Return of the Video Battle Report

Hey guys, Huron here, how is it going? Well I have a special treat for you today, the return of my Video Battle Reports. It is all thanks to the program pictured on the left, Pinnacle Studio 14 HD.

You may remember that I got a new computer back in May after both of my old machines did in Feb. Well my new machine is 64 bit and runs window 7 and I have been unable to find a free video editing program that would both work on the 64 bit machine and work with the Mpeg 4 videos my camera records. So this weekend I broke down an purchased Pinnacle Studio 14 HD.

I have to admit that I am still learning the ins and outs of the new software, so this video is a bit rough. I promise the quality will improve as time goes on.

So the video I have for you today features Mike Johnson, one of my regular opponents from my previous video series. Mike and I are throwing down in a knock'em, sock'em, 2500pt game for the top spot of the challenge pyramid and if Mike wins, Mike's 4th defense and his becoming the first Pyramid champion. Mike and I fought this game back in May and luckily I still had the footage to share with you. Enjoy.



Well that is it for today, I hope you enjoyed the battle report. I am going to try to dig up some other old footage I have kicking around from battles past (Maybe even some Adepticon footage if I can find the source). See you guys again soon.

I need a good Exterminator...

Hey guys, Huron here, as promised I have a new battle report for you featuring the new Tyranids played by a new opponent, David Johnson. David it the younger brother of my regular opponent and chaos nemesis Mike. This army features no less then 5 of the new big bugs, 3 Trygon Primes and 2 Tervigons, plus and upgraded Hive tyrant and 2 units of 2 of the new you can't hide from me tryant guard. Enjoy!



Wow that was a close game and I learned a new tactic with Khan. Hit and Running out of combat allowed me to contest the objective on his side, I will have to remember that one.

Until next time.

HAPPY FRIDAY... with Snow!

Hey guys, Happy Friday. Well for all you North Easterners (is Virginia really North East?) you and I share something in common today, snow, snow, snow. While it might not have started for you yet good chances are by sometime tomorrow you will be sharing in the down poor. Weather forecasters are calling for 18" to 2 Feet in my area between now and Saturday night. Well I was supposed to be at a 40K tournament this weekend, guess I am going to be painting instead (look for the fruits of my labors Sat or Sun.).

So today I have a treat for you. Another battle report with my good friend Nix from Dead Tau Project. Both or us are using our most tweaked version of our 1850pt tournament lists yet. Oh, and there is a surprise ending.

Check it out!

The New Tyranids, Battle Report

Hey guys, Huron here. Well I have a short Battle Report for you today featuring my Howling Griffons facing off vs the new Tyranids. This isn't the best report I have ever posted (I forgot to record turn 1 for example) but should give you a feel for the tweaks I have made to my basic list to face the new bugs and to play, as fritz says, in the future. More on that next week.

I really think the new bugs and the rumors for the new BA Codex really shed the light on GWs plan for the future of 40K. Until recently I was a whole sale believer in rampent codex creep, however I am starting to see a trend of tougher, more dynamic codex that allow those "Wow" moments that happens sometimes in 40K to happen more frequently. You know, that turn that the lone guardsmen faces down a whole unit of Dark Eldar Wyches, kills one, and then manages to run them down when they break.

I think GW is pushing the power of the books to amp up our games and you know what, I have started to really become a fan of that. Sure it means meaner, nastier armies. But wait 2 years, everyone will have a new book or most of us will, and every game with end with a story to tell.

Oh yeah, sorry I got distracted, here is the battle:



Hope you enjoyed it. Catch you next time.

Tuesday Tut... Battle Report?

Hey guys, Huron here again. I know, I missed last week, I am a lazy git, but I have an excuse. As my last post said I was sick all week 2 weeks ago. Well tests are in and there is a whole mess of little things wrong but its official, I have Diabetes. The good news is it only is type 2, which is treatable and in the long run I may be able to cure it through diet and exercise. Bad news, I need to start medication to regulate it amongst other things and I can no longer eat all the delicious sugary goodies I love so dear.

But enough with the depressing stuff. I recorded a Tutorial for today but upon viewing the finished product I was unhappy with some of the camera angels and so need to reshoot. So instead of a tutorial today please except this humble battle report instead.

Battle Report 8 features my Howling Griffons pitted against one of my Arch Nemesis Mike's Chaos Marines. This is a Challenge Pyramid game and if Mike wins he gets his second defense. If I win I knock him from the top and take his place. Good stuff.

Enjoy the battle.



GAH! Another defeat. I just don't know what do you against those wily Plague Marines. While yes I could change my army up completely and use something different to pound some face, then it really wouldn't be my army anymore would it?

See you guys next time.

Happy Friday!

Hey guys Huron here, Happy Friday. Well as promised Fridays in 2010 bring you a variety of possibilities. Today I have a new battle report for you featuring Nix of the Dead Tau Project. Nix and I have been playing a lot lately and I am sure you can expect our games to only escalate now that he has pledged to play a lot more games in 2010 and up is expertise with the Eldar, a task he has already accomplished 10 fold in the last few months, I shutter to think of his effectiveness with them this time next year.

