Hobby Update: Varangur Chieftain

A last quick update for the Varangur here... A Chieftain on foot. I don't normally name characters, but this guy looks like he'd make a good MANDALF, to reflect his resemblance to a certain wizard as well as his general burliness... we'll see if the name sticks.

"Something, something you shall not pass."

Not too much to say about the guy himself. Being infantry (with only average speed, the larger infantry base size, and likely limited line of sight), getting him into sneaky combats will be hard to achieve. He seems more like a blatant supporting hero; keep him nestled in between a few infantry units and he'll do the best; keeping them inspired and charging in alongside.

When it comes to marks/gifts, I've generally succumbed to what I consider orthodox thought: Headstrong and Fury is generally the way to go. But I think characters are the exception to this rule. I think the Varangur characters could get a lot of mileage out of taking the Brutal gift, particularly this chieftain. As mentioned above, he is a supporting melee character; meant to be charging in alongside other units; contributing to combat while keeping everyone inspired. Brutal makes him that much better at his job of being a force multiplier.



By now, I've worked through the majority of my old Warriors of Chaos plastic, transferring tons and tons over into Kings of War, and coming out with over 7,000 points of stuff (including the Ogre Allies). Not bad! Only a handful of old things remain sitting around in storage:

• Half-built custom War Shrine
• Half a dozen chariots (2 Gorebeast, 4 Core Chaos)
• 10 Hellstriders, plus a hero on Hellstrider
• Chimera
• ~30 Warriors
• 6 Nurgle Ogres with Great Weapons

I may sit down and figure out a way to convert the Ogres over. I cannot think of anything else to use them for, and some Siege Breakers could be useful in my little allied force...

The War Shrine is a chariot chassis on a bunch of green stuff tentacles. I was aiming for the Great Wave of Kanagawa, but with mutated, writhing tentacles instead of water. Sadly, this was started just prior to the End Times, and never really finished up as originally intended. No plans to do anything with it right now. There isn't a great KoW equivalent, so it's likely to sit around for a while.

The chariots need just minor touchups, and would be pretty easy conversions at two to a regiment, but I couldn't settle on a good way to include them. Already having a bunch of Mounted Sons, I didn't want to just proxy them as just more knights. And I couldn't really get a good fluff reason, not could I find the right ally unit I wanted. Even asking the community, I couldn't settle on a good reason, so those are likely to sit around in storage for a while too.

The Hellstriders are neat, and I was generally happy with their old paint job, but I don't know what to do with them. I already have Horse Raiders on real plastic horses. With their weirdness they could almost be Abyssal Horsemen... but they don't really match up with wysiwyg, since there is virtually no armor on the models to represent the 5+ defense in the stats... Plus, the marauder bodies and heads would look weird in an Abyssal army, so this group would likely require repainting and probably headswaps too. That's a fair amount of work for something I'm not entirely sold on.

Definitely needs some touch-ups (and a new base, AND a rider), but not a bad place to start.

The Chimera was my first big purchase for WHFB (big in terms of size of the model, not cost! GW is expensive, and I was several battalion boxes in at least at this point...). I was actually pretty pleased with my old painting. If I can find a kingly-looking rider for it, I'd actually be pretty happy to convert this over into Kings of War. The Varangur could use a bit of a centerpiece model, and fluff-wise, could definitely use an imposing main leader! The painting would need an update, but this isn't a bad place to start.

Lastly, I do plan on converting over the remaining warriors. I need to do a final inventory on the models, but I should have about 30, and should have enough weapons and shields for them to do up two regiments of Sons of Korgaan infantry.

If I paint up the Warriors and Chimera and Ogres... I think that would do it for the existing models I still want to work with and net me another thousand points or so. Unfortunately, temperatures have dropped here recently. I did manage to get a few things primed, but no more Varangur. I think I'm out of good priming weather, so all these final units will likely be more of a spring project.

Hobby Update: Ogre Heroes

I picked up a few boxes of WHFB Ogres back in the day. Currently I have three regiments of Berserker Braves serving as allies to my Varangur, some Nurgle models in storage, one spare guy, plus another spare from another range (probably from Reapermini, I think). I decided to do up the lingering spares as heroes.

I feel like I should have taken another picture given the length of this post... alas. 

