Late....always late

So yeah, there will be more delays once more, mostly due to my mental health, which has taken another beating these last few weeks. I once again apologise and will try to do my best to get something out before the end of the year.

Wildstar ended and my thoughts soon

So yesterday Wildstar ended and after much thought, I plan to write up something about my thoughts and experiences with the game.

This may take some time, but look out for it soon.

Projects Update - November 2018

And so the great heatwave has begun here in Queensland and thank goodness I invested in a small room air-con as it helps reduce that sickening feeling, though sadly my eyes have been stinging for a week now due to this weather.

Anyway, the Squig Hoppers are now complete:

I am not too happy with the Squigs with stripes as they just don't look right. No doubt I'll go back in the future and either fix the stripes or just erase them and do spots instead. Will update further when I have more to show on the other projects, though at least some progress has been made (probably due to the insomnia brought on with my recent medication change).

......oh yes, this also appeared recently:

Judging by the image of the Bad Moon and the various pointed mushrooms, it is safe to say that the Moonclan Grots will get the next update. This is both good and bad in my opinion. Bad in that I really don't have the kind of money to invest in a full Moonclan army, but good as we may get some new models or rules and I am really hoping that they will give an updated list for Skirmish with more Moonclan options so I have more to have fun games with.

Well see what this will hold in the future.

Projects Update - October 2018

Oh boy, where do I begin?

So yeah, my mental health has put everything on hold and I'm only now trying to get things back on track. Both the ship project and all Malifaux will be on hold for a bit longer, with my first tasks being to finish the 5 Squighoppers and 1 Ogor Maneater. I will hold off on the other 2 Maneaters as the one I do have (the Pirate Captain) will act as an Ogor champion for my Moonclan Skirmish group (as Glibbins' personal bodyguard). I'm giving myself the time limit till November 5 as that is the same week as when Supanova is on and I'll most likely go to it and I need to get prepared for that.

Also, another addition to Glibbins' skirmish crew seems to be a future release, a Shadespire warband called Mollog's Mob:

I love the look of this crew, but while I don't play Shadespire (yet), I can throw in Mollog himself in the skirmish group and count him as a Fellwater Troggoth, just replacing Terrible Stench with Shroom Spores. Certainly would be very thematic for Glibbins to have such a Troggoth in his crew. Might add moss to him too to keep up with the overgrowth theme on Glibbins.

I will continue working on the Malifaux bases, but unfortunately work on the Ulix Nightmare Crew has slowed to nothing due to limited materials and the green stuff not working the way I had hoped for. If I can get those pieces working for the conversion (and more modelling putty) then I'll will attempt to try again to work on them.

Beyond that I can only hope. I have a lot to deal with at the moment and so committing to this will push me hard, so I can only pray I don't go so hard that I stop all together.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Wildstar is Ending

This is both sad, but not unforeseen. Most MMORPG's rarely survive these days and even a game like Wildstar was eventually doomed to fall. That said, I still loved this game.

I do hope this isn't the end of the Wildstar brand as the franchise has so much it can offer, both in gaming and in other media. Regardless, I'll probably do a few more short articles on this leading up to the end, but most of all I'll need to jump on to record gameplay footage of my housing as at some point I will incorporate the characters (mostly Finian and Xzarbon) into my own universe (obviously with some name and physical changes in order to avoid some copyright issues).

I hope to more in the future with talking about Wildstar.

Looking into the World of Steampunk

So apart from looking into ship designs and cosmic horror, I have also taken a keen interest in the world of Steampunk. Having looked around the internet, it is quite fascinating to see not only how creative it is, but how people seem to really get into the cosplay of it. A mixture of Victoria Era England mixed with steam based technology which comes of as both primitive and yet more advanced then what we have now, Steampunk has a unique feel to it that I really can't describe, but certainly leaves me excited to look more into it.

I know I've used it as inspiration for one of my characters, but I've been looking into it deeper to see what else I can be inspired by. Certainly the outfits and mechanical limbs and add-ons are something I would like to try out, but I also wonder if it is possible to blend both the mechanical Steampunk aesthetic with the clean Sci-fi appearance together and not make it seem too out of place.

Who knows? Maybe I could come up with a starship Captain's outfit based on such a blend for use as part of that starship model project I'm designing. We'll see.

The Freedom Fighters in Sonic Petition Video

Oh boy, as a Sonic fan, in regards to this I have really been out of the loop on this one lately (in fact, I'd actually forgotten that I signed this petition some time ago). I must say, this one was a well researched video, but I'm deducting points due to having an image of Tony Abbott (here in Australia we don't speak of him, we don't acknowledge him. He is, in my opinion, probably our worst Prime Minister ever).

But enough of that political nonsense and into another. I have to agree with most of this video and now must re-evaluate my opinion of Sega at this point. I was under the belief that they had tried to distance themselves from the Freedom Fighters as much as possible. I would like to see much of the Archieverse of Sonic & Co return and certainly done by people who actually have a passion for it.

That's not to say the IDW comic is bad. Heck, you want a franchise done right then hand it to IDW cause from what I've read from them, it is done fairly well (with even nods to other versions within the same franchise as the Ghostbusters one did). They even did great with Beebop and Rocksteady in their TMNT version, giving them their classic 80's style stupidity, while making them seem more badass then ever before and some of the MLP stories had some deep and dark moments that felt appropriate. As for their Sonic comic? I'm enjoying it so far, but I'll wait to see what happens further down the road before giving a full opinion on it (of course, there is no reason a spin-off with the Freedom Fighters couldn't be done, but as I have agreed with the video and give it to someone who actually cares for the characters and canon)..

As for which versions of the Sonic universe is better, I think the best way to see it is through what the Archie comic introduced into the series, the Cosmic Interstate. In simpler terms, the multiverse. I see each media and universe as it's own and that all are equally valid, but also all acknowledged. I don't see why we have to keep having the whole Amy vs Sally debate when they can both exist, just in separate universes. The last thing I want to be reminded of within the fandom is the blasted Amy vs Sally forum wars we had (the ones that lead to full on death threats left, right and center. Seriously, this crap is unacceptable).

As for a future appearance in games? Unless it's something like a Sonic Chronicles RPG style, I don't see them ever appearing in a game as Sega has enough trouble trying to do stuff with the characters they do have (and lets not get into just how limited the character designs in Sonic Forces was). I think that if anything they would have to have their own game universe much like Sonic Boom and then it would have to be more of the mentioned RPG style to really incorporate them all in it.

Still, this video has opened my eyes up to possibilities as well as updating me on certain people that I didn't have much of a proper insight into. Do look forward to seeing what people create from this.

Update:

OK, so been thinking about this and I'm going to be honest, this one has actually changed my view on a few things. I have already mentioned changing my view on Sega, but I feel it's more those specific people that the video addresses. That said, I was very surprised to see their views and it is great to see they still have that passion for Sonic and Co and that even issues with people like Penders can have their redeeming moments (Although the that part about Sega and their issues with Sonic's relationship status on the who Sally/Amy thing is interesting, if not somewhat confusing).

I think what got me more was those who actually worked on the comic series. I blame myself for not looking into who was working on the IDW series, but was more concerned about the opinions of these people when it comes to the characters and the community. I sis have concerns about some of the story lines and character personality changes back when they worked on the Archie Sonic series, but seeing their view points now, it seems to make sense now. They clearly didn't have the kind of passion for many of the characters and it obviously shows in the work.

Perhaps with more time I might be able to put something together better explaining my thoughts on all this (that and maybe a thought series on both the comics, shows and games of the franchise), but until then, I'll try to do my best to keep myself updated on all this. 

Update 2:

The more that I've looked into some of these people, the more I worry just why they are in charge of a book which, to be fair, is marketed towards kids to young teens (well, Sega prefers to focus on them in regards to the way they are focusing their games). Unfortunately, trying to find a more civilized discussion on any of this is also very difficult to find as the aggression is just unacceptable. It's sad when I can't tell who's side is the worst.  

