So, updates have been lacking....what else is new. I'm hopeful to complete a few side projects for start, and update my Skaven to 2,000 points. Sice I only play occasionally, I doubt I'll go much further. With my brother now purchased a full 2,000 point High Elf army, I've been asked to do an allied force. For this I'll go Empire and am looking at 500 - 750 pts as a starting force.
I'll also be extending my photography and hope to upload some of my practice shots so far (and there are a few). As for the rest....we'll see.
Tuesday 20 December 2011
Friday 4 November 2011
Sonic Generations
Ok, been playing Sonic Generations on Xbox 360 (I got the big collector's edition. Europe and Australia only they said and thank god I'm an Aussie).
Anyway, I actually liked this game (considering the last Sonic game I liked was Sonic 06 and that was only cause of Shadow n Silver's levels - Sonic's were just shit) and think they may have got modern Sonic to the level that's enjoyable to play. I also like the fact that the camera didn't screw you over when you play. Game play is good and the controls are easy enough to use.
Music is just what you expect from Sonic games these days (though this one lacks modern theme, using the classic one instead). The cut-scenes are also well done. Story wise is fairly simple and predictable.
The real fun is experiencing those classic levels from different perspectives as each one has been designed for Classic Sonic and his classic 2D game play style and one for Modern Sonic and his 3D style game play. Rivals and Bosses are designed only for their Sonic's (So Classic ones are classic Sonic only, Modern ones for Modern Sonic) with 3 Rivals, 3 Bosses and a Final Boss. I'm still trying to figure out which Final Boss was the worst, this one or the Sonic Unleashed one? Still, I enjoyed this game overall. If you want a good Sonic experience, at least give this one a shot.
Anyway, I actually liked this game (considering the last Sonic game I liked was Sonic 06 and that was only cause of Shadow n Silver's levels - Sonic's were just shit) and think they may have got modern Sonic to the level that's enjoyable to play. I also like the fact that the camera didn't screw you over when you play. Game play is good and the controls are easy enough to use.
Music is just what you expect from Sonic games these days (though this one lacks modern theme, using the classic one instead). The cut-scenes are also well done. Story wise is fairly simple and predictable.
The real fun is experiencing those classic levels from different perspectives as each one has been designed for Classic Sonic and his classic 2D game play style and one for Modern Sonic and his 3D style game play. Rivals and Bosses are designed only for their Sonic's (So Classic ones are classic Sonic only, Modern ones for Modern Sonic) with 3 Rivals, 3 Bosses and a Final Boss. I'm still trying to figure out which Final Boss was the worst, this one or the Sonic Unleashed one? Still, I enjoyed this game overall. If you want a good Sonic experience, at least give this one a shot.
Wednesday 19 October 2011
Arg Sorry!
Apologies for lack of recent posts. So much is happening at the moment and I'll have full updates within the next week or so, so err....stay tuned I guess?
Sunday 2 October 2011
The Lonely Island 'Jack Sparrow'
Their recent album isn't to my liking, but this song and clip makes up for all that (thanks to my cousin who pointed this clip out).
Sunday 18 September 2011
The Rad Brad
theRadBrad's channel
If you don't know who this guy is, then where have you been. I discovered his channel when looking for some Dead Space 2 stuff and I'm always coming back to see what's new. Just recently, and article was done on him. I gotta say, is there anything this guy can't do? Most 'Let's Play/Walkthroughs' are usually boring rambles and crap, but I find this guy extremely entertaining. If you haven't seen one of his vid's, I seriously suggest you check them out.
Take it Bitch!!
If you don't know who this guy is, then where have you been. I discovered his channel when looking for some Dead Space 2 stuff and I'm always coming back to see what's new. Just recently, and article was done on him. I gotta say, is there anything this guy can't do? Most 'Let's Play/Walkthroughs' are usually boring rambles and crap, but I find this guy extremely entertaining. If you haven't seen one of his vid's, I seriously suggest you check them out.
Take it Bitch!!
Thursday 15 September 2011
R U Ok Day
It's R U Ok Day, a day in which you ask someone: 'R U Ok?" As the site says:
R U OK?Day is a national day of action aiming to prevent suicide by encouraging people to connect with each other & ask: "R U OK?". R U OK?Day does not provide crisis intervention or counselling. If you need crisis support call Lifeline 24/7 on 13 11 14.
Suicide is a serious issue and one that shouldn't be ignored. I suffer from depression/anxiety and I freely admit that during my high school years, I had indeed had such thoughts. It was thanks to my mother and a school councilor that I overcame such thoughts. Such thoughts do still occur, but they are thankfully extremely rare and since then I have learned some thought control.
I call out to everyone that if you do experience such thoughts, seek help immediately. There is no shame in asking for help or even just talking to someone. Try talking to your doctor or councilor, as they can direct you to more professional help should you need it. Talk to your family and friends, as talking can sometimes help relieve some of the pain and emptiness.
Finally, if you do have such thoughts, please don't do it. There is help out there and it can be overcome. So to everyone out there today, go ask someone: R U Ok?
R U OK?Day is a national day of action aiming to prevent suicide by encouraging people to connect with each other & ask: "R U OK?". R U OK?Day does not provide crisis intervention or counselling. If you need crisis support call Lifeline 24/7 on 13 11 14.
Suicide is a serious issue and one that shouldn't be ignored. I suffer from depression/anxiety and I freely admit that during my high school years, I had indeed had such thoughts. It was thanks to my mother and a school councilor that I overcame such thoughts. Such thoughts do still occur, but they are thankfully extremely rare and since then I have learned some thought control.
I call out to everyone that if you do experience such thoughts, seek help immediately. There is no shame in asking for help or even just talking to someone. Try talking to your doctor or councilor, as they can direct you to more professional help should you need it. Talk to your family and friends, as talking can sometimes help relieve some of the pain and emptiness.
Finally, if you do have such thoughts, please don't do it. There is help out there and it can be overcome. So to everyone out there today, go ask someone: R U Ok?
