Busy doing something. . . .

. . .  while  I wait for stuff to get here.  Getting back into the habit of painting again, and, as I said, I have been pouring out some plaster in Hirst molds.  As proof that I am doing something, instead of playing facebook games all day, I offer some photographic evidence:



When I have more done and painted (the terrain, since the minis aren't even fully base-coated yet), I will post a better pic.

Filling my time

Since I am waiting on various and sundry games, I need to do something to fill my time.  I am painting, but right now, it's mainly a make sure that all 40 small based Convergence infantry are fully primed black before starting on their base coat.  Not too thrilling there.

But I have also started pouring plaster in my Hirst Arts molds again.  I hope to have Space Hulk, Descent, and Star Wars boards done in a week or so - and then they are bound for Bartertown on eBay, because I want an airbrush and a compressor.

For all of those sets though, the pouring is the easy part - it is the assembly that takes all of the time.  I really need to find a way to speed that up.

The waiting game

Okay, so I got my copy of Ogre.  Got everything punched.  Realized I was missing some sheets of counters, had extras of others.  Oops.  I have notified SJG about it, and new ones will get to me at some point.  In the meantime, I still had enough to play.

So, I took it with me for Turkey Day.  It fits in the minivan, but it takes up a lot of space.  I still plan on carting it around with me, but I might get a copy of the pocket game for cons and the like.  The game is as fun as I remember, though I am having problems remembering how to take out the Ogre.   Not rolling a lot of 1s and 2s would help.

Still waiting on Wild West Exodus and Relic Knights.  RK is having delays (again), and the ship date is indefinite.  I refuse to get exited about it until I actually have the models in hand.  WWX is shipping, and they expect to have everything out the door in the next two weeks, so hopefully I get mine soon.

Because I wanted some old western terrain for WWX and Malifaux, I backed a campaign on indiegogo.  And, because my gators have been screaming for a riverboat ever since I started playing them, I have to get that too.  Looking forward to getting it in a few months.

January (or more likely March) should have Robotech Tactics and Rivet Wars showing up on my doorstep.  Rivet Wars might make January, but again, trying hard not to get exited about stuff until I have it.  Looking forward to both games though.

And last, I have some Convergence stuff on the way.   It's a good time to be a gamer.

We have a winner!

My Ogre kickstarter arrived today.  28 lbs of cardboard.  I'm off to open it up, once I plant a small forest as an apology to the planetary ecosystem for having the thing.

Tourney results

So, on Saturday, I played ina 50pt SR 2014 beta tourney.  My end record was 2-2,  but there should be a solid * after it, because there are a few caveats.  I put together 2 lists (2nd list optional, but you had to play it if you brought it) - one with Syntherion, one with Axis.  My selection is still pretty limited, so I was running Monitor, Cipher, Prime Axoim, some servitors, one of the light vectors, and a unit each of reductors and obstructors.  (Aurora and the angels are still in pieces, so I could not use them.)

My first match was against Retribution, and I lost it bad.  I made a fairly key tactical mistake (did not line up well, and you can't drag across walls), but the big limitation was my inability (at this time) to deal with some of the stealth targets.  It was a fun fight, with both of us bringing a colossal, but I got outplayed, and deserved to lose.

My second game was against a troll player, and for this one, I snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.  I was winning on CP, I was winning on units and models destroyed, and I got over-eager, and hung Syntherion out too far.  If I had been a little more cautious, I could have won this game.  I had plenty of time on the death clock, and, if I had been more cautious, I would have spent the next turn tearing apart the rest of his army.  Instead, boom.

My third game was against Menoth.  Right now, I do not have enough released for Convergence to deal with the choir very easily.  This changes in December, when I can give out magic weapons for my vectors, but for now, the choir really limits my tactical options.  Fortunately, my opponent made some choices, moved his Judicator too far forward, and out of the range of the choir.  I won, but mainly because he made some pretty bad mistakes.

I won my final game against a Cygnar payer, but I really can't count it either.  He had to leave early, so I won on a forfeit.  I really would have liked to play it through - it looked like it would be a fun game.

So, yeah - I made some bad mistakes, and had some decent attempts at playing well, so I am not entirely dissatisfied with how I played.  I definitely need more practice with Convergence, but the more I play them, the more fun I have with them.  Can't wait until more stuff for them it out - and, looking over the next few months, I won't have to.

A probable winner?

So, I won't be getting Dropzone until Friday, just because I have to go pick it up.  But my copy of Ogre should be arriving on Thursday, all 28 pounds of it.  Until my Wild West Exodus is on the way, and without any tracking info, Ogre will probably be first, then DZC, then WWX.  Still hoping to have all three by Turkey Day.

A new contender emerges.

I'll do another post later, since I played in an SR yesterday, and wound up with an undeserved 2-2 record, but for now, an update on the great race (as I have come to call it):

No word on Wild West Exodus as of yet.  They are shipping, and some people are already getting their copies.  The main delay for them is that the pledge was almost completely customizable, so that no two Wicked pledges were going to be alike.  Still hoping to see it before Thanksgiving.

No word yet on Ogre.  The number of copies shipped to my region of the midwest has not changed in more than a week.  I keep hoping that I will get the shipped notice, but my guess is that I will not see it until the 25th or so.  My current take on it is than an Ogre, a cybernetic tank, several hundred meters long, with nuclear warheads and armor enough to withstand being hit by one, is nonetheless afraid of Detroit.

No word on if Rivet Wars or Relic Knights are actually shipping.  If they start shipping this week, they may actually be contenders.

And, because I am an army altaholic - I am picking up the two-player starter for Dropzone Commander.  It may be here earlier than any of the other four.

The race continues

Still no shipping notice from Ogre orWWX.  Per the daily maps, Ogres - massive, 200 meter long cybertanks with nuclear weapons, are afraid of Michigan.  Or maybe Detroit.  WWX has just started shipping, but at the moment, my money is actually on them.

I understand what SJG wanted to do - they were trying to ensure that the copies of Ogre that had the farthest to go went out the door first.  (The  exceptions were the coasts, where some launch parties were being held - so east & west coast US had first bite of the apple)  Somewhere along the line, the execution of that failed - unless Michigan is closer to Austin, TX than Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, etc.  Neat idea, but I hope they learn something from it before the inevitable Car Wars KS.  (Which I will back, unless the game is so radically changed that I don't recognize it anymore.)

I really need to take a pic.  The Prime Axiom is fully assembled, except for being put on his $%(*$& rock base that looks terrible.  That won't get done until (1) he is fully painted; and (2) I have finished working out how he will "float" (using a clear plastic tube).  But he can be blue-tac'ed on it for tomorrow.

(If I can go tomorrow.  I should be able to, but my car may well be in the shop, since apparently transmissions are important or something.  Who knew, right?)

The race is on.

Both Ogre and Wild West Exodus are shipping.  Which one will get to my door first?  Which one will get played first? 

Those are real questions, actually.  I'm not sure which will get to me first, but hopefully both will be here by this time next week.*  For practical reasons, it may be Ogre that I get to play first, simply because I can teach Ogre to my son a lot faster than I can teach him how to play WWX.  And if WWX arrives during the week, while I have clearance to go deliver my friends split of the order, I'm not sure I have clearance for the amount of time it takes for me to win a game.  Or lose one.  (Either one is good - it sets us up for a grudge match the next week.)

I'm starting to look for Wild West terrain.  I need to have a good chunk of it for WWX, because shooting is deadly, and terrain is your friend.  And much of what I have for WM is themed incorrectly - either bright green, grassy hills, steampunky buildings, destroyed wrecks, etc.  I think I need some cacti too, and I know that I do not have any of those.

In the meantime, registration for AdeptiCon opens tomorrow.  I still don't know what events I will try and do, precisely, but I plan on getting at least Iron Arena and Malifaux Gaslight tickets, and playing in both of them.  I'd like to do at least one WM tourney as well.

* And, in the "shipping in the next week" category, Relic Knights should finally begin shipping, and Rivet Wars should start as well.  Lots of gaming goodness on the way.

Hey look, its another event!

This weekend, I am going to get to take my Convergence to a tourney.  It's four rounds, but if I wind up with a 2-2 record, I will be surprised.  I'm hoping to win at least one, but the reality is that it is a 50 point event, and most of my toolbox is still not out.  I'll play, have fun, and hopefully learn something new, which is all I really am planning on right now.

In some ways, I am trying to think of my playing Convergence as the Warmachine equivalent of a Couch to 5k program.  In the beginning, you don't really feel like you are accomplishing much, but if you stick with it, and pay attention to the lessons you learn along the way, and at the end (say, AdeptiCon 2014), you have learned enough that you won't completely embarrass yourself.

The good, the primed, and the ugly

Camera is acting up, so pics will have to come later.

