Finished - Lytchguard

They used to be Pariahs but didn't we all.

Draigo Broke the Embargo!

We got this Embargo on but I had a rough day and wanted something to make me feel pretty. I was going to buy him before the Embargo started. I just wanted it OK! I can justify it however I want. I have only bought two minis (this and the Command Barge) since September and that is pretty good. Crap, I just remembered that I bought some bits from GW Direct and that totally violates the Embargo. They were not emergency or needed to finish a current project. I just wanted more Deathwatch bits because I was excited about the RPG and wanted to make more marines. I even had bits.

I've been seen slinking around Bartertown too. While I have not bought anything, I have done some trades and that has cost me about $30 in postage. I did get a Drop Pod for just a few bases and that was a screaming deal. Crap, I just remember that I bought some stuff but it was too good to pass up. I got a bunch of classic Orks and Snotlings, like a freezerbag full, and some NOS Bikers all for the price of what the bikers would have been retail. Ok so not a great deal but a good one. The Orks are crappy and old and not goo for much other than bits. The Snotlings may be useful but only if I can mix them in with better models.

So, I guess I am not doing so great.

The cards are being paid down but not as fast as I might expect or would want. My big order is a long way off.

Moving the Goalpost

The last post got me thinking about setting some actual goals for 2012.

Are you men or are you mice?

• Start a new army (Nids, Tau, Space Wolves, Sisters and Orks all in boxes) and paint it to a playable size (~1500 points)
• Paint some vehicles! 2012 is the year of the vehicle! Need to paint the three Rhinos on the desk, a Vindicator and as many Drop Pods as I can get to.
• Get some transport for figs. Need to place first Battlefoam order and get some transports for my TMM.
• Do something other than 40k. There is Warmachine, Fantasy, et al out there. I should maybe pick up a new game.
• Learn to paint some new colors. Yellow and purple are high on the list. I also want to work more greens into my metals and learn to paint patina and rust better.
•  Get more gaming in. I've fallen out of playing and that's not cool. I played 4 games last year but enjoyed them all. It is just a function of going down to the gaming store with an army and rolling some dice.

In Jan next year, I'll check back and see how much I got done.

2011 Yearbook Post

And here I thought I didn't get anything done this year!

I like to make a post about everything that I've finished over the course of a year. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment. Below is a list and accompaning close ups. This is not meant to be a display post but more for record-keeping.

Deathwatch RPG - Final Sanction

What if James Cameron made RPGs.

I posted a while ago about how excited I was about Deathwatch RPG and how much I wanted to play it. In the last few months, thanks to an ad I had up , I have gotten some interest in the game. Last week, we had our first game run by yours truly. It was the free first adventure called Final Sanction and it went pretty well.

I had that ad up on RPG Game Finder for ages when two people messaged me within a month. . I was floored. One, Ryan, looked like he was going to shape up well, but ended up wanting to drive the bus a little too much for my tastes and flaked out. The other is Kris and he seems like a good egg. He is a little bit of a stoner but a good RPer and a decent guy.

Finished - Dante and Sang Guard done at last!

This has been such a long time coming and I think they look great. I'll take some more pictures and write up how I painted them.

Also in the que:
Deathwatch RPG adventure
Painting basic colors
General gripes about 40k
Creation of a Space Marine
Vet Sergeants

On the Table Now - Painting for Others

 

I like painting minis for others.  I have a massive bits box and more Tac Marines that I'll ever use unless I decide to build a chapter. Painting unexpected and fun minis gives me the opportunity to try new techniques, make mistakes and learn lessons.

My par amour likes the Pittsburgh Steelers. I like TMM. Seemed like a good idea to show the support of her hobby with my own. I think this is their home jersey but I don't know enough about football to be sure. If it is a big hit, I'll do an away jersey too.

Hating on BoLS - Ork Edition

I really need to just stay away from BoLS. The posts make me nothing but mad and the comments make me feel like my head if full of drunk bees. For as much as I post about how I hate it, I can't stay away. Call me an optimist, but I keep hoping that they will pull their heads out of their asses and churn out professional articles. Heck, I would settle for actual content rather than rumor milling, caption "contests", post that are just a link and the vacuous goatboy.

What they are good for is inspiration. Though, I cannot produce articles as appealing to the general public as they (and that is not always a good thing), I use the things that I like least about BoLS as inspiration to try to do better, even if only for myself.

Recently (relatively), there was an article posted about "fixing" Orks. You may know my distaste for the gall, audacity and presumption it takes for someone to think a codex needs "fixing" and they they best know how to do it. Much of it devolves from trying to make things more viable into codexenvy and self-masturbatory wishlisting. There is very little useful in that.

Big Red starts off pretty well in his post by establishing some premises. He states that Orks suffer as some of their units are no longer as useful and therefore rarely used. Seems plausible but he is ignoring that almost any unit can be effective and therefore useful to an experienced general. Also, there are always units in a codex that are included for fluff or just for fun and do not need to be competitive. So much for his premise, but let's give him the benefit of the doubt.

He goes on to define Orkiness:

1. They shall be numerous.
2. They shall be strong in numbers.
3. They shall be fighty.

I have problems with #1 and #2 as they sound like the same thing stated different ways. Even if you grant that #2 may mean that they are greater than the sum of their parts in larger numbers, it is still weak. #3 just seems strange. What does that mean exactly and how are you going to achieve that?

Dead guys finished!

I wanted to a step-by-step on simple weathering but my phone crashed and I lost the pictures. You'll have to make due with this finished product.

The basics to dusty or dirty armor are this. Very light drybrush of Scorched Brown but only where mud would collect. Follow that with a drybrush of Graveyard Earth. that simulates dust and grime very well. If you need to brighten things up you can apply a very very light drybrush of bleached Bone. Be careful as going crazy with step can make things look strange. If you overdo it, you can back things up with a drybrush of Graveyard Earth again.

As far as the casualties, you'll have to saw or dremel off much of the back. A belt sander or disc sander works well for making the back flat. If this fails you can always cut a silhouette of the mini into the base and sink the mini into the base. Either way you get the same result.

For the lost accessories, make sure you do not just glue them to the base. When you drop something heavy on sand  or mud, it rarely will land flat especially if it is heavy. Flatness muddles the effect of a soldier that has dropped his arms. Glue a small bit of sprue to the weapon and file it down. This will put the bit at an angle.

This was the picture that inspired this.