tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72705544087238037332011-08-19T06:31:21.042-07:00This is a 40k blog. There are many like it, but this one is mine.<br> I cover gameplay, tactics, strategy, modeling, painting and such for my main armies of Eldar, Space Wolves, Chaos and Orks, plus maybe a little bit more...Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.comBlogger821100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-90078959514500826782010-07-18T12:11:00.008-07:002010-07-18T15:23:22.730-07:00

Hey there folks! There's been a few recent inquiries about how to sculpt Spirit Stones. Thing is, there's no "right" way, only whatever works best for you and the current piece. I know three different techniques to get the same effect and I'm sure there's more. (Feel free to share if you have a different method!) Please pardon the photos: I had to use Paint to edit as I recently upgraded to

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-81326280650253179812010-05-14T19:20:00.000-07:002010-05-14T19:19:26.568-07:00

Greetings! A while back I ran out of my trusty bottle of Dull Cote Lacquer. Needing a replacement, I dropped by several stores to see if I could pick up a new one. Yet while I found the spray can version at a couple places, nobody was carrying the brush-on version.Why did I care? Because there's certain things you can do with brush application that just don't work with spray. You can hit (or

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-92135896777319443152010-05-11T17:30:00.002-07:002010-05-16T00:08:41.440-07:00

Greetings everyone! After the heavy tactical content of my last post, I decided it was time for some lighter fare. I've been trudging through painting a Space Hulk set and recently finished up the Genestealers.If you've seen the Broodlord I did, you might know that these guys have a non-standard color scheme. The reason for this? I'm painting them for a friend so that they can also field in

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-64327804299115758042010-05-06T01:00:00.012-07:002010-05-07T10:38:43.691-07:00

Welcome to another exciting installment of "Back to Basics"! Today we're going to look at the fun-filled and oft confused subject of Wound Allocation.So what is Wound Allocation? Simply, after a unit has received wounding hits, the owning player needs to distribute those hits among members of the unit. These rules exist to instill some structure to the process. They mainly focus on evenly

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-70631195315054997822010-04-25T18:00:00.001-07:002010-04-25T18:00:01.506-07:00

Hello All!Continuing show & tell time, here's my recently finished Space Hulk Librarian. I still want to go back with DullCote to tone down the shine on much of him, especially the recesses of the tabard. But I'm currently out of DullCote and the photo setup was ready, so I decided to go ahead and get some pics. Here's what he looks like, in all his flaws and glory:I'm not ecstatic about his

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-907986141140450452010-04-23T15:00:00.004-07:002010-04-24T14:15:14.852-07:00

Cheers and welcome back to another exciting adventure in rambling 40K blogging! I thought about sparing you all the wall of text and just doing some pics, but the pics can't tell the full story...So today's post is on an old Tyranid Hunter-Screamer-Killer. A few weeks ago, my friend and gaming buddy Mark called. He wanted to see about picking up the Space Hulk Genestealers I'd painted for him.

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-25733379266231801912010-04-22T20:15:00.005-07:002010-04-22T21:59:52.443-07:00

Hello again everyone!I'm not really a big painter or photographer, so I've never invested in a lightbox. Typically I'd just put the fig on a white backdrop, make sure there was some decent ambient light and take a few snaps. It was never great, but it wasn't horrible either. Yet occasionally I'd want a nicer base pic for a contest or something. So I'd set up extra lamps, offer some voodoo

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-72188389738960398482010-04-20T21:50:00.008-07:002010-05-04T15:30:10.148-07:00

Hello boys and girls! Today, I've decided to talk about a critical component of army list building: balancing for "enough" Troops.Cruising around the interwebs yesterday, Sildani asked me to take a look at his armylist on Warseer. Some of the comments made me shake my head in despair, but one in particular caught my eye: that Eldar should have "one Troop per 500 points".This comment pained on

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-59879611655849196042010-04-11T17:00:00.001-07:002010-04-11T17:10:23.437-07:00

Hello fearless readers! The last few weeks I've been finding myself returning to the part of the hobby I enjoy almost as much as playing: Sculpting. Today we're going to look at the concept of Layering.Layering is comprised of two key concepts:1. You don't have to do every little detail in a single go.I consider this THE biggest tip anyone can receive when getting into Sculpting. For any

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-89570895077408656332010-03-31T08:03:00.006-07:002010-04-22T21:47:31.632-07:00

I've spent the last couple days off work sick with an upper respiratory infection. I'm doing better now and still managed to do a few useful things with the down time. Mainly, I finished off the last of the Space Hulk Genestealers and turned my brush on the Broodlord. He looks a little something like this (Updated Pic):Old Pic:I still need to go back and dull coat the base as it's a little

