Got in a classic-painted Orcs army-- clean and bright. Well-organized. Sails past 3000 pts.
Cost is $610
Pics here
Limited availability, limited time.
Put them all on magnetized movement trays for +$120.
Here's a sample list that sails easily past the 3000 pts mark:
3000 Pts - Orcs & Goblins Roster - Classic Orcs
Great Shaman (1#, 225 pts)
1 Night Goblin Great Shaman, 225 pts (Size Matters - Goblins; Level 4 Upgrade; Hand Weapon; Fear Elves; Hates Dwarves)
1 Feedback Scroll
Warboss (1#, 200 pts)
1 Orc Warboss, 200 pts (Choppas; General; Size Matters - Orcs; Waaagh!; Hand Weapon; Light Armour)
1 Basha's Axe of Stunty Smashin'
1 Enchanted Shield
1 Talisman of Endurance
Great Shaman (1#, 250 pts)
1 Orc Great Shaman, 250 pts (Choppas; Size Matters - Orcs; Level 4 Upgrade; Hand Weapon)
1 Siverjir's Hex Scroll
Big Boss (1#, 75 pts)
1 Orc Big Boss, 75 pts (Choppas; Size Matters - Orcs; Hand Weapon; Spear; Light Armour; Shield)
1 War Boar (Swiftstride)
Shaman (1#, 85 pts)
1 Night Goblin Shaman, 85 pts (Size Matters - Goblins; Level 2 Upgrade; Hand Weapon; Fear Elves; Hates Dwarves)
Boyz Mob (20#, 155 pts)
19 Orc Boyz, 155 pts (Choppas; Size Matters - Orcs; Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Light Armour)
1 Orc Boss (Choppas; Hand Weapon; Light Armour)
Boyz Mob (20#, 155 pts)
19 Orc Boyz, 155 pts (Choppas; Size Matters - Orcs; Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Light Armour)
1 Orc Boss (Choppas; Hand Weapon; Light Armour)
Boyz Mob (20#, 155 pts)
19 Orc Boyz, 155 pts (Choppas; Size Matters - Orcs; Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Light Armour)
1 Orc Boss (Choppas; Hand Weapon; Light Armour)
Spider Rider Mob (10#, 160 pts)
9 Forest Goblin Spider Riders, 160 pts (Size Matters - Goblins; Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Spear; Shield; Fast Cavalry; Fear Elves)
1 Spider Rider Boss (Hand Weapon; Spear; Shield)
10 Giant Spider (Poisoned Attacks; Swiftstride)
Spider Rider Mob (10#, 160 pts)
9 Forest Goblin Spider Riders, 160 pts (Size Matters - Goblins; Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Spear; Shield; Fast Cavalry; Fear Elves)
1 Spider Rider Boss (Hand Weapon; Spear; Shield)
10 Giant Spider (Poisoned Attacks; Swiftstride)
Night Goblin Mob (43#, 260 pts)
40 Night Goblins, 260 pts (Size Matters - Goblins; Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Nets; Hand Weapon; Spear; Shield; Fear Elves; Hates Dwarves)
3 Fanatics
Night Goblin Mob (23#, 200 pts)
20 Night Goblins, 200 pts (Size Matters - Goblins; Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Nets; Hand Weapon; Spear; Shield; Fear Elves; Hates Dwarves)
3 Fanatics
Night Goblin Mob (23#, 135 pts)
20 Night Goblins, 135 pts (Size Matters - Goblins; Hand Weapon; Shield; Fear Elves; Hates Dwarves)
3 Fanatics
Trolls (4#, 140 pts)
4 Trolls, 140 pts (Hand Weapon; Causes Fear; Immune to Psychology; Regenerate; Stomp; Stupid)
Chariot (1#, 85 pts)
1 Orc Boar Chariot, 85 pts (Chariot; Scythed Wheels)
2 War Boar (Swiftstride)
2 Orc Crew (Choppas; Size Matters - Orcs; Hand Weapon; Spear)
Chariots (1#, 50 pts)
1 Goblin Wolf Chariot, 50 pts (Chariot; Scythed Wheels)
3 Goblin Crew (Size Matters - Goblins; Hand Weapon; Short Bow; Spear; Fear Elves)
2 Giant Wolf (Swiftstride)
Shooty Things (4#, 35 pts)
1 Goblin Spear Chukka, 35 pts
3 Goblin Crew (Size Matters - Goblins; Hand Weapon; Fear Elves)
Shooty Things (4#, 35 pts)
1 Goblin Spear Chukka, 35 pts
3 Goblin Crew (Size Matters - Goblins; Hand Weapon; Fear Elves)
Giant (1#, 200 pts)
1 Giant, 200 pts (Causes Terror; Ignore Greenskin Panic; Large Target; Stubborn; Thunder Stomp)
Giant (1#, 200 pts)
1 Giant, 200 pts (Causes Terror; Ignore Greenskin Panic; Large Target; Stubborn; Thunder Stomp)
Validation Report:
Edition: 8th Edition; Game Type: Normal Game; Army Subtype: Orc & Goblin Horde
Roster satisfies all enforced validation rules
Composition Report:
Points of Lords: 675 (0 - 750)
Points of Heroes: 160 (0 - 750)
Points of Core: 1380 (750 - Unlimited)
Points of Special: 345 (0 - 1500)
Points of Rare: 400 (0 - 750)
Total Roster Cost: 2960
Created with Army Builder® - Try it for free at http://www.wolflair.com
Classic Orcs SOLD!
Borka...success!! (guest article)
Today we had a local 25 point tournament. Although my computer had a bit of a spazz attack and deleted my previous report, I'll give you a brief writeup and look into the lists I took.
Firstly, it was a 2 list event, so even though 25 points is a very small amount of points, you have to look at it and make sure you have two contrasting lists you can use that cover each others weaknesses. Because of the small point limit and the local-ness of the event, I decided to give Borka another shot as well as Grim, a Caster I like but just doesn't fell right.
