Wrapped in mystery, soaked in betrayel. The unsuccesful burial of the Trazian Dynasty. (FLUFF!)

Inspired by a recent torrent of games cropping up in January, I've decided to write up some more back story to my growing Dynasty.  Now, as I loved the mystery of the Necrons, I couldnt help the background being written from the view point of their enemies. 

More info on the logistics of assembling and painting enough for the big Apoc game coming soon.  Until then, try to enjoy the below and let me know what you think!

A tide of bone and blood. Read: I gotz Necrons coming out of every orifice!

So Christmas came and went, gifting me some more gift vouchers.  I'll be hanging on to these however until the end of January.  I have enough to be getting on with in any case.
(Pointing below)

So... who's first?

With the simple aim of assembling everything to a playable level, I've managed to nail together the majority of those Necrons I bought of a friend.  As you can see, its a sizable increase as it stands, though not pictured here are some extra odds and sods.  With any luck they will prove essential for some conversion funs.

The old hands.

Eventually, those above will have the same colour scheme, though I may experiment to keep things exciting.

While visiting a Dark Eldar buddy and running a test game for a 3rd player, I stumbled across an old unopened Battle Force, which survived the fire.  After peeling off the charcoal stained plastic, the contents are ripe for assembly.  Which means there will be a further:

20 Necron Warriors
5 Necron Immortals
Ghost Ark/Doomsday Ark
Some Scarabs.

Sigh.  Be careful what you wish for people.  You may get it!

Incidentally, the new Mephrit FOC is amazing!  Though the White Dwarf Decurion formation is interesting, especially combined with Ghost Arks for even more Bring Back every turn.  Troops are the way forward it seems, shuffling and unkillable.

:D

Inspirational Exterminatus, Mephrit Dynasty FTW!

So things have been coming to a head recently and I can safely say that the Trazian Dynasty has evolved to Crown World level awesome.

So we begin with a lucky trade.  A good friend of mine wanted to part with his Necron stuff after succumbing to too much Shiny Syndrome.  That's a thing, right?  Either way, for an amazing price, I acquired the following.

Christmas came early!

That means my warriors have been more than doubled, so too my Wraiths, Immortals.  Also included is Imotek and Orikan the Diviner. 

Inspired by the new formations in the White Dwarf and Shield of Baal campaign book: Exterminatus, I've been using the holiday quiet (*coff) to slap these together.

 In the space of a couple of days I've managed to conveyor belt these together including not pictured, another freaking Annihilation Barge.  I've now got 3 of those beasties but hopefully the new Codex will allow squadrons of them.  They do sit a bit odd as a whole Heavy Support choice for so little, but there are stranger things out there.

But yes, so far the additional reinforcements are as follows:

• 32 Warriors (Assembled!)
• 8 Scarab Swarms (Gonna try some basing tricks with these...)
• 15 Immortals! (Tesla Tesla Tesla, Assembled!!)
•  Annihilation Barge (Assembled!)
• 10 Flayed Ones (The new kind sadly, going to be clipping and altering these so I can mix them with some Warrior conversions ala green stuff and tons of blood)
• +3 Canoptek Wraiths (Never understood why so many fear these guys, maybe with 6 in total I can finally find out?)
• + 2 Night/Doom Scythe (Always avoided spamming these as a point of principle. Strangely finding my morals crumbling...)
• 4 Destroyers (Assembled.  I had planned on converting up some Tomb Kings figures as count as Dezzies, but going to rethink now, not throwing away good Destroyers on aesthetics! I may however convert 2 for Heavy Destroyers.)
• Orikan (Unopened).
• Imotek the Stormcalled (beautiful figure, with so much Tesla in the army, its really fitting, but I do need to convert him ever so slightly.  Its not him after all, just someone who acts like him.)
• +5 Praetorian Triarchs (Have 10 already.  Mulling over whether to use them as more Lych Guard or conversion parts for more Crypteks... Might hold on this one until the new releases)

So there is a lot of work to do.  So easy to forget when getting this stuff, yep, you're going to have to paint it.  All.  Thankfully, I'm very motivated by a lot of good happenings this Jan.

• A story man campaign against Trazian's nemesis, the Black Scorpian Chapter. (Hence the Mighty Empire tile set. More on that later!)
• A Meet and Defeat game day to get some simple games in.
• An Apocalypse game. (Notice the big Tomb Kings Warsphinx? MUhahaha)

If you're ever in need of motivation, you can't do worse than a game.  Planned in advance.  Really gets the gears going.  For most people anyway.  Some people work best with death threats or bribery...

