Real life is for March!

Its Leap Day! and everyone knowsthere are two things about this day........

This is a magical day that only happens once every four years. Do something stupid, take a chance, nothing on leap day counts!

Also today, Leap Day William emerges from the Marianas Trench every four years he emerges to trade children’s tears for candy.

I'm off to do some drift racing, eat at Wendys, punch some kids to get their tears and then enter Mr. Dinkleman in underground kaninhop competion.

Get your blue and yellow on and have at it today!

REAL LIFE IS FOR MARCH!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you seen this unit? part 20

I’ll keep with the Ork codex and jump into the elite section for a quick look. I see a unit which I would love to try, but nobody else seems to like…Burna Boyz.

These are Orks that either work as welders/mechanics or are a group that just loves to play with fire. As a child I was quite the pyro, so one can see why these guys peak my interest. The opening movie to the original Dawn of War had a great Burna boy sequence! That image still jumps to the front of my tiny brain when I see the Burna Boy codex entry.

I AM THE LORD OF HELLFIRE AND I BRING YOU............

Necron review, the last fast...Scarabs

Now I get to the final, and my favorite fast attack unit, the Scarabs.

Essentially mindless feeding machines, scarabs are a small constructs used by the Necrons. They are used to break down organic and non-organic matter for construction materials, energy or because it is the way. They function in small groups or giant swarms. Several Necron lords will also used them as fodder in battle. They attack in swarms and delete enemy ammunition stores before the bulk of the Necron force arrives. They are also used against heavily armored foes as well. They can turn an armored column to slag within minutes.

Looking at a second game of 4th ed D&D

Time, work and whatever permitting; I think our gang will get another 4th edition D&D game played this weekend. I have mulled over the rules a bit more and hopefully it will run a little smoother.

This is also the first attempt at writing my own encounters. The boxed starter encounters were ok, but had to be tweaked since they are for a party of five. Having at least three (or maybe more or less) to run for is and isn't difficult. The way this version works it is a bit hard to judge the party's survivability and killing power. I think, I have found a nice mix of stuff for them to do and can probably adjust it a bit depending on who is playing.

Either way, it is a damn good feeling to be gaming again!

New G.W. soon to be/ 'bout damn time releases

The Tyranids and Space Wolves are getting their second wave and the models look descent.

Now there is the fact that this release is two plus years late. Does anyone care? Well some yes and many no. The people who wanted Thunderwolves and Tervigons have long since converted or bought 3rd party models. This is just too little too late if you ask me.

These should have been first wave releases. Especially the bug poopers and wolf cavalry. People went nuts over these units (and still do) and had nothing to use for them. Well for the people that don't they will soon have models. The people that have made do with something else are they going to shell the money out for these kits? Probably not.

Sure these will sell, but they would have sold soooooooo much better if they would have been release two plus years ago. You know when the codexes (codices) were released.

This saga will forever continue.

Thank You Games Workshop!

Say what you want about G.W., but I am glad they re-booted this game.

Oh, I'm not going to play it. I did that years ago. I am happy since it peaked some interest and got the remaining Lord o' the Rings models, at my house, sold. Yeah it was for a mere pittance, but that is not the issue. The real issue is that they sold and will be mailed away to some happy gamer.

Now I have more space and fewer models. I think I might see if my Warmachine stuff will sell. It is also taking up space and will never be used.

H.B.O. finally brings him back!

"If there's one thing I hate it's losing. If there's two things I hate it it's losing and getting cancer."

— Kenny Powers 

 

"Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism."

— Kenny Powers

 

"People often ask me, 'Kenny, what are your weaknesses? Do you have any?' I would say that my biggest flaw, my achilles heel, is my tireless work ethic."

— Kenny Powers

 

"Besides getting shot in the back of the head, do you know what else Abraham Lincoln did? He was a champion wrestler in high school. I'm not making that up."

— Kenny Powers

 

"I'm wearing all black. Outlaws wear black. Fags and cocaine dealers wear white."

— Kenny Powers

 

New season of Eastbound and Down starts tonite! Thank the gods for the return of Kenny Powers!

 

Between this and Walking Dead finishing thier season, it is a good few months of t.v. ahead.

I dream up a horde from long ago.

