Can a Brotha get a Six?

Vanguard Veterans WIP

2011-08-29T19:37:00.000-04:00

In Keeping with my Woodland Rangers theme, I've decided to add some new units to the list. My first thought was about the majestic, brave, and very bold, Bald Eagle. I wanted an animal that would embody what the Vanguards are supposed to be all about. So I had an idea to use the Space Marine Commander backpacks as helmets for the Vanguards.

I grabbed a few of these and cut them up. In keeping with the Eagle theme, I used the Sanguinary Guard kit. I felt their wings wold be perfect for what I was going for. I started some work on the models but I will only do one for now to see how it comes out.

I have also gotten shields from Chapter House Studios. They have some really nice things there. The shields will act as Storm Shields. I have all the weapons and arms magnetized for full functionality.

I plan on painting those shields separately. This model will be the "test" model today. Being mostly brown as the Bald Eagles are, I'll need to make the shield a stark contrast to break up the monotony.

I'll keep this updated this week.

Cryx painting update #2

2011-08-14T12:02:00.000-04:00

Today I just finished painting a Seether. He is not exactly built the way it comes in the package due to me getting this second hand, there are a lot of spikes and things missing. I can live with that. Right now I have the Nightwretch up next. I'm going to work on Skarre a bit today too I think.

I'd like to add a Deathjack to my army but I am waiting for them to produce it in plastic first. Good luck with that as they say.

Cryx painting update

2011-08-13T18:21:00.000-04:00

So I was looking for a change of pace from painting Circle of Orboros for Hordes, and I decided to re-start work on my Cryx. Skarre is my caster of choice but I need to make some modifications to the model V for victory. ;), before I get started painting and using it. For now I am using an ugly re-sculpt of Denny.

Anyhow here is a Pistol Wraith and a Deathripper I finished. I am currently painting the Seether and a Nightwretch. I'd like to get 35 points painted up .

The list I am using is here:

Cryx Roster
34+5 Warjack points, 17 models Warwitch Deneghra +5 points
* 1x Nightwretch 4 points each
* 1x Deathripper 4 points each
* Seether 9 points
* Skarlock Thrall 2 points
Bane Lord Tartarus 4 points
6 Bane Thralls 5 points
* Bane Thrall Officer & Standard 3 points
2x Pistol Wraith 3 points each
Warwitch Siren 2 points

Warpwolf Stalker progress.

2011-07-27T14:09:00.000-04:00

Started painting this guy yesterday. I have got a lot more work to do on him but he is coming along nicely though.

Pureblood Warpwolf complete

2011-07-25T21:50:00.000-04:00

Here is some pictures of the Pureblood I'd been working on 3 months ago. I have added a few more models to the line up and I've started to paint the Stalker I have.

The Stalker is painting up nicely. I'm going to do some more painting tonight before bed.

Painting update for Hordes

2011-04-26T17:01:00.000-04:00

Here is a Pureblood I started on using my air brush. The picture does not do it justice. I like the way you can highlight with the airbrush. Mine has a nice precise spray nozzle.

I have a feral Warpwolf but he was hand painted. I'll be basing him tonight.

Warmachine/Hordes League start up!

2011-04-25T19:39:00.000-04:00

Dream Wizards and our local Press Ganger Nate, are holding our next WM/Hordes league. We are trying a new format where players are set up in divisions, NFL style, and compete each week with a scheduled game.

Here is a link to the schedule spreadsheet:

Scheduled Games

I am trying out Hordes this time instead of Warmachine. I'm still new to MKII in WM but not as green as I am in Hordes. Last week I got a hordes a tutorial in MKII this past Thursday by Nate.

The Faction I am currently building/painting is the Circle of Orboros. I had them originally when Hordes first came out, but traded them away for giant pachyderms (Skorne) I didn't quite grasp the game but the allure of giant werewolves running across the board got me interested again!

I am using a warcaster named Kromac the Ravenous. He turns into a giant beast and can put the hurt on peeps! I plan on using this list below.

System: Hordes
Faction: Circle Orboros
Casters: 1/1
Points: 35/35

Kromac the Ravenous (*4pts)
* Feral Warpwolf (9pts)
* Pureblood Warpwolf (9pts)
* Warpwolf Stalker (10pts)
Shifting Stones (2pts)
Warpborn Skinwalkers (Leader and 2 Grunts) (5pts)
Lord of the Feast (4pts)

I like this list due to the big nasties in it. I have one wolf painted and am working on a second tonight. I need to base him and do a couple of touch ups.

The local league I'm participating in will help prepare me for the Blob's Park later this summer. That is a beer garden but they are hosting a multi-gaming set of tournaments being put on by the Inner Circle Gaming club in Md. Flames of War Warmachine, Warhammer 40k, Warhammer Fantasy and more!

The Old Bay Buccaneers are challenging each other to be fully painted for Blobs Park! I have to do 50 points instead of 35 but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Painting the 35 points for the league will get me mostly there. I will be using pretty much the same models for both 35 points and 50 points. Since WM/Hordes allows for two lists, I am just going to switch out casters for my 50 points to use Kaya The Moon hunter with Laris. I'll need to add some infantry an I'll be done. Working on the pureblood warp wolf tonight!

Space Wolves Objective Markers

2011-04-11T18:19:00.000-04:00

Hello,

I came up with an idea to do objective markers for all of my armies. My Woodland Ranger army has 5, (actually going to remake 2 of them) and I wanted to have some unique ones for my Space Wolves army. In keeping with the wolf background and theme I thought it would be appropriate for me to create objective markers based off of the Sagas on page 64 of the Space Wolves Codex.

There are a bunch to choose from but I only need five so here are my choices.

First up is Saga of the Bear. This is the one I'll make first. I envision a Marine locked in combat with, well, a bear! I am only making 60 mm bases so this may be tough but I have a few ideas on how to pull it off.

Next up will be the Saga of the Warrior Born. I was thinking of a man outnumbered, out of ammo, and nothing but his wits and will to survive. This will be fun to make!

Next after this will be The Saga of Majesty. I see this as a leader who just rallied his troops and encourages them on to keep up the fight. A pure symbol of courage and honor!

