We have MOVED

Ok everyone. I know this is sudden but its something I have been considering doing for a while.

I have moved my site, and renamed it. No longer will I be "Adventures in Warmachine."

The new site is called Iron Kingdom Adventures, and can be found at http://ikadventures.wordpress.com/

I decided to move based on a few factors but I don't feel like boring you all with them. Suffice to say, that is where you will find my updates, and of course on Iron Agenda once I get the feed fixed.

An Open Invitation

Ok so on my last post a gent by the name of Dominic commented. Apparently he somehow found this blog (not sure how) and after reading the post (Grim vs Reznick) he asked about coming up here to Orlando FL to play. Apparently Dominic lives over in Melbourne, and I guess they have a lack of gaming out there!

This makes me smile. Part of why I blog is to FIND other players, and to expand the community. So, consider this post an open invitation. If you ever find yourself in Orlando feel free to let me know. I would be happy to have a game or two with ya at my FLGS, Rhubarb Games. Come, join us!

We rock the house. Big time.

Grim vs Reznick 500

So I went up to the FLGS for the first night of our new CTA League. My friend John, the man who sold me my trolls, was up there waiting for me. Turns out he wanted to play against me, and wanted to bust out his Menoth. So it was 500 points. Reznik vs Grim.

Sadly I did not have a chance to take any pictures. We both kinda got caught up. I know we played the Gauntlet scenario, but it didn't matter cause we both wanted to just kill the other. I know he had a Reckoner (the rocket dude), Choir, Devout, and one of the light arc nodes. He also had a Guardian, the big guy with the gun and the hammer. Oh and Cleansers.

I had my standard Grim, 2 Impalers, Axer, KSB +1, Fel Caller, Chronicler, Champs.

Some highlights:

I made, and this is the honest truth...16 total Tough Rolls. At one point John commented "Why on earth are you even thinking of starting another faction? The gods of the Trolls freakin LOVE you!" That they do.

Taking out his Arc Node in a single shot from Grim at max range. Dang I love that.

Him tricking me into killing a Cleanser with a free strike so it blew up in my face. It was a good move. I still made the tough rolls though heh.

And the kill: Reznik had feated, removing all my fury. I took my Grim and tethered Reznik, just in case this did not work. I then used 1 Impaler, who was behind a wall, to huck a spear. I prayed for a crit after boosting to hit, and got it. Reznik was DOWN. I then charged with the second Impaler, knowing that the melee would autohit. First attack left Reznik with 5 HP, I bought a second and boosted and did EXACTLY 5 damage, killing the priest.

That game was intense. Just the turn before my kill Reznik got into spell range and hit me twice with Perdition, dropping Grim to 2 HP. I knew I had one chance to win this, and I went for it.

I really feel the need for a Mauler though. I really do.

Kaya vs Madrak Battle Box Report

So, yesterday on Saturday me and the newbie Dan went up to the FLGS for him to get yet another game against me. This time he said he had learned. So, we did another Circle vs Trolls Battlebox game.

Deployment:



I know the picture is not great, but you can kinda see where I am vs where he is. I let him take the first turn and setup after we rolled off. The large ship object in the center is set as difficult terrain. This later screwed him up and helped me out.

Turn 1:

He moved up, having an Argus move to the flank near me while the rest of his forces moved to the other side. I cast Sure Foot and then moved up towards the left, going towards his Warp Wolf and Argus. I also ran each beast, thus generating 1 fury each.

END OF TURN 1:



Turn 2:

He warped Speed and moved his Wolf up towards the edge of the difficult terrain. He moves Kaya up against the ship preventing me from seeing her, and moves the Argus back behind the Wolf. His second Argus moves around the edge of the ship to the right. He also stealths the Warpwolf with Cloak of Mists.

I move 1 Impaler towards the flank with the single Argus, cast its Animus on itself and hurl a spear at his Argus, taking out its Spirit. I activate Madrak, and cast Rush on the Axer, and then Sure Foot. I move the second Imapler up and and rile. I then have the Axer charge the Warpwolf. I wiff on my attack, and then realize I left him outside my control range. Woot I aint gonna be transferring or forcing now! DOH!

END OF TURN 2




Turn 3:

He moves his Argus on the right up after healing a point of its Spirit with Kaya. He then summons a Giant Pringles Monsters, and deviates its hit roll:




Forgive us, we were being silly. Hehe. He then activates his Warpwolf, warps STR and with 2 boosted claw hits kills my Axer. He cannot chain attack though.

I go and leech, and cast Sure Foot on Madrak and do nothing else. I then move my Imapler into melee with his Argus and with a boosted attack roll, boosted damage roll, and 1 more attack, kill it. I then use the other Impaler to hurl a spear at his Wolf, boosting the hit and critting it. I take the slam and move it back a grand total of....drum roll please.... 2 INCHES!! At least I knocked the darn thing down, and I boosted the damage roll, dealing enough damage to take out ITS spirit. I then realized that Madrak still had 2 Fury, and I had 5 fury floating around. Oh dear.

END OF TURN 3:



Turn 4:

He uses Kaya to heal a point of the Warp Wolfs spirit, stands it up, and forces it to regen. He then moves his other Argus in front of the Wolf and gets it in range to bark, which he does and misses with a boosted attack roll. He then realizes that Kaya still has 5 fury and there are 2 floating around.

My turn I leach all the fury on the Imapler facing the Argus and Wolf, and 1 point off the other. I make my Threshold check and pass. I cast Surefoot on Madrak, I ditch the last 2 fury, and move the second Imapler into range so now both my Imaplers and Madrak benefit from it. I then activate the other Imapler, boost its hit roll and hurl a spear at the Argus, critting it and knocking it back wards into the Warpwolf. I boost the hit roll and roll 4d6 and get enough damage to knock out its Spirit, Body, and almost its Mind.

END OF TURN 4:




Turn 5: FINALE!

