Hello Sports Fans,
What is on the agenda today? Well as the title somewhat hints at...what has itty bitty battlefields? Well Warmaster of course! That's right, we are back talking about Warmaster, one of the all time favorite games to come from GW. Released back in 2000, during the heyday of GW (in my humble opinion), Warmaster brings the fantastic armies of the Old World into 10mm goodness.
Warmaster unfortunately was dropped by GW quite a while ago along with most of their Specialist Games range. However, the Living Rulebook is still available on the web, and fans have released a set of rules called Warmaster Revolution. Also, there are some other manufacturers that make 10mm fantasy minis that can be used for Warmaster as well. So while considered a "dead" game, it is still possible to enjoy it.
Back when I started with Warmaster, I immediately went with the Undead army. Now at that time, in Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the Undead book covered both the vampires and the Khemri armies all in one book. The Warmaster undead though were all Khemri forces. In fact, they really expanded on the types of units in Warmaster, beyond what was in WFB. The army had it all. Beyond your normal infantry and cavalry units, the army had chariots, flying carrion, a bone giant, and the sphinx. And it also had two artillery units as well. To me, it was a very complete army and just looked cool on the table.
Well, I got to bust them out of the storage box and lay them out on the game table once more. I suckered Robert into a learning game, just using starter box forces. Robert choose to use the Orcs and Goblins that I had. Out of the various starter armies, those two are actually close in points, and both were painted. I set up a nice 3x4 area for our game, gave him a rules primer, and off we went.
I won't bore you with the details as it was a learning game, but what I will say, is that it was lots of fun, it looked great, and we ended up with a nice tie at the end. In fact, despite Robert failing about 60% of his command roles, he still forces my army to retreat off the table. I was lucky enough to kill/hurt enough of his stuff to tie VPs.
Lately, I went a little crazy and started buying up more armies. I've had three for quite some time, my undead, orcs and gobs, and a chaos army. I've now added a high elf army and an empire army as well. Unfortunately for me, Warmaster has truly become a collector series now, so prices are way higher than they used to be and people that sell are typically looking for collector value. But like I said before, if you don't mind using 3rd party figs, there are some out there, and they do look good. But for now, I have plenty of models to start painting and getting ready to play.
Well, until next time folks.
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Dark Secrets in the Warp
Hello Sports Fans,
I just finished celebrating Thanksgiving. Got a nice four day weekend out of it, so right there, it was a win. That being said, it did help to remind me how much better I have it this year than last year. Last year, I was unemployed and not feeling very good about myself. Now I have a decent job, learning stuff, and taking care of my family. So much to be thankful for. I kind of wish we celebrated it more than once a year just to help remind me.
So what's up with the title? Well, it was inspired by Space Hulk Deathwing. A buddy of mine saw that he had an Enhanced Edition in his steam library and wanted to check it out. Apparently back in May, the company that made the game released an updated version of it, and gave it for free to everyone who bought the original. Sweet!
As I had, I had the new game too. So we gave it a spin. Space Hulk has always been one of my favorite PC games ever since the original way back in the Stone Age. Back when GW computer games could be counted on one hand. This current version is pretty spectacular. The level designs and attention to detail are just amazing. The new version has also optimized a lot of the code and made it run much smoother. Not only that, but they also added in new replayability content and have kept adding new things. Right there it makes me glad I bought the game and supported the company. Hopefully they are working on a bigger expansion that I can pay for. I like supporting companies that do good things for the players.
For those that don't know Space Hulk, it started off as a board game by Games Workshop. It was interesting because it could be played solo. You were in charge of a squad of terminator space marines and needed to achieve objectives within a giant space hulk (a conglomeration of space ships and other debris mushed together, floating through space). These hulks could contain valuable items or secrets from ages past, but they also held dangers, and specifically, the threat of genestealers. Genestealers are part of an alien hivemind race called the Tyranids. They infest these hulks and use them to spread themselves across the galaxy.
GW has greatly expanded the tyranid race, and specifically the genestealer side of them. They have a whole army called the Genestealer Cult for 40K (which I own). Its full of different units now instead of just genestealers. Focus Interactive (the company that makes the video game) have added these into the game and even expanded things a little beyond that. Not only are you fighting genestealers and hybrids, you are facing aberants, warriors, and broodlords.
Deathwing refers to the First Company of the Dark Angel space marine chapter. Dark Angels normally where very dark green (nearly black) armor. They are one of the original founder chapters of the space marines. The Deathwing are all terminators, and their armor is bone white. The Dark Angels have a secret that they keep from all others, and are driven by it. The game has a fantastic campaign and storyline that fits right in with this chapter and their heritage. I enjoy the briefings for each mission and the various plots that are introduced within the missions. It is all very well done. If you are a fan of the 40K lore, this game does it justice.
I've played a little bit of the campaign. It is very challenging. But the best part so far is the co-op multiplayer mode. Up to four players can join together to face the swarms of genestealers and complete the missions. The game gives you a nice choice of terminators to choose from, with lots of options to customize their weapons and traits, as well as even visual skins. My friends and I have been playing this past week and it is a lot of fun. We die about a third of the time, and are only playing on normal difficulty. All in all, we are really enjoying this updated version.
