Ash Wastes Weekend After-Action Report Part 1

 This past weekend 12 of us got together to play a weekend-long Necromunda campaign.  We had people from 4 different states come together and play a minimum of 6 games each over three days.  It turned out really well and all of us got along quite well even though everyone hadn't even met everyone else before.

A big shoutout to Farmer Joe for putting everything together!  It was a fantastic idea and it was a really well-run event!

I was going to take some video as well as photos of the whole event but I really wasn't sure how to go about it and I really wasn't too excited to actually cover the event using video.  Myself and my good friend Eth are trying to start up a YouTube channel and one idea was to take some footage of the event for the channel.  I ended up with some footage of one game I played and video of each gang's display board.  Once we have some good video and I have time to do some editing the YouTube channel will go live and I will link to it from this blog.

Now that the event is over I actually have a good idea of how I would have covered it and I am now excited to actually cover an event with video in the future.  I think I would have done a video walkthrough on each day stopping at each game as it was being played and zoom around the battlefield I also would have interviewed each participant, provided they would have been ok with that.  Next time...

So let me first start my coverage with a picture of my finished gang that I brought to the event on its display board.

In the packet behind my display board is the story of my gang along with the list of fighters and vehicles and the reserve fighters that I could recruit as the campaign goes along in theory.  I never hired any of the reserves mainly because I didn't have time to finish painting them before the event.  I brought them with along with paints and tried finishing them Friday night but I was just burned out and never finished painting them.  Here is the gang list:

I grouped the vehicle crew with the rest of the gangers and I put the vehicles in a separate section just for organizational purposes even though the vehicles and crew are all a part of the extra 400 credit allowance for vehicles.

I have set up a spot in my basement to take pictures of miniatures and I am still working on getting it right but here are some pics of my gang from my new photo taking spot.

This is from Game 3 but I thought it showed off the Boom Wagon pretty well.

Bubba Zanetti

May Swaisey

Charlie and Scrooloose

Sprog

The Night Rider

The Twins

The Toe Stubber

Vinny The Fixer

Wolf Quad

Here are some pictures of the other gangs:

Ash Wastes Nomads

Chaos Helots

Enforcers

House Ulanti Outcasts

Orlocks

Orlocks

Outcast Gang

Squats

Another picture of the Squat Gang

Van Saar

Venerators

This post has become a lot longer than I thought it would so I am cutting it off here.  Next time I will have battle Reports and hopefully video links.

Until then......

The Toe Stubber Story Part 3 and WIP pics of the Boom Wagon and Display Board

 

The Caravan that changed everything

 

One day while they were all gathered in their hideout outside of Cinderak city, which was a network of caves in some tall rock formations just to the east of Cinderak city they heard and felt the ground rumble.  Their spotters spotted some large vehicles heading their way. 

This was going to be a very lucrative raid.  This was what the Night Rider’s gang did: they ambushed caravans and stole whatever was valuable. 

They all mounted up, a fairly large motorcycle gang, and zoomed down the side of the hills to confront this caravan and steal anything they wanted.

As they got closer things started to look bad.  There was a very large vehicle that was clearly trying to be camouflaged as something other than a Baneblade, but that is exactly what it was: a Baneblade!  There were also various other Astra Militarum vehicles but none of them seemed to be very well taken care of, unlike how they Imperial Guard usually operated.

As they got closer they saw that some of these vehicles had strange sigils drawn or in some cases carved into them.  The Night Rider was beginning to have second thoughts but right before he was about to signal for them to turn around, the caravan spotted them and began firing.  The Night rider barely dodged a battle cannon shot which unfortunately took out a different biker in their gang.

It was all or nothing at this point.  The battle was joined.  This was what they were trained for, being pirates of the dune sea.  Tyleor leapt from his bike onto the top of a Leman Russ and ripped open the hatch, jumped inside and tore the head off the driver, he then dropped a grenade in his bloody pocket, emerged from the top hatch and jumped clear just before it blew!

The huge explosion blinded several of the biker gang as the tank exploded and Tyleor just was able to start seeing again after a few seconds when he saw something he had hoped he never would.  While the Night Rider’s biker gang were taking it to the caravan’s guardians they were also taking it from them.  Many of the Night Rider’s crew lain dead on the ground, the sand becoming red with all the blood.

Tyleor looked up and was not happy with what he saw.  This amount of death was something he truly hadn’t witnessed before.  He looked around trying to find the Night Rider and when he did spot him he screamed trying to warn him.  A chimera turret turned and shot the Night Rider’s bike, blasting the front wheel and sending the Night Rider flying through the air.  He landed hard on his head.

