Stealth bomber!

I decided I wanted to paint one of my favourites from X-Wing, the mighty K-Wing!

For a while I'd thought that I quite fancy a peculiar mat & gloss kind of look, so after a quick spray of black primer I just needed to paint some details in so that I didn't come across as utterly lazy.

I even stretched to painting the ordinance on the underside of the main wings and weathering the landing skids.

Will anyone ever see the underside?

You can see some of the mat/gloss variation here as well as the GW gemstone paint used on the cockpit canopies.

Red for left (port) and green for right (starboard.)

I thought I'd be brave and try out the glow effect that I've seen several other people doing recently on plasma weapons and such like. I'm quite happy with the results, but think maybe an additional layer of colour change in it will look better next time.

My first attempt at ,"plasma glow".

This is the second of my three K-Wings now custom painted, gotta decide on a scheme for the third one.

Tanks - hit the beach!

I took part in the first round of the Tanks (by Gale Force 9) organised play season today at Athena Games and thoroughly enjoyed it!

The game shares many similar rules & mechanics with the hugely popular X-Wing, using simplified a version of its movement template system and just varying numbers of 6 sided dice for attack and defence. Typically an attacking tank may fire with 5 (this rarely changes in game) dice and will be looking to score 4-5 for a hit and 6 for a critical hit. The target tank will often start at a single defence die and gains extra dice for movement, positioning and cover up to a maximum of 6 dice. A roll of 6 will cancel out a hit (or critical) of the defenders choice and a roll of 4-5 will cancel out a hit of the attackers choice.

I decided upon going with mother Russia as my nation of choice and opted for two IS2 heavy tanks being backed up by a T34, concentration of fire was my main plan. The Russian national trait allows an additional attack die when firing at the same target that a nearby ally has already fired at this turn.

My 100 point Russian platoon.

As the games began I quickly realised the effectiveness of coordinated fire, operating in a tight formation the T34 would make the first shot with its 4 dice (any damage caused is a bonus) this would typically score two hits and depending on what the target is doing (speed & cover) they'll often be defending with 4 dice (typically saving both hits.) Now however, the real shooting starts! If I've been doing it right I have both my 6 attack dice IS2's firing on the same target with an additional 7th attack die and hopefully causing some real damage and/or destruction to the enemy vehicle.

The scenario of the day involved the attacking force making their way across the battlefield to capture an objective. This proved to be quite tricky for the attacking players as there was little time (6 turns) to make it all the way and if a defending tank was within a range stick of the objective, points could not be claimed until they'd been shifted.

My first game was against Chris and I opened up with volleys of coordinated fire as his tanks tried to scurry from cover to cover. I managed to destroy all his tanks, thus preventing any point scoring.

The Russian & German platoons face-off!

My second game was against Jack who bought a Super Pershing heavy tank to the table, this is a beast not to be trifled with! Supported by Sherman's he made it very hard work for me to get to the objective and scored 1 of 2 points needed before reaching the 6 game turn limit, at least I managed another total annihilation of the enemy with them falling under the coordinated bombardment of the IS2's in the final turn!

The Super Pershing was a monster, until it's crew bailed out!

My third game was against just two well equipped Panthers. Both formidable tanks. Dave decided to make tracks directly for the objectives, taking full advantage of the German's ability - Blitzkrieg! I was lucky to score debilitating damage on one of the panthers in the first volley and perform the coupe de grace on it in the next turn. This left a solitary Panther trying to outrun and outmaneuvere my full platoon. He made a valiant dash for victory but fell under my hail of high explosive rain!

The final battle!

I'm very much looking forward to the next round of the campaign, but I will certainly make note of a few things.

1. There's a big difference between 4 and 6 attack dice.
2. Coordinated fire is awesome.
3. If the enemy is destroyed they can still win!
4. Be sure to read the mission briefing in advance!

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (episode III)

So I've been playing X-Wing for a little while now and still really enjoy the game. It does seem as though I am reverting to type - exactly the same list FOREVER!

My custom painted K-Wing.

I am very lucky that there is such a great X-Wing community at Athena games (where I work) and I get plenty of opportunity to try new lists and new builds but regardless of the effectiveness of any other lists I try - I love my "triple K" list of Miranda Doni (painted by Maverick Mini Studios) and two Warden squadron K-Wings and struggle to change to using anything different. I'd quite like to custom paint whatever ships I do decide on, maybe a golden HWK (think C3PO) and a black & grey ARC-Fighter.

I think (daydream?) about having a list using Miranda alongside an incarnation of the upcoming ARC-fighter and some yet to be determined ship (although I keep looking at the HWK.)

So in the mean time I'll stick to using this list. The 2 points spent on a seismic charge are the only thing I change from game to game.

A tried and tested favourite.

p.s. I'm always on the lookout for tips and ideas :p

Panzer grey

I've built and now painted my Rubicon Tiger 1. Currently it's rather clean, but I'm going to (learn) whitewash it and add a little mud.