Warlord

First up is the newly minted Warlord. Originally, he was meant to be a Khorne Ogre for some friendly games of Regiments of Renown... but we only played that... I want to say twice? When we played, we tended to play actual WHFB games. And lacking games, I never finished him up for RoR. I added some greenstuff to make the axe arm stick out more, and added a few additional bits to make him better look the part of a leading orge. I may still give him some additional scraps of armor, to better reflect his 5+ Defense, but he's good for now.

The ogres have a surprising amount of sub-factions in their army: Berserkers, Siege Breakers, Red Goblins... all with their own corresponding inspiring hero. (Boomers have a hero too... but the Boomer Sergeant is apparantly lazy, and doesn't inspire anyone.) Rising above internal squabbles, the ASB, Captain and Warlord all inspire everyone, with the Warlord at the top of the pile.

Even stock like this guys is, the Warlord is pretty great. He's got a good defense and good nerve; and offensively he is no slouch! Seven attacks, hitting on 3's with CS 2, plus Brutal. Ideally, I think the stock Warlord charges in alongside his fellows, utilizing his small frontage to pile in a disproportionate number of attacks, and using Brutal to help break the opposing unit. Though, given the good number of attacks and good nerve... he can probably solo a good variety of units for a turn or two in a pinch. All in all, not a bad choice, given my limited understanding of the Ogre army.


Nomargarok

The second hero I hobbied on as also a remnant of a RoR project, this time a large Ogre following Nurgle. (I really wanted RoR to be a regular thing, apparently.) With him, I barely got him out of the package. In the intervening years, I managed to lose his left hand and face though, which is ok. As I recall, neither we all that great.

As you can see from the picture, he ended up being quite a bit larger than the GW ogres (I think he was meant for a 50mm square). For a worshiper of Papa Nurgle, that would have been fine; here, it's a little more problematic. I figured he'd be a Warlock, given that the 'lock would synergize very well with all the current Berserkers, and it's generally helpful to have a caster in KoW. Given the size discrepancy though, I decided to turn him into the legendary ogre caster Nomargarok! The neck on the faceless model was a bid odd, a little too large to add a spare GW head. However, in reading his rules and seeing Bloodlust, I remembered Warcraft. I added a second head, and tried to be inspired by Cho'Gall, the game's legendary ogre magi. Some other models would have to fill in as Warlocks...

As with many of the legends from Kings of War, Nomargarok has a lot of special rules...

He's got a pretty mixed stat-line for an ogre. His defense is lackluster; 4+ and 12/14 Nerve isn't great. No better than a typical Warlock in fact. His offense is also a bit lacking; 5 attacks, Vicious and CS1 (all great for a caster!) but hitting on 5+ really dissuades me from sticking him in combat. He does not want to be on the front lines, though, he'll probably do a little better than your average caster if he gets into trouble.

Ideally, I think he wants to be just behind the main combat blocks. He's Nimble, and has Piercing 1 Vicious Firebolts which can be used to help pick off chaff or soften up the enemy lines... provided you aren't advancing too speedily. I view this as a bonus. As I understand it, a typical ogre list is likely to have Boomers or Shooters doing the heavy lifting for ranged attacks. Anything this guy can contribute is gravy.

He's a caster, but is limited to targeting friendly non-allied units in combat... so he really only comes into his own once the main lines meet. He's got Heal 3 and Bane Chant 2... though like Warlocks, he gets extra dice for nearly Berserker Brave units. Additionally, if either of the spells successfully land, the unit gains Vicious, via his Bloodlust rule. Given the number of attacks ogre units (hordes in particular!) can dish out, either spell landing should be a great boon. He could be very useful indeed!

Battle 14: Tiny Table Battle

Last week my girlfriend was looking for ways to procrastinate, and I managed to convince her to waste a little time and play a game of Kings of War. Madness! It's been over a year since I've actually gotten a game in...

I have some terrain, but no proper gaming table yet. We did however pick up a card table (and chairs) off of Craigslist recently... so we just used that. I should have a more legit gaming table in the coming weeks.

Be warned, the whole game was a bit janky.

First, I needed to check out my camera. I had a big fiasco with switching cell services providers over the fall, which unfortunately necessitated me getting a new phone. Unfortunately, it seems I didn't do enough research, as the new camera seems like a downgrade. Unfortunately, I think I will need to dig out my digital camera.

