Eldar Avatar

I just started work on a new project, my Avatar. I realized that I owed it to myself to post, as the painting is getting sort of complicated.. And it would be a good idea to have a log of what I was doing for future reference.

First, some images:

From Eldar

From Eldar

From Eldar

The painting details.

- Prime black, with a Mechrite Red basecoat.

- Cracks start as Blazing Orange and work through fiery orange, Sunburst Yellow, Bad Moon Yellow, and then really hot zones get white mixed with yellow ink. The mix should be mostly white, but should have very noticeable tones of yellow. Too white ends up looking blue.

- Armor plates will start as Mechrite Red, with the edges highlighted with blazing orange (during the initial crack painting. Over this is a mix of Mechrite Red and Chaos Black. The mix should overshoot into the red compared to the end product. Badab Black wash is then applied to the plate. The edges are progressively layered and highlighted with Scab Red, Blood Red, then Blazing Orange again, and then the entire plate is covered (again!) with Badab Black.

You can see why I wanted to detail this. The armor cracks are largely just a progressive highlight, but it took some work to figure out a good coloration of the armor plate that would look hot, but be mostly black.

My opinion on the end result is that the armor plate is damned near exactly what I wanted (I'd prefer a blending approach instead of a layering approach, but I'm human,) but the cracks need to be better integrated. The white needs some colors on top, and the cracks that run into the white are too abrupt.

More updates to come later!

Workspace

From Workspace

I guess a rundown of what my workspace looks like is in order. As you can see, I don't really stick to one thing. On the 40k table, you can see some Eldar objectives in the process of being painted (using three different methods of painting,) Krieg in the process of being assembled, Sisters of Battle being stripped (above the paint tile,) and a Soul Grinder waiting for some extra spiky bits.

Out of frame are a bunch more things that I've shoved out of the "clear" space in the middle. To the right is a light and a bunch of sprues and Krieg ziploc bags. To the left are a bunch of tools, including a box of backup paints that I got in a nice little trade. And below is the plastic drawer of parts, ranging from bits and magnets to a lonely Vyper in a drawer.

One thing I've discovered about any project I pick up is that my interest in it waxes and wanes. Therefore, in order to keep on with a hobby that I like, it's best to have lots of projects going at once. Then, when I'm bored with one thing, I can easily pick up another that I haven't touched in a little while.

Dire Avenger Tournament List

In the most recent 1,000 point tournament, I fielded an experimental, exceptionally fluffy Dire Avenger list. It's practically a mono-unit list, which gives it a pretty significant downside. But first, the list:

HQ: Asurmen - 230
Troops: (7) Dire Avenger Squad, Exarch w/ Bladestorm, Defend, Power Weapon & Shimmershield; Waveserpent with TL Bright Lances, Spirit Stones, and Shuriken Cannon - 296 points
Troops: (6) Dire Avenger Squad, Exarch w/ Bladestorm, Defend, Power Weapon & Shimmershield; Waveserpent with TL Bright Lances, Spirit Stones, and Shuriken Cannon - 284 points
Troops: (6) Dire Avenger Squad; Waveserpent with TL Shuriken Cannons and Shuriken Cannon - 182 points

Total: 992 Points

The purpose of the list is to be exceptionally mobile and fluffy. The two twin-linked bright lances cover heavy armor, and the shuriken cannons help for light armor. Defend and shimmer shields reduce the effectiveness of close combat armies, massed avenger shuriken catapults cover hoards, and Asurmen acts as my sole close combat unit.

The downfall of this list is heavy infantry or strong close combat units and a complete reliance on scoring units to do all of the work. Asurmen did manage to take out a unit of Chaos Space Marines + Mark of Khorne with a Slaaneshi Terminator Lord, but massed attacks and tough monstrous creatures can easily overpower him. The three Dire Avenger units have no ablative armor; once they're gone, the list has no scoring units.

In practice (so far,) the list performs relatively well. The first turn or two are usually spent positioning and firing bright lances and shuriken cannons. Later turns see Dire Avengers pouring out and spraying fire, with the Wave Serpents staying out of reach until end game objective contesting.

