Well Shiver Me Timbers!

Ok, so maybe I haven't seen the end of Warmachine. Privateer Press have some really nice minis and their facial expressions are so detailed.

I've liked the new pirate range in their Mercenary range ever since they came out. Then I had a brilliant idea why not get a small warband together and they can be used for a Mordheim Pirate Warband as well!. So I've ordered a rag tag group of blister minis and wait in anticipation for them to arrive. I'm thinking around 10 guys and of course no warjacks. Two of them are from the Devil Dog range so I can use the oversized musket as a swivel gun (a bit of artistic/gamer licence there). They'll be lead by the Notorious Broadside Bart. Hopefully the right minis come in the blisters!

Who knows in future I might get three Warjacks to finish off the warband for Warmachine but for now I just plan on using them for Mordheim. Maybe a Mule, Bucaneer and Vanguard but that's in the future.

Apocalypse The Next Mission

The Battle of TarrinV was a close and bloody battle. 16,000pts a side. On the side of the Imperials were Ultramarines, Sisters of Battle, Vanilla Marines and Cadians. On the side of the Xenos were 2 Eldar forces, Tau and Chaos (who perhaps had something more sinister in mind). The 4 objectives were an Administratum, a large Cathedral, a crashed Aquilla Shuttle containing gene seed and a promethium refinery.
The Sisters were stylishly late and didn't arrive until the second turn because they were too busy applying make up. This left the imperial forces who heroically blockaded the city eitherside of the Cathedral. They fought a brave fight too the end and the Cathedral was closely contested. This was helped by the early losses of the 2 Chaos Landraiders to the 9+ lascannons.
The Emperor's Children were too busy polishing there hot pink armour and didn't notice the advancing marine forces who cut them down. But not before an Avatar came to there aid and slaughter the remaining Imperials. The Chaos Hell Talon swooped in and cleared the board of the newly deployed Smurf snipers and speeder squad (best 135pts spent). The Eldar Phoenix strathed the forces in the city whittling them down.
The Nuns with Guns arrived via flank march behind the Xenos forces. However unknown to them the Xenos had expected this and waited in ambush. Half the nuns were wiped out before even firing a shot thanks to the combined gunfire of the Tau and Eldar. They claimed the Chaos Defiler but it was too little to late. The battle was over for them.
The Cadian Hellhammer had fired shot after devestating shot at the Xenos before finally falling to the deathblow of an Avatar. The Eldar Cobra slinking away to snipe elsewhere.
In the end the Imperial Blockade proved too strong and the Chaos/Xenos forces were unable to push through. Chaos fought a hard fight holding the marines back on the flank and were in the end survived only by Kharn and his loyal Beserkers. Left facing Marnius Calgur and his remaining Ultramarines.
The battle may of gone differantly if the two orbitting frigates had performed the Orbital Strike. However in the confusion of the orbitting battle both commanders recieved conflicting intelligence so the bombardments didn't happen for either side.
Good game and it was great playing on the long 4"x18" table. Pity about the uninvited roving rules lawyer how insisted at correcting players at the top of his voice. I hate people like that but that's a differant topic. If any of the players are reading this then thanks for playing guys and making it an enjoyable game.

Curse That Cursed Dreadnought!

My Red Corsairs Dreadnought has done me no favours since it was made. I'm beginning to seriously wonder if taking it is a good idea. It's armed with a close combat weapon and a removable twin linked lascannon. I armed it this way in case it decides to fire frenzy in which at worst it could kill a marine.

Well I've learnt the hard way about positioning it close to my vehicles. It seems to be pro at rolling those Crazed 1s on a D6 (fire frenzy). So far it's claimed my Predator, Vindicator and most recently my Landraider. These losses happened at different points of the games. So from now on if it's going to battle the only thing it's going to be close to, of mine, is some humble marines hopefully in cover!. They will no doubt be keeping a very nervous eye on it. Maybe they should have a summary execution rule on it similar to the commissars of the guard. The first sign of it going nuts they put a lascannon round through it.

