WHFB: Watchtower Rules Query

My most recent game of Fantasy saw us roll the Watchtower scenario.  Now, Skaven have two ways to destroy buildings and I was equipped with both.  On the first turn I rocked the building with Crack's Call, destroying it.  The rulebook fails to provide an answer for what happens if it is destroyed, we assumed that it still counts as the main objective.  However, since it's now a ruin you can have multiple units in it, so it's not as simple to determine the victor.

To resolve this we decided that if one side had the ruin with no enemy units touching it, it would be a win. If there were an enemy unit "contesting" the objective (touching it) we would go to the secondary victory conditions provided in the rulebook which were victory points.

So is this the best way to resolve the problem?

Poisoned Wind Mortar

This was another exercise in speed painting.  Due to having two children, one of them a fussy baby, my painting time is drastically short.  The aforementioned Sanctum Imperialis represents a few weeks of working in bits and pieces.  This one I got done in three days, once again working a few minutes here, a few there.  Skaven are really nice for speed painting because it's easy to get good results quickly.

I'm sort of pleased with the glassy globes, I could have done better if I had put more time into it.  I think I need to make the clouds a bit more irregular, but as is I think it's good for a speed paint job.

Sanctum Imperialis

Here's the Sanctum Imperialis I built and painted as a commission.  I added a custom third story balcony complete with battle damage.

Swarmlord WIP

Here's my current Swarmlord.  The arms are magnetic so it can be a regular tyrant if I wish, I customized the tail to make him stand out a bit more and that weird double-tail thing in the codex picture doesn't do it for me.  I'm still not satisfied with the swords, I think they need some detail or more hollowing, I'm not sure which.  I'm open to suggestions on that.

The Mighty Warpfire Thrower

This was something I did to try and paint faster than normal.  All in all I think it took me about two hours.  I could have got it done quicker but I took extra time with the flames as well as weathering the metal.  You can see I attempted some glow effects near the burning rat.

I think I should have mixed some gray with the green for the smoke.  I'll do that on the next one.

Ezekiel, Dark Angels Librarian

Finished this guy up the other day.  It's a pretty old model but still a goodie.  It's incredibly detailed.

Next time I do a model this detailed I'm going to wash it after priming to help pick out the details.  I did that to the banner and it was very helpful.

Let's Clarify Something (40k FAQ)

There's been a surprising amount of confusion on this issue with the new 40k FAQ.  It comes from this question:

Q: If a transport vehicle is destroyed in the same turn as it moved flat out what happens to any embarked models? (p70) A: They are removed as casualties.

Eldar haters are just a bit too excited about this one.  Allow me to elucidate.

Page 9 of the rulebook defines what a turn is. It reads, "In a complete turn, both players get a player turn, each one divided into Movement, Shooting and Assault phases..."

So that's a player turn. One person's Movement, Shooting and Assault phases.

Then it reads, "Whenever a rule uses the word 'turn', both in this rule book and in the Codexes, it means 'player turn', otherwise it will clearly state 'game turn'."

So if you move flat out in the player turn and crash yourself your passengers are destroyed.

The confusion comes from reading the FAQ without reading the original rules. This rule has always existed.

Here it is on p. 70:

"FAST TRANSPORT VEHICLES

Passengers may not embark onto or disembark from a fast vehicle if it has moved(or is going to move) flat out in that Movement phase."

The key is IN THAT MOVEMENT PHASE. You can't disembark if you move flat out in your own movement phase (not even an emergency disembarkation). Imagine it's my turn. I move flat out. If I try to ram something and wreck myself because I failed to check myself, my passengers are destroyed because they cannot disembark because I moved flat out IN THAT MOVEMENT PHASE.

Continuing my example, let's say I successfully checked myself so I didn't wreck myself. If you shoot at me in your turn, I get a cover save because the rule on page 71 says "...and has moved flat out in its LAST movement phase counts as obscured (cover save of 4+) when fired at."

Now let's say you shoot it down in your turn, I having moved flat out in my previous movement phase. My passengers are not automatically destroyed, because the restriction on disembarking only applies to my movement phase.

I hope that makes sense.  Now they need to FAQ the FAQ.

They Ninja Updated the 40k FAQ!

