Monday, January 30, 2017

Perhaps it was faulty intel...?

o/

I took my Alpha Legion/Outremar army on its first official outing this past Saturday vs. Bob and his Iron Warriors. This was to be the point where theoryhammer would be put to the test. I was using the Sacrificial Offering Rites of War, where my Outremar only deploy and more or less act as bait, and all of my Alpha Legionnaires would arrive via reserves and outflank. Sounds great on paper and I was dying to see how it would work on the table top!

Turns out, Bob's army was the perfect foil for this tactic, as his army included a pair of landraiders full of Cataphractii Terminators on the flanks, ugh! Anti-tank weaponry is sorely lacking in my army which is something I've needed to address for quite some time but never actually got around to doing. Still, my Alpha Legionnaires pressed the attack!

The following of more of a highlight reel rather than a proper battle report:

It wasn't till the bottom of turn 2 that I thought to start taking photos. Here you see the Alpha Legion arriving enmass on turn 2. That said, I never bothered to take pics of the Techmarine & Servitors, Predator and Exodus' paltry right flank assault force. Despite Exodus killing nearly every marine he shot at!

Everyone knows how this one goes, we've all been there: 4 meltaguns in point blank range = 1 penetrating hit which turned that curious looking twin-lascannon sponson into goo. Yeah, good job guys. The termies wanted none of that and jumped out to eliminate the threat. One was vaporized via overwatch before they tore my tactical support squad to pieces...

Ya know, the Iron Warriors' trait which allows them to not have to take morale tests inflicted by shooting casualties? Yeah well, my Centurion was starting to loathe that right about here...

The Outremar cower in fear as death itself approaches the other side of their Aegis defense line.... 

To their credit, the little bastards passed their LD check due to being stubborn in their deployment zone, and kept these monsters in place for another round...

My flank assault is caught in the Iron Warriors' lethal crossfire, and quickly the ranks start to thin...

You know how this went, but it made for a nice photo op at least.

The shattered remains of my Centurion lead blob finally reaches the Breachers marines, and they would spend the rest of the game there (with the Centurion and Apothecary becoming my army's only survivors).

The Iron Warriors Praetor and command squad charge my Outremar Force Commander ("The Gov'na") and his Grenadier bodyguards. They Outremar were eradicated w/o inflicting any return casualties.

In the end, we tallied the Vps as: Iron Warriors 12, Alpha Legion 0. In hindsight I'm not sure how we reached that number as Bob had 3 objectives, 1st blood, line breaker & martial hubris (i.e.: Alpha Legion arrogance) VPs., which totals 6...that said, I still had none. So mathematical skills aside (of which I have few), it still totaled out to Iron Warriors: lots, Alpha Legion: (still) at 0. At least I didn't get tabled!

Still it was a fun game and Bob and I reminisced a bit mid-game about how our 30k game was 'like how 40k used to be'. As such whilst it may be back to the drawing board for my army, I'm looking forward to more 30k in the future!

On a much different note: Playing a game of Rogue Stars vs. Hoss,  my Beloved Wolfy killed half of his force with brutal efficiency and caused his survivors to flee the field! Thus, if we lump our two games together it comes out to a draw!

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Da' MAHREENZ!!!


Hoo sez da' stoopid beakies iz da only wunz?

This mini still needs to be clear coated, but its raining currently which isn't exactly ideal weather for that. Honestly, I was kinda worried about putting a greenskin in a green uniform. Green on green doesn't leave a whole lot of room for contrast and skin tones aside, Ork armies tend to be every color BUT green even though:

GREEN IZ BEST! 

However I'm using the Vallejo US Infantry Paint Set which contains the colors for the USA's WWII infantry. Considering that I used this mini as a test model (always best to use the squad Sgt. for that right?), I think that he came out pretty good. Although I don't think this is quite the historical accuracy that Vallejo had in mind...

Edit: Sorry for the crummy pics, I was in kindova hurry as it was late. That said, I see a few touch ups needed on his face before I give him that clear coat.

Monday, January 23, 2017

This week on ebay...

o/

With the holiday mailing rush over meaning that shipping via the postal service is no longer a nightmare (or, well...at least its not any worse than the norm), I decided to offer up a few more unwanted toys to the almighty ebay.

First up, The Buffet Assault Group partook in its first ever battle. Or rather, they were actually spectators to the battle to see who would take possession of them.

Such cool models, but I'd rather somebody use them just keep them in a mini case forever...
I fully painted an army but never got to play the game...so sad.

Anyone who's been involved in a short, but furious ebay bidding war knows how frustrating and expensive they can be. However when you're selling an item, that same bidding war causes you to cackle with glee as almost non-stop bid notifications come in all the way down to the wire! As such, the price for the TBAGerz almost doubled in those last few, furious minutes!