He leaches the fury off his Wolf, and then makes a Threshold check and FAILS for the Argus. It stands, and since it has no other targets takes its attacks against the Wolf. It does no damage. We then call over a friend, named Ryan, who gives Dan some suggestions on how to go for the Spirit Door assassination run at this point. Dan warps Speed, runs his Wolf around the Argus and gets it into Melee with my Imapler. He then ports Kaya in, and tries to take me down. I am immune to knockdown, so he just buys his attacks and feats and buys more. When the dust clears Madrak is down to 2 health, and Kaya has 1 fury. He elects to NOT go for the kill and instead keeps it.

I activate, leach, and start with the first Impaler, attacking and dealing 14 to Kaya. He does not transfer. The second Impaler goes and deals 8, he transfers to the Wolf. Madrak goes, takes his first swing boosted and...MISSES! I buy a second attack, boost, hit, and deal 18 damage, killing him.

FINALE PICTURE:




End of Game Thoughts:

Dan asked me what he could have done better, and I advised him to get into Melee with me faster. I pointed out he does have the speed over me, and he also forgot to bark each chance he had. He did not understand the damage transfer mechanic, and thought Kaya would be much easier to kill then she was.

Someone else pointed out that Kaya is kind of a one trick pony with the Spirit Door thing. I think Dan needs to go ahead and expand up to 500 points so he can fight me on a bit more even of a plane. I also pointed out I got lucky with my Crit Slams which really screwed him up.

All in all we both had fun. This Monday I am going to be going to my FLGS for the start of our League. They are starting a bit late it seems but hey it works.

I decided that I had not given Grim a good chance, and after talking to fellow Troll player Gdaybloke from Lost Hemisphere, I have decided on the following 500 point list:

Faction: Trollblood
Points: 493
Model Count: 12
Victory Points: 17

Grim Angus
Troll Impaler
Troll Impaler
Dire Troll Mauler
Fell Caller
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew [2]
Trollkin Champions [5]

All I need here is the Mauler and the Gobbers. I basically use the Mauler as my heavy hitter when the time comes, otherwise he will be using his Animus on both Impalers. The gobbers will keep Grim protected along with themselves, and of course the standard Champs + Fel Caller.

Fighting the Legion

So we have that Legion player at my FLGS. He seems to have decided he wants to play me again in our stores league, and has decided he will hand me my first crushing defeat this season. So I am sitting here trying to figure out what to do against such a foe.

Gdaybloke of Lost Hemisphere has been giving me all sorts of tips to use with Grim (such as remembering to use the Tether Gun for one!) and also pointing out I shouldn't play a Grim list like a brick.

But I was hoping some of you all out there gentle readers might have some more general tips in regards to dealing with Legion. Like what kind of nasty tricks should I be watching for?

Also, I am wondering if I should wait till I have a heavy before playing again. I really could use a heavy beatstick.

EDIT - Its a different legion player, but the issue still stands on what to do against legion :P

KSB Work in Progress

So I started trying my hand at painting. I have not really done much, it took me 30 minutes to do this and its not the best to be honest. But hey, I am actually trying!

Here is a shot of my Kriel Stone Bearer and 3 of his Scribes.





Its not the best picture, I have yet to really figure out how to take em, but its the best I have done. The runes on the Stone are purple, and I am going to fix the blotch on one side (you can't see it)

But yea, here it is!

Madrak List

Ok so after playing 2 500 point games with Grim, I am really not feeling him. I like him, in theory, but he just doesn't fit my play style at the moment. That style of course is AXE TO FACE! So, I started tinkering with a Madrak list.

So here is what I came up with. Sadly, I took Mulg out and replaced him with a regular Mauler.

Faction: Trollblood
Points: 497
Model Count: 14
Victory Points: 18

Madrak Ironhide
Troll Axer
Troll Impaler
Dire Troll Mauler
Fell Caller
Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes [4] (0 added)
Trollkin Champions [5]

All I am missing from this is the Mauler. I can pick that up next week on Payday, and thus have a solid looking 500 point brick list. I kind of like the feel of this list. Now I could take Mulg instead, but then I got to ditch the KSB and I end up with 10 points left over and I am not sure how I feel about that. This is what the Mulg list looks like:

Faction: Trollblood
Points: 490
Model Count: 10
Victory Points: 16

Madrak Ironhide
Troll Axer
Troll Impaler
Mulg The Ancient
Fell Caller
Trollkin Champions [5]


I am really thinking I prefer the list with the Mauler. Sides, the Mauler is still AWESOME looking. Any suggestions/comments?

New Player Introductions - Results!

So my friend Dan got to play. First game of course was against me, and sadly I missed the comments you all made on my previous post >.< I am totally full out fail. So in his first game I told him to feel free to ask me questions, ask my why I was doing things, and I would happily explain. He then told me to not go easy on him as he didn't want to get a "false sense of hope". Dan is a strange person to be honest. Hehe.

So, I didn't hold back. Gene, the gent who I played against last time poppped in, and assisted me in teaching Dan. At one point I left myself open to the Kaya Spirit Door Assassination Trick without realizing it. Once I noticed, Me and Gene explained to Dan what I had done, and how Dan could possibly capitalize and win. This is when Dan learned the first true lesson of Warmahordes: Play like you got a Pair.

Dan did not go for it. Rather, he decided to play it safe. I went so far as to warn him that one way or another I was going to kill him next turn if he didn't finish me off, and he didn't seem to really believe me. So, when he went after my Axer and didn't take him out, I took out his remaining Argus, Warpwolf, and Kaya was left standing facing a unused Impaler and Madrak. At that point he conceded. To be honest he seemed kind of bummed out, and rather then play me again I asked Gene if he could play, Seaforge Battlebox vs Circle. Gene obliged.

I went at this point to play against a Legion list. I really do not like Legion. I played against a list that had the following:

Searyn? Whatever that chick is, the twin.
2 Shedders
Gobbers
2 Angelius
1 Seraph
1 Cav Solo, the Nyss Sorceress

I of course used my Grim list that I detailed in my previous post. For those who don't wanna look back however:

Grim Angus
KSB +1 (So 6 total)
Champs
2 Imaplers
1 Axer
Fel Caller
Chronicler

I knew that if I was going to win this I would have to be lucky. Now, this was the first time I ever played someone who was...how shall I put this? Cocky. He told me, flat out, that he was going to go for the Assassination. I knew about Flight and he told me that I would never see it coming. Yea...I am smarter then I look dude.

