Month 3 battle (1200pts): Vic vs Gareth

Now the fun begins with more substantial 1200pt sized armys. The battle was to capture and hold four objectives. It seems that all the battles Gareth and I play have been of this type even though we always roll for it. The scenery was set up with a ruined small outpost feel to it using mini buildings made from cities of death kits.


This as you can guess is how we set up the battlefield, the yellow rings highlighting the four objectives.

I learnt my lesson after turn one as four template weapons wiped out the rather poorly placed loota boyz in the building ruins. They got their custom forcefield cave from the Big Mek but the one in three chance that they would survived was an unproven statistic.

Turns 4 saw the Orks loosing their nerve and hiding in any cover they could from the Thunderfire cannon whilst the Blood Ravens confidentaly strode on.

Kantor and his Sternguard were tasked with campturing the furthest reached objective but found that to massed shoota boyz firepower followed up with the demented flailings of thee killakanz were simply too much for them as they were wiped out in turn 5.

The Terminators marched across to outflank the Kanz but were left with nothing to attack as the kanz consolidated away from them. This allowed the repositioned surviving unit of Lootas to pick off one of the terminators as they returned to the main action.

There were two titanic clashes in the final turns 5 and 6 with two units of tactical squad fighting against a mob of boyz each. These took place in the centre of the battlefield and in the ruins just to the left of it. Calling a Waaaaaghhh the Orks charged madly at the marines who put too much faith in their ceramite armour (or was it marmite armour) as they were both wiped cleanly off the board.

Battle conclusion:
The dice was rolled for turn 7 but it was not to be. The Orks had won the day with brute force in the last desperate turns of the game.

Objective 1: contested by the heavy weapons and thunderfire cannon
Objective 2: held by the Ork boyz
Objective 3: Held by the Deffdredd (The Big Mek makes him a troop type)
Objective 4: uncontested.

'Hide from the big cannon fing' screamed the Orks as they scambled for cover.

Vic post battle comments:
I was relieved to have won the battle, the Blood Ravens were attempting to manouver their men around the outskirts of the battlefield whilst successfully suppressing my army with their heavy weapons. Despite the relatively small numbers of, the Blood Ravens yet again proved impervious to any Big shoota, slugga or even loota fire passing armour save after armour save and those were the power armour clad! I didn't even bother with the terminators until it looked like the dice Gods were favouring me with more luck.
All in all a fantastically close battle, and with an eye on the mission objectives and some gutsy manouvering gave the Orks enough fun to tell round the campfire back at Orky Ead'quaters. Now where do I get more firepower?

Gareth post battle comments:

Month 2 results

Vic
Draw against Gareth - 3pts
Win against Foxy - 5pts
Models painted on time - 5pts
Month 1 total = 13pts

Gareth
Draw against Vic - 3pt
Draw against Foxy - 3 pts
Models painted on time - 5pts
Month 1 total = 11pts

Foxy
Loss against Vic - 1pts
Draw against Gareth - 3pts
Models painted on time - 0pts
Month 1 total = 4pts

Overall standings
1st = Vic - 13pts -> 26pts
2nd = Gareth - 9pts -> 20pts
3rd = Foxy - 6pts -> 10pts

Month 2 battle (800pts): Vic vs Gareth

This is the battle report for month 2 Vic vs Gareth at 800pts

The general deployment of the battlefield looked like this. The mission was capture the enemy objective which made use of the markers that we had modelled up this month.

This was the state of play at turns 3-4 The terminators shrugged off round after round of fire from anything that could reach from the Orks. While they unrelentingly marched forward with covering by the Sternguard long range Kraken bolts. The Shoota boyz were wittled down and eventually broke, fleeing past the Lootas and much to Vic's relief stopped one inch from the board edge. However the fight was knocked out of the lootas a turn later who promptly fled the battlefield.

Turns 5-6 saw a continued stalemate firefight on the Western side, whilst the Blood raven tactical squad sneaked closer to the Ork objective. The Nob in charge of the Ork Boyz issued a Waaaaghhh and ordered his boyz to intercept them.

