So in the combined interest of stream lining my office and getting the house on the Market, I’ve been going through my “collection” and discovered I have a whole lot of CRAP! The following is a list of Items I have found in my office that really has questionable purpose at best.
-Box filled with 2nd Ed 40k plastic Orks and Goblins. Also probably 60 or so ‘Ere We Go era plastic and metal orks.
-Box full of plastic Imperial infantry from the Mutant Chronicles boxed game.
-Decent Collection of for Gorka Morka Orks. Including about 5 Trukks, and 4 or so Bikes. Plus a lot of metal add on bits like ramming bars, weapons, harpoons, and Wrecking Ball. Anyone else remember the grand plan to start playing Gorka Morka about 3 or so years ago
-Necromunda: House Esher box set, and Plastic Goliaths from the Necromunda Box Set. Anyone else remember the grand plan to start playing Necromunda about 3 or so years ago
-About 20 25mm Metal WWII British Heavy Weapon Platoon Paratroopers. From my brief interest in a WWII game about ~8 Years Ago.
-Pre-Battlefleet gothic plastic Eldar Warships, I don’t even remember what game this came from, but they are GW figs.
-Exocet Missiles from an old 1:48 scale Mirage Fighter model (circa 1997)
-Cluster Bombs, 500 pound Iron Bombs, and Maverick Missiles from a 1:48 scale A-10 Warthog model circa 1997)
-Space Ranger Plastic miniatures and heavy weapon Sprues
-Rogue Trader Era Plastic Imperial Marines
-Chainmail: Dark Elf, Dwarf, Gnoll, and Centaur figures
-2/3rds of an Old Skool Imeprial Land Raider. Consisting of both Tracks and the upper Hull, but no weapons)
So I’ve decided it’s time to cull the collection. A fair amount went into the Trash. A lot got combined into new plastic containers, or sorted through and placed in new Bitz Boxes. I’m a firm believer in Bitz Boxes. But occasionally you need to go back and cull through the Bitz Boxes and make sure that you aren’t just carrying around trash.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
I believe the term is "swingularity"
Man, what is it that makes me, out of the blue, want to play some game from back when, even a game I've never played before? The recent example is Superfigs. But it's by no means the first, and will by no means be the last.
Where does that impulse come from?
Where does that impulse come from?
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Needz moar gamin
This gaming dry spell needs to end!
Scheduled events: Thursday June 21 - FULL THRUST against Aaron
Saturday June 23 - HORDES against Tim, possibly Brian and Aaron
JULY - The weekends are largely shot as I'll be doing home improvement. Go me.
AUGUST - Gen Con! Thursday August 16 - Sunday August 19th.
Scheduled events: Thursday June 21 - FULL THRUST against Aaron
Saturday June 23 - HORDES against Tim, possibly Brian and Aaron
JULY - The weekends are largely shot as I'll be doing home improvement. Go me.
AUGUST - Gen Con! Thursday August 16 - Sunday August 19th.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Long-lived games
I am not actually talking about those game-sessions that last forever, but instead about games that have a long life with me.
My Swingulairity - which will now undergo a nomenclature change to Mercurialality - ensures that I have to follow a good many games lest I get bored entirely with this "gaming" phenom that routinely eats up large portions of my life. However since I am blessed/cursed with Mercurialality (nee Swingulairity) I can instead shift my focus from one game to the next and simply be completely cash-poor potentially forever.
There are, however, some issues with this. There are games that shine bright but fade fast (VOID? VOR?). There are games that never really make an impact (Heavy Gear and Clan War, despite some heavy investment in both). And then there are evergreen games like Warhammer.
Even though I am gearing up for Hordes and D&D Miniatures at Gen Con (and possibly Rezolution, who knows? Mercurialality!) I spent some time this weekend talking Warhammer with Collett. Collett loves Warhammer like it were his own child, and it's probably the only child he will ever have. Despite the fact that I only play it a few times per year at best, the Warhammer world and its armies keep me coming back year after year.
So as a result of talking with Collett and getting the Warhammer juices flowing (altogether now: ewwww!) I sat down and looked over my armies.
I presently have:
Painted:
2k of Chaos Warriors (Nurgle Themed)
2k of Beastmen
1500 points of Ogre Kingdoms (mostly painted)
2k of Tomb Kings
2k of Empire (although honestly I haven't compared it to the new Empire army book; that number might be way off)
Unpainted:
1k of Dwarves (largely two sets of stuff from the Battle for Skull Pass box)
1k of Dark Elves
Around the end of '06/start of '07 Collett and I planned for a Warhammer campaign, my Tomb Kings versus his Orcs. We played the 1st battle for this campaign as a megabattle up at the Arena. The planned campaign itself never happened due to Collett leaving his employment in Columbia (5 minutes from me) and now working in Rockville. Nevertheless we are talking about playing on June 9th, and perhaps getting in two of the planned Campaign scenarios. Could be fun.
My Swingulairity - which will now undergo a nomenclature change to Mercurialality - ensures that I have to follow a good many games lest I get bored entirely with this "gaming" phenom that routinely eats up large portions of my life. However since I am blessed/cursed with Mercurialality (nee Swingulairity) I can instead shift my focus from one game to the next and simply be completely cash-poor potentially forever.
There are, however, some issues with this. There are games that shine bright but fade fast (VOID? VOR?). There are games that never really make an impact (Heavy Gear and Clan War, despite some heavy investment in both). And then there are evergreen games like Warhammer.
Even though I am gearing up for Hordes and D&D Miniatures at Gen Con (and possibly Rezolution, who knows? Mercurialality!) I spent some time this weekend talking Warhammer with Collett. Collett loves Warhammer like it were his own child, and it's probably the only child he will ever have. Despite the fact that I only play it a few times per year at best, the Warhammer world and its armies keep me coming back year after year.
So as a result of talking with Collett and getting the Warhammer juices flowing (altogether now: ewwww!) I sat down and looked over my armies.
I presently have:
Painted:
2k of Chaos Warriors (Nurgle Themed)
2k of Beastmen
1500 points of Ogre Kingdoms (mostly painted)
2k of Tomb Kings
2k of Empire (although honestly I haven't compared it to the new Empire army book; that number might be way off)
Unpainted:
1k of Dwarves (largely two sets of stuff from the Battle for Skull Pass box)
1k of Dark Elves
Around the end of '06/start of '07 Collett and I planned for a Warhammer campaign, my Tomb Kings versus his Orcs. We played the 1st battle for this campaign as a megabattle up at the Arena. The planned campaign itself never happened due to Collett leaving his employment in Columbia (5 minutes from me) and now working in Rockville. Nevertheless we are talking about playing on June 9th, and perhaps getting in two of the planned Campaign scenarios. Could be fun.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
When lost, just build a house. Then you're home!
I hate losing stuff.
With a collection as...well, large as mine, it's impossible to track with 100% accuracy. I never know where everything is, all the time. I'm happy to loan out books. Given my pathetic reliance on other painters, I know I have portions of my collections - often entire armies - scattered around in the hands of others.
