[40K] Falling Off the Wagon

This one guy, generously donated to me last year by none other than HOP's Idol contest winner, Von; is the one thing that's keeping me anywhere near the Emperor's Children at the moment.

I'm burning out on Marines at the moment.

I'll admit I was never a big fan of the Marines. The sameness of them made me frustrated. I mean, what's the difference between this

and this?

From a stat viewpoint, very little is different. They all have the same WS,BS and I - it's just a matter of which weapons and so on.

For some, that's a bonus. I've heard Space Marines called "Legos"- a basic building block that you can customize endlessly by adding or taking things away. Maybe it's true.

I just know that they are really cramping my style right now. I prefer some personality, some silliness, some "unknown" factors as a rule... and Marines are not it.

Except Brother Darius, who has been known to speak to me while I'm sleeping of the Glories of The Emperor. That guy takes his job wayyyyyyyyy too seriously, but man-he looks good doing it.

Stay tuned for a possible exploration of Eldar....

[40K] This Game is Fucking Terrible

Real Quote from The Boy.

He has played before, but usually in Apocolypse games. He enjoyed it then, and laughed and had a great time. No complaints.

He recently played in our local tournament. I asked if he wanted to play, and he said yes in a pretty positive and happy manner. There was no coercion going on - it was totally his choice.

I paid for him to play and loaned him my models. I offered him the choice of Black Templar, Space Wolves or "Vanilla" Marines to field since those were the factions I had a Codex for. He picked Templar and made a list.

I ran errands and did other things at home while he played. A few hours into the day, I got a text stating that he hated 40K, and that the game was awful. He was not having any fun.

What amuses me about this is that he owns an army and used to play. He was a big Tau fanatic (owns the FireWarrior video game) and had a blast and a half with the drones.

After some question and answer, I discovered that he just hates Marines- especially the ones that assault. Poor kid got turn 1 assaulted, and lost 2 entire units within a moment of play beginning. He also had the unfortunate luck of having Abhor The Witch against Grey Knights... NOT good news.

So is he right? Is 40K terrible if you don't like Marines? Are you totally hosed if you are a Xenos loving, tentacle having, Dis-integrator gun wielding fiend?  Please chime in, oh cult of not-Marines, and tell me like it is.

[40K] Some Real Content!

There was no 40K for the past couple weeks- due to a break between leagues or holidays or whatnot.

Last night kicked things off again, with a new league starting. This one is kind of an interesting twist on Planetary Empires--  there are two required lists. One is 200 point Kill Team list, and the other is 1800 point "main" list. You play a Kill Team game (sort of scouts, if you will) and whoever wins the game gets an advantage in the main game.

I had planend to sit this league out for a variety of reasons, but have since been convinced (read:dared/bullied) into playing, if nothing else, as a backup in case someone bails. Words such as "chicken" and "scaredy cat" were thrown around, and I just can't really have that, now can I? I sat out this week but should catch up next week with a quick early game and then a regular game as per the schedule.

I'll be busting out my Templar again for this league, and maybe I will get some painted colors other than "blue". (Despite advice to the contrary, Necron Abyss is NOT dark enough to be a proxy for black.)

Speaking of my Templar, despite not being fielded by me, they got on the board in a game.

Big Sword is having sharp words with me, as I allowed his faithful brothers to be proxied as Xenos by my best pal, who is new to 40K. He wants to play Orks. He has a friend who will loan him the models, but he forgot to send a list to the guy with the Green Dudes. My pal showed up last night and my Templar were commissioned to stand in as the Spores... with hilarious results.

The "orks" face down a Dreadnaught

My friend (BB) made his list based off of the models I had on hand- I brought my bag to help out a different friend (FunDave) and having the extra models made it possible for BB to play . BB's list was pretty kick butt for something he threw together in a couple minutes, based on what was available from a Space Marine player's bag.

The night was a blast- it's always great to get back to the guys, the fun, the camaraderie, and the games.

