New look to Chamber Militant – come and see!

I have been busily changing things on our beloved forum, click on the linkie below and have a look! It’d be really cool to get some of you readers of ‘When Cannons Fade’ to sign up, and join the community!

Planetstrike Tourney – Chicago @ Black Sun Games!

FYI:

This tournament will begin on Sunday, Nov. 1st and end on Sunday, Nov. 29th. Armies will consist of 1750pts. of painted miniatures and will utilize both 5th edition and Planetstrike rules. Players are free to play at their leisure, so long as all battles are completed by Sunday, Nov. 29. I will provide my cell # to all participants so I can be reached if any problems arise and I am not present.

There is a $10 registration fee for entering. The fee can be paid at Black Sun Games or via my Paypal (please PM for Paypal information). Deadline for registration is Saturday, Oct. 31st.

Prize support will be provided by Black Sun Games.

Please email your army lists in either MS Word, Excel, or PDF format to ancientsociety79@gmail.com by Thursday, Oct. 29th

Basic Rules

• This tournament utilizes the normal 5th edition 40K rulebook and the Planetstrike expansion. The AdeptiCon INAT FAQ will be used (Updated 03.19.09). This FAQ can be found here: http://www.adepticon.org/wpfiles/inat/INATFAQv3.0.pdf

• Individual units that may have multiple rules versions will follow the rules presented in that army’s codex. Please take the time to review the relevant GW/Adepticon FAQ’s for clarifications.

• Special/Unique/Named Characters may be fielded, provided their individual rules allow them to be used in armies of 1750pts or less.

• All models must be WYSIWYG. Any model not represented properly will be removed from play. If this results in an illegal unit (below minimum squad size for example), then the entire unit will be removed

• All models MUST be fully painted to a 3-color minimum. Any model not painted to this standard will be removed from play. If this results in an illegal unit (below minimum squad size for example), then the entire unit will be removed

• Armies are limited to 1750pts. total. Please provide a clear, concise army list to your opposing player and the judge

• This tournament utilizes the Planetstrike force organization chart for all scenarios. The Planetstrike FOC is as follows (underlined units are COMPULSORY):

For attacking – 1 HQ (+2 HQ), 6 Elites, 6 Troops, 6 Fast Attack, 3 Heavy Support

For defending – 1 HQ (+2 HQ), 3 Elites, 2 Troops (+6 Troops), 3 Fast Attack, 6 Heavy Support

This will mean each player can have two separate 1750pt. army lists. If doing so, each list MUST be clearly marked as “Attacker” or “Defender”.

• Tournament judges’ rulings are final

Scoring

192 total points. 48 points per scenario divided into primary (20), secondary (15) and tertiary (10) objectives with three (3) +1 battle point modifiers.

Victory points will be used in the case of a tie.

Objectives

ANY non-vehicle unit (unless specifically stated otherwise in their relevant codex) may claim an objective, even if there is only a single model remaining, if it ends the game within 3”. Should an objective be claimed by both sides, it automatically counts as being claimed by the defender.

Warhammer 40K Movie Confirmed!

Yes, Indeed you guessed it, there is an official WH40K movie on the cards. Absolutely NO info about it, other than the website….

www.ultramarinesthemovie.com

I’ll post more info as and when I hear or read about it!

New Forum for Bolt Thrower fans!

please join up!

New Space Wolves info leaked

as you have probably heard on the grapevine, the new Space Wolves Codex gets released next month, along with new miniatures. For those of you too impatient to wait, check out this leaked information we managed to get a hold of. You can view it here:

http://z3.invisionfree.com/Acta_Sanctorium/index.php?showtopic=250&st=0&

Taster:

Chaos Lord WIP and Black Templar

I thought I had already posted these, but a quick look revealed otherwise. I have been slowly working on my Nurgle Lord, playing around with the corroded metal. I think I have found a way that I am happy with, although it may get a final wash to dull it down a little. I’m undecided as to what color to do his cloak. Maybe a deep, worn red? I even thought about possible a dirty, off-white, maybe a remnant of his former days as a Death Guard under the Emperor. Any suggestions?

and here is my first completed Black Templar, not too much to say except, err, wibble.

Well, thats about it for now. Stay tuned, and please, join up with Chamber Militant!

Cheers

Paul

Vulkan He’Stan

Yellow SnoCone asked to see Vulkan in his raw state, so, as promised (if a little while after he asked) here he is!

I’m looking forward to painting this chap, but I have to stay focused on my Sisters and Black Templars for the meantime….

argh! :p

From the trenches: 08/17/09 update

Hi all!

well, I have been very busy! There is a painting challenge over at Chamber Militant which I am taking part in. My pledge is to get my Sisters of Battle Immolator painted up in full glory by September 5th. I have made a start on her, which you will see in a moment. As I don’t have an airbrush (argh!) this particular vehicle is being done ‘old skool’ ie ‘by hand’. The bulk of the vehicle will be in the purple of my Order, with cream accents. I am currently also sketching up some freehand devices that will be adorning the armor plates. They are, after all, Battle Sisters. I am still undecided as to what color to paint the roof section, so if anyone has any ideas…. let me know!

