Tuesday, April 30, 2013

A Brief Opinion



Hey there folks. Professor Chaos here with a brief opinion on the whole GW vs. Faeit issue. First, there's a bit of confusion as to BoLS involvement, so I won't go into that. I do want to offer my opinion on the whole "can they put up pix or not issue".

Yes, it is true that GW has the right to protect their ideas and property. That is how all business operate, that is how they make money. They need to sell stuff and make a profit. I know we want Warhammer and 40K to be more than that, but really- GW does it for money. So do all the other gaming companies, big and small. Profit is the motivation. We must accept this. Further, GW has the right to protect what they publish- they want to sell their magazines, and no doubt they feel that the pages being shown cause people to say "well, I've seen it and now I don't need to buy the magazine". It could hurt sales, so they want to stop it. I get it, on a logical level.

However, we gamers aren't exactly logical. We are passionate about our game, our models, and our universe (fantasy of 40K). We like to see those "spoiler pics"- it gets us excited. It gets us pumped up. It makes us want to spend the money. In effect, it is like "priming the pump" for GW.

The first issue- do those pics cause people to stop buying the models? I truly doubt it. The reason people clicked to look at the Elves being released is because they undoubtedly had an interest in the models. Somebody like me doesn't play fantasy. I really don't care about the Elves. Looking at the scanned pages didn't change my mind one way or the other. It wasn't going to. I have no interest- I looked only out of curiosity. Now- a few months ago Faeit showed the Chaos Space Marine new releases- again, scanned pics. Some were blurry. Some didn't do the models justice. Upon looking, I got excited for the new releases, even if I wasn't originally thrilled with the big models (I am now, BTW). And what happened? I ran out and bought those models, or asked for them for Christmas- I bought a ton of Chaos stuff. Seeing the models ahead of time got me excited- even if I didn't like all of the models. I would have found the Mutilators ugly no matter what- the scanned pics didn't cause me NOT to buy. I suspect that's how it is for most people. If they are invested in an army, they'll buy, no matter what. The scanned pics only piqued my interest, it had no impact on me buying models.

The second issue- do those pics cause people to stop buying White Dwarf? On first glance, one would say- yes. Why buy the mag if I've seen the new models? The magazine is only an advertisement anyways, so now I won't buy it. Also, the magazine is pricey, so now I don't have to buy it.
For me, I have bought WD for years. Even when I saw the scanned pics of the Chaos Space Marines, I BOUGHT the magazine anyways. I wanted to see them up close. I am a fan, and I have always bought WD. I think many players have ALREADY made up their minds about buying the latest issue. Those that don't buy won't, whether there are scanned pics or not. To this group, the mag is either too expensive, or it IS just an advertisement for the newest models, and not worth buying (and remember what I said above, most players already know which armies they want and how they plan on building them up). Thus, again, GW isn't going to be losing WD sales based on the scanned pics, for the consumers are already pretty much decided on what they are planning to buy. Young/Impulse buyers will pick up whatever strikes their fancy, and older players have their own plans.

I UNDERSTAND why GW feels the way they do. I get it, and it makes business sense. However, GW is making a mistake. They have a RABID following, devoted fans who love the worlds and models that GW has created. But, the models inherently involve the consumer- buying, assembling, painting, campaigning- in a deep and meaningful way. These aren't just "products", the consumers enjoy these models, and since they "create"them, there is an attachment not found in many other hobbies.

GW needs to learn this, and make it work to their advantage. I would use Star Trek and Star Wars as examples. Both recognize that their fans are absolutely fanatical about these franchises. People love reading books about them, watching TV shows and movies about them, play video games, and buy action figures about them. These two behemoths maintain control of their "empires", but they also find ways to reach out to fans. They encourage this kind of passion, as they know it will generate sales and continue interest. They are models that GW should learn from. After all, isn't 40K really adaptable in many mediums, just like Star Wars? They need to copy elements of ST and SW business models- control the product, but encourage the end users, the consumers- the fans.