At the end of the day, the list is fun to play, fluffy, and somewhat competitive. I would have severe issues against the harder lists in existence, but fortunately our local gaming scene tends to be more fun than beat stick.

The list gets to face off against a Tyranid list of Warriors, a Carnifex, and lots of gaunts with Without Number. Fortunately it's an annihilation game, so I'm hoping to get a win out of it. I'll be sure to post some sort of report.

Trial and Error

One of the biggest difficulties and struggles I've found in 40k is finding tactics or units that reliably work.

When selecting what units should be used and where, I rely partially on mathematical analysis (Howling Banshees will cut down more Marines in close combat than Striking Scorpions, for example,) intuition (the above Banshees have fleet, which helps, but are very, very vulnerable to Heavy Bolters,) and fluff. Fluff and mathematical analysis are pretty clear cut¹. The intuition part makes up for the lacking of mathematical analysis, and intuition has to come from some where.

As an example, I've seen people poopoo a unit because it failed them miserably in the first game or two they used it. 40k has a huge chance element. Ignoring this when deciding which unit to use can be somewhat presumptive, as your dice might have been treating you badly (or whatever the luck phrase of choice is.)

My basic point is this: in order to truly grasp the effectiveness of a unit, it needs to be tried in different combinations and multiple times. Any other decision might be made in haste, ignoring potentially great tactics. This means you'll have to grind through many games in many situations, some familiar, some not, and pay close attention to how a unit performed.

Get cracking!

¹Okay, mathematical analysis can be as murky as you wish to make it. Operations research commands it's own topic of math, and I've yet to look into it and bring it to bear on 40k. Perhaps I should.

A Break from Photos

My original plan for this blog was to have lots and lots of pictures posted. Unfortunately my camera finally died yesterday, so that idea is going to have to wait until I can select and purchase an entry-level DSLR.

I'll likely post some favored list choices and mathhammer in the meantime. Grab your pants - the theory is about to start flying!

Tournament Stupidity

Today I participated in most of a tournament (Rogue Trader Style,) so I got to throw down my Eldar in a tournament with some new armies. My list was a fluffy three Dire Avengers squads and Asurmen, all flying around in Waveserpents (992 points.) The goal was to use the Waveserpents as objective contesters and anti-tank (two had twin-linked Bright Lances, one with twin-linked Shuriken Cannons, all with underslung Shuriken Cannons and Spirit Stones,) Asurmen as the close-combat dealy, and the Dire Avenger squads as tar pits and overwhelming fire.

The first game was a win by only a point, as I only had one scoring unit, while the second game was a nearly draw, since my gracious opponent allowed me to take back declaring a charge against a unit of genestealers and allowing it to rally. Of course, if I had remembered the squad of Dire Avengers in a Waveserpent, I probably would have pulled out another win.

Unfortunately snow had been building up, so we were discussing postponing the last game when the power went out. After a judging of paint jobs in the light from the double doors, we all packed up and braved the treacherous drivers on the less treacherous roads.

Things I learned:

• Asurmen can kick the crap out of the opponent in close combat, even without support.


• DON'T FORGET UNITS. It was suggested that I use Epic 40k vehicles and squads on the side of the board to represent who is where. Given that I want to get into Epic anyways, I'm probably going to give in to the temptation.


• A triple Waveserpent list isn't terrible. Even against close combaty lists like a Genestealer list and Khorne Beserkers I was able to fight to a very close loss or win.


• The downside of the list is the softness of my few scoring units. I usually run very infantry heavy lists, so it's difficult for me to deal with having my squishy, small scoring units be all that I have.

Army Collection

To kick off the overload of minutia, a general overview is necessary. Back when I first started the hobby, I purchased the second edition starter box, containing a load of snap-together Orks and Space Marines. My friend and I played a few long games with a sparse understanding of the rules, then moved on to a different hobby (role-playing games.) Since Space Marines were in big suits of armor and far more high-tech than Orks, that was my choice - but as Space Wolves, at least in paint scheme.

