Barely edging out the Malifaux expansion, "Rising Powers," as the game that this year's GenCon got me the most excited about was Catalyst's "Leviathans". A steampunk (I won't say VSF because, as some have correctly pointed out, the era is properly Edwardian and not Victorian) miniatures boardgame featuring clashing flying pre-dreadnoughts, it benefits from not only some outstanding imagery but a solid and easy to grasp set of rules.
Unfortunately, the game is a bit of a piecemeal affair at this point. While the basic rules, stat cards for introductory fleets, and standup ship counters are all available (and at a bargain price at RPG Now!), production costs and company restructuring within Catalyst have seen a proper release delayed for some time now. Of course the game is perfectly playable in its current incarnation, but the promise of a boxed set release, complete with plastic models for the French and British fleets, has had me waiting in great anticipation.
With any luck, that wait has a definitive end now. Yesterday Catalyst announced their intent to have the game released in time for the 2011 Origins game fair. And to further whet our appetites they released pictures of the CAD drawings for both the British and French Type 4 ships. Anticipation is now at a renewed high, and provided they meet this goal it looks like at least a day-trip to Columbus is in store for me next summer.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
The GenCon Loot
I've been back for nearly a week already and still haven't posted a picture or story from this year's GenCon. In brief (far, far too brief), it was simply fantastic. One of the best of the 18 GenCons I've attended. Hopefully I'll get around to posting more about why that was the case.
In the meantime, I'll leave you with some pics of this year's exhibitor haul (get it?):
As opposed to last year, this year's purchases were a bit more focused. The new Malifaux expansion book, the new Arcanist starter set (Colette), the new plastic Malifaux fate deck, and the special, GenCon-only, super-sized Lord Chompy Bits were first day purchases. Reaper Miniatures was also an early shopping destination as I wanted to pick up their con only figure, the new League of Justice & Caeke (not a misspelling according to them) character, and the 10-pack of Mouseling Heroes. Yes, a flood of miniature cuteness.
I also hit a few of my other GenCon regulars, including Dream Pod 9, from which I purchased the latest two campaign books and a blister pack of trucks to use as game objectives. From Days of Wonder I picked up the Eastern Front, Terrain, and Campaign Book expansions for Memoir '44, as I continue to enjoy that game more and more. From Open Design/Kobold Quarterly I grabbed the Sunken Empires and Imperial Gazetteer books. I've supported these guys for some time now as a patron of their various open design role-playing projects (currently a sponsor of the Streets of Zobeck Pathfinder adventure anthology written by the talented Ben McFarland), but they produce generally great stuff. If you're into RPGs at all, particularly D&D 4E or Pathfinder, check them out. Finally I grabbed Dwarven Dig from Bucephalus Games. This is another great manufacturer, this time of board games of a wide-ranging variety of subjects, level of geekiness, and complexity - i.e. they make some great stuff that you could even play with your non-hobby gamer significant other/friends/family.
The pictures above and below are of some of the cooler handouts I managed to snag at GenCon. The deck of cards was a giveaway from Open Design/Kobold Quarterly and each card is adorned with a person, game, company, etc. iconic to the gaming industry. Neat for those of us interested in the lore of our hobby. The baggied figure is the Wyrd miniatures giveaway for purchases of over $100, Nurse Miss Pack. Considering I play Resurrectionists in Malifaux, another nurse is always welcome. Below we have some giveaways from FFG's new WWWII game, Dust Tactics. The decal sheet and one figure were give to each person who played in a demo (I snagged the German character), but the walker was a prize for only those who played their demo on the side that happened to win more games over the weekend. Fortunately I was on the side of the Axis, so this bay boy came home with me. I can't say that I'm overly impressed with the game, but the figures sure are pretty.
In the meantime, I'll leave you with some pics of this year's exhibitor haul (get it?):
As opposed to last year, this year's purchases were a bit more focused. The new Malifaux expansion book, the new Arcanist starter set (Colette), the new plastic Malifaux fate deck, and the special, GenCon-only, super-sized Lord Chompy Bits were first day purchases. Reaper Miniatures was also an early shopping destination as I wanted to pick up their con only figure, the new League of Justice & Caeke (not a misspelling according to them) character, and the 10-pack of Mouseling Heroes. Yes, a flood of miniature cuteness.
I also hit a few of my other GenCon regulars, including Dream Pod 9, from which I purchased the latest two campaign books and a blister pack of trucks to use as game objectives. From Days of Wonder I picked up the Eastern Front, Terrain, and Campaign Book expansions for Memoir '44, as I continue to enjoy that game more and more. From Open Design/Kobold Quarterly I grabbed the Sunken Empires and Imperial Gazetteer books. I've supported these guys for some time now as a patron of their various open design role-playing projects (currently a sponsor of the Streets of Zobeck Pathfinder adventure anthology written by the talented Ben McFarland), but they produce generally great stuff. If you're into RPGs at all, particularly D&D 4E or Pathfinder, check them out. Finally I grabbed Dwarven Dig from Bucephalus Games. This is another great manufacturer, this time of board games of a wide-ranging variety of subjects, level of geekiness, and complexity - i.e. they make some great stuff that you could even play with your non-hobby gamer significant other/friends/family.
