A Gentleman's Ones

Why I love the Blogoverse (part 4)

2012-01-26T12:12:00.002-06:00

IV. That Guy James.

That Guy James. He is aquasi-mythical figure in my zodiac.

Fortitudinous.

Epic.

Talented.

He recently posted a “clean slate challenge” that has me seriously (re-)considering those embarrassing masses ofhalf-finished, half-started, un-started, untouched, and otherwise neglectedfigures that I have lingering in the margins of my hobby space.

I like to think that I have, or at least once had, a reasonable rate of output, but one glance under the sofa and...

And then we have these gems. Thisis an exemplary monstration on how one writes a rant. Or here. Exemplary. I say exemplary because these commentaries are written without the bile, malice, or smug self-righteousness one usually expects in a "rant," but rather these appear from a place of genuine consideration, sense, and even affection for the material at stake. How refreshing.

Oncearticulated, I can see nothing else, yet before I’d never been able to place myfinger on it. Both of these had me in near hysterics.

And then there’s this. James, yesthat one, has designed the newest (and one hopes final) iteration of theKillzone cards. There’s more to show than what you get here, but this shouldcommunicate the fundamental idea. What’s important here is the wonderfulcombination of talent, enthusiasm, talent, and a decent measure of OSR congeniality.

I should also mention now thatthese will soon be available to you, the enthusiastic public, in at least twobasic forms: the standard 36 card deck (includes 18 Mission cards and 12 Fatecards, with blank options for each), and the expanded 54 card deck (includes expandedMission cards with alternate deployments and night fight options, and more…) ingood time, in good time.

The new system involves threedifferent levels of mission, each of which is immediately identifiable in thissystem, and otherwise designed to pull your modest resources in extraordinarilychallenging ways. Good luck, troops.

But this post is about James andhis amazing contributions.

I admit it.

I am hopelessly biased here, but I believe thatKillzone is quite good. With James, it is bloody amazing. Talent.

Why I love the Blogoverse (part 3)

2012-01-23T11:50:00.001-06:00

III. Gratis Icons of Glory

Here’s a briefparaphrase/recapitulation of the kind of email one simply adores [My first ever"snowmobile"(?) comments inserted for editorial and dramatic purposes]. I submit it here as the perfect example of the raw talent and brilliant kindness that pervades our modest hobby community. To me, the following letter represents the very, very best of what we have built and participate in daily:

“Hello. My name is ______ [namewithheld to protect the glorious, but whom I immediately recognize as a tremendously talented, GoldenDaemon winning artist]. A mutual friend mentioned that you might need sometokens for AdeptiCon to help you with your games [thank you, mutual friend.thank you], in which I participated last year and in which I will participateagain this year [zomg –your special operations group last year was stunning!].Anyway, I made these a while back and thought you could use them [coffee spitacross the keyboard]. Let me know if you are interested.”

[I am interested. We areinterested. Killzone is interested.]

Here’s the crux. I have onlyshown you one-quarter of what is in store -no exaggeration. None.

There are three more variations onthis theme and, collectively, these will comprise the various game-relevant and other sundry objective markers for theSpecial Operations Killzone events during the AdeptiCon weekend.

I mean, seriously, how effingcool is that?

Why I love the Blogoverse (part 2)

2012-01-19T12:44:00.001-06:00

II. Sons of Taurus’ unofficial fandex-minidex for SO: Killzone.

I thought of titling this one“unofficiality,” which isn’t much of a word but should be.

There are some lovely layers ofquirk at work when our humble, unofficial game can (nay must) produce Codex:Operatives unofficial updates for an unofficial fandex. That’s just the thing on the tablewhen Sons of Taurus approached us with his lovely bit of hobby gold for the Lost and the Damned.

It’s an inspired piece of work.

… and so now there's a Killzone supplement for thesame (though not for AdeptiCon. tsk. tsk.). When Sons of Taurus asked us to do this, my first thought was, wow -this game is really resonating in ways I never could have imagined. That's tremendous news, to be candid. As gamers, indeed as a gaming community, I think we are fundamentally entitled if not obligated to take control of our hobby experience. Full stop. If playing an unofficial fandex doesn't fully wet your proverbial whistle, you can take that dex into the grimmest and darkest world of Special Operations.

I should mention that Sons is part of the The Codex Project, where you will find a heady,caffeinated blend of unofficiality. That is, if you aren’t addicted already. For anyone interested in the less formal, less official end of our fine hobby, this place might well be your spiritual homeland.

For my part, I feel the entire endeavorpositively teems with the basic impulse that put the very first sparkunderneath Special Operations: Killzone some considerable time ago. I say more.

Naturally, I have (re-)started a LatD team to round out my already stuffed KZ experience. More on that soon.

Why I love the Blogoverse (part 1)

2012-01-17T12:01:00.002-06:00

[As A Gentleman’s Ones approachesits second anniversary, I am feeling rather reflective, a bit sentimental, atad saccharine, with a dollop of gratitude. This humble submission is the firstin a series that I would like to title “why I love the Blogoverse,” as it willunsurprisingly highlight a number of ways in which said blogoverse has beenstupefyingly good to me these last few weeks, months, years. ]

I. The Onorevoli Reborn

The Onorevoli are dead. LONG LIVE THE ONOREVOLI!

How cool is this.

Just when I thought I was out, Sonof Dorn (with his excellent blog Most Peturbatory) has pulled me back in.

Venerable readers will rememberthe sometimes-mighty Onorevoli as the perennial kick-it-around for Ref Pitmann’sIron Warriors. I made a hullaballoo recently about retiring my homemadefaction/chapter. There were two fundamentally related reasons for this shelving:

First –I had married this chapter a nudge too tightly to fluff-tastic approach both for the modeling opportunities afforded by aTerminator-or-Scout-heavy force, and therefore for the potential unitsavailable on any given day.

Second –I am not a good enoughplayer to pull off a fluff-first approach –or at the very least this one. I am tooclumsy a player and this heady cocktail is too unforgiving to allow me anything butthe aforementioned semi-regular kicking courtesy of Ref P. It was getting a bit dull, even (Isuspect) for the good Ref.

Well. No longer.

While I am on newer pastures,specifically with regard to my modeling interests, I have taken Son of Dorn’sinsight with some considerable interest and enthusiasm. He has come up with two viable lists both of which maintain and build upon my initial ideas while alsooffering an approach with a bit more teeth.

Perhaps the kindest part of allthis is that Son of Dorn invested his time, attention, consideration to my unfortunatessimply from his own enthusiasm for the notion behind them. That is tremendously kind, andindicative, I believe, of the very best that this fine blogoverse has to offer.

Will you see a battle report oncemore with the heading “Onorevoli?” Why yes. Yes you will.

PWORK: by Grande Maestro

2012-01-11T12:08:00.000-06:00

Ciao.

I just wanted to drop a hasty shout out for some genuine tremendousness out there on the interwebs. You may have noticed the new icon and link on the right-->. Go. Go now. That's PWORK or paper work for those less inclined to abbreviation.

[The link will take you to the Italian page, but you need simply click on the translate icon at top if you prefer English (or another language for that matter)].

This absolutely brilliant, stunning, and beautiful product line is the aptly titled "work" of an Italian blogger called Grande Maestro -the Grand Master- indeed. His blog is really great fun, but the real meat and potatoes comes from his brain-child PWORK. This stuff really gets my inspiration wavelengths jumping. Dungeon crawl. Deep Space. Space Hulk. I feel the hobby butterfly beckoning.

There is something here for just about everyone, RPG or tabletop or skirmish or whathaveyou. The range is superlative ...and growing all the time. I might also add, for any north americans interested, that the dollar has not been stronger against the Euro for a long, long time. That means these already inexpensive masterpieces should be even less so in a very real way compared to only some few months previous.

At the very least, I encourage you to have a gander at a genuine talent out there and, if you feel inclined, support a fellow hobbyist and blogger.

Glorious.

Top Ten Models... according to me: #2 The Terminator Lord

2012-01-09T18:41:00.000-06:00

Today is a break, but only a temporary one, from Killzone gloriousness in order to make a small space for the ongoing series that I began back in …? godknowswhen. My how time flies. I know that some of you have been waiting with modest (im)patience for this next installment, and for that I thank you.

So, the Chaos Terminator Lord. I loved him so much that I bought three, four actually, but I made three from top to bottom as Terminator Lords. Each plays a specific role in my Arrugginiti CSM –a hapless gaggle of Nurgle devotees. So far, they’ve mostly just been punked by Roberto Vo5’s Deathwing. Still, they are learning. They are evil.

The Chaos Lords. The first point of interest, you will note, is that two of these madmen feature conversions/kit-bashes (I only recently learned that there might be a difference between these two activities –though I am still fuzzy on that distinction); whichever, the winner here, as mentioned in the previous string of posts, is plastic. Plastic made these modest conversions possible. Perhaps one might hazard that plastic turned a simple kit-bash into a genuine conversion.

That will be for others to decide, I suppose.

The real glory here, however, is not just that GW has made this dynamic figure in plastic, but that the figure is both wildly modifiable and still tremendously dynamic in the first place. Consider the complexity of arranging so many individual elements that, when assembled in a stunningly diverse series of possibilities, still work –and work extraordinarily well.

There is a kind of synergy in the pieces that compose this figure –and, again, by this I mean pretty much all of them- so that no matter how one combines the varied and multitudinous elements, one is left with a really cool figure. The legs are sturdy, strong, but active, the torso slightly twisted across the pose, so that the body is visually interesting.

Observe the flowing tabard and the way it draws the eye into the body of the figure. Likewise, the tattered cloak animates the figure, or more specifically the way it breathes so much life and movement into the figure. Chaotic winds swirl around this badass. He is alive and mobile and ready to pounce. Consider, in fact, very cool manner in which those animating elements are picked up by the dramatic slope of the chaotic ground beneath him –as if responding to his malevolence- and then carry the eye back around the model. It’s a great cinematic gesture as well as a solid design element. I love it. Love.

I would ask you to think of poor,old Abaddon as a comparative measure. He is a massive block of stunted, stagnant awkwardness –albeit evil awkwardness. On the contrary, you simply cannot pose the plastic Lord poorly, conversions or otherwise. Even the most basic assembly creates a model more readily dripping with threat and menace than dear old Abby. Poor sod. No wonder we have seen so many tremendou re-interpretations of Abaddon using this kit. The fellow knew Horus! He deserves this at the very least.

Of course, I have tried (in my own humble way) to turn two of these figures up to eleven (“nah, mate. It’s one lawdah”). But again, even pieces outside the specific range (Ogres, et al) flow almost almost seamlessly into the basic pose. This may be immodest, but I don’t have an overwhelming sense that these piece don’t belong, as one might expect. In either case, the lines of the model continue to work toward an overall dynamic and cohesive effect that leaves me wondering how… how… did that happen?

I don’t/can’t take credit, really. This, put simply, is the glory of good design, and this model (rather these models) ooze it.

Glorious.

Special Operations: Killzone v3.0

2012-01-02T20:00:00.002-06:00

Special Operations: Killzone v3.0

Yes. Well. I promised this yesterday, but only just typed the very last amendments and revisions here and/or there this morning. It has been a tremendous labor of love, and the entire process has inspired in me a genuine and profound respect for people that design games from scratch and for a living. It’s madness –dizzying, wonderful, addictive madness.

Unless something dramatic has been wildly overlooked (fingers crossed, fingers crossed), this will be the version that takes us through AdeptiCon 2012 and into the next edition of 40K (we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it). So, if you are signed up for the events at AdeptiCon, or if you are simply interested in lightning-fast, tense, narrative-rich, and otherwise glorious skirmish games in the grimest and darkest corners of the 40Kverse, this is for you.

Either way, you can upload thev3.0 Rules and Codex: Operatives (the old Errata) here. for free.

I can only hope that you will enjoy the product. For my part, I have been having an absolutely cracking time with the new mechanics. The game dynamic has evolved tremendously from its humble, chaotic version we put straight through the AdeptiCon mill last year. In particular, the way in which Missions have been layered one upon the other creates a really tense atmosphere: rarely can a team complete all its objectives, and this invariably leads to some really compelling and jittery moments. Hope is never lost. Victory is never ensured.

Glorious.

As for the basic mechanics of the game, for that I must thank the Dreamer, Skarvald, and the Pedagogue, FrozenJoe (indeed, I even have to thank Skarvald for that reference, the origins of which I am otherwise oblivious). We would all also like to thank you, the playtesters, who spent the month of December crunching through game after game after game …and telling us about it. Thanks for sticking with the revision process and working/playing through all the rough edges. Thanks.

Again, I hope you enjoy this product as much as we are currently, which is to say, quite a lot.

Of course, we are always interested in feedback and want to hear how this madness works on your tabletop. So please feel free to drop Big Jim, or me, or Skarvald, or FrozenJoe a line as and when you are able.

Until then…

Glory.

p.s. I'm not too big nor too clever with these kinds of things, but Killzone has a Facebook page for those of you that socialize as such.

Oh, these modern times.

Happy New Year: two from Bukowski

2011-12-31T22:31:00.000-06:00

Buon anno e tanti auguri a tutti.

Two absolutely sodden poems (cough, cough, three. I get carried away sometimes) from the cantankerous legend, Bukowski: for the new year, for our general edification. Cheers! Bukowski would encourage you to raise your glass again. and again. and..

Though the poems might not reflect it in substance entirely, I am as hopeful and happy as any man deserves.