Tyleor ran over to his mentor and found that he was limp, not breathing and dead.  The Night Rider’s son came over and knelt next to Tyleor.  Tyleor was filled with a sudden rage and stood up and saw right in front of him the Baneblade; its turret turned to its left aiming at another of Tyleor’s friends, one of the Night Rider’s gang.  Tyleor jumped onto the top of the Baneblade and ripped the Heavy Stubber off its turret, opened the hatch and pumped round after round of high caliber shells into the crew compartment.  Screaming at the top of his lungs he then turned towards the Chimera that shot the Night Rider and fired into it until it exploded.

Shortly after the Chimera exploded the battle was over.  The remnants of the Night Rider’s gang had won the battle.  The cost was high.  Only May Swaisey, the blonde femm biker, Sprog the blue mohawked biker and the Night Rider’s son had survived.  The Night Rider’s son was kneeling next to his father and slowly took off the tusked helmet and swore to avenge his father’s death and make it mean something. 

Tyleor had the heavy stubber in his left hand and jumped down to ground.  He looked over at a wrecked Chimera and the back ramp was down and something sparkled inside.

He walked over to the Chimera, looked inside and saw a sheathed sword.  The scabbard had stylized runes that kind of looked like a skull drawn in blood.  It called to him.

Walking back to the three remaining gangers with a seemingly new found purpose he said, “We will not let their deaths be in vain.  We will scavenge what we can and make enough money to rebuild our forces and we will fight those in power who allow monsters like these to exist in the Ash Wastes or anywhere and those who have wronged us in the past will be punished.”

 The Tyleor’s eyes began to glow a dark fiery red and he then raised up his Heavy Stubber in one hand and his newly found sword in the other.  The sword glowed with an earie light and appeared to bleed as he continued his speech.

“For we are the Night Rider’s Avengers, we are the Ash Roads’ Raiders and we will have vengeance and we will rule the Wastes for I am the Toe Stubber and I have the favor of the Gods!” 

Here are some WIP pictures of my gang on their WIP display board:

The bikers are emerging from a cave in the rocks.

Just the board waiting to be based and painted.

The BOOM Wagon in its almost final form:

I want to add a control panel inside the turret and also add a microphone to the Toe Stubber's pulpit so his voice can be amplified and carried across the wastes from the speakers on the back.

I still want to post my updated gang list and also finished pictures.  The finished pictures will probably have to wait until tomorrow but I want to get he gang list up here today.

Until then...

The Toe Stubber Story Part 2 and updated Pictures

 I was able to finish up the bases for the core of my gang last night.  I still want to make on foot versions of Sprog and May Swaisey.  I also am trying to paint up the reserve fighters.  

Today I am going to glue the basing materials to the reserve fighters and display board, build Sprog and May on foot and finish the BOOM Wagon.

Here is a picture of the finished gangers:

Here is the Origins of the Toe Stubber, Part 2:

Tyleor’s journey from Helhammer to Toe Stubber

 

Tyleor wandered the Ash Wastes for many weeks.  He found abandoned caravans and small oases and was able to survive off of little food and water and mostly off of a thirst for vengeance.

One day as he was stumbling through the Wastes he heard the sound of engines at first quiet and then getting louder and louder. He looked left and right and behind him and then eventually down and realized he was standing on what passed for a road or wide path in the Ash Wastes.  He looked off in the distance in front of him and saw great dust clouds billowing up and getting larger.  He realized they were moving towards him.

He moved off to the side of the path and sat down and after a few minutes three motorcycles roared up and stopped in front of him.

At first he thought perhaps Axion had sent out bounty hunter to make sure he was dead but then he realized these people we from the Ash Wastes.  The leader’s bike had spikes all over it with heads and skulls impaled on some of them.  He had a black steel helmet with big tusks and massive biceps.  He dismounted his bike and walked over to Tyleor. 

“Well what do we have here?” he said.

“Looks like something the Phyrr Cat threw up!” said the femm biker with long blonde hair still sitting on a bike.

The blonde biker and the other biker with a blue mohawk laughed.

“No…It looks like a Goliath.” Said the helmeted man.

“Looks like you could use some work.”

“I’ll find my own work,” said Tyleor.

Now it was time for the helmeted man to laugh.  “Out here?  There’s nothing for miles.”

“You are coming with us.” And with that the Helmeted man gestured to the blue mohawked man to help Tyleor to his feet.

“I’m the Night Rider and you are now working for me.” The helmeted man said and he got back on his bike and all of them, with Tyleor on the back of the mohawked man’s bike, rode off down the road.

Several years passed with Tyleor in the Night Rider’s gang.  The Night Rider taught Tyleor how to survive in the Ash Wastes and taught him new methods of combat and Tyleor taught the Night Rider about House Goliath and their methods of combat and their weapons and armor of choice. 

