First up is the Red Duke by C.L. Werner
The Red Duke is the latest novel in the Warhammer Heroes series that gives a detailed incite into iconic characters of the Warhammer universe. The book starts of with a troubadour in the slums of Bretonia meeting a vampire who claims to be and tells him the story of the Red Duke. Each chapter has a section that tells the back story of the Red Duke in an italicized font, which might lead some readers to not break from one timeline or the other easily. That then switches over to the current story which is still in a different time, and since some of the names are the same it can get hard to keep track of, which this could have been done on purpose to demonstrate the madness of the Red Duke.
Over all the book is very well written, but there is very little character development on certain side characters. While I liked the book overall, it did not stack up to some of the other seminal C.L. Werner books like Palace of the Plague God and Blood for the Blood God. Which the two books I just mentioned are glorious works that demonstrate the fickle nature of chaos and brutal nature of the Warhammer world, while developing some great characters. (If you can mange to get a hold of these books get them as they a now out of print)
So I think I will give the book a 7.5 out of 10.
Next is The Outcast Dead by Graham McNeil
The Outcast Dead is the seventeenth book in the Horus Heresy series. This book follows the trials of an astropath name Kai Zulane. It starts with him returning to his old life to relearn the ways of being an astropath, but it then turns over to him running for his life after a prophecy of the future is implanted in his head against his will. The book has some great insights into the characters of Rogal Dorn and the Emperor, whom are very minor characters, which the latter only appears in the dreams of Kai. The Space Marines that show up in the later half of the book have some great character, and I would love to know more about them but they shuffle of the mortal coil by the end of the book. The main idea of the book is that some secrets are best left secret.
This is a great addition to the Horus Heresy series, while not dealing with the main plot line of the heresy. Except for a few typos the book is very well written, with some great character development. Which leads to one getting a little attached and/or sympathetic to some of the characters. It also leaves just enough questions at the end of the book for one to want more, but not angry these things were left unanswered.
So this book gets a 8.5 out of 10.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tournament Last Saturday
Well the tournament last Saturday went pretty good. I took Orcs and Goblins (a Orc Warboss, a level 4 Great Orc Shaman, an Orc Big Boss BSB, a level 2 Night Goblin Shaman, and a Goblin Big Boss on Gigantic Spider, 2 units of 50 Night Goblins with Nets and 3 Fanatics, a unit a 27 Orc Big 'Uns, 10 Spider Riders, a Bolt Thrower, a Giant, and an Archnarok Spider)
In the first game I played against Tomb Kings (whose list was a Tomb King, a level 4 Liche High Priest, a Necrotect, a unit of 23 archers, 8 Chariots, a Warsphinx, a unit of 33 Tomb Guard with halberds, 3 Carrion, 3 Sepulchral Stalkers, a Casket and a Screaming Skull Catapult). Overall the game went great for me, with a couple of failed charges on his part, one of which he only needed to roll a three and got snake eyes. Killed off his Level 4 in turn 3 with a combination of 'Eadbut and then in combat. And his chariot which had failed a charge against my Night Goblins, on turn 2 with a flank charge from my Spider Riders and Arachnarok.
In the second game I played against Vampire Counts (which he had a pretty standard list with a Vampire Lord, A level 1 Vampire, a Wight King BSB with the Drackenhof Banner, a Necromancer, A unit of 30ish Ghouls in horde formation, a unit of like 50ish Skeletons 5 wide and like 10, a unit of 20 Grave Guard, a Corpse Cart, a Varghulf, and 4 Wraiths with a Banshee). The scenario did not help him with it delaying the block of Ghouls, Grave Guard and all of his characters so they had to move on in the first turn. With me going first I move both of my Night Goblins up and released the Fanatics from one and used the other to shield the first. The 3 Fantics from the first unit Killed the Corpse Cart and the Varghulf the next turn when he charged through a couple more. I then charged his Grave Guard with my Spider Riders and Giant and ground them out over a turn or two. Also my Big 'Uns with my Warboss and BSB charged the Ghouls in the flank and my Archnarok in the front. It was pretty cool when my Arachnarok directed his Venom Surge attack against the Wight King BSB and kill him out right, and then my Warboss killed his level 1 Vamp, and my BSB killed the Necromancer all in the first round of combat. In his next turn he charges my Warbosses unit in the flank with his Skeleton bus with the Vamp Lord, which I then ground out the Skelies over a couple of turns. This left him with only his Vamp Lord and the Wraiths at the end of the game.
The third game was against Skaven (He had a Grey Seer on a Bell, a Warlord BSB, a Warlock Engineer, 3 30 strong units of Clanrats, a 30 man unit of Stormvermin, 30 Plague Monks, 10 Plague Censers, and 2 Hell Pit Abominations). I lost this game pretty handily, through my own incompetence. I let my opponent cast Cracks Call while the Bell was in combat with my Giant, although at the time I was questioning it in my head. My Big 'Uns took a combined charge from a uint of Clanrats and the Stormvermin, which they readily won and ran done the Stormvermin. My Arachnarok and Big Boss on Spider died to the 2 Abominations. At the end of the game the only things I still had on the table was my Big 'Uns, BSB, Warboss, and my level 4.
