New TSA League Blood Bowl Slaves for Hashut!

 With the Blood Bowl League now ended, it is time to start adding some slaves to the Hashut regiment.

This is a little sideproject of mine, that wherever or whenever my Chaos Dwarfs ground another (non solo) opponent in the ground, I paint up a miniature in their colourscheme to add to a regiment.

Some gamesystems like T9A still use slave greenskin units, so this would be a count-as as such.  But what did the League provide for this regiment as such?

The first slave came from the second league match, in the form of a Halfling painted in the colours of Club Bruges.  I found the old pitchform Halfling Citadel farmer, and as "the peasants" is the nickname of Bruges, that little guy was very fitting.

 

As the League didn't really go all that well, it took a long time before I got my second win in, which was against the Vampires.  The team was unpainted however, so to that end I went for a fully grey armoured vampire to join the unit.  The model does have a lot of bats to add some colour, together with his skin and hairtones.

 

A third win came with the return game against the Halflings, and as I dragged a victory home, I took one of the plastic Wargames Atlantic militia from the bits box, and they joined the ranks as well.  So that's another blue and black uniform Halfling forced into the trophy unit. 

 

And unfortunatly that is it for the additions this season, as I lost out some games, including my quarter final, due to the dice gods betraying me at the last moment.  That 1 on a pick up with re-roll when a hole had been made, or that sprint re-rolling Bull Centaur slipping over on the final stretch have been a constant this year and has cost me dearly.

 

But, all in all they performed excellent, ending in some honorary top spots.  Now to consider to field them again next year with the lessons learned from this year and bring the violence of Hashut back to the pitch... 

eVil Sublet

Sometimes you have to take risks, and especially with movies you want to watch.

 

So when Noshi asked what film I wanted to see, I just answered "the 7th on the 3rd page" of our streaming service.

 

Having no idea what that would be, it turned out to be eVil Sublet, a low budget horror comedy.  And since it was the 1st of november, that was perfect in theme as well considering it was All Saints that day.

 

And this movie was both scary at times, with the blink of an eye ghostly apparitions in the appartment, as hilarious (right from the opening scene).  The story is about an apartment that is being rented out for a rather cheap price, as it turns out numerous suicides, murders and lethal accidents transpired in it. 

 

Reena and Ben move into the appartment, but soon Reena starts to see and "feel" things, like doors opening miraculously, or upstairs neighbours they never have seen before, and apparently the place is said to be empty.  When they go to a funfair, Reena has a strange encounter with an orange masked man, and this draws the intrest of paranormal medium Lorne.  Together with his partner Ned he seeks her out, wanting to help her from danger imminent.

 

They discover the appartment demands three deaths from every tennant living there on the contract, and that Reena and Ben have been framed by the previous owner to become the sacrifices so she can live there in peace.  As Ben is off to a convention, the manifestations increase, and Reena starts losing it.  Ben returns, just as Lorne intervenes as well, and they manage to overcome the ghostly inhabitants by framing the original owner and making her the third required kill.  From then on they can live in peace, together with the ghosts, in the place...

 

So this movie had some great laughs, and was a good fun low budget production, certainly worth checking out if you are into these "labour of love" projects... 

 

Owari no Seraph: Nagoya Kessen-hen

 The second cour for Seraph of the End, it picks up where season one ended, right at the beginning of the battle for Nagoya.

 

With the lines drawn in season one, de Deamon Army and the Vampires now stand across each other, and a savage battle is about to begin... which will span the entire season!

 

As Yu and Guren become comrades, and finding out he is part of an experiment as he was told by Mika, they get ready for the battle.  Yu confronts his spiritual guide, as Yoichi defeats the first of the Four Horsemen of John.  Kureto deploys Guren and the military at Nagoya, as the vampires move to Tokyo for a month.  Mika receives a secret task from Krul as he feeds from her.

 

Yu and his squad are tasked to find Lucal Wesker, killing his servant Esther Lee in the process.  But lucal fends them off, but Yayoi distracts him but he kills himself to prevent capture.  In the meantime, captured soldiers commit suicide to prevent the vampires learning of their plans, but not before Aiko passes a message to Mika.  Yu confronts Crowley as the rest of the squad free the remaining hostages.

 

Kureto prepares to leave with Mirai as an experiment, as Yu finds an inner power after taking two pills and falling unconcious.  Mika saves him, as Yayoi and Taro are killed in the vampire attack, while the remaining soldiers are all moving to the airport.  But Kureto has other plans, and Guren leads the vampires to the airport to stop him completing it, but he manages to become the Fith Trumpet Abaddon and goes on a rampage, as Yu awakens himself as the Second Trumpet, destroying Abaddon.  

 

Ferid kills Krul for betraying the vampires, and Yu and his friends abandon the military.  Four months later, the army conquers Sanguinem as the vampires meet Lest Karr, another progenitor vampire like Krul...

