Forces of Battlesworn: The Orcs

Last time we saw the Knights of Battlesworn, today we see an army that could easily be their nemesis; the Orcs.  Again, I'm using the sample forces from the rulebook as is, so on to the Orcs!

Every good Orc warband needs a leader, and who better to lead than the fairly recent Cyclops fig from the Lego collectible series.  In the case here, our one-eyed Orc is a warlord which combines both the 'leader' and the 'brute' classes together, appropriate for him.  The cloaked figure on the right is the warlord's advisor and shaman to the tribe (using the 'warmage' slot).  Warmages in Battlesworn are as capable as fighters, but also get the use of a single spell for the game.

This warband features a pair of archers for good measure, also known as 'shooters' in the rulebook.  Here the veteran archer coaches the newer archer on form and aiming.  They fight as good as fighters but have the obvious benefit of calling on a ranged attack to boot.  

These three Orcs are 'brute' slots.  The sample army defined these particular brutes as 'heavy weapons' but I decided to make them more like dual-wielding beserkers.  Brutes hit more often, therefore deal more damage be it from large, two-handed weapons or the option I went with here.  I like the mix here too, the fig on the left could be one of their northern mountain cousins, and the fig on the right could be from the feral southern jungles.  Of course the Orc in the middle is just an angry beserker Orc.

As I mentioned last time with the Knights, every force in Battlesworn has four compulsory 'fighter' slots, and here's that very backbone of the Orc warband.  This Orc veteran runs his troops through an equipment inspection the evening before the battle.  Again, sergeants and veterans are all just flavor text I like to do to give the army a little extra dash of neatness.  

We're almost done with the initial three armies I whipped up in my rules-reading frenzy.  Only one force to go, and up next will be the Bandits list.  Of course, "bandits" could be anything really so you'll have to stay tuned to see the Mik's Minis interpretation, mwahaha.  Until then!

LEGO Thursday: Water Merchant and Retinue

It didn't take long to port all the new (at the time) fantasy figs over to my preferred genre, that of sci-fi. Similar to a post-apocalyptic environment, I saw this as a chance to create something of a harsh, backwater world away from the prying eyes of the galactic center.

Here power and wealth boil down to who controls what commodities. I decided on water as the number one commodity, and the ghastly looking gentleman in the black cloak is the water merchant. Sure I'm using a skeleton head, but it could easily be some type of alien. For his bodyguard I went with the Orcs, they're brutish enough to stand in for hired muscle, and with the green skin and protruding canines, they're easily recognizable enough as any number of thick browed sci-fi staple, reptilian or otherwise.


The Water Merchant

Bodyguard and right-hand man with heavy pistol, armor, and data-slate

Praetorian with impact shields, assault rifles, and heavy armor


Standard gear of a house praetorian is as follows. They are equipped with heavy armor, flexible in movement but thick enough to stop standard small arms as well as blast damage with reasonable tolerance levels. It also has a built-in nutrient suite and waste recyclers.

The helmet of the praetorian is the most recognizable on the streets, and one of the most sophisticated pieces of equipment for a non-status individual around. The wealth and influence of the water merchant ensures that the soldiers under his employ have only the best. The helmet has a full-spectrum sensor suite with auto-weapon link-up and target assistance software. It also boasts an impressive HUD that maintains a constant link with the control room back at the merchant's compound where vital signs, communications, and other information are continuously monitored.

The impact shields are another sought after piece of high technology. They incorporate a small-yield repulsor shield similar to the type found on bulk cruisers. This extends the coverage beyond the physical perimeter of the shield itself to cover most of the user. An optional mode that can be utilized is where both shields are planted into the ground and can converge to create a force bubble around the users and have room enough for one or two occupants in the center. This mode will quickly drain their power reserves, but can provide for a highly protective shield barrier at a moment's notice.

