Dark Skies Over The Harrowmark - part 14, a graveyard corner

(The board is far too cluttered for gaming, but this is just to see how all the trees look together.)

I have had this little corner wall and tree, in a very slowly progressing WIP state, on my desk since January 2021! But because Viktor and I are back exploring forests again, so I was motivated to actually get on and finish it.

I have also started building two more Awakened Wyldwood trees and I have another one still on the sprue that I hope to start soon. They are a bit faffy to build, so I won't be rushing them. I will just add a branch or two each session between working on other projects and leaving the glue to dry at least overnight, if not longer.

Further Adventures in The Scarlands - part 4, Reapers

"So, my good Kaptain. Do we need to find somewhere what is safe to moor the ship, while we is off exploring?" said Krashhart, "If them rumours of what treasures are to be found in there is even half true, we might be in them woods for a while." he continued, with a piratical gleam in his eye.

Battendown nodded and scratched his sideburns, "Aye. We can't just leave an anchor-watch and hope for the best. If we're going to be away for a time, we need to be sure the ship still be where we left her when we gets back." he said.

The two orruks stood on the quarter deck of the Swordfysh, watching the crew loading supplies into the hold. Behind them to the north was the wide grassy plains known as Drakenot's Meadow. Ahead of them, to the south, were rolling hills and snaking valleys covered by vast tracts of woodland: the Prowling Forest, miles and miles of trees that had just started to show the colours of early autumn.

Battendown pointed at an area of scattered trees on a low hill, a mile or so away from the ship; not as densely-wooded as the forest proper, but close enough to still be considered part of it by most.

"Lets have a look there. If it's right-wise we could throw up a quick stockade atop the hill, to make it more defendable like." he said, after a minute or two assessing their surroundings. "There be plenty of timber, and the wind will be strong enough up there for a quick escape, should we have need of one."

"An excellent plan!" said Krashhart enthusiastically. He laughed and slapped Battendown's shoulder.

~ ⦽ ~

Dramatis Personae

The Swordfyshes

• Lord Krashhart - Warchanter Explorer
• Kaptain Battendown - Ardboy with a cloak and a squig-parrot
• Sinka - Brute with red bandana
• Hook - Brute with a hook hand
• Flotsum - Brute with blue bandana
• Mr Flea - Ardboy Drummer
• Dakmeff - Ardboy with a barrel on his back
• Barnacle Nog - Ardboy with a bag of bones
• Mainstay - Ardboy with red shoulder-plate and bandana

Under the scattered trees on the northern reaches of the Prowling Forest, the Swordfyshes' expedition into the dark woods started badly. One of the crew disappeared on the first day, presumed eaten by a wild beast or possibly a tree. Then the Ironforged Ogors sprung their ambush! It seemed like the Ironforged had a grudge against the orruks and were waiting for them...

Krashhart rallied the Swordfyshes around the overgrown Idol of Gork (or possibly Mork), bawling orders, threats and curses at the crew, to encourage them into action. They readied themselves for the inevitable ogor onslaught to come.

Like a tidal wave of sweaty flesh and steel, the Ironforged rolled in on them.

Cargo the Maneater led the charge and smashed into the orruk pirates. Krashhart jumped forward and joined the fight.

The Swordfyshes reinforcements arrived - Flotsum, Dakmeff and Barnacle Nog bounded towards the Idol to help, shouting insults at the ogors as they ran.

The Ironforged were also reinforced: Skargat arrived.

Cargo was brought down by a combined effort, but only after he knocked out Mainstay.

The ogor Maneater that Flotsum and his mates had charged was made of tough stuff; he remained standing even after a vicious assault by the Brute and two Ardboyz.

The Maneater legged-it and had time to get his breath back before Krashhart managed to round-up the crew and send them scuttling after him.

When Sinka attacked the Maneater bit him! The orruk blood that sprayed from the wound invigorated the ogor enough for him to survive another whirlwind of attacks from the other pirate orruks.

Then Skargat the Tyrant bull-charged Sinka and flattened him - without the bite wounds Sinka might have weathered it.

For a moment Krashhart was isolated on the wrong side of the Idol, unable to do much to help his ladz. Then Mr Flee went down.

Krashhart did his best to get back into the action, he dashed toward Flotsum and the ogor Glutton he battled, but it was too late by the time he arrived. The ogors had already won.

The Swordfyshes fled.

"Maybe that ain't... quite the right spot... for the building of... an encampment... after all. We'll look somewhere else." shouted Krashhart as they ran.

~ ⦽ ~

Deployment and Victory: Reaper (free Core rules PDF)

Twist: Hunting Animals (WD473, Thondia rules)

Our second game of Warcry 2nd edition, again using the Battleplans from the free Core book PDF.

