On the modeling table ....

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Incursion – Over the weekend I finally made it out to pick up some miliput (similar to greanstuff but cheaper and not as easy to use). I had run out a few weeks ago an stopped at a model train store to pick some up. They didn't have any but the clerk insisted that squadron putty would do the same thing. Never having used it I picked it up to give it a try. No mixing must be easier right? To be brief and get back to the point, this stuff is crap, it might work great to fill smooth line line on model tanks and what not, but for miniture modeling it's far to soft. The stuff is the consistency of snot and smells like nail polish remover. In short I'm not a fan.

Back to the point having picked up some two part epoxy I spent the weekend sculpting bases for my Incursion models. After looking at all the squares on the gameboard I decided to stick with a simple tile pattern. After mixing up a blob of the epoxy I pressed and smoothed it onto the bases. To eliminate the finger prints I smoothed them over with a bit of water, setting them aside to set up for a minute or two I dug out my scuplting kit. The tools I have are labeled for wax scuplting but they work really great on the epoxy. The key is to keep your tool moist so it doesn't stick and tear (insert life lesson here).

Using the flat edge I carved the basic shape of the tiles into the base. After that I used the flat edge to give some texture to the base. I used a dental pick to add some hairline cracks. After the putty cured I went back in with a blade to add more cracks and chips.

To mount the models I removed the tabs from their feet with a pair of clippers and filed them flat. Using a pin vise I drilled a hole in their feet to insert a brass rod and glue them to the base with Gorilla Super Glue.

 

On the painting table ...

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After a several month hiatus I was able to get my painting table set back up again. Although I have several projects in various states of completion I wanted to start fresh with a few models that have been waiting in the wings for a long time.

Currently I'm reading The Gildar Rift, which is a Warhammer 40K novel that deals with the Tyrant of Badab, Huron Blackheart. I'm enjoying the book and have always liked that character, and if the rumours on the internet are to be believed we might get a Chaos Book worth playing later this year. So I dug through my collection of unpainted 40K models to find Huron Blackheart and Lucious the Eternal. Both models I picked up prior to the Finecast mess, so they're still metal.

I began with putting down some base colors and washing the entire model. I've found with character models like this with so much detail it helps me to be able to pick out what's going on with the model. For example, the Blackheart model has a ton of "combat damage" and strange breaks in the armor as well as tons of odd pipes and cables. By washing over the model with the basic tone I can see more clearly what things are. This is particularly helpful in picking out the details on the model. After doing this however I realized he's missing his thumb, hopefully I'll be able to find it or a suitable replacement so I can continue with the model.

Determined to actually get some painting done the next model I pulled out was Lucious the Eternal. I began with a hot pink base coat and washed the entire model with purple. As the wash was drying I realized why I never bothered to paint this model. He was my favorite character in the third edition book and I had built my own version. When this was released I picked it up right away, put it together primed it and put it back in the box. The model is just plain ugly. The whip points straight out there's no implied motion, and the whole thing feels bulky and fat.

Dismayed by my luck so far, I put together and primed Troll Potion. This is a special CMON model that I plan to use as a Desperate Merc for Malifaux. The model is all one piece with minimal flash, so clean-up was breeze. After the primer had dried I went about blocking in my base colors. I'm a big fan of green and black, and try to work this into most of the models I use with my Resserectionist forces. Being as I'll probably use her with Seamus I went with red hair and pale skin. 

Given the obstacles and set-up time I'm pretty happy with the progress I was able to make back at the table again. Hopefully the next session will go a bit smoother and I'll have real progress to show.

 

Settling up - Trying something new

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Boardgames – Over the weekend, I had a chance to play Settlers of Catan with some friends from out of town. I'm slightly embarassed to say this was the first time I've ever played this iconic game. I'm not sure if I held out because of the theme or because I mistakenly thought it was about farming, but having now played the game I can see what the fuss is about.

For those of you who have never played Settlers of Catan is a reasource management style game. You collect cards to build roads and cities which in turn randomly generate reasources. The game ends when a player has 10 victory points which are accquired by having settlements, cities and/or some special event cards.

At first blush the game seems more luck based than anything else as you're hoping someone rolls your number to gain reasources. Many times you'll be sitting on a ton of the same reasource, which you can trade to other players for what you need. The bartering system is interesting and adds a layer of strategy to the game. 

