Oden's Tales

I didn’t have a leg to stand on!

Steve — Sun, 02 May 2010 22:40:55 +0000

… and now I have 4 to play on! After a long weekend project, I am now the proud owner of my very own Gaming Table. It took a lot longer than I thought. One day to do all of the assembling and hard work, the second day to do the painting and staining. I think the final product turned out well. As tradition for my family and our projects, it was made way too sturdy. This means my opponents and I could probably stand on the table while we play, but also that the table weights a ton. Good thing it can be disassembled pretty easily for ‘easier’ moving. Here are some pictures:

Get ready for some Blood Bowl!!

Steve — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:03:38 +0000

This season I decided to sign up for my very first Blood Bowl league. It is taking place up at Grayslake’s Unique Games & Gifts. My first choice for an army was the speedy Skaven. I got lots of practice in the new Blood Bowl video game, but I have only played about 1.5 games in person. I am really looking forward to the board game version. In celebration of the league kick-off being today at high noon, I am going to post my team, The Ankle Biters!

Some recent work to post

Steve — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:12:56 +0000

Looks like I have fallen behind by quite a bit in my blog. There has been a few projects going on that just haven’t been posted. I am going to be making a few of these posts to just catch up with what I have done. First off are some more deamons that were finished in preparation for the Core Comp tournament, however, they may not end up getting used…

Here they are:

And the fiends…

Getting back into the swing of things

Steve — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:09:20 +0000

It has been a few weeks since I have posted or even touched Warhammer. Last night was the first time I put paint on a model in weeks. It was good to get the time to do it again. Vacation and work keptme away, but I should have more time again coming up. Hopefully there will be most posts to come soon as I continue work on my Deamons.

I am still debating what I want to do for Core Comp. It is VERY late to be thinking about that… I was originally thinking of doing my deamons, but I may switch to Lizardmen now that special characters are allowed. I need to work on a few lists and see what I can come up with. I have a few interesting ideas for a Tetto’eko list. It should be a good fluffly skink list with no Stegadons. At least it will be different from 95% of the lizard lists out there.

Invasion Part 2

Steve — Thu, 14 May 2009 02:18:43 +0000

Since I was able to finish up the deamons in time for Grayslake’s Tournament, I wanted to post some pictures of the army I played with. Below are picks of the Khorne Deamon list. (Plus 6 Bloodletters that I have finished since then).

Group Shot:

Work in Progress pics of the Deamonettes:

Deamons strangled by the forest!

Steve — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:46:58 +0000

Over the weekend I attended the Unique Games & Gifts 1500 point Fantasy tournament. It was fun as usual! Unfortunately the judge was sick, so one of the other players, Cal, was kind enough to take over and run. He usually runs the store’s 40K events, so he was still able to run a great event! Only six were able to make it. Three of the regulars (the two Burmeisters and me), and three new people (Jacob, Jordan, and Mike).

I brought my all Khorne deamon list I have been painting. I hope to be posting picks of the finished army soon. The list is:

2x Khorne Heralds on Jugs (one BSB with Banner of Sundering)

2x 17 Bloodletters with FC

3x 5 Flesh Hounds

Game 1- I got paired up with Jacob and his dwarves in round 1. He is very new to Warhammer, so I tried to explain how things were working as the game went on. This list was very soft, but has the potential to be effective. Unfortunately my deamons were able to march up and survive the 1 round of shooting that I game him. Once engaged, the dwarves folded quickly to the might of the Khorne. Jacob was a good guy, and I hope he shows up to future tournaments and practices a bit more. The turning point of the game was when I gave him an easy charge on my Flesh hounds. He took it and charged in with his Ironbreakers and Miners w/Thane. Once the bait was taken, I followed it up with a flank into the Ironbreakers with my 17 Bloodletters w/Herald. The ironbreakers folded, and soon the miners followed.