The dimensions of the table were also a little weird... The table is square, 34 inches with about an inch of lip on every edge. We played on the whole table surface. No hard thought was given to zones, so I opted for 6" deployment zones, and 22" between them, so give shooting a chance, and hopefully have a game turn without any combat.

I intended to run a KoM intro list, but accidentally grabbed the box of halflings instead, so snagged an intro list for them I had done up before (it was easier than swapping out storage boxes). The GF wanted to use the Undead, so snagged an old intro list for her as well.

I offered rolling for scenario or just a straight up murder-fest, and she chose the latter. I gave her the first turn (no roll-off).

Lastly on the list of oddities , we didn't trade deployments. Deployment drops are a bit of a game within a game in my view. For intro games like this, I'd rather discuss stats and units and jump right into the game. She set up while I was grabbing my army; I set up; and being a good sport, I offered to let her react to my deployments if she wanted. She didn't so away we went...

Deployment, for what it's worth.

Deployment was pretty simple. On her side, Wraith Troop, Skeleton Warrior Regiment, Wight Regiment screened by a Skeleton Warrior Troop, a Revenant King, a Regiment of Zombros, and a Regiment of Skeleton Archers...

I was really happy with my Undead intro list, as it has a bit of everything. Tar-pitting zombies; Archers for support shooting; staple skeleton units; then interesting Wight and Wraith options to reward clever tactics. All this supported and inspired by a very competent hero choice.

By contrast, the halfling list was very simple, and it's strength was having a lot of dudes. On my side, we have a mounted Halfling Sorcerer, Regiment Braves, Regiment Knights, Halfling Volley Gun in a graveyard, Regiment Braves, mounted ASB, Regiment Knights, Regiment of Archers. Deployment is a little smushed, as it turned out... I figured the Archers could scamper up into the small graveyard, and secure that. The woods on my left frightened me a bit. I didn't want anything (especially the Wraiths) using it to cover their advance, so I put my Sorcerer there. I figured Wind Blast could push anything hiding behind there out of cover and into the range of the Volley Gun, which was deployed pretty centrally, in spite of the blocking building.

Unfortunately, on this smaller table, the board is congested. After deployment, I realized maneuverability would be an issue. Flanking Knights was going to be hard to pull off. I had paired each Knight unit with a unit of Braves... hopefully I'd be able to hammer and anvil a few things...

Turn 1 Undead

Movement was pretty simple. She realized that she needed to advance, and wanted to do so. She was wary of the war machine... fortunately for her, I deployed it with a mausoleum blocking most of her units...

Pretty straightforward opening from the Undead.

Most of the Undead line advanced. The Wraiths however shuffled sideways, not wanting to shamble forward too far. The Skeleton Archers stayed their ground, and then were surged forward a few inches. They loosed a volley at the Knights opposite them, and scored a few lucky hits.

Turn 2 Halflings

I really should have held back, but I was a bit excited to be playing again...

On my left, the sorcerer moved far up. I think I was thinking that I could start wind blasting stuff into getting blocked by the mausoleum... but I don't know. It wasn't a great idea as it turned out. The Braves marched up, securing the little forest, supported by the knights. I was hoping the Skeleton Warrior Regiment would hit the braves, and I'd obliterate them next turn...

The halflings are eager for a brawl...

My center held, and my right foolishly swung up too. The forest was blocking line of sight between her archers and mine. I figured I'd move up this turn and have my choice next turn... the Move and Fire yielded no wounds against the zombies however, and the Volley Gun landed a whole 2 hits, which did, thankfully, translate into two wounds.

Turn 3 Undead

My opponent not only fell for zero of my traps, but generally confounded me.

While she split her lines, they were anchored by the mausoleum. On my left, I measured poorly.. and the Sorcerer was wide open to a charge by the Wraiths. The Skeleton Regiment shambled out, but did not charge, and took over screening the Wights.

Pre-Surge on my left flank...

On the right, the Zombies and Skeleton Warrior troop shambled forward. The archers again held, and took more potshots at the non-stealthy knights. The knights folded on 5 total damage... Fortunately, I remembered that the ASB was standing next to them, and the reroll saw them stick around! The Revenant King surged the Skeleton Warrior Regiment into the Braves.

