Gruntz! forces arrive from the UK!

I got a call at work today saying a package had arrived from the UK! I rushed home, eager to open. I knew what it was - I had sent off some of a  force of old Epic metal tanks and a titan the week before to Robin Fitton, author of the award-winning Gruntz! 15mm sci-fi rules, and he had agreed to set me up with some 15mm figures and vehicles to get started. He'd also generously provided me with a copy of the rules.

Even though knew generally what the contents would be, I had no idea of the specifics. I eagerly tore into the box, and pulled out the first squad: Jaffa from Stargate! Or at least a very close approximation.

 

Next up - some wasp-like aliens armed with guns in addition to their stingers:

There were several whole groups of humans in different armors and with different weapons. It's hard to see details, but the group on the left look like SWAT guys and have a small mech-like walker. The squad on the right look like rebels in Hoth gear from Star Wars!

There were guys in different types of power armor (or are they robots?) as well as some more alien types (left).

Now for the vehicles. There's a very cool speeder bike that is very Star Wars-ish, and some sort of hovering drone or probe.

This guy is not terribly tall, but those plasma guns on his arms look deadly!

Three tanks! Two tracked, with different weapons, and a hover tank with a big gun.

My personal favorite, a futuristic halftrack with a small turret and some missile pods. I just need to figure out where they go. I managed to track this one down (no pun intended) - it's the Dragoon Halftrack from Old Crow models. These will definitely go on my list to get some more.

And lastly, a painted squad with a small APC armed with a cannon of some sort. It's attached by magnets, so it rotates freely. These guys are all decked out for some urban combat - I am loving it!

I cannot say how pleased I am with the trade. I love surprises, and opening the box from Robin was a treat!

More importantly, after a first read of the rules, I must say they are terrific! And since they are not tied to any one line of figures, all of what you see above can be used together. The game includes rules for working up stats and point values for any unit you choose, so you are not limited to one manufacturer, or even one scale. I suspect the rules would also work for 28mm actions as well.

I am very much looking forward to painting up some of the squads and the tanks and playing my first game of Gruntz!. Of course, as soon as I do I will share the details here.

Robin, thank you! I cannot wait to get started.

'Til next time.

2012 Resolution - Organizing is underway

Quick update: despite a busy Super Bowl weekend (YES! The Giants beat the New England Patriots, again!) I did manage to make some good progress on organizing my work and game space in the basement.
First, a quick look at the "before":

Among the things I was able to get done, I have the bookshelves re-ordered so that I can actually access and find any books I may need for reference.

And the various rulebooks, supplements, etc., are now beginning to see some sense of order - again, so that when I am looking for a particular game I can find it without digging through a pile of stuff.

And let's not forget the boardgames

Also, I have set aside a couple of shelves for my paints and some figures. I am not sure yet if I will keep my "in progress" minis here, or turn it into a display area for my completed models. I use cheap plastic spice racks to set the figures and paints on.

I have some larger shelves up for bins, and I hung a flag over the front to make it look neater.

I have space now for my rolling racks of plastic drawers, and I have started to sort and organize my tools, supplies, etc., into those drawers. No more digging through a ton of clutter just to find the superglue! No more accidentally and painfully  "finding" an Xacto knife blade! (And to appease the obsessive side of my psyche - labels! Tons of labels on drawers, magazine boxes, etc.!)

And, I hung a small set of display shelves. While sorting through boxes as I was organizing, I found some metal minis from the late 70s which were the first ones I ever painted when I was in my early teens. For now, they can sit on the shelves. The plastic GW horse at top left was painted by my daughter - she painted her first mini when she was three! :)

So, this is what the overall area looks like:

I have some other "real world" tasks to concentrate on during this week, but I hope to get some time in the evenings and next weekend to finish off the organizing and finally be able to get started gaming, painting and modeling! There is still quite a bit left to do. I still need to carve out a space to have a gaming table or two set up, and I need to keep going through bins to sort and organize. Time consuming, yes, but the progress I have made so far has got me excited about getting the job done and enjoying the fruits of my labor!

