The Asrai Awake

 hi all, 

I've been super busy trying to prep for an Old World tournament coming up in July, which has meant that I've not been concentrating on other projects - including the blog! You, of course would be forgiven thinking that I would be taking my rather substantial High Elf force to the tournament, seeing as it's painted and I've had a few games with it. However, I think it lacks punch and is missing some very obvious choices in the current meta - ie DRAGON!! That has now been addressed (reveal soon enough, when it gets painted).  So what did I go for? one of the other WFB armies that I have partially completed prior to the destruction of the Warhammer game and the subsequent resurrection via TOW - such as Vampire Counts or Orcs & Goblins? 

wwweeeeelllll....

nope. Why would I buy a few units and complete those projects when I can start from scratch, lol. Way before TOW and way, way, way before it got it's own Arcane Journal, I wanted to get me some Wood Elves. The idea of having wardancers flitting across the battlefield has been lurking in the back of my mind for some time. Woodies were my very first "army" (3x units...) back in 3rd ed and I've got such nostalgia for them and now we have a nostalgia game, it was time to rouse the Asrai.

Now, the core of this army is made up of the old battalion box (not the new one you can buy now), but the rest is made up of 3rd party prints. So i'm never gonna be playing them in a certain Nottingham based venue, but for the rest of the tourney scene, I should be good.

First up, is a unit that in the current meta are not very good. But boy do they look lush - Wind Riders! 3x archers mounted on warhawks, sadly they don't pack enough punch to make most army lists but for purely for fun and the fluff they made it onto my paint table.

Talking of lush, but rarely going to hit the tabletop is the Wildwood Rangers. These are excellent Glass Cannon monster killers, but so squishy (T3 and no armour), so too much of a gamble for a tourney where you need a balance of units that can face different kinds of armies.

Dryads however, do make it into my lists a lot of the time. Toughness 4 with 6+/6+ saves and 2x magical attacks. These guys, using up a chunk of core unit requirements, will act as my infantry brick so that my more agile glass cannon units can smash into flanks/rears. 

Glade Guard, another core unit type, I have 18 and they are more likely going to be used in smaller unit sizes and used to fire poison arrows at my oppos toughest models.

The wardancers are 3d prints and are some of my most favourite minis. So much character in the sculpts and so consummately wood elf. 

These are going to be used as Deep Wood Scouts, another unit of poison archers. 

So this is the infantry for the army in its entirety

But wood elves are not just archers and wardancers, they're also known for their fast cavalry. So what do I have. First up the official GW Glade Rider sculpts. These speedy guys do have spears but to be honest they are much better with their poison arrow bows, hitting and running as they don't have any armour options at all.

Next we have 2x units of Sisters of the Thorn. With their javelins and built in spell option, they are again able to pack quite a ranged punch. With a 4+ ward save they're a bit more durable too.

Lastly I've got the Wild Riders. I made these up to a large unit of 10 rather than the smaller units, mostly for the combat punch, as they're designed to tear holes in the enemies battle line with frenzy, furious charge and counter charge. They are the ultimate glass cannon though, with just tattoos and a shield to stop return blows from wiping them out.

So that is the Cavalry section.

providing magic cover are my mages. Below is a 3d print and will likely be an elementalist

Trying to find a unicorn mount for my mages was nigh on impossible. Then I looked at my buddy Jay, at Agitated Kraken Miniatures who has a range of DnD minis. This one is a human, but tbh she has a lot of "elfy" type features so is very passable and I feel very comfortable on using her as such.

On the right of the below picture is a GW sculpt in the old fine cast, and was dug out of my pile of shame from almost 15 years ago (i think)

Character wise - I have these awesome dudes

This likely lass is a Shadow Dancer, bought to lead my wardancers.

This Way Stalker was a gift from CT Miniatures after a delay to my delivery (Shout out to them, as they were fabulous to deal with, from a customer service pov)

Another very old GW sculpt from back in the day, which can be used as a Glade Captain or a Way Stalker and the only metal miniature in the army!

