2.21.2011

A Campaign Commentary (And a Sneak Preview!)

Why isn't GW doing something like this?


Privateer Press is doing a series of linked campaigns... and supporting it with rules!  As you can see in the picture, I have a campaign tracker, a booklet to document my progress and upgrades, and a campaign card to augment my army with.  The winner gets a nifty coin but all the participants will get a badge.  The badges link with other campaign badges to form a larger emblem...

...and doesn't that appeal to the ruthless collector in all of us?

The Master Manipulator (every store needs one) ordered this set for us at Privateer Press.  It cost our FLGS owner a bit of out of pocket money, but he made that up when we all kicked forward our $10 bucks to participate.  We're going to have a month of gaming followed by a tournament... *trademark infringement alert* and there can be only one!

What's not to like?

Now yes, I'm aware GW has done campaigns in the past, but haven't those been huge, sprawling, world-wide affairs?  Yes, I'm aware they've released supplements where you can create maps to fight over, and that's all to the good...

...so why am I so excited about this?  Why do I feel like it's different?

You tell me.

Brent

PS:  As an aside, this is Strictly Average's 450th post.  Not bad for a personality-centered hobby blog, huh?  

PPS:  I've decided to do a contest or drawing of some kind when I hit 300 Google Followers.  Details to come - this is just a sneak preview type of thing!

2.19.2011

Editorial: Evil Homer and the IT Army

Evil Homer is my nemesis.  (Hey, check out this article!)

I've mentioned that before, right?

Point being, of all the local characters - most of whom are pretty top flight competition when they want to roll out their best army - I play ol' Homer the most.

I've given it some thought in the past and I believe it's because we have a pretty similar skill set, so all our games tend to be close affairs.

More than that though, he's always - always - pushing the envelope of competitive play.  He sits down to win.  He's a thinker, in the game and out.

Sometimes I think these obsessive traits bite him in the *SELF-EDIT* some.  Whereas most of us can let something go, I'm not sure he really can.  He's never satisfied.

I doubt he ever will be.

2.18.2011

Warmachine Tournament: Game I

I'm taking my Menoth, Amon Ad-Raza list against Gauthic's Striker Cygnar.  It's fair to say this game went entirely may way... until it didn't.

Setup...

2.15.2011

Bigger Barrera's Custom Sculpts

Little Barrera's brother, Bigger Barrera (who isn't, really) brought his sculpting tools to last Saturday's Warmachine Tournament.


2.14.2011

Amon Ad-Raza

I don't claim to be an expert in Warmachine.  In my area we've only recently started playing it.  Still, I have a Warcaster I'm really fond of so I thought I'd share.

Amon Ad-Raza is a 'Jack-Caster', meaning his spells, abilities, and Feat work best with plenty of Warjacks to take advantage of it.  That's not necessarily standard, either, since loading up on infantry and solos are viable strategies.

Nothing hits harder than a Warjack though, so anything which allows you to get these monsters into combat is very useful.  Amon's spell Mobility gives all the Warjacks in his Battlegroup +2 Spd and Pathfinder, so even Menoth's heavy Warjacks who have a standard speed of 4, can suddenly start tiptoeing through the tulips like infantry!

2.13.2011

Team Tournament Round III: Finally!

So, here we are... finally!  I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to writing this game up.  Part of it was time, because these reports take longer to do than any other article type... and maybe part of it was due to Not Brent's Coup of 2011.

Don't say his name three times in front of a mirror.  (Try it!)  Maybe I shouldn't have even put that out there... you won't actually summon Bloody Mary (...Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow?) but instead will summon Not Brent, who will serve you a Bloody Mary with way too much tabasco.


Moving on, (...probably a good idea) I'm playing Cory-who-is-not-Cody, aka OverCaffeinated, and his buddy who shall not be named...

2.10.2011

Not Brent Presents: Not GW and Not Warmachine, III

So we've come to Confrontation.  Or at least a few Confrontation miniatures.  He's got more, but I can't be bothered to take pictures of them, so you'll have to wait.


You can click on the picture, if you've a mind.



2.09.2011

Not Brent Presents: Not GW and Not Warmachine, II

Here we go again.  This time we're looking at some of the miniatures Brent uses in the D&D games he runs.  As an aside, Brent's article on painting Amon Ad-Raza was posted on the Blood Angels: by Jawaballs this morning.  


I guess two years of near-constant Stalking Jawaballs (since 2009) worked out of for ol' Brent.  He's probably giddy, the poor sap.


Still, I'll save my pity for his wife, Jennifer - she's long suffering, poor lady.  If only I wasn't trapped in this digital landscape...


Lord but I'm already bored.  So these were painted several years ago - you can tell by the lack of washes.  Has anything changed painting quite so much?



2.07.2011

Not Brent Presents: Not GW and Not Warmachine

Okay, for something a bit different I'm bringing you three days of pictures from Brent's collection that AREN'T GW and Warmachine models.


'Cause frankly, I'm sick of it.  I don't know about you, but I needed something a bit different.


2.06.2011

Top Tip: Evil Homer Edition

I got this idea from Evil Homer; if he's got a speciality in the hobby world, it's organizing his tools and trading his miniatures.  Regarding the last, the less said the better - I'm only now vaguely on board with the possibility he's not completely crazy.  Regarding the former... there's a lot to learn.  I got this idea from him.


Two Warmachine Games!

No mystery here - I've been loving me some Warmachine and have been playing every chance I get.  Amon Ad-Raza is my current favorite, replacing Feora in my heart... at least for the moment!  The two will make up my force in the next tournament.

