Bridge of World's most popular man on Everblight.

Philosoraptor on Bridge of Worlds. 1.

Just trying to get my coolzors Meme Generator working. Photobucket didn't like it being uploaded to it, for some strange reason....

Hypnos

Now this Myrmidon certainly belongs to the Caster it was made for, Ossyan. ;)

Discordia.

And here is ...Rahn's? ...Ravyn's! personal 'don, 'donna? Discordia:





The photos are still giant, so I don't know what is going on with blogger....

The Banshee.

I received my package in the mail this week from the USA and after having some fun building Gators, turned my hand to building that dual- sword wielding Myrmidon, the Banshee!

The Vyre Myrmidons can look a little stiff, so I tried to get a bit of movement into the pose and I feel that I have achieved that.

Winding up to cut down anything that gets in its way:

For some reason the sizing has gone AWOL. Sorry about that XD

What colours and paints did I use?

I thought to post what paints I used for painting the Invictors and Halberdiers. This makes it easier for anyone hoping to ape my work, and to help me remember and not forget, lol.

Undercoat - GW Skull White or Chaos Black spray.

Invictor basecoat - GW Bleached Bone.

White touch ups - P3 Morrow White which is much whiter and nicer than Skull White, tbh.


Black lining - Secret Weapon's Soft Body Wash Black.

Green areas, such as Halberdier trousers, etc - GW Gretchin Green foundation, washed with GW Asurman Blue wash.

Grey areas, such as the under-armour suit - GW Codex Grey, washed with GW Badab Black wash.

Grey Metal areas - I did two methods, but this is the one I'm telling you about :P
GW Chainmail metallic, washed with GW Badab Black wash.

Green Metal areas - GW Chainmail metallic, washed with 1:1 GW Asurman Blue and Thraka Green washes.

Glowing bits - GW Bilious Green and Vallejo Model Colour Sky Blue. This was an odd mix, as the GW paint is far richer, so I had to use much more Vallejo to change the colour. Strange but true. I just kept messing around with it until it happened, and used my brother to be my spotter, lol. Thanks bro! :D

Flesh.... hmmm, still not happy with how I went.
Basically, 1:1 P3 Khador Flesh mixed with GW Bleached Bone, washed with GW Ogryn Flesh wash, then add some P3 Morrow White to the first mix. I'm still not sure how much white to add XD. Maybe just a drop....

Bases - GW Chaos Black, then GW Scorched Brown drybrushed [drybrushing from here on]. Less GW Bestial Brown and then less GW Snakebite Leather and then even less GW Bubonic Brown and even even less GW Bleached Bone.
The rim is then covered with GW Graveyard Earth via normal painting [not drybrushing].

Painting, painting, painting....

Hello one and all,

So after some painting, I have some pictures to show you :) I have painted a full unit of Halberdiers and 9 Invictors as the gun for one of the grunts didn't come :(

I have used two different techniques, to figure out how I want to paint the army. As mentioned here: painting my RoS

For the Halberdiers, I used the method that Spikey James said he used on the White Scars in C:SM. Undercoat with Skull White spray can, and then use some black lining, then touch up the white pieces after painting the rest of the model.

For the Invictors, I have tried out my new airbrush. Spray the whole thing with GW Bleached Bone, and then try a zenithal approach with P3 Morrow White, then touch up the white pieces after painting the rest of the model.

To be honest, I wasn't wow'ed by the Invictors, but I trust that is because I am an airbrush newb, rather than any deficiency with the airbrush. There are a multitude of controls to make it happen, besides just actual control. But I'll not give up on it yet, but perhaps it will be better as a vehicle painting tool, rather than the small soldiers. Time will tell.

Halberdiers:

Invictors:

I also used this product as discussed by Ron of From The Warp fame, as discussed here: lining white and Secret Weapon Soft Body Wash. The reason why this product is so good, imo, is because the wash is grey. Lining white with black is very harsh and looks a little unnatural to me. The grey looks much more like shadow. And of course you can always use more of it to get a near black effect if you so wish.