Rounding out the kit of the praetorian is their assault rifles. Made of high-grade materials and of a quality standard unknown among standard small arms, these rifles are an effective and reliable asset in the field. They are equipped with HUD links that co-witness with the helmet. The rifle itself has a variable ammo hopper which can switch between two different types of ammunition with just the flip of a switch. Praetorians usually carry multiple magazines of various types of ammunition on their person. In addition to the variable ammo, there is also an underslung, high-yield kinetic slug-thrower useful for large targets, breaching entries, and the like.

Four Days to Go, Four Armies on the Line

We all share many of the same blogging circles. Chances are you've already seen the massive Heroes of Armageddon project that's been undertaken this year in the same vein as the Storm Wardens project last year.

Well if you don't know, it's four times the undertaking this time around and the armies are each and every one drop dead gorgeous, making anyone proud to own one of them. Well you can own one of them, and you can help a great cause while you're at it, Doctors Without Borders.

Each of the army pics below is a link to that army's specific page on the official Heroes of Armageddon blog. Click the photo to get individual shots and closeups of these great models completed by some of the more talented names floating around these parts.

Ghazgkhull Thraka's Goff Horde

Gutsmek's Speed Freaks

Lord Dante's Blood Angels

Commissar Yarrick's Steel Legion


This is the artwork y'all should be familiar with already, my treat for you is the rough draft at the top of the page. Monster Master artist Chris "Biscuit" Miller whipped this up as he did for the Storm Wardens project and multiple others. He's available for commissions, his prices are reasonable and I've never seen him turn something down.

He's not going anywhere anytime soon, however these armies are...and very soon. As the title says, you've got about four days, that's it. Get over to the main page and get in on all the action while you still can. This is one you do not want to miss.

Arloc Mechanica: Super40K Battle

The ruins of Arlos Mechanica

When was the last time you were playing 40k and your Orc Warboss was duking it out in a total slugfest with a Space Marine commander? Not too long ago? All right, but during the slugfest did your Orc pick up a piece of terrain, like a small car, and slam the commander with it, knocking him back half a foot on the tabletop crashing through debris on the way. Then the commander stands up, dusts himself off and plows back into the Orc, tackling him and crashing through a wrecked Rhino in the process.

This is what I've been wanting, highly cinematic, over-the-top action in the 40k setting. Is your Eldar Autarch about to launch into an important attack? Why not preface it with a long-winded soliloquy speaking of themselves in the third person first? This isn't the first time we sought alternate ways to play in what is a great universe, and fun minis. Well, we had the answer the whole time in the second edition rules of SuperSystem, the excellent superhero miniatures game.


Leading up to the battle I wrote the general setup here and came up with four separate groups to participate. These are basically superhero groups on paper, proxied with 40k models and forces. I gotta tell you, the port over from hero to sci-fi was incredibly easy. A Space Marine is basically a superhero anyway, so this was a no-brainer.

Each group consisted of three units; a character model (or two) and at least one 'henchmen' group. Henchmen groups are exactly as they sound. The one exception were the Dark Angels, which had two units (a character and a really powerful character), one of which couldn't come onto the table right away. The "good guy" forces are found here and the "bad guy" aliens are found here.

I setup the game with something similar to a con perspective. I wanted "allied" sides of two teams each, but I also wanted everyone to have their own, unique objectives that even their ally didn't know about. I slanted these mission briefs quite a bit so it might even come down to a four-way free-for-all battle. Obviously I borrowed heavily from our historic Vikings game last summer. On to the battle.


Orc boyz and a Deffkopta see a lone Dark Angel in the distance...

Tau Gun Drones surrounding an Imperial Guard team taking cover...


...and gun them all down to a man


A Vindicare Assassin waits to take the shot...

The Ethereal stalks the Imperial Priest while Tau Drones surround him


Orcs cautiously advance when a Dreadnought teleports in from orbit!


Carnage ensues!


Warboss Magstuf and the Deffkopta wade in on the massive Dreadnought


Magstuff and Tracto epically duke it out


Magstuff picks up an old escape pod and slams Tracto with it...


