Hobby - What's Next?

 Having finished the Planetary Empires paintjob over the weekend, I'm looking at what projects I have coming up next.

1. Dark Eldar Re-basing

During 8th Edition I used a mix of Jack's 5th Ed DE and my 3rd Ed models. Jack had used some resin bases from a pre-cursor of Secret Weapon Miniatures and so I based the 3e models I required on the same. For 9th Ed I'm restricting my army to the 3 Ed models and so they need to go back to sand and flock (who uses flock!$#?). 

This should take me a couple of days.

2. Hellions & Wyches

The old metal Hellions and a unit of Wyches could do with a tidy up. Their current paintjob is a bit jarring. Think with a few evenings work that they can be made to look a lot better.

3. Viking Baggage

I need to make some baggage for my DBMM Viking army. I recently bought some Micro Arts Studio crates and sacks and have an old Longboat, so I think there is something I can do with that. Again I think there is probably 4-5 hours work.

Check back over the next week to see how much I get done 😃

40K - Painting Up Planetary Empires

 Friday night after work I pulled out my set of Planetary Empires ready to paint it up.

After clipping the hexes off the sprue, I gave them a spray with Army Painter Black Primer and then an overspray with some of their Brown.

From there I went through and blocked out all the buildings and fortifications on the sprue using ProAcrylic Dark Grey. The edges of the hexes were then repainted with Vallejo Black Primer.

I must have been quite prescient back in 2009 when I purchased the set as I also bought two packs of the add-on Hive City sprue which was sold separately. I would imagine that these are probably virtually impossible to source now but I can happily bask in the knowledge that I have four Hive Cities 😆

From here it was a case of adding the roads to the hexes and painting up the various structures, craters etc. There are six spaceports and then a multitude of Manufactoriums, Power Plants and Command Bastions to add to tiles. I sprayed these with Grey Primer and then gave them an acrylic wash.

Over the course of the next few evenings I will look to pick out some of the detail on the various structures.

So behold the province of Chadaquy, on the planet Kiltrup in the Tiberius Sector. It is a 52 tile landscape with four Hive Cities - Vulgagrad, St. Palantine, Monza, Boca - six spaceports and numerous Imperial facilities. 

 The two hives of Boca and Vulgagrad with their industrial environs.

Over the next week I am looking to translate the 2009 ruleset into something that works for 9th Edition. Currently have seven players signed up for the campaign with what looks like Ultramarines, Word Bearers, Death Guard, two Necrons, a Tyranid Hivefleet and a Dark Eldar raiding party. 

40K - Planetary Empires Campaign

 I've been watching a few Youtube channels recently regarding narrative campaigns.

Given my disinterest regarding the current GT Chapter Approved Mission Pack, I was keen to still play 40k but perhaps to pursue a more narrative driven game. About 15 years ago GW released Planetary Empires which was their 40k version of Warhammer Mighty Empires. I have run a few ME Campaign Weekends and thought it might be fun to try the 40k version. I have also never painted up the PE box 😃

The rules for Planetary Empires can be found here

I approached the guys that recently played in the narrative game at the Warlords to see if they had any interest and got some positive responses. And also contacted another local who I knew had grown disinterested in the current competitive 40k meta.

So it looks a go. I'll get painting the set this weekend.

40k - NZ Masters Announcement

 Pretty clear that the Government won't be lifting the Level 3 restrictions and returning the northern part of NZ to where there is free movement by 12 November.

On that basis, and as previously stated, the 2021 NZ Masters scheduled for the first weekend in December will be postponed.

To run them on that date, would be patently unfair to those Northerners (over 60% of the field) who not only will struggle to find certainty around travel but have also been in lockdown for most of the last three months.

Not all gloom. Steve Joll and Aaron Wilson are taking over the hall booking that I had at the school and will be running a 24 person event so those that can travel have an opportunity to play some 40k in the leadup to Xmas.

40K - Dark Eldar: First Run & Balance Patch

 Yesterday I had the first run with my 3ed mostly metal Dark Eldar. 

As I was setting out my models in prep for the game, GW dropped its "Matched Play Balance Datasheet" which dramatically changed the points for Dark Eldar. I quickly recalculated my 2000 point army and it was now 2155 points. As a result I dropped a unit of Scourges ("cries"), a Kabalite unit and two Reavers from my Wych Cult Patrol.

In my game against Steve Joll's Space Wolves, he went first and downed two Raiders. However, despite that setback, I was able to start piling up the points and when we stopped at the start of Battle Round 4 I had a handy points lead which would like build substantially over the last two turns.

The underlying lesson I took from the game was just how dominant the DE were in scoring Primary Objective points. Their ObSec is so cheap and with so many other cheap threats for the enemy to deal with is rarely threatened. 

I shudder to think how dominant the army could be in GT 2021 missions before the patch as things still seem too cheap. The speed and carrying capacity of the Raiders (the change from 10 to 11 under 9e is enormous) makes then cheap even at 105 points with Dark Lance (and Black Heart reroll, first turn charge potential).

The other big surprise was just how many CPs a triple Patrol starts with. I was profligate in my use of them yesterday, with practice I will be far more efficient.

