Vir Triumphalis

Moving Armies Part 4:The Results of the First Leg

2011-07-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

A Pre-packaged Army for GenCon '11

Moving Armies Part 4: Made it to North America - now did my army as well?

So, I'm in Texas now. The trip from Africa was a bit hectic due to a family emergency making us leave about 5 days early. Still, we made it, and so did my little GenCon '11 Warmachine contingent. I've been home for a while now, played a couple games, and now know what I forgot, what I should have brought, and what I am pleased is still with me.

P3 Bag - Not Just for Paints

Due to space constraints, I used the P3 bag to transport my Khador in anticipation of our annual GenCon '11 tourney. I had to make some hard decisions on who/what I would bring since I couldnt bring my full Battlefoam Warmachine bag (which travels nicely and holds all my Warmachine figs). The P3 bag was a stopgap measure because we had very limited space (what, with a 8mo old baby and all) and adding a carry-on that was not carrying babywipes and diapers was not an option. So, the decision was to put the smaller P3 bag into the luggage and take my army that way.

Top layer of foam (standard WM inf) in the bag (pic with it removed is below)

To its credit, the P3 bag fits in a large-size suitcase like a champ. Its small enough to allow a lot of other stuff go in. This, alone, makes it a good choice for gamers who travel a lot. You can sae your carry-ons for your laptop bag and maybe a backpack full of clothes and books (what I normally do). The downside, of course, is that other people handle the luggage (colloquially called "throwers") and breakage is more likely now that it is out of your loving/obsessive hands.

Lots of infantry - only a few spaces.

I used a bunch of my custom foam from my Warmachine bag in the P3 bag to make it a bit more robust and protective for the models. I could have used the Battlefoam standard warjack trays, but I knew the P3 bag would be thrown around a lot by baggage handlers. So, I went with the big, thick tray I had made (detailed in Moving Armies Pt 3).

The top layer of foam is behind, to give you an idea of how the custom foam fits.

I used a bunch of terrycloths to protect the larger 'jacks and make sure they didnt bounce around a lot. I doubled-up a bunch of the models to maximize carrying space. Again, there is an abvous trade-off here - more models, but at the cost of more breakage or paint chipping.

Bowed, broken... but available (at least)

Surprisingly, the army made it with little breakage. Kudos to Battlefoam and their bag. The Battlefoam trays did what they were supposed to do. The only major issues were with the two Talons (merc jacks) and Fenris that I brought. The Talons were the easier of the major issues to address - both had arm issues and the tips of their spears were bent. Luckily, repairs look fairly routine.

You can see where the spears started to bend.

Fenris? Ye gods. I did everything I could to protect that model and even then he still broke in three places. I'll need to reglue him and hope for the best. The pissy think is that his horse had a bunch of black paint, especially on the mane, rub off. The model is sealed so I dont know how/why this happened. Its a fairly large repaint, and I have been holding off - but I cant avoid it.

So badass, even his pretend horse can't handle him!

The rest of the models are good, excpeting some minor paint chipping. I was concerned doubling-up a bunch of the models would lead to more paints chips, but, happily, very little occured. Of the infantry, there is no breakage that I can see. Happy day.

A Plea to PP

I love the Fenris model and his rules, so I'll keep bringing him. But jeebus kreeist, he is impossible to transport for anything longer than a mile. Privateer? If you are reading this, please think about doing a more stable resculpt, please. Please? Please!

See the wear on the tail? Ugh.

Model Choice

Lets talk a little about the models I brought. I ended up bringing a smattering of Khador (mostly focused on the stuff I know I like to play) and my new Mercs (which I have not taken to a game yet).

The Behemoth is on the right

Interesting note/

In dealing with limited model choice Warmahordes really shines. You can bring some core infantry, a handful of solos, some jacks... and a butt-load of Warcasters. The nature of Warmahordes is that each army plays different with different warcasters - meaning you can get a lot of play variation by skimping on the units, but loading on the casters. This makes Warmachine and Hordes an ideal game for traveling gamers.

Interesting note off/

Okay, here is what I brought:

Infantry and Solos:

full unit of Croes (to proxy as Kayazy as well),

two sets of Doom Reavers,

Widowmakers,

Kell (to proxy as a marksman as well),

Mechanics (4 man)

Kayazy Underboss (he is my universal solo proxy)

Great Bears

(whats left of) Fenris

The Dog

Jacks:

Beast 09

Behemoth

Magnetized Plastic Khador Jack (Destoryer, Juggernaaut, Decimator, and Marauder)

Magetized Torch (so he can play as any of the above magnetized options)

two Talons

two Renegades

Casters:

Magnus

Butcher

Vlad

Sorcha

Irusk

Strakhov

Old Witch and Scrappy

Looking Back - What I Brought and Why

There were two areas I really agonized over - Alexia and her crew and the 'jack selection. To play Alexia right, you need a lots of zombies and thralls. As much as I love the unit, it simply took up too much space. I couldn't justify taking up to half my infantry slots in the bag with Alexia. I really, really wanted to... but couldn't.

A selection of infantry and casters, snug in their beds. They're all doubled-up.

The jacks were an issue because Beast and the Behemoth are so big, but so darned effective. I added Torch and the Magnetized jack because of their versatility and relative space efficiency. I also really wanted to bring Drago and a Kodiak, but could not fit them without changing the warjack tray and/or leaving out Beast and the Behemoth. Drago got dropped because he isnt versatile enough. I dont play with Berzerkers and Vlad is only one caster - meaning Drago would get limited play. The Kodiak ended up being left behind simply because it was the odd man out.

A view of the custom foam in action (I talked about the custom foam in a previous blog)

I kept Magus' smaller jacks for two reasons. First, they are small and fit in odd places in the bag - making them space efficient. Two, I really want to try my mercs out since they offer a very different playstyle than I am used to, and GenCon is the best chance to do actually play with them before we are off to Sri Lanka. So, they made it in.

Magnetized 'Jacks are the weapons of choice for the gamer-on-the-go

Additionally, I also had a Destroyer, Juggernaut and two other khador magnetized jacks I left behind. The Destroyer and Juggy are from the new Khador plastic box set and are so darned wide I am not sure where the heck they are supposed to go. Again, another argument for magnetizing - if only for more efficient storage.

What I Wish I brought:

Looking back, I wish I brought either Drago or the Kodiak. They both fill similar roles in my play style (aggressive, vanguard jack), and without them I am having to train myself in new tactics. I have an odd tourney this Tues (25 points, cage match, mangled metal) and wwant to bring either of them for the format (Kodiak for the two open fists, Drago because I want to run Vlad).

Otherwise, considering my limited space and what I plan to do, this was a solid bring.

Stuff I Forgot that You shouldn't:

See? I brought dice... but thats about it. Dumb.

I talked about this in an earlier blog post, so I want belabor the issue. That said, I forgot my core rulebook, the faction cards, and the templates. The faction cards are the ones that hurt. Templates are annoying, but everyone has a set, so I have to look sheepish and borrow a et each time I play (not fun).

Recommendation: Comics (July '11)

2011-07-09T07:20:00.000-07:00

The Story is Where its At...

So, during my vacation I have been reading a lot of comics. Not sure why, as I have a backlog of novels to read - but I guess I am in a mood or something.

I have two tpb/graphic novels to recommend based on some great dialog and amazing storylines:

DMZ is amazingly good. Its not funny (except in a darkly humorous way, and usually unintentionally). Its not beautiful. It is haunting and a damn compelling story. Its the story of Matty Roth, a rookie photojournalist that gets dropped into the middle of a warzone. The catch? This warzone is NYC after a militia gets the jump on the good ole USA and creates a defacto secession in New Jersey.

I initally stayed away from DMZ because the character concept of a photojournalist really didnt grab me and I thought the story would be preachy. There is an element of preachiness, but its subdued and takes a backseat to the very engaging story. As many of you know, I am a military-phile and would not enjoy a story that denigrates the military. DMZ doesnt do that, but it does try to take an unflinching look at what war in a modern post-apoco U.S. might look like. DMZ walks a tightrope between depicting the realities of a warzone and telling a comic-style story we want to read - and does so with aplomb. Its an amazing feat, really, and worth picking up.

The art is solid, but not great - though the pages are on that old style comic paper so it feels a bit different than all the high-glossy comics we have grown accustomed to (its more... substantial... to pull a phrase out of the air). Its a great read, and there are a TON of TPBs so you should be flipping pages for a while.

My next recommendation is the SPAWN: Endgame collection. I've been an on-again-off-again fan of Spawn since issue three way back in the day. I've enjoyed the mature storylines and the growth of the setting as the line developed. As Spawn moved away from its superhero cousins, it became a much stronger line. Who can forget the Billy Kincaid story? That was cutting-edge for the time, and would still find an audiance were it written today.

Well, the Spawn continuity gets a major kick in the pants with Endgame. Al Simmons is out of the picture, and a new soul is selected to be bonded with the Spawn costume and prepare the legions of hell. However, due to some other major setting shifts, this Spawn is left to his own devices without any guidance from Hell. Again, its a good story carried by some great writing. A word of warning - dont expect to be spoon-fed the specifics of the characters or the situation - there are mysteries here, about the nature of the new Sapwn, about the relationships of the characters, about the status of Heaven and Hell - and they dont have neat and tidy answers (as is befitting of a plot restart). This feels a lot like when I first started reading Spawn - since I have a lot of questions about the nature of the setting (and thats a good thing, since it makes the world seem more real).

The art is snazzy too (as always). Supposedly, for the TPB, they cleaned up some of the iconic panels... which I appreciate but can't verify. I'm enjoying this story and the dialog enough to be looking forward to the next TPB, due this week or next.

First 40k Game in a Long, Long time

2011-07-06T21:58:00.000-07:00

Its like Going Back to a Girlfriend You Know is Bad News...

As the title says, I played my first 40k game in a long time. Why go back to 40k, you ask? Because I have been in contact with a small group of gamers in Colombo, Sri Lanka - and they play 40k. No Warmahordes there yet, but when I arrive, rest assured I shall introduce them. Until then, I'm tenatatively excited about the prospect of playing with some expat Brits and local Lankans at their chosen 40k.

Just When I Think I'm Out...

To get into the swing of things again, I dusted off my love for the Deathwing and took them for an outing. I faced an IG Cadian army, heavy on the infantry, but with a respectable amount of support. 1500 points. Assault (kill the dudes, nothing fancy).

The Game went well. I was lucky that I faced an infantry-heavy army and had each of my 3 5-man squads with Assault Canons. The others had Cyclones. I also fielded two Dreads with TL AutoCannons and Missile launchers (anti-armor). Belial was in the army, under a standard configuration. That was about it. I wanted at least one Land Raider, but couldnt fit it.

Andy, my buddy and opponent, walked me through the rules and fielded a large IG force. His core was twho IG regiments, with lost of meltas. He had 3 Heavy Weapon squads with 2 Lascannons and one Autocannon. He used one Vet squad with meltas. His vehicles were one chimera (for the vets), one Valyrie, and 2 Leman Russes.

***

The battle wne to the Deathwing, but it was tight throughout. Those 2+ saves kept me in the game, but as expected, each loss of a single termie was devastating. The Deadnaughts were golden, being my most reliable anti-armor (each took out a Leman Russ). Late game things got dicey as the chimera came in on the side I was winning, and I suddenly found out how hard it can be to even crack relatively light armor with the Deathwing. Yeesh.

