Warmaster Ancients "Roman Allies"

         2 formations of Latin Allies. Again hand painted shields. Transfers and stickers on 10mm are a total black hole. The painted shields don't look as great as transfers. Yet a 1000 times faster than transfers. And 100% cheaper! 

Net Epic Armageddon Tau list building

References;
         Net Epic Armageddon is supported on Taccmd. All references and supporting material is found there. I am using the approved Tau 6.8 version. Tau Third Phase Expansion Force v 6.8.pdf  Quick Reference Sheets v 6.8.pdf    All points are calculated with Army Forge tool.

         Normally I keep paper records, with the move back I have lost or can't find some of my notes. Final a switch to digital or dual notes has to happen at some point. This entry is mostly for me to reference in the future. Maybe next time it will be faster to develop a list.
                  Disclaimer; The army and play style has to match your psychology. If not you will fight each other.
         Secondary objective is the study of the army's characteristics. Learning the right tool for the right job. Knowing the army back heart and all the rules effecting it and how they all interact. Memorized!


        I started off with the idea of mirrored Broadsides. Broadsides have always been difficult for me. I never could apply them properly, or earn their points back. I never liked them due to their speed. Broadsides seem to always be out of position. Being difficult to use I rarely took them. Until this tourney rotation, it was time to learn painfully how to apply them.
        My theory is others pick and choose their detachments based on handling of one type of threat priority with another detachment switch hitting secondary threat priority. More likely it is what is in their collection. Which allows for a solid guess at a higher percentage of facing a select number of detachments Vs a planned action. Either way the duality of match threat capability is limited. The duality is best displayed/experienced against Knights. Except the duality is army design created, due to the limited detachment options.
       The idea of mirrored units, is to present multiple threats. The same threats in different areas or concentrated area of denial. In this way forcing a tough choice with little to no damage to my over all game plan. This will all go straight to the shit if I pork objective placement or deployment.

        First I tried garrisoning them on overwatch. Except one had to be my BTS. Garrisoning the BTS was too much of a gift. Being on overwatch created fear, and established a large area of denial. In terrain they are as dug in as a tick.
        The double Orcas and the AX-1 took the focus away from the Broadsides. They were dropped.
         I changed the supporting elements around a core of 2 FW, 2 Crisis, 2 Broadsides. These 6 detachments will never change throughout the learning process.

     

          Second time out the Broadsides rode the Orca bus. Again dropping off your BTS all up in someone's face, or get it shot out of the sky is a gift wrap present.
          The Broadsides made it through the flak but completed the same job as a stealth detachment would. The risk wasn't worth the reward.
           The Recon felt like the weak detachment. It accomplished nothing, provided zero threat only an extra activation.
          The Skyrays shot once, broke first turn, and stayed that way. The 6 AA shots are wonderful. The unit benignly 3 deep is a prime target turn one. It cost more to spread them out. What to do?

        Now the third time out, a comedy of errors.
                The major change was 3 detachments of cudas. I wanted those cudas to go on "cap" and give me air superiority. It was a good lesson as Thawks don't care, making the cudas just as useless.
                 I completely forget to field a detachment of Path Finders. Also forgot the drone upgrade.
         My favorite dish of FWs and drones served up in an Orca is doing the normal damage.
         Both Broadsides detachments survived and remained unbroken. This occurrence was due to the Crisis suits acting as a QRF. The Crisis by threat or acting as a blocking force denied an engage.
         300 points of Cudas are cut for a stealth detachment and Skyway upgrade.

       This list was played twice over a weekend. It remained the same except the Recon contents changed. The first game they continued their uselessness. Second game with the 3 x 3 mix did create a threat and got a crossfire off. Then quickly eliminated.
       It got a tie and a win. The recon will be dropped for kroot. It has a larger break point, threat range roughly the same, but one less marker light. I will use them as a QRF or first strike option. I expect it to cut an activation turn 1 by breaking something.
       During the second game the PF's sniper ability was used to kill the SC. This was a first. I will try the trick again.

         This will be the final going into Cold Wars.......But a wrench has been tossed in. The Cold Wars tourney will include two special scenarios; Command and Control and Strike. What this does is change how the list will work. Both scenarios do not allow garrisons, removing the two auto Over watches. Overwatch provides a huge advantage and some needed protection 1st turn
         I played Strike. The Kroot did not perform so well. The mission and the Kroot was not a great example of what would happen.









         Command and Control has 8 objectives that are scored each round, accumulative scoring! The objectives opposite your edge worth more. This scenario is designed to force your army to be more aggressive. The 3 objectives in your half would give you 5 points a turn, opposite 9 a turn. Those on the 50 yard line are a possible 2 points. This scenario will favor an air assault or durable list.
        Deployment and fire lines to control my objectives will be key. I will use the stealth suits tellie-ing to delay the advance for my objectives. The Ocra will get my one 5 pointer. The rest of the game I will castle up to deny high VP points.