So I'll be posting more of my progress, especially in regards to any conversions I'll be nailing together to keep the Egyption feel of the force. 

Thanks for reading!
Rick

The Trazio Dynasty goes forward.

So as briefly mentioned in my previous post, me and Rory of the Rottimus have a mini campaign planned for January.  Now we covered the long painting list which will effectively keep me sick *ahem, coff coff, for the next few months.  But what about the plot?

Well, there is a planet, we agreed on this.  But the perspectives on the why and how go to each side.

Rory's version can be found here on an old Page on his blog.  Yupp.  We have been mulling this over for a long time.

I haven't made an official statement of intent yet, mainly because I haven't decided on the character of my Dynasty yet.


You can find the original Post, Here.

Since then I've been going back and forth regarding the Dynasties history, their agenda and thus their character regarding three important factors.

• Are they happy as soulless Immortals?
• How to they feel about the Ctan?
• Do they still follow the word of the Silent King? (No pun intended).

Well, sadly, I cannot have all the things in my Dynasties background.  Things get cluttered and the solid fixed character of the Dynasty would be lost.

So what do I want?

1. The Trazio Dynasty are religious in their own way, regarded as the "keepers of the Old Gods", who are loosely mentioned in the older Necron Fluff as the things the Ctan were made to look like.
2. The Dynasty was instrumental in both the Bio Transference process, being its biggest sponsor, the SS of the Pro Ctan faction.
3. The Dynasty was also the first to realise their mistake, being also instrumental in the destruction of the Ctan, using their closeness to the Star Vampires to give vital intelligence.
4. Upon awakening, the Dynasty has one objective in their warped guilty pseudo consciousness: Make a God. 

I dropped the idea that they want to return to the flesh.  I think its too much sad and not enough sinister.  I prefer the notion that they know there is no way back, and even want to help other races attain the same level of perfection, oneness with the gods.
At the same time, their understanding of the Ctan means that they think the vast power of those energy based lifeforms can be molded into creating a being, a God born of their mysterious and terrible sciences. 

Obviously the idea is going to rail against and alienate them from several of their kin, but screw it.  I don't need friends. 

The Trazio Dynasty has been responsible for the greatest sin of their race.  The greatest betrayal which they only answered with another betrayal.  Driven, they now are eager to take revenge on the surviving Ctan, grinding them down into raw energy, and programming it to be One of the Gods of Old, leading them into a new era of prosperity and perfection.

Scared yet?

Now homework is to write up a piece in relation to the planet we will be waring over.  Thinking as an agenda either: Biotransferance Machine is there.  Or a Ctans essence is imprisoned there. 

Either way, its gonna be big!

Dynasty, circa Early 2014. 

Thanks for reading,
R

Real life Ressurection Protocol. Oh and my home burnt down.

So!  Not dead.  See?  Typing and everything. (FYI Ghosts don't type.  I think...)

Over a month ago, my wife and I (Got married btw :D) suffered a nasty house fire.  Unfortunately this meant we lost our home and a lot of our belongings.

Now call is provedance, but the fire bypassed the majority of my figures, the Necrons being left virtually untouched (bar the feint smell of burning worlds).  Coining the idea that during the blaze which tore through my home, they collectively passed all the armour saves and ressurection tests they were called on to make.

I like that idea at least.

Really testing my religious side here...

Now obviously, this whole ordeal has slowed me down.  However, between the miracles of thermo dynamics, supporting family and amazing friends I've finally begun getting things back together.

January.

In January, my long term nemesis Rory (Of Black Scorpion fame) and I will be running a somewhat narrative campaign.

We're hoping to use standard games, attached a narrative and even going so far as to use the Mighty Empires tile set to make a basic world map to play with.

Something to work towards.

But what do I have to work on?

Well, appart from the rather above average size of the Trazian Dynasty (3500pts?), I had an unopened Battle Force which also survived.  Thats a Ghost Arc/Doomsday Ark, 20x Warriors, 5 Immortals and some Scarabs.



In addition, a very kind friend has recently cleared out his Necrons for an additional:
31 Warriors, 15 Immortals, 10 Flayed Ones (hopefully the old ones), Orikan, 3 Wraiths, Another Command Barge/Annihilation Barge, Another Doom Scythe/Night Scythe, the Deciever, another cryptek, 2 Overlords and 4 Destroyers.

Oh and I also got one of these things for my centre piece thanks to a group of amazing gaming buddies who sorted me out. Ever received gift vouchers with a dataslate commision from the High Lords of Terra?  I did.  That thing is going on my wall.

