The Deployment Zone's - Tamurkhan, Throne of Chaos Campaign

Tamurkhan, Throne of Chaos Campaign Outline:

I will be running the Deployment Zone’s – Tamurkhan, Throne of Chaos Campaign starting February 22nd and ending on May 9th. There will be no “home” location since this is a multi-site and multi-region campaign event. Details below as well as some questions I’ve answered prior to this post already:

Storyline and Introduction: (summarized and taken from the book Tamurkhan, Throne of Chaos)
There was a great gathering of the exalted champions and warlords of the armies of chaos upon the plateau of K’Datha in the ruins of Zanbaijin the Fallen City. Followers of three of the four Gods of Chaos were present and soon joined in battle to fight for supremacy over the ruined city and win the favor of the Gods. The brazen-armored warriors of Hakka the Aesling, champion of the Blood God, fought the horse-mounted reavers and marauders of the Yurtsak under the leadership of Sargath the Vain, paramour of Slaanesh. This battle was joined by the witch-cabal of Urak Soulbane, Arch Sorcerer of Tzeentch. The three armies fought for days as the bodies piled high and the stink of death hung heavy over the ruined city of Zanbaijin.

As the grand melee had reached its zenith, a fourth army crested the edge of the plateau and looked down upon the battle below. A monstrous horde filled with nightmare things, dripping rot and decay, carried an aura of miasma and pestilence about it. Bile Trolls, worm-men and hideous, nameless things dripping rot and slime roared in unison as the leader of this rotting host stepped forth. Like the other chaos warlords, the newest champion to arrive had heard the call to K’Datha and the whispered promises of power as well.

A great storm sent by Father Nurgle himself wreathed the fallen city, plunging the battling armies into darkness and obscuring the sun. With a roar that seemed torn from the very throats of hell, the fourth army descended upon the city to join in battle and win glories for their patron, the Lord of Decay. Tamurkhan the Maggot Lord, his form bloated and distorted with disease and mutation, was at the head of his nightmare host as they smashed into the followers of Khorne and Slaanesh embattled below. The witch-cabal fled the battle sending flashes of arcane flame in their wake as the rotting host descended, their general Urak seeing portents of doom for his army.

At the height of the battle, the clouds were rent asunder and caustic rain fell in sheets that putrefied the flesh of the fallen and created rancid sloughs of liquid that mired the forces of Khorne and Slaanesh as Tamurkhan’s horde slammed into their flank. Tamurkhan’s horde broke the back of the Khornites and dispersed the forces of the Blood God quickly. The horsemen of Slaanesh fought their way through the rotting host till their leader, Sargath the Vain stood before the champion of Nurgle. Sargath looked upon the withered, rotted figure slumped unceremoniously upon the vast, hulking bulk of Bubebolos the Toad Dragon. The rotted figure spewed out his own vile insults as Sargath roared out his challenge. The toad dragon opened its gaping maw and spewed a blast of unspeakable foulness at Sargath. Sargath immediately leapt into the air while his mount was reduced to a screaming pile of ooze, his miraculous jump clearing the vile ooze but the fumes instantly corroded his pristine white armor, and landed upon the back of the massive toad dragon and stood before Tamurkhan seated upon his saddle. The champion of Slaanesh speared Tamurkhan’s heart with his rune blade. Sargath’s roar of triumph was cut short as Tamurkhan began to laugh and his form bulged and finally burst asunder like rotted fruit. A large, grey child-sized maggot with rows of twisted teeth and black multi-faced eyes leapt forth and buried itself into the neck of the champion of Slaanesh. Within seconds the maggot had disappeared and Sargath’s body began to jerk spasmodically as the champion of Nurgle had found a new host. The toad dragon bellowed a roar of triumph as its master climbed upon his back once again and took his seat.

The marauders and horsemen, seeing their general defeated broke and ran and the forces of Tamurkhan swept through the remaining forces of Hakka the Aesling and claimed the city of Zanbijin for Nurgle. By right of conquest, the remaining forces swore fealty to the rotting lord as long as he promised them glory and riches in the name of Chaos.
And so began the tale of the Chosen of Nurgle, Tamurkhan the Maggot Lord, and his quest to sit upon the Throne of Chaos…
Tamurkhan and his lieutenant, Kazyk the Befouled, organized the rotting host and marched northward. As the rotting host crossed the Altayan Hills, the Dolgan warlord Sayl the Faithless, a malformed yet powerful sorcerer-lord, made a play and swore fealty to Tamurkhan and swelled the rotting host by tens of thousands of Dolgan warriors. Instead of plunging west into the lands of Kislev and the rich prizes of the Empire, Tamurkhan took his forces even further North and East towards a place of nightmares in the Chaos Wastes, the Gallows Tree.

