19 -"Or They'll Send The Talon for Your Head"

It has been a little while since I wrote a post.  The gear up for Adepticon was crazy busy.  I was able to finish the last of the models I needed for the BMG tournament, Lincoln March and the 3 Owl objective markers.  Both where a lot of fun to paint.  It was interesting to research different owls and their markings/colouring.

I also finished making a wooden carrying case with magnetic trays.  It was a very different project from what I have been working on recently.  It was also very nice to be able to build it with my brother (it also means it is much more structurally sound).  It worked great for Adepticon.  Everything (models, objectives, dice, rulebook, tokens, display boards etc) for both BMG and DCU fit inside.  It also gave me a handy table to put my beer while I was playing.

The two tournaments at Adepticon where good.  This was the first time I played in any tournament in about a decade.  I played BMG with my Court of Owls on Friday.  We played 4 rounds, and I almost hit the cycle.  I got a Total Victory in the first game versus a DK Bane.  I got a loss against Penguin in the second game.  The third game was against big Batman with his bat cloak and cops, I got a victory.  By the fourth game I was burned out.  I was playing against Gotham City Sirens.  I put every action counter into movement and attack, then just rushed them...it did not work, I got a Total Defeat.  My opponents where all great sports with nicely painted and themed crews.  In the end I came in around 13/37.

The next day was the DCU tournament.  It was 3 rounds and I had alot of fun playing in this one.  There was only 8 players, and the majority of them where just there to have fun.  I was also playing in this tournament with my buddy Alex.  It was great to have someone you know to joke around with (and buy each other beer) between rounds.  I did not know anyone in the BMG tournament and it felt kinda isolated at times.  Hopefully we can round up a few of our local players to come down next year and play too!  I took 3rd place in the DCU tournament (and won myself a Zantana), while Alex placed 4th.

This was my first time going to Adepticon.  It was intense.  5600 people attended over the 4 days, and I am not typically someone who likes crowds.  It was great to see a lot of new (or new to me) games and products in the vendor hall.  I picked up a few  models for gaming (Wild West Exodus!) and some really nice statues to work on my painting skills.  It nothing else, Adepticon really got me on a hobby high.  I am re-energized to start new projects and get to painting again!

What really made the trip for me though were the people I went with.  I got to know some members of the local hobby community much better.  The best memories from the trip where walking around the vendor hall and talking hobby with some new and old friends.  Or just sitting down and watching my friends play AoS or 40K.  I am definitely looking forward to next year (assuming Jay and Chris are not tired of carrying my ass around). 

Kevin

15 - "Speak Not a Whispered Word of Them"

I finished painting one of the last two members for my Court of Owls crew that I am planning on bringing to Adepticon, Strix.   It was a fun model to paint.  Nice sculpt with well defined musculature.  I was very worried about braking it while I was working on her, although she is not as dainty as Damian.  I went with a simple colour scheme to match the rest of my owls, brown body suit, dark brown gloves and boots, with red sword wraps for a splash of colour.  

The online meta for BMG says that Strix is one of (if not) the best henchman in the game.  She has great stats; both Willpower and Endurance 6, Attack and Defense 4, Movement 3 and a 4+ strength.  She is an expensive henchman, coming it at 60 reputation and $100 funding, but well worth it. 

Most of her traits make her more maneuverable.  She is an Acrobat (+1 move, can jump without spending movement counters and can Dodge ranged attacks).  She also has Climbing Claws (climbing is not impaired movement and can stop part way up a wall).  Stealth means she can only be seen within 8".  I don't envision Strix relying on her Throwing Knives, but when she does the Rapid Fire (1 Special Counter to increase Rate of Fire by 1) makes it more effective.  She also has the Reanimated Owls and Weakness to Cold that all Court of Owl henchmen have.  

Her weapons are where she really stands out.  She is equipped with 2 Throwing Daggers.  They have a range of 8" with a rate of fire of 2 (3 with rapid fire), dealing a single blood damage.  They are also Sharp (re-roll to wound).  Dealing only a single blood and short range, the Throwing Daggers are very situational.  

I think I will see her stabbing people up close with her Paired Katanas more often.  These weapons are similar to every other Katana in the game; they deal double blood damage, Handy (re-rolls to Hit) and Sharp (re-rolls to wound).  However her Katanas are also Overwhelming (opponents are -1 to Block rolls).  So an opponent would need to roll a 5 or a 6 to block a hit from the Paired Katana!

I am looking forward to equipping her with a Bat-claw and have her jump around with Damian as a two man kill squad!

I have started to working on the last member of the crew now, Lincoln March.  After him I have the Owl objective markers to paint, 2 display bases and a carrying case to finish by the end of the month.  Time to buckle down!