I must also now re-evaluate my opinion of IDW as well. Given some of the stuff that people have said and shown (though screenshots etc) I really have to wonder why no one has been reprimanded or fired. Even when contracted, you still represent the company through your actions and as we've seen on sites like Twitter more recently, anything you put up on social media is such a reflection and people have lost their jobs over it. Maybe game developers are more stricter then comic book companies, but I would assume that given the financial nature of the comic book industry, keeping on good terms with fans (at least in regards to the actions outside of the books themselves) would be at least something they should consider.

A shame how the further you look into something the more disappointing it becomes.

Ulix Nightmare Box Ideas Update

So now that I have the box set, I'm currently in the 'putting together and conversion' stage of the project.

(I'd like to note that mine did not come with Upgrades for Ulix, so at this point I am looking around to see what is the best way to get physical upgrade cards for the packs).

As such, I've put together some ideas on how I want them to look. This obviously involves converting/painting them to resemble more of the MLP look and thus, make it more appealing to my sisters to play. So far, this is the current plan:

Rocinante Benoit (counts as Ulix)

Will update her cosplay to include a horn and wings (copies I can make from the set). I may also have an open book from my Warhammer bits, but if not then I'll just convert my own, with the pages perhaps showing a story which has inspired her look.

The Night Mare (counts as Old Major)

The 'Applejack' one, I have taken the hat from the dead body and placed it on her head. I have a Warhammer wooden bucket which I will add green stuff apples along with more apples on the base. Looking into what else could be done.

Little Sebastian (counts as Penelope)

The 'Pinkie Pie' one, I will greenstuff a cake to sit on top off along with adding some sliding icing and a candle on top of the hat.

Gift Horses (count as Wild Boars)

The 'Rainbow Dash' one will have the straps filed back to make wings look more natural (with green stuff to blend them in) and her base will be another 2-part epoxy resin water one, but this time will have the surface altered to add speed waves to show her trying to change direction (with the model legs leaning to be more inline with the surface.

The 'Fluttershy' one will have wings added to her, with the base more filled with flowers to add colour. I have an old metal Jackalope model on order (quite cheap I got it too, given they're out of production for a while), which I will probably remove the antlers and make a more Malifaux style Angle the bunny.

Finally, the 'Rarity' one will most likely just have gems on the ground. I may add some jewelry for effect, but am still not sure on this. If I could, I might see about finding a tiny dragon or sculpting a dragon teddy just as some form of representation of Spike (who would have more room being on this base then on Benoits base).

There is still much to do and more planing to be done, so hopefully my next update on this will actually contain some photos of progress.

Of Upcoming Lovecraft Games

So having read a bunch of Lovecraft's stories and watched a number of videos analyzing both them and the lore, I have taken an interest as to see how modern works depict his world. Naturally, as someone who doesn't like horror (confusing I know), things like movies tend to be out of the question (that and despite my love for wanting to make videos and movies, I have a hard time watching them....again, confusing I know). However, we have the world of video games to help with that, so even if I can't play them, I can always watch someone else play them (which is always more fun to watch anyway).

There are some games that take inspiration of Lovecraft's work and do it quite well. The main one I can think off the top of my head is Darkest Dungeon, a game where you enter dungeons to face off against all manner of horrors, where death is permanent, maintaining stress is a key component and is a story of delving into madness and terrible truths would certainly feel quite at home in a Lovecraft story. Heck, the developers are called Red Hook Studios and the name itself appears to have been taken from a Lovecraft story called 'The Horror at Red Hook' (not to mention it's logo has a tentacle). Looking for more, I have been keeping up with trailers and gameplay for a few more Lovecraftian horror games.

The Call of Cthulhu:

So two trailers of the same game, but both show off the type of story your going to get (a.k.a. A struggling detective sent to investigate a murder event and ultimately stumbles on things he shouldn't). Come to think of it, that tends to be the theme with a lot of these games, people with troubled pasts trying to do a job to move on, but just ending up finding a pit of madness. It's based on the pen & paper role-playing game, so I suspect it will involve more stealth then actual combat, which (in my opinion) is what you want as you need to feel helpless against such powers.

The Sinking City:

Possibly my favourite video of these ones, this game is a bit more open world with more combat, but still limited enough to make you question fighting. I like this trailer more because of the feel of the madness and how everything has a twisted view of reality. My only complain is the symbol on the door. It is a version of the Elder sign and so they seem to have gone with the more famous version, though not Lovecraft's version. This video should help explain the Elder Sign:

Regardless, I'm interested to see how these games play out and what stories will be told.

Sonic Team Racing Confuses Me

So as a fan of the franchise, I am always looking forward to another game that features the cast, but this time around I am at a loss as to explain the reasoning behind the 'team' formats. Don't get me wrong, Team Sonic and Team Dark make sense and the team idea still works from the Sonic Heroes range, but it's the other teams I have issues with.
 

First off, why are the Chao a racer as part of Amy's team? I mean, if it's just Cheese and it's friends racing cause Cream can't join the race then that's fine, but a little more explanation would work. Which brings me to my biggest team problem.

Anyone else disappointed that Silver's vehicle should have looked

more like a Back to the Future reference?

The new team of Blaze, Silver and Vector is where I really scratch my head. The thing is, why is Vector here instead of Team Chaotix? I mean, if Big and Amy are still Team Rose, then surely Vector and Espio would be Team Chaotix with either Charmy or another stand in perhaps (heck, Espio makes more sense since he and Silver have at least worked together before). I'm more then happy for Blaze and Silver to be in a team together (cause I'm a shipping idiot), but there were still other options from the Sonic franchise to pick from. Heck, here are two of my preferred choices:

Marine the Raccoon:

Being from Blazes own dimension, it makes sense that she would be much like a sidekick to Blaze. In fact, Blaze is considered to be the Sonic comparison to her world, so Marine then would be the Tails of that world. Many in the community have already done a Sonic Heroes style team of Blaze, Marine and Silver (a team which I too support), so it would only be fair to carry that on here. Characters like Marine don't get enough expansion and in group games like these it is the perfect opportunity to bring them in for such a chance (cause we know they'll never really get one outside of these group games). My guess is that her vehicle would be very much inspired like that of a metal pirate ship, thus explaining her position as 'Power'. Would also be a good time to expand on the powers she had shown at the end of Sonic Rush Adventure, which some have classified as 'Hydrokinesis' and would work well with Blaze's Pyrokinesis and Silver's Psychokinesis (Team Kinesis?).

Shade the Echidna:

Another Echidna and thus, another one who could fill the role of 'Power'. Much like Marine, she really was only ever given one real shot as a character in a game and this would be a perfect opportunity to be given another shot. Being from another dimension technically, she would suit the 'not from this world and time' theme that the group has. A redesigned outfit and look could help bring her back in, as well as adding to her story of what she has been doing since then (yes, I am aware of Penders and his thoughts on the Nocturnus Clan, but honestly, Shade as a character could easily be done up to be distant from any such controversy and thus, not be no problem for Sega what so ever). Certainly, she has been one of the most ignored characters lately (given that most people want to see Nack/Fang, Bean and Bark as a team being what they want to see as the next team), a revival as a group game character could be useful.

Again, just my opinion as to what they could have used, just as many others have their own. I'm still interested in the game and I'll follow it until release date, but I feel like Sega keeps missing the mark when it comes to such games (like, you almost had it and at the end you just missed it). Still looks fun though.

The Search For Spacecraft Ideas

So with all the crap that seems to be going on lately and my lack of motivation in getting physical work done, you'd think that all I'd be doing is just sleeping (which isn't too far off). However, I have been running the ideas for the spacecraft model and have started getting more parts for it.

