July 19, 2011
Slowly but surely, my Team Tourney display board is coming along nicely. I carved out the team name and faction symbols, dug out the spots where the models will go, and added some features to break up the overall flatness. I used some left-over foam bits and Woodland Scenics deadfall to add some “life” to the display.
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| From Warmachine |
Next step is to paint and flock it.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: Warmachine | Comments (0)
July 15, 2011
No, not the painting oath, the oath to restrict my little mans games to three. Well, now I’ve got a fourth. Due to the fiscally destructive nature of an associated Something Awful thread, a really helpful suggested starting army list from the manufacturer and a sudden local interest, I’ve bought into Infinity. Choosing a faction was very tough, as there are very few models in the range I don’t like (except for the Nomad pseudo-furries, ugh), so I went with the newest, Aleph.
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| From Infinity |
Aleph’s a little bit Simmons’ Hyperion / Ilium and a whole lot Ghost in the Shell. It’s the physical representation of the AI that that runs (most of) the Human Sphere, and has dedicated itself to combating the Evolved Intelligence of the Combined Army. My planned scheme will be red and off-white, with dark grey mechanical parts (no metallics!) and blue for lights / lenses /eyes /etc. I have dubbed them Aleph Flight.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: Infnity | Comments (0)
June 30, 2011
The whole Morrow / Thamar divide is one of the few things I remember about the history and lore of the Iron Kingdoms. This past month I painted up their miniature equivalents in a strange, albeit temporary, bout of unity. Versh and Alexia will never be seen on the same table again, so I hope they made the best of it.
Alexia and her (not pictured) Risen. I have decided that her zombies are actually ghosts.
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| From Warmachine |
Harlan Versh lookin’ to pop up to 4 caps in some heretics.
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| From Warmachine |
A quick, but satisfactory Epic Caine, showing off his fine taste in trenchcoats.
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| From Warmachine |
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| From Warmachine |
Since I got into Warmachine at the tail end of MKI, I never bought any of the yearly expansion books since 2010 was filled with the Forces of releases. I have a vague knowledge of events from the old expansion books, but never got a real sense of forward momentum in the fluff. However, Wrath has provided fairly solid plot progression along with adding a ton of quality (rules wise) models for every faction. I am pleased with my purchase. Here’s my utterly superficial early review of each Cygnar entry, part the first:
Constance Blaize
The melee ‘caster we’ve never had outside of Darth Stryker. Becomes a whirlwind of destruction with enough souls on her after her feat turn, but will be difficult to get up the field safely. Requires tons of expendable troops, which up until now, no one took in faction. Pulls double duty as a Merc ‘caster, so I’m doubly pleased. Intial impression: a B-.
Minuteman
This Lost Hemisphere post has it right; the Minuteman fills a gap that severely lacking in Cygnar: dealing with light ‘jacks/’beasts and multi-wound infantry. Excellent as a first strike ‘jack, this little guy can’t take much punishment, but can give enemy models fits trying to deal with him. I feel he can fill many roles, but under certain ‘casters (eHaley, eNemo and Kraye) he goes from excellent to downright stellar. Untested opinion: grade A. Take them in pairs.
Gallant
A 9 point reach melee ‘jack with shield guard is pretty good. A 9 point each melee ‘jack with shield guard AND Accumulator AND Purgation with specific models is fantastic. There wouldn’t be any reason not to run Gallant with Mz. Blaize. I dare say that the synergy between the two is far more effective than any other Cygnar warcaster and their signature warjacks. I envision Blaize stalking upfield side-by-side with Gallant, enduring or outright ignoring incoming ranged and magic attacks until they get into melee range with their intended target. Alone, Gallant gets a B; with Morrowans around, a B+; and with Blaize, an A+.
