storyline, and I could shoot a ton of wind describing all the ridiculous scenarios I saw (like using an autocannon to smite a gang leader from across the board and through about a dozen buildings, or my buddy wiping out gang after gang as he stood at the upper levels and littered the ground with live grenades, much the chagrin of his opponents).  But that's not what I'm interested in right now.  The thing that really has me geeked is the terrain, and you'll understand why in a bit. 

  But let me back up just a bit.  See, GW actually released a new version of Necromunda a couple of years ago.  The game was called Shadow War: Armageddon (or SW:A for short) and used the same rules as Necromunda, but focused on 40k Kill Teams instead of the dystopian punk gangs that we were used to.  Obviously, everyone like me but far more vocal of their disappointment railed on and on against this as they expected the old game totally resurrected.  But there was a part of it that we all really liked- the terrain.  It was beautiful and made the price of that box worth it all day.  Moreover, it was a very limited release, and even more limited for the terrain itself.  The internet exploded with aftermarket negotiating. 

  Little did we know, GW would release the terrain later on and we would be able to buy it all in pieces and with some new accessories to add to it, labeled as 'Sector Mechanicus' .  At the time, I was very happy that I'd gotten my hands on the game and its terrain while everyone else gnashed their teeth.  I even considered buying more from eBay, but I was too poor to make that a reality. 

(again, stolen from Google Images, not mine) I've gotten just a bit further than this...

  Okay, now we're caught up to last year.  Sooooo, last year GW released the actual Necromunda.  In a crazy twist of irony, it has different rules but uses the old gangs from before.  In fact, this new version is a board game!!!  Again, the interwebs vomited all the complaints from those with more cause to shout than me because it wasn't the former game we all loved.  The models were fantastic (and I'm serious, they are really good and deserve a post if I ever get around to building them) and the box contained enough to enjoy the game without being the Necromunda savant that some of us claim to be.  But it didn't have everything.  It didn't have rules for all the old gangs, the campaign rules that kept us wrapped in it for years and years, or even the simple concept of playing on that 3D terrain that made the whole thing 'revolutionary' back in the 90's.  Luckily, that was all solved with two things- a sourcebook that expanded the game to include those campaign rules and playing in that old not-a-flat-boardgame style that we missed, and the terrain to take advantage of that sourcebook.  

Oh the glorious glory that is the Mechanicus terrain!

   Of course, I bought it all.  I bought the new game, the expansions, more models, more objective markers, and obviously more of the terrain.  All told, I now have two full sets including all the accessories and another set waiting at my local comic shop (owned by someone else but there for public use should the opportunity arise, and it will...).  What was very rare and sought after due to limited release and compliments of an unpopular game is now available widely and should be the centerpiece of many a 40k battlefield. 

  Notice I didn't mention using it for Necromunda?  That's right, I purposely did that because THIS ISN'T NECROMUNDA TERRAIN!  The cardboard panels and plastic bulkheads from the 90's represented the twisting, dark realm of the Underhive where the gangs fought for dominance of the bottom of Necromunda's Hive Primus (yeah, that's alot of fluff squeezed into a single, almost run-on sentence, I know).  The Mechanicus terrain is amazing, but it does NOT represent the setting of Necromunda at all.  There's one level above the ground, no bulkheads or building walls to hide behind, and a definite focus on factory stuff when there should be more elements of ruined... well, just ruins.  The terrain is awesome!!!  But it's not what I envision when I play Necromunda.

  Luckily, an answer to my complaint has apparently arrived in the form of a Kickstarter campaign (yes, I've become one of those people, slowly ruining gaming companies everywhere by shifting my spending to investing rather than sustaining).  There's been a ton of companies that do wonderful MDF terrain that fits together and creates a similar set as the old Necromunda stuff, but I'm not a fan of that stuff.  I want my terrain to look good before I paint it, not like wood.  So I've patiently waited until something struck my Underhive-driven fancy. 

  That answer is called TinkerTurf, and you can find their campaign here.  The reason that I'm actually doing a blog post about this (other than describing why it excites me after all these years) is because I would like to drum up some more support for their product.  There's still two weeks left from this post for you to pledge and help bring the project to life, so check it out and consider that.  It's not that expensive, and I plan on getting two sets for that too!

 

Looks like an old Necromunda setup to me!