List 1:
Borka
*Axer
*Mauler
Min Champions
*Skaldi Bonehammer
Trollkin Champion Hero
Min Krielstone.
So, the brick was back. Def 15 Arm 20 Champions are tough nuts to crack, combined with wind wall (all ranged shooting that is non magical misses) means they really weren't hurt until they saw combat. This meant I could trundle up the field, not worry too much about blast damage and get stuck in with some sneaky counter charging shenanigans from Skaldi too. The real point to this list was what I would like to call the Borka Catapult:
Keg Carrier tops off Borka for 7 Fury total and no-knock downs
Mauler advances 5.5”, has the Axers'axersanimus if he needs an extra 2”
Casts Rage animus on self (+3 STR)
Buys a power attack in Borkas rear, 6 to hit and boosts the roll, 95% chance to hit
Automatically wins strength test and Throws Borka 7.5” (plus 2 for Borkas base size) giving him essentially a 9.5” advance
Generally this throw will only do 3 or so damage to him
Borka Pops feat and charges something with a 13” threat range. Has a total of 8 Attacks at PS 15
Furthermore, the beautiful thing about this is you can cast mosh pit for knockdown on your weapon, you could cast the maulers animus on yourself for PS 18 or if things are looking pear shaped, you can iron flesh up to a respectable def 17 and stumbling. Not bad for a drunkard.
The only real thing that was missing here was a fell caller to give him a potential mat 9. Mat 7 isn't the best against warcasters where you are usually needing 8+ to hit, especially when boosting attacks takes away your fury and makes him more and more vulnerable. Mat 9 is a HUGE increase and really increases his output.
The beautiful thing is, this gives Borka essentially a 21+ inch threat range, and more like 30 inches on a good day from where the Mauler is!! If there is one thing this game makes you realise, its that it is never really over until the fat lady sings... or you step out of the kill box :
My other list was:
Grim Angus
*Impaler
*Bomber
Fell Caller
Max Burrowers
Min Long Riders
This is a very different army to grim, a lot revolves around utilizing his feat and accuracy to help other units like the powerful bomber hit, the cavalry's impact be THAT much better and the assassination potential is still there, just in a different form. Also, the list has much better speed and alpha strike than the Borka list and tended to cover its weakness.
3/5 Games I played Borka, and 3/3 of those games I tossed a fully buffed up Borka into their lines. 3/3 of those games I won, because it was such an out of the blue tactic no-one saw coming. I love Warmachine!
Borka catapult complete, next project is Grissel.
Cheers!
James
__________________________________
I wanted to comment on something I spotted in the "Borka... Success" article. I don't mean to discredit anybody, but it's something with the rules, and as you said you'd play more Warmachine, I think you might want to know.
The author wrote about a "Borka catapult", which, in essence, involves pumping the caster and then extending his threat range by 6" through throwing him with a warbeast, before he himself activates and charges.
That does not work. The Prime: Mark II rulebook clearly states that a model which is immune to knockdown is knocked down, it isn't - but if that model still activates during the same turn it would have been knocked down, it has to forfeit movement or action. He therefore would not have been able to charge.
I don't have a page reference, though, but if you have the rule book, just check the index in the back (which is the best thing about it ;-)).
Hope it helps,
yours,
Martin
_________________________________________
Hi Shawn,
Magnetic Movement Trays
I now have the trays available for sale on the website. Remember, you need metal plates to put them on the bottoms of your models so they will stick.
Automated checkout.
Check them out.
Also got a limited run of shirts coming in about week.
BTP Shirt #1
This is a mockup, not available for sale yet. We are taking pre-orders at $20 per shirt.
Interview with West Coast Hammer
I did an interview for a podcast, here it is on iTunes
http://itunes.apple.com/us/
Privateer Press News
Its a great time to commision a privateer press army!
http://privateerpress.com/
Two Armies
Got a Dark Elves force on the block for $975. Limited time.
And an Orcs and Goblins force on the block for $750. Limited time.
Orcs are here in separate lots. Take all of them for the flat amount.
PS- all caught up on my emails. Just waiting for your order.
Rethinking Borka (guest article)
Time for a rethink Borka....
by James M.
In my last article I discussed many different aspects of warmahordes, including:
List Design based on caster type
Multiple list design and purpose for tournaments/scenarios
Covering weaknesses
Timed turns
So I played two games with the list I designed and a slight variation on it. I have to say, I think Borka is really a brick caster a heart. His spell list encourages bricking up with a unit of champions and stone as your core with some supporting units that are hard to touch. His feat turn is quite situational and underwhelming, especially with such a small control range. I'm sorry Borka, I love you, but for the moment you will be going back on the shelf. Hence, today I will address the importance of list design and multiple lists in tournaments/scenarios.
One of the beautiful things about Warmahordes, for those that don't know, is that it is actually made for tournaments and has a specific tournament pack (steamroller) written by the makers (Privateer Press). Companies like Games Workshop have openly admitted their game is not designed as a competitive game but rather for casual gamers who enjoy a bash on the weekend in their garage. Fine. If you believe you can only make a game for casual play, don’t complain when it is a part of your demise.
Back on track, the steamroller pack is based on a simple square numbers system. If there are 16 players, you play four rounds to eventually have 1 overall winner, if 32, five rounds etc etc. There are also a variety of around 20 well balanced scenarios that provide a huge change of pace to the game and the level of tactics. Having a scenario win or a caster kill win also compensates for potential bad match ups (e.g. a shooty Cygnar army comes up against an all stealthed Cryx army).
However, one of the major balancing issues is dual or more army lists. The steamroller pack allows players to bring up to 2 different lists from the same faction. This is huge and allows for a huge breadth in tactics both on and off the board. I'll go over these briefly...