If there is such a thing as favorite graffiti, this is mine. The regular program returns soon, probably Monday. Until then, behold the brutal beauty of words.

“Sissignore!” 

tutti i vicini pensano 

che noi siamo 

strani. 

e noi pensiamo 

lo stesso di loro. 

e facciamo 

tutti 

centro.

-Charles Bukowski

"a poem is a city"

a poem is a city filled with streets and sewers

filled with saints, heroes, beggars, madmen,

filled with banality and booze,

filled with rain and thunder and periods of

drought, a poem is a city at war,

a poem is a city asking a clock why,

a poem is a city burning,

a poem is a city under guns

its barbershops filled with cynical drunks,

a poem is a city where God rides naked

through the streets like Lady Godiva,

where dogs bark at night, and chase away

the flag; a poem is a city of poets,

most of them quite similar

and envious and bitter …

a poem is this city now,

50 miles from nowhere,

9:09 in the morning,

the taste of liquor and cigarettes,

no police, no lovers, walking the streets,

this poem, this city, closing its doors,

barricaded, almost empty,

mournful without tears, aging without pity,

the hardrock mountains,

the ocean like a lavender flame,

a moon destitute of greatness,

a small music from broken windows …

a poem is a city, a poem is a nation,

a poem is the world …

and now I stick this under glass

for the mad editor’s scrutiny,

and night is elsewhere

and faint gray ladies stand in line,

dog follows dog to estuary,

the trumpets bring on gallows

as small men rant at things

they cannot do.

-Charles Bukowski

“The genius of the crowd”

there is enough treachery, hatred violence absurdity in the average
human being to supply any given army on any given day

and the best at murder are those who preach against it
and the best at hate are those who preach love
and the best at war finally are those who preach peace

those who preach god, need god
those who preach peace do not have peace
those who preach peace do not have love

beware the preachers
beware the knowers
beware those who are always reading books
beware those who either detest poverty
or are proud of it
beware those quick to praise
for they need praise in return
beware those who are quick to censor
they are afraid of what they do not know
beware those who seek constant crowds for
they are nothing alone
beware the average man the average woman
beware their love, their love is average
seeks average

but there is genius in their hatred
there is enough genius in their hatred to kill you
to kill anybody
not wanting solitude
not understanding solitude
they will attempt to destroy anything
that differs from their own
not being able to create art
they will not understand art
they will consider their failure as creators
only as a failure of the world
not being able to love fully
they will believe your love incomplete
and then they will hate you
and their hatred will be perfect

like a shining diamond
like a knife
like a mountain
like a tiger
like hemlock

their finest art

NEWSFLASH: 11th Company’s 100th podcast

2011-12-29T20:46:00.000-06:00

If you are at all interested in hearing this humble author try desperately (and unsuccessfully) not to sound like a complete prat in his very first podcast interview, well then have a listen to the 11th Company’s 100th podcast of glory.

Nevermind me. There’s actually quite a lot of great material there for your delectation. Have a gander.

Despite my umms and ahhhs, the experience was an interesting and an exciting one. Were it not for the profound unease the sound of my own voice inspires in me, I might try it all again. Alas.

Lupine Resolution

2011-12-27T18:58:00.000-06:00

This evening’s post is a very small break from the rigorous Killzone revision process, in exchange for an update on a motivating and fun achievements checklist courtesy of everyone’s favorite troll-face, Skarvald.

Last week, I spotted this post and thought, hmmmm... now there’s an idea.

You might like to check it out. Skarvald has created a “100 thingsto do” gauntlet for the aspiring (or, in my case, completely pedestrian) Space Wolves enthusiast. I say this shamelessly.

Now. I must admit that, to date, I have played exactly one game with my Wolves as Wolves… and that was a Killzone game last week vs. FrozenJoe’s DE menace. I know. I know. I promised a break from all this Killzone discussion, and I will honor my word.

That game, as the keen reader will have already noted, was not the first time that my humble and sometimes confused Wolves appeared here on A Gentleman’s Ones. In fact, they were created for two quite specific purposes:

-first, as a unit of “pre-personal-heresy” Terminators from the now functionally retired Onorevoli chapter. They were a kind of hobby smash-and-grab that I used to think about the historical failings of my erstwhile favorites…

-and second, as a stand in unit for the Space Hulk models (note that they were fashioned with a rather unlikely combination of wargear: TH/SS as well as AC with the obligatory Chainfist in the margins). Nothing against those fine Space Hulk sculpts, of course, but variety is the spice of life.

Call it hobby multi-tasking.

Well. Skarvald has inspired me to revisit these bad boys with a bit more zeal and a spoonful of modest ambition. I have already started preparing a few Fenrisian wolves as a pleasant little side project from all the other side projects, and have acquired the basis for a Tundarwulf conversion of sorts. We shall see.

I have no real intention of beginning an entire Wolves army, mind you, nor of casting my lot in rigorous tournament play.

Either one of those options would be a giant leap in the deepest end for me right now. There’s enough on my plate already; however, I fully intend to tick off as many of these as I am able to the best of my ability. It’s an inspiring challenge, which makes a fine resolution for the new year.

Updates to follow under Lupine Resolution.

And why not.

Killzone: Giveaway winner (#3)

2011-12-23T18:11:00.000-06:00

Here we are at the third and final giveaway for the month of December.

Congratulations Angus S! These two fine, rare miniatures are yours to enjoy.

As ever, I will be sending a quick email to all those that entered so that I can pass along a token of our appreciation in all of this gloriousness. Everyone wins! (quick clerical note: there were several reports that were not attached to an email address. Ty, Troy, and Josh, please pass along an email with your address(es). I appreciate the mission reports (sound like some cracking close games), and want to be sure that you get your goods).

Speaking of, with the playtesting winding down and the holidays looming rather large, now is the perfect opportunity to step back and admire the progress.

We are thrilled with the playtesting experiment. I cannot think of a single other fan-generated supplement that has endured a more rigorous process of revision and refinement. To put the entire affair in context thus far, we have had a revision over one year ago, the AdeptiCon 2011 mill, more revisions over the summer, v2.0, a veritable storm of playtesting, and now more final revisions...

In all, the final product, version 3.0, will be released January 1, 2012. This is the version that will take us through to AdeptiCon 2012 and into the 6^th edition of 40K. From this vantage, I cannot see any prospect in which this monster will be slowing down. Quite the contrary.

As for us here in Chicago, we will be shifting gears to some extent and thinking/working very hard on those 10 3x3 tables for the AdeptiCon event this year. Indeed. We learned a lot about the balance between aesthetics and gameplay last year, and fully intend to put those lessons into practice. Those playing on the weekend will be treated to tables both beautiful to behold, and challenging to play upon. This, I promise.

As for the rest of it, the basic rules are now in a really quite solid shape. Considering that we have generated a way to play the game well outside the scope of its creators’ intention, the whole thing hangs together splendidly. More than a few playtesters have commented how well it works for players with limited space and/or time, as well as for those with a keen eye on the narrative elements of our hobby.

As importantly, we found that the mission system has been working in wonderfully intriguing ways. The three levels of mission can be, ahem, challenging, and we have tweaked a number of them to be sure that all is well. They genuinely test the mettle of a Special Operations commander, as one is rarely able to fulfill all of them in the allotted time. Resource management is the name of this game. We have made a minor modification to the way markers deploy and work in the game, which will ensure that these play more a more effective role in the proceedings.

As for the rules updates, we have made a final revision to the weapons upgrade that helps curb potential abuses. Although the final manifestation is really quite simple and elegant (Thank you, Joe), it was a real struggle to find this solution. So it goes. In all, we believe we have found a way to contain mismatched opportunities, while also to keep the game possibilities open and intriguing.

Check it all out come January 1, 2012.

In all, I believe the game as strong now as it can be.

Glorious!

Killzone: Games and Giveaway reminder

2011-12-20T13:48:00.000-06:00

+++ just a quick reminder that both Forge World limited edition miniatures from Gamesday can be yours if you submit a Mission report on the label to the right ->

The drawing and announcement will be on Friday, December 23. Get yourself some.

These rare figures are going for staggering amounts on ebay, but can be in your hands for free. Just download Killzone Rules and Errata v 2.4, play some games, and let us know how it went by filling out that form.

We are rapidly approaching the end of this giveaway season, as well as the end of our Killzone playtesting experiment. The feedback has been tremendous (really just astonishingly tremendous), and we are very near our final draft of the whole system –which will be officially on the table come January 1.

We will be calling these rules v3.0 and they will be the official set used at AdeptiCon this year (speaking of, more on those 10 3x3 tables in coming posts).

Again, thank you everyone for helping us iron out all the kinks and making this playtesting experiment so wildly productive. We are really quite proud of why and how this whole affair has come together. The rules are as solid as any I have seen produced for free, and we have been having an absolute blast playing –hope you have too. +++

On that note:

I am extraordinarily pleased to report that I was finally able to make a suburban jaunt and get some proper games in this weekend (pictures abound). I met FrozenJoe and Skarvald at their local-ish store and, in several hours, we played 6 games, I believe. Glorious.

Of course, we found a few bugs (for example, we finally found that DE Combat Drugs and Hypex quirk that had been bugging me since AdeptiCon last year. Fixed. Moving onward) but increasingly, those tics are small in scope and nature. That is a good sign, one that tells me our revision process is winding down.

Perhaps one of the most important items we took away from this weekend was the nature of the table itself. Having shrunk the table size by a solid square foot, to 3x3, we have been particularly attentive to the intimate nature of this revised system.

Moreover, this was a reminder of lesson that we also learned last year particularly well at AdeptiCon, which is that the table makes the game. Though the tables we produced last year were attractive visually, there were a few glitches in the way the tabletop interacted with the missions. We have resolved to sort that out entirely this time around. So far. So good. It’s going to be tremendous. Indeed.

Pictured here, for example, is an example of the table that worked best for us on the weekend. The Killzone rules call for 50% coverage on any given table, but I would encourage more. At the very least, we have found that a variety of LoS blocking, and partially blocking terrain is crucial. In this case, there are no real “alleys” of LoS that allow guns to dominate. As importantly, there is plenty of “waist high” scenery to offer cover for hapless agents in the field.

I lost two games to Joe on this table. ahem.

The first was my IG v Joe’s themed Behemoth Nids list. The game ended with my battered IG force claiming a partial primary mission completion (3 Mission Points) while Joe’s sturdy Nids –each with only one wound remaining- earning points for secondary and tertiary missions (4 Mission Points total). It doesn’t get closer than that.

The second game, I lost again to Joe, but this time with his Dark Eldar Kabal of the Grotesque v my Lone Wolves themed operatives. Again, it was tense, and again only a key eye on the mission parameters kept Joe on target for the win.

More on these games and the others next time. Until then. Get some games in and let us know about it all. Time is running out to win free stuff.

Killzone: Giveaway winner (#2)

2011-12-16T19:34:00.002-06:00

Another Friday has arrived with very little warning. Another giveaway.

So it goes.

Though obligations prevented me from promoting this week’s giveaway in the manner I might have preferred (thank you for picking up my slack, Skarvald), the reports have been steadily finding their way to my desktop through all sorts: email, download, and of course the Mission Report tag on the right. ->

All this feedback has been tremendously helpful, and we at the Special Operations: Killzone main office feel that this whole monster is finally quite near to the shape it must take in order to survive out there on its own (and at AdeptiCon). They grow up so fast. snff.

Giveaway? Ah, yes. The randomly generated winner of this fine Zuzzy mat… is…

Craig S.

Well played, sir. Your mat will be in the post directly. Once again, as a token of our appreciation for your kind and thoughtful participation in this grand experiment, we will be sending tokens to all those that submitted a report.

AND for those of you that submitted both weeks, well, we have something even more special in store (unless you contact me to say that you’d prefer another set of tokens). I mustn’t reveal that second special gift, yet, but will quite soon -quite soon- and, once more, all entrants will receive at least this reward for the effort.

And the giveaway for next week.

Wait for it.

Indeed. They can be yours. Brand new. Brand brilliant. Not one, but rather BOTH exclusive Games Day miniatures from Forge World. The marine, in particular, is just tremendous.

You like? The juice is good, no?

Here’s what you need to do:

Download the v2.4 of Rules andErrata.

Play games.

Report.

Win.

Again, you earn an entry for every report you submit, so play and play and play as you are able.

This week’s updates occurred almost entirely in the Errata section. The whole document has been re-formatted for clarity, and nearly every single codex received some specific attention.

Highlights from Errata (we are actively looking for a better name for this book. All suggestions are welcome):

- Upgrades (wargear and skills) have been included in this book as well to facilitate list-building ease.

- Daemon players rejoice. You have a very cool new mechanism for generating gifts/mutations from the chaotic pantheon.

- Tau. There’s a lot of stuff here, I must confess, that I don’t understand. I’m told you will love it.

- Wolves and Orks also got some very interesting attention.

Highlights from Rules:

- The Overwatch modifiers have been clarified as well as the mechanism for ending the game after turn four (I hope this is more clear, anyway).

- The “special weapon” restriction has been unceremoniously dumped, though the 2 Heavy Weapons per team still applies.

More as the week marches onward -much, much more. Again, be sure to download v2.4 as soon as you are able!

Killzone: Giveaway Winner (#1)

2011-12-09T19:29:00.000-06:00

Thank you to everyone who submitted a mission report or more. Your insight, enthusiasm, and general experimentation have been incredibly valuable to us. Thank you.

