Short Hiatus

Hello everyone.

Sorry to do this, but I'm going to have to take a short break from this blog. I'm going through some personal stuff right now, and probably won't be able to make this week's post. Best case scenario because I will be too busy Friday-Sunday to post anything.
Worst case, I'll be off for the next week or two.

So, this is just an apology and a heads up to everyone. I hope you'll forgive me, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all bright and early on the 5th September.

Volodanti out.

IT'S MAGIC!

So, yes, not what I had planned for this week, but sadly my painting has been minimal, and since I'm out tonight (hence the super early post; working sucks) I won't get a chance to finish my progect quickly and show y'all... so, instead, I thought that I'd write about the thing that distracted me so much I barely painted a sword this week:

Magic: The Gathering.

Yes, sorry to all my wargaming fans - this is not necessarily the post for you. I'd probably advise you to scroll back a year or so and check out IN SPACE! - that's been a favourite in the community (such as it were) and probably more to your liking...

... To those who do care though; I have spent this week doing little but playing Magic; either around a coffee-table at my friend's, or online via Duels: Origins. Which has been getting a bad press from some of the longer running fans of the franchise - which I can understand - but for newcomers like myself it's a real boon for learning the rules and getting a grip on the workings of it.

It must be said, I've got a lot more into it this last month or so, and I'm starting to figure out some of the better combinations, and how to not suck. That being said, I'm still not good. I'm just better. And buying a deckbuilder's toolkit was one of my better decisions, seeing as it's let me branch out from my starter box (blue-green M15 for those who care).

So, what've I learnt? Well, most important thing is - pick a win condition, and build around that. The problem I was facing most was that I knew vaguely about what each colour did, but didn't know - or didn't care - how that translated to a victory. So, white did life-gain, black did removal, green did ramping, blue did counter and red... alright, lightning bolt actually works here.

But, the thing was, I did those, cos I knew that's what I was supposed to do... without considering how to win with it. The first deck that I made from scratch was a blue control deck, packed to the teeth with blockers, counter-spells, and tappers... with no idea how to win. I could prolong a game, sure, and really annoy my friends... but I could never win.

Then, I tried to make a red-blue artifact deck; Thopters All Up In Here. And it was funny, but ultimately pointless, in the way that only relying solely on 1-1 fliers to win me the game can be.

... and then I made a green rush deck, and realised the error of my ways. A couple cards to help my mana-curve, a few big creatures and the occasional pump spell and I was in business.

... At least part of this I have to attribute to Duels: Origins. That taught me a lot more about building a deck than it had an right to. But, having several games a week IRL certainly helps too...

... So, what've I made since? A Red burn deck (obviously), a white artifact deck, and a blue mill deck... which needs more mill. A lot more. But I'm learning, and I'm getting better.

And, I've just made you all read a long post about stuff you already knew. So, ha, I win!

... but seriously - anyone else who's just starting out; pick your win condition, and stick to it. Just putting in cards you like won't win you the game; make sure they're cards that have a purpose.

Cheers for reading, and wish me luck for the time ahead (three weeks short-staffed).

Volodanti out.

Ave Imperator! ... Again.

Hello again, and the surprise I promised is here - my Romans! Yes, I finally caved to the pressure, and bought a Tactical Squad to make into my little fluff army... well, fluff ten-men. It was to be my swan-song to 40k, because as I said a while back, I had no intention of buying anything else from a company that thinks £50 is fair for ten assault marines.

... and then I started making them, and dear sweet Emperor, I have missed it.

I love the PP models, they have a fantastic aesthetic, and are almost a pleasure to paint... but I'm not a painter. I can paint - if nothing else, reading this blog from start to finish will show you exactly how far I've come... but, painting for me is a job. It can be fun, depending on the model, but building GW kits... I've always just loved that. And, while I'm not a good sculptor (though I am working on it), nor the best at pinning... plastic, that I can work with. And, I like to think, I am good at picking out the flow of a model, and making good poses.

But, enough tooting my own flute, lets have a look shall we?

So, here's the family - divided into two squads. I'd planned on making just one, but... I dunno, this is technically a legal army (with Pertinax), so, I kinda wanted to go for that. Plus, meant more interesting characters.

Speaking of which - here's one of them. A nice, simple sergeant, with a little greenstuff to join the two bits of crest. The back - and the one on all the grunts - I bought online, alongside everyone's gladius from a site called Anvil Industries... I'd advise you to look them up. Very good quality conversion parts.

... Actually, do you know, I'm not gonna have much to write. Perhaps once they're painted ? Yeah, that'll be worth discussing... but, for the moment, they're just greys with a bare minimum of conversion. And I'm not gonna waste your time describing why the scabbard is on this side of the model. Instead, I'll just leave you with a couple pictures, and this bombshell.

I'm gonna buy more.

Volodanti out.

A Wee Break/Intrigue

So, the title kinda gives it away - I'm pooped. After rushing so hard to finish my Tale of More Gamers, I am decidedly lackluster about painting...

... Not modelling as it turns out, but more on that next week...

But, yeah... it's been a quiet week. My shifts have left me basically unable to get a game in, I've spent most of my free time on ESO, and well... it's nice to just sorta take a break, you know?

... Well, considering near a year and a half in I'm still getting readers, probably not. But it's a lot harder to write than to read... hence all the drivel I subject you to...yeah, sorry about that.

It's not to say I haven't done anything... I've spent a goodly part of the week assembling stuff (but spoilers...) and I just had a Deckbuilder's Toolkit delivered, which means I'm in the process of retooling my various decks (namely 'Nope', 'Thopters all up', and 'Jundemout'), but that's harder to explain, and a bad idea considering how bad I am to give out decklists to possibly impressionable newcomers... Oh, and I played Resistance again. That was fun. And, coincidentally to a lot of stuff, it got me thinking about the latter part of the title - Intrigue...

