TFI Friiiiiday!!!

And that means a day off work. Yay.

Come midday I'm heading to the hobby room to get m head around the trollblood flesh colours. Though i must confess to being completely underwhelmed by the idea of an albino troll...

I hope you have all been having a productive hobby time. I haven't due to work etc...and i have just been bad and ordered dreadball to boot.

But it's all part of my 'drop GW' stance.
I have Kings of war for Fantasy.
Dreadball for bloodbowl
Malifaux for mordheim/necromunda
Warmahordes for 40k.
Dystopian for dreadfleet.
X-wing for Battlefleet Gothic
I am still looking at other games, like dropzone commander, firestorm armada, Dust to name a few. As and when i find them i will be sure to post my thoughts.

Have a good Friday all and for those of you lucky enough to not be working this weekend (not me :( ) Enjoy your weekend!

blue is the colour...hordes is the game

A little update though not too much to sing about...

But first of i want to say a big heartfelt well done to the people at Firestorm Games.
I ordered my Hordes stuff on Friday. Got a reply to say some was out of stock within a couple of hours. Phoned the guys and changed the order slightly. Next morning bright and early and the parcel arrives. Impressive considering it was sent via the good old royal snail mail.
Now with the changed order came a little boo boo. Namely that i received the Warmachine prime rulebook instead of Hordes primal.
Easy enough mistake to make especially in a  rush to get the order dispatched in time.
So i sent the guys a e-mail explaining the oopsie. I was automatically offered a replacement (expected) and asked to send back the original (expected). This i did Monday evening.
A nice email got back to me Tuesday explaining the return had been received (my god the royal mail managed it twice) and that my primal book had been dispatched. Also attached to the e-mail was a voucher code to cover the costs of postage i paid plus a little extra as an apology. I didn't expect that bit and it shows how highly Firestorm Games value their customers.

So here it is, a LARGE pat on the back and hearty 'good job' to Rob and the guys at Firestorm Games, i highly recommend you all to give them a go for your hobby needs.

Right, now onto the progress.
A quick pic of last nights wip on my trollbloods. Yes i know its not a lot. But between working and returning to the gym (to try and dismiss the myth that all wargamers are fat...well at least this one is) I haven't had as much hobby time as i would like....oh and finally (yes i know I'm behind the times) sitting down and watching 'Game of Thrones'.

Wip Trollbloods

One last thing. I got a second hand gaming table a while back. Been trying to figure out what to do to improve it as its pretty beat up and it's also plain green. I want to turn it into something for warmahordes or more precisely something legion/trollblood themed. Anyone with any ideas, please share as i have run into a proverbial brick wall with it.

That be all for now folks. If you don't hear from me within a week, end a search party to the gym, i will probably be collapsed in the corner!!

A different kind of fantasy

Ok ok calm down and stop giggling. Not THAT sort of fantasy you deranged bunch of perverts...shheeeeesh!

As eluded to in previous mumblings, i have become more and more disillusioned with GW and their ways. This is both good and bad. Bad because of the money i have invested over the years. Good because it has forced me to seek pastures new.

Dystopian wars was the first venture and when time allows i will delve fully into the game and get the rules straight in my head. The models are fantastic for such small scale creations.

There's also x-wing. This is my drinks n dice type game. Fast, simple and no hobbying needed.

I have also started hordes by Privateer press. I know the company and game. Whilst no cheaper than GW really, i feel PP still have the hobby at heart.

But over the last 24 hours i got the itch to stretch the Tolkien and 'fantasy' element of myself. Enough sniggering you lot.

Now i normally have an avenue in my mind towards what game or where. But with this issue i genuinely had no idea where to turn. So off i went googling away to my hearts content, checking various blogs and sites and chasing down names from yesteryear.
That's when Alessio Cavatore's name was spotted alongside Mantic games 'Kings of war'. Interest piqued.
A lot of looking over the models, swearing at a retarded printer and then downloading of the rules onto ipad followed.
Now i am not a fan of the elves or their 'evil kindred'. But the undead, orcs and dwarves are pretty cool. Hey they even have Felix of 'avatars of war' on board....so you know there are gonna be some kick ass sculpts.
The price ....cheap by the bucket load....now that gets the wallet interested too.

But lets face it, the rule set is where it needs to work.
So off to proxyville (pop 2) i headed today.

What can i say about the rules and game play.
Well the negatives first. The 'starter' army boxes definitely need balancing. Whilst the dwarf force rallies in at 400+pts, the undead struggles to 300. But that's a minor issue.
The rules themselves are simple, pretty clear and very concise. The game play is fast, fun and bloody. The way damage works is just fantastic and lends itself to the idea of war on a large scale.
 I literally sat down to read the rules at 9am and by midday we had run through 2!!!! 250 point games. Both complete bloodbaths.

