tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18580871593719283432024-03-12T18:32:28.782-07:00Nerds vs NinjasAll things gaming related and other geeky stuff!Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.comBlogger348125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-53009334936961363942018-12-31T13:39:00.002-08:002018-12-31T13:39:13.157-08:00The FINAL End of the Year Report.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vBj4rB5w_sE/XCqMPzFI8LI/AAAAAAAADlc/dQnup_46lFcSb1Z7uoar3LKctqPm_Qv-QCLcBGAs/s1600/t1E5Fy84_400x400.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vBj4rB5w_sE/XCqMPzFI8LI/AAAAAAAADlc/dQnup_46lFcSb1Z7uoar3LKctqPm_Qv-QCLcBGAs/s200/t1E5Fy84_400x400.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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It's the final day of 2018. Every year since starting this blog has seen me do an end of year report, in which I total all the games played, miniatures painted, talk about my favorite games, and try come up with some expectations for the next year.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fkFreaJo9aI/XCqMRs9QbZI/AAAAAAAADlg/A4yKktUgNPQ_Nk6OAPJpdvGgk1JvZum7gCLcBGAs/s1600/grave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="600" height="106" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fkFreaJo9aI/XCqMRs9QbZI/AAAAAAAADlg/A4yKktUgNPQ_Nk6OAPJpdvGgk1JvZum7gCLcBGAs/s200/grave.jpg" width="200" /></a>This year (2018), sad to say, may be my final year as a gamer and gaming-blogger. 2018 was a bit of a rough year, with getting laid off, and relocating to a different state... and I don't think I've fully recovered even after all these months. Look at my posts for 2018 vs 2017, and I think you can see a prime example of how the hobby has died.<br />
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So, with no Hobby taking place whatsoever, and no expectations for it to pick up. I guess, this is goodbye...<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Thanks for all the support throughout the years...</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-80952997312251191732018-09-19T11:25:00.002-07:002018-09-20T19:01:47.596-07:00Real Talk: My path to Minimalism. [ LONG ]<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QE8me2y6RBc/W6KSMn7iOUI/AAAAAAAADjs/UeyYfB9_5HcItqw-GJhvnlmFijcf6gP5QCLcBGAs/s1600/minimalism-feature.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="500" height="197" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QE8me2y6RBc/W6KSMn7iOUI/AAAAAAAADjs/UeyYfB9_5HcItqw-GJhvnlmFijcf6gP5QCLcBGAs/s320/minimalism-feature.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Massive *eye roll* here</td></tr>
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Google "Minimalism" and you are going to get a ton of definitions, a ton of pics of IKEA-like spaces, and a ton of cheesy one-liners like above. BUT, after a major life shakeup, I examined my life, and decided to why not give it a try. I'm going to throw everything out there, behind the semi-anonymity of the internetz, just to give everyone a glimpse of my path towards this new life choice, and how it has affected me. Things are gonna get personal, and very real. I'm writing all this off the cuff, so to speak, so expect a bit of rant as I just type out whatever comes to mind...<br />
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I think the best place to start is with MY definition of what minimalism means to me. To boil things down, it was an examination of all the consumer-driven aspects (i.e. my stuff) of my life, and how my "things" affected my overall happiness. It's about getting rid of anything that doesn't add to my wellbeing or happiness, to the point where, I've surrounded myself with ONLY the things that make me happy. The beauty of this lifestyle choice, is that there is no right or wrong answer. No right way or wrong way to go about doing it. What my concept of "minimalist living" is/looks like will not look like yours. It's also affected by the fact that my family doesn't really share in my choice of minimalism, and that's fine too. THEIR stuff doesn't really affect my happiness... though I admit, I get grumpy at the ENTIRE ROOM dedicated to my daughter's legos that she currently doesn't use, but that's a different story. But again, my minimalist journey cannot, and will not look exactly like your own, or like those seen online. It just CAN'T, as our stations in life are always completely unique.<br />
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So, what led me to this? Well, my wife was laid off from her job, during a holiday no less, an in an instant, my family went from making six-figures, to essentially zero in the span of a phone call. Sure, I work part time from home, but my income is such a joke, that I wouldn't have been able to cover a house payment, let alone food, utilities, etc. See, we have a bit of a unique living situation. I used to work full time, and while I made decent money, when my daughter was born a little over 8 years ago, it made sense for me to stop working to take care of her. the US was in a major recession at the time, and while I was working a ton, over 1/3 of my paycheck went to travel costs, and the remaining would probably had end up being spent on childcare. After all, why did we decide to have a child IF we were just going have someone else take care of her? On top of that, the company I worked for was having their own financial crisis, and every paycheck was a gamble as to whether or not the check would clear or bounce. So, I basically, gave up working, to help raise my daughter full time. I had always been willing to put aside my own plans for the sake of my family, having given up a job in advertising to move to Kansas when my wife took her job, the one she got fired from btw, and became a stay-at-home dad. This brings me to another tangent: don't think for a single second that being a stay-at-home parent is easy, or a lazy person's excuse to not work! I hear and see that a ton, and it is just simply NOT TRUE. Making this choice, was a difficult one, and brings with it a whole new set of stresses, both from inside the home and outside the home, from society, and in my case, from assumed gender roles. I am NOT lazy, very much the opposite in fact, as a perfectionist I am very hard working, and honestly, pretty hard on myself. Why bring all this up? Well, I'm hoping it will start to paint a picture of what brought me to this point, and some of the stresses I may have been under... add to that the depression I've dealt with for the last 20+ years, but that is a whole nother' story, but does play some role in all this.<br />
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Well, back to story of how/why I got to this point. My wife was working out in the basement on her day off, again it was a holiday, when she comes upstairs, and pulls me aside out of earshot of my daughter. We sit down on the couch in a different room, and she bursts into tears as she said: "I just got fired. I just lost my job." and I remember just grabbing her, as the room started to spin for me, hugging her and thinking about how helpless I was to do anything about it. We had built our lives, our family around this one job, this main source of income, and just like that, it was gone... and not just her job, but over 400 other employees as well, as her entire department was shutdown! All I could think about was what am I going to do as a husband and a father to help out? I had no real skills to speak of, no prospects lined up, all of that had kind fo shriveled away over the 8 years of staying at home. My only thought, and it was literally the 3rd one after "oh god why?" and "what am I going to do?" was I remembered I had a fairly substantial life insurance policy. I even voiced out loud to wife that if it came down to it, if need be, I would end my own life for my wife and my daughter, that they may be at least somewhat taken care of in my absence. See, that's how unhappy I was, even before this moment... despite what I felt was a noble intention, it took a mere minute for the idea of ending my own life to pop into my head. Life should not be like that! The only reason I'm telling you all this, is because this is the event that really sparked my examination of my life to that point.<br />
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I think it's clear to see that I was stressed, and perhaps not mentally equipped to handle the pressure at the time. But, I remember looking around at all my gaming stuff, all my dvds, the house, we lived in, and in a round about way, all the choices I had made up to that point... and I couldn't help but wonder what if I had never made any of those choices? What if I never had bought all that gaming stuff, all the video games, all the junk in my man-cave, all the cloths in my closet? What would our finances had looked like? Don't get me wrong, we were already doing good financially. We didn't stretch ourselves thin, we didn't have credit card debt, we didn't buy the biggest house possible or the most expensive cars. We preferred to live a fairly modest life, so that we could not particularly stress about our finances. We were "modest" which really isn't that far form "minimalist". We were able to float ourselves for several months, thanks to this financial life choice we had made, but I couldn't help but wonder: could I had bought ourselves an extra month or two if I had just NOT bought all the useless junk I was surrounded by? I was reminded of a Johnny Cash song, Hurt, the one in which he references an "empire of dirt", and that's what I had built and surrounded myself with, or so it felt, an Empire of Dirt.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gone.</td></tr>
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Now here is where things start to get a bit fuzzy. I'm not exactly sure how I discovered the concept of minimalism, it may have been from a Netflix documentary, ironically watched in my man-cave surrounded by all my junk. I'm pretty sure I watched the documentary and thought to myself: ya know, it kind of makes sense. I had always been one to define success by the amount of stuff accumulated. I was equating success with money, and Rich people were successful and hence, had more stuff. Less successful people were poorer, and had less stuff. This is/was society's accepted definition of success/failure, and one I slipped in to.... despite the fact that it goes completely against my world views as a Catholic. (another topic for another time) After the documentary, I started to watch YouTube videos by the same person. I started to look around at all the junk I had, and I finally realized: THIS STUFF didn't make me any happier, it never did. In some ways, to go back to the Catholic perspective, I was trying to patch a cross-shaped hole in my heart, with a dollar signed shaped patch. It was never going to work. With time looming, and a desire to help out financially in some way, shape, or form. I started the process of going from a consumerist, worldly lifestyle, to one of a more minimalistic one.... and let me tell ya, once I started, it was such a relief!<br />
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I started by taking stock of all that I had, and how it affected me: my gaming stuff, my books, my movies, my cloths, and I started to see how they didn't seem to take away stress, they added to it, and they connected in different ways, and added stress, in ways I never considered! The first place I started was my books. I had a shelf full of fantasy novels, warhammer 40k books, etc. I had read 95% of them, aside from a handful of old Battletech novels I bought for really cheap, mostly as a collector. I' had never been one to go back and read a book for a second time after finishing them, so I made the decision to sell them all off to 1/2 Priced Books. I actually made like $180 because I had a lot of rare, out of print collector's books from Games Workshop, and I was shocked! Granted they turned around and were trying to sell one of the art books for $100, which was pretty absurd imo. With that shelf cleared, I just got rid of the whole thing, clearing up a ton of space too! It felt, well, good. Less stuff for us to move, wherever we ended up, and I got money to save or use for things like gas/groceries. 1/2 priced books also takes movies... and I had a few of those lying about.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rs1toK-2KN8/W6KSQCdpmSI/AAAAAAAADj0/dpIXkVacoSUdeZptW-ggCaR6pHCCQDr1gCLcBGAs/s1600/32205837_10215890380193329_7962858380257656832_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rs1toK-2KN8/W6KSQCdpmSI/AAAAAAAADj0/dpIXkVacoSUdeZptW-ggCaR6pHCCQDr1gCLcBGAs/s320/32205837_10215890380193329_7962858380257656832_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bye.</td></tr>
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... and by a few, I actually mean several hundred! I had always loved movies, and had spent many fo nights watching 1-2 movies while painting minis. But why? I had Netflix, so if they really were only for background noise while I painted, why did I constantly keep buying new movies? So, BOOM, they were gone next! The only ones I saved were Star Wars, and my wife insisted I keep the Marvel universe films. So, fine, I kept those and sold the rest. Making again, over $200. I had kept all my movies in a 6 ft tall tool cabinet thing in the basement, which was now free to hold/organize my all my household tools. (The tools were also later sold as well, just fyi.)<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--sg0TeU-03k/W6KSQov7Q2I/AAAAAAAADkE/t0xZ_01znP0E7550TUyu_7kd1IDQzT-SgCLcBGAs/s1600/32359586_10215899598543782_3080086258173607936_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--sg0TeU-03k/W6KSQov7Q2I/AAAAAAAADkE/t0xZ_01znP0E7550TUyu_7kd1IDQzT-SgCLcBGAs/s320/32359586_10215899598543782_3080086258173607936_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not really missed.</td></tr>
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Next up, all my little collectables from my man-cave were given away. Yep, GIVEN away! I let my daughter, who is also a Star Wars fan, look through and see if there was anything out of my collection she wanted to keep for herself, and they only thing she chose was a prop Thermal Detonator, a Sideshow Collectables 501st Stormtrooper Helmet, and a small 501st Clonetrooper bust. I gave away all the rest to an old buddy from high school, who's son's room is star wars themed. Hopefully he's enjoying them! All my Halo collectables, including signed copies of Halo 5 and collector's edition copy of Halo Reach went to a buddy's son-in-law whom was going through a rough patch, but whom like halo. Again, I'm hoping it made his day a bit brighter... even if only for moment! The Street Fighter UFS cards were hard to give up, but I managed. I was basically gonna just give em away, but I think my buddy insisted on giving me like $20 or something. They were cool, and Street Fighter held a nostalgic place in my heart, but I realized that NOT having those cards didn't diminish the nostalgia I felt, nor would hanging onto them. If anything, hanging onto them brought resentment because I wanted to play UFS really badly, but no one else seemed interested. That's the part that bummed me out, that's the part that ate me up inside, that I could be so wasteful of my family's resources that I spent money on cards. Cards that ended up unused. This thought is also what motivated me to make the biggest change fo all. My gaming stuff...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AMRtGzCIYXs/W6KSQAKrRKI/AAAAAAAADj4/JMTL39fmXiUh112VddQHVG7iO6G1oQ9tACLcBGAs/s1600/21751881_10213955646946207_7364410272405616876_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AMRtGzCIYXs/W6KSQAKrRKI/AAAAAAAADj4/JMTL39fmXiUh112VddQHVG7iO6G1oQ9tACLcBGAs/s320/21751881_10213955646946207_7364410272405616876_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottom Right is all my kiddo's stuff. (kept)</td></tr>
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I have been a tabletop gamer all my life. I started around the 3rd grade, initially getting into D&D through some used "choose your own adventures" books, and form there, comics, and eventually Magic the Gathering. Allow me this one "hipster gamer" moment, when I say: I remembering buying packs of the very first MTG set as a kid, and I've been into tabletop gaming ever since. For a tabletop gamer to give up all (or in my case, almost all) of his/her stuff is probably unheard of, but I did. I remember looking at all my boardgames, that went unplayed, all my painted armies then went unused, and I thought to myself: why? Again, this was my Empire of Dirt. I didn't take pride in all the painted armies, I felt saddened. Sad because they went unused. They seemed to point out to me that my friends rarely called, asked me to play, to hangout. It was like each unplayed game, each painted mini unused, was a not-so-subtle reminder of the loneliness I felt. I basically had an entire case of loneliness. <span style="color: #6fa8dc;">**To the one guy whom kept inviting me to play games at his church, I'm sorry for never telling this at the time, but thanks. I know you tried. I just got a few weird vibes from the one time I did go, from a few of the people there. Sorry, I just didn't feel comfortable playing there, and I didn't have courage to tell you at the time. So again, I'm sorry. If you are reading this, then I'm sure you know who you are. **</span> But, back to what I was saying, what I thought was supposed to make me happy, was inadvertently doing the opposite. This is the perfect minimalist moment, and I imagine it's a trap a lot of gamers fall into. We keep trying to fill some void, with games, and miniatures. Distract ourselves from the real issues, but that doesn't fix them. So I did what to some may be unthinkable. I got rid of it. I started selling all my boardgames, then all my painted miniatures and stuff, one by one. Heck, I even gave away a fully painted Flames of war army, because I wanted it GONE. I had bought and painted a giant flames of war army, and never once, in all the years I had them, had been able to find someone to play with. So, someone who bought my Congo stuff expressed an interest in my FoW stuff too, but only had enough for one or the other... well, I decided he could have them both for the cost of one. Yes, $400 worth of minis, painted to, in my opinion, a fairly high standard... for free. Because, having that army in my collection all these without use, honestly hurt!<br />
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In the end, I even got rid of the cases! Full disclosure though, I didn't get rid of 100% everything. My daughter was starting to get into tabletop gaming before we moves, so I did keep what few games we did play: Tanks, Test of Honor, Blood & Plunder, Imperial Assault, and my Eldar army to match against her Black Templars. Basically, I didn't want my trend in minimalism to have a negative impact on my daughter, so I made sure to keep the things she may one day want to revisit. A friend, whom was inspired by all my giving away, gave my daughter a ton of his unused Test of Honor stuff. So between, that, and what is left of her Black Templars, should she ever want to paint minis again, then we can! Same goes for my Video Games. My daughter plays video games as much, if not more, than I do, and as such I couldn't get rid of them. They've become as much hers, as they are mine. It's my one non-minimalist attachment that I couldn't let go of.<br />
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Of course, I couldn't forget my cloths. Honestly, I donated about 10 large trash bags of cloths to charity. I realized I didn't need or wear all that stuff, especially, when I wear the same things all the time. The easiest thing to do was to reset everything. I've got a "rule of 5" going on, no more than 5 of anyone thing: 5 shirts, 5 shorts, 5 pants, etc. Anything more than a week's worth to me is excessive.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RpjJJ3ePnTE/W6KSQYKVGBI/AAAAAAAADj8/gBtdQUcXn2UwFel1ZjeZTb4Sn5apIWmngCLcBGAs/s1600/32260833_10215895099911319_6620870963581943808_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="960" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RpjJJ3ePnTE/W6KSQYKVGBI/AAAAAAAADj8/gBtdQUcXn2UwFel1ZjeZTb4Sn5apIWmngCLcBGAs/s320/32260833_10215895099911319_6620870963581943808_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just need stream-viewers and twitter follows!</td></tr>