Army Variety. One of my top two lists is an epic Madrak infantry heavy, fast moving list that is great at scenarios and brings a huge amount of pure damage. However it has potentially bad match ups such as the old witch and the Harbringer (that just EAT infantry alive) hence, my 2nd list is a low model count beast heavy list run by epic Doomshaper. The Harbringers feat just doesn’t scare him at all!
You always stand a chance! Unlike in other systems where you might groan at a particular matchup and have to play for a draw or a small loss, you can always pick a list where you don’t have to stand back and play stand-offishly when your army is always about getting stuck in.
Cover your match ups You can design lists that can beat swaths of infantry, heavy jacks, contest scenarios and still have potential to assassinate!
You are rewarded for playing hard players! You get more 'tournament points' for playing players who do well and always have the potential to loose a game and come back!
Which leads me to my final point. For our premiere “Convic” tournament down under, you actually get to take a third caster. I feel as though, whilst not my strongest caster, Grissel Bloodsong excels particularly at not having bad match ups but also dominating scenarios, hence have been playing a lot with her to get her nuances down.
James M.
Looking for Necrons and Eldar
Normal trade-in rate = 20-30% for credit.
Looking for Necrons and Eldar. Trading them at 55% Need to move quickly.
Currently doing 60% for War Machine and Hordes. On the hunt specifically for Khador, Trollbloods, Everblight, and Cygnar. Also need a few hardback (softcover OK) War Machine rulebooks, and a Retribution book. And generally softcover books.
I got a LOT to trade and can (more easily) get you just whatever you want by ordering it.
Flower Bed
Yesterday morning (Saturday) I got on my scoutmaster uniform and headed downtown Spanish Fork with my wife and a handful of cub scouts (including my own son).
It is spring flower-planting. The various wards are called on to plant all the flowerbeds down main street. The city provided a sheet of paper showing where to plant the seedlings in the long oval bed.
After that I headed to the studio. I was going to do a War Machine batrep but I couldn't find the rulebooks I needed, Mike D. didn't show up (I think he told me Saturday was a no-go and I just forgot). I'm missing like over $200 worth of rulebooks. I managed to find a few hardbacks with an artist (I gave her permission but forgot).
I get a lot done on Saturday. No distractions. Assembly is all prepped for the coming week.
So, instead of a War Machine batrep we headed up to the local game shop (Renn, James, and I) to pick up War Machine models and get started. I've got my beloved TEAL Retribution army (but no book!) so I'm set to go. Got Mike bringing in two War Machine armies on Monday.
I got home around 7pm, rang the doorbell and got my two sons out front pulling up dandelions. At least the vestiges of dandelions. We go out every day and rip up even the sproutlings. I will not give them a chance.
My wife was at a vegan cooking class. Or I guess food preparation since they don't cook things.
I took my beloved four children to a jumping inflatable playground thing. My daughter pulled five stuffed animals from one of those claw machines, one after another. Great, now the kids think they can win those things (we normally forbid them). I asked the attendant if that was normal and she said that it was unusual to get even one.
We swung by Wal Mart and picked up BBQ fixins. Hamburgers and hot dogs. In fact I cooked me up a hamburger when I got home. Then good night for me. Home sweet home.
It is now Sunday morning. I'm in bed with wife and two boys watching an episode of Dr. Who (Amy's Choice).
Saturday Ho Hum
I'm at the studio. It's Saturday. I'm just waiting for your email or call. I'm ready to set up new projects.
If you want to contact me for any reason:
- Email at bluetablepainting@gmail.com
- Phone number is (801) 372-8545
- Facebook ID is bluetablepainting http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=633040196
- Google Chat ID is bluetablepainting
- Skype ID is bluetablepainting
Looking for Warmahordes
Normal trade-in rate = 20-30% for credit.
Currently doing 60% for War Machine and Hordes. On the hunt specifically for Khador, Trollbloods, Everblight, and Cygnar. Also need a few hardback (softcover OK) War Machine rulebooks, and a Retribution book. And generally softcover books.
PS- desperately need a Cryx book.
I got a LOT to trade and can (more easily) get you just whatever you want by ordering it.
Trollblood List Design : Borka Kegslayer (guest article)
Hi Shawn,
by James M.
In this series, I plan to look at list design for different Troll casters. What kind of army do you want to run? What complements them? What is the most rewarding style for you to play?
Currently in my preparation for one of the premiere Australian Tournaments: Convic, I am in the process of designing Three 50 point lists. I am sure of my first two casters: Epic Madrak and Epic Hoarluk Doomshaper (Which I will go into detail about another time) but the third is giving me some strife. I have an infantry all rounded list (eMadrak) with a lot of hitting power. I have a Fast moving assassination beast army with a low model count (eDoomshaper) which leaves me with wanting to fill in the void: a scenario specifically for casters. Now I know I’ve just opened the gate for thousands of different articles regarding list building, list design and approach, scenario considerations, complementing army lists and even meta gaming which I will get around to in future articles!
So this has left me with a choice. The three casters I’m looking at are Calandra, Grissel and Borka. Calandra is a fantastic caster however I have an infantry heavy list with eMadrak. Grissel is an incredible scenario caster, however in timed turns, she also runs a lot of infantry and getting the most out of them within the time limit can sometimes be a push!
This leaves me with Borka Kegslayer, Head Troll Drunkard. Grim and Gunnbjorn aren't really my style, shooting around the back and fluffing around, I prefer to get stuck in and put the pressure on early: exactly what Borka does. In my mind, there are two types of Borka lists you can take. Lets take a look at why this is so.
Borka is a Melee beat stick Whilst only a 5 Fury Caster on paper, he is actually a 7 fury Caster in disguise. His little companion is an absolute gem, gives him an additional two fury (up to 7), Immune to Knock Down (making killing him just so much harder) and Stumbling Drunk (my favorite). When Borka is hit in combat, he will scatter d3 inches in a random direction. This is incredible, it means to potentially kill Borka, the enemy will have to surround him to ensure he doesn't run away from the fight accidentally!
