40K - Nurgle Daemon List

Ok, a caveat here......I have no idea.

I've read the rules and I have purchased the Chaos Index and I'm keen to have a few games. My go-to armies are Death Guard and Emperor's Children but the EC in the Index is underwhelming and rumours exist of an early DG codex.

So why not try Nurgle Daemons?

The Dunn-geon Shelf Has Not Been Kind To Billy Slugtongue

So here's what I've come up with for 1500 points

Battalion Detachment +3 Command Points

Daemon Prince of Nurgle - Wings, HF Sword -212
GUO - 248
Epidemius -100
30 Plaguebearers - Icon & Instrument - 275
4 Nurglings - 80
4 Nurglings - 80
3 Plague Drones - 132
3 Plague Drones - 132
Soulgrinder of Nurgle - Warpsword - 235

Total 1494 Points - 6 Command Points

How does it look? Will it be fun to try? Is it ok to play against?

Any thoughts, feedback etc. appreciated.

KOW - Varangur: Nurgle's Gift

About 15 years ago GW released their "Hordes of Chaos" army book. I've been painting up and basing up some units for a Nurgle-themed HoC Varangur list.

The Weekend's Work: Based & Detailed Units

Mounted Sons of Korgan - Chaos Knights plus Converted Archaon

Horse Raiders - Mix of Metal & Plastic Marauders on Horse

More of the Same

Cavern Dweller/Devourer - Mierce Blood-Maw

I just need to put some tufts and water effects on the base. 

From here I have one more unit to do. I have 25 GW Marauders with Flails that I will base as a Bloodsworn Horde. That will give me 3000+ points of Varangur to play around with.

8th Ed 40k FAQ

Didn't take long. Here is the first FAQ for the new edition.

Weekend Hobby Update

Well it has been a busy week indeed.

GW released the new edition of 40k and Mighty Ape made sure my "Dark Imperium" and "Chaos Index" was delivered on Saturday. Great service! Forgeworld also sent an email indicating that my copy of the Chaos Imperial Armour update is en route. The figures look very nice - I've swapped my Primus Marines for a second set of Death Guard. I think I'll wait a couple of weeks as I understand that a fuller DG codex is due for release.

I finished basing my Varangur last night - now have 3000 points ready to go. It is drawn from the old "Hordes of Chaos" army book and featured units of Pestigors, Chaos Warriors and Plaguebearers. I managed to get in a couple of games on Saturday - a draw and a loss - which proved very frustrating as I forgot the various attributes that the units had (for Nurgle's sake Pete - they had Fury and Headstrong - you can countercharge!).

I also finished painting the Blood-Maw from Mierce. He is now based as a ubiquitous non-flying Monster for the Varangur - likely Devourer or Cavern Dweller.

Gaming room got cleaned up yesterday and this week I'm looking to set up a second table - in garage - for learning the 40k rules.

KOW - Vore, Blood-Maw

I've had a Mierce Miniatures Blood-Maw sitting partly assembled on my desk for 6-9 months. Yesterday I finished assembling it and set about painting it.

Here's the finished paint-job:

I laid down the skin with my airbrush and then went to the brush. The blood is done with a mix of Secret Weapon "Drying Blood" and GW "Blood for the Blood God". 

The model stands 4" high but is 5" wide. I will look to mount him on a 50mm though that is going to be a tight fit.

At present my plan is to use him either in a Night Stalkers army or as a Cavern Dweller/Devourer for the Varangur

KOW - Campaign Guide: Edge of the Abyss

So this just went out for local pre-order with a delivery date of the last week of July.

Kings of War: Edge of the Abyss Campaign Guide

Edge of the Abyss is a global campaign that will see the map of Mantica change, depending upon whether good or evil triumphs on the battlefield. Throughout the summer of 2017 (winter for the southern hemisphere) we will be collecting the results from battles around the world, which means that you can decide the fate of Mantica. You’ll also find brand new heroes, new units, extra spells and more to bring your games of Kings of War to life.