The Gallows Tree was a twisted, nightmarish mass of limbs that served as a living gateway to the horrors beyond in the Realm of Chaos. It was said that within the nightmarish space lived an unclean hag-daemon who would bestow blessings and secrets to those that pleased her and death to those who did not. Tamurkhan brought his massive army to the foot of the gallows tree and left his horde encamped at its base as he walked into the bowels of the tree and into the realm beyond. Tamurkhan spent many days within the tree and while he was gone, his army swelled even larger every day.

Tamurkhan finally emerged from the depths of the Gallows Tree several days later and much to the rejoicing of his followers. All could see that the Maggot Lord had been marked by the Chaos Gods. The once white armor of Sargath was now rusted and befouled, swarming with bloated parasites. The new body that Tamurkhan inhabited had been ravaged during his journey but it was clear that the Lords of Chaos had chosen their new champion. In his hand, Tamurkhan bore several scrolls and he gathered around him a score of the most powerful champions and sorcerers in the horde into a war council and shared with them the revelations he received while in the Gallows Tree.

Tamurkhan declared a war upon the lands of Men; he referenced the legendary Throne of Chaos that would yield dominion over the world and untold glories to be heaped at the feet of the Chaos Gods. Tamurkhan shared the visions bestowed upon him, the forges of Zharr, the Mountains of the Mourn, the Blasted Lands and finally the ripe underbelly of the Empire. As he spoke, the gathered warlords grew enticed by his promises of power and as Tamurkhan’s raspy voice filled the chamber, the fate of the horde was sealed. And with a final, guttural roar, Tamurkhan declared war upon the lands of Sigmar and the Empire and the deafening cry of war from the gathered masses caused the very ground to shake as a new storm of chaos had begun…

Campaign Guidelines, Rules and Structure:
The Tamurkhan, Throne of Chaos Campaign is a six part point based narrative campaign setting which will be using the rules from the Warhammer Forge book Tamurkhan, Throne of Chaos. The entire campaign is set to take place over the course of 12 weeks with each phase of the campaign being two weeks long. The difference between a narrative campaign and your standard campaign is that at the end of every phase, the side that has the greater amount of campaign points will directly impact the next phase. There will also be special scenarios and abilities unlocked as each side wins a phase and finally at the end there will be a drawing for prizes via a raffle for all those who participated.

The Sides:
There are two sides to the Throne of Chaos campaign. One represents Tamurkhan and his horde, and the other represents his opposition he encounters and various armies and enemies that oppose him.

Chaos Horde
The armies played by the Chaos Horde should be drawn from the Chaos Army books (Beastmen, Daemons of Chaos, Warriors of Chaos and the Legion of Azgorh – i.e. Chaos Dwarves) or one of the Forces of Destruction which were outlined in the Warhammer Basic Rule Book. (Orcs and Goblins, Vampire Counts, Skaven, and Dark Elves)

Opposition
The armies played by the Opposition to the Chaos Horde should be drawn from the Empire and the rest of the Forces of Order (Bretonnia, High Elves, Wood Elves, Dwarves, and Lizardmen).

The armies of Ogre Kingdoms, Dogs of War and Tomb Kings will have the option of choosing a side when they join the campaign. Once chosen however, the player must stay with the chosen side through out the campaign.

The Points Cost:
Games should be played to a mutually agreed points cost, with a minimum value of 2,500 points recommended per side for games in phases one through five, with Grand Battles of 3,500 points a side recommended for games played as part of the sixth phase.

Army Restrictions:
Please try to make the armies friendly and fun. However there are no restrictions on what you may bring. Special characters are allowed but with the following caveat: Special characters are worth double their victory points to your opponent and will provide 1 Campaign point to the opposition’s side if slain. It is a time of heroes and the most renowned would show up to fight, however legends do die…

The Phases:
The campaign is separated into six phases; each phase will be narrated and will roughly correspond to the story told in the Tamurkhan, Throne of Chaos book. Each phase will last two weeks with each battle earning points for each battle won per side. The side that earns the most points per phase will win that phase and have a direct impact upon the storyline and the final conflict at the end of the campaign. Each phase will have a special scenario outlined which will be worth more campaign points as well as a Storm of Magic scenario too.

