Strictly Average

Another for the Album...

2012-01-25T18:25:00.003-06:00

Ah, staged pictures! I'm an Empty Digital Headache... and evidently a folk singer.

Okay, back to painting. *sigh*

Carolina Comics Tournament Highlights

2012-01-23T13:16:00.003-06:00

Weekend before last I took my Necrons through the paces at their first tournament. It was a small affair, only ten players, but the perfect opportunity to refine my approach to competitive play.

Game one was Capture and Control Spearhead against Chaos Space Marines. Abbadon was hanging out with Terminators in a Land Raider, and he was by far the biggest threat to the army. My plan from the beginning was to hold back the HBU 'Crons with the Overlord and Veil and jump on the objective in the latter third of the game.

I had some issues with the Daemon Prince and Greater Daemon. Never did kill that darn Greater Daemon!

Here I made my move. Abbadon was forced to redeploy, as was a CSM squad.

I threw everything but the kitchen sink at that stupid Defiler, but as (bad) luck would have it, it was able to drop a pie plate on me. It hit. It wounded practically everyone..! Luckily, the Rez Orb brought back half, so I had enough to hold off the counterattack.

The Destroyer Lord and Wraiths failed an unlucky break test earlier - here they're falling back. The 10-strong Necrons are defending the Objective from the CSM in the tank. Immortals are blasting away at 11 O'Clock, taking on another unit of Marines.

Ultimately, Abbadon and a single Terminator contested the objective the HBU and Overlord were on, but I'd held my objective handily. I won a Major.

My deployment; I'm playing Blood Angels Drop Pods. On the board were Scouting Baals, a combat-squadded Scouts Squad, and a Dreadnought Librarian.

My opponent has three Furiosos in Pods, so the Scarabs are going to be vital to destroying them. I have them behind the lines to farm for a few turns.

The Baal Predators set up on a flank...

...and scout into the teeth of my HBU 'Cron squad. I blast and assault two almost immediately, then take out the third in Round II. Don't underestimate Gauss!

Double-Talon Dreads are scary - you simply can't let them get into a unit or the unit is done. Deep-Striking buys a turn; here, I suffered the shooting then escaped through the Monolith portal.

More pods, more shooting. Hit them hard before they can assault!

Here's later in the game. Wraiths and Scarabs are destroying more Pods, Dreads, and units.

In the end, my opponent had one lone Marine and two Drop Pods left. Had the game gone on, I would have cleansed the board of Marine filth without the loss of a single Kill Point. As it was, that Marine on the objective cost me a Massacre and the opportunity to fight for first place on the top table in Round III.

In Dawn of War scenarios, I'll line the 20-strong HBU (Honkin' Big Unit) up on the 24" line, forcing my opponent's army back 18", then use Veil to redeploy out of the conga line. Assuming I go first, of course... and that my opponent doesn't have something to tie up the entire unit with if they Seize!

My army moves on the board...

...against the Imperial Fists.

This turn was decisive. The Mighty Mighty Carlos refused a flank so my army is shifting right, while trying to stay out of range of a sudden attack. I want the Scarabs to lead the way and take out Rhinos, which they do...

...like so. This game wasn't so kind to Carlos, who hadn't played Necrons before. Suffice it to say, he didn't realize Scarabs had the range they do.

The Veil deposits the HBU for massed firepower. I was careful to stay away from the board edge - I didn't want the Terminators to snag me in an assault!

Speaking of... run!

The game goes downhill in an uninteresting fashion after that. I desperately wanted to try my hand at assaulting the Terminators, but I risked losing the game to do so. Running away cements the win...

...so I ran, earning the Massacre due to the number of Kill Points I earned. This mission was very unkind to the Mighty Mighty Carlos.

In the end, I earned 2nd place behind the Client Pimp in Question, who played his Grey Knight Space Marines against White Shield Mike's Dark Eldar on Table One to secure the day. I believe he earned two Massacres and a Major to my 1 and 2, but I was happy enough with my performance. I'm absolutely positive I earned the largest ration of Kill Points earned to given, so the day was quite successful.

Fun little event - great store! Comics Asylum in Lawton Oklahoma, if you ever get up that way.

Cannoness / Commission, Pictures

2012-01-19T12:46:00.001-06:00

Woot! I have a Thursday off!

For Confederate Heros Day. In the same week as Martin Luther King Day. Yea, Texas!

Regardless of any possible perceived irony, I'm going to enjoy it. I'm about to head to the game store in the hopes of picking up a game - or at least working on some models, if nothing else. Before I go, here are a recent batch of pictures.

Not a great spot to be. (Actually, I just didn't want to move the Necrons before getting the pic - lazy...)

This is the first test model for the Sisters of Battle. There's not enough contrast with the clothes against the red armor, so I'll need a lighter color.

Just like the Dark Eldar to sneak into a group pic. You get the feeling he'd be okay surrounded by 'Crons, unlike the Cannoness.

I've finished the second 10-strong squad for the Client Pimp in Question.

I went with an off-green color for the Thunder Hammers. The Client Pimp in Question, like Little Barrera, is color blind - so I have no idea what he'll see when he looks at these!

A close up. I'd love to go through a pick out the detail, but it doesn't take long to realize in commission work you've got to stick to the plan. I could very easily spend half again as long on these as I already have, but I'm not sure it would be worth it to the client.

Speak of the Client Pimp, I got a text he's there (he lives there) so I'm off to bust out the 'Crons! Today I'm busting out two HBU's...

...and for that last, you'll have to read my article on Bell, when Larry gets around to publishing it!

Necrons: Competitive or Crap, Part II

2012-01-13T13:31:00.000-06:00

I posted my current 'competitive' list yesterday, and I got to test it against the Client Pimp in Question.

First, the comments!

Tao, from Tides of Madness, noted:

Convert one of your Particle beamers to a Gloom Prism on your Spyders. This will give you a 4+ Null to any force jibbing on the unit and also give you wound allocation (Beamer, Gloom, Naked)

With the 15 points you get from the conversion give yourself a 3 Whipcoil and 1 Partical Caster. This gives you 3 Whips and for better lack of terms 2 red shirts from wound allocation. In practice i find 3 whip coils has been the lowest amount to spread Inn 1 across the unit with the placement (alternating Whips).

With this change two of your units get wound allocation for some increased survivablity, and your spiders (who lack an invul) get force jibb protection.

I thought this was a very practical suggestion. I actually intended to include a Gloom Prism on one of the guns both for psychic defense and allocation, but I had to cut it when trimming the list. Practically speaking, I usually have only two rounds to farm Scarabs until I have to use them, at which point rolling 1's for wounds becomes less of an issue.

I'll be breaking down a Wraith to include a 3rd Whip Coil.

Darkwynn said:

I still think Necrons are one of the worst books GW has made in years. Too few units, too expenaive, the stats and assaulting issues are still there.

Looking through the 6th edition book also I don't see them being fixed by that. They suffer from major design flaw.

I'm not sure what to say to this except I don't agree. Nick is much better at breaking down numbers and optimizing lists than I am - he's a lot like Evil Homer or the Client Pimp in Question like that - but I'm not sure Necrons are so easily quantified.

Destroyers are overpriced. The Triarch options are also, in my opinion, and the Ghost Ark, but even then I don't believe it tells the whole story. I've said from the beginning Necrons look to reward a mixed arms approach, and now I include the choice of Tesla and Gauss in that equation.

As my list demonstrates, I love the basic Necron Warrior, and I don't at all agree that a 5-strong Warrior or Immortal unit is the 'standard,' the former being a throw-away unit. I'm liking beefy Warriors and trim Immortals...

...and the Tesla Carbine is ichiban! In a practice game last night, my two 5-strong units consistently rolled five or so wounds against a Marine each turn, good for mopping up shots.

Last night I played the Client Pimp in Questions Purifier list:

You can review my list from yesterday's post, but on paper this army looks the stronger. Tye made a comment before we began that he worried my list would suffer this weekend, at the tournament, once my tricks were known.

Speaks of confidence! To be fair though, I thought I was at a huge disadvantage.

Not so much. It was Capture and Control and Tye did narrowly burgle a win in Turn 5. Had the game continued, I would likely have tabled him. He had one Purifier on my objective facing down a 10-strong Warriors unit with Crytek, a Monolith, and a 5-strong Immortals. He had two Rhinos, one Immobalized, and Crowe.

I also still had the other Monolith, three Spyders, and a 20-strong unit with the Overlord, Cryptek, and Warriors! I was on his objective and he contested at the bottom of Turn 5 with a Rhino.

Don't get me wrong - it was a brilliant win and a great game, but it wasn't a blowout - in fact, the Kill Points and Victory Points were rather lopsided. He simply gambled on the game ending early and won, and that's part of the game.

So why did I think I was at a big disadvantage? Force Weapons. Purifiers. 4d6 Armor Penetration each round from the Vindy. Psycannons rending armor like tissue paper..! And those things happened.

But I have toys, too!

More in Part III...

Necrons 1850: Competitive or Crap?

2012-01-12T00:21:00.000-06:00

Here's my stab at a tournament list for my 'Crons. I've been playing around with 'Crons for a few weeks now and have had a blast.

Frankly, I disappointed myself by abandoning them in the City Fight Tournament last week, so with an 1850 at Carolina Comics in Oklahoma I wasn't missing a chance at redemption!

Anyway, here's the list.

There's a few different concepts in here. I've been playing around with the mini-farm, which in my humble opinion is one of the two best ways to utilize Scarabs. (The other doesn't include 9 Spyders and a conga line.) It hasn't let me down yet. The Monoliths are fun and allow for some redeployment options, though I'm not sure they're optimal in this type of build.

The Destroyer Lord can hide out in any unit he darn well pleases - who's going to tell him different? Normally, he'll run with the Wraiths, who can keep up, or the Scarabs. The Overlord and the Cryptek with the Veil will jump in the 20-strong Warriors unit and provide covering fire wherever necessary.

