Hobby Update 31/12/16- Deathwatch Rhino and Deathwatch Veterans

This week, I have been working on some more Deathwatch Veterans armed with Bolters and my Deathwatch Rhino. 

The Rhino was really easy to paint up, I actually managed to get it all done in one day. Doing edge highlighting on a vehicle with lots of straight lines and edges is pretty easy to do, so there was only the sections I decided to paint red and the metal work to finish off once all the highlighting was done. 

2016- A Year in Review

With 2016 drawing to a close, I thought that I would take a look at what has occurred in the last year, both in terms of my gaming/hobbying and for the blog itself. 

Armies

This has been quite a productive year for me in terms of my different armies for 40k. I have managed to get games in with most of my armies over the course of the year, with only my Vampire Counts suffering from a lack of games. 

My White Scars army certainly got the lions share of the gaming this year. They are really my tournament army, so I need a lot of practice with them for the various events that I attended this year. Back in August I actually completed all the models that I had for my White Scars, with almost 5000 points of Marines completed. I also re-based the entire army from a plain green base to a nicer brown base with static grass attached. 

I often get some nice compliments on the army whenever I go to different tournaments, which is always great to hear. They have performed pretty well for me over the last year and I will continue to use them and evolve the force. Right now, I have several Bike-mounted Librarians to paint up to add a Librarius Conclave to my force. 

This year, I have also started two new armies- the Deathwatch and Genestealers Cult. Regular readers will have seen the progress that I have been making on the Deathwatch, both in the painting aspect and the gaming aspects. I am really enjoying the army and hope to continue with it in the new year. 

The Genestealers Cult have not appeared on the pages of the blog yet. I have a ton of models bought and ready for assembly. At the moment, my focus has been on the Deathwatch, but the purple-skinned menace will be featured heavily on the blog next year, so keep an eye out for some interesting battle reports and hobby Sundays. 

Battle Report 91- 1500 pts White Scars vs Orks

This week's battle report sees my White Scars take on Tony's Orks. When I arranged to play Tony, I was originally going to take my Guard for a classic Ork/Guard match up. However, I discovered that I don't have my Codex with me in Newcastle, it must be packed away in a box back in Glasgow! 

I took my White Scars instead, but opted to go for a different, milder army than I would normally take to make for a better match up.

My army consisted of:

Combined Arms Detachment

Chaplain- Bike, Meltabombs (with BS1 or C)

6 Bikers- Power Axe, Meltabombs (BS1)

5 Bikers- Meltabombs (BS2)

10 Tactical Marines- Meltagun, Meltabombs (TM1 and TM2)

Rhino (R1)

10 Tactical Marines- Flamer, Meltabombs (TM3)

Rhino (R2)

5 Scouts- Bolters (S)

5 Vanguard Veterans- 3 Pairs of Lightning Claws, Two Thunder Hammers and Storm Shields (VV)

10 Assault Marines- Flamer, Power Fist (AM)

6 Scout Bikers- 2 Grenade Launchers, Meltabombs (SB)

10 Devastators- 4 Heavy Bolters (DS)

I went for a mixed combat and shooting force. The Bikes, Vanguard Veterans and Assault Marines would provide some nice counter assault units as the Tactical Marines and Devastators fired at the Ork hordes. We completely forgot to roll for warlord traits, so neither side had one in the game. 

Hobby Update 27/12/16- Deathwatch Drop Pod and Veteran Kit Bash

This week, I have been working on my Deathwatch Drop Pod and assembling some more Deathwatch Veterans. 

For the Drop Pod, I decided to go for a simple colour scheme, mostly just black and metal like the one pictured in the codex. 

I had a couple of problems with the painting of the drop pod. Firstly, the Thunderhawk Blue I used for the first highlight was a little thick. Watering it down helped a little, but I found it tough to get it to transfer from the brush to the Pod. Secondly, the Abaddon Black I used to touch up any mistakes I made with the highlighting or metal was a slightly different shade to the undercoat that I used on the model. As a result, the black was a bit patchy where I had made mistakes. This was helped a little by giving the model a wash with some Nuln Oil, but you can still see it if you look closely. 

