Month: October 2017

Epic Armageddon City Table "Completed"

         Finally. After X years, false starts, distraction, and life its done. The project’s opening statement;

          “I think it is everyone’s dream to have an Epic city table. Mine too, and like most I have failed to create anything remotely cool and useful. Before there was never a plan or layout, just random projects here and there slapped together. Now there is a plan! 
          Today the dream starts, 08 JULY 2013. How long it will take? Will I ever finish the table?”

It took 4 years and 2 months.

          Initially I wanted the whole thing covered with FW buildings. Sadly each tile averages about +/-12 buildings and 26 plus road sections.  That is serious terrain time and funding. 

 That grey square is for a Tank Factory. Hmmm need to find that box.

DONE?   Well at least the first 6 tiles are. There are a spare 3 flat tiles looking for love and attention. Maybe one more city tile and the other two grass land.

Lessons Learned;

ForgeWorld Roads are not true or square. They are not the same thickness. It is the normal FW shit job and QC. I think next time I would make copies of originals. Then take those copies and make them true and square. Then makes copies off the corrected versions. eBay the originals.

ForgeWorld Buildings should be scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. Then primed with auto primer. After painting dip them in AP strong tone. They chip and get damaged far too easily. I have to repair them after every time out.
Also I would like to chop a few of the buildings. If I had the time, I think I could make some interest crazy stuff, Ts and Crosses.

Lay out the boards;  1 with a machinist’s jig. Example; label the tile North, East, West, South and jig the roads out on the north curb.   2 make sure all the roads line up from tile to tile, side to side.

 Just in time for HMGS’ Fall In

3000 point Epic Tau Vs Eldar

 Tau Vs Eldar Iyanden 3000 points standard tourney scenario.

         We hit up Six Feet Under in New Holland, Pa. The place is fully stocked. They have 6 beautiful gaming tables. Ones I wish I had! There is tons of parking, Subway two doors down, and sodas for $1.25.

         Of course the normal crap job of battle reports continues. I took a few pictures and never wrote down turn 3.

My List

Kal’s list

Table

Eldar 10 to Tau 12 activations

Eldar Rangers Garrison left flank objective.
Eldar Wraithguard is in the bomber.
Eldar Wraithguard/bts is in the gate.

Tau Recon1 garrisons center objective.
Tau Stealth Suits are waiting to teli.
Tau Criss suits are in the Manta.

Turn 1
Tau Stealth Suits tell onto the RF Falcons.
Tau win initiative.
Stealth suits engage RF Falcons, FAILED to activate. 1BM
Eldar Bombers GA Railheads. 4BMs
Eldar retains. Falcons LF Doubles targeting ReconG. 3KIA, BROKEN
Tau Manta Advances targeting wave serpents. 1BM
Eldar Falcons RF Doubles targeting ReconG. ELIMINATED.
Tau ReconC calls Coordinating Fire. They take the Skyrays and FireWarriorsC with them.
     ReconC Advances targeting Falcons RF. 1KIA 2BMs
     Skyrays sustain on the Falcons. 2KIA BROKEN
     FW Double into the ruins
Eldar Wraithblade Double targeting the Stealth suits. 1BM
Tau Cuda GA targeting Falcons RF. ELIMINATED
Eldar Vamp FAILED
Tau Railheads Marshalled 0BMs
Eldar Waithlords LF FAILED, Marshalled
Tau PFs Double targeting Wraithblades. 2KIA BROKEN
Eldar WraithlordsG FAILED to arrive via the gate
Tau FW LF Doubles

Turn 2
Eldar wins Initiative
Eldar Waithblades RF Engages Stealth suits. ELIMINATED
Tau PW Double targeting WaithlordsC. 1BM
Eldar Falcons LF Double targeting FW LF. 4KIA BROKEN
Tau Cuda GA Serpents 1KIA BROKEN
Eldar Bombers GA ReconC. 1BM
Tau Cuda GA WaithbladesC. 1BM
Eldar Vamp FAILED
Tau Skyrays Advance targeting Wraithblades. 1BM
Eldar WraithlordsG arrive via the gate. Double targeting ReconC 2KIA BROKEN
Tau Railheads double targeting Rangers. 1KIA 2BMs
Retain
Tau FWs C FAILED targets WraithlordsG 1KIA 2BMs
Eldar Waithlords LF March
Tau Manta Advances targets WraithlordsG Eliminated

Turn 3
Elder win Initiative
I stopped writing stuff down and focused on not screwing myself.

