A few WARMACHINE-related items this post.
First of all, I need to plan a campaign that will last from three to six weeks (hopefully six), will involve all eight (or nine in the case of the Retribution) factions, and have no limit to the amount of players. This is because when I return to Vancouver I will still be an employee at STRATEGIES Games & Hobbies, and I'll be in charge of running a WARMACHINE/HORDES campaign to celebrate the ending of Mk1 and the coming of Retribution, it'll also end in a tournament.
There are some aspects of the campaign that needs to be there:
+ It needs to be a campaign for both WARMACHINE and HORDES
+ It needs to involve all the factions available
+ It needs to last 3-6 weeks
+ It needs to end in a tournament
+ It needs to be open to almost any amount of players
+ It needs to be fun!
I'm going to chronicle the development here, with a deadline of middle to the end of September 2009. I went through my whole blog and fixed the tags, so everything all nice and tidy. I'll also be adding a tag to this project, cleverly titled: WM Campaign.
Secondly, I'm joining up with the Iron Agenda Blogging Network, in order to contribute my delightful opinions, and projects to the larger morass of the online gaming community (Online is an adjective, and not part of the noun gaming). I found, though, that before I do that I need a Privateer Press-based post that's newer than July 27th, 2008! Therefore, this one should do the trick!
I'm still working on that intro to Wargaming article, so that will be up here soon, as well as more of this campaign nonsense. For those that aren't big fans of Privateer Press stuff, I'll have some GW stuff coming around August when I go to Games Day Germany 2009, and in September/October when I work on some Chaos Daemons, and play around with Planetstrike.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
White Dwarf 355 - July 2009
So I decided to add a new feature to the blog, every month (or two in the case of No Quarter) I will go through a copy of White Dwarf, or No Quarter, and give my opinions of it. Though it's not entirely necessary thanks to articles such as this, or this, I thought it would be fun to go through them, hopefully add a second opinion to it, and most importantly generate content. So without further ado:
White Dwarf 355 - July 2009
Now, first off, even though I live in Canada (and for the next two months, Germany), I'll be using the British issue numbering because it was the original magazine, and until Canada and Germany switched over to their own numbering, they used the British one. For the record this would be issue 163 for Germany, 354 for the US, and I have no clue for Canada, as I can't find their numbering on the website (plus I have no clue what's going on with GW Canada these days, as it shut down after I left for Germany). Also, keep in mind I'm going from the German issues until September (I'm gonna try and get a British August issue, but we'll see), so if there's any difference between terms I use, and ones you see in your English White Dwarf, then go with the WD, as I'm going by translation, and it's often not a direct translation.
A big criticism of White Dwarf has been that the magazine is simply an advertising vehicle for Games Workshop. The most telling aspect of this has been the 'New Releases' section of the magazine. Now I have no problem with new releases, as I want to see prices, release dates, and pictures as well, but I prefer the days of the 'Red Period' White Dwarfs (191-227 I think) where each game system had one or two pages dedicated to New Releases as opposed to these days. However, this issue has only 11 pages of New Releases and it goes through all the Planetstrike stuff as well as the subsidiary stuff like Black Library and Forge World. Doesn't look like a single thing for Warhammer or Lord of the Rings, which seems a bit strange; and as we'll see, this issue is rather devoid of Warhammer or LotR articles.
Further on we have the news section, which I rather like. In this one we have an article on the Open House event they had in Nottingham which I wish I attended, followed by a preview of the new board game Chaos in the Old World, that's put out by Fantasy Flight, and a blurb about an audio book by James Swallow called Heart of Rage. Despite being a huge Blood Angels fan I haven't actually read any of James Swallow's Blood Angels books, which this is supposed to be a continuation of, so I don't really have any anticipatory notes on it, but I'm excited as hell by the board game, as it has to do with the Chaos gods, and it harkens back to the time when GW made board games.
There's also three teaser sentences pretty much coming out and screaming that the next Warhammer faction to be redone is Skaven, but I don't know if that will surprise the rumor-forum junkies out there.
To the meat of the issue we have "War on all Fronts" the Planetstrike article, that's your standard fare design article, followed by some sample army lists. As a wannabe games designer, I enjoy design articles, as they give you an insight into the mentality behind design (something you can't always determine from the finished product).
This one seemed okay. It didn't go into anything profound (ie, things left on the cutting-room floor, upcoming products, etc.) instead it just gave a pretty good overview of Planetstrike itself, and gave passing comments about the balancing issues inherent in the new expansion.
