35 point Army Deals: Legion of Everblight

Continuing the 35 point army deals, today we have the cheapest deal yet, clocking in at a mere $201.94 for the Legion of Everblight!  Part of the fun of playing Legion, of course, is being able to run with lots of warbeasts!  One of the most fun aspects of playing with the Legion of Everblight is being able to run with lots of warbeasts and to run them efficiently.  Today’s list not only has a bunch of warbeasts, but they’re warbeasts that you’ll see used in multiple Legion lists so you’ll be getting the most bang for your buck – and that’s part of the goal of these 35 point army deals.  Perhaps it's due to the lower cost of running a Legion army that they are very popular (although not as popular as they once were).  Without further ado, I present today’s 35 point Army Deal, led by Thagarosh, Prophet of Everblight!

35 Point Army Deals: Mercenaries

Today I want to continue my series on Summer Deals for those wishing to go beyond Privateer Press' 25 Point Summer Deals.  While the deals they offer are nice, for those who are willing to spend a little more $$$ for effectiveness, I've decided to craft 35 point lists for each faction that I hope will both be a good starting point for building a collection with that army, while also being fairly effective and/or fun!  Today I will be creating a list for Mercenaries (specifically, the Four Star Syndicate) that clocks in at only $221.88 retail.  The added benefit here, of course, is that Mercenaries can be taken with other factions and so I purposely chose some models that I feel will both be effective and useful in other factions.  Without further ado, let's look at the list, breakdown of cost, and briefly how one can use the list to be most effective!

Showcase: The Stormwall

It's time for the moment you've all been waiting for!  Okay, maybe not, but I finally took some pictures of my finished Stormwall.  I've been debating with myself on whether or not I should go back and highlight the blue on its armor plates more but I've now decided against it.  I'm very satisfied with the way it looks and I'm pleased with the color blue I have, without needing to highlight it just for the sake of highlighting it.  He fits with my painting style and dammit, I'm keeping him the way he is!  Without further ado, here's my Stormwall!

Debriefing: 25 point "Ambush" (part 2)

On Sunday I participated in a 25 point "Ambush" style tournament, where each scenario played used the Reinforcements artifice.  In part 1 I shared the lists that I brought to the tournament and shared the general results from my first two games.  After both of those games I was feeling pretty good, but I felt like I still had room to improve and I had to keep on my game.  I had made some big errors with my first game with Sloan and I was determined to make sure I did not repeat those errors.  Similarly, I needed to make sure that I kept the scenario in mind, as I had yet to earn any control points and those could be huge in future games.  Boy, was I right!

Debriefing: 25 point "Ambush" (part 1)

First I want to apologize for the lateness of this post.  I awoke this morning to find that my power was out at home so I had to go out to get some internet so it took me a little longer to get this all written up.  I had the fortune of being able to attend a 25 point “Ambush” tournament in Manchester CT at The Battle Standard on Sunday.  The tournament was really well attended (24 participants) and the store itself is… awesome.  I highly recommend anyone within an hour of driving check it out because it is certainly worth it.  I attended the tournament and decided to bring two Cygnar lists with me and I convinced myself that I probably wasn’t going to be able to do much but get some games in and get some experience with the Stormwall, since I had not had the opportunity to play with either of the lists I had brought yet.  Today I'll share the two lists I brought with me and a brief synopsis of my first two matches.  Tomorrow I'll share the 3rd and 4th matches as this post would be too long if I included them too!  I'll also share some of my general thoughts on the Stormwall tomorrow too.

35 point Army Deals: Minions

Once again, in the spirit of Privateer Press giving 25 point army deals, today I will present another 35 point list that is a good deal, falling within the $200-250 price range and will be fun/competitive to play with too!  Today I will take a look at the Blindwater Congregation, specifically, because as hard as I tried, it was difficult to find a really competitive list with the Thornfall Alliance that fit into the price range.  If there's enough demand I might try harder, but for now I came up with a list that is both affordable (coming in at $227.93 retail) and will be fun and characterful to play!  The only note that I need to make here is that one model (the Gatorman Witch Doctor) has not been released yet, but it can easily be replaced with a Thrullg for now - which will actually shave off an extra $2!  Without further ado, let's take a look at the list and then I'll give a brief description on how it's supposed to work:

Sloan and the Stormwall

Don't get too excited, it's not completely done yet.  I've spent the past 24 hours painting this guy and it is quite intimidating to paint.  Unlike some other large models you might encounter, this guy is still packed full of detail and it's quite challenging to paint it without accidentally getting paint somewhere where I don't want it.

Anyway, I'll be taking more pictures when it's actually finished but for now I want to share some of the thoughts I've had about the Stormwall and Colossals in general.  First I want to share a list that I'm considering bringing to the 25 point "Ambush" scenario this weekend, featuring the Stormwall itself:

Showcase: Sloan and the Minutemen

 First of all, look what arrived yesterday!  It took a good amount of time to put together but I have to say I'm impressed with the quality of the kit.  There was some flash and a slight miscast along a mould line, but I'm overall impressed with the thoughtful placement of the mould lines and assembly points.  While I work on the colossal task of painting it (GET IT!?) I figured I'd share some of my other Cygnar models: two of the four Minutemen I own, and Kara Sloan - who I finished painting yesterday!  I don't claim to be a great painter but I am quite pleased with how these models came out.