The Grand Finale:
Phase six of the Throne of Chaos campaign will represent the cataclysmic final conflict fought in the shadow of the great city of Nuln. The results of the previous phases will determine what bonuses are attributed to either the Chaos Horde or the Opposition.

The Scenarios:
Each phase will be dedicated to a specific section of the Throne of Chaos storyline and there will be special rules per phase for each side as well as special scenarios and rules for choosing the scenario. Each phase will have its own unique scenario which shall be designated as the narrative scenario.

Scenario Options and Scoring:
Every phase there will be a choice between three normal scenarios, one Storm of Magic scenario and one Narrative scenario to play. The three normal scenarios will vary per phase as far as availability. Each scenario provides campaign points to the victor and their side. The campaign point value is determined by the type of scenario and at the end of the phase the side with the most campaign points wins that phase. Some scenarios will be worth more campaign points than others and the value will change from phase to phase.

Reporting Wins and Ending a Phase:
Every phase will last two weeks beginning on a Wednesday and ending on a Tuesday two weeks later. Players will have three options on reporting their side’s campaign points.

1. Private Message on the Ordo Fanaticus Forums to me (Sylvos) or email me at john@thedeploymentzone.com with you Ordo name or real name.
2. Have your game club/store designate one person to report it to me via The Deployment Zone email address (john@thedeploymentzone.com)
3. Inform me in person when I am at your game store/area/club.

The Wrap Up:
At the end of this campaign, Tamurkhan and his horde of chaos will either win and ravage the Empire of Man and a new age of Death and Decay shall reign over the land…or the good guys win and the world stays the same only lots of stuff to bury. Everyone who participates will have their name entered into a raffle and every game that you play also earns you an entry into the raffle. One person will win a Battalion of their choice and two others will win a $50.00 and a $25.00 gift certificate. You must play a game during the campaign to qualify for winning a prize.

Questions and Possible Issues:
1. How many games do I have to play a phase? - You only need to play one game per phase and if you happen to miss out on a phase it’s ok just try to play in the next phase.

2. If I play multiple games in a phase do I get to use all my totals? – No, only one won game will be recorded as far as campaign points in a phase. You could technically play 2 games where you win one and lose one and still would be able to report the game that you won in.

3. What if I don’t have someone from the opposite team to play against? - That happens sometimes, If you and your opponent are on the same side (Chaos or Order) and play each other, then you both earn half the amount of campaign points you would have normally earned. (i.e. if the two of you both report a win with the points then it equals out to the same as one person reporting a win).

4. Aw man, I just signed up for another guys campaign but I want to play in yours too but I don’t have the time, what do you recommend? – Why thank you for such a thoughtful question. No one likes to have to choose between two neat ideas or friends. If you are currently in an existing campaign or one is starting up at the same time as this one, you may still participate in both. All you have to do is report if you won a battle for your side and the same rules apply if you end up playing someone on the same side as you.

5. Yeah but in this other guys campaign our scenarios aren’t the same as the Tamurkhan ones, what do we do about that? – That’s also just fine, non-Tamurkhan scenarios (each phase will have the approved scenarios listed) will be worth 1 CP (Campaign Point) to the victor. The goal is to foster participation and gaming without diminishing from the efforts of other people’s campaigns and enjoyment.

6. Do my armies have to be painted? - No, the entire point of this campaign is to get members of the Ordo Fanaticus ready and prepared for OFCC by having them play games and enjoy themselves. I full expect people to have half-assembled units and proxies in some of their games as they try to figure out what works best for them.

7. Wait, you said this is to get folks ready for OFCC? Does this mean I can use my OFCC list with monsters and stuff? – Yes. Dogs of War are also totally viable to use.

8. How are you going to report the wins? - I will be providing a summary every two weeks on the Ordo Forums, my blog (http://www.companyofthedamned.blogspot.com)and also on the Deployment Zone podcast (http://www.thedeploymentzone.com/).

9. You mentioned prize support, is there an entry fee for this campaign? - Nope, the only cost is your time involved.

10. Where do you sign up for it? - I will have a list on the Ordo Forums of those who have signed up for it and what side they have chosen to be on.

