Double Misfire

Also the CoS Sorceress who's pretty much the exact same warscroll as the battlemage with a +2 to cast bonus staying at 90 😉

Pretty sure Book Read Mans is Canadian 😉

After a significant hiatus Great Canon: Teclis is back, just in time to see the Lumineth Realm Lords to go on preorder. This instalment is mostly devoted to Blood of Aenarion, the first in the trilogy of novels by original Teclis and Tyrion writer Bill King exploring the twins' origins and early adventures building up to their fateful confrontation with Malekith on Finuval Plain. Now available in handy omnibus formBlood of Aenarion is for the most part a largely expanded version of the events of the events described in Warhammer Armies: Daemons of Chaos covered in Part 6 of this series. King notes on his blog that the events from Daemons of Chaos taking place 129 years prior to the Battle of Finuval Plain had thrown something of a curveball at his original plans for the series, with his intention writing Teclis and Tyrion's original background in White Dwarf 156 for the twins to have been young and untested prior to Malekith's invasion of Ulthuan, and that while pushing a century and a half is probably still youngish for an elf, it's not quite how he'd originally envisioned the pair at inception. Undaunted, King chooses to seamlessly add to and enrich the existing Daemons of Chaos plot, using it as a foundation for a sweeping novel, showcasing his visions of Teclis, Tyrion, N'kari and Ulthuan. As an aside, it's a little odd as a long time Warhammer reader to see King adapt the work of a later background writer in Matt Ward; a little like if Arthur Conan Doyle wrote tie-in fiction for one of the innumerable subsequent movies or tv shows staring Sherlock Holmes. Any excuse to get this Karl Kopinski piece out again reallyBlood of Aenarion's opens with a prologue staring Aenarion during his fateful confrontation with the quartet of greater daemons on the isle of the dead. What's interesting here is that this is the fist time the Keeper of Secrets he faces on the Isle of the Dead is identified as N'kari, who until now was only typically assumed to be the Keeper fought at the end of the war, when Aenarion was only stated to have fought and banished him years before he had ever drawn the Sword of Khaine, or even courted the Everqueen; with the four greater daemons he defeated at the end of the war remaining nameless until now. The original Warhammer Armies: High Elves text even describes Aenarion as having 'banished the daemon from the mortal plain for centuries' after N'kari's original defeat, and his battle on the Isle of the Dead having taken place way under 100 years later, but that's easily handwaved in an effort to tell an even cooler story. While his brother greater daemons are conventionally murdered back into the Realm of Chaos, N'kari finds himself vastly weakened and cast into the newly born Great Vortex itself, where he remains trapped for thousands of years, sustaining himself on dreams of inflicting sensuous vengeance on Aenarion and his prodigy. As a passing note, the Lord of Change present is revealed as Kairos Fateweaver (he of automatic priority fame), for reasons only apparent to Tzeentch I'm sure. The story proper begins in idyllic rural Cothique, where Teclis and Tyrion, age 16 (King wanted them as young as he could for Finuval Plain I guess) in relative isolation in a threadbare manor, with their father Arathion, and a skeleton staff of servants and retainers, including their doting housekeeper Thornberry. The twins' mother Alysia perished in childbirth, and is described for the first time as having been the scion of House Emeraldsea, a prominent family of merchant princes from Lothern, Ulthuan's costal trade capital. Arathion is presented as a destitute and obsessive mage, his life consumed with unlocking the secrets of and restoring the Dragon Armour of Aenarion, created for his vaunted ancestor by Caledor (a potential manifestation of his bloodline's ever vague curse), and his romance with Alysia having earned no small amount of scorn on her wealthy family's part. It's explained that elven twins are incredibly uncommon, with only 315 pairs in recorded High Elf history (something that raises more questions than it answers about the twin courtesans in Giantslayer...), and that Teclis and Tyrion share a loose mental link, sensing each other's emotions when apart, and sharing dreams. Tyrion's introduced as having buoyantly raised himself on tales of great battles and treatises on strategy, able, and carried along by an easy charm, eager to find his place in the world; Teclis is very sick indeed, first shown bedridden, and entirely dependent on potions made my Arathion to survive, with Tyrion genuinely fearful for his prolonged life expectancy. Somehow Teclis is Arathion's favourite, the twins' father possessing a shared interest in magic (though not letting Teclis practice it), and not really knowing what to make of or do with Tyrion. Growing up in Tyrion's shadow has left Teclis embittered towards well... everyone who isn't Tyrion, backtalking and critiquing every elf and thing he comes into contact with, though with the most ire reserved for himself, who he describes as 'ugly and a cripple'. Physically Teclis is described as distinctly unattractive by the standards of his own race (I'm sure he'd be a hard human 10), and having pale skin and dark hair (probably diametric the the Asur idea if Tyrion's blond tan is anything to go by). Following the trend set by the twins physical and social disparities is the pagetime given to each, with the majority of the novel's plots and perspective awarded to Tyrion, who's characteristics and personality lend themselves a lot better to being a protagonist, while Teclis spends and awful lot of the book practicing magic and/or in bed. Scene set, the twins have just turned 16, and this means that as descendants of Aenarion they're to be shipped off to Lothern to be presented before Finubar the Seafarer, the then recently crowned Phoenix King. This being a thing has completely slipped Arathion's mind, and he's a little surprised when a troop of House Emeraldsea knights lead by Lady Malene, the twins' aunt, trained mage and right hand of the family firm, and Korhain Ironglaive, the White Lion captain who first showed up, to quickly die at the hands of Malekith's favourite commander Urian Poisonblade in King's original White Dwarf 156 story, reprinted in every subsequent High Elf army book. Korhain is an old comrade of Arathion's, becomes fast friends with Tyrion, who he begins to mentor, showing him how to use a sword and sharing an appreciation of chess with. Teclis on the other hand is far less impressed with Lady Malene, indeed the whole ventureView the full article

