2022 Miniature Projects

So it seems I have way too many projects and I can't seem to focus on any long enough to complete them. That said, in the latest White Dwarf mag, they had a 2022 painting bingo card and so I plan to use this as a template to push myself to get some projects completed. Obviously I will not include the Nighthaunt that I've been working on as they are so quickly done and over with that it would just be cheating.

Instead, I will dedicate it to working on things like my Soulblight Gravelords and that Christmas themed faction I talked about before. Through this I hope to complete both factions by the end of the year.

Of course, I still will be working on other projects for Malifaux, Moonstone (whick I am so far behind in) and Burrows & Badgers. As for any other miniature games, I guess I do need to get back to work on some Marvel Crisis Protacol, but we'll see what 2022 has in store.

Honestly, I just hope I can get at least half these miniatures done as 2022 doesn't seem to look to be any better compared to 2021.

A More Festive Project Idea for 2022

So 40K has left me rather mixed as to whether I want to get back into it or avoid it all together. However, I have been watching the 40k in 40 minutes series on the Play on Tabletop YouTube channel and they did a festive battle of Santa Wolves (Space Wolves) vs The Toy Empire (Tau) and while I really enjoyed it, I felt that a few converted models could have added to it. Then I remember that one battle report on the Angry Joe channel where a few Nurgle units hadan Xmas them and the Space Marines I believed were wearing Sombreros.

So I though, why not do a small Xmas army as a complete goal for 2022?

This would have some obvious ones like a converted Logan Grimnar on Stormrider and Fenrisian Wolves (the wolves all being replaced by the Stag models from the Wild Riders kit, the Cyber Wolf upgrade being a Rudolf conversion). A Techmarine being the lead Toy Maker and a Wulfen Dreadnaught having a sort of building block colour design with a Nutcracker soldier hat to be his bodyguard.

Wulfen I may convert as living killer Snowmen, while those like Infiltrators and Eliminators might be hinding in Xmas trees or Presents. I guess another troop choice could be Assault Intercessors, who could have a green and white colour scheme while HQ choices would have red and white, perhaps with a blue or black shoulder with a white snowflake design. That said, a Chaplain might be a blue or purple armour and would be the one riding a bike (possibly designed with a gingerbread theme for the bike).

Still lots of options for festive designs and conversions, plus points should be around 1,000 to 1,500. This way I have some limits and can slowly add those miniatures over the year as no doubt I'll get some from the Imperium magazine the should be out here in Australia in 2022.

I don't want to get caught up or bogged down on these things.instead, I just want to work on something fun, but also something that won't consume my time and focus. Looking forward to see what I can come up with.

Update: So thinking back on this, I may have pushed myself into looking at too many models instead of the slow build up I'm wanting. For example, I should scrap the Chaplain idea and instead turn the Dreadnaught into gingerbread. I'll go back over my ideas and try to simplyfy them.

Quick Thoughts on Sonic Trailers

Sonic 2 Movie Trailer

Loved it. Yeah, I had hoped they'd move more away from Earth and focus on Sonic's homeworld more, but it's Hollywood and that's to be expected at this point. That said, the trailer gave a good enough outline of what is too be expected from it and to have Robotnik and Agent Stone back together will no doubt have the best human interaction scenes. Can't wait.

Sonic Frontiers

Have no idea what this trailer is about or what the game is even about. This trailer gives me nothing to hook me in and it just feels disappointing. Given what info I can find about the game from more official sources, it hasn't improved my opinion on it. There are so many questions I have and problems about it that I'm keeping my opinion low, may be out of desperation that I want to be proven wrong. 

Down for the Holidays

 So I've been pointing out here and there about a physical condition that was making life a little more difficult over the last few years. Well, that situation has now been corrected as I am recovering from nasal and sinus surgery. As such, it is a real pain to deal with as it needs regular management to stop infection and to recover, which isn't easy as I still can't breath through it yet and splint still needs to come out.

As such, I'm staying with family while I recover and won't be back home till after Christmas. I'll still do an update here and there, but projects are on hold till I am well enough that I can get regular sleep again. 

My opinion of the term 'Canon'

So today my twitter feed was caught in a set of discussion over what is considered 'Canon'.

So Canon is a word used to describe what is considered to be official in things like Characters and Story in a particular franchise/show/book etc.

For some, what is official canon is considered to be sacred and anyone doing anything that goes against that is therefore a target of ridicule. This becomes more problematic when there is more then one creator/writer and the longer it goes the more changes occur, which in turn splits a fanbase further.

Then you have those who believe their own canon should be the official one and attack anyone who disagrees with them. This too becomes worse when that person also has a following of people who agree with them.

A good example is the Sonic fandom, a franchise that by this point has so many different versions of the characters and lore that it can be very difficult to navigate at times. Then when those at the top change things around preferring one version over another, it can become hectic. Given how long it has gone for and how many versions there are, each new one has new fans which can result in conflict with older fans. It was bad enough with the whole 2D vs 3D argument, but when you get into Characters, Lore, Shipping etc. you find where the fan base it truly divided.

So where do I stand on what is canon and what isn't?