With that in mind, GW should try the following:

1- Turn a "blind eye" to some of these issues (companies do that sometimes as well). Let Faeit run the scans. As long as they are not scanning entire codecies, let them post a few pics. It doesn't have an impact on sales, for the reasons discussed above. Let fans feel as if they are "in on a secret"- sales will be OK, I promise.

2- Strengthen White Dwarf. For too long, the mag has only been an advertisement for new stuff. In September/October, that began to change, but it hasn't changed enough. Again, I say copy the Star Wars Insider magazine. That mag had tons of articles about the movies and such, but they also had short stories, "flashbacks" to older stuff, fan write-in sections, and more. GW should use that approach. Put in some short stories (fluff). Do a "chapter approved" format on occasion. Have a new mission/scenario. If you build a quality product, people WILL buy. No one should be allowed to scan a whole issue. But if you have a ton of features, the scans of the new model pages won't hurt sales. WD will be something to look forward to, and not just an Ad for an army you know you won't buy.

3- Lower some prices. Fans have been upset for a while now that the prices have gone up quite a bit, and that they feel they are being priced out of the game. GW can change this. Lower the costs of SOME models. Throw the consumer a bone. A special sale on their website perhaps? And by sale I don't mean a 2$ discount. Make it a special event. And, of course, settle this mess with online retailers. If GW does this, those people who are boycotting will come back. This will absolutely increase sales, short and long term.

4- Value the fans. Add the 3 above, and this should be the logical goal. Show the fanatics that GW values their adherents. That they are loved by the company. Encourage their painting and creativity. Let them know that their opinions are valued. Give them a voice. They don't have to run the company or something crazy- just give them opportunities to show off their stuff, to share their ideas, and let them know that GW takes them seriously and are important to them. This will help GW grow, both financially and in the gaming community.

This was a bit longer than I thought (so much for BRIEF opinion, huh?). I love GW. I love 40K. I want the company to grow and thrive. Above all, I don't want GW to cut off their noses to spite their faces. GW needs to restore the goodwill of fans. It can be done, as us nerds tend to be a forgiving bunch. I hope that GW can settle their issues with Faeit, without any trouble for anybody.


Monday, April 22, 2013

Battle Report: Dawn of the Dead!

Welcome back to another edition of Chaos Corner- your favorite place for Warhammer 40K goodness. I've got a battle report for you- I'll keep it brief. I fought my Grey Knight opponent once again. My others of my gaming group have had some things going on in their lives (marriages and such), so we haven't gotten a chance to play as much. That should change by the summer, if the new Eldar codex rumors are true. I'll also have time to play at my local store once the summer comes.

Deamons and Chaos Marines fighting together- as nature intended!
At any rate, my brother decided to play his Grey Knights once again (one day, he'll go back to Imperial Guard). It was his usual list. As for me, I decided to go for a Chaos alliance- Plague Marines and Nurgle Daemons. I've been excited by this possibility for a while, and I was very anxious to try it out.

The Dead Will Walk The Earth
I had Typhus as my leader, plus I took a Dark Apostle as HQ choices. I took 2 squads of 30 zombies apiece (One squad for Typhus and the other for the Apostle). In addition, I had a squad of 7 Plague Marines (with 2 Meltas) in a Rhino equipped with Dirge Casters. These forces were backed up by a Predator with Twin Lascannon turret and sponson Heavy Bolters. The Daemon contingent had 2 squads of 14 Plaguebearers and a Great Unclean One, who was waiting in the Warp, just waiting to deep strike into the carnage.

My brother then surprised me by suggesting that we play one of the missions that I posted here- the Dawn of The Dead mission, since I already was taking zombies. I was thrilled to try out one of my crafted missions, so I agreed (see the Dawn of the Dead mission in my post New Battle Missions). We set up the table, as per the deployment I described in that mission. He had the bottom quarter, and I had the other 3. We had to be at least 6" away from the boundary. My mission was to wipe out his troop choices in 6 turns (his 10 Marines and 2 squads of 5 Terminators apiece- 20 men I had to eat or kill). His mission was to keep them alive until dawn (or turn 6).

