Tuesday 30 December 2014
Skaven Fail....Again!
So, finally got to play some multiplayer games against my brother in Mordheim, my Skaven verses his Empire Mercinaries. The result: two loses in two games. What's worse was the second game. Apparently the Horned Rat decided to teach me a lesson that trying to cheat the system though setting up an barge vs sewer match and expecting to be given the advantage. Instead, I found myself on the barges instead of the sewer. My brother (not being stupid like the computer A.I. was) decided that hiding and waiting was the better option. This resulted in an embarrising loss of a retreat, seven of my Skaven dead to all his surviving. Clearly trechery by some of my underlings was the reason for this release. Must find who and silently remove them before my next encounter.
Sunday 28 December 2014
Lazy Dayz
Despite the sudden cold change (which I'm very thankful for, really hate Australian summers) I just can't seem to motivate myself into doing any projects. So instead I've dedicated myself to the Emperor's service with a little Sisters of Battle campaign in Dawn of War: Soul Storm. Should tie me over until my brother gets back. Thanks to other presents I've received, I'm now able to get his present: Mordheim early access. Yep, both of us have been wanting this and now, with any luck, we can test the multiplayer aspect.
Heck, might do a video or two and upload it.
Heck, might do a video or two and upload it.
Friday 26 December 2014
Curse You Route Check
So finally lost my first Mordheim match today, funny enough it was against an opposing Skaven side (so win/win match?). Not only did the opposition succeed twice in their route checks and me having one more warband member then them, I failed my check and the game ended. Must admit, it was my own fault, thought sending some through the sewers to flank them was a good idea but it ultimately left one of my sides undermanned (or is that under-rat?) and lost two henchmen there. Also didn't help that their Rat Ogre beat mine in fair combat, though that beast seemed to suffer from a stupidity streak which allowed me to beat it.
I'm actually glade I finally lost one. Being an early access game the A.I. isn't as strong in the strategy department (one game had a Sister of Sigma climb a wall, then climb down before climbing back up again in a single turn), so knowing that poor decisions can cost you is good. Can't wait to see what it's like in multiplayer.
I'm actually glade I finally lost one. Being an early access game the A.I. isn't as strong in the strategy department (one game had a Sister of Sigma climb a wall, then climb down before climbing back up again in a single turn), so knowing that poor decisions can cost you is good. Can't wait to see what it's like in multiplayer.
Thursday 25 December 2014
More Skaven Goodness
Bell of Lost Souls Link
So I was just doing my little internet look about update and came across this little link. What I've seen and read there actually caused a feeling that I believe they call 'excitement'. The pics they showed (I re-posted them again below) may not be good, but the design actually looks good.
Now personally, I really dislike large models. Not only are they difficult to bring to games, but they also take up a lot of space. That said, I might actually consider getting this model, though I feel my painting skills have diminished as of late and that I may not paint this model with the skill something of that price value deserves. Still, the Skaven seem to be getting some love this time round (unlike the Elves).
Wow. Just.....wow.....err...SEE! I said the Great Horned Rat sends his beloved children great-grand power. The time is almost upon you man-things. The time of the Skaven has begun!
~Grey Seer Skratchnsniff
So I was just doing my little internet look about update and came across this little link. What I've seen and read there actually caused a feeling that I believe they call 'excitement'. The pics they showed (I re-posted them again below) may not be good, but the design actually looks good.
Wow. Just.....wow.....err...SEE! I said the Great Horned Rat sends his beloved children great-grand power. The time is almost upon you man-things. The time of the Skaven has begun!
~Grey Seer Skratchnsniff
A Great Skaven Gift
My brother gave me my Christmas gift early and behold, a $40 Steam voucher. Why? Because of a little game called Mordheim. While it is still in early access and has much more to offer in the future, I've been pumped to play it and finally I did.
My first game threw me into a match against an Empire CPU and it was as fun and exciting as I had thought it to be. I can see how much fun a match against human player could be and yes, I did win that match, though it was mostly down to the Rat Ogre and being favoured of the Horned Rat.
Yes-Yes, give in Man-thing. Give in and accept the Great Horned Rat as your one true God. Let his blessed children take-rule the surface as is their Divine right. All shall feel the Horned One's squeak of fury.
~Grey Seer Skratchnsniff
....eeerrr....ok?
My first game threw me into a match against an Empire CPU and it was as fun and exciting as I had thought it to be. I can see how much fun a match against human player could be and yes, I did win that match, though it was mostly down to the Rat Ogre and being favoured of the Horned Rat.
Yes-Yes, give in Man-thing. Give in and accept the Great Horned Rat as your one true God. Let his blessed children take-rule the surface as is their Divine right. All shall feel the Horned One's squeak of fury.
~Grey Seer Skratchnsniff
....eeerrr....ok?
Thursday 18 December 2014
Miniature Thought On Fun
So I've been pushing myself to get those damn Clanrats done and found myself not enjoying it. So why? I immediately turned to all the crap about GW and for all that's been said, I realised what I was really wanting to say. However, I'll get to that another time. That said, I'm just not enjoying it they way I use too. Perhaps if I do something light I might regain that enjoyment.
As such, I've decided that for the moment I'll instead focus my miniatures time to converting/painting a few single miniatures I've got about. Perhaps when I finally get a chance to relax I might feel more like tackling that unit.
As such, I've decided that for the moment I'll instead focus my miniatures time to converting/painting a few single miniatures I've got about. Perhaps when I finally get a chance to relax I might feel more like tackling that unit.
Monday 15 December 2014
Sydney Siege
What can I say? What does one say? My thoughts and prayers go to the hostages and their families and hope they can all get out safely.
Update:
What a tragic end. Two lives lost (three if you count that lunatic who took them all hostage) and while all the others have been freed, the pain of this event will be with them for a long time. What surprised me more was just how the people of this proud country chose to unite as one instead of giving into fear and hate. Truly we saw the best and worst of humanity this day.
Update:
What a tragic end. Two lives lost (three if you count that lunatic who took them all hostage) and while all the others have been freed, the pain of this event will be with them for a long time. What surprised me more was just how the people of this proud country chose to unite as one instead of giving into fear and hate. Truly we saw the best and worst of humanity this day.
Games-Workshop's Own End Times?
I stumbled upon a series of video's on Youtube where fan's generally talk about the current financial situation of Games-Workshop, their gripes with the company and do they think the company will be around in the next few years. I've tried to do some more research into this and gathered a few opinions, so no here are my own.
My thoughts:
Games-Workshop has basically told us that they are miniature production focused, only making the best miniatures and that anything else is secondary. It makes sense given how freely they've become with selling their gaming licences, though I don't think their view is entirely good. So let's start by focusing on their focused on, the miniatures.
