Games Day Coverage! #1

With Games Day upon us, me and my buddy Vince quickly drove to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. We got there are about 9:00 AM and were not surprised to see the waiting area filled with many, many gamers. Compared to Games Day Baltimore there were less unwashed gamers as well! Yay!

"Matt Ward Pride"

The Staff Registration went smoothly. I had to sign a piece of paper promising that I wasn't going to get drunk, etc. at the convention, which was fine by me. I also asked if the club members were supposed to get a T-Shirt and after asking around the lady at the counter gave me one of the Staff shirts which were just like the Games Day 2011 shirts, except a beige color. However as it turned out it was not meant to be. ;( As Joe also went to sign up for his badge he was told that we were not supposed to get any shirt. And I guess he then pointed at me... And then they took my shirt.
It would have been glorious..

There were also a bunch of people from the local Games Workshop store that were there an hour or so before the doors open. It's always nice to see some familiar faces in the crowd and I was pretty excited to see what they would think of the Heroes of Armageddon setup.

Unfortunately, as a Club member I had to leave them in line, for you see - I got to get in early. And for free! *evil laughter*

The Gang!

Inside, me and the HoA crew had like an hour to burn before the horde of gamers was allowed to pass. We spent that time mostly chatting with the vendors, other club members, etc. Me and Joe got to talk with one of the guys that made the Ultramarines movie and he told us that if they are looking to make a second movie and that many people want them to do one about the Space Wolves. However that would require a lot of money because of the effort required to animate so many braids and beards. The guy was really nice and gave us some free Ultramarines T-shirts as well.

And then... the gates opened.
Most of you already know what it is to be waiting for those doors to open while not being trampled by the fans who must reach the Forge World line. This year the fastest guy actually completely missed the line and sprinted past it - some GW employees were even waving their arms, signaling for the crazed fanatic to stop. Personally I didn't even bother..

Being on the other side, though.. It's different. It's refreshing.. relieving. But it also has that whole "Oh Shiiiiiit" vibe to it, maybe because gamers are just that crazy. Oh, and a feeling of pride, of course. The fact that you are contributing and somehow making Games Day a better game and a better day for everyone is exhilarating.

The only club (I assume) event that I participated in was Squighopper Races! Why? Because I had a chance to play it last year and the whole game is so much fun. It captures the spirit of goblins riding squigs and it plays like a game of Blood Bowl but with a bunch of extra cards that allow you to drop banana peels, poke people with a pointy stick, fart.. stuff like that.
Me, Joe and Fritz managed to get in the first round of Squighopper Races but failed to win one of the shiny trophy. There's always next Games Day..

The picture you see above is definitely what won the Vehicle Conversion Contest. It is simply mind-blowing when it comes to the attention to detail, all the rivets and wallets that died for this project. I really want to see this bad boy fully painted and on the tabletop. Imagine it tank-shocking a Reaver Titan.. Wowza! Orkz definitely have the upper hand when it comes to vehicle conversion contest simply because you can afford to be sloppy and very, very random.  

Speaking of random... O_o

The Predator Centipede?

The Monstrous Creature Conversion Contest also had some brilliant entries. With every new Warhammer Fantasy Battle army book we see more and more crazy big ass creatures and this is also reflected in this years conversions. There were a lot of models using Tomb King parts from the Necrosphinx. There are even more insane plastic and resin kits on the way as well, so expect to see some phantasmagorian convertions next year as people finally start to use the resin Finecast model range (Cockatrice, Black Dragon, etc.) and the myriad of other beasts (Ogre Kingdoms!) in their conversions. 


Heroes of Armageddon

WHO...IS...DEADLIEST?