Kevin

14 - "They Watch You In Your Bed"

I went from painting the larger Knight Models Batman figures of Clayface and King Shark, to painting one of the smallest, Damian Wayne.  I love this Damian model and had a lot of fun painting it.  I started by blocking out all the colours.  The highlights and shading followed rather quickly.  I used a lot of layering and glazing.

I was very torn between which head to give Damian.  The box comes with two, one with the hood down wearing the traditional domino mask and one with the hood up wearing a Court of Owls mask.  In the end I decided to go with the owl mask, since I was planning on taking Damian to Adepticon in my Court of Owls crew.

Damian Wayne is a beast (if not a bit of a glass cannon) in the game.  He has some good mid-level stats (mostly fours).  The Willpower and Endurance of 5 is not the greatest.  However he is only 60 rep and counts as a henchman.  He is also a tri-affiliate, he can be used in Brave and the Bold, League of Shadows and Court of Owls.

He has alot of the rules most of the Robins before him had; Acrobat, Batclaw, Detective, Martial Artist.  This Robin also has Small (bonus to pings) and True Love: Talia al Ghul.  The Invaluable rule (this model is worth an additional VP is made a casualty) seems bad at first, but then I remember Damian is only a henchman so he is not worth much VP to begin with.  

He also has a new rule, Mentoring.  This limits Damian Wayne to only a single piece of equipment.  It turns all the blood damage that he inflicts into stun if he is used in a Brave and the Bold Crew.  However he then gains Boy Wonder (enemies cant re-roll hits against him) and True Love Bruce Wayne.  If there is a Bruce Wayne in the crew then he also gains True Love Damian.

He wields arguably the best close combat weapon in the game, the Katana.  This is then combined with Combo: Katana (bonus attack dice for every 2 attack counter spent).  So a basic maxed out Damian can use 4 Attack Counters but makes 6 attacks, dealing a potential 12 blood damage!  This can be made even worse in a League of Shadows crew.  If Damian is near the leader for an Inspire (bonus Counter) and Goro for his Kill Them (bonus Attack Counter), Damian could then make 9 attacks, dealing 18 blood damage...

Five more models left for my Adepticon crew; Styx, Lincoln and 3 owls!  

Kevin 

 

13 - Portal, 10th Metal Objectives and Bases...Oh My!

The annual Birthday Bash at Lords of War is just around the corner.  This Saturday to be exact.  As true to form, I will be running another custom Batman Megabattle (4 Years running!).

This years scenario is inspired from the Batman: Metal story-line.  The Dark Knights (evil twisted versions of Batman) have invaded earth.  The heroes and villains must compete against each other, to control the rare 10th metal artifacts scattered through the city.  However as people fall in battle, they are reborn in the darkness and fight with the Knights.  I will place a link to the scenario HERE.

There will be a portal in the center of the table.  Any victory points scored within 6" are doubled.  I made a quick portal out of a spare ring from a Seraphon  Engine of the Gods and a clear blue base insert that I had in my desk for a few years.

There will also be three 10th Metal Artifacts on the table, a Sword, a Warhammer, and a Suit of Armour.  Each one gives a special bonus.  I made the 3 markers out of some spare GW bitz I had floating around.

I have been following the Terrain Tutor on Facebook and Youtube for a little while now.  I got a great idea for basing material from there, using caulking are a medium for a textured rolling pin.  I tried it out on some spare bases.  I applied a thin layer of caulking and smoothed it out with a sculpting tool.  I then dipped my roller completely in a bucket of water.  Then I just rolled it over the caulking. 

I have to say it worked really well.  The material is very cheap.  It held the details well (at least the cobblestone texture) as it dried.  It even paints great and appears to be fairly resistant to wear.  It was a little rubbery for a few days.  I was able to press my finger nail into it and leave an impression, however it did bounce back after a bit and I cant see any of my marks now.  After a few days it dries really hard. 

I will definitely be doing this again.  You could base a whole army for under $10!

Kevin

Batman: Metal Scenario

Scenario:  Dark Knights Metal

Overview:  The Dark Multiverse has invaded!  Barbatos and his most loyal servants, the Dark Knights, are trying to drag this world into darkness.  Every time a hero or villain falls to the Dark Knights, they are reborn in the dark, an evil twisted parody of their former selves.  The only thing that can stop Barbatos are several Tenth Metal artifacts scattered throughout the city.  The remaining heroes and villains are competing with each other to retrieve those artifacts and control the fate of the world!  

