Blogging and Photography Blurb

I've got quite a bit on my painting table at the moment.  I've got Bugs! and Necrons for myself (it's a Xenos New Year!), Grey Knights for the Client Pimp in Question, and the odd model to pick up while the washes dry...

This bad boy is one of the latter.

Have you seen this man?  Sadly, this is the picture I'm happiest with - gloriously-not-really-representing the actual model.  I don't paint in Sepia.

It's a Coteaz Christmas (Present)!

Have you seen this man?

I snagged this model from the Card Pimp in Question as a 'test model' - 'cause it made for a Christmas present I could afford!

Brent's Losing Streak..!

Yup, I'm on a losing streak!  Exciting stuff, that!

I mentioned in a previous post that I've been playing a lot of City Fight with a lot of different armies - and just having a blast!  Naturally I took way too many pictures, but rather than let them get lost in other content I decided to drop a summary of...

...Brent's Losing Streak!  *key creepy music*

Ah, Brotherhood Fangs overlooking the field... what could go wrong?

 Click MORE for... well, more...

Dark Eldar: Urian WIP Quik Pic

Lately I've been keeping a model or two on the painting table just to work on in bits and drabs; Urian is one-such, a for no apparent reason paint-a-dude project.

"Put the Damn Bugs Together."

So.  Many.  Models.

Let's Play: What Now, What Next?!

'What Now, What Next?!' is when everyone's favorite Empty Digital Headache breaks out his Cybershot and drops dime on his latest unnecessary painting project, thus avoiding commitment and the real work of putting Hormabugs together.

Yuppers!  Thanks to whomever that was for... the intro..?  Vaguely familiar profile, that.  And the green - a hideous, nightmarish green!  Where have I seen it, green so evil..?

Huh.

It'll come to me, I'm sure.  Moving on, here's what I've been on to lately:

What's he pointing at you?

 Huh, I'm pretty sure there's a button around here you can click for the rest of the article...

Whelpslayer! (Talking Points Runner-Up)

So a close 2nd to General Smooth's winning article showcased in my Terrible Tuesday Bell of Lost Soul's post is this entry by Panzar.  He's writing a new blog called Whelpslayer, so check it out.

Before we get there... did any of you notice the opening pic?

That moment was from a game against the Master Manipulator (every store needs one) last weekend.  I thought my Brotherhood 1st and 10th was going to run away with the game, but it all seemed to turn when God provided all the intervention my esteemed opponent needed... 

Click the pic for a link to MM(esno)'s site! Without further ado... from Panzar: 

Post 600: Thanks, and have some Bugs!

I've stared at a blank page trying to decide how to frame this not-so historical post.  After beating my head and countless rewrites, I'll just say this:

Thank you for reading, past, present or future.

Grey, white, and evil.

Thanks for comments, positive and negative - 'cause I read  and appreciate them all.  Regardless.

Necrons and the New Competitive

I've been excited - impressed even - with the Necron Codex since its release...

...but as always, I seem to disagree with the prevailing opinions available online.

...

I know, I know!  

It's an easy statement to make - since you can find anything online to support a premise that broad - but some of those opinions are from worthy sources, such as my friend Darkwynn.  Last I read, he contends the 'Crons aren't going to be (and I wish I had the exact quote, so this is paraphrasing) Top Tier.

And he's probably right in a very broad sense.  They won't knock Imperial Guard, Space Wolves, and Grey Knights off their perch... but do they have to?

As the Blood Angels.  As the Dark Eldar.  Hell, ask the Black Templars!

Or ask Daemons.  

Battle Report: City Fight 1500, Wolves vs Fists

I played the Mighty Mighty Carlos and his (Vulkan) Imperial Fists... and I'm just saying, one day he should actually finish this army.

Bjorn the Fell-Claw showing off the right stuff against the Imperial Fists.

Comments Come Lately: Doh!

It's been awhile since I've done a Comments Come Lately.  As always, these are from my latest Bell of Lost Souls article.  Most recently, I extended a challenge for readers to 'write my article' for the opportunity to write one of their own on Bell.

A number of people have accepted the challenge, and there are quite a few worthy contenders.  I'm waiting a few days to give everyone who wants to participate the opportunity to do so.