Are the miniatures good? Well, yes. For the most part, many of the miniatures are nice to look at and now that they are removing Finecast, the miniatures produced are now lacking the production damage. Not all are good, a few can easily be found in the Fantasy Chaos Warriors section (Forsaken, Slaughterbrute, etc) and they can't/won't produce really any female models beyond Elves/Eldar and Sisters of Battle. It becomes more of a problem when you take price into account, which brings us to the next question: Are they worth the price they're charged for? Yes and No. OK, best to give some examples here. So for single miniatures (like those of the HQ/Lords/Heroes) that are on foot, I feel a price around $26-$28AU is an acceptable price. These miniatures are going to be a standout and tend to have more detail then a rank-and-file, so I can accept that (mounted models should cost between $5 - $15AU more depending on the mount). Core and Troop packs should be priced on a suitable size unit within the $40-$50AU (though given that you need lots of these guys now days means I'd prefer they be cheaper or that they put more in the unit box). Special/Elite/Fast choice options are harder to price, but I would prefer they only cost slightly more then the Core/Troop options. Rares I guess should cost slightly more then special, but unless it's a massive monster they shouldn't go beyond the $70AU mark. As it stands, I feel that some models are over priced for what you get. I will throw in the rulebooks/armybooks/codexes in too. A price rise of $40AU plus was not asked for, nor did we ask for hardback covers (and those who did ask for hardback never asked for a $40AU plus increase). Again, I don't like the current pricing.
They only sell miniatures because of their games, so things like the Lore and rules are important. For me I feel Lore is important, given that the more interesting and diverse, the more people will want to paint and convert models to work with it. Rules are good, but for me the only thing I want them to really fix is to make up their mind when it comes to what can be in a unit (see Rat-Ogre unit who many Packmasters? problem in my army list post below). I do agree that people do want to make it a competitive game, but it was also suggested that a simple list of limitations for competitions could be added and that's that problem is resolved. Again, rules don't need to change much and one can add new miniatures in through rules that are on par with similar models in the slot and Lore that has them in through discovery or through magical/scientific advancement.
Their product isn't very inviting for new customers too and again, this is mostly due to pricing. One such video pointed out that most games are 2,000pts +, there aren't (or poorly done) rules for smaller games and that there isn't any starter sets for armies themselves and I have to agree. A set containing a Hero and two Core/HQ and two Troop options (minimum option to play a game) would be great. As it stands the main rules cost between $100-$140AU and the armybook/codex costs $83AU so just getting the rules just to play your chosen army is very expensive, so a starter set of say $60-$65AU makes it more affordable entry, better if they through in one of those two rule books in a simpler (no lore, pics) form. If you want people to keep purchasing your products, you need to get them into the products first.
I also agree that they need to bring back the specialist games. You already have the rules, just make a few changes that fans have fixed/added to make the game more balanced and start selling. If the models are made similar to your main games, then you will sell more. I also thought this is, bring back the old White Dwarf. This new weekly version (along with the disastrous Warhammer Visions) just doesn't have the good stuff we use to collect them for.
For me, there's nothing wrong with a company making a profit, but understanding the customers wants is also very important. I feel Games-Workshop can pull through, but I feel there may be a serious over hall may need to occur in order to achieve this. Don't get me wrong, I've said multiple times that I love the product, I love the Lore and would love for it to continue, but in these current times of financial struggles, something must give and we may not like what could happen.
I'm sure there's more, but I'll update it later when I have more time to reflect on this.
My thoughts:
Games-Workshop has basically told us that they are miniature production focused, only making the best miniatures and that anything else is secondary. It makes sense given how freely they've become with selling their gaming licences, though I don't think their view is entirely good. So let's start by focusing on their focused on, the miniatures.
Are the miniatures good? Well, yes. For the most part, many of the miniatures are nice to look at and now that they are removing Finecast, the miniatures produced are now lacking the production damage. Not all are good, a few can easily be found in the Fantasy Chaos Warriors section (Forsaken, Slaughterbrute, etc) and they can't/won't produce really any female models beyond Elves/Eldar and Sisters of Battle. It becomes more of a problem when you take price into account, which brings us to the next question: Are they worth the price they're charged for? Yes and No. OK, best to give some examples here. So for single miniatures (like those of the HQ/Lords/Heroes) that are on foot, I feel a price around $26-$28AU is an acceptable price. These miniatures are going to be a standout and tend to have more detail then a rank-and-file, so I can accept that (mounted models should cost between $5 - $15AU more depending on the mount). Core and Troop packs should be priced on a suitable size unit within the $40-$50AU (though given that you need lots of these guys now days means I'd prefer they be cheaper or that they put more in the unit box). Special/Elite/Fast choice options are harder to price, but I would prefer they only cost slightly more then the Core/Troop options. Rares I guess should cost slightly more then special, but unless it's a massive monster they shouldn't go beyond the $70AU mark. As it stands, I feel that some models are over priced for what you get. I will throw in the rulebooks/armybooks/codexes in too. A price rise of $40AU plus was not asked for, nor did we ask for hardback covers (and those who did ask for hardback never asked for a $40AU plus increase). Again, I don't like the current pricing.
They only sell miniatures because of their games, so things like the Lore and rules are important. For me I feel Lore is important, given that the more interesting and diverse, the more people will want to paint and convert models to work with it. Rules are good, but for me the only thing I want them to really fix is to make up their mind when it comes to what can be in a unit (see Rat-Ogre unit who many Packmasters? problem in my army list post below). I do agree that people do want to make it a competitive game, but it was also suggested that a simple list of limitations for competitions could be added and that's that problem is resolved. Again, rules don't need to change much and one can add new miniatures in through rules that are on par with similar models in the slot and Lore that has them in through discovery or through magical/scientific advancement.
Their product isn't very inviting for new customers too and again, this is mostly due to pricing. One such video pointed out that most games are 2,000pts +, there aren't (or poorly done) rules for smaller games and that there isn't any starter sets for armies themselves and I have to agree. A set containing a Hero and two Core/HQ and two Troop options (minimum option to play a game) would be great. As it stands the main rules cost between $100-$140AU and the armybook/codex costs $83AU so just getting the rules just to play your chosen army is very expensive, so a starter set of say $60-$65AU makes it more affordable entry, better if they through in one of those two rule books in a simpler (no lore, pics) form. If you want people to keep purchasing your products, you need to get them into the products first.
I also agree that they need to bring back the specialist games. You already have the rules, just make a few changes that fans have fixed/added to make the game more balanced and start selling. If the models are made similar to your main games, then you will sell more. I also thought this is, bring back the old White Dwarf. This new weekly version (along with the disastrous Warhammer Visions) just doesn't have the good stuff we use to collect them for.
For me, there's nothing wrong with a company making a profit, but understanding the customers wants is also very important. I feel Games-Workshop can pull through, but I feel there may be a serious over hall may need to occur in order to achieve this. Don't get me wrong, I've said multiple times that I love the product, I love the Lore and would love for it to continue, but in these current times of financial struggles, something must give and we may not like what could happen.