I knew going into it that Deathwing and Dark Angels have an old codex and even with the Dec 2010 Errata, arent elite like the damned Blood Angels or newer Grey Knights. Still, dropping 20+ terminators with Dread support in a 1500 point game is satisfying.

Something I learned:

If you are going to field a Deathwing army, take equal parts Assault Cannons and Cyclones. They are what is going to carry you through the game. ACs are particularly nasty. Additionally, the TL Autocannon w/ Missile Launcher on a venerable Dread is a good build. It helps make up for the anti-armor deficiencies of a small DW army.

Any Game You Walk Away From...

Overall, a good game and a nice (re)introduction into Warhammer 40k. Its been said before, but 40k plays much differently that Warmahordes and getting some time with my Khador last night accentuated the differences.

As someone once said; the GW games are made by a miniature company who attached rules to their models. The PP games are made by gamers who added good-looking minis to their game. Different philosophies - and knowing what they are and what to expect from a game makes all the difference.

"Know what you are getting into," I always... er... sometimes say.

My Viewership in Far-Flung Places

2011-07-06T07:09:00.001-07:00

Due to the nature of my work and life, I pay attention to minutiae about countries a bit more than most, I think. In managing this little blog, I tend to watch what days get the most hits, what topics prompt the most visitors... that sort of thing. On a good day I see a spike of about 20 viewers- usually from:

- the U.S. (about 80% of my viewership),

- Canada (love you guys),

- the UK (say "hi" to Kate Middleton for me),

... and fewer but regular hits from:

- Australia (thanks NFB, I know its you),

- New Zealand (way better than old zealand),

- Germany (Koln is one of my favorite cities)

- Scandanavia (mostly Sweden)

- S. Africa (great rugby)

- China (knows how to build a hell of a wall)

.... and then there are the odd ones.

- Iran. I've seen someone(s) from Iran pop in at least a couple times a week. I really hope its a wargamer that, like me, gets stuck in odd places and has to go out of their way to get some gaming in. I cant imagine how it would be to game in Iran - I hear its actually a nice place to live and has a vibrant, if underground, young population. I like to think that Vir Triumphalis is an outlet for some 20-ish gamer who has to struggle to get a couple games. I like that image a lot better than the idea some Iranian intel dude is stuck having to read my blog and try to decipher what the hell I am talking about.

- Russia. I get a lot of viewership from Russia. Okay, not "a lot" but about 10 hits per month of so. Thats statistically significant and usually on par for places like New Zealand and South Africa. I've traced some of the origin pages and its definitely in Cyrillic - and looks to be Russian gaming forums and clubs. Thats very cool. If you are one of my Russian viewers (or the Russian viewer) I say, На здоровье!

- N. Korea. Yup, it hasn't happened recently but for a while there I would get a couple hits a month from N. Korea of all places. Huh. Maybe Kim Jong Il likes himself some Trollbloods and skypes with his buddies while playing Dark Heresy.

Or Maybe not.

***

If you are popping in to this post, and have the time and wherewithall, leave a comment and let me know where you are from - especially if you are from outside the U.S..

Back in Texas, Prepping for GenCon

2011-07-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

Life Gets in the Way of Gaming. News at 11.

Its been a long, strange journey. The reason for my tardy update of this blog was simply due to the untimely death of my father. We were on our way out of Gabon when I was told about his death. Luckily, the embassy was amazingly supportive across the board and helped get me and my family out the door and home as soon as possible. From there, its been a whirlwind of training, consultations, and family stuff. Only now am I getting home to Texas to enjoy some R&R - and finalize the crap with my father's estate (anyone wanna buy a plane? No?)

What Not to Wear... err... Lose.

What has the last 3+ weeks taught me? Stuff NOT to forget if you are gaming on the go.

1) If you play Warmachine, dont, for gawd's sake, forget your faction cards! I just had to rebuy my faction cards because its damn hard to play the game without them. They are small and portable and you should have no excuse not to bring them. Faction decks are surprisingly hard to find in LGSs.

2) Rulebooks. This isn't a biggie, but having the core rulebook of your game system should be important. If you forget it or intentionally leave it behind, you can rebuy it. But seriously, who wants two core rulebooks?

3) Templates. Again, small and portable and surprisingly hard to find quickly.

You might think I would say "dice" but unless you are freaky about the hoodoo associated with your particular dice, they are easy and cheap to rebuy. Plus, having more dice is always nice.

What to Bring to GenCon?

2011-05-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

I've got a dilemma. What Warmachine models do I bring to GenCon?

think, think, think

Of course, part of it will depend on the format we choose for our tourney. We decided to do our mini-tourney on Friday night - but now I got to think about which models I should bring. As much as I want, I cant bring them all. I am NOT going to bring my full Privateer Press bag, but do have a smaller one that will handle, at best, a third of my army.

So, I got to think which Warcasters. Always start with the Warcaster. I'm thinking Sorcha, Vlad, Strak... and one of either Karchev or the Butcher.

From there, I'll have to pick the units and 'jacks that are the most versatile. I like Doomreavers, so I am pretty sure I will bring them. I like my magnetized Khador 'jack frame, so I will probably bring at least one (I have three) as well as all its arm options. Widowmakers will come.

After that? I really want to bring Behemoth and Beast 09 - but they are heavy and irregularly shaped making it hard to fit them. Bringing Behemoth might mean I have to sacrifice other models. So, is Behemoth (and/or Beast) versatile enough to justify the space they take?

Not sure. I'm open to opinions and suggestions.

Moving Armies Part 3: A Look At Battlefoam's Custom Foam

2011-05-05T05:50:00.001-07:00

Foam Fer Everyone!

So, lets talk about Battlefoam's custom foam-maker-thingy...

Seems ready for Indy already!

Why Do Such a Thing?

In anticipation for the upcoming move from Gabon to Sri Lanka - which will involve a stop over in Dallas and Indianapolis (for GenCon '11) - I thought I could use some specialized foam to protect the bigger and irregularly-shaped pieces of my Warmachine army. As you may or may not know, I've been very happy with Battlefoam as of late (see the other posts in this series). Battlefoam's bags and foam are top notch and exactly what I am looking for in terms of durability and portability.

A comparison of the standard and custom.

So, it was only natural I utilize their signature custom foam designer. This was precipitated largely because, while the standard Warmachine foam inserts are solid, they arent large enough to comfortably hold odd/large models. Behemoth and mounted Fenris are the too worst offenders. If I am to bring them to Dallas and Indy to play a slew of Warmachine, I thought having a special foam insert for them would be the best idea.

Peek-a-Boo!

The Basics:

I used a 4'' deep piece of custom foam. The idea was to make sure the really odd moels would fit. Looking at the picture beblow, you can see mounted Fenris (in the fore) and the Behemoth (behind) - they fit pretty nice. Fenris will need to go on his side, but the Behemoth fits wonderfully with a topper covering that last little bit. I chose to put them all upright because I like having only the base touching the foam... its probably illogibal, but I feel better knowing that they arent rolling around on their sides. Plus, all the standard Battlefoam trays have the models lay on their sides, I wanted to see if an insert could be made that is both useful and allows the models to stand upright.

The Template I used

The template designer was easy to use. You play with their program on line, drop some geometry on some simulated foam, and you are good to go. In my case, I was looking mostly for a handful of large slots to hold a couple large figures, so the other stuff I added in was mostly just extra. That said, I could have done a better job utilizing the extra space. The little 1'' circles I thought would be a nice snug fit for tall models like the Thrall Warrior (with his big ass sword) or the Iron Fang standard bearer. Unfortunately, the little circle is too snug, and with a deep foam insert like I bought, it would literally pull the figure from the base if I put him all the way in there. So, those 1'' slots are going to be used for dice or holding magetized arms of 'jacks.

A general rule of thumb if I were to do this again (and I will) is add AT LEAST 1/2'' to the size you think would be appropriate. Another 1/2'' wouldnt be unreasonable either. The foam is cut with precision and the usual high standards are maintained on the custom foam.

If you are worried the custom foam wont be as sturdy or reliable as the standard stuff, as long as you dont go crazy and put too many slots (and degrade the integrity) - you will be fine.

Snug in their beds.

So, the above pic is my tentative layout. Upper left is Beast. Upper right is the Behemoth. The other larger circles are all magnetized plastic Khador jacks with their arms removed. Fenris, obviously, is in the middle. In the medium circle on the bottom right is a Thrall Warrior. Above him is the IFP Standard Bearer. Overall, things fit nicely (excpeting those little holes, which I note above).

I do plan to do a little cutting of my own. If I remove a little foam between the prongs of the "x" in some of the slots, I can fit other irregularly shaped jacks like Drago and Beast. The other problem children are those damned plastic Detroyers and Juggernauts in the new box set. They are very wide and wont fit in anything short of those big circles or the big square. I have access to Juggeys and Destroyers through the magnetized 'jacks, so my motivation to find room for these guys is pretty low.

Another pic of the foam compared to a normal Warmachine troop tray.

I am happy with the X-circles. That extra room fits some of the weapons that hang akwardly off some of the larger models and 'jacks, and will provide a useful spot to start when I make my own cuts. The X-circles also come filled with their own foam, adding to their utility (and the overall stability of the insert). I can cut those fillers as I see fit as well us use them to provide a more base (for foam stacked on top) when not in use.

Lessons Learned:

- When you plan out the foam with the designer, always add at least 1/4'' for each model that is standing upright.

- Those little 1'' circles are pretty much useless.

- Dont be afraid to cut the foam you just customized to accomodate the really odd models.

- 4'' deep foam is deep enough for everyone but mounted Fenris standing upright and Behemoth.

- Really, just because its driving my nuts, the plastic Destroyer and Juggernaut from the battleforce box set are annoyingly large and wide. If you want to find them a nice home using the custom foam designer, go with the really largle slots. Ugh.

P.S.:

Oh! If you look closely at the pics in this Blog you will get a hint of the topic of "Moving Armies Part 4: Bigger Than a Breadbasket" (any guesses?)

GenCon '11: Event Reg

2011-05-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

Event registration for GenCon '11 has come and gone. Now, the real planning begins.

What to say about registration? It could have gone better - but it wasn't a complete waste. GenCon LLC has instituted a new "wishlist" system which I am still on the fence about. basically, you go through all the various events, rank them, and then when reg begins, you submit your list and hope that you beat out all comers. There were three of us that I know from my group that submitted our wish lists within half a second of event registration opening and we all ended up with more than 1,000 people "in line" before us. Really? 1/2 a second and I'm 1322? My buddy, Brad, was right behind me at 1350 and Eric, my other buddy in Europe was 990-something.

On one hand, this new system makes it a lot less stressful and allows for some planning ahead of time. In this case, my buddies and I worked on getting one of the TerrorWerks live action games thinking it would be great fun to do as a group. Alas, it was not to be. We had two of us working in coordination (across Skype) and still couldn't come up with an opportunity to get us all in the same slot. Within two minutes almost all of the blocks for TerrorWerks were sold out. Dammit.

Worse yet, even one of the seminars was sold out. I've never, ever seen a seminar sold out on the first day... much less the first five minutes. I've been to seminars by the same group and while they are popular - they have never been that popular. The only real change is the new wishlist system, so I blame it for me losing out on a bunch of events.

In the past, when registration opened, you logged on and we all raced to get each event one-at-a-time. maybe because I had better success with that system is the reason I like it better. This new wishlist system left me incapable of prioritizing on the fly. It got even more complicated when I was trying to buy tickets for multiple people - if even one had a conflicting event then you couldn't get tickets for all of them. Suck. So, all those extra events I signed up for because they simply looked interesting made it so the few opportunities I had to nab the TerrorWerks events. Boo!

