It's been a week

Any progress?  Yes, actually.  That Cygnar battlegroup is done, pending a final clear coat.  (No pics, sorry - I'll take some later and add them.)  The DBA army is coming along slowly - I just did not have any real hobby time.  Still, I have made some progress, and expect to be finishing bases (elements) tonight or tomorrow - after all, it's only two to four miniatures per base, and they are 15mm, so it should not take that long.  Once they are done, I will choose two new projects to work on - right now, I am thinking doing one assembly project, and one quick painting project. 

Sure, no one ever comments, but what the heck, I'm soliciting feedback anyway.  Which should I assemble, out of this group:

Frostgrave Soldiers (10)
Malifaux - Bunraku (3)
Milites Christi (SAGA) - 4 or 8 models


And, which should I paint?

Razorworm (Hordes)
Gaius Pallidus (Arena Rex)
10 BMP-2 (modern microarmor)
Black Powder ACW (15mm, 20 models)

Annual belated New Years post

I make these every year about this time (late), and they never seem to actually come true.  Maybe I should change them, and make them realistic - paint less, lose more, etc.  With any luck, I'd fail at those as well.

Anyway, in 2016, I am aiming (once again) to finish one point (for Warmahordes) per day, and one model (in any system) per day.  That's "on average," so despite the fact that today is the 3rd already, and I have not actually finished anything, I am not yet concerned, or even really behind.  (Especially since I am going to be heading to the basement to paint in a few minutes.)

I obviously intend to play (and win) more games, and I have actually gotten in a game (and a win!) already this year.  I did not deserve to win the game (a 50 pt matchup between my Nature of the Beast tier list against a Goatvana list), but managed to do so because my poor opponent had really, really, really lousy dice.  (Seriously, it should not take both a Feral and a Stalker warpwolf, and a Druid Wilder, to kill a Road Hog.)

Right now, the only things I am going to be concentrating on are the things that I need for AdeptiCon, and some Warmahordes minis.  (I did not sign up for any WM events at AdeptiCon, just SAGA and Kings of War, but I have a fair amount of free time, and will probably play some Iron Arena games, so I need to either take my painted Cryx or CoC, or paint something else, probably Minions.)  I will have about 200 Abyssals to paint for Kings of War (yikes!), but I think I can basecoat them with an airbrush fairly quickly, and go from there.  I only have 37 models to paint for SAGA, and they are already at least primed with one color on them, with several actually approaching completion.  If I paint pigs and gators, I need to paint a lot - most models have at least some color on them, and some of the gators really just need the bases to be finished, but it's still work that I need to do at some point.

And, with that, I think "some point" needs to be now.  Off to paint!

The problems of being an altaholic.

So, my FLGS is going to start some different fall slow-grow leagues in the middle of next month.  Right now, there are plans for leagues in Malifaux, Warmahordes, Firestorm Armada, 40k and Infinity.  I plan on playing in 4 of them.

Fortunately, I already have the needed minis for everything.  I can play either Terrans or Directorate for FSA, anything I want for WM, Combined or Ariadna for Infinity, and more than a couple crews for Malifaux.

But I would like to have everything actually painted by the end of the league, which is the hard part.  I think I need to spend some time in the next few days assembling things, and maybe really learning how to play Infinity.  And brushing up my Malifaux rules.

Progress report

I'm not painting nearly as much as I would like  Part of that is life getting in the way, part of that is because I decided to help out the FLGS.  Today, they are having a 40k tourney.  It's apparently going to be kind of a big deal - they are hoping to have people coming from several hours away (though the foot of snow expected over the course of the day will probably lessen attendance some).  Anyway, the FLGS does not have nearly enough terrain for this.  They have the table space, they have table toppers (to get them to 4' x 6'), but the tables would have been pretty spare.

So, the store reached out to the local gaming club, which, ideally, would have said something like "You betcha!  We're not really using it that day, and we'd love to see lots of 40k games being played in the area, even if they aren't at our preferred store.  What time and format is the tourney, anyway, because we would love to play!"

