Tyranids: Malanthrope TO-DONE!

Hi folks,

I was feeling inspired to get things finished a few nights ago, so I had a good craic at doing the Malanthrope base. It is a textured base which is quite different to the rest of Nids, which have a grit/shell texture. The idea of having to achieve that effect with paint had led to quite a bit of procrastination! Anyways, it turns out I didn't need to worry, I think I got it pretty close in the end without much stress at all.

The larger rocks in the centre of the base I painted grey with a green glow, to extend the effect of the malanthrope's maleficence. The "sand" was painted Ushbati bone, washed with sepia then highlighted in patches with white.

I love how deliciously gribbly this figure is. I recently put some Lictors back in my 2000 pt list, to fill up two cheap elites spots. This guy fill amplify that aesthetic. I may not win many games but they look cool :-)

This Malanthrope is the last of my HQ units for this army, so I feel like I have really accomplished something. Next, I will be working on adding to my Troops choices, which happens to include a whole lot of Rippers (little snakes!).

See you across the table,

Marc

Iron Snakes: Chapter Master Seydon TO-DONE!

Hi folks,

Seydon is quite a mysterious character in Brothers of the Snake. He is described as being very large when Priad meets him in the Iron Snake's fortress monastery. He pretty much appears out of nowhere, drops some fatherly wisdom from under a shadowed cowl, then takes off again as "silent as a phantom". Later, it is made quite clear that he is also a warrior who fights at the front line, whatever the cost.

"Chapter Master Seydon was just a shadow: robed, mysterious and towering. His cloak was made of broken, polished, wyrm-horn pieces, linked together like a jigsaw puzzle by gold wire. Slow respiration throbbed form the exchanger tanks under his cloak... He was a good meter taller taller than Priad". 

"I make it a point to see those Snakes who return after a long absence, especially those I am fond of. Damocles squad - now, I've been fond of that ever since I told Damocles to form it." 

"A great man like Memnes, everyone will mourn. That'll make the loss easier. But Calignes, Illyus... in my experience, a squad leader will miss the common troopers most."

"His jigsaw cloak of polished wyrm-hide pieces had been ripped and torn, and loose fragments dangled from unravelling golden threads. His great lance, Tiborus, lay across his knees."

"Seydon seemed so dreadfully bowed and hunched. The blade tip of Tiborus was nicked and buckled , and deep cuts had been gashed into its mighty shaft."

I'm glad that the original idea that I had to represent Seydon has finally been realised. I think the use of the Primaris Captain's body has given him the extra size that he needed, to accurately reflect how he is described in the book. I like the shape of the spear, though it was very fiddly to pin and glue. I am also really pleased with how the Scibor base turned out. I went for a warm look to contrast the colder colours of the model, with some volcanic ash and darker skulls to give it a Pompeii/Thera excavation kind of feel. The added elevation also helps him to tower over the other Iron Snakes in my collection.

I have two more Iron Snakes projects that I am really keen to finish; Squad Aegis (Centurions) and a Storm Eagle, which have just been shifted back to the paint table. First though, time to enjoy finishing a job for once :-)

See you across the table,

Marc

Pathfinder: Someone Else's Shoes

Hi folks,

On Mondays I have been doing my best to meet up with The Trooper and Sgt Waz to continue their Pathfinder Adventure Card Game campaign. Together with KuriboGoomba, they have been playing Pathfinder fairly consistently for a number of years now. I had only played in two sessions over that time but, after we lost Goomba, it was time to step up and help keep the party going. I have inherited Goomba's Half-Orc Witch Hunter character, Imrijka, and she is is such a typical choice for him. Just flicking through the cards he has collected for her is like a window into his mind, the gamer we all know so well. Currently, she is geared up for dealing horrific ranged damage, with some spectacular conditional bonuses that allow for devastating alpha strikes when required. She also has a real eclectic mix of other junk! Some cards I just pick up and laugh at, thinking "why the hell do I have this!?" Then I remember who picked the cards and it all makes sense. Heavy crossbow: check! Frog; check! Monkey's paw: check!

The last game saw us hunting down some demonic goon through the stronghold of our enemy. The usual strategy involves closing locations to corner the main bad guy, then sending in a heavy hitter to finish the job. That would be made difficult in this scenario due to an extra location that spawns after the second is closed, providing an extra hiding hole, and giant worms protecting every site. Thankfully, Imrijka has been geared towards passing constitution checks. I was going to be busy uncapping each site, by the looks of it.

