Terrain and Rangers (companions)

     Already half way through February, where does the time go? For a birthday present to myself, I took holidays for the coldest week in February. *Knock on wood* The plan for this week was to get a lot of painting done and reading for the graphic novel book club I am part of. In reality, it was an excuse to not have to leave the house and relax. 

    And that was mission accomplished, had a relaxing week, painted some fantasy terrain as well as models. Besides driving Rachel to work and back, I didn't really leave the house besides doing a boost for one of my friends. Am I ready to go back to work tomorrow? aww man, it's tomorrow?! Ugh! That's alright, the key to a good week is to have a good routine on Sunday, warm bath, Cobra Kai, read before bed, and be glad that it's not -45°C for the week to come!

    Most of the terrain I have in my collection is 40k, with the exception of the Corpsewrack Mausoleum, I don't have much in the form of plastic fantasy kits. I ordered some MDF off of amazon a week ago, not paying attention to the thickness before purchasing it. The MDF was to be used as a base for the metal Colossal Skeleton from reaper miniatures. Once it showed up it, was way to thin to support the heavy metal colossal. With several sheets of the MDF kicking around, this would be perfect for the rivers. They turned out alright, but there was a lot of curling from the PVA glue. Using more MDF on the bottom helped to straighten it out. 

Modular River, curves and forks to come

    Rachel made a comment that the small island in the middle of the river looked like a large piece of poop, wanting to save face I told her that there actually was a giant upstream that was relieving himself. It's not happy little mistakes, it's world building! I do tend to agree as I don't think I cut the insulation form down enough, and it was dark brown at the time. 

    Each scenario in Rangers of Shadowdeep provides you with miniatures list for the adventure. The first one requires 6+ zombies, 3+ Giant Rats, 6+ Giant Spiders, and 3+ Survivors. Scouring my Castle Ravenloft Board Game I was able to find 3 Giant Spiders, 3 Zombies and 3 swarms of rats which is close enough. Undead Encounters comes with 7 zombies and oh hey! a skeleton rat maybe it will be one of the giant rats (if I can find them)

Two companions and one survivor

All Reaper Miniatures, I left the companions off bases as I would like to find some lipped bases for the PCs as that's what I used for my Frostgrave Wizards. I really enjoy painting up metal character models, quick to paint and they look great afterwards. The crossbowman has been kicking around as a metal thug for my D&D sessions for sometime, glad he finally will be on the table. As for the Ranger, you know, the leader of this intrepid band of heroes, she is a witch hunter from hasselfree miniatures. Like normal Jon fashion, I put the cart before the horse.

The wolves will be used for the second adventure.

3 Wolves from Ravenloft

    Four zombies finished, the two flanking ones are from the cultist set. The kit gives you an excess of bits, proving an abundance of variety for all your misguided sects. These two must of went a bit too deep into the forbidden magic.

Scatter terrain and 3D printed ruined house

Stand off in the tavern

"You shall not pass, unless you are 19"

Rachel and I also played another round of Root: The Underground Expansion. This time I was the Underground Duchy and Rachel had the Marquise de Cat. I felt like I was playing keep up most of the game. In true Rachel fashion, the dice didn't like her, rolling double zeros on attacks that should have been a sure thing, twice! I finished the game with 30 to 17, at the mid point of the game I started  cutting hard into Rachel's resources, making it extremely hard to come back from. Root is much quicker to play now that we had it on the table a few times. 

Next on the Hobby Desk

After playing Warhammer Underworlds this past week, it's gotten me excited to finish off the Dread Padgeant. Next weekend is also the release of all the new Slaanesh models and battletome. Debating if I NEED to get the battletome right now,  would be nice to see the new rules and lore but that all could wait for when I am actually playing AOS.

2021 Paint Vs. Purchased

The goal for 2021 is to focus on my current stock, only dipping into new models when I finish off previously purchased items from the same game. Finish off that Escher Gang (hopefully convincing Rachel to play as they are at least girls to play as) before moving on to the new shiny the Van Saar Gangers.