My other two auctions weren't near as lucrative but sold none-the-less. Next up was an old Battletech tank that sold for prettymuch what I bought it for. Sometimes I wonder why I keep anything Battletech as we so rarely play the game...but that's a train of thought for another day.

Lastly I sold, my Panzerfauste Gnomes. Despite spectacular customer service, the whole experience of poorly cast minis, poorly cast replacement parts, waiting months for said parts and yeah...I didn't have any interest left to even bother to paint the little guys. They sold for the $10 which equaled the price of replacement arms and guns. Ebay and paypal fees meant I lost a little, but that literal cost wasn't nearly as bad as the disappointing experience that I had with them.

As such, with the Gnomes demise, I've effectively washed my hands of Bolt Action all together.

Whilst the lion's share of the $$$ just went into the ol' checking account (because being a semi-responsible adult sucks), I did use some to buy some MINIONS!!! I love the Minions from the Despicable Me movies, and Bombshell minis makes a sprue of (6) robot minions with (or without) guns. I took the ones with weaponry as I think they'll be perfect for use with Rogue Stars.

As for this week coming: I'm hoping to actually paint those Orks I primed last week

Thursday, January 19, 2017

I restocked paint, FINALLY!


Now that I actually have primer (purchased for me by my Beloved Wolfy), I can start painting again and these three boyz are first on my 'to do' list!

Coming soon: World WAAAAUGH II!

Sorry for the super-short post but we have family in town, so time is short.

Monday, January 16, 2017

Rogue Stars: Our first game

o/

Scott vs, Hoss...
Saturday night, my beloved Wolfy, myself, Hoss and Scott got together for our first ever game of Rogue Stars. Hoss, was really the only one who had a firm grasp of the rules, as neither Wolfy nor Scott had read them, and I generally fail to comprehend rules without actually using them in a game. Hell, just trying to figure out stats for my crew was something of a nightmare till Wolfy took the book away from me and figured out what I was doing wrong in short order.

"TACO ATTACK!!!" 

As for the game itself, turning what is supposed to be a 2-player game into a 4-player free-for-all on the first ever attempt of playing it, is generally not recommended and as I'm sure you've guessed by now, that's exactly what we did. The ability to steal the initiative from the opposing player is a pretty cool mechanic. However when it involves three opposing players, chaos ensues! That said, after 20+ years of 'you go, I go' games and small variations thereof. That absolutely chaotic pace to the game was probably the most accurate representation of what I would imagine an actual battle to be like.

Scott closes in on Wolfy's troops.

About halfway thru the game, Scott's dice went hot, he started racking up kills and there was no stopping him. Hoss eventually stabilized his casualties and fled the board, Wolfy's crew suffered 2 casualties, and could do little to slow Scott's rampage (aside from vaporizing one guy's head with a well placed plasma pistol shot).

...and despite her best efforts it went badly for her...

As for my crew: my leader managed to fire two (non-connecting) shots all game, and the rest of my bunch accomplished little aside from managing to get away from my table edge (to spare them from the tragic death resulting from being accidentally knocked off of the table by my arm). Actually, the only mini I had that did well was 'Taco'. That little bot beat the hell out of a few Hoss's troops before hauling ass across the table and doing the same to one of Scott's power armored guys. Then...he took a shot thru the head and went out of action. Sad face, he was only a soft taco...

TACO ATTACK!!! (yes, again) He beat the hell out of that kick-ass looking mini of Scott's up before going down to a head-shot.
Here's a close-up of said kick-ass looking mini which was painted by a different Scott in our group.

In the end, we called it as it was late. Still, much fun was had and we are all looking forward to more games of Rogue Stars in the future.

Friday, January 13, 2017

So what happened to that Thursday post?

Oh yeah, some dumb-ass forgot to post one, that's what.

Anyways, Rogue Stars doesn't really have any game related fluff, leaving the players to create their own. As my readers already know, I love doing that and so here is the fluff for my initial Rogue Stars crew (and their ship which will make for a nice terrain piece if I ever get around to building it!):

The Ship:

The Raptor 3, an ISW-69 class shuttle which her captain acquired under questionable circumstances. The shuttle itself is incapable of interstellar travel, and thus hitches a ride between solar systems in a manner similar to an aquatic barnacle: by illegally mag-locking onto an unwary ship's hull. Upon the arrival to a new system, the Raptor 3 will detach once its host vessel is in amongst the bustle of orbital traffic. Its rare but not unknown for the Raptor's crew to hitch a ride out of system on the same vessel on which they arrived.

From left to right and starting with the red robot in back: Bucket, a Squidbilly, Catalina, Bob and Taco. When painted, Catalina's space suit will have a clear acrylic dome similar to Bob's. Whereas currently her suit looks...well, weird.

