Creativitymachine - Fiona the Radiant

So, as follow-up to the last Creativitymachine, I present to you my wife's Warcaster on the gaming table. This homebrew was led in design by two (and a half) ideas: 1) She's got a great distaste of injustice - the prime time to use the phrase "...in the name of Justice" [that's a Sailor Moon reference - deal with it]; 2) Her nickname's Fiona - so how about an "evil" twin (which by math laws has to be the good one, then)?

If you need to take it, here's the break:

WM Hiatus

   I've reached a decision today - I'll be pausing WM/H for the time being. This decision is in no way caused by any state of the game itself, it's because of my state as player, and my outlook on the future progress of me as a player.
   There will be no WM related posts on this blog (by me, at least) during that time.

This hiatus is in effect starting now.
It will end February 2015 (i.e. when I own a fully painted Zerkova resculpt (AKA Alexandra Flamenkova). Then it's Zerkova World Domination Tour time!)

Boss Monster - Initial Review

  SPIEL 2014 did happen, and as of this writing, nobody was killed in an ISIS attack and neither got himself Ebola nor passed it out unto others (Suck it, Battlefoam!). During the fair, a number of impulse (or dopamine driven) purchases were done.

   One of those got me "Boss Monster" and "Boss Monster: Tools of Hero Kind" from Brotherwise Games LLC. I had first seen this game played on Bleeped Up Productions, and since I'm an 80's kid, I was fully aware during the time of the C64, Atari, early Macintosh (I had a IIfx with a 21" (non-flat!) screen), NES, Gameboy, and Super NES - which is the main source of graphic inspiration for this game (numerous references in the game reach out to more current games).

   So, along this line of thinking - Press (A) to continue, or (B) to cancel!

Creativitymachine - Supreme Kommandant Marth Fright

   In this article, I'm going to show you what rules I came up with for "myself" as a Warcaster. That one actually has a bit of a backstory - for M&tM S5, I wanted to have "Break Images" - basically still pictures a channel would show right before and after the commercials. To that end, I got the offer from Paul Villar (from Play it Painted) to draw a WM image of me, and the only guidance I gave him was "sth Iruskesque."

   The following homebrew rules mainly stem from the fact that my rendition is holding a pair of dice. But all the crunch will come after the break - so you can get out of here if that's not your cup of tea. ;)

"Breaking" C.R.L. News

This just in:

With 915 views, my most viewed article is ... the one on Dawnlord Vyros alternate Theme Force. o.O?

Film at eleven...

Khador 2014, Part 10 - WTC '14 Khadoran Army Lists

... an outsider's totally unbiased and professional omniscient judgement. As if.

   So, Lamoron, great Danish Cryx player posted his review of the WTC's Cryx lists over at The Overseer, and I thought that would be sth that should be done with the Khadoran lists as well - especially since both Jamie P. and Trent D., perceived Paragons of the Khador faction, have abandoned it for the WTC, and you hear the argument that Khador, even after Butcher 3, isn't being feared.

   Keeping that in mind - I think there are too many people playing Khador for that to be a valid statement (thirty, to be precise). I'll judge the list by the following colour chart - and a number of KMIs (key model indicators) that'll reveal itself throughout the essay), and give my reasoning later.

Really Boring
Very Boring
Boring
Kinda Interesting
Interesting
Very Interesting

   That professional, objective research right there! But since I'm the scientist, I set the parameters by which the data is analysed - so let's bring it on!

For safety reasons: I'm not judging the lists to be "done well" or "done badly", I'm merely going by how much reading the lists makes me want to see it played.

Our first spell draft - the Arides Redux

Our first spell draft - the Arides Redux

Another weekend, another tournament Marth looked forward to, but had to drop out. And another tournament failure on my record score... ;)

Crypt Lord Pentaverous / Forge Master Pentaver

Yes, I can't nor won't stifle my creativity most of the time. Which generally turns out to be sth like "The Numbers' Game" or stuff such as the Queen of Shadows or this.

I'll go into the Crunch after the break so you have a chance to GTFO in time. ;)

The idea of this homebrew Character/Warcaster is this: In the 40k universe (well, that's a bad start already), a Necron Overlord set forth on a Odyssey to find a way to finally stop their arch-nemesis (which I recall was 'Nids. There actually was Character like that, the "Silent King" or sth? Dunno.). However, the warp had a funny day, so the Overlords ship materialized on - pardon me, in - Caen. Partially, I might add.

