Graven's Bloggit 4th October, prepare to Enter the Deadzone!

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**monkeytroll**

Looking good, if a bit dark

**inmygravenimage**

I'll have you know this the grimdark photography of tomorrow...
Obviously I meant better pics to follow when I've done the Culexus. Clearly, I am a bit drunk on roast lamb.

**monkeytroll**

Ahhh, that would explain it then. It was the mix of the giant pink fingers and the grimdark style that was throwing me off. Never should have doubted you

And are you sure it was the lamb and not the whiskey you put in the oven then?

**inmygravenimage**

Whisky was last night, single malt Islay Bruclaiddich Organic. Just wine tonight. God, I drink so much more when my parents stay! We went through 3 bottles of wine last night, as well as the uisge beatha.
Incidentally, also got the grey layer done on my base gravel for the remaining TAGK. That is a huge step as I can start building up the remaining colours and add the corpses too.

**Knightley**

Those Assassins are looking amazing mate

**inmygravenimage**

Coming from you my friend, that is high praise indeed.

Back to front; first, some wips of my entry for NF9's squad leader comp here: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/120/477119.page

Many, many, many bits here, Mordheim, Brass etch, pistoliers cloak, Chapterhouse pad... And a really big gun.

Had my first victorious game of SAGA with my mighty Welshmen.
Army List:
Mounted Warlord with Javelin
Hearthguard with Javelins
Mounted Warriors with Javelins
Mounted Warriors with Javelins
Warriors with Javelins
Levy with Bows
Levy with Bows

In SAGA, all units are standard (1pt=4 Hearthguard/8 warriors/12 levy); games are played at 6 pts (warlords are free). Welsh get javelins and choice to mount troops. My opponent was Vikings:

Warlord
Hearthguard x2
Berkserkers (Unique Hearthguard)
Warriors x3 (split into 2 12-man units)

Vikings are, as you'd imagine, very aggressive; Welsh the exact opposite. My successful strategy consisted of sitting in a bog with all my foot troops for most of the game, taking pot shots and hiding, whilst harrying and drawing out his troops with cavalry. It's a fantastic game: Welsh are so mind-bending to play, because you have to draw your opponent to you constantly, without engaging - really sneaky, and very patient. Love it. Check out Gripping Beast's website, and get yourselves some Dark Age love!

**Revenent Reiko**

Looking good graven, i like the little wings! looking forward to seeing some more paint on him

You know, i have been looking through your old posts to try and see what game the Welshman were for and couldnt find it...Dark Age SAGA, right! Google here i come...

Congrats on the win, it sounds like a lot of fun as well! Its always good to try out a different play style as well (in comparison to, say, GK), gets you used to knowing what to expect from an opposing force...know your enemy and all that...

**inmygravenimage**

Thanks mate. Yeah, it's a belter of a game. We had a couple of other mates watching and neither of them really mini fans - Heroclix cos they're a comic couple, more ccg/Rpg (marrieds that are part of my regular Rpg group, in fact). They - especially she - loved it. As she said, as a non wargamer, it was an incredibly accessible rulebook and a really fascinating, exciting game to watch. The game's core mechanic is the Battle Boards, where you roll dice and place them for in-turn effects. Also, every faction basically can double up as another (eg I could run my Welsh as Scots, erithromycin could run his Vikings as Jormsviking). Double the fun!

In other news, I've added bright reds and another layer of whites to 8 tagk, which I'm aiming to now just work on till they're done. Got a wee boost doing 4, and feel like working to the end of them. Nice to be working for the fun of the thing - I mean, why else do it?

**Revenent Reiko**

No worries dude. It sounds it! i always think thats a sign of a good game, when a non-wargaming person (or couple in this case) gets drawn in...I have to say that im intrigued as well (not that my wallet can deal with me starting a new game, ive just started Infinity....

), accessible, well written rules is always a good start as well (looking at you for the opposite GW...). ooo, doubling up, sweet!

Just had a look at the website, and i dont know if its because of my old, OLD browser (work, IE6....*sigh*), but it seems a bit all over the place...will have to look again when i get home i think to make more sense of it...

