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!

GHARRR!!!!

Why am I painting Ghar again?

Best I can offer you is this: who the hell knows...

Sorry, these indoor pics kinda suck, but I ran out of daylight...

There ya go, the view that most of their foes see: the backsides of these little buggers as they flee for their lives!

I tried eBaying off my previous little Ghar rebel army for close to 6 months to no avail, and eventually gave 'em to my buddy Bob who already had a small Ghar force of some sort (I think). When I got rid of 'em, I included the rule book as well. It's not like I ever played the game, nor is anybody else here locally either. In all honesty, I really don't like any models other than just the basic outcasts (no, not even the Black Guard barring just the one that I have). 

Lovely little cannon once assembled. Assembling it so that the gun itself sits level however...

Anyways, I had kept my original, lone Outcast and had called it a day on Beyond the Gates of Antares...or at least until I stumbled across a NIB, sealed outcast box for $20 on eBay. So here we are again...even less of a force than before. No rules. Neither any hope of, nor intent to actually play the game. Yet I'm painting Ghar rather than my new Orks, the still on the sprue DKK and Ork Terrain, or any of the other myriad new toys that I bought in my last spending spree. Nope, I'm painting Ghar (well, and Battletech minis who have earned their paint jobs in glorious combat). 

Yeah there they go too! It seems that these two are no braver than their compatriots...

These are fairly close though not entirely consistent with my original outcast mini. However they're rebels, so they're not really supposed to be I'd imagine. The lugger guns and disruptor cannon walker on these few are rusted all to hell, having been scavenged from long discarded battlefield detritus. Not all of them will have rusty weaponry though, as I'd imagine that there are at least a few who managed to maintain a white knuckled grip on their guns when fleeing from combat. 
I would imagine that following a battle, once the Ghar forces moved on Fartok's Blackguard would drop in an operative or two to seek out equipment to salvage and outcast survivors to either recruit or else form into insurgent cells such as this one (not that a lone squad of outcasts will strike fear into the hearts of...well anyone). 

The squad so far.

With these five minis now painted, I have just 4 more to go. Hopefully they will scratch the itch sufficiently enough to not encourage any further needless expansion into this seemingly dead game system. That said, there is a somewhat deranged thought that's been rattling around my head here recently to buy several squads of these outcasts, call them Hrud, and use 'em as counts as Imperial Ghard, because you know. I play 40k anymore as often as I do Antares...

Decals, Decals, Decals...

o/

Progress has been a bit slow this week. Monday's hobby time was mostly spent blogging about my recent battletech game (which will post tomorrow). Aaaargh, multi-blog interference already!?! 

Worse yet, even though its only fucking February (and ya know, supposedly winter...), the allergy nightmare normally reserved for spring/summer is already in full swing! Medications are flowing freely, but as is always the case with the initial onslaught, they're having little-to-no effect. Already being doomed, I said fuck it and drove around town in this 'spring' weather with the truck's windows wide open anyways, not like it would make any difference in whether or not I can breathe thru my nose anyways right?

I did manage to add some decals to my container at the very least (and many, many kleenex gave their absorbent lives in said endeavor). 

'Pizz off Wankaz'? HERESY! **BLAM!!** Seems WaaarghPug's boyz have been here...

 On the other side we have: 'Waaaaggh Beeotch? 'MORE HERESY!!  (and another) **BLAM!!**  Hrmm, maybe instead it was Neverness and his nefarious bunch.

Yeah, I love decals soooooo much that I went and added an Aquila inside on the partition wall! Curiously, that gave me less trouble then those on the exterior.

So anyways, that's all I have for this go round. Now if you'll excuse me...I need to blow my nose for the umpteenth time today...

The futility of camouflage...

o/

This just might work...

More fun with the grim-dark filter...

Rather than continue on with my Vanquisher, and actually complete a project for once, I instead decided to paint that Awesome Mech from my last post. I opted to go super simple  as it is 6mm scaled, meaning finely detailed paint jobs at that size are beyond my patience level. 

Starting with black as a base coat, I just dabbed on splotches of Coat D'arms' Hideous Blue, followed by Wizard Blue, and lastly GW's Administratum Grey. The base is Mechanicum Grey and the over-all light dry-brushing of the rust/grime is my usual mix.

No filters (just like me!).

