Adepticon Prep: Necromunda

Hello again, Schlemazal here for one last time before heading out to Adepticon tomorrow. Today I thought I'd post up the Delaque gang I painted for one of the Necromunda events there.

For those who aren't well versed in the vagaries of Necromunda, the Delaque gang are known primarily for their trenchcoats, dark glasses/visors and bald heads. Thankfully, that sort of cyberpunk aesthetic is certainly popular, so there are a number of good options for modeling them outside of the original GW line. Most of the models I used come from the Gang line at Heresy Miniatures, which are clearly designed to serve as Delaque gangers. The one thing I didn't care for about them is that all the models in the range are shirtless or nearly shirtless, so I used green stuff to add undershirts. The bases are all from Secret Weapon Miniatures, who have generally become my go-to provider for bases.

Gang Leader with a plasma gun and a ganger with chainsword and autopistol

For my heavies, I chose a heavy stubber and a flamer for primary weapons, with a plasma gun as a long range option for the flamer heavy and an autogun for backup on the other. Since all non-pistol weapons need to be modeled, I decided to attach them as though mag-clamped to their backpacks (I couldn't really find a better place to add them).

The rest of the gangers were basically left as is, the only exception being my lasgun ganger - I used a little bit of green stuff to fill out the tip of the barrel to more closely match standard GW lasguns.

I was a little bit disappointed with the models for the juves - the two models I received were the exact same model with slightly different arm positioning. One I modeled with just an autopistol, the other has an autopistol and a hand flamer. I made the hand flamer with the base of a long pistol attached to a combi-flamer piece from Chapterhouse Studios.

Finally, we have the hired guns for the gang - an underhive scummer with plasma pistol and laspistol and a bounty hunter. For these two I wanted to keep to the theme of trenchcoats for consistency, but to use a different color palette to indicate their status as outsiders. Both models are Reaper minis, modified with 40k weaponry. The bounty hunter has way too many weapons, so I added the strap across his chest with green stuff to attach a lasgun from Chapterhouse.

I based the color scheme for the scummer (left) on Mal Reynolds from Firefly. Now if only the face looked more like Nathan Fillion.

That's it from me for today. Tomorrow I'll be leaving for Chicago, and I hope we'll get plenty of good photos and stories for Gothmog to put up here later.

Adepticon Prep: Dark Angels

Hello everyone, schlemazal here again. I finally managed to finish all the painting I had to get done in time for adepticon, so I thought I would share some photos of everything I'm taking with me. It's been a pretty wild ride desperately trying to get through everything in such a short time frame, but I'm definitely looking forward to going to Chicago with team Sepulchre of Heroes in a week's time.

Everything going to Adepticon

Today I'm going to focus solely on the Dark Angels, but I'll be back again soon with a look at my necromunda squad. First up, the last of the vehicles between my team tournament and Friendly armies: a drop pod, a rhino and a vindicator. The rhino and vindicator had both already been painted, but I decided to update them to match the rest of the army. The drop pod is certainly an interesting model, I had never painted one before. I'm rather fond of how the hazard stripes and 4th company iconography on the fins turned out.

 

 

 

 

 

After that we have another squad of tactical marines and some scouts. The scouts were equipped with camo cloaks, but the bolter scout models don't come with them. After a failed attempt at sculpting cloaks out of green stuff (I am hopelessly useless at modeling), I found a handy tutorial for making cloaks out of tissue or similar paper products: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/286080-tutorial-capes-made-from-tissue/. I made mine using chemical wipe paper, but it's very similar to standard tissue - just slightly thicker and less likely to pill or leave lint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of the bases are Urban Streets bases from Secret Weapon Miniatures. I did the ice with crackle paint followed by a wash of turquoise ink and some white drybrushing. I thought about going back with a brown wash to dirty it up again, but that would take away the luster. I may need to track down a new brown ink - if anybody has any recommendations, I would be happy to hear them. The snow is actually done with baking soda and elmer's glue following this tutorial from BoLS: http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2014/04/hobby-create-realistic-snow-in-3-minutes.html. I really like the effect it gives, particularly following a brown wash around the edges and a bit of white drybrushing to hit the surface. I'll leave you here with the bases I did for my two flying units: the Nephilim and the darkshroud. I'll be back soon with necromunda photos.

Did GW listen to us? Petition final update.

Six months-ish since the GW petition closed. I was never contacted by the notoriously secretive GW. They never released any press statements IRT this petition. Just the typical fan aloofness...