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-45813521932850946412010-03-28T15:50:00.005-07:002010-04-02T12:22:37.930-07:00

I'm a cynic in general and especially when it comes to rave product testimonials. I always wonder if the person's a paid shill or getting a kickback. Still, late last year I was cruising the interwebs and came across a post on caring for your brushes.Now after ruining my first few brush sets, I picked up the normal care stuff like cleaning and rinsing as I go, cleaning with a bit of soap at the

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-68858950961505242782010-03-26T13:30:00.001-07:002010-03-26T13:53:46.043-07:00

The fine Colonel Corbane has compiled and posted an excellent set of links on Sculpting and kindly included some of my posts. This drove some traffic to my Farseer on a Jetbike post where JRV stepped up with a question. (Stop reading this right now and go check out his kit bash Leviathan. It's okay, I'll wait...) He wanted to know "How you are getting those fine detail lines? Is that a press

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-74364388137758180622010-03-17T16:00:00.008-07:002010-04-11T17:14:26.372-07:00

Way back when I started this blog as a regular thing, I posted an article "Sculpting 101: Tools". In there I gave a brief overview of the general tools you will find on my desk during a project. Well, mchmr6677 recently dropped me an e-mail asking:"I've read articles on BoLS and other sites about using clay shapers with greenstuff. Do you use them? And, if you do, which ones do you use? They

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-39340103680012573192010-03-11T00:20:00.007-07:002010-03-11T11:57:21.857-07:00

Another "Back to Basics", today we're looking at the concept of "Escorting".Units that are Falling Back are automatically removed from the table if any model in the unit hits the board edge or at the end of the game. This makes them easy Kill Points and unable to Score or Contest objectives. Also, a unit that is Falling Back counts as having moved that turn and can't use Heavy Weapons, even if

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-56224238100308674812010-03-05T19:59:00.007-07:002010-03-05T20:22:07.021-07:00

Greetings everyone! So part of the reason I ran the contest was to try and get ahead on posting... That didn't happen. So instead I'm going to share some pics for a friend of mine that doesn't have a blog. These great Space Wolves belong to sturgard from Warseer, a gent I chat Space Wolf tactics with quite regularly. Please give him some feedback! (Well, other than that he needs to turn off

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-33585274202107742042010-03-01T14:30:00.001-07:002010-03-01T16:10:01.776-07:00

To distract myself from constantly refreshing the standings, I played through a whirlwind 8 games of Blood Bowl yesterday. But when the Banner Contest polls closed...Warhammer39,999's Jetseer banner swept the standings. Congrats! He's getting a base model worth up to $50, with custom sculpting and conversion to spec. I'm looking forward to hearing what he has in mind.Also, thanks to Suneokun

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-67858952536065015572010-02-27T12:30:00.003-07:002010-02-27T12:52:42.979-07:00

With about a day left to vote and enter in the banner contest, I thought I'd do an update with a general post and a bit of housekeeping...First, is the "Pony People" banner in it's full "glory". Some of you asked so I provide...Second, I updated my recent "B2B: Flamers" article with a critical item I'd spaced about:"UPDATE: And yet another fun thing about Tank Shock: "Death or Glory" attacks are

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-88962891526897249032010-02-25T12:50:00.000-07:002010-02-25T12:58:48.638-07:00

Silar of The Fallen Princes wrote in today asking about War Walkers versus Dark Reapers:So I have an upcoming game and need your help with the math. So the choices in front of me are 2 eldar warwalkers with 4 scatter lasers at 120 or 3 reapers and exarch at 117 (no upgrades or weapon swaps). I'm fighting Spacemarines and would like to know which are better (for shooting and surviving)? Also there

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-39876962659119725962010-02-24T12:30:00.006-07:002010-03-11T00:30:32.483-07:00

Hello folks! Today we're going to talk about some basics of the Flamer, how to minimize getting hit by them, and how to maximize their effect.The joy and sorrow of Flamer weapons is that they base their hits on the number of enemy models covered by the Flamer Template. No to-hit rolls, no partials, no cover saves, and all "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!" The downside is that the

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-53992986639585047232010-02-23T14:30:00.001-07:002010-02-24T13:09:18.872-07:00

So in recent post, I showed some of the ways in which difficult terrain rules can be used creatively in an assault. An anonymous troll informed me I was wrong, I invited reasoned debate and mchmr6677 decided to step up with this great rejoinder:"As opposed to anonymous, I will actually state why your interpretation is flawed.The first sentence of page 36 under "Assaulting Through Cover" states "

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-22378685031066518892010-02-21T18:20:00.005-07:002010-02-22T11:46:02.828-07:00

