Back on the battlefield

Right then I’m back into it so enough talk (big words for a guy writing a blog I know) let’s get down to business. Getting back into the game means essentially two things: I need to play and I need to paint. Best get cracking then!

So no need to run before you can walk. There’s a very strong cultural incentive in France to play with painted models and to that end most events, even small ones have painting requirements. Now from a TO’s point of view I’m all for that as I’m a big advocate for fully painted games. It also makes me a massive hypocrite however as barely any of my stuff is painted so I had to changeand quick!

Quick however is the last thing you’d use to describe my painting, even if I’m not to shabby with a brush I’m far too fiddly. Therefore if I wanted an army painted before the invention of hover boards (which isn’t too long if Back to the Future is to be believed) then I’d need help.

Enter Seb, one of my new friends since I’ve moved back to France. Former golden demon winner, ex GW store manager and coincidentally an individual who is just starting up his own painting business, we managed to strike up a good deal for both of us and so it began. He’s currently painting away as I type this and I should see the first two lists complete before the end of February. In the mean time here’s some tasty, tasty pictures.

Before he could get painting however I needed to give him a list, which meant I needed to get cracking writing some actual lists and fast. First up was the casters. First one had to be Butcher3, this guy he is just everything you want Butcher to be, I loved his play style and I knew he could be a real beast so he was my point man, no questions asked. Next up I was thinking Harkevich as he has been one of my go to guys for quite some time now but after thinking it through I didn’t feel confident he’d be the best match up for Butcher as he doesn’t really cover his weaknesses, specifically Cryx and some Menoth. Enter pVlad, one of my favourite and most played casters. A good old fashioned S&P gun line would make a good partner for the big man.

After the caster comes, well, everything else. Originally I was undecided between what infantry to run with Butcher and was considering 20 press gangers (with all the usual frilly support solos) for some time as well as all the other support pieces which practically make a B3 list write itself. As for Vlad it was the good old wombo-combo of Behemoth/spriggan/koldun lord alongside winter guard infantry AND rifle corps (I was considering swapping them out for the battle engine) as well as a splattering of my fav Vlad support pieces.

Then the unexpected happened. Khador won not only WmW but also the UK masters and which two casters were in both lineups? Butcher3 and pVlad…WELL, I said to myself, may be worth having a look at those lists…

The first big revolution was with the infantry for Butcher3 and all other ideas went out the window when I realizes how CRAZY good the synergy is between Butcher3 & Black Dragon IFP. With their high speed and armour they can really push up the table and allow Butcher to set up safely yet ready to go balls deep when required.

Next up came Vlad’s list. This one came in two waves. First of all was the assault kommandos that made an appearance at WmW. Now I will say I have never raged against AKs like some, I always found them half way decent, especially with Vlad (but then again a unit that flings wet napkins would be good under vlad) but there was always something better. When the Iron Fang kovnik came out it was evident they were to set to gain a lot but when the dust cleared they were still un-popular. Their strength though, the reason I want them in the list, is in the match-ups they are strong against. I wanted something that could counter B3s weaknesses and these guys were a big part of that. The second “innovation” was the Tactical Arcanist Corps used by Jamie.P in the UK masters. I was originally planning on using Ternion but these guys give you a lot of defensive and offensive options once you understand the effects 3 smoke clouds can have on the battlefield.

Now forgive me for glossing over a lot of the details their. My next article will probably be about these lists at which point I’ll run you guys through it from A-Z, until then you’ll just have to live with the basics.

One thing bothers me though, as happy as I am with these discoveries and as excited as I am to play them this is, simply put, bandwagoning at its finest. I don’t like to cherry pick lists of the net (netdecking) just because someone has done well with them. I like to play lists that I’ve developed though a natural series of trial and error and I believe this kind of attitude makes you a much better, more knowledgeable and adaptable player. However what I needed here was a quick fix, I didn’t have time to formulate my lists the way I usually do, as I needed to get the painting going asap. I already had the two casters and I suppose the coincidence just allowed me to round them off nicely….but yeah excuses, excuses, It is what it is.

So there you have it folks. The painting is underway and I’m excited to get back into the thick of it. I’m going to try and keep models on the production line throughout the season and try and get the entire faction done so I can eventually branch out. Other casters I’m considering at the moment are Harkevich (cos the beard is still my main man!), Vlad3 and finally pSorscha, because if you’re going to ride the bandwagon, hell, you may as well just ride it all the way!