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Finally, and I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I've even minimalized, minimalised, oh, what's the word trying.... (minimized) my friends. All the gaming stuff mentioned above, made me feel lonely, left out of the conceived group and social settings. So, when I moved, I left all that behind too. You may be asking yourself: "so, your remedy for loneliness is to have no friends?" And in a way, yes. It's the age old phrase: "you don't know what you've got til its gone..." and it can apply to social setting as well. What if you never HAD it in the first place? Can't feel left out of the group, if you're never in a group to start with. Cant feel lonely if all you know is being alone. So far, it's working for me. As I jokingly put it: You cant have Social Anxiety if you're never Social! It was just another avenue of hurt, that I've been able to eliminate. Some people will find it strange, but as an introvert, it's working for me. I'm more alone than I've ever been in my entire life, and yet, I feel the least amount of loneliness than ever before. Isn't that odd? Saying/thinking it, it just seems so backwards, but it works me!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UK6TaDKYdUo/W6KSRDgLgJI/AAAAAAAADkA/2KiX5yoEaFcChpVaa_OWCWwpgptKdsbaQCLcBGAs/s1600/38292769_10216524327761622_2875796009890349056_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UK6TaDKYdUo/W6KSRDgLgJI/AAAAAAAADkA/2KiX5yoEaFcChpVaa_OWCWwpgptKdsbaQCLcBGAs/s320/38292769_10216524327761622_2875796009890349056_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All that remains of my "stuff".</td></tr>
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Fast forward about 6 months from when my wife lost her job, to today. I made somewhere between $800-$1,000 for all my stuff, but the value of the burden that was lifted off my shoulders is pretty priceless. I don't think I've ever been happier than I am now. Don't get me wrong, I still deal with the rollercoaster ride that is my mental health, but it's better than it has ever been in the past. LIFE is probably better than it ever has been in the past! My wife has a new job, actually making way more than she did at her previous one, so that's a unexpected huge step up. We've moved to a new state. Bought a brand new home. (BEST home I've ever lived in, sorry Mom!) All the stuff I got rid of? Don't really miss it all! Every now and I then I think about visiting one of the local game stores for the first time, just to check it out, but even just that thought starts to bring back a flutter of all the negative emotions I've now started to associate with my past consumeristic ways. By getting rid of all the stuff of my past life, and that's how I look at it, I've effectively started over. I own probably less than 100 things, and none of the burden that was attached! Nowadays, I don't run out to buy movies on a whim, I rent or wait for Netflix. I don't buy books, I download free ones. (Legally, from Prime btw) I have no desire really to go out and buy cloths unnecessarily, and my closet is rather comical looking with how sparse it is. The only things I've kept around me, are the things I've deliberately chosen, but even then I'm finding ways to continue to reduce so as to not add any further burdens. Again, don't think this means I'm never unhappy, because everyone experiences that emotion, rather just know that I can now confidently say it's not been affected in some shape or another based off of what I DO or DO NOT own. If you had told a younger me that I could be comfortable living like this, I probably would have laughed at you and replied: "why would I want to live like that?" Well, now I see why....<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc;">It felt to good to get all that out there! Thanks for reading...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc;">-WuhSawBe-</span><br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc;">*PS: I'd like for Video games/Streaming to one day either stop causing me stress or to simply get thrown out! Further proof that I'm 100% minimalist just yet and/or there is still room for improvement! (fyi, putting yourself out there as a content creator can be difficult sometimes!)</span>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-41365890534946570362018-09-11T10:26:00.001-07:002018-09-11T10:26:15.770-07:00Why I LIKE Fighting Games...<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t3GrDonumwI/W5f5bT-__pI/AAAAAAAADi8/PUuowtUhg_Ux-EBt66h4Ah9R2Aa3YDLIQCLcBGAs/s1600/5b559e3c50929_darkstalkers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="620" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t3GrDonumwI/W5f5bT-__pI/AAAAAAAADi8/PUuowtUhg_Ux-EBt66h4Ah9R2Aa3YDLIQCLcBGAs/s320/5b559e3c50929_darkstalkers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It wasn't long ago that I got bitten by the Street Fighter Nostalgic bug. (brought on by <a href="http://jascogames.com/ufs/" target="_blank">Jasco Games' UFS</a> card game) I hadn't really touched a single Fighting Game since probably the 90's, where I was forced to hangout at the local bowling alley, because my parents were in a bowling league. The only things saving me from immense BOREDOM was: cheese-fries, and 4 arcade cabinets... one of which was Street Fighter II.<br />
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Now, I'm a very PASSIONATE person, mentally, I go from very high-highs, to very low-lows. I can pick something up, and drop it just as quickly. I've gone through this several times already in my short time within the Fighting Game Community. (FGC) As such, I've been trying to examine exactly what it is I like about Fighting Games as a whole, as a genre. I've already outlined the nostalgic part for me, but what else is there?<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yDldkx4pnxg/W5f5ikN_efI/AAAAAAAADjM/ZxhQehAf1LAwQxqrpvwQ6ALvo2LQ1NVPQCLcBGAs/s1600/DlvNmKMUYAI68wG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yDldkx4pnxg/W5f5ikN_efI/AAAAAAAADjM/ZxhQehAf1LAwQxqrpvwQ6ALvo2LQ1NVPQCLcBGAs/s320/DlvNmKMUYAI68wG.jpg" width="320" /></a> For starters, I consider myself to be a Martial Artist. Not just someone who participates in the sport of Martial Arts, or a student of self defense, but rather someone who enjoys the struggle of combat. I gravitate towards it, not just out of a desire for violence, I'm not an overly violent person, but rather the competitive, primal struggle aspect of Martial Arts. It's you vs me: my skills, talents, judgement, and strategy, against your's. This all directly translates to fighting games: My skills, talents, judgements, and strategies, vs your's. There is actually a lot of timing and distance games that occur when sparring, called "footsies", (i'm trying to learn all the FGC lingo) which directly translates to fighting games. Misjudge you timing, or distance while sparring, throw a kick that whiffs, more than likely IRL if your opponent is paying attention with their own adequate timing/distance, then you can expect your mistake to get "punished" IRL just as it would in a Fighting Game. (Punish is another one of basic FGC lingos/concepts) There are just so many parallels between Martial Arts IRL and Fighting Games for me to explore! Now in my mid/late 30's, with a terribly injured spine due to daily sparring/fighting, FG's are now about the only way I get to safely experience this just Me vs You aspect.<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> ** Funny tangent, it's always fun to see something done in a video game and have been able to say: yeah, I've done that to someone IRL. I did also once time in a sparring match, after a particularly solid, well timed side-kick on an off-balanced opponent (see, timing/distance) I hit him with a little "hadouken" move right as he stumbled backward and fell over during our match. I though it was hilarious, but in hindsight it was pretty disrespectful and cost me a point. </span><br />
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Then there is the eSports and "Persona" aspect of choosing/playing a "main" (Main/Favorite Character) that is found in Fighting Games. Choosing main, can be very interesting, psychologically speaking. The process itself could probably warrant a full post/discussion in itself. (Maybe I'll do it one day, given enough interest) BUT, the point that I do want to make here, the part that ties into Sports/eSports/FG's is the idea of the "Persona". In short, for me, when I watch a tournament being played, I'm not just watching <a href="https://twitter.com/cmdrjesse" target="_blank">CMDRJesse</a> (from <a href="https://twitter.com/bcfighting" target="_blank">BCF</a>) play but I'm watching him AS Dhalsim fight. Often times, a win for CMDRJesse is also a win for Dhalsim, and the lines between IRL/Game start to blur. Fighters begin to personify some aspect of their payers, and vise versa. (in Jesse's case, I think the link is the beard!) It's not even just the big boys, the pros, that do this, but the little guys (like me) as well. It becomes almost like a partnership in a weird way, kinda like a pokemon. The Pokemon does all the work, has all the abilities that they can/cannot do, and the trainer is basically the coach, or the pilot. That may be an odd comparison, but to me, it works. This is especially interesting too, when a player remains completely loyal to their chosen fighter regardless of where they end up on a tier list, or get buffed/nerfed, those guys really start to personify their characters and applaud such loyalty!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yNcq9FKV694/W5f5SRh3HRI/AAAAAAAADi0/rrq_UBOiVwchdDO_SmYf0XtUDaibInTyQCLcBGAs/s1600/ss_eb966e25a33f8b5a9c73aaba5495e735adb9e958.1920x1080_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yNcq9FKV694/W5f5SRh3HRI/AAAAAAAADi0/rrq_UBOiVwchdDO_SmYf0XtUDaibInTyQCLcBGAs/s320/ss_eb966e25a33f8b5a9c73aaba5495e735adb9e958.1920x1080_1.jpg" width="320" /></a> When lines between reality/game and player/character start to blur like this, it's easy to see where some of the excitement from watching a tournament begins to build. This isn't just a movie playing, these are two people fighting and competing each other. Every kick is deliberate, a choice, every throw, every counter calculated, that when the fighters start to come alive. The line's blur, and all of sudden its not just a game anymore but a competition, a fight between Ryu & Akuma. There's story rivalries like I mentioned, but also real life rivalries as well, just like a traditional sport. There's as much drama taking place before your eyes as there would be at any WWE match or any live MMA fight or boxing match. It's all part of a bigger picture that is the FGC scene! If you're one of those people that enjoys watching that type of sport/competition play out, then it should be easy to see where the excitement of fighting games and watching fighting games comes from. YOU can step into the same ring in a fighting game as a pro player, regardless of ability, and walk out with the only injury being to your ego. (walking into a boxing ring IRL is a different story)<br />
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My final point brings me back to my initial one. No teams, its just you and me. This is one of those interesting genres where you can't fall back on the age old excuse of "my team was trash", because, clearly, Fighting Games put the I in TEAM. You cant really make excuses as to why you won/lost, either you made fewer mistakes in a match, or your opponent did, his/her timing was better, or your's was. It's actually pretty refreshing. Even 1v1 matches in any FPS title doesn't carry the same weight and prestige, as that can come down to who camps better, who has the best weapon, etc. To "get gud" you have to put in the work, some, like myself, require more work more than others. But that's another interesting aspect. I can get carried by my team in Halo, CoD, or even Shinobi Strikers... likewise, I can be let down by my team in them as well. Fighting Games, I've got no one to blame but myself when I lose, and no one I have to share the victory with IF I win!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EBeB9FYLZls/W5f5ZjmQLUI/AAAAAAAADi4/uEyS7v6yKJQtpy-3eL40h8xhcW-U6uJgQCLcBGAs/s1600/220px-Skullgirls_cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EBeB9FYLZls/W5f5ZjmQLUI/AAAAAAAADi4/uEyS7v6yKJQtpy-3eL40h8xhcW-U6uJgQCLcBGAs/s200/220px-Skullgirls_cover.png" width="139" /></a><br />
So, there you have it! Just a couple fo reasons I've become universally addicted to the FGC and the Fighting Game Genre. Again, this more about the genre as a whole, and not one specific series or title. Fighting Game really is a bit of a catch all title in this regard. I can go into specifics of why I like one series over another, but for the sake of this post, I wanted just an outline of the whole thing. As with any other genre, each title will have its own pros and cons, and it's up to the individual to figure what exactly it is that they are looking for. Add that idea to an already growing list of potential future FGC-related posts bouncing around in my head!<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Until then, catch ya next time!</span><br />
<span style="color: #6fa8dc;">-WuhSawBe-</span><br />
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<br />Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-76355361012918231092018-06-27T12:17:00.003-07:002018-09-11T10:29:14.044-07:00Changes Ahead - Moving, and Moving On.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Incase you can't tell by my lack of posting any kind of content on here, I think I've effectively moved away from the hobby. I haven't gamed in close 6 months, and haven't purchased anything gaming related since even before then.<br />
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Along the way of a bunch of "real life stuff" happening, I realized just how truly, deeply, unhappy I was. I was using the hobby as an escape from reality, but that reality, ended up up almost making things worse in a way. I ended up discovering the Minimalist lifestyle, and it made sense to me to see, that I was trying to fill a hole in my heart with "stuff", and in the case, it was gaming. We've all seen it, the person that keeps buying, buying, buying.... but why? I realized that I WAS that person. (Even if I always painted my all my models) It was compulsive.<br />
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Well, all that has changed. I've literally GIVEN AWAY 90% or more of my gaming stuff, and I feel 100x better. It has been like a smoker, who finally realizes he has effectively quit smoking and no longer desires it. (Something else I did some 9 years ago.) Just a weight, a burden, lifted off my shoulders. I thought I'd be miserable, as I've been a "gamer" since I was in the 3rd grade, but it's been the opposite. The only gaming related stuff I have kept are the things that my daughter still enjoys, like the 40k stuff, Blood & Plunder, TANKS, and a bunch of Test of Honor stuff a friend had graciously donated to my daughter.<br />
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It didn't stop there though: books, comics, movies, cloths, and a huge collection of Star Wars collectibles all happily given away! (Go big, or Go home, right?!?)<br />
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... and to top it all off, we are now moving to a completely different state. It's like a complete RESET, and I plan to live as much as a hermit as possible in our brand new house, away from tabletop gaming, friends, family, etc... a complete restart. Why? Well, I think that is what will make me the happiest, to be left alone.<br />
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So, what does that mean for the blog? I don't know. I kept my video game stuff, as I do actively still get enjoyment from playing and competing online, and I do still stream from time to time. Not to mention, I'm still 100% willing to game with my daughter, but it's on her 100% on terms. I still have plenty to say about books, comics, anime, and video games, I'm just not sure of which platform to do it on. (If I even do it all) So again, what does that mean for this blog? I don't know, only time will tell...<br />
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Thanks to everyone for all the support over the years, We shall see where this path takes us!<br />
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-WuhSawBe-Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-45525152361934295862018-01-06T16:20:00.000-08:002018-09-11T10:29:13.626-07:00My 1st game of 2018... a 4-player 40k FFA!<br />
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My 2nd game of 40k 8th edition was a giant 4-player free for all, and while I'm normally not a fan of multiplayer matches, as having never played a GOOD one in all my years of gaming, I can happily say this was probably the first enjoyable one I've ever participated in!<br />
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4 players. 4 races. Lots of carnage! The forces were the Aeldari (me), Astra Militarum, Tyranids, and The Black Legion, all in a modified 1250 pt Carnage scenario. Note: this isn't really a play-by-play, rather, more of a highlight of the overall match.<br />
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The lists were roughly as follows:<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9bQ80EMUOtg/WlFlO8dS1zI/AAAAAAAADV4/nJe95qHP1MsbY82_Ch7g8VOGFzz_DuERwCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9bQ80EMUOtg/WlFlO8dS1zI/AAAAAAAADV4/nJe95qHP1MsbY82_Ch7g8VOGFzz_DuERwCLcBGAs/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="180" /></a>Craftworld Yme-Loc:<br />
Warlock Skyrunner (all I could fit)<br />
5x Wraithguard<br />
3x Windriders (3 units)<br />
Fire Prism<br />
Wraithknight<br />
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My overall goal was to test out the Wraithknight. I honestly didn't care whether or not I won or lost, mostly I just wanted to get a feel for how "Qarr-el" (or "Carl" as the Mon-Keigh foolishly pronounce it) performed, his rules, etc. I wholly believed that the second I plopped him down on the tabletop, he'd be priority one!<br />
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Astra Militarum:<br />
2x Leman Russ variants<br />
a giant one-shot nuclear missile<br />
An engineer character who repaired his tanks all game<br />
A psyker<br />
A few lascannons<br />
A few Guard squads<br />
Ratling snipers<br />
1 unit of stormtroopers<br />
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Hivefleet Jormungar: (sp?)<br />
2x Flying HiveTyrants (1 in reserve)<br />
A Trygon (in reserve)<br />
2x Carnifexes (1 in reserve)<br />
3x Giant units of gaunts<br />
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Black Legion:<br />
Chaos Lord<br />
Sorcerer<br />
Defiler<br />
3x Hellbrutes<br />
1x Havok squad<br />
1x CSM squad<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ul3hNIGWyJE/WlFlOf644nI/AAAAAAAADV0/8W1B7mMQbv0482MoTpC_oUi-1SXvQfZqgCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ul3hNIGWyJE/WlFlOf644nI/AAAAAAAADV0/8W1B7mMQbv0482MoTpC_oUi-1SXvQfZqgCLcBGAs/s320/unnamed-6.jpg" width="320" /></a>We had all bid for deployment, and for deciding our place in the initiative order. I chose to go last, I wanted to see who was going to go after me, and then retaliate accordingly. I decided I would also concern myself with the objective, and try to keep it clear.<br />
