Wildwood Rangers WIP

Just a brief update - Wildwood Rangers assembled.
I put together 30 of the Wildwood Rangers in order to ensure that I would have more assembled over the planned out 20 just in case I decide to increase the unit size.
The models are pretty slick, they will work well with the Glade Guard and I appreciate the fluff.

Anyway - assembled models incoming.
I'll start priming, magnetizing and painting very soon.

The Deployment Zone - Arcane Paintworks Masterclass Painting Workshop.

This weekend the Deployment Zone podcast decided to up their game in a different fashion.  This weekend Bryan, Josh and I all three attended one of Meg Maples of ArcanePaintworks painting classes.  Meg Maples, is an artist who has been a studio painter for companies like Privateer Press and has won several awards for her painting, including the crystal brush award at Adepticon for her Magneto paint job. 

Ms. Maples held her two day painting class at Guardian Games in Portland where she had a full curriculum centered around Two Brush Blending (TBB) and its applications.  Now I normally like to think that my paint jobs are of a higher quality than you would regularly encounter, however based on the skill exhibited during her class – that is all now called into question!

Here is am image of one of her models:

The class involved the following training topics: (copy/pasted from her blog)

·                     Model cleaning, assembly and preparation.

·                     Priming including when to use white primer, grey primer, black primer and Zenithal Priming. 

·                     Basecoating

·                     2 Brush Blending

·                     Glazing and Layering 

·                     Painting eyes, faces and hair

·                     Painting skin tones and how to devise skintone recipes

·                     Color theory discussion occurs throughout the class at a superficial level to explain why I am choosing to mix certain colors together. 

·                     Glow effects using both day glow pigments as well as brightly colored paints.

·                     Painting Gems

·                     Beginner level freehand discussion

·                     True Metallic Metals

·                     Sheer Fabric

If you are unfamiliar with Ms. Maples painting style or what her techniques are comprised, she uses a blending method to create smooth transitions throughout the model.  This technique allows for multiple effects to be integrated in the model to give a realistic feel to the paint job and “tells a story” as you look at it.

Ms. Maples requires that her class attendees use a specific size of brush and the Privateer Press Formula P3 line of paints in order to capitalize on her painting style and technique.  It was recommended for all attendees to obtain a Winsor Newton Series 7 size 2 brush and a Raphael size 3 (or something of comparable cost/quality for Sable Kolinsky brushes or acrylics were also an appropriate alternative).  The two brush blending technique she teaches works best with the P3 paints as the liquid pigment spreads more evenly across the model and the larger brushes allow for better surface blending.

The class started out with Ms. Maples teaching us how to properly prime which was something I was apparently not doing.  She explained the principles behind a proper primer (P3 formula apparently is an actual primer as it adheres smoothly and cleaning to a model vs. other aerosol variants) and how to prime not only in black but also using white and Zenithal highlighting.  The Zenithal priming was a really good technique to learn as I have watched Youtube videos before where you have a guy videotaping himself doing it but you really gain something more when you have the actual person demonstrating it and providing you instant feedback.

The Zenithal Highlighting then lead to the discussion of the primary technique Ms. Maples would be teaching: Two Brush Blending.  The technique centers on using two brushes of different sizes, the first brush being the size 2 applies a dab of paint into the recesses or the area where you want shadow.  Then once the paint is applied you take the second brush (generally held in your mouth) and you start to brush paint tracks from the outside of the paint to in, which will blend the paint across the surface and creating a smooth transition.  The second brush which is the size 3 only uses your saliva as the mixing medium as you draw it across the basecoat to softly blend it in.  Once you have done the shading, you apply the highlight and use same technique to blend it down to the shade.  The technique sounds super simple however after spending 16 hours + more, I still find myself struggling to master it to the point where I feel comfortable making this my primary method of painting.  This technique was the foundation for most of the curriculum Ms. Maples used for her class, especially when she discussed and demonstrated skin tones and faces.  One of the stand out lessons in between learning Two Brush Blending and how to properly paint skin tones was the way to paint eyes.  Ms. Maples tutorial on how to paint full color eyes was simple and the results looked fantastic.

The second day centered on painting realistic hair, true metallic metals and other realistic effects.  The True Metalic Metals tutorial was outstanding where Ms. Maples used metallic pigments and gloss varnish to paint on a shimmering layer over the basecoat.  Then once the shimmering coat has been painted on, a shading glaze is added followed by highlights and more glazes.  The result is a metallic paint job that shimmers in the light between multiple colors.  This was a fairly impressive tutorial and inspired me to look at metallic pigments.  Ms. Maples also touched on Object Source Lighting or OSL which provided us a very brief glowing eyes tutorial.

