Bolt Action Super Heroes

So being in retail management, this has been a busy couple weeks for me but I did manage to scrape together a bit of hobby time.  So as it turns out HeroClix is really cheap to expand into for Bolt Action conversion when buying off eBay if you get a few at a time to qualify for free shipping.  I spent less than $20 and ended up with around a dozen new characters which after normal war gaming prices was a nice change of pace.  This is going to be a long one so strap in, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the ride.

First up, I've finally ended up with a name for the group.  I based them in England, though they go where needed to do their assignments, and folded it into the British way of naming things for the war effort.  Thus we have the OSS(E) or rather the Office of Special Services (Enhanced).  The Office of Special Service (Empowered) was formed shortly after the regular Office of Special Service.  Pulling in operatives from multiple allied nations, mainly the British Empire and the United States, this organization operates under the mandate to support allied campaigns, counter Axis empowered operatives, and deal with various empowered and occult investigations.  They also assist with protecting high ranking Allied politicians and officers from nontraditional threats.

The overall head of the force is John Constantine with Captain America and Union Jack acting as his field commanders when operatives are acting in a group.  This is a mix of Marvel, DC, 40s Pulp, and other sources for form my group and it's been a bit of fun doing the research into some of them.  There is also one so far that is a creation of mine based on multiple other characters and ideas.

John Constantine
    A working class occult detective and con man in London, he often consults and assists
    with some of the more bizarre investigations that occur in England.  He was tapped to
    lead this new organization.  This model was originally a Roy Raymond Jr. Clix.
    Other than a rebasing, I think he stands in well for Constantine.

Captain America (Steve Rodgers)
    Volunteer who with the use of a secret serum became a United States super soldier
    who can be used as officer in normal Bolt Action Games  This model was the WW2
    Clix version of Captain America.  He got a wash layer, a Bolt Action Tommy Gun, and
    some Bolt Action ammo pouches.

Union Jack (Brian Falsworth)
    British commando from a moderately influential family who can be used as squad
    leader in normal Bolt Action Games.  This is the Union Jack Clix with a Bolt Action
    Tommy Gun, pouches, and a backpack to give him a more commando look.

Black Knight (Edward Garrett)
    Part of a line of British descendants of Sir Percy of Scandia destined to be the wielder
    of enchanted medieval sword.  I really liked the look of this Clix when it arrived and I
    only did a rebasing.

Pendragon (Edward Cawdor)
    Current chosen champion of the Lady of the Lake and imbued with the enhanced
    abilities from the Spirit of Britain itself.  This is the one I created using Captain
    Britain as a rough guide as well as other WW2 era characters such as Spirit of
    America and Uncle Sam

Namor
    Atlantean Prince temporarily assisting the Allied cause.  Other than a light wash to show
    detail on the Clix, all that he needed was a rebasing.

Human Torch (Android)
    Android created by US Scientist capable of turning into flame and flight.  As an android,
    he's a pretty interesting backstory and just had to be part of the group.  This model had a
    really nice look to it and just got rebased.

Spitfire (Jacqueline Falsworth)
    Daughter of a minor British noble who was a WW1 superhero, she gained super
    speed due to a combination of being bitten by a vampire and a resulting blood
    transfusion from the android Human Torch.  This member of the Marvel
    Invaders just got a rebase and is set to be the team's speedster.

The Rocketeer (Cliff Secord)
    A stunt pilot, found an experimental jet pack and put it to use assisting the US war
    effort.  This model definitely was the one that had the most done to it.  It started
    out as an Aztec Hero Clix.  The Jacket and gloves were repainted from black to brown
    leather, a slight wash over the white pants for a more of a khaki colored look, the
    helmet repainted from copper to brass, a converted 40K Imperial Guard flamethrower
    pack converted to his rocket pack, and then lastly a rebasing.  I've always like the concept
    of the Rocketeer for his 40s Pulp style and I'm pretty happy with how he came out.

Lady Blackhawk (Linda Blake)
    Member of the multinational Blackhawk Squadron and can be used as a forward air
    observer in a regular Bolt Action game.  This team wouldn't have been complete
    without a representative of the elite group of international pilots, the Blackhawks.
    Lady Blackhawk was the only one of the two options in Clix that I liked the look of,
    so she got to join the team.

Sandman (Wesley Dodds)
    US scientist with a gas gun used to sedate his enemies.  Another iconic member of the
    Justice Society who I just had to include.  This Clix had the iconic look down well, so
    I just rebased this model.