As a token of our gratitude to all those who entered, we would like to offer you… well… tokens. Everyone who entered a report will receive a complete set of Special Operations: Killzone tokens, very similar to the ones you see below (though the updated version has yet to arrive on my desk). We hope these will help you keep your powder dry, and all that.

As for the actual drawing…

Congratulations Son of Dorn! The Stormraven is yours (by the way, check out SoD's site Most Perturbatory).

I will be sending an email soon with an address request so that each of you may receive your loot in a timely manner.

If you missed this opportunity, never fear. The next round of this lovely giveaway raffle begins. right. now. All are welcome and the more you play, the more likely you are to win this:

Yes. That is a full-sized 6x4 Zuzzy textured mat. It is yours if you want it. Here’s what you need to do:

Download the v2.3 of Rules andErrata.

Play games.

Report.

Win.

It is that simple, and it just got even more so. With the very kind and very helpful abilities of one JustinM, we have a much easier way for you to submit your reports. Simply click here and fill out the form. Or, you can click at the white Killzone logo under “Mission Report Form” link to the right.

Ah, technology.

Here’s a peek at the improvements and revisions that you will find in the latest version:

-the much maligned Priority roll (and all it’s attendant baggage) has been moved to the “alternatively” section and is no longer a part of the standard game. To put it plainly, this created some serious issues when one player essentially fangled two entire turns with little to no response. We have not abandoned it entirely, however, and you can expect to see this idea return in interesting ways in the reasonably near future. For now, for the official game, it has been sidelined.

-Themes have been reworked slightly. The costing we tried to apply tended only to complicate matters and did not, at the end of the day, “fix” fundamental issues with GW costing (I’m looking at you Chaos Terminators with your twin-linked bolters). We have opted instead for a “In for a penny. In for a pound” approach, so that if you would like to build a themed list, it must be entirely beholden to said theme. Again, this is designed to mitigate list abuses, while still leaving the door open for those who would like to play the fluff-tastic experience.

-NIGHT FIGHT. We have had quite a few questions about why this was not in the game, as such. Surely, Special Operations should happen at least sometimes in the dark. Well, now your mission can and will. You asked. We have answered.

-Reserves now work a bit more reasonably. The limited range to enemy models has been reduced significantly, but a model “blocked” in this capacity simply returns to reserves and will try to entre again the next turn –which seems fair enough to us.

Those are the big four, so to speak, but please be sure to download the whole kit and have a gander for yourself –Errata as well.

Killzone: Giveaway (reminder)

2011-12-07T20:57:00.000-06:00

Submit!

Here’s a thought: I will send you a Stormraven –new in the box, wrapped, and delivered to your doorstep.

I agree. That sounds awesome.

All you have to do is play a game of Special Operations: Killzone (or more if you like) and send me a report about the experience. Every submission counts, so the more you play/report the more likely I will send you that beautiful and free Stromraven. For a few more details, click here.

Friday evening (Dec 9), I will announce the winner of our first round for this month-long giveaway glut.

We have had some extraordinarily valuable input thus far and are knee-deep in preparation for v2.3 update that will appear for free download on Friday.

We are rounding out a few rough edges, and I sincerely believe that you will like what you find there …but now is not the time to discuss all that. Stay tuned.

In the mean time, keep playing Killzone and keep sending those mission reports.

On Friday, we will also announce the next glorious giveaway prize (drawn on Friday, December 16th), so if you missed this round… well… all you need to do is download the updated Rules and Errata and get playing.

See you Friday. And good luck.

Killzone: Giveaway

2011-12-03T13:27:00.002-06:00

Just a reminder: to all those interested in a very good chance for a free Stormraven (sent directly to your doorstep), you must get stuck into the first round of December Killzone giveaways. I promise you have never had an easier path to a free Stormraven.

The drawing will be this Friday, December 9.

To enter, you need only play a game, fill out a short report (below), and send it to me. You earn one entry for each report and there is no limit! So play. Report. Win.

Nonstandard 40K should always be this rewarding.

Check out the latest Killzone v2:Rulebook and Errata, then get clean on it.

Also on December 9, I will announce the big prize for the next giveaway. Indeed. If you missed this opportunity, there will be another prize given away on Friday, December 16 (just be sure to get the latest and greatest free download first). As before, more entries equals more chances to win.

We intend to keep this up until the cows come home –or the new year, whichever.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS: KILLZONE GIVEAWAY

2011-11-29T13:58:00.002-06:00

Because the course of world domination never did run smoothly, we are holding a giveaway to help your global conquest along.

As you may know, Killzone v2 has just been re-released after months in the laboratory. In our quest for unflinching perfection (cough cough), we want to put the system through the public ringer well in advance of our modest splash at AdeptiCon 2012 -which will be glorious, no doubt. We want to find out sooner rather than later all those quirky little twists of the game that, after months of working, our bloodshot eyes can no longer see.

This is where you come in to the picture.

We are not asking you to break the game, mind you. It is already broken. We have done this quite ably on our own to the standard 40K game; however, we want to hear about your Special Operations exploits to learn if there is, in fact, a difference to the way we imagined the game would work in the real world, to the way it actually works. This is, I am reliably told, how one improves.

THE GIVEAWAY:

To sweeten the deal, we are giving away a ton of stuff. There will be three grand (perhaps more) prizes given away in total over the course of December, with additional prizes also awarded as we are able. After each drawing, we will announce the prize for the next drawing.

The FIRST GIVEAWAY will be announced Friday, December 9, which is a little over one week from now. The winner will be selected at random from all the entries, and that lucky sod will get this:

A new in the box Stormraven (–what better vehicle to deliver and to extract your Special Operations team from the field). As mentioned, there will also be additional prizes as we are able.

We will send these to you no matter where on our green sphere you live.

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Play Special Operations: Killzone – a lot.

2. After each game, write a report following the format below. You can grab the image below if you like or download a copy at the right under "Special Operations: Mission Report"***.

3. Send me your completed report(s). You can find my email over there --> You earn one entry in the giveaway drawing for every report that you submit, so the more you play, the greater chance you have of winning great swag.

PLEASE BE SURE TO ADD YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS –so that I know both who you are and how to contact you.

THE SKINNY:

We intend to use this feedback to strengthen the overall game and to finalize this version of the Killzone experience. For that reason, we have dedicated the entire month of December to this feedback process.

Beginning this coming Friday, December 2, we will be updating the Special Operations: Killzone Rulebook and/or Errata, and we will continue to do so every Friday for the month as necessary.

After that, this year’s version of Killzone will be set in stone and the final, final rules will be published Friday, December 30.

So, be sure to check out the most current release each week, and play play play play play.

Updates you will find beginning this week:

- the run mechanism has been tamed slightly and brought in to line with other bonus movements. This is designed to prevent models from scooting around the table a bit too wildly.

- the deployment zones have been tightened so that teams have a bit more room to maneuver before closing for the gory parts.

- the Primary Mission “Messenger” has been binned in favor of a more workable encounter.

It’s not groundbreaking, but each piece in this puzzle helps make (we believe) the game something closer to bullet proof – which is a worthy goal if ever I have known one.

*** I cannot get this to work. Would anyone be able to briefly inform an utter dolt (me) how to create a link that lets someone download a pdf just by clicking? I am at a loss.

Special Operations: Killzone v2

2011-11-25T19:02:00.001-06:00

I am extremely pleased to announce that Special Operations: Killzone v2 is up and running. You can find the downloads on the Codex Project's site. Big Jim has left up all the different versions as source material and generally for those interested; however, I should stress that the newest iterations -and specifically the beta for those that will be used at AdeptiCon this year- are listed as Killzone v2.

We have spent some considerable time updating some basic rules mechanisms, tinkering with upgrades, re-inventing basic game mechanics like missions and the endgame, and much more. On top of that, we have brought the new codexes (?) into the Errata and tried our very best to close loopholes in the old.

Here is the most cursory rundown of what you can expect:

-Overwatch works better now. Any weapon excepting Pistols can use it, and we have worked out the mechanism for its relation to priority rolls, etc.

-Pistols may now engage in Defensive Fire, which again sows up a tricky situation created by priority.

-Model caps. No model may exceed 80 points total.

-the costs of Themes has been reworked.

-same for Weapon and Skill upgrades. Weapon upgrades, in particular, has gone through a very interesting revision process.

-we have scrapped the cumbersome mission generation mechanism (and tome) for a method that borrows heavily from a variety of sources. Special Operations Groups now generate a Primary Mission (shared by both players) and both a Secondary and Tertiary Mission (kept secret). These have added a really quite cool dynamic and strategic complexity to our test games.

-The above Mission generation system also folds nicely into the new endgame. You no longer need worry about your team disintegrating old-Necron-style, but instead must keep your eye on the turns as they tick by. No mission can end before six turns, nor last more than 12; however the precise moment between those two depends on the objectives in game.

-the Cards are also being reworked as I type, and you can expect to see more of that here soon.

Well. That's just the surface area that I have covered here. I distinctly encourage you to drop in and have a go.

Of course, we are not about to say that this is perfect. In fact, we realize that it needs to be put through the public ringer quite vigorously. As ever with a project like this, I am (we have been) entirely too close to it for entirely too long. Inevitably, I am blind to something that will leap off the page to a pair of fresh eyes. To that end, I will be announcing a brand new competition and giveaway on Monday. So stay tuned for your opportunity not only to participate in Killzone glory, but also to secure a fine bit of swag.

Glorious.

Necrons: Test Model

2011-11-21T14:02:00.001-06:00

Bandwagon. Ho!

(… you didn’t think I was going to miss out on this, did you?)

You might already know this, but I really enjoy painting decaying metal of all manner and variation. I really do not understand it myself, but I find the techniques relatively intuitive and the results quite rewarding –for me anyway. Check out the recipe tag at right to see what I mean. At least half the entries are metallic.

So, with the Necrons new release the choice seemed almost predestined -60 million year old metal monstrosities in a breadth of shapes and sizes? Just try to keep me away. And thus, I always suspected that I would at least dabble with a model or two, for sport if nothing else.

I did not, however, expect to like quite so many of the new models quite so much as I do. The Lychguard are superlative, Deathmarks deviously cool, and Immortals, well, plastic. I am smitten. Moreover, I am tremendously excited for those yet to be brought to the table: Tomb Blades, new Wraiths, I’m looking at you.

For this model, I took my inspiration from a palette that I spotted two years ago at AdeptiCon (2010 shown above). I have no idea to whom the tank belongs (sincerest apologies on that end), but remember the colors distinctly from the team tournament on Saturday. Any help, of course, would be appreciated. Credit where credit is due and all that.

Well. I have always wanted to work with a similar breadth of cool greys and blues contrasted with rusted oranges and rich browns.

That was my basic premise with this fellow. I had a notion that the elite classes for this dynasty would have encased themselves in lustrous white armor to symbolize the purest strands of their nobility and panache, while the humbler classes would be left with increasingly metallic sarcophagi as one moved down the social strata. Of course, all that was 60 million years ago, and nobody looks exactly “good” these days.

He remains a WIP but... so far so good.

You are unlikely to know that I already own a sparse and haphazard, but otherwise fully functioning, Necron Army. I first assembled a few units in 2004, but then built a force properly as an NPC-type army for a campaign that Pitmann and I ran in 2006. They have sat on the shelf since then.

More on that initial experience, and some more impressions of the new codex next time.

Have I played a battle with my haphazard old army?

Why yes, I have.

Was victory mine?

First Impressions: Wreck Age

2011-11-18T12:21:00.002-06:00

Earlier this year at AdeptiCon (which feels like a very long time ago indeed), I met a fellow named Anton who was very helpful in his response to and participation in the Special Operations bonanza. At that time, he mentioned most casually that he was in the process of developing an entirely new skirmish game and wondered if I would be interested in having a peek as it all developed.

I am extremely pleased to introduce: Wreck Age.

You can find the beta here, and the kickstarter here. I recommend a proper ogle at that artwork. This is not just your standard startup. This is for real.

Although still in its relative infancy, the “universe” that Anton and his team have created is really quite cool, with a dose of sci-fi and Wild West with Mad Max and other notable inspirations thrown in for good mix.

There’s plenty of room to explore yet, and I am particularly looking forward to the ARHK (autonomous region of Hong Kong) faction as it comes together.

Take a look again at some of these concept sketches.

Here are those links again:

Wreck Age

Kicksarter

I had the opportunity last weekend to play through the beta a few times and found the explicit mixture of tabletop skirmish and RPG really compelling. Though I’ve not really been into RPG since junior high school (roughly age 12 for those outside the U.S.), I found this game a very gentle path between what might otherwise seem exclusive possibilities. This was really quite refreshing in my mind.

Moreover, the game itself is simple and abstract enough by design, that we felt able to play rather quickly. There is plenty of room to add complexity as you desire (to start, we instinctively limited some modifiers for clarity), but the open nature of that tabletop skirmish RPG dynamic that I mentioned above serves amicable players really quite well. There’s room for the players to explore the game itself, which I find one of the most simple and rewarding aspects of our fine hobby.

Oh, and combat is brutal. There isn’t any of this “my dood got hit in the face with an explosive round but shook it off with his 2+ aura of hiding.” Not at all.

Take a look. If, like me, you have been leaning toward the skirmish game, I think you will be pleased with what you find.