Simple:

Multiverse

Yep, I love the idea of multiverse theory and how many franchises tackle the issue.  I'm a strong believer that in every franchise, every universe of characters and story are but one of many. Sure, the owners of said franchises may have their official canon, but from that a multiverse (or alternative universes) begin to exist through the creativity of fans. Their characters, their stories, exist in an alternate universe and everything that exists in it is its own canon. Nothing can change that, though the original franchise owners may try to deny its existence or even destroy the multiverse, in truth, they really can't. The fandom creates its own and that alone justifies their existence. 

In a way, the official canon is still the official canon, only those who own those rights can alter with it. However, every fans work exists in an alternate universe, one that only they can shape and it is part of a much larger multiverse. It would mean that you could do what you want with your universe without it upsetting someone else's universe. I imagine that if people gave up on trying to justify what they believe is officially canon and just accepted that their canon is officially an alternative universe canon, it might stop at least a part of every fandom from going at each other.

Well, I hope. Humans are only human after all.

Quick Review: The Hero Quest Collection

So I pre-ordered this like, last year I think and it was meant to come out mid this year, but was delayed due to a plastics issue I believe. Finally got it late last week, so what did $300 AU got me?

So straight off the bat, it was more then I though it was. The game itself is mostly the same as it was back in the late 80's/early 90's, with some changes. Some models have been renamed or replaced entirely, most likely due to Games-Workshop and their aggressive trademark control. So things like Chaos Warrior are now Dread Warrior and Fimir replaced as Abomination. A number of designs have also changed a bit, with the Gargoyle changing to a more generic demon look as the original was more akin to GW's Bloodthurster.

Then we have the issue with the main characters. Changing the skin colour of the Dwarf I can understand, but the Elf becoming female is a little more confusing. My general opinion would be to supply both a male and female version of each character for more variety. In fact, if you got the collection box that I did, then that's exactly what you got. Why did they not include it in the main game is beyond me, though that said, my female barbarian did not fair well with my order. Heck, it looks like they even tried to super glue her together badly before shoving her back in.

Poor pic, but bent sword, arm not connected and white glue stains around that area

While I don't have my original game manual on me (it and most of the original game is in a box some where), it does look like it is a similar game format with one player being a Dungeon Master and up to four player heroically entering to battle evil. Don't hold me to that though, I'd suggest looking and some other more in-depth reviews for that. However, all the original cardboard furniture and doors are now all resin, so that's a bonus over the original.

Also with this game came the two re-masted expansions (I never got the original ones back then), but also an extras box. This kit came with three more campaigns, a couple of new monsters and a few more hero options: Male Orc Bard, a female Warlock (counts as wizard hero for weapon, artifacts and equipment), a Wizard option who is a Zargon model (the main bad guy), a female Durid, gender swaps for the main four heroes and a final hero model which there is no info on the set for. From what I've gathered, these were all part of the add-on tier list that was unlocked through extra funding (think kickstarter), but still no info on the hero guy holding a torch.

While I am disappointed over the busted Barbarian model I was sent, the rest of the game looks good. It certainly was a major nostalgia trip for me as the Original HeroQuest game was my first ever miniature game and it was ultimately what drove me to miniature wargamming in my latter teenage years, so to see it return once more is a real pleasure to see. Can't wait to see people play this one.

Quick Reviews: The Dark Crystal Adventure Game

 

So despite the release date being in February next year, this one showed up late last week. Having read through it a few times, I think I have a good overall opinion of it.

The games story takes place after the Age of Resistance Season 1 (because the morons at Netflix would rather dump amazing award winning shows like this to produce cheap crap. Some people have no taste). You are one of a number of Gelflings called through one of a number of reasons to the Mystics, who have had a vision of a great calamity of Thra, most likely due to the spread of The Darkening. They have tasked you and your companions to recover a seed from each of the seven great trees that will save Thra from this fate in the long run. Time is short and failure is very much possible.

Game wise, like any RPG, one person is the Game Master (a.k.a GM) who will craft the story of the adventure, while the others create a Gelfling to embark on this epic quest. You can pick from any of the seven Clans, each with their own Clan Trait with each having three additional traits that can be learned (you start with one of these) and yes, with the exception of the Drenchen Clan (who are focused on being underwater), all females have wings and can fly (so long as they aren't carrying a more heavier load). Skills exist as categories with each one having three specialization. So say you pick to learn a Fighting skill, you need to pick one of the specializations, those being Finesse (dexterous combat), Marksmanship (ranged combat) or Ferocity (forceful attacks and heavy weapons). From what I've gathered, you can choose more then one specialization too, so you could learn both Finesse and Marksmanship, though having a more diverse set of skills is more preferred. You start with two Skills already learned. This is then followed by a Flaw (both for story and gameplay elements) and finally The Summons (so what brought you to the Mystics).

So lets take my first character as an example (based on how the book explains it to me):

------------

Clan: Dousan (spiritual desert clan)

Clan Trait: Dousan (good at finding water and desert survival)

Starting Trait: Dream-etched Tattoos

Starting Skill 1: Scouting - Sneaking Specialization

Starting Skill 2: Agility - Reflexes Speciaslization

Flaw: Timid

The Summons: Amnesia

------------

So my Gelfling character has sort of wandered into the situation suffering Amnesia and his Timid nature isn't helping his situation. Sneaking and Reflexes are also helpful for enhancing this characters personality. At some point I want to have an air of mystery to this character so that further down the adventure this will be addressed as part of the adventure. Now just need to name him.