On top of that,Borka has a solid defense 14 and Armour 17. Unyielding buffs this up to 19 in combat (21 if you take a Krielstone, more Armour than a Khador Jack) which makes him a pretty tough nut to crack and won't be seeing insane amounts of damage put on him in one turn. Couple this with transfers, a bunch of fury for attacks and his potential spell lists sees the drunkard as one of the hardest in the game to kill.
His Spell list is small, but solid. They include:
Iron Flesh: +3 Def but -1 Spd (Def 17 Borka anyone?)
Wind Wall: All non-magical shooting within 3” misses
Mosh Pit: All weapons within his control (10) gain knockdown
Feat: +2 Spd for faction models beginning charges in his control and additional dice on power attack damage rolls and collateral for warbeasts!
What a great and versatile spell list. In my mind this plays two ways. One you can buff and castle up you tough Champion Brick with def 15, arm 20 and no shooting and slowly trudge up the field, or you can put the pressure on early and run run run!
Whilst having tried the brick, and it is efficient, my style is early pressure and lots of fighting! So I’ve tried a new method in list development. Take stuff that is fast, in your face, hard to hit, takes advantage of his feat and puts the pressure on! With this in mind, the following list I have drafted up will spend a lot of time Iron Fleshing and Mosh pitting, with less use for Wind Wall.
Borka Kegslayer – the man himself
*Mauler – Fantastic beast for Borka, great charge, chain attack + Knockdown = success and a fantastic animus to boot!
*Slag Troll – 2 pow 12+4d6 shots at a knocked down unliving model from mosh pit to finish things off and another fantastic animus to boot? Yes please!
Fell Caller – Classic Troll Toolbox!
Horthol – Fast and very Cavalry like
Stone Scribe Chronicler – Iron Flesh and his Tale of Mist nets a +5 Defense against ranged... who needs wind wall when your wall of cavalry are def 17!
5 Long Riders – Charging 12” on feat turn with multitude of accurate attacks? Yes please!
10 Fennblades + UA – A potential 15” threat range on feat turn? I'll take that too!
This left me with 9 points left. In keeping with moving fast and hitting hard, I wanted some more units that can dish out the pain against knocked down targets.. I'm not convinced on these last 5 points but will trial it and see how it goes
6 Pyg Burrowers – these guys need no introduction, an absolute nightmare to deal with and knockdown allows their terrible Mat to be nullified.
6 Scouts – Advanced deploy and pathfinder, these guys can roll up a flank unharmed and hit surprisingly hard.
I'm considering swapping these guys out for a swamp troll and few other defensive measures but will give it some testing. Looking forward to the next list building article and feel free to e-mail me at jjaammeess@gmail.com with any Trollblood list building questions you have.
The State of Competitive Gaming in Australia- Guest Article
Opinion
By James M.
Since the release of WHFB 8th Edition in Australia almost 12 months ago, competitive war gaming in Australia has undergone drastic change. One year ago, no-one would have predicted a such a change would occur in such a short time. From premiere tournaments selling out in a matter of hours to struggling to obtain 20% of last years numbers, it has been a depressing and demotivating time for many gamers and consequently hobbyists Down Under, but hope is on the horizon and is sailing in aboard S.S Privateer Press.
But let me give you a brief background about myself. My name is James M. and I'm a 4th year Honours Music and Commerce Student at the Australian National University. Having dabbled in Warhammer Fantasy as a young teenager (Empire and High Elves) I gave the game up for most of school. It was only when grabbing for cash as a university student and pulling my old high elves out that my love for the hobby was rekindled. I went to sell them at a local gaming night, but instead found myself pouring through the Wood Elf and Lizardmen book for hours and eventually spending 2009 and the first half of 2010 painting up my Lizardmen and hitting the tournament scene, making the chance to Dark Elves and Daemons for the latter half and Attending the Australian Masters in late 2010.
However, lets backtrack for a moment. In July 2010, I attended “Convic” In Melbourne. A 100 Player tournament not only did it prove to be a fantastic bonding weekend for all the local players, but was by far my most successful weekend of gaming in the tournament year. At heart, I'm a competitive gamer, so you can imagine the glee I felt inside as on table 3, the last roll of the game versus an intimidating Australian ETC player came up a 6 to pop the final wound off the Greater Deamon of Khorne and secure me a 15-5 win and an overall 3rd/100 placing. Little did I know with such great success and a weekend full of epic stories, only a severe contrast was to come.
Being the final 7th edition tournament, 8th edition hit full swing and the first premiere tournament of 8th edition in August of 2010 hit, “The Pilgrimage” In Sydney’s West Attracted a solid 80 people. Once again, the games were fierce, dice were rolled and there was much war gaming chatter... but something was missing... “Mother of all Battles” and “Orktoberfest” came round and we saw a 50% drop in numbers.. what was happening to a previously unstoppable force?!
“I Love Warhammer” I thought... this can't be happening.. my friends, the game I love, all slowly disintegrating right before me. I thought for days, weeks and months until I realised... 8th edition was a shot duck for competitive gamers. When 8th edition first came out, I was buzzing with excitement! “They've done it! They've fixed the game, balanced the books, its amazing!” but after playing a few games, and by a few I mean almost a hundred, the buzz was still missing. The spells aren't that bad, the strategy still exists.. so what is it?
The game is unrewarding.
I found myself apologising to players after games... “I'm sorry about that dice roll”. You shouldn't have to say that after one in ten games, let alone one in three. The Australian Masters tipped it for me, after playing an almost perfect game three times, one crazy dice roll tipped the game on its head.