Despite all of this, when I can't find something, it drives me CRAZY. And that's a mighty short trip.
The only upside to this insanity is that it does push me to better organize things. So I spent some time cleaning up my shelving, reordering books, trying to both to improve things for the future as well as find the damn books I'm missing.
They are still missing, of course..... %@%$%#$%%^$%^
With a collection as...well, large as mine, it's impossible to track with 100% accuracy. I never know where everything is, all the time. I'm happy to loan out books. Given my pathetic reliance on other painters, I know I have portions of my collections - often entire armies - scattered around in the hands of others.
Despite all of this, when I can't find something, it drives me CRAZY. And that's a mighty short trip.
The only upside to this insanity is that it does push me to better organize things. So I spent some time cleaning up my shelving, reordering books, trying to both to improve things for the future as well as find the damn books I'm missing.
They are still missing, of course..... %@%$%#$%%^$%^
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Play the damn game!
This stems from a number of conversations I've had over the past few days.
A lot of the Disorderlies gaming mindset is very "event" driven. We need external motivational factors to get us pointed in a direction. Like Conte said to me the other day, "Well, we're not called the Disorderlies for nothing."
Tournaments, megabattles, storyline events - all of these things are, in fact, great motivators for the group to get armies painted, line up times and places and generally get our largely lazy asses focused for a goal, and that's all very noble in the cause of actually getting together to play.
However...
I think to some degree this mindset has hurt us as much as it has helped. Yes, while a stated goal has helped us wrangle together the largely chaotic and fractured schedules we all keep, it also means that some people feel compelled now only to move for an event.
Basically, if it's not big and showy and flashy, it isn't really enough to capture their attention.
Over the past few months, I've actually been very good about getting regular games in. Despite all of the other things going on in my world, we successfully ran the D&D "Unhallowed" league, I've played several games of 40k, we were having semi-frequent Hordes games, and had a long-discussed Warmachine/Hordes scenario battle.
In short, I've done a lot of gaming.
I really think a lot of the onus of this has been simple: I want to game. I know I'm fickle, and I jump from army to army and game to game faster than some members of the Disorderlies change their undergarments, but you know what? I'm fine with that. I don't give a damn what somewhat else's opinion on the matter is.
So I've scheduled whatever I want to play and for the most part I've stuck to that. The DDM League ran four weeks, interrupted once for me going to play Horrorclix, but beyond that it stuck. It was only four players, but in the end, it would have still worked with only two.
One opponent and me is all I need for a game. Yes, I imagine I would get bored playing the same person forever. So far, that hasn't been an issue, and I don't imagine it will. But I don't need an event to pique my interest. I don't need to give myself the headache of wrangling as much of the Disorderlies as I get together just for me to have a good time - in fact, honestly, wrangling the Disorderlies is about an unfun as I can think of. We are busy, disparate people, and it's too damn much like herding malevolent cats on crack sometimes.
That might be an oxymoron. But it works.
A lot of the Disorderlies gaming mindset is very "event" driven. We need external motivational factors to get us pointed in a direction. Like Conte said to me the other day, "Well, we're not called the Disorderlies for nothing."
Tournaments, megabattles, storyline events - all of these things are, in fact, great motivators for the group to get armies painted, line up times and places and generally get our largely lazy asses focused for a goal, and that's all very noble in the cause of actually getting together to play.
However...
I think to some degree this mindset has hurt us as much as it has helped. Yes, while a stated goal has helped us wrangle together the largely chaotic and fractured schedules we all keep, it also means that some people feel compelled now only to move for an event.
Basically, if it's not big and showy and flashy, it isn't really enough to capture their attention.
Over the past few months, I've actually been very good about getting regular games in. Despite all of the other things going on in my world, we successfully ran the D&D "Unhallowed" league, I've played several games of 40k, we were having semi-frequent Hordes games, and had a long-discussed Warmachine/Hordes scenario battle.
In short, I've done a lot of gaming.
I really think a lot of the onus of this has been simple: I want to game. I know I'm fickle, and I jump from army to army and game to game faster than some members of the Disorderlies change their undergarments, but you know what? I'm fine with that. I don't give a damn what somewhat else's opinion on the matter is.
So I've scheduled whatever I want to play and for the most part I've stuck to that. The DDM League ran four weeks, interrupted once for me going to play Horrorclix, but beyond that it stuck. It was only four players, but in the end, it would have still worked with only two.
One opponent and me is all I need for a game. Yes, I imagine I would get bored playing the same person forever. So far, that hasn't been an issue, and I don't imagine it will. But I don't need an event to pique my interest. I don't need to give myself the headache of wrangling as much of the Disorderlies as I get together just for me to have a good time - in fact, honestly, wrangling the Disorderlies is about an unfun as I can think of. We are busy, disparate people, and it's too damn much like herding malevolent cats on crack sometimes.
That might be an oxymoron. But it works.
Friday, May 04, 2007
The Lull
Those folks who have gamed in my company for extended periods - which is most of the people I game with, and, I suspect, the vast majority of readers of this silly blog - know that I am extremely fickle in regards to all things gaming.
Fickle, perhaps, isn't even a strong enough word. Perhaps there ought to be a new word created explicitly for use in describing the rapid - nay, almost wildly swinging - wax and wane of my interest in an army, or a game, or even the whole hobby of gaming itself.
Let's call it Swingulairity.
Let's post a few examples of Swingulairity so that the people at home understand this phenomenon.
APRIL 2007 - Disorderlies run a small yet well-enjoyed DDM League. For (five?) weeks we come, play with our mostly-sealed DDM warbands and enjoy the system and the challenges. Rob prepares for a DDM Qualifier Tourney on May 19th.
MAY 2007 - Swingulairity strikes and Rob questions his attendance at the DDM Qualifier Tourney. Instead he's smitten with 40k...which he hasn't played in the past two months or so.
WINTER 2006 - Discussions of how we are going to dominate at Hordes at Gen Con abound. Rob is torn between taking Circle of Oroboros and Legion of Everblight as his weapon of choice.
MAY 2007 - Swingulairity strikes and Rob's interest in Hordes is at its lowest ebb. Why is he even going to Gen Con, anyway?
I'm sure that this post, if read by any Disorderlies of note (and I can think of four offhand who are waiting to rip me to shreds) will generate all sorts of useful commentary, including:
[name redacted] Rob, you're a freaking moron.
and!
[name withheld] We really should just kill you and take your stuff.
With "friends" like these, I really think I should have better life insurance.
Fickle, perhaps, isn't even a strong enough word. Perhaps there ought to be a new word created explicitly for use in describing the rapid - nay, almost wildly swinging - wax and wane of my interest in an army, or a game, or even the whole hobby of gaming itself.
Let's call it Swingulairity.
Let's post a few examples of Swingulairity so that the people at home understand this phenomenon.
APRIL 2007 - Disorderlies run a small yet well-enjoyed DDM League. For (five?) weeks we come, play with our mostly-sealed DDM warbands and enjoy the system and the challenges. Rob prepares for a DDM Qualifier Tourney on May 19th.
