The Trading Post

Webzine - Skavenblight Gazette issue 12

2011-09-07T11:32:00.002+01:00

Do you hear a low squeaking? Wait, it is getting louder. By the Horned Rats tail, it is a tide of vermin! And swept along with them, Issue 12 of Skavenblight Gazette.

You have demanded it, so here it is. Another excellent collection of hobby and fiction articles, all wrapped up in deliciously hideous artwork. Don't be the last Skaven on your block to catch the disease.

[The Workshop] Bitz Organisation

2011-06-26T19:15:00.000+01:00

As now days almost all sprues come with extras, lots of extras, it comes important to have somewhere to keep it all. Now, you could just bung it all into a box, or you could separate it all out for ease.

In this post I am going to look at the methods that I personally use to help organise my own bitz collection.

Why separate the bitz you ask? Well, the main reason is for ease. No one wants to be hunting through a huge box for that one axe or head, so instead the better idea is to separate them out into sections. For this purpose I have three main methods of storage. Some are better than others, and I will cover the problems I have encountered with them while others suffer from size or capacity.

So, to start off, I'm going to show you the simplest method I use. Bags. You can use various different types of bag, I favour these clip-to-close style food bags. The good part about bags is they can hold a lot of stuff, depending upon the size you can hold almost an entire box full in a single bag. I tend to separate mine out a little bit more, into categories. As you can see from the picture to the right there is writing on them, this is usually things like; "human heads", "dwarf hand weapon arms", "dwarf command" etc. It just makes it easier to find specific bitz if you know where they come from. The downside to bags is that you really need a separate container to keep them all in, and you have to sort through lots of bags. This is really the case if like myself you have bags for dwarfs, orcs, goblins and 40K orks all in one box, it can get confusing to find the right one.

The next one I use to use a lot, but recently been veering away from this option. The main reason being it is small. This sort of box is useful to keep track of the really small items that might otherwise get lost or hard to find in larger boxes/bags such as beer steins, badges, pipes etc. However, for the larger items this sort of box is not so good, as the size is limited making it unideal for items such as monster or cavalry parts.

That is not to say that this type of box is useless, it is handy for keeping track of those small fiddly items that you won't always need, but are useful.

This is perhaps the best method I have found to keep it all tidy. It's usefulness comes from having several draws each with individual divided sections. This eliminates the need for more spacious options, as you should be able to keep everything pretty much all together in one box. The fact that it is multi-layered helps, allowing you to put similar bitz in one draw making it easier and simpler. What's more these things are stackable, allowing you to have quite a few stacked on top of one another for little space taken. Of course the down size is that they are quite bulky (depending on the size you go for) and you will need more surface space to store these boxes.

So, hopefully I have shown how you can store a number of your bitz for your army. Having storage like this helps with keeping your workspace semi tidy, and allows easy access/knowledge of where certain bitz are located. I personally plan to gain more of the latter box, and as you can see they are not hard to get a hold of (this one being from B&Q, a UK based DIY store) and have it separated out a little better and easier.

Gaming Aids/Tokens

2011-06-19T12:00:00.099+01:00

Gale Force 9 Tokens

Looking at tokens for wargaming...

As gamers we during a single game there can be a lot of effects to keep track of. These range from psychological to spell effects. With so much happening during a game it can be hard to keep track of these events, the usual method most gamers go with is to use a dice to mark them. But as we all know these dice get lost in the mix, or picked up by accident.

One option gamers have open to them are counters or tokens. These things can come in a variety of ways; some plastic - like the Gale Force 9 tokens -, others might be wooden chits with printed images glued to them, while others go a little extra and make little miniature versions of the effects. However these counters appear, they all have the same use; a reminder. A reminder of what? The effects of spells, psychological effects and the like. A variety of companies make these things, if a plastic version is what you are after - the major one of course being Gale Force 9. As you can see by the images above and to the right, these counters have multiple purposes and are quite effective.

Gale Force 9 Counters

What effects am I actually referring too? I don't think I need to go through all of the list you can use, but a few that are perhaps "popular". Spells - and in this I include knowing your own spells, using the GW decks are great for this. This allows you to lay important cards - such as remain in play - next to units to act as a reminder that this unit is under X, Y or Z effect. Aside from these cards some people make miniature based markers, this is perhaps quite common with Ogre Kingdom players and their gut magic. Then there are psychological effects, units suffering from frenzy or stupidity are often things that can be forgotten in the maelstrom of battle.

puggimer's Gut Magic Counters, from the Ogre Stronghold

On top of these you can add wound markers, another thing that is quite hard to keep track of during the game. Some people use smaller dice, or glass/plastic gems, but when you have multiple characters this sort of thing can become hard to track if you use the same coloured markers. Some people use rings, spare bases with skulls or small magnets. In all, these are just down right useful. Captured standards are the final real use for these markers I can see.

Games Workshop Magic Cards

Why use them? Personally it is a remembering problem. Some units have special rules or effects on them that I might not always be able to keep track of, so placing an obvious marker next to them helps me to identify what buffs or even debuffs that unit has gained/suffered. Counters allow a player to glance up at the table and instantly see what is going on, or to make a note of something (such as animosity) to come back to. This quick checking should in effect mean that the game would be a lot quicker (no need to see who is wounded, fleeing or what war machines cannot fire this turn), and it minimises any arguments as to numbers of wounds suffered, who has captured banners and all these other bits and pieces.

Eric Mason's Mysterious Forest Tokens, from Bugman's Brewery

Of course, it is not only game effects that counters can be useful for. With the new terrain rules for 8th edition it has become important to make a note of what kind of terrain each piece is. And so, some tokens I have seen - DIY and some made by Gale Force 9 - are used to denote what the individual special types of terrain are. Useful for games where there are a lot of pieces of terrain to keep a track of.

In conclusion, I would just like to say that tokens have their uses during games. They have the ability to speed the game up a bit and help with the management of all the effects of the game that you might come across. And it is always fun to make your own as something extra. Go, try it.

* All images have been used without the permission of the owner/author and shall be removed upon request

Tournament Preperation

2011-06-17T12:00:00.020+01:00

An interesting review of the things that makes you be a good tournament player.

Now before we move onto the actual topic, I would like to point out that this is NOT my list or thoughts, but you can find the original post here: Hulksmash's Homeplace. It is also designed for 40K gamers, but I think a lot of it can apply to a Fantasy tournament player. He makes a great deal of important points (especially with the hygiene parts), something to remember for the future.

After reading this, what would your tips be for someone preparing to go to a tournament?

Before the Tournament:

List Creation: If you're going to be playing in a tournament, you want to make sure that you have a "Take All Comers" list. Popular and powerful builds: Mechanized IG, Mechanized Spacewolves with Longfang Spam, TWC Spacewolves, Mechanized Blood Angels, Mechanized Eldar. Is your list capable of competing against these six builds? There are certainly others, but if you can stand toe-to-toe with those six builds, you'll be able to adapt and deal with other builds too. I don't want discussion about this article to devolve into a discussion of what makes a competitive list - there are a lot of theories about it, and it deserves its own thread - this isn't even a topic that can be summarized across all codices, but I list those six because they are amongst the most popular and the most likely that you're going to see across from you on the table in a competitive scene. The one thing I will offer here is that you should bring a list that you are comfortable playing (see my note on practice) - just because someone on the internet has had fantastic experience with a list doesn't mean that you are going to as well - a list is just a piece of your experience in a game; how you use it, what you face against, and your ability to adapt to changing needs on the table play a much bigger part. For example, I play a nonstandard Ork list that gets immense critique when I post it on the internet. It isn’t supposed to work, it isn't a netlist, but I have phenomenal experience with it because I'm intimately familiar with its strengths and weaknesses and what I need to do with it to pull out a win. Find what works for you, what you're comfortable playing, and tweak it and tweak it until you feel like it has the ability to face "all comers."
List Printing: If you have Army Builder, use it. It costs about $30. Many stores have a store copy of Army Builder that you can use, and they either charge a nominal fee for its use and paper printing, or nothing at all. If you don't have Army Builder, use one of the Excel Spreadsheet Army Builders, or one of the customized and free Army Builders. Tyranids have their own special army builder....I use an excel workbook I found online where everything is linked to each other, and has a very nice printout that shows each unit and their costs. I personally don't prefer Army Builder because the printout is an extensive spreadsheet with some unnecessary information in it that can be hard to read; it isn’t the easiest to read format, but it is definitely a verifiable means of proving that you have a legal list. Many people prefer to have an excel or word printout of your list that is easy to read - regardless of which way you choose to go, you *MUST* bring enough copies of your printed list to give one to each opponent, one to the TO, and one for yourself. A single copy is a no-go. A written copy is a no-go. Print your lists out and don't disrespect your opponents or the TO by offering your chickenscratch scribbled list as your list. People like me like to write battle reports, and you can't do it without a copy of your opponent list.

Army Practice:
-Practice with your army. Practice how it moves together, what units give physical cover to others, how things move on the board and support each other; if you're playing an army with a lot of models, practice moving them quickly - like instead of moving 30 boyz 6" forward, grab the back three ranks and put them up front - you only have to move half the models. You'll have to watch your special weapons - you can't move special weapons from the back to the front using this method, but if all your boyz / tyranids are the same, it can cut off real chunks of time from your movement. Things like that. Many opponents will let you perform your run movements at the same time as your movement phase so that you don't have to move all your models first - I've never had an opponent say no, but always be sure to ask. Practice against opponents with fast armies. If you can't get through 5-6 turns in 2 hours with an 1850-2k list, practice more, or tweak your list. If you can only get through 3-4 turns in a tournament because you're slow, you're going to be labeled a slow-player at best and annoy people....at worst, you're going to be labeled a cheater who is intentionally slow-playing to avoid your own destruction and face possible disqualification. DO NOT bring an army to a tournament that you are not capable of playing in a timely fashion. These events have strict time limits and you need to be able to play within those limits.

Materials:
-Tape Measure: Get the $3 12' kind from Walmart. It is small, efficient, and wonderous.

-Dice: Everyone has their own assortment of dice, avoid dice with custom facings if you can - they do nothing but create confusion and potential hostility on the table. If you refuse to do so, they *must* all have custom facings on the same side (six or one) without being mixed, and you need to demonstrate before the game to your opponent which the custom sides are. Custom faces won't win you any friends, but they will be tolerated - however, if you're asked to not use them, be prepared to have other dice. Best advice: Avoid custom facings. You also will need a scatter dice if you have any kind of deep-striking or blast tempates. Make sure that your dice and pips have easily readable colors. Sparkly pink dice with white pips that glare the light and make it hard to read aren't a good idea. Marbled black dice with blue pips...not a good idea. Get distinctive colors between them so that both you and your opponent can readily read them. There are a lot of people attached to their specialty dice - but for the love of 40k, please don't pick up this bad habit.

-More on Dice: Don't be afraid to ask your opponent to use your dice or for you to use their dice. If someone has a block of dice, and are about to roll to seize the initiative and pluck out a special dice to make the roll, I pause and ask to see it. There's plenty of statistics elsewhere on the internets about various dice; square edged dice are more likely to roll statistically accurate; rounded dice roll 29% ones instead of 16%, things like that. If someone has a bunch of 5+ invulnerable saves to make on terminators, and they get out a special dice to make all their rolls with on that single dice...and then go on to make them all, ask them to change out for one of their other dice. If something makes you uncomfortable, speak up. Better to say something than for bad feelings to start, or for it to devolve into drama on a forum thread somewhere later.

-Galeforce 9 Tactical Template: This $7 treasure from Galeforce Nine is the most precious treasure to a 40k player. It's a blue template with a 1", 2", 4", and 6" side, along with a 45 degree arc of fire. When you or your opponent need to measure a close assault, or you're reaching down into a unit to move stuff around, the tactical template is far superior to a tape measure. The 2" coherency side makes disembarking from vehicles and spacing your models extremely easy. Not a requirement, but a VERY HIGHLY recommended addition to your tournament repetoire. This template is the difference between tournament ready players and everyone else. Get one.

-Codex: Make sure that you have your codex with you. Don't forget it. Also bring any FAQ or Errata for your codex printed off the GW website. Many codexes have updated rules (especially recently) and those rules don't exist unless you have the documentation with you. Make SURE that you have a rulebook with you. The pocket rulebooks from the AoBR box are gold; you can buy them cheaply on e-bay if you don't have one. And most importantly here, make sure that your NAME is on the side of your rulebook, written across the outside of the pages, and that your codex has your name on it; the same can be said of your templates and Tactical Template. No need for you to get your stuff mixed up with other people.

-Pen/Pencil: You will pretty much always need to fill out a scoresheet, so bring one with you. Keep it in your case/dicebag/foam/etc.

-Superglue: Breaks happen, and many tournaments (and pretty much all GTs) have painting and customization scores. Be prepared to fix them. For quick-setting, bring a spouted little bottle with baking powder it in - it will instantly set superglue bonds, and is also useful for reinforcing joints. I can't tell you how many times I've had Tau Battlesuits break off their stands, or reaver jetbikes, or ork deffkoptas.

-Moving Trays: Either a display board, or a couple of cookie-sheets, or a couple of fast-food trays - you need to have something to transport your army between tables. Putting your army into your foam, then making your opponent wait while the clock for your game is ticking for you to get it back out is supremely disrespectful to them - get a jump on timeliness by having something to move your assembled armies together between tables.

-Templates: Flamer Template, Small Blast, Large Blast - if you have any of these weapons in your list, make sure you bring the template for firing it with you.

-Explosion Templates: Cut felt/paper/plasticard to the size of your vehicles. I have DE raider shaped felt pads that I place for vehicle explosions. Also rhino, land raider and chimera shaped pads. When a vehicle explodes, passengers get placed in the footprint of the vehicle. Having a vehicle footprint sized crater nullifies rules disputes, and solves a lot of issues!

[u]Call Ahead:[/u]
Call the store before you go. Find out if painting will be scored. If your army isn't fully painted, find out if it will be scored. If you're using any "Counts as" or proxy models - primarily because the models you want don't exist (yet hopefully), call and confirm that your stand-ins are acceptable - don't show up with any assumptions. Ask what time registration starts, how many points it is, what the registration cost is and what time the first game starts so that you're on time.

Personal Preparation:

-Hygeine: Not joking. Fresh clothes, underclothes, freshly showered, shampooed, cleaned hair and beard if you have one, and heavily applied deoderant. Armpits, chest, anywhere else you need. Stinky gamers are a real detraction to crowded rooms, especially six hours into a tournament when your body odor is trying to push through sweat and grime to reveal itself. Keep it covered up. One of my friends brings spare deodorant to GTs and gives them to his opponents if they are particularly pungent. I realize that not everyone has the ideal personal hygiene, so you need to make a conscious effort of not being noticeable around other people for your own smell. It will mark you out unfavorably. Brush your teeth that morning, bring gum.

-Hydrate: A running monologue throughout your turn of what you're doing ,asking your opponent questions, talking all day - can be thirsty work. Hydrate, and stay hydrated. I bring two liters of powerade/gatorade with me to GTs and larger RTTs - or bring petty cash if the place you're going sells drinks. I'm a fan of drinking and gaming, and I'm personally a bit famous for the bottle of Captain Morgan that goes with me to big events, so hydration is doubly important.

-Shoes: Whatever style you want for clothes is fine, but your shoes need to have good soles; sneakers are best. Standing on your feet for 8 hours with intermittent breaks to sit is going to KILL your feet and back, so take good care of your feet and what you're going to be standing on.

-Timeliness: I can't stress this enough: If a tournament starts at 0900, you need to be there at 0830. If registration starts at 0900 and dice roll at 1000, be there between 0900 and 0930 - you need time to unpack your gear, prepare it for the games, turn in your list, register, do a bit of socializing. Do NOT be late. I've seen plenty of tournaments that close off registration 10-15 minutes before dice start rolling so that they can handle table assignments and create pairings. NOTHING PISSES PEOPLE OFF MORE than a tournament that is supposed to start at 10:00 AM that doesn't kick off until 10:30 or 11:00 because someone or a few someones were lazy and disrespectful enough not to manage their time well enough to bother showing up on time. Don't be TFG.

-Optional Others: Many folks bring snacks or aspirin, and especially drinks to make a long day of gaming durable.

During Your Game:

-Ask questions. This is the MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICE I can offer you. Ask about things your army fears. Ask where the anti-tank is. Ask what the ranges are if you don't know. Ask about stat-lines. Ask which units are in which transports. Ask where the ICs do. Ask about special rules. As time goes by, you'll learn these things, but don't put yourself in a position of weakness by not having adequate information. Ask questions, and often. I start virtually every game looking at my opponent's models on their tray (not so much their list) asking and identifying where units are, what weaponry are on which vehicles, what units have the ability to outflank, or deep-strike, or infiltrate, what special rules are on models I'm not so familiar with - don't ever deploy blindly without an idea of what you're going to be facing off against.

-Don't lose sight of the objectives. Don't commit to an objective game early - killing all the enemy troop choices can win you an objective game as easily as castling up on them. But don't find yourself at the end of turn5 without the ability to jump onto objectives or accomplish the mission.

-Pick up your missed dice rolls. Do NOT pick up your hits - leave those on the table for your opponent to inspect; pick up your misses. This prevents suspicion, accidental or intentional cheating, and the possibility of your opponent saying, "Hey, you just picked up a miss!" Always pick up your misses and set them to the side so that your opponent can inspect your hits.

-Scatter dice: Roll the Scatter dice RIGHT NEXT to wherever you're scattering. There's nothing worse than someone trying to figure out the scatter direction from half a table a way, and its frustrating to have to reign someone in because they have bad depth perception. Keep those scatter rolls close. If an issue arises in the direction, there's an easy geometry fix: Extend your tape measure over the scatter dice. Have your opponent draw theirs connected to yours in a perpendicular line and hold it there. Then remove your tape measure and place it over the model / template being scattered so that the direction is true - then count out the inches.

-Measuring: There are many ways to measure your models - some people measure front to front, others middle to middle....I'd encourage you doing front to front - but the one thing you *need* to do is extend your tape measure the distance you're going to move, set it down on the table, then move your model up the length of where you're moving....then remove your tape measure. Dropping your tape measure out 12", eyeballing where its going to be, removing your tape measure and then placing your model where you saw the tape measure end is unacceptable. There's no need to guesstimate range like that - leave your tape measure on the table so that both you and your opponent can visually inspect the distance moved to make sure it is accurate. Doing otherwise is going to get you pegged as either lazy or a cheater - neither of which is an image you want to portray, even if its accidental. For longer movement measurements (18-24"+) if you're moving over terrain, use either a dice or a finger to mark the end of your movement before removing the tape measure from the table so that there is a definitive marker of where your movement is going to end - so that when you scroll your tape measure back in and pick up your model, you know where its going to go even with the tape measure off the table. When I'm moving to an opponent's side of the board, I'll often engage them and ask them to drop a finger at the end of my tape measure for me - its comforting to an opponent to know that you're not trying to gain extra inches.

-Killpoints: Don't worry about trying to keep track of killpoints or victory points during a game, except in a general sense of knowing what you need to win. You can sort those out at the end of the game instead of wasting game time doing it. Sometimes I see people trying to keep track on on army list, or using models to mark killpoints on the side of the board - don't bother. This isn't to say ignore the victory conditions - especially around turn 4-5, it is valuable to have a mental tally of where you are versus your opponent so that you know what you need to do to win the game, what to sacrifice, what to commit where and in what quantity to ensure you get the win - but keep it in your head; it might be an advantage that your opponent isn't keeping good track of. :)

-Explanations: Keep a running monologue of what you're doing to your opponent. If I have five beasts about to assault, I say something like this: "Alright, five beasts, with three attacks base, +1 on the charge, four attacks each, that's 20 attacks...WS4 vs. WS4, so 4s to hit , STR4 vs T4, looking for 4s to wound , that's 6 wounds. It keeps your opponent up to date on what you're doing and why. When I move models, I ask my opponent to inspect my line of sight; if I've got a ravager that's going to shoot at a vehicle across the board, I'll drop a dice at the base of where I started, move where I want, make sure I have clear line of sight....then ask my opponent to check if there's any kind of terrain in the way to get their buy in that I have more than 50% visibility. It saves trouble later where there could otherwise be disagreement about TLOS and whether something is going to get cover or not.

*SPECIAL NOTES*

-Slow Play: If your opponent is a slow player, nip it in the bud early. If they are taking their sweet time with deployment, getting models out of foam, ask them at once if they could move it along a bit so that less of the game time is cut out; if you're concerned about not being able to get through the game, go see the TO in private immediately and address your concerns. If the turns are dragging out because your opponent is slow, give them reminders and prompts. I use prompting quite a bit - if my opponent has moved everything and is sitting there looking at the table, I'll say, "Alright - any other moving or onto shooting?" Most people aren't slow-playing you maliciously, so just keep prompting them to move the game along. If you *do* feel that someone is doing it maliciously (like if you hear before the tournament that so-and-so is proud of how slow they can drag out a game, or if their army has a distinct advantage by not letting a game progress), then definitely solicit TO intervention.

-TFGs: The dreaded "That f****ing guy" - this actually encompasses a lot of stereotypes. Rude people, rules lawyers, loud people, stinky people, bad sports.....the two worth addressing specifically are rules lawyers and bad sports.
A.) Rules Lawyers. There are two kinds.
1.) Type 1: They know the rules exquisitely well, can quote you the page numbers, flip to the relevant sections, and are annoying you because you're not so hot with the rules. Solution: Deal with it. Your grasp of the rules will improve with time, and you really *do* need to know the rules very well to be a competent tournament player. No, you don't get to just stuff all your models into assault, you have to move them into combat in coherency with the previously moved model. This matters when you can set up an assault to use that rule to put your opponent at a disadvantage - either making them get into base with a scary unit, or minimizing their assault effectiveness. Feel free to ask to see the rule in question in these instances, but this is simply a competent player, not a TFG.
2.) Type 2: They *think* they know the rules exquisitely well, but are just ninkers. If someone tosses out a rule and you don't believe it, or have a contrary understanding, NEVER hesitate to ask to see the rule. If they can't find it in a timely fashion (so as to not delay the game) ask the TO to come rule or find it while you continue the turn elsewhere until that issue is resolved. I can't believe how many folks I run into that profess to not know that you smoke your vehicles during the movement phase. And are willing to argue about it until you ask them to show you in their codex. If you run into these, keep the corner of your eye on the TO or a judge and be ready to call them over.