+++

In summary, I am pretty happy with my new dudes. The photography hasn't done them true justice, but that is okay :D

The next batch will either be full Rifleman, or Battle-Mages and the three sets of UAs I have.

The Phoenix.

After thinking long and hard about magnetising my Myrmidons, as per Lyoss is Burning's excellent how to, I decided that I wouldn't get a pose that I wanted for the Phoenix, and the other three possible Shyeel 'jacks. I was also partial to Colonel Festus's somewhat Samurai looking Phoenix, so thought what could I do?

Well, I thought to ape CF's version, but maybe with the sword higher up, like a Kendo swordsman about to headshot his opponent.
But the way the shoulder sockets work doesn't allow the hands to come together *sigh*

So here was what I came up with:

I'm not sure it will be to everyone's tastes, but then what is?
I think it looks pretty snazz, all told.

The gunge around the hand will come off with soapy water and a toothbrush.

Ravyn. 15 pts. Halberds and Manticore.

Ravyn +6

Manticore - 8
2 Arcanists - 2
MH Assassin - 2
Halberdiers, full + UA - 9


So the Halberdiers are the fulcrum for the list. They would either catch a charge, with their defensive buffs, or ideally, be doing the charging, and probably popping the mini-feat, especially if a good target can be lined up.

Meanwhile, the Manticore is busy pewpewing away, with its decent gun and Snipe from Ravyn. The Manticore, Halberds and Assassin are all fairly nasty in combat, and so should be able to deal with anything coming their way.

Without any shooting in the list besides the Manticore, I have a mind to pop Fire Storm [Ravyn's feat] early, to get some nasty shooting from the Manticore.

Focus cost:

2 ~ Snipe for a 16" gun, 

2 ~ For all three shots from the Manticore's 3 ROF gun

1 ~ For an initial damage bonus

RAT 5 is pretty humble, needing 7s to hit a DEF 12 target [such as another Myrmidon]. Whilst 7s is 58% likely, getting another dice to hit from the feat makes hitting pretty likely.

The gun is POW 12, so nothing ridiculously powerful. But nice enough to hurt all but Heavies. Being able to whittle away the foe before the battle proper has started can only be a good thing.

I think the shooting strategy of 40K, which is shoot things you can kill ASAP such a Rhinos rather than hoping to kill something beastly such as a Land Raider, will be the way to go.  No real sense in hoping to scratch that Khador Heavy [Khador, pronounced Kay•dor, are notorious for the toughness of their 'jacks] and achieving nothing, than bagging something a little more humble such as the Iron Fang Pikemen.

Death by a thousand cuts, but death nevertheless.

By whittling the foe down, that will make mobbing that Heavy easier without pesky infantry getting in the way, and so the Halberdiers will be able to topple it, with charging, brutal charge and team effort. Or at least cutting down on the retaliation charge, assuming that the Halberd do end the Heavy.

Or even better, due to less baddies clogging the table, an attack run to the enemy Caster makes itself easier. Forget going after the Heavy, and just cut the head off instead. The Assassin is highly capable in this, with SPD 7 and a 4" reach, whilst Ravyn can use Locomotion to move the Manticore 3" and load it up with 3 focus, one for charging 3" and two for more attacks or extra accuracy as appropriate. That means the Manticore can cover  3 + 6 + 3 = 12" to assault or 3 + 6 from moving an 12 from the gun, for 21"

Between those two, I figure I have enough to end most Casters.

What I like about this list, without the MHSF, is that Stealth lists are not some horrendous thing to deal with, as the list is primarily a choppy list, and not a shooty one.

List building. Early days.

