Imperial Navy vs. Chaos (BFG)

It has been a long time since we last played a game of Battlefleet Gothic. But today, we finally managed to get a game in again—specifically, a game of BFG. Unfortunately, we only took a few photos during the entire game. The following two fleets faced off against each other:

Imperial Navy (Total 510 points)

• Dictator Class Cruiser (Ship Name: Talon of Sicae) 220 points
• Lunar Class Cruiser (Ship Name: Ironblade) 180 points
• Dauntless Class Light Cruiser (Ship Name: Lord Hadraner) 110 points

Chaos (Total 505 points)

• Devastation Class Cruiser (Ship Name: Bearers of Destruction) with Chaos Space Marine Crew 190+35 points
• Inferno Class Cruiser (Ship Name: Deathfall) 180 points
• 3x Iconoclast Class Destroyer (Squadron Name: Crimson Band) 90 points

For the scenario, we took inspiration from Cruiser Clash. However, since we only had a 36x36-inch play area, we deployed the fleets in diagonally opposite starting zones so they wouldn't be heading straight into each other right from the start. For celestial phenomena, we included a gas and dust cloud as well as a few asteroid fields. Due to the small number of ships overall, both fleets were kept very close together at the start. Only the Chaos escorts held back slightly, using the asteroid fields for cover. The shots fired during the first two rounds barely scratched the shields; only the light cruiser lost two hull points. However, that was the only damage the ship sustained throughout the game. The Dictator class cruiser and Devastation class cruisers engaged in dogfights with Furies and Dreadclaws, though these largely cancelled each other out during the opening rounds. However, the Lunar class cruiser ended up somewhat separated from the rest of the fleet after Dreadclaws inflicted two critical hits on its weapons. The two Chaos cruisers were able to capitalize on this situation, having sustained no damage from direct fire or torpedoes thanks to lucky dice rolls. 

Battlefield at the end of Round 3

In the third round, the Lunar-class cruiser lost four hull points due to multiple fires on board caused by the Dreadclaws. Furthermore, the cruiser failed to escape after a failed morale check. In the fourth round, it was destroyed by weapon battery fire and incinerated in a plasma drive overload, causing minor damage to the two Chaos cruisers in the process. Meanwhile, in the center of the battlefield, the squadron of Iconoclast class destroyers attempted to attack the Dauntless light cruiser, but failed to inflict any damage. In return, however, they sustained significant damage. They managed to mitigate this through several lucky Brace for Impact rolls, resulting in the destruction of only one destroyer.

Round 3: The two Chaos cruisers are closing in on the Lunar class cruiser

 

Round 4: Plasma Drive Overload

The rest of the game is quickly told: the Iconoclast class destroyers tried to avoid further damage by hiding behind the asteroid fields. The remaining ships of both fleets were so far apart that direct attacks were virtually impossible, leading the two surviving Imperial ships to disengage in the sixth round. In terms of victory points, the game ended 213 to 0 in favor of Chaos—partly because the Chaos gods received a great deal of help from the dice gods during the match, especially on Brace for Impact rolls.

Imperial and Chaos Ships (BFG)

Over the past few months, whenever time allowed, I painted a few spaceships for BFG. The ships received matching bases for their respective factions. So far I have painted one Devastation Class Cruiser and three Iconoclast Class Destroyers for Chaos, and one Lunar Class Cruiser for the Imperial Navy. As a new addition to the single cruiser of the Imperial Navy, I have now painted a Dauntless Class Light Cruiser.

 

Imperial Navy Dauntless Light Class Cruiser

 

Several Chaos ships attack an Imperial Navy patrol.

 

I used the following colors for the Dauntless Class Light Cruiser:

• Black
• White 
• Warp Lighning (Green)
• Boltgun Metal (Silver)
• Ultramarine Blue (Blue)
• Nulen Oil (Black Ink)
• Retributor Armour (Gold)
• Magmadroth Flame (Red) 

 

Gorkamorka model/Orktober 2025

This month I actually wanted to paint some Orks for Gorkamorka to coincide with Orktober. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time, but I did manage to finish one Ork.

Ork with blunderbuss (front)

 

Ork with blunderbuss (side)

 

Ork with blunderbuss (back)

Burrows & Badgers models #1

I painted six models for the game Burrows & Badgers earlier this year. However, I haven't taken any photos of them yet. These are alternative models, but in my opinion, they fit the game's setting very well.
For the base design, I was able to use my leaf punch for the first time, which I also bought at a trade fair at the beginning of the year. 

 
Animal models for Burrows & Badgers (Hare, Chicken, Tortoise, Frogs and Duck)

 
Animal models for Burrows & Badgers (Hare, Chicken, Tortoise, Frogs and Duck)

In the last few days, I've had some time to paint again, so I was able to paint two more animal models: a fox and a dog (beagle). 