MAY 2007 - Swingulairity strikes and Rob questions his attendance at the DDM Qualifier Tourney. Instead he's smitten with 40k...which he hasn't played in the past two months or so.
WINTER 2006 - Discussions of how we are going to dominate at Hordes at Gen Con abound. Rob is torn between taking Circle of Oroboros and Legion of Everblight as his weapon of choice.
MAY 2007 - Swingulairity strikes and Rob's interest in Hordes is at its lowest ebb. Why is he even going to Gen Con, anyway?
I'm sure that this post, if read by any Disorderlies of note (and I can think of four offhand who are waiting to rip me to shreds) will generate all sorts of useful commentary, including:
[name redacted] Rob, you're a freaking moron.
and!
[name withheld] We really should just kill you and take your stuff.
With "friends" like these, I really think I should have better life insurance.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Bet, the second
Rob and I have a wager on the table. The winner of the Battletech game we are going to play in honor of the White Ghosts, Black Death btech event (Northwind Highlander vs. WoB), will earn himself a fresh new copy of the new Jihad Hotspots book.
Friday, February 16, 2007
More GenCon Plans
If anyone believes that Rob A. will maintain his current interest in Hordes and DDM all the way to August, then they have a greater need of a mental health institution than Conte does after a good ole fashion pygmy toss event.
Personally I'm going for some painting education and competition. Plus I'm thinking some Hordes, AT-43, and maybe Confrontation action would be good. I'm planning some blog posts in the Disorderlies Painting Blog to track my plans and the progress on my submissions.
Personally I'm going for some painting education and competition. Plus I'm thinking some Hordes, AT-43, and maybe Confrontation action would be good. I'm planning some blog posts in the Disorderlies Painting Blog to track my plans and the progress on my submissions.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Damn the torpedos - The Disorderlies are going to Gen Con!
Well, some of us are, anyway.
Currently:
Conte
Aaron
Rob F
Tim
and myself.
That's the majority of the core members. That means something, right?
I might, if the mood strikes, the portents are right, the stars aligned, etc etc, post here about the planning and stuff leading up to the momentous occasion.
Or I might not. It's hard to predict, really. I'm not predictable like that.
Nope. Not me.
Anyway, current plans: Hordes and D&D Miniatures.
Plans are subject to change 'cause I'm FICKLE.
You heard me.
Currently:
Conte
Aaron
Rob F
Tim
and myself.
That's the majority of the core members. That means something, right?
I might, if the mood strikes, the portents are right, the stars aligned, etc etc, post here about the planning and stuff leading up to the momentous occasion.
Or I might not. It's hard to predict, really. I'm not predictable like that.
Nope. Not me.
Anyway, current plans: Hordes and D&D Miniatures.
Plans are subject to change 'cause I'm FICKLE.
You heard me.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Disorderlies State of the Union 2007, part 1
Mr. Speaker of the Void, Vice Tyrant, plebeian members of the group, distinguished citizens and even you too John, every year, by custom, we meet here to consider the state of the Disorderlies. This year, we gather in this virtual chamber both to look back at the year that was - and to look forward to the year ahead.
The state of the Disorderlies is, as ever, chaotic, but this year past I think we have been more fractured than ever. The gaming habits of the Disorderlies is breaking out more and more into individual games with less and less crossover. We have a 40k group, a Warhammer group, a Warmachine-Hordes group, a Confrontation group, and a Clicky group - with receding crossover from group to group. I do not know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but it is a thing that impacts the scheduling of events heavily, and certainly my wallet even more heavily.
2006 was certainly a year of change. First and foremost was the destruction of the Gaming Mecca that Was and the transformation into the Gaming Mecca that Is. While I had long-pondered a remodeling of Gaming Mecca, the flood of June 2006 forced my hand. Weeks and months of demolition and construction have resulted in the improved Gaming Mecca - still not 100% where I want to be, but clearly an improvement with the new floor, much improved lighting and a lot more organized overall. There is still room to improve, of course, and I would love help in the Gaming Terrain organization and improvement. More on that in another message.
Let's review my stated goals of 2006 and how we failed at them (spectacularly, in a word):
"1. Increased participation in local tournies. The name Disorderlies should be feared and reviled far and wide. Those jokers at Games Comics and Stuff in Glen Burnie shall feel our wrath. The Arena in Eldersburg? A roadbump for us. And so forth."
Wow. This hurts to read. I think I personally did...two tournies all year? Hardly the stuff of legends. And I don't think the name Disorderlies has gotten any play at all. So, good job!
"2. Fresh blood! An influx of good gamers will help us all improve."
We tried the new people route and got one person who thought that bathing was once-a-year-tops. This pretty much ruined it for all other possible entrants.
"3. Painting! I'm the worst offender for this - but the Disorderles WILL be having regular painting/assembling gatherings, where instead of playing and goofing off, we'll be painting/assembling and goofing off."
ALSO abject failure! Three for Three!
In honor of this, I'm not making ANY goals for 2007, beyond the further embarrassment of my goals for 2006. We can DO IT!
The state of the Disorderlies is, as ever, chaotic, but this year past I think we have been more fractured than ever. The gaming habits of the Disorderlies is breaking out more and more into individual games with less and less crossover. We have a 40k group, a Warhammer group, a Warmachine-Hordes group, a Confrontation group, and a Clicky group - with receding crossover from group to group. I do not know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but it is a thing that impacts the scheduling of events heavily, and certainly my wallet even more heavily.
2006 was certainly a year of change. First and foremost was the destruction of the Gaming Mecca that Was and the transformation into the Gaming Mecca that Is. While I had long-pondered a remodeling of Gaming Mecca, the flood of June 2006 forced my hand. Weeks and months of demolition and construction have resulted in the improved Gaming Mecca - still not 100% where I want to be, but clearly an improvement with the new floor, much improved lighting and a lot more organized overall. There is still room to improve, of course, and I would love help in the Gaming Terrain organization and improvement. More on that in another message.
Let's review my stated goals of 2006 and how we failed at them (spectacularly, in a word):
"1. Increased participation in local tournies. The name Disorderlies should be feared and reviled far and wide. Those jokers at Games Comics and Stuff in Glen Burnie shall feel our wrath. The Arena in Eldersburg? A roadbump for us. And so forth."
Wow. This hurts to read. I think I personally did...two tournies all year? Hardly the stuff of legends. And I don't think the name Disorderlies has gotten any play at all. So, good job!
"2. Fresh blood! An influx of good gamers will help us all improve."
We tried the new people route and got one person who thought that bathing was once-a-year-tops. This pretty much ruined it for all other possible entrants.
"3. Painting! I'm the worst offender for this - but the Disorderles WILL be having regular painting/assembling gatherings, where instead of playing and goofing off, we'll be painting/assembling and goofing off."
ALSO abject failure! Three for Three!
In honor of this, I'm not making ANY goals for 2007, beyond the further embarrassment of my goals for 2006. We can DO IT!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
AT-43: Operation Damocles
So Rackham has infected me again. DAMN YOU KHAN!!!!!!... uh RACKHAM!!!!!! Got my AT-43 box set delivered to my house late last night, really just enough time for me to open it up, inspect miniatures and glance through the rules.
