Up and coming - April

Let's take a look at what got crossed off the list from last month :)

Hoffman - Done!
Infinity - Still no word from the guy a the hobby shop, but I may be able to play someone at work! Watch this space...
Scenery - Pretty much done with Scatter terrain now, maybe need a couple of sets of MDF crates/barrels to complete two boards of terrain :)
Product Reviews - None written last month, but hopefully i'll get my self in gear and write a couple this month
Project Lists - 
DND
Malifaux - Done & Done
Eldar Exodites - Done
Space Wolves - Done
Warhammer Fantasy (8th ed) Orcs & Goblins - Done
Infinity
Guildball
Hordes Skorne

So I'm not going to add any new items this month, but I do want to cross off the rest of the project list posts, and try and write product reviews for all those items still outstanding.
I would also love to actually get some progress made and photos taken, so maybe that's this month's main objective, to actually progress with what I have waiting to be worked on.

Thanks for stopping by
Lofty

Odds and Ends

I've been a bit under the weather recently, and also had some pretty heavy family related things going on that I've had to deal with as well.

The net result is that I've barely had any motivation to do any hobby stuff if I'm completely honest.

Having said that, I transferred some of my usable Citadel paints into dropper bottles which I bought on Ebay. This should make it easier to use them with both wet palette and airbrush, as well as having them out on the rack rather than stuck in a drawer for example.

I did find some good inspiration on a Facebook group for what I want to do with the wings for my Nephilim models though so I hope I can manage to test that out this week. Hoping to be able to replicate an almost black>purple colour gradient on the wings in contrast to the pale blue which I've used on the skin :)

I've also got myself back into the habit of reading on the train again instead of just browsing the internet in my pre-coffee haze, which means I finished the biography I was reading, and have started again on the series of fantasy books I've been working my way through for years. I messaged some friends on the off-chance that they would want to play a D&D campaign with me in the DM.
I love D&D, I love creating characters, I love 3.5, I love the mechanics. In fact in some of my 'stuck in a rut too fed up to be bothered' time in the evenings recently has been spent noodling around on hero lab creating characters :P.
I also made some dungeon tiles out of old cereal packets which has been a good way to clear my mind and zen out a bit, as well as preparing for when I put pen to paper and start to write the first few encounters for the group.

A bit of a ramble this week, for which I apologise. I hope I get get my head back into it soon and enjoy some hobby time to share with you all.

Thanks for stopping by
Lofty

Dungeons & Dragons

Hello again!

When I posted earlier this week I had every intention of being on a roll with posts, and trying to carry on momentum, but after some pretty bad luck and multiple boiler repairs, and drain leaks my time has been either full of stress an/or thing to sort out.

Anyhow, I'd like to introduce a new topic to this blog. I have previously touched on D&D through the medium of miniatures when I posted painted figures representing me and my party in campaigns. Now though, I hope to use the blog as a sounding board for ideas for my own campaign.

I'm not a very experienced or confident GM, but I do enjoy the game, and the ideas that I have.  I previously ran two sessions of a campaign with some friends but after our diaries filled up with other commitments, and a pretty shaky start from myself as a first time GM, we never came back to it.
Fast forward though to now and I find myself having been bitten quite deeply by the role play bug. Thanks, in no small part, to an Amazon voucher i earned through doing marketing survyes being spent on a series of books I've been meaning to get around to for a while - The legend of Drizzt by RA Salvatore.

I read the first three books in what must have been 20 days altogether, I found it hard to put them down. It set my imagination sparking though and I started looking through my old notes etc. and trying to think how to salvage my old campaign with the fresh ideas I had been given by the books.
I also re-discovered an old program I once bought a license for which allows a user to create characters in the D&D (and many other) settings, saving all the number crunching hassle - Hero Lab
Because my roleplay group stuck to D&D 3.5 when 4th edition came out, the fact that my license wont be updated with newer content is fine :) and after a couple of entire evenings spent noodling around with new and old characters in the program, I was back into writing again!

I have also been drooling over some miniatures which I will be painting up as NPCs for the campaign, and also just because I really like some of their fantasy human range.

Hopefully the 'D&D' tag will be either fortnightly or more often depending how much writing I get done, or maybe even just the odd idea now and then hoping for some feedback from whoever still follows here ;P

That's it for now. I will be backfilling the posts I didn't have time to write this week tomorrow maybe :)
Thanks for stopping by
Lofty

Job Done!

Hi!

Yes it's me, yes I'm posting again.

There, now that's out of the way. I've been inspired to pick up blogging again thanks to a dear friend of mine.
I have a painting log on Warseer but I will be updating betwixt here and there in as close to paralel as possible.

To keep you interested, here are a few WIP samples of the army so far:

I'm also going to be writing additions to an ongoing DnD adventure I am running with some people so I will be using this area as a kind of sounding board for ideas and new features :)
I also intend to 'buy bad guy models', just as an excuse to paint up some nice one off pieces, which I can then post here :)

That's all for now, Thanks
Lofty

Down by the Bayou

I've just used the magic of Excel to draw the winner for the base competition I was running before I realised I have enough spare bases for everyone who entered, so I'll be contacting people shortly to arrange type/size/style etc. for their prize :)

In other news;
- No I haven't re-tagged historic posts, I've not had time :(

- DnD went really well the other day, and I'll be trying to book the guys in for the next instalment ASAP, strike while the iron is hot, y'know?

- I have a desk full of Gators. I managed to get Posse number two up to the stage that my original posse is at, and made a start on the second set of bases too.  I'm hoping to be able to get the details and final touches done during the week, but there will be some definite progress to show in the weekly WIP next week :) there are very few models to re-base (Calaban, two Wrastlers and a Snapper) and I've added sand to the bases of all my small based models (Croak Hunter, Bog Trogs and the Bone Grinders) so they'll be ready for undercoating once the glue & sand is dry. Lots to do, for the BCB event in October, but I think I've left plenty of time to get through it all.
Now, if only I could decide on what lists to take!

