Journeyman Postmortem

Our club's double-length Journeyman League wrapped up this week, though the last game was played on 20 December.  As a player, I reveled in the event; but as a club organizer, I was less than pleased.

It started out strong, with twenty-six players, but by the twelfth week had dwindled to around eight.  Scoring was reasonably strong, and everyone seemed to have a good time.  Several hundred points of models were painted over the course of the event, new factions were adopted, and lessons were learned.  When you run one of these multi-week events, be sure your organizer or press ganger understands the club's expectations.  One can't expect them to understand your local club culture and motivations.  Be sure they communicate well and that their goals correspond with the club's goals, that the establish the rules, plan for player retention, and build motivational sub-goals into the event.  And plan how a lengthy event will affect non-participants. Communication – before, during, and after.  Drop me an email if you'd like an earful on the subject.

Still, I'm grateful the League got so many players into painting their first figures.  List-crafting and tabletop generalship is rewarding, but there's something about the personal connection one creates putting hours into making each figure one's own, then putting them down on the table that brings it all together.  Several other club players mentioned during the league that playing against painted armies was motivating them to paint, too.  And while there are plenty of solid arguments against groupthink and social conformity, in this hobby, placing down a painted army is mostly a gift to the players.

At its roots, our hobby is the nexus of social-crafting-puzzle and shared story-telling.  And a well-run Journeyman League can give that to your club.

Journeyman, End of the Road

Retribution of Scyrah

The Journeyman League is at an end.  Twelve weeks ago I hadn't put brush to mini in over twenty years. Now, I own a wet palette and sixty-two points of painted Retribution of Scyrah.

Journeyman, Week 4

Played Monte this week. He's still at fifteen points with his Legion, so we didn't follow the week's rules (Battle Box upgraded to twenty-five points with a different caster).

Monte ran:

Lylyth, Herald of Everblight- Carnivean
- Shredder
- Shredder
- Shredder
- Shredder
The Forsaken

And I ran my fifteen pointer from week two, again:

Kaelyssa, Night's Whisper- Manticore
- Griffon
- Chimera
Mage hunter assassin
Mage hunter assassin

Legion had advantage in mobility and model count, so the first order of business was to clear shredders and dent Lylyth's fury generation.

Journeyman, Week 3.5

Tonight was the second week of twenty-five point games in our Journeyman League. Over the weekend I finished the last two myrmidons from the battle box, a manticore and a griffon, and blocked out a full Mage hunter strike force and commander. So it was nice to field a nearly fully-painted army for the first time.

Turnout was up, but we gabbed a while and didn't start until almost eight.  Diane has a fully painted Circle army, so we had a beautiful table for Kill Box.


Kaya the Wildborne
* Argus
* Argus
* Feral Warpwolf
Druids of Orboros (+UA)
Lord of the Feast
(one point short)

And I ran my same list from last week, partly because it was designed for Warmachine opponents, and weak against Hordes; and partly because it's almost fully painted.

Kaelyssa, Night's Whisper
* Manticore
* Chimera
* Griffon
Mage hunter assassin
Mage hunter strike force (min+UA)
Mage hunter strike force (min+UA)

Kaya setup center with her beast, druids on her right in a forest, and LotF on her left on a hill. Kaelyssa setup center-left with both squads of mage hunters left on a hill and assassins far right across from LotF. My plan was to flush Kaya to my right using the mage hunters where she'd be open to an assassin or griffon charge. I'd use Kaelyssa's anti-magic spells (Arcane Reckoning and Banishing Ward) to counter the druids' spells. Oh, and Witch Hound, too (thanks, Brandon!).

Early Game

Everything was working great.  By the botton of turn two, things were looking great for Retribution.  The LotF had made a dangerous advance on turn one and fell to the griffon and assassin on turn two.  Kaya retreated to the back right corner of the kill box, fleeing the mage hunters.  A druid spell deviation onto my chimera got the griffon into melee with her.  Lovely.  All's well.

Mid Game

And then Circle shows why they are masters of movement and surprise.  One argus is waaay in the back, behind some forest, hiding.  I'm hardly thinking about him.  The second argus uses its animus to give the first one Pathfinder.  It runs through the woods, around my chimera, dodging two mage hunters and into the middle of my lines.  Kaya's standing in melee with my griffon on a hill in the back right.  She runs her warpwolf over, and then casts Spirit Door to teleport into the middle of my lines, about five inches from Kaelyssa.  Oop.  Not done yet.  She then teleports the warpwolf next to her, engaging Kaelyssa.  Yikes!  But, wait.  It gets better.  Then she feats, allocating three fury to all her warbeats and reaving six back to herself.  For three more she teleports the first argus up next to her and the warpwolf, about two inches from Kaelyssa.  Lucky for me we're in Mark II and none of them can activate after Spirit Door.

Late Game

Frightening and impressive as the situation was, it was a bad tactical move for Circle.  She had put her DEF 16 ARM 13 caster right in the middle of a fully-operational assassination army.  We played in for keeps.  The manticore got three focus, performed a two-handed grab on the argus and hurled him into Kaya.  Knocked down, she was easy prey for the thirteen remaning mage hunter strike force.  The end.

