Games Workshop & the Silly Knee-Jerk Reaction

For those who haven't been part of the recent internet uproar, a few news and rumor websites that deal with GW content have been removed or flagged for copyright including BellofLostSouls.net, Faeit 212/Natfka, and ChillingEffects. I'd like to shed what information I've found so far, and my thoughts on how GW and their fans handle situations like this.



First, the sites aren't officially removed. BOLS redirects to their forums, ChillingEffects seems to only be flagged for the specific copyright items, and the owner of Faeit 212 recently posted on the BOLS forums stating:

"the notices I have received from Blogger are for individual posts, and declares that those particular      posts are removed to draft status. Nothing from either Games Workshop or Blogger about the removal   of the blog itself. 

I will continue posting, and things will continue. so stay tuned.

until then I will be posting up on my youtube channel."

So it seems that this is a temporary hiccup until these sites remove what I understand to be leaked photos from an upcoming issues of GW's magazine "White Dwarf." Actions like this are nothing new, with websites often being hit for revealing leaked content, although it's probably more rare to be served for having leaked photos without nudity. That being said, I think both sides of this issue need to stop and take a breath.

First is GW. It's no secret that the company struggles to "get with the times." I'm sure a record exists of them trying to sue the internet for people talking bad about their company. They want absolute control of their content and image and have taken invasive steps to secure that control. If you've been with GW through all their nonsense so far, this shouldn't be the thing that breaks the proverbial camel's back.

In the eyes of the law, these sites were in the wrong and GW tattled to Blogger about it. Was it the right thing to do? Probably not. Is it another PR nightmare joining a continually growing list of similar mistakes? To a degree, I'd say yes. But here's the important question - have they gone too far? If "too far" is measured by them exceeding a line they've drawn, then I really don't think this sets some new sort of precedent.

GW throwing out a potential lawsuit over leaked images should come as zero surprise to anyone. The fact that they went after the bigger blogs is a bit shocking, but it seems more like an eventuality than a turn for the worse. As I said, GW wants absolute control of their content. If a site is leaking their information, that means (to them) that their print publication loses value and anticipation. However flawed their thinking may be, they are doing what they feel is best to protect their company.

Now for the rest of us. When a friend posted about this on our Facebook group, my knee-jerk reaction was that GW was trying to oppress us and destroy our free speech. An Orwellian dystopia was sure to follow! Or is shutting down popular news sites the final nail in GW's coffin?

But when logic took over I realized that GW can't single-handedly shut down a website without just cause. So after some digging I found that BOLS and Natfka weren't terribly worried, and this probably wasn't the first time they'd received a content warning. They pushed their luck and GW pushed back. They took a stand that will probably have long-lasting ramifications, but it's a poor business decision more than anything else.

Let me preface this by saying that I'm not a GW fan (as you may recall from a previous post I wrote), and that I'm trying to come from a logical viewpoint. But we need to slow down and look at things realistically. Are people REALLY going to stop spending all their money on GW just because they flagged a website for copyright infringement? Out of everything they've done, is this really what's going make people throw down their d6 and cry "Enough!"? GW caters to a small customer base, and they're currently exercising their legal rights against a few websites who cater to a small percentage of that customer base. It sucks, it's silly, but it's not a big deal. 

See you tomorrow for another look at Convergence of Cyriss or my giveaway results for the Warmachine/Hordes faction dice. April 30th is the last day to enter so don't miss out!

Justifying Expensive Models

In a pseudo follow-up of my post talking about Quality vs. Quantity, I find myself in a bit of a mind regarding the purchase of a single expensive model. With the release of Colossals and Gargantuans, the game of Warmachine has finally started moving towards "big things smashing other big things" that everyone wants it to be. But with that comes a cost, and it can be a hefty one.

Take the colossal for Khador, for example. At 19 points, it costs as much as two average warjacks. It comes with a huge damage grid, ranged and melee threats, and a big fat base to put it all on. The thing is also intimidating to look at, and from the work I've seen people do it seems like a blast to paint. I really want a great big robot, but acquiring it will hit me for about $135 MSRP. As a comparison, for a few bucks more I could get a Battle Foam bag to carry my entire army in.



But it's not just the price that is off-putting, it's the use I'd get out of each dollar spent. If I spent $135 on models I could get a mixture of units, solos, warcasters and warjacks. While I'd still be growing my army, I'd be breaking that money up in to 3-5 choices (or more!), with at least 1 purchase easily sliding in to any future list. The Conquest, while a decent warjack, is a full-blown 19 points in a game where the highest level I'll play at is 50 points.

Investing nearly 40% of my points in a single model means my other choices are limited, and he becomes virtually unplayable at 25 or 35 point games. And with the exception of a few armies, many huge-base models have a lot of competition from lower-cost models. What's worse, an army's best heavy jack/beast can mostly accomplish what the more expensive model does for 6-8 points cheaper! And let's not forget I can buy a Convergence of Cyriss starting army for the same price.

When comparing the cost of a colossal vs. Battlefoam, it's important to point out that I would be buying the colossal for $95 from DiscountGamesInc. So $95 for one model vs. $155 (+ shipping) for a foam bag is a bit less painful. But if I were to buy from KR Multicase again (an upcoming review will explain why I may not), I can carry the same amount of troops as the Battlefoam bag for about $130 with free shipping.

Maybe it's because I've only been gaming for over a year, but it's so hard to look at the more efficient ways to spend my hobby money and then put it in to a single warjack+. But when I look at the Conquest... I really want one. It's not something I need, but I am often tempted to forego foam and other units and just buy a big hunk of metal and plastic. This has been my conundrum since their release - can I justify spending so much money on a single, amazing model?

So how do you guys justify spending so much money on a single model? Have you regretted it? Or if you haven't yet, what keeps you from buying one?

See you tomorrow, which is the very last day to enter my Warmachine/Hordes faction dice giveaway! Tell your friends!

Teaching the Game

Two weeks ago I taught a friend to play Warmachine. On Saturday, I had that privilege once again!


My wife's cousin was in town for the weekend. Like my brother-in-law, I consider Derek more of a friend than family member so I invited him over to our gaming night. He'd never played anything like Warmachine before, but knowing how passionate I am about it he readily agreed to let me teach him how to play.

I ran through the various Warmachine factions for him - our group is fortunate enough to represent Khador, Menoth, Cryx, and Cygnar (and soon Ret and Rhul!). So after giving him a brief rundown on what everyone did, he couldn't get the glow out of his eyes from when I told him about Menoth and their healthy combination of melee attacks and pyromania. Thomas, our Menoth player, had split a Khador/Menoth box with me when I first started playing so it was easy to field a decent 22 point army. He also brought a choir and mechanic because... well, it's not the true Menoth experience without hymns and fire.

After giving him a rundown of stats and basic rules (which went much smoother than last time) I made a list of my own and our game began. Game 1 went about how you'd expect a beginner's game to go - I gave him some basic tips and strategies as we went, reminded him of some rules, and pointed out some specific things he could do with warjacks when the situation arose. Game 1 ended with him using 2 Cinerators to eat at least 1/3 of my Juggernaut, followed by Juggy missed FOUR attacks (one of them boosted!) on a Cinerator with Shield Wall (+2 DEF/ARM).

Apparently he found that game fun and hilarious because he agreed to a Mangled Metal game. I wasn't setting out to beat him, but I really wanted to give him a close game. I decided to let him run his army now that he had a feel for it, and would only let him know about a rule or ability that may better inform his decisions. So we deployed and off we went to game 2.

Normally my Destroyer can soften up even a Khador jack, and without the choir making them impossible to shoot I figured I could at least scratch some paint on the big jack. In typical teacher fashion, however, I decided to just whiff on everything during his advance. He put Shield Wall on his warjack with a Repulsor Shield, making him something like 14/21, and without reach all my Juggernaut could do was charge and boost the hit because his shield would knock me backwards out of melee range.

Game 2 ended with Juggernaut being decimated (again), Destroyer hitting the heavy jack with a Nerf ax, and Sorscha forced to help ding up the light jack so I could push through to Kreoss. In an effort to stay consistent, my die rolls were basically failures and I neglected to keep an eye on my focus and was unable to Wind Rush back to safety. At the start of his turn he was staring at a 16 DEF Sorcha with a heavy jack who had 3 damage boxes left... one was a cortex, the other his right arm. I looked at him and said "This is the day you learn about headbutts." And with a jack full of focus, Sorscha crumpled to the floor a second time and his warjacks became walking meat grinders.