Liberty Bell (Libby Lawrence)
    Imbued with enhanced speed, strength, and stamina by a mystical connection
    through the Liberty Bell to the Spirit of America.  This character has a very
    convoluted and complex backstory that I'll admit to greatly trimming down to
    use here.  As far as working with the model, the pants received a good wash to
    get closer to a khaki color as the shade of yellow that they were painted was
    waaaay to close to flesh color and at a glance, she looked to be naked from the
    waist down.  After that, she just received the standard rebasing.

Phantom Lady (Sandra Knight)
    Daughter of a US Senator, who uses a "Black Light Projector" to blind her enemies
    and turn herself invisible  I liked how they pulled off the change from visible to
    invisible on this Clix, so all I did was the rebasing.

the Atom (Al Pratt)
    US Army tank driver who gained super strength during a battle against a German
    super soldier by accidentally absorbing some of his powers.  Another fairly iconic
    member of the DC Justice Society, the Atom seemed like a good fit for the team.
    All the Clix needed was a rebase.

The Invisible Man (Jack Griffin)
    British scientist who uses his research into optics and light refraction to turn himself
    invisible.  He agreed to help the British war effort in exchange for pardons for
    crimes he committed.  I liked the role he played in the League of Extraordinary
    Gentlemen and wanted to include him.  The Clix was one called Invisible Kid and
    just got a rebase to fit in with the rest.


I have a couple models that I got because I like the look of them.  One I think is going to end up as the Green Hornet and the other is going to end up as the western themed JLA character Vigilante.  I also am trying to find a Thor Clix I like to represent Norway and Denmark.  The other possible members I'm keeping a look out for options to use include Phantom (the Ghost Who Walks), a Dr Fate, Hawkman, and perhaps a JSA Green Lantern.

Anyway, that's all for now and thanks for visiting.  Don't forget to stop over at Da Long Wayz Dezert Groop to follow Cheef's work on one of my Leviathan Dreadnoughts.  He's just really getting started with it and it should be a lot of fun seeing what all he does.

BattleTech, BattleTech, and Then Some Bolt Action

So with a major retail holiday upon us, I've not really had any free hobby time.  Between family things and work, it's just been a hectic couple weeks for me.  However I did manage to get a few things done and this will be as much a progress report as anything else.

 

So first I got another shelf unit and finished getting my BattleTech forces organized.  Leading off is my beloved Eridani Light Horse, 21st Striker Regiment.  The first picture is the Command Company, the 3rd Striker Battalion, and the 5th Striker Battalion.  The second picture is the 7th Striker Battalion and the 1st Armored Infantry Battalion.  The only thing not complete about this regiment is that one day I need to talk someone into assisting me get the 3 pages of Fighting Piranha Graphics decals added to them all and then one day I need to find some bases that I like for the aerospace fighters.  Other than that, this is a 100% complete force.  This is an entirely pre-3025 force but could be played later in the timeline with newer variants of the models.

 

Next up is my 8th Donegal Guards Regiment.  This first picture is the 1st and 2nd Battalions and the 3rd Battalion is in the second picture.  This force is complete as far as painting and basing and it makes a nice pre-3025 force and of course could be used later in the timeline with more modern variants.

Then we have the Davion's Caselton Militia.  On the left is the 38th Defense Battalion and on the right is the 43rd Reconnaissance Battalion.  Definitely a defense style force with just a company of light mechs and then heavy tanks and artillery and then a company of hover tanks with 2 companies of recon vehicles and mechanized infantry.  This unit is 10% painted and based and I've no plans to expand it any further.

Then we come to my only Clan force, the Ghost.  We have from left to right, the Alpha Galaxy's 1st Bear Guards Cluster's 312th Assault Trinary and 23rd Elemental Support Binary.  The last unit on the far right is the 44th PGC's 144th Provisional Garrison Trinary.  This is another completed force and I've no plans to expand either unless I just stumble onto a really great deal on some Clan Mechs.

And then finally we've got a bit of Bolt Action.  I've finally based my Captain America, have rebased the Black Knight and Torch (of the Invaders not the Fantastic Four), and then after a light wash to give a bit of detail, have rebased the Namor as well.  So my version of the super humans to assist the Allies have finally made some progress.  Since this force will end up a mix of DC and Marvel characters, I'm still playing around with a name for the group with Justice Defenders being the current top choice.  Opinions and suggestions on this are as always welcome.

So that's all for now and going from how the rest of my week looks, I'll likely not be back for a new post until next weekend at the absolute earliest.  So I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and see you all next time.