I have to be careful with that unit, because 20 'Crons just can't disembark from a Monolith.

I know.

I've tried.

The other Cryptek has the Solar Pulse for Night Fighting... or Non-Night Fighting. Probably the former. He also adds a bit of anti-tank with his Eldritch Lance.

Lastly, the two Immortals units are great for grabbing home objectives, or just making a nuisance of themselves at 24-inches. I played Farseer Tim this last weekend and his squad sat in cover and kept passing reanimation protocol rolls. Fun.

I'm jotting down ideas for the army depending on what I might face. For example, I can see sending the Harbinger of Despair with the 10-strong unit at times, or even keeping him with the 20-strong and having the Overlord join the smaller unit to deploy through the Monolith.

I strongly considered running two Overlords to give two give two larger squads relentless, but the Destroyer's Toughness 6 and extra mobility - not to mention rerolling hits with his Warscythe - make him a primo hunter.

Or so I hope! Regardless, I've boxed up the Marines. I've been feeling very Xenos lately and I'm sticking to my guns.

...

Sisters don't count as Marines, right?

Commission Painting Update

2012-01-10T07:32:00.002-06:00

Turns out, this ain't so easy, but I'll admit to enjoying the challenge!

So besides the two characters, I've reached the tabletop quality level for the first ten strong Terminators. No, the banner isn't done - I'm going to try a 'cloth look' for the images, grey for silver and yellow for gold - that kind of thing. No, I won't even try NMM!

I found this coffee station which is perfect for a painting station. I don't have a TV in the game room, so for a change of pace I'll transport the whole shebang to the bar to work on.

And of course, the models! I'm all cool and leather with my paint station - top that, GW! Note the first stage of silver, including custom wash of Payne's Grey, is done.

Okay, it ain't all leather, sadly! Here are the other models for the commission. There are some extra details I hope to add on all thirty-five rank and file... and there are gaps in the flocking. *sigh*

Afternoon Quickie: Necrons and the Movement Phase

2012-01-04T13:22:00.001-06:00

Ah, Necrons! I have to admit, these silver automatons have captured my imagination. I've rarely been this excited about a new Codex.

I'm sort-kinda-maybe working on them a bit. I was making progress on the Spyders but had to put them aside for the commission work for the Client Pimp in Question. Since there is faux money not changing hands, I'm duty bound to finish that stuff first.

I'm done with two characters and finishing up the first squad of ten Terminators. The latter are going quickly, thankfully enough.

Start of Turn Two.

So here's the heart of the post, and honestly its the type of thing everyone who will use a Monolith will figure out quick, so I might as well mention it while it's still new.

'Porting 'Crons through is done at the start of the movement phase. I define that as before anything moves, the unit will disembark from the Monolith.

After movement in Turn Two.

It's simple enough - watch the door! In Turn One, I disembarked the Overlord and his unit... and the door, naturally enough, was pointed the way I wanted to move.

Obviously enough, I blocked off the Monolith's full movement in Turn One and part of it in Turn Two. Considering the Particle Whip is 24-inches, that cost me shooting in two phases!

Afternoon Quickie: Think a turn ahead with the Monolith; the door should be pointed where you want your troops in the turn prior. Usually, that's anywhere but straight ahead!

Finished Grey Knight Librarian

2012-01-02T18:44:00.001-06:00

Sometimes they're wrong...

...but sometimes they ain't. Here's the finished GK Libby, and as you can see I went a different direction. I kept the interior glow effect inside the Psychic Hood, but I used blue to harken to the Codex color.

Onward and upward! I'm making progress on the Terminators. Plastic is just easier to paint - probably because the detail is sharp but not quite as overlapped.

Back to it!

Commission; Grey Knight Draigo and Librarian

2012-01-01T22:47:00.000-06:00

So, as detailed (mention, really) in the last post is the commission work I'm doing for the Client Pimp in Question.

Even as new to this stuff as I am, I'm finding it's a balance between time and quality. We have an agreed upon price - if I 'spend' time equivalent to something beyond that 'price,' then it's really not worth my while.

Still, I'm still okay on that score. I'm top-ending somewhat - putting a lot of time in the two character models - but that's workable on a few levels.

(More on that after the pics...)

So after looking at these pictures, I've spot a bit of brush on the Libby's standard... which pointed out that I didn't finish the glow effect on the helmet! I put down the first few layers, but never layered the metal back in any. Also, I think I want to deepen some of the red on the staff, or alternatively pick out the runes a bit.

Still and all, they're largely done, and I'm pretty happy with how they came out. Also, I perfected the techniques I'd sat down and worked out before - a step by step I plan to use for batch-painting the rank-and-file.

Except the rank-and-file are Terminators! Big, bold, and brash - they have to look good. If flaws creep in, it will show up more than it would on a Power Armored model.

Still, as mentioned at the beginning, I'm learning a thing or two. Just doing this is giving me an idea on how to judge my time and its worth in relation to commission work. That's something that's really difficult to work out until the brush is picked!

I suspect I undersold the 'worth' of the Grey Knights, but I don't know for sure, yet. I'm budgeting 3-hours per 10-strong Terminator squad, but keep in mind batch-painting gets me a big chunk of the way in the first few steps, doing all the models at once.

But I digress. I'm sure I'll run on at the mouth about that later this week.

Still... so I possibly undersold it - so what? The Client Pimp in Question gave me a great deal in the first place, so there's built in leeway both ways. Also, as a client, he'd probably be happy with less than I'm planning, but there's a certain quality I'm shooting for...

...and that's my decision, not his.

All in all, I'm really enjoying this challenge - the thought exercise and the painting project! I enjoy brush time anyway.

Happy Xenos New Year!

2012-01-01T10:27:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone made it home safely last night... and are paying for a night of drunken debauchery with extra special New Year's Day hangovers!

Nothing wrong with that - just feels like it!

Anyway, from a hobby standpoint 2012 feels like the year of excess. My game room is practically overflowing with armies... too many, in fact. I have almost everything I've ever wanted - all those models I could never afford when I was younger, I own.

Lord - now what to do with them all?

Paint 'em, of course! I made a trade with Gauthic, Tau for Necrons, and it was a definite Win/Win. Added to my collection were a unit of Spyders, a Monolith, three Wraiths, a unit of Destroyers, a crap-ton of Scarab bases...

...and well over 60 Necron Warriors!

Gauthic doesn't paint with a heavy hand, but flash on rank-and-file doesn't bother him that much - this dude doesn't paint models, he paints armies. His perspective is different.

Come to think of it, I need to adopt some of that. But I digress - in the pictures you see the majority of the Warriors (flashing removed!) on paint sticks with a spray coat.

Here are the three Spyders. I spent quite a bit of time cleaning the models and assembling them, but the legs are just awful sculpts. I used a heavy file, but since the outside of each individual leg sort of dips inward...

...like a (___)...

...the heavy vertical lines of flash just wouldn't come off. Sort of like...

... (_|_)...

...they've got butt legs!

My plan - already in the works at the time of this post - is to weather the legs heavily to cover the flaws. They have, after all, been pattering around the Tomb Worlds for many thousands of years.

Here I was trying to take a picture of the two test models, painted over Gauthic's original scheme, but as you can see a Hormobug took center stage.

'Cause I've again caught a massive case of Bugs! -

Not to be confused with What's Her Name from the old days, who I always suspected had a roaring case. Of Bugs! that is.

Do you still believe the old neighborhood gossip? Despite the rumors, it's not usually just one girl on the block... ahem, servicing the community, but there are exceptions.

Such as What's Her Name, God bless her innocent soul and well-worn heels!

We were talking about Bugs! after all, right?

Sorry. Lost time there. Moving on.

I took stock of my hobby preferences recently, what with metal and plastic models outnumbering the population of a decent sized town in my game room. I'll probably expand on my thoughts in a later post, but the bottom line is this.

I'm a Xenos man at heart.

My favorite army is Daemons, closely followed by Eldar. I was a huge Orks man in it's last edition (not so much in its current form, for some reason), and recently the Necrons and Bugs! have become a something of a welcome obsession.

Even the Marine armies I've played for any length of time had something of a twist, such as the 13th Company.

Of course, I have my Brotherhood, but I have to be honest that I'm more interested in the look and fluff I've come up with rather than a passion for Space Wolves.

More on these themes at a later date, but 2012 is going to be a Xenos New Year. I'm planning Necrons, Bugs!...

...and Daemons. :)

Blogging and Photography Blurb

2011-12-31T10:21:00.003-06:00

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.

This is the actual print, so to speak; no flash, minor adjustments. But for some reason this model just doesn't like to have its picture taken! Believe it - this doesn't really capture any detail. I suspect it's a tone issue or something.

I was trying to adjust all those darn settings, and it just got more and more out there. Although this is kind of a creepy picture...

This is a post that isn't really going anywhere - it just represents where my Empty Digital Headache is at right now.

Is anyone else really annoyed by the PC Matic commercials?

Spell that S-K-Y-N-E-T.

Back to Grey Knights!

It's a Coteaz Christmas (Present)!

2011-12-26T11:17:00.000-06:00

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!

This dude busted out with Galaxy Bucks... which are my favorite bucks, to the dismay of my father... for the locals. Talk about Santa Claus - that had to have added up! Being broke, I wanted to do something I could afford.

Anyway, I've been experimenting with more realistic looks lately - both in technique and color choice - so this was the result. I've got hundreds of models on my painting table, so I used speed techniques. Coteaz here maybe took 2.5 hours, give or take 15 minutes.

I'm not happy with the flocking - I'll have to add some static grass.

Hope you like it, CPiQ!

Brent's Losing Streak..!

2011-12-23T07:28:00.003-06:00

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...

