Alas, the snow has melted away, only to be replaced by hot summer days—it is time to set sail on the titanic Black Arks and make our way to foreign shores for more murder and mayhem. Painting these Dark Elves was really a delight and I already have more expansions in mind!
And at long last, here is an image of the entire army, gathered for war.
Technically, the army only includes one of the two wizards, the other being an alternate sculpt for variety. Here is the final breakdown.
VAKATH'S SHOCK CADRE (995 pts) Dark Elf General (Cold One, Heavy Armour, Lance, Shield) ~ 176 pts Sorcerer ~ 59 pts 5x Cold One Knights (Lances) ~ 210 pts Repeater Bolt-Thrower ~ 100 pts War Hydra ~ 225 pts 10x Executioners ~ 160 pts 5x Scouts ~ 65 pts
I want to thank the organizers, the contestants and everyone who has been following along on this 6-month journey. It has been great fun to read your comments, to see your armies grow and to hear the lament of your mulligans. Hopefully I will see you all again in the next Old World Army Challenge! For the Witch King!
Well, it wouldn't be my army without untold trials and tribulations. I got it stuck in my head that I had to complete a baggage element and Tom's Chaos War Altar got me wanting to make one of my own, so I did that too. There was a lot of winging it and cursing, but it's done now. I tried to take all the pictures by myself, but wouldn't you know it, my shutter remote control had a dead battery. So I had to enlist my daughter to take the above army pose photo. She asked me if the muslin back drop was for scenery or to hide how messy my hobby room was. What cheek! My answer, of course, both.
Here is my final post for the OWAC. I am very glad I joined and stayed in it to the end. It was tough to finish. Now I have a 1300+ point Chaos army that I didn't 6 months ago. Honestly, as a gamer for the last 30 years, I do not have a lot of painted Warhammer lead. This is only my 2nd Warhammer Army, the first being Empire.
I finally made it. Years ago I never thought I would end up here. After about twenty years away from gaming it all started again with wanting to play a game of Talisman. And maybe I could get a copy of the wfrp rulebook. I'm never gonna get back into fantasy battle I told myself. Mordheim? Absolutely not. 40k? Hell no. Now I have a Chaos army. And a few Mordheim warbands. I bought more space Orks this morning. But I'm happy to be here.
Stick a fork in me, I’m done! The challenge is finally over and I’m feeling pretty chuffed with how my chaos dwarves turned out :)
I did use a mulligan, but made up for it in one of the other months. No need to feel to guilty, right?? RIGHT!?!?
These little psychos will make a welcome addition to my small human chaos faction from a year or so ago.
I’m already forward to next year’s challenge and am leaning towards Wood Elves with Halflings. Saying that, I do have a lot more chaos that needs painting. Hmmm.......
Well here it is, the end of the line! When I started thinking about the challenge, I wasn't sure what force to paint. I really wanted to start a Goblin army, something that was a dream of mine in my youth, but the task was a daunting one, and made me hesitate. In the end though, the pull was too big, and I plunged! And I'm really happy I did! Now, let's get that Warhammer army pose picture out of the way, shall we ;-)
...But it has been fun and productive...I deem the Old World Army Challenge to be a big success personally. I've cranked through more figures in the last six months than I have in quite awhile. I'm a notoriously slow painter and the challenge has really motivated me to be productive.
I'm already planning next 1000 point force for the next challenge.
But! Now is not the time to talk about the future and "other armies!!!"
Now is the time to talk about what has been accomplished over the last six months!
It was quite an experience to finally fully assemble the army on a proper terrain board and take some pics to share. I always find army photography to be kind of a pain in the ass...and this time proved no different! (I need to make a dedicated photo set up and terrain board for photography!) But after trying twice I was able to get a decent set of pictures that document this army well.
Here we go!
The Army of Sarthayer the Enforcer.
