The Other Side of the Blog: Hordes and Warmachine

Much of this blog is devoted to the events of my Pathfinder Skull and Shackles campaign (the most recent recap was from session seventeen). However, I've also been painting up some models to accompany the campaign, that also serve as models in the Privateer Press Warmachine and Hordes game system. There are three major factions that the PC's in the Pathfinder game will face off against eventually, and conveniently enough I've got models from three different factions of Hordes/Warmachine that match those sides in neat ways. Given the recent death of the Warhammer Fantasy miniatures game, I've been playing a lot more Warmachine and Hordes. And thus, the other side of this blog gets a bit of attention today (though I'm writing up the recap from our eighteenth session as well, so those that are here for the Pathfinder rpg goodness have some patience).

I took some photos from my recent games, just to display some cool pictures and muse on the variety of my forces and my foes' armies. I've been really having fun with it lately--it's a great skirmish game. So enjoy some shots of my models and opponents' forces, and batten down the hatches for a bit more Privateer Press Warmachine/Hordes coverage as this blog goes forward.

 Absylonia leads her massive Everblight Warbeasts into the heart of a Cygnar-held town, facing off against the ever-deadly Captain Allister Caine.

 The Scythean did what they do best... tore open a hole in the enemy lines before moving in for the kill. Check out the amazing detail of Stu's warjack and Gun Mages in the close up!

 A battle against the Circle of Orboros, led by the shapeshifting Kromac the Ravenous. The battle took place at a wildlife sanctuary (zoo) apparently, as there were all sorts of zoo animals in enclosures on the battlefield.

 The stack of deadly heavy warbeasts and the battle engine composed a strong brick for my Everblight forces. 

 They gave battle to the Circle warbeasts right outside of the crocodile pit that formed the center of the board. 

 One of my early Skorne lists. I wanted more of a caster for my Warlock, so I went with eHexetis. With the Razorworm bonded to him and backed up by a Gladiator Titan and a Bronzeback Titan, it makes for a tough force.

 A game between my Skorne and Dan's Four Star Syndicate Mercenaries led by Fiona the Black. The duo atop the rocks are the deadly pair of bounty hunters Dannon Blythe and Bull, and the Warjack to the left is none other than Rocinante itself. 

 Here Circle did what Circle does best, and used multiple movement shenanigans to slip a Warpwolf Stalker right up to him. He managed to survive that assault, but couldn't handle the beast-form charge of Kromac that came the turn afterward. 

 Facing off against some Khador foes--a brutal heavy force packed with big Warjacks. Did I mention how much I hate Sorscha? Because she is just a nasty caster. 

 A second match that day against Sorscha. Had to be a little more tricksy to get the win--though Saeryn's feat certainly helped balance the Icy Gaze. 

 The Skorne also took the field against the Khador forces, this time a more melee-oriented list on the Khador side. 

 The bonded Razorworm, busy securing objectives and doing its best to stay out of notice by Sorscha and her nasty little dog in the distance. 

 The newest addition to my Skorne army, another of the sandworm-style critters. This one is the Aradus Sentinel. It is one of the very slowest models in the game (there are immobile models in the game that can still move faster than its lousy quarter-of-a-foot movement speed). But the gun it packs is super-deadly, as the bonus damage from poison against living models is huge when it can also boost the damage roll with fury. In this game, it made short work of a unit of shieldwalled Man-o-wars. 

 More Circle Orboros fun. Surrounding their shrine to Cthulhu (the Devourer Worm actually) was eMorvahna's force: some beautiful and deadly creatures of the forest. 

Here the Aradus Sentinel faces off against a Riphorn Satyr. Luckily for me, the Satyr went and focused on the objective, putting the Circle in far better objective position but leaving my Sentinel in just enough range to take its deadly shot at a Warlock without any Fury. 

Battles (Privateer Press):
Overall Total 2015: 9 (Win/Loss: 7/2/0)

Skorne:
3 Wins (eHexeris v Fiona; eHexeris v Sorscha; eHexeris v. eMorvahna)
1 Losses (eHexeris v Kromac)

Protectorate of Menoth:

0 Wins
0 Losses

Legion of Everblight:
4 Wins (Absylonia v eCaine; Vayl v Kaya; Vayl v Sorscha; Saeryn v Sorscha)
1 Loss (Absylonia v Fiona)

Unleash the Kraken

Another double-update of Skull and Shackles information and Privateer Press painting/modeling.