He's awake and very observant of the surroundings, but he can only access rudimentary systems of his ship (like, the Sensors and Crew Teleporter, but no Weapons, Barracks, etc). His agenda is regaining Access to All Areas. Out of all the warring faction's, the Asthetic of Cryx (and his own similarity to an Iron Lich, and Gaspy in particular) appeal to him, but he can also affiliate with the Convergence. 

Khador 2014 - Part 09/3: The beard, son! The beard!

It has dawned on me that, while trying to figure out the best ways to win in the Spell Draft format with Khador, I lost track of one thing I set for myself: It's the year of the beard!

Probably won't get out of that one!

Now let's recall that I mostly discarded Harkevich as a good Spell Draft 'Caster since his performance apparently was tied to his spell list (basically, Escort).

After the break, I'll try and figure out a solution!

Khador 2014 Part 09/2 Spell Drafter Armies

As promised in the last article, here are my current list ideas for the three 'Caster I singled out (Strakhov, Vlad2, Zerkova). Full disclosure of lists, thoughts, and other circumstances influencing my choice will follow after the break.

Seizing Command 09 - Sanctifier is over 9000

With the advent of Removed from Play: Decked Out, a particular Protectorate Deck idea I already had was brought to fruition. Back when we first started playing, I hardly ever won, yet still could boast "...but my Occupying Forces Pile is higher than yours!" That meant nothing, though.

With Invasion of Sul, PoM gets access to the Sanctifier. It's already a good piece in the tabletop, but in High Command it's downright great. For all that don't know it: It's power increases for every three cards in your Occupying Forces Pile - and thinning your deck by moving cards there kinda is PoM's shtick in WM:HC.

I will tell you all about my "Sanctifier is over 9000" deck after a short break.

Khador 2014 Part 09 - Spell Draft

There will be a Spell Draft tournament (eight participants) happening in my town at the 13th of Septembre. In this blog post, I'll talk about my initial thoughts on the matter, and probable Khador choices both army-wise and 'Caster-wise - and which one I can manage with my assortment of models.

Join me after the break, and let's find out if this end like some other "initial posts" I've made:

That's what you get for googling "Spell Draft".

"The Numbers' Game" 05 - Conflict Resolution

As far as I reckon, these are the last of the necessary bits and bobs I need to cover. So let's do this.

Khador 2014 - Part 08: Three Dark Riders

PG_ The Captain did it.

At the very least, he made me do it.

Seriously, you can't just go and drop a phrase like "I'll play Harkevich, Zerkova and Strakhov as my three masters 'Casters" in front of a Hark'/Lady Z fanboi (i.e.: me), and not expect anything to happen. So I got in touch with him to inquire about details, which he shared with me (kindly enough, thanks a lot!), and in this post I'll jabber at length elaborate on my take on that particular line-up. I'll talk about the preliminary lists, their roles/opponents I'd use them against.

But we'll do that after the break.

Seizing Command 08 - Cygnar v. Protectorate Game Report

So, since the first report's format worked quite well, here's another one for you!

This time, I got to play Arides (who chose Cygnar) and I went with Protectorate (I know I complained about not being able to play Khador, but I somehow feel the need to play PoM in HC - even though it feels like playing Hard Mode).

Casters selected were: Siege Brisbane, Cpt. Haley, Constance Blaize for Arides, and High Reclaimer, Servath Reznik, and Vindictus for me.

Blow by blow report after the break, but just before we go there: If you have any comments, leave them!

Compromised by an imperial spy - The Arides redux

As most of you have read by now, Marth was forced to drop out from the Cantina Games V which left me as the only "Ubernoob" in the Rookie Tournament. And as a spoiler I still won't consider myself an experienced player...

Compromised by an imperial Spy 02 - Cantina Games V RoundUp

You may not notice it, but this post airs before Cantina Games V ends, heck, even begins. How does that happen?

Make an educated guess.