So, the good news is that, before yesterday's event, I got all 40 of the obstructors and reductors assembled.  I did not bother to prime all of them, but I did get the bases marked so that I could distinguish between units.  Today, I am priming most of the 40 - I think less than 10 of them were primed.

Now, let me start by saying that yesterday was a blast.  Three of us drove down to Fort Wayne to participate in their 4th annual Breast Cancer Brawl.  It's only 90 minutes away or so, and the chance to pass up a day of Warmachine for a good cause was too hard to resist.

Now, for the one or two readers who don't know how a BCB works, it's basically an open day of WM/H, with some exceptions.  First, you pay an entry fee.  Second, most players have anywhere from one pink model to an entire pink army.  Third, you can pay extra, and buy some cheats.  For example, yesterday, I could by 6 tokens/5 dollars.  Tokens could be used to buy rerolls, cancel the opponents reroll, gain charge speed, etc.

Anyway, I got stomped.  I went 0-4 for the day with my Convergence, although two of the games were close enough that I managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  For another, I ceded too much of the high ground, and it cost me.

I did learn some things.  I enjoyed using my Clockwork angels, and I am trying to learn how to better use my units of infantry.  I have a 50pt SR this coming weekend, where I hope to make a better showing, but I am also very much aware that, at the moment, the Convergence toolbox is basically a hammer and a rusty screwdriver, so some problems are beyond any practical fix.

And that's okay.  I have a full factions; it just is not all out yet.

Woohoo!

Obstructors are all assembled, though not all primed.  I have begun work on the Reductors - one is done, only 19 to go.  (Actually, I should get about half of them done tomorrow, if not more.)  Need to do a lot of assembling still, but some major progress has been made.

Progress (but make fun of me anyway)

So, the count that I need for this weekend is two units of Obstructors and Reductors, plus a solo, plus nine clockwork angels, plus Aurora.  So far, I have about 20% of that done, although I have most of the Obstructors at least halfway assembled. 

Two more assembled

I really like the playstyle of Convergence, and I like the finished models.  But man, sometimes that excess flash and mold lines is a real pain.  Two more Obstructors moved to priming earlier today, which means that I have 3 of the 20 of them actually assembled.  And none of the Reductors.  Still, it's progress, right?

Did anything get done today?

Yes.  Yes, it did.  I got my solo primed, as well as ten or so bases.  I also got 4 40mm bases ready for painting, and should be able to start working on them tonight.  If I can get those done, there is really no reason not to finish up a couple of models that have been almost done for a month, waiting only really for those bases.

Progress continues on the obstructors.  One unit how has fully assembled head & torso combos, and are about half on legs.  I should have half of the full unit assembled later tonight, if I can get down there and work on them for a while.  Forgot that I have a short trip planned for this weekend, but I still aim to have close to 20 of the 41 models trimmed, assembled and primed before Saturday night.

The blerch

Okay, so I am swiping the concept from The Oatmeal.  I could apply it to running, but in this case, I am thinking more of gaming.  I have done jack, more or less, since my last post, at the beginning of the month.  I could offer all sorts of justifications, but the reality is that, at best, they are little more than excuses.  I could have found some way to carve out 10-15 minutes per day to work on things, I just didn't do it.

Now, thew good news is that, until the other day, my collection also had not grown any in that time period.  But on Saturday, I picked up four new Convergence units (two each of Obstructors and Reductors), as well as a Dispersion Optifex.  Ooof.  41 new figs, and I have done nothing.

So, during the down time on Saturday (I was running a steamroller tourney, so once the rounds were underway, I had some spare time), I tried to get some stuff done.  I took stuff to paint, but instead, I spent time working on models (and goofing off, sadly - though watching the games was fun, I must confess).  I have managed to get all of 1 (one, single, only, etc) model assembled of that group, though I have close to 10 of them somewhere along the assembly process.  I hope to have at least half of them assembled and primed by this weekend - and, if I do not, I should be roundly mocked.  I have an event on the 9th that I am going to attend, and yes, I am taking my Convergence, and probably losing (missing too much of the toolbox units), but I want to make a good showing of having my stuff assembled, primed, and well into the process of painting.

The Blerch can suck it, because I have an x-acto knife, superglue and primer - and I am not afraid to use them.

Got something done

But no pics to prove it.  The Prime Axiom is slowly being assembled, and I hope to start priming parts of it by tomorrow or Tuesday.  I got a storm troll assembled, and he can be primed tomorrow.  I'll even take a pic of him to prove it.   I haven't painted anything yet today, but I did spend a fair amount of time cleaning up my gaming crap in the basement, and even sat at the desk and thought about painting - so that should count for something, right?

I really need to start thinking about AdeptiCon and other cons next year.  I liked the idea of using a con to force me to field a fully painted army, and plan on doing it again in 2014.  I just don't know what Convergence models will be out by then - if enough are out, my CoC stuff might be competitive (not in my hands, mind - in the hands of someone better.)  If most of my tools are not yet released, then I will have a problem doing better than my miserable showing this year.

Nothing in almost a month

But that's because I did not game for almost a month.  No miniatures, no RPGs, etc.  I barely painted. Too much Real Life on my plate, and not enough time for goofing off with my hobbies.  But, things are easing up, and I have picked up both brush and dice again (though not at the same time).  I have done some painting over this last week, and even got in a game with my Convergence yesterday.  (I lost.  My opponent left an opening for an assassination, and I could not roll a 10 on either of the 3d6 attacks.  If I had hit him with one, he was dead.)

I did pick up some DeepWars models, and have been cleaning out the basement of junk, so there is that.  And I do plan on doing more painting today - I have so many almost-finished models that it makes me vaguely ill, since I have a bunch more coming soon, and need to clear the space.

Lucy, you got some 'ssembling to do

Admit it, you read that in Ricky Ricardo's voice.

I haven't painted anything lately, but I have been adding to the collection.  I'm still working toward my goal of having all of the available 'casters & 'locks by the end of the year, and the other day, I added McBain, Reznik, Thyra, Vindictus, and both Kruegers.  I also have a Prime Axiom waiting for me to pick up tomorrow.  (I also added a couple more units of Clockwork Angels, because I am a glutton for punishment.)

Hopefully I can get some of the yard work done in the next few days, to free up time to actually assemble this stuff before the next batch of stuff lands in my lap in early October.  (More Convergence stuff, plus I am thinking about getting into Dropzone Commander.  I really enjoyed playing Epic, back in the day, and this may scratch that same itch.)

Not much painting the last couple of days

I've just been too busy, with the start of school and everything.  Okay, busy napping, but busy nonetheless.

Probably won't paint much tonight, but that's because a happy little box arrived from Georgia, containing 2 decks, a new rulebook, Miss Step, and the Herald of Obliteration box.  Time to read up on all the Malifaux changes.

Tourney yesterday

So, I wound up running a SR tourney yesterday.  As was usual, I do allow people to borrow from my collections, with the understanding that (1) it's nothing that I am already planning on using (not a problem when I am running an event, obviously), (2) it's first-come, first-served, and (3) I need a little bit of lead time to actually find the figs, since I am not going to bring everything I own each week.

Anyway, several people asked about models, and, as I was searching, I became increasingly frustrated.  A lot of my collection has gotten intermingled ("You got your Menoth in my Retribution!  You got your Retribution in my Menoth!"), and, since a lot of it is either bare metal or primed, it takes longer, and is more frustrating, to find figures than it should be.

My solution is to start spending some time trying to get base colors on as many figs as possible, while I am also working at sorting out each faction and getting them into their own KR Multicase, Sabol case, or whatever.  So I took a bunch of stuff yesterday, and during the rounds, I got the base green down on a dozen or two Retribution figs.  I'll hit them with the green wash today, and try to green up a bunch more of them.  They're pretty low-hanging fruit, since they have a fairly easy base color scheme, but it will remove a lot of visual clutter when it comes to looking for non-Retribution models.

Changes in the collection

From time to time, I actually do get rid of things.  At the moment, I have just gotten rid of my Battlefleet Gothic stuff, and am divesting myself of Clan Wars and Warzone.  I am doing this because I need the space, and I plan on using the proceeds to buy more minis, albeit different ones.

I am continuing to pick up Convergence stuff (and will be getting my Prime Axiom soon), but am also looking toward Infinity.  Nothing big, just a half dozen or so basic models to learn the game.  Of course, that's basically a gateway to a second army, but I can deal with that.

And, Dropzone Commander has a 2-player starter coming out later this year.  And I still haven't given up on the idea of buying into DeepWars.

My main goal for 2013 was going to be painting more models than I got.  Once the Bones arrived, that goal went out the window, so I might as well get some more models, right?  I think I am going to try and do no worse than buying 1 model per model I paint for the rest of the year.  Of course, all the KS models that are essentially en route don't count as purchases, right?