In the past, if you had a a buddy with a conflicting event, it took a couple seconds (as long as a page reload) to drop that particular event and look for another or drop your buddy from the event. Now? With the new system you had to put it into your wishlist, reload, and wait in line for the computer to tell you that one of your buddies had a conflicting event - and in the mean time someone else grabbed the last good spot.

I dislike this new system for a couple reasons:

1) The guy that gets lucky and has his wishlist in first gets ALL of his games. In the other format, that (fictional) guy and me were competing at the same time, so he got some and I got some. In this case, because I was milliseconds late I got left in the cold.

2) Its nigh impossible to buy tickets for a group due to the mutual block-outs that occur due to scheduling conflicts. The added wait time of the wish-list aggravates an already existing problem.

3) I really dislike picking an event after registration has opened just to have to wait a minute or more for the computer to tell me there is a conflict. Event registration is a competitive environment, and having to sit on my hands sucks.

***

So, this year it looks like I am foregoing gaming in official events and focusing on the auction, loot room, seminars, and gaming with my buddies. Honestly, thats the way it usually ends up... so its not a total loss.

92 days to go (or so the countdown times on the GenCon page tells me).

The Rifles Win the Cup!

2011-04-04T05:02:00.000-07:00

Its a Statistical Fact: I rule!

Long story short - I won my fantasy Hockey League for the first time since I joined the league four years ago. Go me. This reunites the regular season trophy and the overall championship trophy under my sage stewardship. I'm really quite please with this result - not only for the trophies - but because I really like the guys that play in this league and consider them good opponents.

A little piece of advice for you budding fantasy players out there. Dont sweat the draft. If your team looks exactly the same coming out of the regular season as it did going in, you did something wrong. No matter what fantasy sport you play, its all about the Waiver Wire. Play your hunches on the waiver wire, not the draft, and you should do just fine.

Did I mention, "Go me?" Yeah, Go Me!

Now, if the Stars could win out and actually make the playoffs...

Terrible Gas

2011-04-01T05:12:00.000-07:00

Let me just tell you, I hate farts. I used to love 'em. I have yet to meet a fart joke I dont think is at least chuckle-worthy, and possibly downright hilarious. However, once you become a parent, farting is suddenly deadly serious. You see, farts are the harbingers of bad things with babies. They may herald the coming of a heavy diaper. They may simply just smell like, well, like a fart. Or, in the worst scenario, they wake your baby up. Thats the kicker for me. I dont mind diapers. I dont even really mind dirty diapers. What I do hate is when my daughter is sleeping soundly, and then at 3am has to pass gas... and because she is a baby it doesnt come naturally. So, flailing commences. Legs are kicked. Grunts start. And, horrifyingly, she wakes up as her cute little intestines work the gas through her system. To a baby, even minor discomfort is usually a crying matter.

There have been nights, where I hear her little cry, knowing that she isnt fully awake. She begins to roll back and forth, kicking her legs. I know she has a fart coming. I dread it. I stay deathly still, hoping that if I am perfectly still that it will somehow make the fart pass and my daughter fall back asleep. Eyes wide open, breathing slowed, I pray that things (ahem) work themselves out. Sometimes they do, sometimes they dont and I have to get up and help put her back to sleep.

Waking at 3am hearing that your baby has a fart coming is a special sort of dread I never knew about until a few months ago. Its terrifying and demoralizing at the same time.

Farts. They wake my daughter up at night. For that, they hold my eternal enmity.

Fantasy Hockey; The Finals! Finally.

2011-03-28T03:27:00.000-07:00

So Begins My Mighty Tale of Woe and Victory!

I shall be the Pope of Hockeytown! All kneel before your master!

Okay, so I finally made it to the finals in my fantasy hockey league. The league, called "Diplomatic Immunity Hockey League (DIHL)" has been a part of my fantasy sports life for the better part of four years now. The players/managers are all associated with the State Dept. in one way or the other and have served overseas as Foreign Service Officers (again, at some point or another). Its a good league, with a couple very knowledgeable and active managers. There are a couple homers in the league too - of which I am one (go Stars!).

In DIHL I routinely make it to the postseason in our league, and (frustratingly) routinely get bounced in the first round. Looking at my record, since joining the league, I have placed 7th three years in a row as a result of getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Its like clockwork. Last year was especially disappointing. I led my squad to a near-victory in the regular season standing (which wins a trophy). I missed winning the regular season by one point. Yup, one point. I was cruising for the better part of the 2nd half of the season then went on holiday/medical leave to S. Africa for a week. There, I didnt have access to the Internet and, stupidly, felt confident my team could do their thing on autopilot for one measly week. Yeah, right. I get back, to see me lose in a heartbreaker. Then I get to the post-season ranked 2nd, and get creamed by 7th place. That, naturally, left me in my traditional 7th overall hole. Great. My choke is going down in DIHL lore as the greatest (worst) stumble of all time. Great. Worse, we draft the following year based on regular season standings, so while I finished 7th overall due to my crap-ass performance in the postseason, I finished 2nd in the regular season and drafted 2nd to last. Great.

Great.

My post-season perfomance in DIHL is the fantasy equivilent of this.

This year has been different. I dominated, again, in the regular season, with 30+ points between me and 2nd place (who, by the by, is the guy that beat me our for #1 last year). Fearing the worst, I prepared to get pwned in the first round of the playoffs. Miraculously, I did not. In the 2nd round, it was amazingly tight, but I won by a razor-thin score of 7-6.

Let me talk a bit about the 2nd round of the playoffs. I faced a team that plays a lot like I do. Together we probably accounted for 75% of the waiver wire moves for the entire league. We both have no compunctions about dropping slackers and picking up the most obscure hot-hands. So, we go into this past Sunday (the final day for the matchup) basically neck-and-neck (him 6 points, me 5 [which means he leads in 6 categories, I lead in 5 categories, and the others were tied]).

Sunday had him starting a goalie and probably taking the lead on a number of the goalie stats since I didnt have a goalie on my roster with a start that day. It sucked, but I figured I could make up those points because I had a couple extra offensive players starting on that day. I wake up on Sunday, check the score, and see my opponent craftily dropped a bunch of scrubs and picked up some hot-hands that specifically played that Sunday. I suddenly went to having a slight advantage in starting players, to a major disadvantage.

As luck would have it, my daughter woke up early on Sunday so I had a little time to see what was going on. With literally 15 minutes left before any additions would not be applied for the games on Sunday, I did some mad-crazy research, grabbed my own offensive ringers to play... and then divine providence encouraged me to also pick up Chris Mason, the backup goalie in Atlanta. Every place I checked said Mason was unlikely to start, but I desperately needed a goalie to start on Sunday and he was the only option on the waiver wire with even a prayer to start.

I got lucky. Mason started. Not only did he start, he won his game. Up 4-2 he gave up two painfully late goals and the teams went into overtime. Then they went to a shootout. It came down to a single goal... and my DIHL opponent had the guy facing Mason on the other end of the ice. I get the win, get an extra point in the hockey league - and that made all the difference.

Picking up Mason was the fantasy hockey equivalent of pulling my goalie with 5 minutes left. It was a desperation play - born of necessity and trading my possible future performance in the finals for a short-term gain to actually make it to the finals.

So, here I am. My team is gutted due to the need to pick up a bunch of ringers and I am facing the guy who took 2nd in the regular season (in other words, he didnt get lucky and got to the finals on the back of a very good team). However, I did what I had to in order to make it to the finals. No crappy 7th place for me this year!

Pithy Analysis: In Defense of the Destroyer

2011-03-23T01:40:00.000-07:00

The Destroyer is Your Bestest Friend (after me, that is)

Glorious!

With this blog I am going to try something new - analysis of some Warmachine units/minis. I like to think I have a bit of a different perspective than other Warmachine players (dont we all?). I enjoy taking minis and units that are normally poo-poo'd by the greater Warmachine community and see if I can find the context to make those models useful. I enjoy this doubly so when I have a theme I am working on and slavishly keep a model in the list despite its supposed ineffectiveness. Naturally, the Destroyer, which kicked so much butt in 1e and is now considered obsolete in 2e by many Warmachine players, is the 'Jack I field most often and have the best results with. I think I am going to call this series of Blogs "Pithy Analysis."

Pithy Analysis: The Destroyer

Even now, they cannot escape the shadow of "the Big guy."

The Destroyer gets unfairly maligned by pretty much every Khador player because it isnt the Behemoth. The Destroyer is nine points, gets you good ARM, a great ranged weapon (the bombard), and a solid (if unexciting) melee weapon. The Behemoth is 13 points, gets you two bombards, has great melee, has an extra point of armor, and looks sweet. So, for a measly four points more you get a lot more return on your investment, right? Right? Wrong. The reality is that the Destroyer continues to fill a useful role in Khador's arsenal - and is not supplanted in all instances by the Behemoth. Its All About the Gun.

Business end of the bombard.

Lets get the basics of the bombard out of the way-- long range; great POW (for a gun); 3'' AOE (to force good placement by your opponent and to still hit even when you miss); arcing fire (to ignore annoying screens); and because of that AOE, the ability to hit stealthed solos (I'm looking at you Eiyrss). Thats quite a set of abilities.

Fool'd ya! Its actually all About the Mission.

Two of my three beloved Destroyers 073 and 063 (named after Aircraft Carriers I worked on while in Tokyo)

What the Destroyer does is give a Khador player a mobile and amazingly survivable gun platform that can also defend itself in melee -- for 9 points. That's the key right there, when you have a role to fill, you should fill it as efficiently as possible. Yeah, yeah, the Behemoth is better in many ways, but its also four more points. If you dont have to spend four more points to get the job done - then dont. Simply upgrading to the Behemoth in all cases is wasting a large percentage of your available army list.

To put it another way, if you are trying to save money, and you can buy a nice Mazda for $20,000 to get to work or you can buy a nice BMW for $70,000 - which should you buy? Yes, the Mazda isnt as sexy as the BMW, but for utility, it does the same thing. Drawing the analogy out, you can do the same for making lists. You can choose fluff over substance (which is totally okay by me, heck, I encourage it), or you can choose to streamline your list. Since we are talking about relative utility of the Destroyer and I am (vainly) trying to convince you, dear reader, that the Behemoth isnt always the better choice, lets just put aside fluff and aesthetics for the time being. Phew.

The Behemoth, Focus, and You!

One! Two! Two bombards! Ah, ha, ha!

Amazingly enough, there is something that the Destroyer does better than the Behemoth - focus management with the gun. The Destroyer only has one gun and it can take a full allocation of focus. Thus, there is no issue boosting both to-hit and damage, maximizing the utility of the bombard. Because the Behemoth has two bombards (yay!) but can only have three focus allocated to both those bombards (boo!) you cant put two focus on each shot (boost hit/boost damage). The result is that you are paying for two bombards, but only one of which cant be used optimally (this is, of course, excepting 'jack bond characters - we will just ignore them). Because both the Destroyer and Behemoth have crappy RATs, getting two focus on each shot is a big deal. ...and lets be honest, you are buying the Behemoth and Destroyer for their guns. The other stuff they bring to the table is gravy, but its the guns that make these guys useful.

