Gobbo's Forge

MERCS Adventure

2012-02-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

I posted about MERCS Miniatures Skirmish game in the past and even picked up some miniatures as well as the rule book back a year or so ago. I have not had a chance to get them ready to play, but I now have friends who are interested in the game and we have started putting together some Megacon forces.

I will be adding several posts over the next few months to chronicle our adventures into this endeavor. I plan to post assembly pictures, painting steps and basing, as well as game plays, terrain building and use of 3D terrain in games. I will be reviewing the book in detail and adding information on new factions as well as FAQ information. I also plan to put up information as I work to become a Black Op for the company and get the game going in the Denver area.

Please feel free to comment below and let me know what you think as well as letting me know if you play and what you think of the game. Look me up on the MERCS official forums, I am Gobbo there and if your in the Denver area, please let me know so we can get together and play!

Happy New year! An interview with Eloy Lasanta

2012-01-08T18:38:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year one and all. I am hoping I find you all well and that your new year is turning out like mine has so far! I am back to playing Airsoft and I am starting a new diet that will hopefully drop me a few pounds!

Today is the start of my new year of blogging and I have a special treat for you all! Today I got the chance to chat with my friend Eloy Lasanta from Third Eye Games. http://www.thirdeyegames.net

Gobbo: Who are you and what is your gamer cred?

Eloy: I'm Eloy Lasanta and I'm the owner of Third Eye Games, but I have also freelanced with Vajra Enterprises and Paradigm Concepts as well. I've been playing games from the age of 13, so almost 20 years, and I'm a bit of a system whore. I love to try out as many new games as possible, just gobbling them all up as I come across them. I am known as the RPG motivator, because i'm behind the idea that anyone with the right diligence can create a game and get it out to the masses. I field tons of e-mails from prospective publishers/writers looking for advice and I love to help them out.

Gobbo: How long have you been making games?

Eloy: I launched Third Eye Games officially just over 3 years ago, but I have been writing for games since i began playing. My groups used to write up all kinds of additions to our games to enhance our play, where i wrote up adventures, amazing NPCs, new mechanics and other such gaming tools. That made it easy to roll into co-authoring a game called KidWorld and then also working on some supplemental material for Witch-Hunter: The Invisible World.

Gobbo: What is Third Eye Games and what inspired you to make titles like Apocalypse Prevention Inc., Wu Xing and Part Time Gods?

Eloy: Third Eye Games is my brainchild. It came partly from my frustration with some of the things that came along with freelancing (i.e. long waits for feedback - if you got any at all, the uncertainty of landing jobs, having to deal with getting paid, etc.), but ultimately was because I wanted an unfettered and unaltered vision for my own worlds.

To talk about the inspirations behind my 3 current gamelines would be quite the mouthful. All three games were concocted around the same time, but were at different stages of development (some were just more complete ideas than the others). Apocalypse Prevention, Inc. was the first gameline, taking my love of the supernatural quirkiness of Buffy and Hellboy and mixing it with a cool, detective Men In Black vibe to it. It deserved to be the flagship game for Third Eye Games. Wu Xing: The Ninja Crusade came out of my love for ninja anime like Ninja Scroll and Naruto and how over-the-top is all is. It took a long time to get it just right due to the complex setting that I wanted to create for it, one that I hoped would be unmatched by other games in the same genre. Part-Time Gods, my game of modern day divinity, was born for my fandom to Neil Gaiman, but i drew from a lot of other sources as well - like comics and the TV show Dead Like Me. All three have done quite well in the market. :-)

Gobbo: So what is Sinister?

Eloy: What is Sinister? Well, it's my take on the monster hunting/capture/collecting genre, turning this well-known idea into full-fledged tabletop RPG. While I have seen other attempts at this, none of them have really hit the mark as far as I'm concerned... so i'm giving it my own shot. Instead of developing it in private, however, i've invited the fans to coming along for the ride. Posting my thoughts, concepts and mechanics to my blog for everyone to see and comment on is giving me an even closer connection with the fans and will (hopefully) churn out the best game possible.

Gobbo: What can you tell us about Sinister that the Fans do not yet know?

Eloy: Something that the fans don't already know? Hard to say, really. Whenever i come up with a new concept I put it up on the blog for everyone to see. I will say that the combat is being specifically tailored for Sinister and is currently a nice mixture of elements from the Classic DGS an the new DGS-Lite. I hope to be able to unveil this new combat system to the fans soon, but I obviously need to make sure it actually works. lol.

Gobbo: Is there anything you can tell gamer fans that can help us break into the industry?

Eloy: I will say that Open Calls are uber-important, but the ability to communicate is crucial. If you respond to an open call with enthusiasm and a knowledge of the gamelines that are in question, then you'll no doubt at least be considered. With a good follow-up email, you may be able to land a job. Meeting with the developers at cons for lunch or even just a chat can cement you in their minds and make it almost impossible for them to say no. Of course, this all has to be backed up by talent as well, so you must practice, practice, practice your writing skills. Just when you think you are good enough, you need to find new ways to advance. Get opinions on your work from people that aren't your friends... that one is a big eye-opener for me. But like i said before, i'm always open to discuss publishing/freelancing with fans and those interested in getting into publishing.

Gobbo: Thank you so much Eloy for allowing me to interview you for my blog. I really loved when you let me give away a copy of Wu Xing on the site last year! You games are great and we love them here.

Eloy: Thanks for the having me for the interview, Lee

Eloy will be here in Denver CO at Genghis Con XXXII, February 17th - 20th. If you are in the area, sign up and try one of his great games! You can get more information on Sinister at Eloy's blog: http://eloythesaint.com/category/sinister/

New Years Resolution...

2011-12-23T21:41:00.000-08:00

I must confess, I have been a bit on the lacking side. Sorry folks. I do promise that I have some great stuff coming up for the new year...

A short interview with Third Eye Games, Eloy Lasanta, Information about the upcoming release for Dust Warfare, information about the San Francisco Sourcebook for Interface Zero, a Savage Worlds Steampunk conversion for Agents of Oblivion by Reality Blurs and much, much more.

Please, everyone have a safe and happy holiday season and I will see you back here in 2012...

The Gobbo!

Going off the Grid!

2011-09-30T23:42:00.000-07:00

Another artillery shell exploded on the hillside where Sergeant Rick Mayweather and his Death Dealers had bunkered in with a couple of Special Ops Rangers. Axis forces had them surrounded, but anytime the Axis soldiers started forward, one of the Special Ops Rangers picked him off. The snipers didn’t talk much, but they were crack shots. The artillery fire subsided as the sun began to set. Then Sgt. Mayweather started as he heard a thunderous sound that sent a chill down his spine. One of the Special Ops Rangers had already spotted the source through his binoculars and handed them to the Sergeant. Mayweather looked and cursed. The Axis forces had a combat walker, a Luther…

Planned even before the release Dust Tactics and made possible by its success, Dust Warfare is a tabletop miniatures game designed by veteran game designer Andy Chambers in which players take command of elite soldiers, awesome combat walkers, and inspiring heroes on the battlefronts of a World War II infused with alien technology.

Currently in a beta version, Dust Warfare premiered at Gen Con Indy 2011!

Dust Warfare allows players of Dust Tactics to experience alternate-reality World War II combat in an all-new way. The Dust Warfare rulebook incorporates and builds upon the rules of Dust Tactics to introduce some of the most dynamic and engaging miniatures game design available. Integrating strategic combat with the stunning miniatures from the fast and furious Dust Tactics board game, the Dust Warfare miniatures system uses–and will continue to use–all the stunning Dust Tactics miniatures.

The world of Dust

The year is 1947, and World War II rages on, fueled by the discovery of alien technology. In the alternate 1940s reality of Dust Warfare, Allied and Axis forces wage fierce battles for control of the rare ore, VK, needed to power new weapons and fearsome combat walkers.

Founded in 1938 after the discovery of an alien vessel in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, the Blutkreuz Korps features a host of the greatest minds among the Axis. Their scientific experimentation led to the development of the first combat walkers as well as laser weapons, the powerful Wiederbeleben Serum, and other military developments.

The Allied powers moved quickly to counter the new technology the Axis introduced to the battlefronts. The British SOE and American OSS agencies combined and were joined by spies from other Allied nations to form the top secret Allied Special Operations Command (ASOCOM). ASOCOM managed to steal weapons designs from Axis forces and developed combat walkers for the Allies.

Now ASOCOM and the Blutkreuz Korps continue to supply their armies with the newest advances while the war hinges not only on the strength and skill of their troops and commanders, but also on the tools of war they can wield!

A new alternative for your alternate 1940s reality

If you’re already a fan of Dust Tactics, you’ll recognize the fast and furious combat of Dust Warfare, the strategic challenges you must consider to win gripping scenarios, and all the fantastic miniatures. On the other hand, if this is your first experience with Dust miniatures, you’re in for a treat.

Designed to be as engaging and interactive as possible, Dust Warfare provides players with unique command options and keeps you involved during your opponent’s turn as innovative game mechanics allow your troops, walkers, and heroes to react to incoming threats. As you push toward victory, you need also to consider your army’s morale. Soldiers harried by constant fire may feel forced to retreat.

Command an army greater than the sum of its parts
As players wage an escalating battle, each turn divides neatly into two phases, the Command Phase and the Unit Phase. The Command Phase presents generals with the chance to exert their influence on the battlefront. As the commander, you may arrange special deployment of your troops, bolster your troops’ morale, or take advantage of other options. Players gain command points each turn and can spend them as they get them for immediate benefits or save them to aim for massive, dramatic effects in the later stages of the game.

During the Unit Phase, each player activates all available units, but no player should ever get stuck waiting for his turn. Reaction rules allow players to spend activations from their next turn to react to enemy fire or movement. Keen commanders will make good use of their react options, while others may employ feint tactics to draw away enemy fire and leave units vulnerable for later strikes.

As the battle grows toward a white-hot intensity and troops begin to fall, each commander needs to pay attention to his army’s morale. The constant barrage of enemy fire can suppress units or even force them to retreat! The good general realizes that as it distracts his enemy, a suppressed unit can pose a hindrance to his foe. Rules for suppression fire and morale give commanders new options, and the game provides incentive for damaging units, even if you can’t destroy them. Sometimes, just pinning them down creates a golden chance to pursue your strategy.

Adapt to a new environment

The elite soldiers and revolutionary weapons of Dust Tactics need to adapt quickly to their environment in Dust Warfare. Your forces will want to take advantage of terrain as they target their shots. Take control of hill tops and reduce your opponents to rubble as they approach. Blast through walls to expose your enemy’s troops. Dust Warfare provides new rules for line of sight, interacting with terrain, and reactive fire.

Dust Warfare incorporates all Dust Tactics miniatures released to-date. Players find tremendous flexibility in army design. Army builds allow for customized weapon load-outs and adaptable squad sizes.

Draw upon the wealth of units already available for Dust Tactics as you construct armies from squads, walkers and heroes, the main characters of the Dust universe. These famous warriors and legendary fighters lead your troops on the battlefield. When you design your army, you’ll want to review your heroes carefully. Their special gear and rules give their commanders tremendous tactical flexibility, and they can be nearly as tough to kill as an entire squad!

