7.20.2015

Age of Sigmar

Hey, there.  I’m still getting caught up on things after two back to back conventions, so I haven’t made any real progress on the Gargant.  Probably won’t this week, either, because edits are due on Friday.

However... it’s a pretty standard tradition for my friends and I to have a few (read: several) drinks the night before San Diego Comic-Con and play a game or two.  And this year, we decided to take Warhammer: Age of Sigmar for a spin.

Now, I’m not going to talk too much about the actual gameplay.  Marc’s posted a simple battle report and some thoughts over on Atomic Warlords.  But I did want to mention a few things, more from the hobby/modeling point of view.

First, Age of Sigmar was a lot of fun and very easy to pick up.  If you have any familiarity with tabletop games, you can sit down and be playing in about fifteen minutes absolute tops.  Probably much less.

Second, it’s a very cheap game.  The rules are free. The war scrolls are free.  If you were a Warhammer player before, you already have a ton of models (and the rules are extremely thorough—they cover pretty much everything).  Even if you’ve only played Warhammer 40,000 before (like me), you’ve probably got a few models kicking around that you have for conversions.  There’s also a lot of folks online selling older models or pieces from the old Island of Blood starter set. And past that, there’s probably going to be some folks rage-quitting and dropping their models in the bits bins or putting them up on eBay.  Which brings us to... 

Third, or maybe second-point-five... you don’t need a lot of models to play.  Because there’s no force organization chart or points minimum, it’s possible to play Age of Sigmar with as little as one model.  It has lots of single-model battle scrolls.  A knight on horseback.  An Ork.  A witchhunter. A Skaven warlord.  A wight king.  That’s all you need to play.  If you happen to have a small squad or unit of some sort, that’s even better.  I spent a day digging around through my random bits and discovered I had almost fifty viable units, spread over nine different races/ factions, some assembled, some in parts.  Get three or four units (or even just models) for the same army and that’s the basis of a solid game.

Fourth, (or three, depending on how you read the last one) there is paperhammer scenery for Fantasy settings.  Lots of it.  Warhammer and Mordheim both have a collection of useful templates, ranging from a burned out farmhouse to an elaborate inn.  Plus I’ve talked before about other cheap scenery ideas that would work in a Fantasy setting.  I’m thinking I might have to try a few simple ideas for a graveyard, a simple building or two, and maybe even some ancient ruins.

Now, I can see where the rules could be frustrating to an established player, especially a competitive one.  As a new player, though, without any preconceptions of how Fantasy should be played, I think it’s a great little game. And it means I’m going to get to build and play with a lot of things I’ve had kicking around for ages for one reason or another.

I’m sticking Age of Sigmar in the win column for now.  Your thoughts may vary...

7.08.2015

Rhino Redux

So, as I mentioned last week, I’m at San Diego Comic Con right now.  If you care about such things, you can follow me on Twitter for random updates.  If you’re actually here with me, I’m doing a bunch of panels and signings on Thursday, plus I have another signing at 2:00 Friday in the Random House booth.  Stop by at some point and say hello.

What I wanted to do now, though, in the interest of keeping things relevant, is point you back to the very beginning of this geeky blog. As many of you probably know, Space Marines have a bunch of new formations and squadrons.  Including all the free Rhinos and Razorbacks you can field thanks to the Company Support rule.  You could also take a squadron of Whirlwinds.  All of which is great if you happen to have a bunch of extra Rhinos sitting around. 

And as it happens... know what one of my first projects was here at In The Grim Cheapness of the Future...?  I made a bunch of Rhinos and Rhino-hull based vehicles.  Yes, they’re the older “classic” Rhinos.  They’re also ridiculously quick and easy to make.  And pretty much free.  It’s possible to make three or four of these in a weekend.  Maybe even five or six if you’ve got some practice at this.

Plus, since then, I’ve done a lot more with rivets.  I’ve also talked about ways to make purity seals and aquillas and a bunch of other things you could use for detail. If you happen to have some spare parts sitting around, they’ll look even better.

You can make a very solid, completely acceptable Rhino for pennies.  It’d be possible to make an elaborate command vehicle for next to nothing.  Once they’re painted. most people probably won’t be able to tell without getting right up close.

Personally, I’m probably going to make one more Whirlwind so my White Scars can have a full squad of three.

So, please, go back and check it out. And if you happen to be at San Diego Comic Con this week, please find me and say "hullo."

7.03.2015

Gargant Add-Ons

Just realized I didn’t include some of those larger pictures of the Gargant I mentioned last time. Soooo... here they are. 

All this should look very nice once it gets painted.