Another Army Completed!

So I've continued to get more BattleTech completed this week.  Over the last couple days I've finished up my 8th Donegal Guard regiment.  I had two of the battalions completed previously and then the 3rd Battalion was just partially painted.  So without further ado, on to the models.

So first up is the Battalion Command Lance.  A nice sturdy force ready to stiffen a line or help assault an enemy strong point.

Next up is G Company of the Regiment.  This is the hard hitters of the battalion with plenty of fire support from the Catapults and Trebuchets and the Longbow of course.

H Company is still plenty of fire support but with a scout lance included as well.  Some maneuver there but it's a fairly brawler over all.

And for the last company, we have a couple of my favorite lances.  One is a Hussar leading a trio of Mercurys and then the other is a quartet of Phoenix Hawk LAMs.  Being RoboTech game models, they're a bit too large to be Stingers or Wasps, so Phoenix Hawks works well.

And with that, all 3 Battalions are done.  It's nice to start getting some armies done.  Next up is I want to get some more Primaris Marines painted now that I've got a color scheme locked in.  So pretty excited over all on how the hobby side of things has been going and hopefully it continues to go this smoothly.

So that's all for now and I'll see you all next time.

Lions of Harlech vs. Chaos -8th ed Battle.

Hello.
Neverness here along with Kushial. We played a game of Warhammer 40,000 8th edition this past Sunday. It was my first game and his 4th (?) of the new edition. What follows is a brief overview with comments from us both regarding the game and our thoughts on the new edition. Enjoy!

Kushial- Actually, it was my 3rd game of 8th, but they've been so spread out it almost felt like a first game.  There was plenty of book referral for both of us.  This is also our first time trying to do a dual writer post, so hopefully this turns out well.

The Lions of Harlech, steadfast against the traitors!

Neverness: I was excited to see that Army Builder was finally updated in support of the new edition. However they are behind, which is quite understandable considering the sheer amount of rules GW has flooded the market with since the new edition launched just a few months ago. As a result, just the Index books are currently supported. And I am OK with that. So the army I brought was strictly from the Index, while Kushial's is from the current Codex: Space Marines. It was my idea to try out the Open War cards. In hindsight we probably should have stuck with one of the basic missions in the rulebook, but these looked too fun not to try out.

Kushial: I think the issue was less the Open War Cards and more the ones we drew.  That card limiting shots to 12 inches max on turn one really was a major curve ball.  It would be interesting to try some of the other cards.  Though you also found the flaw in the Army Builder set up currently in that it doesn't have a way to do the degrading effects of being wounded on vehicles.  Not sure how they're going to add that in there without making the unit entries even longer than they are currently.

Neverness: We drew Objective: Invasion, Twist: Dead of Night and the Deployment card was a weird Triangle deployment. We somehow forgot about the Ruse card. Oops!

Open War, a good way to mix it up.

Neverness: The objectives were placed. I brought the street lights I recently painted for the other table, and we decided it would make a fun Narnia vibe if these were our objectives. Lonely lamp posts in a snowy place. Truly something worth dying for!

Chaos left flank.

Space Marines deployment zone.

Chaos right flank.

Kushial:  Here in the deployment is where I think you really threw me an advantage, especially with the range limitation on shooting.  Letting me concentrate my entire army on about half of yours early on made things a bit easier for me in the mid game turns.  I guess you were going to try and do a flank maneuver with the Landraider but you went so wide with it that combined with the Twist Card it didn't come into play until turn five which was the last that we played.

Neverness: This particular set-up was not very forgiving. Placement is crucial in any game but in this set-up, and with this edition, it can literally determine if you are going succeed or fail. Ironically the Twist card probably saved me at this stage as much as it hampered me as it spared my units from the attentions of the Lion's Devestator Squads. But, as Kushial points out, it totally kept the Landraider from being effective until the last turn or this game. Again, deployment is crucial. 

Kushial:  I think that was the fastest I've seen a unit of Khorne Berserkers that size vanish.  Between the Contemptor's Kheres Assault Cannon, the Tactical Squad's shots, and the Sky Talon straffing with Heavy Bolters and Twin Assault Cannon, those Berserkers got a lot of wounds laid into them.  And your dice seemed all too willing to be my accomplices.

Neverness: The lack of cover and LOS blocking features made the Khorne Berserkers sitting ducks. The 2 CP Stratagem that let them auto-save their morale test allowed them to stay in the fight a bit longer. They put some damage on the flyer, which was nice, but not effective enough. They just couldn't cope with that level of firepower. Also, when it came to charge, the dice foiled me hard. By the bottom of Turn 2 they were all dead.