So my overall thoughts on 'Kings of war'? Even if your not a fan of the models (you can always proxy) give the rule set a go. It is well written and works a treat.

Oh hello paypack...goodbye pay packet....

Yay so Friday finally came.
A trip to the old gaming store on Elm Hill was sadly fruitless. So off to the good chaps at firestorm games i went.

Initial order went in with some of it not available. A few mumblings and a changed order later and I'm now waiting for the nice royal mail type person to show up with.
Legion of everblight battlegroup
Trollbloods battlegroup
mk2 softback rulebook
2 x trollblood paint set
card sleeves
PP template set.

No idea how the 2 sets will play against each other, but it's going to be a fun learning curve for me and carol.

In the meantime i need to figure out how to turn this....

Into a nice hoards gaming table for legion and trollbloods to fight over. I don't honestly even have a clue where to start lol. Suggestions more than welcome!

tick tock tick tock wait and wait for pay day

So hey happy, weird and occasionally normal readers, how goes it out there.

Having worked 7 straight days I'm pretty whacked. But looking forward to Friday and payday.
Why you may ask, well it's a hobby related and blog and besides my dogs and charity work (football don't count!), the hobby is the only other thing to bounce about.

So much thinking has gone on between myself and my better half carol. Mostly concerning new avenues of wargaming fun. Slowly its come round to Privateer Press and their games. Much talking later and it has gone down to hoards.

Its here we have a sticking point though. Playable fun factions for learners.
I have many moons ago played warmachine so i understand the basic mechanic and have a fair grasp on fury etc. But i have to learn Hoards and teach it at the same time.
Looking over the models we have it down to 3 sets of models each.
For me its
Circle (who doesn't love werewolves)
Trollbloods (just make me think drunk scots who got a little carried away with the blue)
Skorne (steampunk samurai....word)

For Carol its
Circle (uh oh see the problem developing)
then a join second between
Trollbloods (yup that problem) and Legion.

So with those clashes in choice i hit the proverbial wall. With only 3 days to payday...

Options i can see is to either
Go for the 2 player battlebox which seems fantastic value for money.
Or go for the slightly more expensive trollblood/circle warpack boxes and a separate rulebook.

But to be honest i don't truly know which is the better option, i hear from some that the circle is one of the worst starter sets in hoards and i don't want to taint the first ventures into the game with the feeling of an unplayable force.

For Carols part though she isn't as keen on the legion models as she is the circle, the legion seem to better suit her play style. She plays nids in 40k and believes in the charge forward and gobble everything up tactic lol.

Me I'm a little more cautions and a thinker, though i also like fun.

Comments are open and i welcome any thoughts from you the general wargaming world.

Regards.

From the geeky kid to the bully. GW losing it's way

First off let me apologise for the lack of updates this week on the Dystopian Wars front. 7 straight shifts has destroyed what little hobby time i hoped to have.

I want to just say this isn't a straight up 'gw hate post'. Just the thoughts of a long standing and increasingly disillusioned gamer.

Somewhere in the darkest past, maybe 25 or 26 years ago now. I stumbled into GW Hammersmith. It was the first proper GW retail store and based on Dalling Road. All i had was a MK1 Landraider and a desire to learn more. I wont bore you with the whiffs and woes of time thought.

Fast forward to the current end of times.
Over the last few years i have struggled in the hobby in all ways to be honest. Now i have been an almost exclusive GW gamer, apart from Henchmaning for Wyrd, not much else has been played etc.
But just recently i got back to thinking what had changed and where my enthusiasm had gone.....

I'm no saying it's the same for everyone, but i think for me it's been the changes overall at GW.
The warning signs were there the day Andy Chambers and co walked off the good ship Workshop.

For me a minor irritant had been the 'bully boy' tactics GW have started employing over the last few years. Now I'm not meaning the whole chapter house crap, for me the had it coming as they were in blatant infringement of IP. I don't personally blame GW for protecting their IP, BUT i do think they have gotten somewhat out of hand in their approach to online retailers, bits suppliers and 'compatible part manufacturers'.

A big part of the hobby is converting that awesome mini, and now it seems GW want you to have to fork out £50 for that extra shield from the big kit box. For me bits suppliers don't hurt GW, they still have to get the bits, we still have to pay.  But lets not get off track, it's one needle in a haystack of needles.