The pictures above and below are of some of the cooler handouts I managed to snag at GenCon. The deck of cards was a giveaway from Open Design/Kobold Quarterly and each card is adorned with a person, game, company, etc. iconic to the gaming industry. Neat for those of us interested in the lore of our hobby. The baggied figure is the Wyrd miniatures giveaway for purchases of over $100, Nurse Miss Pack. Considering I play Resurrectionists in Malifaux, another nurse is always welcome. Below we have some giveaways from FFG's new WWWII game, Dust Tactics. The decal sheet and one figure were give to each person who played in a demo (I snagged the German character), but the walker was a prize for only those who played their demo on the side that happened to win more games over the weekend. Fortunately I was on the side of the Axis, so this bay boy came home with me. I can't say that I'm overly impressed with the game, but the figures sure are pretty.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Malifaux at GenCon
The other day, Wyrd announced their GenCon plans, including preview pictures of the new crew boxed sets, individual models, GenCon exclusives, and the first expansion book. It's obvious that my controlled GenCon budget, been built after carefully considering which GenCon releases I'd be unable to resist, has now been obliterated. These new releases, the Colette du Bois crew set in particular, have absolutely blown me away and I'm more excited for this round of releases than I have been in many, many years for any game.
I'll admit, I originally bemoaned the release of Malifaux. I'd always been a fan of Wyrd's style of miniatures, and pessimistically was sure that, in an attempt to produce figures necessary for their game, a lot of the novelty in their range would disappear. It appears those concerns were completely unwarranted as they've produced even more figures that I want for no other reason than to paint. The fact that I can use them in a game is just icing. Good job Wyrd. I'm not one to gush unabashedly, but you've definitely earned my praise.
I'll admit, I originally bemoaned the release of Malifaux. I'd always been a fan of Wyrd's style of miniatures, and pessimistically was sure that, in an attempt to produce figures necessary for their game, a lot of the novelty in their range would disappear. It appears those concerns were completely unwarranted as they've produced even more figures that I want for no other reason than to paint. The fact that I can use them in a game is just icing. Good job Wyrd. I'm not one to gush unabashedly, but you've definitely earned my praise.
Victory!
Just over a week ago, I finally broke my winless streak in games against my bi-weekly group, that has extended for nearly a year now. In games of Uncharted Seas, Malifaux, 40K, and AT-43 I've managed a single draw for my best result.
Well that finally changed last week when my Uncharted Seas fleet, the Iron Dwarves, finally bested their Shroud Mages rivals. What looked like a pretty overwhelming victory for me deep into the game, quickly became much more dicey when his battleship rammed my undamaged battleship and, in two turns of boarding combat, wiped out the crew. While I'm perfectly aware that Uncharted Seas is definitely more of a "fun" game, and doesn't seem to aim for the level of parity amongst factions that more "competitive" games do, I was nonetheless grumbling about the fact that such a quick turnabout could even occur.
So I soon found myself with nothing but a handful of frigates and a badly dinged up cruiser facing off against his ravaged, but still deadly, battleship. The game turned on a final set of dice rolls and the cruiser for which I made a series of improbable rolls, thereby putting the last point of damage on the Shroud Mage capital ship to sink it, will no doubt be sporting a personalized banner when I finally get around to painting them.
Now, with the winless streak finally broken, let's see if that luck will rub off on any of my other games. ;)
Well that finally changed last week when my Uncharted Seas fleet, the Iron Dwarves, finally bested their Shroud Mages rivals. What looked like a pretty overwhelming victory for me deep into the game, quickly became much more dicey when his battleship rammed my undamaged battleship and, in two turns of boarding combat, wiped out the crew. While I'm perfectly aware that Uncharted Seas is definitely more of a "fun" game, and doesn't seem to aim for the level of parity amongst factions that more "competitive" games do, I was nonetheless grumbling about the fact that such a quick turnabout could even occur.
So I soon found myself with nothing but a handful of frigates and a badly dinged up cruiser facing off against his ravaged, but still deadly, battleship. The game turned on a final set of dice rolls and the cruiser for which I made a series of improbable rolls, thereby putting the last point of damage on the Shroud Mage capital ship to sink it, will no doubt be sporting a personalized banner when I finally get around to painting them.
Now, with the winless streak finally broken, let's see if that luck will rub off on any of my other games. ;)
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Seamus WIP Part 1
As the group I semi-regularly game with has been on a Malifaux kick for some time now - especially as several of them are participating in the GenCon Malifaux tournaments - I've finally gotten around to putting some paint on my figs.
This guy is Seamus, one of the masters of the Resurrectionists faction. I picked him up as well as his belles when they were first released by Wyrd, well before Malifaux premiered. Possessing the figures already, playing his faction was a natural choice for me. However, his style of play hasn't suited me very well and I'm still chasing a win. Nicodem seems to be one of the more popular Resurrectionist masters so I've picked him up to try out. But I still like the Seamus figure, so even if he never sees the table again, he's the first of my Malifaux figures to find themselves under my brush.