I ended up winning 3-0 Blitz, DTF, & TSNP. Looks bad for Kal, but it was a dice revolt. The Vamp and troops aboard failed to to show up. Missing hits and failing saves were abnormally high. If the dice were even, he would have run me into the ground.

Leasons;

* With blades have no FF ability.

*Manta is a slow beast. Hard to get into position.

* Again I failed to use the terrain to my advantage. I also need to sit tight while a slower army walks into range.

6mm Desert Terrain part XVI "The Villages"

Back to the Desert terrain!

After the failure with MDF. (It was too thick and easily damaged.) The eBay specials were torn off, backs sanded, and glued down to plexiglass. The plexi (10×7 inches) was 4 bucks each, Vs the $4 sheet of MDF (4×2 feet).

The plexi showing on the sides will be filled in with a sculpting epoxy. Then sanded, painted, and flocked to match.

The other two pieces of plexi will be covered in games craft building.

GW Realms of battle

         This was one of the tables snatched off eBay. I never did anything what it. While working on the City Table I got the bug to finish this one too. This time I stole the table idea from Luke’s youtube channel.   I did not go totally desert on this one. This battle board needed to pull triple duty. warmaster, force on force, epic, maybe Africa/Sudan

Games Workshop battle board

        5 dollar 25lb bag of sand from Home Depot, 2 cans of dark brown spray paint, dark green and spring green flock (hand mixed with the sand), spray bottle, and quart semi gloss poly. Everything was sprayed dark brown. Then poly was brushed on. A shaker was used to flock it. The sand was the cheap shit. After the first tile, I found out the rocks in the sand were way too big. The sand mix needed to be sifted.

All the holes the large rock created had to be fixed.

Dam Skulls

          The skulls were filled in with the same method used for the city table. This time they look more like dried up watering holes.

         Following the railroader method, the tiles were coated with watered down PVA 3 times. They say it keeps the flock in place and prevents it from being rubbed off. This beast will get a proper testing at HMGS’ Fall In.
        If it takes damage, it ok. I have save enough of the sand mix to repair any damage. Plus the damage it takes will allow me to adjust my method.

Matching terrain pieces.

Epic Armageddon City Table part XI

The tiles are down. And board base coated. ****two tiles are missing.*****

         The rock faces and cracks were stained. Then the entire outcrop was dry brushed white, heavy washed with testers black wash. As soon as it was covered, a paper towel was used to lift it off.

         Those dam skulls. I know someone thought they were a great idea. Yet everyone tries to fill them in or cover them up. As a broken ground, rough/dangerous terrain idea, it sucks. A sunken road or sunken stream would have been so much better.
           I do not want a pond, swamp, puddle in the middle of my tile!

          Mine are filled in with railroad ballast. Primed, pure white glue, fine ballast, watered down white glue, ballast again, and watered down white glue again.

My ballast of choice mixed in with some kitty liter, stuffed into an old spice container.

 Looks like crap while your doing it. Still 1000 times better than skulls.

These are the first six realm of battle tiles. There are 3 more waiting for FW roads, after Fall In.

The realm of battle story;
         Over the years I have bought and sold maybe 5 realm of battle boards. 2 were commissions for a local club in Boston. Another I sold because I thought at the time they sucked and I was selling the two I had off. Then I bought one for 150 and was back to two with 3 extra tiles. I got a game room in the old house. Built an 8 by 6 table and had the idea I should have tiles enough to cover it.  I ended up with 14 battle tiles.