Teaching Warmachine is one of the greatest things I've done in this game. Seeing people slowly unravel strategies on their own, or hear them take different tips you've given them and combine them in a new way is incredibly rewarding. As I dropped him back off to my in-laws, our car ride was filled with excited chatter about how cool the game is and how he would play the game if he lived nearby. I got to be a part of someone starting a night nothing about Warmachine and ending with a positive experience and a desire to play again. Being responsible for that experience is something everyone should undergo at least once.

So if you haven't taught someone to play Warmachine, try it next month. We know it's a big game with a lot of rules, but learning the basics with a few jacks, a warcaster, and a couple of basic units is Warmachine in its purest form. It's incredibly simple to teach, and the reward of seeing someone discover the game is immense. So try it out - who knows, teaching a friend to play may be your first step in becoming a Press Ganger!

See you tomorrow, which will bring us one day closer to the end of my Warmachine/Hordes faction dice giveaway!

Quality vs Quantity

When it comes to gaming, I have always had the tongue-in-cheek version of A.D. D. When I was younger I was more focused in my gaming and would take 1 aspect of a game and run it in to the ground. In middle school I was really in to wrestling video games, and I would pick one character and play him nonstop. The same was true of Mortal Kombat, Pokemon TCG, YuGiOh... if something gave me numerous options, I would pick my favorite and stick to it no matter what.

I'm not sure when I got tired of that, but as time wore on I found myself wanting to experience everything in a game. When I quit Warcraft I had five characters at max level and only one was remotely capable of raiding. When I quit Magic I had at least 10 different decks built, and none were very good. In the Elder Scrolls series I would beat the game once, and rather than go through and finish up quests I'd start the game with a completely different character. Even in Call of Duty I never stuck to one weapon, even if it meant I died a lot more using a different weapon.

And now that I play Warmachine, my restlessness has started setting in again. I started with Khador and bought a good chunk of the army over the last year. But after playing them for months on end, I got so bored with the big red machine. As I looked at other models I could buy to spice things up, my mind starter drifting to other factions. After all, for the price of buying a new Conquest I could buy a small starter army off Bartertown.

And so as I started selling off some of my older stuff, boxes started hitting my doorstep. The first one contained a large Circle Orboros army, which I've been really enjoying lately. But I found a few more deals at over 50% off, so I slowly started acquiring Cygnar and Skorne as well. And now with 4 armies to play, my painted Khador army has received no love other than a friend borrowing them one night and using them to teach Warmachine to a friend. I'm not even sure the last time I played them in a true game.

The question I often receive is "Why not just sell your Khador?" Because then I wouldn't have the option to play them! How broken is that? I can't stand playing the army, but reducing my number of potential options isn't acceptable.

And so I now have one large Khador force, one medium Circle force, and two small Cygnar and Skorne forces. And with my new resolution to only play painted models (which I may have to suspend in order to try out Infinity next week), I have a ton of models I don't have time to paint that may sit in their box for months before I can play them. And then I'm talking about buying in to Convergence of Cyriss...

My problem is that I want to know everything about a game. Sure I could become unstoppable with Khador, but I wonder what it's like to field Menoth and set your opponent's army on fire. Or ignore the majority of the battlefield using Legion. Or win with an underdog army like Minions or Retribution of Scyrah. Or spell assassinate with Cryx...

That's the eternal cycle of options that runs through my head about any game. It's also why I've found a great appreciation for games with limited options. Games like Tomb Raider or Assassin's Creed let me enjoy a game without wondering how different the game would be if I played it again using an entirely different approach. Yes, almost all games have some semblance of an ability tree, but those are more about adding flavor than dramatically changing how you experience the game. Specializing in shotguns over handguns isn't quite the same as playing as a spell-slinging wizard instead of a tough, vicious warrior.

I really wish I could value the quality of one option over the quantity of others. Maybe it's because I've always been a jack-of-all-trades sort, but I can't stand the idea of spending so much time focusing on one thing and making minimal gains at the expense of never experiencing what else a game has to offer.  I will probably never be a master, but I also never have to fear stagnation.

So which is the better way to be? Is it better to excel at one thing, or experience many things and be good at those? To be honest, I wish I had the personality that let me get good at one part of a game. However, I play games to relax and take a break from real life.

In the real world I like doing things perfectly, but it's also incredibly stressful. After you leap those big hurdles and see yourself making huge strides, all you're left with is to get better at smaller things, spending a lot of time to see a little progress. In life that's just fine, because the stress usually pays off. But if I'm trying to relax and take a break from reality, I don't want to waste that time trying to get slightly better at something, especially if it turns out I've basically hit the ceiling on how well I can do with the limited time I have.

From what I've seen, I think I'm in the minority here. And that's probably a good thing, because this personality quirk makes it hard for me to fully appreciate something until I feel satisfied that I've experienced every aspect of a game that might interest me. It's why I loved Tomb Raider so much, but it's also why I still feel like Dark Souls is incomplete despite beating it several times with several different characters.

So what about you? Can you focus on one thing for a long time, or do you need to experience most (or all) that a game has to offer?

See you tomorrow! Remember, just 5 more days until my Warmachine/Hordes faction dice giveaway!

Painting Adjectives

You'll have to indulge the English geek in me today.


I was painting a Cryx commission today and thought to myself "Man I'm having fun painting these guys." That's not a new thought for me, but today I must've had Socrates on the brain because I immediately countered with the thought "Why?" And as I paused and looked at what I was doing, I realized that it was because I was painting adjectives.

A few years ago I tutored various levels of writing. When it came to creative writing, by far the most common thing I'd do on a paper would be to circle a section and write "more..." My students knew what that meant - they'd said something that could be interesting or important, but completely lacked any detail. As a result, their story would suffer because everything was very bland and monotone.

Painting is the same way. When I first started painting, I blocked off areas with a solid basecoat and called it a day. I was happy with it because I was just starting, but it certainly wasn't interesting to look at. As I became more passionate about painting, I sought tutorials that would help me learn to do more than just a bland basecoat.

My first painting victim.

Finally I learned the importance of detail. Every bit of paint tells something about the model, much like every word contributes to a story. You can have something basic and it will still be better than nothing, but it's when you add those bits of detail that things really start coming to life. While shading and highlighting are key to making a model feel alive, I find that it's painting the tiny details sculpted in to a model that's the most rewarding. They are the adjectives that aren't necessary, but including them put the model on an entirely different level.

The models that inspired this idea are Stitch Thralls. Like the Brute Thralls I talked about previously, I basecoated them with Thrall Flesh, then washed their skin with purple and green to make the skin look more realistic. As a tabletop standard, that probably looked good enough. But when I'm looking at it up close, I see all the little details the sculptor added and those are what I love to paint. Like adjectives in a story, you don't realize how much a model is missing until you see the model with these tiny additions.



The details are pretty simple, but I think they add a lot to the model even though you may not realize you're paying attention to them. All I did was paint their seams red to emphasize where their body parts where stitched together, and then blackened the stitching to make them pop against the black skin. There are also some very small sores that I don't think the camera picked up. Like I said, it's a small thing but it gives a much stronger visual impression and makes the model look so much better without much extra work.

I think this is also why I love painting Privateer Press models more than anything else. I've always described their models as "characterful," and it's because almost every model has some kind of minor, almost inconsequential detail that can take a model from neat to amazing. I always appreciate when a model has that kind of detail built in to it because it lets me do much more with the model without having to do much more than highlighting and shading.

So when you hear me say a model is fun to paint, you can almost guarantee there's some cool details in it that were just waiting to be discovered and painted.

See you tomorrow! And if you're new around here, check out my Warmachine/Hordes faction dice giveaway coming up in less than a week! Be warned that you cannot enter from the Facebook mobile app.

Playing to Win - Intro

I decided to start discussing David Sirlin's book Playing to Win slowly, because he starts off with some pretty big ideas in the first few chapters. I also tend to get a bit wordy and didn't want to overwhelm you all with 15 pages of my thoughts.

Each chapter is a very easy read, and I really recommend the book for anyone wanting to challenge their play style. I will always include a link to the relevant chapter so that you can follow along and read it for yourself. With that being said, let's get in to the meat of today's post!

I'm going to go through his introduction and try to set the tone for this article series. Having read the book in its entirety already, I want to warn some of you that you won't like what he has to say. Sirlin can come off as arrogant and elitist, but it's very important to read this book objectively. He's not a professional writer, he is (or was)  a professional gamer on a global level. He didn't write this book to offend, but to teach and inform.

He starts off by using a term that is important to know, and that is "zero-sum games." This is apparently a pretty deep term, because all the web results I found were way over my head. But the basic principle is this: a zero-sum game is one where one player wins because another loses. There's a lot more to it than that, but for his book it suffices to look at it as any game where there's one winner, one loser, and nothing else that matters.

