First game of WWX, and some thoughts thereon

So, I finally got the chance to play a couple of small, $500 games of Wild West Exodus last night.  We had a couple of things we were concerned about, most notably true LOS.  Yes, WWX uses true LOS, which is a departure from many other games, which treat miniatures as occupying a cylindrical space the diameter of their base and extending a certain distance upwards.  WWX does not do that; it harks back to the "If you can see it, you can shoot it" rule.

Overall, it worked fairly well, but neither of us were being jerks about it.  In a tournament, however, I suspect that things would be very different.  And that brings me to my biggest criticism of WWX - it is not, and probably never will be, a game suited to tournament play.

That's not entirely a bad thing.  WWX "suffers" (so to speak) from the same club-level mentality that is the case for WFB and 40k.  Those games work just fine when you are playing with your friends, and you play in the same group from week to week.  But, when you move away from your local circle, and go to a convention, you can very quickly find that, because the rules (and sometimes tournament guidelines) are so "loose," there is a lot of room for interpretation.

By contrast, Warmachine has a very tight ruleset.  There is not much wiggle room, and you are pretty much assured that, whether you play in Chicago, Pittsburgh or Seattle, you are going to be playing under the same conditions and rules for terrain.

It's not a bad thing that WWX is not really a tourney game.  (Yes, they are having one at AdeptiCon.  I am playing in it, but I am expecting a lot of "Well, we can always dice to see who is right about [X]," or possibly a few full-bore, alchohol-fueled arguments.)  It's a fun game to sit down with some friends, have a few drinks, and shoot a lot of varmints full of lead.  It's fun, and I am enjoying it, but as a tournament game, it is going to be lacking.

Oh, and for the record - I lose both games.  The first one badly (very badly), the second I managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with my usual stellar dice rolls.

Life had other plans

So I did not post anything the last couple of days.  A quick update is in order, then:

The FLGs that changed owners?  Yeah, it's going to be a nice place to play.  I did an unofficial demo day there today (advertised, but not enough people for it to be "official"), and I plan to be back there again next weekend.  I may stop by during the week, since they have used miniatures for sale. . . .and while I resisted some of the siren song, I nonetheless picked up Kromac the Ravenous and Intercessor Kreoss.  That makes me happy - and brings me a little closer to the goal of having all the casters.

Yeah, I'm still short on that, but I plan on getting a little closer this year.  I think, even with the release of Vengeance, that I can get most of them by the end of the year.  I closed it up a bit last year, but lost focus sometime mid-year, when my attention turned to Convergence.  That has settled down a little, so I can spare some attention to other, non-roboty goals.

I have been assembling my WWX guys.  I love their plastics.  Very, very nice.  I want PP to make plastics this nice, actually.  My Union goons (er, hired hands) Wave 1 are done, and I am working on my Lawmen goons, just so I can play a couple of different things.  I should get them primed in the next couple of days, and I really need to start painting them ASAP.

I haven't actually started working on the DZC figs.  I should be doing that too.  And pouring plaster - I have three major Hirst Arts projects that are about 75% poured, and really, a day or two of casting would let me get to the point where I could finish putting them together.

I've also been cleaning the basement.  I have a train layout that I really need to get cracking on.  Working on it will help with my modelling skills, as well as my carpentry.  And get a lot of crap out of the way in the basement, since it's all stuff that came off the former layout, and needs a good home.

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.

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.

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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.