Cerridwyn1st

Thanks for clearing that up, Bryan. It makes a lot more sense than how I was interpretting it. Oh, and everyone else was right, too. I was thinking about how I was doing the points, and it occured to me that I must be doing it wrong, because it didn't make sense. So I went back and reread the rules. It still looked like the way I read it was correct, if illogical. So the way that I thought it should be done is correct, while the way I had been doing it was wrong. Model points to the party doing damage, loot points (based on the bonus dice) to the looting faction. Of course, this means I just totally screwed up my first tournament.

Frosh, have you looked at the Bounty Points section of the rule book? That's what I'm taking this from. Are you talking about the Beta rules or the OLE? I'm taking what I'm talking about from the OLE. It seems very clear, but not practical. The award of points is part of the wrap up at the end of a turn, and from the way the chart reads points are a result of the looting action. From how it reads, it seems that the individual gets the points award for the looted model (IE, the model's cost) plus any appropriate bonuses (1d10 for Grunts and Adepts, 2d10 for Elites & Solos, 3d10 Cpt. & Sgt, 30 pts for a Warlord.) I could be off on the actual dice awards, as I don't have the book in front of me. From how I read it, there's no such thing as awarding the model points to the party dealing damage and loot points to the looting party. The exception to that rule is a multi-track model, where points are split between all parties doing damage. It does, however, make sense to do that from a fairness standpoint, otherwise missile and magic combat has much less effectiveness. It just seems that the rules as I'm interpreting them don't make much sense for playing a big game.

I paint as much as I can, since this is a part time job for me as well as a hobby. Sometimes I'll bring stuff to work with me and paint or prep models on my lunch hour. It's much easier to prep at lunch than paint, but I do what I can.

For me, the fat money is in commissions, especially of troups painted to table top quality. You do the math; one mini that sells for $30 or eight for a total of $80, both taking the same amount of time to paint. In a commission, the minis themselves are supplied by the patron, so all I contribute is time and paint. Ebay is a way to publicize yourself and build your rep. You will notice that many painters sell only a few models on ebay, where logically they'd be able to produce far more if working full time. This doesn't apply to all painters. One of the pain-in-the-butt things about commissions is negotiating your price and collecting the fee. Some painters just don't want to deal with the hassel. I know a painter who does it as a side line to support attending cons and GW Games Day competitions. He never takes commissions, simply sells his stuff on ebay. But he can command $100 or more for a finished mini, far more than I can get at this point. Given the same sales numbers, I might not do commissions, either.

I'd like a little help here, since I'm not sure if I'm doing this right. What is the "proper" way to award points for killing a model? Is it "to the looter go the spoils" or "he who killed it scores"? The way I read it, regardless of who delt the lethal damage, it is the looting party that takes the points. The exception to this would be models with multiple damage tracks, where all parties who contributed to the kill split the points. Could someone clarify this for me? It would certainly seem to diminish the effectiveness of magic or ranged attack in a game for Bounty Points if your opponent can turn around and collect the points from his own fallen models, while the agressor gets squat. Or is that why almost all factions have a flying monster? The flyer can be directed to loot points that the agressor would otherwise never get?

I love that Super bases are the size of a CD - finally a use for all those darn AOL disks.