I then added decals for my merc unit, The Buffet Assault Group (a.k.a. the TBAGerz) to the side torsos. The decals aren't too noticeable in those locations, but given that they're huge (relatively speaking) red logos on an urban camouflaged mech, that's probably not a bad thing I'd guess. Given that the decals were originally intended for 15mm scaled minis, the sides are the only locations where these will fit. As such, all 4 TBAGerz mechs were chosen specifically because they contained areas large enough to squeeze in said decals.

I think I'll just swap this large
laser out for an ER model.

As for the camouflage itself, in hindsight the effort of applying it to an 80-ton, upright walking monster is kind of a laughable notion. Sure, sure...in the smoke filled ruins of a burning city where IR sensors and radar could be all but rendered useless, and most encounters occur at point-blank range, that camo might actually work well enough to give the element of surprise! However this Awesome (along with it's 3 companions) are all long range fire support models. Meaning they're all terribly ill equipped for any sort of close range fire fight, rendering their urban camo into more of a fashion choice rather than a practical one.

I've been pondering Battletech again...

o/

Battletech is a game we play only vary rarely. Mainly as games (often fought till one side has been wiped out) seem to take forever to conclude. That said, I really do enjoy the background fluff, indeed I'm currently reading the 1st Succession War PDF. Normally we play at the 8000 point mark which isn't much to be honest, rather mechs can really absorb a lot of punishment and keep on going.

Looking to thwart the issue of endless games without conclusion (my longest to date clocked in at 12 hours or so before I threw in the towel and told my opponent: You win, now get out, I'm done! (or something to that effect). I thought I'd try devising a scenario of my own for a future game, where total annihilation shouldn't be the objective. Instead escaping an ambush intact is! Or...at least having my unit commanders do so.

So here's what I came up with:

Backstory:

TBAGers, the resurrection! (following their 15mm demise)

The 3rd Succession War has been raging for years, luckily though your backwater world has come thru unscathed until now. Your Successor House/Periphery Realm’s* mortal enemies have sent a mercenary battalion (insert whichever here, but in this particular case) known as The Buffet Assault group (TBAGers) on a raid to strip your planet of whatever military stores it can find. As you ready your militia forces, you research your adversaries only to discover that the TBAGers have a reputation for employing simple, mob-like tactics and suffering from consistently mediocre leadership. Odds are, this raid will prove to be no different…

Landing unopposed, they quickly established a beach-head around their drop ships. The TBAGers' primary combat companies have aggressively moved towards their objectives brushing aside what little resistance that could be mustered in their path. Even though your militia units reacted quickly, they are too lightly armed to deflect the oncoming horde. However your scout lance has spotted an opportunity that could throw this entire raid into disarray…

Overconfident, the TBAGers combat elements are all but running amok, while your scout lance has reported that their command company is advancing at (quote) ‘a leisurely stroll’. Sensing an opportunity for a decapitation strike, you’ve let the main force bypass unawares, whilst your remaining militia wait in ambush for the TBAGers' commanders to blunder right into the kill zone!

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Scenario:

8000 points per side, all level 1 technology. 

This variant will lose that torso
mounted cannon and gain a...um,
backpack?

The attacker (TBAGers) need their command units to escape the ambush and link up with the main raiding force. The ‘command units’ consist of a Cyclops CP-10-HQ**, and three ‘Command Squads’ of infantry, each mounted in their own transport vehicle. 

The TBAGers need to get the Cyclops and at least one infantry squad to escape the ambush via the opposing player’s table edge in 6 turns (or less) to win. If only one of those two escape, the game is a tie, if none escape then the defender wins. 

Due to the confusion caused by the ambush, the defender automatically has the initiative, and no TBAGers units may advance faster than cruising speed in the first turn.  

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* Yes its kind generic, but anyone can plug whichever locations/factions they like. 

**The Collapsable Command Module carried by the Cyclops is anything but tech level 1, however it never actually comes into use during this scenario.

****

Currently I lack the infantry and their transports as well as the requisite Cyclops mech needed to try this out. However Kushial and I will trade an Awesome for a Cyclops when next we meet, and I already have the rest selected for purchase. I'm just waiting on a few ebay sales to finance them. Once all of that is complete, I hopefully will be able to schedule a game and give this a try!

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