The battle was bloody to say the least! After cutting down seven marines with only two casualties the Orks finished off the remaining sergeant and co as they charged back into the fray.

However the battle was a draw as neither side were able to capture the enemy objective.

Vic post game reflections:
I was reasonably happy with how the battle went, Kantor and his buddy sternguard sat guarding their objective which would have taken the whole concentration of my army to capture. In the end they stayed out of harms way... relatively while I the Terminators took as much lead as the Orks could through at them. The old adage of getting marines to take as many armour saves as possible did not work!

I must try not to leave my lootas so close to the board edge in future and keep them over 12 inches in. They are my trump card when dealing with armour and loosing them was a worry.

And lastly for this battle, keep your Nobz in the front of the unit. It should go without saying buy on the turn that they charged the tactical marines the Nob was left out of two inches from a model in hand to hand. I don't know what happened, probably having to move twenty boyz at a time made me forget him.

Gareth post game reflections:
What can i say? Either i am a very very bad commander or marines do not suit small games! It costs over 400 points for 1 hq and 2 troops! That being said, it could of been different. Looking back on it i would of been better sending in the Terminators with the tactical squad to beef up the owd combat but hindsite is a wonderfull thing and i never learn from it anyway! All in i was beaten by the best man (or big green smelly ork) All i can say is, when the stakes get higher, the orks will have a fight on their hands with Bob the Company Master and his mates!

My objective Marker, Brother Corvius has fallen!

Here is my objective marker. Brother Marine Corvius has fallen as his Tactical Squad was overrun by Orks in the town of Kervus Prime. The Blood Ravens will leave no one behind to the savage greenskins to toy with, let alone the Eldar to torment and interogate. They also need to recover the precious Geneseed from his squad.

I have modelled him sitting slumped and half dead up against the ruins of a building. Loosing off the last of his bolt shells and activating his Chainsword ready to take as many of the Vile Xenos scum with him!

I made it using a standard Tactical Marine with repositioned legs to make him sit. I then used a piece of cities of death wall for the background and a sheet of tectured plastic for the cobblestones which you will find in most good Model shops and soon on the exelent modelfu.com

I was going to add lots of dead Orks around him as Vic had the Audacity to add Dead Marines to his! How very dare he! However, after lots of uming and ahhing i realised that i made the base too small!

Casnus the arrival of unwanted parties.

Casnus an Imperial agriculture world in the zetor sector. Half the planet orbits the local sun in close ellipse resulting in half the world recieving too much sun and was burnt into a desert wasteland. The other half is cold and cruel many, few people wander there as it is eerie silent and many stories tell of creatures that feed off your very breath. Straddling the hot and cold divide of the planet exists a band of temperate climate good for sustaining the vast crops that this agri world exports.

Eldar - The Eldar farseer has had evil visions that disturb him and the sensitive wraithbone that surrounds him in his slumber. Sensing great menace the farseer summons an elite scouting force to investigate, leaving the craftworld towards Casnus.

Orks - Big Mek Locknut was bored, he and his whaaaaahh had come to an abrubt end after stripping the previous planet and building the vast kroozer that they were now on. The other orks were in fighting and several challenges had been attempted on his position of grand wahhhh master. Now in space there was only darkness, his latest crudely built device had an increased range but could not detect another planet nearby. 'Boss you got ta see dis!' yelled one of his Nob chiefs. Lugnut jumped up to the scanner panel that the Nob was pointing at and a wicked grin appeared. The scanners had picked up a faint trail of an Eldar ship, Lugnut knew that where ever the tricksy Eldar were going, there would be fighting or a pretty toy that use to turn into a nice big blasty weapon. The big mek picked up the shouta com and bellowed into it 'Boyz sharpen your choppas, we iz found a fight!'