For you 40K'ers, Warmachine uses a sideboard, so you can choose which of two armies will face your opponent.  There's a ton of strategy in this, which of course I love.  Moving on...

I was struggling with an opening setup for awhile... and this ain't it!  Sure, the 'Jacks have to gain some space right out the gate, but Amon has to cast Mobility first and the Choir have to run in Round 1 in order to be in position in the following rounds.  I've since corrected this.

2.02.2011

Protectorate of Menoth, 25Pt. List (and other pics)

Just a couple of random pictures to share today.

My current 25pt army.  I'm extremely satisfied with it: it has defensive and offensive weapons, great synergy, and a nifty Feat turn.  
As I've mentioned, we're all new to Warmachine, so any experienced player out there, feel free to critique.

2.01.2011

Team Tournament: Game Two

In game two Whit and I played... the Mighty Mighty Carlos and the Professor.

Yup.  We drove two hours to play dudes we play all the time.  It was basically Game 4 of the practice series.  It sucked, frankly.

What sucked worse is it was a random draw!  The TO wasn't doing a Swiss but was randomizing the games between rounds.  There's a reason that system isn't used... *foreshadowing*

The game was Kill Points and Objectives.  We got the half we wanted and our deployment couldn't have worked out better.  We divided our army: here's the left flank.

(A new favorite!) Anon: I haven’t even bothered playing a game of 6th yet, cause I have read the rules, and actually understand how they interact with units. I know my armies no longer function how they should, and so I need to change them.

Strictly Average: 'cause 6-inches is all you get.

Stalking Jawaballs since 2009.

Jawaballs: "My butt just tightened up."

Brent, preferred 2-to-1 over Not Brent in a recent, scientific poll.

Brent: emptied the Kool Aid and DRINKING YOUR MILKSHAKE with an extra-long straw.

Unicorns don't exist.

Home of the Stormbuster, the Dyson Pattern Storm Raven.

I'm a comment whore and this whore is getting no play.

Not Brent hurts Brent's feelings.

I think, therefore I blog.

"You should stop writing for everyone else and worry about your crappy blog." - Anon.

Not Brent has been spotted lurking around with a green marker.

He's not like a bad guy from a cartoon, all devious but never quite evil, Not Brent is bad beans, man, bad beans.

Dethtron: "Again I feel obliged to remind you that trying to sound smart only works if you are."

MVB: "I am not one to join the unwashed masses of self-titled 40k experts out there distributing advice from their blogs about exactly how your list should be built..."

Shiner Bock on tap: that's how I choose hotels.

Strictly Average: The Home of Hugs and Gropings.

Don't feed the trolls!

MoD: "Welcome to Brent's head."

Competitive is Consistent.

Dethtron: "...you could use that extra time to figure out a way to get your panties unbunched and perform a sandectomy on your vagina."

Dethtron: “When calling someone an idiot, it's generally best to avoid making grammatical mistakes.”

Warboss Stalin: "You know, if it actually WAS funny, maybe I wouldn't mind."

Mike Brandt: "It's not a successful bachelor party if you don't misplace someone".

"The Master Manipulator (every store needs one): "...now, enough stroking."

Kirby: "I don't know about gropings. Seriously, Brent, keep it in the pants, please."

Loquacious: "No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get Hugs & Gropings or Stalks Jawaballs into Brent's little tribute."

Captain Kellen: "I rate this article a Brent on the Faith Hill to Nancy Pelosi scale!"

Drathmere: "Come for the balls, stay for the Brent? Kind of disturbing, man."

Go no further, lest thee see something thine eyes would fain look past!

Isabelle: "So, thank you for supporting your local and not so local unicorns. A noble gesture like that can show some scared kids out there that they don't have to hide from everyone and it's ok to be who they really are."

There is nothing more interesting than We The People... in all our beautiful, ugly glory!

On Internet Advice: You see, I have an almost religious belief that's it's a huge, colossal waste of time.

...I think I'll call it the Gun Shy Pattern Stormbuster, because after the Internet destroyed my first humble effort, I find I'm a bit worried about the reaction to this one.

Lauby: "Is it left over from that time you thought that you could just complete step one 12 times to meet the mandates of that court order?"

Not Brent: "I guess we'll have to read on and find out. Signed, Not Brent. Especially today."

Cynthia Davis: "I think the scrolling text is from Glen Beck's new book."

Grimaldi: "Spamming certain units creates interesting possibilities but also fatal weaknesses."

Purgatus: "Math can inform decisions. It cannot make decisions."

Thoughts? Comments? Hugs and gropings?

You'd be that much quicker to figure out what I mean when I refer to a Unicorn if I covered it in a rainbow flag.

SinSynn: (To Brent) "Curse you and your insidious influence on the internets..."

Dave G (N++): "You know you're an internet celebrity when your following is more akin to tabloids."

I prefer the term Internet Personality (or IP) myself, seeing as how I coined it.

Lauby: "Your attempt to humanize him as failed. I feel nothing but scorn for his beard - it's like a warcrime or something."

BBF: "I've always thought you are a good player but I finally figured out that you are a great player. It's hard to see sometimes because your personality is engaging, sincere and quite charming - to me that is kind of a rare combination."

'Clearly cheating?' I didn't misspeak: you jumped to conclusions. If you'd like to apologize I'll be happy to send you an autographed picture of my ass.

Ass.

I thought I was doing alright before I realized I was losing.

Age and treachery beats youth and vigor every time.

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