I'm sure there's more, but I'll update it later when I have more time to reflect on this.
Sunday 14 December 2014
Dental Update
So yeah, the left side of my face is still in pain and I'm now on antibiotics, though that's mostly cause they can't tell if it's infection or trama (not taking the risk of opening it up to see). Really getting on my nerves (if the one in my jaw hasn't already been upset).
Plus side is that it's finally given me some time in between painkillers to work on the Clanrats. Gotta say, these guys are really ticking me off. I could never recall Clanrats ever causing me this much trouble, though I admit painting 32 plus a mortar was never going to be a walk in the park. Hoping to get them completed this week. They've been base coated and glued to bases (which are almost done themselves) which means they just need a touch up wash, a layer and highlight to be done.
So close.
Plus side is that it's finally given me some time in between painkillers to work on the Clanrats. Gotta say, these guys are really ticking me off. I could never recall Clanrats ever causing me this much trouble, though I admit painting 32 plus a mortar was never going to be a walk in the park. Hoping to get them completed this week. They've been base coated and glued to bases (which are almost done themselves) which means they just need a touch up wash, a layer and highlight to be done.
So close.
Tuesday 9 December 2014
Revised Skaven Skryre List
Finally found my Skaven list, but after going over it I've decided to alter it. I don't have enough Clanrats to reach the original goal (and painting them has become an agonising) and have decided to remove some of them and the Rat Swarms (which I feel are useless) in exchange for a Rat Ogre or two. This is how it stands at the moment:
Lords
+Skith Warpclaw (Ikit Claw)
+Skrag the Gatekeeper (Warlord)
- Enchanted Shield, Sword of Might, Talisman of Presivation
- Mounted on Rat Ogre Bonebreaker
Heroes
+Snikkitch Twitchnose (Warlock Engineer)
- Level 2 Wizard, Warp-Energy Condenser, Warplock Pistol
+Morok Geargrinder (Chieftain)
- Battle Standard Bearer, Shield, Warpstone Armour, Warplock Pistol, Ironcurse Icon
+Grish Fellfur (Chieftain)
- Shield, Dragonhelm, Crown of Command, Rat Hound
+Shin Swiftsteel (Assassin)
- Warlock-Augmented Weapon
Core
+Clanrats (30 + 1)
- Spears, Shields, Full Command
- Attached: Warpfire Thrower
+Clanrats (32 + 1)
- Shields, Full Command
- Attached: Poisoned Wind Mortar
+Skavenslaves (39)
- Shields, Pawleader, Musician
Special
+Poisoned Wind Globadiers (9 + 1)
- Bombardier with Death Globe
- Attached: Poisoned Wind Mortar
+Warplock Jezzails (5)
- Sharpshooter
+Rat Ogers (5 + 3)*
-Master Bred Rat Ogre
Rare
+Snikkotto Twitchnose (Doomwheel)
+Gnithnik Twitchnose (Warp Lightning Cannon)
*The problem is that I don't know if I'm allowed 3 or limited to 2 Packmasters. According to the wording, various forums and the FAQ, it seems that you can get an additional Packmaster for every two Rat Ogres in the unit (which means the my option above would be legal?). Perhaps in the next rule book release will better word it
I should have this force ready by next year. OK, perhaps the Rat Ogres could be a problem, depends on who I want them converted. We shall see where it leads. I am to open to ideas if anyone has any.
Lords
+Skith Warpclaw (Ikit Claw)
+Skrag the Gatekeeper (Warlord)
- Enchanted Shield, Sword of Might, Talisman of Presivation
- Mounted on Rat Ogre Bonebreaker
Heroes
+Snikkitch Twitchnose (Warlock Engineer)
- Level 2 Wizard, Warp-Energy Condenser, Warplock Pistol
+Morok Geargrinder (Chieftain)
- Battle Standard Bearer, Shield, Warpstone Armour, Warplock Pistol, Ironcurse Icon
+Grish Fellfur (Chieftain)
- Shield, Dragonhelm, Crown of Command, Rat Hound
+Shin Swiftsteel (Assassin)
- Warlock-Augmented Weapon
Core
+Clanrats (30 + 1)
- Spears, Shields, Full Command
- Attached: Warpfire Thrower
+Clanrats (32 + 1)
- Shields, Full Command
- Attached: Poisoned Wind Mortar
+Skavenslaves (39)
- Shields, Pawleader, Musician
Special
+Poisoned Wind Globadiers (9 + 1)
- Bombardier with Death Globe
- Attached: Poisoned Wind Mortar
+Warplock Jezzails (5)
- Sharpshooter
+Rat Ogers (5 + 3)*
-Master Bred Rat Ogre
Rare
+Snikkotto Twitchnose (Doomwheel)
+Gnithnik Twitchnose (Warp Lightning Cannon)
*The problem is that I don't know if I'm allowed 3 or limited to 2 Packmasters. According to the wording, various forums and the FAQ, it seems that you can get an additional Packmaster for every two Rat Ogres in the unit (which means the my option above would be legal?). Perhaps in the next rule book release will better word it
I should have this force ready by next year. OK, perhaps the Rat Ogres could be a problem, depends on who I want them converted. We shall see where it leads. I am to open to ideas if anyone has any.
Dental Surgery
Finally done. Great group of people in the city that got it done and very friendly and professional too. Now the numbness is wearing off and the real pain is finally kicking in.
Fun times ahead.
Update: Those painkillers really knock you out. Unfortunately, it resulted in me stuffing up, which may cost me a large sum of money this week. Hopefully by tomorrow my ability to speak clearly will return and I can fix this mess up.
Fun times ahead.
Update: Those painkillers really knock you out. Unfortunately, it resulted in me stuffing up, which may cost me a large sum of money this week. Hopefully by tomorrow my ability to speak clearly will return and I can fix this mess up.
Still?
Please read the article Target/Kmart bans GTA V below to get my original thoughts.
So, get up early (have dental surgery today) and quickly check my online stuff and the first thing that shows up is the latest Youtube video updates with a Jimquisition video on the Australian Target GTA V ban. First thing that comes to my mind is 'Why haven't people gotten over this', but then a new thought occurred: 'Why are people overseas so damn interested in this story?'. In truth, it has no effect on their lives, yet they seem to be the most vocal on the subject. Maybe we are laid back here, though after discussing this issue with my brother (who is a casual worker at EB Games), we agreed that this whole event could be ignored over since places like EB Games and such are everywhere, they wouldn't ban it regardless of petitions and that not selling GTA V wouldn't harm Target or Kmart sales at all.
