Zombicide: Black Plague

Hi guys,

After a very long hiatus, I am back swinging a brush.  I love miniature painting and catching up with mates to play a game.  Not as much of that unfortunately so I have lived my hobby mostly vicariously through other blogs, forums and Facebook groups.

This year I have made a concerted effort to make the most of my spare time to catch up with mates and get my hobby mojo back.

I can still swing a brush neatly but have forgotten most of what I had learned so it was back to scratch for me.  Our youngest son is 10 and we have had some fantastic fun playing Zombicide Black Plague.  I pledged during the Kickstarter and have been overwhelmed with what a great game it is.

The figures needed little prep.  To be on the safe side, I did wash them in warm soapy water before undercoating the models with a black primer.  Prior to undercoating I also used freshly boiled water in a coffee mug to straighten any pieces of the models that had slight bending or warping.  The normal removal of mould lines (as this is my one pet hate) to prevent spoiling the paint job.

Great Customer Service!

Guys this is not a paid advertisement.  I want to give a big nod to Gavin who owns Irresistible Force in Brisbane, Queensland.

Last week I called Gav to ask about getting my first airbrush and compressor.  Gav spent 40 minutes on that one phone call in addition to a few e-mails.  At the end of the call I had received great advice and could place an order with confidence and am very satisfied with my purchase.  

More than once I have called up with questions about painting miniatures.  Gav has won quite a few painting awards and also commission paints in addition to running his store.  With a wealth of experience, he is always willing to take the time to give advice in person or over the phone.  

If you are lucky enough to drop into Irresistible Force you will see Gav puts his money where his mouth is and stocks a wide variety of paints, resin bases and a plethora of other hobby supplies and miniatures from different companies.

Great customer service and excellent advice on the painting as well as the products he stocks.  He has always gone the extra mile with a friendly, no nonsense approach to dealing with customers.  Any e-mails or queries are always answered quickly.  

After some hit & miss service from another store it is great to have found Gav at Irresistible Force (even if it is a 2 hour drive away).  Fortunately Gav's also has an online store :)

www.IrresistibleForce.com.au

Happy Gaming & big props to Gav!

Woohoo another update!

Good evening Ladies and Gents,

Time for an update.  Gaming has been minimal due to a hectic family life and the joy of having a dodgy back from the Army.

I am very fortunate to have some great mates in our gaming group that don't mind.  Since I last posted, I have played Napoleonic Black Powder in 15mm, Hail Caesar in 15mm, Flames of War, and lastly SAGA.

The difference between playing 15mm and 28mm is interesting.  15mm armies can make the game look like more of a battle rather than a skirmish.  I started up a Republican Roman Army in 15mm (since I already own some very nice 28mm Warlord Games Early Imperial Romans).

These are very nice Xyston miniatures. And the above is one of my Works In Progress Command bases for the Army.  As is the one pictured below.

Base coat, ink wash and highlight.  I will get the hang of painting 15mm yet!

I still enjoy playing Flames of War and have been slowly painting some US Airborne I picked up years ago.  Here is a test piece.  Apologies for the poor pictures.

I knocked together this to make handling figures easier while painting.  Very high tech to be sure.  Simple and it works extremely well.  A length of dowel cut into smaller pieces and a old block of pine with holes drilled slightly bigger to sit the dowel in.  Great for undercoating with a spray can or airbrush as you can get up underneath a figure.  I picked the dowel to be the size that felt most comfortable in my hand.

I painted up an old GW Ork Skorcha Buggy for my eldest son.  I still play the occasional model game with the boys and I always end up playing the "bad guys" and losing to the "good guys" played by my sons.  Great fun to be sure and I enjoy anytime I get to spend with the boys. 

The white liquid on the base is some water effects I am messing around with for fun before trying something more serious.

As I have moved away from GW games I have been playing around with other periods including Moderns like these excellent USMC figures by Elhiem miniatures in 20mm scale.

And this Technical by Britannia (now owned & run by Grubby Miniatures).  A very clean resin body with very few bubbles and no warping (pay attention Forge World!).

