Battle Chronicler and Updated Guides

*Squeek*

I have to apologise for the time it is taking to finish the battle report for my recent Skaven v. Tomb Kings - lots of stuff going on at the moment, as well as putting it all together in Battle Chronicler, so I haven't got much further than just getting the army lists posted!

Battle Chronicler. Awesome.

By the way, if you ever need to create a battle report for WH40K or WFB (or any tabletop system actually) and If you don't know Battle Chronicler you owe it to yourself to check it out. (FYI: I have no connection with site or the creator.)

Why?

1. It is totally free. 
• This is another great example of a huge project put together for "the love of the (tabletop) game". (You can find a couple more examples here.)
2. It is quite simple to use... It follows the general conventions for tabletop games (turns, army lists etc.)
• Input your armies (and save them for later use)
• Take them "out of the box" and place them on the field
• create and record each turn
• Automatically create movement arrows
• Includes a graphics library for download with explosions
3. ...but it has lots of depth.
• represents every single model in the army
• zoom in and out to see unit details down to the last model
• you can add command units to blocks of troops
• customize unit icons and colours
• import overhead images for your models and attach them to units
• includes text input so you can input commentary/ report as you go along
• calculates distances automatically

...and lots more actually!

Now there are a few bugs apparently, and I think it is for PC not Mac. Also, it is a bit difficult to see if there is any recent activity on the site, but still, really cool.

To the creator of Battle Chronicler...

...The Chattering Horde salutes you!

Updated Guides.

Despite note having gone very far with my battle report, I did find time just to review and update the painting guides here on the site. It took a bit of time, but I have now added links on all the old guides to my conversion chart and GW's conversion chart with a note about the new paints.

As I was doing that, I noticed that I have 27 guides now (and I still have to do a few more!). To be honest, I don't have time to go through all of them and totally rewrite everything regarding the colours (or even add the new colour next to the old colour in every instance.)

I hope the guides are still useful though!

Cheers,

*Squeek*

Skaven v. Tomb Kings Battle Report (Intro)

*Squeek*

Grey Seer Nemo rubbed his paws together and sniffed nervously at the air.

"The Great Horned Rat watches" he muttered, "...so this challenge must be answered".

The "challenge" he referred to was the alarming proximity of many, many, dry-dead things around the fabled Great Green Stone. 

He could see it now, a huge chunk of warpstone on the battlefield where it had fallen many hundreds of full-moons ago. The Great Green Stone held a dread fascination to the Grey Seer (as it did to all his kin). Long had he coveted it - aside from the unfortunate fact that it was located next to an Elf-thing's tower, he felt sure that he and the local Warlord would have carried it into their tunnels moons ago (at which time the Warlord would surely suffer a mysterious accident...leaving the great stone to Nemo alone!)

Although finding it difficult to turn his eyes away from such an enormous potential source of wealth and power, the Seer managed to drag his gaze to his enemy, arrayed in silent (VERY silent) ranks across the battlefield. The seer had never fought these dead-things before (in fact, he avoided fighting wherever possible) but the twitching in his whiskers and the fur standing up on his back told him there was much dark and powerful magic at work among the enemy.

Hearing a sudden increase in the squeaks and critters from the Clanrats gathered round to protect him, he looked again across the field. The enemy was moving as one, in perfect silence, and in perfect step, towards them.

Closing his beady eyes, he began to recite a prayer to the dark, horned Lord...

XXX

This was my second ever game of WFB. It has been a long time coming, as I really only painted models the last couple of years and I had much more opportunity to play 40K. As you will have guessed from above, this was a Tomb Kings match-up at 2,000 points. My opponent has 3-4 games under his belt so like me had little experience. This made for a fun game, with lots of chances to review the rules - although with both of us checking all the time it was quite slow (fine by me!)

