Dwarven christmas painting

Rumour is that 2014 is going to see the release of the much anticipated 8th edition dwarf army book. On top of this a number of resculpts and new units should hopefully be joining the dwarven ranks. In anticipation I finally got around to painting a number of my models, though in truth I have an entire battalion box to put together let alone paint the 30+ more warriors (maybe longbeards) I need to paint.

 So first up I painted my small unit of slayers. Its a small unit for a couple of reasons. Firstly everything I've read about slayers and even my own gut feeling has always been that they are just not very effective in games, not matter how epic they're fluff/background is. Secondly I have know for a few years that when they did redo dwarfs (which if I'm honest I had hoped would have been sooner but hey) that they would redo the metal models, i.e. slayers, hammerers and ironbreakers. So I got this bunch second hand and I'm'm pretty happy with the way they look. technically I have 2 of the deamonslayer models in the unit (you can see a photo of one of them below) so I may leave it as a unit of 10 and have the deamonslayer hiding somewhere, not sure. Also in this batch is a dwarf slayer from the oathsworn kickstarter (see link below), he's a fantastic looking model, and encouragingly he fits in reasonably well with the other slayers, despite being a little more normal in proportions than those old models used to be (dwarves with big heads and hands). It's encouraging because the newer plastic models will if I'm' right look closer to this oathsworn model than the current ones do, so hopefully I can just buy a regiment and mix and match happily. Of course all of this depends on how they change the rules, so here is hoping for some runic tattoos for ++ invulnerable saves.  (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oathsworn/oathsworn-heroes-of-the-dwarfs)

I had some old school dwarf warrior back from early 2000, and then I also got hold of some more because I was ambivalent about some aspects of the newer dwarf warriors (which were rumoured to be replaced, though my gut tells me not). I've put together 20 warriors with great weapons (and i'm tempted to put throwing axes on their backs to potentially make them rangers). Another unit is armed with hand weapons and shields, and contains about ~25 models. I painted the line models first which is why the command models are at the back.

This is a single model close up shot. I've based the models with the mournfang snow texture paint.

Lastly I painted a regiment of Ironbreakers. Personally these were my favourite to paint, partially because I love the models, and the also because they were probably the easiest to paint. I'll be interested to see how the new models look. I can see them being pretty kick-ass, but likeliness is it is a shared box with hammerers, and as i don't have any of those and anticipate them looking epic i'll likely make them as hammerers. Either way though i'm pretty excited. I've included a close of the champion (cannot remember his name right now, I want to say Lodewarden but that might be Miners)

 (Grombrindal the White dwarf is accompanying this unit, which is somewhat coincidental as news that the old white dwarf magazine is changing to a weekly event with the warhammer visions taking the monthly role having been sprung on us yesterday (or rather that was the first announcement, it had been news for a week beforehand)

Vampire counts

The necromantic dark arts were brought into the fantasy realm through the dark lord Nagash,  Manipulating the evil magic of captured druchii sorcerers, he developed the methods to prolong and eventually sustain eternal life. From tomes of his vile work, the first vampires were eventually born, the original bloodlines. Most of the vampires eventually moved out of Nehekhara, and into the lands from the badlands/border princes to the Empire. Naturally once they found ample feedstock to enjoy most vampires stayed within those regions, each sticking to their own prefer domains whether that be the wilds alone such as for the Necrarch, or those who desire society and upper class refinement such as the Lahmians/Von Carsteins.

But what happened if a vampire wasn't content with the Empire or Brettonnia, what if the lands of men lead him to despise them, even in undeath? Not in the way of the Strigoi though, where they lose all vestiges of their humanity, but still retaining their sanity, only a dark core a hatred for humans ho don't even deserve the undeath which the vampire lord can bring them. South isn't possible in the old world, as that land is the realm of either the dead or lizardmen (skinks). The cold north of the old world might be the only option (assuming he doesn't fancy venturing past the legions of greenskins, ogres and chaos dwarfs before reaches lands once again filled with men). The Norse are tough, rugged, and very often barbarous. But they are dangerous, each man earns his place through combat, feat of strength and arms. They don't live for politics, or taxation. They take what they desire and keep it through being strong.

But living vessels are still just cattle, only in death can these men become servants, and only in serving do they have value. The ice and snow of the north are a natural defences against men of the south, but they can be treacherous to those that reside there. Whole villages and towns have disappeared in avalanches and snowstorms. In lands where the dead are more commonly burned, where else can you find a army to start a war with.

That's the theme for my Vampire Counts army. Frozen solid zombies, Long dead skeletons warriors from under the earth, a terrorgheist lost in the mountain ranges drawn to the necromantic powers of the vampire lord. Half dead wolves from the north, drawn to the carrion. Grave guard and Black knights drawn from those warriors who pre date the coming of Sigmar. The vampire horde will be lead by a lord, most likely on foot but perhaps accompanied by a contingent of Viking-turned-vampires (in the form of blood knights) and mounted. His primary role is one of support and unit generation, and I am somewhere between a Vlad von Carstien character (in terms of stats) or more of a Necrarch character (being more magic heavy). Modelling purposes I images more of a blood knight appearance with ice and frosted armour. Support will come in the form of a necromancer, possibly mounted on a corpse cart for bolstering core troops. Previous attempts with combining marauders spares with the new skeleton kits were less than successful, as the helmet from the marauders barely fits over the skeleton heads (once hollowed out) and the weapons have much thicker shafts then the swords used by the skeletons, hopefully a nice tie in with the WoC army will be possible in terms of appearance though.

