The Ratz are complete!

Well over the last two weeks I have been picking at the last 4 Ratz for my warband. Well they are now done!!!!! This is now my first completely painted SBH warband. Now I still have 3 more to paint.
I started this warband years ago for Mordhiem, but could not get me head around the color scheme for Ratz. I took the plunge and just started painting my 10 year old Ratz. I think they came out great using the block, and dip method, and that may have been my problem painting them. See I have been out of 28mm painting for so many years, and did not go back to my old ways. So getting this warband done has helped me start my next warband, the Hunters of Evil.

So here is the hole warband, in an old Modrhiem building, not the best lighting on the photos.

I started this based on a Mordhiem skaven warband, and they were mostly slingers, and the minis I had for the slings were very old GW skaven. So with SBH, the slings did not satat out that well, so I am going with throwers (daggers, stars, and the like). I have one sling thrower, and 3 dagger throwers. That mixed with the brawlers, and my leader I think this is a great warband.

I have put this warband to the test VS my Hunters, and they kicked but.......

Noel 

Ratz........

Well it has been over a month without a post from me, so here is what I have been doing. About three weeks ago I switched gears (as I often do) and picked up my SBH stuff again. If you do not know SBH is Song Of Blades and Heroes a fast play Skirmish game. I have replaced Mordhiem with SBH. So in making this switch I have moved back to my 28mm miniatures, and started to paint them. I have 4 war bands, and decided to work on my Ratz. Now I had a war band all picked out, and minis for each member, but I did not like my sling throwers, as they were very old GW plastic, I am talking late 80s, early 90s static posed ratz. Remembering I still had a few un-assembled Mordhiem Ratz to build, I decided to replace the old ones with new ones. Last weekend I got started with rebuilding my Ratz Warband. My Old War band had four sling throwers, and I replaced three of them with throwing weapon Ratz, shorter range but a bit higher combat stat.

Now that I had it on paper, I started on completing the minis. I put the missing minis together, and primed them up. Yesterday I set to painting them, and completed 4, plus finished the leader.

Before I finished the bases.

Do not ask how I made this motion gif, as Picasa did it for me with out me even knowing.

So here is 5 of my nine Doom Ratz, the last four are half painted. I have switched to faster painting method, as I have given up on making show stopper paint jobs. I want my minis for play, and they just need to be play ready. So I paint them in a simple block painting with very little highlight, and no shading, or inks. Then I dip them. I am very happy with how they have come out , and with the dip method. I know it is hard to see in the photos, but for the rusted armor look I have mixed sliver with a touch of bronze, but I did not mix it well. By leaving it unmixed it painted on blotchy, and this gave me the rusted armor look, quickly.

I hope you like them.

Noel.

Space Orcs in the works.

I read this week that the #1 product on 15mm UK is the Space Vikings, and well I just painted 4 of their Space Orcs. I also just finished a squad of GZG Mercs.

I have painted the 15mm UK Orcs to be Mega Armored Orcs. They are a bit blobby in the mid section, but I have a bunch more of them to get it right. One problem is working with yellow, and distressing them. Well see for you self.

Now here is the GZG mercs mingled in with the Mega units.

Now here are two test photos. After taking the above I tried to fix my camera. Some on in my house dropped it, and the case is all messed up. As it is a Canon power shot I felt it needed to be fixed.

So the dam thing still works.

Comment away please.

Noel

Solo VTT game using the USE ME 001 rules.

I decided to play a follow up to my last solo game based on the Orc VS the Guard. I also want to set this up  quickly so I did not follow any points. I started with a few squads of Guard, defending a checkpoint, and a pile of Orc advancing on them. The goal was to hold out till turn 8 and the Guard did.

Looking at the turn 1 photo you can see how the two armies are deployed. the two units that are hard to see are the crew weapons from the guard. Looking at the two block items in the center of the check point they are on top of the blocks.

Over view of the game at the end of this post.....

Turn 1: Guard: Moved the flank units out to the sides. gun crew units fired on the bike but did not hit.

Turn 1: Orc: All units moved forward, Bike took out one guard member from the center line.

Turn 2: Guard: Flank units head to the rocks for cover and to wait for the Orcs to close. Crew guns fire but no hits. Front ranks aim and fire, get lucky and take out a Bike.

Turn 2: Orc: Move forward, units that could fire do so with no effect.

Turn 3: Guard: Right flank PA unit fired on the Orcs for a winged. Left flank walker fire for no effect. Right crew weapon took out a bike. The rest had no effect.

Turn 3: Orc: Moved forward, both bikes and Deard's fried for no effect.