And that’s fine for casual gaming! But for competitive gaming, its a big nono. Games Workshop has always said they have never intended for their games to be so competitive... but there is no reason they cannot be casual AND competitive I felt let down by a company I had supported and loved for so long.
Consequently, Australia has seen an exodus of people switching. Of the previous top 25, approximately 20 of them have made the switch to Privateer Press's Warmachine/Hordes. Whilst a bit late for the bandwagon, I jumped onboard with Trollbloods in December 2010 and have never looked back since. The Background is fantastic, the fluff is phenomenal and the gameplay is one of, if not the most competitive games I’ve ever played on the tabletop! Luck has very little to do with execution of tactics and you actually feel great after coming off a 'brink of destruction' win or loss! The rush of timed turns and such fluid gameplay mechanics is an exhilaration I’d never felt before when my Daemons munched through the side of an unaware opponent.
With the recent price increases and restrictions on independent stockists selling and distributing to Australasia coupled with the moronic lack of awareness of exchange rates, I have not looked back to Games Workshop since jumping ship and these recent announcements confirms my beliefs even more so.
So where does this leave us? Don't get me wrong, I wish the Warhammer Fantasy 8th edition community in Australia nothing but success, but the glory days are over. No-longer will tournaments sell out in record time and go from strength to strength attracting numbers in the hundreds. For competitive play, you cannot look past Warmachine and Hordes and I hope we grow to attract the scene we once had!
See you in the Iron Kingdoms and For Kith and Kriel!
James M. a.k.a. Crono
Australian Correspondent
Orcs on the Block
Orc army on the block. Whole bulk rate is $750 for the next 20 hours (until Friday evening). Otherwise you can pick up the various lots individually as you please.
Bitcoin?
What is this? A letter from a reader.
Firewood
Saturday night I headed out with my lovely wife on a date. We had some Italian food then saw Thor. That's the second time for me.
Sunday was the typical. I slept in, watched like three episodes of Shark Tank with my wife. We are fascinated with that program. It speaks to me. I also can't stand people who won't give a straight answer, and no powers of self-examination.
Makes me wonder if I'm that way, but don't realize it. I guess that's why I have my darling wife-- to help me see the situation as it really is.
If I could have a power it would be the ability to evaluate things properly-- to see the real value of things, people, talents and resources.
Seven years ago I looked out over the valley and made the mistake of asking God for wealth. Well, not money per se but a slice of the resources. I wanted to able a steward; an administrator. And guess what? That's when my lessons began. The best way to learn how to manage resources is to be poor, to struggle. I wasn't ready seven years ago. I couldn't receive something good because I wouldn't have handled it very well. I still don't think I'm there, or if I even want to be there. On the one hand I realized that material resources represent risk and stress. If you don't own anything then no one can take it away. But that's a terrible way to think. More resources means that I can do more things. I can be more useful to the community.
The best thing I can do for someone is to develop them as a professional, and to some extent as a person so they are ready to receive something good. I don't know how to describe it well. There is a preparation period that has to happen in order to handle a blessing.
| 7 | Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: |
| 8 | for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. |
| 9 | Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? |
| 10 | Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? |
| 11 | If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? |
| 12 | Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. |
I don't give my kids ice cream for breakfast. It's bad for them. Likewise, I often wonder if what I ask from God is really in my best interest. I wish I could understand better what to ask for.
The Mormons have a saying: Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven. While that may be true, it's my experience that (in addition to that) "Asking brings forth the blessings of heaven." But be careful what you ask for! Don't think I'm knocking the idea of personal sacrifice. After all, I gave up video games for my business, for example. Not a very good example, maybe, but it was something.
Training is a gift. Preparation is a gift. Lessons from God are a gift. These three things come usually in the form of hardship. Often in the form of other humans.
Back to sacrifice. Throughout history people have gone absolutely nuts about sacrifice. The Aztecs for example. I guess the end of that road is to start sacrificing children, which is an unthinkable horrific-ness. Or jump bodily into a cenote. The idea that you have to give something up to get something can end very badly. That's what is so great about Jesus Christ-- a last and final sacrifice. Like God saying "will you people quit it already!" Now there's a new deal (the new testament, new covenant): ask and ye shall receive. But there's a caveat on that. A sports car won't drop out of the sky. Only something that is truly good for you. No ice cream for breakfast.
The sacrifice required now is a "broken heart and a contrite spirit". To me, this means to get to a point where I realize that I have nothing. No bartering with God. No deals. Only ready to receive something great, something fantastic beyond reckoning. Like giving a child some M&Ms "No, put out both hands. No, wider!" And just say thank you.
In the next life the walls come down and unlimited possibilities open up. Some souls, with self-assigned guilt, will create awful places like hell-worlds and then start to work themselves over in horrific fashion. This will be in reaction to self-revelation. Others will create communities based on their mutual desires, paradises to be enjoyed from the heart as they grow closer and closer to the galactic core. That's the tragic danger of letting people get what they want, what they really want. The whole galaxy, and layers upon layers in that galaxy will all be ours, unlimited space and unlimited potential. That's a risky brew.
This is why lessons of how to manage resources coupled with lessons on how to treat other people are so important. To learn sympathy. That's been my great lesson of earth life: that I truly am helpless before my earthly/personal faults. I'm not so high and mighty any more. I see my fellow humans more sympathetically. There are still some few people that I don't want to be around, so I'm not sure what to think of that. But for the most part I'm more curious than condescending these days. I think God is amused and pleased by his children. Maybe I'm reading that off my own children. I smile at their mistakes and try and help them learn to do better; to carry themselves with competence and confidence.
Watching the movie Thor I thought, is Asgard real? (Now I'm out there, right?) I mean it is really on a computer server somewhere. It's a real sequence of computer code. But I experienced it. I saw it on a screen. Somebody made it up. That was something at least-- to see it. What if it were possible to actually insert a consciousness into programmed world that was entirely realistic. Yes, I saw The Matrix. What if the whole universe is like that? What if the soul is just a projectable organism that goes into a world that God "creates" through means of (what appears to be) a physical body?
