So as I mentioned last time (I think), the league ends with a small tournament. It is called Raindog's Rampage. It is typically a 1500pt tourney with four games, each one being a different scenario. This year however, the game type was the same, a straight battle, but you had a checklist of 51?ish items that could happen in the game. Things like Miscast Twice in one turn, Run down an opponent's unit, roll a 12 for winds of magic, etc.
We had used a similar setup in one of our league weeks if you recall. I liked it. It was quite fun to try to get certain items on the list. And of course, you could not get all items on the list.
Painted armies are not required, but they do grant you bonus points and of course put you in the running for best painted. So instead of my undead legions, I brought my dwarf army. I had to paint up a BSB for it, but was able to do that the night before. Turned out pretty well (pics to be added later).
In order to get some more points, I went with a runelord with Anvil. Pretty big points sink, but it gave me the chance to get points from the Magic phase of the checklist. I then had a BSB, unit of longbeards, thunderers, quarrelers, a grudge thrower, and a flame cannon.
No battle reports, just quick run downs:
Game 1 vs orcs with Grimgor. I actually challenged the owner of this list since I had never played him before and I thought dwarfs vs orcs had to happen. It was a good back and forth game. He got hand of gork off twice, putting his units in threatening areas right off the bat. I was able to shoot one down enough before it charged that my unit held, and then was able to countercharge. Then grimgor's unit appeared behind my lines, and while I shot it a bit, it charged right into my runelord. Thankfully, my runelord was quite tough and able to hold out a few rounds until the longbeards could countercharge. My RL did fall finally though to twin hits from doomdivers. Major win though.
Game 2 vs new deamon legions list (nurgle mostly). This was the worst game of warhammer I have ever had. I simply could not hurt his units and just sat there for the whole game, rolling dice, and removing my models. I personally thought that the list was a bit over the top for the event. If I had brought three cannons, I might have hurt his GD or DP before they hit my lines. That sort of RPS match up just isn't fun at all. My mood was quite dark after this game.
Game 3 vs chaos warriors. This game was a little better than the last, as I had a few early turns to do something, plus actually hurt some of his units. However, eventually his big stuff got in and that was that. Also, T6 chariots?? Yeah, cuz chaos needs even tougher stuff. My hatred for chaos reached a new high at the end of this game.
Game 4 vs chaos warriors. Really? three chaos armies? well basically half of the lists were the new chaos legions in one form or another from the ET book. This one though was not unbeatable as we were now in the bottom bracket fighting for last place. The game actually was going well until I took a risk and failed horribly. I tried to make a 7" charge with my dwarf unit, and failed on snake-eyes. Thus my only infantry block was facing his rear and flank to two chaos units, both well within charge range. And that was the end of that game.
Despite the horrible mood I had sunk to, I somehow managed to get two favorite opponent votes and dueled it out for the award with three other players. My Runesmith fell once more. Apparently no one who plays chaos uses infantry characters anymore, just monster types. also, I did not come in last place to win the wooden spoon award. That went to a Dogs of War player.
So basically, I've sworn off fighting chaos armies. I just don't own anything to take on that level of cheese and BS. ;)
However, it did reinvigorate my desire to work on my dwarf army more and touch up some units and paint some new ones. So that is good. All in all, I love the new Dwarf book. I thought it added just the right amount of touches to make it fun. Unfortunately, GW's raging hardon for chaos continues to push that army well above what I own. Oh well.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Monday, December 1, 2014
Fantasy League - the End
Well, I lasted for like half of it...which is pretty good for me. Plus, I even painted some models...not the amount I had hoped for...but still, anything is better than nothing. So what happened? Well the league ended last night officially. And, I did not show up for a game again. There are lots of reasons, but the big two were that it was 30 degrees outside, and there is little heat in the clubhouse, and, well....there was no chance for me to win the league. One of the members just really blew everyone else out of the water with the shear amount of points he had won. Not that winning was huge for me, but had I been in the running, it would have brought me to the table.
Now all that is left is the Rampage event to top it off. Now I am signed up for that, and I will be going. I just won't have a fully painted army for the event unless I switch to Dwarves or Wood Elves.
Another big reason for my slide in the Fantasy League, was the news of a 40K league starting up in January. This drew my interest for several reasons. I have recently acquired several starter armies for 40K. And a league is perfect for pulling one or more of those out. This will be my first foray into 7th edition. It will also be my first time trying out allies. Due to some rash of impulsive behavior from me lately, I bought a Tempestus set of models, and then grabbed a screaming deal on some Tau. Now a while back, I had gotten some space wolves due to the awesome starter deal. So here I am, sitting with three excellent starting forces. Now the Tempestus is the smallest of the bunch. I can squeeze out 1K from them, but that is it. And, they are completely NIB and need lots of assembly (which I kind of hate). The space wolves are in the same boat. I haven't figured out how many points I have in them yet, but due to the fact that I still have other SM units that can cross over from my salamander army, I'm sure I could toss down 1K+ easy.
That leaves the Tau. These are already assembled, and bare. They need a little love, but not that much to be honest. Plus, thanks to Bolter and Chainsword, I have already gotten a paint scheme worked out.
Not bad huh? Well I like it. Someone pointed out to me it was a bit Soviet Union, but thought that just added even more coolness to it. In fact, I painted up a test model this weekend. Wasn't too hard and I thought it looked good. These guys can hit the 1K easy and gives me a little room to grow. Plus, due to black Friday, I was able to snag that big crisis suit thingy for these guys.
So yeah, the Tau has pretty much stolen my hobby interest. I will do my best to record some of the games from the Rampage and share them on there, and then show my progress with my Tau as I prepare for the 40K league.
Till next time.
Now all that is left is the Rampage event to top it off. Now I am signed up for that, and I will be going. I just won't have a fully painted army for the event unless I switch to Dwarves or Wood Elves.
Another big reason for my slide in the Fantasy League, was the news of a 40K league starting up in January. This drew my interest for several reasons. I have recently acquired several starter armies for 40K. And a league is perfect for pulling one or more of those out. This will be my first foray into 7th edition. It will also be my first time trying out allies. Due to some rash of impulsive behavior from me lately, I bought a Tempestus set of models, and then grabbed a screaming deal on some Tau. Now a while back, I had gotten some space wolves due to the awesome starter deal. So here I am, sitting with three excellent starting forces. Now the Tempestus is the smallest of the bunch. I can squeeze out 1K from them, but that is it. And, they are completely NIB and need lots of assembly (which I kind of hate). The space wolves are in the same boat. I haven't figured out how many points I have in them yet, but due to the fact that I still have other SM units that can cross over from my salamander army, I'm sure I could toss down 1K+ easy.
That leaves the Tau. These are already assembled, and bare. They need a little love, but not that much to be honest. Plus, thanks to Bolter and Chainsword, I have already gotten a paint scheme worked out.
So yeah, the Tau has pretty much stolen my hobby interest. I will do my best to record some of the games from the Rampage and share them on there, and then show my progress with my Tau as I prepare for the 40K league.
Till next time.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Fantasy League, weeks 6 & 7
Whoops, been a little lax with the updates lately. Sorry about that. So, where are we with the league? Well, after missing week 5, I came back and played during week 6, which was dubbed "hero hammer week". Basically you could ignore the core requirements and ignore the hero/lord limits.
At first I was going to bring a dual lord combo, vamp on dragon, and tomb king on sphinx. But the way the points played out, I'd be giving up a lot with limited potential to gain. So instead, I went for the tactically smart move and went with only one hero, and packed as many character killers as I could find in my army.
All it all it turned out okay. I got to play a deamon army which was nothing but characters, and although he slaughtered my poor vamp hero, I was able to get a few kills in myself and rack up some points. My second opponent was a skaven player who brought quite a few characters, and then plenty of units as well. This did not work out so well for me. He had a deathstar unit, and while I did what I could, the characters were just too fast and too deadly for me to deal with. My hero got killed along with the rest of my army and he didn't lose a single hero.
Week 7 I missed. It was cold out, I was not feeling it...so I stayed home and played Neverwinter a whole bunch. What can I say, I really love that game.
Week 8 is already looming. I need to refocus and get back into this league. I've fallen too far behind in points to win it, but that is okay. I've played more games in the last few weeks than I have in the last few years. And I painted some models. I call that a win.
Next month the league ends in a tournament which I am signed up for. I won't have a fully painted army for it I'm afraid, but I'll be closer than I was before.
Then come Janurary, the same club is starting a 40K escalation league. I recently got three new forces which are vying for my attention. I have 1K in Militarum Tempestus, all NIB, I have some Space Wolves that came from the new campaign box (plus a few extra in trades), and then I just scored a great deal on Tau. My new 40K collecting strategy is to get small forces of the models I like and use the allies rule to field full armies. So basically, I need to figure out which of these will be my primary detachment, and then who gets to play allies. Tempestau? Militarum Wolves? Space Taulves? heh...I like that last one. Yay for variety!
At first I was going to bring a dual lord combo, vamp on dragon, and tomb king on sphinx. But the way the points played out, I'd be giving up a lot with limited potential to gain. So instead, I went for the tactically smart move and went with only one hero, and packed as many character killers as I could find in my army.
All it all it turned out okay. I got to play a deamon army which was nothing but characters, and although he slaughtered my poor vamp hero, I was able to get a few kills in myself and rack up some points. My second opponent was a skaven player who brought quite a few characters, and then plenty of units as well. This did not work out so well for me. He had a deathstar unit, and while I did what I could, the characters were just too fast and too deadly for me to deal with. My hero got killed along with the rest of my army and he didn't lose a single hero.
Week 7 I missed. It was cold out, I was not feeling it...so I stayed home and played Neverwinter a whole bunch. What can I say, I really love that game.
Week 8 is already looming. I need to refocus and get back into this league. I've fallen too far behind in points to win it, but that is okay. I've played more games in the last few weeks than I have in the last few years. And I painted some models. I call that a win.
Next month the league ends in a tournament which I am signed up for. I won't have a fully painted army for it I'm afraid, but I'll be closer than I was before.
Then come Janurary, the same club is starting a 40K escalation league. I recently got three new forces which are vying for my attention. I have 1K in Militarum Tempestus, all NIB, I have some Space Wolves that came from the new campaign box (plus a few extra in trades), and then I just scored a great deal on Tau. My new 40K collecting strategy is to get small forces of the models I like and use the allies rule to field full armies. So basically, I need to figure out which of these will be my primary detachment, and then who gets to play allies. Tempestau? Militarum Wolves? Space Taulves? heh...I like that last one. Yay for variety!
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Fantasy League, week Five
So I made it this past week, which was pretty good. I notice that as it gets dark and cold, my desire to leave the house plummets. :) But I actually did make it out and down to WoW for league night. I was a little late though and so there were already games going on. And as this week was two on two games, that meant I didn't get to get in on one. Instead, I played a one on one game vs Ogres. We each had three special bonuses given to us that we could play at any time. I had: +d6 to a charge, -3 to a casting value, and unit gets Init 10 for a round. Not bad.
My army consisted of:
Tomb prince
liche priest
24 skeletons with hw + sh, full cmd
16 dire wolves with doom
sphinx with fire breath
black coach
SSC
We were playing 1250 points. What I should have realized at this point was that I was missing one of my units, the morghasts. But I didn't until about turn 4. Oh well.
Still, it was a pretty fun game. He had a large unit of bull ogres where his tyrant and BSB went. Then he had some shooty ogres, another small unit of bull ogres, a stone horn, and then a sabertusk.
The highlights are as follows:
He shot my LP with the stone horn bolt thrower, which I didn't realize it had...my own fault. I can't ever seem to make a LOS roll ever. So no healing for me :(
My sphinx though walked up and flamed his large unit, killing an ogre or two, and then took a charge from the saber and unit. I concentrated all attacks on the BSB and killed him. It would have been tied but since the sabertusk was there, I was able to thunderstomp it which gave me the two wounds to break the tie. He failed his LD test and my kitty ran them down.
My coach charged his small bull ogres and broke them, but failed to catch them. Then his stone horn smashed into the BC, wounding it, but not destroying it. Here I did a horrible thing and then charged in my direwolves into the flank of the stone horn. I had hopes that they would secure me a kill, but alas, they wiffed horribly. They offered up a ton of wounds for his side and poof went the coach. This was when I realized I didn't have my morghasts as the BC only died due to combat rez and the morghasts would have saved it.
My SSC actually hit three times during the game, and brought his stone horn down to one last wound right at the end of the game.
My TP and skeletons did great against his shooty ogres, but then got wiped out by the stonehorn. At the end of the match, all I had was my sphinx, with two wounds gone, and he had his stone horn with one wound left.
All in all, a very fun game. Not bad for missing 160pts. We had both taken lists meant to be played with a partner, so I'm sure that had an effect on the game. But really, it was very enjoyable.
My army consisted of:
Tomb prince
liche priest
24 skeletons with hw + sh, full cmd
16 dire wolves with doom
sphinx with fire breath
black coach
SSC
We were playing 1250 points. What I should have realized at this point was that I was missing one of my units, the morghasts. But I didn't until about turn 4. Oh well.
Still, it was a pretty fun game. He had a large unit of bull ogres where his tyrant and BSB went. Then he had some shooty ogres, another small unit of bull ogres, a stone horn, and then a sabertusk.
The highlights are as follows:
He shot my LP with the stone horn bolt thrower, which I didn't realize it had...my own fault. I can't ever seem to make a LOS roll ever. So no healing for me :(
My sphinx though walked up and flamed his large unit, killing an ogre or two, and then took a charge from the saber and unit. I concentrated all attacks on the BSB and killed him. It would have been tied but since the sabertusk was there, I was able to thunderstomp it which gave me the two wounds to break the tie. He failed his LD test and my kitty ran them down.