Merry Christmas

A Merry Christmas from St Andrews Wargaming! I hope that Santa was good to all of you, bringing you lots of 40k goodies. Did you get any good gaming gifts this year? If so, comment below and let the rest of us know what to be envious of. 

Hobby Saturday 24/12/16- Deathwatch Bikers

Hobby Sunday comes a day early this week, as I assume most people will be too busy tomorrow to be reading blog posts!

This week, I have been finishing up the Deathwatch Bikers. For the first time, I painted the Riders and Bikers separately. I figured this would make it easier to get the details painted up individually. This did indeed make things much easier to get painted. 

The edge highlighting was much easier on the bikes with all the straight edges on the model. 

300,000 Views

Image courtesy of Confessions of a 40k Addict.

Today, the blog hit just over 300,000 views. A big thanks to all the Russian bots who made this possible, they have been particularly busy over the last month to give me the big push before Christmas!

In all seriousness though, thanks to everyone who reads and enjoys the blog (or reads and hates it!). I only hit 200,000 views back in August, so to get another one hundred thousand in little under 5 months is fantastic. 

2016 has been a great year for my hobbying and the blog and I will soon be doing a recap of the year and what I hope to achieve in 2017 going forward. Any suggestions on what content you would like to see or how to improve the blog, let me know below. 

Battle Report 90- 1850 pts Deathwatch vs Necrons

This week's battle report saw my Deathwatch take on a Necron Decurion, commanded by Tom, in the Contact Lost Maelstrom mission (3 cards per turn).

My army consisted of:

Black Spear Strike Force

Watch Master- Beacon Angelus

Aquila Kill Team
5 Veterans- Infernus Heavy Bolter
Terminator- Heavy Flamer, Auxiliary Meltagun

Dominatus Kill Team
5 Veterans- 2 Heavy Thunder Hammers, Storm Shield and Power Maul, Black Shield with Power Sword
3 Vanguard Veterans- 2 Pairs Lightning Claws, I Heavy Thunder Hammer

Corvus Blackstar- Auspex Array, Hurricane Bolter

Combined Arms Detachment
Librarian- Level 2, Auspex, Meltabombs
10 Veterans- 4 Frag Cannons, 2 Storm Shields and Auspex
Drop Pod- Locator Beacon
5 Veterans- 5 Stalker Pattern Boltguns
Rhino
4 Bikers- 4 Power Weapons
4 Bikers- 4 Power Weapons

My warlord trait was Bane of Monstrosities, giving me re-rolls to wound and AP against Monstrous Creatures, Tanks and Superheavy Vehicles for the Watch Master.
The Librarian rolled on Fulmination, getting Electrosurge, Magnetokinesis and Electropulse.

This time, I split my forces between the Blackspear Strike Force and the CAD. I decided to try the Librarian with the Stalker Boltgun Veterans. The Stalkers and Bikes would deploy first, with the rest of the army coming in via deep strike as the game went on.

Hobby Sunday 18/12/16- Deathwatch Veterans, Deathwatch Bikes and Drop Pod assembly

This week, I have been continuing my work on the Deathwatch Marines. I have completed another squad of Marines, this time armed with an Infernus Heavy Bolter and the Sergeant with a Xenophase Blade. 

Changing Up Your Hobby- Try something new

Today's editorial takes a look at some of the changes I have recently made to my hobby and gaming routine, and how it has given me a different outlook on 40k and how I play. 

Tactical Tabletop

A few months ago, I purchased the Deathwatch codex on the day of its release. I had planned to review the Codex for the blog and then re-sell it on ebay. However, after reading the codex and writing my reviews of the Deathwatch, I started the enjoy the feel of the army and decided to start my own force. 

Now, I already have two Marine armies (the Dark Angels and White Scars, for those of you keeping score at home), but these are both primarily Bike-centric forces that use speed and mobility to achieve their goals in a game. I also have two horde armies, with my Astra Militarum and Ork forces, using massed firepower or combat attacks to defeat the enemy. 

For me, the Deathwatch seemed like a new type of playstyle; a smaller elite force, with some potent firepower, but most likely to be outnumbered by the enemy army and requiring surgical precision to use correctly. I was keen to see how a Marine army would play that was not overly reliant on Grav weaponry and durable bikes, or fantastic re-rollable cover saves in order to win games. 