Oh, that—I thought you meant something I hadn’t already read about in the OLE. Yes, the Elven Faction Abilities are very powerful. But even so, there is no one in the Elf Faction Army List with Master Archer (which is the ability that Lorielle Silverrain has), nor is there any with Scrye Shot. Maybe I’m talking out of turn here and Caerwyn’s abilities equal a Master Archer. If that’s the case, I’m sure someone will point it out to me. The two models I know of that have Scrye Shot – Thorgram and Naomi, both are depicted with flying animals. Thorgram has his falcon, and Naomi has bats. Perhaps the Scrye Shot Ability is linked to an animal companion who can strike where directed, without the model in question being able to clearly see the target. But the abilities the elves DO have can be devastating. In one instance, I had my Elven Archer Troup stationed in some ruined buildings. On a rise above the buildings was a group of Reven Archers, including Goblin Skeeters. Caerwyn has the Blazer ability, meaning that she can direct a shot at a target the rest of the troop can’t see. In a normal volley, all models must be able to see the target. If the model directing the volley has Blazer, then only she has to be able to see it. In addition, Elves can shoot at anything they have even the smallest sight of. Other models must have a .5 inch wide sighting on the target. So, what did that mean in practice? Caerwyn could look through the window of the ruined building and see one of the Reven Skeeters. Because of the need to have .5 inches of clear vision to aim, the Skeeter couldn’t get sight to shoot back. Since the troop didn’t move, they could use the Marksman ability to increase the number of shots per Elf from one to two. Feathered Sky (which gives the Elves a more favorable volley table) meant that the Elf Unit of five could volley for 3” Area of Effect (AOE). Normally, Goblin Skeeters have Defensive Shot, meaning they can return fire in answer to an attack. But since they couldn’t see their target, they could not return fire. The elves decimated the Reven troop, killing all but one Skeeter and knocking out most of the Bull Orc Archers. Only one Orc made its toughness check. From a unit of ten models, the Reven were reduced to four, not enough models for a volley on the player’s next turn. I guess the Reaper Ninjas will have a new target now. Of course, the Elves (especially the archers) suck in melee combat. If you don't get a favorable table placement, you'd better use that post deployment Ranger ability to put some distance between yourself and the other troops, our you will seriously be hating life.

My only concern is that the cards would only be useful IF only one player was running a specific faction. The cards I've made myself aren't as pretty, but they have the name of the player as well as his or her faction.

Yeah, Chuza, it looks like you are getting a lot more dimension in your cloth. BTW: white is a tough one to do. Try a base coat of gray and gradually add white back in, then layer up to your highlights. A WIP of a lady with a white dress: Mostly finished (don't know how I got that white bit on that, sorry)

Hmm, looks like that little plastic box wouldn't dump the bits as easitl as the little metal box I have does.

Speaking of Giant Bases, when is Reaper gonna sell some?

I THINK the extra tactician card can be used to skip one activation when playing. Could be used to increase the chances that two units will activate back to back. By the way, Ranger is very helpful if you have troups that need a specific placement to be effective. The Ranger ability is exactly why I tend to use Archers and Deathseekers in the same Warband but different Fighting Companies. I'll have the Archers led by Selwyn, with Caerwyn in the troup and the Deathseakers under the command of Arnise with Lysette in the troup. I'd like to try running an Archer troup under the direction of Prince Danathil, having Caerwyn and Nireodel with the Archers. That would rock - Bless from Nireodel and Caerwyn leading a volley. Oh, if you use Selwyn as your Leadership Model for an Elven Archer troup, don't neglect to give her a Minor Accuracy Upgrade. Her RAV of 2 limits the shooting ability of the rest of the troup if you don't.

Really, Stephen? What do you know about the rules that I don't? Or are you at liberty to say? The fluff does say the Lorrielle Silverrain felt her talents were unappreciated. Since she's neutral and described as "a bit sadistic", I can see her eventually migrating to the Dark Spawn, which is a scary thought.

That would be great if I hadn't dropped to box a couple times so they are all out of order... I'd love to replace just the ones I've managed to break.

I put all my Pro Paints in dopper bottles, and they aren't that bad. IMO, the problems with Pro Paints are largely caused by air exposure due to the packaging. The problem is the relitively wide mouths of the jars more than the formulation of the paint. Due in November, huh? They've been saying THAT for a year. I'll believe it when I see it.

Is that plastic from various "vote for..." or "...homes" type of signs that are everywhere? Plenty of that to be had. Glad to find a use for it. Actually... yes. My brother is one of those "Will buy your house for CASH" guys. Somehow a bunch of his signs were left in the car my Mom gave me, and after two years of sitting in my trunk I finally found a use for the things. Also thinking of using them as bases to build a put it together dungeon set.

This is what gets under my skin - the best elven archer in the game is in the Mercs. Why isn't there an Elf faction archer with Master Archer? It's like the best they had left and got a gig where the pay was higher.

The Overlords are an Evil faction of slave traders. They are the diametric opposites of the Crusaders.

Well, you don't see a lot of Good Mages. In Good factions, they are often Neutral. In Neutral Factions, you'll find some that are evil. That's the case with Netikerti (Sokar/Evil), Lysette (Elf/Neutral) and Valandil (Crusader/Neutral). In the case of the Neutral fighters among the elves, they are Deathseakers. I guess their fanaticism precludes a good alignment. S'OK, means they are not affected by Vile.

