2017: yearly recap

Droning alert!

T'is time again for the annual overview of all that has been going on in this blog and my hobby.

I began the year in a naval mood, completing the ships for Trafalgar then moving on to galley fleets for my ancients. The next project, in which I procastinated quite a bit was the Prospero 30k campaign, for which I did some custodes, sisters of silence and thousand sons, including their primarch, Magnus. Then 40k 8th edition came in, which is in my oppinion the best edition to date of the rules, due to sheer variety of units and simplicity. That edition however had funest repercussions for my 30k projects since, with the death of its main designer, Alan Bligh, GW decided that the Heresy wouldn't make the jump into 8th, which virtually killed that hobby for me, thanks Forgeworld, a boicot of their products (be they plastic or resin) is in order. I think that is now time to go back to my dark millenium roots and return to the ordo malleus and guard.

Besides the ships, the historical hobby didn't see much progress, so that's something to redress next year, where I aim to do not one but three napoleonic armies: spanish, austrian and ottoman, for which I intend to do respective campaigns. To go with the spanish I could paint some post 1806 french in order to give our battles more dress accuracy. I will also work on some units to get a carthaginian army from Oriol's macedonians. The present year has also seen the abandonement of some projects and the retaking of shelved ones, namely the WW1 planes were given away while elves, wargs and elfs were painted for LotR 1/72, and two Man'o War elf forces were gathered from dreadfleet ships.

Gamewise I played with all my periods at least once, warhammer fantasy chez Oriol, 40k at the local GW and the rest with my father (who grumbles that games are too lengthy). 2017 saw the consolidation of the historical campaign system, with a definite set of games and researched scenarios. Some games made their first appearance in the blog, sharp practice 2, adeptus titanicus, necromunda and the homebrew corona navalis for ancients battles. I also played frostgarve elsewhere with an steamrolling elementalist gang and did another edition of the Blood Bowl Kislev cup.

I would like to think that the fact that I'm doing lightning and shadowing on the 28mm models these last months means an increase in quality and so explains the increase in followers.

The most viewed posts this year have been:

1: The Pulpitek

http://noigrimintothemaelstorm.blogspot.com.es/2017/12/pulpitek.html

This crazy redemptionist transport was indeed the people's favourite, aside from the fact that scratchbuilds have always been well liked here I attribute its popularity to the association with the comic about the most holy Redeemer, a fun read by Pat Mills and Dave Gallagher. Necromundan popularity in this last months must have had a hand in it too.

2: Trafalgar

http://noigrimintothemaelstorm.blogspot.com.es/2017/01/trafalgar-1805.html

After quite a buildup (in psycology and models) in the previous months, this climatic game saw the combined fleet rewrite history by tying up the british bullies

3: Salamanders

http://noigrimintothemaelstorm.blogspot.com.es/2017/03/salamanders-tactical-squad.html

The fire dwelling marines achieved a place of honour, due to the lava bases and flame motifs, much like the mantic daemons of last year. Future grey knights on lava? so be it!

4: Man o' War galleys

http://noigrimintothemaelstorm.blogspot.com.es/2017/10/man-o-wzar-galleys.html

These ships got so many visits due the hard critics on their paintjob at TMP and the ensuing shitstorm, remember that drama sells, else the media would be full of happy news

5: the first galley

http://noigrimintothemaelstorm.blogspot.com.es/2017/01/first-1650-galley.html

Another drama award, this horrific papership marked my first steps at doing Roman Seas's models, with encouraging feedback I got the hang of it and the rest came out much better

6: Sisters of Silence

http://noigrimintothemaelstorm.blogspot.com.es/2017/05/silent-sisterhood.html

These gals got here due to the newness of their design (custodes are too sigmarine like?) and an alternative paintjob inspired in Sam Wood's artwork

7: Man'o War forts

http://noigrimintothemaelstorm.blogspot.com.es/2017/10/man-o-war-fortresses.html

Scratchbuilt is always a guarantee of sucess, and these islands weren't an exception, inspired by the game's scenery articles found ye olde citadel journal

8: Mordheim ogre

http://noigrimintothemaelstorm.blogspot.com.es/2017/10/mordheim-ogre.html

This pirate fellow got some intrincate tatoos, much like the rest of his warband

9: underhive scum

http://noigrimintothemaelstorm.blogspot.com.es/2017/12/underhive-scum.html

Cresting the wave of Necromundan hype that sweeped over the hobby came these blanchesque models, in RGB of course!

10: Wasteland crusade, chapter one

http://noigrimintothemaelstorm.blogspot.com.es/2017/12/the-wasteland-crusade-episode-1.html

The first adventure (and infamous capture) of my beloved Redeemer managed to get just into the top ten, may he be rescued next year and grace the pages of the blog for many years to come!

Appart from Trafalgar my hobby highlights of the year were Helm's Deep and the first offical custodes. The lack of visits I blame on better deeps around the web and nefarious chaos machinations

Visitwise the main event of the year was the loss of my TMP premium membership, which prevented from posting in what was my main source of visits, from June to October when they changed the policy. Not that I ever paid for it. Rather an anonymous someone gave it to me. It seems to be a new "periodic bait strategy" to get people to pay for a membership.