Still... there were a few people who thought the article was weak gag or something.  Deuce 1984 posted something to the extent that I'm asking people to do something I didn't feel like doing.  I let the first comment slide...

...but responded to the second.  Then he responded - with a pretty funny one-liner.

I'm not sure I 'won' this round.

City Fight 1500pts, Knights Vs Noughts

Apathy, Part II?

 Evil Homer mentioned getting away from the Brotherhood for awhile; good advice. I'm stalled out.

Anyway, I've long toyed with a 1st and 10th with a lot of Dreadnoughts, and while I'm still a ways away from that, I did take a bunch of dreads to the store to duke it out with the Card Pimp in Question and his Grey Knight Purifiers in a City Fight bought.

My vision is a 'Shrike Force' with Terminators and Dreadnoughts, supported by Scouts with shotguns to grab objectives.  I don't have that put together - yet.  Here I brought a Master of the Forge, five basic Dreads, two units of Assault Marines with Flamers and a Sgt. with a Power fist, two units of Scouts with Sniper Rifles and a Missile Launcher... and lastly a Whirlwind!

Apathy, My Apathy

*sigh*

I'm feeling very French today.

*le sigh*

Apathy.  Uh.

You know, I've never really understood the moods the Master Manipulator (every store needs one) and Little Barrera go through with miniature games - over the past few decades, I'm almost always interested.

Not so much, since Feast.  It's a combination of things, including the weather change and a busy work schedule.

I've tried to fight it.  Let's see what I've been (forcing) working on:

Three Armies From Feast

Ah, the holidays! It's been a lovely 4-days off from work - and 5-days off from blogging - but I'm out the door and on the web again. I wrote a Cyber Monday article on Bell that will drop at 10am; until then, here are three armies from Feast - one of which was my favorite.

Saw: Saw Studios (Custom Terrain Builder)

The Fabricator General

I'm starting to feel darn right rested.

The last few weeks since Feast has been insanely busy, so after a few abortive attempts I didn't bother trying to post.  It's been my longest Blogger vacation since I began this mad journey Oh, Those Many Moons Ago.

Heck, I've even got material in the pocket!  But I wanted to bring you this, first.  You may have seen it in last week's Terrible Tuesday article on Bell.

It's educational it is!  And worth the investment in time.  You'll learn something.

Random Goodie Drops

Man, it's taking me awhile to get back in the swing of things!

Right now I'm the only active *job* on the treatment team, so I'm pulling double duty.  By the time I get home, I crash on the couch for an hour then it's off to bed.

Here's a partial clip from a video I made - just including it as a test of Google's service.

Still, there is a light at the end of the tunnel; I'll catch up on content shortly.  Until then, a few items.

Greenman Designs Inc

I've been... exhausted.

Between Feast of Blades and taking my wife to see To Kill a Mockingbird at the Wylie last Tuesday, then fitting in five days of work in two...

...I've been exhausted.  Have no fear, I'll get caught up.  There's a lot to say!  'Till then, here's a repost of my video, my (very late) contribution to Bell this week.



sales@gdesignsinc.com for ordering info!  His website is in development.

Feast of Blades: Update 5

Okay, I'm in the third bracket, having gone 2-1 yesterday.  I missed the second bracket due to my scores in the seeding game, which was Round 1.

Here's the link for the UStream account for Feast of Blades.

I just won my first game today, putting me at number 2 in my bracket.  Number 1 is Thomas, the dude who beat me in Game 2 yesterday.

Rematch!

It's going to be Pitched Battle Objectives...

Wish me luck!

More pics after the jump...

Feast of Blades: Game 1

Here's Game 1 of the Feast of Blades Invitational.  I won the option of going first... but I would have been better off losing it!

Note: the link is for the UStream - check it out today!

I think I've learned something about my game that needs fixing; when I'm reacting to someone, my game is top notch... not so much the other way around.  If the Tau had set up first, I would have set up my army in response to what I was seeing.  Since I was setting up first, something in my mind completely ignored his army, and what he would do in response to me.

(Wasn't much of a deficit when you were playing Daemons all the time, huh?)