Thats the best way, do it when you enjoy it....looking forward to seeing the finished product!

**inmygravenimage**

Website is guff. Rules are gorgeous though, and if you're wanting to save money you can always use paper minis - Arion Games Vikings and Normans are particularly good!

**Revenent Reiko**

inmygravenimage wrote:
Website is guff. Rules are gorgeous though, and if you're wanting to save money you can always use paper minis - Arion Games Vikings and Normans are particularly good!

Thats the impression i got, couldnt even find a list of the races, let alone the rules or anything...

yeah? I will have to check them out, that sound slike a pretty good way to get into a game (of course, not having any friends that play miniature games doesnt help at all...), thanks graven!

**inmygravenimage**

A core mechanic is fatigue: a little like pushing in Heroclix, basically taking extra actions (limited by rank); in combat, your opponent can spend your fatigue to give themselves advantages.

Base set factions are:
Vikings: very aggressive, use fatigue to get extra attacks
Anglo-Danes: axes, extra attacks for lower armour
Normans: cavalry, long range crossbows, fatigue opponents
Welsh: cavalry, javelins on everything, low armour.

Northern Fury adds
Jormsviking: aggressive, give opponents bonuses to get bonuses for yourself
Anglo-Saxon: Danes but with more fatigue manipulation.
Scots: Counter-attack based
Bretons: very light cavalry, very fast

And the standalone set is Skraelings (American Indian) which basically steal abilities off your opponent's board.

I really should write this up as an article! I also need to make some marshes (terrain setup rules are interesting, semi-random, scenario based) - they're good terrain as welsh have ignore terrain penalties as their core battle board ability.

**Revenent Reiko**

Hmm, now thats a concept i hadnt thought of, fatigue as a core mechanic..i like it! Thats really quite sneakily clever...

Thanks for the run down of the factions as well, makes a bit more sense looking at the website (i know, i know, i should have given up the first time...

)

You should write it up as an article! Or maybe a 'Welcome to SAGA' Thread in the Misc. Miniature Games Forum (if it isnt covered by the 'Historical Gaming' Forum, im not sure....), would be a great addition im sure!

O and....i had never heard of Heroclix until now...

but i like the idea of Heroes as minis, thats pretty damn cool!

**eldartau1987**

I enjoy the squad leader a good bit. It is going to look very dynamic when you are done with painting and the like!

**inmygravenimage**

^Thanks man!
Here's a better pic:

**Bash the Bosh**

graven - I've just spent the last 3 hours of my shift catching up with your work. Amazing as usual mate. I'm particularly enjoying the GK's. And Mrs Delicious' cakes.

Bash

**inmygravenimage**

Well, then you'll like what's a-coming:
wife was baking so had the proper light tent set up. Cue "test pics" done with minis.

The promised assassins:
Callidus -

Vindicare and his mould line

Everesor, dodgy lighting (and mould line on the knee CURSES!)

Some Paladin WIPs. A falchion dude:

Banner and psycannon. What? Overkill? Nahhhh...

Obviously colours just started on banner.
Reverse:

Sneaky use of BT bits!

Paladin Killer of 1K sons:

Vallejo Turquoise - just a lovely, lovely colour.

My original Mordrak build, now relegated to Justicar:

Pierced Pink Horror. Really pleased where the various flesh/bone tones are going here:

Paladin with the beginnings of death guard corpse:

One of my favourite poses, and an utterly random assemblage of parts:

My 4 yr old's favourite "Space Knight":

Although apparently he needs a horse...

Some work also on my techmarine, though not as far along:

And my librarian with force staff, who's a bit further along:

Oh, And, my Dad's birthday cake for tomorrow, at the wife's instance:

Later y'all,
Graven

**monkeytroll**

Quality cake. Might have been some other stuff too, but cake over-writes everything

**Revenent Reiko**

Mmmm super tasty looking cake Mrs Delicious!

O yeah, erm, some nice minis or something graven.....

**monkeytroll**

Ok, now I've eaten I might be able to see what it was you wanted us to look at.

Up there was it?

Okey, dokey, pig in a pokey. Up we scroll, and......

CAKE!!