The base is a plastic cereal container, with two yogurt containers on each side and moister absorbent containers next to each one. The front of each of those containers will use modified sauce bottle tops as weapons and on the back will be three probiotic drink containers as side engines. The back of the cereal container will use three tubes as central engines. As for the front? Well, that's what I'm looking into more. I still have not come up with a great design yet and I'm looking around at various things when I do ever feel like going out to see what ideas I can gleam. This ranges from models (like ships for the front or plane wings for the sides) to various bits and pieces from hardware stores and cheap shops that just might work. There's no doubt that I'll also need plasticard strips and copper tubes & wire to add around it, though I do have an epoxy filler which might just work of shaping and modelling the hard edge parts (assuming I ever get around to testing it first).

Rough idea snaps of how the body and sides will go based

on the ideas (very much open to change).

Thankfully, the Internet is also filled with brilliant people who have crafted their own ships and there are plenty of screenshots of various ships from Science-fiction games and movies to inspire the imagination. Obviously I want to do my own thing and not copy designs or ideas, so its just down to whatever inspires me at the time.

Update:

So looking at it, I'm not too happy with the designs of the sides, mainly the two sauce bottle tops. I'm thinking of extending that section forward in smaller layers with some communication/scanning antenna and other bits on the front. Will be looking into what else I can add, perhaps wings or defense cannons on the sides. Kinda hard to give it both a sci-fi feel while still giving it a look of various parts put together (think advance sci-fi starship crossed with a space junker ship).

A Government Circus

So this week has been rather stressful in regards to politics and today was the cherry on top.

Honestly, I care very little for our current Government here in Australia. They keep screwing up areas like health & education (which I find to be very important), so when they started tearing each other apart, it was no surprise for me to find it somewhat amusing.

That said, I do feel a little bad for Malcolm Turnbull as I do feel he was their best shot at the election (not that I'd vote for the LNP). Still, was terrified that they'd vote Peter Dutton in, but thank God they didn't. Seriously, I don't know why they kept saying that Queenslander's would love it cause as someone living in Queensland, I don't like him and I don't know of anyone who does (save for those in his electorate).

I don't see why people are so shocked over the whole 'Party changing PM' thing as I've said before, you vote for the party not the individual at its head. Heck, many of the policies that are contributed to the party leaders are those of the party itself, so it doesn't matter who leads it, the party majority will decide what gets put forth and their leader is the one who has to push it. It has been going on for years and will continue to keep going like this.

On the bright side, I can't wait to see all the political comedy gags that will roll out from this one. Gunna be a real cracker of a time when that happens.

The Tragic Loss of Robbie Rotten's Great Actor

So I tend to take time away from social media here and there due to my health and was saddened to learn that upon returning today that Stefan Karl Stefansson (most famous for his role as Robbie Rotten on the children's show Lazy Town) had passed away. I had known about his battle with cancer and had contributed to the campaign to help raise money for his medical costs, but the last I had heard was that things had been going better and I had really hoped he would fully recover. Sadly, as it seems to be this year, with the loss of John 'Totalbiscuit' Bain shows that cancer is a deadly killer and one that I am still shocked we haven't found the means to stop altogether (though perhaps it's just my wishful thinking for a better future).

When my younger sisters were still little, I would often find myself sitting with them watching all sorts of children's television programs. Lazy Town wasn't one of their more popular choices and I admit that the show itself didn't fully click with me, with a few exceptions. The first was that it did have a number of catchy songs (which is what you want in getting children's attention) and the other was the shows Villain, Robbie Rotten. As a character, Stefan played him up like a real over the top Villain, which made him simply amazing. When it comes to my top favourite Villains, Robbie Rotten is very much in that top 5 and it's down to how Stefan made that character (I always found it funny how Robbie just wanted to have everyone lazy so he could be lazy in peace and yet went to so much work to pull off his plans to make the town lazy).

What truly placed Stefan above most others (to me anyway) was how he literately embraced the 'We are number one' meme and even got in on the joke himself. This brought more people to him as he showed just how wonderful a person he was. Even on the fundraising page (sadly now closed) there would be a story or two from him about his experiences and the reactions children had to his performances.

A magnificent man and one that we shall surely miss. As the meme said, he will always be number one. 

10 (or 11?) Favourite Lovecraft Stories

So over the last few months I've been listening to a number of works by H.P. Lovecraft (audio book format) and I have worked on a list consisting of my favourite stories so far. Obviously this will be shortened for both simplicity and I will try to avoid spoiling too much (as spoiler free something that was published between the 1920's - 1940's can be).

My own personal opinion of Lovecraft himself is this, I find his stories to be highly well written and engaging, but as for the man himself, he was very much a product of his time (which is a polite way of saying I strongly disagree with his views on a number of things that we as a society have progressed forward since those times..........for the most part anyway). As such, the words used in reference to those of African appearance or Natives of various cultures tend to be that of a derogation nature, so just a heads up when reading some of these stories.

As for it being called the Cthulhu Mythos, I feel that given the Necronomicon features far more heavily then that Cthulhu did in his works it should have been named after the book, but then it wouldn't have been as catchy I guess. But enough of my stupid opinions, on to the list.

1. Herbert West - Reanimator

Possibly the one I've re-listened to the most. The tale is a recount of a series of events surrounding Herbert West by his friend and somewhat willing accomplice, starting from their time as students at the Miskatonic University in the city of Arkham leading all the way up to the ultimate fate of Herbert West. The story shows how one man's attempts into trying to prove their theory of reanimated a human body can go down a very dark path and that sometimes such a path has its own consequences.

2. Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family

A nice short tale about Arthur Jermyn, his tragic death and his family history that leads to the ultimate answer as to why. I'd go into more detail, but this one you really have to read to understand how it all works together.

3. Cool Air

A short tale told from a narrator as he recalls the tale of a time where he sought residence best suited to him and how he came to meet a Doctor who lived above him. The Doctor lives in a room that he claims must be kept at a constant cool temperature and his own theories about how a human can live, even after his body has failed by pure willpower alone.

4. The Dunwich Horror

One of Lovecraft's more famous works, this tale takes place in the old and decrepit village of Dunwhich and is about the Whateley family, of Yog-Sothoth and the unnatural events leading to the rampage of the thing that would be known as the Dunwich Horror. Most of the story is about Wilbur Whateley, the grandson of a man the villages call Old Wizard Whateley, his growing up and his eventual quest to Arkham to seek a more accurate version of the Necronomicon. From here it then turns towards the Horror itself and the events leading to its ultimate fate and what it is.

5. The Thing on the Doorstep

So from what I've seen on reviews for this one, it is rated as one of Lovecraft's lesser tales, mostly due to the obviousness of things. To me however, if you have the right voice talent for an audio book format, it actually works well. Essentially it is a story about Occult magic and mind transference, with the 'thing on the doorstep' being something that's more to the end of it. Regardless of what others thought, I enjoyed this one.

6. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

Oh boy, this story is perhaps the biggest of the lot. As the title says, the story is about a man name Charles Dexter Ward and trying to piece together the pieces about his life, the point when he went mad and leading to his subsequent disappearance from the mental asylum he was sent to. Of course, it goes a lot deeper then that and it takes a number of turns and recounts as each chapter reveals more of the mystery and by the end you have the full picture of what truly happened to Charles Dexter Ward.

7. The Cats of Ulthar

Simply put, don't mess with Cats. In short, the story tells of the event that would bring the town of Ulthar into creating a law to make it illegal to kill a cat. You may never look at a group of cats the same after this.

8. The Rats in the Walls

Having spent a number of family generations in America, one of the last surviving members of the Delapore family (once called De la Poer, but changed when the last of the family left England due to some tragic/mysterious event) returns to the families original family estate and to the dismay of the locals, plans to restore it to its former glory. Unfortunately, sounds in the walls start to upset the cats and soon the stories of the past lead to investigations into the family history and the history of the estate. The ending is quite something.

9. The Colour Out of Space

A surveyor out to check a large set of land that is to be used as a water reservoir for the city of Arkham hears tales about avoiding a section of grey baron wasteland called the blasted heath. While the locals won't tell him much, he learns of a man whom he hopes to get information from. He is told a story about a meteor crash that took place years before and the events that took place after it, leading to the land being the way it is. As with all good tales, the haunting twist is quite nice.