So, soon enough I will be gaming as a newb into the world of WM. I was speaking to one of the guys on the PP forums, Skorznex, and he said "In the grand scheme of things its your models, your game. Play what you want and have fun doing it." and even though I want to be a solid gamer, I think that for a good while I shouldn't put too much thought into being a pro-gamer and listfu master.

With that in mind, I still like coming up with some lists and thinking about how they interact.

Ravyn, combined with full Mage Hunters & UA, is something RoS is infamous for. Likewise, though Vyros, Kaelyssa and Garryth are seen as behind Ravyn and Rahn in terms of powa! levels, due to the games I will be playing being a more modest 15 pts, I think I can still mess around with these 'lesser' Casters and get to know them and find out why, with personal experience, they are seen as 'lesser' Casters by the forums.

I had learnt another thing, just through chatting with Skorznex. Arcanists are but 1 point each, making them even better than I had realised, and being a great way of lessening the focus burden on our Casters. w00t!

Forum think tank. Part 6.

So that is it for my summation of what the PP forum thinks about RoS units, by and large. Of course someone will always have an alternate view, but hopefully I have given the line of best fit for what the majority of players think is true.

I have deliberately left out the Casters, who are a little too complex to be given such a glossing over by an inexperienced player as myself. Likewise with the named Solos.

Hopefully this has been a help to budding RoS players out there.

:)

Forum think tank. Part 5.

Odds and ends.

These don't particularly belong anywhere and so here is the post for them :)

Arcanist.
As a Myrmidon mechanic, he adds some useful buffs to a RoS player. Firstly, our Casters are not renowned for their harmony with the Myrmidons, especially when compared to some Factions out there. The Arcanist can ease some of the focus strain from our Casters, allowing them to perform the role they are designed for, and so giving the most benefit to the army. Secondly, our Myrmidons are notoriously underdone in mêlée, perhaps as you'd expect for a Generalist 'jack, and so the Arcanist's damage increase spell can be handy. A well thought of Solo.

Soulless Escort.
This is a unit attachment, and gives some anti-magic protection to what it is joined to. When combined with flank: unit the Escort becomes a solid choice, if not a must have. This choice seems more dependent on your local gaming situation and what your mates are running than anything else, and so is not universally as lauded as the Arcanist. If you have a big unit to attach the Escort to, the value from its protection increases both in terms of number of friendly models protected, but also the priority the opponent will allocate against taking out said unit in the first place.

Both of these odds and ends choices are quite good, and help augment most RoS armies.

Forum think tank. Part 4.

Hybrids - a little choppy and a little shooty.

Dawnguard Invictors.
Whilst not as well loved as the Sentinels, these Dawnguard are decent enough in combat, when combined with a 'jack, as they have flank: Myrmidon, giving them a to hit and a damage buff. If a Myrmidon with reach is employed, so much the better. Their shooting is solid and whilst it won't be taking out Heavies, it can cause problems for Lights and anything else. The UA give them a mini-feat extra range buff, making it hard for the opponent to not have his forces whittled down somewhat. Their shooting is strong enough that they make the Missile Specialists somewhat redundant giving the extra toughness and combat ability that Invictors bring.

Mage Hunter Strike Force.
You know this unit is good [maybe a little too good?] when they get complained about AND some RoS players think they are a bit too cheap. I'm not sure that is true, as there are OP [over powered] things laced throughout most factions lists, so make of that what you will. The MHSF are not that choppy, but due to their abilities and emphasis on movement and assassination, I consider them a hybrid unit, even if they are more shooty than choppy. MHSF aren't especially deadly until you bring the UA along. Besides having a reasonable turn of speed, a decent range and strength of shot, it is the enemy buffs that the MHSF ignores that makes them so feared.
Muahahaha!