Future miniatures will simultaneously enrich gameplay for both Dust Tactics and Dust Warfare. I am playtesting this awesome game and am really pleased at the way it is shaping up. I wish I could say more, but that would require everyone in the world to sign an NDA. I will post more as I am able too.

Fantasy Flight Games loss...

2011-09-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

... is Vigil Games gain!

Ross holding one of his creations!

Ross Watson [lead developer and line editor for the 40k RPGs] has left FFG as of the end of August. He has moved on, not for any bad reason, but as one of the team working on the Dark Millennium Warhammer 40K Massive Multi-player Online game.

Information about FFG can be found at their website HERE.

Information about DM 40K MMO and Vigil games may be found HERE!

'Dark Crystal' RPG

2011-08-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

From Archaia Entertainment

Archaia Entertainment, publisher of the Dark Crystal comic book, has announced plans to release a role-playing game based on the Jim Henson classic late in 2012. ICv2 caught up with Mark Smylie with the details at the recent Gen Con game fair.

“It will be fairly simple, all-ages appropriate, and available for younger players,” Smylie explained. The game will be designed by Luke Crane, who also created the Mouse Guard RPG for Archaia and the award-winning Burning Wheel.

The Dark Crystal RPG will use similar rules to those found in Mouse Guard. Players will be able to create gelfling characters and explore the world of the film.

Smylie indicated that the game will be released as a single hardcover book, and may later be presented in a boxed set as well. Archaia hopes to have the game finished in time for Gen Con.

A sequel to the Jim Henson and Frank Oz film is reportedly in the works (see “‘Dark Crystal’ Sequel Set”).

BUCKAROO BANZAI IS BACK!

2011-08-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

CALLING ALL BLUE BLAZE IRREGULARS…

Buckaroo Banzai Adventure Game Coming In Spring 2012 From Adamant Entertainment

Adamant Entertainment, in association with the Banzai Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Strategic Information, has entered into a license agreement by which Adamant will be producing the Buckaroo Banzai Adventure Game — a training manual for Blue Blaze Irregulars which uses the format of a tabletop role-playing game in order to prepare BBI recruits for the sorts of situations in which they may find themselves while aiding Buckaroo. The training manual will feature guidelines for taking on the roles of either your own Blue Blaze Irregular Strike Team, or the roles of Dr. Buckaroo Banzai and the Hong Kong Cavaliers themselves. Familiarize yourselves with global threats ranging from Red Lectroids from Planet 10 to Hanoi Xan and the World Crime League; Learn about the specialized equipment available from the Banzai Institute, such as the Oscillation Overthruster and the Jet Car; And begin to embrace the motto of the Blue Blaze Irregulars: “Helping him to help us.”

“Buckaroo’s on sabbatical in the lamasery in Kathmandu,” said Reno Nevada, the Banzai Institute’s director of merchandising, and tenor saxophone for the Hong Kong Cavaliers, “But he’s pleased as punch about the Adventure Game. We’ve discussed the need for a training manual for the Blue Blaze Irregulars, outside of Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and The Hagakure. So yeah, Thumbs Up from Buckaroo, and from us here at the Institute.”

“As a BBI since the release of Docudrama in 1984, I am thrilled to be working with the Banzai Institute,” said Gareth-Michael Skarka, director of Adamant Entertainment. “It’s been a dream project of mine, and I’m honored that Buckaroo has seen fit to give us his blessing.”

The Buckaroo Banzai Adventure Game will ship to game stores worldwide in Spring 2012, and will feature a cover by acclaimed illustrator Dave Dorman.

GEN CON... ITS OVER 9000!!!!!

2011-08-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

So Gen Con was an amazing trip this year as it always is. There were a TON of people Gen Con broke, no, CRUSHED their previous record. There were over 36,000 unique attendees at Gen Con this year! With over 9,000 registered events over the 4 days. The charity portion of the Con collected over $19,000 for School on Wheels, Gen Con’s charity of choice for 2012!

More info on what I played as I get time to talk about the stuff I did.

DARK AGE: Apocalypes

2011-08-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

'Dark Age' Version 2

From CoolMiniorNot.com and Dark Age Games

A miniatures game based on the fantasy artwork of Brom, called Dark Age Apocalypse is being presented in a new edition by the combined team of Dark Age Games and CoolMiniorNot.com. ICv2 caught up with Kevin Clark of CoolMiniorNot.com for the details: “All of the original concepts, the whole setting, everything was his (Brom's) sort of world, his vision. And that’s what we spawned the game out of. Since then we’ve had other people come in and start adding to it, but that was sort of our beginnings.”

Brom has been a popular fantasy artist for some years. His style is characterized by dark, edgy themes and gothic fantasy imagery. A collectible card game based on his art was briefly published, and the backstory from that game became the foundation for the miniatures system.

The theme of the game is a post-apocalyptic alien world, in which humans and alien races compete to establish colonies. The current version will be the second edition of the game.

Dark Age Apocalypse is currently available in two hard cover books. The first book, Core Rules has a suggested retail price of $20. The second book includes rules for the different forces in the game, with a retail price of $40. Both books are new for this edition, and feature hard covers and full-color interiors.

The new edition is being supported with a series of five starter boxes, designed to simplify entry into the game for new players. Clark explains: “We recreated our entry point for the product. It’s easier to get into now. Now you don’t have to pick individual things—we sort of bundled up a basic ‘this is where you should start’ idea.”

The starter sets will run between $40 and $60 retail, depending on faction. Individual models are also available, running from $8 to $30 in price. All models come unpainted and unassembled. Large models are molded in resin, while smaller models are metal.

Additional models will be produced throughout the rest of the year, and plans are in the works for additional expansion material to release in 2012.

Dark Age Games will be handling the product development and CoolMiniorNot.com will be handling the production and manufacturing of the game.

GENCON

2011-08-03T15:11:00.001-07:00

I will be there. If you are too. I hope I see you. If not, then I am WINNING! ;)

pics and other info to come!

Watch this.

2011-06-04T06:49:00.001-07:00

Prices... AWAY!!!!

2011-05-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

Just to give an idea of the way a friend of mine feels about the latest GW price hike:

This cartoon was done by Brian Simpson and you can see more of his work at http://www.tidecomic.com/

WTF GW?

2011-05-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

To say GW is a little out of touch with thier players is... well... I guess like saying the desert is a little dry!

Here is a link to GWs investor policies...

http://investor.games-workshop.com/information_for_investors/talk_to_tom/archive/default.aspx

I love where the person asks:

I am a relatively new investor to the GW hobby. Obviously, it does quite
well. I am wondering about the pricing though. I have been to the GW stores, and the pricing seems quite high. Are there plans to raise or lower these prices in the future?

And they respond with:

What we are selling is a hobby – not toys and not a pass-time. Committed gamers and collectors and modellers know they get wonderful value for money from Games Workshop products. Far better value, I suggest, than from similar amounts of money spent on meals out, sports events, boozy nights in the pub. Go to the cinema and you can have an hour and a half of fun. Buy Warhammer and you can enjoy it for the rest of your life! Tom

Wait what?

I am just looking for affordable toys. Not a freekin lifestyle! Well, GW, I am done. I am now selling off all my GW stuff and showing you where your ideas about pricing and hobby can go!

Ok, Rant off. Please see my Bartertown account to get some great trades on GW stuff! >:(

GW announces Finecast

2011-05-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

From the GW site:

Games Workshop's quest to create the best quality miniatures in the world is about to take a huge step forward...

On 28th May we are launching Citadel Finecast miniatures to the world.

Don't miss the full announcement on games-workshop.com on the 23rd May to find out more.

Be sure to be at your local Hobby Centre to experience this unique, once-in-a-lifetime launch day! This will be your first chance to see, touch and buy Citadel Finecast miniatures.

In the meantime, there's only one question you need to ask yourself:

"What will my first Citadel Finecast miniature be?"

Ah ha, so that's what they've been up to in the Studio. I had wondered why, when I walked in there, people kept hiding models under their desk. From what I've seen of the new miniatures (I accidentally picked one of them up without realising what it was) they look absolutely stunning. So stay tuned, because next Monday you'll all get to find out a whole lot more about them.

So No answer as to what the minis will be, but there is a rumor that all metal figures will have a jump of 0% to 28% depending on the figure. WTF GW? Good thing I stopped playing your games already!

MERCS Skirmish game

2011-05-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

MERCS, is a Science Fiction miniature Skirmish game designed and produced by MERCS Miniatures LLC. You can take a look at their website here. I am going to do this review in phases, as I am learning the rules and playing around with the figures. I really feel any game company that is new and coming up in the world deserves a fair shake and at lease a cursory once over. My general impression of the company from a consumers point of view is that they really want to be in touch with their players. They are fast to answer emails and post up responses on their forums. They have done interviews on a few blogs [maybe I can get one of those?] and even on Beasts of War.

What is MERCS?

MERCS [Military Economic Reconnaissance Counter Security] is a 28mm heroic scale skirmish game. The system has some really innovative and interesting rules and mechanics. MERCS was nominated for the Origins Award for Best Science Fiction game/miniatures. I will get to the rules later, first lets look over the rulebook.

MERCS Rulebook

The MERCS rulebook is a hardcover Smythe sewn book. The paper is high quality and very thick and would almost require a hack saw to cut them. It is a full color book with really great art and a lot of photos of the miniatures. The fluff and stories in the book are extremely well done and very entertaining. They have 4 factions in the book all of which are fully supported by the miniatures line and all seem very well balanced and have a unique flavor compared to each other. At only $35 retail this book is WELL worth the cost and great for the fluff alone!

CCC Yellow Jackets Assault Leader

The system is unique in many ways. While other games have used cards for the individual models [Warmachine, Anima Tactics], but none [other than the old Wizkids game Pirates of the Spanish Main] have used these cards for movement. Each character when activated has a number of MP [Movement points] each of which is one card length. Most weapons [unless they are template weapons] have an unlimited range, which does not concern me as the standard play area is 2'x3' or 3'x3'.

One of the most unique aspects of the system is your force creation. Once you chose what Faction you want to play, you pick 5 figures from that force with only a few restrictions. The main restriction is that you can only choose one of each "type". So you can not have more than one Sniper or one Heavy Assault. Right now, there are only 5 figures in each faction, but there are a few Limited Edition sculpts and the second book [which is in play test] will expand the factions and add a few more [two that we know of for sure]. In my next review, I will be looking at the system itself and showing off the figures in a little more detail.

I know! I know! I am sorry!

2011-05-06T10:33:00.001-07:00

A month is way too long between posts! I am sorry. Don't hit me again! ;)

I will be updateing this afternoon with a review of the MERCS miniature Rulebook:

Wow! How stoked can a guy be?