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The chaos player went 1st, and divided up his fire amongst all of us. To me, he dealt 4 damage to Prism. He had scratched my paint, and I couldn't let that stand! His sorcerer also suffered a "perils roll" on his 1st turn, taking off two wounds. I made a loose "2 turn, no fire" pact with the Guard player, but I was rather leery of it the entire time. (I admit, the opportunity to blow up his tanks was really tempting, but I'm an honorable space elf!) The Tyranid player swarmed up the middle, to claim the objective. He also seemed to focus a lot of his attention on the guardsmen, as you'll see all game. The nids charged a unit of guardsmen, wiping them out, but ended up dying during the guard-player's turn, as all his fire seem to be directed toward the nids. On my turn, I flew things over the building and started to lay into the bugs that sat on the objective, but it wasn't enough, the nid player would end the turn with 1 VP. To the chaos player, I repaid the 4 damage he did to my Prism, with 9 damage back onto Defiler.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OVBzOUcNh0s/WlFlNIt1ZpI/AAAAAAAADVo/Q55gVlEKOZYTZiriDWUBaEgW3X6tzbqnwCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OVBzOUcNh0s/WlFlNIt1ZpI/AAAAAAAADVo/Q55gVlEKOZYTZiriDWUBaEgW3X6tzbqnwCLcBGAs/s320/unnamed-2.jpg" width="320" /></a>2nd turn, I bid I high, so I could go 1st. I decided that the defiler was a bit too much of a threat, so I took it out. I also took out one of the hellbrutes with a las/missile combo with my knight, thinking it posed too much of threat to leave in LOS, but I misjudged the firepower the knight could put out, and ended up wasting a bunch of shots that could have been spent elsewhere since the brute died so quickly! Naturally, the chaos player was not too pleased, and I had become his primary target! He moved up his lord, and attempted to try and buff his strength, but my Warlock shut that down. He then laid into my knight with everything he had, his shooting out a good dent into his wounds, but it was the following combat that really hurt! He attempted to charge in with his brute, but not only failed, he also took some overwatch shots and a few points of damage. The Chaos lord faired much better, and was able to avoid a bunch of overwatch damage due to his invulnerable save. He then proceeded to POUND on the knight, causing 21 wounds to the knight, while only sustaining 1 or 2 in return! The Tyranids reinforced the objective, and brought in his reserve units, all of which were headed for the guardsmen. He also took a few shots at my bikers, thinning them out. The highlight of the Guard player's turn had to be spending a command point to successfully bring down the missile! (needing a 6!) I admit, I was afraid he was going to betray our "cease fire" and nuke my knight, but instead he chose to bring it down onto the head of the Tyrant in the middle. Killing it, a good chunk of the guants, and the Chaos Marine squad near the objective. Still, the Tyranids held the objective again, scoring a 2nd point!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EAfA_dOnzpc/WlFlNa6K5eI/AAAAAAAADV8/H4lgh4IvGf0oPs-z9xfWHjSJ7C9j1f08QCEwYBhgL/s1600/unnamed-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EAfA_dOnzpc/WlFlNa6K5eI/AAAAAAAADV8/H4lgh4IvGf0oPs-z9xfWHjSJ7C9j1f08QCEwYBhgL/s320/unnamed-4.jpg" width="240" /></a>From here, things really start to deteriorate. Things had become personal, targets were chosen, and now everything came down to payback! The Nid and Guardsmen continued their fight, eventually losing one tank, but in return killing the Trygon. The other Hive Tyrant was nigh untouchable, getting boosts to his save, plus a 5+ FNP. (which he made a TON of) On my turn, I attempted to have my warlock cast his 1st psykic power, but just as with the the chaos sorcerer, he failed, and suffered 2 damage from perils. My knight finished off the brute, and continued to thin down the the gaunts. I decided to make a go of it, and charged my warlock in with the chaos lord, and a bit of hilarity ensued! My warlock fluffed his combat roll, and died in return, BUT armed with the Phoenix Gem relic, he caused enough mortal wounds to finish off the chaos lord, a piece of the gem's shrapnel must have lodged itself in the Lord's brain! Ironically enough, a Hive Tyrant also died in a similar manner after devouring my Farseer! (who knew the Phoenix Gem would be such a deadly piece of arsenal?!) To add insult to injury, that also meant my Warlock returned to life with a single wound! With only a sorcerer, a brute duking it out with my Wraithguard that had entered via a webway portal, and a unit of havoks, still camping in the corner, there wasn't much the chaos player could do, except put a few more wounds on the knight, bringing him to only 1 life left! With the middle of the board cleared, no one scored any VPs...<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m1Rv8CMldaQ/WlFlNzVsI1I/AAAAAAAADV8/6hheBoSHbJEdgLC_vKGqT6okpKZN5NfdACEwYBhgL/s1600/unnamed-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m1Rv8CMldaQ/WlFlNzVsI1I/AAAAAAAADV8/6hheBoSHbJEdgLC_vKGqT6okpKZN5NfdACEwYBhgL/s320/unnamed-5.jpg" width="320" /></a>Turn 4 had seen things whittled down across the board, and really things were coming to a close! The Guard/Nid fight continued to grind on, neither achieving much with what they had left, and I moved in to secure the the objective with my limping Wraithknight, the Warlock, and my remaining bikes. I even decided now was the time to try and destroy some guard stuff, as I wanted to be the one to kill the hive tyrant, but failed to not only kill the bg, but the tank as well. I ended up pulling the Tyranids off the objective, allowing me to claim it for myself! Score 1 for the Aeldari, it was 2-1!<br />
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Turn 5, the gaunt moved in to contest the objective (it had the "objective secured" rule, being a troop vs my fast attack/LoW) Nothing else really happened, other than the guard player finally managed to kill the toughest Hive Tyrant I had ever seen. I easily squashed the final guant, and seeing as it was almost 2 am, just ended my turn scoring my 2nd VP.<br />
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Final score:<br />
Nids - 2<br />
Aeldari - 2<br />
Guard - 1 (due to leftover "schmeckles")<br />
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Having forced a draw, and my Wraithknight surviving, I'll gladly settle for a draw!<br />
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I'm thinking we'll do a few more rules tweaks, but all in all, it was one of the best multiplayer matches I've taken part in! Everyone seemed to pick a rival, duke it out, then hope you have enough of your own bits left to hold off whomever remained!<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Not a bad start to gaming in 2018!</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-89470691081154692092018-01-04T15:38:00.002-08:002018-08-22T15:39:39.063-07:00Proud GamerDad moment: My daughter finishes her 1st Space Marine!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her 1st Space Marine!</td></tr>
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If you haven't been following for long, my daughter has been a pretty consistent gaming buddy of mine for quite awhile now. So, when I recently started painting 40k models, of course she decided he wants to do so as well! Pouring over a bunch of the fluff, she settled on Black Templars, mostly due to her love of knights, and partially due to me talking into collecting Easy Build Primaris Marines.<div>
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Well, she recently finished up her first "test model", and I couldn't be more proud of how it turned out! 100% her too, by the way! Not too shabby for a 7 year old, and looks way better than my 1st Space Marine, some 20 years ago, back when I was 16. Man, if she can do this at age 7, imagine what she'll be capable of 20 years from now if she continues in the hobby!</div>
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Needless to say, its time to get her some more Black Templars!</div>
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<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span></div>
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Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-6495933289273093142018-01-01T04:04:00.000-08:002018-09-11T10:29:13.935-07:002017 End Of Year Gamer Review...<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JTK7GW4sLAU/WkohEuXB48I/AAAAAAAADUw/oZhWxWcLDTEyZrVhYbbut28LOfQ1F9togCLcBGAs/s1600/aafgf-annualreport-png.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="381" height="151" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JTK7GW4sLAU/WkohEuXB48I/AAAAAAAADUw/oZhWxWcLDTEyZrVhYbbut28LOfQ1F9togCLcBGAs/s320/aafgf-annualreport-png.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Continuing the tradition of <a href="http://nerdsvsninjas.blogspot.com/2016/12/2016-end-of-year-gamer-review.html" target="_blank">previous years,</a> I like look back at the end/start of a year and sort of see "how I did" as a geek and a gamer. Last year was a bit of a rough one, and while 2017 still had some rough patches, I think it ended on a high note. If you like to read long lists, with a bit of ranting, this post is for you...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Strap in, it's a long one...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">As always, I start off with the total number of painted models for the year:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Tanks/Fow:</span></div>
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<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>2x Sherman 76's</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Jagpanther wreck</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>M10</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Imperial Assault:</span></div>
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<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>AT-ST</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>9x stormtrooper </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>3x Probe Droid</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>3x Imperial Officers</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Vader</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>4x Imperial Guards</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>2x E-web engineer </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>4x trandoshan hunters</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Diala Passil</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>2x Nexu </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Gaarkhan </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Gideon Argus</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Fenn Signis </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Mak Eshka'rey</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Luke Skywalker</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Jyn Odan</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Kayn Somos </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>4x Heavy Stormtrooper</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Biv Bodhrik</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Bossk</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Saska Teft</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>4x Tuskan Raiders</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>3x Republic Commandos</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>IG-88</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Boba Fett</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>MHD-19</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>SC 2-M Tank</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Loku Kanoloa </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>2x Rebel Saboteur </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Verena Talos</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>2x Wampa</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>4x Assassin Droids</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>6x Snowtroopers</span></li>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">SAGA:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"> - Roman Warlord</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"> - 16x Roman Bowmen</span></div>
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<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>16x Warriors w/ spears </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>18x Levies</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>4x Hearthguard</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Ballista (proxy)</span></li>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">CONGO:</span></div>
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<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Guide</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>3x adventurers</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Matabele king</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>6x Scouts</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>4x Fanatics </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Witch Doctor </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>10x Warriors</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>10x Askari</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Major Allan Wilson</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>3x BSAC Scouts</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>8x BSAC Riflemen</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>4x BSAC Soldiers</span></li>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Terrain:</span></div>
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<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>3 Japanese Buildings</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>6 Wall-end section</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Gate </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>6 walls</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>3x terrain bases</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>BSAC flag</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>BSAC Camp (4 tents)</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>8x Tree stands</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>5x Rocky bases</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>3x Bush bases</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CJoBKReGqhA/WkohEKFpYVI/AAAAAAAADUg/OvalbllAEfIsnFenPQxEEYfSzNftydUkQCLcBGAs/s1600/25551823_10214668096156992_116133187243478190_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="780" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CJoBKReGqhA/WkohEKFpYVI/AAAAAAAADUg/OvalbllAEfIsnFenPQxEEYfSzNftydUkQCLcBGAs/s320/25551823_10214668096156992_116133187243478190_n.jpg" width="260" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Favorite model of 2017</span></td></tr>
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<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>2x Hills</span></li>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Test of Honour:</span></div>
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<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Masahiro</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Tadashi </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>1x Samurai</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>10x Masked Men</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>2x Sergeants</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>3x Archers</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Blood & Plunder</span></div>
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<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>English Captain</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>4x Sea Dogs</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>8x Freebooters</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>8x Militia </span></li>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">40k</span></div>
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<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Fire Prism</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>Farseer Skyrunner</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span class="s1"></span>3x Windrider</span></li>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="font-size: 12px;">TOTAL PAINTED: 281 (more or less, taking into account the terrain as well)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="font-size: 12px;">So, off to a good start! 2015's total was 145, and 2016's was 154. I was definitely hit by the painting bug this year, and not only that, but doing a bit of stuff in several systems too! Last year, the big hit seemed to be Age of Sigmar, while this year it was clearly Imperial Assault. That said, I think my favorite model of the year is actually one of the last ones I completed, the Fire Prism for my Warhammer 40,000 Aeldari army. (I still cant get used to saying "aeldari" over "eldar") So, why the Fire Prism? I think a lot of it has to do with my recent attitude change towards painting as whole, more on that in a bit, as well just the fact I enjoyed the overall process from start to finish. I got out of comfort zone, and did lot of experimentation, and I think the results turned out pretty well! Reddit helped make the final decision on which color scheme/craftworld I would run, and I think they made the right call!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Next up, my Top 5, most played games of 2017:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">TOTAL PLAYED: 148 </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Favorite game AND opponent</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="font-size: 12px;">2015's total was 298, while 2016's was only 87, after big slump in the gaming department. 148 seems respectable enough for me! Interesting little side note, all the games of Magic The Gathering were done over the Thanksgiving holiday against my brother in law. Also not shocked to see so many card games make the list, but obviously, the Pokemon TCG is taking a dive... I honestly, doubt it makes the end of year report for 2018. None of the previous years' games make the top 5, but SAGA made a bit of a return. (though it too, has started to drop off. More on that in a bit) Imperial Assault saw a lot of play at my house, as every game played of it has been against my daughter. Thus, I gotta go with Imperial Assault as my top game of the year. Sure, set up takes awhile, but with all the various missions to play, there is tons of variety, even if I get stuck always playing as the Rebels. FFG has recently came out with an app for the campaign, allowing you to play through it solo, so eventually I hope to give it a try. (even though I'm not much of a solo gamer these days)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Unlike last year, this time around I've got a favorite book 2017: <u>Thrawn</u> by Timothy Zahn. It was close between this and Chuck Wendig's Aftermath series, as I really liked the characters he presented in the story, along with a lot of the gaps he filled in the timeline between Return of the Jedi and the The Force Awakens. BUT, I gotta go with <u>Thrawn</u>! For those that don't know, Thrawn is one of those widely popular expanded universe (we still use that term, right?) characters that often interact with the BIG named film characters, and often times has enough popularity to rival them as far as fan spotlight goes. In the pre-Disney (Legacy) era, Mr. Zahn wrote a couple of novels centered around Thrawn, that many fans felt were pivotal to ENTIRETY of the Star Wars saga. Now, post-Disney acquisition of the franchise, Thrawn makes his return in a new origin story, and while some fans cannot get past the pre-Disney era/timeline, I am NOT one of those fans, I LOVE the direction Disney has taken Star Wars into, and LOVE what Zahn has done to sort of reintroduce us to Thrawn. Aside from being about Thrawn himself, the novel also gives us a very interesting look into the "Imperial Political Machine" that I really enjoyed. AND there have been announcements of a follow up as well!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Also different from last year, I've got a favorite video game of year... well sort of. I've got a favorite console, and that would have to be the Nintendo Switch. I LOVE it, and in fact, the reason I haven't been on xbox at all lately is due to the switch. (though even then, I'm not on often. I'm usually too busy painting in my free time!) Picking one game as a favorite was hard. I played a lot of Zelda, but once I beat it, I haven't much incentive to go back in. I LOVE the idea and concept of Pokken Tournament DX, but I'm terrible at it, and fighting other players online gives me major RAGE issues. So really, that leaves Splatoon 2. Luckily, I'm decent at Splatoon, though my aim sucks half the time, I still typically end up 1st or 2nd place in every match, both in terms of splats (kills) and turf inked (how you score points) </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5fY9WKhkxuA/Wkog8qTvXxI/AAAAAAAADUY/hcp8XErTxmAMoZSHnY6nVLJaXPDPVOLewCLcBGAs/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5fY9WKhkxuA/Wkog8qTvXxI/AAAAAAAADUY/hcp8XErTxmAMoZSHnY6nVLJaXPDPVOLewCLcBGAs/s200/photo.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="font-size: 12px;">I tried my best to come up with a favorite movie/TV show/Anime for the year, but I really couldn't settle on a favorite, every time I'd think of one candidate, I'd come up with 5 more titles that rival it! But, I really did try! Movie wise, I liked the latest Star Wars, though the internet would have me convinced I am in the minority. Aside from that, I also liked the DC comics films, though again, with the exception of Wonder Woman, I think I'm in the minority. TV wise, I watched a lot of Black Mirror, along with Dr. Who, but I also like the Marvel shows on Netflix (not Agents of S.h.i.e.l.d. though) as well as being a regular viewer of the CW's DC shows. I got really into Black Sails while I painted my Blood & Plunder stuff. Anime is another one of those that I just can't decide on a favorite... after finishing up Naruto, which I liked, I started watching Boruto, and while enjoyable, something is a bit off, it lacks something that Naruto had in my opinion. Attack on Titan is good, maybe Sword Art Online edges out as a favorite, but I'm not sure. </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12px;">One thing I do know, is that using my free Amazon Prime sub to subscribe to the </span><a href="http://www.twitch.tv/warhammer" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;" target="_blank">Warhammer TV channel on Twitch</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12px;">! I often sit, and chat live while I paint, and it has really got me motivated and excited for the Games-Workshop hobby. If you tune in, you'll often hear my gamertag mentioned pretty often, which is always a bit exciting! (for me it is, anyway) Even my daughter enjoys watching it whenever she's off of school! (they typically start about 10 am here)</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wl1C-wwXajw/WkohEFgyIMI/AAAAAAAADUo/JO0RpKLj11ol8X397GuXeT5VeM2aeTT4gCEwYBhgL/s1600/2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="906" height="147" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wl1C-wwXajw/WkohEFgyIMI/AAAAAAAADUo/JO0RpKLj11ol8X397GuXeT5VeM2aeTT4gCEwYBhgL/s200/2018.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="font-size: 12px;">So, what's next for 2018? I usually will post up something about specific games that are "on my radar" but really there are not any this time around. I'm really enjoying working on Games-Workshop's models as of late, so I firmly expect to continue to work on my Aeldari army, especially as my daughter has started working on an army completely on her own, the Black Templars. (All "easy build" stuff for her) I'm semi-excited for the 2nd edition of SAGA in February, I say only semi-excited because SAGA has been on the back-burner, really ALL actual gaming outside of games with my daughter have, so it's not a SAGA-specific issue. I've really turned into more of a "hobbyist" at this stage than a gamer. A lot of it comes down to effort. It takes a lot of effort to arrange a game, pack up all my minis and giant tub of terrain so we can play on a decent looking table, drive the 25 minutes it takes me to get to the game store I play it, game for a few hours, pack it all back up, and drive home... then get up at 7 am. I *could* do all that, or I could just paint for a few hours in my workshop, then go upstairs and to bed. Same goes for solo gaming. I *could* set everything up, commit to playing a game for a few hours, OR I could pop on a video game and play as little or as much as want, then turn it off, OR I could also just paint. That said, as much as I may grumble about getting out of the house, I do hope I can find my way back to at least playing semi-regular games of SAGA in 2018...</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: cyan; font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="font-size: 12px;">SO, there you have it! As always, I wanna thank all those that visit my blog, especially those that take the time to share the blog and drop in some comments. You guys & gals are part of what keeps me motivated to keep this blog going. Thanks again, and hope you all have a good 2018!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: cyan; font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Until next Time,</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: cyan; font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="font-size: 12px;">-WuhSawBe-</span></span></div>
Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-40987236996113335842017-12-13T11:57:00.001-08:002018-08-22T15:39:38.958-07:00Finished Yme-Loc Farseer & Windriders...<br />
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Recently I finished up the Farseer & Windriders from my Start Collecting box, and despite a couple of struggles, I overall pretty pleased with them!<br />
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<u><span style="color: cyan;">EDIT:</span></u> I went back and worked another 2.5 hours further on them, with more glazing on the grey color. I counted 6 tones within the grey, and 5 on the orange. A lot of what may seem like refractions from light is actually just how I paint my highlights. I still lack the brush control for freehand work though....<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7NH7Q4PbOoQ/WjGFCGaABkI/AAAAAAAADTg/Ie52aqvH6zgGmLjHWUXjBTKRDZz2ia1agCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed-2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="1600" height="154" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7NH7Q4PbOoQ/WjGFCGaABkI/AAAAAAAADTg/Ie52aqvH6zgGmLjHWUXjBTKRDZz2ia1agCLcBGAs/s200/unnamed-2.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O5cTr7AhwJw/WjGFCARQaWI/AAAAAAAADTk/cGZUziMzs3wAqKyjz-uVpwehM7py0Cb0wCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1600" height="130" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O5cTr7AhwJw/WjGFCARQaWI/AAAAAAAADTk/cGZUziMzs3wAqKyjz-uVpwehM7py0Cb0wCLcBGAs/s200/unnamed-3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The portion I really struggled with was in the stripes and the runes on the Farseer Skrunner. I initially used painter's tape on the stripe, and attempted to do some freehand runes.... and oh, how I really dislike freehanding stuff! After snapping some pics, people started to suggest some fixes, so I decided to go back over the stripe and the runes one more time. I think it's better. Maybe not perfect, but better than it was before! If after a bit of time, if it still continues to bug me, I can always re-tape the line, and paint over the runes completely, basically, just thickening up the stripes. But, I'll leave it for now...<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-mtXrF2iuk/WjGFDPsqitI/AAAAAAAADT0/Ercte0ySeEk7Bwcdj4xmwBTa5xb4Kx6hwCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1097" data-original-width="1600" height="136" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-mtXrF2iuk/WjGFDPsqitI/AAAAAAAADT0/Ercte0ySeEk7Bwcdj4xmwBTa5xb4Kx6hwCLcBGAs/s200/unnamed.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tqGadzu_oFg/WjGFCOULWNI/AAAAAAAADTo/bHMOhtIWeQEeKRSqfOTT3S7RUPSitiuuACLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1600" height="131" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tqGadzu_oFg/WjGFCOULWNI/AAAAAAAADTo/bHMOhtIWeQEeKRSqfOTT3S7RUPSitiuuACLcBGAs/s200/unnamed-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The Stripes on the Windrunners turned out better at least! For these guys, I decided to denote their unit number by the single orange square on the fins, and by the single orange stripe. My 2nd squad will have 2 sqaures/stripes, and unit 3 of course, will have 3. Definitely pleased with how these guys turned out!<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HF5jAWCFxSc/WjGFLjBTXvI/AAAAAAAADT4/EIDq-3s8neITFYfD4cjLbjfUr6wi1yE8ACLcBGAs/s1600/DQ5To7uU8AAQ226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1200" height="176" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HF5jAWCFxSc/WjGFLjBTXvI/AAAAAAAADT4/EIDq-3s8neITFYfD4cjLbjfUr6wi1yE8ACLcBGAs/s200/DQ5To7uU8AAQ226.jpg" width="200" /></a>So, with that completed, and being out of miniatures, I made a run to the LGS and picked up 2 more units of Windriders! This gives me 3 squads, which is enough bikes to run an Outrider detachment, and thus, actually potentially play! Ive got enough old, leftover Eldar stuff to give me 1,000 pts... barring any points changes from Chapter Approved 2017, mind you.<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Until next time,</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-17730439452633664102017-12-06T10:38:00.000-08:002018-08-22T15:39:38.916-07:00Finished Yme-Loc Fire Prism<br />
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Hot off the line from the Forges of Vaul, I just recently finished up my Fire Prism! All in all, I'm pretty pleased, especially when you factor in that this basically constitutes a "test model" for not just the paint scheme, but a test for several new painting techniques that I'm hoping to develop as well.<br />
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Using the #HobbyStreak on twitter, this took me 7 consecutive days of paint work (not including building), spending roughly 1-3 hours each day. My overall goal for my list is to include a total of 3 prisms, so expect to see more down the road.... if I can ever get my hands on 2 more!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-asIawoLQ78Q/Wig4dgvT38I/AAAAAAAADTE/7k8Q04zeFKIpEkARzZA-ZcZUMTjhy542gCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-asIawoLQ78Q/Wig4dgvT38I/AAAAAAAADTE/7k8Q04zeFKIpEkARzZA-ZcZUMTjhy542gCLcBGAs/s200/unnamed.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Next up, I'll be working on my bikes and farseer, and we shall see how many consecutive days I can continue my #HobbyStreak. I've also got to figure out some sort of plan for a list in the meantime while I wait to find more Fire Prisms and Nightspinners...<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Until Next time,</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-3413022577451326732017-11-30T08:54:00.000-08:002018-09-11T10:29:13.539-07:00#WIPWednesday - WH40k Aeldari WIP<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ht-CYUzNMMI/WiAxuLAgNuI/AAAAAAAADSk/s_PKQB_Fd3oEkPNsVgQsRDVMdojl0vXpACLcBGAs/s1600/work-in-progress1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="600" height="247" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ht-CYUzNMMI/WiAxuLAgNuI/AAAAAAAADSk/s_PKQB_Fd3oEkPNsVgQsRDVMdojl0vXpACLcBGAs/s400/work-in-progress1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I often post pics on <a href="http://twitter.com/NerdsVsNinjas" target="_blank">Twitter</a> under the hashtag "WIPWednesday" along with a lot of other hobbyists on there, so I figured I would also post a few WIP shots on here as well. Sort of as a way to keep everyone up to date...<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wsBvDxTJfBQ/WiAxmDBBM0I/AAAAAAAADSU/rgoWs7lX27oDAje7eUC2wcoLeDgcSlj8gCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wsBvDxTJfBQ/WiAxmDBBM0I/AAAAAAAADSU/rgoWs7lX27oDAje7eUC2wcoLeDgcSlj8gCLcBGAs/s320/unnamed-2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Recently, I decided to return to the hobby via Warhammer 40,000, mostly because I really enjoyed the models from a pure hobby standpoint. I also wanted to do things a bit differently this time around, to focus more of my attention on the hobby/painting/modeling aspect, to really step out of my "comfort zone", and try my hand at different techniques. <br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">** Bear in mind, these are very "Work In Progress" and are nowhere near being completed. **</span><br />
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From here, I decided to dive into the bottom portion of the Fire Prism...<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zsQqmaN8fHw/WiAxmD02cxI/AAAAAAAADSc/a-fr098EqVssYeFy6O7o0er92y72muepwCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zsQqmaN8fHw/WiAxmD02cxI/AAAAAAAADSc/a-fr098EqVssYeFy6O7o0er92y72muepwCLcBGAs/s320/unnamed-1.jpg" width="240" /></a>Much like I had done in the past, I painted the lights and shadows, as they naturally fell onto the model... only this time, using much thinner paints, to point that it felt like painting in watercolor! Layer upon layer, of water-thin paint. I must admit, I was very skeptical while working, and to an extent, I still am, but I'm also pleased with the progress.<br />
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My favorite bit has to be the shadow I painted, which was originally cast by the tiny fin, on the top left. It served as my light source marker for when I lit/unlit the model. I'd know the model was lit from a consistent angle whenever I'd match and lineup the shadow it cast, to the shadow I painted. Just kind of neat to see. I'm also pleased with how the nose turned out, just below the driver.<br />
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Ah, it feels good to be excited about the hobby again!<br />
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Alas, as I said, this is far from done! I still need to not only do the same process with the orange color, which is just basecoated at the moment, but all the black portions as well... utilizing a lot of greys/blues. From there, I'll have all the details to work on including the pilot, cockpit, and all, yes ALL the gemstones scattered allover the tank. Many, many more hours to go, and that's just on the bottom portion of the Fire Prism... I'm still at the basecoat stage for the top portion!<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Until Next Time,</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-23942926657152739892017-11-16T10:30:00.000-08:002018-09-11T10:29:13.407-07:00Back, after a brief hiatus...<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6wBtPSsCAbQ/Wg3Xvt_ACiI/AAAAAAAADRM/T-TBsMXq4jsWorpRls_O5S5Ge_KTAWwCQCLcBGAs/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6wBtPSsCAbQ/Wg3Xvt_ACiI/AAAAAAAADRM/T-TBsMXq4jsWorpRls_O5S5Ge_KTAWwCQCLcBGAs/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: cyan;">** Don't worry, this isn't meant to be a grumble piece. Actually, the opposite!</span><br />
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After a brief hiatus of 2 months of having nothing to paint, (cuz I painted ALL THE THINGS) and not gaming either (cuz the fun/effort ratio was way off), I recently had a bit of an epiphany, and have started to step back into the hobby.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HsYBVCEVZgg/Wg3X4wPxc5I/AAAAAAAADRU/tMpKslLhQrQ9cQ7EEz169zLwc4bCfVZWQCLcBGAs/s1600/58be6edc6ec58-full_cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="616" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HsYBVCEVZgg/Wg3X4wPxc5I/AAAAAAAADRU/tMpKslLhQrQ9cQ7EEz169zLwc4bCfVZWQCLcBGAs/s320/58be6edc6ec58-full_cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a>What sort of self discovery? I discovered just how therapeutic assembling and painting can be, when you just want to shut your mind off, and focus on creating something. Basically, for 2 months, I lacked any kind of creative outlet and stress relief. Needless to say, these last few months weren't pleasant. I had always thought of myself as a gamer 1st, and a hobbyist 2nd. I painted, because I HATE unpainted models! AND, I think that "gamer first" attitude even affected my painting. I rushed things so I could get them pushed onto the table. Don't get me wrong, I think my previous work turned out fine, but I really wanna know: can I do better? I think painting wise, I plateaued, because frankly it was "good enough" and I didn't care.<br />
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I also discovered, that maybe I'm not that much of a gamer after all. I didn't miss having to pack up all my junk, including a giant crate terrain, and drive 30 minutes to the shop... just to set up, get in a game, and then drive back home, usually at midnight. Maybe it was boredom with the games I was playing? Even at home, not once did I crack out any of my solo games, or set up the gaming table for lazy-Sunday match in my Nerd Lair. If gaming was more important to me than the hobby side, why was I not at least playing SOMETHING?<br />
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I found myself missing the hobby more and more, but the games themselves, not at all. So, I decided to switch it up. Maybe, I focus almost exclusively on the hobby side, and get actual games in as an afterthought....<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rADXx6wAPOg/Wg3XylOXLMI/AAAAAAAADRQ/MXcSH7tvIdggDPFE7MYNQBlx2owLP6w5wCLcBGAs/s1600/DOiMyOlVoAA5ROa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rADXx6wAPOg/Wg3XylOXLMI/AAAAAAAADRQ/MXcSH7tvIdggDPFE7MYNQBlx2owLP6w5wCLcBGAs/s320/DOiMyOlVoAA5ROa.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
So, when I thought about it: out of all the minis I've painted in the past, which ones were my favorites? Which were the most fun to build AND paint? The answer was easy: GW. Sure, they are hella expensive, no denying that, but if your only desire is paint fun models, then the value outweighs a lot of the competition. (not ALL competition, but a lot.) As an added bonus, seeing as 40k is so popular in my area, should I desire to get a game in, I think I would have a much easier time doing so. As a matter of fact, after mentioning on facebook that I was thinking about getting back into painting, and working with GW models, a friend and neighbor shot back, "do a 40k army, a bunch of us play Mondays at my place..."<br />
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Cool models to really push my painting limits on: <b><i>CHECK.</i></b><br />
Cutting down a drive to get a game in from 30 minutes to 3 minutes: <b><i>CHECK.</i></b><br />
<b><i>... SOLD.</i></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kujo's work. I hope to paint 1/2 as good one day</td></tr>
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So, after watching a ton of tutorial videos on YouTube, by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyMPU99KvmxIMkD8NZQu1tA/featured" target="_blank">Kujo Painting</a>, I set up a wet-pallet for the first time ever, and I'm going to push myself to figure out how to wet-blend and work in glazes. As an added bonus, since I'm not in a rush to get something completed, I'll be able to put in the time and effort, and paint to the best of my (hopefully newfound) abilities. I hopped in to the OTHER shop, the one 5 minutes from house, not the GOOD one that is 30 minutes away, and picked up the older Eldar "Start Collecting" box. My reasoning being that back in the day when I played Eldar in 3rd/4th ed, you couldn't find a farseer on bike model, AND I had always wanted a fireprism back then but never got around to buying one.<br />
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So yeah, I'm diving back into the hobby side, and at least "dipping my toes in the water" to gaming, and I'm already excited to be doing so! Now comes the tricky part.... deciding on a craftworld to play!<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Thanks for sticking with me through the hiatus, hopefully this means more regular updates on painting progress in the future... As always, Until next time.</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="color: cyan;"> -WuhSawBe-</span></i></b>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-66516151720577484892017-09-18T09:49:00.000-07:002018-08-22T15:39:39.015-07:00Imperial Assault: Return to Hoth finished models.Last week I finished up all the models from the Return to Hoth expansion. From start to finish, the project took me exactly a week, which is not a bad bit of progress. "ForceFriday" a few weeks ago has really rekindled in me, my love for Star Wars, and I've just been continuing to roll with it! Anyway, on with the models! First up, the rebels:<br />
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The two Duros Saboteurs were not from the Hoth expansion. but I purchased them at the same time, so I'm including them in this bunch. There was just something really cool about them, and I had had my eye on them for awhile. Another guy I was happy to get my hands was the Mon Cal, Loku Kanoloa. Along with the Duros, the Mon Calamari are another one of my favorite alien races in star wars. Finally, we have the medical droid and who I am assuming to be the "leader" of this particular group, Verena Talos.<br />
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For the Scum/Bounty Hunter/Unaligned faction, we have the HK Assassin Droids and two Wampas. For the droids, the ones in the back are more of the traditional colors in a metallic orange/red, while the front ones are the elites ones, in a color scheme that my daughter come up with, personally, I think she did so to mimic the commando battle droids from the Clone Wars. For the Wampas. we have 1 regular and 1 elite version. I chose to feed the elite version, as you can tell! I also put some snow and such on their bases since they are obviously dwellers of Hoth. </div>
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Finally, for the Imperials, we have the Snowtreoopers, both regular and elite, and the SC 2-M Tank. Funny enough, I originally forgot to add the snow to tank's base before taking this picture, but I've gone back and added some in. Pretty basic stuff, I mean, they are just Snowtroopers after all. The only concession I made was that I added black panels to the tank in place of the red that is pictured in the art. Black just seems a bit more "Imperial" to me, so I went with it...<br />
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And there you have it! My desk is once again cleared off, so I gotta figure out what my next project will be! (Maybe another Imperial Assault expansion, we shall see...)<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Until Next Time,</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-22733360238120849522017-09-11T13:43:00.002-07:002018-08-22T15:40:03.157-07:00My easy method for painting eyes...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every now and then, I see someone comment how they don't paint the eyes, or CAN'T paint the eyes for various reasons . Usually, following it up with that it is too hard, drove them insane, or whatnot. I see where they are coming from, painting eyes can be very tedious, and may not be noticeable at all from a distance, BUT it really does add a lot to a miniature whenever someone gets up close to look, and it doesn't have to be that hard... at least, not in my opinion.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mrr1aDPblrU/Wbb0dA4RMKI/AAAAAAAADPc/te2NIi1slcsp6JKdG9TcyI02zJJEFnGfQCLcBGAs/s1600/step-0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="626" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mrr1aDPblrU/Wbb0dA4RMKI/AAAAAAAADPc/te2NIi1slcsp6JKdG9TcyI02zJJEFnGfQCLcBGAs/s200/step-0.jpg" width="200" /></a>Just go online, and I'm sure there are countless videos showing all sorts of methods, or tips and tricks, but here is MY method, one I devised myself awhile ago. It basically boils down to that I find it's much easier to paint paint the eyes early in the face process, followed by cleaning up around the eye and just being careful moving forward, than it would be get a perfect eye as a last step without any mistakes. I found it much easier to repair the shape, and paint around the eye than to get it right the first the time.<br />