11. Where will we find the special scenarios? – I will be posting the current phase’s scenarios and explanations the day of the new phase on the Ordo Fanaticus forums and my blog (http://www.companyofthedamned.blogspot.com/)

12. Lastly, do I need to have a copy of Tamurkhan to play? – Absolutely not, I will be providing all the information you need to play via blog and forum posts. I still recommend getting the book however, it’s awesome.

I'll be providing updates via this blog, the podcast and the Ordo Fanaticus forums.

How important is the Deployment Phase? – Part 1

How important is the Deployment Phase? – Part 1
The Deployment phase is one of the most critical phases in most war games. It has the potential to set you up for utter victory or complete failure. The deployment phase requires more strategy than most people give it credit and it can easily determine the winner before any dice are even rolled. The type of war game also has a direct impact of how important the deployment phase is because in some games half the battle is fought in the deployment phase.

During the deployment phase, you and your opponent will attempt to place your units in the most advantageous position to either engage or avoid the other’s best or worst units. In some game systems the deployment zone is a static area from battle to battle while other game systems make use of different types of scenarios that require players to deploy their forces outside the standard 12” line. Through the use of scenarios, game designers have managed to alter not only where the players place their units but also the methods and tactics involved in those decisions. Scenarios accomplish two points, they provide a different area of deployment to players and it employs different winning conditions which directly impact deployment and game play.

Let’s take a look at some of the game systems and how deployment is performed. In some historical games, players will write down where their units will be placed and then reveal their decisions during the deployment phase. If the other general has done a better job of setting up and devised a better deployment strategy, then sometimes the game is decided before any dice are rolled or miniatures even placed. In games such as Blood Bowl where you set up your teams on a fantasy football field, if you properly set up your team you can easily score a touchdown with minimal effort while denying your opponent the chance to stop you. Also, games like Blood Bowl require a redeployment after every half or touchdown which means that there is a lot of strategy involved in deploying one’s team to gain the advantage.

Now when you have war games that provide you with different deployment scenarios, the importance of properly deploying is even more critical. Warhammer 40,000 5th edition currently has 3 basic scenarios and missions in the main rule book. Each of these missions has a different objective in order to secure a victory and also each scenario alters the deployment zone and the method in which troops are deployed. The players have to appropriately deploy their troops, decide who is in reserve, figure out who is scouting or outflanking and then let their opponent do the same before they begin the battle. All of these actions are part of the deployment phase where the stage is set for the upcoming game and a good portion of the game is already decided once the die is rolled to seize the initiative. Warhammer Fantasy has the same type of situation where you have six different scenarios for basic battle missions then a slew of narrative and special battles detailed in its core rulebook. The scenarios alter not only the victory conditions but also the size of the deployment zone and the method of deploying (from alternating units to one player deploys entire army). In Warmachine and Hordes, not only do their scenarios alter deployment and objectives but the very force organization can change the deployment zone for the army. All of these variables make it easy to error in how you deploy your army and complicate the tactics you had planned to employ that game.

Some armies are slightly more forgiving when it comes to making bad decisions in the deployment phase. You generally see this in Warhammer 40k due to the large amount of fliers and fast moving vehicles. You can maneuver and reposition a little bit easier than you can in Warhammer Fantasy but it doesn’t change the fact that your army is still out of position and your opponent has a serious advantage.

In Part 2 of how important is the deployment phase, I will be providing some deployment strategies for the armies I play as well as the methodology involved. You will also see how a poor deployment strategy can severely punish you in game. I will also try to provide deployment examples for all my armies rather than just the Wood Elves and Beastmen. We will be discussing this topic tonight while we record episode 7 of The Deployment Zone. Thanks!

Black Sheep Brawl - Tournament Results!

This weekend I had the pleasure of competing in the first annual Black Sheep Brawl at Borderlands Games in Salem, OR.  Chris Bailey and Paul Wilworth of the Order of the Black Sheep gaming club organized and ran this 2400 point Warhammer Fantasy tournament.  The event was filled to capacity with 32 players and had a fairly diverse assembly of armies.  The Brawl was a three round tournament that used the standard basic rule book scenarios with a few modifications.  My cohosts from The Deployment Zone Podcast and I as well as a large number of the Ordo Fanaticus gaming club were in attendance at the event.  We will be putting out a special 6.5 episode which covers the Brawl.