Miniatures: Most of you have probably heard the Tyrant bitching about the miniatures in his set, Nucleus Cannon broken off the Wraith and one of the UNA troopers missing his upper half. Luckily I had no such problems with my box set. Everything was in good order until I picked up the Wraith and fiddled with it a bit. I’d read on forums that some parts moved on the figs so of course I had to test this out on my own figs. One little test and the Wraith was in two pieces. The upper half and the legs were now separate. Inspecting the joint there appears to be no damage to the plastic only an issue with too little adhesive, particularly in combination with twisting it. No problem a spot of glue and he’ll be in good working order again.
Overall I’m impressed with sculpt quality and paint jobs. Personally I’m more interested in a solid sculpt underneath the paint and decent starting point on the paint jobs. The UNA troopers essentially have three colors on them with a wash and a touch of dry brushing. (plus a few small details like green lenses on the night vision goggles) I am flat out impressed by the Fire Toad. This could be due to my complete inability to paint a mech but the paint lines are clean with decent details. I’ll probably alter the strider with bit more free hand detail but I don’t feel like I have to.
The Therian Storm Golems look like a solid base coat then washed in red. Honestly these look to be on par with most table top quality paint jobs I see at Dream Wizards. The Wraith strider looks to have a similar painting quality. Chances are I’ll be completely re-working the Therians into a new paint scheme they are workable as is but I feel they could be much more developed.
The Game: Operation Damocles is not a whole game. It is an introductory set that provides a starter force for two armies and introduces players to the game mechanics. The intro rule book provides very little fluff. Only that the humans are fighting back against the would be Therian conquers. Indicating two human factions are fighting back as well as other alien races chiming in, beginning with an assault on a mostly inactive Therian planet sized factory ship. The game rules section does not really lay out all the rules for how to play the game. All of the combat rules are described in 2 of the 6 scenarios included with the game. There are no point values included in the game and really the only way to play it right now is with Rackham supported scenarios. So in Operation Damocles you can really play 4 games (the first two really giving you a learning curve. The website has another two scenarios and supposedly Cry Havoc has some more, pretty limited game play out of the box and this is actually my biggest gripe for the game. I have not had a chance to actually try out the game play but it looks more streamlined than confrontation. Should even be suitable to Mass combat and not strictly skirmish
Final thoughts: AT-43 has got some potential. The miniatures show a lot promise, despite being pre-painted. (Yeah I’m a paint purist what’s your point? I don’t care if you don’t want to repaint them) I’m not overjoyed with the playability of the box set only but I think AT-43 has got a chance to offer up some fun games. Price point is kind a steep upfront I managed to get it for $60 through CCG Armory (+10 for more rapid shipping) And that price point for these figures I’m not disappointed as I’m considering both a Therian and UNA force. Should you get it? Well that depend son a couple factors. Are you interested in a UNA and/or a Therian Force for AT-43? If you want both it’s not a bad initial buy to start trying it out and getting the figs in hand (Although there are at least two Disorderlies with the box set now if you want try it out) If you want to wait for the Soviet style force or the aliens you should definitely wait for the main rule book to come out and those figures to start coming out. No reason to buy AT-43 Operation Damocles
Miniatures: Most of you have probably heard the Tyrant bitching about the miniatures in his set, Nucleus Cannon broken off the Wraith and one of the UNA troopers missing his upper half. Luckily I had no such problems with my box set. Everything was in good order until I picked up the Wraith and fiddled with it a bit. I’d read on forums that some parts moved on the figs so of course I had to test this out on my own figs. One little test and the Wraith was in two pieces. The upper half and the legs were now separate. Inspecting the joint there appears to be no damage to the plastic only an issue with too little adhesive, particularly in combination with twisting it. No problem a spot of glue and he’ll be in good working order again.
Overall I’m impressed with sculpt quality and paint jobs. Personally I’m more interested in a solid sculpt underneath the paint and decent starting point on the paint jobs. The UNA troopers essentially have three colors on them with a wash and a touch of dry brushing. (plus a few small details like green lenses on the night vision goggles) I am flat out impressed by the Fire Toad. This could be due to my complete inability to paint a mech but the paint lines are clean with decent details. I’ll probably alter the strider with bit more free hand detail but I don’t feel like I have to.
The Therian Storm Golems look like a solid base coat then washed in red. Honestly these look to be on par with most table top quality paint jobs I see at Dream Wizards. The Wraith strider looks to have a similar painting quality. Chances are I’ll be completely re-working the Therians into a new paint scheme they are workable as is but I feel they could be much more developed.
The Game: Operation Damocles is not a whole game. It is an introductory set that provides a starter force for two armies and introduces players to the game mechanics. The intro rule book provides very little fluff. Only that the humans are fighting back against the would be Therian conquers. Indicating two human factions are fighting back as well as other alien races chiming in, beginning with an assault on a mostly inactive Therian planet sized factory ship. The game rules section does not really lay out all the rules for how to play the game. All of the combat rules are described in 2 of the 6 scenarios included with the game. There are no point values included in the game and really the only way to play it right now is with Rackham supported scenarios. So in Operation Damocles you can really play 4 games (the first two really giving you a learning curve. The website has another two scenarios and supposedly Cry Havoc has some more, pretty limited game play out of the box and this is actually my biggest gripe for the game. I have not had a chance to actually try out the game play but it looks more streamlined than confrontation. Should even be suitable to Mass combat and not strictly skirmish
Final thoughts: AT-43 has got some potential. The miniatures show a lot promise, despite being pre-painted. (Yeah I’m a paint purist what’s your point? I don’t care if you don’t want to repaint them) I’m not overjoyed with the playability of the box set only but I think AT-43 has got a chance to offer up some fun games. Price point is kind a steep upfront I managed to get it for $60 through CCG Armory (+10 for more rapid shipping) And that price point for these figures I’m not disappointed as I’m considering both a Therian and UNA force. Should you get it? Well that depend son a couple factors. Are you interested in a UNA and/or a Therian Force for AT-43? If you want both it’s not a bad initial buy to start trying it out and getting the figs in hand (Although there are at least two Disorderlies with the box set now if you want try it out) If you want to wait for the Soviet style force or the aliens you should definitely wait for the main rule book to come out and those figures to start coming out. No reason to buy AT-43 Operation Damocles
Friday, December 15, 2006
Cygnar
So I've been building up my Cygnar army of late...