         Strike has an increased deployment zone, double in size, and 10 possible objectives. Also a VP for each unit in the enemy's deployment zone (30cm) and 1 VP for BTS. VPs across the 50 are worth more. Another aggressive scenario! This one does not trouble me as much.
        The increased number objectives should provide confusion. If there is a mismatch in the number of objectives placed, 3 to 5 (the min/max), in my favor the game is up to the dice or reverse out come forces a activation killing game. If exactly the same number of Objectives, same old, same old. In any out come of objectives or roll of the dice the BTS and deployment zone VPs will be key to winning
        The enemy being closer does help marker lights but does not help delaying the advance. I will try to play a 3rd of the table and swing the focus from long edge to short edge.

NetEA Tau Vs Death Watch 3000 points

         Another primer for Cold Wars NetEA tourney. Poor Kal is stuck facing my Tau again. This Tourney will be the last tourney for the Tau. Next up will be Imperial Fists or Blood Angels. With maybe the World Eaters going to AdeptiCon.
        We are back at 6 Feet Under. The tables are height is wonderful. I love their gaming tables.  Plus my back is screwed from lift and carrying the dog. So table height will greatly improve my enjoyability.

        This time the Recon detachment has been benched for a 10 strong general run of the mill Kroot detachment. The Recon has proved too easy to break ending up as a lost activation with little reward for the points. Planes love Recon detachments! The only thing they do is eat up a ground attack or two in turn one.
       Hopefully the Kroot will prove their worth, by not breaking as easily, applying pressure/area denial, and an alpha strike option. I will garrison them in terrain as close to the 50 yard line as possible. (They shit the bed)
        The Path Finders will continue with a role of SC sniping. The points to smoke a SC would be well worth the lost reroll BS.

My List;

Kal's list;

        We played the Strike special mission. From the pic below it is near impossible to see the beads we used as objectives. (blue for me and orange for Kal) We both rolled for the max of 5. Deployment zones are 30cm from the long edge. 1 Objective in each deployment zone and the rest can go anywhere but in your deployment zone. The Strike mission is played for VPs. VPs are counted at the end of turn 3. The VPs are 1 for your objectives, 2 for the enemy's, 1 for BTS, 1 for each detachment in the enemy deployment zone, and 3 for the objective in the enemy's deployment zone.
                  We played it wrong and counted detachments across the 50 for VPs.

          Kal's Deployment. Off board support; 1 Thawk, 1 Thawk with Termies, 2 Corvus loaded, 2 detachment of TBolts.

         My Deployment was staged around mirrored Broadsides in the center. They were supported by a QFR of Pathfinders. The right Flank was abandoned to the Kroot in the trees. The left flank was the swing door. Pathfinder at the extreme, mirrored Crisis suits, and hinged by the Mech FWs (BTS).
        Off board support 2 detachments of tellie stealth, Orca loaded w/FWs, and 1 Cuda.

 The Broadsides and Crisis got all the air supports love.

 Kal came out and took the building on the Right Flank. The Kroot failed engage activations in turns 1 and 2. When they did engage in turn 3 there was no advantage and they bounced.

 The Broadsides in the center retained the attention for the rest of the game. Both ended up at 505 and broken.

        The Tau ended up with a victory. The mission played a bigger part in handing the Tau a win. With 10 Objectives on the table. It was too many to cover for the Death Watch. I made more saves than normal and an exiting Thawk full of termies took both shots from a lone skyway and failed the saves.

Death Watch Notes;

         The change tested was Death Watch's Corvus with Self Planet Fall. The SPF did not prove to be a game breaker. There were only two detachments with this ability. There could have been two more. 4 more, 6 in total could be a too much. Point wise, the increase was 50%?
        SPF makes the DW play like no other space marine army. It did allow for the Death Watch to function in the manner for what they are designed to do in the fluff. In the prior game (no SPF) both the Corvus and drop pods were easy to isolate and gang bang. The Death Watch being expensive and small unit size created too many disadvantages.
         The tactical flexibility of SPF got the Death Watch into the fight, where the fight was. The alpha strike, tip of the spear!
         I would like to see the DW be the ability upgrade marine detachments. Something like +2, to created the normal 6 marine tactical formation.

Warmaster Weekend "Rehabbing Fields"

         These were bargain basement fields I picked up 7ish years ago. They were mostly used for Force on Force and Ancients. They have been showing their age and wear. The House was added and field modified a while ago. This weekend the hedges, trees, and walls got the love. It is a usually long process with clump stuff soaking up glue.

