So 2008 has now passed us all by and it's 2009 we all have to look forward to now. For me this new year is going to be a growing experience. Single income family while my wife continues her education will be new and something I fully look forward to! Typically, the new year brings many things to everyone's lives by way of resolutions. In the past, I chose to view a resolution as just another thing to fail at as I rarely kept my resolution longer than a week or two. This year however will be different.
My resolution for 2009 will be more regular Blog updates with more varied content. At this point I have discovered my time is very limited for my hobbies, as I have so many now, and so I plan to expand my Blog to cover more of my hobbies. This new content will include my take on things such as miniature tabletop gaming, video games and even books I read. I have a very cyclic nature for my time and one month may play and model exclusively for LotR, where the next I don't touch gaming at all as I delve into my novel collection for more reading and the next month all I do is stay up playing the Xbox.
Stay tuned as I work toward keeping my resolution this year and also bring more varied content for us all to discuss and comment on.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Legends of the High Seas
Today I would like to give my impression of one of the Warhammer Historical games that is available. The game is called Legends of the High Seas(LotHS) and is basically about playing pirates. Personally for me this is a great adventure. I love pirate movies and paraphernalia, so when I found out about this game, it was an instant 'I must own this game' reaction.
For an early Christmas present I treated myself to the rulebook, ordered through www.thewarstore.com which I always recommend for buying gaming material not normally found in your Local Gaming Store(LGS). Please though, continue supporting your local gaming stores also as they are your local location to gather and play games!
Anyway, I digress, so to continue on, last night I finally got a chance to play out a basic learning game of the mechanics of the system. Lucky for me, I was able to match off against not just anyone, but the author of the game himself. This was great as it gave me a little found opportunity to pick his brain when I encountered situations that I had questions how a rule was worded versus the intention of the rule. This was great for me, not that many circumstances came up, as the game plays very smooth!
As to the game play, we only played the skirmish level stuff facing 5 basic navy men against 5 basic pirates. Sorry I don't have any pictures, as the models we used with Tim's so I didn't have any shots of them. The game played very similar to the Lord of the Rings(LotR) game style, which makes the learning curve very easy as I am very familiar with that game system already.
Overall the game was great. I did learn a couple tactical tricks that will help me in future games, mainly in movement and placement of models in confining locations(such as town streets ;) ), which I will be able to use in both LotHS and also my LotR games! By the way, thank you Tim for those lessons.
The only somewhat cumbersome part of the rules was the reloading of weapons which had the effect of having to handle counters. This was a necessary part of the game(flint lock weapons weren't fast to reload) but having to manage the counters was kind of annoying, but understandable.
Final thoughts on this game are: If you like historical gaming, but do not want the size of say Warhammer Fantasy Battles and instead prefer skirmish gaming, this game is for you. If you like pirates and the thought of playing a pirate army and managing a pirate ship sounds like fun, this game is for you. If you enjoy the LotR game system, and want an opportunity to play something new that uses the same rules to play, this game is for you. Basically, this game is for you!
Look forward to future posts as I start working on my pirate band of cut-throats!
~Aaaaargh!!!!!
Let me know your thoughts. Have you also played LotHS? Have you entertained the idea of getting into this game or other Historical gaming? I want to know.
For an early Christmas present I treated myself to the rulebook, ordered through www.thewarstore.com which I always recommend for buying gaming material not normally found in your Local Gaming Store(LGS). Please though, continue supporting your local gaming stores also as they are your local location to gather and play games!
Anyway, I digress, so to continue on, last night I finally got a chance to play out a basic learning game of the mechanics of the system. Lucky for me, I was able to match off against not just anyone, but the author of the game himself. This was great as it gave me a little found opportunity to pick his brain when I encountered situations that I had questions how a rule was worded versus the intention of the rule. This was great for me, not that many circumstances came up, as the game plays very smooth!
As to the game play, we only played the skirmish level stuff facing 5 basic navy men against 5 basic pirates. Sorry I don't have any pictures, as the models we used with Tim's so I didn't have any shots of them. The game played very similar to the Lord of the Rings(LotR) game style, which makes the learning curve very easy as I am very familiar with that game system already.
