Ravenwing: Ravenmaster Complete

Hi folks,

Last night I put the finishing touches on my first Ravenwing bike, a model that I have affectionately named the Ravenmaster. The ravens don't have any effect on the game, but they reflect some of the artwork in the Dark Angels codex which shows flocks of them sweeping into battle with the Ravenwing Attack Squadrons, particularly this one:

My Ravenwing marines all have beaky helmets (Mk6), because, well... ravens be all beaky. In the old days these helmets were hard to come by and I had to cast a wide net over my gaming friends to catch a squads-worth. These days they are everywhere!

The OSL on the lamp has been through a few different iterations. Originally there was too much bouncing off the boltguns and covering most of the front armour of the bike, which I wasn't a big fan of; this effect is more muted. Again, I was trying to capture the style of the artwork, with its baleful orange glow.

Taking photos of this guy is hard because he is always casting a big shadow over himself with the raven! Ah well. I didn't want to do white feathers at the back, in fact, I'm pretty sure I was the only person who was annoyed with these models when GW released them (4th Ed.?). I have painted them in a blend from Caliban Green to Mephiston Red with lighter highlights, which is consistent with the other feathers that I have painted in the force. this makes them look a little more "Bravest of the Plains People" and less angelic.

I contemplated painting a grid on the bike's auspex, but decided I didn't want to spend that much time on it; I have too many bikes to do. I have, however, added a tiny amount of weathering, carbon scoring on the exhaust, just a hint of mud on the tires and two bullet holes (give me a shout if you find both of them).

Here is a picture taken with the Attack Bike I finished earlier, so that you can see te flocking effect of the ravens. Now that I have added weathering and battle damage to the scheme I will have to work on it a bit more to bring it up to scratch. There's me creating a rod for my own back again :-)

I have one more figure, the Veteran Sergeant, to paint before I start batch painting in earnest. I should have him converted by my next post.

See you across the table,

M4cr0

Tukkayid Campaign: Ghost Bears Part 1

Hi folks,

Battletech Tuesday saw KuriboGoomba take control of his favourite Clan, the Ghost Bears, as they begin their invasion of Tukkayid. He chose a Timberwolf D with twin head-capping PPC's, two forward firing Streak SRM 6's and two rear firing Streak SRM 6's for taking a piece out of any sneak attackers, as well as a Mad Dog (no surprises there...) A. The A variant is capable of dealing 20 damage at range, with its PPC and LB-5X AC, but it really steals the show up close with its six SRM 6 launchers. Switching over to cluster rounds on the autocannon would also provide Goomba with even more chances of hitting critical systems. Both of his Mechwarrior were elite; 1/2 gunnery/piloting.

I teamed up with Heinz for this game, and chose a Crockett (Dragon model), Shadowhawk SHD-5M (Zeus model) and a Hussar (Cicada model). We had a Precenter with gunnery/piloting 2/3 in the Crockett and the other Mechwarriors were both veterans (3/4). We started the game in hidden positions, choosing hexes in the middle of the board to provide the best fields of fire early in the game, whilst keeping cover in reach for when things start to heat up.

The Ghost Bears positioned themselves in the prescribed hex rows (07XX, 08XX or 09XX) and fell into the Comstar trap perfectly. In the hex immediately behind the Mad Dog the Crocket opened up with all weapons, grievously damaging the Clan Mechs rear torso armour.





With the Crockett now locked in a duel with the Mad Dog, the Timberwolf challenged the Shadowhawk and proceeded to pummel it. It was not an even match-up, but Heinz and I were hoping that the Mad Dog would go down hard, leaving a more favourable three-on-one battle that Goomba had no chance of decisively winning. With that in mind the Hussar opened fire on the Mad Dog as well, breaking the dueling rules and opening it up as a second target for both Clan Mechs.





Our plan to eliminate the Mad Dog quickly was a good one, but for the second time in recent memory, the Mad Dog just wouldn't die.

Just. Wouldn't. Die.

The Crockett caused massive amounts of damage but spread it across locations. At some point Heinz made an error and broke a rule of the Shadowhawk's duel with the Timberwolf. Jumping on the opportunity, the Mad Dog got a good shot off at close range and hit with 22 (!) short range missiles. This is what that looks like, and he wasn't even done yet:





The Shadowhawk disappeared in the blizzard of fire, its centre torso utterly cored. The heat produced by all of that weapon fire caused the Mad Dog to shut down, so payback came quickly. The Crockett opened up on the Mad Dog's rear armour again, punching through to the critical locations and causing two head hits. It also sustained heavy damage to a leg, reducing its movement points.





The next turn the Mad Dog's systems came back online and it moved a short distance, shadowed by the Crockett. Both Mechs prepared to unload broadsides at each other, twisting torso to unleash hell at point-blank range.





The Crockett destroyed most of the locations on the Mad Dog in this final salvo, whilst the Timberwolf put some very lucky shots into the Hussar that chewed through it from arm to engine. Dead in one unlucky round. One-on-one, plan in tatters, the Crockett squared off against the essentially undamaged Timberwolf.





The Crockett lasted two turns, but put up a hell of a fight. It scored multiple head hits against the Clan Mech and had an opportunity to cripple it through engine or gyro hits, but my luck had run dry. At the end of the last turn the mauled Crockett failed a piloting skill roll at 3+ on 2d6 and we decided to call it a night.


 


KuriboGoomba is always a challenging opponent in Battletech and he knew how to make the most of the tactical error we made; the Ghost Bears were well deserving of the marginal victory it afforded them. I think they probably picked up a skilled Bondsman as well, that Precenter caused some havoc!

See you across the table,

M4cr0 

Remembering 40k: Rogue Trader

Hi folks,

Well, it is that time of year again and work is rolling me in the foam. I don't have much time for painting, so my mind has turned to past gaming experiences...

I don't know how everybody else feels out there, but Rogue Trader seems to be a benchmark in my gaming circles. To have played Rogue Trader is to have been there right at the very beginning. It is at the very least a venerable rules system, which established the 40K universe. Subsequent editions of 40K have transformed this fledgling universe into the juggernaut that we all now enjoy, each with their own quirks, and I have loved all of them in their time. Rogue Trader had a distinct roleplaying feel to it, with lots of fun rules and units to choose from. Flipping through the rulebook, seeing the roots of the universe you enjoy, brings on the feels. Here is a trip down memory lane:

Dark Angels make their debut. Womble marines with red stripes!

Pages and pages of exotic plant life. Pages well spent! MOAR sponge weed!

Some more old paint schemes.

A Space Marine, an Imperial Guardsman, an Eldar and a Squat walk into a bar...

The Fang was smaller in those days...

Raising the grim/dark flag on Iwo Jima Secundus.

If you have any good memories of Rogue Trader let me know in the comments. I'll have a post for each edition, so let me know when I hit on your favourite :-)

See you across the table,

M4cr0



For My Battle-Brothers in France