He then accurately points out my favorite thing about competitive gaming - it's an objective measure of skill. If you win more, you're doing better. If you win against players you couldn't beat in the past, you're doing much better. As long as you're challenging yourself with equal or greater opponents, you have a fairly accurate measurement of how you're doing.

I think this is the main thing that guides many Win At All Costs (WAAC) players. Some may misinterpret the proper way of handling the desire to improve, and instead become those obnoxious players no one wants to go against because they complain, nitpick, harass, or outright cheat in order to win and feel like they're improving. That's not what the book promotes, as we'll see in later chapters.

One thing all great players understand is that you must know the rules to your game if you are going to be able to play a fair game with your opponent. As Sirlin says, " If players don’t agree on the rules, then they are not even playing the same game." Read that a few times because in later chapters it will change the way you view "cheap tactics." Naturally no one wants to play against the rules, but there are those (myself included) who are hesitant to take advantage of all the rules. Crazy, right? But I'm willing to bet everyone is guilty of it. But more on that in a future post.

In this introduction he asks the most basic question: do you want to win? The knee-jerk reaction is to proclaim "Of course I do!" but I think it's key to define what environment you want to win in. He looks at winning as an absolute - either you're devoting your life to winning or you're playing casually. I don't think it's that clear.

For example, I want to win Warmachine games in my Saturday night group. We have about 8 players, none of which are national champions. If I were to devote all my free time to becoming the best, there's a good chance I could be the best player in the group. But if I were to devote too much time, there's a chance I could far exceed the average skill level of the group. Would I be winning? Yes, but I wouldn't be getting an accurate measurement of my skill because I wouldn't have anyone to try to surpass.

So when working toward winning, it's important to estimate how slow your skill level should grow in order to win challenging games, rather than getting so good that you walk over your opponent. And that's a thought that isn't nearly as clean as "all or nothing." For me, I could probably become one of the top two players of the group by simply playing more games each week. I listen to podcasts and frequent forums, but without the ability to put things in to practice I find my knowledge goes unused from week to week.

And that's when I have to answer the question of whether I'm willing to devote enough time to win where I want to win. Playing 5 hours on Saturdays isn't enough for me to learn, so I can either accept that I won't beat our best players or I can carve out time throughout the week to play. Sadly I can't do the latter, so I'm left with hoarding advanced tactics that I rarely put in to practice.

Some people may stop and ask why steamrolling people is a bad thing. Sirlin gives an example of a game being like a debate - the true fun is found when you're going against someone who gives you a good back-and-forth. Being trampled may allow you to learn something from someone of greater skill, but they certainly didn't get anything out of it. There was a comparison I heard about how good players stomping new players is like clubbing baby seals. It's a terrible example, but it does give a picture of why being too good doesn't teach you anything.

So as I go through these articles, I want you to ask yourself what environment you want to be successful in. Winning at the local game shop is a lot different that winning at a national tournament. And maybe you will find yourself moving from local to national, but in our busy world I think it's best to look at what you need to beat right now, rather than saying you want to beat the best when you still struggle against the mediocre. That's where I'm at - I'd love to think I could be good enough to be talked about around the country, but right now it takes work for me to beat players who play once a month.

So what do you guys think? Do you want to win? If so, how high do you need to climb to win? If you're already winning in your area do you find yourself wanting more, or do you have people to challenge you? And perhaps most importantly, what's the first step you need to take to improve your current skill level?

See you tomorrow! And remember, there's only a few days left until my Warmachine/Hordes dice giveaway!

Come See ME at SGC2013!

ScrewAttack.com's gaming con, SGC, is returning June 21 - 23 of this year and I'll be a guest: Doing some panels, hanging out and I'm hoping to have a supply of books to sell and/or signby then as well.

Registration is still open, and if you do it through THIS LINK you'll be directly supporting me and The Game OverThinker series. So... think about doing that, please :)

Countdown to Cyriss - Week 7

This week... heavy infantry!


Will Shick gave us a wonderful look at Cyriss's infantry, which is something I said needs to be good enough to support the army. And in a continuing show of Swiss Army-style mechanics, we get some weapons and abilities that will serve as wonderful filler for gaps left from a list's battlegroup. I suggest opening the link in a new tab if only to look at their concept art.

First are the Reciprocators. If you've played against a unit of Man O War Shocktroopers from Khador, you know what to expect. ARM 16 with shieldwall, making them an effective ARM 20 at all time unless something goes awry. While their medium bases won't screen the heavy jacks, they do look like they'll serve as an adequate unit for catching the alpha strike or plugging up an area. The fact that an opponent will have to dedicate 2 or 3 models to take one down means that the opponent will need to sacrifice a unit's activation trying to get rid of them, or trying to ignore them entirely. If only it were that simple!

As I mentioned in a previous article, PP is designing many of Cyriss's weapons to have 2 abilities. In the case of the Reciprocators, they can get Set Defense and get 14 DEF against a charge (meaning several alpha-strike attacks will miss), or Empowered Attack to get +2 on damage, making them P+S 14 and nearly impossible to safely ignore. This lets the Reciprocators do something that many units cannot - serve a role in both early and late game. A unit may be able to catch the alpha strike, but once they're engaged there's a good chance they'll pillow-fist their way through the opponent for a few turns. Otherwise a unit is good at hitting hard, but they don't like being hit back. Being a utility unit able to operate at ARM 20, DEF 14 vs charges, P+S 14 is ridiculous.

Next he discussed the Eradicators. I would be excited for these if only because they represent the first Cyriss name that doesn't make my math-hating brain angry. But that's not all! When moving up the field you can make them ARM 17 - respectable, but you'll need to choose your targets carefully. Once you close the distance, you'll be swinging with a MAT 9, which is enough to easily rip apart all but the highest DEF targets out there. While they don't say how many attacks these guys have, the fact that their dual-bucklers turn in to blades and the ability Side Step leads me to believe they have at least 2. So say hello to your infantry sweepers!

Finally are the Perforators, which are apparently one of Cyriss's few ranged units (a sad thought for me and my love affair with Widowmakers). Shick doesn't give any hard-and-fast numbers, but it looks like these guys are RAT 5, POW 6, RNG 6, SPD 5 with Assault and Armor Piercing. They have the ability to use Snipe to boost their RNG by 4", or Empowered Attack for +2 POW. Out of the box these guys already make effective "armor crackers," charging Khador jacks with 2d6-2, not to mention whatever their melee attack is after the Assault. Shick then pointed out that with Cyriss's plentiful support options, these guys could threaten up to 20" and hit at 7 RAT, making them a serious threat to an exposed warcaster. In what world does heavy infantry become an assassination threat? The world of the Clockwork Goddess, that's where!

I've said it before, but I love the idea of this army. Everything has a trick, and your opponent has a lot of variables to consider with every move. In a game that's already thick with strategy, Cyriss is bringing it to a new level. I love that their infantry is good from beginning to end, and I think they serve as perfect complements to the battlegroup. I once saw that the key to building an effective list is bringing an answer to 4 questions:
Can you handle...

• Stealth
• Armor
• Infantry swarm
• Defense

"Your list needs to be prepared for anything" "That's what she SAID!" That's how I remember it and now it's ingrained in your brain forever. You're welcome.

With everything we've seen of Cyriss so far, it doesn't seem hard to answer or ignore those 4 questions in a standard list. Depending on how Flare behaves, stealth may be the only mild frustration this melee army will face, but no one can be perfect. I'd like to see this army have a bit more in the DEF department, especially since everyone in the competitive scene will already be packing armor cracking to deal with colossals and gargantuans. But even if the army only released with what we've seen so far, I think it has enough going for it to make it competitive.

So where are you guys at in terms of "must buy"? I'm pretty sure this army is a must buy for me, but I don't think I will be dropping money on it this summer. I really want to paint some of these models, but my painting tray is truly overflowing with my own stuff while I try getting caught up with commissions. Still... this army is going to be amazing, regardless of the skeletal releases they may get in the future.

See you tomorrow! There's about 1 week until my Warmachine/Hordes faction dice giveaway, so make sure you enter!

New Series Announcement - PTW

A few weeks ago I did a series of articles discussing Win At All Costs players (type "WAAC" in to my blog's search bar to find them). At the end of it I hinted at a new series based off of David Sirlin's book Playing to Win. This week I will be starting that series, so I want to take a moment and let you all know what to expect.


If you click the link above you'll find that you can read his entire book online for free. For this series I will be going through his major points, either one chapter at a time or combining several, and discussing what he's said. If you want to get a jump start on the series I suggest reading through the Intermediate's Guide, as I found that to be the most interesting and full of content.

In addition, I will be applying these principles to my Warmachine games and reporting the results. I play with a group of friends as opposed to a game shop, so my results may be slightly skewed. However, I think my personal successes and failures should be universal.

