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Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Betrayal at Calth - Assembly - Contemptor Dread

Look at me all sticking to something for more than 24 hours.  My hobby ADD seems to be at a low point right now, so I'm actually looking forward to knocking out some Marines.  I have 30 power armored bodies to work with, so I'm thinking that I'll do two ten man squads with two five man support squads.  I'm not sure yet what type and depending on what I choose, I might have to do a weapons order from Forgeworld...  or more likely, from Anvil Industries.  Their stuff is amazing.

On to the Contemptor.  I started with the same nice pile of pre-clipped bits.


Literally about 60 seconds later...


I've decided to magnetize the arms using these 1/4 inch magnets.  They're super strong.  They kept popping out until I realized that the opposing arms were repelling.  I had to flip one to make them pull together towards the center of the body!


So, I totally thought this would be enough of the ball joint to cut off.  You'll see below, but I've ended up adding about 3mm of spacing between the should socket and the actual shoulder.  It's a little jarring right now because of the shiny metal, but I'm pretty sure it'll get better once the primer gods have had their say (or is it their spray?).


Magnets!


Here he is with the Kheres Pattern Assault Cannon.  The shoulders are definitely separated a little more than I wanted, but I don't think it's a major issue.  In the second photo below, you can see the Multi-melta.  The spacing is exactly the same, but doesn't look bad due to the angle.  I really think some dark paint and not looking at the model dead on will totally eliminate any concerns about spacing.



I might end up gluing some extra bits on once I decide which chapter I'm going to go with.  For now, he's just going to be Johnny Plain Guy.  Same deal with the bases.  I'm not gluing onto a base until I've decided on a color scheme.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Adhesives Chart

Just saw this on the internets and thought you guys might find it interesting and useful.


Monday, March 28, 2016

Betrayal at Calth - Assembly - Characters!

I've been thinking about getting into the Horus Heresy version of Warhammer 40k for quite some time now.  I've always been a huge fan of 40k, but it's become almost unplayable these days.  The rules are so fragmented that it would cost more than 1500 USD to buy a full set.  Actually learning all the rules almost requires an involved and ongoing research project.  30k just feels simpler.  From what everyone tells me, it's just a better game.  There are no Formations, no Decurions, no unbalanced Command Benefits.  Every player has a more or less "standard" Force Org Chart with the option for one Allied Detachment's worth of allies.

My biggest issue up until this point is that I don't actually have a Space Marines army.  I picked up a Betrayal at Calth boxed set a bit ago to rectify this issue.  Then I clipped all the models off the sprues, sorted them into a nice caddy and promptly stored said caddy in my closet.

Yeah...

Basically made no progress at all.  Today I pulled that caddy out and started assembling models.  I started with the two characters.  I'll probably work on the Contemptor tomorrow or the next day...  whenever I have more free time.

Fortunately, I'd already clipped all the pieces off the sprue, so all I had to do was glue these guys together real quick.  I think I'm going to be doing an airbrush basecoat and initial highlight, so I'll probably be painting the bases separately.



These guys really are amazing looking models.  They have nice poses, but aren't just weighed down with skulls.  GW pushed the skull thing a little too far most of the time.



More to come.  If anyone has any ideas for a Chapter, let me know.  I want to do something that is a single color to make the airbrush more useful.  My initial thought is to do something like the Soul Drinkers, but I don't think I want that much purple.  My second thought is to do something like the Nihilakh Dynasty color scheme.  Aged metal with gold highlights and one or two turquoise armor panels.  It would be unique and pops pretty well.  I'll make up my mind eventually.

Friday, March 25, 2016

Star Wars Armada/Warhammer 40k Crossover

Hello all!

I've been toying around with PhotoShop today after running across some blank Star Wars Armada card templates.  I was never a huge fan of the old Battlefleet Gothic game based on Warhammer 40k's IP, but I do love the IP.  I realize that Fantasy Flight Games is probably locked into a Star Wars ONLY sort of deal with the Armada game, but I think it would be amazing if they were able to branch out a bit.

I present you with a couple of random ideas of what that might look like...




Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Awesome Game

I'm a little under the weather today.  It probably has something to do with getting basically no sleep last night.  I'm actually sitting here debating on whether or not I want to go into work today.  I'm not optimistic.

On a hobby note, I played a great game of Armada last night.  Per standard practice, I lost like a champ, but did have a fully painted fleet.  Everyone seems to like the dual facts of a painted fleet and an easy mark.  I'm very popular on Armada night.  Haha!

Here are a couple of pics...




