Before I start this entry proper I need to apologise for my
absence from the blog for the last few weeks.
Unavoidable workloads and family commitments have led to me having very
little time to spare for my favourite hobby.
That done, on with the good stuff:
A few months back GW released the new Dwarf army book,
Porker being and avid dwarf player was understandably quite excited by
this. We have decided that the best way
to test the limits of the new army book is to throw it into a campaign. A series of battles where nothing is expected
and battles are not always even fair. There are various types of campaign you can run but to my mind the big
daddy of them all is a full Mighty Empires campaign, I’m not referring to the
scaled down version GW released a few years past either. I’m talking about the serious multi-season
epicness that was released sometime in the early 90’s.
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Box cover art |
Some
of the older GW fans will hopefully remember this but even if you don't let me
briefly explain how the system works. In basic terms a world map is
created using hexagonal tiles, opponents then each gain control off a small
section of this realm. Once the capital cities have been established each
empire has an allotted number of points from which they can create banners
(armies). It’s entirely up to each
player how they split their points and how many banners they create. There are advantages to both few larger
banners and numerous smaller banners.
Players then take it in turns to move banners around the map where they
can encounter random events, new settlements or other players….
One thing the newer version got right however was the map pieces. The old tiles still fill me with a appropriate level of nostalgia but are impractical for keeping long term maps set up. The newer interlocking plastic tiles are much smarter and can be picked up as a whole and stored safely out of the way. Our plan is to use this map for all ongoing battles for a while and the continuing campaign to last for several months with the possibility of other players joining later on. There is no way I am prepared to stare at an unpainted map for that long.
So yesterday I arranged the map in a manner that was ascetically pleasing and undercoated the whole thing with black paint. Due to the river running through the map it was more difficult than you might think, trying to avoid it doubling back on itself and still keeping it looking natural. I'm not intending on making the map my masterpiece but I think a decent base colour with maybe one or two layers of dry brushing should give us something pleasant enough to look at over the coming month. I will of course show a finished map when it is complete. P.S. I am well aware of the fact that my photography makes the map look as though it takes up a sizable chunk of my garden and isn't in fact only 20" wide.
I will leave you now as I have several forces to pick.
GragwaZ
Nice! Excited for you guys! Perhaps at some point I can come and play a few scenarios with my Skaven or possibly new Wood Elves?
ReplyDeleteThat is the beauty of Mighty Empires. There are always random battles that require other forces to be used. Bandits, town rebellions, etc. Cant wait to get stuck in. I haven't told Porker yet but the battle we are having this week will decide who sets up where.
ReplyDeleteLol! You gonna tell him that before he chooses an army? Plus who you gonna use? O&G's or DE?
ReplyDeleteOrcs my dark elves are nowhere near ready. I suppose I'd better tell him.
ReplyDeletelol! I think you were a little unlucky in your last game vs him. It will take a while to get into the swing of things vs the new Dwarfs. They are powerful but you still have movement, fairly cheap screening units and re-routers. Getting them out of position is the key I think.
ReplyDeleteThat was exactly my thought. My big mistake was trying to focus on his 1 large unit. I would have been much better, taking out the weaker units leaving the bigger guys till last. I was too intent on a single decisive strike.
ReplyDeleteYou were quite eager to beast that unit.... There is always next time :)
ReplyDelete