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...

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..."