Game 2-Bryan and I were the only two with full Battle and Objective points after round 1, so we were paired up. One look at his High Elves and I was worried. Bolt Throwers, Dragon Princes, Lion Chariots, and Sword Masters. Enough shooting to widdle me down, and enough speed to get on my flanks. The game was very fun! My ward saves were failing miserably in the beginning. It came down to a rear charge with his Dragon Princes into my Bloodletters. I thought he was pretty close to being out, so when he moved them in without measuring the charge range, I was surprised. I offered to just dice it off, but he was kind enough to just say it was a failed charge. Vowing that losing the charge would ensure he doesn’t forget to measure in the future. Not known to him at the time, but that offer gave him my vote for favorite opponent on the day and won him the Best Sports award. The only other thing to mention here is that I made a big rules mistake at the end of the game. I didn’t think my Bloodletters had to overrun with Hatred. I thought they were only forced to pursue. Turns out I found out later that night (when I went back and read the rule book) that I was wrong. I feel pretty bad about it, since I usually strive to be a rules lawyer. Hopefully Bryan will be at the Bunker tournament on the 16th so I can tell him my mistake. It is one I vow to not repeat. (The game itself was VERY close in points. I barely pulled off the win. However due to the scenario I still managed to get all the extra battle and objective points).

Game 3- Now it was time for Bryan’s brother Matt, to face down the deamons. With a quick moving forest spirit army I knew I would be out maneuvered during the game. This was even compounded when his free forest was put out almost to the center of the board. It was right next to a building, which cut off almost 1/2 of the 4 foot wide table. I knew I was going to have issues manoeuvreing this game… Turns out I was right. Between the terrain and his fast cav he was able to run circles around me and only engaged into combat when he wanted to. It was still a very fun game, and I wish I could go back and replay it! The victory was to those darn wood elves and their blazing speed! Edging out a 200 victory point win, Matt earned the Best overall prize for the day! With the one loss, but two full victories, I was still able to pull out the Best General award by 1 Battle point! Ahh… what a fun day of warhammer!

Final results:

Best Overall – Matt B.

Best General – Steve L.

Best Sports – Bryan B.

Podcast Reviews

Steve — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:48:21 +0000

Lately, one of my favorite things to listen to while I paint is listening to podcasts. This started with the first Warhammer Podcast, Podhammer. I saw people talking about it and I was curious. I downloaded my first episode, and was hooked. Since then I have been downloading all the warhammer podcasts I could find. When that wasn’t enough to keep up with my painting time, I looked for other podcasts in other genres. I have tried listening to many, but I ended up staying subscribed to 7 podcasts.

Below are reviews of the Podcasts I would recommend to anyone interested in the hobby. Some aren’t Warhammer related, but are still in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre.

#1 – Podhammer - 4.5 / 5 (http://podhammer.net/) This was the first podcast I listened too. The host, Jeff Carrol, always kept the show well organized. There was some fun, some goofing off, but always tons of good Warhammer coverage. Jeff and his guests always seemed to have gems of knowledge. Plus their look into the Aussie tournament made me jealous we don’t have such a well organized tourney seen here in the States. (Warning: Jeff has taken a break from Podhammer, but so far the guest host is keeping up with the high standard that Jeff set)

#2 – Escape Pod – 4.5 / 5 ( http://escapepod.org/) This is my first non-Warhammer podcast that I really enjoyed. It is a Sci-Fi Short Story Podcast. Each episode is its own complete short story, ranging from 20-50 minutes. Most of the stories I have heard have been very good. They are entertaining, meaningful and even thought provoking. There are some stupid stories mixed in, but overall I would highly recommend this podcast if you enjoy a really quick story while getting some painting done.

#3 – Miscast Podcast – 4.0 / 5 (http://www.miscastpodcast.com/) – This is the best podcast I found that covers the Warhammer scene in the US. It is done by a pair of guys that belong to the Michigan Warhammer Club. There have been some pretty good tips given out, but I have really enjoyed their Warhammer 101 segments. They have gone over different phases of the game and managed to explain it for newbies as well as intermix solid tips for veterans. They are a fun duo to listen to. One seems to be the general, the other is the painter. I will let you listen and find out which one is which.

