My general state of things.

 o/

Long time, no posts. I am still alive and am posting regularly on my Battletech blog as I am playing that more or less exclusively. That, said, I have been pondering playing something else. My buddy Nick 2.0 wants to try out Down Range at some point which was developed by and for the United State Marine Corps of all things (yes really, read about it here). 

This small bunch is more likely to simply scratch an itch and find itself a spot in my display case than anything else. 

Beaverbug Mk III, used almost exclusively by the British Homeguard, it is as fearsome as it looks. 

Sporting both print lines and markings for my Quar's Eleventy First regiment.

Being a mediocre 3D print, I rated it on eBay equal to what I got: three good wheels out of four. The defective one isn't real noticable, but also ought not have been shipped in my opinion.

With my pre-existing Universal carrier, they form a minimum armored (and I use that term loosely) platoon. 

I have been pondering Bolt Action again, the game that I buy, paint a few minis for, and then sell without ever playing on a seemingly regular basis. That said, I would prefer to play it using my Quar which would clock in at about 600ish points. When I mention this idea to the guys at the shop, I always get the same reply: 'You can just borrow an army if you want to play.'

...sigh...

40K for me is on a permanent hiatus at this point. The prices are down right comical. The FLGS hosts regular games, and almost bi-weekly touraments. The preferred point value for both is 2K. Recently they had a 'teaching tourney' to help players learn to play better/more competively, with winning being a secondary objective. 

That sounded appealing except it was a 2K point limit. How many new players already have 2K point armies? My Tau are in the 600-700 point range, and drop a few points every time the balance dataslate is released it seems. The Orks clock in at maybe a 1K-ish, I honestly have no idea at this point. The Iggies are maybe 1K assuming I ever build my two remaining tanks. Lastly, my smurfs are the largest army, yet still fall short of the 2K requirement as they total up at about 1500 points or so. 

So I passed on that. 

I recently ordered some new helms for a squad's worth of unpainted iggies to syphon off for Trench Crusade. Additionally, i purchased a mechanized heavy infantry model for New Antioch to finally give that game a try. It seems to have a decent following locally with a few of the battletech guys playing it. 

I am also seriously pondering selling off my Star Wars Legion minis (again). I am sure it is a fine game, I love the universe and the minis, but it's player base leaves a lot to be desired. My last game seemed fine at the time, but the more I thought about it, the more annoyed I became. 

I've hosted plenty of 'teaching games' for new players over the years, mainly 40K. For a teaching game, as I know the rules by heart and my opponent barely knows what he/she is fielding, I would field a mediocre list that will put up a good fight and is more than capable of winning said game. That said it will do so less efficiently, with higher casualties and if I lose, the new player won't feel like I let them win. Whereas if they lose, it'll be close enough that they felt as though they could have won and thus will want to play again. Not to mention their units would have lasted long enough to give a feel for what they can do, in addition to giving the new player an at least halfway decent grasp of the game. 

RJ knew going into our game that I had only played once and only had a vague grasp of the rules. With that foreknowledge he brought his Anakin Skywalker, special build, almost all Arc Trooper special forces list. We both knew his would slaughter my force before any dice were even rolled. 

Traditionally, we have always referred to this as 'clubbing baby seals'. Needless to say, if you are the baby seal, then it really sucks to be you. RJ seems perplexed by my lack of desire to play again. 

Curious indeed that is...

I never played Legion in Tennessee after watching the local guy who would 'teach' all of the new players in much the same fashion, and when they were justifiably pissed afterwards would say (quote) Well that's just the meta. He came close to getting punched a time or two. Oddly, the player base for Legion didn't seem to expand beyond what it already was.

Back in South Carolina...

I told the FLGS owner that I was on the fence for Legion aways back. When he asked why, I explained my views on teaching games vs my game with RJ in much the same detail as above and he grimaced. He wanted to argue my point, but admitted that he had nothing to offer as a counterpoint. His experiences learning SWL were much the same as mine, though being the FLGS owner who wanted to sell minis, he just quietly put up with losing consistantly. 

I have no such incentive.

*****

So for the TL;DR folks who skipped to the end (and who can blame you given the above wall of text):

Down Range probably.

Bolt Action maybe, Bolt Action with Quar not likely. 

40K, no. 

Trench Crusade, possibly.

