Battle Report: Beer Gut Tribe vs. Skaven 9/30/08.

Bare bones post. Just got home from my game tonight which was postponed from last week. It was a 1250 point battle against Skaven with one of our "new" regular players DANNY (you may remember him from my last Battle Report as the Chaos Mortals player). DANNY played a Skaven list crafted by our regular skitter skitter general, and did not create his own list. This may have contributed to my downfall, but overall the game went south from the beginning for the Beer Gut Tribe.

My list was as follows:

Bruiser @ 171
- Heavy Armor
- Brace of Handguns
- Wyrdstone Necklace
- Luck Gnoblar

Butcher @ 150
- Skullmantle

Butcher @ 155
- Bangstick

Bulls x 3 @ 127
- AHW
- Bellower

Bulls x 3 @ 127
- AHW
- Bellower

Gnoblar Fighters x 20 @ 40

Gnoblar Trappers x 10 @ 60

Leadbelchers x 2 @120
- Bellower

Leadbelchers x 2 @120
- Bellower

Maneaters x 2 @ 180
- Heavy Armor
- Brace of Handguns

Total: 1,250 Points (of 1,250)

The plan was to throw my Trappers in front of his Warp Lightning Cannon while sticking the Fighters in front to get the zap coming from his Warplock Engineer's Warp Lightning and Storm Demon. Meanwhile the Leadbelchers would negate the flanks on both sides, attempting to get into a position to get some good shots on the more expensive blocks of troops (Plague Monks, Rat Ogres, etc). The Bruiser and Bangstick Butcher were to head in with the Maneaters while the Bulls staggered up the sides to get some flank charges.

That was the plan. Lucky for DANNY things rarely go to plan when relying too heavily on Gnoblars. The great maw was not pleased with the BGT, and almost all of the inital rolls in the game were quite bad. As I don't feel like reliving the terrible beating I received at the hands of the sneaky ratmen, here is a quick recap of the "highlights" from the game.

Turn 1

• Both the Gnoblar Trappers and Fighters bickered and sat motionless, ruining phase one of the game plan.
  
• Butchers manage to buff one unit with Toothcracker while all other spells (including the Bangstick) fail or are dispelled.
  
• Bruiser and Maneater make 6 shots at a screening unit of Night Runners, hit 5 and kill 4 but the unit passes its Leadership 6 check and stays in the way.
  
• Skaven Warplock Engineer unleashes Warp Lightning hell on a unit of Bulls with the Skullmantle Butcher (the one that should have been screened by the Gnoblars), dealing a total of 7 wounds and killing two Bulls while leaving 1 wound on the Butcher (kuckily the unit passes it's panic check and sticks around).
  

Turn 2

• Trappers don't bicker but the Fighters continue to fight over shiny objects, again failing to screen any of the Ogre units.
  
• Trappers throw 20 sharp objects at the nearby Night Runners blocking an Ogre charge, hitting only 4 times and wounding none.
  
• Butchers continue their failure spree but manage to get a Trollguts off on the large unit of Characters and Maneaters (all other spells are dispelled or fail outright).
  
• Leadbelchers decide it is their time to shine, first unit rolls a total of 8 shots (gets 5 hits, 3 wounds) while the second unit promptly Misfires before making its 8 shots (6 hits, 4 wounds).
• Meanwhile the Bruiser and Maneaters shoot ineffectively at the nearby Plague Monks and miss every single shot.
• A unit of Slaves charges and runs down the trappers (meeting their flee distance exactly, even through difficult terrain).
  
• Night Runners charge the Characters and Maneaters, unleashing their assassin who is promptly crushed in a challenge by the Butcher.
  
• Night Runners lose combat and are mowed down in the pursuit, but the Ogres are too close to the Plague Monks to get a Bull Charge on the next turn.
  
• Meanwhile the badly damaged Bull and Butcher stave off the Warp Lightning onslaught while chasing off another large unit of Slaves.
  
