09 - Making the Most of the Hobby

The recent downturn in the economy has spurred me into examining my "extra-cuirricular" activities that I participate in, specifically miniature gaming because it is the most expensive and time consuming. Am I thinking of dropping the hobby? How dare I speak such heresy! But I am definitely re-examining the approach I take.

Before I would make plans for multiple armies and chip away at them, getting one model painted for one army here and a model painted for another there. While I really enjoyed the variety this provided I realized that being so spread out prevented me from getting the most out of my armies, and my hobby. Since my gaming time is limited, I was only able to play 2-4 games a night. This meant, in the case of Warmachine for which I used to own 4 armies (one of which never ever saw the light of the battlefield) I could only get one or two games in with each army. Again, it was nice to have the variety, but at the same time I never felt like I ever really got attached to my armies. I always wanted more time with each army and overall my play experience felt lacking.

Gradually I began to realize why that was. While I really do enjoy the variety provided by the different armies, I found it never let me enjoy the wargaming. I was so caught up in wanting to play a game with each army that I would rush through the games so that I could get more in, missing out on all the spectacular moments (the most recent being EHaley charging the Butcher out of desperation and getting him down to one wound, only to find herself cleaved in two by a jealous Lola) that make this game enjoyable. I forgot about the story and gameplay and that those are the real reasons that I enjoy this hobby.

Since realizing this I have sold off two out of those four armies, with the third one to be sold as soon as I finish painting the remaining models I own for it (Anyone interested in some painted Khador?) A few friends and I have started a light gaming league of sorts that emphasizes getting armies fully painted in a manageable amount of time so that there are no more bare metal armies on the table. I've also joined TOEMP to help push myself to paint.

This isn't to say that we should all only have one army or that we all need to have fully painted armies. Rather, I'm just trying to encourage people to pause and examine this hobby and why they enjoy it and make sure that they are getting as much out of this hobby as they possibly can. Right now is a great time to take control of the hobby so to speak and really make sure you are getting what you want out of it, rather than settling for what it is. Me personally, I really enjoy the story that is provided by the game and getting inside the various worlds these games take place in. So I've started building terrain with friends to help recreate the world on the tabletop as well as encouraging painting at my FLGS, which furthers help to recreate the world and bring the characters to life.

That being said, it's time for pictures! Here are pics of the most recent terrain creations. The trencher chain gun crew carefully guard the grave of their fallen brethren.

A lone lancer maneuvering its way through some barricades. I also just noticed that I have left off its arc nod. Oh dear...

Who wants a piece? The Ironclad awaits any foes who scale the battlements.

A w.i.p. eHaley with her new toys!

As always, comments and critiques welcome. Anyone who has any ideas for Warmachine terrain feel free to share them and I hope this was worth the read.

08 - Photos, Photos, and More Photos!

Almost forgot I had this blog! No excuses, just laziness kept me from updating this. I unfortunately missed the last TOEMP deadline. I got caught up working on the test models for the units I was trying to paint that I managed to finish the test models and the expense of not touching the unit. However I am very pleased with how the test models turned out:

As always, let me know what you think and any tips/critiques are welcome. I am trying to avoid the use of any metallics on my Eldar models. For me, metals don't seem to fit into the style of the Eldar and in general will be using Wraithbone in place of metal. So far I am pleased with the overall feel it has given to the Eldar.

To make up for my failure during the last TOEMP challenge I have managed to get ahead on this one. Here are the scouts that I have been working on for this challenge. Not complete as they need to be based, but otherwise done. Also, let me know what you think of the skin. I personally don't like the whole ashen face that GW has given them in the current edition, but I am still trying to stick with a more earthy flesh tone.

Well this is what I have been up to for the past 3-4 weeks! Finished pics of the scout squad as well as a tac squad to come shortly, just need to be based.

07 - TOEMP Deadline Complete, Beginnings of Yet Another Army

It has been a busy week but I managed to squeeze in some painting. Here is my completed entry for TOEMP Challenge #4. I decided against the back banner because I want to save it for my venerable dreadnaughts. Pleased with how it turned out (thought not the photo quality).

Also, the Warmachine league that a friend and I are running kicked off. The goal is to have 15 points painted by the end of each month. With the addition of the two following models, I have 4 complete and 4 more models to go which include: Lancer, Ironclad, 2 Stormsmiths. Overall I am very pleased with how both of them turned out. Again I have been using heavy glazes and washes on these Cygnar models and am very pleased with how they are turning out. I really like the effect that the wet pallet is having upon my painting and would recommend getting one to anyone who wants to achieve more smoothness in their painting.

For the next TOEMP challenge I have decided to start a new army, a Biel-Tan Swordwind army. My first unit for this will be a unit of Dire Avengers. I am getting rid of my Witchunters army. I found their playstyle to bland and no matter what units I used on the battlefield, my style of play stayed the same. I am hoping that the amount of unit selection available to an Eldar army, specifically Biel-Tan, will help keep my game play interesting and challenging.

As always, questions and comments welcome!

06 - TOEMP Deadline #4 & The Birth of a New Army

Alright, time for the next challenge! Challenge #4 is an open painting challenge. As long as you paint 60 points total or more, you can paint whatever you would like. I chose my AOBR Dreadnaught for my Salamanders army. Here is what I have done so far. It is in need of some basing, but otherwise I am quite pleased. The greenstuff on it's left shoulder turned out okay. Not as I had imagined it originally, but close enough that I am happy with it. I wish the flames were smaller all the way around. Also, a question for you my loyal readers (I suppose those of you who aren't loyal are allowed to express an opinion as well. Also if you are a disloyal reader, why are you still reading this?), I was thinking of adding a back banner to this dreadnaught. I was thinking of adding the standard banner from the Lizardmen Temple Guard unit as can be seen here. Let me know what you think and whether or not it needs a banner!