I'm looking forward to playing more games of Settlers and will probably pick this one up for our family game night.

Review – Q-Workshop Dice

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I recently picked up a set of Q-workshop's Arkham Horror dice, I really wanted some special dice for Helldorado and didn't need enough to justify a custom order. Since Helldorado only uses five dice ever this was the perfect set to pick up.

As you can see from the photos the dice have a "evil" feel to them that fits with the factions I've chosen to play in Helldorado. The bone colored die are easier to read than the green and black version. 

Overall I'm happy with my purchase the died are extremely well detailed and roll nicely. 

That Guy

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Editorial – Every gamer knows or has been that guy at some point in their life as a gamer (and probably real life, but that's a topic far to vast to discuss today). Sometimes players are oblivious to the fact that they are "that guy" while other times the revel in it. Vagaries aside I'm going to break "that guy" down into some of the more offensive behaviors. I'm going to refer to these archetype as guy because it tends to be the dominate species in most environments however female gamers are just as likely to fall into this category.

Read More

Commander Corner - Maga, Traitor to Mortals

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Magic the Gathering – Mono colored decks sometimes have a difficult time operating, as the color pie doles out abilities by color, which means some colors will lack the ability to deal with certain cards. Black however seems to have a particular method of dealing with problem permanents, eliminate the opponent and the threat is gone (the question is can you live to that point).

This week's commander focuses on doing just that. With the proper amount of mana acceleration you can easily reduce an opponent's life total to a critically low level. Granted once he/she (the art and name are so ambiguous I'm not such which is correct) hits the table Maga is easily chump blocked by most anything and black has limited evasion modes available in color. Which means relying on easily destroyed artifacts to accomplish your mission.

Commander: Maga, Traitor to Mortals

Creatures: Nantuko Shade, Mirri the Cursed, Balthor the Defiled, Visara the Dreadful, Maralen of the Mornsong, Dunerider Outlaw, Doomed Necromancer, Nether Traitor, Helldozer, Skeletal Vampire, Scythe Specter, Artisan of Kozilek, Avatar of Woe, Nezumi Graverobber, Magus of the Coffers, Ink-Eyes, Servant of the Oni, Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon, Nirkana Revenant, Chainer, Dementia Master

Instants: Smother

Sorceries: Perish, Consume Spirit, Sickening Dreams, Virtue's Ruin, Mutilate, Temporal Extortion, Plague Wind, Zombify, Damnation, Exsanguinate, Promise of Power, Nature's Ruin, Exhume

Enchanments: Dance of the Dead, Gravestorm, Breeding Pit, Bad Moon, Diabolic Servitude

Planeswalkers: Liliana Vess

Artifacts: Lashwrithe, Vault Skirge, Blightsteel Colossus, Darksteel Colossus, Leaden Myr, Lightning Greaves, Skullclamp, Psychosis Crawler, Bonehoard, Nuisance Engine, Solemn Simulacrum, Loxodon Warhammer, Thran Dynamo, Phyrexian Totem, Nim Deathmantle, Expedition Map, Spectral Searchlight, Sensei's Divining Top, Caged Sun, Extraplanar Lens, Gauntlet of Power, Sword of Fire and Ice, Everflowing Chalice, Sol Ring

Lands: (27) Swamp, Cabal Coffers, Crystal Vein, Temple of the False God, Vesuva, Spawning Pool, Polluted Mire, Ebon Stronghold, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, Shizo, Death's Storehouse

As you can see the core of this deck focuses on artifact mana doublers (Caged Sun, Extraplanar Lens, Gauntlet of Power) that have the unfortunate effect of also doubling you opponents basic swamps and some fairly weak creatures and land that do essentially the same thing (Nirkana Revenant, Magus of the Coffers, Cabal Coffers). When you're able to get them all in play every swamp taps for 5 mana, plus doubling or tripling your mana with the coffers, making it easy to cast your general for a 20-30 life point swing. If Maga can stick around and carry a hammer or sword you can take out a player with one swing. 

The rest of the deck focuses on big threats that can be recurred from the graveyard fairly easily. After playing a few games with the deck I'm considering adding some sacrifice outlets like Nantuko Husk or Phyrexian Altar since at some point it makes more sense to sacrifice Maga and recast to further deplete life totals. 