A good kit to work on.

I'll be off to read some tutorials on whitewash effects and see what I can come up with. There are some great tutorials out there but I've got to admit I'm quite nervous about trying it out.

Watch this space.

See you soon!

Tanks!

Opening up "Tanks" from Gale Force Nine, it's a cool little game with great models and a simple lightweight game system.

Not meant to be a simulation of any kind, Tanks is for 30 minutes of easy going gaming. The full colour rule book is only 22 pages and a fair bit of that is pictures helping to explain the mechanics.

Anyone who has played X-Wing the miniatures game will recognise many familiar aspects in this game from the (simplified) movement template to the crew and upgrade cards you can buy for your chosen tank(s) it's all laid out on the cards and a reference sheet, only needing the actual rule book for double checking bits.

The tank cards included in the core set.

The core set comes with a load of cards for a variety of tanks, including all the possible builds from the three tank sprues included.

Damage, crew and upgrade cards.

After you have selected your tank, you can then add a variety of upgrades including crew and mechanical options for a wide variety of choice. You might be able to build a (100 point) list of 5 basic tanks or maybe 2 highly skilled and we'll equipped versions of the same vehicles.

The models in the set (and the expansions) are multi part plastic kits and will require some assembly, the Sherman and Jagd/Panther models can be built in several variations, which is great. Whilst well detailed they are basic, you won't need to build all the track and suspension assemblies!

Tokens and terrain.

The starter set also comes with a ton of tokens & counters for keeping track of things and a selection of cardboard scenery, two wooded area terrain pieces and four buildings! Everything you need to get up and running.

All this for the very reasonable price of £18 ;)

Making a monster! (well, a Tiger 1)

The Tiger 1 from Rubicon Models seems a decent kit, good and sturdy parts (for heavy handed wargamers) but still well detailed.

The mighty Tiger is something I've been wanting for a while, not really for use in a game as such (in Bolt Action it is hard work) but just to have the iconic tank!

Over compensate much?

The model itself was pretty easy to build with one piece tracks (very strong) and just a couple of parts to assemble all those wheels - the tank seems to have more wheels than it needs. Then the hull was two central parts, again very sturdy, with front, rear, side and top 'plates' glued onto the central box. this all went together pretty easily and looks like it will stand my using it in battle the test of time!

The profile of the beast

The turret was peculiarly in two halves (left & right) with the choice of three different turret tops to go on the top of these two, again a good solid fit. The main gun is hinged so it can be elevated and comes off the sprue in one part too.

"Aim here"

Along with the good quality and detail of the kit's structural offerings is the nice amount of options available - early, mid and late war options for wheel, turret, several ports & hatches and an optional air filtration system - all allowing you to build several different variants. The pintle mounted MG is also an option for those that want to mow down enemy infantry!

Next I need to get this thing painted!

Rubicon Tiger 1 unboxing

I have a Rubicon models Tiger 1 Ausf E kit here to build and paint, let's see what there is to see.

One of the first things I have noticed is the impressive amount of options allowing you to build early, mid or late war variants. This includes two entire sets of tracks and running gear! The tracks are single piece with the wheels, so you can select the set with steel or the set with rubber road wheels.

The options extend to most other parts too with three different turret tops, ventilation systems and a variety of accessories that may be selected and attached as desired.

Three different turret tops

Another nice feature of the kit is that each sprue is sealed in it's own plastic bag to help keep any bits that may come loose whilst the courier is launching it from orbit.

Two complete sets of wheels & tracks

The instruction leaflet is a very well laid out piece with all parts easily recognisable and clearly numbered (including all optional parts) as well as that is some rather cool historical notes, just telling you little bits of information about the vehicle during it's tenure as the beast of the battlefield.

"From Nov 42, for Tigers sent to regions like Tunisia, Sicily, Heeresgruppe Süd and Mitte in Russia, Feifel air pre-cleaners are installed.
After Aug 43, these were no longer fitted at the factory."

I'm thinking that I'm going to enjoy building this monster!

The instruction leaflet contains loads of detail

A quick count up reveals 68 parts (including various options) so it's quite detailed and sturdy at the same time. The main hull particularly looks hardy enough to deal with clumsy gamer hands (well, mine) and the front, top and rear hull facial glue onto the central lump.

The main options include:

• Steel or rubber road wheels.
• Early, mid or late production turret tops.
• Gun sight choices.
• Optional spare track sections.
• Three different headlight configurations.
• Pistol port.
• Optional Feifel filters.

A strong looking (half) hull.

So now we have seen all the bits and the great detail, I better get to building (my favourite bit) and then trying to figure out what colour scheme to go for.

A bit random!

Looking briefly at the difference between luck and skill games and hybrids.

Games like the ancient favourite - Chess evolve no luck whatsoever and a set "army" so no player has an unfair advantage over the other. On the other hand you might have a game like snakes & ladders, being a simpler game but based entirely on luck.