2011-04-07T21:39:00.000-07:00

Pretty flipping stoked I tell you! First I am hired by Dragon Forge Designs to make some masters for a set of bases for them. Today they announced the set officially. They can be seen here: http://dragonforgedesign.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-base-series-from-dragon-forge.html?spref=fb

They are now up for Pre-order! http://dragonforge.com/Painting%20service/for%20sale/base_sets/sci-fi/omega_prime.htm

Then, I get an email from a friend letting me know that that article made it on to Table Top Gaming News!!!!! http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/2011/04/07/45424

Now if you will excuse me, I have to go do a little dance!!!!

The Gobbo

Portable Warfare Sergeant

2011-04-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

I have recently received a new army transport bag from a newer company called Portable Warfare. The Sergeant is their first offering into the transport market. I specifically purchased this bag for my blog in order to review the product and see how it stacks up to some of the other bags on the market. I have [or used to own] several different products. I have had GX cases, Army Transport from Sabol Designs, bags from the now defunct Charon Designs, as well as a couple of Battle Foam bags.

Lets go over the features this bag has and I will make comparisons as we go.

The bag is a soft side case [like Army Transport], but has a MUCH sturdier feel to the material. The outer shell is canvas [like Battle Foam], but with out any hard inserts. It feel stronger than the plastic feeling of the Sabol Designs bags [I have had 3 Sabol bags tear or the zippers rip out] and is padded enough to withstand normal abuse [don't let the monkeys at the air port check this one!]. It came by US postal service and the shipping cost is the same anywhere in the US [prices over seas may vary].

The Bag is very handsome and with tight stitching that does not look or feel cheap. It is double stitched and seems like it will last, even with some minor abuse. The shoulder strap is solid and comes off at the clips. Note also that there is a matching clip at the bottom of the bag so you can clip more than one bag together to increase your transport options. The pockets on the bag are well designed and useful, unlike some bags I have had the the pockets don't seem to make sense as to location or use.

The bag opens at the top as well as down one side for easy access. This has become very common in the last few years with most company's designs. The foam set I purchased is their Build Out #2 [1x3", 1x2", 1x1.5", 3x1"] as I plan to use this for my 3 Infinity armies. The other option is Build Out #1 [1x3", 2x2", 2x1.5"]. Both build outs are viable as well as ordering the bag itself [only $37.95 for just the bag].

Now on to the thing that makes this bag different than any I have owned in the past. The Blü Foam. This foam has a higher density than the rest of the trays and does not bend very easy. It is still soft and I do not think that it will cause damage to any of your figures or paint. It does not bend as easy as any other tray I have ever owned. It is pliable and yet it is soft.

Overall, I am really impressed with this bag. The trays are great and the companies customer service has been top notch. I am very impressed with the foam and love that if you already have a Army Transport from Sabol, these trays will fit right in. It has enough space to hold up to 10" of foam [that is 10" not including the 1/4" for the bottom of each tray] .

I am giving this product a solid 9 out of 10 and will abuse mine a bit more and will come back to revisit it once I have done so.

The same company has a series of Resin bases called War Cast Studios and they sent along a sample pack that I will be looking at in a later posting. Also keep an eye on their site as the owner has leaked to me this quote:

"I am coming out with a new storage product next month which will be a low cost solution for folks that don't want to spend the money on a bag and foam, but still would like something to store their miniatures in."

The Gobbo

And the Winner is!

2011-03-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

My first contest has been a success! A HUGE thank you to Ron Blessing of the podcast "The Games the Thing" and to Eloy Lasanta [creator of Wu Xing: The Ninja Crusade] for taking time from their Busy schedules to help in the judging of this contest.

We had 15 entries in the Haiku contest and a winner has been found. so with out further ado the winner is:

Outlawed by their land

The servant hunts its master

Seeking blood for peace

This entry is brought to us by Ryan Donnelly. I have sent him notification and will email him his code for a free e-copy of Wu Xing, provided to us by Third Eye Games! Congratulations Ryan!

All other entries are listed below. Some really Great ones in here folks! Thanks for entering!

Silent but deadly

With gastronomic distress

They kill with their wind

Gobbo got me hooked

Infinity Rocks my socks

Yu Jing Ninja Rule!

Destruction and death

The emperor called for blood

Ninja now lotus

Ninja now outlaws

Lotus Coalition formed

Together they stand

Old feuds set aside

Ninja unite to survive

Forced to stand as one

Ninja maintain peace

Their nation turns upon them

Peace only through blood

Want to be ninja?

Wu Xing, Kick Ass R.P.G.

Get your Ninja on!

Shadows dance on walls

Cherry Blossoms on the Wind

Silence brings the end.

Running in the Night

Shadows Cloak all our Numbers

Fear the Ninja’s Wrath!

Shadow on the roof

Poison line at the ready

The assassin kills"

Assassins in black

Prowl by night to their target

Death by shuriken

The silent shadow

Unseen on this winter night

Seeks his prey, the rice

Springtime flower blooms

Ninja strikes! Slicing green shaft

For geisha girlfriend

Like a Silent Wind

The Ninja moves from tree to tree

Death falls like cold rain

Haiku Winner to be announced later tonight!

2011-03-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

Thats right. We had some great entries [I will post them all once we have found a winner] and the judges are scouring them as we speak! This evening results should be in and we will announce the lucky winner!

Keep checking back!

Only one day left for entries!

2011-03-24T15:41:00.001-07:00

Please see my last post and enter soon, tomorrow night [03/25/11] and midnight I will send the ones I have off to be judged!

http://gobbosforge.blogspot.com/2011/02/gobbos-first-contest.html

Gobbo's First Contest

2011-02-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

Third Eye Games had a Giveaway in the month of February. Every day you could win a copy of the Wu Xing: The Ninja Crusade RPG rules. I won a copy and was sent my code. I did however, already get a free copy of the PDF when I purchased the Print copy of the book.

So, since I don't need a second digital copy of the rules, I am holding a contest. It will run today through the 25th of March. The winner will be determined by myself as well as Ron Blessing of "The Games The Thing" podcast and Eloy Lasanta, the creator of the game!

The contest is simple. Well, as long as you can count it is! You need to write a Ninja themed Haiku. This needs to be an original haiku of your own creation. So what is a Haiku?

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry, consisting of 17 moras (or on), in three phrases of 5, 7, and 5 moras respectively. Although haiku are often stated to have 17 syllables, this is not completely accurate as syllables and moras are not the same. Haiku typically contain a kigo (seasonal reference), and a kireji (cutting word). In Japanese, haiku are traditionally printed in a single vertical line and tend to take aspects of the natural world as their subject matter, while haiku in English often appear in three lines to parallel the three phrases of Japanese haiku and may deal with any subject matter.

As an example here is one of my favorite haiku:

Haiku are easy

But sometimes they don't make sense

Refrigerator

So, all entries must be submitted to WuXingHaiku@gmail.com and must be received by midnight March 25th [GMT -7] . Make them fun, make them creative, but most important, make them NINJA!

Winner will be announced as soon after the contest is over as is possible. I estimate it may take a week to go through all the entries and we need to review and verify them to be original.

Thanks for looking,

The Gobbo

Freeblades of Faelon

2011-02-21T20:05:00.000-08:00

This last weekend was Genghis Con here in Denver and I was in attendance from Thursday through Sunday [as usual]. My friend Marc came to me and told me he had played in a demo just that after noon of a really interesting Fantasy Skirmish game called "Freeblades" [which I had never heard of] from a company calling itself "DGS" [nor had I heard of them]. I went over to the lobby area of the convention hall and found a group of distinguished gentlemen who were all wearing shirts with the DGS logo on it and told them [as I was getting ready for another game starting in 20 minutes] that I did not have time to try the game just then, but could the give me their "pitch"?

One of the gents gladly pulled me aside and showed me a map.

"This," he said, "is Faelon, it is the world setting for all three of the games we are developing." My first thought was, THREE? What, one game isn't good enough?

He then went on to explain that DGS was working on a skirmish level miniatures game [Freeblades], a mass battle game [Blademaster] and a roleplaying game [Bright Sword] all set in the same world, which would be completely cross compatible. If you had a party of characters who end up in a massive battle, just port them over and use the mass combat rules. "There are 14 Factions in playtest in all 3 systems right now." 14? Holy... Well, they couldn't all be cool ideas could they? French style Knights with magic, Roman style troops riding Velociraptor, Corrupted Mongolian style horsemen, Desert Necromancers, Lizardmen Pirates! Does this list ever end?

The systems are almost identical between sets and use a wide range of dice [some of which I had never seen before!], ranging from d4 to d30 [with d14, d16 and d24's being the ones I didn't know existed!] It sounded good, so the next evening [after I had already bought a few of the figures, which look awesome by the way] I sat down to try out the game.

The table was a set of caverns in which there were placed 6 tokens that were representing treasures [these could be just gold, or they could be a special item of protection or a magic sword]. The goal was to get the most treasures off the board, before your enemy. Each side had 3 players and 8 figures on the table. One leader and a couple minor heroes, along with a few fodder figures [come on... it was funny!]. In the end, it was a great time and we all had fun. My team won thanks to a shot from our archer, who had a d10 in his RAR [Ranged Attack Rating], who needed a 10 to hit, rolling a total of 24 [dice spike, or re-roll and add on a max roll for the die type], taking out their Leader with an amazing shot, that in all likely hood should have hit one of our own whom were in base contact with the victim!

All in all the system is fast and fun and once it is finished in playtest, 4 of the factions will be released in the Skirmish game.

For more info and to find out more about the great systems and sign up to playtest go to their web site at http://www.dgsgames.com/

3EG

2011-02-10T14:26:00.000-08:00

Just yesterday I listened to a podcast called "The Games The Thing" [Great Podcast! but not what I am here to talk about today]. They had a gentleman on by the name of Eloy Lasanta, who is the owner/Lead designer for the company Third Eye Games. I had never heard of them so I did a little research and looked at their products and games.

Their First offering is a game called "Apocalypse Prevention, INC." The company describes the game as follows:

Monsters and demons have existed on Earth since its inception, terrorizing humanity throughout history. But some of them decided to fight back, creating a company of like-minded beings (even other demons) to defend the Earth from supernatural threats. Today, the shadow company has it’s hands in every facet of life all around the globe, using this grasp to police supernatural activity. Demon races that live on Earth (i.e. the aquatic Lochs, shape-shifting Changelings, or even the pyrotechnic Burners) have joined the company as well, ensuring their safety as well as humanity’s.
Each agent arms themselves in a different way. Some become adepts, practitioners of magic who can learn from 18 unique and highly customizable Paths of Magic. Some enhance their body with Cybernetic implants, chipping away a small portion of their humanity for the greater good. Some train heavily in Combat Training, learning to protect themselves without reliance on experimental technology or the very magic they seek to stop. Others meet somewhere in the middle. With almost limitless combinations of powers and abilities, they can dabble in many things and become well-rounded agents.

API has been described by others as what you’d get if Joss Whedon and Mike Mignola wrote Men in Black. I will not go into the system as I don't know it near as well as I want to and once I have a chance to get a game or 3 under my belt, I will write a more formal review.