I had a serious placement problem...
 I made a stupid mistake at the outset. I placed my Plaguebearers first, with my zombies further back. This was stupid placement on my part, especially since my "Dawn of The Dead" roll gave all zombies +1A!! My thoughts were that the Daemons would get in there and hurt the Grey Knights, but not kill them. Then, the zombies would move on in, cleaning up the job. My Plague Marines and Predator would provide the fire support. A good plan, but as I said, I placed the zombies a bit too far back. It took them way too long to move up the field. Once they got close, the battle was already over.

My Brother always plays great defensive campaigns...
 Of course, I once again underestimated my brother's ability to play defensively. He has always been very good at such scenarios- basically he adopts a "Come and get me attitude" toward playing in defense- and he is damn good at it- withdrawing rather than advancing- making me do the work of getting to him. In this mission, he hid his troops in a series of manufactorum ruins. Thus, his Marines and Terminators got a 4+ cover save- I literally had to go to him, and he made me pay for every inch.

I bet that was expensive!
The game started off well (deceptively) for me. My Plaguebearers charged his Land Raider, and using Touch of Rust, they managed to score 4(!!) glancing hits- thus his Land Raider was a wreck. My brother was unpreturbed though. In his turn, his Dreadnought turned the corner and laid waste to most of the Plaguebearers that wrecked the LR. His Grey Knight Terminators opened fire on the zombie squad coming from the ruins- A lot of casualties. Stupidly, I decided to put them back into cover to await my Plague Marines to arrive via Rhino- 2 Meltas would put a good whomping on them, allowing the zombies to move forward- but that wouldn't be until turn 3 at the earliest.

What possessed me to HIDE the zombies!?!

My Great Unclean One- affectionately known as "Jimmy"...
In my second turn, my Great Unclean One appeared near the second Plaguebearer squad (thanks to the Icon no scattering) though he was nearing the Dreadknight. Typhus' zombies moved upfield, while the Apostle's took cover. My Predator shot at the Dreadknight, but missed (twice with Twin Linked!!). My Plaguebears began to move toward the Dreadnought, and my Rhino advanced behind them. In his turn, he moved the Dreadknight toward me, but still a bit to far for him to charge. His Dreadnought and Terminators shot the Plaguebearers, but just a few still clung to life.

The Great Unclean One is  to open for business- and business is good!
The Death Guard are about to unleash strong fire discipline on the Grey Knights
Top of turn 3, I move my Predator to get a better shot at the troops in the manufactorum. I shot using snap shots, killing one. I moved the Apostle's zombies out of cover again, knowing that the Rhino was drawing near. It pulled up, and the Death Guard deployed. They put good fire discipline on the Terminators at the top of the factory, killing 1.  One squad of Plagueberers advanced down the street, while the other squad charged the Dreadknight- I used their Plaguebanner, thus allowing them to hit in 2+. My brother took 1 wound. Then I threw in the GUO- my Daemon lost a hit point but passed his Ld. The Dreadknight took another wound. For the Grey Knight turn, my brother's dreadnought killed off the one squad of Plaguebearers, and took some shots at the zombies, since my Rhino provided a good screen. In the Grey Knight's 3rd turn, he shot at my Death Guard, killing one. The Dreadnought had no choice but to shoot at the zombies- killing a score more. Finally, his Dreadknight succumbed to my Great Unclean One- plus several of the Plaguebearers were alive to fight on.

