Cordelia Rosalind

That took a while. Far too long. Not the mini, but finishing painting any Anima Tactics mini/unit.

It has been almost three months since I last finished an Anima Tactics mini, and admittedly for fans of the game, the recent news from Cipher Studios was very disappointing. I remain absolutely determined to paint this whole range, and will be pleased to look back on that feat should I succeed. Hopefully I can regain some momentum now that Cordelia is painted; I would love to be past the half-way point of the whole range by summer/autumn.

The future of Anima Tactics does not totally appear to be over, but I wait to see what comes next if anything after the assurance of the 'last few releases. By my estimate there are 7 certainties or almost certainties:

Anaximenes; Legion; Nimrod, September; Celia special edition; the Bearer; the Nameless.

While I also reckon there is a slim chance of one or two other previously not-indicated units being in that final mix too. We shall see. Nonetheless, it leads me to think that there will be 159 discrete units (including limited edition variants etc.), so I will be using that in my target/goal information going forward, adjusting the value as more information comes out.

On to this latest addition. Cordelia Rosalind is another Wissenschaft Prowler, combining an array of ranged attacks with Stealth. I loved this model when I first saw it, and that has not changed, despite that it was a bit of pain to get the parts to fit satisfactorily. Cordelia is pretty formidable in her sniper function, and I dare-say she will get some use in future games.

I now have up to 555 Levels of Wissenschaft, so could easily field a 600 Level force with a Summon or two for Valis Ul Del Vilfain. That kind of Party would make for a big game and would be far in excess of the 300 Level games I have played so far. If I ever get the time, it could be fun.

Running Totals
Anima Tactics Units Owned/Units Painted: 164/71 (43.3%)
Anima Tactics Range/Discrete Units Painted: 159/67 different units (42.1 %)
Year to Date Target: 1 of 9 units (3 per month target; 11%)

Gear Mk. Trithemius

This is my first Gear, and a tester of sorts. I have a couple of these now and will use them to work out my painting approach to the bigger Gears like Goethia, Theurgia and Grimorium. Legacy of Solomon may be different but I am not sure yet, and the Golem Gears such as Hecatondies Sigma Zero will be certainly be approached differently.

Gears come in two flavours so far, and the more common type is considered Technomagical Powered Armour, and that is the class that the Trithemius seems to fall into. Gears are mostly developed from examples of rediscovered technology known as Lost Loggia in the Anima Tactics background. Most of them have Damage Resistance, cannot take Advantage Cards, and many are Immune to Poison.

The Gear Mk. Trithemius is a sort-of Agent type of Gear; it is not an Agent as such, but counts against the limit of Agents, and like Agents has a small menu of options to customise its abilities. Unfortunately, the creators appear to have printed the game card for the unit with an error in its AP recovery rate (the card has it as way too fast for its Level value), although this has not been officially addressed in an Errata or update that I can find. I hope that is rectified fairly soon.

Since I mainly play against Wissenschaft when I play Rob, I hope we get a game in with one or more Gears fairly soon, although countering the decent Armor values prevalent among Gears will take some working out.

I enjoyed painting this and turned it around quite quickly, so the second one may be done before too long. Possibly.

Running Totals
Anima Tactics Units: 163 (added: Gear Mk Trithemius x2; October)
Anima Tactics Units Painted: 59 (55 different models)
Painted Units Percentage: 36.2% (percentage of AT minis owned and painted)
Anima Tactics Range: 152 units (including 2 LE minis;including September as he still is due for presumably imminent release)
Percentage of Whole Range Painted: 36.2%
Year to Date Target: 18 of 24 units (3 per month target; 75%)

Kira

Another minis finished. In all, March 2014 has been a pretty productive month for me, with five Anima Tactics minis painted (the others being a Type-020: Verrier; a second Type-004: Hellhound/Hellhound; Arkham; and Ahriman, Lord of Darkness) and two minis for other ranges. Like Arkham, this one had been part-painted for months, so it is very pleasing to have cleared it from the painting queue. Even if looking closely at the pictures it looks like I have a bit of tidying to do around the back of the left ankle!