Monday 12 September 2011
Aftermath
Woot, it's finally over. With all that comp now behind me I can start to focus on future projects. It also means I can start focusing on my photography, which up until now has been rather lacking. Don't worry, I'll still be painting miniatures and hopefully will have some up soon. I'm also hopeful to get a chance to play Dead Island. As a big fan of the Left 4 Dead series, this game is somewhat different, yet still looks like a good co-op zombie game. My bro gets it sometime next week and if my laptop can run it, then I'll join him. If not, then we'll have to look at xbox version.
Armies on Parade Day
Went to bed at 1am, woke up at 6am and back to work finishing the board and Clanrats. Blasted public transport, the blasting thing was over 15min late, which ment I missed the connecting services. Still, managed to make it for displaying purposes. So here are the picks of the board on the day. My apologies on the pics, was forced to use my old digital camera to take the shots.
This close up is the toxic pool. Needed to get a better shot of it for reference. The lump of crap in it's center is actually the sludge piece from the plagueclaw catapult.
Overall result:
I didn't win, but still I was content with the result of the board. I admit I wasn't happy with the board in the sense that I actually had to cut back on the original design. The Warp Energy Amplifier ( a large, powerful version of a warp-energy condenser) was cut completely from the board, and the steam pump & Jezzail scaffolding was scaled down.
I would like to congratulate my only real other opponent, a win well deserved.
So, what of next year? Will I enter again, considering all the trouble this entry cause? (after all, so much focus on this plus being constantly ill cost me time on my golden demon entries....actually, none got completed, but I had to put in something....so I entered my funny little Night Goblin Shaman)...and if I did enter, what race and board theme would I do?
Only time will tell.....(seriously, wtf was up with that line).
Mighty Forgemaster Skith stands tall above his mighty force.
Overall result:
I didn't win, but still I was content with the result of the board. I admit I wasn't happy with the board in the sense that I actually had to cut back on the original design. The Warp Energy Amplifier ( a large, powerful version of a warp-energy condenser) was cut completely from the board, and the steam pump & Jezzail scaffolding was scaled down.
I would like to congratulate my only real other opponent, a win well deserved.
So, what of next year? Will I enter again, considering all the trouble this entry cause? (after all, so much focus on this plus being constantly ill cost me time on my golden demon entries....actually, none got completed, but I had to put in something....so I entered my funny little Night Goblin Shaman)...and if I did enter, what race and board theme would I do?
Only time will tell.....(seriously, wtf was up with that line).
AoP 7th Day
One the 7th day God may have rested but no such luck for me.
With Armies on Parade due tomorrow, I spend until 1am (so early 8th day I guess) doing all the finishing touches such as painting the scenery n toxic pool. Water effects on the toxic pool, finish painting my clanrats. Much time was spent between the Clanrats and the Steam pump thingy. The globes were quickly painted like a Globadier orb.
AoP 6th Day
Time is really short now. I've had to redesign a number of scenery bits just to complete it on time.
Behold, the steam pump device....thingy. Actually, this is half the complex size due to time restrains, and will be placed on the hill instead of near the toxic dump. Where it use to go is where the Jezzail platform go, and now will only hold 3 instead of the original 5. Have also did a black wash on the board, followed by Codex Grey drybrush, and then a 50/50 Grey/White mix drybrush. The wood was drybrushed with Graveyard Earth. The Toxic sludge is just greenstuff with half-beads for bubbles with paint brush bottoms pushed into the GS to create the popped bubble effect.
Both scenery pieces will be added and based thanks to some air dry clay.
AoP 5th Day
AoP 4th Day
AoP 3rd Day
AoP 2nd Day
Ok, so not much to update on the 2nd day as all it had was me smashing slate and cutting around 80-90 paddle pop/icy pole sticks. All I can say is you tend to get lots of blisters on your hands.
Friday 26 August 2011
Space Marine Demo
So the Space Marine game demo came out a few days ago n so I had a go on my xbox. Results were varied. I mean, the graphics were brilliant and the sound was ok (what's with the orks sounding less orkish these days anyway?), weapons and controls I found odd. For starters, why give a grenade launcher when you have grenades (plus, isn't it a guardsmen weapon anyway). The play style reminds me somewhat like Gears of War, if you minus the actual ability to use cover n all that.
Overall, I don't know. Can't make a real assessment until it comes out and I can test it's multi-player, but with Gears 3 coming out soon, I don't feel that this game brings anything new except a franchised universe to play in. More importantly, will it be better then Fire Warrior (another 40k shooter in which you play a Tau fire warrior)?
Overall, I don't know. Can't make a real assessment until it comes out and I can test it's multi-player, but with Gears 3 coming out soon, I don't feel that this game brings anything new except a franchised universe to play in. More importantly, will it be better then Fire Warrior (another 40k shooter in which you play a Tau fire warrior)?
Thursday 25 August 2011
What do you mean no new updates?
My apologies for not updating much. It seems that with the ending of the winter season hear in Australia, I've been constantly struck down by one virus or another. There is a time and place for being sick and now is NOT the time. With just over 2 weeks until all my projects are due in, being unable to get out of bed (let alone pick up a paint brush) is not a good sign. I'm also forced to re-base some of my skaven in order to better match the board (assuming I can finish that too).
Thursday 4 August 2011
AoP 1st Day
So time is limited and I have limited time to work on this project. As each major day of work is completed, I'll upload an update. So what took place today?
The Hill
Despite being underground, I need upper levels to display models. Unfortunately, the original design for various walkways was replaced with an upper hill level due to time and stability issues. Alas, the Styrofoam that everyone else seems to use was unavailable to me, so instead I made do with this:
At $3 per block it was cheap enough, so I've used 2 blocks. Cut in half (very badly - darn it) and placed next to each other and glued together. I had some spare left over as I only used one and a half blocks, so left over was used to make the toxic waste outlet, The hill itself was shaped using the sharp edge of a piece of slate (which will be crushed later and mixed with river sand (cheapest sand available to me) and use as basing all over the board).
