Warhammer Quest In Review



Greetings Gamers!  I did it.  I broke down and bought the Silver Tower.  After a couple weeks of absolutely consuming the contents of the box I thought that I would write a quick post on my initial impressions of the models and game play.

To start off, if you’re like me and the new edition of Warhammer Quest brings out some feelings of nostalgia, go get the damn thing!  The price tag is high but you absolutely get what you pay for.

The Miniatures

I won’t list all of the miniatures in the box as you can see that on the GW site but it goes without saying that they are gorgeous.  You get 6 Heroes to choose from that fill all of the niche characters in a classic dungeon crawl setting.  They are all extremely detailed and surprisingly constructed of a shit load of pieces.

Mistweaver Saih – Caster

Tenebrael Shard – Assassin

Darkoath Cheiftain – Barbarian

Fyreslayer Doomseeker – Dwarf Fighter

Excelsior Warpriest – Cleric

Knight-Questor – Tank

Along with the heroes you get 45 additional miniatures.  2 of the enemy minis are the Gaunt Summoner himself and the Ogroid Thaumaturge (one of the main reasons I bought this game).  All of the other enemy models have 2 of the same pose but GW has addressed this in the placement and choosing of miniatures when generating them for the dungeon.  The only one I was curious about was the Skaven Assassin as there are only two of them.  Why are they in a Tzeench dungeon?  This conundrum is also addressed in the story and rules behind the Skaven character.

There are also additional rules for the use of Tzeench Flamers, Screamers, and a Herald if you happen to have the miniatures already in your collection.

The Game

Play through is similar to the original Warhammer Quest.  You build your dungeon as you move through and explore rooms.  Characters gain renown through the defeat of enemies and each has their own special way to earn additional renown.  As you gain renown you gain skills.  After each dungeon there is a quick run through of how to finalize your quest. This is one of the biggest differences between the new and old game.  The end game portion in the new edition is quick and simple.  You check to see if you are able to retain the skills and treasures your hero attained throughout the run and once complete you move on to the next test.  That’s it that’s all.

The new game seems to be a simpler version of the original but it has all kinds of replay value and huge room for growth.  Each dungeon layout is dependent on how the cards are shuffled and the enemies you fight are randomly generated.  On top of the different enemies in each of the rooms there is also the possibility that a Random Encounter will occur.  If this is the case you could end up fighting a couple crappy little minions, get a boost for you next turn or the Ogroid Thaumaturge could walk out of a portal next to your character.

 

With all of that said I feel like we should look at some of the problems with the set.  I say problems (plural) but I really only have one, although to me it’s kind of a big one.  The packaging!  Come on GW what the hell!  I realize that there are a lot of pieces and sprue to place into one box without getting to crazy but the box isn’t split up at all.  It’s a free-for-all in there.  The sprue is tossed on top of the tiles and cards which doesn’t seem like a big deal but there are a lot of sharp pointy bits all over these minis.  The cards, books and tile pieces that were against the sprue ended up getting damaged.  Some more than others mind you but for the price of the set it would have been nice to see a little more thought put into the layout of the box.  Who knows, maybe there was, but it doesn’t look like it.  At least GW’s customer service is fantastic and they are all for replacing anything that gets damaged.

So to wrap up I am definitely a fan of this game.  The collector in me sees all of the possibilities for expansion and the chance to build and paint minis I wouldn't normally purchase.  This also gives me a chance to hopefully use some of the other fantasy miniatures that have recently been collecting dust in my nerd cave.  It's a large investment but I'll say it again, you get what you pay for. 



SKULLS FOR THE SKULLHURLER!!!

What a glorious picture!  I have got to admit.  When I first saw this model come out I was a little let down, but I've found with GW that you have to see it in person before passing judgement (except for that new Karate Kid shit bomb of a Space Wolf).  Anyways, I digress.  I have finally finished my Khorne Lord of Skulls.  It has only been approximately a year and a half but who's counting.  He has seen the table 2 or 3 times and I couldn't wait to finish painting him.  Little did I know how time consuming and tedious he would be to paint.  I really should know better by now.  It was all worth it though.  I love this model.

I started building him in 2013 while I was away on tour.  If you actually look and read this blog hopefully you've seen the bottle cap battle report.  That was around the same time.  After getting him home I primed him and that was about it.  I have since moved on to a new home in a totally different province and have finally taken the time to get him done.  After this he will hopefully be on his way to Virginia to the Nova Open Charitable Auction and with any luck will bring some money in for the charity of my choice.  Once that's done I hope he finds himself in a loving home with the chance to play on multiple battlefields throwing down Khorne's love for all to enjoy.  I'll miss this model as it has a pretty good history with me.  Hopefully you guys enjoy.

It's Still January!!!

I missed December but its still January even though it may be the 31st.  So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I thought I better get some update photos of the display board up here and let you all know what I've been able to get done over the past 2 months.

So without further adieu here it is!