In the meanwhile, I have found a new home for a bunch of my Games Workshop Epic suprlus armor. At this moment, a formation of Leman Russes, Predators and more are making their way across the Atlantic. In exchange: a copy of the Gruntz 15mm sci-fi rules from their creator, Robin (@inrepose), and some 15mm figures to be able to put together a starting force and get some games in.

Yes, I know, 15mm sci-fi was not on my list of games/genres to concentrate on in 2012. But I saw on Twitter that Robin was looking for some Epic models, and since I happened to have some surplus I reached out to him to see if he was interested. I'd recently seen some fantastic images of  Gruntz games and 15mm sci-fi models, and I was intrigued enough to suggest a swap. In the end, I get  some cool new rules and models, and the only out-of-pocket cost is the shipping cost of the Epic tanks to the U.K. It doesn't get much better than that!

'Til next time!

My 2012 Resolution - Prioritizing

The next step in accomplishing my 2012 resolutions - prioritizing!

Prioritizing my gaming "to-do" list is, for me, an important part of being more organized, and thus getting more gaming stuff done, in 2012. I've broken it down by priority and gaming system to give it some structure. I know, for many of you this will seem way too obsessive-compulsive. But I need to try it this way for it to work, for me. I keep a spreadsheet on Google docs. Here's a screenshot:

 

The priority level for each task, with the exception of the highest priority, are more suggestions to myself, based on what I want to do next at this moment. They are subject to change as I move from game to game during the year, or as I get bored (which will happen) and want to try a new challenge. The highest priority I am leaving for things that are non-negotiable, for example organizing my workspace, or things that I want to do regularly around my other activities, such as painting figures with the kids.

The status field for each project is to motivate me to get them to the 100% complete level. By the end of the year, I'd like to see nearly every entry here (or at least a good chunk of them), at 100%.

My hope is that this system keeps me focused on a project long enough to get it done before I move on. At the same time, I think having the whole list available will enable me to look forward to what I might want to do next... Of course, I will share my progress (or lack thereof) on the blog.

'Til next time!

Lord of the Desert!

My son (10 y.o.) invented  a new game - Lord of the Desert! We played today after lunch.

 
We used mummies and dwarfs from Lego .

The dwarfs (me) began by advancing against their implacable undead foes - the mummies (my son)! 

But the mummies struck first, killing a brave dwarf warrior...

The dwarfs retaliated, clearing a path for their leader to escape...

A dwarf victory was all but assured...

But in the end, the dwarfs fall one by one to the last mummy warrior (thanks to my usual miserable dice-rolling luck!), leaving their lord to fight on alone! Who will win?

A tie! The dwarf couldn't risk losing in combat, and the mummy didn't want to risk dying in a dwarf trap. So they both danced around their side of the board until a draw was declared. They will live to fight again!

It's a fun game, kind of a cross between chess and Stratego with a die-rolling mechanic added. Fairly basic - three kinds of troops: leaders, bodyguards and warriors. Leaders are not that good in combat (roll a d4 but can re-roll), bodyguards are better (roll a d6, but can die in place of losing your leader), and warriors are the best fighters (roll a d6+1 in combat) but have no special abilities.

I can't wait to see what else my son comes up with!

'Til next time!

My 2012 Resolution - Organizing

A second part of my New Year's resolution involves organization. As you can see, my work area is well, sort of a mess! (OK, not "sort of," it IS a mess!)

One of my main tasks is to go through and clean out the clutter. I want to have my work area cleared off so that I can actually paint or model when I want to.

The first, but most painful, step towards that goal is to simply to go through what I have and decide what needs to be kept and what can be gotten rid of. Once that decision is made, I need to figure out a way to store what I am keeping that allows me to find it when needed, and have a place to put it away when I am done. I want to get rid of the clutter that magically accumulates on every single flat surface of my gaming area.

To that end I have already taken some small steps:  

Paint Station - I see a lot of buzz on the net about painting stations to keep your painting supplies organized and neat. I like the idea, but I didn't want to shell out the bucks for someone else's product. So I took some scrap wood and board I had lying around the basement, made some measurements, and slapped together my own painting station. It is 24 inches wide by 18 inches deep.

It has a section for Vallejo type paints and brushes and tools, as well as spots for water pots. There's a central workspace in which I put an old cutting mat, and two other sections for paint pots that don't fit in the holes, as well as clippers and other tools. I will also add a wet palette, based on PaintPig's excellent tutorial.