Faction: Cygnar
Army Points: 1754/2000
Victory Points: 59
Captain E. Dominic Darius
Defender
Ironclad
Charger
Hunter
Hunter
Hunter
Lancer
Captain Victoria Haley
Commander Coleman Stryker
Major Markus 'Siege' Brisbane
Gun Mage Captain Adept
Stormsmith
Stormsmith
Stormsmith
Arcane Tempest Gun Mages
Arcane Tempest Gun Mages
Field Mechaniks (4)
Long Gunners (10)
Long Gunners (10)
Stormblades
Sword Knights (6)
Trencher Chain Gun Crew
Trencher Chain Gun Crew
Trenchers (10)
Trencher Grenade Porter
Faction: Cygnar
Army Points: 1754/2000
Victory Points: 59
Captain E. Dominic Darius
Defender
Ironclad
Charger
Hunter
Hunter
Hunter
Lancer
Captain Victoria Haley
Commander Coleman Stryker
Major Markus 'Siege' Brisbane
Gun Mage Captain Adept
Stormsmith
Stormsmith
Stormsmith
Arcane Tempest Gun Mages
Arcane Tempest Gun Mages
Field Mechaniks (4)
Long Gunners (10)
Long Gunners (10)
Stormblades
Sword Knights (6)
Trencher Chain Gun Crew
Trencher Chain Gun Crew
Trenchers (10)
Trencher Grenade Porter
Monday, October 30, 2006
The 40k Bug
Yes, I'm back on 40k again. Pure excitement, isn't it?
One thing that I decidedly enjoy more about 40k is the variety of things. Warmachine is nice, but Warmachine armies are almost exclusively character driven. People announce their armies as faction-Warcaster, and you know generally speaking what the army consists of. If I say "Cygar - Stryker" you know pretty much immediately what the army is going to look like, because Warmachine is a game of synergy and it rewards you for taking Warcasters and armies that work together in concert with one another.
40k is a different animal, in my mind. My Word Bearers army doesn't really match any other Word Bearer armies out there that I have seen. I have all infantry. No Daemonbomb. Multi-role squads. Bloodletter Assault waves. etc. I like it, and have fun with it when it works right. And mostly have fun with it when it works wrong, too.
Anyway, the point of this is not to really compare and contrast the armies in the two games. This is an ongoing look at my armies, how I am enjoying them, what I think they need, etc.
After my loss and win with the Tau yesterday (report and commentary was made on the Disorderlies list) I took out my Mech Guard and was eyeballing them. After some consideration and playing with Army Builder (it's so great to have that on the laptop downstairs) I realized that I am very very close to having a fully painted 2000 point army - the remaining Chimeras need to be finished, but after that, I just need the two Sentinels (who also need some bitz), two command squads and an Officer painted. And then I'm golden.
It's not really an orthodox IG army by any stretch. But the sight of 8 Chimeras, 2 Leman Russes and 1 Leman Russ Demolisher rolling at them ought to be enough to give people serious pause. I haven't played it yet under 4th edition rules, but I have high hopes. And I haven't even tackled the issue of whether or not I'm going to keep the infantry mounted in their Chimeras or set up as a gunline.
It'll be something to test.
Next on the review list: Dark Eldar.
One thing that I decidedly enjoy more about 40k is the variety of things. Warmachine is nice, but Warmachine armies are almost exclusively character driven. People announce their armies as faction-Warcaster, and you know generally speaking what the army consists of. If I say "Cygar - Stryker" you know pretty much immediately what the army is going to look like, because Warmachine is a game of synergy and it rewards you for taking Warcasters and armies that work together in concert with one another.
40k is a different animal, in my mind. My Word Bearers army doesn't really match any other Word Bearer armies out there that I have seen. I have all infantry. No Daemonbomb. Multi-role squads. Bloodletter Assault waves. etc. I like it, and have fun with it when it works right. And mostly have fun with it when it works wrong, too.
Anyway, the point of this is not to really compare and contrast the armies in the two games. This is an ongoing look at my armies, how I am enjoying them, what I think they need, etc.
After my loss and win with the Tau yesterday (report and commentary was made on the Disorderlies list) I took out my Mech Guard and was eyeballing them. After some consideration and playing with Army Builder (it's so great to have that on the laptop downstairs) I realized that I am very very close to having a fully painted 2000 point army - the remaining Chimeras need to be finished, but after that, I just need the two Sentinels (who also need some bitz), two command squads and an Officer painted. And then I'm golden.
It's not really an orthodox IG army by any stretch. But the sight of 8 Chimeras, 2 Leman Russes and 1 Leman Russ Demolisher rolling at them ought to be enough to give people serious pause. I haven't played it yet under 4th edition rules, but I have high hopes. And I haven't even tackled the issue of whether or not I'm going to keep the infantry mounted in their Chimeras or set up as a gunline.
It'll be something to test.
Next on the review list: Dark Eldar.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
I want my money back
So in my new quest to organize and improve the Gaming Mecca, I'm clearing my way through stacks and stacks of comics and magazines and CCG cards and whatnot.
And man, what a fool I've been.
I'd like to send a message to myself-of-the-past, and inquire what the hell I was thinking.
Did I REALLY need to peruse Wizard magazine? Did I NOT see Inquest Gamer did, in fact, suck like a hoover? Why in the world was I picking up Command and Strategy and Tactics - I have no recollection of actually READING THEM.
And on the CCG side. It was my practice for some time to pick up a deck of pretty much anything, to explore the mechanics, check out the art, etc. I'm not sure if I thought I was going to have some pithy discovery from these investigations - I sure did NOT have one; but what I DO have is CCG cards that could feed a small third-world nation.
That is if they could find nutrional value in Magic: The Gathering and Legend of the Five Rings, etc.
So. I'm sifting through the piles and boxing it up. I haven't got the heart to sell it. I don't even imagine there is a MARKET out there for back issues of Game Trade Magazine or the Duelist. (Was there ever?) It'll go sit in the back room for a few years until I go into a "What IS this stuff?!" sweep and toss it. In the meantime, I guess, it just gets to take up space, like the stuff that I'm currently sweeping out has done.
And man, what a fool I've been.
I'd like to send a message to myself-of-the-past, and inquire what the hell I was thinking.
Did I REALLY need to peruse Wizard magazine? Did I NOT see Inquest Gamer did, in fact, suck like a hoover? Why in the world was I picking up Command and Strategy and Tactics - I have no recollection of actually READING THEM.
And on the CCG side. It was my practice for some time to pick up a deck of pretty much anything, to explore the mechanics, check out the art, etc. I'm not sure if I thought I was going to have some pithy discovery from these investigations - I sure did NOT have one; but what I DO have is CCG cards that could feed a small third-world nation.
That is if they could find nutrional value in Magic: The Gathering and Legend of the Five Rings, etc.
So. I'm sifting through the piles and boxing it up. I haven't got the heart to sell it. I don't even imagine there is a MARKET out there for back issues of Game Trade Magazine or the Duelist. (Was there ever?) It'll go sit in the back room for a few years until I go into a "What IS this stuff?!" sweep and toss it. In the meantime, I guess, it just gets to take up space, like the stuff that I'm currently sweeping out has done.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
And still more
Hordes.
Faction: Legion of Everblight
Army Points: 722
Victory Points: 26
Lylyth, Herald of Everblight (painted)
Carnivean (painted)
Carnivean
Seraph (painted)
Shredder (painted)
Shredder (painted)
Shredder (painted)
Shredder (painted)
Shredder
Shredder
Shredder
Shredder
Blighted Archers (6)
Blighted Swordsmen (6)
Totem Hunter
ALT Warlocks: Thragrosh, Vayl
Faction: Trollbloods
Army Points: 570
Victory Points: 18
Chief Madrak Ironhide
Dire Troll Mauler
Troll Axer
Troll Axer
Troll Impaler
Troll Impaler
Trollkin Scattergunners (8)
Mostly painted, I'm told?