Top Ten Models... according to me: #3 The Baneblade

2011-11-16T12:07:00.002-06:00

Perhaps you thought I had forgotten about the series…

As with the Venerable Dreadnought kit from last time, I suspect that this model may seem a bit chunky and stagnant to be considered alongside the aesthetic concerns I have developed in earlier iterations of the series. And to be sure, there are at least as many visceral reasons as formal design elements that might describe why he has earned such a high spot on the charts.

Let’s think about those for a moment. There are three basic elements to my decision here:

1. This kit is astounding. It is beautiful and powerful and massive and detailed and thorough and rich with possibility –both for the tank and for the “extra” elements that accompany the beast. The 41^st millennium positively teems with weight and violence in this design. and yes. the model is quite expensive and truly tangential to the actual game of 40K (at best); however, I do not subscribe for a moment to those who might argue that the kit was a money-grab on the part of GW’s designers and corporate overlords. That is a rather juvenile assertion in my opinion, one both created and sustained by the scores of vapid but vocal malcontents here on the internet. To those adolescents I challenge you to name one multinational company that does not want, on some level, to earn money; name one hobby company that is creating anything comparable to this kit. Categorically, none. This model, therefore, sets a profound bar, which leads me directly to points 2 and 3…

2. Apart from the overflowing kit itself, the Baneblade is frivolity and ambition bound snuggly into one formidable package. It’s lovely. I have played only a handful of Apocalypse games and found the experience a little flat compared to my initial enthusiasm. Something may have been slightly wrong with the scale and the gameplay, but something was also much more wrong with one of the players –an otherwise pleasant young fellow who misguidedly felt that “winning” was the point. It’s a shame really, as I feel quite strongly that the Apocalypse dynamic is compelling for exactly the opposite reason: you are breaking the game and therefore must play for the love. No single model, in my opinion, embodies the “for the love” mentality than this monster. The Baneblade, by conscious design, is reserved for those games when you really want to do something weird and wonderful with the grand hobby experience. That’s just brilliant. (as an aside, for my last effort, I hadn’t yet see the article, but I fully intend to take another look at Warhammer 39,999’s smashing ideas on how to clean up a Apocalypse game for the next run… who knows when).

3. Compulsion. This single model reminds me of why I got into the hobby in the first place. As mentioned, he has only ever seen the tabletop on a handful of occasions, but he is nevertheless one of my favorite models. When I purchased this Baneblade, I had no notion of when I would build him, why, nor what army he might join. I simply felt that familiar and utterly inescapable compulsion: buy, build, paint… the details will work themselves out (and so I did, and so they did as well).

He ended up a proud and malignant member of my Arrugginiti –the rusted crowd of Nurgle CSM that I tinker with from time to time. His first game out, he was blown up turn one, but don’t let that fool you. It was a brief but glorious moment.

Full disclosure: I also considered the plastic Giant for this slot as much on the merit of the idea and execution as on the model itself. In particular, the Giant seems to my mind GW’s first swing at massive plastic builds with oodles of quirky extras and possibilities. I loved that model and vividly remember the sensation of being distinctly floored when it first came out. The pose is great. The additional material is superlative… just all over the place (the screaming villager in particular has found his way into my Blood Bowl collection as a converted apothecary); however, it was summarily disqualified based on the most important criteria of this list …according to me: I do not own one. Sure, I have painted a Giant, but that was for a friend and he was never mine as such. Alas.

Also: because I referenced the extras from both the Baneblade and the Giant kit, I thought that I should drop an old photo or two as reference. Until next time...

Dreadfleet: First Impressions (2)

2011-11-14T12:56:00.004-06:00

The Minis:

When I first saw the press releases for this game, I had difficulty grasping the scale of the ships. With my greedy mitts on the matter, I think GW nailed it. Too small would have made the game feel oddly situated and distant (I struggle with Epic for this reason); too large might have made the ships feel flamboyant and cumbersome. For my money, the GW team have found the perfect middle ground.

And the models themselves are unexpectedly beautiful.

Unfortunately, I do not have clear photos of the ships. My birthday is not until the end of the month; however, before our big game some weeks ago now, Chris sent over his scenery. He was quite pressed in his struggle to finish all of the ships before the night in question and I was quite happy to oblige.

As such, this scenery happily lives in Chris’s collection, and I was able to indulge a very rare “dry run” on a project like this. Indeed. This also afforded me the opportunity to photograph all this glorious scenery at my leisure before the big game (hence many of the gameplay images from last post are, admittedly, rather rough). For the most part, I followed the advice offered in White Dwarf, but amplified certain colors and generally tinkered here/there. Once I have my own copy, I will post a step-by-step if there is interest out there…

In the mean time, the scenery makes the game in my opinion. The ships are superb (see last post for a brief digression/discussion of the design aesthetic), but I really admire these scenic sculpts. They were a breeze to work up to a decent standard, and I cannot help but feel that the designers were thinking about how paint lands on plastic throughout the composition thereof (though I have no practical experience, I would not say the same for the ships. Apparently, they are a mare to paint and demand some considerable sub-assembly). We shall see. These islands and wrecks and general flotsam detritus are splendid; as importantly, a few basic techniques and a wash or two sort the matter. Unlike standard figures, true drybrushing works wonderfully, as the chalky effect natural to the process only helps amplify the “rocky” appearance of the stone itself. Win. This makes decent work extremely fast and extremely easy. Win again.

Because I am me, I have already been tinkering with the idea of picking up a few extra boats somehow (bitz? Ebay? can you hear me?), converting them, and drafting a revised fleet or somesuch. In such an effort, I would likely tone down some of the wild, hyperbolic drama in favor of good old fashioned swashbuckling mayhem (take, for example, the Swordfish with a rudder and proper keel modeled for good measure. Scramble up a revised statistic card and Bob is your proverbial uncle).

The Cost:

As I will be receiving the game in celebration of, and for the mere coincidence of, several… cough… decades… cough… of my existence, I can safely say the game is worth the money. heyo.

I will also say that if I was not to be gifted the game reasonably soon, I would pop out a get one on my own gumption. It’s not cheap, but you get plenty back for the pain. Moreover, my impression is that it will be an ideal go-to game on those nights when rum is in the air.

Ahoy.

++QUICK FAVOR ALERT: my lovely wife is in the process of completing her master's degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. For the linguistics part of her thesis, she is required to collect data on the perception of non-standard practices. She has created a very short, entirely anonymous questionnaire (open to all) to gather said research. If you are free, easy, and inclined, please click here and answer candidly to help her compile the data. The questions are designed to open a discussion on the perception of gender, race, and occupation within various non-standard practices. Again. Totally anonymous. All are welcome (native speakers or otherwise). The more data the better. You have my thanks in advance. Cheers!!!++

more dreadfleet:

Dreadfleet: First Impressions (1)

2011-11-09T19:23:00.002-06:00

“First Impressions” has become a rather accidental series here on A Gentleman’s Ones, which I suppose is a symptom of my recent interest in several systems beyond (or at least adjacent to) my usual 40K interests. It began with Kings of War, has continued with Warmachine, and this third installment has lead me to believe that I should politely proceed in a similar vein.

And so I intend to push forward in the same spirit and style that inspired the previous posts (namely, a simple discussion of four basic elements: the game dynamic, the universe, the minis, and the cost). As before, I intend to describe my explicitly subjective experience fairly, and with good manners.

So, last Saturday night I was able to sprint out to the suburbs for deep, fresh, and briny breath of gaming air. Thank you, Chris, for hosting a spirited and eventful evening.

I have read some genuinely scathing reviews of Dreadfleet here on the internets. I have read a few glowing reports. I am really quite pleased and relieved to say that my impressions are much more of the latter than the former, but not obnoxiously so.

In sum, I had a blindingly good time playing this new game. I used the word “relieved” above because, by happy accident, I recently discovered that I will be gifted a lovely new copy of Dreadfleet for my birthday later this month. Given that I know what I know, I will admit there were several moments last night when I sighed, inwardly, “thank god it doesn’t suck” -quite the contrary in fact. I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed an entirely brand new game so thoroughly. Here’s why:

[One note: Please accept my sincerest apologies for the shocking state of the photos of actual gameplay. While the scenery shots are just fine (and offered the first real reason to shoot imagery with the stock blue background that came with my little box), the photos from the actual games are brutal. Alas, we must content ourselves with the dreadful (no pun) quality of these photos that I took the other night in a basement with my phone. It is a shame that the photos fail to show the brilliant work Chris put into the ships. As for the other scenery… more on that next time.]

The Game Dynamic:

In roughly six hours, we played three solid games -two of which included the entire fleet on either side of the exchange. In my opinion, that is a lot of gaming for reasonably little effort. The timeline here includes ample wastage during which we chattered like school girls about the Necrons, discussed in sophisticated (perhaps even refined) tones the Necrons, moaned about “the company,” lauded “the company,” complained about it some more, and generally enjoyed ourselves tremendously. Oh, and we all learned the game from the boards inward, as only one member of the collective (nine individuals over the course of the evening) had anything that might approach “experience” with the game in question. The second-most experienced individual had exactly one game under his belt.

That’s not a bad bit of gaming glory for a single evening really.

So. With a modest bit of collaboration, Dreadfleet seems a quick learner. I really enjoy the strategic opportunities of the I-go-you-go sub-phases in each turn, and both movement and combat not only seem amply suggestive of the things they are meant to represent but also maintain a level of abstraction that keeps the game from running aground (ahoy) with cumbersome rules.

(Digression) -The Universe:

More importantly, the game is impressively evocative. I have absolutely no register on the fluff, yet from our first learner scenario (a rescue and break mission) I was caught in the personality both of the individual models and the collective forces.

To be fair, some of it feels a little over the top. I’m not complaining about the skulls here. In this instance, I quite like the now standard proliferation thereof. No, I am thinking more about the practical need to make the ships readily distinguishable and representative of their unique narrative and/or personality. That is a tricky challenge for designers, I am certain. At times, the need to make each model so much more than simply a ship also requires a potentially grand bit of exaggeration that can be distracting if one spends too much time staring too closely (Araby ship).

And yet, to be even fairer to this fairness digression, how about that Skaven ship, eh? That’s just an absolute blinder. It’s just stunningly vile …and I love it. Then there’s the undead floaty ship? Brilliant.

And yet, there’s a slightly sad note in that each ship represents the unique and lonesome type for its race. I, for one, would love to build an entire fleet of vampire ships… but that would be another game. So we are left to enjoy the hodgepodge fleet of improbably aligned individual ships (which brings to mind –why on earth should desiccated mummies think they aught to voyage asea?) and take this monster at its own impressive value.

(End Digression, and back to) –The Game Dynamic:

Perhaps as a suitable transition from this digression, it would behoove me to state that the game is positively oozing drama. The ships are characterful, and the damage card dynamic is so fraught with hazard that it should curb any of the average captain’s impulses to take the game (or himself for that matter) too seriously. In this particular photo, you can see the Swordfish failing to achieve its goal on the final gasp of the final turn by. just. one. inch. Oh, the sound of the cheering at that roll. Glorious. Even the scurvied ends of that equation were pleased enough to that the game just felt fulfilling, bugger the outcome.

Dreadfleet is a lighthearted, whimsical game, and demands that one approach it thus.

There are some loose ends. The otherwise beautiful cloth table needs to be nailed down somehow. Likewise, we did have some modest trouble keeping track of a few of what, at times, seemed to be extraneous baggage in the game mechanic (a quirky ongoing Fate effect, and the odd encumbrance or two) which was perhaps added with an eye on more professionally-orientated gamer. I suspect that these details would become reflexive once we learned the game properly, but the constantly shifting wind, as an example, seemed to burden the game slightly only for the sake of it. As it turns out, we demonstrated an intuitive skill at simply ignoring that wind anyway.

I have seen elsewhere the Fate card mechanism criticized quite forcefully. While I do not feel harshly on this matter, we were all left a little flat in game number two when a disproportionately invasive card was drawn at the beginning of a late turn …and summarily ended the game by sinking the Elven ship. Quite rude, really.

Thankfully the rest of the game was dramatic enough to thwart such a crass attempt at stifling our inexperienced enthusiasm, and the final game brought us right back apace with drama, cinematic volleys, and general mayhem.

That said, I might have a nose through that Fate deck when it comes to my possession and have a proper think about what belongs and what should be left aside. At the very least, I expect to “house rule” that mechanism at my abode, and halve or otherwise limit the number of Fate drawn in any one turn. Simple problems have simple solutions.

Next time, I intend to summarize my impressions while keeping one eye on the miniatures and the relative cost of the game as well.

See you then.

Onorevoli: retired

2011-11-07T10:25:00.006-06:00

A week or so back, the Right and Honorable Referee Pitmann stopped in for an evening of entirely-too-rare gaming; we have not actually had such an opportunity to get to it since early summer, late spring. Scandalous.

I often feel that we are continually shaking off the rust in our engagements, which has become our almost rote excuse for casting caution to the wind and simply throwing down in a grand, smash-mouth encounter. For this evening, we played 2300 points, mostly because we have the models and want to use them on the odd night that we have the chance to do so. We set up across our table, dense with terrain. The photos accompanying this post should illuminate some particular moments of that engagement.

Well, in the intervening months, it appears that Pitmann has been stockpiling his chaotic malevolence (waste not, want not).

He tabled me in four turns.

Which leads me to the real meat of this post: I learned that my beloved Onorevoli are not really my army, and I intend to retire them for good.

[a brief history of their place on this blog]

The Onorevoli were born from my desire to imagine SM boarding parties, scout/terminator heavy force, radical Librarians, and from my desire to shun 3+ marines. That part worked out great. Modeling the army was tremendous fun, and I am still quite enamored with their appearance (which may seem immodest, but is true nonetheless).