Update:
So, just watched the video and I'm not sure what to say. I still don't get why places like America seem so determined to make a fuss over this. I do have to disagree about Jim's point about bringing Australia in line with countries like America in regards with adult entertainment. Clearly the political aspect of Australia wasn't taken into account. See, the thing is, the country is going through a stage where we are dealing with issues of violence against women and children/domestic violence and it's a much larger problem then people realise. The government does it's usual enquiries, but people don't feel like their fixing the problem (our Prime Minister acts like a misogynist and even declared himself Minister for Women - what kind of an asshole does that?) and so we end up with people action like this. I previously said that I agreed that the information given in the petition was wrong, but I see their point and have no problem with Target and Kmart removing the game from the shelves. Besides, if anyone wanted to still get the game, there are multiple places you can get it and they will not ban the game since selling Games is there main purpose (where as Target and Kmart are not). Target and Kmart won't loose money, Game stores will make a little extra and so who really cares, it won't change your life with this decision. It's an Australian problem that Australian's will sort out ourselves. I don't want to get into this whole argument about our countries, but then again we could argue about America's ridiculous gun laws and the amount of school shootings that occur and their inability to solve that issue.
Just trying to give an insight to the political and social reasons behind the action and I apologies if it got a little too heated, but things like domestic violence are a real issue here and while this was a stupid petition with no real lasting effect, I do appreciate that at least the people are trying to fix a problem because our government won't (even if it wasn't very good).
So, get up early (have dental surgery today) and quickly check my online stuff and the first thing that shows up is the latest Youtube video updates with a Jimquisition video on the Australian Target GTA V ban. First thing that comes to my mind is 'Why haven't people gotten over this', but then a new thought occurred: 'Why are people overseas so damn interested in this story?'. In truth, it has no effect on their lives, yet they seem to be the most vocal on the subject. Maybe we are laid back here, though after discussing this issue with my brother (who is a casual worker at EB Games), we agreed that this whole event could be ignored over since places like EB Games and such are everywhere, they wouldn't ban it regardless of petitions and that not selling GTA V wouldn't harm Target or Kmart sales at all.
Update:
So, just watched the video and I'm not sure what to say. I still don't get why places like America seem so determined to make a fuss over this. I do have to disagree about Jim's point about bringing Australia in line with countries like America in regards with adult entertainment. Clearly the political aspect of Australia wasn't taken into account. See, the thing is, the country is going through a stage where we are dealing with issues of violence against women and children/domestic violence and it's a much larger problem then people realise. The government does it's usual enquiries, but people don't feel like their fixing the problem (our Prime Minister acts like a misogynist and even declared himself Minister for Women - what kind of an asshole does that?) and so we end up with people action like this. I previously said that I agreed that the information given in the petition was wrong, but I see their point and have no problem with Target and Kmart removing the game from the shelves. Besides, if anyone wanted to still get the game, there are multiple places you can get it and they will not ban the game since selling Games is there main purpose (where as Target and Kmart are not). Target and Kmart won't loose money, Game stores will make a little extra and so who really cares, it won't change your life with this decision. It's an Australian problem that Australian's will sort out ourselves. I don't want to get into this whole argument about our countries, but then again we could argue about America's ridiculous gun laws and the amount of school shootings that occur and their inability to solve that issue.
Just trying to give an insight to the political and social reasons behind the action and I apologies if it got a little too heated, but things like domestic violence are a real issue here and while this was a stupid petition with no real lasting effect, I do appreciate that at least the people are trying to fix a problem because our government won't (even if it wasn't very good).
Monday 8 December 2014
Asthma Problem That Never Occured To Me
So it's no surprise I have Asthma, but as of last night my Nebuliser stopped working. For those who don't know, a Nebuliser is a small machine that pumps filtered air into a mask which turns the liquid medication into a vapor that you inhale. I'm told it's that last step you take cause if it gets worse after it you need to go to hospital. What never occurred to me was just how difficult it is to get one fixed.
After going over it, I concluded that it needed a fuse replacement. It uses a T5A 240V fuse and after much searching, I found that no one in the whole state of Queensland sell the bloody things. To top it all off, I spent not only most of today trying to find a fuse which no one sells, but when I went to hire one out, multiple places don't even do that. Of the two that did, one was all booked out and the other was going to charge me a $50 bond and an additional $20 per week just to hire it, money I don't have (have just under $50 until next week). So here it stands, I have to just take the meds I have and hope it doesn't get worse. Otherwise it's a trip to the hospital and I know they'll bitch and whinge about not using a Nebuliser.
Seriously, Asthma is a major problem with so many of the population in this country with it and yet no one thought to make access to Nebuliser repairs or hire easy for those with it. I didn't think it would be this much of a problem and today has shown me that there is a major flaw in the health system for those with Asthma. I manage to order replacement fuses (I think there the right ones) from another state, but they may not show up until next week (and assuming none of them were damaged). A whole week with out it and currently my Asthma isn't in good health.
Sorry to bitch about it, but this whole day has left me thoroughly pissed off.
EDIT:
I must apologise for this one. I tend to write these as a means to get things off my chest and I was (and still am) very frustrated about all this. However, despite this lack of medical help, Australia still has a very good health care system (even if the current government is trying to dismantle it). My attempts to find other solutions to the problem lead my to many forums where people from other countries with Asthma explained their situation and I realised just how bad the health care system of other countries are. I admit I don't know how health care works in other countries, but from what I read some of it is just plain ridiculous. As such, my ranting to some may have come off as rather spoilt, given that my country actually has a health care system available to all. So yeah, sorry about that.
Update 8/12/14: Managed to find fuses (by sheer luck) and it's working again. My lungs are once again at ease.
After going over it, I concluded that it needed a fuse replacement. It uses a T5A 240V fuse and after much searching, I found that no one in the whole state of Queensland sell the bloody things. To top it all off, I spent not only most of today trying to find a fuse which no one sells, but when I went to hire one out, multiple places don't even do that. Of the two that did, one was all booked out and the other was going to charge me a $50 bond and an additional $20 per week just to hire it, money I don't have (have just under $50 until next week). So here it stands, I have to just take the meds I have and hope it doesn't get worse. Otherwise it's a trip to the hospital and I know they'll bitch and whinge about not using a Nebuliser.
Seriously, Asthma is a major problem with so many of the population in this country with it and yet no one thought to make access to Nebuliser repairs or hire easy for those with it. I didn't think it would be this much of a problem and today has shown me that there is a major flaw in the health system for those with Asthma. I manage to order replacement fuses (I think there the right ones) from another state, but they may not show up until next week (and assuming none of them were damaged). A whole week with out it and currently my Asthma isn't in good health.
Sorry to bitch about it, but this whole day has left me thoroughly pissed off.
EDIT:
I must apologise for this one. I tend to write these as a means to get things off my chest and I was (and still am) very frustrated about all this. However, despite this lack of medical help, Australia still has a very good health care system (even if the current government is trying to dismantle it). My attempts to find other solutions to the problem lead my to many forums where people from other countries with Asthma explained their situation and I realised just how bad the health care system of other countries are. I admit I don't know how health care works in other countries, but from what I read some of it is just plain ridiculous. As such, my ranting to some may have come off as rather spoilt, given that my country actually has a health care system available to all. So yeah, sorry about that.