Turn 4: Guard: First turn for reinforcements, d6 need a 6 and got a 2, so no reinforcements this turn. Right flank PA  fired on the Orcs for 3 kills, and 1 struck. Left flank walker fires on the Orcs and gives two of the struck markers. Right guard sent a hail of bullets into the bikes and took out 3 of them. Right crew weapon took out a Dread, and the center guard did the same, but let one Dread winged. 

Turn 4: Orc: As all ways they moved forward.The remaining Dread charged the center guard. The Left flank fried on the PA unit and left two of them winged. Right flank fired on the walker for a struck. Second Dread unit fired on the left crew weapon, killing one of the crew, and winged the other. The center Orcs did the same to the right crew weapon team.

Turn 5: Guard: Reinforcement roll need 5 or 6, and got a 1. No reinforcements this turn. Front unit in HTH with the Dread and give it a a struck wound. Both crew weapons fire at reduced rate, with both missing. Right flank PA unit, two make their auto repair, then the squad opens up on the Orcs, with 4 kills. Left flank walker fires on the Orc line with 3 kill spread over two shots. Left guard move to cove center.

Turn 5: Orc: Keep moving forward. Center Dread in HTH with the the center guard, kill 2. the other Dread squad move to block line of sight, and get a better shot, end with 5 hit and not damage on the left guard unit.

Left flank move to HTH with the PA unit, for one kill. Right flank fire on the walker and take it out.

Turn 6: Guard: Once more the guard fail the reinforcement roll, and are left on their own. The center unit finish the job on the Dread with a HTH kill. Right flank PA HTH 1 kill 1 winged. Left guard move back and fire on the Dread unit, no hits. Left crew weapon fires at reduced rate, on the Orc with 2 killed, and 1 winged. Right crew same as the left fires n the Orc with 1 killed.

Turn 6: Orc: Dread fire on the left guard, as well as the Orc for a total of 3 kills.

Turn 7: Guard: Yeah they make their roll, and get a APC and a 6 man squad deploying to the left. APC opens on the Dreads for a kill, and the new squad fires on the Orcs for a kill and a winged. Left flank PA unit fires on Orcs for a struck. Right crew weapon get a kill, left crew weapon gets 2 kills. Remaining left squad fires on Dreads for a struck. Center fires on the Orcs for a kill.

Turn 7: Orc: Left flank HTH with PA get a kill (PA makes his auto repair to make him struck). Center Orcs get a kill on the Center guard. Dreads get 2 kill from the left guard. The right fires on the new guard squad for a kill.

Last Turn........

Turn 8: Guard: Right flank PA unit HTH with the Orcs get 4 kills. The APC get 2 kills and a winged on the Dreads. Right crew weapon fires and kills two Orcs. Left reinforcements get a kill. Right guard move to cover lift side of the check point. 

Turn 8: Orc: The remaining Orc from the center charges the guard, for a kill. Left flank get 2 HTH kills and a winged on the PA unit. The Right flank charged the reinforcements for a kill and a winged.

The End!

This is a cleaned up image of the battlefield at the end of turn 8. Here you can see the Orc's are out numbered, and will not last many more turns. Also the guard would roll for Reinforcements on a 1 for a d6, so they would get them.

Game overview:

Well I have fun playing out this solo USE ME game. I still some times miss items during the game, and for get a rule or two, but with hat in mind he is my overview. I played this game over two days, and yes I can save the game during play, and restore it as I go. This scenario was a simple defend and hold, and on turn 4 the Guard can roll for reinforcements. That did not go so well! 

To start the Guard was simply going to say put and defend it's position. I sent the PA (power armored unit) to the Right to cover the Orcs that would come that way, as well as sending the Walker. I learned the the PA are tough, and the walker got lucky, but need to be beefed up. Both units did their job well. The squads also did their job and held on very well. The big surprise to me was the two crew weapons. Both took big hits early, but after reviewing the rules they could fight with only one member alive. So both weapons fired, with one man and he was wounded, and they kept killing the Orcs. For me they are the over all winners of this battle.

Now the Orcs, they did their job, but I have made them to slow, and will alter that for my next battle with them. Also if they had a vehicle to transport them this would have changed the battle. the bikes, and Dreads were to soften the middle, allowing the flanks to come around for a pincer move. The Dammed Crew weapons held that option off. The HTH skills of the Orcs was spot on, and with more speed this battle would have been going their way not the Guards way. 

So tacitly I think I played both armies well, I just messed up on the Orc speed, and the Guard walker was way to weak.

So if you like this, and the fact that I used a Virtual Table Top let me know.

Noel.