Skull and Shackles

Prior posts have detailed the monsters that the Imperial Navy of Cheliax has been breeding to help take care of their "pirate problem." This time I'm showing one of the largest horrors sighted beside the Chelish ships as they war along the coasts. 

How do the kids say it? Ah, yes: "Release the Kraken"

A few survivors from the scuttled ship The Windlass made their way to the taverns of Port Peril to recount a horrifying tale. A Chelish warship started tailing their ship, and as it closed the distance suddenly a woman appeared on the deck of the ship in a crackle of arcane energy. She shouted something in the Chelish tongue and before anyone could react a sinister rumble shook the ship. Before they knew it, an enormous Kraken-like beast had burst its way through the hull and was roiling about on the deck. Taking water and losing crew to both the beast's horrible maw and the Chelish spellcasters magical barrage, the ship was thrown into disarray and was unable to mount any defense against the ballistae of the opposing warship. 

The sea hungers

The survivors managed to get to one of their longboats, rowing furiously to reach the coastline before the forces of Cheliax turned their sights to those that fled. One man, a scarred individual who others at the taverns called Surly Pete, shuddered as he described the noise of the battle: "the beast was deadly silent itself, I only heard the crack of timbers as it smashed its way around the ship... and the screams of men falling silent as they were swallowed by its hideous maw." The scuttlebutt around Port Peril is that the Chelish Navy might be planning a broader action against the free pirate fleets, as each encounter with them seems to add new monstrosities and capabilities to their forces.

The Tricorne and Parrot method of model conversion

Privateer Press

On the wargaming side, this is the amazing Throne of Everblight model for my Legion of Everblight army. Keeping with the pirate theme, I wanted to adjust the look of the model somewhat. I focused in on the ship deck basing, and decided to do a swap of the top portion of the model (normally it is a metal and stone platform on the top of the model. I'm really pleased with how the Throne of Everblight conversion turned out, honestly. Especially the base (prior under construction shots can be seen at the bottom of this post). 

Under construction

I wanted to have the model positioned as if it clawed its way out of the deck of a ship, so that meant broken decking and water underneath. I initially thought about painting a below-deck scene using perspective lines, but then I realized that would be pure insanity and decided to do a water effect with gloss varnish instead. I think it turned out reasonably well, tho I still have not affixed it to the base as I'm trying to decide exactly how to do so. And I cannot skip mentioning my favorite part: the little wine bottle rolling on the base to give a sense of disruption from the creature's arrival.

Party foul!

As for the game, I fielded it for the first time on Sunday in a 25 game against the Convergence of Cyriss. The Throne of Everblight performed admirably, doing exactly what it should do--scaring my opponent into focusing on it and letting my other heavy hitter warbeasts reach their lines without any damage. While I eventually lost the Throne, it was a superstar of destroying infantry (Convergence of Cyriss Eradicators), a light warjack (Galvanizer), and managing to down all of the three attunement servitors that were flitting about with it's free magic spells in two consecutive rounds (each turn it kills a model, it gets to cast a spell for free with Battle Wizard). Got one servitor with a Frostbite spray, and two with a single Spine Burst shot. That's a tiny thing, but shows just how valuable the Battle Wizard ability can be. Instead of spending other activations to take out the minor annoyances, the Throne of Everblight can snipe some supporting pieces while taking out other more threatening concerns in melee. 

Legion of Everblight

Models Painted: 7

Points Painted: 34

Warlocks Painted: 1

Chelish Command and Privateer Press: Legion of Everblight

Again, another double-update of Skull and Shackles campaign info and painting toward my Privateer Press force. As usual, the campaign comes first. 

Skull and Shackles

Adversaries of Renown:
Vice-Admiral Delthretta Pavane is the current commander of the Chelish forces in the Arcadian Ocean. An elite fleshcrafter in training, when she set her eyes on commanding naval forces she soon rose to the top. Given the relative freedom of the seas and her absolute authority over her armada, the Vice-Admiral has pursued greater and greater devilish infusions into her body than would normally be seen among elites within Chelish borders. Plumbing the depths of fleshcrafting, she has transformed parts of her body with infernal power.