Update 8/12/14: Managed to find fuses (by sheer luck) and it's working again. My lungs are once again at ease.
Saturday 6 December 2014
Thoughts On - Skaven End Times
So all this talk on Warhammer's End Times and Skaven has got me thinking, what do I expect will happen with the Skaven during these events?
First off, I feel that any event involving them will most likely take place in Lustria. The whole Skaven vs Lizardmen theme has been a constant and with the forces of Tzeentch heading in that direction, it makes the most sense to place an End Times book there. I am unsure if they will take the whole 'Members of Clan Pestilense switching to Nurgle' thing anywhere, but if they did it would be a unique situation. What rules an scenarios is also unknown, though I wouldn't be surprised if a few from the Lustria book were recycled here.
Miniature wise, rumour is strong that a new Verminlord and Grey Seer Thanquol & Boneripper models will be released. Again, rumours, but it seems right to release this. Would also make sense if the rumoured Thanquol is in fact riding Boneripper as it would simplify their rules a little. No word on the Skaven Black Ark, which to me is a bit of a surprise as I felt they were leading up to it's return. Given it's the End Times, bringing it back should defiantly be a must.
Finally, character deaths. As it stands, I've been told that Grey Seer Lord Kritislik is dead (killed by the Great Horned Rat apparently) and that many expect Grey Seer Thanquol to take over. I doubt that Thanquol will be killed in the End Times, though I expect one of Clan Moulders named characters to die (possibly due to the Chaos invasion up north) as do I expect someone high up in Clan Pestilense to go as well (The Arch Plauge Lord Nurglitch or Lord Skrolk). I doubt Snikch or Headtaker would be killed off, but I feel that Craventail's luck will run out. As for Ikit Claw, I personally don't care if they kill him off or not, but only if there is a suitable rule replacement in the next army book, like those of the Warlock Master in the last edition of the book (4th edition I think).
As such, by the next army book release, I expect some alteration of a few units, a few new characters (though I would love to see them bring back something like Veskit from Mordheim just for the shear awesomeness of it) and another re-altering of the army rules. I expect fluff wise, we might be at risk of another civil war (given the last two were created by Clan Pestilense, I wouldn't be surprise to see them planning another power take over). Again, these are just my thoughts on it based on what's happened to other races in the End Times thus far.
First off, I feel that any event involving them will most likely take place in Lustria. The whole Skaven vs Lizardmen theme has been a constant and with the forces of Tzeentch heading in that direction, it makes the most sense to place an End Times book there. I am unsure if they will take the whole 'Members of Clan Pestilense switching to Nurgle' thing anywhere, but if they did it would be a unique situation. What rules an scenarios is also unknown, though I wouldn't be surprised if a few from the Lustria book were recycled here.
Miniature wise, rumour is strong that a new Verminlord and Grey Seer Thanquol & Boneripper models will be released. Again, rumours, but it seems right to release this. Would also make sense if the rumoured Thanquol is in fact riding Boneripper as it would simplify their rules a little. No word on the Skaven Black Ark, which to me is a bit of a surprise as I felt they were leading up to it's return. Given it's the End Times, bringing it back should defiantly be a must.
Finally, character deaths. As it stands, I've been told that Grey Seer Lord Kritislik is dead (killed by the Great Horned Rat apparently) and that many expect Grey Seer Thanquol to take over. I doubt that Thanquol will be killed in the End Times, though I expect one of Clan Moulders named characters to die (possibly due to the Chaos invasion up north) as do I expect someone high up in Clan Pestilense to go as well (The Arch Plauge Lord Nurglitch or Lord Skrolk). I doubt Snikch or Headtaker would be killed off, but I feel that Craventail's luck will run out. As for Ikit Claw, I personally don't care if they kill him off or not, but only if there is a suitable rule replacement in the next army book, like those of the Warlock Master in the last edition of the book (4th edition I think).
As such, by the next army book release, I expect some alteration of a few units, a few new characters (though I would love to see them bring back something like Veskit from Mordheim just for the shear awesomeness of it) and another re-altering of the army rules. I expect fluff wise, we might be at risk of another civil war (given the last two were created by Clan Pestilense, I wouldn't be surprise to see them planning another power take over). Again, these are just my thoughts on it based on what's happened to other races in the End Times thus far.
My Top 5 Skaven Clans
It’s no surprise that I’m a big fan of the
Skaven and I do enjoy some of the variety between the Clans. I previously
mentioned five Clans in order, which I really like, either through their lore
or their visual appearance. Many came from the Uniforms & Heraldry of the
Skaven book and so are the pictures I’ve added to the list. So lets get started
with my Top 5 Skaven Clans:
Number 5 – Clan Skrittlespike
The first thing you’ll notice is their
large eyes and this is due to evolving to their environment. While the Skaven
are a subterranean like race, the Skaven of Clan Skrittlespike live so deep
underground that they have adapted to the lack of light. While they are great
for deep underground combat and ambushes, they are mostly useless on the
surface world, given that even the moonlight would be somewhat painful for them
see in. They are also easily frightened by load noises, so using them against a
force that uses gunpowder would just be useless (let alone the noise produced
by their own sides weapons).
Number 4 – Clan Crooktail
Located in the Northern Wastes, this Clan
is unique in that its members contain various mutations, so it's no surprise that the various conversion opportunities would make this Clan so much fun to put together. The Skaven race has
always been associated with the substance known as Warpstone (which is
basically the physical manifestation or raw chaos) and it’s been a major piece
of their society. Despite being very resilient, they are not immune to the
effects of unrefined raw Warpstone. As
such, the tunnels of Clan Crooktail are littered with raw Warpstone and tainted
by it’s magical residue. This has lead to the various mutations they possess,
which they attribute as blessings from the Great Horned Rat and lest face it,
who’s going to argue with a two-headed Skaven with an extra set of arms and a
deadly tail?
Number 3 – Clan Skurvy
The seafaring rodents of Clan Skurvy sail
rickety old ships that have been patched up and sail the coastlines looking for
ships to loot and plunder. So basically, they’re Pi-rats. Ha Ha Ha….
Really Guardian? That rodent-based joke
wasn’t humorous at all.
~Zargooran
….ahem, yes…..well, anyway. Despite having
a few main rivals, Clan Skurvy is still the primary fleet used by the Skaven
when it comes to travelling by sea or sea combat. Mutiny and backstabbing are
commonplace, more so then normal compared to the normal Clans and staying
Captain of a ship for more then a day is considered an achievement. Those that
do tend to earn fearsome reputations and usually can spot when a traitorous
underling is vying for their position easily. Injury is also commonplace and so
thing like peg legs, hooked hands and eye patches are the usual look amongst
them (though some can afforded more murderous parts crafted by Clan Skryre). This Clan makes for a nice themed Skaven force and would rely focus on creating themed conversions, colour schemes and bases, but it would look really good.