The lone Warhammer article was a bit disappointing. I'm sure for a new Empire player, the Empire Tactica article would be helpful (and as much as things like this aren't very useful to us vets, we have to concede space to newer players) to the vets out there. I don't have my Empire army up and running yet, and I wanted to get to Standard Bearer as quickly as I could, so I didn't read this article.
Up next is an article, the likes of which I like to see in White Dwarf. This one's a new one as far as I know, and it's called Dave and Jeremy's Old War Stories. This article has Jeremy Vetock and Dave Andrews, two GW veterans giving alternative ways to play GW games (house rules, strange scenarios, etc). This one has them do a Kill-Team scenario with a handful of Catachans against a whole slew of Orks.
I like this kind of stuff in White Dwarf, because I believe it's using White Dwarf to its fullest, which is to provide alternative ways to enjoy your GW games, in addition to previews, news, battle reports, painting guides, and what have you. This one, in particular I don't think I'll recreate, but it provided me with somewhere to jump from if I want to do a similar thing, such as a Death Korps squad that's pushed too far into enemy lines and needs to regroup with it's HQ, or at the very least broke up the new release monotony that White Dwarfs can sometimes fall into.
Another article I like to see in White Dwarfs is an army list, and in this issue we have one for the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game. It's the Galadhrim list that appeared in the War of the Ring book, but converted for use in LotR. As if harkening back to the days when White Dwarf introduced new units (Genestealer Hybrids back in Rogue Trader), or full army lists (Legion of the Damned in 2nd edition). This was particularly pleasing to me, as I'm planning on doing a Galadhrim army for WotR, and now I'll be able to use it for LotR as well.
Afterwards we get a battle report between Eldar and Imperial Guard using the new Planetstrike rules. Usually I enjoy reading the battle report(s) in White Dwarf, but whenever a new codex or army book comes out, I can tell you exactly who will win, thus I tend to avoid those ones. This one I haven't read yet.
My favorite part of the recent White Dwarfs is Jervis' column Standard Bearer. Jervis is an industry vet within Games Workshop and has created, and contributed to some of my favorite games (including my favorite game: Epic). In his column he muses over certain aspects like collecting, painting, sportsmanship, points values, or in the case of this month's column: the social aspect of gaming. His very British style, and humor remind me of the days when he had more of a hand in White Dwarf articles, and are always a good read.
Finally we get to the painting articles. In this one we have a couple good ones, and some alright ones. Of course, they have a Planetstrike-themed terrain-building article that gives you some examples of bastions for various factions such as Chaos, Eldar (which looks Eldarish, but not very Bastion-like), and some tabletop setups that look fairly impressive. There's not much on the actual execution of these vis a vis a step-by-step guide, but for an experienced modeler, these provide some pretty neat inspiration.
There's a modeling guide for some new Space Marine stuff that's coming out including the Ironclad Dreadnought and the new Landspeeder Storm. There are no building instructions, but I think the point of these articles is to show you some configurations, and most importantly: every damned piece in the kit. I like the cut-away layouts that show every bit, along with a legend telling you what they are. I find that rather handy.
Up next was a rather, disappointing article on the new paint brushes Citadel is putting out. Rather, it seems to be just a reorganization of their current paint brush line. Anyways, it's pretty much a 4-page ad for their brushes. The only good thing to come out of it is a shot of the workshop where the brushes are made, that thankfully shows that it's not done by slave-labor, but instead by happy-looking women from England.
Finally, my favorite is a competition put on by the 'Eavy Metal team, where they each drew a type of wizard from the Imperial College of Wizardry out of a hat and had to build and paint that wizard. The winner got a neat little certificate, and I imagine some bragging rights amongst the other painters. Besides being a look behind the scenes at the people who work at Games Workshop, it also shocased some very nice looking models, and paintjobs.
+++
So that's it then. My overall impression is that this is a good issue of White Dwarf, and that if you're a 40K player with an interest in Planetstrike, or a LotR player who wants to field the Galadhrim from WotR on your LotR tabletop, then it's worth getting. Otherwise not...
My favorite articles in this were (naturally) Standard Bearer, War on all Fronts, The Wizard contest article, and the Galadhrim army list. My least favorite articles were the rest of the painting/modeling articles, and the Empire Tactica article. All in all a very 40K-centric issue.
+++END TRANSMISSION+++
White Dwarf 355 - July 2009
Now, first off, even though I live in Canada (and for the next two months, Germany), I'll be using the British issue numbering because it was the original magazine, and until Canada and Germany switched over to their own numbering, they used the British one. For the record this would be issue 163 for Germany, 354 for the US, and I have no clue for Canada, as I can't find their numbering on the website (plus I have no clue what's going on with GW Canada these days, as it shut down after I left for Germany). Also, keep in mind I'm going from the German issues until September (I'm gonna try and get a British August issue, but we'll see), so if there's any difference between terms I use, and ones you see in your English White Dwarf, then go with the WD, as I'm going by translation, and it's often not a direct translation.
