Proof of Project Mayhem!!

My brent@strictlyaverage.com email address blew up yesterday with people sending me proof of something that has, until now, only been a rumor.

Today, we ask then answer the question: Does Project Mayhem exist?  Is Dethtron walking at the head of a group of internet anarchists?  That's two questions.

CliffNotes: Today, we ask then answer the question: Does Project Mayhem exist?

Don't click to read more unless you're ready for the awful truth.

Tomb Kings

I don't think I'm going to resist being able to build and play Tomb Kings in our local Warhammer Build Event.

CliffNotes: A picture of my Tomb Prince and Hierophant.

(An older paint job, but I doubt I'll change it, other than to perhaps add hieroglyphics on the robe or something.)

Mishspellingg Much?

Ha ha ha!  No, honest - it was a joke!  See, I deliberately misspelled a word I saw misspelled in the article... no, really!! 


Yup, that was it.  Honest.


What do you mean, "Thou doth protest too much?"

A simple wink would have gone farther to convince Ye Ol' Blogosphere the choice was deliberate and not a gut-wrenching 'DOH!'  Therein lies the art of lying convincingly!

The Ugly, Ugly History of Not Brent

So Part III of On Blogging is up on Blood of Kittens, and if you didn't know by now the interview was with Dethtron from SELF-EDIT *masculine reproductive equipment* Move.

You can find the link here.

CliffNotes: A possibly possible version of the origins of Not Brent.  Oh, and and in the spirit of duality that is Brent / Not Brent, there are two pictures of quite possibly the coolest stolen content conversion ever.

Here's an interview question that didn't end up in the final article...

My therapist wants to know why you torment me with Not Brent.  What is that and how did it get started?

Whatcha Doin'?

Today I'm working on the Not-So-Super-Secret-BoLSCon Army.  I'm down to the last squad and the Eldrad-clone.  Hopefully I'll finish today.

CliffNotes: Brent steals his friends' content 'cause he's painting today.

Let's look at what my friends are doing today, starting with the Master Manipulator (every store needs one).  He's considering what to do with his Warhammer Orcs at 1250.

(Click for a closer look.)

What Will Characters Look Like...

...in Warhammer 8th Edition? I ask this question as I continue my study of the bible, not to be confused with the Bible...  We get the point - move on.

CliffNotes: a short post, foreshadowing a discussion point to be explored over the next few months.

The Little Barrera Beatdown...

...is what it sounds like; his Vampire Counts beat me up good.

Again.  Here's me walking into the maw...

WarGames Con Test Game

In the midst of a sea of enthusiasm for Warhammer, my boy Big Whit asked me last week if I wanted a game of 40K.  I accepted, since BoLSCon WarGames Con is right around the corner.  It's also useful for me to keep the rules straight, since I'm famous for mixing rules if we're playing one too many different games.

I blame it on too many drugs in the 60's.

No, I wasn't born in the 60's.  Nor do illegal drugs pass these lips.  What?  No, I don't shoot up!  Suspicious much?  Let's move on.

CliffNotes:  There is a game of 40K and a bunch of pictures.

This is a straight game.  He brought the army he's most comfortable with, his Chaos Space Marines, and we rolled for the scenario, which turned out to be Seize Ground Dawn of War.

The Master Manipulator (every store needs one)

I started this blog a bit over a year ago to inspire myself to write, to paint, and to focus.  That's no exaggeration, but obviously it requires a bit more explanation than I'm going to give it right now.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  Today, it's fair to say I've had some success, though it's also fair to say I went about it all wrong and would have done much, much better if I knew then what I know now.  That's part of the reason I've set out to write my series on Blood of Kittens called On Blogging, to help new bloggers understand the environment - but that's neither here nor there.


CliffNotes: the MM(esno) is starting his own blog, which will focus on painting... check it out here!

The Master Manipulator (every store needs one) has watched this blog for some time - how long, I'm not sure.  I didn't actually tell my friends what I was doing, nor did I ask them to read it.  I think that's a bit like become a salesman to sell Amway to your friends and family.  I figured if they were interested, they'd read it.

Part of Strictly Average has always been the running gags, such as...

Daemons: Ready for BoLSCon 2010...

...er, WarGames Con 2010.  (I'm so confused.)  Also I've got some tips for you tournament goers out there.

Let's take a look at the list...

The ETC... and Only ONE Firepoint??

Here's a quick post today, which I'll probably post over later.