Seizing Command 07 - Cygnar v. Khador game report

It took some time, but I finally managed to play another full-length game against Fiona, and we both used the Kickstarter Variant Decks I had cooked up in this article series. She took command of Khador, which she'll likely always do until Faith&Fortune releases (then she can play Highborn with Gorten), and I took Cygnar.

After the break follows a blow-by-blow report - it's a pending format at this time. I decided not to go into full detail unless absolutely necessary. Purchases, Deployments, and Rush are given as PUR, DEP and RSH. I'll try and give a VP tally at opportune moments. Remember that in the KS variant, you can rush & deploy cards during the first two rounds, as well as swap unused cards in for your basic resources. Comments are appreciated.

The "Numbers' Game" 04 - Warcasters and miscalleneous

I've always loved item shops that sell miscalleneous, or the thusly labeled subsections of shops. Best trinkets where always found there.

At ridiculous prices.

At the very least, this blog doesn't charge anything for its content! Which in turn means I can post about anything I like. So today, we're going to talk about the life and death of the banana in the Iron Kingdoms, as simulated by this scratchbook campaign system... also, Deployment and Riots (and no, I'm not dropping a current politics pun here).

"Getting destroyed in space!" - FTL 02

I am afraid that I might have already run out of FTL-fitting, alcohol-referring sci-fi puns. But the two I had (last time's and this one) are really good.

Let's hit the space bar - a) press the space bar on your keyboard. In FTL, this pauses the game, and is very important during combat. b) visit a space bar to get drunk.

Getting destroyed in space - a) what it says, having your ship blown out of the (metaphorical) skies in FTL, probably by sth way stronger than you (Rebel Flagship). b) getting so drunk it causes loss of memory (and digníty), on a space ship or station.

My linguistics professor would be so proud of me.

Anyway, after the break: Boarding Drones, and sth else!

"Let's hit the space bar!" - FTL 01

   Recently I spent two-thirds of my monthly hobby budget on a video game - I bought FTL from steam, because I saw it, and immediately liked it. Which may be due to the fact that I'm an old school computer guy (I had a C64, and played the digital crap out of it!) who conciously witnessed the development of computer technology from its beginnings to their modern shape, and FTL's "retro, no-nonsense" graphics flood my brain with serotonines, stimulated by memories from way back when computer games were simple in graphics, but very deep when it comes to ways of dying.
   I can't say that I have played it a ton (yet!), but I'm seriously addicted. There's a lot to explore, discover, achieve, and the obvious death at the hands of the rebel flagship (Seriously, whoever designed that thing probably was one of those WOW players that liked to gank (i.e. kill players to weak to defend themselves against you and your gear) others).

   In this string of articles, I'll try to briefly cover some awesome things I came across. This time, after the break, let me jabber about: the Vulcan Laser.

Khador 2014 - Part 07: A 'Jack with a Napoleon Complex

Ever since I mentioned this article on Bleeped Up Productions "Khador Tactics" recently - I guess I had best write it then, right? So today, we'll be talking about "Big B", the Behemoth. (Actually, the Khador Warjack. Not the mythological thing, and not the Polish metal band either.)

Even though "Big B" ain't as big anymore now that Conquest is around, who certainly takes the lead in both size of model and points cost regarding single models in Khador. So I presume the Behemoth, who has not one, but two arcano-mechanikal proto-brains, also has up to two chances at being pretty miffed about no longer being the star of the show. Thankfully, he's got two rocket powered turbofists to reinstate his preferred status quo - but we'll get to that after the break. We'll talk about what he does for a khadoran army, which 'Casters he jives particularly well with (and why), and then sum it up.

Nope, he isn't part of this article either.

"The Numbers' Game" - Moment, Open War Phases, and Winds of War

I think I'll just roll with the name, and considers a "the Ender's Game" reference.

This time, I'm bringing you the latest developments. I've always thought about Open War increasing the economic output, but also about the fact that the war itself puts a drain onto the same economy if it goes on for too long. Originally, that was tied to a specific number of turns, and I thought it might be delayable through spoils, and never knew how to handle that. I also had an idea about event-like effects affecting the players and creating new situations (a holdover from Legends of the five rings), which I originally planned to include in my first campaign system, but didn't know how to do so seamlessly.

Then, there was High Command with its Winds of War cards.

And then, Guild Ball came around, and with it, the notion of Momentum, which was created by certain actions, and influenced the game.

