Skaven Project Begins

Having received confirmation my Skaven are en-route (ETA three weeks....sigh!) I've begun racking my brain a little as to how to get through some 500 28mm figures in a "reasonable" amount of time (ie before I get distracted....again!)

The first idea of course is to spray paint them - but $35/can for Army Painter I feel is a bit ludicrous...

Here are some tests with normal $2/can automotive paints over a white undercoat

That said I am just going to go with trial and error til I find something that works before embarking on the full monty. From left to right (ignore it's all the same model...) the purple would work well for the Shock Troops/Storm Vermin, the brown for the Warriors/Clanrats, the green for say the Scurriers/Gutter Runners. The last Terracotta skaven is an alternative base color for the warriors, but what I've to see is if it's easier to start with a clothing color and do the brown and details on that or if it's quicker to start from brown and paint the clothes and details onto that. Silly, I know, but when you've got so many even 10seconds a miniature makes a BIG difference!

Today I spent some time chatting online with Tom online and asked if he would help me by holding a mini-tutorial on how he approaches his own painting - if you ever saw his miniature collection you'd understand what I mean - think Ado's but in 28mm....shudder!

I then contacted the author of the warseer Kings of War list for the Ratmen asking if he's also the author of the Army Builder fan list for the Ratmen as the two have the same points values but different special rules - maybe just a discrepancy in updating?

Following that I thought about whether aiming to first get a force together with what's already painted would be an idea to keep the momentum going - thus I added up what my forces are worth in KoW terms

Lastly I've tallied up what my current list is worth in points assuming the use of the older Skaven as Slaves and the newer ones as Warriors.

This is something which is yet to be seen because my ultimate dream would be to have all the Skaven fielded as Warriors and Mantic's Ghouls on the table in the role of Slaves - my rationale being the outcasts of human society would take refuge in the burrows and sewers below the old world far from civilized eyes and fall prey of the Skaven who would put them in their service.

In that case the complete set would be worth more points but perhaps a step at a time is more in order:

Ratmen Roster
5150pt

   1 War Chief, 120 pts
   1 Army Standard Bearer, 25 pts

   1 Warlock, 120 pts
   1 Warlock, 120 pts

   1 Warlock, 120 pts
   1 Pack leader, 50 pts
   1 Pack leader, 50 pts

   1 Pack leader, 50 pts

   1 Assassin, 120 pts

   1 Warlock on Sorcerer's Bell, 250 pts
   1 Warlock on Sorcerer's Bell, 250 pts

   40 Slaves Horde, 85 pts
   40 Slaves Horde, 85 pts
   40 Slaves Horde, 85 pts
   20 Slaves Regiment, 45 pts

   20 Warriors Regiment, 80 pts
   20 Warriors Regiment, 80 pts
   20 Warriors Regiment, 80 pts
   20 Warriors Regiment, 80 pts
   20 Warriors Regiment, 80 pts
   20 Warriors Regiment, 80 pts
   20 Warriors Regiment, 80 pts
   20 Warriors Regiment, 80 pts

   1 Hell Cannon, 110 pts
   1 Hell Cannon, 110 pts
   1 Hell Cannon, 110 pts

   1 Daemonspawn, 300 pts

   20 The Blighted Ones Regiment, 110 pts

   5 Clawshots Team, 65 pts
   5 Clawshots Team, 65 pts
   5 Clawshots Team, 65 pts

   1 Pestilent Mortar, 60 pts
   1 Pestilent Mortar, 60 pts
   1 Pestilent Mortar, 60 pts

   1 Flame Thrower, 60 pts
   1 Flame Thrower, 60 pts
   1 Flame Thrower, 60 pts
   1 Flame Thrower, 60 pts
   1 Rotary Cannon, 60 pts
   1 Rotary Cannon, 60 pts
   1 Rotary Cannon, 60 pts
   1 Rotary Cannon, 60 pts


   3 Brutes Pack, 110 pts + Brutes Pack 110
   3 Brutes Pack, 110 pts + Brutes Pack 110
   3 Brutes Pack, 110 pts + Brutes Pack 110
   3 Brutes Pack, 110 pts + Brutes Pack 110

   1 Deathroller, 220 pts
   1 Deathroller, 220 pts
   1 Deathroller, 220 pts

   20 Shock Troops Regiment, 120 pts
   20 Shock Troops Regiment, 120 pts

Validation Report:

Fan List Race: Ratmen; Second Edition: Include Fan Lists
Roster satisfies all enforced validation rules

Composition Report:
Infantry: 22 (Unlimited - Unlimited)
Cavalry: 0 (Unlimited - Unlimited)
War Engine: 14 (0 Units - 19)
Heroes & Monsters: 15 (0 Units - 19)

Of this mound of rats, though, the following only will arrive painted

2x Hell Cannon, 220 pts

1x The Blighted Ones Regiment (20) 110 pts

1x Shock Troops Regiment (20) 120 pts
2x Deathroller 240pts

So in order to use this legally I'm going to have to paint - bare minimum:
- A War Chief
- five 20 rat troops (to include the Hell Cannons and the War Chief)
- the Blighted ones and Shock Troops allow the inclusion of the Deathrollers
This brings the bare minimum total to
1x Warchief 120pt
5x Warriors 400pt
2x Hell Cannon 220pt
1x Blighted Ones 110pt
1x Shock Troops 120pt
2x Deathroller 240pt

TOT: 1210pt

Thus adding another unit of Warriors - for six total - allows the inclusion of a Warlock (which I found indispensable in our practice game!)
That brings the grand total to 1410pt - just enough to add a 40-strong horde of Slaves for 85pt with 5pt to spare


REQUIRED MINIS TO PAINT FOR 1500pt FORCE
1 Warchief
1 Warlock
120 Warriors
40 Slaves

So no matter what there are going to be uncanny quantities of Skaven to have to be done up before I can play anything resembling a painted army on the table.

But, for now, all this does give me a sigh of relief. If anything, I have a plan.

And like all plans, we know.....