For 3EG's second offering they have given us "Wu Xing: The Ninja Crusade". A book that their site describes as:

The Emperor has called for blood! All ninja of the Izou Empire face the crushing might of their own nation. Where once there was peace, now there is only destruction and death. The ninja are forced to fight back, wielding the ancient art of chi manipulation alongside their shuriken and katana. Empire soldiers pack their own secret weapons to combat ninja wushu... powerful firearms.
The ninja of the realm have assembled into their own army, the Lotus Coalition. Together, they hope to take down the Empire and stop the reign of destruction upon the people of the land. That is if they can overcome centuries old feuds and rivalries that could destroy them from within!

This game has been tauted as a cross between Naruto and Avatar: The Last Airbender, with a little Basilisk thrown in for good measure. This is the game they reviewed on the podcast and it sounded so fun, I had to get a copy. This game encourages players to work together or die at the hands of the Empire alone.

The new game they mentioned that will be out later this year [???], is a game called "Part-Time Gods" is a rules light version of the DGS [Dynamic Game System]. It looks to be inspired by the novel "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman [of The Sandman and Stardust fame]. Sounds like a blast! Can not wait to see this one.

Well, that about wraps up what I have researched about Third Eye Games and what they make. More info once the books arrive and I can read more in depth!

Now, let me know if you pick these up and what you think of the system. For the month of February only, if you buy the print version of Wu Xing on drivethrurpg.com, you get the PDF for free! More info at this link: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?discount=37669

Dungeons and Dragons Threatens Prison Security, Court Rules

2011-01-28T15:50:00.000-08:00

If you're an orc or a wizard, you'd better keep your nose clean.
A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit weighed in Wednesday on a matter of grievous import to the nation's prisons: Dungeons & Dragons. And the Court's ruling was bad news for naughty nerds nationwide, concluding that the innocent-seeming board game was inviting trouble.

The case brought before the Appeals Court argued that D&D inhibited prison security, because "cooperative games can mimic the organization of gangs and lead to the actual development thereof." And therefore Kevin T. Singer, a long-time dungeon-explorer sentenced to life in prison in 2002 for bludgeoning and stabbing his sister’s boyfriend, was denied access to his magical staffs and pieces of gold.

According to the published ruling, Captain Bruce Muraski, who serves as disruptive group coordinator for the Waupun Correctional Institute in Wisconsin, elaborated that "during D&D games, one player is denoted the 'Dungeon Master.' The Dungeon Master is tasked with giving directions to other players, which Muraski testified mimics the organization of a gang."

In other words, the case didn't hang on whether the dice were loaded or the game's books were cooked or seditious. It argued that limiting the use of board games would deter gang activity. The argument had more nuances than a 12-sided die; for all the legal details, check the Geeks Are Sexy blog.

It's a blow to role-players everywhere -- criminal role-players that is. Law-abiding citizens are safe .So heed this warning and rob no more, or you'll find you've slain your last halfling.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/01/26/dungeons-dragons-threatens-prison-security-court-rules/#ixzz1CNRK26yw

Reaper Miniatures changes name and Ex illis closes...

2011-01-27T14:11:00.000-08:00

Reaper Miniatures and Asylum Miniatures, and the Master Model Color line have changed their name to Hobby Q!

http://www.hobby-q.com/

Ex Illis has closed its doors. For now...

Dust Tactics

2011-01-22T12:40:00.000-08:00

I picked up DUST Tactics the other day. The background is described on the Fantasy Flights Games as:

The year is 1947. The war that started eight years ago when Germany invaded Poland is not over. Rather, the conflict has spread worldwide, and but a handful of countries cling to relative neutrality. Throughout the world, three major superpowers fight to claim exclusive control over a revolutionary source of power: Vk. This rare ore, mined from deep within the earth, has revealed extraordinary properties and ushered in the design of gigantic combat robots capable of challenging the world’s most advanced tanks. The initial discovery of Vk, which seems only to be found in the most inhospitable places on the planet, is shrouded in rumor and propaganda. One thing is certain: each major superpower wants not only to control Vk, but to deny it to their enemies. Elite troops and massive combat robots wage violent battles to claim these energy reservoirs... and this is the story of such a battle.

The contents are described on the back of the box as:

Dust Tactics is a tactical miniatures board game for 2-4 players. In an alternate 1940s reality, alien technology fuels gigantic machines of war as the forces of the Axis and Allies clash over rare mineral deposits that could inevitably decide the outcome of the war. With over 30 highly detailed miniatures, 9 double-sided terrain boards, 12 custom dice, unit cards, terrain, and plastic scenery, Dust Tactics delivers everything you need to wage battles in the world of Dust.

I have played several games from the Scenario book in the box. The scenarios are mostly well balanced and fun to play. The system is fast and it is easy to play several games in one sitting.

The expandability of the game is great as several unit boxes have been released already and several more have been announced, as well as a couple new campaign packs. The campaign packs will have new scenarios, map tiles and rules for things like Artillery, Air support and new Heroes.

Click to join 1-48COMBAT

Warmachine - Wrath

2010-12-30T11:32:00.000-08:00

This ad was taken from Game Trade magazine and is the first unveiling of the upcoming Warmachine - Wrath product with a release date of June 2011. The image is showing a Khadoran Gun Carriage. Expect much more on this one in the days ahead.

Games Workshop sues Chapter House Studios

2010-12-29T12:07:00.000-08:00

Games Workshop, maker of the ever popular Warhammer 40,000 miniatures game has filed a lawsuit for Intellectual Property violations.

Here is a link to the actual PDF of the filing...

http://207.41.16.133/rfcViewFile/10cv8103.pdf

SDE Demo board WIP...

2010-12-28T22:39:00.000-08:00

Hey all, I am just wanting to show you a couple of WIP shots for my new Super Dungeon Explore Demo board:

I started with Foam core as the base and made the squares 1.5" on a side.

Then as you can see I have started the process of adding in walls with the Blue foam. I will keep you up on how it looks as I hit different stages....

Here is a shot with some figures so you can see the size...

Super Dungeon Explore Figures - Part II

2010-12-28T19:52:00.000-08:00

Well folks, time to show off the Good guys...

So the Good guys usually get less figures on the map, but they have considerably more power than the Kobolds. While the Kobolds can re-spawn and have numbers on their side, the Good guys have Quality.

Rogue

Dwarf

Paladin

Archer

Mage

RPG Madness!

2010-12-27T06:24:00.000-08:00

Well, I am delving into the scary position known as the Game Operations Director again [G.O.D.] and am going to be running a [hopefully] long term campaign again. The game I have chosen is one I have run before as a play tester. It is called Sundered Skies and is for the Savage Worlds System.

Sundered Skies is a dark fantasy set thousands of years after a cataclysm destroyed a world. Countless islands orbit one another in a fathomless void which glows with a constant madness inducing light.

Players will be scavengers, and adventurers travelling on skyships seeking their fortune. However, things are valued on their usefulness in resource poor Sundered Skies. A well made wooden chest is much more valuable than the gold it may hold. Forces of malevolence and madness conspire to destroy the skies. A small band of heroes find themselves standing directly between this terrible threat, and the destruction of all they know.

The world is not your typical Fantasy game and the direction the campaign takes depends a lot on the characters and their actions. The wonderfully written game was done by Game writing veteran Dave Blewer whom I got to chat with and work closely with during the play test.

Super Dungeon Explore Fugures

2010-12-24T21:01:00.001-08:00

I am working on my Promo SDE figures and getting ready to play a few games of the demo rules which are available on Sodapop Miniatures main web site. Here is a direct link: http://web.sodapopminiatures.com/downloads/SuperDungeonExplore/sdedemorules.pdf

The rules are fast and seem to play well. You can even try them now by using other figures [you may already have] to try it out.

Here is a shot of my Kobolds with their fancy new bases:

Evil little blighters!

Here are the solo shots of the different Kobolds:

Flinger

Knucklehead

Ironscale

Ironscale shield

Dragon Priest

Gouger

Mouse Guard Returns!

2010-12-21T20:34:00.000-08:00

And so you do not have to pay $200 for the rule book... This comes from the Authors Website:

At the NYCC we announced that there will be a Boxed Set of the Mouse Guard RPG to be out later this year. We have currently sold out of the Hardcover (though your local shops and online retailers may still have some in stock) and with plans to reprint, we thought we would offer a deluxe package as well that is full of stuff fans of the game asked for. Also the cover art is the piece I was working on a few weeks back when I was ustreaming the ink-flatting-coloring process and Photoshop crashed on me and I lost everything. (I rescanned and colored the piece the next day)

Among the items to be included in the box will be: a softcover edition of the 320-page Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game, a pad of character sheets, a pad of GM sheets, a folding GM screen with handy reference charts, a map of the territories, 5 mouse pawns (which I carved the master for) to mark locations on the map, and a few more items I'd like to talk about in more detail:

A brand-new 44-page supplement* with new missions and adventures. Luke and I had said from the start that we didn't want to expand the game and make supplements unless we had very good reason to. So in the booklet we cover a few new rules including riding mounts, 'weapons' for conflicts, & three new locations: Flintrust, Grasslake, and Sandmason. The pre-made characters from the main RPG book have been advanced, Celanawe has been added to Kenzie's patrol, and an entire new patrol of characters from the Mouse Guard comics has been made into template characters. With all of that AND three new missions, we feel like this was a supplement worth making.

Dice: In the Mouse Guard RPG, the dice rolls are almost binary: failure( 1-3) and success (4-6) ...with 6 being noted as a 'bonus' success that you can re-roll to gain even more successes. So we designed special dice that are included in this set(x10). The failures are represented by a snake eating it's own tail, the successes are crossed swords, and the '6' is replaced by the Black Axe. The image shown here is a photoshop mockup I made, so the final product may vary slightly from what is pictured.

Cards: Three decks of 12 Action Cards each, 15 Condition Cards, & 21 Weapon Cards. All of the cards are designed to help players streamline play. Instead of having to re-reference the book, or pass it among the players every turn, players can refer to their cards of options with rules noted on each. Playing them also saves writing and erasing over and over on your character sheet and/or scrap paper. The weapons cards (of which I did new artwork for..though the cards shown are not the final design of the card layout, but rather to show the artwork) help players understand the rules for their weapons. Mace was also added with special rules for the boxed set.

*The plan is to release the supplement booklet as a .pdf purchase so that players who already have the original RPG hardcover are not forced to buy the boxed set in order to take advantage of the new rules.

SDE Demo Rules!!!

2010-12-15T14:12:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to be able to post this up after much anticipation and excitement about this game. Here are a few more teasers for you to look at first:

Demo table from Gencon for Super Dungeon Explore

A fantastic table that was used to show people the game this last Summer at Gencon! I wish I could have made it, but no such luck this year.

The Heroes

It the first set of the games miniatures there will be 5 Heroes and 5 types of Kobolds. One player plays each side and the Kobold player has more that the Heroes in most scenarios. Kobolds are crunchy and kind of frail, but have respawn points on the board and can keep coming back, the points can be destroyed by the heroes. Here is the Demo rules in a PDF format straight from the Folks at Sodapop Miniatures. Note these are the basics of the game and one scenario so you can give the game a good once over.

http://www.mediafire.com/?viatsas25rsezwa

The Gobbo

Super Dungeon Explore Updates!