Some selections will be better than others.

Games involving only skill and judgement are very common and very old, chess is a prime example of this type of game. In each game of chess no player has an advantage (as long as their opponent knows the rules) and only decisions made by a player can effect the game. There are no random elements like die rolling that can augment or indeed scupper an action. Each player begins with the same "list" and knows exactly what they are going to face. In short the game is won or lost entirely dependent upon your decisions and actions, a killing move will not be foiled by an unlucky roll, only by a more tactically minded opponent.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have games based completely on luck. The traditional game of snakes and ladders is a good example of this. Again no player has any advantage (if they roll dice to see who goes first) and unlike chess, none of the players can influence their random chances of winning the game.

Then we have the bit in the middle . . .

Although this isn't a "bit" it's a vast collection of games, untold thousands of games with a vast array of options from "list building" where you normally select the forces or equipment that you are going to use and then how and where (or when) you plan to deploy your chosen list, deck or army. Then there is more often than not, a random element to the game too, a soldier might need to roll 4 or more to hit their target, an Eldrazi monster will need to be selected at random from a deck of cards.

In order to be successful at many modern games, you will have to select your forces carefully, choosing units or characters that may augment or compliment each other. Many abilities that particular units have will bolster other units or have detrimental effects on opposing forces.

Then after selecting your choice of forces, you will need to deploy them and maneuver them in an effective manor. A powerful and heavily armed spaceship will not prevail if piloted badly and it may soon be outmaneuvered and destroyed by a lesser ship flown by the better pilot.

Then there is the random bit. A great many games feature a random element, it might be quite insignificant or it might be a major part of the game. Often this will evolve regular dice, sometimes custom or specialist dice. Another popular mechanic is cards, these will invariably be shuffled to introduce randomness. Normally this is introduced to represent strengths and weaknesses amongst your troops. Your soldier has been expertly moved forward to take that headshot, aims, pulls the trigger - then you roll a 1 - what can you do?

So all you have to do is select the best ship for the job, fly it proficiently and be lucky with the dice rolls.

Or at least - better than the other guy!

Casual or competetitive?

For all my years playing games it's become apparent to me that there are two broad categories of gamer.

1. Casual players are kind of in it for the explosions, the cinematic experience or maybe just want to get out of the house for a few hours.
2. Competitive players want to win, burn and/or crush all opposition and hear the lamentations of their women significant other halves.

I should point out that these two categories are very broad with a lot of crossover and hybrids of the two.

I don't care, I was enjoying it!

Over the years I've seen many heated discussions about the two incarnations and their awkward match-up in game, I've been involved in a couple myself. I believe one of the problems is (for example) that casual players prefer thematic lists or builds, which can often be suboptimal and although whilst they definitely follow the 'rule of cool' will sometimes find themselves to be less equal than others.

On the other side of the coin are the competitive players, these are the ones who'll not necessarily follow a theme or historical formation, but they'll investigate the meta of the game in question and learn to (was going to say "exploit") maximise the use of effective options or units within the available parameters.

So, who's right and who's wrong?

I don't believe either side (or any hybrid) is wrong, both are very valid approaches to the vast majority of games and both can be very rewarding to those who seek the experience they offer. They can however quite often be wrong for each other!


When competitive meets casual it can often end in tears/rage but why?

This is generally because in most game systems a competitive and well structured force will beat a poorly structured force 9 times out of 10, regardless of the skill of the commanders involved. For example (in Bolt action) a force of inexperienced partisans whilst they may be very thematic and poorly equipped with pistols, shotguns and a handful of rifles are going to find it very difficult to fight off a force of well trained and equipped German FallschirmJager veterans with their wide array of weapons including the devastating assault rifle. The partisans might be a more realistic representation of some hapless chaps during WW2 and the FallschirmJager would represent a less realistic force, but optimised within the rules. So even though both sides are supposedly equal - one is more equal than the other and quite likely to win (barring atrocious luck.)

• This peculiar system of unbalanced fairness is present in a great many game systems, in fact any system where you might be able to choose what your deck or army is going built from.
• For the casual player - they're going to be faced with min/maxing, rules lawyers, cheese mongers who are no fun and only here to "Win At All Costs".
• Whereas the competitive player is facing a historical buff or reckless fool who doesn't seem to know what they're doing (and possibly just wasting your time!)

So both are right AND both are wrong in varying degrees.

I like to think that a good example of an antithesis of these phenomena is the age old game of chess, both players will have exactly the same starting lineup and limited movement options. This will show if one player has a better tactical brain than the other. Also there's no luck via dice or cards in the game so there can be no "rubbish dice rolling."

I should add now that I am a casual player in any and all games I play, I often choose a force or get a "really cool idea" and run with it, regardless of its success or lack thereof. I choose to play things and lists that I like, sometimes this can work out for me, but I must admit - it generally doesn't :)

Have you seen my mojo?