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I'm going to demonstrate, using a graphic of Mr. Charlie Chaplin as a bit of an aid, only because I don't have any faces to paint at the moment. I should also note, that even though you don't need to be extremely tidy with this method, I'm using a fine tipped, detail brush.<br />
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Let's assume this is "step 0" your primed model, face ready to paint!<br />
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Step 1 is simple enough, basecoat the face in whatever color you are using for the deepest parts of the face. I personally, don't use washes on my skins, but if you do, now would be the time.<br />
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Step 2 is paint the whites of the eyes. Don't worry about going outside of the actual eye sockets, as I've demonstrated in the pic, as you'll be cleaning up and reshaping the eye down the line.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WRL3sgq3vnk/Wbb0dpFCSwI/AAAAAAAADPk/OlhgfG2UEDM-tnNsCJAz_yL0senaRr-sgCLcBGAs/s1600/step-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="626" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WRL3sgq3vnk/Wbb0dpFCSwI/AAAAAAAADPk/OlhgfG2UEDM-tnNsCJAz_yL0senaRr-sgCLcBGAs/s200/step-3.jpg" width="200" /></a>Step 3 is adding a black dot for the pupil. Again, as I've demonstrated, it doesn't have to be perfect. Sometimes my dots are off, they go out of the lines, etc, but against, you are about to correct the shape of the eye in the next step, where it will all come together. I should note though, where you place the dot on the eye will determine where the model is looking. If by chance you place the dots in such a way that say his left eye is looking one direction and is right is looking another, or looking "crosseyed", just repaint one or both of the eyes starting back at the previous step.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yC1NWmf3OPw/Wbb0eBxWOWI/AAAAAAAADPo/i0l53yzAoeEYiCy5EhPT5T3KnaIN5MG-ACLcBGAs/s1600/step-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="626" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yC1NWmf3OPw/Wbb0eBxWOWI/AAAAAAAADPo/i0l53yzAoeEYiCy5EhPT5T3KnaIN5MG-ACLcBGAs/s200/step-4.jpg" width="200" /></a>Step 4 is the most important one, cleaning up and reshaping the eye. I've found it is much easier to very carefully paint over any area that went "outside the line", either above and below the eye socket. For whatever reason, I seem to have a greater amount of control. I'll just use the same color I did the skin's basecoat in, and go around one eye very carefully, around the top, then the bottom to reshape it. It's usually such a minute line, that if I were to use inks in the 1st step, it should be that noticeable that I went back around everything. As before, IF I accidentally make a mistake, I just repaint the socket in the flesh tone and start over. (Doesn't happen often)<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9pFghywxljs/Wbb0eiKWLyI/AAAAAAAADPs/oCqBSOCfyOggDmiuAeLMHHrFjlRP4xEiACLcBGAs/s1600/step-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="626" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9pFghywxljs/Wbb0eiKWLyI/AAAAAAAADPs/oCqBSOCfyOggDmiuAeLMHHrFjlRP4xEiACLcBGAs/s200/step-5.jpg" width="200" /></a>At this point, you should have a pretty good looking set of eyes, and from here you'll just finish up the face in whatever fashion you had already planned, i.e. wit highlights, facial hair, etc. At this stage, I shouldn't need to bring my brush near the completed eyes, so the risk of messing the eyes up at this point is really minimal. <br />
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There ya go! Done. Easy.<br />
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As I mentioned, I'm sure there are TONS of tutorials online, and TONS of different methods. Mine is just a sequence that I've found to be the easiest for me personally, while still getting the "Tabletop Standard" look that I'm going for. The faces may not end being award winners by any stretch, but it should be enough to dissuade anyone from thinking: "oooh, this person CAN'T paint faces!"<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Best of luck, hope this helps at least 1 person out there to be able to tackle painting eyes!</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span><br />
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Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-26148500986633271792017-09-06T14:07:00.003-07:002018-09-11T10:29:13.429-07:00WIP Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mOM510PBmLM/WbBi2W8XiLI/AAAAAAAADOQ/y2ws5pGx_iIJv2nYv1escWtvC9nq9wAwQCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="1600" height="235" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mOM510PBmLM/WbBi2W8XiLI/AAAAAAAADOQ/y2ws5pGx_iIJv2nYv1escWtvC9nq9wAwQCLcBGAs/s400/unnamed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A quick shot of what's currently on my painting desk at the moment... lots of Imperial Assault stuff from the "Return to Hoth" expansion. I've been in a big Star Wars mood since "Force Friday" a few days ago....<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Place your bets on how long it will take me to finish these guys...</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-68046757096995713212017-09-04T14:38:00.000-07:002018-08-22T15:40:45.503-07:00Blood & Plunder: Painted English Militia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NZUYeZw_wyY/Wa3G4LjulYI/AAAAAAAADNk/vd1vwv1-sjIQNnBkWdMV8QbT2nABYzxFQCLcBGAs/s1600/20840784_10213643039091206_5727738655540967193_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NZUYeZw_wyY/Wa3G4LjulYI/AAAAAAAADNk/vd1vwv1-sjIQNnBkWdMV8QbT2nABYzxFQCLcBGAs/s200/20840784_10213643039091206_5727738655540967193_n.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_HyGjsmVhyM/Wa3G4frHcAI/AAAAAAAADNo/3tuY02HDs-gEvuDRfOjcCV97Y_2vH2aQQCLcBGAs/s1600/20992920_10213643039531217_1423687265772045377_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_HyGjsmVhyM/Wa3G4frHcAI/AAAAAAAADNo/3tuY02HDs-gEvuDRfOjcCV97Y_2vH2aQQCLcBGAs/s200/20992920_10213643039531217_1423687265772045377_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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Recently, I decided to give <a href="http://www.firelockgames.com/">Blood and Plunder</a> from Firelock Games a go. I picked up an English starter for myself, and some French stuff for my daughter. (She's a little Francophile) Ive also been taking the time with this to try and teach her a little bit about the basics of miniature painting, base coats, layers, and inks mostly. Above, you can see how her French leader, Francois L'Olonnais, turned out. She did a lot of work, but wanted me to do some of the detail stuff like his face and the blood on his sword. She's now also working on a couple of her units to go along with him.<br />
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On my end, I ended up going these guys, start to finish, in about a week.... or 3 full seasons of Black Sails, which I watched on Hulu while I painted! I also had a lot of fun researching 17th century English forces, a subject I knew next to nothing about prior to starting Blood & Plunder.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f57EUU1kn4w/Wa3G4Ku7uOI/AAAAAAAADNg/kyTV6KK81JgEgOorHAH0NZ5hzLZA8eLkgCLcBGAs/s1600/21032506_10213686982629767_4424175313984495791_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f57EUU1kn4w/Wa3G4Ku7uOI/AAAAAAAADNg/kyTV6KK81JgEgOorHAH0NZ5hzLZA8eLkgCLcBGAs/s200/21032506_10213686982629767_4424175313984495791_n.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VwR1I-EVUi0/Wa3G4r_QayI/AAAAAAAADNs/xBSAGbrpi-ADys5ig-V53XryqEqvvt6BACLcBGAs/s1600/21034496_10213686982669768_5152234732003398987_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VwR1I-EVUi0/Wa3G4r_QayI/AAAAAAAADNs/xBSAGbrpi-ADys5ig-V53XryqEqvvt6BACLcBGAs/s200/21034496_10213686982669768_5152234732003398987_n.jpg" width="150" /></a>Up first, my Commander, which also served as my test model. I wanted him to have the signature English Red Coat, which also helps him to match the Militia, I also wanted to do some things a bit differently from what I have seen in the book and elsewhere on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/BloodandPlunder/">B&P FB page</a>. Usually, you see a lot of blue cuffs on the coat, but I instead utilized the blue on his sash and belt, and kept the cuffs red. I also wanted to make sure that the red coats looked a bit more weathered, so he's a bit on a darker side. His commander status is noted by the gold thread on his coat.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h0fFN_bvb7c/Wa3G4zB9C-I/AAAAAAAADNw/pazDCxx1-YwyvONa3XB3LeTBa2WgM1FFwCLcBGAs/s1600/21077554_10213695400800216_1011059167748025471_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="960" height="257" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h0fFN_bvb7c/Wa3G4zB9C-I/AAAAAAAADNw/pazDCxx1-YwyvONa3XB3LeTBa2WgM1FFwCLcBGAs/s320/21077554_10213695400800216_1011059167748025471_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Next, I worked on the Sea Dogs. These guys are sailors and mostly artillery crew, and seeing as they'd typically be below decks, around a lot of black powder, I wanted to look a but darker and dirtier compared to the rest of units. I also kept their color scheme to a limited pallet, so they are much easier to keep apart on the battlefield or on a ship.<br />
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Next, I did my freebooters, which were the basic, musket-armed sailors. Just like above, I kept them to a matching color pallet, so as to easily pick them apart from other units in the army.<br />
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Finally, I worked on my Militia, which will form the main bulk of my force down the road. Seeing as these guys are militia, and not part of the actual British army/naval forces at the time, I wanted to make sure that while their coats may be a more uniform in appearance, they also look a bit mismatched. I do plan to get some proper English Land Forces once they are released, which is also why I wanted to make sure their coats looked a bit weathered, like the commander's, in order to also set them apart from what will be the cleaner, nicer, proper looking soldiers. I also kept their cuffs red, instead of the commonly seen blue color, as another way to tell them apart from the regular land forces which will have a different colored cuff.<br />
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Model wise, clean up wasn't too bad. I'm only noting this, because that seems to be a common comment on the models, that cleanup can be extreme. The level of flash and mold lines didn't feel out of the ordinary for the typical metal mini. The only issue seemed to be the fragile ankles, and bent guns. (you can see some cracks in the ankled of a few models, as I hesitated to file them down too much. There is also a bit of repetition in the sculpts, but nothing more than I've experienced in other games. Other than that, they were a joy to paint, with lots of of detail, that all came out rather nicely!<br />
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... and there you have it! All in all, I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. Only issue now will be waiting for my daughter to finish her minis, or finding another local player interested on playing. (I'm betting on it will be quicker for my daughter to finish her minis) Other player's interest in playing will really dictate how much further I invest, and if experience has taught me anything, its that finding games in KC can be difficult at best! IF I can find players interested in gaming, then I'll definitely be adding to the number of Militia, adding in ships, and eventually the Land Forces once they are released. Finding people to play with are a big IF though....<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Until Next time,</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-88680518357400237732017-07-17T13:05:00.003-07:002018-09-11T10:29:14.220-07:00STOP playing unpainted! STOP the Miniature Abuse!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every time you bring an unpainted army to the table, a baby bear dies...</td></tr>
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Something's been bugging me lately, and really ruining the overall fun, immersion, and enjoyment of the gaming hobby for me personally.... and that is the prevalence of "Miniature Abuse" that I see every time I visit the LGS in the form of playing with unpainted minis! It's time that we, as a collective gaming community, come together and set a new standard bar of what is an acceptable level of painting before a miniature can see time on the tabletop. Otherwise, what's the point the hobby aspect of this hobby? Maybe I've just turned into a "paint snob" after my 25+ years of gaming experience...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing personal. They're nice guys I'm sure, but, no paint?</td></tr>
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Exhibit A: Look at these poor, neglected minis from a local 40k tournament. I'm sure these guys are nice guys and all, but come on, where's the paint?!?! Keep in mind, these are not noobs to the hobby either, these are veterans! What happened to painting requirements, especially, at tournaments? <span style="color: cyan;">EDIT: A buddy that was there informed me that out of 24 players, only 6 were painted, 18 were not. </span> And no, it isn't just something in 40k, but in all games it seems. Even my beloved SAGA and other historicals. You do realize that you can do the bases on an entire marine army easily in 1-2 hours. Basecoat another 1-2. All the shoulder pad trim, 1-2 hours. In other words, from sprue to general basecoated in a weekend. Don't believe me? I once took a small army from the sprue to 100% fully painted including the bases, all face details, highlight, etc, in 3 days because I had a game set for the following Tuesday and wanted to offer my opponent a FULL GAMING EXPERIENCE in we played.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An honest fun guy to play against, in his defense he's only been in saga a few months....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Current gaming mood...</td></tr>
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That's the crux of the matter right there, gaming is, and always will be a social contract. (unless, you're gaming solo in your own basement of course) For me, painting falls into that social contract of trying to make sure you are providing a fun, enjoyable gaming experience for your opponent. If neither you, nor your opponent, enjoy the experience, then well what's the point? For me, nothing cheapens the gaming experience by ruining the immersion than a "grey horde". (or a primed one) I view having a painted army not just as an achievement for myself, but as a way of putting my best foot forward for my opponent as well. Give em something pretty to look, help them imagine events taking place on the tabletop by seeing things in full color. This is coming from a guy that personally HATES painting miniatures, I'd rather just game, but I also want to make sure the game is as fun as possible for both sides, so I paint...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New to SAGA. New to painting, finished in a week. 10/10, would play again!</td></tr>
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Now, I can hear the collective excuses: "I'm new, I'm not that good, I don't have the time..." and I'm here to call BS! Exhibit B: A shot from a recent game with a new player to SAGA. He had just started playing, heck, he had never really painted minis before. BUT, I would GLADLY play games with this "new guy" anytime, and have way more fun doing so than against a veteran with a "grey horde". Why, because he made the effort, and my overall experience was a lot more enjoyable because of it! No one starts a new game with an instantly painted army, we all start over anytime we start a new game, but we also all need to at least make progress. So often, week after week, I see ZERO progress out of gamers. (are we just lazy?) The next excuse: "I'm not the good", well, you don't have to be. No one is going to truly notice if you paint outside the lines, skip painting faces, or don't have highlights at a harshly lit gaming store from 2-3 feet away... they WILL notice NO PAINT though! You can always improve, and hanging out with and playing with other painters is a great way to do so, but you'll never improve if you don't START. "I don't have the time". I get it, not everyone has 36 hours in their day like I do.... oh wait, neither do I, I've got the same 24 hours in a day like everyone else! Again, I call BS on the "I don't have time" excuse, everyone HAS some time, but not everyone has the discipline! See my above paragraph on the actual anticipated time to get an army up and going. Do you have 1-2 hours a day, even once or twice a week? I'm gonna assume so. I'm an adult, with a busy day: work, family, bills, responsibilities... I work, eat, and sleep, like everyone else, so I get it. Yet, I manage to see a lot of paint progress while maintaining all the above, plus other activities in my spare time , so no, I'm not spending all my free time painting. In fact, I hardly paint at all anymore!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-95jcfK3vlis/WW0WQYA7leI/AAAAAAAADMs/m3Bnnph7y3Apbcwt3jpgZGFHfVGZg7j8gCLcBGAs/s1600/paint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-95jcfK3vlis/WW0WQYA7leI/AAAAAAAADMs/m3Bnnph7y3Apbcwt3jpgZGFHfVGZg7j8gCLcBGAs/s200/paint.jpg" width="165" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, where is it?!?!</td></tr>
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Here's the thing, wether you realize it or not, every time you plop down for a game in public, you are representing your game and your local gaming scene/meta. People stop and look, maybe ask questions, and they are drawing first impressions on what a game of ______ would be like based on what they see happening in front of them. What's more exciting to view, a game of mish-mashed grey horde stuff, or a cinematic game between two fully painted armies? Time and time again, when I'm at the LGS I walk around and glance at the games taking place, NONE of the armies are painted, so nothing draws me in, and it is literally a quick lap around the game room. People have tried to sell me on playing whatever game it is they are playing, but to be honest, its an impossible task to sell me on how fun of an experience playing said game will be, when nothing about what you are showing me LOOKS FUN! <br />
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So again, I ask, when did all this unpainted stuff overtake the hobby? Personally, I think it is partially our responsibility as part of the collective of this gaming hobby to set the wheels in motion towards fixing it for the betterment of everyone within. Otherwise, where is the incentive to paint? Do other people in this hobby even truly care?<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">TL;DR - PLEASE, PAINT YOUR STUFF!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">expecting some hate-mail...</td></tr>
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<span style="color: cyan;">EDIT: This is mostly a tongue in cheek post, and is not meant to truly "shame" anyone or any specific group gamers. (i.e. 40k players) I play against unpainted armies all the time, each played by nice people. I'm merely making an observation, and throwing out a wish that one day unpainted armies would become less accepted by gamers everywhere, and become the minority instead what seems to be (to me at least) the majority. I'll gladly accept all forms of yelling, name calling, chastisement, etc in the comments. (fair warning though, if you really ARE super butthurt by this post, and yell at me in the comments, I'm going to assume you are one of those people that never paint their stuff!)</span><br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Until next time,</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">WuhSawBe</span>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-56298228729637149952017-07-13T07:23:00.000-07:002018-08-22T15:39:38.985-07:00Test of Honour Painting Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4yLWtj5-J_c/WWd4ye1-4WI/AAAAAAAADL0/zCAccnd8BvwpUMzvfBgXIAo_Tj-ZYHMzACLcBGAs/s1600/ToH-logo-web-600x305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="600" height="162" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4yLWtj5-J_c/WWd4ye1-4WI/AAAAAAAADL0/zCAccnd8BvwpUMzvfBgXIAo_Tj-ZYHMzACLcBGAs/s320/ToH-logo-web-600x305.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A little while ago, I finished up my Scorpion Clan (from the card game Legend of the Five Rings, or L5R) that I planned to use in Test of Honour. Another bit of a rush job, simply cuz I was tired of having them on my painting desk. As for the 2nd army, the Phoenix Clan, I pawned them off my 7 yr old daughter to finish up.... seeing as they were her's anyway. So, once again, I'm out of miniatures to paint, and I'm 100% fine with it. Anyway, here's what I finished up...<br />
