Iron Kingdoms Roleplaying Game and Retribution of Scyrah Lists

I have recently been invited to play in an Iron Kingdoms Fantasy Roleplaying game with a few friends of mine.  Now I had posted a while back in my Breaking up with Dungeons and Dragons 4.0 topic that I was rather done with most role playing games as Wargaming took the driver’s seat with most of my free time (what little exists anymore!).  Now the Deployment Zone podcast had spent two episodes describing the Iron Kingdoms Roleplaying System as well as playing through a quick game to test out the mechanics.  During that time my gaming group had listened to the podcast and decided that they would run a campaign after the holidays and tie it into a Warmachine/Hordes map campaign.  So the six of us are going to play a map based Warmachine/Hordes/Iron Kingdoms campaign and roleplaying game with the map campaign being over for both systems in summer and the roleplaying game continuing for an undetermined amount of time.

The Full Metal Fantasy Campaign Rules:
1.  You are to submit one faction to play for each game, Hordes and Warmachine.

2.  You are allowed to field 2 lists per game system.

3.  Each list must be 50 pts.

4.  You are to submit one character for the Iron Kingdoms Roleplaying Game.  You do not have to play a character from the same faction as your armies.

5. You are expected to play in the Iron Kingdoms Roleplaying Game twice a month and the map based Warmachine/Hordes campaign once a month (once per faction – 2 games a month).’

6.  Iron Kingdoms characters are to start at level 1.

Map Based Campaign Rules:

1.  You are limited to 2 hexes of movement per turn.  Movement into another territory takes 1 hex of movement, regardless of the type of terrain (water, mountains, etc..)
2.  You may only attack a faction/army an adjacent hex away.  Attacking requires 1 hex of movement.

3.  You may only garrison territories that have been claimed for more than one game turn. (i.e. you can not garrison a territory the same turn as you conquer it)

4.  Garrisoning a territory requires 1 hex of movement and will allow you to defend the territory against invaders.

5.  Non-garrisoned territories may not be defended and are automatically captured.

6.  Capitols are automatically considered garrisoned.

7.  There will be 4 Seasons, each Season consisting of 3 Game Turns.

8.  A player’s faction is wiped out when there are no territories occupied by that player’s army.

9.  The winner is determined to be the player with the most territories.

10.  Players may not “aid” their other faction with their other army.  The two armies are treated as aggressive when adjacent and may not be treated as “Neutral” territories and therefore able to be passed through.  When a player is forced to invade a territory controlled by his other faction, if it is garrisoned then the Campaign Master will play the defender for that match.

11.  Two players may agree to be “Neutral” with one another for a single Game Turn.  While two players are neutral, players may move through each other’s territories without engaging in combat.  Hordes and Warmachine factions may not be Neutral with each other and are always considered Aggressive. 

12.  You may only declare neutrality once per Season.

                So with this set of rules established for the campaign, I set about drafting up both my army lists and my character for the game.  I have decided upon for Warmachine the Retribution of Scyrah and for Hordes the Circle Orboros.   The lists I’m going to use are detailed below:

Retribution of Scyrah: The Company of the Damned	Circle Orboros – The Great Hunt
Garryth, Blade of Retribution -          Sylys Wyshnalyrr -          Banshee -          Banshee Arcanist Arcanist Mage Hunter Assassin Mage Hunter Assassin Narn, Mage Hunter of Ios Ghost Sniper Ghost Sniper Mage Hunter Infiltrators – Leader & 5 Grunts -          Eiryss, Mage Hunter Commander Mage Hunter Strike Force – Leader & 5 Grunts -          Strike Force Commander Stormfall Archers – Leader & 3 Grunts Total: 50 pts.	Grayle the Farstrider -          Pureblood Warpwolf -          Warpwolf Stalker -          Winter Argus War Wolf War Wolf War Wolf Reeve Hunter Wolf Lord Morraig Reeves of Orboros – Leader & 5 Grunts -          Reeves of Orboros Chieftain & Standard Bearer Wolves of Orboros – Leader & 5 Grunts -          Wolves of Orboros Chieftain & Standard Bearer Warpborn Skinwalkers – Leader & 4 Grunts -          Warpborn Skinwalker Alpha Total: 50 pts Claw & Fang Theme – Tier 3
Retribution of Scyrah: Fires from on High	Circle Orboros: The Heart Eaters
Adeptis Rahn -          Sylys Wyshanalyrr -          Discordia -          Hyperion Arcanist House Shyeel Magister House Shyeel Magister House Shyeel Artificer House Shyeel Artificer Stormfall Archers – Leader & 3 Grunts House Shyeel Battle Mages – Leader & 5 Grunts House Shyeel Battle Mages – Leader & 5 Grunts Total: 50 pts. Fires from on High Theme – Tier 4	Kromac the Ravenous -          Warpwolf Stalker -          Gnarlhorn Satyr -          Shadowhorn Satyr Lord of the Feast Tharn Ravager White Mane Tharn Ravager White Mane Tharn Ravagers – Leader & 5 Grunts -          Tharn Ravager Chieftain -          Tharn Ravager Shaman Tharn Ravagers – Leader & 3 Grunts -          Tharn Ravager Chieftain The Heart Eaters – Tier 4

                I am hopeful that I will be able to field 1-2 games a session with the two factions.  We shall have to see.

My Iron Kingdoms character is an Iosan Mage Hunter/ Cutthroat and as many of you have already probably predicted his name is Sylvos.  I will post his character sheet for your viewing pleasure after the first session.  I will be providing hopefully bi-weekly updates on the Full Metal Fantasy Campaign for both the Map Campaign and the Roleplaying Game.  Until then, that’s it for now!

K'Daai Destroyer - Assembled. Warriors of Chaos List Finalized.

Hello everyone,

I've managed to complete assembly on my K'Daai Destroyer w/ the Brazen Wings upgrade (via Storm of Magic) for my Warriors of Chaos list I plan on taking to OFCC 2014 this year.

I really did very little work converting this, I bought a Maulerfiend and attached a set of minotaur horns and some manticore wings.  However if this happens to be like the most awesome conversion ever then I will totally change gears and complain about the sheer difficulty that was involved in it's conceptualization....

Enough talking pictures inc:

Next up we have the list for OFCC 2014.
I have yet to add all my fancy Roleplaying Names and titles to the units as I am accustomed to doing, however the theme is fairly straight forward.  I will be using a Chaos Lord mounted on a Daemonic mount taking his legion through the frozen north into the fiery and deathly Dark Lands (hey isn't that were your Beastmen hail from? omg THEME) where he assembles more of his forces.  I'm using Lore of Fire this go around cause, why not?

Here's the list, I'm sure I'll have some existential description that will make it relevant to some social moray and as a result empower my readers to do what's right and just... or they will just say "bitchin dude!".

Enough blathering- list inc!

2800 Pts - Warriors of Chaos Roster - The Eye Aeternum

Chaos Lord (1#, 355 pts)

1 Chaos Lord, 355 pts (General; Hand Weapon; Chaos Armour)

1 Daemonic Mount (Daemonic Attacks; Causes Fear; Stomp)

1 Hellfire Sword (Flaming Attacks; Multiple Wounds)

1 Enchanted Shield

1 Talisman of Endurance

1 Soul Feeder

Sorcerer Lord (1#, 324 pts)

1 Sorcerer Lord, 324 pts (Barding; Level 4 Upgrade; Hand Weapon; Chaos Armour)

1 Chaos Steed

1 Charmed Shield

1 Chaos Familiar

1 The Lore of Fire

Exalted Hero (1#, 215 pts)

1 Exalted Hero of Khorne (Battle Standard Bearer), 215 pts (Berserk Rage; Mark of Khorne; Hand Weapon; Chaos Armour; Battle Standard Bearer; Frenzy)