Hobby Sunday 11/12/16- Deathwatch Veterans

This week, I have been continuing my work on my Deathwatch Veteran Marines. As I mentioned in last week's Hobby Sunday, I have been taking more time over the individual Marines in my Deathwatch army to help with the more small-scale, elite nature of the army. 

I have kept taking more time over the unit, but have started painting them in batches of 4 or 5. This gives me a chance to get a decent amount done and not have to wait too long for the paint to dry between the models..I have actually managed to get a fair amount done over the last week and have just over two squads or Marines painted at the moment. 

Before we get into the photos of the units, I was wanting to ask for advice on brush maintenance. Generally, I just wash my brushes with water and allow them to air dry. As a result, I get a lot of splitting of the ends which makes it very difficult for detailed painting in the squads. What do other painters do to maintain the quality of their brushes? Comment below with any advice you may have for me. 

Battle Report 89- 1850 pts Deathwatch vs Iron Warriors

This week's battle report sees my Deathwatch take on Gareth's 30k Iron Warriors in the Cloak and Dagger maelstrom mission. 

My 1850 pts Deathwatch army consisted of:

Black Spear Strike Force

Watch Master- Guardian Spear, Beacon Angelis (with V1)

5 Veterans- 2 Heavy Thunder Hammers, Blackshield with Power Sword, Power Maul and Storm Shield (V1)

10 Veterans- 4 Frag Cannons, 2 Storm Shields (V2a and V2b)

Drop Pod- Locator Beacon (DP)

Corvus Blackstar- Hurricane Bolter, Auspex Array (CB)

Aquila Kill Team

5 Veterans- Frag Cannon (AKT)

Terminator- Heavy Flamer, Auxiliary Meltagun
Librarian- Level 2 Psyker, Meltabombs, Force Sword

Unbound

4 Bikers- 4 Power Swords, Meltabombs (B1)

4 Bikers- 3 Power Swords, Power Axe, Meltabombs (B2)

6 Vanguard Veterans- Hand Flamer, 2 Heavy Thunder Hammers, 3 Pairs Lightning Claws (VV)

I decided to mix up my army from its first iteration to change up the army. Only on writing this and double checking the codex, I realised that the army was not legal. Apologies to Gareth for the incorrect list. I had planned to put the whole army in the Black Spear Strike Force, thinking all the codex options could be taken as individual units, but this was not the case. Instead, I took an unbound section with the Bikers and Vanguard Veterans, neither of which used the benefits of the Black Spear anyway, but most people don't like playing against unbound without knowing.

My Warlord Trait was Master of the Void Hunt, giving my warlord (Watch Master) a special shooting attack each turn, which of course, I completely forgot about during the game. The Librarian rolled on Biomancy, getting Smite, Enfeeble and Warp Speed.

For the army, I decided to test out the Black Spear Strike Force. Given the mobility issues I had in my last games, I decided that deep striking with some of the army would be useful to counter this. I took the Watch Master and an Aquila Kill Team, as well as the Corvus Blackstar.
I also took a CAD, led by a Librarian. I was keen to see if the Biomancy powers could boost the survivability of my units. I didn't get Endurance, but Enfeeble could be useful and swing some combats for me. I took a unit of Veterans with 4 Frag Cannons and two storm shields in a drop pod. This would allow me to deploy at least one unit on my first turn. I also took a Locator Beacon to help with my deep striking. I planned to combat squad the 10 Veterans and put two Frag Cannons in each. This would hopefully allow me to keep some of the Frag Cannons alive, my opponent having to take out two units instead of one. I took another combat unit of Veterans that would join the Watch Master once more. I also took two units of Bikers and a combat unit of Vanguard Veterans.

This force would allow me to Deep Strike several units, as well as changing my Mission Tactics twice.

Club Search- Newcastle Warlords

As part of my continuing efforts to try all the gaming clubs in the local area, last week I visited Newcastle Warlords. 

The club meets at St Marys the Virgin Church in Fawdon on a Thursday (7-10 pm) every two or three weeks (depends on when the hall is available). I actually found out about the club when the organiser, Steve, messaged me after seeing one of my blog posts on another clubs' facebook page, so I was keen to go along and try it out. 