Overall the game was great. I did learn a couple tactical tricks that will help me in future games, mainly in movement and placement of models in confining locations(such as town streets ;) ), which I will be able to use in both LotHS and also my LotR games! By the way, thank you Tim for those lessons.
The only somewhat cumbersome part of the rules was the reloading of weapons which had the effect of having to handle counters. This was a necessary part of the game(flint lock weapons weren't fast to reload) but having to manage the counters was kind of annoying, but understandable.
Final thoughts on this game are: If you like historical gaming, but do not want the size of say Warhammer Fantasy Battles and instead prefer skirmish gaming, this game is for you. If you like pirates and the thought of playing a pirate army and managing a pirate ship sounds like fun, this game is for you. If you enjoy the LotR game system, and want an opportunity to play something new that uses the same rules to play, this game is for you. Basically, this game is for you!
Look forward to future posts as I start working on my pirate band of cut-throats!
~Aaaaargh!!!!!
Let me know your thoughts. Have you also played LotHS? Have you entertained the idea of getting into this game or other Historical gaming? I want to know.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Batrep: November 1st GT Primer
Hello everyone,
Just finished my games and the drive home from the GT primer held at Talon's Hideout in Mesa AZ. First I want to say, that although the drive was long, Talon's Hideout is a great store. Plenty of Gaming tables(Although space may get cramped with a lot of gamers in store) and the tables were well designed at standing height!
Additionally, although I wasn't there for video games, Chris has a serious pimped out video game setup with 2 separate rooms. One for computer games and another for X-Box which had multiple stations and looked like it would be a blast to play in. For me personally, I will be staying home to play, but in the absence of a computer or X-Box, Talon's would be an ideal store to get your gaming fix done!
Now that I got that out of the way, lets get on to the LotR games!.
First my list:
The Primer had 3 rounds; Storm the Camp, Reconnoitre, The Last Alliance. That last one is a new one that Dean and Tim have cooked up as a possible scenario for the February GT!
Game 1 (Storm the Camp) - Opponent Chris
Dol Amroth versus Wood Elves(Led by Legolas). This was a very one sided game from the beginning. Round 2 saw me use bow fire and get 3 wounds on Legolas that forced Chris to use all his fate and still ended up taking 1 wound. The remainder of the game was a slaughter as my Armored Knights moved up and chopped through the un-armored wood elves. This game ended with me killing the elves to a man(Or I guess and elf) and moving 3 models into his deployment zone for the major victory.
Outcome: Major Victory(15 pts)
Game 2 (Reconnoitre) - Opponent Sean
Dol Amroth version Black Numenorians. Ewe, this was not a good match up for either of us. Bumenorians of course are about the equivalent of an Evil based Dol Amroth army. Ultimately the highlights of this engagement was my Captain getting transfixed 3 straight turns but surviving the ensuing combats. The final of the game was called on time(and I think both Sean and I played as fast as we could go!)
Outcome: Draw(10 pts) Both of us accomplished getting 2 models each off the opposing table edge.
Game 3 (The Last Alliance) - Opponent Anthony
OK. When I said the last match up was bad, I didn't know this one was coming. Apparently, both Sean and I were tied for 2nd place in battle points and Anthony was 1st. As such it was a toss up and luck me, I got to play Anthony and his 'broken' ;) Fighting Uruk-hai. I say broken as a joke though. Really, this was the first time to play against these guys and MAN are they tough. Anthony killed me to a man, and had I understood how tough his guys were, I may have tried to alter my setup. Anyway, I was able to this his numbers down enough to prevent a Major Loss!
Outcome: Minor Loss(7 pts) This games outcome is based on Victory Points and Anthony needed to win my a margin of 176 to get Major. Alas I was able to kill enough to only leave a margin of 123... phew!
In all, I was 4th out of the ten players. I had a great time and Dean put on another great LotR tournament!
EDIT - Updated to include results sheet!
Just finished my games and the drive home from the GT primer held at Talon's Hideout in Mesa AZ. First I want to say, that although the drive was long, Talon's Hideout is a great store. Plenty of Gaming tables(Although space may get cramped with a lot of gamers in store) and the tables were well designed at standing height!
Additionally, although I wasn't there for video games, Chris has a serious pimped out video game setup with 2 separate rooms. One for computer games and another for X-Box which had multiple stations and looked like it would be a blast to play in. For me personally, I will be staying home to play, but in the absence of a computer or X-Box, Talon's would be an ideal store to get your gaming fix done!
