THE 9TH

SCROLL
ISSUE #013 - January 2019

GOLDEN SWORD I RESULTS

HERBERT VON FARSBROTT’S MIGHTY COCKS

HOMEBREW SHOWCASE: DWARVES OF KEGIZ GAVEM

EDITOR’S NOTE

Happy New Year! One more year and one more edi- On that note, I should also mention that I have had
tion of the 9th Scroll. By now you will hopefully be a promotion. I am now a member of the Advisory
enjoying the awesomeness of the new DL book and Board. This is a little interesting for me and it most
just around the corner will be Gold Edition; another certainly is on the back of all the great content writ-
milestone in the 9th Age project. To see you through ers, Lectoring and Layout teams that have been work-
in the meantime, we have another 9th Scroll! ing with me on this 9th Scroll project! So a big thanks
to you guys for the continual effort you put in every
This month’s edition is jam-packed with 9th Age good- month. Furthermore, if you like what you see in the
ness! I really want to highlight the army showcase by scroll and think you could make it even better, shoot
Rene Toft. Without spoiling it too much, his Halfling me a PM on the forum if you have an idea for an arti-
Army is amazing! A great example of what you can cle (or a series of them). Also let me know what you
do with a lot of time, dedication (and probably a lot like/don’t like, and we can add more/less of these
of disposable cash). I really like to see armies which things in future editions.
use a lot of different miniature companies in a crea- w
tive way! While it is not possible for everyone to ac- Lastly, what have I been doing recently? Well I have
cumulate an army such as Rene’s, his is an example of continued taking names with my Highborn Elves. 6th
what can be achieved! Not only do we have our usual place and Best in Race at Aroscon, Denmark’s biggest
segments of hobby-goodness, but we also have more tournament and a decent showing in at a small tour-
competitions, a whole new Homebrew army, a num- nament in Bath, UK. I have also been working a lot
ber of tactics articles AND a statement of intent from on clearing my painting table, which is almost cleared
the Executive board. now (now I just have to get through the full drawer
below the table). Next on my list I want to build some
terrain for my new gaming table. Maybe I’ll take a
look through the Terrain Workshop articles from the
previous scrolls.

I have also been working on a Global Campaign which

will be based around the Community Engagement
articles from the last editions of the scroll. Hopefully
you will see some of your suggestions for units and
items etc. on the table soon. We hope to have this
ready for the next edition of the scroll!

Ill also leave you with Etheneus and his Christmas Ad-
vent Calendar. You can see his daily progress on his
blog and the finished product on the left.
https://www.the-ninth-age.com/index.php?-
thread/42664-etheneus-advent-calen-
dar/&pageNo=1

Layout and creation of the Scroll

Editor - Henry Peter Miller (henrypmiller)
Document Creation - Remy Manuel (cyprinus)

the 9th Age

website: www.the-ninth-age.com
email: scroll@the-ninth-age.com

Issue Date
January 2019

2
 CONTENTS

GOLDEN SWORD I RESULTS 04

HERBERT VON FARSBROTT’S

MIGHTY COCKS 10

ASK THE EXECUTIVE BOARD: 9TH AGE

MOVING FORWARD
20

SMITHF TACTICA: BREAKING THE STAND-OFF 24

HOBBY CORNER:
28
MAKING DYNAMIC BASES

CHRONICLES OF SIR BRESLIN

32
PART TWO

HOMEBREW SHOWCASE:
DWARVES OF KEGIZ GAVEM 36

ART CONTEST II - BEYOND

THE BATTLEFIELD 40

LITTLE JOES TERRAIN WORKSHOP:

RUINS AND FIELDS
42

BONDY VS THE ETC PART ONE:

IT BEGINS
47
3
GOLDEN SWORD I
RESULTS Article by Henrypmiller

Hello 9th Age community, this is Copenhagen calling! The Golden Sword Painting Competition stands to be a
regular addition to the 9th Age experience. Run by Karak Norn Clansmen, the inaugural 9th Age painting con-
test has now come to an end and we are delighted to share the results in the 9th Scroll! Aside from my bad
Eurovision jokes, here are the entries from the competition in which Contestants were asked to present their
Battle Standard Bearer (BSB) models:

Hombre de Mundo ▼ Benny ▼

LittleJoe ▼

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 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

JohanWeinberg ▼ Alf ▼

Ortwin ▼

mrmossevig ▼

5
GOLDEN SWORD I - RESULTS

FlyingScanian ▼ TheHoodedman ▼

Maurius ▼ zKoTTe ▼

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 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

Phaeoron ▼ Klexe ▼

As you can see there were some fantastic entries into

the Golden Sword, but we can only have a few win-
ners. The randomly drawn prize went to Alf who will
be receiving some Infernal Dwarf characters donated
by our sponsor Admiralty Miniatures.

An honorable mention must go firstly to Klexe who

came in 4th place with his remarkable Kingdom of
Equitaine BSB, with received 24 votes. Unfortunately,
there are no prizes for 4th place! ▶

7
GOLDEN SWORD I - RESULTS

Narrowly in third place with 25 votes, we have Han- With 26 votes was our second-place winner, Dal-
nesB and his mutated BSB. I am not 100% sure what iskhan with his Highborn Elf BSB. The model is quite
army this is used for, but it would stand out in both a outstanding in its highlights and detail. The scales and
Beast Herds or a Daemon Legions army. A nice con- gems are particularly finely detailed. The banner itself
version, paint job and most remarkably a great piece is another example of some great freehand. I particu-
of freehand on the banner. I also like the added touch larly like the classic retro banner image and the sym-
of the crows topping the banner. His prize was a “Des- metry of the towers and griffons is very impressive.
iccated Corpse of Ancient Times” provided also by Ad- He has also really gone to town with his colour wheel
miralty Miniatures. ▼ with contrasting colours. Daliskhan’s prize is 12 finely
sculpted “Vessels of Ancient times” also provided by
Admirality Miniatures. ▼

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 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

Our winner with a mighty 31 points is Manacerace and his Chosen BSB on Dark Steed. This banner bearer is
particularly impressive, again with a freehand banner. On one side we have “Mater Morbi” – The Mother of
Death (if my Latin classes have taught me anything) giving birth to a demon. On the reverse there is a crisscross
pattern in the shape of a demonic maw with many eyes. I particularly like the dark character of the model and
the weathered leathery look to the banner. It appears it has been made from some kind of skinned animal.
Very impressive. The first prize for Golden Sword I is 50€ store credit at Warcolours.com!

Congratulations to all our winners! All of us would like

to give thanks for all those who participated and a big
thank you to our sponsors Warcolours.com and Admi-
ralty Miniatures for their prize support!

Stay tuned for the next Golden Sword Competition in

the new year!

9
HERBERT VON FARSBROTT’S
MIGHTY COCKS Article by René Toft

Halflings. Why did it have to be halflings? I often ask myself that question. The easy answers are “Well, it
seemed like a good idea at the time” and “Nobody else had a halfling army.” But I think it was because of
the challenge it represented. Nobody had a halfling army for a reason. That, and the fact that I am a sucker
for the underdog story. Did I mention that I even played halflings in the local Blood Bowl league back in the
early 90’s? It was a bloody few seasons for the Hotdog Maniacs, but it was fun, and every goal was as good
as winning the game. But I digress.

Let me start at the beginning. The volution of an army

My name is René Toft and I have been collecting and Back in 2011 I had an idea. An Idea among my many
painting my halfling army since 2011. You have prob- army ideas and unpainted miniatures! It wasn’t a
ably already noticed the severity of my halfling ad- great idea, but an idea no less. I wanted to collect
diction. Because have no doubt, there is an addiction and paint an halfling army and play them as Empire,
lurking behind those friendly eyes. It is a dangerous which they technically are, since back in the day,
road to travel. Or at least, a time consuming and they were from a place called The Moot. This was a
expensive one. But you already know this, because province in the Empire of Man (this is of course all
who are we kidding? We would collect miniature pre ‘end of the world Age of Sigmar’ nonsense).
vacuum cleaners if we thought it would make for a I had searched the internet and it was very scarce
cool robot army. And you can even get an entire un- when it came to pictures of people with halfling ar-
dead halfling skeleton army. Yes, really. I so want that mies. And when they did the armies consisted of two
one too. things:

1) Old school purist who only had the old Games

Workshop Dogs of War “Lumpin Croops Halflings”
and the old citadel Empire halflings more or less.
Very little diversity.

2) Battle Forge halflings. They were more or less

the only active halfling unit producing company on
the market (not counting single miniatures). These
halflings are the classic halflings with pots and pans
for helmets, bellies out and half of them eating in-
stead of fighting.

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 ISSUE #012 - NOVEMBER 2018

In both cases there was room for improvement.

Nevertheless, I started collecting. Lumpin from
ebay and Battleforge online. Had I known then
what I know now about the explosion of min-
iature production led on by the power of Kick-
starter Campagins, I might just have waited
a couple of years, because boy did the land-
scape change big time. My first venture into
that world was Warploque Miniatures first
kickstarter on Ulule back in 2012. Here we had
fierce halflings with matching uniforms. I ab-
solutely loved them from the get-go. They had
archers, spearmen and swordsmen units. They
became the base of my army. These fit well as
my Heavy infantry with spears and hand weap-
on and shield. Those with bows are perfect
Light Infantry and Huntsmen.

