So it’s coming to the end of the year, so here is just a little selection of things I’ve done.
What have other people got up to?
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PhotoRoom is free app that allows you to scrub the background out of all your pics, which is my biggest photo issue - you can pay for lots of extra photo editing tools and it removes the logo!
For those without a clue about picture editing (me!) this was an easy way to do a montage.
a monumental amount of work @Sceleris . well done. I’ve been stretching my wings this year somewhat, in the hope of getting more gametime with my painted armies, dipping my toes into more Historical war Gaaming, (Although I guess I already started down that road with my Herd army. ) So I’ve done a load of troop heavy units for various armies such as my Romans, Britons, and Vikings, whereas , you have managed to get a load of cool monster type units to paint. Some great choices.
Wonderful idea! I reposted everything on my blog, to be found here:
Well, seeing as I’m unlikely to finish anything else before the close of 2023
A slow year, though I only got back to my Nightstalkers near the latter half. I’ve managed to strip, paint and rebase
3 Regiments of Scarecrows
1 Regiment of Butchers
1 Troop of Shadowhounds
1 Troop of Reapers
1 Terror
1 Shade
1 Horror
At least I managed to finish all the little steamboats for my Dwarf Armada Fleet
My own 2023 painting has been more focused on Historic forces, than truely Mantic armies, and through no fault of Mantic, to be fair. In order to be as flexible to the whims of my fellow gamers, i’ve tried to make armies that are based in such a manner to be flexible to multiple gaming options. This plan sounds easier than it actually was, and I’m not sure how much was gained by it, so late in 2023 I redifined some of these historic armies and went with “this one willl mainly be Kings of War, this one Hail Ceasar, this one Warhammer…” and based acvordingly.
My Mantic problem is not in leaping in and painting a new army, or adding t the ones I already have. It is getting someone to play Kings of War nearby. My poor Free Dwarfs have yet to bleed on the battlefield, and I love those badger riders! Generally, i love all things badger, and add dwarves to that and berserker dwarfs at that, what’s not to like?"
However, the local gamers are divided into three Firstly 40kers who seemingly never actually play, which i found out the hard way when i landed in after spending an afternoon mending enough Orks for a game of 2000pts to drive for an hour and then have my oponent just not show up, and a text reply to say he decided to stay home and paint…grrrr
The second option is no better. These are the ones who got me back painting and modelling something other than Orcs or Orks , but after painting away through Covid waiting for a chance to play, after one battle, they declared, "Nahhh i don’t like those rules, I prefer 5th edition Warhammer, and all the cheesy inequality that went with it that meant that my two armies of choice Orcs and Goblins and Dwarfs (Free Dwarfs but slow and no badgers) we inevitably going to get hammered repeatedly against Vampire Undead and dragon riding Elves .
So in 2023, i’ve managed to build a sizable force of Romans , a bulk up on Britons to add to my Herd army and also fight against the Romans, and a Viking army. Although I’ve yet to field any of them. I did get to play American Civil War Rebels against a mate’s Yankees, and hopefully, a game in the near future, and I got a game of Romans vs Carthage, but in epic so not my Romans, (still, it was nice to have a bit of craic and roll some dice. ) Both games were very enjoyable, but it’s hard to get enthusiastic about starting another army when i have armies i haven’t fielded. Nevertheless, I’ve played against myself and beaten me, or lost against me on plenty of occassions, although i might have cheated betimes) 
and I will end the year with a battle between my Northern Alliance army and my Goblins, each at about 2200 points , (although i could easily double that. ) 2000 points seems tiny, especially for the Northern Alliance,) I’ve still to grasp the changes in Northern Alliance since they added the ravens and got rid of the Huscarls. Can anyone explain them, please and thank you in
@Nav NA - army better than it was.
Clansmen (renamed Tribesmen) got me3 and are now actually worth taking. While they technically removed Huscarls, they still in effect exist as they are a limited upgrade to Tribesmen regiments, which basically gave them their old stats back.
Changes aren’t easy to spot simply through the Companion, so this should help.
Many thanks Scekeris. I’m guessing this can be sourced through the latest clash of Kings 2023, along with the Twilight Kin and a few other things that came out this year, that aren’t in the big red compendium that was supposed to add convinience so you didn’t have to lug a whole lot of other books about. Sniff , yeah right.,.did someone have a herd of bovines in here? I smell dung.
Yeah, this is from the Clash24 book - for NA it basically sets out the amendments they made to the list earlier in the year.
Odd! The Clash of Kings digital PDF version is the same price online as the printed version. Also, i see a 3rd edition was €40 now €9.99 under 3rd Edition Rulebook CLASSIC which doesn’t have the compendium, (n which case what is the difference to 2nd Edition?
Those 24" bows for the Pacl Hunters is a big difference , even with the Javelins being Piercing and Steady aim. It makes Tribesmen with bows a contester, especially in a game that usually hamstrings its long range attacks.
I decided to test out the new Northern Alliance rules, in a scrap between NA ( focusing mainly on the Human units , with a Frost Giant, one Bolt Thrower and an Ice Queen, oh and a Cavern Dweller and Ice Elementals added when I upgraded from 2000 to 2600. They played against my Goblins, with a very similar type of army with plenty of infantry hordes and legions and some toys too, After 4 turns, it isn’t looking good for the gobbos. The Northern Alliance get promoted to the next round where they face Free Dwarfs.
I’m generally very pleased with the upgraded Northern Alliance, and can understand both the marketting logic and the game logic behind the decision.
So much so, I’ve ordered another Northern Alliance army and a Pack Hunters Bow upgrade too to convert the Tribesmen into Bowmen. I’ve also ordered Ronaldo the Bard and another Dungeon Saga 3 models pack to use some of my Mantic points that are lying around, so it could be a couple more weeks before i see my new models. Given that the Clash of Kings 2023 is the same cost digitally as it is in hardback, I might order it digitally to save on Customs/postage . Thanks again @Sceleris