The class was a definite challenge for me as I do not hold my paintbrush the way most people do and it was a complete departure from how I normally paint both in form and function.  I do not normally use P3 paints, I have never successfully blended anything before, I do not mix paints when painting often, I do not normally use a larger sized brush and lastly I haven’t used a dry pallet in a long, long time.  So upon entrance into the class, I was fully out of my comfort zone.  I ended up bringing multiple models to prime and paint with various techniques and Ms. Maples was sure to walk around and provide technical assistance where necessary. 

There were several tutorials taught that had an instantaneous effect on my paint job and I was able to pick up on them immediately.  The priming tutorial was awesome, how to paint eyes has given me the confidence to start doing just that on my models, and the object source lightning took very little time but was instantly useful.  Those small but helpful tutorials will provide instant improvement to my armies.

The tutorials that I felt will take a lot of time but in the end pay off very well were obviously the Two Brush Blending.  The TBB will require a lot of my time to get proficient with it.  Ms. Maples has a fantastic technique and the results make you want to paint better just by looking at her models.  Once I have gotten proficient with her method, the other tutorials such as painting flesh and fabric will easily fall in line and yield fantastic results.  The other challenge I will run into will be my color theory, using the P3 paints will be great for resolving this as they mix well and last long.  I may still use a wet palette because I have a knee jerk reaction to hating dry palettes (never can get the consistency right in a dry palette). 

Now as far as the argument of cost vs. time investment, I will say that Ms. Maples provides her students a bargain for what is offered.  The students receive 16 hours of professional training in the methods that the studio painters from companies like Privateer Press paint their models.  I look at the amount of money I spend on this ridiculous hobby and then I look at the amount of time I spend painting to what I thought was a pretty high standard.  The time investment and cost of this class is literally one of the better investments I could make in the hobby as it is improving something that I have always wanted to get better at doing.  I have no problem getting better at the game when I play a list a few times and learn the nuances but something technical like painting requires some level of instruction in order to improve. 

As a result, I would formally recommend Ms. Maples painting class through Arcane Paintworks to anyone who is interested in improving the state of their hobby outside game.  Just the minor techniques she taught have already begun to have a big impact on my paint jobs.  I look forward to experimenting more with these techniques in the future.

The Deployment Zone podcast will be providing a full review of the class on one of our up and coming podcasts as well as an interview with the teacher Ms. Meg Maples.

Company of the Damned Battle Report: 2800 points of Wood Elves vs. Warriors of Chaos

Last night I had two friends over to get a game of Warhammer with my Wood Elves.  I brought my list I posted the other day  here and Brock brought the following:

The Warriors of Chaos army list is roughly:

Daemon Prince, Level 4 Nurgle

20 Nurgle Warriors with Halberds and BSB

2 Nurgle Chariots

1 Nurgle Gorebeast Chariot

3 Skullcrushers

9 Marauder Horsemen w/ L2 Shadow

Warshrine of Nurgle

Chimera

5 Nurgle Chaos Knights

Deployment:

During deployment I showed my hand too soon and deployed my Glade Guard too early.  This and the fact that my opponent knows all my deployment tricks (where as I will deploy on one side of the field with my fast moving units then in the next movement phase zip over to the other side of the battlefield to engage a flank) made it difficult to pull off my normal chicanery.  Brock was smart in that he deployed his chariots and knights on the far right flank hoping that I would take the bait and deploy the Waywatchers near the Knights so that his Skullcrushers had full access to the Glade Guard on the left side.   Fortunately I was patient and after noting my Glade Guard deployment mistake, I continued with my pre-game plan and thus we have our deployment.

I chose to make the mysterious forest a Venom Thicket.

Turn 1

The Arrow of Kurnous hit the Daemon Prince in the face doing a wound which he then failed to save!  First Blood to the Wood Elves!

The Wood elves got the first turn which was the classic switch to the other side of the board to do battle routine.  The Glade Guard and Waywatchers stayed static however which benefited them greatly as they were able to do six wounds (4 were no armor saves) to the Skullcrushers and reduced them down to 1 model (I was very, very pleased with this turnabout).  The magic phase was uneventful as the Daemon Prince was able to block my spell casting with an irresistible force dispel and a subsequent matching when I attempted to cast Miasma.

