More Input: Shadespire Tournament Deck (Steelheart's Champions)

   Hi, fellow players, and good evening!

   Today I would like to share with you my Steelheart's Champions Deck for the upcoming Clash in Florence. I changed a lot of cards compared to my first attempt and, what's most important, now I have all the warbands around and I can build a very complete deck for the competitive play. I decided to stick to my beloved Stormcasts until this "season" is finished; the reasons are many, but firstly I love Steelheart's models and in second instance I didn't have the time to learn any other warband at a tournament level.

   My next one will be Ironskull's Boys... I've already painted models, I'm planning to write a tutorial for them and, in future, a post about their deck building.

    Now... straight to the deck!

How I did it: Shadespire Stormcasts' Bases

"For more than a thousand years 

the shadow-cloaked riuns of Shadespire lay dormant,

a malevolent scar in the centre of the vast Desert of Bones."

   Hi there, and good morning!

   Finally, after years of painting, an Airbrush made landfall on my shores. Ok, this is not entirely exact: two Airbrushes have landed on my desk... the first one, a beautiful single action Badger, survived just long enough to make around forty models and then it was sacrificed on the Altar of Learning. I've nearly destroyed it in the process of really understanding how an Airbrush works; but no problem, a lot of spare parts are coming (although they are taking too long to arrive), so I hope I'll be able to save it from the edge of oblivion. 

   The second one is an awful, but double action, Fengda, paid around 20 euros (!!!), that made my whole Flesh Eaters Courts army thanks to the sacrifice of his predecessor. And, double action is awesome. Now I'm planning to buy an Iwata and use these three pens to improve my airbrushing skills.

    Another example of models made with my double action Fengda is my Shadespire Stormcast lot, in particular their bases. Stormcasts armour and weapons have been made in the classic Guardians of the Ages way, but bases reflect the gloom of the Mirrored City.

More Input: Starting Shadespire (Stormcast Deck)!

   Hi guys and gals, what are you doing in your hobby time these months?
  I have finally decided to start Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire. Of course all of my fellows have already begun the game back in October when it was initially pulled out but I, at that time, was keen on 40k listing and training for an upcoming tournament. After that, you know, that AoS campaign, that Blood Bowl League and (boring) real life took all my time. 

   Anyway it was just my love for both BB and AoS that finally pushed me to dedicate some time to the new game. Well... I have bought two times (first time split) the core set and now I already have orcs and Sepulchral Guard is coming. I think the game is solid, fast-paced and miniatures are beautiful; not even mentioning its wonderful display, lay-out and suggestive setting.

Background Backdoor: Epoch Hounds

- "Only the faithful", Tegrus murmured, and swooped into the path of the beam, hammers crossed. The energies tore at him as they splashed across his armour, causing the god-forged sigmarite to bubble and melt. The light from his wings grew brighter and brighter as he plunged through the beam. His hammer blackened and began to crumble in his hands, but he did not stop, or veer away. It was too late for that now. It was too late for anything except taking his foe down into death with him.

"Only the faithful."

Tegrus, moments before his last death,

 "War in the Hidden Vale" - Realmgate Wars

   I paint models only after deciding who they are, where they come from, which battles they have won and how, and which ones they've lost and why. Sometimes I create traditions, history, words with particular meanings and more... I know that many of us do the same, making wonderful backgrounds for our battles and campaigns on the tabletop. Well, this is our corner!

   This time we'll see the story around one of the most secretive and heroic stormcast chambers of the Guardians of the Ages, Vanguard's Epoch Hounds. In particular we'll get to know about them following the wanderings of their undomitable leader, Lord Aquilor Aefirin, seeing how his sad story is tied to that of his brothers Aefar.

     

Lord Aquilor Aefirin, Bane of the Immortals, riding Flere, his Gryph-charger

How i did it: Stormcast Eternals Lord Aquilor

- Pain may be my flesh

Death may be my fate

but Victory is my Name

- Tylos Stormbound's Honour Scrolls during the Crucible of Blood's war

Reamlgate Wars - Stormcast

   

   After their second Battletome's release, Stormcast have become a very solid army. almost unbeatable for the majority of AoS factions. I managed to bring havoc on any challenger in my local gaming club: Nurgle, Dwarves, Khorne, Ironjawz, Slaves to Darkness, Death, Skavens, Seraphon, Beastclaw Raiders, Flesh Eaters ecc... Only against Tzeentch I lost a bunch of matches. Exploiting their new command trait Staunch Defender, which adds 1 to any save rolls to any unit within 6" from your general (if not charging) and combining it with Lord Castellant skill on a 15-20 men unit of Liberators will make your 300/400 points Battlelines unkillable; with shields their saves shall be at 2+ with rerolling 1's.