My coach charged his small bull ogres and broke them, but failed to catch them. Then his stone horn smashed into the BC, wounding it, but not destroying it. Here I did a horrible thing and then charged in my direwolves into the flank of the stone horn. I had hopes that they would secure me a kill, but alas, they wiffed horribly. They offered up a ton of wounds for his side and poof went the coach. This was when I realized I didn't have my morghasts as the BC only died due to combat rez and the morghasts would have saved it.
My SSC actually hit three times during the game, and brought his stone horn down to one last wound right at the end of the game.
My TP and skeletons did great against his shooty ogres, but then got wiped out by the stonehorn. At the end of the match, all I had was my sphinx, with two wounds gone, and he had his stone horn with one wound left.
All in all, a very fun game. Not bad for missing 160pts. We had both taken lists meant to be played with a partner, so I'm sure that had an effect on the game. But really, it was very enjoyable.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Fantasy League, Week Four
Well, week four was a bust, on pretty much every level. I recently rolled my ankle playing futsal in a fairly spectacular level.
Notice the wonderful blood pooling in multiple places. Suffice to say, standing up for a few hours playing warhammer just didn't sound appealing to me.
Unfortunately, it was a scenario that gave out a lot of points, and I missed out on all of them. :(
So my brief rise to the top has been quickly squashed for missing this week. So now I need to start crawling back up the ladder once more. Which means I can't miss week 5.
To that end I've been trying to get my hands on various models. Since I'm doing undead, I want to try to keep some sort of cohesive theme. So I'm trying to find old undead models to stand in for TK versions.
The first was a viable liche priest. A friend has an old undead (5th ed) model that would go great, but we haven't connected yet for the trade. So that meant diving into my figure bin and finding an old empire light wizard model. What better to use now that End Times fluff is out? I have an empire light wizard that dabbled too much into research of Khemri and its magics, and now he is under the thrall of Nagash.
My search for a tomb prince didn't go quite as planned either, but inspired by the above, I found a really old wight model from the 5th ed era. He's going to be my barrow king tomb prince.
My big problem right now is what to do with the war sphinx. It is an awesome addition to my army. However, it looks really Tomb Kingy. I need to either find a way to mod it to fit in more with the barrow kings idea, or vamp it up somehow.
Till next time.
Notice the wonderful blood pooling in multiple places. Suffice to say, standing up for a few hours playing warhammer just didn't sound appealing to me.
Unfortunately, it was a scenario that gave out a lot of points, and I missed out on all of them. :(
So my brief rise to the top has been quickly squashed for missing this week. So now I need to start crawling back up the ladder once more. Which means I can't miss week 5.
To that end I've been trying to get my hands on various models. Since I'm doing undead, I want to try to keep some sort of cohesive theme. So I'm trying to find old undead models to stand in for TK versions.
The first was a viable liche priest. A friend has an old undead (5th ed) model that would go great, but we haven't connected yet for the trade. So that meant diving into my figure bin and finding an old empire light wizard model. What better to use now that End Times fluff is out? I have an empire light wizard that dabbled too much into research of Khemri and its magics, and now he is under the thrall of Nagash.
My search for a tomb prince didn't go quite as planned either, but inspired by the above, I found a really old wight model from the 5th ed era. He's going to be my barrow king tomb prince.
My big problem right now is what to do with the war sphinx. It is an awesome addition to my army. However, it looks really Tomb Kingy. I need to either find a way to mod it to fit in more with the barrow kings idea, or vamp it up somehow.
Till next time.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Fanasty League week 3, where the F have I been??
So wow, this week has just flown by. I've had everything from injuries to PC issues and of course the ever present work. Sorry for the late update this week.
In terms of gaming and such, I played in week 3 of our Warhammer Fantasy League on Sunday. I brought my undead and this time I left the Morghasts at home and brought a bone giant (ie colossus) instead. The stone cat was still the big hero of the day. Helping to take out a nasty unit of nurgle deamons and then holding up a skaven doom wheel. The bone giant did less than spectacular.
This week it was an odd scenario where you tried to get your units off by touching an objective in the opponent's deployment area. You got no points for enemy units, only points for your units that made it off. So basically the middle of the field was a huge scrum to try to get through to your objective. Also, game could end at end of turn 4.
My first opponent was deamons..and I thought for sure I was screwed. My etheral unit of spirit hosts was toast...and while I had the sphinx and giant, he had plenty of magic, and a deamon prince, plus a chariot and other goodness and he was immune to my fear and terror. Well, as it turned out, he let me get the charge off on his nurgle guys with my two big creatures which eventually spelled their doom (thought he giant did die). I also was able to take out his unit of horrors with my vamp + skeletons. He rushed his DP off the board as fast as possible. But due to him losing those two units, and the game going on for the full 6 turns, I got enough stuff off to get the win in points.
My second game was against skaven. That doomwheel is a freaking beast! even though I got the combo charge off with the giant and sphinx again, it wiped out the giant. He made a huge mistake in counter-charging in with slaves that corner touched the sphinx. My guys held, I then countered with my skeleton unit, and the TK blew away 20+ slaves with a spell, and then the sphinx was able to put all attacks into the slaves, creating an Insane Courage for him, which he failed. He then rolled triple 1's for the wheels flee move. End result, I was able to get my sphinx, skeletons, and some wolves into the objective. He got a few units too, but I had the points.
Oh, and my stupid bone giant broke on the way over there even though it was in a foam case. What a crap model. I will now have to pin every single component of it. Gah!
This week the morghasts are returning and the bone giant is going away. Not sure what else I'm going to do though. We are up to 1200pts. Oh..I did paint a unit of 5 dire wolves for the week too, and they didn't turn out so bad. Once I base the models, I think they will look even better.
In terms of gaming and such, I played in week 3 of our Warhammer Fantasy League on Sunday. I brought my undead and this time I left the Morghasts at home and brought a bone giant (ie colossus) instead. The stone cat was still the big hero of the day. Helping to take out a nasty unit of nurgle deamons and then holding up a skaven doom wheel. The bone giant did less than spectacular.
This week it was an odd scenario where you tried to get your units off by touching an objective in the opponent's deployment area. You got no points for enemy units, only points for your units that made it off. So basically the middle of the field was a huge scrum to try to get through to your objective. Also, game could end at end of turn 4.
My first opponent was deamons..and I thought for sure I was screwed. My etheral unit of spirit hosts was toast...and while I had the sphinx and giant, he had plenty of magic, and a deamon prince, plus a chariot and other goodness and he was immune to my fear and terror. Well, as it turned out, he let me get the charge off on his nurgle guys with my two big creatures which eventually spelled their doom (thought he giant did die). I also was able to take out his unit of horrors with my vamp + skeletons. He rushed his DP off the board as fast as possible. But due to him losing those two units, and the game going on for the full 6 turns, I got enough stuff off to get the win in points.
My second game was against skaven. That doomwheel is a freaking beast! even though I got the combo charge off with the giant and sphinx again, it wiped out the giant. He made a huge mistake in counter-charging in with slaves that corner touched the sphinx. My guys held, I then countered with my skeleton unit, and the TK blew away 20+ slaves with a spell, and then the sphinx was able to put all attacks into the slaves, creating an Insane Courage for him, which he failed. He then rolled triple 1's for the wheels flee move. End result, I was able to get my sphinx, skeletons, and some wolves into the objective. He got a few units too, but I had the points.
Oh, and my stupid bone giant broke on the way over there even though it was in a foam case. What a crap model. I will now have to pin every single component of it. Gah!
This week the morghasts are returning and the bone giant is going away. Not sure what else I'm going to do though. We are up to 1200pts. Oh..I did paint a unit of 5 dire wolves for the week too, and they didn't turn out so bad. Once I base the models, I think they will look even better.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Fantasy League, week two
Howdy Sports Fans,
So week two had a new scenario, the checklist. Basically, you played an 1100 point game and you had a checklist of things that can happen in games. You received a point for each item you were able to accomplish. So for instance, getting your wizard sucked into the warp was one of the items. Passing a leadership test with insane courage was another. There were about 25 of these items that you could check off if all went well.
The list I brought this time was a bit heavy handed. Though some trades and sales, I was able to get my hands on a war sphinx and a screaming skull catapult. The sphinx was just sort of dumb luck, but I had to put it in my army. The catapult was actually my painting project for the week. It was the old version of the model, pre tomb kings. Since I am running mostly vamp units, I thought it would fit better. I also added a liche priest to my list because their magic is pretty sweet.
Level 2 necro with channel staff and 5+ ward.
Level 2 LP with 6+ ward vs war machines
20 vamp skeletons with full command
15 ghouls
5 dire wolves
war sphinx
2 morghast archai
screaming skull catapult
I was able to fit in two games. The first versus an all marauder army. It had a large block of marauders with a sorcerer and general in it, another smaller block of marauders, a unit of horsemen, two chariots, and a unit of hounds.
The table was nearly split by a river, and we were playing on 4'x4' areas, with quite a bit of terrain, so it was tight. I can't remember enough to give you a blow by blow, but I'll highlight the cool stuff. Going right to left from my point of view....
His horsemen took a bit of beating from the sphinxes flaming breath and then they charged into my ghouls. The ghouls eventually tore them down. My sphinx was double charged by his two chariots, and took two wounds without giving any back, but thanks to construct, he didn't pop. After that, my skeletons charged in, providing CR boost and the sphinx avoided any other wounds. Both chariots fled and were cut down. My morghasts failed a charge with triple ones against his big block, but it worked out as eventually they were able to charge his big block, which failed their terror check and were run down. My wolves charged his dogs and held them up for a round before being wiped out. My spells healed most of my stuff and eventually all he had left were his dogs and his smaller marauder unit, which had gotten hit by the SSC, and in the end, the dogs got killed by the morghasts and the last marauders fled from the sphinx. All total, I lost a unit of wolves.
It was a very fun game though and actually had quite a bit of back and forth. We both missed some big charges and for the most part, the magic phase was uneventful. The huge turning point was the sphinx surviving the chariots, and his main block failing the terror test. We both quite quite a few points on the checklist.
My next game was against a fairly elite dwarf list. He had a lord and runesmith, plus a large unit of longbeards with GWs (lord went here), and then a unit of ironbreakers (runesmith), a unit of irondrakes, and a cannon. Again, just a brief synopsis.
I'll go left to right this time as the action sort of happened that way. My wolves vanguard up within charge range of his cannon, but he got first turn. His cannon fires, misfires, but due to rune, rerolls, and bounces a ball that falls short of my sphinx. The wolves fail a charge to the cannon by one inch. However, the SSC lands a shot right on top of it and blows it up (first time that ever worked for me). This lets the wolves and sphinx combo charge his ironbreakers, the sphinx to the front, the wolves to the flank. The tomb guard on the sphinx killing blow the runesmith. In abysmal rolling, his iron breakers don't do any wounds. And despite being steadfast, fail their Ld 10 test and flee directly towards the longbeards, letting my sphinx and wolves flank charge that unit. During this time, the morghast did a long 20" charge against the irondrakes, causing them to flee and get run down. My liche priest got off the big 5+ ward save to everyone spell, and then got sucked into the warp. My skeletons eventually charge the long beards that were fighting the sphinx and wolves. This let me counter his ranks and remove his steadfast, causing that unit to eventually flee. It then got burned by the fire breath of the sphinx as well and they eventually ran off the board, taking the dwarf lord with them. The iron breakers rallied and charged the ghouls in the flank, but was unable to crumble the unit. This led to counter charges from the morghasts and skeletons, which eventually led to the ironbreakers getting run down after fleeing 12" by the ghouls also rolling 12"! All total, I lost only my liche priest by the end of the game.
This game was fun as well, and could have totally turned out differently based on the dice. The fact that my sphinx dodged a cannonball was pretty spectacular, but then to have my SSC take it out in one shot was just amazing. The dwarfs also failed too many Ld 10 tests. And unlike my first game, I didn't fail any charges.
Hero unit: The war sphinx. Wow, this guy did his job. He held up units I could never have hoped to counter with just undead infantry. His toughness 8 stopped all comers. The four KB attacks it has makes it a threat to any character, and then it has four more, plus thunderstomp. It can deal out the wounds. The fire breath is a must.
Surprise unit: The ghouls. These guys just did their job. I knew if I could whittle down the marauder horsemen(10), then they could win against them, and they did. What really surprised me was how well they did against the dwarfs. Even against ironbreakers, these guys were killing off a model or two every round, and took surprisingly few wounds in return. They also held up after taking a flank charge. A unit of twenty would be better, but the fifteen is working out.
Notable Mention: The liche priest. Wow, TK magic rocks with End Times. The ability to march now and march again with the signature spell means these guys are incredibly mobile. Plus any buff spell they have will restore wounds. Granted, they can only restore once to some of the units, but it really worked out. The Vampire Magic was less impressive. However, with invocation hanging out there, and the winds spell, now I have two spells that my opponent needs to stop each phase.
Disappointment: Morghasts. Yeah, I know, how can I be disappointed with these guys after taking out a huge block of marauders, hounds, irondrakes, and then ironbreakers? Well, its like this, in combat, these guys actually didn't do much. Terror did a lot, and the super far charge range is great. But once stuck in, these guys were just not putting down the wounds. Seems like they should. I don't know, they just whiffed against the iron breakers time and time again. Basically, if not for stomps, they would have done almost nothing in that combat. But they are such a good utility unit. I think they really need four to be a real combat threat. But that is outside of the point value for this league.
So next week should be 1200 points. Maybe I'll add a BSB. That way the sphinx has -3 to crumble if the morghasts are close by. :)
And yes, I totally forgot to take pictures again. But I will take pics of the painted SSC crew and share.
So week two had a new scenario, the checklist. Basically, you played an 1100 point game and you had a checklist of things that can happen in games. You received a point for each item you were able to accomplish. So for instance, getting your wizard sucked into the warp was one of the items. Passing a leadership test with insane courage was another. There were about 25 of these items that you could check off if all went well.