Just one little update that I could find.  Here's the new one.  The one new thing that I found was this:

Q: How do Independent Characters that have joined a squad effect working out if a squad is below half strength or not? (p48)

A: Independent Characters are not counted when working out if a squad is below half strength or not. The exception to this is if an Independent Character is with a Retinue (in which case he is counted when working out if the squad is below half strength).

This reminds me of the Space Wolf FAQ debacle a while back, with a complete reversal of their previous position.

Thank You GW

Thanks for updating the 40k FAQ and furthermore, thanks for making it very thorough.  We've actually had debates on a few of these points in my group in the past month or so.  Also, no more intermingling units for mutual cover saves at the ETC!

The New Guy

Updates may be sparse for a while because of my newest arrival.  Please pardon the disjointed narrative of this post as I'm typing this with one hand while he sleeps on my chest.  With the first one I could work on stuff during her naps. My wife was so tired that she would nap too, and we had an apartment so there wasn't much housework to do. I started this blog a few weeks after she was born, probably during a naptime.

Now with more to do the hobby will have to take the back burner for a while as I try to paint in those magical combined naptimes. As long as there's no housework to do.

Tutorial: Magnetizing the Screaming Bell/Plague Furnace

Being a man of poor means, I have to stretch every gaming dollar I possibly can.  Furthermore, when new editions change some units drastically change in power level.  Just ask anyone who played Tyranids from 4th to 5th.  Ask them where their Carnifex arms are.  Mine are magnetic so I survived just fine.

When I got the Screaming Bell I was determined to magnetize it, no matter how hard it seemed.  It's an expensive kit and both options seem attractive.  I'm not experienced enough in 8th yet to know which is better and there is rarely a better teacher than experience, so I'm going to have to run both to find out.  I tried finding a tutorial online for magnetizing this beast but there were very few, and I knew I could figure out a better way to do it than the ones I found.

This may seem like a lengthy preface for a tutorial, but this is a seriously difficult project.  This is the hardest thing I've ever magnetized, even harder than the Trygon I did earlier.  First off, the kit is among the most complex I've ever put together.  The Doomwheel is difficult as well, but this one takes the cake.  It has supurb detail but also a ridiculous amount of surfaces and delicate parts.  I almost snapped several of the flame/vapor tendrils on the model while cutting them off.  This is not a kit for beginners (and there's a lot of beginners getting into Skaven because of the IoB, but that's a topic for another day).

What makes this kit so difficult is that the kit shares several pieces in either the Bell or Furnace assembly.  Compounding this is that most of these are key weight-bearing joins.  The yoke and arches are the prime examples.  The back platform being reverseable depending on what you're running is a simple fix but the arches and yoke will be the hardest part.  Steel yourself, double check your polarizations and let's dive in.

Above you can see all the different components of this magnetization.

Let's get the hard stuff out of the way first.  Above you see the interior assembly of the arches.  The magnet is held in place with a greenstuff setting.  You want to use a small but powerful magnet.  This one is 1/8" wide, 1/16" thick and N52 grade.  In order to get the magnets in the right place, look below!

Glue a pair of magnets to either end of the struts.  Be sure that the glue has set, I usually reinforce it with a bit of epoxy.  When it sets, put some greenstuff in the arches and place another magnet on either end of the struts.  Widen the opening of the arches a tiny bit so that you can get the magnets in and out easily without breaking them.  Shove both ends in the arches so that the unglued magnet wedges into the greenstuff.  This way you know it's in the right place.  Double, triple check that your bell/censer is facing the correct direction because the arches must go in the correct side.  I messed up on this part twice and had to redo it.

Above you see the yoke.  Take two tiny magnets, the 1/16" ones are perfect.  Chop off a tiny, tiny bit of the ends and replace them with magnets.  They should still be the same distance apart as they were before.  This can be tricky, you should measure twice and cut once.

Before gluing the bell together, you'll need to get the Grey Seer in position.  Put him together except for the hand grabbing the bell.  Notice in the picture above he has the handle, do as I say not as I do.  I had fitted him, glued the hand and then taken the picture.  You'll need to properly fit him before you glue his hand.  Drill two holes in his feet next to the nubs that go into the corresponding parts on the bell.  Don't drill in the nubs themselves.  Put two small magnets in.