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HERBERT VON FARSBROTT’S MIGHTY COCKS

The knights I found from White Knight’s Miniature Imperium. They were actually dwarves on ponies, but
the beard came off and voilá, Bob’s your uncle. Handgunners I made from some old-school Warhammer
40.000 ratling snipers which needed very little conversion before they look like badass Light infantry with
handguns. The old 4th edition warwagon makes for an excellent base for an Altar of Battle. Find some
torches, an altar, a book and some ornamental bits and you are good to go. For the Arcan Engine I basically
took the astronomer’s telescope tower top from the Warscryer Citadel model, put some wheels on it and
some animals in front of it. A steam tank was even easier as the old 4th edition Steam tank was sooo tiny
(one would say almost Hafling-sized) compared to today’s standards.
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 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

Now the Knights of the Sun Griffon were a bit more

of a challenge. I could buy a box of Games Workshop
Demigryphs and put some halflings on them, but the
scale would be way off. I needed something big, but
cute and I would probably have to do some sort of
converting. A trip to the local toy store fixed my first
problem, the mounts. The German plastic farm ani-
mal manufacture Schleich came to my rescue (Classic
– HPM). I found three geese that would fit my pur-
pose perfectly. And so the idea of the badass Geese-
Knights was born. A lot of bitz, greenstuff, sawing off
and reattaching legs and point later, and I had made
the first three “Demi-Geese.” Probably the unit I am
most proud off. There will be a few pictures of these
later on!

Over the years I have become a little more ambitious.

More Knights of the Sun Griffon, another Steam Tank
and a unit of plate armoured Imperial Guard.

Then I had the idea (another crazy idea) to make an

halfling empire knight army. Then the big search for
little folk on mounts began. Fortunately, some years
had passed since I began collecting and it was now a
candy shop of miniature overload. I settled with no
less than every signle miniature I could find. Now I
have goat riders, dodo riders and rooster riders. And
for the last year I have been converting a dog rid-
ing company as well. And this is beside the charac-
ters, some of which are riding on sheep among other
things. I brought my empire halfling knight army for
Giant Fanatic tournament in 2017 and got crushed.
But people really liked the army.

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HERBERT VON FARSBROTT’S MIGHTY COCKS

Now, before I get into painting and fluff, I have to tell

you about The Rules. I have 4 rules for building and
playing my halfling army.

1. Pimp it up!
2. Fun and fierce!
3. Action pose, please!
4. Every battle is a morale victory!

Pimp it up! Less is NEVER more. Less is less so act ac-

cordingly. If you have a chance to pimp your knights
up with crazy cool bits then you do it. Even if it is to
pimp up you halfling goat knights. They need to look
badass too.

Fun and fierce! Let’s face it. Halflings are not born
killers. But they could be. And they are by size default
pretty darn cute. And that is perfectly okay, as long
as you don’t go ‘cuteness overboard.’ No pink uni-
corns, but you can have oversized farm animals pull-
ing wagons of doom. And if porcupines are too cute,
put menacing helmets on them. Problem solved.
Action pose, please! I like my minis to tell a story of

fighting spirit or overwhelming hunger as it sometimes is with halflings. But what I don’t want to tell is the
story of halflings standing straight up and looking straight ahead. I love Westfalias minis. They probably have
the most extensive halfling army out there as of now and they are beautiful minis with lots of detail and
cast in decent resin. But they do not do action poses. They all just stand there. Just waiting for something
to happen that can wake them up. They. Look. Boring. I much rather prefer Warploque Miniatures halflings.
They are fierce and always doing something. But the minis have a more cartoony feel and less detail, but so
much more life.

Every battle is a morale victory! I

am not the best player. I lose a lot
more than I win, and I am perfect-
ly fine with that. Like a very wise
friend of mine once said, I would
much rather lose a great game,
than win a bad one. But playing
halflings it must be considered a
moral victory just showing up. By
default, I have already won! And
when it does happen, think of the
shame and humility losing to hal-
flings. Your opponent will never
live it down.

As long as I abide to these simple

rules, I am ok.

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 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

Herbert von Farsbrotts Mighty Cocks

The general of my army has always been Baron Gen-
eral Herbert von Farsbrott. What he utterly lacks
in strategic cunning and overall training and intelli-
gence, he makes up for in pure enthusiasm! He is a
charmer, and he never has any trouble getting peo-
ple to join his growing army. He might make a lot of
promises he can’t keep regarding spoils of war but
win or lose, he does throw the best after-fight par-
ties.

As his trusted right-hand man, he has Captain Jeron-

imus Clubfoot. He is the sensible one. Always trying
to steer the general into a less death-defying direc-
tion (and not always succeeding). Around the two of
them there is a host of recurring characters like the
warrior priest Konrad Klein, the knight commander
Waldorf Krank, pigeon bomb specialist engineer Bart-
holomeus Humperdich and the very full of himself
wizard The Wunderschöne Archibald Hexenmeister.
The latest entry in characters came at this years Lethi-
an where I introduced the wilderness wizard Oswal-
do the Vegan. Being a vegan is by far the evilest a hal-
fling can come up with, and Herbert was trying out
evil this year in Lethian. Halflings really do not have
a bad bone in their body, so again, it was evil done
with a lot of enthusiasm and less understanding of
the basic concept of the dark ways.

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HERBERT VON FARSBROTT’S MIGHTY COCKS

The units have from time to time had names

of their own, almost always food related.
The Rotten Apples, Black Sheep, Knights of
the Black Cauldron, The Sour Grapes, The
Wild Geese and The Tin Can to name a few.
And of course, the army itself is called The
Mighty Cocks. It got the name from the re-
curring Rooster heraldry that I found on mul-
tiple minis across different companies. And
off course it helped that my general can be
seen riding the mighty Cocklegriff!
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 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

Painting
As you can see, the army is very much in two primary
colours, green and blue, with the secondary colour
being white. The tertiary colour is a dark wine red
that is probably my favourite colour overall. I use it
for the little things such as a scarf or an extravagant
hat etc. For my most recent project, my fanatical hal-
fling Flagellants, I made them entirely in wine red
robes to make them stand out, but still be a part of
the army.

The wine-red colour is originally the old GW colour

Mechrite Red and when it went out of production,
I had problems finding a suitable replacement. The
one GW had launched was not the same at all. After
some trial and error, I finally found it at Army Paint-
er as the colour Scarlet Red. The rest is any type of
silver, gold, bronze + Nuln Oil. Nuln Oil is my go-to
shade for just about anything. No other shade from
any other company really comes near it. And for the
skin, it is basically elf flesh + Reikland Fleshshade.
Keep it simple.

The painting scheme for the blue, green and white

I found in an old White Dwarf magazine when they
went through different colour combinations for the
Empire. I took the ones I liked and went to work. It
goes as follows:
• White: Celestra Grey, Ulthuan Grey, White Scar
• Blue: The Fang, Russ Grey, Fenrissian Grey
• Green: Death World Fores, Anthonian Camos-
had, Elysian Green, Ogryn Camo

I am a pretty fast painter and a decent one at that. I

would never win any Golden Demon, but my armies
tend to get noticed and I have been nominated for
best painted army four times in the biggest tourna-
ment in Denmark (with three different armies no
less). But if there is one thing I can’t paint then it’s
eyes. Those small little white dots with an even small-
er black dot inside that if you do it wrong will make
the miniature look like the cross-eyed village idiot. I
hate them with a passion. And for that I have found
a workaround. I simply don’t paint them. Leave the
eyes dark/black/full of shade and no one notice. And
if questioned just say they are squinting. It will save
you a world of trouble. And a ton of time.

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HERBERT VON FARSBROTT’S MIGHTY COCKS

Favourites: Loot Wagon

This loot wagon is from Herbert von Farsbrotts dark
period (he even went so far to change his name to
Totenbrott). It is full of food and stuff to sacrifice
to the old and new gods, including a cow, 3 kegs of
dwarven ale and a tied up halfling.

The cart itself is built from matchsticks by a friend of

mine and the loot is random bits. The halflings are
an eclectic bunch, the crew of the halfling hot pot, a
battleforge musician, a very old C11 halfling, a Alter-
native Armies Stilt Walker and the last halfling I really
can’t recall where it is from.

The truck can double for a food caravan or a very big

filler (its 60x60mm).

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 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

Favourites: The DemiGeese

These minis are the center piece of my army. The
talk of the town. The Geese and the Swein are all
plastic Schleich miniatures jampacked with bits from
all over. The eagle-eyed viewer will see shields from
Games Workshop Brettonian models, chariot orna-
ments from Games Workshop Tomb Kings, Bellypan-
zer from ogres, shields and bits from Empire models
and even some 40K stuff in there as well. The hal-
fling miniatures are all (except the swein rider) from
Warploque miniatures. The saddle is greenstuff and
the legs have been cut of and rearranged so they fit
the saddle. Now the Swein Rider is from Alternative
Armies and is originally supposed to ride a dog. But I
needed the dog for something else and thought the
rider would be cool on the back of a Swein clinging
on for dear life.

19
Things to come Appendix - Where to Fuel Your Halfling Obsession
So the big question is now – are we there yet? Am
I done? And the short answer is no. Not really. But
do you ever stop collecting an army? I mean, if you
don’t have any unpainted miniatures and you call
yourself a collector, then I call BS.

I still have a nice full box of halflings without paint on From left to right: C11, citadel empire, lumpin croop,
them, the latest being my Imperial Guard with Great warploque miniatures, Battle Forge, Westfalia, Mac-
Wepons from Westfalia; 30 strong. It does need a lit- rocosm crusading dwarf, red Box miniatures.
tle work, so they don’t all look the same (there are
only three different sculpts). It is a good thing that I Westfalia Miniatures
have a bag of halfling heads, that with a little luck I http://westfaliaminiatures.com/
can make some use of here and there.
White Knight Empirium
Flagellants is a unit I have wanted for ages. Westfalia http://whiteknightminiatureimperium.blogspot.com/
recently did some halfling cultist and with some flag-
ellant bits the halfling cultist now look the part. Cra- You can purchase through The Assault Group
zy, fanatical and with giant flails. As you see, I have https://theassaultgroup.co.uk/
made half of them already, and the rest are still in
the mail from Canada. Macrocosm Miniatures
https://www.macrocosm.co.uk/
I have a unit of dog riders I have been working on for
the past year or two. I was tired of the single pose Alternative Armies
dog that you got and started a little converting and https://www.alternative-armies.com/
getting dogs from other companies. And the knights
themselves were a bit lacking. Remember less is not Warploque Miniatures
more and all that. It took some time and dedication, https://www.warploqueminiatures.com/
but they are now finally primed and ready to get
some paint on them. They will be my 5th knight unit! Battle Forge
https://www.thebattleforge.co.uk/

Short Wars
http://www.shortwars.co.uk/

Red Box Games

http://red-box-games.com/

The OPP stuff (Out Of Print)

If you need the old citadel or Games Workshop stuff
you have to go to Ebay or online auctions.