Sides:   This will be a 3 way game (heroes vs villains vs Dark Knights)

Game Length: 6 rounds or when we run out of time

Victory Points:  No Objectives will be used during this scenario.  Victory Points will be earned in the following ways:

-          2 VP for the first time an enemy model is KO’d

-          3 VP for removing an enemy model as a casualty

-          4 VP for controlling a Tenth Metal Artifact at the end of a round (Heroes and Villains Only)

-          4 VP for each Tenth Metal Artifact not controlled by a Hero or Villain at the end of a round (Dark Knight Only)

-          3 VP at the end of the game for each model that has been turned to darkness that is still on the table (Dark Knights Only)

-          1 VP for restoring a Consumed by Darkness model (of either side) (see Special Rule: Driving Back the Darkness below)

Special Rules: 

Consumed By Darkness:  The first time a model is removed as a casualty (by any means), the controlling player immediately replaces their model anywhere within the Dark Knights deployment zone.  The powers of the dark multiverse have corrupted the hero/villain and brought out their most evil side.  The player and the model are now part of the Dark Knights team.  This model may not activate during the turn in which it is placed.  Models will can be consumed by darkness even if the original Dark Knight are removed as casualties. 

Tenth Metal Artifacts:  There will be three artifacts made out of Tenth Metal on the table: a Sword, A Warhammer, and a Suit of Armour.  If a hero or villain controls (just like a regular objective) a Tenth Metal Artifact marker during the end phase they may equip the artifact.  Remove the marker from the table and take the corresponding equipment card from the organiser and place it beside your character card.  That model now gains the benefit of the Tenth Metal artifact for the rest of the game, or until it is removed as a casualty.  If the model is removed as a casualty the player will place the artifact marker in base to base contact before removing their model.  Once an artifact is equipped then that side counts as controlling it at the end of the round, even if engaged with an enemy.  Artifacts cannot be passed from player to player (eg. The Flash equips it, he cannot then run over to Batman and give it to him). 

-      The Tenth Metal Sword:  Damage (2 Blood), Special Rules - Handy, Sharp, Magic

-          The Tenth Metal Warhammer: (1 Blood, 1 Stun), Special Rules – Heavy, Crushing, Magic

-          The Tenth Metal Armour: Heavy Armour and the model is Immune to Crits. 

Driving Back the Darkness:  If a model that has been Consumed By Darkness (See above) is wounded by a Tenth metal Weapon, it immediately reverts back to their original team (hero models re-join hero team, villain model re-joins villain team). 

Barbatos Rises:  At the centre of the table is a portal to the falling dark multiverse.  Barbatos feeds off chaos and darkness that is drowning this earth!  Any victory point that is scored within 6 inches of the portal marker is doubled.  (eg.   If the Dark Knights causality a villain within 6” of the portal, the Dark Knights will score 6 VPs or a villain has one of the Tenth metal artifacts within 6” of the portal at the end of round would score 8 VP).

9 - Clayface

I was able to plug away this week and finish the last model I needed for the DCU tournament at Adepticon, Clayface (now just a few more owls left to paint).  I honestly cannot remember the last time I had so much fun painting a model!

It is a clean, simple model with a limited colour palate.  I started it off with a base-coat of Rhinox Hide.  Then I used the airbrush to spray a zenithal highlight of white.  Still using the airbrush I applied a glaze of Skrag Brown.  I then went back by hand and did the final two highlights stages of Deathclaw Brown and Deathclaw brown with Birch.  To help with the shadows I then gave the model a light glaze of watered down Agrax Earthshade.  I then did spot shadows in the darker areas with more Agrax Earthshade. 

I played around with the base a little bit too.  I added some Green Stuff to the back foot to make it look like the clay was sticking to the ground as he was stepping.  I then used some more Green Stuff to make a clay puddle around his feet to hid the slot on the base.  Once everything was painted though it did not look finished.  It was just grey stones and brown clay, it needed something else.

I made a road sign out of an old base and spare plastic tube.  I then though about trying to use some hot glue as dripping clay.  I added a few drops to the sign and around his feet to give some more depth to the Green Stuff clay.  After a quick coat of paint I was very happy with the results. 

Clayface is really the top tear of the top tear Free Agents in BMG.  He has a good stat line of mostly 3 and 4.  At first glance it looks like he has a surprisingly low Endurance with 6.  However once you read the "Upgrade Card" rules you realize he is a beast!  Clay face has two body forms, Mud and Solid.  Each gives a bonus to his endurance and some traits. 