A big criticism of White Dwarf has been that the magazine is simply an advertising vehicle for Games Workshop. The most telling aspect of this has been the 'New Releases' section of the magazine. Now I have no problem with new releases, as I want to see prices, release dates, and pictures as well, but I prefer the days of the 'Red Period' White Dwarfs (191-227 I think) where each game system had one or two pages dedicated to New Releases as opposed to these days. However, this issue has only 11 pages of New Releases and it goes through all the Planetstrike stuff as well as the subsidiary stuff like Black Library and Forge World. Doesn't look like a single thing for Warhammer or Lord of the Rings, which seems a bit strange; and as we'll see, this issue is rather devoid of Warhammer or LotR articles.
Further on we have the news section, which I rather like. In this one we have an article on the Open House event they had in Nottingham which I wish I attended, followed by a preview of the new board game Chaos in the Old World, that's put out by Fantasy Flight, and a blurb about an audio book by James Swallow called Heart of Rage. Despite being a huge Blood Angels fan I haven't actually read any of James Swallow's Blood Angels books, which this is supposed to be a continuation of, so I don't really have any anticipatory notes on it, but I'm excited as hell by the board game, as it has to do with the Chaos gods, and it harkens back to the time when GW made board games.
There's also three teaser sentences pretty much coming out and screaming that the next Warhammer faction to be redone is Skaven, but I don't know if that will surprise the rumor-forum junkies out there.
To the meat of the issue we have "War on all Fronts" the Planetstrike article, that's your standard fare design article, followed by some sample army lists. As a wannabe games designer, I enjoy design articles, as they give you an insight into the mentality behind design (something you can't always determine from the finished product).
This one seemed okay. It didn't go into anything profound (ie, things left on the cutting-room floor, upcoming products, etc.) instead it just gave a pretty good overview of Planetstrike itself, and gave passing comments about the balancing issues inherent in the new expansion.
The lone Warhammer article was a bit disappointing. I'm sure for a new Empire player, the Empire Tactica article would be helpful (and as much as things like this aren't very useful to us vets, we have to concede space to newer players) to the vets out there. I don't have my Empire army up and running yet, and I wanted to get to Standard Bearer as quickly as I could, so I didn't read this article.
Up next is an article, the likes of which I like to see in White Dwarf. This one's a new one as far as I know, and it's called Dave and Jeremy's Old War Stories. This article has Jeremy Vetock and Dave Andrews, two GW veterans giving alternative ways to play GW games (house rules, strange scenarios, etc). This one has them do a Kill-Team scenario with a handful of Catachans against a whole slew of Orks.
I like this kind of stuff in White Dwarf, because I believe it's using White Dwarf to its fullest, which is to provide alternative ways to enjoy your GW games, in addition to previews, news, battle reports, painting guides, and what have you. This one, in particular I don't think I'll recreate, but it provided me with somewhere to jump from if I want to do a similar thing, such as a Death Korps squad that's pushed too far into enemy lines and needs to regroup with it's HQ, or at the very least broke up the new release monotony that White Dwarfs can sometimes fall into.
Another article I like to see in White Dwarfs is an army list, and in this issue we have one for the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game. It's the Galadhrim list that appeared in the War of the Ring book, but converted for use in LotR. As if harkening back to the days when White Dwarf introduced new units (Genestealer Hybrids back in Rogue Trader), or full army lists (Legion of the Damned in 2nd edition). This was particularly pleasing to me, as I'm planning on doing a Galadhrim army for WotR, and now I'll be able to use it for LotR as well.
Afterwards we get a battle report between Eldar and Imperial Guard using the new Planetstrike rules. Usually I enjoy reading the battle report(s) in White Dwarf, but whenever a new codex or army book comes out, I can tell you exactly who will win, thus I tend to avoid those ones. This one I haven't read yet.
My favorite part of the recent White Dwarfs is Jervis' column Standard Bearer. Jervis is an industry vet within Games Workshop and has created, and contributed to some of my favorite games (including my favorite game: Epic). In his column he muses over certain aspects like collecting, painting, sportsmanship, points values, or in the case of this month's column: the social aspect of gaming. His very British style, and humor remind me of the days when he had more of a hand in White Dwarf articles, and are always a good read.
