Bad to da bork

On the day I was born
The nurses all gathered 'round
And they gazed in wide wonder
At the joy they had found
The head nurse spoke up
Said "leave this one alone
She could tell right away
That I was bad to the bone

Something I painted up a few days ago.  It's a wartrakk/biker, but I think it's a part of the current model range.  I use it as a warbuggy with wartrakkz, so sue me.  One of the few Evil Sunz models I painted, I don't like the red; I used the wrong highlight colour, and I tried a new brass technique that I hated the effects of.  Gotta experiment though!

On the otherhand my new photo techniques/editing seem to be far more effective.

Army I: Da Boyz

Not actually my first army, as it happens, but the first I'll categorise in this blog.  The faction consists of a Freebootaz pirate gang that consists of mostly Bad Moons and Blood Axes.

The Freebootaz faction was formed during a WAAAGH!!! under an unknown warboss, during part of the Damocles crusade.  The Warlord was part of the 'Goffs' Klan, but despite the effectiveness of the underlord Smakritz in the campaign, the Goffish tendency to acknowledge only fighty Orks as the right Orkz, he was ill-favoured.  However he was able to convince the tek obsessed Morgitz Nob to break ranks, and launch their own mercenary kompany.

The prospect of not having to share the drudgery that campaigns forced on them was a strong incentive, and the chance to engineer a warmachine from the ground up was a challenge they both cared for.  The constitution of a titanic kill krooza, Deff's 'Ead from existing wreckage & and generators was effected, and an ill timed backstab against their former overlord saw his WAAAGH!!! crippled, and filled the Deff's 'Ead's coffers to overflowing with looted technology and shiny bitz.

Their escape having been made, the newly christened (with good fungus beer) Deff's 'Ead made its way through orkoid space, and quickly negociated participation in another WAAAGH!!!  on the side of the far galactic north of the Segmentum: Ultima.

An Ork WAAAGH!!! had taken to the surface of a Necron War-moon, but found the inhabitants unsuitable opponents.  Despite weeks of shouting and insults, the Necron inhabitants had no allowed themselves to be provoked.  The Deff 'eadz  promised that they would be able to enliven the tomb, and that their would be more than enough loot for all.  Within a short month the genius of Morbitz was able to reactivate the majority of the thinkin' masheenz, and wanton carnage raged through the corridors of the space station.  Only after the complete decimation of the Necron forces have been sealed were the Lord and his council awakened from their slumber; and he was awake only long enough for his head to become a living-trophy of the new lord of Da Bad Moon.  Again the strength of the Deff 'Eadz swelled, and their wealth too.  Bidding adieu to the WAAAGH, they took again to the stars.

Time and time again, over the course of a dozen campaigns the Deff 'Eads thrashed through rank after rank of stretched thin forces.  They took life blood from a thousand different races, across a hundred different soils, making their lowest Nobz buckets full of a teef in a day. The wealth of the Freebootaz became almost too extravagant for their tastes (almost), and the point came where the affluence began to seep into the grotz of highest importance.

Now the Deff 'Eadz roam the galaxy, not in search of wealth, but in search of da 'ardest enemies to crush.  Wherever a Warboss stumbles, they hurtle onto the field, dust him off, and pick up his slack; and a bit of his loot.  They have even worked for meaningless sums, relishing the challenge of a good 'ard scrap, and the chance to try out their latest shootiest konfabrications.

In the simplest form: no warlord, man or elf, is safe from the wrath of the Deff 'Eadz.

HQ choices

Kaptain's log: Star day: fourteen:

"Mistah Kaptain, we gotz uz a boger on da blippa!" Gerdy, the helm's grot chimed in excitedly.  

"On screen, Sprok"

A series of electronic chirps followed a couple of button presses and switch flips, and then a static filled image faded onto the bridge's vision port.  

"It's an 'umie ship, Kaptain!" a stray grot who wandered onto the deck toddled half onto the rail before the Kaptain's chair.

"I see dat, ya git!" Smakritz yammered, and hammered his fist down on the offending grot, doubling him over the rail and onto the deck below. "Blast dat skiff outa da space, den set coursa fer day humie planet."

But boss, we don't wanna break da ship, dere's some good bitz dat I sees right now! Morbitz protested " And dad boyz is wanting fer a fight, for nine dayz they has." 

"Aye, but where dere's one 'umie, dere's more me boy, and more loot ter be 'ad!"  He hefted his bulky, warboss frame into the Kaptain's chair again.  'Elm's boy, 'ide our approach behind da second moon, we'll take 'em in the night.  Morbitz, see da boyz below dekkz, an get 'em ready; set yer dreddz ta: stompy. 

He turned to the intercom relay grot behind him and said: "All power ter da engines"

"All power ter da engines" the gretchin shouted through a copper pipe.

"'Ere we go!"

SO here are a couple of models from... years ago now, wow, that I never got around to uploading.   These are some of my first attempts at completely making models from the ground up in terms of kitbashing, and while I didn't like the convertion results too much, I had fun painting the Big Mek.