Faction: Legion of Everblight
Army Points: 722
Victory Points: 26
Lylyth, Herald of Everblight (painted)
Carnivean (painted)
Carnivean
Seraph (painted)
Shredder (painted)
Shredder (painted)
Shredder (painted)
Shredder (painted)
Shredder
Shredder
Shredder
Shredder
Blighted Archers (6)
Blighted Swordsmen (6)
Totem Hunter
ALT Warlocks: Thragrosh, Vayl
Faction: Trollbloods
Army Points: 570
Victory Points: 18
Chief Madrak Ironhide
Dire Troll Mauler
Troll Axer
Troll Axer
Troll Impaler
Troll Impaler
Trollkin Scattergunners (8)
Mostly painted, I'm told?
More Army Inventory
Warmachine.
(whew, this is hard AND scary)
Faction: Cygnar
Army Points: 575
Victory Points: 22
Captain E. Dominic Darius
Ironclad
Charger
Hunter
Lancer
Gun Mage Captain Adept
Stormsmith
Stormsmith
Stormsmith
Field Mechaniks (4)
Sword Knights (6)
ALT Warcasters: Stryker, "Seige" Brisbane
NONE painted except for Darius. Started work on the Warjacks but only just.
Faction: Protectorate of Menoth
Army Points: 1343
Victory Points: 42
High Exemplar Kreoss (painted)
Crusader (painted)
Guardian
Reckoner
Vanquisher (painted)
Redeemer
Redeemer
Repenter (painted)
Revenger (painted)
Revenger (painted)
Knight Exemplar Seneschal
Paladin of the Order of the Wall
Choir of Menoth (4)
Deliverers (10) (painted)
Holy Zealots (6) (painted)
Monolith Bearer
Knights Exemplar (painted)
Knights Exemplar
Temple Flameguard (10) (painted)
Alt Warcasters: E-Kreoss, Severius, Feora, High Reclaimer, Amon
Faction: Khador
Army Points: 1587
Victory Points: 60
Butcher of Khardov
Destroyer (painted)
Destroyer
Devastator
Juggernaut (painted)
Juggernaut
Kodiak
Marauder
Man-o-War Kovnik (painted)
Manhunter
Manhunter
Battle Mechaniks (4)
Doom Reavers
Greylord Ternion (painted)
Greylord Ternion
Iron Fang Pikemen (6)
Man-o-War Shocktroopers (4) (painted)
Man-o-War Shocktroopers (3)
Widowmakers (painted)
Widowmakers
Winter Guard Mortar Crew (painted)
Winter Guard Mortar Crew (painted)
Winterguard (6)
ALT Warcasters: Sorscha, Vlad, Irusk
Faction: Cryx
Army Points: 1229
Victory Points: 35
Iron Lich Asphyxious (painted)
Deathjack
Seether
Slayer (painted)
Deathripper (painted)
Deathripper (painted)
Defiler (painted)
Nightwretch
Nightwretch
Nightwretch
Nightwretch
Skarlock
Bane Lord Tartarus
Necrotech (painted)
Pistol Wraith
Pistol Wraith
Scrap Thrall (painted)
Bane Knights (10)
Bane Thralls (10)
Mechanithralls (6) (painted)
Mechanithralls (6)
ALT Warcasters: Denegra, Terminus, Skarre, Goreshade.
Faction: Four Star Syndicate
Army Points: 1397
Victory Points: 47
Gorten Grundback (painted)
Ghordson Driller (painted)
Grundback Gunner (painted)
Grundback Gunner (painted)
Grundback Gunner (painted)
Magnus the Traitor
Mangler (painted)
Mule (painted)
Mule (painted)
Nomad (painted)
Nomad (painted)
Renegade (painted)
Renegade (painted)
Talon (painted)
Talon (painted)
Alexia Ciannor
Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios (painted)
Croe's Cutthroats (6)
Herne and Jonne
Sam MacHorne and the Devil Dogs (6)
(whew, this is hard AND scary)
Faction: Cygnar
Army Points: 575
Victory Points: 22
Captain E. Dominic Darius
Ironclad
Charger
Hunter
Lancer
Gun Mage Captain Adept
Stormsmith
Stormsmith
Stormsmith
Field Mechaniks (4)
Sword Knights (6)
ALT Warcasters: Stryker, "Seige" Brisbane
NONE painted except for Darius. Started work on the Warjacks but only just.
Faction: Protectorate of Menoth
Army Points: 1343
Victory Points: 42
High Exemplar Kreoss (painted)
Crusader (painted)
Guardian
Reckoner
Vanquisher (painted)
Redeemer
Redeemer
Repenter (painted)
Revenger (painted)
Revenger (painted)
Knight Exemplar Seneschal
Paladin of the Order of the Wall
Choir of Menoth (4)
Deliverers (10) (painted)
Holy Zealots (6) (painted)
Monolith Bearer
Knights Exemplar (painted)
Knights Exemplar
Temple Flameguard (10) (painted)
Alt Warcasters: E-Kreoss, Severius, Feora, High Reclaimer, Amon
Faction: Khador
Army Points: 1587
Victory Points: 60
Butcher of Khardov
Destroyer (painted)
Destroyer
Devastator
Juggernaut (painted)
Juggernaut
Kodiak
Marauder
Man-o-War Kovnik (painted)
Manhunter
Manhunter
Battle Mechaniks (4)
Doom Reavers
Greylord Ternion (painted)
Greylord Ternion
Iron Fang Pikemen (6)
Man-o-War Shocktroopers (4) (painted)
Man-o-War Shocktroopers (3)
Widowmakers (painted)
Widowmakers
Winter Guard Mortar Crew (painted)
Winter Guard Mortar Crew (painted)
Winterguard (6)
ALT Warcasters: Sorscha, Vlad, Irusk
Faction: Cryx
Army Points: 1229
Victory Points: 35
Iron Lich Asphyxious (painted)
Deathjack
Seether
Slayer (painted)
Deathripper (painted)
Deathripper (painted)
Defiler (painted)
Nightwretch
Nightwretch
Nightwretch
Nightwretch
Skarlock
Bane Lord Tartarus
Necrotech (painted)
Pistol Wraith
Pistol Wraith
Scrap Thrall (painted)
Bane Knights (10)
Bane Thralls (10)
Mechanithralls (6) (painted)
Mechanithralls (6)
ALT Warcasters: Denegra, Terminus, Skarre, Goreshade.
Faction: Four Star Syndicate
Army Points: 1397
Victory Points: 47
Gorten Grundback (painted)
Ghordson Driller (painted)
Grundback Gunner (painted)
Grundback Gunner (painted)
Grundback Gunner (painted)
Magnus the Traitor
Mangler (painted)
Mule (painted)
Mule (painted)
Nomad (painted)
Nomad (painted)
Renegade (painted)
Renegade (painted)
Talon (painted)
Talon (painted)
Alexia Ciannor
Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios (painted)
Croe's Cutthroats (6)
Herne and Jonne
Sam MacHorne and the Devil Dogs (6)
An Army Inventory, Part deux
Warhammer!