 

Commander Corner – The Mimeoplasm

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Magic the Gathering – This week I'd like to look at one of the rather odd commanders that came out with the precons: The Mimeoplasm. This legendary ooze has some really cool abilities that allow for several different styles of decks. The most obvious being a graveyard themed deck that revolves around putting stuff in your graveyard and copying it to beat face. However The Mimeoplasm doesn't just grab stuff from your graveyard but it can also snag creatures from your opponents graveyards as well. Keeping this in mind I've incorporated a milling theme to increase the potential targets for casting my general. Initially I thought that you wouldn't be able to do "general damage" with The Mimeoplasm as it comes into play as a copy of another creature. However after doing some research online I found that is not the case.

Here's the Decklist I came up with:

Commander: The Mimeoplasm

Creatures: Rune-Scarred Demon, Seizan, Perverter of Truth, Guiltfeeder, Genesis, Wrexial, the Risen Deep, Herald of Leshrac, Murkfiend Liege, Dreamborn Muse, Simic Sky Swallower, Seedborn Muse, Glissa Sunseeker, Hedron Crab, Chameleon Colossus, Platinum Angel, Nemesis of Reason, Krosan Cloudscraper, Experiment Kraj, Phantom Centaur, Viral Drake, Denizen of the Deep, Glissa, the Traitor, Riddlekeeper, Lich Lord of Unx, Ixidron, Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon, Scalpelexis, Hydra Omnivore, Vigor, Phantom Nantuko

Sorceries: Syphon Mind, Life's Finale, Unnerve, Beacon of Unrest, Farseek, Damnation, Life from the Loam, Plague Wind, Weird Harvest, Creeping Mold, Traumatize, Bribery

Instants: Spell Crumple

Enchantments: Polluted Bonds, Lifegift, Heartbeat of Spring, Inexorable Tide, Memory Erosion, Centaur Glade

Artifacts: Sword of Body and Mind, Sword of Feast and Famine, Sword of Fire and Ice, Loxodon Warhammer, Blade of the Bloodchief, Mindcrank, Copper Myr, Keening Stone, Golgari Signet, Contagion Clasp, Sol Ring, Simic Signet, Dimir Signet, Darksteel Ingot, Silver Myr, Everflowing Chalice, Contagion Clasp, Sheild of Kaldra

Lands: Temple of the False God, Halimar Depths, Drowned Catacomb, Breeding Pool, Watery Grave, Bad River, Hinterland Harbor, Command Tower, Jwar Isle Refuge, Forbidden Orchard, Overgrown Tomb, Yavimaya Coast, Oran-Rief the Vastwood, Homeward Path, Grand Coliseum, Gilt-leaf Palace, Golgari Rot Farm, Dreadship Reef, Woodland Cemetery, Verdant Catacombs, Dimir Aqueduct, Flooded Grove, (3) Forest, (5) Swamp, (3) Island

As you can see there is a minor Proliferate them going on here. Since The Mimeoplasm comes into play with +1/+1 counters on it, you can easily pump him up. Also in the deck are a few sources the have Infect, worst case scenario you should be able to squeek in a poison counter or two and then just Proliferate to add more. 

I also included a few cards (Polluted Bonds, Lifegift, Hedron Crab) that care about land drops, the seem innocuous enough by themselves, but over the course of a large multiplayer game the benefits really rack up, padding your life total for the end game. 

As you can see from the creature selection almost every choice has a relevant ability attached to it with a few huge fatties (Krosan Cloudscraper, Denizen of the Deep) to provide a second choice for the Mimeoplasm's +1/+1 ability. 

I've considered adding in Buried Alive and Entomb to make getting relevant creatures into the graveyard quicker, but I'm hesitant to telegraph my game play to early and in my play group those two spells seem to receive a good amount of hate once they've been played. 

Incursion, first impressions

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Incursion – This is one of those games that had been on my radar for a long time, but the 2-player limitation always prevented me from picking it up. Last year Grindhouse Games had a sale on the box set for $15, a price that could be justified even if I only played the game once in a while. Once the box arrived I was really impressed with the quality of the card board components and the art is amazing (Keith Lowe is the artist that does the art for MERCS). Reading through the rules it seemed pretty simple and quick to play.