The plagarism post

OKay, it's not plagarism.  I just didn't write it myself.  Over on the PP forums, Snitchy posted an updated terrain "diatribe".  (I think it lacks sufficient vitriol to be labelled a diatribe, but that's semantics.)  Here is it:

Terrain Theory:

Terrain should not remove excessive space from the tabletop:
Unusable space on the table is to be avoided at all costs.

For buildings you have two options. Option one is for buildings that do not have an interior. Build them at a slightly reduced scale so they do not occupy too much table space. Option two is to build the building with interior space. The whole building becomes usable space. Adding a second stories will expand the play area.

For other terrain features make sure that any ridges (such as the banks of rivers) are flat on top and have enough space to stabilize a large base. The sides of stepped hills also need to be able to stabilize a large base. You never know where a random player will end their movement.

A note on rivers: They tend to eat up space on the board and limit game play. If you are going to use a river, ensure that there are plenty of crossings so a single bridge will not become the inadvertent focal point of the game. A single bridge will end up in game terms as a meat grinder.

If the building or terrain feature can be entered, exited, or climbed upon make multiple entrances, exits and access points:
If there is only one access point, players will not use it. The feature becomes a dead end and is an unintentional waste of space.

For appearances sake:
When making modular terrain, try to make sure that edges and height of terrain features match up. Also try to hide the seams and vary lengths between different sections of terrain so the individual components cannot be used as an improvised ruler. Some game systems do not require players to “guestimate” their moves or shots but there is no reason to limit your terrain to one system.

Try to use forced perspective when building terrain:
Forced perspective is a modeling trick to imply that an object is larger or more intricate than it actually is. In the traditional modeling world this is accomplished by building smaller features further away from the viewer to give the illusion of distance. For war gaming it means building features at a reduced depth or height to imply that the feature is there without taking up the required space.

An easy example is when detailing a building interior such as a house, factory or mill. If you add the room partitions, furniture, clutter or complete mechanics there will be no room to place individual model bases let alone entire units. Generally for buildings I build all details within the interiors within a ½ inch of the wall so there is room to have models in play while giving the lived in illusion. For exterior features or details try to build them as close to unusable terrain as possible. If you are building a feature such as a blacksmiths forge, try to contain the total space to within one inch of a wall.

Reinforce the terrain piece as much as possible:
When gluing a terrain piece together, make sure that you have multiple materials overlapping each other with layers of glue laminated in between.

Another way to reinforce terrain is to glaze your finished unpainted piece with superglue. This done by dropping liquid superglue on the part to be glazed and either blowing the superglue or used a can of compressed air to blow the superglue into a thin film coating the material. Future floor polish applied prior to painting will do the same thing. Spray or paint on sealers are also invaluable as the last layer on your terrain so the feature does not chip.

Ensure that your terrain will not damage another piece of terrain that it is set on:
Adding felt to the underside of the base of your terrain features will protect the surface it is placed on.

If your terrain travels, try to have a dedicated box to carry it in, and use foam or bubble wrap to protect the terrain components:
A dedicated carry case will protect your work, help you store the terrain and retrieve what you need in an economical fashion.

Make the terrain visual interesting:
Make features look lived in. One way you can do this is to hide "Easter eggs" on the piece. Add little details that people might overlook initially. Add animals to the bases of your trees. Add a cat sitting on the roof. Add a cup of coffee sitting on a shelf or stove. Papers on the floor, or clothing hanging on a hook add that extra bit of realism that makes individual terrain features “pop”. Any little real life detail added will increase the overall effect.

Be consistent:
Use the same color paints, the same basing materials, the same color ground cover etc. etc. Making your terrain fit together is the key. Nothing is worse visually than having a beautiful desert board with a building with a snowy base sat in the middle.

Most linear obstacles should be of average height:
This means to the waist of a man-sized model. Larger obstacles block line of sight. A long wall that is too tall will limit game play. The same goes for windows that are too high for an average model to see out of. Troops cannot realistically use them.

If a terrain feature removes space from the board try to add space with another feature:
If you have a terrain feature that does not allow models to move over the entire feature (like a train engine), try to make up the space with a multi-story building, or scaffolding that can be accessed.

Continue with a concept:
If you have a chimney or vent on a building exterior, make it lead to something inside if you can (some things cannot be properly represented on the interior such as factory machinery).

If you have machine as a terrain piece ensure that is has a visible function. If you have a steam engine, what is it for? What is it attached to? If you have scaffolding what is its purpose? People do not build machines or scaffolding without a purpose.

Allow no ambiguity in your terrain:
Is the feature rough terrain or clear? Is it deep or shallow water? If necessary you can write the terrain condition on the bottom of the piece to stop any arguments during game play.

Base everything on something hard:
How many hills have you seen that were chipped to the foam on the edges? Basing the bottom of terrain gives you two advantages. First it makes it sturdier and second it will stop most dings from other terrain or rough handling.

Try to make terrain that is not specific to only one scenario:
Scenario specific terrain is great, but once used it will most likely sit in a box or on a shelf. It is a waste of time and money.

Paint everything:
Unpainted or untreated materials will show through no mater what you do.

Use durable materials:
If you find terrain that you like (say trees). Is there a company that makes them harder? Is there a way to make them stand up to more abuse? Always think durable. A diorama can use dry flowers and they will not be touched. This is a war game and materials are going to be handled.

Kit bashing:
When kit bashing ensure that the original model is not readily identifiable. If you have to do major modifications to make it your own, go ahead. Tinker with it.

Horde things:
My wife hates me for this. Almost anything can and will be useful for terrain at some point. Horde small components and details as much as possible. Buy in bulk if you can.

Keep a scrapbook:
Try to sketch all angles of your piece. If a building with an interior, try to sketch the whole thing, every wall, inside and out. It does not have to be fancy. It does not have to be original art. It only has to keep you focused on the task at hand so you remember the details that you want to add.

Try to work on only one project at a time:
It will help you from getting overwhelmed, and keep you focused on the task at hand. If you get burned out by all means do a quick smaller project but get back to the big one as soon as possible. Keeping task oriented will save you money, time and space in the long run.

Scatter terrain:
Scatter terrain is useful to give the field that cluttered real life look. Crates, crops, woodpiles and the like not only make interesting features but also add to the game play.

When building scatter terrain try not to have many small pieces that have to be stacked or arranged. They will invariably fall over during play. Try to have major scatter components that are built as one piece such as piles of crates, stacks of pallets, woodpiles with wood cutting tools or coal piles with shovels. The larger components can be arranged as needed.

These are the rules that I personally try to follow. I hope that they help you keep focused and build better terrain. 

For the most part, I agree with it.  The only one that I really take issue with is the "one project at a time" bit, but that is because I am usually working on 2-4 projects at once.  I pour plaster into Hirst molds for project #1, then cut foam for project #2 while the plaster sets.  Then, once I scrape the excess plaster, I glue something for project #3.  Remove the bricks, pour again, and do something for project #4.  Once I have scraped the plaster again, I cut more foam. 

A lot of that has to do with either ventilation (burning foam stinks, and is technically toxic) or the drying time of paint and/or glue.  But I could certainly see working on only one building at a time, or something like that, where you are working on interior detail and the like.

He's heeeerrreeee. . . .

He's big, he's bad, he has two puppies, and he is in a wooden box.  Open him now, or wait until I can get to the FLGS for a public unboxing?

A boy and his puppies

Are arriving at my house later this week.  I am a happy gamer.  Would be happier if Khador were my main faction, but meh - it's still a darned nice piece.

Geeky non-gaming stuff

So, since I am not at GenCon, I spent some of the day launching rockets with the kids (mine and others).  Launched a total of six rockets, and got all six of them back.  Not sure how high the highest went, but it drifted about 1/5 of a mile before it landed, on a fairly calm day, so I am guessing that I came awfully close to the 1000 foot mark.

Any day where you can launch rockets is a good day; and any day where you get them all back (and could launch them again if you wished) is a great day.

Missing GenCon, still getting GenCon figs

Nothing like the haul from last year, unfortunately, but at the moment, it looks like I will still wind up with the 3Butcher limited edition, 3 of the Steelsoul Keg Protectors, and the Nightmare edition model from Malifaux, as well as Miss Step.  Yeah, it's not much, and I missed out on some kewl stuff that PP put out, but I can always get those models when the actual street date rolls around.

It's some consolation.  And, as a bit more, I picked up a nice copy of Plutarch's Lives at the used book store, so there is that, I guess.  You get your geek victories where you can find them sometimes.

It's GenCon time!

And I am not there. I am a sad gamer today.

Meh.  I'll attend another year, though probably not until 2015 or after.  It looks like next year won't happen as well.

Counting time

Math is hard.  Math, when you are shy on coffee, and forget a kickstarter, is worse.

