Models for the programme

by Curis on January 9, 2007 at 12:43 am
Posted In: Squats

Corr, New Year. The year that Warmaster Gorun’s Squat Legion will burst onto the tournament scene, like an overripe tomato. Not many updates as club time has been spent putting together some decent terrain (which matches my army’s basing scheme) instead of gaming.

I call it ‘low-ambition terrain’ because it’s not detailed and didn’t take too long to make. All the previous terrain projects the club has undertaken have run out of steam as they’re too complex (eg, modular Cityfight boards) leaving us with unfinished pieces on half-done boards. The other advantage of this terrain over the more elaborate approach is that it’s perfect for heavy-gaming.

Finished almost four squads of squats now, and it’s time some of them had their photos taken. I took these especially for the Wikipedia Squat entry which I hope to adopt. It’s a fairly small-scope project revamping the Squat entry, and it doesn’t get editted too often by the more opinionated.

I hope Batsquat will eventually evolve into a Squat resource rather than just an army blog eventually. It will grow in scope as my army grows in size.

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City of delusion

by Curis on January 8, 2007 at 11:55 pm
Posted In: Squats

The worst thing about squats is other people’s attempts to revive them. I don’t see my army as championing there cause – I’ve accepted that squats have no place in 40K and Workshop have moved on. I just so happen to own a lot of old models I really rather love. And I always construct my armies around a quirk or a very strong theme in order to give them a proper identity. I like making my armies unique, and making a guard army from squats almost guarantees that.

With my army I’ve been very careful to avoid using dwarf pieces. I think sticking a bolter on a dwarf is not only lazy, but also a fundamental misunderstanding of what squats were. They were space dwarfs, but never wore chainmail and shot space crossbows. It’s why I cringe when I see conversions like this:

However, occasionally someone does something right, and creates a modern day squat that proves the dwarf archetype still fits in the 40K Universe.

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Build god, then we’ll talk

by Curis on December 28, 2006 at 12:40 am
Posted In: Squats

First game for a number of weeks, I’ve been building some new terrain and doing all the faff that goes with Christmas. But this evening I fought Glenn’s Necrons, and lost (again). I largely attribute this to him taking a Monolith and the Deceiver, and then sneakily hiding a unit of warriors for the entire game so his army didn’t phase out and not on my own tactical decisions. Only lost by 140ish VP’s!

I’ve got a real feel for the army now, and the chimeras I’ve added really help lay down some firepower while sheltering my vulnerable infantry squads. I just feel a little bad for collecting and painting an entire squad for them only to spend the whole battle off the table where they cannot be feared or admired. Puts me off doing an entirely mechanised army.

Warmaster Gorun went up against the C’tan in combat, sporting his shiny new refractor field. I was so glad I got it when the God’s five attacks only resulted in one wound, and was prepared to 5+ it away until Glenn pointed out you don’t get any invulnerables. ‘Oh well’ I though, ‘Gorun will just get back up with his bionics just like Glenn’s entire damned army has been doing all game’, until Glenn pointed out that bionics don’t help either. I hate the Necron list’s slew of alterations, exemptions and errata to previous rules. The Monolith has so many rules that when they’re fielded it is its own separate games system.

But it was a great game nonetheless. Might add some ratlings if I have the face the Deceiver again.

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BATSQUAT!

by Curis on December 13, 2006 at 3:36 pm
Posted In: Squats

POW! SMASH! FLAP! GRIN! BATSQUAT!! The beastie this blog is named after. Half bat – half squat. Now fully-painted, awaiting his cronies (claw-lad, tentacle-head …).

BATSQUAT!

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Motorhead

by Curis on December 10, 2006 at 10:14 pm
Posted In: Squats

No games last week, just some Space Munchkin 1 & 2. Shame as I’d brought my army and hastily half-assembled my Chimera.

Not much development at the moment, just some nice evenings in painting. Almost got three squads done now, and having a fully-painted 1500 force looks to be a reality that isn’t that far off.

Oval bases! I got these from a PVC Transformers figure and they’re perfect for my bikers. I didn’t want to use cavalry bases as they were square, and everyhting else in my army will be based on round. But they only bases big enough to put my bikers on are the 60mm round, and then they’re impossibhle to get into combat and take up too much space on the table. It does help against blast weapons though. Oval are great as there’s no extraneous space around the sides, and they’re round(ish). Just got to find seven more now.

Hoping to start playing with a 500 pt force for next year’s doubles tournament, probably with Matt’s Eldar (or more likely his Night Lords).

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