People staring in awe at the Heroes of Armageddon table were definitely the highlight of the day for many of us. It was nice to see little kids commenting on the fluff and their excitement to see their favorite special characters on the table. Throughout the day I asked a lot of people which model they would like to be in the conflict for Hive Hades and many chose the Blood Angels snipers or some of the distant Heavy Weapon teams from the Steel Legion. Which was lame.
It's all about the orkz, bros. Why would you choose the Khorne-worshiping pretty boys in red or the oomies who would rather hide in their metal boxes and shoot you with flashlights rather than putting up a good fight? Pfffft. :P

It's all about Sizorfist, guys. Look at him.  

I bet there were at least a thousand pictures taken of the Heroes of Armageddon throughout the day. At one point I was explaining to this family all about the event, all about the fight and the factions involved. The family I was talking to just randomly decided to attend Games Day - without knowing anything about 40k, Games Workshop or tabletop strategy games!!! And at the same time they were ecstatic about everything - the models, the table, the charity itself. The children were asking who was going to win and the dad was having the time of his life taking pictures from every angle imaginable. It felt great. For a second I felt like a Games Workshop employee and I bet I could have sold them like 2 Assaults on Black Reach, teehee.

MiniWarGaming interviewed Dr. Jawaballs, Doctor of Love about the Heroes of Armageddon initiative and the charity aspect of the event. You can see the video below:

Here are some more pictures from HoA:

The Golgotha by Miniature Wargame Conversions

Wazzdakka Gutsmeck by John Shaffer

Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka by Mathieu Fontaine

They call me...... Tim?

Another highlight of the day for me was finally meeting Tim from Miniature Tim. You guys know him. On his blog he had announced that he was going to Games Day and that he was also going to wear a white T-shirt with his blog's logo. God, it was so hard for me to locate him, but eventually I did and I definitely felt like a creep following him as he was having a phone conversation. Hey, I didn't want to miss him, it was find to find him as it was. Tim was a great guy and I guess I just knew that the blogosphere was losing an important member when he was on blogging hiatus. Glad you're still posting, man. Keep up the good work and good luck with next year's Golden Demon entry!

My only regret with the Heroes of Armageddon was that we never got to play with the models. It would have been such a bloody, fast-paced massacre! I know, I know.. They models were not ours anymore and ti would have been a clusterfuck and a half. But that's something to think of for next year. If there is a charity event in the making the models shouldn't just sit there, they should be played with. Oh, did I mention that HoA got Best Theme for Club Tables? Yarrrr...

Jawaballs also made us proud by winning the Banner Contest with his Armageddon banner. Second year in a row. Congrats, Jawaballs! I'm still determined to convince my store to gather some moneycashdollars so we can commission a banner! It's true that the competition this year was barely there. There were a ton of entries at Games Day Baltimore, but I guess people thought that bringing a painted piece of fabric to the Windy City was not the best idea, huh?
What are you going to surprise us with next year, Jawaballs?  You've set the bar so high.. Can you beat it?

Waaaaaaagh!!!!!

Mike Cho from MiCho Miniatures also got an award - A Silver Demon for his Bloodcrusher of Khorne in the 40k Large Monster category! Mike painted an Assault Squad and a Storm Raven (the one with the sweet angel wings on it!!!) for the Blood Angels army from Heroes of Armageddon. I'm certain that he could have easily gotten an award for his Storm Raven as well! Mike is a very nice guy and a skilled painter, so watch out for him, guys. Also watch out for his swords.. On the picture to the right Mike is screaming WAAAAAAAGH! as best as he can... I guess passed... for a goblin. No Lore of the Big Waaagh for you, Cho. You get the Little Waaaagh..

All of the awards together! Shiny!

Alright.. This post is gettin 'uge, so I'll have to stop writing for now!


To be Continued..

The day before Games Day: The Tale of the Tables for Heroes of Armageddon!

Phew! I survived yet another Games Day!
But before I start showing you shiny pictures of the event itself let me start with the day before Games Day in which yours truly overslept, the FOUR 3'x4' Heroes of Armageddon tables were finished and then transported to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, the Heroes of Armageddon crew finally met in person and the miniatures finally got to see their enemies..