If you like 40K and enjoy challenging shooters, you need to check this one out. Normal price is only $20 on steam (you can also get it for PS4) and is frequently on sale. Great value for your money (in my opinion).
That's enough for now. I'll get back to miniature games next time. Hmmmm might have to bust out some genestealer cult models for painting....
Till next time.
I just finished celebrating Thanksgiving. Got a nice four day weekend out of it, so right there, it was a win. That being said, it did help to remind me how much better I have it this year than last year. Last year, I was unemployed and not feeling very good about myself. Now I have a decent job, learning stuff, and taking care of my family. So much to be thankful for. I kind of wish we celebrated it more than once a year just to help remind me.
So what's up with the title? Well, it was inspired by Space Hulk Deathwing. A buddy of mine saw that he had an Enhanced Edition in his steam library and wanted to check it out. Apparently back in May, the company that made the game released an updated version of it, and gave it for free to everyone who bought the original. Sweet!
As I had, I had the new game too. So we gave it a spin. Space Hulk has always been one of my favorite PC games ever since the original way back in the Stone Age. Back when GW computer games could be counted on one hand. This current version is pretty spectacular. The level designs and attention to detail are just amazing. The new version has also optimized a lot of the code and made it run much smoother. Not only that, but they also added in new replayability content and have kept adding new things. Right there it makes me glad I bought the game and supported the company. Hopefully they are working on a bigger expansion that I can pay for. I like supporting companies that do good things for the players.
For those that don't know Space Hulk, it started off as a board game by Games Workshop. It was interesting because it could be played solo. You were in charge of a squad of terminator space marines and needed to achieve objectives within a giant space hulk (a conglomeration of space ships and other debris mushed together, floating through space). These hulks could contain valuable items or secrets from ages past, but they also held dangers, and specifically, the threat of genestealers. Genestealers are part of an alien hivemind race called the Tyranids. They infest these hulks and use them to spread themselves across the galaxy.
GW has greatly expanded the tyranid race, and specifically the genestealer side of them. They have a whole army called the Genestealer Cult for 40K (which I own). Its full of different units now instead of just genestealers. Focus Interactive (the company that makes the video game) have added these into the game and even expanded things a little beyond that. Not only are you fighting genestealers and hybrids, you are facing aberants, warriors, and broodlords.
Deathwing refers to the First Company of the Dark Angel space marine chapter. Dark Angels normally where very dark green (nearly black) armor. They are one of the original founder chapters of the space marines. The Deathwing are all terminators, and their armor is bone white. The Dark Angels have a secret that they keep from all others, and are driven by it. The game has a fantastic campaign and storyline that fits right in with this chapter and their heritage. I enjoy the briefings for each mission and the various plots that are introduced within the missions. It is all very well done. If you are a fan of the 40K lore, this game does it justice.
I've played a little bit of the campaign. It is very challenging. But the best part so far is the co-op multiplayer mode. Up to four players can join together to face the swarms of genestealers and complete the missions. The game gives you a nice choice of terminators to choose from, with lots of options to customize their weapons and traits, as well as even visual skins. My friends and I have been playing this past week and it is a lot of fun. We die about a third of the time, and are only playing on normal difficulty. All in all, we are really enjoying this updated version.
If you like 40K and enjoy challenging shooters, you need to check this one out. Normal price is only $20 on steam (you can also get it for PS4) and is frequently on sale. Great value for your money (in my opinion).
That's enough for now. I'll get back to miniature games next time. Hmmmm might have to bust out some genestealer cult models for painting....
Till next time.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Goodbye to a Legend
Hello Gentle Readers,
Two days ago marked the passing of personal hero. Stan Lee, creator of many Marvel heroes, died at the age of 95. I grew up reading comics..a lot of comics. My brother and I had started reading them when we were very young. He was the collector, and me, well I just loved reading them. They were always such a great escape. And our house was a Marvel house. Oh we got the occasional DC comic, but by and large, it was Marvel all the way. I must have seen Stan Lee's comic image a million times over the years within those comics. I'd even read the letters section of the back too. I don't think I could have separated Stan from Marvel.
As an adult, I was thrilled to see the Marvel soar in the movie theaters. You never knew if a "superhero" movie was going to do well or not. Growing up, DC pretty much ruled in terms of success. But finally Marvel got rolling well with the X-Men. All of a sudden I was a little kid again sitting there, watching my heroes come to life. And then Iron Man came out and the whole genre was redefined again. It is the Golden Age of Marvel movies. And in ever single one of them, Stan "the Man" Lee has his cameo. And quite truthfully, it never seemed campy or bothersome. It was a real joy to see him in the movie.
You don't realize how much happiness something has brought you sometimes. Stan's death really impacted me. This man, who was such an integral part of all this joy in my life, is now gone. Even though I never met him, or could say I knew him, his creations are a part of me. Reading those comics helped to define me. His passing brings me real sorrow.
Godspeed Stan.
Two days ago marked the passing of personal hero. Stan Lee, creator of many Marvel heroes, died at the age of 95. I grew up reading comics..a lot of comics. My brother and I had started reading them when we were very young. He was the collector, and me, well I just loved reading them. They were always such a great escape. And our house was a Marvel house. Oh we got the occasional DC comic, but by and large, it was Marvel all the way. I must have seen Stan Lee's comic image a million times over the years within those comics. I'd even read the letters section of the back too. I don't think I could have separated Stan from Marvel.