That's pretty much it for now, hopefully have some WIP shots by mid-week :)

Thanks for stopping by
Lofty

WIP week

Big V got his Paint stripped, which I think I mentioned, and I also finished painting my DND character (war priest prestige class) shown below as well. The model began life as the Avatars of War War Priest model, see if you can spot which parts have been added :P

Other than that, there isn't much new going on, Payday on Monday and I still have no clue what I'll be spedning my monthly mini budget on, Might talk to the guys at the tourney tomorrow and see what opinion I can canvas.

Speaking of tournies, below are the two lists I'll be taking;

Dawnlord Vyros +6 points

* 2x Griffon 4 points each
* Phoenix 10 points

Arcanist 1 point
10 Dawnguard Sentinels 9 points
* Sentinel Officer & Standard 2 points
Fane Knight Skeryth Issyen 5 points
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt 4 points
Lanyssa Ryssyl 2 points

----------------------------------------------------

Adeptis Rahn +6 points

* Manticore 8 points
* Phoenix 10 points

Arcanist 1 point
10 Dawnguard Sentinels 9 points
* Sentinel Officer & Standard 2 points
House Shyeel Battle Mages 5 points
2x House Shyeel Magister 2 points each
Mage Hunter Assassin 2 points

Should be fun, as my game with Vyros on Monday was a really close one, which I enjoyed immensely, I will of course keep you posted on the results :)

Thanks for stopping by

Lofty

Technological interference

It's been a long week. Not only did my iPhone give up the ghost and need to be returned to the shop for repair, but my broadband provider decided to switch my service off early before the next IP could connect me...

Many angry phone calls later, and the internet seems to be back up, but my beloved iPhone is still a week away apparently.

Anyhow, in the meantime, my lost package finally arrived, and I have converted up and painted the Avatars of War War-Priest miniature to represent my DND Cleric. Very pleased with the final results, which I will hopefully be able to take pictures of this weekend.

I also had a game with Vyros at the club this week (yes that's right, Vyros) and it was a very closely fought game. eNemo's feat is horrendous when he runs many 'jacks (who wouldn't run many 'jacks with him?) but Defensive line and Inviolable resolve on Sentinels is one tough nut to crack. Vyros held his own with a flanking Griffon, but I had left him far back behind his own lines, as I insist on playing every 'caster as support until I get it through my thick skull to do otherwise.

I actually almost won the game thanks to an Arcanist un-disrupting my Phoenix and allowing him to get to Nemo (gotta love mobility on a heavy) but of course I missed with his thermal blade (snake eyes) hit with the fist, then snake eyes on the bought sword attack. Gutted doesn't even cover it to be honest.
This is all after two sentinels fluffed attack rolls the turn before, so overall I was quite pleased with my first WM game in months.

Hordes has taught me a lot about the game system(s) but deployment is still a weakness, as is order of activation. For some reason, I always seem to allocate focus to the Phoenix, despite it still being there at the end of the turn...

I'm really in two minds whether or not to run Vyros at the tourney this Sunday, or to stick with Xerxis, who I am a bit more comfortable with. If I can get a couple of Vassal games in before the weekend then I may well take Vyros. We shall see what time permits.

Payday is a-comin' and for the first time in a long while, I have no list of miniatures ready to snap up from the LGS. I'm toying with the idea of Discordia for Vyros at 50 pts (even though I bought the minion elf 'lock for just such a purpose grumblegrumble) as a spray attack on his feat turn would be ridiculous. In anticipation of the Retribution Destors who are rumoured for this year, I'm tempted to pick up the second unit of sentinels for Vyros' tier, reinforced by the amateur mistakes I made with the first unit I built (let's just say I wash all my minis before assembly, and pin pretty much all joins nowadays). Or perhaps battle mages for Rahn's tier, Mage hunters and Ravyn, the list goes on...
Then there is Hordes to consider, Marketh is out this month sure, and I want Orin and an agonizer for Xerxis' brick, but what else should I get? Beastmasters, Arcuarii?

Much pondering is needed before I get my grubby mitts on a month's worth of money...
Any input is greatly appreciated!

Thanks for stopping by
Lofty

Pop n drop

Another great game today. Only lost as I really underestimated the acrobatics of daughters of the flame. I left Makeda 'somewhere safe' and she got swarmed. This made me commit to defending Makeda and I lost my tyrant (to their anatomical precision), who was my only comeback vs Kreoss' feat. Which saw Makeda getting wailed on by a Templar.

Praetorians performed well again though. Denying any use from a unit of exemplars by running at them, getting killed under Makeda's feat, and mini feating the knights to death.
And of course powering the soul factory ;p. Marketh will love those guys!

Turn two wouldn't been very different if only I hadn't rolled snake eyes vs a slam of a Templar toward Kreoss, but I get far too carried away to think about averages vs def etc and whether I need to boost :p

I'm still really enjoying Hordes however, and far prefer the mechanics to Warnachine. I need to field another light beast though I think, as I run the beasts up front and then struggle once they go down. Perhaps I'll drop the swordsmen to minimum...

Something else I struggle with is order of activation. I always have a plan in mind, but i often struggle to execute it in the right order, or I get too eager and activate key units too early. Again, practice will overcome this I guess, and practicing will be fun!

Managed to grab an earlier train today too so i'll get plenty time to finish my Bronzeback assembly, the last three Nihilators, rethink my list and level up my DnD character. Good evening all told!

Thanks for dropping by
Lofty