2010-12-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

John Cadice [Creative Director - Owner] of Soda Pop Miniatures writes and says:

We have kicked off something we call the 12 days of Super Dungeon Explore - we are revealing new characters every day and culminating with the reveal of our Demo game.
Miniatures will be available this month in our real scale - and in enough variety to play the entire demo experience... and remember, this is just a taste.

Super Dungeon Explore details:
Launching in 2011 - Soda Pop Miniatures is launching our hybrid miniatures board game. A fully expandable dungeon romping experience where players duel as either a band of brave heroes, or as the master of a sprawling dungeon and all of its minions. Our miniatures are unique in the hobby industry, as we break the mold and create the first authentic Chibi/Super Deformed fantasy miniatures range. Putting thousands of hours in front of our game consoles back onto the table top to enjoy!

Experience the demo rules December 12th, download it from www.sodapopminiatures.com - miniatures sold individually and in battle packs. So get out your tools, scrap together yourself a dungeon board, and get ready for fun!

Deathwatch Begins....

2010-12-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

I have started my 1st Space Marine chapter ad I have decided to use a bit of the fluff from the Deathwatch RPG book by Fantasy Flight Games. A Deathwatch kill team belongs to a Watch fortress and is under the command and direction of a Watch Captain. This Watch Captain assigns missions for the Kill Team. Normally they work alone in small squads using any equipment from Scout Armor and Bike, on up to Tactical Dreadnought Armor [Terminator Armor]. Once in a great while there comes a threat so horrible, so Evil, that the Watch Captain may call in all his Kill Teams and take the field with them as a fighting force.

This is where my Army comes in. I have decided to use the Space Marine Codex to do my Deathwatch as there is not yet a codex that allows for Sternguard to be troops. If one ever does that, I will be switching to that codex. So, I have implemented the next best thing...

Pedro Cantor! He makes the Sternguard count as scoring, but not troops. With this in mind, here is the list I have come up with:

[post the list tomorrow]

News! Final [hopefully] notice on the UM move.

2010-12-03T13:42:00.000-08:00

Here we go!

We can now confirm that shipping of the Ultramarines DVD Collector’s Set will start next week. Orders will be prioritised according to the date that they were received. All orders placed should be shipped by the end of that week.

You will receive a confirmation email once your order has been dispatched and you can expect delivery within 2 – 4 days of that ship date.

Once again, please accept our sincere apologies for this delay. We do hope that you will soon be able to enjoy your Ultramarines movie.

Codex Pictures

Ultramarines update III

2010-12-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

So we have another update from Codex Pictures on the Ultramarines Movie:

We regret to tell you that we are not yet in a position to confirm a dispatch date for Ultramarines, although we still anticipate shipping to commence next week. Both the Codex team and our suppliers are continuing to work flat out to make this happen.

Some of you waiting for your order have asked us what the problem is. We would like to reassure you the issue is not with the movie itself, but with one of the other components of the collector’s set.

Once more, please accept our sincere apologies for the delay. We will posting further updates on www.ultramarinesthemovie.com and emailing all existing customers as soon as we have more news.

Codex Pictures

Ultramarines Movie delay update

2010-11-30T15:27:00.001-08:00

Per the Codex Pictures Website:

Further to our announcement yesterday, due to a production issue outside our control, we were not able to start shipping existing orders of the complete Ultramarines DVD collector’s set on November 29th 2010 as planned.
We have teams in the UK, US and Europe working around the clock to resolve the issue and, at this time, we are hoping that shipping will start next week.
Once again, we'd like to offer our sincere apologies to those of you currently awaiting delivery of your Ultramarines DVD.

Ultramarines Movie delayed!!!!

2010-11-29T13:26:00.000-08:00

So, here is a quote from an email that came directly from Codex Pictures:

Unfortunately, due to a production issue outside of our control, we are not able to start shipping your order for the ULTRAMARINES DVD Collector's Set today, November 29th as planned. We are working around the clock with our third party suppliers to resolve the issue as soon as possible and hope to be able to give you details of a new ship date tomorrow.

We at Codex Pictures know you will be very disappointed not to receive your DVD as soon as anticipated and are equally distressed ourselves that this has happened.

Please accept our sincere apologies and rest assured we are doing everything we can to resolve the issue and get your order to you quickly.

Codex Pictures

REALLY? Wow, that is the suck! I understand delay issues, I really do, but come on! How many people have just had their heart stomped out!

I will post again tomorrow once we have a new ship date.

The Gobbo

Sodapop Sebastien is out!

2010-11-29T07:19:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update about a new miniature that was released by Sodapop this last week [or I could be late].

Looking into Infinity...

2010-11-22T12:21:00.000-08:00

Infinity is a game with 28mm high metal miniatures that simulates combat and special operations in a science fiction environment with Manga aesthetics. Infinity miniatures are characterized by the high quality and detail of their modeling, the dynamism of their postures and their futuristic aesthetic.

Pan Oceania T.A.G.

That is the blurb about the game from the Infinity Website. It is an apt description without any real information about the game. So how do you find out if you like the game and not just the Cool as all get out figures? I mean lets face it, the miniatures are darn cool!

Fortunately, the rules are free to download from the Infinity Website along with all the army lists and Weapon Stats. There is not a lot in the way of fluff. Oh who am I kidding, there is NO fluff in the PDFs. You can get some information about the different forces from the main site, but it is not a huge amount. For that you really do want the rulebook and the Human Sphere expansion. Both are amazingly gorgeous books with fantastic art and some great photos of the miniatures in all their painted glory.

Let us discuss the rules. First, this is one of the only systems I know [for miniatures] that uses a d20 for its core mechanic. Every troop choice has what the game calls an ISC [International Standard Code] This is how you figure out what kind of troop it is, how much it costs and what skills and stats it has. Below is an example of an ISC:

The stats listed in the ISC determine how easy the figure can accomplish certain goals. Take a Shooting action for example. If I am shooting a Combi-rifle and there are no other modifies, this characters has a BS [Ballistic Skill] of 11. So I would roll a d20 and need to roll an 11 or less on the dice. Now here comes a twist, you want to roll low, but not TOO low. If you roll exactly the number needed for your attempt [after modifiers], it is a Critical. I will explain more about this further down the screen.

Yu Jing Remotes

Every Turn you get a number of Orders, that you can issue to any of your figures. You could even give the same guy all the orders you have. The system uses an IGYG [I Go, You Go] interface for its turn order, with one slight difference. Whenever you activate a model within the Line of Fire of an enemy model, that model recives an ARO [Automatic Response Order]. This means, if you run past an gap in terrain and I can see that gap, my model can shoot at you as you run by or if you take a shot at one figure, it can preform a Dodge to make it harder for you to hit. I can even move with these AROs.

Haqqislam Hassassin Friday

The system is a little more complicated that this, but it really is not that hard to learn and the games play very fast. The average point total for a Tournament level game is 250 point. I advise checking out the rules and army list and seeing if you like the game. The "Try Before You Buy" set up of this game is great. I know not everyone likes every game, so take into consideration if you like the style first and then if the game appeals to you, give it a go with a bunch of proxies first. If nothing else, these are some great alternative models for other sci-fi games.

To INFINITY and beyond....

2010-11-15T16:03:00.000-08:00

My friend Jay has been wanting to do some Skirmish level miniature gaming for a bit and asked me about a game I owned, but have never played. Infinity I have owned the book for some time, but never had anyone to play with. So, I made a couple trades to get a small force and we are reading the rules [which are now free online] and we are going to give this unique system a test drive. I mean, a miniature system based on a d20 and where on your turn I get to make reactive actions to shoot back at you or dodge! Heck yeah, this looks like a blast!

So, I have chosen the ALEPH as my faction. Here is the "official" picture of the figures. I will be posting up some shots of my WIP and keep you updated on the progress.

Random miniature musings...

2010-11-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

First and for most, GW has done something awesome! They have made thier Imperial Armor Books avaialbe from thier website and direct order through your FLGS!

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/armySubUnitCats.jsp?catId=cat440351a&rootCatGameStyle=books

Secondly, GW has taken a HUGE poop on Blood Angels and Grey Knights...

The Imperial Transport Guppy IV?

Wow, really GW. Could you give us a little more epic fail with this thing? Seriously, I think it looks like the back half fell off. Or maybe a Valkyrie crashed into the back end of a Land Raider?

Of everything GW has failed at, this is the thing they have failed at the worst.

Anyway, on to more positive news. My game group has decided to start playing the Infinity Miniature Game from Corvus Belli. It is a 28mm skirmish level game and has a great system that helps make it a scenario driven game. You can get the full 2nd Edition Rules and the associated army lists off their website: http://www.infinitythegame.com/

I will be starting a blog about my army and their painting and gaming progress once they arrive.

That is all for this update and keep an eye out for an announcement about a new podcast starting soon...

The Gobbo

Rackham Entertainment

2010-11-07T20:36:00.001-08:00

2 Nov 2010

R-E Company is in liquidation since last tuesday, due to the liquidation of her only owner since Dec. 2009, Global Technologies. We will try and keep you informed of the following of the universes and games created by the Studio.
It has been a tremendous pleasure to make this wonderful games for you.
Good game!

Goodbye DLT...

2010-11-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

As some of you may already know, due to reasons undisclosed, Dice Like Thunder will be closing its doors. This is not due to any odd hate mail, or the gang breaking up, it is for other reasons. Now, this does not mean Dan, Rich and the boys will no linger be broadcasting. They will be launching a new podcast called "The Eternal Warriors" in November and will be talking about 40k, Warmachine, and many other games and companies.

Here is a quote from the guys:
"This is the final release of Dice Like Thunder.

A sudden issue has crept up and forced us to no longer produce DLT. This was completely unplanned, unexpected and unavoidable. There is no in-fighting between current cast members and we are all still very good friends. We realized it was time to start a new podcast that incorporates the lessons learned by the hosts while working on DLT.

In early November, we will be starting a new podcast called The Eternal Warriors. As you can imagine, it will be a podcast about Warhammer 40K, Warmachine and all things awesome! The current cast of Dice Like Thunder will return and what would have been Ep 106 of DLT will instead be Ep 1 of The Eternal Warriors. Old episodes and materials of Dice Like Thunder will be available for a short period of time. When they get removed, it will be permanent!

We can not adequately express what the fans of DLT mean to us. Over the course of 2 years, you are what has driven us to continue making DLT episodes, home brew material and explore hobby communities outside of our own. For 105 episodes, you have been incredible and we want to thank you one last time while under the DLT name."

God speed boys! We will see you at your new digs...

May your next 106 episodes be a success!

Killzone Blitz!

2010-10-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

Killzone is a fan created set of rules for Warhammer 40,000 that are used to play small level skirmishes reminiscent of the old Games Workshop Game Necromunda. The Rules are very straight forward and play quick and fun on a smaller [4' x 4'] table.