Finally we get to the painting articles. In this one we have a couple good ones, and some alright ones. Of course, they have a Planetstrike-themed terrain-building article that gives you some examples of bastions for various factions such as Chaos, Eldar (which looks Eldarish, but not very Bastion-like), and some tabletop setups that look fairly impressive. There's not much on the actual execution of these vis a vis a step-by-step guide, but for an experienced modeler, these provide some pretty neat inspiration.
There's a modeling guide for some new Space Marine stuff that's coming out including the Ironclad Dreadnought and the new Landspeeder Storm. There are no building instructions, but I think the point of these articles is to show you some configurations, and most importantly: every damned piece in the kit. I like the cut-away layouts that show every bit, along with a legend telling you what they are. I find that rather handy.
Up next was a rather, disappointing article on the new paint brushes Citadel is putting out. Rather, it seems to be just a reorganization of their current paint brush line. Anyways, it's pretty much a 4-page ad for their brushes. The only good thing to come out of it is a shot of the workshop where the brushes are made, that thankfully shows that it's not done by slave-labor, but instead by happy-looking women from England.
Finally, my favorite is a competition put on by the 'Eavy Metal team, where they each drew a type of wizard from the Imperial College of Wizardry out of a hat and had to build and paint that wizard. The winner got a neat little certificate, and I imagine some bragging rights amongst the other painters. Besides being a look behind the scenes at the people who work at Games Workshop, it also shocased some very nice looking models, and paintjobs.
+++
So that's it then. My overall impression is that this is a good issue of White Dwarf, and that if you're a 40K player with an interest in Planetstrike, or a LotR player who wants to field the Galadhrim from WotR on your LotR tabletop, then it's worth getting. Otherwise not...
My favorite articles in this were (naturally) Standard Bearer, War on all Fronts, The Wizard contest article, and the Galadhrim army list. My least favorite articles were the rest of the painting/modeling articles, and the Empire Tactica article. All in all a very 40K-centric issue.
+++END TRANSMISSION+++
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Podcast no, Weblog yes
So for awhile I've been wanting to do a Podcast. I always thought I could do it well: I'm a stickler for quality in media, and I had a careful plan of keeping it to 60-90 minutes MAX! I may still do one in the future, but for now, I'm not saving up money to buy microphones or rent a studio.
So where does that leave me? Well, how about this goddamn blog? This could be my opinion vehicle (as if the Internet or the accursed "blog-o-sphere" needs more of that), instead of just a project diary.
Therefore I'm going to try and blog at least once a week, with an article of some sort. This is in addition to any other blogging I may do with project updates, or whatever. But seeing as my projects have been on hold this last year, and even with projects I neglect the blog for a a few weeks at a time, this plan will make sure that the blog remains in a regular state of activity.
Coming up next week (yeah, sorry... This counts for this week), I'm going to take a cue from a podcast (D6 Generation), and give my own opinions on how to start in the miniature wargaming hobby (slash lifestyle).
Until then...
+++END TRANSMISSION+++
So where does that leave me? Well, how about this goddamn blog? This could be my opinion vehicle (as if the Internet or the accursed "blog-o-sphere" needs more of that), instead of just a project diary.
Therefore I'm going to try and blog at least once a week, with an article of some sort. This is in addition to any other blogging I may do with project updates, or whatever. But seeing as my projects have been on hold this last year, and even with projects I neglect the blog for a a few weeks at a time, this plan will make sure that the blog remains in a regular state of activity.
Coming up next week (yeah, sorry... This counts for this week), I'm going to take a cue from a podcast (D6 Generation), and give my own opinions on how to start in the miniature wargaming hobby (slash lifestyle).
Until then...
+++END TRANSMISSION+++
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
METROPOLIS: Battle-Force Conflicts (initial impressions)
Thanks to the good folks at Battlefield Berlin I received my copy of Metropolis by Urban Mammoth a scant two days after I ordered it. I imagine the post office had something to do with this as well, but I'm not sure. It's all pretty deep.
This is a game I was pretty into around 2003/2004 when it was VOID 1.1, and then it became Urban War, and I was so-so on it. The models had improved exponentially, but the game-play had changed to something reminiscent of Necromunda, and I already had one of those (scratch that, I had two of those); except this time there was no campaign element to the game, so I just had a bunch of figures running around killing things one-off. Now I have no problem with skirmish games when there's a campaign, as I can stand the fighting being centered in the middle of the board if wacky stuff happens to my forces afterwords, but with no campaign, I'd rather just play a battle game, thanks. I'll have to write another entry on that topic.
