Month: July 2017

Seeking the Sea King

Seeking the Sea King

A bit behind on updates due to the Independence Day holiday, but that didn’t stop me from getting ample games in! Here’s the rundown of my games played with my Trollbloods… a whole heap of Gunnbjorn and Grissel2, with a few doses of Doomshaper2 and Madrak2 sprinkled in.

Painting these past two weeks put me at 374 total points so far for 2017–already exceeding my 365 point goal. Pretty good progress, given that we’re only in July. Trying to decide if 500 points for the year is the new goal, or the impressive double-rate of 728 points. Given that I’m both doing this Trollbloods campaign at Drawbridge and prepping my Convergence army to be two fully-painted and ready lists, I’ve got high hopes for the latter!

Anyhow, onward to painting! And the Sea King!

1 Sea King Trollbloods

I love this model. His rules, well… less so. Still not sure what Warlock (if any) can make him functional. But I’m really pleased with how he turned out in the painting. 

Trollbloods Captain Gunnbjorn

Gunnbjorn is my current choice for helping the Sea King get work done. Snipe and a turn of ranged immunity helps a lot, as well as the wall to limit people reaching the big guy. 

2 Minions Swamp Gobber Chef

I also completed a Swamp Gobber Chef, because I needed that clutch one-point option for forces. I’m not fielding enough infantry to ever make him all that useful. Guess he can simply cook up the whelps for eating by giving them double Comfort Food.

Got in a whole heap of games with my Trolls too, so ample photos to follow.

3 Trollbloods Grissel2 vs Khador Karchev

 Finally a game where my Burrowers contribute to a win! The first (and only time, as you’ll see below). Knocked down Paul’s Karchev and then the Burrowers finished him off. 

4 Trollbloods Doomy2 vs Circle Baldur1

I next faced Joe, a new player to our area, fielding Baldur1. It was a slug-fest, but Doomshaper2’s speed let me get in better position for scenario and I won via that method. Fun game and glad to see new folks!

5 Trollbloods Grim2 vs Cygnar Haley1

Did I mention how much I hate Haley1 ever? I’m certain I did. I faced Brandon’s Haley1 in the first-ever outing of the Sea King. Got assassinated by her, despite having pretty good leverage. I’ll put this down to Grim2 being just a little too aggressive. 

1 Gunnbjorn vs Calandra

Gunnbjorn’s first outing with the Sea King also ended in a loss. The Sea King lived, everything else died in my game against Ryan’s trollbloods led by Calandra. 

2 Gunnbjorn vs Horgle2

More Troll-on-Troll violence when I played Mike G.’s Trollbloods. They are amazingly painted, so I had to include this great shot of his cavalry charging up toward my line. 

3 Sea King gets beaten by Mulg

He fielded Horgle2, who is no joke with Mulg. My Sea King was undamaged, then got a bit too close to Mulg and a Bouncer. Horgle2’s feat plus them ended him with Fury to spare. It bought time for Gunnbjorn to win the game on scenario for me, but Horgle2 remains legit for damage output to be sure. 

4 Mulg vs Kozlov

Seeing Mulg in action makes me always want to field my own. My next game against Paul’s Khador, led by Kozlov, saw Mulg in full destruction mode with Doomshaper2. A bit of clobbering got me up there. Kozlov tried to retaliate, and Mulg finished him the next round. 

5 Grissel2 gets lucky against Baldur2

Next game was against Michael D’s gorgeous Circle Orboros force. I took Grissel2 against his Baldur2. It seems like I always end up with her into this matchup, even though she’s hardly ideal. And yet again, I managed to pull a win by assassination. Go go Grissel2!

6 Khador Jacks vs Madrak2

Another game against Paul’s Khador (yay for summer and getting to play more often). This one was against Kozlov again, with me fielding Madrak2. Came up short even though my Champions did a number of one half of the table. Once the infantry is stripped of Madrak2 he gets way more fragile. 

7 Trollbloods Sea King vs Exulon Thexus

Next up was a great game against Taylor’s Exulon Thexus-led Mercenaries. This one was a win by sheer dumb luck and then some kindness from my opponent. I left a dumb opening that was a pretty likely assassination. Thexus came up just shy of killing Gunnbjorn. I was able to recover and get him safer, and then took my own shot at assassination. Taylor is an experienced Trollbloods player, and gave me an order of activation suggestion that really helped me get it done (rather than coming up short). Really fun game with lots of twists and turns, and a great opponent.

8 Trollbloods Sea King vs Absylonia2

Next game was against Dave B’s Legion, again his Absylonia2 list. Given that he wasn’t going to be fooled again by Doomshaper2, I took Gunnbjorn. It was probably not the best choice, but I had a couple fair moments of success before Abby2 was able to just get close enough to get a Scythean in on him and assassinate me. 