10. The Shadow over Innsmouth

So if you have ever heard the term 'Deep Ones' in relation to Lovecraft lore, this is the prime spot to learn of them. The story is told as an account long after the Government had did a massive quarantine and raid of the decayed fishing town of Innsmouth. Starting as a simple side trip of curiosity on his way to Arkham, the narrator tells of his time in Innsmouth, of the strange people, his prying out of the crazy history of Innsmouth and his eventual escape from Innsmouth. It that wasn't enough, there is a great twist to the end of the story, with some clues thrown in here and there through out it, but ultimately wrapped up well in the end.

11. The Call of Cthulhu

Obviously to leave this out is to miss the entire point of why Lovecraft's cosmic horror is so beloved in modern day fandoms. The Call of Cthulhu is the tale of Francis Wayland Thurston and his quest to find the truth behind the notes left by his recently deceased grand-uncle. It is broken down into three main parts, the dream records of a patient named Henry Anthony Wilcox, a story told to an academic meeting by a police official trying to find more information about their Cult raid with another academic giving their own tale about something similar based on a statue the officer brought from said raid and the final one being about an Australian article in 1925 about a sole surviving sailor and his strange story, with Francis seeking the sailor for his own version of events. It is The Call of Cthulhu that gives us not only a glimpse into his power, but a physical description and a rough location where he and his city resides. This is the being that is the marketing face of Lovecraft's work and its modern day popularity, so this is definitely a must read.

If your into things like cosmic horror or just wanting to learn more about Lovecraft's work, these are just some of the stories you could check out.

Malifaux 3rd Edition Announced

So here was something I was not expecting, Wyrd has announced that 3rd edition for Malifaux is moving to closed beta. What got me was that they were actually doing a 3rd edition.

From what they have shown so far on their website is that they are simplifying some of the rules (which always worries me when someone says they are going to do that) and that the total number of conditions will now be a straight forward set of 9 (so things like Brilliance, which is a key condition for the Jacob Lynch crew, will now use a different system it appears). Heck, Masters now have a Soulstone cost so you can have more then one in a crew (though I could only ever seeing this as an option for larger games).

Speaking of Masters, there have been some alterations to them. First off, four seem to have been killed (well, two have been confirmed? The Puppet Master is MIA and his fate unknown and the former Neverborn ruler has been imprisoned) along with some other characters (Like the Judge) and while they'll still have stat cards to use, some tournaments will not allow them cause story wise, they are dead. Likewise, each master is now more focused towards a particular play style (so Ulix who I have mentioned previously will have a much less combat focus play style and more pig breeding play style). To help with this, keywords will have a more important role for selecting models for crew. This means crews will have a more heavy focus on theme, with themed models being cheaper to hire then non-theme models. So for example, Colette has a strong focus on Showgirls, so I imagine that she would get to hire models with the keyword 'Showgirl' at a set price, but hiring non-showgirl models might cost a Soulstone more (note, I am just guessing here, there still is much they haven't shown yet). What effect this will have for the mercenaries rule I have no idea.

Some have also taken up their duel-faction role (Like Hoffman and Marcus) while others have lost theirs (most of the Ten Thunders faction). This does concern me a little as I have both the Jacob Lynch crew and the Nightmare version of Lucas McCabe crew, both who were duel faction and who's crew has a heavy focus for the faction they have now lost. How this will effect the crew hiring (and my model collection) I still have no idea and it does worry me a little. As for Nightmare crews and the Alternative models (I'm thinking of the 'Miss' series and holiday themed ones like the War Rabbit), they haven't said anything about them getting new stat cards or how crews like my Nightmare McCabe crew will work.

This news is a mixed bag for me, as on one hand I am excited to see this new rule set and to give it a go, but on the other I have concerns over what I can now use and if it's even worth getting any alternative sets as nothing has been said about if they will also get stat cards (Heck, just bring out a card box set with stat cards for all the alternative models and call it 'Twisted Reflections' or something).

Update:

So as I've been going through the forums and reading peoples personal thoughts on this over the last few days, I'm beginning to feel less excited and more concerned. While I understand that there needs to be time spent in preparation for GenCon, the lack of any real response over the last few days to concerns of players I consider an issue. Given that this is one of the better times to push the game, some have now said that they may consider leaving it, while others are cautioning people into not buying any of the range until we have more clarity and certainty to a number of important questions.

From what I understand, Wyrd hadn't intended to announce 3rd edition when they did, but leaked information forced their hand into announcing it. If that is the case then I understand not wanting to reveal too much, but I'd have assumed that they would have a list of questions they'd have expected players to ask them and an a set of appropriate responses to them. Some people seem happy with the rules, but things like stat cards, character removals, nightmare crews & alt named models along with crew hiring and theme questions have thrown confusion into all this. As such, it was a bad time for the announcement as while the company has had to turn their focus onto GenCon, the player base has been thrown into speculation with some even begun attacking one another in these threads.

Personally, I don't care for things like tournaments and such (they just don't interest me and while I love some competitive gaming, that level of it is something that I just don't enjoy), preferring to play for fun (one guy even posted how Gremlin players never use Gators, which is a wrong assumption as I love throwing them into games with my Gremlins). The problem I have is how the changes will now effect my current crews and their hiring lists. I can look past having to use two of my Masters as Ten Thunders now (any story campaigns I'll mostly just use my Gremlins as I don't like Ten Thunders story wise at all, though my Arcanist and Outcasts are mostly unchanged.....I think?), but given that most of their hiring options for both were from their other faction, will they still be able to hire up to four of them still or will some just be rendered unusable and I'll just have to retire them (mostly the McCabe one in this regard as I suspect that the ones relating to the Hungering Darkness and his Brilliance will either still be there to hire cross-faction or will have a faction switch to keep with his theme).

For the moment I will watch cautiously and keep my opinions open to possibilities, but so far I still have a number of concerns and questions that need answering before I'll feel satisfied to give a proper yes or no to the game.

Gremlin Nightmare Box Preview

OMG YES! So I've been looking for a while now for another Master for my Gremlins faction and earlier in the year I decided I wanted Ulix as his box set would allow me to run a full pig crew in smaller games, plus I have Slop Haulers and recently that Ross Gremlin, plus I have Maurice who is a conversion for a Boozer character I want to play as in a game of Through the Breach RPG (if I ever get around it) and who has a pet piglet called Wilma so he can be a Hog Whisperer with Piglet for in game.

I held off due to working on Age of Sigmar and perhaps that was for the best, because this is just down right hilarious. They've thrown in various MLP reference gags in previous books so it was only a matter of time before they would finally get in a model related gag and as far as this one is concerned, it's perfect. If I wanted to extend the theme, I could take something like the Arcanist's Mechanical Rider horse model and use it as a stand in for the Mechanized Porkchop (maybe the other Riders can act as things like War Pigs & Mounted Guard horse models as more Wild Boars).

Who knows, maybe I can get my sisters to play too as I'm already working on the Colette crew and this could be another fun crew (I'll paint them without the blood n stuff obviously).

To Build a Ship & More

So I've been thinking about what to do with that ship idea and for this my next source of ideas comes from both Youtube and Pinterest. See, the plan is to create a model ship for the show idea I've got to take place in and so the model will be created and filmed in front of a green screen. This is one of two popular ways that ships in space scenes are done in (the other being in 3D animation).

From what I've seen, I have two ways to create it, either with just strips of plasticard (thus giving the ship are more straight and sharp edge design) or mixing things like the plasticard with other bits & pieces along with other things that would have been just thrown away (so the design could have smooth parts and a rather unusual design). Then there is the problem of its actual design, as I am still stuck on how it should look. Given that the crew is from various styles, I want to mix them all into its design to give it a rather mix & mash look rather then one of sleek and well planned design (so a mixture of Sci-fi, Steampunk and Techno-Sorcery).