Further work-in-progress pictures to be posted as I get them.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Poseidon Legion Scheme Finalized
After another few rounds of tinkering with the color scheme for my Poseidon Legion marines, I'm pretty sure I've settled on the following. Once again using the ever so helpful Bolter and Chainsword forum's Space Marine Painter (the 5.0 iteration to take advantage of the wargear options), I came up with the following. Note, the Dark Angels chapter badge is there only as a place holder for the Legion's trident symbol.
First, the basic marine scheme. This will be used on all standard marines, whether tactical, assault, or devestator. The will wear squad type badges on their right pauldrons, though I haven't decided which particular version of the codex symbols I will use. In all likelihood, I'll allow a far bit of variation, suggesting that each marine is allowed to customize his particular squad badge. However, they will all incorporate some type of numbering system along with the squad badge, denoting from which particular squad within a company they originate. The company to which they belong is marked by the number on their left knee pad, which will not vary and will be the same font/style for every marine within that company.
This is a Sgt. of a non-veteran squad. The only distinction from the regular marine scheme is the addition of a helmet stripe, though sergeants will no doubt bear an even more stylized squad badge than a regular marine, likely incorporating some form of personal heraldry.
This is a veteran marine, and thus a member of the first company. All first company marines wear helmets painted in the contrasting orange color, but otherwise their color scheme remains generally unchanged. As all veteran marines that haven't been assigned a squad leader position in another company belong to the first company, there is no need for a company number indicator and their left knee pad remains blank. As with sergeants, vets will display their personal heraldry on their right pauldron that incorporates the squad number to which they belong.
Finally, we have a veteran sergeant. This is an individual who has risen through the ranks to command one of the elite veteran squads of the first company and is likely only a step away from becoming the captain of a company within the Legion. As with regular sergeants, a veteran sergeant wears a generally similar scheme to the men he leads, adding only a white stripe to his orange helmet.
In addition to the iconography noted above, I will likely also select an army badge of some type to apply to the greave of every marine as well as somewhere on all of the army's vehicles. As with Codex marines, this will generally be a temporary badge that ties together the soldiers and vehicles drawn from across the companies and the armory of the Poseidon Legion for a particular campaign.
I will still have to decide on scheme variations for the variety of specialists in a marine army - apothecaries, techmarines, chaplains, librarians, command squads, and honor guard - as I'll want some standardization. For the character types of the first four, this will most likely consist of mostly the basic Legion scheme, with the white, red, black, and blue, respectively, used as an accent color (though I've always been partial to black-armored chaplains, so that character may get more than just an accent). For the latter two unit types, I will likely use the same scheme of whatever company to which they belong. So, for instance, the command squad of the third company captain would use the scheme of a basic marine with a stripe on the sergeant's helmet, whereas the first company captain's command squad would have orange helmets. For the chapter master's honor guard, as they no longer belong to any particular company, I'm leaning towards gold helmets, as used by the Ultramarines and Blood Angels. Though I'm trying to avoid anything overly gaudy in my Poseidon Legion force, it's a pretty small step from orange to metallic gold, so it should fit the theme nicely.
Next time I post on the Poseidon Legion (currently working on Malifaux figures), perhaps I'll even have something tangible to show off! :)
First, the basic marine scheme. This will be used on all standard marines, whether tactical, assault, or devestator. The will wear squad type badges on their right pauldrons, though I haven't decided which particular version of the codex symbols I will use. In all likelihood, I'll allow a far bit of variation, suggesting that each marine is allowed to customize his particular squad badge. However, they will all incorporate some type of numbering system along with the squad badge, denoting from which particular squad within a company they originate. The company to which they belong is marked by the number on their left knee pad, which will not vary and will be the same font/style for every marine within that company.
This is a Sgt. of a non-veteran squad. The only distinction from the regular marine scheme is the addition of a helmet stripe, though sergeants will no doubt bear an even more stylized squad badge than a regular marine, likely incorporating some form of personal heraldry.
This is a veteran marine, and thus a member of the first company. All first company marines wear helmets painted in the contrasting orange color, but otherwise their color scheme remains generally unchanged. As all veteran marines that haven't been assigned a squad leader position in another company belong to the first company, there is no need for a company number indicator and their left knee pad remains blank. As with sergeants, vets will display their personal heraldry on their right pauldron that incorporates the squad number to which they belong.
Finally, we have a veteran sergeant. This is an individual who has risen through the ranks to command one of the elite veteran squads of the first company and is likely only a step away from becoming the captain of a company within the Legion. As with regular sergeants, a veteran sergeant wears a generally similar scheme to the men he leads, adding only a white stripe to his orange helmet.
In addition to the iconography noted above, I will likely also select an army badge of some type to apply to the greave of every marine as well as somewhere on all of the army's vehicles. As with Codex marines, this will generally be a temporary badge that ties together the soldiers and vehicles drawn from across the companies and the armory of the Poseidon Legion for a particular campaign.