Unfortunately, I advanced too far with those braves. My base covered the forest; and as I quickly read it, their charge was unhindered. Nuts. The Braves not only took two damage, but because of the Surge-Charge, I didn't think my Knights would be able to get that sweet sweet flank charge. In combat, the Sorcerer took 5 wounds, but survived, wavered.

While it was probably a misplay to move him that far up... being Wavered was good, as he'd likely tie up the Wraiths for another turn, preventing them from joining the main fights. Perhaps I could capitalize...

Turn 4 Halflings

I'm starting to comprehend how tiny this board is. It's my second turn, and my war machine is already threatened ...by a shambling Skeleton Troop. It's Fearless, and can't be wavered. I don't think a volley will rout it, and I won't think I can be sneaky enough with the Braves to effectively block a charge. (In retrospect, I totally could have pulled this off; just moved up the Braves and taken the hit. I was overthinking... however, with even more retrospective thought... I should have definitely measured from the Warriors to the Gun, to make sure it was actually threatened...)

In any event, my solution to thinking the Volley Gun was threatened was to charge the Troop with my knights. Unfortunately, that was a bad call. At height 1, the Volley Gun has a limited line of sight. The knights obscure the zombies now, so the Volley Gun has no targets...

Counter-attack all the things!

My original plan for the right was some withering fire on the Zombies from the Volley Gun and the Archers. Without the Gun, I don't think the archers can do all that much... unfortunately, I was a fool and didn't read their stats. Instead of shooting at 5+, I charged in to attack in melee at 6+.

Definite misplays here on the right. So many other way to have played this turn...

On the left though, the Braves counter-charge the Skeleton Regiment, and are joined by the Knights. Though this is the right call, I'm pretty sure I forgot about Thunderous Charge when rolling. Only 6 damage goes thorough, and the skeletons hold.

Not a great turn for me. I hamstrung my own shooting, and got into grinding battles across the board, with neither of my knight groups able to break through anything...

Turn 5 Undead

The Undead Archers attack the flank of my Archers. Looking at the previous picture though... they may have needed to go into the front. Oh well. Their charge is hindered though, which helps me out a bit. Again, definite misplay charging my Archers in last turn... Fortunately, my opponent's rolling is terrible, and only 6 damage is inflicted. The Archers hold!

Ew. Terrible picture to match a terrible situation. I'll have to get more pics of this zombie unit later. It turned out nice. It deserves better...

In the center, the Skeleton troop counter-charges my Knights, and slips a a single wound in. ...and my knights are now wavered with a high Nerve check. Wonderful...

On my left, the Skeletons decide to counter charge the wounded Braves. Her desire was to charge Skeletons into Braves, and Wights into Knights. My reading that (unfortunately) that wasn't possible.

I's been over a years since I played, and getting this game in was unexpected. My understanding was that if this has been a multi-charge (Skellies and Wights) against one unit, that would have been doable. With a higher height, the Wights would have been able to see; there was space to shuffle the skeletons over to accommodate the charge, etc.

But against two different units... no accommodating shuffle was possible. The Wights can see the Knights, but can't charge through their own unit. Meanwhile, the Skeletons can counter-charge, but at an inch away... that movement is pretty constrained. If I was wrong... let me know.

Anyways, the left is gummed up. The Wraiths charge the wavered Sorcerer, and deal three more wounds. However, double 1's are rolled for the Nerve check, and the Sorcerer is feeling great.

Turn 6 Halflings

I lucked out a lot on the previous turn. I start the turn wondering about my Sorcerer. What am I going to do with him?

I decide to swing him up a bit, away from my lines and out of sight of the Wraiths, to try to Wind Blast away the Revenant King; hopefully moving him out of Inspiring Range. It's the best I can think to do. I'm not great with Wind Blast. I roll poorly, and while I do push him a few inches away... nothing is really accomplished.

Again, the Knights and Braves charge the still-inspired Skeleton Regiment, and this time rout it.

Lengthwise down the table... the lines of battle are pretty clearly drawn.

On the right, the Archers charge the Zombies, leaving their flank open to the Skeleton Archers. I felt like that was the best approach. They do a wound, but it doesn't really count. The Zombies will heal it back next turn...

My center Knights are wavered... the center Braves can't really support anything, so they stay put, to react to whichever wing falls first. Yet again, my Volley Gun is silent lacking legal targets. I... don't like my chances right now.

Turn 7 Undead

My opponent gleefully continues these grinding combats. The halflings don't hit hard, so Lifeleech is quickly pulling fights into her favor...