Players alternate turns based on a bidding system which also regulates the number of actions they can preform during a turn. Within the main rulebook are multiple scenarios that provide plenty of replayability. Combined with the ability to chose a different force each time you'll be able to get plenty of use out of the basic box. There is an expansion available for players that need more models and missions.

I did receive the German model set and hope to get them assembled soon. While the models are really cool and well detailed they aren't necessary to enjoy the game. They are a bit pricey if you can't find them on sale but, I feel like they will add to the overall experience and I've seen a few examples online of 3-dimensional boards that bring the game to a whole 'nother level. 

Essentially this plays very similar to a Weird War II version of Space Hulk, with the option of keeping the cost down by leaving the models out of the core game box. 

Commander Corner – Niv-mizzet, the Firemind

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Magic the Gathering – Welcome to the second installment of Commander Corner. In this article we're going to look at one of my favorite Commanders: Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind. This nifty commander deals damage to an opponent or creature every time you draw a card, as well as having the nifty ability to tap him to draw a card. Anything that says he draws a card after damaging an opponent results in him drawing through the deck an typically wiping a good portion of the table out.

Planeswalkers (2): Jace Beleren, Chandra Nalaar

Sorceries (6): Invoke the Firemind, Lava Spike, Trade Secrets, Bribery, Mind's Aglow, Reminisce

Instant (8): Grab the Reins, Lightning Bolt, Unsummon, Vision Skeins, Desperate Ritual, Fact or Fiction, Spin into Myth, Repulse

Enchanments (4): Freed from the Real, Charisma, Ophidian Eye, Curiosity

Artifacts (11): Tatsumasa, the Dragon's Fang, Scythe of the Wretched, Myr Turbine, Basilisk Collar, Spectral Searchlight, Tenza, Godo's Maul, Foriysian Totem, Izzet Signet, Heart Seeker, Howling Mine, Riptide Replicator,

Creatures (36): Ninja of the Deep Hours, Sharding Sphinx, Myr Battlesphere, Tidewater Minion, Man-o'-war, Cytoplast Manipulator, Gelectrode, Avalanche Riders, Draining Whelk, Torchling, Dragon Whelp, Razorfin Hunter, Vithian Stinger, Iron Myr, Silver Myr, Furnace Whelp, Goblin Sharpshooter, Prodigal Pyromancer, Hissing Iguanar, Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir, Taurean Mauler, Merfolk Thaumaturgist, Dragonspeaker Shaman, Zuran Spellcaster, Rorix Bladewing, Flametongue Kavu, Izzet Guildmage, Akroma Angel of Fury, Vulshok Sorcerer, Anger, Rackling, Kumano, Master Yamabushi, Viseling, Eron the Relentless, Prodigal Sorcerer, Serra Sphinx

Lands (32): 10 Islands, 12 Mountains, Evolving Wilds, Lonely Sandbar, Remote Isle, Faerie Conclave, Command Tower, Forgotten Cave, Izzet Boilerworks, Steam Vents, Smoldering Crater, Valakut, the Molten Pinnnacle

Most of the deck revolves around creatures that can tap to do damage, carrying over the commanders theme. Within are a few little combos that can be devastating if they can go off: Desperate Ritual spliced on to Lava Spike can be replicated infinitely by the Izzet Guildmage; Tidewater Minion enchanted by Freed from the Real with a  Izzet Boilerworks can generate infinite mana for a giant  Invoke the Firemind or Mind's Aglow. Reminisce is in here to save you from milling yourself out completely. 

I'm considering replacing the creature bounce for more general permanent bounce as hexproof and shroud equipment seems to be the preferred method of protecting commanders. I'm also considering adding a Psychosis Crawler to the deck as he also works well with Niv.

Other cards under consideration are Whirlpool Warrior, works amazing if Niv or a crawler are on the table and helps to deal with opponents who spend the game crafting a perfect hand. Winds of Change if I can track one of these down it does the same thing as a sacrificed Whirlpool Warrior for a single red. Teferi's Puzzle Box can be amazing or terrible depending on how attached you are to your hand, however on the turn you go off it really doesn't matter. Consecrated Sphinx, Nin, the Pain Artist and Stuffy Doll are all also worth consideration.