1 Juggernaut of Khorne (Daemonic Attacks; Causes Fear)

1 The Other Trickster's Shard

Chaos Warriors (21#, 355 pts)

20 Chaos Warriors, 355 pts (Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Chaos Armour; Shield)

1 Aspiring Champion (Hand Weapon; Chaos Armour; Shield)

1 Banner of Eternal Flame

Chaos Knights (5#, 260 pts)

4 Chaos Knights, 260 pts (Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Ensorcelled Weapons; Chaos Armour; Shield; Barding; Causes Fear)

1 Doom Knight (Hand Weapon; Ensorcelled Weapons; Chaos Armour; Shield)

1 Standard of Discipline

5 Chaos Steed

Chaos Ogres (6#, 290 pts)

5 Chaos Ogres of Khorne, 290 pts (Always Strikes Last; Berserk Rage; Ogre Charge; Standard Bearer Std; Mark of Khorne; Hand Weapon; Great Weapon; Heavy Armour; Causes Fear; Frenzy)

1 Mutant Ogre of Khorne (Always Strikes Last; Berserk Rage; Mark of Khorne; Hand Weapon; Great Weapon; Heavy Armour; Frenzy)

Skullcrushers of Khorne (3#, 244 pts)

3 Skullcrushers of Khorne, 244 pts (Berserk Rage; Standard Bearer Std; Mark of Khorne; Hand Weapon; Ensorcelled Weapons; Chaos Armour; Shield; Frenzy)

3 Juggernaut of Khorne (Daemonic Attacks; Causes Fear)

Marauder Horsemen (5#, 90 pts)

5 Marauder Horsemen, 90 pts (Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Light Armour; Shield; Vanguard)

5 Warhorse

Chaos Chariot (3#, 110 pts)

1 Chaos Chariot, 110 pts (Chariot; Scythed Wheels)

2 Chaos Charioteer (Hand Weapon; Halberd)

2 Chaos Steed

Chaos Chariot (3#, 110 pts)

1 Chaos Chariot, 110 pts (Chariot; Scythed Wheels)

2 Chaos Charioteer (Hand Weapon; Halberd)

2 Chaos Steed

Chaos Warhounds (5#, 40 pts)

5 Chaos Warhounds, 40 pts (Vanguard)

Chaos Warhounds (5#, 40 pts)

5 Chaos Warhounds, 40 pts (Vanguard)

K'Daai Destroyer - Brazen Wings - (325+40) - 365 pts.

Validation Report:

Army Subtype: Chaos Army; Edition: 8th Edition; Game Type: Normal Game; Special Rules: Allow Forge World, Allow Warhammer Forge; File Version: 2.70

Roster satisfies all enforced validation rules

Composition Report:

Points of Lords: 679 (0 - 700)

Points of Heroes: 215 (0 - 700)

Points of Core: 745 (700 - Unlimited)

Points of Special: 550 (0 - 1400)

Points of Rare: 609 (0 - 700)

Total Roster Cost: 2798

It is now 15 til midnight so I am going to hit the sack. 

I'll let all of you use your powers of deduction to determine where each character is going to go and stuff.

K'Daai Destroyer w/ Brazen Wings upgrade - WIP

Hello everyone,

As many know I have begun assembly of my Warriors of Chaos list for OFCC Fantasy this year.  In the list I wanted to have units that fit the theme so the K'Daai destroyer was a natural fit!

Anyway here are two WIP images pre-wings attachment.

The first and second is before I added the minotaur horns.  I choose minotaur because the Ghorgon set was just too large and dwarfed the actual head of the Maulerfiend.

The third image should show the wings that I plan to use.  I had been unable to find a suitable type of clockwork wings or steampunk wings that would work well with the model so the Manticore wings fit the bill.

Anyway, more to come!

