New Month, New Post!

Hey hey hey!  It's your favorite blogger here to talk to you about the dangers of goal setting - if you set em, more than likely you are going to complete them!

So, what have I been motivated to complete since my last post here a little over a week ago?  I HAVE A PICTURE FOR THAT TOO.

I did a thing in the bottom right over there and completed (to a tabletop standard) a couple of models from a range that I have never painted before.  I did this by getting my Alchemist team completed for Guildball in time to go and get some gaming in at the beach against some buddies of mine from Atlanta.  

Here is some photographic proof that I can indeed complete models in a rather quick fashion should I so choose to do so!

I really enjoyed playing Guildball over the weekend.  It is a refreshing change of pace from the types of games I was playing before in that you can get it done in a little over an hour in most circumstances.  These games that I was playing were learning games, and as such they were all more geared towards helping me along with the game system and learning the niceties of the system.  I played against both an Engineers Guild team and a Union Team.  I lost all three games, but as the weekend progressed it was closer and closer.  The final game I managed to score 6 to his winning 12 points.  Other games before this I had failed to score a single point with my team either time.  

I really am enjoying Guildball, but I definitely need to get more practice in with the team that I have and - of course - pick up the rest of the Alchemist models that I don't already have.  Which of course will lead to grabbing more Union team members, a Union team, and then grabbing another team after that as it snowballs out of control.  But that's ok! Who gets into tabletop games and doesn't have that happen to them over the course of their gaming life?

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In other news, I have postings about the news!  That's right folks, I have just a few items of business that I would like to bring to the attention of the model loving public.

First, the birth of the Skaven Pestilence Battletome and all of the delicious wonders that entails:

I have not broken down and purchased the Virulent Horde yet, but man alive that is a good looking box set if I have ever seen one.  I am not a huge fan of getting another Plague Furnace, but the thought of just about everything else in the box set makes it well worth basically getting a Furnace and a catapult for free an ok prospect.  I am giddy with excitement over this release, for fairly obvious reasons I think.  I love my Plague Rats almost as much as I love gaming in general, so these are near and dear to my heart as a Skaven player.  

The other Age of Sigmar news that has my blood and creative juices flowing is the grand entrance of the Sigmarite Cavalry, and the hints of Stardragons coming to their aid soon. These models, while pricy, are some of the coolest things I have seen.  I really dig the whole vibe of the crossbowmen armed cavalry, I think they are probably the best looking of the bunch with the axes coming in a close second.  

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Anyway, this is all I have for you today.  Look for the ever increasing tide of Clan Festerscar to make a reappearance on the Realm of Ghur, and for more painted Guildball models to show up on this page in the near future!  Until next time, dear readers, happy gaming!

Katalyst is the one who will break the secrets of life everlasting.  The same might not
be true for those that he is across from on the pitch.....

Painting in the Realm of Beasts

Hey all,

Hope you are doing well.  Its been a good bit since my last post, so I am happy to be back entering your eye holes once again.  Not much in the way of gaming lately, as school has started to pick up again.  A couple of friends got together to play a couple of rounds of Splendor, but other than that it has been a draught of tabletop gaming.  Gotta love Alabama.

What does this mean I have been doing?  I must have done something if I am writing a blog post, right?  Well, my dear intrepid readers, I have been working on painting up some Skaven for the past couple of weeks.  I just thought that I would take the time to go ahead and post them up here.

I have started experimenting with P3 Paints, and I have to say that I do adore them now. As I start to get more comfortable with painting in general again - I was off the horse for about 6 months - I will start to experiment with some of the more advanced painting techniques; wet blending, two brush blending, I may even try my hand at some nonmetallic metals.  Who knows!  I am really getting back into the painting aspect of the hobby thanks to the guys over at Garagehammer and some of the amazing work done on the Age of Sigmar Facebook pages.  I will probably make a return to painting some Malifaux models in the near future as well, as I have more than a few models left to paint for that game system.

Here is my photodump for all of my recent Skaven painting.