With Kira completed (with the caveat above!), my Wissenschaft force has grown to the point where I have a few options for 300 Level games. This year, I would really like to crack into the Gears. That will be dependent on settling on how I want to paint them in a consistent and pleasing way.

In game terms, Kira overlaps a little with Alessa Raincross, so I can see them being played together to double up capabilities. They are far from identical however. Following the 2013 Update, Alessa Raincross had her cost adjusted to 40 Levels, the same as Kira. Kira edges capabilities with higher Attack (5 vs. 4) and Life Points (13 vs. 10). However, Alessa has a longer range Special Attack (24 inches). Both have a multi-attack Special Action, with Alessa's throwing out more actual Attacks against a slightly better range for Kira. Alessa has Stealth, which Kira does not, but that is limited in context of her two Special Attacks, so in all, I think Kira wins out for me. That said, they look pretty 'shooty' for 80 Levels together, and I can see both getting a run out in a Party.

The obvious Advantage Cards are probably things like Piercing Weapon and/or Elemental Weapon, and also Gnose to reduce the threat of enemy Ranged Attacks against Kira.

Running Totals
Anima Tactics Minis: 155 (added: nothing, but I have something on order...)
Anima Tactics Minis Painted: 48 (46 different models)
Painted Minis Percentage: 30.97% (percentage of AT minis owned and painted)
Anima Tactics Range: 150 (including 2 LE minis)
Percentage of Whole Range Painted: 30.7%

XII

Phew, painting slump averted, I hope! Especially as it was three and a half weeks since Rayne was finished (well except for fixing her eyes).

He is described as the reserved and solitary supervisor of the Crows of Wissenschaft. The majority of Agents of the organization have never seen him, much less know him. He is a shadow that crawls in the dark, someone who appears inexplicably in different places of the world and leaves without a trace. Many say that he is no more than a ghost, a legend whose mantle is taken up by a different person over and over again.

I like this mini a lot, but then any regular reader knows I say that about most of this range, so nothing new there! I blocked out the base colours a couple of weeks ago then just struggled to paint anything. Finishing a Pulp City mini in the past couple of days helped reignite my motivations, which meant I was able to paint the majority of this in a couple of hours. I love the sword gun type weapon, which is a staple of some Japanese console rpgs.

If the picture looks a little odd at all, it is because I needed to do a quick fix to sharpen up the image. I also noticed I need to tidy up the purple sleeves where they meet the gloves.

In game terms, XII is naturally an accurate model with good Attack value. He also has a potential two to three hit combo of Actions he can use, so even lacking high Damage, against low Armor units I imagine he could be devastating. For Advantage Cards I am thinking either Supernatural Weapon or Piercing Weapon and Clock of Chronos; the former will add to his overall Damage potential, while the latter will try and ensure he can maintain those aforementioned two or three hit combos. No Primal on this guy, as the Damage boost would most likely be wiped out in a single Turn.

He is also a member of Team Assault Group, and the last unit I needed to paint for that Team, so it is nice to have another Team finished. I am hoping I can get some more games in of Anima Tactics in the next few months, and hope XII takes to the field alongside the rest of his Team.

Running Totals
Anima Tactics Minis: 151 (added: Hecatondies Zero Sigma and a second Elhaym, Maiden of Light)
Anima Tactics Minis Painted: 43 (42 different models)
Painted Minis Percentage: 28.5% (percentage of AT minis owned and painted)
Anima Tactics Range: 148 (including 2 LE minis)
Percentage of Whole Range Painted: 28.4% (this is going to look different as I go forward with some new releases due soon)

Rayne (XXI)

My first painted mini of 2014, and my 42nd Anima Tactics mini in all.