On the left, the Wraiths pivot 90 degrees to face the Braves, and scoot menacingly forward as part of their move. They are Surged the final 1" into combat by the King, hitting on all his dice. Sheesh.

If you couldn't tell from the terrible pic, things are looking pretty great for the undead.

The combat rolling isn't great, and only a few wounds slip through, but the Braves are wavered. Free of their Skeleton escorts, the Wights charge in and pound on the Knights for 4 damage the Knights hold.

On my right, both the archers and knights of the halfling army fall...

Turn 8 Halflings

I do what I can, but I know the game is basically over.

I march the sorcerer back to my lines. He can't do anything now, but in the coming turns, maybe Wind Blast can blow some baddies back and buy me some time? The left is still gummed up, but he should be safe for a turn.

The Undead start to push through on their left, my right.

The Volley Gun finally has a target, and unloads into the Skeleton Troop, but is unable to move them... That troop has been trouble all game.

The grinds on the left... continue. I don't recall any progress being made.

Turn 9 Undead

The grinds on the left result in both the Braves and the Knights being wavered... The archers fire a volley at my ASB, and despite lots of penalties, still manage to score a wound.

The left is buckling... that's not great.

The Zombies had benefited greatly from Lifeleech, and are stalking about on one damage at the end of my opponent's turn...

Turn 10 Halflings

...I need to deal with the Zombies. If my opponent is smart, the Zombies will charge my war machine next turn, and let the Wights continue to chew through the knights. It's a long shot, but survival depends on clearing them out. Now.

I run my ASB back, fleeing the zombies. While another attack would have been nice against the Skeleton troop, I didn't want to fail and let my opponent charge him, and overrun into the war machine. He withdraws, still inspiring everyone, but out of danger. 

The nimble Sorcerer swings around the staggering halfling lines, eyeing up the Zombies. Perhaps Wind Blast can push them back and out of line of sight of the Volley Gun? It's all I can think to do with him. The Volley Gun rings out, dealing decent damage to the Zombies. Wind Blast lands no hits. And the Zombies stick around on a low Nerve check... ugh.

...and the dice gods have forsaken me. GG

The turn continues to go sour. In combat, my left can do nothing. The Braves charged, but fail to do any damage at all to the Skeleton Troop. My dice are ice cold here, and it's time to concede.



Some definite misplays on my part, though I'll blame them on being rusty after a year plus a bit away from the table!

I covered some of the more specific misplays above already. Generally though, I have yet to really figure out how to use Wind Blast well. I had a decent plan (using it to flush out the left flank), but never really implemented it, and the Sorcerer became 70 points of chaff. Chaff is useful, but I'd rather get actual use out of my casters! We'll try him again sometime.

My other general error is that I tend to move up too aggressively, and this game was no exception! Since the halflings are even weaker than my typical humans... that was a definite mistake Turn 2. Even with the smaller board, I should have held back a bit. Grindy 1-on-1 fights definitely favor the Undead, and Lifeleech really came into play as the game went on.

Despite Fortune downright scowling at the halflings at the end, I had a blast and it was fun to finally play a game again. My opponent enjoyed it too, so hopefully I can convince her to play a rematch soon...

Hobby Update: Spooky Terrain

The new apartment is more spacious that my previous place, and I want to utilize that space and host some nerdy activities: MTG nights, D&D sessions… and hopefully even some wargaming! I’m hoping that having a table around and being able to play whenever will let me actually get some games in. I haven’t bought legit tables, or settled on how to do the board up yet, but I have hobbied up some terrain...

Trees! Skeleton for scale.

First up are some trees. Gotta have trees on a fantasy gaming table! I found some trees for train hobbying for cheap online (~$10) and placed an order. The scale ended up being a bit off, but it came with enough big pieces to be still worthwhile. These are the bigger ones... Attaching them to bases is proving a bit difficult. I'm also considering buying some metal washers to help weigh them down. And maybe some kind of thin adhesive spray to keep the foliage on better... Alright, so these aren't done. It's a start though.