As an adult, I was thrilled to see the Marvel soar in the movie theaters. You never knew if a "superhero" movie was going to do well or not. Growing up, DC pretty much ruled in terms of success. But finally Marvel got rolling well with the X-Men. All of a sudden I was a little kid again sitting there, watching my heroes come to life. And then Iron Man came out and the whole genre was redefined again. It is the Golden Age of Marvel movies. And in ever single one of them, Stan "the Man" Lee has his cameo. And quite truthfully, it never seemed campy or bothersome. It was a real joy to see him in the movie.
You don't realize how much happiness something has brought you sometimes. Stan's death really impacted me. This man, who was such an integral part of all this joy in my life, is now gone. Even though I never met him, or could say I knew him, his creations are a part of me. Reading those comics helped to define me. His passing brings me real sorrow.
Godspeed Stan.
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Paths of the Warmaster
Hello Sports fans,
November already. Sheesh, where does the time go? So...what's new? Well, Orktober ended up falling really flat for me. GW hypes the crap out of it, and basically you got a "meh" value box game and a few new models. The freaking codex doesn't even hit stores until the next month?? Here is how much the universe hates me... I could have bought the codex and new cards through the mighty interwebs for a discount...but then I'd have to wait a bit. So instead, I decide to do the good thing and go to my LGS and put them on hold there. Well sure enough, they somehow didn't get their order filled. So here I am, still waiting on the stuff, and having to pay full price. #FirstWorldProblems
Why am I moaning over it? Because I was actually excited about the new codex and stuff. I really like the orks. Ever since 3rd edition came out, I loved the direction the army took. They are unapologetically brutal but in a fun way. How can you not love the orks?? So I'm just bummed that I am still waiting on the codex.
Besides that, my friend Robert has finally gotten his Vanguard stuff from Mantic! Not sure if he got all of it, because he threw in quite a bit of money for extra stuff, but hopefully he got the bulk of it. Also, the friend that he is, he apparently got me a rulebook for it! So now I'll have something more to read...on my stack of rulebooks that keeps seeming to grow.... :(
So...new orks....now vanguard....and I'm really feeling very unfocused in my hobby life. Somehow everything is shiny and catches my attention, pulling me this way and that, but never long enough to apparently do anything but buy stuff. You want to know how unfocused I am right now? I bought Solo the other day (way after it was released) and watched about five minutes of it...paused it..and then just walked away. Me...Joe Star Wars...walking away from a Star Wars movie that I've only seen once or twice. What the hell??
So to that end, I have decided that I need a project...a project that I will commit to and see through. And somehow it has to be different from all those other projects I've started and committed to. But God help me..I need this. I need to work and finish something. This hobby needs to be more than just a temporary distraction for me. So...then what kind of project? Well...believe it or not, I want to start a painting project. I feel the need to paint. I have all these lovely models...and they are grey. I want to paint.
My first and obvious thought, was to do orks. New book...tons of models, lots of options for me..so no shortage of materials...and no outlay of money. That being said, there are a few reasons not to do orks. First off, Robert has been playing them for 40K when we play, not me. So would be a bit odd to paint models and then not use them, well unless I want to play orks too..which I could...but...seems weird.
And then on the Ordo Fanaticus forum, someone posted up in the Warmaster thread. And yes, now we get to the title of the post. Warmaster. I've recently dropped quite a bit getting a few more armies in my collection, most of which are unpainted. So then the idea popped in my head...why not work on some warmaster? I've got three armies at least that need painting....and I don't need whole armies...just say a good 1,000pt starter for each one. Small models, not a huge amount of actual space to paint. Plus, once I get them done, then I'll have lovely painted forces for people to borrow.
Is this idea set in stone just yet? Nope, not at all. But it seems like a decent idea. The real issue is to find something reasonable and practical for me to do. I really like Warmaster, so painting it up should hopefully be fun and rewarding.
Another possible idea would be to paint up a Vanguard warband. But as I don't have anything for that just yet, we'll have to wait and see. Almost a shame my warmaster orcs are already painted...that would have been perfect. :)
Whelp....there's your update. I have a post in November. Yay! Hopefully this game plan actually pans out for once. Until next time...
November already. Sheesh, where does the time go? So...what's new? Well, Orktober ended up falling really flat for me. GW hypes the crap out of it, and basically you got a "meh" value box game and a few new models. The freaking codex doesn't even hit stores until the next month?? Here is how much the universe hates me... I could have bought the codex and new cards through the mighty interwebs for a discount...but then I'd have to wait a bit. So instead, I decide to do the good thing and go to my LGS and put them on hold there. Well sure enough, they somehow didn't get their order filled. So here I am, still waiting on the stuff, and having to pay full price. #FirstWorldProblems
Why am I moaning over it? Because I was actually excited about the new codex and stuff. I really like the orks. Ever since 3rd edition came out, I loved the direction the army took. They are unapologetically brutal but in a fun way. How can you not love the orks?? So I'm just bummed that I am still waiting on the codex.
