Ard Boyz Round 2

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, 5x Tac Squads with Las/Melta or Flamer/Power Fist, 3 Rhinos, 2 MM Attack Bikes, a Land Raider and a Vindicator.
Dice fail of the game: 14 Bolt Pistol shots into my Seer Council getting 13 hits, 12 wounds... failing 6x 4+ saves despite re-rolls. *sigh*
A big problem with this game was that he's just a slow player. I don't think it was deliberate, that's just how he is. It was a lot of little things, like bringing his entire case of Marines and sorting out the ones he needed at the start of the game rather than having done so prior. All three of his games never got past Turn 4.
Now I know a number of little ways to hurry along a slow player and/or can adjust my strategy or tactics to adapt to this. But I got the real kicker of the day during his deployment phase: a text message that a good friend of mine had died of a sudden heart attack an hour previous. This completely killed my tournament mindset. I didn't even realize there was a problem until it clicked that we were 1:45 into the game and just starting Turn 3. I kicked things into high gear, had a good Turn 3 and was able to push us through most of 4 too. However, it just wasn't quite enough. Dice Down was called right as I was starting my Assault phase. I was just shy of a Minor Victory and those sweep-up assaults would have jumped me to a Major Victory or even a Massacre. Instead, I got stuck with a Draw.
I'm of a rather mixed mind about this game. I should have had the victory in the bag, but didn't stay focussed on the game or my opponent's prevarications. On the other, I think I had extenuating circumstances for allowing a slip like that. I do know that if I ever draw this guy again, I will be requesting a different opponent.

Game 2 was against Zeus (short for Jesus) out from El Paso, TX. He had an EVIL Khorne Chaos Daemons list with 2 Thristers, 47 Letters, 21 Crushers, a Daemon Prince and a Soul Grinder. He also knew what the hell he was doing and played very smart. Neither of us had any spectacular dice fail and it was a hard fought battle. He has a new appreciation for the evils of Eldar. A quote was "I've never had someone do this much damage to my list, especially not in CC. I thought the pointy-ears were pushovers. I was thinking the game was done when you were 'foolish' enough to charge me..."
It was one of the best games I've had in years and we both played to top form. There were some epic combats and both our lists took a beating. However, I had a little more focus on the whole-game strategic as well as superior mobility. The end of Turn 6 saw me in control of 2 of the 3 objectives and with more KP earned. I probably had the 3rd objective too but it was questionable enough that it wasn't worth arguing. End result was a Massacre that I really felt was well earned.

Game 3 was against a guy named Russ, sadly another slow player. However, his wasn't an issue of dithering (too much) but instead his army: Nidzilla + Horde. He had 60-odd Termagaunts, 30-odd Stealers, 2 DakkaFex, 1 Assault Fex, 3 Zoanthropes, 3 Biovores, 7 Warriors, a Winged Tyrant, and a foot Tyrant w 2 Guard. I had one of the most epic fails of my gaming career that game: Eldrad and Council charge to unleash 33 attacks on some Termagaunts and Warriors. I needed a 3+ to-hit... and failed with 27 of the 33 attacks. His return attacks (of course) then managed to wipe out everyone but Eldrad in return. *sigh* Still, by paying attention to the mission and distracting his attention to the flanks, I was able to secure the objective in the last turn with a wall of tanks and Tank Shock. I felt a little cheap winning that way, but my epic fail dice and some other questionable items balance my conscience out. The end result was a Major Victory for me.

Running 2-0-1 put me in 4th place. Had I gotten my Assault Phase at the end of Game 1? I would have had enough points for 2nd at the least. But that would have meant other opponents, other tables... and who cares about might-have-beens? On the other side, that would have probably meant facing more Marines like my list was actually geared for. Meh. The list fared quite nicely and I don't know that I'd make many changes to it. This may or may not matter depending on if guy who took 3rd can get the time off work for the finals. If he drops and I can find the finances, then there's a possibility of heading to Chicago... If it doesn't happen? Well, it means I start thinking for next year. Perhaps my poor Space Wolves will be of a quality to come out and play...

For those of you who care about the composition and placing: There were 24 entrants. 3 Eldar, 2 Chaos Marines, 2 Daemons, 2 Sisters, 2 IG, 2 Bugs, and 11 Marines. The Marine players were 3 Vulkan, 3 Kantor, 2 Khan, 1 Calgar, and 2 normal. In order, the top places went to: Eldar, Sisters, Chaos Marines, Eldar, Chaos Marines, Sisters.

Sculpting 102: Putty

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 progress. He is my demonstration piece for several of the techniques I'll be covering. Someday I may even paint him...

Now if you've spent any time in a hobby store or surfing the net regarding sculpting, you've heard of Green Stuff. This is the bread and butter of the sculpting world, also known as Kneadatite Yellow/Blue Epoxy. Want to see the power of re-branded markup? Take a look around at the price difference using that name instead.

But before you buy, there's some thing worth noting here: the edges of the two colors are joined. This is for a substance that you activate by mixing. Unless you're desperate and in need of a quick putty fix, don't buy tape putty! Why? Because the epoxy will have started mixing along that contact point. The putty for about 1mm on each side of the join will still be trash, even straight from the manufacturer. Older putty will be even worse. You can tell it has been on the shelf too long as the yellow side will develop a definite green tint compared to fresh epoxy. But rather than hunt for the freshest of fresh, there's an easier solution: buy seperately packaged block or tube putty. These will come in a larger quantity, but the price will usually reflect buying bulk. For this you'll get a much better initial quality and raw putty lifespan. My current supplier of choice is Gale Force 9.