"Thus clad, the C'tan took the shapes of the Necrontyr's half-forgotten gods, hiding their own desires beneath cloaks of obsequious subservience."

Haven't decided exactly how I'm gonna make this thing into a Transcendant Ctan... but I'm going to make it intimidating and visually as powerful as the broken thing is in game.  Not one of those Doc Manhatten meets Hannibal Lector rejects.  Plus it sticks with the theme of the army.

So... enough to do?  And a cause to work on it. 

Rory?  RORY!

Shhhh.
They are coming!


Thanks for reading,
R.

Bauhaus Vulkan Finished.

After painting 10 figures I wasn't in the mood for more rank and file.  Plus I figured I had improved on the painting plan built up from the tiny mistakes and inefficiences of the Hussars. 

Next up was the Vulkan.

Not waiting, I sprayed the figure GW Chaos Black.  Then, liberally painted it with P3 Gun Corps Brown.  The paint was slightly thinned, which accidentally let me stumble across a new camo possibility: Letting the paint under show through.  it's something I'm seriously considering to play with at somepoint, but having a strong colour covered in Gun Corps, water slightly, would create a fade through effect.  If done right, it would make a very weathered and unified camo pattern I could sleep well over.

But back to the Vulkan.

After applying the metal coat and washing it, I slammed on the camo paint using the ruined brush method. 

After this the washes were applied starting with a gentle wash (glaze?) that brought the tone down.  Next up was the stronger wash for the edges and creveces.

The window was (albeit very poorly) highlighted and glossed over.  The base was layered up and the front 180* painted red.

As an afterthought, I slopped on some Stirland Mud and painted it up as the rest of the base, only darker as churned mud.  The vents at the back was dirtied up for charcoaling.

Next up is the wall smashing Juggernoughts! 

As usual, thanks for reading.
R

Bauhaus Hussars Finished!

After the test figure worked out so well, I decided to plough through the other nine.  I tried  to replicate the method as to get them done as soon as possible.  It also helped that I remembered to dry brush all the things BEFORE I started with the detail.

Still, I noted that there were a few places I could improve, but hey, these are the rank and file.  Even the weapons, painted metal and washed black, will be the mass produced model.  For the Rangers I'm planning something special.

The inspiration behind the design.

With regards to the camo, I've started thinking about using a specific brush and motion for both of the colours, hopefully to make the camo pattern more accute.

Next up is the Bauhaus heavy Vulkan battle suit.  I fancy something less in quantity.  But more on that soon. :)

My plan is to have at least three units ready for some Demo gaming at our local hobby centre, Outland, in Oslo very soon.  If you are in the area and you're interested, let me know!

As ever, thanks for reading.
R

Bahous Jungle Camo Test Run

Recently I was contacted by one of the organisers from Prodos Games, the makers of both Warzone: Ressurection and the upcoming Alien Vs Predator wargames.  As I've committed myself to helping out run demos of this wonderful little game, I've been encouraged to get my Bahous force finished before Christmas!  Dooable?  Sure, but I've had some nitpicking in regards to the force's camouflage. 

Bauhaus are known for being in their typical Winter Grey colours.  However the background has them very present in Venus' new jungle expanses, but very few examples of Bauhaus camo patterns are available.

While at first I was thinking of mimicking the Fallschimjager camo pattern from WW2, a friend recommended that I take inspiration from the Clone Troopers fighting on Kasyyk in the better part of Star Wars:  Attack of the Clones.  You probably remember the pic from earlier.

 How to make that camo work on a 28 mm figure!?

Well, I finally sat down, poured myself some whisky and went for it, testing out some techniques and colours on one Bauhaus Hussar.  Sadly I don't yet have step by step shots, as it was truly a back and forth trying to pick the right tones which I could easily replicate.  I didn't want something that would take forever to do, I have deadlines dammit!

Anyway here is the outcome, see what you think.

Again, sorry for the poor pics.  Not much lighting this time of light.  Need to get a set up!

The colours were a black primer.  Pants and cloth were highlighted with a "wet" dry brush of GW Mechanicus Grey, washed down with Army Painter Dark Wash.  Armour was painted with P3 Gun Corps Brown, then GW Bleach Bone.  The camo bits were Army Painter Army Green and more Corps Brown. 
The base was painted and highlight deliberately with the same pallet to reinforce the impression of actually good camoflage.  Something I'm looking forward to pushing with the stealthers, the Vesuvian Rangers.  Gufaa!

Achtung!  Min vepon!  It izz kaput!