My rough count as to what is coming in the next few months is:

Rivet Wars (forgot this one yesterday) - 160 models, more or less.  Supposedly still on track for September, IIRC, but I am assuming October.

Relic Knights - 58, I think.  Seems like it should have been more, but I think that may be it.  Fortunately, I won't see this until the holiday season, so I might have until Dec to clear some space for them.

Robotech Tactics - won't see this until January anyway, no matter what they say.  100 models, more or less, depending on how I fill out my pledge manager in the next week or two.

Wild West Exodus - 45 or 46 models, I think.  The pledge manager was done as an .xls file, so I have my copy tucked away somewhere, but I think I pretty much know what my share of it is looking at the KS page.  Those are due in Sept/Oct, and are still on track.

GenCon - not attending, but PP and Wyrd both let you order con figures online, so I'll probably be adding 20-30 models from those lines later this week.

So, 400 models, as a ballpark, back of the envelope calculation.  Add in a special order or two, and some trades (if I get the terms nailed down), and there is an even odds chance that I will add another 5-600 models between now and the end of January.  Just extra incentive to get painting, I guess.

ETA - so far today, I have put paint (to a greater or lesser degree) on 13 models.  Not as nice as yesterday, where I managed more than 25, but better than 0.  I hope to paint for another hour or so tonight, and a similar amount of time tomorrow.

Addendum to yesterday

So, yesterday, I showed off some of the Basement of Shame.  I have been trying to both organize it, and to cut into that amount of unpainted lead and plastic - by selling or trading some of it, and by attempting to paint at least an average of 5 hours per week. 

I don't know how long I have been painting today (a lot of 5-10 minute painting sessions), but I do know tht as of noon,  EST, I have put some paint on 20 models.  Sure, a lot of it was painting Ork teeth, or the bags on a Warlands car, or working on the gears to a Convergence model, but the point is that, if I an get back in the habit of doing this consistently, then things will slowly, gradually, begin to improve.

I really need to get that habit going again - because Relic Knights, Robotech Tactics, and Wild West Exodus will all be here soon.  And I really do want to get small forces for DeepWars, WreckAge, and Infinity.  Those games may "only" add 250 models to what I currently have (and, when compared to several thousand plus, "only" really is the correct term), but visually, it will have a huge impact.  I'd like to have a fair amount of stuff painted (or visibly in-progress) before those packages start arriving on my doorstep.

Shame

This would be part I, except that the other half of the basement (where my old gaming table is, and my Hirst molds, plaster, etc, and all of my RPG stuff, and another 2-3 shelving units) is currently ground zero for the great basement train table project, and basically a giant mess.



The area above the workbench. Yeah, some of the stuff up there is painted. A lot of stuff isn't, and some of it is even still in boxes. (The epoxy is for a model rocket that I need to build at some point in the near future.)



The rest of the area above the workbench. Remember how I said that I had a shelf or two of Orks? Yeah, this is part of them. (Part, mind you. I haven't counted in a while, but I think I can actually field two Green Tide formations. At the same time.) For the most part, I haven't touched these guys in over a year, but I do keep them around. I even paint on them from time to time, when I don't feel like doing anything important. (And, admittedly - I can knock out the weapons or teeth or something kind of obvious and two or three dozen of those guys in a pretty short period, so it actually feels like progress.)



The table of shame. I'm literally out of storage space. I need to drop a thousand or two on KR Multicases/Battlefoam/Sabol/anything, and get this stuff put away. It's particularly bad at the moment, a combination of the Train Table project and an attempt at a full inventory. The brown case on the chair holds some of my Malifaux at the moment, since they lack storage too.



The shelving units of shame. Yes, that's four copies of Clan War. One of those Sabol cases holds some of my Strelkovy Battalon, plus some tanks. My Brits and Afrikakorps are not pictured, but they are packed up and waiting for a proper storage option, along with the rest of the Russians. Two of those Sabol bags hold my Warmaster armies. The brown box under the MonPoc one holds a hundred or so 28mm Warlord Celts - they go with the 3 boxes of Romans above them. There are Dystopian Wars armies, FSA armies, MERCS armies, and some GW stuff (LoTR, 40k, WFB). The big Sabol case carries my pigs and gators, and some of my Trolls (I think) - the KR cases hold some of the Cryx and some of the Ret. The blue bowls hold plastic 40k stuff (mostly Orks) - I bag the parts on the sprue as I clip them, and the bags just wind up in the bowl - so I can grab the Ork bowl and work on putting stuff together.

I'm currently paring some stuff out of the collection, and trying to devote at least 5 hours per week to painting, which is making a difference. It's kind of pathetic, but actually, a lot of stuff so far this year has been assembled and primed, which is a big step. And AdeptiCon compelled me to get a lot of things painted. But, to be honest, I probably won't do better than breaking even this year - Robotech, Wild West Exodus and Relic Knights are all on their way, and I'm still adding Convergence stuff when I can. (My next major gaming purchase will still probably see more spent on cases than figures, however - this is just too much sitting out, waiting to be knocked to the floor.)

Catching up on some painting

I have been painting lately, and most of it is even for me.  Just some quick pics, but not much text.  Here we go . . . .

First up, Rask.  Painted him to give him away.

Next, Swamp Gobbers.  They went to the same guy who got Rask.  (I need to replace both now, but that's no big deal. . . )

I did some Convergence, painted up a la Golden Army from Hellboy II.


Accretion Servitors

Reflex Servitors

and a Cipher.

I also did some rats.  These were test models from the Vampire Bones order, and I wanted to give them a paint, because they were all new and shiny.

Quick update

So, by the time anyone reads this, I will have primed the first test figures from my Bones stuff - 6 rats.  Yeah, rats.  They're simple, small, easy to paint, etc.  Great quick figs, and it makes a noticeable dent in the pure numbers.  I plan on keeping some of the figs in reserve, as it were, so that when I get bogged down on painting some of the fighters or something, I can bang out four of the skeletons or something, and feel like I have really accomplished something.

Anyway, I'm going to start following this blog.  Basically, the author is going to be painting an entire Vampire order (I think, though there may be some extras as well) and posting the figs along the way.  It's more ambitious than anything I am doing. . . .

On a random, army altaholic note - I might wind up picking up Infinity.  And, while I did not get a chance to play a demo of it at AdeptiCon, Deep Wars looked really interesting, so I may check it out.  And at some point, once the rules are out, I will probably pick up a gang for Wreck Age (which I did get to play at AdeptiCon, and thoroughly enjoyed).  The common theme of the games is, of course, that they are all small skirmish games; smaller even than Warmahordes.  I can afford to pick up those, but adding another big army or five has kept me (thus far) from Hail Caesar, Pike and Shotte, Black Powder or Bolt Action. 


Of course, that has not stopped me from adding labels for all of the games above, as I write this post. . . .

Got them sorted

It took a couple of hours, but I got all the Bones sorted.  Cthulhu has two right arms, and there is one figure that might be missing a piece.  I've already contacted Reaper, and they said (as I expected them too) that they would take care of it once they have fulfilled the KS orders.  I told them not to worry - Cthulhu can wait a month or two, and it's not as though I don't have plenty of other miniatures to keep me occupied in the interim.

In addition to painting, I have a bunch of terrain projects that I want to finish up.  And I intend to sell some of them, since there are some very nice new molds out over at Hirst Arts. . . 

No pics, but . . .

While it may be a little frustrating at the time, going through the Reaper Bones Kickstarter order and checking off all the miniatures is a satisfying way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

They're here.

This says it better, actually:

Right now, the box looms there, lurking on the chair, smirking at me with the temptations and frustrations of several hundred miniatures.  Not sure if I should open it now, or take it to gaming tonight and open it there. .  .

A quick vassal game

Got in a quick game tonight, testing 15 pts of Convergence against 15pt of Trolls on Vassal.  I was running:

Syntherion
Diffuser
Inverter
Monitor
Elimination Servitors

against

Gunnbjorn
Blitzer
Bomber
Thumper Crew

It wasn't pretty.  I ceded going first, and he got up onto some elevated terrain.  Behind the rock wall, and elevation, Gunnbjorn was extremely difficult to hit.  I pegged him, but not enough to kill him.  I tried for the assassination via range, and failed.  For my efforts, he put a rock wall behind Syntherion, blew him into it with Explosivo, and then did very nasty things to the Cyriss caster with the bomber.

Fun quick game though.

Oh happy day

Gone for a few hours, and checked email to see:

Hi there! We're shipping out your Kickstarter stuff!

You're getting:
Kickstarter Sophie x1
C'thulhu x1
Kaladrax Reborn x1
Nethyrmaul x1
Clockwork Dragon x1
Figure Case x1
vampire x1


Should be here Friday. I'm running an IK game on Friday, and a WM event on Saturday, so I won't get to do much with them until Sat night or Sunday.

