Ogres of the Moonlit Hunt – A Hobby Blog (1)

Introduction

Embarking on a new army project is rarely an easy decision. While I spent the first couple months of 2020 frantically finishing my army (Forces of Nature with Forces of the Abyss Allies) for Masters, I knew I wanted something different. My Nature/Abyss army had taken the better part of three years to complete and is definitely my highest quality army to date. I have roughly 2500 points painted, and I do plan to keep adding to my collection, but I needed a break.

In 2017, I painted my first true army for Kings of War. Prior to that, I had been playing armies that were converted over from Warhammer. This was an exercise in speed-painting. I limited myself to the ghostly units in the Nightstalkers army – Spectres, Phantoms, Soulflayers, Shadowhounds, Mindscreech, Void Lurker, Banshee, and Shade – and managed to assemble and paint the army in a month. The results are not amazing, but definitely good enough to put on the table.

For this project, my goal is to find a happy medium between my Nightstalkers and Nature/Abyss. Something that will take more effort than the Nightstalkers, but considerably less than Nature/Abyss. Something that will look a step above the Nightstalkers, if not as impressive as Nature/Abyss.

Designing the Army

I created dozens of sample army lists before making a final decision on the project. You see, I am someone who commits to a list before purchasing/building/painting it – crazy, right? I probably drove my fellow Unplugged Radio hosts crazy with the number of ideas I floated by them. When planning an army project, I prioritize the following criteria:

• Model range – If I am going to invest time painting models, I need to love their look. This is the number one factor for me every time.

• Unlocked potential – The next factor I consider is to what extent the army has unlocked potential. Which army or units within an army seem viable but aren’t represented by players in my local scene, region, or country?

• Playstyle – The final factor I consider is how similar/different the playstyle of the list is, as compared with my other armies. I like each of my armies to play differently so that I can switch them up when/if I am starting to grow bored.

Based on these criteria, I’ve decided to start an Ogre army. Here’s my rationale:

• Model range – I am using GW Ogors and Gloomspite Gitz for this project. All of the models I’ve selected are plastic or, in one instance, resin. This is important because I am going to magnetize all of the unit bases and need to keep them fairly lightweight so I can safely transport them with the Battlefoam Magna-Rack system. I already own a Goblin army, and I can tell you that GW Goblins are incredibly fun to paint. The Ogors are also nice, but I don’t love them as much. I considered using Atlantis Miniatures because their Ogres are incredible, but they are expensive and don’t match the Gloomspite Gitz as well. I also considered Mantic Ogres, which I like quite a bit, BUT there are no Siege Breakers (boo) and the Hunters are metal (double boo).

• Unlocked potential – There are no Ogre players in my local scene, and the handful of players in my region (the Northeast) with Ogre armies have relegated them to the shelf in favor of other projects. There were only two Ogre armies at the U.S. Masters, and both of them are considerably different from the list I have designed. I think this list can be competitive, especially when you take lots of Red Goblin units, as I plan to do.

• Playstyle – None of my current armies have the ability to straight-up beat face the way that Ogres do. My Nightstalkers have a mixed-arms approach with a fair bit of shooting. My Forces of Nature are best at grinding, with some Forces of the Abyss Allies to provide a punch. My Goblins fill the board with tons of drops and play the scenario while generally losing on attrition. The Ogres can definitely fill a gap in my currently available playstyles.

Here is the 1995 list that I am going to paint. I have several ideas about what I could add to bring it to the 2200, 2250, or 2300 mark, but I will hold off on that until I’ve actually played some games!

Army: Ogres

Points: 1995

Unit Count: 14

Unit Strength: 24

255, Siege Breaker Horde

— Chalice of Wrath

245, Hunter Horde

— Helm of Confidence

— Crocodog

230, Hunter Horde

— Crocodog

155, Red Goblin Sharpstick Horde

155, Red Goblin Sharpstick Horde

100, Red Goblin Scout Troop

100, Red Goblin Scout Troop

100, Red Goblin Scout Troop

100, Red Goblin Scout Troop

65, Red Goblin Blaster

65, Red Goblin Blaster

170, Ogre Warlord

— Mead of Madness

— Crocodog

145, Kuzlo & Madfall

110, Boomer Sergeant

— Inspiring Talisman

The way I envision this list working is by forming the main battle line with the Siege Breaker Horde, flanked by the Red Goblin Sharpstick Hordes and the Red Goblin Blasters. The Boomer Sergeant will provide Inspiring and light Ranged Attacks. I like Chalice of Wrath on the Siege Breaker Horde because I am going to need that unit to do some serious work, and getting Waivered in Melee just isn’t an option!

The Hunter Hordes and the Ogre Warlord can deploy reactively wherever they are needed. I opted for the Helm of Confidence on one of the Hunter Hordes so that I can split them up without needing to sacrifice Inspiring. The combination of special rules on the Hunters – Ensnare, Pathfinder, Brutal, Crushing Strength (1) – is really powerful, and I can’t wait to use them.

The four Red Goblin Scout Troops are the delivery service for the army. The Ogres lack access to units with Fly, but the Red Goblin Scout Troops can easily make up for that. Speed 10, Nimble, Thunderous Charge (1), and Vicious (Melee) are a steal at 100 points.

Kuzlo and Madfall made the list because I love fielding this unit in my Goblin army, and I have a sweet model picked out already. It also provides me with a third Pathfinder unit and the Ravenous Lizard special rule pairs so nicely with Brutal.

As an aside, I also like how the entire army is comprised of Height 2 and Height 3. It should come in handy when matched up against armies with lots of Ranged Attacks, as I can easily find cover behind Hills, Forests, and Blocking terrain.

Painting the Army

Once the army list was set in stone, I needed to decide how I was going to paint it. For starters, I really wanted to capture the classic Night Goblin motif – black cloaks, vibrant green skin, red spear shafts, blindingly yellow bad moons, etc. This color scheme could then be applied fairly easily to the Ogres. Remember, my goal was to find a happy medium between the speed-painted Nightstalkers and the painstakingly painted Nature/Abyss. Here’s the plan of attack:

1. Use GW Contrast Paints wherever possible.
2. When GW Contrast Paints are not appropriate, use whatever other time-saving techniques possible.
3. Only use layering as a last resort as it is time-consuming.
4. Make the unit bases look awesome.

I put this plan into action when painting my first Red Goblin Sharpstick model. I primed the model with Wraith Bone, then applied a thin layer of black to the cloak and basecoated the metal silver. I then washed the entire model with Nuln Oil. I used GW Contrast Paints for the skin, rope, spear shaft, eyes, pouch, and boots. I saved time on the cloak by opting to crosshatch some patches with light grey rather than highlight with layers. The metallics were painted with a basecoat, wash, and layer, but there isn’t a lot of metal on the model so it went quickly. I painted the bad moon with a basecoat of yellow and an orange wash, as the Contrast yellow wasn’t doing it for me. Finally, I picked out the teeth with off-white. The end result took about forty minutes, which is incredibly fast compared to my normal process.

Satisfied with the result of my test model, it was time to dive into the first unit…