So first turn, I ran my champs up. Ran everyone up, took a shot and threw a couple of spears. He got into position. Second turn I ran my champs again, and next thing he knew I had my Champs about 6 inches away from his Caster. I could see the change right there in his expression, a change from "I am gonna win easy" to "Wait, this is not a good thing"

He still fly his guys over and attacked my beasts, and got his shredders into melee with my champs. As the fight went on he had to use more and more effort to kill things as I kept making tough rolls. Eventually however he got an Angelius back to Grim, and I had no one to transfer to and no safe haven. At that point I conceded, and shook his hand thanking him for a good game. He seemed kinda...distracted by that point. As if he could not believe he had so much trouble. I have to say, I took a kind of twisted amusement that I gave someone THAT much frustration :P

When I went back to Dan's game, I found that Chris, one of our FLGS Skrone/Khador players helping Dan out. Chris is awesome. He is the man whose damn cats (Ferox) tore me up when I played my Darius list for the first time. So I turn to the Dan vs Gene and find taht Gene only lost 1 Gun Bunny, and still had 2 others and a Driller. Dan had 2 Argus, 1 that was near death, and of course Kaya, who had a SINGLE HIT POINT LEFT.

This time Dan went for the throat. He had already feated, and had been literally doing 1 point of damage per attack with his 2 Argus to Gorten. He finally charged Kaya in, and used up ALL her fury to bring Gorten to 3, but he had managed to knock Gorten down with a crit (Gorten had not used the anti knock down spell).

So we have 1 Argus left (the other had died the turn prior) Dan hits automatically, boosts damage on the first bite...does 1. His second attack? Boosts damage and does 2... exactly enough to kill Gorten.

Dan wins his second game, and was much happier. He said afterwards that he had learned alot and enjoyed the game. So while I might have sucked at teaching and I learned something, at least Dan seems to be enjoying himself. Overall, a win as far as I am concerned!

Introducing New Players

Hello everyone! So, today I am going to be showing a friend of mine how to actually play the game. If you remember from my Gorten vs Grim post, that game was actually played because a friend of mine named Dan wanted to see how the game was played. After thinking about it he decided he wanted to give it a shot. So, on Monday he went online and bought himself the Circle Orboros boxed set, with Kaya 2 Argus and the Warpwolf.

Today will be the first time he has ever actually played. Its gonna be at least 1 if not more games with our Battle Box contents, which means of course he is going to face Madrak, 2 Impalers and my Axer. I told him that I am going to go "easy" on him in a sense, as I will explain any moves I make if he asks. I am also going to let him take back his moves if he wants so he can learn.

I don't want to pummel him into the ground for his first game, but at the same time I still want to pose a challenge and make him have the most fun he can have. He is a competitive person actually. Much more then me in fact. For example, he tends to enjoy PVP on games like WoW and Champions Online. I don't.

So I wanted to ask you all: How do you introduce new players? Do you let them win their first games? How do you treat them on their first games?

I know I won my first game but I don't feel like it was given to me either. I took a chance and won. The guy I was playing with also refused to use Sorcha's feat, but that's besides the point.

Today is gonna rock!

Trollish Planning at its Finest!

Ok. After much thought and deliberation, I have decided on which Heavy beast I am going to go with. DRUM ROLL PLEASE!

And the winner is...





Mulg the Ancient!

Now I am sure some of you are going to ask why. Well its simple. I love the model. It really came down to what I wanted to see, not necessarily what was most effective. Truth be told I play to have fun first, and if I win great. There is just something about this big guy that draws me to him, and while playing him without Horluck may not be the most intelligent thing to do, by golly I am gonna do it. Besides, he just looks cool.

Now, I have an idea on what to do at 500 with Mulg using what I have. Here is what I was looking at:

Faction: Trollblood
Points: 498
Model Count: 16
Victory Points: 17

Grim Angus
Troll Impaler
Mulg The Ancient
Fell Caller
Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes [6] (2 added)
> Stone Scribe Elder [1]
Trollkin Champions [5]

So in this case I am going to need 1 more Scribe, the Elder, and Mulg himself. Yea, I need 1 more Scribe. Go figure that I would be missing the second from the blister. Ehehehe.

I already do have plans to go to 750. This is what I was looking at for that point level:

Faction: Trollblood
Points: 750
Model Count: 23
Victory Points: 25

Grim Angus
Troll Impaler
Troll Impaler
Mulg The Ancient
Fell Caller
Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes [4] (0 added)
> Stone Scribe Elder [1]
Trollkin Champions [5]
Trollkin Champions [5]
Trollkin Long Riders [3] (0 added)


For this I am going to need Mulg, The Elder, Long Riders, and a second unit of Champs. The basic idea is to do what Trolls do best. Slowly but surely walk up and put an Axe to your face. Both lists are based around that. I figure I can use Grim to give Cross Country in both lists to whomever needs it (The champs or Mulg in the first list, or the Champs, Mulg, or Long Riders in the second). Now once again this may not be the most perfect list, but it seems like a lot of fun to me and its probably something my opponents won't expect.

Already I can see people looking at me like I am crazy, and then being amazed when I actually succeed. I know I will be.

Troll Heavies - Where to Start?

So I am going to get for my Trolls a heavy finally. There are, at least by my count, 4 different Heavy Beasts. I am basing all this on Battle College's Trollblood Page so forgive me if I am not stating the right things.

Firstly we have the Dire Troll Mauler. A staple it seems of alot of forces, his animus Rage gives a trollblood model +3 STR for one turn. He also has a fury of 5 and a decent P+S Attack on his 2 fists, plus his chain attack. Snacking also seems like a decent way to keep him alive, but I have heard that he can be downed easily with focused fire.