Place the Seer on top of the bell, put a drop of glue where you think his feet are, then drop a magnet in.  It will fall into the spot where the feet are.  The second one is trickier because the second magnet will want to go where the first one is.  Once you get both in and the seer stays up just fine, you can glue the bell together, and magnetize the Horned Rat symbol on top of both the bell and censer.

Now let's finish the Seer.  Very, very carefully drill into the handle on each side and place a magnet in each one.

You can't really see it in this picture, but I drilled a small hole and stuck a bit of paperclip in each side where the handle for the Seer meets the bell.  You don't need a full magnet, just enough force to help hold him in place as the feet provide most of the lift.  I then filed it flat and filled in the gaps so hopefully when it's painted you won't be able to see anything.

Now let's test it out.  Here's the censer assembly sans monks...

And here's the bell assembly sans Seer.  To attach this to the frame of the bell/furnace simply slide the pegs of the arches into the corresponding hole.  You can magnetize this part but it's firm enough that there's really no need.  I didn't bother.

Now the easy part.  Glue a powerful magnet on the underside of the front platform.

Put a magnet on the bottom of the brazier and the Plague Priest, be sure to check the fits and all that stuff.

The back platform is reversable.  It is not a weight-bearing part so I used a weird method to get it in.  Most of the weight is supported by the frame itself, I just wanted an extra bit of holding power without any visible point of contact.  I put two magnets in the sides and then added a magnet on the underside of the frame as seen below.

The magnets don't have contact but they still attract each other.

 To magnetize the Rat Ogre and Plague Monks to the platform simply widen the holes on the platform by a tiny bit so that you can fit a 1/16" magnet in.  To magnetize the Monks/Ogre, simply cut off the pegs on the feet about halfway so you have a flat surface.  Drill in a ways, then cut off the rest of the peg.  The hole will be in the right place and you can widen it for a 1/8" magnet.

Here it is as a Plague Furnace, missing the extra censer thing that goes on the arch.  I left if off because it's not necessary and I'd rather save it for other conversions.

Finally, here it is as the Screaming Bell.

Good luck!  I'll do it for you but I charge $100 for just the magnetization, and you have to clean the mould lines.  Yes, it is cheaper to just buy another kit.  That's the point.  I'm not doing this again.

Skaven Pumpkin

The Great Horned Rat watches over this house!  Too bad I couldn't make the fire green.

Zombie 40k Rundown

Tuesday night we ran my new and improved zombie 40k Halloween extravaganza!  It's a mix between every zombie movie/game ever and Mario Kart.  And 40k.  Have a read over those rules before you read the rest of this post.

We had 14 players on one 6'x6' table.  We decided to have 3 escape vehicles to prevent overcrowding.  As the game progressed I had to rewrite the rules to make sure the players on the edges weren't being punished.  That's when I added the zombies rising from their graves in the center.  All my new and improved rules are in the link posted above.

Everyone kept the game moving quickly despite having 14 players, and we were able to resolve the zombie phase by having everyone do their stuff at the same time with another player rolling for the zombies.  Everyone helped move the zombies because they follow their own rules.

It was a lot of fun.  I took a Broodlord and one Stealer, thinking I could just chop my way forward.  It was somewhat effective, and I was in the lead at one point but I kept getting swamped so that's when we decided that the zombies scatter.

We also reduced the zombies to T3 as opposed to T4.  I was afraid of being short of models so that's why I made them T4.  If you run this event and are short models that's a good way to stretch them out.

The Ork Boy Tag Along was originally a guardsman with a flamer but our main guard player didn't show up so we switched it to an Ork.  I think it's funnier that way.

In the end, the Dark Eldar won.  Yes, the new Dark Eldar.  He took Wyches and that 2D6 attacks one, and chopped along.  Despite S3 versus T4 and FNP he still did really well.

One of the Ork players took out most of an Eldar team and a full IG team when they hit the 18" zone, and then he was promptly wasted by the zombies the next turn.  We all had a good laugh about that.

Writing rules is hard!  This isn't a serious attempt at game design, but even then it's quite challenging to make yourself clear.  I'm not too concerned about balance but that was a bit tricky in designing the powerups.  I wanted them to be powerful but not game breaking.  I may nerf the Chuck Norris one but no one rolled it.  I may create a new chart with 3D6 to make even more crazy items.  The trick is to keep it simple, but fun.

