Editorial: Evil Homer and the IT Army

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

I've mentioned that before, right?

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

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

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

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

I doubt he ever will be.

Warmachine Tournament: Game I

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

Setup...

Top Tip: Basing on the Go!

Bigger Barrera's Custom Sculpts

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

Amon Ad-Raza

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

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

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

Team Tournament Round III: Finally!

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

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

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

Not Brent Presents: Not GW and Not Warmachine, III

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


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

Not Brent Presents: Not GW and Not Warmachine, II

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


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


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


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

Not Brent Presents: Not GW and Not Warmachine

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


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

Top Tip: Evil Homer Edition

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

Two Warmachine Games!

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

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

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

Little Barrera's Warmachine Mercs...

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

Just a couple of random pictures to share today.

My current 25pt army.  I'm extremely satisfied with it: it has defensive and offensive weapons, great synergy, and a nifty Feat turn.  

As I've mentioned, we're all new to Warmachine, so any experienced player out there, feel free to critique.

Team Tournament: Game Two

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

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

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

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

Team Tournament: Game One (How Did Whit and I Do?)

Last week Everyone's Brother From Another Mother Big Whit and I teamed up to take on all comers at the Comic Asylum Team Tournament.  It was a three-round event with 750 points per player.

Let's take a look at Game One.

Right Flank.

On Blogging Part IX: Jawaballs Salutes Brent!

"Stop!" says the little white dude, who appealed to Brent because of his obvious digital-ness.  "Go no further, lest thee see something thine eyes would fain look past!"  What adult content lurks in this innocuous post?

Ah!  I see Jawa's head!

Reader Feedback:: GLBT... Oh, My!

On Unicorns and Holidays <---Original Article Link
(What follows is a letter from a reader, and it's by far the nicest feedback I've yet to receive.)

I've taken a few months off from the gaming Blogoshpere and its inherent drama.  My interest in gaming stuff sort of goes in cycles that last a couple months before something else distracts me for a while lol.

So, I've been poking around the forums and Blogs to see if I missed anything worthwhile - and it looks like I did!

The open mindedness in your Unicorns and the Holidays was pretty damn refreshing. I think its a fair stereotype to apply, that the gaming community in general is pretty limited in their scope of social graces. Not only did you address the typical awkwardness girl gamers endure, but you expanded on that to include the GLBT portion of our little niche world.

Not many guys have the balls to do that, and not many guys in the gaming world can earn my respect with a single blog post - but you did.

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

And, your Protectorate stuff is looking pretty sweet (even through my bias for Merc and Cryx stuff ;) )

Take care,
Isabelle

People are it, the big enchilada - the only thing going.  There is nothing more interesting than We The People... in all our beautiful, ugly glory!  It's probably why I do what I do for a living; it's certainly why this is my hobby.  Thanks for making my day, Isabelle!

Video Battle Report: The One That Got Away From Me

What can I say?  This is the video that took on a life of its own - I didn't even bother to edit it, that's how unworkable it is!

It's funny though, and the game is good.  Just don't watch if you prefer your words rated PG; while the adult language isn't used that much, you've been warned.

Oh, and Da Warboss?  Sorry in advance - I'm not sure why the Professor decided to poke fun at you.  Over and over and over...

Lady Luck is a... Bud?

Maybe I am just lucky?

The Number of the Brent

A 4 and four 6's...

These are two pics taken from yesterday's Team Tournament at the Comic Asylum in Richardson, Texas.  My partner, Everyone's Brother From Another Mother, Big Whit, doesn't like it when I snap pics of lucky dice rolls - he's worried the luck will run out - but I couldn't resist taking these.

My friends are always on about my luck, which I've quietly laughed off, believing as I do that one makes one's own luck... but what if I'm wrong?

Am I just... lucky?

Yet Another 4-Way...

...game.  (Sicko.)

"I Can't Say Yours Is Great... But It's Certainly Not Better"

The Master Manipulator (every store needs one) is chock full of slightly denigrating compliments - it's a part of his charm.

The title quote refers to the Games Workshop's New Storm Raven as compared to my Storm Buster, the Gun Shy.

