Now that my warband is complete and ready to play, I thought it would be a good idea to look back and make a summary of the process so far, from forming the warband to painting it, and especially to make notes on what I'd like to improve next time.
Why Mordheim? Why Orcs?
Because Mordheim requires fewer models, first of all it's cheaper, and secondly it's much faster to get onto the playing table. Plus you get to play campaigns that tie each battle into a larger story. At least, these were the reasons why a few friends and I chose Mordheim. Next came selecting the right warband... I wanted to stay away from humans, as painting them doesn't much excite me, and I like the flavour of the more fantastical races. I chose the Orcs because I liked the colour schemes and the shapes used in the models... it's to Games Workshop's credit, and their designers in particular, that each race clearly has a distinctive look that makes each one different to paint.
As for the make-up of the warband itself, it was partially dictated by which models I would like to paint... as part of the appeal of Mordheim for me was getting to paint a small number of unique models, I naturally chose expensive individuals i.e Troll and Shaman over models that would require batch painting i.e. Goblins. After choosing the Troll, Orc Boss and Shaman, I wasn't left with many gc, and I stretched it enough to include two Orc Boyz and 15gc to feed the Troll. Perhaps I could have included more Orc Boyz, or even some Orc Big 'Uns, but because I wasn't ready to attempt conversions, I also had to include the cost of the shields, weapons etc. that came with the models I was using! It's not like I feel like I've compromised on playability by doing it this way, but time will tell once we start campaigning.
Painting:
I used the painting guides on the Games Workshop website to find paints for the Orc skin and the Troll. For the Troll I used the Lizardmen colour scheme, as the blue matched the vibrancy of the Orc skin, and the scales on the Stone Troll have the potential for a reptilian look, like the Carnosaur/Troglodon which had just been released.
On all the models, for the stone bits I used a bass layer of Dawnstone, stippled or drybrushed with Administratum Grey and then Praxeti White. This was on recommendation from Games Workshop staff, and in future I'd start with a darker base colour. Also by recommendation I painted the leather bits with a base of Rhinox Hide, then layers of Mournfang Brown and XV-88 (also both actually bases). I ran into a problem here when there was so much leather on the Orc Boyz, that to avoid it all looking the same I forewent the layering and just painted different base colours on different areas, which of course doesn't look as great.
I had a problem with the drybrushing. I think I was just loading up too much paint onto my brush... in order to achieve the blending that I wanted on the Troll stomach and Shaman skulls, I ended up watering down Praxeti White and applying it in thin layers. This actually turned out surprisingly well I think, especially on the Shaman, where I layered the white over a grey base:
I wanted to try out the new Technical Paints, so I used Ryza Rust in conjunction with Typhus Corrosion, Leadbelcher and Runefang Steel for the metal bits on the Orc Boyz. I also tried using Nihilakh Oxide for a cool effect on the Shaman's staff, but it didn't work out quite as I had hoped. You can still see it in the recesses though (above).
For the bases, I used Stirland Mud, and again on recommendation, used the Technical paint 'Ardcoat in places to try and give the impression of boggy ground. Then I stuck some Mordheim Turf bits on. In future, I should layer and drybrush the bases as well, and perhaps would use PVA glue instead of 'Ardcoat.
Overall, I like the main colour scheme. The green, blue, and touches of red all have a similar vibrancy that ties the army in well together. In future I would like to layer not just the main sections of the models, but also details like teeth, nails and eyes, and plan for all the extras like shields. In the meantime, we'll soon see how my Orcs (plus Troll) fare in Mordheim!