While it may not seem as impressive a photodump as those that have come before, this isn't the full scale of work.  I already have 25 of the Plaguemonks cranked out, and am working on another 12 before I move on to the command elements of the unit and my Plague Priest - whom needs to be rebased AGAIN on a 32mm base according to what they come with from GW's main site.  I am not complaining though, as I think the 32mm will look great on Plaguemaster Malkk.  As you can see from the last photo, I am also currently working on getting my weapons teams up to snuff again, as well as back into the new and improved color scheme of my Plague army.  I think that once I have the Plague monks all done I will most likely move on to getting my clanrat units repainted.  I need to come up with a creative way to make 2 units of 30ish into something like 3 units of 20.  OR I need to just go ahead and buy another battalion box while you can still get them and make 3 units of 30 clanrats and 3 units of 20 plaguemonks.  So many choices.

Before too long I need to get my Stormvermin brought into line with the new way of thinking, or leave them as the Asian Skaven mercenaries that they are and paint up the Katana converted models to have the same scheme as the current rats of Clan Hashiji.

Thats about all I've got at the moment.  I wont bore you with my plans for the Khorne Bloodbound until I actually start getting some paint on them, which may be a country minute still.  So, until next time - Happy Gaming!

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! 

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!

Wargames Factory

Hey All!

Quick message today about a great place to buy models.  Wargames factory does 28mm historicals, and a few sci Fi and fantasy kits, for dirt cheap.  $20 for around 30 models is usually their price.  Excellent models and great price.  They even make a battalion box of 15mm Germans that would go lovely with a flames of war force.  For $20.  Hop to it amigos!  

Dreadball Unboxing

Hey All!

Just wanted to take the time to show you a little something that I got on vacation!  First, let me go on and tell you that Armchair Adventurer in Honolulu, Hawaii is one of the best gaming stores I have ever been in, and that - if you get the chance - you should visit the store.  The Mad Dragon - what the owner calls himself because of the sheer volume of stock he has - would be happy to see you!

Ok, on to business.  So, I have always had a slight love affair with sports games, mostly because I can picture an absolutely fantastic game of Blood Bowl... But alas, Blood Bowl is dying.  So, who comes along?  Plucky Mantic Games of course!  And they have made a winning product this time.

The box set comes with 2 full teams of 10 models each - Marauders (Orcs) and Humans - as well as a deck of 54 game cards, the game board, a referee model, 2 ball models, the full rulebook, hex bases, cardboard tokens, and a roster pad.

After reading through their Kickstarter and the rules, as well as a fair amount of research and thought, I think that - should my first few games prove fun and I get a league going in college this fall - I will be investing in both a Forge Fathers Team and either a Robots team or a future released Teratons team.  For the near future though, I have a feeling that I will be sticking to my Orx and Humans.  Anyway, enough banter!  You want to see an unboxing!

The Box!

The Rulebook, nice paper, well designed book.

 Honestly the rules of this game are fantastically simple.  I love it, and I am going to enjoy playing this game again and again until I am blue in the face, and then play some more because it really is just that awesome.

The Board itself, complete with visitor and home sides

Counters, dice, and roster sheets

Sorry for poor quality, will take better shots beginning of
next week, seeing as I'm still on vacation and dont want
to loose any of the bits and pieces before I get home.

So there you have it.  Not really an indepth opening.  The book and the paper products look fantastic, I can't wait to rip into those models and my Firestorm Armada stuff on Monday, but until then I have to stick with the internet and trying to figure out paint schemes for all of these new figures.  And on that, I'll see you next time, but until then Tarum et clama dimit belli canes!

Update

Hey all!

Just wanted to give you a quick update on whats going on here.  Mostly the following emails:

"Your purchase X has been delivered!"

"Your purchase Y is on route!"

"Your purchase Z should be there on Thursday!"