Avenger
“Knocking stuff down” is one of those core Cyganran abilities, much like Electroleap and RNG 10 POW 1o… everythings. Stryker’s Earthquake is still the best (anything under the template is automatically dropped to the ground), but costly and, well, only available when running him. Ironclads / Rowdy do it, but have to get up close and personal to to it, and Gun Mages have to crit and only affect one model at a time. The Avenger does this, but at range, and will always be boosting due to it’s uncommon RAT of 4 while not sacrificing actual damaging power. Crits are never a guarantee, but a 4″ AOE, POW 7 AOE is nothing to sneeze at on it’s own. Low DEF targets are preferred, but it’s got a good answer to lightly armoured troops as well. I’m having dirty thought about him in an eHaley army, marshalled to the Gun Mages. I have a feeling that his stall sword will see as much use as the Defender’s hammer, but it’s nice for back-up, especially at POW 18. He gets an A.
Triumph
Oh dear. As much as I want to like Siege’s companion, I just can’t see him being worth 11 points. At best, he’s worth 10 since he’s got a higher RAT and ARM (with the shield) but I can’t see Arcane Precision and a negligibly useful affinity being worth another point. He simply makes no sense with Siege over a standard Defender: Siege has Mage Sight (which is better than Arcane Precision) and Explosivo. He is, however, better with almost everyone else, especially Sloan and, well, any Snipe capable ‘caster. It’s almost as he if was made for Haley specifically to kill her twin sister. A lowly C- with Siege or other ‘casters with ways of dealing with Stealth on their own; a B- for all of the others who need a shooty ‘jack.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: 360, Warmachine | Comments (0)
June 20, 2011
It’s not that I don’t WANT to post, it’s just that lately, life just doesn’t afford the luxury of rambling on internet. What with family and work duties, the pressure is on to complete even the barest minimum of hobby work. However, I soldier on, bathed in the toxic fumes of melted insulation foam and powdered white metal. This pastime is going to kill me…
The Board
Yesterday was father’s day, the weather gorgeous, and I had some extra time in the morning to play Frisbee with the kids and get in some solid work on the display board for Rob and I’s entry in the Fan Expo team tourney coming up in August. Since Rob’s playing his Legion and I my Trollbloods, I had to plan something which made thematic sense. Yes, I know that the two factions would never really work together fluff-wise, so I decided that the board should display a confrontation rather than co-operation. Rob’s bases are rocky and snowy, while mine are graasland/plains and I had to reconcile the differences. So, I came up with this:
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| From Warmachine |
My Trolls will be on the left, clustered on or about a rocky ridge. On the right, the Legion forces will be sweeping down the snowy, tiered slope like an avalanche. The inset piece of foam in the front will display the faction emblems and team name. I got lucky as I had a ton of material, especially the foam, left over from last year’s basement mini-reno. All of it will be set on top of a sheet of foam core. This should all be strong, yet light, enough to transport safely to the con. I would not, however, due to it’s size, use it to carry our precious models around.
I have to admit, this is my first large scale “terrain” project and it’s somewhat intimidating. But, much like getting models painted, I just have to tackle it in small bites. I’ve still got 2 months before the tourney, which should be more than enough to get it done. Next steps:
On top of this, I’ll have to get the latest addition to my list gap-filled and painting in good time, but that’ll have to wait until July.
The Warmachine Models
This month’s SA oath has me painting Alexia and her Risen, Epic Caine and Harlan Versh. I’d say I’m about 75% of the way done, with only Caine to have to put a lot of work into. The risen, who I’m painting up as ghosts rather than zombies, have vexed me a little, even though they’re the simplest models to complete. You see this more clearly when I post the finished product, but usually, when you use watered paint to create shading, it settles into recesses of a model. But this time, even after multiple washes of light and dark green, somehow, the paint is congealing / drying on the raised areas of the models. It’s truly strange. It doesn’t look terrible, just not what I going for. Ah well, they’re just super-expendable grunts after all.
The D&D Models
These have fallen by the wayside as I’m rushing to get the Warmachine stuff done. Don’t worry, little fellers, I’ll get back to you; you’re not as sadly neglected as my Malifaux stuff…
A Storm Approaches
I’m not speaking of my anticipated Storm Strider battle Engine next month, but of some of the news that come out of Privateer’s first annual Lock and Load game fest this past weekend. I’m not going to steal other blog’s photos, but the two major reveals for me:
That last point is going to make me break my 3 game system vow, but is also a great chance to get in on the ground floor.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: 4E DnD, Malifaux, Warmachine | Comments (0)
May 26, 2011
TV Character Actors!? In My Videogame!?