Besides that, my friend Robert has finally gotten his Vanguard stuff from Mantic! Not sure if he got all of it, because he threw in quite a bit of money for extra stuff, but hopefully he got the bulk of it. Also, the friend that he is, he apparently got me a rulebook for it! So now I'll have something more to read...on my stack of rulebooks that keeps seeming to grow.... :(
So...new orks....now vanguard....and I'm really feeling very unfocused in my hobby life. Somehow everything is shiny and catches my attention, pulling me this way and that, but never long enough to apparently do anything but buy stuff. You want to know how unfocused I am right now? I bought Solo the other day (way after it was released) and watched about five minutes of it...paused it..and then just walked away. Me...Joe Star Wars...walking away from a Star Wars movie that I've only seen once or twice. What the hell??
So to that end, I have decided that I need a project...a project that I will commit to and see through. And somehow it has to be different from all those other projects I've started and committed to. But God help me..I need this. I need to work and finish something. This hobby needs to be more than just a temporary distraction for me. So...then what kind of project? Well...believe it or not, I want to start a painting project. I feel the need to paint. I have all these lovely models...and they are grey. I want to paint.
My first and obvious thought, was to do orks. New book...tons of models, lots of options for me..so no shortage of materials...and no outlay of money. That being said, there are a few reasons not to do orks. First off, Robert has been playing them for 40K when we play, not me. So would be a bit odd to paint models and then not use them, well unless I want to play orks too..which I could...but...seems weird.
And then on the Ordo Fanaticus forum, someone posted up in the Warmaster thread. And yes, now we get to the title of the post. Warmaster. I've recently dropped quite a bit getting a few more armies in my collection, most of which are unpainted. So then the idea popped in my head...why not work on some warmaster? I've got three armies at least that need painting....and I don't need whole armies...just say a good 1,000pt starter for each one. Small models, not a huge amount of actual space to paint. Plus, once I get them done, then I'll have lovely painted forces for people to borrow.
Is this idea set in stone just yet? Nope, not at all. But it seems like a decent idea. The real issue is to find something reasonable and practical for me to do. I really like Warmaster, so painting it up should hopefully be fun and rewarding.
Another possible idea would be to paint up a Vanguard warband. But as I don't have anything for that just yet, we'll have to wait and see. Almost a shame my warmaster orcs are already painted...that would have been perfect. :)
Whelp....there's your update. I have a post in November. Yay! Hopefully this game plan actually pans out for once. Until next time...
Monday, October 29, 2018
Roll20
Hello Sports fans,
This weekend was my first full D&D session run over Roll20. In 2017, I had visited my friends in Clemson and ran a 4th ed game for them. We had a blast and it was like the last twenty years never happened. We talked about perhaps trying to keep playing together online. Well a few months ago I started seriously researching and delved into Roll20. The interface was pretty simple, and after a few searches on google, I was able to start creating some simple content. I then grabbed my two buddies who played DDO with me, and we tested out the audio/visual and some basic mechanics (moving icons, rolling dice, etc).
I won't lie. I spent a good amount of time entering in content and figuring out how to add maps and get them to line up to the grid and such. I was even then able to add in monsters and stats to supplement my notes. All in all, I ended up with a play area that was a full color map and had all my creatures in it.
Above is a small example of the play space. Players only saw the non-shadowed areas, otherwise they just see black. So a really nice fog of war feature that lets me reveal only what they actually see.
The grid on the map also lines with the grid of the play space, so icons snap to the correct positions as you move them around. The character icons are tied to actual character sheets and then to the actual player. So each person just controls their own token. Also, I can display certain info on the tokens when selected...for this session, I did perception mod, AC, and HP. For the monsters I setup, I had attack bonus, AC, and HP and then added notes for specific weapons and abilities for each one.
It also has a turn counter that you can pop up too which is tied to the character initiative. Players and the DM can also ping a location on the map or even draw on it as needed. It did take a little getting used to, but after a while, things went fairly smooth.
Characters need only click on the weapon they were using on their character sheet (separate window) and Roll20 would make the roll, put it in chat, and if I said it hit, let them click on the entry in the chat window to roll damage. I will say, the DM got he majority of good rolls :)
The feedback though was very positive from every player. I also have to point out that we all used cameras so that we had live video and audio feeds from everyone, five in all. That was great honestly. I wasn't sure how important that was going to be, but wow, what a difference. I got to see the faces of my friends and their reactions as we played and it really was almost as good as them being there. The group was covering four states on both coasts. And the amazing technology brought us all together.
Oh, and we are also all using the free account. I did drop some money for the 5e PHB. As DM, I could share that resource with my players, so they had full access to the book for the built in character builder.
As we move forward, it will still be a lot of work on me, the DM to keep adding the content. But I really feel it was worth effort. For players, they have to update their character sheets which is not the most intuitive thing. Right now, the built in character builder only creates level 1, and does not have a great interface for updating or leveling. I do believe that is a planned enhancement that is coming though.
Roll20 also has a marketplace where you can buy lots of upgrades, from source books, digital libraries, and even modules, including those from D&D proper.
