We Don't Know How Lucky We Are!

There is an old song sung by comedian Fred Dagg (and rehashed by Sportscafe) called "We Don't Know How Lucky We Are, Mate" that I found myself humming this morning.

Recently I've dipped the toes back into 40K, drawn in by GW's narrative and advance of the storyline. That's led me to have a couple of games with my Emperor's Children which I've really enjoyed getting out on the table.

Before I ventured in, I knew the rules were bloated....216 pages of mini rulebook before you even move onto the various extra supplements and codexes you need (in my case only two - CSM and Traitor Legions). I've been lucky in that I've had two locals show extreme patience playing these initial games, answering all my questions which have been legion.

While I have enjoyed playing, my key takeaway has been how bloated the rules are. The game mechanisms, army composition etc have so many layers of complications for little foreseeable payoff IMO. To be successful - in the first instance - is more about rules knowledge than tactics. I'm sure at the very high end that when both players have invested hours and hours in trawling the rulebook and codexes, tactics are the key decider (after force composition) but for the casual player rules knowledge trumps all.

I contrast that with Kings of War where the casual player can pick up the rules very easily and after 2-3 games the focus changes from learning mechanisms to on-table tactics. IMO this is the hallmark of an elegant ruleset - easy to learn, hard to master. This shouldn't be a surprise given that the rules were written by Alessio Calvatore. He learned his skills as a designer at GW before going freelance.

Part of the problem with 40K is that the rules are five editions on from the last reset. Mechanisms that started stripped down have had 16-17 years of layers plastered on top. I think of it as layers of wallpaper and paint on a wall - at some point you just have to strip everything back to bare bones.

I am so looking forward to the next edition of 40k if the rumours of a major reset come true. The ruleset needs to be Sigmar-ised where the extraneous detail is stripped away leaving a skeleton that allows the process to start new.

In the interim I'm very thankful for the Kings of War ruleset.....We don't know how lucky we are mate!

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Mantic Trident Realms

Mantic have released some updated pictures of their new Trident Realms figures.

Riverguard

Riverguard Captain

Thuul

Thuul Shaman

Gigas

These are much better photos than Mantic previously released. I'm still not convinced by the Gigas but they look 100% better than the initial photos. Here you can at least see the detail.

I really like the Riverguard and the Champ and would go as far as saying that they are probably my favourite Mantic models to date. they really capture the amphibian nature of the troops (helped by a very good paintjob). 

Would like to see a different paintjob on the Thuul as I'm still of the opinion the current one is probably a bit unflattering.

Great to see some in-action shots - really capture the army.

Review - Bits & Kits

Recently I purchased the Bloodbowl game minus the Human and Orc teams from UK bits supplier Bits & Kits. I have used these guys in the past and found them very good both from a supply point of view and also in relation to customer service.

Unfortunately this time was not a great experience. Rather than bagging them, this post is a heads-up when using them in specific circumstances.

The price on the box less figures was GBP30.00 with postage of GBP3.00. This made them very competitive in terms of price and - given I had used them before - I ordered from them, mid-November. I received an email update that my order had shipped on 19 November.

When the item had not turned up a month later I checked my order history on their website and found no record of my order. Being holiday season I thought it might take awhile to get here so sent them an email checking the order was "real" and method of shipping. I received no reply. It wasn't until my fifth email in late January that Bits & Kits replied.

"Sorry for the delay in response, the package in question was returned as undelivered, this has happened with large box sets before, we assume that due to the weight or the size of the box that it cant be delivered and get held by your country's postal service and get returned to me."

This seemed very strange as this has never been a problem with NZ Post before. I'd hazard a guess that they are probably one of the more progressive and reliable postal services in the world and the handling of large boxes is never an issue.

The cynic in me suggests that the cost of postage made the order uneconomic for Bits & Kits. If that was the case then I would have preferred that they had just contacted me and told me so rather than the rigmarole I went through. I post this only as a heads up to people using the service for more than isolated bits.

In the end I received a quick refund (3-4 days) but the experience cost me two months delay and $6 in transaction charges. The good news is I have the same purchases en route from eBay.

Trenchworks

Due to a few ongoing family issues I've been relatively quiet over the last month but one thing I have started is building up some 40k themed trenchworks.

One of Printable Scenery's Kickstarters had a modular trench system you could print out. These are based around 4" wide pieces that you arrange as you desire. There are ends, straights, T-junctions, 90 degree turns and half turns.

My intention is to print off sufficient modules so that I can cover the width of a 6' x 4' board in three lines of trenches with interconnecting trenches between.

My thinking is that these will be good for scenario and narrative games - as well as look good on the table.

The pics are the raw plastic but I am sure that these will paint up well especially using weathering and rust effects.