 

So this was a heavy action season for sure, and it isn't a bad series at all.  Maybe just not entirely up my alley, but worth a watch if you like shonen vampire series. 

Black Library Celebrations 2025

 Every year, Games Workshop hands out a little book with some short stories to celebrate their Black Library division.

 

And for the 2025 edition, I actually managed to pick one up...

 

This books contain 4 stories, between 30 to 50 pages long, and pulled from their various game systems.  In this volume, we get one from the Horus Heresy, two from Age of Sigmar (the second one actually being set in the Warcry game!) and a Warhammer 40k one, and I must say, three of the four have Chaos as the central theme, so I guess we know who will get big releases in the not so far future...

 

In the 30k story, Visage by Rich McCormick, we follow Erebus of the Word Bearers on a journey along all the Chaos Gods, and to see the future of the Word Bearers legion and the paths he might take.

 

The One Road by David Guymer is a short Gotrek story, and I must say I found this actually pretty boring, the drag being the result it took a couple of months before I finished the little book.  The other stories read far smoother.

 

Web of Ruin is our Warcry story, centered around a decimated Tarantulos warband who has to put it's faith in a grot to make sure they survive and go onwards, hunting a huge spider.

 

The final story, The Long Promise, is centered around a follower of the Alpha Legion, who must make sure her pact with the Legion and a relic she searches for can be reached, with the "aid" of a squad of the Deathwatch...

 

So a bit of a mixed bag for me this book.  I liked the first though not my Legion, found the second boring, the third was fun because of it being so different and the last story was well layered.  

 

But, for a freebie, nothing to complain I guess... 

The slaves from Border Patrol at Ekeren

 At the end of september I played in the TSA's 500 point The Old World event, Border Patrol at Ekeren.

 

And amazingly took home the second place...

 

That also means I managed to win some games along the line, and as such two more figures are added to my unit of "trophy slaves".

 

 

The first is from the Dwarf opponent, who sported a bright green clothing with a beige trim, so we went to do our best to copy this as usual, using a model from Northumbrian Tinsoldier's line, Thella Strongbranch.  And yes, she has a beard...

 

 

The other opponent I defeated was a force of largely unpainted Bretonnians, except for a unit of his archers.  To that end, as they had a red clothing, blue pants and black bows scheme, I went for an archer myself and painted him up in the same colours.

 

And so the slavery unit has grown some more with trophies taken from the battlefield. 

The Haul Report 426

 In what will probably be one of the final updates before the holdiays, let's have a look at what found it's way to my door!

 

And let's begin with a prize that I won!

 

From the Artizan Contest over at Chaos Dwarfs Online, I obtained these 8 resin bull centaurs for my forces. 

 

From Archonia, my MyBox arrived, yielding another volume of My Dress-up Darling... I really must begin reading again in earnest... 

 

Looopings is my go to newspaper every day, bringing news about amusement parks all over Europe and sometimes beyond.  And as it is a small team that runs it, I decided to do a small financial support, by buying their podcast pin for my collection. 

 

Talking themepark merchandise, as I had to order one of the Efteling sets for christmas at my mothers, I took the opportunity to order two smaller sets for myself as well.  Max and Moritz are the characters connected to the dual family coaster, and a ride Thorin realy enjoys, so it is only fitting they went into the collection. 

 

So a nice bunch of stuff that has been added again to the pile, as we begin the road to christmas now... 

 

 

Casual Underworlds gaming... at TSA!

 Yes, succes, I got the game at last to the club, as I was going to explain some tips and tricks to Tom (the AoS sensei at the club) for competitive Underworlds gaming now that we got him hooked.

 

And also Wouter and Philip, two members of the Antwerp community (and both now of the club as well) joined as well this evening to have some try-outs for the Halle tournament next weekend.

 

Elathain's Soulraid versus The Emberwatch 

 

So, settling down at the table, I went to play Tom first as such who brought the Emberwatch and his very first Nemesis brew, made from Countdown to Cataclysm and Blazing Assault. 

 

Both bands deployed, ready to battle it out!

 

The Idoneth immediately took the fight to the opponent, attacking Farasa.

 

But soon the Stormcasts started to mingle on the side of the board, and the aelves had to hold on for dear life until reinforcements arrived.

 

Elathain himself joined the fray, and damage was divided over the whole warband opposing them.

 

Farasa sneaked to the back, eager to grab the Aqua Ghyranis token.

 

Which she duly did, after Duinclaw had failed to take her down.  The first round ended as such at 6-6 both.

 

Now inspired, the Soulraid went on the all-out offensive, with Ardorn being taken down by a well placed riptide harpoon to the head.

 

Farasa soon followed for a trip to the reforging, leaving only Yurik to be taken care off. 

 

The crossbowman tried to get away, but the Idoneth, like the rush of the tides, kept following him to take him out.

 

But Yurik telported to the other side, killing Spinefin along the way. 

