Merry Christmas

Festive wishes to all!

I know that many are in lockdown or quarantine (as I will be from tomorrow). Despite the trials and tribulations of a challenging year, many have it worse than I.  Happy holidays and happy hobbying!

AHPC XI: Chapel Ruin

 One's first entry of any AHPC season is always satisfying, and its great to get one inside the first 24hrs:  day off work is helpful in this regard, as is needing it for a big Christmas Eve battle! Presenting my Ruined Temple.  Its fantasy themed but generically useful. 

Its a MDF kit I got at CanCon a year ago from a small Australian company Terrainheim (based in Adelaide p see their nice stuff here https://terrainheim.com/).  I find MDF challenging to work with sometimes but am happy with how this came out*  I added more colour inside to suggest a former splendour, with coloured tiling etc. I think it worked out ok.

I added some extra blocks and bits as fallen rubble

It fits a good block of defenders so Archers can defend it and lurkers hide within and spring from ambush, like this block of 20 Gors of my Bloodsnout Tribe.

So I am off the mark for AHPC XI with 1.5 terrain cubes and a Chamber for a total of 50 points.

https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2020/12/from-paulog-ruined-temple-terrain-50.html

Meanwhile, the Lad is furiously painting his first entry of Dwarves for Thursday's battle.

* I have a club buddy who, since discovering 3D printing, says that "Friends don't let friends use MDF terrain" but its still the year of COVID so what the heck!

AHPC Season XI is upon us - Project reveal

With just over 24 before the start of AHPC XI, a frenzy of prep is underway in the Man Cave with both Dad and Lad entrants this year.  Sidetracked only significantly by actually playing games and trying to finish off some projects on the desk.  Mostly we are both focusing on Warhammer Fantasy projects and a couple of Blood Bowl teams, but I was distracted this week (what a surprise*) by the great initiative of a "World War of the Roses".

A period that has called to me for years, unsuccessfully, until now.  My initial inclination was for the Yorkists (having served in the destroyer HMS YORK for a year) but Alan already has a force for them** so its the Lancastrians for me, with this lovely starting pile of Perry happiness. Actually they might be my first Perry figures now that I think about it - how did that ever happen?

So amongst the Dwarves, Goblins and Beastmen, expect to see some Billmen, Men at Arms, Bidowers, Prickers and more. Rules wise Lion Rampant is always an option but I'm keen to explore the new Never Mind the Billhooks rules which came out in Wargame Illustrated 393 and has a good FB group. If I get truely excited perhaps I may expand it to a WAB army.

Hope everyone is having a merry Festive Season despite any COVID challenges, and good luck to all in the Painting Challenge!

*Yes, I'm bloody hopeless!

** you can see them here:  https://dux-homunculorum.blogspot.com/2016/06/wars-of-roses-for-lion-rampant.html

The Grudge of Drong - Second Battle

The second battle of the campaign is The Ambush on the Dwarf Road, whereby the Dark Eves try to intercept and dispatch renowned Dwarf Runelord Grung Hadvarsson the Hairy, enroute to the Dwarf stronghold of Krag Bryn where the final battle will occur.

The Dwarf army caught was column of march formation at the start of the battle

The Dark Elf ambush is sprung!

I changed things up a little in Deployment to inject a little more Fog of War. Instead of alternating deployment of units, I had Reilly write out his order of march for his Dwarf column before the game, and Gav separately lay out his Dark Elf ambush on a map. They then deployed according to these plans.  It added a bit of realistic friction (on both sides) to the start of the game as the ambush was sprung!

Dark Elf Executioners keen to get stuck into the stunties!

Dwarves went directly onto the offensive, advancing while harassing the Dark Elf rear with the Gryocopters and their steam cannons.

From the start, Dark Elf shooting and artillery was relatively ineffective against the Dwarf armour at long range, while the gyrocopters were consistently annoying. The Dwarves got a lucky break in catching a unit of executioners in the flank but the combat dragged the Ironbreakers off to the wing which effectively removed them from the rest of the battle.

Dwarf Ironbreakers catch Dark Elf Executioners in the flank...

..and pursue them to destruction!

With the light fading, the Dark Elves threw their remaining strength at the Runelord's unit, trying desperately to break it and take him down. The War Hydra was unleashed!

Not only did the Dwarf unit shrug off the fear test, they threw back the beast and slayed the Executioners! It may have been mentioned that the War Hydra would have performed better had he not been the only unpainted unit on the table...

As night fell the Dark Elevs withdrew and RuneLord Grung led the survivors of his force towards the Dwarf stronghold of Krag Bryn.

Another fun battle getting back into Warhammer 8th edition - it always amazes me how quickly I can forget the intricacies of a set of rules!