There is another competing product out there called Fantasy Grounds. I haven't done much research into it. It seems that the biggest plus for Fantasy Grounds is that you are able to save a good deal of money for the paid content. However, pretty much everyone needs to dish out some money to use it, or the DM a significant amount. For now, I'm sticking with Roll20 because I've only spent $50 and we are all able to play. If this really kicks off though and we start to play more regularly...I may have to decide which one is better in the long run, or else get those slackers to pitch in. :)
Until next time...
This weekend was my first full D&D session run over Roll20. In 2017, I had visited my friends in Clemson and ran a 4th ed game for them. We had a blast and it was like the last twenty years never happened. We talked about perhaps trying to keep playing together online. Well a few months ago I started seriously researching and delved into Roll20. The interface was pretty simple, and after a few searches on google, I was able to start creating some simple content. I then grabbed my two buddies who played DDO with me, and we tested out the audio/visual and some basic mechanics (moving icons, rolling dice, etc).
I won't lie. I spent a good amount of time entering in content and figuring out how to add maps and get them to line up to the grid and such. I was even then able to add in monsters and stats to supplement my notes. All in all, I ended up with a play area that was a full color map and had all my creatures in it.
Above is a small example of the play space. Players only saw the non-shadowed areas, otherwise they just see black. So a really nice fog of war feature that lets me reveal only what they actually see.
The grid on the map also lines with the grid of the play space, so icons snap to the correct positions as you move them around. The character icons are tied to actual character sheets and then to the actual player. So each person just controls their own token. Also, I can display certain info on the tokens when selected...for this session, I did perception mod, AC, and HP. For the monsters I setup, I had attack bonus, AC, and HP and then added notes for specific weapons and abilities for each one.
It also has a turn counter that you can pop up too which is tied to the character initiative. Players and the DM can also ping a location on the map or even draw on it as needed. It did take a little getting used to, but after a while, things went fairly smooth.
Characters need only click on the weapon they were using on their character sheet (separate window) and Roll20 would make the roll, put it in chat, and if I said it hit, let them click on the entry in the chat window to roll damage. I will say, the DM got he majority of good rolls :)
The feedback though was very positive from every player. I also have to point out that we all used cameras so that we had live video and audio feeds from everyone, five in all. That was great honestly. I wasn't sure how important that was going to be, but wow, what a difference. I got to see the faces of my friends and their reactions as we played and it really was almost as good as them being there. The group was covering four states on both coasts. And the amazing technology brought us all together.
Oh, and we are also all using the free account. I did drop some money for the 5e PHB. As DM, I could share that resource with my players, so they had full access to the book for the built in character builder.
As we move forward, it will still be a lot of work on me, the DM to keep adding the content. But I really feel it was worth effort. For players, they have to update their character sheets which is not the most intuitive thing. Right now, the built in character builder only creates level 1, and does not have a great interface for updating or leveling. I do believe that is a planned enhancement that is coming though.
Roll20 also has a marketplace where you can buy lots of upgrades, from source books, digital libraries, and even modules, including those from D&D proper.
There is another competing product out there called Fantasy Grounds. I haven't done much research into it. It seems that the biggest plus for Fantasy Grounds is that you are able to save a good deal of money for the paid content. However, pretty much everyone needs to dish out some money to use it, or the DM a significant amount. For now, I'm sticking with Roll20 because I've only spent $50 and we are all able to play. If this really kicks off though and we start to play more regularly...I may have to decide which one is better in the long run, or else get those slackers to pitch in. :)
Until next time...
Monday, October 22, 2018
Dystopian W.....what??
Hello Sports Fans,
Dystopian Wars....didn't that company go out of business? Wasn't this a dead game that wasn't very popular in the first place? Well yes, yes it was. Even when Wayland Games bought the licence, that didn't really give me much hope. Lets face it, DW was a really cool idea, but the game itself just never got off the ground. The concepts were amazing, and Spartan Games just kept releasing cool models. But the mechanics and rules just dragged the gameplay. I'd play for over two hours and we'd barely get past the second turn. I kept all my models not from a sense that I'd ever use them again, but simply that there was no way I was going to find a buyer who would give me a decent value for them.
But last week, Youtube decided to recommend a video for me. It showed me a couple of guys playing the new beta rules from Wayland Games. In just over an hour (with explanations), I watched two full turns go by, with the game realistically not going past a third. Wha huh? Was that really Dystopian Wars I just saw? Well apparently it was. Intrigued, I downloaded the beta rules and gave them a quick read through, and I have to say, Wayland has done a good job. Clearly time will tell if it all works eventually, but they are going in the right direction.
Here are just a few of the changes that are making an impact in play speed:
So what does this mean for me? It currently means I'm pretty hopeful for the new Dystopian Wars. I'm also excited at the prospect of pulling out my fleets and playing again. That being said, the big question now is, can Wayland draw in new players? Not only that, but can they entice the existing players to buy more? That license they bought isn't going to be worth it if all they can do is sell rulebooks. After seeing the rules so far, I think that the game will be more accessible and be interesting to new players. As long as Wayland produces new models that capture that Spartan magic, I think they'll have success. I'll be keeping a closer eye on this now and hope to see some side by side comparisons between Spartan models and Wayland models.
That's it for now. One little side note, I'll be trying out a Roll20 D&D session for the first time this weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed that it goes well. I'll let you know. Till next time.