I chose to bring my Wood Elves since there was going to be a painting portion in the overall judging and also because it's my favorite army.  As I mentioned earlier, there was a fairly diverse group of armies that showed up to the event and oddly enough there were seven dwarf armies present (ungh).  I believe every army was present with the exception of Beastmen and Dark Elves.  The tournament was  roaring success and the energy and attitude was both very, very good.  Everyone at the event had a good time and Chris managed to garner a rather large amount of prize support for the event.  There were several prizes and awards given out at the end of the tournament and I personally look forward to the next Brawl.
My list for the Black Sheep Brawl:
Highborn, extra hand weapon, Bow of Loren, Arcane Bodkins, Scout Kindred
10 Waywatchers
14 Glade Guard w/ Standard Bearer and Musician, Banner of Eternal Flame
14 Glade Guard w/ Standard Bearer and Musician
10 Dryads w/ Branch Nymph
6 Wild Riderds w/ full command
6 Treekin
1 Great Eagle
1 Great Eagle
Level 4 Spellweaver, Rageth's Blades, Rhymer's Harp, Lore of Life
Noble, BSB, Asendyl's Bane, Dragon Helm, Light Armor, Hail of Doom Arrow
18 Eternal Guard w/ full command

My first opponent was Tim (TJP on the Ordo forums) and his Warriors of Chaos army.
His army was composed of the following:
Level 4 Sorcerer Lord - Nurgle
Level 2 Sorcerer
20 Marauders, full command
Hellcannon
Warshrine
18 Warriors w/ Mark of Khorne and Extra hand weapons
18 Warriors w/ Mark of Tzeentch and Halberds and a BSB Hero
2 x5 Marauder Horsemen
3 Trolls
5 Warhounds

The first scenario was the Battle of the Pass that had an additional scenario rule that the Donkey Keg Cart worth 500 vps at the end of the game if you have possession of it at the end of the game.  The deployment for the Warriors of Chaos was primarily centralized near the center.  I think Tim's strategy was to control the center and surround the cart.  I deployed heavily to in the center so that I could easily swing to the right and own the flank.  Tim got first turn and at first the game was swinging his way until the bottom of round 2 when he lost both units of Marauder Horsemen, his Warhounds, and his Level 4 on the disc.  Over the course of 4 more rounds Tim had everything except his Warshrine and his Battle Standard Bearer slain and I scored a victory with 2532 vps to 713.  Tim was a great opponent who also pointed out a rule that I had been incorrectly playing which was that flying units may charge over others.  That adds a whole new level of annoyance to my strategies!

The second game I played against John and his Warriors of Chaos.  He had a substantially different list than Tim and this game was played on the second table.  John had the following units in his army:
1 Level 4 Sorcerer Lord on a Disc
1 Level 2 Sorcerer Lord on a Disc
30 Warriors of Chaos with halberds, Blasted Standard and Mark of Tzeentch
30 Chosen of Chaos with halberds, Banner of Rage and Mark of Tzeentch
1 BSB Exalted Hero
2 Warshrines

The second scenario was the first battle mission - Battle Line with all terrain being mysterious.  A river bisected the table and successfully split the board.  John deployed his Chosen on one side of the table and his 2 sorcerers, warshrines and his Warriors on the other.  I set up almost my entire army in the center and left side of my deployment zone.  My goal was to avoid his Chosen and pick apart his army and deal with the Chosen last.  The double war shrine was pretty tough since he was able to augment his Chosen twice a turn and give them some serious punch.  In the first turn I managed to slay his General on the disc then I Dwellers Below'd his unit of Warriors reducing them by 17.  The Chaos Sorcerer on a disc and Warshrine paniced and ran through the unit of Chaos Warriors causing them to flee.  The next turn my Great Eagles ran off 2 units off the board while the Chosen continued to march toward their targets - my archers.  In the end I managed to destroy everything in his army except the Chosen who I fed a unit of Glade Guard and 2 Eagles and my Wild Riders to keep them from running through the army.  I ended up scoring a victory with 1600 vps to 713.  Thank you for the fun game John!

