Releases! Releases everywhere!

Hey All!

A lot going on today, so I will get started quickly for you, no meandering today!

Spartan Games is awesome in that they show you exactly what is going to be released  3 months ahead of time so that you can presumably pick out what you want and prepare to add it to your fleets.

September will have major releases for Dystopian Legions, Dystopian Wars, and Firestorm Armada.  I don't know much about Dystopian Legions besides the fact that it is another infantry based 28mm game (bah!) so I am not that excited. I know a lot of people that will be, but its not for me.

Dystopian Legions is getting the Federated States Sergeant and Specialist, as is the Empire of the Blazing Sun.

Pretty cool looking models, but still not enough to make me interested.

On the flip side, Dystopian Wars is getting the last round of First Wave upgrade boxes:  a Covenant of Antarctica Aerial Support Group, a Republique of France Attack Flotilla, and a Russian Coalition Strike Flotilla.  All three of theses are introducing new models into the line for each core nation.  Plus they look freaking beautiful.

Covenant Aerial Support Group

French Attack Flotilla

Russian Strike Flotilla

I love the French and Covenant models.  The RC is awesome, but so many people play them that it would be a disservice to the other awesome models to take any great interest in them.

Finally, we have the Kedorian Coalition, with some of the biggest models ever made for Firestorm Armada.  I will be getting some of these to supplement my RSN fleet.  They're too awesome not to get.

Kedorian Alliance Fleet

Kedorian Support Fleet

So there you have it folks, all of the Spartan Games September releases!  But there is something else....

New Lizardmen....

Now, I normally try and avoid Games-Workshop Products, but I really do have a soft spot for Fantasy.  It is one of the greatest infantry based tabletops in my opinion, and I try to get my Skaven out on the table as often as I can, unless somebody is up for Firestorm Armada or something along those lines.  These new lizards are badass.  There are resculpted Terradon Riders, which can also make Ripperdactyls, a box with the new Skink Oracle, a box that will make either a Carnosaur with a Sauras Old Blood, or a Troglodon.  Finally, there is the Bastillidon, which can come as a ranged weapon (solar laser beams) or have an Ark that spawns swarms of snakes on its back.  Either way, I have a friend that collects Lizards, so I will have one hell of a time fighting against these new dinos with my Skaven.

So that should be everything for now.  I have to go dust off my Plague monks and roll out another 40 skaven slaves so I can fight off hordes of Lizards, and gather some cash for the inevitable Kedorian purchases, as well as some more Terran reinforcements.  And then there is the matter of Dystopian Wars.....  Until then, Tarum et clama dimit belli canes! 

Lizardmen Pre-Order

Spartan Games September Releases

Vendetta Operation - fleet update

++Azazel, do you copy?++

Commodore Chase Philon sent the copy code back to his commander - Admrial Hewie.  "Roger, sir.  Orders received.  I will take Destroyer Squadron Charlie and escorting Frigates on a patrol of Sector 8-Echo-Niner.  Should we run into any resistance we are to attempt to take it out.  If it proves too much, we are to pull out at max speed and return to Beacon 7-113 and relay our situation to you."  He paused for a moment, and let a vicious grin cross his face before continuing.  "Operation Pirate Bay is a go sir?"

++...........++

++Aye, good hunting.  Dante out++

Philon ran his hands through his hair, then turned to face his bridge crew.  "Alright lads, you heard the Boss.  Helm, plot a course and take us out."

Azazel glistened in the light of the red dwarf star that was almost 3 light hours away.  She led the hunting pack out towards the shunt limit of the rest of Inferno Fleet.  It was a beautiful sight, watching a flotilla of hunters depart.  Something primal shifted deep down in Hewie as he watched them take their final approach vectors. He knew that they would find something, and he was trusting the commodore to take care of those ships.  They were deep in enemy territory now, and they wouldn't be able to fix anything major until they found another safe haven in 2 or 3 weeks...  Hewie had faith in him though, and he knew that Philon would stay true to his orders.  

Hewie turned to face the rest of the fleet.  It looked much smaller now, but the remaining cruisers, frigates, and his own battleship could take care of anything short of a full task force.  Hewie smiled as he prepped the next set of raiding orders.  He wished he could bring the full might of Dante down on some small backwater Terran world, but that would have to wait until the other raids were successful.  Patience is a virtue, he thought cooly to himself as he imagined his full broadsides slashing through planetary defenses.  Soon.......