First off, the church hall was only a 15 minute drive from my flat, so perfect travelling time for me. The 7 pm start also allows me to miss the rush hour traffic, so another bonus there. There were about a dozen or so gamers there that night, playing a variety of games including 40k, Age of Sigmar, Blood Bowl, Guild Ball and X-wing. 

As the club is just starting out, they are a little short on terrain and ask members to bring along their own stuff. They do have several gaming mats though for players to use though. This wasn't such a big deal for me, as I had some of my own terrain with me in Newcastle anyway. It's quite nice to get to use my own terrain every once in a while after going to the effort of building and painting it! It also gives me a nice incentive to get more terrain built and painted.

The cost was £4, which is a bit more expensive than the other clubs in the area, but still very reasonable for a club night. In addition, there is unlimited free tea, coffee and squash available. 

I had arranged a game on the facebook page and found myself taking on Stu and his Space Wolves with my White Scars. Stu has only recently got into 40k, so I went for a milder White Scars list to have a more fun and competitive game.

We played the Contact Lost maelstrom mission, as Stu had not played a maelstrom mission before. I didn't take full notes for a battle report. Since Stu had not been playing long, I wanted to have a chat with him during the turns and hopefully help with any rules issues during the game rather than spending my time taking notes. 

Hobby Sunday 04/12/16- Deathwatch Test Scheme

This week, I have been painting up the first of my Deathwatch marines to test out the colour scheme for the army. 

Earlier in the week, I had a go at edge highlighting the first of the marines. The attempt went ok, but I was advised to complete the rest of the Marine to see how the final product would look. 

I was able to finish off one of the Marines this week. I was pretty pleased with how the final result turned out. 

Battle Report 88- 1500 pts Deathwatch vs Iron Hands/Adeptus Custodes

This week's second battle report sees my newly started Deathwatch army take on a mixed force of Iron Hands and Adeptus Custodes, commanded by William, in the Contact Lost maelstrom mission (3 cards each turn). 

My army consisted of:
Combined Arms Detachment

Watch Master- Beacon Angelis (with V2)

5 Veterans- 5 Stalker Pattern Boltguns (V1)

5 Veterans- 4 Frag Cannons, Storm Shield, Auspex (V2)

Drop Pod (DP)

5 Veterans- Infernus Heavy Bolter, Sergeant with Xenophase Blade and Combi-melta (V3)

5 Veterans- Black Shield with Power Sword, 2 Heavy Thunder Hammers, Power Sword, 2 Storm Shields (V4)

5 Bikers- 4 Power Swords, Power Axe, Meltabombs (B)

Corvus Blackstar- Extra Armour, Auspex Array, Blackstar Rocket Launcher (CB)

Vanguard Veteran- Heavy Thunder Hammer (VV1)

Vanguard Veteran- Heavy Thunder Hammer (VV2)

For my warlord trait, I got Lord of Hidden Knowledge, giving my warlord and his unit five re-rolls. 

I started the army with the Watch Master. He is essentially a Chapter Master with an AP2 power weapon that strikes at initiative, pretty handy! I gave him the Beacon Angelis to allow me to quickly re-deploy a unit.
I took a combat tooled-up Veteran squad to accompany him; a Blackshield with a power sword, two Heavy Thunder Hammers, a power weapon and a couple of Storm Shields for defence. I planned to put them in the Corvus Blackstar for assault. 

I then took a Veteran squad with 4 Frag Cannons. Deployed in the drop pod, these should eliminate any threat on the turn they arrive. I could use the Beacon to re-deploy them quickly to support the Watch Master. I also took a unit with Stalker Boltguns for some long range firepower. A final unit with an assault Heavy Bolter and a Sergeant with a Xenophase Blade was also added. 

I took a Bike unit with power weapons, this would give them some good mobility and combat ability. With the points left over, I took two individual Vanguard Veterans with Heavy Thunder Hammers. This would give them good mobility and could hit really hard in combat.

Apologies for the "grey army", I've just got them built and am waiting on some decent weather to get them undercoated. It may be some time.....