The Night Rider had a son whom warmed up to Tyleor immediately.  He was 16 years old when Tyleor was brought into the gang and he loved hearing tales of the Goliaths and of their armor and how their weapons were made and used.  The Night Rider’s son even found through traders at Cinderak City and other settlements several pieces of Goliath Armor and several Goliath-manufacture weapons and gave them as gifts to Tyleor after 5 years with the outlands gang.

Next time more pictures, more story and a gang list.

Until then....

The Origin Story of the Toe Stubber and his gang, Part 1

 

Origins of The Toe Stubber, Part 1

 

Three decades ago in the underhive one of House Goliath’s Minor Families lead by Forge Tyrant Axion Helhammer had a falling out with his brother. 

Tyleor Helhammer was always known as a hot head.  His brother Axion was much more level-headed and was thus hand picked by his father to lead the Goliath House Helhammer after his death.  Tyleor and Axion feuded a lot when they were younger and always to get their father’s favor. Axion eventually received his father’s favor and became the lead Forge Tyrant of house Helhammer after their father’s death. 

Tyleor was furious at what he saw as a betrayal of trust from his father whom always said that the next ruler of house Helhammer would be the one who was the most successful in generating income and in recruiting.  Tyleor had always been more successful than Axion and yet he was denied the position in the end.

Tyleor then challenged Axion and his forces for control of House Helhammer.  A war broke out between the two factions and Axion won because he had secretly made a deal with a faction of Delaque.  The Delaque provided toxins and assassins and eliminated Tyleor’s immediate subordinates and sowed confusion and fear among his followers.  After a bitter two year struggle Axion won and Tyleor’s forces had been all but eliminated. 

Tyleor couldn’t believe what had happened to his militia.  He had the superior numbers and the better field generals.  When he was caught and brought before Axion in chains, Axion told his inner circle to leave the room and leave the brothers alone.  Axion’s own inner circle knew nothing of the Delaque interference.  Axion revealed what had truly happened and why he had won the war and now why Tyleor had to die. 

Tyleor was furious and he was much larger and stronger than his brother, he was a brute of a Goliath  and he summoned all his strength and fury and broke his shackles and charged at Axion ready to strangle him.  Axion was ready for this and used some digital weapons on his fingers supplied by the Delaque to immobilize Tyleor. 

Axion could be a very cruel person when he wanted to be and he usually was able to shield this side of himself from others and even his father didn’t know this about him.  Axion then bound Tyleor and muzzled him and beat him to an inch of his life.  Axion had Tyleor’s bruised and broken body transported to the edge of Hive Primus and dumped into the Ash Wastes. 

Axion presumed Tyleor would die soon after this but luck was on his side and he endured.  Tyleor’s anger and lust for vengeance kept him alive and he struggled through many weeks in the Ash Wastes desert and slowly over time he rebuilt his forces.  He continues to rebuild his army to take back what he believed was wrongly taken from him and he keeps the secret of Axion’s alliance with the Delaque as a bargaining chip if he ever gets back to the hive.  One day he swears he will destroy Axion and get his revenge. 

Ash Wastes Weekend Day -3: painting continues

 I got a lot painted since the last post.

I have also had to shuffle around some models.  I was originally going to take a Fixer Hanger-on but I realized if I did that then I would only have 5 gangers and 2 champions and in an Outcast gang you must have 3 gangers for every one champion.  So I got rid of the Fixer and added a reserve fighter I had been working on, named Scrooloose.

Here some updated pics:  (I haven't finished the bases yet: they will be painted.)

The Toe Stubber (Leader)

Bubba Zanetti (Champion)

Charlie (Ganger)

Scrooloose (Ganger)

The Twins: Wez and Nux (Gangers)

The Night Rider (Champion)

Sprog (Ganger)

May Swaisey (Ganger)

Nixxo driving a Wolf Quad (Scum Racer)

Vinny the Fixer (Fixer, Hanger-On)

I still have to do the bases on the above models and I have to finish the BOOM Wagon.  I also want to try and make dismounted versions of Sprog and May Swaisey.  The Night Rider is always on his bike.

I have a number of other gangers and a champion in reserve and I hope to get them painted up and also a display base by Friday.  I know its a tall task but I think I can do it.  I can work really fast when need be.

I am working on the Origin Story of The Toe Stubber and his gang and I will share that here once its done.

I will also share the final roster once I get all of the credits figured out and double-check to make sure I built the gang correctly.  Building an Outcast Gang with Vehicles who are also Khorne Worshippers is a fairly complicated endeavor and I wouldn't recommend it to novices.

Anyways.  Until next time...