I will try for a very ambitious display (for my standards) to create Saga of the Hunter.The plan on this one is to have a scout coming form out of a body of water like a navy seal if you would, about to strike some hapless soldier who thought he was safe! Death to Xenos!

The final objective marker will be Saga of the Beastslayer. This one will feature a marine battling a dragon or some other carnivorous beast! This will be fun to make as well!

My hope is to have them all on 60mm bases. Very challenging considering the Sagas are very dynamic in nature. I am in the planning stage for the bear saga now. I hope to commence work on that one tomorrow night. The Colonial GT took a toll on my body. I'll update this blog in a couple of days with progress.

Colonial GT and the Planet of The Apes Tau

2011-04-11T16:48:00.000-04:00

Hello,

I actually went to my first Grand Tournament.It was the Colonial GT held in Princeton, NJ. The boys at Brothers Grim Games & Collectibles sure know how to through a fun tournament! There was beer, games, and ...more beer! I had a lot of memorable moments there. My gaming group The Beltway Gamers had one of our own win the whole tournament Best Overall! Shout out to my man Dameon Green ! I also had the pleasure if meeting and playing against a great guy named Bob Evers. We had the best time laughing and drinking beer, all the time he was tabling me. :) Also shout out to Lou Branco from the Warmongers Club in NY. We had an awesome tight game. Shout out to Casey from VA, Duncan, Danielle (Hive Fleet Ripley), and Dave from The Brothers Grim game store. I really enjoyed myself there at the tourney. Met some really class people.

My thoughts on the tournament was that there were very nice tables with plentiful terrain. I wish there was a little bit more LOS blocking terrain, but for the most part very good. Tourney was run smoothly IMHO. I found out this was their first time doing 40K. They always had Fantasy battles going on prior. Nice set up and I would definitely go back. There were a lot of nice armies and nice displays. One guy had music playing from his display board. He had a very nice themed Blood Angels army. Bob Ever's army had a wonderful paint job and display board. His objective markers were top notch. One in particular was the crate of Guiness! I loved it!

I wish I had my camera with me! One of the things in my check list when I was packing was grabbing the camera. I grabbed the cable but not the camera! Fortunately My man Mike from Psybilliah's 2 cents took a bunch of pictures of the armies including mine! Thanks Mike!

Dream Wizards 40K Team Tournament nearly sold out!

2011-03-22T12:50:00.001-04:00

Hey folks! We have 3 spots left if anyone wants to go! Sign up now to reserve a space!

On April 23rd, 2011 Dream Wizards, 11772 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, MD 20852 301.881.3530, will host a 40k Team Tournament.

Price is 15.00 per player 30.00 per team.

Players must sign up and play with a person. Not a mannequin, a girlfriend rolling dice, or your cat. All players are expected to have knowledge of the Warhammer 40K game and their own codex.

Each team will field two 1250 pt armies totaling 2500 points. Each player will have a separate 1250 pt army, separate force organization, and be from a different codex than your partners. No two team lists can be from the same codex. Armies wargear and special rules work only on their own army, not the partners army.

Each Team Member must provide their opposing Team during each round a copy of their individual 1,250-point army list.

All current GW FAQ’s will be in use.

Models do not have to be painted, but MUST be WYSIWYG. No proxies. Conversions & count as are good but if in doubt, contact (gamesmiths@yahoo.com) http://Beltway-gamers.com

Scoring will be based on GW RTT standards using battle points (0-20). Ties will be broken using Victory points recorded after each game.
Painting score will be based on one players painting, with each team being able to score 0-5 pts. Only one persons army needs to be painted.

Games will be played on 6'x4' tables. Game length will be 2 hours and 30 minutes per game.

Missions will use Ard Boyz Scenarios.

Schedule:

Registration: 10:00am to 10:30am
Game 1 10:30am to 1:00pm
Break 1:05pm to 1:50pm
Game 2 1:50pm to 3:20pm
Game 3 3:25pm to 5:50pm

The Colonial GT, Berks Assault 2, and The Battle for Blobs Park

2011-03-17T12:44:00.000-04:00

Hello!

I am in full paint mode for these upcoming events. First I am getting my Warhammer40K Tau army ready for the Colonial GT. I am getting really motivated to paint. I guess it changes with the seasons. I hate winter and generally do not do well during these months. So that is 1850 points of Tau to be painted in 21 days. Can it be done? Yes!

The Next big thing I am doing is visiting our new friends in Wyomissing, P, for the Berks assault 2! tourney.Using the same Tau I'm painting now.

The Last thing I'm doing is for Warmachine. I am getting my Cryx up to snuff to battle at The Battle for Blobs Park. The guys over at the Inner Circle gaming club in Maryland, did this last year and I missed it. Who wouldn't want to go to an outdoor tournament and drink beer while playing??

Shield drones update W.I.P. Tau project

2011-03-10T17:27:00.000-05:00

So here are the monkeys I got to use as shield drones. I am happy and disappointed at the same time. I'm happy because they are proportionate to the gorilla suits I'm using and the Fire warriors. I'm disappointed that O'Shovah's sheild is a bit too big for them. I'll need to try something else. That Gorilla in the picture was airbrushed last night. I got Six broadsides and 4 crisis suits done. I'm mixing the paint for the second color.

W.I.P. Tau Shield drones, Crisis suits and new airbrush compressor

2011-03-07T12:22:00.001-05:00

While working on my Crisis suits, I have 3 painted so far, I got an idea to make shield drones for the teams and Broadsides. I thought of using monkeys, not apes as shield carriers. The premise is that they are of a lower caste than the ape-oids, and regarded lightly. They monkeys have their uses though. They server the Ape's "Greater Good" by sacrificing their existence when called upon.

The plan is to have them strap shields on their backs or hold them in some sort of way, depending on the particular pose. probably create straps from green stuff. I will say that I am no way condoning sacrificing any animals. I love animals. These are just models in a made up Sci-fi world and the Apes are the masters! Pretty much the way the Orks are masters over Gretchen\Grots .

As for the shields? I'll be using shields will come from good old Commander Farsight. That way I'll have some GW parts on them ;-). I'll need to cast them up though because I am not about to buy 9 O'Shovahs! I have one and that's enough. His shield is pretty boss looking.