The list I brought this time was a bit heavy handed. Though some trades and sales, I was able to get my hands on a war sphinx and a screaming skull catapult. The sphinx was just sort of dumb luck, but I had to put it in my army. The catapult was actually my painting project for the week. It was the old version of the model, pre tomb kings. Since I am running mostly vamp units, I thought it would fit better. I also added a liche priest to my list because their magic is pretty sweet.
Level 2 necro with channel staff and 5+ ward.
Level 2 LP with 6+ ward vs war machines
20 vamp skeletons with full command
15 ghouls
5 dire wolves
war sphinx
2 morghast archai
screaming skull catapult
I was able to fit in two games. The first versus an all marauder army. It had a large block of marauders with a sorcerer and general in it, another smaller block of marauders, a unit of horsemen, two chariots, and a unit of hounds.
The table was nearly split by a river, and we were playing on 4'x4' areas, with quite a bit of terrain, so it was tight. I can't remember enough to give you a blow by blow, but I'll highlight the cool stuff. Going right to left from my point of view....
His horsemen took a bit of beating from the sphinxes flaming breath and then they charged into my ghouls. The ghouls eventually tore them down. My sphinx was double charged by his two chariots, and took two wounds without giving any back, but thanks to construct, he didn't pop. After that, my skeletons charged in, providing CR boost and the sphinx avoided any other wounds. Both chariots fled and were cut down. My morghasts failed a charge with triple ones against his big block, but it worked out as eventually they were able to charge his big block, which failed their terror check and were run down. My wolves charged his dogs and held them up for a round before being wiped out. My spells healed most of my stuff and eventually all he had left were his dogs and his smaller marauder unit, which had gotten hit by the SSC, and in the end, the dogs got killed by the morghasts and the last marauders fled from the sphinx. All total, I lost a unit of wolves.
It was a very fun game though and actually had quite a bit of back and forth. We both missed some big charges and for the most part, the magic phase was uneventful. The huge turning point was the sphinx surviving the chariots, and his main block failing the terror test. We both quite quite a few points on the checklist.
My next game was against a fairly elite dwarf list. He had a lord and runesmith, plus a large unit of longbeards with GWs (lord went here), and then a unit of ironbreakers (runesmith), a unit of irondrakes, and a cannon. Again, just a brief synopsis.
I'll go left to right this time as the action sort of happened that way. My wolves vanguard up within charge range of his cannon, but he got first turn. His cannon fires, misfires, but due to rune, rerolls, and bounces a ball that falls short of my sphinx. The wolves fail a charge to the cannon by one inch. However, the SSC lands a shot right on top of it and blows it up (first time that ever worked for me). This lets the wolves and sphinx combo charge his ironbreakers, the sphinx to the front, the wolves to the flank. The tomb guard on the sphinx killing blow the runesmith. In abysmal rolling, his iron breakers don't do any wounds. And despite being steadfast, fail their Ld 10 test and flee directly towards the longbeards, letting my sphinx and wolves flank charge that unit. During this time, the morghast did a long 20" charge against the irondrakes, causing them to flee and get run down. My liche priest got off the big 5+ ward save to everyone spell, and then got sucked into the warp. My skeletons eventually charge the long beards that were fighting the sphinx and wolves. This let me counter his ranks and remove his steadfast, causing that unit to eventually flee. It then got burned by the fire breath of the sphinx as well and they eventually ran off the board, taking the dwarf lord with them. The iron breakers rallied and charged the ghouls in the flank, but was unable to crumble the unit. This led to counter charges from the morghasts and skeletons, which eventually led to the ironbreakers getting run down after fleeing 12" by the ghouls also rolling 12"! All total, I lost only my liche priest by the end of the game.
This game was fun as well, and could have totally turned out differently based on the dice. The fact that my sphinx dodged a cannonball was pretty spectacular, but then to have my SSC take it out in one shot was just amazing. The dwarfs also failed too many Ld 10 tests. And unlike my first game, I didn't fail any charges.
Hero unit: The war sphinx. Wow, this guy did his job. He held up units I could never have hoped to counter with just undead infantry. His toughness 8 stopped all comers. The four KB attacks it has makes it a threat to any character, and then it has four more, plus thunderstomp. It can deal out the wounds. The fire breath is a must.
Surprise unit: The ghouls. These guys just did their job. I knew if I could whittle down the marauder horsemen(10), then they could win against them, and they did. What really surprised me was how well they did against the dwarfs. Even against ironbreakers, these guys were killing off a model or two every round, and took surprisingly few wounds in return. They also held up after taking a flank charge. A unit of twenty would be better, but the fifteen is working out.
Notable Mention: The liche priest. Wow, TK magic rocks with End Times. The ability to march now and march again with the signature spell means these guys are incredibly mobile. Plus any buff spell they have will restore wounds. Granted, they can only restore once to some of the units, but it really worked out. The Vampire Magic was less impressive. However, with invocation hanging out there, and the winds spell, now I have two spells that my opponent needs to stop each phase.
Disappointment: Morghasts. Yeah, I know, how can I be disappointed with these guys after taking out a huge block of marauders, hounds, irondrakes, and then ironbreakers? Well, its like this, in combat, these guys actually didn't do much. Terror did a lot, and the super far charge range is great. But once stuck in, these guys were just not putting down the wounds. Seems like they should. I don't know, they just whiffed against the iron breakers time and time again. Basically, if not for stomps, they would have done almost nothing in that combat. But they are such a good utility unit. I think they really need four to be a real combat threat. But that is outside of the point value for this league.
So next week should be 1200 points. Maybe I'll add a BSB. That way the sphinx has -3 to crumble if the morghasts are close by. :)
And yes, I totally forgot to take pictures again. But I will take pics of the painted SSC crew and share.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Fantasy League, week one
So I trotted out my Vampires for the first week in the league. It was a four player game where you had to go after tokens placed by one of your opponents. The hope there is that it encourages people to go after them instead of just ganging up on one player or making it two one on one games.
The first issue came up with how deployment was done. In the hopes of speeding things up I'm sure, everyone was supposed to just put your models down and go. Well that led to basically whoever finished first, kind of got screwed a little as opponents could then react. It wasn't too big of a deal, and maybe didn't have an impact at all, but due to the small deployments, I deployed to the long face since I had a large army. Well that may have made the lizardmen player across from me think I was going after him...so he counter deployed accordingly..in theory.
Anyways, I actually went before him, and did a big swing with all my units to point towards my tokens. Well he decided to come after my now exposed flank. Hmmmmm. Well so much for going after tokens. Now I had to guard against the lizards (who was the player on my left/across). The player to my ride side was high elves...who had a nice shooty list. Thankfully I was able to convince him to shoot the lizardmen scouts as they were highly mobile, in the middle of the battlefield already, and could easily get to their tokens. His shooting was not great, but did kill a skink here and there. Unfortunately for him, he had ogres coming straight at him. The ogre player did toss a cannon ball at one of the lizardmen monsters....but he knew his dice and knew that the '1' to wound would pop up. Uncanny.
So basically, it ended up with me trying to go after the scouts so that I could then get to my tokens, while half my army turned to face the lizards, which had a whole freaking lot coming at me. A stegadon, a armored dino with a spell jewel on top, his scar vet, his caster, javelin skinks, and a saurus unit! Thankfully, my Morghasts are very scary looking, and once they turned towards his line, his line sort of stopped. That lasted for a few turns thankfully.
However, I was short on time, and though I knew it was a four player scenario...I stupidly had thought it would go quick. Well it didn't and I had to scram. So I tossed some units out to see what would happen. The morghasts charged his saurus. They did win combat by one, but he stayed...however I totally had goofed and didn't realize that those guys cause terror. Because he has failed his fear check against them...which would have been a terror check and those guys would have fled. That would have meant his stegadon would have charged, but it wouldn't have been in a flank and who knows how that would have turned out. In the end though, his steg countercharged in the flank and the unit popped. I tried to get my crypt horrors in combat, but their targets kept fleeing. Boring!
I hope this is not a sign of things to come. Don't get me wrong, I understand that fleeing a charge is a very useful tactic. But this was a four player game all about getting tokens. At some point, you want to roll dice. That being said, my undead did actually run down two of the units that fled them...so not too bad. So hopefully next week..which is going to be one on one games I believe...should go better. I've already got my list sorted.
I met new players, played warhammer fantasy again and had fun. So it was a cool time. And I even gave everyone else bonus points for being me. Yay!
The first issue came up with how deployment was done. In the hopes of speeding things up I'm sure, everyone was supposed to just put your models down and go. Well that led to basically whoever finished first, kind of got screwed a little as opponents could then react. It wasn't too big of a deal, and maybe didn't have an impact at all, but due to the small deployments, I deployed to the long face since I had a large army. Well that may have made the lizardmen player across from me think I was going after him...so he counter deployed accordingly..in theory.
Anyways, I actually went before him, and did a big swing with all my units to point towards my tokens. Well he decided to come after my now exposed flank. Hmmmmm. Well so much for going after tokens. Now I had to guard against the lizards (who was the player on my left/across). The player to my ride side was high elves...who had a nice shooty list. Thankfully I was able to convince him to shoot the lizardmen scouts as they were highly mobile, in the middle of the battlefield already, and could easily get to their tokens. His shooting was not great, but did kill a skink here and there. Unfortunately for him, he had ogres coming straight at him. The ogre player did toss a cannon ball at one of the lizardmen monsters....but he knew his dice and knew that the '1' to wound would pop up. Uncanny.
So basically, it ended up with me trying to go after the scouts so that I could then get to my tokens, while half my army turned to face the lizards, which had a whole freaking lot coming at me. A stegadon, a armored dino with a spell jewel on top, his scar vet, his caster, javelin skinks, and a saurus unit! Thankfully, my Morghasts are very scary looking, and once they turned towards his line, his line sort of stopped. That lasted for a few turns thankfully.
However, I was short on time, and though I knew it was a four player scenario...I stupidly had thought it would go quick. Well it didn't and I had to scram. So I tossed some units out to see what would happen. The morghasts charged his saurus. They did win combat by one, but he stayed...however I totally had goofed and didn't realize that those guys cause terror. Because he has failed his fear check against them...which would have been a terror check and those guys would have fled. That would have meant his stegadon would have charged, but it wouldn't have been in a flank and who knows how that would have turned out. In the end though, his steg countercharged in the flank and the unit popped. I tried to get my crypt horrors in combat, but their targets kept fleeing. Boring!
I hope this is not a sign of things to come. Don't get me wrong, I understand that fleeing a charge is a very useful tactic. But this was a four player game all about getting tokens. At some point, you want to roll dice. That being said, my undead did actually run down two of the units that fled them...so not too bad. So hopefully next week..which is going to be one on one games I believe...should go better. I've already got my list sorted.
I met new players, played warhammer fantasy again and had fun. So it was a cool time. And I even gave everyone else bonus points for being me. Yay!
Monday, September 29, 2014
Fantasy Update
Hi ho everyone,
So I've been working on my Fantasy army a little bit this week. The big push was to assemble the two Morghast Archai I bought. Fantastic models that are taking way too long to build! Holy crap...20 pieces later and I only have a torso and two legs built. I pushed hard on Friday and finally got one of them finished.
That dude is a beast. I have about a third of the second guy put together. I have no clue how to paint this model. It has so many layers. Still, he's gotta get done...I will probably save these guys for last though. I need to brush up (har har) on my painting skills first. As you can see, I've already got most of them primed and built, and even did a test model here and there.
This past weekend was my club's big event, the OFCC (Ordo Fanaticus Club Challenge). It was a big, four day event with all things gaming, that ended with the major Fantasy and 40K tournaments. Normally they do two of these, one for each game, but this year they combined it into one single weekend of gaming. I think it worked out really well. I didn't play due to a conflict, but I was able to stop by and snap some great pics.
Just a sample of some of the awesome armies that showed up. I'm so jealous, my painting skills pale in comparison. But it gives me something to shoot for one day.
Also, this weekend was our 9th annual Portland IRSF Strollathon. It is a fundraiser for the IRSF (you can google it) which funds research for Rett Syndrome. This is very near and dear to my heart due to the fact that my wife is the one putting on the event and because my daughter has Rett. This year, we had the most families ever show up. My wife's goal is more about building up community than anything else, so she was thrilled to have such great attendance.
Well, that wraps up my weekend. I did get some time to take advantage of Neverwinter's 2x XP weekend and get four of my characters up past level 20. Horses for everyone! :) Till next time.
So I've been working on my Fantasy army a little bit this week. The big push was to assemble the two Morghast Archai I bought. Fantastic models that are taking way too long to build! Holy crap...20 pieces later and I only have a torso and two legs built. I pushed hard on Friday and finally got one of them finished.
That dude is a beast. I have about a third of the second guy put together. I have no clue how to paint this model. It has so many layers. Still, he's gotta get done...I will probably save these guys for last though. I need to brush up (har har) on my painting skills first. As you can see, I've already got most of them primed and built, and even did a test model here and there.
This past weekend was my club's big event, the OFCC (Ordo Fanaticus Club Challenge). It was a big, four day event with all things gaming, that ended with the major Fantasy and 40K tournaments. Normally they do two of these, one for each game, but this year they combined it into one single weekend of gaming. I think it worked out really well. I didn't play due to a conflict, but I was able to stop by and snap some great pics.
Just a sample of some of the awesome armies that showed up. I'm so jealous, my painting skills pale in comparison. But it gives me something to shoot for one day.
Also, this weekend was our 9th annual Portland IRSF Strollathon. It is a fundraiser for the IRSF (you can google it) which funds research for Rett Syndrome. This is very near and dear to my heart due to the fact that my wife is the one putting on the event and because my daughter has Rett. This year, we had the most families ever show up. My wife's goal is more about building up community than anything else, so she was thrilled to have such great attendance.