Now that I got that out of the way, lets get on to the LotR games!.
First my list:
Dol Amroth Fiefdoms
Captain of Dol Amroth
12x Knights of Dol Amroth
9 Men-at-arms of Dol Amroth(1x Banner)
10 Rangers of Gondor(2x Spears)
Total Models: 32
Bows: 10
The Primer had 3 rounds; Storm the Camp, Reconnoitre, The Last Alliance. That last one is a new one that Dean and Tim have cooked up as a possible scenario for the February GT!
Game 1 (Storm the Camp) - Opponent Chris
Dol Amroth versus Wood Elves(Led by Legolas). This was a very one sided game from the beginning. Round 2 saw me use bow fire and get 3 wounds on Legolas that forced Chris to use all his fate and still ended up taking 1 wound. The remainder of the game was a slaughter as my Armored Knights moved up and chopped through the un-armored wood elves. This game ended with me killing the elves to a man(Or I guess and elf) and moving 3 models into his deployment zone for the major victory.
Outcome: Major Victory(15 pts)
Game 2 (Reconnoitre) - Opponent Sean
Dol Amroth version Black Numenorians. Ewe, this was not a good match up for either of us. Bumenorians of course are about the equivalent of an Evil based Dol Amroth army. Ultimately the highlights of this engagement was my Captain getting transfixed 3 straight turns but surviving the ensuing combats. The final of the game was called on time(and I think both Sean and I played as fast as we could go!)
Outcome: Draw(10 pts) Both of us accomplished getting 2 models each off the opposing table edge.
Game 3 (The Last Alliance) - Opponent Anthony
OK. When I said the last match up was bad, I didn't know this one was coming. Apparently, both Sean and I were tied for 2nd place in battle points and Anthony was 1st. As such it was a toss up and luck me, I got to play Anthony and his 'broken' ;) Fighting Uruk-hai. I say broken as a joke though. Really, this was the first time to play against these guys and MAN are they tough. Anthony killed me to a man, and had I understood how tough his guys were, I may have tried to alter my setup. Anyway, I was able to this his numbers down enough to prevent a Major Loss!
Outcome: Minor Loss(7 pts) This games outcome is based on Victory Points and Anthony needed to win my a margin of 176 to get Major. Alas I was able to kill enough to only leave a margin of 123... phew!
In all, I was 4th out of the ten players. I had a great time and Dean put on another great LotR tournament!
EDIT - Updated to include results sheet!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Fiefdoms Update (Part 2)
Well I decided for the sake of my sanity, plus not really being sure I liked the ranger models, that I would use some of my Ranger of Middle Earth as Ranger of Gondor. This saved me time as they were already painted so I was able to focus instead on my Dol Amroth models.
Overall I think my converted figures turned out well. My Captain has a very dynamic pose as if sending a challenge, or maybe issuing the command to start a charge. In any case, his paint job turned out well, and I am happy with him.
My other converted figure was the Banner Carrier for Dol Amroth. I chose to use a Men-at-arms model. First because I didn't want to give up a Knight, and second, because the pike it comes with screams to be made into a banner.
I also completed all the work on my Men-at-arms models and my Knights on foot. This included finishing the paint jobs and completing all the bases to fit my base scheme for my army.
I also finished the bases for my mounted knights, but I neglected to take new pictures of them. Maybe I will get those done when I work on their display for the GiTD GT in February. Till then, here is the final pictures of my completed 350pt Primer army.
Overall I think my converted figures turned out well. My Captain has a very dynamic pose as if sending a challenge, or maybe issuing the command to start a charge. In any case, his paint job turned out well, and I am happy with him.
My other converted figure was the Banner Carrier for Dol Amroth. I chose to use a Men-at-arms model. First because I didn't want to give up a Knight, and second, because the pike it comes with screams to be made into a banner.
I also completed all the work on my Men-at-arms models and my Knights on foot. This included finishing the paint jobs and completing all the bases to fit my base scheme for my army.
I also finished the bases for my mounted knights, but I neglected to take new pictures of them. Maybe I will get those done when I work on their display for the GiTD GT in February. Till then, here is the final pictures of my completed 350pt Primer army.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Fiefdoms Update
Well, It has been an amazing month and a half since my last post. :( I apologize for this greatly, as I really have no valid reason for this. Just life.