Bjorn the Fell Claw, the Ever-Ready Brotherhood Dreadnought, leads a strike force against the Necrons...

...and promptly gets swarmed by Scarabs! Ultimately, the bugs only managed to drop Bjorn's armor by one point... but how important a point! Huge difference between 13 and 12, 10 and 9!

Bjorn has a dirty little secret... naughty bugger that he is.

The C'Tan Shard's Writhing Worldscape really hampered movement. It's hard to get where you need to go when you risk disaster in every movement phase.

Ah, a really expensive unit led by a Mini-Lord... I'll shoot it and drop them all! 'Cept the Mini-Lord is added through the Court, so they're not really gone - and three of them stand back up. Doh!

* * *

Here I'm playing Sam I Am's Orks, and it started well enough. I blocked his avenue of attack and put a hurt on him.

Then he started blowing stuff up. Uh, oh!

Bjorn the Fell-Claw to the rescue!

Then he gets rammed. He Death and Glory strikes, but only rolls a 2. Not sure that was equal to 2d6 Str Really High hits from a giant rolling pin.

I need to take what?

* * *

Ah, Dark Eldar! I played a Dread Stomp with a Mini-Rock in Raider for Counter Assaults as needed. This was the high point of my game. He fails his assault on the Raider...

...and I toast a bunch of Wytches! No save for you! HA HA HA!

Then he starts blowing stuff up - like my Land Raider. Is that a Talos? Say goodbye.

* * *

Wow! It's Big Whit, Everybody's Brother From Another Mother! Man but do I miss this dude - he's been out dating 20-year olds... not sure why he's been missing 40K for that. He's busted out his Necrons...

...but he got his Warriors and Immortals entirely too close. I assault charge with the Mini-Rock, splitting the Master of the Forge away from the Vanguard and double charging the units... seeing them both off!

Necrons - not so hot in close combat - with the exception of some units, like Wraiths. These held up two Dreadnoughts for most of the game.

His Destroyers flitted around, doing damage. They ultimately made the MotF and Vanguards pay for the temerity of pointing out a weakness in the line... Still, I thought the Destroyer Lord could have been better served serving up Dreadnoughts in Close Combat.

Ulimately, I won the game against Big Whit - but I don't count that. His dice suffer every time he plays me.

Which I think is really funny. Him? Not so much.

He should microwave them.

I played one more game with Marines before making the switch to the Bugs!...

*To Be Continued*

Dark Eldar: Urian WIP Quik Pic

2011-12-22T13:15:00.001-06:00

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.

Still a long ways to go, really. You can see there are large areas untouched at this current stage of layering / highlighting.

"Put the Damn Bugs Together."

2011-12-22T00:29:00.001-06:00

So. Many. Models.

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

2011-12-21T02:00:00.000-06:00

'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...

Oh, a gun, naturally enough!

I dig on painting metals, which is something I hear is going out of fashion. Here's a model - sans hand - for my eventual Inquisitorial Henchmen build.

Puritan, Radical. Radical, Puritan. Do they fight to the death now or what?

Another model I'm working on... crazy-odd angle, no?

Now...

...don't take this to mean I haven't been working on Bugs again! In fact, Strictly Average has something to say about Xenos.

Soon!

Okay, back to bugs. You got *SELF-EDIT* to do.

Okay, back to bugs! I've got... stuff... to do!

Whelpslayer! (Talking Points Runner-Up)

2011-12-20T07:10:00.000-06:00

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:

Here is my entry discussing appendix 2.

Apathy is something that, as human beings, affects us all from time to time (except for those internet supermen out there, you know who you are). It is in its simplest form, just a lack of motivation. As far as the hobby is concerned this can effect different aspects such as painting, building, gaming and mostly any other element you can think of. We all have our moments when we just want to zone out and not pay attention to that rising stack of unpainted models or when the call comes in to go down for a game but you just can't be bothered to leave your seat. Sometimes we are not even to blame for it, we all have lives to lead that normally take priority over our little plastic men, and rightly so! Sometimes a busy period work, family matters or even personal matters will interrupt the flow of our hobby.  

We don't all have the same goals in life nor do we have them in our hobbies. Some of us want to be big power gamers while others just want to throw dice with friends over a beer. I've had it many a time and I'm not saying that I know everything about it nor am I saying that what applies to me will apply to you but for those who are interested read on, if not, no worries. It's only a game after all!  

Now we could break this down and really go into the detailed human mentality and our penchant for apathy as human beings but, nobody really cares about that so here are some quick and easy tips that I recommend for getting yourself out of that rut.  

1- Variety is the spice of life 
Now this is a very general tip that can be applied to any aspect of the hobby. Trouble motivating yourself to paint? Try a new technique, get some different tools, and paint some different models/colours. Bored of your current force? Try something different or unorthodox. But make it something you've never played before. Proxy your Marine army as Blood Angels and watch em' tear across the board. In short mix it up! Try seeing your favourite aspect of the hobby from another angle.  

2- Manage your time. 
As much as we may wish it there are only 24 hours in a day and with our hectic modern day life sometimes it just does not seem enough. So plan ahead and try to stick to that plan. It’s not the end of the world if you don't keep to it every week but give it a go. Try and paint for 1 hour a day, it doesn't seem like much but if you keep it up it really adds up and models can get done pretty fast. Keep an evening free to go down to your FLGS for a game and make yourself go, even if it is just for a chat.  

3- Set yourself a Goal 
We all love a good project. My current baby is a Retribution of Scyrah army that I'm planning to gradually work my way through. When you take on a project, no matter how small, set yourself a goal! Whether it be to paint in stages, get something ready for a tournament or even get a certain amount of practice in before said tournament. Keep that goal in mind and reflect a bit on how to reach it. Remember that flow is achieved through the balance of arousal (not that kind) and control, so get yourself riled up but keep a level head and that pre-heresy army you've wanted for ages will be done in no time!  

4- Stay in the loop. 
Now this can be very easy or very hard depending on your personality. Long story short try and do something to keep yourself in touch with the hobby even if you physically can't participate. This is as simple as ready BOLS every few days, popping into your FLGS for a chat or even giving your mate a call to talk about projects, events, new rules etc. This kind of thing keeps you immersed and keeps all your little goals and projects on the back burner in your mind.  

5- Have fun! 
We all have our reasons for having this hobby. Personally, the major reason for me is to have fun. It's what the majority of us are here for! Don't go down to talk politics or the state of the economy! Go down and hit your opponents army like the fist of an angry god, or if you're so inclined, paint a model that would make a blind man cry. Remember why you got into the hobby, allow yourself to get excited about something, doesn't matter what... just be you. Just as a reference, when I was young I used to get so excited whenever I got a new model and to this day I still feel that similar excitement. I bought a Khador Behemoth the other week and what do you think happened there...  I hope that this helps you guys. Getting over this kind of thing is something we all face now and again. But we have to look to ourselves to overcome this apathy. I don’t know, but if this helps you even a bit then my writing paid off and I'll be happy.  

Hope you guys enjoyed, the uploaded images correspond to the 5 subjects. you can see it all in order on my page Whelpslayer.

Okay folks, check it out!

Post 600: Thanks, and have some Bugs!

2011-12-18T13:27:00.003-06:00

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.

Thanks for following me around Strictly Average, Blood of Kittens, the Top X, and of course Bell of Lost Souls.

Thanks to Jawaballs, my muse. (Sorry about your flowerbed - I'd fix it, but I had to run. The sirens said so.)

Thanks to all the Bloggers, particularly those with whom I am close, such as Lauby, DT, Kirby, Synn, Goat, Darkwynn, Brian, BBF/GBF, Nick, and many more.

Thanks to the Warboss, who's always on bottom.

Thanks to Larry, for finally remembering who the hell I was, and giving me a chance to piss off a sizable percentage of his readers.

Big thanks to my local crew, for making me a better player, painter, and blogger. I'm not unmindful about how much you guys put up with so I can do this.

Just, thanks. Blogging is a big part of my hobby - and the hobby is my stress relief. Honestly, it's not far from my mind... which is nice. I love my job, but man is it stressful! I can't take the kind of negative energy without an outlet of some kind.

* * *

So what can you expect from Strictly Average in the near future?

Bugs! That's what!

I went through a period of hobby apathy over the last few weeks - right after Feast of Blades, in fact. Not sure why, since that was a blast...

...but my inspiration left me.

I enjoy my Brotherhood, but I've got two full Hunters squads with 3-color minimum... that just seems not to get painted. I'm stuck and needed something else. I toyed with the idea of any number of projects - all of them I'll probably get on with in the future - but it was this last week that got me back on track with a pet project of mine.

We've been playing lots of City Fight lately, which is just a fun break from mainline 40K... and I finally found myself just playing for fun again.

I started breaking out nonsense lists like Dread Stomps and 1st and 10th's - and just playing. I've now wracked up my longest losing streak...

(I don't count the game with Big Whit, Everybody's Brother From Another Mother; his dice just sucked.)

...and I don't care.

You've got to admit, that's a pretty good mindset to take into my Bugs! project, right?

I'm out. I've got some Hybrids to finish!

Necrons and the New Competitive

2011-12-14T07:42:00.000-06:00

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.

There were those who said I retired my army due to Grey Knights, but for the record that isn't even close to the truth. While there were builds that concerned me, only one sees the table with any frequency. The other? Not so much... though last I heard my buddy Evil Homer is building it.

So what?

There were always builds out there that concerned me! The typical Vulkan builds were murder, 'cause they usually ran a Libby with Null Zone, a Land Raider, and a unit of Thunder Hammer / Storm Shield Terminators.

Is Warp Quake any worse than Null Zone? (Yea.)

Still and all... I always figured, let them worry about me. I'm the one with an army designed to take out Mech Meq. For the record, I usually did okay, the worst setback being in WarGames Con II when I played one of the hard-drinking Boulder Colorado dudes.