Back on topic, for the GM there a basic maps of the locations, including some main points and what Darkening effects may take place (The Darkening can make the campaign harder if you prefer it). There are also a list of various animals/enemies and a few extra bits thrown in. Combat is simple for the most part, though some enemies will be rather challenging. There is a type of NPC Gelfling creator for the GM if they are having a little trouble. Honestly, I've never been a GM, so I am unsure what is useful and what is needed. 

As a big Dark Crystal fan, this sort of was a must have for me and overall I was happy with this book. I would have preferred some more detail on things like Gelfling Clans, names, symbols and meanings etc. to help better flesh out characters, but there is enough material out there that GM's and Players can use to enjoy the immersion into the world of Thra.

Malifaux - Bayou Starter Box Review

So it's no secret that I love the Bayou faction in Malifaux, the Gremlins to be precise. As such, when I saw that there was a starter box, I knew I had to get it. 

The first thing that struck me was that these models were the characters from their Bayou Bash board game. I assume thatthey decided that it would just be better to just have the models set aside for something like this. I just hope we see the others show up soon.

So what does this box come with? Well, lets have a look:

- Bo Peep (Henchman - Pig riding Gremlin)

- Fluffernutter (Enforcer - Rabbit riding Gremlin)

- Ruffles (Enforcer - Rooster riding Gremlin)

- Stumpy (Enforcer - err Treeman riding Gremlin?)

- 2 of every base Gremlin upgrade cards

- 1 Rules Reference card

- 1 Bayou themed Fate Deck

- 1 Bayou themed Measuring Widget

- 10 Bayou themed Scheme Markers

So not a bad starters pack in my opinion. The crew itself is 25 Soul Stones in total and with upgrades and adding a few extra stones for use, I'd say you would be fine in games of 30 - 35 Soul Stones. If you want to play higher Soul Stone games then I'd suggest you look at getting a few more models for your crew. Given these models all have the Versatile keyword, they don't cost extra when adding them to any Bayou crew.

However, what shocked me the most was after I'd got all my tools for miniature building set-up, I opened the box only to fing the models came pre-built. They still require you to glue them to the blank bases, but the fact I didn't need to find instructions online and cut and glue tiny thin pieces of plastic was a real boon for this box set.

This is a great beginner set for the Bayou faction and will certainly get you by long enough until you find a Master you like. The fact that they are versatile means that they can be added into any Bayou crew regardless of Master without the dreaded +1 to a models cost. Heck, if you just wanted Bo Peep to lead your crew, then look to models with the Jockey or Sooey keywords to avoid needing to pay the +1 costs (Swine-cursed might work) and of course those with the versatile keyword such as the Luck Effigy/Emissary.

If you plan on doing a Gremlin crew and still haven't chosen a Master or just want to expand withsome cool models, then I would recommend having a look at this box set.

Also, sorry if this post looks a bit off, but I've been trying to see what it's like to work from a tablet, so I'm still trying to get the hang of working with such restraints in the hope that I get more work done.

Game Options Other Then Games Workshop

So here is something that seems to be a highly charged topic at the moment. Feels strange to see the 40K fanbase acting like Games Workshop has betrayed them when a number of them had a go at the Fantasy crowed when they complained about the end of the Old World and the move to Age of Sigmar. These two scenarios aren't the same, but the feelings of being betrayed are. I've long since left that 'fanboy' part of my behind when they killed off Fantasy Battle, but wasn't long after they did that my eyes were opened to all manner of miniature games.

While I doubt most will straight up leave the Warhammer franchise, I know there are a bunch of other games that one can look at and see if any of it appeals to them. A good way these days is by both looking at the miniature range and the other is by looking up battle reports on YouTube to see if the game play appeals to you. Obvious Sci-fi choices are things like Battletech, Infinity and Star Wars Legion (X-Wing/ Armada for ship battles I believe). Heck, Marvel Crisis Protocol seems quite a good one if your into the Superhero franchise.

For me, I can only really speak based on ones that I have played/own and so there are three that I can talk about.

I was a player a bit of Malifaux back during 2nd edition, but currently 3rd edition seems to have reworked some rules and added a bit more of a focus on keywords then on mix & match characters. As such, you tend to focus your crews based on sharing the same keywords now for better synergy. Much like many skirmish games that have actual focus (unlike the simplistic rules for Warcry and Kill-Team), each keyword crew tends to have a number of options that also lead to various play styles. It's also a game in which no dice are used, but instead uses a Fate Deck, which is essentially a deck of playing cards. Don't let that put you off as it is actually quite fun to use. Naturally, my main is the Bayou faction, cause moonshine drinking, hillbilly greenskins are just the best.

The next one is a lesser known one called Moonstone. The main focus of the game is to finish with more Moonstones then your opponent (2 - 4 players), which sounds simple enough until you realise that digging them up and holding on to them isn't as easy as it sounds, cause your opponent is also after the same goal. There a three factions: Commonwealth, Dominion and Leshavult, which have a mixture of races in each with some being duel faction. This game has no points, but instead simply has a crew model limit, with the number of models you can have in your crew being reduced based on the number of people playing a game. The game does use d4 dice which are the Moonstones (the top number on the die is how deep it is buried), but also uses two different card decks, one for ranged/casting/abilities and one for melee combat. The models to use keywords, with which some character abilities do work with them, but you don't need to focus on it as much as Malifaux to have a fun game.