The sewer pipe was made from a plastic piping piece from a hardware store. Then a 50/50 mixture of paint/craft glue was used over the lot to help strengthen the foam for when the basing and painting happened (perhaps I'm kidding myself but it seemed like a good idea in theory). Note a few holes carved into the hill as this will be used as tunnels once done up (perhaps with a rat or skaven looking out of them).
Overall, I'd say it was a good start. Now lets hope the tricky work of scenery flows just as smoothly.
The Hill
Despite being underground, I need upper levels to display models. Unfortunately, the original design for various walkways was replaced with an upper hill level due to time and stability issues. Alas, the Styrofoam that everyone else seems to use was unavailable to me, so instead I made do with this:
Overall, I'd say it was a good start. Now lets hope the tricky work of scenery flows just as smoothly.
Armies on Parade 2011
This page is dedicated to my Armies on Parade entry for 2011. As such I have less then a month to build the display board, minimum budget, got to finish the clan rats etc. Also note that the prize for winning the store one is a free Games Day ticket and a chance for your entry to win at Games Day. My problem is that I can't afford to get to Sydney to enter it, nor will it be easy to get to the store as I rely on public transport. Still, that won't stop me from giving it a go.
1st Day
2nd Day
3rd Day
4th Day
5th Day
6th Day
7th Day
AoP Day
1st Day
2nd Day
3rd Day
4th Day
5th Day
6th Day
7th Day
AoP Day
Sunday 31 July 2011
Brain Busta!
Worst headache from hell. Hit me yesterday during the Storm of Magic battle and hasn't left me since. While this is a slight set back, during the brakes between the pain severity I have managed to start on the Assassin for me skaven force. Slight weapons conversion (think Assassins Creed 2) but overall a much needed character to the furry critters.
Saturday 30 July 2011
First Storm of Magic game (Big)
So today I got my first crack at storm of magic with my skaven, though it was in a large scale game of 3v3. We were out matched to begin with, as they had spell dominance with them starting with 4 fulcrums to our 3. Worse still, I found my opponent had a large warriors of chaos force, with a number of heroes. Needless to say we lost, but there were some interesting moments (Like the High Elf mage summoning a fulcrum which looked suspiciously like a can of chaos black spray paint). Skaven are limited for the storm, so studying the list of bound monsters and making the right choices is a must. Here are some thoughts on things I learned from the battle:
I misread the rules for shields. This has been helpful and my next clanrat group will have hand weapons over shields.
Jezzails may not be the most accurate of ranged units, but the make good for ridding yourself of one wound wizards off fulcrums.
Mark of Tzeentch is annoying, not from the wizards (although their 2+ ward on fulcrum can be), but on their tooled lords or units vs your weak clanrats n slaves.
Unless you have a Vermin Lord on your fulcrum, any melee focused enemy character will probably beat you (though my lack of sneaky tricks available to skaven for such a thing surprised me more).
I should probably look at investing in a Hell Pit Abomination, more Rat Ogres and a Terrorgheist (man that model looks so cool - Perhaps I need Vampire allies)
I misread the rules for shields. This has been helpful and my next clanrat group will have hand weapons over shields.
Jezzails may not be the most accurate of ranged units, but the make good for ridding yourself of one wound wizards off fulcrums.
Mark of Tzeentch is annoying, not from the wizards (although their 2+ ward on fulcrum can be), but on their tooled lords or units vs your weak clanrats n slaves.
Unless you have a Vermin Lord on your fulcrum, any melee focused enemy character will probably beat you (though my lack of sneaky tricks available to skaven for such a thing surprised me more).
I should probably look at investing in a Hell Pit Abomination, more Rat Ogres and a Terrorgheist (man that model looks so cool - Perhaps I need Vampire allies)
Wednesday 6 July 2011
Project AoP begins soon
Hell yeah, got my GW game board today, which means I can shortly start my Armies on Parade display board shortly (still need to find slate. I never knew just how difficult that could be). Also aquired some styrene sheets and some small chain. Looks like this could be interesting.
In the meantime, I have run into a small dilemma. Despite all my reasoning, I may have to add a Plague Priest into my Skryre force when playing out the new Storm of Magic. The reason being the game is 1600pts, and as such my Lords uses Skith (He counts as Ikit Claw), and as I have a few warlock engineers this limits me to just the Lore of Ruin. I can't use a grey seer so I am forced to put in a plague priest to give me a variety of magic lore. Story wise I can't really justify a plague priest (since my group in particular is at war with them) so maybe I can produce some kind of plague doctor (or doktor as they are refered too). But since I don't have alot of time (and bitz) to convert, I'll do up a quick plague priest with the plague monk parts I have. Any luck I'll get a shot of him to put up soon.
In the meantime, I have run into a small dilemma. Despite all my reasoning, I may have to add a Plague Priest into my Skryre force when playing out the new Storm of Magic. The reason being the game is 1600pts, and as such my Lords uses Skith (He counts as Ikit Claw), and as I have a few warlock engineers this limits me to just the Lore of Ruin. I can't use a grey seer so I am forced to put in a plague priest to give me a variety of magic lore. Story wise I can't really justify a plague priest (since my group in particular is at war with them) so maybe I can produce some kind of plague doctor (or doktor as they are refered too). But since I don't have alot of time (and bitz) to convert, I'll do up a quick plague priest with the plague monk parts I have. Any luck I'll get a shot of him to put up soon.
Quiet Lately
Been so busy as of late it's been difficult getting any updates done. However, I can confirm that I will be entering this years 'Armies on Parade' with my Skryre themed Skaven. This means that I not only have to complete my Clanrats, but also the board and scenery. No easy feat as I would like my board to match my army, so there's a lot of work to get done (and that's on top of completing numerous projects and the local GW stores 'Da Paint Klub' entry).