35 point Army Deals: Cygnar

With the recent arrival last week of the Artificer General Nemo and his assistant Caitlin Finch, I decided to delve right into what seems to be one of the most powerful warcasters of recent memory.  The best part about the list I'm about to share is that it's incredibly cheap for a 35 point army ($219.92 retail) to own without sacrificing on brutal effectiveness.  In the spirit of the new 25 point summer deals, I decided to share with you all some cheap (but fun!) 35 point armies to try out that I aim to price between $200-250 retail.  Not only will I share the list and retail prices with you but I aim to also provide a brief description of how the army is played in the style of a short list building article!  Let's start today with Cygnar's 35 point deal: Artificer General Nemo!

Thinking Cap: In Defense of the Conquest

There’s been a lot of hate out there for the Khadorian Colossal.  There are many who feel like it is the least useful of the Colossals and many will argue that the Stormwall is hands-down the best Colossal out there.  While I will not disagree that the Stormwall is fantastic, I think it’s power is perhaps exaggerated by the fact that Cygnar previously lacked something that had both raw offensive output and damage resiliency.  Indeed, one of the Stormwall’s greatest attributes is that it will be effective in the hands of nearly all of the Cygnarian warcasters since it has both raw melee potential and some effective shooting.  Why then, is the Conquest viewed by Khadorian players with such disappointment?  Let me share some insights I’ve had about the Conquest and why I think it will be equally – if not more welcome – than the other warjacks that Khador can bring.

Steamroller Prep: 25 points - Mercs

Today is the third and final part of my Steamroller Prep articles for the 25 point "Ambush" Steamroller event at The Battle Standard in Manchester, CT.  I currently own 3 main factions right now: Cygnar, Circle, and Mercs and in the first two articles I discussed some lists worth considering for Cygnar and Circle.  Today I wish to present the lists for my final faction: Mercenaries.  Unfortunately, I only own a select few Mercenary models, and only 2 of them are warcasters, so my options are somewhat limited.  The fortunate thing about owning Mercenary models, however, is the utility of using them in other factions as well, so it's a bit easier to build up a Mercenary collection on the side!  In fact, many of the models that I'll be using in today's lists I picked up for their utility in other lists - notably for Cygnar.  So what warcasters am I bringing?  First is my favorite underdog: Fiona the Black.

Steamroller Prep: 25 points - Circle

Like I mentioned yesterday, there will be a 25 point Steamroller tournament next weekend that I want to attend.  One neat feature of this tournament is that every scenario will feature Reinforcements which will make it far more interesting and predictable when it comes to designing lists.  I already shared two Cygnar lists worth considering (although I came up with another today that is so scary I want to keep it secret!) and today I wish to share two lists that I'm considering if I were to play Circle instead.  One of the greatest advantages of playing my Circle is not only that I'm more familiar with them but that they are mostly painted - thus I can enter into the raffle easily!  The two lists I'm considering from Circle will feature some models that have already been painted, but there will be some more that I would need to paint in order to be completely painted for this tournament, so I'd still be motivated to paint.  What two lists am I considering bringing?

Steamroller Prep: 25 points - Cygnar

One of my long-time Warmachine/Hordes buddies has been the Press Ganger running events over at the Battle Standard for a few months now and, despite living in CT, I haven't made my way out there yet.  I've been tempted to do so a number of times, but with a lease on my car and limited mileage, I have to be careful to keep track of how far I drive.  This will change, however!  There is a 25 point Steamroller tournament in less than 2 weeks that I think I want to attend since it's a good opportunity to get some guaranteed gaming in.  What makes this tournament so interesting to me is twofold.  First, it's an "Ambush" themed Steamroller where all of the scenarios will use Reinforcements and secondly, even if I don't win anything, if I can get my army fully painted then I will be entered into a raffle drawing.  With this being summer vacation for me I could certainly use some motivation to get more models painted so this seems as good of an opportunity as any!  So what lists am I considering taking?  Well for the next three days I'll look at creating lists that I would feel comfortable bringing considering the factions I own/play.  Today I'll start with the 2 lists I'm considering for Cygnar.

Editorial: The 'Casterkill' game mechanic

I imagine that this will be a sensitive topic for many but it's been weighing on my mind a bit since the tournament on Saturday, resurrected after a couple years of becoming more familiar with Warmachine/Hordes.  One of my first experiences observing a game of Warmachine/Hordes right after Mk. II was released involved watching a friend playing his Trolls kill epic Nemo with a Dire Troll Bomber on turn 2.  This was a 'casual' game and the Cygnar player was a little miffed that it happened so quickly (and easily).  I'm sure everyone has had a similar experience where they felt a bit cheated because they lost their game so quickly - typically because their warcaster/warlock got killed when they didn't see/know that a model could somehow kill them.  When I first started the game, the casterkill mechanic was a source of great frustration to me - I didn't think it was fair that you could lose the game so quickly.  Over the years however, I've become quite accustom to this mechanic and think it has some great merits to it.  Today I want to explore a little bit about it and compare and contrast it to other games where the mechanic exists and does not exist.