It's going to be tough to get them out of their positions...
At my turn 4- I tried to put on the full court press- I advanced my GUO and Plaguebearers toward the Marines in the factory- and the 2nd squad of terminators just under the walkway. My Typhus zombies advanced (but they were just too damn far away). My Death Guard shot at the terminators on the walkway, killing all but one, who was on the other side of the walkway (hidden from view, which would haunt me later). Meanwhile, my Predator finally got into the fight, killing a few more Marines on the other walkway. In his phase, his Dreadnought continued to shoot at my zombies, killing another handful. His marines on the lower walkway shot at my GUO- that much storm bolter and psilencer fire is a bit too much- my GUO lost 2 wounds!! His Terminators on the ground also took a few shots, and the GUO lost another wound.

The Death Guard advance through the ruins to get at the other Terminators.

The zombies were just too far away to make a difference.
 By turn 5, I realized that my zombies just weren't going to make it in time. I needed my Death Gaurd and the Great Unclean One to get in there and take out the rest of his men. The GUO used his primaris power, killing all but one of the Marines on the lower walkway. The Predator then finished the job. My Dark Apostle broke from the zombie squad and charged the Dreadnought, hoping to score 6s. He did not. But neither did the Dread hurt him (both arms were shooting arms). The Death Guard were making their way to through the ruins to get to the ground level Terminator squad. They technically were not behind cover, so in turn 6 I could use the Meltas and hopefully make him fail those saves.

I just couldn't get to him...
Decision time- Turn 6. This would be the game. I had my GUO jump up to the lower platform and used his Primaris Power on the lone Terminator who was hiding at the top with Captain Stern. The Primaris power hit, but he rolled his invulnerable save. Damn. Technically, the game was over right there. My Death Guard fired at the terminators, only killing one. The zombies were nearing, but they were just too far off- if only I had one more turn! Alas, I did not, and my brother won.

In a way, it was fitting. In the tradition of the zombie movie- the heroes faced quiet moments until all hell broke lose. When it did, many of them died; but, at the very end, there are a handful of survivors, which was was the case here. Despite my last full effort, he had 1 Terminator from one squad and 4 from the other still alive. Out of 20, 5 were left. That meant that he won. Once again, I must give kudos to my brother for fighting a great defensive campaign. He made my forces die for every inch, and ultimately I just didn't have enough time. Again, my big mistake was to put the zombies too far back- I was too conservative with them.

"I choose not to run"
Regardless of win or loss, it was a great match. There was a lot of tension, some great dice rolls, a lot of back and forth... There was a thrill about using my own mission rules- must try out the other ones I made/tweaked. The battle was a ton of fun, a classic 40K match for us. My brother gloated all weekend about his victory. When I asked him for a rematch, he said "I choose not to run"! Haha! He will though, he will... and then vengeance will be mine!!

Until next time...

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Interested In Some New Battle Scenarios?

Hey there Chaos fanatics! I have been working on a few non-model related gaming projects as of late. I have had this itch for months now. In fact, I have generated an entire Campaign Booklet- I'm still perfecting that, but I promise to show you when I am done. I have also been working on some new Battle Scenarios...

See, I love the missions in the 6th edition book. I like that some are standard, while others make some changes (like Fast Attack being able to claim objectives; The Relic). However, there are only 6 of them- I want more. I was  inspired by some of the ideas form Crusade of Fire to come up with my own ideas, hence I began drawing up a Campaign. However, what about smaller games or pick-up games, and you both don't want to use the standard 6?




So, I really wanted to come up with new Battle Scenarios (Battle Missions, whatever you'd like to call them). For inspiration. I went back to some old White Dwarfs that had new missions (I WISH the new WD would do that again). Some of these were really interesting, fun, cool, or just plain crazy. However, they had clearly been written with the older rule sets in mind. So, I set about either tweaking them or just borrowing a few of their ideas,  and combining them with my own ideas, ideas on the internet and, naturally, the 6th edition rules.


I have made a few so far. I do not promise that they will be perfect, or even if they really work. I just wanted to have fun coming up with new scenarios. I hope that you like them. Use them wholesale, tweak them, or just let them inspire you to do your own. I do admit that I tried to be nerdy/clever in some of the titles. So here they are:


Bethor’s Bolter is… Empty?

