So here we have the finished army. I finished the last unit of slaves a couple weeks ago but, due to housework, I only managed to finish the last clanrat command and the final couple of slaves for the front rank yesterday.
I'm not overly happy with the banner but given the time constraints, that will have to do for now. When I get back to Skaven in a few months I plan on revisiting it and adding some extra Skaven runes and check patterns.
As I mentioned before, many people would simply base the models and consider themselves done and ready for the tournament. However, the army still requires a large degree of work. Sadly, some of that work will not happen before Adepticon. Personal life and work can certainly put the brakes on the hobby pretty fast and at this point, I consider myself fortunate to be attending Adepticon at all.
So let's see what is left for preparing for Adepticon and what I plan to do for each of them.
- Basing - Usually the method to base models is to create a base and then attach the model after painting. However, as I've played Skaven for years before painting them they were already attached to the bases. So a little sand, some of the GW basing kit mushrooms and warp crystals and DONE.
- Base Trim - I always like to paint the edge of the bases a color to match the base. This would also be the time to paint the movement trays for fantasy armies. My wife has agreed to help me with this endeavor so I feel confident we'll get this far at least.
- Display Board - Ordinarily I'd really like to create a custom display board. This year I'm going cheap and quick. In the near future I'll post more details on doing a quick and easy display board. For now let me say it involves a picture frame, some spare masonite, sand, paint, and some spare ruins I have sitting around.
- Decorative Army Plate - This is simply something to draw people's eyes to the army and provide an evocative title for the army.that makes people think about it (and thus remember it better). I won't be doing one this year for time reasons.
- Decorative Army Roster - I really like laying out an army roster full of pictures, fluff, and other tidbits. I always have everything broken down with point costs so that I meet the requirements for the tourney, but I like pushing it a little further. This year I'm looking to just have a well laid out army roster that breaks the points out and maybe has a couple quick and easy graphics.
- Personal Game Aids - I am notorious for forgetting really simple things when playing wargames. I once played an entire game of Fantasy with my Skaven thinking, "I feel like I'm missing something. After the game I looked over at my case and realized that I never rolled to bring in my Gutter Runners. So I usually try and create flash cards with the important rules and unit information on them.
- Game FAQs - It's always important to bring the latest printouts for your army book and the basic rulebook. I also usually try and bring FAQs for some of the more contentious rulings out there that I know people try and "fudge" most frequently. This is a pretty daunting task though as the Skaven FAQ itself is incredibly long. Nonetheless, I Already have a binder set up for this so it shouldn't be an issue to make new print-outs and just swap the sheets out.
So on the horizon I am looking at a few articles on batch painting models, quick and easy display boards, and then of course, Adepticon coverage itself. After Adepticon I'l be taking a break so I can work on housework for my incoming daughter before finally returning after a few weeks to work on Infinity and Warmachine. I may also post a few articles about the new Tau codex the upcoming High Elf army book, and my hopes for the new Eldar book supposedly in the pipeline for June/July.