Fun dudes to drink with, too.

Yup. Daemons can still compete. Ask the very talented Kenny from Next Level Painting, who won second place at this year's Feast of Blades. Beating Grey Knights.

And losing to a Double Raider list, darn it!

Was he rooting against Nick?

To bring the point back around, the 'Crons won't displace the big three, but they can compete. And they have some tools at their disposal to make them murder some of the lists we're seeing in the current meta. And they have a few broad things going for them that have zip to do with specifics.

1. They aren't Meq.
2. You're not going to see this army in anything approaching the numbers you'll see others.
3. And they aren't Meq.

What do I mean?

I mean it's why we hear about Footdar beating face; it's why horde Orks still represent; it's why the Card Pimp in Question won a competitive event with Tyranids...

...because simply everyone and their girlfriends plays Space Marines.

What is he talking about? You mouth breathers don't have girlfriends.

(And why was I fired from Top X, Lauby?)

Xenos armies can safely design to beat Meq - because usually what will do well against those will do well against anything. And if you run into an anti-design...

...play the mission.

You should be doing that last anyway.

End Part I

...

Oh, you want something Necron-specific now?

This whole Scarab/Swarm, Spider/Spam idea making the rounds won't last. It'll do okay for awhile - surprises always do - but it won't last.

It's bad design masquerading as good design. It's trying too hard.

Battle Report: City Fight 1500, Wolves vs Fists

2011-12-10T12:08:00.001-06:00

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.

Let's see what we've got here... it's a fight for the center building! His stratagem is Medicae in the central building - there to the left - and mine is Ammo Dump in the building to the right, where my Long Tooth Brethren are. (For the uninitiated, that's a Feel No Pain and reroll to hit for one unit.)

Here's my setup. I've been trying to break my apathy by playing fun lists - something a bit different. Here I've got Bjorn the Fell-Claw, the Ever-Ready Venerable Dreadnought of the Brotherhood, leading a mixed-arms foot list. I've got two more Venerable Dreads - and all three have Plasma Cannons - two Thunder Hooves, and six Brotherhood Hunters units, five strong with one special weapon. A Warp (Rune) Priest with Living Lightning and Tempest joined the Long Tooths.

The Mighty Mighty Carlos is playing a Vulkan-Fist - 'cause why shouldn't he use whatever special character he wants? It's painted yellow!

There is a Librarian with eight Terminators with Thunder Hammer and Storm Shields, two full-size Tac Squads in Rhinos, two Speeders with Melta and Heavy Flamer, and one unit of Sternguard in a Rhino with Not-Vulkan. Not to be confused with Not Brent, who was recently fired from Top X.

The Fists move foward under the cover of smoke.

The Brotherhood advances. Four Terminators buy the farm to Plasma fire...

...and I reach out on both flanks to put a Plasma Gun safe in terrain.

I laugh as the Terminators run - but it's only small comfort, 'cause we both know there is no Brother within 6-inches to keep them hauling *SELF-EDIT* - they instantly rally and are in a better position for their charge.

Shooting softens the left flank before the Tac Squad ties up two units in a charge. Both of my units Counter Attack, and I should have done better in the assault! One unit runs right off the table, but the other sticks... sadly. It would have been no problem to shoot them down - now I've got to

The Terminators killed a Brotherhood squad and Immobalized a Dread, but they remain stuck in. Again, I wish the Dread wasn't quite so durable! I'll end up charging in with the Thunder Hooves, trying to take out the Librarian.

In hindsight, both remaining Dreads should have jumped in, too. Instead I divide my strength.

Not-Vulkan and his Stern Guard survive a silly number of cover saves and jump out to beat me silly.

An overview. Bjorn jumps the Tac squad. Two Rhinos - one still with ten Marines - blocks off my access to the ruins, which is the only thing that matters. I'll end up throwing everything at Not-Vulkan's unit, and they again make a silly number of cover saves. then beat me up some.

Oops! You shouldn't be seeing this. Carry on...

Trying to take out the Librarian.

The Hammers finish the Dread. Those two Brotherhood Marines? Yea, they're falling back. Not-Vulkan said, "Why did you charge me, *SELF-EDIT?*."

Ooooopps! Naughty Bjorn. Nothing to see here.

Yea. Not-Vulkan kills them all for looking at him funny...

...then dives into cover so he and the unit can pass even more saves! I fire every missile at them. No wounds!

The Mighty Mighty Carlos would have won in Turn 5 if the game had ended.

We would have tied in Round 6 if the game had ended.

Here's what he's got left contesting the central building. I just have to kill them - no problem!

Not-Vulkan comes up short. It's just those Fists holding me from the win!

EPIC DRAW!

One of the closest and best games I've had in awhile - mucho fun. Ultimately, these two Marines showed why Marines Do It Better. Nothing would shift them, not even a desperate assault right at the end.

Great game. The apathy recedes some more!

Comments Come Lately: Doh!

2011-12-07T07:29:00.001-06:00

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.

Damn.

City Fight 1500pts, Knights Vs Noughts

2011-12-03T18:48:00.001-06:00

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!

((This picture is taken from the extreme left flank - most are taken from my side of the board.)

The Card Pimp is playing Purifiers - yea, Crowe is everywhere these days! Four units with Halberds and four Psycannons, backed up by a Dreadknight with double Doom Fists.

The mission is occupying ruins, and in City Fight any unit more than 25% strong that isn't an IC or Dedicated Transport can do so.

I used the Infiltrate Stratagem to get my Scouts in a good position right from the beginning; with their low BS they need every round of shooting they can get.

I'd put out the barricades to give me something to hide behind as I move up - basically to protect me from Rending Psycannons. Here's the left flank of the line, toward the bottom middle of the board.

Here's the center - held by two Dreads in the center - and the right flank, on the upper righthand side of the board. Note the losses? The Card Pimp shot me up but good!

So I'd suffered the round of shooting and my Assault Squads were seriously weakened. Still, paybacks are a *SELF-EDIT*... but fun, too! On the left flank, the Assault squad jumped in to position to lay down two flamers on two squads and Crowe - as seen above at 9pm. Those units were already weakened by Sniper and Whirlwind firepower, but it still sucked when it came to assaulting what was left! Halberds, baby!

In the center the Dreadnoughts crash through the building... and I roll a 1, turning it into Class 3 rubble. My Dreads took glancing hits and one lost an arm, but the good news was the Dreadknight failed a rare check and stood fast, pinned.

(NOTE: I wasn't sure about this one, but the Card Pimp couldn't quickly find anything that allows the Dreadknight to avoid Pinning checks. Sometimes it is best just to move on, but I went back later and determined this wasn't played correctly. A failed Pinning Test forces the unit to Go To Ground, which a Monstrous Creature can't do 'voluntarily or otherwise.' I'm of the camp that many games are played outside the book, whether folks know it or not. It's good practice to go back later and sort out the good play from the poor.)

Ah, Greenman Designs does an awesome job on these products!

Regardless, the units of the right flank engage in a fairly brutal short-ranged firefight. It left these Marines hanging out in the breeze, but the Card Pimp was forced to bypass shots at them...

and pitch bolts at the Dreadnoughts, ultimately destroying one (who is turned backward here and later removed). In the next turn, the functional Dread runs forward to engage the Dreadknight while the Master of the Forge joins the Marines - who are surprised they're still up! - to take on the Knights in the building.

Here's the left and center battlegroups; the Assault Marines held out one turn too long, but Crowe leaped in and put away the Sergeant. The leftmost Dread continues to tie up three Purifers who just can't stick a grenade on him! The last Dread will soon bust through the building and jump on the Dreadknight.

Purifiers may be the best unit in the game right now, but it seems the trick is constant pressure, grind them out whenever possible. It's tough, since it inevitably involved heavy causalities.

The Master of the Forge assists in finishing off the two squads hanging out in the uppermost building. I've not forgotten the objectives - winning the fights are great, but the game will be won or lost on who controls ruins.

The fighting continues, winners pick themselves up on shaky legs...

...and march forward for more. I comfortably hold three ruins, and the Dread above is at worst contesting the central building - now it's time to get units to less than 25%, that is, one model left in each unit.

'Course, he wants to do the same to me!

The lone Grey Knight rushes the Scouts, intent on shifting them off the ruins! He actually manages to shoot two down with his Storm Bolter, forcing a test which the Scouts fail! They run... but not off the board. They'll rally and shoot down this brave Knight, rewarding him for his bravery.

Crowe rushes in to plug the gap!

The Marines leap over, using flamers to whittle one of the strong units left on the board down to two models. The Dreadnought cripple fight continues.

This unit of Halberds was out of place to participate in the combat - they control this piece of terrain, but with the fight having turned ugly, it sure would have been useful for this unit to be a tad closer.

What, this still?

Ah! Breakout on the line...

...and we're done.

...

Since this game yesterday, I've taken some anti-apathy advice to heart, putting infantry models away and taking out some tanks.

Traditionally, I don't like painting them, but unless some work gets done on them I won't be able to try the Rhino Rush or Razorback lists I've been wanting to play with.

The fleet has been painted through several layers, and now it's on to details - meaning I'm getting stuff done again! Not a bad deal.

Apathy, My Apathy

2011-12-02T12:48:00.001-06:00

*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:

I cleaned my workspace - then I needed something to work on (that wasn't a Brotherhood model). I decided to try blocking out colors on some models that are sitting on my desk.

Still a ways to go. I've got the metal to work, next, then I'll officially begin painting it.

Not sure what that means. Not sure of anything. Apathy, my apathy.

I'm repairing a model's base...

Not done here yet either.

I threw together a list for City Fight...

I actually think it would be a fun list to play...

...but I'm sure it requires some sort of effort.

And I don't wanna.