When tank drivers have more bloodlust than a Hellbrute...

Kushial:  Ah, that poor, poor, lost soul driving that Vindicator, such a foul joke was played on him.  You wanted to hit my Dread with everything you could so the Hellbrute declares charge, the Chaos leader on his steed declares a charge, and just to throw in the kitchen sink so does the Vindicator.  And then only the Vindicator makes it into combat with the other two not coming even close on their charge rolls.  I see him spilling the blood of some comrades once they get back home.

Neverness: Like you said Kushial, that was a joke. Being my first 8th ed game I wanted to see how a tank worked in Close Combat, as 'fighting' tanks is a new concept in this game. But my thinking here was that the Vindicator would provide a support role for the Hellbrute and/or the Warlord on Juggernaut. So I charged that Dreadnought with my Vindicator. I think this was my biggest tactical blunder in the whole game and it's not one I am soon to forget. It did survive this encounter but it was beaten all the way down to 2 Wounds and greatly reduced in effectiveness.

Straffing runs are fun!

Kushial:  I liked the Sky Talon in the last edition.  I think I love it in this one.  It puts out so many shots between the two Heavy Bolters and the Twin Assault Cannon.  It killed 6 or so Berserkers on Turn 1, almost turned your commander into a greasy spot until we remembered your Warlord Trait, and then took out your traitor marines holding your objective.  Definitely was my MVP for the game.

Neverness: Oh no doubt. MVP of the whole game! I need one of these for my Ultramarines! 
It is truly a gunship now. The assault cannons are back in a big way and they bring the pain for sure. I had 6 saves to make with Juggernaut riding Warlord and botched all 6 of them. We remembered his Warlord Trait which allowed him to ignore failed saves on a 6+ which kept him in the game for a bit longer. It was the scariest moment in the game for me. But it made a difference as he was able to assist the Hellbrute with taking out that annoying Dreadnought before consolidating into the marines behind it. 

Consolidating is back!

Neverness: In Kushial's turn, the marines focused on bringing down my Warlord and despite his re-rolls, his wounds were too grievous to keep in the battle.

Chaos right flank collapses.

Kushial:  Alright, we've got THIS half the board cleansed, now to work on the OTHER half.  For the Emperor!  For Dorn! and for Harlech!

Chaos Terminators vs. the entire Lions of Harlech force! 

Neverness: I had my Chaos Terminators port in near the Lion's back line. I knew they would be juicy targets but I also knew they could dish out some death. They were able to eliminate one of the Devestator Squads and wound the Venerable Dreadnought before damn near the entire Lions of Harlech army gunned them into oblivion.

Kushial:  Oh look, Terminators out in the open.  Ready, Aim, .....  Yes, while they came in where they could hurt me some, they really were wide open for counter fire to rip into them.  There really was no other option though that seemed any better.

Gunship clearing objectives...

Kushial:  I need to figure out a way to do a stream of brass coming down in the wake of this thing to really show how much firepower it dishes out.


Neverness: An assortment of perforated corpses on the base might convey that too...

Hell to blast. 

Kushial:  While I wish I had this small unit of Void Lions painted for the battle as they were the only unit I fielded that wasn't completely painted and based, it was definitely fun trying them out.  While a bit expensive point wise, they definitely dish out some heavy firepower with those Plasma Incinerators.

Neverness: I was impressed with these guys as well. They can really dish out the death. I found them to be very imposing. My weakened Vindicator took some shots at them but was unable to hit with the Demolisher Cannon due to it's BS baving been reduced to 5+. They contributed greatly to the demise of the Chaos Terminators, who just couldn't roll enough 5+ invulnerable saves to save their lives. 

Also, their bases look awesome on this table!

Hellbrute wants to play!

Neverness: The Hellbrute was probably the MVP of my army for this game. He charged a another Contemptor Dreadnought and destroyed in Close Combat. In the above pic, you can see where he ended up after he consolidated. It was like he busted through a barrier and was now in reach of more meaty targets to pulverize. However, what I like about that pic also is that the Lions are facing the direction that the Chaos Terminators were, and you know they are all going to turn around and offer that Hellbrute the same attention...

So far away.

Neverness: If the Hellbrute is my MVP, than the Landraider was my MWP (Most Wasted Player). The deployment of that machine hurt it's ability to fire as did the Twist card, not that the Lions minded much. It eventually closed in enough to annihilate the Venerable Dreadnought though.