New Heroes
Rules and background for 14 new Living Legends from factions all over Mantica, from Artakl the Gekkotah Clutch Warden to Dravek, the Abyssal Dwarf Iron Caster, these heroes can be included in your forces during the campaign.

New Formations
Combine certain units in battle for a bonus on the tabletop. These formations were created by the Kings of War Rules Committee and are built upon the existing background for each race.

New Scenarios
Fight in different battlefields across Mantica, from the Elven Twilight Glades to the Edge of the the Abyss itself! These specialised scenarios set the stage for the most pivotal battles of the campaign.

New World
You can record your results during the campaign through Beasts of War . Based on those results, the world of Mantica will change!

A lot of people, including myself, have been asking for more fluff and background for Mantica. Well this book is the start. It will be followed up later in the year by a new sourcebook that will incorporate the results of the campaign.

I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on the book - pre-order has been made - so that I can plan games around its contents.

It is also an opportunity to reward Mantic for all the work they do with Kings of War. I don't own a lot of Mantic figures but I go out of my way to purchase all their supporting materials.

For locals, it is up on Mighty Ape's site.

KOW - My Gaming Toolkit

Today I thought I'd go through my gaming toolkit, those items I back in my bag before I head off to a game - particularly a tournament.

And yes I do have a gaming bag. It is one of those retro 70s vinyl travel bags into which I can pack my list, rulebooks and storage container in which my gaming accessories are stored.

A Bag So Hip I Need Neither A Cardy Or Manbun

The container is one of those airtight food containers with plastic clips you can pick up in any supermarket.

So what's in the box?

Dice

I have some Race specific dice for each of my armies. These are my Rat dice which have served me faithfully for 8 years.

Generally I will have a set number I take out onto the table to ensure faster play. Importantly the symbols replace the "6". Never use dice where they replace "1"s. There is a special place in Hell for those people.

The dice bag was made for me by "The Dice Lady".

Tape Measures

I take two as there is always that opponent that forgets theirs - and sharing tape measures slows down the game.

I have some old GW ones. They are overpriced but have lasted well. Easy to pick up cheap from DIY or discount store.

Chess Clock

Practice as you play. I prefer to use the clock even in just a pickup game. It reinforces timely decision making. Easy to source from eBay. Doesn't need to be elaborate....it's not rocket surgery.

Generally we play 55 minutes including deployment at 2000 points. Works out at 6 minutes deployment and 7 minutes per turn. Pause if rules discussion.

Wound Tokens

I prefer wound tokens to dial counters and especially dice. Tend to find dice can get knocked.

My counters are from Ironheart Artisians. You get three of 1-10, two of 11-20 and one each of 21-25. Work well for me.

Other Counters

Ironheart do another set of eight Objective markers, Wavered Tokens and Disordered Tokens. I've also thrown in some old GF9 "Morale Check" tokens to remind me if I have particularly large shooting phase.

I'm keen to add in some new objective markers with 1,2 or 3 on them for games where there are variable value objectives.

Arc of Sight Templates

Vital. I have my original GF9 one they produced for Fields of Blood GT plus one Ironheart Artisians sent me.

Great preventative.

The T.A.C. Template

Another GF9 product. These were produced for the FOB Warhammer 40k NZGT. The template measures 6", 4", 2" and 1". Great for ensuring Inspiring distance is correct.

Unit Marker

It is always good play to mark where a unit is before you move it, particularly if it Flies or is Nimble or has large move.

This little marker is 2" high and 1" wide. However the inside corner is great for marking the starting point of your unit's rear corner. You can place it and then move the unit to your heart's content knowing where it started - no argument.

Laser Pointer

Great for projecting the Arc of Sight over a distance to determine front, rear or flank. It can also be used to determine if your Leader Point can see a unit.

Given 90% of questions at an event are generally related to this then it is a great tool for an umpire. Watch out taking it in carry on luggage though. Some airlines are very unaccommodating.

Turn Marker

I use a big dice and move it towards whichever side of the table the active player is on. In this case the dice is a 30mm die our 2014 ETC team had made.

