New Year same as the old? - 2016 Hobby Resolutions.

Hi. Randroid here.

Not going to go line by line on all the resolutions I made last year and failed. Let's just say I could have done better.

2015 was quite an odd one for me. I did a lot of stuff and also did not do a lot of stuff. Big things of note:

- Started a new job at the end of 2014 and opened a new business early in 2015.
- Almost exactly one year after starting the new job I quit and began a different job at another employer.
- Started working on my own pizza business in between all that and sold quite a few at various places around my town and the response was good.
- Did not update this blog. Did not attend any gaming events (only 2 Bloodbowl tournaments and one of them was an event I co-run with Furry). Did not paint many models (haven't really painted any since August). Did not play any games (with the exception of a stalled out group for Mordheim and AoS Warhammer).
- Started a band with my better half.
- Broke my computer and have been without one for 6 months or so.
- Failed to continue my weekly metal radio show the Grind in the process. Stopped broadcasting online as well as at the local community station.

All of that could signal a bad time, and there were bad times involved, but overall it was a year of building and getting things in order. Gaming is a huge priority for me still and one I want to have in my life but my previous job schedule kept me from having much of a social life (getting up at 4am daily tends to do that).

So on to 2016!

I still don't have a computer but I hope to remedy that in the next month or so. Most of my "extra" funds were going to musical equipment but we have what we need for our band now so that should slow down.

I have tons of models and games to play! Working on getting a bi-weekly RPG game rolling with some old gaming co-horts and I am really excited to pick that back up. Also have several new games I want to find time to learn and play.

So how does this blog fit into all of that? Not sure quite yet but I will keep posting here as much as I am able and desire to do so. Hopefully you'll stick around and if not... best of luck to you all in 2016 and beyond!!!

Progress Report 1/28/15 - Time after time.

Well so much for those "resolutions"!!! At least the one where I update every week. In my defense it has been quite hectic with the new job/traveling for weeks at a time situation. Still! I have managed to get some gaming in here and there. 

About half way through a Risk: Legacy board. I have won 2 of the 7 games and at least 2 more of those were narrow victory margins where my opponents kept me from winning (as they tend to do). It has been a fun time though and I look forward to seeing where the game goes in the last half. 

Also managed to get in some Pathfinder in one of my societies games. Almost level 7 with my half-orc Monk and having lots of fun hugging and punching things out of the fight (unless they have DR or Hardness or some other thing I can't overcome which is starting to be more common). 

And then there is the tabletop action. Hopefully playing some Mordheim practice games this week and there is a WHFB escalation group hitting the ground next month. Hoping to bring my Vampires to those games and wrote two lists I am trying to pick between for our first games (at 800 points). 

A doodle I did while working and thinking about undead dudes.

First list is all mounted Vampire all the time.

HEROES: 200
Vampire - HA, Enchanted Shield, Sword of Striking, Luckstone, Red Fury(50), Barded Nightmare (200)

CORE: 220
Skeleton Warrior x 20 - Spears, Champion, Standard (180)
Dire Wolves x 5 - Doom Wolf (50)
Dire Wolves x 5 - Doom Wolf (50)

SPECIAL: 377
Hexwraith x 5 (150)
Black Knights x 7 - Lances, Barding, Champion, Standard, Musician, Banner of Swiftness (227)

Total Points: 797 (of 800)

Basic idea is to put the Vampire in the Black Knight unit and use the Hexwraiths and Dire Wolves to screen and redirect until they can get into combat where hopefully the Red Fury kicks in and shreds a few units along the way. Never used Hexwraiths either so it would be good practice.

The other list I have is more of a foot slogger list with more Core units and no Vampire. 

HEROES: (200)
Wight King - HA, GW, Dragonhelm (100)
Necromancer - Level 2 (100)

CORE: (345)
Skeleton Warrior x 20  - Spears, Champion, Standard (180)
Zombies x 20 - Standard (65)
Dire Wolves x 5 - Doom Wolf (50)
Dire Wolves x 5 - Doom Wolf (50)

SPECIAL: (255)
Corpse Cart - Balefire (105)
Hexwraith x 5 (150)

Total Points: 800 (of 800)

This list is more traditional and less fighty with okay magic, decent hero, tricks, and more bodies. Also a good reason to get more of my Core units painted up. This is probably the list I will go with even though I think it has less chance of winning. Not really worried about winning just want to have fun and get some paint on my army. 

My "competitive" VC list would be different and be more of an Undead Horde and less of the standard 8th edition VC book. Skeleton power!!! Thoughts and suggestions are welcome of course. 

Also working on getting ready for the third Dog Bowl held at the local gaming event here in town Marmalade Dog. Working on prizes and a dugout to give away to one of the winners. All of this and I leave again on Friday for another week!! So much to do and so little time to do it.

A New Year - 2015 Hobby Resolutions.

Well it is 2015 already!? Man time really moves. Hard to believe it has been a year since I last wrote a list of hobby related resolutions back in 2014. I suppose the first order of business is to revisit them!

