+ inload: Tallowlands Invitational MMXXVI +

+ Blood Bowl season +

It's that time of year again – time for Blood Bowl! After some fun warm-up games last weekend to get back into the swing of things and try the new edition, the PCRC are starting a new Tallowlands Invitational league.

I used my human team, Chaunterwick Unathletic, over the weekend, but the new season rules have introduced lots of subtle changes. I've decided to use this as an excuse to finish off my dwarf and elf teams, both of which have quite substantial changes that I hope will make for exciting plays and a fun experience all-round.

Both teams are still being kitted out (read: being painted), but I thought you might like to read a little about them.

+++

+ The Karak City Griefs +

Nickname  Blackened Angers

Head coach  Loki Nogson

Sponsors  Nogmeister beer – 'Follow the bear (he's nicked your pint)'

Stadium   Arrow-in-Head stadium

Hailing from the new port of Karak-Scael, the Karak City Griefs have long drawn their players and supporters from the port itself, along with the numerous mining villages in the foothills of the Greyspire Mountains. 

The Griefs describe themselves as a 'popular and successful' team; a claim which is certainly made by them.

More cosmopolitan than many dawi settlements, Karak-Scael – known outside of Khazlaid circles as 'Slate-on-Usk' – has only distant connections to the traditionalist and inward-looking dwarfs of Migdahlgorm to the west, and is refreshingly liberal. The port attracts travellers and traders of all kinds; and the streets – like the Griefs' home stands – is packed with dwarfs, humans, halflings and even the occasional elf, ogre or lizardfolk.

The dwarfs of Slate-on-Usk are as well-known for their wiliness as their more traditional dawi virtues of thrift and hard work. Riddling and gambling are common pastimes, and the culture of the port town has rubbed off on the team, who pride themselves on their 'unconventional' strategies and tactics.

+++

Starting lineup

Loki Nogson, a new coach for this season, has brought in a swathe of new young (well, youngish) players, including Bori Beardwold, a groggy transfer whose contract was definitely legal whatever you say, you can't go back on that just because you had too much ale, and Travage Kelsy, who made a name for himself as the fastest dwarf in the league last season – his quick thinking and speed making headlines across the region.

These new players join an experienced line-up of names like Morris Minehead, beloved for his reliable engineering, excellent ball-handling and classic style; the team's blitzer, Brock Brewcannon; and crowd favourite Ofdahn Pitt, a thoroughly local character, beloved for his ability to wind up the opposition with well-placed digs that inevitably leads to a big, crowd-pleasing scrum.

Leading this team into the Tallowlands Invitational is Captain Padraig Mastones, who previously headed up the Cadair-ap-Nadhg Capstones, a team of wood elves, dwarfs and gnomes who play Green Rules Blood Bowl, a little-known local variant. 

Mastones brings a wealth of experience from his time with the Capstones. His silver tongue (and heavy fists) means referees tend to be understanding if he occasionally 'happens to forget which variant he's playing', and 'accidentally' undertakes a play that is 'perfectly acceptable in Green Rules, I assure you' and unaccountably disallowed under the laws of both standard Blood Bowl and the Slate-on-Usk Town Watch.

• (Captain) Padraig Mastones (Runner)
Arin Fyrmfforge
• Brock Brewcannon (Blitzer)
• Bori Beardwold
• Travage Kelsy (Runner)
• On the Ball
• Ori Oakbrandy
• Stann Blockbeard
• Harri Halvpint
• Ofdahn Pitt
• Taunt
• Morris Minehead
• Biffur Broadbeam

+++

+ Argo Owlbears +

Nickname   The 'Chic'

Head coach  Vidal Monsoon

Sponsors  Elvies djeans – 'Denim that's better than yours, peasant'

Stadium   Sailor Field stadium

The Argo was supposedly the first elven ship to reach the Tallowlands, and – while possibly mythical – is a cultural touchstone for all Elves on the continent of Rho.

Amongst the great and the good*, the fact that this team of foppish, prancing chancers has adopted the name as their symbol is universally** agreed to be in terribly poor taste.

The Owlbears care not a jot, as long as they get a chance to show off their sparkly uniforms, glossy hair and perfect skin on the field of dreams.

Head Coach Vidal Monsoon is an outspoken advocate for the elf method of play – which is to say that the opposition aren't allowed to do any blocking in the first quarter, and ideally not the first half. Few other Tallowlands residents agree.

Famed mostly for the splendour of their coiffures, tightness of their uniforms and willingness to grant pre-, post- and during-match interviews, the Argo Owlbears are almost always known by their team nickname, which has become an honorary epithet amongst both home and away fans.

