TMAT GT13 - Round 3 and parting thoughts

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more! As we return for one last recap post on TMAT Grand Tournament 2013. Round three of the tournament was as yet more bloody as, by now, players had settled into the format a bit better and were now jockeying for that one final push to the end.

Round 3, Board A: The Dwarves are for the Dwarves! vs: Fire from the East

Exhausted after their long travels, the dwarves return home to find enemies wandering their very halls! After enduring the mocking of Dol Amroth and the sting of the desert, by this point the dwarves had had their fill of haughty men. For their part, the Easterlings were looking to top off their haul of loot with mithril from the deeps. Balin swore to end the life of the easterling captain, and Shagrat was determined to test the mettle of the old  dwarf in battle. The clash of blade against heavy armor rang throughout the halls and both armies struggled around the arkenstone. While dwarven steel is legendary for its resilience, the armorers of the east proved to be of the highest caliber as well - neither army was able to find a significant advantage over the other. In the midst of the melee, Shagrat met Balin on the battlefield. As sword crossed with ancient axe, each recognized that the other had some hidden agenda at work. [Shagrat's oath succeeded, Balin's failed]. Grabbing a few crates of mithril armor, the Easterlings vanished into the darkness as the dwarves rallied around the banner of Erebor.

TMAT GT13 - Rounds 1 & 2

Welcome back for part two of our TMAT GT2013 recap (played Sat, Mar 9). All eight participants were assigned a number, reported to their respective boards and we kicked things off with:

Round 1, Board A: Isengard’s Outriders vs: Defenders of the Forest

The animosity between elves and dwarves is second only for their hatred of orc-folk. So much so that the elves of Lorien found need to abandon the sunlight for the darkness of dwarvern halls in order to face off against the pillaging Vrasku and his uruk horde. As both sides closed upon the chamber room that holds the Arkenstone, Vrasku claimed he would live to fight another day, and Celeborn swore to kill more than the foul uruk could. The dank air was filled with elven arrows and crossbow bolts, ricocheting off pillars and causing carnage on both sides. While the elves defended the Arkenstone mightily and prevented it from falling to enemy hands, it was at a very great cost. Celeborn himself had to be carried from the field of battle, grievously wounded, with his army decimated - the taunts of Vrasku and his army ringing in his ears [Isengard oath passed], and with the bodies of far too many of his elven kin pierced by crossbow bolts [Elven oath failed].

TMAT GT13: Tournament Recap

This past weekend the TMAT crew got together with a few other people we were able to rope in (after a flurry of practice games to get them up to speed) for our second annual TMAT Grand Tournament.

I'd have to say, I think this tournament probably had the most formidable series of armies to date. In any game setting, you get armies that your particular build is stronger against, and others you just hope to avoid. I think this year, most of us took a look around and just went "ick." We each had a list of opponents (containing most of the field) that we were really hoping not to draw against.  For a quick recap, we had the following participants for our third TMAT tournament:

Serpent Guard conversions

Time for one more (likely final?) update on Harad before next weekend's TMAT GT. My own force is basically complete, and considering that 2 of my other armies (Easterlings and Isengard) are being loaned out and will also make a showing at the tourney, I do have a couple items to touch up to make sure those forces are ready for primetime. Hmm... I wonder if I can earn bonus points if my armies sweep the top slots...

As you have seen from my last few posts (here and here), the last couple months have been a flurry of conversions to add a bunch of new models to my force, including Corsair Reavers and Harad warriors with both bows and spears. The last component in my list is the elite Serpent Guard of harad. For a mere point more than their spear-toting warrior brethren, Serpent Guard get a fight value boost and the "Poisoned Blades" special rule. Both are very handy when you are going to be facing above average fight value, high def armies of KoDAs, Uruks, and Dwarves, or when you need that slight edge over mob armies of orcs or Rohan.

Back to Black: Dwarf Hold Painted

Here we are yet again, this time with a painted board!

All of the boards then received a fine coat of black spray paint, which really sped up the process of painting. I paint my models by hand (even base painting) because I want to get a feel for the models and notice their details as I go. For something as large and "bland" as a battle board, I didn't feel the need to be that detailed, so the initial push was just to get some non-white and non-pink color.

Videoblog Battle Report: Chill of Angmar v. Fist of Isengard

Dear Reader.

For the first time on this space, we are going to attempt a new format for battle reports - not because we don't like the old way of doing them (we actually really enjoy those, :D ), but because we like experimenting with other mediums of dialogue with you all, our faithful readership, :)  So, in today's match between Tiberius's Fist of Isengard force and my Chill of Angmar force, we will be giving you video commentary on the match!  Here's to good speakers, proper buffering, and a good game!