The Crew:

"Catalina"

Ah Humanity. The most aggressive, violent, and predatory vermin infestation of the galaxy! Humanity seeks to control, conquer, or exploit every object in existence as if it was already their own (but it often isn't). What else is there really to say about the Human race? Not much I'm afraid. The Raptor 3's sole human occupant goes by the name Catalina (with no surname). She's is the owner of the Raptor 3 and captain of its small crew. Despite her piratical ways, Catalina's not nearly as ruthless as the usual human stereotype, but that's often lost on those they encounter when conducting 'salvage operations' as she often makes introductions from the other side of her gun…


"Bob"

"Bob" (whose name is unpronounceable to the human tongue) is an Illyrian, which is an isolationist alien species rarely seen outside of their own domains. Illyrians have the gift of language and can instantly understand, comprehend, and fluently speak any language they encounter. Thus Illyrians who travel beyond their realms are invariably employed as 'universal translators'. 

The Illyrian method of communication however is what causes their generally isolationist tendencies. Their mouths are used only for the ingestion of food, not for vocalization. Instead the Illyrians telepathically implant their 'words' into their companion's minds in the appropriate language. This form of communication is unnerving to most no matter how long they're around the Illyrians. Somewhat oddly, the Illyrians cannot read the minds of others. As such, those in the company of these aliens often appear to be having one-sided conversations with the seemingly mute alien beside them. 

Whilst the Illyrian language is itself quite evolved and nuanced, most of it is lost on the rest of the galaxy's "lesser creatures" (as the Illyrians call every other species but their own). Continuously annoyed that none but their own kind can properly understand what they're saying, their temperaments tend to range from cantankerous to downright hateful!  Over the years, Catalina and Bob have 'come to an understanding' though to categorize their relationship as 'friendly' would be a bit of a stretch…

"The Squidbillies"

The Squidbillies are a trio of aliens from a species known as the Edo. The Edo group together to form collective intelligences that act as one. Highly intelligent as a result,  the Edo are multi-taskers without peer, and they're employed by Catalina to be the Raptor's flight crew. Priding themselves on being the 'flight jocks of the outfit', they roost in the nooks and crannies of Raptor's cockpit. Indeed they consider all of the cockpit their own with the sole exception of Catalina's captain's chair (there were four Squidbillies until one was crushed under Catalina's enviro-suit as she wearily plopped into said chair without looking!). Like Bob, their name is unpronounceable to humans, and Catalina named them due to their resemblance to the characters of an ancient and awful Terran cartoon. 

These little aliens rarely leave the Raptor itself, and if they do pop out of the ship for a  collective breath of fresh air, they never scurry more than a few feet from the ship's hatches. They will fight if cornered, but in most cases flee back aboard ship at the first hint of…well, anything. Thus they are rarely seen by anyone other than the Raptor's other crew members.

"Bucket"

Bucket is a civilian-grade maintenance A.I.. Like most A.I.'s in servitude, Bucket was  programmed to be loyal to a fault. Improper maintenance has however lead to some idiosyncrasies in it's personality, and most every order is acknowledged with a burble of recognition that sounds a hellova lot like a grumbled complain. Bucket of course denies this... 

Whilst the Raptor 3 is in transit, Bucket's days are an endless routine of ship maintenance, cooking meals, mopping the floor, unclogging that damned toilet again! (Bob's bowels wreak havoc on that poor piece of equipment…), and a multitude of other unpleasant and menial tasks for which maintenance A.I.'s were designed. On salvage operations, Bucket is tasked with hauling everyone's extra gear, and is not only festooned with bulging cargo pouches, but often lags behind as it drags a heavy burden of 'the loot' back to the ship. While not built for combat, Bucket can handle a carbine with a passable amount of accuracy.


"Taco"

The final member of the Raptor 3's crew is Taco, a military-grade A.I. of similar design to Bucket. Just where it's name came from is a mystery to all but Taco and the ornery little bot patently refuses to explain. As one will have already guessed, Taco is also a bit idiosyncratic, which is somewhat disconcerting for a combat A.I.. In transit, Taco is usually powered down as it otherwise mopes around ship in tireless boredom. The rest of the crew (especially Bucket) quickly tire of constantly shoving the despondent Taco out of their way. As such, Taco is usually consigned to a storage bin until the Raptor lands/docks at its destination. 

When the Raptor's crew disembarks the ship, Taco is invariably at the forefront with guns at the ready! Unfortunately Taco's 'loyal to a fault' programming has been afflicted with some sort of glitch. True, Taco will defend both the ship and the rest of the crew viscously with its two, arm mounted pistols, however Catalina and Bob frequently have to restrain Taco from getting too far ahead and/or engaging whatever it sees without provocation (Bucket, always in the rear could honestly care less…). Indeed, Taco possesses a child-like glee when it comes to the prospect of combat, and most every firefight starts before Catalina and Bob can even see who or what Taco's shooting at!