Currently I have six modules printed up with a target of 100!!!

 

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Weekly Hobby Update

It has been a funny week on the hobby front. At the end there hasn't been a lot of physical output but there has been a lot achieved.

Firstly, I have been trying to resolve a 3D printing problem. The nozzle on my extruder has been blocking 10 minutes or so into a print. I jumped onto one of the online communities and with their help was able to quickly isolate the cause of the problem. I currently have two solutions in train, a replacement tube fixes the immediate problem and 3Design are sending me one free, and a more long term plan. I have purchased a full metal hot end extruder that will allow more consistent printing and alleviate the current problem. What was interesting was delving into the 3D community and seeing how many resources (video, forums etc) were available.

Also been continuing the big summer clean up. My wargaming room has been given a thorough spring clean ready for the upcoming year. I've even wall mounted a whiteboard to keep a record of projects etc. by the end of the week it should be spick and span.

I've ordered the new "Gangs of Commorragh" game from GW. It looks like emo quidditch from the reviews I've seen. Really like Gorechosen so thought I'd try this. Great value too. I'm getting 6 Reavers and 10 Hellions for about 40% retail. I'll look to paint them to fit in with my existing Dark Eldar army.

Also ordered the new Kings of War 'Clash of Kings' supplement from Mantic via Mighty Ape. I can't wait for this to drop as I think it will really shakeup the meta.

On Saturday I called into the annual "Valleycon" convention run by the Hutt Valley Wargaming Club. The event attracted 120+ gamers and I noted tournaments in 40k, Age of Sigmar, Warmachine, Bolt Action, Flames of War and DBMM. It is always great to go along and see a full hall of engaged gamers enjoying their hobby. Scott from the Kapiti shop was there so I picked up some basing supplies and a purple rattle can.

Finally, I assembled a unit of blades for my Emperor's Children. These are the FW Palatine Blades from 30k but my intention is to use them in 40k. I am hoping to get them at least base coated for my game versus Hagen on Saturday.

Enjoy your hobby week.

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Kings of War: Clash of Kings

Everything I have heard in regards to this upcoming release from Mantic has been positive.

Yesterday I listened to "Countercharge" podcast and they interviewed the book's author, Nick Williams. What we got was a very good in depth view of the supplement's contents and more importantly the rationale behind them.

Obviously the most impactful are the new rules and rule amendments. Last week I discussed the three items that were disappearing - a big tick from me - but there is so much more.

The inclusions can be split into a number of core areas:

• Artefacts - three disappear but ten more are added. I'm not a big user of artefacts but I am happy that the three have disappeared as they were "crutch" items. The meta must shift due to their demise. The new items sound interesting and importantly, far less no-brainers than 6+ De or regen on Dragon or +1 to hit on a shooting Horde
• Spells - there are three new spells but far more meta shifting is the change to the existing Bane Chant. Now you need two successes to get +1 Piercing while Crushing Strength requires the current one success. This is a great change and will introduce risk into the Mage sitting behind the shooting Horde. Well done guys.
• Change to 4+ to Hit with no modifiers - now there is a cover modifier. Again a big cheer from me. Meta affecting, it will shake things up.
• Limits on Duplicates - now scaled, and a max of two of the same Monsters, Warmachines, Characters at 2000 points. Great stuff.
• Army Mods - changes to Army wide rules and individual unit rules will address some of the external and internal balance issues identified by the Rules Committee
• New Scenarios - six new scenarios and changes to some existing ones is a fantastic change. I love Scenarios and having a wide variety is the best composition tool you can have. Variety encourages combined arms and a balanced list.

So Nick and his team have done a great job with this addition. I love this approach to ensuring things don't get stale.

 

I've preordered from Mighty Ape and am looking forward to this hitting my doorstep.

 

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Kings of War at NatCon

Just a reminder that NatCon is on at Easter in Christchurch.

These year they are organising a Kings of War event and you can find all details here

Great to see Kings of War establishing a foothold in the South Island. Expect to see a Dunedin contingent joining the locals as well as a smattering of travellers from the North Island.

Disappearing Artefacts

The scuttlebutt doing the rounds is that Mantic's new tournament play book for Kings of War sees the "retirement" of three of the magic items.

The first to go is the Brew of Keen-Eyedness or "+1 to hit on Ranged Attacks". Not many people will be sad to see this go given that it was a must take item on any archer Horde or especially Horde of Ogre Shooters.

Even less lamented will be Ensorcelled Armour. Every lord (and his dragon) had this and it was probably - after pre-CoK Honey-Maze - the best spend in the book. Certainly not sad to see it go.

