Blog Update: No pictures, but News and possibly a Rebirth

It's me again, with news and excuses. Summer is here, but somehow we haven't played much 40k at all. A few of us started playing Flames of War, which is a total blast, but in the past few weeks we've sort of slacked off entirely. This is inexcusable. We should start playing again, regularly.

Our facebook group, "Warhammer Players of San Marcos," has two new members. We haven't played since they joined, so we should probably get our asses into gear and throw some dice around. One plays Black Templar, and the other plays Guards, Iron Warriors, 'Nids, and something else that I don't remember. I'm so excited for another Guard player. I've been waiting to play a Guard against Guard game for so long. That and co-smite some enemies of Mankind.

I feel like this blog needs to evolve, though. Instead of this being the Blog of Ben, as it is now, I would like to see it become the Blog of the San Marcosites, as it were. San Marcutions? San Martians? Blog of the Wargamers of Saint Mark? Hm. I like that last one. Anyways, I'm rambling. I plan on expanding this blog to cover our whole gaming group. I hope to have pictures of our group, show other people's armies, and even *GASP* Battle reports, which we talk about needing to do every single time we play. Maybe it's time to act!

As far as the updates I mentioned go, I've been out of a job for several months, so money's been pretty tight. I've sold my Black Templar army, my Bretonnians, the handful of Tau I had, and I plan on selling a few other odds and ends of my wargaming paraphernalia to help make ends meet. However, I DO have a job interview at Hastings on Saturday, so here's hoping that works out. I AM keeping my Guard. I would not part with them. My Guard army is precious to me, though I buy it with a great pain. The markings upon the band seem to fade, a secret now that only fire...

Oy, sorry. I kind of Isildur-d out there for a second. The point being that I have a terrible problem. In the past, I've impulse-bought things. Space Marines, Lizardmen, Empire, Bretonnians... And I no longer own any of them. It's an impulse I've gotten better about keeping under control. It's too easy and far too much fun to buy and assemble these models. But I don't have the time or money to start a fantasy army. I have to realize and accept it now. They've Really priced me out of fantasy, since they not only want you to buy Huge units, but also raised prices. I'm not sure how much more 40k I'm willing to buy either. I might shore up my Guard army with a couple vehicles, but I'm kind of through spending money on GW products.

Leading me to the final bit: Flames of War! I love 15mm historical gaming. Multiple companies mean producing models that you can use with any game system means that you Can find cheaper alternatives to the miniatures! Battlefront (official) Flames of War minis too expensive? Old Glory miniatures are almost literally dirt cheap. Anyway, this blog shall expand to cover Flames of War, too. And the next post will have pictures.

Thank you, o Readers of the Blog, for sticking with it. I think I'm going to join this "House of Paincakes" blog group that my friend Evan showed me. I'd like to get increased traffic. And I like them a lot more than Bell of Lost Souls. So we'll see how that goes. For now, Auf Wiedersehen!

BLACK TEMPLAR

BLACK TEMPLAR!

I have some. Have for years. Tried to paint them in the fall of '08, which is when I started them, now that I think about it. I got really frustrated, because 18 year old me had other things on his mind than the best ways to paint black armor (booze, girlfriend, and, oh yeah, college too. I sometimes forget that that's why I was at Texas State... Oh well.

Yes, but anyways, Black Templars! I've begun painting them. I got a couple of Sword Brethren painted a month ago, and they turned out quite well. Metal models have those sharper edges on them, better/easier to paint. Anyways, what I did was try out the painting on some of my plastic terminators (of which I have many, haha.) And it did turn out quite well, if I do say so myself. Here they are!

Terminators and Sword Brethren! I happen to like the way they turned out. With so much of the model black, it only makes sense to base in black paint. But the subsequent white on top of black REALLY, REALLY SUCKS. That's why the Terminator with the Chainfist has two red shoulder pauldrons. Because, THAT'S WHY. I decided to give other two guys white shoulder pads with decals since, to be honest, they don't have the special BT specific pads that my other guys go. So there, a little bit of standard BT fair.