I'm afraid that I well and truly stink, though. My pal BB picked up the Ork codex and blasted out a list that had a veteran player on his toes all night- in less than 15 minutes. I've been trying to get better for a while now, and I still lose all the time. I read tactics, articles, strategy, net lists, advice and ask my friends for help- and still get smoked every time. I think it's a fact that I'm an easy win, and I just gotta deal with it.

Or maybe getting better will take more time for me, and I just have to keep at it. I'm hoping I'm a slow learner.

[Weekly Whimsy] Lola is My Lady

[Welcome to Weekly Whimsy! Lovely, lethal, long loved- Lola; angel of annihilation. Also, actively analyzing the adoration of armies.]


swing swing swing
chop chop chop

My axe is my buddy- ICP, My Axe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Earlier this week, the talented J Croxford was featured on FTW's Top ten for this lovely piece:

Seeing it really struck a chord with me. I had forgotten what originally drew me to Khador and their frozen wastelands, their harsh women, and their furry hats. I'd forgotten all about Lola.

Lola originally caught my eye, and then I was drawn to her faithful escort, Butcher. His manic, brutal mien was as alluring as her strong lines and great curves. I knew the moment I saw those two, I was hooked. 

[40K] Where Are The Ladies?

So I have an idea for a Killzone team that would need at least 2 ladies. The idea is spawned out of the old Armageddon crew- I'm thinking of Chad Black, his lovely Anita, along with Father Pain and Mercy. They would most likely be Black Templars, or possibly just really DARK Space Marines. One of the ladies can easily be out of the Witchhunters/Sisters of Battle- she's essentially a nun; I can find a figure.

The other? I really envision a bad-ass babe in SpaceMarine armor. Is there such a thing?

On that thought, does 40K have any serious butt-kicking females at all?

Sure, there's Lelith, and some of the Wytches. Are they HQ slots, though? Are they "leading the charge"?

In WarMachine, there's no end of sure-fire hell raising women. Sorscha, Haley, Deneghra, Fiora, Ashlynn, Kaelyssa- each faction has a killer; no-holds barred lady to lead the forces. Hell, the AVATAR of MENOTH is a woman.

Is it too much to ask for a girl with great gams in armor for my 40K shenanigans?

Failing what I really want, what can I convert? Do I need a degree in greenstuffing to get anything close?

[40K] A List I Don't Hate

Four 40K posts this week- I must really be getting into it!

I worked on making a list I don't hate, and came up with something I like quite a lot. Additionally, I might possibly be able to proxy this. One of my enablers-er- FRIENDS- I meant friend! thinks I could probably borrow what I don't have through The Dude.

There are a couple of legalities questions (can a character with dual lightning claws wear a combat shield, can I have a Cru squad without Neophytes) but here we go.

HQ- Marshall
Dual Lightning Claws
Combat Shield -120

HQ- Command Squad
1 Sergeant, Terminator Honors, Lightning Claw
9 Squad Members, Terminator Honors,  Thunder Hammers (5), Combat Shield (4), Furious Charge, Crusader Seals (10)- 525

EC- AAC- 140

Troops-

Crusader Squad 1
8 Initiates- Plasma gun, missile launcher
2 Neophytes, Shotgun & CCW
Rhino -214

Crusader Squad 2 & 3
10 Initiates 10 Crusader Seals
6 Neophytes
Missile Launcher- 500

Comes up to 1499.

My enabler-FRIEND- wondered why I didn't try to go for 1850, which is what the local league is currently running. Aside from not knowing the rules well enough yet, I don't have enough figures to proxy for that size army. But those are all excuses. Honestly? I'm not ready to play in the league, especially at that point level. I don't mind losing, but I'd like to have a chance.

Again, send along comments, criticisms and general 'you stink and this is why' . I promise to listen and even try to learn from it all.

[40K] The List (for now)

As promised, I came back with a legal list (at least I think it is).

I need to so some more work, but I have a1500 point list.
The problem? I - absolutely- completely- totally- immeasurably- without remorse- fucking HATE it. The only thing I like on it even a little is the Dread. The EC isn't terrible, but I wish I could make the whole thing more coherent.

