Just Completed: A New Maulerfiend and a Tournament

Hello there once again, fellow Chaos lunatics! Welcome back to another "exciting" edition of Chaos Corner. I played a 3 round tournament at my local this past weekend. I took a mild Khorne Daemonkin list (standard force organization only, no formations, Lords of War, etc.). The organizer said "don't be a dick" with the list. Sadly, I went WAAAAYYY to conservative, as everyone had formations, allies, and Imperial Knights and Wraithknights (Chaos really needs an answer to these- the Lord of Skulls is too costly when compared to the various Knights and Riptides and the like).

At any rate, my first opponent was a tank and flyer heavy Imperial Guard. Unfortunately for my opponent, he underestimated the Maulerfiends, and they just cleaved through his tanks like a knife through butter. My Daemon Prince did likewise. He had very little left until his flyers came in. I only lost one unit up to that point, and I destroyed enough tanks that I was able to summon the Bloodthirster and after his first turn materializing he want after the flyers, taking one out very quickly. The ref called time, and I had won big time. Everything (Fleshounds, Maulers, Heldrake) worked with perfect synergy. And the free Bloodthirster was the icing on the cake.

My second game was the exact opposite of my first. My opponent was playing Eldar, with bikes, warp spiders, Wave Serpents and a Wraithknight. Yikes. Those damn D shots really brutalized my army. Further, it was short edge deployment, so I had to move all the way, while he shot and then withdrew out of my range. I was frustrated but fought till the last. I really think D weapons are too much for a 2K point game- I need to have a strategy to fight Wraithknights, for next time. I really felt that this match was so lopsided- there was no way I could get to him, let alone beat him...

My third game was the best overall, even though I lost in the end. My opponent had Space Marines with 20 Terminators, Devastators (w/ Grav), Drop pods, Tac squads, etc. Even though I didn't win, it was a very closely fought game, and I made my opponent pay for his victory. My Flesh Hounds were particularly good, taking out a Terminator squad and then another- taking 15 Flesh Hounds in a squad is a great idea- a hard hitting unit with lots of wounds! And the 5 Inv helps against power fists too. My Lord on Juggernaut (with fellow Bloodcrushers) did well too, racing down the field to the opponents end, killing a bunch of Space Marines along the way. It was a hot, back and forth game, though victory ultimately belonged to the followers of the False Emperor. Making the game better still, my opponent was a very good sport- friendly and fair. Best of all, he played in the old style- no LOWs or absurd allies. It was a really fun game, and I certainly didn't mind losing.

I haven't done a Tournament in quite some time. This was a lot of fun. Met some nice people, got to see some nice models, had pizza. It was just a fun day, win, lose, or draw.

At any rate, I managed to finish (just in time for the Tournament) my 4th Maulerfiend, inspired by the very concept of "Daemonkin". I was at my local one day when I saw a "used" Maulerfiend for 25 bucks. He was put together and sprayed black. He looked like your standard Maulerfiend, though some of his spikes appeared to be broken and re-glued. But, with some work- you'd never notice.

I did want to make him my own though. At Christmas, my brother got me a Skull Cannon. You'll notice that I haven't posted it. That's because it is a hideous model- I think it may be one of the worst that GW has ever put out. Ugh. However, the Bloodletter rider for the chariot looks just fine. So I assembled him and put him on top of the Maulerfiend. I wanted him to look like he's riding a HUGE Juggernaut.

 Since the Khorne Daemonkin book, I figured why the heck not- put a Daemon on a walker. The model was painted with my usual Khorne Red with Wazdakka Red highlights, with Brazen Brass and Runelord Brass for the metal trim.

Ultimately, he fits right in with my other Maulerfiends. I think I'll stop at 4, though with the Blood Host detachment, I *could* have 8... Nah. I think 4 is enough. Unless I get another idea for a conversion that it is....

I hope you've liked the pics. Until next time!