The Warriors of Chaos also had a good turn where the entire army shifted hard to the right and I wasn’t able to stop them.  The Spellweaver blocked Stream of Corruption but could not stop Curse of the Leper being cast upon the Daemon Prince.    The Daemon Prince failed to cast Rancid Visitations on the Wildwood Rangers. (phew)

Turn 2

The Treekin charged the Daemon Prince while the Dryads and Treeman moved into position (I had no choice really because the chariots were coming next turn).  The magic phase was a huge success as not only did a Pit of Shades veer off target and nail the Warshrine (destroying it) but also I was able to get Okkam’s Mind Razor off  on the unit of Treekin.  The Shooting phase was a huge success also; I was able to Sniper the Level 2 to death via Waystalker (fast becoming my favorite character) and the Waywatchers/Glade Guard batted clean up on the remaining 9 Marauder Horsemen.  The Treekin took 2 wounds from the Daemon Prince (saving 2 others on their 6+) and dealt 2 more wounds to the already wounded Daemon Prince.  The resulting combat was a tie and both units stuck in there.  I was disappointed as I was hoping that I would blow through the Daemon Prince and smash into the chariots.

Sadly I knew then that I would be taking those on the chin.

Over all, turn 2 was a pretty big success as I was able to delete an entire unit via archery, another by magic and tied up his most destructive character with my heavy infantry.

The Warriors of Chaos decided that they had had enough of my tomfoolery and charged, a lot.  The Daemon Prince attempted to cast Curse of the Leper which was blocked and failed to cast the bigger version of Fleshy Abundance.  Brock cursed as I breathed a sigh of relief.  The impact hits from the chariots did 3 wounds to the Treekin and the Daemon prince and the Chariot Warriors did an additional 3 (I rolled 3 6’s to save).  The Treekin attacked back almost pulping the Daemon Prince with their strength of 8 attacks but he made his ward save but they did an additional 2 wounds each to the chariots but sadly their luck had run out and they were overran by the chariots which ended up slamming into the Treeman.  The Chaos Knights and Dryads fought and the Knights lost one of their own as they trampled the Dryads and smashed into an Eagle.

Turn 3

Turn 3 was a fairly brutal phase for the Wood Elves.  The Wild Riders slammed into the Chaos Knights that were engaged with the Great Eagle.  Meanwhile the rest of the army moved forward to get into position for a multicharge or receive one next turn.  The Daemon Prince blocked the Pit of Shades but was unable to halt the Miasma that tagged his Chaos Warriors or the Mindrazor on the Wild Riders.  The Glade Guard had marched but the Waywatchers began their reign of terror on the Warriors removing 5 guys in one salvo.  Close combat was pretty wild as the Wild Riders killed all but 2 Knights who in turn pulped the Great Eagle before being overrun.  The Wild Riders then slammed into the Chaos Chariot while the Treeman made short work of the already damaged chaos chariot but in turn taking 4 wounds.

The Warriors Turn 3 was just ugly.  The other chariot crashed into the Wild Riders while the Warriors of Chaos charged the Wildwood Rangers.  The Daemon Prince wiped out a unit of Glade Guard by dealing 15 Strength 5 wounds because the unit failed 4 toughness tests.  The Chimera used its breath weapon on the Treeman and killed it.  In close combat the Wild Riders were reduced down to 2 due to Impact hits but were able to kill one of the chariots before being wiped out totally.  The Warriors of Chaos and the Wildwood Rangers fought to a standstill, both of the units suffering casualties (the BSB died to my general in a challenge) but ultimately ending in a push. 

Turn 4

Turn 4 for the Wood Elves was a do or die as the Daemon Prince was in my flank and I would give up a ton of points if he survived and charged me.  So I decided to go for broke.  I charged the Warriors with my Eternal Guard, flew my Eagle behind the Daemon Prince in case he charged the archers and I also moved my archers to face the Daemon Prince.  The Spellweaver attempted to cast Mindrazor but even with her +5 she failed.  The Daemon Prince died when the Waystalker and his Waywatchers downed him with a flurry of arrows that ignored armor saves.  The Wildwood Rangers and my General died but the Eternal Guard were able to run down the Warriors after combat.

Brock decided to go for broke and charged and obliterated my last Great Eagle while his Skullcrusher, not wanting to be shot up by Waywatchers the next turn rearcharged the Eternal Guard.  The Eternal Guard lost combat and only were saved by the Stubborn LD9 reroll thanks to the BSB.  The Eternal Guard then failed to combat reform on LD6.

Turn 5

The phase was rather eventful as the Chimera was destroyed by a Pit of Shades while the Nurgle Chariot fell to massed arrow fire.  The Eternal Guard and BSB died to the Skullcrusher (WTF?)

The lone Skullcrusher, the last bastion of Chaos and the only survivor from the turn 1 onslaught charges the Waywatchers and beats them in combat.  He rolls a 6 when he needed a 7 to crash into the Glade Guard.  He still catches the Waywatchers who rolled a 5 on their flee distance.  The Glade Guard pass their panic test and settle in for the final turn.