On top of that, I don't have a lot of room at the moment where I stay should I eventually get around to test any filming of characters, let alone any room for actual scenery. It would be very time consuming to do 3D backgrounds (mostly cause I'm not that great a creating and texturing them, let alone that my only usable program would be Blender and I have no experience with that), but I do have a tiny amount of experience with miniatures and am looking at the idea of creating miniature size sets, which I could film and edit in a program to add effects, lighting and other things to help blend it into a more realistic background and just green screen the characters in front of it (perhaps breaking down the background/objects into several layers with extra effects like blur to help give it more of an effect). Certainly the lighting would be kept a little darker so as to not make it too obvious that it's a model and not an actual prop or 3D animated background.

At the moment it's more about collecting ideas and various bits. When I feel ready enough I will start perhaps with a few test objects and give it a go to see what I can come up with.

Moonclan & Death Update 1

So it turns out I wasn't happy with Glibbins' current look, mostly being the GS moss and back shrooms (see this post), so I went looking online for some ideas on how to fix it. One such Youtube video gave the answer to that plaguing question.

As such, with this idea, I began to test it out on some Fanatic bases, before moving on to Badfang and Glibbins. Personally, this was a major help in resolving that issue and I'll let you decide if it works better:

As for Badfang and Oddball, I added a bunch of colourful funky mushrooms to the bases. This was a mixture of green stuff and thumb tack varieties to see how it looked. I like the look of these funky shrooms, though I admit I doubt some will stay on for long without some careful use so I may need to work on strengthening them later on. Either way, it is the starting point to get ideas on the kind of mushrooms I want to add to some of the bases:

Finally, I was looking for another idea to get creative with the Death faction and I think I've come up with something. I was looking at the Glavewraith Stalkers and their animal skulls and I though that with some fur on the back then they could look more bestial like:

These would be the Shrine Guardians. Given that my group was one that honoured animal and beasts as their religion and that such iconography is displayed on banners and such, it wouldn't be hard to see them having a large number of shrines and that these shrines would have those who acted as both maintenance, priest and guardian. As such, these guys would be Shrine Guardians, those who's spirits have fused with those of beasts and they flow forth on the hunt to all who dare oppose their kingdom and desecrate their sacred Realm.

My first back of green stuff fur was a failure and I had to remove it. I'm now weighing up my options as to whether I attempt a more time consuming, but more accurate green stuff attempt or if I should get a mold or the stuff to create a mold for a fur back (say, with the Fenrisian Wolves bodies). Might need to do more research on this one before another attempt.

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar - General's Handbook 2018

Now that I've looked over the book a few times and heard a few peoples own opinions on the book, I will now give my own little view on the book (which might not be too accurate as I still don't have the core rule book yet, thanks to GW forgetting to send it to my local independent retailer so forgive me if I much up or miss some vital points).

There is a lot to like about this one. The book feels somehow more cleaning and organized then the previous book, though some of the explanations are not in it (it's considered that you have already read the Core rules and you already understand things, particularly the Allegiance section). The book is broken down into several parts and like my previous General's Handbook review, this too will be in short parts.

Open Play Games

This section has been shortened down greatly with a page full of various map layouts, though the open war cards have now been replaced for dice rolls. Simple and effective and I like that.

Aerial Battles

With the ever growing number of models with the Fly rule (not to mention much of the Kharadon Overlords), the idea of actually having air battles seems like a great idea. There are two types of combat types, a two map one where is on the ground and one is in the air and the second one which takes place in the sky, with ground units having to stand on tower/mountain tops with the risk of falling off (flying units don't fall cause they can fly anywhere, so having more flying units can really help in this). As someone with very few flying units, I don't think this would be too good for me.

Narrative Play Games

This is probably my favourite part of the book, the Narrative Play has a collection of rules you can use to change the way the game can play out. These can be positive or negative and can either effect your army, your opponents army or both. There are over forty of them to choose from and they even have two examples to help show off how you can incorporate them into your games through historic battles. As you play games, think about the story these armies are creating and add appropriate rules to represent how these stories are shaping the battles you play. Much better then the previous book (which had the rules for fighting in the Realms, which has now been moved to the Core Book).

Gathering of Might

Want to fight battles with massive armies, then these rules can help shorten those games (cause you know, moving hundreds of miniatures in a horde army is just so much fun). With its own Traits, Artifacts, Spells and even a few missions, this is for those with large miniature collections who want to thrown down and given most of mine barely reach 2000pts, I'll probably never do it, but speaking of points....

Match Play

The main reason most get these books, match play has had a few alterations to it.Things like Command Points, Pitch Battle Profiles and Allegiance abilities have been adjusted. What caught my eye was the Understrength rule, cause while the whole 'pay full points for unit even if you don't have minimum number of models' rule is still there, it no longer mentions that an understrengh battleline unit doesn't lose its battleline status. Whether this is a mistake or not we probably won't know until an faq update or unless it was stated in the Core Book, but if this change is right, then I do like it (didn't make sense to pay full cost for players who didn't have the model numbers and not get the battleline rule, at least from a poor players perspective). I'

Points changes for the most part are fine, either adjusting them by 20 - 40 points (a number of wizards have been altered like this, mostly due to Malign Sorcerey is my guess), with some gaining and some loosing. For me the most annoying one was the points change for Pink Horrors, which jumped by 80 points. From what I understand from players, it was because the Disciples of Tzeentch faction was a bit too overpowered and this was altered to help balance it out. Unfortunately, my Tzeentch group is actually a collection of Daemons and Slaves to Darkness, with an equal amount of both. As such, I can't pick neither Allegiance due to model numbers and so am a general Chaos Allegiance, but the increase cost means I am better off just picking a Gaunt Summoner and going to a Realmgate and just summoning the Pink Horrors. What this just means is that now I have to seriously think about what to do with my Tzeentch Chaos faction.

Update: So apparently from what I've seen on online battle reports, so long as the Chaos units have the Tzeentch keyword (so a Mark of Tzeentch) they apparently count as a part of the Allegiance and not allies. This means I could form a Disciples of Tzeentch group, but it would still mean I'd have to fork out roughly $80AU just to get the book which has the Allegiance rules (Also, my current smart device's OS is not current enough to use the AoS app and upgrading that would cost a hell of a lot more then getting the book), so for the moment I'll just have to rely on the General Allegiance rules. 

Speaking of summoning, each Chaos God Allegiance now has its own summoning rules, along with a summoning cost for each Chaos God specific Daemon you can summon. Each rule to gain summoning points seem to be more in line with the associated Chaos God, but the old warscroll spells to summon those Daemons are now gone. A few characters have also had a rule or two altered to adjust to this too. The Allegiance rules for Seraphon also have these summoning rules now, so if you want to rain Lizardmen from the sky you can.

The Allegiances from the previous General's Handbook are back and have been alternated a bit, mostly to bring things in line with the new command points and a few minor tweaks. There is some debate from Slaves to Darkness players as to how useful the new changes are for the faction, particularly with the Chaos Lord, but from my understanding of the description only the 'units' with the same mark as the Hero within that set range gets the mark bonus, it never states that the Hero themselves gain the bonus (since it the Chaos Lord already has that bonus), so while I agree that the Lords command ability is useless for those with a Mark of Tzeentch and No Mark, it still has a longer range then the other marks and still has its uses. I suspect that their Heroes will be updated in the near future to make them more useful, but for now it is just a waiting game.

Scenery now has their own warcrolls and are brought in line with the cover rules for movement and shooting, but what is interesting is that Sylvaneth Wildwoods no longer cost points and that units from other AoS games (like Shadespire) have their own pitch battle profiles and points. Great additions now that the game is really changing into a more fun direction (well, in my opinion it is).