While the majority is pretty standard highlight, wash etc, the camouflage was something of an accident.  After trying a stippling brush, dry brush, smudging I got annoyed and used the wrong brush.  One of my "retired" examples of poor brush care (See below), managed to give me a random and pathetic spread of paint which really proved perfect for the subtle scatter of green and brown scratches on the Clone Troopers.

A few dashes of mid brown for dust and dirt and by Jove I think I got it.  Not perfect, but these are Hussars. I'll reserve the extra effort for the formidable Juggernauts!

Incidentally, Warzone: Resurrection is a great platoon sized game which doesn't really sit in the same field as Warhammer 40k.  It uses a bigger focus on the individual units (think 40k 3rd edition), though as its a redo of an old 80's game, units are still coming out.  If you don't mind a developing environment, it has some really nice figures.

When I've got enough painted up, me and my friend Snorre (Who is working on his Mishima right now... I hope O_O) will be running a few practice games.  I'm hoping to do a quick review of the game in greater detail for those who have an interest.

Bed time now, but next I can zoom through the other 9 Hussars and move on to the next unit, but what should that be?  Juggernaughts or the elite Rangers?

For more info on Warzone: Resurrection, here is a link to the Facebook group, which offers a better variety of pics of the figures and an opportunity to find out more.

Thanks for reading!

R

Painting Technique Spotlight: Hairspray White Wash

I'm luck to be part of a fantastic Facebook group called simply The Imperial Guard.  Now there are lots of guys and gals there with some amazing talent, but no Blog or Site to show them off.  After being allowed to display Paul Bullocks deadly looking paint scheme for his huge Necron army, I decided I would make a thing of it.

Richard H, another group member has a knack for white washing his tanks.  The technique is simple and really makes you think about the tank as a real thing.  You will see what I mean as he takes over for a minute.

In other news, I've received some inspiring feedback about this Blog and how I treat it, so expect some more and better posts.  (Also a review of some of Victoria Miniatures newest stuff - :D).

Pictures are used with permission.

Hairspray White Wash Guide - Richard H.

Step 1.  I painted the model the basic colours with company markings and transfers. Then sealed/varnished it. Then sprayed the whole model with hairspray and left to dry for 10minutes.

Step 2.  Next a dusting of white spray, I use Wilkos own but GW or army painter are ok. Let that touch dry.

Step 3.  Then with a stiff brush and hot water rub off the paint where it would naturally flake. Edges moving parts and wherever you want until you're happy with it. Let it dry completely over night then varnish again. This seals the hairspray and paint you've left and eradicates any whitening the hairspray may give you.

Other finished examples.

 

Big thanks to Richard for letting me post up this damn useful and concise guide.


Do you guys have any experience with Hairspray based techniques?  How did they go?

As usual,
Thanks for reading.

R

Stage by Stage Chimera Paint Job.

One more vehicle down.  The first Chimera of hopefully many.  Having practiced and secured a really good painting system to get them off quick, I should be able to knock out all the other stripped and repurposed vehicles in short order.

The first stage was simply undercoating the model in a layer of Army Painter - Army Green.  Now as I may have stated previously, its a bit minty (thanks for that discription Rory >_<).  So after the coat has been made, add any black on the tracks followed by a liberal (and I mean liberal) layer of Army Painter Strong Tone. 
At this point its all to taste.  I ended up using AP-Strong tone, AP-Soft tone and Aggrax Brown, all to wash down the colour and create a dirtied up affect.

Next up was to edge the well, edges with the paint tone of AP - Army Green, followed by GW Abaddon Black and GW White Scar.  This simulates the inevitable wearing down of the paint down to the priming layer.

Then some Ryza Rust was added in here and there followed by detail on the baggage.

Lens and windows were painted with dull tones like GW Mordian Blue and high lighted before a light Badab wash to add definition.

The tracks were layed over with GW Stirland Mud, applied as mud, splashed up over the rear side and sitting as mud would.  This was then washed in AP: Dark Tone, before being drybrushed with Mechanicus Grey and finally lightly with Bleached Bone.

I've just varnished it with AP: Anti Shine varnish and packed it away.

Now the plan, like my other vehicles, is to add decals and then when I've finally gotten hold of some Pigment Fixer, add some Pigment Powders.

However, next up, I'm returning to the Warzone Ressurection Bahous, to get them ready for some Demo gaming!

Thanks for reading!
R

Tank Traps! The forgotten obstacles of Stronghold Assualt.

A rather unseen part of lastest edition Stronghold Assault, is the one line affair of obstacles that you can add to lie around or in front of fortifications.  This includes Tank Traps, Razor Wire and more Obstacles.  These provide useful little areas in front of the Fortification that can either cause Dangerous Terrain tests, provide cover or even act as Impassible Terrain for land vehicles!