Finally, there is Burrows & Badgers, a game that is reminiscent of the old Mordhiem game. You create your crew by picking on a starting factional power (though you can create your own story about why the rules suit your group without needing to be from that factional type) followed by a Den (essentially a base that grants a particular bonus and can be upgraded with extra options). Then you get into the best part, building your crew. You get a set amount of gold, which you use to purchase you characters and their gear. The thing is, your characters are anthropomorphic animals and there are a lot of them, each with their own costs and stats (so a mouse is a cheap option while a badger is more powerful but more expensive as well). There a a bunch of stats that are used for various things from movement to combat, weapons and armour can effect your offensive and defensive capabilities and there is even a magic system. You have experience, leveling, skills, injuries and death. More recently they have added Witch Hunter and Necromancer warband options now and there is a huge miniature range with more sculpts being added each year. This one rarely gets a look in compared to other games, but if you want to have a warband that grows through a campaign, then definitely give this one a look in.

And with that, I round this off by saying that if you feel disappointed with GW or are just looking for something new to try out, then check out the many options that are out there and give some a go.

Project Update for October

So a number of health and family issues have resulted in feelings of overwhelming depression and exhaustion. To top it all off, the recent BS coming from Games Workshop has really hindered me from making any real progress on GW mini's.

So instead, I'll take a break from them (my Chaos Space Marine stuff is built and undercoated, plus I'm still gathering ideas for a Deamon Prince for a conversion anyway) and instead focus on some miniatures that are long overdue for some work, that being of Moonstone. I'll mix it up between the Faun and the Fairies, as they have the most miniatures to work with (Humans and Leshavult crews being the second sets on my to do list). Perhaps focusing one at a time could help. Otherwise, I still have some Malifaux to finish too.

I've also manage to figure out how to use a tablet as a monitor for a DSLR camera, so another step closer to figuring out all this puppet stuff. Now I just need a puppet to get some practice in to see how the recording of video and sound work (and how to get them into sync).

Hopefully I'll have some stuff up at some point over the next few weeks. Still desperately need to update that bloody banner and background and I am way behind in regards to Animated Reflections. Perhaps I should maybe add something modern that I love to get me motivated again. We shall see.

Sonic the Hedgehog opinions (Warning: Opinions)

There's no getting around this and I have put this on hold for far too long, but I guess now is as better time as any to talk about this. I've been a long time fan of the blue blur, but as with all things, I have opinions and given just how vocal some have been over the years, it's time I lay my cards down and put my thoughts out there.

I've been around for some time (I'm 38 as of this writing) and have been a long time fan. My first Sonic game was the original Sonic the Hedgehog for the Master System (the console version of the Game Gear with overall improvements). I have read both books and comics, watch the shows and movies and even at one primary school we would even role play sonic during lunch time (man was that a long time ago). As time goes on there are things that I like and things that I don't.

That said, these are my opinions. They are not meant to influence your own nor am I here to argue them. It is perfectly fine to like things I don't and to hate things I like, that's not the purpose of this. It is simply to show a generalization of things I do and don't like in the franchise, my thoughts and opinions simplified. If you really dislike what I say, that is fine. Move on and follow people who share your views, it's what I do and I find it so much more enjoyable to appreciate the fan work of others who share similar likes to yourself. It will also help avoid some of the more toxic parts of the fandom too. Don't worry, every fandom has toxicity in it, not just the Sonic one. The reason it gets called out a lot is simply because of how huge the fanbase it and how many variations there has been.

I had originally gone into a more in depth type article in the original draft, but feel that it was too long and I was wanting to focus on both a general view of things along with a few points based on some of the more 'controversial' aspects. It also found myself drawing too much on the negative so scrapped most of it into a simplified form. So here we go.

Games:

As mentioned above, the original Sonic the Hedgehog for the Master System was my first game and something I would play a lot (this was when the Chaos Emeralds were 6 in total and one was hidden in each stage, so young me was proud to get through the game with all 6 Emeralds). To this day, Scrap Brain Zone has one of my favourite music tracks from this gaming franchise. I would eventually play through the Mega Drive (Genesis in the US), so had plenty of experience in those games.

Eventually, I would return with the Dreamcast with Sonic Adventure 1 & 2. From there I've played Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic 2006, Sonic Generations and Sonic Unleashed. I also played a number of the hand held ones (including Sonic Battle and Sonic Chronicles). So I've played most of the games in the franchise (yes, even that Sonic Riders Kinect game). 

As far as my personal views, I don't favour one over another when it comes to the whole which is better? Classic 2D vs Modern 3D. That said, I didn't mind the Shadow game and did find some enjoyment in Sonic 06, even if the game play frustrated me. However, I haven't really enjoyed a Sonic game since Sonic Generations. Ok, so to be fair, Sonic Mania was fantastic, it's just more of the 3D ones since Generations. Perhaps it's the story, maybe even the character that have put me off. Heck, over the years Knuckles has gone to being a character you could take serious to just becoming a joke for Sega, while all the character building for Shadow has been thrown out to just become some grumpy rival. Also, if anyone say that they are taking more inspiration from Dragonball and making him more like Vegeta, then I'm sorry, but it's clear they luck the understanding of the character of Vegeta to pull it off.