Monday, March 21, 2016

Star Wars Armada - Anticipating Flotillas



Anticipating Flotillas

So, FFG announced Wave III of Armada, and the ships are pretty surprising. Wave three does not offer players new ships of the line. Instead, the wave consists of two ships (one imperial and one rebel) with a new game mechanic “Flotillas.” Here is the card as presented on their site:

While some people are a little salty about the small offering. I think this little wave will bring big change to the game.

If you’re like me, you’ve spent a lot of time theory crafting Armada lists to include one extra ship. Not because the extra ship gives you a combat advantage, but simply because you want/need the extra activation. These tweaks are most notable in duel Imperial Class Star Destroyer lists, anything with an MC80, or a handful of Gups. The goal is usually to hit four activations, or keep the current meta average of three activations per turn.

Before I go any further, if you usually play three ships in Armada, I would encourage you play a test game with five or more ships. The whole galaxy changes. You can force your opponent’s hand in ways you never imagined. The dynamic between first player and second players shifts wildly. And you really start to see some of the complexities the game has to offer in terms of list building and game play.

Playing the activation game is nothing new. There are a lot of lists out there with an extra ship tossed into the list to help everyone else do their job. But 40-ish is a steep tax to pay in exchange for a predominantly blank card. Adding a cheap CR-90 to an Ackbar Guppie list, isn’t a significant increase in firepower, but it does help when you’re trying to force an enemy ship into range. But I’m most excited for the four activation duel Imperial Star Destroyer list; a list that struggles to fit in three activations the current meta without significant sacrifices.

Usually, cheap activations are taken in the form of corvettes. Now, FFG has promised an even cheaper ship at an even lower points cost than the two corvettes. Even better is these ships are not expected to participate in combat the same way the corvettes do, but instead offer a range of buffs for your other ships or squadrons.





The most impressive thing FFG displayed was a serious amount of foresight when they took away flotillas’ ability to ram, which means we won’t see 10-15 flotillas on the table, because they won’t do anything other than die. Additionally, the blank side batteries for the Rebels also means no dice pools, which means no Ackbar bonus.

These cautionary moves preserve the roles of existing ships. I appreciate any new release that doesn’t force an existing unit onto the shelf. So, lists that depend on damage from bumper cars lists will remain unchanged. I suspect that certain carrier lists will stay the same from a large scale activation standpoint.

Overall first impression, Wave III is all about offering players a low points cost way to tailor their lists. These ships don’t replace anything, but offer a new and seemingly better way to customize existing lists. For example, Toryn Farr, depicted in the press release found here, will shift my Dodonna’s Blues list (6 CR-90B Corvettes with SW-7 Ion Cannons and a mess of YT-2400s) into an even higher gear by allowing mass re-rolls for blue dice. I don’t feel the list is super competitive now, but it’s very fun to play. A re-roll bubble in that list will might push it over the edge and make it a top-tier competitive list. Likewise, repair crews upgrade is a steal at four points to extend the life of bigger and badder ships while adding activations. Finally, the Bomber Command Center will help out Rhymer Balls and the Rebel’s A New Hope strategies.

I hope this was somewhat helpful and informative. Until next time—She’s Got Admiral Ackbar Eyes.

The Beard of Doom

My buddy Steve has agreed to help me out by providing articles about tactics and strategies a little more in depth than my normal "shoot them until they stop moving" theories.  He's MUCH better at this sort of thing than I am.  I'm hoping to talk him into posting about once a week.  You'll know his posts when you see this logo...


Welcome aboard, Steve!

Friday, March 18, 2016

Armada Wave III and some more Painting

So, first things first.  FFG has announced Wave III for Armada.  Currently, they've only shown two ships, which can't possible be all that we'll see.  Here they are.  You'll see a bigger post about it when there is more information to share.


I also got some painting done for my fleet.  I decided to paint the squadrons more or less how the larger ships are painted, but to keep the red isolated to one side of each ship.  I'll probably try to knock out more squadrons over the weekend.  I feel like I have a million of them to paint!

Here you can see that I actually made some effort to paint the engine effect.  Yeah, yeah, I know that TIEs don't look like this, but they're my ships.  I like the blue!


Here's a before and after shot.  These suckers are so small that detail becomes lost.  I was really just looking to give them a cohesive look.


For such tiny models, these things take a long time to paint!  Also...  they are ALL THE SAME.  Sigh.  It's not exciting work.  But...


I'm really happy with the end result!  I think the fleet looks really cohesive.  I might need to do something to set the Vader TIE Advanced squadron apart, but haven't decided what yet.


Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Arcadia Quest Painting

Not much to report as I've been super busy lately, but I did get started on some of the monsters from Arcadia Quest.  So far I've only begun to do the base coating.  I'm hoping to get more time for painting over the next week, but it's such a crap shoot lately.