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Up first, is my "Samurai Hero" that I'm running as the named character "Todashi the Dishonored", mainly because he fits the overall scheme of the Scorpion Clan. He's one of the metal promotional figures that I received when I purchased the base game from my LGS. As the Scorpion Clan in L5R are known for wearing masked, I went ahead and greenstuffed a small mask for him, which is the only modification. Overall, I'm pleased with how her turned out, with a few exceptions, mainly in the texture of the model itself. Looking closely, you see some general roughness and a few tiny pits in the model, which in my opinion loweres the quality of the model as a whole. The roughness being clear around the wrist of his sword-arm, and a few pits can be seen on his back, just below the scorpion clan mon. Honestly, I didn't notice these at first, and they only became apparent after paint was applied. It's not a huge deal, but annoying nonetheless, and gives further support for why plastic models are my preferred choice.<br />
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Next up, is the rest of the force, and I'll start with the models in the back, and move left to right. In the back-left side is the extra Samurai model to be thrown in later on. Next to him, with the flag, is the sergeant, and next to him is lone "masked man" model, taken to fill that last, single point in army list, useful for the extra token and holding an objective in the back. (hence the guard pose) Up front, are 3 groups of 3x "masked men", 2 groups armed with spears, and 1 group with katanas. I'm bringing "Masked Men" simply because it fits the theme. With the Katana armed ones, I designed them to look like an ambushing unit, squatting down, swards drawn, hiding amongst the tall grasses. Again, I did so to fit the Scorpion's theme of the being sneaky, underhanded, and dishonorable. The only downside with these guys is the lack of missile units, which I learned is something I wished I had in the army after a handful of games...<br />
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So, there you have it, my initial 15pt force for Test of Honour. I don't mind that I rushed them, and I think they turned out fine for "tabletop quality", and seeing as I'm probably ONLY going to play this game against my 7 yr old daughter, the only 2 people I have to be concerned with judging their quality is here and I. Like I said, I mainly wanted to get my desk 100% cleared off and take a break from painting minis. Now that a few weeks have passed, and I bought more glue (I was out), I may look into adding some missile units and bringing the army up to its full size, roughly about 6 more models at best. But again, since its just my daughter and I playing, I'm in no rush to advance our armies until she wants to....<br />
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Now, I just figure out what to do in the meantime...<br />
-WuhSawBeLoonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-7233548054198353322017-07-11T15:12:00.000-07:002018-08-22T15:40:20.427-07:00CONGO BSAC Painting update<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HpQ9Dn7fVVM/WWVFwJW2vAI/AAAAAAAADLM/CZXUMvkL4E0m64UT6gR8vEtf_QT0w6wVQCLcBGAs/s1600/Congo-Title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="800" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HpQ9Dn7fVVM/WWVFwJW2vAI/AAAAAAAADLM/CZXUMvkL4E0m64UT6gR8vEtf_QT0w6wVQCLcBGAs/s400/Congo-Title.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A month or so ago, I rushed through painting my British South African Company for CONGO. I rushed, mainly because they were just being shelved anyway, and I wanted to clear them off my painting desk. That said, I still think they turned out fine....<br />
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(Models are from <a href="http://www.northstarfigures.com/list.php?man=87&page=1">Northstar</a> btw)</div>
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First up, the leader of the ill-fated Shangani Patrol, Major Allan Wilson. I'm running my BSAC as an "expedition" force in the rules, and this will be my main leader. (Running him as a "Retired Officer") He came both on foot and mounted, but there are no rules for mounted models currently in the game, so I've saved the horse and rider. (Maybe I'll convert it into a statue of some sort) I went with the basic uniform based off of some of the research I've seen, and all of my BSAC will be in various browns with white shirts.<br />
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Up next, the scouts...<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-unKCuRHWAsA/WWVFMqsMjqI/AAAAAAAADLE/VuvXHLw7Z7ovvp0p80vaiQTXOOHSLGHhACLcBGAs/s1600/congo-scouts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="719" height="291" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-unKCuRHWAsA/WWVFMqsMjqI/AAAAAAAADLE/VuvXHLw7Z7ovvp0p80vaiQTXOOHSLGHhACLcBGAs/s320/congo-scouts.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
These guys are actually a cannon crew, but given their squatted stances, I figured they'd be perfect as scouts. Initially, I was going to use some of the squatting, pistol armed guys seen in the Riflemen group as scouts, but it was more cost efficient for me to just buy the crew and NOT use the cannon. I painted up the cannon loader to look like it was taken from a fallen Matabele tribesmen, as well as putting a shield and spear on the base as if they just ambushed someone. I also used taller grass make it look like they were trying to hide or scout ahead.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hJ9ASBilp-A/WWVFMui7ewI/AAAAAAAADLA/O4h5GeoHbAY0y18CMQlb6fQ6souRbTEhgCLcBGAs/s1600/congo-riflemen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="847" height="236" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hJ9ASBilp-A/WWVFMui7ewI/AAAAAAAADLA/O4h5GeoHbAY0y18CMQlb6fQ6souRbTEhgCLcBGAs/s320/congo-riflemen.jpg" width="320" /></a>Finally, the "Riflemen", though technically they are listed as "Trained Askari" in the army list. They are the basic troops of the Expedition force, and I do actually have 2 units of them painted up. The shop I purchased them from initially only had 1 blister of BSAC Riflemen, so I decided to pick up a blister of ones armed with pistols and mix them into the unit to fill out 2 units. Technically speaking, they are all armed with rifles in the game.<br />
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... and there you have it. Added to what I had previously completed, I now have 50 points of BSAC to face off against the 100 pts of Matabele. Initially, I had planned to further fill them out, BUT the shop hasn't restocked what I need, and I haven't been able to play CONGO in a few months anyway. (so no motivation) Maybe one day I'll play a "Shangani Patrol" style match vs my Matabele, solo of course, and outnumbered 10-1, which is actually very fitting!<br />
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Until Next Time,<br />
WuhSawBeLoonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-76741690693246046392017-05-10T11:29:00.000-07:002018-09-11T10:29:14.066-07:00What's New With WuhSawBe?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On my desk at the moment: SAGA, CONGO, and Test of Honour...</td></tr>
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I may be slowly easing back into the tabletop side of things, but still pretty heavy on the Video Game side: Halo and Pokemon....<br />
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I've taken a good, solid week or so off from really doing any hobby work. Since playing Congo and Test of Honour at the shop seem to be a bit of a bust, I decided to pull all the figures out of my case, and either put them in the display case if they are painted, or put them on the painting desk if they need some work. Currently on my painting desk is:<br />
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6x Roman Levies for SAGA<br />
8x BSC Riflemen, 3x Scouts, and 1 Leader for Congo<br />
13x various models for my ToH army<br />
7x models for my Daughter's ToH army (the Red/Yellow ones)<br />
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That's what I've got left that I want to get finished before I really buy anything else... the exception being, I'm planning on trying to scratch-build a Roman Ballista for my SAGA force, as I've kind of given up on mine ever arriving from the shop...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WIP River System...</td></tr>
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I've also recently decided that the Friday Night SAGA group needs some decent terrain to play, as the shop we meet up at tends to have a pretty poor selection as of late, which I COMPLETELY understand why they don't put out any good terrain... the shop's terrains sees a lot of abuse! So, I've decided to step in and see if I could provide the group with some stuff to use. (crappy looking tables and unpainted models will NEVER attract new players to a game... just saying.) Someone wants to play the A&A 2-player campaign with me in the near future, so I decided to try my hand at building a 4ft long river system... mostly because I also had the materials to try, on hand. Let me just say this: I really DISLIKE building terrain! I always feel whatever I craft is either just "ok" or just ends up scrapped all together! When the option is available, I'd rather buy pre-built stuff to save me a bunch of headaches... BUT I'm also CHEAP, and thats my issue. Gotta find a balance! So anyway, I've been working a bit on the river system, and it looks like it is coming along. I've still got to put something over the top to give the water some "water effects" and to do some of the basing around the edges, with flock and whatnot. I should also mention that the pictures are a bit deceptive, the small sections are cut at angles to create the kinks in the river, it is not just straight across the board, that would be boring!<br />
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The plan over all is to scratch-build the woods, probably a swamp/marsh or two as well. I'll have to sort out some hills, and some rocky ground, to which I may look at GF9's Battlefield in a Box for those. Lastly, building wise, I'll be sticking to plastcraft stuff for those!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FeelsBad Man....</td></tr>
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I did also play a new player, in SAGA. It was a 4 pt Milites Christi (Teutonic Knights) vs Vikings match. The game ended badly, a resounding, but unintentional win for the Knights. It started out, the first several turns, the vikings were wiping out my units wholesale. My whole army was whittled down to just my warlord and my knights, and I had only killed about 3 vikings total. It looked sooo one-sided, like I was being trounced or purposefully throwing the match. I figured the vikings were so far ahead on points by now, that i really should try to at least charge in my Hearthguard and get some points on the board. I figured I'd lose models to attrition, as usual, and the vikings would win... NOPE, didn't happen that way! They broke what was left of the viking Hearthguard, losing no models. Caught the enemy Warlord, thinking he'd kill off a few of my guys, but nope, they slew the warlord and only lost 1 knight. Then I thought, if I charge my warlord, by himself, into a unit of warriors, then they'd kill him, and things would balance back out... NOPE, didn't happen. My last ditch effort to bring the game back to something more inline with being equal, was to charge his unit of warriors with my knights, in the hopes that while the viking player may have gotten unintentionally "tabled" the game wouldn't sting as much if the only left on the board was just my Warlord and 2 knights... but, that didn't happen either, and my knights were unscathed. I instantly felt bad though, It went from me doing absolutely nothing, to me unintentionally killing everything... something which NEVER happens for me, hence my surprise. Beating up a new player feels awful, even if unexpected and unintentional, as I'm definitely NOT that type of guy! Hopefully, I can give him a rematch, with better results next time...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hail Hydra Launcher!</td></tr>
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Aside from that, I've been playing a bit of Halo 5, as usual. There has been a big debate over the the Autorifles being OP, and subsequently removed from competitive settings. At first, I wasn't buying into it, but now I've changed my mind! With the new ranking season starting up. I decided to play the 10 Free-For-All placement matches using pistols only, vs everyone else having all the weapons. I figured going into it, I was going have my butt handed to me (as usual) but I figured it would be a good chance for me to see just how balanced the AR's were, and to hopefully improve my aim just a little bit... not to mention, I'd come out this pretty low ranked due to getting owned. And it worked! My aim improved a little, I think, but I still lost a lot of 1v1's. Several of which, I would put up to the imbalance of pistols vs AR's, at pretty much any range. So, it definitely changed my opinion on the AR balance. And, rank wise, yeah, it was pretty low... not bronze, which is the lowest, but silver, which is still bad, and lower than my usual rank. To prove my point, I played my 11th game after placing, with no restrictions, using all the weapons, etc, and easily won that game 26-10, with some suicides. 2nd place only had 16 kills, so a 10 kill difference, which is pretty massive. I had also been playing with another member of my old Spartan Company, and I decided to sign back up with them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My two favorites...</td></tr>
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I've also been playing a lot of Pokemon, on all fronts: Moon on the DS, the TCG, both at home, the local league, and online. In Pokemon Moon, I've logged about 31 hours on the game, and still have yet to complete the story, I'm mostly just enjoying the whole experience, hunting specific pokemon, leveling up my guys, etc. Mimikyu has quickly become one of my new favorite pokemon, and Acerola is just so darn cute! TCG wise, I've been played a few games at home with my daughter, as well as making it up to the local Pokemon league for a few games. My daughter really like Litten, the fire-type starter, so I'm trying to help her build an Incineroar GX deck for her to play in her age bracket at an upcoming "League Challenge" i.e. a small, local tournament. I've also picked up a trainer box from Sun and Moon and the new Guardians Rising set, as well as some singles for my daughter, and the odd booster pack here and there. I'm planning to take part in the League Challenge as well, probably with a Mega Rayquaza deck, as it seems somewhat viable, and I have most for what I need for that deck.<br />
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... and there you have it! Hopefully, I can get over this "hobby block" and finish up the few models I have left on desk, and hopefully start cracking on some terrain as well.<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Until Next Time,</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-68745400597263616002017-05-03T12:04:00.000-07:002018-08-22T15:39:55.225-07:00Halo LootCrate #5 - Unboxing/Review<br />
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I do always love it when my latest HaloCrate drops on the doorstep! As usual, I'll be going through the Crate's contents, piece by piece.....<br />
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<b>=== +++++ ===</b><b>SPOILERS AHEAD</b></h2>
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<b><br /></b><b>YOU HAVE BEEN</b><b>WARNED</b><b>=== +++++ ===</b></h2>
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Popping the lid, I'm greeted by this sight... uh oh, not off to a good start! Inside the packet is what could have been some pretty sweet art, and nice blurb about Fireteam Apollo, the brutes, and the crate's theme: The Great Schism. I'm sure some people may not be bothered by my mangled packets, but to me, it makes the crate feel like it was literally just TOSSED together. I have a display in my "Nerd Lair/Man Cave" of some of the cooler pieces from these info packets, so it saddens me when a potential art piece like this arrives in poor condition. The poster in the box also displays a 2nd art piece, but mine only had 1 inside. Oh well, moving on...</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DcqSSQYt_q0/WQokYkVU3zI/AAAAAAAADJY/GVK6mNeBqT0r4zzq4EW0x58p61OpcDthwCLcB/s1600/unnamed-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DcqSSQYt_q0/WQokYkVU3zI/AAAAAAAADJY/GVK6mNeBqT0r4zzq4EW0x58p61OpcDthwCLcB/s200/unnamed-9.jpg" width="200" /></a>The next thing I grabbed was the hat, which turned out to be a replica of Sgt. Johnson's, a much loved character by many. This isn't really a "day-to-day" kind of hat in my opinion, and really I don't wear many hats at all now a days, but maybe some people out there could pull off the look! I ended up hanging it on my wall, close to the TV, mostly as a display piece. Maybe I should one day add a plaque below it in honor of his noble sacrifice! Realistically, I'll probably pull it down and wear it when I play Halo, maybe/hopefully it will bring me good luck, and/or improve my aim. (Cuz I NEED that!) The only time I'll wear it in public is if I'm playing the Halo miniatures game, Halo Ground Command, at a gaming store. Still, while it may not see a ton of wear, it still looks cool hanging up!</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g1We3tAZJh8/WQokYRoyPlI/AAAAAAAADJU/E-pfA1B15IoVefobfvbDij4uLxxMpkHJACLcB/s1600/unnamed-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g1We3tAZJh8/WQokYRoyPlI/AAAAAAAADJU/E-pfA1B15IoVefobfvbDij4uLxxMpkHJACLcB/s200/unnamed-8.jpg" width="164" /></a></div>
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Next up, the shirt.... and LootCrate NAILED IT with this design! If you've been reading my previous unboxings, you'll know how the shirts often left something to be desired, I've always stated that I was hoping for something more along the lines of Jinx's Halo shirt quality, and this time I got exactly that in my opinion! I love the design, the bright colors, everything. I can see me wearing this one an awful lot. I'm gonna say it, this is probably my favorite of the shirts, thus far! As with the last one, I ordered it 1 size up, as I'm not sure if its the materials, or my dryer, but shrinking (length wise) has been an issue in the past. By ordering a size larger, they shrink down to a good length, or so I've noticed.</div>
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Up next, I grabbed the Arbiter figure which was spoiled pretty early on. I really like the Sangheili, and the Arbiter in general, so this was one I was definitely looking forward to. This one also opened up a lot of potential for the mixing and matching of displays, and I did spend some time doing just that. Some people have commented that the pose looked a bit goofy, and maybe by itself, it would, but it went really either leaping over the grunt from an earlier crate, or facing off with Atriox from the last crate. All in all, I like him!</div>
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Next up, I pulled this mystery box with the awesome Jiralhanae (or I assumed anyway) design. There were no hints really from the packaging what was inside, other than the back said "hand wash only, and not microwave safe". Inside, was a heavy, metal, brute grav-hammer magnet bottle opener. They weren't messing around when they made it, the magnet is pretty strong, and it had to be to hold up such a heavy hunk of metal! This is one of those items, that some will love, some will find "meh". A lot depends on your drinking habits. (I'm more of a PBR in a can, kind of guy) I could have put in the fridge, but it is already overcrowded with magnets and artwork done by the kiddo, so I ended up finding the perfect spot for it in my Nerd Lair, not too far from my gaming chair!</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U4jRhIAhzSo/WQomVem8ayI/AAAAAAAADJw/7r_xqNkpL_EDy1Wc_Ar-rv4pyRL7amp_QCLcB/s1600/unnamed-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U4jRhIAhzSo/WQomVem8ayI/AAAAAAAADJw/7r_xqNkpL_EDy1Wc_Ar-rv4pyRL7amp_QCLcB/s1600/unnamed-3.jpg" /></a>The pin... is well... the pin. It feels like it is high quality, but I'm sure most people don't really care a whole lot about the pin. I put them on display, but thats about it. Every crate has one. Moving on....</div>
