The Cruelwater Chronicles (Part IV) - Still Water Runs Deep

Janitor watched as the Clean-Up Crew readied their weapons for the ordeal to come. Sinister sporadically revved his chainsword, his jaw clenching each time he activated the weapon. Janitor's other champion, Dexter, checked his grenade launcher for the fifth time. The rest of the Crew went through various rituals to distract themselves from the tension they felt for the coming fight.

"Listen up lads." Bellowed Janitor. "We've already seen what this Puppet Master has.....a bunch of re-purposed Servitors and some lobotomised locals....if that's all he's got, he's already as good as dead."

He looked each member of his gang in the eye as he spoke.

"Now let's do what we do best and clean up this place!"

Meanwhile back at Grubber's Heights....

News has just reached us from our roving reporter that the workers of Grubber's Heights have formed their own militia to protect their families and their interests in these perilous times.
The absence of the Clean-Up Crew and the Voodoo Dolls has created something of a power vacuum throughout Rockridge. This has led to a dramatic increase in reported attacks and robberies, especially around Grubber's Heights.
"Since they formed the Militia, people have begun to feel safe again." Said one local "Although they do seem to be a bit peculiar, not drinking an' all, they seem to be good-natured folk, even offering shelter to some unfortunate Muties."

 Our reporter tried to get an interview with their enigmatic Leader but unfortunately he was at prayer for the Four Armed Emperor.
So a humble and pious group as well as charitable and law abiding. Grubber's Heights has never been in such safe hands!

The Cruelwater Chronicles (Part III) - Deep Water

The monitor flickered as the Servo-Skull rose above the settlement to give him a commanding view of the area. Acknowledgement codes flashed briefly across the screen from his Servo-Stalkers as they came into view but otherwise they stood motionless, like long forgotten grotesques guarding an ancient and crumbling mausoleum...which, if everything went according to plan, is exactly what Clearwater would be for the Clean-Up Crew and the Voodoo Dolls.

The Cruelwater Chronicles (Part II) - Troubled Waters

Built around the sluice gates and locks of the sump swamp, Cruelwater had never been a large settlement but its position on one of Rockridge's trade routes ensured it had always been a vibrant and bustling place. The numerous drinking and narco dens vying for prominence welcomed all with enough creds to make use of them.
That welcome seemed in short supply as Janitor and the rest of the Clean-Up Crew moved through the place. The neon lights that once bathed the settlement with bright lurid colours were gone, replaced by skeletal filaments that haunted the darkness they now inhabited. Furtive eyes peered out of the gloom watching the gang's every move, quickly retreating into the shadows when a Goliath made to approach them. A pall of fear hung heavy over Cruelwater, suffocating what little life remained.
The Goliaths didn't know who or what had brought about this malaise......but they were determined to find out....

The Cruelwater Chronicles (Part I) - Something Fishy in Cruelwater.

Greetings Sinners!
Quite a few people have messaged me asking about the rules I've come up with for my Underhive Gribblies. So I thought I'd share them with all the Mundaphiles out there.

Critters

Greetings Sinners!
Remember how I said I was hoping to get the rest of my Escher gang painted this week? Well you know what I'm like, I suddenly had an urge to populate our little area of the Underhive with some Gribblies. So the last couple of days have been spent painting up some critters for our next adventure in Rockridge.

Rumblings in Rockridge

Greetings Sinners!
After many fun and enjoyable games of Necromunda, both Rob and I have settled on our lists for our games. For those of you that haven't given 'Munda a go (I highly recommend it!) I thought I'd take the opportunity to explain why it has been so difficult designing our lists.
It really boils down to the fact that Necromunda is such an incredibly diverse and fluid game system....

Necromunda Terrain Tile 8 - Tumbledown Rise

"Oh, we've all seen it.

Many say they've heard howls and ear splitting shrieks coming from it.

Some claim they've been real close and swear the girders whisper to each other.

But very few have been up there.

And if they do, they ain't the same...

....if they ever come back."

