And now for something.....

.....completely different.

Another busy week elsewhere unfortunately but hey that's life.

Last Sunday was another X-Wing tourney this time run by Warboar down in Croydon, ostensibly as a celebratory event for 186 Squadron. Plenty of the  squadron were in attendance and as such it was always going to be a high end field.

Following the recent dual IG-2000 backlash I ran my own counter list which just happened to be another Firespray / Swarm combo;

Kath Scarlet - Predator - Mangler Cannon - Tactician - Engine Upgrade
Academy TIE Fighter x 4

At range two Kath can punt out two Stress which is going to cause anyone grief. The swarm swarm. Simples!

In short I went 4-1 to claim 4th which was very pleasing. More than that I flew well every game and it was mainly dice that cost me game 3. My opponents were varied and included one double IG list where I took control early and never let go. Four shuttles was the toughest game of the day and far closer than the scoreline suggested.

Without trying to big myself up too much I now play this game to a high level, thankfully while having fun, which is something I haven't often said about the games I've played over the years.

Dark Sphere have their own tourney Sunday and it'll be the same list again before we head off to the Scandinavian Nationals in Copenhagen. Never done that before either!

Before that Rich and I are heading down to Tonbridge tomorrow for what will be my first Infinity tourney. I don't expect much other than a steep learning curve. It will be interesting as well as educational to be at the other end of the field.

First and foremost though it's always about playing the game and rolling sone dice, at least it is for me :)

Tohaa

Hello again and welcome to Rob's Tohaa as previously promised / threatened  (delete as appropriate)

I have to admit that I'm not so sure who is who other than a decending order of elite status. Command, rankers, auxiliaries and support from what I remember.

Tohaa come across to me as vaguely mystical bio-tech. Not sure if they're vat grown and / or hug trees but they have a number of viral weapons with the elites sporting multiple wound and symbiant armour. The first time I used my Intruder sniper with a good combination of Camo and Armour Rob bypassed all that with a shot of plague, much to my chagrin. On the flip side they really don't like flamethrowers while I never leave home without a few ;)

Pretty much honours even so far!

Age of.......Confusion

Hello people,

Brace yourself it's another meandering musings post.

So, as I don't live under a rock I've been watching the community reaction to Age of Sigmar. On the face of it its been pretty polarised with plenty of RAGE to go with the usual froth.

For me it's been more a case of confusion and resultant caution. I'll explain ;)

In honesty I simply don't understand where GW is going with this one. It's been just over 10 years since I left them so I'm sure I'm well out of the loop but I just don't get it. As much as I'm well out of the GW hobby I feel they've made some positive moves going weekly with White Dwarf, End of Times and the Skittari. As much as the demise of Fantasy has been rumoured for sometime I never expected this.....whatever it is!

A set of free to download quick-play mini-skirmish rules without a points system and whacky rules is a HUGE departure from the GW norm. It's almost like they're trying to out Mantic Mantic. Add in the Stormborn as a blatant link into 30/40K and is it really that simple? The most obvious answer is often the most likely and in hindsight I can see the progression with Fantasy Apocalypse, monstrous creatures and arcane scenery. It's almost like it's a return to Realms of Chaos / Lost and the Damned style gaming, almost, and you've got to go back a long way for that.

There's plenty of "opinion" out there but Tabletop Gaming News recently put up an unboxing review that covers all the bases, pardon the pun, without becoming hysterical.

In honesty I understand the RAGE with the apparent total about face after the move to bigger and bigger blocks of rank and file. Given GW's track record of abandoning previous editions and spin offs, Specialist Games anyone?, I feel that I can understand the angst. I'm sure plenty of people will play on with whatever edition they like but it has to come with the knowledge that GW WILL leave them behind. If it were me, which it isn't (thankfully), I'd be more than a bit narked feeling that my investment in the game has just been utterly scrapped for something far far less.....

I'm sure that there's got to be more to come from AoS, you'd damn well hope so, but I've always felt that the Fantasy community regarded themselves a cut above 40K, as a proper wargames, and I doubt they like feeling like they're being dragged down. Lets not even mention the idea of rebasing your whole army :/

For myself I've got enough LOTR orcs to put a force on the table and give it a go. In truth I'm kind of scared to.......I might just like it!  ;)

I shall be watching with quiet(ish) interest........