Turn 6

The Wood Elves pivot and first reduce the initiative on the Skullcrusher by 3 then the spellweaver manages to land Withering on the Skullcrusher reducing his toughness to 2.  The Glade Guard then unloaded into the Skullcrusher doing 11 wounds of which he failed enough to die!

Wood Elves win.

What was learned:

This game was an excellent game to test out the new army with.  I made some deployment errors and despite not being able to fully utilize the Shadowweaver, it was totally worth it taking Lore of Shadow.  The Forest Spirits have definitely taken a hit in their offensive capabilities but I think synergizing spells like Withering or Mind Razor will help counteract that loss of Strength. 

The Wildwood Rangers are not an anvil unit, I should have positioned them nearer to the Treekin.  I did not wish to charge the Daemon Prince solo but due to deployment and where he ended up, I did not really have a choice.  The Wildwood Rangers however did very, very well with their WS5 and Str5 against the Warriors.  They reduced their saves to a 6+ and despite the Mark of Nurgle, and killed well. 

I should have pursued the Skullcrusher right off the bat, as I would probably had more units left at the end of the game.  I am glad that I managed to kill the Warshrine by accident as I was concerned about extra buffs.  During our game fortunately nothing spectacular came out of the challenges other than models dying. 

I will need to wither any unit I am going to engage with the elves, that or get mindrazored.  Even with a great weapon and Init 8, my general was hard pressed to do enough damage before return attacks hit him back.  Wildriders are absolutely great, they are just perfect for what you need to do with that unit – full offense. 

Archery is not as great as it used to be, the loss of the no-movement penalties hurts in that less hits were being scored than I was used to.  Fortunately I roll a lot of 6’s so Poisoned attacks helps a lot.  I may try a game or two with Trueflight after his list has survived another five or six match ups. I think the terrain in this game also saved the Warriors bacon a lot as I did not have many shooting opportunities due to the manor house and fence in the middle of the table. 

Brock had a good time and was pleased that he almost tabled me.  There are definitely some growing pains with this new army set up but I think that I’ll be successful with it.

Closing Thoughts:

1.       I need to make sure I stick to my game plan on how I want the attack talons to work.  Due to poor deployment I had to break off the Eagles to give “easy points” targets to my opponents or make them stress the +3 rear + charge resolution they provide in combat. 

2.       I need to position my archers a lot better.  Now that they will be fairly more static, I need to ensure my deployment doesn't block line of sight or prevent them from being shot due to close combat.

3.       The Eternal Guard and Wildwood Rangers are great if used in tandem.  If used by themselves, you need to rely heavily on luck.

4.       Lore of Shadow is an excellent choice for the Wood Elves.  It helps counteract the lack of high strength in the army.

5.       The Waystalker is a holy terror.  Brock remarked that had he been smarter he would have tried to nail the Waywatchers and Waystalker with Rancid Visitations early on in the game.

6.       Impact hits annihilate this army.  This hasn't really changed from the last book but due to the increase in offensive might on units like Wild Riders, they really need to get the charge off and prevent units that can do impact hits from doing so.

7.       Always Strike First is incredible as it increased the offensive effectiveness of the army in close combat.

8.       Nurgle is a douche and I hate that army.

As I continue using the newer units and learning how the army has changed, I will post up more reports.

That’s it for now.

Growing Pains and The Great Hunt, War Host of Athel Loren (v.2.0)

Growing Pains

Much like any general who has had a new book released, there are a certain amount of growing pains that have to be experienced in order to find that perfect “fit”.  As the Wood Elves have had a substantial departure from their previous rule set and play style, all my previous posts concerning “Tactica” and “Preferred Enemies” have been slightly invalidated. 

I personally am struggling with balancing form and function in order to make the army be a perfect balance between “meta” and “theme”.  I had spent years honing my previous 2,800 point list to take full advantage of my personal play style, the local meta and the theme I had developed in order to further the “story line” of my army.  Even with some of the changes to magic items and magic lores, my old list still would work in the current rule set, albeit not as well (maybe).

One additional caveat or challenge that I put myself through which most players don’t think about or even care about really is that in addition to making forum, function and theme work; I need to make sure the army fits in my Table War display case.  A challenge that I did not think would be an issue at first!

