Feast of Blades List Discussion Morvahna2

First, I am saying that this is a list discussion, but it only becomes that if others participate, so please feel free to provide feedback, opinion, or hate if you feel the need.

Disclaimer: I do not believe that I am an expert at this game or at this faction.  These are my opinions after 2+ years of playing, and lots of games.  I did not build these after other people's lists, but with most Warmachine/Hordes lists, some things work and some don't, so there the similarity is only coincidental and the lists are designed based on the way I enjoy playing.

Enough of that.

Let's start with my Morvahna2 list.  Morvahna2 has been played pretty consistently as a Circle tournament warlock since her release.  This isn't due to her being the shiny new tow for the army either.  Pound for pound, she brings one of the best spell list/ability/feat combinations in the Circle army.  I won't go into her details here, but I will talk about how they work with the list I have picked.  50pt list first:

Warbeasts:
Warpwolf Stalker
Warpwolf Stalker
Gorax

The stalkers are my heavy hitters.  There are others in the army, but between the points available, and the need to be able to do high damage, these were my best choices.  The Gorax is support for giving the Stalkers Primal, and increase in strength and MAT.  It also gives me a throwing option for medium and small bases if the situation arises. EDIT: Additionally, the Stalkers can pick Prowl as their Controlled Warping for a turn.  This combined with Morvahna's Fog of War spell give the Stalkers, as well as the Gallows Groves stealth.  Stealth is very handy when running up to ranged armies that cannot counter it.

Units:
Wolves of Orboros Max
Wolves of Orboros Chieftan/Standard
Warpborn Skinwalkers Max
Warpborn Alpha
Shifting Stones (x2)
Stone Keeper

The two units of stones is somewhat standard for a Circle 50 point list.  Double teleport is a very useful option, plus the additional Fury management and healing comes in handy.

The Wolves of Orboros serve 2 main purposes for me.  1. 4d6 + 9 on the charge and a MAT of 10 (charge plus Carni will do a lot of damage.  Gets even better if I use the CMR as well.  2. They are also good for bringing back with Morvahna's feat.  They are not that tough once the get engaged, but they can do a considerable amount of damage for an 8 point unit and provide a small based model set for the feat.

Warpborn Skinwalkers are now a viable unit with the UA.  Enough power to do some good damage, especially on the charge, 2 attacks with the UA, and a decent amount of damage boxes.  They serve as a good jamming unit as well as a multi-wave killing machine.  I usually play them on the opposite side from the Wolves, but have been testing out a front line multi-wave mix.  This unit also gives me medium base options for the feat, which can be handy for blocking charge lanes, blocking enemy model movement, or for a scenario shift if they need to be in a zone or on a control point.

5 points left and this is where I am still deciding what to do.  I have been testing using a unit of Tharn Bloodweavers.  This is a handy unit with 8 MAT on the charge, and can be the equivalent of weapon masters against living models.  They also serve as a debuff unit against upkeep spells when using Purification might not be a good idea. My second option is Wolf Lord Morraig.  WLM has great synergy with the Wolves, getting +2 on the attack and an additional die on the damage roll when flanking with one of the Wolves.  This means his initial attack is 13 P&S plus 5d6 on the charge, 4d6 on a cleave, and 12 P&S plus 3d6 on the mount attacks.  His decent defense, great movement, and decent armor also make him valuable.  As a light cav model, he also gets some good movement shenanigans that help keep him alive.  I should have a decision on this in the next couple of games.

Overall I like how this list plays.  It gives me good troop options, enough beasts to take down a Colossal or Gargantuan if I play it right, and good synergy with Carnivore, units with lots of attacks, and models to bring back on the feat.  This is a fun list for me to play and I hope to get a good number of games in before Feast of Blades to be competitive in tournament play.

Thanks to Sam Hake for providing feedback on the initial post.

Modeling: Gorax Complete

Well, it is great to be back from  a long break.  I have a  lot of blog posts to work on, so I thought I would throw this one out there since it has been a bane in my life recently.  This model is the Circle of Orboros Gorax model.  My first impression of this model is that is looks like a feral Donkey Kong.  I was seriously looking for a toy barrel to in his hands.  I did not get any pre-painting pictures of this model so I will just use the post-painting pictures throughout this blog.  