While it is not my best work (the face is disappointing), I have enjoyed painting this model (the jacket is pleasing and looks better in hand), and that is always a bonus! I hope it bodes for a good year ahead on the minis painting front.

Rayne, also known by the designation XXI, is a Wissenschaft Warrior who forms part of Team Assault Group, along with Lorenzo Cortes (aka VIII) and their mysterious Leader, XII. As I have been finishing Rayne, I have been thinking more and more that I want to get this Team finished sooner than later, although to make things  a bit more balanced, I also ought to try and finish a Church or Black Sun Team too.

In game terms Rayne looks to have an amazing Charge among other abilities; it does not have an especially high Damage value, but it is Attack 13 without enhancements, meaning with Gnosis or buffs, pretty much any target is fair game, even Dodging enemies.

In addition the Team option is an excellent return for 5 Levels of Advantage Card, and she also has Neokinesis, suggesting synergy with Dereck Shezard and Celia if they then take the Neokinesis Magnus Plot Card. I can see a Party with those characters featuring in a game or two this year (probably in Rob's hands since he has enjoyed playing Wissenschaft).


Running Totals
Anima Tactics Minis: 149 (added: Lilian Virgil; and Dagger - one of which has now been assembled and undercoated...)
Anima Tactics Minis Painted: 42 (41 different models)
Painted Minis Percentage: 28.2% (percentage of AT minis owned and painted)
Anima Tactics Range: 148 (including 2 LE minis)
Percentage of Whole Range Painted: 27.7%

Celia

Gotta paint 'em all! Yet another Anima Tactics mini painted by me, hot on the heels of Genma, and this one feels like more of a milestone than any of the preceding 39 did. I know that sounds obvious, but 40 minis painted seems like a nice, substantial number (heck, it is more minis by far than my last WH40K Grand Tournament army which was a meager 27 models; all Terminators mind you...). There is a sense of satisfaction having hit 40 minis painted for the range where just over a year ago I had been stuck at painting none of these.

So this is Celia; there is also a limited edition version, but that will be purely for painting and is never likely to be a gaming piece (except maybe at home). Celia is a Wissenschaft Warrior and is, I think, one of the older models in the line. That said, despite having quite a simple selection of abilities and Actions, and being an older unit, she still looks pretty useful to me.

In line with many non-Gear Wissenschaft units, Celia looks potentially quite fragile (no Armor, fairly low Life points), but this is made up by a decent Defense value and an excellent enhanced Dodge. Her special Attack looks a very good option too. She suffers from low Damage value, but using her main Attack she is likely to hit most targets, and using a Gnosis roll will have a good chance even against many Dodging targets. So using her against against targets with decent Armor or Life Points is less than ideal, but against more vulnerable options she looks like she could shine. I am also rubbing my hands at the thought of eventually trying her out with Dereck Shezard and Rayne as masters of Neokinesis; a true speed team with great Action Point recovery potential in the right circumstances. And compounded that both Celia and Dereck saw cost breaks in the recent update from Anima Studios Project/Cipher Studios/Edge Entertainment.

Speaking of 'circumstances', a Party featuring heavy use of Neokinesis demands that the Neokinesis Magnus Plot Card is used to maximize returns; I really need to think about the game-based timing issues required for that!

This year I have painted quite a few Anima Tactics minis (by my standards that is!), and if I can get another one done before 2013 concludes, that would make 36 for the year, or an average of 3 per month which would be a nice achievement I think.

Running Totals
Anima Tactics Minis: 147 (added: nothing, but still awaiting that recent order)
Anima Tactics Minis Painted: 40 (39 different models)
Painted Minis Percentage: 27.2% (percentage of AT minis owned and painted)
Anima Tactics Range: 148 (including 2 LE minis)
Percentage of Whole Range Painted: 26.4%

Alessa Raincross

Click on me to embiggen

This one was *mostly* finished around a week ago after a period of on-off 'work in progress', but when looking closely I realized I had initially missed the lacing on her crop top, so that was rectified a few days ago. Considering I did not expect to do much Anima Tactics this month, this is my third for July!