House Shyeel Battle Mages.
This is a somewhat peculiar unit, without great range or combat ability.... But the Mittens are quite good. They have the ability to move around the enemies units when shooting or hitting, and have magic weapons, meaning that when the enemy puts X in your way to defend Y, the HSBM can affect an opening for another part of your army to hunt down Y. A useful ability in a game of manoeuvre ;)

House Shyeel Magister.
Much like the unit, the Magister Solo has similar quirky abilities, but with an extra buff. Whip Snap is a short ranged spell that allows a nearby unit to advance 3" on a successful hit. This could be used to get your unit out of harms way, block an attack run of your opponents, open an attack run of your own, or get a unit within range of a target.

House Shyeel Artificer.
Unfortunately for this Solo, the bang for buck that it offers over the Magister is poor, and it seems fairly unpopular online. People try to use it, but it seems rather niche and not very powerful.

Dawnguard Destors and Dawnguard Destor Thane.
These cavalry are not that well regarded, and this is a shame, as I think the minis are sweet. Their abilities all round are quite good, and the movement is nice, but they are not quite enough in a bang for buck sense, to get people to use them. When you add in their high dollars cost, it is little wonder that they see little table time. Boo!
I am thinking of using them in that Secondary Jack role. So many experiments to try!

Our hybrid units are a mixed bag, but with the Mage Hunters providing some serious head taking ability, and perhaps what RoS is most infamous for, we have not been short changed, even if some units are a little like deadwood than something worth taking. The Invictors are solid, as are two of the House Shyeel selections. But remember, flexibility has been priced at a premium by PP, and so it is up to the player to make sure he isn't stuck with an overpriced unit but rather an all star.

Forum think tank. Part 3.

Missile Specialists.


Stormfall Archers.
Hahaa! Going all John Rambo on the enemies of Ios with grenade loaded arrows? Oh yeah baby!
With long range available, to extra powa! and then with onfire as the last of three modes of shooting, this unit offers powerful shooting, and with the needed ability to move and shoot. The Stormfall Archers would be our most highly spoken of missile specialists.


Houseguard Rifleman.
Whilst not a terrible unit, and can work well with Halberdiers, they are a little underwhelming. WM isn't really a shooty game, and whilst shooting does have its part to play, close combat will happen sooner rather than later. As Rifleman are not ridiculously ranged or especially killy, they don't bring enough oomph for the points paid for them.

Ghost Sniper.
This Solo isn't bringing enough heat for the points paid for it, much like the Riflemen. It does have the neat ability of loading 3 damage points onto a target, regardless of Armour. But when you consider the few times the Sniper will fire, it's benefits really are niche thing.

Heavy Rifle Team.
This unit makes the Sniper and Riflemen look good, unfortunately. The biggest problem is that it cannot move and shoot, and given that its gun is not outrageously ranged, the Team will be gobbled up quite easily.


As you can see, RoS are not blessed with any great shooting units. However, this is a common thing with WM, and PP seems to want movement involved to keep the game dynamic. So RoS isn't worse at shooting than any faction and is in fact better than most :P

Forum think tank. Part 2.

Mêlée Specialists.


Dawnguard Sentinels.
These guys are great and well loved. MC Hammer pants, big shoulder pads, gleaming white armour and a honking great sword, what more could you want?

Our Myrmidons, being mostly a hybrid of mêlée and shooting, lack the serious grunt that other factions can bring from their 'jacks and beasts, especially in a bang for buck sense. Having Sentinels really covers that weakness, and they can be used for running a Secondary Jack.

Houseguard Halberdiers.
Whilst not quite as renowned as the Sentinels, this is a solid unit. The UA [unit attachment, which is an Officer and a Standard] turn them into something a bit more offensive [a full unit of them on the mini-feat turn can mulch a Heavy] but generally they are a solid unit, a bit more defensive than the Sentinels, but this can be a good fulcrum for other units to work off.

Dawnguard Scyir.
This Solo is a high ranking knight. Unfortunately, his rules require a bit of a dance to get the most out of him, as it has to be done in order. Not highly regarded, though not terrible. Better choices are out  there.