Heroes of Armageddon and Games Day!

Q: "Throne, Skarvald, where the heck have you been hiding, you thunderwolf-riding, troll-faced son of lasgun?"
A: Well, I promise you that I haven't been lazy. At all. Between me quitting my shitty job and finals just around the corner (tomorrow, actually) I still managed to keep myself busy with plastic and resin dudemen. The month of July has been.. and still is.. a whirlwind of projects. And I'm afraid that between juggling so many of 'em I still don't have anything to show you..

Games Day Chicago, 2011: This Saturday you can meet me at the convention center where I'll be pretty much the whole day. When I'm not all over the place I'll be at the Heroes of Armageddon table, so make sure you stop by and say Hi! Just ask the people at the event table (especially Brian) for "Vlad" or "Skavald the Troll-faced". You'll see a picture of me later in this article. I'm really looking forward to meeting some of you!

Heroes of Armageddon Tables: I'm proud to announce that besides donating I also managed to get involved with the building of the HoA tables by helping Brian. "Frozencore" Joe was there as well. All I can say is that Monday and Tuesday were FUN. Brian is a very creative man with great vision and not only does he have innovative and grand ideas but he also has the guts to attempt all of this AND be a father, husband and a teacher at the same time. Wow! Each day we spent under the scorching rays of the sun painting, washing, cutting, measuring.. you name it. While there are thousands of pages written on the battle for Armageddon there are not a whole lot of books detailing the construction of its hive cities and the masterminds behind them. It was Brian. Brian built Armageddon so that 12,000 points of beautifully painted models had something to fight for.... and something to grant them cover saves. With every task completed the table kept on evolving into something so much more! When we first started we thought that we would never finished this crazy project, but you'll be surprised what a bunch of dedicated hobbyists can do for the hobby when under pressure. AND it was for a good cause. There is, however, a lot of work left and Friday will be a day dedicated to perfecting the four Heroes of Armageddon tables with what little time we have left.

Left to right: "Frozencore" Joe; Skarvald the Troll-faced (me!)

Warmachine: In my last post about Warmachine I talked about the unveiling of the Khador box. Indeed, it has been an awesome adventure, ladies and gentlemen. My initial thoughts were to magnetize my plastic Warjacks but I really don't feel like drilling all the wholes in each individual arm. Besides, I think I know which Warcaster I'll be using, including my first few 'jacks.
My choice? Kommander Harkevich, the Iron Wolf. And a Black Ivan. And then a Behemoth.... Because blasting the enemies of the Motherland to smithereens before charging them with steam-powered gargantuan robots is awesome.
I know I said that I was going to stick with the Battlebox for a while.. but I lied.

"Frozencore" Joe has been teaching me how to play the game. He plays Circle Orboros and his Thunderwolf-wannabe puppies have been rending my Warjacks to death for a few games now.. But Joe is a great teacher, despite his generous use of the beat stick. So far it has been a blast and each game has been pretty close. There are a lot of things to learn and remember, but the turns are bloody and action-packed, which is my favorite part about Warmachine! I'll be covering some games and models later, though.

Khador!

Comrades, you are to listen to this march while reading this post.  
The Khadoran War Machine demands it! 

Now that you're listening to some good ole classics from the Motherland let me show you what finally arrived to its destination. After some Soviet-style backlogs, delays and shenanigans the precious parcel is finally in my possession! Enter...

WARMACHINE!

.. the perfect choice indeed, comrade. The perfect choice indeed.

After almost 20 days of waiting I finally can marvel at the Khador Battlegroup deal I ordered during the Privateer Press 10th Anniversary deal-thing and let me tell you one thing, ladies and gentlemen - The wait?

WORTH ~IT!