*le sigh*

Je n'ai pas veux

Three Armies From Feast

2011-11-28T07:46:00.001-06:00

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)

2011-11-22T08:08:00.001-06:00

The Fabricator General

2011-11-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-17T13:03:00.001-06:00

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.

Here the image of Greenman Design Inc's order form - download it, print it, use it! But get creative, 'cause these fine folks can build it all!

Greenman Designs Inc

2011-11-12T09:32:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-06T12:19:00.000-06:00

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

2011-11-06T08:42:00.000-06:00

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.)

Right flank.

Center. (Note: my Long Fangs should have set up here, with a perfect angle to either side of the board. And I would have centralized Hogan. This was optimal.)

Right flank. Hogan's boy. Note something here thought that affected this game; these hills were meant to provide area terrain unless you were on the same level. The way it was written in the rules packet caused confusion to a number of folks.

His setup. Note his two HQs are attached one each to a Broadside squad - something I've never actually seen done before. With all the multi-trackers, it worked out well.

There was one problem with my game I couldn't have predicted: Line of Sight, and how people in this tournament played it. We're fairly tight about it at home, I've learned. At this event, I played multiple people with a, "Well, sure I can see!" approach. For example, my opponent and I had a couple of short conversations about drawing line of sight from his back units through his intervening models, which in many cases I'm sure he couldn't do.

He was sincere in his explanations, so I figured it was a regional thing or something, and I think I was right - again, I ran into this later with the other Tau player I played (yea) and he called a judge over to make the clarification.

There's no way to know that kind of stuff in advance - you just have to be aware that as long as everyone is consistent, you should be okay.

Moving forward, with smoke. In hindsight, if I was going to have two tanks charging the line, I should have had four.

Hogan's squad goes all relentless, but I rolled a 2 for difficult terrain and a 1 for the run move. *sigh* It wasn't much better the next turn!

Crap. Forgot all about Markerlights. Strip this cover, strip that cover. BOOM!

Yup, still there.

It's blurry 'cause of the tears!

Still pushing.

Kroot. Both squads came in at the same time on the same side!

Nope. Not much gone, really.

Hogan and his boys finally break free of the terrain. I blast apart most of the Kroot, but enough are left to win my opponent the game...

...by tying me up and grabbing this objective.

My scouts came on. No, they're not there. I did have a bit of bad luck, where 5 Plasma shots didn't put away 4 Fire Warriors, allowing me the charge I needed!

I forgot to move this tank in the last turn. There's a chance I could have contested an objective. Not a GOOD chance!

Yup, still walking.

Those two Kroot won him the game.

There's the shot I'm talking about... but let's be honest, it wouldn't have survived! Still, I wish I didn't forget, because I hate leaving stuff undone.

It was 25 to 22, since there were three differing objectives of which I won one and tied another. We both got a lot of bonus points, too.

Bottom line, great game, great opponent!

But I made the same mistakes in Game 2...

Feast of Blades: Update 4

2011-11-05T15:37:00.002-05:00

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

2011-11-05T08:19:00.000-05:00

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:

I'm painting a bit on them this morning, but by and large this is it for these guys. Still much, much better than using my old 13th Company miniatures for these two squads, which was my backup plan.

Feast of Blades: Update 2

2011-11-04T11:30:00.002-05:00

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!

But she got it done, and I was off to the races grabbing pics and video. My goal was to get these shots before the hall filled up and things started getting moved around.

Here's part one.

Feast of Blades: Update 1

2011-11-03T21:35:00.002-05:00

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.)

Being who I am, I plan to stalk their exploits some over the weekend - should be fun!

I'm rooming with Rob Baer from Spikey Bits. The rumor is he has a bunch of 'Cron 'Dexes for sale at midnight... hopefully I can (beg on my knees) talk him into selling me one!

Here's the plan...

The Plan

Stop that.

First, I'm going to drop as many updates this weekend as I can. I've got a fully charged camera with 4 gigs of memory all ready to go.... so watch this space!

I've got a free day tomorrow - which I'll need, 'cause I've got to paint two more squads!

Let's take a look at the list I turned in:

So, is the battle plan obvious or what? Since this is so mission-dominant, I felt I had to go with a balanced, all-comers list. Still, it should do its thing okay.

The problem..?

The Problem

I said stop that!

(Sorry.)

He's not. (Note even slightly.) Not Brent has been like that since Lauby fired him from the Top X. But I'm pretty sure the restraining order means I can talk about that, so let's move on.

The problem is... and this is embarrassing...

...I haven't actually finished painting two of those squads! I'll be spending most of tomorrow getting twenty Brotherhood Hunters painted to a 3-color minimum.

Still, with the spray layers and the bases done, all I really have to do is a flat layer of Boltgun Metal on the weapons and backpack, Tallarn Flesh on the head and arms, and Snakebite Leather or another color for the hair. Then I'll do some spot colors then wash the models.

Voila! C'est vrai bon, n'est pas?

If I have time, I can start in on the more important details, like the Spacewolves Grey blocks and the various piping - but we'll see.

I just got off the phone with Duke and volunteered to help out setting up tables, so I have to run.

Wish me luck! Watch this spot!

Feast of Blades: Not Enough Time! Gak!

2011-11-02T07:04:00.000-05:00

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!

Here's a pile to work on!

Here's another pile to work on! No, not all of these are necessary, but still!

With the Brotherhood, I do the model and base separately until the wash stage. I spent quite awhile building bases for these units, and last night I was frantically gluing models.

Here are Brotherhood Guard models, most of whom wouldn't even make the FoB list... why again was I wasting time on them?

The most recent Hunters squad, now based. I have two that require painting, plus two additional models each for my two original squads. Not going to happen.

Brotherhood Update: Bulking Out the Army's Ranks

2011-10-31T13:28:00.001-05:00

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:

I've shown this one before - they were sprayed metal only, so I had to finish the spray paint layers. The next step is the wash layers.

Above is my Brotherhood Warlord Shrike, along with some conscripts to bulk out my two Brotherhood Hunters squad.

Above are the Brotherhood models in line to be painted.

I have to build more bases - including for the first Hunters squad pictured, the ones with the swords - those bases are just temporary.

This dude will be carrying the squad's banner.

Roleplaying Miniatures; Blast from the Past

2011-10-30T12:28:00.001-05:00

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!

There were four players, so obviously one - the Sorcerer - is missing. These were mixed in with my brother's collection... and by that I mean dumped in a box with prepainted Star Wars minis, so there's some damage. Most noticeably the Ranger's bow, which is missing.

What struck me about these is how well they hold up, since it's safe to say my painting skills have risen considerably since then. Still, I had a theme - the Underdark - so I deliberately tried to keep my colors limited in tone. That's especially evident in the Fighter on the left.

This was the Ranger, and the most obvious conversion. As I recall, he was from another city and was considered flamboyant in dress, thus the additional colors. I also tried to add additional gear, my favorite being the flensing knives. As mentioned, his bow is missing.

At this magnification you can see the graininess. My old habit was to drybrush everything, then use that as a base for layering colors. The Master Manipulator (every store needs one) can be credited with helping me break some of my 'lazy' painting habits, though it's fair to say he's probably still irked these days! (He's extremely technical, a perfectionist. I take my stuff to him when I want the unvarnished truth, 'cause wisdom can be painful.)

Ugh. The bases, the bases...

This was my character. As a general rule, I hate gender-benders - all those dudes who want to play hot chicks creep me out a bit - but the campaign had to have a female to represent the ruling class of the House. The Drow are matriarchal, of course.

This model was the only non-GW used, but it fit well. I had to make a simple hand swap, since the original weapon wasn't appropriate to a Cleric. As I recall, she used a short lash of some sort with snakes instead of whips, thus the base to represent it.

By far my favorite of the models. This character was first-boy of our House, and he eventually became its Weapons-Master. He had a tattoo of a spider on his face, which I think came out really well.

This was the first model I painted, thus got the 'limited-tones' treatment I mentioned above.

There you have it! It's a typical 'For No Apparent Reason' post of randomness, but it is what it is!

Happy Halloween!

Public Service Messages in the Grim, Dark Future

2011-10-29T09:57:00.003-05:00

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

Try _________________________ for instant relief!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-26T13:38:00.000-05:00

So out of curiosity, which basic (unmodified) picture do you think works best for a standard blog post? Honestly, the first and last don't look that different to me at all, but the settings are different... so who knows?

Any ideas or assistance is welcome.

Comic Asylum Tournament, Games 2 and 3

2011-10-23T13:15:00.000-05:00

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.

Game II was a rather unique little mission the TO appropriated from Lord of the Rings. I was playing a new player in his very first tournament... and while my opponent's instincts are good and I suspect he'll be a strong gamer in the future, this was a fairly easy win.

We had three quadrants in our deployment zones, which explains the rather odd setup. Since I got lucky and the vast majority of my units were on the right flank, my plan was to blitz the deployment zone then start punching left. Hogan's squad would hopefully soak most of the fighting allowing the Scouts and Hunters to bunch up. Looking at my opponent's army, I had a huge advantage in mobility. I wasn't that worried about letting his Assault Squads past the line, but I wanted to hinder him as much as possible.

His shooting kills too Brotherhood Guard and sends the Guard Terminators running for the board edge. He'll rally, of course. On the right flank the Lone Wolf leads the way, with Hunters and Hogan's boys following up for a strike at his center. Two Hunters in Rhinos speed along the right flank toward his Predator.

We'll skip ahead. This is what the Blood Angel's player had in my zone...

...while my 'Blitz the Quarterback' strategy on the right worked out fine for me. I earned full points on this game.

Again, this player was a really nice guy, and a friend of Neil, the wily vet I played in Round I. With his instincts and that kind of help, it won't be long before this dude starts racking up wins in his area.

Round III sees me and the Card Pimp in Question duking it out for first place on Top Table. The CP is not too far behind me, and by this point there were only three players with a reasonable shot at first place.