I love the Disposessed and Longbeards are an underrated treat. Can't find a use for Ironbreakers though. Here's a very long guide I put together on getting the most out of each unit, and how they benefit from each of the different City allegiances: https://www.doublemisfire.com/2020/02/the-lonely-realmsphere-guide.html

Hey, it's almost like I wrote an article on getting the most out of these guys: https://www.doublemisfire.com/2019/11/guide-blacksmoke-battery-mercenary.html In short yeah, they're pretty competitive. If you're up against an opponent with absolutely no way of doing three wounds at medium-long range

@Eorek I love those lists, but you're mad (mad!) if you're running Gotrek in a CoS list with no Emerald Lifeswarm. Our lifeswarm is probably one of the best Gotrek enhancers available in the game.

If the Chaos Duardin inside were all crushed to death and horribly killed, sure. 😁

Welcome! Love your stuff, especially the freehand 👍

Much better, but I'd replace the Longbeards with something zippy like a couple of units of Pistoliers to nab objectives.

There's a half-elf featured in the 2001 wfb novel Gilead's Blood, and if you want to get esoteric half-eldar are explicitly stated to be a thing and pop up a few times in 1st ed 40k, but that's your lot. With the two races' proximity for you'd think that if dwarfs and humans were capable of mixing at least a few examples would have popped up over the course of the 2500 years since the Empire's founding, which they have not. Warhammer half-orcs however, totally a thing until the early 90s. Read all about them here: http://theleadpile.blogspot.com/2014/01/not-quite-full-orc.html

