Sunday, August 30, 2009 

Painting for PAX

With PAX only four days away, my preparations have kicked into overdrive. I've have a ton of office work to get done before can I go, and I still have a bunch of painting I'd like to get done as well. Given that, my free time this weekend was all about speed painting.

First off, I'm signed up to play in a couple of different Living Forgotten Realms RPGA sessions. I'm not usually a Realms fan (I'd rather play Eberron or Pathfinder), so I wanted to play something straightforward that I had a good sense for the lore - which for me means dwarves. I can't quite decide what class to play yet (I'm torn between Paladin, Warlord or Cleric) but I knew I wanted a good-looking mini to put on the table.

I was surprised how hard it was to find a good dwarf model (especially considering that I was limited to what I could find locally - as I have no time left to order anything.) I finally settled on one of the Warhammer Fantasy Runelord models. Warhammer dwarves are a little shorter than I'd like, so I mounted him on a fancy Micro Art Studio resin base. I painted him up in just under a couple of hours. Now that I see it in the photo, there are a few little details that I need to touch up, but all in all, I like him, and I think he'll serve me well on the table - especially when put up against the cheap plastic WotC miniatures.

I also put the finishing touches on a lance of battlemechs I've been working on from the BattleTech Introductory Boxed Set. I'd like to have all of the mechs needed the three introductory missions painted up for PAX, but we'll see how far I get. This group represents the mechs required for one side to play the first couple of missions. I'd like to get the opponent mechs painted as well (red, of course, so we can have some iconic Red vs. Blue action.)

275 tons of 1-inch tall plastic fury.

On an unrelated note: Thursday night some folks at my local game store were playing a demo copy of the new Space Hulk, and I have to admit, I was impressed. The game has some nice production values and really great "table appeal." I never played the original, but watching them play this one, I found myself really wanting to pick it up. It might just be able to scratch the 40K itch without having to actually play 40K! Just what I need - another game.


The new Space Hulk. The minis look really great.

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6:46 PM | |

Thursday, August 27, 2009 

Epic Nemo vs. Kaelyssa

I finally made it back to my FLGS tonight for my first game in a while, and in turn, I'm filing my first battle report in a good long time. This time I was playing Bobaferret's Retribution of Scyrah army that she brought back with her from GenCon. I have to admit, I'm a little intimidated by the Retribution, but at the same time, I figure if they have a mouth-hole, I know where to shoot them.

Here is what the the lists looked like:

My Cygnar Army (745 pts, 27 VPs)
  • Epic Nemo
  • Ol' Rowdy (bonded)
  • Centurion
  • Lancer
  • Squire
  • Journeyman Warcaster
  • Gun Mage Captain Adept
  • Gun Mages + Officer
  • Sword Knights (8) + UA
  • Rupert Carvolo
  • Stormsmiths (x3)
Retribution Army (746pts, 24 VPs)
  • Kaelyssa, Night's Whisper
  • Hydra
  • Gorgon
  • Gorgon
  • Epic Eiryss
  • Narn
  • Dawnguard Sentinels (10)
  • Dawnguard Invictors (8)
  • Dahlia Hallye & Skarath
  • Aiyana & Holt
This is my first time playing eNemo, so this list is a bit of an experiment. I wanted to be somewhat 'jack heavy, because Nemo has the tools to make them awesome. The Stormsmith's elite cadre status makes them a must - not only does the extra damage make them dangerous, it also seems highly likely that I might need to deal with some sneaky, high defense stuff (also why the GMCA is in there). Sword Knights are a staple, and the Gun Mages are quickly becoming a new favorite with their UA.

Deployment

Turn 1: I run, pushing my army upfield as quickly as possible. Thanks to eNemo's Energize spell, my 'jacks are finally able to keep up with the infantry (Even the Centurion!) The GMCA rolls snake eyes when he tries to take out Eiryss, and suddenly feels very exposed. Jr. throws an Arcane Shield on him while Nemo puts Polarity Shield on the Sword Knights. Rupert also pipes Heroic Call, making them tough.

Bobaferret opens her turn by rolling snake eyes with Eiryss, making us wonder if it is going to be one of those games. This ends up hurting her worse then I would have guessed - she was hoping to take Polarity Sheild off the the sword knights so Narn could charge his way all the way to Nemo. With that still up, he can't quite make it. The rest of her army just advances, and Boy Toy starts to shoot up Ol' Rowdy. Kaelyssa pops her feat giving everything in her control area stealth and denying me the charge next turn.

The end of Turn 1

Turn 2: Rowdy advances (again, with the help of Energize) into the Invictors and uses his quake hammer to knock all but one of them down. He proceeds to kill a pair of them. On the opposite flank, the Centurion kills off a pair of Sentinels. The Piper plays March to give the Sword Knights the extra movement they need to walk up the front lines, and I manage to kill off five more Sentinels and another Invictor, thanks to the Lancer providing Flank. The GMCA shoots Eiryss right in the face-hole, but doesn't quite kill her, so a Stormsmith has to help him finish the job. The other two Stormsmiths fail to kill Narn, so I have to commit an entire unit of Gun Mages to do the job (which ends up being okay - everything else has Stealth this turn anyway...)