My hope is that this will serve two main purposes. First, I want to keep my most-used painting supplies handy so that when I have time to paint I do not waste it trying to find what I need. Second, the fact that it is portable (I put felt pads on the bottom so it will not scratch the coffee or dinner table) means that I don't have to go to the basement to paint. I can paint in the family room, for example, while my kids watch a movie and my wife reads.

Larger game table -  A while back I built a small 3' x 3' gaming table, which is great for skirmish games. I built it with a shelf, and wings to hold rules, cards, figures, and a place to roll dice. I like it so much, that I am building myself a larger version, with a 4' x 6' gaming area, and a 1' wing on the short side. This one also has a shelf on the bottom that can be used to store games, figures and stuff that I use frequently. The shelves on the two tables will allow me to better organize and clear out my gaming area in the basement, and have better access to what I own.

Auctions and trades - I have started to box the items that I no longer want to keep. I am trying to catalog them as I box them, with the ultimate goal being to trade them off or sell them. I will advertise them locally first, on the Giga-Bites bitz trading forum. If nobody is interested there, then I guess I will list them on ebay or Bartertown. My plan is to use some of the money from the sale of my excess gaming stuff to fund the expansion of the games I will continue to play. We'll see how that plan goes...

'Til next time!

My 2012 Resolution - Simplifying - Part 1

My first resolution, to post at least twice per month on this blog, is already off to a good start as this is my fourth post this month (fifth if you count my New Year's Eve post on resolutions)... the key will be to keep it up.

But now, onto resolution Number Two...

As posted earlier, one of the steps I need to take in order to make the most of my gaming is to simplify - concentrate more time on fewer games! I have been giving a lot of thought to the games I am interested in and I've come to the conclusion that there are just way too many. (I am sure I am the only gamer ever to have this problem...) So I did something I am not very good at: I gave up!

I surrendered and admitted to myself the reality that my time, talents and treasure have limits - and my gaming desires do not. So I need to discipline myself and concentrate on the games that appeal to me the most.

There is a reason I titled this post "Simplifying - Part 1." This will be an ongoing process, and changes in focus are inevitable. There will be updates as I refine and change my list. I know myself well enough to know that my interests are varied. Simplifying is meant to be a way to be able to enjoy more gaming, not a strait-jacket that will restrict me from anything not on my list. But since adding anything to my gaming repertoire will necessarily take time and money away from something else, I want to be sure I am adding games that will add value to my gaming. It does me no good to devote myself to a ton of great new rules if I never get to actually play them.

The games or companies that I will initially concentrate on (or re-concentrate in most cases), and why:
Song of Blades and Heroes (Ganesha Games) - This is a terrific set of fantasy skirmish rules, and Andrea has translated the basic mechanics into a host of other genres and historical periods. The beauty of SoBH is that, like Force on Force, it is not dependent on any one manufacturer's figures - they'll all work, and you can mix and match to your heart's desire. In fact, one of our favorite ways to play SoBH involves using Lego minifigures for the warbands. Stay tuned for several upcoming posts on Lego and gaming.
     In particular, I plan to concentrate on creating Lego and 28mm warbands and terrain for basic fantasy battles (dwarves, elves, humans, undead, etc.). I also want to model some small Napoleonic units to use with Song of Drums and Shakos. Skirmish-level games are about all I have the patience for when it comes to Napoleonics - painting 500+ figures to field an army is not my cup of tea. And, I will work on modern-day and/or post-apocalyptic warbands and zombie hordes to use with Fear and Faith and Flying Lead. Andrea has many additional settings and genres under development right now, all using the same elegant mechanics, and I am looking forward to seeing them as they become available. 

Dystopian Wars (Spartan Games) - this is a beautiful game, and has very elegant mechanics in my opinion. It is not overly complicated, which means that I can play with the kids. The miniatures for Dystopian Wars are beautiful! I am very much looking forward to getting some painted and on the table, as I already have a good start on an FSA fleet for myself and a Blazing Sun fleet for my son. And, as Spartan Games has shown with month after month of new releases, the game is expanding and they are continually adding new models to it.
     I also love the new look of the models Spartan is re-releasing for Uncharted Seas. From what I understand, the mechanics of the two games are similar, so sliding into Uncharted Seas should not require learning a totally new set of rules. But that is for the future - first I will concentrate on painting up the models I have for Dystopian Wars, and getting in enough games to feel comfortable with the rules. 