• Leadbelchers manage to stave off additional charges with their Fear and stand still to reload.
  

Turn 3

• Characters and Maneaters charge the Plague Monks, challenging with the Butcher.
• Butcher deals 2 wounds which are saved by a 4+ Ward Save.
  
• Plague Monk champion (how did the champion have a Ward Save?!) deals no wounds and the challenge is null.
  
• Meanwhile the Bruiser and two Maneaters deal and addtional 4 casualties and only take 1 wound back (on a Maneater).
• Characters and Maneaters lose the combat by 1 point (a banner), and roll a 10 for Leadership.
  
• They flee 6" and are promptly mowed down.
  
• At this point I quit.

And that was that. I took some pictures but I don't feel the need to post them here after a loss like that. The bottom line, I rolled really poorly. This seems to be a theme for me. Terrain placement went my way, I got to go first, and I still blew it. Here are a few things I would have done differently if I had to play it again.

• There were two forests on the board for the Trappers to deploy in. One was near 4 units of enemies (Clan Rats, Slaves, Giant Rats, and Night Runners), while the other was only near a unit of Rat Ogres (and near impassable terrain in the form of some rocks). I should have deployed near the Rat Ogres, waited for them to head into the woods (their path forward and to their sides were blocked). The unit would have stopped outside of the Trappers who would have been able to move out around the Rat Ogres, throwing Sharp Stuff at their flank.
• I should have placed the Leadbelchers closer to last. I placed them first in an attempt to keep units off my flanks, but DANNY responded by putting trash units in their range or simply outnumbering them. They had no worthwhile targets and had to shoot at things like Clan Rats and Slaves.
  
• Taken a banner. Well maybe. I would probably have been better off with a Fistful of Laurels though. I really hate losing the entire game because of one bad Leadership role.

Overall it was a crappy end to a fairly crappy day, and another loss on my record (which is already pretty bad). I don't think the list that was played against me was especially kind, but I also don't think the list I put forward was really ideal in this situation. I ran two Butchers in the hopes of dispelling the Warp Lightning and still ate one huge blast of it, while trying to dispel it with all of my dispel dice (4 dice!!). I am either really unlucky or the universe is plotting against me.

Back to the drawing board ...

Progress Report - 9/22/08.

Negate. Negating. Negated.

ne·gate [ni-geyt, neg-eyt], verb, -gat·ed, -gat·ing.

–verb (used with object)

1.	to deny the existence, evidence, or truth of: an investigation tending to negate any supernatural influences.

2.	to nullify or cause to be ineffective: Progress on the study has been negated by the lack of funds.

I have been negating this gnoblog! This gnoblog has been negated!

Two factors have come into play against my "regular" postings (aside from the usual life stuff like eating, working, drinking ... oh wait that part is covered here).

1. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. First it was the Preview Weekend, followed by the Preview Weekend+, quickly challenged by the might of the Open Beta, which led directly into the Headstart Program for the Collector's Edition (which is a mighty fine box of game if you have not seen it yet).
2. Actually, there wasn't really a second thing.

In my time away from the Beer Gut Tribe I have looked into creating a 40K Witch Hunters army, a Gnoblar Horde list, a Ulric themed Empire army, and I am still in the process of putting together Slayers for my Slayer Army. But alas, my time with the BGT has been woefully slim.

No longer! I have an epic update chock full of poorly lit and photographed pictures for all of you still stumbling upon this blog! These "riches" are yours to do with what you will. Without further rambling from me ...

First up is my Gorger. I have had this fellow for awhile, but I just recently got around to green stuff'n his MASSIVE GAPS. I took that time to construct a weedy little snack from the Giant sprue, which is directly under his foot. A simple conversion that turned out pretty good. It will look "better" when it is painted of course. Apologies for the shoddy lighting ...

Next up we have my Hunter. This is another Ogre who was sitting around for quite some time, waiting for some green stuff TLC for himself and his kitties. I posed his club a bit different from the other Hunters I have seen out there, which makes him harder to rank up in the "normal" pose. I like the way he looks though, almost more menacing this way?