Regardless, Metropolis is the latest incarnation of VOID 1.1, and hopefully one that will stick around much longer than VOID 1.1 did. You may not know from the descriptor after the title of the game but the makers of a game they describe as "Battle-Force Conflicts" are, indeed, native English speakers, hailing, in fact, from Scotland. I'm just convinced that the chaps at Urban Mammoth like funny names for things, like companies. Also of note, the designers of this game were also involved with Warzone and Chronopia of which I spoke in my last entry. Clint Langley, whose art I shall forever be iffy about, did most (if not all) of the art in this book.
What about this book? Well, looking inside it follows a pattern which gets boring: Page of text, page of text with a picture of a guy/gal, page of text, page of text with a picture of a guy/gal, etc. I would have liked to see some battle scenes, or even a picture of two things fighting on a page. Or better yet, show me some models! I think Urban Mammoth makes some very, very, good figures, and yet there's not a single one in here. Not on the cover, not on the back, and none in the middle! Just pictures of the individual combatants. In this aspect I feel the book lacks. It feels at times, like flipping through the pages of an artist's portfolio. However nice battle scenes and miniatures would be, it wouldn't make the layout anything less claustrophobic. All the text is of the same font, and while neatly spaced and organized, it gives you a cramped feeling, and the line/paragraph breaks feel non-existent, giving it the feel of a long scroll of continuous text like something Jack Kerouac would have written. But like I said, it's still neatly organized.
Despite my ambivalent feelings towards Clint Langley, and the layout of the book, you have to admit that the price isn't that bad. For only £15, 22,50€, or $30USD it's not a waste of money for a gamer, though I don't know if someone just checking it out would like to pay that. It comes complete with all the army lists for every one of the seven factions inside, with listings for every available model (and then some), and an armory section. I'm very excited to start playing this game again.
The game itself plays much like 40K, which I think is a good thing, but many people wont. It doesn't play exactly like 40K, however, and I'll go into more depth in a later post, when I've had more time to look over and digest the rules, than the cursory, excited, glance I gave it after opening my mailbox. For instance the game uses alternate activation, each unit moving before the next is called to do so; there's no armor saves (there's cover saves), instead using only a 'to-hit' and 'to-wound' roll; the game uses d10s, but still does the bucket rolling method that Warhammer and 40K use, as opposed to the single rolls like in Warmachine/Dark Age; there's also cross-referencing charts like in 40K and Fantasy (strength vs. toughness, except in this case it's damage vs. toughness); and they have a fixed-range of weapons where short range is 12", medium range is 24", long is 36", and extreme (the coolest range) is 48". People who like 40K will like this game for the similar style it presents but with refreshing differences which do create a new playing experience, while those that don't like 40K will like it because it's got some of the best aspects of 40K along with alternate activation (which I personally find better than the Igougo® system of 40K/Fantasy/Warmachine/Hordes/etc./etc.), and other aspects which, as I've said before, do make for a different gaming experience than 40K.
I've actually been sitting here for 5 minutes after I wrote that last sentence thinking of a comparison of two things that is similar to the differences between Metropolis and 40K. I guess in all my ramblings on that subject, you'll have to read between the lines and make the comparison yourself. It's not like the two games are identical, but it's also not like they're as different as 40K and Warmachine are, however.
Regardless, if you're lucky enough to live in an area in which Metropolis is played, you can see for yourself. However, let me know when you find one that's outside of the UK, 'cause even if you find one there's a good chance it'll mostly be Urban War gamers, as Urban War requires only a few of the figs that Metropolis needs (around 10 compared to Metropolis' 40 or so). Though, I think that Metropolis will be a richer experience than Urban War, and it seems Urban Mammoth thinks this too, as they're adding vehicles to the game while Urban War will stick to infantry-based battles, and Metropolis is arguably their magnum opus, while Urban War was just the intermediary stage between Urban War, and Metropolis.
+++END TRANSMISSION+++
This is a game I was pretty into around 2003/2004 when it was VOID 1.1, and then it became Urban War, and I was so-so on it. The models had improved exponentially, but the game-play had changed to something reminiscent of Necromunda, and I already had one of those (scratch that, I had two of those); except this time there was no campaign element to the game, so I just had a bunch of figures running around killing things one-off. Now I have no problem with skirmish games when there's a campaign, as I can stand the fighting being centered in the middle of the board if wacky stuff happens to my forces afterwords, but with no campaign, I'd rather just play a battle game, thanks. I'll have to write another entry on that topic.
Regardless, Metropolis is the latest incarnation of VOID 1.1, and hopefully one that will stick around much longer than VOID 1.1 did. You may not know from the descriptor after the title of the game but the makers of a game they describe as "Battle-Force Conflicts" are, indeed, native English speakers, hailing, in fact, from Scotland. I'm just convinced that the chaps at Urban Mammoth like funny names for things, like companies. Also of note, the designers of this game were also involved with Warzone and Chronopia of which I spoke in my last entry. Clint Langley, whose art I shall forever be iffy about, did most (if not all) of the art in this book.
