Shadespire!?! Where's the 40K???

Hey there Chaos fanatics! Welcome back to the infamous Chaos Corner! I have gotten over my disappointment regarding the lackluster Mortarion by doing a completely different project. My wife got me Warhmmer: Underworlds Shadespire for my birthday.

I heard that Shadespire was a quick play and fairly straightforward rules-wise. Although 40K isn't AS complex as it used to be, it is still a long game with a ton of rules mechanics, this sounds like something much cleaner. I heard that Shadepsire was something you could play in under half an hour.

Now, I was aware that Necromunda was also coming out... and while I'd wanted to get it I realized that it was something that my friends probably wouldn't play, and it looks to be quite complicated (as it deserves to be). I have always wanted Necromunda, but I thought Shadespire fit into what I wanted- a quick game that anyone can learn to play. So I decided on Shadespire, even though I don't play fantasy and I have never painted a fantasy model before.

The models in the box are great. Each one has a ton of personality and dynamic poses. Now, doing the Chaos Tribesmen was very simple for me, as I have painted plenty of devotees of Khorne in my time (my second biggest army is Khorne Bezerkers).

This time though I painted their armor plates Mephiston Red rather than Khorne Red. I did this as I figured a brighter pallet goes better with Fantasy than 40K. I did however use the same Brass Scorpion that I used for my Khorne Bezerkers for the raised armor trim.

Their flesh I painted with some various skin tones and colors. But I am particularly proud of how I did the scars. Crimson wash over the raised scars, with Bloodletter glaze added to give it a bright look. The wound areas look raw, which is exactly the effect I was going for.

I really like the look of the Khornate warband. They are very nicely tied together but still distinct. I really like the one with the big axe about to be brought down on a victim (his name is "Blooded Saek" for the record). The war chief Gorebeard is also cool with the severed head in hand. I also like Karsus, looking as if he is going to grab his victim and proceed with the chop chop.

The real challenge for me was the Sigmar Knights. I have never painted (or even assembled) these types of models before. Putting them together was easy enough (though one of their arms gave me a hard time).

Now the question was how to paint them? I have seen many color schemes for Sigmar Knights. I was originally going to do bright silver and blue, but I thought better of it- if I was going to get people to try the game, I thought I should paint them as they look on their cards- gold and blue.

I used Retributor  Gold as the base followed by a wash of Argax earth shade. I then proceeded to highlight the edges with Liberator Gold. I used Kantor Blue to do the shield and shoulder plates. Again, these models were a breeze to paint, and I enjoyed working on something completely different.

So it took me a week and a half- from assembly through painting to finish them. Like 40K, I refused to play the game until the models were fully painted. That's just the way Old Man Chaos rolls LOL. On the day I finished, my wife said she'd be willing to try a game. What? My wife playing something Warhammer?? Holy Cow! Forget the Eye of Terror- I'm now in the Twilight Zone!

At any rate, the game was pretty much just as promised. The rules are fairly clear, and the gameplay runs smoothly. I won the first game by a few victory points, but my wife had a good time playing. Then she challenged me to a rematch. I don't mind saying- she kicked my ass. She got like 10 victory points compared to my 2. She apologized for the humiliating defeat, but I laughed and asked "Best 2 out of 3"?

In a sign that she liked the game, she agreed to a third match up. This one was very close indeed- I was down to my warband leader and that was all. Luckily, I managed to draw good objective cards that I was able to secure (on the last round no less). It came down to the wire, and I won 7 to 4. IF I hadn't gotten the lucky draw my wife would have taken the game! My wife said she enjoyed the game and would certainly play it again.

This is fantastic. I never thought I'd see the day that my wife would be playing with Warhammer models in a Games-Workshop game. Now- I wonder if she would like a Necron army or a Tyranid army... Ha Ha. No, that won't happen. But I am very glad I got to share some of my hobby with her. It is telling about Shadespire- it is a good pick up and play game. No army lists. No points. The only thing one could do to make the game more complex is to deck -build, but even then it should be fine.

I am looking forward to trying this game with my friends and maybe even my brother, who hasn't played Warhammer in ages. Uh oh... my wife wants a rematch! And she has that determined look on her face. My win streak (such as it is) may be coming to an end soon lol

Seriously, if you're looking for a quick fast paced game that is easy to learn then Shadespire is your ticket. If my wife could enjoy Warhammer, then that tells you all you need to know. The game is highly recommended by me. Until next time...