For the remaining saplings, I’m thinking of essentially “unit filler” for forests: multibasing the smaller trees to "fill out" the forests without being too unwieldy on the table or truly obscuring line of sight for gamers. More to come on the trees…

I also wanted some buildings. The Garden of Morr always looked pretty neat to me, and I was fortunate enough to see the buildings on a bits site for a few bucks each, and picked them up. I also found this neat 3D printed graveyard scene and decided to bite there too. So far, I have two of four possible buildings/tombs painted up. More to come here too, but this will work for a smaller table.

Graveyards, for difficult terrain.

Lastly, I figured some “difficult” terrain would be easy enough to build, by utilizing all the gravestones. I bought a bunch of the GW tray making kits back in the day, and cut into started cannibalizing them to serve as bases for the terrain. I added some milliput to give a more rolling terrain appearance; added the gravestones; then Vallejo Paste. I painted it all up, and then added some of the Army painter ballast (to give a “fresh grave” look in a few spots. The final touch was some yellow foliage scraps to be either some kind of lichen or maybe nice fall leaves? Works well enough.

For terrain staples, I'm still lacking hills and fences, but there are a lot of diy guides out there for both. Will get to those eventually. It's not a bad start to a gaming table!

Hobby Update: Molochs & Imps

Most of my Abyssals army is pretty weak on defense; I figured a monstrous horde would be a good anvil. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like the look of Mantic’s Molochs. After a few months of intermittent browsing, I settled on these guys from the Hordes/Warmachine line.

I’ve used models from this manufacturer before, with my Undead Wight hordes. There, I made the mistake of incorporating the bases from the kit, leading to an oddly, lumpy looking base, that I probably should fix at some point. For these, I learned, and I cut off the slots by the feet first. This allowed me to glue the painted model right to the finished unit base. I think this looks much better.

Painted red, they don't look too bad!

My Abyssals are meant to be a more “balanced” force for my Evil Triumvirate, leveraging the ranged abilities of the army (particularly the Flamebearer units and Efreet heroes) to complement the speedy melee of the Herd and the slower tankiness of the Varangur. I have yet to actually field or play against any Abyssals in a game, so I can’t really speak with any authority on the unit itself, but the intention is the have the Molochs around as an anchor for the Abyssal lines.

Defense 4+ isn’t great, but with Clash of Kings 2018, they looked to have received Regen 5+, which should help them survive grinds. With CS2 and Brutal, they can do some damage, even if their melee is only 4+ as well. Ultimately, the unit itself is pretty average, but I’m hoping that when with a combined arms approach alongside other units in the Abyssals army, the result is greater than the sum of its parts, or whatever the phrase is.

TastyBagel's Abyssals ...now with twice the Kobold chaff! ...and more evidence that I need to ditch my phone's camera.

Additionally for the Abyssals, I’ve hobbied up two more Imp units; a Regiment and a Horde, bringing me up to two of each. I felt the army could use a little more chaff, and while Gargoyles would be a fantastic choice… I had the Kobold models already. Sunk costs prevail again with my hobbying efforts.

As before, the models are Reaper Mini Kobolds (mostly from these two boxes) which I still think are great buys. The Vallejo Paste can be tricky to apply if you glue them too close to one another, but if you are careful, these can turn out pretty good! These are ready for the table now, but down the line I want to add in additional Mantic Imps to boost the unit and make it look more like a rabble or swarm. The bonus Imp bits in their Abyssal kits are a nice touch, and I would like to incorporate them at some point.

For future units… I still have a half-painted horde box of Lower Abyssals that I purchased at least a year or so ago. We’ll see when these get finished off. I would like to add in another horde of Molochs (a horde unlocking each Archfiend does seem appropriate…) and some Gargoyles would be nice too. But the latter would be new purchases... which I’m still largely trying to avoid for now (and have largely been going good at!) We’ll see what the future holds for the Abyssals, but at over 3000 points now... they should be set for a while.

Hobby Update: Varangur Warbands and Herja

I've still got a little more catching up for the blog regarding my latest hobbying, but by and large I am still working my way through old plastic on all my armies, and for the Varangur, that means old Marauders are up! I had my Warband regiment out as a reference, and when a wild controller charging cord snagged it and dropped it, I decided to reevaluate my unit numbers...

I bought multiple WoC Battalions back in the day, and while some Marauders ended up as Forsaken conversions or as Charioteers, I still had 50 to work with. I decided on 4 Regiments, split between shields and two-handers.