As you can see from this picture, it isn't exactly rocket science.  My opponent was a strong player, so he didn't miss the obvious.  Refused flank, away from Logan's (Hogan!) squad... effectively neutralizing a significant chuck of my army.  Later, you'll also see I didn't pay much attention to the Kroot.  I assumed they'd come on piecemeal; yea, I know what you're thinking, too.

(Now.)

Feast of Blades: Update 4

I'm in my room, hanging out with Nick and Rob.  I just played Game 2.

I just lost Game 2!

Earlier, Nick asked, "Do you want me to tell you what's wrong with your list?"

Darkwynn reminds me of my friend, the Master Manipulator (every store needs one); with that in mind:

"Nope."

Not until I'm sitting down!

My first game was a close affair, and since it was only a seeding game, it wasn't a bad deal.  I scored right there in the middle.

Second game... I was outplayed by a Vulkan build.

My opponent, Thomas, was awesome, but he was also very accomplished with his army.  He told me he's been perfecting it for years.

Me?  I just realized something...

I CHANGED MY ARMY BEFORE AN EVENT.

Again.

(Evil Homer and the Master Manipulator (every store needs one) will know what he means.  Hell, Darkwynn already knows.)

It's a thing.

So I have a list Logan no longer makes sense in.  Also, static firepower isn't so hot anymore.  Most importantly, I simply need to play better.

You see, after Game 1 I realized I needed to centralize Logan (Hogan.  HOGAN!) so as to get the most use from him... but then, in Game 2, I stuck him on the flank.

Again.

I was too afraid of my opponent's Rock, which consisted of Vulkan and 7 Thunder Hammer Storm Shield Terminators in a Land Raider.  I threw way too much into destroying them, ultimately costing me the game.

I'm having a blast!  All of the above is secondary to playing great games of Warhammer, plus I love playing the Brotherhood.

Gotta run - Game 3, coming up!

Feast of Blades: Update 3

Just wait!

Good morning again!

It's 6:27am local time and only a few minutes away from the alarm ringing.  I'm up and ready... and typing away in the dark.

Didn't want to wake my roommate.

So yesterday was a blast and I didn't even participate in the tournament.  I wandered around making a nuisance of myself and generally scoring tons of video and pictorial footage...

...and some of it was very, very unexpected!  I met with a dude whose product I genuinely believe will make him a rich.

(Alarm just went off.  Robb just woke up:  "Are you blogging?")

I'll go into more detail later; the important thing is I finished painting the two squads of Grey Hunters to a 3-color minimum I can live with:

Feast of Blades: Update 2

Good Morning to all!

I helped Duke and the FoB guys set up the tournament hall last night, so I got to be around 2pm.  I wasn't the only volunteer - by far!  People were coming out of the woodwork to help.

Despite getting to sleep late, I was up early this morning.  Good thing, to, 'cause my wife's car battery went dead...

...and I had to talk her through jump starting it over the phone.  The conversation was something like, "...the reverse T thing?  What do you mean?  I mean the bolts!  Not the screws - the bolts, right?"

Confusion reigned!

Feast of Blades: Update 1

As I write this I'm sitting in the hotel lobby of the Red Lion Inn in Denver, Colorado, enjoying a Heineken after a 12-hour day of driving and junk food.

My hosts have been just awesome.  Rather than rewrite it, let me borrow from myself:

I'm lucky enough to be attending the Feast of Blades this weekend, an event I was looking forward to but marked off my calendar.  It was especially disappointing since missing the Nova; after my father's illness, there was no extra money for entertainment.
Now, I'd beggar myself to see my father well after an aneurysm, not to mention being blessed with enough disposable income to attend a few national events each year to begin with!  Still, I'm human enough to admit there was a level of disappointment about Feast...
...but the expense simply wasn't justifiable.  Family comes first.
Duke, the Tournament Organizer (and rightly feared Mod of the BoLS Lounge), touched base with me on it all out of the blue last week.  He could have said, "Sorry to hear that, see you next year," and I wouldn't have thought a thing about it.  Instead, he took time out of his day to make calls on my behalf - and found me a spot in a caravan heading north to Denver!  The next day, he called to let me know he found someone I could split a room with...
...and suddenly it was coming together.
The caravan is leaving out of Dallas on Thursday, and I called Sid to touch base with him about a spot. Now, I assured him of the standard stuff - like being respectful and covering my portion of the gas - but let's face it, these guys don't know me and surely didn't need my contribution.
These dudes don't know me, but they had a spot and they allowed me to fill it.  It was very cool of them, and I genuinely appreciate it - there was simply nothing in the budget for a plane ticket.
But you know, as I sit here typing I'm just not surprised.
You hobbyists are good, decent people.  Meeting like-minded folks is the reason for the season...
...you're not alone!