Zooleretto ... what does it mean

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Board Game Review – Last Christmas my daughter received Zooleretto as a gift. For some reason it sat on the shelf unplayed until recently. The premise of the game is each player is building a zoo and the goal is to finish your zoo before the other players. Basically it's a worker placement type of game with a few interesting twists.

To start all the tiles are placed in the center of the table (subtract all animals of a type for smaller games) and players take turns drawing tiles and placing them face up on the delivery trucks. During a players turn they can do one of the following: draw a tile, spend coins to remodel or buy animals, or take a truck. Once a player takes a truck they can not do anything else until all the trucks are taken and than play continues as before. 

Once all the tiles are gone players total up their score based on how complete their zoo is and the winner is determined by the highest point total.

Sounds really simple right?

The basic mechanics of this game could be re-skinned with any type of theme and they'd still work just fine and provide an entertainingly simple yet challenging game. What makes this an entertaining family game is the colorful zoo animal art and universally appealing nature of cute animals to children of most any age.

We've played several times with various numbers of players and each time the game is very different. The first few times my daughter focused on collecting the animals she liked rather than what would fill her zoo and therefore lost. Soon she figured out the basic strategy and can be really hard to beat. Zooleretto has become her go to game when friends are over.

If you're looking for a family-friendly game that involves a bit of strategy I recommend picking this one up.

Commander Corner – Sen Triplets

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Magic the Gathering – Welcome the the first installment of Commander Corner a semi regular column discussing the EDH/Commander format for Magic the Gathering. In each installment I'll review a general and deck that I've built around them. For more information on how to play Commander please check out the official site.

Every Commander deck has to feature a general, this is a legendary creature and you can only include cards which match you general's color identity (the mana symbols on the card, in the cost or in the abilities) or are colorless. 

The first general I'd like to talk about are the Sen Triplets, a legendary creature for the Alara Reborn expansion. This commander falls into my favorite color combination and the deck began its life as a token machine with Ertai, the Corrupted at the helm. In practice he was a bit annoying as a commander since the threat of counter magic can slow down games and I rarely was able to keep him on the table. 

The deck primarily consists of my favorite cards in Blue, Black and White and is geared to deal with multiple threats. The general while fun isn't required to make the deck run and more or less acts as a surprise by taking threats from an opponents hand. What I like most about the Sen Triplets are the politics involved in using their abilities. Do you cast someones best creature, or use their board sweeper to mess with everyone? There's plenty of ways to use them without making the whole table angry.

Without further ado here's the list:

Commander: Sen Triplets

Creatures (25): Beloved Chaplain, Drift of Phantasms, Disciple of the Vault, Stormscape Familiar,
Silver Myr, Leaden Myr, Alloy Myr, Pride of the Clouds, Pulsemage Advocate, Teysa, Orzhov Scion,
Ambassador Laquatus, Mageta the Lion, Raven Guild Master, Abyssal Persecutor,
Phyrexian Metamorph, Arcum Dagsson, Mindleech Mass, Sharding Sphinx, Skeletal Vampire,
Memnarch, Stuffy Doll, Avatar of Woe, Sphinx Sovereign, Weathered Wayfarer, Wall of Souls

Planeswalkers (1): Jace Beleren

Instants (9): Smother, Unmake, Oblation, Hinder, Spin into Myth, Rend Flesh, Chain of Vapor,
Mortify, Essence Vortex

Sorceries (7): Wrath of God, Demonic Tutor, Life's Finale, Culling Sun, Phyrexian Rebirth,
Show and Tell, Bribery

Enchanments (7): Guilty Conscience, Celestial Dawn, Nevermore, Seal of Doom,
Declaration of Naught, Mobilization, Debtor's Knell

Artifacts (15): Proteus Staff, Orzhov Signet, Dimir Signet, Azorious Signet, Thopter Foundry,
Sol Ring, Witchbane Orb, Darksteel Forge, Mycosynth Lattice, Mask of Avacyn, Trepandation Blade,
Darksteel Plate, Umezawa's Jitte, Sword of the Meek, Bonehoard