  

Necromunda Terrain Tile 7 - Smugglers' Wharf

"Chewer says you're looking for passage out of Rockridge?"
"Yes indeed,if it's a fast ship"
"Fast ship? You've never heard of the Hail Mary?"
"No, should I have?"
"It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 Cycles, I've outrun Imperial patrols and Sumpkroks, not the local pets those Goliaths are fond of, mind you. I'm talking the big 20 footers. She's fast enough for you old man. What's the cargo?"
"Only passengers. Myself, the boy and two Servitors.....and no questions asked."
"What is it, some kind of local trouble?"
"Let's just say we'd like to avoid any Imperial entanglements."
"Well that's the real trick, isn't it? It's gonna cost you extra. Ten thousand, all in advance."
"We'll pay you two thousand now, plus fifteen when we clear Rockridge."
"Seventeen? Okay, you guys got yourself a ship. We'll be ready when you are, Smugglers' Wharf."
"Smugglers' Wharf."

Necromunda Terrain Tile 6 - Anak Krakatoa Heat Sink

The Anak Krakatoa heat sink lies within the sump swamps of Stranglevine Creek and supplies much of the light and power to Rockridge.

Kill Team Prurient

Greetings Sinners!
Just when I thought that I had finished with 40k, those tricksy, sneaky, double-dealing rascals at Games Workshop lure me back in with Kill Team.
I'll be popping over to Element Games tomorrow to pick up my boxed set and join in the fun event that they're holding for people to get the hang of the game. I've had a brief look at the rules for Chaos kill Teams and have taken a break from terrain building and have spent the day re-equipping Squad Prurient with a powerfist, plasma pistol and Plasma Gun. The only heavy weapon available to Chaos Marines is the humble Heavy Bolter. After spending way too long looking for one, I've decided to use their Blastmaster as a counts as Slaaneshi Heavy Bolter.
I'm not too sure on the points cost of anything so Kill Team Prurient have brought along some cannon fodder Cultists to make up the numbers.

I'm hopeful that Kill Team will prove to be very popular on the tournament circuit and I feel sure that there'll be plenty of events springing up in the not too distant future. The scale of 8th edition (as well as the length of time it takes to play a game) holds no appeal for me at the moment whereas Kill Team feels like 40k is going back to its roots. Rob is interested as well so I'm sure we'll be getting plenty of games in in between Necromunda and I'm already toying with a narrative campaign called 'Nestor: The Early Years.'
So tomorrow the Castigators will return from their self-imposed exile and I can once again enjoy the experience of the humble Chaos Marine being a valid choice in the game again.

Until next time......may Our Lady grant you her number 😉

Turf War breaks out at Rockridge- Tia's Tale.

Wiping away the grime from the filthy window, Tia looked out across the settlement of Pump House. A lumbering Goliath wandered aimlessly across a nearby gantry, eliciting a smile from the Escher's blood encrusted lips. Even stripped of her weapons and shackled, the Goliaths were still wary of her, she thought.
In the distance she could just make out the distinctive hills that gave the gave the zone of Rockridge its name. She looked longingly at those hills, that's where her sisters will come from she mused; if they come at all....

Necromunda Terrain Tile 5 - Sump Swamp

"Stranglevine Creek ya say?
Ya don't wanna find yourself down there, lessen ya got an invite from Maman Brigitte herself. Those Voodoo Dolls don't take too kindly to strangers, no Siree!
But hey, ya seem a likeable enough fella, maybe Brigitte will take a shine to ya.
Carefully does it though, such a purty mouth like that an' she might like ya too much.....and if that happens, well......ya ain't never coming back!

Welcome to the Pump House

Apex humongous was not happy. Profits were down, the demand was there as always but unfortunately for him and his crew their supply didn't meet it. Something was wrong one of their biggest customers had gone elsewhere and yet the supply seemed no better then before..... and who were those crazy voodoo dolls getting there h2o from anyway?

Necromunda Terrain Tile 4 - Sawbone Sali's

Greetings Sinners!
After trying my hand at casting, I've finally got around to working on my fourth terrain tile for my Necromunda board. I'm really pleased with how the Zone Mortalis tiles turned out (So much so that I'll be going back to the other 3 terrain tiles and adding the Zone Mortalis feel to them as well), they are really quick to paint and add that Hive City feel with minimum effort.
For the fourth Sister I wanted to add more platform space and the tile will marry up (back to back) with Terrain Tile 2, this should give me more diversity in my terrain layouts and allow Rob and I to come up with endless variations.

Necromunda meets INQ28

Greetings Sinners!
This month's White Dwarf has dropped through my letter box and within its pages are the rules for Necromunda Venator Bands. You may be wondering what in the name of the six hells of Slaanesh is a Venator Band?
A Venator Band is a Necromunda gang made up of Bounty Hunters to hunt down all those Spook addled sump scum that defy the Emperor's will. All well and good you may say, so what's the big deal?
Ah, here's the thing. The rules have been designed to allow players to create a small (but perfectly formed) gang of roving Ashers, a band of Inquisitorial agents, a mercenary group of Aliens or anything else that your imagination can think of!