Ask yourself, whens the last time you took the Behemoth for its melee ability? Right. Never. Khador has better, more points-efficient options for beat-down. So, if the role of the Behemoth in your list is to be the ranged threat not only are you not getting maximum focus use, you are also wasting four precious points on AP fists you dont intend to use. Blech. (Note, if the role you have for the Behemoth is to be your utility jack and do both ranged and melee shenanigans, then yeah, its probably a better choice than the Destroyer - its all about knowing what role you want your jack to play).

In the Destroyer you got a very versatile weapon, and for a modest amount of focus, you can devastate just about any target -- at what amounts to extreme range (in Warmachine, at least). Thats really good. Better yet, if the Destroyer's target survives the hit, its going to have a hard time eliminating the Destroyer in response - since the 'jack is (naturally) heavily armored and mobile (not "fast" - "mobile"). Thats a nasty combo. There is nothing else in our lists that has the hitting power, focus efficiency, mobility and sheer survivability that the Destroyer brings to the table. Even heavily armored targets and warcasters have to steer clear of a Destroyer because of its hitting power and arcing fire. Lots of other models do one or maybe two of those things... but not all of them (mortar moves like crap, Widowmakers can have problems with multi-wound models, most other Khadorian jack guns are much shorter range). The exception to this rule, and one other jack that can do everything the Destroyer does, is the Behemoth -- but it has its own pitfalls as I note above. Indeed, if played correctly, the Destroyer should strike fear in your opponent so much so that they leave a nice big halo of empty space around your jack out of the fear or well-placed bombard shots.

I Love me Some Axe.

One unexciting melee weapon, coming right up!

Lets talk about the axe a little bit. No one loves the axe. Its solid, but unimpressive in a faction known for having so very impressive melee options. However, I love the axe. Lurv. It. Why? because its crappy, and you dont pay a premium for crappy melee weapons. Every stat, ability or advantage in Warmachine comes with a cost in points. Its the reason great options cost more points. When I build an army a lot of my selection process is based around paying the least amount of points for the stats/abilities I want to use. Everybody does this even if they dont think about it - why pay for Croe's Cutthroats (and all their special abilities) if all you want is a cheap tarpit unit? So, being happy with a crappy axe is due to using the Destroyer for the right role - a mobile gun platform. I dont want to have to pay for great melee in the Destroyer simply because I dont ever plan for it to be my primary melee jack. If the Destroyer were designed with a kick butt axe, its points cost would go up. I dont want that. I dont want to pay a premium on an ability or item I dont plan on using.

I have the same problem paying for solos that modify other units like the Marksman or Fenris... if I take one of those solos without the unit it modifies, I better have a very good reason. I hate choosing units with abilities I dont plan on using. What I do want out of that axe is reasonable hitting power, nothing more. The crit is nice, but nothing spectacular and is of such middling utility didnt drive up the cost of the Destroyer appreciably. So, I get what I want. A melee weapon that i can use and buff with focus if I really need to, but that doesnt waste points forcing up the price on the jack to add abilities or crit effects that aren't going to be used.

Take it! Its Yours!

Waitasec! I used this pic already. Boo.

Dont overlook the fact that the Destroyer is arguably our best model for taking and holding objectives. If you play games as something other than run-run-melee (which many Khador players seem to think is the only option - more power to them I guess), then the Destroyer is extremely valuable. It can advance to a spot, and with its armor absorbing hit after hit, hold that point for a couple rounds (at least). Better yet, since its bombard has great range and amazing hitting power, the Destroyer can camp that spot and still participate in the battle -- hitting challengers and severely weakening them before they ever get close to the objective point. When/if your opponent gets something to the point to try to push the Destroyer off, it has that handy axe for defending itself. There are other ways to take and hold an objective, but none so menacing and hard for your opponent to deal with than the (wrongfully-maligned) Destroyer. ...oh, and the Destroyer can hit stealthed targets at range. I've seen my opponent bring Eiryss to the table, just to see her wiped off the map by a nicely deviated bombard shot -- and then the Destroyer (in subsequent turns) deals ranged death to my opponent's most valuable models. Great armor + strong gun + great range = ideal unit to take and hold objectives.

Destroyers! Magetize and attack!

Pithy Analysis Conclusion: Use the Destroyer when you need:

1) A powerful shooty unit in your army (one of the best Khador has to offer).

2) To hold an objective (the best Khador has to offer).

3) When the Behemoth is too expensive.

Drago and Karchev

2011-03-21T14:28:00.000-07:00

Nothing Fancy...

Just two of my favorite minis from my army:

Axe(s) to face(s)!

Red Khador is for wussies.

Recommendation: Comics (March '11)

2011-03-16T03:02:00.000-07:00

Funny Pages that Arent Funny...

I read a reasonable amount of comics in TPB or Graphic Novel format. Usually, these are easy and quick reads, perfect for long days when I am sitting in bed getting sleepy. I like to think I am pretty discerning when it comes to comics -- I'm an adult and want good plots supported by interesting characters. So, with that said, I wholeheartedly suggest...

Locke and Key:

Its really, really good. The art is amazing and the plot is genuinely creepy and suspenseful. Its the story of a family, ripped apart by tragedy, and beset by all sorts of (inter-related) supernatural events. This is very much an adult comic with blood, violence and adult themes laced throughout the panels.

Whats really nice about Locke and Key is the art nicely supports the complex story-telling. If havent seen attention to detail in the art like this since the old Image series The Maxx. Many panels have little hints and foreshadowing buried in the crisp art, encouraging you to linger on each panel for a couple seconds to make sure you catch everything. Good stuff...

My other hotness lately is Powers:

Powers is not new (there are, like, 13 collections out already -- with more to come), and a lot of great reviews already exist (so i am not the only one crowing about its quality). Its a little like the Wire meets Heroes. Powers is the, hands-down, best super heroes comic I have ever read. Its also the best crime drama/noir comic I have ever read. Funny how it can be both... but thats what good writing will get 'ya. Again, adult situations and themes carry these books, so they are not for the wee ones.

There you go. Go buy 'em!

What Every Gamer Needs

2011-03-14T05:39:00.000-07:00

Connecting People...

This is one of those posts that isnt revolutionary or anything, but deals with a topic I have to discuss if I am going to talk about gaming and overseas life. Bear with me.

This is a map of online connectivity in Africa. See that dark spot in the middle - the void of crappy internet? Yeah, I live there.

In this digital world the necessities for gamers has changed. Previously, we all needed a copy of some sort rules-set (usually D&D), a full set of polyhedral dice, a pencil, some paper, and a comfortable place to play. For much of my gaming career (the better part of 15 years now), those were the necessities.

Now? Now things are very different. Computers and the internet have changed a good deal - most of it for the better. From the above list the only absolute necessity that remains are friends and a copy of whatever rules you are using. You can get rid of everything else -- even the dice.

The reality of living overseas, mostly in the developing world, is that I am often the only gamer in thousands of miles. Take, for instance, my situation right now. I live in Central Africa (most of you likely cant find Gabon on a map). The closest large community of gamers is a 5 hour flight south into Pretoria/Jo'berg. Thus, if I want to game - either roleplaying or wargaming - I either have to find a way to stay in contact with other gamers from different parts or the world, or build my own gaming group.

For this blog, we are going to focus on staying in contact with other gamers. To that end, I come back to the title of this entry: What Every Gamer Needs is Skype.

This little "S" means "gg."

I'm going to try to avoid becoming a shill for Skype, but understand that it is invaluable for the transforming nature of gaming in the digital age. I am a big fan. Alongside Skype are Ventrillo and other comm protocols that are also easily available (and often free!). I firmly believe that Skype (and communications programs like Skype) are quickly becoming the norm for us as gamers. In ten years? I expect Skype gaming and the use of Virtual Table Tops (VTTs) will overtake traditional face-to-face games in terms of popularity.

More pressing for me, without Skype, I probably wouldn't be gaming. I currently play in a weekly game with my college buddies. We bounce between systems and campaigns every couple months, but it is so wonderfully regular. We figure out a time that works for us despite the time changes (I am seven hours ahead of CST, which are where my buddies mostly live) so there is a need to schedule ahead of time. But assuming we have a little foresight, we can game with little problem.

Alongside Skype we use Google Wave. Now, Wave probably isnt the best choice for everyone since it will cease to be directly supported by Google in the coming months, but some sort of program that allows for common editing and an online dice roller are all you need. Wave, for us, allows the group to share character sheets and game summary information as well as see the results of (virtual) dice rolls in real-time. Besides Wave, there are a whole host of virtual table tops coming on the market - some free, some not -- but most are useful. many VTTs have VOIP capabilities making Skype redundant (for my money though, Skype is still the way to go - cheap and very reliable).

Hey! Wrong VASSAL!

My buddies and I also use VASSAL. Its a program that is specifically designed to facilitate online play of board - and wargames. Readers of my older posts will know that this is pretty much the old may I can play Warmachine with any regularity outside of my yearly pilgrimage to GenCon. Skype with VASSAL allows me to spend an evening with my buddies practicing new army compositions and tactics. VASSAL is great not just for isolated gamers like me, its a good place to try the really wonky stuff you want to do on a wargaming table (8 bombards FTW!), but in an environment that is a tad less competitive. By its very nature, VASSAL creates an environment a little less intense than a standard table top.

Nope, not that Vassal, either.

Now, admittedly, pushing pixels of minis is not as fun as pushing lead around a table, but its something. Actually, VASSAL is a little like methadone for a heroine addict. Not as good as the real need, but it can tide you over.

Yeah, that Vassal.

Its amazing, really. In the span of 10 years or so, the gaming community has moved from being dependant on basements and brick-and-mortars, to playing virtually. Its been a boon for me, allowing me to keep my old gaming group going through the last 10+ years.

This, people, is the way of the future. Cosmonaut ho!

Moving Armies Pt. 2: From Old to New

2011-03-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

"We're Going to Send Old Grey to the Farm... He'll Play With a Bunch of Other Bags in a Giant Field and Have All The Toy Soldiers He can Hold -- He'll Be Very Happy On The Farm..."

Yeah, right.

Isnt Old Grey Dignified?

As last we saw, Old Grey (pictured above, he's the bag) was close to forced retirement. He served me well for 10+ years, but the rips in his strap were telling and I didnt have confidence in the old man. Just like a 30 year old RunningBack, the performance is expected to drop off precipitously. (note, thats a pro tip right there for you Fantasy Football types - dont ever reach for a 31 yr old RB in the draft)

Rippin' at the seams!

As you can see, I did tape up Old Grey. This isnt the original duct tape I used, but shows just how concerned I was with the integrity of the bag. You can also see a 3-ring binder I used to hold my cards sticking out the top of the front pouch - that would be an issue I wanted to address (remember that for later).

.... In With the New.

The New Hotness next to the Old Standby

After weeks of research I eventually went with the Battlefoam Warmachine bag for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, I am a sucker for the "endorsement" -- having a good looking Warmachine logoright there in front. One of the other big selling points is that the Battlefoam bag is a bit bigger but, supposedly, is carry-on size for the airlines. ("supposedly" since I am havent personally tested it yet) I bought this bag to be portable and reliable for getting my army to GenCon no matter what continent I start on. This year its C. Africa, in a few months its going to be S. Asia -- in a few years, who knows? I need something strong and reliable and the Battlefoam people and their adverts sold me on its toughness.

The "standard load out" as Battlefoam calls it.