Win free stuff! What do you have to do? Simple:1. Look through the banners below and figure out your favorite.2. Go to the poll on the right and let me know which one you like.3. Leave a comment on this post.That's it. Clicking a couple buttons and posting "I voted" is enough. You're also welcome to share your reason for voting as you did or otherwise give feedback and commentary. (Entrants,

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-33164664591656527592010-02-19T14:46:00.001-07:002010-02-20T14:51:52.482-07:00

Warhammer 39,999 wrote me today with:During my assault phase I wish to charge a unit that's in partial cover. The closest model of that unit is within charge range and entirely not in cover. All other models in the unit are in cover, but are still within 6". When attempting to charge that unit, do I need to roll a difficult terrain test?He also attached a handy diagram to show what he was

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-68467700055303935862010-02-14T10:00:00.000-07:002010-02-14T10:00:00.698-07:00

In the continued quest to upload pics of more of my work, I thought I'd show you some Chaos Daemons I have floating around... Plus, it makes for a fast post to throw out while I'm on vacation... :-pFirst up is one of two dozen girls converted up to be my "counts as" Furies. These were done up before the Codex: Chaos Daemons had even come out. I'm generally happy with the conversion and final

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-28709543838295495582010-02-11T10:00:00.000-07:002010-02-11T10:00:02.584-07:00

In the fine tradition of Romulus, Remus, Tarzan, and Mowgli of "The Jungle Book", the Space Wolves have their very own feral child: Canis Wolfborn. Mounted on a huge wolf named Fangir, packing twin Wolf Claws, and able to snarl in their language... what could be more "Wolfy"?Canis comes with an impressive laundry list of personal and force modifying abilities. But really, isn't he just an

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-16908329876804089692010-02-07T16:20:00.000-07:002010-02-07T16:21:10.932-07:00

Have you ever wanted to be the leader of the pack? Do you have what it takes to run with the Wolves? I'm sure there's some other cliche I could abuse, but I've always tried to be a lone wolf...Okay, enough of that, let's look at Fenrisian Wolves. What do they have going for them? They're cheap, they have the basic stats of a Marine and they are Cavalry. Against them? They're never scoring,

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-40792069799087557422010-02-03T10:05:00.005-07:002010-02-03T12:30:33.402-07:00

Hey there boys and girls! For a change there's no mega-post today, but instead a series of small items.1. The "Design me a new banner" contest is off and running, with 12 days left. Nothing says it has to be all custom art and super slick design... enter something! (Yes, I do have entries already, but I'd like to see more.)2. I recently did a guest article for "The Wraith Gate" on "Eldar & the

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-74117812790285220722010-02-01T15:03:00.001-07:002010-02-01T15:09:30.782-07:00

Win Stuff! That's right folks, I've decided I want to make this little blog look nicer and figured I might as well have some fun with the process. So I'm hosting a little two-part contest. The first stage will be to design a new banner/logo for Maunderings and the second simply to vote on your favorite. Prizes will be awarded for both. Stage One, "Design a new banner"The prize: One custom

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-31706926735881303282010-01-29T12:35:00.010-07:002010-01-29T14:57:49.018-07:00

Da Masta Cheef of Da Long Wayz Dezert Groop recently tried his hand at writing a battle report and was honest about it being a "learning experience". I swung by and was giving some tips, got long-winded (as I'm wont to do) and decided to spin my tips into a new post for all to read.So how does one go from this:to this?Well, focus and figs helps, but clicking on the links will tell you even more.

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-11398839593124842752010-01-27T16:12:00.000-07:002010-01-27T16:15:59.738-07:00

So what does Shadows in the Warp really mean? Well for one, that you're way too close to a big, nasty bug... But for those of you still wanting to cast or running those big bugs, here's the math-hammer:Shadows in the Warp forces Psychic tests on 3d6. Additionally, if any of them are double 1s or double 6's, the Psyker suffers Perils in the Warp. So really, it works similar to Eldar Runes of

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-22155141185481139242010-01-20T21:01:00.011-07:002010-01-21T14:19:29.075-07:00

Continuing my quest to upload some more of my stuff, here's a Jetbike Farseer and three Jetlocks I did up several years ago. These were done shortly after I completed early sword-wielding version of my Farseer. So these were some of my early forays into larger sculpts. This was also prior to my getting a second lamp, so the source lighting is a little painful. Still, maybe they'll inspire

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-59337510473562522872010-01-15T15:45:00.004-07:002010-03-02T14:23:04.428-07:00

Visionaries of the early 20th century predicted we'd all have personal flying cars by now. They were only mostly wrong... now everyone can have models of the flying cars predicted in the 41st millenium! So easy, even a Space Viking can fly one! These figs are "affectionately" known as "The Hockey Puck of Doom", "Flying Rollerskate", or even "That Damned Model I Couldn't Assemble Without 4

