I'm still drinkin' and modelin' ... honest!

Things have slowed way down around here. Part of it is my "new" life here in my hometown - the focus on tabletop gaming is just not the same. Part of it is my new job which doesn't afford me time to waste on a computer while I work (in fact I hardly get to use my computer at all).

The result of both has been me not being able to find a game of Warhammer. This in turn has slowed (stopped) my drive to complete my Vampire Counts army, which also put my Warriors of Chaos force on hold. While I had planned on finishing the VC army in time to attend BoLSCon it doesn't look as if that will be a financial possibility. Moving and taking a pretty steep pay cut has left me without much in the way of "disposable income" - including things like beer, models, paints, and cross-country trips to weekend long gaming conventions.

So where does that leave me and my miniature obsession? Well most recently I found some solace in a local Blood Bowl league and I am in the process of building an Ogre team to play in it (the Bultimore Bullies). Also, just last week my preferred gaming store changed ownership with a promise to focus more on GW games while building a community of players (something I intend to support however I can). And who knows? Maybe once the 8th edition of Warhammer is released the local scene will explode with new fantasy players (for me to abuse with my "overpowered" Ogre Kingdoms army).

Two lengthy work related trips this week and next may keep me from updating this blog as much as I would like - but stay tuned later this month for a look into my painful initiation into Blood Bowl, fantasy book reviews, progress reports, and more. In the meantime I leave you with a review of a beer I probably won't ever be able to buy again!

Lagunitas Brewing Company - 2009 Correction Ale

Beer Type: American IPA

Appearance: 22 oz. brown bottle with a white label, the Lagunitas dog, and some text. Beer poured an amber-gold color with a thin head that quickly faded.

Smell: A lot of floral and citrus hops followed by a little bit of sweet malt.

First Drink: Mostly sweet, with a bit of the floral and citrus flavors from the aroma.

Mouthfeel: Well carbonated, a little oil slick, and a nice crisp finish.

Last Drink: A pleasant bitter finish and a little more sweetness.

Drinkability: Very drinkable, not sure what really makes this stand out from a "beer snob" point of view but I like it.

Notes: This beer is limited edition and seasonal. I was lucky to get one bottle of it from the local beer troll. The labels says "this is NOT a double IPA". I'd have to agree - I didn't much care for their Hop Stoopid Ale which was a double IPA.

Verdict: 4.25 out of 5. Flavorful, with a secretly hidden ABV, and it's easy to drink. What more can you ask for? Now only if I could get this beer all year long...

Links: Beer Advocate and Lagunitas Brewing Company.

UPDATE:  Forgot to mention it in my original post but I wanted to say ... go check out the new forums hosted by The Trading Post. Kuffeh (or Kuffy) is the nice bloke who put together the forum as a place for:

"Just a bit of fun, somewhere for general Fantasy based chatter. Please feel free to join and promote the forums to others. I am not expecting much, but it be cool to have a little place on the web for some nice friendly chatter."

I've already stopped by and registered my name so you'll have to get your own! See you there!

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...

Ogre smackdown - Local Warhammer scene overrun by drunken brutes!

Huzzah! Verily did thou beateth thon yonder Warhammer newbs at ye local shoppe!

Err ... what I meant to say was I went to the open gaming session at Titan Games yesterday and beat the tar out of two (new) local WHFB players (both of which brought 1k Bretonnian forces).

Normally I don't like playing Brets, but I made an exception as I needed the practice for the Adepticon Team Tournament coming up next weekend. Not sure how my opponents felt about the games we played (two good-natured gentlemen who are new to the game) as both ended in as a Massacre in favor of the Beer Gut Tribe.

Sorry boys, its just the school of hard knocks. Sometimes you gotta lose to learn how to play the game. No hard feelings eh?

In other exciting new, the chances of being able to rope in some new WHFB players in the area seems pretty good. There were quite a few 40k players in the store who seemed interested in playing Fantasy (some new 40k players were lamenting the fact that they had started with round bases instead of square), and the store's new manager discussed starting up a regular tournament at another local business if there was sufficient interest. All good signs!

Next time I head out to open gaming I think I will bring my Vampire Counts. I am still tinkering with list ideas in the hopes of finding a build with lots of Skeletons that can actually work. As part of this I am in the process of building two new "casty" Vampires. Here are a couple quick WIP pictures of what I have so far:

I was going for a Necrach theme and feel with these two, both are based off of some old Reaper miniatures which I have cut up and added to. I am considering adding a crown or helm to the one with the book and skull staff in case I wish to make this my "casty" Vampire Lord on foot. Right now he just has a bit of ratty hair sculpted to his head with green stuff.

Suggestions, comments, etc are welcome and encouraged as always! Until next time ...

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.