Here is his "arty" profile shot (warning: nothing "arty" about this shot).

Next up, my Paymaster Maneater who is currently filling the role of my Bruiser. I need to get some real Tyrant/Bruiser models or craft my own, but I keep putting it off (haven't gotten past 1000 points yet). Nothing special here, just show and tell.

Okay, now we are getting to the better stuff. Here are my three Yhetees. I am still not totally sold on this unit, and I was having difficulty fitting them into the "fluff" (theme) for the Beer Gut Tribe. I decided they needed to be drunks. There, that wasn't so hard now was it!?

Basically the BGT heads into the mountains and recruits these "rednecks" who only care about 2 things: DRINKIN' and FIGHTIN' (the BGT cares about 3 things, they like money too). They bring with them all of the nastiest, skunkiest beer and liquor they have, and give it to the Yhetees in return for their help in combat.

Its a pretty good deal for everyone involved! Here you can see the middle Yhetee with his cask of ale (they are very protective of their swill, to the victor goes the spoils!).

And last, but far from least, we have the new and improved Bangstick Butcher!

I was unhappy with my initial attempt at converting this fellow, so I attacked him yet again to practice my green stuff'n, and to make him look better. I grafted on one of the extra arms from my Butcher model (which I haven't completed), and made him a new apron (with a sort of Leatherface/stitched together vibe).

Overall I am quite happy with the results. I am still learning about green stuff, and I did a much better job of keeping my fingerprints off the finished product (although I can see some on those pictures, gah!).

And that is all I have for today! The Beer Gut Tribe will be going up against the cowardly Skaven for the first time tomorrow, so there should be another update very soon (assuming WAR doesn't suck away my soul). Until next time ...

Battle Report: Beer Gut Tribe vs. Warriors of Chaos 9/4/08.

I'm sorry gnoblog. I lied to you. I said I would post some pictures of my works in progress in this next entry. I had every intention of doing so, I even spent several hours over the long weekend working on my models! Sadly, I can't find my digital camera. It is around here somewhere and I hope to have it located soon. My next entry will have pictures, honest!

In the meantime I have a short update and a not particularly robust Battle Report from my game against Warrior of Chaos (aka DANNY) Tuesday evening.

First .... THE LIST!

Bruiser @ 177
- Great Weapon
- Heavy Armor
- Brahmir Statue
- Fistful of Laurels

Butcher @ 155
- Skullmantle

Butcher @ 150
- Bangstick

Bulls x 3 @ 115
- Bellower

Ironguts x 3 @ 154
- Bellower

Ironguts x 3 @ 154
- Bellower

Gnobs x 20 @ 40

Gnobs x 20 @ 40

Without my camera I wasn't able to get any pictures of the game, but here is a very basic MS Paint version of the map terrain and unit deployment.

I deployed my units in a staggered formation with the bait units in the front and the heavy hitters in the back. My goal was to flee from any charges DANNY might make on the Gnoblars and Bulls, setting me up for a front and flank charge in response. That sort of worked out, but not quite as I was hoping.

Turn 1 Short Thoughts Recap!

DANNY won the first turn. He marched forward with his infantry blocks and rolled up with his chariot. Meanwhile the cav moved into a "hey, I am in your flank" position. The Beer Gut Tribe (BGT for short) sent the Gnoblars rushing in. Bulls marched 12" up the right, between the rock formation and a hill. Irongut units moved up just enough to cast Gut magic (GM). Offensive GM killed 2 marauders, and defensive GM buffed the two in range Ogre units.

Turn 2 Lets See What I Can Remember Collection!

DANNY delcared a charge with his horseys into the first Gnob unit. They flee 12" behind the Ogre lines and near the table edge. The horseys fail their charge and sit helplessly in the field. Remaining units move up into a turn 3 charge range. BGT moves the Bulls into a flank position on the Marauders, while the Irongut units stay put and blast away with GM. A few more dead warriors, and the main unit passes their first Ld roll at a -4. Gnoblars throw sharp stuff and kill 1 marauder. The other Gnoblar unit rallies and turns around to face the enemy. Hah!

