A blog about tabletop hobby and or strategy games, with a side order of electronic turn based goodness here and there. Now with tons of retro gaming content both electronic and tabletop. Also with 20% more self loathing douchebaggery!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

[Epic System] Preparing for Battle! Six Days To War Part 1

With getting those Epic Tyranids from Eli last week, my desire to play Epic has once again risen to the point I want to play it.

As we saw last week, I had piles of counters and minis and unassembled, disorganized minis that all needed my love and care.  Well the counters are all organized, and the pieces are where they ought to be.

The Tyranid models aren't all assembled yet, but they are mostly put together, with most having their base coat of Testor's "Competition Orange" spraypaint applied, with a few of the dark blue enamel paint pen apps on a few of the models.  I even brought one of the only fully painted models brought more into line with my paint scheme, which is also on my regular 40K Tyranids.

   (My regular scale 40K 2nd edition Hive Tyrant in all his 3/10 but looks worse in a 7.1MP cam glory!)

Well if I wasn't lazy (and as stated, the camera makes it look a bit worse than it really is!) a couple highlights and some dark blue paintbrush work around the blue edges where my paint pen won't reach and some extra drybrushing and its not a bad little scheme for Tyranids.  Its a bit bright, but its darker in person.

This same scheme will be used on my Epic Tyranids.  This is what I have done so far:

(Om.  Nom.  Nom.)

Everything metal is assembled, and with a lookup for what weapons were what for my Bio Titans ( since the Epic Hive War rulesbook I read cover to cover doesn't have any pictures of the Bio Titans OR their weapons.  Heck the Bio Titan boxes didn't have any instructions telling you what weapon was what!) thanks to The Epic Collector website I knew what guns I wanted to use on my big nasty bugs.  

Next step has also been while priming and using spraypaint base coats to dry has been to read all the parts of the Titan Legions rulebook that matter (meaning ignoring things like Titan Weapon lists, optional campaign rules, and anything to do with the Imperator Titan and Mega Gargants) and even loaning out my Netepic 4.1 ruleset printout to MagicDrew to read since Netepic is basically slightly revised Titan Legions Epic and there are VERY few rules changes.  I figure if we have both read the rules it will be MUCH easier to play.  

Given that 3000 points is considered to be the smallest recommended game with Epic, I selected my Tyranid army based on that.  Sadly some figures I have assembled and begun painting aren't being used for our introductory game.  The bottom models with the hex cards are my actual selections.  49 Tyranid models/bases are being used, and I tried to keep things nice and simple for the intro game.  Only a small Bio Titan, and most of the units selected have been bought twice to keep the rules easier to remember.

My selections were: Dominatrix, Hive Tyrant, Hierodule, 2 broods each of Lictors, Genestealers, Gargoyles, and Exocrines.

Now I pulled out my Chaos, and did the same.  Chaos has an almost trickier force selection setup than the Tyranids do, not aided by the less than optimal model count you got in the old plastic boxes.   In Chaos' case, you are REQUIRED to take Greater Demons of one form or another.  Those Demons then have a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 attachment cards based on their patron god you can attach to them.

(In the Grim Darkness of models mostly bought in the mid 90s, there is ONLY procrastination.)

I had done some painting in the early 00s that I was chronicling on RPGnet, but as is my wont, I eventually got tired of it, and the person I was going to play Titan Legions era Epic with switched hours shortly after I did, and the game went back to the wayside.

But I pulled out some of my sprues of unassembled Space Marines I seem to have tons of, and using the old generic marines and some of the Epic 40K/Epic Armageddon sprues I can make 3000 points with some of my Chaos units as well.  Again, its an intro game, so its smaller, simpler units wherever possible.  Many will be using the new style lineup bases instead of the square ones, but that's alright by me.  (Also I need the square bases for things like Cavalry and similar units that never came with bases even though they damned well SHOULD HAVE.)  The Slaaneshi Scout Titan Squad is going to be 2 different Titans both "Counts As" the same type.  Yay OOP models and the way Games Workshop sold them back in the day!

My two detachments are: 
Khorne unit:  Greater Demon: Lord of Battles.  Attachments: 2 Land Raider Squads, Cultist Squad (Models from the Epic 40K Imperial Guard box.), Chaos Marine Squad, Juggernaut Squad.  

Chaos Slaanesh Unit:  Greater Demon: Keeper of Secrets.  Attachments: Chaos Marine Squad, Daemonette Squad, Scout Titan Squad, Slaanesh Beast Riders, Hell Knight Squad.

(Squads being 5-10 bases of infantry with 3-5 models per base, or 2-10 vehicles.)

Now I have my forces selected, and my task clear.  I even passed on going to play Warhammer 40K today just so I could have more time to do all the stuff I will need to do.  (And have time to play some videogames, write these blog entries, and just zen a bit.  I have been a very busy beaver!)

But this all has to be ready by Tuesday at 5PM or so.  But with a smaller set of miniatures it will be easier to take care of things than just willy nilly assemble and paint like I did back in the day.

My plan of attack:
Today:  Finish assembling all models.  (Done!)  Prime all unprimed models being used.  (Done!)
Thursday: Spraypaint base color all models.  (Done!) Flock and paint all bases.  (Done!)
Friday-Sunday: Work.  Try to get some paint on the models.
Monday: Make sure at least one if not 2 of the other main colors for all the models have been painted on.  Possibly give the Tyranid models their paint wash.  Hopefully play out 1-3 turns as a practice game, and take some teaser pictures for the battle.  Type up the special abilities of the units in play so the army books wont really need to be referred to in play.

This is a decent amount of work to do in what really is only 3 days time since I rarely have much time on work days.  I should at least get the first 2 days of work completed in time as I do want to enjoy some DVDs and videogames as well as run the odd errand I need to do.

Let's see what I can accomplish!

Update:  Well, the minis are all assembled, primed, basecoated, and flocked bases!

(Not exactly painted, but good enough for the first game.  This is a LOT of work!)

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