 

Fox front side

 

 

Fox back side

 

 Dog (beagle) front side

 

Dog (beagle) back side

Crimson Skies Planes #2

I have finished painting more planes for Crimson Skies, a Curtis-Wright J2 Fury and a Whittly & Douglas M210 Raven. This time, both are for The Black Swans. Now I have four planes ready to test them in a few small dogfights.

I printed the decals myself again and I'm happy with the result. Unfortunately, painting with matte varnish didn't work well and the colors turned out very dull. But the miniatures are more than adequate for playing and overall I'm very pleased with the result.

Below are photos of the planes and the colors I used. 

Fury and Raven (sides)

 

Fury and Raven (front)
 

The Black Swans' planes face off against a BAS patrol.

Paints used:

• Black
• White 
• Blue Grey 
• Boltgun Metal (Silver)
• Talassar Blue (Blue)

Crimson Skies Planes #1

When I had painted the BFG ships, the idea of ​​painting some aircraft came to mind again. I was torn between aircraft from Crimson Skies and Aeronautica Imperials. But then I decided on Crimson Skies because I had wanted to paint models from them several times in the past. 

I had received a few different types of aircraft, but unfortunately not all of the models were in good condition. So I only painted two planes: the heavy fighter McDonnell S2B Kestral and the plane that is the flagship of Crimson Skies, the iconic fighter Hughes P21-JMKIII Devestator. 

Since I didn't know much about the lore of Crimson Skies and I wanted the planes to be simple and uniform, I decided on a gray color scheme. I could imagine this being a good fit for Blake Aviation Security, so I printed some suitable decals for the planes on transfer paper. And I'm very happy with the result.

The models have been finished for about a year now and I just didn't have time to take some photos.

Kestrel and Devestator (front)

Kestrel and Devestator (back)

 

Hobgolbin for the Chaos Dwarfs/Havoc Dwarfs

The finished allied Hobgoblins for the Chaos Dwarves for Fantasy Skirmish. A squad of three wolf riders with short bows and a Hobgoblin Leader on a wolf. 

I painted the models over a year ago, but never got around to taking some photos.

The finished Hobgoblins

The Hobgoblin Leader on wolf (front)

 

 The Hobgoblin Leader on wolf (back)

Back again, starting with some The Old World

I haven't posted anything for over a year now. But in the background I've been doing something for my hobby and have painted a few things. With the release of The Old World I also felt like starting a small army for the game. So I started painting some dwarves and high elves. To get you in the mood, here's a short story that I wrote with the help of artificial intelligence, followed by the pictures.

The Moment of Decision

In the twilight of an ancient forest, two troops stood ready for battle. On one side, the dwarves, muscular and stocky, their armor glinting in the faint light of the setting sun. They were armed with heavy hammers, sharp axes, and sturdy shields, while muskets rested on their shoulders, ready to fire the first shot.

On the other side stood the high elves, tall and elegant, their movements graceful and precise. They carried long spears and intricately crafted shields adorned with the heraldry of the Sea Guard. Behind their lines, archers drew their bows, arrowheads sharp and ready to fly into the enemy.

The forest around them held its breath. A cool wind rustled through the leaves, as if nature itself sensed the tension of the imminent battle. A dwarf, the leader of his troop, raised his hand and signaled his warriors to prepare. His eyes, cold and determined, rested on the elves before him.

The high elves also formed up, their shields creating an impenetrable wall, the spears behind them glinting in the last light of the day. Their leader, an elf with long silver hair and sharp eyes, raised his hand.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. The sounds of the forest fell silent, as if the world itself was waiting for the first strike. A spark of determination flickered in the dwarf leader's eyes, while the elf on the other side pressed his lips together, ready for what was to come.

 

High Elves Noble

 

 

High Elves Noble

 

 

Dwarf Warriors 

 

 

Dwarf Warriors

Chaos Dwarfs/Havoc Dwarfs - part 2

The complete Chaos Dwarf part of the gang is now painted. 
I also made decals so I could complete the missing shields on the Chaos Dwarf Warriors.

Complete dwarves part of the gang

Chaos Dwarf Sorcerer front

Chaos Dwarf Sorcerer back

Chaos Dwarf Blunderbusses

Chaos Dwarf Warriors with hand weapons

Chaos Dwarf Weapon Teams with Mortars

Decals for the shields of the Chaos Dwarf Warriors

Chaos Dwarfs/Havoc Dwarfs

I painted part of the Chaos Dwarf Skirmish Army.
1 Chaos Dwarf Sorcerer and 3 Chaos Dwarf Blunderbusses are complete.  