Turn 3 Is Where It Starts To Get Fuzzy Ideas!

DANNY charges the the other Gnoblars (2) with his Chariot and Marauders. They flee, causing the charge to fail. Both units roll to a stop outside of the Gnoblars, leaving the Marauders wide open to a flank charge from the Bulls. The horseys move further down the edge of the flank to line up with the large Ironguts unit. BGT strikes back by charging the Marauders from the front and flank. They lose combat and start to run. Bulls pursue while the Ironguts and Butcher hang back. The Warrior block is forced to flee with a Brainrobbler, running backwards 7" towards the trees. Gnoblars move up to cover the command unit's flank and intercept the horse charge.

Turn 4 Ah Hell, I Am Just Making Stuff Up Storytime!

DANNY fails to rally his Warriors, and charges the Gnobs (1) with his horseys. The Gnobs flee, leaving the horseys standing directly in front of the control unit full of big (hungry) Ogres. Mmmm .. horsemeat! Meanwhile the Marauders keep running for the table edge and the Chariot slams into the Gnoblars on the right (2), killing them in a pursuit off the table edge. The BGT runs over and eats the horses while the Bulls chase the Marauders off the map.

Turn 5 It Is Kind Of Scary How Much Of This I Remember Flashback!

DANNY rallies his Warriors and turns to face the oncoming Ogre horde! The BGT sends the remaining Gnoblars to face the returning Chariot, putting themselves in front of it and throwing rocks (dealing 1 wound). GM takes off a few more Warriors.

Turn 6 Is When The Game Ends Prophecy!

Danny runs over and kills the remaining Gnoblars, while the Warriors move up and into a better position to take the encroaching Ogre Bull charge. BGT rushes the Warriors who manage to pass 3 consecutive Fear tests (including the one at -4) and hold their ground. Close combat ensues, but the large control unit falls 1/2" short of the charge and is left out of the flank. The Butcher and Ironguts kill the Warrior's Chosen (and army general) while the Bulls manage a few wounds of their own. The BGT almost lose the combat by 2 points, but win and chase down the warriors in their pursuit.

And that was the game! The final outcome was ....

A MASSACRE! (1600 points BGT, 80 points Warriors of Chaos)

Progress Report - 8/20/08.

Not a whole lot to add in this short progress report update. I was hoping to get some modeling action on this past weekend but I ended up being busy with settling in to my new home. I did get the majority of my Yhetees and my single Gorger put together, I just need to finish basing them.

I also put in an order for Dwarf Slayers at my local tabletop shop. I should have my Long Drong Slayer Pirates and about 1100 more points for my side project ... a Slayer Army! Look for some pictures of my assembled models in my next update. Nothing too exciting, but better than a bunch of boring words!

Speaking of boring words, here is a review of a beer I am greatly enjoying at the moment.

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Stone Brewing Company - Stone Pale Ale

Beer Type: American Pale Ale

Appearance: 12 oz. brown Stone style bottle with a TON of ink printed on it. No wonder this beer costs me $9.99 for a six-pack! I can't really complain too much though, the overall design aesthetic is great and I love the Stone logos. The beer poured a reddish amber color, with a thin head. I probably could have gotten more head out of an aggressive pour.

Smell: Sweet, sweet, candy! Something a little fruity with a backing scent like caramel. It smells really good.

First Drink: Malt with just a hint of hops kick. Some sweetness, but it is not overpowering at all.

Mouthfeel: Smooth with a bit of carbonation, but just the right amount. A little slick in the mouth after a drink, but not in an unpleasant way.

Last Drink: More of a bitter herbal/floral finish now. The hops doing a little devilish jig on the back of my tongue. Nowhere near the hops level of Arrogant Bastard though.

