To: The Honorable Lars von Sauken, Margrave of SudMark
Excellency:
New information has fallen into our hands re: the series of barn-burnings and livestock disappearances which have plagued the farmsteads of the southern SudMark over the last three weeks. A lone Goblin was found wandering lost under the eves of the Tulgey Wood yesterday and was taken by our men. Before it died, the miserable creature told us that it was a member of a raiding band led by an individual which goes by the name of Retchie Stinkfinger. Stinkfinger is apparently a member of the Dead Raven clan, that rabble who claim descent from the tribes of Greenskins our people drove out of the River Country a generation ago, and who yet bear a special hatred for the Baron von Refn and all our Volk.
We had, of course, hoped that the Dead Ravens had been more or less exterminated at the second battle of Bone Hill, but clearly we hoped for too much. The Dead Ravens have apparently spent the last few years rebuilding their numbers and finding new leaders, amoung them, obviously, this miscreant, Stinkfinger.
Stinkfinger is clearly a raider of some prodigious talent, for he has thusfar managed to slip through our listening posts undetected, and make his way safely back across the Black River without being marked by us, but we are working hard to pinpoint the paths he uses, and sooner or later his luck will run out.
We will get him yet.
Your Servant,
Hanzell Schnurrbart, Captain, Sudmark Rangers
So here are the compulsory 20 Gobbie Stickas needed to get Big Blackies horde street legal according to
Warhammer Armies.
They don't add many points to the horde, and they aren't of much tactical value, other than as a Fanatic Delivery System, but I like them. They've got character, I think. Next: Slanneshi Chaos Thugs! (And FOW German Grenadiers)
"Oi, dat was a good job findin' dis secret cave fing dat goes unda da rivva, Boss! Dem Rangas'll nevva figga out where we're commin' in from! Hee hee hee!"
Nice mix of nicely painted figures, they will fit in great with your growing army. As always love the little story. I get a plains war influence coming through.
ReplyDeleteAlso don't write off the lowly stikka, a unit of twenty can do quite a lot. Fanatics are good but sometimes it is good to let your opponent assume there are three fanatics in the unit when in reality you have spent the 90 points elsewhere.
Thanks Ernie! My Oldhammer campaign setting, which I'm going to write up here, someday, (I am, I tell you, I am!!!) was to an extent inspired by R.E. Howard's story Beyond the Black River, a tale set in the French-Indian War, but which he re-wrote as a Conan story when the Barbarian began to become his most popular character. (Why am I telling you this? You probably know all about it already.) Anyway, I enjoy mixing the genres.
DeleteI agree with mr Ernie. Stilkas are same BS as a human, yes their short bows lack range but as a vanguard they are quite effective.
ReplyDeleteIf they are charged and stand and shoot they will be doing so before your fanatics are triggered (most of the time) which could in itself cause a panic check, if not the fanatic will make soup out of whatever is left.
They're also quite good on warmachine guard duty.
Don't forget a Gobbo hero can take a real bow, not a big deal but it can be when he's carrying magic arrows especially if he launches a hail of doom. Nobody ever sees that one coming from a Gobbo :)
Your skin tones look good more to come hopefully
Thanks, yes I think I'm finally getting where I want to be with the unhealthy lime green skin you see in the old 3rd edition rulebook. If only I could get better at eyes and faces, now!
DeleteOkay, its not that I detest Stikkas, exactly, it's just I'm leery of their leadership 5, and their tendency to bolt at bad times and spread panic tests up and down my line. Their crummy short bows don't have much range, either. But they are cute and characterful, and to be fair to them, I have seen them make jaw-dropping, epic last stands against Beastmen and mounted Chaos Marauders. (5 gets rolled more often than you might think, as Settlers of Catan sometimes shows us.)
So I regret having offended the Stikka fans here via my hasty and judgemental statements regarding their combat value. I'll try to be sweeter next time.
I have fond memories of a unit of 15 or so Goblin spearmen holding up a similar number of Dwarf clansmen for a number of turns and even pushing them back once or twice - good old hatred kept them in the fight far longer than normal!
ReplyDeleteGreat work - love the Stinkfinga model and the story is, as always, an entertaining read.
Don't know if you've seen my reply to your comment on the Ruglud's Armoured Orcs I painted a while back - I have some spare troopers and some of the command models if you wanted them? If not there's a certain Mr Saturday who I think is also quite keen!
Yes, thank you very much, I'd love them for my Orky Halberdier regiment. To make it square, is there anything I can offer in trade? I have 3 hobgoblin figures, though I'm not sure they are ones you're looking for, and some Grenadier Nick Lund Orcs, mostly 2-handed weapon guys...lots of other orc/goblin stuff, too...
DeleteNick Lund stuff sounds good! I'll send you an email with what I've got.
Delete