These are the reshuffled shield-bearing Warbands after the controller accident. I was hobbing up a troop of pick-wielding dudes when the original regiment was snagged and broken, so I decided to split them up between picks and axes to give the individual regiments some defining feature. There a little dead space between the units, but there shouldn't be any big issues if I want to combine these into a horde.

Ready to take a charge or two....

I almost finished off my old tub of Reiksland Flesh Shade here... a few more models would have done it.

...And these are the two-handers. I had done up some Slaanesh Marauders with flails back in the day, but was never all that satisfied with them, and they only saw the table a few times. I decided to do up a few more models, but replace all the flail bits with other weapons. There are old Tomb King axes, Empire halberds and lots of Chaos hand weapons in the unit. I think the variety adds a nice touch.


In the few games I've played with the Varangur, I've been happy with the old shield Warband. They have been used as chaffy anvils basically; deployed a few inches ahead of something important to try and bait a charge. Ideally, with the army-wide higher Nerve, they stick around to counter-charge, supporting the more expensive (and often more deadly!) unit. I'm interested to see them more on the table. I think Warbands and Monsters could have some interesting synergy. We'll see if I can explore that sometime.

Out of 4 picutres... this is the least blurry. I switched phones unexpectedly and the camera is definitely a downgrade...

In addition to the Warbands, I’ve also hobbied up an old Valkia model. I liked the fluff behind her, so decided to pick up the model a few years ago as one of my last GW purchases as WHFB was squashed. It’s a cool sculpt overall, but is Finecast, or whatever GW’s patented phrase was, meaning the model is a bit brittle and weaker than your typical plastic. I broke a spike on the wing just getting the model out of the sprue. The wings in particular are thin, and while the model is posed pretty cool, I don't think it would take much to break it at the ankles. Not sure how I’d fix this is it breaks… but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. (Or burn that bridge when we come to it, if you are a fan of malaphors.) The only aesthetic aspect of the original model I didn't like was the head. The demonic horns were spiffy, but she also had a weird elongated head. I didn't like that, and eventually settled on a wavy hair daemonette head.

It’s take a looong time to get around to hobbying on her though… so much so that her original intended use as Herja of the Fallen, looks to have been deemed “OP” and nerfed into Magnilde of the Fallen with Clash of Kings 2018. Oh well. Can't say I disagree. Herja indeed looks a bit OP... 



She's on a small heroic base, and she's got Speed 10, Fly, and Individual, giving her an immense threat range. She's got both Iron Resolve and Life Leech to self-heal, Nerve equal to a regiment of Bloodsworn, is Inspiring and her is Defense 6+. But wait, there's more! She hits decently hard too, with Melee 3+, 7 Attacks, CS 2 and Elite. As if all that wasn't enough to run her, her special Judgement rule, which can help an infantry unit of yours stick around for another turn.. probably best on a big expensive anvil, as it is limited to infantry, but I haven't seen it in play yet. The ideal target would likely vary according to your list.

She's strong, but does have some drawbacks, even weaknesses. The first drawback is that she's got Individual, so she's not getting extra attacks for smart flanking maneuvers. With attacks capped at 7, she's not likely to rout much on her own either. Even character killing isn't guaranteed, so she's more of a force multiplier on the offense than powerhouse on her own.

The second drawback is cost. She's very expensive. What is your list giving up to get her?

The final item the comes to mind is Line of Sight. After everything, she's still classified as infantry, with a lowly (heh) Height 1. If you aren't careful with your positioning, she won't be able to see enough to be helpful on the offense.

Still, Herja has a lot going for her, and while she may not net her points back, she seem very unlikely to give them up without a fight. I wouldn't mind having her in a list, particularly in a larger game, so her high cost isn't so noticeable... 
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The other model this could be is Magnilde of the Fallen. Magnilde is more balanced; arguably harder to use. She still great overall stats, but is slightly easier to take down, with reduced Defense and Nerve. If your list has a Chieftain on foot... the extra 15 points to get Iron Resolve and the Fly move could well be worth it. That said... I don't think a Chieftain is a typical choice. Magnilde too is a force-multiplier, and seems to function best charging alongside infantry. The one-use Fly could be versatile (get her out of danger; move your Inspiring bubble elsewhere; charge something unexpected), but harder to really make use of.

Of the two, I'd probably run Herja. Usually I'm a sucker for the lower cost... but in this case, Herja's always "on" flight and higher durability make her the more attractive choice.