Though it did do quite well in close combat with practically no weapons left recently. So maybe that's the secret send it to battle with no weapons and it can just headbutt the enemy to death.

I like the look of it and will probably keep using it. But might have a Predator back just in case it keeps it's friendly fire habit.

New Terrain 40k - Ork Barricades

I found this picture of the new GW Ork Barricade set on BOLS. They are supposed to be made from resin like the imperial ones and just need painting. I think they look very Orky and appeal to me in a kind of Mad Max way. Sure you could probably make them if you have a decent bits box. But any self respecting Ork player would much rather use his gubbins for vehicle conversions then wasting them on barricades. These will probably sell for the same price as the Imperial versions.

FOW Jagdpanzers WIP

I decided to add a couple of tank destroyers to my German army. These have the same firepower as a Stug and have a really nice and menacing low profile. Ideal for sneaking up on an Allied tank and opening fire on it. They're better armoured than a Marder but not as powerful or expensive as Hornisse or Jadpanthers. They should be a menacing mid range tank destroyer. I might look at getting another one depending on how these two go.

FOW Stukas Nearly Finished

A bit of help from the Luftwaffe comes in handy from time to time to help support the troops and provide cover for the advancing panzers. I've always like the Stuka as an aircraft especially the version with the tank buster cannons. So I couldn't resist adding a flight of them to my German FOW army. They're almost done and just need a clear coat. Unfortunately one plane has no undercarriage due to crash landing on the concrete floor of the our garage bugger!!

WIP 40k Bridge

A Cadian squad moves in support of a Basilisk.

This is the latest piece of 40k terrain I'm working on. It's a couple of Technobridge kits by Pegasus Hobbies and stretches nearly 7" x 2 foot long (Easily drive my Baneblade over). It's made of nice rugged injection molded plastic that's sectional and slot together so you can join kits to make longer bridges. The kit itself requires minimal cleaning and is nicely detailed with rivets and cast iron lattacework. The bridge itself is in 4 sections 2x ramps and two straights.

These kits are hard to find at the moment with most places on the internet being out of stock. Hopefully it's a short term thing and the manufacturer's will churn out some more. So if you see any on line it's well worth grabbing yourself a couple. It comes in a painted dark mettallic silver but can be easily repainted. Mine is currently undercoated in Chaos Black awaiting the top coat. It will go really nice with the GW city ruins terrain. and make a cool objective.

40k Apocalypse

A few of us couldn't resist giving Apocalypse a go when it came it out. It's been out a while now and we've had a few games. The biggest issue about it is time limits on turns and making sure you get all your close combats done. Guess it pays to prioritise attacks to get the important ones in. Don't forget to use those Assets as well. It was all too tempting for us to open fire with 40+ battletanks on the enemy. Take that pansy Eldar!

Cya Warmachine

After much deliberation I decided to to sell off my Khador Warmachine Army. It's a great game if anyone's thinking of playing just nobody around here does. Maybe I'll find a way to sneak the odd warcaster into my Imperial Guard Army.

Gaming Club Frustrations

I'm one of the organisers of the local gaming club.

It's a reasonable size, we have about 35 people on our email list. But we only have a handful turning up from month to month. It's so frustrating trying to encourage people to come along. Main reasons are that it conflicts with other things like sports, families and work. But seeing as it's on a Sunday you wouldn't think it would be so bad.

We're pretty social and definately not competitive. Though it would seem local players prefer to play in they're own little groups hidden away in their homes. Well I guess that's gamers for you! but come on if you are looking for a game then support your local club or play at your local store. We've been going now for a couple of years and hopefully things will change but that remains to be seen.

Introduction

This is my blog space about wargaming and my collection over the years.

My armies are Warhammer 40k and Flames of War based. Before I get too carried away here, I'd like to say thanks to my tolerant wife and kids who have put up with obsession, I mean hobby over the years and have been understanding. In return I have agreed to make enough room in our garage to park our car.