TTCombat
And I just realized I don’t have a dragon. I think Her- https://ttcombat.com/
bert von Farsbrott really wants a dragon now. A big
one. And on that note I will leave you all. I have a
dragon to find.

Kind regards
René Toft

20
21
ASK THE EXECUTIVE BOARD: 9TH AGE
MOVING FORWARD Article by Henrypmiller

Executive Board (ExB): My name is Grimbold Blackhammer and I live in San Diego, California. I was a long-
time Warhammer Fantasy player and was very excited to have discovered The 9th Age project a few years
ago. I initially took a position on the Army Community Support team but now, years later, I am extremely
fortunate to find myself on the Executive Board.

Henrypmiller: What are the Executive Boards’ short- HPM: Which army book is planned to be worked on
term goals for the project? I.e. for the next year. Can and released next? When can we expect the first
you give a time scale on any of these items? sneak peaks of this release?
ExB: There is a lot of exciting things going on in the ExB: Infernal Dwarfs and Dread Elves will be the next
project right now! Now that our permanent rules two books we write. We are in the process of bringing
have been finished and are about to be finalized, we in some fresh blood to the Rules Team plus updating
get to change our focus to some other projects. To our production process so unfortunately, I don’t have
start this process off, the Rules Team (RT) has decid- a date to give you yet. Once one of those is complete,
ed to change up their ranks and bring in some fresh we can pick the next book. This lead time will give our
faces. The RT have the most time-intensive tasks and Army Community Support teams some lead time to
how they’ve managed to get as much work done as gather community feedback on that particular army
they have amazes me! Once they have their new team so the designers have plenty of great material to work
in place, they can begin production of the next army with!
book. We’ve chosen Infernal Dwarfs and Dread Elves
as our next two books and our plan is to name the HPM: How are you planning on scheduling the re-
next book in the list once one of those are done. That lease of future army books? Will there be for exam-
will give our Army Community Support team plenty of ple one army book every half year?
lead time to start collecting input from our commu- ExB: We expect two army books in 2019 will be fin-
nity. We’re hoping to publish at least two army books ished. After that, we ambitiously hope for three to
per year and I personally expect only two will get four books per year!
done. However, this army of volunteers has amazed
me over and over again so we might be able to finish HPM: What is the plan for Gold Edition? Will the
more than two! core rules be changing again? Will they be tweaked?
When can we expect the next major overhaul of the
HPM: What are the long-term plans for the project? rules, or can we expect an overhaul?
Can you give a time scale on any of these items? ExB: We’re essentially playing the Gold edition now
ExB: We have quite a few ambitious plans on the table. actually! The v.205.0 version of the rules are the Gold
Our overall goal has not changed - we want to create rules except for checking over grammar, spelling mis-
the best fantasy miniature wargame on the market. A takes, and having the community help tell us if we’ve
game made by gamers for gamers! And by remaining overlooked anything. These rules will not change for
independent of any specific model manufacturer, we at least four years if not longer. We might tweak spells
want to lower the cost of entry and increase the over- or magic items in the Arcane Compendium in a year
all player-base of miniature wargames while we do it. or two but that would most likely just be a balancing
With those goals in mind, one of our biggest priorities adjustment.
is to first rebuild every army book in our library; we’ve
also discussed our commitment to a mercenary book HPM: What Auxiliary books can we expect? Will
and we are considering one other new faction. Sec- there be two auxiliary books for each army as with
ondly, our Campaign Team is hard at work producing Warriors of the Dark Gods?
our first official campaign supplement, and our Back- ExB: The Auxiliary army books are meant to supple-
ground Team is working on their background compen- ment our core line of books. They are meant as a fun
dium for those who want to know more about the 9th alternative way to play an army, but not specifically
Age world and history. We even have more auxiliary optimized for balance. We hope that all the army
armies coming to supplement our core themes. Some books will have some kind of Auxiliary book but while
projects will be released in 2019 and some even fur- one army may only get one, another may get three.
ther down the road than that. Much of that decision is based on how a particular

22
 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

book is developed. Warriors of the Dark Gods are a HPM: When is the new website being launched? Is
very interesting group with plenty of options for more it just an overhaul or will there be any interesting
themes. We have another Auxiliary army coming for features?
them shortly! ExB: I’m very happy to say we have some extremely
talented folks working on this and I’m loving what I’ve
seen so far. The new interface drew me in the mo-
ment I saw it! At least to start with, we won’t have any
additional features. There is much more we could do
but we’re a bit restricted in that area as we are fund-
ed almost exclusively by donations. The good news is
the new website should be launched in the first half
of 2019 so for now, stay tuned!

HPM: Are there any openings for staff members and

where and how can people apply for positions?
ExB: We are always looking for more volunteers!
About 90% of applicants want to work on either the
Rules Team or the Background Team but we need so
much more than that; artists, translators, proof-read-
ers, people with experience in social media, people
with management skills or people skills or technical
skills. Anything you think a regular company could
use, we need too (and writers for the 9th scroll –
HPM)!

If anyone has some spare time and wants to join us,

the procedure is simple:

1. Click on your avatar, top left of your screen.

2. Then click on “User Groups”.
3. Find the group which represents best your tal-
ents. Apply for membership, detailing what you
think you could bring to the team.

Done!

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SMITHF TACTICA:
BREAKING THE STAND-OFF Article by SmithF

Greetings fellow T9A enthusiasts, and welcome to what I hope will be an educational but also amusing read
for you. What am I doing here, you ask? Well, the short version is that I lost a bet to Herminard, T9A’s own
Savage Sage. I challenged him to successfully play a Highborn Elf army comprising of fifteen 20-strong citizen
spear units at a tournament, thinking no one would be crazy enough to actually do it. Turns out he is, and
when he won 4/4 games he counter-challenged me to write a tactica article “I demand a well formulated
article on strategy and tactics for assaulting the standoff,” he said.

I’m sure you’ve all been there: two evenly balanced opponent to spring into action. If your scorers claim
forces facing off, with reliable anvils in place and two of the three Spoils of War tokens early on, you
strong counter-charges set up. Sometimes, waltzing can bet that the enemy will attempt to reclaim them.
into that fight seems crazy, and you settle for throw- If you march your units up the middle of the table
ing a couple of magic missiles and arrows at your ad- on turn 2 and start scoring Hold the Ground points,
versary’s forces. They can do the same in turn, or be you can be sure that the opponent will be sending his
more reckless and charge in, giving you a win. And troops your way by turn 3 or 4. Afterwards it’s only a
then, sometimes, there’s this opponent that manag- matter of setting up the battle line in a way that gives
es to punch through and break the stalemate, grab- you an advantage.
bing a big win. How you approach the opening stages
of such games is usually what decides the outcome. Barring extreme cases of very aggressive lists that can
Here are my top 10 tips to avoid “The Standoff.” concentrate power in a small part of the enemy battle
line and punch through, or very static gunlines that
1. When picking your deployment zone, you should can take apart fragile enemies from afar, by turn 2 or
keep the secondary objectives in mind, as well as the 3 you’re often left with the standoff. Each player has
type of army you’re facing. Are you facing an army moved his maneuver elements into position, has set
with significant shooting? Then picking a side with up traps to deny the enemy some space and small
good cover is perhaps a wise choice. Are you playing skirmishes have been fought, often on the flanks. Not
the Dawn Attack scenario? Then giving your oppo- unlike chess, coordination of forces, well thought-out
nent the side with a big impassable terrain feature sacrifices, and decisive moves often win the game.
in the middle of their deployment zone might cre-
ate problems for them. Are you facing a list with the 3. Making good use of chaff plays an important role
same ranged capability? Then your shooting troops in succeeding in the stand-off. I try to use these small
will benefit from a Ruin terrain feature that they can sacrificial units as late into the game as possible, ask-
claim on turn 1. The combinations are endless. The ing myself the question “what would happen if I didn’t
map pack has a lot of alternative battlefields and the use my redirectors.” If the answer to this question is
different deployment types pose all kinds of challeng- a situation that I can deal with in another way, then it
es. When picking a table side you often give your op- means that I should conserve my forces for another
ponent the opportunity to grab the first turn, so you turn. In the case of the standoff, I see redirectors as
better make it count! a way of ensuring that the following turn’s plan is go-
ing to work. Usually, this plan involves charging units
2. Secondary objectives are the big equalizer in the without running the risk of getting counter-charged.
9th Age. Keeping them in mind when playing the Bear in mind that your opponent will usually try to
game might turn a small loss into a win, even when preserve his redirectors until the moment is right, so
you’re fighting against armies that have superior trying to kill them early on will give you an advantage.
fighting capability. Deployment and the pre-game
sequence are greatly influenced by secondary objec- 4. How often do you find yourself thinking “if only
tives. For example, placing your Secure Target mark- my adversary hadn’t succeeded that 11+ roll for that
ers dictates where the fighting will likely be, same charge?” Long charges are part of the game, espe-
with Hold the Ground. When playing Spoils of War, cially the ones that are low-risk high-reward. If failing
you can be certain that your opponent will try to con- a long charge doesn’t put your units in a precarious
test at least two of the objectives, which allows you position or hinder your plan, while getting it will open
to plan accordingly. By gaining an advantage with the the game for you, there is no reason not to try it. Roll-
secondary objective early on, you’ll be forcing your ing a 10+ is a 1-in-6 chance on 2 dice, which is better

