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MechaBriZilla

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  1. I made a post in the forum thread recently, that I felt really articulated my own fascination with the fluff side of the Age of Sigmar and the Mortal Realms in which it is set. So I thought I'd rework it a bit, and put it up on my blog as well. Let's be honest, I'm in a bit of hobby slump at the moment (I've been playing too much WoW), so at the moment, my thoughts are all I have to offer the community at large. What follows is an edited version of my original post. So, if you've read that post already, I apologize if it is slightly redundant. As Age of Sigmar grows and progresses, what I'd really like to see if for it to remain a fluid setting. One of the major issues I had with WHFB was how stagnant the world was... Don't get me wrong, I like 40k, and until recently, it's been pretty stagnant too. I had other issues with The Old World as well, but I'm not going to go into that now. I know it has it's adherents, and I have no interest in stepping on their fun. Anyway, In AoS I'd like to see major characters rise and fall, factions shift over time, and maybe even changes to the Grand Alliances. A living setting would benefit the game greatly, and so far, that seems to me that this is what GW is doing anyway. I mean we've already seen a Nurgle general go over to the Stormcast, and we can only begin to hypothesize what the end result of multiple reforging will be on the Stormcast. It seems each reforging also purifies the soul of the Stormcast who goes through it. By that I mean, that their core trait, whatever that may be, begins to dominate their personality. The things that may have moderated that, their previous memories, become harder and harder to access, and what's remains is their core, or perhaps their soul. Be it for good or bad. I feel like one of the defining characteristics of the setting is the feeling of potential and vastness. There is no indication of how big individual realms are. It appears in the fluff, that each realm may even contain multiple planets (or maybe even entire star systems), and they certainly contain any number of pocket realms. In any case, what we do know is that the realms are vast, and even an individual realm can encompass a multitude of different takes on the realms theme. Ultimately, that makes me feel like there can be any number of factions/races/organizations/etc. that could exist in the realms, and that even though a specific faction, such as Sylvaneth seem to have a 'home' Realm, Ghyran, there could be any number of versions of Sylvaneth living in all of the realms, and taking on the aspects of that realm. Personally, If i did Sylvaneth, they would come from Shysh, and lean toward the end of the life cycle in appearance. I've already considered modeling an undead Treelord, though I'm uncertain what warscroll I'd apply to it or how to create a balanced custom warscroll for use in friendly play. I feel like all of the factions that are a part of AoS add to the feeling of vastness in the realms. They could be from anywhere, each could be used to create many different sub-sub factions. This makes modeling and painting possibilities endless. You want your Sylvaneth to have blue, orange, or plaid bark... Ok! (Any plaid Sylvaneth inspired by this line must include bagpipes in some way.) Go for it! It's possible. Zombie Gargants! Why the hell not! To me, the themes and feel of AoS comes from conflict. The Grand Alliances, realms, factions, races, etc. just provide the framework in which the conflicts take place. GA's representing various 'truths or forces' within existence/or mortal life, that are all present in our own lives, with the moral values removed. Order, Chaos, Death, Destruction. Each could be good or evil, depending on how they are moderated, but none of them are good or evil in their purest forms. Although, personally, if I were to have formed the Grand Alliances myself, I may have only gone with Order and Chaos. To me Death and Destruction, though they are my two favorite GA's, would fit better as aspects of both Order and Chaos. As they are now, I feel that Death could really be Order carried out to it's ultimate failing, but it also fits well with Chaos as death most certainly can be random in it's application. Killing those who should not die, and allowing to live those whose time should have been up many years (centuries, millenia...) ago. Destruction is the same imo. Destruction on behalf of Order would be the razing of incongruous growth or natural formations, to make way for the pure. For Chaos, it's just a part of the cycle. Chaos is so many things. Good and bad. Without chaos, there is no change, nothing new. Things are built, and as a part of Chaos, destroyed. No reason needed. So much like concepts of Good and Evil, Death and Destruction fit neatly into Order and Chaos. This in fact, has been at the root of one of my pet theories regarding the Tomb Kings. That they will return, but rather than as a part of GA Death, which is ruled by Settra's Arch Enemy, they will return as a part of Order. What are the Tomb Kings, if not orderly? Everything and everyone has their place in the Tomb Kings world. At the end of the day, I think we all (if somewhat pridefully) are here because we hope to participate and have an impact on this community. For my part, I would love it if this post becomes a bit the philosophy behind the game and how we all (especially GW) approach it, but I also don't want to fool myself into believing that I am some genius who knows exactly what AoS should be, or how everyone should play it. So, if you find yourself reading this, let me know what you think... What do you like? Have I said anything that would ruin the game for you? Does any of this resonate with the way you see our game? In them meantime, this is all Head Cannon. Here is the thread where the original post appeared, in case you are interested. Repairing the Lore
  2. When did Silver Tower get released in relation to All Gates? Just wondering if it could have been pointing to that, and not necessarily anything else? Not that there couldn't be Tzeentch release, and certainly that's what the rumors all seem to point to, but seeing this... Makes me think of the board game more than another campaign. Of course, how cool would it be if they could link the board game to the table top war game?