The Dystopian Wars Question

Hey All!

So, as you all know, I have been kicking around the idea of starting some Dystopian Wars.  Not right now mind you, but down the line when I have some more time and money, it is certainly on the list to play.  However, I want to pick the right fleets to start out with...  I want to do something similar to my Firestorm Armada plan - collect two fleets so that I can demo the game to people and have some variety to my playing.

Which leads me to my question... what fleets?  I've narrowed it down to one for certain, but I am not sure about the other.

I am going to collect Republique of France.  They have gorgeous models, an awesome play style with the mid range effectiveness, some of the best air units, FLYING BATTLESHIPS, and other interesting tidbits like that.  Plus I love the look of all of their models.

I mean come on.... thats fantastic looking (and also happens to be the starter box)

What should my other fleet be then?  Well, my thoughts were the following:

Prussians - I love their land and air models, and the no-nonsense approach to their navy models is nice in its own way.  I love that they use Tesla weapons, and that they are renowned for boarding assaults.  However, it is those same Naval vessels that make me think I might get bored with them.  I don't want to get bored painting the ships.  I love their land and air models - they are some of the coolest in the game - but I want to start on the naval side of things.

Covenant of Antarctica - Once again, their models just really get me.  I love the walker models on land (I don't care for EotBS naval stuff, which is why they wont be here on this list even though they have walkers too) and they have some interesting Air choices.  Their naval stuff is pretty cool, with the exception of the frigate, but I would get over that.

Chinese Federation - I know that they are only a naval faction at the moment... But they have awesome models.  I really want to get into the Land and Air portions of the game, and I wont be able to do that with the Chinese, but I still put them in because I could always start a third fleet for land based operations.  For instance - Chinese and French for the naval battles, then French and Prussians for land and air, eventually adding in naval units for the Prussians.... which would probably make more sense if I just added Chinese later, after two main fleets...

Free Australians - Same reason as the Chinese - they have beautiful models, but they are only naval at the moment and that would result in serious problems when I want to add land and air to the game.  Even though I really like their models....

So there you have it.  I am leaning towards either Prussians, even though I might get bored with the Naval vessels, or Chinese, just because their models are so damn cool.  I don't know though... Any help would be much appreciated!

In the meantime, I have a game of Firestorm Armada coming down the pike in the next couple days I think, so that should be awesome!  Look forward to seeing that in the near future... Until then, Tarum et clama dimit belli canes! 

Vacation Power Grid

Hey All!

So, as it was pouring down rain in Arizona last night, we sat cozy in our camper, plotting electrical monopolies against each other.  Power Grid is fantastic.  

The rules were simple once we got a turn or two into it, and it was just good fun afterwards.  Lots of forward thinking required to win that game.  At one point my friend was only firing up 2 of his power plants to save resources, while I was buying up the resources - that everyone needed - in bulk to stop them firing up their power plants, and auctions were going strong for the best power plants.  

2 little warnings.  1) be prepared to do a lot of math.  It's just adding mostly, but when people are buying 9 coal at 3 different prices, 5 oil at 2 prices, and 7 uranium at 6 prices, it gets slightly overwhelming XD 2) the 3rd step card can get drawn at anytime, which is kinda a bummer sometimes - just a heads up.

A great game overall, and differently my favorite tabletop board game right now!  

Uncharted Seas

Hey All!

So, I figured that the next best game to talk to you all about would be Spartan Games Uncharted Seas.  This was their very first game released in 2008.  A game of fantasy naval combat, much like the old Games-Workshop product Man-O-War.  It is a game that introduced the Spartan Games rules that can be found in all of their main products: exploding dice, range bands, and MARs.  However, while this game is just as good as the other two naval based games that Spartan Games created - Firestorm Armada and Dystopian Wars - it is in the same genre as those two games, which divides the target audience up greatly.  This has resulted in the recent move of Uncharted Seas to direct order only.  Stores will no longer be carrying Uncharted Seas products in stock.

However, the silver lining is that the company is probably in the process of creating a new rulebook, as they have stated that "with the release of spartan scenics, we have also begun beta testing Uncharted Seas"..... But enough talk!  You want to see models!