At the beginning of his activation Clayface can exchange his body form upgrade card.  So with the Solid body Clayface has endurance 10 and with the Mud he has endurance 9.  Normally when a model with an upgrade cards takes damage equal to the endurance bonus, it is destroyed.  Not so with Clayface, his just becomes disabled.  At the start of his next activation he can swap it out for the other form and get the bonus endurance again.  Once a card is swapped out, you discard the damage that is has accumulated.  So each round Clayface is gaining 3 or 4 Endurance!  (Plus he also has Regeneration -1SC to heal one wound).  He is one tough sucker to bring down.  The first game I played against him I eventually killed him but it took me 5 rounds and 4 Owl Henchmen to do it though!

On top of the clay body, he still has Adaptable (+1 to your Attack or Defense each round, giving him a defense 5!).  Sturdy (loose action counters for every 3 damage taken instead of 2) keeps him effective as he takes damage.  Undercover (deploy up to 8" outside your deployment zone) gets him up-close early.  The Hugh trait gives him a good move distance and the Claybody trait allows him to make the Charge attack for only 1 special counter.  He is fairly fast, with a reliable weapon and can take a tone of damage...what more could you want! oh, he can also soak up some damage for your leader since he has Bodyguard too. 

While in his Mud form, he gains the Roots trait (2SC, an enemy model within 8" must pass an agility test or become Pinned Down).  He also gains Mud (models in base to base must spend 1SC+1MC to move away, and Clayfaces attacks gain the Slow/2 effect).  While in his Solid form, Clayface gains Tough Skin (-1 to wound) and his attacks are Overwhelming (-1 to block).

Clayface just brings so much to the table.  I really cant wait to try him out with my Militia or Joker crew.  However I really want to try him in a Bat-family Team list! mainly just because I can.

Right now I am putting the finishing touches on some objective markers for the BMG megabattle at Lords Of War for their birthday bash this Saturday!  Then it is back to the Owls for Adepticon...

Kevin

8 - King Shark Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo

If you are a parent with a small child then you probably understand the title, and I am also sorry that that song is now stuck in your head.  I finished painting King Shark this week.  I never really knew much about this character (except for his brief appearances on CW's The Flash), but I loved this model as soon as I saw it!

I went back and tried some more of the painting techniques that I learned recently, mainly Glazing and Layers.  Most of the paint I used was from Citadel (except where noted).  The blue skin of the shark was achieved with a base Incubi Darkness.  Then a series of very thin layers of white.  The whole model was then glazed a few times with thinned Stegadon Scale Green.  I then shaded the recesses with watered down Incubi Darkness, and again with Incubi Darkness and black.

The lighter skin on the abdomen was a Baneblade Brown basecoat.  Then built up Rakarth Flesh through multiple thin layers.  I did a final highlight with Birch (Scale 75).  I finished off with some spot shading with Seraphin Sepia.

I wanted to try something new for the base too.  I made a cast of a resin base to get the a sewer lid.  I then surrounded this with green stuff and used a cobblestone textured rolling pin.  I also wanted to try and paint some of King Sharks shadow on the base.  I did this through a few layers of very very watered down black. 

King Shark is a killing machine in BMG.  At 95 rep he is a higher cost free agent (but still lower then some that do the same job!).  He has a good stat line (although the Defense 3 and endurance 8, without desensitize or sturdy hurts).  To help off set this, King Shark also has "Meta-Skin" (counts as Bulletproof Vest - firearms wound on a +4) and "Regenerate" (1 special counter to heal one damage)

His movement of 2 is not great, but he is deceptively fast.  Since he is "Huge" his base movement is 7.  "Swift" gives him an extra 6 inches if he spends 2 Movement Counters (instead of the usual 4").  Which gives him a threat range of 13 inches.  He also has "Amphibious", since there is rarely water terrain on the table, the real benefit is going through sewers for only 1 movement counter. 

A Blood and Stun attack with "Devastating" (roll 2 Collateral Damage dice) is great.  That is made even better with his "Brutal" (re-roll the Collateral Damage dice).  More chances to knock enemies to the ground and a potential 2 criticals. 

This model can dish out a devastating amount a damage in close combat.  If there is a damage marker on King Shark he gains a free counter to put into attack (due to "Bloodthirsty").  If his target has a damage marker on it already, King Shark gains +1 to Hit, +1 Strength and Bleed 1 (1 blood damage on a crit - even better when combined with Brutal and Devastating!) from his "Blood Scent" trait.  Then to make him just that much more powerful he has "Combo with Claws and Teeth" (gain an extra attack for every 2 attack counters spent).  So King Shark can make up to 7 attacks, dealing 14 damage (7 Blood, 7 Stun) with a potential to do an addition 2 stun or blood on a crit...

I really like King Shark, cant wait to try him out on the table!  Up next on the painting block is another huge model, Clayface. 

Kevin