Thursday 16 June 2011
More updating
Finish converting my Dark Eldar Haemonculus, but have decided to finish my Goblin Shaman and Tzeentch Sorcerer projects before I start on him (though I am hopeful that the DE paint job might be good enough to enter into this years Golden Demon).
I have also started work on the Cronos Parasite Engine, but have decided to add a sort of 'insect like' pattern to it carapace type armour. This means looking at a few different types of bugs until I find something that grabs my attention.
I have also started work on the Cronos Parasite Engine, but have decided to add a sort of 'insect like' pattern to it carapace type armour. This means looking at a few different types of bugs until I find something that grabs my attention.
Monday 6 June 2011
Projects
Yeah, I know. So many half started projects and none of them completed. Anyway, I got the new Dark Eldar Talos/Cronos Engine and have begun using some of its parts for a conversion. As for the engine itself, I think I'll make it a Cronos Parasite Engine. May get some WiP pics up soon hopefully.
Prey 2 (Finally)
What can I say? I was a massive fan of the first Prey game and although I am very disappointed that you can't play as Tommy in this one (although Tommy will still be in it) this game still sounds good based on what game play will be like in it. I also just love the second trailer.
Tuesday 10 May 2011
Tomb Kings Unit Tactics
I've thought of various things since my review (but can't alternate it due to Blogger issue) and as such, the various tactics associated with units. So here are a few of my own personal thoughts for tactics (note these are not indepth and a just a passing opinion):
The Rules:
Resurrecting - The way units a resurrected means characters and their mounts never gain wounds from their magic lore, so as such, a little caution with characters is advised (can they even drink a healing potion?)
Fear - never rely on it to win you the battle. You'd be surprised at how some Ld 5 units keep passing such tests.
Arrows of the Asaph means they ignore negative modifiers to shoot. So as such, walk and shoot when you can as you can shift to the battle and never need to worry about those -1 to long range or -1 for moving and shooting.
Magic:
With the Lore of Nehekhara, if you can do the 'all units' versions at the higher casting (without too much risk) then try it as the Lore attribute of D3+1 (just 1 for Constructs) can affect all those units and can help when battles rage across the board.
Characters:
Special mention for the Necrotect. This guy has hatred and any animated construct within 12" of him gets the Regeneration(6+) rule. Give this guy some bodyguards (like a unit of basic skeleton warriors if you want to save points) and keep him (and the BSB guy) within range of them for maximum effect.
Units:
Skeleton Archers - Unless you plan to use them as a bodyguard for your priests, a small unit of 10-12 should do it. Add a Master of Arrows if you feel you need it.
Skeleton Warriors - With a shield as basic, their cheaper price means you can now field them in Hordes more effectively. Light armour is there as an option, but it is to spears that is highly recommended for larger units. An extra rank of attacks can really help the old bones as the risk of destruction from combat resolution can really hamper them after the enemy has already thrashed them. Even better, attach a Tomb Prince to them. Not only can he dish out some real damage, but his 'My will be done' rule means the unit he joins (so longs as he's in it and not dead) will be WS 5, instead of their normal WS 2. A horde unit of Skels with spears lead by a prince is nothing to be sneezed at (not that they can sneeze anyway).
Skeleton Horsemen - They get in fast to deliver first blows, counter charges and are generally good for disruption. A unit of 10 with light armour and full command I recommended if using.
Skeleton Horse Archers - Ok, I'm holding back on these only cause the Fast Cavalry rules 'Feigned Flight' clashes with the Nehekhanan Undead's 'may only ever choose hold as a charge reaction', thus reducing their effectiveness.
Skeleton Chariots - Harder hitting then horsemen, good if you attach a King/Prince to them. To be truthful, I've never really used Chariots as I never felt they matched the fluff of my army.
Carrion - Again, never used them due to my armies fluff. That said, they fly and have decent combat stats. Use them vs war machines or wizards or even to prevent enemy marches.
Tomb Scorpion/Tomb Swarm - As was in the previous edition of Tomb Kings, the main use for these guys is their 'Entombed beneath the sands' rule, which lets them pop-up from reserve almost anywhere (the only drawback is if you misfire when arriving). Mostly used to jump war machines & enemy wizards, they are also good for flank & rear charging and even just holding back annoying units.
Ushabti - their rule changes mean that they now count as having great weapons (and thus, the 'always strike last' rule attached to them) is substituted with more weapon options such as exchanging of the great weapon for an extra hand weapon or a great bow (a sort of Str 6 bow). A command unit will help in combat. That said, they are not invincible and against some units (like the High Elves Swordmasters or white lions) I'd avoid them. Leave such units for the skellies to waste attacks on.
Necropolis Knights - With 3 poisoned attacks and 2 killing blow attacks (and then a stomp), these guys are best kept in combat, so get them in quick and get the job done. A 3+ armour save, full command and being contruct means they have some nice survivability too.
Sepulchral Stalkers - They are best used to clean up only what hasn't been turned to sand by their 'Transmogrifying gaze'. They need to weaken the unit before assaulting as they have an average combat stats. They can 'Entombed beneath the sands', so can use it to your advantage if you feel it is needed.
Khemrian Warsphinx - While toughness 8 may seem awsome, remember that in this edition even a Str 1 model can still wound it on a 6+ (and anything of Str 5 or highter ignores it's armour) and as such, it will be a magnet for all manner of war machines. On the other hand, you have a melee monster. Giving it poisoned attacks can help vs higher toughness models and even the flame template upgrade can help vs low toughness hordes. Also, remember that if you mound a Tomb King/Prince on it, it maybe subjected to the character flaw when it comes to restoring wounds though Tomb King magic (see Resurrecting at the start).
Necrosphinx - Monster killer/killing machine, call it what you like but when it hits, it hits hard. It still suffers the same flaws as a Warsphinx and yes, WS 4 doesn't seem like much, but against the right unit, it is a nightmare. Just don't let it get caught up fighting unnecessary battles (like a large horde of unbreakable models).