If you've run a similar scenario or run mine let me know how it went.  This is a living document.  I need as much feedback as I can get to make this event as fun as possible.  I'm going to run it again on Walpurgis Night (basically a springtime Halloween), hopefully I can get it ironed out well by then.

Halloween 40k Zombie Night, The Return of the Revenge

Like all horror movies these days, my 40k Zombie adventure just keeps coming back with more sequels.  But this is the reinvention of the reimagining.  I updated the rules from my original version to be more streamlined and squad-based as opposed to who has the best HQ options.

Here they be.  This is not exactly how we ran it last night, I have updated the rules based on feedback during the game though it still needs a bit more work.

Army Selection:

You have 75 points. There is no minimum requirement for squad sizes (so an
Eldar player could take one Fire Dragon, one Striking Scorpion and so on). Only
three of these can be "upgrade" characters, like a sergeant or an exarch, though
that model may take an upgrades allowed without counting for further "upgrades." No more than two can have "upgrade weapons" such as a heavy or special
weapon that isn't standard equipment. For example, a Space Marine player takes
3 Marines and a Scout. He can upgrade one into a sergeant with any weapons
normally allowed, and two more can have special weapons normally allowed by
their codex entry.

After selecting your team, you may assign one Universal Special Rule from the
standard rulebook to any one squad member.

For codices like SM or IG who purchase squads as groups, some math will be
involved. Divide the points cost by the squad number to get the individual
points cost of each squad member.  If upgrade characters are included in the cost of the squad, you may upgrade the squad member for free.

You may select team members from any Force Organization slot except HQ. Only infantry models may be selected.  No dedicated transports are allowed.

Your squad must remain in 2" coherency, and are treated as a single squad.

Setup and Objective

Set up the board with the normal amount of terrain for a 40k game.  Ruins and graveyards make great terrain for this mission.  If you have a large amount of players you may need to either split into two tables or widen the current table.  The players should have to cross about 6' of board with enough room side to side so that everyone isn't clustered together.

The goal is to reach the escape helicopter (or truck or whatever). The first squad (at least one guy
alive, obviously) to be within embarking distance at the beginning of their movement
phase wins (so you have to survive one round before you can win).  If there is another unengaged player within embarking distance you may not embark.  You must duke it out with the other player as there can only be one.  There should be one escape helicopter per 5 players, spread out evenly along the back board edge.  Each escape helicopter is guarded by a boss zombie.

Turn order is determined randomly.  Each player will move, shoot and assault, then pass to the next player.  When all players have gone the zombies take their turn.  There's no need for a zombie controller as the zombies are on autopilot.

Movement Phase: Players who fled from combat will automatically rally and may move, shoot and assault as normal.

Shooting Phase: You may not shoot another player's squad, unless that squad is
within 18" of the escape chopper. After that all bets are off and the squad
that is within 18" may fire at any squad that has fired on it in a previous
turn. If the closest unit is in close combat randomize non-template hits.

Zombies only ever take a 5+ cover save as they do not actively seek cover.  They get this cover in all the normal fashion, from terrain or from a player shooting through another unit.

Assault Phase: You may not join another player's assault. Consolidate moves
are taken on a D3 instead of D6 (we found super killy assault units unbalanced as they can just consolidate for an extra D6" per assault phase). You may however assault another team if they are within 18" of the escape helicopter, but if they are already in an assault you may not assault them. 

If your assault involves multiple squads of zombies, for simplicity's sake you don't have to say which squad you're attacking.  Remove casualties from the smallest squad first (you get more powerups that way)

No one in the squad is treated as an Independent Character, treat wounds as you would for differently armed models as normal.

After all players have gone the Zombies will move.

ZOMBIE TIME

Zombies come in squads of 5. There should be about two squads of zombies per
player, deployed in a spread out fashion. Their stats are as follows:

WS2 S3 T3 A1 W1 I1 LD5 Feel No Pain, Fearless, Rending

Zombies only have two phases, the Shamble Phase and the BRAAAAAIIINS phase.

Shamble Phase: Killed zombies will respawn in groups of 5 during this phase, before rolling to move the zombies.  Roll a  D6 on the following chart to see where they go.