    So be it, but many players begun to grumble about that, and with reasons; so unless I'm playing against Tzeentch or an equal I started to use Vanguard Chamber in the majority of my matches, avoiding Staunch Defender (that's quite un-thematic for an army that rely on speed and ambushes) and using Aefirin, my Lord Aquilor, as general.

   That helps you to change quite a lot your playing style, too; the classic Warrior Chamber set-up was becoming boring, really powerful but boring. This is one of the things I love more in Stormcast: they are unyielding warriors but they have a very yielding way to wage war, able to adapt to each situation on the tabletop very easily.

    Ok... but this is not a tactical corner, although I always love to chat about that, so straight on to the painting tutorial for him, Lord Aquilor, a striking model and a real beast on the battlefield!

Showcase Me!: Stormcast Eternals Vanguard Palladors

- From the Darknest night shall rise the Raven, shall take flight in the shadows, shall reveal the nature of its kind.

Prepare yourself for its coming, for the faithful shall be elevated to take flight with the Raven, the rest be forgotten to walk upon the ground, clipped wings and shame.

- Prophecy of the Raven God, World of Warcraft

   Ok... they are not Anzu's copies but you have to admit they're quite similar. To be honest, the very first time I got to see their pictures I suffered a throwback to the days I was playing WoW. So I took some inspiration from those times and made my Palladors blue-ish, which perfectly fits to my Stormcast main scheme and, in the result, are very similar to my first attempt on the first Gryph-hound I painted.

   I am not sure about their Temple's name and history but I have already a full storyline for their chamber, Auxiliary Vanguard "Epoch Hounds". You can always check this page if you are interested in some background hints about my whole stotmhost, Guardians of the Ages, and here for a dedicated Vanguard Chamber's background.

   Let's waste no more time and get straight to the paintjob!

Showcase me!: Stormcast Eternals Vanguard-Raptors (Longstrike CB)

   -Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

-Sun Tzu, The Art of War

   Good morning Mortal Realms!

  There were hard times here in the Chamber (at least for me)... in the last 3 weeks, because of this mortal coil, I decided to change gaming club and store, moving to a new and very crowded one in Florence and I spent a LOT of time and energy meeting new players, playing games with them, exchanging painting thoughts and stuff, just to be, as soon as possible, part of the new community I discovered.

   This, alongside my job and family, kept me away from my painting table... but not for long. Recently Sigmar reforged me as one of his Knight-Painters, even I hadn't noticed it, in a manner of speaking, and tasked me to paint a new chamber. 

   So welcome aboard on one of the last Stormcast painting journey. Guardians of the Ages have a new Auxiliary Chamber, Vanguard Epoch Hounds, here the first little post, showcases Vanguard Raptors, more to come!

Showcase me!: Extremis Chamber Dracothian Guard (Desolators)

  - "Fight, Stormcasts!," Grymn snarled. "Only the faithful shall be victorius. Only the faithful shall see the spires of Sigmaron again. Fight, Fight! Fight!"

-Lord Castellant Lorrus Grymn, inciting Hallowed Knights

The Realmgate Wars - Ghal Maraz

   Hey folks!

   Just want to share with you my freshly painted Dracothian Guard Desolators, they are Guardians of the Ages' finest, as they serve among ranks of Time Templars, the stormhost only operative Extremis Chamber.

   Led in battle by Lord Celestant Aefandrun, they are a force both brutal and divine, the true retribution of the Heavens.

How i did it: Lord Celestant on Dracoth

   - You are my avengers! You are all, each one, warriors who cursed chaos with your last breath! Who called upon me for strenght, not salvation. Strenght! And I answered.

Sigmar addressing Celestial Vindicators

The Realmgate Wars - Storm of Blades

   My personal journey through Stormcast Eternals' dimension go on, reading books, playing tournaments, writing background stories and, of course, painting them. Painting the Guardians of The Ages, my custom stormhost. 

   These are very good times for them; these very days their second Battletome will come out, and many new models are about to join the fray, and the battle for the Mortal Realms, such as the Vanguard Hunters. I'm already planning a new Chamber, but first I wanted to finish the Extremis one, so I bought my first two Dracothian Guards and painted them in few days: tomorrow I'll have the second box of them and, waiting to find enough inspiration for the Stardrake, I'll surely hurl them on the tabletop in my never-ending campaign against a friend of mine who plays the Bloodbound.

   So I decided to share with you a brief tutorial about Guardians' dracoths. Soon we'll move forward to the new range so the time is right.

Showcase me!: Stormcast Eternals Errant-Questor

 -As he fought Theodrus spoke the names of his kith and kin, every man, woman and child amongst them. He let it steel him, his desire to avenge them keener than any sword [...] 

"Avenge them!" he cried, tears of grief and hate filling his eyes, unseen behind his impassive mask. "Avenge them!" 

  No amount of retribution would ever be enough, but on he slew.