Khorne Lord On Juggernaut and Friends

Hey there Chaos lunatics! I hope the Eye of Terror finds you well and chaotic today! How about that Age of Sigmar? Lol. Actually, I don't know if its a "so crazy its brilliant move" or not (it MUST be only an intro game- it can't just be 4 pages of rules, can it?). For us Chaos players, the Khorne half of the set is a veritable goldmine! The Khorne Lord with a Flesh Hound is just fantastic, as is the "beast master" with whip guy. The Knights and Marauders are also incredible. Terminators and Cultists anyone? Yeah---- I may be buying it just for them. Not exactly saving money the Chaos way, but...

Well, I also have some newly painted models to show off. 3 plastic Bloodcrushers and a metal Khorne Lord on Juggernaut. So- away we go...

I have  6 of the old metal Bloodcrsuhers. I like the units, as they are more durable than a lot of other Daemon units. However, thanks to the new Daemonkin codex. Their formation (with Terminators) is pretty good- +1 A if outnumbered. If I take the squad minimum, its a virtual guarantee that they will be outnumbered. And if they die- well, that's another blood tithe token, so its win-win.

So, as a result of thinking about this formation, I decided to buy the plastic Bloodcrusher set. I like the kit a great deal- the plastic goes together so much better than the metal, and they look almost exactly the same as the metal ones, so they go together very well indeed.

I painted the Juggernauts with Khorne Red and I dulled it down with Nuln Oil. The underbelly I did Balthazar Gold and again, washed it with Nuln Oil. The trim was built up with Balthazar and Brass Scorpion.

The Bloodletter riders I started with Khorne Red and then washed with Nuln Oil. I then did successive drybrushes of Khorne Red and Evil Sunz Scarlet, with an edge highlight of Wild Rider Red. The horns are black with 'ardcoat to make them shinny.

I have had the old metal Khorne Lord for a long time. The original plan was to make him Black Legion with the Mark of Khorne. But, I never got to it, and so it sat in the box. Now with the Daemonkin, the Juggernaut can join the Bloodcrusher units, so that makes for a strong punch that I can't ignore. So I dug him up and began to work on him.

The Khorne Lord is similar to my Bezerkers. Khorne Red, Nuln Oil wash, followed by highlights of Khorne Red and Wazdakka Red. His helm I decided to do differently. Ironically I had used the metal head on another model, so I had to use a plastic one, so I wanted to do something to make it special. Since Daemonkin Chaos Marines want to emulate the Daemons, I decided to make that a visual on the model. The skull helm was done brighter red, like the Bloodletters. The "bunny ears" on the helm I decided to do black, like my Bloodletter horns. So, my lord is trying to evoke the daemon look.

The Lord's Juggernaut I KNEW I had to do differently. After seeing (and being inspired by) a model shown in Warhammer Visions (I like the bigger format lots better, but the mag still needs work), I decided to paint the Juggernaut black with a very light drybrush of Dark Reaper grey. I did the trim Leadbelcher, and the holes were done to look like there was fire/magma within. I felt that it set him apart from the others, and I could make a good reason for it. All the Juggernauts come from Khorne's forges, but they are daemonic, ridden by Bloodletters. I could imagine a Warpsmith manufacturing a Juggernaut for his Lord. Thus, it looks like metal and engine fire, rather than the daemonic red.

I really am happy with how the Khorne Lord and Juggernaut came out. He certainly stands apart as he should, but he is also very tied into the rest of my army. I am looking forward to fielding him and my new Bloodcrushers very soon. Blood for the blood god indeed!

So, that's all for now. I'm hoping to finish another unit this week if I can. I will be sure to show it here as soon as its done. I'm also planning on having a game this week, and I'll be participating in a tournament at the end of the month. I'll be sure to report those too.

Until Next Time...

Maximizing Tour Gaming Dollar The Chaos Way: Flesh Hounds of Khorne

Hey there Chaos fanatics! Old Man Chaos is back in action. Sorry I've been spotty lately- work and life has gotten in the way, preventing me from hobbying, let alone posting. However, work craziness has passed and I'm hoping to post once a week or so once again.