Stratford CT Steamroller (6/9/12) Results

This past weekend there was a 35 point Steamroller tournament at Gamingetc. in Stratford CT.  While the expected turnout was fairly low but there ended up being about 15 players in the end (I think...) - pretty solid around here for Warmachine/Hordes tournaments.  I wasn't sure if I was going for sure until the morning of the tournament and I'm glad I attended!  I decided to bring along my Circle because they never let me down and are my go-to tournament army - plus the lists I bring are fully-painted!  I was also fortunate enough to bump into some friends who regularly play at my old LGS who decided to make the trip down too!  So let me share the demographics of the tournament (to my best recollection), the lists that I brought, and how I performed in the tournament.

Review: Privateer Press Summer Deals

For those who are not following www.3plusplus.net, I wrote two articles recently reviewing the Privateer Press Summer Deals because Kirby asked me to.  I must apologize for those who've already read these articles because I will be recycling them here today, but at least I'm combining them into a single article (which will be found in the future under the 'Review' tab above) and I have downgrading a couple of ratings after some discussion and reconsideration.  While Games Workshop is raising prices on 200+ items, Privateer Press is offering special 25 point deals on products through their online store.  I'll be rating these on a 1-5 scale on Longevity (how often you'll use the models in the deal), in a similar style to when I rated the Battlegroup boxes on my own blog, but I'll also rate these based on the Power of the 25 point list in the deal.  Just to clarify, I do mean the 25 point list created from the models you get in the deal itself compared to any other 25 point list you might come across.  This means that I'm not so much ranking them relative to each other, but more sharing my opinion on whether it'll be a solid list playing against anyone at 25 points.  Since each of these deals has a savings of about 25%, you at least know that you're getting a pretty good deal here.  Lastly, at the end of my review I'll include my [brutally honest] concluding thoughts about the deals themselves.

List Building: Sloan and the Stormwall

I'm pretty excited about the Stormwall.  I won't go as far as saying that it's the best Colossal, but I think it really has everything that Cygnar players have really needed and been waiting for.  Ranged firepower?  Check.  P+S 20 on melee attacks?  Check.  Able to disrupt enemy warjacks?  Check.  There has been a lot of discussion in the community since the release of the Stormwall about which warcaster would benefit the most from it.  Everyone seems to love pHaley with the Stormwall but on my own list I really tried to advocate for Kara Sloan.  Perhaps my desire to make her my next Cygnar warcaster has led me to be over biased, but I really believe that she will benefit from the Stormwall more than most.  Today, I want to look at Sloan in the context of the Stormwall and share a list that I think will probably have you intrigued.

New Poll: Affordable Colossals/Gargantuans

After the whirlwind of this weekend with the spoiling and releasing (albeit only at Lock n' Load) of Colossals and even the Gargantuan Mountain King, I've thought about how expensive these models are.  I'm not talking about the points cost, but the fact that the Stormwall is $135.  While I believe that the models are appropriately priced for their size and the quality of the kits, I still wonder how many will be able to afford these models.

That brings us to the new poll for the month:
Do you plan on buying a Colossal/Gargantuan?
"Yes!  I'll be buying one ASAP!"
"Yes, but I have to budget my funds carefully to afford one."
"No, they are too expensive for my budget." 
"No, I'm not interested."
"Not until I see the official rules."

List Building: Kromac and Mohsar 35 points

Last month's poll asked which of the Circle warlocks I should bring to the New England Team Tournament.  While I'm still considering my options and haven't committed yet, I did say that the top 3 voted warlocks would at least get a list building article.  The top 3 favorites for the NETT were: 1) Mohsar, 2) Kromac, and 3) pBaldur.  Since I've written about list building with pBaldur before, so I'll spare you from yet another article on him, but I'll instead focus on Mohsar and Kromac.  Since the tournament is 2 lists required, I'd need to bring both of these guys and have them cover all of the potential models I could see out there, and at 35 points it'll be even more challenging for Mohsar.  I'll start with Kromac first.

Warmachine: Colossals Consolidated Spoilers! [UPDATED 6-3-12]

Today I have something special for you all.  With Lock n' Load starting yesterday, I managed to scour the interwebs for everything that I could find on this event (since I couldn't make it myself).  Not only do I have pictures for you but some awesome spoilers on some of the new models coming out!  If you were following the Facebook page yesterday then some of this will be old news for you (lesson: like us on Facebook!) but there will be some new stuff that I've compiled from the Privateer Press forums for you all.  Let's start with some pictures and then I'll head right into rules!

[UPDATE 6-3-12] - We also have one of the spoiled cards for the Trollbloods Mountain King!  This answers a lot of questions that I had about how these Gargantuan warbeasts would function.