Kharadron Start Collecting Box as Expansion

A few weeks ago, I picked up the Kharadron Overlords Start Collecting box as an expansion to my collection.  It added the Thunderers and Endrinmaster to my model collection and adds another Gunhauler and three more Endrinriggers.  This past Sunday, I dove into assembly and completed the Thunderers and partial credit on Endrinriggers.

My intent is to get these and the Gunhauler assembled and primed by next weekend and hopefully get in a 1,500 point game.

Work continues on the Warlord Titan as well, I am at the stage of applying transfers and touching up, I think.

The Strumpet complete

The Boring Strumpet

I finished up the Boring Strumpet Gunhauler last week.  This completes painting up my new 1,000 pt of Barak-Mhornar.  In addition, it completes 1,500 pts of painted Kharadron Overlords, but not what I want to field for 1,500 pts.  I will probably pickup the starter box for a third Gunhauler, Thunders, and Endrinriggers.

Over the holiday weekend, I played two games at 1k pts.  The first was against a new Stormcast list, which was just difficult.  Even against what seems like half the army, I felt unable to effectively defeat units.  A 12" range for most of my weapons makes engaging a threat effectively also a setup for being charged.  Lastly, the hardness of Stormcast makes it hard to knock them down and keep them down.

The second game was against a Goblin Spider list.  I did much better, which I attribute to us both rolling really poorly.  My opponent put about a third of his army out of position, while also not committing his general and sorcerer/monster-spider to the primary fight.  This let me fight a third of his army with ~two thirds of mine.  Once I won that fight, I was able to collect my forces on my objective and finish off the out-of-position third.  Both of us rolled poorly all game, but I think my victory came down to poor positioning on my opponents part.

Balloon Distraction

For the past few weeks, I have been working off-and-on upon my second Kharadron Overlords Gunhauler, the Boring Strumpet.

In-Work Boring Strumpet

I recently changed up my 1,000 point list to field two Gunhaulers instead of the Gunhauler and Frigate.  The Boring Strumpet has a a Drill Cannon instead of a Sky Cannon, giving it 6" more range for a bit less damage.  This also freed up points to bring in the Skywardens, giving me even more board presence overall.  Sadly, the two games to compare with were both against Stormcast, which were able to roundly defeat my list using ~50% of the army (bad rolls may have played a part, but still).

As I look ahead to 2,000 points, I am considering leaning into the Gunhaulers more and going with a Grundstok Escort Wing outside of the mandatory core of 3x Arkanaut Companies.  We will see if over the next few months I am motivated enough to paint up another Gunhauler, another 3 Endrinriggers, and a final Company of Arkanauts.  It may be all for naught as the Kharadron Overlords seem to struggle in my local meta and trying to actually use the range of miniatures versus the "optimized" lists.

Warhammer World: Neat Things!

I am not going to completely share my whole album of Warhammer World pictures here, but some of the dioramas and scenes I liked most.

Primaris Still in Work + Frigate

Another progress update on my hobby activities.

Not quiet done.

I am almost done with the 9 Primaris Novamarines.  I still need to blue highlight the back six and then dust them all with the rust dust on their bases. Barring the addition of a Primaris Captain or losing one of them to the Warhammer store painting competition, I this will finish up my Novamarines project (I think).

Under Construction

I forget whether I have mentioned this previously, but I am pursuing a more competitive ready Age of Sigmar list and thus need to add 2 Frigates, 10 Arkanauts, and 3 Endrinriggers to my collection.  I already had the second Frigate.  My current plan is to pick up a Battleforce box to get everything else, plus a third Gunhauler.

Nuport's Mariners

Nuport's Mariners and some objective markers

 This weekend, I finished up painting my second Arkanaut Company.  This completes my 1,500 point army.  I did some minor conversions to the Company Captain to turn him in Kris Nuport.  Captain Nuport has some relics from before the the Kharadon's took took the sky.

This week, I am starting on the Novamarines Repulsor.  Part of this is in the vain hope that GW announces that a unit other than the Arkanaut Company is a Battleline unit before I work on my last 500 points up to 2,000 points.

Captain Nuport, surrounded by his Mariners

Captain Nuport's antecatalysm axe head

Kemist and Riggers

The Mistress's Endrinriggers

Aether Kemist Bob Boyl

This past weekend, I finished up the two new units I adding in my 1,500 point army.  The Aether-Kemist Bob Boyl and the Endrinriggers of the Mistress.  The scheme I have going for my Kharadon's has turned out to be both rewarding and straightforward now that I have painted a bit more than 20 individuals and 2 ships.  Next up is a unit of 10 more Arkanauts to round out the 1.5k list.  After that, 10 more Arkanauts and either an Ironclad or Frigate and another unit of Endrinriggers.