We all do it, lose our will or motivation, lose momentum or simply get distracted by something else.

Aylsham show 2015

So what can you do when you've lost your "mojo" and have that absurd combination of wanting painted models but not having the determination to actually paint them? For some this might be the painting, for others the building or it could be the daunting overwhelming of it all! Here's a few ideas . . .

1. Try something completely different!

• Are you getting fed up of brown World War II infantry? Paint something sci-fi or brightly coloured.
• Sick of all those eyes or similarly difficult piece? Try painting a vehicle or a building.
• Reduced to tears gluing together hundreds of tiny arms, legs and guns? Why not something with a (single piece) fully cast miniature.

2. Google it! (Other search engines are available.)

• As obvious as it sounds, go to whichever browser you like and do a search on the item(s) you want to work on, it just might throw up some inspirational results.

3. Lights, camera, action!

• Go turn on the TV and see if you can find (preferably) a film, documentary or program relating to your subject matter. 

4. Just a little?

• This often works for me, I just decide that I'm going to build/paint one thing or even half of it. Maybe do some basing or repair a broken item. Just go for something that's going to take five or ten minutes, for me this is easy and -often- triggers an enthusiastic surge.

5. Speak to your friends.

• This is another one I find very effective. I can talk to others about their works in progress and see what they are doing (or have done) and often this will spur me into action, particularly with mass infantry.
• Often friends will provide positive motivation if they think/realise you're struggling with getting anything done.

6. Get out!

• This can be easier said than done, but go and visit a place of inspiration.
• Historical gamers can find these in many forms, museums or military collections being prime examples.
• Sci-fi inspiration can be a little trickier to find out in the real world, maybe try locating a technology or eco centre that allows visitors.
• Fantasy players and painters might look to old local architecture for inspiration or s visit into the wild countryside (if you have any nearby.)

My Ultra Pro Gravity Dice

I'm just doing a post to try direct video upload and I'd thought I'd show off my Ultra Pro "Gravity dice" in the process.

I've always had a bit of a thing for dice and I have quite an extensive collection of them in all shapes, sizes and colours. One of my prized sets is a matching collection of Chessex poly dice and D6's (they're very nice.)

But a while back Athena ordered in a couple of sets of some rather special dice, with a rather special price tag of £20 for the pair in a very nice magnetic storage box. These are the most expensive dice I've ever bought, but they are particularly cool!

The two dice in their open storage box (with packaging)

Here's the 'blurb' from the back of the box:
"Gravity Dice are premium precision gaming dice made from high quality, aircraft-grade aluminum. Each die has a perfect center of gravity and chamfered edges for extended rolls. Both dice are hard anodized, laser etched and designed to enhance your gaming experience."

The dice are surprisingly light, being made from aircraft aluminum (whatever that is) and have a nice feel about them, very cold and smooth. Rather peculiarly one has solid dots whilst the other has small circles denoting the "number" rolled. The case is extremely sturdy and has a very strong magnetic clasp which is very satisfying to those that like that sort of thing (me!)

The free Kings

So it's the Athena X-Wing store championship and although I didn't do as well as was expected of me, I found the day very rewarding!

Squadron leader's prepare for battle.

I used my (notorious) three K-Wing list, with a borrowed C-3PO and Tactician.

#1Miranda Doni
C-3PO
Twin laser turret

#2Warden squadron pilot
Tactician
Twin laser turret

#3 Warden squadron pilot
Jan Ors
Twin laser turret

I've had mixed results using them in the past but losing isn't a big problem for me and they suit my preferred play style of plodding along shooting!

Game 1
In at the deep end against a well practised player using an Outrider and an intimidating Ghost!
Right from first contact this went badly both ships were well equipped and flown with skill, scattering my formation early on with a turn 3 kill on Miranda. The Warden pilots found themselves separated and easy prey for the monstrous Ghost.

Game 2
I found myself facing another Ghost! This one accompanied by it's attack shuttle and a Z-95.
This went somewhat better for me as the Ghost (with its huge base) bumped into asteroids a couple of times allowing me to pounce upon the Z-95 and fall back slightly to ambush the Ghost. With a combination of luck and TLT perseverance I had managed to  get the Ghost reduced to a single hull point before the attack shuttle launched. Once the Ghost was engulfed in a fireball, the lone shuttle couldn't survive for long.
Also this game was featured on the Athena game's stream table.

Game 3
Here I met another wave 8 ship - The Inquisitors Tie, he was accompanied by a Tie advanced and a Tie interceptor, all well outfitted.
I've got to admit I 'thought' this one was going to be a win for me! However as the Tie's hurtled towards my lumbering K-Wings, the lead Tie fired it's Proton rockets with +3 for 5 dice which combined with a couple of buffs resulted in a devastating pass on the Rebels! The Tie fighters seemed to run circles round me (ironic?) and I found them impossible to hit with their wide array of skills and abilities, "Juke" being a new and unpleasant experience for me!