Television & Film:

Simply put, I've seen them all. From the original Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog to the Sonic the Hedgehog live-action movie. As far as the movies go, there are only to and while I'll put the live-action one above the anime movie did have some great music and an excellent fight between Sonic and Metal Sonic.

The various animated T.V. series are where the Hedgehog has had the stronger influence. To simplify the my thoughts, I'll rate the shows from my favourtie to least fav one.

1. The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog - SatAM as the fandom refers it to stand out from:

2. The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog - Strange one, but love Scratch and Grounder.

3. Sonic Underground - Good idea, poor execution. Unintentional hilarious to watch, just skip the songs.

4. Sonic Boom - First season just wasn't great, Second season improved. Honestly, just remake the show as the Knuckles & Eggman show and you have all the best parts rolled into one.

5. Sonic X - There is a reason why child insert character are seen as a bad idea in shows and this one is all that, all the time. The have a show with most of the game characters in it and the only way I can watch it is in YouTube Poop format. At least Sonic Boom improved in its second season, this one did not.

I know I could go into a heck of a lot more detail on why I feel about each show, but I might save that for later down the road.

Books & Comics:

I actually own a number of books including the Sonic the Hedgehog in series (Robotnik's Laboratory, the Fourth Dimension, Silicon Warriors and Castle Robotnik) which was the UK version of the Sonic series. They've been packed in boxes for a while, but I still have them. I remember reading one visual novel type book that was of the UK version (they also had a Streets of Rage one too) in the library of high school, along with getting the odd Sonic book here and there. The biggest one is no doubt the Archie Comics series. 

I found out from a friend at school that Sonic had come out as a comic and so I started with my first one which was issue 6. As a school going kid I couldn't get every issue, but did manage to read some that I missed from others who also collected it at the time. Once I had a regular income I continued collecting them, but due to some issue with distribution in Australia, a number of issues never made it here and it was difficult trying to get them via back order. This problem also showed up every time a Sonic spinoff series was released. Oh naive me, thinking that was the only problem I would have with this comic series.

Finally there is the current IDW comic and despite my best efforts to get into it, I just couldn't. It had too many problems that irritated me and I doubt I'll ever go back to it again. But some such things that I found annoying the comic trying to create anniversary type scenario levels in your average story, with amazing build up only to have a disappointing payoff and I just couldn't stand the character of Tangle. That said, I will admit that character introduction and mystery that is Whisper was amazing, so credit where credit is due.

So where to I begin with this mess with all this comic stuff. If anything, the Archie and IDW comics is one of the main points of conflict in the fandom, even more so then the gaming aspect. Beyond the Sally vs Amy wars (which have been going on since the early 90's, though now days I think there a less death threats being thrown about), I feel the more contentious parts involve two of the bigger names in the Sonic comic sphere, that of Ken Penders and Ian Flynn. Both have done good and bad things with the Archie comic series, but I prefer Penders run over Flynns. Personal opinion, but I'll stick to it.

I guess most remember Penders as the man who got into a legal dispute with Archie which ultimate lead to the reboot (also, did not like the reboot and have issues with it, like why call it a reboot if you are just going to give the main cast their memories from the previous timeline). I'd argue that Archie should have worked out long ago how to write up a legal contract that would have prevented this and that the only reason for the reboot was due to them knowing other people who had worked on the comic would come after them financially and they wanted to stop the use of all characters to prevent any more punishment. Easy to see why they dumped it the first chance they got.

While I can understand the love of ones creation and the need to protect it, Penders didn't do himself any favours with Sega, so for many who want to see some justice against him, the fact that Sega won't let him use any of their characters, names and locations at this point is I guess some karma for them.

That's not to say Flynn is seen any better. When fans learned that IDW (a comic company whom I've enjoyed a number of issues from their TMNT, Ghostbusters and MLP comics) had purchased a license to produce comics for the Sonic franchise, they jumped quickly on to start a petition to bring back the Freedom Fighters. However, when they learned that Ian Flynn and his team from Archie would be taking the reins, a number of them pulled out of the Freedom Fighters push. They were not happy, either with Flynn's run on Archie or just against the guy in general. Many felt it was best to wait in the hopes they would return in more capable hands.

As it stands, I feel both would rather have been working on stories featuring their own characters rather then the official Sonic franchise ones. If given the chance, I'd rather Sega just give that to them and hand the main Sonic cast over to writers who would are more capable of writing stories that just focus on them. Would have solved one of those major conflicts that exist in this fandom.

Regardless of which one you side with, I personally just stay out of this stuff as I find that both have a tendency to come into conflict with or antagonize the fan base (let alone each other). Here is a little piece of advice, do not get involve with either of those two, do not get involved in any discussion with or about those two. Trust me, it is one of the most infuriating aspects in this fandom and you will avoid so much pain and suffering by doing so. If you to follow them then fine, but if you plan on getting involved in such drama, then enter at your own risk cause it is a dark void deep in a well of madness.

Overall:

The franchise has brought me so much joy and has helped me through some dark times. It has been responsible for helping me create some of my most used characters in a number of stories and is always something I can go back too. I also admit I could have gone into a more deeper explanation of things, but it was already getting too long. 

