ETC Wood Elves Comp Confirmed

• Non character model with Asrai longbow, max 90 
• Hagbane tips/Trueflight arrows/Waywatchers(counts as 2)/Waystalker (counts as 5), max 60 
• Lore of death on spellweaver/moonstone of the hidden ways/3 or more Waystalkers, max 1 
• 8 or more Sisters of the Thorn in the same unit/Spellweaver on Elven Steed with Death or Dark magic, max 1 
(• Forests placed by wood elf player can be magical)

Painting Desk - Free to a Good Home

If any local is interested in a free painting desk do i have a deal for you.

Multi-shelved, one on runners and the whole unit on casters.

All you have to do is pick it up. Otherwise off to the dump.

Freaking Sharks with Freaking Lasers on Their Heads

Sorry, I've been quiet over the past few days that's a combination of recovering from the boredom that is ETC Skaven abd because on Tuesday I had my eyesight corrected by laser surgery.

There's not much I can do about the first - other than will the next two months of gaming to be over - but the second has been "eyeopenning".

No need for glasses or contacts and because I took the blended vision I can see at distant and up close for painting and reading.

Morskitta at Horned Rat VII

I took my Skaven to Horned Rat trying out one of the various builds I'm considering for the ETC later in the year.

The event used ETC rules, comp and terrain maps. I was keen to get five tough games to start to refine my skills as a blocker or "furry dwarf".

Game 1 - Peter Williamson (Wood Elves)

The game was going swimmingly well and looking like a 15-5 as Morskitta engaged cruise control on the Bell. Obviously he hit the wrong button as very quickly he lurched forward and was knocked down by Wild Riders and somebody did something very very wrong. One minute pleasant countryside and the next 1945 Hiroshima.

I made two mistakes in this game. I came a little to close to some Wild Riders who got a long charge in and killed the Seer. More importantly, I rolled three dice on the Bell - after engaging myself in conversation as to why I didn't have to nor should I. But I did and I rolled Triple Six for the fourth time in 4 years.

Over the last three turns I held things together to salvage a solid loss.

Loss 6-14

Game 2 -Raymond Dick (Beastmen)

Ray at 2700 points and a lot of chaff units. These were to act as a delivery system for a Ghorgon, Doombull on Carpet and a character bus. Unfortunately he went first and I was able to hit his army as they moved over terrain.

I didn't lose much and picked up points through for a solid win

Win 16-4

Game 3 - Glen Burfield (Daemons of Chaos)

The key thing in this game was that I was able to ground - for the full game - Glen's flying units. This allowed me to dictate the pace of the game and once I had removed the Horrors with Gateway I start to pick up consistent points.

Win 18-2

Game 4 - Tim Joss (Dark Elves)

Lost the Doomrocket to a misfire and blew up my Plagueclaw. That was the only points Tim got. I got nothing as we cagily disengaged one another.

I suspect this battle was typical of ETC. Five rolls on Bell to try and get Deafening Peals all failed. Even if it had gone off it would still have been a draw.

Draw 10-10

Game 5 - Joel van De Ven-Long (Empire)

Pretty much my worst possible match up. Three cannons (one on tank) plus Level 4 Life backed by Level 1 Fire. All of this plus a knight bus that approached 1200-1300 points (not including bonuses). It was both ITP and had MR3.

I made two mistakes in this. One re movement of Bell first turn. Second was taking a shot with WLC to kill last remaining knight from 5 man unit. Of course cannon blew up.

My Seer survived one Dwellers but HPA got shot by cannon after retreating from fireball. I picked up cannons for Gutter Runners and then reduced knight bus below 25%. Joel tried four times to re grow but I blocked all attempts.

In the end I was slightly up.

Draw 10-10

In the end I finished 6th on 60 BPs. The army lacks tools to win big but is very thrifty in giving up points. Over the weekend most of the points I gave away were from misfires or - in the case of game one - because of the bell.

I am getting better and after that first game switched into a risk averse ETC mode. I was really happy to get a draw with Joel as that matchup is at best a 3-4 points to me. Against Tim I think on another given day I'd work out an 11-12 win as my army is good counter to his.

Really happy I got five good games that allowed me to start channelling my inner dwarf. I controlled an aggressive urges in the main after the unfortunate incident with the Bell.

By September I am going to be so over this!

Posted with Blogsy

FOB Warhammer Rankings - updated for Horned Rat VII

The Reign of Terror is over.

We have a new #1 with Dan Butler toppling the pretender from the throne. He also picks up the Warriors of Chaos icon.