B.) Bad Sports: Two kinds of these as well.
1.) Type 1: When they're winning, they are jovial, might tease you, be overly talkative. When they're losing, they may turn sulkly and/or argumentative. The answer: Stay professional. Socializing with fellow gamers is important, but best expressed before/between/after games, not during - when you are emotionally attached to what is happening on the table. Stay professional - offer clear description of what you're doing / moving / shooting at, announce hits/wounds/saves to be made, and avoid personal discussion until after the game. Calm, collected, professional - it will get you far in both real life and through games with these kind of guys.
2.) Type 2: A 6" movement is 6.5-8", the dice get picked up off the table faster than you can see, models get rearranged, 8 of your guys are under the flamer template when you only have 7 models, and just as bad, the direction they scatter is always advantageous to them, and not necessarily related to the actual direction of the scatter. The answer: Get proactively engaged, and let your opponent know that you're actively paying attention. If your opponent measures 12" out, then moves the tape measure away, then moves a vehicle or something to within the vicinity of where the 12" was....possibly gaining moving space, demonstrate to them how to use a tape measure as I explained above, and ask them to do the same. In fact, at the beginning of almost every game, I brief my opponent on a couple of things - that I always pick out misses instead of hits, what a cocked die is and when I will reroll it, and how I measure on the table (with the tape measure left on the table for proof of distance moved) - and I will visually demonstrate the "move with the tape measure across the table to get an extra inch or three" move as one of the reasons I avoid holding the tape measure up and ask them to do the same. If they start doing it in the game, help them. Put a die at the end of their measurement. Or your finger. Tell them that you're marking their movement to help them be accurate since they're just eyeballing the tape measure ending.

In short: Get engaged, and do so early. Nip that stuff off in the bud. Don't let it get out of control or let yourself be abused by your acceptance of what's happening.

After The Game

-Reset Your Army: Presuming that you brought cookie-trays or a display board, reset your army onto your tray. Tournament tables have terrain on them that you won't be cleaning off, and the best way to insure that you don't leave behind a model is to have your army arranged on your moving trays in such a way that when you "reset" your army after the game, you can quickly see if everything is there. The same goes with dice. If you have a block of dice, stick them all back in their block to make sure that they are still there. If you use white dice, keep a count of them before the tournament so that after each game you can count to make sure you still have them all - in case both you and your opponent use them.

Post-game is an important socializing time as well. Whether you won or lost, it is important for both players to realize that it *is* a game - and that the losing side has an opportunity to learn something.

-Ask Questions: If you won, ask your opponent what they would have done differently if you played again. If you lost, ask your opponent what they think you could have done to present more of a challenge. Ask if they saw any serious tactical mistakes that you made. Losing sucks, but don't let it put you in a bad mood. Find out why you lost and don't do it again. If you won, be gracious - thank your opponent, shake their hand (either winning or losing), and ask if they want any feedback on the game, and why you think you took victory away from them.

-Socialize: A lot of gamers are shy about talking to strangers - force yourself to be outgoing and socialize with other people there. The friends you make will keep you coming back for more.

-Thank the TO: If the TO does a good job running the tournament, personally thank them. It can be a thankless job, and most of their player interaction is people asking them to rule on disputes. It means a lot for players to appreciate the effort that they've put into it.

And finally....if you have an issue during a game, bring it up during the game. Do NOT bring it up after the game with the TO, they can't do anything at that point. Don't save it for the forums as an outlet later - you're just going to cause trouble that should have been nipped in the bud. Bring up issues as they arise and deal with them on the spot; it will work out best all around.

I would like to point out once more that this post is not my own, but rather a copy and paste from the following blog: http://hulksmash-homeplace.blogspot.com/ And I will remove it should it be requested.

Tavern Talk - Painting; Beginners and Beyond

2011-06-15T19:23:00.001+01:00

This Tavern Talk we look at giving advice to new beginners in the hobby. But, rather than gaming tips, this time I ask for your painting ones.

I have decided to try a different thing this time around. I thought I would offer you this scenario and see what your advice would be:

A new starter to the hobby has approached you, their army has been selected (insert your own preference if needs be) and rather than ask you questions about how to game or army composition they instead ask you about painting. Your reply is....

Basically, what tips would you give to a new starter in the hobby. Everything from paints, to basing. What are your top tips?

There are loads of tips for a new painter out there on the internet, from loads of forums to blogs or even just websites. There is no reason why anyone would struggle with getting started with painting. So, I will give my top seven tips and then we have links from others who took part.

Practice! This is perhaps one of the most important things when getting into painting, your first models will never look good but the more you try and paint the better your skills will be honed and increase.

Avoid hard to paint colours! For your first few minis, trying to do white or yellow is something that should perhaps be avoided.

Washes! These have become a staple of beginner painters. They are great for doing quick shading on models. A quick wash of these 'paints' and your miniatures gain lots of depth.

Water down the Paints! Painting out of the pot is a big no, no. It will dry the paint up quicker and it is really quite thick. Use a brush to transfer some paint to another medium - a plate or a lid - and add a drop of water. This will help it paint smoother and not block any detail.

Use Black Undercoat! This is a good one. The black will not look quite so bad if it shows through the painting as white does. White tends to be quite glaring, while the black can look a lot like shading.

Brushes! These things are important, you paint with them! So look after them, be a bit more careful with them and don't dip them all the way into the paint.

Start Small! Pick a basic rank and file trooper first, these guys don't have to be amazingly painted individually. So don't worry about perfection, but remember the two foot test. If it looks good at that distance, then you're doing it right.

And these are the blogs where you can get some more advice.

Bringer of Victory
Quiet Limit of the World
Bovine Overlord
Inane Courage

Notebooks and their uses

2011-06-02T21:51:00.000+01:00

In a game that requires a lot of remembering of statistics and rules, it can be hard to keep track of everything. This is where the humble notebook comes into it...

The first thing to cover is why do you need a notebook in a wargaming setting? I can personally think of a number of reasons, and I use a number of them myself. So, I'll give you a brief run down of how I see the use of notebooks.

The first one is the Recipe Book. No, not cooking but painting. When we paint armies most people come up with a method they apply over their miniatures (IE army) and use it for all of them for that 'force'. Now, what happens if you pick up another project, or leave the hobby for an extended period of time? Then upon your return you wish to continue with that army, but... how did you paint the skin or the shirts? This is where the Recipe Book comes in. As you paint up you minis, or a test mini, you record the way you paint the minis. This includes things such as the paint ratios, brands and colours. This ensures that the army will be painted to a consistent level, and not look too out of place among the army as a whole. It also comes in handy when you find a technique you like for something specific - like OSL, bases, beards etc. Write it down for next time, and you need not wrack your brain to remember how you managed it.

Next up we have the Ideas Book. This is perhaps the one I use the most. It is somewhere to collect and keep your random thoughts and ideas. Mine is dotted with lots of plans that may never come to fruition but they are there if and when they are needed - I even leave a title next to them so that I know what army the idea is for. I see this as being a good practice, as I like making the note, giving myself the chance to go back at a later date and check it out. It is also a good idea to keep ideas for a planned army in a single place - schemes, conversions or even army lists. I suggest each gamer keeps one of these next to their painting area.

The Record Book is another gaming tool. During the game we have lots of things to record, from the number of wounds that giant has taken to which enemy unit the flaming banner. Ensuring you have a note book in which to record those little bits of information in can be invaluable. There is no rule to state that you may not take notes during the game, some times it can be useful to just make a note of something for later in the game. It is not only an in game use these books have, but rather are a great method to keep track of games played during a tournament or even just for fun. I think it is in all of us to enjoy keeping track of our games (something I plan to cover in a future blog post), this books are just the tool for this. Whether you plan to use it only for your own enjoyment, to write up battle reports at a later date, or just to record important information during the game; the notebook is a good tool to be sat next to your table.

The final use for the notebook I have found is as a Rule Book. I have yet to utilise this use of the notebook, but I can see myself using it in the future. As I stated during the intro, as gamers we have lots of stuff to remember during a game and sometimes we need a little bit of help. The idea behind this book is to make quick notes of rules or stats that you find hard to remember. The Rule Book can be used as a quick reference guide, for all those tricky little rules that can slip past our minds mid game.

Overall, I hope I have demonstrated the uses that the humble little notebook can play in the grand scheme of our hobby. I find them near invaluable, how about you?

All images used without permission, and will be removed upon request.

Unit Fillers

2011-05-31T22:35:00.000+01:00

Psychosis PC's Orc Unit Filler*

In this post I look at the options for padding out a unit; the so named Unit Fillers...

Before diving right into it, I thought it best to explain what a unit filler is and what its function is. A unit filler simply how it sounds, it is a model(s) that is used in the middle of a Fantasy regiment as a supplement for a number of models.

In most cases a unit filler is used to represent a number of models, usually between four and six models - depending upon the size of the unit in question. There is a bit of debate about unit filler sizes, but I shall get on to that later on. The size of the unit filler depends upon the base type chosen. Typically they started out as being about five in number, when GW produced the five wide rank bases. Now days people tend to learn more towards the monster sized base (40mm), it is used to represent a total of four models. Then there is the six model unit filler that requires a little bit of playing about, as they don't make one suitable.

Black Bard's Skaven Filler *

So we have discussed the size but what exactly what is actually on a unit filler? A unit filler can in truth be anything, but most try to select something that works with the confines of the unit. For example the above picture by Psychosis PC he has included a bunch of orcs on there, while in the picture to the right Black Bard has instead of four models has included a couple with a small amount of scenic items. Many people see the opportunity of a unit filler to add a small diorama to the unit, it is here that I have heard some discussion on what should really be in a unit filler. Two separate podcasts recently (the waagh cast and two gamer radio) have had discussions on the topic of unit fillers, both of them coming to a similar conclusion that they should suit the unit they're in.

Ben Johnson's Filler*

In both cases the two 'casts thought that suitability was rather important, for example one of the presenters from the Waagh Cast has a large unit of night goblins with many ogre models being used as unit fillers. He has had comments from people that are tantamount to disapproving. One of the main points has been - why are the ogres there? This seems to be the crux of the problem, what is suitable for the unit. I see unit fillers as being something to add some background to the unit, and having something like an ogre there for no reason seems odd. I would have no problem if the ogres were converted to look akin to the unit they are in (so as per the example give, ogres that look like Night Goblins). That is not to say that they would always look out of place, if these larger model(s) are made to fit into the unit - say for example they are chained up by another model or two then they would work quite well. But I think I am with these podcast's on this one and think that the unit fillers must suit the unit in a proper fashion, and that just adding a troll/ogre etc with little to no work done to them just smacks as laziness. This is the opportunity to make the unit stand out and special, rather than just throwing in something on a bigger base. For a great example of what I mean, the image below is of Ben Johnson's Skaven army. In the middle of the unit his filler is a wrecked Dwarf Stone Thrower which has been overrun by giant rats. This looks really good as it incorporated the models in the unit and looks like it could easily happen. While his other picture (above) of the troll unit filler, just stands out as having a troll on it.

Ben Johnson's Skaven Filler*

The other side of the coin, almost is unit fillers that don't include models (or very few of them) but are rather take up a lot of room due to them being something akin to pieces of terrain. These I disagree with as they are just plain lazy. I have heard of people using the Arcane Ruins, Herd Stones and one story from Adepticon has a Bloodletter unit with a burnt down house acting as fifteen Bloodletters. Now, while these things will all look extremely cool they are also quite impractical. Looking at the extreme case of the house and 'Letters, how are you suppose to take wounds off of this? It does not help your opponent or yourself to look at something and have to wonder - "is that ten left or ten killed?". that sort of thing just complicates the game and makes it harder to communicate exactly what is going on. For another example of this, look at the picture below - Dellamorte has made a Bloodletter unit filler that would pretty much replace (the larger ruins in the back) a total of eight models. And there is no way to remove any such models from this filler, so you have to be precise on recording the kills.

Dellamorte's Bloodletter Filler*

So aside from the idea that these fillers are hard to remove casualties from, there is also other factors to consider. For example, going back to the podcasts again, Two Gamer Radio had the opinion that the unit filler should take up about the same amount of time and effort that it would take to paint the number of models it would take normally.

Kuffeh's Dwarf Filler

I hope this has helped to shed some light on the unit fillers, they can be quite a hot topic it depends on who it talking about them. In the future, perhaps people will think more about them and avoid the lazy method. A unit filler is a chance for you to put something special and unique into your army. Think about it, then go do it!

* All photos used without the owner's permission and shall be removed upon request

Tavern Talk - Tournament Comp in Fantasy

2011-05-26T12:32:00.000+01:00

It has been a while, but once more we bring you another Tavern Talk discussion. This time the topic is how you as a gamer view comp in Fantasy tournaments...

Tournaments are a very interesting and popular way to play Warhammer, giving an individual the opportunity to play games against players from around the country or to try out different format. The tournament might be fun, but the organisers often find a need to change how the game is played. These changes come in the form of restrictions, such as ‘no double rare choices’, ‘maximum of 12 power dice per magic phase’ or they might be the outright banning of certain items (‘no power scroll’). Many tournaments come out with large rules packs full of restrictions, others have none at all.
The question is how do you feel about comp’ed tournaments? Do you view these restrictions as important to balance out the game, or are they just a pointless dumbing down of the rules? What do you like or dislike about these comp’ed tournaments? What are your experience with them?

Now personally I have not attended any tournaments in the new edition, so my views are based off of observation. However, I do think that in an competitive environment the use of comp, to limit certain things is a good idea. I listen to various podcasts many of which include regular tournament goers and when you hear some of the things that people bring to the table, you can see why comp is important. I see tournaments as a place to prove who is the best player, not which army beats face the best/most, so introducing some limitations on certain things will help balance out the levels of power and hopefully allow the lower tiered armies to stand a chance against the upper ones. To this end limiting the powerful options (such as Hydra, A-Bombs, STanks etc) is a good idea, forcing a player to utilise more than just one monster to kill all. However, I do not believe in specific limitations aimed at certain armies. I am more a fan of the overall comps, such as 'no double rare'. This means that each army can include their big gribbly monster (or uber war machine) if they wish, but cannot spam out on them.

I also look at magic being fine for the most part, I don't think it needs to be altered. Maybe a couple of tweaks here and there, but for the most part I would be happy to play within the boundaries set by the basic rule set of the game. The major ideas for magic I like are the ones that stop the 6th spell killing off characters in one go, I prefer the idea that it either takes a wound or they get a Look Out Sir! save or something. It's one thing to loose a unit, but it is entirely different to loose a unit plus a general; in some scenarios that is almost an instant loss. However, I do not advocate the removal of these spells, they are required to balance out the huge unit sizes that grace the table top these days. There are some items I can see why they are banned - the Power Scroll for example, but as long as the rules governing these are balanced across the board I have no problem with it's inclusion or disallowing it.

The final thing I see discussed at tournaments is the scenarios. Some take them straight out of the book, others use one or two of them. I am unsure on this. On one hand, I see the benefit of using all six - variation and some scenarios everyone will be at a disadvantage. However, on the other many armies struggle with certain ones - especially the ever so hated Watchtower scenario. I think compromise should be incorporated into it, especially if you include all six. For example, one good change to Blood And Glory (the Breakpoint scenario) is that the first army to 'break' gives up an extra 500VP but the game continues. This means that a lucky spell or war machine hit cannot end the game on turn two (but if this is the case, kind of serves yourself right for having all your points in one unit) and allows for a more enjoyable game.

So, we have a few blog posts this time around, here they are. Read them and let them know your thoughts!

The Bringer Of Victory
Inane Courage
Stumpy Heaven
Mr Saturday's Mumblings
Starving Crazed Weasel

If you would like to join in with these topics in the future, please email me and I can add you to the mailing list to receive the next topic.

Stunty Weekly Review #17

2011-05-25T12:07:00.000+01:00

A little bit later than advertised, I bring you the Weekly Review once again. Or in this case, the Bi-Monthly review...

When Cannon's Fade - Painting Tomb King Skeletons
With the recent release of this army we have seen more posts about them pop up over the Fantasy Blogs, this one really caught my eye. A quick way of painting those plain old skellies, as the post says "max results for minimum effort". Can't argue with that.

The Bovine Overlord - Ungor Herd Completed
Another great post from this blog, showing how an unusual colour scheme can stand out well. It is great to see such a number of the hairy-backed fellows, and with some really well done conversions thrown in for flavour.

Crosser Modelling - Cheap Greatswords
I am sure that every gamer has come across this before, needing 20 models but only getting 16 in a box (or something like that). This post shows how you can be creative and with a little bit of work, as well as some thought, you can make your own models to match. I love the conversions here, they don't look out of place at all.

Rhellion's Tabletop - Army Power Rankings
Now for something a little different. This post is Rhellion's thoughts on where the Fantasy armies rank in terms of power, along with a little blurb as to why he believes this is so. Do you agree, or not? Go let him know your thoughts!

Random Digressions Wargamer - Necropolis Knights
Not long after they come out we see some great work on these models. And taking a different approach, why not add lizards instead? Why not indeed, for these look great and unique!

The Fields of Blood - Tournament Competitveness
This is actually broken down into four parts, the link is for part 1, and here are the other: part 2, part 3a and part 3b. In these links Pete (the author) looks at which armies he believes actually stands a good chance of either winning a tournament or coming close to it. And perhaps more importantly, why he thinks this. Agree with his assessments? Let him know your thoughts!

PsychosisPC's The Masdhouse Workshop - Black Orcs
Once more we return to this blog of conversion gold dust. This unit looks really really great, full of character and bearing the theme well. Really good stuff, you should check out the rest of the orcs he has done!

Troll Tales - Trolls
A review of the blog's namesake is what this is. With the new rules we have seen more and more people bringing out models that we rarely used in previous editions. Troll Tales has taken it upon itself to post a good commentary and thoughts on how the units from new Orc and Goblin book (the focus of this blog) cane be used.

Warpstoned - Plague Furnace
I have included this because not only is it an impressive miniature, a centre piece for the Skaven army but because of a slight deviation from the norm. This furnace has been painted with flames, rather than a smoke trail. An interesting change, and it does work quite well. In fact the painting of the flames adds a lot to the mini. An interesting change, but looks great still.

Company of the Damned - Wood Elves in 'Ard Boyz
Yes, an Ard Boyz post. This time it is about showing that even though they are not the best or strongest army out there, the Woodies can still compete. This review of Sylvos' time at Ard Boyz goes to show that the Woodies are no slouches.

Roze Els Hall of Fame - DungeonBall Pitch
Switching it to Blood Bowl here, this is an amazing pitch. The effort that has gone into this pitch makes things worth it, it even includes all the things it should for DungeonBall. Great stuff.

Roze Els Hall of Fame - Custom Pitch
The final link for this week is an awesome one. A self contained Blood Bowl pitch. It has everything you need to play the game - even space for your team! The detail that has gone into this is immense, look at the dugouts and the specialist shops along the edge. This would be a pleasure to play a game on.

As usual if you spot a blog post, or blog that you believe should be considered for this series, please drop me a email or comment below. I am always looking to include more great posts from the community

Stunty Weekly Review #16

2011-05-14T02:24:00.000+01:00

Due to Blogger being down for a day or two, I never got the chance to post up the Weekly Review. However, it's back. So, here we go!

Hero's Gaming Blog - How a 8th High Elf Book Might Look
No, this is not a 'wish list' style post that almost all forums are plagued with, but rather an actual sensible review of how the book could be make to work in the confines of 8th edition.

The Nerd Also Rises - Centigor Conversions
A great little conversion, simple but quite effective. And much better than getting the metal ones.

Chattering Horde - Hell Pit Abomination
Nothing much to say other than a really great looking mini, it is a beast of a kit and this guy looks awesome.

Company of the Damned - Ghorgon
I am not always a fan of non-GW minis, but this fellow seems to fit the role perfectly. And what's more, he suits the artwork. I look forward to seeing some paint on it.

The Great Howling - Wood Elf Blood Bowl Team
I personally am a fan of Blood Bowl, despite the shame it doesn't get the support it should I still love the fact that there are a great fanbase for it. That's why these are here. I love the game, and besides from that this team is really well painted and I think will look great on the pitch.

Too Many Armies! - Themed Armies That Work
A great little post about making a theme work within an army, but also keeping the army playable. Too many times there have been excuses about compromises in the competitiveness of lists while they try to keep to a theme.

Hero's Gaming Blog - Tomb King vs High Elves Battle Report
No pretty pictures here, but rather a great little report with some extra comments and thoughts on the performance of the newest army on the block.

Hero's Gaming Blog - Tomb Kings
Tying in with the previous link slightly, this post takes a good view and look at how the new Tomb Kings are and some interesting points about the new force.

Stunty's Weekly Review #15

2011-05-05T18:05:00.000+01:00

It has been over a week since the last review, and sorry about that. So, despite this being my two week list I found that there wasn't loads of Fantasy blog posts. But as usual, here is a short list of my favourite posts.

Chattering Horde - Painting Clanrats
Once again we get another great tutorial from a real good Skaven blog. It is really good to see a simple but very effective looking tutorial. Considering Skaven players have loads of rats to paint, this sort of simplicity has to appeal to them.