Collection digression

I should have some Convergence test pics up later today, but in the meantime. . . .

This is from a facebook discussion, where the original question was asked:

Discussion topic: How do you guys decide it's time to part ways with an army? Have you felt that you have too much stuff, and it would be nice to have less, or use excess stuff to fund another project? How to choose, how to choose? Do you follow any personal guidelines in turning over your forces for something new?

My answer (predictably, as the Army Altaholic) was:

I see those words, but do not understand them. Kidding aside - until I give up on WM/H entirely, I am not giving up any of my armies. I've done it before, and then a mere 6 months later, decided that I wanted to play [X] again, and had to start from scratch. (I have pared down my GW stuff, but I keep some in reserve, in case of a move, since it is slightly easier to find a GW game and WM/H)

 A bit later, I clarified, because someone asked how I decided which GW armies to pare down:

For GW - for 40k, I kept Marines, Orks and (b/c they came in the last set) Chaos. All three are staples, don't change so much that my figs won't be any good, and all should stick around with edition changes. For WFB, I have Skaven and Orcs for the same reason, and though I don't now that Ogres will stay in future editions, it's a small model count army, so if I ever start painting them again, it's easy to finish, and a nice change from the other horde armies.

 The consensus was that, in general, you should get rid of an army either when you know that you are unlikely to ever play that army again in the future, or when you divest yourself of a game system entirely.  For example, when I got rid of my Chronopia stuff last year, I got rid of all of it.  Everything that I could find, all in one fell swoop.  It is possible that I have a rulebook or something still floating around, or perhaps an odd figure that I missed, but I tried to get all of it.  I might do the same thing with another game or two that I have - ones that I have not played in over a decade, and am unlikely to ever play again, since they pretty much require an already-existing group of players.

I have toyed with the idea of getting rid of a couple of Malifaux crews - ones that I did not paint, and have thought about stripping.  I'd be trading them for different crews - essentially, an army swap.  I do that from time to time, but mainly at the battlebox level - once I have a certain critical mass invested in an army, it becomes a lot less likely to go.


Comments from any of my (irregular) readers?

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So, here is a random update on some things:

Convergence - the three lights that I have are basically assembled.  The two from the battlebox are primed in black, and awaiting the results of a color test before proceeding.  The Cipher has been assembled (as much as it will be), primed black, and is the object of my color test.  The reflex servitors have been primed and are undergoing color test as well.  I am also looking at various basing ideas for my clockwork minions.

Wild West Exodus - they keep releasing renders of the models.  Looking forward to this one, but it can take its time getting here.  I have lots of figs staring at me with wide, metal eyes, and I don't need the extra guilt.

Super Dungeon Explore - I really need to start working on putting those figs together and painting them.  They look like they will be a lot of fun.

Malifaux - a couple of guys at the FLGS have expressed an interest in it.  My Ten Thunders are painted, but I should probably try and get a second crew put together and painted.

Reaper Bones - well, mine haven't shipped yet, but Reaper is shipping again, and shipping close to 750 orders per day.  They'll show up fairly soon - though I am not expecting them before the end of the month.

Relic Knights - as far as I know, these are still on track.  I have three factions coming (Speed Circuit, Black Diamond, Noh), but they are delayed until Turkey day or so, and that's fine by me. 

Rivet Wars - still on track for the tail end of this year, and that's fine.  I'll paint them, they look fun, but I don't need the extra stuff right now.

MERCS - I really should sit down for a couple of afternoons and finish some squads.  It's only five models per squad, so I don't have much of an excuse.

The Great Work has run into a snag.

My Cipher appear to be missing one of  the spikes for the piston spikes.  Not to worry - I have a heavy kit, and I think that I will have at least one dedicated model of each heavy.  So, since I wasn't planning on magnetizing that kit, I cannibalized that part.  The Cipher is thus almost as assembled as the one shown at the beginning of the painting guide in NQ 48.  I won't be using the studio scheme, most likely, but now that I have the models in hand, I think I will only do partial assembly en route to getting them fully painted.

The Galvanizer and Mitigator are in process of assembly.  I figure, if I have the buzzsaw attached to one, they can be told apart, which will suffice for tomorrow night.  I might try to pull the Diffuser out and get it started, if time permits.

The reflex servitors are ready for priming, but really, they are one-piece little metal balls.  I took a break and cleaned them up when plastic mold lines were getting to me.  I have several more packages, so I have several more opportunities to teak a break.

Still need to decide what heavy I want to make with the kit.  I have Axis, so Inverter seems like a good choice, but I love the thought of the ellipsaw flinger on the monitor.  I may flip a coin or something - though I will have the other within 6 weeks or so.

The Great Work, continued

Okay, so nothing is finally assembled yet.  The mold lines, while not great, are not as bad as I feared, but there a lot to clean, and a lot of tiny parts.  The Cipher is possibly 60% trimmed, and I think I have everything identified.  Syntherion is assembled to the point of being a torso, so at least he is identifiable.  The two lights are sorted, but not really started.

Tomorrow should go better. 




I hope.

The Great Work begins!

My Convergence stuff is here.  No more theory-machining for me, no more reading spoilers and blank text on forums - nope, I am reading my book.  And yes, one of the first things I checked was the PP copyright violators notice - they're always different, and always fun to read.

Tonight, I want to get my battlebox put together, if not more.  I have heard that there are mold lines aplenty, although a quick glance did not see anything so bad as the fenblades.  With any luck, my first real game with them comes on Thursday.

Almost home

I've been gone for the past week or so, and gaming was not involved in any way.  But, while I have done no gaming, if I can trust the USPS tracking system, I have a package of Convergence figs showing up on my doorstep tomorrow.  And I just got a notice that my Reaper Bones order (from the Kickstarter) should be packed soon, with shipping to follow immediately. They sent the "Is this still your address? email, which means it should be packed and shipped sometime this week.

Unfortunately, next weekend will have no gaming, but I do hope to squeeze in a game or two on Thursday night.  After that, things should return to normal, more or less - summer always makes gaming a little iffy, but I'll take what I can get.  I'll definitely be able to start getting some practice in with Syntherion, Axis and Aurora.  The other two will follow as soon as possible.

Went dark for a bit

The end of the school year is always pretty busy, this year even more so.  Coupled with the fact that I have not been doing any gaming, and the impetus to post new content just was not there.  I probably won't be posting much for the next week (family stuff, nothing bad, but just no time), but I thought I should give some sort of update for my irregular readers.

First off, as I said before, I am getting some Convergence of Cyriss stuff.  How much?  Well, this stuff should be arriving on my doorstep before too long:

Battlebox
 Elim Servtrs
Reflex Srvtrs
Aurora
Axis
Attune Svtr
Clockwork Angel
Accret Srvtr
Hvy Jack box
Diffuser
FOWM CoC soft cover

It's a solid start, but yeah, I'm going to want more.  The Prime Axoim is just kewl, and I know that Aurora is going to want a couple of units of Angels for her list, but it is certainly enough for me to hit the ground running.  Unless something about them really does not work for me, I think I have found a primary army for the next couple of years.  And that's a good thing.

Shut up and take my money already!

Flipping through NQ 48, and damn, but I think I may have finally settled on "my" faction.  I'll still play all the others, but I think some clockworks are going to take up a lot of my playtime.  Bodge, Strip, Razor Bola, Luck, Homing Ripspike?  Damn, but those guys are nice. . . .

Now I just have to wait until they are out. . . .

Thoughts from the weekend games

So, still playing in a jouneyman league, and still playing pMagnus.  We're up to 25 points, so I have started putting in some units, trying them out, and making notes.  I'll pretty up my chicken scratches a little here, but here's basically the synopsis of the games from this weekend:

Saturday - pMagnus vs 3Makeda.

I was runningthe Magnus battlebox, plus Gorman, and min units of Steelhead halberdiers and cavalry.  He was running 3Makeda, a Brute, two savages, paingivers, gators and a task master.

First, Black Oil is great.  It literally saved the game for me - I managed to Oil 3Makeda, and stopped her from charging Magnus.  I think from now on, if I can fit Gorman into a list somewhere, he'll be there.  He's just too useful, and if I can get Snipe on him, then I will do so.

Backswing.  I used the Obliterator on a few targets, not intending to do much damage (and I didn't), but to simply knock them down.  The cavalry charged in, and while I remembered the assault order, and the impact hits, I forgot about the +2 to hit (not that it mattered, since the targets were knocked down), but I forgot to take my backswings.  Hopefully, I remember next time.

Magnus - I think I need to lead the charge with the mechanikal arm, and boost the hit roll against high Def targets.  I'll do less damage, but the knock-down affect is too handy to pass up.  Bad dice (on his part), and that knock-down let me take down 3Makeda, but he was wining the game up to that point.