  So what is it?  Well, it's preprinted (so already colored) cardboard terrain that is put together to form textured and 3D terrain, including walkways, platforms, and even the blocking terrain of ruined walls and shipping containers.  A little white glue and a couple of minutes will see some very high-quality modular terrain for your games of Necromunda (or 40k, or Infinity, or any other sci-fi game you can think of, but I like my Underhive to look like this).  It's easy to break down and build up, so that makes it easy to store or build very attractive battlefields.  In other words, it's exactly what I was looking for and with an even greater level of convenience than the old stuff. 

  I have far too many other projects to spend much time on building and painting terrain anymore.  Between Bobby G taking forever (I'm just lazy, but I refuse to take the blame...) and the need to paint up entire armies, even the Mechanicus terrain had to disappear into a project box and under the worktable.  But this...  TinkerTurf is my new Underhive!  That is, of course, assuming that the project is fully funded.  Check it out and help me help that happen!

Neferata Strikes

  We've seen the Malign Portents campaign buildup by GW for a few weeks now, and it is exciting.  Even my wife is reading the short stories and painting up her undead in anticipation for the peaceful expansion of her kind.  So far, she's concentrated on the 'Deathrattle' part, or the part with a bunch of skeleton everything.  And Neferata.  For sure Neferata.  

  With all the work that she'd done to paint everything so quickly, I suggested that we play a game.  The Stormcast Eternal force I showed off a few posts ago was equal in points and it would give her a chance to remember how to play before we really got going.  She agreed and I was elated.  

  The game only went three turns and did, to the joy of all the haters that claim the game does this, turn into a scrum across the middle.  Better, I got 'priority' the entire game, meaning that I went first each turn.  She was hoping to get the back-to-back at some point, but never could claim it.  Not using any of the wonky terrain rules or even Match Play restrictions, this was as 'normal' as any game of AoS could be.  

  The only thing the Stormcast force could do was move as quickly as they could to destroy the rattling undead.  The Prosecutors rode the light until they were close enough to launch their hammers into the Grave Guard, smashing a few.  Worse, they could only watch as the slain reformed and rejoined the ranks, making their attacks completely worthless.  After the golden host advanced, they were taken by surprise as the Blood Mortarch overtook the Liberators on the flank and easily dispatched them.  More, the Black Knights burst from between the woods right into the center of the Stormcast lines, wounding them with their lance charge.  

  In response, the Retributors and Lord Celestant surrounded Neferata, ready to deal justice for the loss of their brothers.  In the meantime, the Liberators in the center retreaded from the Black Knights and let the Prosecutors smash into them with hammers crackling.  After the smoke cleared, a three of the knights had been dispatched as the third unit of Liberators pushed forward themselves.  Feeling confident, the Retributors smashed their Lightning Hammers into the Mortarch, wounding her pretty seriously. She responded with a noble's spite and brought the Lord Celestant to his knees, one would remaining.  Saved by the grace of a single roll of the dice, he struck her back with all his remaining might, bringing the queen to her last wound.  He waited for her to die, but was disappointed as the death poison from her dagger finally finished him.  The soul of the Stormcast general and the morale of his force were taken by Neferata and used to heal up a bit. 

  The Blood Queen chose to retreat while her skeletons pushed forward to surround the Prosecutors.  The Grave Guard, all but forgotten about until now, moved forward to charge the Liberators coming around the flank.  In short order, the skeletons and Black Knights had killed all of the Prosecutors except their leader, and the Grave Guard chopped up three of the remaining Liberators on the flank.  The golden host was being depleted even as the Black Knights that had suffered simply reassembled and filled the unit again.  

  Not to be denied their prize, the Retributors chased Neferata over the hill and finished her off with the power of their Lightning Hammers and the sacrifice of two of their own.  The Black Knights and skeleton warriors finished off the Prosecutors, then split to finish off the rest of the Stormcast.  The skellies charged left to punish the Lord Relictor and Retributors for killing their queen, and the Black Knights charged off to smash into the Liberators on the flank trying to fight off the Grave Guard.  It wasn't long before that flank was cleared as well.  

  While the Blood Queen was killed, it was at a much greater cost to the forces of Sigmar.  Victory was absolute for the undead and we stopped the game there.  Wow.  I was surprised.  I was surprised because my wife pretty much remembered all the rules and because I expected a much more one-sided game, in favor of the elite Stormcast Eternals.  After all, each model had a great save, a number of wounds and attacks, and weren't too few in number.  But her models, being one wound, typically one attack models, turned out to be much more resilient than I remember and dealt a bit more damage than I expected.  Even without the aid of the Wight King, her Grave Guard just destroyed anything they touched.  Wow.