Warmaster "Finishing an army" part I

I need to finish projects. There are half started, almost finished armies kicking about. Once cleaned up and cleared off, World Eaters, Samurai, & 20mm Colonial is next.

Starting with the Warmaster Tomb Kings. Which was a painted and complete army. Then I had to go and screw with it.

1 old and 1 new set of birdies.

1 new command stand.

1 repaired and repainted Dragon with priest

Epic

More Epic. More Tau? Why not. Xmas came early. I got a new supplier and with it some items for HH 30K. They are a total bitch to put together. I had to use that “zap it” shit to harden the glue on contact.

Hopefully this next year will see the 30K World Eaters finally finished. Which then puts forward what HH 30K army to start next. Some where sits the custom DAs, BAs, & Wolves.

Today will be warmer and dry. Hopefully I can prime without breaking out the airbrush.

If you were paying attention in a Warmaster posting, you would have noticed more Tau. I picked up some Devilfish and more Hammerheads.

NetEA 3000 points Tau Vs Sisters

This time out I have shelved the giant 2DC suits. They are wonderful attention magnetics. Every player seems to dread those big bastards. They steal something from me every time out. I love the Tau for the risk Vs reward. With the 2DC suits your playing a bait and switch trick.

I need to get a handle on how best to work the Broadsides. The rest of the list will flux around getting the most out of them.

This learning event, the Fire Warrior are holding down the pine. I will field 3 detachments of suits and 2 Broadsides detachments. One of each will be rolling in an Ocra.

My list

Kal’s Sisters

We did not play the standard tourney scenario. The game was corners, half long edge & 18 inches up the short side.

Garrisons & Deployments

Sister’s right flank gets a Pentinent Engine

Sisters Garrison their left flank with 2 detachments of Pentinent Engine

Tau Garrison the left flank with Broadsides (non BTS) and Path Finders

Turn 2 action;
Sisters roll up my left flank. Tau swings the door shut on the right flank. A diagonal game turns length wise with Blitz objectives all the way across the table.

The Tau Telli Stealth onto the Sister’s Blitz & BTS. The Sister BTS breaks, breaking the Stealths in an engagement. The Tau Broadside BTS brushes off the Flak to land on the Blitz smoking the BTS.

Flying Nuns Telli onto the backside of the Boardsides Garrisoned. In a sexy Nun gang bang, the Broadsides & Pathfinders are mauled/broken.

Tau win 3-0. Blitz, BTS, T&H

Lessons Learned;

* Don’t place your BTS (Broadsides in an Ocra).

* Garrisoned Broadsides in terrain are as tough as ticks

* Garrisoned Broadsides in terrain need a supporting unit. Same as tanks need INF. Not as a screen but as a ML disrupt, shoot them up, overwatch. Once charged they are finished.

Warmaster Tomb Kings Vs Dark Elves

This time around the dragon priest and birdies are out. I believe, I have developed a solid understanding of their tactics and how to abuse them best. Today I am working of the usage of the Sphinx and Cavalry.

The Sphinx proved difficult and not worth the points when I first started playing. Now that I have actually read the rules and know them fairly well, I expect the Sphinx’s performance to be worth it’s points. Also I took two in the list for today’s game.
The plan is to use them as shock troops. Those unit which steam roller the enemy. As Elephants would have been used. In the back of my head they will be most like my Epic Tau Stealth suits. As in they will hold my opponents attention, while the important operations are ignored.

Cavalry? But its ancients dummy and Cavalry is Cavalry. Don’t go over thinking its historical track record and proven usage. In this case, we will not be exploring ancients application of cavalry, but the rule system’s/stat line for cavalry.
Normally, like most players, I use them in a brigade of 4. The frontage ( CAV being based short edge. 20mm x 3stands=60mm x 2 units for a frontage of 120mm. An INF unit has a frontage of 120mm 40mm x 3 stands=120mm) allows for maximum contact during an assault/charge. 18 attacks with 6 support.
What? Yes! This all started with some internet chatter about uselessness of 5 up save cavalry. You can find the discussion if you want to. Normally such chatter is only pure entertainment. The point was well made. Enough to make me rethink my established opinion on usage.
Even more so, if one is a Tomb King player. Our Cavalry is 2 attacks not 3. We suck total donkey balls. No Cold Ones here, as those nasties are the opposite end. What we have and other armies is a unit (2-3-5 or 3-3-5). A block of 3 stands that is 10cm faster and with a 1 better save Vs. INF unit.
Therefore today I plan to use them attached to an INF brigade Vs a cavalry wing brigade as the usual. What I believe the 5+CAV will do is increase the threat range. If your enemy is willing to get in bow range, well then the CAV is in ponce range.