Sunday
pMagnus vs pLylyth
Dropped the steelheads for a full unit of Long Gunners and Kell, ran his tier list.  My opponent was running the Legion battlebox, plus Typhon.

I can't claim to have really learned anything from this game.  I put Snipe on the Renegade, and pretty much just ran my army forward.  He moved everything up on is turn.  I wanted to put the hurt on Typhon, so I shot at it with the Obliterator.  Missed (even boosted), and it deviated right on to pLylyth, who had not kept any fury on her.  She took the hit, I moved up Kell, shot her, moved up the Long Gunners, and used CRA to shoot her.  Missed one of the CRAs, but the other hit her, and managed to kill her.  We both looked at each other, and said "Good game?"

So yeah, I won that game, but my dice were made of awesome and win.  I have no idea what the outcome would have been if I had landed the shot on Typhon as I intended.

PMagnus vs Bloody Barnabas
Same as before.  Barnabas had a croak hunter, gators, and a bull snapper.   This went about as expected - Barnabas with Swamp pit could pretty much advance into charge range, and, frankly, Long Gunners are not melee stars.  Or even competent.  I lost, and killed only a few models.  (In all fairness, most of the posse was badly wounded, but I could not put those last 1-2 points on any of them for the life of me.)

First step in a new direction

The first step is always the hardest one.  Unless it is off a sheer cliff, in which case it will likely be the only one.  Anyway, since I am tying to break the habit of not winning, I am trying some new things in my games.  I'm not talking models (although that will certainly be part of it), but rather, I am going to take better notes on my games - my list, my opponents list, what I did right, and (most importantly) what I did wrong.

So, yesterday, I got in a 25-pt game.  I wanted to try some stuff for the journeyman league this week, and my opponent wanted to try the newest incarnation of Makeda.  I'll post more on it tonight (and hopefully another game or two today), but I do feel reasonably confident that making a note to myself to not, for example, forget about Backswing on Steelhead Cavalry is probably going to be useful.  Obviously, if I play them enough, it will become second nature to me, but I need to decide on at least a faction in the next couple of months if I really want to get some quality games with them before AdeptiCon next year.

(Yes, I am looking toward next year.  Believe it or not, while I may have some impulse control issues when it comes to amassing quantities of lead and plastic, I am more than capable of taking a long-term planning approach.  And, right now, my sights are set on Lombard, IL next year.)

And now for something completely different

I've been reading a lot of the Convergence spoilers lately, and I will have some thoughts on them once I actually have the stats in hand, so instead I am going to randomly post the stuff that I should have coming down the pipe at me, demanding that I paint them:

First off, my Reaper bones order.  I jumped in on the Kickstarter for the project, and, when it arrives, I should be looking at approximately 250 minutes or so - Vampire plus the Sophie plus Cthulhu plus some extra dragons.  I should see that in the next month or so.

Later this year, I should be getting my figs from Relic Knights.  I could go back and do the model counts, but the number is somewhere between 50 and 100 figs.  I should also be seeing my Rivet Wars models, just over 100 of them.  And, my Wild West Exodus stuff will arrive - somewhere about 50 models.

That's a lot.  But I also have a Galleon on the way, a Ragman on back order, a full unit of steelhead riflemen, a couple of razor boars, and I'll be gaining probably 5-15 more warlocks/warcasters by mid-June.  Plus (hopefully) the initial release of CoC.

And, depending on some trades, I might still jump in on the Robotech kickstarter.  And I have some other figs that I want to pick up - some Firestorm Armada, possibly one of the MERCS squads, a few Malifaux figs. . . .

I really should get painting now.

AdeptiCon, part III - the car ride home

Driving out of Chicago was much better than the drive in.  For starters, while I was sleep-deprived, the rain was not coming down in buckets - and I had an ample supply of caffeine.  But it is a fair drive, some three hours or so, and rather than listen to the radio, we talked about the weekend, Warmachine, etc.

The first, and most important, thing, is that we all decided to come back to AdeptiCon next year.  We had lots of fun, and played a lot of games.  Next year, however, we plan on staying on-site - the half-mile drive was just long enough to be annoying, and we'd like to avoid that.  Plus, we'll be bringing some fermented grain products of our own.

Second, we talked about the possibility of entering the team tourney.  We have another player who may be coming next year, which would give us possibly two teams, and so we had a discussion on the possible display boards, the team composition, why we should have custom made shirts - the whole nine yards.  (Among them - a Cryx/Legion team board could be a ghost pirate ship towing either a dead whale, with Legion beasts feasting on it, or a blighted whale, with spikes and carapace growths.  Either sound fun.)

Lastly, we talked about why I lose so often.  Part of it is dice - people who have watched me stare in awe (or horror) at successive strings of snake-eyes, or events where my average 2d6 roll is 5.  I know that it is a poor craftsman who blames his tools, so while dice is indeed a part of it, I rarely plan my turns on the basis of anything beyond "I need 5s to hit, and do dice minus 4, so I should be able to kill this solo with 3 attacks."  I presume that I will have sub-average dice, and try to plan accordingly.

No, the real problem, I think, it is that somehow, when I took the black and became a press ganger, I decided that I was supposed to lose.  Not just at demos, but pretty much every game.  I know my units reasonably well, but I seem to avoid doing some of the synergies that move my game from meh to decent..  I don't practice a list, or play nearly as many games as I need to, and I tend to flit from army to army, ostensibly to give people practice playing against as many different things as possible.  In other words, I am trying to help make my meta better, but it means that I lose a lot, and in such a way that it does not actually make me a better player.  I need to stop taking a back seat on the open play days, and allowing others to play (when there is an odd number) instead of claiming a table for myself.

Now, being aware of the problem and fixing it are two different matters.  I'm going to goof off for the next couple of months, painting whatever I feel like (for the 5-pt/month challenge), and playing whatever I feel like.  And then, once I have the Convergence book in my hands, I am going to look at it, and at all the armies, and settle on something.  I have to play some eMorghoul games for that challenge, but I am going to pick something in July and concentrate on it until AdeptiCon next year.  I won't get in 10,000 hours, but I plan on doing a lot better next year than I did this year.

AdeptiCon, part II

Next up, Blood, Sweat & Tiers.  I wish I had taken better notes, because for the life of me, I can't recall what I lost to in the first round.  But lose I did, and I wound up heading into the second round, and looking across the table at an eGaspy list. 

I don't recall the entire list, but I recall bane knights and thralls, the cankerworm, withershadow, and a boneripper.  I tried to run my Mortenebra list, but neither she nor Terminus would have been a good match for it.  I died via assassination, and, IIRC, it was to a seether made by the withershadow from one of my jacks.

Third round, I would up playing Wargamer Girl.  She was running an eSorscha list, with winterguard death star, a mortar, widowmakers, and couple of jacks.  I spent too long trying to tear apart the winterguard, and she wore me down and killed poor Terminus.  It was a good game, and I think I would have done a lot better if my Blackbane's had gone right through the winterguard and gone after ole Kovnik Joe.  Oh well, you live, you get curbstomped, and you learn.

The last round, my poor opponent was obviously tipsy.  And he was running pStryker, and a Stormwall.  He moved forward, spent some time trying to take down the objectives for the control points, and left pStryker exposed, and within 9" of Terminus, and 8" of Deathjack.  I won that game, which at least ended the evening on a happy note.

On Saturday, I played a couple of games in the Iron Arena, enough to get my the points to earn a Magnus art print, and then spent some time playing demos of Firestorm Armada and Wreck Age.  I got owned on both.  Wreck Age looks like a fairly decent game - it's a story-driven skirmish game, sort of a post-Apocalyptic setting for Necromunda.  The figs aren't bad, and any faction that has explosive-laden pigs and a remote detonator can't be all bad, right?  One of my friends picked up a copy of Wreck Age, so I'll be picking up a faction for it at some point.

As an added bonus - I managed to score a free Firestorm Armada fleet - the Aquans might not be my first choice, but free is a hard price to beat.  I also stopped by and talked with Romeo, the guy in charge of Wild West Exodus, and hopefully made contact with some people in the Grand Rapids area who might be picking it up.

I also spent some serious time looking at the terrain from Burn In Designs.  It's really nice stuff , and they have a good deal for a western town.

I probably should have stopped gaming at this point, but I wound up getting sucked into a 50-pt pick-up game of Warmachine. I made some mistakes, played badly, and wound up losing.  The aggravating part was that I tried to concede - I did not see the fury tokens on Grim Angus, went in for the assassination, and realized that I could not kill him, since he had plenty of transfer targets.  I wanted to concede the game, and he really wanted to play it out.  I was hungry, and frankly, kind of tired of losing, and did not see the point of suffering through making the attacks and failing to kill Grim, and then getting killed by the EBDT that was right next to him.  Meh.  Went out to dinner afterward, and that made things better.