Overall

Obviously if you plan on playing any game with a points value system you'll be picking this up regardless, but I would recommend it mostly for the Aerial battles and Narrative play sections, as the first can really add a nice twist to armies with a nice number of flyers, while the second for the shier number of options to give more fun (or challange) to your games.

As for how it currently effects my factions (apart from my Tzeentch Chaos mentioned before)? Most already use the General Allegiances, so it's more down to the points changes (though the addition of more Nighthaunt units does give more options for my Death faction) and the only difference to my current Skryre faction is that the Doomwheel is a little cheaper (though Warp-Grinder teams went slightly up while Stormfiends went slightly down, so things to think on in future expansions).

As with all things, this is just a short personal opinion of mine and you should check out other peoples reviews for a more in-depth look.

Glibbins McGibbinz Returns!

Let the Mortal Realms quake with fear, for the great Pie Prophet of Mork has returned and he has a pastry for every occasion.

So the idea behind this conversion was to bring back my original character of Glibbins McGibbinz (Pie Assassin) into the world of Age of Sigmar. The original character had a serious obsession with mushrooms, so when they announced the Fungoid-Cave Shaman I knew who would be the foundation for the characters return.

I removed the centipede from the staff and the back, replacing the staff top with a Shroomling (the little sentient mushrooms that roam the Funky Fungus Forests) and to cover up the back I added some rather poorly sculpted mushrooms and surrounded it with liquid green stuff patches for moss. Moss was also added to one foot, the back of the pie hand and on his chin, so he now technically has a moss beard. The pie hand was the open hand of a Battle Wizard and the Pie was completely made of green stuff (the original was a Skaven drum arm with green stuff on the top). I also added a trinket or two just to round him off.

The head mushroom was painted a heavy pink starting from the head leading to white near the top of the underpart, with the top being slightly grey leading to white (with a thin black wash being lined in the gaps). I wanted it to come off that his brain shroom was turning into a look more suited to a bakers hat. All the other mushrooms are painted in bright colours with spots (the common theme of the Funky Fungus Tribe) and the Pie is a little more crispy in its crust then the original one was. I did have to go over the white eye a few times as this Shamans eye didn't stand out compared to the head used in the original Glibbins conversion, so I had to give it a more bruised/purple outlining in order for the white eye to stand out more.

Overall, I feel some areas could have been converted/painted better, but I still love the way the character came out. May add some mushrooms to his base later on (I plan to produce a bunch and then add them to most of the Moonclan Grot models bases).

Crusty doom comes to the Mortal Realms and no one is safe from the delicious filling of destruction.

Update: I decided I didn't like the way the green stuff moss looked on him (that and the back cloak shoorms) so I decided they had to go and re-done. For this, I looked up some tutorials and various options on doing these and having found a few, I've begun working on the alterations, so we'll see how it turns out soon.

Glibbins will return soon

Just a heads up, the ever famous Glibbins McGibbinz will be making a comeback in the Age of Sigmar shortly. He will be a Fungoid-Cave Shaman (due to the obsession he had with mushrooms back in Warhammer Fantasy) and will now be known as Glibbins McGibbinz, Pie Prophet of Mork (he's upgraded from his old title of Pie Assassin from Age of Reckoning) and yes, he will still be holding one of his famous McGibbinz Pies.

Remember:

McGibbinz Pies: 'Mork only knowz wotz in dem!'

Re-basing......again?

So GW just released their model base size charts and it turns out I need to re-base some of my Moonclan Grotz.....mainly the Heroes and Fanatics. In a rather strange move, it would seem that both the Warboss and Shaman are now on 25mm bases, while the Fanatics (which come with a 25mm base in their box set) are now mounted on the 32mm bases.

Given that I just finished setting up the Shamans base with his spew pot, I'm rather disappointed that I now have to move him over to a smaller base. As for the Fanatics, I'm a bit confused as to why the base size was changed, but I guess they are a lot more powerful in big groups so I'm just going to assume that it was changed as part of a balancing issue (I can use the bases from the Warboss and Shaman to base two of them and just do a third one).

I'm just happy most of the other bases I've done so far are accurate to the chart, though I'll need a new base for the Chimera I got from my brother and future basing/re-basing can now be based on the GW charts from now on (so if I ever play at some future point, I can avoid issues with people who are obsessed with base size accuracy).

Major Apologies

So yeah.......it's been a while. Can't say I'm surprised, with my mental health being as bad as it is. It has hit me badly and limited my ability to do things.

That said, I have made some advancements on projects over the last six months (it's easier to say you'll get things done then it is to actually do them). As such, here is a few shots of what I've been working on, though I can't say when I'll get around to doing proper shots for my DA account (and frankly every time I've given a time I've failed to get it done each time).

The whole 'project a month' thing when out the window fairly quickly, with March's project not getting finished until late May. That said, the first 10 Skeleton Warriors of the Crimson Fox Clan are now done (please note these photos were done on the quick and so are of poor quality, better ones will be done for a proper upload):

I'm just thinking on future expansions and changing my original list to feature at least one unit of Black Knights and some more Dire Wolves, as given they are home in the Realm of Ghur (Beasts), I want to push a more spiritual connection to animals and beasts, something they continued over even after the fall of their Kingdom.

Having gone through the Path to Glory book and the release of the Fungoid-Cave Shaman, bringing back Glibbins McGibbinz seemed obvious, but since that miniature is still very expensive so I went around my collection to see what bits and pieces I had. The left over Goblins from my old Skavenslaves unit got a repaint (I didn't care about fixing them as I wasn't too thrilled at painting 20 Goblins again) while others that weren't touched got a new paint job and soon I was well into the revival of Glibbins own group, The Funky Fungus Tribe, whom I'll base in the Realm of Ulgu (Shadows). They still need some touches, mostly adding some green stuff mushrooms to the bases (and perhaps some Funky Fungus terrain to go with them, like a forest of mushrooms perhaps). Better photos will be done at a later date:

So far I have a unit of 20 Moonclan Grots with Stabbas n Moon shields (3 Nets, 1 Grot Boss, 1 Gong Basha, 1 Grot Flag and 1 Bad Moon Icon), 3 Fanatis, 2 Squig Herders, 3 Cave Squigs, 1 Moonclan Shaman (Ziggy Shroomspew), 1 Grot Warboss with Moon-cutter on Great Cave Squig (Badfang the Nifty & Oddball) and 1 Grot Warboss with Moon-slicer (Skarmaw Trollgut). Future expansions will involve lots of Squigs....cause I really like Squigs.

Will get around to posting more in the future (hopefully some Skaven and Malifaux as well).

Animated Reflections and book reviews are on hold while I recover (does one ever truly recover?), though I'll do my best to get some out in the future when I have moments of clarity. That said, I have been listening to various audio books of the works of H.P.Lovecraft. Probably not the best material for someone in my state, but I find them to be a very interesting take on monsters and horror (you may be surprised to know that while I love all sorts of monsters and creatures, I am not a person who can stomach horror well and rarely watch or read it). Hopefully it may give me some inspiration into future ideas.

Speaking of which, I still haven't given up on that video series idea. Watching old Muppet show clips has given me some ideas, so we'll see what that brings into the future.



Once again, sorry for the lack or updates, but this may also continue for the next month or two, depending on where my mental health goes.

The 'Bob Ross' of Gremlins

So this is the Easter special model for the Gremlin faction and I absolutely love it. It seems so many are doing Bob Ross inspired/parody characters these days and this one is just lovable as a Gremlin. Not only is this a rather creative and comical Gremlin, but it's also based on a lovable artist.

I have to admit, I didn't know who Bob Ross was until late last year and having watched some of his episodes, he really is an inspiration and it's just so enjoyable to watch him work in them. I highly recommend watching them and there is no excuse not too as you can view them on Twitch and Youtube. Go and be inspired.

 

Using Miniatures To Push Motivation

One of the big problems with depression is how it saps motivation. You may have notice that not much has happened here over the last few months and that's because it has been near impossible for me to be motivated to do much, let alone feeling like anything has been achieved.