Burn baby burn!

I have since painted the back ramp and the exhaust housing in the purple color as well. Obviously there will be weathering and scripture aplenty too. More to come on this as I do more.

I recently finished my first squad of inducted Imperial Guard, my 32nd Inquisitorial regiment, here’s a sneak peek:

Yesterday saw me, Joe, Evan and Colin doing some kitbashing to build some more scenery for our cause. It’s hellish fun, as it’s total improv. You don’t know what you’re going to end up with! I went full tilt and made a huge ruined building, with a few nooks to hide troops, open enough to have firefights, but with enough to break up LOS from the outside. Here are a couple crappy pictures I took with my phone:

If you look at the rear shot here, you’ll see wome sandbag/barb wire barricades, so you even get a little cover outside of the building. I’ll be interested to see how this is utilized in future games.

All of you GW follwers out there have probably heard the news, and seen the pictures now for the new (and limited) copy of Space Hulk. Space Hulk was one of the games I loved when I first got into the hobby. Being a huge ‘Aliens’ fan, this was perfect, although the miniatures were something to be desired. Clunky, ugly, and looking like a turd with a pole stuck in the top, and that was just the Termies!

On the offchance you have’nt caught wind of this upcoming release (release date – September 5th), here is a link for you to drool over. Note the superb minis:

Space Hulk

Certainly a great item, but not too sure about the $99 tag price. Or, for that matter, the ‘limited availability’ thing. I got my pre-order in today….

Thats about it for now, thanks for reading, stay tuned for further transmissions!

Games Day pics and other stuff!

OK, so, I only took a couple of pictures at Games Day, as there really wasn’t that much to take pictures of, unless you had some super-duper camera with ultra-macro zoom.

I took a bunch of pictures of other stuff as well, like minis and armies, but it was so difficult to snap anything, as there were angled plastic cases they were all behind, which did a great job of reflecting light at you. Oh well. I was actually very suprised to see how many hits this page has had since my original GD post.

In other news, I recently accquired Vulkan He’Stan. I had seen the picture of him in the GW catalogue, sorry, White Dwarf, a few months back and liked the mini. I thought a small contingent of Salamander Space Marines to assist my Templars would be a good idea, so I called up the GW store in Skokie to see if they had him in stock. The voice on the other end told me it was direct order only. What a pain in the ass! I went up to my LGS the day after and there he was, so I bought him from there instead. I really wish they (GW) would carry their ranges (especially new metal character minis) in the stores, as not everyone wants to use the net. They seem to be pushing more and more blisters out of their stores in favor of the boxed sets.

It looks as though the group I game with are gearing up for a campaign of some description – the Invasion of LaPorte is the working title for now. More on that as it happens.

Well, thats it for now, thanks for reading!

From the trenches

Paul

Games Day/Golden Demon Chicago – July 25th 2009

Report

Saturday July 25th, 2009 saw myself and my compadre’s Evan, Colin and Joe heading (in rather cramped conditions) up to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont to hit up Games Day/Golden Demon 2009. To the uninitiated, Games Workshop have a huge event which has displays, speed painting competitions, Forge World and GW sales booths, costume contests, banner contests and the Golden Demon painting awards, all crammed into one, long, overwhelming day.

I think there was a definite suppressed excitement as we made our way down there, thinking about all the great stuff that we could pick up for our respective forces. It was obvious that the main highlight of this jaunt was the fact we could get our claws on lots of Forge World goodness, without having to pay shipping costs on a ridiculously overpriced product.

So, we are dropped off outside, but not after pointing out the other people on their way there who were obviously wargames players (are we that easy to spot?), and also wondering what else was running alongside Games Day. (Apparently there were some ‘empowerment conferences’ going on, I later found out).

We head in, get registered and step into the hall, facing a rather large, inflatible Space Marine (a bloody Ultramarine, no less). The first thing I noticed was how empty the hall looked. Upon closer inspection, it was due to the fact that the hall was SO immense, that the hundreds (if not thousands) of people there looked like a small handful. Odd! I bumped into Dan, the manager of the Woodfield Mall store and chatted to him briefly, he was overseeing some super heavy tank battles, which, by the way, was the noisiest section of the whole venue.