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 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

odds than what you have when trying to kill a mon- infantry inside forests, monsters against flyers and
ster with a cannon! This is an important lesson for any heavily armoured cowboys are all good candidates.
wargame player in all phases of the game: Knowing As long as you end up taking a Discipline 8 or more
the probability of your actions succeeding means that check with a reroll, you’ve got very decent odds of
you can make informed decisions and not be disap- sticking around. Nevertheless, one should plan ahead
pointed when your plan doesn’t pan out. in case the unit doesn’t hold its ground, with coun-
ter-charges in place for that eventuality.
When dealing with the long charges, it’s important
to remember that redirectors are very handy in this 6. Use ranged damage. Shooting doesn’t have to be
respect. If you fail the charge, then they can leap into about obliterating the enemy units. The more you
action to make sure that your plan still works. play with an army, the more you notice that there’s a
“break point” beyond which certain of your hard-hit-
5. Ideally, you want your sturdy units to take the ters lose effectiveness. For example, a unit of 8 Grail
charge and your flankers to countercharge. An expe- Knights is a formidable foe and can instantly kill a
rienced general will see right through this plan and Treefather on the charge, but a unit of 5 would have a
will avoid engaging your units on your terms. That’s harder time doing so. Similarly, a Dragon on full health
where forcing their hand can help, as well as taking can charge into a unit of spearmen and break them
calculated risks. One such risk is placing a unit with- over a couple of rounds of combat, while the same
in charge range of a superior foe, hoping that even beast on its two last remaining wounds would think
after losing combat it will hold its ground and allow twice before committing. Knowing what the “break
you to countercharge. Units of heavily armoured cav- point” of your enemy’s units helps you choose your
alry with a bit of static combat resolution, light troop targets correctly in the shooting and magic phase.

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 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

7. It is important to understand how to counter The list goes on, sometimes you get a unique situa-
deathstars (units with many characters, otherwise tion on the field that will give your troops the upper
known as “The Party Bus” – HPM) with seemingly hand. Recognizing these opportunities is the path to
weaker forces. There are times when your opponent success.
has brought bigger threats than you did. Often you
are left with a single opportunity to break through his 8. One of the key mechanics of strategy wargames
forces, if things go to plan. This part of the article will is the Rock-Paper-Scissors (RPS) mechanic. The very
try to explain some tricks that you can employ and rough approximation in T9A is Monsters>Infantry>-
some pitfalls to avoid when locking X-foils in attack Cavalry>Monsters. In every single battle you’ll have
position and commencing your all-important assault some counters to X but these have to avoid Y. Failing
on the deathstar. The questions that I ask myself in to recognize these will hurt your battle plan. Waltzing
this case are: your Spear block forward against cavalry will make
them think twice before charging and will help keep
• Is there a way to engage the enemy on more than them at bay while your monsters move on to stomp
one side? the enemy heavily armoured infantry. The more you
• How probable is a successful charge, and what play with an army the more you learn about what
will happen if I fail? Are there counter measures in each unit can take on.
place? Will I be sending a single unit to its death?
• Does throwing a unit into the mix risk giving my 9. Planning ahead for two combat phases: there is
opponent more combat resolution than it will nothing worse than having an enemy unit deal with
grant me? your chargers on the same turn they charged, or after
• Will my opponent be steadfast by the end of three rounds of combat. That’s when things get ugly,
the round of combat, and are there any coun- because winning combat means that the foe will get
ter-charges in place? Does he have any spells to pivot and charge your troops during his own turn.
that will help him break my units on the following If you cannot win combat right away or you’re fighting
turn? a losing battle, then you need to keep this in mind.
• Can I ensure overruns into the same combat? Losing a unit on your opponent’s turn is not a prob-
• Do I have any spells that will turn the tide? lem but losing it on your turn can be a disaster.
• Are there ways to limit the damage I’ll be taking
in combat? Are there ways to avoid hard counters 10. Never throw in the towel! This is the best advice
to my chargers? I can give you for any game. The battle lasts six turns!
Don’t quit, just because you’ve lost your general or
Some tricks to keep in mind are the following: your biggest threat on turn 1 due to that lucky snipe
1. Enemies engaged on more than one front cannot spell/cannon ball/failed Discipline 10 check. To me,
perform a post-combat reform. There are several an uphill struggle like this becomes a game within the
ways to take advantage of that, from throwing a game. How many points can I deny my opponent?
cheap expendable unit into the mix for maximiza- How many points can I grab? A game played to the
tion purposes to flanking an enemy with superior end is rarely a 20-0 loss, unless your (now failed) plan
combat characters, ensuring that they don’t fight. involved committing huge parts of your army. After a
2. Maximization of units in combat comes before big upset, especially one that was not expected, take
maximization of models in combat. Sometimes a time-out. Spend a couple of minutes reassessing
your infantry units that will be bringing ranks into the situation and formulate an alternative plan. Your
a combat are not the best fighters and might give objective will have probably changed by now, from
easy combat resolution for the enemy. By charg- total board domination to survival, but that doesn’t
ing in more than one unit in the fight, you can mean that you can’t have fun doing it!
force a “clip” that ensures that you get your best
fighters doing the fighting and your units with lots And this brings my non-exhaustive list of tips to its
of ranks engaged in a corner of a combat to help close. May it help you grab victory from the jaws of
by adding valuable rank bonus. defeat! Happy gaming, and a very festive holiday sea-
3. You can place your chaff in positions that will pre- son to you al
vent the enemy from reforming correctly after
you charge him, taking advantage of the 1” rule.

27
HOBBY CORNER:
MAKING DYNAMIC BASES Article by Sabious

I am known as Sabious on the forum, and I have been asked to explain how I base my miniatures. While I do
not bring any exciting revelations, I hope to show how relatively simple basing can be (even for those 40 zom-
bies). Without no further ado I will share a tutorial of how I build up my bases and my thoughts on the matter.

To me the base of a miniature sets the scene for the ers, etc.), but great bases can be built from natural
story or “moment” around it. From its location (mead- (free) materials as well. Sand, pebbles and twigs are
ow, desert, cemetery, etc.) to the season and even the readily available in the outside world as is discarded
weather. It is up to everyone how big a part they want waste, plastics and metals. I mostly use white glue
their bases to play for their models. I find the key to a (PVA), since it’s more forgiving and generally be-
successful “moment” is knowing how much (or little) comes invisible upon drying. However, for some parts
to use for the miniature in question. Does the basing I use superglue if I need a faster result. It just has the
help tell this story, or does it obscure it? It is also pos- added risk of making stuff shiny if used in plenty.
sible to do too much on the base and steal the atten-
tion from the actual miniature. It goes without saying This miniature knight from Raging Heroes will serve
the larger the base, the larger the potential. as my model for this basing tutorial. One will notice
straight away the greenstuff used to balance the min-
When it comes to basing (excluding ready-made resin iature, but also the rock on discarded plastic bits.
bases etc.), one is in complete charge of the creative Both will help make the topography a little more in-
outcome and materials used. Admittedly, the tutorial teresting. That makes up the structure of my idea.
will have a lot of manufactured elements (tufts, flow-

So what am I going for in theme? My Equitaine army are a grim medieval bunch; The Order of the Black Tow-
er, whose knights less inspire virtue than fear and the damsels more resemble witches than saints. My initial
thought was to make an army befitting the Black Knight. This extends to my basing as well! For this downtrod-
den lot I figured a gloomy meadow was appropriate and decided to go for an autumn day feel. I wanted one
to imagine an overcast grey sky, a wet ground surface and actually rainy conditions. In colour, this means I am
avoiding greens, and preferring browns, yellows and reds.

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 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

The first step is painting the base.

Even if one intends to cover the base entirely like I do,
sometimes a base is still visible through the materials.
It can also become visible after a little wear and tear,
especially around the edges. In this case I decided not
to paint the rock, leaving its natural look intact. Be
mindful when mixing manufactured elements with
natural ones, that this might create a contrast in what
looks real and not.

Next is the ground layer.

I glue most parts of the base and submerge my model
in whatever I chose. This would typically be sand or
some other powdery scatter material. For this min-
iature I am using something called “ploughed field”
from Faller, bought in a train model shop. I find it em-
phasizes the earthiness of my bases. Much akin to
the underbrush of a forest, its surface is not just plain
brown dirt. I apply this layer two times. One will no-
tice I left a spot on the base uncovered – I intend to
make a puddle of water of this.

The next ground layer is grass.

This most commonly used basing material works for practically any model. I turn to a yellow grass, as it better
tells the story of a sunless autumn day, than a classic green. I select a few random patches to apply white glue
and submerge the base again.

As of now the base looks decent.

Couple of different colours, a rock to break the monotony – this is in fact enough. But one can add on to the
ground layer with more bits and bobs. The following decorative parts can be used scarcely or in abundance.
Seeing this miniature is an elite warrior in my army, I decided to try and test the boundary of oversaturation,
filling it to the brim with flowers, reeds, leaves and tufts of grass.

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HOBBY CORNER: MAKIN DYNAMIC BASES

Reeds.
I begin with reeds since they are least easy to get
right. I bought these seemingly coloured strands of
hair, but I don’t remember from where. In effect I take
a pinch between two fingers and cut them in desired
lengths with a plier. However, the way I do it is some-
what reverse as to what the picture might suggest.
The part one sees extend between my fingers is the
part I am cutting away, while holding onto the root of
the remaining reed. I add a little superglue to this end
and thus create the tufts one sees in the background.
These I add to the base with superglue, since keep-
ing them upright in the desired position is tough with
white glue.

Flowers and tufts of grass.

hese are the easiest to apply to the base. Tufts are
classic ones from Citadel and the flowers from Green
line. They come prepared and all one needs to do is
glue them on. Again, I use superglue (impatience),
but that is just a choice. If one wants to be sure to
avoid a suddenly shiny superglue surface, I suggest
white glue. The flowers bring in a little colour to the
overall spectrum in my theme.