Star Wars Legion likely going bye bye. 

Battletech all the time!

This means QUAR!

 o/

Let's go that way...

I opted for  the more practical tan, rather than the traditional Coftyran blue uniforms.

The Coftyr have always been my favorites, and while I do like the new Crusader minis a bit more, there is surprisingly another Quar collector in the area! Neither of us have played the actual Quar gameto date however. He also likes the Crusaders, and has been concentrating on them. Thus is makes sense for me to field their arch rivals for my own force.

Somebody commented that I use too many types of tufts on my bases. Clearly that guy doesn't leave the sidewalk much.

I love the laser cut plants!

Previously I had these on 20mm bases, but I decided to rebase them on the standard 25mm bases now that I have the prospect of an opponent for my Quar. Previously, outside of games of Weird War II, I've only ever painted my quar for just the hell of it. I've always loved 'em, whereas my gamer buddies in Tennessee: not so much. 

The Mylwer (Sgt.) has a Doru (SMG), the the Quar on the left has a Cryfen (LMG). All of the rest have Harlech Rhyfles.

Note the smaller pack with Baguettes sticking out of it on the Mylwer. Rank has it's privileges.

Anyways, these little dudes are done representing my first painted rhyfler squad in quite some time. I've been pondering different ideas for telling squads apart, but will likely just use the old stand by of painting the rims on their bases in different colors. Simple & easy, always the best way to go. 

The whole squad.

SHROOMS!

 o/

Not your garden variety either...

I picked these up at the FLGS last week and painted them up over the weekend. Pirmarly just contrast paints and washes, with the most detail work being the one in the middle of the pic above. 

Despite the extra time required, this one wasn't too hard to paint. 

I started to paint the little pustules red until it dawned on me that you really couldn't tell the difference from the orange contrast paint.

My first use of the Ork Flesh contrast paint on this one, makes it look more like a shrubbery.

Not from this angle though.

I should've take a pic with a Quar, they can walk under this thing. 

Gotta love contrast paint!

They were reasonably priced at $15, and I'll likely pick up another set next time I am there. I like the fact that they are perfectly sized for everything from Battletech, to Star Wars Legion, to 40K (assuming I ever play that again...). 

Size comparison to an Eldar Guardian and a custom industrial mech.

What the hell?!?

Ammo explosion?

So, I was loading up my Bolt Action Americans that I simply cannot get interested in, to deliver to a buddy of mine who is aware of my apathetic view of the game and out of the blue offered to buy them last week. When, I opened my miniature display case, picked up my Chaffee and...the tracks were sitting in a puddle of goo. 

Can't blame the Germans when the tank has yet to see battle...

After posting pics on my FLGS' discord along with the requisite WTF?!? It seems that the uncured resin in the cavities inside the turret released gases and not only leaked resin goo down thru the hull, but also popped apart the turret's top. 

This much lubrication is not required...

Needless to say, after a future sojourn out in the sun to cure the innards, this tank will likely serve as terrain only. I bought this in September of 2022, painted it in November 2024, and last touched it in January of this year, meaning this happened sometime since then. 

Oh and by the way Neverness, if the urge ever strikes me to take up Bolt Action again, there's always my beloved Quar...

Dwarf Spider Droid and Rebel Troopers

 o/

Awwww, isn't it cute?

This is my latest purchase for my Separatist army. I thought it would bring me up for 500 points, but then I remembered that you cannot have 2 commander choices in a skirmish army. Oh well,worst case I can proxy a suad of Rebel troopers as Pyke mercenaries, or just stick with Rebels for now.

Stepping off of the edge...

...or is it stepping into the future?

I like how colorful the base is.

Speaking of Rebels, I finished the last four original troopers. Meaning my army would have been fully painted were it not for the influx of new recruits, gifted to me by RJ. 

These were the Rebel Trooper Upgrades expansion where all four could be built with either support weapons or blaster rifles.

I'm not complaining though. These will be folded into one of the squads that RJ gave me to form a super squad of 10. That will also even out the human-to-alien ratio in said trooper squad. 

Clankers Update

 o/

Making progress.

I've been moving right along on cleaning up & expanding my CIS force. I finished up the first squad of B1s, the blue squad as marked out by the tufts on their bases. 