The third game was played on the second table again and this time instead of Warriors of Chaos I got to fight John's brother Chad and his Chaos Dwarves.  This was a seriously fun game and I got to see just how strong the new Chaos Dwarf army was.  The scenario was the Blood and Glory mission with the addition of three to four smoke elementals that provided cover modifiers to shooting and when charging or fleeing you rolled an additional dice and discarded the highest if you charged through it.  The smoke elementals drifted 1d6 per turn.
Chad decided to bring the following:
Level 3 Sorcerer Prophet on Bale Taurus
2 Level 2 Daemonsmiths
2 Dreadquake Mortars
12 Infernal Guard w/ Fireglaives
30 Internal Guard w/ Great Weapons
Castellan BSB
8 Bull Centaurs

Once again I did not get first turn and got to see first hand how powerful the Dreadquake Mortars are as they shelled and caused my Treekin, Glade Guard and Waywatchers to stay put for the first turn.  The Dreadquake Mortar causing all of my affected units to take Dangerous Terrain tests whenever I moved is crippling to the Wood Elf army since mobility and movement is one of their strengths.  On my turn I managed to charge his Bull Centaurs in the flank with my Wild Riders and hit his General on the Taurus with my Eternal Guard.  My Spellweaver Dwellered half of his Infernal Guard with the BSB in it reducing them by 13 models, and I caused his Bull Centaurs and General to flee combat costing Chad one of his standards.  Turn 2 reduced my Treekin down to three models and he managed to reduce one of my Glade Guard units by 4.  The bottom of turn 2 resulted in the General being charged, challenged and caught as he fled combat which provided me with a 720 to 0 victory over the Chaos Dwarves.

The tournament results were listed here.  I went 3-0 through the entire tournament and ended up winning Best Overall and was crowned Grand Champion of the Black Sheep Brawl 2012!
This was the Trophy I received:

The results:
Winners:
Overall: John Kersey - Lord of Awesome
Brush Master: Moses Jones
Exalted General: Maurice Maynard
Most Excellent Opponent: Ellie


I would like to thank Chris and Paul and all the others for running an excellent tournament and I had an absolute blast.  I am also pleased that the Wood Elves made a killer showing and winning the entire tournament was an excellent way to start the new year!

The next day my Alabama Crimson Tide won the National Championship over LSU!  ROLL TIDE!!!

Beastmen Minotaur and BSB Banners WIP

Here's a super quick WIP update for the Beastmen Minotaurs and Gorebull BSB banners I'll be using.  I decided to mess around with some freehanding and made 3 banners.

I've also included the step by step painting I did of the Dark Elf Sorceress a.k.a. Wood Elf Spellweaver =) I did the other night as well.

I think I may go with the two that are currently using a black background but we'll see.
Here are the WIP's.
If you folks like a particular banner please leave a comment (that may sway my decision on which two to use in the army).

Next up we have the step by step painting of the Spellweaver, I wanted to get done with her quickly and I also wanted to try out a new painting technique that I'm not completely sold on.  Essentially you water down all your paints to almost a wash and then quickly place 10-12 super thin coats and which dry within a few seconds.  It's supposed to create an even coating system that reduces brush strokes but I'm not completely sold.  Some paints get very, very transparent almost when you water them down too much.

Anyway, enough gabbing:

As you can see she has been primed black and then I used scorched brown  on her areas of bare flesh.

The scorched brown watered down becomes a wash way to fast so you must be very, very careful how much you water it down if you are going to use this technique.  I do not forsee repeating the use of it in the future but I will attempt to paint a few more models with it just in case I get better with it.

I used Elf flesh next to cover the areas of flesh.
This took almost 20 layers/coats to get to the point where it wasn't a super light brown with splotches of the yellowish pink.

Here I did two things, I painted her eyes with Icy blue, I used Dwarf Bronze on the metal items she was wearing (headband,belt, staff head, bra) then I washed the flesh with Ogryn flesh to get that ruddy suntanned skin I like to use on all my elf models.

Here I forgot to take pictures and so I combined three stages into one.
1. I painted her dress? Goblin Green.
2. I painted her leggings/belt/staff with Snakebite Leather and washed it with Devlin Mud.
3. I painted her hair Golden Yellow, highlighted the hair strands with a very thin layer of Mithril Silver then I washed the hair with Gryphonne Sepia and then drybrushed the Golden Yellow on top of that once it dried.  Her hair now shimmers in the light.

I then painted/flocked and magnetized her base.