A list of things I resolved to accomplish with my hobby in 2014:

• Update this blog at least twice a week all year: (FAIL) - Well I tried for a bit, and I was making good progress too, but eventually the accumulated RL stopped me from getting this done. While I did manage to play more RPG games and board games I didn't catalog any of those experiences here on the blog. Nor did I get nearly enough beer reviews up!! I have quite the back log waiting to be posted...

• Finish painting all of the Blood Bowl teams I have started: (FAIL) - Not even close. In actuality I don't think I finished even one additional team!! I blame the not really attending any tournaments this year and not having a local league at the moment.

• Play some WHFB somewhere, somehow: (FAIL) - Nope. While I did manage to get out some of my WoC minis and assemble and paint them I didn't get a single game in. I did have plans to do so a few times!! That sort of counts right? I did manage to build and mostly paint a Mordheim warband and play a short test game of that though.   

• Attend as many Blood Bowl tournaments as possible: (WIN) - "as possible" being the key here! I did get to go to ZBX which was a lot of fun and Chaos Cup too. Aside from those and Dog Bowl here in Kalamazoo I didn't do too hot on getting out to tournaments with any regularity. A combination of not having money to travel and not being able to get time off for work really stuck it to me this time around. 

• Paint something just for the heck of it: (WIN) - Well I count my Rebs faction from Deadzone here as I painted it up (and built a bunch of terrain) without any plans to play the game nor any players to play it with! Just liked the look of that faction and wanted to see them painted up.

• Start cataloging the various game design/theory/ideas I have as they come up: (FAIL) - Didn't manage to do this exactly as I had written out but I did start and mostly complete a design document for a game I have been working on throughout the year as inspiration strikes. Hoping to get it more fleshed out and playtested this year and possibly even released!? 

Well there you have 2014 and my hobby resolutions in a nutshell. Not the greatest nor most productive of years but I am not displeased with my progress. At least I have a few minis painted that weren't painted last year!!

Now... on to this year's 2015 Hobby Resolutions! 

The future is looking good...

• Spend at least 15 minutes every day working on hobby:  Something I have been trying to do anyway so it makes sense to put it on this list. Those 15 minutes a day really add up! Especially when things like a new job/new routine/new year conspire to eat up my painting and modeling time. 
  


• Finish painting at least one of the Blood Bowl teams I have started: Well I couldn't manage to paint them all this year but I should be able to at least finish one!! Right!?!


• Play some Mordheim and/or Deadzone: Got the minis, they are painted, just need time and players. It shall be done!!!


• Attend at least 4 Blood Bowl tournaments: I managed to go to that many in 2014 and it didn't feel like enough. This year I will make it to at least that many and maybe more?!


• Prototype and playtest "the game" I have been designing: Cool idea, fun gameplay mechanics, at least in my mind. Need to get it on the tabletop and see how it works in reality.


• Update Drinkin' and Modelin' at least once a week: Totally doable and should be the minimum requirement for having a blog anyway!!!

And there we have it. A list of things. Good things! Happy things! I will feel so awesome and accomplished when I manage to get them all done with zero FAILS on my list at the end of 2015. Here is to the future and hoping you have a great one too. 

Work work ...

Something need doing?

I've been busy working at my new job, finishing the second issue of the Bellower, and dealing with random new home things. Not a lot of time for drinkin' or modelin' which is a damn shame as I have quite the hankering for both.

I did manage to play five games of WHFB last weekend at the local store, Titan Games. Got in three with the Beer Gut Tribe on Saturday against Dark Elves, Orcs & Goblins, and Orcs & Goblins again (three different players). I won all my games, two by a large margin with the last one being a bit closer. All of them were 1,000 or less which is a rough place to be when building an OK army list. 

Sunday I went back and played two more games, this time with my Ogres being proxies for a Throgg Troll army! First game was against Brets and it ended with 3 dead Trolls on my side and nothing on the board on turn 5. Second game was a team game with a Skaven ally against the combined forces of the Brets and the Empire which ended in a win for the forces of Troll-Skavenry. Fun was had by all?

Actually I think I am gaining a bit of an unwanted reputation. The overall level of play here is not what I am accustomed to from the gaming scene in Austin. I think I need to dial back my desire to win all the games I play and go easy on some of the new players I am up against.. something I am sure won't be easy for me at first but will reward me in the long run with a stronger community and gamers who want to play! 

The Bellower is almost done. I know I said that about two weeks ago but this time I really mean it! I was waiting on an article that has since been cut due to the late date. I was hoping to have it out today but I am waiting on some touched up images and I need to slap it all together. It will be done this weekend! This I swear!

Modeling and painting is almost non-existent for me right now. I managed to slap together a flying Vampire model, a Vargulf, and I am in the early stages of assembly for the Beastmen that will be used as Marauders for my Malal themed WoC army. Things are moving slow but I hope to get more done once the Bellower is back on track! Stay tuned...