Sid, Neil, Phillip, Chris, and Bryan are all tournament veterans from the North Texas area.  I actually recognized Neil and Bryan from past events, though I don't believe I've played them, and Sid more recently at Comic Asylum.  Sid and Neil are the drivers, and I made the trip up here first with one then the other.

Maybe there was hugs and gropings.  I'm not saying - but I will say that these guys were very hospitable and I genuinely appreciate it.

(Knowing Brent, he probably doesn't feel he gushed enough.  Bet he made people uncomfortable.)

Feast of Blades: Not Enough Time! Gak!

Not even 48-hours ago, I found out I'd be able to attend the Feast of Blades after all.

Doh!

Ultimately, I just won't have time to complete the two additional Grey Hunters squads I'd like to have, so my army won't be quite as optimized as I'd like.  Still, I worked hard these last two nights trying to make progress.

More pics after the jump!

Brotherhood Update: Bulking Out the Army's Ranks

So it's very, very tempting to cast an eye toward the Necrons, but with a rather largish sum of money allotted for a dream army I'm purchasing from Evil Homer, my Nemesis, I need to be realistic.

Besides, wargaming has reached a scale these days that makes it impossible to collect everything - at least, not at my level of purchasing power!  I have more than enough stuff already to keep me content modeling and painting for years to come, so I shan't be purchasing every army that flashes a leg at me.

So to speak.

Also, and importantly, I'm not done with my Brotherhood yet!  I can't tell you the amount of satisfaction I get from putting together and painting these models... so there you go!

Here's the update:

Roleplaying Miniatures; Blast from the Past

About 6 years ago I participated in a roleplaying game set in a certain 'Underdark' city.

Naturally I built miniatures for all the characters.  It was great fun at the time, but since Drow tend to implode - what with all the infighting - it was only a matter of time before hurt feelings put paid to the whole thing.

Which is a shame, since I was 'winning.'  Ah, well!

Public Service Messages in the Grim, Dark Future

Ouch! Use what the Emperor uses when he's strained too much on his Golden Throne! 


 Try _________________________ for instant relief!

Happy Halloween!

Comic Asylum Tournament, Games 2 and 3

Here's the wrap up on the tournament the Card Pimp in question and I played in last Saturday. Seems like a lot longer than a week ago - these last five works days have been brutal.

Here's a current favorite unit; Scouts with plasma and knives and plasma and chains and plasma and combi. Plasma. What's not to love? In my opinion, plasma is the new melta; the game it is a'changing.

Terrain, Terrain, Terrain

There's a Cityfight tournament coming up! I'm helping build some new terrain, then I'm planning on updating my collection. Also pictured are some pieces I did for one of my recent Bell of Lost Souls articles.

Tournament, Comic Asylum! Game One

The Card Pimp in Question and I went to last weekend's 1500 point Tournament at the Comic Asylum - by far my favorite out of town venue - and had an absolute blast! It was the weekend after I ran my own 1500 point event at Galaxy (which I have a lot to say about, once I get a copy of the breakdown) so I was itching to play.

Hogan, the Brotherhood's much cooler answer to Logan, hangs out with his Rune Priest buddy in a Long Fangs squad.  Also joining the party-of-stupid is a Terminator with Storm Shield.  The general idea is to blast two targets a turn from this squad, so it hunkers in the back.  My route to victory is holding the Eldar up long enough for this unit to rack up KP's.

Just How Much Wargaming Crap Do We Need?

No, those aren't school books the fat cat is modeling.  It's Marines.

Brotherhood Update: The Guard... Again

This is normally where Brent talks... and talks... and talks... and I'm like who cares?  Look at the pictures and comment.

