Note – this article is part of an ongoing series – previous articles can be found here.
After a seven-month hiatus, I’m back with some updates on my Ogre army. Those of you who listen to Unplugged Radio will know that I have continued to be active with painting other projects. However, with my COVID vaccine received and my attendance at Masters in July more or less confirmed, it’s time for me to finish up this project.
With a handful of games under my belt at the 1995 points level, I put pen to paper (or finger to key, if we’re being technical) and expanded my list to 2300 points. Essentially, I upgraded the Boomer Sergeant to Nomagarok and added in two Regiments of Boomers.
Nomagarok is really a no-brainer, as a quick glance at his unit profile reveals him to be an extremely flexible and useful Hero bordering on broken. Don’t be surprised if you find him in every Ogre army from now on.
The Boomer Regiments were a less obvious choice. I wanted to add a pair of Ogre Regiments to hang around Nomagarok to make sure he gets maximum value from his Spells. I also wanted them to serve as Thicc Chaff. There are many options I could have gone with and, honestly, Berserkers are probably better. But, I like the GW Leadbelcher models and I like the idea of having some additional Ranged Attacks in the list to clear enemy chaff or cleanup units that I fail to Rout in Melee.
I started out by building six Boomers. While it may be perfectly acceptable to play with two models on a Large Infantry Regiment base, I really dislike the way that it looks. It just feels empty!
For some added variety, I decided to equip two models with pistols instead of cannons. The arm and pistol come from the Mournfang Cavalry kit, and I was able to order them for a couple of dollars on eBay.
The cannons have noticeable seams running down the center, so I filled them with greenstuff as best I could.
I then switched gears to getting the unit bases built and painted. This is always the most fun part of the process for me.
I thought I had run out of mushrooms, but then I discovered a treasure trove of them leftover from a Mangler Squiqs kit that I purchased many years ago. Needless to say, I was excited!
When it came time to painting the first Regiment I was very thankful for writing this blog, as I was able to read through previous entries and remind myself of the exact process. Maybe my mind isn’t as sharp as it once was, but when a few months pass my painting recipes inevitably fall out of my memory. No matter what project you are working on, please document your process!
I had a bit of trouble arranging them on the unit base. One of my “rules” when assembling units is to avoid overhanging the front edge of the base. This makes gameplay much easier as units can align flush in Melee and it also tends to lessen the chance of your units getting broken (anyone who has had their unit get “caught” on an enemy unit knows what I’m talking about). The issue with the Boomer models is that their cannons tend to stick out pretty far in front of them and the Regiment base is quite narrow. I had to get creative with the placement but I was able to find a solution that adhered to my “rule” and still looks somewhat decent.
Upon completing the Regiment I was even able to get in a game – my first since August. The highlight of the game was when Ba’su’su charged a Boomer Regiment. He did four Damage but failed to Waiver or Rout them. I proceeded to countercharge and then Healed three points of Damage with Nomagarok, also giving the unit Vicious (Melee). I then rolled like an absolute beast and Routed Ba’su’su! This was such a ridiculous outcome and not one that I expect to replicate in future games, but it sure felt good and somewhat confirmed that my choice in Boomer Regiments was a solid one.
As always, thanks for reading! Feel free to drop your comments and/or questions below and be on the lookout for more updates in the lead-up to Masters.