 

But the Soulraid now had a solid 15-9 lead going into the final turn, and could start consolidating. 

 

Elathain came over, and reaped the soul from the Stormcast who had put down Tammael first.

 

This resulted in the thrall ressurecting on my half though... and cementing a 20-12 victory for the Idoneth as a result.

 

Elathain's Soulraid vs The Emberwatch

 

Time for a rematch, but not really.  I tuned his deck a bit for some more consistency, while trying out a highly experimental deck myself that I actually made for Hrothgorn (but had forgotten to bring his fighter cards, doh!). 

 

Both warbands deployed, the Emberwatch cluttering together again on a single flank, protecting their Aqua Ghyranis.

 

In my well known fashion, the Soulraid immediatly got stuck in, as a big fight erupted in the center.

 

Tammael was put down however, as Ardorn still had something to settle with him from a previous encouter and wanted to prevent a harpoon to the face again.

 

Spinefin however managed to push Farasa to the edge, which would allow me to score Pinned.  Of all brave warriors in the band to do so...

 

But the Emberwatch has scored swiftly, and Ardorn teleported away, leaving the Emberwatch with a 4-7 lead after the first round.

 

 Beginning the second turn, Elathain went over to the opposing leader, taking him down in a swift stroke.

 

And resulting in Tammael reappearing in my half!

 

But then a series of bad defence rolls began on my part, with poor Duinclaw falling first.

 

 Soon after, aided by upgrades and warscroll abilities, followed by Fuirann, which was a big bummer for my battleplan at that moment and probably would cost me the game.

 

Two brave Idoneth and a fish now faced two of Sigmar's finest, even though some minor damage was done to both the armoured warriors so far.

 

 Tammael dispatched Yurik, but Farasa had other plans.

 

She lured Tammael over in melee range...

 

 ... and the thrall was downed a second time this game, leaving the Stormcasts still in the lead with 11-13.

 

The final round began, with Elathain far out of position to attack Farasa.

 

Both sides moved, trying to avoid combat though for the not so noble Emberwatch assassin, and in the end the game ended with an 11-14 defeat for the Idoneth Deepkin.

 

So, conclusion?  This deck didn't work for the Soulraid, who with their minion pushes and Tammael's charge bonus tend to lean forwards.  But I am not unhappy at all with the build, and am going to run Cyreni's Razors with it next time, a band with reach and of course Hammertide which can play the waiting game better... and that might work better with the Hunting Grounds part of the deck.

 

Elathain's Soulraid vs The Sons of Velmorn

 

For the final game of the evening, it was back to the deck for the tournament next week, and faced Philip and his Sons of Velmorn, running Blazing Assault with Deadly Synergies.

 

 His deployment left one of his minions isolated, while Elathain was far enough to the back to outpace him should he advance his way.

 

 As is almost tradition, I kicked off with a wild charge by Tammael, who made short work of Thain.

 

 But using some boosted movement, Jedran did reach Elathain, wounding him gravely, as Tammael sidestepped off the objective to allow Fuirann to go in and delve.

 

Elathain was under pressure at the end of the round, and the Sons managed to Unite while Duinclaw was still en route to help his master.  

 

But the Sons had failed to score anything though, resulting in a 7-0 lead for the Soulraid after the first round.

 

Going in the second round, Elathain managed to become united, and a Great Fortitude and a Healing Potion later was in a good position.  Jedran missed him, before being taken down by the Ill-Fated. 

 

Helmar was taken down, but Thain was raised again by his father.

 

The Soulraid now started closing in on the leader of the Sons though, readying themselves to pounce.

 

 In the meantime, Fuirann had sneaked onto the Aqua Ghyranis in the backfield of the Sons playing field thanks to her Duellist upgrade, even though Thain managed to reduce damage.

 

 But still the Sons hadn't been able to score anything, even with Blazing Assault, and the result was 14-0 after the second round.

 

 In the third round, Thain did the unthinkable and managed to score Get Stuck In, even though he failed to do any harm...

 

 Tammael though took down Morlak himself, leaving only a vunerable Thain on the field now.

 

 Yeah, it was one of those games where you can toss around upgrades just because you can...

 

 Spinefin moved next to Thain, because I didn't want to kill him in my last activation though, allowing me to score Inevitable Outcome instead and get some glory of the raised skeleton warrior.

 

 But the outcome was inevitable, as the Soulraid scored a massive 21-1 victory over the wights... 

 

So this was sort of a non-game, with the Sons missing about every roll they needed to take, both in offense and defence.  Helped by the fact I could pick them off piecemeal, negating their synergies bonus, helped as well, but they never managed to make a fist this game...

 

But, all in all, I think my deck is ready for next week, with two victories that each clocked the 20 glory point minimal.  Guess that solves the slow scoring issues I had with the first build for them, where it tended to stall, as Pillage gave more points per minion then Emberstone did.

 

Now to keep the momentum at the club going and make this a regular thing to play like, once a month or so?