Pokemon! I choose Chosen!

Ah, Christmas! Time for a Christmas bonus. In that I actually got one, from a London writing job that gave me a bit more than I was expecting. Enough to splash out on something that had caught my eye a while back. 

Santa? You've... you've changed...

Mierce Miniatures featured in one of the Cracking Gaming Blogs last December, Dice and Brush I think it was. He'd bought some of their minotaurs, and I was rather taken with their range of Celtic/Dark Age fantasy stuff. 

A 3200pt battle Warriors and Daemons vs Wood Elves and Bretonnians

Chaos daemons, my old friends:
Hand in hand we fight again.
From the forests of athel loren,
Comes Bretonnians and Elf men;
And Slaaneshi forces marched on to hear cries,
Someone dies,
No more the sound of silence.

Chaos moves for the knights of grail
Magic leaves us and all spells fail
In fiends we trust combat in our flanks
Forgetting that knights armour built like tanks
When the lances hit the daemons they did fall
Damn you all!
But prince resound with defiance

Chariot the forest would ignore
To charge: need ten, maybe more
But luck was on side as I move in
Waywatchers caught in wheels, now no skin
Crashing through into peasants (no one cares)
More knights prepares,
To crash in with elf guidance.

"Challenge" yells mounted herald
Pal'din accepts and is impaled
Buying time for others to move in
With all their might its now a chaos win
Foes on the right flank of the army are no more
This is war -
But few left see this violence

Sorceror lord too late sees,
The dryads hiding in the trees.
He must flee and not face them,
Knights chase him to condemn
And the last fight sends more knights to et'rnal rest
So chaos best!
Back to the sound of silence.

White Dwarf No More

The news is humming across the webway: after 37 years and nearly 400 issues, the monthly White Dwarf is to end.

All remaining copies will be gathered up and pulped by a Cave Troll.

If the scuttlebutt is true, it will be replaced by a weekly magazine with the latest releases and articles (a bit like a website, it you printed it out and updated it once a week); and a monthly catalogue-type publication called 'Warhammer Visions' (because why would you keep an established and beloved name like 'White Dwarf', when you could replace it with something from a corporate mission statement).

The total costs of the 4 x weekly edition are said to be double that of the current magazine, but I really can't see Games Workshop jacking up the price by 100% for a near-identical product...

Anyway, let us remember the good times...

A 4000pt battle Warriors and Skaven vs Daemons and Dark Elves

These flock covered mountains,
are a death bed for me.
As my ally is the skaven:
who always hate me.
Today though no rules for this,
but our en'mies fight the same;
so Daemons and Dark elves fight brothers in arms.

Through ranks of Nurgle's offerings
Skaven's warpfire.
But rodents stay back cowardly
as my warriors march on.
And though my trolls are a horde:
they still fear and run.
Now rats dont desert me my brothers in arms!

Cannons hit the dark elves' shrine,
skullcrushers charge the front -
And the witch elves we all feared:
just a memory to us all!

Now the game's to gone to hell...
most my units are dead.
and the gray seers keeps plaguing
whilst I keep foes at bay
but its not enough to fell those beasts,
before my lord falls to sword -
still seemed I won though with my brothers in arms.

A 3000pt battle Warriors vs Vampires

Twas the night before New Year and the board was still out;
so the warriors where stirring, for a new bout!
Leofa pulled vampires from out of their crypt,
and twelve seen in battle whilst red wine was sipped.

Was Nurgle who smiled and said "children" go first:
chaos threatened as vampires yell "do your worst!"
From the flanks a mage on magic carpet would ride,
casting spells (behind daemon prince wings she did hide).

Warriors moved forward themselves they use as bait,
snarling and snorting unaware of their fate.
Facing off, Heinrich Kemmler yelling "fear me all!"
Then the git smiled and became ethereal!

The undead moved forward with unusual speed,
Both units roll five 'n six: just what they need!
The undead horde charge as the rot beasts show fear:
turning tail they did run, cut down from the rear.

The crypt ghouls move forward, as the grave guard do pause;
mutated forsaken hold to extend their claws.
when Seafang drops Wulfrik and friends on north shore
Skellies and zombies turn round: not to ignore...

Slaughterbrute comes, empowered by daemon prince skill,
but not enough to prevent the vampire lord's kill.
Forsaken fight back; and the ghoul poison flows -
and Kemmler's grasp on the combat did close!

A Terrorgeist screams as marauders disembark,
seven fall to the sound before making their mark.
Not beaten, they charge into skeletal ranks,
on zombies they eye - as they expose flanks.

The wanderer wonders what horrors ahead,
ne'er before had he seen such lucky undead.
One more fight was failed with fear in his eyes,
this army, this lord, Kas began to despise!

The prince charges forward to face spectral horse;
at end: one still stands for Leofa of course!
So no overrun into massive zombie block,
for warriors its between hard place and rock!

As undead gain wounds and they recast their spells,
more warriors of chaos do bid their farewells.
Throwing caution to wind 6 dice mage would roll,
for Leofa to laugh "Ta Da! dispel scroll!"

The warriors of Nurgle now hide behind wall,
expecting their complete and utter downfall.
One last trick for the mage who is never outdone
lining up the two hordes - take that: purple sun!

With grave guard beaten and Krell sent to hell
if only the last warrior could Kemmler as well;
but vampires were on for a fight till the death
At 5 in the morn chaos took its last breath!