The Memeing of Christmas

So saw this display in Wal-Mart the other day, and couldn't help myself, what with Games Workshop's Advent theme being the Call of Chaos: 

Another What's that Bit

Today on another what's that bit, we have a power cell to an Aquila Lander.

And happy 16th day of Advent to everybody

Missed a Couple

So, its now the forteenth of December, and I've missed a few of days trying to post every day of Advent.  But not to worry, I'll still shooting for as many posts as I can for the month of December.

Today's article is the start of a new segment for Petersen's Miniatures, 'What's That Bit?'  I personally have had issues with trying to figure out what some extra bits on the sprues I get from Games Workshop are, and so I have decided to write one of these articles up whenever I find a bit that needs a little bit of explaining.

Today's bit is the Teleport Homer.  This can vary slightly from different editions of Warhammer 40,000, but they generally have a consistent look.  I've gotten them out of a Blood Angel's terminator box, and from the Battle for Macragge Boxed set.  Like I said, they're different sizes, but obviously designed the same.

Something New

So, I've started working on something new for me, but a bit older.  I picked up a copy of the Battle for Macragge boxed set.  I've started working on assembly and I have the Space Marine seargent started painting.

On a Rampage

So, our post yesterday got delayed a little by the giant cat monsters that decided to take on the forces of Chaos, but now that that conflict is resolved, we can continue.  Onward to day six of Advent!

Well, this one ended rather ubruptly.  Though not officially a loss, the Helbrute (being played by my five year old), having charged Kranon and shot him once already, landed a hit in the assault phase, Kranon somehow lost in his morale check, and the Hellbrut smashed him again while Kranon was trying to fall back.  So, with Kranon dead and there being no way for the chaos cultist to shut off the Mortis Morkalis, my little one and I called it a loss and went to eat dinner, where she consoled me on my loss.

Battle Report: Crimson Slaughter vs... Crimson Slaughter???

So, welcome again to Petersen's Miniatures, and the fifth day of advent.  I've wanted to do some battle reports, but as my usual gaming group has been busy, I decided to start a series on the Dark Vengeance campaign.  Since the first mission is solo, I won't be needing a rival.  I do warn that for time constraints, this one may be a two part as well.

So, I've gotten the board all set up with some of my favorite scenery bits, and now we have the forces for Dark Vengeance Mission 1: Rampage!  The Hellbrute Mortis Morkalis is in a blind rage and bashing on his fellows, will we survive?

Turn one started off pretty bad for me.  Mortis got the first move and started forward straight for Kranon, the only person that could shut him off, and nailed him with a shot from his melta right off the bat.

And due to cat relate technical difficulties, we will resume tomorrow.

Another Day Down

So, day four of Advent is here and I've got nothing

Old Jacob Marly Never Looked So Good: Part 2

Hello and welcome back on this the third day of Advent.

When we left off yesterday, we'd applied a glaze.

So, if you're not using Citadel paints, a glaze is a little more complicated.  What you'll need is a product called glazing medium.  In all honesty, this is just semi-gloss transparent paint.  You mix it in certain parts with paint and water, usually written on the side of the bottle.  A good band I've used in the past is Americana Glazing Medium (see pic A).

After your glaze dries, it's time to dry brush on a little white.  I used Praxeti White, but any white will do.  This is just a subtle highlight to make folds in fabric and strands of hair on wraith-like creatures pop (see pic 4).

And to finish things up, we apply highlights.  To the skin, Pallid Wych Flesh (or Linen).  The metals, Ironbreaker and Liberator Gold.

And then I've applied some Mephiston Red, Evil Sunz Scarlet, and Fire Dragon Bright to the gems, just to make things stand out and add some Christmas cheer.  Check back tomorrow for some more Christmas minis merriment

Old Jacob Marly Never Looked So Good: Part 1

So, its the second day of our countdown here on Petersen's Miniatures, and today I'd like to discuss ghosts, as in chain carrying spectres in a Christmas Carol, and an easy method to paint them.

I'll be using Citadel paints, but I'll also show some methods of using other paints and mediums to achieve similar effect.

Firstly, you need a spectre to paint.  I've had an old Warhammer Fantasy Battle Banshee waiting around for a tutorial, so we'll start there.

Then you have to base coat her white.  I've used corax white spray (pic 1), but any true white, or something similar, should do.

Then you get all your base colors in place.  Golds, gunmetals, and pale flesh tones help with the wight look.  If your following with Citadel paints, I've used Rakarth Flesh, Leadbelcher and Balthazar Gold (pic 2).

And now for the serious part.  For those with Citadel paints, it's as simple as grabbing a large brush and bathing the mini in Waywatcher Green glaze (pic 3).

Now the rest will have to wait for tomorrow, where I'll show you how to glaze without Citadel glazes, and what the the final details are.

Happy Advent

So Advent begins today, and with it I hope to get a few more articles up on the site.  What do you guys want to read, though?  Battle reports?  Paint guides?  Product reviews?  Let me know in the comments.