On another note I just got me a new airbrush compressor and some Vallejo Air colors, that way I can airbrush the vehicles and suits faster. My compressor is loud! It's intended for air tools and shop items. I already have a nice new airbrush. I don't want to mess it up on this big compressor.it doesn't regulate air as well as the new on I have coming. I had to take a break on the Tau for a bit as we are doing a big terrain restoration./rebuild at our FLGS. we are trying to get it nice for the 2v2 tourney we are hosting and beyond!

I'll post up pictures of the three suits when they are done and based. probably this Saturday! It's really exciting to actually see progress in your painting. It inspires me to keep going. I don't like playing with unpainted models. I really regret selling my Orks and daemons. Especially the Orks which i painted for three years! Until next time!

Count as Tau W.I.P.

2011-02-24T12:20:00.001-05:00

Need to paint the weapons then prepare for dipping!

Pre-registration for Dream Wizards 40K Team Tournament is live!

2011-02-15T20:06:00.000-05:00

On April 23rd, 2011 Dream Wizards, 11772 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, MD 20852 301.881.3530, will host a 40k Team Tournament. Pre-registration has been made simple by using the Paypal button below. The price is 30.00 per team.

Tau Prototype SMS redo

2011-02-10T00:40:00.000-05:00

Ok I like this one better. I dug the old ones out, then rounded off the 3.2 MM rods then placed them inside.

Prototype Smart Missiles

2011-02-09T18:23:00.001-05:00

Thinking about using this as an alternative to the big sms.

posted from Bloggeroid

WH 40k Team tournament at Dream Wizards

2011-02-08T23:14:00.000-05:00

On April 23rd, 2011 Dream Wizards, 11772 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, MD 20852 301.881.3530, will host a 40k Team Tournament.

Price is 15.00 per player 30.00 per team.

Players must sign up and play with a person. Not a mannequin, a girlfriend rolling dice, or your cat. All players are expected to have knowledge of the Warhammer 40K game and their own codex.

Each team will field two 1250 pt armies totaling 2500 points. Each player will have a separate 1250 pt army, separate force organization, and be from a different codex than your partners. No two team lists can be from the same codex. Armies wargear and special rules work only on their own army, not the partners army.

Each Team Member must provide their opposing Team during each round a copy of their individual 1,250-point army list.

All current GW FAQ’s will be in use.

Models do not have to be painted, but MUST be WYSIWYG. No proxies. Conversions & count as are good but if in doubt, contact (gamesmiths@yahoo.com)

Scoring will be based on GW RTT standards using battle points (0-20). Ties will be broken using Victory points recorded after each game.
Painting score will be based on one players painting, with each team being able to score 0-5 pts. Only one persons army needs to be painted.

Games will be played on 6'x4' tables. Game length will be 2 hours and 30 minutes per game.

Missions will use Ard Boyz Scenarios.

Schedule:

Registration: 10:00am to 10:30am
Game 1 10:30am to 1:00pm
Break 1:05pm to 1:50pm
Game 2 1:50pm to 3:20pm
Game 3 3:25pm to 5:50pm

Sign ups and questions at gamesmiths@yahoo.com, or post on the forums at:

http://beltway-gamers.com/

Dream Wizards 11772 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, MD 20852 301.881.3530

Broadside update

2011-02-04T10:46:00.000-05:00

Here's a couple of pictures of a broadside I've been working on. I need to add some cables for detail and some decals later after painting.

Tau concept army W.I.P Update

2011-01-28T09:56:00.000-05:00

Sculpted some fur on 4 of the Fire Warriors. Also worked on the Piranhas. Going to finish the rest of the FW today. Hope to start priming and painting today as well.

For the rest of the list I'll need to build the Hammerhead gunship and buy some pathfinders.

The Piranhas will be in squads of two. Each unit will have a helmet less guy. That's so I can tell which one has the disruption pods.

Planet of The Apes Tau concept army W.I.P.

2011-01-19T23:30:00.002-05:00

Once Upon a time I played a game called AT-43. A game by Rackham Entertainment( R.I.P.). I played a race called Karmans. The game was ok as a skirmish fast paced game as an alternative to 40K. Fast forward to today and Rackham E has been dissolved in bankruptcy. People in the FLGS stopped playing right before that news hit and actually, so did I.

So now I have a rack of miniatures (pun intended) that are useless mostly, and worth dick on eBay. So I got this idea after hearing that the Planet of the Apes 40th Anniversary Collection was out on Blu-Ray. That I could somehow turn these models into a Tau army. Here's why. Some of the models I own already look like Tau Crisis suits in a way. I have a few as Broadsides too.

My plan is to make the fire warriors using the Tau bodies and shaved down Ungor heads from WFB. I'll use Tau vehicles,weaponry on the "suits", kroot, and so forth.

I'd like to have an alternative to marines to play and I think this could be a characterful army. I am not quite settled on a color scheme yet. Still playing a round with test models.

What do you think?

Broadsides

Crisis Suits

Fire Warriors

Devilfish & King Mammoth

Space Wolves Thunderwolves W.I P.

2010-12-21T23:29:00.000-05:00

Working on some thunderwolf models today. Mostly just base coating the fur and figuring out the paint schemes I want.right now the models I'm using are from Mr. Dandy. I have some homemade ones and some other ones I got off eBay that are kind of cool. Nice to have a mix. Anyhow here are some of what I started.

I hope to have one fully completed and based by Christmas eve. I'll post up a new picture when I get it done.

Can a Brotha get a Six??

2010-11-06T20:31:00.002-04:00

After a long time away from hanging out with friends and playing games I actually came out today to play a game of 40K! I hadn't been up to it after a recent doubles tourney in September left me a bit bleh. Getting sick and other life stuff added to it. I have to credit my "come back" lol, to my man Mike from:

Psybilliah's 2 cents

Mike had been calling me up asking what I was up to, when I was going to play some 40K and all that. Not just him though, lots of friends. Anyway I just had no interest. Mike called me and said he had a gift for me. Naturally me being a brother and always suspicious of "the man";-) , I was a little apprehensive of what the gift was. Mike comes by my house the other night and presents me with this:

My own custom dice!!! Yeah! I'm playing now! I was really excited even though I am still not 100% and coughing up phlegm, I was determined to put these to use this weekend

. So I am playing COD MOW2 with another bud named Greg. I told him on ventrillo that I'd meet him at the GW store for a game. We always have fun games. I have never lost to Greg but he has been getting close. The last game was a draw and he beat a friend of mine who I think is better than me.