 Honestly, I've never been so excited to open a box of plastic dudemen, except maybe for my shipment of Mr. Dandy's Thunderwolves. That was also pretty exciting. But I digress.. I actually walked to and from the post office, around noon, under the scorching midday sun just to get my parcel. Wearing black. Uphill. Barefoot. Both ways. ;P I just can't wait to get some magnets to start magnetizing my warjacks.. Just. Can't. Wait. A friend of mine already has his Trollbloods mostly painted and has a few games under his belt, but it won't be enough to deal with some cold, tempered Khadoran steel. I am looking at you, Little Nolan Aximand.

Included in the parcel was a note with an extra Warcaster Kommander Sorscha card, signed by Creative Director Ed Bourelee and Director of Business William Shick, because due to overwhelming demand they ran out of the Privateer Press dice portion of the Starter Bundle.
Um.... Worth it! I will eventually have to get some sweet cutom Khadoran dice, but for now I will use my Citadel green lucky dice to pummel the enemies of the Khadoran Empire! To the ground, baby! Pummel them to the ground. Especially the Cygnaran pig-dogs and the Protectorate Bible thumpers.

And a close-up to make you jealous.

Microwave not included.

I still haven't opened the little baggies to inspect the various bitz and pieces, but for now everything looks okay. There are mold lines, but that is to be expected after all. I already have a few fluff and concept ideas, including an interesting new kind of paint to add to the mix, but for now I will go ahead and magnetize the various parts and play a dozen games to see what works and what does not. There are some units that I'm just itching to try out, but lets not forget that I need to learn how the Khadoran Warmachine works before I try and modify it. That's right. Modify it. In your bionically-augmented face, Adeptus Mechanicus!

Oooh! Oooh! I also got some nifty tokens!

So.. yeah. I guess I am starting Warmachine. Hopefully you will enjoy reading about my journey as much as I hope to enjoy building, painting and playing with Privateer Press' fantastic models. That will due until Games Workshop releases Finecast Vostroyan models, pig, that will do.

Forecast with Finecast: Foreshadowing my Adepticon 2012 Team Tournament Army!

I know you like to guess and I know it's been deader than a Thunder hammer'd Necron too far away from a Ressurection Orb in here, so here it is.. --> My next army and more importantly - a glimpse of what I will be bringing to Adepticon 2012 for the Team Tournament! It's something new, something old.. something bold..

It's..

What the..? Orkz AND Dark Eldar?

What could it be? I'm sure you have it all figured out by now.
Is it Orkz? Or perhaps.. Dark Eldar? Or maybe both.. or neither of 'em? Gah!!!!
But wait.. what is that 'urty gubbinz down there? It looks painful.. Let us take a closer look.

Of Vostroyans and Bulgarians, Part I

First of all - Vostroyans are incredibly cool. Even though they are.. you know.. I.G.
Which reminds me that I haven't shared with you one of my failed projects.
Alas.. Here's the story of the..

The Bulgarian Opalchentsi of Shipka

Shortly after the Adepticon Team Tournament of 2010 I really, really needed a break from my Orkz and wanted to start a new army. It had to be something special and it definitely needed to be a long-term commitment, supposed to commemorate and show-off the skills I had learned in my first year of hobbying. 
Now, at that time I already had a few boxes of Space Wolves but they were nothing but a few scattered packs in the deep snows of Fenris. Skarvald the Troll-faced was still a young Blood Claw who had yet to tame his Thunderwolf...

So it had to be Vostroyans. At that time (and even know) I was so impressed by their models! Not only because of their awesome carapace armor and lasguns, though. The fact that they were reminding me of my ancestry was definitely one of the major reasons to pick up their sweet, sweet models. And thus, the idea of an all (well, mostly) infantry army of Vostroyans was born.

An all metal Vostroyan army. Yes, I was out of my frakkin' mind, ladies and gentlemen. But you knew that already.