The model arrived pretty clean, without taking much cleanup of model.  The first thing you might notice is that the model is leaning way forward.  Now while this might seem like a great design based on the Gorax's story line and abilities, it made it a pain to put together.  The rock, rope, and main model are three separate pieces and they do not line up very well.  It took multiple attempts to get everything to work together.  While I am happy that I got it all together, that was when I noticed the model was very top heavy.  This causes the model to fall forward quite often, which makes playing with the model difficult.  I plan on gluing some metal pieces under the back of the base to help make it stay upright better.

I am not particularly happy with my painting of this model.  I believe that this model will finally push me to start into the adventure of air brushing my models.  I have found that my mixing of colors did not really give me the coloring affects that I was looking for. One of the changes I made to my coloring scheme was the graying of the hair bundles.  I had been using a darker brown (brown/black mix) and wanted to try something different.  Although I am not sold on the look yet, I think it is closer to what I am looking for in the warbeast's look.

At the time I took these pictures there were some painting issues that I have since fixed.  I got some of the white used to grey there hair on the base and the model's leg.  This helped me work on my technique so that I could make sure it did not happen again.  I did a lot of paint mixing on this model to achieve slight differences in the colors used on the body.  Although it did not have the affect I wanted, I see the benefits of expanding my paint collection and changing some of my techniques.  It is not showcase ready, but I am happy with it for now for table top.  With the amount of models I still have to paint, this one will have to sit for a while and wait for clean up.

  

 So I am on the the next model, which should be Megalith.  I am really looking forward to working on that model since it has some nice designs.  I am also going to start working on video blogs and model reviews to help fill the void now that I am re motivated to get this blog going.  I make no claims that I am professional at painting these models.  I believe that my technique and creativity have been increasing as I go and hope one day to be able to really produce high quality models.  More to come....

Modeling: Lord Arcanist Ossyan Complete

Next up is my latest caster for my lists, Ossyan.  I will just call him Ossy for the rest of this painting report.  I purchased him right after release but just recently started playing him regularly having come back to Retribution after playing Circle for a little while.  

If I remember correctly, he came in 5 pieces including the base.  The most memorable part of putting him together was the tube running from his back to the cannon on this left arm.  It took a lot of tweaking to get the tube to fit in the correct spots.  Otherwise this model was very clean and too only a little work to get ready.  This was another model in my set that I had issues with the P3 White Basecoat.  The initial photos below still show some areas where I had problems removing the excess material.  Most noticeable is the face which did not come out clean.  The following 3 photos show the model after clean-up.

Next up was a reapplication of the base coat.  As I found during the last few models, the base coat when on very nicely this time.  There was no clumping or coverage issues.  Although I could tell there was some detail lost due to the previous base coat issues, I was happy with the overall look of the model.

Now it was time for inking.  This was where the detail really came out.  You can see in the blow pictures that the ink worked as intended, filling in the cracks with the dark blue.  I have stated in previous posts that although the Privateer Press painting has the armor solid white with the color "glow", I enjoy the look that comes out of my models where the entire armor has the blue glow coming out.  I am very happy with the ink and just wish I could go back on some of my already completed models, but I just do not have that kind of energy or time.  The inked pictures follow.

I did not get any pictures that show just the dry brushed white, but the following pictures show the completed model.  I also have two sets of photos.  One uses the flash and one does not.  I think I am liking the ones without the flash as the paper and white of the model show more correctly than the ones with the flash.  The flash gives the background a off-white or yellow tinge that I am starting not to like.

So back to the painting itself, I used a green on the cloak and gold/silver for different accents on the model.  As you can tell from the pictures, I need to work on the face detail, but I currently lack a brush that would allow me to put any detail into that part of the model.  I really like how the model turned out other than the face.  I like how intricate the model was created by Privateer Press, and I think this is probably my favorite looking Ret caster.