Black Templar are my favorite Chapter of Space Marines. Why? Because they really don't recognize the authority of anyone over them. They're All Crusade, All the Time. Crazy super soldier crusaders in space? Yes, please. Also, the Codex Astartes that Roboute Guilliman shoved down everyone's throats says no more than a thousand sworn Space Marines in a chapter. The Black Templar have at least 5,000. Because they do what they want, that's why. Flying all over space, in a dozen or maybe a hundred fleets, fighting the enemies of mankind. Seriously, great stuff.

The white shield really stands out against so much black and red, I think. It's certainly a striking contrast, and looks pretty cool (again, if I do say so myself.) I just had a spare combat shield in the bitz box, so he conveniently lost his bolt pistol and became a Fighting Company Champion.

Who Doesn't love Space Marines with pairs of lightning claws? Seriously, this guy is all about making trouble. Guy thoughtfully gave me a spare Berzerker head, which I gashed up artfully and added to the base, it's previous owner having just been decapitated by this guy. I might add more detail to it later, bigger gashes, blood leaking out, etc.

The camera clearly has better resolution than my eyes does. The white shoulder pad Really needs another layer or two. Other than that though, this guy is ready to claw peoples faces out. Also, for 3 pts. a model, you can give ALL your terminators either Furious Charge or... I think counter attack. Either way, awesome. There are a few really nice things in the Black Templar codex that I think makes them still viable, years after their last update.

Again with the eye/camera problems. The shield looked better with the naked eye, sooo... I'll be doing some touch ups on that. I also may switch around the colours on the shield. But, as with the Sword Brethren champion, I think the white provides a stark, eye catching contrast to the red and black.

These Tau are so boned. They won't know what hit them. And speaking of which...

I've painted a few of my Tau as well. I have 3 Crisis suits, 12 firewarriors, and a Piranha. I figure that some day, I'll play them again. Or at least paint the models I have, as I really like them. So, here's a parting shot of my Tau. Let me know what y'all think of the paintjobs. I might update later today, depending on how I feel, with a battle report on my games against the new Grey Knights. No pics, and it's all by memory, but I have some general impressions that people might enjoy, or even find insightful. So, until then, keep on painting your armies. Next game, the player with a higher percentage of painted models gets an 8% points bonus to their list. Here is a parting picture of some Tau.

Quick Update

It's St. Patrick's Day, or, as I call it, Amateur Day! Seriously. Play some real Irish music, for heaven's sake.

Anyways, neither Ria or I have working internet on our laptops. She had to order a new one, and it doesn't get here until tomorrow. So thanks, Guy, for letting me borrow yours real quick like this.

Next time I post something, I'm hoping it's a battle report. With pictures and everything. Until then, stay class. Check out my friend Evan's Ork blog, Waagh Grimbad. I'm following it, so I'm sure you can look it up on my profile somehow. No pics yet, but it's amusingly written.

Until next time, keep painting your miniatures, you lazy gits. Full Props to Derek, for his 98% painted Necron army. It looks pretty badass. I enjoy seeing an army of opponents that isn't that same grey colour as everyone else. Get it together, people!

We're Knights of the Round Table!

I'm nothing if not a traditionalist. Got my Bretonnian Battalion last thursday. Started assembling it almost  immediately, haha. Somehow the glue I was  using was drying literally half as fast as it had in the past. Small two-pack of superglue purchased at Lowes, you have failed me for the first time. Things sped up on Friday when Robert came over to watch movies and assemble his rat-men. Hobby Lobby glue, for one of the first times, proved the most effective way.