So TL/DR from this is that I don't think Dark Eldar players can have too many complaints with the change in points yesterday. The book has fantastic internal balance - everything is good - and I think they got away kindly from the encounter with GW balance bat.  

40K - Bin Liner Day in Commoragh

 This morning I am having my first game with my newly refitted Dark Eldar versus internet celebrity Steve Joll.

Overnight GW drops their balance patch, meaning the following models received their "Don't Come Monday" memo.

A very heavy handed way for GW to say "Pete, don't play Dark Eldar".

40K - Old School Dark Eldar

 Over the past couple of months I have been tidying up my 3rd Ed Dark Eldar army for use in 9th Edition. I did play Dark Eldar in early 8th Edition but the figures were mostly from Jack's 5th Edition army. 

For 9th, I wanted to build a list that used as much of the mix of plastic and metal models GW released in conjunction with the 3rd Edition launch back in 1998. So I have been painting extra models to beef out units. The only real post 3e units are a small Court of the Archon (I wanted to paint a Sslyth!!!) and the inclusion of Wracks (using models that were 3rd Ed Grotesques). 

Most of the army was painted by Troy Forster - a regional manager for GW in the 00's - and featured in a six page spread in White Dwarf around 2002. I have been sourcing the original metal models and painting them to replicate Troy's paint job.

I've now finished the army except I have to replicate his basing - this weekend's job.

Here are a few army-wide pictures:

 Once I have standardised the basing I will take some unit photos. I will also pull out the original White Dwarf article, scan it and post a copy here.

The list I am using has three Patrols.

Cult of Strife

• Succubus
  
• 10 Bloodbrides
• 10 Wyches
• 5 Hellions
• 5 Reavers

Kabal of the Black Heart

• Archon
• Court of the Archon - Sslyth, 2x Ur-Ghul, Medusae
• 10x Trueborn Kabalites
  
• 5 Kabalites
• 5 Kabalites
• 5 Mandrakes
• 5 Mandrakes
• 5x Raider

Prophets of Flesh Coven

• Drazhar
• 5 Wracks
• 5 Wracks
• 5 Wracks
• 5 Incubi
• 5 Incubi
• 5 Scourges

It is very hard to make a bad Dark Eldar list out of the 9e Drukhari Codex so it should do okay. It has mobility, punch and 8 Obsec units so ticks most boxes.

DBMM - 15mm Egyptians Completed

 The changes to lists from DBM to DBMM meant I needed to add extra elements to my New Kingdom/Libyan Egyptian army.

This meant that I needed to paint my first 15mm figures in 20 years!!! The additional 28 elements required painting 84 infantry.

It was quite an interesting process painting 15mm after two decades of 28mm figures. Techniques have moved on since I last painted 15mm and not all the things I do for 28mm worked on the smaller figures.

In the end I found a black primer with white zenithal was okay for the smaller figures but that washes had to be more targeted. If I was too liberal with the wash then any pooling overwhelmed the smaller figure. When it occurred it just required a follow up step with paint to tidy up excess.

Now largely finished the Egyptians apart from 1-2 naval elements and possibly some mobile baggage.

My next DBMM project is to build some 28mm baggage for my 9th Century Vikings based around some longships.   

40K - Court of the Archon

 The remaining unit I had unpainted in my Dark Eldar was the Court of the Archon. Added it now so that I can get the dark kin on the table and try out the new book. My army is all 3rd Edition figures bar this Finecast Sslyth, the proxy Medusa and these third party Ur-Ghul.

Sam the Sslyth

The Court with a Mandrake lurking in the background

Basing still to be done 

Medusa is a Necromunda ganger

No idea on where these models are from. However they seem to fit the Ur-Ghul role

Really happy with the bone armour on the sslyth. Photo is a bit washed out.

40K - NZ Rankings Update & 2021 NZ Masters News

The FOB NZ Warhammer 40k Rankings have been updated. This will probably be the final resting place for this tournament season as I am unaware of any events occuring this week or next.

The new tournament seasons begins on 1 November 2021.

Which brings us to the 2021 NZ Masters......

Based on the rankings, I believe that 9-10 of those in the Masters positions are subject to Level 3 lockdowns. Two live in the South Island and five enjoy the semi freedom of the lower North Island.

It would be manifestly unfair to have the 2021 NZ Masters with over half the eligible field unable to attend.

As I cannot forecast what Government policy will be on the first weekend of December (the date of the 2021 Masters), I am going to lay out a blueprint for what I am going to do.

IF the Northern Regions of New Zealand (including Auckland Metropolitan Area) have had Level 3 restrictions (or equivalent) lifted by Friday November 12 then the 2021 NZ Masters will proceed as planned on weekend of 4/5 December in Khandallah, Wellington. Critical to this is the freedom to travel from Auckland to Wellington.

HOWEVER, if the restrictions are still in place then the 2021 NZ Masters will be postponed to a more acceptable/achievable date in first half of 2022.

Now I am strongly of the opinion that the above criteria are unlikely to be met but I think it is unfair to the participants not to give them ample time to prepare and plan. It is also unfair on both the participants and myself as TO to delay the kill date on a December 2021 Masters much later than mid-November.

Hopefully, that gives all involved clarity and some certainty about the path forward. In giving this early notice, I am mindful that it hopefully removes an additional stressor from their current situation.