Chaos: Mortals - Approximately 3000 points painted. Want to replace one unit of Marauders that I painted (poorly, and not in the scheme with the rest of the army) Overall mostly finished with this, unless I add more Daemons. Played with it twice - once against Jeff's Dwarves (lost) and once in the megabattle, mostly against Mike P's Dark Elves (lost)
Chaos: Beastmen - Approximately 2500 points painted. Needs some touch-ups; most of the bray models look pretty much the same and units are not easily distinguished. (A known issue with Beastmen armies, admittedly) Would like to add: Shaggoth, Centigors, some Trolls? Have played it several times, mostly against Jeff's Dwarves, mostly losses.
Ogre Kingdoms - Approximately 1500 points. 1200ish points painted. Needs: Slave Giant, Butcher, more Maneaters? Have never played with it.
Empire - Approximately 2000 points painted. Very likely to hit the auction block. I was excited about them a long time ago, but... mostly now they have gathered dust. I only remember one game with it, in the 1st-and-only Warhammer megabattle held at the Gaming Mecca. Was mostly wiped out.
Tomb Kings - Approximately 2000 points painted. Need to add two Screaming Skull Catapults, a bone giant, more archers. Have played it twice - one loss against High Elves, one overwhelming victory against Jeff's dwarves.
Dark Elves - Approximately 2500 points, 1500 points painted. If the other 1000 points gets painted, this is a very good army - in theory. Have never played with it.
Chaos: Mortals - Approximately 3000 points painted. Want to replace one unit of Marauders that I painted (poorly, and not in the scheme with the rest of the army) Overall mostly finished with this, unless I add more Daemons. Played with it twice - once against Jeff's Dwarves (lost) and once in the megabattle, mostly against Mike P's Dark Elves (lost)
Chaos: Beastmen - Approximately 2500 points painted. Needs some touch-ups; most of the bray models look pretty much the same and units are not easily distinguished. (A known issue with Beastmen armies, admittedly) Would like to add: Shaggoth, Centigors, some Trolls? Have played it several times, mostly against Jeff's Dwarves, mostly losses.
Ogre Kingdoms - Approximately 1500 points. 1200ish points painted. Needs: Slave Giant, Butcher, more Maneaters? Have never played with it.
Empire - Approximately 2000 points painted. Very likely to hit the auction block. I was excited about them a long time ago, but... mostly now they have gathered dust. I only remember one game with it, in the 1st-and-only Warhammer megabattle held at the Gaming Mecca. Was mostly wiped out.
Tomb Kings - Approximately 2000 points painted. Need to add two Screaming Skull Catapults, a bone giant, more archers. Have played it twice - one loss against High Elves, one overwhelming victory against Jeff's dwarves.
Dark Elves - Approximately 2500 points, 1500 points painted. If the other 1000 points gets painted, this is a very good army - in theory. Have never played with it.
An Army Inventory
Well, if I am the only one posting, I might as well make this thing useful to me.
Let's go over my various armies and what they have to-be-painted as of yet.
Organized by game system, shall we?
40k
Blood Angels - Have about 2000 points painted. Currently have 6 Tactical Squads and 6 Landspeeders - thanks to windfall of 3rd edition 40k boxes courtesy of Mr. Chris Arant. Would like to replace Terminators in the army with the new model plastics. Would also like to add a Land Raider (Crusader?) to the army for punch. Overall, very playable.
Word Bearers - Have about 2000 points painted. Approximately 3 Squads, 10 Daemonettes, 10 Bloodletters, 1 Rhino, 1 Defiler to be painted. Would like to add Statured Daemon Prince, possibly a Greater Daemon to the army.
World Eaters - Have about 1500 points painted. Haven't looked at the army in a long while - it's hard to play these days without some adds to the army, like a Statured Prince, a couple of Predators, maybe a Bloodthirster.
Necrons - Have about 2500 points painted. Some of the army needs re-basing. Some of the Warriors don't have green rods inserted. Would like to add some Pariaths and a Monolith to army - maybe two? Have several bases of Scarabs unpainted - overall, probably the most complete 40k army I own!
Tau - Approximately 1500 points. Only one unit of Kroot painted. Low on overall priority list. Would like to add two Hammerheads, one Devilfish.
Tyranids - Approximately 2000 points. Scattered pieces (30ish Gaunts, 7-8 Warriors) painted. Would like to replace older-model Hive Tyrant and Tyrant Guard with new models. Would like to add Raveners.
Sisters of Battle - Approximately 1000 points. Nothing painted. Would be useful as add-on to Guard army, but little push.
Imperial Guard - Approximately 2000 points. Mostly painted except for the vehicles. My Guard army is really two armies in one - the (old metal model) Cadian infantry side, and the Steel Legion mech infantry side. At one point I was trying to push for all Steel Legion/Mech Infantry but didn't get this accomplished. The Mech Infantry army is fun any surprisingly effective on the field...although I don't think I ever played it in 4th edition. I don't imagine much has changed because while assaulting-out-of-vehicles got riskier, Mech Infantry NEVER assaults. Would like to get the remaining Steel Legion and vehicles painted and make this the primary "Guard" army.
Orks - Last remaining bunch are Ebay-bound.
Grey Knights - never really an army. Two squads, and Inquisitor and some retinue. Mostly just an add-on for my Guard and Blood Angels. Wouldn't mind getting a squad of Grey Knight Terminators but hardly a priority for me.
Dark Eldar - Approximately 1000 points painted. Tons and tons unpainted.
Man, I'm thinking about starting ELDAR? I'm nuts. Screw that noise.
Okay, new post for each game system.
Let's go over my various armies and what they have to-be-painted as of yet.
Organized by game system, shall we?
40k
Blood Angels - Have about 2000 points painted. Currently have 6 Tactical Squads and 6 Landspeeders - thanks to windfall of 3rd edition 40k boxes courtesy of Mr. Chris Arant. Would like to replace Terminators in the army with the new model plastics. Would also like to add a Land Raider (Crusader?) to the army for punch. Overall, very playable.
Word Bearers - Have about 2000 points painted. Approximately 3 Squads, 10 Daemonettes, 10 Bloodletters, 1 Rhino, 1 Defiler to be painted. Would like to add Statured Daemon Prince, possibly a Greater Daemon to the army.
World Eaters - Have about 1500 points painted. Haven't looked at the army in a long while - it's hard to play these days without some adds to the army, like a Statured Prince, a couple of Predators, maybe a Bloodthirster.
Necrons - Have about 2500 points painted. Some of the army needs re-basing. Some of the Warriors don't have green rods inserted. Would like to add some Pariaths and a Monolith to army - maybe two? Have several bases of Scarabs unpainted - overall, probably the most complete 40k army I own!
Tau - Approximately 1500 points. Only one unit of Kroot painted. Low on overall priority list. Would like to add two Hammerheads, one Devilfish.