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Next up, the poster. On one side, some sweet artwork featuring the Arbiter vs a Brute, and on the other side, it shows all the crate's contents as well as a code for some Halo Wars 2 Blitz Packs. I've framed an hung up every one of the previous posters, and I'll be doing the same with this one as well. It's an easy way to cover your walls in Halo art, and each one are wonderful art pieces in and of themselves! This one is no exception as the artist did a wonderful job in terms of composition and color pallet. I'm planning on hanging it right next to the last one of Atriox.</div>
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When I logged into HW2, after imputing the code, I noticed I had 3 blitz packs waiting for me, some I'm not 100% sure how many this code actually gives you, and which of the 3 packs I received from this crate. I took a screenshot of the last pack I opened and called it a day. Personally, I always prefer exclusive digital content, but a free pack is a free pack! Speaking of which, if anyone out there doesn't want their's, please send it my way! (Xbox GT: WuhSawBe)</div>
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Finally, the art inside the empty box. I'm assuming that this is the Prophet of Regret, but I could be wrong...</div>
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There you have it! All in all, the box felt a bit "light" this time around in terms of actual items inside. For me, this clear winner of this crate is the shirt, with an honorable mention going to the Arbiter figure. Crate no. 6 comes with a Hunter figure, which looks epic! I am curious though what will happen after the next one, if they will continue to do more HaloCrates, or if the sixth one will be the final one...</div>
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<span style="color: cyan;">As always, thanks for reading. Until next time!</span></div>
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<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span></div>
<br />Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-61551630587280189352017-05-02T08:17:00.001-07:002018-09-11T10:29:13.847-07:00What's New With WuhSawBe? ( LONG )<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KC ComiCon 2017...</td></tr>
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Some miniature progress, though hobby time has taken a backseat as a bit of the old "gamer-woes" has creeped in. Halo, Pokemon, ComiCon and more in this "what's new" post... Hopefully, this wont be too much of a "downer" post.<br />
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As usual, I like to start off with a bit of Hobby stuff. I started out painting my daughter's 15pt Test of Honour army, finishing up her hero: Masahiro. I think he turned out pretty well, I converted his bo staff into a naginata by just slapping on an old GW skeleton sword onto the hand. I had to work out a method for painting the yellow, which is never an easy color, but after some struggles, I figured it out. Finally, I was really pleased with how the phoenix mon on his back turned out, as I really loathe doing any kind freehand. (and yet, I keep doing it for some reason!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masahiro</td></tr>
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From there, I took a break and painted up the rest of my initial terrain for ToH, which I previously posted <a href="http://nerdsvsninjas.blogspot.com/2017/04/finished-test-of-honour-terrain.html">HERE.</a> Since then, something kind of happened, which has been making it hard to dive back into the hobby side. Somewhere, somehow, a case of the "gamer-woes" has set in. Remember when I kind took a year off from hobby stuff? It's THAT same feeling. (Don't worry, its not as bad as before, I'm gonna try to keep gaming through it) I'll get into a little bit of what I think could have caused it...<br />
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For starters, I was gaming Tuesday and Friday nights, after my wife gets home. My wife is working on her Master's degree Tuesday/Thursday nights, and so I'd end up painting into the wee hours of night on those two nights. (My secret for getting lots of stuff painted.... just do it!) So, I figured, why not hang out at the game store, get some extra games in? Tuesdays were always hit or miss though, sometimes I could find games, sometimes not. (its a 20-30 min drive, one way, mind you) The last few weeks, I hadn't been able to find games, but worst of all, I had scheduled to play someone only to have them back out without telling me. Luckily, I did find someone willing to give Test of Honour a try, so I did at least get to run a demo game of that on one of those Tuesday. I also agreed to play in someone's Age of the Wolf SAGA campaign that was started in June, after a few weeks worth of pressure, only to get booted out of that in the very same day! That was a big eye-roll moment. Bugging me for weeks to play, only to find not only could I not use any of the factions I currently own and I'd have to start a whole new army, but I really couldn't even play any factions I'd have an interest in, I'd be limited to ONLY playing Anglo-Danes. So really, being booted form that may have been a mercy. Not only that, but I guess its a good thing I got the boot within 2 hours of saying "yes, I'll play" as I would have gone out the next day and bought my warband! One of the pulls of Historical Gaming, is the history, and if its not a subject that you are not interested in (or in this case, faction) it will be harder to get INTO those games, if you understand my meaning.<br />
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So, needless to say, I think Tuesday game nights are a big, hard NO at this point. Which is a bummer, because that's probably the only time I'll get to actually play CONGO, which I've recently started. I was also thinking "Test of Honour Tuesday" had a nice ring to it for a potential organized game night, but I'm not so sure how much playtime it will get outside of games vs my daughter. (unless something changes) That's part of what helps the "gamer woes" set in, lack of consistent, stimulating games. I've also said, I'm more of a gamer than a painter, I just happen to really, really, HATE playing with unpainted stuff. So, my games fuel my hobby. No games, no fuel. No fuel, no motivation to paint!<br />
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If I'm not busting my butt, trying to get a bunch of armies painted, then I've got a lot of free nights, which means for the last week or so, I've been playing Halo almost nightly! Over a year later of Halo 5, and I still find myself getting insanely frustrated (with my lack of skill) while I play, but at the same time, I love Halo, and cant seem to give it up! I've come to the conclusion that I'm a competitive player, and I have a competitive mindset when it comes to Halo, I just lack the skills to back any of it up! Oh well, not much I can do about a complete lack of aim!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vBoqrajo3YM/WQihdrZ1PII/AAAAAAAADIM/i2u1bSgnyJgydUkWX-rC9GNgshLP-FvpwCLcB/s1600/unnamed-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vBoqrajo3YM/WQihdrZ1PII/AAAAAAAADIM/i2u1bSgnyJgydUkWX-rC9GNgshLP-FvpwCLcB/s400/unnamed-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Got em both...</td></tr>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qt-Ug-z1EAc/WQihdpwZRLI/AAAAAAAADIE/RydR78n_CXIhHDqH_kWEOynzU4AOeDHIwCLcB/s1600/unnamed-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qt-Ug-z1EAc/WQihdpwZRLI/AAAAAAAADIE/RydR78n_CXIhHDqH_kWEOynzU4AOeDHIwCLcB/s200/unnamed-5.jpg" width="200" /></a>Aside from Halo, I've recently been bitten by the "pokemon bug". For whatever reason, I had a hard time putting ORAS away in favor of Sun and Moon, and as such, never picked it up! Well, this time around, I wanted to make sure my daughter got the full pokemon experience (since you can only save 1 file per game) and so I ended up grabbing a copy of both Sun AND Moon, with my daughter choosing to play the Sun version. It's a good thing I did too, as the first thing my daughter did in the game is blow all of her poke'-dollars in the game on hundreds of potions and regular pokeballs! (she did a similar thing in ORAS, but I was rich in that game so it didn't matter) So, I'm playing Moon, and I think I'm going to try my hand with the VG side of battling this go around too. My daughter and I also seem to be perfect counters to each other already, as she chose to start with Litten, the fire-type, while I almost always go for the grass-types in every game, and so of course I chose Rowlet!<br />
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My daughter and I have also been playing a few rounds of the Pokemon TCG as well, picking up the theme decks for our newly chose starters. There is a local tournament coming up in early June, that my daughter and I may both attend, IF we are still both in the pokemon mood! I'd like to develop a Decidueye GX deck for myself, and an Incineroar GX one for her as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ONtAQPTL9Kw/WQihdf1KJZI/AAAAAAAADIA/5OaeDY74fqcjx0jf9xd-DGTZuAtmYuuPgCLcB/s1600/unnamed-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ONtAQPTL9Kw/WQihdf1KJZI/AAAAAAAADIA/5OaeDY74fqcjx0jf9xd-DGTZuAtmYuuPgCLcB/s320/unnamed-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saxons vs Knights, 13-13 draw</td></tr>
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All that aside, I'm still committing to playing SAGA on Fridays, though I did miss a week in there. I've decided to play my Milites Christi (Teutonic Knights) for a month, to see if I can figure out what my deal is with them. People seem to consider them one of the top 3 strongest SAGA forces, and yet, I always lose out with them via points. Sure, they are hard to fatigue, but I really feel that is their ONLY real trick up their sleeve, and they otherwise die just the same as any other faction! Well, this last game was vs the Saxons, an army I'm familiar with, and one that my Romans seem to handle pretty well. I did try a slightly alternative set up, with 2 units of 6 HG vs the usual giant block of 12 that I usually take. It started off alright, I danced around while praying to raise my piety for the first 4 turns, not committing until the last 2 turns in the hopes that I could grab two big hits without retaliation and without losing too much to attrition. As usual, despite some really good armor saves in combat (I made 2/3 of em consistently) they whiffed on the damage, and once again, the attrition came back to haunt me. The game ended in a 13-13 draw, I didn't lose, but I didn't win either. The group found it funny because I wasn't too happy with the draw, seeing as I technically didn't LOSE with them, but I think it was mostly because by all accounts I *should* have lost, and would have easily lost, were it not for the unusually good armor rolls. I didn't out play, or out think my opponent, I simply out-rolled him on defense. Oh well, next Friday will soon roll around, and I think the plan is to do Milites Christi vs Milites Christi, to see if there is anything I can learn about what I may be doing wrong....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whispering secrets of the Dark Side...</td></tr>
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... and finally, my family attended our 1st ComiCon this year after having won a set of 3-day tickets in a drawing. Everyone I see on social media made it seem like it was a really big deal, it always seemed like I was missing out on something BIG. Turns out, meh, not so much! I came into it, hoping to find some cool Aliens/AVP/Predator stuff, maybe some Halo stuff, and possibly some Pokemon stuff. I came away empty handed, as nothing really jumped out as something I just had to have, nor was there anything rare or a good deal. I think that's part of the problem with online shopping these days, everything I saw there to buy was already right at my fingertips. and probably at a cheaper price too! Still, we had a bit of fun, and it was a new experience to say the least! My daughter dressed up as Captain Phasma, and she got a lot of attention in her costume. Initially, she wanted to wear her Kylo Ren costume, but told her that there was probably going to be a lot of Rens, but no Phasmas.... and sure enough, we were right! There was also a lot Deadpools (of course) and a surprising amount of Negans from the Walking Dead.... walking around! (see what I did there?) We basically walked around, took a bunch of photos, and really only walked away with my daughter getting a Harry Potter headband, and a bunch of Star Wars Lego mini-figs.<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">... and there you have it! Hopefully it wasn't too full of complaints, or too much of a bummer for ya! As one of my readers put it, "Gaming is all about ebb and flow, mate" and he's definitely right! I'm just in a bit of an ebb at the moment.... luckily, not completely like I was before! We shall see how the next few weeks go, and if I'll be back to gaming and painting, or if I'll still be doing Halo daily and being a poke'-bro. </span><br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Until Next time,</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-1220963026337063142017-04-28T12:05:00.000-07:002018-08-22T15:39:38.894-07:00Finished Test of Honour Terrain<br />
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Recently, I took a bit of a break from painting my regular models to finish up my PlastCraft Teerain that I plan to use for Test of Honour. All in all, I'm really pleased with how they turned out!<br />
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I should also note, that these were the early versions of the terrain, the all-white, non "colorEd" or whatever their newer lines are called, hence why I painted them! I was going for a more generic, village feeling with the overall paint scheme, which means the minis will stand out against the terrain. They went together really easily, and really well. With most pieces coming in at the $10-$12 range (walls came packed in pairs), I was able to get all the terrain needed for all the scenarios in battle guard for around $75 or so. Not too shabby! So far, all my buildings I currently own for gaming have been from PlastCraft, and seeing as I have been nothing but pleased with their quality and costs, I think it is a trend that will continue!<br />
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I decided to also play a round with the terrain, and set up the board in all the various scenarios in the battle guide, give me an idea of a sense of space. One glaring weakness that I do see, is that the outskirts of the board look extremely bland and barren. I'm thinking I'll need to come up with some suitable area terrain like forests or whatnot, mostly just fill out some of the dead zones. Really quickly, here some of the scenarios, all of which are linked by the way:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 - The Road</td></tr>
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<b><u>#1 - First Clash</u></b><br />
Two rival samurai meet on the road, intent on seeking shelter. A fight ensues when neither side is willing to back down from the other. This is a quick, intro scenario, played until the opposing smaurai is cut down...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Trk-TCXv64/WQOQihv59lI/AAAAAAAADHc/tcdhatFQQfANWXVKiDbDJCf0bi4tBIAXgCLcB/s1600/18194105_10212526523019002_4323369212206300215_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Trk-TCXv64/WQOQihv59lI/AAAAAAAADHc/tcdhatFQQfANWXVKiDbDJCf0bi4tBIAXgCLcB/s320/18194105_10212526523019002_4323369212206300215_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 - Outpost</td></tr>
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<b><u>#2 - Seize the Outpost</u></b><br />
The losing side that lost game 1is attacking the outpost, the other is defending. 3 objective markers are placed in front of each of the buildings. To control an objective, you must have 1 of your models within 3", and no enemies within 3'. The defender holds 1/3 of his force in reserve, which can make a test to arrive once the appropriate token is drawn. Game lasts 5 turns, whomever controls the most objectives at turn 5 wins.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3- Battlefield</td></tr>
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<u><b>#3 - The Battlefield</b></u><br />
Things have escalated to a full blown battle between your two clans, and both sides race to the site of previous battle in search of lost family members. Take 5 objective markers and take turns placing them 6" away from each other and 12" from a board edge, these represent the dead and wounded. As a special action, a warrior within 3" of a marker may make a test to search. If successful, you've managed to find a living clan member, and you remove/claim the objective. Whomever claims 3 markers wins. The winner makes an extra test at the end, to see if the family member of their samurai hero that they found, lives or dies... (doesn't say why that's important or not)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4- The Spy</td></tr>
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<u><b>#4 - The Spy</b></u><br />
The loser of game #3 is player 1, the winner is player 2. Player 1, being desperate for any news on his missing relative, contacts one of his spies, hidden in player 2's camp. Word spreads that one of the geisha in the camp may be the enemy spy. Place 3 objectives in front of each building, these are the potential spies. Use the same "search action" as above to figure out which one is the actual spy, once found, remove the other tokens, the the "spy" must be escorted off the board from that player's board edge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q2Hj4kd8XVQ/WQOQiWPkokI/AAAAAAAADHQ/N-BY5dIExSMn0oK_UKsYcN13x5_NzNJTgCLcB/s1600/18156870_10212526526899099_768850252178400422_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q2Hj4kd8XVQ/WQOQiWPkokI/AAAAAAAADHQ/N-BY5dIExSMn0oK_UKsYcN13x5_NzNJTgCLcB/s320/18156870_10212526526899099_768850252178400422_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 - Breakthrough</td></tr>
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<u><b>#5 - Breakthrough</b></u><br />
Loser of the last battle is player 1, the winner is player 2. Escorting the spy has caused player to be slowed down, allowing player 1 to cut off their escape! Once more, the spy must be escorted off the opposite edge from where they started , and whomever does so, wins.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F0_I7Q7cj4I/WQOQinCIt2I/AAAAAAAADHY/T0lSGiv-tKE5mD8p-kyU4YOXCA1U_bfIACLcB/s1600/18194093_10212526527699119_7244845749105521429_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F0_I7Q7cj4I/WQOQinCIt2I/AAAAAAAADHY/T0lSGiv-tKE5mD8p-kyU4YOXCA1U_bfIACLcB/s320/18194093_10212526527699119_7244845749105521429_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6 - Rescue</td></tr>
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<u><b>#6 - Rescue</b></u><br />
This is a little complicated, as the loser of scenario #3 is player 1, and if they won the #5 breakthrough scenario, the geisha spy has revealed the enemy's location and player 1's missing family member, cutting player 2's total army size down to just 12 pts! (player 1 has 24 points) If player 2 won scenario #5, the geisha spy stabs player 2's samurai hero, and he starts the battle with 1 wound, and player 2 gets to deploy 18 points on the table. Player 2 places 3 objectives in front of each building, and secretly picks one to be player 1's missing family member. Player 1's goal is to find the missing family member, and escort him to any table edge. Player 2 wins, if they manage to kill all of player 1's samurai...<br />
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... and there you have it! I'm thinking I need to make some actual objective markers to use in each of the battles, as opposed to the treasure chest token that came in the box. A few casualty markers, some geishas, a prisoner model, etc. As I mentioned before, I'm thinking I want some additional area terrain as well for the outskirts of the board. With the terrain now out of the way, I can start focusing on painting up the 3 armies that I've already got going!<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Until Next Time,</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">- WuhSawBe -</span>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-70601901915457199842017-04-16T14:58:00.002-07:002018-09-11T10:29:13.979-07:00What's New With WuhSawBe?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ac52Vus6Vco/WPPoPITs_AI/AAAAAAAADFI/TQVjBbUtflwV3MAlBcocLIYrFm9XNoznACLcB/s1600/unnamed-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ac52Vus6Vco/WPPoPITs_AI/AAAAAAAADFI/TQVjBbUtflwV3MAlBcocLIYrFm9XNoznACLcB/s320/unnamed-1.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Facehugs for all!</td></tr>
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First off, Happy Easter everyone!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ToH Roadside Scenario set up</td></tr>