Big Mek with: Kustom force field, Big choppa, 'eavy armour, and cybork bitz

The konvurshun started on a Nob, and worked from there.  I added bitz, to establish the mek's preoccupation with material, and fashioned him some features like the goggles, and cog-hawk hairdo.   Most of the KFF's apparti are kustom built, though they include parts from an array of kits.

Warboss with: Mega Armour, da shiny shoota,  and cybork bitz

This Warboss was one of my fairly recent attempts at scratchbuilding, being over a year old, but as a perfectionist looking at it makes me cringe and burn it in a fire.

The conversion was inspired by Albert Wesker as featured in resident evil five, and his over the top antics.  The model is based on the Assault on black Reach  Warboss kit, and features scratchbuild... everything; minus hands, head, boiler.

Choices Roster:

Here's a list of models I've completed, and models I've yet to complete, but want to do.

HQ: 
Blood Axe: Ork Warboss: Smakritz
Bad Moon: Big Mek: Morbitz
Troop:
Ork Boyz: Nob
Ork Boyz: Nob
Grot Mob: Runtherdas
Mixed: Ork Nobz
Elites:
Bad Moon: Flashgitz
Bad Moon: Grot Tanks
Lootas:
Fat Attack
Warbuggy
Hvy
Warbuggy

To Do:
HQ: 
Grot Tank
Troop:
Grot Mob: Runtherdas
'Ard Boyz:
Elites:
Mega Nobz
Killa Kanz: (incomplete)
Lootas: (incomplete)
Various other Oddboyz: 

Elites:
Mega Nobz

Hobby Log III: The Rebirthening

So I never really paid attention to this blog, and followed through with it, so it's kind of outrageous to expect that using it to try and follow through on something else would work.  But then again: I'm kind of outrageous all on my own....

So let's try this:  I'm way too lazy with uploading pictures of my models.  I used to have trouble completing armies, but I developed a system that let me stay on task, and developed experience, whilst keeping it fresh.  I'm going to keep this blog as a record of longer term plans, and as a means of inspiration for myself.

 



















God, I don't know how to format this.

So anyways, my group and I rewrote the psychic powers to try to bring them in line with... reason, and this is the rough rough rough version.  I made these a while ago as a shooping excercise to practice for graphic design, normally I would've just spreadsheeted this.

Since I made these we've switched to modifiers for a lot of 40k, such as shooting and armour, and while it didn't make sense thematically before, it does now to instead use modifiers on some of these spells.  That could add nuances we couldn't produce with GW's reroll obsession.  For example anything that grants a reroll like the Divination powers would be changed to linear stats like +1.

As to how these powers work, simply put:
-Each mastery level is 20 points
-A psyker can purchase up to two powers per Mastery level they have
-Each power costs 5 points
-Primaris powers are 10 points, and have TWO powers in each of them, but count as one for number of powers known.  Similar to Eldar powers
-Biomancy is more flexible, and every power is two in one like above, but only the primaris power costs 10 points; the rest of the powers in the discipline are 5 points
-Deny the witch is removed, with the execption that abilites which increase it still work, but at -1

e.g:

Markus Tertion, a epistolary of the Morthean Avengers chapter has a mastery level of 2, and knows the Inspire Fear/Courage powers from the Telepathy discipline, as well as the dominate power.  The total cost of these two is 15 points.

In the  192.M39, after a period of contemplation of his touching the fell mind of a traitor legionaire, he has come to an understanding of one of his chapter's most ancient prophesies.  This ascension oppened up entire avenues of psychology he explored in the warp, and to represent this enlightenment he gained the use of the 'A little to the left.../...No, to the right' powers from divination.  In the coming trials he would seek to improve his understanding of the Emperor's will, thanfully he still has the capacity to learn another power from divination.

That's all for now, I'll redo these sometime with an updated version.  So far we've enjoyed the results of this system.  A pyromancer 'feels' like a pyromancer with just the primaris power, and a biomancer feels like a biomancer in the same capacity.  It doesn't feel like the psykers are gimmicky 2D entities that are random and barely different than a gun.

In terms of balance, nothing's crept up yet.  The most powers were actually nerfed

There are alternatives to drilling bolter muzzles - Micron pen/fountain pens

I'M ON ADDERALL NOW SO I ACTULLAY FOLLOW THROUGH ON RANDOM CRAP

REMEMBER DRILLING HOLES IN EVER FRAKKING BOLTGUN? REMEMBER HOW YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THAT? DON'T.

Because seriously: I found out that using a micron pen, or any other fountain pen with high quality ink, looks REALLY good. I think it's better looking than actually drilling holes. Plus it's quicker, and way easier. The only drawback is the ink takes forever to soak into paint complete, years in fact. It's good enough after a few days, but I have hyperhydrosis in my hands, so it smears right away for me. The good think is that a little itty bit of varnish, or any sealant permantly fixes it to the model.

I guess black paint'd work too, but it doesn't have the velvety smoothness of ink IMHO. And it's less convenient.