  3. I'm working on another blog post and intend to post some more WIP skellies and Necromancer soon. But, Since it's been a bit, I figured I'd drop some picks of another of my favorite armies. I'm on and off with Tomb Kings.... I wanted to make an army of them for WHFB, but had problems staying motivated for a number of reasons. Among which were the rules bloat, balance issuse, the number of models needed to play, and not having the time to play... Once AoS hit, I still wanted to finish my army, but I find it difficult. There are still units I need, but the expense of purchasing them has gotten ridiculous. So, again I find it hard to get motivated to paint my Tomb Kings... I'm sure I'll finish them up someday, but I'm not so sure they will ever really see the table, which is a damn shame.
  4. MechaBriZilla

    Mourngul

    Love what you've done here. I'm not a huge fan of the Morngul model... But your work might change my mind.
  5. This is an excellent point. In a way, the mystery behind the releases may even bring the community together a little more.
  6. Fair points... But I'm relatively certain Death should have gotten the update, and the update was ****** anyway... Seriously though. I understand what you mean, and don't necessarily disagree with you. But I also feel like that is somewhat a product of GW's previous standard operating procedure, which 40k is still suffering from. AOS has many differences in it's mechanics and presentation that I think will limit it's exposure to those issues. AoS doesn't have killer armies. There is no Eldar here. Most armies can pull out wins if lists are built well and played well. AoS has smaller armies. Meaning I can have a few favorite armies. AoS Grand Alliances encourage you to be interested in at least (theoretically) 1/4 of the AoS world... Although at this point, Death and Destruction lag behind in updates and armies, I don't suspect this will always be the case. AoS has more ways to play. Not everything in AoS is about the competitive player. Meaning that as long as they continue to put forth armies who at least seem like the writer(s) of their battletomes cared about them, there should be generally positive reception. That's all I can think of for now. But at the end of the day, I guess my main thrust is that GW has been making the move toward being a more customer focused organization, and that can be nothing but good for them. Visibility in terms of releases can't really hurt them I don't think. I'm not suggesting they go as far as FFG with months lead on what is coming out, but I think a few weeks lead up, with a couple of articles discussing mechanics and fluff would be well received in general. Also, if you are correct about this, what does it say about GW that the only way they can get people to buy their latest product is if they keep what you really want hidden away, so you have to get your fix somewhere else?
  7. Not sure I agree with this. Take a look at Fantasy Flight. They announce things months in advance. Then do 4 or 5 preview articles to boot. They don't give specific release dates, more like time frames. i.e. an 'on the boat status' means it's still about 2-3 weeks from the store shelves. iirc. FFG has a great relationship with their customers. I mean, just look through their forums. You will see very little FFG bashing in there. Anyway, they are always going to hear about how they are biased. That's just how things work. Unless they change the way they do releases to be more like Warmahordes, and release new models for all factions at once, they are never going to get out from under that. And even if they did change their release planning, they'd still get it, because reasons. Anyway, all of that said. I really like the direction they've been going, except for the fact that they hate Grand Alliance Death, my proof is reasons. Seriously... Where are my Deathrattle and Soulblight at?
  8. Thanks!!! Ok, here is where I get embarrassed. I was thinking more of my color scheme than I was thinking about the wood... Truthfully, I'm trying to keep my pallet limited for the skellies. I want them to look good, but there are likely to be a lot of them, and I don't want them to take forever to paint. So, considering that, I guess I have two options, the first is that I could figure out a different way to paint the wood... I'd likely go graveyard earth with either a Nuln oil or Agrax Earthshade wash to keep it dark and not draw too much attention... Or, I could just make up a story as to why the wood in this part of the realms is just back. I still intend to use the blue highlights on the black, since I'm emulating a specific comic book technique here, so I'm not so concerned about realism. Thoughts?