But I cannot play this army… not very well at least.

Of course, this is not meant as a slight to Ref P’s abilities. He beat me because he is awesome at the game, not because of anything I do, did. Nevertheless, I feel that I am putting the cart before the horse with this army, and that should be fixed moving forward.

I have read with interest a broad spectrum of advice on the internet here (there is, admittedly, a glut of such), and each article about army selection always insists on two key elements when choosing the faction you want to play: personal appeal and play style. I have the personal appeal bit nailed, but I just cannot make the army do what I want it to do (and by this I don’t just mean win).

My Scouts always seem inches from where they might help, and are too fragile to survive those moments when they are not precisely where they should be. My Terminators cannot withstand my truly shocking ability to roll 1s, but also seem too blunt a club for my most common enemy –Berzerkers. I suck at Dreads. I love the aesthetics and the fluff, but I have no ideas what to do with them on the table: they aren’t really a vehicle and can’t be treated like infantry. I am at a loss. Don’t get me started about the Librarians. Love them, but I have the rather alarming habit of getting them killed in horrible, horrible ways.

Pitmann has clearly found his with his beloved Iron Warriors. He has played this army, and only this army, for over 10 years now. For a man whose codex is meant to be woefully out of date, he kicks me around the table well enough. Why shouldn’t I find such a comfortable niche?

So whither shall I wander?

I still have my Arrugginiti, of course, and I have no intention of consigning them to abandonment. They are, however, CSM and this would become a little tedious as Pitmann's Iron Warriors are my almost exclusive opponent.

Do I return to the Imperial Guard? I have a half-finished collection of Valhallans that might like to see the light of day. Do I embrace another elite force? I have been making slow but steady progress on my interpretation of the Grey Knights since the spring. Dark Eldar are always tempting, but I am concerned that this is a “pro’s” army, which clearly I am not. Still, they are sexy. Necrons-a-go-go? [scratches chin].

The simple and honest answer is that I haven’t the foggiest notion of where I will wander, only that the mighty Onorevoli have been shelved for the foreseeable future.

May the Emperor protect them.

Killzone: AdeptiCon 2012

2011-11-02T10:47:00.000-05:00

Last year was my first bash at creating, situating, running, and otherwise plunging headfirst into the demanding world of event organization.

I learned a lot.

I did not, however, learn enough to prevent me from jumping once more the deep end …and so I have. As many of you will know by now, things don’t get done in halves round here. So, as you ogle an assortment of photos from last year, I present you with a modest list of what you can expect from Special Operations: Killzone at AdpetiCon 2012:

-a newly revised and updated Special Operations: Killzone Rules. These revisions and updates improve on the basis of the Killzone dynamic, but also account for the extremely modest hiccups we encountered during our maiden endeavor last year, as well as bring all the new codexes into the fold. The revised ruleset will be available quite soon (for free download) and include revisions to: wargear, skills, overwatch, team selection, themes, deployment, mission points, victory conditions, and much, much more. We have worked very hard to hone the dynamic, and I am quite proud of where we are.

-an entirely new card system that includes deployment options, primary missions, secondary missions, and the wildly cinematic fate dynamic.

-10 (yes ten) brand new 3’x3’ custom tables. These are going to make last year’s effort look pedestrian by comparison. Again, Tall Paul and I have learned a tremendous amount about basic construction techniques and design. Moreover, Vlad and Joe are going to be on hand from a much earlier moment to make sure that every ounce of our ambition is realized on the table top. That means 30 feet of contiguous playing space at a heretofore unrealized level of awesome. Dare I say it… glorious.

-each entrant will fight at minimum of 4 missions.

-each mission will be 1v1 (as opposed to the ad hoc Special Operations groups necessitated by the limited spaces last year), and will feature a unique tactical, strategic opportunity to reduce the opposing Special Operations Group to dithering plebbishness (not an actual word).

-prize support.

-so. much. more.

AdpetiCon registration is up and running. Slots are filling up at an astonishing rate (faster, in fact, than you can say “wow, that was fast.” Just ask Joe). You have exactly three opportunities to participate in Killzone Glory: the sequel. Here are the times and links you need to make it so:

Friday10:00-3:00

Friday 5:00-10:00

Sunday 11:30-4:30

It’s all happening once more. I am already nearly giddy with excitement.

You will be hearing a great deal more about this as the weeks turn to months turn to AdpetiCon.

Glorious.

"Re: Your Brains"

2011-10-30T13:06:00.002-05:00

" Re: Your Brains "

Heya Tom, it's Bob from the office down the hall.
Good to see you buddy, how've you been?
Things have been okay for me except that I'm a zombie now.
I really wish you'd let us in.
I think I speak for all of us when I say I understand why you folks might hesitate to submit to our demand.
But here's an FYI: you're all gonna die screaming.

All we want to do is eat your brains.
We're not unreasonable. I mean, no one's gonna eat your eyes.
All we want to do is eat your brains.
We're at an impasse here -maybe we should compromise:
if you open up the door, we'll all come inside and eat your brains.

I don't want to nitpick, Tom, but is this really your plan?
-spend your whole life locked inside a mall?
Maybe that's okay for now but someday you'll be out of food and guns,
and then you'll have to make the call.
I'm not surprised to see you haven't thought it through enough.
You never had the head for all that bigger picture stuff,
But Tom, that's what I do and I plan on eating you
slowly.

[chorus]

I'd like to help you, Tom, in any way I can.
I sure appreciate the way you're working with me.
I'm not a monster Tom ...well, technically I am.
I guess I am.

I've got another meeting Tom, maybe we could wrap it up.
I know we'll get to common ground somehow
-meanwhile I'll report back to my colleagues who were chewing on the doors-
I guess we'll table this for now.
I'm glad to see you take constructive criticism well.
Thank you for your time I know we're all busy as hell.
And we'll put this thing to bed ...when I bash your head
open.

[chorus]

Jonathan Coulton "Re: Your Brains"

Happy Halloween, one and all. Be safe out there.

For the Love: The Emperor

2011-10-26T12:39:00.000-05:00

…yes. well. Not that Emperor.

I believe this fine figure is meant to be the Emperor Claudius, whose legendary frailty might begin at least to account for the bent knee, though one might simply attribute this to a bend of another kind entirely; I see, for example, some very distinct “Carry On” references in his facial caricature. ohhh. errr. Of course, that might just be me.

No matter. He is a wonderful sculpt and, a tremendously expressive character. To my mind, he is (is/was?) meant to be a Senator or other noble personage responsible for the Cohort that I never. quite. pulled. together.

Not yet, at least.

I painted this fellow after my first AdeptiCon 2010 –over a year and a half ago. I came away from that initial AdeptiCon experience wildly energized (also freshly back in the States after two years in, well, Rome) and strongly motivated to create a grand, ambitious Roman project. I had no ruleset in mind. I have yet to find any genuine use for the first 20 legionnaires that I painted at the same time. They are just sitting there.

This sad turn of events places the miniature firmly in the “painted for the love” shelf, but I still have very, very high hopes that this will change in the reasonably near future. The aforementioned ruleset might help me find direction; certainly, a list would at least point me toward a tangible goal.

Until then, I have 25 more legionnaires assembled and based… waiting… alongside some very exciting Celtic mercenaries or conscripts or whathaveyou. We shall see.

Thanks again Pappa JJ.

Blood Bowl: FF Fields

2011-10-23T13:50:00.000-05:00

A while back, I mentioned that FrozenJoe and Skarvald the Vlad-faced were starting up an extremely ambitious Blood Bowl league. In my excitement for that league, I positively devoured the internet in search of all thing bowl-shaped and blooded.

Lo.

This field is the very fine work of Alex (oppure Alessandro se vuoi), whom you can find over at FF Fields. His work is stunning, and he's an all-round fine fellow -really, genuinely quite pleasant. The goods arrived in a timely manner from a decent way around the planet, and I really could not be happier with the product. Moreover, I encourage you to take a long, hard look at the options for customization. Tremendous.

The man. The work. Epic.

Alas, after my initial enthusiasm, my participation in said league has been wildly hamstrung by the sale of our car, the (staggeringly wip) purchase of a new house, and the standard but uncompromising burden of raising two boys under two. Oh, and I have a job. The wicked combination above has made it very difficult for me to travel out to the suburbs for a proper romp.

Still, the pitch is ready, and the Geddy Fooks are keen.

... and patient. They'll get theirs.

Warmachine: First Impressions (3)

2011-10-20T10:17:00.044-05:00

The Miniatures:

The figures are generally quite stunning. A significant number of sculpts are dynamic and compelling, Even more are undeniably beautiful. just beautiful. I could not tell you why exactly, but I adore the Gun Mages and have contemplated Cygnar on their merit alone. Unlikely, I admit, but then there is a strong chance that they will find space in my “for the love” category all the same. A scroll through the PP website is often an exercise in shocking waves of “ohh shiny” compulsion, which must be wrestled with and mastered.

It's alarming.

There are, of course, some notable exceptions to the above.

Here is the most obvious example from Menoth that catches me flatfooted every time I see him: these grenade fellas are pretty mashed. Put plainly, the sculpt is not entirely inspired nor equivalent to the other tremendous examples from the range. More's the pity.

Quite a few other examples are a mess to put together. I am thinking specifically of either those that are delicate but not cast in one-piece (skeleton pirates) so their assembly requires faith in the thinnest of metal connections, or those that are hopelessly top-heavy (just about all metal jacks), which requires a similar kind of faith in fragility. The models practically scream, break me into many pieces, in shrill lifeless voices.

Moreover, I have moaned about this already, but PP plastic isn’t plastic, and requires that understanding to use properly. My first efforts with the stuff were calamitous, though that has improved since. Still, the stuff is odd to work with and a mare to clean.

Having said that, the PP plastic improves demonstrably upon some of the top-heavy and delicate models mentioned above. I prefer it to metal and positively leapt at these Bastions the moment I saw they were plastic.

...but again, ambivalence.

Two of the Bastions that came in this PP plastic kit were mangled beyond hope or reason ...so I will only field three instead.

[in different circumstances, the above would likely make the average GW detractor positively spray the internet with bile and spleen. I’m not so bothered. Perhaps my standards are conditioned to be low. Still, I will take GW real plastic (and even finecast, with which I am lucky enough to yet have any problems) most days of the week.]

The Cost:

Direct comparison is difficult for me because I have established my hobby limits and stick to them. From what I can tell, it’s a wash; I would not start Warmachine under the misguided notion that one might “save” money. In my opinion, that is quite improbable reasoning, if not just silly. I will say this, if one is compelled to spend more than he/she is able in any given month, then the problem is with that individual’s sense of self-control, and not with the product he/she buys and, in the end, I see every ounce of the “ooh shiny” compulsion in the Warmaworld as I do elsewhere.

I feel quite strongly that the previous posts and the above combine splendidly to a net positive, even though the un-shuttered glare might be pure torment on a personal level. I think we are currently spoiled for choices, both within any given system and/or range as well as across the different systems and/or ranges currently at our collective hobby disposal.

The sum of my opinion: Warmachine is a wondrous and compelling game, a decent but stuttering world, and a tremendous but human hobby space.

Oh to be burdened with such beauty.

Warmachine: First Impressions (2)

2011-10-17T10:17:00.001-05:00

The Universe:

I am hopelessly ambivalent here.

The Warmachine world is interesting, but I must confess that I am using that word in the same way that I sometimes use it to describe a meal when I am being polite. I like what they have done, but there are a few aspects of the fluff haven’t quite congealed for me and, thus far, the specific beauty of the models (which I will discuss next post) has superseded any interest in the world they are meant to inhabit. It's a strange sensation, to be more attracted to the models than to what they are designed to represent, but one that hasn't really been an obstacle as yet -which is a testament to the simple strength of the models themselves.

I should mention that I stumbled a bit on that word …“world” above. Instinctively, I have bristled that the Warma-universe resides upon a single planet; to be fair, I feel the same level of room-temperature affection for the Warhammer Fantasy world, which is perhaps a suitably accurate or legitimate comparison. I would suggest that, with the notable exception of the “Storm of Chaos Campaign,” I have felt for some time the same way about WFB as I do about Warma …that is, I enjoy the game most when working through rather than directly in the fluff (see: unconventional painting choices). The borders are just a little too solid and clear for my taste. I have been concerned that this was somehow too stringent an imaginative space; however, this concern has dissipated considerably as I have warmed to Warmachine. Instead, I have tried to let the skirmish-level nature of the game offer ample room in which to explore the surface of the world in very small, digestible chunks.

Now. I feel that certain archetypes have become almost compulsory in any contemporary fantasy/sci-fi creation (not just the one in question here): for example, lofty chivalrous ambition and radical religious zealotry, to name the obvious two. I recently heard Cygnar described (astutely, I think) as post WWII US apple-pie-do-gooders-in-the-sky. That seems a fairly solid source. Without doubt then, soviet Khador makes the most compelling counterpoint to the above. Throw in the aforementioned zealotry (Menoth), perhaps some undead (Cryx) and/or elves (don’t love them), and behold the fundamental form of the Warmaverse. This is not necessarily a criticism (let’s not forget that 40K began with the simple premise of fantasy knights in space), but rather a comment on inspiration.

And herein lies the point that I have only come to circuitously. Warmachine feels (and is, to be sure) younger than 40K. The world has some lovely bits of inspiration and a tremendous foundation, but the doesn’t all hang together in my opinion. Not yet, at least.