That didn't happen.

So, I looked at what I had in the basement earlier this week, sent a quick message to the store telling them that I could probably scrounge up some terrain for them to use, and got to work.  This is the result:



(For scale purposes - the green area rug is 5' x 8')

The final tally is more impressive.  I managed another seven or eight linear feet of walls, maybe more.  I had a large box of hills that aren't pictured here.  There are pieces on the right that got cut out of the photo.

Now, I have been painting.  I got a couple of things finished - and I'll post pics in the next day or so.  But, I have also been working toward the next big thing for my FLGS.  They're doing a miniature gaming demo day.  So, we plan on running demos of Warmachine and Hordes, another local is going to run Malifaux demos, and we'll have space set up to demo and play Firestorm Armada, Relic Knights, and Robotech Tactics.  We'll also demo PP games like Zombies Keep Out and High Command.

So I have also been building Robotech figs.  And some Malifaux. And painting FSA stuff, in addition to WM models.  And, this afternoon, while the snow falls, I am going to be spending some quality time in the basement, assembling veritech fighters and battlepods, while watching a bad movie or two, and periodically going out to fight a losing battle against the white stuff falling from the sky.

Goals, 2013.

So, in another blog, the question was posed, "What are your goals for 2013?"  It's generally a little early for me to think about goals for the next year - I like to enjoy a small period of inebriation and over-eating before I indulge in any introspection, so I typically post my goals in early January.

Now, the goals listed in that other blog are all good ones - grow the player base, run more events, paint more.  I plan on doing all of those.  But, last night, I decided on another one.

In 2012, I wanted to hit the point where I could play a legal, 35-pt (or higher) army for every faction, contract and compact.  No problem.  I think I can actually do 50, although some of them are some pretty nasty stretches to get to it.  (Shae should never have that many 'jacks.  Never.)

My 2013 is equally audacious.  I want to have one of every warlock and warcaster in the game.  (Not including alternate sculpts, though I may try to pick some of them up.)  That way, I can run a "Who's The Boss" tourney.  I have over half of the warlocks/warcasters already, so it's a doable goal.

Domination thoughts

SO, I finished up NanoWriMo - it's 50k words of garbage (50,089, to be precise, although it may still get added to between now and the end of the month), so I can turn some attention to Domination.

I have not read all of the fluff yet, but it seems pretty good so far. I have been warned that attempting to read "All War is Deception, part II" without reading the faction intros is a Bad Idea, so I have not read it yet. For now, I am just going to give a couple of thoughts on each faction:

Trolls

• Jarl, eGrissel - I'll get both, but I will probably use Jarl more.
• Storm Troll - so, so wrong. I think I need to pair him with Mulg.
• Scattergunner Off & Std - scattergunners got useful. They'll be more fun, and I am glad that I have a full unit already.
• Rok - seems okay, but I wasn't wowed. Need to think about him some.
• Sons of Bragg - I don't care how effective they are, they just look fun.
• War Wagon - about what I expected.

Circle:

• Grayle, eBaldur - I like eBaldur, and will use him. I like the Devourer's Debt mechanic.
• Griffon, Winter Argus - okay, but I don't play Circle enough to really see something nasty about them. They don't seem bad, they just don't seem to be great.
• Ghetorix - I think he will be fun, but his point cost seems a bit high. Again, I don't play Circle, so take that with a grain of salt.
• Gallows Grove - cheap, and I can see using them as a way to shut down tough and healing. Nice art, too.
• Celestial Fulcrum - beautiful model, the "may not be placed" is kind of a pain though.