Quick Pic: Barrow Wight

So, here is yet another quick pic.  I hope to get a few posts up soon with actual galleries, but that requires a little more time.

So, in this installment of quick pic, I've got a Lord of the Rings Barrow Wight, one of my favorite creepy undead models.

Wasn't Expecting a Board Game

So, the betrayl at Calth boxed set goes on preorder tomorrow, and I was a bit surprised by the White Dwarf revelation that it is in fact a board game.  I think a lot of fans of the thirty first millenium were expecting a whole new line of official GW miniatures, with new rules and expansions.  But instead we get something possibly closer to the Execution Force game we saw earlier this year; exclusive minis, and a side game to boot.  Honestly, with all the hype, I didn't see this coming.

Disappointment in Many Forms

So the new Battle Tome for Age of Sigmar is out now and it features none other than the Lizardmen, I mean Seraphon, as one of the forces of Order.  This would have been awesome, if it weren't for the same problem that has plagued much of the Age of Sigmar since its beginning.  The story sucks.

The Lizardmen were a faction I was interested in starting when the End Times worked itself into full swing, even with it's mediocre coverage in the world ending conflict of Warhammer Fantasy.  They seemed interesting to me.  Jungle dwellers of a far off continent, with barbaric yet technologically advanced ways.  The Lizardmen had mystique and allure, an interesting story.

And then they disappeared.  Quite literally according to the Age of Sigmar dogma.  No one knew where they had gone, they just vanished.  And now, out of the blue, Games Workshop brings them back as the Seraphon.  The Seraphon, though, aren't the cool jungle dwellers with hidden wisdom that the Lizardmen had.  No, they are immortal, vengeful, star-dwelling daemons of pure celestial energy that calculate everything down to the last iota, transformed from dust motes that flew up into the heavens to escape the burning of the Old World (White Dwarf issue 92).  In other words, they are aliens from space.

Now, if I want to play a game based on high fantasy, I like a little bit of technology, but space aliens are something I like to avoid.  I have 40k for that, and that is where they belong.  This, this is something that points out how in a game where what side you choose has a heck of a lot to do with your favorite bits of fluff, bad story can ruin an army.  Under Warhammer Fantasy, I would have played the Lizardmen, in Age of Sigmar, I won't be playing the Seraphon.  They seem just a little to convoluted for my taste.

Another New Game

So, I was just wandering the internets a little while ago looking through war game related things and stumbled on this little gem.  I don't know why, but I just really like the look of it.  If anybody knows anything about Dropzone Commander, let me know if its any good.

Day of the Dead

A quick pic in celebration of the Day of the Dead, here is a Spirit Host.  He's not quite done, as the base needs to be completed, but the host itself is finished.

Cadian Quickpic

So, here is one of my earlier paint jobs for my Cadian IG army in Warhammer 40k.  I think I've decided not to put pupils on the eyes.

Increase in Scenery (Rules)

So, I've been playing most of Games Workshop ' titles for a while now, and I've noticed an increase in the roles that scenery play in games.  First it was the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game, with things like the pool of Galadriel, and Saruman's Palantir.  Then scenery really started to play a big roll in Warhammer 40000, creating a whole new type of mission; Strong h old assualt.  And now the Age of Sigmar has general rules for all scenery, and special rules for the kits you buy.

For someone like me, who is nuts over scenery kits, and loves to build his own scenery, this is awesome, but I do wonder if this adds a layer of complexity that most don't want to deal with.  What are your thoughts?

New Author + some minis!

Hello there, I'm Josh, a longtime gamer and hobbyist. I dabble in quite a few miniature games, though my most sizable force is for Warmachine. Beyond that, I love making terrain and finding a good balance between beautiful and functional. Too much terrain is either one side of the spectrum (like a flat shape cut out of felt) or the other (a piece that is over-complicated and doesn't allow minis to realistically stand on or fight over it).

When painting, one of my favorite things is worn, rusty paintjobs, and as such, I would like to present one of my favorite (and certainly the largest!) I have done: the Khadoran Conquest from Warmachine:

A Second Chance?

In an unprecedented change in regular behavior, Games Workshop will be re-issuing something originally put on a limited run.  The Tau Tidewall Rampart will be brought back, though it'll be a little different than the initial release box.  Each part of the Rampart (the drone port, the shield walls, the canon) will be sold seperately, allowing you to extend an existing rampart or build a new one.

*Caution* Rumour

So, this is risky for me, cause I don't yet have a reliable, established source for game information, but one of the stockists I frequent let slip that GW maybe ending Age of Sigmar already.  Which is actually terrible, since I have just found people to play against.  Maybe they'll bring back good ol' Warhammer?  Not likely, but we could hope.  I'll report back if anything more solid comes up.

Finally Something Different

It's obvious I'm not the only one who is miffed by the fact that Games workshop doesn't make scenery kits for any race other than the Imperium.  On sale today for the first time every is a scenery kit for the Tau empire, and it sold out before 10am PST here where I live.  I'm only able to get my hands on one by the grace of a pre-order from my local Games Workshop stockist.  I'm hoping that this brings in a whole new line of fortresses and equipment for the other races of the 40k universe.