Nomads

Hello people,

Sunday evening I finally set up a photo shoot for the To INFINITY and Beyond project.

As such here are my Nomads, from bottom to top;

- Mobile Brigada and Lupe Balboa proxy

- Tomcats,  a big personal favourite of mine 

- Zero, Spektr sniper and Spektr 

- Algausciles, the guy with the stub antennas is to represent a hacking device 

Unfortunately I forgot to get shots of the Reverend Moria and her twin sister Interventor but not great worry.

Later in the week Rob's Tohaa take centre stage while I continue the construction production line. So far I've put together Dr Worm, his assistants and a trio of zonds with minimal rage. Long may it continue :)

Hit and Run

Hello people,

Yes, yet another I haven't done too much this week though that isn't entirely true.

Tuesday night at the club we ran through several rounds of an Infinity TAG mini game, that I shall attempt to link at some point, for which I did complete putting together my Iguana. Rich also gifted me some of Ancenotti's particularly lovely resin scenery pieces consisting of a bubble car and a pair of bikes and vending machines for which I'm very grateful.

Rob also dropped off his latest Tohaa acquisitions while I then came home to my own Nomad and Shasvassti reinforcements on the doorstep. These were soon followed by the sets of Tau transfers that I picked up from E-Bay. As such Lead Mountain has grown somewhat and is currently spread about the flat in an attempt to disguise itself.

Meanwhile tomorrow is another day out playing X-Wing for which I'very recent lying repainted a trio of M3A Interceptors and another Z95. I will set up the photo box over the weekend and have a major shoot of recent additions.

You have been warned :)

WORK sucks. ......so make it better

Hello people,

I've not said much because there's not been too much to say. Going back to work and having a few other bits on has meant very minimal Hobby-time.

I've managed to build and base the Nomad support pack and Iguana but that's been about it. I've managed a few games and worked on a Corrigedor list. Played significantly better with the Tomcats.

"Investment" wise I've done much better. Father dearest also got me a Meteor Zond and I've picked up a pack of basic art stencils to try out at some point. The Klingon fleet has now been recycled into a few more remotes and a Med-Tech "Doctor Worm". A C3-PO card went today as well so there's some reserves as well.

Rob has also mentioned that he's ordered a few bits so I forsee super-glued figures in my near future. Back to the grindstone; )

Beyond Thunderdome #1

Hello people,

I have to admit that I enjoyed To INFINITY and Beyond so much that I couldn't let it die. As such the ongoing project will become Thunderdome as an homage to much of my influence for the scenery set and my viewpoint on the game as grown up Necromunda. Also it should serve to stop me repearedly almost buying sets of Dark Future on Ebay!

First up I bought myself an Iguana as a birthday present. Father dearest has also procured some remotes, though I'm not sure which as yet. My Klingon fleet sold for £65 which will be recycled into more remotes. This will give me options for Hacker / Corrigedor lists upto 400 points and the intention to complete a box set per week.

Scenery will be a rolling project and the weeks progress has been getting the Micro Art Admin Block and Gaurd Tower put together and put through a few levels of spray. I still feel that I'm lying a bit of height but table time will tell. I have a few ideas brewing.

More cruise control rather than high pursuit :)

To little to late?

Hello people,

What follows is an unashamed rant post. These are my opinions and I accept and stand by them.  I generally dont do tbis but on this occasion I need to vent, hopefully in a constructive manner. I'm not whinging, as much as it might seem like it and if it does then fair enough.

Thursday after work I headed down to Dark Sphere for some X-Wing. There's currently a well themed campaign going on and I've taken the chance to run some different lists to see how they work. If you get the chance then I heartily recommend getting involved.

Running Kavil I played a couple of games losing both, one closely, the other not at all closely. I still had fun and tested some ideas.