I am enjoying the painting scheme I have been using and will be using it on all future Ret models.  I am getting ready to make a large order which will include my third heavy and Invictors.  These will likely be my last Ret purchases until the new models come out.  But I still have lots of models to paint, so stand by for more.  Most of the purchase will be Circle models, so I am excited to have more of those to work on.  Until next time...

Modeling: House Shyeel Artificer Complete

Welcome to another painting posting for my Retribution army.  I had taken a break from painting due to work issues, but I am now able to put some time into my models.

The next model I wanted to complete was the House Shyeel Artificer.  I have really liked the look of this model as soon as I saw the pictures.  This was another model which got base coated with the P3 White that clumped up.  So after taking my Dremel Brass Brush to the model, I was able to get it cleaned up enough to start over.

As you can see in both the front and side views, there was still some of the original base coat left on the model, but I was able to get a majority of it off.  I did have to go out and buy a new brass brush.  The one thing about the Dremel brass brushes is that the bristles will come out.  It is very important to wear glasses or goggles with when using it or you may take one in the eye.

The next two pictures show the second base coat.  This time the paint went on a lot more evenly and there was no clumping.  I was very happy with the coverage as I tried to hit all of the angles I could.  I love this model because of the look that he is flying.  I was not sure how it would look when I got done painting it, but it seemed like it would be a fun model to put paint.

The next step was to put on the ink to get the blue into the edges and groves.  This is the second model that I have done this with, and since I really liked how Kaelyssa turned out, I tried the same methodology with this model.  The following two pictures show the model with the blue ink.  Although it looks like a mess, it was pretty effective.  There are some very nicely done designs on the armes, and they really showed with the ink applied.

The next shot shows the model after dry-brushing the white on the model.  As with the Kaelyssa model, I was not very happy after completing this step.  But I gave it over night and ended up really happy with the dry brushing.  The Privateer Press paint jobs are always a solid white with the glow effect.  It was one of the main things that drew me toward this army.  In realizing my painting skills are not there by any means, I really like my version of it.

The next shots show the model with the accents painted and the exposed cloak.  That's right, it is not a skirt!!!  So I used the standard Dark Angels Green that I have been using for the cloaks on the other models I have painted.  I then used some Shining Gold for the cloak accents.  The part of the boots that is exposed got just a touch of silver.

Next up, it was time for basing.  I used the standard blue painters tape to cover the base slot holes.  It took a few pieces, but I got it covered nicely.  Not much to this.  Next up I made a decision I might regret.

In the photos below, you can see I used black around the edge of the base and used some green on the base.  I thought that this would help hide imperfections in the basing material.  I did not think that this paint would cause a problem with the basing material not sticking.  The base coat paint seems to provide a much better bond for the basing material, so this will likely be the last time I pre-paint the base like this.

Next up, you can see the model with the basing material applied.  I had to re-glue some of it down due to it not sticking well to the coat of paint I put down.  I still like the way it looks though.  The green matched enough on the part of the model attached to the base to still give it the "floating" look.  I will still have to touch up the model later, especially some of the accents, but overall I like the way it looks.

This was a fun model to put together and paint.  I am very happy with how it turned out.  I hope you like it.  Not sure which model I am going to work on next.  I think it is Ossy's turn to get cleaned up and ready for the table.  I will try to get a WIP for him out sometime before the weekend.

Batrep: Retribution vs Khador 35pts

This is a battle report or 3 Nov 2011.  I played against my friend Guillius (http://guillius.blogspot.com/) and his Khador army.  He has beaten me the last few times, but I have been working on my Retribution lists during this time, so I was excited to see what my latest list could do.  Here are the lists:

Khador

Vladimir Tzepesci, the Dark Champion (*5pts)

* Beast-09 (11pts)

Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (6pts)

* Greylord Escort (2pts)

Iron Fang Pikemen (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)

* Iron Fang Pikemen Officer & Standard (2pts)

Kayazy Assassins (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)

* Kayazy Assassin Underboss (2pts)

Eiryss, Angel of Retribution (3pts)

Manhunter (2pts)

Manhunter (2pts)

Retribution of Scyrah

Lord Arcanist Ossyan  +6 points
* Hypnos  9 points
6 Dawnguard Invictors  6 points
* Invictor Officer & Standard  2 points
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution  3 points
Ghost Sniper  2 points
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt  4 points
10 Mage Hunter Strike Force  8 points
* Mage Hunter Commander  2 points
Stormfall Archers  5 points


 The scenario for this match was Diversion.  