I will still have to decide on scheme variations for the variety of specialists in a marine army - apothecaries, techmarines, chaplains, librarians, command squads, and honor guard - as I'll want some standardization. For the character types of the first four, this will most likely consist of mostly the basic Legion scheme, with the white, red, black, and blue, respectively, used as an accent color (though I've always been partial to black-armored chaplains, so that character may get more than just an accent). For the latter two unit types, I will likely use the same scheme of whatever company to which they belong. So, for instance, the command squad of the third company captain would use the scheme of a basic marine with a stripe on the sergeant's helmet, whereas the first company captain's command squad would have orange helmets. For the chapter master's honor guard, as they no longer belong to any particular company, I'm leaning towards gold helmets, as used by the Ultramarines and Blood Angels. Though I'm trying to avoid anything overly gaudy in my Poseidon Legion force, it's a pretty small step from orange to metallic gold, so it should fit the theme nicely.
Next time I post on the Poseidon Legion (currently working on Malifaux figures), perhaps I'll even have something tangible to show off! :)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
An unfocused gamer is dangerous
Now that I'm back on the miniatures painting kick, as I noted in my last post one of the things I wanted to do was start focusing my miniatures collection on identified projects and start trimming off the excess. This tied in neatly with re-organizing my desk, which had become cluttered with stalled projects and half-finished miniatures. I'm a "pile and sort" kind of organizer, so the kitchen table quickly began to feel the stress of pounds of lead and pewter piled onto it as I began compiling figs from random miniatures cases, boxes, and other places I had left them "temporarily." Within about an hour I had to stop, as I had simply run out of room. What I was left with, was this:
Sadly, this pile doesn't include any of my marines for 40K, a High Elf army, Cogs and Red Blok for AT-43, a Confrontation goblin army, a box of Heroclix and one of Mechwarrior destined for repaints, my Malifaux figures, a random assortment of blistered Reaper figs, and a smattering of Epic and Heavy Gear stuff. As none of these listed items are painted any more than the stuff in the picture, none of this includes my painted figures either. And I haven't even broken out the terrain, a box of Armorcast stuff pristine in its stinky resin.
To say I was a bit shocked to see all of this before me would be an understatement. But the situation is obvious upon reflection. Without a regular gaming group and a dedicated system to play, the last decade of my hobby experience has been typified by a "Oooh, that's cool looking, I want one," and "Wow, at that price I better buy 5 Starship Trooper walkers." No, I don't play Starship Troopers, but I figured I could use them as something. They'd be great proxy armored sentinels, for instance, for that Imperial Guard army I don't own.
So, now that I can more clearly see what I own, I'll be assigning figures to projects, even those that are only vaguely formed in my mind, but the rest will be hitting the auction block in the near future.
Sadly, this pile doesn't include any of my marines for 40K, a High Elf army, Cogs and Red Blok for AT-43, a Confrontation goblin army, a box of Heroclix and one of Mechwarrior destined for repaints, my Malifaux figures, a random assortment of blistered Reaper figs, and a smattering of Epic and Heavy Gear stuff. As none of these listed items are painted any more than the stuff in the picture, none of this includes my painted figures either. And I haven't even broken out the terrain, a box of Armorcast stuff pristine in its stinky resin.
To say I was a bit shocked to see all of this before me would be an understatement. But the situation is obvious upon reflection. Without a regular gaming group and a dedicated system to play, the last decade of my hobby experience has been typified by a "Oooh, that's cool looking, I want one," and "Wow, at that price I better buy 5 Starship Trooper walkers." No, I don't play Starship Troopers, but I figured I could use them as something. They'd be great proxy armored sentinels, for instance, for that Imperial Guard army I don't own.
So, now that I can more clearly see what I own, I'll be assigning figures to projects, even those that are only vaguely formed in my mind, but the rest will be hitting the auction block in the near future.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Planning for the future
As I've reiterated a few times, my miniatures gaming interests are pretty varied, so spending too much time, effort, or resources on any one project penalizes the others. This is especially true with 40K, where a paucity of regular opponents and a lack of great interest in the current incarnation of the rules means I'm planning an army mostly out of sentiment for times past and my love of the setting. This being the case, I'm going to plan out the entirety of my 40K marine collection. This will provide some framework for the project, ensure that I'm not distracted by a new unit or vehicle that doesn't fit within this list, and allow me to start selling off extra figures that don't have a home in the list.
You'll notice that this list includes far more options for certain troop categories than the basic game allows. This is because this is a list of all the figures I'm interested in building and painting, and from this list I'll choose my game time armies. As the marine codex, as with most codices, has most of its really neat troop types in the elites section, the list will be particularly top heavy. You might also note that the list doesn't allow for any of the typical competitive marine force builds. That's also on purpose, as I've come to realize I'm just not all that interested in competitive gaming anymore and I can't justify the time spent painting to produce an army that caters to tabletop effectiveness more than aesthetic appeal - spamming tactical squads and rhinos would get boring pretty quickly, in my opinion.
So, for now, my planned Poseidon Legion marine collection is the following:
With my project scoped out, the next step will be to organize the pieces from my collection necessary to build these units. With any luck, other than the landspeeders I should have everything I need to put this force together without spending a dime.