Sadly, more so now then ever, I find it hard to enjoy this franchise amongst the community. While we all love various parts in the franchise, I feel that people liking particular characters or feeling one thing was better then another are getting slammed on for simply having a different opinion, which is possibly getting worse then it had been. Hell, some have begun shoving their opinions down peoples throats in order to make them like the same thing as them. It seems with the growth of social media platforms such as Twitter, it is beginning to be harder to escape from such things.

I know that sounds bad and that it just reinforces the stereotype of Sonic fans being the worst, but I've been apart of many fandoms and to be honest, there isn't that much difference, especially when you get to the shipping section of fandoms (shipping being the pairing of two characters romantically). I don't regret being a Sonic fan or being part of the Sonic fandom. I guess there a just parts of it that make me feel disappointed.

Like I said at the beginning, this is simply my personal opinions and it's alright to disagree with me on things (as long as one is civilized and not a ranting lunatic). Because the franchise is so huge in so many areas, the will be so many differing opinions and that is perfectly fine. You may disagree with others, but so long as you are respectful and not trying to force your views on them, you will have a much better experience. The world is full of fans and their creations, so no doubt you'll find things like fan art, fan fiction and fan characters that will appeal to you, so stick with them and avoid all the unnecessary controversy and you can find being apart of this fandom to by an amazing experience.

 

 

Also, if people want me to go into particular details on some of my opinions, I'm happy to do so, though I'd rather focus on the more positive aspects then the negative ones.  

Slight Delay

Sorry for a lack of updates, but there are a number of family and health issues that have taken up my time recently. hopefully I'll have some stuff up in the next few weeks.

Update 20-9-21

So despite continued physical illness hitting me here and their (something to do with a continuous inflamed stomach), I have had time to do a few things.

First is that I've had some time to catch up on some reading. Currently I'm reading The First Heretic by Aaron Dembski-Bowden from the Horus Heresy series. I admit, I'm not as knowledgeable about the 40K universe as I was with the old Fantasy, though Age of Sigmar will need more then Gotrek to keep me interested at the rate its going. I did finish The Lords of Silence by Chris Wraight and found it to be an enjoyable read (gives a interesting point of view from various members of the Death Guard).

So why am I reading this Horus Heresy book in particular? Because it was recommended while I was researching Possessed Chaos Space Marines. At the moment I am taking a number of undercoated Chaos miniatures I had prepped for painting a year or so ago and was working on paint schemes and lore. This book was recommended and so far I'm fascinated about the Word Bearers and their story.

I've decided to make my latest faction a small successor Chapter, with the only name I have thought of so far for them is the Transcendent Flesh. Chaos can transmute and shape anything: Air, Water, Flesh and Steel. As such, this very minor Chapter is preaching the reshaping of reality chaos brings, luring those who are dissatisfied by physical appearances from small disfigurements to full mutations, all will be welcomed within their embrace.

Miniature wise, there will be focus on the Daemonic, from Possessed to Cult of Destruction, with Cultists being the main core and a few Chaos Spawn thrown in. I'll most likely stay away from most vehicles, with the option of Hellbrutes and Daemon Engines if I did decided to add a few. My main goal is to finish the Dark Apostle first, then work on the rest around him. Hopefully should have it done before the end of the week if all goes well. That or I get distracted trying to finish the Kill-team terrain. Either way, something will get done.

Back into Painting

So I'm currently waiting for a process that could alter things for me, so in the mean time I have made a real effort to get back into painting. Haven't completed anything since the night before my place got flooded out. Got a few shots on my phone camera (which isn't great), but just put it together so here is the Baron, my Terrorgheist:

I think my biggest problem is that I'd rather play games then paint these days and the fact that I'm not playing games means there's no real motivation to paint. It doesn't help that I want to create names and background lore for armies before I've even painted them, resulting in an ever growing pile of shame.

I've gotten close to finishing nearly all the Nighthaunt that I currently have, then got distracted by Kill-team only not to be distracted by Chaos Space Marines. At the moment Ive been working on a Dark Apostle who will lead the force and am working on a colour scheme that will be the foundation for the main faction. Rule wise I'll probably go down as a Word Bearers successor chapter, with a focus on things like those with the Deamon rule (Possessed, Obliterators, Deamon summoning etc), Chaos Spawns and Cultists.

Still got so much to do so have to focus on finishing this model, then finish the Nighthaunt so I can finally get those Kommandos done.

Got some ideas for article posts to do, though I imagine some won't be popular, but feel it's time to finally tackle some of these so I can get back to getting Animated Reflections going again. So behind on everything that it can be disheartening and depressing, but have to push myself or nothing will get done and that's not what I want, so watch this space in the next few weeks.

 

Sometimes...

 ... while looking at your twitter feed and what you see just matches so well.

A serious update

So I've been gone for a while and this time it's not fully my fault (take the positivity when you can get it, considering this next bit). Here's the thing, as a lodger I can only make suggestions to the owner as we tend to have less rights then a full on renter. As such, a number of weeks back, the bathroom sinks piping exploded and by the time we were able to shut off the water, half the unit was flooded...and my room was the hardest hit. Much of my wooden furniture (and some important paperwork) got wreaked and I was out of the house for two weeks while the carpet was being replaced. Luckily, my electrical equipment was not damaged, so kinda glade I did move my camera equipment out into the lounge room for packing only the week prior.