Alessa Raincross is a Wissenschaft Crow and former bounty hunter who was caught in an explosion when she hunted the assassin Vayl. Her legs were replaced with technological prosthetics and subsequently she joined the ranks of Wissenschaft.

There are a few gun-toting female characters in Anima Tactics (others that come to mind are XII, Cordelia and Kira, both also Wissenschaft; Valentine from Empire), so I am happy to get one done as a contrast to the regular 'huge swords'!

Game-wise Alessa Raincross is very much focused around her Ranged Attacks. In addition, like most non-Gear Wissenschaft units she can have 2 Advantage Cards attached. Assuming use of the Lost Loggia Organizational Advantage, then she can be loaded up to make a very effective sniper type based on he Stealth Action.Therefore the Nue Advantage Card could be useful to make Alessa harder to find when using Stealth; or perhaps Covert Operation to allow Alessa to gain Advanced Deployment. Finally anything that stacks with Attack or Damage is inevitably useful given her focus on Ranged Attacks.

With my Wissenschaft shaping up, a couple more would be nice before I switch focus to the Gears.

Running Totals
Anima Tactics Minis: 135 (added: nothing new since the last update!)
Anima Tactics Minis Painted: 25 (a few more are in the dreaded queue)
Painted Minis Percentage: 18.5% (percentage of AT minis owned that are painted)

Valis Ul Del Vilfain

Okay, another one down! And this time around another Optional Leader, meaning that my Organization Party opportunities rare starting to become more rounded. With a Summon and a Wanderer I can make a 300 Level Wissenschaft Party.

I have again carried over the usual black purple colour motif that I use for Wissenschaft onto Valis Ul Del Vilfain, and with this I enjoyed how the scales on her coat came out, even if the photographs do not show them off that well.

With plans to paint up some Gears soon (Theurgia arrived today!), I accept that the big robot-suit things will have a different scheme to the Crows and Arias of Wissenschaft, so ultimately there may be two primary schemes for the Organization.

Valis Ul Del Vilfain is a Sylvain princess employed by Wissenschaft, and is both a capable fighter as well as being a very effective Summoner; her Summons are brought into play for no Action Point cost if engaged with an enemy model. That will typically leave a couple of Action Points to use for something else like movement, Dodges or even an Attack.

We got our first games in today. All were pitched battle type games, and Valis Ul Del Vilfain only featured in the final game (as we stepped up through Levels for each game); and I have to say she was pretty devastating, dropping her Summon into the battle-zone while adding her own formidable attacks.

Running Totals
Anima Tactics Minis: 102 (added: Morrigan; Jiang Pao; Lin Pao; Nero; Feng Yi; Damien; Theurgia; and (female) Empire Agent)
Anima Tactics Minis Painted: 16
Painted Minis Percentage: 15.7% (percentage of AT minis owned that are painted; this has dropped but i am happy because my next mini is almost finished, just needing some tidying up over the weekend)

Lorenzo Cortes (VIII)

And another one. Not the best pictures in the world, but I am pretty pleased with this one, and it was fairly quick to paint. I truly believe their is more depth to the 'black' body suit than the pictures show, but hey I am biased!

Lorenzo Cortes is (yet another Warrior), and builds upon the previously completed Wissenschaft characters. I can now field a Level 200 Wissenschaft Organization-based Party. So time to start building up an opposing force. The Wissenschaft Party that I envisage will include Dereck Shezard as its allowed Wanderer.

Lorenzo uses the purple motif that the other Wissenschaft minis I have painted so far have incorporated. I hope it helps tie them together, and while it may not feature too prominently or indeed on all that Organization, I see it being incorporated into the next few I have in line.

I am very much looking forwards to playing Anima Tactics, and I think i could be on course to do so by March all things permitting.