On a side note, I can no longer resist the temptation and have decided to indulge my desire to own a Cygnar Army. To fund it, I am going to sell off my Khador army. While I really like the story and a good portion of the Khador model line, I have found their play style to be quite boring. I find that no matter what I put down on the table, I end up playing the army the same way every time. As a result, I decided to give Cygnar a go. They seem like a jack of all trades (oh what a pun!) type army and as a result will supply me many different play styles. I started off with a trencher chain gun crew as the trenchers are quite possibly my favorite models in the whole Iron Kingdoms.

Also, I am excited. A 40k league is going to be starting up soon at my local FLGS and I will finally be able to get some games in. Over the past month I have found myself so caught up with gaming that I have forgotten to fit in any actual game time for 40k. A friend and I are also trying to get a Mark II Escalation league going to build up interest in Warmachine for the release of Mark II in January. Hopefully in the next week or so I will have coverage of both up here on the blog.

As always, comments and questions welcome!

05 - TOEMP Challenge #3 Completed!

Originally planning to paint a Special Character & a Fast Attack choice, I quickly realized that a week is a very short time. In the end I was only able to complete my Special Character. Her gun doesn't have a "nozzle" yet because I am unsure as to what sort of gun I want her to be armed with. Her converted close combat weapon counts as a blessed weapon. I searched on a Saint Database to find an appropriate name and settled upon St. Heliconis of the Order Repentance.

This is the first time that I have heavily used inks & washes. I liked the effects I was able to achieve, but I am still having a hard time getting the right consistency and depth of colour that I am looking for. In the past I would just layer my highlights and shadows onto the model, but found it lacked the subtlety (that is one funny looking word) I am looking for.

2 Things:

1) If any one has any previous experience with inks and washes I would appreciate any advice you have to offer. Especially advice on the ratio of ink/paint to water/matte medium.

2) Could some one else who is doing the TOEMP help explain to me how to figure out my score?

As always, comments and questions are welcome!

04 - TOEMP Deadline #3

I recently joined A Tale of Even More Painters to help inspire me to fully paint and assemble my first 40k army. I have played 40k for a few years, but have never completely painted and assembled an entire army. Challenge #3 is as follows:

Deadline: 6th September, 2009 - Midnight

Choose between the following 2 options:

Choosing or creating a special character for your force

or

A fast attack / special choice option for your army.

I am going to try and complete two units for this challenge, my HQ as well as her accompanying fast attack bodyguard. This may stretch myself a little to thin, so the majority of my focus is going to be on completing my hq. I completed the metal work today, so not too much to see so far but here are some w.i.p. pictures. Tomorrow I hope to complete all the armour.

Here is an example of the paint scheme that I settled on for my Witchunters army. There may be some differences between the units I am painting and already completed units as I am going to switch from layering the armour to painting it using glazes and washes.

03 - Book Review - Salamander by Nick Kyme

Back Cover:

"Hailing from the volcanic world of Nocturne, Space Marines from the Salamanders Chapter are led by an ancient prophecy to a planet with many secrets. Ostensibly an outpost of the Iron Warriors, all is not what it seems as a far more dangerous enemy lies in wait. As bitter rivalries break out amongst the Salamanders their endurance will be tested to the limit. Will the Salamanders survive long enough to discover the truth about this world and the revelations that will shake the very foundations of this Chapter forever?"

Review:

Even though Salamander is the first book in the Tome of Fire Trilogy, it starts off where a previous short story by the author concluded. The prequel, Fires of War, can be found in the Heroes of the Space Marine Anthology. Luckily, if you are only interested in the Fires of War short story it can be downloaded as a free .pdf from the Black Library's website. Salamander tells the tale of the Salamander's 3rd company as they struggle with the loss of their company leader. What follows is a story of retribution and redemption.

The story it

self feels very methodically written. Whilst the descriptions of events, battles, and the surrounding environment are very well detailed, the descriptions feel very mechanical, lacking a sense of mood or feeling. Even during some of the heated battle scenes, the story goes along at the same pace as it does when the Salamanders are preparing for battle. As for the space marines themselves, being one of the most compassionate and human of all the space marine chapters, we are given glimpses into their inner thoughts and struggles, but never any exploration. They still feel more inhuman than superhuman.

While this review may sound critical, it is only because I wanted more out of the book and saw the potential for it to be there. This book definitely did not feel incomplete or rushed and in the end goes somewhere unexpected, leaving the reader eagerly anticipating the next installment. For me, the scenes inside the chaos bastion were my favorite. I could almost feel the taint of chaos seeping into my head just as it seeps inside the heads of the space marines. My only real criticism is that the british version of the book has more characterful cover art.

Rating System:

1 - Couldn't Finish the Book

2 - Could have spent this time painting

3 - Enjoyable read, but probably won't be picked up again

4 - Good read, even for those who aren't familiar with the hobby/universe

5 - Could have spent the time it takes writing this review re-reading the book

Rating:

Salamander by Nick Kyme - 3 out of 5

If you have any suggestions for books to review or read, please let me know! I'm always in search of a good book.