We rolled a Twist from the Thondia rules in White Dwarf again - this one gave the player who lost the first priority of the game a bonus move action for every fighter in their warband on the board, but with a Move characteristic of 3 for that bonus action only. Viktor lost the initiative so got the bonus move.

This was a tough game for me! Even though each of Viktor's fighters was worth a lot of Blood Tally points they have so many wounds it was a real struggle to take two of them down in one Round to get the Victory Point. I think two orruk casualties each turn were enough to steal the VP!

After 4 Rounds the total VP score was 4-0 to Viktor. Each of his ogors were fully capable of smacking down a few orruks each every Round as well, so even ganging-up on them didn't help.

Viktor also made very cunning use of the ogor Reaction: If I didn't score a Critical my attacker took 3 damage and his ogor healed 3 damage!

It was still loads of fun though!

Gallowdark, part 1

So, a Kill Team: Into The Dark project is happening. The Gallowdark is such a cool sounding setting, I can't wait to start exploring it!

I'm going to aim to make the tiles with "zero" spending, as I have way too many partial 40k scenery kits in storage, doing nothing. (And I think all my hobby funds are going on Warcry, so this is the only chance I'll make the Space Hulk scenery I have planned (but never started) for years!).

Many half finished scenery projects have been sacrificed to this project.

I've been planning to make modular space hulk scenery for a couple of years. I made most of these sketches during lockdown in 2020. I was originally thinking of using Necromunda floor tiles, but they are so big only 4 of them would be needed for a Kill Team board and that wouldn't give much variation in layout.

The plan was shelved while I waited inspiration and/or a different idea...

But then the new season of Kill Team was announced and with it the idea occurred to me that 12 tiles would work: each at 180mm square, with doors in the centre of one (or more) sides.

So I am kit-bashing Gallowdark tiles around multiples of 60mm squares because the Sector Mechanicus (etc.) scenery is all based on that size. The Sector Mechanicus walkways come in two sizes - 60x60mm and 60x120mm. Nearly everything else is made to multiples of 60mm.

When laid out in 3x4 rectangle twelve 180mm-square tiles are virtually the same size as a 20x30" Kill Team board. 12 squares that can be oriented in any of 4 directions and placed in any location in the 3x4 grid, gives me a hell of a lot of arrangement options!

+++

I started building at the beginning of August (2022). I sorted out my hobby space, so all the boxes of 40k scenery were easily accessible and I could see what my options were.

My first noodling was of layouts for the tiles, on bases made of 5mm thick matt black foamcore card from Hobbycraft. I penciled-on 60mm squares so I could be sure everything will be in the right place, relative to the other tiles. The exits from each tile will be flush to each other. All the space that isn't a wall, a bulkhead or a path will be full of machinery and junk.

Before I glued anything down I tried a few test layouts. I think 3x3 tiles (18cm a side) with between 2 and 4 exits will be the most useful in terms of layout and playability. But I like the 3x5 and 3x2 ones enough to make one or two of each.

Once two of the tiles had the bigger components glued down I started getting a feel for what worked. I tried more test layouts of non-glued tiles

+++

Once I had a few tiles glued I started adding the junk piles in the gutters either side of the walkways.

I found a few of the smaller space, especially on the T-junction tiles, were a bit harder when it came to adding walls, so I cut a few bulkheads in half to make the corners.

The walls aren't all exactly the same height but they are close enough for me.

I made a 3x2 tile that is entirely full of machinery, pipes and storage tanks (made from the larger size pots that supermarket herbs and spices sometimes come in), with a walkway over the top.

At the moment none of the other tiles have a way to access this upper level. But I have an idea for a vertical access tunnel, and maybe some more upper-levels, that I will try to get to later.

I know. Googley eyes!

This is as far as I have got, but I'm still working on it. I have a big pot of texture paste that I'm going to pile up around the walls and junk. I will also make at least three more 3x3 tiles.

I also have a few Necromunda doors, that need to be widened a little to fit the 60mm doorways. I will leave them free-standing though, so the can be "opened" or "shut" during games.

My plan for painting is all about getting the base colours down as quickly as possible, then adding details afterwards (cables, screens, hazard stripes, a few block colours, weathering and grime, etc.).

I'll spray it all black. Zenithal-spray it grey with something like Halfords Grey Primer. Then another zenithal-spray but only in a few smaller areas with Greyseer. Then I've got a big bottle of Acrylic Matt Medium and mixed up some big batches of "Not Nuln Oil" and "Not Agrax Earthshade" (see this video!) and I will blast everything with a fat brush.

More updates soon!

Further Adventures in The Scarlands - part 3, Ley Lines

"Since that incident with the three-eyed dragon the Scarlands is now riddled with geoglyphs and ley lines of prodigious power." said Krashhart to the Swordfyshes as they disembarked from their sky-ship. "Kaptain Mogrum wants us to see if we can find a way of tapping into the Ghurrish energy and syphoning some of it off." 