Quick battle rep follows.

Woodland Rangers (Sallies) Vs. Blood Angels

Mission: 3 Objectives, Dawn of !@#&*@^# War

Greg deployed 2 markers near one side and I one. He got to go first. I deployed nothing instead chose to walk everything on. Here is Greg on his turn 1. The Polish hit-man ready for anything!

Bring it!!!

Vindicators oh my!


I'm unstoppable!

Rangers take some casualties


Oh wait did those Melta guns kill those Vindies?

Mephiston Vs. Land Raider?

(blurry) Termies Vs Mephiston Lol?

Death Company and Blood Talon Dread Vs Termies = :(

Marcus Silvanus (Vulcan) takes care of the DC!


Need to get that dread dead...

Guarding the Objective. BA=2 WR=0


Need to get there to contest/steal objective. A brotha needs a 6!

Game ends on turn 5. Final Scrum!

Bad difficult terrain roll to assault them there caused me only to be contested. :( At this point Greg has my only objective contested and he has one solid as seen above. I was hoping for a six for the diff terrain roll but I got a 2!!! There was a "crater" where a dread used to be so we knew I had to cross it to get to the guys. Not shown in pictures.

BA wins 1-0 on objectives. Congrats to Greg! I immobilized both my Land raiders this game too. I may have to invest in a dozer blade or something! My new dice did roll very well. I didn't have to twin-link too much during the game. I was satisfied with the performance. I actually had fun. A lot of my friends came out and it was a blast getting to go out again and play some games!

40K Objective Markers complete! Mostly

2010-10-07T23:15:00.001-04:00

Here are some 40k objective markers I recently worked on. First one is of a Tau fire warrior inspecting his kill.

Next one is of a marine desperately trying to hold off a chaos possessed marine.

Next up is a fallen marine getting assistance from an apothecary.

This one is of a marine directing some villagers to safety.

Last one is a marine hitting the club for some R&R! Lol!

Enjoy!

Warhammer Historicals: Legends of the Old West

2010-08-27T07:28:00.001-04:00

Having grown up in the 70's and watching T.V., I was able to see a lot of western movies with cowboys and Indians. Black and white ones, some in color. I have fond memories of watching a movie called Warlock with Henry Fonda and De Forest Kelly.

The Magnificent Seven with an all star cast of action heroes was high on my all time greats list. My favorite of all were the Clint Eastwood movies and in particular For a Few Dollars more with Lee Van Cleef.I know they are cheesy but that's the best part about it.

How does this translate to miniature gaming you ask? Thanks to Games Workshop, they have produced a series of rules for western gaming called Legends of the Old West! This is from their Warhammer Historicals line. My friend picked me up a copy and a group of us have a date set to play this game. From the reviews I've read, it supposedly plays like GW's Lord of the Rings and Mordeheim, combining elements of both in it's game play.

To kick things off, a buddy dropped off some models for me last night to get painted. I have 3 Mexican guys and 3 Cowboys. I think they are Foundry models but not sure. They are supposed to be 25mm. After doing some research I understand different company's minis are slightly taller than others. Black Scorpion is one of those. I am going to get a few from different companies and make some comparisons. I already have one from Reaper Minis.


Painted by Jennifer Haley

I plan on using her as an outlaw or bounty hunter. So I am putting the 40K and Warmachine down for a bit and focus on getting these 7 models painted for our game in September. We are trying to get a whole town built terrain wise by then. I 'll post on Saturday how the painting is coming!

Logan Grimnar

2010-07-29T23:08:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite characters in the 40K Universe is Logan. To me he just resonates power and royalty. I like his background and stories in the paperbacks. I try to paint something different each time out so that I don't get bored or burned out. Today's offering is Logan Grimnar. I still need to get a better camera though. Enjoy.

The Kibitzer

2010-07-12T22:23:00.001-04:00

kibitzer

kib·itz (kbts)
intr.v. kib·itzed, kib·itz·ing, kib·itz·es Informal
1. To look on and offer unwanted, usually meddlesome advice to others.
2. To chat; converse.

buttinsky
butt·in·sky or butt·in·ski (bt-nsk)
n. pl. butt·in·skies also butt·in·skys or butt·in·skis Slang
One who is prone to butting in; a meddler.

You may have seen him in your FLGS. He is the champion of all things rules and FAQ. He is the deliverer of justice. The knower of all He is the bad movie that your significant other makes you go with her to see. He is the singular most irritating thing in your gaming experience. One man, many comments, all unsolicited. He is the Kibitzer! Hello Mr. twinlinkmastercraftedrendingmeltademolishercannon!

While playing one of your favorite game with friends, a stranger comes up to your table, sheepish grin, sweaty palms, and nary a hello to you. Your Wolf Lord is on the hunt for prey, you send him through some woods, making your difficult terrain tests, his hunt is interrupted by..."Hey he's got to take a dangerous terrain test. Cavalry always take dangerous terrain tests."

You Lie!

But wait! There's more! Dante rolls his cc attacks against the "traitor" guardsmen. Dante rolls 6 attacks missing only one. Before the player gets a chance to react, another bit of unwanted advice is given...."that's master crafted".

I don't understand this behavior. No matter what State I played in, it's always the same. D.C., MD, VA, IL All the same. Maybe the person(s) in most cases mean well, they want to feel like they are part of the game since maybe they are waiting for an opponent or a table to free up? Maybe they just can't help themselves. I am guilty of Kibitzing but only in certain circumstances.

I am asked a question
A new player is being abused by a "vet" player (I'll expand on this below)
If the parties are practicing for a tournament or some other event to work out kinks, rules, and other bugs, to fine tune their lists.