Rather than Tufts, the specialists have cystals on their bases, whereas the Super Tactical droid's base looks like it is in a space ship or perhaps the under hive.

Wouldn't the binoculars just be hard wired in?

I also painted up a super tactical droid as well as a the four specialist droids: the repair droid (little blue bot), the medical droid (the ugly green one in the back), a recon droid (the mini Imperial Probe droid in OD green), and lastly a T-series command droid (in silver and red). 

Wat Tambor, Foreman of the Techno Union

(and also a model without any rules...)

Also as you can see I painted the Wat Tambor above. I'll likely just use him as a proxy for another T-series command droid. While the T-Series isn't all that stout of a character, neither are political leaders when on the battlefield. 

No, I didn't take these pics on the roof of my wife's white car in the garage. Why do you ask?

I also finished up some...uh...terrain pieces:

 Now those are some serious chicken legs!

I couldn't resist these goofy looking things. I was thinking maybe make them terrain that if you come into base contact with, will make a 1-white die attack and then make an immediate half range run away in the opposite direction. Or something like that. I probably ought to get the rules down before creating terrain with rules, but what can I say? My cart always leads the horse.

When exactly did the Rebellion start anyways?

 Someone is always fighting authority somewhere right? 

Is vehicular manslaughter a thing in Legion?

Hot of the heels of the arrival of my 2nd hand CIS horde from my last post, I got in another game of Star Wars Legion. My opponent was RJ whom I hadn't met in person up until he arrived for our game. Much to my surprise, he came in bearing a box of rebels for me. Screw the Darkside and their cookies! 

My new Rebel recruits are the unpainted minis in back: Luke Skywalker, (2) squads of Rebel troopers as well as a neither pictured nor assembled Rebel AT-RT. 

He had had them knocking around for awhile and said they needed a home and so they were mine. I found out later of that he was looking to get into Battletech, however didn't know where to start. Thus, I'll be passing some of my spare mechs off to him next time I see him. 

We played a 500 point skirmish/teaching game as this was only my 2nd game and I last played in November. Clones vs. Rebels (or perhaps just insurgent/dissidents at this point?). I had an officer, a mandalorian (but not the Madalorian), a 10-strong squad of rebels with a Z-6 gunner, another squad of 5 troopers, and a landspeeder with medium blaster and rocket launcher. 

RJ had Anakin Skywalker (who I simply referred to as 'the blender'), a single squad of Clone troopers and I think 4, 5-strong squads of ARC troopers. The primary mission was Bunker Assault I think, I have no idea what the secondaries were. 

The battlefield with my first squad of Rebels deployed behind a building. 

RJ deploying his first squad of ARCs. 

The rest of my army waiting in the wings. 

My landspeeder moves forward quickly, rounding a wrecked AT-AT and killing 2 ARC troopers

They took offense to that and inflicted 2 wounds to my speeder. 

And then the Blender did just that, destroying the speeder. 

The Mandalorian moves up taking long ranged potshots with his pistol. This guy has so many rules and upgrades that I forgot to use several during the game. 

A lone ARC disengages the Ewoks which speared most of his squad, leaving them open to the Clone troopers who did not believe in plot armor and shot them more or less to pieces.

The Mandalorian drops the retreating ARC trooper, making that the only enemy unit that I wiped out. 

Despite heavy casualties, my large blob of rebels had ground another squad of ARCs down to just the leader. Then Anakin arrived and that was that. 

On the other side of the board, the ARCs and my smaller squad of Troopers slugged it out for most of the game, with my troopers eventually getting wiped out. 

Way out on the flank, Anakin and the ARC Sgt. decide to BS for the rest of the game as there was no way to move in close enough to have anymore positive effect. 

The last Ewok makes a glorious (and futile) suicide charge!

Lt. Spike & the remaining ARCs that took out my small squad of troopers, would end the game locked in combat. 

My only other survivor, the Mandalorian would likewise end the game sniping back & forth with another ARC unit. 

In the end I think the final score was 13-5, resulting in a solid loss for me. That said I had more fun than the last time as I had a better understanding of what was actually going on. While Anakin was unharmed, I took out about half of RJ's clones, putting a good dent in his force. So was not a bad 2nd showing. 

Lookis like I need to get to painting on some more Rebels as my almost fully painted army is now a good distance from that point once again.