The Ethereal's blade skills are more than a match for the Imperial Priest


Parting shot; the Vindicare guns down the Ethereal in the distance

All in all we had a blast. The SuperSystem rules are now in third edition, and a lot of the hero building has been tweaked. The rules themselves are straight forward and easy to pick up on the fly, two of the guys (two of our Chris') playing in this battle had never used them before,and Andy and I were both rusty, our last super battle being three years ago.

This was the feel I had been shooting for too; a bold Imperial hero with a small band of soldiers and a sniper lurking somewhere on the battlefield. A single Dark Angel and a massive Dreadnought versus a dozen Orcs. The action was as over-the-top as we wanted, and gameplay went quickly. I need to slightly alter some of the mission briefings and better define individual objectives.

SuperSystem also allows for non-combat actions as well, so if you have someone who needs to crack the code on a security door, pull the hatch off of an escape pod, or make a science type roll on some new organism, it's all in there. This can lead to all sorts of cool scenarios. As far as this particular scenario went, we'll have to play it again now that we're more familiar with the rules and see how things pan out. Being comic book based, scenarios and back-story become more vital than ever and even a basic rooftop brawl can be entertaining.

Arloc Mechanica Mission Briefing: Xenos Forces

Tau Empire:

Aun’el Shi’ur, you are honored to retrieve a long sought Necrontyr artifact for our sept. Its capabilities will assist the greater good in our further expansion. We believe it will be able to translate space-time and give us information from our future. You will go to the dormant moon Arloc Mechanica with our new allies, Magstuf and his retinue. Their methods are crude but their loyalty and devotion to our way of life is steadfast I assure you. Use them as you will, retrieving the artifact is critical. If you are able, contact the Imperial Guard commander in charge of their retrieval team and open diplomatic relations with him. It is our understanding that their dedication to their ruling government is wavering. If we can bring his element into our fold it would a boon towards unifying this sector.

Primary Objective: Secure and retrieve the Necrontyr artifact.

Secondary Objective: Open diplomatic ties with Imperial forces.

Tertiary Objective: Investigate any leftover technology on the moon.

Aun’el Shi’ur is an Ethereal caste member who is renown with his skill wielding the Tau honor blade. Like most Tau, his strength and agility are above human average and in addition, Aun’el Shi’ur’s mind is tempered well beyond human standards.

Tau Empire Gun Drones: These AI-enhanced autonomous drones are the equal of any of the best foot troops humanity has to offer. Where they truly excel is in their speed and maneuverability. They are armed with twin-linked pulse carbines, ablative armor, and advanced target prediction software.

Tau Empire Fire Warriors: These soldiers make up the bulk of the Tau Empire’s ground forces. They are lightly armored but their personal defense is augmented by a small, personal force field generators similar to what Ethereal caste members wear. They are also equipped with the deadly long-ranged pulse rifle.

Name:	Tau Empire Fire Warriors
BP:	85
AP:	7
Attributes:	Strength: 3 Agility: 4 Mind: 3 Resolve: 4
Powers:	Armor x2 Combat Sense x4 Perfect Timing Force Field x3 Ranged Attack (8D, 30”) -Rapid Fire
Vitality:	Henchmen Group x10

Name:	Tau Ethereal, Aun’el Shi’ur
BP / AP:	85 / 9
Attributes:	Strength: 4 [1], Agility: 5 [1] Mind: 4, Resolve: 4
Powers:	Combat Sense x3 Force-Field x3 Melee Attacks x3 Soulless Super-Agility x1 Super-Strength x1 Extra Vitality x2
Vitality:	10

Name:	Tau Empire Gun Drones
BP / AP:	85 / 8
Attributes:	Strength: 3, Agility: 5 Mind: 3, Resolve: 2
Powers:	Armor x3 Combat Sense x3 The Difference x1 Enhanced Senses x2 Soulless Extra Attacks (+1AP) Ranged Attack (7D, 30”) -Rapid Fire -Super Damage x1
Vitality:	Henchmen Group x5

The Orcs:

Da nose-less ones think theys know us. They don’t. We hate their food, their pretty cities, their breath…it’s time to show ‘em who’s da boss. Dat Grot, what’s-his-name, came through and pilfered good, we’s got pass keys and other codes. Enough to steal the next shuttle and bugger off but good! We been kept like dogs for toos long. First, theys gonna pay or my name ain’t Magstuf! When da boyz get a load of me trophies they’s gots to give me back the big chair. When da time is right we strike. We ain’t dumb.