Company of the Damned - Beastmen Special Abilities
I really liked this post it is great to see the lesser used armies appear on blogs. Not only that, it is a very well written and thought out. The addition of the synergy is something different, which is usually overlooked by others when doing reviews or discussing specific army rules. It helps others look more at their army and how the unit can work with their other choices.

Company of the Damned - Eagles
Another from Company of the Damned. I am not a huge fan of the GW eagles, they are quite small looking and they lack dynamic look. Too static. These ones however, are really great looking. I love how they seem to be able to take off. The painting on them adds a great deal to them, great stuff.

Random Digression Wargamer - Desert Table Terrain
I included this because we don't see that much terrain making on the blogs. The fact that this is themed terrain to match a similar table, and will link with the owner's next army - Tomb Kings. I think it also reminds me that with some effort you can get a great looking table that is themed. Even more so is the fact that many pieces can come from quite inexpensive sources, such as stuff from Fish Tanks.

Troll Tales - The Giant
And to finish, the Giant. I have yet to ever face or use a giant but I love them. I find them to be so much fun, they might not be the best choice on the game but these jolly fellows look like a bundle of laughs. This is a decent look at the giant as a whole, if you are considering a giant it is worth a read.

Stunty's Weekly Review #14

2011-04-23T15:47:00.000+01:00

A little bit later than usually advertised, this week's Stunty Review has some great Fantasy blog posts for you to all to check out.

I am aware that this is a little late, with the Easter holidays and doing some painting I forgot about this. There are some great posts from this last week, especially with the US Adepticon recently ending we have seen some interesting entries. You will see here below, my favourite posts and entries from this last week.

Delusions of Grandeur - Adepticon Fantasy Tournament
A great report from the Adepticon Fantasy tournament. It is always great to read reports from other parts of the world, this report was well written with enough detail to keep you interested but wasn't a blow-by-blow account. The pictures helped and looked good.

Chattering Hordes - How to Paint Skaven Rat Ogres
Once more we get a really good tutorials for the Skaven from this blog, this time focusing on the Rat Ogres. It is very simple to follow - lots of washes - and the overall result looks great. I love painting and finding great tutorials like this is a great asset to the blogging world.

Chaos Kingdoms - Army Display Boards
This is an interesting topic. I say this because, as far as I am aware the UK tournament scene does not use these. However, it seems theses are a big and quite important thing over in the States (unsure about the rest of the world). This blog post looks at making your army stand out a little bit with one of these and the effect it might have.

Plastic Legions - Blood and Glory
This blog posts looks at the now infamous scenario, Blood and Glory. John looks at how more use of this scenario might help balance out tournament play slightly. The topic is well worth the read, with the idea being to force people to play differently and not put all their eggs in one huge basket.

Random Digression Wargamer - Desert Terrain
A great start to some themed terrain, ready for the impending release of the new Tomb Kings. It's simple work, but it looks great.

Sumpy Heaven - Post Tournament Thoughts
Another nice little post, this time a review on how John thought his army performed at a recent tournament. It is quite cool to see this type of analysis, especially if you are considering something similar.

This next one is a little different, it is three posts from the same blog, a tournament review.
Fields of Blood - Skaven 'Runefang' Wrapup Pt I
Fields of Blood - Skaven 'Runefang' Wrapup Pt II
Fields of Blood - Goblin 'Runefang' Wrapup
I am a fan of tournament reviews, this is great with a three for one report. Again, these reports don't go into great detail but then it is not needed. Instead they cover just enough that you get a highlighted report of the important parts of each match up. A nice little review by the two of them.

Webzine - Skavenblight Gazette issue 11

2011-04-18T14:58:00.002+01:00

Fear what lies below!

Yet again the Skaven make their presence felt with the latest release of Skavenblight Gazette.

Stunty's Weekly Review #13

2011-04-14T00:51:00.000+01:00

Yet another entry for the stunty review, a round up of the best posts on the blogsphere from the previous week.

PsychosisPC - Old Stuff
A great post with some really nice conversions of dragon ogres. These are some models that I have seen various versions of but these guys work really well and the colour choices are a nice touch also.

The Bovine Overlord: Tuskgor Chariot
A single idea and conversion but it works really well. Rather than spend the money on expensive metal models, I really love to see gamers go that extra step and do their own stuff. This conversion is a nice touch with the changes to the animals pulling the chariot.

I Paint Little Dudes - Adepticon
I have included this because it won an award at Adepticon, and the army looks great overall. Great work!

Plastic Legions - Adepticon Fantasy Team Tourney
A great report on the team tournament at this years Adepticon. Some awesome pictures to accompany the report. It is great to read these reports and to see how folk did.

Dice Rolla - Adepticon Army Review
A nice start to a short upcoming series on this blog. A review of a new warhammer player's look at his army and how he hopes to do. Looking forward to how he performed in the first game...

Land O Misfit Toys - Tournament Review
I included this due to the nice pictures of the armies. Some really good close ups of the skaven, the colour scheme is really nice and different.

Random Digressions in Warhammer - Brawler Bash
Ahh... dwarfs. A great army, a really nice colour choice and the modelling is well done. The miner's is especially interesting and fun.

Warpstoned - Army Depolyment
A great little article on deploying well and paying attention to your deployment when setting up your army.

Stunty's Weekly Review #12

2011-04-07T16:38:00.000+01:00

A bit later than usually advertised, we have the Stunty Weekly Review where I go through my favourite posts from Fantasy blogs over the last week.

Land of Misfit Toys; Orc and Goblin Review
Still with the greenskins and another review. A good review in fact, covering the basics and the new changes in the book.

Mr Saturday's Mumblings; Dire Wolves
An interesting review and look at the uses for this unit. It is a nice review, especially as the unit is one of those that many have lost interest in due the transition from 7th edition to 8th.

Troll Tales; Gobbo Horde
I have a soft spot for the greenskins it seems. That and seeing HUGE units of them is an impressive sight.

Warpstoned; Skaven stuff
I know I post a lot of posts from this blog, I really like the painter's style and his minis turn out really well. I really like the look of the deathglobe on the mortar's base. A real nice touch.

Drinkin' and Modelin'; Tomb Kings
The Warhammer world is alight! One of the first posts about the new and upcoming Tomb Kings. A selection of the previewed models, including some great looking minis. We can expect to see a great deal more of this range over the next month or two.

Plastic Legions; Adepticon 2011
A great post from this year's Adepticon tournament. John has captured a great deal of pictures of the forces found there. There are some great looking armies on display, so thanks to John for that. And don't forget his brief battle reports on how he did in the tournament.

Why won't the chaos dwarves just die?

2011-03-31T09:01:00.003+01:00

Hey folks, Mr Saturday here, for my inaugural article. For this, a subject close to my heart: the chaos dwarves.

Before anyone gets maniacal on me, let me state my allegiances here: I love chaos dwarves. I've been hunting down the old 3rd edition (the spiky chaos warrior ones) and Marauder dwarves for some years now. They are elusive, and even when you manage to track them down, expensive. There are legends of the price a chaos dwarf juggernaut or infamous ass cannon will go for on ebay. So, it takes some time to assemble an army. This is added to the fact that there is no currently endorsed army list, though the ravening hordes list is used by some, and the more recent IndyGT list by others, and is legal in many tournaments. There is also zero support from Games Workshop, though more on that later.

So, seeing as it's so difficult to get the mutated little blighters on the gaming table in the first place, why haven't they vanished entirely?

First off, there's a LOT of love for the chaos stunties. Just take a look at chaos dwarfs online. You wouldn't think looking at this site the army has been cast out into the darkness by Games Workshop. They make their own rules, models and support for the chaos dwarf army, both big hat and spiky mask and helmet flavours. The excellent Word of Hashut online fan magazine for the chaos dwarfs has it's home here. There are actually a fair few makers of chaos dwarf models that you can find on the site, from smaller companies like Bederken to the well-known Mantic. If you're interested in chaos dwarves, it's a very welcoming and helpful community. Come on in...

Any chaos dwarf player loves a challenge. By virtue of being a chaos dwarf player you have to. This spills into a pride in the army that makes chaos dwarf players eager to promote the race at any opportunity, and the tenacity to keep going without any official support. This keeps them alive in the game, despite their rarity. It's also nice to hear 'Hey, what are they? Wow, chaos dwarves!'

Another major attraction is the capacity for the creation of unique armies. If you like converting, sculpting and theming your armies, you'll enjoy the modelling and painting opportunities presented by the Dawi Zharr.

Lately, big releases like Mantic's abyssal dwarves are helping the chaos dwarves out of the wasteland. There is now a relatively inexpensive range of metal and plastic chaos dwarves available from a single company. Go Mantic. Games Workshop, via Forgeworld, have a set of chaos dwarves coming out to support the new Tamurkhan: The Throne of Chaos book, including some massive war machines. There are rumours of a new chaos dwarf army produced by Forgeworld. Fingers crossed.

It's a good time for the diminutive servants of Hashut, so if you like the wee evil stunties, declare your allegiance to Zharr Naggrund and don that dwarf-size chaos armour.

Stunty's Weekly Review #11

2011-03-31T01:02:00.000+01:00

Another week, another view into some of what I consider to be the best posts on the blogosphere this week.

Plastic Legions; Empire Army
John shows us his Empire Army, along with a great looking display board for them as well. It is great to see such a well painted and loved army on display in such a way, and I hope he does well at Adepticon.

Hobby Horse; Converted Shaman
A simple looking conversion but it looks really well. I love to see plastic conversions, the fact that the material lends itself well to the process. A nice little thing.

The Wandering Mind; 'Beastcatchers'
A nice looking unit. The use of what I believe to be 40k Dark Eldar Wytches is a great choice, they work well and act as a good replacement for the metal ones. The unit filler is really interesting also, overall a great unit and I look forward to seeing it painted.

Stahly's Paint Station; Giant Rats More
There isn't much to say about these posts, except they are some nicely painted rats.

Fields of Blood; Optimal Magic
An interesting post here about the best number of magic dice to roll up. It is a good discussion and a little different to most of the magic discussions that are floating around the net.

Stumpy Heaven; Dwarfs
It is good to see more Dwarfs on the blogspot. These are being repainted, the colour scheme is quite interesting, the green being very strong but it works well with the Dwarf models.

Warpstoned; Globadiers
It is a bit of a conversion but it makes these models stand out. I really like the look of them, and it is nice to see such a unit getting some love (even if they are rats).

Fields of Blood; Army Builder
This is quite an interesting post. Army Builder is a nice tool, but personally it is not something I use. I think it is a topic that can be debated between various gamers; those that use it and those that don't. Either way, this is a nice brief overview of the tool and its uses.

Is Variety the Spice of Life, or do Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth?

2011-03-29T12:09:00.000+01:00

Used without Permission

In this article I look at having lots of variation in your gaming is good, or whether it is just too much.

One thing I think most gamers have in common, except for the fact we all are gamers, is the sheer number of projects or at least ideas we have on the go. These projects can range from something small like a single miniature all the way up to an entire army. For example, I personally have over six major projects planned out. However, I am going to look at whether having lots of projects on the go is a good plan or if you can have too many.

Having multiple projects is usually a great thing, it give you range and variety. These two things are in my opinion are quite important to those who do a lot of painting. This links in with my post from the other day, about being motivated with your painting. The variety of projects you have tends to keep things fresh and interesting, allowing you to switch and change things up when you feel like it. Many people find that building and painting a single army can be tiring and boring, so slipping in the odd small project here and there is a way to make things interesting.

However, is having these multiple projects always a good idea? If you can remain focused they can be a nice respite during a long term project just for something different to do during the long haul. However, there is always the temptation to get side tracked, leaving things at the wayside, especially if you come across a really interesting project. There needs to be a balance with the projects you do, consider doing small parts of various projects to keep them all going. I find I have 'projectmania'. By this I mean I come up with various projects and ideas on a near weekly basis, many of which I will never touch. Here is a brief list of the major projects I want/have planned off of the top of my head:

Finish Dwarfs to 2000pts
Add more squads/fix damaged squads for my 40k Orks
Start my Fantasy Orc and Goblin Army
Start my 40k Space Wolf Army
Finish off my Mordheim Possessed Warband
Start another Mordheim Warband or two (Dwarfs, Orcs and maybe a human one)
Start my Orc Blood Bowl Team
Start my Dwarf Blood Bowl Team
Start a third Blood Bowl Team
Expand the Dwarfs
Paint the Fellowship of the Ring
Start a LOTR Force

So, as you can see I have many, many projects on the go. I do often find it hard to stick to one, especially if I get an idea for another army or get inspired by another one. I have to force myself to stick to a single project otherwise things would never get done and I'd be all over the place with small pieces of armies built or painted. I find I prefer to try and build then paint a playable force, or at least a force that can be added too quickly to make a simple force.

Another thing I find myself wanting to do is the multi-system idea. I currently have plans for only GW's big two; Fantasy and 40K. Although I want to spread into their smaller, less supported systems like Mordheim and Blood Bowl because they seem like a lot of fun. But more and more I find myself looking out at other systems; Warmachine, Hordes, Malifaux for example have all caught my eye more that once. But the problem, or point, at the moment is that I don't have the time, space or opponents to validate most of these 'expansions' into other non-GW games. Perhaps with time, who knows....

What I am trying to say is, I have too many projects. Each time I focus on one, I feel that I am letting down the others, pushing them aside for other reasons. It doesn't feel good. However, I also think this is currently due to me putting effort into getting my Dwarfs painted for August (so they can appear at an annual forum meet that I organise). So perhaps having the multiple projects is only a problem when you focus for too long on one of them? I plan, once the Dwarfs are done, to slowly build up armies and forces piecemeal. The main fact will be that I should then have two playable forces - Orks and Dwarfs for my main systems. But over time, when I don't have a deadline to work towards I should be able to progress slowly and build new forces/armies and add to my existing ones in my own time and thus feel better about juggling the projects I have in my hand.

Is this a case of too many cooks, or is the variety of spice, just right? Right now, I don't honestly know but I will sure as hell, let you know when I figure things out.

The Workshop; Motivation - Painting

2011-03-26T11:53:00.000Z

Motivation within the hobby can be hard sometimes, the lack of enthusiasm to pick up dice or a brush is crippling. So, here are some of my thoughts on how to keep that drive up.

Everyone goes through slumps in their hobby, life jumps out from behind a fence and surprises you. Or you just loose interest. There are steps that you can take to try and keep that hobby spark alive. I am by no means an expert in this, but I do find that I have time between games or painting. So here are my methods.

Plan
I have found that having a plan for your army (ie an army list) and buying, then painting what is in the list. I am currently doing this with my dwarf army and it is keeping me on track. The fact is you can't really play with an army if you don't have it, can you? It also keeps you focused as you tend to buy one unit at a time, then paint it unto completion before moving on to the next.

Alongside this idea to keep things refreshing is the idea of a work order. Doing all the big units together will make things boring, you'll burn out - especially if you are doing a horde style army. To keep motivated you really need to put more interesting and fun choices between them, to break up the monotony. This can be done by simply putting something different between unit or groups of a unit. These often are the more fun and eye catching options; for example with my Dwarfs I am putting characters and war machines between the combat blocks so I don't get bored. The same idea works with other armies. Put a character or a monster grouping between those blocks.

Change thing up...
Like most gamers it is unlikely that you will be painting only a single army in bulk (unless you need to get it done for some reason - such as a tournament). So use this to your advantage. Variety is the spice of gaming. If you have multiple projects on the go, and none are terribly important, then try mixing it up a bit. Paint a couple of things from one project, then move onto another and repeat. Before you know it your army has grown!

Randomise
Sometimes it is just nice to have a break from your army. A bit like above painting some other miniatures can often help keep you going. However it is sometimes quite fun to try something different, pick a random mini and paint it up. This allows you to try a different approach to minis and practice some new techniques. It is often fun to pick a model or even range that is completely different to anything in your army. An example might be, being a Dwarf player I would consider painting a mounted model.

These are just a few basic ideas on how you can make your painting sessions less boring and to keep you on track with your painting and your army.

Stunty's Weekly Review #10

2011-03-23T22:09:00.000Z

Once more we dive into the best posts of the week

Blog Hammer; Chaos

Some great looking minis here. I like the chaos shrine, a really nice touch.

And to finish off the review from last week, we have the Bringer of Victory's final few pieces of the review. Part 4, Part 5, Part 6.

Bovine Overlord; Gors

Some fancy looking gors here, I really like the big old unit. An unusual colour scheme makes the unit looks great.

My Dice Hate Me; Orc and Goblin Book Review

A great review of the newest book. Simple, but direct and with some good well thought out comments.

Stunty's Weekly Review #9

2011-03-17T01:27:00.000Z

Once more we dive into some great Fantasy posts from the week...

It seems the greenskin reviews are slowly coming out of the woods, we have a few posts this week looking at them. However, the greenskins do not feature in all the posts this week.

Warpstoned; Screaming Bell

A great post and an awesome looking Bell. I love the green glow effect and the use of the extra smoke censors, a great little touch. I love seeing these great big centrepieces in armies and the bell looks great.

Lost In Gaming; 30 Day Challenge

I chose this post because I really liked the look of the minis and to see just how quick you can paint some minis to a decent level.

Stahlys Paint Station; Doomwheel

Another "Ooo, isn't it pretty" post. A great centrepiece to the army (or one of the many in the Skaven army), I really like the glowing warpstone effect.

The Painting Pauper; ZOMBIES!

A HUGE looking force here. This is an awesome sight of a massive unit of zombies. I really like how there are multiple ones rising from the ground, gives them a nice little bit of personality.

WWWWWAAAAAAGGHHHH!!!

OK, well... I found a few Orc and Goblin posts this week. So, I have decided to dedicate this last little bit to them with some of the better or interesting posts I have seen over the last week.

Hard Orc; Wurzag

A great painted Wurzag here. The mini has had a great paint job done on it. The squig and the warpaint on Wurzag are my favourite parts. This is, I hope, the first of many orc minis to come over the next few weeks on the blogosphere.

Troll Tales; Orc Warboss on Wyvern

A nice little but simple conversion here. The warboss is a plastic kit and I think he looks great. It goes to show that a little work can make a simple conversion look great.

Troll Tales; Animosity

One of the first little articles I have seen with some thoughts on limiting or containing animosity. Definitely something to consider with the new list.

Troll Tales; Choppas

Another little post. A nice review of the advantages of the new Orc Choppa rule and how it might be applied.

The final little bit is a short series from the Bringer of Victory as to his thoughts on the new book. At the time of writing there have been three posts, no doubt by the time I get around to it next week there will be a complete set done.

Orc and Goblin Review - Part I

Orc and Goblin Review - Part II

Orc and Goblin Review - Part III

Stunty's Weekly Review #8

2011-03-09T20:43:00.000Z

Yes, it is that time of the week once again. I delve once more into the realm of the Fantasy Blogger and pick my favourite posts from the last week.

I think I was a little bit ahead of myself last week, stating that there would be loads of greenskin posts this week. Not quite. However, I think it'll be next week. This time around I have found a whole host of interesting posts. So, lets dive on in...

Fields of Blood; Skaven Gutter Runners

It is great to see some of the under used choices in armies being looked at. And even better when they are using the old style metal miniatures, the metal assassin miniatures look great. The movement trays with the extra little bit of scenery adds a really nice touch to the unit.

Jungles of Lustria; Unit Filler

A nice little unit filler. Simple, but it looks really effective. I am a fan of unit fillers, they add some real flavour to the unit and gives you chance to get a theme across really well.

I Paint Little Dudes; Spear Saurus

Just a well painted unit.

Psychosis PC's Orc Warboss

As usual, great conversion work however Psychosis brings up a great point about making sure you like the conversions you do. There is no point making a model that you yourself hate or dislike. Your army should be made for you, not to impress others or look good for them. Something to remember.

Dice Rolla; Old Trolls

Included this because of the pink trolls. Awesome.

Hobby Horse; Regrets of a Gamer

This is about the selling, abandoning or forgetting about old armies and minis. Remember those 'fallen' minis.

Rhellion's Hell Pit Abomination.

A great looking HPA. The kit is awesome and it it really good to see them well painted. This HPA is a great finished product and shows just how well this kit can look.

Warpstoned; Rat Pictures

Again, it is included just because these are some nice minis here.

Starving Crazed Weasels; Cavalry Tactica

An interesting tactica here, a good look at uses for cavalry in the new edition. As we all know they are not entirely useless due to the changes with the 8th edition, but their effectiveness is greatly reduced. While not a great detailed look, it has enough to make those wondering what to do with those knights think a little about them.

Mr Saturday's Mumblings; Skeletons Mr Saturday's Mumblings; Zombies

I have included a dual link for this one. It is a look at the uses for the zombies and skeletons in the Vampire Counts army. These two units have in many ways been left by the wayside in the new edition, this is a brief view into the uses one can find for them in the Vampire armies.

Tutorial - Miniature Photography

2011-03-08T22:08:00.000Z

A great mini photography tutorial by Nesbet...

Greetings fellow bloggers!

For many a blogger, the act of photographing your miniatures is quite the obstacle. Little is as frustrating for a painter, to finally have finished painting a great model, but as you're about to share your work on the bloggosphere, you notice the huge difference between the actual miniature and those dreadful photos you've taken. The colours aren't right, the image is grainy and details are lost to shadow or reflections of a blitz.

In an effort to help fellow bloggers improve their photographing skills, Nesbet wrote and published a great tutorial on the subject. It is in three parts, and I would strongly recommend one and all to read it, as it is full of useful tips and in an easy-to-understand kinda way explains mystical camera settings and white balance - or at least gives enough info on the subject, enabling uncivilized cavemen such as myself to use said settings to my advantage, even if I don't quite understand how it works!
So, follow these links, do some reading and take photos worthy of your miniatures!

Part I: How to make a photobox
Part II: Camera settings & how to take good pictures
Part II: Editing your photos

Stunty's Weekly Review #7

2011-03-02T11:44:00.002Z

Another instalment of the Weekly Review, in which I bring you my favourite Fantasy blogger posts of this last week.