         There are a total of 3. Number two has one side of the hedge row stripped off and a wall added. The path between has been cover in crackle paste. The rehab will take another few days.

HistoriCon Important Dates

Event registration is now open. Get your tables and game time set. Gamer registration opens May 1st!!!

 Historicon Important Dates

 DATE    ACTION 

2/20/2019    Events Submission Opens 

2/20/2019   Exhibitor Registration Opens 

4/10/2019   Deadline to Have Game Listed in PEL (Preliminary Event List)

4/24/2019 PEL Published 

5/01/2019 Advance Attendee Registration Opens 

6/26/2019 Attendee Mail-In Registration Closes (postmark date) 

7/03/2019 Advance Registration Discount Ends 

July 10-14, 2019    Historicon 2019 

Friday is the Warmaster tourney
Saturday is the Net Epic Armageddon tourney

3D printing

         Messing around with free "stl.s" widely available. Just search and you will find all sorts of fan made wonders. Some need to be scaled down from 28mm. All are SLR printed at 20um.

         Who doesn't need more buildings? I will keep them if they look cool enough painted up. If not I will sell them for nothing on eBay.

 I am getting very nice chunks for rubble.

Downed Devilfish

HistoriCon Parking FREE!!!!!!!!

Details to follow, but the Con will cover the daily parking garage fee of 7 bucks a day.

Little Wars site review

The Lancaster Cigar Bar

30K Horus Heresy bases part II

         This time around the Infantry bases were running out. There is 21 different design. Some I have used more than others, for no other reason than luck of the draw. I was down to only 3 left of 4 designs. 

         All the same steps and materials were used as in bases part I. 

Resin will stick to resin. So if there is a little left over, pour it in and next time around fill it the rest of the way up. You will get a perfect cast from it

        A tool of sorts is added to the casting process, a toothpick. These bases have a lot of walls. Which create low points in the negative.  When the resin is poured, those low points hold on to air, bubbles are created. The tooth pick is used to release the air bubble. Just be sticking the tooth pick in and out of the low points, the trapped air escapes up the toothpick.

                           

          Due to the odd number there was room left in the mold. I threw in 2 of the original GW low ruin wall sections. They came out pretty good. The mold itself around these needs a little cleaning up.

Humidors

         My swim buddy is still down recovering. There is zero painting happening. I am board all day sitting with dog. All day looking and thinking of stuff to do. Just like a baby, when he passes out, I go find something to do. I need things that are done over time and in stages.

CIGARS

         I only smoke outside. There is no enjoyment freezing for 40 minutes while burning a stick. It has been 40ish for the last 3 months. I was on the road most of the 4th quarter last year. Maybe I have smoked one since returning from Honolulu in November. All this means zero attention has been paid the cigars. I lost control of the humidity within the Humidors. Which can kill your sticks. Either they dry completely out or could grow mold.

        In my case the humidity was 60ish %. (It should be 70-72%.) No matter what humidity inducing device I used, I was unable to increase the humidity within the humidor. My Humidor had dried out.

       This does not mean the humidor is finished. It can be recovered. Some will tell you to wet a sponge and wipe the inside. This method can/will ruin the humidor. If the cedar inside is dry and you moisten one side (the side you can see) the wood will warp. It will also swell. Once this happen the humidor is trash. You will destroy the seal and damage the cedar beyond repair.

        

       What you want to do is with an empty humidor is place a  small plate or plastic tub inside. In or on the plate/container set a sponge and soak that dude with the stuff you see to the left. Then close up the humidor and leave that for 2 days. It is almost exactly what you would do to season the humidor when you first get it.

        After two days the cedar should be re hydrated. 

        All those wonderful sticks that were in the humidor(s) don't leave them kicking around. Place them in new zip lock bags or in a tight sealing plastic container. A new one! Anything that was in there before could induce an unwanted favor into your cigars. In with the sticks set your normal humidity producing product of choice.

         This was also a perfect time to calibrate the hygrometers. Remember to replace the batteries first! You can do the salt in a dish, wetted down with water trick. I use a new 72% travel bag thingy and a plastic bag. All your devices and humidity controlled thingy go in a plastic zip lock bag. They all should sit for greater than 8hrs. Once 8hrs has past, adjust the devices and let them sit over night. Then in the morning make whatever corrects are needed.




          Before everything was returned to the Humidors, I put the dividers and shelves. Then seasoned them for a day. After this all the cigars were returned to the Humidors. Note: All the humidifiers and drymistat tubes were replaced. The crystals do fail over time. They will start to yellow. I had mine since before leaving for Argentina. So they were 4-5 years old?