Well, that wraps up my weekend. I did get some time to take advantage of Neverwinter's 2x XP weekend and get four of my characters up past level 20. Horses for everyone! :) Till next time.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Warhammer Fantasy Escalation League
So my gaming club, Ordo Fanaticus, is about to start its Fall escalation league for warhammer. It is called Raindog's Rampage as it is hosted by Raindog. This is a staple of fantasy gaming here in Portland. With the new ET goodness and spark still burning bright, I'm going to go all in this year and finish up my army for it. To that end I've been assembling and priming my army. It starts off at 1000 points and works its way up to 1500. It ends with a one day tournament at 1500.
I'll be coming back with an Undead army as outlined in the new End Times book. It is mostly vampire counts, but I'll be bringing in the new morgasts as well as a Khemri unit or two. The new rules for undead are going to make it a bit more viable. You see I've gone down this road before, actually with both VC and with TK. However, the death of the general/caster has always crippled the army. One bad miscast and poof...there it all goes. Now that that nonsense is gone, it might be worth while to give it another go. Unfortunately, I traded off my TK a while back...so now its just VC.
I'm not sure how well the army will do, but it should be fun to give it a try. Here is my starting list:
Level 2 necro, lore of vamps, 5+ ward amulet, master of undead, channeling staff.
Cairn Wraith hero
20 skeletons with full command
15 ghouls with champ
7 dire wolves
corpse cart with unholy loadestone
3 crypt horrors with champ
2 morghast archai
I'll be going second most of the time due to the number of deployments. But I hope I can get favorable matchups then for my units.
Most everything is ready for paint. I just got the morghasts yesterday, so those will be built tonight with any luck. Then I just need to prime them and the characters, and I'm all set. I'll post up pics tonight once they are done.
I'll be coming back with an Undead army as outlined in the new End Times book. It is mostly vampire counts, but I'll be bringing in the new morgasts as well as a Khemri unit or two. The new rules for undead are going to make it a bit more viable. You see I've gone down this road before, actually with both VC and with TK. However, the death of the general/caster has always crippled the army. One bad miscast and poof...there it all goes. Now that that nonsense is gone, it might be worth while to give it another go. Unfortunately, I traded off my TK a while back...so now its just VC.
I'm not sure how well the army will do, but it should be fun to give it a try. Here is my starting list:
Level 2 necro, lore of vamps, 5+ ward amulet, master of undead, channeling staff.
Cairn Wraith hero
20 skeletons with full command
15 ghouls with champ
7 dire wolves
corpse cart with unholy loadestone
3 crypt horrors with champ
2 morghast archai
I'll be going second most of the time due to the number of deployments. But I hope I can get favorable matchups then for my units.
Most everything is ready for paint. I just got the morghasts yesterday, so those will be built tonight with any luck. Then I just need to prime them and the characters, and I'm all set. I'll post up pics tonight once they are done.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Warhammer End Times
Warhammer Fantasy has been one of my favorite games ever since I got into it in the late 90's. I got into Rogue Trader back in the late 80's, but really only messed around with it a bit. Played some more of it in college, but really didn't go too deep. I had less than fifty models at that time, and those were scattered between marines, eldar, and squats. In the 90's some of my friends started warhammer fantasy. Now I had looked at it back when I first got into GW..but the sheer number of models needed scared me away.
Well now I had some friends getting into it, so I gave it another look. I looked at the Undead army because nothing seemed cooler than necromancers raising up an army of skeletons and zombies. Had I known something of the rules, I probably would have bought into it...but I didn't, and the stats looked horrible. So I instead went with the shiny new Wood Elf army that had just been released with an awesome new dragon model.
Flash forward nearly twenty years and I now own six sizable fantasy armies, and have had a few come and go. My current list contains the Vampire Counts, Orcs and Goblins, Dwarfs, Wood Elves, High Elves, and Beastmen. I've owned Empire, Dark Elves (twice), Lizardmen and Tomb Kings. Chaos never really interested me, nor Deamons...and while the Skaven are cool...another horde army is not what I want. Never could connect with Bretonnia and the Ogres were just meh.
Anyways, I used to be huge into WFB. I went to Grand Tournaments and organized events. I was a constant figure in the local tournament scene and earned a few trophies here and there. But all things wax and wane and so did WFB. I've tried to keep up with it over the years, buying books for my armies as they came out, and occasionally getting new models. But nothing ever re-lit the spark.
Well now GW released the End Times, book one, Nagash. A whole new story line featuring my favorite army, the Undead, has crashed into the Warhammer lore and hopefully has started a big change. I've read the fluff book and loved it, even when it broke my heart once or twice. The new book is breathing new life into the Undead armies of Warhammer as well.
That, coupled with my local game club starting up an escalation league...well, it seems now is a great time to paint up an Undead army once more. I was so inspired that I wrote up a quick 1000pt list, pulled out models, and did some priming last night.
First step was the priming board. I took one of my game table 2x4s and drilled half inch screws into it so that my magnetized models would be secure. Then I primed away:
And there you go. One regiment of ghouls ready for painting. I was able to get my skeletons, corpse cart, and crypt horrors done as well. Tune in for more updates.
Well now I had some friends getting into it, so I gave it another look. I looked at the Undead army because nothing seemed cooler than necromancers raising up an army of skeletons and zombies. Had I known something of the rules, I probably would have bought into it...but I didn't, and the stats looked horrible. So I instead went with the shiny new Wood Elf army that had just been released with an awesome new dragon model.
Flash forward nearly twenty years and I now own six sizable fantasy armies, and have had a few come and go. My current list contains the Vampire Counts, Orcs and Goblins, Dwarfs, Wood Elves, High Elves, and Beastmen. I've owned Empire, Dark Elves (twice), Lizardmen and Tomb Kings. Chaos never really interested me, nor Deamons...and while the Skaven are cool...another horde army is not what I want. Never could connect with Bretonnia and the Ogres were just meh.
Anyways, I used to be huge into WFB. I went to Grand Tournaments and organized events. I was a constant figure in the local tournament scene and earned a few trophies here and there. But all things wax and wane and so did WFB. I've tried to keep up with it over the years, buying books for my armies as they came out, and occasionally getting new models. But nothing ever re-lit the spark.
Well now GW released the End Times, book one, Nagash. A whole new story line featuring my favorite army, the Undead, has crashed into the Warhammer lore and hopefully has started a big change. I've read the fluff book and loved it, even when it broke my heart once or twice. The new book is breathing new life into the Undead armies of Warhammer as well.
That, coupled with my local game club starting up an escalation league...well, it seems now is a great time to paint up an Undead army once more. I was so inspired that I wrote up a quick 1000pt list, pulled out models, and did some priming last night.
First step was the priming board. I took one of my game table 2x4s and drilled half inch screws into it so that my magnetized models would be secure. Then I primed away:
And there you go. One regiment of ghouls ready for painting. I was able to get my skeletons, corpse cart, and crypt horrors done as well. Tune in for more updates.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
5th edition D&D
As my profile states, I started out as an RPGer. D&D has always been my favorite game, and it is what always led me to make new friends. For the last few years, I haven't been playing it unfortunately. Standard excuses and reasons apply. Family, job, etc always seem to get in the way, or the real truth, it is very hard to find a small group of people that can get together once a week, every week.
Well that hasn't stopped me from buying the new Players' Handbook for 5th edition. And it hasn't stopped me from joining in on an Adventurer's League game at my local game store. So for four hours on Saturday, I get to don my armor and pick up my spear one more time and roll dice. I am really looking forward to it.
First things first though, I need a character. I've read about half of the PHB already, and I have to say, I really like it. This is an excellent rule set which really feels like the best of all the previous editions. The one class I really liked in 4E was the warlock...which was deemed way OP in 3.5 (for good reason). So it was pretty easy to choose this class for my first 5E character.
Now at first I was going to go with the typical Tiefling Fiend Warlock. But as I got into it, I discovered I like the half-elf better...plus it would fit in a bit more easily than someone who looked like an actual devil. I didn't really have much of a backstory for him yet, until I actually went through the background portion of the book. Normally I would have skipped this, but it was required for the AL game. Well lo and behold, I go through, find a background I like (charlatan) and then start filling out the ideals and flaws, etc....and boom, I have this fully fleshed out character background which I completely love! Now I have this half-elf who was abandoned by his elven father, who turned his charm and good looks into an steady income. When he finds his mother murdered, it leads him in search of a killer. That path takes him to a mentor, who not only expands his trade, but gives him a chance to take the power that could one day grant him revenge.
It was really quite amazing. This whole new life just blossomed right in front of me as I went through a few simple charts. Now I have a story, a motivation, traits, quirks and flaws. I have a person to really get into. That is what I love about D&D. I love that you can create so much and then write the continuation with a bunch of other people. It will always be my favorite game.
Well that hasn't stopped me from buying the new Players' Handbook for 5th edition. And it hasn't stopped me from joining in on an Adventurer's League game at my local game store. So for four hours on Saturday, I get to don my armor and pick up my spear one more time and roll dice. I am really looking forward to it.
First things first though, I need a character. I've read about half of the PHB already, and I have to say, I really like it. This is an excellent rule set which really feels like the best of all the previous editions. The one class I really liked in 4E was the warlock...which was deemed way OP in 3.5 (for good reason). So it was pretty easy to choose this class for my first 5E character.
Now at first I was going to go with the typical Tiefling Fiend Warlock. But as I got into it, I discovered I like the half-elf better...plus it would fit in a bit more easily than someone who looked like an actual devil. I didn't really have much of a backstory for him yet, until I actually went through the background portion of the book. Normally I would have skipped this, but it was required for the AL game. Well lo and behold, I go through, find a background I like (charlatan) and then start filling out the ideals and flaws, etc....and boom, I have this fully fleshed out character background which I completely love! Now I have this half-elf who was abandoned by his elven father, who turned his charm and good looks into an steady income. When he finds his mother murdered, it leads him in search of a killer. That path takes him to a mentor, who not only expands his trade, but gives him a chance to take the power that could one day grant him revenge.
It was really quite amazing. This whole new life just blossomed right in front of me as I went through a few simple charts. Now I have a story, a motivation, traits, quirks and flaws. I have a person to really get into. That is what I love about D&D. I love that you can create so much and then write the continuation with a bunch of other people. It will always be my favorite game.
Friday, September 5, 2014
And so it goes...
Been a couple of weeks since I last posted...kind of, so here we go. First off, the D&D thing seems to be on hold. We got really close, and even got to meet the new guys, however, since then, the same old issues have come up, basically, trying to get five adults to decide on a single night that they can all meet on. Also, one of the five already dropped out. Man what a pain in the butt. So my crystal ball is telling me that the 4E group is basically a bust. Which kind of sucks, but not so much.
Mostly, because awesome 5th edition is out. The new PHB is awesome! One book, twelve classes, all the races....just like the old days. I have to say, I really like this edition. It feels like good old D&D, and yet it has lots of the neat mechanics that the newer editions brought out. So I really want to play..not DM...play. However, the same issues are always there...trying to find a group....find a night, and then actually start. It really sucks sometimes to be a gamer.
Hmmm what else...oh..I ordered my Nagash book. Pretty excited about that too. I'm a big undead player and have been playing vamps for a while. I also owned a TK army because the concept was just so cool. Unfortunately, in 8th, the army was fairly lacking. Plus, lots of really expensive models. Anyways, I traded the TK army away because "do I really need two undead armies?"....well guess what...apparently I do! Damn GW...they mashed the armies back together again! So I can have my cool vamps WITH super cool TK models? sign me up.
So basically, lots of stuff coming down the pipeline that I want to spend money on. Now I need the moneys. To that end, I've been trying to trade/sell my tyranid army, which apparently is the worst army in the world to try to sell. Ugh...so $1,200 worth of nids, and I can't sell/trade it at all (talking under 50% retail and still can't move it). And its not like I have limited myself in the options. I am open to Space Wolves, Dark Eldar (another army I love but got rid of), Tomb Kings....or money. You'd think I could trade something. Heck, I even was open to trading for Orks..which I have a ton of, but the guy never responded. Lame. Side note...if you are on Bartertown, and someone send you a message...have the courtesy to respond.
Oh, and I've been playing some Neverwinter online. I really like it. I wish again that I could find a group to play with..but so far going solo. Still fun though.
So that's where I'm at.
Mostly, because awesome 5th edition is out. The new PHB is awesome! One book, twelve classes, all the races....just like the old days. I have to say, I really like this edition. It feels like good old D&D, and yet it has lots of the neat mechanics that the newer editions brought out. So I really want to play..not DM...play. However, the same issues are always there...trying to find a group....find a night, and then actually start. It really sucks sometimes to be a gamer.
Hmmm what else...oh..I ordered my Nagash book. Pretty excited about that too. I'm a big undead player and have been playing vamps for a while. I also owned a TK army because the concept was just so cool. Unfortunately, in 8th, the army was fairly lacking. Plus, lots of really expensive models. Anyways, I traded the TK army away because "do I really need two undead armies?"....well guess what...apparently I do! Damn GW...they mashed the armies back together again! So I can have my cool vamps WITH super cool TK models? sign me up.
So basically, lots of stuff coming down the pipeline that I want to spend money on. Now I need the moneys. To that end, I've been trying to trade/sell my tyranid army, which apparently is the worst army in the world to try to sell. Ugh...so $1,200 worth of nids, and I can't sell/trade it at all (talking under 50% retail and still can't move it). And its not like I have limited myself in the options. I am open to Space Wolves, Dark Eldar (another army I love but got rid of), Tomb Kings....or money. You'd think I could trade something. Heck, I even was open to trading for Orks..which I have a ton of, but the guy never responded. Lame. Side note...if you are on Bartertown, and someone send you a message...have the courtesy to respond.