Click below to check it out.

This week I found some really good posts, I hope you check them out and if you like them; let me and the author know! Now next week, I am expecting a flurry of 'greenskin' posts, so it might be an Orc and Goblin special. But that's next week. Lets take a look at this week's choices.

Rhellion's Tabletop; Skaven Slave Tactics
Now, with Skaven being a very popular choice of armies these days, I saw this as being a simple but useful guide on how to use those HUGE blocks of Skaven Slaves. It is no Sun Tzu, but it works well enough for the rats.

Fields of Blood; List building 101 - Your Playstyle
The first of three posts from this blog, and this one is a really good start. Some gamers have a tough time settling into an army they have chosen, and in many cases it is because it doesn't suit their playstyle. This little intro and guide gives gamers something to consider when picking an army or even when they begin to design a list. What do you want from it?

Bringer of Victory; Magic Synergy Part 1; Part 2
A two part series from the Bringer of Victory looking at how to use magic with your armies. Rather than picking a lore based on how good the spells are, these two posts suggest you consider the strengths the lores could add your army list. Select the lore that is right for your kind of army and list.

The Nerd Also Rises; Herdstone
A great little post on making a herdstone piece of terrain for a themed army. It is also discussed about using smaller ones as unit fillers.

Little Green Monsters; Chaos Command
A great conversion that is being used to represent the command group in a Chaos Army. I personally think this is a great idea, being as the command is the last thing to go and you usually want them to stand out. I would love to see more conversions like this, and can't wait to see it painted.

The Chattering Horde; Scar Scath Unboxed
This post looks at using one of the new Banebeasts miniatures from Maelstrom Games as a Vermin Lord for a Skaven army. Not the best entry in the army book, but an interesting one and it will be a centrepiece.

Fields of Blood; Looking at the UK South Coast GT
The second post from this blog, and Pete Dunn looks at the choices made by the organiser (Dan Heelan from HeelanHammer). Pete voices his concerns and thoughts on these choices...

But then, he gets an email from Dan himself to defend his choices; Dan replies

Chaotic Painting; Spider Rider Goblin Boss
A nice little tutorial on how to go about painting the boss on a goblin spider rider. Simple, easy and a nice guide.

Warpstoned; Some Rats
A new blogger on the net, and this post I really liked. The Skaven Slave and Doomwheel are both really well painted. I particularly liked the large base in the middle of the unit, useful for such large numbers.

Faith, Steel and Gunpowder; Empire Battle Standard
Another new blog, this time an Empire based one. I chose this post because I liked the BSB. The conversion is simple, and the painting, clean and crisp. It is also different to the usual Blues and Reds you often see for the Empire armies.

If you see any posts or blogs that you think I should check out for the Weekly Review or would like your blog to be added to the Blog Roll, or even just to say hi; then you can email me at: thetradingpostblog@googlemail.com

The Workshop - Beards Tutorial

2011-02-28T10:00:00.095Z

In this Workshop I cover a tutorial on how to paint a couple of different kinda of beards...

This tutorial I have written is about beards, however it can also be used to quite a decent degree on something like hair. I have used dwarfs because, well... they rock, I am also painting dwarfs at the moment. And of course they have plenty of hair.

You can find find a full tutorial over at my other blog, The Grumpy Stunty.

With my choice in beards I tend to favour light coloured beards or dark browns. I do find that I struggle getting the highlights of the brown just right, but as with everything it is practice. My choices are varied, as I feel units should be, making them seem more natural.

Anyway... onto the guide.

I have two Tan seeming beards, each arriving at a similar point but by different means and two dark-mid brown ones. And a single black beard.

Tan

Stage One

This fellow has been basecoated with Snakebite Leather. It will take a good number of layers to get it solid and smooth, but it will happen.

Stage Two

Here is has been washed with a very thinned out Calthan Brown.

Stages Three and Four

Here we add the highlights. The first highlight is done by adding Tan Yellow (VMC) in a 2:1 proportion. As you can see I personally do not favour drybrushing for beards, but rather try to pick out specific strands and concentrate on them. To finish this beard off I added skull white (GW) as a final bright layer (2:1).

Stage One

For the base on this one, I added together Snakebite Brown (VGC) and Vomit Brown (GW).

Stage Two

Here I washed it with a very watered down Calthan Brown.

Stage Three

The highlight was achieved by adding a lot of Skull White (GW) into the base colour (4:1).

Brown

Stage One

The base for this is Calthan Brown and Scorched Brown (GW)

Stage Two and Three

A mix of Snakebite Brown and the base (4:1) and a final highlight of Skull White (2:1).

Stage One

This is a nice basic colour of Calthan Brown. One of my favourite base colours for beards.

Stage Two

A 3:1 mix of Skull White acts as the highlight for this beard.

Black

Stage One

A base of pure Chaos Black.

Stage Two

A highlight of Deck Tan (3:1) provides a highlight for the black.

When using black, I usually try not to use a bright grey but rather work on getting a grey tone is more natural or neutral.

So there we have it. It is not very special, but rather a few ideas of how to do some beard/hair colours. As I said at the beginning, I find that mixing various shades of brown to be the most effective method. Black is fine, but I find hard to highlight well and I am still working on figuring out a decent way to paint a red/ginger colour for them.

Anyone else find a decent colour tone for hair themselves? Let me know!

If you liked this article and would like to see more, you can let me know in the comments section or by email at thetradingpostblog@googlemail.com. If you'd like to add your own articles to the Trading Post or have an idea on article, again you can email me at the above address.

Webzine Review - Word of Hashut #11

2011-02-26T11:00:00.000Z

Click to download issue

A bit late admittedly, but it is that time of year when many of the great webzines release new issues. This time we look at the new issue of Word of Hashut...

I think the first thing to note about this webzine is how great the theme is carried over throughout the 'zine. For a webzine about an army (Chaos Dwarfs) that is not supported by GW any more, they sure do have a lot of other supporters. The artwork they have done by members is awesome, some of the best I have seen among the 'zine "fraternity". The layout is well done, though at times I found the strong and graphic backgrounds could interfere with the text. It also looked like to me there were too many articles. I fully understand supporting other 'zines out there, however I found that these were perhaps a bit too much.

There were some great articles, I really liked to see how these guys are making the most of not having an offical army and making it their own. The articles on the long forgotten "Warhammer Quest" game was really interesting, though I did actually find the 'greenskin' language a little distracting, making it a little hard to read at times. But really interesting to see them looking at the older and more forgotten games.

The Dogs of War entries were really interesting, some good ones there. It is a shame that they are being phased out of warhammer by GW, but it was good to see some guys having a bit of fun and trying to add some extra dimensions to their army. They were all really well themed, works well with the 'zine as a whole.

One of my personal favourite things about this 'zine is the support it has for its forum and the Chaos Dwarf hobbiests who are out there. Featuring many of their miniatures to fill in space and create a very strong seeming community together is great to see.

Overall, the Word of Hashut has put out another great issue, well worth the read - even if you do not play that army.

Stunty's Weekly Review #6

2011-02-23T19:03:00.000Z

Once again we come to the weekly review, my look at some of the best fantasy blog posts on the blogosphere since last week. Well, lets dive on in...

As usual I have quite a tough time of picking topics, there are so many great reads about; and I can't really add all the blog posts dealing with the recent Tavern Talk topic, could I? However, I have found some great posts. I hope you all enjoy them and give the blog a good browse.

Psychosis PC - Skaven War Litter
Something you don't see very often is the War litter, and Psychosis makes a great looking one. The whole thing is simple but looks really effective, I am looking forward to seeing it painted.

BloodyBeast - Mordheim Battle Report
I have chosen this one because I have been a fan of Mordheim for quite some time, it is a great system and lots of fun. It is also unusual to see, not many play it (requires lots of terrain and broken buildings) but I really enjoyed reading this quick battle report. I'd love to see more in the future!

Inane Courage - Barn
We don't see enough terrain on blogs and Matt has done a great looking themed piece of terrain. The building itself is nothing special (a nice piece, but is just a barn), it is the little extras that makes it stand out. Those little touches gives it a theme and a story. A great piece.

Lost In Gaming - Tournament Report
A great report on a tournament. I enjoy reading these, seeing how people all over the world do in different tournaments. The report is simple and easy to understand, a great report.

Blog Of Grudges - Yet Another Thing I Missed In 8th Edition
I really think this is a great idea. It might seem pointless to some of you, I however find this to be helpful. A series designed to point out and suggest certain rules that people might have skipped over or forgotten. A great series.

Gurer - Wood Elf Blood Bowl Team
Another 'specialist' game post for this week. A really well painted wood elf team, even more impressive is the fact that these are OLD minis. However, the painter has done really well with the scheme and made them look really good.

For the Lady - Brets vs Rats
I really enjoyed this battle report. It was simply written, but the images of the turn by turn moves were really helpful and you can see clearly what is going on. I would have loved to see a few photos of the sides, but if wishes were pennies...

Troll Tales - Goblin Shaman
Only one greenskin post this week. I really liked this guy, the painting is clean and crisp while still suiting the mini in general. A great greenskin.

The Nerd Also Rises - Tournament Report
A different tournament report this time, but just as good. Really in depth as well, a great read. It was great to see the author separate the army list and scenario quite so cleanly, a nice touch.

Tavern Talk - List Making

2011-02-21T11:00:00.076Z

Used without permission

Once more the Fantasy Blogger community dives into a discussion posed to them, this time they divulge their thoughts on List Making...

This was the question that I posed to the bloggers as a new Tavern Talk topic...

After listening to a recent show of Heelanhammer I came across the idea of list building. I wanted to see how people went about building their lists. There are a host of methods people use. Some start with the rare slots or their character choices, while others get the core choice out of the way. Do you see a difference between a friendly pick up game list and a tournament list? One thing it seems many gamers often appear to view and consider with their lists is the meta game – how much attention do you put on the local meta-gaming? Are your lists consistent or do you change from game to game? I have heard of gamers tailoring their lists to work against certain armies or lists, does this appeal to you? How do you feel on the topic of tailored lists?

For my thoughts on the topic, until recently I always started with the characters; going for the runes as well (that is for the Dwarfs). Usually a Lord, Runesmith and BSB fully runed up. Then I go for the core units, before moving onto the war machines, special units and rares. Now, unlike a lot of people I haven't gone for a theme I just pick from what I know works. This is a valid way of selecting an army, however I am finding it is bland. I have checked out the units that the Dwarf community says works have ignored others. Having recently listened to the newest HeelanHammer podcast episode, I have decided that needs to change. In the future I am looking forward to trying different combinations and units that I might not have considered before.

I personally do not believe in the tailoring of lists. I prefer to build an all comers list, to me this makes more sense as it gives me a chance to test such a list against others and then I can change things if I deem it required. The only time I would consider the building of a list to take on another army or aimed at a gamer's play style would be as part of a campaign or agreed by both parties.

Now, this time round we have a WHOLE HOST of bloggers taking part. Below are links to their posts on their own blogs, go check them out.

Stumpy Heaven
Mr Saturday's Mumblings
Bringer of Victory
The Bovine Overlord
My Dice Hate Me
Drinkin' and Modelin'
Inane Courage
Troll Tales
Starving Crazed Weasel

If you would like to take part in future Tavern Talks, then please email me at thetradingpostblog@googlemail.com and I will add you to the emailing list for future postings

Do gunlines work in 8th ed?

2011-02-19T03:28:00.001Z

Used without permission

The gunline has been a staple warhammer tactic, however has this new edition has changed many things, has it also changed how the gunline works in this edition....

First of all it makes sense to explain what a "gunline" is for those who are unsure of the term. The gunline refers to an army build where the main unit type is a missile unit or war machine, the two most famous armies for this type of build are the Dwarfs and The Empire. These armies succeed so well at this type of list for a number of reasons, the main one being they have access to a lot of powerful war machines and missile units. However, that is not to say that other armies cannot also perform the same or similar task - I believe the Dark Elves with their multiple units of crossbowmen (elves?) and bolt throwers; and Wood Elves are capable of a gunline style army as well.

Used without permission

How does this army work? The tactics were very basic, the army is planted as deep into the deployment as possible to give as many turns to shoot as possible. And basically.... shoot. The plan is to soften up the opposing army before it reaches the army and then hope that the few combat units there can handle them in hand to hand. The fact that war machines tend to have a long range and high strength means that they succeed at damaging larger units or monsters, where mass crossbow, handgun or bow fire are supposed to deal with units - large or small.

However, can the style survive in eight edition? As gamers know eighth edition has brought about a great number of changes to how we play the game. Previously armies could be planned for, everyone knew the 'charge threat range' of their opponent and knew how long they could fire for before combat was joined. This can be thrown into whack now with the random charge range. This can throw many gunlines into disarray, trying to plan for these takes some care. This further charge and threat range of units means that they can get into range and close combat a lot quicker that it might be expected.

Used without permission

Alongside the random charges the fact that the emphasis of units have changed in this edition has also had an impact on the effectiveness of the gunline. The fact that the infantry tend to be in larger units (the staple seeming to be settling at twenty-five to thirty models) means that the gunline has suffered. Before the point of the gunline in many ways was, to fire at a unit and reduce or remove a rank or two to make them less effective in combat. Now that doesn't really matter, knocking the odd model off of a unit of thirty won't have that much of an effective. The fact that many units are so deep a gunline would have to focus most of it on one of these units to actually have any affect. But then, what of the other two units alongside them? Spreading the fire over multiple units means that these units will arrive with full rank bonus (except against say template weapons) and then the missile units are in trouble.

This leads to the army suffering, its main strength has been reduced or nullified by these changes. It is why it might seem that the gunline has lost much of its appeal in eighth edition. The large unit sizes means that concentrated fire must be provided by either large blocks of missile troops, or by the multiple small ones. This concentration will mean that much of the opponent's army will arrive either unmolested or without and reasonable dent in them. Does it now seem that eighth edition has left the gunline a sad forlorn throwback to a previous edition?

Stunty's Weekly Review #5

2011-02-17T00:54:00.001Z

With the impending release of the greenskin book and GW plastering all the new (AWESOME) miniatures over their website, the blogosphere has understandably been full of them.

However, there were a few interesting posts that caught my eyes.

Cadia 122; Orcs and Goblins

With the new releases up for viewing, it was obvious that I had to include some greenskins somewhere. I really liked these minis, nice sharp and cleanly painted. That huge block of Night Goblins looks quite a daunting prospect.

The Bovine Overlord; Ungors

A blog I feel is under viewed, I thought I'd throw it in there. I also liked that the poster has done ungor's in different colours. I like to see some races where people stray away from the GW 'standard' and try something different; it makes the army seem more personal.

Bringer Of Victory; Dark Elf vs Orc and Goblin Battle Report

A real nice battle report. A bit brutal in the game, but a good read.

Spellscape; Goblins!

Not an individual blog post this time, but rather multiple ones. Some great painted goblins here this week.

Bloody Beast; Empire

Again, another multiple post here. This time it is some great looking empire miniatures, not a well loved army this edition (at the moment) but these minis are wonderful. Nice too see them about.

The Workshop - Location, Location, Painting Location

2011-02-14T16:00:00.118Z

A new addition to the blog is a series on the hobby side of things. This will focus on the hobby table, the starting location for all things hobby.

The picture you see to the left is of my painting station. This, like all gamers, is where I sit down and paint. From this distance you can see all the basics of what I have to set up. I am going to cover some things I believe to be important for a good station set up.

You can see the table I use is a nice big size, and is quite sturdy. Personally I like a big table, in general you need to make sure that you have enough room for all your items. There is no point in having a table a foot square if you cannot get all your paints, tools or minis somewhere in easy of reach. The size of the table depends on the amount of stuff you want or need on your desk. I also like to have it in a corner, you can use the two walls to strengthen the support of the desk and allows you to lean things against them. As you can see I have two paint stands as well as the paint board I use to paint on.

You can use the table surface itself, but personally I like to use something I care nothing about, something that a spillage or a cut on will not bother me (parents and spouses are known to get upset over these on their coffee table). So I have a piece of wood, mine is in fact the GW paint station with the the upper section removed. A piece of simple thin chipboard or plywood would suffice. As you can see, I am not fussy about getting paint on this thing, it is there to protect the table beneath, as well as giving me something nice and sturdy to lean on. Alongside the board you'll see my stay wet palette, which I'll cover at another time.

Alongside a good base, you'll need a good light. Some people say that daylight is the best light to paint by. That might be true, however I have lived in three houses/flats and none of my paint tables have been located near a window. So, if like me you need a good lamp. There are loads out there, however for painting you really need a daylight bulb. The bulb is only half of what you need from the light, you also want to make it flexible. The ability to move the light to the right angle can help a lot at times, so it getting it to the right position. I favour these larger lamps for they give a wider range and spread of light.

As you can see, I have a bunch of tools and paints here. I find these holders are really nice, it allows me to see my more obvious used paints and to keep all my tools in one place. These are not necessary, required but they do a number of things. The main point which I like is the fact it keeps the desk tidy. This is a welcome point if your space is of a premium, something like this will allow you to hold the paints you usually use. Very useful if you are painting an army constantly, you can keep your army colours all in one place, right in front of you. Very useful, no?

This is just an extra, not really something required. Seating can be important, you need to ensure that your chair works with the height of your desk. It is why I like to favour chairs that can be adjusted. The basic chair needs to be quite comfortable, so you don't get numb arse while painting. Arm rests are not required, but at times I find they are useful.

I think that one of the most important things about painting is you need to be comfortable. There is no point sitting down to paint if you are going to injure yourself or be sat at an awkward angle. You need to make sure that your chair reaches the right height for your desk, and that it is comfortable. Making sure you have enough light to see the mini and what you are doing without it warping your perception of the colours is something everyone needs. And for your own health (and to protect yourself from your spouse or parents) you should always make sure that the area you are working on is well protected and covered against spills and cuts. Failure to do so could result in injure from said family member.

That is all for this little look into your station, I plan to cover other parts in greater detail in the future. As well as some possible tutorials, so look out for those. If you have something for me to cover, please feel free to drop me a line or suggest it in the comments. If I am able to I will cover it, or perhaps one of the other posters of the blog will do.

Stunty's Weekly Review #4

2011-02-09T20:55:00.001Z

More great Fantasy posts from the blogosphere. I have on purpose missed or skipped on any of the posts about the new releases of the Orcs and Goblin stuff. There is nothing but some pictures.

It'll be a quick one this week.

Bloghammer; Giver of Glory

A great looking warshrine. I love the extravagance, of it. I cannot wait to see this beast painted, but looking at the bare model I am very impressed.

Mr Saturday's Mumblings; Proxies

A simple topic, but something that I think sits on many gamers minds. How far can you go with proixies? Personally I see nothing wrong with using them, for a bit. Like testing out a new unit/option but when you start to see them regularly I would perhaps be against it a bit.

Troll Tales; Night Goblin Shaman

With the world going green over the next few weeks, I picked up on a great painted shaman. I do love this mini, in fact I have a converted version (he's 'Santa Gobbo'). The simple touches to the model makes him stand out.

PsychosisPC's; Goblin Wolf Riders

Again, some great conversions here. Mixing in the theme of vampire counts into the army is great, some awesome conversions and simple ideas to make the theme work. Great work, the army will look great overall when together and painted.

Fantasy Webzines

2011-02-07T22:07:00.001Z

On the web there are a host of webzines, fan made online magazines, associated with Warhammer. Most of them focus on a specific race, with very few generic webzines out there.

Below you'll find the more well known webzines, the fantasy based ones.

The Skavenblight Gazette

This webzine focuses on the Skaven army. Like most webzine's it is done in a quarterly release, and is currently onto its 10th issue. It is well organised, and I really like the layout. The 'zine covers pretty much anything Skaven, from Fantasy to Blood Bowl, to Mordheim. With some great covers and artwork, along with some fantastic articles this is the best ratty 'zine out there.

Word of Hashut

To say that the Chaos Dwarfs are dead would be an overstatement. These guys have a lot of support on the web, that shows in this webzine. So far there are nine issues, each one packed with images from the forum's members own armies. Again the issues cover all fantasy games, including the forgotten game... Blood Bowl. The support from the forum members and its readers is great to see.

The Bellower

The new kid on the block here, The Bellower is (as you might have guessed) an Ogre Kingdoms webzine. The artwork for this 'zine is great, just look at the front covers. I am also a fan of how the 'zine is laid out and personalised. It is something as simple as having the Great Maw surrounding the page number that I like. It is also great to see another under represented Fantasy army being given a great deal of love.

The Invocation

Another new webzine out there is the Invocation. Obviously this is a Vampire Count's 'zine. I think this 'zine needs a little bit of polish, but it is coming along great. Again with the others it is really good to see such support from the forum members of this webzine. Still quite a new one, this is one to watch - especially if you collect Vamps.

The Doom Seeker

This is the only generic Fantasy 'zine that I personally know of. Personally I think it is an OK 'zine, however it needs a bit of shine. If this webzine needs one thing, it is support. That said, it is not bad. The articles are generally interesting and cover a range of topics, including (in the past) Dogs of War. This definitely needs support.

So, there. Those are the webzine that I personally know of and read when I have the chance. I am sure that there are others out there that I am not aware of, so please fill me in if you know of any. Personally I think that even if you don't play the army that the 'zine focuses on, they are still worth the read and your support.

Stunty's Weekly Review #3

2011-02-03T01:13:00.000Z

Image used without permission

Once again we come to that time of the week, The Weekly Review. It seems the Fantasy bloggers have been having a rest this week, but there is still a few good posts that I have spotted.

With that in mind, lets jump right into it...

Lost In the Warp - Beastmen Ungors

I saw this am loved them. Beastmen seem to get a bad press these days due to their army book. However, this unit would make me want to start them. It goes to show just how much a little bit of greenstuff and thought into a unit can make it stand out a lot. I think they looks awesome!