In the case of the new player being abused, especially if its a kid playing an adult, I'll ask both parties if they mind if I offer some tips to the new guy. Most times both parties welcome it. I only do this because I have seen too many times where a person will jump in a hobby, then jump right out after being thrashed repeatedly and mercilessly by some guy who doesn't care about growing the player base or the hobby, just how many guys he "killed" in assault that turn.

I like to help new players play with "missions" and objectives rather than just do annihilation, so that they can grow as a player, learn tactics and so forth. I explain rules to them and actions as I do them so they better understand the game. The kibitzer is most active during these times though. You'd better explain every single internet net-deck-list-Bols-Stelek-Dakka Dakka strategy you can find or you're going to get kibitzed!

These guys don't get it. You tell them you are explaining the game first, lists and what to buy comes later. Advance Tau tactica is not needed when the guy has a Devilfish, 12 Kroot, 12 Fire Warriors and a Crisis HQ! Sheesh! I have seen many types of kibitzers in my time Here are a few types to look out for.

The Lurker - He is an odd one. They are usually adults. We had one in particular in Illinois when I used to frequent the Chicago Battle Bunker. We called him Lobot due to the ginormous blue tooth device he wore on his ear. He would never be seen with models or ever playing any games. He'd sit at your table and question every move you make. "Why'd you do that?" "Aren't you going to disembark? "Do they really have double melta guns?" "Are you sure?"

The Whisperer - He is usually friends with one of the players. He gives unsolicited advice by leaning over, ever-so-gently, and telling you what to do. Slight finger pointing gestures are noticeable.
The Fall Guy - He will blurt out rules, strategies, sometimes just plain bad information, and usually gravitates to whoever he perceives is losing the game. When confronted about his Kibitzing habits, or the tide of battle changes due to his interference, he is often heard saying something like "That's on me guys sorry." Or "My bad!"
The Blowhard - Absolutely unequivocally the worst one of them all. Is often loud and mostly wrong, he knows everything! (not) Cannot be reasoned with, argues rules with no shred of evidence to back up the claims. Is often found making up his own rules. When confronted with the truth of the rulebook and pertinent FAQ, his obstinance will not allow it to permeate his thick skull. No fun to play with or around!
The Actuarial - Generally not bad guy. Knows the rules in and out. Very helpful with tactics and strategies. Actually likes to be called upon to answer questions. Knows when to not butt in. A mild Kibitzer not bad at all. Not very many of these guys. They usually get run off by the Blowhard.

It seems that every year I go into a rant about the Kibitzing that goes on. Maybe I'm just too grouchy? How do you deal? I know I am a bit hot tempered. I need to check that. I have very little patience which some of my closer friends have either seen or heard me get angry. So I tend to just breathe in then ask the person(s) to not comment on "our" game that we are playing. Sometimes they don't get it. A simple Go Away! Is a bit harsh but sometimes is necessary.

A bud of mine once created a sign that stated "NO KIBITZING" "Do not offer your advice on our game" Bunker staff made him take it down. Lol!

Anyone have experiences to share?

Cryx Painting queue

2010-07-01T12:12:00.001-04:00

Hello,

I have a list of models I will be using in my regular games as I am getting acclimated to Mark II of Warmachine. Here is a 35 point list of what I plan to use/paint in the next few weeks.

Pirate Queen Skarre (*6pts)
* Deathripper (4pts)
* Helldiver (3pts)
* Seether (9pts)
* Skarlock Thrall (2pts)
Bloodgorgers (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
Satyxis Raiders (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
* Satyxis Raider Sea Witch (2pts)
General Gerlak Slaughterborn (3pts)
3 Scrap Thrall (1pts)-----------> These dudes are strictly for Sacrificial Lamb
Warwitch Siren (2pts)
Satyxis Raider Captain (2pts)

So I don't get burned out while painting, I'll rotate painting between WM models and W40K models. I hope to get about 15 points worth painted before the Grow League we are having at out FLGS. First on the list will be the Death Ripper and the HellDiver.

Tau Objective Marker

2010-07-01T10:20:00.001-04:00

Hello,

I finally got one of the Objective Markers I was working on finished. This is the Tau Fire Warrior overlooking the body of a Space Marine he just vanquished for the greater good. I think it turned out OK. I sealed it this morning. I only have my Blackberry camera for now but hope to get a new camera this month. Take a look and tell me what you think?

I have in the works another two objective markers feature chaos and space marines battling and another with a charging ork. I have some other ideas for markers but not sure if I can pull them off. I know my old friend Johhny P remembers my "Grand Dragon" objective marker from 2004! That has been retired! I ordered some models for Reaper Games to use in conjunction with the 40k models as objectives. Stay tuned!

Marneus Agustus Calgar.....

2010-06-24T23:25:00.002-04:00

The kid wants to do Ultras now :(. Mainly because of this guy here --->
Today I showed him how to paint using thin watered down coats with glaze medium. He painted a base coat on his dreadnought tonight. Tomorrow we'll start with the highlights. I'm going to keep it simple for him now just because I don't want him getting frustrated and lose interest.

My plan is to have him dry brush the highlights on the edges then wash the dread down with a GW wash like Badab Black or something to give the model a gritty look. After his painting today he met up with a really nice kid who was 8 years old. He was new at the game as well, and was running Orks. Pretty smart kid. He knew the rules for his army ok. My son was shocked when Thraka rolled out of that battle wagon and smoked his dread!

Kid took the loss very well! I was proud of him not throwing tantrums or getting mad after he lost. He went over to Trey and shook has hand and told him good game. They were laughing about how Aaron flamed a bunch of his orks and how my son's dread got beat up. Then about how Aaron's Chapter Master needed to make 2 4+ saves and rolled only one of them Dying horribly to the might of the Ork warlord! They had a lot of fun. It was nice to see that. You don't see a lot of adults playing that way. Very refreshing.

Hope to get my camera problem sorted out soon. We have a camera in the house, we just have to find it. I don't want to buy a new one because I'm saving $$$ for Gen-Con and pinching some pennies right now.

Until next time!