From Space Wolves

After I stopped playing the game in seventh grade, the Space Wolves languished in a box until I came to Athens for college. Then they came back out in force, where I lost or fought to a draw every game I could get my hands on. I was terrible with the Space Wolves, a fact which I blame completely on their style of play. And their baby blue paint job. The Space Wolves gave way to a 13th Company list, which I was nearly undefeated.

From Daemon Hunters

During the later years of the Space Wolves reign of failure, I started mixing in Daemon Hunters, mainly because the minis looked awesome. They are, unfortunately, very difficult to use - so they too were set aside. The Grey Knights were a blast to paint, mainly because I did it well (a fact that I had to have hammered into my head -- I thought I was simply doing a mediocre job with my typical anal retentiveness.) In the end, I traded the Grey Knights that that I had collected, about two squads, to my roommate for minis in my next army.

From Eldar

After much debate and gnashing of teeth, I finally broke down and purchased the Mega Army Box for one of the most beautiful armies in 40k: the Eldar. The concept way Biel-tan, an exceptionally viable list in Fourth Edition, and I rapidly expanded my collection, aiming for at least one force organization chart choice of every unit in the army book. Since the Eldar have a huge number of unit choices, I currently have well over 6,000 points and more than two large Games Workshop army cases full of the minis. As mentioned above, I was semi-commissioned to finish off my twelve Daemon Hunters in exchange for a squad of Wraithguard and Eldrad.

While my Eldar were growing by leaps and bounds, my Space Wolves were sitting in a closet, taking up precious shelf space. I eventually traded them for a bunch Sisters of Battle and Cadians, something I had wanted to do for a while. The Sisters are currently being stripped of their paint. Since this process is new to me, it's apparently taking about a year to do. The Sisters, however, have definitely been moved to the back burner. Using oven cleaner (as opposed to the newly discovered Simple Green) as a paint stripper was a pain, but I also didn't have much of my next army until recently, which will be a wonderful ally.

Also during the Eldar expansion, I was semi-commissioned to paint a friend's squad of Space Marines in exchange for a squad of Death Korps of Krieg (DKoK). DKoK miniatures are positively beautiful, so this was something I had no ability to turn down. That squad led to more squads and more tanks, so I currently have over 1,000 points of DKoK in various stages of assembly, none of which are in any stage of painting.

Given the armies I had up to this point, it would appear that the Races of Order were my preferred choice, which is quite true. Until the Chaos Daemons came out. Originally designed as a bridge into Warhammer Fantasy (a plan which failed due to simply not liking the game,) I've collected Daemons through purchasing and trading and now have a decent army of all four Chaos Gods. Now with a bit over 2,000 points in a competitive format, my Daemon army is stable.. Until I start focusing in again. There are definitely interesting units out there whose siren call I won't be able to resist in the long run.

And in a recent development, I've fallen for another Army of Disorder. Through a series of backroom, shady deals (it was at a swap meet, which was actually in the backroom of Classic City Comics and Games - not much shade, though,) and some sly haggling, I've acquired a sizeable Ork army. The number of miniatures required to make a decently fluffy Ork list, the sloppyish paint job required, and the haphazard tactics have somewhat pushed me away from the Orks, but sometimes a deal comes along that you can't resist - particularly when it's prepainted.

So, there you have it: a long history of my 40k collection. I've traded and bartered my way out of a Space Marine background, and I currently own Eldar, Sisters of Battle, Death Korps of Krieg, Chaos Daemons, and Orks. While I enjoy it, my hobbying moves at a snails pace -- but I'll be sure to make it look a lot faster by posting far too many pictures.

Introduction to Overload

I'm NegativeK, a Warhammer 40K player at a Classic City Comics and Games in Athens, Georgia.

I got into 40k back in 1996-1997, fell out when I realized how expensive it was, and got back in around 2003/2004. Since then, I've grown quite a collection of stuff, most of which is unpainted (but assembled!) This blog will be a way of keeping track of my hobby, be it too many pictures of assembling and painting, or battle reports and notes to myself on how to play the game.

And note that I really do mean excessive pictures. If I keep this blog going, I expect to have photo records of how I do most things, be it putting the banner pole on, ways of creating Green Stuff Bases, to stripping minis. Hold on, and I apologize if you're not on broadband.