CliffNotes: the ETC CSM armies all look alike.  I ask the question why? then don't bother to answer it fully.

I've been doing for-fun research on the European Team Championships (there are lots of internet resources if you're at all interested... HERE is a fun one to search through) and I've had a few thoughts on the way they build their lists.  Before we do that, let's do this...

On the eve of the 2010 40k ETC, the mighty Team America will gorge heavily on a War-meal of USDA approved Mad-Cow-free Beef, Freedom Fries, and Kentucky Bourbon. We will snuggle up underneath Ol' Glory bedsheets and go to sleep, content in the knowledge that like our forefathers before us we are in the business of winning war(hammer) and business is good.

Review: Warhammer Templates and Tools

Okay, folks, let's take a brief look at the goodies you MUST can purchase to supplement your games of Warhammer 8th Edition.

CliffNotes: we're going to look at or talk about the templates, the Engineer's Kit, the tokens - 3 different packs, there - as well as the dice and the card packs.

Before we get there, I just have to say something about the book.  I love it.  I really do - it's like my Warhammer Bible bible.  I like the feel of it, the weight, the formatting and the content - everything - and I didn't think I would.  As far as I'm concerned, it's a must have... but I didn't feel that way at first.  Frankly, I purchased it because I 'had' to, since I simply couldn't wait until the boxed set.  Evil Homer was telling anyone who'd listen that he'd never purchase the thing, and I think he was the first to do so.  For whatever reason, GW hit a home run with this book.  Trust me, if you haven't purchased it, you're going to want to.

I'm not usually mushy about my gaming products, but the reason I'm excited about these products is the topnotch combination of form and function.  I enjoy the weight and the texture, the art is elegant and appropriate, and each product serves a purpose and does it well.


Let's look at some pretty pictures...

Hailed Vs Hated, A Review

I've been writing a series of articles on Blood of Kittens called On Blogging.  The series is in its infancy, but already two articles are published (Part II went up last night), two more are in the works, and I've barely scratched the surface of the content I'm planning.

Warhammer: Beastmen Vs Vampire Counts

Well, other than my attempt to save the world with my article, It's Not a Rodney King World, things have been a bit slow here at Strictly Average.  I've been working on my series over at Blood of Kittens called On Blogging, the first of which published last week and the second of which is in TastyTaste's hot little hands.  The third and fourth installments are actually already written, I'm just waiting for the questionnaires to return.

It's Not a Rodney King World

I'm not really sure what to say today.  I'm a bit maudlin about the interwebz internecine infighting.  It doesn't usually get me down because I attempt to foster within myself a spirit of optimism.  I'm a grad student now, a Social Worker shooting for my terminal degree... and not because I want to help people.

Beastmen vs. Orcs

After a few weeks of games where we just put the new system through its paces, we've now reached a point of familiarity and are able to tighten up our tactics, able to play to win!

Still, and I've said this several times, though many great analysts out there have made some comments and predictions, everybody is still a long way from understanding how the game will ultimately shake out.  What's that mean?  It means we're a long way from canned armies, from knowing what's 'best.'  It's a fun time to be playing Warhammer!

Frankly, I'm not sure I'll see another holiday from the normal like this for many years to come.  GW managed to turn the paradigm on its head and shake everyone up.  Not easy to do.

Moving on, here's a game between my Beastmen and the Master Manipulator (every store needs one)'s Orcs and Goblins.

Digital Concepts Light Studio: A Must Have

I'm the proud owner of a Digital Concepts Light Studio, and I've got to say very few things have made me this excited.

Beastmen vs Skaven: Down 'n Dirty

I got to play some Warhammer last night and some Warhammer today and some more Warhammer today... it's a glut I tell you, a glut!


My army today was much, much better than the cra... *SELF-EDIT*

What was that?

Holy Cra... *SELF-EDIT*

Bull Sh... *SELF-EDIT*

F... *SELF-EDIT*  (I didn't get that far with that one.)

Okay, I see where this is going.  I don't want to see what happens after the red warning, so let's move on.

How Do the FAQ's Affect Me?

Quick post, and I'll probably post over it later with a battle report, Beastmen vs Vampire Counts.

(Reminder: check out Blood of Kittens for Part I of On Blogging.)

So as everyone is aware the FAQ's are out.  I'm not going to comment on those for armies I don't use - I'll leave that to others.  I play Beastmen and Tomb Kings, so let's take a brief look for initial thoughts.


