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July 26, 2010
With an extra!
I completed my SA oath this weekend, and boy does my display case look a lot more full today. I think I’m getting more proficient with Quickshade. There’s still some excess shading on parts of these models, but nothing to really detract from them.
MACBAIN!!!!!!
His Mule!
Bonus Gorten!
August’s pledge will be a passel of the routin’st, toutin’st gunslingers in the Iron Kingdoms. The Arcane Tempest Gun Mages plus their UA and a Gun Mage Captain Adept.
Hopefully they’ll paint up nice an quick (they’re not really all that complicated). Depends if I fall into the Starcraft II trap this week.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: Warmachine |
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July 12, 2010
Before I get to the usual hobby game portion of my post, I’d like to bring your attention, yet again, to how awesome Team Fortress 2 (and by extension Valve) is:
- Last week the engineer update dropped (check out the link, it’s worth it), thereby completing the updates to all of the classes. As usual, players spent the weekend grinding for achievements to get all of the new toys. It took me until Sunday morning of pretty consistent play to get them all.
- Until I began playing in earnest a couple of weeks ago, I had no idea that some classes had new weapons like the Tribalman’s Shiv or the Homewrecker. Always new, free stuff = more reasons to keep playing.
- Oh, and I picked up Left 4 Dead 2 for the low, low price of $10 during Valve’s summer sale. How I ignored the pleasures of Versus mode for so long, I have no idea. Playing the Infected is a fantastic experience.
In Warmahordes news, this past week has seen the release of the Mercenaries book and the Hordes faction decks. In 2 weeks, the Hordes main book and the Firefly (’bout time!) will be out. I haven’t had much time to actually play due to real life issues, but hope to finally field MACBAIN this coming week.
I picked up the Trollbloods deck for the Minion cards as well as to start considering my model purchases for the fall. More on that in a future post.
As far as painting is concerned, I’ve found another way to motivate myself (the cabinet is working, but the modelling pledge failed): joining an oath thread on the SA forums. That’s because there’s no worse thing than goon ridicule and internet shaming. Oh, and there’s prizes. The rules are fairly forgiving with regards to what needs to be completed each month. So for July, I’ve pledged the following, even though I haven’t quite finished Gorten or Brun yet:
They have to be completely done by the end of the month. I’ve already base coated 2 of the primary colours and plan on Quickshading them to speed up the process since they largely consist of earth tones (green, khaki, brown and the metallics). Now that the kids have a kiddie pool in the backyard, it’s actually quite relaxing to paint at the patio set. I’ll have to do that more when there’s no wind.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: PC, Warmachine |
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June 25, 2010
Last night ended my Blasted Heath experience. Overall, much more fun than the last league: played 6 games against 5 different opponents, and my journal is fat with stamps.
Game 1 was a 50 point affair against Graeme’s Cryx. pNemo v pDeneghra. Highlights:
- One day I swear I’ll get the hang of the Thunderhead’s Energy Pulse. While it did a good job of clearing out a large number of Mechanithralls, I also killed all of Mechanics and Lanyssa. Hey, 6″ is larger than it seems!
- The Stormgunners yet again missed their targets and then proceeded to die. Of shame, I suppose.
- Graeme’s feat turn ending up being totally meh, whereas mine saw all but one of his many bone chickens and the nightmare disrupted and / or severely damaged.
- A five-focus, Electrically Fielded Stormclad nearly killing dirty D in one shot, but having to spend every last focus to get that last hit in. “Dice +6 ” is a beautiful phrase.
Game 2 was a team game; Graeme and I against a pair of Khador players. This match was ‘jack heavy at 35 points, as I ran Darius with a Centurion, Ironclad, Cyclone and Hammersmith. Graeme fielded Mortenebra with a swarm of Mechanithralls, a few Slayers and a Stalker. Our opponents were eSorscha and Karchev, both with Widowmakers and lots of Heath-specific Kodiacs. To the highlight reel!:
- I encouraged Graeme to run the ‘thrall chaff and Terminal Velocity’d ‘jacks right in the face of the Khadoran force to tie them up until Darius and his battlegroup could waddle up. I don’t think I actually rolled any dice until the third turn when a Kodiak wandered though a covering fire template.
- His early assault was very effective, stalling the Khador advance and keeping my wall of armor unmolested.
- However, the retaliation was fierce and by turn 4, all of his ‘jacks were scrap. The toll on Karchev was likewise severe: all he had left at the end of it was a badly damaged Kodiak.
- The Widowmakers failed every terror check against losses / terror and only rallied once. By then it was too late and they were wiped out.
- Even though full loaded and Full Throttled Hammersmith, well, hammered a Kodiak 6 times, the slam only travelled 1 measly inch and I could roll no better than a 6 on any damage roll. One day I’ll get something good out of him.