Next, we have the Dire Troll Blitzer. His animus seems situational, and while he doesn't have the chain attack he has a d3 Gun that can fire regardless of what the troll is doing. Run the troll, fire the gun. In Melee? Fire the gun, but at a target NOT in melee with the Troll. The range is meh, and so is the RAT, but the Impaler at least can boost the Ranger and I am not sure if the Fel Caller can boost the RAT (I don't think it can).

Thirdly, we have the Alpha Beast, The Earthborn Dire Troll. He is slightly easier to hit but also has a better MAT then the standard Dire Troll, and his Animus is interesting. I hear alot about "double dipping" to get the KSB Armor Boost twice using his Animus. His special powers seem interesting on the surface, and since I have been enjoying Grim I could see a few combo's with Grim and the EBDT. Also the Stealing of a Weapons POW can be devestating but I wish I knew more about how it worked.

Finally, we have the big daddy, the oldest of all the Dire Trolls....Mulg the Ancient. This guy is our character beast, and truth be told I love the look of him. He is so...angry and awesome. In fact, he is one of the first reasons I started looking into Trolls. This guy just screams BEAT FACE NOW! His animus is interesting, and his special Rune Breaker Scars are also interesting. He has reach, which is neat, but only 1 really powerful hit and then a secondary hit in the open fist. Since I am not running Doomshaper his affinity is moot, but Are you going to Eat That seems amazing. 4 inches of out of turn movement + regeneration? Sign me up man! That could be scary.

So here is where I stand. I want to get 1 single heavy for now. I am limiting my purchases to one item for Hordes a month, and for now I want a heavy. I just have no idea what to GO with. I have Grim and Madrak for my casters, so I want something that can support both of them. I am leaning towards either the standard Dire or the EBDT, but Mulg just looks so awesome. Of course, conversly, Mulg is the most expensive of the brutes. Comically enough I have a guy who wants to paint Mulg when I get him for free, so I do have that if I get Mulg hehe.

So I ask you all, the paragons of Warmahordes! Given my options which Heavy would YOU start with and why?

Grim vs Gorten - 500 Points

So today I went down to my FLGS to take my trolls out for their first game in about a month. I also took a friend of mine who is interested in the game named Dan with me. We ended up hanging out up there for about 30 minutes when I met a man named Gene. Now, Gene and me chatted about Hordes and Warmachine. Turns out Gene was purchasing some Retribution and had just about EVERY Merc model in the game. He said he was up for a game and ran off. 30 minutes later he returned, and brought out Gorten Grundback and a Seaforge list.

His List:
Gorten Grundback
Ogrun Boker
Hammerfall High Shield Gun Corps - 10 I think (Might have been 8)
Horgenhold Forge Guard - 10 I think (Might have again been 8)
Herne Stoneground & Arquebus Jonne
Gunners - 3
Driller - 1


My List:
Grim Angus
Champions
KSB + 1 Extra Scribe (5 Scribes)
Fel Caller
Chronicler
Impalers - 2
Axer

I don't remember how the first couple of turns went save for a few highlights. Turn one we both basically advanced, and I dumped most of my fury into the KSB. I also took a single shot at his Gun Corps with Angus, but was too far away to hit (even with the Impaler's animus). He didn't do a whole lot on the first 2 turns.

After 2 turns of advancing, I finally got a shot at his Horgenhold. I only could miss with Angus on snake eyes and I roll....SNAKE EYES. This set the tone of the game for both of us. Most of our attacks that could ONLY miss with snake eyes got, well, snake eyes. I was able at one point to cast Rush on my Axer and charge, and use Thresher. Now, I am not sure if each attack ON thresher gets the damage boost, or if just the first, because it is a special attack. Also, am I even allowed to use Thresher on a charge? Neither of us was sure so he allowed it. I had shot one of his Horgenhold and was able to get the charge and hit 3 others.

He got Gorten in and after one attempt at killing my Axer he finally was able to do it on a second turn.

The best part for me was when I charged my Champions into his line. He had lined up Herne and Jonne, the Driller, and his Gun Corps. I was able to get 2 champs in B2B with the Gun Corps, 1 in with Herne (the Ogrun dude), and 2 with the Driller. I killed 1 Gun Corps, Herne, and did some damage to the Driller.

In the end we had to call the game on time. He declared me the winner via VP, as I had only lost 2 Champs and my Axer, and he had lost Herne, all but 1 Horgenhold, a Gunner, and 3 of his Gun Corps.

Things I learned!

I need a Dire. The KSB really did not help too much in this game, save for preventing some damage to the champs via the Armor Aura. I easily however can expand to 750 by getting another unit of Champs, a EBDT, drop the Axer or the second impaler, and go for some Long Riders. I enjoyed the Toughness yet again of my Trolls, but the dice hated me this evening.

I swore I would do it

And I did. I completed my trolls. 500+ Points baby!

Here is the whole family. Unpainted for now but eventually I will get it taken care of.

List Theory - Grim and the Bulls

Ok so I got Grim and was thinking about how to use him at 500 points and have some fun. A few people have told me that the KSB don't really fit his playstyle, and after taking a look at his card I can believe it. So I got to thinking...

How can I expand my trolls while also building a decent 500 point list?

I think I found it. I call it Grim and the Bulls:

Army Points: 489
Victory Points: 17

Warlock
Grim Angus

Warbeasts
Troll Impaler
Troll Axer

Units
Trollkin Champions
Trollkin Long Riders (3)

Solos
Fell Caller
Trollkin Hero

I figured that with this list I have a decent infantry unit in the Champs, some fast power in the Long Riders, and 2 excellent solos. Further, the Axer can hang with the Champs while the Impaler follows Grim around.

What do you all think? If I go with this I need to purchase the Long Riders and the Hero, which is not too bad to be honest.

List Building - I have no idea!