If anyone has strong feelings on this subject, I would love to open my blog to you. See here for guidelines on posting. You can do a response post, or post your own thoughts on a portion of his book.

So get ready, because Thursday or Friday should be interesting and mildly offensive depending on how far in to the book I go!

See you tomorrow with more Cyriss goodness!

Painting Tip - Washing Flesh

First, let me welcome all the new guys from the Wargamers Consortium group. If you are curious why I am posting every day, here's my first post of the year.

I love washes, but lately I've found that my painting abilities have matured passed the need to use them for their more basic effects. However, Privateer Press recently introduced me to a more advanced and effective way of using them.

When I was doing a recent Cygnar commission, I decided to see if/how they recommended doing flesh. As I read through their steps, my eyebrows rose in doubt. They suggested basecoating with the flesh, then doing a wash of flesh mixed with red, followed by a flesh mixed with green. My knowledge in color theory is rudimentary, but I couldn't fathom how that could end up not looking like vomit.

I bow to the knowledge of greater painters, because the resulting shading was fantastic. For cloth and armor that's not as big of a deal, but something translucent like skin needs more than just a darkening of the same color. The red and green aren't immediately apparent, but the mixing of the transparent colors on top of the skin tone is very convincing.

Today I started painting some Cryx Thralls using the Cryx faction book and decided to show you what I mean. I started off by airbrushing everyone with Thrall Flesh.

It's convincing for undead flesh, but two layers of washes will work miracles. The first wash was a drop of Beaten Purple and a drop of Matte Medium. I thinned this heavily with water; I lost count on the exact numbers, but it was around 15-20 by the time I was finally happy with it. I then put a light layer on everything, allowing the purple to just tint the skin and pushing any pigment buildups in to the deeper areas.

Finally, I made a 1:1:10 wash of Battledress Green: Matte Medium: Water and did the same thing on top of the purple. The end result made the flesh return to a more natural looking color (for as natural as undead flesh gets), removing the solid color from step 1 and replacing it with some color variations you barely notice, but do a lot to improve the overall color. In addition, the more obvious purple in the shadows provide a more convincing feeling of "yuck" than if I had just used a darkened Thrall Flesh.

I still have a long way to go before I understand why seemingly unrelated colors work so well together, but in the mean time I'll be content to love the results. So if you've been stuck in a rut regarding washes, try this out on flesh. Just make sure you get them very well thinned, otherwise you risk dyeing the model and removing the primary flesh color.

See you tomorrow! And if you haven't yet, make sure you click here to enter my giveaway for a set of Warmachine/Hordes faction dice!

Opponent or Enemy - Who Are You Playing Against?

Is the person across the table from you your opponent or your enemy?

I think this is an important distinction that I hadn't considered until recently. When we play games, our stated purpose is to beat the other person. But I think how we view that other person can influence how we behave in and out of the game.F

I'll take the most common example of treating the other player like your enemy. If you've ever played an online shooter, you know what I'm talking about. Years ago when I would sit down to play Call of Duty, the people on the other team weren't competition; they were horrible people who must be crushed in the most humiliating way possible. There is no reason to hate them, but my view towards them could be so venomous that I would purposely do what I could to anger them. Using cheap weapons, hiding in a place with no strategic advantage just to frustrate them when they died, and teabagging them (if you don't know what it is, just trust that it's the least honorable way to celebrate a kill). I would do that because they weren't a person with value, but someone I literally cared nothing about.

Contrast that to people I play Warmachine with. When we play I'm relaxed, joking, playing hard but playing fair. I'll talk to them about tactics they might be able to use to beat me, knowing that it will put me closer to a loss. I see the person I'm playing as someone with value, who isn't just a soulless person who only exists to make me lose. I will play hard, but I'll always maintain civility.

There are a few personal reasons behind this difference. The obvious one is that I know my friends, but there is no face to someone in a video game. Another is just maturity - back when I was a hardcore gamer I genuinely didn't care about the other person. I couldn't see them, I'd never interact with him again, so why should I care if I make them angry? Heck, it was fun to know they were angry!

But I think it all boils down to how I viewed the person on the other team. The existence of enemies is why we had the Geneva Convention. When left to our own devices we'll do anything to beat our enemies. We not only want to win, but we want to make them feel dominated, humiliated, and worthless.

That's not something that exists on a macro scale. If I'm on the blue team in Halo, everyone on the red team could be considered my enemy. As long as they lose, it doesn't matter how I behave. I could fight with decency and dignity.... or I could utterly humiliate them and smile, knowing that the greatest thing I could do would be to ruin their night.

But if they're my opponent, it changes my behavior without doing much to change how I play. As I said in my WAAC article series, I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with taking advantage of anything built in to a game to win. If a weapon is more powerful than any other weapon, you shouldn't be ashamed for using it. Nothing in the game's established rules says "If you use _____, your win is worth less."

So if I kill my opponent with a rocket launcher, I move on and continue trying to win. I don't gloat, I don't scream "take that scrub!" whether or not they can hear me. My goal isn't to beat them, but to win a game according to the game's rules. If the game says "first to 50 kills wins," then my purpose is to get 50 kills. It's not to kill someone an make them feel bad about being killed. They died, it's part of the game, and the same thing can happen to me when I get outplayed. I shouldn't count it as a victory if I get a shrill message laden with profanity because I treated them like crap in the game and they are upset about it. They are a person with value, and I should respect that.

It took me awhile to realize this, mostly because I didn't know I was placing less value on a person playing a game against me. Somehow a form of entertainment had become more important than my humanity. I'm not even sure when it set in, but in hindsight my behavior over the years has been rather embarrassing.

I hope I'm just a corner case, but I think a lot of us do this. The more anonymous we are allowed to become, the more likely we are to treat people as enemies instead of opponents. That's part of the reason I have grown to enjoy face-to-face games over the more convenient internet-based games. Not simply because I can see my opponent, but because they can see me and treat me with an equal amount of respect.

That's not to say that you should only play nice when you are held accountable in a face-to-face setting. While I'm loathe to admit it, Halo players are just as much of a living, breathing person as my closest friends. Even if I get teabagged at every death (which you do in Halo...), it's still important to take the mature path and treat them as an opponent.

That was quite the ramble, but if you've stuck with me this far I'll try to better sum it up. When playing a game, put more value in your opponent than in the game. Do what you can to beat them, but remember that the purpose is to beat the game, not the other person.

See you tomorrow! And don't forget about my Warmachine/Hordes dice giveaway coming up soon!

My Top 10 - PS3 Exclusives I Want to Play

With my buddy Chris subtly brainwashing me in to buying a PS3, not to mention the fact that there's Microsoft seems dead set on performing seppuku with their next console, I've started thinking about all those times I read through Game Informer and got excited by a game, only to look at the sidebar and realized it's for PS3 only. So here it is, the top 10 PS3 exclusives I want to play once the brainwashing is complete.



10 Resistance (series)
I love alternate history, so Resistance has always seemed like a neat idea. Aliens start taking over Earth in the 40s, and you are part of the resistance. Non-RPG shooters rarely engage me with their story, but Resistance has caught my eye ever since the first one released.

9 Ni No Kuni - Wrath of the White Witch
This is one of the few games whose article I've read, despite knowing it was PS3 only. The concept is rather reminiscent of Pokemon, with animal friends you gather along the way to help you do battle. It's a Japanese RPG (JRPG) so I imagine it has a ridiculous amount of grinding. But since anyone who played Pokemon as a kid always wished for a more real-time experience, I think the game could be a good time sink.

8 Tales of Xillia
If you've never played a game in the Tales series, you're either missing out or very fortunate. The games don't vary too much between each one - you have a typical JRPG story, and a lot of running around in the open trying to find an item in between engaging in a very fun combat system. The combat gievs you control over a handful of party members, with you controlling one while the others go on auto pilot. The game's spells are always eye-pleasing, and melee characters have fun abilities as well. But like I said, the games don't vary much and they take a LONG time to get through, and it's hard to justify the time spent running around with no progression.

7 LittleBigPlanet (series)
I have no idea why this game is so appealing. I've watched gameplay videos and it seems lackluster, but the creativity involved in the game makes me want to take it for a spin. I've always enjoyed games that give consieration to physics, and getting to design your own levels with a huge assortment bits and bobs excites me. Of course when I sit down to play it I'm sure to be overwhelmed, but fortunately the game lets you download levels that others have created so you can experience what it's like to play a level that doesn't suck.

6 Heavy Rain
As time goes on I find I have less time for games that waste my time. Mindlessly shooting stuff or spending hours searching for an item was fine back in the day, but more and more I want the time I put in to a game to be worth it. Heavy Rain isn't so much a game as an interactive story about trying to save your son from the infamous Origami Killer. I've purposely tried to avoid reading too much about it, but I know it was wonderfully received and I really want to see what it's all about.