Lands (35): Seat of Synod, Glacial Fortress, Volrath's Stronghold, Boreal Shelf, Jwar Isle Refuge, Drowned Catacomb, Azorius Chancery, Urza's Factory, Isolated Chapel, Creeping Tar Pit, Vault of Whispers, Orzhov Basilica, Academy Ruins, Command Tower, Sejiri Refuge, Arcane Sactum, Dromar's Cavern, Frost Marsh, Ghost Quarter, Bad River, Godless Shrine, Minamo, School at Water's Edge, Wanderwine Hub, Grand Coliseum, Ancient Den, Watery Grave, Hallowed Fountation, Dreadship Reef, Polluted Delta, (2) Island, (2) Swamp, (2) Plains 

The deck has an artifact theme that works to eventually turn everything I control into an indestructible machine. Once Arcum Daggson gets online with a token maker I'm able to fish out all the pieces to protect my permanents and wipe the board.

The amount of tuck spells (spells that put a card back into the library, really effective ways to get rid of annoying generals) is necessary due to my play groups meta. There are a few decks in our group that revolve so heavily on the general that I like to be able to eliminate that threat when cards get out of hand (Doran, the Siege Tower; Niv-Mizzet). 

Some of the better interactions in this deck are Stuffy Doll with Guilty Conscience, which is a great way to eliminate one player. I also like the Thopter Foundry, Sword of the Meek and Disciple of the Vault little combo, while it doesn't go infinite it is a nifty way to reduce a life total while padding your own.

There is also a minor milling theme, while it's not the best strategy against 99 card decks it is more painful given the singleton nature of the format. Trepandation Blade is a personal favorite as it triggers just by attacking, at the very least your mill out one card and get a slight bump, I have seen it go up to a +15 when a player is mana screwed though, which is funny when it happens. Raven Guild Master is nice because it exiles the cards which means no graveyard recursion shenanigans. Pulsemage Advocate works well with milling your opponent as you can give back those utility creatures that don't threaten your position but will wreck someone else at the table and bring back your own threat.

I've found Abyssal Persecutor to be a great choice as opponents who are in a bad spot like to keep you around for a bit longer as they can't lose while he's on the table. 

I'm considering adding in Grand Arbiter Augustin IV as he combos with several parts of my deck to reduce my mana costs and hinder my opponents. Potentially I'll cut the Sphinx Sovereign to add him in. So far the Sphinx has only attracted a ton of kill spells when he hits the table so I'm not sure if he's worth keeping in.

 

I Command you ...

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Magic the Gathering – I was recently introduced to the Magic the Gathering Commander Format (Formerly called EDH),  and this format is interesting enough to pull me back into the world of cardboard crack. While I primarily like to play miniature games and boardgames I was reintroduced to those hobbies through friends that played Magic. Over the years I've had stints where I'd be totally into the games and spend ridiculous amounts of money for pieces of cardboard and then I'd lose interest because of a format change or new set that I didn't like.

The newest set Innistrad, peaked my interest as it has a Gothic Horror setting which I really enjoy. There are cards the evoke all the major archtypes of the genre including but not limited to werewolves, vampires, zombies and even the exorcist. While looking into this set I also came across Commander Decks, which are a fixed content product (win!) geared for multiplayer play (win again!). After picking one up and reading through the rules, it seemed pretty straightforward and fun. One of my biggest issues with Magic is needing to have four copies of a card to have it be useful in a deck, Commander is a singleton format which means you can only ever have one of any card (other than basic land) in your deck. So now the cost of acquiring something good for your deck has effectively been reduced by 75%, and those random "good" cards you open in a pack that's all you need.

After going over all this with my regular play group we busted out the boxes of cardboard gold we've had stored for a few years and started building decks. The first few iterations of said decks were utter crap and resulted in plenty of "mana screw" (being unable to play cards because of a lack of resources) and lucky drops in which one player won because no one at the table had an answer for their card. It felt much like it did when I first learned the game and players played what was fun for them rather than whatever the current overpowered combo was. The great thing was the banned list is really small so almost any card you own can be played which is cool, I hate owning things I can't use because of a rules change. 

We've started a small league to play commander games and I'll post updates on how it's going in the future as well as the ground rules our group is using.