In keeping with @Ben's decision to cancel the Blood and Glory Gaming Convention, the Warhammer Achievements team have made the difficult decision to delay the event until next year's Blood and Glory. Thank you for all the support and interest shown across various channels. We'll be back with what we hope is the biggest, best version of the event in 2021! (with over a year to plan it 😁) Warhammer Achievements returns for its 8th year at the Blood and Glory Gaming Convention Running Saturday the 10th to Sunday the 11th of October Nottingham Tennis Centre, University Blvd, Nottingham NG7 2QH If you're looking for ticket information, head over to https://bloodandglory.baddice.co.uk/ As per previous years the storied Warhammer Achievements WhatsApp group is also making a return, hit me up with a message here or at twitter.com/WAchievements for an invite. 🙂 The event hashtag for this year's Warhammer Achievements on Twitter and social media platforms is (to the surprise of absolutely no one) #WA8 Warhammer Achievements is back, and under new management! Debuting as organisers of the event are Declan Walters and Ben vann Buul, with yours truly on hand to write narrative background and if I'm lucky play a few games as spare player. If you've never heard of or been to Warhammer Achievements before, it's a narrative Age of Sigmar weekend like no other, where players compete to score the video games style Achievements the event's named after in gaming, painting, list selection and sportsmanship categories over the course of five games over a series of gorgeous custom made boards. (don't worry there's a prize for winning games too!). A feature successfully introduced last year allows players to play as many, or as few of their battles as they want with a 1,000 point list as part of a doubles team, or as a 2,000 point solo player. A full event back is forthcoming, but if you'd like to find out more about how Warhammer Achievements right now, then for now please check out my event report from Warhammer Achievements 7, Declan being interviewed on the Mitzy and Jimbo Show, and WA6's PDF event pack, battleplans and realm atlas (did I mention the beautiful boutique gaming tables?) in the links below: Double Misfire - Greywater Fastness as Warhammer Achievements 7 Declan's Mitzy and Jimbo interview Warhammer Achievements 6 Rules Pack Warhammer Achievements 6 Battleplans Warhammer Achievements 6 Realm Atlas With a title like Dogs of War, many Warhammer veterans will have already successfully guessed that the theme for the eight iteration of Warhammer Achievements is mercenaries! Taking inspiration from the classic Warhammer Armies: Dogs of War (which if you weren't playing with toy soldiers/alive for 22 years ago you can read all about here), WA8's narrative sees your army joined by a representatives of one of five mercenary captains, with very different methods and motives, in a bid to see your chosen candidate rise to generalship of the Burnished Brotherhood, the fourth most renowned mercenary army in the Mortal Realms - or even stab them in the back and seize command for yourself! Dec and Ben are currently hard at work devising a system of players who complete successful mercenary contracts being rewarded with no less than chocolate coins, which they can use to purchase favours from their commanders, hire more mercenaries, bribe each other, or of course just as a snack. More information coming soon. Please hit us up with any questions here or at https://twitter.com/WAchievements If you're looking for ticket information, head over to https://bloodandglory.baddice.co.uk/