Following every unnecessary battle (i.e.: most all of them) an enraged Catalina always swears she's going to leave 'that damned bullet-ridden idiot behind!', but like a scolded puppy Taco always sucks up just enough to make it back aboard before the Raptor 3 lifts off again. 

****

Now all I have to do is figure out how to make stats for this bunch of characters. Also of note the Squidbillies may be omitted as currently two are MIA. They may be in the simple green with my Eldar falcon but honestly I'm not inclined to go looking for them at the moment.


Monday, January 9, 2017

Rogue Stars

o/

So yeah...this is happening. 

Our buddy Hoss was going on about this game in our local gaming group's FB page and Wolfy and I gave it a look. The reviews look good, the excerpts we could see/read online looked promising, and...well to quote Wolfy directly:

"It has space pirates! I'm in!"

This really is just a rule set, and you can use whatever minis you already own. I have a fairly vast collection of Hasslefree's Grymn, and a random variety of Bombshell minis that will ought to work out perfectly! Likewise Wolfy also has a fair few Hasslefree minis of her own and a Yu Jing army for Infinity that she never uses. All of those ought to work out nicely for this game making it a very inexpensive game to try out (always a bonus!).

Also, Rogue Star's creator is very active on the game's FB page, answering questions and inquiries within minutes most of the time! For example a Quick Reference Sheet is a common request on the FB page and one is already in the works!

Our copy of this ought to arrive today and assuming all goes well, we're hoping to get our first game in with Hoss this coming weekend!


Thursday, January 5, 2017

16 out of 24…

o/

That's all I was able to assemble/salvage out of my Panzerfauste Gnomes. Having sustained a 33% casualty rate during just the assembly process (due to irreparable air bubbles and mis-molds) is thoroughly disheartening. Yes they are cool minis, and yes the company itself has first rate customer service! However…

Following this experience I find myself loathe to purchase anything more out of their Gnome miniature line not that anything other than what I already have is available aside from terrain (that said, their Orc Matilda is very tempting for 40k...). Their other miniature races/lines for Panzerfauste would probably be a safer bet to purchase as they're larger and presumably, better cast-especially the arms and weapons.

Indeed the only reason I'm not nerd-raging now is I'm only in for the cost of the replacement pewter arms, which came to roughly $10 (previously Hysterical games had refunded the cost of the resin bodies). I've spent more than three times that amount on Vallejo paints for these guys!

As for my little force, below is what I was able to muster. I initially had intended to use as these as the beginnings of a French army for Bolt Action, but instead they barely amount to a platoon now.

First up:  My Lt. who's armed with a SMG. I had a 2nd SMG gunner who went together fairly well, but on later inspection the gun was seriously fucked up and I tossed him into the discard pile as well. He'll at least serve as a test mini for painting.

Its hard to get a good photo of these little fuckers in their current state. Using the blue backdrop oddly washed them out even more. Hopefully some paint will alleviate the problem.

Second, a medic. This poor bastard looks like he's running for his life! Ducking behind a chunk of wall, this mini's pose is terribly stooped over and this was the best I could manage to make him look better, at the expense of being more difficult to paint.

Such a ridiculous forward lean/pose. Several minis seem to have this issue, and
bending their legs to adjust would if anything make em look worse I think. The 2nd mini I have in this pose came out a little better at least...

Next up, my Forward Artillery Officer and his runner. I say runner as these two lack a radio. That poor bastard's gonna die tired...

The Gnome who's pointing will serve as the FO.

The 'bulk' of my platoon (if I could really call them such a thing) is made up of the remaining 12 minis. Those being two regular quality, 6-strong infantry squads. Each has an LMG team. The LMG is probably better suited as a BAR, but I'd have to run them as Belgians to get access to those. Table-top-wise, I guess it would make little difference I suppose.

Each LMG loader can be picked out of the crowd by the extra clip they are holding.

The Squad sergeants are the one's pointing at...something.

Rounding 'em out to the 500 point mark is my old Quar tank which stands in as an H39. Next to these little guys its liable to look huge as well! Personally I'd rather have some more historically accurate vehicles (a laughable notion considering the infantry!), but for now it'll have to do. A pair of FT-17s 'upgraded' (hilarity ensues) with low-velocity light anti-tank guns would equal the H39's point cost. However whilst I'm fond of the Trenchworx model, that would cost approximately $66.00. And...well, to be honest, at this point I'm not sure that the expenditure would even be worth it. 

Given my already general malaise in regards to Bolt Action, its sudden death locally (partially due to Screech's army committing mass suicide), and my aforementioned apprehension towards purchasing more Gnome Infantry to expand the force (no free point-costed AT gun team for these guys I guess...). Instead I may just paint these up and then put em up for auction, washing my hands of Bolt Action entirely.

Dunno to be honest, will have to see…