Dystopian Wars....didn't that company go out of business? Wasn't this a dead game that wasn't very popular in the first place? Well yes, yes it was. Even when Wayland Games bought the licence, that didn't really give me much hope. Lets face it, DW was a really cool idea, but the game itself just never got off the ground. The concepts were amazing, and Spartan Games just kept releasing cool models. But the mechanics and rules just dragged the gameplay. I'd play for over two hours and we'd barely get past the second turn. I kept all my models not from a sense that I'd ever use them again, but simply that there was no way I was going to find a buyer who would give me a decent value for them.
But last week, Youtube decided to recommend a video for me. It showed me a couple of guys playing the new beta rules from Wayland Games. In just over an hour (with explanations), I watched two full turns go by, with the game realistically not going past a third. Wha huh? Was that really Dystopian Wars I just saw? Well apparently it was. Intrigued, I downloaded the beta rules and gave them a quick read through, and I have to say, Wayland has done a good job. Clearly time will tell if it all works eventually, but they are going in the right direction.
Here are just a few of the changes that are making an impact in play speed:
- Simple 90 degree fire arcs. Fore, Aft, Port and Starboard.
- Simple LOS. No more worries about how much or what points of a ship can you see.
- Three range bands for all.
- Two ship states only. No more calculations based on how much damage you have.
- One turning template, and two modes for turning rules.
- Simplified SRS. They act more like another form of gunnery or defense for the turn they are launched only.
- Obscurement. A single condition that prevents light hits from counting.
So what does this mean for me? It currently means I'm pretty hopeful for the new Dystopian Wars. I'm also excited at the prospect of pulling out my fleets and playing again. That being said, the big question now is, can Wayland draw in new players? Not only that, but can they entice the existing players to buy more? That license they bought isn't going to be worth it if all they can do is sell rulebooks. After seeing the rules so far, I think that the game will be more accessible and be interesting to new players. As long as Wayland produces new models that capture that Spartan magic, I think they'll have success. I'll be keeping a closer eye on this now and hope to see some side by side comparisons between Spartan models and Wayland models.
That's it for now. One little side note, I'll be trying out a Roll20 D&D session for the first time this weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed that it goes well. I'll let you know. Till next time.
Monday, October 8, 2018
Terrain Building and AoS Champions
Howdy folks. Wow, almost went off on a huge tangent on the way words sound....
Anyways...good old, Brother G. has been up to stuff this week. First off, I've been putting together terrain. GW has this graveyard for AoS. Sort of a hefty price tag, but got it on ebay for around $60. It actually makes a good amount of footprint terrain. What I mean by that is, it takes up horizontal space on the board. It is pretty much perfect for Vanguard or other skirmish type games. All in all, I have six crypts, two statues, and a decent amount of fence with four gates. Each piece comes with a base area that is larger than the vertical structure. I can't wait to paint these up. Plus, their size will even work with making D&D maps as well. Assembly took me three nights to put together while watching TV with the wife unit. I need to take pics and post them...so watch this space for an edit later on.
Next up I've been playing a game on my phone called AoS Champions. Falls into the vein of MTG and other one on one card games. I think it plays very well and you can play the app, or with actual cards (why by the way can be scanned into your online collection). Hoping to find time to teach it to my wife this week. She used to play MtG, but the sheer number of cards has made it too daunting to build a deck, and the always increasing rules do the same for just playing. This game currently only has four factions and the rules are fairly straight forward, but there is depth for deck design as well. The app is free, with really no reason not to give it a try.
I also go to play D&D again this week after a two week absence. Here is my dilemma. Most of the players truly enjoy engaging in the absurd with their characters. I am not. I want a good role playing experience. Sure, I enjoy joking around just as much as the next guy, but the sheer scope of the hi-jinks is completely distracting. I just sit there now and hope that it ends so we can continue with the actual playing. I was very close to actually leaving the group after last session. I have no problem with the players. They are all nice guys. And they are definitely having a good time with the game. I've wrestled with the question if it is just me...am I too stuck up with how I want to play to engage along with the rest of them. Maybe it is an age thing? But I don't think so. Back when I gamed in college, my friends and I didn't play like that. It was never a circus. I did do a little bit of looking around for a new group. That is not an easy thing either. It took me a while to find these guys. I'm going to play tonight, and will see how it goes. If it is again distracting, then I'll bring it up and see what the group thinks. Again, I'm torn with possibly taking their fun away. But right now, I'm just not enjoying it.
So there you go folks, hobby stuff, gaming, drama....kind of feels good to have so much going on. I'll see about getting some pics up tonight or tomorrow. Until next time,.
Anyways...good old, Brother G. has been up to stuff this week. First off, I've been putting together terrain. GW has this graveyard for AoS. Sort of a hefty price tag, but got it on ebay for around $60. It actually makes a good amount of footprint terrain. What I mean by that is, it takes up horizontal space on the board. It is pretty much perfect for Vanguard or other skirmish type games. All in all, I have six crypts, two statues, and a decent amount of fence with four gates. Each piece comes with a base area that is larger than the vertical structure. I can't wait to paint these up. Plus, their size will even work with making D&D maps as well. Assembly took me three nights to put together while watching TV with the wife unit. I need to take pics and post them...so watch this space for an edit later on.