Game 4
Here I met one of the Athena regulars whom I haven't had a chance to play against yet.
I made an error early in the game here, Miranda lagged behind the formation and Chris' X-Wing and Z-95's descended upon her with an unrivaled fury! Chris utilised "Tracer threads" to great effect, their hit endowing target locks upon the attackers allies. The formation made one pass (that's all they needed) and reduced my squadron leader to a flaming wreck with ease. My two surviving ships then pulled themselves together and led the enemy formation on a trail of destruction through and around the obstacles. But right from the moment where they struck down Miranda, I was on the defensive and I did all I could just to destroy his X-Wing before being defeated.

Game 5
Looking across at SEVEN Tie fighters was rather unsettling, with more than twice my numbers I reckoned I  was going to be in trouble here.
My K's move along my right flank and the Tie swarm swung around and homed in on the rear ship (Miranda) - this is where the dice gods smiled upon me! I lost count of how many attack die came up blank, it seemed as though the Imperial pilots had been out on the beer the previous night. Although they were being flown well and in tight formation, they just kept on missing. Turn after turn this continued, with my K's managing to destroy an enemy fighter each turn until it became apparent that the I was winning this war of attrition.

Game 6
Here I met more wave 8 goodness in the form a Misthunter with the intriguing "tractor beam" (which I now want.)
Our squadrons both charged straight at each other and a pair of Kihraxz fighter's unleashed cluster missiles (I need to try these out too) to great effect bringing down a Warded pilot and causing a lot of damage to Miranda. Luckily I managed to Zapp a Z-95 in this pass and get into position on a couple of the other scum ships and thinned out his numbers somewhat.
We ended up with a single K-Wing and a single Kihraxz fighter on the table, both desperately trying to outmaneuver the other. Then I had a "use the the force, Luke" moment, but in this reality it was Dave saying "Slam, Shaun - SLAM!" (for the hundredth time.) I've always been very reluctant to "not shoot" but in this situation it enabled my lumbering K to outflank a more agile fighter and win the day.

So I ended up mid table with 3 wins and 2 loses, but more importantly a received my very own C-3PO crew card (top 32 prize) that I really need for my squadron and had some great games with some great players. I experienced a few new things to, notably SLAMming and being on the receiving end of the new tractor beam upgrade. This allows the attacker (with a successful hit) to move an enemy ship 1 forward or 1 barrel roll, which I thought was great (as I was bounced onto nearby asteroids) and is certainly something I'm going to invest in.

Thoughts for the day . . .

1. Cluster missiles are savage.
2. Use tractor beams, hilarity will ensue.
3. I learned that sometimes (just sometimes) it pays to maneuver.

Miranda Doni get's attacked by a solar farm!?

Lights, camera, action!

With the recent acquisition of a small camcorder, I'm going to start filming some bits and taking stills to try and build a "dummies guide" to some of my favourite things.

Firstly I need to practice with it, to learn my way around the basics and then I think the best thing will be to just try and make an actual video and see what people like & dislike about it.

A picture of a picture

It seems as though the best way to get a video on here is to upload it to YouTube (I now have my own channel here) and the use Blogger's tools to embed/link the video onto a post or page, this seems to work although I'm seeking advice on the matter ;)

The next thing I need to work on is some better lighting and some form of background for the focus of my pictures & videos.

K-Wing's in the winter.

So I'd thought I'd be brave and try my luck in the Athena winter tournament, it went surprisingly well!

Miranda & Co, staying in formation as the enemy approaches.

I've used my three K-wings a few times lately and bought these to the tournament (Miranda Doni with Chewbacca & 2 x Warden squadron, one with Jan Ors and one with Nein Numb) all equipped with my favourite thing ever - twin laser turrets!

1st game.
I came up against a B & two A wings and was lucky enough to take out one of the A-wings in only the second turn followed by the destruction of the second A next turn!
This greatly stacked the odds in my favor with my 3 ships chasing down the lonely B-Wing.

2nd game.
This match-up had me facing a Firespray and a scary looking IG-2000. Luck played it's part again here when the larger ships struggled to fly through an asteroid field.
The Firespray became separated from its big buddy and my 3 ships descended upon it and managed to bring it down before the IG returned.
The IG-2000 came back into the fight and proved a fearsome beast, the dogfight between it and my three ships was lengthy and savage, but I managed to reduce it to a flaming wreck just as time was called on the round!

3rd game.
Here I met a regular at Athena and some more familiar ships, T70's and a Y-Wing.
The Y-Wing used a fixed secondary weapon, allowing it to fire (front arc only) and then fire it's primary weapon too, this turned out to be a devastating ability.
The Y-Wing quickly dispatched my lead K whilst the T70's ran circles around the other two. I had to endure the savaging I was receiving from this experienced player.