1:  Starting table edge

2:  The table edge to the left of the starting edge

3:  The table edge opposite the starting edge

4:  The table edge to the right of the starting edge

5:  Scatter 3d6" from the center of the table.  Zombies deepstrike like a drop pod and will move out of the way of obstructions.  They will move and assault with the rest of the zombies as normal.

6:  The player who is furthest from the chopper chooses a result 1-5 on this chart.  Further rolls of a 6 will go to the second furthest player and so on.

Zombies moving in from a board edge will enter in line with the nearest unengaged player.  Subsequent entries in the same phase on the same table edge will move in towards the second nearest, and so on.

Zombies will move 2D6 to the nearest target. All zombies on the
board move the same distance but at their own relative targets. If this move
brings them in base contact with a player squad they count as assaulting. The
poor squad then responds to their charge.

Zombies will join a current assault if they can fit.  If they can't fit they will instead move towards the next nearest target.

If a player kills the last member of a zombie squad, or kills the last member of a player squad (only whomever removed the last model, doesn't matter who did all the work) he may roll on the powerup chart.

BRAAAAINS Phase: Zombies assault during their movement, we just combine it because they don't shoot.  They receive +1 attack if they charge as normal. They have Rending to represent the danger of infection.  If zombies win combat they will attempt to pursue as normal but will not consolidate.

The Boss Zombie:  The boss zombie does not move during the shamble phase as normal.  It will only move if a player moves within embarking distance of the escape vehicle, and will automatically assault that squad.  If there are multiple squads that meet this requirement randomize which one it assaults.

WS3 S4 T4 A3 I2 W3 LD6 5+ Armor, Feel No Pain, Eternal Warrior, Fearless, Rending

It is of course perfectly legal to move your squad and escape in the vehicle while the other player is off fighting the boss or another player.

Respawns:

Should your squad be destroyed, you may respawn in your turn no closer than 6" behind the
furthest player, but it can be anywhere on the board (as long as you are 6" further away from the choppa than the current furthest squad).  You lose all upgrades and powerups earned during their previous lifetime.  If you wish you may play a new team.  When you respawn you may roll on the powerup chart.  You may voluntarily suicide your squad at any time to respawn, but if you do you may not roll on the powerup chart.

Powerups:

If you kill the last member of a squad (zombie or player, this also includes killing the boss zombie, and also includes wiping them out due to Fearless rolls) you may roll 2D6 on the powerup chart.

2:  Zombie Bile:  You are treated as the only target for the next Shamble Phase.  If two or more players have this then the zombies will move to whomever is closer of those players.  If another player is in the way of the zombie movement, the zombies assault that unfortunate unit as they just happened to be in the wrong place.

3:  Banana Peel:  In your next turn, you move as if through difficult terrain.

4:  Ork Boy Tag Along:  An Ork boy has decided to join you for some reason.  He is armed with a pistol and a choppa and is treated as a member of your squad for all purposes.

5:  Duct Tape:  Whether it's a chainsaw taped to a kayak paddle or a duct-taped-over-under gun, you may give one model either +1 attack or +1 shot per turn.  Permanently.  Until you die.

6:  Chainsaw:  The ultimate zombie close combat weapon.  One model may be equipped with this item.  Requires 2 hands.  Hits on a 2+, and if it hits instantly takes a wound (no saves or FNP) off any zombie in close combat.  If you roll a 1 the chainsaw has run out of fuel and is discarded (but any hits you got in this round still count, if you roll a 1 and get a reroll it does not run out of fuel unless you roll another 1).

7:  Medpack.  May be saved, one use only, you may carry any number of these.  You may ignore one suffered wound.

8:  Shotgun:  There is no better tool in an zombie invasion.  One model is armed with it, and that model does not need to have a ballistic skill.  The shotgun has a range of 6" and hits on a 2+, instantly taking a wound off a zombie with no FNP or cover save applicable.  It is an assault 1 weapon.  If shot at a player it is treated just as the Imperial Guard version of the shotgun.

9:  Super Mushroom Speed Pack:  You may carry up to one of these in your squad.  When activated all members in your squad may add an extra +1 to all their movement, which includes movement, running and assaulting.  The squad's initiative is also increased by 1 for that turn.

10:  Defibrillator:  Counts as a Medpack but may be used to bring back one model in your squad who has previously died.  If that model had multiple wounds only one is restored.

11:  Sweet Aviator Shades:  In the next Shamble Phase, zombies will ignore your squad for the purposes of the closest target.