This one is for the Forgotten: 

"No weapons are left! What remains is the slaughter!
Each stone is a bomb and each tree-trunk a sword is.
Each object – a blow, and each soul – flame that sears.
From the peak every tree, every stone disappears.
"Grab hold of the bodies!" they hear a voice crying,
At once through the air lifeless corpses are flying,
And over the hordes like black devils they dive
And tumble and roll as if they were alive!
The Turks quake and tremble, not having seen ever
The living and death fight a battle together,
And raise a shrill cry of demoniac rage.
In life and death combat the armies engage.
Our heroes, there standing as steady as boulders,
Meet bayonet steel with steel breasts no less boldly,
And sing as they cast themselves into the fray
When they realize Death shall now snatch them away."
- translated from Ivan Vazov's "The Volunteers at Shipka"

The army was supposed to capture the spirit and essence of  the Bulgarian Resistance volunteer combatants (Opalchentsi) and army from the end of the 19th century - 1870-1880 with special attention to the April Uprising of 1876 and the key battles of Shipka Pass, Sheynovo and battles of Pleven under the command of Russian General Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev and during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. It was a war meant to liberate the Bulgarian state from the Ottoman Empire after almost 500 years spent under Turkish yoke.
The most pivotal battles of the Russo-Turkish war fought over the crucial Shipka Pass - a mountain pass through the Balkan Mountains which divide Bulgaria evenly. Four major battles were fought between the Russian Empire aided by the Bulgarian Resistance against the Ottoman Empire with the second and fourth battles being the most important.

The test-models I painted..

The Bulgarian and Russian forces were repelling the better-armed Turkish hordes for days with empty bellies and no ammunition. They were throwing rocks and fallen trees on top of the ascending enemies, then they started to bombard the Turkish hordes with corpses of the fallen, following with bayonet charges (which is what the Bulgarian forces were known for during the Russo-Turkish War, the Balkan Wars and BOTH World Wars, especially at the battle of Dojran lead by Vladimir Vazov - Ivan Vazov's brother).

Bulgarian Opalchentsi making their last stand against the Ottomans..

The idea was to use the Imperial Guard Special Characters - HQ's, Unit Upgrades. All of them.. or at least as many possible. The "Command" aspect of the army if often non-existent in many Imperial Guard armies, especially the ones with tons of vehicles and Vendettas/Valkyries. It's a pretty cool concept and is basically casting tons of psychik powers each turn, except without any Perils of the Warp.. and nothing can stop them. Nothing! Sooo good!
So here are the Heroes I wanted to field.
Prepare yourself for there be History!

Lord Castellan Creed as....

General Skobelev on the Horse (1883)

Mikhail "White General" Skobelev of the Russian Empire. Participated in the Russo-Turkish War leading the Caucasian Cossack Brigade and 7 Bulgarian regiments. His greatest feat was crossing the Balkan mountains during a snowstorm and then defeating the Ottoman Elite (and thus securing a victory in the war) in the Battle of Sheynovo near Shipka. British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery wrote that Skobelev was the world's "ablest single commander" between 1870 and 1914 and called him a "skilful and inspiring" leader. Coming from Britain's highest ranked military dude it's like calling General Skobelev some kind of a.. TACTICAL GENIUS! While modelling him on top of a white horse would be pretty sweet (especially running him with some Rough Riders) I really can't legally do it. The model that I'd totally use for him would be the Imperial Guard Valhallan Officer with Power Sword.


Colour Sargent Kell as....

Nikola Korchev, Standard Bearer of the 3rd Opalchentsi Batallion's Samara Flag. But first, what the heck is a Samara Flag? It's this. "Sewed by local nuns and given to the Bulgarian volunteers by the citizens of the Russian city of Samara on 18 May 1877, it became famous when it was heroically prevented from being captured by the Ottoman forces in the Battle of Stara Zagora, with many soldiers perishing while protecting it from the enemy. The flag, a tricolour 1.85 × 1.90 m in size, was sewed from thin silk cloth and has the pan-Slavic colours (red, white, blue). Icons of the Holy Mother of God and Cyril and Methodius were drawn on it in a golden cross by the Saint Petersburg artist Nikolay Simakov. It has a silver point designed by Graf Rochefort."
 