Thanks

Army Updating – Embracing Change

Army Updating – Embracing Change

                It is always difficult to embrace change, especially when you have become very used to performing tasks a specific way.  When the 8th edition of Warhammer Fantasy came out back in July of 2010, many players were upset because they were forced to adapt their armies and play styles to a new format.  The game changed on a scale that required a hard reboot on how many people not only built their armies but also how they played the game.  The idea of Multiple Small Unit (MSU) armies went the way of the dodo and the era of large units and destructive magic began.  As I had just gotten back into Fantasy about a year and a half before 8^th edition had come out, I only had one army to really update and that was my Wood Elves.  When I made the decision to update the army, I had to look at how the new game system operated, what rules directly impacted my army the most and most importantly what tools I would need in order to survive in the new “age” of Warhammer Fantasy.  The fortunate part of updating at the beginning of the new edition was that I was able to embrace the new edition with open arms because I knew a new army book was not coming out soon and I would be able to play with the army for a long time.  I also was aware that all of my old tactics would not be useful and as a result be providing a disadvantage to me rather than help me be successful.

                So for my Wood Elf army I capitalized on Mobility, Focused Firepower and Assassination as my primary objectives for building the army.  I was able to break down how I felt the game would flow and make tactics and decisions about the army that created positive results and I was able to use units that the “current meta” or “tournament” scene did not find useful.  There were many of our gaming clubs however that did not embrace the new edition and struggled with realigning their tactics to work with the new rule set.  Some of those players quit, took breaks from playing or struggled through the edition until they figured out what worked for them.  Therein lays the issue that many gamers face, a lot of people like making “a list” that they use over and over.  Gamers prefer what is familiar and as a result will seek to use that which is familiar in their gaming.  Many struggle for a while when a new book or edition comes out because they are forced to reprogram their mind as to how the unit works in the new book from the old book.

                With the release of 6^th edition Warhammer 40,000 in June 2012, I was faced with a similar dilemma.  I had been playing 40k 5^th edition so much with the same “lists” for my Eldar and Black Templars that most games were almost auto-pilot in some regards.  However in 6^th edition, Games Workshop completely changed the way the game system worked.  In 5^th edition the Assault phase was king, and armies that brought units that could unleash a hellstorm of attacks in close combat were devastating.  You could blast your transports forward at full tilt and if they survived the next turn because they weren’t Destroyed or Exploded, you could disembark your death squad and assault the hell out of your opponent.  Now in 6^th edition, the game is far more shooting oriented.  Assault armies have been nullified and the day of the bolt-gun has dawned and the day of the chainsword has set.  An incredible amount of army configurations were nullified when 6^th edition came out, especially with the advent of Allies and Fortifications.  So with all the changes to transports, shooting, assaults, the reimplementation of overwatch, flyers, pre-measuring and Look out Sirs, the additional confounding issue that I ran into was that two of my armies were getting updated within a few months of each other.

                 With all of these compounding changes and rules, I began to struggle with trying to build the “list” to use in this new edition.  I then ran into the additional issue with the release of the Escalation and Stronghold Assault rule sets.  It became painfully apparent that the days of having “one list to rule them all” were long over.  Keep in mind that until my children were born I was pretty keen on being a competitive player in both Fantasy and 40k.  As my children reached their delivery date, I began to slowly back away from that mentality as my free time to spend playing in tournaments was severely impacted.  There are now far too many variables and options to make a viable and competitive all comers list that you could participate with in a tournament.  The advent of D weapons in standardized game play and the Forge World becoming official.  Games Workshop suddenly began inundating the market with options and rules for everyone and marked all of these options as “Official”. 

                 So with all these new options and accessible rules, I still struggled trying to come up with a list that I felt was “right”. 

                 It has been pointed out to me that once I have decided upon a theme that is loosely or tightly based off what I feel is fluff that I will put arbitrary restrictions on myself on what I feel “fits” the way a specific chapter, craftworld or army should be played and what units it should contain. 

