Random IKRPG thoughts

Okay, so it's not technically miniature gaming, but since (1) the Iron Kingdoms RPG is based entirely off the Warmachine/Hordes games; and (2) the combat system really calls for miniatures; and (3) it's my blog, and I'll blog what I want to, blog what I want to. . . sorry, flashback to an old song there.

Anyway, the first thing is the character creation mechanic.  Chose an archetype, choose a race, choose two careers, and you are basically done.  Making a new character is a fairly simple process, and it's a good thing, since combat can be quite vicious, what with mighty characters swinging around weapons, boosting attack and damage, and all that.  You don't have many circles in the life spiral (damage track, just like in Hordes, and very similar to the damage grid in Warmachine), and one good hit can really ruin your night.

Combat is pretty simple as well, though I say this coming from a WM/H background, plus a really extensive RPG background.  IKRPG combat is at least a couple of orders of magnitude easier than Chartmaster (I mean, Rolemaster) or Hackmaster. 

So, I like the game.  I like the background, I like the core system. . . I just didn't care too much for the intro adventure. But, it's an intro adventure, so really, I should not ask too much of it, right?

Ran the intro on Friday for two guys from my normal RPG group and two guys from my WM/H group on Saturdays.  (Actually, both groups are small enough that they really aren't "groups," but I can't think of any good word for a gathering that small.)  My RPG guys had played the adventure before, so I tried to ensure that the WM/H guys got to chose characters, take the lead, etc.  Not always as successful as I would have hoped, but they seemed to enjoy it.

It seemed to me that everyone got along well enough as well.  Granted, only one session, past performance is not indicative of future results, your mileage may very, ask a paid professional, do not attempt, blah blah blah boilerplate.  Anyway, I think everyone wants to make a pirate crew, and go from there.  I hope so - I have been jotting down some ideas, and looking through fluff (in the TT game and in both editions of the RPG), so hopefully everyone actually does want to play.

More later, but it's been a long day, and since I have blown out the jack o'lantern and turned off the porch light, maybe now the little extortionists-in-training will leave in peace for a bit.

Quick morning post

Just a quick one this morning, though I hope to have a longer one sometime this afternoon or evening.  Anyway, as a reward, yesterday my so nand I went to a train show - model trains, where people have set up layouts, and are selling old (ie, used, sometimes abused) stuff.  The son is really into model trains, and I like working on layouts, which are basically wargaming terrain that never actually suffers the abuse of being played with.

Anyway, for some time, I have been looking for a cheap, O-scale steam locomotive.  (Warmahordes players know why.)  To date, I have had no luck.  Or rather, I have found plenty that would work, but I just did not want to pay $40 or $50 for something that I would have to convert and would only see play in a fairly small group of scenarios.

But yesterday I found a nice O-scale loco and tender for only $12.  So I snapped it up, and tonight I plan on making some sketches and working out how I can fit it into the Iron Kingdoms milieu.  I have the loco, I have the plasticard, and I have the superglue.  I can rebuild it, better than it was before. Better, faster, stronger.  Or something like that.

Belated post from yesterday

So, no post last night, because we were playing the IKRPG.  More on that on another post.  And soon.  Anyway, yesterday was a banner day for adding to my collection of gaming stuff.

First, I got the first bit of swag from some of the kickstarters that I have backed.  The Reaper Bones stuff I am getting in one massive shipment sometime in late spring.  The Traveller one has been pushed back to January or so, due to printer delays.  The Relic Knights one has yet to send out the final survey for rewards, so late spring 2013 for them, I expect.  And, while the Ogre kickstarter has been delayed to early January, I did get my "I made Steve Jackson work on Car Wars" shirt yesterday.  So that was cool.

Second, I got a copy of Super Dungeon Explore, and the new No Quarter.  Not in time to really read the adventure in it before running IKRPG, but enough time to flip through it.  Anyway, I added however many figs come in SDE to my collection.  Someday I'll paint them.  Honest.  Really.  Trust me.