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-43231405656596902992010-01-15T09:10:00.004-07:002010-01-15T11:10:37.725-07:00

Greetings everyone... I hope you'll forgive me a not-quite-40k post. I've got a poll up that I'd like some feedback on. The long and short of it is that I've been invited to write for a 40k agglomerate site. They shall remain nameless for the nonce. Check that. During the time writing this, I've managed to get invited to a second one... Hah!I've got a decent number of followers here. I'm

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-18738598322540232162010-01-14T16:05:00.002-07:002010-01-19T16:05:09.865-07:00

Iggy from Sword of Vaul (and owner of the Banshee Exarch to the side) wrote in today with:Hey Dverning, I really liked your comment on my blog regarding 'coming in with a left hook' - aggressive play, which I love more than anything. I was wondering if you might have any suggesions as to what I could build for a competitive 1,500 [Eldar] list? I've got everything down in my larger lists, but at

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-74278553086650186862010-01-13T16:15:00.003-07:002010-01-14T16:12:38.951-07:00

Shiny chrome bumpers and detailing, a 40K CC engine, slouchback seats made of real Kraken leather, 4' wide tires, and a pure Fenrisian steel frame? No, it's not the latest from some bad Discovery Channel show, we're talking about Swiftclaw Biker Packs!Swiftclaws are another Blood Claw variant, this time on huge-ass motorcycles. Not only were they victim of the same unfortunate naming schema as

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-2259456612799144182010-01-12T16:15:00.007-07:002010-01-13T15:18:40.081-07:00

Axe wielding, genetically engineered, Viking themed super humans clad in furs and power armour not enough for you? Well how about you strap a JETPACK on that bad boy? Is that concentrated awesome or what? Today I turn my critical gaze to those Space Wolves so desperate to get into battle that they're willing to ignore walking like Russ intended. They lock themselves to an anti-gravitic

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-22119141469657040972010-01-09T22:39:00.004-07:002010-01-10T00:17:42.695-07:00

So a recent inquiry got me thinking about my blog content and things I've been meaning to do, but for whatever reasons not yet done. One of those things "to-do" is moving over some posts I pseudo-blogged on my Flickr a few years back. So to start, here's the big one: my Eldar Farseer on a Jetbike "Reboot". I've shown the final product in my Sculpting 101 (and to the right), but some of you might

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-53692613822144633272010-01-09T08:59:00.007-07:002010-01-12T16:21:00.222-07:00

Yet another reply that grew too large for the comments box... Maybe I should be less verbose? Anyways, this grew from comments on Fenrisian Wolves as Wargear:hilander asks, "Why do you think it is a separate unit as opposed to a retinue?"FAQ, page 2, right side, question 3, "Q. Do Fenrisian Wolves bought as wargear by an Independent Character act as a retinue during an assault? A. No... In an

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-20986197642996410082010-01-08T11:00:00.002-07:002010-01-12T16:21:13.197-07:00

Fenrisian Wolves... a couple meters tall at the shoulder, happy to eat grown men, as tough and strong as a Space Marine, probably stinky and mangy too... who wouldn't want a pair of these as loyal companions?Many Space Wolves characters have the option to take one or two of these. Let's look at the basics:They are bought as wargear.Their stats are that of a Marine but with 2 Attacks, no ranged

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-45664369339946469892010-01-07T13:40:00.004-07:002010-01-12T16:21:24.978-07:00

YAY! The much anticipated Space Wolves FAQ has finally arrived.The short version:1. Runic Weapons negating Psychic Powers does NOT stack. There's only one roll.2. Storm Caller does benefit vehicles.3. Mark of the Wulfen Wolf Tooth Necklace gives you no benefit to-hit against vehicles.4. Wolf Lords and Battle Leaders in Termie can get Frost Weapons.5. A Wolf Scout with a Special or Heavy Weapon

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-75830564849536508812009-12-29T13:52:00.007-07:002010-04-15T08:20:01.012-07:00

So Big Jim at Galaxy in Flames has been asked to help make a tournament scoring system with composition. He turned to the blogosphere for input in this post. It's certainly the subject of the week at several places.For what it is worth, I think composition scoring and/or codex-specific restrictions are outmoded. The game is much more balanced than it was a decade or two ago, the background

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-1829901988826705552009-12-28T15:35:00.002-07:002010-01-07T17:36:57.574-07:00

A new character to the Space Wolf line, Lukas the Trickster is a Unique character upgrade for a unit of Blood Claws. Though I could have wrapped his review in with them, he has enough going on that I felt him worth a separate look.The number one problem I see with Lukas the Trickster is his price. Not just that he's expensive, but that many people make a mistake when buying him. The line to

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-63091498243602254172009-12-26T18:15:00.007-07:002010-03-09T08:19:56.828-07:00