At least, the team think the traditional chant from the Away stands is 'You're chic and you know you are'.

* Here meaning 'other elves', of course, because who care what the other species think?

** Again – elves.

+++

Starting lineup

After a disastrous first season, where funds meant that only four extremely overpaid players signed contracts and took to the field, Monsoon's strategy this year can be summed up as 'never mind the quality, feel the width', with an eye-watering twelve players on the benches – almost unheard of for an elf team. 

Up-and-coming players to keep an eye out for are Loriel Elvies, who has impressed in early training by keeping his kit extremely clean through the canny expedient of staying away from any grubby-looking opposition players; and the dashing Brythael Pureologie, the only player remaining from the Owlbear's first season, who has been awarded the Captaincy on account of actually knowing how to play the game.

• Garniere Parée – line elf
• Owain Olaplex – line elf
• Brythael Pureologie – thrower (Cap) 
• Pro
• Twrch Vosiene – line elf
• Loriel Elvies – line elf
• Hit and Run
• Tre Sùmme – line elf
• Ceredig Kérastacy – line elf
• 'Red' Cenn Gracious – blitzer
• Eithinyn Ethique – line elf
• Seisyll Batiste – line elf
• Ouai Detocs – line elf
• Ceremonia – line elf

+++

+ inload: Thoughts on 3rd +

+ Radnutz Runtsmasha's Rampage +

+ I had the great joy of blowing the dust off Warhammer 40,000 3rd edition last night with Pootle77 and Sinan, the former bringing his Death Skulls orks to break some Steel Legion heads, and the latter bringing the Elysian cavalry – and his excellent camera skills. All credit to Sinan for the awesome and atmospheric pict-captures! +

+++

+ Slipping back into the groove+

We played a 1,500pt game to try to brush up on how the game worked ahead of the Third War in 3rd event we're running in March. 

Accompanied by a general chorus of 'Is that a rule in this edition?' and 'Does that work like this yet?',  we set to and polished off the game in about three hours from set-up to finish. Not bad!

We played the 'Take and Hold' mission, which involves the defenders (Steel Legion in this case) setting up Troops and Heavy Support within 12in of a central objective. The attackers – Pootle's Feevin' Gits Death Skull army – then take first turn, moving onto the board from a long table edge.

+++

Daybreak came reluctantly to Armageddon, the sun red and sullen. A company of the Steel Legion 7th were already on the move, their dustcoats stiff and greasy after a night in the cold comfort of the minehead entrance – one of the short-term mineheads that dotted the plains to the west of Death Mire.

The Commissar, in the blunt manner Karstein had come to realise was his only way of speaking, had told them that the burnt-out shelter they'd spent a shivering night in were the result of the last war – the inevitable result of not standing up to the orks, and the future for the hive, if the soldiers of the company didn't pull their weight.

If it were possible, that particular observation had flattened Karstein's spirits still more.

+++

At a weary signal from the Captain, shrugging himself into his greatcoat, the company moved out. Their destination: the comms-hub at the nearby Hab-Beta Sub-Four. 

The settlement was barely worth an identifier. Little more than a handful of three-storey habs surrounding a dismal little church, it was one of dozens such anonymous hab-complexes built to house mineworkers. Destruction and dereliction had added nothing to its charm.

Worse, thought Karstein, rolling his eyes, was Winkworth's grousing. The heat. The dust. The boredom.

At least he'd one day leave the Hab-Beta Sub-Four behind. No such luck with the grumbling squadmate.

Something whipped past his helm, buzzing. Irritably, he brushed his gauntleted hand across his collar, warding off the sandfly. It came back wet.

He started dumbly at the red stain on his glove – had he... No...

Winkworth's headless corpse slumped across him, bearing the startled Steel Legionary to the floor.

All at once, the ash wastes erupted with orks, yelling and firing. Clad in black and blue and grey, they barrelled towards the company, which was slow in responding.

At the screams of the Commissar, las-fire began to fall down-range, pinging off the ork's clanking vehicles or falling wide of the mark.

+++

Coming back to 3rd after many years was interesting – in comparison with 2nd edition and the post-8th versions, the game feels very stripped-back and streamlined. Between the three of us, we managed to get the game complete within two and a half hours, even with lots of consultation of the rulebook!

I regret to inform our superiors that the 7th Army suffered a stinging defeat to da Feevin' Gits, with the complete loss of Steel Legion operational command and Salamanders 2nd Company support – and the Elysian 46th also suffering heavy casualties. Those orks are tough! 