Or not, your option.

Brotherhood Update: The Guard

Okay, I'm getting some new Terminators prepared.  I've compressed my initial base painting for the gold down to three different spray paints.  It achieves the same effect much faster - and thinner - than the initial layering of paints over black primer.

Anyway.

Brent's 1500pt Tournament: The Terrain

I started crafting words for this little pictorial... then realized it speaks for itself!

Brent's 1500pt Tournament, Missions!

Yea, yea... for 99% of you reading, these last three posts are pretty useless.  I can hear you now:

"But Brent, what do we care if you're running some podunk-North-Texas-tournament?  What about some hugs and gropings?  Where are the hugs and gropings, Brent?"

"But Brent, you support Unicorns, why not support my big toe fetish?"

"But Brent, I want to Stalk Jawaballs, too!"

(I'll do you serious bodily harm on that last - don't test me.  He's mine.)

Brent's 1500pt Tournament: Roll Call!

Here's a little update on the tournament that's in the works for October 8th, this Saturday.

There are 16 spots, and here's the entrants I have listed so far.

Tim F
Jonathan D
Ritchie B
Eric H
Brendan P
Jim M
Mike V
Jeff G
Carlos A
Mike B

Lewis C has turned in a list 1) in case he's available and 2) in case there's a spot left.  There may not be.  I know there's a number of locals who plan on being there who haven't reserved a spot yet.

Send those lists in!

Note: this doesn't mean I'm not supporting Unicorns!  I just thought this was a funny set of pics in my last Bell article.

Brent's 1500pt Tournament, October 8th!

Actually, I'm not sure how much claim I have to the whole thing, but if it's a train wreck you can pretty much bet I'll catch the responsibility for it.

It's going to be this Saturday at Galaxy Books and Comics in Wichita Falls, Texas.  If you're from out of town - and you probably are - email your 1500 point army list in advance to secure your spot.  Assuming you've done this, your rate is ten bucks at the door, all of which will go right into the prize pool.

(If you're a local, you have to both turn in your list and pay in advance, otherwise you're going to pay the door fee.)

Brotherhood Update: Painting Scouts

Ah, a day off to myself!  Plus I feel good enough (translate that to, "Not wiped out," and, "My leg ain't hurting much,") to sit down a paint.

Here's the progress so far.

Testing the Alternate 40K Primary Scenario

I've always been a bit dissatisfied with the scenario generation for 40K.  We all know there are certain missions and deployments that help or hinder armies... why can't we play to that and create another level of strategy?

Battle Report: Brotherhood Vs Tyranids

Last weekend I played the Card Pimp in Question's new Nid army.  I played a variation of the Brotherhood, testing the new Scouts and Hunter squads with Plasma.  I also loaded two Fangs units - with reduced Missiles - in Rhinos, to test firing out of the hatch.

The three centralized Rhinos have Hunters; 10-strong, two plasma in the grey, 8-strong w WG and Rune Priest in the center, and 8-strong w WG in the last.  The Rhinos on the wings were the aforementioned Long Fangs, plus there was a unit of Fangs with an attached Terminator with Cyclone in the ruins.

For No Apparent Reason

Before we begin... no, I haven't been fired from Bell!  I didn't submit an article yesterday because I was just beat.  Larry was kind enough to fill in, but my article will be online tomorrow.  

The Mighty Mighty Carlos' Imperial Guard.

Yea, I know.

Brotherhood Update: Scouts and more Troops

I'm continuing to add to the Brotherhood, with the idea I'll be able to test and play practically every major build in the book... then I'll start on the units for the Brotherhood Shrikers or the Brotherhood Assault Angels or something.

Hard Boyz Round II, Part One

So Hard Boys 2011 has come and gone... and if you want to remind me there's another round, I'd say, "PPPPSSSSSTTTTT!"

Round II is Hard Boys!  It's the reason we play, right?  As a reminder, me and Everyone's Brother From Another Mother Big Whit (who's now dating a 21-year old, so is probably way too exhausted to be reading this) went to Chicago for Round III two years ago... and it sucked Hard.