Primary Objective: Coup de Grace all individual models that are not Orcs.

Secondary Objective: Investigate strange fungus growths.

Tertiary Objective: Steal Tau Empire shuttle and escape moon.

Warboss Magstuf was taken into the folds of the Tau Empire’s “greater good” when his pirate vessel ran out of fuel and was adrift mid-system. Since then he has played along with his captor/benefactors until he could make good his escape. He is large, even by Orc standards, and carries a wide variety of weapons. He prefers to attack in close combat rather than at range and when he is such engaged his fury is a force of nature.

Mek Grumbolt is a skillful yet reckless Orc who pilots a kitbashed and highly-modified “deffkopta” flying machine. His crank-operated chaingun’s “dakka dakka” staccato echoes over the din of even the most pitched battles.

Magstuf’s Boyz are all that’s left of the pirate vessel Deep Entry. They are equipped with naturally thick hides and crude armor. They are armed with their signature bulky, primitive slug-throwing rifles as well as a variety of knives and clubs.

Name:	Warboss Magstuf
BP / AP:	85 / 6 [9]
Attributes:	Strength: 7 [3], Agility: 4 Mind: 2, Resolve: 4
Powers:	Armor x2 Combat Sense x1 Extra Move x3 Iron Will x2 Melee Attacks x3 Super-Strength x3 -Rage
Vitality:	11

Name:	Mek Grumbolt
BP / AP:	85 / 8
Attributes:	Strength: 3, Agility: 7 [1] Mind: 3, Resolve: 4
Powers:	Armor x1 Combat Sense x2 Extra Move x2 Enhanced Senses Flight Iron Will x1 Perfect Timing Ranged Attack (8D, 30”) -Only While Flying Super Agility x1
Vitality:	7

Name:	Magstuf’s Boyz
BP:	85
AP:	7 [9]
Attributes:	Strength: 3 Agility: 5 Mind: 2 Resolve: 3
Powers:	Armor x3 Climbing Combat Sense x3 Extra Attacks (+1AP) Extra Movement x2 Instant Stand Ranged Attack (8D, 30”) -Rapid Fire
Vitality:	Henchmen Group x10

Thirteen Times the Blood...Bowl

Needless to say, just the two hour sample of Blood Bowl we played the other day has really sparked my interest again in one of the best tabletop games around. So I went rummaging through my stuff today and drug out all of the fantasy football figs I could muster and did a legitimate inventory. Some of this stuff dates back to second edition, so there were some changes to be made, and certainly some swaps to go around.

The one thing I need to honest about here is that I simply don't need thirteen teams. But letting go of minis is so hard to do. There are obvious choices for the auction block, like my Orcs, I have three Orc teams. Three, really? I think one will do just fine. There's other choices too, like my Undead, I just never got my head around their style of play and frankly I like being more of a scoring team, not a inure-the-other-guy team. Aggressively speaking I could get rid of about half the teams I own, and maybe even use some of the money I make to pick up a sweet looking third party team and paint them up right.


The Deadrock Goyles here are pretty much a hall of fame team. Not the Orc roster, but these actual models. They were the scourge of a league we played in way back when and seeing them here makes me wince. They are definitely my 'alpha' Orcs, so they'll be sticking around. I may pull figs off the other teams to fill their ranks.


This is a bit of an expanded team of Orcs. It has the basics plus a bunch of extras like a converted Troll big guy and a couple of Goblins. It has a metal Orc here and there to boot in the form of Blitzers and regular Linemen. After I pick out whatever I need for the Goyles, this one will be fodder for sure and on their way out.


This is a stock team, straight from the boxed set. It's a very nicely painted team and although it doesn't have any extras in it, the crisp paintjob makes up for it. This is a case where although I like the team, it's my third Orc team, it's days are numbered.