+ inload: Third War in 3rd +

+ Third War in 3rd +

+ Upcoming gaming event +

+ The Steel Legion needs you! One of the Imperial team has sadly had to drop out of the event in Hildenborough, Kent, UK. +

+ The event is in March this year, and is a one-day affair, where you'll play two thematic linked games of 3rd edition Warhammer 40,000. +

+ If you'd like to join in and (ideally) have an Armageddon-themed Imperial army of 1,500pts, let us know via the [Rubricist contact form] at the bottom of the this noospheric node, or via the Discord group here [+noosphericexloadlink embedded+]. +

+++

+ Echoes of Armageddon +

The event is set in the Third War for Armageddon, rather than my usual imaginary sandpit of the Second War, which means that there's a lot to play with in terms of who's there and what happens.

Happily, a planet is a big place and so there's plenty of space for us to dig into and explore, in order to make a (hopefully) compelling and enjoyable event for the attendees. The event revolves around an ork advance on Death Mire from the South, and an Imperial counter-attack to engage them on the plains.

+ An extract from the event pack +

The scale of events are the sort of thing that's resolved with a couple of cardboard counters and a dice roll in the Battle for Armageddon boardgame, but which involved tens or hundreds of thousands of individual soldiers – and orks. Sinan (the organiser) and I are really keen to get that sense of your force's victories and losses having an effect in a larger campaign.

Taking a closer look is a perfect opportunity to explore the personalities of the different sides as well, and it's been lovely to engage with the players to make sure their leaders and armies are what's represented in the story.

+ A spread showing the Imperial side in this campaign (don't worry, the orks get one too). +
+ The 'awaiting reinforcement' section is where your army can fit in! +

+++

The project has also been a chance for me to dig some old figures out and get some pict-captures. There are a few campaign-specific units, like the Steel Legion Liaison Team below. These are units that give players an opportunity to paint up two or three Steel Legion figures to fit in their army, so a Cadian force (for example) then has a little visual reminder that the battle is taking part on Armageddon.

It's also an excuse to paint up an odd priest, Sister of Battle, Stormtrooper, Space Marine etc. – these individuals can be added to the unit and bring in a little of that 40k weirdness and personality without bogging down the game with allies and complicated detachments.

So, if this sounds like your sort of thing and you want to grab the last Imperial ticket, let us know via the [Rubricist contact form] at the bottom of the this noospheric node, or via the Discord group for the event [+noosphericexloadlink embedded+]. Armageddon needs you!

+ inload: Salamanders Terminators+

+ Under burning sands and rocks, Salamanders emerge +

+ A quick look at some minor progress in the Dust of Armageddon project. +

+++

Ambition's great, but is can also be restrictive, and January's a great moment to say to yourself 'This idea has been lurking half-baked for too long – just get moving.'

It's with this in mind – and spurred on by seeing pict-captures from a Badab-themed game between Omricon and Bob Hunk – that I dug out some sprues that have lurked unbuilt since the release of 10th edition 40k, and set to building.

+ Librarian +

The stock version of this sculpt is awesome, but I couldn't help myself when it came to building him, and made some simple changes to personalise him a bit:

 

The head's from the Terminator squad, and fits nicely with an artwork that's stuck with me, of a power-armoured Librarian from Codex: Armageddon. Perhaps this chap is the same figure at a later stage of his career?

Beyond that, the brazier is from a Chaos figure, I believe – maybe the chap yelling and waving a book? – and the rest of the conversion work is little more than a slight repose on the axe arm.

+ Commander +

Every force needs someone in charge, and so this Terminator captain has stepped into the fray. The thunder hammer is from the old Space Hulk Terminators (I've made this picture black and white to hide the red plastic), and is understated – clearly a figure who appreciates that less is sometimes more in craftsmanship. I've tweaked the wrists and positioned the head to be looking upwards as something even bigger than he is: I wanted a wary but determined and confident look. 

While adding the details like the tongs and brazier (like the head, all taken from the Salamanders upgrade sprue), I couldn't help hearing that line from the Marvel Thor film:

'You're big. I've fought bigger!'

+ Elites +

What are officers without their troops? The last things built were a Terminator squad. These are pretty much straight from the box, though I swapped the arms around, added some details like tilt shields, votaries and such like from various marine kits, just to differentiate them from the other push-fit models.

Nothing here was particularly difficult or notable, beyond scraping off the Terminator sergeant marking on the marine at the back. I already used another copy of that base figure as the sergeant for my other Terminator squad (below), and wanted to avoid duplication.

Prior to building, I also worked a little on some of the models that have been lurking too. This was fairly monotonous: painting the bases, the hands and picking out blacks on the figures. It's odd coming back to figures after a long time. I'm sure I'll get back into the swing of things, but for the moment it's still feeling a bit untethered!