Observations Sadly, the game had to be called and just gave the win to the Khador guys. Had we continued, Karchev would have eaten a Full Throttled Centurion’s piston spear to the face, leaving Sorscha to fend for herself. As far Darius is concerned, he is truly terrible in MkII. Full Throttle only mitigates the overall slowness of his battlegroup slightly and with no spells to boost damage output, his status as a ‘jack ‘caster pales in comparison to eNemo, Amon Ad’Raza or Mortenebra. The only reason he did well in this game is because of the Cryx screening and early pounce. I doubt he’ll ever see table time again unless something comes along next year to offset his obvious weaknesses.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: Warmachine |
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June 24, 2010
*That would be the Geek 8. It would have been the Geek 20, but there simply isn’t enough going on.
- My twice-repaired 360 has finally died for good. Not due to the Red Ring of Death, but it simply won’t turn on at all. Luckily, a co-worker had a barely used one for sale with a 120 GB hard drive, that I picked up for $120. Better than $300 for the latest version.
- I’ve managed a 4 game winning streak in the Blasted Heath league. I have no idea how this is possible. The last 2 games have seen my opponents throwing their warcaster or warlock into the teeth of my army looking for an early assassination / feat stall only to fail and lose on the next turn. Lylyth ate Rowdy’s hammer and fist and Magnus couldn’t outrun all of Kara’s feat turn shots even with Bullet Dodger up.
- In the fall I think I’ll be starting a Hordes army. Perhaps as a 40th birthday present. After seeing this guy, Trollbloods will be my force.
- As much as I like True Blood, I’m a little worried that this season is a bit too self-aware. At times it seems to veer into camp (Sookie’s impersonation of Bill; the King’s dinner party) and at others, have some seriously dramatic scenes like Lafayette and Tara’s visit to the asylum. It’s weird that I’m caring more about Tara’s plot line rather than Bill / Sookie. Maybe there are just too many characters now…
- E3 has come and gon for another, and aside from some truly impressive trailers, there was a lot of meh. However, this is almost enough to make me want to play a Star Wars game, and an MMO to boot. Then I remember the MMO part and come to my senses.
- Every so often I lose track of some of my favourite authors. The benefit to this is when I request a book from the library, there’s no wait because I missed the initial rush. Fforde’s latest, Shades of Grey, is probably his best and most engaging novel since The Eyre Affair. Now, I’m reading The Judging Eye, the continuation of Bakker’s amazing and challenging Prince of Nothing fantasy series. Epic in the good GRRM way, not in the bad Jordan / Eddings way.
- Speaking of books, IO9 had an expanded blurb for Banks’ next Culture novel. Want. Now.
- I’ve turned over the reigns of my Eberron campaign to Stu. It’s actually a relief to not have to prepare for a game other than cleaning the house. This coming Saturday sees the debut of my Druid. Let’s hope the dice are kind to me.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: 4E DnD, Books, PnP, RPG, Video Games, Warmachine |
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June 14, 2010
Yep, no witty title for this post. I was able to finish up my Nomad for the Blasted Heath Battle Dressed stamp on the weekend. This Quickshade stuff is great, but it does have a learning curve. For instance, the Strong tone is not best used on anything other than earth tones and metal. As you can see below, the greys on the ‘jack look a bit muddy and streaky. It shaded well enough, and I can justify it’s look by the fact it’s a mercenary warjack.
What I can’t justify, however, is what happened when I sprayed it with the Matt Varnish. It felt cool enough yesterday afternoon, but it was still just a little too humid. What resulted was a slight speckled fogginess all over the model. You can still see it a bit in the picture, but I was able to get some of it off with a damp cloth.
In other news, this coming weekend will be the first D&D session where I am merely a player and not the GM. I don’t think I’ve actually done this since an abortive play by post game on SA. I’m strangely excited. All tingly like.
For Blasted Heath this week, I’ll be running Sloan and Kraye. Either way, I’m looking at a minimum of 3 stamps this week, more if I continue to win.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: 4E DnD, RPG, Warmachine |
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June 10, 2010
Okay, it’s a tad early, but good god, the Rock Band franchise just pulled me back in! We have achieved maximum keytaur here, people! This little preview has made me realize a few things:
- My old as dirt instruments from RB1 will need to be replaced with what I’m guessing is a deluxe version of RB3.
- I need to start booking the RB3 release party at Casa Del Gow, now.
- The kids need to start getting in on this action (Abi may be able to start following the gameplay now… have to experiment this weekend).