Oh, and I've been playing some Neverwinter online. I really like it. I wish again that I could find a group to play with..but so far going solo. Still fun though.
So that's where I'm at.
Friday, August 22, 2014
This week in gaming
Well for the most part I'd say it was a fairly unproductive week for gaming. I got lots done in the non-gaming world however, so at least my wife is happy.
I am still trying to sell my Tryanid army. I've got posts up at Bartertown and Dakka, and of course on my local board, Ordo Fanaticus. Nids are just not popular right now, in fact the market seems to be flooded with people trying to sell them off. Which is a shame. I like the army and the models, I just have too much stuff.
It would be great to sell it, because there is some awesome stuff coming down the line soon. As a long time undead player, I'm stoked about the new Nagash model and books. Overpriced of course, but what can you do...the models look sweet. And a new undead army to field....who can beat that? Maybe this will let me get some cool TK models again.
Also, would still like to add to my fledgeling Space Wolf army tool. Just need moneys.
I did start to put together my Dystopian Legions prussian gun team though...and with a new book about to be released, we may see some new models for that line. I would really like to own the blazing sun models too.
Which all leads back to, I need to cut down on my collection to make room for new stuff. What a terrible curse this is.
Oh, and it looks like the 4E D&D group is getting underway. I met with two new guys the other night for a little Q&A session. We need at least one more, so they are working on that aspect of it. Looks to be fun. I just resubscribed to DDI so that I can use the very helpful tools they have.
I also am planning on taking inventory on my 40K Orks. I may need to bust out a second table for that lot. There might be some fat to trim with those guys....I can't even remember all the stuff I have any more. Ugh.
Oh, and due to the Warmachine Kickstarter, I am in the beta for Tactics. Played a little bit so far...they need serious work done on the camera controls. But as a turn based game, not bad I guess.
Until next time...
I am still trying to sell my Tryanid army. I've got posts up at Bartertown and Dakka, and of course on my local board, Ordo Fanaticus. Nids are just not popular right now, in fact the market seems to be flooded with people trying to sell them off. Which is a shame. I like the army and the models, I just have too much stuff.
It would be great to sell it, because there is some awesome stuff coming down the line soon. As a long time undead player, I'm stoked about the new Nagash model and books. Overpriced of course, but what can you do...the models look sweet. And a new undead army to field....who can beat that? Maybe this will let me get some cool TK models again.
Also, would still like to add to my fledgeling Space Wolf army tool. Just need moneys.
I did start to put together my Dystopian Legions prussian gun team though...and with a new book about to be released, we may see some new models for that line. I would really like to own the blazing sun models too.
Which all leads back to, I need to cut down on my collection to make room for new stuff. What a terrible curse this is.
Oh, and it looks like the 4E D&D group is getting underway. I met with two new guys the other night for a little Q&A session. We need at least one more, so they are working on that aspect of it. Looks to be fun. I just resubscribed to DDI so that I can use the very helpful tools they have.
I also am planning on taking inventory on my 40K Orks. I may need to bust out a second table for that lot. There might be some fat to trim with those guys....I can't even remember all the stuff I have any more. Ugh.
Oh, and due to the Warmachine Kickstarter, I am in the beta for Tactics. Played a little bit so far...they need serious work done on the camera controls. But as a turn based game, not bad I guess.
Until next time...
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
D&D on the horizon
So my first love has always been D&D. I'd basically be playing that above everything else if I could. However, my luck with finding a good game is not the greatest. I've DM'd from time to time, but always prefer playing. However, with the D&D drought in full swing, I decided to see about starting up a 4E game again.
Now you may be wondering why a 4E game when 5E is just around the corner...well the fact is that I have a friend who is dying to play 4E, and I already have all the stuff for it, and also, quite honestly, it is a great system for the DM. I know it has its issues, what version doesn't? But still, I have lots of resources for it and I like it too.
The first problem to tackle though, is players. I've given that task to my friend. He gets to gather them up, weed out the weirdos, and hopefully have enough left to get a game going.
That leaves it to me to write the story. I've had a few ideas popping around my head for the last few years, and I've gotten maybe a few sessions written down. Now I have to get back into that frame of mind, flesh things out, and hopefully find something that is engaging, and collaborative. That later part is really important to me. I can lay down a rail line with the best of them, but I find the best stories are ones that the players help write.
Right now I've got two ideas. One is an evolution of a game I started years and years ago with 2nd edition. I think I have an interesting backdrop....but after a few sessions, not sure where to take it.
The other is a newer concept I was toying with to help players work together and for characters to survive. It is based off of a descriptive festival I once wrote on the Order of the Stick forums. I've actually developed an over-arcing plot for it...but not quite sure how the players fit in to all of it.
Part of me wants to try to combine the two. But they don't exactly fit together. The first concept is a home grown world that is fairly barren and not the typical high fantasy setting. The second world is more of a straight forward D&D world.
So on one hand, great background, but no plot....on the other, typical setting with a good plot, but no plan for how the characters fit in.
Maybe in a few days I'll post up the general outline of each and see which one sparks the old creative juices.
Till next time...
Now you may be wondering why a 4E game when 5E is just around the corner...well the fact is that I have a friend who is dying to play 4E, and I already have all the stuff for it, and also, quite honestly, it is a great system for the DM. I know it has its issues, what version doesn't? But still, I have lots of resources for it and I like it too.
The first problem to tackle though, is players. I've given that task to my friend. He gets to gather them up, weed out the weirdos, and hopefully have enough left to get a game going.
That leaves it to me to write the story. I've had a few ideas popping around my head for the last few years, and I've gotten maybe a few sessions written down. Now I have to get back into that frame of mind, flesh things out, and hopefully find something that is engaging, and collaborative. That later part is really important to me. I can lay down a rail line with the best of them, but I find the best stories are ones that the players help write.
Right now I've got two ideas. One is an evolution of a game I started years and years ago with 2nd edition. I think I have an interesting backdrop....but after a few sessions, not sure where to take it.
The other is a newer concept I was toying with to help players work together and for characters to survive. It is based off of a descriptive festival I once wrote on the Order of the Stick forums. I've actually developed an over-arcing plot for it...but not quite sure how the players fit in to all of it.
Part of me wants to try to combine the two. But they don't exactly fit together. The first concept is a home grown world that is fairly barren and not the typical high fantasy setting. The second world is more of a straight forward D&D world.
So on one hand, great background, but no plot....on the other, typical setting with a good plot, but no plan for how the characters fit in.
Maybe in a few days I'll post up the general outline of each and see which one sparks the old creative juices.
Till next time...
Monday, August 11, 2014
Shadow Hunter 1-4
Hello Sportsfans,
So as I said last time, some friends and I got together to run through the Shadow Hunter campaign this Saturday. As expected, we got through the first four scenarios.
#1 - this was a basic movement scenario and to learn how bad it is to run into islands. I ran this by myself since my friends were running late. I didn't see that basically all islands are hazardous terrain, so I just rolled the 2x hp for the damage. Even that double crit'd my ship. Had I roll 4x, I'm sure it would have sunk. So running into island is bad...very bad.
#2 - basic shooting scenario - two cruisers vs four frigates. Now here, I think the intent was for the cruisers to win, but the FSA frigates are just plain nasty. The EotBS cruisers got first move, and was able to sink one of the frigates. However, then the frigates moved in and were able to link all weapons together (at least how I read the rules). FSA frigates have two turrets per ship. So once they closed, they put out a silly amount of dice. They double crit'd one of the cruisers, making it basically fairly useless. As the next turn came around, the frigates were able to finish it off and then sail away before the other cruiser could finish them off.
#3 - boarding! - heavily damaged FSA battleship vs a squadron of EotBS frigates and a squadron of corvettes. The frigates went first, closed, and did some further damage to the BS, reducing its HP and putting two fire markers on it. This lent to some sad shooting from the BS which resulted in a single hit to a frigate. Then the corvettes started to close, but were too far to board (the BS used its kinetic generator to lurch ahead quite a bit). Round 2, the BS won init and again hit the "go fasta" button, which let it outpace the frigates, but not far enough away from the corvettes. Also, they were only able to remove one fire token, which basically wiped out the AP from the BS so the boarding action was unstoppable. Prize for the Blazing Sun.
#4 - SAS - here is where the book seemed to fail for me. There are no examples of SAS combat or actions that I have found. And there is no clear and complete steps for an SAS combat. I had to piece things together and make assumptions. For instance, the torpedo bombers are making a run against a ship. That ship gets to counter attack with AA vs the SAS, and then they get to defensive counter against the torpedoes with CC. Spelled out cleanly anywhere in the book? no. Or how about SAS fighters attacking the SAS torp bombers? By the book, the torp bombers get to counter attack with AA first, then you have the fighter SAS attack with their AA. You would think in a dogfight it would all by simultaneous, but I couldn't find a rule for that (I have now after searching the spartan forum).
Regardless, the torp bombers were able to kill one cruiser and then make it off the table before the fighters could finish them off. I do think the new SAS rules are cleaner than before and should speed things up.
All in all, we did find the game moving fairly well. LOS is still the most PITA part of this game. Firestorm Armada has such a nicer LOS system due to all models being on pegs. Can't be helped for DW I guess.
Still, will try to do more scenarios this upcoming weekend perhaps.
So as I said last time, some friends and I got together to run through the Shadow Hunter campaign this Saturday. As expected, we got through the first four scenarios.
#1 - this was a basic movement scenario and to learn how bad it is to run into islands. I ran this by myself since my friends were running late. I didn't see that basically all islands are hazardous terrain, so I just rolled the 2x hp for the damage. Even that double crit'd my ship. Had I roll 4x, I'm sure it would have sunk. So running into island is bad...very bad.
#2 - basic shooting scenario - two cruisers vs four frigates. Now here, I think the intent was for the cruisers to win, but the FSA frigates are just plain nasty. The EotBS cruisers got first move, and was able to sink one of the frigates. However, then the frigates moved in and were able to link all weapons together (at least how I read the rules). FSA frigates have two turrets per ship. So once they closed, they put out a silly amount of dice. They double crit'd one of the cruisers, making it basically fairly useless. As the next turn came around, the frigates were able to finish it off and then sail away before the other cruiser could finish them off.
#3 - boarding! - heavily damaged FSA battleship vs a squadron of EotBS frigates and a squadron of corvettes. The frigates went first, closed, and did some further damage to the BS, reducing its HP and putting two fire markers on it. This lent to some sad shooting from the BS which resulted in a single hit to a frigate. Then the corvettes started to close, but were too far to board (the BS used its kinetic generator to lurch ahead quite a bit). Round 2, the BS won init and again hit the "go fasta" button, which let it outpace the frigates, but not far enough away from the corvettes. Also, they were only able to remove one fire token, which basically wiped out the AP from the BS so the boarding action was unstoppable. Prize for the Blazing Sun.
#4 - SAS - here is where the book seemed to fail for me. There are no examples of SAS combat or actions that I have found. And there is no clear and complete steps for an SAS combat. I had to piece things together and make assumptions. For instance, the torpedo bombers are making a run against a ship. That ship gets to counter attack with AA vs the SAS, and then they get to defensive counter against the torpedoes with CC. Spelled out cleanly anywhere in the book? no. Or how about SAS fighters attacking the SAS torp bombers? By the book, the torp bombers get to counter attack with AA first, then you have the fighter SAS attack with their AA. You would think in a dogfight it would all by simultaneous, but I couldn't find a rule for that (I have now after searching the spartan forum).
Regardless, the torp bombers were able to kill one cruiser and then make it off the table before the fighters could finish them off. I do think the new SAS rules are cleaner than before and should speed things up.
All in all, we did find the game moving fairly well. LOS is still the most PITA part of this game. Firestorm Armada has such a nicer LOS system due to all models being on pegs. Can't be helped for DW I guess.
Still, will try to do more scenarios this upcoming weekend perhaps.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Fang and Claw
You'd think I was going to talk about my Tyranid army, but no...I'm going to talk about my new Space Wolf army!!
Now I know what you are thinking...well if you've read previous blog posts of mine, you'd be thinking "hey...you said you don't like GW...why the heck are you getting a new army from them??"
Well, what you should also know by now, is that I'm a sucker for cool minis. And lets face it, GW's models are the tits. All was going well until two things happened:
a) I bought the stormreach box so that I could get the new rulebook. This let me get a close up look at the SW models and they are indeed cool.
b) GW released that awesome new SW flier, the Stormclaw.
And then the hits just kept on coming. There are a few other minor factors as well. I'm also looking to cut down my collection and want to get rid of my Tryanid army, which is quite sizable. "here now!" you cry, "that isn't cutting down armies if you just buy another one!" Well yes, that is true. However.....I also have a SM army, Salamanders to be exact, that I haven't done one thing with them for years. So, my thought process is this, grab some cheap SW models via the stormreach box (done), sell the nids (in progress), and then go through my existing salamander army to see what I can port over to SW, and then sell the rest.
So you see, in total, I should actually lose quite a bit of models in this plan. The nid army is big, we are talking $1300 retail worth of nids. Also, the Space Wolves don't have all the fun toys that normal marines get, so many of the models I have for them will go away, and many others will be replaced with SW specific versions (like the terminators and generic space marines).
Another minor factor is that I'm kind of a wolf guy. And a long time ago, I really liked the Space Wolves. But a buddy of mine ran them back in 2nd edition and cheesed them out so much, that I grew to dislike them. That lasted 20 years! So its about time I let that one go and let myself enjoy the great models that they have now.
Now I will say that my inner dwarf is very sad about letting the salamanders go. I really do like the fluff for that army. However, GW had not done much for them and they really are just green marines. I'd rather get an army with more character...and the wolves have that in spades.
Anyways, so that is what is going on now. :) Oh, and I'm going to learn some Dystopian Wars 2.0 this Saturday! Yay!