12:  The Blessing of Chuck Norris:  Your squad receives the blessing of the Great Red Bearded One until the end of their next turn.  Your squad may reroll all rolls they make (if they already have a reroll they can reroll that reroll as Chuck is that awesome).  All shooting counts as AP 2 with no cover allowed and all assault counts as power weapons.

If you are the furthest player from the board edge, you may add +1 to your roll.  You may roll the dice before deciding whether or not to add the +1.  You may also switch out any rolled result for The Blue Shell.  If you pick The Blue Shell you may move the player closest to the escape vehicle back D6" away from the vehicle.  If they are in close combat, the whole combat moves with them.  If your roll on the powerup chart is because of a respawn, you may not select The Blue Shell.

Okay, that was a long read!  Tomorrow I'll post how the adventure went.  Have a read-through and let me know if I missed anything or any suggestions you may have.

WHFB: Don't Forget!

The most difficult thing for me right now in Fantasy is remembering all the stuff that's going on.  I played a game last night in which a highly annoying unit of 30 White Lions with a BSB and level 4 Life Mage just would not die.  At one point I got them down to 4 models, but the mage just used Regrowth and got them back.  I could have slowed this down but I made a crucial mistake.

I forgot that even if you don't have any casters you can use power dice in your phase to dispel effects.  I could have been using that to shut down the Throne of Vines so that he could have cast fewer spells that round.  So if you run out of casters, make sure you make the most of it and dispel what you can with your power dice.  You only have to meet the base casting value which for Throne is 8.  If you're a Dwarf player you especially cannot forget this.

On a side note, Life magic is proportionately better the more expensive and elite your troops are, which makes it perfect for High Elves.

I also forgot that the Storm Banner affects fliers.  He shouldn't have been able to fly his eagle around but I completely forgot that.  It didn't matter as I chopped it up pretty quickly.  I also did all my shooting before remembering to check if the Storm Banner ended.  It did, but if it hadn't I would have had to redo the whole shooting phase.

It might be helpful for me to write a little cheat sheet so I can remember things like "ring the Bell" or "Storm Banner is up" and such like that.

Also, we had a Temple of Skulls and I had a Warlock Engineer get up to S6 and 3 wounds before he got greedy and was sucked into the warp.  Too bad he never got to fight, but his Doomrocket took out tons of guys.

In other news I've got a huge backlog of commissions.  I'm working on two Venomthropes.  After that I've got a huge pile of Dark Angels tanks.  Furthermore, my second child should be born sometime this week.  Busy busy busy!

Island of Blood Command Groups

Here's the command groups for the Island of Blood.  There's a lot of pictures and the weather outside was partially overcast with winds so the light was constantly changing.  I was too impatient to wait so the photographic quality is not my usual standard but since it's Skaven we'll just blame someone else for casting Howling Warpgale outside.

I don't know how this guy can hold his standard up.

I particularly like this musician model.  I painted the rat a light gray because it reminded me of the Grey Seer on the Screaming Bell, so this is kind of a parody of that model.

I need to figure out a way to make the markings more visible with the black and white.  I may need to designate a circular space or something.

The hardest part wasn't the quartered scheme but making sure the runes were in the same place on opposite sides.

I used a touch of a verdigris wash that I mixed myself on the bronze bells (and champion helmets).

I've only painted a few of the rank and file troops.

Completed Doomwheel

Of all the models I have ever painted, this one was possibly the most complex.  There are so many surfaces, inside and out that make this a difficult model.  I had to pretty much paint everything separate from each other.  I'm still not satisfied with the base, I need to add some stuff to it as it is kind of boring. 

I considered rusting up the blades but I kind of like it as is.  I can always go back and add it.

I'm also not satisfied with the banner.  I may end up redoing it later.

Interior detail.  I tried a glow effect on the eyes.  It came out better than my other attempts but I still need practice with the technique.

Frequent Internet Spelling Mistakes: Horde vs. Hoard

Here we go with one of the most frequent mistakes.  First off, this is a hoard:

And this is a horde:

Now if you're hoarding hordes, that's horrible.  Don't be a horde hoarder.  And don't mix the two up.


Images shamelessly stolen from teh Interwebz, the Ork army is from Dakka and it is pretty great looking!