Drinkability: Stupidly drinkable. I could polish of six of these by myself in no time, and enjoy every minute of it. As it stands I made my half of a six-pack (as I share all my beers with the Frankster) last 3 days by only drinking one a day. Hard to do with a beer this good!

Notes: This is the third beer type by Stone I have seen in Austin. Maybe one day I will be able to get all of their delicious beers in Texas! I hope to visit their brewery at some point, or at least get a t-shirt or pint glass with their logo on it.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5.

Links: Beer Advocate and Stone Brewing Company.

Battle Report: Beer Gut Tribe vs. Vampire Counts 8/12/08.

Another day, another post about fictional characters and the tiny models I have put together to represent their accomplishments. Huzzah!

Today I faced down a mighty force of the UNDEAD, in a 500 point Border Patrol match against the Vampire Counts (hereby known as VC).

My list looked like this:

Butcher (General) @ 155
- Bangstick

Bulls x 4 @ 165
- AHW

Ironguts x 2 @ 96

Maneater @ 90
- HvA, BoH

Total Points: 497 (out of 500)

I learned yesterday that my opponent (the wily CHAD) was intending to bring Cairne Wraiths, and in fact did bring them to the battle. This presented an interesting problem. They are ethereal troops; skirmishers with 360 line of sight, they case Terror, have 2 wounds and 2 attacks, and can only be damaged by magic or magic weapons. Those of you in "the know" may notice I only had one model capable of killing or damaging them, my Butcher. I was quite concerned and convinced that I would likely lose the battle.

I didn't take notes on the match so I will attempt to run down some of the match "highlights" by my feeble memory powers alone.

Terrain Placement

I won the roll off with a 6 (CHAD rolled a 3) and began placing Terrain. It was a 4x4 board so I didn' t want a ton of movement/LoS blockers, so I began by placing one forest on the far right of the board. CHAD placed a rock formation on the left. I placed yet another forest on the far right on the opposite side of the board (in an attempt to force his Cairne Wraiths near that edge to take advantage of their movement). CHAD declined to place any more Terrain, and I chose not to place any additional Terrain as well.

I didn't have my camera with me, so here is a cruddy Terrain image from MS Paint.

Unit Deployment

Another roll off, with me rolling another 6 (CHAD with 3). I began placement with my 4 Bulls, all the way to the far left edge of the map. CHAD deployed his Wraiths and ... A BANSHEE (ARGGH) near the forest just as I had hoped. Next up was my unit of Ironguts to the right of the Bulls, with CHAD placing his Zombie unit in the middle. I placed my Maneater and Butcher near the forests to deal with the Wraiths, and CHAD placed his Skeleton unit with his Vampire inside in the middle behind the Zombies. So far, so good! Everything seemed to be coming up OGRES!

With it all done it looked something like this.

CHAD won the roll off for turn order and decides to go first. He moves everything up, raises a bunch of Skeletons, and gets ready to attack my Butcher and Maneater with his Wraiths. On my turn I lure out his dispel die with buffs, cast Bonecruncher on the Wraiths (hitting 11 times, wounding 4 times), and Bangstick the Wraiths off the table. So much for that problem!

DISCLAIMER: During this first turn of the game I made a mistake. For some reason I attempted to cast the Bonecruncher spell twice on the same turn with one Butcher. This is not legal. I was thinking about recent forum posts on the Ogre Stronghold relating to what "successfully cast" constituted. My first attempt to cast the spell was dispelled. I should not have been able to cast it again, but I did and it went off. As it was occurring I thought, "Wait a minute ... that can't be right at all!". I said as much to the CHAD, but he was not concerned with the outcome and didn't want to stop the game to look at the rules. Several spectators did look up the rules, and proved I was in the wrong. I offered to take back the wounds caused by the spell, meaning his Wraiths would have been on the table. Again, the CHAD declined, saying he had agreed to the outcome and that was his mistake. In short, I feel like an ass for inadvertently cheating, and CHAD is a good guy for not calling me on it (although he totally should have).