4th game.
Again another regular Athenian! But with some new (to me) hardware. Darth Vader's Tie advanced accompanied by Soontir Fel in a Tie interceptor and (the painful bit) Emperor Palpatine in an imperial shuttle.
That nasty Sith lord Palpatine is a force to be reckoned with, having the ability to 'force' a reroll of any dice once every turn. This (along with my opponents skills) ensured the demise of my mighty K-Wings.

5th game.
I knew from the start that this was going to be my toughest of the day.
I faced another Miranda Doni, an X-Wing, a turret locked Y-Wing and a Z-95. Both squadrons rushed headlong at each other and engaged in deadly combat! One of my Wardens fell as the other took on the X-Wing and Z-95.
The two incarnations of Miranda merged upon each other as the other ships fell to the side and began a mini war of attrition!
They circled and zapped each other for several turns with both holding their own, until the surviving enemy ship returned to deal the coup de' grace.

In the end . . .
I had a great day with 4 great games and I never imagined I could have managed to land 4th place. I'm looking to refine my list a little (Nein Numb wasn't used) before my next tournament which will hopefully be the store championship at the end of the month.

A little box of magic

Since I bought the "Eldrazi Assault" MTG intro deck I've been enjoying it!

It is an immensely popular game at Athena where I work and even my son has hopped on board and bought himself a deck, so I've been able to get a few games in. Compared to my usual games involving dozens of models and rulebooks and dice, MTG is extremely portable I can easily keep a couple of decks in my bag so I'm always ready for action.

I've also discovered the joy of boosters! Buying one and opening it brings a certain (albeit small) rush of euphoria as I carefully tear it open to see what cards might be inside. I often say it's like a "mini christmas" every time you open one.

A Magic deck fits in this small box

From observing the many customers in-store I see varying levels of competition. There's casual players who are those that want to enjoy the game at its lower (easier?) levels. Then there is a sliding scale going on up to the serious (for want of a better word) players, who are constantly tweaking their decks with creatures, spells and lands ranging from a few pence up to and often exceeding £100 (per card).

I have myself begun to adjust my primary deck with a couple of cool cards I've found in boosters, I've yet to experience buying single magic cards (although I have got my eye on a couple) Athena Games have an absolutely huge collection available here.

Along side my primary deck I have also amassed quite a few colourless Eldrazi cards which I feel inexplicably drawn to, they favour mighty, slow, behemoths that take a perilously long time to summon - but - once they enter the battlefield they can often stomp your enemies into dust! This has inspired me to purchase a dual deck "Zendikar versus Eldrazi" (for the Eldrazi half at least) which actually helped me win not only my first victory (against another new player) but also a second win against a more established opponent! So this has greatly hyped the Eldrazi in my mind and I think they're going to be featuring much more in my future :)

I need to learn (and memorise) some of the newer cards I now have and hopefully get in a few more practice sessions at work, but I'm feeling more comfortable with the game and look forward to it and it's always available, in my backpack and easy to transport around!

So . . . . Magic

What is all this Magic the Gathering about then?

I'm looking to try my hand at MTG because since I began working at Athena I've realised how astonishingly popular (and portable) it is.

Historically I've never been into card games of any kind, "toy soldiers" have traditionally been more my thing, but I feel I could dip into MTG as it seems relatively cheap to start up and looks like I'd have a plethora of opportunities to play & learn at work.

My first instinct has been to go for an intro deck but after seeking advice from some local players I've been advised to go for either an event deck or a dual deck. Intro decks are your basic startup deck with rather run of mill cards for ease of learning. Event decks are better structured for competitive play (but I imagine a bit trickier to learn?) and finally, dual decks are designed for two players to begin their MTG journey side by side.

Also for my consideration is the five colours of magic, these are the different sources of power (and effect) available and are something like.

• White - Protection & order
• Green - Life & nature
• Black - Decay & death
• Red - Fury & chaos
• Blue - Deceit & intellect

So I need to pester my workmates for a little more info and take the plunge with some form of structured deck, stand by for more info :)

And after some more talking and pondering, I got myself an "Eldrazi Assault" (Red & Black) intro deck with two boosters included. It's given me a ton of cards to start with and try to figure out.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (episode II)

So I've realised I love Star Wars and I've got my hands on the new force awakens core set, so what do I get next?

Well I've never been the most serious sort of gamer (or person) so I thought to myself "what looks like it'll be awesome?"

T70 X-Wing.
My first thoughts were that the T70 XWing looked better than original T65 - pretty forward thinking for an old, original trilogy fan? So that's what triggered my first decision to go with the new "Force Awakens" core set.

Having played a few games now, I've come to realise the T70 is a very capable all round ship, able to take the punishment dealt out to it as well as being able to hit others pretty hard (especially at close range).

A-Wing.
Then I thought about the A-Wing, it's a ship that appealed to me and I'd heard they were nimble little fighters, so I decided that two of those would be my next step.