**Gitsplitta**

Wow graven... you've been a busy boy!

**Miss Dee**

mmmmmmmmmmmmm cake

Do one fer mah smurfday please

**nerdfest09**

Wallace and grommit are going to go A over T on those carrots if you don't move them!

**monkeytroll**

Oh I suppose the paladins look alright now you mention it, and the techmarine's quite tasty. Hmm tasty taste, where's that cake?

Your 4 yr old has good taste, and now I'm eagerly awaiting the space-horse

**Miss Dee**

monkeytroll wrote:
Oh I suppose the paladins look alright now you mention it, and the techmarine's quite tasty. Hmm tasty taste, where's that cake?

Your 4 yr old has good taste, and now I'm eagerly awaiting the space-horse

Yeah me to

o

**inmygravenimage**

Right, well, here we go then!

First up the Librarian:

I do love this model. I've tried to go a bit more glow-y than usual; successful or no?

Closer:

And reverse:

Glad I went for the blue pad at the last minute.

Anyway, onto the good stuff (well, ish):

Bannerman:

And a close up for the BlackHand corpse:

Mr Choppy:

GK vs horror - I assumed it's pink, or at least it is now (mind you that would be very Tzeentch, wouldn't it, a Pink Blue horror just to confuse us?)

GK vs Death Guard - love that techy torso for Nurgleys

Death to Mabrothrax!

Very pleased with quartered shield too, though the pic's not great of that.

I just like this guy's paladin icon:

A very special one this, the first I finished - the doomed Horned Locust, fallen Mantis Warrior

And some 1 on 1k son action:

Hope that's pleasant viewing, C&C me gang!

**Revenent Reiko**

Very pleasant viewing, looking good graven!

I like the glow on the libby, muted, but it does come out on the model that he is glowing, colour me impressed

As to the others, i cant wait to see the whole Chaos-destroying squad all together...

EDIT: Aww i forgot my marine....love the pose, looks like hes just taken his head off and is about to bash his corpse for getting its head stuck on his halberd...

**monkeytroll**

Hmm, no cake? No space-horse? I feel the quality of this thread is decreasing

Nice glow on the libby, think that's just the right level for your paint style - certainly with these guys

Others all looking good, stand outs are banner man, mabrothrax-killer and yellow-horror-through-a-red-lens killer. Have you considered a red wash around the very edge of the marines face where it comes off the Arnie skull?

Obviously that's not including the horned locust guy, who is just plain awesome, both for the great locust marine and the way the gk has killed him and just moved on.

**inmygravenimage**

Revenent Reiko wrote:Very pleasant viewing, looking good graven!

I like the glow on the libby, muted, but it does come out on the model that he is glowing, colour me impressed

As to the others, i cant wait to see the whole Chaos-destroying squad all together...

EDIT: Aww i forgot my marine....love the pose, looks like hes just taken his head off and is about to bash his corpse for getting its head stuck on his halberd...

Glad you liked so much. I shall have to get on with the rest I suppose... Oh, and glad you approve of your decapitation!

monkeytroll wrote:Hmm, no cake? No space-horse? I feel the quality of this thread is decreasing

Nice glow on the libby, think that's just the right level for your paint style - certainly with these guys

Others all looking good, stand outs are banner man, mabrothrax-killer and yellow-horror-through-a-red-lens killer. Have you considered a red wash around the very edge of the marines face where it comes off the Arnie skull?

Obviously that's not including the horned locust guy, who is just plain awesome, both for the great locust marine and the way the gk has killed him and just moved on.

Good call on the red wash. I like that a lot. I apologise for failing you once again in other regards, like Starscream to your Megatron...

Really need to crack on - it's very satisfying to see an army unfold in full.

Also - Whoops, missed one!

No horse though. Ah well.

Found the Culexus, yay! He was hiding. Cheeky assassin.

And a further wip for nerdfest's comp:

I'm thinking of adding some weeping angel allies, possibly counts as dc although that feels a bit beardy. Thoughts?

Hey Ho,
Graven

**GiraffeX**

They are all looking very nice Graven. I really like the glow effect on the libby, not too sure about all those poor chaos marines