Screaming Skull catapult - My only advice is perhaps target low Ld units or atleast units out of the Generals 'inspiring presence' range
Necrolith Colossus - Bone giant without the heavy armour. With options of two hand weapons, great weapon or Bow of the desert (think walking bolt thrower), you'll have to think how you'll use him on the battlefield. Best bets are he'll be melee as his 'Unstoppable assault' rule is melee focused, though it's still useful if he does get attacked while using the bow. So really, will he be offensive or defensive?
Hierotitan - Colossus stats (minus 1A and no BS), this guy is more magic focused, with 2 bound spells and grants a bonus D3 to casting attempts by nearby priests. If you plan to have lots of priests, then you may want to consider this guy as a sort of backup.
Casket of Souls - Good news, no priest needed to use it. Bad news, if the keeper dies it goes boom. The spell is weaker to it's previous version (though no less deadlier) and the bonus D3 power dice is useful (though the pool can never exceed 12 dice). Again, good for priests and even if you lack them, the bonus dice combined with the bound spell can prove useful (especially against low Ld armies).
Again, this is just my view on things and as such, my tactics may differ from others so look around for more information if you are still unsure on units. As for me, I base mine more on my armies fluff and my tactics around that (though I admit, the Warspinx/Necrosphinx is extremely awsome).
The Rules:
Resurrecting - The way units a resurrected means characters and their mounts never gain wounds from their magic lore, so as such, a little caution with characters is advised (can they even drink a healing potion?)
Fear - never rely on it to win you the battle. You'd be surprised at how some Ld 5 units keep passing such tests.
Arrows of the Asaph means they ignore negative modifiers to shoot. So as such, walk and shoot when you can as you can shift to the battle and never need to worry about those -1 to long range or -1 for moving and shooting.
Magic:
With the Lore of Nehekhara, if you can do the 'all units' versions at the higher casting (without too much risk) then try it as the Lore attribute of D3+1 (just 1 for Constructs) can affect all those units and can help when battles rage across the board.
Characters:
Special mention for the Necrotect. This guy has hatred and any animated construct within 12" of him gets the Regeneration(6+) rule. Give this guy some bodyguards (like a unit of basic skeleton warriors if you want to save points) and keep him (and the BSB guy) within range of them for maximum effect.
Units:
Skeleton Archers - Unless you plan to use them as a bodyguard for your priests, a small unit of 10-12 should do it. Add a Master of Arrows if you feel you need it.
Skeleton Warriors - With a shield as basic, their cheaper price means you can now field them in Hordes more effectively. Light armour is there as an option, but it is to spears that is highly recommended for larger units. An extra rank of attacks can really help the old bones as the risk of destruction from combat resolution can really hamper them after the enemy has already thrashed them. Even better, attach a Tomb Prince to them. Not only can he dish out some real damage, but his 'My will be done' rule means the unit he joins (so longs as he's in it and not dead) will be WS 5, instead of their normal WS 2. A horde unit of Skels with spears lead by a prince is nothing to be sneezed at (not that they can sneeze anyway).
Skeleton Horsemen - They get in fast to deliver first blows, counter charges and are generally good for disruption. A unit of 10 with light armour and full command I recommended if using.
Skeleton Horse Archers - Ok, I'm holding back on these only cause the Fast Cavalry rules 'Feigned Flight' clashes with the Nehekhanan Undead's 'may only ever choose hold as a charge reaction', thus reducing their effectiveness.
Skeleton Chariots - Harder hitting then horsemen, good if you attach a King/Prince to them. To be truthful, I've never really used Chariots as I never felt they matched the fluff of my army.
Carrion - Again, never used them due to my armies fluff. That said, they fly and have decent combat stats. Use them vs war machines or wizards or even to prevent enemy marches.
Tomb Scorpion/Tomb Swarm - As was in the previous edition of Tomb Kings, the main use for these guys is their 'Entombed beneath the sands' rule, which lets them pop-up from reserve almost anywhere (the only drawback is if you misfire when arriving). Mostly used to jump war machines & enemy wizards, they are also good for flank & rear charging and even just holding back annoying units.
Ushabti - their rule changes mean that they now count as having great weapons (and thus, the 'always strike last' rule attached to them) is substituted with more weapon options such as exchanging of the great weapon for an extra hand weapon or a great bow (a sort of Str 6 bow). A command unit will help in combat. That said, they are not invincible and against some units (like the High Elves Swordmasters or white lions) I'd avoid them. Leave such units for the skellies to waste attacks on.
Necropolis Knights - With 3 poisoned attacks and 2 killing blow attacks (and then a stomp), these guys are best kept in combat, so get them in quick and get the job done. A 3+ armour save, full command and being contruct means they have some nice survivability too.
Sepulchral Stalkers - They are best used to clean up only what hasn't been turned to sand by their 'Transmogrifying gaze'. They need to weaken the unit before assaulting as they have an average combat stats. They can 'Entombed beneath the sands', so can use it to your advantage if you feel it is needed.
Khemrian Warsphinx - While toughness 8 may seem awsome, remember that in this edition even a Str 1 model can still wound it on a 6+ (and anything of Str 5 or highter ignores it's armour) and as such, it will be a magnet for all manner of war machines. On the other hand, you have a melee monster. Giving it poisoned attacks can help vs higher toughness models and even the flame template upgrade can help vs low toughness hordes. Also, remember that if you mound a Tomb King/Prince on it, it maybe subjected to the character flaw when it comes to restoring wounds though Tomb King magic (see Resurrecting at the start).
Necrosphinx - Monster killer/killing machine, call it what you like but when it hits, it hits hard. It still suffers the same flaws as a Warsphinx and yes, WS 4 doesn't seem like much, but against the right unit, it is a nightmare. Just don't let it get caught up fighting unnecessary battles (like a large horde of unbreakable models).