Kushial:  No way I could finish off the Land Raider, but I definitely think I could have taken the Hellbrute and Vindicator off had we played one more turn.  I think Nurgle has been messing with your dice to keep the devotees of Khorne from gaining any favors or blessings.

Objective Secured, the Lions have saved Narnia!

Kushial:  Well, both of us were victims of the new Morale Check rules.  While I like that they definitely keep the game moving, they can be brutal if you put enough wounds into a unit.  Needing to roll a -2 for those Berserkers thus forcing you to burn Command Points to keep the last few on the table definitely helped me later on from you possibly doing something more damaging to me instead.  Being able to use my Command Points offensively while you had to use yours to keep models on the table hampered you some I think.  But back to the Morale Check rules, while I lost a few marines to it, you lost what?  A terminator, several Beserkers, and a couple of the other Chaos marines to them?

Neverness: Morale, is indeed, a very powerful aspect in this edition in determining whether or not you are going to have a unit make it to the next Turn or not. In the past, I tend to not like games that are decided on Morale, but I need a few more games in before I can truly judge this one. Close Combat is definitely different and I think it is harder in this edition to eliminate an opposing unit in this phase than in previous editions. I still think 5th edition was best in regards to Close Combat.

So that was our game. Again, I need a few more games in before I can truly judge 8th edition, but so far I think I like it. It is different though, and the definitely the most radical change in the rule set since 2nd ed transitioned to 4rd ed, so there is definitely going to be some growing pains for awhile I think.

Thanks for reading this, we hope to have another battle report like this one in the near future!

Kushial: This has been an interesting way to write a blog post.  It might be interesting to give it another go some other time in the future.  As for all of you out there, thanks for reading and we'll see you all next time!

Back To Some BattleTech

So while Dreadtober was very exciting and feed into my love of Dreadnoughts, I had to take a break from them even though I still need to complete the Chaplain Dreadnought.  So it was time to get some stuff off the to do list and finish off some more armies.  I started a week of vacation when I got off work Friday afternoon so it was time to work on some hobby stuff.  I also managed to get up for Saturday Night Gaming in Johnson City for a match of Mage Knight card/board game against Murl.  It's an interesting game but after looking at some of the builds, the game could get real unbalanced depending on which is chosen.  Then I made it back up to Johnson City for a game of 8th Edition 40K against Neverness which will be discussed in another post.

I started with the BattleTech Saturday morning and then continued on into it all day Monday.  First up was the Davion Caselton Militia regiment.  I finished basing the first two Pegasus Hover Tanks.  Then the other two Pegasus were painted and based to finish the lance.  I also got the two Demolisher Heavy Tanks painted (no basing for them due to their size would hide the entire base).  This completely finishes this unit and it is in the done list.

Next up was my Eridani Light Horse.  First up I got the lone missing Rommel/Patton tank painted and based.  Then I tackled the Aerospace fighters.  6 Shilones, 4 Stukas, 4 Shologars, 2 Seydlitz, 2 Transgressors, and 2 Lucifers later my entire 21st Striker Regiment of the Eridani Light Horse is complete.  The fighters aren't based as I don't like the BattleTech bases for them and don't have an alternative that I like, but seeing as they're mainly just for show it doesn't really matter.

So that is two forces moved to the completed list to join the Ghost Bears.  Next up is getting that last battalion of the Donegal Guard done to finish off that regiment as well.  I'll be looking to tackle those Wednesday or Thursday and having them done before the week is over.  2 Companies just need to be based, 1 Company needs to be painted and then there is a command lance that is partially painted.

Then let's move on to the front of general geek stuff.  First of all, I got to see the new Thor 3 movie this past Friday night.  I'm not going to drop any spoilers, but it was very enjoyable and is in my top 3 favorite MCU movies right now along with Dr. Strange and the first Captain America movie.  I also picked up a present for myself to work onto my geek shelf of 4 Black Series Star Wars figures (Han, Leia, Luke, and Kenobi).  I've really like the look of some of the Black Series and this group is quite nicely done.

Oh, and before I forget, one of my dreadnoughts, a Leviathan no less, will be guest starring over on Cheef's blog as part of a paint exchange for a lance of BattleTech Manticore tanks.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how it comes out as he's quite a bit more talented than me with a paint brush.  Hopefully you'll all take a look over there and see how he does with it as well.  His blog is always a fun read as well so it'll be a fun adventure.

That's all for now and thanks for reading all.  I'll see you all next time!