Weekend Edition #1

Occasionally in some of the old blogs I used to maintain I would offer a smattering of different things all under the label of “weekend edition,” and since we’ve got the long holiday weekend, and since I haven’t posted in several days, and since I have a whole bunch of little things to talk about, I figured it was time to bring back the "Edition" and put everything in one big posting. So here goes…

Not enough gaming going on…
It’s been a good start to the school year for me (at work) but my schedule, now that summer vacation is done, has been a mess. I never know when or if I can make it over to the LGS, and several plans that I’ve had with friends to play Warmachine have fallen through because of last minute familial chaos (my apologies to those of you out there that I’ve had to ditch at the last minute). The final league of 2009 will bring some stability (because saying “it’s league night” seems to have more gravity at home than “hey, it’s game night") and I’m very much looking forward to the start of it all again.

Can’t see the forest for the…
I’ve been obsessing lately on Orboros, studying what my models can (or can’t) do, which brings me to the topic of forests. My goal before we enter the next round of the CtA League is to have a number of pieces of forest terrain done (keeping my fingers crossed that we will need forests!). I’m using balsa planks for the base, and I have some tree kits that I’ve picked up, so we’ll have to see how it all comes together (six trees that I have to put together myself for the same price as one pre-made tree is a deal I’m willing to make). I’ll be reporting here more about how that little project comes together in the next couple of weeks.

500 vs. 750…

My gaming bud Airport had an idea for a mixed Warmachine vs Hordes match. He’s been very frustrated as of late playing his Khador against any Hordes army, and he wants to try a 750 point Khador list against a 500 point Circle list. I don’t mind an experimental handicap in a casual game, so that’s fine with me, though I should point out that if I lose no one could blame me for it, but if I should win then I'll look like a strategic genius (and Airport will never play against Hordes ever again, I fear). There's something tactically that the both of us are missing when battling against Hordes armies. If Hordes was really as off-balance as he and I feel, then why aren't they more present in the National tourneys?

Needless to say I’ve been doing some heavy list theorizing for this upcoming match. I had a really dominant showing with Morvahna last time out, but I’m not sure I want to play her again so soon. Although I really love Kaya as a warlock (she’s one of the reasons I got into Circle), she’s tricksy to use and I haven’t had a great deal of luck with her. I don’t yet own Kromac (I think he would be great fun to take against Khador), and although I do have Mohsar, he’s more of a Hordes vs. Hordes warlock (the “no channeling spells” part of his feat is the only part usuable against WM forces and that’s pretty limiting IMO). A warbeast heavy force with Mohsar in the lead casting his pillar of salt is very tempting though! Then there’s Baldur, but one of our local PGs likes to use him quite a bit, so I'm hesistant to make a go with him. Then there’s always…

Come the Stormwrath...

I finally picked up Krueger. I haven’t put him together yet, although that’s on the agenda for things to get done this weekend. I’m going to try and make some storm ravager templates for his feat in the coming days. Obviously his whole “lightning” and “storm” theme appeals to this Cygnar player (especially considering the name of my blog). I know several people have cried “broken” in the same sentence that the name “Krueger” is uttered, but he might just do the trick against an overwhelming number of Khador. Not sure yet. Too many decisions to think about. Anyway, that game will be played either this week or next. I’ll try to get pictures and post a report of it afterwards.

Do you like it standing up or lying down?

Keep in mind that I’ve only been modeling and painting WM for a year, so when I say that “I broke my first miniature,” many might say “Really? Just your first?” There was no good excuse for it really. I was moving my Cygnar trays out and putting my Circle trays in (to my Army Transport case), and seeing my Warcaster tray, I grabbed my dear fully-painted Haley to better slobber all over her and SNAP, off came her arm and spear. I’m still a bit in shock over it. She’s standing on my hobby table with these bright metallic nubs (elbows, people, elbows!) where her arms used to be connected.

This got me thinking about a question that has plagued me in the past concerning miniature trays… is there any difference having your miniatures lying down or standing up? My ‘casters are all lying down flat, pretty snug in the tray. I think the snugness might have been one of the reasons Haley’s arm broke off. I also have some trays with miniatures standing up (my Sword Knights and my Bloodtrackers for instance), and they tend to bounce around a little bit more. Standing up I can get a few more miniatures in per tray, but the tray needs to be deeper to accommodate the height, so I’m not sure I’m saving room (in total volume) inside my Army Transport case by doing it that way. So what do you do? Lay them down or stand them up? Which do you like better and why?

Aura vs Pulse.

I was reading the forums the other day and noticed something about the Druids of Orboros Counter Magic spell being a pulse. My irritation is not because I don’t understand the concepts of these two things. If you tell me that Haley’s TB is a pulse (which it is, I know), I understand the game implications of that compared to what it would be if it were (hypothetically) an aura. The thing is, I can’t find anything about it in the rules. Can someone please tell me what page this is on in any of the rule books? I know every game has errata that needs to be fixed, but this seems to be an important game concept, and for it not to have appeared in the rules somewhere seems like an important oversight. I don’t care what’s online or on the forums. Get it in print, i.e. hard copy. (And if it is in print, and I missed it, sorry for the rant; please direct me to the correct page and I will be happy). There’s been too many different rules books published for this not to have appeared somewhere, and I hope Mk II fixes it (I can’t find it in a glossary anywhere either).

Casting the Pod.

My oh my! The Fell Callers hung up their mics and a slew of other podcasts have hit the scene. I don’t mean to make any enemies here - because Fell Calls was the first Warmachine related podcast I ever listened to – but the boys peaked some time ago and I’ve felt they’ve been drifting ever since. I will miss them, surely, but I think it was time for the show to take a bow. In every endeavor there comes a time to make a graceful exit before things get ugly, and I’m happy for the years they gave us and that they were able to go out in somewhat the same style they emerged. Good on ya for that boys!

In listening to the other new podcasts though, there seems to be a habit in the first episode or so of trying to legitimize the effort, to say “here’s why we’re doing this,” and “here’s what’s new and different about our show.” Let me tell you something, if you put together a thought-provoking product with good model/list analysis and strategies, a show that’s fun to listen to, and in which I can tell you’re just as zealous about WM/H as I am, I will be back week after week. Don’t waste your time telling me “why” I should listen to it, just do it and I will be there. Promise.

With that said, I think the guys at Focus and Fury are off to a good start. The overseas podcasts, like Boosted Damage, need to work on their volume levels. One of the fellows sounds like he’s mumbling into the mic and the other one’s voice comes blasting through the speakers. Find an even volume, please. This was one of the reasons why I quit listening to This Week in Wargaming (maybe they have fixed all that now, I can’t say).

I do wish more of you podcasters would mind the coarse language. I like to listen to podcasts in my car, and much of the time I have my son riding with me, which means I can’t listen to some of your shows. Take a note from the D6Generation podcast and get rid of the bad language. The “explicit” tag is NOT a badge of honor, gents.

Everyone have a great weekend!

Red