Now I know what you are thinking...well if you've read previous blog posts of mine, you'd be thinking "hey...you said you don't like GW...why the heck are you getting a new army from them??"
Well, what you should also know by now, is that I'm a sucker for cool minis. And lets face it, GW's models are the tits. All was going well until two things happened:
a) I bought the stormreach box so that I could get the new rulebook. This let me get a close up look at the SW models and they are indeed cool.
b) GW released that awesome new SW flier, the Stormclaw.
And then the hits just kept on coming. There are a few other minor factors as well. I'm also looking to cut down my collection and want to get rid of my Tryanid army, which is quite sizable. "here now!" you cry, "that isn't cutting down armies if you just buy another one!" Well yes, that is true. However.....I also have a SM army, Salamanders to be exact, that I haven't done one thing with them for years. So, my thought process is this, grab some cheap SW models via the stormreach box (done), sell the nids (in progress), and then go through my existing salamander army to see what I can port over to SW, and then sell the rest.
So you see, in total, I should actually lose quite a bit of models in this plan. The nid army is big, we are talking $1300 retail worth of nids. Also, the Space Wolves don't have all the fun toys that normal marines get, so many of the models I have for them will go away, and many others will be replaced with SW specific versions (like the terminators and generic space marines).
Another minor factor is that I'm kind of a wolf guy. And a long time ago, I really liked the Space Wolves. But a buddy of mine ran them back in 2nd edition and cheesed them out so much, that I grew to dislike them. That lasted 20 years! So its about time I let that one go and let myself enjoy the great models that they have now.
Now I will say that my inner dwarf is very sad about letting the salamanders go. I really do like the fluff for that army. However, GW had not done much for them and they really are just green marines. I'd rather get an army with more character...and the wolves have that in spades.
Anyways, so that is what is going on now. :) Oh, and I'm going to learn some Dystopian Wars 2.0 this Saturday! Yay!
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Hmmmm settling in on one post a month....
So lets break that at the very end and sneak in another one. So....what's up brother G? Well let me tell you...
Gaming:
Nope...not doing it. I don't know when the last time I rolled a die. Okay, that's a lie. I did roll a d20 when I played MtG with my wife and daughter while on vacation. So I guess that counts. But in terms of pushing models around the table and rolling dice, that would be a big fat NO!
I am trying to organize a little something soon with Dystopian Wars. Also, Firestorm Armada is looming and just waiting for me to jump in. I have created the perfect excuse though. You see the models don't really fit in the stands very well, so that means I'd need to glue them in. However, the fleet I chose looks really fragile sitting on those thin posts. So I'm waiting for my CorSec mounts to come in. The kicker is, I haven't ordered them yet. Cuz I'm broke. Cuz I keep spending my money on other things. Cuz I'm dumb like that.
Purchasing:
Now here, we have lots to talk about. The very first game store I ever went to in the Portland metro area is closing its doors. The building was sold that they reside in and they weren't really able to find a new location that worked for them. So they decided to sell everything. Started off at 27% off, then eventually 50% off, and now finally 75% off in the final days.
Suffice to say, I stopped by there way too much in the last couple of weeks. On the good side...I picked up the new two player starter for Dystopian Wars! I also then got various box sets for DW to fill out the Federated States. I also picked up a couple of boxes for the Aquan fleet for Firestorm Armada...sadly though, they didn't have the patrol fleet so I'm missing the core of the force.
I also bought several boxes of various GW 40K and fantasy units too ... because I like to buy stuff I don't need apparently. Yeah, apparently I have no willpower when the words "sale" and "games workshop" come together. I really hate them, but I can't resist their cool minis.
Now I nearly bought Warmachine stuff. They had a few items that I really wanted. But...I'm not playing WM right now at all...not even close, so that part of my brain that can't resist GW has no problem resisting WM for some reason.
So in the last month, I've picked up DW 2.0 which added more ships to my Blazing Sun fleet, and now I've got a whole new Federated States fleet with tons of air power, and a smattering of land forces.
I've got a new core faction for Firestorm, but still need the patrol fleet.
And then got some odds and ends in GW products and Flames of War.
Oh yeah, and I also bought that new Stormclaw box set in order to get the rulebook, and now I'm apparently collecting Space Wolves.
Modeling:
Yes, I do have a small bit here to talk about...I think. I finally fixed the Kedorian carrier. Using sticky putty, I was able to assemble the dome & struts together so that they will fit in the slots on the main body. I then discovered that I totally F'd up by gluing on the clear fins on the cruisers. I could have gotten this really cool effect by painting the inside edge first, but I was impatient and glued them on already. Oh well, maybe next time.
Well that's it. I have a meeting I must run off to. Until next time (which hopefully will be sooner than last time), keep gaming....or at least buying stuff and thinking about gaming. :)
Gaming:
Nope...not doing it. I don't know when the last time I rolled a die. Okay, that's a lie. I did roll a d20 when I played MtG with my wife and daughter while on vacation. So I guess that counts. But in terms of pushing models around the table and rolling dice, that would be a big fat NO!
I am trying to organize a little something soon with Dystopian Wars. Also, Firestorm Armada is looming and just waiting for me to jump in. I have created the perfect excuse though. You see the models don't really fit in the stands very well, so that means I'd need to glue them in. However, the fleet I chose looks really fragile sitting on those thin posts. So I'm waiting for my CorSec mounts to come in. The kicker is, I haven't ordered them yet. Cuz I'm broke. Cuz I keep spending my money on other things. Cuz I'm dumb like that.
Purchasing:
Now here, we have lots to talk about. The very first game store I ever went to in the Portland metro area is closing its doors. The building was sold that they reside in and they weren't really able to find a new location that worked for them. So they decided to sell everything. Started off at 27% off, then eventually 50% off, and now finally 75% off in the final days.
Suffice to say, I stopped by there way too much in the last couple of weeks. On the good side...I picked up the new two player starter for Dystopian Wars! I also then got various box sets for DW to fill out the Federated States. I also picked up a couple of boxes for the Aquan fleet for Firestorm Armada...sadly though, they didn't have the patrol fleet so I'm missing the core of the force.
I also bought several boxes of various GW 40K and fantasy units too ... because I like to buy stuff I don't need apparently. Yeah, apparently I have no willpower when the words "sale" and "games workshop" come together. I really hate them, but I can't resist their cool minis.
Now I nearly bought Warmachine stuff. They had a few items that I really wanted. But...I'm not playing WM right now at all...not even close, so that part of my brain that can't resist GW has no problem resisting WM for some reason.
So in the last month, I've picked up DW 2.0 which added more ships to my Blazing Sun fleet, and now I've got a whole new Federated States fleet with tons of air power, and a smattering of land forces.
I've got a new core faction for Firestorm, but still need the patrol fleet.
And then got some odds and ends in GW products and Flames of War.
Oh yeah, and I also bought that new Stormclaw box set in order to get the rulebook, and now I'm apparently collecting Space Wolves.
Modeling:
Yes, I do have a small bit here to talk about...I think. I finally fixed the Kedorian carrier. Using sticky putty, I was able to assemble the dome & struts together so that they will fit in the slots on the main body. I then discovered that I totally F'd up by gluing on the clear fins on the cruisers. I could have gotten this really cool effect by painting the inside edge first, but I was impatient and glued them on already. Oh well, maybe next time.
Well that's it. I have a meeting I must run off to. Until next time (which hopefully will be sooner than last time), keep gaming....or at least buying stuff and thinking about gaming. :)
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Is that a blip on the horizon?
Howdy Sports Fans,
So what has been happening in the wonderful world of hobby minis for Brother G? Well, the biggest news is that my local game store is closing its doors. They were the first store I visited since moving here and it is a shame they are closing down. It has given me the opportunity to add to my collection though as they are having a decent sale on all the stuff.
The big purchase of the sale was the new Shadow Hunter box set from Spartan Games. It has two decent sized fleets for Dystopian Wars and the new 2.0 rulebook. The models are fantastic. The jury is still out on the rules. I'm not sure I like the format they chose with bolding certain text. It can make it very hard to read at times. I'm still plowing through it though.
I've also picked up some various GW kits, things that filled gaps in my collection for my armies. Noting too exciting though. I did get the new Ork codex though. I really love the orks. They are such a great characterful army. I don't really mind if they aren't competitive though. One of these days I might actually assemble all the models I have for them. :)
Later this Summer, I'll be going on vacation for a week, and will hopefully have time to make some progress on a fleet for either DW, or FA. Right now though, the Summer schedule is pretty brutal and my health has not been great.
I also took inventory of my Tyrannid army in the hopes of selling it off soon. But not in a huge rush and don't want to give it away. Seems people expect to pay less than 50% these days for a used army. I'm too cheap of a bastard to agree to that nonsense. :)
So what has been happening in the wonderful world of hobby minis for Brother G? Well, the biggest news is that my local game store is closing its doors. They were the first store I visited since moving here and it is a shame they are closing down. It has given me the opportunity to add to my collection though as they are having a decent sale on all the stuff.
The big purchase of the sale was the new Shadow Hunter box set from Spartan Games. It has two decent sized fleets for Dystopian Wars and the new 2.0 rulebook. The models are fantastic. The jury is still out on the rules. I'm not sure I like the format they chose with bolding certain text. It can make it very hard to read at times. I'm still plowing through it though.
I've also picked up some various GW kits, things that filled gaps in my collection for my armies. Noting too exciting though. I did get the new Ork codex though. I really love the orks. They are such a great characterful army. I don't really mind if they aren't competitive though. One of these days I might actually assemble all the models I have for them. :)
Later this Summer, I'll be going on vacation for a week, and will hopefully have time to make some progress on a fleet for either DW, or FA. Right now though, the Summer schedule is pretty brutal and my health has not been great.
I also took inventory of my Tyrannid army in the hopes of selling it off soon. But not in a huge rush and don't want to give it away. Seems people expect to pay less than 50% these days for a used army. I'm too cheap of a bastard to agree to that nonsense. :)
Monday, June 9, 2014
Supply ships have reached the station
So the slow boat from China has finally arrived! Okay, well it was from the UK, but still, my replacement struts have finally gotten here. I was a little disappointed that they did not replace the cap piece as that had gotten a bit damaged, but oh well, the one I have will still work. The real downside to this tale, is that they didn't offer any tips on how to put the darn thing together. So back to the drawing board.
I also need to decide if I'm going to go with 3rd party stands or not. I want to play with these darn things, and have to decide soon so I can base them. I think I said before that I'm looking at Corsec Engineering who makes pretty cool flight bases. They are steel rods so much more durable than the plastic ones you get with the fleets. Plus they screw in and out of the ships, so easy to take apart for transport.
Also, I've been looking over the new Ork releases for 40K. I love the orks for 40K and have a sizable army (unpainted of course). I like some of the stuff that is coming out and am eagerly awaiting the new book. Of course, GW's insane prices will keep me from getting most of it. It always comes down to "well I could sell X to pay for Y" but the problem is that X almost always has more value than Y due to the fact that I already own it, and if its GW's, then it already went up in value since I purchased it.
Oooo ooo ooo. I'm going to play Magic tonight! It is supposed to be D&D night, but our DM backed out even though we played it a freaking month and a half ago! So the rest of us are gathering (heh..gathering) together for a little sealed deck action with the new Journey to Nyx set. I haven't played in a while, and these guys are pretty competitive. Its all for fun and I get shiny new cards!
Till next time.
I also need to decide if I'm going to go with 3rd party stands or not. I want to play with these darn things, and have to decide soon so I can base them. I think I said before that I'm looking at Corsec Engineering who makes pretty cool flight bases. They are steel rods so much more durable than the plastic ones you get with the fleets. Plus they screw in and out of the ships, so easy to take apart for transport.
Also, I've been looking over the new Ork releases for 40K. I love the orks for 40K and have a sizable army (unpainted of course). I like some of the stuff that is coming out and am eagerly awaiting the new book. Of course, GW's insane prices will keep me from getting most of it. It always comes down to "well I could sell X to pay for Y" but the problem is that X almost always has more value than Y due to the fact that I already own it, and if its GW's, then it already went up in value since I purchased it.
Oooo ooo ooo. I'm going to play Magic tonight! It is supposed to be D&D night, but our DM backed out even though we played it a freaking month and a half ago! So the rest of us are gathering (heh..gathering) together for a little sealed deck action with the new Journey to Nyx set. I haven't played in a while, and these guys are pretty competitive. Its all for fun and I get shiny new cards!
Till next time.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Progress and a little bitching
So I was able to assemble the rest of the Kedorian fleet with no hassle. I am still waiting for the replacement parts from Spartan games, but they did say they would send them, so yay Spartan!
I should probably send a follow up email with them just to be sure though.
In that same vein, I am still waiting for Warlord Games to give me instructions on how to build my churchill AVRE. I have sent two emails to them, both times they said they would send me instructions, both times they have not done so and after X many days, closed the case.
I have to say, I hate this. Why the hell can't they simply send me instructions on how to build the god damn tank???? When you send a model with 10+ pieces...instructions are handy.
Because of this issue, I have had zero interest in playing Bolt Action. I love the game too. I think it rocks. But if the company is going to fail with this simple request, then I don't want to play their game. It kills all interest I have in it. Anyone else out there like that?
I should probably send a follow up email with them just to be sure though.
In that same vein, I am still waiting for Warlord Games to give me instructions on how to build my churchill AVRE. I have sent two emails to them, both times they said they would send me instructions, both times they have not done so and after X many days, closed the case.
I have to say, I hate this. Why the hell can't they simply send me instructions on how to build the god damn tank???? When you send a model with 10+ pieces...instructions are handy.
Because of this issue, I have had zero interest in playing Bolt Action. I love the game too. I think it rocks. But if the company is going to fail with this simple request, then I don't want to play their game. It kills all interest I have in it. Anyone else out there like that?