The old list I used in with the previous book relied on balanced shooting and close combat, synergy of 3 magical items to create a deadly assassination tool and a very durable bunker, and mobility.  I put a lot of emphasis on having the assassination type general that alongside his unit of Waywatchers would annihilate heavily armored cavalry and smaller heavily armored units. Meanwhile, the meaty Treekin alongside the Wild Riders and my 3+ ward save Eagle noble would crash into units that had been depleted by my Glade Guard and wipe them out.  I employed Eternal Guard to be a Stubborn bunker for my Spellweaver and BSB that was protected by the 2 Glade Guard units and my Dryads.  I would use my two Great Eagles and my Treeman to bounce around the board mopping up smaller units or warmachines.  I relied a lot on the Bow of Loren + Arcane Bodkins combo on my General and the loss of that combo is a hard pill to swallow. 

Now that’s all fine and good John, we’re all glad you got that whining off your chest.  How are you going to make it all work then?

Well, I want to ensure the theme stays the same of the Waywatcher Lord Sylvos Greystorm the Huntsman is still leading the armies of Athel Loren into battle as their Ranger-General.  That means the army is going to still need to be fast, hard hitting and mobile and have the ability to remove an enemy unit a turn if need be in order to ensure success. 

So after hours and hours of painstaking revisions and changes and modifications; I present pretty much the exact same list only I dropped 1 unit for another.

May I present the The Great Hunt, War Host of Athel Loren (v.2.0)

+ Lords + (436pts)

Waywatcher Lord Sylvos Greystorm the Huntsman, Ranger General of Athel Loren

    * Glade Lord (186pts)

        (BRB) Armour of Fortune (35pts), Asrai Longbow, Great Weapon (6pts)

Archdruidess Nysa Greystorm the Storm Maiden, Hierophant of Athel Loren

    * Spellweaver (250pts)

        (BRB) Talisman of Endurance (30pts), Level 4 (35pts), Lore of Shadow

+ Heroes + (260pts)

Lady Nepenthia Dreamsinger, Stormsinger of Athel Loren

    * Glade Captain (150pts)

        (AB) Hail of Doom Arrow (30pts), (BRB) Gambler's Armour (20pts), Asrai Longbow, Battle Standard (25pts), Hand Weapon

Storm Lord Cyre Winterwolf the Mistwalker

    * Waystalker (110pts)

        (AB) Bow of Loren (20pts)

+ Core + (843pts)

The Handmaidens of Dornatha, the Verdant Rage

    * Dryads (110pts)

        10x Dryads (110pts)

The Spears of Loren, Aegis of the Dreamsinger

    * Eternal Guard (258pts)

        Champion (10pts), Musician (10pts), Standard Bearer (10pts)

        * 19x Eternal Guard (228pts)

            19x Shields (19pts)

The Twilight Host

    * Glade Guard (245pts)

        Musician (10pts), Standard Bearer (10pts)

        * 15x Glade Guard (225pts)

            15x Hagbane Tips (45pts)

The Farstriders of Lady Greystorm

    * Glade Guard (230pts)

        Musician (10pts), Standard Bearer (10pts)

        * 14x Glade Guard (210pts)

            14x Hagbane Tips (42pts)

+ Special + (736pts)

The Wolfkin, Feral Knights of Dornatha

    * Tree Kin (270pts)

        6x Tree Kin (270pts)

The Outriders of Twilight, Huntsmen of Kurnous

    * Wild Riders (216pts)

        Champion (10pts), Standard Bearer (10pts)

        * 7x Wild Riders (196pts)

            7x Shields (14pts)

The Storm Wardens of Cythral, Rangers of the Huntsman

    * Wildwood Rangers (250pts)

        Champion (10pts), Musician (10pts), Standard Bearer (10pts), 20x Wildwood Rangers (220pts)

+ Rare + (525pts)

Scryah, the Last Shadow

    * Great Eagle (50pts)

        Great Eagle (50pts)

Gwynador, the Scion of the Sethayla

    * Great Eagle (50pts)

        Great Eagle (50pts)

Dornatha, the Verdant Rage

    * Treeman (225pts)

The Stalkers of the Silent Path

    * Waywatchers (200pts)

        10x Waywatchers (200pts)

Total: 2800 pts.

This army is intended to function a bit differently than it did before.  The army will still rely on mobility and focused assassination but the delivery method will change slightly.

1.       The General is now a close combat general and will be situated with the Wildwood Rangers.

2.       The Spellweaver will be located with the Glade Guard since her spells may be cast at a relatively safe distance.

3.       The Battle Standard Bearer will be placed with the Eternal Guard in order to provide Stubborn support.

4.       The Waystalker shall accompany the Waywatchers.

The army shall be divided up into four strike teams:

1^st Talon – Assassins in the Shadows

The first talon of this “bird of prey” shall be comprised of the Waystalker and the 10 Waywatchers in one unit with the twin Great Eagles accompanying them.  The Great Eagles will serve as warmachine hunters/blockers so that the Waywatchers and Waystalker may do what they do best: Assassination.