Running Totals
Anima Tactics Minis: 68 (the previous list omitted at least one, and several more have been acquired: Lorenzo; Lynn Steiner; Alessa Raincross; Kagemaru; Wolfgang Metzger; Iosara; Valis Ul Del Vilfain)
Anima Tactics Minis Painted: 7 (the real '6th' will be counted when the whole Team it is part of is finished)
Painted Minis Percentage: 10.3%

Note, yes I have acquired more to add to the list, but at least I have stayed in line with a painted percentage increase!

Wissenschaft Agent (male)

My seventh Anima Tactics mini is finished! Comments and criticism welcome.

Wait a moment; "Seventh you say? I count only six!"

Astute readers may have noticed only five preceding posts of painted minis. Well I finished my sixth on Sunday, but as it is part of a Team, it won't be shown until the other part of the Team is finished.

So on to this, my seventh as I said. This model is my first Agent; Agents are non-unique characters that can be fielded in multiples depending on the size of game (usually 1 per 150 Levels). That restriction stops spam I guess more than anything. Agents are customizable, and each Organisation's specific Agents has particular options available. Those options sometimes change the Faction (Light, Dark or Neutral) or Category of the Agent, however Wissenschaft Agents's are always Neutral and Prowler. A basic Agent is worth 20 Levels and can have a combination of options up to 20 extra Levels.

The models have some options for parts/construction, and each Organisation pretty much has male and female options available (same rules for each), so variety is easily achieved.

This was finished quite quickly, and I am particularly happy with the blending on the trousers, which were painted with the same approach as those on Clover. I think the colour scheme works well and so I have the nucleus of a small Party now, based around Wissenschaft: Hiro; Dereck Shezard; Wissenschaft Agent. That totals 150 Levels - not enough to qualify for an Organisational Advantage (which kick in at tiers of 200 Levels), but enough for learning the game I reckon. Time to start working on filling out the opposing Party then!

EDIT:

Running Totals
Anima Tactics Minis: 63 (2 more acquired after mini #5; oops)
Anima Tactics Minis Painted: 6 (the real '6th' will be counted when the whole Team is finished)
Painted Minis Percentage: 9.5%

Hiro

Go Avenger Ranger, go!

Hiro's background posits him as a boy reborn after an accident and rebuilt as the hero of his wildest dreams. He sees himself as an 'Avenger Ranger', a hero of justice, something he sees in the other Crows of Wissenschaft.

I love this nod to the Tokusatsu shows known to most of us in the west through Power Rangers, Masked Rider and V.R. Troopers. The rules of this guy emulate my memories of those shows, as perfectly demonstrated by his Posing rule; when Hiro defeats an enemy he has to expend an Action Point (or suffer Slow Level 1).

I have yet to play Anima Tactics, so I do not have a clue how he plays in the game, but I can guarantee that even when I have a few minis ready for my first games, I wholly expect Hiro to get a few outings!

I am pretty happy with how Hiro turned out, although I may do a little more on a couple of the areas of 'metal' on the model.

Hiro was started before Dereck Shezard, but it took until I felt I had enough focus and motivation to finish him off (if indeed he is finished) in a few stints.

I am pleased with how the figure looks in the pictures, and it probably photographs a little better than it looks in hand to be honest. That said, I definitely need to add some 'lighter' palette minis in my Anima Tactics selection I reckon; there is a lot of 'dark' going on so far. Well across the three minis if that counts as a 'lot'.

On my Anima Tactics painting slate now: Shinobi; Clover; Grey; Genma. 

Other minis that are base-coated include: Akio Kageshima; Bael; Dark Cheshire. 

I have a few other minis based and ready, but no under-coating: Covel; Deimon; Juliette Kaim; Bella and Aqua; Ingnis, Fire Demon.

Not sure which of these will be finished next, or whether something else will jump the queue - so stay tuned to find out!