Recently, those two things collided in my brain...

"The Numbers' Game" update 02 - the location statcard

You may have guessed already, but this type of campaign is in a real need of a better name.

This time, I'll hit you up with all the stats of a location (whereas earlier campaigns had a fortification value at best), and their baseline meaning in the campaign.

Compromised by an imperial spy 01 - Cantina Games V

That is a reference to a very old X-Wing computer game right there. Right from the non-"Tour of Duty"-mission, the one where you get to fly a prototype B-Wing.

However, this is not about X-Wing. (Yet, I fear, but it's a very small fear as long as I have Bleeped Up Productions supplying me with X-Wing batreps. ;)) This is about me playing Cygnar.

Or rather, trying to play Cygnar. I've been playing Khador most of the time, and I bet that'll show through a freaking lot. My reasoning behind doing this is as follows - on June 28th, Bonn's Cantina Games V is going to happen. WM/H will both have a Team Tournament and a Rookie Tournament. I was hoping to get a team together, but that didn't pan out, so I opted to participate in the Rookie Tournament.

Now, having played in a Masters Event (even though by sheer luck) would usually DQ me from this, but since I'm going to roll outside of my main faction, I'm still in. And after the break, I'll let you in on the lists I've "developed" so far.

"The numbers game" - Orders for locations

In a spur of the moment, I took up working on "the numbers game" again. Not the title, though. ;)
After the break, I'll give you the orders a player can give his locations when activating them.

Khador 2014 Part 06 - Weapons of Choice

(Still needs witty picture)

Following the personal gaming success that was ClogCon (first win with Harkevich, first scenario victories since 2012, to be precise), I spent a lot of time (for me, at least) a) playing the Harkevich list I took to the ClogCon Masters, b) reading a lot of Sticks and Dice and the relevant PP Forum Thread.

It basically boils down to this: How sensible is the armour skew in a list line-up? But that's not the point of today's article (WHOAA?). Instead, I feel more tempted to write about the list-chicken part of the game. When I was first confronted with it, it completely blew me out of the water, and I more or less picked lists at random.

Now, I'm looking at the list chicken situation as a puzzle to be solved, and I want this article to help others with solving the puzzle. I am certainly neither the first nor the best to write about this topic, but I gave it a lot of thought, and those thoughts I deem worth sharing. Ready?

Seizing Command 06 - Breaking (as in Borken) News!

So now we do have an answer from Fearlord, the HC infernal who was kind enough to check on what "unused" means:

The answer is: Any card from a faction's whole pool of cards costing up to three and not granting victory.

Which means: Forget what I said about detachment choices. Just pick which you want most for your strategy. Good god, play Cygnar R/G/B with all the Journeymen readily available...

Game Report is delayed, btw. Still trying to schedule it. Hang in there!
And until then, farewell.

Khador 2014 Part 05 - 9 point 'Jacks

(Yes, that's a - very bad - 9" Nails pun)

   I guess it was once again the Grolar that made me do it, since it's nine points. It, however, also has to do with my first ever Harkevich Victory, and the Destroyer featured in the list, which, mainly merely was there since I had no other 9pt warjack at home. I'm always considering to swap him, but what for? It's not like he has nothing to offer, and thinking about what he offers is exactly what brought me to write this article.

So today's topic are the nine point options Khador has, and what each of those bring to the table/a list, also preferred 'Casters for those choices (if any). Let's do this! We'll likely find out why some of them are very much maligned, and maybe some spark of hope, too.

Seizing Command 05: Kickstarter thoughts - Protectorate

Welcome to this latest (and probably last) HC article on the kickstarter variant! I'll be covering the Protectorate of Menoth now, which, in theory, with their low purchase costs, should gain a certain amount of formidability in this format. I guess we'll see how true that statement is.

The Protectorate is the only faction to currently sport not one, but two cards which are barred from being swapped in courtesy of granting a victory point: the Flameguard Cleanser Phalanx and the Deliverer Sunburst Detachment (Seriously, it would've been kinda sick otherwise).

With those out of the way, what's left?

