Progress Report - 10/26/08.

Time flies! It was a busy week for me, but not in the Warhammer sense. I didn't find time to accomplish any of my WHFB goals but I did manage to secure a tabletop that was missing legs. One trip to the hardware store, some cheap MDF prefab pieces, a couple bolts, a drill, and plenty of swearing later I had myself a gaming table.

Total cost: about $15.00, give or take a few cents. It isn't the best piece of furniture I have ever owned but it beats a couple of sawhorses and a piece of wood. The next step is to build some modular boards which I can place on top of the table to play on.

In case you were wondering that is my dog Udo chewing on his bone, and that is my Arnold Palmer picture on the wall. Best not to ask about that.

Not much else to update, so here is a review of another tasty Stone beer!

---

Stone Brewing Company - Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

Beer Type: American Strong Ale

Appearance: 12 oz. brown bottle with the Arrogant Bastard devil on it. Poured a dark amber color with a tan head.

Smell: Strong smells, lots of malts and hops in addition to something a bit flowery. Not as hoppy as the regular Arrogant Bastard.

First Drink: Smooth, with a lot of woody hops flavor. Like the regular AB there is a lot going on here. Quite complex.

Mouthfeel: Smooth with just the right amount of carbonation. Maybe I am recalling the AB too much but I remember it being a much "rougher" beer where as this is just right.

Last Drink: Darker flavors are noticeable now. Something more along the lines of a brown ale with the wood undertones.

Drinkability: Great! I like it better than the regular Arrogant Bastard to be sure (but maybe not as much as the Double Bastard?). I miss the really strong hop flavors of the original but the oak adds something this beer gets along with nicely.

Notes: Great brewery, and another great beer. "You're not worthy" is the slogan and in some ways I would have to agree. A fine brew and I think I will have another one right now!

Verdict: 4.75 out of 5

Links: Beer Advocate and Stone Brewing Company.

Progress Report - 10/19/08.

Work, work. I spent the past week or so putting together my 1000 point Slayer Army before playing it against MikeyD's Greenskins last Tuesday. There were some high (and low) points to the game, but I did not do a good job of tracking the events that took place so I will spare you a rambling recap (this time). Long story short, the Slayers got shot to bits and managed to squeeze out a Draw from the game.

That game was a test to see which army I would run in my group's current 500 point "Paint and Play" campaign that I am running. The idea is to work together to get our WHFB armies under way and hopefully have a fun, fluffy, and painted army by the end of the campaign. We are starting at 500 points and are working our way up (maybe to 2000 or 2250) from there.

I am setting goals for all of the competitors which will award points. These are in addition to the points which can be won for painting the models in the army, and points awarded in games played. Our first set of campaign matches will take place this week on Tuesday, with more to follow until we are done. My first matchup is with the new Warriors of Chaos list, a Nurgle force led by a Chaos Sorcerer. Should be a good test for the Beer Gut Tribe!

I got my force together this week and here is what I will be using in this "all comers" type campaign.

Butcher @ 155
- Bangstick

Bulls x 3 @ 105

Ironguts x 4 @ 192

Gnoblar Trappers x 8 @ 48

Total Points: 500 (of 500)

The Butcher can normally only be the Army General under the Warbands rules but my fellow gamers felt the OK book had enough list restrictions and allowed me to use him. It is a pretty basic set up, but then again most lists are this way for the Ogre Kingdoms at sub 1000 points.

In preparation for the games and painting I primed the models I need for this list today. Overall they turned out well, but I certainly could have done better. I may have applied too much primer to the Butcher and lost some of the details I spent so long sculpting on his apron. Oh well, better luck next time I guess!

I will be adding some "fluff" and other backstory for this group in the coming weeks, partly so I can meet the goals I set for the group and earn some bonus points!

I should have some more painting and in progress pictures to post soon. Time to ruin all my hard work with my shoddy painting skills! I leave you with a cruddy shot of my work space. This is where I put together all of my models. It is also the space I use for all of my music projects which is a little frustrating as I have to switch back and forth depending on what I want to work on. Hopefully I can make myself a better work space soon, or at least get a few more lights!

Until next time, see if you can find any lurid details of my life from this picture (hint: the trash holds secrets untold).

Progress Report - 10/4/08.

The sickness is spreading! The sickness is spreading!

Picked up the Empire army book last night at my local gaming store. I was there to get the remainder of the Slayers I need for my Slayer Army. I am still in the process of getting all of the little buggers cleaned up and assembled, but I hope to have some WIP pictures up here soon (maybe tomorrow!?).

I bought the Empire book for a couple of reasons.

1. After I complete the Slayer Army I want to model a force of Ulric/Middenheim Warrior Priest driven smash-a-tude. I will get into more of that at a later date, but it is something I have been kicking around in my head for awhile now.

2. The THURMANATOR seems ready to make the dive into WHFB (finally!) and has chosen the Empire as his starting point. Being friendly and what not I wanted to help ease the financial burden of starting the hobby by having the Army Book ready for him to use.

Still kicking around the ideas for a "Paint and Play" campaign type setting for my small Warhammer group. With the upcoming Warriors of Chaos release we should have 6 players to get this going. Maybe then you will finally start seeing some painted Beer Gut models!

I leave you now with a beer review! Expect more reviews of beers from this brewery in the near future as they are more readily available in my area now!

---

Stone Brewing Company - Stone Smoked Porter

Beer Type: American Porter

Appearance: 1 Pt. 6 Fl. Oz. brown Stone bottle with the good ole Demon/Gargoyle logo. Not the fanciest bottle, which is a bit off for this brewery, but there is still plenty of ink printed on the glass. Beer poured a dark redish black with a thick tan head that started to patch up a bit as it settled.

Smell: The aroma isn't terribly strong which was a bit surprising to me (most Stone brews have a solid smell), but I can make out some dark smells. Coffee, roasted malt, some smoke of course, but it is not overpowering.

First Drink: A little sweet for a porter, but there is a lot of dark flavors at work here. Again, coffee on the front with the roasted malt and smokey flavors coming out in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, perfectly carbonated, no complaints here. Maybe a little thin for a porter?

Last Drink: A lot more smokey, woody, flavors now. Tastes like a delicious beer flavored campfire!

Drinkability: I can't say this is my favorite Stone beer, but it is a solid porter in the American brewing style.

Notes: There are suddenly new variations of Stone brews here in Austin! Very exciting! I have a couple other which I will be reviewing shortly. One of these days I would love to make it out to this brewery for a tour and to get some schwag.

Verdict: 4.25 out of 5. Tastes good, and feels good with the cooler fall air coming in.

Links: Beer Advocate and Stone Brewing Company.