You'll notice that this list includes far more options for certain troop categories than the basic game allows. This is because this is a list of all the figures I'm interested in building and painting, and from this list I'll choose my game time armies. As the marine codex, as with most codices, has most of its really neat troop types in the elites section, the list will be particularly top heavy. You might also note that the list doesn't allow for any of the typical competitive marine force builds. That's also on purpose, as I've come to realize I'm just not all that interested in competitive gaming anymore and I can't justify the time spent painting to produce an army that caters to tabletop effectiveness more than aesthetic appeal - spamming tactical squads and rhinos would get boring pretty quickly, in my opinion.
So, for now, my planned Poseidon Legion marine collection is the following:
- HQ
- counts as Lysander
- counts as Shrike
- Power Armored Chapter Master/Captain
- Terminator Armored Chapter Master/Captain
- Power Armored Chaplain
- Power Armored Librarian
- Master of the Forge
- 3 man Honor Guard
- 5 man Command Squad
- Convertable Command Rhino/Razorback
- Sternguard Squad
- 5-10 models w. full range of wargear options
- Convertable Rhino/Razorback
- Dreadnoughts
- Venerable Dreadnought
- 2 Dreadnoughts
- Full complement of dreadnought weapon options for swapping
- Ironclad Dreadnought
- Troops
- Tactical Squad 1
- 10 marines
- Sgt. w. Power Fist, Meltagun, Missile Launcher
- Convertable Rhino/Razorback
- Tactical Squad 2
- 10 marines
- Sgt. w. Power Weapon, Flamer, Heavy Bolter
- Convertable Rhino/Razorback
- Scout Squad
- 10 scouts w. Sniper Rifles lead by Telion
- Full set of Razorback weapon options
- Fast Attack
- 2 Landspeeders
- Scratchbuilds based on RT-era landspeeder
- Full set of magnetized weapon options
- Possible 5-10 man Assault or Vanguard Squad
- Heavy Support
- 3 Predator Tanks
- 2 Destructors w. Heavy Bolter Sponsons
- 1 Destructor w. Lascannon Sponsons
- All sponsons will be magnetized to allow future customization
With my project scoped out, the next step will be to organize the pieces from my collection necessary to build these units. With any luck, other than the landspeeders I should have everything I need to put this force together without spending a dime.
The final tally
With the voting finished (and thanks to all of you that voted, either here, on B&C, or via e-mail), it looks like the Poseidon Legion held out. Like I noted before, I couldn't always be sure if someone that e-mailed or posted to B&C also voted in the poll, so this wasn't an exact science. But, considering that the glut of chapters that each received 5 votes wouldn't have made my decision any easier, I'm happy that it appears that one of the options seemed to stand out. Here are the final results:
Poseidon Legion: 7 votes
Mithril Drakes: 5 votes
Mentor Legion: 5 votes
Crimson Fists: 5 votes
Purple Marines: 2 votes
Silver Skulls: 1 vote
A few people over at B&C had mentioned an interest in seeing a marine painted in the Poseidon Legion colors. To the right is such an example, though one painted years ago and thus no longer representative of my exact style or current skill with the brush. Still, it should give a pretty good idea of the general appearance I'll be going for.
As mentioned in the last post, I'm thinking of still tying in some navy blue elements to reference the Crimson Fist and Mithril Drake color schemes that I liked. This is still a WIP idea, but as I don't want to overwhelm the basic Poseidon blue that many people noted that they liked, I'm thinking of adding a simple navy colored helmet, likely to the veteran marines of the Poseidon Legion. I had toyed with the idea of using this color variation for sergeants within the chapter, but decided that I ultimately didn't want my marines running around with a "shoot me, I'm important" target painted on their helmet, like the Ultramarines do with their bright red sergeant helmets. To that end, this is the simple modification I am thinking of making (white knee pad will likely be throughout as a field to paint company or squad markings on):
Poseidon Legion: 7 votes
Mithril Drakes: 5 votes
Mentor Legion: 5 votes
Crimson Fists: 5 votes
Purple Marines: 2 votes
Silver Skulls: 1 vote
A few people over at B&C had mentioned an interest in seeing a marine painted in the Poseidon Legion colors. To the right is such an example, though one painted years ago and thus no longer representative of my exact style or current skill with the brush. Still, it should give a pretty good idea of the general appearance I'll be going for.
As mentioned in the last post, I'm thinking of still tying in some navy blue elements to reference the Crimson Fist and Mithril Drake color schemes that I liked. This is still a WIP idea, but as I don't want to overwhelm the basic Poseidon blue that many people noted that they liked, I'm thinking of adding a simple navy colored helmet, likely to the veteran marines of the Poseidon Legion. I had toyed with the idea of using this color variation for sergeants within the chapter, but decided that I ultimately didn't want my marines running around with a "shoot me, I'm important" target painted on their helmet, like the Ultramarines do with their bright red sergeant helmets. To that end, this is the simple modification I am thinking of making (white knee pad will likely be throughout as a field to paint company or squad markings on):
Saturday, May 22, 2010
With one day remaining . . .