Crimson Fists and Flesh Tearers

2010-06-22T09:44:00.002-04:00

My young grot has decided on painting his marine force in the scheme of the Crimson Fists! Thursday evening we'll head to our local GW for some painting and maybe a 750 points game. I had him look through the codex and pick which one he liked the most. I did however discourage him from the White Scars only because of the paint scheme. Tough to paint for me and I didn't want to buy the $50.00 foundation paint set that actually ahs the only foundation white and black in there.

He liked the Crimson fists colors. He was reading through the dex last night and he goes "Hey Papa. Did you know that a chaplain allows me to re-roll all failed to hits......" Kid is really getting into it!

As for my painting. Last night I got a Flesh Tearer ASM done. Based and sealed. I am trying to get the whole list I have, painted by the end of the month. I am going to visit some old friends in Chicago area just before Gen-Con and I would like to have a fully painted 2000 point army. It shouldn't be too bad. I only have like 35 models in the list Lol! I am choosing these to do because they are easy for me to paint and they'll fit in one GW case. Easy for traveling!

I'll update with pictures when I get home. I got form my friend up there in Chicago about 35-40 Jump pack marines a couple of years ago. I never used them. I was thinking of doing a BA army but the PDF codex was not appealing to me.Now with the descent of Angels rules and possible furious charge bubbles, I think the BA Jump pack army may have something! So off the top of my head I have the following to paint:

1 x Commander Dante
1 X Librarian

5x Honour Guard
5X Sanguinary Guard

10x Assault Marines

10x Assault Marines

1x Sanguinary Priest
1x Chaplain
5x Vanguard Veterans

Updates soon to come!

New 40K player on the loose!

2010-06-09T11:00:00.002-04:00

My 9 year old son has been begging me to teach him 40K for awhile now. I have given in to his requests and now he has my Woodland Ranger army, or what's left of it. Each week we play at the local GW store. I have been playing with him teaching him the real rules not the GW demo kind where everything is 4+ this 4+ that.

He is actually learning the rules. I keep quizzing him on the stats of his models like how far can a Land raider move and still shoot, what weapons can shoot, defensive weapons, etc. he seems to be getting it. Last week I let him use different models like drop pods so he can learn deep striking. He knows the ATSKNF rules now. I tried to get him to play orks but he wants the Space Marines. My daughter beat him with the Orks in the demo game they had and he has a vendetta against the green skins in general!

He is still trying to figure out what paint scheme to use but he is leaning toward Crimson fists or Legion of the damned. He wanted an army with flames and stuff. I got him as a reward a unit of the Legion of the Damned last week. I won't let him use super glue but he can use the plastic glue to an extent for his other stuff. He's really excited abut playing. Waking up early, doing chores without being asked and really keeps his models tucked away neat in his case. I'll do a battle report of our next match soon!

Wish him luck!

Rolling Snake Eyes

2010-06-09T10:15:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile. I've had some things happening in my life like work, family, other crap. I haven't done much of anything with this blog lately. My job blocks all blog sites now and I am actually getting around this by using the Igoogle widget on my Igoogle homepage.

I have found I can make little updates much like I can via a smart phone. In any event I'm back. Let's see what's going on and revisit some old projects.

Mad Dok status. Well the Dok is getting a coat of paint and will be done in short order. The thing is it wont be painted by me. :( I needed to enlist the aid of a friend of mine you all might know, Tim Williamson. he is the master painter of all things Tau and Blood Angels. http://tauofwar.blogspot.com/ He's one of the few people I can trust to pull off what I imagined the Dok to look like when he was done.

I wanted my friend MTD to get a beautiful model and I am just not up to task for it the way I had hoped.
Tim will do an awesome job!

Another old project is my Objective markers. I am in the process of building two more to bring my total to five. I can probably knock out two this weekend. When I get my camera Saturday, Ill start taking pictures and posting more.

Also on my hiatus I have rediscovered my love for Space Wolves. The SW army was my second 40K army back in 2nd edition, my beloved Orks were 1st. So I have been compiling lists, building models, old and new. I even found my box of 2nd ed Blood Claws NIB! I also found my Leman Russ Exterminator from 1996 NIB with shrink wrap still on it with a 29.99 price tag still stuck to it!

Alas I can't use the Russ any longer. :( I have been playing some games with them and I am getting really comfortable. Now that I have a list i like, I know have to paint it. Though that will be hard to do. I have so many distractions right now. I have a BA jump pack army I built/converted. A friend gave me 40+ jump pack marines after GEN-Con 2 years ago and I finally have some use for them. Then there is my love hate relationship with Orks that keeps hounding me.

I saw the new savage orks on boar models and I though how easy would it be for me to convert those to cyboars and make an all boar (bike) army for orks. Straight Feral orks! It would be awesome. Must....resist....

Hopefully I can get back on track with the new camera this Saturday. I have a lot of conversions I've made and would like to share them.

2010-03-22T11:51:00.000-04:00

No updates and no painting until May. My job has me doing training for the whole month of April. This is done 4 days a week and on my own time! So I do not expect to finish my current projects, Mad Dok, and my objective markers anytime soon. :(

Cya in May!

Codex Orks: Mad Dok

2010-01-30T10:30:00.002-05:00

I fell down the steps at my house yesterday and hurt a calf muscle severely while trying to break my fall.

Don't let that pain boss near me!

So I am housebound and laid up. With leg propped up and the aid of my grot assistants (kids), I'll be working on the good Dr. today.

I want to enter him in the painting contest. I have zero chance of winning mind you, I just wanted extra motivation to do a good job on the dok and get him painted in a timely manner. The details of the contest are below.

All of February - Inner Circle Mini-Daemons Round 1 (Stolen from Scooter)

This is going to be sweet. Essentially a Inner Circle Golden Daemon Painting contest.

Every one that wants to participate please let Scooter or Matt at GCS know. This is going to go for the month of February. Judging will take place at the end of the month. It will be our first in house painting competition. The prize will be the total of the entry fees we collect in gift card form minus some expenses. We will also be buying a trophy for the person with the best model.

For this competition you can paint whatever size single model from either WarMachine, Hordes, WarHammer 40K or WarHammer Fantasy. There are no separate categories.

Rules

1) New model i.e. has not been worked on. Now yes I know that there is no way to know if a person has started their model or not, without collecting receipts. So I'm hoping no one wants to win so bad they resort to cheating.