Number 2 – Clan Eshin
Having vanished heading East during the
Great Migration, Clan Eshin would return to serve the Council of Thirteen
during the first great Skaven civil war. What happened to them after they went
missing is only known to the Clan Eshin and they guard their secrets closely.
What is known is that during that time they mastered the art of stealth,
sabotage, murder, poisons and other techniques of martial arts and
assassination. Theirs is a reputation of fear and that alone keeps them in
power. They find their services are always in need as just about every Skaven
has some other Skaven they want dead. They are probably the most discipline
Clan too as they actually have strict rules on everything and to break just one
is instant death. Even their leader Nightlord Sneek has a sort of honour too
him, which seems to go against the usual Skaven style. Colour wise, they are very simple, yet very sinister looking.
Number 1 – Clan Skryre
Alright, you all saw this one coming.
Clan Skryre is by far my favourite Clan. They are the masters of
techno-sorcery, which is a fusion of science and magic, two opposites that
somehow are made to work together. The Clan is often accused by other races as
stealing designs and modifying them for their own use. This is partly true and
they have based many of their designs from captured enemy weapons. On the other
hand, you could also say that they have improved on designs of other races who
were too short-sighted to take their designs to the next level. They are also
not limited to simply advancing ‘borrowed’ designs and have made original
devices of their own. The Clan is probably the most technologically advanced
race on the planet, producing a number of advance devices. One such device is
the Farsqueeker, a long-range communication device (think of it as a medieval
version of Skype). Their weapons are also more powerful thanks to the use of
Warpstone, but it comes at a price. Yeah, these weapons tend to have a common
flaw of backfiring and blowing themselves (and their users) up. But hey,
nobodies perfect.
What-What? You no put Grey Seers on
here? What’s wrong with you? This is madness, I shall appeal this list. You
will know the wrath of the Grey Seers.
~Grey Seer Skratchnsniff
~Grey Seer Skratchnsniff
Target and Kmart Ban GTA V
My thoughts on this, WHO CARES?
Personally, if Target and Kmart want to ban this game, then they can go ahead and ban it. Let's face it, if you really wanted this game you would have already gotten it and it's not like can't go elsewhere. Hell, EB Games is one of Australia's biggest gaming stores and you know they'll never ban it. Not only are there various game stores, but there is also digital distribution. Hell, there's Ebay damn it.
Seriously, why are so many people up in arms over this. Yes, I admit that the information in the original petition wasn't entirely accurate, but then the various new petitions by various men's groups worried that a mostly clothing and housewares store banning an R18+ game is effecting their penis size is also just ridiculous. And don't bother to try and point out I don't understand GTA, because these newer versions are still not as good as Vice City, one of my favourite GTA games. Besides, the only thing I really ever purchase from Target are shirts and shoes.
The point is that Target and Kmart can ban whatever they like and them banning it isn't going to some how effect your life or change the world (and if you believe that you really need to reconsider what your doing with your life, cause it shouldn't). If you want that game there are still multiple ways to obtain it so go get the game elsewhere, play it and just stop bitching about it.
Personally, if Target and Kmart want to ban this game, then they can go ahead and ban it. Let's face it, if you really wanted this game you would have already gotten it and it's not like can't go elsewhere. Hell, EB Games is one of Australia's biggest gaming stores and you know they'll never ban it. Not only are there various game stores, but there is also digital distribution. Hell, there's Ebay damn it.
Seriously, why are so many people up in arms over this. Yes, I admit that the information in the original petition wasn't entirely accurate, but then the various new petitions by various men's groups worried that a mostly clothing and housewares store banning an R18+ game is effecting their penis size is also just ridiculous. And don't bother to try and point out I don't understand GTA, because these newer versions are still not as good as Vice City, one of my favourite GTA games. Besides, the only thing I really ever purchase from Target are shirts and shoes.
The point is that Target and Kmart can ban whatever they like and them banning it isn't going to some how effect your life or change the world (and if you believe that you really need to reconsider what your doing with your life, cause it shouldn't). If you want that game there are still multiple ways to obtain it so go get the game elsewhere, play it and just stop bitching about it.
Tuesday 2 December 2014
End Times - The Business Sense In This
So, having had some time to cool down and get over the initial rage of confusion as to why they did what they did, I now understand why they did it or at least, my thoughts as to why they did it. Looking at the last few End Times reviews and the history of Games-Workshop releases, there is reason to their madness (even if I don’t agree with it). It simple, it’s to do with the number of army books they release.
Let me explain. The recent Elf release now has them force into a single army, so their future army book release will simply be Elves. The undead will either be Undead or Nagash and Chaos could itself be a single release. In doing this, it limits the number of army books the company has to make, thus allowing the books to keep up with new Editions of the rules. Wood Elves are a good example, having only recently got a new book after years of being ignored while both High Elves and Dark Elves got multiple releases. By merging them, these books are likely to get released soon after newer Editions are released. Undead will most likely follow this given that Settra isn’t likely to win anytime soon. Chaos I assume will be much harder then Elves to fuse together and I don’t think that will be happening soon, at least compared to some other groups.
So instead of having one release earlier in a year for High Elves, a late year release for Dark Elves and people complaining when the next Wood Elves release, the company just brings out Elves. Obviously for this to work, these new books would have to be very big and would have to contain enough units to satisfy players from all three sides. If not, players may take offense (if they haven’t already) and leave the hobby. It’s generally bad business practice to upset your customers and getting them to leave when it’s difficult enough trying to get new customers. Warhammer isn’t a cheap hobby to be part of to begin with, but a loyal customer will still spend money. Test their loyalty too much and you might find yourself in a bit of trouble.
There is only one problem to all this, the miniatures. With now all three factions of Elves united as one, you can only keep the imagery of their separate styles for so long before they must unite as a singular style. This means those with large armies of the old separate Elves may find most of their miniatures becoming useless unless the rule book contains a huge number of options, and the problem with that is that it may take too long to properly play test.
This is all speculation and we won't know anything until they release the next Edition next year and an appropriate army book. I’m not going to go into explaining Games-Workshops history of bad discussions (that’s a post for another time), but I feel this is an adequate explanation of what is going on from a non-fluff point of view. As a fan of the product, I disagree with this decision, but given their rules release history and customer satisfaction with it (Bretonnia hasn’t had a book release for the last few Editions), it does make sense to go down this path.