Sunday, I had to do some demos, and that pretty much took up the entire day.  Drove back, and I'll discuss that in another post down the road.

AdeptiCon, part I

I have to go through the pics and what not. I did not take as many as I had thought, but I still want to put them into some kind of order.  With that in mind, let's start at the beginning.

Thursday morning, I got up and drove to AdeptiCon, stopping along the way to pick up my two co-conspirators.  We got to the con around noon - later than I had wanted, but we were delayed by the contents of Lake Michigan being dumped (as rain) onto the tri-state tollway.  Apparently, not only did part of 294 get closed down, but a sinkhole in the Chicago area swallowed three cars.  Fun times.

At the con, we snagged a parking spot, and went in to get our bags.  I had made the first 1k bags, but the other two did not.  I wound up with a Cygnar starter, a Con miniature, a FoW tank, an anthropomorphic animal of some sort, and some other random things.  I traded off my BF coupon for the WWExodus fig that one of the other guys got.  I didn't plan on picking up any Battlefoam products, but I wanted that fig.

We went to our hotel (about half a mile away), and killed time until late afternoon.  Jake took the time to paint some of Kenny's Legion stuff, and I dozed for a bit.  Mainly, we were just marking time until the stuff we wanted to do started in earnest.

About 5, we headed over to the con to hit the Iron Arena, only to find that the room was not ready yet.  Some of the pressgangers got pressganged into helping set up the room.  Or we volunteered, whichever version you prefer.  As a bonus, we got to see the new Convergence figs, and 3Lylyth and the Mammoth, without the glass in the way.  I took a couple of pics, and yes, I will post them, although by now everyone should have seen them.

We all played in some Iron Arena games that night.  I was trying to remember how to play my list, and it was not going well.  Had fun anyway, earned some skulls, and we made it an early night, since (1) I had Hardcore Friday morning; and (2) I had the car keys.

Friday morning - after a quick run and breakfast, we all headed back to the con.  I checked in for Hardcore, and the other two started playing Iron Arena.  The less said about Hardcore, the better.  I was running a Terminus list, and, for various and sundry reasons (known as lack of models and lack of practice), it was tier, but I had a Kraken in it.  I scored a bye on the first round, got dropped by an Archidon at the top of turn 2 in the second round.  I could claim ignorance of the Archidon and eMakeda, but the fact is that I was playing poorly, and left a nice hole for it to drop into.  A couple of lucky rolls, and it was game.

Round 3 was better, but I died to a Gorax (IIRC) that got moved via stones into a space cleared for him.  I did a better job protecting my caster, but I forgot the cardinal rule of dealing with stones - kill one.  One unit may have the UA who grants stealth, but the second might have been in range of the Kraken's long gun.  My bad.

Round 4 actually went to dice down, but I lost to Tony Faber, running a Cyngar list.  I want to say it was eHaley, but I would not swear to it.  I was getting a little demoralized at that point - it was a good game, but it had been a disappointing morning, to say the least.

Still - I know full well that I need to play more events, more hardcore, more tourneys.  And lose at them.  If I keep it up, and actually play more often, I should get better.  So, now I have a goal to beat for next year, right?

Back from AdeptiCon

Back from AdeptiCon.  I'll be posting some pics and what not in the next couple of days.  In the meantime, the short report is that I got pwned in lots of games, generally had fun, and plan on going back next year.

It feels very strange not to have a bunch of "I need to paint this now" guilt hanging over my head.  I might not paint for a couple of days. . . . though I got a lot done in the days leading up to AdeptiCon, and I have to admit, I kind of liked the feeling of putting a fully painted army on the board.

Late night update, and a PSA

First up, the PSA.  When you pick up a paint bottle to shake it, it's probably a good idea to ensure that the bottle is actually completely closed before shaking it.  Doh!  Fortunately, it all landed on me, and not on the miniatures.

So, the Kraken is based.  I'm hoping that it dries enough for me to paint it tomorrow, but otherwise, it gets a quick coat on Thursday at some point.  Rengrave is not done, and I have four of the revenant crew still waiting to be finished.  I have a seether that might get done as well, and the withershadow did get moved along a bit.

I also started doing base markings.  I know that all of the blackbane's are done, as well as the bile thralls.  The ripjaws got done, as did the slayers, the sirens, and most of the scrap thralls.I'd be working on them now, but (1) I'm hungry; and (2) I've done a lot of painting today, so I am calling it a day before I do something stupid and mistake black primer for the clear coat or something.

Belated update.

Yeah, I was going to post pics yesterday.  Went down to the basement with the camera, turned on the TV for background noise for while I was painting, and yeah. . . .

So, here are the pics.  I have done a little bit of painting since my last pic update.  First up, the least important stuff: my Malifaux crew.  I don't plan on playing many games of Malifaux at AdeptiCon, but I did pay the cost for the league, and want to play at least a few games, to help increase my familiarity with the system.  I have enough for it, so I might as well play.

I had two of the metal gamin and the rail golem painted at the beginning of the month.  Now, the rail crew starter, the rail golem, the metal gamin, and Willie are all painted and based.  Reasonably happy with them, too.

But, on to the Warmachine stuff.  I've been planning on playing Cryx for several months now - I had more painted for it than any other faction, although that is not saying much.  These guys were done (earlier this year, Feb maybe?), but never based.  I had to take care of that, of course.

Full Biles and a Scarlock do not an army make.  I had a couple of chicken jacks done, but I needed more.  So, I painted a few.

That's two slayers, a reaper, a stalker, two ripjaws,a harrower, a leviathan, and deathjack.  That will do, right?


But I need more than that.  I should have some support models and solos as well.

Five scrap thralls, two warwitch sirens, and Mortenebra and her special little friend.  But wait, there's more!  They're not pictured here, but right now, pGaspy, pThags, and a necrotech are basically sitting in their basing materials.  The second nectrotech is almost ready for basing.  Terminus is based, and, while he is not done, he is completed to the 3-color standard required by AdeptiCon.  The Kraken is now at the 3-color standard, but I need to pick up something tonight at the store to finish up his base.

The sticking point is the Revenant crew and Rengrave.  More than half of the revenant crew are almost ready for basing, and would be done to the 3-color minimum.  Rengrave and four of the crew are a little farther back.  With any luck, I will get the crew mostly done tonight.  If I can get them mostly done, tomorrow won't be bad, and I might even get the Withershadow combine based and to 3-color standard.

I do need to carve out some time tomorrow to put arc markings on the bases, but that should take no more than an hour, and it is something I can do while paint dries.  I might even start on that tonight, since I have Blackbanes and some other things that need arc markings.

No updates in almost a week.

And that is because, quite rankly,. I have been kind of busy painting.  I'll post an update tomorrow, with pics.  I am not done yet, but, for good or ill, I am in the home stretch.  I have contingency plans, just in case, although they mainly consist of "This is 50 points.  It is technically a painted army.  I'm going to lose now, but that's okay, because at least this army got poorly-painted in time."

So, what gone done today?

Short answer, nothing.  I did not finish a single miniature today.

This could be bad.  After all, I have only 8 days, and a few measly hours until AdeptiCon. And, in a previous post, I had 39 figures to finish.  That's almost 5 figures per day, so I'm in trouble, right?

Not entirely.  I have a real problem working on only one miniature at a time.  So, today, I worked on the following:

Terminus
Mortenbra
Deryliss
2 Ripjaws
Harrower
Leviathan
Reaper
x2 Slayers
Deathjack
Kraken

Willie
2 Rail workers
Emberling
Kang

That's almost everything.  It's missing only the undead pirates and the solos, more or less.  Some of the  jacks are almost done - I think one of the slayers needs some minor touch-ups and detail work, and then basing.  The ripjaws are mostly done.  Willie is almost done.  The kraken is almost ready to be placed on its base, which means that I am almost down to detail work on it.

One of these days, I'm going to post a "What got done today?" and it will list a bunch of figs.  And then it will be on to the infantry - but as jacks get cleared off, I will be adding the infantry to the painting queue, so they will start to get finished quickly as well.

(Lack of) progress

Not much has gotten done since Friday.  And by not much, I mean the only thing that has gotten finished is the stalker.  But Mortenebra is primed, and well into base colors.  The base for the Kraken is coming along, and I am almost ready to put it on the base and begin the final detailing on it.  The two crabjacks are also almost ready for basing and final details.  The ripjaws are here, assembled, primed, base colors, and almost done.

With any luck, tomorrow and Wednesday should see a good chunk of figs get actually finished.  I need to get a lot of stuff done, obviously, I'm feeling fairly optimistic at this point, however.

Morning report

The title makes me think that I should sing this or something:

But no, I'll just write it out instead.

Willie and Deryliss have both been primed.  Mortenebra is about 50% assembled - I still need to add the second row of spider legs and her arms.