Display Board

 Renegade Laser Destroyers

Ogryn Packmaster with Hounds

Some Infinity love.  Snake Doc

Yaogat Sniper

Severed Elf Head Christmas Tree Bulbs

With all of that done and so much more to go I got back to Blood Angels and I'm working on finally finishing my Khorne Lord of Skulls.  The KLoS will be on its way down to the Nova Open in the coming months to be auctioned off in the charity auction.  I hope it gets some love and finds a good home.  As for my Blood Angels I have finally worked out a decent army after purchasing 2 squads of Hammernators.  I've always wanted to play TH/SS Terminators but never played a marine army where they were an option.  Now with my Terminator Captain and other squad of termis I have a list that isn't overly powerful but seems to work well and give my opponents a run for their money.  I am leaving for a new 3 week course soon so within the next two weeks I hope to get the pod and KLoS finished.  All I have left on the big guy is the 2 tanks pictured.  Once they are done I just need to make sure I was the tracks and a few other places out a bit.  I'll have finished pics up soon.  So if anyone actually reads this I hope you've enjoyed the new minis and as always, comments welcome!

Display Board Started

With my Thudd Guns and Basilisk painted I started right in on the display board I had decided on.  I was pretty excited to start this project because scenery has always been a "learning on the fly" kind of thing for me.  For the first time in a long time I actually planned and drew this one out.  I knew what I needed and how big I wanted it to be.  Getting to the final stages was the fun part.

I started out with a sheet of the 1" pink insulation foam, drywall plaster, lots of varying sizes of sand, glue, water effects and glue....lots of glue.  I cut a sheet of plywood I had around the house to 2'x2' and started cutting and placing the foam to match the drawing.  I glued it all down with white PVA glue and threw a ton of books onto it to weigh it down and keep it in place.

Once it was dry I shaped the edges of the water pool and the hill.  After that I cut out the hole for the sewer drain and fixed the cup in place.  Now it was time to do some mixing.  I used some fine sand mixed with drywall plaster and glue for the "concrete" look and different sized sand with drywall plaster and glue for the dirt.  After plastering the hell out of it I added the cracked Imperial Eagle and a walkway by the sewer drain.

On to painting!  I started by priming it a dark brown then went on to dry brushing the dirt, painting the concrete and then airbrushing the water areas.

Once that was done I airbrushed the sewer water areas and started deciding on colors for the eagle and walkway.  I ended up going with a blue for the eagle.  Mainly just because it was close at hand and I like throwing brighter colors into my projects.  Wherever it is cracked I painted it to match the concrete. The walkway I painted a camo green then weathered and rusted it.  Once that was done and after running some ideas past a friend of mine that was over for a paint night I decided to do some kind of graffiti on the wall which then prompted me to add a zombie "tagger".  Along with the tagger I added a few more zombies walking through the muck and some random body parts.

Now it was on to the pour!  I've had to do about 4 pours and hopefully 4 is the magic number.  It is cloudy when it pours but drys clear to show the color underneath.

While the water effects are drying I've started a waterfall effect that, if it works out, I will add to the end of the sewer pipe.  Once thats attached I am going to swirl more brackish colored water effects where the fall hits the water.  I also have to add a bit more weathering to the wall.  The last thing I'm going to have to do is add grass tufts to the dirt areas.  

Hopefully I will have this done in the next few days.  I'll be posting up a bunch of pictures of the completed project soon.  Until then here are the completed Thudd Guns and Basilisk.

Renegades Of Vraks

I started putting together and playing a Renegade army a couple of years after Forge World introduced them.  The models are amazing and the ability to combine certain Imperial Guard and Chaos factions was just to good to pass up.  Good in a painting, modeling and fluff sense but when it came to the table they were never the be all end all of armies.

My first thoughts of how this army should be fielded from a story sense was lots of bodies being herded into the fight by master puppeteers, the Chaos Space Marines.  That is originally how I started building them and playing them.  Lots of bodies with as many heavy weapons as I could field.  We also can't forget the much feared Chemical Mortars.  These things were amazing.  My opponent would see me pull them out of my army case and always wonder as to why I could possibly have wanted to put mortars into my list.  Mortars weren't that great back then.  Little did they know that for a small points increase I could turn these terrible "hoard" killing guns into AP 3 marine killing nightmares.  Once I fired (and hit) with these babies it was game on and they were the biggest target for my opponent.  To all Renegade players dismay though the chemical mortars have been left out of the new army lists.