Water.
For water and swamp like bases, I have so far used
a product called Realistic Water from Woodland Sce-
nics. It basically makes whatever it covers shine, and
so for this base I merely poured it onto the uncovered
part. In the final pictures the shine effect is sadly not
really caught by my camera, but I am sure you get the
idea.

Leaves.
Lastly, I add the leaves. They can be quite fickle and
are the kind of thing that sticks to you, or your tool,
once you apply glue and try to put it on the base. For
this reason, I use white glue in this instance. I tend to
use a toothpick to mark a spot on the base with glue,
before picking up a single leaf by the point of my hob-
by knife and placing it into the glue. The leaves are
dried beech seeds and can be bought at most model-
ling/hobby shops.

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 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

This is the result of my Equitan autumn day basing.

Afterthoughts.
One might notice how the rock and the greenstuffed area are slightly raised, giving the impression that the
puddle of water is in a naturally lower recess. The base screams “notice me” and some do say I tend to “out-
base” my miniatures. While this is true, it tells me I have at least succeeded in telling the story of the setting.
This exemplifies the moment and adds to the immersion of the miniature.

While you are all very welcome to visit the painting blogs, I have included a few pictures of previous bases,
which are a bit out of the ordinary.

31
CHRONICLES OF SIR BRESLIN
PART TWO Article by SirMC2015
I remember being scared of the unconscious stranger. Father had said we had nothing to worry from him.
“Killing comes naturally to him. A blade was thrust into his hand at birth, but he follows a strict code known
as Chivalry,” he told me reassuringly. Peasant, squire, or knight; that code was his life. We later learned the
name of the stranger. Breslin. But you knew that already.

The next two years with Breslin passed uneventful- recovered from his wounds, Breslin stood as tall as
ly. We also learned that he had known the basics of father and shouldering a heavy threshing scythe. He
our common tongue and was interested in learning spoke to father more than the militia, “No, I do not
more about our culture. He learnt farming, how to feel William is capable of such an act. However, Irene
tend the fields, why father rotated crops each year, is the young woman he has been <cough>, courting.
how to treat live stock, and basic carpentry skills. He Nevertheless, these men represent the law, and we
learned quickly and mastered the tasks with uncanny must abide by the law.” He looked squarely at the ser-
ease. Within a few months he seemed to have been geant, as if seeing him for the first time. “You said the
working for us for decades. The legend of the the half trial is tomorrow? What of time to find evidence?”
dead stranger that slew seven men faded.
The sergeant responded coldly, “The victim, her par-
It was when I was courting Irene, who would eventual- ents, and one stranger will give evidence as witnesses.
ly become my wife, that Breslin and I became friends. Whatever evidence you hope to find, you have until
He gave me advice on how to woo her. Life was per- tomorrow morning at the time of the trial.” With this
fect. That was until the militia appeared at the farm. my father’s face turned white. “Would there be any
objections if I accompany him to the trial?” Breslin’s
Breslin was working in the field cutting wheat as he voice was commanding with the question. My Father
watched the militia approach. On first sight of the sol- understood Breslin’s offer and nodded his consent.
diers tramping down the lane, he gestured to Jona- “Very well. Out of respect, we will wait here Daniel.”
than, the farmers youngest, to go indoors. The soldiers The sergeant replied, “Please fetch your son. I do not
halted in front of my father’s house. Breslin slung his want to scare you family any more than I must. You
heavy wheat scythe and came towards the group of have 5 minutes.” My Father, still ashen and visibly
men. As he rounded the gate, my father was shouting shaking forced out a thank you. I remember that my
angrily at the soldiers. “... done nothing wrong! This is heart was beating out of my chest. Had I assaulted
horse dung and you know it! Now get off my land!” I Irene!? “Daniel, please fetch William, I must ready my
saw the episode peaking from behind the barn door. horse and my things for the trip.”

The sergeant was dressed in a Red, Black, and Blue ∞

coloured tunic and trousers and wore a sword at his
hip. Atop his head at a metal helmet sat at a jaunty an-
Breslin rode his beloved Lyria next to the wagon that
gle and the man was leaning on a spiked halberd. He was to take me to my death. I spent the trip in si-
kept his voice steady and stern indicating authority, lence, uncomfortably bouncing around back back of
“Your son, is under arrest for assault. Hand him over! the wagon, trying to think about how I could have
He will be seen before the magistrate in the morn- possibly done something to hurt my beloved. I no-
ing. If you try to impede us, I will be forced to take ticed Breslin’s demeanor changed since mounting his
you into custody as well. Daniel, please don’t make warhorse. I become accustomed to the hard-working
me do that.” My father saw Breslin and instead turned farm hand over the last months. Now I saw a warrior,
him and pleaded his case for support. “Breslin! These straight backed and sitting high in his saddle. I could
dung checkers are trying to say William assaulted a see now Breslin was born to lead and give orders. He
young woman named Irene. I’m trying to tell them told me that he didn’t want to give the militia men
there is no possible chance that is my boy. Help me!” any sign of weakness, and that he was allowing me
to be escorted. It worked. No-one approached me
My father’s plea fell hard onto Breslin’s ears, for he without asking his permission until we reached the
had begun to care for my family. He stared down at magistrates’ jail.
the earth thinking. The militia eyed him warily. Now

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We reached the town of Sunna’s Crossing just after dream. I hadn’t yet registered that I would be spend-
sunset. The sergeant attempted to take control of the ing the night in Jail and on trial facing a severe punish-
situation, but Breslin would not have it. “I wish to see ment the next day.
the cell for the accused. He is still presumed inno-
cent.” Breslin’s tone was flat and authoritative. What Breslin taught me over the last few months
was invaluable that night; basic combat training with
“My Lord Farm Hand,” the Sargant said mockingly his heavy sword and also my bare hands. “You never
with a bow and a flourish of his hand, ”we have only know when you will be in a tough spot without your
one cell and every male accused or awaiting transfer sword,” he would tell me. There were two other men
stays there. I understand what you think of the boy, in the cell when I stumbled across the threshold. No
but I know the evidence. I’m sorry because I like his sooner had the key turned in the lock, then then they
Pa.” He sighed, “Out of respect for Daniel, I will stay were upon me. I smashed my left fist into the beard-
here all night an’ watch the boy, a’right? I don’t want ed chin of the closest assailant. And followed with a
an incident here where we have second man on trial right into the side of his head. The second man hesi-
for something stupid.” Breslin nodded, clasping the tated, and this was all I needed. A swift knee into the
sergeant’s arm in agreement, and then turned to me. groin bent the man over and a sharp jab to the back
“Stay awake, stay vigilant. I trust the sergeant here at of his bald head felled him to the floor. They didn’t
his word, but if anything happens, he can only react bother me again that evening. The sergent had heard
so fast. Remember what I have taught you and make the scuffle and fumbling the keys opened the heavy
sure you defend yourself. I’m heading to the inn and wooden door to the scene of me standing over the
will see you at the trial.” “Thanks.” My mouth was dry two grounded inmates groaning in pain. He nodded
and the word crackled as it left my mouth. Everything to me and closed the door again and turned the key.
had been a blur since this morning. As if it was a bad

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CHRONICLES OF SIR BRESLIN - PART TWO

As the morning light began to traverse the cell He was courting her. Odd for someone who had to
through the barred window opposite the door, I ask me how to kiss a woman stole what was most pre-
could hear Breslin had arrived at the Jailhouse. “How cious, is it not?”
is my squire?” I heard him ask. The sergeant replied
sheepishly. “Ah, ah, um.... fine my lord...” When the The sergeant scratched his beard, “Not for me to
cell door was opened. I stepped out into the spring decide lord, but we have heard of it before. Tis how
sunshine, leaving behind the two men who had hud- things get out of control for the young. As for being
dled in opposite corners all night. Farm hand Bres- with you, that is your word verse her pa’s and this
lin was gone forever. The man in front of me was al- stranger. Now you gotta wait for the magistrate.”
most unrecognizable if not for his bright blue eyes. Breslin kept his smile as he responded, “Those in the
He had shaved, and his brown hair was clean of dirt right will prevail. We will gladly wait.”
and hung neatly to his shoulders. He wore coat of
chainmail that stretched past his knees. The sleeves Next were the longest hours I could ever remember. It
of the coat disappeared under his plated vambraces was torture to be accused of such a crime against the
and gauntlets. The coat also bore a hood that hung woman I was courting by her father. We were brought
behind him over his coloured tabard. Breslin wore a to the courtroom after the agonizing wait in a hold-
dimidiated horizontally dark blue and green field with ing cell. I was placed on a raised platform made from
a black castle superimposed as a charge. Strapped wood with two guards stood on either side. Across
to his left hip was a sword, and across his back slung the room, Irene sat in a chair next to the far wall wear-
across his chest was a shield. I had asked him sever- ing a plain brown dress, her knees held to her chest,
al times where these items were when we traveled, cringing from those near her. Her mother kept trying
and he only told me they were there when he needed to lean in and sooth her and caress her hair but Irene
them. The Lady had truly favored him that day, and visibly recoiled at the attempts. Her father stood next
therefore had blessed me. The weary sergeant hav- to her. A tall man, easily a hand taller than Breslin and
ing indeed stood vigilant since the scuffle, now stood just as broad. Her father wore the simple brown tunic
wide awake with his jaw open staring disbelievingly and trousers of a farmer. In contrast, the stranger ,
at Breslin. standing off to the right wore armor made of plate.
It had a slight red tinge in the sunshine and he also
“Just ‘Farm Hand’ for now sergeant. Thank you for wore a sword. Above us sat an old man, crinkled skin
keeping your word. Be relieved and get some rest.” that appeared to never have seen the sun, wearing a
The Sergeant replied as if answering his captain “I wig of white and a black robe. Once I was in place he
dare not now m’ Lord Farm Hand. ‘Fraid I might miss began, “I’ve reviewed the evidence already and find
something.” Breslin smirked at this statement from the accused guilty.” The words were like an arrow in
the sergeant. “I hope not. I wish to hear the evidence my stomach. I fell to my knees but the guards hauled
against my squire before the trial if you please.” me to my feet. Through my tears I could see Irene
squirming in the arms of her father. This was when
The sergeant, still at a loss for words finally remem- Breslin stepped forward and raised his voice over the
bered his authority. “He stands accused of beating a proceedings.
young woman days past. There are also more…unsa-
voury charges. Lass named Irene. Her father and this “This boy is my squire and was with me the entire
stranger, big man, bigger than you my’ lord, brought night in question! How dare you pass judgement be-
her to us. They did most of the talking, and she nod- fore hearing from the defendant! I wi...” The old wasp
ded in agreement crying the whole time. It was obvi- of a man banged a gavel that sounded like a hammer
ous why. Town physician looked her over and said her on an anvil. “How dare you speak to me this way!
virginity had been taken. Her pa was angry, apparent- Look there at the accuser if you must man, but I have
ly did not know and the stranger demanded justice. I spoken and decreed it as such. Guards, execute the
would too if it my daughter.” boy tomorrow and throw this buffoon in the jail.”
“I am Sir Breslin, son of Lord Kalvin of Castle Black
Breslin smiled, “Thank you seargant. Six days past the from the Kingdom and I demand Trial by Combat!
boy was with me on the northern field tending live This boy is innocent! Look, the girl won’t even look at
stock. We slept under the stars. There is no possibility him. There is no hatred in her eyes, only fear.” Bres-
that William did this crime. We also do know Irene. lin approached Irene, softly and tenderly. His voice
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 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

