Unarmoured 10mm Pendraken Late Romans

Some progress on the wee fellas.

I painted these in much the same way as in the 10mm Late Roman Step-by Step guide I produced earlier this year.

Nice and easy to paint (though the close ups show the bits I've missed!)

Some command units next.

Crusader Ancient Greek Hopilites

I got these for number two son's OGAM forces. Some Unarmoured Hopilites from Crusader Miniatures
They painted up loverly - really nice, simple sculpts. I do like Crusader models, you should go to their store and buy some at once from nice Mr Nick Northstar.
A few base coats and then some Cote d'Arms wash over the top with a minimal amount of highlighting.

I then had a bit of a 'mare with the LBMS shield transfers and I'm still not 100% happy (you can see the joins if you look hard enough). Usually I really like the LBMS transfers but these I just struggled with the curved shield shape.

Anyway, the Gaming Heir has declared himself satisfied, so I suppose that's job done then, apart from adding some tufts to the bases, and maybe a little gloss varnish back over some of the metals (the purity seal has gone very matt on this occasion).

40K Orks v Orks

Steve is once more in foreign parts and has taken on a career as a cartographer.
Leaving General Ballroom and I to our own devices.
So we settled on a game of 40K.
It is a curious side effect of the killing off of WFB that we're playing more 40K than ever before - not, I suppose, the intended outcome for the Nottingham Studio. Then again I suspect I was never the target market for Age of Sigmar.

Anyway, to the matter in hand.
Warboss Gruzzkup and his ladz are rooting through the ruins of Stefangrad when they encounter the boys led by Warboss Ballruum. Dis meenz Waaaaagh!

That's right gentle reader, we would be spending the evening thrusting our enormous Nobz at one another in hardcore Ork on Ork action.

500 points each...Cityfight objectives...seconds out, round one!

 Gruzzkup and his lads grab a building

 Da Trukk boys leave da Trukk and grab another objective

 Oooh, nasty Tankbustas

 Da wrong sort of boyz

 Waaagh Ballruum

 Warboss Ballruum likes to spend his time surrounded by Nobz

 Klank, klank, Kill, Kill!

Meganobz v Kanz - 'oo will win? (Not Kans)

 Warboss Ballruum gets stuck in

 Da Ballruum boys, hidin'

Warboss Ballruum sees of his foes!

Another splendid evening of gaming entertainment. Despite all my prejudices I'm quite enjoying all these small games of 40K. On this occasion, despite the Orkish reputation for close combat monstrousness we both hung back and shot. To very little effect.

Eventually Warboss Ballruum caught some of my lads in a crater field, and despite some early wounds from my boys the huge Ork gradually chopped them all down. In the meantime, despite my warboss achieving one of his tactical objectives, the other Waaagh largely avoided him and instead cut down the rest of my army.

The Meganobz proved too tough a nut for the Kans to deal with and with my dreadnought becoming immobilised on some craters General B was able to achieve a couple of his objectives and race into an unassailable lead.

Curse you Warboss Ballruum. Waagh Gruzzkup shall return!

Hermes the Messenger for OGAM

Finally finished this chap

 

Very jolly model from SHQ

Nice and chunky and easy to paint up.

40K Orcs v Alpha Legion

Stephen has been making great progress over on his blog with some Alpha Legion models made from the new Calth boxed set. For reasons unkown (but he did have a stroke recently) General Ballroom has also rediscovered a passion for 40K and I have been forced into playing the game for children, deviants and accountants by my offspring. And so the stage was set for a game in the grim darkness of the Ilko Gaming Hut.

General B and I would take a greenskin horde against 1,000 points of Alpha Legion marines in a Cityfight game. As part of his recuperation the good general has been constructing a rather natty cityfight set-up which would look splendid to play over.
We diced to see which of us would lead the Orks, with the result being we would be fighting under the banner of Waaagh Ballruum and with that we set up and were off.

 Alphas take the high ground on the right

 And now without flash

 The newly airbrushed vindicator hold the centre ground

 Da Ballruum 'Ard Boyz swarm up the street

 Warboss Ballruum lurks with his ladz

 Da Walkerz

Deff Dredd gets ready

 Alpha Legion seize the craters

 Sternguard advance...

 ...covered by the tactical squad

The game began with an orbital bombardment called in by the Marines. Despite Steve's best effort to avoid him the shell landed deirctly on Warboss Ballruum as well as his ladz and unfortunately the big Ork bit the dust. Oh.

My lads raced forward by trukk on the right, pouring fire into the advancing sternguard, killing a couple meanwhile the remains of the ballruum boys pushed up into the building. The Deff Dredd moved toward the centre of the board whilst the Kans secured Objective 1 (and a victory point for us).

 The sternguard take cover in the craters

 Ork boyz swarm up main street

 The Alphas hold the centre ground

 Under fire

Ballruums remaining ladz pushed forward on the left and grabbed the big building. However sustained fire from the Alpha bikers and tactical squad forced them to go to ground. 

My Trukk boys disgorged and took on the sternguard whilst Gruzzkup led the footslogging shoota boys toward Objective 3, held by some assault marines

 Take cuvver ladz!

Bundle!

 Dakkka, dakkka!

A big fight broke out in the centre when the Ballruum Ard Boyz clashed with the tactical squad and Marine Captain. The Alpha Captain rashly issued a challenge, missed with all his attacks and as a result had his head snipped off by a power claw. Unfortunately Rapid Firing Marines and Bikes soon saw the boys wiped out. 

Meanwhile the tactical squad piled in to help the sternguard and my Trukk ladz were gradually ground down. However the shoota boys did wipe out the assault marines and then they lurched toward the objective in the centre of the city.

 Da trukk ladz get suck in

 Avenge the Captain!

 The fightin' spreads

 Dis buidlin's ourz!

At this point the vindicator came into it's own, killing my warboss and several lads before turning fire on the Deff Dredd and immobilising it. Meanwhile on the left the Alpha bikes finished off the remaining ladz of Waagh Ballruum. The Kans attempted to hunt down the bikes in revenge but only manged to pick one off. The Trukk lads were finally eradicated over in the ruins on the right before another shot from the vindicator saw the remaining Ork boys turn tail and flee. With only an immobilised Dredd and the Killa Kans left the game was clearly up for the greenskins

 The last stand

 Whoosh, bang, dakka!

 Leg it ladz!

Another fun game of 40K. Limiting tanks and lines of fire and not taking too much frisky stuff keeps it good fun. Though there are inevitable "buckets of dice. Twice. Save. One casualty" moments which feel a bit strange after playing mor elegant or streamlined systems.

General B's scenery looked great and so did both the Ork horde and the newly pained Alpha Legion. I suspect we'll play a few more games before the muse takes us elsewhere.