As part of my recovery and trying to get back on track (as I have gone way off track recently), part of my plan is to get back into doing the video work, but the other one is to have set goals and to achieve them. This is where the miniatures come in.

As such, my goal is to do one box a month (or a single one if it is a single model) with me working on the rest of Malifaux if I complete it early. As such, I will be focusing on my Death faction for this. Why? Well, Skeletons, Wolves and Bats are far more easier and quicker to paint then say, a Freeguild Soldier for example. This way, the projects are simple and far more achievable in the short term, thus helping me focus on completing bigger projects in the long term (such as the voice, video & vfx work).

It can not only help in my recovery, but I get another army to use when I get back into gaming again. A positive outlook in my opinion.

New Temporary Background

So just to add the feel that this blog is moving forward, I have thrown together a quick temporary background. This was more of a test to get me back into Photoshop, but also to try out what some backgrounds would look like. I might work on a better one in the future, but for now, this one will do nicely.

GW & Wyrd Miniature Previews 3rd March

So lets look at a few previews that caught my attention.

First comes from the Daughters of Khaine range that are about to be released.

These gals really represent the kind of things I wanted to start seeing in a fantasy game like Age of Sigmar. I would like to see more creative variety in the future for the range, but this is an excellent start. I like the Lifetakers in particular as they stand out better then the old Harpy range was.

The Gibbering Hordes from Wyrd never seem to disappoint and the Devouring Eel is another creature with a love of teeth. The short lore behind it having incredible regenerative capabilities and its ability to reproduce asexually has them being quick to infest areas and a major pain to remove. Definitely something that would be essential in an invasion.

Painting Skeletons

So this is a great little tutorial when it comes to painting Skeletons.

I decided to test out some of these on a few left over skellies from my old TK stuff and learned a few things. I need to find a way to blend it in smoother as the colours are great on the tests, but the drybrushing doesn't blend it in as well, so I need to look into getting this right. I also learned that drybrushing can prove difficult depending on how your Skeleton is based. My classic ones have their arms to closed up and covering part of the head. I also don't have the exact paints used, so tried to use ones that looked very similar (mostly cause a majority of my paints are from the Citadel range and no one yet sells the Game Color range in my area). The paint jobs were slightly rushed, but the effect does look better then my old style.

I want to paint more Skeletons in the future, but my experiences doing the Archers, Horse Archers and that 10 model unit with hand weapons made me feel like they weren't right. The focus is to paint the Skeleton first and then blend in the muddy feet. The old ones felt too much like they had just been raised and not like they had been rained on in a while (part of the lore of my Death faction), so practicing new ways to do it in which there is a slight brown, but still clean enough looking to just muddy the feet feels like a much better solution (not to mention that they will look a lot better).

Got Light Bulbs

So finally got around to getting some light bulbs for those two small lamps, so with any luck I can build the set-up and test out photographing miniatures again. I'm over due for some uploads, so with any luck I might get some shots done Friday (medical appointment tomorrow) so here's hoping I might be able to get something up by next week.

A Reminder of 90's Classics

So by pure chance I stumbled upon this clip when trying to catch up on some of the past episodes on Channel Awesome and it just brought back some nostalgia (I find this clip is funny, if a little dark).

I love animation and I love voice acting, so to see voice actors still doing their characters voices fills me with...what do you call it...some kind of positive emotion. If only I could remember what people called it. Joy, was it?

To be fair, I loved watching the Steven Spielberg Present's animation series such as Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Freakazoid .etc (loved these shows in particular) and there is no doubt that many will state that Animaniacs was the greatest of them all. I know we watched it often, but I also enjoyed a number of episodes from the spin-off show Pinky and the Brain (who had small episodes on Animaniacs until they got their own series). Having now been given a chance to go back and re-watch some of the episodes (had to look some online as apparently iTunes Australia only have Tiny Toon Adventures and the Pinky and the Brain series). If you do get a chance, try to look all these shows them up. If you like good parodies and references from the 90's then I highly suggest Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures but also, there is also quite a bit of adult humor that tends to appear in these shows (Animaniacs above all it seems).

Heck, if you were to ask which character I liked the best from these shows I would be hard pressed as just about all of them are amazing, let alone just how great the voice acting gives these characters personality and life. I could go on, but I might better explain it in a future post or Animated Reflections article. That said, word has it Animaniacs is returning, though I won't hold my breath until it's out (partly cause I don't want to keep my hopes up and partly cause holding ones breath that long is just stupid).

Looking through my collection, I actually have the DVD of the movie Wakko's Wish and watching it again was great. I might do a quick Animated Reflections look at it in the near future as it is the perfect collection of the shows best characters, music and comedy and could easily be considered the closest thing to perfection for the Animaniacs series.

Go find these shows and watch them. Do it now. Stop reading this and go watch them, it is a life priority. 

Death & My Death Faction - Second Thoughts

So this will probably be my final thought on this and I'll probably keep talking about my miniatures in the future more limited (unless I actually have photos). But anyway, looking at it a second time around, I wondered if I could look at what a better themed Death army would look like for me under the new Legions of Nagash rulebook and I think I've come up with a nice list (at least visual wise for me):

- Wight King with Baleful Tomb Blade (King Nicholas - General)
- Necromancer (Queen Judith)
- Vampire Lord (Lord Bartholomew)
- Vampire Lord (Lady Miranda)

- 30 Skeleton Warriors (spears)
- 30 Skeleton Warriors (spears)
- 5 Dire Wolves
- 20 Grave Guard (some say shields, some say greatblades. Still not sure what to pick).
- 4 Bat Swarms
- 4 Bat Swarms
- 1 Terrorgheist

(This brings the force to 1,990pts)

This works well with my Skeleton/Bat theme faction. I'm not too sure about the mud bases, but the feedback I receive is positive, so what I might do is mix in some stone slabs/ruins to add more flavour to it. I've also given names for each unit and have given each its own colour scheme so they all stand out from each other more among the rather drab bases. I would also use the Fenrisian Wolves from 40K as my Dire Wolves as they not only better suit the theme, but I feel they just look better over the rotting Dire Wolves of Fantasy. I would like better Bat Swarm models from GW, but then there are always negatives to that. I am still considering the model numbers in the ranks of Skeleton Warriors and Grave Guard to decide if I need to remove some to add Black Knights as they are a good offensive unit, but then having large block units with Heroes and Gravestones means I can heal them and keep the numbers high to hold enemies at bay. Still more though to be had on that.

Lore wise, I want this group to be free of Nagash's control and that the Skeletons do still have their own will and personalities, plus I want the Kingdom to be more friendly and noble, its rulers being good and just. I have a backstory in progress and have already relocated them to a distant part of the Realm of Ghur (Realm of Beasts). Here, their stone citadel guards over two clashing Realmgates. The first leads to the Realm of Shyish (Realm of Death) while the other leads to the Realm of Ghyran (Realm of Life). Both Realmgates are constantly bursting out energy, which are always conflicting with each other. Life grows and withers, one part of the fortress is cold and silent while the other has vines and flowers glowing with colour. Rain is a constant and the grounds surrounding the Citadel are thick with mud. The beasts of the land tend not to intrude on their land and the surrounding villages worship them as supernatural rulers, who emerge from the stronghold to battle the enemies that attack them. In return, the villages offer their blood in exchange for this protection (so as to keep Bartholomew and Miranda sustained), though this is done sparingly by the Vampires, who despise the Soulblight curse that was inflicted upon them. When not engaged in battles outside, the various warriors guard the Realmgates, for fear they maybe used to invade their home by those who wish them harm.

For the most part, I like where this is going, though if I'll ever get around to getting them is another matter entirely. As for the Allegiance, I am looking towards Legion of the Night as I feel it has the most theme going for it (well the name has anyway), but worse comes to worse, general Death can still work and leaves open the option to use Tomb Kings models (I imagine the Skeleton Archers man the walls, the Horse Archers patrol the area and the Tomb Scorpions possessed the tormented bodies of Nagash's Vampire minions, who are caught, drained, gutted and imprisoned in them to power the Scorpions who hide underground and emerge to attack those who trespass on the land near the Realmgates, both as a warning and a defense).