Let me explain. The recent Elf release now has them force into a single army, so their future army book release will simply be Elves. The undead will either be Undead or Nagash and Chaos could itself be a single release. In doing this, it limits the number of army books the company has to make, thus allowing the books to keep up with new Editions of the rules. Wood Elves are a good example, having only recently got a new book after years of being ignored while both High Elves and Dark Elves got multiple releases. By merging them, these books are likely to get released soon after newer Editions are released. Undead will most likely follow this given that Settra isn’t likely to win anytime soon. Chaos I assume will be much harder then Elves to fuse together and I don’t think that will be happening soon, at least compared to some other groups.
So instead of having one release earlier in a year for High Elves, a late year release for Dark Elves and people complaining when the next Wood Elves release, the company just brings out Elves. Obviously for this to work, these new books would have to be very big and would have to contain enough units to satisfy players from all three sides. If not, players may take offense (if they haven’t already) and leave the hobby. It’s generally bad business practice to upset your customers and getting them to leave when it’s difficult enough trying to get new customers. Warhammer isn’t a cheap hobby to be part of to begin with, but a loyal customer will still spend money. Test their loyalty too much and you might find yourself in a bit of trouble.
There is only one problem to all this, the miniatures. With now all three factions of Elves united as one, you can only keep the imagery of their separate styles for so long before they must unite as a singular style. This means those with large armies of the old separate Elves may find most of their miniatures becoming useless unless the rule book contains a huge number of options, and the problem with that is that it may take too long to properly play test.
This is all speculation and we won't know anything until they release the next Edition next year and an appropriate army book. I’m not going to go into explaining Games-Workshops history of bad discussions (that’s a post for another time), but I feel this is an adequate explanation of what is going on from a non-fluff point of view. As a fan of the product, I disagree with this decision, but given their rules release history and customer satisfaction with it (Bretonnia hasn’t had a book release for the last few Editions), it does make sense to go down this path.
Monday 1 December 2014
The Curse Of Khaine - Not-So Short Rant (Spoiler Heavy)
WARNING: This review rant is spoiler heavy because I can't talk about
it without spoiling so much. Do not read this if you don't want
important key points or the ending spoiled.
I honestly have no words to describe my shock after finishing this book. Just what the hell is going on at Games-Workshop HQ? As I try to come up with words to use for this article, I switch between this page and those from Warhammer Elves forums to get the Elf fan opinions, most of them not good. Seems most aren't happy with it. Many argue about the lack of character views, altered lore and various things that just don't make sence. Players are also getting the impression that they were screwed over, and I must agree.
The book is basically seen from Malekith's point of view. It is also constantly filled with flashbacks, which many have pointed out as cut and paste from the Witch King trilogy (Malekith, Shadow King and Caledor), which is true, but it does work in some parts (but not all). I like that Malekith is still unlikable and there is no attempt to make him (unless Gav did try to do that, which it didn't work if that's the case), but I agree just his point of view limits the story. Teclis could have been an excellent point of view and it would have been nice to have at least point of view from the Tyrion camp, given he's the bad guy in all this.
Oh yes, now we get into the serious spoiler territory. I was happy with they way most of the book went, but the last few chapters changed that opinion. Naggaroth is gone, conquered by Chaos. To save his people, Malekith took all who would follow and launched one final attempt to take Ulthuan. The thing is, Teclis is the mastermind behind all this. See, since Malekith damaged the Vortex in that infamous defeat, Teclis had been given visions from the Elf Goddess Lileath about the End Times. To somehow save everyone, these visions showed how to save them against the Chaos (or maybe not given the final paragraph). This results is Teclis being instrumental to the resurrection of Nagash (though his plan had a few elements to ensure Nagash returned weak and his great spell wouldn't be so effective) and the ascension of Malekith as Phoenix King. Yep, Malekith is the new Phoenix King. Turns out he was never rejected by the flames, it was just that Malekith was too weak to withstand the resurrection. The whole six thousand year civil war was his fault because he was too weak is a nice little plot twist I must admit, didn't see it coming. He goes through it again, though he's still a corpse in armour. Imrik of Caledor joins Malekith's invasion early on too, having been convinced by Teclis about Malekith being the true king. Malus Darkblade is in it, but gets an undignified death off screen with the daemon that was inside him breaking free and tearing him apart in the process.
As for Tyrion, well it turns out that the Elf Princess that was sacrificed for Nagash was his daughter, he blamed Teclis for her loss and in his grief, Morathi convinced him to take up the blade of Khaine, Widowmaker. Morathi is mad, believing Tyrion is the reincarnation of her long dead husband and Tyrion takes up the blade and becomes a murdering Tyrant (well, we're more told that, since we see him take up the blade after defeating Malekith, but most we never see their point of view). Korhil is killed when he breaks free of their control to steal Widowmaker later on, but is hunted down and beheaded by his own axe. Teclis wants to unchain the magic from the waystones around the slowly fading Vortex and that's where the final battle happens. The result, the remaining seven lore's are released to find a primary host (Nagash already stole the Lore of Death) and we know Malekith gets the Lore of Shadow and the Everqueen has the Lore of Life. From what I read on the forums, Teclis bound the Lore of Light to his Staff and the Lore of Heavens was bound to Karl Franz, explaning the end of the last book (though I feel those two Lores should be vice versa given that ending). As for the rest we don't know. Tyrion is killed in the final battle and The Shadow King is still alive, threatening Malekith that if he fails to be a good leader to the Elves he will kill him (It's complicated and confusing).
I get what was being said in this, the Gods are taking mortal form, end of days battle for survival, etc. The problem was is that I just didn't feel that. The whole 'Mortal Gods battle between Asuryan (Malekith) and Khaine (Tyrion)' didn't feel epic, it felt rush and with little emotion. Heck, they kept talking about their Gods, like how only the Blade of Asuryan could defeat Widowmaker, yet Widowmaker makes short work of it. If I was really picky about it, I'd say Khaine won that battle and was only defeated thanks to the Shadow King. A non-godly mortal beat both god-infused mortals. Either we were lied to and that both Elven Gods were really weak, or the Shadow King is more bad ass then I thought (I prefer the latter one).
The final indignity for the Elves, Ulthuan is now gone. Sunk beneath the ocean. Apparently, the Vortex had eaten away at the island and by shutting it down, the island sunk, most likely killing all the wildlife. They all now live in the lands of the Wood Elves, though what the forest spirits think of this we do not know. The end does tell us that Morathi was sucked into the Realm of Chaos while trying the stop Teclis. As for Teclis, I don't know. I've read the last part a few times, but I can't seem to figure out what happened to him. Perhaps I keep missing that one part, but as it stands I just don't know. I do know that after reserching more about the End Times Elves on Elf forums that apparently Teclis picked up his brothers body before disappearing with the island, leaving much speculation as to the twins fate. Morathi herself had tried to summon Slaanesh into the mortal world when Teclis was working his spell, but was defeated, explaining how she was sucked into the Realm of Chaos, though I expect she'll return as a favoured champion of Slaanesh. The main army animals also escaped with the fleeing Elves, though how a large number of Elves, beasts and Dragons can remain in Athel Loren and not loose it is beyond me. I get the feeling that they are going to forgo their allies in the human lands and launch an invasion into what was the Empire to take land and rebuild their kingdom. Malekith is leading them after all.