Overview: This battle has gone on for far longer than anticipated by command. As a result, your forces are quickly running out of ammunition. The situation has grown ever more desperate. You must hold your ground until reinforcements arrive, with or without ammo.

Set Up: Forces are deployed as seen below:

Army 1 12”


X
Objective (Center of table)


Army 2 12”

Primary Objective: The objective at the center of the table counts as 2 points.

Secondary Objectives: Slay the Warlord, Linebreaker, Ammo Hoarder

Special Rules:

Out of Ammo!: To represent the rapidly diminishing amount of ammo, each non-vehicle unit starts with 2 ammo counters. If the unit chooses to fire, they must expend 1 ammo counter (including overwatch). If the unit runs out of counters, they cannot fire. Vehicles have the amount of ammo counters equal to their BS. Each weapon system fired counts as 1 ammo counter being used (thus, if a Land Raider fires the Lascannons and the Heavy Bolters, this is 2 ammo counters expended).

Ammo Hoarder: At the start of the game, record how many ammo counters you have. When the game ends, count how many you have remaining. The player who spent proportionally less ammo gains a victory point.

Game Length: The game ends at the end of turn 5.





Let The Blood Flow!

Overview: Well thought out, tactically sound battle plans have devolved into pure anarchy on the battlefield. The two forces are simply “having at each other”- both sides are now frantically spilling blood, with no consideration for strategy or even the chain of command. In the heat of battle, the axiom “kill or be killed” has full reign, and it may be that no one will be left standing.

Set Up: Randomly choose any of the deployments from the 40K rulebook.

Primary Objective: Kill as many of the enemy units as possible. Each unit destroyed is worth a victory point.

Secondary Objectives: Slay the Warlord, First Blood

Special Rules:

The Heat of Battle: The armies are engaged in mindless, ruthless slaughter. To reflect this, each unit (except vehicles) must pass a 3D6 leadership test (take the 2 highest). If they pass, the unit acts as normal. If they fail, they MUST move towards (and charge, if possible) the NEAREST enemy.

Kill or be Killed: When rolling for charge distance, all units roll 3D6 and take the 2 highest.

Game Length: Random Turn Length


 
Warrior Needs Food!

Overview: The two forces have been engaged in a titanic struggle on a world that has been all but ruined in the fierce fighting. Transport off world is impossible, and both sides are running out of supplies. In fact, no food sources remain except for… the opposing armies themselves! Crazed by hunger, the armies have turned to cannibalism in order to survive!

Set Up:

Army 1 18”




Army 2 18”


Primary Objective: The player with the most “food counters” wins!

Secondary Objectives: None

Special Rules:

Cannibalism: At the end of each combat, the winner of the combat adds up the number enemies slain. The unit gets that number of food tokens. If a unit carrying food counters is destroyed, their food counters are dropped to the ground and may be taken by any non-vehicle model that touches the token.

Hungry…So Hungry: to represent their weakened and starved conditions, all non-vehicle units are at -1 BS and WS.

Game Length: The game lasts until the end of turn 6.



Dawn of the Dead

Overview: Your forces have been engaged for weeks against the forces of Chaos in this sector. You have fought cultists, mutants, war engines, and of course the foul traitor marines. However, a new menace threatens your lines: a virulent plague has broken loose as a result of the carnage. This virus is clearly the work of the Chaos god Nurgle, for the dead have risen, and they hunger for flesh! Can you hold out against this latest abomination?

Set Up: One Opponent must be Chaos and take Typhus and at least 2 squads of Plague Zombies. Deploy as seen below, with no opposing models within 6" of their lines:

Chaos Forces
Chaos Forces


Chaos Forces

Opponent


Primary Objective: You need boots on the ground, otherwise your forces will be overwhelmed by the zombie threat. If you have any troop choices left standing, (not falling back), you win. If the Chaos player wipes out all your troop choices, Chaos wins.