Savage, headstrong and reckless, Blood Claws are the young bloods of the Space Wolves. They showed potential enough to be chosen, survived the initiation training and geneseed implant, and have overcome their Wolf Within... mostly. These wild-eyed berserkergang certainly fill the head with intense imagery, but how do they game?A Blood Claw has a number of similarities to a Grey Hunter. They're

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-36859896967093689562009-12-26T14:09:00.001-07:002009-12-26T14:09:48.937-07:00

Today is the day after Christmas and it's one of my favorite 40k "holidays". Why? Because it's a great day to pick up some cheap terrain! In particular, I'm talking about the miniature Christmas village trees. Today, most stores mark their stock of these down 50% or more. I was able to pick up a dozen or so trees of assorted sizes for less than $20.Notably, this type of tree does often have

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-79601117530296892222009-12-03T21:05:00.003-07:002010-01-07T17:32:20.441-07:00

Veterans seasoned in battle and masters of the wolf within, Grey Hunters form the bulk of the Space Wolves chapter. They're your rank & file choices... but how do the rules hold up on the tabletop?Now at first glance a Grey Hunter looks just like a vanilla Tactical Marine. Each squad has the same number of guys (5-10) with the same basic statline, grenades, Bolters, Bolt Pistols and access to a

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-3118286654935717262009-11-23T13:06:00.003-07:002009-12-04T07:50:34.051-07:00

Blaine over at The Lord Commander Militant recently did an interesting look at the current victory conditions and how they shape the army building metagame. Post found here. The short version: An army with less units will have an advantage in Annihilation battles that outweighs the disadvantage of having less Scoring units in Seize Ground.* My response as to the reason for this? Control.As it

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-21694198281800580802009-11-10T15:56:00.000-07:002009-11-10T15:56:37.162-07:00

Modeling to advantage. Ah, what a loaded concept. Want all your Fire Warriors to be able to see under a tank? Just model them all with kneeling legs! Want your Wraithlord to be able to get cover saves from Guardians? Just model him crouching or kneeling! Want to stop playing 40K? Just start modeling to advantage and watch yourself get banned from tournaments and lose all your opponents!Yes

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-58238321606967443162009-11-05T15:53:00.003-07:002009-12-03T21:10:11.818-07:00

Yesterday I mentioned "An Autarch's Master Strategist making Reserves Denial more reliable" and Warhammer 39,999 rightfully pointed out that I was talking about something I've never mentioned on here. (Well, except maybe by inference.)Reserves Denial follows a simple tenet: That which cannot be attacked cannot be killed.I'd toyed with the idea in 4th edition, but the Reserves special rule was

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-48077560868055478862009-11-04T14:10:00.004-07:002009-12-03T21:10:30.170-07:00

The bandwagon's usually where the beer's at, so I'll jump on! My "must-have" unit? 2 Troops and 1 HQ. That's it.Say it with me: 2 Troops and 1 HQ. No, I'm not trying to cop out here. Yes, I know the request was for "[not] the compulsory choices we all have to take... [but] the one unit you always find a way to squeeze into your army, regardless of how well it does or how points effective it

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-75968897278902364172009-11-03T15:51:00.006-07:002010-01-12T12:24:39.110-07:00

Logan... a name simply synonymous with asskickery. Grimnar... what better name for the grim, dark, grimdark future where there is only war? The man, the myth, the Great Wolf. But does he stack up to the hype?Right off the bat there's his cost: 275 points. One infantry model... that costs more than a Land Raider. He'd better do something pretty damn special for that level of investment.Well,

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-7335515338870113232009-10-16T10:19:00.004-07:002009-12-03T21:11:25.334-07:00

This is an update of a couple articles I wrote for Warseer's Eldar Tactica a while back. My original blog plan was to only recycle them here whenever I hit writer's block or got busy with real life. However, Master DarkSol of All Things 40K decided to write up a nice review on Eldar Autarchs. The one version he didn't cover was the special character, Prince Yriel...Prince Yriel, Corsair Prince

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-7244462185244879092009-10-13T18:43:00.008-07:002010-01-07T17:22:21.993-07:00

The spiritual zen of Judas Priest, the strength of Iron Maiden, Rockin' with his digi-weapon out... we have the IRON PRIEST! (Yeah, I should have known there'd be a cover band by that name.)Here is an Elites choice that should give the aspiring Wolflord pause for thought. This guy steps in with a statline equal to a Wolfguard and is packing Runic Armour and a Thunder Hammer. A Wolf Guard with

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-3798915967435989712009-10-13T00:11:00.004-07:002010-01-07T17:19:46.469-07:00