The Waystalker will fire two shots a turn at the enemy spellcasters or the battle standard bearer in hopes of removing the enemy leadership options.  The Waywatchers will focus on heavy cavalry, infantry or high armor targets in order to remove them from play.  When the Great Eagles are not serving as blockers, they will hunt loan characters, warmachines or serve as rear-charging combat resolution.

2^nd Talon – Blades of Loren

The second talon is the primary combat wing.  This group will have the Eternal Guard, the Wildwood Rangers and the Wild Riders working as a single combat entity.  The idea is that the Eternal Guard charge the front and soak up damage while the Wildwood Rangers and Wild Riders strike the flanks/rear and deliver merciless Strength 5 attacks.  Ideally these units shall battle in a forest to take advantage of the Forest Stalker rule.

3^rd Talon – Wrath of the Ancients

The third talon is the support close combat wing and defensive element to the army.  This element is comprised entirely of forest spirits; the Dryads, the Treekin and the Treeman.  With the reduction in Strength to the Forest Spirits as a whole, it is important that these units function as one combat element to overwhelm and destroy their targets.  Due to the higher toughness of these units and their immunity to psychology, their defensive strengths will work well to prevent flank charges and control the field by forming a fearsome line.  This talon will work in support of the 2^nd Talon and also provide defense to the 4^th Talon.

4^th Talon – The Darkening of the Skies

This fourth and final talon is comprised of the two Glade Guard units and the Shadow casting Spellweaver.  This unit has all Poisoned arrows (Hagbane) and will be the most “static” element in the army.  As the Wood Elves have lost their ability to ignore movement penalties, it serves this group best to minimize the amount of penalties they would suffer from shooting when trying to weaken other units.  This group will focus in debuffing the charge targets of the 2^nd and 3^rd talons, crippling movement of the big units trying to support the charge targets of the 2^nd and 3^rd talons, weakening the higher value toughness models in the army for the 1^st and 4^th talons, and finally wreaking havoc on the enemy lines with pit of shades or penumbral pendulum (not to mention a well-placed mindrazor doesn’t hurt either).

The poisoned shots should be able to remove warmachines and monsters from the battlefield opening up more opportune targets for the two close combat wings and assassination targets for the 1^st wing.

This list should (in theory) hold up against both heavy armor armies, fast moving armies (dark elves I’m looking at you) and heavy magic armies.  I will obviously still have some issues against horde style armies and some builds (that is just Warhammer – not everything is a perfect counter for everything else), but I feel that changing the unit strategies and realigning expectations on how I want a specific talon to work should do this new book justice.  The advent of having Lore of Shadow over Lore of Life is going to be big, especially since I will be using a close combat general now where before I had a ranged assassination general.

I am aware of the current “meta” that has been proposed that the Wood Elves need to focus on shooting and avoidance.  I am fully aware that many podcasts (except mine because I think Wood Elves are great!) think that this book is a lower tier book and need to avoid combat.  I will only say that I respectfully disagree and will enjoy making this list work in the new book.  I am of the mindset that proper balance and intelligent playing will trump the overpowered netlist or the “optimized” tournament list.  While I wanted to take certain combinations and synergies (2 units of 10 Waywatchers comes to mind, 3 units of Wild Riders, Sisters of Thorn character bunker for 2 Level 4’s of Shadow/Death or High/Dark, filling my entire Core selection with Glade Guard, 4 Waystalkers, etc…), I also have to take into consideration what is fun for me to play and more importantly is fun for my opponent.  I know I can take a specific combo and pretty much kill all characters in my opponent’s army by turn 3 without ever being in combat and break the back of their army.   Knowing how it can be accomplished and choosing not to field (or by extension fielding it and not taking full advantage of it) it is a strong balancing point for being a good opponent.

I will be testing this list out for the next month and a half before I have to submit my final list for the OFCC Warhammer Team event by July 1^st.  I’m sure I may make some modifications and it may well end up being that I really love how a specific unit works and I want more if it, we’ll have to see how everything pans out.

Until then, I’ll try to get some games going and some Battle Chronicler reports generated.  I’ll also feel more comfortable writing up some new tactics articles after a half a dozen or more games with the new book under my belt.

Company of the Damned – Wood Elf Army Book Review – Pour Four: Unit Summaries Concluded!

When we last left our intrepid adventurers, we were discussing the Wood Elf units.  Now we move on to the Forest Spirit selections.  We will be discussing or rather I’ll be discussing as blogging tends to be mono-directional in conversation…

Anyhow..