So thanks the Barrett, I now have a new Warlock - Grim Angus. This gives me the following trolls to work with:

Warlocks:
Grim Angus
Madrak Ironhide (pMadrak)

Warbeasts:
2 Imaplers
1 Axer

Units:
Kriel Stone Bearers (at least min size, might be with 2 more)
Champions

Solos:
Fel Caller
Stone Scribe Chronicler

I have no idea what to do with these guys. Can I make a decent 500 point Grim list with these? Should I stick with Madrak? What would I want to add to build a good Grim list with the stuff I have? I have set my sights at 500 points at the moment, but I intend to expand to 750 when I can. I want to get Fennblades instead of Kriel Warriors for my troops.

Any ideas?

A Big Thanks!

Goes out to Barrett. You are probebly wondering who I am talking about. Well, let me tell you the story. So as most of you know I started with Cygnar. I discovered quickly that they were not for me, and ended up moving on to Trollbloods, which makes me very happy. But I was left wondering what to do with my Cygnar.

Now Barrett has been commenting on my blog for a while, and he suggested Bartertown, which I ended up using. Much to my surprise he ended up buying some of my Cygnar. After the first order, a month later, he wanted to buy more, and I had no other offers so I went ahead and sold him some. Before shipping it however, I realized that I didn't want nor need the Cygnar, and ended up just sending him ALL of my remaining stuff. I didn't tell him either, as I wanted it to be a surprise. And from what I know, he was indeed surprised.

Now today its my turn to be surprised. This morning I check my email to find this comment on my last post:

Hey Clayton,
Hope you received, and enjoyed, my little thank you gift for the Bartertown deals. Good hunting with the Trolls!

From Barrett.

So I go 0_0 I haven't checked my mail in a few days (I am bad at that) so I have no idea what he is talking about. So after dropping my wife off from work I head to the mailbox and check, and find a package for me.

Inside that package?

Grim Angus Blister.

So now I have Grim Angus, another Warlock for my Horde. And I am sitting here looking at it going "Dude."

Thanks Barrett. You rock sir. Now I just have to put all my trolls together :P This is one way to get me to do it hehe

Snazzy New Look! Same Fresh Taste!

For those who actually visit my site/blog/whatever it is, you may notice that it looks different. Quite different. I found the template on a different site and tried my hand at putting it together. I think it looks nice.

The only thing its missing is a snazzy banner. My art skills being what they are (NONEXISTENT!) I have not made one.

Anyone feel like making me a nice banner? *hint hint nudge nudge*

In other news: I started playing WoW again (oh noes!) and am also planning on getting my champs and KSB together this Sunday. I would like it if a few of you could "get on my case" and make me do it :P Comment or something to remind me, if you would be so kind.

Otherwise I may put it off again 0_0

Also I am going to be adding a wish list soon to my page. Just a kinda "what I want" of trolls. If you all have any suggestions of what I should add please let me know. I also am going to add a wishlist for a mysterious second faction. While I have talked about eventually getting Menoth, I have recently begun thinking of other things. This is by no means me getting said faction NOW. Rather I want to wait till Mk2 before I actually decide, but I have been thinking.

Having someone else Paint for you

So, 2 posts in 2 days. Crazy isn't it? This is something I have been thinking about for a while. Paying someone else to paint your mini's for you. There are a lot of commission painters out there, such as Kerry at War Painter Studio. Most of these people have comparable pricing and are things that I could afford. Not all at once of course, but slowly over time.

And alot of these painters are amazing, with skills that far exceed mine. Of course, my skills are crap BECAUSE I don't paint or have not painted much. Hehehe. I realize this.

So I have been considering having someone paint my minis. Why? Several reasons:

1. I got the game to PLAY the game, not really to paint. Conversly, I can't stand seeing a nicely painted army against my STEEL TROLLS.
2. I have nearly zero patience for things like painting
3. I have nearly no time to do this. I have 2 days off a week and generally have errands to do
4. I am a wee bit of a perfectionist and get really bothered when things dont go my way

Of course, there are a few benefits to painting on my own.

1. I get the satisfaction that I did it. That these are MY trolls painted by MY hand.
2. Practice makes perfect!
3. If someone goes WOW I can say "Yup I did it" and get a confidence boost.

So there are pro's and con's to any choice.

What do you all think?

Theme Lists!

So apparently in MKII there will be theme lists. I have seen a few theme lists already created over at House Shyeel (home of the Filthy Elves!) hehe. So from what I understand each warcaster or warlock will have a theme list that you can use to "break" certain rules or gain special benefits.

Now I myself am PUMPED by this. Why? Cause I love building theme lists. Now being able to actually pick a caster and get a benefit by going with a theme is going to be EXTRA Awesome.

So what kind of theme lists do you want to see? Right now I dont have a lot to go on, having only played Madrak but I see his list being very Champion or Kriel Warrior heavy (Given his feat and general playstyle).

Thoughts?

Silence...is not golden.

So I know I have not updated in a long while since obtaining my trolls. Sadly I have been insanely busy at work with some changes that are happening, and have not had a chance to even play again. This of course makes me sad.

Furthermore I was and still am testing Champions Online, which is a new MMO coming out September 1st. I was in the closed beta and now its the Open Beta so thats going along as well. Finally, me the wife our roomate and our friend are trying to find a bigger place to move into come Feb 2010.

I have a unit of Champions now, a unit of KSB (Kriel Stone Bearers), a Fel Caller, and a Chronicler to put together still. I got those a few weeks ago and just have not had a chance to get them together. So many things to do and only so much time to do them in. Hopefully soon I can get them put together.

Then comes the task of PAINTING all this metal. That just may have to wait. Hopefully I can get this together for the next league so I can get some games in.

Trolls: First Impressions

So let me sum this whole post up in a few words, for those who are lazy. I love em.

Want further details? Great! So, I got my trolls and today went to my FLGS and had a few matches. Specifically I was facing a player who just started Circle. He had played Menoth previously, and also Trolls, but was giving up Trolls because they are very similar in playstyle to Menoth. Good for me because I can get KSB, Champs, a Stone Scribe Chronicler, and Fel Caller for my army (500 points with that yea!)