Flames of War (Battlefront Miniatures) - I've long been a student of World War II and its engagements, and the few times I have played FoW I have really enjoyed it. I think the scale is perfect for WWII gaming that includes armored forces as well as infantry. I already have the Second Edition rules (yes, I know they just announced Third Edition!) and many of the supplements, and I have a ton of models that need painting. I may need to add some small units here and there as I build my force, but for the most part I don't think I'll have to sink a ton of (more) money into this game right away (sorry Battlefront!).

Force on Force (Ambush Alley Games) - This is the latest ruleset I've bought, and I am very eager to try it out with some real games to see how it all goes together. My goal is to try this with 20mm figures. I don't have any yet, but I have started putting together a typical Middle Eastern-style building to see how the scale compares to 28mm and see how much actual terrain I'll need to fill a gaming table. 

Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game (Games Workshop) - As a long-time fan of the Tolkien books, as well as the movies, this is a must for me. Especially as Peter Jackson is releasing the Hobbit films in December 2012 and 2013, which I hope will spur new releases and expansions for this game. I already have most of the rulebooks I need, and a ton of models to get me started painting, so I can get stuck in without a huge investment of additional gaming capital. Since Games Workshop prices are generally quite high, this is a very important point.
     The LotR gaming system has been exported to pirates (Legends of the High Seas) and cowboys (Legends of the Wild West), so once again, I can play several themes by learning one basic system. Besides, as you can tell from the title of my blog, I have a thing for pirates, and modeling ships is one of my favorite things to do. I've got LotHS and all the LotOW books, as well as bunches of models to paint up already in addition to some ships that just need painting and detailing to be complete.

That should be more than enough miniature wargaming goodness to keep me busy in 2012 (and beyond). Just before Christmas I picked up the Pathfinder Beginner Box, so I'm also planning to do some more role-playing gaming with the kids. I'm also hoping to play more board games ranging from Survive! Escape from Atlantis, to Lego Heroica, to the Dungeons and Dragons games Legend of Drizzt and Wrath of Ashardalon (we don't yet own Castle Ravenloft).

As you can see from the list, I tend to prefer systems rather than games - learning lots of different rules can be time-consuming, complicated and confusing. I like learning a system once, then apply the basics of that system to different themes and genres. Also, I tend towards skirmish level games, rather than army games. While I love the visual appeal of having hundreds of minis on the table, the reality is that at this stage of my gaming life that is just not feasible. 

What games do I own that didn't make the cut? (Please keep in mind that none of the statements below are intended as a knock against any of the games mentioned. They are purely my opinions in relation to my particular gaming situation. And since my opinions and my situation are subject to change, I may revisit any or all of them in the future.)

Warhammer and Warhammer 40K - first of all, I think Games Workshop prices are too high. The overall consensus of the reviews I have read for their new Finecast line of resin models has been negative. Also, I find that their world is too dark for my current tastes. This may be because my views have changed, or because their fluff has changed, or because now I am more interested in games I can share with my kids. But I do know that I am no longer comfortable with a lot of the backstory to their games.
     I have a ton of Warhammer and Warhammer 40k rulebooks (going back to the original Rogue Trader) which I will likely sell off or trade. I will likely hang on to many of the models, since I can use them with several other game systems.

Malifaux (Wyrd) - This is a tough one, but it boils down to the fact that I do not want to invest the time to master a new gaming system, coupled with the fact that the world of Malifaux is very dark as well. First the system - the use of cards rather than dice is a fantastic innovation, and I like it a lot. But in addition, every model has special abilities and triggers that play off of other models. At this stage of my gaming life, I don't have the desire or time to invest in learning all of the possible combinations and maximizing them to my advantage. Second - as I mentioned above when talking about Games Workshop, the world in which Malifaux is set is quite dark, and while that is not necessarily bad in and of itself (a zombie-pocalypse is dark too, and can be quite fun to game), it is too much for my kids and me. All of the characters cater to their dark, evil side in some way, with some being outright serial killers.
     However, I do love the look of the models, in particular the Guild guardsmen and some of the Outcast figures, and I plan on using them in other gaming systems rather than as their intended Malifaux characters.

