Since my ancient enemy the Kingbreakers recently called me out for felling their Then-Sargent-Now-Captain, it is time to revisit my fetid, foul Nurgle Marines from the shadowlands of time and space.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Legio Apex
Since my ancient enemy the Kingbreakers recently called me out for felling their Then-Sargent-Now-Captain, it is time to revisit my fetid, foul Nurgle Marines from the shadowlands of time and space.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Star Wars X Wing Miniatures: 3 Tips that May Make your Game Better
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1. Fix Your TIE Fighters: I gave a few wave 2 Core box sets
as gifts, ordered from Amazon. One arrived with bent TIE fighters... and not
whimsically bent. I mean like high
school wood shop class angles: not a straight 90 degree angle in sight. Weird and uncommon. I
improvised a way to fix them for my brother-in-law on the spot, a giftee, when he opened
that gift and saw their crooked, shabby selves in that black tray insert. The improv
worked well so, I’m sharing that now. It may come in handy if this happened to you or your ships are left too long in a hot car, etc. This is all at your own risk.
Needed:
- The black tray insert from the core game. You can probably make a Lego jig too
- Boiling water in a large metal pot, the larger the better
- A keen sense of safety where you know your limits when it comes to not scalding yourself or burning down your house over a plastic spaceship. The paramedics and firemen WILL laugh
Get the water to a boil. Have the black tray insert within
arm’s reach. Have one of the TIE storage slots filled with cool water. Use a
large pot for boiling so the risk of you touching the sides is reduced. Take a
TIE by the side and dip the bent wing in the hot water, covering the solar
panel right up to the arm that connects to the cockpit. You should only need a
second or two but you’ll have to judge.
Take the heated TIE and GENTLY but
firmly press it into the empty storage slot, using the shape of the slot to
bend the wing back to square. You may need to reheat the wing a few times. Be
sure to form the wing in this way and change the facing of the cockpit a few
times; cockpit face out, face down, upside down. When it looks good you can put
it in the slot filled with cool water to harden it and lock the straight wing
in place. Dry everything out and enjoy.
Granted, you could skip the above and just send the damn
thing back but this did work and took 20 minutes to correct 2 fugly TIES.
2. Use a Laser Level for Checking Arcs: Look, SWXW
isn’t crazy complicated but there have been times where using a laser level to
see if another ship is in your arc is just drop-dead handy. This is something I
relied on heavily in my Battlefleet Gothic days and it is still useful now. You
can pick up a laser level at the tool store or DIY for US$10. It’s a luxury,
not a necessity, but on play spaces bigger than 3’X3’ it saves your back by
cutting down on reaching (I’m 41, screw you L5 vertebra) and at all times it can save
you from having to slip a range ruler into tight model traffic, potentially bumping
ships at a critical time, not that I've played such high-stakes SW that it really mattered. Still, if it is easy and affords a clear decision, it's good. Finally, if it is useful in SW, it's probably useful for other tabletop games you play.
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| Well, both are Pilot skill 9 so maybe not the best example of lowest to highest but you can see the rest of the examples mentioned below in this pic. |
3. Organize your Play Space: I get "gamer blindness" a lot; you know what
that is, it is when you are holding up a game looking for info that is
right in front of you and you don't see it. Consistent set up helps cure
that. Consistent set up is the key to clean play. It's just science. If you set up your space the same way each time, you'll understand the variations your lists have from one game to the next and scanning your card space for info becomes way easier.
Here’s how I organize my cards
in a game. It isn't perfect but maybe it will help you.
From lowest Pilot skill on the left to highest Pilot Skill on the right, lay out your pilot cards. That way, the Pilot cards follow the Activation phase and Combat Phase in order. Activations go from left to right. Shooting goes from right to left.
From here, organize the load-outs around each Pilot card.
The Pilot card is center. On the left of the Pilot card are any
cards that “stay”, meaning cards that can’t usually be taken from the ship by
expenditures, Critical Effects or Pilot Skills. On the Lower left are Damage cards. That way,
I know any Actions I buy are on the left and Criticals/Abilities that affect them are noticeable. Directly below the Pilot card is
anything expendable, like missiles, torps or one-use cards that you “cash in”
like the Chewbacca crew card. On the right of the Pilot card are ship upgrades
and shields. To the lower right are any tokens the pilot uses in that game.
So, like knowing that the turn signal and horn
are in the same place across different cars, I can speed up where to look. Finally, I flip over cards that you spend or cash in, or when Pilots are taken out, put the ship on that card.