5 The Last of Us
Post-apocalyptic stories make me squeal in excitement. The premise of the game is that a mysterious fungus has destroyed civilization; it's weird, but if it can tell a good story and not make me feel like I'm part of a Shyamalan movie, I'll be happy.

4 Uncharted (series)
It's hard to talk about PS3 without Uncharted coming up. The game seems to be the system's crowning achievement, and I'm more than a bit curious to see what all the fuss is about. Tomb Raider certainly made me better appreciate an adventure game, so I'll definitely be playing Uncharted. I won't lie, from the outside the game doesn't seem to be all that great, but everyone insists it's the game by which all other games are judged, so I will definitely give it a try.

3 Demon's Souls
Hands down my favorite game ever is Dark Souls. The story is cryptic but deep, the combat is amazing, and the challenge is the most frustratingly amazing thing I've ever experienced. Demon's Souls is the original game, and I have to play it. The graphics are pretty crappy, but the gameplay I've watched seems to be every ounce of Dark Souls I've come to love.

2 Infamous (series)
Infamous is the first game that made me genuinely envious of PS3 owners. The story of a guy getting superpowers, and how you choose to use them, seems like an amazing super hero-esque story. The fact that it got a well-received 2nd game makes me even more excited to play it. In any game I play I have a hard time being the bad guy, but I hear that going down the "dark path" isn't filled with cliched villain situations, so maybe I'll finally play a game without wearing a halo the entire time.

1 God of War (series)
Oh God of War... what a travesty it is that I've never played you. That brief moment in Gamestop when we took on the Hydra together wasn't nearly enough! Seriously though, I love Greek mythology. At my college you and a teach could essentially create a course together if the college didn't offer it, so I got together with a teacher who knew almost everything about mythology and we spent the summer just talking about it (with some paper-writing thrown in to make it official). This series looks like it could very well challenge Dark Souls as my favorite game of all time. The boss battles are amazing, the imagining of the gods, heroes, and monsters is beautiful, and the brutal action is almost jaw dropping. This is, without a doubt, the first game I'll be playing if I buy a PS3, and is practically reason enough to buy the system just to play it.


So there it is, my first top 10! Have you guys played any of these? What'd you think? Is there anything else I should experience on the PS3? Let me know!

See you tomorrow!

WoW... Really?

Hate me guys, for I'm a terrible person.

I went to a buddy's house today for some early-morning Circle vs. Legion goodness (he won, it was epic). We finished our game at an awkward time - it was too early for me to be ready to leave, and too late for another game. "Wanna see my WoW character?" he asked. Curious to see the changes made to World of Warcraft since I stopped playing a few years back, I gladly obliged and off we trotted to his computer.

He showed me some stuff he figured I hadn't seen, and I ask if they'd fixed this and that (all yes). We sat and talked, and I found myself really missing the game. Not in the sleepless-nights-and-one-shower-a-month obsession, but I remembered that it was a fun way to spend some down time. We spent some more time talking about the game and I headed home.

I poked around the game's website and found something called a "Scroll of Resurrection," which lets my buddy invite me and essentially lets me have 7 days of free game time. So here I am, debating whether I'll accept the invitation when he sends it.

This comes at a perfect time though! I'm so swamped with commission work that I actually had to turn some down for now. With the rather strict painting deadlines I put on myself, I'll really get to see if I can fit WoW in to my limited free time. So we'll see if an hour or less every day is enough to keep me playing - I'm not too confident, but we'll see!

See you tomorrow!

Got This Covered (UPDATED!)

As you might have read previously, I wrote a book and it's coming out soon through the fine folks at Fangamer.net. I still unfortunately don't have a set date date of publication to announce, but I can now officially reveal that we'll be publishing it under the title "SUPER MARIO BROS. 3: BRICK-BY-BRICK", and here on your right you can see the cover-art that the fine folks at Fangamer put together for it.

The basic premise is a "novelized let's-play." I've re-played SMB3 (my favorite game and my unscientifically-chosen candidate Greatest Game Ever Made) and chronicled not only every step of the journey (along with corresponding noteworthy events of my real life during the months-long experience) but analyzed each and every graphical, sound and narrative element encountered along the journey for their aesthetic, historical and cultural details. Also included: A history of the "Super Mario Bros." franchise and a separate account of my own personal history as a fan, student and critic of this series in particular and video games as a whole.

More details to follow - YES, we're planning an E-Book. Stay tuned.

Rest Time Reviews: Tomb Raider

Rest Time Reviews is a series about games for those with limited time to play games. Rather than placing an emphasis on a game's graphics or controls, I focus on whether or not a game is literally a waste of time. This time we'll be looking at Tomb Raider.

Tomb Raider is a game series dating back to the mid-90s. On March 5th, this extensive series was subject to a reboot on consoles and PC, letting gamers learn about Lara Croft when she was just an archaeologist and experience her growth in to the deadly Tomb Raider we know today. I was never a fan of the series, and I was quite skeptical when my brother-in-law told me I was required to play it.


Gameplay
The entire time I play the game, I had very few frustrations about how the game handled. The only time I felt like I died because of the game design was during a few climbing elements that required jumping. However, there was always a checkpoint nearby so that I didn't waste much time getting back.

As for the actual design, I really enjoyed it. Despite its linearity, you can hardly tell you're being led down a path. The environments are beautiful and diverse, with an appropriate mix of awe-inspiring nature sitting just outside a cave filled with horrific images.

The combat is about what you'd expect in a third-person adventure. The guns never felt perfect from a design perspective, but there is enough cover that you are rarely at a disadvantage even during a multi-enemy gunfight. The only time I felt frustrated by how the guns handled was during one of the games few swarm events where my cover was limited to two rows of columns, and their geometry left me exposed when I should have been protected. It's a very minor complaint compared to all the other enjoyable firefights, but it is the sequence that killed me the most.

In addition to guns, there are also numerous occasions for stealth kills. I love this in games because it has a greater element of risk, and when executed well it adds a whole new dimension to how a game is played. While TR isn't meant to be a stealth game, Lara's fragile nature almost requires thinning down your enemies before actually engaging them. While not perfect by any means, my stealth kills always felt rewarding and I never felt cheated by sloppy AI or mechanics.

Story
The story handled itself rather well. You start the game as a bright-eyed archaeologist, but things quickly go awry when a freak storm shipwrecks you on an island filled with dark secrets. A bit cheesy? You bet, but it works. Being a total nerd for lore and backstory, I appreciated that you could go through the game only watching cutscenes, or delve deeper in to the story with numerous collectibles.

I won't give much away, but the only real complaint I had is that there were several items I wish they'd explored more. The core story is told well, but there are enemies and locations that are never fully explained. You can attribute it to the mysteries of the island, but I just don't think they had time to address everything.

I think the crowning achievement of TR's story is that of Lara herself. While she's never a helpless child, she quickly finds herself thrown in to a nightmare and left to die. She suffers a wicked injury early on, and must survive against man, nature, and gravity (seriously, nearly every action sequence ends with the thud of her body falling from something).

You can feel how overwhelmed she is at the beginning, and there are subtle points in the story where she must become a stronger person. Lara's voice actress was well-chosen, and adds a level of humanity to the character that few games can achieve. I also appreciated that this wasn't a "girl power" story; Lara represents an "everyman" without falling victim to cliches, and it has made her become one of my favorite video game characters to date.

Time Management
Now for the important stuff. How well does this use your time? The short answer is that from the time you gain control of Lara until the credits roll, you are always doing something. If you only play the story, you'll get a mix of combat, exploration, platforming, and puzzle solving that all flow perfectly from one to the next. The longest you'll spend walking somewhere with nothing to do is probably 15 seconds, and even then the path's atmosphere gives you something to look at, or gives you a feeling of dread, so that you won't even realize that nothing is happening in the game.

Despite there always being something to do, the environments are enormous and full of things to explore. Getting from A to B is filled with unique platforming opportunities, often with a touch of combat and light puzzle solving. For those who want to spend a bit of time exploring, the game of packed with collectibles. Some unlock bits of story, while others are used for the game's crafting mechanic.

Upgrading is also very smooth. You have a handful of items in the game that you can upgrade as you go. When you have an item to upgrade, you simply navigate to the weapon and choose from one of the upgrades (damage, accuracy, ammo, etc). In addition, the game features a skill tree that lets you improve Lara. Like weapons, these are mostly bare-bones boosts and include things like improved weapon handling, improvements to stealth, and skills to aid in collecting items. I never agonized over which skill to pick, because the game very quickly lets you figure out what playstyle you want, and from there you just continue progressing down your chosen trees.