The Samara Flag

During the battles in the city of Stara Zagora on July 31, 1877 the Samara Flag kept on changing its color-bearers who were sacrificing their lives to protect it from Ottoman hands. First it was Private Simov and then the Batallion's Lieutenant-colonel Kalitin died while carrying it away from the enemy. Three others were hurt while carrying it! As the Turkish forces advanced and surrounded the batallion, it was Nikola Korchev's insane bravery and perhaps brave insanity that saved the Samara flag. With bullets flying from both directions, he ripped the flag from its pole and hid it under his shirt, thus becoming a primary target. But the brave Korchev survived to tell the tale! Guess which model I'd be using for him?

Captain Al'Rahem as..

Vasil Levski

Vasil Levski (born Vasil Ivanov Kunchev), the Deacon Ignatius, the Lion, the Apostle of Freedom! Every country has one and in Bulgaria's case, Vasil Levski is THE National Hero. Known under a hundred names, he was the man who dedicated himself to God but later resigned from his life as a monk and devoted everything he had to his country. A monk, a spy, a teacher, a politician, a master of disguise, an inspirational leader, a tactician, in 1868/69 Levski started his tour around the country informing people of the necessity of a revolution. His simple and sincere way of talking moved people deeply, convincing them that "Bulgaria must win her own freedom and shape her own future." One of his slogans was "Even God helps the resolute". For seven years Levski traveled around the country dividing it into regional centers, building a net of committees on each place, collecting donations for the April Uprising.

Levski in a First Bulgarian Legion uniform

More than a capable fighter, Levski joined numerous secret organizations, even Bulgaria's First Legion and many armed groups known as "cheti". However, Levski realized that hit and run tactics would not save the country and that the entire country must be involved in one grand event if freedom was to be achieved. Like Robin Hood he stole from the rich and the corrupt for a higher cause and recorded every coin gathered for Bulgaria's Freedom in a little notebook. Later in his life he created the Internal Revolutionary Organization, whose committees purchased armaments and organized detachments of volunteers.
The Apostle of Freedom was captured by the Ottoman police and later sentenced to death by hanging. Even in his final moments he refused to reveal any locations or names, he denied the existence of IRO and based all of his action on Christian beliefs.
Even though he died years before the execution of the April Uprising, even though the rebellion was a failure it was his efforts that began the true Desire of Freedom, it was his words that started the fire and the will to fight for freedom despite all odds. A true National Hero.

This is it for Part I. I still need to figure out what I'm basing the other special Characters on, but there will  be Marbo, Straken, etc. etc.. You shall see.

Silensurz Kommando #8: Deffgrin Gargleblasta

DEFFGRIN GARGLEBLASTA

Carrying not one but TWO big shootas is Deffgrin Gargleblasta: Da 'eavy Wepunz Boy.
Deffgrin got the idea for his shoulder-mounted big shootas at the battle for Juglans Regia, after he witnessed more than fifty orks recklessly charging an Imperial bunker get annihilated by a pair of automated machine guns. Fortunately for him he was carrying a big shoota and was out of the turrets' range and with some persistence and luck he managed to destroy both weapons, allowing the rest of the Ork Horde to advance forward and to pillage the entire hive city. After the successful conquering of the planet Deffgrin traded all of his loot to a Big Mek for two shoulder-mounted big shootas that would lock on with the help of his bionik eye. A simple trigger device is enough to unleash a torrent of dakka at his foes from afar, turning Deffgrin into a moving heavy weapons platform, which is essentially what he does for the Silensurz. Able to effectively use his big shootas without the need for line of sight, Deffgrin Gargleblasta can just hide behind obstacles and let his guns do the hard work. 

The Big Shootas MOVE!