I mentioned SAGA earlier and while I play Normans I painted up this Anglo Dane Warlord from Gripping Beast to use and finished him off with one of the very nice shield transfers from LBM Studios.

Lastly, I started messing around with some Perry Miniatures ACW plastic cavalry I had been using to make Rough Rider Conversions for my Old Imperial Guard army.  I have no interest in the ACW but it is a challenge to paint something different so started playing around with them.

My new airbrush arrived last week and I cannot wait to get some practice and churn out more painted figures.  Until next time Happy Gaming!

Allan

Important Announcement (GW Coverage) - Beasts of War

Hi Guys,

Those who know me are aware I have been a long time supporter of Games Workshop and their products.

I have been playing and collecting Games Workshop games since Rogue Trader was first released.

This announcement from Warren of Beasts of War has allowed me to cement my decision to  no longer support Games Workshop or any product from them.

Considering I have bought every Army Book, Army Codex, rulebook and just about every game miniature, terrain piece, novel, audio book (you get the idea) that I could get my hands on this is not a decision I have come to lightly.

Since Games Workshops Legal team has been nothing short of heavy handed and I have no wish to endure the bullying and immoral tactics endured by others who have done nothing but support the hobby and Games Workshop as a major player in miniature wargaming.

Whenever I encounter a problem I actively do something about it.  I will be removing all content relating to Games Workshop and their products from this blog and forums I have posted in.  I will be selling or binning all my (not inconsiderable) Games Workshop related product I have amassed over the last 26 years.

Furthermore I have sent the following E-mail marked for the attention of Senior Management at Games Workshop:

To Whom it may Concern,

For the Attention of:  Games Workshop Senior Management

RE:  Beasts of War (Important Announcement) : http://www.beastsofwar.com/games-workshop/announcement/

Games from Rogue Trader onwards have played a major role in the Wargaming Hobby for myself and a large group of my friends.

I have supported GW the whole time when others have left after decisions from unreasonable price rises, the huge disparity in price here in Australia Vs Overseas to the use of overpriced Finecast miniatures (which has been anything but in my experience over a number of purchases - no it has not improved!).

I have supported Games Workshop in their pursuit to protect their Intellectual Property where reasonable.  

For Example: Chapterhouse Studios.

I have been dismayed at the increasing number of correspondence the Gaming Community has from the Legal Department of Games Workshop which specifically threaten and bully Websites and Blogs that support Games Workshop and the diverse products you supply.

The actions of the Legal Department have undermined the many years of hard work by the creators, game designers, Sculptors, Storeman, Salesmen, Office Workers and every other employee past and present (male and female).

After considerable thought I will no longer support Games Workshop or any product related to Games Workshop or it's subsidiaries.  The actions of your Legal team are immoral, cowardly and nothing short of bullying the very supporters of the products you sell!

Bearing in mind I have purchased all your game systems from Rogue Trader onwards, Black Library Novels, all the Army Books and Army Codexes, Audio Books, PC games and White Dwarf magazines (to name but a few).  While your legal team continues to pursue this course of action, Games Workshop's hard earned image as a major player in the wargaming industry will continue to be tarnished and eventually do irreparable damage to itself.

You have certainly lost more than one wargamer over this issue.  I am just one of a minority who bothered to write to you and tell you what you are doing is wrong and has cost you my business permanently.  The others will not bother to tell you.  They will quit the hobby and spend their money elsewhere taking other players with them to alternate wargaming companies.

There is no incentive to come back.

So that as a Wargamer I am not sued by Games Workshop I am hear-by notifying Games Workshop that I will be removing all blog content, content I have placed on forums, photobucket, PC Games, Army Books, Army Codexes, Rulebooks, Novels, Forgeworld Kits, Miniatures, photos, trophies, White Dwarf magazines, Audio Books I have purchased over the last 25 years.

To make it very clear to the imbeciles in your Legal Team.  My most recent purchase was the current Spacemarine Codex and all the accompanying plastic kits.