If you're interested in learning more about the commander format these sites have some interesting tips:

Commandercast.com – Podcast and website with regular articles and good suggestions.

gatheringmagic.com – Website with daily articles dealing with multiple formats

 

 

And we're back ...

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First I'd like to introduce the newest member of the Twilight Emporium Family, Oliver Patrick Powers. My son surprised us by coming a little earlier then we expected, which was probably the best Christmas gift we could ask for. It's going to be a few years before he can help dad out with hobby projects but that doesn't mean he can't get his geek on. (note: yes that D20 is a gift my wife crocheted for me, cool huh?).

It's been an interesting experience so far as my daughter is 12 so it's been a while since there's been a baby in the house. Luckily much like riding a bike you don't really forget what to do. Babies for the most part just sleep, eat and poop, the fun part is getting them to switch over to regular hours. For some reason they don't understand that nighttime is when you're supposed to sleep not during the day.

In hobby news I still have quite a few projects to complete and I hope to be able to get back to work on them soon. I received an airbrush for Christmas and I need to relearn how to use it. Once I get the hang of it again I'm going to focus on completing the downtown Malifaux board. I also got a vacuum chamber that I'm looking forward to using on molds, I'm hoping that by degassing the molds they'll stand up to more rigorous use.

I'm in the process of reading Black Crusade (newest Warhammer 40K roleplaying system) and will post up a full review once I've had a chance to try it out.

On the painting table ...

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Malifaux – After trying a few games with a single Dead Doxy I decided they would work better as a pair. Currently I have the Dead Justice as one and I've "converted" Collete to act as my second Doxy. 

To "convert" the Collete I didn't really want to do much as I really like the model. So I did a few minor alterations to the model, I drilled a bullet hole in her back with a pin vice and added a nasty gouge on her leg. Minor thing like this will add to the effect I hope to create with paint. I also twisted her arm and adjusted to hand to be holding a skull and spine. This seemed to be in line with a "magic trick" Seamus would like.

To paint I've been using the same technique as the other zombies I've been working on. A thinned down GX foundation base followed by a wash and highlights gets the models to tabletop quality quickly. From there I will add detail and smooth the transitions as time permits. My goal with any model I use in game is to get paint on it before I used it. While I might not actually finish the model for quite some time at least I have something that looks passable on the table rather than primer grey or bare metal.

Holiday Madness (A brief update)

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I wanted to apologize to regular readers for the lack of updates as of late. Between the holidays, work and a new baby on the way I haven't had as much time to devote to my hobby as I'd like.

I'm still plugging away at the new Malifaux board and I hope to have an update within the next few weeks to show the progress. After experimenting with a few different ways to add buildings to the board I've settled on a solid solution. Each structure with be a solid block of foam which will form the facade of each building. I'll run balconies along the front of each to add additional elements that are accessible in game. I went back and forth with a few ideas and decided against doing interiors. While they are ultimately cool I feel like interiors will only serve to further complicate an already complex board. 

I also have a bunch of models in my painting que that need assembly and painting which I hope to get to as soon as things calm down a bit.

Last week I did have a chance to see the Muppets movie and I can't recommend it highly enough. It's a fun movie that breathes new life into a struggling franchise. The bit with the chickens covering Cee-lo's "f" you is enough to cover the price of admission.

Downtown Malifaux (Test Drive)

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Malifaux – I had a chance to test drive this board Tuesday night at RIW. My first impression is that it needs more stuff. I have to create buildings designed to fit on the board, as generic stuff doesn't quite fit right or block enough. The stairs worked fine as most models could move up or down them with a single walk action.

Choosing your deployment area is a big deal with this board as some crews are going to benefit from having the high ground. I don't see this as an issue as choosing a deployment zone should be a very important part of any game. Speaking of high ground, I don't think there is enough yet once the other buildings are added with balconies and scafolding  I think it will approach what my vision is for the city.

On a related note we had a visitor from the UK stop by for our Tuesday Tussles at RIW in Livonia MI. It was nice to meet a Henchman(Clousseau from the Wyrd boards) from across the pond and pick his brain about how events work in the UK. 

 

Downtown Malifaux (part five)

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Malifaux – The base is almost finished. As it turns out much like most projects this is far more work than I anticipated. Between casting the "right" pieces and getting them to fit the layout I've spent many night with my hands covered in glue plaster and resin. However the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel is approaching and the basic construction is almost done.