I did manage to get in a few games with the new Codex: Khorne Daemonkin before work went crazy. I really like the book, though after the recent releases of Eldar and Space Marines, I feel somewhat cheated and diminished. Yikes- Space Marines are crazy now. I'm quite disconcerted after reading that behemoth of a book.

However, I will continue to develop my Khornate army, as I love the concept and it is only building upon my World Eaters. I have enjoyed every game I've played with this codex though, win lose or draw. Its a fun book with some great fluffy rules but is in now way overbearing. One of the things that I have noticed in all my games so far is the ubiquity of the Flesh Hounds of Khorne. I have six of the metal ones (the reptilian looking ones). I like those models, but I never found them too useful. However, in my recent games, I have summoned them with the Blood Tithe and they have been pivotal each time. One game in particular stands out- the Grey Knight unit was walking away with the Relic. My hounds were summoned (as if by Khorne himself, set loose upon his cowardly foes), chasing down the unit and wreaking havoc, killing the unit and claiming the relic, giving me the game.

Now, this got me thinking- could they be useful in other ways? They are fast, have multiple wounds, and are fairly cheap. And, IF you use their formation (the Gorepack), they get Hammer of Wrath to boot. The more I looked at them, the more I said "What was I thinking? Not using them- I'm an idiot.  I need more of them- pronto!"

Funny enough, all my local stores were out of them (other Khorne Daemonkin players must have had the same ephipany as I did about the Flesh Hounds). So, I went on GWs web site, and I was about to order when I saw the price--- $49.50. For 5 of them. That's 10 bucks a model. What the F--- GW?!

Ahem. Well, as you know, Old Man Chaos is not one to take things lying down. I bent all of my evil, Chaotic intellect to solving the problem, refusing to rest or take any nourishment until I found a cost effective way of collecting skulls for Khorne! Hey- Khorne gets mad at GW prices just like any of us... he understands my feelings.

So, what foul solution did I come up with? It was so easy- I decided to use Fantasy Chaos Warhounds. Now, they may not be quite as fancy as the Flesh Hounds, but they get the job done. They are hounds, and with the proper paint job, they fit in perfectly with my Khorne forces. Heck, they even look like the Flesh Hounds from several editions ago.... so why the heck not.

It's a deal that even Khorne would approve of *. The Warhounds box gives you 10 of them for.... 24.75. Yes, you read that right- 10 hounds for 24.75. Now, you don't have to be a math genius to figure it out. 5 Finecast Flesh Hounds ($49.50) vs. 10 Warhounds ($24.75). Which is the better deal... Hmmmm...

That means you COULD get 20 hounds for the price of 5 Flesh Hounds.... Which is exactly what I did. For 49.50 I got 20 Warhounds- which have now been painted to be Flesh Hounds (I finished these 10, and am working on the next 10). Now, that is a damn fine amount of savings right there. Thus, you are clearly maximizing your gaming dollar.

 And there aren't too many opponents who would deny your using them (if they do, they are assholes. There. I said it). Chaotic hounds are chaotic hounds. Period. As for me and Khorne, we are  happy, for soon 20 "Flesh Hounds" will be roaming the battlefields, stalking their prey and running them to ground, thus ensuring that the blood flows. And what a bargain! Lol.

 I hope this article will inspire you as you build your Daemonkin. I now have to work on a few more Chaos Bikers so that I can comfortably run the Gorepack. Now the question is- will it be 2 groups of 10 each or 4 groups of 5... Either way, blood tithes will be earned! Until next time...

* Could you imagine the Chaos gods haggling over GW prices? Khorne would be enraged, cutting off the heads of GW stockholders right and left.  Nurgle would be saying 'This hobby is so expensive... I'm going to leave... Awww. Who am I kidding... I can't leave my lovelies". Slaanesh would just snort his plastic crack and not feel guilty. Tzeentch - I think he would seek out the Chinese knock-offs that I've seen out there- he would pass them off as examples of his magic... "I got this dreadnought for $3.50... How? Only the changer of the ways knows that..."