Screaming Skull catapult - My only advice is perhaps target low Ld units or atleast units out of the Generals 'inspiring presence' range
Necrolith Colossus - Bone giant without the heavy armour. With options of two hand weapons, great weapon or Bow of the desert (think walking bolt thrower), you'll have to think how you'll use him on the battlefield. Best bets are he'll be melee as his 'Unstoppable assault' rule is melee focused, though it's still useful if he does get attacked while using the bow. So really, will he be offensive or defensive?
Hierotitan - Colossus stats (minus 1A and no BS), this guy is more magic focused, with 2 bound spells and grants a bonus D3 to casting attempts by nearby priests. If you plan to have lots of priests, then you may want to consider this guy as a sort of backup.
Casket of Souls - Good news, no priest needed to use it. Bad news, if the keeper dies it goes boom. The spell is weaker to it's previous version (though no less deadlier) and the bonus D3 power dice is useful (though the pool can never exceed 12 dice). Again, good for priests and even if you lack them, the bonus dice combined with the bound spell can prove useful (especially against low Ld armies).
Again, this is just my view on things and as such, my tactics may differ from others so look around for more information if you are still unsure on units. As for me, I base mine more on my armies fluff and my tactics around that (though I admit, the Warspinx/Necrosphinx is extremely awsome).
WTF Blogger?
It seems this so called new blogger is filled with glitchs (curse you endless swirly thing). Anyway, have had to revert to the old one until this issue is fixed. This will probably cause errors when uploading pics so hopefully it'll be fixed soon.
Monday 9 May 2011
Project update time
An update, kick ass. Last year I put up a pic on my DeviantART account of a WiP chaos sorcerer of Tzeentch (Here). Well......they're still WiP (at least, the Sorcerer still is) but here are a few quick update pics:
In the meantime, I have also added a quick peak at one of my more recent projects I'm working on, a Clan Skryre Warlord (who will be carried by a war-litter):
Sunday 8 May 2011
Tomb Kings Armybook Review Part 2
With the lore and art over and done with in part 1, we now get down to the rules. I'll try to limit it as best I can so here we go:
Rules:
No real changes to the overall rules of the army. The only real difference is the Hierophant/General rule as your army now only needs a Hierophant to lead it and the 'must have' Tomb Prince/King to be General doesn't appear in it, though it would be wise to add one in anyway (as you still need a general).
Magic:
The Liche Priests now follow the rules for casting like everyone else. The reasoning is a slip-up in the casting of the incantation has angered the gods and thus an irresistible force/miscast occurs (Makes sense, their gods do displease so easily). They can choose between the Lore of Death (they are obsessed with death, so it's sort of the Lore of Djaf, the god of death), the Lore of Light (so the Lore of Ptra, the first amoungst the gods and the sun god, though I guess Neru the moon goddess and Ptra's wife could also be it) and finally the Lore of Nehekhara, which focuses purely on the Tomb King armies and Lore attribute can restore wounds to units (though constructs only ever restore a single wound).
As for magic items, there are only 8. Some have been upgraded both in ability and cost, while the Arcane ones have had there rules changed to match the new way of magic. Alas the Standard of the Undying Legion is now double it's points and is a bound spell.
Characters:
Settra (lord) has had some stat changes, gear changes and points reduced.
Khalida (lord) no longer regenerates but does Hate vampire counts. Less points, units can no longer buy poisoned attacks but a unit of archers she joins gets to use her BS of 3 and their attacks count as poisoned attacks.
Grand Hierophant Khatep (lord) is alright. Has a few nice magic items and has knows all spells from Lore of Nehekhara.
Arkhan the Black (lord) uses the Lore of Death and possesses a couple of Nagash's magic items. He can also get a chariot which can even be upgraded to fly.
Prince Apophas (hero) is a loner assassin who emerges from the sand and gets bonuses against a selected character. He's also made of scarabs.
The Herald Nekaph (hero) is good in combat, especially in challenges and enemies in base contact have a harder time overcoming a fear test.
Ramhotep the Visionary (hero) is a Necrotect with frenzy and at the beginning of game pics a single animated construct unit to get re-rolls on armour saves.
Lords & Heroes:
The Tomb King/Prince 'My will be done' rule is now any unit he is attached to can use his Weapon Skill so long as he is with them. The curse is also an X number of hits at Str X (X based on if Tomb King or Prince) distributed as shooting with no armour saves aloud. They can also use a Khermrian Warsphinx as a mount.
Liche High Priests/Liche Priests......not much difference really. Their main change was magic (though the high priest gets T4).
Tomb Herald replaces Icon Bearer and has more gear options. Can also take wounds for his King/Prince he chooses to serve, so long as he is in same unit. Can have many but only one can be the Battle Standard Bearer.
Necrotect is the newest hero character and gives Regen (6+) to nearby constructs (plus hated to unit he's attached to). A mummified artist really.
Core:
Skeleton warriors are now split into two groups - Warriors and Archers, both of which have had their base points dropped so more can be fielded.
Light Horsemen are now Horse Archers and are roughly the same. Heavy Horsemen are now just Horsemen with Light Armour being the option, yet still with it they are cheaper per model.
Chariots are now Core and follow the chariot rules in the warhammer rule book, though they are still in units. Points increase though crew have more attacks.
Special:
Tomb Swarms are now Special. You need a minimum of 2 bases but are slightly cheaper.
Carrion (which I hate the most) are the same in cost but have one more strength and attack.
Tomb Guard are a point cheaper, have access to helberds (and thanks to their magic system, can make better use of them then my Stormvermin can) and are the only unit that can purchase the Banner of the Undying Legion (apart from the army Battle Standard Bearer). A large force would be scary.
Tomb Scorpion are same price but one less wound (still love these guys).
Ushabti not only come with great weapons as standard, but can swap them for an additional hand weapon or a great bow. They can even have a champ, standard and musician.
Necropolis Knights seem rather good for their points cost. Average strength and toughness with a 3+ armour save and a decent number of attacks. Heck, they can even be upgraded to emerge from the sands like Tomb Scorpions.
Sepulchral Stalkers are the the more shooty version of the Knights, less combat but an effective shooting attack with artillary dice worth of hits that uses the opponents initiative instead of toughness to wound with no armour saves.
