Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Report from the Painting Front

pHaley, p Stiker and Journeyman Warcaster
Good evening everyone, I wanted to get you all a quick post to update you on what I've been up to since we talked about villains a while ago.  Besides being the magical Christmas land that is MtG spoiler season (really stoked for Narset Transcendenat, btw), I've gotten some time to paint up the Cygnar models I had sitting around.  I've also included a couple of pictures of Skorne models I've tried to varnish.  I say try, because this week's hobby project is figuring out how to get the *$^&%*& nozzle of the spraycan unclogged. 

I was looking forward to running pStryker in a battlebox escalation league, but my schedule means I can't get in more than one game a week and I'd rather not spend that stumbling over the focus rules.  Neither of the casters is really a tournament caster, but there's nothing really bad about them either.  From what I've seen of them, Cygnar casters aren't that good at getting in and assassinating their opponent themselves, but are fantastic support bots.  I'll probably enjoy getting to use them to buff units like gun mages to ridiculous accuracy,

Crap, it's huge.  We're giving it to the rookie?
Jr. may be the best three points you can spend if you want to run warjack heavy in Cygnar.  Odd thing about Warmachine, it's got a lot fewer machines than Hordes has beasts.  It's not unheard of to have Hordes lists, especially Legion, to have only their caster, beasts and likewise, it's actually common to see Warmachine lists that have just one light warjack because the caster gives free points to be spent on jacks.  Running jacks means your caster has to expend focus to make them worth much of a damn.  Junior. doesn't have all the rules a normal warcaster does or as big a focus stack (3, where pHaley is 7 and pStryker is 6), but that's the max one jack can be allocated each turn.  Junior can, and probably at some point will be, in command of the Stormwall colossal that Cygnar has.  I've got most of it covered in the base colors I want it to be in, but there's a lot of surface area there.  Another challenge is figuring out how to get a good cream color that distinctly isn't Bleached Bone.

I hate class photos
When it comes to actual gameplay, I've bene using my Skorne.  I'm loving that my limited model selection means I'm actually getting familiar with their rules and used to using them in conjunction with each other.  I started the game with pMorgoul (Edward Scissorhands) and enjoyed him, but I've been working on using pMakedea (2 Swords) and eHexeris (Staff) since variety and having a caster with a larger fury stat are really, really good for getting better at the game.  Don't get me wrong I love Morgoul, he makes a single beast a cruise missile, but his small fury stat and vulnerability to being knockdown make him feel more fragile than he probably is.  I don't have the troopers to make pMakedea's buff spells particularly worthwhile, so I've been sticking with eHexeris recently.  He's got a buff, a debuff, two nukes an arc node (very rare for hordes) and is pretty damn beefy on defense and offense without his spells.  So that's what I've been up to.  Hope to see you guys around once I get my next unit ready and get my next unit in from the FLGS.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Imperial Overload in the Grim Darkness


Well well, welcome back to Rites.  I find it quite amazing that folks were able to get here given how many new releases and distractions there are these days.  Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely grateful that the game flourishes enough to merit expansion.  And before you begin to roll you eyes instead of the dice, I promise this article isn't beating down the idea of how much is being added. While yes it does make for a complex set of things to remember, the ever expanding volume of content does provide us several new ways to build our own experience.

Heresy in the Library - An Opinion on the Excessive

Hello again fellow dwellers on the front line. Trooper here, back again without a review, but an opinion piece. It's been months since my last transmission but I wanted to post a piece (and meet the Commissar's quota for propaganda inspirational pieces) explaining my thoughts about the recent unswing in Black Library publications. The diversity in publications, the flood of new authors, the massive fleshing out of the 40k (and 30k universe). What does it all mean?


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

How do you Like Your Villains?

My schedule this semester means I don't really have much time to work on painting my models, much less getting games in.  So sadly I don't have much in the way of wargaming information to bring you.  No real theory I can tangibly grasp and reproduce for you on how I play warmachine or how you should.  What I can do is talk about my own Miranda because I've swung back around to the idea that I might be able to DM.

I'm trying to figure out how to tell a story with players and create a fun gaming experience.  I've got a taste for a good antagonist in any story, so I think I'll start building the world from there.  The best way I can discuss what I'm considering is to look at some antagonists I've loved in other media, so spoilers ahead.  But for anyone who's interested in RPGs and are willing to brave the spoilers, what do you like in your villians?

Monday, February 16, 2015

RobPod 20: They're Back!


In the Grim Dark caverns of the Grim Dark worlds, in the Grim Dark Universe of 40k, they awaken. They have risen once again to lay claim to the universe, and the top-tier spot of the tournament scene! Welcome back folks to this installment of the RobPod - our review of the new Codex: Necrons! This new codex clocks in at an impressively balanced level of "really damn good, but just this side of broken (mostly)." So join Corvus and I as we bend over and take it up the... *cough* review the codex!

Warning... this is a long cast.  Long Cast is loooooooooooong. So be sure you get plenty of booze, and be ready to drink.




Cheers!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

RoBPod #19: Sentinels of Terra-bad



Hey all, join Godfrey and I in discussing some listener requested content that's more than a little underwhelming. Warning: opinion piece ahead!