My list: Warlord Squeek Vermintide's Horde

Lords:
Grey Seer Nemo (265 pts, Dispel Scroll)

Heroes:
Chieftain Faderife of Black Chasm (72 pts. BSB, Shield)
Warlock Engineer "Boom Boom" Vilekin (95 pts, Level 1 Wizard, Doomrocket)
Plague Priest Pestilich Seep (254 pts, Flail, Plague Furnace)

Core:
x20 Clanrats  - Sness Fellbite's Stabbaz (110 pts, full command)
x30 Clanrats  - Kreep Kraktooth's Kritters  (220 pts Full command + PWM Weapon Team)
x49 Skavenslaves - Tos Bonegibber's ladz (100 pts) (Musician)
x49 Skavenslaves (100 pts) (Musician)

Special:
x30 Plague Monks (255 pts, Plague Banner) 
x5 Gutter Runners - Stabstab Backstikka's gang (90 pts, Slings, Poisoned attacks)
x6 Gutter Runners - Stabstab Backstikka's gang (108 pts, Slings, Poisoned attacks)

Rare:
x1 Warp Lightning Cannon (90 pts)
x1 Warp Lightning Cannon (90 pts)
x1 Doomwheel - Pilot Madcackle (150 pts)

Total Cost: 1999

My opponent's list: Tomb Kings


Lords: (330 pts)

Grand Heirophant Khatep (330pts) (Scroll of the Cursing Word, Liche Staff, Lvl 4 Wizard)

Heroes: (346 pts)

Tomb Prince (192 pts) on Skeleton Chariot. (Spear, Biting Blade, Glittering Scales)

Tomb Prince (154 pts) (Great Weapon, Armour of Destiny)

Core: (665 pts)

x14 Skeleton Archers (84 pts)

x15 Skeleton Archers (90 pts)

x5 Skeleton Chariots (295 pts) (BSB - Banner of Eternal Flame)

x49 Skeleton Warriors (196 pts)

Special: (659 pts)

x1 counts as Khemrian Warsphinx (210 pts)

x3 Necropolis Knights (210 pts)

x19 Tomb Guard (209 pts)

Total Cost: 2000

Not having much experience as a general, there isn't much I can comment on in this list, aside from to say that I believe it was purchased as a set from another player. That might explain the lack of some of the more common items one might expect to see in a TK list, such as a Casket of Souls, and the relatively low number of archers?

Also, doesn't the Sphinx look awesome?

Next time I will post the battle itself, so come back again!

*Squeek*

For Those about to Rock - We Salute You!

New to the Warhammer 40K hobby?

Over the last few days (the first few days of 2013) I have seen a number of posts in Google+ from people new to the hobby. They received new armies and are young, and/ or are getting back into the hobby after a long time, and are asking for advice online about armies (mainly Space Marines), and especially colours.

I personally think that the army you will keep playing with is the army that you really like the look of, and that means you will probably need to really like the colour scheme. In my case, I didn't like the look of most of the standard Tau (in other words, I didn't think I would be able to paint them!), so I went with something a little different. The same with my Skaven. The great thing about Warhammer (or any other game) is being able to use your own imagination so you can come up with something that YOU really like!

With new Space Marine players in mind (and I am new to Space Marines myself, having only got hold of some Black Templars over the last month or two) I thought the following resources (which turned up in a Google search) might be useful.

Design your own Space Marines...

From www.warseer.com 

A Space Marine army designer site. This lets YOU design the colours on your Space Marine...

...every SINGLE part of your Space Marine.
Choose each part separately, and THEN go on to choose colours for all their wargear as well.
www.bolterandchainsword.com/smp.php

(or here for a different -updated BETA?- version)

...Or be inspired...

War Axes

If you need inspiration, then you will be glad to know that there is a website devoted to documenting all the Space Marine Chapters and colours that are out there.

Let me say that again. A website dedicated to capturing all the Space Marine colours that are out there!

http://philipsibbering.com/blog/1000-chapters/ 

I haven't looked to see how active the site is, but regardless, there are more than a thousand chapters represented? 

Angels of Deliverance

Both of these sites are wonderful resources. I take my hat off to the site operators/ creators!

Do you have any "hidden gems" for gaming or modelling that you would like to share with new players of Warhammer 40K or Warhammer Fantasy Battles?

Cheers,
*Squeek*

Black Templars in Action

*Squeek*

Recent goings on...

First Black Templar Battles. A couple of games of 40K...

I used my (bought-painted) Black Templars as my main force, with Tau allies, for the first time in two games against my regular Tyranid opponent. Neither of us had played 6th edition before.

Here are some pics. List below this:

Black Templar Commander faces down the enemy (but dies...)

'Gaunts V. CC Terminators

My lists are below. My reasonings for going with these were:

a.) Using Black Templars as something different - I had only used Tau before this.

b.) Tau allies to help with Horde army crowd control. My regular opponent plays mainly as Nids and Orks. The Hammerhead sub-munition and Commander's Airbursting Fragmentation Launcher help out with that, and the Crisis suit Missile Pod Launcher can help crack open 'Nid monstrous creatures or smaller Ork vehicles.