On to the game!

My list:

Kal’s list;

The game was called due to time. It was a total clown show. Together we failed well over half of our command rolls. Kal’s general failed so many time he was down to leadership 7. I failed the first roll 9 times. Nothing was moving. Even less happening. His right flank completely failed to activate. My right flank won’t move. Then my left took the day off. The flanks saw little to no action with the show in the center.

Lead Porn kind of sort of in order

Cherry picking "update II"

With the Tau army I repainted while in Japan. It was ebaying time. I shot the moon, listing it at 700. Yeah its high as hell, but fuck it. It is xmas time. Someone has granny xmas money to piss away. After 4ish relishing cycles it sold.

Earlier this year I bought another Tau army. The price was cheap enough I could rape the treasure it was by parting it out. I am balls deep for 635 after shipping. 215 days later I have managed to sell 290.00 dollars.

75 for the Ocra
125 for the Mantra
30 for the Cuda
60 for 6 HammerHeads

About a year in total time. That puts me at 990 total for an army I paid 635 for and cherry picked the best items for me.

Warmaster Battle tracker

In most Warmaster games one plays to break. We hardly ever use scenarios. Being so, I tend not to pay attention to my losses or the enemy dead. Which is the goal right. You must kill enough unit to break. Maybe turn 1 -3 is not so important, but after? Not paying attention could cost you a victory!

We all have those total speed bump units. Others we restrict LOS with. Ones we use as bait. All 2 too many! Those cheeky bastards will cost you in the end.

I created a battle tracker, break point tracker. Something to help out an old man. The base is scrap plastic card. I used cork to build up the ground, in which I would bury the dial counter. A $1.99 fish tank Egyptian head, Tomb King extras, and some chinaman palms to finish it off. About 2 hrs on and off total?

I think in the future some poor bastards will be added on their way to pronate themselves to their new master.

Warmaster Revolution 2000points Tomb Kings Vs Dark Elves

Another game with Kal. We banged two out on Thursday. Friday was re-enrollment for healthcare. WTF? Every year I have to do this shit? SO late post.

This my 2nd game with the Warmaster Revolution rules. We did not use the half move or scout rule. Is it cleaner? Not really. Faster? yes. It does a fine job of checking the abuses and daisy change gang banging engagements.

Deployments

Tomb King

Dark Elves

In this game I tried some Alexander the Great BS. My first turn I did a line shift right. Placing my right flank in terrain. AtG did this to nuff the chariots he was facing. Kal had no chariots. I did it to over weight his left flank.

As in my center would be in front of his left flank, my right flank overlapping the same left flank. To ensure my now overlapped right flank did get run over, I refused the flank. The refusal was anchored at the pivot with an artillery formation. While the move was covered be flyers and a dragon.

Of course the refused flank group failed to follow the rest of the army on T1. A lone cavalry unit was sent out to cover the failures. T2 they got it together. As the right flank then failed orders.

The right flank refusal, worked better than expected. Kal’s witch elves were just off center on my left. They assisted in failing orders twice in a row. Then they started passing and ate that right flank.

Those 2 lone units of skeleton INF way out in no man’s land are raise the dead. The bust stand missing it’s minis was my dragon. He took a pre game nose dive and suffered terribly from gravity.

My center looking just off center from the Dark Elves.

The witch elves on the left are steam rolling everything. My left center brigade is pushed up to feed the Elves. As the chariots are about to slam the center and feed the cold ones on the right.

Tomb Kings won

The game was decided not by my AtG bullshit, but more by the dice. Kal’s flanks had trouble from the start. Which hung units out to dry. The dragon and flyers, the center chariot brigade took advantage. I kept the weak INF back in supporting roles. While the dice plagued him with zero saves and only 1 or 2 hits when he needed them or when I should have been brush off with little effort.

Tomb King lessons

Chariots are just ok. Cavalry are not cavalry, more like fast INF. The flyers and dragon/priest combo are mean. With raise the dead, the combo is broken!