Secondary Objectives: None

Special Rules:

Final Stand: Your troops MUST hold the line against the enemy. As a result of the crucial situation, no troop choices may be held in reserve.

The Safest Place: The non-Chaos player nominates any one building/structure on the board before deployment. This place has been secured and barricaded. For the zombies to enter this area, they must roll a D6. On a 5-6, the zombies can go through. On a 1-4, the zombies cannot break through the barricades. This applies to each SQUAD going through, and the barricades remain throughout the game, unless the structure is destroyed.

Dawn of the Dead: To represent the grave and unpredictable threat posed by the Plague Zombies, the Chaos player rolls a D6 after both sides have deployed and consults the chart below. The result applies to ALL zombie squads:

D6 Roll
Effect
1- They Must Be Destroyed On Sight!!!
The forces of the living have a steely confidence in confronting the zombie menace. All opponent Troop choices may re-roll all failed Overwatch rolls when firing at zombies. (Troop choices only)
2- They’re All Messed Up
The zombies are very weak and slow. They roll to move as if in difficult terrain (though they do NOT count as being in difficult terrain for charge purposes because of this).
3- What Are They? They are us…
The zombies have vague remembrances of their former life. Thus, they have +1 WS
4- Don’t let them bite you!
The zombie plague is extremely virulent. The zombies count as having poisoned (+4) weapons.
5- The Dead Will Walk The Earth
The zombies are hungry- and they are coming for you! Zombies have +1A.
6- Night of the Living Dead
It is the darkest night of horror the galaxy has ever known. All zombies have +1A and +4 Feel No Pain.

Game Length: The game lasts 6 turns.






When There Is No More Room In Hell…

Overview: You have been fighting your opponent in this sector for several weeks. The stench of death is overpowering, and decayed bodies are everywhere. The Chaos god Nurgle has been drawn by the death and decomposition, and he has decided to get in on the fun! The dead rise up to attack the living, and spread the joys of Nurgle. Can you defeat your enemy AND hold out against the Plague Zombies?

Set Up: You need a 3rd player to control the Plague Zombies.  Choose one of the random deployments from the 40K rulebook.

Primary Objective: You must gain control of the battlefield, kill your enemy, and hold out against the zombies. There are 2+D3 Objectives. These are mysterious objectives.

Secondary Objectives: Slay The Warlord, First Blood, Linebreaker

Special Rules:

The Living Dead: At the start of each turn, the 3rd player rolls 3D6. This is the number of zombies that rise up this turn (they are a unit). The squad then deep strikes in, with 1 D6 scatter (to represent the zombies crawling out of the rubble, etc). The zombie squad may move and attack immediately. For subsequent turns, each 3D6 roll creates a separate Zombie unit, and follows the same rules for deep strike as listed above. If you run out of zombie models, don’t roll to generate new zombies.

Join Us… Join Us… : The zombie plague is transmitted by bites. After combat with a zombie squad, count up all the deaths caused in that combat (by both sides). Roll a D6 for each death caused- on a +4-6, a zombie appears in that squad. (If 5 deaths happen, 5 D6 are rolled. If 3 are 4-6, 3 zombies appear). If the zombie squad was wiped out, this do not roll for this effect.

Game Length: Random Game Length



Friday, April 12, 2013

Just Completed: A Few Daemons

Hey there everybody! Old Man Chaos is back in action. Well, not that I have been "out of action" per se, but I have been very busy with home and work stuff. However, I have been doing some painting and such. I was in the midst of working on my Khorne Bezerker army when the Daemon Codex was released. I have played 2 games with that book now, and I am dying to try out more options and ally combinations. I really love the book, as a matter of fact, even if Warp Storm is a bit messy.


At any rate, as a result of the Daemon book, I got the itch to work on some Daemons again. Now, I had some in various stages of completion, so I was now energized to go back and work on them. So, without further ado, let's take a look then...