The Dryads

The merciless and warmongering changelings of the Wood Elf army, the Dryads serve as the tougher infantry for the army.  The Dryads, much like all forest spirits, lost a point of strength and skirmishers from the last book to the new but they gained several other abilities.  Meanwhile the Branchwraith gained access to the Lore of Life.  The Dryads are a Core selection while the Branchwraith is a Hero selection.

Unit Type: Infantry

Special Rules: Fear, Forest Spirit, Hatred

Branchwraiths are Level 1 wizards with access to the Lore of Life and have the Blessings of the Ancients special rule.

Name	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD
Dryads	5	4	4	3	4	1	5	2	8
Branchwraith	5	6	6	4	4	2	7	3	9

The Treekin

The Treekin serve as the Monstrous Infantry unit in the army. They are a Special selection that have a high toughness that allows them to dig in and serve as an anvil for the other troop options in the army.

Unit Type: Monstrous Infantry

Special Rules: Fear, Flammable, Forest Spirit, Scaly Skin (4+).

Name	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD
Treekin	5	4	4	4	5	3	3	3	8

The Treeman

The Treeman is the lumbering behemoth of the forest, silent sentinels that are roused to war in defense of the forest.  The Treeman is a Rare selection while the Treeman Ancient is a Lord selection.

Unit Type: Monster (Treeman Ancient is a Monster Character)

Special Rules: Terror, Flammable, Forest Spirits, Scaly Skin (3+), Large Target, Stubborn, Tree Whack, Strangleroot.

The Treeman Ancient is a Level 2 Wizard of the Lore of Life that may upgrade to a level 4 and has the Blessings of the Ancients special rule.

Tree Whack – the model may make a single attack with this rule.  If the Tree Whack is declared then the enemy must make an Initiative test.  Should the test fail then the unit takes D6 wounds with no armour saves.

Strangleroots – This is an upgrade that the Treeman and Treeman Ancient may purchase which is a shooting attack with a 12” range that does a Strength 5 shooting attack that has the Multiple Shots (D6+1) special rule.

Name	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD
Treeman	5	6	6	5	6	5	2	5	9
Treeman Ancient	5	4	4	5	6	6	2	3	10

The final installment of the unit summaries will include the special characters of Durthu, Orion, Araloth, Drycha and Naestra & Arahan.  

Company of the Damned – Wood Elf Army Book Review – Part Four: Unit Summaries Continued…

We last left off with discussing the Knights of Athel Loren, where the Glade Riders and Warhawk Riders had their abilities and special rules listed.  We will now do a brief foray into the Mounts associated with the Wood Elf Army before moving on to other units.

The Elven Steed

The Elven Steed is a fast moving, fey mount that is fairly popular among the Wood Elf nobles and the Glade Riders.    They have no special rules of note.

The Unicorn

The Unicorn is the majestic steed that allows itself to be ridden by the Spellweavers and Spellsingers of Athel Loren.

Unit Type: Monstrous Beast

Special Rules: Fear, Forest Spirit, Magic Resistance (2), Impale.

Impale:  Unicorn’s close combat attacks are at +2 Strength on the turn in which it charges.

The Great Eagle

The Great Eagle not only serves as a character mount but also may be fielded using the Rare slot allocation.  Great Eagles are great flying beasts that with their high Weapon skill and good Toughness make an excellent mount for a Wood Elf character.

Unit Type: Monstrous Beast

Special Rules: Fly

Great Stag

These mighty and majestic creatures serve as mounts for only the most heroic of Wood Elf heroes.

Unit Type: Monstrous Beast

Special Rules: Fear, Forest Spirit, Impact Hits (D3)

Forest Dragons

The great wyrms of the forest reside peacefully within the boughs of Athel Loren.  They are both loyal friends to the Wood Elves and storms of destruction when their ire is raised.  The Forest Dragon will serve as a mount or really a partner to a Glade Lord that has been deemed worthy.

Unit Type: Monster

Special Rules: Fly, Forest Stalker, Large Target, Scaly Skin (3+), Terror, Soporific Breath

Sophorific Breath – Strength 2 breath weapon with a -3 armour save and units that suffer one or more hits suffer from Stupidity for the remainder of the game.

Name	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD
Elven Steed	9	3	0	3	3	I	4	1	5
Unicorn	10	5	0	4	4	3	5	2	8
Great Eagle	2	5	0	4	4	3	4	2	8
Great Stag	9	5	0	5	4	3	4	2	7
Forest Dragon	6	6	0	6	6	6	3	5	8

The Wildwood Rangers

The Wildwood Rangers are a new unit to the book, comprised of light armor wearing Wood Elves with great weapons.  Their lore has them serving as the guardians of the Wyldwood, charged with preventing its inhabitants from escaping their prison.  The Wildwood Rangers are a Special selection.