That being said, on to the army! Don't play armies you don't love. Don't let the fact that somebody else is playing the same army ultimately deter you from buying it.  I wish I'd been playing Bretonnians all along, haha. I love the Arthurian mythos. I am really digging these models. They are wonderful, and they're also pretty old. I don't think GW has touched the Bretonnian range in 7 or 8 years, and you know what? Even the most basic troopers are some of my favorite GW plastic models. And who doesn't love knights?

So far, I've only painted seven models. 6 men-at-arms, and one knight. A lot of the Games Workshop Bretonnian Knights are just... over gaudy. They don't look at all weathered, no realism at all. I know, I know, it's fantasy, but... Maybe I'm rambling. It probably doesn't make any sense. Anywho, my Commander will bear the same heraldry as the men-at-arms, since the foot troops will be his own household force, while the vast majority of the Knights will, of course, all bear their own heraldry. Here is my first knight, who has earned the nick-name The Black Boar.

 He is, as you can plainly see, black and white. Very crisp colours, but not gaudy. He looks very distinct without looking too silly. I think the paint scheme has a lot of dignity. But that might just be me. After that I'll be painting red and green  and blue and yellow knights. Knights of every colour of the rainbow!! haha.

Footnote: I'm fighting any number of urges to model every single knight after characters from A Song of Ice and Fire. Great stuff. Check it out. Coming soon to HBO.

And next, the Men-At-Arms. I wish they had better stats, you guys have no idea how much fun  I think these models are.

What do y'all think? I LOVE the way the shield transfers turned out. SO much easier than putting those blasted little things on space marine shoulder pads. I only have 34 Men-at-Arms, 32 peasant archers, 7 regular knights and one Pegasus knight. Until next time.

Update, no new pics.

Grettings, minions! Or, minion. I have a follower. That's nice, thanks Hilton. It's appreciated. Time for some updates!

The only Guard stuff I have left to paint are two autocannons, 10 Ogryn, and maybe a handful of random models. And one Commissar. And the Baneblade. Not a baneblade, it's one of the variants that I can't keep straight. I promised myself awhile ago that I wouldn't buy any more wargaming stuff until my guard army is done.

But I ordered a Bretonnian Battalion on Friday. I'm going to start a fantasy army, from scratch. I'll probably chronicle it here, too. But they won't be getting  here for awhile, so I'll endeavor  to finish my guard force. Also planning on buying the Imperial Sector, a week or 2 down the road. We need more buildings.

So, anyways, if you're reading this: Become a follower. Leave insightful or sarcastic comments. Is there anybody out there?!?!?! haha.

My next post will be all about my Commissar models, and close ups of a few well painted Guardsmen.

HERE IT IS! My company of the Cadian 8th Regiment, the Lord  Castellan's Own! Most of them aren't all that well painted, I have to admit. I've been working on this army for 8 years. EIGHT. haha. Man, the Eye of Terror Campaign was awhile ago, wasn't it? That's the main group shot.




Now, the more cunning and sharp-eyed among you will have noticed, and perhaps asked yourself "Why, it looks as if the Tanks are painted an entirely different scheme than the everything else. What's up with that?" Well, the answer lies in fluff. Ever since the Horus Heresy, Imperial Guard formations have been entirely made up of one type of unit. Infantry regiments are full of infantry. Tanks go  in the tank  regiments, and IG can't control spaceships. That way, if heresy takes root, a would-be Warmaster wouldn't have the full range of units at their disposal. So, while my Infantry are a solid force of Cadians, I've decided that their allied Armoured units would be from a Valhallan armored regiment. I'll probably slowly work towards an armored apocalypse force, the Valhallan somethinghundred-and-fifth.



 Here, we see the Valhallan Armored force pushing forwards, while the Cadian  infantry advances alongside and uses them for cover.



I personally really enjoy the grey-brown paint scheme. I have to learn how to get some more detail on the tanks. I've been focusing on getting my army up to the 3-colour standard.