Painted

Foot Troops 

Q1

• 1 x Chaos Sorceress
• 1 x Masque of Slaanesh
• 3 x Ranger of Shadowdeep Characters
• 4 x Dread Pageant
• 20 x Daemonettes
• 4 x Zombies
• 3 x Ravenloft wolves

Q2

• 1 x Lord of Pain

Mounted Cavalry

Q1

• 10 x Seekers of Slaanesh

Monsters/ Vehicles

Q1

• 1 x Chaos Warshrine
• 1 x Bladebringer, Exalted Chariot

Behemoth

Terrain

Markers/Endless Spells

Q1

• 1 x Darkfire Daemonrift
• 1 x Eightfold Doom-Sigil
• 1 x Realmscourge Rupture

Small Ruins

Q1

• 2 x Rivers

Large Ruins

Total: 53 (36 troop, 10 cavalry, 2 Monsters/Vehicles 3 endless spell, 2 small ruins)

Purchased

Foot Troop

Q1

• 10 x Daemonettes
• 2 x Wizkids Orc Druid
• 1 x Lord of Pain
• 20 x Daemonettes
• 10 x Van Saar Gangers

Q2

• 58 x Rising Sun miniatures

Mounted Cavalry

Q1

• 10 x Hellstriders

Monsters/ Vehicles

Q1

Behemoth

Terrain

Q1

16 x Library Terrain

Markers

Small Ruins

Large Ruins

Total: 127 (101 troop, 10 cavalry, 16 terrain)

Gifts

Foot Troops

Q1

• 7 x Clan Wren
• 7 x Inferno Squad

Jon's Birthday Festivities

    Yesterday being my birthday, Rachel treated me to all sorts of fun things! She made a breakfast of pancakes, I didn't take pictures, but she also made a delicious homemade chocolate peanut butter cake for after supper. We actually went out to Caraway Grill for a birthday supper, and despite the weekday, cold weather and pandemic, the four open tables there were full. This place is a bit of a hole in the wall, tucked away on the opposite side of the casino. Without Covid restrictions, it would have about 9 tables of 4 which would be PACKED with a 20 to 45 min wait if you wanted to dine in. If you are in Regina, it is thee place for east Indian cuisine. 

    Enough of my obsession with Caraway grill... (I believe I've had like 5 birthdays there). Back to Feb. 10th, along with the treats Rachel picked up some reinFORCEments for my Star Wars Legion. Myboth brother, Shawn, also picked up the Inferno Squad. When I was opening his gift I thought they might've both picked up the same boxes for me. Luckily that wasn't the case. 

    I still have two sets of the core Rebels to paint up, was planning to do some quick contrast paint scheme for them, but haven't figured which one to choose! I think most of the reason Rachel picked up Clan Wren is due to finishing The Mandalorian back in December. What do I paint them up as? A ragtag group of mandalorian resistance fighters all from different clans or a uniform clan? The latter is appealing for me as that's how I have painted most of my armies, but I like the idea of  7 rainbow of bounty hunters, a magnificent seven if you will.

    But the true gift was getting Rachel to play Warhammer Underworlds with me. Rachel got tried of remembering all the different seasons of Underworlds in which I used to refer to the game so she started to call it Shadowfax. I don't think any season had fax or shadow in it, but GW does have the license for Lord of the Rings so maybe next season?

Start of the game

Lots of sun glare, sorry, deceiving sun

Magore's F(r)iends close up.

Her duffus opponent trying to crouch into the picture

Whelp! Guess Rachel is going first.

    Rachel rolled 3 criticals and one "eyebrow" or support, which is the second symbol used to determine ties if both players have the same amount of criticals. Very strong opening dice roll which unfortunate for Rachel didn't carry over into the actual game...at least not at first.

    I didn't take many pictures of this game, being a very aggressive warband, the Khorne fighters were able to get into range quickly. It also didn't help that Rachel placed a lethal hex right beside one of her objectives. Zharkus or Ghartok? drew first blood, taking out Ahnslaine.... pushing her into the pit with a drawn back move.The rules, at least when I glanced over them, didn't state that if lethal hex kills would give glory. What I saw was when out of action, reward glory. If this is incorrect, I might have to apologize to Rachel for being a cheater on my birthday.  