I also played a 1.5k point game Saturday night.  For that I turn to Drakeslayer's log.

Hawkjn's Spears

This past weekend, I completed Hawkjn's Spears, a unit of six Skywardens.  The kit proves fairly versatile with each of the models not looking like two sets of the same models.  Painting things differently helps to break them up as well.

Hawkjn's Spears

In addition, on Saturday at my FLGS, my Kharadon Overlords were named best painted for the 1,000 point tier of an Age of Sigmar escalation league.  I am really happy with that and having completed painting the force before the step ended.  Painting up 3-more of Hawkjn's Spears is the first thing for my 1,500 point army.  Alongside the three Skywardens, I have assembled and prime three Endrinriggers, a second 10-man Arkanaut Company, and an Aether-Kemist.

The Harlot Lets Fly

The Harlot

This past weekend, I painted the Screening Harlot, a Gunhauler.  This completed my 960 point Kharardon Overlords army.  It is illegal under Matched Play due to not having a second Arkanaut Company (my only Battleline).

Painting the runes on the ships I think gives them a lot of character that they would be lacking otherwise.  It breaks up the blue on the hulls nicely.  It went pretty quickly, thanks to knowing what most of the scheme would be.  I also showed off the completed army at my FLGS, Lost Planet and got lots of compliments.

Next up is increasing Hawkjn's Spears (Skywardens) to a total of six and giving them a Grappling Hook to make them even speedier, better enabling an alpha strike against a threatening unit.  I intend to follow those three up with a second Arkanaut Company, making the army legal!  This will leave me with 320 points for 1,500 points.

My intent is to add an Ather-Kemist (140 pts) and possibly a three-balloon unit of Endrinriggers (120 pts).  This again leaves me with 60 points remaining at 1,500 points.  Going up to 2,000 points is morphing as I consider my options.  Another unit of Arkanuts is necessary for RAW Matched Play, leaving me with 440 points...  maybe an Ironclad or a second Frigate and more balloons and be down 40 points.  🤔

Admiral Drake, Navigator Kouk, Kilpford's Gang aboard the Mistress, Hawkjn's Spears, and the Harlot

The Mistress Sets Sail

This past week, I completed the first Frigate of my Kharadon Overlords - the Tempest's Mistress.  This is the first large model I have painted in a while and has lots of different pieces that are not flat like the armor of a Astrates tank or even Eldar tank.  I really enjoyed the model and like how it turned out.

A fly-around of the Mistress

The Mistress's Navigator

The Mistress's Captain and Endrigger

Dead Crew and Colors

This past weekend, I got in two more games and spent most of Sunday painting up the Dwarfs.  I really only have the ships left before moving onto the 1,500 point list, which may morph based on lessons learned at 1,000 points.

Admiral Frank Drakeslayer

Yet more demons and this time with corrupt men. We were overwhelmed by their numbers yet again. We couldn't keep them at cannon range for long. Between their lord and warriors we became tied up and unable to secure the treasures on the field. Our starboard flank collapsed as Hawkins and his spears were swept from the field by warped knights of Tzeentch. Navigator Kouk found himself surrounded by them! I need a larger squadron for these expeditions!

Admiral Drakeslayer

Failing against Angels and Demons

Capt Nuport of the Righteous Courtesan

This past week, I continued to work on painting up more of my Barak-Mhornar crewmen and on Saturday evening played two games.

I settled into the paint scheme and completed 9/10 Arkanauts.  I also steadily base coat more Duardin minis (including those on ships), getting them up to the state of the Skywardens.

Lastly, I assembled my second Arkanaut Company, Nuport's Mariners.  Capt Nuport carries anteruina axe of his ancestors.  He and his crew are aboard the Righteous Courtesan - ᛕᚻᚱᛅᚦᛋ.

I also named out all the ships, characters, and units up to roughly 3000 points of minis (~1000 points in battalion warscrolls).

Privateers of Barak-Mhornar

This weekend, I played three games of Age of Sigmar at 1,000 points.  My first game was Friday afternoon and following it I decided to abandon an army from the Free City of Tempest's Eye and instead focus on a Barak-Mhornar army/fleet.  The first game was against a Tzeentch army with a mix of demons and mortals and I felt that my army lacked synergy desperately needed for Kharadon Overlords to work or any of the other units in the army.  I dove at the center of his army and found my fire ineffective and my combat doubly so.

That evening, I decided to shift and wrote up the list.  The 1,000 pt army (960 pt) is the Battleforce (which I got on Saturday) plus a Navigator.  For my home port, Barak-Mhornar, the most flexible of the Baraks.

On Saturday, after constructing the Admiral, Navigator, and Gunhauler, I played two more games.  These were both part of a three month long event my FLGS is doing.  As such, here are versions of the logs I make in my Book of Grudges.