2) Must be completely finished and turned in by the club night on Feb 16th (though you can drop it off early).

3) Any amount of conversion is acceptable.

4) Any model from any current 35mm wargaming system is acceptable: WarMachine, Hordes, WarHammer 40K or WarHammer Fantasy.

5) Entry fee of 5 dollars, paid when you submit your model.

6) Anybody can participate.

Get the word out so people know this is going on, if you're planning on participating let Matt at G&S or Scooter know. If we get enough interest in this it will grow also the more people who do this the bigger the prize is.

Judging for this event will be done the best way I know how. Everyone that paints a model, and all the people that show up on Feb 23rd can cast a vote for their favorite model. You cannot vote for yourself.

We will have Matthew collect the entries. He will collect your votes and tally them up. G&S will be displaying them to generate more interest in the club, so put forth your best effort.

Remember this it is supposed to be fun so let’s keep it that way. If you have any questions please fill free to ask.

February 2nd - Hobby Night; come get your paint and modeling on. Bring your stuff to model and paint and be ready to offer advice and compliments to those around who are wowed by your painting, modeling, and converting prowess. If painting or modeling is not your thing, join us for Kill teams - Infantry edition

Rules are simple

1) Nothing with an armor value.
2) 500 points
3) You can take an HQ no more than 2 wounds he can have a 2+ armor save no higher than a 4+ invuln
4) You must take 2 troop choices
5) No choice that cost more than 250 points.

0-1 HQ
2+ troops
0-1 elite
0-1 fast
0-1 heavy

We will still be using the 3 objectives in the center of the table for scoring (This is Scooters stuff, he is so smart so I had to steal it from him).

February 9th and 16th - 40K rolls on with 1850 Night. Bring your 1850 point army for 40K to take on a challenger. This starts at 6PM, giving you roughly 3 hours to defeat your opponent. Remember this is NOT A TOURNAMENT, merely a group of friends getting together and playing so bring things you like, that you have not tried before, or that really strange army you have not had a chance to try yet (I'm thinking my all female Imperial Guard). Remember that if you do not want to game there is plenty of room to paint or play something else.

February 23rd - One last Night of 40K 1850 and our judging of the Inner Circle First Ever Painting Competition. Please be there and bring all you gaming friends to vote on the best miniature in our contest.

So let us know what you think of this schedule. If you like it I am thinking March should follow pretty closely to this but instead of 40K we do Fantasy stuff. What do you think?
_________________
Matthew Boles
Store Manager
Games and Stuff
7476 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd
Glen Burnie, MD 21061
410-863-7410
matthew@gamesandstuffonline.com

Major Markus "Seige" Brisbane

2010-01-27T11:42:00.001-05:00

Here is a picture of "Siege" Brisbane. I also dubbed him the "manhammer" I painted him about two years ago and have given him to a friend recently who plays Cygnar. I have a new one which I am giving an "away jersey" paint scheme to. All of my Cygnar will have this paint scheme of predominately greys, whites, and blues.

Gearing up for War!

2010-01-26T19:27:00.002-05:00

Taking a short break from painting to build a small Cygnar force for Warmachine. I used to play this and another faction called Cryx some time ago. I'm just getting back into it after they've updated the main rules recently.

I'll be participating in a tournament event called Resurgence.The event date is 2/13/10 at Dream Wizards in Rockville, MD I am getting in a practice game this Thursday, and I need to get the models I'm using built. I did a slight of conversion on a standard bearer I have due to the metal being warped and flimsy. I used a steel rod encased in a plasti-card tube shown below. I drilled through the fist, pinned his arm to the body and drilled the bottom of the flag pole and attached that.

I'll be using Captain Jeremiah Kraye as my leader. He is new to me as I quit playing when this character came out. He has interesting rules and I am building a list around his abilities. Painting for these guys won't come until I get a few other 40K models I have in the queue done first. I've a few more things to build but most of my list is ready for Thursday. Wish me luck!

Killa Kan Cityfight bases

2010-01-21T14:56:00.000-05:00

Here are the completed bases for the "Domo" killa Kanz for my friend's Ork army. I hope he likes them!

First up are the bases made from a destroyed Dark Angels chapter rhino. Not that he or I have any issue with the Dark Angels Chapter, It's just that I chose them rather than choosing my own chapter because well, I can't have my own army being trounced by Kanz now Kan I? ;)

Next are three bases of varying rubble..

Lastly are 3 bases of destroyed/damaged road/streets....

Perhaps today is a good day to prime!

2010-01-20T13:10:00.000-05:00

I'm fortunate enough to work at home today and while on my lunch break I was able to step outside and spray prime some models! The rest of the bases for MTD and some Sternguard.

I am actually out of primer and will have to make a trip to the auto zone to get two more cans of spray. I'm going to be busy this weekend and actually for the rest of the month. Projects in the works are for me to got to Home Depot with a paint pot of Rucksack Tan (P3 Paint), the color of my Space Marine chapter, to paint match it so I can use it with my airbrush.

The amount of paint I have to use is ridiculous and there is no way I'm going to shell out all of that cash for 10 or more pots of paint. Stay tuned later for paint progress updates tonight!

Back to work!

2010-01-19T18:06:00.000-05:00

Well the Holidays are over, In-Laws are gone, and I have work to do! Just got a bit derailed but now I'm back on track.

Been a while since I've updated this. In the works this week I have in progress one of the Objective markers I was working on...

Bases for MTD's "Domo" Killa Kanz seen below..

You can find more of MTD's work at Mekaniac's Machinations- Exploits of a Nutter

I should have pictures of the finished bases up either tomorrow or Thursday. Also in the works are 10 Sternguard, 6 drop pods, and of course this guy I'm painting for MTD.

Painting for this week.

2009-12-14T08:31:00.000-05:00

Back to painting this week! Let's see what's on tap! For starters I would like to finish one of the objective markers for Warhammer 40K I had been working on.

I started painting a couple of them before stopping, to plan my army for the Inner Circle Holiday Beatdown tournament.

I'm going to be working on 10 Ork gretchin and their runtherder as well.That is pretty much my limit these days. I hope to get MTD's Mad Dok this week if I see him to prep him for a paint job. I'll definitely take my time with him though. Here's the objective marker I'll be working on.