In sum, I enjoy the inspiration (even though it seems a bit rote at times), and admire the components that they are trying to hang together; however, I’m not yet convinced that it all does so seamlessly. Instead, quite a lot feels whimsical and indulgent (the cold war and pirates, for example), both great fun and solid ideas, but not entirely cohesive when sitting across the table from one another.

Please understand that the above commentary is merely designed to describe the difference between “like” and “love,” rather than act as a specific detraction.

My taste is my taste.

…which leads me to a point of praise. I really, genuinely enjoy that the grand narrative is ongoing –that the characters develop and continue in the fluff and in the game. Besides creating an elegant way to resolve problems within the game mechanism itself, this creates the sense that the players actually participate in a story that is mobile. It is a really refreshing way to break open new chapters, to move the game into a new dimension (quite literally).

And now for another dose of that ambivalence: Unfortunately, I am not sure that this dimension has been treated in a manner worth the opportunity.

I suppose that one of my largest concerns when entering into the Warmachine game has been my reflexive dissatisfaction with proscription. As I have stated previously, Kreoss will always be Kreoss, even when he is eKreoss (I remain undecided on the matter, but might argue that the entire “e” phenomenon is a symptom of the world’s restrictive nature rather than the game’s ability to imagine new frontiers). I still find this fact rather stunting, but also feel just as strongly that the game adequately rewards attention in its other fundamental attributes as a means of compensation.

Perhaps this will undermine all that I have said above, but in a game that requires so much imagination already, it is an easy task to circumvent the above with just a little bit more of the same.

Ambivalence.

See you next time for the final thoughts on this topic.

Warmachine: First Impressions (1)

2011-10-12T10:08:00.005-05:00

[roughly one million years ago, Marhsall Wilhelm kindly asked for my unbiased impressions of Warmachine... at last, those impressions:]

The Game Dynamic:

- perhaps I am alone here, but I often have difficulty visualizing a game (any game, mind you) from the sterile, abstract descriptions in the rulebook. On this end, Warmachine has been no exception. I had a nose through the rules and felt a bit baffled at the end of it all; however, after an extremely practical half-hour of demonstration with the faithful and instructive FrozenJoe, I felt that I had the basics absolutely sorted. I suppose that I simply needed to see the game happen, with some practical, visual guidance, for the abstract to become practical. Joe himself suggested that to properly learn the game, one should read the quickstart rules, start playing immediately, and put the big rulebook aside for when it matters some point down the road. Certainly, I would recommend Joe’s approach.

All this is to say, I think it indicative of a well-structured game that it function intuitively enough that a simple explanation and an example game or two should give the novice a basic ability to play the system. That’s what we’re here for after all. It is a testament to Warmachine that I was able to push through the fog of rules and on the tabletop so quickly once the matter was demonstrated clearly (I have, as an aside, only picked up the rulebook once since). All this, I believe make Warmachine a really clear and useful game dynamic.

[- While on the topic of rules, I have noted with interest that many commentators feel PP rules are more crystallized than those of other systems. I am not really capable of saying one way or the other, except that in my experience the “problem” that PP supposedly improves upon stems from the players rather than the rules. I have yet to meet a system (not just games here) that people will not abuse in some manner –which makes for fertile ground for blogs and the like that either rotate around the tournament scene or have adopted the disposition and specific vernacular of competitive players. I feel quite strongly that this is a “problem” of the player’s own creation, and is best left for those working hardest to finesse various rule systems for peculiar competitive reasons. Though my experience is modest, I have yet to find PP rules less ambiguous or more lawerly and precise than the next ruleset, but also believe that I am unlikely to encounter said “problems” because I do not play against waacs or other sundry scoundrels. ]

- the Warmachine system is cool: compelling and straightforward but complex and rewarding.

- Focus: for me, the most interesting aspect of the Warmachine game system is the allocation of Focus points at the beginning of each turn. Even on the smaller scale games that I have played (between 16-26 points), games in which there is usually just about enough Focus to accomplish all the actions I would like, if I play wisely (ahem), those opening moments of each turn are simply fraught with second-guessing and enjoyable tension. I suspect the decision process will get easier as I grow in familiarity with my faction and with my tactical disposition but, even so, the strategic opportunities of this dynamic are wonderfully intriguing (so much so, that I feel they compensate for one small reservation that I address in the “universe” section in the next post).

- one bit of concern. There is one quirk that I can see in the game mechanism itself, and that is the entirely one-sided aspect of the turn sequence. Perhaps this stems from my familiarity with 40K and specifically the fact that my little fellows get to hit back in the phase they are assaulted. The Warmachine system seems to make one player feel like a punching bag for the opposition’s turn, only absorbing and not reacting to punishment (unless dying is a reaction), who then passes that dubious honor back in the next player turn. As I said, it’s quirky and has taken some getting used to. Mercifully, the turns are usually quite short.

- the skirmish: for nearly two years now, I have been drawn toward skirmish-level games. Even in other game systems, I have wanted to play a bit more quickly, a bit less epically (see: Special Operations: Killzone). Warmachine obviously slips under that cover quite nicely. The world seems positively awash in skirmish-level confrontations. For my part, I have yet to play a game that required more than 10 models, or one that lasted more than an hour and a half. Once I have actually “learned” the game properly, I expect that to accelerate significantly even with the addition of points/models.

- on that note, every time that I have played one game, I have played two. With two babies and plans for more, that makes Warmachine an ideal “go-to” to fill a gaming gap when the limited time appears.

- apart from that, I am still familiarizing myself with the way in which units and/or models interact. I do like the word “synergy” quite a lot, and have particular interest in the way this applies to various combinations in the game. I can already sense that this particular topic will have been “netted” moreorless to exhaustion, but I am fortunate in that I am mostly oblivious to Warmablogs and have been spared the tedious exercises in mental masturbation that are most net lists. I intend to proceed by purchasing the units and models that I think are cool, then discovering how well they work (or do not work) together. To me, that is the simple pleasure of the game.

See you next time for part 2.

For the Love: A New Series

2011-10-09T14:18:00.000-05:00

For the Love: Dr McMourning

With this post, I would like to inaugurate a new series/tag in which I discuss the whole, neglected breadth of my hobby intere... ohhhh look. Shiny.

Well, it’s a bit like that.

I currently have at least three different projects at various stages of completion: Grey Knights, Bretonnians, with some Ogre commission work still in the pipeline, as well as a unit or two left straggling from my other armies. Let me be candid. I am not even slightly bothered by the fact that this situation will never improve -ever; there are several more projects waiting patiently on deck, and GW, PP, FF, Mantic, Malifaux, et al show no sign of letting up on their collective onslaught of brilliant games and stunning miniatures. I mean seriously. Dark Eldar. Ogres. It's too much. I am fighting desperately to stay on the happy side of Dreadfleet... but... I don't know.

So it goes.

To be sure, it’s a great time to be interested in our hobby.

There point here is a simple one: in the midst of all this serious hobbying (ahem), I wanted to find a space for those random odds and ends that I feel compelled to paint purely for the love –hence the title. These are not my greatest efforts, nor my most worthwhile. Often, they are springboards from which I find new recipes, revise old recipes, blunder shamefully, or refine a technique or two, and/or simply indulge myself.

They are fun. They are isolated. They are accomplished in those moments between the flow of those other, bigger, hobby tides.

These random assortments invariably represent the purest, simplest form of my hobby compulsion. Rarely do any of these figures see proper action on the tabletop, remaining instead permanent fixtures in the margins of my hobby world. Some have even gathered their own corner on the bookshelf.

Solidarity, I suppose.

This series, then, is designed to celebrate those lovely waifs. The miniatures that I felt utterly compelled to paint regardless of their use, or their role, or their system, or general greater purpose.

Dr McMourning here fell into my lap after I saw a post on Dark Templar’s site –a fellow whose entire line of posts on Malifaux deserves a proper look if you have not done so already. Moreover, have a gander at his "Malcontent" homemade bases. Glorious stuff. If I weren’t already up to my gullet, Dark Templar would have certainly convinced me.

Well, after just a single glance, McMourning appeared so wonderfully menacing that I couldn’t help but take a crack at him. Even now, when I look at the figure I can almost hear the --snap-- of that glove. And that grin. oh, that grin. Of interest from the painting end here, to me at least, is the revision of my blood recipe, and the new flesh tone that I mixed up in this attempt (I’m not sold on it yet, but if I find it working out well, I’ll be sure to post the recipe itself).

And thus, we begin the occasional look at the odder ends of my hobby odds and ends –some more of which you can see loitering in the background …

More soon.

Recipe: Bronze (ish)

2011-10-06T13:08:00.000-05:00

Some months ago (lost amidst the fog of Heroes of Armageddon and Games Day), a very kind and interested reader asked about my bronze(ish) metallic recipe. If you are still reading, thank you for your patience.

Black: with mostly metallic-colored models, I will always begin with a black spray. I have been having some modest success with PP’s brand of late.

Tin Bitz: because so much of this model will be metal at the end of the day, I am quite aggressive with this layer. I thin the paint considerably, which is reasonable advice for all metallic paints as they tend to get gummy rather quickly. As there will be several layers here, I try to keep it all as thin as the step will allow.

Tin Bitz + Dwarf Bronze: this step is here only because I feel the jump straight from Bitz to Bronze is too severe. By adding this intermediate step, the edges between the two becomes more manageable. Again, I work quickly here in a very, very sloppy over-brush mode with a large, flat brush. All non-metallic items will be cleaned up at a later stage.

Dwarf Bronze: this is more along the lines of where I hope to be with the coloring. Again, I over-brush sloppily, but try where I am able to keep the paint most notable in areas like the front of the helmet and tips of the shoulder pads where the highlighting will be most visible and pronounced.

Washes: I have mentioned elsewhere (and specifically in this post on rust) that I never shade/wash my metallics with black ink (or wash, whatever). Instead, I have created a mix of Purple and Green inks –which will appear oily black when mixed evenly (I have two jars, actually, one batch that favors green slightly and one that favors purple). For this step, I dug out the slightly green mixture and further mixed this with Flesh wash at a ratio of 3 Flesh to 1 Purple/Green blend and applied it liberally.

Dwarf Bronze + Shinning Gold: once the above step and well-and-truly dried (must be dry!), I work toward the lighter areas with a bit of gold in a mostly bronze mix. The danger here is always that too much gold will ruin the bronze effect in favor of soiled gold. If you find this happening, I recommend either mixing more bronze into the equation or one other trick with a final wash that comes at the end of this step-by-step. For this layer, I retrieved a thick but more delicate brush than the one used above. From this point forward, each step becomes increasingly more dry-brush and less over-brush, and I try to focus on those raise areas of importance exclusively.

Burnished Gold: much more like a dry-brush here, and very sparingly.

Burnished Gold + Mithril Silver: be careful here. The smallest drop of Mithril in a relatively large amount of any other color will always do the trick. I am uncertain about the exact ratio, but if I had to estimate, I would say nothing greater than 1 Mithril to 15 Burnished. This step is genuinely a dry-brush with only modest attention to areas that are significantly raised and that deserve proper, relatively intense highlighting.

Flesh Wash: I thin the wash considerably, and usually include it only if I feel that model is drifting too far away from bronze coloring. This step will also help cover any recesses in which the over- or dry-brushing has overstepped into the shaded areas, in which case, I apply it only to those recesses rather than the whole area.

Scaly Green / Turquoise: as mentioned above, this step is designed to push back the recesses, add some age to the metal, and retrieve the metallic coloring if it begins to feel too gold. As I clean the rest of the model’s robbed area with green/turquoise layers, I pull some of that color into the extreme shades of the model. This is not a wash, but rather a gentle application of very, very thin paint into those specific areas that want attention. I feel the treatment here is a little heavy, to be candid, but illustrative all the same. The complementary nature of the green to bronze helps, I believe, create the illusion of worn and aged bronze. Fingers crossed.

And lo, the Protectorate has three new Bastions. Unfortunately, these fellows have yet to really produce for me on the table. Quite the contrary, Deneghra has made muppets of them on two at least two different occasions now, in which she convinced them to tickle either each other or, worse, humble Kreoss with those lengthy, pointy halberds… ah well.

The Stranded

2011-09-25T06:23:00.000-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, Introducing The Stranded.

That Guy James. Yes, that one -an absolute star, a genuine all-rounder. This guy (yes, that one) has the kind of talent that ignores modest limitation and that leaves one …well …simply stupefied. He has reached mythological status. Legend.

You may remember That Guy James from the work he did in designing the Killzone cards some months ago. James also designed the "Alacrity wallpaper" that featured so beautifully in both the AdpetiCon and the Heroes of Armageddon tables. In a wildly generous gesture, James sent me a custom designed Special Operations team of the Dark Eldar variety. Specifically, we discussed the idea of a rogue Harlequin Troupe, which seemed a natural and appropriately thematic manifestation of the Dark Eldar in the special operations arena. Because he is an ace, James went one louder.

That’s right. This one goes to eleven.

James designed a set of cards for the Troupe as a whole, but also for each individual member of the entourage that will accompany the Stranded on their “worlds tour” in-and-around the greater Chicagoland area.

Ladies and Gentlemen … Behold The Stranded:

Harlequin (Team Leader) Troop Master. Medipack upgrade. Brawler upgrade. 68 pts: a Troupe Master without a Troupe. She's a loner and a diva. What follows is her personal entourage of scoundrels and sycophants.