Here's a great looking Human team, mostly from the boxed set and mostly awesomely painted! In addition to the plastic figs, there's four metal second edition players in there, as well as a metal star player. A large Ogre has defected from the Orc team he used to be a part of to this new Human team. The men on the team however are too afraid to ask him to change his uniform. I'll be hanging on to these guys for sure.


It's almost embarrassing looking at my first Human team. They're pretty much straight from the boxed set as well, with some fun extras too, like two metal star players (one of which will probably get snagged for the other Human team) and a fourth Blitzer figure. As you just saw though, this is one Human team too many, and these chaps are headed out the door. They'll probably be a good bargain for somebody.


They're small, they're fast, and they have armor made from cardboard. Still, you gotta love the Skaven, they have lots of options and variety, and if coached right can be solid. As you can see these guys are a bit of a work in progress as I still have some unpainted mutant figs to do, and I need to rebase the Rat Ogre big guy in the back. I'll be keeping these guys around, and probably add some basic linemen at one point in the future.


The High Elves are another team I want to hang on to. They're more survivable than their Dark and Wood Elf cousins, and are the same speed of the Humans, which I'm used to coaching. If I buckled down, I feel I could coach these guys fairly well.


The Undead here are pretty flexible under the rules we've been looking at (LRB5). I pulled a second edition Werewolf from the Human team (since they can't have him anymore) and put him on the roster. Also on the roster, in addition to the regular team, is a second edition Flesh Golem (looks just like Frankenstein's monster), a Vampire star player, and a converted Ghoul. I like the idea of the Undead, but their days are numbered.


The only thing keeping these Chaos Dwarves from the chopping block is their theme. As you can see the Dwarves (including Centaur big guy) all have converted cowboy hats. In addition to the regular team is the aforementioned big guy, a converted bluderbussier, and a second edition cyborg Orc which I'm only guessing is still legal. I'm still up in the air on this one, I never play them, so someone else might get more out of them.


Here's a good example of a rock solid team that has the basics plus a little extra. Chaos is a great team with plenty of hitting power and good versatility in their line-Beastmen. I've also got a Minotaur big guy in there converted from a Reaper fig. I like these guys, but I can't keep them all just because I like them, they're days are numbered.


If the large (and painted) Chaos team's days are numbered then these guys aren't long for the world in my neck of the woods! There's barely enough here to even take to the field, but add in a big guy and maybe a fourth Chaos Warrior and you should be good to go.


I don't mind my team having an armor value of a lowly seven if they have the speed (Skaven) or the agility (Wood/Dark Elves) to back it up, but what the heck are the Norse packing under those spiked helms? Umm, not enough to keep them sticking around! I did manage to poke around and find another official second edition Werewolf to put in there too.


Not only am I keeping these Dwarves around, they may be the first ones on the painting and refurbishment assembly line. I love Dwarves, so I see no reason why I'd get rid of these, although I need at least four more Linemen to fill out their ranks.

Long Overdue Orcs

It's one thing to have a bunch of miniatures in a box, or still in the package in storage somewhere, we all have those...some in vast numbers. It's another thing entirely to have a project sitting around on the launch pad, and by project I mean it has a definite purpose (as soon as it's painted, you're using it), and it's been sorted, glued on bases, even primed. All it's doing is waiting for you to paint it.

Thanks to the recent migration of Andy's archives over to a new blog format, all his older material is now in a user-friendly format. Reading back through the archives, I found this post, dated a solid five years ago! That's me, I'm the unnamed "buddy", and that's how long this project has been sitting around. Well, five years is long enough, and with the new year around the corner, I certainly didn't want to make it six!


Here are the latest minis to come out of the workshop here at Mik's Minis. Also, 6mm may also be my new favorite scale! I was able to crank out a full-sized Hordes of the Things army in just two evenings. For those keeping score, I'm counting the whole base as a single miniature in the 'minis painted' category on the right. If you counted the actual figures however this army consists of 58 figures overall, which sounds about like a regular 28mm army.