- I am old. I have absolutely no idea who the bands listed for the 2000s are (except for the White Stripes), but the other decades are absolutely awesome. We never knew what we were missing:
1990s
Been Caught Stealing — Jane’s Addiction
In the Meantime — Spacehog
Plush — Stone Temple Pilots
Walkin’ on the Sun — Smash Mouth
1980s
Crazy Train — Ozzy Osbourne
Here I Go Again — Whitesnake
I Love Rock and Roll — Joan Jett
Just Like Heaven — The Cure
Rainbow in the Dark — Dio
The Power of Love — Huey Lewis and the News
Sister Christian — Night Ranger
1960s-1970s
Bohemian Rhapsody — Queen
Break On Through — The Doors
Crosstown Traffic — Jimi Hendrix
Written by kingmob | Filed under: 360, Rock Band 3 |
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May 30, 2010
The sun is up, the children are fed and happily watching the Electric Company, and I find myself with some time. Time to recap the week.
The D&D group fianlly got together last night, but I’ve come to the realization that I don’t have the time to really put my all into running it. After being the DM / Referee / whatever of various games over the past couple of years, I’d like to take a break and just be a player. Stu has graciously agreed to continue with the Eberron campaign as the new DM. Now I have to make a character for mayself. WHat a strange feeling.
We played Talisman last night instead, and to no one’s surprise, didn’t finish. Phil did make it to the Inner Realm once, but only for a moment, so at least that counts for progress.
I got in 2 games of Warmachine at Dueling Grounds on Thursday night. The first was a 35 point matchup between Cameron’s Ryas Legion list and my Searforge army under Gorten. This one ended at the top of turn 2, when Ryas had strayed a tad too far forward, got reeled in by Gorten’s feat, and took 2 Highshield CRA’s and then fell to the hammers of the Forgeguard.
Second game was a 50 point battle against Kevin’s eButcher Khador list. I ran Ashlynn with a heavy complement of denial solos like Eiryss and Gorman. While his morters gave me fits, his deviations never really hit the soft center of my army (the Gun Mages). The deciding turn was when the Butcher got disrupted, the Kodiak Black Oiled and both, along with the Berzerker, thrown backwards by a Critical Devastation hit from the Mule. Ashlynn’s feat was up as well, meaning that the rest of his army had real trouble hitting back in any meaningful way on his turn. Eventually, Ashlynn got a charge lane on the already injured Orsis, taking only one hit to put him down. It was actually a closer game than it appeared, but Kevin’s dice were often failing him.
I know people of said that the Highshield UA is too expensive, but the toolbox nature of the attachment makes it too good to pass up.
In painting news, I painted up a Grundback Gunner as a test model to try out the Army Painter Quickshade. Here’s the Gunner basecoated / primed with Army Painter Desert Yellow:
Doing the rest of the basecoats only took me an hour and a half, and that’s with distractions:
Ewwwww. He got slimed. This is right after I used the brush on method to apply the Quickshade strong tone:
Finally, I used the same company’s Matt Finish to bring down the shine and seal the model:
I was surprised how quickly the sealant dried and how effectively it dulled the shine. However, as you can see below, it’s important to read the instructions:
That crackling effect on the left side of the ‘jack was a result of holding the can closer than the recommended 10 - 12 inches. This is different from the basecoat / primer sprays, which they recommend really laying on. It’s not too noticeable close up, but mars an otherwise solid tabletop quality paint job. Overall, I’m really pleased with this company’s products, but there’s a hitch: I found out that due to incorrect safety labelling, Army Painter products are illegal in Ontario. If you can find then, get them while you can, because they are about to get really scarce for the next while.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: 4E DnD, Boardgames, Warmachine |
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May 29, 2010
What a nice surprise for a Saturday morning!
Go get it here.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: Vassal, Warmachine |
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May 18, 2010
Did a quick tally of my Warmachine models. I didn’t quite realize the sheer quantity I have. ‘Casters are tallied by the number of ‘jack points they provide:
Cygnar - 67 (’casters) + 189 = 256
Merc / Minion - 19 (’casters) + 122 = 141
There are very few Cygnar models that I don’t yet have. My newfound Merc love may delay their completion, at least until Privateer re-releases the troop boxes as full 10-man units.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: Warmachine |
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May 16, 2010
Even if it was from this guy? I’m suspicious of those fangs:
Lug here is my first complete Warbeast. I was a little worried that his bloodied wounds wouldn’t turn out right, but my choice of a softer red seems to have worked out. Next up is his Minion Warcaster buddy, Brun.
Since this weekend has been like a mini holiday (seriously; I’ve enjoyed the past 2 days more than I did my week long vacation last month), I was even able to get in a game of Vassal with local Pressganger Jamie. His pirates defeated my Searforge (damn cowardly Forgeguard / Durgen getting ambitious with his hammer), but what I learned virtually I hope to put into practice at Dueling Grounds this afternoon. Yep, I even get a bonus gaming day before the kids return!
Written by kingmob | Filed under: Warmachine |
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