Now that I have begun the process of simplifying my gaming, I can turn to the next step - organizing!

Lucas' Egyptian Undead Horde for SoBH

My son, with the intent of kicking my butt in Song of Blades and Heroes, has slowly but surely been collecting an unstoppable horde of Lego undead Egyptian mummies (Tomb Kings minifigures, basically). They are from the Pharaoh's Quest theme of Lego sets. Like me, he puts as much importance on the background story for an army as he does on the composition - fluff rules!

So, without further ado, I present:

The Undead Legions of Amset-Ra!

(Lucas used Ray Forsythe's awesome SoBH warband builder to create his characters, and he wrote the descriptions himself.)

Pharaoh Amset-Ra is the cruelest, most powerful mummy of them all. With his animated jackal statues, he will stop at nothing to rule the world of the living.

Amset-Ra - 120 points
Quality: 2+
Combat: 3
Special rules: Evil, Leader, Magic-User, Undead, Unique

Jackal Guardian - 39 points
Quality: 4+
Combat: 4
Special rules: Artificial, Evil, Stealth

Amset-Ra's armies are led by his general, Ramses. His impressive scorpion statue, his swarms of scorpions, and his incredibly loyal mummy underlings are a force to be reckoned with. Though not the brightest mummy in the graveyard, Ramses will stop at nothing to impress the Pharaoh by murdering scores of his enemies.

Ramses - 103 points
Quality: 2+
Combat: 4
Special rules: Evil, Hero, Savage, Undead, Unique

Scorpion Horde Mummy - 27 points
Quality: 4+
Combat: 3
Special rules: Evil, Undead

Stone Scorpion - 136 points
Quality: 3+
Combat: 5
Special rules: Artificial, Huge, Long Move, Slow, Terror, Tough

Golden Scorpion Swarm - 12 points
Quality: 4+
Combat: 1
Special rules: Animal, Clinging, Poison, Short Move, Swarm

Scorpion Swarm - 5 points
Quality: 4+
Combat: 0
Special rules: Animal, Clinging, Poison, Short Move, Swarm

Lord Hotep the snake charmer is feared amongst the citizens of Egypt. With two deadly minions, he wreaks havoc among the living. Rumor has it that he has recently awoken a fearsome cobra statue.

Hotep - 90 points
Quality: 2+
Combat: 3
Special rules: Evil, Hero, Poison, Undead, Unique

Serpent Guard Mummy - 27 points
Quality: 4+
Combat: 3
Special rules: Evil, Undead

Heqet is the aerial master of the pharaoh's mummy warriors. Highly intelligent, he devises many techniques and strategies. No mortal man has ever seen him and lived to tell the almost indubitably gruesome and horrific tale.

Heqet - 96 points
Quality: 3+
Combat: 4
Special rules: Evil, Flying, Hero, Undead, Unique

Flying Mummy - 42 points
Quality: 4+
Combat: 3
Special rules: Evil, Flying, Undead

Fresh from the grave, the Pharaoh animated them and now they are his slaves. The lowest of the low, the mummies of the Osiris Horde take comfort in messily and violently killing anything that comes their way. When set upon their prey, they never give up until it is no longer living.

Osiris Horde Mummy - 12 points
Quality: 4+
Combat: 2
Special rules: Evil, Slow, Undead

Secondary Egyptian citizens turned undead, no one ever bothered to mummify them. But do not sell them short, for any reason. They are quick to shoot, and when they do, they almost never miss.

Skeletal Archer - 26 points
Quality: 4+
Combat: 2
Special rules: Evil, Shooter: Medium, Undead

Riding ahead before the initial force, these heartless horrors are harbingers of imminent doom. Their main task is to bring down the opponent's defenses, if not the opponent himself...

Scarab Rider - 59 points
Quality: 4+
Combat: 4
Special rules: Evil, Long Move, Mounted, Undead

My dwarves have issued, and Lucas' mummies have accepted, a challenge to combat! I'll try and get the battle report posted soon.

'Til next time.