Name	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD
Wildwood Ranger	5	5	4	3	3	1	5	1	9

Unit Type: Infantry

Special Rules: Always Strike First, Forest Stalker, Immune to Psychology, Guardians of the Wildwood.

Guardians of the Wildwood – When in base contact with an enemy model with the Fear or Terror special rule, the model gains +1 Attack.

The Wardancers

One of the two really iconic units in the Wood Elf line, the Wardancers only slightly changed in this new book.  They lost their special weapons and had their dances change.  Wardancers are a Special selection while the Shadowdancer is a Hero selection.

Unit Type: Infantry

Special Rules: Always Strikes First, Forest Stalker, Immune to Psychology, Skirmishers, Talismanic Tattoos, Shadow Dances of Loec.

The Shadowdancer , the hero level Wardancer character, also has the ability to become a Level 1 Wizard of the Lore of Shadow and has the Blessings of the Ancients special rule.

• Talismanic Tattoos – These tattoos provide a 6+ ward save.
• Shadow Dances of Loec – These dances may be initiated at the start of each combat round (prior to Impact Hits) and affect the entire unit.  Also the same dance may not be chosen for two consecutive rounds.
• Whirling Death – The dancers gain Armour Piercing and Killing Blow to their attacks.
• Storm of Blades – The dancers gain +1 Attack.
• The Shadows Coil – The dancers have a 3+ ward save.
• Woven Mist – Enemy units in base contact gain no combat result bonuses while fighting in a forest.

Name	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD
Wardancer	5	6	4	3	3	I	6	1	8
Shadowdancer	5	8	6	4	3	2	8	3	9

Sisters of Thorn

The Sisters of Thorn are a new unit in the Wood Elf book consisting of a “coven” of Ariel’s handmaidens.  They are a fast cavalry unit that serve as a level 2 spellcaster.  The Sisters of Thorn are armed with Blackbriar Javelins.  The Sisters of Thorn are a Special selection.

Unit Type: Cavalry

Special Rules: Always Strike First (Riders only), Fast Cavalry, Forest Stalkers, Poisoned Attacks (Riders only), Daughters of Eternity, Deepwood Coven.

Daughter of Eternity – The Unit has a 4+ ward save.

Deepwood Coven – The unit functions as a Level 2 wizard and is granted a +1 to cast (up to a +3) for every rank of 5 models beyond the first.  The Deepwood Coven know the Shield of Thorns from the Lore of Life and The Curse of Anraheir from the Lore of Beasts.  In the event of a miscast the unit suffers D3 wounds with no saves.

Name	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD
Sister of Thorn	5	4	5	3	3	1	5	1	9
Steed of Isha	9	3	0	4	3	1	4	1	5

Wild Riders of Kurnous

The Wild Riders of Kurnous received a huge boost this army book.  They gained several new special abilities and their offensive capabilities increased hugely.  The Wild Riders of Kurnous are a Special selection.

Unit Type: Cavalry

Special Rules: Always Strike First (Riders only), Devastating Charge (Riders only), Fast Cavalry, Fear, Forest Stalker, Frenzy, Talismanic Tattoos.

Name	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD
Wild Rider of Kurnous	5	5	4	4	3	1	5	1	9
Steed of Kurnous	9	3	0	4	3	1	4	1	5

Waywatchers

The Waywatchers have been and will always be my favorite unit in the Wood Elf army, they are also as iconic as the Wardancers.  The Waywatchers got a fairly big boost this book.  They lost their Lethal Shot ability and their modifier to being hit but gained a far better special ability in exchange.  The Waywatcher fills the Rare selection while the Waystalker is a hero selection.

Unit Type: Infantry

Special Rules: Always Strike First, Forest Stalker, Scouts, Skirmishers, Hawk-eyed Archer.

The Waystalker, the Waywatcher character selection, also has the Sniper special rule in regards to his shots fired.

Hawk-eyed Archer: The unit or character will decide if it will use the aimed shot or fast shot selection.  Fast shot means they make a ranged attack with the Multiple Shots (2) special rule.  Aimed shot means they make a single ranged attack but the target receives no armour saves against the attack.

Name	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	LD
Waywatcher	5	4	5	3	3	1	5	1	8
Waystalker	5	6	7	4	3	2	7	1	8

The third installment of the Unit Choices will contain the Forest Spirit options.

To be continued….