  9. Thanks! For whatever reason, I never seem to get the GW base paints thinned enough. Not sure why that is... But that is part of what is going wrong with my flames for sure. Thank you for the encouragement, I'll give the glaze a try. I have Guilman blue, which I think should be the correct glaze color. Yup, these are the GW Deathrattle (used to be Vampire Counts) Skellies. You may be thinking of the Tomb Kings Skellies. They were not great. I mean, they had their charm and all, and I liked them... But not because they were great models. These in particular are from the Start Collecting Deathrattle box. But should be exactly the same as what comes in the Skellies box that you can buy separately. Anyway, you might be thinking of these: These are some old photo's of my TK skellies. Top are color test photos. Bottom is some WIP.
  10. Kitbash Necromancer (or homebrew Lich unit) created using the Empire Wizard/VCSkellie/Hexwraith.
  11. I've started working on my Deathrattle army. Here are some the first batch of figures, wip. This is my Necromancer (or Lich, depending on if my opponent will allow the use of a home brew unit). I'm trying to get the blue to be something like the blacks you sometimes see in comic books, where a character is in a black suit, but highlights are done in blue. Not sure that I'm giving the correct impression or not. Also, I'm not incredibly happy with the flames. I'm going for blue/gas flame look. I think I probably need thinner dry brushed on layers. Maybe I could use a glaze to even things out, but I've never used glaze in the past, so I'm not exactly sure how they work. I feel like the read has turned out ok though. Here are four of my first five skellies. Again, I'm not sure my blues are coming out exactly as I'd intended, but I like them well enough. I may just have to accept that my favorite color is blue, and that it will come out inevitably in every army I paint. Andy the group shot... Not a great picture, and clearly I missed some mold lines... This is what I get for being impatient... Anyway, when completed, I want to give them snow covered bases. Part of the background of this army is built on the life/death contrast, and one of my strongest associations/fears of death is the cold of the grave. Thus snow bases. I've never done a snow base, so suggestions are welcome! Also, not sure if I want to use the shattered dominion bases or not. I love the look of them, and want to find a place for them, (not that I've purchased any yet) but I don't think this is correct place for them. Anyway, please feel free to provide suggestions. I'm always looking for ways to improve my painting.
  12. I have an idea on some background fluff for the Deathrattle army I'm considering making. Here's are the very basics. There is a human tribe, somewhere in Ghyran. They are fairly primitive, or at least very ignorant, and little connection to the realms at large. In fact, they are completely unaware that there are any other realms than where they live. However, they have some major strength, I'm leaning towards the idea their rulers are natural casters, or perhaps they are great craftsmen. They are a tribe full of vibrant ritual and dress. Colors, dies, beads, and such are prized, and there isn't a season which goes by without a celebration... They are all too aware of their mortality, to not celebrate their lives. Their territory is near an ancient ruin, set within a canyon. Deep within the ruin is a very powerful realm gate to Shyish. The ruins mean very little to them, and they avoid the place except during certain rituals, as in their culture, it is (very literally) a gate to the underworld. The power of the gate within the ruins, causes the area around them to be abnormally cold, and dark. When the sun shines it appears dim and distant, and the moon(s) hang low and overlarge in the sky. (If you look closely, you may even notice the skull like mien that the patterns of that celestial body take on. Colors seem faded, and anyone who enters the ruins is drained of emotion during their stay. To stay too long in the ruins, is to loose the will to exist. Little seems to grow here, and what does is sickly, and dies quickly. There is a legend. That long ago, this tribe, was pressed hard by foes, diseases, and natural disasters. They were a failing people, doomed to be removed from the face of the realms and even from the memory of their conquerors. Their priests and wise men beseeched their gods, to no avail. Finally, their king, turned to the most enigmatic of the their gods, (Insert name of underworld deity here ). He traveled to the ruins, and through the realm gate contained within. What happened there is unknown. What is known, is that when he returned, it was at the head of a column of skeletal infantry and cavalry, supported by towering gargant skeletons, and two unknown creatures, that radiated an aura of death, their wings crackling with undeath magic. But, most disturbingly, he was accompanied by a silent sorcerer, clad in blue raiment and a golden, faceless mask, graven with strange symbols. The sorcerer never said a word, and though his mask had no eyes, his gaze chilled the villagers to their bones. The army of undead quickly and wordlessly defeated the tribes enemies, and at the end of the battle, the masked figure wordlessly commanded the dead of both armies to rise and follow him, and they did. Soon after, the diseases that had plagued this community lifted. After this, the army of dead marched back through the ruins and into the underworld. The King remained. He explained the nature of the deal which had been struck with their god of undeath. That the the villagers would never again need to worry about invasion, as their god had heard their call, and had mercy on them. However, he required a sacrifice of them in turn. Their dead must be delivered to the gates of the underworld (perhaps even through), and under certain conditions or