Designer's Notes
"Venator Bands present an opportunity to let your gaming imagination run wild, a chance to use the Forge World Bounty Hunters in conjunction with a wide variety of models from the plastic gang sets and create a gang with a character all of its own. The gang list presents a wide variety of profiles for each character type available, together with unprecedented access to a wide range of equipment thanks to them using almost the entire Trading Post as their equipment list. The options are almost limitless.

This is deliberate. Venators come from not only all corners of Necromunda, but from all corners of the Imperium and beyond. They are bands of bounty hunters thrown together by the knowledge that working in a group is far safer and more profitable in the long run than working alone. Former gang members, deserter guardsmen, abhumans, even aliens, all can be brought together with this unique gang, and over time just like any other gang, it can become even more diverse and colourful through the addition of Hangers-on in the form of supporting staff, Exotic Beasts and so forth."

The possibilities are endless and I feel that Andy Hoare, JTY and the rest of the design team have really smashed it with these rules......the Faerytale in the Grimdark is still alive and kicking!

Mood Boards - Swimming with ideas

Greetings Sinners!
Today I want talk about Mood Boards. If you're new to the term it's basically a type of collage of images, texts, ideas and materials related to a subject that facilitate the exploration of an area of interest or idea.......or basically, it helps set a mood.

The Pump House

On the myriad of worlds in the Imperium there are many dark places where the machineries of Mankind grind and pump fluids and power to support the massed populations of the Imperium.

Down in the twilight of the pump house the air is thick with the smog of promethium burners and the heat exchangers create tropical climates within the vast industrial landscape. The floor is thick with carbon dust and many dangers lurk in every corner waiting for the unwary to pass by. Toxic pools of chemicals corrosive to the touch spew across the floor, their luminescence bathing everything in the sickly glow of radioactive waste. Yet amid this mass of grim dark horror, many archeotech treasures are to be found, enough to make even the sanest man (or woman) crazy enough to brave the perilous area. This is the turf of the Janitor and his Clean Up Crew and one thing is for certain, if you get an invitation to come down to the pump house you don't go alone!

'Munda Madness takes hold

Greetings sinners!
Things are stirring down in the Hive. The Voodoo Dolls have a bit of colour on them (but there is still lots to do) and my mind is preoccupied with creating a Sump Swamp for their territory and how I will equip my Orlock gang. All this pales into insignificance at rumours of a terrible discovery.
The biggest news is that a hibernation pod has been unearthed in the Sump. Ignoring the Adeptus Biologicus protocols, the Archeotech Hunters immediately opened it in the hopes of discovering something of value. Matty Hara, our Delaque informant went on to say that what emerged from this long lost relic quickly, and with frightening efficiency, dispatched the entire Archeotech team before making its escape. The creature was last seen heading towards the Pump House muttering something about Iron Forged and the 4 armed Emperor. After several more shots of Wildsnake and Second-Best our Delaque informant produced a pict-still of the miscreant and there can be no doubt whatsoever as to who it is........Rob has awoken from his slumber!

Fembruary Challange complete - Maman Brigitte of the Voodoo Dolls

Greetings Sinners!
I might be failing with my Squadruary pledge but I've finally managed to paint up the leader of my Escher gang and so have completed my Fembruary Challenge! The entire model was something of an experiment (probably not the best idea to start with my leader but impetuousness is a Slaaneshi trait afterall). I'm really pleased with how she's turned out and while there are a couple of things I'd like to spend more time on, I have another nine gang members to get through!

If you ever find yourself around Stranglevine Creek ask for Maman Brigitte of the Voodoo Dolls for all your Wildsnake, Spook and Zombie needs.
Until next time.....may Our Lady grant you her number!

Squadruary is turning into Fembruary

Greetings Sinners!
Progress on my pledge for Squadruary isn't going too well. The weather has conspired with Nurgle to bring any progress to a crawl. For a full week if it wasn't snowing it was raining which stopped me from priming my models. It only let up to allow Papa Nurgle enough time to bestow his blessings upon me in the form of the dreaded Man Flu.....bugger!
Fortunately, all is not lost. I was going through my usual Blog reading (Yeah, I know I said I was going to cut back on my blog reading, but hey! What's I bloke to do when there's snot oozing from every orifice?) when I stumbled across Leadballony's Fembruary Challenge.