In this scenario, the three objectives will scatter once on Turn 2 and explode on Turn 3; after that, they're fair game.

Neither the Card Pimp nor I really wanted to have to bust up each other's dreams of a victory, but that's the way it goes in tournament play. I felt I had the advantage if I could neutralize his Stealers early and sort out the ever-scary Swarmlord. Tye's route to victory was rushing me with the Stealers and hold me down long enough for the gruesome meat of his army to make gruesome meat out of me.

I was actually scared of the Biovores, which is funny considering how many people were telling the Card Pimp in Question to drop them in favor of something else! It's not that they do that much damage to Marines, but failing a pinning check at the wrong time could spell disaster.

The Card Pimp infiltrated his Stealers, so my job was making sure he had no spot outside of line of sight of my army - I simply couldn't afford for him to set up within 12-inches. After careful examination - by both of us - he was forced to set up exactly 18-inches away... meaning a strong run move would put him on a unit early. There's no way around that; it was a 1 in 6 chance per unit, so a 50% chance on three.

I tried to seize and failed. The game began with the Card Pimp in Question leaping forward..!

Okay, for some reason the last pictures I took didn't come out worth a crap. Suffice it to say, I won the game. The Stealers on the right fell early and the two units on the left suffered early casualties - despite one unit launching a first turn assault on a Rhino - and faced an uphill battle.

The Scouts actually had to come on from the left flank and shoot hot-plasma-death at one of the units of Stealers, who were threatening a Turn 3 munching of a 10-strong unit of Hunters... because the damn Biovores pinned them!

In the center, I hurled the Long Wolf at the Hormagaunts to take away the screen, then slowly whittled down Hive Guard and Zoanthropes with Hogan's Fangs pouring out firepower.

The Swarmlord wouldn't be stopped! There was a turn I shot everything at that big mother, including the spare tire from a Rhino! He bit it in half and spit it at me, then launched into Hogan's unit in an assault! Luckily for me, the shiny armor distracted Swarmy, allowing Hogan to make minced pie out of the Tyrant Guard.

Despite it all, Swarmy continued to lay waste around him until Hogan finally put him down.

I'll admit, I played probably too passively with Hogan's unit, fearing the Swarmlord's vaunted assault ability, but considering what would have happened if my Rune Priest had failed to nullify the 'screw you, have a WS of 1' power...

...well, who knows?

I earned the top spot, and the Card Pimp in Question managed to hold on to third place. As always, mad props to the Comic Asylum. I can't say enough good things about this little metroplex venue - if you're in Texas, check it out.

Terrain, Terrain, Terrain

2011-10-21T07:51:00.001-05:00

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

2011-10-20T07:18:00.001-05:00

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.

Killpoints! My opponent Neil was playing his Dark Eldar army... which was just awesome! I couldn't have enjoyed this game more, since I don't get to play the Dark Kin that much now that my nemesis Evil Homer has moved to Mecca.

One Venom is Trueborn, one is Kabalite - both have to go. The Ravagers are a threat with their Dark Lances, but I'm much more worried when I see Disintegrators... I mean, Str. 5 Ap 2 x9..? Imagine how this game would have gone if Neil had those instead. Anyway, his three units of Wyches w Haemonculus turbo forward.

Sometimes you have to know when to get out of your ride. Neil immobilized two Rhinos - marked with black flame - so those Hunters bail out to go after the Kin. I blast two paper airplanes to scrap then launch my assaults. In the backfield, Hogan's use of Relentless sends Missiles and Psychic energy hurling into the Venoms, destroying one and shaking the other.

We've both got a loaded vehicle still. I had tried to get my unpainted Hunters into cover, but they'll end up the target of Neil's mobile Wyches.

Let's skip ahead some. My Scouts arrived to find a picture-perfect backfield! Neil was a bit shocked, having forgotten about the Wolf Scouts, so the Ravagers - who could have flown off at some point - hadn't escaped to safety. The Kabalites were hunkered in terrain and the last Venom was immobilized, so my goal was to destroy the latter and hide out in combat with the former... but instead I got my pick of the party! I end up destroying one Ravager and stunning the other in assault, but my terrain roll wasn't sufficient to get me into the Kabalites.

Regardless, my Scouts will weather the storm of shooting next turn - making 6 or 7 4+ cover saves, then go to town on the rest of the backfield! One Ravager will limp off.

We're back to the center scrum. My Hunters are holding up well, though the unit on the right is falling back. My Lone Wolf has successfully held up one Wych squad for most of the game, though eventually he falls... earning me a Kill Point!

By this point, I'm well ahead on Kill Points and Neil knows it, being the veteran player he is. Hogan and the boys have been wracking up KP's each turn, targeting the soft spots of Neil's army... the paper airplanes... but the Wyches are still a huge threat. Frankly, trying to kill them in close assault was seriously frustrating! 4+ then 4+ should be a bit over 75%, right? Didn't seem to work that way! Note: the two Rhinos marked with black flame are immobilized.

Here the Wyches have finally won the combat in the center - which was always going to happen. That said, the Hunters held up admirably! For example, the last Hunter in the unpainted (silver) squad holds up one unit for another full turn - fantastic! Here, the Wyches try to grab Kill Points. One will assault Hogan's boys and the other the Rhinos. Note the unit on the right is still falling back, having rolled a 4 on two dice the last turn...

...and this seems to have offended Neil! He pops his Haemonculus out and blast them with the Casket of Flensing, killing them all! That's a bunch of flensed skulls with quivering brains for the Dark Kin to enjoy!

My last Wolf Guard unit finally shows up, blasting the Haemonculus off the map. You think there's geneseed in all those skinless skulls? The Wyches who assaulted Hogan's boys learned why he's the price of a Land Raider, and the last marine is STILL holding up a Wych squad! (Note those Wyches at 2 O'Clock are casualties he just pulled. Hogan again.)

And there you have it, the Brotherhood beat back the Dark Kin to take the all-important first game.

This was my favorite game of the day, and certainly the one I had the most chance of losing. (I was to play the Card Pimp in Question at top table for Round III... but though there were a few nervous moments his Nids were fighting an uphill battle against this list.) Being the first round, there were a few mistakes in play...

...but I think Neil would agree the largest was his forgetting the Wolf Scouts! He mentioned that a few times, so he was probably kicking himself. I mention it only so you, the discerning reader, would understand it was just one of those pure mistakes that sometimes happen when you play unfamiliar players. This dude was a veteran player and great fun to boot.

Just How Much Wargaming Crap Do We Need?

2011-10-16T11:47:00.001-05:00

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

(Are words really needed for this post?)

Brotherhood Update: The Guard... Again

2011-10-13T06:01:00.002-05:00

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.

Oh, yea. There was a reminder about adjusting the white balance.

I simply couldn't be bothered.

Brotherhood Update: The Guard

2011-10-12T13:27:00.003-05:00

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

2011-10-10T23:55:00.002-05:00

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

Brent's 1500pt Tournament, Missions!

2011-10-07T13:26:00.001-05:00

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.)

I hear you, I hear you!

But you aren't considering the benefits here... I need experience running tournaments so I can speak knowledgeably on the subject. My friend and alternate-nemisis the Master Manipulator (every store needs one) has been the Head Cheese in Charge for quite some time. He's alluded to all the hidden pitfalls, but there's only one real way to learn (the hard way).

(If my brother Richard was the Head Cheese, that'd be pretty freakin' hilarious!)

So be patient! I'll soon have plenty to write about.

For You Participants

The advance pricing is closed yesterday, and we have 14 participants. There is room for two more, but those sad sacks will have to pay the door price.

I tell you that to tell you this: while they may gain some hidden understanding of the day based on the mission info I'm dropping in your lap, they're paying for it!

Mission One Dawn of War, Capture and Control
The objective will automatically be placed 12" on and 18" from the right
board edge.

Mission Two Spearhead, Annihilation

Mission Three Spearhead, Seize Ground
There will be five objectives; one in the center and one each in all four
table quarters, defined as 15" each of the two board edges.

Mission Four Pitched Battle, ???

See you tomorrow!

Brent's 1500pt Tournament: Roll Call!

2011-10-06T20:31:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-10-05T22:22:00.002-05:00

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.)

The list you turn in will be the list you use on Saturday. There are no changes on the day.

Be there no later than 9:30am. The tournament starts at BE THERE AT 9:30 AM!

3308 Kemp Blvd # 2 Wichita Falls, TX 76308 (940) 692-3200

All four missions for the tournament will be posted in advance here tomorrow. They are all from the book, modified to include additional objectives worth battle points.

I may post the rubric on Friday - I haven't decided yet.

If you have any questions, post them below. You should know, the few lists I've already seen are top notch, so this should be a fairly competitive event.

(If you're a local, email your list to me directly. Turning them in to Larry is also fine, but he's forwarding them to me. To be clear, I need them prior to Saturday.)

My email is brent AT-SYMBOL strictlyaverage DOT com

(Or NotBrent... Take that, SpyBots!)

Check this space for more information tomorrow! Hope to see you there on Saturday!

Brotherhood Update: Painting Scouts

2011-10-02T15:32:00.001-05:00

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.

These models are mostly there, barring a few light touchups. Soon I'll spay the matte coat and, in the case of the horns on the backpack, paint on a varnish coat.

Those horns will have a moderate amount of blood around the base, and I dig the way varnish makes the blood look. Cool effect. Very ~~Chaos~~ Brotherhood.

The brown armor is an obvious departure from the gold of the Brotherhood scheme, but given they're Scouts they may want to - you know - scout.

And hide. Stuff like that, which is difficult to do with the sun beating off gold and all that.

The actual units these boys lead are currently being worked on, but there is a ways to go. I'm hoping to be done in the next several hours.