Gamestop was “kind” enough last week to take my tired old Black Ops in exchange for a sparkly new LA Noire. This is what I would consider a “good deal”. The first game I’ve gotten for the PS3 in years has well been worth it, even though I’m a terrible, terrible detective. Sure I can find clues scattered about a crime scene, but I’ll be damned if I can read the subtle expressions of guilt from my virtual suspects.
The faces really are unnerving in their accuracy, even though they don’t quite match up to the stiff appearance of the bodies they’re attached too. So far, I’ve encountered 3 Mad Men actors, one from Heroes and a boatload of “hey, it’s- that-guy-guys”, all instantly recognizable from the teevee. The game has a certain unexpected narrative depth to it which holds together better than most of the GTA games. It’s what I would classify as a “meaty” single-player experience.
Portal 2
I played this through in it’s entirety with Abi on my lap. She cried at the end, because the [spoiler] music the Sentry Turret choir made was “so beautiful”.[/spoiler] Although somewhat short, the game held our attention for every possible second.
D&D Miniatures
Shocking, I know, but I’m actually working on miniatures that don’t have any use in a tabletop wargame. Well, some could argue that’s exactly what D&D 4E is, but they would be misinformed and wrong. I shopped around and the Reaper line of generic miniatures seem to match the looks of our PCs best.
Here we see my druid character with his beast form wolf, daily power wolf and primal form wolf. Wolf wolf wolf.
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| From Hobby Stuff |
Here’s the rest of the party. It should be clear who the rogue, paladin, cleric and ranger are.
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| From Hobby Stuff |
So far, I’ve put a pretty good dent in their painting. It’s going pretty quick because I plan on dipping them.
The Blue and Gold
May’s SA oath got done a week early. I’ve missed playing my Cygnar. I’ll have to correct that for the next Shattered Grounds league since we get an awesome solo during Rotterhorn.
Defender
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| From Warmachine |
Kara
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| From Warmachine |
Shame Shelf Status Update
It fairly GROANS under the weight of models placed upon it. Next month should see 15 or so models removed from it, but with new acquisitions arriving throughout the summer, I may need a bigger shelf. Seriously, this stuff’s like crack sometimes.
A Full Dance Card
With the Slow Grow over, a slight breather allows me to turn my attention to other games. This Sunday, I’ve lined up some Malifaux and Dystopian Wars. I’ll also bring along some Trolls jusssstttt in case. Got to cover my bases, y’know?
Written by kingmob | Filed under: Dystopian Wars, LA Noire, PS3, Portal 2, Video Games, Warmachine | Comments (0)
May 18, 2011
It’s been a long time coming, but here it is. A big thanks to the folks that keep the project alive.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: Warmachine | Comments (0)
May 2, 2011
My usual end of April vacation was, for the first time, disease free, yet very rainy. In my previous post, I highlighted the models I’d completed, and here’s how my display case looks after about a year’s worth of SA oath threads and the slow grow.
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| From Warmachine |
I may have to kick Mel’s camera stuff out to reclaim the shelf below the Trolls / Mercs / Minions.
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| From Warmachine |
I also built another gaming table, this one much less portable than the ill-fated one from last year, using flock instead of felt. I used a coat of watered down white glue on a 3/8″ sheet of plywood, flocked it all over with a mix of burnt and spring grass, and then, when I noticed some transparent areas, added more flock and used a spray adhesive to add extra hold. I’m still waiting for it to become less tacky, bu the humidity over the last couple of days has been a problem. I may have to matte seal it and see if the tackiness goes away.
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| From Warmachine |
Warmahordesing
I was able to go on both Thursday and Sunday, and have picked my Mercs back up after the long Troll haul. On Thursday, my Durgen led Highborn army faired badly against Mike’s Barnabus-led Blindwater army. I don’t recall such poor dice-rolling on my behalf and I know when the game fell apart for me: the Basher missing Wrassler on turn 2, getting a measly 4 on 3 dice to hit. Had it worked, a vast swath of his models would have been slammed / knocked down / dead and set the game in my favour.