Space Wolves get a unique (and Unique) HQ choice of Bjorn the Fell-Handed. Now Bjorne (The Emperor luffs you all, ho-ho!) is a Venerable Dreadnaught and then some. He's got better stats, a "I've got better things to do than die" 5+ save against everything, a re-roll for who gets to go first, Saga of Majesty, and a Wolf Tail Talisman and some entertaining rules for when he does get blasted.First

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-57030817252885297092009-10-13T00:10:00.004-07:002010-01-07T17:18:23.331-07:00

What's more fun than a Dreadnought? Two! Especially if they're named Robert and are pirates... Then they can be the Dread Pirate Roberts! Hey, at least I didn't make an "Even in death I still surf." reference, right?Okay, with the tasteless jokes and geek references now taken care of (mostly), let's look at the meat. The Space Wolf Dreadnought is point for point a direct copy of the stock

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-50155627832597385992009-10-09T11:55:00.008-07:002010-03-02T14:24:13.932-07:00

Veterans of countless wars, social misfits and grizzled loners... there's something visceral in the imagery of the Wolf Scout. But what about the rules? Are they worth it?Now the easy thing is to compare their choices against that of a stock Marine Scout. It gives a nice baseline of the familiar from which to start. It's also a completely stupid thing to do. The battlefield role of the Wolf

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-46941228466587454932009-10-06T18:40:00.022-07:002010-01-07T17:12:24.701-07:00

Since everyone and their brother seems to be playing Space Wolves these days, I thought I might jump on the bandwagon... Oh, wait, already there. Some of my Wolves are old enough to buy cigarettes and others are pushing drinking age.As I also have a penchant for over analyzing everything, I thought I'd start by taking a gander at the new Lone Wolf. Likely this will be the first in a series of

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-22281809193023071402009-09-29T15:53:00.008-07:002009-12-03T21:13:28.023-07:00

In my last post I did a cost analysis of the output fire for Rangers against Pathfinders. Master DarkSol then asked for a graph of their ability to resist damage. It's a little "boring" as it is a linear equation in direct proportion.First, a comparison of casualties caused per wound caused:Pretty easy to see, a 2+ save is better than a 3+. :-p The math is a simple "((6-x)/6)*n" where x is

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-79838636855904098392009-09-28T14:11:00.003-07:002009-12-03T21:13:44.351-07:00

"Rangers versus Pathfinders" or "Yet another reason why Rangers are a better choice."Raptor1313 recently did another stellar review of Eldar Foot Troops choices over here. He covered a great majority of the salient points. But what about damage? How do they compare for math-hammer? So I promised to post my cost analysis. You guys can thank Eriochrome's recent posts for getting me to put

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-37711865944587650302009-09-21T15:29:00.005-07:002009-12-03T21:14:08.108-07:00

Space Hulk is almost old news at this point and I hate going over the same stuff someone else already has. Eriochrome's stealing the math-hammer thunder with his excellent articles over here: http://twilight40k.blogspot.com/. There's also a plethora of people showing how they are painting the figs to greater success than I expect to have. I could also rant about the quality miniatures and

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-11898387347907755402009-09-04T23:50:00.005-07:002010-01-05T10:01:32.921-07:00

Riposte: -noun 1. General. a quick, sharp return in speech or action; counterstroke.2. Fencing. a quick thrust given after parrying a lunge.3. Warhammer 40k. a tactic whereby you crush an opposing force after allowing them to over commit.The concept? Simple. The execution? Tricky. There's three major components that go into making this work:1. Get them to commit to an attack that they can't

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-74202592989006810702009-09-02T19:36:00.003-07:002009-09-02T19:58:38.610-07:00

About a month ago, Alex asked me about mech-Eldar tactics for dealing with Outflanking Genestealers... especially versus multiple squads and on 4' wide boards. I promised a reply "next week or so", but it took me a while to come up with a response that I was happy with.Why? Because there's not really a "good" answer. Here's some options to try:1. Wait a year and hope the re-do of the Tyranid

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-45420230741961849412009-08-28T11:14:00.002-07:002009-12-03T21:15:31.355-07:00

Hey there folks.So Fritz over at Saim-Hann put out a post wondering which is more survivable, a Falcon or a Serpent. Having done the math-hammer in the past... my answer is that the Falcon's more survivable in a stand-off role while the Serpent's a better assault boat.Serpents are less likely to be killed by melta, Demolishers and when Moving Fast.Falcons are equally or more likely to be damaged

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-74741727040404440162009-08-18T16:32:00.015-07:002010-04-11T17:11:45.267-07:00

Here we go again with another foray into learning to sculpt! You've seen the basics of sculptwork, but what if you want something that doesn't follow the shape of the original sculpt? Something that's not just a repair, but instead a little larger, a little more complex, a little more personalized? For this you need to step beyond the basics and into the intermediates. Wait! Don't run away!