+ inload: Imperial Guard Rough Riders +

+ Steel Legion Rough Rider Brigades +

+ Horses, as is commonly known, are best of all the animals, and fittingly it's coming up to the Year of the Horse. So I thought I'd kick off the New Year with some thoughts on Imperial Guard Rough Riders. Tenuous link? Perhaps, but buckle in for another year of meanderings and modelling. +

+++

+ Rough Riders +

Like psykers, Ministorum priests, whiteshields, and beastmen, Rough Riders are one of those edge units that GW have brought in and dropped out of the Imperial Guard line-up over the various editions of the game – presumably when the designers are particularly enthused about the concept, or a general mandate comes from management. Who knows? 

Likewise these units tend to have enthusiasts, but are less generally popular than things like tanks. The key thing for me is that they lend a slightly archaic, gothic sci-fi feel to the Guard, which can otherwise feel a bit like a real-world army. Nothing wrong with that, of course – that's one of the key appeals to the faction – but I also like the feeling that these weirder elements are in the background.

I've had Rough Riders in various forms in most of my Guard armies, and they were something that I was keen to include in my Steel Legion force, as they appear in the Battle for Armageddon boardgame. However, there have never been Steel Legion cavalry models, and so some conversion/kitbashing would be necessary.

Happily, after a long drought, Rough Riders seem to be back in favour at GW, and there is not one but two plastic kits for horsey soldiers.

+ Theoretical +

I've written about Steel Legion Rough Rider brigades for The Ashes of Armageddon, in this noospheric node [+noosphericexloadlink embedded+] about the 4th Rough Rider Brigade, 'The Forgotten Fourth'. There I've tried to elide the older background with the more modern interpretation of the Steel Legion and Armageddon. The result is that the 'Rough Rider Brigades' included horse-riding cavalry, but were effectively an honorific name, and that the Steel Legion's Rough Rider Brigades were recon forces; the bulk of which were made up of things like Sentinels, 40k-jeeps and mounted infantry.

Part of that was forced by the models I was able to get from contributors – at the time I wasn't able to find any Rough Riders specifically converted to be Steel Legion. Happily, since then some have popped up, perhaps most notably by the absurdly talented Bjarni í Dali (@bjarnidali on Instagram [+noosphericexloadlink embedded+]) – go check 'em out. 

For my take, I was torn between the two current Rough Rider units available: the Death Korps or Attilan. Each had its own advantages. The Death Korps Death Riders (of Death) might seem the more obvious choice: their steeds are clearly adapted to dangerous environments, with rebreathers and goggles, and the riders are in long coats.

However, after a bit more consideration, I decided that the Attilans were a better fit. Armageddon, while unpleasant in the extreme, isn't quite as bad a rad-blasted wasteland as Kreig. The Attilan kit is less distinctive  (and popular) than the Death Riders, it'd be less obvious where the base kit came from. 'Normal' horses also fit my image of slightly retro Steel Legion Rough Rider better.

+++

+ Practical +

Some not-so-subtle hint-dropping later, and I was the happy recipient of some Christmas goodies. After unpacking the Attilans, I was pleased to see that they'd require even less conversion work than I'd anticipated. The boots and long coats fit very nicely with the Steel Legio aesthetic, so I felt all they really needed was a head swap, change of details and some resculpting on the arms.

The Attilan arms come with fur-lined glove/gauntlets and heavy shoulder pads. These could easily be left in place (deserts can be cold, too!), but I decided they'd be relatively easy work to refashion. To do so, I used clippers to cut away the bulk of the shoulder pad (happily, on the side facing the body, you can see the outline of the pad, which makes this easier), then trimmed them to shape with a craft knife.

For the gloves, the Attilan originals are slightly pointed; longer at the bottom at the top. I drew a mark with a blade to give me a line to square them off, then carefully trimmed them back, matching the width of the forearm. The results are the same length as the Steel Legion infantry gloves.

Of course, this leaves a question hanging – what about the heads? 

As the most obvious and distinctive part of the kitbash, I was delighted to find a third party company, Tiny Legend [+noosphericexloadlink+] that makes some great proxies. They have recently started their 'Blitz Legion' line. I'm planning a proper review of their stuff in a future inload, so suffice to say here that I can thoroughly recommend them. Absolutely brilliant sculpts, lovely prints in an excellent resin, and very clever use of a different, slightly flexible resin to allow the chest-mounted rebreathers to marry up with the heads in different poses.

I've finished building a unit of five Rough Riders using bits and pieces, mainly from Tiny Legends' Blitz Legion Sergeant Retinue, which comes with lots of options for arms, heads and hands.

So, nice and quick and simple! I've based and primed these, and hope to be splashing some paint on them soon.