Seizing Command 04: Kickstarter thoughts - Khador

Next "Seizing Command" article, next faction being kickstarted! This time, I am going to talk about Khador - which I'd play primarily, but won't while Fiona is taking them (which probably will stop the day Mercs come out...). Noteworthy about the Motherland is that next to all detachments are available twice or more - except for G, which is currently the Old Witch's alone.

There's still no official word on the "unused cards" issue, so we'll go ahead with our current assumptions.

Seizing Command 03: Kickstarter thoughts - Cygnar

Alright, the day before yesterday, I wrote to you about Cryx in the Kickstarter variant - and as outlined in the first article, now it's Cygnars turn. Before we come to the detail break, let me state two very important things that are different between Cryx and Cygnar:

a) All detachments are available twice (at the time of Into the Breach and forgoing promo cards) - Cryx only had G on Skarre.
b) No cards are excluded as swap-ins because they have Victory Points on them. That's a relief!
c) There are not that many, though.

Now, onto the nitty gritty. You ready?

Seizing Command 02: Kickstarter Thoughts - Cryx

As I foretold, this'll now be the post on my thoughts regarding Cryx and the Kickstarter variant of High Command. If any of you have your own thoughts on this matter - why not share them in the comments? 'tis not like I'm always right, especially not since I've only begun to dive into the game.

As stated in the first post, I'll go by the assumption that unused cards means "cards from the detachments you chose that are not already part of the reserves deck". I'll go through all the options Cryx has for swapping cards in, and what the implications (at least those that I can see) for Deck Construction may be.

Khador 2014 Part 04 - ClogCon lists review

Last weekend, ClogCon took place, and in this post, I'll write to you about my experiences there - which will include a very surprising twist. So enjoy!

Prelude:
   We left town at about 6.30 o'clock Friday morning and safely (and uneventfully) arrived in Rotterdam, at the Savoy Hotel, around 10.00 o'clock. "We" being Arides, Fiona, our little daughter pVicky, and me. Due to me having spoken to the hotel beforehand, Fiona, pVicky and me were able to check in right away (go Savoy!). Arides was staying with other Germans at a youth hostel.
   We arrived at the convention's location right in time to register for the opening tournaments, and I played in the 35 pt Steamroller. I won't bother you with my lists right here, because they... will be there again later on. Also, two important things happened while packing: I took Vlad2 with me because I anticipated casual gaming on Saturday, but left Orin at home even though I had him in my hand.

Friday:
35 point Steamroller:
Round 1 - Supply and Demand v. Georg B.
   It was Harkevich's theme force v. Vlad3's theme force, and a very grindy battle - and I punted my one chance at winning by spending the one focus left on Harkevich for the wrong thing (I boosted damage instead of casting Jump Start). ARGH! Very nice opponent, though!

Round 2 - Balance of Power v. Harm K.
   This one was Harkevich (again) against Bart/Galleon. Turns out: On three focus, with Escort, under feat, Harkevich CAN face-tank a Galleon. Also, Bart is one of the two WM Caster that still have though - he rolled it when Harkevich kept calm and cast razor wind. ;)

Round 3 - Incursion (I think) v. Jeroen
   He brought Cryx, so I opted for Zerkova and her anti-Cryx list (which actually had been built to beat Janus S.). He's still a learning player, which showed, and it ended with Deneghra skewered on a Spriggan Warlance (rolled 6, 6, 6, on the charge attack damage, and she had no focus... so 22 damage?)

That was a... pretty underwhelming start. Sure, the first two games were close, but I am still waiting to win with Harkevich the first time ever, while Zerkova remains my "comfort zone".

Saturday:
   I had a Bushido demo which made me really like the system (better than Anima:Tactics, at least). I also got a game in against Rob K., which pitted Harkevich's theme force against Calaban's theme force. And IMO, Calaban is way underrated. It gave me a chance to field a 50pt Harkevich list I both saw on the forums once AND had the models for for the first time. We didn't get to finish it, because I chose to enlist for the Thunderdome competition last minute.
   And that, lads and ladies, was where things started to go crazy.

Seizing Command 01: Basic Kickstarter thoughts

Hey everyone,
while this blog has slowed down again after that spurt that was the Grolar news, I got to play another game of Warmachine: High Command (WMHC or just HC from hereon out).