What about this book? Well, looking inside it follows a pattern which gets boring: Page of text, page of text with a picture of a guy/gal, page of text, page of text with a picture of a guy/gal, etc. I would have liked to see some battle scenes, or even a picture of two things fighting on a page. Or better yet, show me some models! I think Urban Mammoth makes some very, very, good figures, and yet there's not a single one in here. Not on the cover, not on the back, and none in the middle! Just pictures of the individual combatants. In this aspect I feel the book lacks. It feels at times, like flipping through the pages of an artist's portfolio. However nice battle scenes and miniatures would be, it wouldn't make the layout anything less claustrophobic. All the text is of the same font, and while neatly spaced and organized, it gives you a cramped feeling, and the line/paragraph breaks feel non-existent, giving it the feel of a long scroll of continuous text like something Jack Kerouac would have written. But like I said, it's still neatly organized.
Despite my ambivalent feelings towards Clint Langley, and the layout of the book, you have to admit that the price isn't that bad. For only £15, 22,50€, or $30USD it's not a waste of money for a gamer, though I don't know if someone just checking it out would like to pay that. It comes complete with all the army lists for every one of the seven factions inside, with listings for every available model (and then some), and an armory section. I'm very excited to start playing this game again.
The game itself plays much like 40K, which I think is a good thing, but many people wont. It doesn't play exactly like 40K, however, and I'll go into more depth in a later post, when I've had more time to look over and digest the rules, than the cursory, excited, glance I gave it after opening my mailbox. For instance the game uses alternate activation, each unit moving before the next is called to do so; there's no armor saves (there's cover saves), instead using only a 'to-hit' and 'to-wound' roll; the game uses d10s, but still does the bucket rolling method that Warhammer and 40K use, as opposed to the single rolls like in Warmachine/Dark Age; there's also cross-referencing charts like in 40K and Fantasy (strength vs. toughness, except in this case it's damage vs. toughness); and they have a fixed-range of weapons where short range is 12", medium range is 24", long is 36", and extreme (the coolest range) is 48". People who like 40K will like this game for the similar style it presents but with refreshing differences which do create a new playing experience, while those that don't like 40K will like it because it's got some of the best aspects of 40K along with alternate activation (which I personally find better than the Igougo® system of 40K/Fantasy/Warmachine/Hordes/etc./etc.), and other aspects which, as I've said before, do make for a different gaming experience than 40K.
I've actually been sitting here for 5 minutes after I wrote that last sentence thinking of a comparison of two things that is similar to the differences between Metropolis and 40K. I guess in all my ramblings on that subject, you'll have to read between the lines and make the comparison yourself. It's not like the two games are identical, but it's also not like they're as different as 40K and Warmachine are, however.
Regardless, if you're lucky enough to live in an area in which Metropolis is played, you can see for yourself. However, let me know when you find one that's outside of the UK, 'cause even if you find one there's a good chance it'll mostly be Urban War gamers, as Urban War requires only a few of the figs that Metropolis needs (around 10 compared to Metropolis' 40 or so). Though, I think that Metropolis will be a richer experience than Urban War, and it seems Urban Mammoth thinks this too, as they're adding vehicles to the game while Urban War will stick to infantry-based battles, and Metropolis is arguably their magnum opus, while Urban War was just the intermediary stage between Urban War, and Metropolis.
+++END TRANSMISSION+++
Monday, April 6, 2009
Overhaul
Alright, alright, alright, alright, alright! I think I have this thing figured out now.
I came to the conclusion recently that I do too many things at once, and while I wont bore you with the specifics, one thing I've decided to do that will help to focus myself, and rectify something I'm obviously not happy with, is restructuring my horde of blogs.
I used to have one for almost any flavor of interest I had. Now I know better. I've managed to whittle it down to three that I keep going including this one here.
Now what the hell does that mean for this one? I'm going to change it from just a chronicle of my gaming habits, to a wider focus on gaming: commentary, and opinion ('cause lord knows the internet needs more of that; especially the Blog-O-Sphere), as well as the standard journal stuff I've been doing. I've always enjoyed the 'news' posts, and podcasts of Penny Arcade, and I've been inspired by it to forge my own path in non-electronic gaming.
Now this may seem like a widening instead of a narrowing. You are correct sirs, and madams. However, a narrowing wasn't my intention, instead a narrowing was creating too much clutter, as I wasn't thinning my interests, just what goes where. Now I'll have a handful of blogs painting in broad strokes instead of a legion of blogs painting in fine detail.