changed dramatically as he spoke to her, “Irene, it’s At this point I had gathered myself and stood erect.
me. Breslin. Who did this to you? Was it William or Hands bound, I jumped down from the pedestal and
someone else? Don’t let him die for a lie.” Her fa- ran to Irene and she crumbled into my shoulder bawl-
ther turned her away from the knight and pointing ing. Breslin stood straighter, his hand on the hilt of
towards me yelled “It was that boy there! She told his sword. The stranger, who had a shaved head, and
us. I’m her pa and I’m telling ya he did it! He deser...” dark brown eyes that could almost pass for black,
Irene got loose from her father’s grasp , her long black grinned at Breslin with pure malice. The magistrate
hair flying to her side framing her elegant face. She was banging his hammer repeatedly for order, and
looked straight at her father and said over his words, once the commotion had resided spoke again “So be
“I HATE YOU! YOU LET HIM DO THAT TO ME!” She was it. Trial by combat will decide the boys fate. It is in the
pointing at the stranger, fury and pain in her eyes. hands of Sunna now. Guards prepare the ring.”

To be continued…

35
HOMEBREW SHOWCASE: DWARVES OF
KEGIZ GAVEM Article by Karak Norn Clansman and Ghiznuk

The Dwarves of Kegiz Gavem project is very much a collaborative one with input from lots of different people.
I would like to firstly thank everyone who has collaborated on the project on the homebrew forums and made
this such a success.

Kegiz Gavem
On the continent of Taphria where the sun waxes strong and the beasts look
strange, there is nevertheless a reassuringly familiar sight for the wanderer
from far-off lands. Emerging from the desert the adventurer approaches a
land of elephants, lions and tribal warfare. But where the savannah meets
the mountains, you will sooner or later find Dwarves. Yes, ladies and gen-
tlemen, in the foothills of eastern Taphria, the Grand Dwarven Hold of Kegiz
Gavem can be found. But they seem to swill coffee instead of beer!

The Dwarves of Kegiz Gavem is envisioned as being both an international trade

What will be described to you here is a summary of node and a holy site for all Dwarf-kind. Its temples
the conceptual brainstorming done on the forums. are built upon ancient caves where the most venerat-
Kegiz Gavem is a Dwarven Hold that is officially on the ed Dwarven ancestors once lived (a reference to the
world map. This homebrew project is seeking to flesh oldest Hominid skeletons being found in East Africa),
out the Taphrian Dwaf hold and present some of the and is as such a place of pilgrimage for all manner of
ideas for both community feedback and enjoyment. Dwarves from the world over.
These Gavemites (originating from Kegiz Gavem)
are the antithesis of the deamon-dabbling Infernal The Dwarves of Kegiz Gavem worship the Heaven-
Dwarves; devout and religiously orthodox Dwarves. ly Light and are based heavily on Ethiopian culture.
They also display more generic fantasy Dwarven char- We have borrowed a page from late antique history,
acteristics such as being proficient at carving stone. when the Ethiopian Christian kingdom of Axum over-
The individual clans of Gavemites are ruled by a Raz. extended itself by establishing an overseas empire in
A prestigious title recognised far beyond Gavemite Yemen. In the Ninth Age, we imagine the Gavemites
borders. The splendid capital of Kegiz Gavem itself to have stubborn interests in the distant shores cor-
36
 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

So far in the homebrew army list, written by Calis-

son (which you can find in the homebrew thread),
we imagine the Dwarven Hold of fabled Kegiz Gavem
to include Holy clerics and paladins as well as sailors
(from the world’s highest-altitude naval academy).
They diverge from the dwarves in other areas such as
mount options. Gavemite characters can ride in royal
Lion Chariots and atop Gryphons and their arsenal is
lacking in gunpowder weapons. They have their own
unique technology such as Air Balloons and Paraglid-
ers but are not as advanced as the other Dwarves.
Most importantly their clerics can cast bound spells
in the same way as Prelates from the Empire of Sonn-
stahl.

The end goal of this project is of course to see an Aux-

iliary DH army book for Kegiz Gavem, with miniatures
produced by companies to cater to this emerging
niche in classic fantasy!

Check it out in the homebrew section if this sounds

responding to real-world Yemen across the sea, for
interesting! You’ll find more concept art and discus-
reasons both mystical and commercial (these sacred
sion there. Please share any ideas that you may have
shores sport a plethora of luxury products such as
and be welcome to voice your support for making this
frankincense), which brings them into direct conflict
effort into official material. We’re especially keen to
with the Infernal Dwarf traders in this area. And so
see volunteer artists contribute with their very own
there is a vendetta of Light against Dark both on land
vision of Ethiopian fantasy Dwarves. Many minds and
and on sea. The light-worshipping Gavemites bat-
many hands have contributed to breathing life into
tling Infernal Dwarves for these colonial possessions
the Gavemite concept, and it’s not a done and dusted
of high value. Such is one of the many fierce battle-
project, but an ongoing one.
grounds in the Ninth Age, where mighty forces clash
for conquest!

While thriving in their highland homes and surviving

against their foes, the peculiar Gavemites have never-
theless been isolated from the large body of Dwarven
Holds in Vetia, thanks to long years of marauding orcs
and the deserts of northern Taphria being impassible
since the rise of the kingdom of the dead. Their tech-
nology is therefore less advanced than that of Vetian
Dwarves despite reverse-engineering some mundane
Infernal Dwarf technology. Still, Kegiz Gavem is the
most sophisticated faction in all of Taphria. Their be-
lief system is central to their culture and they revere
the suffering and perseverance of saintly ancestors.
Instead of relying on steam engines and gunpowder
weapons on the battlefield they rely on their ffaith for
protection and use this unique religious fervor to em-
power the strength of their blows and the accuracy of
their bolts. Their prayers and songs have the power
to banish deamons and their weapons glow with holy
light.

37
AVATARS OF WAR: NEW RELEASES AND UNBOXING
The ancestors of all Dwarves were enslaved by ancient Saurians, and the hellish plight of
Dwarves native to Taphria was especially dire. They were bred and worked to death to mine
precious ores and gemstones, and in their dark subterranean desperation, these ancestors
turned to the for salvation. A cult of light-worship and the shouldering of one’s suffering was
formed in shackles, and this faith has endured.

These Gavemites, as they called themselves, settled in Eastern Taphria and founded their
capital on top of ancient ancestral caves during the Second Age. In this cradle of life, a great
blooming of culture, wealth, crafts and population took place. After the collapse and fracture
of the Dwarven Empire during the age of Ruin, the Gavemites began to explore the Southern
Ocean in search of their lost kin. This put them in direct conflict with the Infernal Dwarves;
a people that stand in stark contrast to themselves. Where the Dwarves of Kegiz Gavem wor-
shiped the light, the Dwarves of the Inferno made pacts with dark powers.

Legends tell of a strong and warlike ancestor who was the first to explore the rich coast over-
seas. He uncovered mysteries both occult and divine, and learnt of the Heavenly Light’s will.
For Kegiz Gavem was destined to grasp this dry land for her own and purify it from Infer-
nal clutches. His name was Garuvebiz, a handsome and broad-shouldered dwarf who dyed
his beard red with henna and spilt his blood in the sands for the sacred cause of the Light.
In battle Garuvebiz was unstoppable, for his faith and single purpose of vision was unrelent-
ing. In battle he was filled by the Light on High and cleansed the promised shores from both
the Infernal Dwarves and their slave soldiers. Yet the sheer success of this famous champion
planted arrogance in his heart, and for this sin did the Heavenly Light cast him aside, into
captivity and punishment at the hands of the Infernal Dwarves. As he languished in the
deepest dungeon of Zalaman Tekash, the light returned. Garuvebiz was commanded to face
his coming torment without resistance and without fear. This was his penance. If he suffered
through the turmoil as his ancestors before him, the Heavenly Light would see him return
to his people.

As they dragged the shackled champion to the rack, he maintained his focus. He took his
torture without flinching, without screaming or making a sound. Yet, he finally faltered; his
focus was broken when the jailors lowered him into a pit of fire. Garuvebiz cried out in pain
as his skin was burnt to a crisp. However, the Light ultimately shielded him from the worst
of the flames. And so it was that the cruel and jeering Infernal Dwarves, thinking him dead,
dragged Garuvebiz’ burnt body to a nearby Gavemite fort. They dumped what they thought
to be a corpse at the foot of the gates as a message; the greatest champion of Kegiz Gavem
was now a charred carcass.