The first picture was my deployment.  As I get more comfortable with this list, I am seeing new ways to use the units together.  This is my second battle with this list.  The main change I am looking at is replacing Hypnos.  I have a battle report to type up from the next day in which I traded out Hypnos for the Daemon.  I will express my opinion on that in the next battle report.  As you see in the picture below, I put my MHSF up front, with the Invictors on the right and Stormfall Archers on the left.

Below is the Khador deployment.  Having faced this list before, I knew I was in for a tough time.  Literally, with Tough, I really hate Khador.  There were also very few troops to target for Shatter Storm, so I knew I would not get much use out of it.

The following picture gives you the overall board view.  You can see the two armies along with the control zones. This was the first scenario I had ever played beside caster kill and kill box, so I was excited to try something new.

In the following picture, you can see that went first.  I spread out my army some, trying to cover the left, right, and middle with ranged attacks.  I have moved the MHSF straight up and started taking shots at the Doom Reavers.  I was able to take out a few of them, but not nearly as many as I had hoped.  My shooting really was not effective this game, but I rolled about average.  I kept Ossy back but learned that I would need Admonition on him instead of Chronomancer very soon. 

The following picture shows the end of turn 1.  You can see that he was able to get a bunch of troops in and took out much of my MHSF.  I believe I only had 2 that were not engaged.  I underestimated his move ability.  This was not turning out to be very positive for me.  He did attempt to take out Eiryss with two seperate models, and rolled 2,1 each time.  I got lucky she survived but I did not have a viable way to get her out of contact.

Next up is the end of my next turn.  You can see that I moved my Invictors to help cover Ossy and did what I could with the my models.  I took out a Doom Reaver and a Manhunter with my Stormfall Archers, and did some damage with my Invictors, but my turn was overall ineffective.

The next picture is just a different angle of the carnage.

The next picture shows Guillius's turn.  He was able to get one of his Pikemen up to Ossy with a combination of spells and moves.  Although he could not attack this turn, Ossy was engaged and I would be left with very few options.  This is where I started to consider leaving Admonition on Ossy all of the time.  I have to be able to protect him better from rushes like this or Admonition him so he can move out of the way. I knew I only had two options.  Take out his caster or protect Ossy with all available units.  Since his trooper had the "+3 to all buff" on him, it was unlikely I could kill him with the models I had left.  I probably should have tried to get Hypnos and at least get some attacks on him, but I focused on trying to take out the caster.

In this next photo, you can see I moved the Invictors up and did a CRA with everyone I could on his caster.  I did a decent amount of damage, I believe around 10 pts, but all it ended up doing was making his caster 17 armor I believe which made him impossible for me to damage with my left over units.  I should have brought Hypnos back to Ossy to attack, but for some reason did not, and instead attempted to take out some of the units between my shooters and the caster.  I believe the problem was that I did not put any focus on Hypnos, and so with his move, he could not engage and hit the Pikeman.  The Pikeman did 10 dmg to Ossy on the charge. 

 The next picture just shows the angle I was able to get on his caster, but I already knew it was unlikely for me to survive.  

This last picture shows when Ossy died.  He was hit with the initial attack of the Pikeman.  He was able to use the Focus on his caster to allow the Pikeman boosted attack and boosted damage, killing Ossy.  It was a rough end for me, but I learned from it which is great for me, even in a loss.

Final Thoughts:  I am really liking this list.  Since I have now played it against Khador and Menoth, I have seen different ways to use the units.  I was very disappointed in Hypnos though, and either need to learn better how to use him against my meta, or switch him out.  It was still a fun game and I would like to thank Guillius for his great sportsmanship. More reports coming soon.  Good bye...