I thought these were the worst dice rolls I’ve seen until Sunday, when I ran a 25 point MacBain list against a new Cygnar player, Brad. Neither of us, turn after turn, could roll for shit. I’ve never seen so many double and triple ones in a game. I never hope to again (unless they all happen to my opponent, of course).
The next game against Rob was a real slobberknocker. I learned 2 important things: MacBain really is a support / denial caster and Alexia and the Risen are good with Primed but even better, especially against shooty armies, with Countermeasures. I ended up pulling out a win, but it was tough going. The MVP went to Dougal, who, Fortune’d and aiming, put all four quad-cannon shots into Lylyth, putting her down. He gets a paint job for that one.
Portal 2 with Abi
Even though I haven’t been playing the co-op with the robots, Abi is fascinated with Portal 2. She seems to appreciate some of the more slapstick moments, and some of the sight gags, which I won’t spoil, have been memorable for her. It’s something we can do together while dinner is cooking and before Mel gets home. I’m enjoying it enough that I haven’t skipped ahead.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: PC, Video Games, Warmachine | Comments (0)
April 27, 2011
4 months ago I agreed to take part in Dueling Grounds first slow grow league. Today, I finally put the finishing touches on the last batch of models. I’m not going to post the entire army, but needless to say, I’m very, very happy to have finished the project. While I’m not likely to want to play Trollbloods for a while, Doomshaper and crew did me well, netting me a 18 wins and 6 loses. I’m so comfortable with this list, I’m considering taking it to the Team/Theme tournament at FanExpo this year. I’ve already reached out to an excellent Legion player to set the wheels in motion.
This month’s completed projects (vacation time helps):
I’ve had this kit sitting around for six months, and finally got it magnetized. It’s an Ironclad/Defender/Triumph/Cyclone all rolled into one.
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| From Warmachine |
The Ogrun Assault Corps are so good, even after a single outing, that they deserve an immediate paint job.
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| From Warmachine |
Gobbers what blow smoke.
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| From Warmachine |
Durgen “LOL, UMAD?” Madhammer
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| From Warmachine |
The second unit of Runeshapers.
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| From Warmachine |
What’s better that 5 Whelps for 2 points? 10 for 4!
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| From Warmachine |
The test scheme for my Britannian Dystopian Wars fleet turned out so well, I think I’ll keep it.
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| From Warmachine |
Written by kingmob | Filed under: Dystopian Wars, Warmachine | Comments (0)
April 7, 2011
After years of throwing money down the lottery hole at work and home (HURR, “Idiot Tax”, etc.), we got a pretty good shared payout a couple of weeks ago, missing the jackpot by 1 stinkin’ number. A cool million plus would have been cool, but I’ll take what I can get. Time to spend while ignoring my household debt! Stimulate that economy!
First up, pre-ordering Portal 2. Ever since Valve started putting out promo videos featuring wacky robot antics, Abigail has been enthralled by the concept. So much so that she requsted I install the original portal and play it with her. She seems sad that there aren’t any robots, but keeps asking when GLaDOS will show up. That’s my girl.
On Sunday, Mel, Stu and I dropped by Meeplemart’s new, larger location. Since a huge restock had arrived, the owner was scrambling dealing with the crowds of folks eagerly snapping up their games of choice. The Infinity players flocked like hungry vultures, and I saw many people carrying stacks of boardgames to the cash. I snagged a pack of Britannian Bombers (Dystopian Wars), the Guild Drill Sergeant (Malifaux), Ogrun Assault Corps (Warmachine) and Skaldi Bonehammer (Hordes). Quite the haul.
We also grabbed a card game for the kids called Acqua Dolce (6+ my ass) and the really cute Click Clack boardgame. The latter is molded in the shape of a quaint European wood, and concerns a pack of hungry squirrels trying to steal food tidbits from under the watchful eye of Freddy the Piglet. The kids really seem to like it (unless they either one of them loses), but I can’t help but feel that if the game is truly German, it should have a more sinister undertone:
Within the suffocating confines of the vast Imperial Forest, a collective of brave proletarian squirrels desperately hunt for nourishing scraps amongst the rotting, fallen branches and leaves. Their dreadful hunger drives them to risk it all, regardless of the vigilance of the Forest’s bourgeoisie, Fascist overseer: Freddie the Wild Boar. Will the squirrels survive, or are they doomed to starvation? Only you can decide their fate.