With the release of the Imperial Armour 13 book and subsequent re-release of Imperial Armour 5 Siege of Vraks I started re-thinking how I wanted to run my army. Horde armies are harder to play with now a days, especially in the tournament scene, and can be a bit unwieldy to play with because they take some time to move around the table.  Tank armies are fun but we all know that a tank can be taken apart with one lucky shot.  With these two things being considered, oh and I can't forget my love of Zombies, I decided to build an artillery heavy army with cheap bodies for cannon fodder.  Imperial Armour 13 kind of let me build this list and it was fun to try out for a couple of months but the introduction of "Ordnance Tyrant" in IA 5 sealed the deal.  The Demagogue Devotion "Ordnance Tyrant" allows me to field multiple Heavy Weapon choices as either Troop or Elite choices.  Couple that with The Purge Formation in IA5 I can have 8 Elite and 4 Heavy Weapon choices in one army chosen from Renegades and Chaos Space Marines.  Beautiful!  This gives me everything I've ever wanted from a renegade list.  But wait!  That's not all.  Ordnance Tyrant also allows me to target my own models when firing certain weapons!  Say it aint so!  Finally we have an army that can target it's own people and it makes bloody sense!

However, the Purge detachment isn't perfect.  There are no Fast slots and we all know that's where a lot of the CSM power tends to come from.  That means it's going to be a bit harder to get some air power in the list unless we take allies and some tournaments wont allow you to ally with yourself.

So with all of this in mind and to keep the list set to be played in any tournament that allows Forge World this is what I have come up with.  I'll look at some Pro's and Con's after.

HQ:

1. Mamon Incarnate

2. Renegade Command Squad

    - Banner of Hate

    - Command Net Vox

    - Arch-Demagogue (Warlord) Ordnance Tyrant with the Covenant of Nurgle

    - Chimera with front mounted Heavy Flamer

Elite:

1. Renegade Blight Drone

2. Renegade Heavy Ordnance Battery

    - 2 Medusa Seige Guns with 4 crew a piece

3. Renegade Artillery Battery

    - 2 Basilisks with front mounted Heavy Flamers

4. Ferrum Infernus Chaos Dreadnought with Multi-Melta, CCW, mark of Nurgle and Lord of the             Long War upgrade.

    - He's riding in a Dreadclaw Drop Pod

Troops:

1. Renegade Field Artillery

    - 3 Quad Launchers with 3 crew a piece

2. Plague Zombie Mob x 25

3. Plague Zombie Mob x 25

Heavy:

1. Renegade Leman Russ Battle Tank with Heavy Bolter side sponsons and front mounted Heavy           Flamer.

2. Renegade Leman Russ Battle Tank with front mounted Heavy Flamer.

3. 3 Renegade Rapier Laser Destroyer with 2 crew a piece and Militia Training.

Fortifications:

1. Aegis Defense Line

With this list I am dropping 12 small templates and 7 large templates with varying strengths and AP's a turn.  The Zombies are there to protect and to basically hold things in place while I shell them.  Because this list is so static I wanted to add something with a little more maneauverability so I added the Dreadnought in Drop Pod and Mamon.  Mamon because he is in the Vraks story as an integral character and his stat line is pretty great.  He's also a daemon so I can drop him in anywhere.  The Dreadnought in Drop Pod will give me a late game attack piece that I can use where needed and if he explodes I have a chance at a free Daemon Prince.  I was pretty torn between using a Dreadnought or Chosen.  I was thinking of either Melta totting Chosen or Flamers with shred.  The other thing I'm lacking is objective scoring units.  That will be an interesting one to overcome.

So what do you guys think?  Am I totally off base here or does this look as gross and fun to play as I think it is?  Is it worth taking this in a Purge Detachment?  Also, anything glaring that you can see that I should consider dropping or adding?

Family Photo!

So far this month has been mainly taken up with work, family time and .... Dragon Age Inquisition.  I have to get it finished though you see.  Why you ask?  Well because Fallout 4 won't play itself and I can't just start playing that when I still haven't finished DA.  That would be like cheating.

I've done a bit of painting and its all been focused on getting some of theses guys done.  I have been able to finish 15 out of 34 and I'll be getting the next 15 out to paint right away.  Along with painting the zombies I have also been working on a diorama layout for my nurgle/renegade army.  I think I have the plans and ideas down now so once the zombies are done (or possibly before) im going to start working on it.  I'm also waiting on a nice big order of Infinity models and more additions to my Renegades to come in the mail any day now.  I think I have finally found an 1850pt build that I want to run.  I'll post up the army list shortly.

Here is what I was able to get done over the past couple of weeks.  Comments and criticisms always welcome.

Penal Legion zombies (they look a bit more red in the picture)

Biters

Legless

Risen Guard

Extras

I've decided that I'm going to rebase my nurgle and renegade army.  Right now they are a grey dry brushed with grey and it is really boring.  After doing the Dreadclaw I knew I had to do the rest of my armies to match.  So the Zombies are the first ones to get the new bases.  All I'm missing now is some tufts of dead grass from Army Painter.  I'll be getting some of that right away to top these guys off.  Now I just have to do everyone else's base along with my other projects.  Easy right?

On top of all of these guys I also have a few other Renegade projects ready to go.  They should both go quick if I would just sit down and break out the airbrush.  More artillery for the party!

Thudd Gun (waiting on 2 more)

Basilisk #2 (This ones for you Chris.  Spikes on top of spikes makes it Chaos right?  I thought of you when I "converted" it.)