Honestly, I don't know how to recommend this book. I mean, the revelations surrounding Malekith, the Flames of Asuryan and a six thousand year civil war was brilliant as a plot twist, but the ending parts felt unsatisfying and offensive to all Warhammer Elves players. I also feel that the latter half of the book was rushed and not written as well. Simply put, about half way in I was very excited, but by the end I was very disappointed. There's more I've missed, but I'll leave it at that.
Elf-things Gods are worthless, weak and make no sence. Foolish they are to think themselves mighty-strong compared to the might of the Great Horned Rat, the one true God. Now they cower in their forests, but they can not hide forever. The might of Skavendom will be ascending very soon.
~Grey Seer Skratchnsniff
I honestly have no words to describe my shock after finishing this book. Just what the hell is going on at Games-Workshop HQ? As I try to come up with words to use for this article, I switch between this page and those from Warhammer Elves forums to get the Elf fan opinions, most of them not good. Seems most aren't happy with it. Many argue about the lack of character views, altered lore and various things that just don't make sence. Players are also getting the impression that they were screwed over, and I must agree.
The book is basically seen from Malekith's point of view. It is also constantly filled with flashbacks, which many have pointed out as cut and paste from the Witch King trilogy (Malekith, Shadow King and Caledor), which is true, but it does work in some parts (but not all). I like that Malekith is still unlikable and there is no attempt to make him (unless Gav did try to do that, which it didn't work if that's the case), but I agree just his point of view limits the story. Teclis could have been an excellent point of view and it would have been nice to have at least point of view from the Tyrion camp, given he's the bad guy in all this.
Oh yes, now we get into the serious spoiler territory. I was happy with they way most of the book went, but the last few chapters changed that opinion. Naggaroth is gone, conquered by Chaos. To save his people, Malekith took all who would follow and launched one final attempt to take Ulthuan. The thing is, Teclis is the mastermind behind all this. See, since Malekith damaged the Vortex in that infamous defeat, Teclis had been given visions from the Elf Goddess Lileath about the End Times. To somehow save everyone, these visions showed how to save them against the Chaos (or maybe not given the final paragraph). This results is Teclis being instrumental to the resurrection of Nagash (though his plan had a few elements to ensure Nagash returned weak and his great spell wouldn't be so effective) and the ascension of Malekith as Phoenix King. Yep, Malekith is the new Phoenix King. Turns out he was never rejected by the flames, it was just that Malekith was too weak to withstand the resurrection. The whole six thousand year civil war was his fault because he was too weak is a nice little plot twist I must admit, didn't see it coming. He goes through it again, though he's still a corpse in armour. Imrik of Caledor joins Malekith's invasion early on too, having been convinced by Teclis about Malekith being the true king. Malus Darkblade is in it, but gets an undignified death off screen with the daemon that was inside him breaking free and tearing him apart in the process.
As for Tyrion, well it turns out that the Elf Princess that was sacrificed for Nagash was his daughter, he blamed Teclis for her loss and in his grief, Morathi convinced him to take up the blade of Khaine, Widowmaker. Morathi is mad, believing Tyrion is the reincarnation of her long dead husband and Tyrion takes up the blade and becomes a murdering Tyrant (well, we're more told that, since we see him take up the blade after defeating Malekith, but most we never see their point of view). Korhil is killed when he breaks free of their control to steal Widowmaker later on, but is hunted down and beheaded by his own axe. Teclis wants to unchain the magic from the waystones around the slowly fading Vortex and that's where the final battle happens. The result, the remaining seven lore's are released to find a primary host (Nagash already stole the Lore of Death) and we know Malekith gets the Lore of Shadow and the Everqueen has the Lore of Life. From what I read on the forums, Teclis bound the Lore of Light to his Staff and the Lore of Heavens was bound to Karl Franz, explaning the end of the last book (though I feel those two Lores should be vice versa given that ending). As for the rest we don't know. Tyrion is killed in the final battle and The Shadow King is still alive, threatening Malekith that if he fails to be a good leader to the Elves he will kill him (It's complicated and confusing).
I get what was being said in this, the Gods are taking mortal form, end of days battle for survival, etc. The problem was is that I just didn't feel that. The whole 'Mortal Gods battle between Asuryan (Malekith) and Khaine (Tyrion)' didn't feel epic, it felt rush and with little emotion. Heck, they kept talking about their Gods, like how only the Blade of Asuryan could defeat Widowmaker, yet Widowmaker makes short work of it. If I was really picky about it, I'd say Khaine won that battle and was only defeated thanks to the Shadow King. A non-godly mortal beat both god-infused mortals. Either we were lied to and that both Elven Gods were really weak, or the Shadow King is more bad ass then I thought (I prefer the latter one).
The final indignity for the Elves, Ulthuan is now gone. Sunk beneath the ocean. Apparently, the Vortex had eaten away at the island and by shutting it down, the island sunk, most likely killing all the wildlife. They all now live in the lands of the Wood Elves, though what the forest spirits think of this we do not know. The end does tell us that Morathi was sucked into the Realm of Chaos while trying the stop Teclis. As for Teclis, I don't know. I've read the last part a few times, but I can't seem to figure out what happened to him. Perhaps I keep missing that one part, but as it stands I just don't know. I do know that after reserching more about the End Times Elves on Elf forums that apparently Teclis picked up his brothers body before disappearing with the island, leaving much speculation as to the twins fate. Morathi herself had tried to summon Slaanesh into the mortal world when Teclis was working his spell, but was defeated, explaining how she was sucked into the Realm of Chaos, though I expect she'll return as a favoured champion of Slaanesh. The main army animals also escaped with the fleeing Elves, though how a large number of Elves, beasts and Dragons can remain in Athel Loren and not loose it is beyond me. I get the feeling that they are going to forgo their allies in the human lands and launch an invasion into what was the Empire to take land and rebuild their kingdom. Malekith is leading them after all.
Honestly, I don't know how to recommend this book. I mean, the revelations surrounding Malekith, the Flames of Asuryan and a six thousand year civil war was brilliant as a plot twist, but the ending parts felt unsatisfying and offensive to all Warhammer Elves players. I also feel that the latter half of the book was rushed and not written as well. Simply put, about half way in I was very excited, but by the end I was very disappointed. There's more I've missed, but I'll leave it at that.
Elf-things Gods are worthless, weak and make no sence. Foolish they are to think themselves mighty-strong compared to the might of the Great Horned Rat, the one true God. Now they cower in their forests, but they can not hide forever. The might of Skavendom will be ascending very soon.
~Grey Seer Skratchnsniff
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