Monday, March 14, 2016

Warhammer Conquest Upcoming Warlords

I was playing around on the Fantasy Flight Games website today and found articles about the next several expansions.  They had images of the next three Warlords to be released online.

The first up is a Black Templars Chaplain for the Space Marines faction.  I'm not sure that this guy is going to be a real contender.  He is able to do a sort of poor man's Brutal wherein twice a turn he can smack one of his one guys for a damage to give it +1 ATK until the end of the phase.  He's going to need to have a pretty solid retinue to make him worthwhile.


Next up is a Genestealer Warlord for the Tyranids.  This guy seems a little bit better than Chaplain Mavros.  Being able to drop Genestealers onto an infested planet via ambush seems like a pretty useful ability.


Lastly is Talysin Fharenal, a Saim-Hann Autarch for the Eldar Faction.  This seems like the best of the lot.  She gives all Warriors and Psykers at the same plant an extra point of health.  If there are both Warriors and Psykers present, they also get an extra point of attack.  She seems like the kind of Warlord you'd take if your plan is to overwhelm the enemy with Army units.


Of course, the Necrons Deluxe Expansion is on the upcoming list as well.  I know Anrakyr the Traveler is one of the two Warlords we'll be seeing.  I'm pretty excited about this one.  I've always been a fan of the Necrons.

Friday, March 11, 2016

This Thing Looks Amazing

So, I pretty much feel like Age of Sigmar is dead in the water in terms of organized play or being able to play a game with strangers in a FLGS.

But...

Some of the new models look absolutely amazing.  No idea what this is called, but it's coming up for preorder next week.


Tabletop Wargames: A Designers' and Writers' Handbook

This is kind of neat.  I ran across this today while looking for some painting inspiration.


It looks like Rick Priestley and John Lambshead are writing a Designer's/Writer's handbook for tabletop wargames.  This is pretty exciting.  I'm not familiar with John Lambshead, but a quick Google search tells me that I'm familiar with some of his work.  Rick Priestley is, of course, a tabletop gaming legend.  Among other things, he authored Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000.

I'll probably get this when it comes out because I think it'll offer an interesting look into an industry that I'm regularly involved with.

It doesn't come out until November, but I've but it on my 'reminder list'.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Arcadia Quest Priming is Happening

With Arcadia Quest: Inferno due to be delivered in June, I've decided to get cracking and knock out my existing miniatures.  I posted a while ago about painting the Goblins.  Here's one...


There are six identical ones finished.  I have a whole mess of other models to paint.  I've decided to paint the monsters first.  Because I backed one of the Kickstarters, I have an absolute ton of Heroes.  The issue with painting the Heroes first is that you don't actually use most of them on any sort of regular basis.  The monsters...  well, they see use every game.  I still have more to prime, but you can see below that I definitely have a pretty good batch to start on.


Expect to see more pictures soon.

Monday, March 7, 2016

Masmorra: Dungeons of Arcadia

The Kickstarter for Masmorra: Dungeons of Arcadia has about a day left.  I'll be pledging after work today.  I haven't quite decided what to get, but as you can see below, there are a ton of options.  I know that if I play my cards right I'll be able to get a ton of new Heroes that work for both Masmorra and Arcadia Quest.  Remember, the two games are set in the same shared universe, but use different rule sets.



Friday, March 4, 2016

Work is hard...

...and has totally eaten up all my hobby time for the last couple of days.  Hopefully this weekend will be better.

In happier news, Masmorra: Dungeons of Arcadia is doing very well and has topped 600k.  Stretch goals are unlocking left and right.  When all is said and done, we'll have over 50 heroes that work in both this game and Arcadia Quest.

I'm pretty psyched.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Masmorra: Dungeons of Arcardia

If you guys read my blog regularly, you might know that I'm a huge fan of a game called Arcadia Quest.  It's a board game that combines PvP, PvE, and chibi miniatures. You should really do yourselves a favor and check it out.

Right now, there is a Kickstarter campaign going on for an offshoot/shared world kind of game called Masmorra: Dungeons of Arcadia.  It uses the same world and same scale and aesthetic miniatures.  In fact, while the rule set is different, all of the miniatures in this new game come with "Hero Cards" that can be used in Arcadia Quest.  What that means, is that if you back this new game, right now you'd get a full 20 new heroes.

Do yourselves a favor and check it out.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coolminiornot/masmorra-dungeons-of-arcadia/description

Click on the image below and you'll see all the things you're currently getting for $65...  which in this hobby is basically like saying it's almost free.  :D