Another New Game

I have this good friend, Jon, who always finds odd games and geek stuff for me.  So the other day he brought over the source book for a miniatures game that is new to me.  Its been around for a while but some how slipped past my radar.

The game is Relic Knight, and it looks interesting, though the fan service in the miniatures is a little over the top in my opinion.  The rules look simple enough, and the price point is good (currently, you can purchase all the pieces in a single faction for around $200 - $250).

So I'll ask, has anyone played Relic Knight?  I'm interested in hearing how the game plays, so leave me some feedback in the comments.

New Tau Battlesuits, Love'm or Leave'm

So, up front, I'll be honest, I don't play Tau.  I love the backstory, and I dream of building a Farsight Enclaves army some day, but in my current financial future it's not likely.

But with that clear, I have to start the discussion, the new KV128 Stormsurge, and the KV 95 Stormkeel, what do you think?

Honestly, I see the Stormsurge working best in pairs, with different weapon layouts.  One would fire distance and the other would cover close range threats to the group.

On the Ghostkeel I have to say this suit would be awesome to deploy if I saw more realistic battlefields played on.  Sadly, his base alone would make that difficult, as too much terrain makes it difficult to move units this size.

Quickpic

So, I hope to make this a regular feature.  Quickpic will showcase recent paint jobs my associates and I have finished.

Today's quickpic is a Crimson Slaughter Chaos Space Marine!

Age of Sigmar Review

So I hung out with my friend Casey last night and we played our first match of the new Warhammer: Age of Sigmar.  It wasn't a scenario match or anything special, just a skirmish, but it illuminated some things.  And after a an awesome battle of my Skaven versus Casey's High Elves (we both only have old school Warhammer armies still), I feel much better now about the direction  AoS is taking things.  Don't get me wrong, some of the rules are still dumb, but the game plays a lot better than I had originally feared.

Right off the bat, I noticed that magic was simpler.  Not dumber, just simpler.  And some of the extra abilities, like my engineseer being able to pump his warp lightning, won me the game.

Also, movement works more like Warhammer 40k, which I think makes the game a little more approachable for the crowd that plays that.  Life is a little easier if you don't have learn more rules than you have to.

And one more thought; we kept to the old-fashioned party lines for our armies, Casey kept to his High Elves, and I stayed Skaven, but I look forward to mixing armies together in future games.

In fact, the only thing that did bug me was the feeling that you can't get the full effect of some units unless you buy more than just the base  box.  I fielded two warscrolls of Skaven Clanrats at twenty rats apiece, figuring that would give me more mobility as they would all have to stay bunched together.  Well, one of their special abilities doesn't even activate until you field 30 Clanrats in a single unit.

In closing, I really enjoyed my first game of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, and I look forward to facing Casey again with even more rats.  So stay tuned for more mayhem soon.

A Need for New Cases

As I am on vacation this week, I feel like there is a serious need for scenery transporting cases.  I had intentions of bringing along miniatures to do battle, but could not find a way to transport my scenery effectively.  That's got me thinking on ways to build cases for scenery. Anybody have any ideas?

Pointed to a New Game

So, my sister is into tabletop war gaming as well and today showed off her collection of Distopia Wars to me.  I haven't had a chance to check out the rules yet, but from what she's told me and what I've peeked at online, I may have to build an army.

A Quick Pic

So, here is a quick Space Wolves pic for fans.  I'm working on finishing up this army soon.

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar

So I hate for my first new post to be a rant, but everyone online seems to be posting a similar sentiment, so I'll put n my two cents.  I have just gotten back into collecting Warhammer Fantasy Battle with the Island of Blood boxed set, and wanted to get my hands dirty with the End Times, but no such luck.  They really were the end times.

What this has to do with Age of Sigmar is simple; it's not Warhammer.  As much as Games Workshop wants this to be a continuation of Warhammer, it's set so far in that galaxy's future, it might as well be Warhammer 40000.  Gameplay, storyline, and player base are all different, and as much risk as this is, it does seem like they replaced it with something better.

We, as an international community, are just coming back from an 8 year recession, and a hobby with as high a cost of entry as Warhammer was bound to suffer.  A lot of people pulled back on their purchases, and just went with there core hobby.  For a lot of us that is Warhammer 40000.  But now that times are doing better, and with an epic campaign set and models like the End Times, many tabletop gamers were reaching out for the first time in years and buying new units for Fantasy Battle.  It just seems ill  timed to end the game so soon after the End Times and leave so many who had purchased new armies in a lurch.

So, I'll wait a little longer and see how the Age of Sigmar pans out.  I may even buy the boxed set, but I will always pine for the days of yor when real armies clashed and the dollar didn't win you every game.

A New Beginning

So, with personal issues abounding and no end of trouble, I've had to set some of my personal goals on the back burner for a while.  As consolation and stress management, I've taken back up the hobby of tabletop gaming, and since I love to talk, and by extension, write, here is my blog on one of my favorite hobbies.