Sarthayer's small but potent Wood Elf army patrols the fringes of Elven territory in the thick woodlands the Humans call Drakenvald Forest. This fast moving and hard hitting force protects the northern margins of the forest where the trees fade away into the grass covered foot hills of the World's Edge Mountains. Calum Pass, the Notch, and other lesser known pathways through the mountains, allow goblin raiders from the other side of the mountains to make occasional forays into Elven territory. It is the job of Sarthayer and his army to detect these intruders, track them, and if possible destroy them. Sarthayer's ruthless efficiency as a war leader, and his penchant for grisly war trophies, have earned him the nickname the Enforcer.
I had great fun doing the challenge, and while I met the challenge goals, I didn't quite meet the goal I set for myself, falling one unit short. I had planned to get all the required minimums painted in the challenge, but ended up short one unit of 20 warriors. However, since the Warhammer Armies book is based on a 3000 point force and says to adjust requirements for significantly smaller and larger forces, I feel comfortable saying I have a legal 1500 point force to put on the table.
This was a long journey, 6 months! Time goes fast. Here looking at what the army was going to be initially i see how it has changed. At the beginning it was going to be a cosmopolitan army, with troops from Tilea, Araby, Estalia and Kislev like on the Old Worlder mercenary list.
This was the original concept in green are those that got painted. On blue are the Kislev ones that were commissioned painted and stayed on the kislev-middenheim project, but could be borrowed for this army. As the Kislev left the party I refocused to a more Estalian style, with the addition of 4 more brigands , and 7 knights to protect Brogio, now exiled prince of Tobaro (instead of miragliano as the beginning) and a Giant as their bodyguard. I also added the cart as i thought it fitted well the them, and having a wagon of supplies for the army was always a good idea, specially when the supplied was gold.
"See this axe? Smell this fiery smoke? Hear this wailing of
tormented souls? This is the power we wield, and by the star of eight we
will crush your cohorts and lay waste to your lands. We hold the power
of hell in our hands. Return to your rabble and face us in battle if you
dare. You will bow in rusty chains the next time we see each other, for
the Soulforge hungers. All for Hashut!" Full Army
After many months it's time for my final post for the inaugural Old World Army Challenge. Leading up to this, each month brought the dual pressure of painting the models and blogging about which actually served as inspiration for writing the blog. Whether it was reminiscing about the models selected for the month, my success (or failure) with painting those models, and/or plans for the following month, there was always something to say. Now that the challenge is over, I find myself somewhat at a loss for words. However, I suspect most folks don't care about my ramblings and would rather just see pictures of classic miniatures from the golden age of Citadel. So, let me start with a shot of the entire army painted for the challenge:
The Wood Elves army has a special meaning for me: it was the first army I made for WHFB, back in the '97 or so, and it include the very first minis I ever painted about 25 years ago! So, it was a pleasure to paint (maybe for the third or fourth time) a Wood Elves warband.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to add some extras in the last challenge month, even tough I have a certain amount of 5th ed. wood elves still in waiting on the shelves (oh, well... yes... the famous elves on the shelves...). Ok, then, let's start the show! First, the whole family picture:
Well, it's time to sum up this army and look to getting it onto the field! When I started, I wanted to get my orcs and gobbos (which I have been hoarding off and on for year) on the table. What that means, for our little group, is a legal 2,000 pt army per Warhammer Armies (3rd ed) with all the force requirements. We like a strong focus on the rank and file of the armies and have found that we get that at 2k, alteast with the armies we have used... So, I painted up all of the required troops and an extra unit or two to help round out what I want in the army, all while trying to keep my monthly totals achievable.
BUT! I missed a trick. Some of the armies that I have seen painted during the challenge have had some nice center piece or snazzy special unit to make them standout. I had an extra bit of time, so I had a dig trough the pile and decided to do an orc wolf chariot... The lads are a bit crammed in on it, but its fun and all should fear a fella with a watering can...
After all the blood, sweat, and tears we've finally come to the end. I have to say the last few months really were a challenge, but I'm really happy I toughed it out to the end with over 1000 points of shiny evil elves. I really want to thank Iannick and all the admins who were the driving force behind the challenge. If not for their efforts, most of this stuff would still be sitting around collecting dust. Hats off to all the participants who stuck it out to the end. Hopefully we can meet up and slaughter each others forces. Before the showcase pics, lets start off with a little video I love.