The 3 Chaos Dwarf Warriors with hand weapons are also finished except for the shields, because I'm still looking for decals for these.

Chaos Dwarfs

I used the following colors to paint the miniatures:

New year, new army? [OPR, Havoc Dwarfs]

New year, new army? Probably not..., in the last two years the real life has taken up most of the time, leaving very little time for the hobby. But a few new models would be a good start to start some time with the hobby again.

I would like to play more regularly again, but most of the rule systems are so extensive that the games always take up a lot of time, which I unfortunately don't have. When I was looking for rules for faster games I came across the rules of onepagerules - Age of Fantasy: Skirmish which I would like to test.

Since I wanted a few suitable models for this, the Chaos Dwarfs that I had printed in 3D for testing a few years ago came back to my mind.
Unfortunately, these were slightly out of scale in size. But since I found these models in a box, they were a good starting point. So I started the 3d printer again, which I hadn't used for a long time, to print some Chaos Dwarfs this time, which matched the good old models from the 90s in terms of their appearance and size.

So, after a few trial and error attempts, I had a small pile of models from which I could make an army for onepagerules - Age of Fantasy: Skirmish.

I wanted a small band of chaos dwarves supported by some hobgoblins. That's how I came up with the list below.

Chaos Dwarfs skirmish army - primed

++ Havoc Dwarves [300pts] ++ 

Goblin Leader [1] Q5+ D5+ | 40pts | Hero, Tough(3), 1x Wolf(Fast, Impact(1))
Cave-Beast Companion (A2, Rending), Hand Weapon (A3), Heavy Bites (A1, AP(1)) 

Abyssal Leader [1] Q4+ D5+ | 45pts | Hero, Slow, Tough(3), 1x Hex Caster(Wizard(1))
Hand Weapon (A3) 

Beast Riders [3] Q5+ D5+ | 60pts | Fast, Impact(1), Wolf Riders(Fearless)
3x Hand Weapons (A1), 3x Shortbows (18", A1), 3x Heavy Bites (A1, AP(1)) 

Warriors [3] Q4+ D5+ | 35pts | Shield Wall, Slow
3x Hand Weapons (A1) 

Shooters [3] Q4+ D5+ | 40pts | Slow
3x Hand Weapons (A1), 3x Rifles (18", A1, AP(1)) 

2x Weapon Team [1] Q4+ D5+ | 40pts | Slow, Tough(3)
Crew (A2), Mortar (24", A1, Blast(3), Indirect)

After priming I also managed to apply the basic color for the bases.

Chaos Dwarfs skirmish army - basic color for bases

 
 

Necron Crypt Cipher Language

I got an old Necron Monolith that I want to touch up and paint. Therefore I was looking for decals and informations about the Necron runes. However, there was hardly any information about this in the codexes. The codices did not have an alternate alphabet for the runes as in older versions of other armies (as for the Orc or Chaos runes).

So i first concentrated on the existing decals, of which there aren't a ton of different bows like the Space Marines. The most recent sheet I could find was from 2011. This is also the most extensive one and also includes all runes from older sheets.

 Necron Decals Sheet from 2011

 

The decals on the sheet can be roughly divided into 3 types:

1. On the left are runes made up of circle parts and straight lines
2. At the top right are the runes of the dynasties 
   
3. Below right are simplified electrical circuits

Only the first ones are interesting for the language. The circuits (3) are only suggested lines for decoration and the dynasty runes (2) are layered symbols for the individual units, which are already described in more detail in the 8th edition Necron codex.

The circle and line runes (1) look like they contain repeating parts. When they were created, only the futuristic look was probably taken into account. but it would be nice to have an alphabet for these runes to create your own which also have a meaning.

Some rune sets with colored repeats in the pattern.

 

I searched a bit further and found the Cryptic Language - Crypt by Mageek. here
He started making a substitute alphabet. The characters are not exactly the same as in the decals, but the look fits very well. Since I also like the look very much, I took the characters as a basis to create vector graphics.

 

Crypt Cipher Alphabet

 

If you take the central axis, which is typical for Necron, vertical, it can look like this, for example:

Two custom rune sets (left: "Conqueror of worlds", right: "Necron crypt world") alongside two original Necron rune sets.

New terrain (Arcanaorbis)

I have continued to paint the Seaguard and I'am about to 90% finished so it takes some more time till showing some new units.

In the meantime I start build a new piece of terrain yout of some foam and cork. Its only a flat piece of maybe difficult terrain, but looks really cool even without some colors.

A mysterious machine of old days, the Arcanaorbis... 

The Arcanaorbis in all its beauty, ready for some paint.

 

The Arcanaorbis with an Elf for scale (32mm base).