Why bother posting it? Because it's some where to start. I'm trying to dial out the bad advice from the very, very smart (special thanks to nikephoros over at Bringer of Victory and Weinas at Indy40K) as well as get a feel for what I like and what I don't. Also, this list is one that I have almost enough models available to proxy and test. I would only need to borrow about 7 Scouts for Neophytes, and we'd just have to say all the bits/weapons present on the models were the ones on the list.

So here it is. Comments, suggestions and absolute ass-ripping are more than welcome, I'm willing to start all over and not sweat it. If there's any glaring illegalities, lemme know, please. Also, I have no real sense of how lists are supposed to be written out, so I'm going to do it the way that makes sense to me and you can help me in the comments, right?

HQ- Commander:
Marshall
Artificer Armor
Terminator Armor
Frag Grenade
Holy Orbs of Antioch - 126pts

HQ: Terminator Command Squad
5 models
Furious charge
Missile launcher
Assault Cannon-263 pts

REQ'D - NON HQ -
Emperor's Champion
Accept Any Challenge -140 pts

Elite: Dreadnaught
Twin linked Las cannon
Heavy Flamer
Tank Hunter
Venerable
Extra Armor
Hunter-Killer
Smoke Launcher-188 Pts

Troops : Crusader Squad (x2)
10 Initiates
6 Neophytes
Power Fist
Flamer
Frag & Krak grenades - 578

Troops: Crusader Squad
10 Initiates
Power Fist
Frag & krak Grenades- 205

[40K] Phase I Complete

All of the Space Marines, Scouts, Terminators, Dreads, the Rhino and assorted bits for The Dude's army now have green and red laid down. I'll be putting white down next, then the chest eagles, and then all the fun details.

I have a lot of cleanup and detail work ahead, and I'm trying to break it down into manageable chunks. I'm sure once I have a brush in my hand it will make more sense to me, but right now all I have is :AH! That's a boatload of minis to paint! 

Sorry, no pics right now.The Mexi-Marines are too busy trying to look Italian and are not camera ready.

[40K] The Flag Expands!

The Mexi-Marines, not satisfied with conquering just a corner of my table, have expanded their empire.

I'm in the home stretch now- I have an easily counted number of figures left to get the basic colors onto.

Also, a better shot of that metal Dread, just because.He needs a lot of detail work, but he's BA all on his own.

I've spoken with my client and have detail colors for backpacks, jet packs, bolters, chest eagles, and washing laid out. I dug through my paints and found a special treasure- an OLD bottle of Citadel Red Wash- the color, even in the bottle, is STUNNING. I'm really excited to use it.

Now that it's getting colder, I'll be painting much more- I expect to have these guys ready for the next League.

[40K] Paint, Process and Preferences

I've started to add the red on the Mexi-Marines, and they're starting to take shape and look "real". I'm starting to envision how I'll add details including drybrushing and washes.

Here's an old school metal Dreadnaught (on the right), with the dual colors laid down:

I also have a combat squad done. Only 90 more Marines to go...

I stopped by the FLGS on the way home to pick up some GW Astronomicon Grey- I've heard great things about the "new" foundation line, and I have a LOT of cleanup to do, as very easily seen in the pictures above.

I like the color and the coverage, but I frickin' HATE the bottles they come in.

I'll admit it, I am absolutely spoiled. I have a huge selection of paints available to me. The Dude owns the entire Vallejo Game Color line and is talking about getting the Reaper Master Series line. I have P3 and some older GW paints, as well as (showing my age here) Armory and a couple others that came out between Armory going under and the P3 line.

If it were up to me, we'd also have the Vallejo Model Color line. I adore those de-saturated, subtle, tonal colors. I know they have their place (and 40K really isn't it except for -IG-), but they are the paints for me. It sure doesn't hurt that their bottles are absolute showcases of design genius to me. (The same is true for Game Color paints.)

Those dropper bottles are the smartest thing I've seen in painting tools for a very long time. They're great for keeping you colors wet and well preserved. They make getting just a little paint so much easier, too. I have a couple "custom colors" as well, with the "recipe" on the spare bottles I have laying around.