Here is the list: (every chance there are errors here!)

Main force: 1250 Pts - Black Templars Roster (1249)

HQ: 

x1 Castellan 

x1 Emperor's Champion (with Accept Any Challenge)

x1 Reclusiarch (with Bolt Pistol)

Elite: 

x1 Venerable Dreadnought ( with Furious Charge, Extra Armor and Smoke Launcher)

x1 Sword Brethren Terminator Assault Squad (with Furious Charge)

      3 Terminators with Lightning Claws

      2 Terminators with Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield

Troops: 

Crusader Squad Alpha

      5 Initiates with Bolt Pistol and CCW, + Assault Grenades 1

      4 Neophytes with Bolt Pistol & CCW, + Assault Grenades 1

      1 Rhino (Power of the Machine Spirit + Smoke Launchers)

Crusader Squad Bravo

      6 Initiates with Bolter + Assault Grenades 

      1 Initiate with Flamer + Assault Grenades 

      1 Initiate with Missile Launcher + Assault Grenades

Crusader Squad Charlie

      4 Initiates with Bolt Pistol and CCW

      1 Initiate with Plasmagun

Fast Attack: 

Land Speeder Squadron (2#, 140 pts)

   x2 Land Speeder Typhoon.

Allies: 500 Pts - Tau (499)


HQ: 
Commander Shas'o (Airbursting Fragmentation Projector+ Hard-wired Blacksun Filter + Twin Linked Missile Pod)
      x2 Shield Drones

Elite: 
Crisis Battlesuit (Flamer + Hard-wired Blacksun Filter + Twin Linked Missile Pod)
      x2 Shield Drones

Troops: 
x7 Fire Warrior (Photon Grenades)
x1 Shas'ui, (Photon Grenades)

Heavy Support: 
Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun + Two Burst Cannons + Disruption Pod + Multi-Tracker + Blacksun Filter)

So, in both games played, there were a couple of things that came to the fore for me from losing:

1.) I have no idea how to play a Close Combat oriented army! After all I have spent the last couple of years as a Tau commander trying to stay OUT OF close combat. I really need to get the hang of timing charges with the Black Templars...

2.) My dice still suck. (BOTH outings in CC I rolled an abysmal hand for the Emperor's Champion. Would you believe triple ones to hit?) Lol! :-)

3.) Playing with a different force really means you have to be careful with rules. I was so focused on everything else that I totally forgot about the BTs having to do a leadership check and consolidate towards the nearest enemy if they take any casualties to ranged fire. 
(It wouldn't have made any difference though. When my Crusaders got caught in the open after their Rhino popped, the Twin-Linked Devourers on the - I think - Hive Tyrant destroyed the entire unit in one round of shooting.)

4.) The Land Speeder Typhoon is an absolute beast. Heavy Bolter AND missile launcher at 70 points? Can fire both due to new skimmer rules? Sign me up for these...they were blowing away 'Nids like nobody's business!

5.) Neophytes make really handy meat shields. With the new rules about removing casualties these guys should always be in front. 

6.) I like "Look Out Sir!"

7.) "Focus on the Candy!" just as before, stay focused on those mission objectives - that is what wins the game! (Playing a new army it is too easy to lose sight of that as you wrestle with new rules etc.)

Just 'coz it is New Year, here are a few more pics:

Termies and Typhoon close in on an objective.

Early game, Rhino at bottom left has exploded. BTs now on foot.

End game, the remnants of the Gaunts make it onto the Tau objective.

Mid-game, Land-speeders stand off and plink at long range.

The red tide makes its way across the board.

Happy Holidays!

*Squeek*

Chaos Space Marines Troops finished.

*Squeek*
Busy week at work...must...go..to...bed...
...but before that, I wanted to post a couple of units of Chaos Space Marines that I more or less finished tonight.

Around 10 with bolters, 10 with CC weapons (Bolt Pistols and Chainswords) and finally a pack of guys with heavy weapons.

Pics below:

Actually, thought they were finished, but seeing photos on the screen means I can immediately see lots to do!
-heavy weapon barrels need boring out.
-I must bring myself to do the power weapons.
-layers on the flesh rather than just a wash.
-sprucing up the bases to make them more interesting (skulls? weapons? the battered bodies of the vanquished?)
etc.

a warlord's work is never done!
:-)
*Squeek*