Bobaferret retaliates by killing half of the sword knights and the UA leader with Sentinels and a nasty spray attack from Skarath. Aiyana casts Harm on Ol' Rowdy, and then everyone picks on him: He takes shots from Holt, a CRA from the Invictors, and a shot from Kaelyssa, piling on the damage. Thanks to dynamic capacitor, I am able to choose which column that takes the damage, and I manage to keep him alive (just barely!) with only one open box on each system.

End of turn 2. Only four invictors stand between Ol' Rowdy and Kaelyssa.

Turn 3: I really consider just trampling my way to her warcaster, but as I look at it, I don't think Rowdy could survive it. Still, I load him up with five focus (thanks to his bond), figuring I can always pull it back with Focus Matrix if I need to. If I don't do something with him this turn, he's dead for sure.

First, I kill off the Gorgon engaging the Lancer - If my Ol' Rowdy plan doesn't work, I'm going to use him to spell her to death after I pop Nemo's feat and reload him with focus... Hopefully it won't get that far. The Gun Mages advance, and use Ricochet shots to clean out the Invictors that lie in between Ol' Rowdy and the enemy warcaster. With the Invictors out of the way, Rowdy charges. At a DEF 16 Kaelyssa might be hard to hit, but with five focus I should be able to get it done. Thanks to Gung Ho, I charge for free, boosting the first attack roll. I hit with a critical, dealing 13 wounds and knocking her down. The second buckler attack now auto hits, and with a boosted damage roll it is enough to kill her. Ol' Rowdy FTW!

With only one box left in each system, Ol' Rowdy arrives with five focus to crush Kaelyssa!

Final thoughts: The extra mobility that eNemo and the Piper brought to my army was critical to engaging and killing off a good chunk of infantry in the second turn. The Gun Mage's ricochet shots were also huge in allowing me to open up the game-winning charge lane for the kill. Nemo's polarity shield kept me from eating an early charge, and more importantly, it denied Narn that little bit of extra movement he would have needed to get all the way to Nemo in turn 2.

As far as the Retribution: they are going to be amazing. It feels like they have managed to take the best part of each faction - they have the sword knight's "battle buddy" and Flank, great ranged attacks combined with good melee on the same model, they have weapon masters, and warjacks with strong melee and ranged options. They have stealth, and units with the Circle-like mobility to move through your army. The only downside I saw is that the Myrmidons seem soft - if you can deal a concentrated burst of damage (like a unit of sword knights with a UA can) they go down fast. I also found myself liking the models much more in person that I did from the previews - that is a good looking army. In all, I'm impressed, and I would almost consider picking them up if I wasn't pretty sure that everyone else and their dog will be playing them as well.

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9:39 PM | |

Monday, August 24, 2009 

PAX Approaches!

It's almost time for PAX! Last year was my first time at the show (PAX Cherry!) but this year I plan to be back with a vengence. For me, PAX is a chance to hang out until 3 in the morning and play games with a lot of like-minded folks, and play some games that I might otherwise not get around to playing. So what's on tap this year? I'm rolling in with a suitcase full of gaming goodness! Here's what is coming with me:

Living Forgotten Realms: I'm going to be playing in my first RPGA event while at PAX, and a buddy and I are signed up for a couple of different sessions. I've been running a game of D&D on-and-off for the last few years, but I haven't been on the player's side of the DM screen in almost 20 years. I'm realtively new to 4E, having just switched over about a month back, but I think I have a good enough handle on it for this kind of deal. Other than that, I have no idea what to expect from this format, but it should be a good time.




BattleLore: I picked this game up a good while back, but I haven't really had a chance to put through it's paces. It's a nice balance of board game and war game, with a slick card mechanic for orders and tactics and a simple dice mechanic for resolving combat. It really seems like a great "in between" game to play with friends who have some interest in pushing around little men, but not the patience or inclination for full-fledged miniature gaming. You can check out my first impression way back here.


Cutthroat Caverns: "Without teamwork, you will never survive. Without betrayal, you’ll never win." A simple card game that puts the players in the role of an adventuring party that has discovered the "Sacred Item of Unimaginable Marvel" - and of course, you each want it for your own. Unfortunately, nine monsters (randomly drawn from an encounter deck) stand between you and the exit to the dungeon. If you don't work as a team, you won't have the horsepower to make it out, but if you don't backstab the others at just the right moment, you can't claim the prize for yourself. It's straightforward screw-thy-neighbor gaming at it's best.


Infernal Contraption: This is a game I bought at PAX last year in the Privateer Press booth. It's definately a beer and pretzels affair, but is surprisingly fun to play. Another card game, this one has you trying to assemble an "infernal contraption" with the goal of forcing your opponent to consume all of his resources (cards) before you run out of cards yourself. This quickly became our go-to game inbetween events.