Ages 4 and up.
Written by kingmob | Filed under: Boardgames, Dystopian Wars, Malifaux, Warmachine | Comments (0)
March 30, 2011
By the standards of other blogs, this may not rate MEGA status, but considering how quiet things have been, I reserve the right to embellish somewhat.
Westward, Ho
March was a bit hard on my hobby time, as I spent a week in Winnipeg training for my new job. I may have been unduly harsh on the ‘Peg (”Wow, I had no idea they could build office buildings out of sod”, etc.), but in comparison to the wonderful nerding opportunities that a dense, diverse population affords, I really don’t think I could live there. I mean, I COULD live, but it wouldn’t be very fun.
Regardless, I did find a nerd store near my hotel in the city’s Exchange District (think Yorkville without Holt Renfrew or Chanel, but with more boutiques) that hosted a thriving Warmahordes Community. Imagine Games was a nicely organized, broadly stocked little game store with very friendly ownership. I spoke briefly with Pedro, the owner, and a few of the other gamers, and came away from the visit acknowledging that this is the kind of store I would gladly frequent. That is, if I absolutely had no choice but to live in Winnipeg.
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| From Hobby Stuff |
Right in the large, airy front section are some comfy couches and chairs that were currently being used for a D&D game. You can see the players through the window.
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| From Hobby Stuff |
The back section of the store was used for gaming space at smaller tables, and an army surplus store. Yep, an odd combination, but Pedro said it was doing very well. Maybe there’s a lot of WWII recreations / LARPers in Manitoba. They had a huge D&D selection (not surprising) but a good amount of space given over to indie RPGs that I must admit I’ve never heard of. Even their wargame selection was fairly broad, with only a small amount of space given over to GW. I got the impression that the store really did cater to the more experienced gamer.
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| From Hobby Stuff |
Warmahorders getting their games on. I regret now not having taken some models with me, but I didn’t want to have to explain to customs, twice, what the giant chunks of metal were in my carry-on. Nice bunch, very friendly with some nicely painted models. I saw some particularly striking purple and white Skorne along with a Rhulic list in bright yellow, green and blue. Sadly, the close-ups of these didn’t turn out so well on my camera phone.
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| From Hobby Stuff |
These banners were a nice touch. I forgot to ask who made them. They looked professional.
More Trollbloods
Even though my painting time was cut in half this month, I was able to finish up Grim and the Bomber for my March Oath. The latter is for my slow grow 50-point list, which only leaves another unit of Runeshapers and 5 Whelps to complete it. They, along with Cygnar, Mercs, Dystopian Wars and Malifaux models have been trimmed and are awaiting a good wash prior to assembly. This weekend I should be able to put a good dent in getting everything put together and sprayed.
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| From Warmachine |
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| From Warmachine |
Dystopian Wars
I picked up my Kingdom of Britannia starter set, the KoB carrier, the rulebook and card deck some time ago, and have now finally been able to play a couple of games. Graeme and I first played with only the basic ships the first time, got a lot of rules wrong, but swiftly determined that we’d made the right choice of getting into Dystopian Wars (otherwise known as “The New Hotness”, at least until “The Newest New Hotness” comes around). Our second game, although slow even though we were only around 800 points a side, went more smoothly, and introduced Tiny Fliers, Bombers and the cards.
I may have lost terribly both times, largely sue to the fact the Graeme has an uncanny knack for exploding dice games and rolling 12s on the crit table (essentially removing a model from the game instantly), but from what we’ve seen thus farm the game’s pretty solid. I look forward to playing against a force other than the Empire of the Burning Sun, and it shouldn’t take long considering everyone seems to be getting into it. I hope to have my stuff primed this weekend, and to have a test scheme done on a cruiser in about a week.
Four for the Future
My near nerd future has been shaped by a massive tax return, lowered expenses / higher income and a small, but appreciated, lotto win. Things on the horizon that require an outlay of cash:
Written by kingmob | Filed under: Battlefield Series, Dystopian Wars, Malifaux, Portal 2, Warmachine | Comments (0)