Year starts right of the tallest spike (december 2016), decrease from june to october, most visited month may, least april (which I spent travelling around China)

If you have reached this far congratulations, recap over!

Thanks all for your support, visits and constructive feedback.

Have a merry 2018 full of hobby and projects!

Titanfight

 After selling most of the Epic 40k stuff in return for Gulliman & custodes I had some titans left, and so decided to give Adeptus Titanicus a go with two warlords per side. The imperials have the engines of Legio Metallica Imperius Tenebrus and Galgamech, the chaos side, two Legio Mortis machines.

 Face off prior to the first initiative roll

 Imperius Tenebrus  is caught in a crossfire and its shields resent the fusillade

 Imperius Galgamech, meanwhile, shots its haywire missiles away

 Then charges an enemy titan, swinging wildly its wrecking ball, which unsurprisngly will do little during the game. Seriously, who had the genius idea of attaching a demolition implement on a warmachine? Sounds like orky tech heresy to me...

 The chaos titan runs away

 Tenebrus is beset by two foes, his faulty reactor only giving it one action per turn

 A mortis engine charges, but Tenebrus manages to resist

 Stepping slightly back, the titan aims its melta cannon, using one action, at the enemy's knee, blowing it up and destroying the corrupt engine

 The lone Mortis engine runs for dear life

 Clashing with Tenebrus on the way

 Leaving behind the close quarter specialist, Galgamech, the titan turns for a ranged engagement

But closing quickly with its prey, Tenebrus strips the void shields with the laser blaster, then takes careful aim, and rips off the leg form the heretic machine, achieving its second kill and a total victory.

This game is a far cry from Epic 40k, it makes you feel truly in command of a titan, from the princeps throne you must distribute cunningly your plasma reactor points in order to overcome the enemy, nothing is assured, the Omnissiah may favour your engine with plenty of activations or leave you stranded, powered down and shieldless in the middle of the field. Tactically we both wasted our missiles, while the aim and shot technique was a favourite for killshots to the legs.

In short, a funny titan battle game, not recommended for large actions, but ideal for skirmishes (if such a thing can be said of battles between foes of such size and might).

It was the first time that we played this game, and it won't be the last, I'm sure there are plenty of things that we did wrong, for instance I couldn't find in the rules how do you strip a void shield so I gave them the lowest titan resistance value, 9. 

The Wasteland Crusade: Episode 1, the Redeemer's fall

 In the name of the inmortal God Emperor of mankind I, deacon Malakev, write of the deeds of that most noble of men, the Redeemer. And his quest to rid Necromunda from filth and abomination, sin and mutation. So his beneficial acts may serve as inspiration to the members of our most holy order.

 He it was, who from Hive Primus led us, to bring purity and faith into the lawlessness of the Ash Wastes. Toxic was that desolation, yet he feared not to enter the poisoned land, as he gathered us into the Wasteland Crusade.

 There it was that we were cowardly ambushed by a gang of semi clad heretics. When we were carrying home goods taken from sinners guilty of crimes too hideous for me to mention (lest they pollute the mind of the reader)

 Unjustly they fell upon us, true protectors of the faith, and their first barrage crippled our beloved mobile aid to crusading: the Pulpitek

 In all directions we scrambled from the burning vehicle, and despite my fervent devotion I began to doubt the assurance of our inevitable victory

 Oh me of little faith! As ever the Redeemer was defiant in the face of adversity, and jumped onto the enemy conveyor of sin, where he began to dispatch heretic after heretic with the Sword of Persecution

 Great was his zeal as he smote left and right filled with holy rage

 As I lugged the Emperor's bounty towards our faith haven I saw his mighty duel against one of those most mercenary of all sinners, a bounty hunter

 Rallied by his example, my brethen boarded that barge of sin, purging many an infidel

 Alas, great was my consternation as the Redeemer was struck down and carried into the hold!

 Despite such catastrophic a setback we kept on fighting, until the pagans, cowards as they were, ran for the horitzon with our beloved leader in their sinful clutches!

Great was my horror as I saw him disappear into the dust, the scant coin which I held in my hands paltry compensation for the loss of our holy messiah (and if I may be so bold, mentor).

It was then that I gathered what remained of our crusade to see what could be done: brother Berkark was quick to offer himself to "humbly accept the mantle of command" after the loss of the Redeemer, but I convinced the rest of the brethen that without the best of us we would surely perish, and our best hopes lay in rescuing him from the naturist heathens.

The Scrapper

This will be the vehicle for the Escher gang, the chassis is a toy T34 without the turret plus added  sponsons bought from the local chinese and painted in a mad maxesque style

Witness!

Underhive scum

My escher gang had some creds to spare, wich were invested on some mercenaries

 Since his birth in the underworld, scabbo has led a life of violence, the law of the gun is the only that rules in the underhive and he has become proficient with it, else he would have been killed already.

 As rumour has it, the merc known as Pygmy is the only survivor of an ill fated expedition into the rad wastes. His body may have been deformed by the radiation, but his impecable sense of style remains undiminished.

 Little is known from The Professional before he showed up in Glory Hole, and by then he had already claimed bounty on the karnibal gang, his motto is "the dicreetest service  for the right coin".