It only took a matter of moments for us to scope out where Forge World was, and where the end of the line was to get in there, so, we wombled on over and got in line. Colin graciously offered to stay in line and hold a spot for us, if we wanted to go take a look at the sales booth. Evan and Colin hung back while me and Joe headed over to the sales stand. It’s certainly evident that Games Workshop are wanting to move fully to a plastic range, as all the eye could see where stacks of boxes on tables. It reminded me of a flea market. I had a look around at the stuff they had, which was just all the stuff they have in the stores anyway. With the exception of some ‘Direct Sales’ collector ranges, and the Games Day exclusive mini, there was little to get excited about. There were no price deals, or even things like ‘buy 2 get one free/half price’ affairs either, which all made it seem like an anti climax. Joe and myself did happen to see a table which had a ‘yellowshirt’ dump a big box of markdown blister packs onto a table, into which a ravenous horde of kids scrambled to see what they could get. It was essentially a bunch of crap they could’nt shift in the stores. I saw a lot of Warmaster and LoTR stuff in there, with a couple of 40K/WHFB bits thrown in for good measure.

I snagged a Chimera, Joe snagged some paint, and we headed off back to the line to rejoin Evan and Colin. I’d say we’d been gone about 30 minutes or so at this point, and the lads had only just got to the sectioned off part of the line. I lost track of time eventually in the Forge World line, as we were there so bloody long. It was a great opportunity to yap about anything and anything, and to also make fun of the awkward nerdy types that would go up to the young lady dressed as a Dark Elf and wanted to take a picture of her. Think of Princess Leia in her Slave outfit after listening to a lot of Goth, and that’ll give you an idea of the attire she was wearing. We also were eyeballing t-shirts, or display models or whatnot that we thought were cool, and devised many plots on how to rumble their respective owners to make off with their swag. This usually started with ‘i’ll create a diversion…’ Eventually, after what seemed like a millenia, we made it to the Forge World table. I already knew I wanted the Exorcist missile launcher upgrade kit for a Rhino (as I already have the pipe organ version). The lady who was helping me went and looked, only to find they were all out. Which kinda stumped me, as thats all I really needed at this point. So, to at least make the wait worthwhile, I asked for the Death Guard Terminator upgrades. Nothing. So, I asked if they Had any Blight Drones, which they did have. I looked at it, and it really is a beautiful (?) model, but at this point I couldn’t justify dropping almost $70 on something that won’t see the light of day for ages. Joe was standing with me and we were talking about inducted Guard/Marine forces for Sisters of Battle armies, to which the lady suddenly blurted out some bizarre piece of info that was clearly wrong. Me and Joe exchanged a ‘wtf’ look and carried on browsing the catalogue. nothing else was jumping out at me (that I could use). Heavy hearted I left the FW table empty handed.

Colin, on the other hand, emerged from the FW booth resembling what can only be described as Santa Claus on christmas eve. The bag of stuff he bought was HUGE, and I shuddered at the mere thought of what he just dropped in there. Games Workshop love this man. Evan snagged some very tasty renegade militia models, and the uber sexay ‘Blood Slaughterer’, which looks like a mechanized very angry bug. The detail on this thing is amazing, and i’m looking forward to seeing this bad boy on the field.

We had worked up an appetite at this point, so it was decided that we should go in search of food. We could’ve gone to the restaurant, but lets face it, conventions are notoriously expensive as it is, why would you go down that route? you’d probably have to re-mortgage your house or something for a plate of fries. so we hit the concession stand. We had been talking while in line about each of us entering the terrain building session, as you get to keep what you make, and that would sure help us out with our terrain selection we had. We were going to do this, until we saw the line, which was really, really long, and there was still an hour or more before the next session, so we nixed that idea.

Thankfully the line was virtually non existant at the foodstand, at which I purchased a slice of cheese pizza and a >small< pop for $8. Colin did the same, and Evan picked up a hot dog, at least thats probably what it wanted to be when it grew up. I honestly don't know how these people can look you in the eye and charge you those prices, as the food was crap. The pizza was like a piece of rubber attached to a piece of very hard, overcooked/stale wood. I couldn't even bite through the crust! argh!

We floated around the painted army section, and voted for our favorites, then ambled over to the open gaming tables. There were some very nice setups that gave me a lot of inspiration for terrain. From there we went over to this small table that had examples of changes through the ages of various GW games, like the WH40k formats, Space Hulk etc etc. It all seemed a little half-hearted really, like they had found a few bits and pieces and decided to throw together a display. Even the Golden Demon Entries seemed sparse, but i'm not sure if that was maybe because they were scooping up the minis's to photograph them. There were some truly stunning entries though, which made me want to take a hammer to all my stuff.

We decided to call it a day after that, as there really was little else to do. I think we were all a little disappointed by what seemed to be a lacklustre event. We all (well, nearly all) achieved our purchasing goals, but it would have been nice to see a little more going on, and a little more for people to check out that weren't there to play a game. It seemed pretty unanimous that we wouldn't be returning next year, although I am considering maybe putting an entry into Golden Demon, just to see where I can get

And thats that! I do have pictures, which I will upload and put here, but I wanted to get the blurb up first.

Flamers! Fisting! and a whole lotta 40k…