With a little experience I have discovered the A-Wing is fast and agile, but lacks any real punch. Whilst I am able to lower their base points to a mere 15 using a Chardaan refit card, I feel they need a little something to help them survive an encounter with hostile forces.

K-Wing.
I knew absolutely nothing of this larger ship before buying it, I'd not seen one in action and of course being from the expanded universe, I hadn't seen one in any of the films either. But I'm thinking "look at the size of that thing! I need one".

Having flown this a few times now, I love it! The K-Wing is rather slow and cumbersome and it's maneuvere dial allows little in the way of fancy turns & rolls. But the thing is a flying tank, it can take a beating and especially when equipped with the twin laser turret upgrade it can pose a serious threat to enemy fighters.

So, what's next?
At the moment I'm thinking another T70 might be a good thing, 3 of them can easily make up 100 points and they seem like they are decent enough ships in game. But I've gotta say - K-Wings are my kinda lump! I'm certain I'll be getting 1 or 2 more of these and slowly but surely I'll be dodging asteroids and zapping bad guys with those turret mounted lasers ;)

The mighty K-Wing in action

Bolt Action - WW2 miniatures gaming for the modern gamer

This was a game I noticed upon visiting Aftermath I saw all the superbly painted 28mm soldiers and after sitting in a game for a while decided it looked like something I could get into.

Soviet T34/76 from Warlord games

I promptly visited www.warlordgames.com and saw a wide range of great looking armies and after some reading and research decided that the Mother Russia would be the nation for me! I soon got myself some very reasonably priced plastic Russian infantry (less than £1 each) and my collection began! I now have 3 box sets (120 men) and many, many other soldiers from various sources.

The game and it's mechanics are simple at their core, you can move (6" normally) and shoot your enemy, hitting them on a 3 and each hit causing a wound on a 4. These rolls are of course affected by a variety of modifiers which are applied depending on each situation. Each nation has a set of national traits which might be the ability to move and fire without penalty or maybe never fail a morale test when charging an enemy, there are many to choose from, for my Russians it includes a FREE squad of conscripts and the ability to retake failed morale tests that are triggered by heavy casualties, as well as slightly improved artillery strikes.

One of the great things about the game is it's relative simplicity, generally speaking all the infantry are the same with very little in the way of "stats" your regular soldier hits targets on a 3, gets wounded (from hits) on a 4 and has a morale of 9 - that's it - all the stats the standard infantryman has! A game can be played out using nothing but squads of infantry like these, but of course you can have more.

Other troop types will typically include inexperienced or Veteran who are as you would imagine lower and higher quality compared to regular. Inexperienced soldiers have less morale, are wounded slightly easier and are less accurate when firing. Veteran infantry whilst not being any more accurate have better morale and can be hard to kill.

Then of course once you've got your infantry there are support elements (tanks) like HQ units, weapons teams and vehicles (did I mention tanks?) HQ units will typically be an officer who provides morale boosts to nearby infantry, medics and air/artillery observers who will call in off table support (sometimes on his own side!) Weapons teams are often quite fun with snipers, machine gun crews, flame throwers, mortar teams and a variety of field guns.

Did I mention tanks?
These are a hugely popular support item, with countless makes, models and variants available from the smallest scout cars to the mightiest super heavy monsters. Everyone has their favourite and most loved (or feared) tank, for me it's the cheap and cheerful Soviet T34/76 a good all rounder, a jack of all trades. The game can be played using just tanks, armoured platoons for you treadheads out there and comes with it's own supplement Tank War for those that want to recreate armoured engagements (but you can get by without the book if you like).

Another fantastic feature of the game is random activation, each unit of infantry, HQ, support and vehicle gets it's own order die. These are placed in a bag (or cup) and drawn blindly to see who goes next, this adds greatly to the game, you've got to be careful where you move your squad because the next move could be yours or that enemy squad who are waiting to blast 'em!

There'll be more to come, but for now visit www.boltaction.com to learn more ;)

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (episode I)

I've always loved Star Wars, it's the first film I ever saw in the cinema and like so many I've grown up with what was a truly ground breaking trilogy (yeah I know). The Jedi knights leading the rebellion against the evil empire (it's all a matter of perspective) and of course SPACE SHIPS!

A demo game I played at Dark Sphere (London)

These ships were different though, not all shiny and new, most of them were grubby and sometimes didn't even work - Millennium falcon, I'm looking at you! The story was perhaps a little familiar in places but some of the ideas and characters were totally revolutionary!

I'd seen games of XWing being played and greatly admired the rather nicely pre-painted ships, the titular XWings dog fighting the menacing Tie fighters along with all the other memorable ships from the (first three) films. I though to myself "I could enjoy this" . . .

The release of Episode VII The force awakens, saw a huge increase in XWing players at Athena games where I work and I thought to myself, it's time to jump on that band wagon!