Lots of exciting stuff coming down the pike finally.  However, I have other exciting stuff going on at the moment, so I actually wont be able to see any of my Firestorm stuff until Monday unfortunately.  However, my family and I are currently on vacation, so it isn't all bad ;)

I am trying to get over to the local store sometime in the following couple days - something of a tradition in all of my travels - and I will probably purchase something to help out the local gaming community.  The store here mostly supports Flames of War, which is something I have been looking at getting into for a while now, but they might also be selling Dreadball.

This means that I might be making some purchases if we go to the store here.  I will let you all know about my adventures to the local store if it happens, but until then, Tarum et clama dimit belli canes!

A Firestorm Update

Hey All!

So, as you can probably guess after reading my blog for sometime now, I'm totally nuts for Firestorm Armada.  I have a lovely RSN Fleet in the works, riding at about 800 points.

However, due to the nature of eBay, the prospect of becoming a Spartan Vanguard, and just my sheer magpie like nature, I now have a fledgling Terran fleet in bound...

Not really too big a fan of some of their models, but the starter box was almost half off the regular price and with free shipping.  Call me a woman, but I like good sales like that.  So, I have a second fleet, and for a fraction of the price.  Now I can teach people how to play Firestorm and offer demo games, as well as become a Spartan Vanguard - yay for 20% off! - and hopefully get some epic stuff going on with this game.  I really cannot wait now.

And now I have an excuse to get some of the glorious Tarakian models as well, plus paint a fleet these wonderful colors above.... or some variation.  Anyway, stuff should start rolling in by the end of this week/beginning of next, so until then Tarum et clama dimit belli canes!

The Beauty - or the Beast?

Hey all!

I'm here to talk about something we all know about - the glory that is eBay.  I love that site!  It's fantastic, lets you get what you want for usually a fraction of the price.  I just found some amazing deals that I might have to jump on... mostly a Terran Starter Set for Firestorm Armada for half price.  Now, most of you out there will be thinking "golly jee!  that sounds like a deal, the internet is a warm and fuzzy place!"

Then you spend 4 times as much money on stuff than you would have if you had just paid full price for the one thing you wanted.  I could easily go on eBay and buy that Terran fleet... and then another chunk of change for a Dystopian Wars starter fleet.  Oh what that?  MERCS for 25% off?  Well of course I'll take three!  Oh my goodness!  Flames of War for 5% off?!  What a deal!

*poof!*

No mas dinero.

I love eBay.....

But I really hate it sometimes.

FINALLY!

Hey all!

Just wanted to say that my Firestorm Armada stuff is FINALLY shipping.  I have my RSN starter fleet, 4 Destroyers, the game cards, and some satellite terrain finally headed this direction.  Which means that I will need to make some asteroids shortly, and get some models painted.

But, I am seriously excited for this game, and I almost want to spend more money and buy a second starter box - just so I can have the option of teaching people how to play.  Relthoza look fantastic....

Anyway, I'll post some pictures when I get them.  Until then, Tarum et clama dimit belli canes!

MERCS

Hey all!

Tonight were going to be talking about the next game on the platter after I work some magic on Firestorm.  Don't get me wrong, I cannot get enough of that game.  With all the exploding dice, gorgeous models, boarding parties.... *ahem* However, with college on the horizon, and Games-Workshop jacking up their prices, it is safe to say that I need to find another game to bring to the uneducated masses of students who squabble over Xbox One vs PS4 besides Firestorm Armada (there are weird people who want actual infantry on the table)

Enter the MERCS.

Thats right.  Military Economic Reconnoissance Counter Security, MERCS for short.  This is a game designed to be the ultimate fast paced, exciting, and over the top manga style action.  In fact, most of the artwork for the game is manga-ish...

See what I mean?

I love this style for the game, as it adds a lot of character.  It is even reflected over to the models themselves, but we can get to that later.  

MERCS is a D10 based system, where squads of 5-8 men descend into covert operations against each other on tight, claustrophobic tables.  Forget the 4x4, we're talking in the 2x2 and 2x3 range here folks. It also forgoes the industry standard tape measure and templates as the go to tools for getting your plastic warriors into combat.  No, this game is all about the stat cards being multi-purpose, and they do get a lot of use in the game.