I've made a bit an error putting my Voodoo Dolls up for Squadruary, not because I can't get them finished in time but because I don't really want to rush them. I know I can speed paint them all in a week, but a Necromunda gang isn't really comparable to a 40k unit. What I mean by that is that a unit in 40k is just one small part of a larger entity whereas a Necromunda gang is more like 8-10 individual models. I haven't given up on trying to get them finished but instead of painting them all up together I am going to concentrate on one model at a time. Hopefully I'll get 5 finished before the end of the month and tomorrow I'll be working on my gang leader, Maman Brigitte so I can at least complete the Fembruary Challenge ;-)

I have made some progress though, I managed to get some paint on the bases for my Escher gang.........I know right? Wow!

These are really fun and easy to paint.....Until next time....may Our Lady grant you her number!

Squaduary 2018......Ganguary progress & 'Munda Madness!

Greetings Sinners!
Work has continued at a steady pace this week getting the gang together.....despite spending most of the weekend gleaming plenty of titbits from the Necromunda Weekender.....

Doubles Update - pics!

I was very aware that yesterdays post was rushed. At the same time as writing it, I was trying to write a new list based on the new codex. I posted the list yesterday and I thought you might like to see some photographs.

Tempus Fugitnil Daemon Prince

Aspiring Sorcerer leads his Warpflamer squad

Aspiring Sorcerer points out a target for
 Inferno bolter attention

A squad of enthusiastic but hopelessly outclassed cultists

Ahriman

Scarab Occult Terminators - armed to the teeth with everything.

This is the view of the Terminators that I am most use to as they fearlessly engage the enemy

GW Throne of Skulls Doubles

A few days ago this was 1000 points of Thousand Sons....then there was a new codex

With just ten days to go my Thousand Sons army is about to undergo a change. Why so? I hear you ask. Simple. A new codex drops in three days and new vistas of opportunity open up to the sons of Magnus.

Squaduary 2018

Greetings Sinners!

My grand plan to focus exclusively on my terrain tiles lasted all of three days....oops!
It isn't my fault...no really it isn't! You can blame it firmly on Rory at Stepping Between Games . I was casually browsing through my Blog list and stumbled across this article .....Okay, maybe I did say I was going to cut back on my Blog reading but hey, the servants of the Dark Prince have always been a capricious lot ;-) .
The idea is straightforward enough, build and paint a squad in February. Of course, it's never that straight forward: Which army? Which squad? Which system?

Necromunda Terrain Tile 3 - The Little Sister

Greetings Sinners!

40k has taken something of a backseat for me just lately, but I'm still busy beavering away on my terrain tiles and I thought I'd share my latest tile with you good people.
I'm still enjoying the hobby side of things thanks to the new Necromunda/Shadow Wars. Both games have really captured my imagination and appeal to my narrative nature much more than 8th edition has. Naturally, this has led to even more procrastination as I juggle between learning new rules, building and painting terrain tiles, working on my Escher gang (the Voodoo Dolls) and immersing myself in the many cool blogs that lean towards the narrative aspects of the hobby rather than the competitive side of things.....

Night Lords list: Version I

Hola fellow creatures of the night!

I've put together a first draft of my Night Lords list that I can build towards.

I'm not expecting to pull up trees but it would be nice to win a game or two at an event.

Here it is in all its glory:

Chaos Lord with Jump Pack, Claws of the Black Hunt, Night Haunters Curse

Chaos Sorcerer in Terminator Armour with Force Axe and Combi-Melta

Winged Daemon Prince

5 Chaos Marines with Missile Launcher

5 Chaos Marines with Missile Launcher

10 Cultists

5 Raptors with 2 Melta Guns, Lightning Claws on the leader and an Icon of Despair

5 Raptors with 2 Melta Guns, Lightning Claws on the leader and an Icon of Despair

5 Warp Talons

5 Terminators, 4 with Combi-Plasmas, 1 Autocannon and all have Power Axes

10 Chosen with 5 Plasma Guns and an Icon of Vengeance

Rhino

5 Havocs with 4 Missile Launchers

Hellbrute with Twin Lascannons and a Missile Launcher


This leaves me with 100 points which I'm not sure what to do with.

During a game I played against Iain his spawn gave me a nasty shock when they charged Logan. I didn't realise they did a flat 2 damage which each wound.

So I may take 3 of those but I'm open to other suggestions!