Here I go again with another crazy list of fun. I’m thinking creepy crawly buggies again. This time I’m looking at a giant horde of stuff. I miss the giant wave of gribblies and the giant beasts driving them forward. Now they are nothing but small squads of Termagants, Termagant poopers and then some point fill-ins with Zoanthropes and/or Hive Guard. I’m thinking back to the swarms of yesteryear, when a wave of chitin leads the way for the tank busting beasties. No not that Tyrant x2 and Carnifex x6 crap from last codex either. This is proper high model count horde that is either blasted off the table or washes over the enemy force.

Remember tabletop scenes like this? Probably not.

Just when....

Just when I'm not in the mood for models and painting,...........I see some stuff by other upstart or smaller companies that makes me want to build and paint again. I have been a bit lacking in the painting department as of late, mostly due to the glory that is Skyrim! Then I wander the interweb and find stuff that gets my crazy brain a thinkin'.

From Dark Mariner we have a Cephalid Telepath, but I see a Tzeencth Herald. This guy just needs a minor staff swap, at least the headpiece.

It wasn't that bad

We sat down and played a few encounters with the 4th ed D&D, and it wasn't that bad. Actually it was pretty fun, or everyone lied to me.

We are old 2nd ed (or 1st ed for me damn I'm old!) players and we had all been looking at 4th for a while, but never wanted to touch it. We strayed away from 3rd as it was just silly looking. 4th seemed like a refreshing change from the world of 2nd. That and we hadn't really gamed for probably 5-6 years.

We grabbed books, people rolled characters and I tweaked the starter set adventure. After a few hours it was over. The cleric had died (but saved) via the wizard and the paladin had been annoyed by various status effects. The goblins had been thoroughly crushed and the day won by the party.


It was and will be a bit of a learning experience, but it was fun. The huge upside is that the main players handbook is really well written. The rules you need are right there and very straight forward. The starter set DM book is super useful as well. I doubt the fullDM handbook is needed.

I know there is a lot of hate toward this edition, but so far it seems unwarranted. I'm not sure where it comes from either. if it is 3rd ed angst then just play 3rd. We played 2nd ed. a long way into the world of 3rd ed. The fact they have pulled things like class and level restrictions is awesome. if you want t dwarf spell caster go nuts! A halfling barbarian, why not? The chance to play whatever you want is great. The lack of penalties is also wonderful. If your character isn't proficient at something, they can still try it or use it. They just don't get any cool bonuses. They aren't heavily penalized. Saving throws are a thing of beauty now. You roll a D20 and high pass and low fail. That is fantastic. The loss of that stupid chart and numerous categories is great. The saving throw thing was always a bit tedious and stupid; now it is simple and fast. The game plays more tactical now and that seems to make for a very different game.

It was a good time and we are looking to play again soon. Well as soon as I  can roll up an actual game.

In not really news news........

Hearing this bit of news, is sort of like hearing about Paula Dean getting diabetes.It isn't really surprising and we all kind of expected it to happen.

During the Activision Blizzard conference call, Mike Morhaime confirmed that Diablo 3 has been delayed until Q2 2012.
"Given the popularity of the action RPG genre, and the keen interest in Diablo III, we expect this launch to be a big opportunity for Blizzard. We can also confirm that we are targeting a Q2 launch for Diablo III," said Morhaime.
Blizzard, which was targeting an "early 2012" release date for the highly anticipated game, had this to say of Diablo 3.

We began beta testing for Diablo III last year. After receiving feedback from the community and our internal teams, we have implemented changes to the game which we believe will greatly improve the game experience, and ensure that the final release will live up to our high expectations. We have also been testing the Auction House functionality. This testing will help ensure a smooth roll-out of this feature with the retail launch, so our players can safely and securely trade items with each other.

Blizzard recently sent out a batch of 100,000 North American beta invites, which they said was "important to achieve the results we need."  Blizzard Community Manager Nakatoir, told European forum users Blizzard is still "heavily interested in server performance."
This isn't the first time Diablo 3 has been delayed.  Back in September 2011, Blizzard announced the marked "early 2012" release date giving them the extra time needed to "deliver an experience that lives up to our vision for the game and the expectations of our players."
Hopefully this delay will give Blizzard the extra time needed to polish the game.  As for the exact release date, right now all we have to go by is Q2 2012, which is April through June.  Morhaime said they expect to announced more details about the Diablo 3 release schedule in the "coming weeks".

via Gamezone and IncGamers

Yeah after playing the beta I'm a bit ravenous for Diablo III. I am not surprised it was moved. Nobody should be surprised the release was moved back. I know it is coming and this looks like it will be the year! I can wait a few months more. It has been years, so what is another quarter? Right?