The hellish flames had indeed seared and ravaged the skin of Garuvebiz. They had also
burnt away his superficial pride but their searing heat had not destroyed the dwarf beneath.
Despite showing weakness, Garuvebiz was penitent. He had proven his inner spirit to be pure
and humble, and thus the Light saved him from death, though not from torture and disfig-
urement. Amid the Gavemite hosts, he bore his horrible burns openly, a mark of his faith.
When he once again wreaked higher judgement upon his hated foes in battle, he was a terror
to behold.

38
 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

Swathed in heavenly radiance and girt for war

Did faithful Garuvebiz, son of Eraphram,
Son of Danak, son of Alemakyu,
Stand his ground against Azerak of the Chains.
For horned Azerak rose from out of a pit of flames
Beneath the shadow of his heathen idol.
Where light and darkness met.

Garuvebiz faced a baleful end

The son of Eraphram would not yield.
With tusked maw did Azerak tread forth
From the hellfire in fury.
Brandishing a twin-headed axe
Murder in his eyes.
Where light and darkness met.

Axe of dark steel and bright-lit sickle clashed,

Shards of darkness and sparks of light,
Locked in mortal combat.
Under the higher gaze of heaven
Under the eyes of infernal idol
The warriors traded blows,
Where light and darkness met.

Excerpt from the ballad “Where Light and Darkness met.”

A heroic battle hymn sung by the Dwarves of Kegiz Gavem.

39
ART CONTEST II - BEYOND
THE BATTLEFIELD Article by Karak Norn Clansman

The theme for this competition is Life beyond the battlefield (or death, for those armies lacking souls). We
want you to draw or paint scenes from daily life. This could include anything from a Highborn Elves at a fancy
dinner party to Ogre Khans travelling the steppes with their herds. The sky is the limit. Unleash your imagi-
nation. Capture the civilian streak of life, or indeed death, and breathe life into this world! This could feature
any faction from the T9A world, including those referenced in the official background but without an official
Army Book yet (e.g. Tsuandan, Koghi, etc.).

The art can be done by drawing, sketching or paint- And the bronze winner will receive one 15mm kit of
ing it (i.e. no miniature entries). Digital tools are al- 5 unpainted Tjubling Big Hats from Admiralty Minia-
lowed, and some scribblings as seen on many con- tures, sculpted by Tobias Torstensson:
cept sketches are likewise allowed, but please keep
any text to a minimum. The amount of work invested
in the art entry can vary from a simple sketch up to
a full-blown illustration. Flat embroidered textile art
(e.g. in Bayeux tapestry style) close-up shots and flat
relief carvings are allowed, but for these materials
you’re encouraged to ask the contest organizer first
with some details explaining your plans. Tattoos are
allowed. Note that several different art pieces can Rules of the Competition
be included in one and the same image file entry, • The deadline for the submission of entries is the
e.g. two different painted illustrations, or a bunch of 26th of January 2019 at 11:59pm CET.
sketches leading up to an inked drawing. Sheer mass • Each member may only enter once.
is no guarantee for advantage in voting, however. • Submissions should include one picture file only.
If you are unsure if your entry will fit the subject mat- Your one picture file with art may contain any
ter, then please contact Karak Norn Clansman and number of objects, figures and scenes.
he’ll sort it out with you and the staff. • You may not submit a picture of a drawing or
painting that has been entered other online com-
Prizes petitions or posted in a finished state before.
The first prize winner will receive one 28mm kit of an • Don’t post your entries in the forum before the
unpainted Bazooka Team from Admiralty Miniatures, contest is over.
sculpted by Fuggit Khan: • By entering this contest, you are granting us a
worldwide irrevocable license to use the artwork
in connection with the T9A project. The copyright
remains with the artist.
• No big watermarks overlaid on the artwork, par-
ticularly in the center of an image.
• See also the General Rules & Guidelines on the
contest thread on the forum.

How to Enter
Submit your entry by uploading 1 single image file to
an image hosting site (e.g. Imgur or T9A Gallery,) and
Furthermore, the silver winner will receive one 28mm then submit the image in a PM to the contest organ-
kit of 7 unpainted Big Hats from Admiralty Miniatures, izer (Karak Norn Clansman). You may contact him to
sculpted by Fuggit Khan: instead have your file sent via E-mail, should some
transfer trouble occur with your upload.

By the due date the forum software will automatically

post an update in the contest thread, opening the gal-
lery for voting. All T9A users can then rank the entries.

40
 COMBO OF THE MONTH
HIGHBORN ELVES Article by henrypmiller

I have been wanting to bring in a gaming feature into the scroll for some time. I think this could be a regular
instalment that the community will find interesting. The premise is that I will bring you a few interesting or
unused combinations of items/units or just some sneaky little tips to help you in your games.
I have had some recent success with my Highborn Although this guy who is probably your general costs
Elves (4 or 5 best in race results in a row at tourna- a mighty 715 points, I think you are getting decent
ments, so I feel like I can speak confidently about this value for money. The problem with the Griffon Char-
army). There are a few combos I want to try out. acters is that they are not resilient enough compared
to their scaly Resistance 6 counterparts. The Demons
“The Extra Sky Sloop” Bane here is a way of getting a cheap 2+ save vs mag-
I have been running what I refer as the “Landrover ic missiles (Pyromancy especially is the bane of grif-
Cowboy” in the last two tournaments. This is a 320 fon characters). You don’t need to worry too much
point, Reaver Chariot-mounted commander with against Quicksilver Lash because of the Fireborn save.
Dragonforged Armour, great weapon and shield. This This means there is only one or two spells in the game
gives him a 2+ save vs shooting and a 3+ save in com- you need to save your dice for.
bat. Combine this with the Diadem of Protection and
you have a fairly resilient character which can grind When you combine the Glittering Lacquer with a unit
down small units with 3 S6 attacks. Not to mention it or two of grey watchers you can get a -2 to hit against
is pretty fast (9”/14” move) and does D6 impact hits. shooting. You can even afford to risk exposing your
His role in my army has been to hold down flanks and character to a full-on battery from an Organ Gun or
provide a no-go area that helps my Ryma Knights get Rocket Battery. If you can give the model a bit of cov-
the charges they want. er you can make the High Prince almost immune to
shooting.
Thinking about other ways of running the reaver char-
iot commander we came up with the following build: The movement and height of the Griffon means the
Commander, Reaver Chariot, Dragonforged Armour, Elu’s Heartwood-Bow combined with the Cover Vol-
Lance (optional), Longbow, Shield, Elu’s Heartwood, ley rule ensures that you can always get a decent
Alchemist’s Alloy. 330 points stand and shoot to support units being charged. 3
S5 shots going into something charging into a unit
This guy rocks in with a 1+ save, 6+ Aegis and fire- can swing combats in certain situations or downright
born 2+. The basic idea is that you are capped on Sky avoid some units charging you.
Sloops which are one of the most powerful units in
the book due to their versatility. While this guy can’t While Combat is probably not the safest place for him,
fly, he does have a 1+ save and hits a bit harder (3A the model hits like a ton of bricks! On the charge this
with a lance) should you risk combat. model has 9 S6 attacks hitting on +1 and at least AP3.

I think he will operate at the back or flanks of the army Lastly you can avoid having a BSB because all panic
in the same way as a sloop does, avoiding tough com- tests are taken with maximized rolls due to the Fleet
bats. Most importantly he shoots well with 3 shots at officer rule. Discipline 10 and maximized roll is very
S5. This model is a way of getting a third “sloop” into difficult to fail! So while you might have a 715 point
your list and avoiding the hard cap on war machines. character that is flapping around behind your army,
providing covering fire and avoiding shooting you
“The Ones Nobody Takes” don’t need to spend points on a BSB.
This combo came with a discussion and inspiration
from Daliskhan on the forum. The combo involves all If you have any combo’s or sneaky tactics you would
the stuff no one takes. like to share, please get in touch with me at ammer-
• High Prince, Fleet Officer, Griffon, Dragonforged timedk@gmail.com or on the General Discussion
Armour, Lance, Shield, Longbow, Elu’s Heartwood, thread for Issue 13.
Deamons Bane, Glittering Lacquer.
• 1 or 2x5 Grey Watchers

41
LITTLE JOES TERRAIN WORKSHOP:
RUINS AND FIELDS Article by LittleJoe

Welcome back to the Terrain Workshop! For this tutorial on Ruins nad fields, I was inspired by the 2D terrain I
see in many tournaments around the world. While I can’t beat mouse mats when it comes to storage or trans-
port, I think it is possible to make something that looks good and is relatively cheap. I fully understand that
for tournament play as little hassle as possible is better, but terrain building is fun and part of the hobby! I will
make square and relatively flat terrain for these features and will compare them to the mouse mat terrain.
Let’s keep it simple with ruins and fields you can make in a few hours.

The rules
“Ruins are Covering Terrain for units inside them, “Fields are Covering Terrain for units inside them.
Dangerous Terrain (2) for Cavalry and Constructs Fields contribute to Soft Cover, except for models
without Skirmisher, and Dangerous Terrain (1) for with Towering Presence.”
any other unit without Skirmisher. Ruins contribute
to Hard Cover, except for models with Towering Pres- The difference to ruins is soft cover and no danger-
ence.” ous terrain. So basically the same for a terrain build-
er with the difference of materials represented. Both
This looks a lot like the rules for walls. In fact the dif- do not block line of sight, so the terrain features get
ference is the base used and extra rules for Skirmish- some height to convey cover but are low enough to
ers. Ruins need special attention when building ter- allow seeing over them.
rain: units can be deployed within ruins. The risk of
taking damage is low enough that many generals will The challenges when building ruins or fields is the
choose to do so. So units must be able to stand and same when building forests; units must be able to
move within and over ruins. Ruins like walls are made enter this terrain feature. You can build a base with
of sturdy materials, in fact using 4 walls to enclose a inlays and remove them as needed during the game.
part of the table make perfect ruins. The challenge is to make it look good. Unlike forests,
these terrain types have an additional and simple
solution to allow units to move into them. As an ex-
ample I want to use the simplest version of a field. It
is available from home decoration stores in the form
of a coconut doormat. You can easily cut them at the
back and you are done.