Finally rumoured gone is the Medallion of Life, 5+ Regen for Heroes (and mostly seen on those with Monster mounts. Removal of Ensorcelled Armour would have just seen choices cascade to this so it is probably more pre-emptive than anything.

Overall I am very happy to see Mantic take this approach to the game. This will force changes to lists and shake up the meta.

The only other change I would have made was restrict Caterpillar to Infantry units which keeps it in line with historical use - auxiliaries operating in rough ground.

Good stuff Mantic, a big thumbs up from me.

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Games Workshop Hit It Outta The Park

I think that it is pretty fair to see that if we looked back two years Games Workshop was suffering a lot of "bad press". Visit any gaming site, forum or blog and the main message was one of complaint. People hated what they were doing, felt unappreciated and were commonly predicting the demise of the industry leader.

This attitude can best be illustrated in reaction to two infamous comments by then CEO Tom Kirby, paraphrasing:-

• "We are a model company, not a games company"
• We don't do market research"

Fast forward two years and things could not be more different. Yes, in that time GW did destroy the Warhammer game system (and the Old World) alienating a lot of Fantasy gamers - including myself - but other than that it has been home run after home run.

The change is most evident in the past 12 months - but no doubt started the year before - with the replacement of Kirby as CEO. Kevin Roundtree the new CEO has been a breath of fresh air.

First and foremost, GW have reestablished themselves as a "Games" company. You can see this in the conveyor line of boxed games that GW are bringing to market. Whereas Kirby mothballed the Specialist Games division as an expensive indulgence, the new GW has embraced the IP that was encapsulated there. So we have had Warhammer Quest, Blood Bowl, re-releases of Space Hulk along with a plethora of new standalone games (the two Heresy games, Gorechosen, Lost Patrol and the upcoming Gangs of Commoragh).

Secondly, you seen the introduction of discounting through their "Getting Started" army collecting boxes. The contents are often at a 30% discount to buying the kits individually.

They have launched a new mainline game Age of Sigmar to replace WHFB. While it personally doesn't scratch my itch - being a skirmish game in what I see as a massed ranks genre - it has developed a loyal following (particularly in the U.K.) - and is by all accounts an enjoyable game. When its lack of points caused some resistance it released an update via its Generals Handbook. More than anything this was symptomatic of the "new" GW.

The quality of sculpts remain the industry leader in plastic kits.....daylight second. The continue to introduce new and innovative technical paints that make the hobbyist's job easier. Forgeworld remains a licence to print money and has picked up the LOTR range as well.

After many years they have acknowledged the internet and social media with great Hobby videos, new community content etc.

And they have finally admitted their mistake and given me "Traitor Legions" back!!!!

All this has been reflected in their share price. Six-seven months ago it was around 4.60 and looking fragile. Today it is 7.90 and looking solid. Much has been made of the recent profit numbers....and yes they are good. However over 50% of the improvement is a result of GBP weakness in the light of the Brexit vote, however the rest is operational.

Yes, they still have problems. Their cornerstone game is corpulent and bloated beyond belief. It's force construction mechanic is a crime in the face of its fluff. However I remain hopeful that the game mechanics will get a major reset mid-year as it gets Sigmared. A 216 page rulebook supported by up to four plus FO tomes is a joke and the hope is that the rotten edifice topples in 2017 ushering in a new era where games are decided on the table rather than in the list exploitation phase.

Similarly it would be great if it could finally address the Colony tax issue. Why far flung former colonies have to pay up to 60% more for the product is particularly galling. Coupled with the embargo it seems vindictive and certainly encourages people to pursue other manufacturers. That you can get around it with a free Youshop account reinforces its pettiness.

However all in all the last two years have been truly transformative. The turnaround in attitude and performance is nothing short of stellar

 

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Some Citadel Terrain

It's a wet weekend in Wellington (welcome to Summer 2017) and so stuck inside - and in the throes of cleaning up the Dunn-geon- I pulled out some unmade/unpainted Citadel Fantasy terrain I had.

Most of these kits have been withdrawn now but I've had them sitting there and never got around to making them. The weather was a good opportunity and so I roped in Jack and we set to it.

Tavern and Outhouse from Chapel kit

Extended Fortified Manor

Witchfate Tor, Tower of Sorcery

Garden of Morr

Arcane Fulcrum

I think I got the fulcrum when Ben Wadsworth left for Melbourne so some of this stuff has been around for years. Now that it is put together I can start working through it in the evenings with a view to having it painted up over the next couple of months.

The cupboards are starting to see some light as unmade/unpainted stuff is converted to the finished article. My aim this year is to continue to finish off all these purchased but never made/finished kits. Hoping that by the end of the year I'm a long way to the nirvana of having no uncompleted projects.

 

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