The rules for playing Killzone are presented in 3 parts. The Rules [just what changes are made from the core 40k rules], Erratta [changes for each Codex and what units are allowed in the game], and Missions [scenarios to play using your kill teams. The rules can be found at thier home on http://galaxyinflames.blogspot.com/ or you can follow teh direct links I have added to this post.

The Rules

Codex Erratta

Missions

A big thanks to Big Jim over at Galaxy In Flames for putting this rules set together and for playtesting it propperly before releasing it...

ULTRAMARINES Movie - Release Announced

2010-10-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

Codex Pictures announces that ULTRAMARINES: A WARHAMMER 40,000 MOVIE will be available as a Special Edition Collector’s Edition for a limited period only exclusively from the official website, at http://ultramarinesthemovie.com/shop. Pre-orders start today, for worldwide release November 29 2010. This unique edition comprises the DVD with bonus features, in a SteelBook™ case and a specially commissioned graphic novel.

Paul Lyons, Games Workshop’s Head of Licensing, says, ‘We are extremely pleased with the movie that Codex have produced, and excited at the prospect of Warhammer 40,000 fans being able to see the universe in a 75 minute animated film for the first time. One of our criteria in granting a license for a film based on our long-standing property was that it should appeal very directly to the fanbase. We have been approached many times by studios over the years but in Codex found a partner who for the first time we felt could be entrusted with bringing the Warhammer 40,000 universe to life in a motion picture’.

Codex producer David Kerney adds, ‘This is a new business model for movie production and distribution, and Codex in this respect are commercial pioneers. As an independent production company with enormous passion and creativity, we wanted to produce a movie that would not only do justice to Games Workshop’s iconic property but also resonate strongly with enthusiasts of futuristic stories everywhere. Its success – and that of the future Warhammer 40,000 movies we would love to make - depends on the fans supporting it by buying it from our website’.

Warhammer 40,000 veterans Alan Merrett and John Blanche are amongst those at Games Workshop who have seen the finished film. ‘The very cool thing with ULTRAMARINES is that it actually tells a really powerful story about the characters in the 41st millennium. It’s not just shooting and killing, although there’s plenty of action. It’s a really great story there. At the heart of the film is a fantastic plot that draws you along. I think that all 40k fans will love it’, says Merrett. Blanche comments, ‘This movie is a big, big thing for me. Seeing the universe come alive, moving and reacting, rather than just still images... 30 years of my life have become reality.’

Sebastian: Sword Paladin coming soon from Sodapop Miniatures!

2010-10-05T22:53:00.001-07:00

I just got an email from John Cadice the Creative Director/Owner or Sodapop Miniatures and he said:

“We expect Sebastian: Sword Paladin, our next relic knight, to be available soon!

See attached image. He will be our first Resin/Metal model kit.. .and I got to say, the resin is really nice in capturing the relief work on the model.”

Long time coming...

2010-09-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hey all. It has been a bit since the last time I blogged. I have been caught up in work and have not really had the time to do a lot of blogging, but am not looking forward to getting back into the swing of it.

Today I am going to give an overview of what I have been doing in the miniatures and gaming world. I have recently joined a "Dresdin Files RPG" game, using the system, but not the setting. It is an interesting game as the GM has set it up as a contemporary Fantasy game set in modern day San Francisco. My character is a Martial Artist from Chinatown who has a slight "supernatural" bent to him. It has been a lot of fun making the city and the character, now I can not wait to play this character.

I am in the process of assembling and painting a Bretonnian Force for Warhammer Fantasy 8th Edition. I love the Bretonnian's as they are a painters dream [not 200 figures in the same paint scheme!].

I have recently become a Fizzhead for Sodapop miniatures and am excited to play the upcoming "Super Dungeon Explore". I love the "chibby" look of the figures and can't wait to see how it plays.

Well, that is all I have time for today. If I slack here too long, work will realize this site may need to be blocked and I will lose the ability to update! We can't have that now, can we?

Relic Knights and Super Deformed Dungeons!

2010-08-12T06:04:00.001-07:00

Soda Pop Miniatures, you may have heard about them or my not have. If not, I am here to give you a little info.

Soda Pop is known for its über hot anime chicks figures. They are some really amazing sculpts that capture the anime feel and each one comes with a “sidekick” character, usually a small furry animal or a giant robot.

Two big announcements were made at Gencon this year from Soda Pop. The first is that they are putting out a rules set to be used with thier current line called “Relic Knights: Darkspace Calamity", set for release in 2011, this will be a skirmish level game and a great reason for collecting and playing with their crazy line of soda pop miniatures.

John Cadice, Creative Director and Owner of Soda Pop said, “We want to bring anime mayhem to your tabletop, devastating combos, characters that leap through fireballs unscathed, duels that move around the tabletop like a pinball machine, spry and nimble anime vixens, giant robots, pirates, ninjas, aliens, and madness... pure madness. Set in our unique and expanding universe, Relic Knights has been proving to be a remarkable and refreshing system in development. More to come!”

The second announcement is the new game and miniatures line, “Super Dungeon Explore”. This range of fantasy themed miniatures are the start of a large collection of Chibi/Super Deformed characters for RPG and tabletop games. They are devilishly cute and they completely sold out of the things before the convention was out, with people clamoring for more!

Check out some of the great coverage (and highly unfortunate lighting in my interview) about Soda Pop’s products, the demo they ran, and what is in Store from the Beasts of War guys! http://www.beastsofwar.com/gencon2010/soda-pop-miniatures-meets-bow-pop/

News from Mantic Games!

2010-08-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

A bit of interesting news! I love these guys figures and the designer is none other than Alessio Cavatore.

Warhammer 40K Kill Team Tournament – Tacticon 2010

2010-07-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

So I am running a Kill Teams [or as the printed pre-registration book says a "Kill Terms"] tournament. over Labor Day weekend. You can get more info on it HERE.

It has brought out some interesting questions so far and some really interesting teams I have seen in battle.

"If my army is only one figure, do I get to have 3 Universal Special Rules on that one figure?"
No!

"Can I take allied Witchhunters with my IG?"
Really? How do you plan to do that with 200 points?

"Can I take 207 points? I can't fit what I want in 200 and don't want to waste the 4 I would have left over."
What? No you can not have an extra 7 points! The whole point is to see what you can do for 200 points or less!"

So, I am not going to get upset by any of this. It is the joys of a TO to have people ask questions they know the answer too, but still want to ask to see if they can break it.

On to armies:

5 Terminators with Storm shield/Thunder hammer combo! o.O

30 Ork Boyz with 2 Rokket Lanchas and 2 Big Shootas! O.o

1 Furrioso Dreadnaught with Magna grapple and all kinds of psycic powers... >.<

16 Kroot, 1 Shaper, and 2 Kroot Ox!

More to come...

Rocket Hammer - First thoughts...

2010-07-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

So, I am reading the book and have been going over the FAQs and getting in a few games when I can, so here is the question...

Is the game worth playing?
Yes, the game is a fantastic divergence from what it was, not in a bad way, but in a Faster, more fun way. The system has added in a few elements from other game systems [like 40K and War of the Rings] that make the game faster and easier to learn. This will mean a lot of old schoolers may leave, but some of use REALLY old schoolers may come back [like me!].

It looks like the game has moved in a direction that is attempting to move all the different armies from the "tier" classification to a more balanced set of armies. [Yay! GW finally got something balanced!]

I am not saying the new changes will be possessive for everyone. Lord knows, I think Tomb Kings may have been gimped a little, but I don't play them, so.... *shrugs*

ROCKETHAMMER Fantasy Battles!

2010-06-28T17:30:00.001-07:00

So I had the chance to play the new 8th edition rules this last weekend. I must say I am very impressed. The game plays much faster and is much deadlier than I remember from back in 6th edition when I last played. A few of the changes I noticed:

Chargers now charge their Movement stat, plus the sum of 2d6.
Just because you charged, does not mean you get to go first. [unless your dirty high elves!]
You are allowed to pre-measure everything! at any time!
Terrain can be dangerous!
It is not hard to get a unit swinging 30-50 attacks in one melee round.
Units that have more ranks than their opponents roll unmodified Leadership tests if they lose combat.
Scenarios are much more important than in the last edition.
Magic is very nasty. I had a spell go off with Irresistible Force and killed half his unit, and almost all of mine!
Infantry is really important in the rules now.
Percentage based army building returns [I prefer this...]

The game I played was a 600 point game and was not much smaller than I remember from 6th edition, but then we used to play at 1000-1500 point games…
Overall I am very impressed with what I have gotten to see of the rules and do plan to get back into the game. Don’t shun it until you have had a chance to try it.

40k MM Oh My God!

2010-06-15T16:03:00.000-07:00

Oh my... what have I done?!?!?!

2010-06-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

So, what did I do this weekend? Well, I started the re-location of my painting/hobby area from the office to the basement, i reactivated my City of Heroes account, I watched "The Blind Side" with my wife, I...

Wait, back that train up! You WHAT?

I um... I reactivated my City of Heroes account...?

Oh MY God! What were you thinking? You have not played an MMO [other than beta] in almost 2 years! Why? WHY?????

Well, there is a new expansion coming out and they have added a place where you can play in player created content and still get XP and stuff... and the fact you will be able to move from a villain to a hero or have a hero fall to the dark side is kind of cool....

Ok, so I have done it. My primary hero on Infinity is "H is for Hero" and my main villain is "Mortus Rouge". I do really love super heroes and since I gave up comic collecting when my whole collection was stolen, I need an outlet for it.

What is City of Heroes? It is a Massive Multi-player Online game. You make up a hero or villain and play in a world with thousands of others. You get to create your costume and even get to pick your power sets and fight crime or spread fear and terror.

It is a great game and you should [if you like superheroes or online gaming] check it out and maybe I will see you online.

The Gobbo

Tau/Space Wolves vs. Demons!

2010-06-06T20:08:00.001-07:00

So my friend Elija was back in town for a week to visit and we grabbed our friend John for a quick game of 40k. We did a few rounds of Kill Teams to get into the swing of the games and so Eli could get a feel for his ne Eldar kill team and see if it is an army he wishes to pursue. The Eldar did well for him against my Tau, partially because I managed to take out 3 Drones and 2 Stealth suits in Dangerous Terrain Rolls.

So after a few other games we decided to play a 2k game with Eli on one side with Demons and John and I with a thousand points each of Tau and Space Wolves. John’s army was 3 units in Drop pods and Mine was a mash of all the stuff I had built for my Tau by that point.

We rolled for scenario and ended up with “Seize Ground” with a “Dawn of War” deployment. We ended up with 3 Objectives on the table. Two were on the Demon side of the table and one was on our side. So, since Demons and Drop pods don’t come in until their first turns and Eli got to decide we would go first, so my Tau started on the board in control of one objective. Then John dropped his 1st two pods near the 2 objectives on Eli’s side of the board.