I've done some of this myself. I had a mini with a broken off hand and crystal ball. I replaced it with greenstuff and a bead. Wire cutters, pliers and other tools are very helpful for minis. My beading wire is often used as pins for small peices. I haven't used many beads as focal points or add-ins on a base, but I'll have to give it a try. Thanks again!

Hey, Stern, where do you get them thar bits? Can you get a variety of sizes? Other stuff: if you use a dremmel, be VERY careful of the bit sticking. I've lost bits because I made the mistake of letting the mini piece go when the drill sticks; the piece starts spinning and snaps off the bit, then goes flying off into a nether corner of the room. I had a lot of problems with a pin vise when I started; probably pushihng too hard. I bought myself a dremmel and I've been very happy with it. It is the cheapest one you can get. Has the added bonus of fitting easily in a tool box. It went with me to Origins and GenCon this year. I'd like to get a footpedal one; I think my hubby is going to get me one for Christmas. I'll still keep the cheap one for cons and stuff. For wire, you can use dressmakers's pins instead of paperclips. Jen Haley suggested this, and I've used them a few times. They are made of spring steel and can bear more weight than paperclips or floral wire. Be sure to use wirecutters for the pins. A sprue cutter that will work fine on a paperclip will get messed up on a dressmaker's pin. I personally use floral or beading wire most of the time; don't have to straighten it out first. I keep short lengths of the stuff in my toolbox for easy access. I also don't try to use a tester pin to mark what I want to dremmel. I fit the pieces together and mark for places where the pieces join. Then I make a line from opposing marks, forming and X. I drill my pin hole in the center of the X. If I have a piece with a specific spot I want to pin, I'll draw the X on one piece first, making sure the marks carry over to outside the join. I put the pices together, mark the points on the piece that doesn't have the X, then make an X on the second piece and drill accordingly. Of course, there are times I'm not that meticulous. I just drill and shove the thing together, hoping for the best. If the piece is REALLY big, you can do this. Drill and pin, then use place a small amount of CA glue in one location and two part epoxy further out. Make sure the two don't touch. Hold until the CA glue sets up, then set the piece asside until the two part epoxy sets. It will make a very strong join. Sometimes the pin will hold a piece in place well enough that you can use two part epoxy and the pins will keep it together until the glue is set.

Chuza: How long have you been working on changing your technique? What kind of new things have you tried? I've worked with a couple "old school" painters making the transition to more updated techniques. There are a couple of things that seem to be common for this. One is the difference in painting with thinned paint and natural hair brushes versus "bottletop painting" and nylon brushes. The two are totally different skills. You will find that in some respects you have to relearn how to paint. But stick with it, and you will be amazed with the results. Glazing is one technique that you would never use with bottletop painting. It is actually kind of the opposite of drybrushing; your brush has a failry hefty load of paint, where with drybrushing it is almost dry. Keep at it, keep asking questions, and we'll be here to help. Cerri

That's good to know, Encharta. I was into making jewlery before I started painting. I went to a beading hobby show and ended up buying more stuff for minis than for jewlery. If you could post other ways the two compliment each other, that would be very helpful.

If you want factions with very different abilities that also look good on the table, then Dwarves and Elves would be good choices. Elves are better range fighters, Dwarves are better at melee. If the two meet on the battlefield, the winner really comes down to who gets the best choice of where they are starting. If the dwarves get to come on the board last and can put themselves in strike distance of the elves, their superior melee attacks will win the day. If the elves have any kind of distance, they'll mow down the dwarves before the short guys can do much of anything. If you do get the dwarves, I'd suggest getting Bear Cav and/or a griffon to add to your troups. They have a lot more movement than the rest of the members of the faction, giving them the chance to drop on your opponent's archers and chew them up while you close the gap with your melee fighters. Of course, my son tried doing that to me in one confrontation, and I still mowed down his stuff before he could close. Elf archers really rock.

That makes sense, when you think about it. Of course they don't have to see the target to hit it; the companion animal does it for them. They just have to have an idea that it's there. So not all ranged attacks come from a bow or crossbow. I'd already become aquainted with a dragon's breathweapon. There are other characters and creatures that have ranged attacks that are not based in a weapon. What about the Lupine Lord? What's his ranged attack, his bad breath?