Overall, I'm hoping it'll be enjoyable and worthwhile to read. I don't exactly (at this moment, or in the foreseeable future) have the connections or resources to provide any previews, or behind-the-scenes action into the gaming industry, so I'll have to tackle the 'interesting' problem at a different angle.
Regardless, as with my other blog, I'm expecting to get things into full swing once I'm back in, lovely, Vancouver in September, and I've gotten everything settled. Until then, I'm in Europe.
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I came to the conclusion recently that I do too many things at once, and while I wont bore you with the specifics, one thing I've decided to do that will help to focus myself, and rectify something I'm obviously not happy with, is restructuring my horde of blogs.
I used to have one for almost any flavor of interest I had. Now I know better. I've managed to whittle it down to three that I keep going including this one here.
Now what the hell does that mean for this one? I'm going to change it from just a chronicle of my gaming habits, to a wider focus on gaming: commentary, and opinion ('cause lord knows the internet needs more of that; especially the Blog-O-Sphere), as well as the standard journal stuff I've been doing. I've always enjoyed the 'news' posts, and podcasts of Penny Arcade, and I've been inspired by it to forge my own path in non-electronic gaming.
Now this may seem like a widening instead of a narrowing. You are correct sirs, and madams. However, a narrowing wasn't my intention, instead a narrowing was creating too much clutter, as I wasn't thinning my interests, just what goes where. Now I'll have a handful of blogs painting in broad strokes instead of a legion of blogs painting in fine detail.
Overall, I'm hoping it'll be enjoyable and worthwhile to read. I don't exactly (at this moment, or in the foreseeable future) have the connections or resources to provide any previews, or behind-the-scenes action into the gaming industry, so I'll have to tackle the 'interesting' problem at a different angle.
Regardless, as with my other blog, I'm expecting to get things into full swing once I'm back in, lovely, Vancouver in September, and I've gotten everything settled. Until then, I'm in Europe.
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Monday, March 30, 2009
German Painting Project II
So, Käpt'n Badrukk is coming along. Slowly. His skin is finished, and I'm just getting started on the metals. I find this project very different than anything I've ever done before for the sole reason that I'm painting a model for the sheer pleasure of it.
I guess, in a way, I've done this before. I've always chosen models that I really like, and painted them for my forces, but I've never before just painted a model independent of any army building projects I'm working on. I like it. I feel like I can take my time, and have a theme that's different, or more complex than anything I'd base a force around.
That being said, the thought of redoing a Space Ork army is tempting, and I do have two copies of Assault on Black Reach waiting for me back home. I've always wanted to do a 'punk-based' Ork army. That is, lots of checkers, mohawks, and other such stereotypical punk regalia. Maybe even a banner with a few band names on it. It's completely silly, but I've always wanted to do it. Besides, the Ork models lend to this theme perfectly.
I figure I'll try some of that punk stuff on Käpt'n Badrukk and see how it goes. I'd post some pictures but I couldn't get the focus or lighting right, and so didn't actually take any good photos. You'll just have to wait for the finished product. Perhaps when I get back to Van-City.
Oh, and I pre-ordered War of the Ring in German (Der Ringkrieg). I'm very, very excited for this game, and can't wait until I pick it up on Saturday.
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I guess, in a way, I've done this before. I've always chosen models that I really like, and painted them for my forces, but I've never before just painted a model independent of any army building projects I'm working on. I like it. I feel like I can take my time, and have a theme that's different, or more complex than anything I'd base a force around.
That being said, the thought of redoing a Space Ork army is tempting, and I do have two copies of Assault on Black Reach waiting for me back home. I've always wanted to do a 'punk-based' Ork army. That is, lots of checkers, mohawks, and other such stereotypical punk regalia. Maybe even a banner with a few band names on it. It's completely silly, but I've always wanted to do it. Besides, the Ork models lend to this theme perfectly.
I figure I'll try some of that punk stuff on Käpt'n Badrukk and see how it goes. I'd post some pictures but I couldn't get the focus or lighting right, and so didn't actually take any good photos. You'll just have to wait for the finished product. Perhaps when I get back to Van-City.
Oh, and I pre-ordered War of the Ring in German (Der Ringkrieg). I'm very, very excited for this game, and can't wait until I pick it up on Saturday.
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Saturday, February 28, 2009
German Painting Project
So for the first time in a long while I've gotten something to paint. Well... I had some Warmachine stuff to paint that I brought with me; but I want a project that I'm not doing for an army; instead something I just want to paint independent of anything else. So I bought Kap'n Badrukk, for the Ork faction of Warhammer 40,000. At least I hope that's what he's called in English. I bought him from a German Games Workshop and I threw out the multi-lingual packaging.