Hobby Horse - Chaos Ogres

Like above, it is another option that gets very little love. A well painted unit, and it is a great thing to see the old style Marauder miniatures getting some loving.

Bringer of Victory - Deployment tactics Part 2

This is the second part to the short series looking at how to deploy better. With a little bit of thought it shows what can be achieved even before the game has begun. It is a good thing to pay great attention to this aspect of the game, and to ensure that you set up well, failure to do so can almost cost you the game.

Bringer of Victory - Deployent Tactics Part 3

Same as above.

Blog of Grudges - Charging

A great look at how the new rules for charging do. For those just returning to the hobby or starting up, posts like these are great. A really good help to these guys, with a nice clear break down of how the rules work.

Podcasts

2011-02-01T16:00:00.122Z

There is the old question asked of gamers - "What do you listen to when you paint?. In the "old" days it might have been to music or watched DVDs/TV. But in the recent (well, last four - five years) years there has been a rise of something new to listen to. Podcasts. I am going to have a look at some of the more popular Fantasy podcasts available to listen too.

Podcasts give you the chance to listen to other gamers and actually hear their views, rather than just reading them on the internet. They allow you to do some painting or even just walking around while listening to something interesting. While you cannot see pictures of completed armies, I think it gives you a better personality to the people online you might know.

There a number of well known Fantasy podcasts available at the moment. I am going to go over a few I know, and enjoy.

Probably one of the most well know Fantasy podcasts known on the web. It is run by the two Ben's (Ben Johnson and Ben Curry). If you have ever been to one of the large UK tournaments then it is highly likely that you will have come across one, if not both of these guys at some point. They are very experienced players, and they have even featured in the pages of the UK White Dwarf. A lot of their episodes are based off of their tournament experience, either before, during or after. Alongside their tournament reports, they also cover a wealth of painting, hobby and gaming topics throughout their shows.

Again, Heelanhammer is a very well known podcast. I would expect that most fantasy players will have heard of it, if not listened to a few episodes. This podcast is run by a Dan Heelan, with his co-host; Wayne Kemp. Once more, like Bad Dice's hosts, Dan is an avid tournament goer. This takes up quite a bit of his podcast episodes, but is by no means all of the contents of the 'cast. There is a number of weekly features, such as 'Week in Fantasy' among others. Well worth the listen, especially if you are considering attending a tournament soon.

This is perhaps one of the oldest, if not the first, Fantasy podcast on the web. Jeff Carroll is the host off of this show, and being based in Australia it shows a different perspective on the hobby, from a different continent. This podcast is a little different from the above two, with Jeff have a no holds barred way with the language, so be warned to hear certain terms thrown around the 'cast. The blog is also renowned for doing army book covers when they are released, definitely something to look into should you be new.

This podcast is a rather new kid on the block. It has recently just hit its 50th episode, and does seem to have a good solid following. I haven't listened to many episodes, but from those that I have they sound decent. The quality and presenting is good enough to enjoy, they appear to cover quite a bit of the fantasy range; gaming, rules, reviews, painting. All the usual stuff. If you are looking for something a bit less tournament based, then this podcast could be for you.

Along the same lines as the 'Waaagh Cast' Garagehammer is a very new podcast. So far there have less than 20 episodes to their name, but they do seem to be of decent quality. Where Bad Dice and Heelanhammer take a very tournament and competitive based view at the world of warhammer, Garagehammer is just a bunch of laid back guys who game for the fun of it. They do seem to enter the odd tournament, but when you listen to them, you can tell that when they play it is a relaxed atmosphere with some good old friends (properly with an ale/larger/beer of their choice grasped in one hand). If you want a hard, tactical blog that will help gear you up for a tournament, I think this isn't for you. If you want to listen to a couple of guys who love the hobby and play for the sheer fun of it... listen up.

Right. Those are the podcasts I know of, and I am sure there are many more Fantasy based podcasts out there trying to make a name for themselves. If you know of them, or run one, drop me an email or post a comment and I will be sure to promote it. Running a podcast seems a good idea, if not a little challenging, so congrats to those who have done it. And done it successfully. Best of luck for the future.

Tavern Talk - Etiquette

2011-01-30T20:00:00.042Z

Image used without Permission

Etiquette is not something you might think about with our hobby that much, but it does still exist. It is the basic manners of gaming, what you expect from your opponent and what they expect from you. Would you game with someone who turns up with no list or codex/army book but claims the know it all off by heart? It also applies to the handling of miniatures, as well as the interaction between gamers and spectators.

Just what do you see as gaming etiquette?

Etiquette. My views on etiquette are situational. Now, I could go on about the tournament scene but I have not been to one in many, many years. In general, my views tend to look at friendly games more than anything else. I have a number of things that bother me, things I come across either by seeing or having it happen to me.

Touching minis is somehting I am rather particular about. I do not believe that anyone should pick up, handle or touch anothers miniatures without the express permission of the owner. It is just rude, especially should an accident happen.

Army lists. I firmly believe that all should come with a list prepared, it is just common sense when you go gaming to be prepared and ready for a game. It also stops people from tailoring their lists to match your army type, that is not friendly.

Rule and army books. Not everyone has access to all the army books, for that sole reason alone each player should be responisble for bringing the right book for their army. It helps rule arguements and disagreements, rather than "I know that is right, it's my army" etc.

Don't be a dick. OK, this is personality dependant but sits well in general. No one likes playing the guy (or gal) who thinks they know everything, who thinks that their army is undefeatable or that your list is weak. When rule queries come up, if you cannot sort it out by yourselves and your local rules guru doesn't know. Roll it off.

Here are the comments by those who took part this time round.

Innane Courage
Mr Saturday's Mumblings

And from Stumpy Heaven...

Gaming Etiquette depends on the format your playing whether friendly or tournament, there rules common to both formats though

- Your miniatures should represent what you say they are, nothing worse than someone using ogres to represent empire cavalry, or empty movement trays etc
- Rulers do not bend, measure properly and work slowly so your opponent can see what your doing, but dont be an inch Nazi when there is only a hairs width between a unit living or dying
- Roll your dice properly and in front of your opponent, preferably in the middle of the table, the whole sliding them off your palm thing isnt good in my book
- Ask questions if your not sure about things
- Have a written army list that clearly shows the unit rules and points cost & your army book
- If in doubt check the rules, if they dont help come to a gentlemans agreement
- Agree on the terms of play before you start, i.e., this hill blocks LOS, this one doesnt, this is a river etc
- BUT ABOVE ALL Be friendly remember its only a game not life and death and the object is for both of you to have fun

For tournaments, additional requirements are
- Have everything you need with you, rulers, dice, templates, rulebook, your army book, FAQs for armybook and rulebook
- Keep to the time limit, you have 2.5 hours for 6 turns thats more than enough
- Tournaments are also about helping your fellow players get better, talk talk talk, if they are going to make a dumb move its ok to point it out.
- BUT ABOVE ALL be friendly remember its only a game not life and death and the object is for both of you to have fun

Oh and dont be put out by me wearing a Dwarf helmet and beard during tournaments and by me dancing around the table maniaclly whenever things go my way :)

John @ StumpyHeaven.blogspot.com

Thanks for taking part, and I hope to see you all next time!

Do You Fluff?

2011-01-29T02:39:00.000Z

Part of the game is the background, the 'fluff'. Many view this in different ways, for some it is the over arching importance for their love of the game, others it is just words.

I myself am a big fluff lover. I have various books, both physical and digital that are not based upon my army. Admittedly, I do have some dwarf stuff, the fluff sources are from Black Library novels, dwarf army books, and some old sources (Grudgelore for example, and the hallowed, infamous 'Steel and Stone'). One of the first things I do when I get a new army book is to read through the background, to see how much GW have actually changed - like they do.

I love the detail in which the world has been given, it is rich and ripe, full of detail. I love how detailed each army's history is, how much effort GW has put into making these 'forces' their own as opposed to generic fantasy. Of GW's fluff, I find the the individually of each race interesting; some of them are very similar in ideas (high, wood and dark elves, for example) but each have their own, individual personalities. Not only that, but it is also not clandestine, but rather GW has left open gaps here and there for the gamer to have their own history implanted in the game.

All of this is leading to my love for fluff. I have spent many an hour in the past trying to figure out a background for my dwarfs/armies, it actually has a big impact upon my forces. For example, my dwarf army actually has the runes for my hold's name in Khazalid (Dwarfish) on each of the shields. Alongside this I have also written an extensive background for the army, along with naming characters. This is the impact fluff has on me. I enjoy the feeling I get from seeing King Ulrik Flamebeard of Ungorwutraz Krag (The Delving Spear Mountain) take to the battlefield alongside his loyal thanes and runesmiths. I have begun to start a proper history for these characters, naming important ones along with titles. Eventually I hope to have converted miniatures to match these characters in my army.

Even though I love my fluff, I do not think it affects my choices in choosing my army or army lists. I do try to make sure I pick units and characters that will be effective on the tabletop, but I also like to build armies that fit my theme. There are ways to get this sorted, the usual method of getting the theme over is by modelling and painting.

So, how do you fluff?

Stunty's Weekly Review #2

2011-01-26T18:47:00.001Z

In Stunty's Weekly Review Kuffy covers a number of Fantasy based posts that he has enjoyed over the past week and why.

Troll Tales; Pump Wagons

Being a fan of the orcs and goblins, I liked this little fellow. Trollhoer has a great looking army, mixing in old and new minis. The base of this pump wagon works great with the old style on the mini.

Bovine Overlord; Battle Report

A great read utilising two underused armies, I really liked the clear and concise descriptions of the the moves. The turn maps help a lot as well, a great use of the battle chronicler program.

Inane Courage; Tower

Matt has been all about Skavening up this little piece of terrain, great work so far. It is great to see how you can personalise a simple thing to suit your forces. Perhaps I'll give one a dwarven slant at some point.

Lost in Gaming; The Cool Factor

I really liked this post because it gave a view I really like on picking an army. The 'Cool Factor'. I for one do not choose armies based on their current power level or how powerful they can be (properly why I'll never win a tournament if I enter one), but how cool I find them. And lets admit it. Beards are cool.

PsychosisPC; Spider Riders

These guys are great. The theme has been going over the entire army and these fellows fit the bill really well. I love the attention to detail and the conversions, one of my favourite bits is definitely the skeleton wrapped up in a web on the base. A great way to make an army unique.

Year of Frugal Gaming; Greenskins!

Ok, so this is the third greenskin post for this week. A great post on an old army. I really liked the way Frugal Dave has used kitbashes and scratch built items, again making this army entirely his own.

Company of the Damned; Magnetising an army

A great and quick tutorial on how to magnetise your army. And perhaps more importantly, how to do it cheaply!

Warpstone Pile; DOOMROCKET!

A great conversion for a model that everyone likes to use. It is a simple conversion but looks great. The clanrats also look great.

Xenite; Elf Spearman

As part of an old kit the high elf spear suffered from GW's 'stupidly-large-and-out-of-proportion-itis' period. Xenite has put in a bit of effort and shows just how you can do something special with them and actually look right. Great work. (Shame you wasted the skill on an elf though... )

Bringer of Victory; Deployment

It is great to see some articles that highlight the more basic aspects of warhammer. I think everyone needs to get deployment right, it is a lot more important than in 40k. This start of a series on the 'Bringer of Victory' could be a great help to all.

Stunty's Weekly Review #1

2011-01-20T03:31:00.003Z

It is about time to bring in a new feature to the blog. This is just as much about adding content as it is promoting other blogs. In the vein of other features on a number of blogs, it takes the form of a round up of the posts from Fantasy Blogs that I have found interesting this week. I have refrained from calling it 'Top X' as I have no idea as to how many posts each week there will be.

That will depend on you.

Drinkin' and Modellin' - A Blood Bowl Tournament review

I found this post interesting as it was Randroid's first tournament, and to make it even more interesting it was a Blood Bowl one. I enjoyed reading about his Nurgle Rotters exploits.

Troll Tales - Stubborn Black Orcs

It is good to see orc and goblin armies still exist. I found this view and idea on making an expensive unit even better quite interesting and curious. It is good to see some of the different items from the BRB being considered.

Chattering Horde - Skaven Hell Pit Abomination

This is the first break down review and discussion on the HPA. With the release of the new plastic kit we can expect to see more of these around the net and table.

The Fields of Blood - Attraction of 8th Edition

An interesting look at the introduction of new variables into this edition. A brief look at how people should be considering different ways of approaching the game and their armies.

Mr Saturday's Mumblings - Competiition vs Narrative

I quite liked this, being a fan of fluff or narrative games. I liked the authors thoughts on this, I find it interesting to see how other gamers see tournaments, campaigns and pick up games.

The Fields of Blood - Warhammer Release Schedule

Another from the Fields of Blood. This time a look at the way GW have managed their releases for Fantasy 8th ed.

Blog of Grudges - The Gyrocopter

I had to include a dwarf post here. This one I found interesting, a good look at the most underused and worse unit in the dwarf book. I admit, some of this post I don't agree with but it is a good read.

Warhammer Blog 101 – Naming Your Blog

2011-01-13T12:18:00.008Z

The decision has been made. You are going to start a Warhammer blog. All the issues, pros and cons have been weighed up and you are ready to make your mark on the community.

So now what?

One of the first things to consider is what you are going to call it. It might seem a little like putting the cart before the horse, but nothing could be further from the truth. Creating a name for your new blog will help you to connect with the endeavour, as well as give you a focus for what you are doing.

Basic Considerations

There are a number of basic considerations to make initially. Obviously the first is that you are going to be stuck with this name for the life of the blog, so choosing something that will both age well and you won’t get sick of is paramount.

By age well I mean, don’t use current slang that will (most likely) fall out of favour in the future. Not unless you are willing to put up with it through thick and thin. And that seems unlikely. Though this example is totally absurd, it illustrates my point well. Imagine if at the height of Turtle Power in the eighties you had created a blog called Cowabunga Warhammer.

At the time it would have been relevant, but twenty years later less so. Ok, so maybe Cowabunga Warhammer isn’t actually such a bad name, and a twenty year old blog is unheard of. But you get my point. Today’s cool is tomorrow’s embarrassment, especially in the fast moving world online.

Another consideration to make is that whatever you come up with may already be taken. Be prepared for this. Nay, expect it. A list of possible names, in order of preference, is a good idea. Take your list and progressively do Google searches for blogs of the same, or similar, names. While it is possible your favourite name remains unused, there may be another blog with a strikingly similar title.

Where this occurs you will have to make a decision. Can the two of you co-exist with similar names? This can be a problem when it is another blog, but devastatingly so if it is another Warhammer (or any tabletop wargame/miniature/model) blog. You don’t want to be accused of stealing someone else’s idea. So best to do your homework before hand.

The Blog Name

Here is where the real work is. Coming up with a list of possible blog names.

There are a number of types of names, which I will go into, but all have some basic similarities. On the surface they all try to communicate the point and purpose of the blog. This is important, because you want to draw the readers to your blog by engaging their interest. One of the first, if not THE first thing they will ever see about your blog is its name and URL. So this initial encounter has to communicate as much information as possible, and say to your possible readers that this is something that they might be interested in.

I know it sounds a bit technical, daunting and, frankly unnecessary. But this is the container for your content. The brand that you will labour under. On some level your name and the blog will be synonymous.

It is entirely possible that the name you create will fill more than one category. This is fine. These categories are an all-encompassing grouping, a way to explore the general makeup of the bulk of the blogs.

Types of Names

Jokes, Puns and Word-plays
Names that rely of clever word-play, humour, or both. A good name in this category isn’t just funny or clever, but shows the readers that you have a particular attitude towards your hobby. Be careful not to rely on in-jokes or niche references, unless your audience is going to be a select group who would understand them.

Examples of current blogs in this category would be House of Paincakes, Bloghammer and Inane Courage.

Descriptive
These are names that pretty much describe what the blog is about, or who it is by. It is the blog equivalent of stores with names like “Bobs World of Chairs” and “Christies Fashions”. They present a fairly conservative image, at least for the internet, though the content doesn’t necessarily reflect this. Quite often these blogs provide content on a number of different topics and systems.

Examples of current blogs in this category would be Cyborg Truckers Role Playing and War Gaming Blog, Warhammer 40k, Fantasy, Wargames & Miniatures News: Bell of Lost Souls, Painted Miniatures by Thomas Moore and Warhammer Fantasy Battle Tabletop Gaming.

Evocative
Possibly the most common type of name, these try to link to their subject using imagery and wording that conjures certain images to mind. Generally they use themes pulled from their main subjects, fantasy and sci-fi, to create the impression they are aiming for.

Examples of current blogs in this category are Fields of Blood, Bringer of Victory and The Trading Post.

Ironic
This category is somewhat similar to Jokes, Puns and Word-plays. However, the often depreciating slant of the names coupled with their wargame related theming means they deserve a category all their own. Good names in this category are obvious, but not overt. This is key, as the readers have to be able to tell this is intentional sarcasm or irony. A hard feat in the written word at the best of times. Otherwise the blog may appear to be a personal journal of emotional pain and angst. Or worse. Definitely not the way to attract the types of readers you are looking for.

Examples of current blogs in the category are The Hopeless Gamer, My Dice Hate Me and Tom’s Boring Mordheim Blog.

Conclusion

Hopefully you now have a good idea about how important naming your blog is. Names come in all shapes and sizes, but they all attempt to achieve one thing. To reflect the nature and attitude of the blog as much as possible, while attracting lasting readers. The name is a little part of you that you release onto the internet in the hope of catching like-minded people. It reflects on you personally, as it is a badge that you wear. So wear it with pride.

Head over to The Trading Post forum to discuss this post in more detail.

Tavern Talk - New Years Resolutions

2011-01-08T13:08:00.001Z

The new year is here, time for all those promises you make to the 'hobby gods', friends and family about your hobby. It is time to admit them to the blogosphere, to share with us all the resolutions you have made for Fantasy in the new year. What are your plans for the up coming year? What goals do you hope to achieve for 2011?

I don't usually do news years resolutions, mainly because I know I will fail at them, so I kinda skip over them. So instead I am going to lay out some aims and goals I want to achieve this year.

- Pay more attention to this blog. I realise that I have neglected this blog, this is in part to me not having any gaming with Fantasy. However, I do want to try and add more content to in and make it a good blog. I aim to have some guest posts (there are already a few contributors who have access), and to have some more regular features. I hope to improve it's standing and by also help promote and support Fantasy bloggers on the web

- Complete my dwarf army to a playable level. By this I mean at least 2000pts. In addition to this, I want to make the army special to me and improve my conversion/painting skills.

- Start my second fantasy army. This is planned to be an Orc and Goblin army, which I won't consider starting until the new army book is released.

- I also plan to try and finish some other projects I have started. These are things like my Possessed Mordheim Warband, a Dwarf warband. An Orc Blood Bowl team, perhaps a dwarf and human one also.

As with all Tavern Talk posts we have some other blog posts from the Fantasy bloggers.

Love, Dice and Paintbrushes
The Quiet Limit of the Word
Inane Courage
Bringer of Victory

Tavern Talk - Looking Back

2010-12-27T00:00:00.001Z

So, another year ends. As we wave bye to 2010, I wanted to get your thoughts on your hobby throughout it. What are your proudest achievements? Where did you fail? Just how has your year in Fantasy been?

So, 2010 has nearly gone and it has been a year of fantasy. Even for myself, I have made it a year in Fantasy. I haven't achieved much, unfortunately but I have started the ball rolling. This year I started the repainting of my dwarf army, well redesigning of it really. I am happy with it's looks and all that, but my progress for it however has been rather slow in the 'great revival'.

Alongside all of this I have been planning ideas down and trying to do more hobby stuff. This year has been awkward for me in terms of hobby. I have had a dissertation to write, which got me my degree. Those are good points. There were also two moves, and for nearly three months I had no chance of doing any painting at all; so that killed the hobby off a bit. However, I have now found a gaming group where I am - meaning I am getting some gaming in. However, it is all 40K, not Fantasy. Sucks.

I am happy about 2010, I have had a pretty good hobby year and I hope that 2011 can make it even better.

Below are some posts from Fantasy bloggers who took up the torch and posted their thoughts on their last year in the hobby.

First of all; Bringer of Victory

Then we have; My Dice Hate Me!

And then, finally we have Drinkin' and Modelin'

Tavern Talk - Rituals

2010-11-20T13:09:00.001Z

As we all know gamers are creatures of habit. This extends into the realms of our gaming, whether it be how we treat our dice to how we prepare for a game. Some place their dice with the 'six' up to "inspire" good luck, while others will not roll the same dice twice in a row. Some gamers have mascots for their armies - either a specific model or even a cuddly toy. So the question posed is; what are your gaming rituals?

For my own views, I have very few rituals. I do not follow with using "lucky" dice for certain rolls or changing dice after each roll or anything like that. The closest I have gotten to an ritual is for my Orks in 40k. I originally used green dice to play with them, and I have some really bad rolls with them in a number of games. A friend suggested I used blue dice - as blue is lucky to orks. Now, for each game I used these blue dice my Orks have performed quite well, my Lootas usually roll five or six for the number of shots they have (D3). Otherwise, I like having dice to match my armies main colour scheme. That is really all the rituals I have.

Now, we have some comments from the members of the Trading Post. These posts are made on the individual blogs with their thoughts and comments on the topic.

Bringer of Victory discusses his views on rituals

BJ covers it on his blog

Matt is very much anti-rituals

Randroid finally gets his say in on a topic

Thanks to all who took part in this Tavern Talk, and I hope to see more for the next one; so keep a look on your emails in the future!