Well the game itself is quite easy to get into, it doesn't require a huge capital investment (which is often a problem) the core set is just £30 for either original or The force awakens versions and contains everything you need to start playing straight out of the box.

You'll get a great XWing and two Tie fighters, all rather nicely painted. Tons of markers, templates, counters & cards and 3 of each attack and evade dice (4 would have been ideal).

I managed to bump two ships into the same asteroid!

The basic premise of the game is to move as per your ships available maneuvers and shoot your opponents ship when in range - dead simple but that's the beauty of this game. There's normally very little in the way of cover (you are in space) so you must think carefully about your closing speeds and position. Ideally you want to be able to get the first shots in! The game also uses a mechanic where the lower skilled pilots move first but the higher skilled pilots will shoot first, so things can start to get a little more complicated.

Like most people I didn't settle for the single T70 XWing in the core set, I got an additional one, then two AWings, this would comfortably make up the standard 100 points. I then got myself a KWing (massive flying tank) because i thought it looked awesome, to be honest I thought that of the other ships too.

My mighty KWing is mighty

To date i have only played a handful of games, but thoroughly enjoy it, I consider it my "lite" game, both in physical presence and cost when compared to my old friend Bolt action (think hundreds of Russian infantry)

The good ship Venus

Some pictures here of my Bronekator the good ship "Venus" from Warlord games.

Let me start by saying that this kit is enormous! 16" long and about 4" wide. The main hull of the boat comes as one very large resin cast with the bridge and the T34 turret and machine gun turrets also cast in resin. Then there is a multitude of metal parts, gun barrels, antenna, masts and safety railings to name but a few.

The required cleanup on the kit was absolutely minimal, no trimming required on any of the resin parts and only light filing needed on the main gun barrel. In spite of its size the hull was flawless with no additional bumps & lumps or any holes that needed filling.

Construction was surprisingly straight forward with all the main parts being turrets that don't necessarily need to be glued in place, some of the railings were slightly bent (easily rectified) and all have flat sides to enable better location in the deck. I purchased brown linen thread from a local haberdashery to use as the cables in the railings. The main mast was slightly tricky being quite long & thin, it is easily bent. All the gun barrels glued in place as you'd expect (if you've built any resin tanks) with a dab of superglue and pressed into place.

Painting this presented a slight challenge in that I (hangs head in shame) do not have an airbrush but I knew I simply had to paint it in a camouflage scheme! So after priming and spraying the grey using a spray can, I seized the nettle and used a spray can to spray the green strips. I was so pleased when it came out well, a disaster was lurking!

Using the boat in a game of Bolt action is an entertaining challenge, it has a myriad of options and upgrades and can use a substantial chunk of your points! Secondly the model itself is absolutely huge so covert movement isn't often an option, in fact even gaining cover can be quite a tall order.

All said and done I was mightily pleased to have bought this model, adding it to my extensive 28mm Russian force

The Bronekator "Venus" waiting for fuel.

Before the fuel trucks arrive an enemy armoured car approaches!

Oh Fubar!

The Bronekator model can be found in Warlords webstore here.

On the road

Got myself a road from TinyWargames. It's a cobbled road with kerbed edging that would fit in well in an old fashioned urban environment, like Victorian London.

It's made from vinyl, not unlike the vinyl flooring I've got in my kitchen (so I know the road will be okay if my cat pukes on it!)

The road is 6ft in length so will go all the way across your typical gaming table, but there's no reason why you couldn't cut & angle it to make corners and junctions. It's 3" wide allowing most common scale vehicles to fit comfortably on it.

Oh my, what have I done?

I am hoping to start work on a blog, just a collection of (what I think is) cool stuff.

Building, painting, playing and general funky stuff!

I started gaming with Judge Dredd back in 1984 with my brother when I was a mere 11 years old! Judge Dredd was absolutely awesome and provided countless hours of entertainment for us both. Warhammer 40,000 shortly followed and was a revolution for me, leading to me going out and expanding my limited (and rather awkward) social circles :)

The next few years bought HeroQuest, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (RPG), Blood Bowl and the legendary Space Hulk!

Then . . .

. . . life happened . . .

. . . fast forward 22 years to 2012 and I saw my little brother had returned to gaming with his 40K Orks! This caused an awakening in me, I suddenly really -needed- to play games again. I joined a local gaming club Aftermath and discovered a whole new world. It was here that I first experienced Bolt Action which absolutely blew me away, it was like the early editions of 40K but set in the real world, world war 2. This led onto to other games and more friends and (for me) a new lease of life.

Then in 2015 I was lucky enough to get a job at my FLGS Athena Games and have been enjoying that fusion of job and hobby ever since!

So here I am writing an intro to a blog, I'll add more details to my back story as time goes by and post my toys, painting, building and thoughts as I go. I hope I'll reach to you and make you smile or maybe just help you (a tiny bit) through your day.