Battletech: An old favorite that I haven't played since I was a teenager. This is the granddaddy of big, stompy robot games, and is an interesting mix of board game, wargame and RPG. The game itself has had some rough years, passing from FASA to FanPro, and ultimately to Catalyst Games Labs. The good news is that Catalyst seems to be doing well by the series, and has put out a Introductory Boxed Set that is a great introduction to the game. (You you read my impressions the boxed set, along with my glowing fanboyism here)




And that's about it - and that should be plenty. I think it's going to be a great geek party - they have already sold out all of the three day passes (something like 75,000 passes!) and the daily passes are going fast.

9 days until PAX.

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10:45 PM | |

Friday, August 21, 2009 

Summer Recap

It’s been too long since I’ve posted, so I figured I better check in. Summer is finally wrapping up, having been full of family vacations, camping trips and all the other wonderful things that come along with daylight that lasts until 10 at night. It’s been an awesome summer – We spent a week in the Sawtooth Mountains camping, went whitewater rafting by Jackson Hole, I took up kayaking, and I’ve managed to get back into the best shape I’ve been in for ten years. I also managed to get on a much more regular play schedule (with the exception of the last few weeks), making it down to my FLGS more often than not for Thursday Night Warmachine. The additional practice has been great, although Ireally need to get more stuff assembled and painted and try out some new options.

Unfortunately, I’ve accomplished almost nothing on the hobby front this summer. I’ve only painted a couple of models, and I know I’m falling seriously behind. I really wanted to have my entire Cygnar army painted by the end of the year (in time for MK II), but I’ll just have to see if that can still happen. Other that that, I’ve been trying to keep branching out, and learning my warcasters. Here is a quick recap of my Warmachine summer:

I’ve been playing quite a bit with eStryker, and I’m starting to get a handle on him. At first, I was a little too myopic on setting up his assassination run, and probably not getting enough out of the rest of my army. I’ve started running the Gun Mages with him, and they offer a board control/threat quality seem to be a good combination with him.

Of course, when running eStryker, the Stormblades feel almost required, and I’ve been working hard to make them perform. At first, I kept trying to use the "advanced move" that they get from the elite cadre to give them a head start, but whenever I lead with them they seem to get wiped out before I really get any mileage out of them. I’ve had much better luck deploying them behind a Precursor Knight screen, and using that to deliver them (they can still fire lightning blasts through the PKs thanks to kneel). Then, the PKs will either get off the initial charge or absorb it, and as they either push through or evaporate, the Stormblades are set up for a counter charge or a follow up strike. I’ve also done the same to good effect with Trenchers (which does allow you to take advantage of the advanced move). This “Stormblade delivery system” approach seems to be working, and all in all the list seems to be getting stronger.


I also played my first 1,000-point game about a month back. It was an epic affair that pitted my pStryker and pHaley vs. eDoomshaper and Calandra on a really tight “urban” map with a river passing through the center and two bridges. I managed to win that one, but in the process, I acquired a burning hatred for Callandra’s Starcrossed spell. That spell is balls. Even with that, I’ve had a good record vs. Trolls. I think their medium bases give my shooty Cygnar armies somewhat of an unfair advantage – I always get LOS to something, and sometimes you feel almost dirty shooting them up.

Like everyone else, I’ve had the opportunity to face off against the new Bastions a couple of times. They are impressive models and very cool looking, but they aren’t as bad as all talk they are getting. My first game I managed to kill them all off in the first couple turns – which I think is the key – don’t let them get into you too deeply. I started to using a block of Precursors to engage them – the Bastions kill the first rank, then my second rank uses Morrow’s Name and March for an extra attack, doing some hellacious damage in return. They are definitely a tough nut to crack – so tough in fact that you have to have a strategy for them from the start of the game – but nowhere near as bad as Trollkin Champions, which I still have never managed to kill off thanks to their tough rolls. Hell, I’m usually lucky if I can kill half the unit of Champs.

Speaking of tough rolls – the highpoint of my summer games came a few weeks back in a game against Calandra – I had an overloaded eStryker on her just wailing away. She was knocked down, so I was auto-hitting and rolling POW23 overloaded damage rolls, but she kept making tough checks. I’m spending focus for extra attacks, and she just keeps rolling tough rolls! By this point, we’ve got the entire game store around our table cheering every time I spend a focus and she rolls another tough check. Finally, on the sixth check (and my last point of focus!) she fails! eStryker FTW!

So, that’s my summer so far. With August coming to an end and the kids heading back to school, I’m planning to get back to blogging and painting on a much more regular schedule. PAX is only a few weeks away, and my excitement is building! I’ll be taking my iPhone and trying to provide complete mobile coverage of the show. I’m taking a suitcase full of games (more on that in my next post) and I’m already signed up for two RPGA D&D session. Hope you all had a great summer - It’s good to be back!

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11:18 AM | |