If you would like to participate in a future Tavern Talk then send me an email and you'll be added to the mailing list. In addition if you own or know of a Fantasy based blog, then let me know and I'll add it to the Blog Roll on the Trading Post

Contest Reminder

2010-11-11T11:47:00.000Z

Just reminding people that next week I shall be naming the winner of the First Trading Post contest. The details can be found here :

Trading Post Contest #1

The Trader of the Week - Paint Bard

2010-11-07T23:40:00.001Z

So, I have decided to bring this little series back to the blog. For those who don't know, this is where I spotlight a certain Fantasy Blogger and their Blog on the Trading Post. Following is a small set of questions with their answers.

So, who is it for this week's Trader of the Week? Well, it is a great blog with some really good painting - currently focusing on his Skaven models, it is Black Bard with his blog Paint Bard.

Real name or Avatar:
My avatar is Black Bard, which is not very creative or witty, but is an Anagram of my real name. Incase you still haven’t gotten it, hi my name is Brad!?!

Plague Monk Unit Filler

What fantasy army(ies) do you play?
Sadly? I collect a lot of them. Once upon a time I decided that a great way to address my AFD (Army Focus Disorder) was to collect something of everything. Since then I went through a time of purge and got rid of many of my smaller armies, but have since rebuilt my collection…much to my better half’s amusement! (ha ha??) I guess what I am trying to say is that I have a Massive warriors of chaos army. Secondly, I have a very
large orc and goblin army (mostly goblins). The third large army in my collection has to be my woodelves. My fourth and oldest bunch of actually painted miniatures is my dwarves (anyone else love the old drunken dwarf models?). Lately I have added a very big chunk of undead (these accumulate quickly!!), SKAVEN! (Squeak, squeak!!) and a few units of high elves. And of course I have some very small collections of empire, demons, and lizzardmen.

What projects are you currently working on?
My blog was originally intended to capture the “journey of me as a painter”. I have to admit though, that as soon as people start commenting on one particular group more than others, it becomes a real incentive to continue painting that same kind of model. For the longest time I was painting Chaos and had a few people comment on the models, but as I burned out on that and started Skaven, the increased response and traffic at the site really motivated me.

Plague Furnace

What are we to expect in the future from your blog?
I suppose more of the same. Skaven, Chaos, etc…whatever I am interested in painting at the time. I would eventually like to create a second sister blog and use it to post only my completed tutorials, along with submissions from other bloggers around the world. I have yet to work out a name for it though…

What/who is your biggest inspiration?
My biggest inspiration is the online community. I started painting ages ago, before the advent of the “Intraweb” aka “Intramanet”, and that was really a solo journey. Now though, you can search the internet with key words, or follow sites where people join together to create a community of like minded hobbyists! I love the proverbial light bulb going off when I see a particularly inspiring piece of work someone has put out there for all to see!

A wild Doomwheel!

What is your number one hobby tip?
Don’t get bogged down painting things you don’t enjoy. Paint for the love of painting and seeing something YOU have finished. Everyone wants a finished army to play the game with, but slogging through an army you don’t enjoy painting, simply because it is a “powerful” army on the table top is lamer than lame. I have had many bad experiences of playing against people that have an army they don’t like the looks of, but they
play them because of the “higher percent” probability of beating you. Uggg, boreing, please go back to your mom’s basement and figure out the percentage and probability of anyone wanting to play against you again.

What is your number one gaming tip?
Hah! A continuation of the last question… No one wants to play against the rule-lawyer, the must win at all costs guy, the poor sportsman, etc. If you want to have fun playing the game, make it fun for your opponent! Laugh, joke, take a loss like a man! You will find more people want to play with you this way!

Some rusty Clanrats

What is your proudest moment in wargaming?
Proudest moment would have to be when someone picks up one of your models and looks it over and gives you a heart felt compliment. You play a game, win or lose, and that same person finds you later to tell you how much they enjoyed playing against you. “Lets arrange another game soon!”

If you could have a miniature made for a character or unit that does not currently have one, which would it be?
I don’t have one specific model or unit that I want to see. The thing I want to see is more and more versatile plastic sets to come out that allow people to convert and create unique and fabulous models of their own. Nothing beats people trying to duplicate a model you have put together that isn’t the norm.

A great looking Nurgle Knight

What are the top three Fantasy blogs you follow?
I follow more than three. I always check out “Warseer” and “The underempire” for ideas. But lately I have followed Massive Voodoo, Nesbet miniatures, the Grumpy stunty and The Glorious Works. The nice thing about blogs, is they usually offer you new and never before read sites to explore!

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So, thanks to Black Bard for his words here. I hope you all enjoy it. If you have a Fantasy based blog or know of a good one that you feel should be highlighted, please send me an email. The address can be found right of this post, at the top of the right-hand menu.

Tavern Talk Topic - One Army or More?

2010-11-01T19:35:00.001Z

Tavern Talk Topic - One Army or More?

As I am sure we all know, when one picks up the game of Warhammer it is followed shortly by a choice of army. This is usually a single army which is then built to make a decent list which will be used a lot. And then to be followed by an expansion to include a few more options for future games. However, who stays with a single army? Once you have played one for a while, does it become boring until you branch out to another? Or, do you stick to a single army? There are merits to having one major army and to having a number of smaller ones. What do have and why?

That was the topic I posed for this Tavern Talk, and we have a few replies - which I will link to the blog posts a little bit later. I first wanted to give my thoughts on the topic. As people who follow my blog will know, I am a long time Dwarf player and they have been my sole Fantasy army for a long time. However, I am looking to later work out and expand into a second army - an Orc and Goblin army. Why am I making the choice to collect a second army? I think it is to play differently. As Fantasy players know Dwarfs lack in two main areas - movement and magic. The choice of O&G because they have these options open to them, but they also play very differently to the Dwarfs. For example, the Dwarfs are dependant, where as the O&G are random. There are loads of reasons why I chose this army, but the main point is that I tried to go for an army that was different to one I already had. While I love my Dwarfs and will strive to make them look awesome and learn how to master them (hopefully) it would be fun and interesting to have another army that is really different and really fun. I think that is perhaps one of the main reasons.

Right, we had a couple of replied to this topic this time, first off we have:

Drazhar discussing the topic on his blog.

Over at Bringer of Vicotry, Nikephoros cover his thoughts on the topic including his 40k choices in a two part post. The first (40k) and the second (Fantasy).

And finally Matt over at Inane Courage has his say.

Trading Post Give Away #1

2010-10-30T02:51:00.001+01:00

So, it has been a while that this blog has been running and it has now reached a grand total of fifty (that be 50 for some of you) followers. So first of all, thanks a lot to you guys for sticking with the blog, and I hope that it can improve and grow in the future.

Anyhow... To commemorate this event I have decided to do a little give away on the blog. Trying to think of a decent method to do the give away and I have a good idea. How do you enter and win I hear you cry?

Well, first of all you have to be a follower of the blog and then you must comment on this post. But there is a twist! You have to answer a question in your comment. The question is thus:

Why are dwarfs better than elves?

The winner will be the post that I deem to be the best. I shall leave the entries open for three weeks, before closing and picking a winner. And as to the prize, it will be a single Fantasy plastic boxed set of the winner's choice.

Good luck to you all and have fun!

Tutorial - Flagstone bases using stamps

2010-10-27T03:09:00.002+01:00

This tutorial is for the making of flagstone style bases by using a green stuff stamp. This is a simple, but can be a slightly lengthy method of doing this. However, once the stamp(s) are made the ability to make bases is quite swift. You just follow the last two or three steps.

Stage 1

The first stage is to mix up enough green stuff to cover a base. You make to make sure it is the right height and covers the base well. And leave to cure for about 10-20 minutes

Stage 2
This stage we mark on the design you want. At this point you don't want to drag the green stuff too much, it is possible that you will cause it to stretch and will warp your design. Once you are happy leave it to dry over night.

Stage 3
This is where the etching begins. Use a tool (I used a couple of my sculpting tools) to deepen the markings you made previously. They don't actually have to be that deep, just enough that the next stage will be effective.

Stage 4
Once you have etched in your design to the base, you then need to use something to make sure the mold will come free with minimal fuss. I used the below, Vaseline. Spread it over your base, making sure you get it into the gaps you have made.

Stage 5
Now, put another ball of green stuff onto your newly greased base. Push down to make sure it goes into the gaps, which is the important part. Push this down firmly, and leave to dry for about 10-15 minutes. I found it handy to make sure there is an edge on the stamp, it makes it easier to line it up in the following sections.

Once you remove the stamp, this is what you should have (but with your own design). Then leave to dry over night.

Stage 6
This stage is where once you've made the stamp you can just repeat to make multiple bases. I used milliput myself, but you can used green stuff just as well. Make a small amount of your material up and apply it to the base, much like the first step.

Stage 7
Take your stamp and push into the milliput firmly (first picture). Leave this for about 30 seconds or so, then carefully remove. Be careful not to drag or pull the stamp too much, this might cause the gaps it leaves to warp. (second picture) Then leave to dry over night. Once dry it will be available to paint.

In the end the bases should turn out something like this:

Tutorial - Blonde Hair

2010-10-27T03:08:00.002+01:00

Being a dwarf player, blonde is often a colour I want interspersing my units and characters but it can be hard to paint a convincing blonde. I have come up with a method that works rather well.

You will need
Mini
Brushes
Paints; Calthan Brown, Snakebite Leather, Golden Yellow, Kommando Khaki, Dheneb Stone, Skull White and Gryphonne Sepia

Each layer should be quite thin, as not to obscure the hair strands. Also multiple layers will most likely be required for each step. Bear that in mind.

For this tutorial I have used a random dwarf body and painted only the beard. I am not being careful of the other parts of the mini as this is just for practice, on the actual mini you will want to be careful of other parts - especially existing painted parts. I also started with a black undercoat.

Step One

The basecoat is Calthan Brown. Paint it all over the hair (from here on in, the beard) until you have a nice solid colour.

Step Two

The next layer is snakebite leather. Paint this all over the beard, but try to leave the basecoat in the deepest recesses of the beard and next to facial features or body parts.

Step Three

Add a small amount of golden yellow to the snakebite and reapply to the previous layer. This will give it a more yellow tone, something blonde has.

Step Four

Add a small amount of kommando khaki to the snakebite mix. The khaki is a neutral colour and has a way of lightening without it gaining colour - it sort of mutes the colour.

Step Five

Now add some dheneb stone to the mix. This does a similar job to the khaki but is lighter in tone. The more you add the lighter the blonde will be at the end. It is also worthwhile to start picking out individual hair strands at this point.

Step Six

Here I have added some more dheneb stone to highlight the beard more.

Step Seven

Add some skull white to the mix. Again, how much determines how bright it'll turn out. Again picking out individual strands makes the beard stand out and look more than just a flat tone.

Step Eight

Wash the beard with gryphonne sepia. Don't just slap the wash on, try to add thin layers of the wash, allow to dry and repeat until happy.

Step Nine

Reapply the highlight from step seven, again looking at highlighting individual strands.

Step Ten

The final layer is to add more skull white into the mix. This is used to pick out the most prominent strands. Such as the moustache and parts of the central braid.

That is it then done. A nice blonde beard.

Tutorial - Snow Bases

2010-10-27T03:07:00.000+01:00

If you're anything like me, you'll hate the GW style "snow flock". Or, white static grass. It never looks like snow, so I use a different method. Its a bit longer winded but works much better in my experience.

What you need
A base
Sand
Paints; Chaos Black, Charadon Granite, Adeptus Battlegrey, Astronomicon Grey
Flock - not needed, but adds to the base
PVA glue
Bicarbonate of Soda
Water

Step One
No pictures here. Basically make your base how you wish and undercoat it. Here I've just done sand and painted it black. Makes for nice contrasts.

Step Two

The first layer is to drybrush Charadon Granite all over the base. Be as heavy as you like.

Step Three

Next layer you drybrush Adeptus Battlegrey

Step Four

A final light drybrush of Astronomicon Grey

Step Five - Optional

You can add flock to the base at this point, or you can leave it off. The choice is yours. I usually leave it off - but only if I'm doing the whole base snowy.

Step Six

Take some PVA glue, and some Bicarbonate of Soda, mix with water until you get something that looks akin to the below;

It should be thick enough that it sticks to the brush, and doesn't run off it. (Note; It be best if you do this stage with an old brush you don't care about, as this stuff could ruin a good brush).

Step Seven

You want to apply the mixture quite heavily. It often shrinks as it dries. Cover as much as the base as you like. Then, again an optional step is to sprinkle pure Bicarbonate over the snow, to resemble fresh snow. Then leave to dry. Base complete.

Year... well Month of the Rat.

2010-10-24T15:55:00.000+01:00

In honour of all this filthy Vermin stuff that is floating about still - Isle of Blood, new Skaven releases and such - I thought I would bring to you oh fair reader a short list of the best ratmen blogs I know on the webz. So, hold your nose and dive into the rotten and corrupt world of the Skaven.

First up, is a long, long term Skaven blogger and a guest blogger her on the Trading Post, that is Matt with his blog; Inane Courage a rather apt name for a Skaven blog, I am sure you'll agree. Matt goes through the steps of his army. Pictures are a plenty along with explanations and discuss on his choices and miniatures.

Skavenblight is the new kid on the block. Archnomad discusses his Skaven army, his list, tactics and also looks up from the warren and discusses magic, armies and tactics for other races. Well worth the time to read it for ideas on a good solid Skaven army.

Squeek Vermintide is the owner of The Chattering Horde which is a painting blog for his ratman army. He recently had a great tutorial for how he does his own rats, and a bit of a discussion on batch painting 50 slaves in one go!

Rhellion's Blog at the moment is chronicling his tournament antics with the rats. I believe this is based around the 'Ard Boyz scene over in the US, with details on how he performed in this arena.

The Paint Bard is another one who ~~has-has fleas~~... ~~sorry, it a ratlover~~... Skaven player. A recent tutorial on his skaven might help inspire others with their painting also. And he has recently finished a great looking Plague Furnace, so make sure you stop by there for a look.

So, I hope you all drop by these vermin infested blogs and ~~purge~~ have a look at them and perhaps leave a comment or two.

If you have any idea on blog posts or would like to become a guest blogger with your own series on the Trading Post, drop me an email and we can discuss it.

Warhammer Blog 101 – Should I Write A Blog?

2010-10-18T03:12:00.001+01:00

You love your Warhammer. And creating a blog is dead easy, especially with the multitude of free blog providers on offer. So starting a blog about Warhammer should be simple decision right? But just because you can make a blog, does that mean you should?

First of all, I’m going to make one giant assumption. You want other people to come to you blog, read it and get something from it. That sounds about right, yes? Why else would you put your time into such a public endeavour and not want anyone to enjoy it?

So you are thinking about creating a Warhammer blog, but before you think of a name and sign up to a provider you need to make some careful considerations if you intend to be in any way successful.

Let me preface this by saying, most likely you will not fulfil all the criteria to consider. To be perfectly honest I think my contributions to Inane Courage meet about two-thirds. But it is important to know the issues at hand, think about them, and make your decisions from there.

Writing

The very nature of any blog, Warhammer or not, means you are going to be doing a lot of writing. If you are averse to writing, then a blog isn’t really for you. There is no point in trying to pursue something that, at the core of it, you hate.

This doesn’t mean you should abandon all hope here. If talking is more of your thing, then perhaps you could look into other avenues of media, like podcasting or video blogging.

Writing in itself is the first hurdle. The second is, how good are you at it? Thanks to the wizardry of computers being a perfect speller isn’t necessary anymore, but correct spelling is only a small part of writing as a whole.

You will most likely be primarily talking about your experiences and processes. So having a good understanding on how to simply and easily present this information in a written form is key. No one is going to be interested in your blog if they don’t know what you are talking about. Even if you are the greatest painter or modeller in the world.

Let’s quickly look at a couple of examples, so you can see what I mean. For the sake of this example, lets say someone is talking about how they painted one of the Island of Blood Clanrats.

“I stuck one of the spear arms on. I put the skaven on its base and then glued sand on. Then I sprayed it black. I then used brown to paint the clothes and flesh for the skin.”

This is an example of poor writing. There is very little explanation on what they are doing, and the details are very scant. When you are talking about such a particular process, like painting, it is always best to offer the most information you can in the easiest to digest way. So an example of good writing would be:

“After cleaning the mould lines from the Clanrat body and arm I attached the spear arm using plastic glue. While this was drying I glued the Clanrat to its base. Once this had dried I undercoated it using a black spray. I started painting the clothes first using Bestial Brown, then moved on to Elf Flesh for the skin areas.”

Alright, so it isn’t Tolstoy, but it explains the process much clearer. What does this mean for you, though? If you do want to write a blog, but don’t feel like you have the skills to craft easily understandable content, then enlist the help of a friend to proofread your work before hand. They don’t have to be excellent writers themselves, they just have to be able to identify where they have encountered problems and why, so that you can fix the.

As with anything, writing gets easier with practise. Most readers will forgive mistakes in the first months of your blog as you find your feet. Don’t use this as a time to muck about, though. Use it to refine and define your writing style. Because how you write is what will make the readers come back.

Images

For most blogs images are kind of an optional extra. They are used to compliment the content, or provide information a block of text couldn’t. However, a Warhammer blog isn’t like most blogs.

At the core of it, Warhammer is about a game played on a tabletop with miniature soldiers. It is a very visual and tactile experience, one that can be hard to capture in words alone.

I think it is safe to assume that most people considering starting a Warhammer blog are going to be, at some point, documenting their modelling, painting and battlefield exploits. Where these subjects are concerned, photos and diagrams greatly assist in explaining to the reader what your writing is addressing.

If you are exclusively talking about things like fiction and army lists images are not going to be so important. Though that is not to say that they can’t be used in these circumstances. Providing a diagram on how your army list would typically be deployed on the battlefield, for example, would certainly put the army into some kind of context.

What you are going to need is a digital camera, or regular access to one. If you are recording your painting progress you are going to need to take pictures of each stage. If you are documenting your tournament attendance then you will need to be able to use the camera on weekends.

Ideally you will have your own camera. I use a Dimage X50. It is fairly compact, around 80mm wide and 60mm high, and doesn’t take up much space if I decide to pack it into my bag with my rule books and Warhammer paraphernalia. Look for a camera with a macro function, usually demoted by a flower symbol. This will allow you to take clear images of small thing, like say, a miniature.

Some quick camera etiquette, while we are here. When taking a picture for your blog that has a person in it, especially at tournaments, make sure they are ok with having their likeness appearing online. Most people will be fine with it, all Warhammer players seem to live at least part of their lives online, but it is good just to make sure. If they aren’t comfortable with it, either crop the out of the photo or take it again. You could also blur their face, but honestly, this just makes your picture look dodgy. Or worse, like it has come from some women’s magazine.

Here we come to a point of contention in the image debate. Copyright owned imagery.

Personally I recommend against using images you don’t own without the creators permission. Be they Games Workshop licensed artwork, or just illustrations or photos you found on someone’s DeviantArt account.

There is a general understanding that, as long as you aren’t making money from your blog, you can use copyrighted images. I’m no lawyer, so it is possible that this is true. However, given the prevalence of artists on the internet, finding an appropriate image and emailing the artist shouldn’t be that taxing. A quick DeviantArt search would probably unearth a tonne of relevant illustrations and photos, with the creator just an email away.

Posting

Anyone familiar with my own blog, Inane Courage, will immediately point their finger an intone “Hypocrite!”. In fact, this could easily put me at odds with a large chunk of the community. But here we go.

Don’t bother creating a Warhammer blog if you aren’t going to be able to regularly update it.

There, I said it.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. What you need to consider is if you can make regular contribution to your blog, and how often. The above statement might not communicate it, but I have a pretty broad acceptance of ‘regular update’. Going a coupe of weeks without posting is fine, but if it is months between posts then you have a problem. You gain readers by connecting with them, and disappearing for months at a time does not build confidence.

So try to figure out a rough schedule, or acceptable post count. If you can post once a day, great. If you can only post once a fortnight, that is fine too. As long as your readers have a good grasp on what to expect from you, and when.

What’s it all about?

It might seem like a stupid question, but, what is your blog about? Alright, I know Warhammer, but that is only partially it. What about Warhammer in particular? It is probably easier for me to explain this with an example. Let’s use my blog, Inane Courage.

Inane Courage is essentially about anything Warhammer in my life. Rather than ordered tutorials and complete guides, it is an almost random assortment of content that haphazardly makes its way online. The intent is to capture the true spirit of how Warhammer fits into my life. I don’t sit down and paint twenty Clanrats in one session. It might take me a couple of days to assemble and undercoat them, only to do some painting a week later, with the highlights done later that month.

In the interim will be news, webzines I read, and the general goings on of life. The intent is to present the hobby, as it is to me, as a whole. Not everything works, things sit unfinished for months at a time, life goes on.

So you need to decide how you want to approach your Warhammer blog. Will it be something similar, essentially a warts-and-all diary of your day-to-day Warhammer? Or will it provide more complete pieces following projects from inception to completion? It could just be news, or it could just focus on discussing types of paint. The point is to decide on a direction for your blog that you are comfortable with and build on that structure.

Conclusion

The point of this article isn’t to scare you off Warhammer blogging, but help you to identify the main issues you will initially encounter. Ultimately your blog should provide you with an outlet for your creativity, and a source of inspiration for your readers.

Mainly, though, you should have fun.

Tavern Talk - 8th Edition, how has it changed your army?

2010-09-27T13:00:00.000+01:00

Tavern Talk – 8th Edition; how has it changed your army?
As we all know, 8th ed has been out for a short while now and everyone has had time to check their armies and see just what this new version of Warhammer has done to them. So, I am asking you; what has it done to your army(ies)? Has the new edition made you reconsider units that were pointless during 7th ed? Have you had to relegate units that were your “star players” previously? Do you make use of more or less magic now? Have you found, like many, that changes to rules – such as the parry save and great weapons – has made you use these (and other weapons) more or less?
What has 8th ed done to your army composition?

