New Ways to Play the Game

I found a new blog the other day.  Check out Hero's Gaming Blog.  One of the things he mentions is getting in some Warmachine games on Vassel.  My bet is most of you have already found this site but it was new to me.  I downloaded the engine, which they had a version for mac =)  Then I downloaded the module for Warmachine.  Now, here's the part that is going to sound really weird.  I played both sides!  This is when I realized I don't know the rules!   I found out that I normally rely on my opponents to tell me what to roll.  I never noticed it before but playing a new opponent on Thursday, I realized how much I depended on other people to know the rules.  By playing both sides I learned:

• More of the rules.  There was no one to ask and I had to look up a ton of rules.  At the same time, it made me learn them.
• I learned the stats for more models.  I played Cygnar vs Cygnar so I effectively got two games under my belt.  By the end, I was able to roll dice and not look at the cards every two seconds.
• I also learned (again) that I play too defensively.  A game vs. my self takes forever!  Not very fun.

Anyway, I like the engine and it would also be a easy to do a battle report with the picture function.

Thanks for reading!

Making New Friends

I mentioned in my last blog that I went to "Casual Warmachine" night at a local gaming store.  There was no Warmachine and I was pretty disheartened.  However, the comments were fantastic and upbeat so I bravely ventured into the local forums and where I saw this:

If anyone's interested, I'll be at Battleforge about 5:30-ish with a couple 35 pt lists i want to try. (my traditional Rahn list, and the Kaelyssa list I've been trying to whack out)

I posted back and we met up at 5:30.  We got two games in and he was really nice.  I would still classify my play at the newb level and he was both helpful and instructive.  There were also about 40 other players for the game night, some with Warmachine, others with the standard mix of 40k, WHFB, and FoW.

Game 1
For our first game, I took prime Haley's tier 4 list, full of Long Gunners and Hunters.  It is a very shooty army but a unit of Sword Knights added some teeth.  I (sort of) survived Rhan's feat round, where my Lancer (with the arc node) and my two Hunters were knocked down and then push/pulled right into the teeth of his infantry.  One lonely Hunter was left with 3 boxes at the end of it, his left sniper rifle ripped off and only and axe left.  He took out one infantry in turn.

On my next turn, pHaley popper her feat which allows all friendly units in her control range to make an additional attack, regardless of Rate of Fire.  The Sword Knights charged and took out his heavy 'Jack before it could light me on fire.  They had to roll a 4 to hit.  For damage, they rolled 4 dice on the first hit and 3 dice on the second hit and subtracted 8 from each.  It was brutal.  I had no idea those guys were so tough!

My Long Gunners were next and they stood still and shot.  This gives them an additional shot, on top of the one Haley gave them.  18 shots at his light warjack finally brought it down, but not before it arced a chain lightning ball into me twice.

At this point, the game was over.  My opponent conceded the game, saying the rest would just be my 2 units of Long Gunners chewing through his remaining forces.  This gave us time for a second game.

Game 2

Our second game was much quicker.  I took my standard Darius list with all heavy 'Jacks.  It is not a tier list but he had to leave for work in an hour and I am faster with the 'Jacks.  He took his Kaelyssa list.  This list is designed to shoot through walls, models, and everything else.  80% of the force is advanced deploy and I believe the only things with out stealth were the two heavy 'Jacks and Kaelyssa herself.  Everything else is designed to get at the warcaster and assassinate.  I didn't understand all this, though my opponent tried to warn me, and I started 'Jack walking my group up.  As soon as Darius was within range, it didn't matter that there were tons of Iron in front of him.  He was phantom shot from a far and a solo made it through for the coup de grace.  She decapitated him!  It's one of her special abilities.

Overall, it was a great night and I met several other players.  I didn't take any  pics.  I'm sure my opponent would have been cool with it but I already felt new and didn't want to add to it.

So thank you to all of you who posted encouraging comments last time.  They helped and I got to play two games.  Now to finish painting up those Long Gunners, they deserve it...

All Dressed Up and No Place to Go

Last night, I loaded all of my Cygnar mini's into foam and stuffed them into my carry bag.  I told myself not to chicken out and to go to the game store in my new town of Austin.  Tuesday nights, 7-12pm is Casual Warmachine and I wanted to play.

It's tough going somewhere new, not knowing anybody, and hoping they won't laugh at you too bad when you don't know the armor values of their mini's or what you have to roll to hit something.  I am a casual player but I want to play.