Well, that was quite a ramble. Just some thoughts. I'm not saying I have some special insight. Maybe I'm actually a little slow on the uptake!
Ingrate
An ingrate is someone who has something good or gets something good but does not appreciate it. Doesn't realize it. Doesn't say thank you. Maybe even complains. I'm working on being less of an ingrate.
Is worrying a form of faithlessness? By wringing my hands all the time am I being ungrateful? Unable to enjoy good things because I'm always worried about this or that.
Right now I couldn't be happier. I love my kids. I can't get enough of my wife. My house is cold, my shower is hot. I'm eating fresh-grilled burgers in the Utah spring.
Often when I've asked God for something I get a struggle. I get blessed twice. Once with the adventure of achieving whatever it is, and another time with the actual thing.
If you chop your own firewood it will warm you twice.
PS- when I write these sorts of blog posts I'm always a bit embarrassed. I don't think they are written well and I think I may come off as moralizing. That's certainly not my intent. I just barf out whatever is on my mind. I realize I can't be right all the time.
Drumming my fingers
Just waiting by my email Inbox. Ready to set up new projects now for completion in June.
OK, now it's later. Renn is here and we're making army lists, getting ready for the match.
Dead Sexy: Voidraven
Venom is out, too. I know what I'm getting next. June.
Time to make "The Shiv", a venom-heavy Dark Eldar army.
Blue Table Painting is not affiliated with Games Workshop. We make no claim to own this photo.
Sculptor Imminent
Our Sculptor (Mike E.) is coming on Monday, May 23. He'll be ready for projects out of the gate. Specialty parts and even whole models.
Ice Cold Fury
While campaigning for Mike Lee (now Senator) I met a few of his staff. Apparently one of them remembered me when I sent in an email. I have to say that was really super. Here's the letter that I wrote.
I've wanted for a while to write a letter, and just never seemed like it was "official" enough. So here goes.
I want something as a citizen: for the Federal Government to be shrunk down to about 2% of GDP. To fill only the most basic and strictest interpretation of its enumerated powers.
I want the income and corporate taxes to be abolished completely. Reduced to 0%. The Federal Gov't should be run on "other" taxes only which should come to about $200B per year (current dollars). Or less!
I am a small business owner. My employees are bleeding to death from taxation. Employer side taxes keep wages down and prices up.
The tax accountants I have to hire (on account of the code being 72,000 pages long) at $75 an hour cuts into what would otherwise go into the pockets of the workers.
I have to spend about forty hours a year keeping records so that I can prove my innocence just in case a low-level IRS bureaucrat decides to drop by. It is a false economy. By the time a business like mine is audited a man like me will have spent 1,200 hours just filing paperwork. By the time I die this system will have sucked out one full year of my life in just record-keeping. I am being deprived... of... my... life!
This is a form of involuntary servitude. I protest under the 13th amendment! I am coerced under threat of having my property and liberty taken from me by men with guns; threat of physical force. I have already lost part of my life. Who is going to pay me for the 160 man-hours I've spent under regulatory burden?
And not to mention the insult. I am frankly insulted that the Federal Gov't thinks that my finances are their business. I don't care if it's a dollar in taxes. My papers and personal effects are my business, no one else's. There are no less than four tax accountants that rummage through my numbers and accounts in order to keep me safe.
At the airport I am scanned down to my skin. On a recent trip the lock on my luggage was broken off (destruction of property) and my belongings rifled through and some things broken. Where are my fourth amendment rights?
This whole wretched condition must change. It can't change soon enough. Any steps in the right direction are appreciated. I am ready to fight through every peaceful means to see it changed. I am rounding up good men of like mind to support solid, constitutionalist candidates these coming years.
In short, I am flying my flag for my constitutional rights. That's all I want. I want to be free. No man should have to serve another man without his consent.
It may be that I am only a slim minority of people who wants this. I guess we'll find out. But in the meantime I have to do what I can to move the country in that direction.
Shawn
As a supplemental note, here is a quote for one of my favorite books, "Leave Us Alone" by Grover Norquist:
"If the business community increated its political activism to the point where it simply invested in politics rasionally-- as it invests in normal business activity [for example: investing in a security system to prevent theft]-- it would dwarf all other political spending and sweep all political opponents before it"
New Dark Eldar
GW put up four new Dark Eldar releases today. All of them brilliant.
I got the new DE sheet up. Ready to go.
All costs are for finished product, everything provided/assembled/painted
Box of 5x Scourges $94
Talos $104
Cronos $104
Venom $85
Argument against Gold
A reader sent in this link. As you all know I am a proponent of commodity-backed currency and competing currency. However, I sure do like to hear counter-arguments and here it is. Would anyone like to email me a link to a counter-counter-argument?
All that Glitters...
High Elves List
Here is the list that Josh used in our game.