If you didn't know about it, well it got over 17,000 signatures, which is nothing to scoff at, and can be summed up as
1- Support all types of players, casual and competitive, with focused rules, faqs, event support and campaign play. Make it worth it for Veterans and new players alike.
2- Support your Independent retailers and FLGS, don't just push your online store. They will try and sell your product instead of your competitors if you make it worth it.
3- Competitively price your products. You can charge a premium because of your quality, but we have finite gaming dollars, and you are pricing us out.
4- Develop an online community instead of just having a webstore online. 
5- Conduct market research and get on social networks.

Detractors of this said "They will never listen". "GW doesn't care about the fans." "This is pointless." "This is hopeless."

I countered with "The point is to at least be heard. To at least make someone step back at GW and consider our side of the equation. 10,000 people's opinion should at least be considered."

So lets take a look at a few things that have happened since Mr. Rountree became CEO (which happened sometime after we passed 10,000 signatures IIRC) and in particular, things that have happened lately. It turns out, maybe we were heard after all.

1- GW announced it is bringing back specialist games
2- GW releases numerous low price "Start collecting" sets
3- GW develops for release low price introductory sets (http://bit.ly/1Ro7xWO)
4- GW plans a return to organized play (tournaments, campaigns and events) and has even attended several conventions, both for players and industry, already (http://bit.ly/1UFh0bk)
5- Both GW and Forge World launch official Facebook pages, finally entering the social media scene
6- Numerous board games with equal quality models to the tabletop game and even rules for table top (Execution force, Betrayal at Calth, Overkill, Lost Patrol) at varying price points and all "good deals"
7- The first FAQs in nearly 2 years (several in December)
8- GW, this week via their relaunched Facebook Page, asked US the PLAYERS to give them questions to answer for an FAQ!

Did... did... um... did GW actually, you know, maybe listen to us?

So if you compare some of these things to what the points of the petition were, it starts seeming like the petition became more of a to do list for Mr Rountree. And if not a to do list, at least a list of concerns that were considered when making decisions.

And as I told the detractors, that was the point of this.

Now I am seeing some counterpoints in places. Things like "The lead times on these things are months, if not years, this did nothing" and the usual "GW never listens"
Well to the second, that is the point of this... maybe they did. Opinions I guess. But to the first point, well you are wrong.
All of the "Start Collecting" boxes are just existing kits in new boxes. Lead time for a packaged carboard box is short. Really short. Definitely in the time span of the petition. And definitely after Kirby was gone from GW.
The creation of Specialist Games again was a decision made AFTER the petition in whole, as there was nothing and they even had to make new job postings for it online!
Some of the low price things are yet to come, like the intro boxes and lost patrol. These will have only been started design in the last 6 months or so, and they don't even use new models!

So yeah, the lead times are not something to consider as a factor as to why this petition "did nothing". The second guy saying "GW never listens" is more valid. And remember, they are asking us for FAQ questions now, and he is STILL more valid. 

I want to make it clear though, I am not a business guy, nor do I think this was the catalyst, this was the THING that did it. I just think this was another stone, and potentially a big one though who is to know, on our side of the scale of bringing GW back. Of them becoming the good guys again. Gone are the days of Kirby! Hail the reign of Rountree! Long live the Hobby!

Lastly, to all the people who signed and shared it: Thank you. If (and yes, I am admitting, that is a REALLY BIG IF) this did have a positive effect on the way GW does business, it is only because of you. So thanks.

It is an exciting time for the hobby. Get out there and enjoy it.
#bringinghobbyback

Adepticon Display Board WIP

So I haven't been posting very much this month because I am in FULL PANIC MODE finishing things up for Adepticon!!!

What I have left
1- FINISH THIS DISPLAY BOARD. Which I am actually close on. Ideally this weekend.
2- Base 2 Necromunda guys and submit my list
3- Paint 5 tactical marines arms and back packs
4- Paint a Rhino
5- Try an paint Kato Kiyomasa (nice to have, but not required) for crystal brush.
6- Download all the rules I need to a tablet (and reread them all!)

But I thought I would take a moment to share the progress I have made thus far on my team's display board. Remember these are just WIP. As well I am pretty much doing this between 9pm and 12am everyday right now. So apologies for some of the poor pictures.

Basic Layout

How do you quickly texture terrain? Grout!

Both building have had slight modifications since these pictures, but these are close enough. No airbrush, all done with drybrushing, washes and weathering powders. Tried my hand at OSL as well.

My phone was dead for the process, but I used a razor like this to dig out the foam to the level I needed. In the future I would likely just cut it out entirely and then just put some other filler, like cheap linoleum tiles, down to raise the courtyard stone (seen below)

Cheap slate tile found in the bathroom/tile section of a hardware store. I late filled the crevices with grout just as if it was on the bathroom floor.

Well there you have it. Expect to see the completed version by Monday! feel free to ask any questions in the comments!

Viable Dreadnought Strategy? (and 2k list)

Dreadnoughts. We all love them. They are ICONIC 40k. But we all can also agree on one thing

They aren't good.

