This weekend, the Cities of Sigmar Army Set is made available for pre-order, so Warhammer+ have got not one but two shows dedicated to the followers of the God-king – including the much-awaited return of Citadel Colour Masterclass. We caught up with the folks from the Warhammer+ team to find out what’s on the way this week for subscribers.
First up, it’s time to grab those brushes and learn some truly wonderful techniques to use on your miniatures. We chatted to new Masterclass Tutor Ed to get the lowdown on this week’s show.
Warhammer Community: First of all, Ed, welcome aboard! You’ve been hard at work already and your first Citadel Colour Masterclass is released today. Tell us all about it?
Ed: With this episode we delve into painting true metallic steels on the armour of the Cities of Sigmar. From the basic Freeguild Steelhelms up to the pennant-flying Cavaliers, these warriors of Order are bedecked in heavy plate, ornate barding, and chainmail, all of which are great for practising true metallic metals.
With the amount of sculpted textures and interesting volumes on these new miniatures, I wanted to approach breaking up colour choices into a mixture of finishes that prevent our miniatures from becoming too uniform. The mortals in a Cities of Sigmar army are full of character, and this episode of Masterclass teaches you about adding both warm and cold reflections into metallic surfaces, as well as adding battle damage and shadows.
WarCom: That sounds fantastic – what sort of techniques do you use to cover this topic?
Ed: We focus quite heavily on glazing this week, as the controlled application of glazes is crucial to building up texture. A purple shadow can either create a subtle finish that provides a tantalising hint of colour, or end up looking like your model has taken a bath in a pot of Shyish Purple Contrast.
We also take a quick journey into thinning metallic paints to the point they actually break down, allowing you to pull the coloured flake directly out of the paint to glaze with.
WarCom: With so many amazing miniatures in the Cities of Sigmar Army Set, what made you pick the two miniatures featured?
Ed: I wanted to use the Freeguild Marshal and the Relic Envoy as our demonstration pieces, as they both feature similar design elements that let us show the same technique, while also having enough differences that we can look at applying that technique in different ways. For example, the Freeguild Marshal’s ornate plate armour has several relief elements that give us a raised surface to paint around, whereas the Relic Envoy has a recessed Sigmarite sigil on its shoulder pad that lets us explore the opposite approach and paint within sculpted recesses.
But that’s not all – over in the Battle Report studio, the Dawnbringer Crusades have been launched out into the Mortal Realms and the armies of the Cities of Sigmar march forth to rid the lands of the filth of Chaos. We grabbed Nick to take us through the throwdown with the Maggotkin of Nurgle.
Warhammer Community: So, the Twin-tailed Crusade has been launched! Tell us about this week’s Battle Report game.
Nick: Breaking out from Hammerhal are multiple forces of Order who have sworn to rid both Ghyra and Aqshy of the taint of Chaos. Our game is the first in a multi-part series, where we will follow different forces throughout the crusade, setting battles of all sizes in these desperate times. In this first showdown, we’re playing a smaller game – around 600 points, as that is the exact contents of the new Cities of Sigmar Army set!
WarCom: The Dawnbringer Crusades are a great narrative to follow. How does this translate into your first game?
Nick: Well, in the first show, a foul Harbinger of Decay, a loyal servant of Nurgle, has been loping about the forests of Ghyra, spreading the Shudderblight plague amongst the citizens of the realm. A force of the Cities of Sigmar from Hammerhal Ghyra has marched into the wilderness to dispatch the foul priest, but as they approach him, he summons a horde of daemons to his side and battle is joined!
WarCom: This sounds so cool… and it totally explains the board too. Nick: Yes, our talented army painters Andy and James built us this board to represent a befouled clearing in Ghyran. My favourite bit has to be the converted (or should that be corrupted) Aqualith, made to look like it’s full of puss and muck, and not the blessed waters of Alarielle. It was such fun to play over!
WarCom: Of course, we’ll get to see the new Cities of Sigmar army in battle too! What can you tell us?
Nick: These guys love discipline and order, and can hold the line against anything their enemies can throw at them. But if you want to know all the details about the rules… well, you’ll have to tune in and find out!
Two great shows, looking at the new Cities of Sigmar range both at the painting desk and the gaming table. Subscribe to Warhammer+ to watch both of these and a whole host of other shows released there over the last couple of years. Whatever scratches your hobby itch, there’s something there for you.
And don’t forget, loyal citizens, the Cities of Sigmar Army Set is released for pre-order this weekend!