Necron review fast, Destroyers

It is pretty common knowledge that jerks are everywhere in the 40K universe. Usually they are put down, usurped or just hide in the warp. However, for the Necrons, they are a part of their society.

The Destroyers are the jerks of the Necron race. All they do is hate stuff and get angry. It is not known why some Necrons become Destroyers. It might be from a millennia of entombment, it might be due to the lack of flesh, some long reaching C’Tan curse, or it might just be because it is Tuesday. Whatever the reason is, when you choose to become a Destroyer there seems to be no going back.  



"Does this platform make my ass look fat?"



They start by getting angry. Then they swap out an arm for a gun, a pretty cool option if you ask me. This new arm helps to increase their killing power. Then they change their legs in for a floating platform. This lets them move faster and further increase their killing potential. Then they group up with some buddies and start being referred to as Destroyers.

.......and they're gone!

My Dark Eldar have found a new home. I am in the process of packing and bubble wrapping them for their magical journey through the warp. May their new owner do something with them besides let them sit in boxes.

Now if only my Lord o' the Rings stuff could find a home.

Diablo III

I got the chance to play the beta for Diablo III before the Superbowl. Yeah it was a pretty awesome day and then I got the chance to play this.

I was shocked how much it was like the previous versions, only better. the stuff we all know and love is there (skills, demons, the cool Diablo world) and the drek is not (skill trees, attribute points).

I ran the Witch Doctor, and was surprised how fun he was. He was the one class I wasn't looking forward to using. I thought why not get him out of the way now and not waste game time on him later. He has some fantastic skills: throwing out exploding poison frogs, summoning a crazed rotting zombie, and a small horde of undead dogs to command. He reminded me of the Necromancer a bit, and  I loved me some Necromancer in Diablo II.

I was amazed and angered at the game. It is a beta test right? It looked and felt like a 100% finished and released product. Why Blizzard doesn't have this out is beyond me. It is there thing to hold games for the right time, but I call bull to that.

I was a great look at things to come. The crappy part is that I have had a taste of Diablo III and like a crack addict I want more!

Superbowl XLVI

The last day of my calendar year. it is like X-mas, New Years and Thanksgiving all in one! There is always  food, friends, someone will boozing it up, arguments, name calling, gambling, fireworks, television, gluttonous eating and all this against the backdrop of the last NFL game of the season. A time of both great happiness and sadness for me.

I don't care who wins, but I am hoping it will be as good a game as the last Patriots vs. Giants Superbowl a few years ago.

In my twisted mind this is what the match-up looks like........... 

Mel Gibson in the Patriot

VS>

Andre the Giant

Tom Cophlin is played by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan



I don't care who wins or loses. I am hoping for a good game that will tide me over until next fall. The only thing of importance is that Madonna is playing the halftime show. Isn't that why we are all tuning in to watch the game? Now bring on the 6,000 calories of meats cheeses and salted snacks!

Musing over models, or has 40K given itself the shaft?

I sit and look at the new Vampire Counts models, and am very impressed with what they are releasing. The Coven Throne/ Mortis engine is amazing. The Zombie Dragon/Terrorgeist is stellar. The big ghouls, the new cavalry and Krell are all pretty good. These almost make me want to play Warhammer Fantasy.

Then I look back at the last few fantasy releases and notice they all have some great new models. The Ogre Thundertusk/Stonehorn, the Tomb King Necrosphinx and Sepulchral Stalkers, the Orc/Goblin Arachnarok spider, the Savage Orcs with all their bones and stones, the River Trolls, the Skaven Doomwheel, the Screaming Bell and the Hell Pit Abomination; are all models that peak my gaming interest. I then look at the last few 40K releases and am struck by how lame they are in comparison. 

Now this is new and looks ok....

vs.



..............but this is fracking amazing!