Due to the even top surface you can place units on the terrain. The limited height allows units to be fully or
partially within the terrain without causing many problems. This is an idea that can be built upon when mak-
ing our ruins. With enough flat surface provided by small elements you can have units stand on top. The only
challenge you face is to keep the maximum height even and the support well spread.

42
 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

Inspiration These are a bit like ruins built into a hill, with a lot of
If ruins are like walls then you can draw from the same top surface units will easily fit on top (A quick google
inspiration with extra opportunities to get creative. A search on these is worth the time – HPM).
few walls and you have a ruin.
Taking a look back at our forest tutorial you can in-
Actually rubble dotted all around makes perfect ruins clude larger manmade structures such as a stone
as well. So any leftovers from another terrain project henge and use them as ruins. Combined with a flat
can be turned into ruins. This greatly helps to keep a top, units can be put there. Due to the height, it is
certain look all over the gaming board. better to think modular and thus allowing for any
larger ruin you can imagine. Taking the forest concept
First let’s have a look at shapes that are useful and a bit further and keeping in mind how combining
would count as ruins for wargaming. Good examples walls make a ruin, you can make scatter terrain. Scat-
are walls used as an enclosure for animaks. Long ter terrain is terrain on a small base, combine many to
thought to be just that, have a look at the Bakoni Ru- a ruin and you can use anything you want as long as
ins in South Africa. Graveyards extend over a larger you don’t block line of sight. For inspiration you can
area and may even have a fence around them. You look at ancient city ruins such as Caesarea, Jerash,
can add a removable mausoleum and have the tops Corinth, Yuanmingyuan, Karanis or Babylon, Whitby
of the tombstones make plane to put units on. An- Abbey and Tynemouth Castle. How about a Beast
other interesting example of low ruins is Skara Brae. Herds sacrificial stone in a field of sacrificial mounds?

43
LITTLEJOE’S TERRAIN WORKSHOP: RUINS AND FIELDS

Fields are often connected to food production and Soft cover opens up a world of other possibilities that
to focus on this theme helps with easier identifica- might be not be related to food production. Elves
tion on the battlefield. If you use a fence from wood, in the 9th age enjoy Camilla. Fields of these flowers
shrubberies or a hedge, add crops inside the circum- would be abundant in the 9th Age setting both for
ference for fields: cabbages, pumpkins or herbs. This the joy to the eye and the smell on the wind as well
allows you to use any kind of low growing food and as the commercial aspect. A garden with small sculpt-
still clearly visualize soft cover. You can have medium ed bushes and low hedges such as the labyrinth at
sized crops or young crop for larger plants as a tight Hatfield House or even lower such as the Washington
packed field: wheat, corn, bamboo or sunflowers. outdoor Labyrinth. There are many examples of gar-
A bit larger but more open: fruit/olive orchard, tea dening for beauty or fun.
plants and a vineyard. In short, almost any agricul-
tural endeavor by man can be turned into tabletop
terrain.

The Field and the Ruin

This tutorial is very easy to do within a few hours. Besides making “better” 2D terrain, I mostly want to show
the effects of painting and flocking on your terrain. I will show how to make doormat fields shine and very
simple ruins based on what I learned from making walls in the last Scroll.

Basic materials needed:

• Coconut doormat
• Cork
• 5mm MDF or 3mm cardboard
• Sand
• Wood
• PVA (wood or white glue)

Tools used: scissors, knife, saw, pliers, hobby brushes

First let’s upgrade the easy to get doormat field. I

want to blend the edges into to match the other ter-
rain made so far and add a few details. I decided to
use 3mm cardboard to add as little height as possible.
Simply glue the piece of doormat onto the base with
1 to 1.5cm to the rim. A relatively broad rim is needed
to have enough surface for blending it into the scen-
ery set.

44
 ISSUE #013 - JANUARY 2019

For the ruins I used a 5mm MDF base and cork. The
cork used comes from a 1.5cm thick coaster, this
guarantees an even height once glued onto the base.
I could have used two layers of cork like I did with the
wall test. I decided against it to have as much surface
on one height level as possible. Had I chosen two lay-
ers of cork, the walls would have been a lot more un-
even at the top. I want units on unit trays to easily fit
on top, so as much top surface by the walls is better.
Later on I will add some height with wood.

I cut cork strips roughly 1cm wide and glued them on

the base in a rectangular shape. At this stage there is
no need to work on the final shape, so I added sand
to both terrain pieces. Put next to each other you can
see why these terrain features are so similar for ter-
rain builders. The ruins show extra use for skirmishers
and the difference between hard and soft cover will
be shown by the materials represented. Neither is
high enough to block line of sight.

After the glue dried, I fixated the sand on both bas-

es with diluted PVA (1:3 mix with water). Once that
dried, the walls were textured with pliers and I made
gaps to add wooden beams. At this stage the cork will
be better able to withstand the pressure and pull of
the pliers and stays on the base.

I used a wooden stave to make a few H-shaped pieces

of burned wood to show how to add height and detail
to the ruins. Bottom edges were sawed all through;
top edges were made by doing guiding cuts and
breaking the stave. The cork has enough flexibility to
firmly grip the pieces standing up. I took care for the
final pieces to have the same width; this ensures that
both standing pieces fit on both sides. The third set
of beams was placed level with the top of the ruin’s
walls. If you have a gap somewhere that you think is
too big, then this trick will bridge it. All terrain was
basecoated and left to dry. The basecoat helps to hide
the grey base of the doormat, flock will further en-
hance this.

45
LITTLEJOE’S TERRAIN WORKSHOP: RUINS AND FIELDS

I painted the field using yellows and light sand colors

to highlight it. This is a doormat, so paint as if dry-
brushing but do not remove paint from the brush.
The doormat is made to rub off dirt and will need
more paint. You can rub it in and blend colors very
easily. The bases got the normal basing colors. The
ruins were roughly painted like the walls. A final wash
gives the ruins a burned and dark look and helps to
distinguish it from the tabletop. I extended this effect
to the center to differentiate the ruins from the rim of
the terrain. This will make both terrain pieces stand
out on a gaming table: one bright, one dark.

Both terrain pieces stand out from the bases used for
this set. On the ruins I added more wood chippings
than normal to break up the blackened surface with
contrast. On the field I did the opposite, I used tufts
best fitting the color of the field to break up the edge
and extend it. On both terrain features I used dark
green clump foliage. With the ruins I used it to fill
gaps in the wall. On the field I used them to break up
the lines at the edges like I did with the tufts. Because
they share similar base colors and flocking at the edg-
es they blend together and will blend into a gaming
table using a similar surface.

Here you can see why I upgraded the doormat field,

it hides the rubber at the bottom but more impor-
tantly it adds a lot of colors. While the doormat has
a nice natural blend of browns, wargaming terrain is
scaled down. Colors blend differently when viewed
from high above and you see more patches. The more
colors you use, the better the effect. I blended the
field into the rubber and then into the base. I only
needed flock in a few select spots to hide a bad tran-
sition. No matter how bad something looks, you can
always cover it up with flock. This is important to re-
member, it makes terrain building a lot easier.

Finally I want to point out that this terrain is almost

2D and with removable beams even the ruins take
near to no space to store and transport. And for gam-
ing purposes, they function as nearly flat terrain. The
difference is the 3D element of the terrain gices much
more immersion than the printed mouse mat. I hope
this article showed that making flat terrain can be
done fast and can look great. For the next scroll we
will tackle the last remaining terrain feature: water
terrain.

Happy terrain building!

46
 BONDY VS THE ETC PART ONE:
IT BEGINS Article by Chris Bond

After playing T9A since it's inception and having played another game involving square bases (rest in peace)
since I was but a child, this year I will be participating in the European Team Championship for the first time as
part of Team Wales. This is a brief introduction to what I'm sure will be an enjoyable and Jaegermeister-filled
journey.
Without revealing any valuable team secrets, I will
be playing Sylvan Elves and already have two list con-
cepts to test and develop, starting with a team prac-
tice weekend shortly before the new year. SE are a
relatively new army for me. I picked them up this year,
after a long period with Infernal Dwarves. Hopeful-
ly I should be able to avoid the burnout that some
ETC players suffer after a year (or more) of practicing
the same army. Having primarily being someone who
rarely gets the opportunity to play outside of tourna-
ments (due to my inability to engage with Universal
Battle), I'm very much looking forward to playing T9A
I have taken part in several team events before but more often.
have never been the kind of player to take the game
ultra-seriously. That is not to say that I don't love the Hobby-wise, this may mean abandoning my strict
competitive nature and challenge of the tournament standards of never proxying or using any unpainted
scene in the UK. However, the army lists I write have models. I am not a great painter by any means but
always focused on taking something I think would be do pride myself in having a presentable army. In par-
fun to play rather than what I know will get the best ticular, I like to use tournaments and gaming days as
results. I rarely stick with a particular list for long be- personal deadlines to give motivation to me to paint
fore moving onto a new concept. In this sense, the new units. Naturally this means that my hobby table
build up to the ETC is going to be a very new expe- is going to be perpetually in use throughout the year
rience for me; building and tweaking a list over the as my list develops. I'll post a few pictures as I go for-
course of the entire year with a specific purpose in ward, should I deem them good enough to share.
mind for the team. Honestly, I think I may see an im-
provement in my results at singles tournaments as Por Favor
the year progresses because of this. Sadly, my days of
bringing 20 Wild Hunstmen and no BSB for the fun of
it are over, at least for now.

47
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