For their point cost, they underperform and are too easily destroyed.

However, there may be a way to make them "work"

First of all, this is for Iron Clad Dreadnoughts. Sorry if you had your heart set on another type of dread, but that is what this strategy calls for. Well that OR a Relic Leviathan Dreadnought from FW. (rules here from FW) Works with that too.

Note, the "Relic of Darkness" rule states: " A model with this special rule may not benefit from any rules or bonuses usually conferred by being part of a particular Chapter, detachment or formation."
BUT Kantor's rule and the Honour Guard are not conveying their bonuses in such a manner (chapter tactics, detachment or fomation bonus) and as such he can still benefit from them.

So first of all you have to take Pedro Kantor. So if you DON'T want Imp Fists Chapter Tactics, once more, sorry. I know this keeps getting more and more restrictive, but this is for people who want DREADS above all.

What Pedro does is gives you +1 A for all units within 12" of Kantor (for models from his detachment). Next you take an Honour Guard with the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant which also gives +1 A to all friendly models within 12".

Now go back and look at your Iron Clads. With 4 A base and 2 x CCW, they get 6 Attacks on the charge, now 8 so long as they are withing 12" of Kantor and his Honour Guard. If you want to use your specialist weapon rules, you still get 7 Attacks! Leviathans are much the same way! Alternatively you could use some contemptors, though you are sacrificing some attacks and armour for shooting, though they do have their shield.

But what about delivery you ask? Why yes, delivery. Well first of all Ironclads are 13 Front 13 Side Armour. Leviathans are 13/13/12! AND HAS A SHIELD! So that can really help. BUT the answer is Lucius Drop Pods, which give the dreads Shrouded the turn they arrive.

How can you make that work even better?
1- Locator Beacons- Available on Storm Ravens and Scout Bikers
2- Inquisitor Servo Skulls
3- Drop Pod Assault - make sure all your dreads come in TOGETHER, set them up back to back, or back to back to back, to prevent shots on rear armour.

So here is a quick 2k list I put together to demonstrate the concept.

HQ- Pedro Kantor
Elites- Honour Guard(5): Co Champ, 3 x HG w/ Power Sword, 1 x HG w/ Power Axe, Standard of the Emperor Ascendant
Elites- Ironclad Dreadnought: Lucius Drop Pod, Seismic Hammer, Storm Bolter, Meltagun
Elites- Ironclad Dreadnought: Lucius Drop Pod, Chainfist. Meltagun, Storm Bolter
Troops- Tactical Squad (5)- Grav-gun, Sarge w/ Combi-grav, Drop Pod
Troops- Tactical Squad (5)- Grav-gun, Sarge w/ Combi-grav, Drop Pod
Troops- Scout Squad (6)- 5 x Sniper Rifles, Heavy Bolter, Camo Cloaks
Fast Attack- Drop Pod
Fast Attack- Scout Bikes (3)- Locator Beacon, 1 x Astartes Grenade Launcher
Heavy Support- Relic Leviathan Dreadnought: 2 x Siege Claw w/ Melta-gun, Lucius Drop Pod
Heavy Support- Centurion Devastator Squad: Omni-scope, 2 x Grav Cannon w/ Grav Amp & Hurricane Bolters, 1 x TL Lascannon & Missile Launcher
Heavy Support- Storm Raven Gunship: TL Assault Cannons, TL Multi-Meltas, Locator Beacon

How the list works:
You use your scout bikers infiltrate ability to position well for a Locator Beacon first turn deployment of your 3 dreadnoughts. You can easily block LoS for your Scout Bikers with these BIG drop pods and big dreads. Then keep those bikers alive at least until you bring your Storm Raven in loaded with Kantor and the Honour Guard. What is really nice is that it is an assault vehicle for your power weapon wielding, fearless, preferred enemy (ork) +2A, 6 Attacks on the charge Honour Guard PLUS Kantor and a Company Champion!
Then you have 2 locator beacons on the table for the rest of your drop pods. Hopefully, you can get your tac squads last for some late game objective grabs.
Sniper Scouts are for objective camping. Heavy Bolter is to make best use of the Imp Fists doctrine (and I had exactly 8 points left).
Cent Devs are really good for Imperial Fists. With tank hunters, they can do some damage, and the omni-scope allows you to split fire and have the Lascannon/Missile Launcher guy blow up vehicles while the other two use their Grav-Cannons and Hurricane bolters (which ALSO benefit from Imp Fist doctrine) kill off infantry.
And since you are Imp Fists, NEVER FORGET ALL YOUR DROP PODS HAVE STORM BOLTERS. 12 additional shots rerolling 1s each turn can add up (Sorry, forgot the pods don't have Chapter Tactics).