For me the biggest blow has been the stores.
My local GW is Norwich. Its not open Monday or Tuesday for starters, Monday is one of the few days off i get.
Then there is the destruction of 'veteran nights'. I used to work at GW years ago, vet nights were great fun. As an ex-staffer they were even more fun. Guaranteed games, banter and general hobby enthusiasm.
But finally there's the trend in staff now. As a member of staff and as a customer i used to love banter with the customer/staff/fellow gamers. Talking army tactics, painting ideas etc etc. Nowadays it's a case of. of your struggling with that eh...here but this, oh and this and don't forget this. I got more years in the hobby than most of the staff have in their lives. I think i can figure out whats wrong with an army. If I'm talking about my list/scheme it's because I'm trying to share hobby enthusiasm, not looking for the auto build costalist.

I do love the background of Warhammer/40k etc. But for me a combination of the above has reached a point where i feel GW's policies are in danger of destroying the hard work of those who went before them. I find no joy in visiting the store, reading White Dwarf or getting 'buy this' mind waves off their blog.

A large part of me regrets parting with nearly £250 in gw a month ago, but maybe given time i will find some joy in returning to the High Elves of Ulthuan. But a large part of me doubts it.

I know some of you will say, just go to the indy stockist. Hey i live in Norfolk and we have NO indies. I could order online i know, but then if i am going to order online i might as well look into the other games out there that also lack 'bricks and mortar' stores.

Well that's my little rant over with me thinks. Im' off to trawl the internet and see what games might tempt me. Maybe Warmahoardes will call or something. All i know is my GW stuff is now on indefinite hold until something refreshes my desire to play the game.

I will of course continue posting on this blog as i want to share the adventures in Spartan games and others.

D.I.Y miniature light box

So work sucks, we all know that so enough said there.

After last nights poor pics, i decided to resurrect my old DIY light box. Only it was more destroyed the done.
No problem though, i would just make another. Then i thought hang on, why not share it and maybe help a few hobby fanatics along the way.

So here it is. The not so milky light box.

Step 1. Purchase a large milk container and drink the contents. I prefer to do this with something we Brits call Tea.
Once empty you should have one of these.

Technical eh...
Brace yourselves it only gets worse.

Step 2, remove the lid, then find a point about half way up (in this case there is a nifty little 'indent' all the way around for me to follow). Make a small hole, then use scissors to cut the carton in half. Like so

Rocket science this one eh!
Step 3- line the base and back with some white card, i use blue tack to hold it in place.
Something like this.

Step 4 -  Position lights close to the sides of the box, i use 2 angle necked lamps to light up my light box. The plastic acts to diffuse the light and even it out.

Step 5 -  enjoy the fruits of your labour. This small box is useful for small miniatures only, maybe a 6 pint carton would work well for slightly larger models. Bigger than that, is still a quest I'm on...though i do have an idea....

Oh btw, unless you want a funny smell and a visit to the dog house courtesy of your parents/other half....i would suggest washing the carton out multiple times before letting the lamps cook it.!!!

Just for the sake of comparison.

Normal not light box set up pic

And light box pic

I hope this helps some of you out there.

Kingdom of Brittannia Battlegroup wip

So a quick update for the weekend.

I got started on the Dystopian wars models (yay me).

I must admit that the models although small, are fantastically detailed. Even the little frigates which are tiny have a fantastic amount on them.
I can however see my sanity as well as my eyesight going before i finish lol. So to try and prevent this i stepped back and tried using a heavy amount of inking and drybrushing to bring out the detail and prevent me going cross eyed.

Here's a couple of (admittedly very poor) pics from last nights progress.

They are very much work in progress, but its a start and i hope to finish them as the week goes on (far too many work shifts this week booo)

I was asked about my technique for them thus far. Which i described on the relevant post, but will happily share here.


The red and Wood are both really really simple.

The red
Base coat of Khorne red. You could paint this on, i use an airbrush for speed.
Heavy ink wash of Nuln Oil and allow to dry
Moderate drybrush of Khorne Red, focusing a little heavier the lower down the hull you get.
Final very light drybrush of Wazzdakka Red to pick out the rivets and raised areas, also used on the front and back edges where the port and starboard hulls meet

For the wood, it's a technique i stole of my fiancee Carol.
Base coat with Averland Sunset, usually takes a couple of coats as you want an even colour.
Very heavy ink wash of Seraphim Sepia and leave to dry.

A final note would be that all those paints are from the newer GW range. Like myself a lot of you out there probably still use the older stuff too. So i dug the conversion chart up as i know not everyone would have it easily available.

Enjoy your week all, i hope to post some more updates as the week goes on, if time allows. But seeing as it's Monday, remember the weekends already a day close than it was yesterday