The Realmgate Wars - War Storm

   Hi everybody, friends! I just finished painting my brand-new Errant-Questor and i really want to share him with you. This model has inspired me a lot, not for being a Warhammer World exclusive, nor because he's called "Errant" (who does not love a knight errant, come on), not for having a MASSIVE runeblade in his own hands or for the awesome rules... Actually it's just for the fact that he's got a face!

   A. Face. Not an helmet.

  

  Ok, let's go to the paintjob. I named him Rugard (of) Outerland, the Minstrel-knight, and he is going to be the most epic of all Guardians of the Ages (for now)!

hush, he's got head, just go on

Background Backdoor: Guardians of The Ages

  - Among my people, when I had a people, it was said that a man who had never felt fear was one who had never truly lived. [...] The fear of starvation, of daemons in the night. The fear of pain, as your enemy's blade draws close. The fear of... surviving, where others died. -

Zephacleas

  I paint models only after deciding who they are, where they come from, which battles they have won and how, and which ones they've lost and why. Sometimes I create traditions, history, words with particular meanings and more... I know that many of us do the same, making wonderful backgrounds for our battles and campaigns on the tabletop. Well, this is our corner!

   In this occasion we are going to see how, and why, a human tribe lost millennia ago in the waves of time, the Aefar, has been chosen by Sigmar himself to become a powerful Stormhost. Named Guardians of The Ages, they bear a strange bond with an ancient Realmgate: the Chrono Gate of Hysh, ultimately a Time's threshold.

Aefandrun Bear of Esca, Time Templars Lord-Celestant, with Veive, his merciless dracoth

 

Ludicrous Speed: Stormcast Gryph-hound

   

- I'll be there for you.

K-2SO

  It's been a while since the last time but our speed painted corner is here again, more important than ever! We all want to have painted minis on our tabletops and battlefields so better to know few tricks to make all the easier, when we're struggling for a good looking force but ain't aiming to win a Golden Demon with them!

   So, it's time for a ludicrous speed post for a ludicrous speed painted miniature; in the planned Guardians of The Ages army we've got on the desk a well known model of last generation, made for the first time in Warhammer Quest's Silver Tower and then put aside Lord Castellant and Veritant as loyal and mindful companion: Gryph-hound!

How i did it: Knight-Venator

   -Do you want me to take him down, or would you rather send in more guys for him to beat up?

Clint Barton

   I learned to fear Knight-Venators during last local tournament i played for him has been able to took me down general in the blink of an eye; but venators are not only really dangerous attacking, they have survive ability having major movement capacities, a very good armor (saving 3+) and a huge starring air that can lead your opponent into the deepest annoyance (especially after killing you general in just-one-shot)

   Oh well, it is not a tactical corner anyway, but i think i was going to explain why i decided to add a sort of dashboard moving puppet, you know, ones with those quivering big heads atop of small springs, 'cause he's massively fragile. Personally i don't like wings' sculpt so much but his unequivocal power on the battlefield moved me over. After all i'm a player too.

   In this post we'll have a brief wings' tutorial, where we'll see how to make blue-metal shades in just-one-shot (or almost), exactly the same manner he teared down my general, BOOOM! For the making of the armour, weathering and in general for a more complete stormcast eternals tutorial i refer you to this page, where i laid the foundations of the color scheme and overall look of the entire army, Guardians of The Ages.

How i did it: Stormcast Eternals Liberators

   

   -This is where we hold them! This is where we fight! This is where they die!

-King Leonidas

   OOOOK! I'm really excited about this... my latest project, lasted about two months, involved Stormcast Eternals, as you can easily argue by the picture, and has been something heroic; 47 models in less than, actually, 30 days in one of the most intensive time of the whole year for my business but, believe me, i've been boosted by them, Stormcasts. Although i was sceptic in first instance at the time they've been made (by and large 1 year ago, maybe few months more, am i wrong?) i had to think again and get back on my steps because, whatever shall be the angle through you are going to see them, or evaluate them, they're going to be EPIC. They are epic to paint, imagine, built, play.

    

   You can think of them as mighty Riders of the Storm and get back to teen's (although would be better the "on" version ;P) or have them in full cinematic stance, just childish when you are going to crush ANY opponent on the table top, or dramatic as anything else, as they descend from heavens on a desperate world to fight horrors, eternally. 

    So... i'm very proud to present you the Guardians of The Ages, my personal and custom Stormhost that, as you'll can see in the future lurking the blog, have been actually caught somewhere in time and picked up from a distant age by Sigmar himself to better serve in the raging war against Chaos.

    

   However in this post we'll talking of the making of them, not their background; in particular we'll see how to make Liberators, exploring metal-shade-armours, non conventional battle-damaged shields, fast but effective basing using powders alongside the old classical and brown worn-out leather. Let's start!

Elke's Temple Liberators with Sigmarite Shields and Warhammers