So I went to the game store for Causal Warmachine night... and no one was playing Warmachine.  =(  Eventually there were a couple of games of Warhammer Fantasy, and later a couple of 40k games broke out.  They were nice enough but where's the Warmachine?  I have army's for both Fantasy and 40k, they just are not what I am into right now.  That might change when the new fantasy book comes out in July but for now, give me my boys in blue!

I hung out and met people.  I watched games and chatted for about 3 hours.  This is what I learned:

• Casual Warmachine Night just means open gaming.
• If I have a different night off, I can go up and play then.
• The calendar posted is not as accurate as I once thought.
• Warmachine is not as prevalent here as it was in Kentucky
• If I want a game, I will have to schedule one with someone on the local chat board.

I feel very brave for going all by myself.  I will try again next week when I have a day off.  I may also try the other store and see if my experience will be different.

Thanks for reading!

What dice are you?

I blame Mik...

You are a d8: You are the true adventurer! Dragons rescued, princesses slayed, and all that business while O Fortuna plays in the background. Your social calender is crammed with heroic deeds, and you've personally saved the world from ultimate destruction at least twice. You are reliable, perhaps a bit predictable, but overall a shining example of what happens when courage meets determination.
Take the quiz at dicepool.com

Five Minute Chocolate Cake

I thought I would post this as a fun side note.  This chocolate cake takes me five minutes to prepare and cook.  It's not pretty when you tip it out of the cup (thus no pic) but it is very tasty.

4 Tbsp Flour
4 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tbsp Milk
3 Tbsp Oil
3 Tbsp (or more =) chocolate chips(optional) - I have also used toffee bits to good effect
a splash of vanilla

Mix together in a cappuccino cup or large coffee mug and microwave on high for 3 Minutes.  I know it looks like it's going to go over the side but I have never had it happen.  Be fearless!

Enjoy with a dollop of icing, ice cream, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, or whatever you want!

Front Arcs

So I gave in and painted front arc marks on Long Gunners that were already painted. I am not really a fan of arc marks but they will help in the game play. I went for a very neutral gray so as to not stand out. I also added a "L" on the back of the leader to keep him clear in a game.

I am also slightly OCD, so I drew a template to help place them. It worked well enough but there was still a little play in where the line ended up.

I think next time, I will find box with a good right angle. I will slide them back against the corner, then mark the line, again using something like the template. Has anyone else found a better (simpler/faster) way? Or do you eyeball and freehand them?

Simple Green Outcome

I have mentioned my Trenchers before. I bought them cheap and cheaply painted. The problem is they sat on my shelf for 4 years before I decided I really wanted to strip them.

I dug through my photos and could not find a before pic of these Trenchers but you can sort of see the paint while they sit in the Simple Green. I let them sit for about a week (due to family stuff more than patience) and finally took a toothbrush to them. The Green did a great job. Everything was softened up and slid right off of flat surfaces. There are a number of crevices on these models that held the paint but I was able to get it out with an Exacto, though a toothpick probably would have been safer and easier on the models. There are still a few spots left but after 30 minutes of scrubbing and scraping, I decided it was good enough. The plastic bases were a little soft when I pulled them out but they seem fine today. They might have come off the mini's but the previous owner filled the bases with something like Milliput so they held.

Thanks for reading!

First Layer

I am going to try to paint a big batch, though I may have to break it down when I get past the base colors. Here, I have filled in the spots the spray primer missed with Black. Next, I did a heavy overbrush on the base and painted the wood and leather with a dark brown.

I am a little intimidated by the large batch but I think it will help me paint the characters. Characters scare me a little, so hopefully with them lumped in with the regulars, they will get the same treatment. Otherwise, there is a strong chance they will sit on the shelf until I feel up to them. More to come...

God of War (side note)

I have been sucked in by God of War.  I made the simple mistake of playing the free God of War III Demo on the PS3 and decided I wanted to give it a try.  Add in the $30 2-pack of GoW 1 & 2 for the PS3 that just came out and I couldn't resist.  After 10 hours of great game play (and the help of the strategy guide) I will soon battle Ares, the God of War in the first game.

I really like the story, along with the challenges, though some of the timed challenges make me want to pull my hair out.    I am not a great gamer, normally sticking to fun titles in the Lego series but I have been able to get to the last battle, albeit in mortal (read easy) mode.  There have been a few moral choices I wish Kratos could have avoided or chosen differently in but over all I really like the game.

If you have not had a chance to try out this game, I heartily recommend it.  Then again, I was probably the holdout left!

I also added my Play Station Network ID to the side of my blog.  Feel free to check out the trophies I have earned so far and/or friend me on that network.  Thanks for reading!