"Which, there will also be fighting, right?" asked Barnacle Nog, with a furrowed brow. A few if the Ardboyz looked up hopefully.

"Aye lad, I reckon there will be half-a-hundredweight of wretches, curs and blaggards what will try to be stopping us." said Krashhart with a toothy grin. There were guttural laughs from the crew.

Krashhart had brought more ladz this time. He wanted a better chance of outnumbering anyone they met. So the Swordfyshes set off into Raventalon Wood, east of the Spirit Crowns, where there seemed to be a high concentration of geomantic energies. Mogrum had given them some big chunks of crystal, that he said could absorb the ley line power. They just needed to be placed in the right spots.

Krashhart could also feel the heartbeat of Ghur, drumming loud inside his head. He knew that he and the crew would spill blood that day and that it would empower and invigorate them.

~ ⦽ ~

Dramatis Personae

The Swordfyshes

• Lord Krashhart - Warchanter Explorer
• Kaptain Battendown - Ardboy with a cloak and a squig-parrot
• Sinka - Brute with red bandana
• Hook - Brute with a hook hand (!)
• Flotsum - Brute with blue bandana
• Mr Flea - Ardboy Drummer
• Dakmeff - Ardboy with a barrel on his back
• Barnacle Nog - Ardboy with a bag of bones
• Seatun Fall - Ardboy with Snappa, a mechanical choppa

~ ⦽ ~

Skargat's Ironforged Ogors were after the same power. As both warbands arrived in the valley Ghurrish energies flooded in and the central and south-eastern ley line intersections awakened. Focal points of the Ghurrish geomantic power that was flowing across the region. Another three points where ley lines crossed were still dormant but the potential for them to awaken was definitely there.

Hook, Seatun Fall and Barnacle Nog headed straight for the central intersection. Battendown and Dakmeff went to the south-western one, while Flotsum to the north-western. A fight broke out in the centre as a massive ogor announced that he was having it. The Swordfyshes disagreed!

Krashhart, Flea and Sinka crept-up on the ogor guarding the south-eastern intersection who was accompanied by an allied orruk with a crossbow.

But as they did, another pair of ogors arrived in the north-west, behind the rocks at Flotsum's back.

The north-western intersection point suddenly awakened and the fight for the central one intensified. Barnacle Nog was smashed to the floor.

The south-western nexus awakened and Battendown sent Dakmeff to help in the centre. 

Krashhart and his mates smashed into the Ironforged ogor and orruk in the south-east and another bitter fight broke out there. Mr Flea clambered up onto the rocky outcrop, ready to pounce.

After taking out Flotsum one of the ogors, from the north-western ley line nexus, charged into the centre, Hook and Seatun Fall were both brought down. just after they took out the ogor they had been fighting.

The ogor at the north-western ley line intersection struggled with a quandary - he was missing out on a fight in the centre but he was supposed to stay where he was to guard the ley line nexus.

Krashhart had moved to take control of the south-eastern intersection but the Ironforged orruk held onto it by clobbering Mr Flea, who had impetuously leapt down on him moments before.

As things came to a head Battendown abandoned the south-western intersection, safe in the knowledge the ogors couldn't touch it now.

He leapt up onto the rocks and taunted the oaf, too late to help Seatun, but he stopped the ogors taking over control of the central ley line intersection.

But the Swordfyshes couldn't secure enough ley line energy to snatch victory from the ogors. They had already siphoned off too much geomantic power for the orruks to be able to change that. The bold move by Battendown meant it remained a narrow win for Skargat's Ironforged, but that wouldn't make much difference to Kaptain Mogrum... 

~ ⦽ ~

Deployment and Victory: Ley Lines (Core rules free PDF)

Twist: Feeding Frenzy (WD473, Thondia rules)

This was a really close game - Viktor won the game but only by the margin of a single Victory Point!

In Round 1 we scored 1VP each.
In Round 2, I got 1VP and he got 2VP, so he pulled ahead by a fraction.
In Rounds 3 and 4 we both scored 2VP each.

So the final totals were 6VP to me, and 7VP to Viktor.

If he had abandoned guarding the north-western Objective and reinforced his fighter at the central one he would have scored one more VP in the final Round, and I would have scored one less, so the final total would have been 5-8 to him. On the other hand his Attack dice for the orruk attacking Mr Flea were phenomenal, with just a few worse rolls that fight could easily have gone the other way and I might have won 7-6!

~ ⦽ ~

This was our first game with Warcry 2nd edition, using just the free PDFs from downloaded from the WarCom site. I think we both really like the rules updates. We both have high hopes for 2nd ed - we are already rolling a few ideas around for a new narrative campaign.