Lessons

Like my games against Kommander Sorscha, Kaya has taught me about movement and unorthodox charge lanes.  Watching the movement of the warbeasts will be a high priority in our next game.  The defense on the argus beasts was very impressive!  I had not expected warbeasts in the DEF 15-16 range.  Fortunately, I did not need to deal with them.  And I continue to enjoy the manticore in my lists.  Its utility has never disappointed.

Thanks for the game, Diane.

Gemology

Tonight was Manticore night. I planned to spend the evening finishing a heavy myrmidon for the Journeyman League tomorrow night. It was already base-coated and the weapons blended and washed. "How hard could it be?"

Fun Retribution Fact: A manticore heavy myrmidon figure sports sixty-seven metallic gems. If you ever want to become good at gems, forget Eldar: paint a manticore.

Journeyman, Week 3

Tonight began the third "week" of the Journeyman League, so lists bumped to twenty-five points. Mike K. and I played a nail-biter rematch of Kommander Sorscha versus Kaelyssa. Mike's list was:

Kommander Sorscha's Battlebox

Kommander Sorscha
* Juggernaut
* Destroyer
Great Bears of Gallowswood
Assault Kommandos (min+flamethrowers x2)
Widowmaker Marksman

Versus my:

Kaelyssa, Night's Whisper
* Manticore
* Chimera
* Griffon
Mage Hunter Assassin
Mage Hunter Strike Force (min+UA)
Mage Hunter Strike Force (min+UA)

We played Kill Box again, but on a regulation 4x4 table.




The Plan

Retribution's strategy was to use Kaelyssa's Backlash spell against the Khador 'jacks and then use my fourteen mage hunters, Manticore, and Kaelyssa to dink Sorscha to death, one hit at a time. It almost worked.

Early Game

The destroyer came forward, received Backlash through the chimera's arc node, took a hail of fire from two units of mage hunters, and fell back on turn two.  They had taken Sorscha down about a third.  This seemed to rattle the Khadorans, as they all rolled left and the destroyer fell back to get out of range.  The Great Bears stayed well out of range, and the kommandos formed up in shield wall centrally within some hills.  Juggernaut came forward to press the attack and cover the destroyer's retreat.

Mid Game

More Backlash, more shooting from the mage hunters, the manticore, and even Kaelyssa.  The kommandos moved forward for some countering fire through the chimera and griffon into mage hunters. By now I'd lost about six.  My assassin decapitated Volkov (grants Pathfinder on charge) to prevent the Bears coming across a linear obstacle, midfield.  Backlash damage against the 'jacks had left Sorscha with a dramatic single box remaining.  Uh oh.

Late Game

Sorscha outflanked on my left, passing the assassin, dashing through a mage hunter's threat range, and Windrushing/charging entirely behind my line and across the board to Kaelyssa, on my extreme right.  An intricate dance of Khadoran power ensued, as Mike and Doug (our Press Ganger) meticulously carved a charge lane for Sorscha from my left flank.  Tricks flew.  Great Bears were engaged by my griffon, but used his reach range to back off and pivot so they could swing at the assassin but still backswing at the griffon.  Assault kommandos fired flame templates through their own (immune) friends.  It was a beautiful display of game rules mastery.  By the end they had killed an assassin, formed a lane passing behind all three of my warjacks, and killed two of the three mage hunters who would have threatened free strikes.  Deep breath.

Then it was Sorscha's turn.  Seeing a full-focus warcaster charge twenty inches across the table never fails to impress.  Naturally, the mage hunter missed his free strike (MAT 6+2 versus DEF 16, I believe).  Had he hit, she would have died.  Kaelyssa, at full health but with no power field stood to take it on the chin.  Unfortunately, the dice were not with Mike, either, and he only scored a few points of damage. With one-health Sorscha three inches from a full-health manticore and a warcaster, Khador conceded.

Backlash... it almost worked.

Paintmachine

Mmm, new brushes. Niiice brushes.  Every painting tutorial I've watched speaks highly of the natural-hair Kolinsky brushes.  Art Supply Warehouse conveniently carries these at a reasonable price.  These should help control the thinned paints and allow me to start on the gems and eyes.

Only the Finest Sable

Nearly the entire army is primed.  Here are the solos and halberdiers drying between coats.  I found that putting six to ten guys on one paint stick allowed me to go pretty quickly and waste very little primer.

Priming the troops

Into Every Life a Little Paint Must Fall

Out club has recently taken up a Journeyman League, which is a slow-growth Battle-box based painting and playing hybrid league.  It's a peer pressure perfect opportunity for beginners to get into the hobby and for pewter-pushing generals to get some paint on the board.

Years and years ago I used to paint – mostly 1:72 scale aircraft models, but also model rockets and some BattleTech miniatures.  Over three years in this hobby and I haven't once put brush to mini.  My excuses seemed reasonable: small children in the house don't mix with mineral spirits and paint thinner and I'd prefer to spend unallocated with the kids.  But, social competition is compelling, so I did some research.  And – Great googly moogly!  The paints are acrylic now!  No more bowls of liquid petroleum.  And, frankly, I'm tired of being that guy.