Bloody Baranabas vs Hoarluk Doomshaper, Shaman of the Gnarls.

The old Gator versus the old Troll.

Having been around as much as he had Hoarluk didn't mind the muck and mud in the swamp they were traversing.  He had felt the lines of power and knew that an old Krielstone was nearby, every stone he found made him stronger for his revenge on the humans that had seemed to want nothing more than use his kin as labor animals in their farms and fodder in their wars.  He had with him the young Earthborn that Grim had been working with.  Hoarluk liked Grapeshot, well he liked all Dire Trolls, but Grapeshot was becoming dear to him.  It seemed that his Dire Trolls filled a need in his heart that no other Trollkin could imagine.  They were like his children, and this child was becoming special.

Barnabas didn't much like other species, in fact he could barely tolerate his own.  But when word came to him that a famous old Troll was sticking his nose around in one of his Swamps he just grinned.  While he didn't like others species much, he did quite enjoy removing their presence from his swamp.  Gathering a handful of a Gatormen and a few beasts he set off to have some sport with this foolish old Troll.

We have been doing a slow grow league that started with all unpainted models.  My choices were pretty limited since only a few of my casters and beasts were unpainted at the start of the league.  This week is the last week of 15 points before we move up to 25 and I got a few good games in.  Notably was the one against Barnabas last night.  I played against a good friend of mine and a very awesome player who has been regularly thumping me with his Cygnar over the last few years and has just started working me over with his Minions.

Observations on 100pt and 2 Caster Games

by Goris

I took it upon myself just recently to play my first 100pt game and my first 2 caster game at that since MKII rolled out.  While this may seem a simple exercise the actuality of completing this task is a little more daunting in a number of ways.  While the experience was fun and can be very rewarding to watch your armies’ synergy really soar, it can also be very easy to clog up your own gears if you are not careful in a few ways.  I’ll discuss my reflections and give a few tips in this write up. 

Planning

More than in most games, planning your game turn by turn is very important and in fact is much more necessary then in smaller games where it’s hard for your order of operations to really screw you too much.  In huge games not laying your buffs and synergy or even activating a unit out of turn can really screw you.  So, things to think about:

-          Take your time! Turns may ne timed but it’s better to make sure the stuff you activate did what it was supposed to do with the most potential rather then simply throwing your pieces around hastily trying not to hit the clock. 

-          Try planning your turn out while your opponent plays so you have an idea of what you want to activate and when. 

-          Your Oder of Operations is VERY important.  With so many bases moving around the tale it’s easy for you stuff to get in its own way, especially with all those medium bases. 

-          Maximize your feat turns.  Feats on this scale are much more game altering when done to the maximum effect.  This means perhaps feating a turn later then normal because you can get an entire extra unit effected or perhaps sooner to protect your army on it’s advance.  Feats are extremely important in these types of games, use them wisely.

Love Stinks Steamroller Tourney Report

  ~ By Goris

This tourney was something I had been waiting for quite some time as it would be the first time in a while that a PG would be running it and I was quite excited.  I brought out the big boys for it, but unfortunately my list needed a little tuning because of the untimely demise and slow resurrection of a Fennblade who fell victim to one of my dogs.

So to start, here were my chosen lists.

Show Me Yer Caber

When hand weapons just aren't good enough.  When the typical just won't do.  When the need to get the job done with style and originality presents itself our Caber Tossers stand up to the plate.   Women want him and men want to be him...

Now that I showed you mine, lets see yours.  Your Caber Tossers that is.  You can send them to trollbloodscrum@yahoo.com along with contact information and I will post them here.  If I can't contact the winner then someone else will win in your place.   Submissions will be accepted until the end of February, at the end of the month the Troll who has the best caber wins (note there may be multiple winners depending on my wallet size at the end of the month).   What do you win you might ask?  Not only do you get the glory and honor of being the coolest.  Not only do you get the adoration of many Troll women.  You get an unopened, unpainted Caber Tosser to add to your collection.  Because lets face it, where one Caber is good, nine are better.  On top of that spectacular prize, you get the scrutiny of the entire Troll community by being subject to many personal questions about you and your gaming experiences.  Winners will be announced and blogged about starting the first of next month and will be chosen by a panel of pretty awesome painters. 
Bring it on Troll Brothers.  Lets see your Caber.

RULES UPDATE:  One submission will be chosen as the winner listed above.  Two other lucky painters will be chosen at random just for showing yer stuff.  And last but not least, one fortuitous entrant will receive the best prize of all...  a single Whelp to love and cherish and feed to a Dire Troll.

01 MAR 2011 CONTEST UPDATE:  Contest Over, winners will be announced Friday 04 MAR 2011 as voting will take place Thursday Evening.  Thanks for all the submissions.

Grapeshot

Like most Trollkin warlocks, Grim was a bit leery around Dire Trolls.  When he first heard that wiley old Shaman Hoarluk Doomshaper had brought them forth he could only chuckle with apprehension.  That all changed for him the day he found Cannonball.  Grim was helping Doomshaper track a pair of Maulers that had run off into the woods after rampaging through a camp of Farrow Brigands they had hired on the day before.  It wasn't hard, the two Maulers were young and not particularly bright even by Dire Troll standards.  After a few hours Hoarluk motioned to Grim that he could feel Dire Trolls up ahead.  Grim belly crawled up a ridge to get a good view, as he focused in with his goggles he saw the two Maulers fighting over what looked to be one of the missing Farrow from the camp.  Hoarluk, almost arrogantly, walked up towards the Maulers with no fear whatsoever.  Grim had to give it to the crotchety old Troll, he had stones.   As Grim scanned some rocky outcroppings through his scope the unsettling feeling came across him that he was being watched.   Looking hard at the outcropping he understood what he was feeling at the same time his eyes adjusted on the Earthborn hidden cleverly between two boulders.  The Earthborn appeared to be staring right at him.  As unnerving as it is to be inspected by a Dire Troll it was uncommon to stare a Dire Troll in the eyes and see intelligence staring back at you... at least intelligence by Dire Troll standards.   Grim rubbed his eyes and replaced the goggles to make sure he was seeing what he though he was seeing but the Earthborn had moved out of sight.