#4 – World’s End Radio – 4.0 / 5 (http://worldsendradio.com/) – Another Aussie podcast that continues with the very high production quality. From a pure technical perspective, this is the best run Games Workshop Podcasts. I am mainly a Warhammer player myself, so hearing all of the extra news from other games is a little boring at times. Although the hosts have managed to peek my interest in Blood Bowl. Their passion for the game bleeds through the speakers. World’s End Radio is a fun ride! Its all about the entertainment factor with this podcast.

#5 – Bad Dice Podcast – 4.0 / 5 (http://baddice.co.uk/) – The first Warhammer Podcast coming from the UK. This has to be the most knowledgeable set of hosts I have listened to. I am pretty amazed at the commentary the Bens give about how to play the game of Warhammer. They have given general tips on tournament painting, and other very keen advice. I love the knowledge that they share. The only downside is the amount of time that they discuss the UK tournament scene. Not having much background with the tournaments over there (and not being able to attend) losses my interest at times. However, the information they share in this podcast makes up for it! I also love the banter they have with the Miscast Podcast. I am looking forward to watching these two shows mature with each other. Both are in their infancy, and should grow into outstanding shows.

#6 – PodCastle – 3.0 / 5 (http://podcastle.org/) – Podcastle is a sister podcast to Escape Pod, PodCastle focuses on ‘Fantasy’ short stories. While PodCastle shares in Escape Pod’s extremely high production value, it lacks in entertaining stories. Most of the stories I have heard pass the time while I am painting. I haven’t heard any story that just makes me want to sit there and listen (like I have with Escape Pod). I haven’t been listening to PodCastle as long as I have listened to Escape Pod, so that may be one reason. I am going to keep listening and hope in a future review I can give PodCastle higher marks. The other disappointment I have is due to what they label ‘Fantasy’. I expected fantasy in the terms of Warhammer, Lord of the Rings, and DnD. Instead the definition of ‘Fantasy’ is much more loose. This can lead to some interesting stores, but it didn’t match my expectations.

#7 – WAAAGH Cast – 2.5 / 5 (http://www.waaaghcast.net/) – This is the one Warhammer podcast that is truly local for me. The host is just a few hours drive away. The WAAAGH Cast is another Podcast I listen to for a bit of fun. The host has a great personality and some good guests (when they can make it). The downside here is their game reviews have been lacking in insightful tips, and production value is pretty low. Once you could hear one of the hosts eating chips in the background (very distracting). I will still continue to listen to hear the playful banter and a reviews from the local tournament scene, but I am not expecting to hear the same type of Warhammer insight I get from the Bad Dice and Miscast Podcasts. I would definitely still recommend listening to this podcast if you have the time.

Thanks for taking the time to read the reviews!

Deamon Invasion!

Steve — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:30:02 +0000

Well… I have given in and started up a deamon army to compete in the No Comp environment of the Grayslake UG&G tournaments. I wanted something that looked quick and dirty (to match how I feel about playing deamons). ; ) I ended up deciding to do another dipped army, and Khorne was my choice. I wanted something dirty, but not completely cheesed out. My list is below:

2 x Khorne Heralds on Juggs

2 x 17 Khorne Bloodletters w/ Full Command

3 x 5 Flesh hounds

I am trying to build up the army in less than a month. Here are my efforts so far:

Pre-dipping picture:

Post dipping:

Adepticon 2009 (Part 2)

Steve — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:46:56 +0000

Yet more pictures to post! This will conclude the pictures of Adepticon. I am using the new posting format below as well. (smaller images, with links to larger versions). Hopefully I will have time to write up more on the battles I faced.

Adepticon 2009 (Part 1)

Steve — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:08:44 +0000

Adepticon 2009 was my second trip to the convention, and the first year I volunteered to help. It was a long weekend, I showed up Friday morning to help set up for that days tournaments. I didn’t get home until Sunday night. Every minute was a blast, and I am already looking forward to going again next year!!

I plan on writing up more this weekend when I have time, but I wanted to share some of the best photos of the event! I will be posting in a few days with more Pics. This is just a taste of more to come.

First off, I will shot a picture of my army to start your expectations off low. ; )