Third, I finished up, and dropped off, a full Space Hulk basic board, made from Hirst Arts bricks.  The recipient was a bit preoccupied with something else, but I'm going to be getting one of the new 40k sets out of it, which is going to add another 50 models or so to my collection.  I might try to swap the Marines for Chaos - I have scads of marines already, but no chaos.  It's not my "go-to" game by any means, but it's a steady fall-back if I ever need it. 

Last - I have some terrain projects that I want to wrap up soon.  I want to get them done, and get them gone - so that I have money for some more Malifaux figs, and some Warmahordes stuff that I have had my eye on for a while.

Hooray for terrain?

So, the terrain that I am trading is almost done - that's tomorrow's project.  I've started painting again, though I am probably only going to do some low-hanging fruit and finish a minimum unit of Man O'Wars or something.

Not much to post - just trying to get back in the habit of doing so again.

Motivation, but almost no painting

I have been spending a lot of time in the basement lately, working on stuff, but very little of it has been painting.  While I have worked on a couple of models, I haven't actually finished anything.  Instead, I have been pouring the plaster for one of the starship corridor sets from Hirst Arts.  And one of the Star Wars sets.  And parts of two more Star Wars sets.  Plus about four other molds.

Or, put another way - I have been pouring something to the tune of 16 to 18 molds, twice per day.  Or more.  I've pretty much lost count at this point.  But, the starship corridor set (aka Space Hulk board) is almost done - I want to have it done by Friday morning, so that it can get out of the house.  (It's trade for one of the new 40k box sets.)  Then I start work in earnest on assembling the Star Wars sets - they are actually harder than the Space Hulk one.

And yes, I am going to get something painted for this month, though it won't be much.  Bubba probably won't be done until the middle of next month.  But, soccer is winding down, as are some other activities - so I will have Saturdays free once more, and can start losing with my various armies again.

No motivation lately

Well, there are a lot of other reasons that have kept me from painting lately, but the biggest has probably just been a lack of motivation.  It's bad, but I just haven't been able to actually play much of anything lately, and since I haven't been playing, I haven't been able to work up the gumption to go downstairs and paint.  Need to break that streak, and bad.

So, how's that painting working out?

Not so well.  I haven't been managing to average 45 minutes per day - too many interruptions going on.  I have gotten some painting time in, perhaps half of what I would like.  Bubba is . . . well, I'm getting sick of painting those rocky bits, let's put it that way.  Every time I pick him up,  it seems like there are even more of them to paint than I remembered.  If I ever do another one, I will use the airbrush on the rocks, not the skin - there is probably twice as much rock area as skin.

My Rail crew figs are all assembled and primed, with the exception of Willie.  I might try to get him together today.  That's progress, of a sort.

I might get some pics later tonight, once more stuff has been painted.  Otherwise, feel free to post derogatory messages or something.

Bubba has a chin

It's progress, more or less.  The teeth were finished enough for me to glue the lower jaw in place.  I'm hoping to get most of the rest of the rocks basecoated tonight, if nothing else.

I also have some Malifaux assembly work that I want to get done, and I have some Warlands conversions that I need to start planning out.  Hopefully, I can get in a productive hour or so tonight.

(Oh - Bubba now gets his own label on the blog.  Because he is special that way.  Sly the Wold Wrath might get one too, if I remember when the time comes.)

Holy *bleep*, it's October!

And I didn't finish a single figure, from any system, in the month of September.  I feel so ashamed.

I did work on a fair amount of things, but I think most of my time went to the Wold Wrath and the Mountain King, neither of which is finished yet.  I really need to get down the the basement more and paint things more often.

In fact, I think I am going to try and spend at least 45 minutes per night painting for this entire week.  I may not finish anything doing tat (too many irons in the fire, so to speak), but I can make some progress, and hopefully start getting back into the groove again.