On turn two my Ironguts fled a charge from the Zombie unit (now 20+ strong) which then failed. Oh well. CHAD raises another unit of Zombies in front of the failed charge. Bulls move up on the edge to get in range of a Flank charge, while the Butcher's unit moves up just slightly to shoot at the oncoming zombie hordes, and manages to wipe out the newly created unit behind the Ironguts which failed to rally (rolling a 9 on a Leadership check of 8).

Turn three is where things got "interesting". CHAD attempted to raise more Zombies, and failed his casting attempts. His units moved up, with the remaining Zombie unit moving towards the Butcher and Maneater. Ironguts rally, Bulls fail a charge and move toward the Skeletons and Vampire 6". I attempted to cast Bonecruncher with two dice on the oncoming Zombies speaking the famous last words of "... which will hopefully NOT miscast". This of course creates an immediate miscast, luckily only resulting in a 4 on the miscast table, rendering the Bonecruncher spell unusable for the remainder of the game.

Turn four begins with CHAD attempting to raise another unit of Zombies in front of the Bulls who failed their charge, only to miscast as well! His miscast was not so lucky and he took a Strenght 8 hit, and lost one casting level, going from level one to level zero and losing his ability to cast anything for the rest of the game. Ouch! His Vampire took one wound from the hit while the Zombie unit attempted to charge the Butcher and failed (getting 2 shots and 2 wounds from the Maneater's "Stand and Shoot" charge response). The Butcher and Maneater moved back 3 " and continued chewing away at the Zombies with both the Bangstick and Brace of Handguns. The Ironguts moved into position for a flank charge, while the Bulls ran headlong into the mass of Skeletons and their Vampire leader.

The Bulls killed 3 Skeletons on the Bull charge, with an additional 5 wounds caused from 16 incoming attacks. The Skeletons and Vampire then attacked back, dealing two wounds and losing the combat by 1 point.

Yes! That's right! The Beer Gut Tribe actually WON A COMBAT!!

Turn five started with the Skeletons and Vampire killing two Bulls, who struck back and killed the Vampire. They lost the combat and were chased down by the Skeletons, who began to crumble. This left the nearby Ironguts with no targets to charge, so they began to move towards the nearest table quarter, while the Butcher and Maneater continued to move backwards and killing Zombies.

Turn six involved the Skeletons turning around while crumbling to bits, and the Zombie unit being charged by Butcher and Maneater. The Butcher's unit dealt 4 wounds, but it was not enough to wipe out the unit and they remained locked in combat while the Ironguts grabbed the far right table edge.

Final result: SOLID VICTORY.

Today was a good day for the Beer Gut Tribe. I feel I played my army fairly well, aside from the half-cheat and the poor charge response with my Ironguts, everything worked out the way I had hoped it would. A good list, a good game, and a good time. Pretty much everything I am looking for out of a game of WHFB.

Return of the Beer Gut Tribe!

We have returned! The Beer Gut Tribe is back on the warpath and looking for new blood to spill. There is pillaging and drinking to be done, and we be the ones to do it!

I have changed up the overall look of the blog, hopefully for the better?

In my absence from this gnoblog I have been quite busy, but not for reasons that are particularly interesting or fun. I have not played a real match with the Beergut forces since last month (when I lost quite badly to Greenskins), but during that time I did bear witness to two separate Generals trying their hand with the fat bastards. Neither of these battles went well, and both parties swore off the Beer Guts claiming, "I will never play the Ogres again!".

This did not go a long way in easing my fears that the Ogre Kingdom army just isn't quite what I had hoped it would be. It did go a long way at easing my own self esteem issues related to the game, and now I know there isn't a whole lot I could be doing differently. Picking the right unit for the job, and getting good dice rolls is 90% of the game. With more practice I think I will eventually get the "BIG WIN" I have been wanting so very badly.