So yeah, I have been unable to access my computer since then as there is no where to place it as my only desk is stuffed and my room is small.

That said, did finish the Terrorghiest the night before this all happened and since then have been working between Gravelords and Nighthaunt. Not with both Kill-team and Orks coming up, I have also been working on kill-teams. I have enough to do Death Guard (5 Marines or 3 Marines and 8 Poxwalkers), Deathwatch (5 Marines but just waiting on a Plasmagun) and Necrons (4 Immortals with Gauss blasters and 5 Necron Warriors). I also have enough for an Ork team, but I'd rather use the new Kommandos instead (when we finally get the starters set as Australia's warehouse has been closed due to the Covid.

As such, most of my other projects are on hold until I can fix this housing situation, but until then I will be working on miniatures and will be relying on my phone camera to take shots for uploading. Hopefully sooner rather then later.

AoS Death Faction - Updated 2,000pt list

So with the release of the Soulblight Gravelords Battletome, I went to work on updating my Death faction army with a more updated list (and adding more miniatures to it). As you have to pick a Bloodline, I will stick with Legion of Night as it's rules fit my army the most with it's mixture of Skeleton and Bat themes. That said, it's Artifacts of Power aren't very appealing, so I'll most likely stick with the ones from the armies Realm theme, Ghur (the Realm of Beasts).

Heroes:

- Wight King (King Nicholas - General)

    -Command Trait: Unbending Will

- Necromancer (Queen Judith)

- Necromancer (Priest Herbert Fernston)  (*this option can be altered - see below)

- Vampire Lord (Count Bartholomew - King's Personal Advisor)

- Vampire Lord (Countess Miranda - Queen's Personal Beastmaster)

Battlelines:

- 10 Dire Wolves (The Hunting Pack)

- 20 Deathrattle Skeletons with Spears (House of the Crimson Fox)

- 20 Deathrattle Skeletons with Blades (House of the Azure Hare)

- 10 Grave Guard with Blade & Shield (House of the Blazing Dragon)

- 10 Grave Guard with Great Wight Blades (House of the Emerald Serpent)

Other Units:

- 5 Black Knights (House of the Violet Stallion)

- 6 Fell Bats (three from each of the 2 houses of Bats)

Monsters:

- Terrorgheist (The Baron)

So this is the army as it currently stands. As mentioned, that one Necromancer is a fill in (he was my conversion for Warcry, but only just got a name (could still change it) and have no background lore for him. So, there are a few other options, with the first one being to replace him with the Warscroll Battalion: Deathmarch, as given I have a lot of Deathrattle, this could prove useful for some maneuvering. I could also look at more Felbats or Black Knights as well, along with Endless Spells, though these options I'd still need to purchase models for.

So yes, I do have all the models in this current list and they have been put together & undercoated, though if anything it's going to take time before I finish the rest of them (around 70 models to go). As for further expansion options, either some Nighthaunt allies (spirits are part of the Kingdoms lore) or adding a second Terrorgheist (so Baroness?) and more reinforcements for the Grave Guard units. Going to focus on getting them finished before adding anything else first.

Death Battletome: Soulblight Gravelords - Thoughts and Opinions

So yeah, changed it to Thoughts and Opinions instead of Review because I felt that it lacked the format of a review, so my format won't change, just the title.

Vampires are back with an updated book to reflect all the new stuff.

The Lore:

Basic stuff, with a nice bit of text for the big man himself Nagash, but also bringing us up to the events of Broken Realms: Teclis, though it limits that part to a basic summery so you need to get the book to get the full lore of events. There is a page dedicated to each of the five cursed bloodlines, which for me is something I very much appreciate over the complete lack of information given in the Death Guard Codex, so a thumbs up on that. Oh, and of course we have a basic rundown on the background of both the faction and the characters & units within it.

Allegence Abilities:

So because this faction is more Vampire focused, the rules for General Death Faction are not in this as is the Soulblight Allegiance (as these are replaced with more specific Bloodlines). Also, Arkhan the Black and his Sacrament are not in this (including a number of units, but that's for later).

As such, you must pick one of the five Cursed Bloodlines to be your allegiance. These are:

• Legion of Blood (aka Neferata's Legion)
• Legion of Night (aka Mannfred Von Carstein's Legion)
• Vyrkos Dynasty (Belladamma Volga's group aka The Cursed City box set group)
• Kastelai Dynasty (Prince Vhordrai's group aka The Fist of Nagash)
• Avengorii Dynasty (Lauka Vai's group aka The Monster Focused Army)

Each faction has their own Battle Traits, Command Traits and Artifacts of Power. As far as their unit focuses that each one tends to favour are on: Blood is mostly Vampires and Deathrattle troops, Night is mostly everything, Vyrkos is Deathrattle, Deadwalkers and Dire Wolves, Kastelai is Vampires and Bloodknights and Avengorii are Terrorgheist and Zombie Dragons.

Grave sites are still there and are used to bring summoned units that you set aside on to the field and Deathless minions is the same as before. Wizards in the army who cast a spell on a 9+ and that spell is not unbound by your opponent, then after you apply its effects, you can apply those same effects again, so that's sweet. 