So, our first match was battle box vs battle box. Trolls vs Circle. The highlights were him trying to slam my Axer back into Madrak. When this failed, he explained he was going to do that, then Spirit Door Kaya in to whack me, using his feat to get a crap ton of fury after burning it for even MORE attacks. He ended up doing this anyway, but with Madrak actually standing up it was hard. He ended up using a total of 9 attacks, hit a few times but only managed to deal 5 points of damage. My Impalers then speared Kaya to death.

Score 1 for the Trolls. The toughness had me happy, but I wanted to see more. So, the next game I borrowed another Trollblood players KSB, Champs, Chronicler, and Caller. The same stuff that the gent I was playing is trying to get rid of. PERFECT. I could test em out!

This match was brutal. He was using Megalith, Baulder, a Worldwyrd (the shooty thing) and a Worldwarden (the little light one from prime) along with Alligators, Wrong Eye, and Snap Jaw. Those Gatormen are BRUTAL. They tore into my Champs, and the Champ leader actually saved on his Tough roll 3 times before finally dying. Thank god for Sure Foot and the Armor aura. The game winner once again was Trolls, and here is how it went down.

The map we were playing on had a river right through the middle. So I couldn't charge. Baulder also had 2 fury, to transfer. First I had 1 Impaler throw a spear, hitting and dealing 5 to Baulder. He did not transfer this. The second Impaler threw his spear, hit and did 5 again. He transferred this to Megalith. I then ended up using Madrak to cast the Impaler animus on himself, taking a hit from the Wyrd (stupid arcane counter) and taking 5 damage. This gave me enough range to throw my axe at Baudler, who STILL had 1 Fury on him. I was praying for the crit, so I boosted my hit roll...AND GOT THE CRIT! He couldn't transfer now. I then rolled and boosted damage, reaching 17 total, and his armor simply removed 1 damage. Dealing 16 points and killing Baulder.

Game 2: Trolls baby!

We ended up playing 1 more 500 point game, this time I took my Cygnar out for a spin. The gaming gods decreed that NO. I will not play Cygnar, and I lost. Given that my first 2 games of Trolls were wins, including an amazing lucky crit + nearly max damage on a throw, I have fallee in love.

The Trolls are getting beefed up this Saturday. Gonna add the stuff listed above and hit 500 points, and get some practice with those. I do like the Champs, and I gotta get the hang of using the Chronicler. He didn't do a whole lot, and I only got the 2nd story.

Meet the Family

I would like you all to meet the new family, da Trolls!




Thats Uncle Madrak, the twins Eleron and Darlon, and the axer known only as Grok! Yes I have given them names. Why? Because I CAN. Monday, since I am on Vacation, I am getting to go to my FLGS for Warmachine and Hordes night! They do this every Monday but normally I cannot attend because I work till 9pm which is when they close (BOO!) However, this time around I can actually show up, and I already got a game setup for my new trolls.

Even better, this guy has some trolls he is trying to get rid of. To be exact: Champs, Fel Caller, and KSB. Now I am not going to purchase them just yet. I want to make sure I like the faction on the table. I already LOVE the fluff behind these guys. I love the backstory of the characters and whatnot. Makes me smile. But I want to make sure I love the style (I believe I will).

So what he is going to do is bring his Trolls and let me USE THEM against him! I can TEST THE BRICK and the units and everything! Which is awesome. Totally awesome.

I am STOKED people! :D

The Start of it All! And a Few Painting Questions

I figured a picture says a thousand words so... here ya go!


Ok now on the actual questions. How on earth should I paint these bad boys? I have no experience really painting flesh. I have only done a single Orc Warboss 3 years ago and used the dipping method to get shading and whatnot. So what kind of tips can you all give me for actually painting these guys? What colors would I need if I wanted to go with a classic skin tone? What kind of wash if any should I use?

The painting noob needs help here guys!

A New Start and Thanks

Ok first of all I want to thank the people who weighed in so far on my previous post, Realizations and Headaches. I really appreciate the suggestions, and am looking to get rid of my Cygnar stuff on Bartertown, which is really cool.

I have decided to go ahead and get JUST a Warpack/Battle Box of Troll Bloods, and get some practice in with that. I hate proxying (always have, even back in the days when I played Magic the Gathering) and Troll Bloods seem to be a nice solid group. I play to have fun, not to be competative. If I am competative, then great! I will still go into Tournaments and whatnot even with a low tier force.

So, starting Sunday, I will be Troll Bloodin it up. I am waiting till Sunday to make SURE that I want these guys. I keep reading the offical forums, reading about the tactics, and looking at the mini's and whatnot I cannot help but be stoked at getting em. I will admit yet again that my initial enthusiam was about the game in general, and not my faction. This time, its the other way around. I know I like the game. I enjoy it, I have played a few games and gotten a basic feel, and have learned quickly. And I believe I am ready to really get into it.

So my previous painting pledge is pretty much null and void. I doubt I will get to 750 points in time for that tournament, which is fine. It doesn't matter. I am gonna take my time, and do this right this time around.

Besides, if I get the battle box and decide I don't like Trollbloods, then oh well! Its not like it was a huge investment! To be honest however, the only other faction that comes CLOSE to making me want to play is PoM. And they are really a second choice.

Realizations and Headaches

So, I have come to a realization today, and it makes me feel really stupid. Let me explain why

I am not a huge fan of Cygnar. Yup, I said it. Their fluff is cool and I like the jack design, but to be honest I am just not…feeling em. The play style is not really my thing, and with Mark 2 rules coming out I feel really iffy about purchasing more stuff. Especially since my favorite caster right now, Darius, is getting a hefty change. Compound this with the fact that the only thing I really like about Cygnar ARE the jacks (Sorry Long Gunners and Trenchers but you guys are butt ugly) I am left with a quandary. I will admit it, Cygnar was not my first choice. Originally I wanted to play Khador. Their melee prowess and the design of the jacks really spoke to me. However, I really wanted to just PLAY THE GAME so I went with my second choice which was Cygnar.