Magic Artefact Cards

I use these to mark my units so my opponent knows what artefact it is carrying. Not necessary, but I regard it as good sportsmanship and it avoids any chance that specific units and items get muddled.

Purchased them off this group and could have sold a half dozen my sets they are so useful.

Pen

So you can fill in scoresheets with your name and results.

So that's my toolkit. As I said it packs into my small carry bag with the rules, Uncharted Empires, Clash of Kings and my list. Usually I'll have my iPad for photos, calculator, latest FAQ, PDF of my list and Players Pack.

Any problems you have won't be due to lack of kit!

 

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KOW - Foldio Lightbox Photography Studio

A couple of years ago I supported a Kickstarter by Orangemonkie for their Foldio Studio. This is a lightbox for photographing things with your smartphone. Aimed at the internet auction market it is also ideal for miniatures.

The box is made of light plastic and folds down to A4 and about 1cm thick. It is held together by rare earth magnets and comes with strips of LED lights that are powered by batteries that clip on the side. Also supplied are background sheets in white, black and grey rubber. They have subsequently upgraded it at least twice. You can check them out here

The Plague Angel in the Studio

I lent mine to a mate over six months ago and never got round to getting it back. I've been unhappy with the recent pictures I've been taking of my minis so got it back this weekend. 

It now sits on a shelf in my painting area ready to be used when necessary. What I like about it is that it takes up little room so I can happily leave it up without worry. The black lamp has a daylight bulb and it can swing around if I want to shine extra light on a model.

I'm surprised I haven't left it up fulltime in the past.

KOW - Reviving Paints

For Xmas in 2012 I got a full set of the Citadel Paints from Games Workshop.

I've used these as my main paint set over the past 4.5 years, replacing them as I go through them. I'd suggest that about 75% of colours are the original pot while I've probably gone through 10+ pots of Abaddon Black.

I like the set as it is organised - saves racks - has the full colour range (though new technical paints have been added) and I can source replacements easy. I know some people don't like the Citadel range but I find them more than sufficient for my technical ability.

On the weekend I was listening to a few podcasts including the Lake Swatt one by Kris Kapsner. He had a guest who while he was talking was transferring his GW paints to dropper bottles. Now I have no interest in doing that but what piqued my interest was the process he went through.

All paint dries out - especially if in the pots Citadel use. Also after four and a half years you are going to get some separation. As the painter was transferring his paints he was remixing them and adding new medium if necessary.

On my hobby desk I had the two tools that he was using - Matte Medium and a mixer. I use the mixer for my Badger Minitairre paints to ensure a good airbrush consistency. A few years ago I bought the medium but never used it.

So on Sunday evening I spent a couple of hours going through all my paints and remixing them and adding extra medium (generally necessary) so that by the end they were the correct consistency straight from the pot.

For the cost of NZ$30 and some elbow grease I freshened up all 100 paints so they were like new. Given the cost of a GW paint is $7 here it was good economy.

Interesting the brown and greys seem to have dried out most and required more mixing while the greens were most prone for separation.

The end result was a set of Citadel Paints as good as new and ready or another 5 years!

 

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KOW - Ratkin Communard: Brutes

When I started playing KoW I used Ratkin with a Brute Horde. Unfortunately I never seemed to get the best out of them and over time they were shifted out for a second Horde of Shock Troops.

I tried them with Brew of Haste but they generally lacked survivability with De 4+, middling Nerve and Regen 5+.

That doesn't mean I don't "want" them to work and so I definitely included a Horde in my newly multibased army.

My unit has a real mix of models in it. First, there is the Rat Ogre from the GW Screaming Bell. Next to him is a current plastic GW Rat Ogre model. In the front is a converted Rat Ogre from the Island of Blood set - he has warpstone instead of hands. Finally there is the mechanical Skype robot that was created for Mordheim.

I did have a metal Boneripper slated for the unit but he is now in my Skaven Bloodbowl Team.

 

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