It's back from the dead! Again!

Wow! Nearly four year since I last posted on my blog...

I bet you thought the blog was dead and buried, or maybe I was. Well, the past four years have been quite difficult, but I am still here and looking to get back to some of the things I love, such as gaming and talking about gaming.

Since the last post there has been a lot that happened, globally (the pandemic, of course) and in my personal life. Lots of ups and many downs, financially and emotionally. I was able to do some gaming and quite a bit of photographic train chasing, but that detracted from my search for work and caused me greater difficulties. After getting my priorities back in order, I am again gainfully employed. I started just over three years ago unloading trucks and stocking shelves and was quickly promoted to supervisor and then assistant manager. The long hours and hard physical work of my current management position at the world's largest retailer takes almost all the energy and enthusiasm I have. That leaves very little for my limited spare time. However, it is that very situation that I think makes it such a priority for me to use that spare time to its fullest!

The stress and anxiety of my job, especially during the past three to four months of the world's second Covid-Christmas season, has caused me much emotional, mental and physical stress. I have lost over 50 pounds in the last three years - 15 of those coming in the past three months. I now weigh what I weighed in college - 36 years ago! But, enough about my problems - this is not that type of blog. Maybe one day I will explore those issues, but for now, let's talk gaming!

Besides my need for a creative outlet in my time off work and my love of gaming and modeling in general, what has spurred this resurrection of Plastic Pirates? Well, in August of last year Games Workshop released a new version of Kill Team - their skirmish combat game set in the universe of Warhammer 40,000. If you have followed this blog and/or know me, you know that I am a sucker for skirmish games. With my anemic painting output, completing a large army for a game is something I am very seldom able to accomplish. But, if you only need five to fifteen models for a complete force, that should be doable, right? (We shall see, that may be too ambitious for me!)

The first release was the Octarius boxed set. This included the rules, the terrain and two sets of brand new plastic miniatures - the Death Korps of Krieg (a human Imperial Guard unit with design features reminiscent of World War I German and French troops) and the Ork Kommandos (a funky unit of greenskins borrowing inspiration from many sources as to what special forces look like).

Octarius Boxed Set

Death Korps of Krieg

Ork Kommandos

I didn't immediately get the box, due to budget considerations at the time, and because I wanted to see how well Games Workshop would support the game going forward. Despite grand announcements of a bright future for the game, GW has a somewhat spotty track record when it comes to abandoning games they no longer wish to support.

Well, in September the second boxed set was released, this one called Chalnath. It featured two sets of figures as well as some more terrific terrain. This time it was the Tau (basically alien Socialists) and a squad of Sisters of Battle Novitiates. Sisters of Battle (known as the Adepta Sororitas in the false Latin called High Gothic) are basically nuns in battle armor with big guns and swords. The Novitiates are the nuns in training.

Chalnath Boxed Set

Sisters of Battle Novitiates

Tau Pathfinders

My son Lucas and I decided that it would be a good time to get into this game, due mainly to two reasons:

The first is, again, the scale of the game (small forces playing on a smaller board - 22" x 30" - so no need for a huge armies and a massive 4' x 6' board filled with terrain).

The second, and most important in my mind, is the opportunity the game gives to create unique squads with interesting backgrounds, histories and narratives set in the wider Warhammer 40,000 universe. I enjoy converting and building, whether it is terrain or figures. The small squad size of the Kill Team units makes it possible for me to be creative without needing to convert huge armies.

So we took the plunge and got Chalnath between the two of us. Lucas would take the Sisters, and I would sell the Tau and start on a different Kill Team for myself. Going forward I intend to share my progress (I already have ideas for five or six, at least, different Kill Teams I want to build) more regularly, but we all know about intentions paving a road that leads to a hot place. We'll see what the future holds, but I am hopeful that this new year will bring blessings and good things - and more opportunities for time spent with family, gaming and friends.

God bless you all.

'Til next time! (Hopefully less than four years!)