Coming home I found the third and final wave of my Dreadball Extreme Kingdom Kickstarter on the doorstep. Surely this should be a joyous moment of nerdgasm, tearing open the box to inhale aue'de fresh plesin. Not so much :/

What I actually did was open the box in disgust and dig out the contents so that I could snear at them! I then stacked the box in the Kickstarter section of my toys bookcase, which now measures at least three feet in height :(

I'm sure many of you are asking "why the rage hate Steve?". Some of you may remember that I've loved this game and previously credited it with rejuvenating my hobby a couple of years ago. That's right, I've have playing many, many games in both leagues and tournaments, much as I do X-Wing now.

Even as I became disenchanted with Mantic and their well documented crack addict employment of Kickstarter I kept my love of the game telling myself I saw the distinction between Mantic, Jake and the Dreadball community.

When the Extreme Kickstarter came up I told myself that I wasn't going to pledge but pick stuff up as and when it was released. The KS deals haven't always worked out as the best option , all of those "free" bonus figures never are and it's not as if figure quality has improved along the way.

HOWEVER.....when I saw the fluff and ideas involved I  couldn't stop so went in with a sweet spot £150 Frenzy pledge......LAST MARCH!!

Since then the only other project that's treated me as poorly is Heroes of Normandie and they're just two French blokes rather than a miniatures company with enough professional clout to pull down Mars Attack. However you look at it that's a major success for them but at what expense and to whom?
To me putting up a mission control simply isn't enough. Keeping backers informed is laudable but it's verged on the point of taking the piss.

In honesty I also backed Heroquest 25 which is also late and not saying a lot but I'm happy to wait given my fondness for the product and, again, they're not a big figures company dividing opinion within the community. Fair and objective? No, but that's my perogative. I'm sure Mantic don't care about my rantings, or anyone else's but that's their perogative.

As with any Kickstarter I had a choice and spent my money. After that you're locked in for the ride. Mantic have got my money but didn't get my time which I've since spent on X-Wing and Infinity. As such I no longer have the time or inclination for Dreadball or Mantic. In honesty I'd be tempted to Ebay it all but who'd take it off me? By the nature of events the market is now instantly saturated.

At the end of the day I'm more annoyed at myself than anyone else. I knew better but let myself get sucked in anyway. I've backed other KS projects, mainly graphic novels, which have been well run by decent people and delivered what they promised. Dreadball Extreme has undoubtedly been my worst ever KS experience by a mile. As a result I simply don't trust any other Toys KS and I won't back them. By the time that deliver I doubt I'll have the time or interest any more :(

Here endeth the rant, it's been very cathartic and more about myself than trying to influence others. By making the public statement I'm far more likely to hold to my convictions.

On a related note I turned 40 yesterday, ful membership of the Grumpy Old Man Club confirmed :)

To INFINITY and beyond - Day 16

Okay people I'm back to the grindstone tomorrow so here's the roundup.

As below I got my Tomats and Reverend Moria finished to complete all of my Nomad force that I had at the beginning of the project. Due to a late start Rob's Auxilliaries and TAG pilot haven't quite made it but the weekend will see them cross the line.

As such I'm claiming success on all four objectives, which surprises even me! In honesty I could have achieved a bit more with the brush but that was always likely. Where I have over achieved is with an understanding of my force and where I want to go with it. The case has been ordered and I plan now filling it up over the coming months as well as stepping up to regular 300 point games.

Infinity has become something of a seminal game for me as a grown up Sci - Fi skirmish that I've been looking for for quite sometime. The UK Infinity community seems fairly committed and I'm looking forward to joining them. I've found Infinity, now it's all about the beyond ; )

To INFINITY and beyond - Day 16

Taa daa......actual painted Nomads!!

So thats 6 Agaucils, including Ms Balboa, my proxy Iventnor, my proxy Spektr sniper, my actual Spektr and my proxy Zero (more white) finished, varnished and everything for another 20 Painting Points.

That leaves just the Tomcats and Reverend Moria fromy my initial pile and the Auxilliaries for Rob's Tohaa which is very achievable for Day 16.

I got a 200 point game in with Rob tonight and the newly varnished brigade let me down badly in the opening turns, as expected, despite actually designing an army list with an actual plan to it. Thankfully the basecoated Tomcats did all of the heavy lifting, flamethrower stylee, to drag things back and snatch victory at the last. I played much better with a definite game plan using the Tomcats far more intelligently. They deserve that paint!

Better photos to follow but here's the group for now;