Painting Warmachine

I'm pretty busy working on tomorrow's Bell of Lost Soul's article, which is by far the most labor-intensive to date, but I have time to drop a few pics here at Strictly Average.  As most of you probably figured out, I'm on hiatus painting GW minis until I can choose what to concentrate on.

The current leader is my Dark Eldar army... which I guarantee uses units nobody else is touching right now... and I think will be rock hard!  Fun stuff.

Menoth Vs Legion (And... the New Face of Evil?)

I'm playing Sam-I-Am in a game of Warmachine/Hordes.  But, before we begin and without further ado...

Yes, he's making a face.  Evil is unapologetic.

is this the new face of evil?  Little Barrera, the Mighty Kibitzer.  He may well be!

Video Battle Report: Chaos Vs Imperium Team Game

The only 40K I've been playing in the last month has been in preparation for a team tournament at the Comic Asylum.  Here's Game III, where Big Whit and I test our new ideas against the Mighty Mighty Carlos and the Professor.

I actually have reservations about showing this video with the tournament only a week or so away; I know at least a few dudes who'll compete read this blog... but I'm a slave to the Blogosphere.  What can I say?

So it's Daemons and Chaos Space Marines Vs Blood Angels and Flesh Tearers... and be warned, there's *SELF-EDIT* involved.

The Choir is Finished...

Menoth Versus... (Two Battle Reports)

Here's a brief rundown of the Warmachine games I played at the local store on Friday.  I managed to pull out a win in both, but this game isn't one where you can ever feel completely comfortable until it's over!

I won't overwhelm these games with excessive notes; frankly, I'm still learning the names of all my opponent's units and abilities!  If you've not played Mark II, the rules themselves are easy but they're modified by the numerous special abilities and spells each unit and Warcaster has available.  It's this aspect which gives the game its tactical depth - heck, even switching Warcasters can make the same army play in a completely different style... which is perhaps my favorite part of the game.

I welcome any experienced player's ideas and input.  In fact, I'll be disappointed if you don't!

Warmachine! Again(x3)!

Yea, there's been a lot of Warmachine these last few weeks.  I get that my audience is largely GW, largely 40K, but I've really been enjoying Mark II...

...and ultimately Strictly Average has always been about what I'm doing.  I save the larger articles for Bell these days, just to avoid burnout - with the odd exception thrown in as I feel inspired!

Wyatt never did drop by to mock my take on Thunderfire Cannons.  Maybe he's being nice or something!

Warmachine! Again! Again!

Lordy but it was a long week!  Orientation everywhere isn't the easiest thing in the world; the work week only goes by quickly when you've become used to it.

Nobody gets used to orientation!  Still, I need some hobby time, so I'm off to the flgs to play some Warmachine.

I'll do an update tomorrow now that I've got a 25 point army painted up.

Taking the Bait: Dishing 'Advice'

I started the new job this week - yea me.  The money is okay but the benefits are unreal.

Yes, I sold out.  Big Brother is watching me.  I work for the State.

Strictly Average is taking a bit of a backseat this week since it'll take me a bit to develop new blogging routines, but I did want to take a moment to address some questions.  The last post was one of those awesome rarities: the comments were far more interesting than the article.

Not because articles are universally great but because comments are hard to come by.  People live busy lives; they'll read your stuff, but they're probably not slowing down to chat about it - that's true of every blog.

By the way... King: You're always free to comment with whatever is on your mind!  I know where it comes from, so don't sweat it, my man. 

On All This Internet Advice (and New Years Reflection)

I normally don't do it: provide analysis on armies or units, I mean.

It's not that I can't, it's that I'm not really suited for it.  You see, I have an almost religious belief that's it's a huge, colossal waste of time.

(A quick note: I started this article intending it for Bell of Lost Souls, but pretty quickly decided it wouldn't work.  Those things which made it interesting weren't appropriate for the main page, like the sidebar rants and personal reflections... not to mention the YTTH links and the Not Brent rant!  The readers here might be interested, but I can't pretend the Blogosphere at large would.)

Brent's We Need a List, List: May I Waste Your Time Too?

*...and key music*

• Others already do it (better).
• The Blogosphere only pretends to embrace opinion.
• Who reads between the lines?
• What works for one...
• It's best to come by knowledge through hard work.

Let's break it down!