Blood Ravens - The Blood Ravens space marines had stopped at Casnus for refuelgin and supplies. After stemming a Traitor Imperial guard rebellion in the Grason sector they were trapped in a warp storm for 11 months and needed to get a new astropath for their ship since the previous one's head exploded from the strain of guiding the ship through deamon temptation infested warp space. Sergeant Noris looked at the landed ships navigation devices that he was monitoring and noticed a distant bleep, closer scans picked up an Eldar ship pursued by an Ork hulk heading straight for Casnus. The Blood Ravens commander was notified, he swiftly ordered the planetary defences and brother marines into the 3 bravo defence pattern. With bolt shells loaded the space marines watched the incoming forces.



This is our first try at creating a narrative for the tale of three gamers as so far they have been a series of random battles.

Gareth again. how i base my models.

First off i like to use the Daemonscape range of resin bases as they are ready detailed, simple to paint and best of all good value for money compared to other resin bases available. These are the cobblestone bases and come in all the sizes you will need (25mm, 40mm, 65mm) There is no need to undercoat them although you can if you prefer.

I painted the cobblestones Adeptus Battlegrey and the sides of the base in the same colour.

Then simply paint the mud area Khemri Brown and off we pop, ready to go detailed bases. I like to pin my models to the bases for stability using a Hobby Drill and a piece of paperclip. Obviously you can use any bases and paint them in any colour and also add highlights/flocks ect for extra detail. This is just a simple and efective way to have detailed bases for no more effort than painting a standard, flat, plastic base.

If you want to have a look at the Daemonscape bases they are available at www.wargamesempire.com There are a few different types available in round and square bases (I use the square ones for my Bretonnians)

Gareth's step by step guide to painting the Emperors finest.

First off i start by assembling the models (obviously) I like to keep the arms and weapons seperate so i can easily get to the detail on the chest. Glue is poly cement, i prefer to use the Humbrol range as it has a needle point tip so you you never put too much on. Its a precision tip.

Next, undercoat the models. I use Chaos Black in a spray as its easy and the colour suits the basecoat. Then basecoat all the models in Mecharite red. It gives a great coat but its better to water it down a bit as with any paint. Anything that won't end red, just leave black.

Next i wash the armour with a 50/50 mix of Badab Black and Baal Red. Again its simply personal choice but i find it shades better with the black added as the red itself is quite dark. As with the basecoat you could easily do these 2 steps with a spay gun to speed up the process.

Next i repaint all the armour with Mecharite Red, leaving the wash in the recesses. At this point you can touch up in Black any parts that may have had a bit of Red stray onto them lie the joins in armour (behind the knees ect)

Next is for all the other parts. The shoulderpads purity seals and any parchment get painted in the same 3 stage process but with Bleached Bone/Gyrophone Sepia/Bleached bone. Any metal areas like on the weapons ect were done Boltgun Metal/Badab Black/Boltgun metal and tubes to the weapons are done in blues but its totally up to you.

I have ran out of photos but for the final stage, i highlight all the reds with Blood Red , the bone colours with a mix of Skull White/Bleached Bone Metal with Chaiinmail.

Over all its a pretty simple process and is quick enough to get a lot of models painted quickly. Especially if you need to churn out 2 or 3 Tactical Squads. For more Detailed models like Commanders it provides a good base to which you can then add more detail.

This process is easily done for most Chapters and colours. I have tried it with a spare Terminator in Imperial Fists colours.

Month 2 Gareth and the Blood Ravens 5th

The Games Day model that will probably not even find its way into the army but looks nice.

The Dreadnought. This is the Assault on Black Reach model so comes ready to go with a Multi Melta. I am going to swap this around at some point to an Assault Cannon and Missile Launcher.

The Assault on Black Reach Terminators. Again i am not sure if they will find a place in the army but it seemed rude not to paint them after doing their box mates. I am going to go back over these with more shading and highlighting but for now i am happy enough with them. I especially like the Sergeant and his base.

My Sternguard. My crappy photography really doesn't do these models justice as i think they are the best looking unit in the army so far.

