Moving Armies Pt. 2: From Old to New

"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

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...

GenCon AAR3: Texas Edition

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

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

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

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?