As an alternative to Green Stuff, it is worth noting Procreate's Grey Stuff. It is also available from Gale Force 9 in separate tubes. The difference between the two? Grey Stuff's pretty new on the market so there aren't as many tutorials using it. It's a little less sticky and forms sharp edges quite nicely. It's also softer, easier to make mistakes with, and harder to learn how to form. Green Stuff rounds easier and better lends itself to organic or soft forms. The higher contrast of color also makes it easier to see against plastic or metal figs. If you're just starting out, then I'd steer you towards Green Stuff. If you've already done some Green Stuff and are looking to do something more advanced, try Grey Stuff.

Now that you have your epoxy of choice, let's talk "care & feeding". As unmixed epoxy ages, it will start to swell. You can see this in the older tape epoxies on the shelf... anywhere the tape is bent you can observe a slight puffiness to the creases. If it's really old (1 year+), you might even see where it has puffed out past the plastic sheathing at the cut ends. You might say, "So what? I'll be smoothing it out when I sculpt." The thing is, epoxy that's swelling in the wrapper will also swell when applied to the fig. This might not be an issue if you're sculpting something lewd and Slaaneshi, but your Space Marine Commander's face will look like he's allergic to bees. The biggest causes of this aging are heat, dryness and oxidation. So just keep your putty cold, moist and out of the air! Cut your block up into smaller chunks, put these in a plastic baggie and FREEZE THEM! Your putty can keep "like new" freshness for several years like this.

Now typically you'll want a 50/50 mix of putty. More blue will make the final epoxy harder but the sculpt will also cure faster. More yellow will allow a longer working time or softer/smoother pieces, but will also take longer to cure. If you really want to get fancy, you can also mix in some Brown Stuff or other epoxy. Green Stuff and Grey Stuff can be a bit bendy and tear it torqued. The extra rigidity of mixing in Brown Stuff also makes it easier to sculpt and retain sharp edges or points.

Now you've got your putty and idea for something to sculpt... let's mix some putty. First, cut off two pieces of putty of the approximate total volume you think you will need. Invariably, this will always be about half again to twice what you actually need. Excess can be used to fill in bases or create decorations.
Roll the two pieces out into thin tubes and then twist or braid them together.
Put a bit of your lubricant of choice on your forefinger and thumb, as from here on out the putty will be very sticky until dried. Smash your little braid flat, twisting and mixing like taffy. It shouldn't take very long before you can squish it flat and observe a smooth and even color. At this point I'll usually roll it into a small ball to reduce surface area and slow the curing process. (Note that the 3rd picture is just the initial squish. The putty is NOT well mixed at this point and should be worked more until you have an even color.)

For some additional links on putty epoxy, I'd suggest the following resources:
Warpshadow's Putty & Clay page. (Horrid colors/design, but great info.)
James Van Schaik's excellent putty reviews: Brown Stuff, Green Stuff, Grey Stuff. (I almost don't want to link him as he does this stuff professionally...) :-p

Cheers and hope you have enjoyed this installment. Next week: "Sculpting 103: Simple Fills, Forms & Repairs".

Mech Eldar for Ard Boyz Round 2

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 else in the codex.
3. I know the list is low on Troops. The bikes go in Reserves and only come out to take down small units and/or grab objectives. (I'll miss the foil of my Wraithguard, but I don't think people in this round are going to be baited into wasting their shots against them as much. Plus, I need the Fortune support for the Seer Councils.)
4. Most everything will be looking to jump down my opponent's throat. 2 years ago I got cheated in a round and ended up with 6th. Last year I qualified but wasn't able to attend Regionals due to SCA commitments. So I'm setting my goal high: placing or doing well just isn't enough, I want 1st Overall. So the point of this list isn't just to win, it's to take some risks to win big. I think that's the only way to have a viable shot at sweeping the tournament.

Eldrad 210
Farseer w Fortune, Runes of Witnessing, & Singing Spear 98
10 Warlocks, Enhance, 2x Embolden, 2x Destructor, 3x Singing Spears, Wave Serpent w 2x Shuri-Cannons 404
10 Warlocks, Enhance, 2x Embolden, 2x Destructor, 3x Singing Spears, Wave Serpent w 2x Shuri-Cannons 404
8 Fire Dragons, Exarch Upgrade, DB Flamer, Crack Shot, Wave Serpent w 2x Shuri-Cannons 245
8 Fire Dragons, Exarch Upgrade, DB Flamer, Crack Shot, Wave Serpent w 2x Shuri-Cannons 245
8 Banshees, Exarch Upgrade, Executioner, Acrobatics, War Shout, Wave Serpent w 2x Shuri-Cannons 260
3 Guardian Jetbikes, Shuri-Cannon 76
3 Guardian Jetbikes, Shuri-Cannon 76
3 Guardian Jetbikes, Shuri-Cannon 76
8 Warp Spiders, Exarch Upgrade, 2x Death Spinners, Power Blades 203
8 Warp Spiders, Exarch Upgrade, 2x Death Spinners, Power Blades 203

2500/2500

One debate is swapping a squad of Spiders and a GJB for a DAVU Falcon w Holofields, Stones, and Shuri-Cannon turret and chin. However, I think the firepower of the Spiders will probably be worth more than the durability of the HoloFalcon.

Cheers and thanks for any feedback! (And yes, there will be battle reports, win or lose...)