My army in full so far. I knocked the Board up in about 5 minutes to give me something to pose them on. Its just a Javis Scenics mat cut and stuck to Polystyrene and some ready made/painted Javis Scenery.

Well its fair to say i have been busy this month with painting my models. I have added a Devastator Squad which is loaded out with 2 Lascannons and 2 Heavy Bolters. Its a strange mix i know but it gives me a couple of tank busting guns for the inevitable Wave Serpents full of Aspect Warriors Foxy will bring (not to mention that bloody Avatar!) and the Killa Kans that Vic fields but also gives me 2 Heavy Bolters that should do a fair bit of damage to any Aspect Warriors, Ork Nobz or failing that just make a mess of Guardians and Ork boys. I am half way though painting another 5 Devastators with the remaining weapons and a Combat Squad which will not be part of my total army list but gives me plenty of heavy options for the Devastator squad and my Tactical Squads. Which is something i advise any marine player to do. I also Painted the rest of the Assault on Black Reach models (minus the Captain) but i think i could do with going back over and adding a bit more detail to them. I also painted last years Games Day model just because he looks nice and a Sternguard Squad as it seemed fitting with Bob at the head of the army. The models themselves are amazing and on the table will again add a bit more specialized firepower. Seen as i am only allowed 800 points for the next game i will have to chose carefully.

You will notice i have not put up a picture of my Objective marker yet, it was finished but then i saw the poor Marine on the base of Vic's! So i am going back to add lots of dead orks to mine, childish, yes, but fun all the same, definatly!

It seems to me as i am writing this that my army is in danger of being 'too specialized' and too small which against Orks and Eldar is not really a great idea. So for month 3 i think i am going to have to add at least 1 more Tactical Squad and probably 2, but then i have a nice new Thunderfire Cannon just begging to be painted!

Month 1 Scores

Vic
Win against Gareth - 5pts
Draw against Foxy - 3pts
Models painted on time - 5pts
Month 1 total = 13pts

Gareth
Loss against Vic - 1pt
Draw against Foxy - 3 pts
Models painted on time - 5pts
Month 1 total = 9pts

Foxy
Draw against Vic - 3pts
Draw against Gareth - 3pts
Models painted on time - 0pts
Month 1 total = 6pts

Overall standings
1st = Vic - 13pts
2nd = Gareth - 9pts
3rd = Foxy - 6pts

Month 1 battle reports Vs Foxy

Both Vic and Gareth played their individual battles against Foxy's Eldar on a 2x2 ft board. Both the Orks and Blood ravens were wiped off the board by turn 4 which was all a bit embarrasing.

After the dust had settled closer inspection of the Foxy's list revealed that he had fielded 155 points over the 400 points per side limit for this months battles. Quite a sigificant advantage at this points level. Because of this both battles were declared a draw earning all generals 3 points each.

(above) Three killkans struggling to inflict any damage at all on the Wraithlord and Avatar (despite both being armless!)

However this did not cover up the fact that the two units responsible for the Ork and Blood Raven's defeat were the Eldar Wraithlord and Avatar, which could have been fielded legitimately. These high strength high toughness monsters proved very difficult to destroy! (In fact we didn't managed to kill them in either game)

Month 1 battle reports Vic vs Gareth

This was a capture the objective battle.

(above) This was the set up on a 2x4 ft board the amazing firebase as the centre piece with the Blood ravens deployed on the left and Orks on the right. The base objectives were the green crystals.

(above) Turns 1 and 2 saw the Blood ravens advance as the Orks held within cover.

(above) As Pedro Kantor counts as model (Gareth hasn't named him yet) surged forwards the Orks broke from cover. Successful shooting by the killa kans took a wound of Kantor.

(above) Mig Mek Lock nut urged his boyz to mob the wounded space marine hero who falls under repeated hammerings from the back of an axe handle. Meanwhile in the North of the battlefield the other two killa kans add suppressive fire to allow the second Ork boys to advance round to the objective.