2500 Pts - High Elves Roster
Lothern Sea Guard (20#, 285 pts)
19 Lothern Sea Guard, 285 pts (Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Bow; Spear; Light Armour; Shield)
1 Sea Master (Hand Weapon; Bow; Spear; Light Armour; Shield)
Lothern Sea Guard (24#, 342 pts)
23 Lothern Sea Guard, 342 pts (Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Bow; Spear; Light Armour; Shield)
1 Sea Master (Hand Weapon; Bow; Spear; Light Armour; Shield)
1 Scarecrow Banner
Archmage (1#, 300 pts)
1 Archmage, 300 pts (General; Level 4 Upgrade; Hand Weapon)
1 Sigil of Asuryan
Caradryan (1#, 175 pts)
1 Caradryan, Captain of the Phoenix Guard, 175 pts (Heavy Armour; Causes Fear; Magic Resistance (3))
1 The Phoenix Blade
Mage (1#, 150 pts)
1 Mage, 150 pts (Level 2 Upgrade; Hand Weapon)
1 Jewel of the Dusk
Noble (1#, 143 pts)
1 Noble (Battle Standard Bearer), 143 pts (Always Strikes Last; Hand Weapon; Great Weapon; Battle Standard Bearer)
1 Armour of Caledor
Phoenix Guard (13#, 245 pts)
12 Phoenix Guard, 245 pts (Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Halberd; Heavy Armour; Causes Fear)
1 Keeper of the Flame (Hand Weapon; Halberd; Heavy Armour)
1 War Banner
Lion Chariot of Chrace (5#, 140 pts)
1 Lion Chariot of Chrace, 140 pts (Swift Stride; Chariot)
2 Crew (Always Strikes Last; Hand Weapon; Great Weapon)
2 War Lions (Causes Fear)
Lion Chariot of Chrace (5#, 140 pts)
1 Lion Chariot of Chrace, 140 pts (Swift Stride; Chariot)
2 Crew (Always Strikes Last; Hand Weapon; Great Weapon)
2 War Lions (Causes Fear)
Sword Masters of Hoeth (24#, 440 pts)
23 Sword Masters of Hoeth, 440 pts (Always Strikes Last; Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Great Weapon; Heavy Armour)
1 Bladelord (Always Strikes Last; Hand Weapon; Great Weapon; Heavy Armour)
1 Banner of Sorcery
Noble (1#, 138 pts)
1 Noble, 138 pts (Always Strikes Last; Hand Weapon; Great Weapon)
1 Armour of Silvered Steel
Validation Report:
Edition: 8th Edition; Game Type: Normal Game; Army Subtype: High Elf Army
Roster satisfies all enforced validation rules
Composition Report:
Points of Lords: 300 (0 - 625)
Points of Heroes: 606 (0 - 625)
Points of Core: 627 (625 - Unlimited)
Points of Special: 965 (0 - 1250)
Points of Rare: 0 (0 - 625)
Total Roster Cost: 2498
Created with Army Builder® - Try it for free at http://www.wolflair.com
Empire Core Troop Tactica
Probably not too many people interested in this, but I picked up this article from a forum called Warhammer Empire
Hi Everybody;
So I wanted to find some empire tactica and I came across this site. Pretty cool forum (thanks to whomever started/runs it). I started to read some of the posts and there seems to be this animosity toward Halberdiers. Noticing the last post about this topic was right around when 8th edition came out, its quite possible Halberdiers have been fixed with the new rules. If so, I apologize, please disregard my comments and direct me to the latest thread link.
I'm a budding math-hammer kinda guy. You can bet most game designers are as well especially those who work for GW. So I crunched some numbers and here is what I found. I took an average unit of 20 State Troopers and see how they did statistically.
For all of the examples below, lets assume we are fighting another Empire unit, or an Empire equivalent. I didn't take into account Initiative because no matter where you fall on in striking order, you're going to have at least one or two rounds of fighting at your maximum attacks (unless you get charged by some death star and they wipe you out before you get a chance to strike back, in that case it won't matter anyways)
Enemy Stats:
WS T Sv
3 3 5+
Now since this is an example of killyness, I wont worry about our unit of Empire State Troopers being hit back, we all know how that can go. So we're going to look at each one; Spearmen, Swordsmen, and Halberdiers.
Also, the unit size it 20 models, 5x4
Spearmen
On the Charge
# of Attacks:11
To Hit:4's
To Wound:4's
Armor Sv:5+ (S3 doesn't modify the Sv)
Average Unsaved Wounds: 1.83
Was Charged/Continued Combat
# of Attacks:16
To Hit:4's
To Wound:4's
Armor Sv:5+ (S3 doesn't modify the Sv)
Average Unsaved Wounds: 2.67
As you can tell here, Spearmen perform better as a defensive unit (which is common knowledge)
Swordsmen
On the Charge/Was Charged
# of Attacks:11
To Hit:3's
To Wound:4's
Armor Sv:5+ (S3 doesn't modify the Sv)
Average Unsaved Wounds: 2.44
Now Swordsmen have a shield which gives them a little more survivability, but if it ever had to face something with a WS of 4 - 8, you're going to hit on a 4 (like their spear & halberdier brothers) which negates having a better WS. Now since most of the stuff out there has a WS of 4, all you're Troopers are more then likely going to be hitting on 4's anyways. So the +1 to WS that the Swordsmen is nice, but only when facing units with WS 3 and below. So to give you an idea of if our Swordsman unit faced something with a WS of 4-8, but changing nothing else (ie T and Sv) here's what it would look like.
But what about the +1 to I?
Generally speaking, it is better to go first (or at the same time)
On the Charge/Was Charged
# of Attacks:11
To Hit:4's
To Wound:4's
Armor Sv:5+ (S3 doesn't modify the Sv)
Average Unsaved Wounds: 1.83
(So they perform just as well as charging Spearmen)
Halberdiers
On the Charge/Was Charged
# of Attacks:11
To Hit:4's
To Wound:3's (because of the +1 S from the Halberdier)
Armor Sv:6+ (S4 modifies the Sv by -1)
Average Unsaved Wounds: 3.06
So its pretty obvious that Halberdiers are hardest hitting core unit. Even if we put a unit of Halberdiers up against a unit with a higher WS, they'd still preform the same. There is a lot to be said about +1 S over +1 I & +1 WS +1 SV. Pound for pound, a unit of Halberdiers will kill a unit much faster then a unit of Spearmen or Swordsmen.
Survivability
I've read the arguments about Halberdiers, the best one I can find is giving the Halberdiers the option of upgrading to Heavy Armor. This would be a very nice upgrade as it would increase the survivability of our Halberdiers. But if you gave them Heavy Armor, then they would be more of an elite infantry than a core unit.