The great thing about Uncharted Seas is that it is getting much cheaper to get into.  He starter kits are much cheaper then their other games, and the rules are completely free online.  $50 for the ,out expensive starter fleets on eBay, $25-$30 for cheaper boxes, or a "combat pack" with 2 fleets for between $60-80.  All in all pretty reasonable if you ask me.  So, heave too you salty dogs, and hoist the colors!  It's battles on the high seas with another great game from Spartan Games!!

INCOMING!

Hey All!

The shipyards have been working overtime to get some new ships underway for both my RSN and Terran fleets.

My RSN have a Cerberus Heavy Cruiser in route, while my Terrans have a pair of R&D Shield Cruisers being shipped out.  The heavy cruiser for the RSN is probably one of my favorite ships in the entire game, even over ships like the RSN Dreadnaught or carrier and the beautiful Hawker Industries ships getting released later this month.  The RSN heavy cruiser is just fantastic. 

Meanwhile, the Terran Shield Cruisers will give my Frigates/Cruisers a little more survivability - as well as a new look aesthetically from the flat looking MkI ships.  

 

All in all, a few models for a pretty small investment on eBay makes a wargamer happy. 

I think in the next few days I will try and get up a game review for something new.  Maybe a tabletop, maybe a Wargame, maybe an RPG.  Not sure yet.  Until then, Tarum et clama dimit belli canes! 

Vendetta War - Prologue

So I've decided that, in order to keep up with Strike Fleet Templar and Inferno Fleet, I should run a fairly loose story line along with them, just to make sure that they aren't forgotten and discarded.  So, here goes nothing.

Admiral Hewie looked out from the bridge of Dante with a feeling of pride growing within him.  Everything was falling into place.  His cruiser squadron moved into position 15 million kilometers off his starboard side, while his frigate squadrons supported his port.  The nebula was at one o'clock from his current position, and a large Jovian planet sat lazily spinning about 500 million kilometers to his 10 o'clock.  The Terran fleet would pay dearly for their lack of precaution, even in what seemed like friendly space.  He tried to recall what the name of the planet was in order to calm his jitters, but couldn't.  "Helmsman, what is the name of that planet?"  The helmsman looked confused at what seemed like an odd question right before they launched their ambush on the Terran Fleet.  "Um.... Nova Welshbane, sir". The Admiral nodded and leaned back in his chair.  "Bring up fleet wide transmissions, inform the fleet to begin maneuvers and fire when within range band 3..."

The Nergal moved forward like a predator from ancient Earth's sea.  Commodore Perry Aquillinus looked around his bridge.  His men looked the part too.  All had the look of the hunter about them, snarls etched into their features as the went about their tasks.  They had been assigned the far right flank of the battleline.  Sensor relays showed there was something out here, but the nebula was making it difficult to tell what it was.  It didn't matter, Perry thought savagely, because they were men of the RSN.  The Spook Class cruiser he commanded was more than capable of eliminating anything short of a Dreadnaught....

The Sentinal Class Cruiser squadron, led by the H. D. Faverham, moved through the abyss.  It was almost majestic in a way, a full Cruiser squadron of the Terran Alliance under way, but that majesty was ripped away by a torrent of explosions.  

"DIRECT HIT!  They didn't even see em coming!"  The helmsman regained his composure quickly under the Commodore's steely gaze.  Inside, the Commodore was just as ecstatic, but he had a job to do.  "Fire another wave of torpedoes."  

The battle seemed to rage on between the Cruisers, but they had done their job.  The rest of the Terran Fleet was rapidly changing direction in an attempt to gain a foothold on their flank.  That is when Admiral Hewie loosed the rest of Inferno Fleet.  It was a small fleet engagement, but one that developed quickly into a swirling melee of combats.  The RSN frigates advanced on the Terrans main battlefront, but the shields the Terrans were renowned for took the punch out of the RSN frigates and quickly caused them to disperse, where the ships were destroyed piecemeal.  It was unfortunate, but their sacrifice was necessary.  The Terran frigates had suffered some damage, leaving only 3 in any serviceable condition.  The Dante turned towards the nebula, bringing her broadsides to bear, crushing another frigate in withering firepower.