That's it folks, some stuff I learned which I hope helps you out with your game of X Wing Miniatures. Have fun!
Monday, January 6, 2014
What a Year for a New Year or FREEZING DEATH VORTEX of... DEATH? Yeah, DEATH!!!
Tomorrow the Polar Vortex arrives in Pennsylvania and I think scientists have emphatically stated that there will be no survivors. Or it will be really cold, inconvenient and Tuesday for everybody, not sure which yet. I bet it is somewhere in the middle of both.
In any event, now is a good time to assess what the hell I am doing with the time-sucking vortex that is our beloved hobby, since tomorrow will definitely be about hunkering in, trying to get some more painting done, some more started and maybe, just maybe... finally learning to love myself at the end of it all... (or the beginning?)
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| OGRE Designer's Edition, now with 100% more colorful edges and Mod Podge. |
Speaking of loving myself: I picked up OGRE over the holiday and so, colored all cardboard edges of the punch-out models with colored Sharpies and then glued the pieces all together with matte finish Mod Podge, which is EXACTLY what the doctor ordered there. They came out great, look great. Great! That's a Pro Tip folks, no charge.
I have a ton of Khurasan 15mm on the way, alarmingly ordered before Christmas and yet I have not heard a peep from the company about it at all... but their website was intentionally down over the holiday for them to process orders, so I am not worried, so much as I just want that stuff so I can do 15mm Strange Aeons, where the Lurkers just became 100% bigger!
I also have some forlorn Khador on my desk that I am hell-bent on tackling, with a new sage green and red color scheme. Yes, this means I have been playing Warmachine again and why shouldn't I? It's a damn good game. Still, Star Wars X Wing is a damn good game too and there is no painting required.
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| Ember Mage WIP will fight the Polar Vortex with her cutsie-cheeks. When I try to do the same thing people yell at me to put my slacks back on. |
Finally I have more Super Dungeon Explore to knock out, I dare say I am in the home stretch there on a completed box set.
What else? I have some IG to tend to soon and probably a miniature yard sale in my future in the Spring... too much stuff to tolerate.
Stay warm, stay safe and I'll see you on the other side!
Monday, December 30, 2013
Star Wars X Wing: YT Conversion/Repaint
Just wanted to share a YT transport conversion I did for my buddy Pete. He wanted to run a double YT list for some time and the thought of identical Falcons on the board was too much to bear.
There are many conversions out there like this that precedes mine and mine isn't amazingly different from them though I did re-use the off-cuts (out of laziness) to seal up the hull after I took off the cabin and gantry. I didn't see anybody else do that yet so that may be a way it is different.
The surprise in this project came from the build, which was more challenging, where I expected it to be the painting, which was easily straightforward and fast.
The assembly went down something like this: Remove the radar dish and top quad cannons, set them aside. Score the cabin section enough to push a blade in and carve it out with strong, straight cuts. I was going to try a Dremel cutting wheel but realized the plastic would just melt. Cut the cabin from the gantry. I was able to use a foam cutter for this step, just do it outside and upwind as you are burning plastic.
Remove the inner "mandibles" on the front of the YT. Save the bits, you'll use them to cover the hole in the hull.
Attach the trimmed cabin between the main "mandibles" of the YT, as above.
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| Pretty rough looking but caulk will smooth it all out. |
Trim the quad cannons to fit the dish brackets you removed. Make kewl laser noises while you do so. Probably best to glue the gun in the cradle first then after that is dry, glue the cradle to the hull.
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| You could just stop right here and not bother to repaint. |
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| I could've hid the the seams a bit better but paint will tidy that up. |
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| I wasn't done with the technical pen but wanted to see if the engine glow looked good before I finished the YT's ample aft. She's got it where it counts, kid. |
Friday, November 29, 2013
Star Wars X Wing: 100 pt B Wings vs Vader/TIE Elite
My buddy Finn and I got in a 100 point game this afternoon, me rolling a Ten Numb and Dagger Squadron list vs his Darth Vader and three TIE pilots list (army lists are below, following pics). In the end the TIE swarm prevailed. Though the Dagger Squadron pilot almost vaporized Vader with a brace of Advanced Proton Torps early game, the TIE's simply out flew the B Wings and chipped away with their Primary weapons; the Rebels just didn't have enough in their gun sights often enough to make a difference. Ten Numb died with a full magazine of Advanced Proton torps, having only shot a few times with his primary weapons to garner the lock-on with the Fire Control system. The Dagger pilot hit with his Heavy Laser Cannon too, but not hard enough. For all of the flying I did, I couldn't line up shots on the nimble TIE's. Even with Finn forgetting actions and abilities, just basic shots on target took down shields and inflicted crits. I should have remembered to pull a few 2 Kiogran turns since the Fire Control systems kept the lock-ons running as my targets blew past me. Next time! My camera flatlined towards the end so I only caught part of the action but you'll get the idea...