So, I asked this question. Just how much have you altered your army to fit with the new edition? Personally, I haven't really done anything. This is mostly because my dwarfs are in an unfit way for war (re: being repainted and reinvented) so I haven't done anything to them yet. However, I have considered the changes. One thing that I see as being a big change to my dwarfs, is the return of the great weapon. Last edition this fell away as you lost a lot of save for the two extra points of strength, now with the 'step up' rule it becomes a lot more viable. Taking large units of missile troops has also entered my thoughts. Now that we can all shoot in two ranks, it makes having units of sixteen or twenty worth it (especially if they're Thunderers). Not everything is good though, the fact that you cannot use the parry option if you have a 'special weapon' (ie a great weapon) does mean that we'll be loosing lots more hammerers in combats.

Character wise, the master engineer has lost his place, now that our cannons also do D6 wounds. He now appears to be at a loss. Or lord is now vulnerable to KB whilst on shieldbearers, and our runesmiths are now the best anti-magic characters in the game. Each one can table between one and three dispel scrolls, something no other army can do. Add in our bonuses for dispelling and finally you get a dwarf anti-magic defence that can actually work!

Here are some comments from members of the Trading Post:

Matt at Inane Courage discusses the effect on his rats and knights

BJ at The Winds of Magic covers the greenskins views

And Darth Weasel looks at the effects on the chosen of the four gods - Chaos

Thanks to those who took part in this discussion, we shall be back soon with a new topic. So keep checking your emails! If you would like to take part in these discussions in the future, then please send me an email at thetradingpostblog@googlemail.com and I shall add you to the emailing list for the next topic. Or you could sign up to the forums and add your thoughts there: The Trading Post Forums

Barek's Bitz Box is open for business!

2010-09-21T16:51:00.000+01:00

So, to bring a new feature to the blog I have decided to host a bitz swap. Now, I know there is one already over at Santa Cruz Warhammer but I wanted to dedicate one to pure fantasy items. I do tip my hat at the afore mentioned blog for their bitz swap for the great work and idea they have going on.

Now, what is it and how does it work? Basically it is a chance for you as a Fantasy blogger to swap bitz with other members. It is a great way to trade specific bitz without having to buy a new box or buy it online. All you need is something they want!

To take part, all you need to do is sling me an email labelled "Barek's Bitz Box" or "Bitz Box" to thetradingpostblog@googlemail.com along with two things. What you are looking for, and what you have to trade. At a chosen date, maybe a Wednesday or Thursday (I haven't yet decided) I will post up the details for that week. Note, that the post will include your email as the traders can then contact you directly and you can sort things out between you.

As a quick note, The Trading Post blog is not and will not be responsible for any trades that happen. We are not selling or trading anything, just giving folk the chance to contact someone who might be able to make them a deal.

Changes ahead...

2010-09-17T01:12:00.001+01:00

Just to make of note of some small playing about with the template again. I have now altered the 'Menu' list at the side so it will now find labels and pages, not just pages for the more popular content. It also now includes an "Aims and the Team" page, where it explains what the blog is about and who posts on here.

Which brings me to another addition. I have added the contributions page. This gives details of how you might be able to join with the blog. I am always looking for guest bloggers or bloggers wishing to add regular features. If you feel that this task is something that you could, do or would like to try out, then please drop me a line at thetradingpostblog@googlemail.com with a small sample of what you'd like to add to the blog.

Also, I am hoping to bring some new regular features to the blog. Or bring some old ones back. So keep an eye out for them!

Remember folks, that the Trading Post is here to support you guys. The Fantasy Bloggers out there. So help to make it yours!

Podcast review - Garagehammer, episode 8

2010-09-14T13:16:00.000+01:00

This is the first time I listened to this podcast, but I have heard of them about. And as luck would have it, this episode discusses my favourite Fantasy topic.. DWARFS!

Now, this podcast comes across to me as being a very laid back ship. I didn't get the feeling that they were geared for tournament play like many of the other podcasts you can find on the net. I think this is a great difference, I really liked how laid back they were. For example when discussing their army lists, they didn't go for all the more powerful options but rather they sounded quite fluffy and fun. I enjoyed the general discussion they had over their local gaming and stuff, and the "Phoenix Prince" section was an amusing and interesting touch. One nice point I did enjoy, was that they avoided swearing or cursing. I personally don't mind that much in general, but this makes it more family friendly and does just show that you don't need to swear all the time to have fun. It makes a nice change.

I really enjoyed the very comprehensive discussion of the dwarf army book, by a rather experienced dwarf general. There were some nice comments and ideas, a lot of which I am sure most dwarf players would agree with. They spent a great deal of time on each army option, giving a good strong description of each option they have and explaining the units roles and rules. I would say if someone is looking to get into a dwarf army, this section of the podcast is a great way to learn how they work.

I really enjoyed the podcast, I am thinking of making this a regular feature for my painting times. Go listen! But be warned, their shows aren't short!

You can find them at: http://garagehammer.net/

I have given this podcast a nice four pints out of five.

Fantasy Bloggers!

2010-09-13T16:35:00.001+01:00

Hi there. How you all doing? Well? Good.

Now. As you might know this blog was designed to be a hub or a central location for the members of the Warhammer Fantasy blogger community to have their blogs easy to find by others of a like mind. So far, it has done a little bit of that. I intend to improve this, and give you all a location where you can discuss sorts of things related to your blog or blogging.

If you look to the right, in the column there, I have a link to my forum's which is named after this blog. I was hoping to make use of this blog and forum with the whole hub aspect, an idea that came from a fellow blogger and forum member, from Matt over at Inane Courage. So, I need your help with this bloggers. What do you want to see on/from the forums that would help you as a blogger? For example, here is an suggestion from Matt:

As an example, a place where the different blog owners can post up and discuss their readership statistics. This would include not only their monthly hits, but also details on where these readers came from. Posting and discussing something like this will not only create content, but offer an important service to the Warhammer Bloggers. They can start to recognise trends, and see the relationship between themselves and the rest of the Warhammer Blog community. It will also help them to see who is pulling in more readers, when, and possibly why. This in turn can effect their own content, ideally increasing the quality and popularity of their blog.

Do you think this could work? And what would you like to see? I will try to make things work, if I can and would love to help the community as a whole. So, please give me some ideas on how to do this.

I completely forgot that I haven't left you all methods of adding your suggestions. These can be by either, posting your thoughts on this blog post's comment section. Or emailing me at thetradingpostblog@googlemail.com or you can add your suggestions on the Trading Post Forums at: The Hub Improvement Thread

Review - The Bellower #3

2010-09-09T20:10:00.000+01:00

Once more the loveable ogre webzine returns, this issue being it's third and a good issue it is. The folks from The Ogre Stronghold have a good set up for their webzine now, with a great layout - nowhere in the actual 'zine did I find myself thinking that a certain page looked out of place or wrong. It all worked together and made a good coherent read.

The articles themselves were well laid out and written.
It was a bit short in content, but the articles it did possess were good ones. It was good to see them move onto the new edition, rather than finish this issue as a final 7th edition one. The article on the magic items was an interesting read - even if I don't play ogres - and I enjoyed the little 'ogre touches' they added to the reviews in the 'out of ten gnoblars' with the icons. That was a great touch, personalised it more than just an 'out of five' or 'ten'.

And being a fan of Blood Bowl it was great to see a topic on the game this issue. I can see why it was included (for those who haven't read it yet, it is a goblin team made from gnoblars), for the miniatures and the whole theme surrounding it, but I would have really liked to have seen an ogre team included. Never mind, it was a great read still. The conversions are my favourite parts of the team, skilfully done. I would like to see more articles like this, helping to integrate the ogres further into the warhammer world - perhaps a Mordheim Ogre Warband next?

The hobby section of the 'zine was an impressive one. The guide on making greenstuff banners is often a good way around having all the banners in the army look the same, and lends itself well to the ragged look the ogre banners have (and could easily be used for a bunch more armies). It was simple and easy to follow, though I did find the layout of the steps in the article a little confusing at times with the progression not always being where you'd expect it to me. And an really nice, quick interview as well. Some good pictures of the models in the army.

Overall, another great issue. The only problems I felt it had was the lack of articles (mentioned by the editor Randroid), so it seemed rather short and the review of items took up a lot of space. For this reason, I am giving the Bellower #3, Three pints out of five.

Review - Da Warpath Quarterly #17

2010-09-01T14:58:00.000+01:00

While not a new webzine, it is the first time to be featured on the Trading Post. For those who don't know, or couldn't tell, Da Warpath Quarterly (DWQ) is a webzine based of the scrappy and punchy Orcs and Goblins. It is produced by members from Da Warpath forums, in (as the title suggests) a quarterly format. So, what was this issue all about?

It was the webzine's final edition seven issue, so some of the topics were expected to be a little out of date. As it was, the only real article like this was the tactics topic on a fast moving greenskin army. There is little reason why many of these tactics or units discusses could not be put to a very similar use in this edition. The interview with a warboss was a rather interesting article, the army was beautifully converted and painted - a real nice army.

It was good to see a wide range of articles, the additional rules for the various types of squigs was a real nice touch. The battle report was also a good read, however I felt that images were a little confusing. I would have liked to have seen an actual diagram for the report, and not just photos for clarification. I also found the webzine to be a little sort, but was packed with some good quality articles.

So, overall the webzine was a great read. It is good to see another webzine on the web, and for this issue I am going to give it three pints. I found it to be a bit short and a few personal niggles, but it was a rather good and enjoyable read.

Updating...

2010-08-30T02:19:00.000+01:00

So, a rie update on what has been going on. You will have noticed that I have edited the theme to this blog, and I am much happier with this one overall. I have added the widgets which I thought were important and needed, if you think of anything else, please let me know. You'll notice I have done some reviews which I have not gotten around to doing - some of the most recent issues of the webzines about the web. I have one more to do this week, Da Warpath Quarterly. A webzine I have only recently become aware of.

I have also been trying to promote the forums for this blog a bit more. So please come along and join up with a fun, friendly forum and discuss fantasy with other like minded folk. http://thetradingpost1.freeforums.org/index.php

Now, I know this blog has been quite quiet with the lack of the regular posts and the topics we had before, but things in my life have been moving along at various paces. As of this coming Friday I am moving to the south-east of England to a small seaside town called Broadstairs with my girlfriend, so while we get settled in there is going to an even bigger lack of posting as we get the internet and other stuff sorted. So bear with me. However, if you think you have some posts you think you could add to this blog in my absence, please let me know (email address is at the side) and we can see what you can do. Otherwise, I will be back soon.

Anyway, that is all, look out for the review of the DWQ webzine review later this week.

Review - Word of Hashut #9

2010-08-25T16:40:00.000+01:00

Once again the infamous Chaos Dwarf webzine has recently released their new issue, and is even their "2 year anniversary issue". This webzine is a rather stable one, with a well planned layout and a distinct look. I am a fan of the background, the runes edging each page a great touch and I thoroughly enjoy seeing the miniatures by the members of the magazine's home forum - Chaos Dwarfs Online - strewn throughout.

It was interesting to see the timeline of the forum, to see how it grew from a dozen members to being a the place for Chaos Dwarfs on the net with their own webzine. Impressive stuff. It was also quite good to see the brief interviews with the forum staff, to see how and why they chose the most under-represented army warhammer has to offer.

The articles they offered were varied and all rather interesting; spreading from The Redemption of Anaryll - A chaos dwarf and high elf, three scenario campaign, to a battle report and some home brewed rules for daemonic engines. These articles are well written and well laid out, with appropriate images alongside them. The magazine even includes a well drawn comic strip. Overall I have very little negative comments to point at the magazine at all. The only real one I could come up with was I felt the sheer number of interviews felt like padding, with a slight lack of painting, modelling or gaming articles. But that is a minor niggling.

I have happily given issue 9 of the Hand of Hashut four pints out of five. You can download the webzine by clicking on the magazine's cover in this post.

Review - The Doom Seeker #5

2010-08-22T02:50:00.000+01:00

This webzine seems to get better and better with each issue, it is good to see a good solid fan made magazine getting the support it needs. The articles are an improvement on the previous issues, with the more varied articles along with a much improved layout. The use of images in the articles is done well, without them being imposing or out of place.

The articles themselves are well written and interesting. I enjoyed the article about the podcasters, it is great to see a couple of guys who are not taking the game much too seriously and instead are just in it to have some fun and a laugh. This are the kind of gamers I enjoy meeting and gaming against. I might have to give their podcast a good listen. Another example of a good article is the interview with M4cR1II3n and his writing of the Araby army book - a fan based army book.

In my opinion it is these kind of articles that are well thought out and interesting that will get more people reading the webzine and sending in their own ideas and articles making the magazine even better. Bilbo has done well with this issue, though I do still find the stories - fluff - a little on the long side.

Overall, a great improvement and I happily give issue 5 of the Doom Seeker a nice healthy, four pints

Fiddling

2010-08-16T03:17:00.000+01:00

You might notice that the template to this blog has altered. I fancied a change, and haven't yet finished sorting stuff out. If you blog is missing from the blogroll please email me your address or just reply to this.

I am very close to moving down to Kent (Broadstairs) so my activity has been null, sorry about that and I hope to sort that out once I get settled in.

Review: The Invocation #5

2010-07-26T22:30:00.000+01:00

The invocation is the Vampire Count webzine that issues forth from Carpe Noctem, weighing in at a 64 pages the webzine covers quite a bit this issue. It has a nice little section on the way that the new edition will be affecting the Vampires and their servants,alongside some nice rules for Abhorash. The writing is quite nice and clear, although there are a few blatant mistakes that the editors should have picked up on.

The layout works well, the use of images tend to sit well with the page layout and use of non-GW art is good and refreshing. The rest of the layout is good, although the the orange text does stand out I found the font at times made it difficult to read the words. I was also a little disappointed with the battle report, I found it to be a little weak with a lack of images or any real detail which is a shame. And again, I thought that the ten pages for the fiction at the end was a little bit long.

Overall, the issue was pretty good. A few elementary editorial mistakes but overall a good read. I am giving it three pints.

Review: Skavenblight Gazette #9

2010-07-25T21:59:00.000+01:00

OK, so this is a little bit late. I have been busy with the moving back into the folks and preparing to move south and job hunting. Those are the list of my excuses, now on to the review.

As a webzine it looks good, the text is clear and I spotted very few if any spelling mistakes. The layout is pleasing to the eye, the backgrounds working well with the text and the minimal images blend in well. The articles were quite interesting, there were less that I would have expected with one taking up the bulk of the webzine. This is a shame, I would have expected to seen something about 8th edition but I expect that will be for next issue. Even so the lack of range of articles sort of let the 'zine down this time I feel, something I am sure will pick up later as they get more submissions. That is not the say the quality was bad. I thoroughly enjoyed the article on the Skaven hooks for roleplaying, it was an interesting read.

Overall Issue 9 was quite a good issue, a bit short and the content was a little bit light but not a bad issue. I will give this issue a three pint out of five.

Modelling Mayhem

2010-06-23T14:04:00.002+01:00

A brief post here, sorry for the lack of posting. I have moved back with the parent's for a little bit and there is no room for me to be doing any real hobby stuff here unfortunately. I will try and be a bit more active with The Trading Post.

This post however to to mention an addition to both of my blog's banner exchange. This is the online store, Modelling Mayhem. The site is a cheap alternative site to buy all your hobby needs from - from GW to the newer Mantic and even battlefoam. So when you are looking for a discounted place to pick up your hobby tools, you can't look any further than:

Trader of the Week - Starving Crazed Weasels Miniatures

2010-06-09T21:02:00.000+01:00

This week's Trader of the Week is Starving Crazed Weasels Miniatures by Darth Weasel.

Questions

Real name or Avatar
Drew Barton

What fantasy army(ies) do you play?
I am playing two armies in campaings...Wood Elfs in Hero-level and Warriors of Chaos in Lord-level. I also occasionally play Orcs & Goblins, Dwarfs, Vampire Counts, and am painting up a High Elf army.

What projects are you currently working on?
I am working on a bit of fluff writing from notable events in the campaigns...the Goblin Shaman who nearly beat a Bretonnian army that out-pointed his force by about 6-1, the Wight King who went all Jonah Hex on a Waywatcher unit, stuff like that.

High Elf Army

What is the main focus of your blog?
Our blog is a psuedo-team effort. I am the primary contributor, but from time to time one of my two brothers or one of our other "team members" will throw up a post. The feature articles are battle reports, but every so often we will engage in stimulating Warhammer-related discussion as we tend to not see everything identically and are often quite passionate about our view-points.

With that said, we are really great friends who, during the course of the game, are most often found arguing for rulings to go in favor of our opponents whereas away from the game...the gloves come off.

What are we to expect in the future from your blog?
A bit of a lull right now. My wife across the continent finishing school, so I am doing a fair amount of traveling from Oregon to Tennessee which puts a bit of a crimp in my gaming. Soon, however, should get back to monthly or more frequent games.

The armies meet!

What/who is your biggest inspiration?
Game-wise...hard to say, but mostly famous losers of history. Pyrrhus (who *technically* won his battle...but...), Mithridates III, Diophantus, Neoptolemus, Custer will probably make an appearance at some point...if someone lost a famous battle or war, he is fair game.

What is your number one hobby tip?
Buy stuff done by someone else. I am mechanically inept, to put it mildly. Absolutely despise the assembling/painting portion of the game. I do that stuff so I can put guys on the table and blow stuff up. When it comes to assembling/painting, I can put stuff off like nobodies business. I have a Chaos daemon Prince sitting unassembled after about a year, I have a pretty good size High elf army that would be on the table now if only I had painted it...

Warriors of Chaos

What is your number one gaming tip?
Remember the Games Workshop philosophy. Work to make the game more entertaining, even if that means bending or outright breaking the rules. Warhammer is much more fun when you concentrate on the process than it is when you concentrate on the outcome. There are serious flaws in the system if you try to see it as balanced...but if you sort of work together to ensure the game is at least a contest, it is great fun.

Conversely, if you want to improve your play, there is actually a lot to learn from looking at history. Currently Warhammer is a game of maneuver, so you would look at guys like Rommell, Patton, Napoleon, Geronimo, Chief Joseph, and even George Washington. When it goes back to being a block infantry type thing, who you look at changes because different historical generals had different strengths and insights.

What is your proudest moment in wargaming?
Getting Wardancers on the table. My brothers and I, along with a guy named Russ, used to play back in the early to mid-90s. I loved the look, feel, and flavor of the Wardancers, but played the Bretonnians at that time. So when we got back into it a couple years ago, I went Wood Elf specifically so I could use the Wardancers. First time I got them on the table there were 13 years of anticipation behind it. I skillfully whittled down a unit of Night Goblin Spearmen with bowfire, got them clogged on a river ford, charged into them with something like 19 attacks...did zero casualties, took a couple, broke, and was run down. Not exactly worth the wait...but certainly a great moment to laugh about.

Knights!

If you could have a miniature made for a character or unit that does not currently have one, which would it be?
Probably the Warshrine as long as it was plastic. I pretty much have sworn off ever purchasing another metal model.

What are the top three Fantasy blogs you follow?
Stumpy Heaven...very personable guy. http://stumpyheaven.blogspot.com
Mark Evans...fairly new to the game, but like John (Stumpy), he plays the game in a way I relate to. http://msehammer.blogspot.com
And your own...nice links to a lot of blogs I infrequently read but sometimes the little snippet catches my eye and leads me to some good stuff.

Update...

2010-06-07T02:10:00.000+01:00

Hey there,

Sorry about the lack of posting here, I have been sort of chilling with the house in the last few weeks we have left here. I now move out on the 18th June, so not long left to be packing. So I am going to be busy over the coming few weeks, along with the translation to the parent's for a month or two before the move the Canterbury in Kent.

This combined with the lack of anything gaming really happening (except some painting) has left this blog dry and parched. I am hoping to get something really fun in this week for you all, something I am enlisting my housemate to help with and have been wanting to do for a while. Another problem that I have encountered is the lack of blogs for the Trader of the Week series to use. Any new Fantasy based blogs you can dig up and push my way would be grateful, or even your own if I have not seen to yours already.

My final piece of information to add here is that I have made a forum for this blog. Why? I'm not sure, but I have. It's a generic Fantasy blog, like the blog, and well... it's there. If you wish to join, please do and enjoy a forum that will be fun and friendly. The link is: http://thetradingpost1.freeforums.org/index.php At the moment it is empty and bare, I will be playing about with things. If it is a success, then I will pay the small amount of money it requires for the reputation system to be used as well. However, I am not rushing into that due to the funding I have at my command and the not-so-distant moving.

So, that is all. I hope to get things moving when I actually have anything to add. If you have anything you'd like to post about on the blog, or feel you can regularly contribute, please drop me an email and we can discuss it.

The Doom Seeker - Issue 4

2010-05-31T03:48:00.001+01:00

A new issue is released and I can honestly say it is an improvement on the previous issues. The problem with this webzine, if you will allow my tangent, is the lack of solid support behind it which others (such as the Bellower and Skavenblight Gazette) can afford. Yet it perseveres. This issue has more content, most of it was really quite interesting and well written. I quite liked the beginners tactics, it was well written; though it could have been laid out a little better in some places.

I don't really have much to complain about on this issue, I think they are trying harder and the content has improved a lot. The layout also seems to have gotten better. My only real gripe comes from the plainness of some of the pages. The white page with black text is fine, but I think it could have be improved a lot with the addition of a page or header/footer boarder for these pages - just to add a little extra to them.

A great and improved effort on behalf of the editors and writers for this small webzine. Lets hope it goes from strength to strength. For this reason, I am giving them three pints.

Trader of the Week - Troll Tales

2010-05-21T12:48:00.001+01:00

Well I have to apologise for this being two whole days late. I finally managed to get my dissertation handed in and thus have now practically finished university. So.. yeah.