Enough talk, on to the game:





There you have it, a close game verse the Eldar, I suspect soon Bill with be changing the name of his army to the Dead Howling Griffon Project as his skill level keeps getting higher.

Well guys, let me know what you thought about the game and I will see you again on Tuesday for Tutorial Tuesday with How to Paint Howling Griffons part 3.

First Battles of 2010, now in HD

Hey guys, Huron here. I hope you all had a fun and safe New Years celebration. I had a good time but have to admit I was quite hung over on the 1st which is weird as I quit drinking early. I blame the Absinthe. Anyways, January 2nd saw me playing in the first of many tournaments I will be participating in over the next several months, the Iron Fist League 4th Quarter/End of the year 40k tournament which was originally supposed to happen back on the 19th but was snowed out.

I have to say, though I only managed to tie all 3 games, I had a blast (though I could have used less Eldrad in 2 of my 3 games, sigh). The Griffons preformed fairly well and though I am convinced my basic tactics are solid I still think the army needs some tweaking. Fritz's recent Youtube post about thinking and playing in the future has really got me thinking so expect some new things from me in the near future relating to that.

But on to the coverage. Below you will find 4 Youtube videos. The first 3 are some intro coverage and Battle Reports for games 1, 2, and 3, for me. The 4th video is the tournament results and some after tournaments thoughts I recorded this morning. Check it out and let me know what you think.









So after recording the aftermath while I was uploading things I went around and checked out some other blogs and youtube posts. As I said before, Fritz's Youtube post about playing in the future really got me thinking and I expect it will cause me to change the armament of my tactical units some what. Right now I am looking at making them a bit more versital and may very well be mixing in some flamers in the near future, but more on that in a future post.

For now, you have my first Tuesday Tutorials in 2010 to look forward to tomorrow. I will be posting part 2 of my How to Paint Howling Griffons series, which like the rest of my videos have gone HD. I will be discussing the inital steps in painting the yellows and depending on how long the video is, as I still have to edit the raw footage, painting the base coats of the red and applying the first wash.

See you guys tomorrow.

Battle Report 5, vs Chris T's Ultramarines

Hey guys, Huron here. Time for another battle report, but first...

The year is ending fast with only 2 more days left (including today). Check out my blog tomorrow for a video about what is to come using my new HD Camera and find out about my gaming resolutions for the new year. 2010 is going to be a busy year for me as I shoot for 150+ blog entries during the course of the year. The majority of this massive number of posts will be taken up by 2 regular weekly features. First, Tutorial Tuesday will feature a new tutorial every Tuesday in 2010. I will be covering all sort of topics from how I paint various things like my How to Paint Howling Griffons series which is what I will be starting with to more focused tutorials on things like weathering models and applying decals. I have already laid out the plans for one such article which is going to focus entirely on Rust.

On Fridays you will be getting a 2010 weekly update video, where I will share what projects I am working on, talk out plans for the future, and share with you the Battle reports that have already become a key part of my blog. The rest of the time expect army lists, discussion topics, battle plans, tournament reports, and a whole slew of other things to be added as 2010 goes on. It is going to be a good year.

But lets talk Battle Report. Chris is probably my oldest 40K Nemesis. We started playing against each other back in 2000 and the rivalry between his Ultramarines an my Chaos is legendary. We have played several mini campaigns and story archs over the years that have effected the background and story of our two armies. Chris is the ultimate 40K collector and over the last 10 years has collected and painted many 40K armies but nothing compares to his Ultramarines Army. He owns the full Chapter, all the marines, all the vehicles, all the way down to 3 FW Thunderhawks. And the craziest part of all of it is that everything is painted. Chris is the only gamer I have ever known that who can just paint and paint and paint and get stuff done. Chris can crank out great looking minis in an amazingly short amount of time. While probably not a Golden Daemon level paint job (though he can paint to that level if he chooses), his models are very detailed and painted to an very high table top or better standard. If I can ever get him to start blogging regularly I will be pointing out his blog to all of you pretty quickly. But enough talk, time to get fighting.

Howling Griffons vs Ultramarines, part 1


Howling Griffons vs Ultramarines, part 2



Okay guys, well that is it for tonight. Check back tomorrow for at glimpse of what 2010 holds for the Blood and Blades!

Until next time...

Happy Holidays!

Hey guys, Huron here. Happy Holidays to all. Whether you celebrate Christmas like me, Hanukkah, or any other holiday this season I hope you get all the GW goodies you asked for and desire.

I have a special Blood and Blades Blog post for you today. I have a battle report between my nearly finalized Howling Griffons army and Nix from The Dead Tau project and his nicely painted Eldar army. I have the first pics of a new project I have just started working on, a new Eldar Exodite army inspired by some of the other great bloggers in the community like Akenseth over @ Path of the Exodite and Gepostet over @ The Path of the Outcast. Fritz and his Saim-hann definitely had a hand as well. This will be the first big project for me in 2010 after I finish up my Howling Griffons. On top of all of that, this is post number 50 here on Blood and Blades and we look at the humble start and some of the things I have planned for the new year.