See, a while ago I mentioned that I was making rules for an Assassin's Creed RPG, which while technically true is on indefinite hiatus as I try to decide whether dice-pool, d6 or d20 would be the best way to resolve checks... investigations ongoing, but there was one part of it that I really liked. The so called Beliefs mechanic.

The idea was that, in a setting based upon people committing morally-questionable acts in order to achieve a vague utopia as part of a massive, fragmented conspiracy... sometimes your characters will start to doubt the purpose of continuing. Or, just as bad, become too invested in it, moving from devoted to fanatic to unfettered.

It was an actually decent idea. The best part I'd say, and it's actually very applicable to a variety of settings and systems. Here's the basics of it.

Each character has three Belief stats: Commitment, Loyalty, and Morality. Each is measured from 1 to 20, with 12-15 being the default. That roughly coincides to 'devoted to the cause', 'unlikely to betray without very good cause' and 'would kill if they had no alternative'. A character with 1 in them would be 'actively disagrees', 'probably already a traitor' and 'would kill if it was even vaguely helpful'. A 20 though is equally bad; 'sees heresy everywhere', 'everyone is a traitor', and 'would return stolen goods'.

Alright, now here's where it gets complicated - see, the players themselves don't actually have access to these stats; if they ask, they only get vague replies. So, 'devoted', 'a bit unsure', 'rather cruel' - stuff like that. And they have to intuit how to act from that.

So, how does it change? Well, anytime something happens that could change a stat - whether they do it, or it is something beyond their control - they have to make a Belief check. So, to give an example - lets say someone with Morality 13 lets a prisoner go when it would be better to kill them. That would qualify as something that could change their Morality. They roll a d20, and compare it to their Morality score - if it is higher, they gain 1 morality. If it is equal or lower, nothing happens. This works the reverse too; someone with Loyalty 11 is abandoned when they needs help. They'd roll a dice, and on a 10-or-less they drop to Loyalty 10. An event can, obviously change more than one stat, meaning multiple rolls.

... So, what effect does this have in gameplay? Not a great deal. It's more to provoke better roleplaying, as people act out how they think their character would behave... but it does have one major impact. If any stat hits 1 or 20, the character is retired. Whether they abandon the team, are forced out, or just move on due to an insurmountable gulf, their player has to make a new character... Harsh, yes, but realistically, how long would you stay with someone who constantly accused you of being a traitor? Or moaned whenever you got into a fight? Maybe give the player a little warning before they push themselves too far...

... Or don't. If someone imagines that's what they'd do, who are you to argue? Just let them act out their insanity, and see how it ends up. You could make the ruling that if they roll the opposite to removal they get reset - the character realises the error of their ways, and vows to avoid such extremes in future... so, someone with Morality 2 has just killed an innocent because it was expedient. They roll a dice, and it is a 20! And suddenly, they have morality 13, and are filled with disgust at their actions.

... Yeah, I like that.

And one last thought; perhaps having one stat too high, and another too low can lead to retirement? So, Morality 3 and Commitment 18 - they are basically a sociopath, and will do whatever it takes to complete their goals. Or, Morality 17 and Commitment 4; they can no longer justify the actions of their allies, and abandon the organisation. Don't do this all the time, obviously, but when it seems appropriate... it could be an interesting pitfall for interesting characters.

Well... I quite enjoyed this actually. I have a headache, and can't wait to log off, but... I am more than pleased with that rambling explanation. I hope you understood it - kinda embarrassing otherwise - and until next time, thank you again for reading.

Volodanti out.

The Lightning Stikes

... for a last time. Hey y'all, it's finally that time. I've finished my pledge, and fully painted a 35 point Cygnaran army. And while yes, I would have liked more time to put a bit more effort into the details, or touch up a problem that I missed first time round... I'm happy with it. First time in a while I've had a goodly sized army painted to a decent standard. Not since... well, just before I restarted this blog, when I got 2000 points of Dark Angels painted...

... Wow, that feels like a long time ago.

But, no, happy times now y'all, cos I can share my finished work with you.

I'm not gonna say a lot - partially cos I only just finished and need to get ready for work, but mostly cos I want to let the pictures speak for themselves... even if they are a bit blurry.

So, lets start off - the group shot!

... That sure is a lot of blue. And a little red besides. Not much to say, so moving on.

 Here's the battlegoup(s). Nemo, a squire and our old favourite - Rutger Caster... just wanted to celebrate him being tournament legal.

... Plus, he helps Nemo quite considerably, has a good buff for the Stormguard, and most importantly covered for my laziness by being already done.


Next - lightning!

All the Stormsmiths you can handle... well, no - there's still one stormcaller left unpainted, but I ran out of points... bad excuse, but what can you do?

Still... that is a lot of lightning strikes.


And who could forget our old friends - Thunder, Ol' Hammy and Sparky. Untouched since the first month, but that's because I am still happy with them.

Especially Hammy. One of my favourite models.




And, since I mentioned them ages ago - the Stormguard. These're kinda the weakspot in my army - the bases aren't textured, and I never got round to repainting the sergeant... but, they're pretty and carry even more lightning. So, happy times.





And just to finish off - some Rangers. Long time in coming - I started them back when I was building a Kraye army... but surprisingly they work. They fit nicely into the army, and their colours even match up.

And, most importantly, they make my artillery less terrible.

So, yes... 35 points. Four months of work, procrastination, and late nights furiously painting for a deadline. Four damn good months.

... I hope I never paint blue again.

Anyway, sorry for the brevity, and thank you all for reading. I hope you're doing well, and look forward to seeing you again next week.

Volodanti out.