times, the lords they now owed their fealty to, would require of them a live offering. Someone to come through the gates of their own will. They must not be forced, but they must be of good health, or superior skill or trade. Then the king turned and left for the underworld, becoming the first such sacrifice. This is where things get a little tricky story wise. So I was listening to the Mortal Realms Blog about the Nagash/undead/shyish based audio drama series, and it sounds like my idea may be somewhat similar to a plot point in that story. Something about a city of humans in Shyish, owing a clan/brotherhood of vamps fealty for saving them. Unfortunately, having not heard the story myself, I'm not sure exactly how close my idea is to what they did there. I think the biggest differences here, that I can see, is that my human tribe has no idea what they've been wed too. Heck I'm not even 100% sure who they are serving. But they are likely terrified of it. I know the king has submitted himself to another power, and that the necromancer/lich (Nyarlathotep in my head, for those of you who know.) in the golden mask is only an agent of this power. I know that he has been given land and a hold to protect the valuable realm gate on the Shyish side, and in return for his services he is allowed to commit a certain portion of his power to defending his descendants. Those descendants then in turn provide him and his lord with the raw materials (their dead and possibly trade goods of some sort. Must be something in Ghyran that they need in Shyish...) to continue to grow their forces in Shyish. What the living are used for, I don't rightly know yet. Perhaps, if the King, who is certainly now a wight, is serving a vampire lord, they are to be his progeny. I don't think enough come through the gate to be his food source though. Also, they could also be used for other things. Such as armorers, or laborers. Or, they could be used for any one of these things, depending on some sort of evaluation. My reason for them needing to come of their own will, is because the lord (again whoever that is) wants their fear to keep them in line, but doesn't want to use force, as it could lead to a counterproductive uprising, and an end to the resources he has access too through the realmgate. In the MR podcast, it sounded more like the people delivering themselves into the arms of the vamps were paying a debt of honor, and were proud to do so. I'm more interesting in contrasting life and death in my story. At some point, I think I'd like to flesh out an army to represent the mortal side of this equation as well, but for now, I'll be focusing mainly on the deathrattle side. Ok, this post is getting super long at this point. Please share thoughts if you are so inclined. And, at some point, if I can come up with a story for the TK version of the army, I'll share that here too. Assuming I don't just decide to get carried away with this idea. Also, I plan to add some pics eventually. I'm working on a test batch of skellies and a necromancer/lich to see how he comes out.
  13. My friends and I are hammering out ideas for a mini-league this winter, with games twice a month running the months of January and February, and I'm having a little trouble deciding what army to bring. I have two options, Tomb Kings, and Deathrattle. My preferred play style is narrative, so I really don't want to mix and match these specific armies, since their aesthetics are significantly different. But both armies have significant draw backs on their own. For my TK, my biggest issue is that I never finished my collection. I'm still missing units that I had really wanted to add, but are now seriously overpriced everywhere I look. Key among these is a unit of Ushabti, a Necrosphinx (or 2), and Necro-Knights. I could also probably use some more skellies to bulk the army out. With my Deathrattle... Well, I think we all know what the problem here is. They have three units. Black Knights, Skeletons, and Wight Kings. I have an idea to add a little magical punch to them with homebrew Lich unit I'm working on, Also thought about doing something to convert/build a bone giant that would fit more with the current Deathrattle aesthetic, though I haven't a good idea about how to go about this. Otherwise, getting more flexibility or even just variety out of a pure DR army, may be seriously difficult... That said, I'm not really in this to win... I mean I'd like to not loose every game, but it's more important that the games be fun for me and my opponent. My hope is that this mini-league will result in a more long lasting community. So, I can worry about winning later. At this point, I certainly have more variety/options for my TK army, but I have been a little burned here, with the official demise of my army, I've found it a bit difficult to finish off what I do have of the army. Especially since my original plans are all but out the window.
  14. Personally, I am still holding onto hope and conspiracy theories for the return of the Tomb Kings. Remember, Settra didn't die in the End Times. In fact he pretty much gave a huge middle finger to the Chaos Gods, and got away with it. Not something many can claim. Also, I keep hearing about some obscure hints in the fluff. One of which iirc, was about a character running afoul of some undead in a skull encrusted chariot. Now that's just something I was told, so not sure where it is off hand, but I trust the guy who told me about it. Of course, I'm also not holding my breath.
  15. Well, now I know it must be true. All hail Sleboda's Butt, Lord of Games Workshop Prognostication!
  16. I don't necessarily think so, since there is no cross over between AoS and 40k for that model. Unless that model is released with some Season X of Tzeentch type branding. And, of course, if we start seeing new Tzeentch deamons, then that changes things significantly.
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