The darkness grows from within

As a sign of pride and command for her troops, the one thing she has refused to adjust is her peg leg--having lost it to a cannonball shot at the Battle of the Nine Coasts. Her sailors, many of whom have also been crippled in the course of battles, look to her example with a source of pride. 

All dressed up but no parties to attend

Vice-Admiral Pavane is the one behind the surge in Chelish fleets deploying great fleshcrafted beasts of war on their ships. This creature, a blend of sea monster and hellfire spitting devil, is but one of many creatures dispatched with teams of handlers to man Chelish vessels large, small, and in-between. 

Anyone got a breath mint?

These developments in the Chelish naval fleet have led to worrysome effects for the pirate residents of The Shackles. Not only do privateer crews need to prepare for the solid Chelish marines, but they never know when the hold of a pirate-hunter boat may belch forth one of these monstrosities. And if that were not enough, the other nations of Golarion have gotten word of the Chelish plans and are attempting to arm their ships in similar fashion. The great nation of Rahadoum, a somewhat uneasy competitor with Cheliax, has been rumored to be importing massive beasts of war to help supplement their own slave-driven ships. Even some free captains of The Shackles have taken to the practice. Rumors abound across Port Peril that Captain Barnabas Harrigan of the Wormwood keeps an Owlbear chained below decks for just such a purpose. 

Privateer Press

Two things have been added to my Legion of Everblight forces since the last update. First, the Warlock Absylonia, who is my preliminary commander. And the Ravagore, a heavy warbeast with a great shooting attack option for my force. 

Fire in the hole

I'm really pleased with how the painting has gone on these models, and the battlegroup is looking really tight in my eyes. The bigger beasts having the higher red-to-orange spectrum makes them eye-catching. Then the details can all be cooler colors in light shades, such as the light blue dress of Absylonia or the green fire from the Ravagore. 

I spent a lot of time getting the green fire color right... I'm proud

I've played my first few games of Privateer Press with this group, and so far I've split 1 and 1 at the 20 points size level. The first battle had some great infantry killing by my forces, but I bumbled control of an objective on a critical turn and ended up losing the game. Totally my fault, but it was a fun match. Second game I reversed the trend by using my lesser warbeast Shredders to help secure objective points--and the enemy took the bait and focused on my big beasties (who took a pounding) until it was too late.  

Absylonia's battlegroup thus far

In all, I'm pretty pleased with how the force is doing--particularly on the painting side. I'll be painting up the first infantry models of the force soon (as the Skull and Shackles game needs enemy "Chelish Marines" to fight), and I'm working on their battle engine as fast as I can manage. So far so good!

Legion of Everblight

Models Painted: 6

Points Painted: 25

Warlocks Painted: 1

The Imperial Navy of Cheliax: Fiendish Might

Skull and Shackles

North of Port Peril and the Shackles region lies an enormous whirling hurricane in perpetual motion called the Eye of Abendego, and just north of that is the Arch of Aroden a thin passage to what is known as the Inner Sea. Commanding the Inner Sea, and now turning their eyes outside to the Arcadian Ocean (where the pirates of the Shackles ply their trade) is the grand nation of Cheliax. A lawful evil society based around devil worship, the Chelish field fleets of naval vessels to support their control of the Arch of Aroden and gain influence and control of the greater ocean. For more information on the nation of Cheliax in the Pathfinder world, check here.

Essential to our purposes in the Skull and Shackles campaign is that the Imperial Navy of Cheliax are the primary formal navy and pirate hunters of the region and the campaign. More worrysome to aspiring pirates is the sheer might of the Chelish forces. Their ships of the line include the Chelish Man-o'war, a massive three-decked vessel that normally is fitted with 20 ballistae per side and huge catapults on both the fore- and aftcastle. As if that is not bad enough, the current Vice-Admiral of Chelish forces who has been tasked with the elimination of piracy in the Shackles is the infamous Delthretta Pavane, a deeply cursed woman whose raw savagery is augmented from a most dire pact with some devilish force. Vice-Admiral Pavane has been equipping her naval crews with not only the normally-sturdy Chelish Marines, but with strange devil-bred hellspawn made from the unholy matings between devils and sea beasts: sharks, sea monsters, and worse.