Beastmen

You'd better believe I'm going to have a scouting chariot.  I'm going to love my scouting chariot.  I'm going to hug it and squeeze it and call it George.

Warhammer 8th: Still in the Kiddy Pool

Good little article on Bell today, posted by HERO.  Yet another author who ain't me - it's a kick in the groin I tell you!  Since I'm busy today with finishing up the article for BoK, not to mention having to work this afternoon, I've decided to steal my comment and re-post it here.  How's that for lazy?

 From Little Barrera's army...

New Banner by Goatboy...

...and I couldn't be more excited!  For those of you who don't know, Goatboy is a ninja-gansta-artist... dude... type... person... guy...

He is all those things and more and right now he's working dirt cheap.  I paid 25 bucks for the banner.  You heard right, just 25 bucks.  I saw the art he'd done for the Green Blowfly and knew I'd I had to have something similar.  I shot off my money on Friday night and here it is, Wednesday, and it's up!

Shooting Miniatures: Lightbox or No?

Okay, we've got one miniature and two different ways of taking its picture.  Say cheese!  The model in question is a Centurius Clone, painted by the Master Manipulator (every store needs one).  He shot pictures for Dakka Dakka using advanced techniques (...can you say 'the right way?'  I knew you could!); that is, a proper background and light source.  Then you've got my typical point and click...

Which is, by the way, the way I've taken every picture for every model that's ever appeared on this site.  Assuming it wasn't one I borrowed (...can you say 'stole,' boys and girls?  I knew you could!).

Policing the Language

You mean people read this stuff?

That's a bit of an evasion.  I have Analytics - I know exactly how many unique readers and hits I get per post.  That's an important part of blogging, and Strictly Average is a moderately successful hobby blog, but it isn't close to being the giant From The Warp is.

How's that for a clumsy introduction?  This story began and ended in the last twelve hours but will ultimately change how I self-edit.  The following is a series of email exchanges between me and Ron, the aforementioned giant.  A la Dethtron/the King/Kirbs, any additional comments I have will be in green.

Cliffnotes version:  I'm going to keep the language clean in the main posts on Strictly Average.  My use of adult language will remain on sites that allow it.

BEGIN TRANSMISSION

Brent said:
Hey Ron,

Warhammer: Moving Skirmishers

So, moving skirmishers is a bit different.  It seems needlessly complicated, but that's probably because it's new.  We're using the cork to illustrate the movement.

Unicorns Don't Exist... Still

Okay, so this is Part the Second.  Jennifer was kind enough to drop a comment.  Let's play, 'Be she female gamer or be she Unicorn?'

In true Dethtron style, my comments are in blue, so you'll have to highlight it to read it.  I didn't want it interfering with her letter.

Jennifer said:

Unicorns Don't Exist... EDITED

One day, when I was stalking Jawaballs - and yes, many of my stories start that way now, just like many of my stories used to start with, "I was drunk in a bar somewhere..." when I was in my twenties - I heard described the mythic Unicorn...

Tau Online: Meltdown, and One Monumental Jerk

It was vaguely interesting, but not much more than that.

I went to Tau Online for the first time today, just to see if there was more to the story, an official word or something.  I repeat, I've never been there before; as a general rule, I don't care much for forums.  I have an account at the BoLS Lounge, but that's it.  I don't think my number of posts has hit double-digits.

So I get there and start reading the first thread.  The meltdown was mildly amusing.  The ranting began, followed by the anger.

Then I was assaulted by a screen full of the most disgusting, perverted images I've ever had the misfortune to see in one place. 

Beastmen Lords and Heroes...

...and a Shaggoth that won't stop hanging around.

(Before we get started, make sure you check out Blood of Kittens today for the real story of Hard Boyz 2009.)

(Also, if you're not reading Lauby Industries, start checking it out!  I owe him a link or three for all the help he's given me with my Not-So-Secret-BoLSCon-Oops-WarGamesCon-Army.)

Blast from the Past, Ork Style

What's there to say?  This isn't something that will see use anytime soon but I used to use it quite a bit back in the day. 

Avoiding Complacency

I've been feeling rather blah lately, for a wide variety of reasons I won't bore you with.

I've done quite a bit... but I can't show you yet, so I may be making it up.  I've completed the first squad of ten, and since I tackled the hardest first the rest should be a breeze.  I'm also working on the display board - and trying to capture the essence of Fritz isn't easy.