The depressing thing is that I did a quick model count.  Here is what I really hope to get done before AdeptiCon:

Warmachine

Terminus
Mortenbra
Deryliss
2 Ripjaws
Stalker
Harrower
Leviathan
Reaper
x2 Slayers
Deathjack
Kraken
Rengrave
10 Revenant Crew
2 Warwitch Sirens
2 Necrotech
4 Scrap thralls

ETA - pThagrosh.  He needs painting too.

Malifaux

Willie
2 Rail workers
Mei Fang
Emberling
Kang

I don't think that I am forgetting anything here.  Now, if all of these were bare metal, I would weep with despair, and then look for a source of pep pills. Fortunately, most of these are pretty far along - only a couple of things are bare metal, and most are anywhere from 50-80% done.  I missed my painting challenge for March, but I am pretty sure that I will paint more than 5 points in April.

Anyway, I'll take a pic later (I have to for something else anyway), but I'm off to try and finish assembling that annoying master necrotech.

Progress, part II

No pics, but I just need to do the bases for a metal gamin and a rail crew for Malifaux.  Willie has been mostly assembled, and can be primed tomorrow.  On the Warmachine side, I got a lot of the base colors down on a Leviathan and a Harrower, and some of the Revenant crew.  Deryliss is assembled, and I have started on Morty.  I hope to prime both tomorrow.  If I get them early enough, I should get the Ripjaws assembled and primed as well.

Considering everything else I did today, it wound up being fairly productive, painting-wise.  Hopefully I get some things done tomorrow and Saturday.

Progress

I finished these yesterday.  Yeah, yeah, I know - not the main system that I am playing at AdeptiCon.  My Cryx are advancing, but I don't foresee anything Cryx being finished before Sunday.  (And then hopefully a bunch of things will finish in short order - lots of things are getting close.)

Anyway, these guys are done and based, and a couple of the rail crew are almost done as well.

I'll try to post something finished tomorrow.  Guess that means that I actually have finish something, huh?

Holy crap!

AdeptiCon is in 2 weeks!  I need to get more of those figs done.  Looks like I am going to be painting a lot this weekend.  I'd paint during the week, but it is spring break, and the kids are home.  Having two kids underfoot makes painting not quite as productive as trying to paint with a cat batting the miniatures around, but it can be close.

Need to take some pics

Work progresses on my AdeptiCon stuff.  The Deathjack has been primed, and I have begun the base colors on him.  Kraken is a little more along than he had been, though I have neglected my infantry.  I wanted to have Terminus primed and started by tonight, but it did not happen.  He's close to that point, fortunately.  The skarlock thrall is done, but not based.

I'm not worried too much about basing my models.  I have to have it done in time, obviously, but I should be able to base everything in a single weekend afternoon, if I have to.  I'm hoping to be nearing army completion (well, of at least the tier force, where I have less flexibility) by this time next week.  That would give me some time to finish up the Malifaux figs, and to work on a display board for my Cryx,.

Good heavens, but I have been delinquent.

Or something like that.  I haven't posted in quite some time, and there really hasn't been a good reason not to do so.  I have been playing, and losing, but I think my AdeptiCon list is just about locked in.  I may modify it a bit, but I think the main goal now needs to be losing as many games as possible.  Playing, I mean.  Playing as many games as possible.

Painting continues along the front.  I have to report that I am not nearly satisfied with the amount of painting that has been finished, and I only have 4 weeks or so to go.  I can finish, and should do so, but I really may be squeaking in under the wire. 

Fortunately for me, none of the miniature-based Kickstarters that I have backed are likely to deliver to me before AC.  I might see my Reaper Bones stuff come by mid-April, but they are shipping the plain vanilla Vampire-level orders first, and then shipping all of us who added extra things.  I'm fine with the wait; heck, I welcome the extra time.  Otherwise, all those figs will sit there like a big present, waiting for Christmas. . . or for my willpower to falter.  And once those are open, I could lose a days worth of painting.

Thinking of Kickstarters, I teamed up with someone for a pledge for Wild West Exodus.  I may have to up my pledge a little; they added a lawman starter at the 11th hour, and it looks pretty nice.  I don't want this to be another game that sits on my shelf and collects dust; I want to play this one outside of cons.  Too many games, too little time.

Enough for now - I need to go paint base colors on some undead pirates.

Another brief update

Brief, since company is still here.  I managed to sneak a few minutes of painting time on the Kraken this morning.  I'm hoping to have a lot of it done in the next few days.  It may wind up being the linchpin of my army, simply because it is big and beefy and takes up a good chunk of a 50 point list.

On the Lost hemisphere epic extreme unloved model model challenge, I was given the following message:

*SOMEONE* had the nerve - THE NERVE! - to call me out on the FB group... This affront cannot go unpunished!!! Well, actually, it can, let's face it, but nonetheless...  Welcome aboard, Warlord Garou. Given your openness to play any faction, and the very neat fact that we're reasonably balanced across the board in terms of factions (with the exception of Protectorate, who have a teeny lead), I'm going to turn your fate over to the Wheel...

It spins... and spins... and spins... and says.... SKORNE!

Ooh, spikes and pain and stuff in your future... but which warlock??

It spins... and spins... and spins... and says... LORD ASSASSIN MORGHOUL!

I hereby appoint you the task of assembling the Imperial Executioners...Bloodrunners ahoy!

It should be fun.  If I want to follow T3, then I lose access to almost all of the classic Skorne heavies.  Oh heck, I do lose access to them - no Molik, no gladiator, no bronzeback.  It should be a challenging army to play.  I look forward to losing with it, after AdeptiCon.  (Actually, I'll probably alternate between this and Cyriss for a good chunk of the year, and then see what happens when fall comes around.)

Not much today

I have company for the weekend, so not much hobby time.  But, before they arrived, I managed to get the Kraken primed.  And my replacement Mortenebra and Derylis showed up today, so I hope to get them put together on Monday.

Right under the wire

With something like 15 minutes to go during the month of February, I finished painting my unit of bile thralls.  I need to do their bases and seal them, but the hard part (the painting) is done.  On to the next unit!

Hooray, another project!

This one is post-AdeptiCon, but I may as well start talking about it now.  No, it's not painting my Reaper Bones (about 250 figs), or Relic Knights (not quite as many).  Those are coming over the next few months, but no, my post-AdeptiCon project is likely going to be this:

Lost Hemisphere's  Most Epic Extreme Unloved Models Challenge 2013

In a nutshell, here is the deal.  You pick a warlock or warcaster from your faction - one which is considered sub-par, which gets no lovin'.  Paint it up, build an army with it, and try to bat at least .500 with it over the course of the year.

That's the level 1 challenge.  If you want to make it harder, you can get the level 2 - where the LH crew picks the war[X] for you, from whatever faction you list.  If that's still not a challenge, there is the level 3 version - where the LH crew picks a war[X] for you, and then you have to use their tier list.

I decided that I might as well go all-in, and ask for level 3.  Of course, as the army altaholic, I told them that they could choose any faction, and I would give it a go.  Maybe that's a bit beyond level 3, perhaps level π or something.

Yes, I am crazy.  It's not like it's a big secret or anything.  I'm thinking, however, that I need to combine this with another challenge, a regional one that popped up on the Michigan WM facebook group:

By the end of 2013.
If you play three games at 75 points.
Three games at 100 points.
One game at 150 standard Warmachine and hordes.
1 game of unbound at any level.
At the end of the year.

 The person who put up this challenge is actually putting up some prizes for it too.  But that's not the important part - it's playing larger, different, games - actually using more of your collection at once. 

Back to painting

So, the demo is done, the table got built, and AdeptiCon is only 50 days away.  (I think it is 51 and some odd-hours, but I'm truncating here.)  And I still have a lot of painting to do.  From a pure numbers stand-point, I am far behind.  I have only one unit and a couple of jacks ready for my Warmachine list possiblities, and only one minion done for Malifaux. 

But at the moment, I remain optimistic, since I have multiple Maifaux and Warmachine models that are actually getting fairly close to being done.  Enough, in fact, that by this time next week, I might jump from having only 14 models done between the two systems to having more than 35 done, with more getting close to the finish.

On the collecting front, I picked up Zerkova over the weekend, which brings the Who's the Boss list a little closer to completion, and the Covenant.

At some point, I will get around to painting the book - and, having seen some kewl ones floating around, I want to paint mine with a firm tongue in cheek as well.  I want something that inspires loathing and not a little fear - perhaps something like this:

Demo board done (for now)

I want to build another, better, bridge.  This one was borrowed from the box of stuff that has been waiting for me to build the benchwork for a new train layout.  But other than that, I am reasonably happy with this, though I probably would have done the water a bit differently. 

Now, back to painting full-time.