To be fair, I had not even LOOKED at Hordes at the time. I really wish now, roughly a month and a half later, that I had. If I had, I would have found the Trollbloods. So now I am stuck with this: I have spent roughly $200 on getting Cygnar stuff. And after playing a few games now I am not finding their "signature" units to my liking. The trenchers are not my style. Long Gunners are nice, but once again not my style. The gun mages do not interest me. The Black 13th don't. Really its just the jacks and Darius, and a few of the melee units (I do have a soft spot for lightning) that interest me.

I have no one to blame but myself to be honest. I should have done what I am doing now, and that is research. HEAVY research. So now I am sitting here with 750 points of stuff that I am really not wanting to play right now, partly because I don’t like the units, and partly because of the impending Mk 2. And I am left wanting…TROLLS. Why Trolls? Synergy baby. Synergy. Reading about the warlocks and the units and such has got me very interested. Furthermore, the Mk2 stuff for Hordes, while on the way, is not due out till after Warmachine. Further STILL Trolls have a good supply of heavy hitting melee units who, while not tough, allow for some fun combos. I also really dig the look of the minis. Mulg the Ancient being the one that got me looking into them in the first place. Then I read about Calandra and Horluck, and Madrak. The Trollkin Champs, the Drunken Warlock (I forget his name) and a few others.

So I am in a quandary. Do I keep playing Cygnar, spending money to build the force I want and hoping they grow on me? Do I start Trollbloods, and wait for MK2 to come around before starting back up with Cygnar? I do know one thing for sure. I am not going to abandon the Boys in Blue. I spent too much on them already. But, after doing the research I should have done BEFORE buying anything (I am not a patient man normally) I am fairly sure I want to play the Trolls.

What do you all think? I submit myself to your wisdom. I bow before your combined might. One thing I will say: Money is not a huge concern. Despite the economy I live well within my means. So while I spent the $200 on the Cygnar (and am not happy about it) I am not too concerned about picking up Trolls OR Finishing off Cygnar. And for those who want to point out the amount of games I have played: I have read a lot of strategy about Mk1 Cygnar between the games, and spoken to several Cygnar players at my FLGS. The more I talk about em the less interested I become.

My Personal Painting Challenge: THE OATH

So, my FLGS is holding a Steamroller mixed Hordes and Warmachine tournament on September 5th. I want to participate, and fully intend to get the day off from work and show up ready to roll. Its a 750 point tourney, and I got the list to use.

However, I am not the best painter. Sure, I got my Purple Ironclad, and now thanks to the purchase I made I got a few other painted guys (namely a Centurion). I want to have my force painted before the 5th and I am pretty sure I can do it.

Here is what I need to paint:
Ol' Rowdy (I have to purchase him, but he is replacing my Defender)
10 Long Gunners
Darius
Squire
Halfjacks (3)
Ironclad (Finish)

Thats assuming I don't get the stuff to make my OTHER 750 list. Right now, this is what I am going to work with for this 750:

Army: Boy and Jacks Alternate
Faction: Cygnar
Army Points: 744/750
Victory Points: 21

Captain E. Dominic Darius
    Centurion
    Ironclad
    Ol' Rowdy
    Squire
Long Gunners (10)
Trenchers (10)
    Trencher Grenade Porter
    Trencher Officer and Sharpshooter

I don't intend to paint the Trenchers right now. They are already kinda painted, and frankly I am not a fan of them. Too expensive and not very tough, and don't fit MY personal playstyle.

However, if I am able to pull it off I intend to purchase the following:

Ol' Rowdy (This is happening in a week, so this is a "for sure")
10 Sword Knights + UA
Long Gunner UA
Stormsmiths (2)
Journeyman Warcaster

Which, if I am able to get them all, will give me the following list to use on the Tourney:

Army: A Boy and his Jacks
Faction: Cygnar
Army Points: 749/750
Victory Points: 25

Captain E. Dominic Darius
    Centurion
    Ironclad
    Ol' Rowdy
    Squire
Journeyman Warcaster
Stormsmith
Stormsmith
Long Gunners (10)
    Long Gunner Officer and Standard Bearer
Sword Knights (10)
    Sword Knight Officer and Standard Bearer

I would totally prefer that list, but we shall have to see whats in the cards.

Now for my Oath: I WILL HAVE MY ARMY PAINTED (save for Trenchers) by the 5th of September. For me, this is a huge deal. I tend to not be focused on this sort of thing but I am going to do my best. I need to pick up a few things though: a gold metallic, and a black wash. I think I can nab those along with Rowdy.

Choosing a Second Faction and List Stuff

So, I have been playing for about a month now (I got my Cygnar before I started this blog) and I have been thinking about a second faction.

Alot of people HAVE second factions. I have pretty much narrowed my choices down to the following: Trollbloods, and Protectorate of Menoth.

With the Trollbloods, I get a Horde faction which does play differently then Warmachine. I also get a very different army from Cygnar, and also some awesome looking minis (Mulg the Ancient I am looking at YOU!)

With Menoth, I get a slew of awesome minis, and also a cool fluff story. I have a soft spot for religious fanatics.

I just cannot decide. Anyone got any suggestions? Thoughts?

A new List:

Also, I have been doing some thinking and want to change my list for 750 up a bit. I got the following idea:

Army: A Boy and his Jacks
Faction: Cygnar
Army Points: 749/750
Victory Points: 25

Captain E. Dominic Darius
     Centurion
     Ironclad
     Ol' Rowdy
     Squire
Journeyman Warcaster
Stormsmith
Stormsmith
Long Gunners (10)
     Long Gunner Officer and Standard Bearer
Sword Knights (10)
     Sword Knight Officer and Standard Bearer

This gives me some melee backup, a source of Arcane Shield, and my Stormsmiths for blasting the crap outta stuff. Also, I get Ol Rowdy who should be a BEAST with Jackhammer and Full Throttle.

Warmachine in Vassal

So I decided to give this a try. If any of you play this and want to mess around, give me a shout!





Vassal is an online board game system that is customizable. I figure this would actually give me a way to test my lists against other players before purchasing minis, thus allowing me to setup for the perfect game :O

League Games!

Ok, so yesterday I had my first two league games. The first was against Khador, and the second Skorne.