Speaking of bases and for that matter Movement Trays....

Here are the trays I got from Base X of War that I placed a metal sheet into and then primed black and painted.  They are marvelous and I can't decide if I want to use the Skull movement trays for the Beastmen yet or not.  We shall see!

Lastly, here is the picture of my next project after my Beastmen are done...
sheesh =(  All the trouble we go to in order to play games in our garage!

Thanks!

Post 101 - The Company of the Damned – Year in Review 2011

The Company of the Damned – Year in Review 2011


Since I apparently forgot to make a big deal about 100 posts… here is 101!

This was a pretty busy year for the blog and the hobby in general. I managed to not only get 69 games of Warhammer Fantasy in but also managed to really get involved in the local gaming community. While I had less posts on the blog in 2011 than I did in 2010, I feel that the content improved by a good deal. The blog’s traffic definitely improved going from a few hundred views a month to well over 10,000 on average in 2011. I owe that to properly networking and maintaining amiable relationships with other bloggers of the same genre. I still haven’t reached my goal of getting 100 followers but maybe as 2012 progresses we’ll see a pick up in traffic and popularity.

The blog originally started out as a little podium where I could post pictures of my army to share with friends that did not live close by and to also provide some battle reports to them as well. As I began to get more and more comfortable with my blog, I began to post tactics and reviews as well as army lists and reflections of the game. In 2012 I plan to increase the amount of posting on this blog as well as battle reports and tactica for the armies I play. I have found that people enjoy reading about how army X performed against army Y and also seeing how units that they do not normally see on the board doing well.

Top Ten Things Accomplished in 2011 for Company of the Damned:

1. The Wood Elves were not only completely redone and new units added but the entire force was assembled, played and painted up to 3500 points.

2. The Beastmen army was finally pegged down and the army list created. I also managed to build the army but have not yet painted it up to 2800 points.

3. Managed to network appropriately and get on the blogroll of some rather high traffic websites and blogs and have increased traffic and exposure.

4. Managed to start a podcast with friends that has done well here and we have expanded our listening area across the nation.

5. Included Twitter as part of the blog which has been very beneficial and has provided no end of entertainment from other gamers on there.

6. Participated in several tournaments (with Wood Elves), placing in the top 3 in most of them – including Ard Boyz.

7. Participated in the OFCC for the first time and had an absolute blast to the extent that next event will be legendary.

8. Collected, assembled and painted a 35 point Retribution of Scyrah army as well as got a few games in for Warmachine.

9. Collected and partially assembled a 50 point Circle Orboros army.

10. Made new friends in the Ordo Fanaticus and other gaming circles and have expanded my gaming “pond” so to say by leaps and bounds.

This past year has been a wonderful experience for both the hobby and my enjoyment of the game. With the addition of The Deployment Zone podcast and the networking with several good folks back east and here in Portland, I feel I have begun to hopefully impact the community in a positive way. As far as new contacts and associations, I have not only made a lot of new friends in the Ordo Fanaticus, but also in the podcasting community. I think 2011 was an exceptional year for the hobby!

Ten Goals for 2012 and The Company of the Damned.

1. Complete and paint the Beastmen army up to 2800 points (before June).

2. Get the blog up to 100 followers.

3. Attempt to crest 20,000 views a month.

4. Network more with the podcasting community and hopefully get bloggers and podcasters more involved with not only the blog but the podcast. I would really like to get the guys from Garagehammer, Ohiohammer, Pointhammered and some of the other bloggers like Rhellion of Rhellion’s Tabletop to open a line of communication with the Portland group about the differences in the metagame in their region and ours. Based on several conversations so far, the difference is substantial!

5. Participate in at least 1 tournament a month.

6. Assemble, Paint and Play the Circle Orboros army (and the Circle models in my Wood Elf army don’t count!)

7. Publish tactica on how to deal with all the Warhammer Fantasy armies and also continue to firmly establish the Wood Elves as a viable army in 8th edition.

8. When 6th edition Warhammer 40k comes out, update my Black Templars and more importantly my Eldar for the new edition. This includes new models and perhaps army themes.

9. More product and book reviews on the blog.

10. In addition to providing more battle reports using Battle Chronicler, obtain a video camera and start providing Youtube videos of games in addition to the blog and podcast battle reports.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who reads the blog regularly and feel free to comment more! Have a good 2012!