During my time away I also moved from a small 2 bedroom apartment into a much larger 3 bedroom house. This new house should prove quite useful for tabletop gaming as I have my own room dedicated to my many hobbies (PC gaming, music recording and creation, and Warhammer), and I intend to build a modular "gaming table" so I can have more frequent games .. hopefully in the comfort of my own home. Work will soon begin on finishing the construction phase of my Ogres, with Yhetees, Gorgers, Butchers, and a Scraplauncher all on the docket.

I am toying with the idea of running a unit of Long Drong's Slayer Pirates in the Beer Gut Tribe as a Dogs of War entry to the army. There is just something so cool about these guys, and I think they fit in quite nicely with the overall Beer Gut Tribe "fluff", being a bunch of drunken mercenaries and what not. My only fear is that getting this one unit of Slayers may lead me to create an entire Slayer army, something I wouldn't mine owning but don't necessarily feel like purchasing. Ah well ... such is life.

Not a terribly exciting entry, I apologize for that, but look forward to more progress pictures and new battle reports in the coming weeks. My small Warhammer group is growing and it looks like we might be kicking off a "paint and play" style escalation campaign in the very new future (hopefully with some new, as of yet unseen, armies to play against!). Stay tuned ...

Dark Days and Dale's Pale Ale.

Well, it has been awhile since my last entry. I have been quite busy with visiting family, work, and now moving into a larger home. My Ogre army will be placed on the back burner while I deal with the "real world" and it's constant need for attention.

Bah!

In the time since my last post not much has changed with the Beer Gut Tribe. I have several new models which await my attention (whenever that may be) and I am close to having everything I need for a solid 2000-3000 point list.

No, the problem won't be finding enough models to field in my army lists. The problem will be actually winning with anything I field in this damn game. My recent battles have been a string of bitter defeats mixed with a heaping helping of ineptitude and draws. I am starting to have serious self esteem issues pertaining to my army and my ability to win with it. I know how to win (I think?!), I just can't seem to make it happen.

My track record to date looks something like this:

- Draw against Dwarfs
- Loss against Dwarfs
- Draw against Dwarfs
- Win against Skaven and Orcs & Goblins (in a team game with Dwarfs where I lost all of my units)
- Draw against Dwarfs
- Draw against Wood Elves (nearly a victory but shy about 30 points)
- Loss against Orcs & Goblins

W: 1 D: 4 L: 2

Not the most stellar record. I don't want to write anymore about it at the moment as I am inclined to simply quit playing altogether and that is just lame ...

I will have at least two weeks without playing to think about how I can win and tighten up on my tactics. It is frustrating that most of my opponents know my army and it's capabilities more than their own. Ogres are so one dimensional it is fairly easy to craft army lists that shut them down, no matter what Army you are playing.

Rambling now ... angry and frustrated. I need a beer.

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Oskar Blues Brewery - Dale's Pale Ale

Beer Type: American Pale Ale

Appearance: 12 oz. blue can with silver, white, and red printing. I really don't like this can design, there is just something about it, but I can't put my finger on it. The beer poured a clear amber, almost like a light caramel color with a thick white head.

Smell: Hops first, quickly followed by some darker sweet aromas and a kick of citrus (grapefruit?).

First Drink: Bitter hops up front again followed by a sweet biscuit-like flavor. Good!

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy, no trace of oiliness.

Last Drink: The finish is a bit bitter, definitely getting some of the grapefruit or citrus flavors at the end as well.

Drinkability: Great beer! I was pleasantly surprised when I poured this out of a can. With the label and the can I expected it to be a bit shite, but now I am actively looking forward to drinking this some more (in addition to other brews from this brewery).

Notes: Making craft brew in a can is a task that is quite challenging, or so I have read. This brewery uses some sort of "water lining" to keep the beer from getting that "can flavor" and negating all of the hard work which went into the creation of this brew. Well done.

Verdict: 4.25 out of 5.

Links: Beer Advocate and Oskar Blues Brewery.