I remember that the first was the mission Death Valley, which heavily restricted our working area. We had to capture 2 of 3 points, and it was a rough match. I used my list from my last post (Darius, 3 jacks, Long Gunners, and Trenchers) and my opponent went Troops / Solo heavy.

I learned a couple of things on my 4th game. 1st I learned I CAN TRAMPLE! Trample, plus a Full Throttled Centurion with Jackhammer = PAIN. That trample alone took out like 6 Iron Fang Pikeman. In fact, the Cent was my MVP. In the first round he took out an Ogrun Bokur and Yuri (that solo Manhunter) It was awesome. All hail Jackhammer!

The second game I got a quick and dirty on how Hordes work. We played Monsters! as our scenario, which involves each of us choosing a jack/beast per caster to be a MONSTER. Only Monsters can effect other monsters you see. So we each had 1 caster, so we choose our dudes. I picked my Cent, him being my toughest guy.

This game I could have won. I COULD HAVE WON. I learned I hate Skorne cats (crazy jumping freaks) and also that Warbeasts are easy to hit but have a crap ton of HP. So what basically happened is me and his monster got into a brawl, he ALMOST took out 3 of my Cents systems which would have knocked him out (I mean I had 2 cortex boxes and also 1 movement box) and my Ironclad and Defender were pretty much out. So, I got my halfjacks up to my dudes and feated, and my opponent went "WTF! CRAP!" and then had I put focus on my Cent, I would have torn his beast apart with extra attacks and Jackhammer procs.

Ah well, live and learn. All in all I had a blast. I realized I am not liking the trenchers too much, but I need to play some more with them before I say ya or nay. Same with Long Gunners. I also realized that in MK1 Full Throttle is amazing!

Halp! List Building 101

So, my FLGS has an employee who was getting rid of a bunch of extra Cygnar stuff and I jumped on it. For $150 I am getting the following:

Warcasters
Darius
Haley
Stryker
Nemo
Siege

Solos
Maxwell Finn

Units
Trencher Chain Gun Crew
Trenchers(10)
Trencher Grenade porter
Trencher Sharpshooter and Officer
Long Gunners(10)

Warjacks
Defender
Centurion
Charger

Now, I am adding this to my pStryker, Lancer, Charger, Ironclad, and Squire. Now, I want to build a 750point list, and I want to use Darius as my caster as I am fascinated with Jacks and figured I should go with a jack buddy caster. My only issue is what to include. I figure I should use my Ironclad, the Centurion, the Defender, and Squire for sure, and the Long Gunners. Possibly use the Lancer as well, and throw the Trenchers in.

Anyone out there got a suggestion? Like what about the Solo? Do I need a different solo? Would it be easier to build a 500 point list around these forces?

I would not mind going 500.

EDIT:

After some thought, here is what I came up with given what I have to work with:

Army: A Boy and his Jacks
Faction: Cygnar
Army Points: 745/750
Victory Points: 20

Captain E. Dominic Darius

* Centurion
* Defender
* Ironclad
* Squire

Long Gunners (10)
Trenchers (10)

* Trencher Grenade Porter
* Trencher Officer and Sharpshooter

Current Plans!

So, I figured I would lay out my "current plans" for my forces. Right now, I have pStryker, an Ironclad, Charger, and Lancer, and a squire. Now, I want to go and get to 500 points fairly quickly, so I can play in League play at my FLGS.

Army: Special Forces
Faction: Cygnar
Army Points: 500/500
Victory Points: 18

Commander Coleman Stryker
     Ironclad
     Lancer
     Squire
Journeyman Warcaster
Stormsmith
Long Gunners (10)
Precursor Knights (6)
     Precursor Knight Officer and Standard Bearer

I figured that I can put the Long Gunners behind the Knights, and use the knights as a screen. With the UA for the Knights, they get Kneel and my units can fire through them. I am pretty sure this is a solid list, but I am having issues expanding it to 750. I also wanted to try Darius, the Jack Buddy but I am not sure I am even ready for such a person.

Also, I wanted to start a Hordes (Trollbloods) force, but I am not sure if I should get my 500 points of Cygnar first, or get the Trollbloods starter to see if I prefer the Hordes mechanics.

Decisions decisions.

Learning to Paint

So this evening I went up to my Friendly Local Gaming Store (see Sidebar!) and chatted with some of my fellow gamers. I watched as one man, named Matt, got himself a whole bunch more Khador and Mercs (joy, I am doomed when I face him again) and also talked a bunch of 4th Ed stuff.

Amidst this however was one of the store employee's (whose name escapes me) painting some Ork Nobs in Power armor. He is very good at painting, in my opinion. And he took the time to teach me a few things when I asked.

He explained primarily how to highlight and how to wash, and also how to get more depth out of the paint. So hopefully soon I will be able to TEST these techs. Once I do I will be sure to share my success (or failures)

The Start of my Adventure

So, the name is Clayton. If you came from one of my other blogs, then welcome. If you found this place from somewhere else, then welcome still! Who am I you might be asking?

I am a gamer. For a long time I played video games primarily and some D&D. However, about 10 years ago I wanted to get into miniature games and tried my hand at 40k. I did not enjoy it (mainly the painting aspect) and I gave up. A few years later I tried Warhammer Fantasy, and once again the painting and sheer amount of mini's needed turned me away.

Then, about a year ago, I heard about Warmachine. I looked into it and really got into the fluff. It took me getting a new job and being financially secure before I was willing to try my hand at it. This happened about 3 weeks ago.

So I bit the bullet, went to my Friendly Local Gaming Store (FLGS) and got myself a Cygnar Battlebox. I played a game 2 days later and now I am hooked.

I have since played 2 other games against the same guy as my first, and have added a Squire to my force.

I also decided to start this blog, here, to detail my adventures with painting, collecting, and playing the game Warmachine, and eventually Hordes. I dig the Trollbloods of Hordes you see. So I hope you enjoy your stay here! See ya later.

Oh, and say hello to my current family:


From Left to Right: Commander Stryker, Lancer, Ironclad (PURPLE!), Charger, Squire