Progress report - getting back into the swing of things.

It has been about two weeks since I started my new job and lost my modelin' free time in the process.

I now work as the Grocery Manager of a small cooperative store here in Kalamazoo, spending lots of money to bring in new products while keeping the store fully stocked. It is unlike anything I have really done before, but also quite familiar in a lot of ways as well.

Long story short, this new job is currently kicking my ass and keeping me from doing much of anything when I get home each day. But I must soldier on! With Adepticon just around the corner I am in the process of "finishing" the Ogre models I will be using for my Team Tournament list by adding a few details and touch-ups on my older paintjob.

I have also been on the look out for a new group of WHFB players in my new (old) hometown, so far with very little success. I've learned a few things though:

• There are a lot of gaming nerds in this town. 
• There is no central forum/email list/website for them to congregate at. 
• As such, any groups that do form are very insular and nobody knows about them.
• There are only three public places where WHFB is played - a chain hobby store (two small tables in the back of the store on Thursday nights only), a WMU gaming club (which meets on Friday nights for two hours and mostly consists of RPG and boardgame players), and Titan Games (which has a lot more 40k and LoTR players than WHFB). 
• Titan Games hired a new store manager (a position I applied for but couldn't get an interview) who seems quite keen on getting more WHFB going on.
• Saturday is the "open gaming" day at Titan Games, but currently the few tables they have are mostly occupied with 40k players (I think they have open gaming on Sunday too but I don't know if anyone actually plays there yet).

So with all of that research done I realized I need to make a few decisions:

1. Start playing 40k - plenty of players here although they seem to be pretty low on the "quality" scale from what I have observed.

2. Find more people to play WHFB with - there are a few players here but they don't play that often.

3. Trick Get my friends to start playing WHFB - possibly by playing a few sessions of the Mordheim "gateway drug".

4. Create/encourage a local gaming group and/or community - a lot of work and it will likely be overrun by Larpers and CCG players.

I have to be honest, it isn't the most exciting set of options ... with any luck I will find a way to get my regular WHFB fix in a way that does not involve me spending a lot of time and energy. I plan on heading to the open gaming (at Titan Games) this Saturday, hopefully to find a game or two with my Ogres. I spent the afternoon last week watching two players stumble through a 1,000 point game so I know it will be a learning experience no matter what.

Speaking of experience, it has been awhile since I posted a beer review on the blog! Here is one I really enjoyed and probably won't be able to afford again any time soon ...

Stone Brewing Company - Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine 2009

Beer Type: American Barleywine

Appearance: 22 oz. brown bottle with a (now classic to me) Stone devil inked on the glass. Poured a reddish-brown amber color with a thick off-white head that left plenty of lace.

Smell: Citrus, hops, some darker sweet smells (brown sugar?). Something else I can't quite put my finger on...

First Drink: Hops, sweet malt, quickly followed by currant/chocolate flavors. A lot going on here but the levels of flavor seem a bit murky.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied and a bit sticky-sweet. Left my mouth feeling a bit dry.

Last Drink: Beer opened up a lot once it warmed up a bit. More biscuit/malt flavors and a nice hops bitterness at the end. A bit of that "dirty" flavor I associate with a good Stout, not sure what that is.

Drinkability: This is a sipping beer for sure. Over 11% and will hit you like a train full of beer bricks if you aren't careful.

Notes: This is a tasty brew, it is too bad it is limited edition/seasonal! I was lucky to get a bottle - mostly because my girl bought me one from the Beer Troll. Thanks!

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5. Not too far off from the Stone Ruination but a lot stronger. Good times.

Links: Beer Advocate and Stone Brewing Company.

That's all for now! Hopefully I will have some pics of my WIP casty Vampires for my VC army in the next post, possibly some finished "new" Ogres as well! In the meantime ... did you notice the Black Library has a new website now? Pretty cool.

The countdown begins.

You have no idea how hard it is for me not to make the name of this entry "the Final Countdown". I will spare you from that, although it may be too late for the song that is now stuck in your head.

Just about one week until the moving commences. Packing continues, working on my models and hobby stuff now. This leaves me with no time to paint or work on models. I would be more concerned about this but I dropped a unit of 20 Gnoblar Fighters from my Adepticon Team Tournament list so the painting pressure is lessened. I also recently got these objective markers/display board accessories "done" as well.

Argh! There are Gnoblars all over our Beer!!

I had fun assembling and posing these little dioramas, my favorite is the one levering a keg from the massive stack beneath himself. I need to finish the highlights and small details on the Gnoblars before I add some static grass - then they will be truly "done".

In other life related news, I still haven't managed to find someone to rent my house here in Austin, and I just applied for a Game Store Manager position back in Kalamazoo where I am moving. I would love to work in a game related retail environment, and hopefully build up a WHFB and tabletop scene in the area in the process. Here's hoping they like what they see from my resume and cover letter!

Until next time ... where ever I may be.