I've been lax on content of late (don't worry, the rest of Great Canon: Teclis is coming, albeit very slowly), so here's a really shameless listicle on a subject close to my heart that was halfway completed anyway. If you've read at least one post on this blog, you'll probably have taken away that I like artillery a whole bunch. This is owing to two things, a dislike of having to move my models very often, owing to laziness and limited upper body strength; and the unique dioramic feel a well modelled war machine and its attendant crew evoke. Probably on account of having started the hobby with Dwarfs, I've never naturally gravitated towards big monsters (or even cavalry), resulting in a lot of my armies' centre piece models intended to grab attention (and painting nominations) being small groups of blokes in grubby uniforms stuffing elaborate contraptions with inanimate objects that they hope with will be impacting off the enemy and not getting jammed, forcing a roll on the dreaded misfire table. Games Workshop have put out some incredible artillery models over the years, and without further introduction here are my favourites: Honourable Mention: Chaos Dwarf Siege Gun (1989) This model was never going to make it on to any kind of serious list, but I was never going to write an article on my favourite artillery pieces from GW and not include it. Pictures taken from sodemons.com The Chaos Dwarf Siege Cannon, or Daemon Ass Cannon as it's more popularly known, was made very briefly available by GW via mail order in spring 1989, before being quickly discontinued before it ever hit stores. I have no idea why. Resculpt by Clam The Siege Cannon's enjoyed a wave of post internet popularity in the intervening decades, becoming a sought after collector's piece reaching astronomical prices on eBay, and spawning a string of resculpts and converted reimaginings by hobbyists. Honourable Mention: Helblaster Volley Gun (1992) The original Helblaster Volley Gun isn't a lot to write home about, a dinky affair with a weird gargoyle face poking out of the middle, instantly made negligible by its vastly improved, much bigger successors, but oh baby that crew. Painted by Game of Travel Sculpted by Alan Perry, they're all brilliant, easily ranking among GW's most definitive Empire models, but the standout has got to be 'Engineer Leonardo', a unique mini of obvious influence, who's inadvertently gone on to become a fixture of Blood Bowl coaching staffs to this day. 10. Orc Rock Lobber (1992) Don't get me wrong, I like the post Brian Nelson orcs who look like they're strong enough to rip and bash to shape the crude bits of wood and metal their weapons and armour are made out of, but something's got to be said for the prior slouching, Pug-faced generations of Warhammer greenskins, who learnt (a basic level of) metal working and engineering at the feet of the Chaos Dwarfs, and put them to use with intricate, but still suitably childish and crude flare. Painted by Saulot The 4th edition Rock Lobber is, for me the pinnacle of GW's previous orcs, maintaining the unique grinning gothic aesthetic established by Kev Adams and the Perry twins across previous kits, cemented by 4th ed miniatures more defined, static style. I love the boss's hat! 9. Bronzino's Galloper Guns (1998) A regiment of renown introduced with Warhammer Armies: Dogs of War, the Galloper Gun's quintessential of the Nigel Stillman and the Perry twins at the time, being a pretty weird and little known historical concept not looking remotely out of place on a fantasy battlefield. These were great fun to play with, combining the dynamism of the guess range rules for cannonballs at the time with the opportunity to zip around the battlefield, lining up the perfect shot in an enemy flank. I've always been very taken with Bronzino's peg leg, a nice subtle indicator that supervision of experimental blackpowder weaponry of your own devising's probably not a job anyone has for very long. Despite their charm, the Galloper Guns haven't aged fantastically, the barrels being smaller than those of the handguns wielded by Empire infantry released less than a decade later. 8. Chaos Dwarf Earthshaker Cannon (1993) Peak 90s Warhammer has never shone through more strongly than on this model, which if you squint wouldn't look out of place in a Mario game. The cannon's a bit diminutive by today's standards, but was huge at the time of release, making the Dwarf artillery of the time look like a collection side arms by comparison - anything Dwarfs do, Chaos Dwarfs do bigger, better and nastier. The ceremony given to the shell by the crew makes the piece, conveying a really cool little narrative. In a familiar pattern for artillery crew, the two guys bearing the shell are also Blood Bowl staples, as stretcher bearing apothecaries. 