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!

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..."

Some Completed Daemons and my Thoughts on the New Effects Paints

Hey there everybody! I know that Old Man Chaos has been away for a while, but I have just been super busy! House work, seeing friends, work, and my wife have all conspired to pull me away from my blog. However, in spite of the business, I have been hard at work on some models, and I was thrilled to get my hands the new Citadel Effects Paints. Plus... I got a birthday surprise which I'll share at the end. So, away we go...

First, I am supposed to be playing a game at my local store using my Daemonic forces. Now, I don't think we'll be able to game for a couple more weeks, but nothing pushes me to model like knowing a game is coming up. So, I decided to finish some things that I have been working on for a while. I have not made any army list yet, so these may or may not make the final cut. However, I was happy to work on and finally finish these suckers. Let's look at the Tzeentch stuff first...



If you recall from my soon to be classic blog post (I'm kidding... geez. Calm down.) on Saving Money The Chaos Way, I showed how one Exalted Tzeentch daemon Chariot box could become two models for the price of one. After a few months painting them a bit and then forgetting them, and then getting back to them, I finally hunkered down and got them done.

First is the Herald of Tzeentch on a Disc. By using the spare disc and the "energy bloom" under it, I was able to construct a disc for our little herald. I used the same blues I used for my Blue Horrors and Screamers  from a while  back (See Here). I never thought that Tzeentch Horrors should be pink- that is the domain of Slaanesh. At one point, I made a box of the old metal horrors multiple colors- a good concept that looked bad on a squad. Thus, I decided to make all the Horrors blue.

The results look quite good, if I do say so myself. The Herald looks just like the other Horrors. I particularly like the hand that has the magical warp flames coming out. I decided to use greens, as it is a nice contrast to the blue (I considered "natural looking" flame, but it wasn't "magical" enough).

I am really thrilled how the Exalted Flamer came out. When I started it I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. The Flamer HAD to be blue, but different from the screamers pulling the chariot. Ultimately, I started him the same way as the screamers, but rather than put ever lighter blues, I instead put on the blue glaze. Damn- it is a striking blue, and it really makes the Flamer pop as opposed to the rest of the chariot.

The screamers I did in the same way as I did the metal ones. Though the plastics are different enough, the paint scheme still works on these new ones. Truth be told, though they have more detail, I like the metal ones a bit more- they look weird, as opposed to these ones which just look more scaly and have eyes (but, to each his own). The green flames I did the same way as before, building up from dark green up to moot green and then washed with the green glaze. The blues and greens contrast greatly, and it really is a nice looking and imaginative model (whether it works on the battlefield or not is another story).

Not to be outdone, I did some Khorne daemons as well. First up is the herald. I had to be careful to have him match my other bloodletters. See, I had painted them with the old paints a few years ago, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to match them up. Ultimately, I did so- Khorne Red, Nuln wash, highlights of Evil Sunz followed by the red glaze and he looks quite close to my other plastics.

The best part was that I got to try out the new effects paints on him (at least, Blood for the Blood God). I put the blood on the sword and the base. I love it. It looks coagulated and full... the glistening makes it look like heavy blood. Once I was done with the Herald and the Hounds I put some of the blood effect on MOST of my Khorne Marines- it just looks too darn good not to. (I have tried all the new effects paints except the one that makes the crackly base. All of the effects paints are cool and do neat things to the model- I'll show them off as I go in future completed model pics).

I happened to have some of the metal Flesh Hounds from the Chaos Daemons army force box (it had a ton of stuff in that box, let me tell you). The Flesh Hounds I did in a similar way to the Herald, as I want to tie all the Khorne Daemons together. Again, that glaze turned out to be the key, making their red just right.

I used the blood effect on them as well. In particular, I used the blood around their mouths, making it look like they have just feasted on some poor, unsuspecting guardsman and are now hunting for more. The models were a pain to put together (I dislike metal- I know, for some that's blasphemous, but hey... that's my heretical opinion and I'm entitled to it). However, they came out just fine in the end, and they will make a great addition to my Daemonic hordes.

As I said, I don't know if I will field them in my upcoming game or at a future point; I am just glad that I got them done and they turned out so well- despite the many pauses in my painting them. I will certainly try to use the Khorne Daemons as allies to my World Eaters at some point as well.

Well, that's all the newly completed stuff I have for now. In the meantime, my brother and wife got me a couple of nice birthday presents. One of them will take me quite a while to paint, but I am excited by the challenge...

Wowzers. That's going to be crazy to paint... Until next time, my Chaos fanatics...