Hordes of the Things is a great game, and we've been playing off and on for about five years I'm guessing, though probably longer in reality. The rules play fast, are easy to learn but will challenge you in the long run to tactically and proficiently use all of the different types of units, of which there are plenty. You can also play it in any scale, so you can use your existing armies if you'd like, especially to give it a test run. The best thing is, the rules are free! If for nothing else, they make for a surprisingly entertaining read. There's a good site that sums up many of HotT's facets here at the Meadhall, sadly its predecessor, the Stronghold is no longer.

Above you've got a blurry photo from my not-too-smart phone, but here in the next day or two, as the holidays allow, I'll get a proper post or two up detailing my latest army. Five years is a long time, but maybe what my army was doing was waiting for a proper setting to maraud in, like the one we now have in Sarterra.

Omega Level City Fight

40k City Fight Battle
Mission: Annihilation
Deployment: Opposite Quarters
Size: 2,000 points per side
Stratagems: Ammo Dump, and a bunch of others
Forces: Fallen Dark Angels/Orks vs. Ultramarines/Cadian Guard

City Fight, Cities of Death, I don't even know what we were playing. I do know that the vaunted 'gamer sweetspot' is not where we are at with 40k. We simply just don't play it enough to make it enjoyable when we actually do play. I'm saying "we" a whole lot, but I can speak just for myself too, I just don't know the rules, I don't know my army, I don't know anything about the mechanics of 5th edition 40k apparently. This last week made that all too clear. There's no excuse to have to look up the rules on how to cast a psychic power during a game. If you don't know, don't take a librarian. If you don't know how hits against an armored vehicle work, don't take a dreadnought, the list goes on and on.

What do I like? I love the models in 40k, any faction, any type just about, the models are just cool, plain and simple. I love a battle-strewn table full of buildings and bunkers and rubble. I love the fluff, the grit and the struggle. I love the narrative created during or after the game. I love hanging out with my friends, rolling dice, and pushing around little toy soldiers going "pew pew". What I don't love are, you guessed it, the rules. Be that as it may, I need to learn the rules properly and make the best of them, there's no excuse otherwise.


We played an omega level city fight game, but honestly, the "city fight" influence fled my mind before turn one. The cool thing was the table; we filled a 4x6 portion of the game table with all manner of urban terrain. It made for some very tight quarters and looked pretty neat, especially from a mode's eye view of the action.

Great blogs run on great pics I've always said, and although I am not claiming my blog to be great, it's something I strive for nonetheless. To that end, I now give you mucho eye candy from the battle itself. We started kind of late, and had to quit halfway through, so there wasn't a clear winner. Also, Flounder left his new Tyranid codex (and army list) at home, so we had to call an audbile at the last minute and let him use my Dark Angels. Since he allied with Biscuit's space Orks, we decided to make the Dark Angels part of the Fallen. On the other side of the table, Andy and I jointly led a combined army of Cadians and Ultramarines. I gotta give Andy credit, for being a pretty anti-GW rules guy, he was pretty enthusiastic.


lots of building, big and small...


the industrial crane by a battery of generators


more terrain pics, it really was a neat environment


my Ultramarines made a showing this time out


Biscuit's Ork horde is shaping up to be pretty darn impressive


Initial deployment of Ultramarines and their Cadian allies


the Cadians utilized the 'ammo dump' stratagem...


...as did the Valkyrie!


Originally I deployed my old-school scouts on the crane, because it looked cool. After measuring it though, they were so high up in the air, their bolt pistols were out of range of any targets! You can see tiny Ork images far below them on the ground.


I eventually opted for a barricade for the scouts instead


Narrow alleyways for the Orks


SPANG! Immobilized Dreadnought on turn one, arrrgh!


Ork truk "negotiating" the tight turns


Flame on! Marine heavy and regular Cadian flamers couldn't stop the truk


Ork Boyz disembark and charge into melee under the crane


Fallen Dark Angel snipers lend cover fire to the advancing Ork mob


The squad that moved around a lot, but never found the fight


Yes, you're seeing it right, a proxy Chimera dozer blade courtesy of Lego!