While the resin casts of street sections was a great idea and saved me a ton of time, there are some nasty gabs that need to be filled. If I kept this simple and did a flat board the gaps wouldn't be much of an issue, of course I had to be "creative" and do something fancy. To solve the gap problem I'm using milliput and my trusty brass rod to texture it. The gray putty I picked up seemed to be extraordianrily hard to mix, but I found a little water helps to ease that problem. It's also helpful to smooth out the rolls of gray-stuff between the cracks. The transitions don't look as great as the pieces I cast but once they're painted you shouldn't be able to notice the difference.

I picked up some course ballast for the train tracks and attached them to the board with tacky glue. Because the track is part of a train set I had to cut away the join tabs to make it more realistic looking. Once that dries I'll finish the details on the other side of the tracks and be able to move on to painting.

One the painting table ... Avatar of something like that

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Malifaux – I finally have the two Avatars I picked up assembled and base coated. I really like the Seamus model and the flash line weren't anywhere near as bad as they were on Snowstorm. I hope this is a sign that quality control with resin minis is improving. 

I was happy to see that Kirai was still all metal, however getting her together was a pain. It looks like the robe of Ikyro and the prone Kirai are supposed to join tightly together to give the impression one is coming out of the other. No matter what I tried I couldn't get them to match up right. so I placed Ikyro off to one side and used green stuff to blend the robe into the base. I think I like how this looks better than the models I've seen assembled "correctly."

Still not sure how much I'll like them in the game, but the idea of hulking out mid game is pretty cool.

I've also done some more work to my Alternate Seamus. I removed the "wimpy" flintlock and replaced it with one of the shotgun-type weapons in the Hats and Guns pack. I think this change really reinforces the homage to Evil Dead and more people will get it.

On the painting table ...

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Helldorado – Helldorado has become the "palette cleanser" game for most of my gaming groups. The system is quick and clean so you can play a few games have some fun and move on. I don't find it to be a game I want to play all the time but I do really like the models and setting. The mechanics tend to be a bit more defense orientated than my American sensibilities prefer, which is something several members of my group have agreed with. 

That said I've been trying to get my Demon force painted up with a solid 200 point list that I enjoy. I wasn't really digging the leader that came with the starter box so when Samael came out I picked him up. I think I need to get a Succubus as well but don't have one yet.

I really don't like how the parts attach to the tabs with these models. The two parts of his sword are so close to the tab that it's difficult to trim them away without bending something. Other than that minor gripe (which covers almost any model in the range) there is very little clean-up necessary. I mounted him to one of my Hell Bases and primed him with duplicolor dark grey primer. I really like this primer as it's not to dark nor to light and I can get good coverage with most colors. 

For his skin I base coated him with GW foundation flesh and base coated his robe with the light grey from the same range. A quick flesh wash and black wash provided my initial shading and I began to work up the colors to their final highlights. 

One the painting table ...

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Malifaux? – Recently I picked up Scuttlebones, Undead Crab from Reaper Miniatures. This is a pretty odd miniature, which doesn't really seem to fit in Malifaux (probably why they don't have one ... duh). I however really thought this was something cool I'd like to paint so I picked it up. 

Assembling the thing is a giant pain, as is to be expected with anything that has a bunch of small spindly legs. The main body comes in two pieces which go together easily. Attaching the legs not so much. After drilling our the leg joins and scraping down the ball joints I was able to wedge the leg into the holes to create a pretty strong join. The claws suffer from the same issue but after a bit of work I got them to fit. 

I mounted the crab to one of my Skull bases and was able to position it so almost every leg attaches to the base. I like how the pose turned out as it looks like it's scuttling over the rocks.

After the primer dried I base coated it with Foundation Orange followed by several coats of Ball Red Wash. This gives it a nice red-orange color. I them painted the highlights and toned the whole thing down with a light wash of Devlan Mud. 

For the base I decided to paint it a rich earthy color like Bayou Mud. A bit of static grass and water effect and it's almost done.

Not sure what I'm going to do with it, maybe I'll give it to Breadcrab to use as a Rogue Necromancy. He seems to has a seafood fetish and just started playing Ressurectionists.