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| Game Start |
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| B Wing Deployment |
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| Imperial Deployment |
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| Turn 1 Movements |
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| Turn 3, lines collide as Vader emerges from the group, straight at Ten Numb, who along with Dagger pilot, calibrate their Fire Control Systems to track the elusive TIE Advanced... |
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| The dogfight in earnest |
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| Dagger pilot cuts hard to find Vader and opens up with Heavy Laser Cannon, hitting hard but Vader evades most damage. |
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| Vader's Kiogran sends him straight past an incredulous Dagger pilot |
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| Dagger pilot's bid on for Vader's head failed as Ten Numb banks right into the Imperials, warming up the Advanced Torpedoes but his mark was outside his arc... |
Rebels 100 points
Ten Numb
8
3
1
3
6
3
1
3
6 
Unique
When attacking, 1 of your 
results cannot be cancelled by defense dice.
results cannot be cancelled by defense dice.
Ten Numb/B-Wing (31)
Fire-Control System (2)
– After you perform an attack, you may acquire a target lock on the defender.
Autoblaster (5)
– Attack: Attack 1 ship. Your 
results cannot be cancelled by defense dice. The defender may cancel results before results. Attack value: 3. Range 1.
results cannot be cancelled by defense dice. The defender may cancel results before results. Attack value: 3. Range 1.
Advanced Proton Torpedoes (6)
– Attack [Target Lock]: Spend your target lock and discard this card to
attack. You may change up to 3 of your blank results to 
results. Attack value: 5. Range: 1.
results. Attack value: 5. Range: 1.
Advanced Proton Torpedoes (6)
– Attack [Target Lock]: Spend your target lock and discard this card to
attack. You may change up to 3 of your blank results to results. Attack value: 5. Range: 1.
results. Attack value: 5. Range: 1.
Marksmanship (3)
– Action: When attacking this round, you may change one of your results to a result and all your other results to results.
results to a result and all your other results to results.
Shield Upgrade (4)
– Increase your shield value by 1.
43 points
Dagger Squadron Pilot
4
3
1
3
6
3
1
3
6
Dagger Squadron Pilot/B-Wing (24)
Fire-Control System (2)
– After you perform an attack, you may acquire a target lock on the defender.
Heavy Laser Cannon (7)
– Attack: Attack 1 ship. Immediately after rolling your attack dice, you must change all your results to results. Attack value: 4. Range: 2-3.
results to results. Attack value: 4. Range: 2-3.
Advanced Proton Torpedoes (6)
– Attack [Target Lock]: Spend your target lock and discard this card to
attack. You may change up to 3 of your blank results to results. Attack value: 5. Range: 1.
results. Attack value: 5. Range: 1.
Shield Upgrade (4)
– Increase your shield value by 1.
Imperial 100 points
Darth Vader
9
2
3
3
3
Unique
During your "Perform Action" step, you may perform 2 actions.
Darth Vader/TIE Advanced (29)
Concussion Missiles (4)
– Attack [Target Lock]: Spend your Target Lock and discard this card to
perform this attack. You may change 1 of your blank results to a
result. Attack value: 4. Range: 2-3.
Swarm Tactics (2)
– At the start of the combat phase, choose 1 friendly ship at Range 1.
Until the end of this phase, treat the chosen ship as if its pilot skill
were equal to your pilot skill.
Shield Upgrade (4)
– Increase your shield value by 1.
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21 points
Howlrunner
8
2
3
3
0
Unique
When another friendly ship at Range 1 is attacking with its primary weapon, it may reroll 1 attack die.
Howlrunner/TIE Fighter (18)
Push the Limit (3)
– Once per round, after you perform an action, you may perform 1 free
action shown in your action bar. Then receive 1 stress token.
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21 points
Mauler Mithel
7
2
3
3
0
Unique
When attacking at Range 1, roll 1 additional attack die.
Mauler Mithel/TIE Fighter (17)
Expose (4)
– Action: Until the end of the round, increase your primary weapon value by 1 and decrease your agility value by 1.
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19 points
Winged Gundark
5
2
3
3
0
Unique
When attacking at Range 1, you may change 1 of your
results to a result.
Winged Gundark/TIE Fighter (15)
Engine Upgrade (4)
– Your action bar gains the
action icon. |
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