Since there's been a slowdown in votes over the last few days, I think I'm going to end the poll early, tomorrow night, so I can actually get down to work on the project. The current voting tally, again including both the poll to the left and responses I received via e-mail and over at the B&C forum, is:
Poseidon Legion: 7 votes
Crimson Fists: 4 votes
Mentor Legion: 4 votes
Mithril Drakes: 3 votes
Silver Skulls: 1 vote
Purple Marines: 1 vote
At this point, unless there's a rush of support for one of the other chapters, it looks like the clear winner will be the Poseidon Legion. As I still like the Mithril Drakes scheme, and a few others made similar comments, I may incorporate some navy blue elements into the Poseidon Legion scheme - helmets on veterans for instance.
So as to give me the opportunity to paint up a Mentor Legion figure or two, I may leverage their background story as testers of new technology and military liaisons to other chapters to include a few such marines, either as veteran sergeants or perhaps the entirety of my Sternguard squad. In retrospect, 2-5 Mentors might even be more than I want to paint, given all of their white armor. ;)
Poseidon Legion: 7 votes
Crimson Fists: 4 votes
Mentor Legion: 4 votes
Mithril Drakes: 3 votes
Silver Skulls: 1 vote
Purple Marines: 1 vote
At this point, unless there's a rush of support for one of the other chapters, it looks like the clear winner will be the Poseidon Legion. As I still like the Mithril Drakes scheme, and a few others made similar comments, I may incorporate some navy blue elements into the Poseidon Legion scheme - helmets on veterans for instance.
So as to give me the opportunity to paint up a Mentor Legion figure or two, I may leverage their background story as testers of new technology and military liaisons to other chapters to include a few such marines, either as veteran sergeants or perhaps the entirety of my Sternguard squad. In retrospect, 2-5 Mentors might even be more than I want to paint, given all of their white armor. ;)
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The Tally So Far
With about 24 hours into the voting, we're beginning to see some clear separation amongst the marine color scheme options. As the poll is not necessarily inclusive of comments e-mailed to me or forum responses to the thread I opened at Bolter and Chainsword, here, I'll keep a running tally the manual way. So far, the breakdown looks like this:
Poseidon Legion: 5 votes
Mentor Legion: 4 votes
Crimson Fists: 4 votes
Mithril Drakes: 2 votes
Silver Skulls: 1 vote
Purple Marines: 1 vote
Poseidon Legion: 5 votes
Mentor Legion: 4 votes
Crimson Fists: 4 votes
Mithril Drakes: 2 votes
Silver Skulls: 1 vote
Purple Marines: 1 vote
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Ruminating on Color Schemes
With the upcoming tournament mentioned in my last post prompting me to sit back down at the painting table, I find myself once again confronting the decision that has paralyzed every other attempt to start a marine army - what color scheme/chapter to use. Because space marines are the 40K army perhaps most singularly uniform in appearance (compare the myriad chaos marine cults in a single force, or the range of aspect warrior types in an Eldar host), you really have to make sure you pick a scheme you want to paint. Since I'm very much a narrative-oriented gamer, a good background story is important as well. As I have enough other projects that I want to work on, this is going to be my only space marine force as well.
So, below are snapshots of the various schemes that I currently fancy, or have repeatedly resurfaced each time I consider the project over the years. I'm presenting them here as I'm hoping the community will help me decide which scheme/chapter to settle on. So, in no particular order:
I've loved these guys since they graced the cover of the Rogue Trader rulebook. Since I generally prefer "old school" chapters, and will want to do my marines in a throwback scheme if I choose to go the route of an official GW marine chapter, the Fists make perfect sense. As the title of my last post suggests, I was all set to start painting my marines in blue and red. However, it seems like there's been an explosion of Crimson Fist armies on the 'net. I realize this shouldn't have much impact on me, but it does make the project feel less unique.
Another throwback chapter, I've always though the clean white and dark green scheme of the Mentor Legion looked really sharp. They've got a great background as well. To maintain that old school feel, I'd be sure to use their old chapter badge, an owl's head, rather than the hawk's head now used by GW.
My final throwback scheme, the colors of the Silver Skulls could be used, unmodified, for a few other chapters as well, should I decide I wanted to build my own background. Because the painter program I used doesn't represent metallic colors well, let me point out that this isn't a gray scheme, but metallic silver, which is the biggest perk of this scheme. It will be dead easy to do, letting me quickly churn out an army to tabletop standard.
The first of my DIY marine chapters, the Poseidon Legion have jumped to the front of the line whenever I've considered painting some marines. I think the scheme looks great, and would work well both on the infantry (I've done one test marine in these colors) and bikes/land speeders. However, I'm a big fan of the marine armored vehicles and am not convinced that this scheme would translate well across such large canvases. Plus, as the background I've knocked together for these guys has them originating from an aquatic work, regular use of ground-based vehicles doesn't make a ton of sense.
My next DIY chapter, the Mithril Drakes, introduced in a post a year ago, have a scheme I like enough that I had basecoated a combat squad of marines in their colors. I still think it's a sharp scheme and the silver elements, as with the Silver Skulls, will make for fairly quick painting. The sea serpent motif that I planned to use for the chapter iconography would be fun as well. Please don't let the fact that this guy is more finished than the others (squad and chapter markings, boltgun in hand) sway any considerations. I figured it made more sense to reuse the picture posted before rather than rebuilding the scheme.