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Kedorian shipyards report massive problems
So my first fleet are the mighty Kedorians. These are the flying citadel looking ships. I think they look amazing. I bought both box sets and have started to put together the alliance fleet box.
First up was the frigates. Now these are single piece pewter models..so should be really fast. But they have a ton of flash on them...and all on the inside of the ring. Took me about 30 minutes to clean up all four. Two of them had bad peg slots on them, but shouldn't stop a peg from being glued in...or more likely a magnet.
Next up though, is the carrier. It has two main resin pieces (top and bottom), four pewter panels, four plastic struts, and two resin dome pieces. So I start by cleaning the panels, and gluing them to the top resin piece. Everything is lining up great, and securing very nicely. Once I get all four done, it is looking good.
So then I go to attach the bottom resin piece, which should fit into the brackets of the panels. Should being the operative word here.
Unfortunately, it doesn't fit. It doesn't fit anywhere close. For some reason, the bottom section of the ship is too large!! WTF???
So I start shaving down the resin around the whole model to get it to fit in. Not an easy task, nor exactly a safe one. It gets a little better, but there is simply no way to get it inside one of the panels. So I pry off the panel (thankfully without damaging either piece, and am able to get the two halves together...but when I slide in the last panel, due to the mis-fit, it sticks out a bit. Well, not much I can do about it. I fiddle with it a bit more and finally get it all glued together. Thank god that is over.
Now I move on to the dome. Now please keep in mind, there are no instructions in the box. There are no diagrams or labels of the pieces. I am simply figuring this all out as I go.
So I finally figure out that there are two pieces to the dome, and I get them put together in what I think will work. Then I pop out the struts and see that they have to go on the dome first, otherwise you can't get the dome in them later. Also, the holes in the main body for the struts are larger than required, so alignment will be tricky.
So I'm thinking that if I attach them to the dome first, then it should just fall into the slots on the main base just fine. Well that went horribly wrong as well. Gluing the struts to the dome securely is a bit tricky because again, the slots are larger than the struts. But I eyeball it the best I can to have them light up properly and attach flat to the dome.
But then when I move the whole dome set over the main body, you can't even get two struts into the holes designed for them. Trying to remove the struts from the dome results in breakage. It really is unreal. Maybe my battleship will just stay in its box. If it is anything at all like the carrier, I'm going to have an aneurism trying to put it together.
By the way, this model also has four long thin pewter spines that are supposed to hang down from the bottom of the model. Yeah, like those aren't going to break five minutes after assembly. I think I'll skip mine.
First up was the frigates. Now these are single piece pewter models..so should be really fast. But they have a ton of flash on them...and all on the inside of the ring. Took me about 30 minutes to clean up all four. Two of them had bad peg slots on them, but shouldn't stop a peg from being glued in...or more likely a magnet.
Next up though, is the carrier. It has two main resin pieces (top and bottom), four pewter panels, four plastic struts, and two resin dome pieces. So I start by cleaning the panels, and gluing them to the top resin piece. Everything is lining up great, and securing very nicely. Once I get all four done, it is looking good.
So then I go to attach the bottom resin piece, which should fit into the brackets of the panels. Should being the operative word here.
Unfortunately, it doesn't fit. It doesn't fit anywhere close. For some reason, the bottom section of the ship is too large!! WTF???
So I start shaving down the resin around the whole model to get it to fit in. Not an easy task, nor exactly a safe one. It gets a little better, but there is simply no way to get it inside one of the panels. So I pry off the panel (thankfully without damaging either piece, and am able to get the two halves together...but when I slide in the last panel, due to the mis-fit, it sticks out a bit. Well, not much I can do about it. I fiddle with it a bit more and finally get it all glued together. Thank god that is over.
Now I move on to the dome. Now please keep in mind, there are no instructions in the box. There are no diagrams or labels of the pieces. I am simply figuring this all out as I go.
So I finally figure out that there are two pieces to the dome, and I get them put together in what I think will work. Then I pop out the struts and see that they have to go on the dome first, otherwise you can't get the dome in them later. Also, the holes in the main body for the struts are larger than required, so alignment will be tricky.
So I'm thinking that if I attach them to the dome first, then it should just fall into the slots on the main base just fine. Well that went horribly wrong as well. Gluing the struts to the dome securely is a bit tricky because again, the slots are larger than the struts. But I eyeball it the best I can to have them light up properly and attach flat to the dome.
But then when I move the whole dome set over the main body, you can't even get two struts into the holes designed for them. Trying to remove the struts from the dome results in breakage. It really is unreal. Maybe my battleship will just stay in its box. If it is anything at all like the carrier, I'm going to have an aneurism trying to put it together.
By the way, this model also has four long thin pewter spines that are supposed to hang down from the bottom of the model. Yeah, like those aren't going to break five minutes after assembly. I think I'll skip mine.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Don't even know why I own a wallet...
So apparently, this was "spend all of your money" week instead of "work on your models" week. Thankfully I was able to spend money on my hobbies.
On Saturday, I went to my local game store to watch some folks play Firestorm Armada. It would have gone a lot better had I not stopped for a beer first. Normally, I can hold my alcohol fairly well, but this particular brew was sporting 11.5% and it kicked my ass.
So I got to watch two gents struggle through learning the rules of FA with a big goofy grin on my face. Thankfully, I had purchased my new Wood Elf book for Warhammer just prior to the beer drinking, so no other WE goodies came home. Though to be honest, I'm really only interested in the new cav models. The infantry looks good, but I don't need them right away. So while I'm here, lets talk woodies.
You see the Wood Elves were my very first fantasy army. I got them way back in '95? I was a 40K player before then...and my friends were getting into fantasy. So I, being a good friend, was going to join them. Now at first I wanted to play undead. But you see, I didn't know the rules for fantasy, I did know the rules for 2nd ed 40K though. So looking at the undead stats, I quickly looked for something better. And the Wood Elves had just gotten their first book with a cool looking forest dragon model to boot.
So anyways, here we are, nearly 20 years later, and I still own that army...with the models that came out 19 years ago. I have all of the old metal archers and spearmen, dryads, waywatchers and war dancers. I liked the new plastic stuff....mostly...but couldn't really justify replacing models that worked. So here I am, kind of stuck a bit. I wouldn't mind getting the new units...but will they fit in with my older models? Unless that money tree in the backyard starts blooming, I don't see me buying a whole new army for WE. I really shouldn't worry about it though...can't even remember the last time I played fantasy. But then again I wouldn't have gamer ADD if I didn't think about it. :)
"So buying one book is spending all of your money?"
No...you see then the gaming group I associate with (www.ordofanaticus.com) yanked some dough outta my wallet with this post about a cool airbrush for super cheap on amazon. Well I don't have an airbrush but always wanted one. Well how could I pass up this deal? So $200 late, I have a new airbrush and compressor on its way. But I did save over $300...so not bad. Pretty excited about it actually. A new thing to learn!
And then finally, we end up with me purchasing a new Firestorm Armada fleet. It was going to happen eventually...we all saw that coming. So I went ahead and got it over with. I'll wait till the models show up to reveal the new awesomeness.
Damn...I better spend this next weekend cleaning up my office before it becomes too jammed with gaming stuff all over the place. On the flip side, its constant state of disorder does keep the wife-unit from noticing the new toys. ;)
On Saturday, I went to my local game store to watch some folks play Firestorm Armada. It would have gone a lot better had I not stopped for a beer first. Normally, I can hold my alcohol fairly well, but this particular brew was sporting 11.5% and it kicked my ass.
So I got to watch two gents struggle through learning the rules of FA with a big goofy grin on my face. Thankfully, I had purchased my new Wood Elf book for Warhammer just prior to the beer drinking, so no other WE goodies came home. Though to be honest, I'm really only interested in the new cav models. The infantry looks good, but I don't need them right away. So while I'm here, lets talk woodies.
You see the Wood Elves were my very first fantasy army. I got them way back in '95? I was a 40K player before then...and my friends were getting into fantasy. So I, being a good friend, was going to join them. Now at first I wanted to play undead. But you see, I didn't know the rules for fantasy, I did know the rules for 2nd ed 40K though. So looking at the undead stats, I quickly looked for something better. And the Wood Elves had just gotten their first book with a cool looking forest dragon model to boot.
So anyways, here we are, nearly 20 years later, and I still own that army...with the models that came out 19 years ago. I have all of the old metal archers and spearmen, dryads, waywatchers and war dancers. I liked the new plastic stuff....mostly...but couldn't really justify replacing models that worked. So here I am, kind of stuck a bit. I wouldn't mind getting the new units...but will they fit in with my older models? Unless that money tree in the backyard starts blooming, I don't see me buying a whole new army for WE. I really shouldn't worry about it though...can't even remember the last time I played fantasy. But then again I wouldn't have gamer ADD if I didn't think about it. :)
"So buying one book is spending all of your money?"
No...you see then the gaming group I associate with (www.ordofanaticus.com) yanked some dough outta my wallet with this post about a cool airbrush for super cheap on amazon. Well I don't have an airbrush but always wanted one. Well how could I pass up this deal? So $200 late, I have a new airbrush and compressor on its way. But I did save over $300...so not bad. Pretty excited about it actually. A new thing to learn!
And then finally, we end up with me purchasing a new Firestorm Armada fleet. It was going to happen eventually...we all saw that coming. So I went ahead and got it over with. I'll wait till the models show up to reveal the new awesomeness.
Damn...I better spend this next weekend cleaning up my office before it becomes too jammed with gaming stuff all over the place. On the flip side, its constant state of disorder does keep the wife-unit from noticing the new toys. ;)
Monday, April 21, 2014
The Invasion is on Hold
Okay, it really isn't on hold, I just haven't had any time this last week to work on it. So a slight bump in the schedule, heck, I haven't even had time to go back and take more pictures yet. That is just the way life gets some times.
What I can tell you, is that I've got all the chaos I need. All of my wheeling and dealing and purchases came flooding in. I am now the proud owner (again) of a full chaos marine force. And it is all in pieces. :(
But don't fret, I'm not. I'll get back to assembling models tonight after work and will continue to churn them out. I will say I'm still looking for some specific pieces though. My army has lots of chaos beasties in it. I have the helldrake, two fiends, and a total of five hellbrutes. But I don't own a warsmith yet. I like the model so I am on the lookout for one.
Also, I'm trying to get my hands on more special weapon sprues for the basic CSM. I only have one for all 25 of my CSM. I could at the very least use one more. I'll see what I can salvage from some of the other units.
The whole army is plastic which is pretty cool. All of it are the latest models as well. So no old stuff. The only down side to that is that I have to put everything....and I mean everything, together. Sometimes I find assembly fun. But when you have to start cranking out the models....then it becomes a chore. At least for me anyways. So I'm trying to figure out how best to do this. I think it would probably work well if I chose a few of any one kind of model at a time....instead of trying to power through all of them. So maybe I'll stick with a "no more than five at a time" rule. For lots of the stuff, I only have five of a kind for a model type (raptors and terminators for example). So that should work okay. For guys like my CSM and cultists, I think it will help me not get sick of them to spread them out.
So, I'm still working on the possessed right now and the rhino. I hope to wrap those up tonight. Then I'll get back to my DV models (which are awesome!) and then start grinding out some CSM again.
Next up: Chaos Sighted!
What I can tell you, is that I've got all the chaos I need. All of my wheeling and dealing and purchases came flooding in. I am now the proud owner (again) of a full chaos marine force. And it is all in pieces. :(
But don't fret, I'm not. I'll get back to assembling models tonight after work and will continue to churn them out. I will say I'm still looking for some specific pieces though. My army has lots of chaos beasties in it. I have the helldrake, two fiends, and a total of five hellbrutes. But I don't own a warsmith yet. I like the model so I am on the lookout for one.
Also, I'm trying to get my hands on more special weapon sprues for the basic CSM. I only have one for all 25 of my CSM. I could at the very least use one more. I'll see what I can salvage from some of the other units.
The whole army is plastic which is pretty cool. All of it are the latest models as well. So no old stuff. The only down side to that is that I have to put everything....and I mean everything, together. Sometimes I find assembly fun. But when you have to start cranking out the models....then it becomes a chore. At least for me anyways. So I'm trying to figure out how best to do this. I think it would probably work well if I chose a few of any one kind of model at a time....instead of trying to power through all of them. So maybe I'll stick with a "no more than five at a time" rule. For lots of the stuff, I only have five of a kind for a model type (raptors and terminators for example). So that should work okay. For guys like my CSM and cultists, I think it will help me not get sick of them to spread them out.
So, I'm still working on the possessed right now and the rhino. I hope to wrap those up tonight. Then I'll get back to my DV models (which are awesome!) and then start grinding out some CSM again.
Next up: Chaos Sighted!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Reinforcements Arrive
So the last few days has seen the rest of my chaos force come into being. I've snagged the DV models and have been working on them. I also was able to trade for a few hellbrutes. Now normally I don't really like having duplicate models, but due to the new dataslates for chaos, I have the option now of using all of them.
I also got in my order for the new Attack Force and a new Hellbrute. I've got more than enough models to field a decent sized force for chaos. Yay model addiction!
As far as the assembly line is going, there things have slowed down a little. I'm working on the rhino and have that about 70% done. I've also started on the Possessed unit. The DV models stole some attention for a while since those are so easy to get going. However, I was lucky enough to get quite a few extra ones, so that process is still going on.
Oh, and I also forgot that I got two boxes of beastmen gors to use as close combat cultists. So basically I'm drowning in chaos models.
I haven't snapped any pics lately, but will do that shortly and update the post with those.
In true gamer ADD fashion, I've been keeping a sharp eye out on the new Dystopian Wars ships. They are gorgeous! and I'm practically drooling over them. Once the end of May rolls around, I'm sure they are going to steal the show for a while. I'm going to keep chugging away though at Chaos until then.
Next Up - even more chaos!