                 Despite my own self imposed restrictions which tend to be more of a hindrance than helpful, I am faced with updating two armies I have owned for a very long time; my Black Templars and my Ulthwe` Eldar.  I played both of these armies as assault armies in 5^th edition, so when the new codices were released I realized that the days of ramming it up the center and assaulting with a hammer were over.  The reason is mainly because these days everyone and their mother bring more than enough firepower to deal with a unit or two breaching their perimeter.  Tactics and strategies I once used are now no longer viable.  What is a player to do in an edition where his army book and rule set have changed within six months of each other?  An additional conundrum is what is a player to do when new rules have been implemented that change the entire face of the battlefield?

                The answer is simple in this respect.  It took me a few weeks to figure out what I wanted to do mainly because I have always built a list first then built the army after.  Any small tactical changes which required units being swapped out was always done in the initial stages as to now waste money or time.  Now I have to throw all of that methodology out and adopt the new practice of building units that I am familiar with or like and making a list when the game is decided upon.  It is entirely possible that in a week I could be invited to play a 2,000 point game of 40k, a 1500 point game of 40k, a 2.5k game of 40k with Lord of War allowances and a 2000 point game with Stronghold Assault rules.    A single list isn’t going to be very effective in all those games but having units that I like and know how to use is. 

 

So enter the age of the collection lists and bid a fond farewell to the days of the static all comers list used in every game.  Enter the age of lists that will have more guns than blades and where the battlefield and battleforce are equally dynamic.  Enter the age of spending more time creating a unit with a story and then fleshing out that story every time you play.  Lastly, enter the age were its finally possible to build a narrative and create a fun and exciting game.

While this issue isn’t as prevalent in Warhammer Fantasy 8^th edition, I still have a Wood Elf army that will need to be updated in 2014 which I am both excited and dreading!

 

Armies on the Update Docket:
1. Ulthwe` Eldar – I want to create a themed Ulthwe` Strike Force that I can sub out options and maintain the Guardian and Seer Council theme.

2.  Black Templars – I want to build a narrative crusade full of characters, knights and zealots who are still determined to bring the Emperor’s wrath by bolter and chainsword.

3.  Wood Elves – this army will be getting updated sometime this year.  I can only pray that they do a good job with the book and do not unintentionally make most of its builds impossible to play successfully.

So I’ll wrap up this long winded whine with the realization that I have become more casual than competitive and honestly, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.  That is not to say that whatever lists I use are not going to be efficient and cock-punching but I can guarantee they will be fluffy themed and fun too!

Hopefully, this year will be filled with interesting and fun hobby updates as I build my armies.

Kicking off the new year right! Warmachine, Hordes and some Warhammer Fantasy WIP!

I decided to kick off the new year right by assembling a slew of new models to jumpstart the hobby for 2014!

Since it was painfully apparent that I was not the most productive hobbyist in 2013, I think that ensuring that I have my 50 point armies and the heroes of my Warriors of Chaos army assembled is a good step in the right direction!

Here is the group shot which is comprised of;
10 Mage Hunter Infiltrators
1 Epic Eiryss Mage Hunter Commander
1 Warpborn Skinwalker Alpha
2 War Wolves
1 Winter Argus
1 Reeve of Orboros
2 Wolves of Orboros
1 Narn, Mage Hunter Assassin
1 Sylys
1 Arcanist

You may also see the primed Mierce Miniatures Minotaurs in the background who are set on wine corks and ready to be painted.  Those hopefully will be done soon.

Below is the Warpborn Skinwalker Alpha.  One of my favorite models by Privateer Press but also one of my least favorite to assemble.  I am never a fan of spikes that are too small to pin being included (being too small to pin means the small drill I have which is super tiny is too wide for the bit) or pieces that are just weird to attach such as a jaw.
End result however looks great.

The Mage Hunter Infiltrators are a neat set.  The models come without arms attached and the arms specifically match their models torso.  Now I hate pinning diagonal angles which is what I had to do on half of these things.  It's a pain in the ass, learn to cast in plastic if you can't do it right.