In addition to not wasting time, you're also very rare subjected to back tracking during the main quest. Other than returning to a checkpoint when I died, I only remember 1 or 2 instances where I was going down a path twice. The game's linearity is a huge boost here, because it lets everything in the game feel new by slightly altering your path to an objective that might be near an area you'd previously visited.

Overall, I can safely say I never felt the game dragging. There's one area that comes dangerously close, but that's because it took place in a tightly-packed town where all the buildings looked the same and the story wasn't progressing very much. Still, I was always fighting or exploring, the game just lingered there a smidge too long.

Time Sinks
While I like a game that uses my time well, I also appreciate a designer letting me cut break loose and experience optional areas or collect items. Tomb Raider, unsurprisingly, loves giving this to me. Every main path has several nooks to explore, or an alternative path with goodies to grab, or something to return to when you have an upgraded item.

There are also several tombs that you should explore, even if you don't plan on collecting anything else. The puzzles are usually well designed, and almost always require several attempts before you've figured out each step to solving the puzzle and getting to the big shiny chest. While these are fun, I will warn you that there's a good deal of wasted time as you make your way to the tomb, often requiring you to slowly shuffle your way through a generic cave until you come upon a room, only to take the exact same path back once you're done.

At first I figured this was meant to show how out-of-the-way these locations are, until you realize that the area has been visited by the island's inhabitants before. There are always torches lit (which is forgivable on its own) and usually an indication that someone may have been there 5 minutes ago. It's not enough to really mar the game, but it often caused an audible sigh as I pushed forward on the thumbstick and watched Lara creep along.

Overall Impressions
This game is a must-play for any fan of adventure games. If you only have an hour to play every day, it will always be an hour well spent. You will often tell yourself "5 more minutes," but be warned that you'll spend several hours saying that. Tomb Raider grabs your attention from the start and refuses to give you an opportunity to be bored. Outside of the collectibles I don't think there's much replay value here, so consider that when debating between renting or buying.


Let me know what you guys think of this layout. Are there any crucial areas you feel I should add?

Also, don't forget about my Warmachine/Hordes faction dice giveaway coming up. These things are going to be awesome and you don't want to miss out!

See you tomorrow!

Countdown to Cyriss - Week 6

Today we get to look at Cyriss's other living warcaster, Aurora. Alongside her Clockwork Angels, I think this is one of the reasons people will want to play Cyriss.

Shick gave us a lot of stats, so I'll break them down:

• Spd 7
• Flight
• Transference lets warrior models use her focus to boost attack and damage rolls. Assuming she's a FOC 7 caster, that's going to be awesome. 
• True Path grants warrior models/units +2" movement and Pathfinder, making Angels charge 12" and (fingers crossed) attack with a Reach weapon. Even if they don't have a reach weapon, they can out-threaten your average gunline. And with their +2 DEF against ranged attacks, these things can cause chaos on the opponent's flank and back line. 
• Elite Cadre [Clockwork Angels] gives them CMA. With only 3 of them, and the ability to use Transference, it's a negligible benefit. But it does guarantee that any solo is going to die.
• Flank [Clockwork Angels] means she wants to be with her unit and ripping things apart.
• Flashing Blade (spell) is a Thresher-like ability. Combined with Flank, this will make her a terror against high DEF infantry. 
• Eleventh Hour (feat) grants friendly faction models Refuge, letting them make a full advance (ignoring free strikes) if they hit an enemy this turn. With this feat, I picture the scene from Batman Begins where Ra's al Ghul attacks Bruce, then disappears in to a cloud of shifting ninjas.

Overall, Aurora seems like a fun caster. She lets her warjacks handle the big boys while she and her unit of Clockwork Angels flit around the battlefield destroying all the squishy targets. I like her, and if I get Cyriss this will definitely be a caster I put on the field. She has the shenanigans of Circle, but her jacks still possess the hitting power needed to address high ARM targets. And since her MAT has to be at least 7, warjacks are going to be hitting rather well.

So now that we've had two warcasters spoiled, I must say that Cyriss continues to make it difficult to say no. We've had a caster who wants to play like Khador, and one who wants to be Circle. There's little question that they're versatile, if only Privateer Press would give us more concrete details on how often we can expect new toys for these guys!

I think I need a spoiler of something completely new, but just as versatile as what we've seen, before I will return to my "definitely probably" purchase decision. What about you guys? Is there anything you're waiting on before you'll consider buying in? Has the recent confirmation that Cyriss will be a one-time release affected your interest in the army? Let me know, because I'm curious to see where everyone else is on this decision.

See you tomorrow!

EARTHBOUND Finally Returns

Today's Nintendo Direct announced a lot, including a new 3DS Zelda that's a direct sequel to "Link to The Past," but The Internet has spoken and the big news is that SNES cult-classic "Earthbound" is finally getting a release to the WiiU Virtual Console:

By the way, have you seen our new episode yet?

"**** Happens" - A Perspective-Altering Statement

I got to learn a fun life lesson today.

I've spent the last week cleaning out my late father's house so we can sell it. Rather than spend $500 on a dumpster, my neighbor generously offered me his new 2013 Ford F250 and a large trailer behind it so I could haul garbage to our landfill. Naturally that's when it decided to rain in Iowa, and I was so fortunate that my dad's driveway is a steep climb made entirely of dirt.

At some point when backing up the trailer and getting stuck in gouges in the mud, I apparently decided to jackknife the trailer in to his truck. I didn't see it until he called me today and asked me about it. One thing to know about my neighbor is that he is the biggest teddy bear I know, but he's also a bounty hunter who's had weapons pulled on him. So when I get a call from this giant-of-a-man telling me I banged up his new truck, I was ready to barricade myself in the house.

I went over and talked to him about it, and he wasn't even phased. After my third or fourth time apologizing, he told me something that caught me by surprise. "**** happens. I know the risks involved in loaning out my truck, and it's not like I've never done it."

Naturally I'm paying to have it fixed, but that statement was still a bit profound. When you let someone handle your stuff, whether it's your video games, miniatures, cards, whatever... there's a risk involved. Not that the person shouldn't be more careful, but life happens and people make innocent mistakes. Why do we get mad about it? Because we aren't the ones who screwed it up? Models get dropped, spilled drinks gravitate toward Magic cards, and video games aren't the indestructible plastic bricks they once were.

Honestly, I'm ashamed at myself for any time I've felt frustrated with a friend for doing something I could easily have done. Heck, I've dropped a model or scratched a game disc. I always fix what needs fixing, as does anyone who ruins my stuff, so why let it matter? In the end it's just stuff anyway.

Of course we can't talk about this without mentioning the people who simply aren't careful with our stuff. But if you know they can't be trusted with it, why let them touch it? I know I've sat there and grimaced as someone handled a $50 Magic card like it was a deck of Bicycle playing cards. But I didn't say anything as I waited for them to ruin it so I could get upset about it.

It's silly in hindsight, but don't we all do that? We wait to be victims of people who show us they can't be trusted. We wordlessly get upset and deny them the opportunity to learn how to be a decent human being because they continue in their innocent ignorance. Instead of holding anger at someone, I should do the decent thing and talk to them about it so that it can be resolved. If they won't handle my stuff properly, they don't get it. Simple as that.

So I guess all this rambling boils down to two things. If you let someone handle something, make sure you trust them not to break it while being ready to forgive them if they do. And if someone proves themselves unworthy of your trust, explain it to them rather than letting anger or frustration poison your friendship.

Likewise if you damage someone's stuff... fix it.

See you tomorrow!

Mountain King, Smash!

Sometimes there's a model so awesome that it simply must be painted. I've felt that way about a few models, but there's one that has been at the top of my "to paint" list since it was first revealed.
And finally... I get to paint it.

This is the Mountain King, the gargantuan beast of the Trollbloods. It's big, it's awesome, and it's on my painting desk right now. I can feel your jealousy.

We recently had to move our gaming area away from Luke's house so that they can make room for the pitter-patter of a baby gamer. I'm not sure how long they were at Luke's, but it's the only geek den I've been to for over a year. We were discussing a thank-you gift, and I volunteered (or was volunteered, it's a bit blurry) to paint a model for Luke. My mind immediately went to the Mountain King, and Luke apparently didn't mind the idea because once we told him he went home and came back with this big hunk of metal and plastic.

So look forward to a Work In Progress series on this guy, because I'm CRAZY excited to get him painted up. I just need to finish up my Cygnar commission, start the Cryx commission, paint up a unit for my charity project so I can slowly get that finished, paint my new Infinity starter that I can't play until it's painted..... busy busy. But the Mountain King will get finished, and I will declare it to be the most fun I've ever had painting.

See you tomorrow!