Heartwood & Vengeance Eternal (Very Short Reviews)

So finally decided to return to looking at the various Warhammer stories once more, this time starting in the Age of Sigmar. Given that there hasn't been a huge amount of lore to explain everything, I find myself entering this with only a basic knowledge of AoS lore. As such, I'm starting off with a short story (also going to avoid spoilers, so it will be very short as I am a little rusty doing these again), so lets get into it.

I wanted to start with one that would peak my interest and I must say that I think I picked the right one off the bat. Heartwood is the story of a Branchwych called Nellas the Harvester and much of it is from her point of view. As war rages across the Mortal Realms, one such battle is taking place on Ghyran, the Realm of Life. Here we meet Nellas as her and her House (what is basically a community or family) as they do battle with a small army of Rotbringers, the deadly servants of the Plague God Nurgle.

Nellas is the soul survivor of this battle and she must take the lifeseeds from her fallen companions and return them too the Evergreen so they may be planted and new Sylvaneth be born. However, the taint of Chaos is not so easily defeated.

I actually really liked this one. I felt it gave me some insight into the Sylvaneth, but I also enjoyed the character of Nellas. The effect Nurgles blight was having on the Realm really brings to life just how dire their situation is and the plan they use to overrun the various Sylvaneth groves is quite cunning. The price for this one is worth it in my opinion and if you like Sylvaneth or Order in general then you'll certainly like this one.




Yes, mighty Grey Seer Skratchnsniff is back and.....WHAT! You return to new Warhammer and the first book you read has no Skaven in it. This is great-mighty insult, price must be paid, blood must be spilled. My vengeance will be swift like...like.....some really swift thing. Yes!

Oh no, that rambling fool is back again.
~Zargooran

OK Fine! You want something with Skaven in it, then I'll give you something with Skaven in it.

So here we have a short story introduction that you can get for free. The first book in The Realmgate Wars: Bladestorm series, this one is an introduction to the cast and their quest for the on-going series. Personally, I wasn't a fan of this one. For some reason, I just found myself not getting invested in the characters and the way the Stormcast Eternals are described (particularly in their deaths) felt like the stakes really aren't that high.

There is a fight with some Skaven which has some details (such as their use of ranged weapons), but beyond basic Skaven tactics, there really isn't much of a fight and even the Warlord was pointless in being there. They also take on some Orruks, but that fight also comes off as rather disappointing. There is some conflict between Lord-Celestant Bladestorm and Lord-Celestant Argellon, but that seems to be about the only thing that adds interest to this book.

Personally, I feel that if you are a Stormcast Eternal fan or someone who reads a lot of Space Marine novels and want some Age of Sigmar, then this might be a good start for you. As for me, there wasn't much here to get me invested into reading the rest of the series. This kind of story just isn't my thing I guess.



Oh har har. Have some Skaven killed in book and you think-feel satisfied. I demand one focused on servants of Great Horned Rat!

If it will get you off my back, then fine. That said, I think there is only one focused on them at the moment and both you and I know it isn't a Clan we like, but I'll do it.

Yes-Yes. Tremble before the might of all terrible Grey Seer Skratchn....wait, what did you mean by 'Clan we don't like'?
~Grey Seer Skratchnsniff    

Wyrd Miniatures Previews: 16th / 19th

So this one is for the Cult of the Burning Man and really adds to the horror theme that works well for these madmen. I'm still not sure about the eyes, they feel kinda off to me, though I really do like the head.

The next is a Grave Golem which I think looks alright. I like the tombstones and coffins, though I feel it should have more bones & stone and less dirt. That might be just me though.

The Return of Gotrek and Felix

So we have conformation that we will see the return of Gotrek and better yet, he is the same as he was when he left the Old World. He arrives in the Age of Sigmar with no idea what has happened to his world or what is going on. He hears stories of the Stormcast Eternals and believes he must now find Felix and reunite with him for his continued oaths.

I am actually excited for this one. Gotrek and Felix was the main reason I even looked at Skaven and given how they are a major threat to Grey Seer Thanquol, we might even get to see Thanquol appear at some point (though I suspect he may go completely insane when he learns his greatest foes have returned, as it the Chaos Gods were trying to torment him or something).

Regardless, I am very much looking forward to this.

The New Death Book and My Death Faction

So with the new Legions of Nagash book and the overall changing of the Death faction, what are my opinions of it and how will it effect my own Death forces.

First off, the Book and the four new Allegiances are great if you are one of those players who has collected a bunch of Vampire Counts/ Death over the last few years. It has certainly given Death a big boost as far as flexibility in combat tactics goes. The big change has gone from simply summoning models to giving these units the Summoned keyword, so most heroes can restore lost wounds to them just by being next to them. That said, it does separate them further from the Tomb Kings line and while I didn't expect their return, it only makes it harder to incorporate them into the main Death line. Actually, I was more disappointed with the lack of new units as I would have loved some more variety in areas like the Deathrattle or Deadwalkers. Then again we still have Bat Swarms, so I guess it still has that going for it.

It does feel like if you don't pick one of the main four Allegiances, then you may be at a bit of a disadvantage. They certainly changed it so that Black Knights and Grave Guard no longer count as Battleline in a Bonerattle Allegiance under the new Pitched Battles points sheet, nor do Vargheists count as Battleline in a Soulblight Allegiance (despite Soulblight getting some Allegiance rules), Nighthaunt Allegiance still have their Battlelines. Though if you have a Legions of Nagash force lead by Nagash himself, then he does get to count Grave Guard and the Morghast variants as Battlelines (which does make sense for someone as powerful as Nagash). There is some good lore and certainly his arrogance is showing just how much he has turned against the side of Order, believing all souls are his and to take them away is to steal from him (and those who are alive or dead who do not kneel before him and submit should be obliterated). It's very much what I expect from him by this point, though it is interesting to see that Mannfred and Neferata have forged their own Kingdoms based on their homes in the Old World (guess they wanted the fans of classic warhammer to still feel like these were still the Vampire Counts they knew and loved).

So how does it effect my current forces? Well, the changes to units means that until I get more current Death units, I may change a few things around. Certainly I can't pick one of the main four Allegiances as you can only use models from the book to field in them and I don't have anything close to that point. I am also currently debating if Queen Judith should still count as a Necromancer or if she should be a Tomb Queen and the armies General. If she does so, then I could either go for the Command Trait that increases the aura of the Heroes 'Deathless Minions' battle trait to 12" (from 6") or I could choose the one that makes her count as a Wizard and thus also granting her the spells Arcane Bolt and Mystic Shield. She also has a Command Ability where all Desert Legions get +1 to hit in their Shooting phase, which would bring the Archers and Skeleton Horse Archers shooting to being a 4+ to hit (the Archers unit also gets +1 to hit if it has 20 or more models, so as long as the unit stays at that level with the banners help, they would hit on a 3+). I feel that King Nicholas wouldn't benefit being the General at this point as the only unit I have that his Command Ability effects is a unit of 10 Skeleton Warriors with hand weapons basically. That said, he will still hold the Artifact, but it's a toss between -1 to hit to all non-Death units within 3" of him or the one where if he is killed on a 3+ he returns with D3 wounds and is replaces anywhere within 12" of his spot.

Any expansion of my Death faction will involve Skeleton Warriors (as they are a Battleline unit), Grave Guard, Black Knights, Fell Bats, Bat Swarms and a Terrorgheist, with the eventual goal of reaching the 2000pt mark and have all four of my leaders in the force. As for what could be carried over? I will still look at keeping the Skeleton Archers, Skeleton Horse Archers and the Tomb Scorpions. Not sure about the rest at this point, but that will be the current plan for the distant future of this army.