Mage Hunter Assassin.
A ninja elf ready to behead the baddies Caster? - brilliant! The MHA has a fearsome reputation, in being quick and killy. The thing is, they are actually quite dice'y, meaning they are not something to hang your hat on. But because of the high potential they have, they can really cause a headache for your opponent, who will be nervous about the MHA having an attack run on their Caster, Solo or even 'jack. This in itself can be game-altering.

Our mêlée specialists are generally very good, barring the Scyir. As WM is mostly about movement and combat, these choices will nearly always be a solid choice for a RoS player.

Forum think tank. Part 1.

Hello visitors,

I have finished Year 12, at the age of 30 :D and so can now begin to paint my RoS minis with my fancy new airbrush, and get some games in. Sounds good to me ;)

I thought to do something fairly easy, which is to compile the general consensus on units and Myrmidons from over on the RoS forum on the PP boards. Whilst there is always the danger of forumitis, the dudes seem to get a good amount of games in and participate in tournaments often enough to not be talking from a small pond, so to speak.

Now things seem a little more complex or intriguing in terms of how to get the best out of a thing in WarmaHordes, which is great, but as someone who has not played yet, don't expect anything world changing in this post. It is primarily to compile thoughts for greenhorns like myself and of course, is imo.

+++

Light Myrmidons - Chimera, Gorgon, Griffon and Aspis.

This quartet are not that well thought of. They are not generally seen as terrible, per se, but seem to lack that secret ingredient to make them well thought of, let alone compulsory. Where they can work is in filling out a list, due to being cheaper than a Heavy, and so seem to get game time that way. When 'jack marshal'ed [this is when someone, though not the Caster, runs them and will be to a lesser effect than if the Caster did] by the Sentinels, they can become a useful missile. The Sentinels perk drive: pronto gives the 'jack an extra full move, which is very helpful in WM.

Heavy Myrmidons.
The loved - Discordia, the Phoenix and the Manticore.
These are all staples in the diet of list-fu. All three are quite killy and/or have some very useful buffs.

The also ran - the Hydra.
This 'jack just doesn't quite have the abilities that the others bring, or at least not offering bang for buck.
I will be trying to jack marshal it as a Secondary Jack, and perhaps boosting it with the Arcanist [a mechanic, if you will] but don't build your list around one.

The to be judged - the Vyre Myrmidons.
These guys look decent enough, although perhaps the Sphinx is a little underwhelming. Due to the minis not yet being released, guys haven't played with them, and proxying isn't really embraced in WM.

Skarath & Dahlia.
These guys intrigue me, though I am not sure why, lol. They are a Heavy Beast and warlock-lite combination [A Warlock is the Hordes equivalent to a Warcaster in WM]. These are not on par with 'the loved' but, like the Hydra or the Lights, could be an interesting Secondary Jack. I will be giving this a try in the future.

Generally speaking, our Myrmidons are a hybrid of shooting and chopping, which has its own strengths and flaws in flexibility and cost. It is up to us to make sure we are getting the best out of them, whereas the user of a specialist has less weighing up to do.

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

These are three simple videos from miniwargaming on how to play Warmachine and Hordes. They are entry level videos, and I am posting these for the benefit of people looking at getting into the game, perhaps from a GW background. This is a step towards making the game decipherable to the green player. Even if you are a fairly skilled 40K player, the game mechanics are quite different and these videos can part the mists for us :D

Whilst this gives no doing, at least we'll see and remember ;)

Part 1.
miniwargaming Warmachine part 1.

Part 2.
miniwargaming Warmachine part 2.

Part 3.
miniwargaming Warmachine part 3.

Hopefully these have been of use to you :)

Of pig's ears and purses.

Many of us will know the saying "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear"
A sow is a female pig, and incidentally a sounder is a male pig.
The saying is meaning, you cannot make something noble out of something that is common. Very common in this case. *oink*

But if you think about it, the saying holds true in reverse. You cannot make a chrome vanadium spanner out of a gold nugget. Or, to put it this way, you cannot make something practical out of something almost purely decorative. Well, you can, but it won't do the job very well and would cost a ridiculous amount.