First up is Battle Report 4 vs Nix from The Dead Tau Project. Nix's Eldar are really is nicely coverted and painted and he and I have been playing quite a bit lately. He is strongly responsible for me heavily refining the tactics for my Howling Griffons lately and taking the army from the rough starting point it was at back in November to where it is now. Thanks man for all your help! Additionally, a very interesting matter comes up toward the end of this video which is just one of those situation that sometimes happens in 40K that makes you go Hmmm? How does that work? Fritz (and everyone else), we require you Eldar expertise for this one! Let me know if you got an answer or if you have a different opinion then what we came up with.

Exodites! Thats right, I have started a new project, Eldar Exodites. For those that do not know the Exodites are the survivors of the Fall of the Eldar who saw the end coming and left to form colonies on worlds through out the universe on various worlds with webgates. They are the distant cousins of the Craftworld Eldar with all the knowledge technology of the ancients but who decide to for go it for a simpler life style.

Another cool feature are the Dragon Knights, Warriors who defend their world from the backs of raptor like dinosaurs and other beast. These Dragon Knights make perfect stands in for Jet Biker. The current mostly plastic Dark Elf, Lizardmen, and Eldar armies makes converting one of these armies both cost effective and fairly simple compared to the past. Here are a few pics of the first converted models for my army.

Farseer on Jetbike

Dire Avengers

Warlock and Storm Guardian

POST #50! So the beginning of last year I started hearing about a community of gamers that was beginning to form on the web. I followed a few people around to various sites and read their blogs which in the end lead me to Ron and From the Warp. A few days later after playing around with Blogspot, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop Blood and Blades was born and I had joined the FTW blog ring and the greater blogging community. I at first planned to just post pics of my models, maybe a battle report or two, and some project ideas I had bouncing around my head. Now I am posting Video Battle reports and tutorials, army lists and tactics, and have 47 other people who follow what I say and care about what I think, crazy!

2010 is going to see a big expansion of my blog. More tutorials, some gaming guides, and lots of battle reports are in the future, along with a video project log. New better quality videos, thanks a new camera capable of recording HD Videos has been obtained. I am also planning to pic an HD capable webcam in the near future and some higher grade editing software.

2010 is just around the corner and with it comes the plans of traveling a good deal this year to many tournaments and events and maybe running a few myself. I will be providing complete coverage of all of them for you to enjoy. 11 Months down and 50 post in. Lets see if I can triple that in 2010.

Well that is it for now. Happy Holidays again! See you in the new year!

Battle Report 3, Rematch vs Mike's Chaos + Howling Griffons Update!

Hey guys, Huron here again. It has been a while since my last battle report so I thought I would share another with you. This game is against my same opponent from the last battle report, Mike Johnson. Mike, me, and several of the other regulars at the GW Sugarland store in Sterling, VA are involved in a Challenge Pyramid. Mike is currently at the top and I am on the second tier trying to knock him off and down to the bottom so Mike and I have played a few games recently.

I have been working on fine tuning my Howling Griffons for tournament play so I have been experimenting with alternate list and different unit choices in my army. I think I have pretty much settled on the core of this build. Current I am using:

HQ
160pts Kar'sarro Khan

TROOPS
185pts (10) Tactical Marines - Combi-Meltagun, Meltagun, Multimelta
050pts Dedicated Transport: Rhino - Extra Armor

185pts (10) Tactical Marines - Combi-Meltagun, Meltagun, Multimelta
050pts Dedicated Transport: Rhino - Extra Armor

185pts (10) Tactical Marines - Combi-Meltagun, Meltagun, Missile Launcher
050pts Dedicated Transport: Rhino - Extra Armor

ELITES
240pts (6) Assault Terminators
260pts Landraider Crusader - Multimelta

That comes out to 1,365pts. What I have been struggling with is what to fill out the rest of the army with. I have tried a variety of things including Assault Squads, Bike Squads, Attack Bike Squads, and all sorts of Heavy Support vehicles. I am about 80% settled on a 10 man Assault squad with a Powerfist and Flamer as they can be a really strong choice when outflanking. Not sure just yet but right now it is a good bet they will end up in the army.

In this Battle Report, I use the above core build plus I decided to go a bit Assault Heavy adding in the 10 man Assault Squad with Jump Packs mentioned above, another 10 Man Assault Squad in a Rhino, and 6 Bikers with Meltaguns, Powerfist, and an Attack Bike with Multimelta. I hope you enjoy the Video.



Yeah, not my best strategy. I should have deployed something so I could contested one of those objectives til the rest of my army arrived. I have since changed my list to encourage just that but more on that in a future post. Expect another report soon vs Nix of The Dead Tau Project as we have a challenge game coming up. Also for those you waiting for Part 2 of my How to Paint: Howling Griffons series have no fear, Part 2 is just around the corner.

Until next time.