Anyway, I have the upcoming 350pt LotR game on November 1st in AZ and need to seriously update my list for my Dol Amroth army. To that end I have been working on first, a new 350 point list for use in the games on November 1st, and then an updated list of 600 points that will likely become my GT army for the upcoming Gathering in the Desert in February next year.
For details on either of these great LotR events, I would recommend taking a trip over to www.adeptusarizona.com for information and the option to sign-up.
So, for a 350 point list I am thinking of dropping Imrahil and instead adding a Knight Captain and a Banner. Well I don't have either of these models, and funds are a bit on the low end so I decided to convert the models using what I did have(an extra Men-at-arms, and even an extra Imrahil on foot> As I have Imrahil normally I knew I needed to make some changes to the model to make it clear that they are different models.
Here is the primed Knight of Dol Amroth Captain.
As you can see. It is based on the Imrahip foot model. I have removed Imrahil's head and added a Knight of Dol Amroth head in its place. Additionally I have filed down the additional Shield detail to leave only the flat boat instead of the boat and swan. Last I partially repositioned the arm, hand and sword to indicate a more pointing with the sword pose.
I admin that the conversion of Imrahil to a simple captain was a bit drastic. My other conversion isn't nearly as crazy. For my other converted model I took a Dol Amroth Men-at-arms and chnaged the pike position. This will now act as the banner pole. Additionally I repositioned his head so he was no longer looking to the side but more head on.
Here is the newly converted primed model:
I also picked up a few odds and ends for Gondor Rangers. First were 3 citadel guards and the other 4 are actual Faramir's rangers. I thought they would all work well as Gondor Rangers for my Fiefdoms list. What do you all think?
Last I figured I would give a group shot of my 8 Dol Amroth Men-at-arms. These are hopefully what I need to provide the extra backing for my Knights to hold their lines against any enemies they come up against.
I am looking to use this as the base of my 600 point list and look at adding Imrahil and mounted knights for the GitD GT. I look forward to fielding this new army. Stay tuned for more updated pictures as I work to get these models all painted prior to the 350 point Tournament game.
Anyway, I have the upcoming 350pt LotR game on November 1st in AZ and need to seriously update my list for my Dol Amroth army. To that end I have been working on first, a new 350 point list for use in the games on November 1st, and then an updated list of 600 points that will likely become my GT army for the upcoming Gathering in the Desert in February next year.
For details on either of these great LotR events, I would recommend taking a trip over to www.adeptusarizona.com for information and the option to sign-up.
So, for a 350 point list I am thinking of dropping Imrahil and instead adding a Knight Captain and a Banner. Well I don't have either of these models, and funds are a bit on the low end so I decided to convert the models using what I did have(an extra Men-at-arms, and even an extra Imrahil on foot> As I have Imrahil normally I knew I needed to make some changes to the model to make it clear that they are different models.
Here is the primed Knight of Dol Amroth Captain.
As you can see. It is based on the Imrahip foot model. I have removed Imrahil's head and added a Knight of Dol Amroth head in its place. Additionally I have filed down the additional Shield detail to leave only the flat boat instead of the boat and swan. Last I partially repositioned the arm, hand and sword to indicate a more pointing with the sword pose.
I admin that the conversion of Imrahil to a simple captain was a bit drastic. My other conversion isn't nearly as crazy. For my other converted model I took a Dol Amroth Men-at-arms and chnaged the pike position. This will now act as the banner pole. Additionally I repositioned his head so he was no longer looking to the side but more head on.
Here is the newly converted primed model:
I also picked up a few odds and ends for Gondor Rangers. First were 3 citadel guards and the other 4 are actual Faramir's rangers. I thought they would all work well as Gondor Rangers for my Fiefdoms list. What do you all think?
Last I figured I would give a group shot of my 8 Dol Amroth Men-at-arms. These are hopefully what I need to provide the extra backing for my Knights to hold their lines against any enemies they come up against.
I am looking to use this as the base of my 600 point list and look at adding Imrahil and mounted knights for the GitD GT. I look forward to fielding this new army. Stay tuned for more updated pictures as I work to get these models all painted prior to the 350 point Tournament game.
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