Next up I've been playing a game on my phone called AoS Champions. Falls into the vein of MTG and other one on one card games. I think it plays very well and you can play the app, or with actual cards (why by the way can be scanned into your online collection). Hoping to find time to teach it to my wife this week. She used to play MtG, but the sheer number of cards has made it too daunting to build a deck, and the always increasing rules do the same for just playing. This game currently only has four factions and the rules are fairly straight forward, but there is depth for deck design as well. The app is free, with really no reason not to give it a try.
I also go to play D&D again this week after a two week absence. Here is my dilemma. Most of the players truly enjoy engaging in the absurd with their characters. I am not. I want a good role playing experience. Sure, I enjoy joking around just as much as the next guy, but the sheer scope of the hi-jinks is completely distracting. I just sit there now and hope that it ends so we can continue with the actual playing. I was very close to actually leaving the group after last session. I have no problem with the players. They are all nice guys. And they are definitely having a good time with the game. I've wrestled with the question if it is just me...am I too stuck up with how I want to play to engage along with the rest of them. Maybe it is an age thing? But I don't think so. Back when I gamed in college, my friends and I didn't play like that. It was never a circus. I did do a little bit of looking around for a new group. That is not an easy thing either. It took me a while to find these guys. I'm going to play tonight, and will see how it goes. If it is again distracting, then I'll bring it up and see what the group thinks. Again, I'm torn with possibly taking their fun away. But right now, I'm just not enjoying it.
So there you go folks, hobby stuff, gaming, drama....kind of feels good to have so much going on. I'll see about getting some pics up tonight or tomorrow. Until next time,.
Monday, October 1, 2018
Vanguarding Vanguard?
Last few posts have been about the concept of hobbying rather than the actual hobbying itself. So trying to get back on track here. Lets talk about Vanguard. Vanguard is Mantic's latest skirmish level fantasy game. Lore wise, it ties in with Kings of War. Mantic chose to have it fully integrated with the lore of the massed fantasy battles game instead of some kind of "one off" scenario (a la Mordheim).
Strangely enough, I didn't back the kickstarter for Vanguard. Nope, I figured I had way too many models already, and I just didn't need more. Plus, I don't really have Mantic models anymore. I did at one point have an Abyssal army, but traded that away some time ago. My friend Robert though was very interested in it and dropped some serious coin. He's getting all the stuff, and I can use my existing models to play. Win/Win for me.
Before going too much farther into this, no, he does not have the rules yet. So all of this discussion is going off what has been posted in the Mantic blogs so far and other rumors I've heard. That being said, what I know of the game is that it is a skirmish warband game. That means small model count and an integrated campaign/progression system in place. So yes, the game is more like Mordheim than it is Age of Sigmar. That is a good thing as I prefer a Mordheim style game over AoS.
I also need to interject at this point that the models are pretty good. Clearly the best stuff Mantic has put out so far. Nicely detailed, good poses....makes me wish I had actually done the KS, but that's because I'm a sucker for cool models.
So the game is basically, you have a leader, some cool LTs, and then a few grunts to carry the baggage. Strangely enough, they only ever mix it up with other gangs and Bob's your uncle. They had an open Beta Rule package out for use for quite a while, and have been blogging various pieces of the rules online as well. So far, seems fairly simple, yet adding depth in various ways. I'll go into rules later once I actually have them in hand.
So, Vanguard is about to drop...what does that mean for me? Means I'm getting ready. I haven't worked out which faction I want to go with just yet, again...waiting on rules. However, I have started to prep for the game itself. I have some mordheim terrain still from back in the day, and I've also purchased some recent stuff that I've actually started to put together. I have the cuts to prove it. I also have an un-opened mordheim terrain expansion box that I am thinking of putting together as well. I'll start putting up some pics of my progress. Till next time.
Strangely enough, I didn't back the kickstarter for Vanguard. Nope, I figured I had way too many models already, and I just didn't need more. Plus, I don't really have Mantic models anymore. I did at one point have an Abyssal army, but traded that away some time ago. My friend Robert though was very interested in it and dropped some serious coin. He's getting all the stuff, and I can use my existing models to play. Win/Win for me.
Before going too much farther into this, no, he does not have the rules yet. So all of this discussion is going off what has been posted in the Mantic blogs so far and other rumors I've heard. That being said, what I know of the game is that it is a skirmish warband game. That means small model count and an integrated campaign/progression system in place. So yes, the game is more like Mordheim than it is Age of Sigmar. That is a good thing as I prefer a Mordheim style game over AoS.
I also need to interject at this point that the models are pretty good. Clearly the best stuff Mantic has put out so far. Nicely detailed, good poses....makes me wish I had actually done the KS, but that's because I'm a sucker for cool models.
So the game is basically, you have a leader, some cool LTs, and then a few grunts to carry the baggage. Strangely enough, they only ever mix it up with other gangs and Bob's your uncle. They had an open Beta Rule package out for use for quite a while, and have been blogging various pieces of the rules online as well. So far, seems fairly simple, yet adding depth in various ways. I'll go into rules later once I actually have them in hand.