I really wanted to paint this one first because I have never painted white armour and I wanted to try an idea I had for it. I should have this one done by the end of the week, time permitting.

I'll throw up a picture or two of this and the gretchin after I have made some progress.

Stay Tuned!

Inner Circle Holiday Beatdown aftermath

2009-12-13T13:59:00.001-05:00

Still recovering from the long day of playing 40K in a tournament. I had a lot of fun, met a lot of new people and saw some old friends as well. My man Dameon won best general with his Chaos army, and my man Tim garnered best painted with his tau army. I won "best primed army" :) I had nothing painted except a bike and a dreadnought.

I wish I had more practice games with this new list but them's the breaks. I'll keep plugging away at he army until I get it. It also gives me an opportunity to paint it by June for the next big tourney that the Inner Circle guys are throwing. I had 3 fun games with 3 nice guys. I went 0-2-1. I'll take a non-loss any day! ;)

First game against Mike from the FraG gamers group. fun game bloody at the end. I had a chance but got overwhelmed and out classed by his Eldar. Victory Eldar!

Next up was Alex. He had a Daemons army. I was actually winning this game until a foolish blunder and a bit of cockyness got the best of me! Victory Daemons!

Last game was against Patrick and his Space Wolves. It was a back and forth game ending in a draw!

Draw!

All in all fun games were had and I'd certainly play all of these guys again! Now I've got models to paint!

Orks Inbound!

2009-12-11T09:34:00.003-05:00

My good friend MTD has created an awesome "counts as" mad Dok Grotsnik. (GW's Version is pictured) I have offered to paint him and he has accepted! In addition to Mad dok, the Grots I have for him, I'll paint those at he same time.

I have to say, this is one of the best conversions for Mad Dok I have ever seen. When MTD gets all the little things finished on him, I'll get to work. Most likely after Christmas. I'll have pictures of him next week. he's gonna be so much fun to paint. I'll also update how my Rangers army is doing.

The tourney is this weekend and I have no painting done. Womp Womp! But I have lots to paint next week. I'll report after the tourney and I'll have some WIP pictures of my Space Marine Bikes!

Rangers, assemble! Or is that Avengers?

2009-12-08T09:09:00.002-05:00

After a week of building, planning, and several X-ACTO cuts later, I finally have my Woodland Rangers Tournament army assembled. While it may not be tournament worthy, that's what I'm playing with. Now comes the tough part... priming and painting. I am obviously not going to have this army painted by December 12th. I plan on using my Badger Air brush, and base coat the entire army.

I hate playing with bare plastic models. I have two models for the list I am using already painted. I wanted to have a whole unit but it's not feasible at this point. I'll update later with some pictures later today time permitting.

Stay tuned!

The Woodland Rangers

2009-11-30T22:27:00.003-05:00

Once upon a time I had this Space Marine army back in say 2004. The codex at the time offered "traits" one could use to customize your army with. I built an army around infiltration, stealth, and close quarters combat. I painted this army scorched brown color with some greens and khaki thrown in. That was meant to blend in with the environment of the tables we had. (mostly woods) One of the store owners walked by my game and commented on the color of the marines.

Other kibitzers offered their opinions as well, some vulgar, some in good taste. it went from chocolate marines to brown hornets to woodland rangers. The co-owner Pat jokingly asked, "What are these the woodland rangers?" I liked the sound of that and so did most of the others. The name stuck. I have since sold off all of that army save one foam tray.

I changed the look of them. Their fluff is that they protect all of the Emperors forests and woodland creatures from taint and chaos. The Chapter Master is named Marcus Silvanus. I actually enjoy painting the colors I've chosen. The colors are soothing to the eye, well mine at least. Here's what I have so far. Enjoy.

Dreadnought

Assault Terminators

Combat Squad

Air Brush Noob

2009-11-27T22:59:00.001-05:00

In an effort to get my Woodland Rangers painted, or at least base coated by December 11th, along with my other projects I have acquired a beginner's airbrush and I also got an air compressor with 2 gallon tank. I was having a big time problem with the paint not coming out of the brush. I thinned the paint with water and still it would come out either sputtering or not at all.

I was using a crap craft paint (Americana) as a test, so that I wouldn't waste my "good" paint. That proved to be a time consuming waste. That paint was muddy and is what ultimately became the problem I was encountering. I tried mixing it with alcohol and still the same result.

I then tried it with a higher quality Vallejo paint. WOW! What a difference that made! I got great coverage and very even spray. I sprayed the paint on an old GW Space Wolves dreadnought I had laying around in the garage. That turned out just good enough. Using the Alcohol made a huge difference. I'll try tomorrow on a squad of Space Marines and see what happens! I'll take a few pictures and share the results!

40K Tournament: Rangers, Roll out!

2009-11-23T17:19:00.004-05:00

Now I've gone and done it! In an effort to get my army painted, I've signed up at the Inner Circle to play in their sponsored tournament at Games and Comics and Stuff at 7476 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard in Glen Burnie, MD. From what I hear, these guys know how to run a good tourney.

Now to clean the mold lines, and base the models for the first squad.

I'll need to get a compressor that I was lallygagging about getting so I can base coat the models quickly. I guess I'll come back to my objectives project later. I need to get cracking.

For Gaea and the Emperor!!

WH40K-Space Marine Objective Markers

2009-11-21T17:41:00.008-05:00

Recently I ordered some "economy" bases from Gale Force Nine. GW stopped selling packs of bases that are all the same. The bases came in a Chinese food container packed with 60mm bases. You can order a pint and a quart size. I ended up with 46 total in the quart. I plan on using them for my attack bikes for my marine army.

Here's what the Gf9 economy MDF bases look like side by side and on top of a GW 60mm raised base.

Here are some pictures of objective markers I made last night using those bases.

Tau Fire Warrior inspecting a marine he just killed...

An Apothecary tending to a battered marine. Note the marine's head was a skull and I thought that was dumb. I used a dremel to get rid of it and replaced it.

and

The third one is a "last stand" marine against a khornate possessed marine who has over run the marine's outpost.

And