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-18484417954512681282009-08-14T01:03:00.009-07:002009-10-16T13:42:43.221-07:00

Neither my first nor third battles were that tactically interesting. The details are a bit hazy, but they were basically bum-rushing, late game objective grabs and generally un-challenging and boring.But the SECOND game... oh, that was a good one. Makes me want to travel out to El Paso sometime to return the favor...I drew Zeus (short for Jesus) and his very nasty Khorne Daemons army.

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-44096329742674595622009-08-10T22:10:00.005-07:002010-04-11T14:56:08.058-07:00

Hello everyone and welcome to another fun filled tutorial on Sculpting. For today's sample piece, we have the above Chaos Space Marine. Before anyone asks: NO THIS IS NOT A 'SARPEDON'. :-p I did this conversion before Soul Drinkers was even written. This guy was originally done up for the 3rd edition Chaos Codex to represent a Chaos Lieutenant with Daemonic Talons and Daemonic Speed. He was also

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-80941704216674364442009-08-09T15:06:00.006-07:002009-08-13T23:40:13.079-07:00

Well, Ard Boyz Round 2 is done and gone. Games 1 & 3 were boring enough that I have little interest in doing full battle reports on them. Game 2 was interesting and might be worth the time if you guys want it. But for now, here's the overview:Game 1 saw me facing a guy named Beau from Imperial Outpost. He had a pretty stock Marine list of Calgar, Librarian, 7 T-Hammer Termies in a Crusader,

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-22763643579541416202009-08-05T12:30:00.006-07:002010-04-11T14:56:15.359-07:00

I liked the look of the last post so much that I've decided to start each post tutorial with a finished fig that I've sculpted on. The pic above is of the exact same basic Assault on Black Reach Ork Boy. The one on the left is unmodified and straight off the sprue. The one on the right is what happens when I start feeling "creative". You'll be seeing the guy on the right quite a bit as we

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-26838875673147082222009-08-04T22:39:00.004-07:002009-08-05T07:09:00.937-07:00

Hey there folks... I've managed to get a couple games in using the Round 2 scenarios and I think I have the list I want to run. However, I'm always open to suggestions.So a few caveats:1. I don't have the interest to rush my Jetlocks to a level I'd consider WYSIWYG.2. I can only find 5 of my Wave Serpents. (But 3 Prisms and 4 Falcons... go figure...) I have and can field just about anything

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-59093566188005421792009-08-03T14:50:00.011-07:002010-01-27T15:19:35.928-07:00

This is yet another item I posted on Warseer around a year ago. I hadn't planned on re-posting it here, but a recent comment made me realize that certain misnomers are still floating around.Farseer Runes, such a funny topic. Many people advocate for or against them, but rarely do you see actual numbers attached. I'm not one to accept mere anecdotal evidence and had some free time at work... so

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-59150697975874927592009-07-30T13:40:00.004-07:002010-04-11T14:56:21.564-07:00

From time to time my wife will read my posts and give me great feedback. In the latest run, she called me out for blogging about being more of a sculptor than a painter... without actually having done anything on sculpting! Worse yet, I hadn't even shown any figs I've sculpted on. So this post is my first in a series of planned sculpting tutorials. The series will start with the basics and

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-82333149499565938092009-07-29T11:05:00.003-07:002009-12-03T21:16:48.196-07:00

So this is a commision piece I did for the owner of my FLGS, Hat's Games. Confession time: in almost 2 decades of playing Marines, I'd never once painted a banner. I just don't see them fitting with the feral and aggressive nature of Wolves. Additionally, any time I've done something large and complex, it's always been through doing sculpting rather than freehand. So this was an opportunity

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-6919270287691160402009-07-28T17:31:00.003-07:002009-07-28T19:31:41.560-07:00

I wrote this tactica a mere 6 months ago for Warseer, though it seems like much longer. The metagame has singe changed a bit with IG, but the tactic is still relevant and useful. The original article is currently sitting smack in the middle of a thread currently at 4,500 replies, so I've "rescued" it over here. What? I never said that every single article here would be NEW, did I?What is

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-67881045506008058832009-07-22T11:43:00.011-07:002009-12-03T21:17:23.126-07:00

So sturgard wrote me with another interesting question. It seems an IG player in his area has picked up several Hydras. These are then hidden behind other tanks/cover such that the guns poke out and nothing else. The player then traces LOS from the end of the barrel, often removing cover saves from his targets. In return, he claims that the Hydras can't be shot back at unless you can draw LOS

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-30701853854228964652009-07-20T14:12:00.009-07:002009-10-16T13:43:15.502-07:00