So, Vanguard is about to drop...what does that mean for me? Means I'm getting ready. I haven't worked out which faction I want to go with just yet, again...waiting on rules. However, I have started to prep for the game itself. I have some mordheim terrain still from back in the day, and I've also purchased some recent stuff that I've actually started to put together. I have the cuts to prove it. I also have an un-opened mordheim terrain expansion box that I am thinking of putting together as well. I'll start putting up some pics of my progress. Till next time.
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Damnit Jim, I'm a gamer not a blogger...
You know, that whole "gamer" part might be suspect too. Okay, so not that anyone is going to read this, but this really isn't for you anyways. This just helps me organize my thoughts and stuff and figure out where I'm at and where I want to go with this freaking hobby of mine.
I really wish I had the strength of will to only be in one hobby. How much simpler my life would be. Can you imagine only playing and owning for one single game? Instead, I have half a dozen or more game systems and new ones keep popping up. Honestly, I really feel it is a detriment to the hobby as a whole to have so many games. "Competition is good!" they say. Bah! All it does is fracture your audience and make finding games for any one system harder and harder. And you'd think that having a gaming club would be helpful. The bigger the player base, the better chance you have of finding someone else who plays or wants to. But it never seems to work out that way.
Of course all of that is pretty moot for me personally. Even when the club produces an opportunity to play a game I'm interested in, it rarely works out for my schedule. Or...I'd have to find something else to put on hold in order to attend. That and I'd have to actually leave my house and participate in said hobby. Not sure which one of those is less appealing....
It also comes back to the simple fact that I'm still having trouble enjoying it. I love buying it. I love getting a deal on models and owning them. But actually putting them down on the table and playing? Hell, even assembling them feels like a chore most of time. I wish I knew what changed. I used to attend tournaments. I would paint up whole armies, tweak lists, go out and actually play games...And I know I've talked about this before. Obviously my previous plans have all failed. I still haven't recaptured that joy. It would solve so many problems if I could. I'd actually assemble modes. I'd then paint them. I'd even go and play games. And the best part is, I'd have fun and my opponent would probably enjoy the experience too.
Hmmmmm "opponent". Now see that is probably at the top of my gaming issues. The person across from me is not a fellow hobbyist trying to enjoy this game...no..they are an opponent. Maybe I took Conan's guide to life a bit too seriously.
I really wish I had the strength of will to only be in one hobby. How much simpler my life would be. Can you imagine only playing and owning for one single game? Instead, I have half a dozen or more game systems and new ones keep popping up. Honestly, I really feel it is a detriment to the hobby as a whole to have so many games. "Competition is good!" they say. Bah! All it does is fracture your audience and make finding games for any one system harder and harder. And you'd think that having a gaming club would be helpful. The bigger the player base, the better chance you have of finding someone else who plays or wants to. But it never seems to work out that way.
Of course all of that is pretty moot for me personally. Even when the club produces an opportunity to play a game I'm interested in, it rarely works out for my schedule. Or...I'd have to find something else to put on hold in order to attend. That and I'd have to actually leave my house and participate in said hobby. Not sure which one of those is less appealing....
It also comes back to the simple fact that I'm still having trouble enjoying it. I love buying it. I love getting a deal on models and owning them. But actually putting them down on the table and playing? Hell, even assembling them feels like a chore most of time. I wish I knew what changed. I used to attend tournaments. I would paint up whole armies, tweak lists, go out and actually play games...And I know I've talked about this before. Obviously my previous plans have all failed. I still haven't recaptured that joy. It would solve so many problems if I could. I'd actually assemble modes. I'd then paint them. I'd even go and play games. And the best part is, I'd have fun and my opponent would probably enjoy the experience too.
Hmmmmm "opponent". Now see that is probably at the top of my gaming issues. The person across from me is not a fellow hobbyist trying to enjoy this game...no..they are an opponent. Maybe I took Conan's guide to life a bit too seriously.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
I did say it was a long crusade...
This is going to just be a quick update. I am alive. I am employed. I am still gaming.
"but why haven't you been blogging?"
Honestly, because I haven't been thinking about it. For quite a while I was concentrating on finding a job, and the rest of the time, trying not to get super depressed about not having one. There really wasn't room for anything else.
But recently blogging has come back into the brain and thus I'm here. I have several balls in the air, and I'll hopefully prep some better content to share real soon. In the last few months, I've been playing some 40K, some bolt action, and even a little bit of AoS. Also been playing Overwatch a bunch...just can't help myself, its a fun game. Oh, and I even finally tried out my airbrush. Which............ would be a great place to start my next blog post.
So keep gaming and I'll hopefully be posting up a new update soon.
"but why haven't you been blogging?"
Honestly, because I haven't been thinking about it. For quite a while I was concentrating on finding a job, and the rest of the time, trying not to get super depressed about not having one. There really wasn't room for anything else.
But recently blogging has come back into the brain and thus I'm here. I have several balls in the air, and I'll hopefully prep some better content to share real soon. In the last few months, I've been playing some 40K, some bolt action, and even a little bit of AoS. Also been playing Overwatch a bunch...just can't help myself, its a fun game. Oh, and I even finally tried out my airbrush. Which............ would be a great place to start my next blog post.
So keep gaming and I'll hopefully be posting up a new update soon.
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