(above) Now was the time for a new hero to be born, the blood ravens sergeant stood firm as the consolidating Orks (after slaughtering Kantor) crashed into his combat squad. All the marines fell, but he hit back over-running eight ork boyz single handedly. Locknut managed to away (a tactic employed to ensure he could fight again of course!). The Ork momentum carried on the Northside as the second objective was wiped clear of marines.

Battle conclusion:
Gareth's flag - captured
Vic's flag - uncontested
= Win to Vic

Vic's thoughts:
It was my very first outing with the Orks and boy was I surprised at seeing how outnumbered the marines were. Fielding the three killa kans seperately allowed for them to switch around the firebase to provide covering fire.
I thought the battle was actually quite close if it had been a standard combat mission because of the late slaughter at the end by the Blood Raven's sergeant. This showed how vulnerable the Orks were in a prolonged battle against marines withouth their furious charge.
Overall a thoroughly enjoyable battle and refreshing to play at such a low points level. (Our regular gaming group has been playing 2000pts+ per player appocalypse for the last five games so this was quite a downscale!)

Gareth's thoughts:

What can i say? I once again fell into the trap of painting up models that look pretty but make no sense on the field of battle. In hindsight i could of fielded a standard Force Commander the 2 Combat squads and a Dreadnought or a couple of Land Speeders for my points. But what do i do? Spend all my time painting a 170 point Pedro Kantor (or bob as he will be known as until i can figure a better sounding name). Lets face it i was up against it. However thats not to take anything away from Vic and his green horde as they fight as good as they look. I don't think i could of done anything different given the troops (or lack of) under my command. Simply, Vic did what Vic does best and played to his armies strengths (in this case numbers) which is something i am trying to learn but then lovely new models come into stock and tactics go out of the window! Anyway, i have a few more things in the pipeline for month 2 so watch this space! Their will be xenos blood spilt!

Gareth month 1 painting quota

This month i painted up (above) Bob (Pedro Kantor) and my Tactical squad. The picture isn't amazing quality but you get the idea. It's basically Pedro Kantor with the Crimson Fists iconography filed off and on his shoulder pad where is is a round jewel in the centre of the wings i have green stuffed a blood drop. I know thats more Blood Angels than Blood Ravens but it seemed to fit. I also replaced the banner that came with the model for the standard banner off an Assault on Black Reach Captain. I'll paint his name on it when i have a better name than Bob!

I seem to have lost the Picture i took of the Tactical Squad but it is basically a standard Tactical squad from the Black Reach box set which in my opinion is the best way to start amy Marine army and the Sergeant is rock hard! Seeing off all those orks on his own!

Anyway, for month 2 i have quite a few more models planned, but you know what they say about the best laid plans..................

Gareth, commander of the Blood Ravens 5th company

Well, my name is Gareth and I am half (Better half some would say) of http://www.wargamesempire.com/ . I will be Collecting and painting the mighty Space Marines of the Blood Ravens. I love all things space marines. The army that got me started again with 40k was the Dark Angels and with the new Space Marine Codex there really was no other army i was going to collect. It may not be very original but my army is loosly based on the Dawn of War computer game. I love the game and something about a Space Marine army with some kind of dark or unknown history seemed to appeal to the Unforgiven in me. Right now i have absolutly no idea what will end up in my army. I am the sort of gamer that paints models i like and then try to fit them into an army. All i know is that it will probably lose to Vic like my Dark Angels do on a regular basis!

I will keep you all updated on how the army is doing and post as many pictures and wip pictures i can. Until then, i guess i better get started, eh?

Tale of three gamers have begun!

Above is the monthly objective tables, successful completion of each task will earn them points, simple asa that. The person (Vic, Gareth, Foxy) with the most points at the end of the four month campaign will be the Winner.

The first deadline is on the 5th so the battles will be played soon after and posted here on Taleofgamers.

On the left is the points table which we will be trying to earn.

Each month the public will be able to vote for the bes HQ, objective marker, HQ building and then at the end, the best army. The winner will get the points.

We will each post to introduce ourselves shortly.