Colonel Virgil stood glaring at his Hellstriders aboard the Dante.  "Are you men ready to launch?!"  A resounding affirmative came throughout the compartment of the assault boat.  "Then you whoresons better be ready for the time of your life!  Admiral wants a frigate for some R&D work back at base, so were gonna deliver!"  With that, he punched the all clear button on the hatch, and the Assault boats launched clear...

"Assaulters away sir."  Admiral Hewie nodded and looked at his helmsmen.  "He's a big boy.  Bring us about to headed zero-four-nine, three quarters speed."  He turned to the comms station and punched up the forward weapons command.  "Prepare torpedoes and forward batteries for long range firing."

Steam rolled through the Nergal as another hit rocked the ship.  Sweat poured down Perry's face, and he wiped it away hastily as he barked for engineering to initiate an S-turn to dodge the next wave of torpedoes the dying Terran Cruisers spat at them.  "Dammit!  Bring around auxiliary power to the engines, get us closer!  Ram those torpedoes down their throat!"  A brilliant explosions rocked the view port in front of him and a ragged cheer erupted from the crew, and a savage smile burst across Perry's face as he watched the second Terran cruiser die a flaming death.  The last cruiser made way to try and escape, ceasing all firing and turning sharp.  It never got the chance as a full forward battery and full compliment of torpedoes bore down on it from the massive hulk of the Battleship Dante impacted.  The final signal that the battle was won was the enemy battleship, the H. D. Payens, shunting away with a miserable two frigates.  A third shunted away, after a snagged toothed grin from Colonel Virgil came through on the comms moments before.  The day was won by the might and superior strategy of the RSN, and the general surprise of the Terran Fleet.  

Admiral Hewie sat in his command chair as the remaining damage reports rolled in from around the fleet.  The frigates had suffered the most damage, and most would require at least 3 months in dry dock to be back to operating strength.  The Cruisers had done excellent work that day, with the only real damage on the Hecate.  Senior Captain Vermillion Blake had been wounded, but would live to regain his ships fine reputation for "takin' a lickin' but we just keep on tickin'".  They had dealt a blow to the Terrans, but he knew he would have to get back and strike again soon enough if he wanted the blows to keep getting felt...

Savagery was the only word to describe what the crew saw in the Rear Admirals eyes.  They knew he would be out for blood...  Rear Admiral DeBouse had taken a pict capture of the ship he KNEW was responsible for this.  In big, ocher letters, on the side of the RSN ship, DeBouse read the word again and again and again, until his eyes were bloodshot and he was stiff with exhaustion.  Dante........

Power Grid

Hey All!

Just wanted to talk to you all about one of my favorite board games of all time.  Yeah, my feelings of "try something other than the biggest brands" goes over to board games as well.  So, I love Monopoly as much as the next guy - lots of good lessons to be learned from that game: patience, money management, how to stab your friends in the back.... But I have found that Power Grid is a much more streamlined and effective way - and much more entertaining way - to gt these same results.  It's what Monopoly should have been, a constant reminder that a name shouldn't bar progress and enhancement of an excellent product.

Power Grid allows for people to control a power company.  You vie for control of cities, resources, and ways to power your cities for the cheapest amount of money, allowing you to truly experience running a monopoly.  Plus there are map packs that let you play in other countries besides Germany and the United States - the two boards supplied in the box.

So, if you are in the mood for a board game, why not try something different and have something become your new favorite?  You might be surprised :) until then, Tarum et clama dimit belli canes!

On the road again...

Hey All!

So, starting tomorrow, I'll be headed out west on a road trip.  See the Grand Canyon, try not to die of heat exhaustion, dune buggy, the works.  It's going to be awesome!  But wait!!!  "How will he provide us with tabletop and wargaming articles and stories?  Whatever shall I read on the interwebs?!"  First off, thank you!  Second off, have no fear, the nerd in me wouldn't let me go out west and not take a little bit of nerdage for the evenings and nights!  

Dreadball, Firestorm (two fleets for a reason!), Power Grid, and Munchkins oh my!  3 weeks worth of traveling should let me get through at least one game of each, and there will be painting to be done - 21 Dreadball models to be exact - so that'll be covered.  And I'll always be able to talk to you guys about new and interesting games/rules/paintings/news etc.  So, just a little heads up about that, and who knows, I might post unrelated pictures too on here.... My other hobby is going fast...  Anyway, until then, Tarum et clama dimit belli canes!

