22 July 2020

Xenos on Crusade: Tim's Drukhari month 1 - Eager to Flay


We left off last month with the Kabal of the Shattered Lung gathering their allies and poised to set out on their crusade. This month I'm pleased to report good progress on the Kabal and Wych Cult elements, while the Haemonculus Covens sit tight for now, scheming and exulting at their relative strength following the recently revealed and truly baffling points changes across the faction. Here's the main fruits of this month:



This goes a good way towards my crusade force - completed models are in italics

Kabal of the Shattered Lung (Obsession TBC) (15PL)
  • Archon Naz'ul Orfeon
  • 5 Kabalite warriors
  • 5 Kabalite warriors*
  • Ravager 

*though I'll still need to paint a few more to give them legal weapon loadouts!

Cult of the Red Mirror (Custom Obsession: Berserk Fugue, Test of Skill) (6PL)
  • Succubus Elaria the Mirthful
  • 5 Wyches 

Coven of the Unraveling (Obsession TBC, provisionally Prophets of Flesh) (16PL)
  • Haemonculus Khaizin the Skinless
  • 10 Wracks
  • Talos 

Mercenaries and transports; Motor Pool of the Loathsome Traffic Offence (13 PL)
  • 5 Mandrakes
  • Raider
  • Venom


Paint scheme

My recipe varied across the different factions, with more red for the Wych Cult of the Red Mirror (funny that) and more grey for the Kabal of the Shattered Lung. The Motor Pool of the Loathsome Traffic Offence is something of a mixed bag, reflecting its general use across the different factions.

Because I had some of my models 2nd hand from trades, with different starting basecoats / paint schemes that were thin and not disastrous enough to require stripping, the way I've ended up at the grey and red changed a bit depending on the model's provenance. I want this to be something of a theme in the Drukhari army, since they do consist of disparate individuals drawn together by power and opportunity, and not a coherent. They are, after all, sadist elf pirates, and not "bright companies" like Tolkien's elves or the Lumineth Realmlords.

Generally I followed these recipes:

Grey
- If basecoated Contrast:-> Basilicanum Grey base; Administratum Grey layer.
- If basecoated Black:-> Administratum Grey layer, keeping black showing in the recesses of the plates; Celestra Grey tidyup on main panels;
- If basecoated White:-> Celestra Grey base; Administratum Grey layer;
and then, in each case, Hellion Green / Praxeti White highlights (or White Scars highlights if a vehicle)
I tried to sharpen the models up where needed with extra Abaddon black in recesses for a more (literally) edgy vibe.

Red
- Infantry: basecoat in grey if started from black. Then Flesh Tearers Red (I love this paint!) and Astorath Red edge highlight. Wild Rider Red intermediate highlights if a character.
- Vehicles: Flesh Tearers Red, thinned down Mephiston Red towards the sides and to give body; edge highlight Evil Suns Scarlet.

Black
- Abaddon Black, often watered down for quicker application to details; Administratum Grey edge highlights on key points.

Bronze
Balthasar Gold base,;Agrax Earthshade wash; judicious Stormhost Silver edge highlights.

Green details
- Abaddon Black, fill in with Kabalite Green, then Warpstone Glow at one end and Praxeti White dots.

Faces
- Kislev Flesh base; Reikland Fleshshade wash; highlights with Eldar Flesh and Praxeti White, or sometimes grey for variety / vaguely sinister corpselike whimiscal effect.

Bases
- Agrellan Badland; patches of Valhallan Blizard; a few GW grass clumps for variety.

The Results
And just to discourage anyone from following the above recipe, here are its fruits - Archon Orfeon, his pirate gang, their wheels, a contingent of the Red Mirror (with  a surplus10 wyches no less), and my first unit of Mandrakes, who I converted from Idoneth Namarti thralls, adding more Dark Eldaresque weapons where they seemed a bit fishy and having them throw little dark fireballs for their "baleblasts". I also painted 5 scourges, just because the models are so lovely and I needed a treat!





















Future plans
Now we have the rules and points for 9th in general (if not entirely official) circulation, I'm envisaging building up to a 2,000 point list to start taking to local tournaments and the more competitive scene at our local club.

Drukhari were fairly badly walloped with the points increases to disintegrator cannons and their basic troops. But they retain an interesting set of options, with Talos in particular spared the more punishing increases while benefiting from the new rules for shooting into combat (as seems only appropriate when one's guns are mounted on a scorpion tail) and above all the need to move onto objectives and stay there against more than a stiff breeze coming the other way. So, I have the following list in mind as a vague goal.


Kabal of the Shattered Lung (read: Black Heart)
Archon, blast pistol, huskblade (Warlord: Labyrinthine Cunning, Writ of the Living Muse)
5 Kabalite warriors, blaster
Venom - splinter cannon, twin splinter rifles
Raider - dark lance
5 Mandrakes
5 Mandrakes
2 Sslyth
Ravager, 3 disintegrator cannons
Ravager, 3 disintegrator cannons

Wych Cult of the Red Mirror (Berserk Fugue, Test of Skill)
Drazhar, Master of Blades
5 Wyches, hydra gauntlets (+1S drug)
6 Reaver Jetbikes, 2 heat lances, grav-talon (+1T drug)
5 Scourges, 4 shredders
Razorwing Jetfighter, 2 dark lances

Haemonculus Coven of the Unraveling (read: Prophets of Flesh)
Haemonculus, Electrocorrosive Whip (Alliance of agony: Diabolical Soothsayer, Vexator Mask)
5 Wracks, Ossefactor
5 Grotesques
2 Talos: 1 x Macro scalpel, twin liquifier guns and stinger pod; 1 x Macro scalpel, chainflail and stinger pod

It is deliberately a bit varied so as to try stuff out, albeit at the cost of full optimisation, and it probably needs more anti tank; but nonetheless I'm excited to have a goal to work towards with this, and I am looking forward to seeing how the evil space elves play once they hit the tabletop.

Next month
Next month, the Haemonculus Coven of the Unraveling will appropriately enough be more flesh coloured - especially as I've converted it some Wracks using the AoS crypt ghouls kit, whose sole (and merciful) piece of clothing is generally a ragged loin cloth. So I hope to finish:
- Kaizin the Skinless, my Haemonculus
- 5 Wracks;
- 1 Talos; and
- A few more Kabalite Warriors so as to make viable squads (at the moment I have painted a bunch, but they have an esoteric mix of weapons).

Till next time!

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