Warriors of chaos warband

In the frozen tundra of the north, marauders, raiders, and the devoted of chaos reside. Images of wolf pelt clad warriors with massive axes and fur boots, snow up to there knees and beards of all colours. Monstrous wolves, mutated and grown large through the warping affects of chaos. In the north, they don't see their gods as evil, but rewarding those who they deem worthy. If your culture raises you from birth to see value in certain actions, and encourages you to strive for those goals, then most likely you will idolise those beliefs. Most tribes of the north take a facet of the chaos gods or the Pantheon as a whole, and focuses that as it's goal.

Aeslings, Baersonlings, Sarls, Skaelings, Bjornlings etc Norse tribes ready to plunder the empire for it's riches and reap the rewards the chaos gods bestow upon them. Residing in Ice and snow in huge log cabins and villages. Personally I've always had a bias towards blue in my armies, so when it came to deciding upon allegiance in my WoC army, Tzeentch came up trumps. Changer of Ways, Master of Fortune, Architect of Fate and The Great Conspirator. Intrigue, plots, scheming, and destiny. As warrior of chaos what better way to achieve advancement than through the god which can control the future, and guide you to ever greater glory. Capricious by nature, those followers of Tzeentch must push themselves to their limit in the hope of receiving his blessing, in whatever form that may take.

Unlike most followers of Tzeentch, this warband does not actively seek mutation for it's benefits, rather accepting it if it is bestowed upon them by their patron, but each seeking to bring about change and greater density through each individuals actions.

I question I often asked myself starting this army was who governs this warband, who leads it into battle. I like to imagine that each unit has a captain, who likely leads that group around their region, whether that be norsca or the chaos wastes. So the Marauders have their chieftain, who leads the marauders on foot and horseback. The Chaos warriors are lead by the most brutal and cunning of their lot, who may be leader of the whole warband (see Chaos lord or Chaos Sorcerer Lord)

Or it may just be a deamon prince, capable of the utter destruction of a lord with the magic powers of a sorcerer, and worth the cost of both combined in terms of points.http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?9130-Tzeentch-Daemon-Prince

(the deamon prince below has been completed by a member of BellofLotsSouls called Isotope99, and it's a pretty magnificent looking model)

Naturally in certain engagements a member of one of those units would take command, and for the purposes of gaming that is the view point I plan to take. Hope my army will consist of Sorcerers, lords and deamon princes, each likely to be up-spurred by the later as new and more powerful members joined/took control of the warband.

I hope to load up some more detailed images of my warband, maybe even a few in progress updates for those unpainted models. In the meantime I leave you with a very poor quality image of part of the warband as it stands (I apologise about the quality, I was in a room with a very poor light and night-time)

Black Library Novels

I plan to write a review on those black library novels i get around to reading, or have previously read. A list of those books ive read so far include:

Warhammer Fantasy:
Gotrek and Felix omnibus 1 (Trollslayer, Skavenslayer, Daemonslayer)

Gotrek and Felix omnbius 2 (Dragonslayer, Beastslayer, Vampireslayer)

Gotrek and Felix omnibus 3 (Giantslayer, Orcslayer, Manslayer)

Gotrek and Felix omnibus 4 (Elfslayer, Shamanslayer, Zombieslayer)
Gotrek and Felix Anthology
Gotrek and Felix Road of Skulls
The Vampire Genevieve (Drachenfels, Genevieve Undead, Beasts in Velvet, Silver Nails)

Warhammer 40k:

Ragnar Blackmane saga omnibus 1-2

(Space Wolf, Ragnar's Claw, Grey Hunter, Wolf Blade, Sons of Fenris and Wolf's Honour)
Ravenor and Eisenhorn Trilogies (Ravenor, Ravenor Returned, Ravenor Rouge and Xenos, Malleus and Heretic as well as a number of short stories)
Ice Warrior

Horus heresy:

Horus Rising
False gods
Galaxy in Flames
Flight of the Einstein
Fulgrim
Legion

Time of legend:

Nagash trilogy (Nagash the Sorcerer, Nagash the unbroken, Nagash immortal)

Sigmar  Trilogy (Heldenhammer, Empire, God King)

The Great Betrayal. 

I've included Audio Books in this list because I plan to cover them as well. More like short stories, there are times where the atmosphere they create can be very enjoyable useful when your hands are busy painting.

Legion of One
Helion Rain
Lightning Tower
Thunder from Fenris
Dark King
Raven's Flight
Gotrek and Felix: Curse of the Everliving

Grombrindal-The White Dwarf

White dwarf have just released the new white dwarf model, a bram stocker van helsing-esque model with a comical vampire goblin and coffin. To honour the true white dwarf this post is focusing on a particular favourite dwarf of mine. In fact, the only two other dwarfs who I think are as impressive are all represented in a fantastic model diorama.

The white dwarf, or Grombrindal as he is properly known, is a dwarf ancestor.  For a race which values and respects age as a significant indicator of personal worth, ancestors are vaunted above all others. By. Grombrindal isn't simply old. He singularly personifies dwarf-ness,  he is the mountain. Hard and unforgiving as stone, and immovable as the rock which they come from. Born from the greatest betrayal to befall the dwarf race, from the greatest of their kind, Snorri Whitebeard died and was reborn as Grombrindal at the betrayal of Malkeith.

He is never ending. He will be with his race until the very end, fighting those who have betrayed his race. Strong, tough and almost invincible, he resides in you unit only to reveal  himself when your unit is most in need.

Full rules for the model can be found here http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?categoryId=&pIndex=4&aId=4600005a&multiPageMode=true&start=5 , Personally he is pretty pricey at 500pts, but for an unbreakable, str 6, ws 7 re-roll to hit, wound and forces your appointment to re-roll their armour save (which would be at best a 4+ due to his str), 1+ and 4++ with MR(3)  he can single-handedly sit on an location and be immovable.