No other movement in Top 10 but icons galore have swapped hands. Stuart Robinson has lost the WoC but gained Beastmen, Sam Whitt secured Tomb Kings, Tim Joss has Dark Elves and McCrae Loudon has the Dwarf icon. Neil Williamson now owns The Changeling.

Well done to all....especially Dan.

Horned Rat VII Results

Over the weekend Horned Rat VII was held in Wellington. The event was 5 rounds, 2400 points using the latest ETC comp, rules and maps.

Twenty six people participated after two had to unfortunately drop due to illness.

Here are the results:

Best Sport: Alix Barclay

Best Presented:

1. Charlie Lloyd ( Dark Elves )
2. Dan Butler ( Warriors of Chaos )
3. Pete Dunn ( Skaven )

A big thanks to Charlie St Clair for giving up the weekend to umpire the event.

Please use the comments section to provide any feedback.

Horned Rat Top Five

So it's time to pick the Top 5 for Horned Rat VII. I've been through the list and to be honest there is anyone of 10 that could make the podium. However people want tough calls and where do you go if you want a tough call....that's right.....Fields of Blood.

#5 - Joel van der Ven-Long (Empire)

Seriously this guy is a chronic under performer. You take the best army, you take the weakest comp, you search the net, you pop 27 Valium and you play. However in Joel's case, you fail. Continually. Not once, not twice but 15+ times over three years.

Just like a room full of monkeys with typewriters will eventually write the "Complete Works of William Shakespeare", Joel will one day get a podium with Empire. I'm not going to miss out.

 #4 - Jeff Kent (Orcs & Goblins)

The anti-meta meta army. If you can't take Tetto then you can't take Lizards. Full stop, end of story, according to Jeff. As a serving soldier Jeff is conditioned to only consider one concept at a time. Eat now, March now, vanguard now, cast comet now etc.

So it's back to O&G. Well actually it is back to Green Dwarfs. More artillery than the Soviet advance on Berlin, a single spell....it's a match made in Heaven for the quartermaster from north Horrorwhenua

#3 - Hamish Gordon (Empire)

Skaven - too much head thinking

WoC - too weak since the new book came out

So where does Moneyball Gordon go? Straight to Empire.

See breakdown of tactics on the net....here's a glimpse. Cast Banishment, shoot cannons, charge Demigryphs. Rinse and repeat for six turns

If he doesn't make the podium, there's always Warmachine.

#2 - Tim Joss (Dark Elves)

Most of you are lucky. You don't have access to the NZ ETC forum. If you did you'd get an appreciation of just how weak Dark Elves are. especially in an ETC environment. Tim tells us continually.

I suggested that he might like swap and take another army and he sprang up to an overhanging rock clutching his Dark Elf book

" You must not touch my precious".

Tim, to his credit, will now concede that Dark Elves could be as high as lower-middle tier, if they had Skulcrushers or Demigryphs as a Core choice.

#1 - Dan Butler (Warriors of Chaos)

The heavy lifter of the NZ ETC team. Mr Smashmouth. Dan is the Mark Geyer (look it up kids) of the NZ team.

We'll see him leave a trail of destruction through this field as he ties down first by 10am Sunday morning.

There is no subtlety in the list. Just get the number of the truck before the game.

The rest of us are there to make up numbers. Oh, I know Sam Whitt and Peter Williamson fancy their chances - especially after 15 weeks of Universal Battle But they have no more chance than the rest of us. Their Top 5 chances all revolve around late round chump bashing.

Posted with Blogsy

Twenty Hills Completed

So having started on Saturday afternoon, I have managed to finish the twenty new hills for Horned Rat VII (and future FOB events).

The hills are constructed of 2" thick foamcore and so will block LOS even if we are not playing ETC rules.

All of the hills are flocked and ready to go - 6 Frozen North, 6 Khemri Desert and 8  Rolling Dales.

Desert "Hills" (Dunes?) Finished

The first set of three hill types was finished last evening.

These are the desert hills (or dunes if you prefer). They will no doubt find a home on my Khemri tables alongside impassable Sphinxii, oasis and the like.

WHFB Scenery Removed?

I was checking out the GW site last evening and noticed something interesting - a lot of the WHFB scenery is missing.

Thinking it might be just a local phenomena I checked the UK site and it wasn't there either.

So what items are missing?

Chapel, Watch Tower, Skull Vane Manse, the two Citadel hills and the Temple of Skulls hill.

Bizarre. I wonder what has inspired that? Website incompetence or product withdrawal?