To put things in perspective, when I travel with my army to a con the basics of that travel involve at least 24 hours on a plane and transiting (not including going to the airport or security). It usually involves at least one transfer in an airport like Heathrow or Frankfurt, I have to go through customs and explain that, yes, I still play with toy soldiers -- and in some cases the whole shebang can take more than 48 hours. With all that movement, I absolutely need a bag that is durable and portable.

I wont go into all the nice features the Battlefoam Warmachine bag has since those bells and whistles are covered elsewhere (such as http://www.battlefoam.com/products/%28Warmachine%29-Privateer-Press-Warmachine-Bag-Standard-Load-Out.html) - but I will hit the highlights that justified the purchase of the bag to me.

/Begin Highlightage:

Thorough stitching and a tough (canvas-esque) exterior:

Easy access and lots good (deep) pockets (that has its own built-in binder):

Great foam:

Let me go into the foam a bit. Old Grey's Sabol foam trays are really starting to age. They are becoming discolored and the bottoms are starting to sag. Granted, they have been to hell and back and expecting themnot to show some signs of age is unfair - but still, no one wants to nestle their little soldiers in crappy foam (that last bit sounds dirty). Even when I first bought it, I was never quite happy with the foam's bottom/base. I always felt the pluck foam was thin and flimsy. Now, the bottom never ripped on any of the foam, but I was always extra careful because I worried the foam would bend and let a fig or three slip out. Agian, us gamer types are an anal lot, and thin foam bases annoy the crap out of us (us = me).

Older Sabol foam on the left, Battlefoam on the right -- fight!

The foam that game with the Battlefoam bag was great. It was both softer and studier (dont ask me how -I think its magic). In stark contrast to the pluck foam from Old Grey, the bases on these foam inserts are made of a soft rubber (or somesuch) and create a much more stable tray, even when filled with minis. This make me very happy and is worth the extra money Battlefoam charges for their foam.

Teh sexay rubber bottom.

SD holding my space elves -- Battlefoam tray up front... see the difference?

There are some issues with the Battlefoam bag. Not the least of which is that for a bag made to carry Warmachine minis, certain minis are conspicuously too big for the standard loadout.

Square peg, round hole.

Models like Behemoth and mounted Fenris simply dont fit -- even in the big tray that is supposed to hold big models like warjacks. My othe 'jacks do fit -- Kodiak, three Juggy/Dest/Marauder, Drago... they all fit nicely. But if you think the Battlefoam standard trays are enough for the really big models in the Warmachine line you will need to look for other options.

Still, remember that the Behemoth is BIG! and WIDE! - so again, its not unreasonable that he doesnt fit. My other 'jacks fit just fine and thats a good thing.

So, great new bag - solves all my travel and storage problems, right?

Well, in a word. No.

In another word?

Remember how I have a new baby? Yeah, well thats pretty important and sacrificing a carry-on (or a check-in) on a flight for my toy soldiers isnt an option. Worse, the Battlefoam Warmachine bag is bigger and a bit heavier than Old Grey and that means a lot more hassle when I have the family in-tow. Since the plan is for us all to leave Gabon this spring and vacation in the U.S. and Canada before relocating to Sri Lanka -- and during that time I will go to GenCon 2011 -- I have to make some hard choices about luggage, carry-ons, and what makes it back on this particular trip.

Beatings shall continue until morale improves!

I expect we'll have three seats, six bags, a lot of carry-ons, fly through three continents... and, consequently, little room for a full-sized bag to carry all my Khador minis. Bottom line - when it comes down to having carry-on luggage with diapers or one with Iron Fang Pikemen... diapers win. Always. Diapers win always (keep that in mind dads-to-be).

So, while I am a very happy customer with my new Battlefoam Warmchine bag, its a wee bit too big. To be fair, Old Grey would be too big for our return back to the States as well so its not a specific fault of the Battlefoam bag. In other situations , my new Battlefoam bag is going to be perfect (such as when I go to cons on my own, without the family in tow) -- but for this summer, I need something else. Its just the nature of the beast.

I think I have the solution on order.

TBC.

Moving Armies Across the World Pt. 1

2011-03-10T00:27:00.000-08:00

Troop Movement!

Suitably lofty title, yes?

Its been said, and I am paraphrasing here, that amateurs study tactics, experts study strategy, and veterans study logistics. So, too, is it for wargamers.

Just like we obsess over minute gradations in shading and the technical specifications of little symbols we paint on our minis, we (usually) freak out about moving our little armies. The key, for many of us, like real generals, is simply getting the army to the fight. Get the army to where its supposed to be, and you have won more than 50% of the battle. For wargamers, getting our armies to whereever we are playing, with a minimum amount of damage and chipping, is a big deal. (why "minimum amount of damage?" -- because something always breaks in transit. Always).

I've seen army transport handled a lot of different ways - but all of them are loving. I've seen people use blankets, foam-filled shoe boxes, Styrofoam, tackle boxes (guilty!), gun cases, and, of course, specially-made carriers. I think you can tell a lot about the type of gamer you are playing with by how they carry their army.

We who are about to die, Salute You!

Simple shoebox? Probably just got into the game or are in the hobby exclusively for the competition and see the modeling aspect as superfluous.

Tackle box? Somebody who has been in the hobby for a little while, loves their army, but doesnt have the cash on hand to get a really snazzy bag.

Gun case? Someone wants to protect their army but is uninterested in a custom bag.

Professional Bag/Carry case? Been in the hobby for a while and has a sizable collection. Probably someone who has been in a tourney or two.

As you can imagine, army transport for someone like me is a very big deal. I travel a lot and as I build my Warmachine army, I need a way to be confident my travels arent going to overly stress the army. Being gainfully employed, money is certainly a concern, but not an impediment.

The Story of a Stalwart

For the last 15 years I used an old Sabol designs bag. At the time, this was cutting edge for moving armies. It has all this nice foam to carefully place your individual figures, a nice sturdy bag holds the foam, and it is carried by a solid nylon strap. After 15+ years of gaming with this bag, I call it "old grey." Old Grey has been a stalwart -- I count three moves to DC, one move to South Asia, one move to East Asia, one move to Africa. At various points doing those last 15 years, Old Grey ably protected my Dark Angels army and my Eldar Ulthwe army. Breakage did occur, but nothing serious. Old Grey is a good bag.

Old Grey is so old, I cant find a stock photo for his model. But his great-grandson is this guy.

Old Grey has been part of this blog. He/it was the bag I used to carry my Khador army to GenCon in 2010. I ended up buying some foam trays from Battlefoam to replace the (now seriously aged) SD foam of my bag. 15 years later, the Battlefoam foam was a bit of an upgrade - sturdier and softer. I was happy.

Old Grey was getting old and 2010 GenCon finally broke him. On the travel back home (to Dallas, not Africa) I noticed a bunch of rips in the bag around where the straps are secured. Apparently, the plastic covering of Old Grey, able to endure Asian monsoons, DC crappy weather, and trips around the world, finally started to become structurally unsound. Shoot.

My solution to a ripped bag? What any god-fearin' Texan would do.

Duct Tape!

If you cant Duct it F- it!

Old Grey was on his last leg. I decided, upon return from GenCon, that Old Grey was not going to serve as a carry-on any longer. The rips were too deep and I had these horrible images in my mind of the strap breaking and the army tumbling out. So, Old Grey went to Mailboxes Etc., got wrapped in bubble tape, put into a box, and mailed back to Africa.

Old Grey and my Army was waiting for me in Libreville when I returned home (re: the title of this blog). I made it back in early November after Elliot was born... but before Tracie or my daughter joined me. So, I had some quiet time with my army to see what made it through the mail. Props to Mailboxes Etc in Grapevine, Tx for doing an amazing job. The guy there took his time, listened to my story about why I was being totally anal, and simply smiled and added more bubble wrap.

Dear MBE - thanks for not sucking.

Only Fenris was broke when I unpacked the army in Libreville, and for those of you familiar with the Fenris model, its just this side of impossible not to break that guy.

Dont look now, but I think this .img of Fenris just broke.

To be Continued...

Time to start things back up!

2011-03-09T00:42:00.000-08:00

Its about 3 months until Tracie, Elliot (my daughter, new to this blog since it took me so long to publish again), and myself rotate out of Gabon. The next stage is to return to the States/Canada through June and July and then off to Sri Lanka.

So, a quick summary of the last six months:

- Daughter (Elliot Patrice)

- Accepted a position in Colombo Sri Lanka in the POL office

- Will make a triumphant return to GenCon.

Lots to talk about in the coming weeks - stay tuned.

Babies, Names and Trains

2010-08-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

Time to talk about life.

I met with my buddy Keeton last night and his wonderful wife, Jamie. They are cool people with a nifty new house (and nicely cut lawn, I do declare) up in Denton. A lot of my life was spent with Keeton in it, and it was great to see him again. We grabbed some beers, made a run to Sonic and watched a show I had never heard of called "Archer." Good times.

Holy crap, Archer was awesome. If you like dry humor, and know what I refer to whan I spell out: ATHF. Go see it if you haven't.

Aisha Taylor is the voice of Lana. Win.

My discussion with Keeton and Jamie (who have a beautiful little 5-year old girl) got me to thinking about stuff. Baby stuff. One, when asked if I was excited about the baby, I really wasn't. I was a little alarmed by that and thought rather than deal with my emotions - I'll post here (I am sure there is a psych evaluation just waiting to happen with that sort of narcissism). Two, its about time I posted my slightly curmudgeonly view on names.

Lets start with Excitement.

As many of you know, I am about to be a dad. The baby is due Sept 20. I get asked a lot about how excited I am. My answer is normally "meh." That response gets a lot of raised eyebrows.

Honestly, I am "meh" -- at least most of the time. I have been excited on and off throughout the last eight months, especially near the beginning when I was reading my daddy books and coming to grips with the changes that are to come. So why am I "meh" now? Because its hard to keep up that excitement for nine months. At some point along the way, I came to grips with my current situation - which is basically constantly in waiting with imperfect knowledge about a radically different future. I'm waiting for baby. I'm waiting to catch back up with Tracie. So, I am "meh" until the next stage, the birth, when I will get excited again.

I mean, all you hear as expectant parents is how much your life is going to change and how you can't prepare for the demands of the child. Okay. Fair enough. If I can't prepare, I am going to go into "meh" mode, preserve my energy and anticipation for the baby, and accept that I can't even imagine the changes. I'll listen to the advice, take what sounds reasonable, make preparations from that reasonable advice, and just stay as emotionally neutral as much as I can.

So, I'm "meh" for the time being. Once I am with Tracie, once the baby is on the way, thats when I will get excited. 'till then, I wait. Even then, a little "meh" to help keep us grounded and calm is probably a good idea.

Names and Blissful Ignorance.

People ask us if we have a name yet and what we will name the baby. I dont give the name. Why? Because if I give someone the name then they might tell me about how they had this jerk boyfriend or horrible girlfriend in high school and he/she sucked so bad. I dont want to know he/she sucked so bad and that they have lingering baggage with the name. Ignorance is bliss since I dont want to even have a hint of an idea that we should change the name -- no matter how horrible the person was. Tracie and I have finally found a name we like, and we are going to stick to it, come hell or high water -- and I figure its easier to keep it a secret now and avoid all the horrible stories that certainly exist with the name we chose. I know Tracie and me, if we hear the bad stories, we may actually change the name.

So, we keep the name to ourselves until after the birth (when, not coincidentally, I will get excited. see above). Tracie and I figure after the birth, when the baby has the name once and for all, its too late to make the change.

Trains.