Finally a Khemrian Warsphinx which seems to have a decent combat stats with a toughness of 8. May also be upgrated to have a poison tail and breath fire.
Rare:
Screaming skull catapult is same though upgrade a slight more expensive.
Casket of souls no longer needs you to attach a priest to it. It's power is a bound spell that targets a single unit and may possibly jump to others on a 50/50 roll. It also adds power dice to your pool. If destroyed, all units nearby (frend & foe) on a 4+ take damage as the souls go on a rampage.
Necrolith Colossus is, what I assume to be, the old Bone Giant. His tough/wounds are swapped and he starts with hand weapon with options for additional hand weapon/great weapon/bow of the desert. Is cheaper but looses his heavy armour.
Hierotitan is similar to a colossus, but more focus on the priests giving a bonus to their casting when in range. He also comes with 2 bound spells, with Shem's burning gaze from Lore of Light and Spirit Leech from Lore of Death.
The Necrosphinx is a flying monster killer. Nice stats, with a single attack dedicated to Heroic Killing Blow. Can be upgraded with poisoned attacks.
Overall:
Rule wise the Tomb Kings are brought inline within this latest edition. The army is much more points effective and will certainly give Tomb Kings players more choice. Rules wise the book has it all (with a few questions that need an FAQ, but then what book doesn't) though it does seem to lack in the lore department. It'll be interesting to see how well they go against my army, the Skaven.
Rules:
No real changes to the overall rules of the army. The only real difference is the Hierophant/General rule as your army now only needs a Hierophant to lead it and the 'must have' Tomb Prince/King to be General doesn't appear in it, though it would be wise to add one in anyway (as you still need a general).
Magic:
The Liche Priests now follow the rules for casting like everyone else. The reasoning is a slip-up in the casting of the incantation has angered the gods and thus an irresistible force/miscast occurs (Makes sense, their gods do displease so easily). They can choose between the Lore of Death (they are obsessed with death, so it's sort of the Lore of Djaf, the god of death), the Lore of Light (so the Lore of Ptra, the first amoungst the gods and the sun god, though I guess Neru the moon goddess and Ptra's wife could also be it) and finally the Lore of Nehekhara, which focuses purely on the Tomb King armies and Lore attribute can restore wounds to units (though constructs only ever restore a single wound).
As for magic items, there are only 8. Some have been upgraded both in ability and cost, while the Arcane ones have had there rules changed to match the new way of magic. Alas the Standard of the Undying Legion is now double it's points and is a bound spell.
Characters:
Settra (lord) has had some stat changes, gear changes and points reduced.
Khalida (lord) no longer regenerates but does Hate vampire counts. Less points, units can no longer buy poisoned attacks but a unit of archers she joins gets to use her BS of 3 and their attacks count as poisoned attacks.
Grand Hierophant Khatep (lord) is alright. Has a few nice magic items and has knows all spells from Lore of Nehekhara.
Arkhan the Black (lord) uses the Lore of Death and possesses a couple of Nagash's magic items. He can also get a chariot which can even be upgraded to fly.
Prince Apophas (hero) is a loner assassin who emerges from the sand and gets bonuses against a selected character. He's also made of scarabs.
The Herald Nekaph (hero) is good in combat, especially in challenges and enemies in base contact have a harder time overcoming a fear test.
Ramhotep the Visionary (hero) is a Necrotect with frenzy and at the beginning of game pics a single animated construct unit to get re-rolls on armour saves.
Lords & Heroes:
The Tomb King/Prince 'My will be done' rule is now any unit he is attached to can use his Weapon Skill so long as he is with them. The curse is also an X number of hits at Str X (X based on if Tomb King or Prince) distributed as shooting with no armour saves aloud. They can also use a Khermrian Warsphinx as a mount.
Liche High Priests/Liche Priests......not much difference really. Their main change was magic (though the high priest gets T4).
Tomb Herald replaces Icon Bearer and has more gear options. Can also take wounds for his King/Prince he chooses to serve, so long as he is in same unit. Can have many but only one can be the Battle Standard Bearer.
Necrotect is the newest hero character and gives Regen (6+) to nearby constructs (plus hated to unit he's attached to). A mummified artist really.
Core:
Skeleton warriors are now split into two groups - Warriors and Archers, both of which have had their base points dropped so more can be fielded.
Light Horsemen are now Horse Archers and are roughly the same. Heavy Horsemen are now just Horsemen with Light Armour being the option, yet still with it they are cheaper per model.
Chariots are now Core and follow the chariot rules in the warhammer rule book, though they are still in units. Points increase though crew have more attacks.
Special:
Tomb Swarms are now Special. You need a minimum of 2 bases but are slightly cheaper.
Carrion (which I hate the most) are the same in cost but have one more strength and attack.
Tomb Guard are a point cheaper, have access to helberds (and thanks to their magic system, can make better use of them then my Stormvermin can) and are the only unit that can purchase the Banner of the Undying Legion (apart from the army Battle Standard Bearer). A large force would be scary.
Tomb Scorpion are same price but one less wound (still love these guys).
Ushabti not only come with great weapons as standard, but can swap them for an additional hand weapon or a great bow. They can even have a champ, standard and musician.
Necropolis Knights seem rather good for their points cost. Average strength and toughness with a 3+ armour save and a decent number of attacks. Heck, they can even be upgraded to emerge from the sands like Tomb Scorpions.
Sepulchral Stalkers are the the more shooty version of the Knights, less combat but an effective shooting attack with artillary dice worth of hits that uses the opponents initiative instead of toughness to wound with no armour saves.
Finally a Khemrian Warsphinx which seems to have a decent combat stats with a toughness of 8. May also be upgrated to have a poison tail and breath fire.
Rare:
Screaming skull catapult is same though upgrade a slight more expensive.