Spartan Games nugget

Hey All!

Quick little piece of info - Spartan Games just updated their bundle sets for Dystopian Wars to include 10 fleets instead of 7.  So now, for almost 15% off normal price, you can get 2 Naval Starter sets from the following list:

Prussian Empire
Empire of the Blazing Sun
Federated States of America
Kingdom of Britannia
Russian Coalition
Republique of France
Covenant of Antarctica
Australia
Chinese Federation
League of Italian States

Here's a little inspiration if you think you might be on the edge for Dystopian Wars...

Roughly $130 buys you that mega-bundle and the rulebook.  Split that with a friend and buy a second rulebook for yourself and you are looking at a total investment of around $75 to start Dystopian Wars - which is a steal, because all of the starter boxes are designed to get you about 700 points worth, and that means you are only 300 points away from a glorious 1000 point fleet... and with land, air, AND sea models at your disposal, its pretty easy to get up to 1500 points... or more.  

So, stoke up your coal engines, push out your guns, and power up the shield generators, because this means all out Victorian Steampunk War at an affordable price.  So, always remember: Tarum et clama dimit belli canes!

Terran Carrier and Satellites

Hey All!

Finished up the last couple models I had for Firestorm Armada.  All out of models to build and paint now :-( which means some more ships are probably going to be inbound, probably around August at the earliest.  But, for the time being, here are some photos of my Terran Carrier, and the satellites.  

All in all pretty happy with all of the models :) I think up next is a 400 point increase for both fleets - Tarakian or Hawker Industry allies for the Terrans, and Heavy Cruiser, cruisers, and a Dreadnaught or Carrier for RSN.  I also think that I'll be naming fleets and coming up with a back story, because honestly that adds a lot to the game.  Instead of "that cruiser shoots that one over there..." You can say "the Dante advances on the Righteous, opening fire with forward torpedoes."  Which sounds a lot cooler.  Plus, if I ever get into campaigns it makes it a lot easier to upgrade ships and see each of them get their own personality.  Until then, Tarum et clama dimit belli canes!

Deep Wars!

Hey all!  

Little bit of late night Internet surfing has found me looking at another tabletop.  Now, when you find a new tabletop, it's probably going to be WW2, Dark Sci Fi, or Fantasy, or some combination thereof.  Or post-apocalypse.  Generally accepted places to wargame.  Antimatter-Games has gone all "Water World" on the gaming community, and drug you kicking and screaming to the ocean floor, where 17th century men in bronze diving suits armed with harpoon guns duke it out with biotechnology armed devolving mermen, alien like Ancients, and a race of generally nasty and cruel Draconians.  So, strap on your flippers, check your oxygen tanks, sharpen your Harpoons, and say a little prayer as you dive to warzones where the sun doesn't shine and where treasure and technology lie ready for the taking if you can survive the pressure and Sea monsters.....  Or worse.  

Firestorm and Dreadball are definitely the focus right now, with Skaven ever present..... But something lurks in the deep.... The temptation is there.  Until next time...

FIRESTORM PICTURES AHH

Hey All!  

Something has just shunted into scanner range....

Thats right!  As the title gives away, its time to unveil my two Firestorm Fleets!

Something is spotted...

The fleets have assembled and are bloodied and battered.  First game was against a buddy of mine who borrowed my Terran Fleet and played Starter box games.  The RSN managed to come out on top after 4 turns of bloody action.  My cruisers for RSN are powerhouses.  Definitely some more in my future.  On the Terran side of the game, they have some nasty frigates.  They might only have Fore fixed weapons and torpedoes, but their shields and long range capabilities (for Frigates) was insane.  In the end game, RSN managed to kill 3 frigates, all 3 cruisers, and take a frigate prize.  The Terrans managed to destroy all 6 RSN frigates, and beat on my Cruisers - but not kill any.  Both battleships stayed relatively clear.

Looking forward to more games over the next 3 weeks and getting some Dreadball painted up and played!  Also, it seems that there are some Firestorm Satellites that need painting up, and long range scanners are picking up something big on the horizon...  Until then, Tarum et clama dimit belli canes!