Game and Build

I have switched gears to building out stuff for Age of Sigmar instead of Warhammer 40k for a little bit.   My 1,000 points Tempest's Eye list is steadily coming together and I am getting paint onto some of the core stuff.  I have some solid ideas for adding 500 points, but the second set of 500 points (total of 2,000 points) is still being thought out.

On Saturday, I played a game against Seraphon (lizardmen) using most of what my final list will be.  It was a good game that came down to playing the objectives.  In turn 2,  I thought I had no chance when I lost 400 points in a single turn.  However, I managed to steadily decimate my adversaries stuff and my flanking maneuver with Skycutter and Gyrocopter managed to capture objectives and put pressure on his back field.  Afterwards, discussing the game, we realized areas where we took liberty with the rules. Despite this, overall fun and only way to learn is to play more.

I also built out three more Handgunners, these three are the Dwarf members.  Now to find human figures to convert.

Mixed Hobbying

This weekend I was at a hotel all weekend preparing for a medical donation on Tuesday.  Over the weekend, I finished most of the detail on the Primaris Librarian, Apothecary, and 2 Intercessors.  I also began basing units for my Age of Sigmar.

More Novamarines

Tempest Eye forces in work

For the Free City of Tempest's Eye!

The Workbench

A change of plans!

Instead of collecting a focrce of just Kharadon Overloards, I am switching gears to field an army representing the Free City of Tempest's Eye.  A big driver for this was the relative lack of choices for Battleline for Kharadon Overlords, which makes any 2,000 point army very similar to other Kharadon Overlords.  It also radically changes my 1,000 point army.  Instead of being a lot of replication and "more of the same," I have no duplicates in the list.

Beginning the Fleet

I need something that works as a good break from painting power armor, both 40k Primaris Novamarines and 30k Ultramarines.  It can be demotivating to stare at models similar to ones you have already painted dozens.

To that end, I am going to build up a Kharadon Overlords centered army for Age of Sigmar.  I picked up an Arkanaut Company (pictured assembled), an Arkanaut Frigate, and a box of Enderiggers.  This is my initial core to give me other stuff to work on.

My initial list is all Kharadon, centered around a pair of Frigates, two Gunhaulers, three Companies, a unit of Enderiggers, a unit of Skywardens, and an Admiral.   I am however potentially going to shift to a Tempest Eye list, depending on what it lets me do in terms of increasing miniature variety, while still focusing on the flying aspect of the army.

Exciting Summer!

Hobby-wise, I am very excited for the summer.

Airbrushed Support Tanks

I am slowly continuing to assembly my Team Yankee Poles, but instead of diving into a NATO army as my next project there are other systems and models that are attracting me.  

I still have some Dystopian Wars models to paint and the Kickstarter certainly will bring some new cool minis and rules.  These should be a quick work, change of pace, once I have finished the Team Yankee models I have (maybe this week, maybe next).

After both of those projects have been completed, I have my languishing 30k Ultramarines project.  I have 5 more Invictii Suzerains to paint before the Primarch Roboute Guilliman himself.  Then I have lots of other parts of the collection to assemble and paint.  That being said, unlike Dystopian Wars and Team Yankee, I do not have not played a game of 30k in months.

The new Kharadron Overlords Age of Sigmar army is exciting to me as well.  I fully intend to buy a 2,000 point army to paint this summer.  It will be my first purchase from a new local store opening in early June.

Finally, new 40k this summer will bring excitement to the range.  Luckily I have plenty of completed miniatures for it and will be play from the start I expect.  That does not mean that I have not considered yet more Astrates - Howling Griffons. Gah, but that means everything else should be complete - ha!

Dwarfs in Age of Sigmar

I mentioned in my first impressions of the Warhammer: Age of Sigmar rules, that I would take out my Dwarf collection and build some armies from the models I have.  I am going to focus on three ways of building an Age of Sigmar list.  The first I call the "Rule of Cool."  I went through my collection and pulled out some of what I think are the coolest models (and thus models that others will likely purchase).  The second will be fielding a War Scroll organization, maybe two!  The last I will walk through and build a list using the Azyr Composition guide put out there by the Louisville, Kentucky wargaming community.

In discussions with my local group, the opinion has been expressed that the old armies/modelsare likely to be under powered and even with well-intentioned carry-over rules are likely to not perform or be as fun as playing Age of Sigmar with models and forces designed for the game.  Initially, this really only is the Stormcast Eternals or Khrone Bloodbound. I suspect there will be a steady release of forces over the next six months.

Age of Sigmar: First Impressions Part 2

Last entry, I commented on the first two pages of the rules for Warhammer Age of Sigmar.  This covered the army selection, table setup, deployment, and victory conditions.  Now onto the actual game mechanics of models moving, hitting each other, etc.  But before we can even do that, there is the matter of figuring out who goes first each round.