Behold, the Scythean!

For instance, the most recent reports from a few sailors who managed to survive their ship being wrecked by a Chelish attack talk of a large beast which was driven onto their decks by its Chelish Marine handlers. The strange beast seemed to be a cross between a devil and a plesiosaur, and tore into the pirate crew with unmatched savagery. This corresponds to similar stories of small two-legged shark creatures that were delivered by strange agents on floating rafts to assail other ships north of the Eye of Abendigo. For now, while the massive hurricane continues its whorl, hopefully the Imperial might of Cheliax and their devil-bred ocean beasts is held in check.

The regions of Golarion that are primarily involved

Privateer Press

So while in the Pathfinder campaign, the models will represent the devil-bred forces of the Chelish navy, they're the Legion of Everblight in Privateer Press' twin games Hordes and Warmachine. The painted model, the Scythean, is the first heavy warbeast that I've painted for my force. I like the way the color scheme worked out on the model with a lot more area. The prior ones, the Shredders I posted about first in this post, had only smaller areas that were in the red-to-orange spectrum. I really like the way it came out in the larger model.

Side and back view

The Scythean is a seriously nasty foe in combat, with brutal attacks and the ability to punish large groups--it has a chain attack ability that goes off if it hits with both of its initial attacks. While I have plans on doing a Ravagore and a Carnivean to give some depth of options for my force, I decided to paint up the Scythean first. The reason: simplicity. I'm still learning the game, and the beauty of the Scythean is that it's just a face-wrecking melee critter. Plus, I'm saving the complex tech for my next addition: the Throne of Everblight

Awww Mikey, give us a little lickery-kiss

It's still being assembled, because the kit is HUGE. But I wanted to do a Throne as it's honestly the model that inspired my vision for this force. I pictured a massive beast that burst up from below-decks in a ship due to the commands of a master sorceress. Normally, the Throne has kind of a parapet at the top. I changed it up, with some Sculpey and bits from other models, plus ample numbers of the coffee stir sticks I am using for decking, to look as if it burst up from below decks.

It came from below!

That shot of the full model gives a good sense of my intentions. I still have work to do on it, such as finishing the tentacles, adding the pirate details to the sorceress on the deck, and putting on the broken and splintered deck from the base (which I am going to at least try to paint a recessed image underneath... we'll see how good my painting skills are). But I'm really pleased with the progress thus far. I love the look of the piece for Privateer Press--let alone what sort of horror it will be for the Pathfinder gaming table in my Skull and Shackles game!

Legion of Everblight

Models Painted: 4

Points Painted: 15

Warlocks Painted: 0

Sighted on the Horizon!

Skull and Shackles

Reports have reached Port Peril of a small raft that was sailed up to a ship (the Sea's Largess) from an island, and a horde of small shark-like beasties with legs clamored aboard. A strange woman was guiding them, but as the ship's crew fought and finally repelled the beasts the sorceress escaped in a burst of magic.

Landsharks!

Keep tuned for more emerging threats that will appear throughout the campaign!

Privateer Press

So this blog is going to do double-duty, as I am painting up some Privateer Press models to be the villainous (and friendly) crews of various other ships. This is the start of a Legion of Everblight force that will be serving as a crew of blood-thirsty beast-handling aquatic raiders. I'll divide my comments and thoughts about the Privateer Press portion from the Skull and Shackles comments with headings. 

These are three Shredders from the Legion of Everblight force I'm working on. I saw some trollbloods that were done with purple bodies and red-to-orange stones in their skin, and thought: "I could do that with scales!" I've been looking for a color inspiration for my force for almost 6 months, and finally found one that I liked. It's going to be interesting to see how I can handle the skin of the Nyss and Ogrun (the elves and mountain ogres that fight on behalf of the awakened-but-not-corporeal dragon Everblight), as the purple will pose a little concern. But I think I have the idea handled. 

Next on the painting table is a heavier warbeast and two warlocks to give me some variation in the leader of the force. 

Legion of Everblight

Models Painted: 3

Points Painted: 6

Warlocks Painted: 0