If you will note, I have the new Eiryss model included as well.  I am not a fan of this model for various reasons.  The model is very thin and feels spindly for starters, the models metal cloak is too thin to pin and has two connection points at her shoulders.  The models arms are barely pinnable as I had to be captain awesome to get the angle right to pin.  Lastly the crossbow she has can in no way be properly pinned since the metal is not only too soft but also the connection point is too small.  Usually Privateer Press is awesome about the models they cast, this one however is a fail.

Lastly we have the two metal characters in the Warriors of Chaos army.  The Chaos Lord on a Daemonic Mount was relatively easy to assemble however I had to cut pieces of rod to serve as spikes since the spikes that come with the model are too small to pin and kept snapping off despite my best glue jobs.  Also, as you can see I have the Archaon, the Chosen laid out in pieces on my cutting mat.  He will be assembled next.  I can not wait!

The Company of the Damned - Year in Review 2013

The Company of the Damned – Year in Review 2013

Last year I published the 2^nd “Year in Review” where I rehashed the goals for 2012 and how well I did with meeting them.  Well this year will be no different!  I have a whole bunch of 2013 goals and aspirations that I totally failed to meet and take great joy in talking about them!

Let’s kick this off!

Ten Goals for 2013 and The Company of the Damned

1.       Finish paniting the 2800 point Bretonnian army for OFCC 2013 Fantasy – Success
2.       Purchase, assemble and paint a Wood Elf Blood Bowl Team – Failure
3.       Fully catalogue the Wood Elf army book in the Wood Elf Tactica Library and provide an entry for every current army book under the Preferred Enemies articles – Failure
4.       Assemble and paint the 2000 point Dark Eldar army using the Crimson Sigil army list posted in the blog. – Failure
5.       Assemble and paint the rest of the 50 point Retribution of Scyrah army. – Failure
6.       Assemble and paint the 50 point Circle Orboros army – Failure
7.       Assemble and paint a 35 soul stone Malifaux Lady Justice Crew – Failure
8.       Participate in the OFCC 2013 Fantasy Event – Success
9.       Participate in the OFCC 2013 40k Event– Success
10.   Promote and double the current listener audience for the Deployment Zone podcast – Failure

 

As you can see I was not the most successful hobbyist as far as reaching my goals for 2013.  Most of these I was partially successful in.

Examples:

1.       I purchased and assembled the Wood Elf Blood Bowl Team.
2.       I catalogued 2 Wood Elf Tactica and 6 Preferred Enemies articles.
3.       I assembled and painted 1100 points of Dark Eldar.
4.       I assembled 122 points of Retribution of Scyrah.
5.       I assembled 68 points of Circle Orboros.
6.       I assembled 35 soul stones worth of Malifaux.
7.       We increased our listener base by 18% this past calendar year for the Deployment Zone and the blog increased its membership by 21%.

Major Accomplishments of 2013 for the Company of the Damned

1.       I won the Operation #Steakbet and it was glorious.
2.       I managed to build in 2 weeks 70% of my unassembled models.
3.       I ran a successful online 40k Campaign called The Black Spiral and had over 220 submissions.
4.       Built and played with my first De Bellis Antiquitatis army – The Vikings.
5.       Bought my first air brush!

 

I see now that I didn’t have many Major Accomplishments in the hobby because I realized that fatherhood is time consuming and it’s extremely important to be focused on being a dad first and a hobbyist second.  As my girls grow I find myself having more time to do hobby stuff while they go to sleep which is good, so for 2014 I think I’m going to keep things kind of simple for goals and see where that leads me.

The Company of the Damned goals for 2014!

1.       Assemble and paint 2800 points of Warriors of Chaos.
2.       Update my Wood Elf army when the new book comes out this year.
3.       Update my Black Templars with a few units.
4.       Update my Ulthwe` Eldar with a few units.
5.       Paint 50 points of Retribution of Scyrah.
6.       Paint 50 points of Circle Orboros.
7.       Post at least four articles a month on the blog whether they be hobby updates, tournament/event coverage, unit tactica or random crap.

 

There we have it folks, the crazy goals for 2014.  I hope this year proves to be more productive than last year but at the same token if it’s not… no big deal.