At the end of the day I came in 4th out 16 people. Which I think is a pretty good performance for only playing 5 games this whole year before the day.
In the first game I played against Tomb Kings (whose list was a Tomb King, a level 4 Liche High Priest, a Necrotect, a unit of 23 archers, 8 Chariots, a Warsphinx, a unit of 33 Tomb Guard with halberds, 3 Carrion, 3 Sepulchral Stalkers, a Casket and a Screaming Skull Catapult). Overall the game went great for me, with a couple of failed charges on his part, one of which he only needed to roll a three and got snake eyes. Killed off his Level 4 in turn 3 with a combination of 'Eadbut and then in combat. And his chariot which had failed a charge against my Night Goblins, on turn 2 with a flank charge from my Spider Riders and Arachnarok.
In the second game I played against Vampire Counts (which he had a pretty standard list with a Vampire Lord, A level 1 Vampire, a Wight King BSB with the Drackenhof Banner, a Necromancer, A unit of 30ish Ghouls in horde formation, a unit of like 50ish Skeletons 5 wide and like 10, a unit of 20 Grave Guard, a Corpse Cart, a Varghulf, and 4 Wraiths with a Banshee). The scenario did not help him with it delaying the block of Ghouls, Grave Guard and all of his characters so they had to move on in the first turn. With me going first I move both of my Night Goblins up and released the Fanatics from one and used the other to shield the first. The 3 Fantics from the first unit Killed the Corpse Cart and the Varghulf the next turn when he charged through a couple more. I then charged his Grave Guard with my Spider Riders and Giant and ground them out over a turn or two. Also my Big 'Uns with my Warboss and BSB charged the Ghouls in the flank and my Archnarok in the front. It was pretty cool when my Arachnarok directed his Venom Surge attack against the Wight King BSB and kill him out right, and then my Warboss killed his level 1 Vamp, and my BSB killed the Necromancer all in the first round of combat. In his next turn he charges my Warbosses unit in the flank with his Skeleton bus with the Vamp Lord, which I then ground out the Skelies over a couple of turns. This left him with only his Vamp Lord and the Wraiths at the end of the game.
The third game was against Skaven (He had a Grey Seer on a Bell, a Warlord BSB, a Warlock Engineer, 3 30 strong units of Clanrats, a 30 man unit of Stormvermin, 30 Plague Monks, 10 Plague Censers, and 2 Hell Pit Abominations). I lost this game pretty handily, through my own incompetence. I let my opponent cast Cracks Call while the Bell was in combat with my Giant, although at the time I was questioning it in my head. My Big 'Uns took a combined charge from a uint of Clanrats and the Stormvermin, which they readily won and ran done the Stormvermin. My Arachnarok and Big Boss on Spider died to the 2 Abominations. At the end of the game the only things I still had on the table was my Big 'Uns, BSB, Warboss, and my level 4.
At the end of the day I came in 4th out 16 people. Which I think is a pretty good performance for only playing 5 games this whole year before the day.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
October is Scary (With the Laziness)
So another month with just a bit done, have been ripping out the carpet at home to replace it with wood flooring. Painted up four of the boats from Dreadfleet, and a couple of Dark Eldar for my friend.
Speaking of Dark Eldar; Urien Rakarth was a kind of fun paint job, the details are nice and crisp, but the Haemonculus on the other hand was a real pain. The details were fuzzy looking and the bubbles were prolific (It is a prime example of FAILCAST). The next batch of models is a unit of ten Wracks, which i wish he had let me assemble and prime, the mold line and bubbles are not easy to get rid of once you start painting.
On another note I played in my LGS's Longest night event for Warmachine and Hordes, and one both of the games I got in. Also signed up for a Warhammer Fantasy tournament on November 12th, and am thinking about signing up for another on the 3rd of December though this one is not at my LGS. It is all in an effort to get in more games than I did last year, which I'm on track to do.
October
Speaking of Dark Eldar; Urien Rakarth was a kind of fun paint job, the details are nice and crisp, but the Haemonculus on the other hand was a real pain. The details were fuzzy looking and the bubbles were prolific (It is a prime example of FAILCAST). The next batch of models is a unit of ten Wracks, which i wish he had let me assemble and prime, the mold line and bubbles are not easy to get rid of once you start painting.
On another note I played in my LGS's Longest night event for Warmachine and Hordes, and one both of the games I got in. Also signed up for a Warhammer Fantasy tournament on November 12th, and am thinking about signing up for another on the 3rd of December though this one is not at my LGS. It is all in an effort to get in more games than I did last year, which I'm on track to do.
Painted: 4 (The Skabrus, Curse of Zandri, Black Kraken, and the Shadewraith from Dreadfleet)
Painted for Other people: 2 (A Haemonculus, and Urien Rakarth)
Purchased: 11ish (Dreadfleet, which I am counting the terrain as one model since it will be relatively easy to paint)
This year so far
Painted: 199
Purchased: 31
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