Whats more is that not only does this count for the ubiquitous Aegis Line, it is also 7th edition official. :)

Now they cost only a humble 15 points each and are vaguely described as being 6" in length (No depth is noted, so abuse is possible, but not by me, I'm nice).

However suddenly you can get a picture of where I'm going from here.  While many players can go for Meq armies or drop pod hordes, I present: The Trenchers!  A storng focus on the armies fortification (be it an Aegis Line or a full on Martyrs Line), fronted with lines tank traps and razor wire.  It's the ultimate camping strategy but if used right it really hinders assaulting armies or deep striking trollers.  Remember, Tank Traps count as Impassable Terrain.  Even for deep striking vehicles. :D

So below we have two bags worth of Secret Weapon Miniatures Tank Traps, which I have based upon extended Warhammer Fantasy Regiment bases.

Car repair paste.  Melts plastic if used in high quantities.

So now I have 6 x 6" worth of linking Tank Traps that prevent the movement of things like Rhino's Land Raiders and more.  Yes, Eldar, Yes Tau, whatever.  They also provide cover saves and can be placed anywhere so long as they are linked within range of the Fortification.

Its a new angle, and with my Imperial Guard angling towards a very early ww2/ww1 feel, I think its the way forward.  Especially since I'm sick of Drop Pods and Rhinos...

Now I'm looking at doing some razor wire to slow down incoming assaults and slow down troop movement.  Maybe some Necron versions to combine with Ctan Writhing Landscape and Razor Wire for ultimate troll?  Nah, I'm nice me. 

Anyway, look into Stronghold!  Get the most out of your Aegis Line!

Now, in other news!

3 Chimera and 3 Demolishers.  The muster continues!

Red Chapel Murders - Malifaux

Something different is always good.  Especially when it comes to painting.  After a chat with a friend at the local gaming store, I managed to work myself into a free commission, to help paint some stuff up for the store cabinet.

I got to choose a starter box from Malifaux, a character driven skirmish game set in a steampunk lovercraftian world, and I chose the Red Chapel Murders.  Think Jack the Riper, dead prostitutes and a leprechaun.  Welcome to Malifaux

Admittedly, I was overwhelmed at the detail.  These figures are amazing. Infinity has the gold on loads of detail, but the attitude in these figs was undoubtedly phenomenal.

But like I was saying, painting something out of ones comfort zone is always recommended.  I also got to play with making a faux slate base with bits of cut up card board. 

The tones and palette was very unusual for me, a lot of the colours I had to mix myself. 

Just a small post.  These were a commision, but damn they were hard to let go of.  Malifaux isn't a game which takes long to play, its not too expensive, but demands a lot of scenery.  Getting a board solution at home is the plan over Christmas, if the scenery looks good I may return!

R

Warzone. Bauhaus. That is all.

So after noticing the wonderful remake of Warzone, Warzone Ressurection, I've dove in with partner in crime Snorre and grabbed a starter pack.

And some more.

The game is a smaller scale grim dark styled game, which is at more of a platoon level than 40k.  It has more of a Warmachine feel to it, though arguably much less complexity.  Like 40k, the empashis is Fun over Fair, as opposed to Fair over Fun.

It uses a lot of cards too, so I have already come prepared with my own choice of card protectors.

No.

The range is still in its infancy, and uses a lot of modern techniques despite its obvious teething problems.  The figures are produced in Poland, using a 3d printer and a soft bendy resin mix.

The bases are sadly still mass produced with a slot which is never used with this range.  Nothing some cardboard and superglue can't fix!

Angelica with her Bahous Juggernought bodygaurd.  Love these guys.  Recently saw Edge of Tomorrow with those Exosuits and fell in love with them.

The Big One in the starter box.  Note the bases are drying, a mix up of sand, slate and herbs.  It was at this point I decided to go for the Venusian Jungle base, as opposed to the cliche Winter base theme most go for with Bahous.

The whole collection is about an average size for an army.  With the advanced rules, this counts as probably more. 

Old unit of Bahous!

The final unit was the elite Venusian Rangers.  With these guys I decided against the shoulder pads.  Nothing against them, I just found myself preferring the sleek look.  Considering the jungle warfare colour scheme I'm looking into doing, this will work very nicely.

Now assembled, I'm planning on experimenting with these chaps.  Use some of those P3 paints from the Flames of War German uniform set I bought a while back.  The design was suggested by someone on the Facebook Warzone page.

Thanks for reading,
R