One of my favourite minis in the whole bunch is the Lord/Captain on a giant stag. This is a wonderful sculpt and so much better than the official GW model.

However, this is my absolute favourite and what better way for your Lord to fly into the fray, than on the back of a Forest DRAGON!! yeah I finally got one!!!

So that is my newest addition to da Grotto and is over the next month or so going to go through a series of battles in one form or the other, until I can decide on the final list that i'm going to be taking with me to the tournament.  Phew, you don't hear from me for a while and then boom! a massive post....

hope you enjoy

dGG

Prince Andris and the Silver Host

 hi all, 

so what does the mighty host of Ulthuan look like, now it is all dusted off and the final models painted (15 years after they were started!)

Well first up, the main man himself  - Prince Andris Deftblade,  Lord of the Alzuri Heights, Keeper of the Sacred Chalice, Protector of the Shrine of Alfeyri Nubaris. Thankfully he just needed dusting off. I could have painted more detail, as my skills have improved somewhat over the last decade and a half, but tbh I just wanted him on the table, so he got a coat of varnish and voila. Mounted on his favourite steed, the Griffon - Razorbeak and armed with a lance, full plate armour and shield, and carrying a longbow (just in case there is a turn he has nothing he can do). He is a mobile death machine and can strike the flanks and rear of his enemies, confident that he will turn the curs and run them down. Originally, I modelled him with a dragonscale shield, made out of putty but that magic item is no longer available in the new (old) game.

Next up are the magi. Archmage Webril Feylight, the prince's best friend and most trusted advisor. She is mounted on an elven steed for mobility and a bit of protection (barded save). She also has the silvery wand, which means she can take 5x High Magic spells, which is awesome. With her is Aolex Crystalgaze, her apprentice and protegee. Aolex is currently studying the lesser magics of the monkee (humans) and is a level 2 battle magic user. She also has the silvery wand (a common item for elves), so can take 3x spells. Again both of these models were painted before and just needed dusting and varnishing.

Lastly from the characters section, we have Captain Stefire. Stefire is a Chracian noble who charges into battle on the "Kurnus's Pride", a massive lion chariot. He carries a giant Chracian great blade and wears the Lion pelt over the top of his full plate armour. He also has a Dragon Helm and carries the seed of rebirth, in an effort to keep him in the fight. Another old model, that has been dusted off etc.

For my core units, what High Elf armour would march to war without ranks of long bow archers! Once again, just a quick dusting and varnishing. 

I then turned to an old favourite of mine - the Lothern Sea Guard. Unlike the other units, this was incomplete. I had painted 75% of the unit and had to paint the remainder. That meant purchasing some GW paints (I now use Army Painter almost exclusively), as I didn't have the purple that I had used as a main army theme. I also didn't have the right shade of brown for the base edges or turquoise for the streamers either, so I had to put in an order and wait for it to arrive.

The next units had to be painted from scratch as they had only received a black primer spray. I tried to keep the painting in keeping with my style from 15 years ago, but i couldn't help it and I spent a bit more time on the smaller details, that I just used to paint over back in the day when i painted mass armies.

First up is a small unit of Phoenix Guard, these beasts are a hard hitting unit and stay in the fight longer than their small size would suggest.

next is an eagle claw bolt thrower, i must admit to really liking the painting of the wood chassis of the war machine. 

Then we have Bartilla and his Dawn Patrol - a small unit of Ellyrian Reaver Knights. This tiny unit of skirmishers killed off a Bull lord minotaur in their last game, so....

Lastly, we have the mage from the Isle of Blood set, I don't actually use him in my army but it was the last high elf i had left, so finished him off too.

And that's them. My High Elf army in all its glory. All painted, and blooded! Having their (and my) first game of WHFB in a decade and a half. We even managed to scrape a win against a hellish beastmen tribe. Incidentally this is the first army I've completely painted ever! despite owning 6 armies of various completion (before i'd get bored and move on...)

**edit** I realise I haven't photographed my small unit of Swordmasters. Oh well, please imagine a gorgeously painted (?!?) unit of SM.

hope you enjoy

dGG