We got a little lucky in the demon first turn, as one of his Flamers unit was lost to the warp and his Prince delayed coming on. So, he was a little under strength at the start. So everything else in his force kind of scattered about, but not terribly. On our first turn, one of my Fire Warrior units succumbed to the Changeling’s Glamour and shot at my Shas’el in crisis suit, but to no avail. MY crisis suit and a unit of Stealth suits lit the changing's group up and caused them death and pain. The game was tough from that point on and we managed to keep the game to a draw. After my Uber-Drones [see my last update] managed to hold a unit of Deamonettes in melee for 3 turns! and we managed to contest all 3 objectives. It was a brutal battle and my 1st against Demons. NASTY!

The Gobbo

Orks Killed by Tau Drone… News at 11!

2010-05-17T15:10:00.001-07:00

So this last Sautrday while others were getting their hardcore tournament gaming on, I decided to avoid that and play in a Small 12 person Kill Teams Tournament. For those who done know, Kill Teams is from the Battle Missions book and has some fun changes to list building and play. 200 points, no HQ or Heavy, 0-2 Troops and 0-1 Elite or Fast. 4’ x 4’ tables and after you lose half your figures, you have to make LD tests [at a cumulative –1 after the first] until you fail, at which point you lose.

What I took:

Now I normally play Imperial Guard and thought long and hard on this, but I had a Tau Mega-force I traded for and thought about what I could take from that. Long story Short. I took a Piranha with Flechette Dischargers and 3 Stealth suits [one with a Fusion Blaster] and one Gun Drone on a controller each.

Round 1 – Orks [30 of them]

So My first match up was against a band of 30 Ork boyz with a couple of Rokkets. the game was my longest of the day and after many rounds of shooting [with mixed success on both sides and one of my Gun Drones making 12 Armor Saves!] the Orks popped thier WAAAAAGH! and engaged me in Melee combat. In the next 2 turns my Drones [with no help from the stealth suits] killed off 7 Ork boyz. Then I failed my first LD test [the ork player made all his] and the game ended with the rest of the tournament players and the store owner cheering and laughing. It was a great game and a good start [even with the loss] for the tournament.

Round 2 – Blood Angel [yeah, just the one]

My next match was against a player who brought a Librarian Dreadnaught. Just the one dread with Magna Grapple and psycic powers. So I infiltrated my Piranha and shot him in the back armor with a Str 5 Burst Cannon and Penetrated with a wreck. Game! Less than 5 minutes including set up. This was exactly how his first game went with the CSM Raptor dropping a Plasma gun in his rear and popping him in 7.5 minutes. Not a great game, but a win.

Round 3 – Imperial Guard [Veterans]

My last game was an IG Vet squad with a Chimera and a Lascannon Hvy. Weapon Team. This was the most difficult of the games as I lost 4 of my 9 figures and just managed to make him roll LD after dropping him to half on Turn 5 and he rolled an 11. It was a tight game and a lot of fun.

So, I took “Adept of Mars” [Best Painted] and 3rd place over all. I had a great time and have found I like the Tau. I may keep building them. ;)

FOR THE GREATER GOOD!

My Silver Medal

2010-05-13T19:33:00.001-07:00

Our local Conventions [Genghis Con and Tacticon] have a group that runs the miniature painting competitions and award based on what level of technique and skill you show, not just 1st, 2nd and 3rd. If you show promise, you get a sheet with notes about what you need to work on and suggestions about techniques to work on. If you are of a high enough level of skill you get a Bronze, Silver or Gold Medal. So, I worked really hard and did my best and got a Silver with this figure:

I am very proud.

WFRP Part II

2010-05-12T12:48:00.001-07:00

Characters… what their made of…

Characters are created by first choosing one of the 4 races that are allowed in the Core set [there will be others available to play with other supplements]. You choices are:

Reiklander [Human]
Grey Mountain Dwarf
High Elf
Wood Elf

There is in this game a distinct lack of halflings. We are assured that this will change in the future.

Your Race determines which starting career classes are available to you. Humans are very versatile and have more careers to choose from as well as a few other minor advantages. Dwarves are stout and hardy and make great warriors. High Elf and Wood Elf are not too different, but they have access to slightly different classes.

Career classes can be done at random or by choice. My preferred class method is to deal out 3 careers to each player, they then look to make sure their race can be the careers and any that they can not are replaced at random until they have 3 to choose from. Once they have chosen their career, they then get a pool of points to buy Attributes [these all start at 2 or 3 depending on the race], Wealth, Skills, Actions, and Tactics. All Races get 20 points except Humans who get 25, but they get no stat increases like the other races.

Once you are finished spending your points, your character will have a Character sheet, a Career card and the Career Special ability card, plus a number of Talent and Action cards.

Talent Cards fall into 3 categories and are special bonuses like getting adding 2 Misfortune dice to an opponent who is trying to Intimidate you. These are added to the career sheet in slots for the specific types. So if your career allows you to have one Tactic and one Reputation card, then you may slot one of each type.

Action cards are your special combat maneuvers that you can use during encounters. Every character has access to the Basic action cards [Dodge, Melee Strike, Ranged Shot, Block, Assess the Situation, Parry, etc…] and then can buy additional at creation as well as with Advancements [XP]. Action cards have 2 sides a green side and a red side. These correspond to the stance your character is currently in. So if you are in an aggressive stance, you use the red side of the card and the green if you are in a conservative stance. Each side of the card may have some differences, as some actions may favor an aggressive stance or conservative.

Next Post about WFRP will be an overview of the characters in my game and what has happened in the game so far.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3E

2010-05-06T15:36:00.001-07:00

Last night we started the A Gathering Storm campaign for the new 3rd Edition of the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. The group consists of me [as the GM] and 5 friends from the FLGS. First I will give an overview of the system and then over the next few days I will post about the characters, the campaign and where they seem to be heading.

The Stats and Dice

The new WFRP takes the system in a new direction. Fantasy Flight Games has taken their expertise in amazing looking board games and applied it into an innovative new way. When they first started showing sneak peaks of the components on their website, I was concerned that they had removed the role play and only left a roll play game. After all, Decent is a wonderful game that they released and it is great for that ‘dungeon crawl’ fix with out the role play. Boy was I wrong.

There are only 6 characteristics in the game now. These are Strength, Toughness, Agility, Intelligence, Willpower and Fellowship. These have a rating from 1-10 with 2 being human average.

The system removes polyhedral dice [sorry d20 fans!] and adds in a set of specialized dice that do not have numbers on them, but symbols. These symbols are Hammers [successes], a hammer with a + next to it [righteous success], crossed swords [challenge], Imperial eagles [Boons], skulls [Banes], an hourglass [delay], a blood drop [exertion], Chaos Stars, Sigmar’s Comet and blank sides.

The dice have different colors and numbers of sides:

Blue [d8] – Characteristic dice. You roll a number of these equal to your stat for the attempted action

Purple [d8] – Challenge dice. You roll these based on the difficulty the GM sets for the attempted task.

Yellow [d6] – Expertise dice. You get to add these to skill tests that you have trained in.

White [d6] – Fortune dice. These are added to rolls by spending fortune points, Skill Specializations, the GM being nice and some Action and Talent cards.

Black [d6] – Misfortune dice. These are added to rolls by the GM, some penalties such as Fatigue and some more difficult to accomplish actions cards.

Red [d10] and Green [d10] – Stance dice. These are swapped out with some of your characteristic dice if you have moved into a Reckless or Conservative stance.

Example: Lanis the human Scholar is trying to decipher a set of Classical text that tells him how to disarm the trap his party is trying to get past. Lanis has the Advanced Skill Education and is trained in it. He also took the specialization of Linguistics. Lanis has an Intelligence of 3 and the script is in bad light, faded and a battle is raging near by so time is of the essence. Lanis gets 3 blue dice, but is 2 shifts into Conservative stance, so 2 blue dice are replaced by Green dice. He has training in the skill so that gives him a yellow die, and an appropriate Specialization so he adds a white die. The GM adds 3 purple dice to the dice to represent all the distractions and lighting. Lanis does not like the looks of the total pool, so he spends a fortune point and as a second white die. His total pool of dice is 1 Blue, 2 Green, 2 White, 1 Yellow, and 3 purple.

More about the system tomorrow…

[Questions/comments?]

The Gobbo

Recent Painting and Plans for the Month…

2010-05-01T23:19:00.001-07:00

Hey all. Been a bit of a slow blog run. Sorry about that! Real life gets in the way some days.

So, what have I painted recently… that is a valid question and one that has more Work In Progress pics than anything else. So, here are a few thing I completed in the last year [or so] and a few WIP Pictures as well:

A friend asked me to do a couple Eldar for him:

Then I did some work for me:

And finally a WIP:

More to come as I get them done…

The Gobbo

Playing in an RPG… sort of?

2010-04-17T21:40:00.001-07:00

Hey all. So I have started playing in a play-by-post game a buddy of mines is running. It is a 2nd Edition Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and it has been an off and on thing for about 6 years now. I am playing the same character I started and in game only about 3-4 months have passed, but the group who is playing has been an amazing group to interact with and I love playing the character.

So, I am looking to start a new game, but am not sure what I should run. I am thinking a Dresden Files Game or maybe a Sci-Fi or Superhero game. I’ll keep you posted…

Rants

2010-04-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

[RANT1]Ok, so what is up with Dell? I ordered a computer from thier website that said it would be: "Delivered in 48 hours". I ordered it yesterday and now I get an email from them letting me know it will be at my house on Monday. Last I checked... that ain't 48 hours... >:( and why did they send my software upgrade and my mouse seperately from the computer? This seems odd to me... [/RANT1]

[RANT2]People, I swear to God the next asshat that doesn't pay attention to the "Stay In Lane" sign or that crosses a solid white line on the highway, I wil stab them to death with my car![/RANT2]

Ex Illis

2010-04-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

So, tonight we are going to be playing Ex Illis. If you don't know what Ex Illis is, please take a look at thier website.

How does it work?

You play the game on a large battlefield divided into 'zones'. The units move on the battlefield from zone to zone. On a unit's turn, you choose between the various actions available to your unit in the gaming software, such as attacking, charging or casting a spell. The software then shows the miniatures fighting, blocking and evading hits, so you can see what happened during the turn.

The physical battlefield gives the players all the game's macro information, while the software shows only one zone at a time, but in more detail (hit points left, status effects, etc). This means you'll do all of your tactical thinking by looking at the battlefield, and you'll feel like you're right in the thick of the action as your troops exchange blows with the enemy.

That is per thier website. It is a great game. I got to play it at the GAMA Trade Show and really fell in love with it. It is a fantastic game and I was VERY supprised by how quick it was to learn and how tactical the game really is. The grid makes movement easy [and uncheatable] and the computer prevents mistakes on dice rolls and calculations. It takes about 10 minutes to really learn how to play and has some great features added into the software.

You do have to buy thier figures to play. Each figure set comes with a code oyu must enter on thier website and it then adds that item to your collection on thier site. You then build a "Muster" from your collection and save it under your login. When you get together with your opponent, you both log into the device [iPhone/PC/MAC/laptop] and choose which of your musters to use. Then you set up the board and do your deployment on the device [while placing the unit on the coordinated area on the grid] and hit go. It then tells you which unit has the current initiative and lets you review your options. Once you know what you want to do, you click on the ability and it shows you what happens.