Harlequin. 18 pts. The understudy -a permanent fixture in her Lady's shadow, and someday a potential rival. She loves and loathes the Troop Master with her entire soul and body.

Beast Master. Agonizer. Refractor Field upgrade. 47 pts. I imagine this to be something like the personal toady. In particular he is responsible for her Ladyship's pet...

Khymera. 12 pts. Her pride and joy.

Hellion. 16 pts.The Roadie. He worships the Troop Master, who is not above using this weakness exploitatively and cruelly.

Syren. Agonizer. Smoke Grenade upgrade. 58pts. The Chorus Leader.

2 Hekatrix Bloodbride. 26pts. The Chorus.

Thank you, James, for having so much talent and for sharing it. Thank you for your kindness.

...check out the suits on the skull behind the Choir Master. Ace!

a note on Killzone: Big Jim and crew (myself included) have been diligently, albeit slowly, working on a revised version of the rule-set, missions, and errata –including quite a few important tweaks to basic team design, new upgrade and theme options, and game mechanics, as well as an entirely new mission generator. This includes two brand new sets of cards that will be available to you… and yes, that guy is already hard at work on them.

Rule Bretonnia wip

2011-09-19T15:03:00.000-05:00

This weekend, the wife and I played House Hunters: Chicagoland Area edition, so little happened on the hobby front; however, I managed some modest progress on the Grand Bretonnian assembly of 2011.

Lamentably, I found myself 7 men at arms shy from my goal of 30 –I tried very hard to squeeze every last spare model into service, and you may note several non-men-at-arms models in the mix. I have been trying to avoid the necessity to order bits or, worse, purchase an entire box just to make up the minimum. My greatest fear, I will confess at this point, is that if I nail down another box I will compulsively increase the number in this unit from 30 to… anything higher than 30.

With another 40 peasant archers on the front burner, the thought of even more peasantry has me reeling slightly. Mass painting exhaustion is beginning to burn me up/out.

But just as the mists of despair gathered and the will to continue began to falter, a bright point of light appeared from a break in the clouds (cue distant trumpets) and inspired perseverance. She is from the P-65 Heavy Metal range by Reaper, and I may very well situate her as The Lady in the army (I have never loved GW’s efforts on this front). She is an elf, Adrielle someone or another, but I have already whittled down her ears and hope to make her suitably ladylike for my brutish peasants. It shouldn’t take much for that gaggle of reprobates.

I have also recently spotted an interesting model from the Hello Dorado range that may step in as well. We shall see.

Though the weekend was slow, I have some great treats in store this week and next. More soon.

Rule Bretonnia progress

2011-09-15T13:06:00.001-05:00

The first 57 peasant archers are done.

This massive crew represents the sum stock of OOP plastics, yet I may try to scrounge about for a few more OOP figures in order to round out various possibilities. I’m looking at you, ebay. After this deluge, I am also considering some “unit filler” pieces (planted arrows and the like) in order to inflate numbers hither and thither before I go blind.

To that end, I recently stumbled upon an old Errol Flynn-looking individual that I should make the champion for one of these units (though I am reluctant to actually purchase said champion in any given unit of archers. The idea seems unnecessary to me). Of course, I also have those defensive stakes to sort through.

In sum, this motley band was painted in two grand efforts of 27 then 30 miniatures apiece… which I must admit is too many for me. The assembly line process was a little bit like agony at times and, I believe, the end result shows the nature of my compromise. Still, if I approached this many figures in a less ambitious manner, I would likely be bogged down for months or years, and my goal is to have this army up and fully functioning before the holidays. I must simply trust to the fact that where they suffer individually, they suffice en masse, and that more deserving attention will be directly elsewhere once the whole mess takes the field.

With regard to that fledgling Bretonnian force, I am determined for the conscription of 30 men at arms, two units of 30 archers (check), and 10 mounted yeomen to represent the minimum showing from Bretonnia’s neglected classes. Obviously, I must the complement the above with a unit of knights and some hero choice or another –still thinking about that end of the equation (suggestions always appreciated).

I promised myself to complete 100 peasants before starting on the knights… and intend to hold myself to that though I am already clamoring for those knights, on whom I intend to spend considerable time and attention to offset the rough, ready nature of these reprobates.

More soon.

Top Ten Models.... according to me: #4 the Venerable Dreadnought

2011-09-12T10:09:00.002-05:00

I suspect that this particular selection (more than any other) will be both surprising and controversial –that is if a statement of pure opinion and meager blog post about such can be worth genuine controversy.

But let me get right to the matter. Here is what I love about the Venerable Dreadnought:

For the first time in any vehicular assembly, I actually enjoyed myself when putting glue to plastic on this one. I have always struggled a bit for some reason with the mechanical models. I haven’t the foggiest why, but this lamentable deficiency has been with me since way back when I was mashing my way through Airfix models and Nascar plastics (completely true).

Not so with the dreadnought. I was nearly giddy throwing this hulk together.

In large part, I believe that this was so because of a) the breadth of options allotted for your particular dreadnought and b) the simple, clean quality of those choices. It’s all beautiful and coherent and evocative and lumbering but potent.

The current state of GW prices aside, this model stands in my mind as an exemplary specimen of the company’s investment in nearly every single plastic kit of good taste and ambition: options. options. options.

Observe.

Granted, and particularly so when considered next to my discussion of posture and sculpting dynamism elsewhere in this series, the dreadnought is a chunk… and yet only five small magnets later and my dreadnought here has more dynamism than all the Star Wars figures that I enjoyed as a boy and, indeed, most other “action” figures until the mid-to-late 80’s. eat your heart out Fisher-Price.

How strange. How utterly unexpected, given the utterly static nature of every other figure on my bookshelves. I do not look for action figure qualities on my tabletop. I do not play in that way. Still, I have a deep investment in the visual end of the hobby and I believe that this model compensates adequately for the fact that it is a series of bricks on stilts. To be sure, the pos-ability actually breaths a bit of life into what might otherwise be statuesque.

So cool. So easy.

And then the paint. Again, absolute pleasure. Perhaps I am simply stuck in a rut of painting masses of infantry at the moment and thus remember the experience with generous servings of nostalgia, but I genuinely wish all my time at the hobby table was this much pure, simple fun.

Glorious.

Blood Bowl League

2011-09-08T20:52:00.001-05:00

Although the site has been quiet (see note at bottom), there has been a tremendous amount happening behind the scenes –much, much more of that on the way in good time.

So. As a means of getting back into the rhythm, I thought it best to show one of the most pressing renewed directions of my hobby interest: Blood Bowl. I have heard that tonight marks the beginning of another well-known football league, but that one interests me not at all.

not. at. all.

You may already know FrozenJoe and Skarvald from their own fame and righteous zealotry -if not, perhaps from their site Wolves for the Wolf God. A little over two years ago (before the birth of Boyzilla), Joe helped introduce me to Blood Bowl. I loved the experience but have not played a game since a dramatic and calamitous loss during the final seconds of the final play in the final match, which seems appropriately conclusive. The rest of that pause can be directly linked to Boyzilla and his diminuitive partner, the Love Blob.

Well. Joe’s not happy to leave well enough alone, and has tirelessly organized a stupefyingly ambitious and brilliant brand new Blood Bowl League. Yes please. I'll have a side order of Blood Bowl with that Blood Bowl.

Here’s the (renewed) Team. I am not sure on the name yet, but for now I will be calling them the Geddy Fooks. In each photo, the lineup reads from left to right.

Fume Bleize (Thrower), Touch McRudder (Cad, Catcher, and Big Fish in Small Pond), Ghives Torquay (Catcher)

The Blitzers: Dash Culpepper, Chillore Bee, Pinzo Salt, Ruud Olefeo

The Linemen: Sy deLiones, Dei Giorno, Tee Keio, Forza B. Strongside

The off-season has been long, dusty, and lonesome, if not entirely restful, but the fans are back, the ice is cold, and there’s that autumn feeling in the air.

Technically, the team remains undefeated. This could be the Fook’s year.

Kings of War: First Impressions (2)

2011-08-19T09:42:00.068-05:00

…continuing my soft, uncompetitive impressions of KoW from last post.

First impressions part two:

The Game Dynamic:

- the game is fast… very, very fast (and meant to be very, very big). Although there was a significant pause in the middle of the first round, we moreorless managed two 1000+ point games in about two and a half hours. Again. Fast. By the end of the second game, I could tell that matters would have accelerated significantly if we continued down this path. For a man with a lifestyle frequented by the aforementioned interruptions, this is a real boon. Thankfully, I have a lot of these old odds and ends putzing about the bookshelf and waiting for glory once more. I had just about every dwarf to pass my table since the 80s pressed into service, and I still felt the game was "midsized" at best.

- the game mechanism is really quite simple. At 12 pages, you really should not complain about the state of the meta.We downloaded and were playing in mere minutes.

- the game mechanism is really quite simple… perhaps even a bit too simple. Considering the amount of fun we had, I hate to say this for fear that it will be construed as a criticism, but I feel that my ideal ruleset would land somewhere between KoW and WFB with regard to complexity (does such a thing even exist? anyone?). That’s me. At the end of the day, I think this will lend itself beautifully for a jumping point to some “house rules” mechanism. The system is vague enough that it lends itself nicely to suggestion rather than to proscription, which is a blessing in my opinion. Moreover, I can see how a tweak here and a revision there will produce the exact kind of gaming experience that old friends (or genuinely amicable strangers) will want to enjoy, and to explore with an eye toward one's own fantasy meanderings.

- bring back the d8, the d10, the d20! For a very long time, these have sat on my shelf: unused, but not unloved. I have never really embraced roll-play in my adult years, but always admired the weird and wonderful dice (dice envy? is there such a thing?). I have long felt that if I were ever to design a game, it would include a variety of dice simply for good measure rather than practicality. And while KoW does not actually require the d8, d10, or d20 for gameplay, these forlorn beauties make absolutely ideal nerve and/or casualty markers, as one must tally the number of wounds in each unit in order to measure against its breaking point. I am pleased for the excuse to bring these back to the table, and I have since scoured my old stash to dig out all the d10s that I could find (the d10 seems particularly well suited). In fact, this is the most exciting excuse that I have found in quite some time.

- the aforementioned nerve system is an interesting dynamic, though it took some acclimation in order for me to really embrace the level of abstraction. Put simply, "dead" models are not removed, but rather noted by the unit in question. In most cases, the unit continues to function as normal, and I had a little trouble thinking that a unit was basically fully potent right up until the point that it broke and was removed from the table in the entirety. Interestingly, this tended to encourage me to imagine that any given unit as having broken and fled the table rather than as having been slaughtered gruesomely to the man, or elf, whatever. Does that, I wonder, make this system less violent? I am not sure.

Kings of War: First Impressions (1)

2011-08-17T20:07:00.003-05:00

So. Roberto Vo5 was in town on leave not long before the family and I left for our little holiday, and we managed a few days’ worth gaming revelry, which was then politely shoehorned by modest consumption.

Our first day, naturally, involved some 40K, of which you will hear about in the coming weeks. On day two of the gaming glut, we opted for something new. Roberto had brought his burgeoning and beautiful High Elf force. I have yet to finish reading the rules for 8th edition. What to do. What to do.

Kings of War. That’s what. It advertises itself as a “beer and pretzels” game. The rulebook is 12 pages long. It is free to download for one and all.

Done and done.

So, in a classic matchup, I dusted off my very, very old Dwarf army and we set about the field of battle. Howzahh!?!

First impressions (in two parts –the generalities today and the gameplay for next post) part one:

The Universe:

- there’s not much to say here yet. I have not been particularly aggressive or invested myself ambitiously with the KoW universe –though my impression from this distance is that it seems rather rote. Admittedly, I do not know much about the fluff such as they have developed it. My impressions on the matter suggest that they have developed a miniature range (see next section) and a ruleset to support those minis, but left the rest a blank canvas. At the end of the day, I think this is a positive step, as I am reflexively shy around rigid proscription.

- one note: having said the above, I have noted that there is no “human” range yet available on the website, which surprised me initially (as I have been working feverishly on ye olde Bretonnia). Perhaps the more knowledgeable will have something worthwhile to say here, but until I hear further, I will simply hope that humans are somewhere down the road.

(that last point raises an interesting aside –a note on a note, if you will: I have often suspected that most rule systems work through increments of relativity based on the human as “standard” when creating the statistical lines that compose each race. Think of the 3,3,3 statline of the typical IG trooper, or the 4s found with the basic Space Marine as indicative. All else follows from there. Right? What happens in a game mechanism that forgoes the human baseline?)

The Miniatures:

- the KoW range looks really solid to me. The figures are not as epic, dynamic, or evocative as, say, the individual figures of Warmachine, but that stands to reason. The game is largely played en masse and for that mass you get quite a lot of bang for your proverbial buck. I am tempted. Sorely tempted.

- and of course, the proxy effect means that (as we have here) you can simply fold an existing fantasy army of almost any persuasion quite nicely into the mix. As I suggested above, KoW has breathed new life into my interest in Fantasy tabletop strategy –an interest that had otherwise been languishing horribly for months if not years. It’s good to be back.

- more on the miniatures soon, as I hope to have some firsthand experience in the reasonably near future.