9 Trollbloods Grissel2 vs Skarre2 Kraken

These were actually two games, both against Kyle’s Cryx using Skarre2. It was two games, because in our first Skarre2 stood too close to the objective during her Feat turn. All the defense in the world won’t save you from an AOE knockdown on a DEF model adjacent to you. She didn’t take damage from the blast, but it made subsequent shots into her an easy assassination. We re-racked and played the same lists again. This was a much closer battle, and I managed to win by scenario–Janissa’s heroics pushing models away from contesting are always welcome. Two great games!

365 Points Challenge Progress (2017):

374/365

Battles (Privateer Press):

Overall Totals 2017: 85 (Win/Loss 60/25/0); 2016: 123 (Win/Loss: 74/49/0); 2015: 43 (Win/Loss: 29/14/0)

Trollbloods:

27 Wins (Gaspy1, Terminus, Barnabas, Gunnbjorn, Kaya2, Helynna, Stryker2, Craye, Venethrax, Kaya3, Absylonia2, Skarre1, Kallus2, Gaspy3, Karchev x2, Una2, Saeryn & Rhyas, Grayle, Baldur2, Baldur1, Horgle2, Kozlov, Exulon Thexus, Skarre2 x2) / 7 Losses (Feora3, Exulon Thexus, Caine3, Haley1, Calandra, Kozlov, Absylonia2)

Convergence of Cyriss:

9 Wins (Maddox, Haley2, Rask, Helynna, Makeda1, Gorten, Kaelyssa, Vayl2, Gaspy1) / 2 Losses (Venethrax, Helynna)

Protectorate of Menoth:

3 Wins (Kaelyssa, Magnus2, Skarre1) / 7 Losses (Makeda1, Deneghra1, Thyron, Kozlov, Kryssa, Fiona, Gaspy3)

Skorne:

8 Wins (Kaelyssa, Nemo3, Zaadesh2, Makeda1 x2, Kaya3, Grayle, MacBain) / 4 Losses (Makeda2, Venethrax, Grayle, Horgle2)

Retribution of Scyrah:

13 Wins (Tanith x2, Venethrax x2, Malekus, Gaspy1, Ragnor, Zaadesh2 x2, Grayle, Borka1, Makeda1, Strakov) / 5 Losses (Zaadesh2, Thyra, Xekaar, Tanith, Gaspy1)

Pacific Rim Steamroller 2017

Pacific Rim Steamroller 2017

Here’s the scoop on Drawbridge Games’ Pacific Rim Steamroller 2017 event, happening on July 22nd, 2017. We developed these variant Steamroller rules to both showcase the cool huge models and to explore the joy of titanic monster movie clashes. “Today we face the monsters that are at our door and bring the fight to them!”

You can register for the event and follow all the details here at the Facebook event

Date: 7/22/17

Time: 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM. Doors open at 11am, dice roll at noon. Rounds will ostensibly run noon-2, 2-4, hour break for food, 5-7, 7-9. If rounds end quicker, we’ll move the schedule up accordingly.

Army Size: ONE 75 points list. This is a variation from the two list format that is normal with Steamroller events.

Rules: Steamroller Format missions, Deathclock (52 minutes each), Drawbridge play area rules (Please note the no external food/drinks policy. Drawbridge does have beverages and snacks for sale, and we’ll have an ample break for food around dinnertime–I also may bake Colossal and Gargantuan decorated cupcakes, no promises tho), and Colossal/Gargantuan bonus (see below). Ranking at the end of the event will use wins/losses, strength of schedule, control points, and army points destroyed (in that order).

Prizes: Steamroller Awards for 1st through 3rd place + Colossal Door Prize + Gargantuan Door Prize + Special Secret Bonus Prizes (x2) + Trophy for the best self-painted Huge Base model fielded in the event. To be eligible for any prizes, players must be present at the end of the final round.

Fee: General Admission – $15.00 Gatecrashers – $12.00 (Click here for info on Gatecrasher membership and discounts).

Colossal/Gargantuan Bonus: For this Steamroller, expect some huge carnage. The more huge bases you field in 75 points, the better your starting situation. Instead of random initial seeding, the player(s) with the most huge bases in their list will get first choice of opponent. Thus, everyone can expect that they should bring an armor-cracking list but the privilege of bringing more huge bases (being more “on theme”) is increased likelihood of getting to decide who your first round pairing is. Pairing for subsequent rounds will be done normally through wins/losses.

The process will be as follows: the player with the most huge bases in their 75 point list will go first. We’ll have a list of all players and their Warcaster/Warlock (not the full list). They then pick their first opponent. Once you’ve been picked, that’s your paring for the round. We then move to the set of players with one fewer Huge base, until all have chosen opponents for the round. If there are ties in number of huge bases, dice will randomize.

This format is designed to be a bit more fun and silly than traditional 2 list pairings, so expect people to tech for killing huge bases. Fully expect odd combos, Warcasters and Warlocks you haven’t seen before (one list changes things dramatically), and the happenstance of low percentage matchups. That’s why we have FOUR different prizes that go to anyone in the field, not just the winners (including at least one Colossal and one Gargantuan model). Come, have fun, get in some silly big brawls, and hopefully win great prizes.