We Are Alright

For those of you who don't know, this whole operation is based out of Boston. So I just wanted to give a quick head's-up that yes, it's true that two (so far) explosions - apparently now confirmed to be bombs of some type - have exploded at the Boston Marathon. I was nowhere near the incident today, and thus far none of my family/friends are confirmed to have been in the area and are not among the injured.

Those looking to help the victims of this senseless tragedy are asked to make donations to the Red Cross and/or to give blood.

Magic to Warmachine: An Easy Transition

Last night was the first time I got to teach a friend to play Warmachine. Zach is typically a Magic player, but I somehow managed to talk him in to a demo game. He fielded my Circle Orboros while I blew the dust off my Khador and decided to smash some wolves and wolds.

Long story short, I lost. After explaining the basics of the game, Zach took to it right away. As I watched him explore interactions between his models, I was reminded of myself a year ago when I was learning the game. As we played, I realized that Warmachine is like the miniatures version of Magic.

Look at Magic's rules. You have very carefully worded rules alongside very carefully worded cards. Some cards require very careful reading, because the inclusion or exclusion of a single word can greatly alter how the card handles in a game. In Warmachine, it's no different. Each ability is carefully worded and requires precise reading along with a thorough rules understanding to get the most out of each model.

Second are the interactions. Magic is a game of synergy. You can make a deck where cards play independent of one another, but you will find your deck ripped apart by other decks that are designed to flow smoothly. Even the most basic aggro deck should have instants and sorceries that all work toward the same goal - cramming huge creatures down your enemy's throat. Likewise Warmachine allows you to take a smorgasbord of models, but the greatest players are those who can build lists and play models that all work toward the same goal.

Finally is the level of competitiveness that the games encourage. Magic and Warmachine can both be played casually, but if you've ready my WAAC articles (parts 1, 2, 3) you'll remember that the best games are always those where both players are trying their best. In this case, the games are designed in a way that allows people to try their hardest and are rewarded. List composition plays a part, but it's not like other games where what you bring is more important than how you play it.

So as I watched my Magic-playing friend grasp the basics of movement, power attacks, fury management, etc., I saw his history with Magic start creeping in to his game. I was blown away when he was planning to charge my Juggernaut with a Wold and paused to ask "So if I charge, can I use geomancy to cast a spell before I roll my attack?" I stood there in stunned silence for awhile because he immediately grasped an advanced tactic that many players don't know or understand. Heck, I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in the group who's rules-obsessed enough to be able to correctly answer that.

If you aren't a Warmachine player you can skip this paragraph. This is how a charge works: 1: declare your charge; 2: move toward you target; 3:check to see if the charge was successful; 4: roll your charge attack. However, between step 3 and 4 there's a window where you can activate abilities and cast spells only if your charge was successful. My Wolds have an ability that lets them cast one of my warlock's spells for free; the one he wanted to cast gave him +2 STR, but -1 SPD which would make him unable to perform a charge. But his plan was to successfully charge, Geomancy the STR buff, then roll his attack and subsequent damage roll with a +2 to his boosted attack.

So if you're a Warmachine player trying to get your friends to play, you'll have a much easier time if they're fans of Magic. The games feel very similar, and it really smooths out the game's initial learning curve. And if you're a Magic player interested in tabletop gaming, I think Warmachine is exactly what you're looking for. The rules are tight, the abilities are varied, and the community is competitive.

See you tomorrow!

A Giveaway Already? Believe it!

Who wants free stuff?

Here's the link to the contest page. Tell you friends! More entries means more likes, and more likes means better giveaways in the future!

See you tomorrow!

Promising Kickstarter and a Question

Secret Weapon Miniatures has a really neat Kickstarter going on right now. Follow the link here to see their video showcasing their idea.

Basically, they're doing a much cooler version of what I had thought to do for a gaming table. They will have 12x12 tiles with different light pieces of landscape, and then they'll sell relevant "scatter terrain" to make up the larger walls, structures etc. Their first set of 16 tiles will be a scrapyard theme, with lots of metal debris and junk around the table.

At first glance, this looks awesome. It's a rather inexpensive way to get a themed table with 0 work on the consumer's end. However, a conversation with a friend gives me reservations about using such small tiles.

In games like 40k where you can premeasure distances, the lines on the table aren't terribly important. But for many other miniatures games, having a grid set at 12" can be incredibly beneficial, and may even be detrimental to preparing players for playing on other tables.

For example, take the Khador Widowmaker's gun. It can fire at a range of 14", which gives you a lot of wiggle room up close (up to 10" for me), but it gets more difficult to gauge the weapon's extreme range. But with a grid to help me, it becomes considerably easier to look at my position from a line and compare it to the location of my opponent's model.

The same thing can be said for melee models. Let's say my Doomreavers have an 11" threat range (9" charge and 2" reach). If I'm in the same tile as my opponent, they're mine. If I'm 2" from the back line of Tile 1, and my opponent is near the edge of Tile 2, it's a safe bet that I will be able to successfully charge him.

But models with long ranges aren't the only ones who can benefit from this. Anyone with a bit of skill in eyeballing short distances can almost entirely circumvent the risk involved in working at a model's extreme range. True it's possible to learn to be accurate up to 1/4" (or less!) with some practice, but having these exact lines almost works against the point of honing that skill.

If you're only playing on this table, then it may not matter much. But having such a game-altering crutch to lean on will stunt the overall growth of a player. Working without concrete ways to measure distances always carries some risk because you can never know for sure if you've advanced too far forward to avoid an enemy. You learn tactics and skills that keep you one step ahead of your opponent, and the best players are those who can use these skills to alpha strike or harass their opponent just outside the range of retaliation.

There are a few arguments that can be made in favor of the table, of course. The first is that it's not a one-sided advantage. Both players have access to this 12" measurement, thus putting them on equal footing. While true, one players army will likely be able to exploit such an advantage better than the other army.

It's also true that this isn't the only way to measure without measuring. If you are standing next to a building that you know is 10", it's not hard to get a rough idea of how far away a model at the other end of the building is from you. While true and unavoidable, this scenario doesn't stretch across the entire battlefield, which is where the real problem lies.

Finally, you could argue for finding ways to cover up the lines. Using flock, placing bigger terrain over lines, or even just trying not to use them are all valid ways to circumvent this. If a board will look fine with flock on it, then I think careful placement of it could be a perfect solution as long as the boards all sit flush with one another. Bigger terrain helps block some of the problem, but unless you're playing a terrain-dense game then the gain is minimal. And while trying to ignore the lines is admirable, it's also difficult to fight human nature, especially since it takes no effort to look at two lines and make a distance estimation.

I am very tempted to back this project, but I can't get past the idea that it will cause issues for me and my friends. I want a gaming table, but the time required to make one is a bit of a turn off right now. And realistically speaking, this would cost less than $100 more than building my own, and this comes with a headache free guarantee!

So what do you guys think? Is the aesthetic appeal of 12"x12" tiles worth the problems it can create? Is there a way to fix this that I haven't thought of? Let me know, because I love the idea of a premade table that isn't just a prairie with a hill or two. Or does being able to unofficially premeasure even matter? I think Secret Weapon Miniatures has hit on something really neat, but I'm of the opinion that it will only work for a few war games (one of which is the bigger game out there, of course).

See you tomorrow!

Today On Dr. Phil...

April is always a bummer month for me. But I'm feeling really good today, so I feel like counting my geeky blessings.
I've talked before about how important my gaming group is to me, so I'll save the details on that. But lately I've been really appreciating the friends I've made there. It still feels strange to me to be part of a group, something I haven't really experienced in 8+ years. Although I'm still a bit of a hermit from Monday-Friday, I love getting out and gaming on Saturday and then going to church on Sunday. I look forward to social interactions, and I think I'm on my way to learning how to be a real person!

I've also been thinking about how great it is to interact with friends face-to-face. I still have my friends on Xbox Live who yell at me because I'm never on, but it's a great feeling to look forward to seeing a group of people every week. Heck, I think I'm almost to the point where they begrudgingly enjoy seeing me too! I've made some of my best friends in this group, and it's truly been a life-changing experiences 

From this group I found my love of painting, and from that I also stumbled in to commission painting. I still remember how nervous I was when Josh first offered to pay me to paint something for him. I think it was a Ripjaw - I watched so many videos on how to paint Cryx before I even got up the nerve to prime the little guy. Overall the experience went well, and has since made Josh my most loyal customer.

Since then I've done work for several others, and every new project is a bit nerve-wracking. My first job for someone is my audition, and it's a bit terrifying to know that my ability to get future projects hinges on how well I do the initial job. However, I love doing commission work because of how excited people are to field painted models. And while I'm not the type who needs an ego boost, the best feeling comes from that email saying how much they love their models. It's even better when I paint for someone locally because they usually smile as they rotate the model. The best is always Josh who insists on showing it off to everyone as soon as I hand it to him.