The miniatures look great and are fun to paint, the graphics are wonderful and the game plays very smooth. I do hate to bring this up, but cheaters will not like this game at all. The system prevents you from cheesing and cheating, so games are a matter of skill and luck, not deception and lies.

I will post a little more about how well the game is recived after the demos tonight and let you all know what the general reaction is.

The Gobbo

3 Rounds of Hell!

2010-04-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well, the tournament was awsome! I played 3 Great games with some fantastic folks! Everyone was really freindly and I didn't have a single "Asshat" moment come up.

My Teammate and I arrived in the Longmont area for a "pre-tourny" breakfast. We discussed plans for the game, how his job search was going and just general chat about our game group. After breakfast we checked in at the store [Stonebridge Games] and got our Team Number assignment, we were Team 3.

Round One... Fight!
So in the first round we went up against a couple of really awsome guy's I had the chance to play last year at the World Wide War, they played a combined Sisters of Battle army that was stunningly painted. The force looked awsome and the "lighted headlamps" on all the Rhinos was off the hook! The scenario's Primary mission was to take one of 3 objectives and had table Quarter set up. The 1st turn looked really good as I immobalized one Rhino and made 2 more explode taking out several Sisters in the process. Then my dice abandoned me! The rest of the game just got worse and worse. [Like rolling 18 dice, needing a 4+ to hit and only hitting with 3, and then failing to wound with any of them...] We lost, but it was a great game and the guys we played were just too fun. Can't wait to face them again...

Round 2
Round two was not bad. We scored our bigest win here. We were facing a combined Ravenwing/Vanilla SM force and it was gery well designed. It is a good thing I brought the Hydra Flak Tank! The scenario was Pitched Battle with 5 objectives [one in the center and 2 in each deployment zone] It was a good game and only 2 last turn routes off the table left us with 4 out of 5 objectives.

Round 3
This was a Dawn of War with Night Fight trhough out the whole game. We faced an IG/Ork list that was massive. 3 Chimera, a Scout sentinal, and tons of troops. We only got to the end of turn 2 and barely got the victory, but we all wished we could have finished the game. It would have been bloody once the Orks got into contact!

Well, off to paint a bit and then sleep some before work tomorrow...

The Gobbo

Best BBQ in Denver...

2010-04-08T07:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know I mostly blog about gaming and stuff, but last night I had the best BBQ I have ever tasted in my life. It came from a Local Denver CO place called Brickyard BBQ. My wife tried the ribs and I go the 3 meat combo [Brisket, Chicken and Hot Links], it was less then $25 [with drinks] and we took enough home to have for dinner or lunch tomorrow. Thier sauce is really good and thier sides are fresh and not sitting under a heat lamp for hours.

If you are in Denver, do check them out as it iw worth finding them and having some really great BBQ.

This week

2010-04-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

So the owner of the FLGS I play at Stonebridge Games has asked me to demo some of the game I got to play at GAMA a few weeks ago. So, what am I going to be teaching?

Battle Spirits TCG - This game is a fast playing monster summoning card game that has a unique and useful "power" system [Cores as they call them] that prevents you from getting stuck without any power to do anything.
Naruto TCG - A game of Ninjas and thier special powers. Battle one another and summon more and more powerful people to fight with you.
Ex Illis Miniatures - A uniques computer controlled system that prevets "Creative measureing and rules interpritations". It uses a computer, iPhone ot iPod Touch [the iPad as well] to controll all the random factors and keep track of the abilities of the units you have.
PK Cards - a fun ccg that plays very tactically and has some awsome art work.

I will be at Stonebridge games at about 5pm and will be there until close. I will post an update tomorrow aboutr how it goes!

Warhammer 40k tournament in one week

2010-04-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

So my FLGS is running a team 40k tournament next week. The rules are simple:
Each person on the team gets 1000 points
Each team member may take a force with the following rules:

1 HQ
0-1 Elites
1-3 Troops
0-1 Fast
0-1 Heavy

Amrys can be from any legal Codecis and the combination of forces is not restricted [yes your Chaos Space Marines can fight side by side with the Sisters of Battle].

So I am putting together my force. I will be playing with my friend John, who is bringing his assault heavy Space Wolves. I am bringing a very mobile infantry Renegade Imperial Guard force, that also has a Medusa with Breacher Shells. My goal is to annoy and pop armor with meltas and S10 AP1 Heavy 1 Blast shots. His is to Drop pod in and assault as quick as he can.

May the Dice be With Us!

GAMA Wrap Up part II

2010-03-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to part II! So on to more things I saw at GAMA:

Catalyst Game Labs [Poo, Leviathans] - So Catalyst was there with thier usual products. Shadowrun, Chthulu Tech, Battletech, etc... They also had a few new and prototype games comming out this year. Poo - This is a cool little fight game about monkeys how throw thier poo at each other, there are blocking cards and the puns run rich and heavy. I know my friends will go ape over this game. :) Leviathans - This is a great looking map based steampunk naval combat game. It uses a hex map and uses resin [?] ships. The prototype I saw was 5-6 inches long and it was a large battleship class. The ships are made with Rapid 3D prototypeing and look awsome! This is one I will definately be keeping an eye on.!
AEG [Dust Tactics] - This is one I have been waiting for. Over 2 years in the making, Dust Tactics was introduced at GAMA 2 years ago and was to be an off-shoot for the AT-43 game. It has since changed gears and is to be released as a miniature board game later this year. The models are simply awsome and the box will have 2 Tank Walkers and 3 units for both the German and US forces. The figures are fantastic sculpts and the system looks to be fast and easy to play. I will keep you all informed of any thing new I hear about it!
PKXL Cards, Inc. [PK Cards] - PK Cards is a unique game system in that players play multiple rounds of the game with out shuffline the [what in most games would be] HUGE decks of cards. You have an Avatar card with a special ability and you play 7 "Skirmishes" per turn. These are rounds of 7 fights to see who can win the most out of 7 short combats. The winner of each round gains one Renown point and the game ends when one person hits 7 renown points. Now I only got to play one turn [so 7 battles] and it was a great little game. It should play really fast and the art is really well done in it. They also have a points reward system that you can earn cards, promos and T-shirts [thier shirts are pretty damn cool too]. and even iPods and PS3s. Take a look and you can play online for free or get online cards to play with. They are even going to be doing an animated series that is to premier on Cartoon Networks Adult Swim. I think this could be a good IP, we will have to wait and see...
Vallejo [Paints] - Ok, I have always been a fan of Vallejo and think thier paints are really well done. The new stuff comming this year only reenforces my love of the product. They now have a full line of washes that rival any I have tried from other companies. Including a wash that is a really translucent light grey that is freeking amazing for whites! They have a new line of weathering powders and wethering paints that I got to try and really like a lot. They also have a new line of Airbrush Primers comming out that I am dieing to play with [no more fumes and waiting on weather to prime my figs!

Anyway, I know I have missed some stuff, but really don't want to bore you with the list of Crap-tacular stuff I saw. Only the good bits. ;) Well, that has been a run through of the GAMA show. If there are any products you want more info on, let me know. I am sure I have missed something, but let me know and I will edit or add a part III.

The Gobbo

GAMA Wrap Up Part I

2010-03-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

So GAMA is done. *wipes sweat off of forehead* Whew! What a trip! I have played more games than I think I can remeber and found some real wheat in there amongst the chaff!

First of all, who was not there?

Fantasy Flight Games [we know they were not comming this year as they made an announcement on the retailers forum]
Upper Deck Entertainment [not really supprised even though they sent me an email a week before reminding me to come try Marvel Superstars at thier booth]
Games Workshop [Really? I have no idea why this happened]
Privateer Press [This shocked me!]

Now on to what I saw, who was here and what I got to see:

Bastion [Ex Illis] - Wow! I went into the show really wanting to hate this game. I had all kinds of reasons put together in my head as to why I would hate it for sure. Boy was I wrong! I really don't know what to say other than the demo game I played was great, the system works very well, the miniatures look awsome and the computer part really does not detract from the stratagy of game play. I will be getting this game and I hope to see more people playing it.
Gamer Entertainment [Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer] - If you like Dominion or Thunderstone, sell it and get this game! It is the best deck construction game I have ever played. It has the random factor in place, but with a lot less set up time than the afore mentioned games. I really tried to steal one of their demo sets, but they were too watchful for me to pull it off. ;)
Battlefoam - So I met Romeo in Chicago at Games day for about 15 minutes and what do you know... he recognized me. He then announced a new bag that is comming out for Malifaux [more on them later] and showed me some great new toys they have. I promptly walked away with a new Warmachine bag. It is the best carry case I have ever owned. It fit in the overhead of the plane as carry on. I have 4 other bags I now need to find a home for. They also showed us the new "Display boards" comming soon to a Battlefoam dealer near you! Anyone? Bueler?
Bandai [Naruto and Battle Spirits] - Naruto has been out for some time and I never really got into it. Too bad really, since it is a good game. Battle Spirits has been out for a little over a year now and I don't know how I missed this little gem. It is a great game. Cards look good, art is awsome, thier play mats are the best I have ever seen, and the company's prize support is beyond cool! This game is the number 1 TCG in Japan and has sold over 35 million cards there alone. I really like this one a lot.

More to come in part II

Working on my Ogryn

2010-03-18T15:47:00.000-07:00

So, I play 40k and as part of a monthly challenge on one of the forums I frequent, I am working on an Elite unit for my Trator Guard. I decided to go a little easy this month and only do a unit of 3 [that is the minimum size for this unit]. So here is my work to day. I still need to shade and highlite the armor plates and do the metalics and the belts and boots, so they are just over half done.

A trip to GAMA

2010-03-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you who do not know, GAMA is the GAme Manufacturers Association Trade Show. It tawes place in Las Vegas every year and is for game companies to show off what will be comming out this year. I will be posting pics and info on my twitter page. You can follow me under my name there, which is Chaos_renegade.

I will post all the relevant news and other information I can. GAMA starts on Tuesday the 23rd [in the evening], but all the real news will be on Wednesday and Thursday. Keep an eye out and watch my Tweets for more posts!

I finally get to PLAY...

2010-03-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

So as the primary GM [Game Master] for my group of friends who roleplay, I rarely [except at gaming conventions] get to actually play the games. Don't get me wrong, I love to GM and create stories for the players to experience. The only problem is that none of the players have wanted to step up and run a game. Not that I don't think they could, it is just an intimidating prosspect some times.

So, I got an email from a friend whom I have not gamed with in some time, asking me to join a Shadowrun 4th Ed game he is running based on the movie "Push". Timing has worked out, and now I get to play.

Now I just have to decide on a character.

A new hobby blog

2010-03-08T15:51:00.001-08:00

So, I am the Gobbo, and this is my forge. I will be useing this blog to post pictures and ideas that revolve around gaming...