When you have a baby on the way, you look at stores and what they have on the shelves differently. I notice strolers now - never did before. I see wet-wipes on the impulse buy shelf and think we should stock up. Yeesh.

I went to Toys R Us yesterday to buy a couple waterguns for the upcoming barbecue at my Dad's lake house tomorrow (win). What did I see there?

Holy crap! Baby needs that.

Hm. Now that I think about it, baby also needs one of these:

Vacations are Exhausting

2010-08-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

My break from the blog took longer than I liked - mostly because I have needed some time to detox. Its one of those truisms to life - vacations take work and can often be exhausting. Last night I went to a movie with my sister (Scott Pilgrim, go see it if you like 8-bit games) and when I got home, I basically passed out into a coma because my body was finally telling me to take a break. I woke after 11am.

Tracie is my Romona - with less funky hair.

Why am I so busy, you ask? Well, since coming home to Texas I am running between my Dad's house in Grapevine and my Aunt's house in Carrollton - trying to split time and spend quality hours with each. This means going out to eat a lot and generally having wonderfully long discussions on whatever. Oh and shoping. From Half-Price Books to Best Buy to JC Penny - I've been watching the bank account, but trying to the things that need to be bought (like Star Craft 2). I've also been catching up with my sister, who lives in Dallas (and is good enough to drive into the mid-cities), and playing on my new gaming laptop - and oh yeah, trying to find extra time to read the books I bought at GenCon. My mind is in vacation mode - so its having difficulty reconciling my constants state of tiredness.

So, yeah, tired on the vacation. Suck.

...

Lets talk sports. I had my second fantasy football draft this weekend. I got my college buddy, Rizwan, who lives in the area, to come over and sit across from me as we drafted - yelling jibes and smack at one another. I like to think I am okay at fantasy football, not dominant, but I routinely get into the playoffs in whatever league I participate. That said, I killed the draft last weekend. I know a good draft when I see it (usually, its not mine), but this last draft for our "Highway 82" League was sweet. Its a 16 person league, so talent is usually thin - but I got talent at each position.

QBs - Tony Romo and Mark Sanchez

RB - Michael Bush, Ahmad Bradshaw and Chester Taylor

WR - Randy Moss, Anquan Boldin, Josh Cribbs, Jacoby Jones, Michael Crabtree

K - Rob Bironas

Def - Johnathan Vilma and Barett Rudd

I expect to reap the rewards of a lot of this...

Okay, not so hot, right? Let me break it down for ya. Its a 16 person league, almost everyone has glaring deficiencies. My team (called the Gulf of Guinea Fail Whales) is moderately weak only in one spot - one "moderate" weakness is something I can certainly live with (and consider a major victory). The Fail Whale's nagging problem is RB, and I still have a solid amount of points to count on. Bradshaw will start, Taylor will get a number of carries, and Bush is a great upside player. My QB and WR corps is second-to-none... and my WRs are especially sexy because we reward special teams points (I am salivating at those punt/kick returns from Cribbs and Jones). Bonus -- the league is WR-friendly since you can start up to 5 WR (but only a max of 2 RBs). Plus, this is a QB-emphasized league (6 pnts per TD). Having one good QB guarantees at least a couple wins (and is absolutely essential to being competitive) - but I got insurance even if Romo gets hurt, which is normally the death-knell for a team because QBs become very scarce by week three in the league. To top it off, my core Def is awesome, with assured points for tackles and the possibility of some really big games mixed in.

I'm going to toot my own horn - in a 16-man (and woman) league, that is a very good draft. The thing that is going to trip me up is another very canny player (Andy) shocked the league and landed both Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson through an impressive trade for1st round draft picks. His problem? The rest of his team is either average or just plain bad. The last series of champions in the league all have had elite QBs - reinforcing my belief you have to have a good QB (not just an average one) to win. The guy with AP and CJ? He has Matt Ryan as his starter. Not bad, but certainly not great. His best WR? Anthony Gonzalez (and it gets a lot worse from there). Will two hoss RBs be enough to buck the trend and lead his team to victory despite having a middling QB (and in a league that de-emphasizes RBs)? I doubt it.

A bonus from the field museum trip - rodents back in the day had horns. Horns! How sweet is that? Gophers back then were metal. We totally got conned with horn-less gophers in the modern age. I mean, really, WTF?

...

Last Thurs my sister, Katie, totally got the hookup and managed to get us into a suite at the Cowboys preseason game against the Oakland Raiders (see how Michael Bush is now on my team?). The suite was, well, sweet. The game was good (though the Cowboys 3rd string lost to the Raiders 3rd string).

I love football. American (and Canadian) football. Here are some pics to express my love in pixels.

Apparently, Cowboy's stadium is known as the Death Star locally. It really is just about as big. Though I like to think of it as the"temple to football."

That's no moon!

Trying to give a sense of just how enormous that jumbotron is - and how large a stadium that can seat 100,000 in a comfortable 72 deg looks like.

Thats Tashard Choice in the backfield. He is quite good.

What is best in life? All-you-can-drink Dr Pepper, a ticket to use a suite, and a Cowboys game.

Cowboys!

2010-08-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

Taking a break today and tomorrow from the blog. I'm going to the Cowboys preseason game tonight and am hanging with my Aunt tomorrow - I'll try to take pics.

To tide you, my loyal readers, over I am going to add a 6th point to the things I miss while overseas:

6) Radio in the car. Man, its great. Just being able to listen and hear new music is such a treat - even the ads are fun for the first week or so.

GenCon AAR3: Texas Edition

2010-08-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

Lets start with life stuff before gaming today, shall we?

Made it to Dallas yesterday eve. My dad was there to pick me up, and despite some wonkiness with plane changes, the luggage made it. My Sabol bag is starting to rip -- its over 10 years old, and has been used heavily the last few weeks, so I am not surprisecd. I am a little concerned, though. I think I might need to buy a new bag before I go back to Canada. The shoulder strap ripping in an airport is about the worst thing that could happen to the army. Ugh.

I got to play with Kali last night and today. Kail is my dog from Bangladesh -- I should take a pic of her. My dad takes care of her, so I guess she really isnt my dog anymore. Shes great, though.

Tonight is dinner with the rest of my family. Mexican at Abuelos. Sweetness.

So, as I have been reflecting on life in the States I thought I should add the top five things that I miss about the U.S. that I forgot about:

1) Pepperoni. Its nigh impossible to find American-style pepperoni overseas.

2) Convienance store drink selections. 'Cause, really. Its the greatest physical example of decadence. Lurv it.

3) Fast food. McDonalds, Burger Street, Taco Bueno, Burger King. It wins.

4) Television channels. Even basic cable is great stuff. If you think nothing is on with 65 channels, you have no soul.

5) English. Yeah, I usually like the challenge of operating entirely in a foreign language -- but coming home and reverting to English is a nice treat.

Okay, now to gaming. Here are some pics I have left-over from Privateer Press at GenCon. Thought you guys might like to see what the affinity jacks look like built and painted.

Affinity 'jack for Menoth.

Towards the left is Torch, the affinity 'jack for Khador.

Affinity 'jack for Cygnar = Kara sloan's new BFF.

Affinity 'jack for Cryx.

'Nother pic of Cygnar's affinity 'jack.

The Ret's affinity jack. (boo!)

More Menoth affinity 'jack. Two melee weapons looks nasty.

Torch. Chainsaw, AP fist, and a template. I'm happy. Plus, he looks badass.

Ret showcase.

Big Red showcase.

Cryx showcase.

Blue Goose showcase.

Bonus pic of the PP booth at GenCon.

Blood of the Exile

2010-08-10T11:00:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics from the scenario games. The campaign was called "Blood of the Exile" and involved three parts. Apollo put together the scenarios and we are hoping to forward them to Privateer Press so that we can share them with the rest of the Warmahordes community.

Until then; here are some more pics from the campaign.

I'll post more pics from the con later this week.

GenCon AAR2: Chicago Edition

2010-08-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

A quick panorama of one of our monster Warmachine games.

GenCon was a blast this year. My frinds and I started Nerdapalooza on Weds night and gamed through until Sunday. We had two rooms in the Westin, one of which was a suite, which made sure the number of people sleeping on the floor was kept to a bare minimum. Besides meeting the cool people I mentioned in the previous post, we got some great games in...

Heres a quick pic of the guys I call friends:

The Nerdapoalooza Posse: Apollo up front, Jacob tripping over him, Andy on the left with the sword, Jason is hiding behind Andy, Brad is the guy in back with the helmet, and I am the one in red on the right. Great bunch of guys, even if I do say so myself.

Jason, on the ride to glorious Indy.

On the gaming hit parade were:

The Aeon Mall game. You can see designer extraordinaire Ben Baugh in the back.

Aeon Mall (new Wild Talents setting of suiperheroics meets Paul Blart Mall Cop by Ben Baugh)

Go Go Monster Force Zeta!

Monsters and Other Childish Things (kids and their imaginary monsters save the world!)

The estimable Jerry Grayson giving us a turn at Hellas.

Hellas (epic Greek storytelling using science fiction trappings -- think Greek Legend meets Star Wars)

Brad and Andy playing one of our epic late-night scenarios. This was Brad's first go at Warmachine and he handled it like a pro.

The Great Vinter Escape! (a series of lined Warmachine/Hordes scenarios played over three nights). One cool things is that because of this blog, many of the Privateer Press people and Warmahordes gamers already knew who we were. "Oh! You are that guy from Africa!" or "Yeah, I saw the blog, that terrain looks amazing."

I usually try to limit my gaming and commitments during GenCon simply because having to run around means I miss other opportunities. This process has served me well. it let me concentrate on a few games, while still getting ample time in the dealers room, auction room, and eating.

The Krewe at our now-annual Sunday Breakfast to hand out awards and recount the Con. Apollo took the Master of ALL(!) coin because of his extra effort to make our Warmachine games great - he tutored Brad through the process, made all that fabu terrain, and generally kept things moving. When (not if) he becomes a Press Ganger, you will be well-served to play in one of his games. Jacob got the Loser McLosey Lose coin for not having a completely painted army (boo!).

Which brings me to my top five things to do to ensure a good GenCon:

1) Take a multi-vitamin every day.
Why? Because you are not going to get enough sleep and will eat like crap. A multi vitamin helps keep your body going and fight off the many sicknesses that other Con goers are carrying.

2) Wash your hands -- a lot.
Why? Again, its a hygiene/health thing. Gamers are not known to be particularly fastidious about their hygiene, so its up to you to protect yourself. Plus, getting sick during GenCon is a time-tested tradition for some gamers, dont be that guy.

3) No more than two scheduled events during working hours.
Why? You will never make more than two events and still have fun. Rather than run around and try to force in a bunch of events, slow down a bit, enjoy the con. Its worth it. Extra games late at night or maybe a seminar or two wont break you, but just schedule in time not committed to specific events.

4) Get a hotel near the convention center.
Why? Its so much happier to be able to go to the hotel and drop things off or pick things up right away.

5) Go with a friend.
Why? Like watching crappy Ed Wood movies, GenCon is best experienced with people you like.

***

As this blog is about things other then GenCon (say it aint so!) I should talk a little about my time in Chicago. First off, Chicago is a great city - especially during the summer. Lots to do and see. Great food. Nice mixture of humanity to watch and marvel at. Chicago is horrible during winter, but this is summer, so I could enjoy all that it has to offer.