The Cost:

- any way you want to slice it, KoW is a bargain. I am not one to whinge about price increases, but the models are both solid and wondrously cheap in comparison to any other range that I have seen. Above, I mentioned that you can proxy old WFB models to play KoW, but I expect to see as much or more traffic in the other direction: solid and inexpensive masses of KoW miniatures on the table standing in for High Elves or Vampire Counts, etc. It just makes sense (and I know one individual already working some of that undead magic… looking at your FrozenJoe).

WIP: Saruman of Many Colours

2011-08-13T14:14:00.003-05:00

“He who breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom” –Gandalf the Grey

Only about 70% completed, Saruman here has the distinction of being my very first dabbling in the Finecast experience. I have always liked this model (I have one in metal as well as a Starky from yore when Pitmann and I were regular LotR opponents), and I thought it would make a solid, appropriate symbolic start to this new direction. Goodbye metal! Hellooo Finecast.

I have noted with some considerable interest all the whimpering and whinging on the internets with regard to the state of the stuff, and I am pleased to say that my solid, first-hand impression is that the moaning has been massively misplaced (as usual). Go figure. The Finecast material is simple to clean, light, crisp, and a genuinely notable improvement from its metal predecessor. I have, and will, be purchasing more with well-mannered zeal.

Finecast 1. Internet “wisdom” 0.

My treatment of the model is not ideal, you may note, but he is a first run and daubed purely for the love. It is distinctly unlikely that he will ever see the tabletop …although I would genuinely like to have another bash at LotR. Still, I painted the figure purely for the experience of attacking a single figure with significant levels of attention; it has been a very long time since I indulged that particular pleasure.

To represent this turning of the page, so to speak, I have painted him as Saruman of Many Colours; when young, I was enraptured by Saruman’s treachery (specifically Gandalf’s line quoted above), as well as this quirky, dated snippet from the old animated interpretation. I recall during the scene as it is described in the book, Gandalf notices the shimmering of broken light beneath and within the white of Saruman’s ancient robes before Saruman reveals himself as a ring-maker. With a nod to that idea, I have tried to shade what is essentially a "white"-ish figure, and specifically Saruman’s cloak, with as many different tones as I am/was able (orange, yellow, green, purple, dark flesh, blue, gray), and a few more after that. It was a decent adventure, and the results are interesting if not exactly wondrous. How appropriate.

“For I am Saruman the Wise, Saruman the Ring-Maker, Saruman of Many Colours!”

Indeed.

Rule Bretonnia!

2011-08-09T19:16:00.000-05:00

In recent weeks, I have been asked many, many times about what is next on my plate. After the really rather intense sequence of ambitious table projects for Killzone at AdeptiCon and HoA at Gamesday, I have decided to reel in the hobby zealotry just a bit.

But only just.

Bretonnia. I must thank both Pappa JJ and Roberto Vo5 for their very generous donations to the next chapter in this grand hobby experience. Both of these fine fellows have been astonishingly kind and giving toward the (leathery, rotting) meat and (rare, uncooked) potatoes of this fledgling force. Admittedly, and with some measure of shame at that, my Bretonnian misadventures –ahem my WFB misadventures full stop- have been over a year in the making; in fact, I have yet to actually play the current edition, but hope to remedy that quite soon. To that end, I have finally jumped in the deep end of this project with two units of roughly 30 old peasant archers each.

One thing that always bothered me about Bretonnian armies as I have seen them is that they often seem rather thin on the peasantry in favor of the more viable and worthy, but foppish, knights. If any army positively begs for teeming hordes of wretched and unwashed reprobates, surely this is it.

And so this is my start. Of course, I intend to indulge a few noble knights along the way, but I aim to field at least 100 peasants of some stripe in any 1000 point army. We shall see what happens from that humble start.

In order to accelerate the drudgery, I have sprayed these fellows in two colors (the second as the merest suggestion of a highlight) and a wash before bringing brush to the task. The third photo (of my second unit) below here gives some idea of the effect that I am searching for –grimy, dull, dark, and uniformly so. I must admit that I have never, ever tried to paint 30 nearly identical models in one sitting before… more on that experience as it develops.

After I have finished the first 100 peasants, I intend to reward myself with a Trebuchet (thank you again Roberto) and/or a few knights. Then it is back to the peasantry for round two.

Rule Bretonnia (in the imperative)!

Competitive? I haven't the foggiest, but doubt it.

Fun as all get out? To be sure.

Heroes of Armageddon: Inspiration (2)

2011-08-07T12:59:00.000-05:00

Porky’s Expanse. I suspect many of you do so already, but I encourage you, all the same, to visit Porky early and often. You will always be pleased that you have done so.

One of Porky’s contributions to the HoA project was his month-long ‘geddon on it series (the link sends you to the compilation post but, again, I encourage you to stay a while and have a look around once you have settled in).

In retrospect, I fear that these last two posts could give the impression that inspiration simply landed on my lap and came together cleanly in one courteous swoop. It did not. I was initially fearful of the blank page, the open space, the unchartered landscape that I was meant to evoke. I spent a silly amount of time thinking about how the grand table would look once it was fully formed and how, exactly, the foothills of a hive should look in smaller pieces –and specifically those little details that might make this landscape look genuine …horrible, but genuine.

To this end, Porky was tremendous help.

The beauty of Porky’s project, as it was happening, is that it made a slow but hugely evocative trickle of imagery day by day by week by month. They allowed time for ideas to coalesce and images to form fully. When taken together, the narrative these fragments create is absolutely brilliant. When taken as individual snippets, I found myself latching on and returning to small sections of the poetic form, sometimes focusing on just a single image or word to help make the empty space become real.

Thank you, Porky.

I have reproduced here a selection of Proky’s poetic narrative fragments that I returned to with the greatest frequency. Of course, it is something of a crime to remove these pieces from the larger narrative they create, so again, I recommend you to Porky’s compilation of the narrative whole. Moreover, I have accompanied these sketches with “atmospheric” images that they helped inspire.

Day 5: Purpose

Supplies arrive from orbit, fill bays.

More than we can guard.

Citizens pilfer. Why? We come to protect.

Whence need on this productive world?

When they produce munitions, equip warriors well?

Day 14: Nurture

Blood drips. Ears ring.

The lowleveller looks back. They nod to each other; the man crawls away.

He alone carries the memory out.

Shadows crunch closer. She wishes they had spoken.

Day 17: Storm

The figures move, approach through the haze. Now? Why? The men murmur, unsure.

True intelligence... "Call off the strike!"

The drone rises, but the craft is deep in the sky, unheeding.

Day 21: Gain

The foe. They bellow.

Is it mourning? Speech? Offering?

He feels other than his masters, would willingly parley.

Why deny the truth?

When all feel pain, there is a common language.

Day 29: Action

He studies maps, deployments, desperate. The foe enters the City. The City rises against the defenders. And now...

They march in. He senses their discomfort.

"Sire..."

He reaches for his sidearm.

These last two submissions were hugely inspirational at the time, but never made the direct reference on the table that I had desired. With the first, I had intended to create a lone, fried servitor at a window scene. Alas, the window idea was scrapped, and the servitor remains unpainted on my desk. For the second, I had actually built and painted quite a few large sections of GW barricades; however, once we saw the overwhelming number of models that would be placed on the tables, the barricades were set aside to make room for the staggering mass of troops already in the scene. Look for them in a future battle report.

Day 1: Mission

A world of wastes fills the window.

"Ash."

The servitor's mind whirrs. Where? Commander is displeased. Brush extends. Tension. Camera scans, veins swell.

A fuse blows. Embers sprinkle the deck.

"Fate."

Day 12: Resistance

Barricades span corridors.

Orators recruit across levels, from guilds, drones, gangs, even cults. Few smiles, little respect. But they join.

A lowleveller offers water. I thank him.

Barricades span. The City.

This will be my last HoA table post for the foreseeable future. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

Heroes of Armageddon: Inspiration (1)

2011-08-04T19:18:00.000-05:00

Today, I am going to revisit the photos that I posted early on in this caper and join those images with some more detailed photos of the tables; specifically, I intend to contrast those moments in which the tables deliberately try to emulate what I found kicking about town.

GREEN and GREY with RUST BENEATH:

This one was likely quite obvious. I deliberately toned down the green here in order to more accurately mimic the GW Foundations range, as well as to make the color scheme come together more fluidly. The Grey color I reserved for the underhive to ensure that the two elements were visually distinct. Moreover, the underhive had more space to be grotty and horrible, as befitting the grey coloring.

RUSTED PIPE:

This pipe leapt out at me early in the process and I wanted to be sure he found a happy spot on the table from day one. I was not thinking about any grand gesture (though there ended up being quite a few pipes in the final mix), but rather a more simple statement about the mysteries of industrial machinations. Why on earth is this pipe here and to where does it go? Where do any of them go?

BRIDGE AND ELEVATIONS:

This one was my favorite. Perhaps a more bold architectural gesture, I stumbled a bit when thinking how I could get a bridge onto a table depicting the desert of an industrial wasteland. One word. Sewage. What better example than the Chicago River, which now flows in reverse thanks to the miracles of modern engineering and which politely sends nearly all of Chicago’s stinking onions down the Mississippi. Hello New Orleans.

RUSTED GRATING / STAIRS:

These images were always going to be more difficult to reference with precision, but Tall Paul spotted this grating (for ceiling lights I believe) and we had a notion that we were going to make it fit somewhere, somehow.

INDUSTRIAL DETRITUS and SMELTING BINS:

As mentioned with the first appearance of these images, the Forge that rests along the river near my home has reached a nearly mythical status in my imagination. And again, two of the most interesting aspects about it cannot be recreated here (or on the tabletop): the deep, hum of the fires and the staggering heat coming of the place at all hours.You can also see in these photos where my ideas about the ashen/dust colors should emulate.

And there you have it.

Next post I will revisit a more open-ended source of inspiration, specifically the "‘geddon on it" series from the Porkster at Porky’s Expanse. If you somehow missed this, have a gander at the minimalist, poetic sketches that Porks created for the HoA project and then revel in the way he has built a narrative, a reality, with casual and seemingly effortless strokes.

HoA: Games Day Reflections and Table pics

2011-08-02T19:52:00.001-05:00

I am a nerd -unabashed, unhesitating, full-frontal nerd, and I will gladly say with no shame in the matter that I had an absolute blast at Games Day (evisceration included; thank you Skarvald).

I believe this effort would make my fifth dalliance at a Games Day event over the span of 10 years.

The first year I skulked about, ogling the tables for a bit, but then left after having only stayed an hour or so feeling both awkward and vaguely disappointed. I went alone and spoke to no one while was there.

The second year, I entered a few models in the Golden Daemon contest that I thought were quite good for my standard… and immediately regretted that decision once I saw what real painting talent produces for that competition. I was shattered and embarrassed to see my models next to the professional efforts; I felt humiliated. I spoke (or rather, was spoken to by) only one person, Dave Taylor –who was kind enough to compliment one of the models I had entered. Those kinds of things stick with a fellow.

The third year (and possibly fourth, they blend together a bit), Ref Pitmann came along and we wandered about the hall for a good while. Pitmann left early, and I stuck around to speak with a few folk from the UK studios.

I even entered the Speed Daemon contest and placed second in my heat with this beastly Orc (the first photo ever to appear on A Gentleman's Ones as a matter of trivial fact, and not a bad effort for only 45 minutes and a broken club for a brush). One of those years, I also entered the Golden Daemon again and earned an honorable mention for a ghoul of all things. I was thrilled beyond reckoning.

This year, I genuinely got involved; so much so, that I think it fair to say that I was in way over my head (why be dull, right?). The HoA tables, of course, dominated my participation for weeks up to the event and for most of the day as well (this post will conclude with a veritable bucket of images of those tables -feel free to skip down if you like).

But the real matter for me here is the simple lesson that I seem to need to learn again and again: one gets out what one puts in. If I failed to enjoy the experience in my first year or so, it was positively because I failed to make the effort. I appeared on the scene and expected the scene to entertain me in ways that I had not even bothered to imagine. No wonder I was disappointed; I expect most people are when they haven’t genuinely come to grips with their own expectations. If I left feeling rather isolated, it is entirely because I had been shy and isolated myself. tsk. tsk.

This year was amazing. I met a ton of really quite incredible people from across the blogosphere and beyond –tremendous crowd, genuine ace individuals, one and all. I entered the Speed Daemon contest once again, and once again placed second in my heat with the Legolas above (by the way, has anyone seen my Legolas? Jawa? Cho?).

Next year!

Oh, and the table. There will be more, to be sure, many more in the coming days. With the next two posts, I intend to outline in some detail the two dramatic influences that helped shape the HoA table (in no relevant order: photos from around town and Porky’s Expanse). Until those posts, however, enjoy.

HoA: Games Day

2011-07-31T20:02:00.001-05:00

I am exhausted beyond my ability to describe, but please know that I fully intend to smother (unashamedly) this blog with images from Games Day as the week progresses. Thanks again to Tall Paul, Skarvald, and FrozenJoe for all the work, time, and effort with assembly, paint, transportation, display, and so much more; it was an epic experience that has left me energized, stunned, spent, eager, timid, enthusiastic, and... again... exhausted. I am uncertain how I could draw the exact feeling more precisely.

Until I am able to sort through more, please enjoy these first few photos (of literally hundreds) that I have of the HoA project and of the tables.

Also. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to all of the readers and supporters who have stopped by over these last few weeks. The pressures of putting all this together has caused me to neglect (to some degree) the comments and all the well-wishes for some time now. Please know that all of your kindness and consideration has been greatly appreciated even if I have not always been able to respond directly. Cheers, one and all.

Glorious.