My final DIY chapter. There's no particular story or thought behind these guys, but I've always though marines in a deep purple would look good. Add in some tasteful gold bling and the parchment colored pauldrons to give some focal points, and I think this scheme works.
So, thoughts? Comments explaining why you like a particular scheme would be great, but I've also set up a poll to the left that you could use to quickly note your thoughts.
Thanks!
So, below are snapshots of the various schemes that I currently fancy, or have repeatedly resurfaced each time I consider the project over the years. I'm presenting them here as I'm hoping the community will help me decide which scheme/chapter to settle on. So, in no particular order:
I've loved these guys since they graced the cover of the Rogue Trader rulebook. Since I generally prefer "old school" chapters, and will want to do my marines in a throwback scheme if I choose to go the route of an official GW marine chapter, the Fists make perfect sense. As the title of my last post suggests, I was all set to start painting my marines in blue and red. However, it seems like there's been an explosion of Crimson Fist armies on the 'net. I realize this shouldn't have much impact on me, but it does make the project feel less unique.
Another throwback chapter, I've always though the clean white and dark green scheme of the Mentor Legion looked really sharp. They've got a great background as well. To maintain that old school feel, I'd be sure to use their old chapter badge, an owl's head, rather than the hawk's head now used by GW.
My final throwback scheme, the colors of the Silver Skulls could be used, unmodified, for a few other chapters as well, should I decide I wanted to build my own background. Because the painter program I used doesn't represent metallic colors well, let me point out that this isn't a gray scheme, but metallic silver, which is the biggest perk of this scheme. It will be dead easy to do, letting me quickly churn out an army to tabletop standard.
The first of my DIY marine chapters, the Poseidon Legion have jumped to the front of the line whenever I've considered painting some marines. I think the scheme looks great, and would work well both on the infantry (I've done one test marine in these colors) and bikes/land speeders. However, I'm a big fan of the marine armored vehicles and am not convinced that this scheme would translate well across such large canvases. Plus, as the background I've knocked together for these guys has them originating from an aquatic work, regular use of ground-based vehicles doesn't make a ton of sense.
My next DIY chapter, the Mithril Drakes, introduced in a post a year ago, have a scheme I like enough that I had basecoated a combat squad of marines in their colors. I still think it's a sharp scheme and the silver elements, as with the Silver Skulls, will make for fairly quick painting. The sea serpent motif that I planned to use for the chapter iconography would be fun as well. Please don't let the fact that this guy is more finished than the others (squad and chapter markings, boltgun in hand) sway any considerations. I figured it made more sense to reuse the picture posted before rather than rebuilding the scheme.
My final DIY chapter. There's no particular story or thought behind these guys, but I've always though marines in a deep purple would look good. Add in some tasteful gold bling and the parchment colored pauldrons to give some focal points, and I think this scheme works.
So, thoughts? Comments explaining why you like a particular scheme would be great, but I've also set up a poll to the left that you could use to quickly note your thoughts.
Thanks!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
1000 Pts of Crimson Fists
My bi-weekly gaming group (well bi-weekly for me, as they meet every week) will be running a friendly 1000 Pt. 40K tournament in July. I figure this will be a great opportunity to not only get in a day of gaming, but also prompt me to sit down at the painting table again. Considering that I don't want more than 2000 Pts. or so of marines when all is said and done (I've simply got too many miniature gaming interests to heavily invest time and space to one game/army), this will also give me a solid foundation on which to build the final army.
No doubt this list will be revised as time goes on, but here's what I'm thinking of for the tourney:
-Librarian - 100 pts
-Sternguard Veterans - 230
w. Power Fist, 1 Combi-Melta, Assault Cannon Razorback
-Tactical Squad - 235
w. 5 Additional Marines, Power Fist, Meltagun, Multimelta, Rhino
-Tactical Squad - 145
w. Power Weapon, Razorback
-Predator Tank - 120
w. Lascannon Sponsons
-Predator Tank - 85
w. Heavy Bolter Sponsons
-Predator Tank - 85
w. Heavy Bolter Sponsons
No doubt this list will be revised as time goes on, but here's what I'm thinking of for the tourney:
-Librarian - 100 pts
-Sternguard Veterans - 230
w. Power Fist, 1 Combi-Melta, Assault Cannon Razorback
-Tactical Squad - 235
w. 5 Additional Marines, Power Fist, Meltagun, Multimelta, Rhino
-Tactical Squad - 145
w. Power Weapon, Razorback
-Predator Tank - 120
w. Lascannon Sponsons
-Predator Tank - 85
w. Heavy Bolter Sponsons
-Predator Tank - 85
w. Heavy Bolter Sponsons
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Dead Dogs
Finally got something painted in '10! These figures, from Reaper, were going to be part of my round 5 entry in the Lead Painter League, had I been able to participate, and will serve in my Malifaux Resurrectionists force as "Canine Remains." I finished all three in about two evenings worth of work (though cleaning and base assembly had been done several weeks ago) and they were an absolute joy to paint. Something about the style of the sculpting and the generally sleek lines of the details suited my painting style very well. Let me know what you think!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Already Stumbling
So it appears that my big plan for getting on some sort of painting kick has already been foiled. Despite engaging in all of the necessary preparatory steps, including braving the cold to do some priming, I'm not going to be able to even make round 1 of the Lead Painter's League. My inability to recognize conflicting plans meant I forgot that I was going to be gone the rest of this week on a trip to NYC. So that means 5 fewer painting days, which I desperately needed.