Here are the final stats of OWAC. It was a fun ride and I would do it again, just not soon.... I thought I'd point out a few things about the challenge that I gleaned from the spreadsheet I used for tracking progress. We had 37 people enter the painting challenge. 27 made it out. We left 10 challengers on the field of battle, or we took 26% casualties. 10 challengers had real life get in the way and could not finish this journey. We now honor them as "the fallen". We had a good number barely make it across the finish line. Those 27 challengers painted a total of 33141 points of Old World goodness. Points calculated using 3rd or 4th ed army lists. The average was 1227 points per person. Overachievers - I think everyone went over the target goal of 1000 points. But the biggest offenders are John Bentley Scott Abbott Mustafa Bekir and Fredrick Kober. They all painted over 1500 points. It was a rough road for some. We were allowed to miss one month (take a Mulligan) during the Challenge. Real life often gets in the way of our hobby so this allowed some leeway. 14 challengers took a Mulligan over the course of 6 months. Evil wins the day. The break down in armies overwhelmingly favored evil by a margin of 2 to 1. Isn't Evil always more fun? We had 18 Evil armies make it to the finish line as opposed to 9 good armies. Chaos and Dark Elves were favored the most with 5 challengers each. Now some honorable mentions, John Bentley for painting the most points. 1869pts Dave Lister for being closest to the target of 1000pts. He would win on the Price is Right. Scott Abbott and Thomas Grove drew First Blood. They each submitted their first entry on Novemeber 17th 2017. And lastly a BIG THANKS to Iannick Martin for herding this group of cats for the last 6 months. Also Chris Sabick for helping with Admin duties.
Yes, apparently I changed the name of the leader of the warband halfway, sue me. It started as Plaagrotter (rough translated from Dutch as Plague-Rotter), a beastman shaman, and his collection of misfits. When I got down to painting the broo shaman miniature to represent Plaagrotter I though e/she resembled the Dr. Suess illustration of Foo Foo the Snoo. I couldn't change the old and I couldn't leave the new name so: "Plaagrotter Foo Foo the Snoo" it is.
The only one that was willing to take the picture in the house was my 4 yr old daughter; Jocelyn. I think the picture is great, so there.
So I've finished my army for the very first Old World Army Challenge! As the OWAC ran in parallel with the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (which I entered for the sixth consecutive year) I was already primed and ready to paint like crazy through the Aussie summer. Being able to enter my work in both challenges didn't help with painting time but it certainly did help with motivation! :-)
To kick things off, here's my own personal take on the Warhammer Armies 3rd Edition "family photo". Things will look a lot less neat and organised once my particular brand of generalship comes into effect.
Ladies and gentlemen, challengers, friends...the first edition of the OWAC IS OFFICIALLY CLOSED!
Hearthfelt congratulations to all the challengers who survived those 6 gruelling months, who endured the nagging of your overlord, the abuse of your comrades in arms, the shame of the mulligan. Not only are you now the proud owners of a new 1000pts army, but you get the eternal glory that comes with it, and the coveted title of "OWAC veterans". Be proud of your achievement!!
You know what time it is?
Of course, stay tuned for the recap posts, which will trickle starting tomorrow, and will include what we all want to see; pics of the completed and beautiful armies!!
My altar guards are first; 0 points. My Chaos dwarves are 70 points for the bazooka, 42 for the mortar, 24 for the musician level 5 contingent commander comes out to 199 points. Good night and good luck.
Hi!!!!! For the final month (Apriiiil!!!!!) i painted 267 pts.: 19 Night Goblins w. shields + Boss + musician & standardbearer .........78 pts 3 Night goblins Fanatics ............................90 pts 1 Big Boss w. shield .................................34 pts 1 Night Goblin Battle Standard..................65 pts Total April ............................................267 pts TOTAL CHALLENGE ...........................1100,5 pts
I've painted figures for my general and a champion for The Silver Helms unit I painted for my previous entry. Both figures are 105 points giving me a whopping 210 this month and 1019 total for the challenge. Enjoy the phone quality pics and I'm looking forward to seeing all the army shots soon.