 

Future Cleveland: Story and Faces

Future Cleveland: Story and Faces

Background: The Desolation of Clevelandador Futuris

Clevelandador is a three planet system that was discovered in m.36 by the exploration fleet of Clevelandador Patel IV. One planet is resource-rich but uninhabitable, while another is a dry waste with thin atmosphere unsuitable for much. However, the third planet was the perfect spot for colonization to exploit the resources of the system. It was settled, and named Futuris, for the dream of a better future it might bring.

The primary city on the planet is formally designated “The Royal Arch-Dominastae of Prelate Xadu”, and has been named that for eight years. The curious method of rule of the planet involves the noble families having the right to have each city on the planet, or “dominastae” named after their familial liege, with the capital city having the formal name of the current majority elected aristocratic leader. The constantly switching names has led to the peoples of the system simply calling the cities by slang for their surroundings: “Metaltowne” for the small hamlet near the mines, “Mountainview” for the cliffside city, and “Future Cleveland” as the low gothic version of the planet’s name for the capital city. 

War has come to Future Cleveland. The planet, positioned with some residual resources in the system but nothing spectacular, has long escaped the most dutiful eye of the Imperium of Man. The populace has long been left to their own devices by an increasingly competitive nobility structure that seeks merely manipulate the commoners for their own electoral power and wealth. The decadence of the nobility has led to a gross public acceptance of mutation that would shock most Imperial citizens. Even the current Mayor of Future Cleveland has a most horrific mutation–yet it was simply cause for a laugh among most of the populace. 

This laxity has led to debased demagogues proliferating across the city, willing to exploit troubling ideas of the most base kind, to generate multiple cults of Chaos amongst the outlying settlements of the great city. Cults of Nurgle have been literally and figuratively festering on the fringes of the great basin (where much of the settlements exist). Cults of Khorne meet in secret dueling societies and conduct murder rituals under the smog-choked skies. Other, nameless cults proliferate as well, seeking the deeper contacts with the powers of Chaos in all their might. 

What triggered the War for Future Cleveland was the death of Prelate Xadu. The rival Chaos bands made independent play for complete control of the city–and thus the planet. Because of the street warfare between cultists, order broke down and an urgent dispatch was released before the astropath was destroyed. The city fell into ruin, rubble, and disorder as the economy died and battles raged between rival cults and fringe noble houses. As the battle raged, the different cults recruited darker and more horrible powers from beyond reality: strange oozing daemons seeking to further debase to populace and power armored Chaos Space Marines who see control of the industrial center as a way to bolster their continued efforts to win the long war against the Emperor. 

Strife breeds response, in ways both helpful and harmful. The dispatches claiming that the city, and perhaps the system, were going to be lost to the ruinous powers were heard. The Fourth Company of Ultramarines was dispatched en masse to root out the powers of Chaos, as chancing the corruption of the Imperial Guard with such blasphemy was seen as a danger. In case the entire city warranted destruction, Lapinius Rex, Warlord Titan of the Legio Immortalis, is slated to arrive on-planet to support the Ultramarines.

Lapinus Rex Warlord Titan

 

Lapinius Rex, Warlord Titan of the Legio Immortalis, Pride of Forge World Konor

But the Imperium of Man were not the only ones who heard requests for help. A nearby Tau sept had been monitoring the planet. While they were blissfully unaware of the grim warnings of Chaos corruption in the astropathic communications, the Tau noticed the unrest in other ways–merchant ships that traded with them reported the increase in strife that led to closure of the space docks. Thinking it a perfect time to arrive and spread a message of conciliation and union with the Tau Empire, the Tau sent forth a delegation ready to entreat with the citizens.

The third complication revealed itself as one of the noble houses suddenly ceased all communication. Runners from the various warring factions in the area went to spy on what was happening, only to marvel as a huge force assembled for war streaking thru the sky on jet-powered vehicles. Unknown to the humans of the planet, nor the powers they worked for, a powerful Eldar Farseer had decreed that this situation of unrest was part of a broad machination that needed to be pacified. Her runes of fate determined a single image–the Avatar’s shape, standing in the center square of the main city of the planet called “Crios Meirge” in the Eldar star charts, burning with the fire of thousands of suns and striking the first blow for the resurgence of their race. She called upon the war hosts to assemble, and anointed commanders to bring the prophecy to fruition.

Like moths to a flame, a fourth external entity made planetfall at the same time. A mighty Kill Kroozer, loaded with ork warriors but limping from a recent larger engagement with the Imperial Navy, was forced to crash-land on Futuris. With the planet’s defenses in disarray and the sudden arrival of other war hosts, response to the crash was delayed too long. The Orks had quickly cannibalized the remains of their ship into the machinery of war, and began growing stronger from the initial clashes with outlying cult factions. With a city full of industrial scrap on the horizon, a new Waaagh was born.

With all forces assembled in different outlying areas of the great basin, the race was on to see which force would be able to wrest control of “Future Cleveland”.

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Forces of Future Cleveland

[Forthcoming]