Here, we have an Officer of the Fleet. I really like the model. Also, see his Bodyguard. I like it, thematically, since when I beef up a command squad, I always have an officer of the fleet,  and I always have bodyguards. It  made sense to me that a high ranking officer  of the Imperial Fleet wouldn't be unaccompanied by a personal armsman. Also, I had a spare Mordian lying around. So, here they are together.



And, because this post has dragged on long enough, I'll add a  picture of  my favorite commissar.



Anyways, I hope whoever's reading this enjoys it. Have at it, let  me know what you think. I guess I'll post about tactics or  something else next time. I still need to post pictures of the Stormtroopers, the other Commissars,  and some of my unpainted stuff.

*FOOTNOTE* I'd almost forgotten. You might also notice how there are three different paint schemes for the infantry models. Since I've been building this army for 8 years, there have been some changes. I'm working on getting them all up to the exact same standard. They all look fine. For now, I've decided that the FLUFF explanation for this  is that it's only natural that the newer  arrivals  to the unit would have cleaner,newer uniforms, some  would be a little more weathered, and the oldest models (from when I base coated my older models olive drab to save time painting the armor, haha.) So, they're a mixed batch, but I enjoy my horde of guardsmen.

An Update, Excuses about Updating, and some Rants

Heyyyyyyy everybody. Not sure if anyone's really reading my blog, at this point. I  have  no 'followers' according to the right hand  column of the blog, but  it's whatever. Only one real post, no pictures up yet, I didn't expect much more. I keep meaning and planning to take pictures of my army. They're all lined  up on  the kitchen table, just waiting. I'll have pictures up tomorrow,  and a post of some more substance, honest. As for now, that's what's up. Haven't played a game in a few days, I hope to work one in tomorrow night after work.

Let's see. What are some things about 40k that annoy me?
Thunderwolf Cavalry. Absolutely the stupidest idea I've heard in 40k, ever. Giant super human Space Marines... riding wolves. That's just really, really stupid. I can't fully express how very much I hate and loathe this idea without resorting  to lots and LOTS of profanity. Absurd. Utterly absurd.

A minor annoyance would have to be the way that rules handle weapon sponsons. A vehicle  should not have  to fire all it's weapons at a single target. You have a main gun for engaging your main target, and you have machine guns on the side to blast infantry. I really, really think that side sponsons should be able to engage any target they can see. That's just how things work.

Vehicle squadron rules are an annoyance to me, but I'm probably only saying  that because I'm a Guard player. It's only fair though, since  I can fit 9 heavy support  vehicles into 3 heavy support slots. I guess I get it, but  still.

Things I really like about 40k? I'd have to say it's mostly fluff things that I truly love. The fact that Blood Angels have horrific psychic visions on the eve of battle of their beloved Primarch, lying dead at the feet of the greatest traitor in human history, and this drives them to outrageous feats of rage and courage. That's really, really hardcore.

Everything about Gaunt's Ghosts. "A new Tanith, sir? Like the men talk about, when they're drunk or dying?"

The diversity of the Imperial Guard. There are, what, a million worlds in the Imperium? Some world have billions of people, some only thousands. Let's say that each world tithes only 100,000 (some less, many many more) men to the Guard. Not including the PDF, the Imperial Guard. Does that sound fairly reasonable? That means that there could be easily 100,000,000,000 Men and Women in the Guard. Imagine, then, every idea and image about the military you've ever seen. That's the Guard. They have entire divisions of elite soldiers comparable and superior to today's Special Forces, they have army groups drawn from worlds both feral and medieval, and glittering, brightly uniformed forces still marching to battle with drums banging and banners flying. So much diversity. I enjoy the immensely rich tapestry that this provides.

That's honestly what drew me to 40k in the first place. The incredibly rich storyline and backstory.

So, to turn this in to a magically interactive blog all of a sudden, I address YOU, the reader! What's your favorite piece of 40k fluff? Your favorite tidbit about the universe. Go for it.

Tomorrow will be about my own army.