I also got in my order for the new Attack Force and a new Hellbrute. I've got more than enough models to field a decent sized force for chaos. Yay model addiction!
As far as the assembly line is going, there things have slowed down a little. I'm working on the rhino and have that about 70% done. I've also started on the Possessed unit. The DV models stole some attention for a while since those are so easy to get going. However, I was lucky enough to get quite a few extra ones, so that process is still going on.
Oh, and I also forgot that I got two boxes of beastmen gors to use as close combat cultists. So basically I'm drowning in chaos models.
I haven't snapped any pics lately, but will do that shortly and update the post with those.
In true gamer ADD fashion, I've been keeping a sharp eye out on the new Dystopian Wars ships. They are gorgeous! and I'm practically drooling over them. Once the end of May rolls around, I'm sure they are going to steal the show for a while. I'm going to keep chugging away though at Chaos until then.
Next Up - even more chaos!
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Chaos Assemble!
So this week I've been squeezing as much time as I can into assembling my chaos models. 98% of the army is going to be NIB, and even the stuff I got in trade will need to be finished. So lots to do. Currently I'm working on the battalion set. It has 15 CSM, a rhino, 8 berserkers, and 5 possessed.
I cranked out the berserkers first. GW plastics always act differently to various glues, so I figured I'd choose a unit I had the least interest in to start with. :)
My wife loves it when I confiscate our dining room for my hobbies. Right now though my office is in chaos (pun intended) and I needed a clear space to work in. That cool LED lamp is a gift from said wife-unit for my birthday. Its pretty sweet.
I have to say I really love the chaos models. Marines are cool and all, but the extra touch of chaos makes the models just pop. Though I have to admit, I am not a fan of the Khorne helms.
But, these guys are apparently with the Crimson Slaughter renegade faction, which is the force I'm painting, so they get to stay, silly helms and all. Check out the guy on the far left. I put him on his back foot and gave him a John Woo pose....or maybe a Neo dodging bullets pose...either way, he turned out well.
Next time, chaos rhino and possessed!
I cranked out the berserkers first. GW plastics always act differently to various glues, so I figured I'd choose a unit I had the least interest in to start with. :)
My wife loves it when I confiscate our dining room for my hobbies. Right now though my office is in chaos (pun intended) and I needed a clear space to work in. That cool LED lamp is a gift from said wife-unit for my birthday. Its pretty sweet.
I have to say I really love the chaos models. Marines are cool and all, but the extra touch of chaos makes the models just pop. Though I have to admit, I am not a fan of the Khorne helms.
But, these guys are apparently with the Crimson Slaughter renegade faction, which is the force I'm painting, so they get to stay, silly helms and all. Check out the guy on the far left. I put him on his back foot and gave him a John Woo pose....or maybe a Neo dodging bullets pose...either way, he turned out well.
Next time, chaos rhino and possessed!
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Those damn Spartans!
See, this is exactly what I was talking about. You try and try to work on a solo project to get real progress done, and what goes and happens? I'll tell you what.. new rules get released, and a new starter box.
For what pray tell? For Dystopian Wars, that's what. Darn those fellows at Spartan, they completely snuck an entire new edition of Dystopian Wars onto the world. Granted, it won't release until May 21st...but still. This is exactly what I was waiting for for this game. I love DW, but the rules were too clunky. Now they have a full new version, with a sexy new rulebook, and promised faster gameplay...my number one beef with the game.
Not only that, but then they also release a super cool two player box set as well. So yeah, I got two months to fortify myself with all things Chaos so that I can continue to work on my army. Because we all know as soon as the new DW stuff is released, my gamerADD is gonna kick in and and pull me in a new direction.
For what pray tell? For Dystopian Wars, that's what. Darn those fellows at Spartan, they completely snuck an entire new edition of Dystopian Wars onto the world. Granted, it won't release until May 21st...but still. This is exactly what I was waiting for for this game. I love DW, but the rules were too clunky. Now they have a full new version, with a sexy new rulebook, and promised faster gameplay...my number one beef with the game.
Not only that, but then they also release a super cool two player box set as well. So yeah, I got two months to fortify myself with all things Chaos so that I can continue to work on my army. Because we all know as soon as the new DW stuff is released, my gamerADD is gonna kick in and and pull me in a new direction.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Let the Stars Burn!
So I'm on new project. For those that have read my old blogs, I have said some harsh things about GW in the past....well maybe I didn't write down the specifics, but the gist of it was, I don't like them as a company. I really don't like how they operate. I think it is a huge disservice to the people who put them where they are now.
However, there is no denying how awesome their product is. It is by far, the most popular for this hobby, and in my own home. Recently, I was struck by the awesomeness of the new hellbrute model for the chaos space marines. Now I had owned CSM once before, and I loved the models then tool. I don't like CSM as a concept...I mean I'm much more of a good guy type of player...and so chaos has always been an army I avoided collecting. But the CSM line is pretty awesome, and just keeps getting better.
Well the new hellbrute got me thinking about how I could collect a CSM force fairly cheaply. Turns out, it isn't all that hard. The new Attack Force set is an actual deal on GW models. Getting it for a discount is even better. That added to the surperb models from the Dark Vengence starter, gives you a fairly diverse army right out of the gate and all for the low price of around $200.
So that was my goal, start small, start cheap, and go from there. Well the idea was great, but I still needed to come up with $200. Now I could have just gone out and spent the money...but I really do have way too many armies and models in general. So first, I tried to trade. I had a Dark Angels army that was doing nothing and its sale would easily cover the costs I was expecting and then some.
Enter roadblock #1...no one wants Dark Angels. Granted, it was based on older terminator models, but they were painted very well in typical Deathwing colors. In fact an entire playable Deathwing army was there, plus extras. Thankfully an opportunity came up for me to sell some other models. Wasn't enough to get me my starting force, but it did allow me to grab another opportunity to get a CSM battalion from a friend. It would give me models to play with and would supplement my planned force in a good way.
Thankfully, I did finally sell my DA army. And now I have purchased the majority of my CSM force. I'm hoping to work a deal for the DV models I want soon. I was also to trade some nids for two other CSM units during the last few weeks. Here is my planned Crimson Slaughter CSM force: af = attack force, dv = dark vengence, bt = battalion, tr = trade, pu = purchase.
HQs - terminator librarian (af), chaos lord (dv)
Elite - 5 terminators (af), 6 chosen (dv), 8 berserkers (bt)
Troops - 10 csm (af), 15 csm (bt), 20 cultists (pu)(gor conversions), 5 possessed (bt), 1 aspiring champ (pu)
Fast Attack - 1 helldrake (tr), 5 raptors (af)
Heavy Support - 1 maulerfiend (tr), 1 forge fiend (af), 1 hellbrute (dv), 1 hellbrute (pu)
Transports - 1 rhino (bt), 1 rhino (af)
All said and done, $$ spent was about $335 which I brought in $375 with sales. Technically I don't have the DV models yet, but I should be able to get them within budget easily, and hopefully with trades.
Next post, Chaos Assemble!
However, there is no denying how awesome their product is. It is by far, the most popular for this hobby, and in my own home. Recently, I was struck by the awesomeness of the new hellbrute model for the chaos space marines. Now I had owned CSM once before, and I loved the models then tool. I don't like CSM as a concept...I mean I'm much more of a good guy type of player...and so chaos has always been an army I avoided collecting. But the CSM line is pretty awesome, and just keeps getting better.
Well the new hellbrute got me thinking about how I could collect a CSM force fairly cheaply. Turns out, it isn't all that hard. The new Attack Force set is an actual deal on GW models. Getting it for a discount is even better. That added to the surperb models from the Dark Vengence starter, gives you a fairly diverse army right out of the gate and all for the low price of around $200.
So that was my goal, start small, start cheap, and go from there. Well the idea was great, but I still needed to come up with $200. Now I could have just gone out and spent the money...but I really do have way too many armies and models in general. So first, I tried to trade. I had a Dark Angels army that was doing nothing and its sale would easily cover the costs I was expecting and then some.
Enter roadblock #1...no one wants Dark Angels. Granted, it was based on older terminator models, but they were painted very well in typical Deathwing colors. In fact an entire playable Deathwing army was there, plus extras. Thankfully an opportunity came up for me to sell some other models. Wasn't enough to get me my starting force, but it did allow me to grab another opportunity to get a CSM battalion from a friend. It would give me models to play with and would supplement my planned force in a good way.
Thankfully, I did finally sell my DA army. And now I have purchased the majority of my CSM force. I'm hoping to work a deal for the DV models I want soon. I was also to trade some nids for two other CSM units during the last few weeks. Here is my planned Crimson Slaughter CSM force: af = attack force, dv = dark vengence, bt = battalion, tr = trade, pu = purchase.
HQs - terminator librarian (af), chaos lord (dv)
Elite - 5 terminators (af), 6 chosen (dv), 8 berserkers (bt)
Troops - 10 csm (af), 15 csm (bt), 20 cultists (pu)(gor conversions), 5 possessed (bt), 1 aspiring champ (pu)
Fast Attack - 1 helldrake (tr), 5 raptors (af)
Heavy Support - 1 maulerfiend (tr), 1 forge fiend (af), 1 hellbrute (dv), 1 hellbrute (pu)
Transports - 1 rhino (bt), 1 rhino (af)
All said and done, $$ spent was about $335 which I brought in $375 with sales. Technically I don't have the DV models yet, but I should be able to get them within budget easily, and hopefully with trades.
Next post, Chaos Assemble!
Thursday, April 3, 2014
The clarion call
Welcome back gentle readers. It has been a while since my last blog. Last we spoke, I had closed both of my previous blogs that were dedicated to single games. It quickly became clear to me that I could not keep any sort of consistent updates for just one system. I'm not built that way. Like many of my fellow gamers, I flip and flop between games all the time. So while I could provide content over a few months, eventually my interest would wane, and soon I'd dive into a new project.
Thus, this new blog is dedicated to no game in particular, instead, it is dedicated to the pursuit of happiness within this wonderful hobby.
I suppose the next logical question then would be, what have I been up to? The answer to that question is summed up in two words "a lot".
I got into playing some Bolt Action! for a while when a friend of mine started up a league. It was quite fun and I quickly discovered that taking a Churchill AVRE was just no fun for my opponents. Unfortunately for me, the long awaited Italian book came out, and I was quite disappointed. So much so that it really knocked me away from the game. Plus, I had an issue with an order I had made and it took months for them to resolve. So Warlord is not exactly on my friends list right now. Shame too since the game really is brilliant. I'm sure I'll get back to it eventually.
Mantic has been holding my attention in a few ways recently. I got to play a few games of Kings of War and I really like it. Much easier on the brain than WHFB. But the real killer lately has been Deadzone. I had missed the kickstarter fortunately/unfortunately, but was able to hop into the second phase with a fellow Ordite (www.ordofanaticus.com). I now own a starter box and am impatiently waiting my kickstarter purchases. Models are decent, and the terrain is awesome. Haven't actually played it yet though.
As shameful as it is to admit, I've been getting back into 40K. For those that may have read my previous blogs (unlikely as that is), you may remember that I was pretty much done with GW for a variety of reasons. But "done" was not the right word. I had no intention of getting rid of my collection. I just didn't want to support them anymore. But a friend of mine asked me to play a game with him. It was fun. It got me excited about my Eldar again...and now I have lots of eldar assembled, and even painted a few (will post in upcoming blog). That has led to a horrible chain of events which led me to selling my Dark Angel army, and have begun purchasing a new Chaos Marine army. The models are just too cool. I can't help it! So, that is where I'm currently at. I've got eldar on my table, but have finally gotten some CSM models and will start my assembly of them.
So as you can see, four months have gone by since my dive into Warmachine, and I've already hopped between four other games. That doesn't even include the PC games I've been playing.
So there you have it, I'm diving back into the blog-sphere, and this time we'll see if I can do better.
Thus, this new blog is dedicated to no game in particular, instead, it is dedicated to the pursuit of happiness within this wonderful hobby.
I suppose the next logical question then would be, what have I been up to? The answer to that question is summed up in two words "a lot".
I got into playing some Bolt Action! for a while when a friend of mine started up a league. It was quite fun and I quickly discovered that taking a Churchill AVRE was just no fun for my opponents. Unfortunately for me, the long awaited Italian book came out, and I was quite disappointed. So much so that it really knocked me away from the game. Plus, I had an issue with an order I had made and it took months for them to resolve. So Warlord is not exactly on my friends list right now. Shame too since the game really is brilliant. I'm sure I'll get back to it eventually.
Mantic has been holding my attention in a few ways recently. I got to play a few games of Kings of War and I really like it. Much easier on the brain than WHFB. But the real killer lately has been Deadzone. I had missed the kickstarter fortunately/unfortunately, but was able to hop into the second phase with a fellow Ordite (www.ordofanaticus.com). I now own a starter box and am impatiently waiting my kickstarter purchases. Models are decent, and the terrain is awesome. Haven't actually played it yet though.
As shameful as it is to admit, I've been getting back into 40K. For those that may have read my previous blogs (unlikely as that is), you may remember that I was pretty much done with GW for a variety of reasons. But "done" was not the right word. I had no intention of getting rid of my collection. I just didn't want to support them anymore. But a friend of mine asked me to play a game with him. It was fun. It got me excited about my Eldar again...and now I have lots of eldar assembled, and even painted a few (will post in upcoming blog). That has led to a horrible chain of events which led me to selling my Dark Angel army, and have begun purchasing a new Chaos Marine army. The models are just too cool. I can't help it! So, that is where I'm currently at. I've got eldar on my table, but have finally gotten some CSM models and will start my assembly of them.
So as you can see, four months have gone by since my dive into Warmachine, and I've already hopped between four other games. That doesn't even include the PC games I've been playing.
So there you have it, I'm diving back into the blog-sphere, and this time we'll see if I can do better.
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