Example: I wanted a bright, crisp, yellow-ish shiny gold- so I took 2 drops Sun Yellow and 1 drop Glorious Gold and mixed. The result was perfect, and I can replicate it every time with no guesswork or concerns about "how much I used last time".

The GW stuff comes in those crazy hinged bottles, with the big-ass mouth and no easy way to get any paint out onto a palette without a headache or spilled paint. At least not one that I've discoverd- I AM pretty clumsy, so that might just be a personal problem.

Having a palette is part of my painting process- I tend to paint from one well at a time, no mixing or touching of colors. I also paint pretty heavy and messy. There are times when I overpaint, and I grab a nearby brush with short, stiff and dry bristles to wipe away the extra.

I use this "de-brushing" technique very frequently in areas with a lot of detail- I stick a big blob on a section, and then remove, remove, remove. Sometimes, I even do this on areas where I know other colors will end up going (on the Dread above, I did this on the exhaust pipes). I've found that using this technique offers a depth and warmth to parts of models that usually look cold or overworked to me.

These tendencies are just personal preferences. Everyone has some- I'm sure you'll see some more of mine as the Mexi-Marines get closer to completion.

[40K] Progress Part II, Painting Problems and Places

I tore it up tonight and finished putting the green on the left side of all the Mexi-Marines for the Dude tonight. I have  the Libby, the Captain/Standard Bearer, The Dreads and the Rhino left to apply green to- but a couple of those need a consultation with my client for a discussion on WHERE he wants what colors.

Here's a shot of most of them hanging out, waiting for the next color. I'm thinking I'll do the red (for the right side) next and then clean up the middle with white when those are done. I'm not particularly clean when getting the initial base color down so there will be a LOT of cleanup to do.

I was watching some TV using my OnDemand feature and drinking a beer while painting. I have a pretty standard process and I was on mental "auto-pilot". I looked down and noticed this:

OOPS.

 

 

 

 

That's not the left side.

Does GW make Foundation White? 'Cause I sure need some. Or maybe Wite-Out. Oh well, I've dealt with worse mistakes.

I thought I'd close with a shot of my workspace. The miniatures are the Dude's- a HUGE Menoth Army from WarMachine, some HORDES! Beasts, The Mexi-Marines and everything else visible on the table are his. Most of the paints are his; the tools and brushes are mine. (I'm firmly in the same camp as Ron of FTW- cheap brushes are the way to go. I'm very hard on them, and I'm not a good enough painter to justify spending a lot of money on them yet.)

The layout- where things are and why- as well as the desk are mine. I was single-handedly responsible for that desk making it to the new house and organizing it so that I can kick ass while painting. Enjoy!

On the Table: Mexi-Marines

So, uh, I don't play 40K right now. I love the game and have a great amount of respect for all my pals that do, but I'm not playing. The biggest reason is all that math- but the second reason is picking an army. I personally think Eldar are absolutely beautiful and love the hell out of them. However, I know that they are a "finesse" army and well... I play like a brick. A BIG brick. (Plus, there's the painting. I'm still pretty crappy at details.) So, they are out of contention, at least for now.

So I don't play- but I paint. I'm currently on conscription for my husband (the Dude) and his never-ending list of unpainted crap. At the moment I have 30 Space Marines, a 5 man assault squad and a 5 man Terminator squad on the table, awaiting their paint job.

It'll be a long job- they came primed black and he wants a Mexican-flag army. (Seriously!) So white primer first, then most likely white paint, then the green and red. Gold chest eagles are on the order form as well.

I was discussing this paint scheme with my son and one of his friends, and we were joking around about the standards for this chapter. Stuff like- Assault Squads get +6 movement past the deployment zone and/or no dangerous terrain rules apply. Other goofy rule ideas included Favored Enemy: [IG], and Rhinos could transport 30 dudes across the board.

I'm trying to find a Barbie or smaller scale Sombrero to put on the Sergeant. One of the Marines was a test for some orange primer the Dude found- I'm thinking of making him the "Quince Marine" and sticking a skirt on him.

Once I get one done, I'll post a pic. Right now they look like grey butt.