First up, my Daemon Prince of Khorne. I put this guy together quite some time ago, but I never painted him. He kinda just got lost in the shuffle. Originally, I wasn't sure what I was going to make him. Then, when I began work on the Khorne Bezerkers, it was a no brainer that I would do him in the colors of the Blood God.I didn't give him wings, as I really wanted him to look like a Chaos Space Marine gone terribly, terribly wrong. I even gave him the spikes on his upper back to make him look like a Terminator perhaps. I put some of those old resin rubble pieces on as well, just to give him a bit more action on his base.

In painting him, I had to "re-create" my Bloodletter scheme on him, using the new paints. I put Khorne Red all over everything (body and armor plates), then washed with Nuln Oil. The armor I then proceeded to paint a la my current Bezerker scheme. As for his flesh, I built up very carefully from the darkened base coat, using Wazdakka Red and then Evil Sun Scarlet. Now he was quite bright, and I then used the Bloodletter Glaze to finish. He looks strikingly close to my Bloodletters (and they were painted a few years ago). At least now I know that I could do more Bloodletters and have them look close enough to be a coherent army.



Next up, I have a set of Nurglings. My friends got me these when I was sick last summer, but I hadn't gotten to them. The Nurglings are really cool with lots of personality- some are fearsome, others are mischievous. The box gets you 3 bases, but I decided to "Save Money The Chaos Way" (trademark pending- kidding kidding) by stretching them to be 6 bases. See, although they don't look AS numerous, I felt that piling them all together loses a ton of detail anyways. So, I spread them out, making 6.






I made the Nurglings different shades, all of them tie into my Plaguebearers and my Death Guard. I found that the Nurgling Green and Sepia wash make a very effective combination (more on that in a bit). Overall, they were simple to paint and, en masse, they look just fine. I don't use Nuglings that often, though now I might use them a bit more.







I had bought a box of the new Plaguebearers last summer, before I hit the hospital. I had put them together, but did little else with them. I really like the models. They go together well, and they fit in with the aesthetic of the metal Plaguebearers, so you can mix and match just fine (you really CAN'T do that with any of the other Daemons- they look way to different). Keeping the look the same was a big win in my book, but the plastic are just great with their greater posing action.






I painted these guys in the various hues of Nurgle. Nurgling Green and a Nuln Oil wash (with a successive highlight of Nurgling Green) really make them look like my metal Plaguebearers. However, I discovered that Nurgling Green and Sepia also go together great, giving them a dirty, dingy look. I didn't even need to do any successive highlights- it look perfect that way. I also liked doing Zandri Dust and Sepia- those guys look quite different, but again, they are the colors of Nurgle's Rot, so that's fine with me. I am pleased with how they turned out.



Last, but not least- I realized I needed heralds (Locus for FNP? Sign me up!). I bought the new plastic herald. I love this model- it is so big and well detailed. The only thing I didn't like was the tongue, so I placed it in his guts instead, making it look like a tentacle or something. I painted it in the same way that I did some of the others- Nurgling Green with Sepia wash. He looks so rotten- I used further washes on his diseased leg, giving it a cancerous look. This model is great- I just wish it had a bit more posing ability.










I needed another herald (already have Epidemus), so I tried the old (and very simple) conversion
route. I picked up the fantasy Nurgle Champion. I then put on a Plaguebearer head and some Nurglings on the base. Done and done. He's a champion, so I did it as if he is going to become a Greater Daemon one day- he's larger than other Plaguebearers, looking more like a Great Unclean One. I painted him in my more "traditional" Nurgle way. The result is pretty cool, in my opinion. IF I do another herald, I'm not quite sure how I'll do it. What other model could I use and still have it look like a Plaguebearer? Hmmm...





Well, that's all for today, folks. I am almost done reading Angel Exterminatus. I intend to do a mini review for both this and Ahriman:Exile in the coming days.


Until next time.