I'll confess, I have a weakness for contests. There's just something about them that draws me like a moth to the flame... The prizes are nice, but it's the contest itself that really matters. And it was for a contest that I spent my weekend doing this:Okay, so really I painted him up because I'm running the old boy quite a lot and wanted a model that was more than just basecoated. But Pit of

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-44596272342217744642009-07-14T10:28:00.015-07:002010-01-05T10:08:53.684-07:00

"Know yourself but not your enemy and you will lose as often as you win." -Sun TzuSo Sildani on the Warseer boards asked "Do you find yourself anticipating your opponent's moves, a turn or two in advance?... Basically, I'd like to know how you became so tactically astute so I can similarly elevate my game. And yes, I've read Sun Tzu and Clausewitz and have applied them, so at least I can say I've

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-51579549727679161432009-07-12T17:00:00.013-07:002009-07-13T08:19:25.339-07:00

AAANnnd the last one. Round 3 was against a guy named Reagan with a remarkably well painted Ultramarines force:Chaplain Cassius leading 7 Assault Termies w T-Hammer/SShields in a Land Raider Crusader2 Dreadnaughts w Multi-Meltas in Drop Pods1 Tac Squad w Multi-Melta in Drop Pod2x Tac Squads w Multi-Melta, Meltagun, Pfist Sgt in Rhinos2x Tac Squads w Multi-Melta, Flamer, Pfist Sgt in Rhinos3x

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-55910985180520315412009-07-12T14:25:00.013-07:002009-07-13T08:19:40.189-07:00

Battle 2, "Urban Warfare"This was against Andrew and his Tau. He's a decent player that does decently at small events, but isn't quite top caliber.His list was:1 Crisis Commander w Plasmagun & Cyclic Ion Cannon1 Crisis Commander w Fusiongun & Flamer3 Crisis Suits w Plasmaguns3 Crisis Suits w Missile Pods6 Stealth Suits2x 14 Kroot w 6 Hounds1x 8 or so Fire Warriors in Devilfish w Flechette,

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-83321916463084803632009-07-12T11:34:00.012-07:002009-07-13T08:20:08.189-07:00

Battle 1, "Illusions in the woods"The first pairing of the day saw me facing a guy named Chris and his Crimson Fist army. My first thought was "Ugh, this will be ugly." Of the 22 entrants, Chris was one of the three other guys at the tournament that I consider "GT quality"; ie skilled enough to have a serious shot at taking Best General or Overall at a 60 person GT. I was going to have to do

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-69821028457109421892009-07-11T22:29:00.007-07:002009-07-11T22:50:12.225-07:00

Well, Ard Boyz has now come and gone. I'd planned to blog about my list, but I didn't finalize it until about 1am the night prior. I wasn't comfortable with how my playtesting had gone and it went through several iterations.I played at my FLGS, Hat's Games. We had 22 entrants from around the area and the lists were tough. I took my mixed-mech Eldar:Eldrad2x 7 Fire Dragons, Exarch Upgrade, DB

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-9493569891114682172009-07-10T15:27:00.000-07:002009-07-10T15:27:39.628-07:00

As it seems obligatory to post some pics of your workspace... Here are some shots of mine:My daughter Faydra and the cats vie to steal my chair whenever I'm up.Keeping things organizedMy tool organizer.Here's some workspace tips:1. Get a comfortable chair. This doesn't have to be expensive or "ergonomic", but should be something you're willing to plop down in for hours at a time. I really

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-41759289654990043172009-07-07T15:14:00.001-07:002009-07-08T09:03:09.103-07:00

The most amazing insights I've gotten on this game almost always seem to come not from my own studies and games, but from the oddball questions others ask of me. This one came from sturgard and was basically:"My friend plays 3 lictors and sometimes uses a reserve denial list. So what he wants to know is can he roll all of his reserve rolls (say for the entire army), then decide which 3 rolls to

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-68533141199156901012009-06-29T11:25:00.004-07:002009-06-29T12:49:11.517-07:00

Over on Warseer's Eldar Tactica, Ernest101 posted the following:"hey guys, i am having this really big prob, i play a full mech list, when i drop my banshees, they kill almost anything i want them to kill in their path, but after that assault phase, they always get blown to bits... hardly surviving a shooting phase... any suggestion guys?"My response:Well, you really have three options:1. Don't

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270554408723803733.post-40058053848891240052009-06-26T14:10:00.006-07:002009-11-05T09:37:38.060-07:00

Hello there anonymous internets. After some poking and prodding, I've decided to start a 40k blog. Here are my objectives:1. Stick to 40K. This blog is here to explore the hobby of Games Workshop's Warhammer 40K. I have a normal blog for life, videogames, and other such distractions.2. Content worth reading. I'll be covering gameplay, tactics, strategy, psychology, statistics, math-hammer,

Dverninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18098608506710554678noreply@blogger.com1