Testing the Alternate 40K Primary Scenario

2011-10-01T10:58:00.001-05:00

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?

This is my attempt. It's much easier than the following stereo instructions might indicate; my hope is you'll try it and let me know the results.

Alternate 40K Primary Scenario

1) Players roll a d6 in a roll-off.
1a) If a player has a special rule modifying the roll to determine first or second turn as outlined in a standard game, he may choose to employ it for this roll-off.

2) The winner of the roll-off chooses from three options:
2.1) Choose first or second turn.
2.1a) The player taking first turn will NOT automatically choose a deployment zone.
2.2) Choose the mission from the Standard Mission Chart.
2.2.1) Seize Ground
2.2.1a) If a player chooses Seize Ground, he will place the extra objective as applicable.
2.2.2) Capture and Control
2.2.3) Annihilation
2.3) Choose a deployment from the Deployment Type Chart.
2.3.1) Pitched Battle
2.3.2) Spearhead
2.3.3) Dawn of War
2.3a) If a player chooses a deployment, he will also choose a deployment zone.

3) The next player, the individual who did not win the roll-off, will choose from the two remaining options.
3.1) Choose first or second turn.
3.1a) The player taking first turn will NOT automatically choose a deployment zone.
3.2) Choose the mission from the Standard Mission Chart.
3.2a) If a player chooses Seize Ground, he will place the extra objective, as applicable.
3.3) Choose a deployment from the Deployment Type Chart.
3.3a) If a player chooses a deployment, he will also choose a deployment zone.

4) The remaining option will be determined randomly:
4.1) The players may require a roll off to determine choice of first or second turn.
4.1a) If a player has a special rule modifying the roll to determine first or second turn as outlined in a standard game and did not use it to modify the initial roll at outlined in 1a, he may choose to employ it for this roll-off.
4.2) The players may require a d6 roll to determine the mission.
4.2a) In Seize Ground, the player with the second turn will place the extra objective, as applicable.
4.3) The players may require a d6 roll to determine the deployment.
4.3a) If the players randomly roll to determine a deployment, the choice of deployment zones will revert to the player who chose the first turn.

5) All other Game, Mission, and Scenario options will be followed as normal.
5.1) Seize the Initiative!
5.2) Mission Special Rules
5.3) Infiltrators and Scouts

...

The test games have indeed yielded some new strategies, but I'll let you guys discover all this for yourself.

As an aside, this is the 566th published post on Strictly Average. Not bad, huh?

Battle Report: Brotherhood Vs Tyranids

2011-09-28T07:53:00.001-05:00

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.

The Card Pimp had the Swarmlord with Guard, two Hive Guard x2, and 3 Biovores in the central ruins - which mostly blocked line of sight throughout the game. He was flanked by two Gant units. He had three 10-strong Stealers Outflanking and one Zoanthrope in a Pod Deepstriking.

I was practicing screening techniques with the Rhinos. One moves max, pops smoke, and blocks for the other two. I killed off a Hive Guard, I think. Bah!

In a surprise move, the Card Pimp stays put. In hindsight, he was absolutely right. He moves forward, I toast him. He stayed put to wait for the Genestealers. Again, most of his quality is completely obscured by the terrain.

Bottom of 2. The CP had immobalized a Rhino with Hive Guard fire. In my turn, they hop out. My Scouts come in and toast the Gants. I only rolled a 1 for Sweeping Advance, so the Scouts were in trouble. I thought I could get away... but it wasn't to be. The Tyrant Guard will move out to get me. (Swarmy can leave them, right?)

I'm missing some pics. Here, the Card Pimp in Question's Genestealers rolled for crap: only one came in and didn't manage to make it to my line. That marker is playing the part of a Pod... and there was a Zoanthrope there. I blew it up, but didn't manage to kill 100% of the Stealers. Worrisome.

So now I have two Rhinos immobilized, yet for some strange reason I think my Hunters will be fine all unsupported in the enemy ranks. Uh. I have two Scouts falling back, so my (stupid) idea was to rescue the squad.

Uh, oh.

Side view. I have two Grey Hunters, a remnant Fang squad, and a Scout Squad at risk.

Ah, the heros of the hour. The Hive Guard had no problem de-meching these boys. The Swarm Lord should have no problem charging them, darn it all.

3 hits with the Biovores. 27 hits!

Worse, the Biovores pinned the unit! AND my other Grey Hunters were pinned bailing out of the wrecked Rhino. Yea, count it: two pinned units in one turn (marked by blue markers in the pic above).

Back to 'Uh, oh.' Ultimately the Stealer unit on the right rolled a 1 for its Run move, so the Hunters in the building will only be assaulted by one unit. It's still enough to put paid to 'em, but I'll hold them a bit.

The Swarmlord fails its Difficult Terrain move - more good luck!

Not good, no sir.

The little two-strong Stealers whiffed against the Scouts! More luck... not exactly covering myself in glory here.

So the Stealers inside the building will finish eating my Hunters and Priest, but I held them for one more vital turn... largely to a mistake the CP made allowing the Rune Priest to hold. In the next turn, I'll have enough local firepower to ace what's left.

So... the Swarm Lord didn't make it this turn, but I'm still pinned. He'll get another chance!

And there he went! The Swarm Lord munches through the Hunters no problem, but he'd also charged with the Gants (to keep them out of line of sight of the remaining Fangs). Basically, the Hunters targeted the easier Gant unit, allowing them to only lose the combat by 1 point. They'll stick.

I move up and toast the remaining Stealers, despite cover saves.

This is what's called a 'temporary respite.'

Here he comes. Both Rhinos are still up, so he can't charge through to the Hunters. He'll ace the Rhino.

A wide shot. Note I still have Long Fangs in the two flanking Rhinos... but they didn't really do squat this game. They were way to out of position. The idea is sound, but my execution... not so much.

The game is coming to a close. The Swarm munches one tank...

...then the other. I blow him away, finally.

The Card Pimp in Question managed to hide his remaining units in the center terrain, completely out of line of sight to my remaining units. I'm grossly out of position and one Kill Point down.

Note the Pod-Which-Isn't-a-Pod... using a CD to represent it caused both of us to forget it... so I could have tied things up by destroying it in the bottom of Turn 5 or 6...

...but the CP would without a doubt have destroyed a Rhino with the remaining Hive Guard.

Any way you slice this, the Brotherhood got its collective butts kicked!

And they deserved it. The Card Pimp in Question played his ass off, finding good moves even in the turns where luck went south (as it always does). I, on the other hand, was playing a reactive game and didn't take advantage of my resources properly.

It's why you play test stuff though. I'll be back!

For No Apparent Reason

2011-09-27T13:57:00.000-05:00

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

2011-09-25T10:19:00.001-05:00

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.

(I'm missing models...)

Yea, I'm going to be that guy. Screw it - GW is an expensive addiction these days! Plus I'm having a blast putting together these units. A basic theme of the Brotherhood is they're a collection of Warbands, so each unit is supposed to be unique. I'm representing that with themes throughout a squad, as seen here:

Each model has a sword and a Templar's shoulder pad, as well as numerous not-so-obvious similarities. I used up the individual helmets I had then used Scout heads for the remainder. Note these obviously aren't Power Swords - I'm going to paint them an iron color.

I played the Card Pimp in Question yesterday and this morning discovered most of one of my Scout Squads is missing. I'm sure either he or the Mighty Mighty Carlos picked them up for me, but here's the pictures...

...if you just happen to see them...

Hard Boyz Round II, Part One

2011-09-23T07:38:00.003-05:00

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!

Besides what's shown above, there were what, four Grey Knight armies? Maybe five. There were two Stelek-style Space Wolves MSU lists (which played Parking Lot together in Round 3), a Street-Sweeper Eldar, my Bolt'n'Beast Daemons, and another Nid players.

Game One

I was paired against Kenny and his Street Sweeper Eldar in Round 1... ugh. This was the only army at the venue I was really worried about, in that it's the only one I felt could run away with the game. Also, if he gets Turn 1 there'd be no way to stop his Messenger getting across the board, barring an almost stupid amount of luck. Well, I played him and he did get Turn 1...

...but more important than any of that was the rather stupid mistakes I made right in the beginning. I'd analyzed it correctly prior to deployment, decided on a strategy... and then almost immediately abandoned it!

I took two text messages and a call from my brother about my father (who as you know was in the ICU at the time), and even though everything was fine when I looked up and saw Kenny's deployment, I thought, "Man, I'd better stack my shooting so I can stop that Wave Serpent!" Then I undid the waves I'd already separated... bad idea, Brent.

Brent's Rule One: Never stack a wave. Well, I did. I will say my Deep-Striking was unreal! I think I had six Hits in a row... and then lost a unit of Fiends to a very unlucky drop (12-inches to 10 o'clock if you must know!)... ouch!

Still and all, it wasn't a great strategy but it could have been worse... except I then tried to bring down his Fortuned Wave Serpent. Ever tried to do that?

The few shots sent at Wave Serpents brought them down. I needed more of that, not wasting time shooting a vehicle I couldn't possibly stop.

The only thing I did right was place my messenger on the extreme right flank. They'll make it to his deployment, no problem.

Here was the left flank after Kenny's shooting phase in Round 2. Things are bad, but despite a rocky start my head is back in the game. I develop a plan to try and steal this in the latter phase of the game.

I take my two Heralds and target Fire Dragons. My hope is I can reduce the unit size then charge in and hide in combat, thus saving the Heralds for my Round 3 and 4 push. It almost works, with one Herald effecting a charge... while the other Herald sent the Fire Dragons running for the board edge!

I could have hoped for a better reserves roll in Round 2; while I got in two Khornedogs and a Horrors unit, I really needed one or both Fiends. I can't afford to play impatiently, so I wait out a turn on the right flank.