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Let's see, hobby wise, I've assembled the two 15 pt Test of Honour warbands, and have started painting them as well. I also assembled enough of the Plastcraft Games terrain I bought to set up for the quickstart, "road" scenario. Basically, 1 building, 1 gate, 4 wall sections, and 4 end pieces. Initially, I was going to do everything in a scheme that would have matched my clan's color scheme, but then I realized that I didn't want everyone to always be invading MY lands, so I went with a generic wood/brown paint scheme. As a bit of a joke, I put the kanji for "Ramen Village" (or Noodle town) on the plaque above the gate. It must be the beat ramen in the province, considering all the battles that are about to be fought in front of the gate/shop!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6jXpVSSt2xo/WPPoPB0pDJI/AAAAAAAADFM/swiafhKqwNwK9JzAp6sfCCTOPOXdPeMGACLcB/s1600/unnamed-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6jXpVSSt2xo/WPPoPB0pDJI/AAAAAAAADFM/swiafhKqwNwK9JzAp6sfCCTOPOXdPeMGACLcB/s200/unnamed-3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Congo Matabele vs British Explorers</td></tr>
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Game wise, I got to play a game of congo, using my newly painted force, in the "Great Ape" scenario vs Explorers. The game itself ended in a draw, as the explorers failed to capture the gorilla due to some insane armor saves, followed by a tie in victory points. I got pretty shot up in that game, that was for sure!<br />
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My daughter and I also played a trial game of Test of Honour. She picked it up pretty easily, and the game was a lot of fun. The activation mechanic was pretty interesting, and it actually cost me the game, as at one point, I was hoping to not draw my last samurai token (which exhausted my leader) who was already in a rough spot. Once I could no longer dodge, he was easy pickings for my daughter's samurai, and I lost the game!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knights vs Normans</td></tr>
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I also played a game of SAGA, this time it was my Milites Christi (Teutonic Knights) vs Normans, and it was BAD. It went really bad, honestly, one of my worst games of SAGA! I want to say the final score was a disastrous 24-10. Shooting is always hard for my knights, and it seems that a lot of the player group really enjoy shooting-heavy forces. I got stuck in pretty early, wiping out two units and putting fatigue on his entire warband, but I ended up losing in the inevitable attrition that followed, and my Hearthguard always give up more points than they earn.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uffqfvJQjhM/WPPoPYQTxgI/AAAAAAAADFU/JZqiMuPiFy8t6l5FBynnUXznWLJGqAvpACLcB/s1600/unnamed-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uffqfvJQjhM/WPPoPYQTxgI/AAAAAAAADFU/JZqiMuPiFy8t6l5FBynnUXznWLJGqAvpACLcB/s200/unnamed-4.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knights vs Romans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I decided to try my hand again, in a practice game of the Teutonic Knights vs my Romans, with my daughter playing the Romans.... and guess what, I lost again! 19-16. This really bummed me out, and for the next day or so, I really considered just shelving my Knights all together as I have NEVER been able to get them to work! I've since resolved to play the knights every game for the next month, and if I still cannot manage a win, the I definitely WILL be shelving them. (bringing them out only when running demo games) Some of it is tactics, some it is the local meta, and some is probably composition. I'll be trying to work things out with them this month....<br />
<br />
Aside form all that tabletop gaming, I did find some time to finish the final mission in Halo wars 2. Honestly, I didn't realize I had left off at the last mission, otherwise I would have finished up the game a few weeks ago!<br />
<br />
Also, I've started watching Baruto: Naruto Next Gen, as well as season 2 of Attack on Titan.<br />
<br />
Finally, I've finished up Star Wars: Aftermath a few weeks ago, and have started reading a book on the Baltic Crusades in the hopes that I could one day make a Lithuanian force to face off against my Teutonic Knights. (just in time for me to never play em again, LOL!)<br />
<br />
... and there you have it!<br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: cyan;">Until next time,</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span><br />
<br />
<br />Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-33503656689067167332017-04-12T10:06:00.000-07:002018-08-22T15:40:52.156-07:00Romans vs Goths: 6pt SAGA AAR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eTwjzIvmixQ/WO5cjmAr5ZI/AAAAAAAADEc/FKdAgF9YdVsb5Ci4LvC7pcO2S6JwPMdJQCLcB/s1600/17634478_10212315780270565_8657078510182692230_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eTwjzIvmixQ/WO5cjmAr5ZI/AAAAAAAADEc/FKdAgF9YdVsb5Ci4LvC7pcO2S6JwPMdJQCLcB/s320/17634478_10212315780270565_8657078510182692230_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">I took so many pictures
from my last 6pt game of SAGA, I figured I would do a bit of an After Action
Report (AAR) from it. By my count,
this was my 6<sup>th</sup> time playing the Romans, and I faced off against the
Goths for the first time. (also
form the A&A book) I didn’t
know my opponent’s exact composition, but I THINK it was something like:</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">Warlord</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">3x Units of warriors
(5,5,6)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">3x Hearthguard (5,5,6)</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">While I brought:</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">Warlord</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">2x Units of Bowmen (8,8)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">2x Units of Warriors
(8,8)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">1x Unit of Hearthguard
(4)</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>**Filler unit</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">1x Unit of Levies (12)</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">**As I mentioned before,
I want to drop the HG for another Levy unit + Ballista</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6NHDRnkKa4Q/WO5cj6dK-TI/AAAAAAAADEk/q36IZwj3hLYqJk1ZPDJbNGhgZzJaJXttwCLcB/s1600/17757648_10212315780310566_1646795078559493801_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6NHDRnkKa4Q/WO5cj6dK-TI/AAAAAAAADEk/q36IZwj3hLYqJk1ZPDJbNGhgZzJaJXttwCLcB/s320/17757648_10212315780310566_1646795078559493801_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">The game is about to
start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We basically lined up
across from each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I set my
two archer units on either side of my army, with melee to back them up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bulk of my force was set up in the
center, ready to respond to whichever direction my opponent went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My opponents always target the archers
first, I use them as bait to draw my opponent into range of the rest of force,
as Romans are a slow moving army, that or risk getting peppered all game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also set them up, so that any potential
1<sup>st</sup> turn charge, which I was expecting, would require multiple
activations.</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">I lost the first turn,
and my opponent elected to have me go first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My first mistake was moving up the archers to get into
firing range. Honestly, I should have rolled my dice, placed them all
defensively, then passed the turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As they say, hindsight is 20/20!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The archers on either side took some potshots at the goth warriors
facing off against the, but to no real effect. On my opponent’s turn, the Goth Warriors
respond on either side by charging in, wiping out 1/2 of each unit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tend to play extremely defensive on
my opponent’s turn, cutting my attacks in favor of defense dice, and then
counter attack with a melee unit on my turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had some great defensive rolls, despite massive attacks
coming at me.</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BKk3zeuK6c4/WO5cjkIa1II/AAAAAAAADEY/-Rk_3HrQcxwwKIgHKu170gfU39_lV0_QwCLcB/s1600/17634562_10212315780350567_171695947005496643_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BKk3zeuK6c4/WO5cjkIa1II/AAAAAAAADEY/-Rk_3HrQcxwwKIgHKu170gfU39_lV0_QwCLcB/s320/17634562_10212315780350567_171695947005496643_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">On my turn, the Roman warriors on the right cleared out the Goth
warriors that attacked the archers. My Hearthguard attack the warriors on the left, but end up
retreating , as each side killed 2
models. My Levies move in, and attack the warriors on my left. The goal wasn’t to kill them, but to exhaust
the warriors, and I ended up doing just that, and retreating after only losing
just a single man!</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5bk8wCFt8p4/WO5cj_Xft4I/AAAAAAAADEo/_cDgTiYRR80C8IFk9vsQHetD3vRN6l_zwCLcB/s1600/17799072_10212315780430569_7406080842666318669_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5bk8wCFt8p4/WO5cj_Xft4I/AAAAAAAADEo/_cDgTiYRR80C8IFk9vsQHetD3vRN6l_zwCLcB/s320/17799072_10212315780430569_7406080842666318669_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">After that, my Warlord
and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>move in to finish off the
exhausted warriors. On my opponent’s turn, the Goth Hearthguard and Warlord
charge into the woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I end up
bouncing off, having played defensively as before, having only lost 2 warriors.</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-12BnzYJuz2g/WO5cj0kFtFI/AAAAAAAADEs/PPmwWwYtYmgqeppacJi5609dt7eNSI4CACLcB/s1600/17862010_10212315781070585_70115669074629620_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-12BnzYJuz2g/WO5cj0kFtFI/AAAAAAAADEs/PPmwWwYtYmgqeppacJi5609dt7eNSI4CACLcB/s320/17862010_10212315781070585_70115669074629620_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">In a crucial play, my Warlord
charges the Hearthguard in the woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My strategy was to thin the HG down a bit, and then activated him again,
going in for a another side-by-side with the warriors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe go in once more against the Goth Warlord
if he’s left high and dry!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly,
the combat was drawn, and I had hoped to be able to bounce to the right to pull
off my strategy, but instead, I bounced to the left, well out of side-by-side
range, and my activation dice was poorly placed, leaving me with no real option
to assault the Hearthguard once more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Man, if only my Warlord had went to the right side and not the left!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I honestly think I would have secured
the game right there!</span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pLFTjKBEbkk/WO5cjsRVP3I/AAAAAAAADEg/LOqOXeCNL4EpsqPH8gFQMimbvXtlnjyYACLcB/s1600/17634511_10212315781110586_5250567614539976138_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pLFTjKBEbkk/WO5cjsRVP3I/AAAAAAAADEg/LOqOXeCNL4EpsqPH8gFQMimbvXtlnjyYACLcB/s200/17634511_10212315781110586_5250567614539976138_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">That said, during my
opponent’s final turn, the highlight of the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>whole game for me had to have been when the Warlord charged
into my Levies, failed to cause any wounds, and subsequently retreated. It's
not every game that a Levy unit sends a Warlord packing! (That's gonna stain
his SAGA for the rest of his life!)</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F_CED2EguM4/WO5cj39kKVI/AAAAAAAADEw/wThvriOMH_Am9Zac8yddX3-09K3RS-xHQCLcB/s1600/17862371_10212315781150587_3149662235968794313_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F_CED2EguM4/WO5cj39kKVI/AAAAAAAADEw/wThvriOMH_Am9Zac8yddX3-09K3RS-xHQCLcB/s320/17862371_10212315781150587_3149662235968794313_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">The final turn was also
the most crucial turn! The score was 11-9 in favor of the Romans. His
Hearthguard charge in, kill enough leftover bowmen to bring the goths up to an
11-12 lead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, his Hearthguard
charge in against my hearthguard. He's exhausted, and only rolling 5 dice. I’m
hoping to keep the game in a draw range at this point, so I figured instead of
playing defensive, as usual, I would go for the attack, and try to cancel out
any gained points. I'm also rolling 5 from the combat pool. Both raise and lower
armor, we roll. Both score two hits. The Romans, after having insane defense
rolls all game, roll 1's to block, while the Goths roll 6's!</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">What an ending, final
score 14-11, my first loss with the Romans!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not super bummed by the loss at all, it was a really
tight game, and as I mentioned, I really think had the combat where my warlord
bounced the wrong direction gone more in my favor, it would have been a much
different score.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again,
though, the Hearthguard cost me the game, as they are just worth too many
victory points, and you will inevitably lose a few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s crucial that I drop them for the Ballista and a
half-sized levy unit, as they should give me a better return on my investment
in final victory points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another
takeaway from this match is that I didn’t really blunder my handling of the
impetus mechanic like I had in the past, though remembering to raise it through
the “rally” ability can be tricky at times since you have to think not only for
your own turn, but your opponent’s as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, a few tweaks to the list, and bit of hammering
down the strategy a bit more, and I should be good to go with my Romans!</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<b><span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">Thanks for stopping by
and checking out my AAR! If you
enjoyed reading this, please let me know in the comments section. I’ll post more of them in the future IF
I see they are being viewed and enjoyed by visitors! Until next time!</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<b><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">-WuhSawBe- </span></span></b></div>
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Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858087159371928343.post-15038304460197614752017-04-04T07:12:00.001-07:002018-09-11T10:29:13.277-07:00What's New With WuhSawBe?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Full CONGO Column in 3 days!</td></tr>
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So little, and yet, so much has happened this last week....<br />
(Going out of my usual order this time)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SAGA Demo</td></tr>
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It started on Tuesday, when I ran a SAGA demo for a friend on Tuesday. I played 4 pts of Romans, and I let him run 4pt of Milites Christi (Teutonic Knights) as they are a bit easier to grasp. He had some idea of the rules, so it wasn't a "start from scratch" kind of demo, which was nice, as I need to work out a "class plan" for when I run SAGA demos. (too much, "oh yeah, there is this rule... and oh yeah, I forgot to explain this rule...") Since it was a demo, I didn't go full try-hard, and honestly, I could have scaled it back a just bit further, not used so many of my own abilities, etc. It ended in something like a 13-11, draw. I had thought he was going to eek out a victory, only needing 1 more point for a win, but he charged my warlord with his, his rolls kind of flubbed and both ended up dying. (negating the points gain, more or less) I'm convinced, that my Roman Warlord is one of the most BA guys, as this was his 1st death, and truthfully it was only because I didn't use any abilities, nor transfer the wounds to the warriors next to him. (Remember, I was going full try-hard) So, that was fun. We had a lot of people stopping by, and checking out the game, asking questions etc, which was good. Our Friday night SAGA group could use some fresh blood imo...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spartan WuhSawBe</td></tr>
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After that, I snuck in a bit of Halo. I played some Warzone Firefight, Free-for-all, and Swat. The Firefight matches are always good, I consistently place at or near the top, with the most boss and mob kills usually. FFA frustrated the heck out of me, as I ended up playing everything from Silver ranked, up to way out of league in high Onyx level. The frustration really sat in, when after my 10 matches, I ended up just in silver ranked. Very demoralizing! I ended up switching to swat, and saw a bunch of success early on, but it soon tapered off into my usual missed shots and bad plays. What can I say, as much as I LOVE Halo, I just do not have the skills for it...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romans vs Huns: Round 2</td></tr>
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When Friday rolled around, I got in a Romans vs Huns rematch. I'm still flubbing up the Roman board, making poor dice placements, etc. The Hun player had changed up his list, and it really seemed to help. He started out with his usual "hit and run" strategy, and it definitely worked, I lost a unit of warriors right away, with only 2 casualties on his end. Honestly, the game was looking so one-sided the first few rounds, that if he had just kept up his "hit and run" strategy, he easily could have taken the game. (Romans are slow) BUT, he started charging to try and finish off units, which brought him too close to my army. The Hun bodies started piling up, and in the final round, I took what would have been a loss for me, up to a draw, with a final score of 18-16. My Roman Warlord continues to display the Might of Rome, as he not only withstood attacks from the Hun Warriors AND Warlord, but went on to slay the Hun Warlord as well! It's funny, my Teutonic Warlord, Poppo Von Osterna, always dies, and can never kill squat!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Core Box</td></tr>
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Also on Friday, I picked up Test of Honour and some expansions. I was a little annoyed, as the game store was supposed to hold back a copy for me, and give me a call when it arrives, but they didn't. Between this incident, and the extreme slowness of getting in the A&A saga stuff and Roman Ballista I ordered, I think I'm no longer going to "special order" stuff from them. IF I had ordered everything myself, I probably would have already had them in my hands! Anyway, enough sad stuff! I've popped the box, and have read the rules. The game itself seems fun, maybe a little on the generic side, but still fun. (The troops feel a bit generic, no clan special rules, etc. The Leaders from the expansions do change things up a bit though) I assembled a test daughter for my Daughter's Phoenix Clan, just to see what the process was like, and it didn't seem too bad. Some gaps that need filled, but otherwise pretty easy. I'm looking forward to diving into assembling, probably starting after I post this up!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Expansions</td></tr>
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Also on Friday, I talked with the shop owner, and I may end up getting to play a bit of CONGO this week, but we shall see. The prospect of a potential game really lit a fire under butt, and I dove right into painting up my Matabele column! I'm pleased to say I got the whole force, from basically start to finish, 100% painted in the span of 3 days! Let that sink in... A full army. In 3 days. There were a lot of sleepless nights, but it was all worth it, especially if I get to play! You can see a small image of them at the top, I'm going to do a full post later on, going unit by unit, once the matte spray dries on the final unit.<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">... and there you have it! Some Halo, some Saga, some new toys, and a TON of painting! It's probably a good thing that the poll is showing so many "Don't Do It!" votes for 40k 8th ed, I've got my plate extremely full as it is!</span><br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Until Next Time,</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">-WuhSawBe-</span>Loonboss Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664622941225788475noreply@blogger.com2