Whoa!!! Mounts for my general, champion and wizard(eventually).
Well, here we are, the final month and I bloody well made it! Wooooooooooooo! I've had some nasty health issues since the middle of March, and while it seems to be under control now, it's left me with shaky hands, which as we all know isn't very conducive to painting, so forgive me if this month's installment isn't up to the standard of the rest:
A small lot of slann to finish things off. Now I didn't need to do these for the purpose of the challenge but if I ever want to field a 3000 point army of Slann I need to meet some minimum unit sizes. With that in mind I finished off enough figures to ensure that. Here they are:
"Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew, When I bit off more than I could chew But through it all when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out, I faced it all". So sayeth Old Blue Eyes The challenge has come to it's end and I'm happy to say I managed to get something done this month between packing, moving, and it's inherent disruption. For the final month I was determined to get the leader of this motley crew of greenskins completed and hopefully something else. Well I at least got the mighty Grogguzzler painted up, he is one of my favorite orc models and I knew when this challenge started he would be the leader.
With the moving sadly I wasn't able to get the other units dug out and unboxed for the big epic army book picture at this time, but someday I hope to. This challenge has gotten me to paint more than I usually do in the same period, and seeing others great armies is a big inspiration at times. So often I get a good week of excited painting done before I get unmotivated or distracted, but thankfully this didn't happen during the challenge. Hopefully there will be a bit of a break before the next challenge so I can figure out how to carve out some painting space and dig everything out of the bins and boxes and storage units they ended up in. I am happy to have been part of this challenge with so many other great gamers and my thanks to the admins for doing this.
Finished! And what a journey it's been! April saw the last snow falls of the season here in the wintery north, which felt like a fitting end to the long trek that started way back in October. I can't say that I've enjoyed every moment of it—even with such a small army, there were countless stressful moments, tedious prep work, glueing and re-glueing broken figures... But now that I am at the end, I can honestly say that I sort of miss it already. Nevertheless, this competition has come with an excellent door prize—a fully painted, table-ready little Dark Elf army of my very own. I am already dreaming up how to expand this little force... Dark Elf Crossbowmen, Assassins, City Guard, Black Ark Corsairs, Witch Elves... they all sound like great directions to take the army!
My final submission is four Helldrakes and my general, a level 20 Dark Elf Hero on Cold One. This isn't my recap post so i'll just stick to a brief write up on the unit and save the drama for the big reveal. Here they are!
I was saving the Chaos Knights for last. Mainly because I couldn't find all the bits to the knights. I do have the newer plastic models as a back up, but wanted the older ones. So I painted the other parts of the army while continuing to search my basement hoard for the missing bits. I finally broke down and bought a lot off ebay. It had the missing bits and plus some others goodies. So now I have at least 3 maybe 4 generations of Chaos Knights. Please feel free to correct me, I know the combined wisdom of the OWAC is far greater than mine: 1st Generation - metal knight, metal horse. 2nd Generation - metal knight, plastic horse body, metal head 3rd Generation - plastic body of knight, metal arm, plastic horse 4th Generation - plastic knight, plastic horse. So with all the pieces in order I finally painted the April entry. I give you my 2nd generation Chaos Knights.
Ok so here we are at the end of the challenge, and the army is looking quite different to what i started with 6 months ago. Here is the bodyguard of borgio, 7 tilean condeterri, with a champion for 179 points. I was searching all week for those damn shields to make it a 193 points unit, or even using them as templars, but after the move they are not found anywhere. Also their original horses are not something I think fitted so much (completely unarmoured!) so I used later armored ones, they don't stay perfectly on those smaller horses, but for now it should be fine.
Personally I like a lot the look of those early citadel multi part knight, as they have a right amount of part (3 to be exact, body, arm and legs) compared to modern models with around 8-12... Only I think the lances being so thin I never managed to straighten those long lead lances, but at least they do not crack like so many of the middlehammer ones.
So that is it, still searching for all the parts of the army after the move, I'll need to unify a bit better the basing across the army (some had with all the base on brown and some had just the top part.) and repairing the chariot, i ll take next month a picture of the whole army.