Skorne

• Naaresh, eHexeris - Naaresh doesn't have issues, he has entire subscriptions. eHexeris will be fun.
• Cyclops Raider - Far Strike as an animus? Be still my beating heart. Pity is is model, not unit, but that's okay.
• Venator Slingers - AoE with corrosion? Cheap? I think I need some.
• Archidon - I like him. No real armor for a heavy, but flight and critical pitch will be fun, and he is cheap.
• Tiberion - Xerxis has a new best friend. Can't wait for this big guy.
• Animantarax - I like it. I think it will be fun, but it will be a harder battle engine to use than the Khador war wagon, I suspect.

Legion of Everblight

• Kallus, eVayl - Kallus looks like fun, and his fluff is great. eVayl seems solid, and her feat is pretty useful, but tricky. Order of spells will matter there.
• Nightlurker - seems useful, but I like the animus more than the stat line.
• Succubus - decent warlock attachment, nothing special, IMO.
• Proteus - not a big fan of the "everything on a carnivean chassis" sculpt, but that's just me fussing after putting together several scythean/carnivean in a row. Would not have been so bad, if I could have used the plastic kits that aren't out yet. Seems nice enough otherwise.
• Farilor & Std - seem decent, but my legion armies to date have been beast-heavy, infantry light.
• Throne of Everblight - just weird. Will get one, just to paint it, if nothing else.

Gators

• Maelok -undead gator goodness. Love him.
• Boneswarm - cheap, terror - fits well in Maelok's theme force too.
• Swamp Horror - I like it, but I need to think about how best to use the Elasticity animus.
• Gatorman Witch Doctor - look, I can make gators undead at will. And Maelok's feat positively affects friendly faction undead. Sounds good to me. Want these guys now. Or at least before GenCon.

Pigs

• Sturm & Drang - looking forward to playing these guys.
• Road Hog - need one, just for the roast pork jokes. Assault with a 10" spray is nice too.
• Slaughterhousers - these have been out for a while, and everyone probably has formed an opinion by now on them.
• Targ - Dr. Arkadius has a friend. I like him, and he has proven moderately useful the couple of times I have used him.

Anyway - all in all, I liked the book. There are a few thigs that I don't plan on getting as soon as they come out, and others where, if it were feasible, I would camp outside PP and wait for them to be released. The minions are still a sidebar, rather than a faction, but you now have enough options to play them in an unbound game - though your model choices are still really limited, of course. Still, they got about what I expected, although I expected to see one light pig and one light gator warbeast.

It's here! It's here!

The UPS guy brought me a little present - a Rhulic Avalancher, a min unit of Shield Gun Corps, eBaldur, eHexeris, Sturm and Drang, and Domination. Looks like I have a litte light reading to do later. Or now.. . . .

Impossible Dream Challenge

So, last year, Privateer Press announced the Impossible Dream Challenge. The challenge, in a nutshell, was to paint 100 points worth of Warmachine models in the month of November. I chose not to do it, mainly because November is NaNoWriMo, and I try to limit my impossible challenges to one at a time. But, not to worry - Privateer is doing it again, this time with Hordes, and this month.

So, while I have no expectations of actually finishing it (I haven't mentioned it yet, but I am not exactly a quick painter. Glacial is more my speed.), but I plan to use this month to get as much done as possible.

I looked over my models, and here is what I have chosen for the month of impossible dreaming:

Captain Gunnbjorn
Dire Troll Blitzer
Troll Axer
2x Troll Impaler
Winter Troll
Runebearer
pHoarluk
x2 Dire Troll Mauler (1 normal, 1 extreme)
Mulg
Slag Troll
Swamp Troll
Troll Bouncer
Fell Caller
Janissa Stonetide
6 Krielstone bearer & scribes
Stone Scribe Elder
10 Pyg Bushwackers
Thumper Crew
5 Trollkin Champions
10 Trollkin Fennblades
6 Trollkin Scattergunners
10 Pyg Burrowers

Yes, I know that it is well over 100 points. A couple of the models had some base colors on them, but, since others are not assembled or primed, and it is May 4, I'm going to cut myself some slack. Anyway, the challenge is really about getting as much stuff done as possible, not about some random number-crunching exercise.