The other major point I would like to get across to the Games Workshop Legal team is that I will now have a huge amount of shelf space to dedicate to the products from: Warlord Games, Privateer Press, Battlefront, Mantic Games, Victrix, Perry Brothers (their non GW miniatures), and Spartan Games to name but a few that I already purchase from.  

Games Workshop's Senior Management and Legal Team owes nothing short of an unreserved apology to Beasts of War and the wider Wargaming Community.

Sincerely,

Allan Traise

Avid Wargamer and former long time supporter of Games Workshop.

I am not rage quitting the hobby.  I enjoy it far too much for that.  From here on in the other great games will feature on this blog and forums posts.

Happy Gaming to you all!

Allan

Muskets and Tomahawks - First Game

Hi guys,

A quick update today.

I got to play my first game of Muskets and Tomahawks with a good mate Peter this afternoon.

The attacks are resolved with dice but the order in which units are activated is randomly determined using a Card Deck. Units are activated by type. It is a great game that you could pick up easily after a few minutes and get the majority of the core rules down within a game or two.

Tomahawks and Muskets is set during the period of the French Indian Wars (think Canada, last of the Mohicans and The Patriot). We had around 23 figures per side for a 200 point game.

I played American Continentals whose goal was to scout each quarter of the table and then escape back to my table edge and off the board.

Peter played the French Indian (Canadian) force whose job was to protect the civilians in the small settlement.

Here are a few quick pictures from our game:

French Indian Deployment:



Ten civilians in the buildings and French infantry defending the village. The civilians are not there to fight but are armed and did cause me a bit of grief killing a few models.

Flank Them:



French Indians arrive to reinforce Peter's Settlement:



Charge - DOH!!!

My Indians completely whiffed the assault and lost half their number in assault leaving 3 remaining which died shortly afterwards.



Revenge:

I finally manage to get a few shots away and force the French Infantry to run away (for a short while)





No more photos unfortunately. Peter won but the game was very, very close. Never underestimate a civilian with a musket
It was a great game and I enjoyed it very much.  Peter has now supplied me with a starting force of American Continentals to paint up.

More updates to follow.


Happy Gaming,

Allan

More WIP photos

Hi guys,

Just a few WIP miniatures.

I do paint when I get the chance which is not very often at the moment - DOH!

More updates as I get to them (soon I hope).

[40K] Eldar Wraithknight:



[WHFB] High Elf Swordmaster:



[WM] Khador Devastator Heavy Warjack:






[Black Powder] French Old Guard Grenadier WIP old photo:

I have finished the first figure since taking this photo and the bases have arrived courtesy of BP laser 




For my sons:


Our sons are now 7 years and 9 years (going on 10). The great thing is they are always keen to roll a few dice with dad and we are now at a stage where we play 500 point armies for 40K (every man for themselves with dad in the middle). I normally play for fun and never for sheep stations even at tournaments so am having a blast with my boys. I always take softer lists for myself and give the boys one or two fun things.

The added bonus to having a hoard of unpainted figures is I can reward my boys when they work hard and behave with the occasional model. They love it 


[40K] Ork Wartrak:



[40K] Space Marine Commander - Ultramarines:



Happy Gaming,

Allan

Wargaming Girl - Celebrates 100K Page Views!

Hi All,


Wargaming Girl: 100K Prize Draw


Tamsin describes herself as:

A mythical beast - a female wargamer! I got back into wargaming in the summer of 2011 after a very, very long break. My current interests are Ancients, ACW, 30YW and SciFi gaming.

It does make her unique amongst the Wargaming community that is mostly male and make it that much richer by her presence.

After reaching 100,000 page views on her blog Wargaming Girl, Tamsin has decided to celebrate by generously offering prizes to lucky followers of her blog.  The link below contains the details and rules.  Who can say no to getting some new shiny figures :)

Wargaming Girl: 100K Prize Draw

Tamsin is a prolific poster on her blog and covers a wide variety of wargaming from x-Wing to Ancients and from 6mm scale figures to 54mm scale figures.

I have been following Tamsin's blog for some time.  At the end of the day when I can read a blog and see people from around the world who enjoy the hobby as much as me, it makes me a happy wargamer.


Happy Gaming,


Allan