Anyway. This week's Trader of the Week is Dennis from Troll Tales. Dennis is a long term Orc and Goblin player, his blog is full of green things. I suggest you check it out!

The Interview

Real name or Avatar
My name is Dennis, but I usually go by the nickname of Trollhoer on forums and other places online. It actually started as a moniker, growing up, where people would shout "trollhår!" (troll hair) at me due to, you guessed it, my large and unruly hair.

What fantasy army(ies) do you play?
Orcs & Goblins! I've got about 2500 points painted, with a few chariots yet unpainted. I'm playing O&G because I love the fluff; greenskins are so much fun to build and convert, let alone game with. They'll frustrate you at times, but more than anything they will always be entertaining. Whenever you go a tournament and you're up against greenskins, you'll know that the player is more concerned with having fun than winning at all cost, which is what the hobby should be about I think.

What projects are you currently working on?
Well, most of my infantry army is done (need a few details added) but once the new boar boyz hit the stores I'm going to try out a more fast moving army with a wyvern. Also, with 8th edition possibly favoring horde armies more, I might build a
few more goblin units.

Also, I've got 2000 points each of (unpainted) Wood Elves and Dwarfs, that I hope to get into eventually. I probably have to lose a lot more with the greenies so that I tire of them, which doesn't seem extremely unlikely.

Squiggness alert!

What is the main focus of your blog?
Hard to say, as Troll Tales deals in all parts of the hobby. Depending on my mood and what's currently going on in my local club, the focus usually changes. Of course there's painting, with at least a weekly update on that front. Then there's the gaming part, with my army lists musings, useful combos, tactics and of course battle reports. I've also started looking at individual units from the army book and how I'd prefer to field and use them.

What are we to expect in the future from your blog?
More WIP pictures, and better sharpness on them! Earlier, I've been stuck with an old, quite worthless digital camera that required a lot of effort to get a decent looking picture. I've since then updated my equipment, so it won't be as bothersome to photograph, meaning I should be doing it more often.Gaming wise, I'll probably continue my musings on troop choices and tactics, since I've gotten a lot of positive comments on them in the past.

Who ordered the side of snotlings with their giant?

What/who is your biggest inspiration?
Painting wise, I've always been a big fan of Mousekiller, especially his greenskins and his dwarfs armies. A more recent favourite of mine calls himself Tar Irontooth and I'm truly in awe of his orcs - such smooth painting. But really, a lot of people over at Da Warpath (http://s3.invisionfree.com/Orc__Goblin_Warpath/index.php) put on such creative displays that you can't help but be inspired by it. One of the best things about the O&G range is that it almost calls out to be converted, with everything from canons shooting goblins as your doom divers, to squabble scenes, to gobbos wearing Empire or Bretonnian outfits. Greenskins are made to be converted.

Gaming wise, both Groznit Goregut (again from Da Warpath) and Avian have provided me with a lot of good tactical advice in the past, and I always appreciate their take on our army. I'm also a big fan of the WHFB podcasts (Podhammer, Bad Dice, Waaagh Cast, etc) as they tend to provide a lot of good advice on tactics, in particular what to expect from other armies, which I always find useful. Yeah, they're nerds, but I just downloaded their podcast to my phone, so what does that make me?

What is your number one hobby tip?
Make a light painting schedule and keep to it. Don't make it so tight that you'll end up feeling bad for failing to reach it, but if you aim to get 30 minutes of painting done daily, you'll be surprised at how quickly you'll have a full army painted.

When you run out of cannonballs, what else do you use but a mate?

What is your number one gaming tip?
Instead of a general gaming tip (others before me have already covered that very nicely) I'll offer a few tips on Greenskins: Limit Animosity as much as possible. Bring at least 1-2 units of fast cav for every 1000 points, and ALWAYS find space for 1-2 units of 40 points snotling bases.

What is your proudest moment in wargaming?
Probably when I finished in the upper third of all players in the recent 2250 points tournament. I've only been playing for about a year, so I was very happy and felt it was a good performance. I could have done a lot of things better that would have increased my position, but that's always the case I guess.

A tall gobbo...

If you could have a miniature made for a character or unit that does not currently have one, which would it be?
A Savage Orc character. I don't get it, they've got two different models for the Savage Orc Shaman, but none for the Big Boss/Warboss (and trust me, the latter is a lot more common). I suppose you could make something fairly savage out of the plastic warboss kit, but that one is far more suitable for a regular or Black Orc.

What are the top three Fantasy blogs you follow?
Most of the tones that I follow regularly have already been featured here, but I really enjoy the Hobby Horse(http://paintsngluenrocknroll.blogspot.com/) because he is such a talented painter. I also have a soft spot for Dwarfs, so both The Grumpy Stumpy (http://thegrumpystunty.blogspot.com/) and Stumpy Heaven (http://stumpyheaven.blogspot.com/) are some of my favourite blogs.

Tavern Talk - Flufing It

2010-05-16T17:14:00.000+01:00

Now, I know people might be expecting a different title but I like this one better. -__^ Anyway, what is this?

This is a new series being hosted here at the Trading Post. Each month an email will be sent out with a topic and for those wanting to join in, all that is required is a post or email about the topic at hand. At the end of the week these posts will be collected and posted. Simple, yes? Well, lets get into it then.

The first topic we have is:

*****************

Fluffing It.
How important is fluff to you? Do you base an army around the fluff and make the looks/minis suit the background you have for them or is it the other way around? Do you use units that would never fight alongside one another fluffwise? Do you care for the fluff or is it all about the rules for you? Do you write fluff for your armies?

****************

The first reply is by John or Kiwi of Stumpy Heaven:

Yes I like the fluff side of things although I have only concentrated on this aspect of the game with my Dwarfs as I think they lend themselves to it a bit more than my High Elves. A lot of the battle reports I put together I like to write in a narrative story telling style to suit the fluffy side of things more.

For my Dwarfs I created a separate history/fable blog (http://www.karakthorinkin.blogspot.com

) which I used to write up the origins of my Dwarven Hold, some of their early legends, brief bios of clans, stories about notable kings etc etc. Basically every time I played a game using them I would add something to the blog. As a project it fell over though as I couldn't devote any time to it. But I hope to return one day as I have a pile of notes and stories sitting around in notebooks just waiting to be typed up.

I think fluff is important as it adds such an interesting dynamic to army creation and game play - modelling and painting your army to a particular theme, having a background story in your own mind as to why your army looks they way it does and why you play the way you do are all things that make your gaming more enjoyable and can even improve your game play. I have a mate who also plays Dwarfs who adds the severed heads of armies he defeats to his Gyrocopters base after notable victories, and who also gives Dwarf heads to enemies who best him in combat which I think is such a great touch - he can trace the history of his army through the various heads he has collected. Have also seen an Ogre player decorate his Giant with various bodies from other armies all representing defeated enemies.

A lot of players are hardcore rule people, but I think at heart most have a fluffy side whether we know it or not.

We also have a few links to other member's posts:

Ben over at the Quiet Limit of the World
Youth and Beauty Brigadier has his say at Beards and Beer
Matt at Inane Courage gives us his view
BJ from Winds of Magic discusses the topic at hand

*********

If you'd like to get involved in these discussions please send me an email at thetradingpostblog@googlemail.com and leave your blog and intentions and you'll be added to the list for next time.

Trader of the Week - The Randomland of Roarb

2010-05-12T17:25:00.000+01:00

Time for another Trader of the Week! And this week we have Rob from The Randomland of Roarb. So thanks to him for this review, go check out his blog (after reading the review of course -__^ ) And we'll be back next week with another Trader.

The Interview

Real name or Avatar
Rob Hoehn

What fantasy army(ies) do you play?
High Elves, Orcs and Goblins, just started on Daemons 2,250 ready to play, not painted though.

What projects are you currently working on?
Finishing up another SpearElf unit, then mass bloodletter painting.

What is the main focus of your blog?
Showcasing my WiP’s, and painting. I do quite a few battle reports as well.

Orc Shaman

What are we to expect in the future from your blog?
Mass conversions, bitz mashing Horrors and Plaguebearers

What/who is your biggest inspiration?
Johnny Hastings from PointHammered

A good ol' pile of dead greenies. Good stuff!

What is your number one hobby tip?
Keep working, stopping for a couple days quickly turns into a couple weeks/months. If you keep at it, even just a bit every other day, it’s easier to keep going.

What is your number one gaming tip?
Never give up, even after it’s looked hopeless I’ve managed to draw and sometimes win.

Converted Furies. (Painted pictures on his blog)

What is your proudest moment in wargaming?
While playing OnG I had a unit of only 10 remaining spear gobos take on a kitted tyrant, win combat and chase him down. Really shouldn’t of happened, but I’ll always remember that proud moment of goblin tenacity.

If you could have a miniature made for a character or unit that does not currently have one, which would it be?
I’d love to see some daemon heralds.

High Elves on parade!

What are the top three Fantasy blogs you follow?

Drinking and Modeling
Insane Courage
Massive Voodoo

Specialist Games - Blood Bowl

2010-05-10T15:26:00.000+01:00

Out of all the specialist games Games Workshop has produced, Blood Bowl has been the most popular and the most supported. Even now, when GW appears to have abandoned all support for these games, Blood Bowl sticks out as the one that still has the big GW eye on it. They have recently just been given a new rules pack (link will be at the end of the post) to boot.

But just what is Blood Bowl? If you think of it like this:

Rugby + American Football + Violence + possibility of death + fantasy monsters/creatures/beings = Blood Bowl

The premise of the game is that it is a sports game held in the Old World. All races are welcome, and indeed each have playable teams, and the point of the game is to score as many touchdowns as possible. And more than the other team. However, all Blood Bowl players know that scoring is only half the fun. The rest is heavily hinted at in the first part of its name. Blood Bowl. Yes, in the process of your team attempting to stop the opponent from scoring you have the ability to knock out, hurt, maim and even kill opposing players!

There are various team types, many have specific ways of working. For example, elven teams (for the most part) are quick and have high agility. To this end it lends them more ability to play quick, passing and high manoeuvring games, but makes them quite fragile and not built for bashing. While, orcs, dwarfs and chaos on the other hand are designed to bring the pain. Ball skills are virtually unknown to these players, and passing is a dirty elf word. Instead they win by making sure they are the only players remaining on the pitch.

I would recommend this game as an alternative to fantasy to anyone. Its highlight tactical and you don't need many figures. However, almost every race in the warhammer world has a team; from the elves of Loren to the Chaos Dwarfs of the ashlands all the way down to the lizards of Lustria and the short and stout players of the Halflings. There is a team for everyone in the game.

As I mentioned before, the game still has a lot of support from GW who have recently released the new ruleset - LRB6 (otherwise known as the competition rules). In addition to this they have a very strong community in forums, blogs, and websites all dedicated to the game. These guys are diehard, hardcore fans! And if that wasn't enough, there was the recent release of a video game version of it! Its available on both the x-box 360 and on the PC, and is worth checking out. There is an even older version available online, using an old rule set and a Java program allowing you to play people from all over the world and to compete in leagues and tournaments!

Go check this stuff out!

Links

Current Living Rule Book (LRB 6)
FUMBBL
TalkBloodBowl.com
NAF World Headquarters :: Blood Bowl
Blood Bowl Online

And a couple of great Blood Bowl themed podcasts

Tackle Zone Radio
Three Die Block

What do you want?

2010-05-08T01:52:00.000+01:00

Hey, I know this is my blog but alas it is a bit bare. I don't get much gaming or stuff done, at the moment, so I haven't had much to discuss. I was wondering what people would like to see on this blog in the future?

I am tempted by the collaborative posts Ron has over at From the Warp, could be an interesting idea. I am hoping to keep up the Trader of the Week but we seem to be running out of Fantasy blogs for me to post about. =( So any help there would be appreciated.

I'm also happy for other people to contribute to this blog. If you have a good theme or series you'd like to pitch, let me know. Anything to get this blog on its toes, and to make it a great resource and place for Fantasy blogs on the net.

Trader of the Week - The Quiet Limit of the World

2010-05-05T22:52:00.000+01:00

Again we have another Fantasy blog up for promotion. This is good old blog, lots of content - especially about Beastmen. Go check it out folks:

http://quietlimit.blogspot.com/

The Interview

Real name or Avatar
My real name is Ben, and I use the moniker of "Tekore" on forums. I'm based in Durham, North Carolina, in the United States. Other occasional contributors are Blair and Tom.

What fantasy army(ies) do you play?
I have around 8,000 points each of Bretonnians and Dark Elves, and am currently playing Beastmen in their latest incarnation.

Beastlordette?

What projects are you currently working on?
I run the Tale of Painters over at Librarium Online, and usually have a lot of different projects brewing at the same time. I believe that by running multiple projects you can paint regularly without becoming bored or burning out as much. Currently, I'm painting:

* Around 5,000 points of Beastmen
* A 2,000 point Imperial Fist Space Marine army.
* 100 points of Khador for Warmachine.
* 100 points of Trollbloods for Hordes.
* Various Malifaux gangs.

I recently finished my entire Dark Elf army, and always have Bretonnians to paint if I get bored. I'm looking to finish my Imperial Fists, Trollbloods, and Khador in the next few months, and am considering taking on a Blood Angels / Space Wolves dual army project after finishing. For Fantasy, I'm not sure what I'll work on after Beasts, but am thinking about a joint High Elves / Wood Elves Avelorn themed army.

Barbarian hero

What is the main focus of your blog?
When I created The Quiet Limit of the World, I wanted it to show aspects of all aspects of the hobby. I love to model and convert, to paint and bring those models to life, and to game in both casual and tournament settings. A lot of blogs only focus on one of those things, and while they are all interesting, I like a little bit of everything. I'm also interested in a lot of different games, so I flit around there as well. So I suppose The Quiet Limit doesn't have a main focus, but is rather a general blog on the hobby.

What are we to expect in the future from your blog?
I'm going to strive for continued quality and quantity. I like to try and update every weekday morning if possible with something fresh and new. I'd also like to get more battle reports in, as it's an area that I'm not particularly good at. 2011 also is supposedly the Flames of War year coming up at the Friendly Local Game Store, so there may be some of that coming up.

What/who is your biggest inspiration?
In terms of painting and modeling, I've always looked up to a few gentlemen over at Librarium Online. I draw inspiration from several of the contributors there who have beautiful models, such as Minus_t, King Ulrik Flamebeard, and Andusciassus, and also from Cyric the Mad, who ran the first Tale of Painters and taught me to actually get projects done.

Vargulf alert!

In terms of playing the game, I draw inspiration from the players at my local gaming club, The Team Caribbean Breeze Women's Lacrosse and Warhammer Club (it's a long story). We've got national GT winners and brand new players, but I think the general spirit of good sporting competitiveness is the thing that keeps me wanting to play each week. To play as hard a game as you can every time and still have a fun, laughing game is a real pleasure.

What is your number one hobby tip?
Just do it. Trite? Absolutely, but true nonetheless. The only way you'll improve with painting is with practice, and the same goes for green stuff and every other aspect of making your army look good. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. They're fixable, and you can always strip your miniatures if you're really unhappy. Make some time to sit down and paint most days, if only for five or ten minutes. You'll improve as a hobbyist, and you'll have the joy of actually seeing your army progress.

Dark Elves Army

What is your number one gaming tip?
Don't be a jerk. We're (generally) a bunch of grown folk playing a child's game. Don't roll over if your opponent is cheating, but other than that, relax and have a good time, reveling in the great social experience that wargaming could be. I've gotten to travel around and play a ton of people that I never would have met otherwise due to Warhammer, and it's been a real pleasure. Don't soil the experience by turning your hobby into an unpleasant jaunt for you and your opponent.

What is your proudest moment in wargaming?
I have a lot of tournament wins, but the tournaments I remember the best are the ones where I've gotten the very highest sportsmanship scores and painting scores. Those are the days that I know I'm at the top of the hobby fully. I especially enjoy when I'm put down as someone's favorite opponent of the day at a tournament. It's a great feeling.

Dark Elf Dreadlord

If you could have a miniature made for a character or unit that does not currently have one, which would it be?
I've always thought a Crone Hellebron model for the Dark Elves would be a cool opportunity to make a really "over the top" Witch Elf. Mostly, though, I'm happy to convert models that don't exist. I think getting to play around on how I wanted to make my Cygor (converted Giant), Ghorgon (converted Shaggoth) and Jabbersclythe (LotR Fel Beast) was pretty great.

What are the top three Fantasy blogs you follow?
Drinkin' and Modelin'

- Randroid paints, models and plays in Warhammer, just like me. Plus, we have the mutual interest of beer in common, although I'm a wheat beer guy myself for the most part.

The Painting Corps

- This is my site to read for great painting and modeling ideas. I love that they post to different sites where they find the great stuff that I aspire to one day be able to do myself.

The Trading Post, ++ From the Warp ++, and Bell of Lost Souls

- I use these sites for their generally good daily information and to sort through other blogs for things I want to read. It's kind of like the wargaming equivalent of the morning paper!

Specialist Games - Mordheim

2010-05-03T22:36:00.000+01:00

I am sure the many fantasy players out there know of this game, but I wonder how many of you have played it? For those who are unsure what it is, this game is a Warhammer Fantasy Skirmish game. Rather than having armies all armed the same, marching to war, you control a small band of a dozen or so warriors. Each with their own equipment and abilities. Think of it as Necromunda for Fantasy.

The basic premise of the game is that the Empire city of Mordheim was destroyed by a comet from the heavens. A twin-tailed comet. This is during the time when the Empire was divided, and no one person reigned over all. This comet struck the city, delivering 'Sigmar's Judgement' on the occupants who had turned to depraved acts and from the 'holiness' of the god. Now, hardy warriors hunt the ruins for pieces of this comet to sell off, for it is warpstone and in the 'right hands', there is nothing they won't pay for it...

Personally I think it is one of the best games GW has produced. It allows you to get multiple games played in one day, most taking a hour or so at most. So its fast, it also uses many of the Fantasy mechanics (though it was made for 5/6th ed.), so most gamers should be able to pick it up easily. But why am I championing this game? Because I think it gives you a chance you just don't really get in Fantasy and that is the personality and individuality of the warbands. In Fantasy it is often hard to get a theme or personality to show well in the army without compromising on the more 'effective' choices in your army. Mordheim however deals with this by making the number of available options limited. Instead you get to make the warriors of your band very individualised by giving them only certain types of weapons and equipment.

A beautiful Mordheim table

The game can be played in two main ways. As single stand alone games, where you agree on a cost of gold coins (gc - the pts value for the game) and build a warband for that game. These are simple and quick. But, in my eyes the best part of the game comes from the campaign method. These can be simple tasks of winning the most games to an entire map based game, with the winner controlling the most territories. Why do I like these the most? Because throughout these type of games you can see your warband grow and evolve. You get to give each character a personality and you begin to feel their loss and cheer their victories. For the modellers among us if gives the unique chance to model a great mini that has a lot of history steeped upon it.

Despite being a fan, I can see why many do not play it. Like all specialist games (bar Blood Bowl) it suffers from the lack of support from GW, with the last official alterations being made back in 2002 - nearly ten years ago. There is also the terrain. Mordheim as a game is not designed for a flat gaming table with a hill, some woods and perhaps a river running through it. Instead what it truly needs is a table rammed full of buildings. Places to hide, move along and through. The fact that many gamers, or groups, will not be able to accommodate this might put gamers off. Along with the old rule set.

You never get scenes like this in Fantasy!

And yet I say nay! Dear gamer, do not be put off by these. This gives you the chance to play with a small group of minis which can be highly converted, that you can put plenty of time into the creation and painting of. Then build some unusual and fun terrain for these games. The game, in my opinion, suits a very claustrophobic feel to the terrain. The buildings could be tall and leaning together, or short and burnt out. It gives so much scope to the terrain maker as well. I bid thee dear gamer, try it out. Give the game a play, I am sure you will love it!

To help, I have gathered some links to very useful sites...

The official GW site that has a number of PDFs for the game (such as the rules, warband sheets etc)

Border Town Burning - An unofficial fan made suppliment

Tom's Boring Mordheim Forum - A great forum full of useful hints, tips and guides to the game

The Mordheimer - The BEST location for all your mordheim needs

If you are interested in the game, any of these will slake that thirst. Or make you want to start it up!

Any comments on this style of article? Do you play Mordheim? Would you like to have your very own Mordheim style column here? Email me.

(All images used without permission of owner. No challenge is meant and they will be removed upon request)

Stunties Monthly Marvels - April 2010

2010-05-02T21:52:00.001+01:00

Hey guys, a new month has begun and we wave bye bye to April. Here are some of the more interesting posts from the various fantasy blogs around that I have enjoyed:

Matt shows off some interesting "rat ogres" in a rather steam punk manner.

Elazar has the first of two chaos dragon conversions from last month. I think its an interesting choice using the Carnosaur miniature as a base for his, an nice start and pose for this beast.

The second comes from Andrath. A beautifully converted dragon with twin heads, and very well posed.

Trollhoer has a great two part article on the use of the Orc Wyvern. Part I and Part II

PsychosisPC puts the wonderfully flexible and useful flagellant plastic kit to good use and shows off some great mutated humans. Then shows us some wonderfully converted centigors.

John at Plastic Legions has a great write up on the recent Adepticon tournament he entered. And then with a friend do a great deconstruction of the recent rumours for 8th Fantasy.

xenite shows us his great modelling skills with some beautifully converted chaos warriors and a slanneshi worm lord.

CultofKhaine comes up with an interesting dilemma of whether to paint a limited edition or not.

That is all for this month folks. If you have any more interesting blogs for me to view or add, or posts, please let me know.

I have considered making this into a bi-monthly thing (ie fortnightly), do you think this would be a good idea? Also, maybe a few guest ones could be interesting. If you are interested in this idea, please let me know by either commenting or emailing me.

Also, keep posting!