Breakfast. 

We set up the board and got cracking, uncapping sites and starting to explore. One of Imrijka's skills, which Goomba has maximised, is the ability to take additional exploration actions whenever an enemy is slain. I quickly started churning through locations, chopping through demons and rolling 3+ to continue exploring.

We quickly closed down one location then found the villain we were hunting for. We had a golden chance to end the game quickly but even the bucket-load of dice we chucked at it, including a long range shot from me, wasn't enough to bring it down. I got the blame for this (of course!), because my d4 was the last rolled and could have made the difference. I only rolled a 2 however, and the mongrel got away. Let's forget the fact that on 2d20 Sgt Waz couldn't roll above 5's ;-)

Anyone got a blessing?  Anyone!?

After that we had some idea of where the villain had moved too, so we started grinding out a (hopeful) victory. The additional location spawned and The Trooper worked hard to close it, which would allow us to unlock a powerful character to use. We were running out of time though, so after checking the number of turns we each had left, worked about trapping the villain at the expense of any other bonuses. Strategically positioning ourselves, The Trooper and I temporarily closed all of the remaining escape sites, whilst Sgt Waz dove into the last pile to root out the evil within. In that last turn, he fought demon, after demon, after demon. It was epic.

Not the first demon. Not the last. 

Finally, Sgt Waz drew the main villain; some kind of hag. After missing her early on we threw everything at her, including another long range shot from me. With all of his bonuses, Sgt Waz amassed over 40 points of damage, including 2 from my plucky d4 from across the table. That was enough to take her down. I claimed the kill (of course!), because obviously my shot dealt the fatal wounds. With a tough victory under our belts, we sifted through the loot we had accumulated and modified our decks. I got rid of some of the really dodgy stuff Goomba had put in there. Part of me felt bad doing that, but I know he would have approved. After adding my own spin to the character I am keen for some more games. Sgt Waz has hinted that he has some miniatures on the way to match our characters, and I have the urge to get myself a set of dice to play with. More about that later!

See you across the table,

Marc

Grey Knights: TO-DONE!

Hi folks,

With the bases painted I was able to get the Grey Knights finished pretty quickly. Posing them was a bit of challenge, due to the raised detail on the bases, but I think I have done them justice.

 First up we have a champion with Nemesis falchions. I love this guy; rocking two swords for close-in work when everyone else is poking around with halberds is gutsy.

Next up, a relic bearer armed with a Nemesis force halberd. This guy reminds me more of the Grey Knights I used to use in 2nd Ed. They smashed face back in those days as well.

To mix things up a bit The Trooper also equipped one with a Daemon hammer; or "comedy mallet" as I like to call them. For some reason I am reminded of an Imperial Guard home-brew character that was armed with a thunderhammer. When he used it, he would fly 2d6 inches backwards!

Next we have two heavy weapons terminators. I am pretty sure only one can be taken in a squad of five, but these guys are more for show and friendly games anyway. I love the streaming purity seals on the Psilencer terminator's halberd.

Last, but most definitely the most satisfying to paint, Grand Master Voldus. I had to trim the stone from the end of his hammer, which caused part of it to snap off. Gluing it back on in the last minutes of the project was nerve wracking! With the stone gone, though, I was free to pose him stepping down from the raised surface on the base, which tied everything together really nicely, I think. I am pretty sure I only painted half of the available detail; this figure is just mental. It would take another month for me to do it all maximum justice and I have already held on to these guys long enough!

Project complete! These guys are heading over to The Trooper's collection and will no doubt be fielded against me some time soon.

I still haven't made a new light box yet, these photos were taken with the Frankenstein apparatus pictured below. I am hoping that during the weekend I can re-purpose one of the boxes, which we used for moving, to make a new light box that I can keep set up permanently in the garage.

As these Grey Knights are the last models I have to paint for my mates, I can start really focusing on my own stuff for the first time in a long time. I have quite a few projects on the verge of completion that are burning a hole in my creative pocket, so to speak. High on the list is a bunch of models I need to complete two army lists that I want to start playing with. Keep an eye out for them over the next couple of weeks!

See you across the table,

Marc