So what am I saying?

A thing is what it is. Trying to make that thing into something else, will not often bring as much success as if it were used for its apparent purpose.

For RoS, our Myrmidons are not simple, dedicated mêlée Warjacks. They are, for better or worse, hybrid shooting and mêlée units.
Similarly, our Infantry are really very good, and perhaps superior to other factions Infantry overall.

Trying to make Myrmidons perform like dedicated units just isn't going to work, unless coincidence of convenience comes along.

Likewise, if RoS Infantry is high quality, then that is a fantastic thing.

Why am I saying this?

When someone has played with another Faction, it is quite natural for them to transfer that knowledge and experience onto their expectations of RoS.
Now when they try to run RoS in the way they would a typical Faction, they will be confused and disappointed about how the Myrmidons operate. Or they won't be using many of our quality Infantry, because, in Warmachine, the games is "all about" the Heavies [Jacks or Beasts].

Fortunately for me, and other WM n00bs who have not played with other Factions, we won't have to "unlearn" how to play WM. Whilst that could then put us at a disadvantage when we start playing with different Factions, having our RoS knowledge and experience interfering with how that Faction plays, our greenness to WM means we haven't been moulded into playing any other style than RoS.

Sweet!

A thing is what a thing is. Our units are what they are. By using them how their intrinsic strengths demand, will enable a far more harmonious result to come from them, garnishing success for the user.

Tournament preparedness.

I have lifted this post from the PP forums. These are some of my pearls for attending a tournament with winning in mind. It is to do with off-table things, that help you win:

Tourneys are like exams. You are put under the pump, but after you have completed them you have a reward from it. For exams it is the mark, but for tourneys it is cool stories. Both give you experience for next time.

So how I approach one is just like I would an exam:

• Get to bed early. Tiredness when driving is like driving drunk. You wouldn't get inebriated at a tourney, unless you are just their for socialising. So why go tired?
Having a sharp mind can stop even just one mistake, which could turn a narrow loss into a tie, or a tie into a win, etc.
Also, tired people are usually grumpy people. You feel better for not being grouchy, even when things go wrong.

• Be early. You will be better off mentally getting there, say, 30 minutes early, than trying to find the place, or find parking, etc. My Dad was an Insurance claims assessor. You can imagine he might be on the back-foot if he was telling a client they were not insured for this or that. Getting there before time was one less apology he had to make, and one less stress he had to deal with.
Our family motto seems to be: "To be early is to be on time, and to be on time is to be late."


• Water. It is great for the brain. I have heard, so take it with salt if you want, that dehydrated people perform less well on tests on so on.
Don't load up on sugary drinks - they just dry you out. If you do drink them, make the next one a water.

• Shoes. Even if you have managed to sit down a lot, you feet might well end up sore. By wearing good runners, instead of something trendy, you actually improve your concentration. Workplaces with concrete floors put down rubber matts for workers to stand on for this very reason.
You don't want to miss something because your heels started aching.

• Loose-ish clothing. It'll help keep you cool, which will keep your BO down. It is not nice playing against someone who is a little whiffy. Also, loose clothes are more comfortable - which keeps your concentration up.

Now if you are not going to do the very best you can, then don't worry about what I have said. But if you want cool stories and results to share with your friends, these quite small things will help.

I hope I have been of help 

Stalking Colonel Festus

As I will be copying Colonel Festus's technique, assuming I am able too :P, I thought to provide links to his posts, will will cut out the middle man (me) and stop anything from being lost in translation.

The Colonel's Thread

BoLS, Warmachine hobby. PAINTING MYRMIDONS
BoLS, Warmachine hobby. PAINTING DAWNGUARD.

And something from Grey_Death:
Zenithal highlighting.