When looking at the correlation between Spearmen, Swordsmen, and Halberdiers, they each play a different role;
Spearmen = Defensive
Halberdiers = Offensive
Swordsmen = Little bit of both
Each unit roughly costs the same (5-6 ppm), this is because they're core units. When looking at this through in a game designers eyes, there is only so many roles you can make a core unit fulfill. You can tell they tried to give us options with the three units above. So the reality of the fact is, it all comes down to how you play (and the Empire Army can be played a lot of ways)
So if you're looking for survivability, then a Spearmen or Swordsmen are probably a better choice. If you want raw killy, go with Halberdiers.
Conclusion
Depending on how you play the Empire Army will really tell you what core choices are better. If you play defensively then Halberdiers may not be the choice for you. If you play aggressively then Spearmen probably arnt going to do it for you. Its funny because you can even play aggressively with a defensive army and vice-versa. There are multiple ways of killing the enemy with the Empire. This is quite possibly their greatest strength and their greatest weakness. There really is no single way to play them (unlike WoC or HE).
So I'm fairly certain that Halberdiers are pretty good where they're at. They fulfill a role within the bounds of a unit type. It is quite easy to do poorly with them when not used appropriately. So to call them the weaker of the core units is a mistaken philosophy when you look at the bigger picture.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post.
~Valegorn
Tomb Kings Spreadsheet
Got the Tomb Kings spreadsheet up. I spent the weekend reading the army book. This is one of the most exciting armies out there. So much was added, I'd say it has about double the possibilities now. At least that.
Download the Tomb Kings Spreadsheet
We have a 2000+ pt Tomb Kings army for sale ($1350). I have yet to take pics or document it as I plan on just expanding it unless someone picks it up. Pics
Perfect Heist
What is the best way to steal from someone? Take something they never knew they had? Make it seem voluntary?
Save the dollar?
I want to save this video for later.
Quite simply, my politics are that I don't want someone else controlling my money, controlling my life, controlling my time. I want to reduce the government to about a tenth of the size. I think Moore has it wrong, just like Naomi Klein; "we need an all-powerful government that will just run things right." I say, "Let there not be such power at all."
I have a LOT more to say about this, but it's Monday and the dishware is flying.
Wargamer's Slump- Guest Opinion Article
I have been playing 40k and Warhammer Fantasy my entire gaming career (a whopping three years!) It is the bare bones systems that everybody knows and loves. Good ol’ Space Marines and Bolters, Wizards and Monsters. But, after the release of 8th edition, I was very much disappointed in how the game was heading. There were some changes I was not to happy with and simply ruined the game for me. Some match-ups were just too easy, others were way to hard. Now, I am glad that other people still enjoy fantasy. I, myself, am not even bragging to be an excellent player. I can count the number of tournaments I’ve been too with the fingers on one hand. But after playing my fair share of 8th edition (almost 40 or so games) I’ve had enough.
I took almost four months off of the hobby in general. I just couldn’t get motivated for anything. Partly because I was either getting pants’d by the Purple Sun or I was spanking Wood Elves without even thinking about it and partly because Games Workshop in their infinite wisdom did not release a single 8th ed book within the first nine months of the core games release. Again, I didn’t buy the Orc and Gobbo book nor the Tomb Kings book, because I was just done with being treated like a peasant to the monopolistic king of wargaming. I started an exploration of another game.
I picked up another army for 40k (Tau) to maybe quench my thirst, but it still didn’t seem to satisfy me. I also picked up the old Blood Bowl board game and even spent a good chuck of paycheck on Shadow Forge’s Female GridIron models (Awesome Figs!). Painting up the figs was fun and quick, the game was smart; the keys to success were subtle. Blood Bowl is by far the most fun I had in a “wargame” since my ventures in 7th ed Fantasy. But, the problem was that there was a community I could not really engage with in my immediate community. Most of the players are really good or hard to find, so it’s definitely a struggle for a new person to waltz into the game. Yes, this could be said for any system, but let’s face it, anyone can walk into the Games-Workshop between Victoria’s Secret and Wetzles Pretzles at any experience level and get in a game of 40k/Fantasy. Other systems lack that luxury.
Recently at Adepticon, those that registered early got a swag bag. In mine was a free battle group of Cryx for Warmachine. Sadly, my friend got the same box. DARN PRIVATEER PRESS! WHAT NERVE GIVING US FREE MODELS! It was only recently that I decided to give it a look. It seemed like everything I was looking for in a game. The cards were kind of a turn off, having all the tiny text and stupid symbols, but once I got a copy of the full rules, it seemed a lot less daunting and even less Yu-Gi-Oh-ish.
Reading through this rule book has really changed my outlook at my hobby. Before, I was a Games-Workshop acolyte. Now, I’m pretty jaded at what the Wonka Factory of toy soldiers has done to its community. Privateer press has a beautiful looking book, rules that make sense (and rules that are straight to the point without mounds of flavor text before you get to the rule), and a very unique looking game. Fantasy and even some 40k: it’s pretty bland. It reminds me of any sci-fi or fantasy setting. Now, with the look of Warmahordes, it’s actually pretty stunning of how different it is. I have never even rolled a die for the game yet, but I can’t wait to get my Legion of Everblight Battlegroup painted and on the table. I can’t wait to get my first issue of No Quarter or go looking around town for new game stores that have regular Warmachine nights. I can’t wait to go to tournaments and campaign days for this system. That’s the most important part about whatever game you play: the excitement you have for it.
I’m not saying that Fantasy is horrible or 40k is boring. I don’t even know if I will like Hordes. All I’m saying is that players should play whatever they want to play for whatever reasons. Models, game play, fluff, whatever. But, if you are not happy with your current system, it’s not worth the time and money to stick with it. There are so many options out there. Whatever you want to do can be done, so go grab some models and get gaming.
.
Robert B.