This is the top of 4, skipping ahead some. One the bottom of 3 I dropped very aggressively with 'Bearers and Horrors in the middle of my opponent's army, hoping to distract some of the elements of his army and allow my Fiends and Khornedogs to survive a turn.

Note the Fiends are well hidden from his War Walkers, but a Guided unit does manage to target them and bring them down to one model. It wasn't until he set up his next shot that I realized he was firing through area terrain and my unit should have received cover... but it was too late.

Never go backwards!

That's all she wrote! By this point I'm down far too many units and Kill Points to effect a draw, much less a win. I resign in Round 5.

I was satisfied with the game. Kenny played a very tight, very competitive game, and it wasn't a surprise to me that he's successful with it in his area. In fact, he won Hard Boyz Round II with it a few years ago!

And as far as my play... well, part of winning tournaments is playing mistake-free. I didn't do that - and the reasons don't matter! I think it's interesting (and maybe important) to analyze what was happening for you, the reader...

...but reasons don't make for good excuses. I made mistakes; he didn't, and that's part of the game! He fully deserved this win.

...

But I will say this. After the game Kenny was rightfully happy with the results, but he mentioned twice a tournament I played and won at the Comic's Asylum sometime earlier this year. He said something like, "Yea, you won that but I really wanted to play you, because I could have beat you."

Kenny is a decent dude, and I don't think he meant anything by it, but the comment does come across as a, "Well, you didn't beat me that day," sort of thing.

Again, I don't think he meant anything by it - he was happy after a good win against some internet dude! And it was - a real ass-kicking!

Hard Boys 2011 Aftermath Video... Sadness Doughnuts!

2011-09-19T11:03:00.000-05:00

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

That Guy Update

2011-09-15T22:10:00.001-05:00

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.

The Miracle Man had an aneurism at the left anterior pons, basically under the Cerebellum. That's a bleeder, folks, and when the thing goes it's a coin flip whether you drop dead on the spot. Even after, the prognosis isn't good.

In our case, the major issue is the area isn't that accessible to surgery, which naturally has complications of its own. We had one of the few Radiologists in the country who could perform the coiling procedure during the angiogram. Dr. Gerstle was amazing; we all felt lucky to have him.

I won't go into detail that's already out there in glorious detail, HERE and HERE.

So... imagine the best news, news too good to hope for. That's what we got.

He's still in pain and in the ICU, but he'll be home in a few weeks. The prognosis is excellent... and unexpected.

This was bad - about as bad as it can be for a trip to the ER. I needed a few outlets, so thanks for that.

Now I'm 'That' Guy

2011-09-14T11:27:00.000-05:00

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

2011-09-11T12:03:00.001-05:00

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.

Thoughts?

(Comments? Hugs and gropings? He's getting predictable.)

'Stalking Jawaballs Since 2009'

2011-09-09T13:01:00.002-05:00

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

TableWar Display Tower! In Progress...

2011-09-08T07:38:00.001-05:00

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*

That darn Reecius! One day, our Footdar on Footdar Mega Challenge is going to happen, then we'll find out which of us ends up shedding tears!

(Probably both - it's Eldar, after all.)

I haven't seen the video on Dakka, but I'd like to point out I was the first with a video on YouTube!

It's crawling toward 4K hits even now! Did Reecius top that?

Seriously, did he? 'Cause I'll begin the crying right now.

Anyway, I'm currently working on the flocking for the individual display boards to match my Brotherhood army. It's looking pretty awesome, if I do say so myself!

Oh, and the TableWar link has found its permanent home on the right. Nobody asked me to do it - it's just how much like this product!

Doh! Off to work...

Stolen Content: BrassScorpion's Marines!

2011-09-07T08:03:00.001-05:00

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!

All it takes is some creativity! Notice those were the Black Reach Terminators and Marines making up the bulk of the army?

Awesome stuff!

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

2011-09-05T22:57:00.001-05:00

This post is a bit of nothing, really.

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

Here was my original test model. I've raised the horse some, on most of the models.

I've never mastered the use of, nor the desire to use, magnets. Here, I just won't glue the rider on. When my conversions are all finished, I'll have the ability to mix and match a few riders here and there depending on the build.

This base coat isn't about the horse, but rather about the base. The layers of spray match the current basing scheme of the army. After the horses are painted, I'll sand and flock, and otherwise finish, the base.

(And hopefully that'll work!)

I have to say, I've been play-testing these (Thunder~~wolf~~ Horse Cav) and I'm not sold. Sure, I can see the appeal, but it's one of those options that dictate the choices in the rest of the army. I think 'best' might be two squads of two, no options, or perhaps one squad of three with a Storm Shield.

Not sure - the major issue is obviously the Leadership - who wants to saddle yourself with Battle Leader or Lord just to babysit? See what I mean about dictating the rest of the army?

Mmm... maybe even two or three squads of one, Plain-Jane? Regardless, I can't help but remember Thunderwolf Cav just never worried me that much when I played it. Too much, "Oh, look at me charge across the table straight at you!"

Scary. "Here, have a unit." Same strategy as Blood Crushers, methinks.

I'm tired. This is me falling asleep at the keyboard, randomly typing.

The Hof from OKC had a brutal All-Thunder-Pups, All-The-Time army he brought down several months back, but ironically - given what I just wrote - it ran Round One into a Fate-Crusher build. Talk about your hard counters...

Fate-Crusher... have I ragged on that build lately?

No?

What?

Oh, right. Sleep.

'Night.

Hard Boyz Round One, Game Two

2011-09-03T12:10:00.005-05:00

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.

I take first turn, and he does what I hoped he wouldn't, spreading out as much as possible whilst still supporting each unit. It makes the deep strike tricker, since I can't risk loading a flank for fear I'll mishap, so I have to spread out more than I'd choose.

Left flank. Vulcan's in the ride - he must be dealt with before later turns, when my units are spent. That, and the lack of space, means I'm devoting some guns to the left flank.

Right flank. Here's where I have to win to win the game. Why? The two Ironclads across the table. They also have to be dealt with... but I can't just jump in, otherwise those two models will tie up significant chunks of my army. I have to be patient.

Turn two, and he's given the left flank a swift punch in the jaw. Still, Vulcan isn't safe in a tank, so I have to jump on him.

The right flank in my turn becomes home for much of my strength, dropping down safely thanks to the Icon. I'm still waiting behind an imaginary line, making sure my Fiends have as much Cover as possible. The Plaguebearers move toward the center. There job is to win or contest the center. With the Raider there, it'll probably be contest, but I have no choice - it's worth 4 points by itself.

Right flank, still my turn. I start shooting up Vulcan's unit, but some whiffed rolls protects the man himself.

I charge with my Khornedogs. They won't win, but they can stop him from joining the safety of another unit. I'm sacrificing a significant chuck of my army for the sole purpose of taking out Vulcan, but even with hindsight I'm convinced it's right. He simply can't survive to spearhead a counter-assault later in the game, when objectives become all-important.

His turn sees some ineffectual shooting, thanks to Cover and Invulnerable saves...

...and he decides to take the fight to the Plaguebearers. He's not blind to their importance. He's got a Captain leading Vanguard with Power Weapons, so keep in mind he can't claim the objective with them in the Raider. He later tries to find the time to get Scouts in the Raider, but by that point I'm wise to what he's doing and won't allow them room to disembark from the Speeder. Since he can't embark the same turn, I'll own him. He'll recognize that and change plans. For new players, that's something worth learning. There are times to stick to a strategy and times to develop a new one on the fly. There were numerous examples of both in this game.

Here come the Ironclads... but I believe they just stepped past my invisible line...

Left flank; Vulcan takes out all the Khornedogs, but it leaves him open to a round of shooting. Bye, Vulcan! You pain in my Daemonic butt! At least he didn't bring a damn Libby with Null Zone! Of course, this flank is still stacked for the Marines, but my Herald and Prince create some luft. Keep in mind too, two of these vehicles were immobilized, diminishing the threat.

Game over. This is turn three or four, but that's basically it. I dropped the Ironclads with shooting, which allowed me to charge the Fiends right past into the backfield. With Fiends supporting the assault in the center, and another unit soon to support the beleaguered left flank, I'm able to pull his models off enough objectives to win the game.

I never was able to get that darn Raider though, despite an entire turn of Fiends rushing it.

My opponent was a very, very capable general and a good sport. It was the closest of the three games I played in Round One of Hard Boyz.

Better Than Christmas!

2011-08-31T07:31:00.000-05:00

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...

...and that wasn't everything! Last Friday he brought up some original Daemons metals, which I've already been excitedly working on.

Anyone notice the Magus? Can you spell Bugs!? I know you can!

Seriously, it's better than a stack of Land Raiders. No joke, and thank you very much.

(He's going to resent the word 'friend' used so liberally.)

(...)

(Not to mention, this could be the greatest manipulation ever. EVER!)

(I like that Master Manipulator (every store needs one) - what a guy.)

The Brotherhood: RTB1 Missile Launcher Squad

2011-08-29T21:57:00.000-05:00

The three Long Fang squads each sport different Missile Launchers; here's the heads and shoulders favorite...

OffTopical Podcast is on ITunes!

2011-08-28T13:15:00.001-05:00

And getting mad hits in less than a week!

We've updated our Feedburner and created a Blogger Blog. All 18 episodes of OffTopical Podcast have been added and 19 is going up soon, probably today. The link on the right of Strictly Average will take you right to it.

OffTopical Podcast is a combination of topical conversation and skit comedy. It makes perfect listening when you're working on your collection of wargaming miniatures.

(It's explicit. The dudes use potty language and reserve the right to equally offend everyone. Deal with it, or not, your option.)

Give it a listen! And tell me that the execution of Kermie the Frog on Episode 18 by a Neo-Con Nazi wasn't chilling.

...

By the way, there's a poll at the bottom. VOTE BRENT!

I'm a blog whore I am.