Tyranids - Approximately 2000 points. Scattered pieces (30ish Gaunts, 7-8 Warriors) painted. Would like to replace older-model Hive Tyrant and Tyrant Guard with new models. Would like to add Raveners.
Sisters of Battle - Approximately 1000 points. Nothing painted. Would be useful as add-on to Guard army, but little push.
Imperial Guard - Approximately 2000 points. Mostly painted except for the vehicles. My Guard army is really two armies in one - the (old metal model) Cadian infantry side, and the Steel Legion mech infantry side. At one point I was trying to push for all Steel Legion/Mech Infantry but didn't get this accomplished. The Mech Infantry army is fun any surprisingly effective on the field...although I don't think I ever played it in 4th edition. I don't imagine much has changed because while assaulting-out-of-vehicles got riskier, Mech Infantry NEVER assaults. Would like to get the remaining Steel Legion and vehicles painted and make this the primary "Guard" army.
Orks - Last remaining bunch are Ebay-bound.
Grey Knights - never really an army. Two squads, and Inquisitor and some retinue. Mostly just an add-on for my Guard and Blood Angels. Wouldn't mind getting a squad of Grey Knight Terminators but hardly a priority for me.
Dark Eldar - Approximately 1000 points painted. Tons and tons unpainted.
Man, I'm thinking about starting ELDAR? I'm nuts. Screw that noise.
Okay, new post for each game system.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
"Big Games" versus Skirmish Games
This is mostly just a discussion piece, so I don't expect anyone to try and sway me or feel attacked or anything like that. Failing to heed this notice will result in a McBoot to the McBackside. (No, Tim, you can't have seconds)
One of the things that keeps me coming back to Warhammer and 40k is the "feel" of the games. Even though I don't love all of the mechanics - particularly some of the stuff in 4th edition 40k sticks in my craw - I really like how when you put stuff on the table, it looks/feels like an ARMY.
I like Warmachine, and all of the other skirmish games we're dabbling with (deep breath: Confrontation, Rezolution, Infinity, Dark Age, Urban War, I'm-sure-there-are-more-I'm-forgetting-that-I-have-armies-for) but they don't really provide that same OOMPF that Warhammer and 40k do. It's a feeling of mass, I guess. It makes me understand why the historical types enjoy their games so much - couple hundred bases of AWI or Napoleonics or whatever just makes you go "Wow."
Probably my favorite game of all time is Epic, also know as Adeptus Titanticus/Space Marine/Space Marine 2nd edition/Titan Legions/Epic 40,000/Epic Armageddon. Yes, there have been a number of changes over the editions. I like the scale of it. I did note, however, that the current incarnation - Epic Armaggedon - doesn't actually carry as much mass as the older editions. Back in the day, you bought Space Marines by the COMPANY. 100 men. Well, powered armor supermen, anyway. I know this because I was infamous, INFAMOUS, for getting entire companies killed in 2nd edition by sticking them in buildings which would invariably crash down on them and lay waste to the entire company. My men feared buildings far, far more than they feared the enemy. (Damn 2nd edition and its ease of dropping city-blocks full of my Marines!)
In Epic it was all about SCALE. You felt like when you were playing, the stakes really were huge. I don't really feel the same way about Warmachine. Superiority, I think, has worsened that - with the background stuff available, you start to realize that while Warcasters really are that rare, the numbers of soldiers in the Iron Kingdoms is massive. Really, most battles occur between the lowest grunts dying by the hundreds, and Warcasters are as rare as a kiss from the princess turning you from a frog into a prince.
Are their any other games that really capture this scope? Battletech doesn't, and we would probably never play Battleforce, or (shudder) the Succession War game. (Yes, I own a copy) Clix games do not. Mighty Empires SORT OF did, but I haven't played that since Glenn and I lived on the same street. Battlefleet Gothic is cool and epic, mostly, but it's not really the same thing - big ship battles are more skirmish than anything else.
A second point, that I have stolen from John -
One of the great things about games with big scope is that the stories that come out of them are more meaningful. You get stories like the Spartans at Thermopylae, where one desperate squad holds back the tide of the enemy and turns the battle for you. You don't really get that in Warmachine - the scope isn't the same. I know that John has stories of that sort of thing, where a lone unit of Assault Marines held a pass against hordes that should have, statistically, beaten the crap out of it and surged through. It's good story-telling. And it makes for great games.
One of the things that keeps me coming back to Warhammer and 40k is the "feel" of the games. Even though I don't love all of the mechanics - particularly some of the stuff in 4th edition 40k sticks in my craw - I really like how when you put stuff on the table, it looks/feels like an ARMY.
I like Warmachine, and all of the other skirmish games we're dabbling with (deep breath: Confrontation, Rezolution, Infinity, Dark Age, Urban War, I'm-sure-there-are-more-I'm-forgetting-that-I-have-armies-for) but they don't really provide that same OOMPF that Warhammer and 40k do. It's a feeling of mass, I guess. It makes me understand why the historical types enjoy their games so much - couple hundred bases of AWI or Napoleonics or whatever just makes you go "Wow."
Probably my favorite game of all time is Epic, also know as Adeptus Titanticus/Space Marine/Space Marine 2nd edition/Titan Legions/Epic 40,000/Epic Armageddon. Yes, there have been a number of changes over the editions. I like the scale of it. I did note, however, that the current incarnation - Epic Armaggedon - doesn't actually carry as much mass as the older editions. Back in the day, you bought Space Marines by the COMPANY. 100 men. Well, powered armor supermen, anyway. I know this because I was infamous, INFAMOUS, for getting entire companies killed in 2nd edition by sticking them in buildings which would invariably crash down on them and lay waste to the entire company. My men feared buildings far, far more than they feared the enemy. (Damn 2nd edition and its ease of dropping city-blocks full of my Marines!)
In Epic it was all about SCALE. You felt like when you were playing, the stakes really were huge. I don't really feel the same way about Warmachine. Superiority, I think, has worsened that - with the background stuff available, you start to realize that while Warcasters really are that rare, the numbers of soldiers in the Iron Kingdoms is massive. Really, most battles occur between the lowest grunts dying by the hundreds, and Warcasters are as rare as a kiss from the princess turning you from a frog into a prince.
Are their any other games that really capture this scope? Battletech doesn't, and we would probably never play Battleforce, or (shudder) the Succession War game. (Yes, I own a copy) Clix games do not. Mighty Empires SORT OF did, but I haven't played that since Glenn and I lived on the same street. Battlefleet Gothic is cool and epic, mostly, but it's not really the same thing - big ship battles are more skirmish than anything else.
A second point, that I have stolen from John -
One of the great things about games with big scope is that the stories that come out of them are more meaningful. You get stories like the Spartans at Thermopylae, where one desperate squad holds back the tide of the enemy and turns the battle for you. You don't really get that in Warmachine - the scope isn't the same. I know that John has stories of that sort of thing, where a lone unit of Assault Marines held a pass against hordes that should have, statistically, beaten the crap out of it and surged through. It's good story-telling. And it makes for great games.
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