And with all that being said, I want all those involved in my geekiness over the past year to know how much I appreciate you. All of you have had some part in changing my life for the better, and while I'm terrible at being open in person, I'm taking this opportunity to say it.

So to Luke (who is far too busy to get on the internet, but oh well), thank you for inviting me to your home and giving me the opportunity to meet some great friends. Your invitation was the catalyst in pulling me out of a pretty dark spot in my life.

To you guys who deal with me every Saturday, and especially those who suffer through talking to me during the week, thank you for helping me get out of my shell and make friends. You guys are awesome, and I wish you knew how much your friendship has helped me.

To Josh, thank you for being my first commission. Even though my early work was awful, you trusted me to make your money worthwhile. When my family was going through some tough financial times, being able to do projects here and there helped give us just enough to make it that month. And thank you for never saying "no" to me trying out new techniques on your models. A lot of my skills have come from painting your stuff, and I'm sure I'll learn plenty more when your miniatures are on my painting table.

To everyone who has had the confidence to let me paint your miniatures, thank you. This is the first time I've felt like I have a skill I want to share with others, and your faith and kind words have meant the world to me as I continue to develop my craft. The money I've received for painting has been able to help my family, and also allows me to continue purchasing painting supplies for my business and figures for my hobbies. I'm grateful for every single project I receive, and I'm so glad you've let me be a part your hobby.

And to my readers, thank you for giving me the energy to do this every day. Even if only a handful of people read my content, it's great to know that this isn't just a personal journal. I've never been one to ask for the spotlight, but everyone has been so encouraging and responsive that I've really enjoyed being able to start some of these conversations. I know some articles are duds, but thanks for sticking with me anyway!

See you tomorrow!

Everything About This Is Awesome

People thought "Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon" was an April Fools joke, but it turned out to be a real thing - an "expansion" (though it'll be sold as a standalone item - $14.99US for about an 8 hour campaign - that does not require a copy of FC3 to play) that takes the puuuuuurty game engine that FC3 used to render hyper-realistic jungle environments to instead render a neon-infused scifi/action game with an aesthetic somewhere between mid-80s B-movie and NES-era action game (think Power Blade, Strider, etc) blown up into a 3D FPS.


Yeah. I like this. Let's have more expansions on the line of this (and more smaller, non-budget-buster-pricing titles too) now that "zombie mode" has more or less played itself out.

EPISODE 83: "The Next Crash"

UPDATE: Re-posted because of an Intense Debate error in the previous posting caused comment threads to disappear. With apologies for the inconvenience, anyone looking to continue an interupted conversation is welcome to do so here.

Finally, here's the new episode. Ivan takes over the hosting duties for this one, and he's got some thoughts about the likelihood of an impending Second Games Industry Crash.

Countdown to Cyriss: Week 5

This week we get to take a look at some models whose names will be nigh impossible to remember: the Optifex Directive and the Algorithmic Dispersion Optifex.

But enough of that, let's get in to the good stuff! The Optifex Directive is a group of three mechanics that makes all other Iron Kingdoms mechanics weep in to their oil rags. In addition Repair [8], they get two nifty abilities that prove once again that this army is all about utility:

• All Terrain: Grants a friendly faction construct (not just warjack) Pathfinder.
• Weapon Modulation: Gives a B2B faction construct the Magical Weapon advantage.

All Terrain is just another way of improving a battlegroup that has average speed, making difficult terrain something to scoff at. I don't know if this will be a "target friendly model/unit" ability, or if units will suffer slightly. Regardless, walking across the battlefield unimpeded is always a welcome ability!

Weapon Modulation makes me happy as a Khador player. Opponents with incorporeal were always a nightmare for me, but now Cyriss can continue to act like a Swiss army knife and bring the right tool to the right job. As with All Terrain this ability is situational, but when you need it you'll be glad you have it!

All in all, the Optifex Directive sounds like a must-have for an army that focuses on the battlegroup. Being able to repair or enhance a 10 point model is fantastic, and it seems like the army is slowly working its way toward rewarding careful list construction.

The other model we get to see is the solo Algorithmic Dispersion Optifex (ADO). At 1 point, this guy is essentially a walking arc node as long as he's within 5" of a vector. I love this model for one reason - maneuverability. As a budding Skorne player, one warlock I really want to run is Rasheth because of his ability to turn any warrior model in to an arc node.

The ADO fills a similar role, letting you get your spells out almost anywhere without paying the cost of having an arc node on a 'jack. Depending on your warcaster, you can look at fielding 1-4 of these guys and use them for anything from harassment to spell assassination. Unlike a warjack that eats up several of your army points, fielding these means that you aren't too hurt when you lose one, and there may be plenty more elsewhere on the battlefield.

I'm noticing that Cyriss doesn't put all their eggs in one basket. Your warjacks are obviously crucial, but I wonder if we can make them all equally good, or create one "super jack" with all the buffs the army seems to throw out. I guess we shall see.

An interesting blurb that Shick ended with teases that units dying doesn't mean they're done being useful. It indicates that we might be able to revive them, or perhaps they can fuel warjacks in some weird Menoth-meets-Cryx mashup.

I'm still a bit bummed after learning that this is basically a one-time release. Still... I dig the faction and its intricacies, I'm just waiting to be completely blown away before becoming a day one purchase.

See you tomorrow!

What's Been Learned Cannot Be Unlearned

Sometimes learning new painting techniques can be awesome because it helps me grow as a painter. And then there are the times where it drives me nuts because I feel dirty for painting any other way.
Allow me to explain. I LOVE using washes with zenithal highlighting. So when I looked at the studio scheme for some Cygnar Long Gunners, I looked at all that tan and figured I could grab some Sepia and knock out the basecoat in a few minutes. But as I got ready to grab my grey and white primers, my painter's conscience started nagging at me.

Washes are easy, but I knew it wasn't the best way to go. I've been studying up on improving my shading and highlighting techniques. I'd started working on them with a single color shade and highlight, but I found myself wanting to get better at varying degrees of shadows and highlights. So I gave in, put away my primer and got out my airbrush. I've spent most of the day getting the shadows just right, and now I'm finally finishing up the highlights. And this is just the tan

While it's taking me longer, I really like the effect over washing. Don't get me wrong, using a wash has its place, but it doesn't beat personally creating the depth of a miniature. But that's why I love learning - it usually puts an end to doing things the easy way, but it also pushes me to become better and learn even more techniques.

I'm hoping to finish everything but the flesh and hair tonight, but I'm not confident. Things are moving a bit slow because I'm not used to adding that second highlight or shadow. However, I'm creating something that's going to look fantastic, and the extra time is definitely going to be worth it in the end!

See you tomorrow!

Canned "Gritty FPS Reboot" of Mega Man SHOCKINGLY Only Looks About 1/3 as Shitty as You'd Expect

Polygon has a great piece up looking at a previously-unknown project - ultimately canceled by Capcom - wherein a bunch of ex-"Metroid Prime" developers (a game series which The Internet has decided, in absence of any factual evidence, that I "hate") attempt to reboot Mega Man (okay, technically "Mega Man X") into a gritty first-person shooter. And yes, there's video...

...Yeah. The story itself is a pretty fascinating look at Capcom wasting presumably good sums of money on a game they never seemed all that sure about and the devs sound sincere, but the Proof of Concept vids look about like you'd expect. I especially like how the "big get" of Adi Granov redesigning the character literally looks like a fanboy-photoshop of Granov's Iron Man armor tinted blue with a Mega Man helmet stuck on it. Still, one supposes I should be thankful that should this have ever actually happened they opted to use a few colors beyond rust and mud.

One of Us! (Gooble Gobble)

After 3 months and 8 days of posting, I've shared a lot of opinions. Some have been popular, others not so much. Now it's your turn!
I'd like to extend an opportunity for those of you who have something to say about gaming. I'm going to start hosting guest articles on my blog, and I'd like my readers to participate! This isn't a contest, but more of a way for you to contribute and have your opinions heard. I only have a few guidelines I'd like you to follow:

• It must be related to gaming. I'm not too restrictive on what I will accept, so use your best judgment.
• Don't rant. Having a biased opinion is a part of life, but sharing it with intelligence and maturity is a must, both on the internet and in life.
• No photos unless they are very obviously your own. Copyright on the internet is hard to fight, but many photographers try to make a living on their photos. I don't want to steal from them, nor do I want to risk being sued for someone else stealing them. 
• No profanity, including using "God" outside of religious context.
• Proof read! I will do my best to polish any basic errors, but other than that I trust that it will be readable.

So if you have an idea for a guest post you'd like to write, let me know!

See you tomorrow!