And afterwards I thought to myself: If I'm taking my time in exploring the game and building decks (inevitably trying to win), why not blog about it? Gives me a way to better process my thoughts, something to look back on - and for you sth to point your finger at and laugh out loud. Not that I'd assume you'll do that, but the option certainly will be there (when in doubt, you can also always face-palm).

And in this inaugural issue of "Seizing Command", we'll talk about "Kickstarter"!

Khador 2013 Part 03/3 - Almost right! Almost...

Just like the title implies, C.R.L. was almost right about the spoilers. So, since I assume everybody read the article on that frickin' BOLS page (Yes, my opinion of them is... ...biased), what we'll do here is Reflection and Reiteration - something that's rare on the internet these days, I feel.

You get that feeling when rumours are out, and people still start speculating like unjustifiably crazy.

Alright, so much for the intro. You guys ready to swallow the red pill?

Khador 2014 Part 03/2 - Everybody's Darling?

So, yesterday I gave you the leaks I got on the PP forums, and did the initial gushing. Because, hey, 8pt gun-'Jack.

But why exactly is that so gush-some to me? In this second part of the article, I'll walk you through my reasoning. We'll be looking at how the Grolar (I'd prefer Growler, but Grolar is a term for a mix between a Grizzly and a Polar Bear, go figure) might work with each 'Caster - making some upfront assumptions, but that's cool, it's how science is done anyways. We'll also look into intersting interactions with other models (as far as I discover some), and the Theme Forces he can be included in. I know of at least one I'm stoked about, but I presume there are more gems to be found here. I'll intertwine the 'Caster and Theme Force discussion, and I'll give Pro's, Con's, and a brief verdict (with my *-Ratings that I used in a Khador '13 article before).

So let's get it on!

Khador 2014 Part 03/1 - the new 'Jack in town.

A bit of history for this topic:
   Khador players were given intel at last year's Lock and Load that they'd be getting a new Warjack, and that it would have a machine gun. Another rumour said there'd be a 'Jack with Double Strike. Since that ability was hitherto only found on a melee weapon, I assumed we'd get something Blitzeresque. The math revealed that a Warjack with melee Double Strike would likely PWN Colossals by its lonesome.
   In the meantime, we figured out/were spoiled that said Warjack would be based on the 'Jacks of reknown models, presumably in the advent of another multi-kit box. From that, we deducted Heavy Boiler.
   At Templecon, we heard it'd have "the highest printed RoF to date" (excluding Caine2, of course) and that Double Strike was indeed on the gun. This led to a lot of dismay, ever since Khador does have RAT 4 base, and the fear of another 9pt hybrid (as in "Trash") was voiced.
   All that, however, changed now. We have better intel, it seems, gleamed right from the book. I'll attempt to fit as much into this article as I can while pumping it out as fast as I can, too. I'll split it into two parts, one for the "Breaking News/First thoughts" part, and the "In-depth ponderings" part.

First games of High Command - an impression

Strangely enough, I'm cranking out Blog articles, like I'm out of homework to do (Spoilers: I'm not, actually). This time, I'm going to talk about Warmachine: High Command.

I'll try to keep it brief, because first of all, we (that is, Arides, Fiona, and me) haven't even played all detachments, or the whole Cryx card pool, for that matter.

So what do I, a biased layman gamer, think about this boardgame? Well,

Khador 2014 - Part 02 "Year of the Beard"

Bring it on! (courtesy of PG Somnicide)

Fellow comrades, it's time for me to speak about the "Year of the Beard", and my plans for it. Or, at least, my initial ideas. For this issue, I think we'll best stick with the intention behind the "campaign" and my initial lists for Harkevich. Meh, I'll throw in an outlook for ClogCon.

Khador 2014 - Part 01 "Life/Hobby Balance"

The life/hobby balance, and how to do back-pedaling when necessary

Let me - in true human sciences/linguist fashion - start this article off with a quote from Coldplay's "Viva la vida":

"I used to roll the dice / see the fear in my enemies' eyes"

 Does this article have you worried? I do not know, and if it does, sorry. But I think it makes an all the more valuable topic to talk about - what to do when you find yourself at the point of realisation your hobby has gotten the better part of your life, as if it turned into an angry deity that made you sacrifice your money, friends(, and possibly more!) for the pleasures it (used to) provide(s) you?