In other news they opened a Games Workshop in Freiburg on the 2nd of February. I read about it in a German issue of White Dwarf I bought in Stuttgart. It's pretty cool. It's small. It's about the size of the Richmond Games Workshop in British Columbia, though more rectangular as opposed to square.
I'm pumped about this fig. I'm gonna take my time and chip away at the painting on him. This is because the end of the school semester here has me stressed, and I remembered how relaxed I get when I paint, and even how much thinking I get done while doing it. It's been 'bout six months since I have painted, so why not give this a shot? I have him built, and based. I'll wait while the gluecoat dries on the sand then prime him. I'll let you know how it goes by posting pictures, and so forth.
I'll be using P3 paints primarily, because that's all I have with me, and they're still my current favorites. However I'll be using some of the Citadel Washes because as you may have read before I'm also quite fond of them. I'll be using P3 brushes, and I wont be doing any conversion work on the figure.
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In other news they opened a Games Workshop in Freiburg on the 2nd of February. I read about it in a German issue of White Dwarf I bought in Stuttgart. It's pretty cool. It's small. It's about the size of the Richmond Games Workshop in British Columbia, though more rectangular as opposed to square.
I'm pumped about this fig. I'm gonna take my time and chip away at the painting on him. This is because the end of the school semester here has me stressed, and I remembered how relaxed I get when I paint, and even how much thinking I get done while doing it. It's been 'bout six months since I have painted, so why not give this a shot? I have him built, and based. I'll wait while the gluecoat dries on the sand then prime him. I'll let you know how it goes by posting pictures, and so forth.
I'll be using P3 paints primarily, because that's all I have with me, and they're still my current favorites. However I'll be using some of the Citadel Washes because as you may have read before I'm also quite fond of them. I'll be using P3 brushes, and I wont be doing any conversion work on the figure.
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Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Time Warp
So things are going to be pretty slow around here for the next, um... Year! This is because I'll be going to school in Germany, and while I'm bringing some models with me to work on, and there's a game shop in the town I'm traveling to, I don't imagine I'll be going too nuts on the game front. Rather I'll be trying not to fail classes that are ONLY IN GERMAN!
So, things will be sporadic, if at all. I'm sincerely sorry for any inconvienence this may cause to any readers of this blog.
Here's hoping things will be more regular when I get back!
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So, things will be sporadic, if at all. I'm sincerely sorry for any inconvienence this may cause to any readers of this blog.
Here's hoping things will be more regular when I get back!
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Thursday, August 14, 2008
EPIC!
So I have no attention span, as a careful read of this blog will attest. In the midst of an Eldar painting frenzy, I'm managing (I think) to fit in some work on my Epic Blood Angels army. This will be the fifth paint of these models and man oh man are they gettin' thick. I'm pretty sure these figures can withstand a nuclear blast.
Blood Angels
Dark Angels
Crimson Fists
Dark Angels
Blood Angels
Yup... Thick all right. Considering how the 1st Dark Angel paintjob, and the Crimson Fists paintjob were done with the Citadel colored sprays back in the '90s/early '00s.
I'm doing this because two of my friends want to throw down some Epic, and as the resident Epic master of my gaming group I'm more than happy to oblidge a game. I have over 6000 points of Space Marines (way over... I even want to say almost 10,000 points because of my love of Titans), and 'bout 3000 of Chaos Marines. Once I get back from Germany I hope to have a 3000+ point army of Eldar, and a 3000 point army of Orks.
So that's what I've been up to this week. Not much else. I'm only a painting session or two away from finishing my Banshees, 2nd squad of Dire Avengers and a squad of Rangers. We'll see when I can fit that time in.
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Blood Angels
Dark Angels
Crimson Fists
Dark Angels
Blood Angels
Yup... Thick all right. Considering how the 1st Dark Angel paintjob, and the Crimson Fists paintjob were done with the Citadel colored sprays back in the '90s/early '00s.
I'm doing this because two of my friends want to throw down some Epic, and as the resident Epic master of my gaming group I'm more than happy to oblidge a game. I have over 6000 points of Space Marines (way over... I even want to say almost 10,000 points because of my love of Titans), and 'bout 3000 of Chaos Marines. Once I get back from Germany I hope to have a 3000+ point army of Eldar, and a 3000 point army of Orks.
So that's what I've been up to this week. Not much else. I'm only a painting session or two away from finishing my Banshees, 2nd squad of Dire Avengers and a squad of Rangers. We'll see when I can fit that time in.
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