What makes this an even greater bummer is that this season of the LPL has been subjected to a new rule forbidding entrants to join in later rounds. Unlike year's past, unless you can make the first round, you can't participate. Hopefully I can use the ongoing LPL as a backdrop for my own painting, and thereby stay motivated, but we'll see how that goes.
What makes this an even greater bummer is that this season of the LPL has been subjected to a new rule forbidding entrants to join in later rounds. Unlike year's past, unless you can make the first round, you can't participate. Hopefully I can use the ongoing LPL as a backdrop for my own painting, and thereby stay motivated, but we'll see how that goes.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Res on Res
Played a 35 soulstone game of Malifaux last night, for my third total game and third total loss. I'm recognizing a trend here. The conflict featured Seamus (me) against McMourning. Making use of some of my newly acquired figures (notice the significant uptick in "models purchased") I fielded the following:
I flipped an Annihilation mission while my opponent had recon. Schemes were the Resurrectionist one for me vs. "An Eye for an Eye" for him. Ultimately the game was a draw, ending after the sixth turn in a 0vp to 0vp tie. But it really wasn't much of a tie with only a wounded Belle, nearly dead Seamus, and the Copycat Killer left in my force, against a wounded Necropunk, a healthy Sebastian and Convict Gunslinger, a wounded McMourning, and a freshly summoned Flesh Construct. I realize it's only my third game, and both my opponent and most of this gaming group are veterans of synergistic games like Warmachine, but I just don't seem to be catching on to this style of miniature gaming. Fortunately I like the models and setting enough that I haven't just packed it in yet. But, of course, I am only three games in . . .
- Seamus
- Copycat Killer
- Mortimer
- 2 Rotten Belles
- Zombie Punk Samurai
- 3 Canine Remains
I flipped an Annihilation mission while my opponent had recon. Schemes were the Resurrectionist one for me vs. "An Eye for an Eye" for him. Ultimately the game was a draw, ending after the sixth turn in a 0vp to 0vp tie. But it really wasn't much of a tie with only a wounded Belle, nearly dead Seamus, and the Copycat Killer left in my force, against a wounded Necropunk, a healthy Sebastian and Convict Gunslinger, a wounded McMourning, and a freshly summoned Flesh Construct. I realize it's only my third game, and both my opponent and most of this gaming group are veterans of synergistic games like Warmachine, but I just don't seem to be catching on to this style of miniature gaming. Fortunately I like the models and setting enough that I haven't just packed it in yet. But, of course, I am only three games in . . .
Monday, February 01, 2010
Blogging in the New Year
True, we're now more than a month into 2010, but tardy is better than being a complete no-show. The last month has seen me tinkering substantially with the blog, creating yet another layout and appearance, but has also seen me more regularly playing games than I have in quite some time. As the summary in the left column shows, I've averaged about a game a week this year and have another game of Malifaux scheduled for Wednesday night.
What I haven't been doing, as usual, is painting however. I've resolved to address that failing as well, and to help spur me towards this goal I'll be participating in the Lead Adventure Forum's "Lead Painters' League". I'll let the link to the site take care of the explanation.
Since getting a minimum of five figures painted each week will be a chore, especially for me, I'm determined to plan out at least the first half of my entries, gather those figures, get them assembled and primed, and start painting asap. I know I'm not required to have a new entry for each week, but cranking some figures out is the whole point of this exercise.
So, my planned entries for the first five weeks, taking advantage of the bonus points for the themed rounds (Conan for round 1, zombies for round 5), are:
Now, only the Uncharted Seas ships have even been assembled from this list, so I've got plenty of work ahead of me - starting tonight!
What I haven't been doing, as usual, is painting however. I've resolved to address that failing as well, and to help spur me towards this goal I'll be participating in the Lead Adventure Forum's "Lead Painters' League". I'll let the link to the site take care of the explanation.
Since getting a minimum of five figures painted each week will be a chore, especially for me, I'm determined to plan out at least the first half of my entries, gather those figures, get them assembled and primed, and start painting asap. I know I'm not required to have a new entry for each week, but cranking some figures out is the whole point of this exercise.
So, my planned entries for the first five weeks, taking advantage of the bonus points for the themed rounds (Conan for round 1, zombies for round 5), are:
- Round 1 - 5 mixed barbarians from the Chronopia Sons of Kronos and Celtos Gael lines
- Round 2 - Uncharted Seas dwarf battleship, 2 cruisers, and 3 destroyers
- Round 3 - 5 classic Citadel miniatures chaos thugs
- Round 4 - 5 Marvel superheroes (undecided which) repainted from the Heroclix line
- Round 5 - 3 Reaper undead hounds and 2 Wyrd Rotten Belles for my Malifaux Resurrectionists
Now, only the Uncharted Seas ships have even been assembled from this list, so I've got plenty of work ahead of me - starting tonight!
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