Bonus Dinosaur Pics for those of you that made it this far. If you know me at all, you know I love dinosaurs (still). On the Monday after the Con, Jason, his wife Katherine, and I went to the Field Museum in downtown Chicago. Here are some of the results:

Before and after.

Paleontology as art.

Sue!

Chicago, on the steps of the Field Museum - it was a beautiful day.

Its more fun to push revolving doors with your face, as this young gentleman shows us.

Me, with the iconic ceratopsian.

I fly out from O'Hare later today. That means, by this evening I will be in Dallas with my family. I cant wait to see them. Burger Street, Abuelos, Taco Bueno, Krispy Kreme, and Sonic? Oh, gods, yes!

GenCon AAR1 : Wrath Preview

2010-08-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

GenCon was an amazing success. I am tired, but safely back in Chicago with Brad and Jason. Hanging out with my gaming buddies was a blast. It was great to see Apollo, Andy and Jacob again. The Westin was a good place to stay, and the food was reasonable. All in all, a great week.

The epic Warmachine campaign got lots of positive attention. Happily, I represented my fellow Khadorians well - playing with Karchev, Vlad and Irusk to victories. Many, many pics to come.

I did a lot of networking and got in some good games with people like Shane Ivery, Jerry Grayson, James Knevitt, and Ben Baugh... good stuff. Ben Baugh is as amazing a GM as you might expect. On Sunday I had a nice (quick) talk with Brennan Taylor (who, I discovered, sold of Indie Press Revolution). I also met Matt Wilson, Jason Soles and Simon Berman of Privateer Press who were all amazingly cool and supportive of our Skorne vs Western Immoren campaign.

With luck I drummed up a couple gigs to do some freelance rpg writing. I think its time to return to the fold.

By urgent request -- here are some pics for the Warmachine supplement previewed Saturday morning (on 3 hours of sleep). The book is due in "spring" of 2011 and will be called Wrath. The new affinity jack models were already for sale (I picked up Torch for Khador). Looks like we are all getting some very large models (yay!). Though the new Khador caster looks like he has a furry hat (boo!). I am holding out that the warwago will be pulled by bears. C'mon, PP, I need me some Khadorian war-bears of some type!

Without further comment:

Sexy, neh?

In Grand Forks and Chicago

2010-08-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

Tracie and I stayed in a nice hotel in Grand Forks, the Canad Inn attached to the Alerus Center. As a self-proclaimed hotel snob, I must say that my wife did quite well.

It was so nice being with her, even for two short days. We had a good time, ate greasy food, went shopping, and generally enjoyed being around each other.

Plus, I got the opportunity to sit down and do the needed repairs to my models.

The impromptu workstation.

Scrappy, reporting for duty (leg glued on).

The Old Witch happier (arm glued on and joint repainted -- plus some highlighting). The Butcher looking good (chipped paint redone and highlighted)

6am in the Grand Forks airport. From here, I boarded the plane that went to Minneapolis (sorry about Favre) and then on the Chicago where I met Jason and Brad.

What is this? Its the leftovers over our dinner together where we had a heated discussion about alternate WWII history. Oh yes, Deep Dish is Chicago's wonderful gift to the world. Anyone that says NYC-style cardboard (erm- pizza) is better is an idiot.

Alright - we are an hour out from loading the car and driving the 3 1/2 hours to GenCon. Next post will be from Nerdapalooza '10!

On the Road Between Canada and the U.S.

2010-08-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

Some Pics on the road...

Tracie - my baby-momma.

Rest Stop between Winnipeg and Grand Forks

Its good to be back in the Prairies.

In Manitoba

2010-08-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

Made it to N. America. On my way to catch up with Jason and Brad in Chicago.

All Packed Up...

2010-07-31T07:27:00.001-07:00

Pretty self explanatory...

My Models, pt 1

2010-07-30T10:03:00.001-07:00

There has been a request for more pics of my army. Here they are. The theme behind the army is that they are the 17th Border unit... a unit composed primarily of prisoners forced to the front. White indicates jailers and guards (like the WidowMakers), yellow indicates prisoners (Like the Doomreavers and Alexia's undead). You'll see some extra chains to add some flair to the prisoners.

Here is a sample:

Warjacks - usually a Destroyer and Decimator. These are magnetized to allow for all 4 options.

What do my opponents see when they look at this pic? ARM 20, thats what they see.

Strakhov and the Puppy.

The GreatBears.

Yuri.

Vlad.

Kell, Widowmakers, Undead, Doomereavers, and the Kayazy Lord (who is my generic proxy).

Doomreavers, Thralls, and Kossites.

Snuggled tight in their little beds.

One more day before I am on the plane. The models are packed - though I am not. Time to get to it.

I'm Famous!

2010-07-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

The blog has hit the big time!

I got a nice surprise today, Privateer Press, the guys and gals who make Warmachine, gave me a shout-out on Facebook. Rock on. Thanks PP.

I swear I am not trying to make this blog about my cat... its just he's my only conversation partner most nights since I am a geographic bachelor. Thus, he gets a disproportionate amount of my time.

So, I am starting to get excited. I haven't really packed yet, though I do have a pile of stuff to add into the suitcase once I get to it. I set my out-0f-office assistant today. That makes it official, I have one foot out the door.

The complicating factor for today is that Squeakers is still fighting a lung infection of some kind. We took him to the vet to get some standard shot updates and the vet put him on anti-inflammatory drugs because the infection from months ago isn't quite resolved. Great. We have some friends taking care of Squeaks when I leave - I hate leaving them with a sick kitty. Ah, the joys of travel. Hopefully Squeaks will get better sooner rather than later.

Okay, now to the models and games...

Chipped Paint Can Feel the HATE!

So here is my gaming dilemma; chipped paint and broken models. A few weeks ago I pulled out my army to look it over in anticipation of leaving and was met with a couple nasty surprises. The Butcher, Scrapjack and the Old Witch all are in the need of repairs. Grrr.

Let me take a second for you non-gamers. Wargame players, like myself, are essentially OCD about our games and the utensils we use to play those games. We invest lots of time, money, pride, and effort in our little toy soldiers -- and when they break (in whatever manner) it drives us batty. Seeing my models broken is like an antique car collector seeing someone key their camaro.

So, yeah, The Butcher (seen above) is my Camaro. And those unsightly strips of bare metal at the base of his longcoat? Thats a metaphorical key scratch. Leaving it unresolved drives me nuts. I swear to god the bare metal from that chipped paint glints in the sun every time I walk by - even when its 9pm at night. Its taunting me... I dont care if it is an inanimate object.

I have neither good quality paint nor good modeling glue on hand. Its one of those things I didnt pack way back when and is not available in thousands of miles. Shipping the stuff is a no-no since I can't send liquids through the mail service we use. So, I have to live with the damages until I can get to a place with good paint and glue on hand. Even if I did have them here in Gabon, the weather is usually prohibitive to allowing for the kind of minute attention to detail mini-painting normally requires. So, I lack the opportunity and the tools.

A gallery of the Walking Wounded.

So what do I do when I see the breaks and chips? I immediately get on the phone to FRPGames (thanks, Skype!), tell them the colors and types of paint I need and send them (along with the new No Quarter) to my lovely wife waiting in Winnipeg. I then hit Amazon and get some special modeling glue that is safe to use on painted models (nothing is worse than trying to repair a model with a glue that strips paint).

She's old, but not that old.

Like the A Team, I got a plan. The base paints made it to my wife, as did the glue. She is holding them in trust. I will arrive on Sunday in Winnipeg where she will pick me up. We then drive to her small town (Altona) in southern Manitoba that night. Assuming I can control my OCD desires and fight off jet lag, I'll wait until Monday (and the sunlight) to break out the paints, brushes, and glue and do some long-overdue emergency repairs. If I cant wait and simply must do the repairs Sunday - then so be it. Its going to be a huge weight off my off my shoulders once the models are repaired...

Its like God himself doesn't want Khador to have a medium 'jack or something...

Paint and some highlights for Orsus. Glue for Scrappy. Glue and some concealing paint for the Witch. All that stuff is going into the army bag and traveling with me to Chicago. Something else is bound to chip, crack or break between Africa and Indy... there simply are too many stops between here and there. ** Zen. I need to come to grips with the fact that something else is going to need some TLC. Breathe. Accept. Deal. **

Hmmm. I gotta figure out if the fluid ounces of the paint pots are small enough to bring on a flight.

Evil Wrinkly Elves vs Steam Belching Contraptions

2010-07-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

So, how about a preview of the GenCon campaign my buddies and I are going to run/play?

The goal is for us to have a game to play in with all the fun of a campaign/tournament, but significantly more relaxed. The campaign will start small: 15 - 30 point sides on Weds and Thurs and build up to larger games on Friday (50 point games) and then on Saturday, the pinnacle - a 2 vs 3 game approaching 150 points (or so) on each side (2 Skorne and 3 Western Immoren players).

How the heck is Apollo going to get all that the GenCon?

The pic above is the terrain Apollo has put together. No question, this looks great and he deserves some major kudos. It shows some Skorne pagodas and if you look in the background you can see the two sides of the slaver market he built. I believe he is bringing some/all of the materials to GenCon to help spice up our campaign.

The Skorne Invasion will involve linked battles, the ability to apply experience and special abilities that will carry over from one game to another, and an unfolding storyline. The details still need to be finalized (Apollo has been doing almost all the heavy lifting for prepping the Campaign) but it promises to be very cool. Apollo has designed scenarios in the past, and while I havent been able to play in them, I have heard good reports.

I know, at some point, there is going to be a raid on that slaver market of Apollo's. Sweet.

The campaign was devised in order to help give us some structure to the games we will play besides simply dropping 35 points on the table. the campaign as well also gives us an opportunity to play a really big game (that 2v3 game I mentioned above). Apollo has the largest collection of our group, and can field enough Skorne to take on the rest of us at once, so that is exactly what we are going to do. Finally, we are all a bunch of rpg nerds at heart - so playing Warmahordes while also telling/building a story? Yeah, good times.

Apollo and Brad will field Skorne through the weekend (Brad is new to Warmahordes and will have a lot of learning to do). I will bring my Khador. Jason will do wussy Cygnar (I shoot it! I run away!). Andy will do Menoth ("if its not Rezkik, I dont want it!"), and Jacob will bring... Imnotsure. I think he plays Legion, but I've never faced him. We shall see. Jacob aside, its forming up to be Cygnar, Menoth and Khador in an unlikely alliance trying to thwart the Skorne hordes for the good of all Western Immoren. Jacob's Legion may be a wild-card.

This? This is a good place to spill angry elf blood.

The campaign will continue across all four days of GenCon and will give us something specific to do in between our various schedules. I have a couple of roleplaying games lined up with people I have been really looking forward to meeting (Ben Baugh, Shane Ivey, James Knevitt, Jerry Grayson), plans to hit the auction room (lots of good deals), seminars, the dealers room (oh, yeah), and lots of Warmachine in the nooks and crannies. The other guys will join me at some of the rpg events and go off to do their own thing.

We also plan to use our campaign within the rules of Iron Arena - to see if we can get some extra goodies while pretending to beat the crap out of one another. Since Iron Arena is an option, I am really keen on not only playing our campaign, but also getting in as many pickup games as possible. To that end, I have been reaching out to the guys over on Privateer Press's and RPG.net's forums. I know a bunch of Warmahordes players via their online aliases -- I hope to put some faces to the names over GenCon. If they are cool with it, I'll post our games here on this blog.

Zombie-a-go-go -- I'm coming for you!

...