In the 2nd round.

   

    One of the objectives in my hand from the start of the game was to defeat a leader with Riptooth, looking at the picture above, I believe Zharkus pushed Ylthari into the pit for 1 damage. Ylthari also took 1 one damage from casting a spell and getting two critical hits, this was a new rule for me, it's called a backlash. Her spell triggered her reaction, letting her heal one wound, which then inspired her. But as she tryed to climb back out of the pit, Riptooth was there to push her back in or at least that's how I saw it. How many tree people can fit in one pit?

Answer: 3

    By the end of the second round, Rachel only had one friendly Gallanghann left on the board. His Glaive made it easy for Rachel to pick off wounded Bloodreavers from afar. 

Rachel pouting, poor rolls and one fighter on the board.

Gallanghann, the last shining beacon for the Ylthari Guardians.

By turn three Rachel had only Gallanghann and a spell that targeted a friendly Gallanghann or a friendly fighter adjacent to a friendly Gallanghann. She found the wording on Healing Amphora a bit funny but it did heal the friendly Gallanghann, inspiring him. With the distance and being able to deal additional damage from her reaction on critical hits on defense dice, Rachel was taking out most of the wounded Fiends. 

Friendly Gallanghann using the very bottom of the glaive to reach over the pit.

Two crits on defense, this tree was a lot tougher to push into the pit.

By the end of round three, Gallanghann had trapped Riptooth in a corner, picked off Zharkus or Ghartok? And had landed a few hits on Magore himself. He was definitely the MVP of the match. With all said and done, the score was 5-2, Rachel had some disagreements with dice rolls.

Next on the Hobby Desk

Even though I have seen several tauntauns running about outside, I haven't been painting all that much. To some success, I have been making terrain for Rangers of Shadowdeep. Hope to post more on that once I finish off a couple pieces.

Seekers of Delight

    Behold! The labours of the month of Slaanuary! Slaanesh daemons are ready to entice you, slipping your body away into your wildest fantasies. Hopefully your fetishes include crustacean pincers and avian legs. (Ooo so slender) Feel their tongues around your ears as they give you the most exotic wet Willie's you have ever had. These beautiful ladies will make your life a pleasure before flaying your skin or maybe it's as they pleasure you?

10 Seekers, 20 Daemonettes and a Masque

Still have 5 more, maybe for a Chariot?

The Masque, might need a seeker to keep up with the rest of the group

    I bought 10 daemonettes and the masque a couple years ago, I liked the paint scheme on them so I just touched up a few areas and did some colour matching (or close enough). The other 10 were from the Shadow and Pain box. A Hedonite army woud look something like this.

Leader

• The Masque - 120 pts

Battleline

• 10 Daemonettes - 110 pts
• 10 Daemonettes - 110 pts

Other

• 10 Seekers - 240 pts

Total: 580 pts

    This would give me the battleline tax for building up the army to 1k. All Slaanesh daemons would get a battle trait of  Euphoric Killers - gaining an additional attack on unmodified hits of 6's and 2 additional hits when the unit is 20 or more.

     It would be pretty safe to assume that more daemonettes will eventually grace my table... once I buy some...but that is for another time. In my pile there are still fiends, the rest of the Shadow and Pain box, Exalted chariot, a resin Keeper of Secrets, OH and the Dread Pageant from Direchasm. If I am really... REALLY still looking for more to paint after that I have a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh from the daemon lot from last year. 

    Hmmm with all that painting, I don't think one month is enough for Slaanesh. 2021 will be the year of Slaanesh! No, all years after! More! I need more time to devote to Slaanesh!

Next on the Hobby Desk

Is she/he gone? Okay, just between us, February is going to be used to paint up some Rangers of Shadowdeep models. Rachel has picked out her mice, and named her ranger. I found a hasselfree miniature in my pile that will be fun to paint up, as well as some thugs that will make for some good companions. Rangers isn't a big game to run, only 2.5' by 2.5', however, my terrain is limited. Between the odd Slaanesh and Rangers model, terrain will be built for mixing up the board a bit throughout the campaign.