7. Empire Great Cannon/Mortar (2000) Don't pretend I don't see you raising an eyebrow and asking how such an unspectacular looking kit made the list - the plastic Empire Great Cannon/Mortar kit, released with the 6th edition of WFB in 2000 is here for two reasons. Painted by Gwinn First off, it's GW's first multipart plastic artillery piece (unless you count Battle Masters. Nobody wants to count Battle Masters), and at it's time of release was revolutionary, with a sprue festooned with crew and war machine options, and enough accessories like barrels, crates and cannonballs to make a dioramic scene entirely of your own devising from, paving the way for everything that followed. Painted by Dave Taylor Second is that the kit's understated nature disguises an unrivalled versatility for painters and converters alike, with the Great Cannon and Mortar lending themselves to detailed wood grain freehand, and dynamic artillery placement basing dioramas; while the crew (and wheels for that matter) are interchangeable with every other plastic Empire kit every made, allowing for some truly bespoke hobby opportunities. 6. Gnoblar Scraplauncher (2011) I like my mini dioramas, and this kit is insane. Equal parts Snotling Pump Wagon, Rock Lobber, Galloper Gun and car boot sale, every inch of this mini is perfectly utilised, with each of the attendant gnoblar crew, the firing mechanism, most of the scrap and even the expression on the rhinox's face telling a story. If I had to complain about it, I'd decry the lack of customisation options, ensuring that if anyone were to run more than one Scrap Launcher they'd both look jarringly identical without a lot of conversion work, and uniformity's probably not the intended theme with this kind of contraption. 5. High Elf Repeater Bolt Thrower (2005) The plastic High Elf Repeater Bolt Thrower's this far up the list because it's a perfect refinement of the three previous High Elf Bolt Throwers released by GW across the decades, building on what had preceded it and perfecting it, in plastic no less. Bolt throwers are an evocative hallmark of Warhammer's elves, and I'm really hoping they figure into the Lumineth in some way. Painted by Stuart of the Old World Army Challenge 4. Malakai Makaisson's Goblin Hewer (2004) If you've ever had the misfortune of pinning and gluing one of these together you're probably wondering why it's on the list at all. The Goblin Hewer debuted in 2004 as a regiment of renown during the Storm of Chaos worldwide campaign, and disappeared shortly afterwards. It had such a unique, distinctly Warhammery design, that I'm still gutted to this day that nobody at GW thought to knock up a non slayer crew for it and include it as a rare choice in the Dwarf army book released the following year (ideally with a plastic kit to mitigate the amount thrown across the room mid assembly). Painted by G Special shout out to the the axe rack and hewn goblin. Who knows, maybe a version of the Goblin Hewer will figure in to a future duardin release; Malakai Makaisson's apparently still out there in the Mortal Realms and patenting flushing toilets (Realmslayer and Eight Lamentations: Spear of Shadows both from the Black Library, look it up), so anything's possible. Would look equally cool crewed by Fyreslayers or on the prow of Kharadron skyvessel. 3. MM13 Dwarf Siege Gun (1988) Commonly known as the Marauder Dwarf Cannon, I'll never not love the siege gun and its distinctly droopy puff 'n slash Imperial Dwarf crew. Painted by Jeffery Egan 2. Halfling Hot Pot (1992) If I need to explain what a Halfling Hot Pot is, how it works, or why it's this high on the list, it then it's not for you, please scroll down to the next entry. 1. The Goblobber (1987) You either started reading this article knowing that the Goblobber was going to be take the top spot, or have never seen a Goblobber before, I'm delighted to introduce you to it. Calling it a coincidence on GW's part, and not the fact I skipped lunch today that the top two entries on this list have a culinary theme... Painted by Jaeckel Alone (I'm too embarrassed to post photos of my own Goblobber next to his)The Goblobber oozes subtle detail, and through the machine and crew, easily communicates the story of a group of dwarfs, who running low on rocks decided to start firing flaming bits of goblin prisoner at the enemy instead (wonderfully told on the back of the box and in White Dwarf ads). The onager itself is great, especially the yolk with it's weird dwarfy face before conventional dwarf ancestor faces were a thing, and the bits of hacked up goblin decorating the front and tying it to the crew. Each member of the crew numbers among my favourite dwarf models of all time, immediately apparent exactly what their role is, and how much they enjoy doing it. And that's it for my top 10 Warhammer artillery pieces! Have a favourite kit you think I skipped? Don't know why the Ass Cannon didn't make the actual top 10? Want to know more about any of the war machines featured? Hit me up in the comments or on social media. View the full article

Hallowheart should by all accounts have been able to include Fyreslayer units the same way other cities can run Kharadon and Sylvaneth. Fyreslayers were one of the factions available to Hallowheart when it debuted in Season of War: Firestorm, they're in the foreground of the only piece of Hallowheart specific art (below), and even took centre stage in the Josh Reynolds story for Halloweart in the CoS battletome

Still hoping Phoenix Temple units (and Shadow Warriors) get the Lumineth keyword, and a few of the more basic Lumineth units get the CoS keyword in return.

This had better be canonical: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2020/04/10/the-top-6-eggs-in-the-mortal-realmsgw-homepage-post-4/