Here are a few of the armies - and I wish I'd taken the time to take pics of all of them!  It's fair to say I was very, very impressed with the general quality of list at the Comic's Asylum venue.  Kippah Jim, one of my new favorite people, played the army that knocked Goatboy out in Round 2; that is, an all Terminator Grey Knight List... 50+ Terminators marching across the board!  Awesome!

Hard Boys 2011 Aftermath Video... Sadness Doughnuts!

"Taking a break from all your worries, sure could help a lot..!"

That Guy Update

First things first; I genuinely appreciate the comments and emails I received yesterday.  Sincerely, thank you!  It was great to get the mail-tone on the phone, because I could check the mobile and take a few seconds to relax.

It helped to feel connected to the world outside the hospital.

The important news is my father is now the Miracle Man.  I didn't mention it yesterday, because it was bad bad bad.

Like Not Brent.  Not just bad beans, but bad news.

Now I'm 'That' Guy

I always swore I wouldn't be that guy.

I wouldn't assume I was always right.  I wouldn't try to force others to see the hobby my way.

I wouldn't be that guy.

I wouldn't enable ads on Strictly Average... and now it's large enough that means something.  This is an extension of my hobby; it ain't work.

I wouldn't be that guy.

I wouldn't forget there are real people behind the typeset that magically shows up on my miracle-box.

I wouldn't be that guy.

But I wouldn't, above all else, drop personal details about my life, forcing people to either ignore the too-much-information post or feel obligated to type niceties they may or may not feel.

I wouldn't be that guy.

My father is being driven to Fort Worth for emergency surgery.  My wife and I happened to be in the Metroplex, taking in a show.  We're now waiting for the ambulance to pull up.

The wait is driving me nuts.  This is my stress-relief.

Crap.

I'm that guy.

Deamons at 2500: Updated List for Review

It's important never to rest on an idea, which brings me to this army list.  I played an won Round I with Daemons, but currently I intend to take the Brotherhood to Round II - for a variety of reasons.

Still, applying my concerns about what I may have to face brought me to this army list.

'Stalking Jawaballs Since 2009'

(For some reason, I still get a laugh from this!)

TableWar Display Tower! In Progress...

Well, I've been working on a super-professional-super-awesome video highlighting the awesome that is my new TableWar Case... then I get an email from Doug saying Reecius scooped me on Dakka!

*sigh*

Stolen Content: BrassScorpion's Marines!

I did a (I thought) nifty tutorial on Bell yesterday, but perhaps the coolest part was a link dumped in the comments by one BrassScorpion, a Dakka Dakka, er... dude.

Dakka-Dude?

Some I'm stealing it to pass on to you!

Brotherhood Cavalry (plus: Go To Bed, Brent!)

This post is a bit of nothing, really.

Finally got around to putting the Heavy Horse on the proper-sized bases.  

Hard Boyz Round One, Game Two

Yes, yes, yes - I'm perfectly aware that I've not been updating Strictly Average enough... but have you listened to the weather? The heat wave over the midwest is unreal, and my place of residence in North Texas is breaking all manner of records. Between that and working double duty at the hospital, I've been flat worn out.

 Which isn't to say I haven't been working on stuff; rather, I just haven't been blogging about it yet! I've got a ton of material, just waiting to use. For now, let's roll in to a quick battle report.

Pretty awesome, right?  Game two was against Vulcan marines.  Objectives were the key, and my opponent's army is a good counter to my bad intentions.  He has the Godhammer hang out in the center, where it'll be a lot of work to break through AV 14, and his two Iron Clads can hold my army up for days if I don't deal with them carefully.

Better Than Christmas!

I was going to talk about this in Part II of my two part article on Bell, about the nature of my collection and where I intend to take it, but there was a slight change of plans. With the Nova having been recently played - and won - by Tony K-Stands-For-Kill-You-And-Break-Your-Toys Kopach, I didn't want to wait a week to chat about the faux controversy.

Anyway, here are some pics of the gift box the Master Manipulator (every store needs one) brought to the store two Fridays ago.  He's downsizing - not sure if I should say why, but congrats (!) - and rather than mess with trading/selling everything in his collection, he's giving some of it away to friends, based on their interests.  Mine being the older range and models with mad character, plus my favorite Fantasy army is Beastmen, I received the following goodies...