We are exploring ideas for next years campaign - I am advocating a "Return of the Orgoth" theme. I have this idea of using various minis from the Warmahordes lines that have connections to the Orgoth (Warwitches, Doomreavers, etc) and have us all create various lists to field against one another - its still formative, but could be a lot of fun and allow us to play with minis/units that normally never would work together.

...

And before I sign off tonight - *golf clap* for Apollo. Between the terrain and the scenario development, he's going to get all his beers covered through the week by my group.

Some Context

2010-07-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

So, lets talk about Gabon and Africa...

A scene from the beach next to our house.

I figure most of you loyal readers (all three of you) have not been to Gabon or Africa... so in order to understand where I am going, a little discussion on where I am coming from seems appropriate.

Gabon is home to some stunning scenery buried in the jungle...

Gabon is a republic in central Africa. Its not the Central African Republic -- thats a different country altogether. Gabon is a former French colony and is still very French. If you like French culture and the French outlook on life, Gabon would be a nice change for you. There is a way to life here that is very different than the United States or Canada. I've lived in a bunch of countries and had the fortune of being part of a bunch of different cultures - and Gabon is different.

Gabon is hot and muggy. I grew up in Dallas and lived for a number of years in Bangladesh... and even I find the height of the wet season (in February) miserable at times. That said, this time of year (July/Aug) is dry season and often quite enjoyable. The problem with dry season is a series of long days with grey skies and no sun. Push comes to shove, give me a hot and muggy day if the sun is out over a more comfortable temperature if the sun is hidden for weeks-on-end.

The Gabonese like the finer things in life. Fine cheese, good bread, leisurely meals, weekends on the beach... they love all these things. The Gabonese love to laugh with their friends and can be surprisingly forward at times.

A taste of Africa.

Its a country of 1.6 million people, with a lot of oil and timber money floating around. Thats not to say everyone is rich... in fact, just the opposite. Most people live a very rustic life. However, the upper crust here are fabulously wealthy -- like crazy wealthy. Its not uncommon to see Land Rovers, Ferraris and Hummers on the road, all of which double in price to import (making an already expensive luxury almost obscene). Long lunches are the norm. 3 hour lunch meetings are pretty common, and dinners can run just as long. If you are part of the elite in Gabon, dropping $200+ per head on a meal is nothing. For someone who, because of work, has to deal with the elite of Gabonese society often, it can be frustrating to see the ridiculous amounts of money floating around but not making it to the rest of society.

Squeaks? How did you sneak into the photos? Bad kitty!

There are a lot of foreigners in Gabon. French, Chinese, Lebanese and lots of west Africans call Libreville home. The Gabonese dont always welcome foreigners with open arms, but its not like they are hostile either. "Meh" probably sums up the Gabonese attitude on foreigners (though they are very pro-American when they discover I am not French -- thanks Obama). Gabon is predominantly a Catholic country - and thats "catholic" with a capital "C." Three hour masses are the norm. Gabonese people have an outlook on life that would mesh well with conservative family values in the States. People value family and faith. Besides Catholics, there are a small number of Muslims and a larger number of Protestants in the country -- and despite what you may think, they all get along nicely. The Gabonese are very tolerant of other religions.

Friends in the area.

Gabon is a safe and quiet country. The tribalism, ethnic violence and religious hatred that plague many other countries in the region dont get any traction in Gabon. Good on the Gabonese.

A pic of Libreville from the Estuary (l'Estuaire)

Libreville, the capital, has a lot in common with an island. Surrounded on three sides by dense rainforest and on the other side by an estuary, its not easy to get out of the city - but when you do you find yourself in near primeval jungle. Forest elephants, surfing hippos, lowland gorillas, pangolins, green mambas and other things from Rudyard Kipling call Gabon home.

I just want to give you all a quick snapshot of Gabon and the Gabonese. I like it here, even when I am stuck in seemingly endless traffic because the police lock down the road to allow some nameless government official to drive around. The people are nice once they get to know you and the country can be beautiful. When the baby comes, Gabon is going to be its second home (after Canada) -- its not a bad place to have a family.

That said, Gabon doesnt have Tracie, GenCon, the Texas Rangers or the baby. Its time for a vacation.

Fenris! I love Fenris - but he seems to die in my armies. A lot. Its like my buddies are scared of him or something.

This is a gaming blog - I should talk about gaming at least a bit.

I like Gabon, but its not an easy place to be a gamer. I am probably the only wargamer and roleplayer in hundreds of miles. The closest ready group of gamers are in S. Africa - and thats an expensive airline ticket. So, I turn to the internet a lot to get my gaming in. I currently play via skype/google wave in a Song of Ice and Fire game run by my buddy Andy (who I will see at GenCon). We play once a week on Saturdays, 2pm my time is 9am central time in the States. Jason and Jacob also play in the game and will be at GenCon... I really look forward to seeing all of them.

I've lived overseas for the last 8 years of my life and become quite adept at introducing people to gaming - both roleplaying and wargaming. I've played Memoir '44 in Gabon, Exalted in Tokyo, and AT-43 in Dhaka... dont ever let some lazy gamer tell you there local meta isn't vibrant enough. If there is no gaming in your area - make the meta. There are always people interested in games no matter where you go - you just have to find them and take the time to teach them.

Wargames were pretty much a non-factor until Vassal. I could get boardgames in, but the extra time required to build an army that is part-in-parcel with Wargaming made it difficult to create a group. Vassal was the answer. Vassal is an online-ready program that allows players to push little icons around on a pretend table. Its not a prefect substitute for playing an opponent in real life, but its better than nothing. Vassal is the only way I can reliably get games of Warmachine in. To be honest, I am a little pensive about playing people in real life. Its an odd feeling - I am normally an outgoing guy, but I place a high premium on being a good and conscientious player - the tactics and ethics that are appropriate on Vassal arent the same as in real life. I hate to admit it, but I am shying away from tourneys and formal events of Warmachine specifically because I need to give myself a day or two to re-figure out the etiqutte of playing with a person across the table (rather than in front of my laptop).

Dont put me into the bag! NooooOOOO!

I proposed a number of months ago to do a series of games and linked scenarios with my buddies who are going. My dirty little secret is I proposed this to help ease me back into the wargaming water. Playing with my buddies I can screw up, or forget a move and ask to take an action back - playing in pickup games - thats often not an option. I've played Warmachine under Mk1 rules since its inception (I actually wrote for Iron Kingdoms back in the day), but I still think its best to give myself a day or two of concentrating on playing with my buddies before I'm ready to get schooled by total strangers.

So, that was the genesis of our home-made Skorne vs Western Immoren campaign. We'll play it during GenCon and use the games as part of the Iron Arena process. I'll preview the campaign later this week -- Apollo, one of my buddies that will be at GenCon, has made some sweet scenery to help bring the game alive.

Fenris says "suck it!" err... "bye!"

The Army Is Ready To Go!

2010-07-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

I am ready to go! What? I have to wait until Saturday? Really? Really?

This is the material a pretend-general needs to take to GenCon to push lead (or a lead substitute) around a table and simulate little elves and steam machines killing one another (with complicated rules). In the back is the padded bag I will carry all this inside. In the fore, you can see dice, wipeable markers, merc cards, a laser pointer, and focus tokens. On the left is a binder with plastic sleeves that hold my army cards. In the middle of the pic is the army, nestled snugly in its foam protection (though I pulled out a couple miniatures to show scale).

Not pictured are a couple paper towels to wipe up the marks that will go on the pastic sheets to track damage, the core Warmachine Book, and some extra foam (in case I buy some new figs).

The Preparation

2010-07-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics of Gabon a week out...

Squeaks, doing what he can to make it hard to type. If you have ever wondered what a gamer stuck in central Africa must do to get some games in, this is how. I use VASSAL a lot to grab games with my friends -- particularly Warmachine.

So, yeah, lots of flipping in various books as I play Warmachine. You can see my army in the background, getting ready to be packed in foam. I'll post some pics later in the week discussing the tender loving care my army will get in anticipation of traveling across the pond.

Its just about the end of dry season here in Gabon, so its not a bad time to leave. Still, its been beautiful the past few days, so it will be hard to leave when the weather is so nice. Doubly hard is that Squeakers will stay for the duration with some of our friends. Hes a great cat, and been my best bud these weeks I have been on my own with Tracie in Winnipeg so I'm going to be quite sad not to wake up with him next to me. Still, its better for him to stay here and avoid all their airplane travel.

The first leg of my travels will get me to Winnipeg to visit Tracie for a few days. I'm looking forward to that. After Winnipeg/N Dakota its off to the midwest and GenCon. Its been 2 years since I went to GenCon. I am stoked. I'll post my plans and the events I will attend in a later blog (oh, cliffhanger!).

I normally hold off thinking about vacation until a week beforehand in order to prevent the weeks from dragging on and make sure I concentrate on work. I crossed that arbitrary temporal barrier a few days ago - so now its time to make some preparations. I've pulled out my bags and am starting to pile things I know I will need -- as well as things that I wont need, but I should bring.

Across the table from me as I type is my Warmachine Khador army - just waiting to be packed away. I have it sitting there to help organize what I plan to bring in terms of gaming stuff. Thus far, I have the army, its SD carrying case, dice, a laser pointer, special tokens, a binder with plastic card holders for my Warmachine cards, and a bunch of other stuff.

yeah, I am getting excited.

There are six of us going to GenCon to meet up -- some are coming from Dallas, some from DC, some from Chicago, and some from Africa (me). Its going to be great to see my buddies again. In that group are Jason and Brad, my two closest friends -- its going to be especially nice to spend a week with them.

The six of us are getting together to run our own Warmachine tournament and campaign during GenCon (as opposed to playing one of the sanctioned tournaments). I expect our in-group tourney will be the focus of all of our time during the convention -- I plan to do a bunch of roleplaying as well, but the Warmachine campaign is going to continue over the entire convention. Our campaign will focus on on telling the story of a running battle between the forces of Western Immoren and the Skorne. It will be a massive horde of Skorne vs Khador (me), Cygnar and Menoth. I dont want to get pwned by my buddies, so some practice is certainly in order.

In anticipation of getting in a lot of Warmachine games I really want to get a few more games in via Vassal this week -- weekends are when I game with my buddies, so a pickup game or four may be in order.

It Begins

2010-07-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

The pic above? Thats Squeakers ("squeaks" to his friends). He stares at the ocean... and dreams of travel to exotic locations like... Indianapolis!

This blog will follow me as I travel from Africa to N. America for what proves to be a whirlwind event. Its hard to tell what I am more excited for at times - seeing my wife usually wins, but once in a while the preparations for GenCon trump even her (sorry honey!), and of course, seeing my family also has me excited.

Its less than a week before I leave Gabon for North America. Its going to be a long trip -- starting in Winnipeg to visit Tracie (my wife) who is there on medevac in preparation of our first child -- then on to Chicago to visit my buddy Jason and meet up with my other buddy Brad -- then we drive to Indianapolis for 5 days of GenCon (and meet with more friends) -- then on to Dallas to spend a few weeks with my family (and watch the Rangers) -- after a few weeks I go back to Winnipeg to finish up my vacation and prepare for the baby.

Yeesh.

My goal is to use this blog to focus on my gaming exploits and reflect on how it interacts with my life as a friend, husband, and father-to-be. I hope to chronicle the people I meet, the challenges I face, and, with luck, convey a sense of the fun and excitement I plan to have.

Comments are welcome - as are questions (and requests).