Backstory:

So, this is going to be a Spark Notes version of the story of MERCS, but it gets the point across.  America is a dying bread, falling behind economically to the rest of the world thanks to an intrusive government and cheap foreign labor.  Feeling left out of the world, America lifts the flood gates on monopolies, and this eventually leads to a world dominated by MegaCorps, where national borders have been dissolved in order to make profit.  This eventually leads to the construction of MERCS in order for MegaCorps to fight each other in secret, while a group of freed citizens try to topple the economic powerhouses through terrorism.  Thats pretty much it in a nutshell.  Countries try to compete economically and cause themselves to get extinct because of it and companies now fight shadow wars.

Models/Faction:

While this game seems to lack the variety of models and sculpts of other games, it makes up for it by having solid rules, that are balanced, and the factions are quite well developed to have different feels to them.

CCC

The Beginning faction.  Based in good ole America, CCC is a mega steel company in the game.  This leads them to have excellent armor, and - being good ole Americans - they have access to some solid firepower.  This is the faction for beginners.  And they have the pyro character.  Which is awesome.

FCC

The Free Corporate Control is a group of terrorists who believe that the MegaCons should be torn down and destroyed.  They are the rebels, and the mercenaries.  They will not stop until their secret agendas are completed.  They are an interesting choice in that they have the ability to field other MegaCons MERCS in their army.

ISS

  

 The super troopers of the game, with redeployment options, and the threatening lightning gun.  They are based on an underwater MegaCon from the Greek Isles.  They also enjoy a good batch of olives and feta cheese.

Keizai Waza 

Keizai Waza is the MegaCorp based in the Far East.  They are the transformer ninjas of the game.  Their fluff states that they have continued to follow a strict code of honor, even into the future and as MERCS, and that they have adopted technology that the other MegaCorps have deemed too destructive and dangerous - Nuclear power.  Awesome models and background makes this one of the most popular factions in the game.

KemVar

KemVar is a group of South American companies that have joined together to become the leading giant in energy production.  They also support some of the stealthiest units and parkoring assassins to bulster their ranks in the game.  This faction is also known to have very few models, but big bonuses on the fronts of surprise and equipment bonuses.

sefadu

sefadu is the African company of the game, backed by the power and money of the CCC, they are a growing power to be watched and wary of.  They feature thematic units that represent African culture in their faction, such as the spear the leader carries to war.  They are extremely agile and the fasted faction in the game, but they sacrifice armor for this mobility.  Compare them to the Eldar of 40k, or an all cavalry High Elves army in fantasy - but about $300 cheaper.

Texico

Texico is the weakest faction in the fluff of the story, on the very edge of foreclosure as they try to take back their only major source of income - the Panama Canal.  As you can see from the models, they are extremely cowboy and mexican feeling, with influences from ancient Central American culture evident in the club weapons.  However, Texico's most known model is the Marshall with his dual revolvers.  Texico is a very unit based faction instead of a model based army.  They must all function together or falter together.

USCR 

Good ole Russia, always has to have the biggest and heaviest units in the game.  They feature the biggest MERC in the game with the Behemoth - a model feared by all of the factions in the game and in the fluff.  The Russians are a powerful force in the world of MERCS, with complete freedom being allowed to all of the citizens, but they choose to live as one.  This creates a bit of a mind melt to the other MegaCorps, but no matter - they are all much more worried about getting squashed into paste by their massive MERCS than the social-economic path the USCR follows.

Closing Thoughts:

Now that you have seen all of the factions and have a little bit of a better understanding of the game and its background, hopefully you too will be ready to suit up and begin your MERCS collection today.  I know I have a box of Texico and a box of Russians in my future.  The rules are a free download on their site, as well as more in-depth looks at all of the factions and the models.  Until then, Tarum et clama dimit belli canes!

MERCS Homepage http://mercsminis.com/