Casket of souls no longer needs you to attach a priest to it. It's power is a bound spell that targets a single unit and may possibly jump to others on a 50/50 roll. It also adds power dice to your pool. If destroyed, all units nearby (frend & foe) on a 4+ take damage as the souls go on a rampage.
Necrolith Colossus is, what I assume to be, the old Bone Giant. His tough/wounds are swapped and he starts with hand weapon with options for additional hand weapon/great weapon/bow of the desert. Is cheaper but looses his heavy armour.
Hierotitan is similar to a colossus, but more focus on the priests giving a bonus to their casting when in range. He also comes with 2 bound spells, with Shem's burning gaze from Lore of Light and Spirit Leech from Lore of Death.
The Necrosphinx is a flying monster killer. Nice stats, with a single attack dedicated to Heroic Killing Blow. Can be upgraded with poisoned attacks.
Overall:
Rule wise the Tomb Kings are brought inline within this latest edition. The army is much more points effective and will certainly give Tomb Kings players more choice. Rules wise the book has it all (with a few questions that need an FAQ, but then what book doesn't) though it does seem to lack in the lore department. It'll be interesting to see how well they go against my army, the Skaven.
Tomb Kings Armybook Review Part 1
Having spend some time comparing the newest edition to the previous, there are many changes to both the army and the lore behind it. In this first look, I shall review the lore and artwork, with the rules in part 2 or the review.
As with the changes to the newest edition, the new books are of a hard cover. Though they claim it's better for it, most recon it's just to stop people scanning the books and uploading them to the net and as such, I can hardly say it was worth it as it hasn't stopped them from doing it. With the average price jump for the switch being around the $15(AU) amount, does this book really add more to the army?
From an Artwork view, yes. Though some of the artwork in the previous was used as box art for the models, this one does contain some very colourful pieces, showing off what the new models would look like in the warhammer world. Overall, I liked many of the newer pieces as it gave that magical feel to the army. The painted model pictures were well done and it's great to see them in something better then just a sand landscape.
The lore however, is one thing I can't seem to get my head around. As it appears in many more newer editions, the lore seems to shift and change with the writers taking some pieces they liked and discarding the rest for something new. While this may seem fine in some areas, other parts ether contradict or re-write parts of their history. Not only having read the previous edition, but also the first two books of the Nagash trilogy (the third due to release in august), one cannot help but think that someone took a few bullet points from their history and re-worded the rest. Indeed, the three previous named heroes from the last book barely get a mention (King Phar got some mention, yet his stance against Settra didn't get a mention I believe). Instead we got a few new characters with background written in (why did we get Ramhotep the Visionary when we already had Sehenesmet?). Settra is the same and Khalida has had a bit more mention, but the introduction of Arkhan the Black into the Tomb Kings side of things was very interesting (having looked up much of his past, he's so-called piece with the kings proves amusing). The lore for the animated statues is given more detail and the meaning for the death look as opposed to what the deities should have looked like is understandable (somewhat).
My only real gripe is the lack of effort in explaining the Nehekharan pantheon of gods and goddesses. With the worship of such deities being of major importance, the little that they did give (which you found by reading mostly on certain units) felt disappointing, as did any real history on the many cities of Nehekharan. Overall it wasn't too bad, yet I can't help think it could have been better.
Now Part 2.
Wednesday 13 April 2011
Delay in pics
If you've visited my DeviantART page lately (and why havn't you?) you may have noticed a lack of updates (sounds familiar to another site I'm on...). The reason for this is simple, my #@%:( camera isn't letting me upload anything to my comp. Hopefully I'll get this problem resolved and get some pics and planned projects up and running.
Finally, hints to my latest conversion project involve Warhammer Online and a pie....
Finally, hints to my latest conversion project involve Warhammer Online and a pie....
Sunday 10 April 2011
Tomb Kings
The first Warhammer fantasy army I started collecting was a Tomb Kings one and with the new incoming Tomb Kings, 3 things/rumors have peaked my interests. The first is the War-sphinx, I can't wait to get the chance to paint it.
The second is the new magic system for them. The focus seems to be more on constructs for this army (as opposed to endless troops for Vampire Counts) as the spells are more buff/debuff and only the lore attribute can restore wounds/models to a unit. So it seems a large force of skeletons may seem to be reduced to a sort of 50/50 skeleton/construct. I just wonder how this new lore (as well as lore of death/lore of light) will affect my liche's.
Finally is the rumor of a special character: Arkhan the Black.
Apparently he's a lev 5 wizard (being Nagash's second in command), but this is where I'm getting confused. The Tomb Kings hate Nagash and as such, all who serve him, so why stick him in the book. Surely the Vamp book would have been better as from his past history and even the recent Nagash novels, Arkhan isn't exactly good buddies with the dead kings. If anything, each time Nagash returns he sides with him, so why Tomb Kings? Perhaps when they release the book and if he is in it they may have an explanation for me.
Oh well, wait n see....
The second is the new magic system for them. The focus seems to be more on constructs for this army (as opposed to endless troops for Vampire Counts) as the spells are more buff/debuff and only the lore attribute can restore wounds/models to a unit. So it seems a large force of skeletons may seem to be reduced to a sort of 50/50 skeleton/construct. I just wonder how this new lore (as well as lore of death/lore of light) will affect my liche's.
Finally is the rumor of a special character: Arkhan the Black.
Apparently he's a lev 5 wizard (being Nagash's second in command), but this is where I'm getting confused. The Tomb Kings hate Nagash and as such, all who serve him, so why stick him in the book. Surely the Vamp book would have been better as from his past history and even the recent Nagash novels, Arkhan isn't exactly good buddies with the dead kings. If anything, each time Nagash returns he sides with him, so why Tomb Kings? Perhaps when they release the book and if he is in it they may have an explanation for me.
Oh well, wait n see....
Sunday 6 February 2011
I'm baaaaaack!
My apologies for lack of up-dates but things have been rather problematic. With recovering from Hernia surgery and the natural desasters here in Queensland, it's been hard to focus on things. Rest assured, I will have a number of updates up soon.
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