The Reanimated Horrors replaces the negative Bravery rule from the Standard Bearers, so in this army your Deathrattle and Deadwalkers will subtract 1 Bravery if an enemy unit is within 6" of one of these units or subtract 2 if they are within 6" of two or more of these units (so you can only have a max of -2 Bravery). Finally, both the Endless Legions and Deathly Invocation give you abilities to restore wounds/models to units, as is expected to in an army of the living dead.

Spells:

So there are two spell lists, one for Vampires and one for Deathmages. Vampires spells are focused more on offensive and self buffing, where as Deathmages spells are more weakening your opponent along with a single spell that can do damage and heal the caster. Despite having two separate lists, there is one spell called Invigorating Aura, which any wizard in the army can cast, which is another spell to help heal/restore models. This means there are plenty of ways to help keep weaker unit numbers up and the higher wound ones survive longer.

The one thing to got me however, was that they are the only Death faction without it's own Endless Spells. Very confused by that decision.

The King Shall Return

Warscrolls & Pitch Battle:

Obviously there is way to much for me to go through, so instead I'm going to point out a few of the pros and cons that have stood out to me.

So as mentioned above, with the Reanimated Horrors rules, the Standard Bearer rules for Deathrattle instead let you re-roll rolls of 1 for Deathless Minions rolls. While I like this, I am a little miffed at the Deathrattle Skeletons. Their rules have drastically changed from the past ones, with a slight points increase. To be fair, I'd like to try them out before making a final conclusion, it's more the fact that now I have to alter the arm of my Skeleton Champions weapon as the only way to give your champion it's extra attack is by giving it the new Mace and Helberd weapon options they now have. Yes, my biggest gripe is that I now have to convert a Champion model. Also, Deathrattle Skeletons no longer have musicians. I have no idea why, but I can only assume that they couldn't come up with a good idea for an instrument sculpt, so they scrapped it. Still going to keep the single one I have though (I'll just shove a shield on his back or something). Oh, and spears are the exact stats as blades (yes, they are now 1" range too). Yeah, I don't understand either.

Fellbats also seemed to have changed a bit. They got a slight points reduction and had Scent of Gore ability replaced with Single-minded Ferocity, which just comes down to the loss of a possible double amount of attacks and gain the ability to retreat and then charge again in the same turn. I mean, given how bats react to you when you walk by the tree their in, yes a bat does indeed retreat and then charge back to the tree as you walk by it, but I don't know if this will make them more effective given that none of their stats have changed. 

To top it all off, the Bat Swarms are no longer. Once again, another Swarm unit forsaken by the sands of time. Then again, we don't have Arkhan, the Morghast (they like staying with the Bonereapers it seems) and any of the Nighthaunt from the Legions of Nagash book too, so there's that.

Now obviously there are a lot of nice things to replace that. First off, both crews from the Underworlds boardgame are in it, along with all the living dead in The Cursed City box game. I feel this some what makes up for the fact that every Vampire model was removed from the Store to be replaced by a single model. As for what replaces Arkhan, we have the bestial Vamp lady Lauka Vai, or you can make a Vengorian Lord from the same boxset. These new leaders are the kind of creativity I've been wanting to see, and their rules are rather nice too. You want a monster themed army, give these two a look.

Speaking of new leaders, we finally have the Wight King on Skeletal Steed. He looses a single attack and the Tomb Blade rule to get the ability to cause Mortal Wounds on a 2+ when he charges. He also gets increase speed, two wounds and steed attacks. Still has the same Command Ability as his on foot counter part, but that's not a bad thing.

Zombies have got models that finally match the one of the Corpse Cart, though there rules have been changed quite a bit and got a slight points decrease. They are still good and being Deadwalkers benefit from certain rules and abilities.

Actually, there are a number of characters and units that have had their points slightly altered, but it's more the min/max unit count in the Pitched Battle Points section. Now the minimum unit is whatever the box model count, so units like Zombies are not 20 instead of 10 and Dire Wolves are now 10 instead of 5. So they are now in line with the Grave Guard that got the change in a previous update, though I can see that some might be annoyed with this change, particularly since I've seen so many run Dire Wolves in packs of five, partly as support or objective runners and partly as cheap Battleline units to free up points and spots for more effective units (Though if you're playing Vyrkos Dynasty then you'll probably take a unit or two). I imagine people will be re-evaluating their options and points after some of these changes.

Final Thoughts:

Despite the loss of Bat Swarms, I really do like this book. I feel that for most units that got a points change, it shouldn't effect things too much. The fact that they don't have Warscrolls for a Terrain piece or any Endless Spells is interesting, but I imagine that the current Endless Spells are still good, assuming you'll spend your time casting them as oppose to restoring wounds on units or weakening enemy units.

The inclusion of three new Allegiances/Cursed Bloodlines certainly adds more options/play styles to the faction. I really like how the Avengorii Dynasty makes Terrorgheist and Zombie Dragons battleline units and now all I want to see is an Avengorii monster army take on the Sons of Behemat. Would be very interesting to see.

Also interesting is their Allies, Flesh-Eater Courts and Nighthaunt. No Ossiarch Bonereapers despite Nagash is in this book. I mean, I get that the Deathrattle are very nervous as they are just bones and the Bonereapers want said bones, but you'd think the Vampires or Nagash would simply stop it. I can't wait for this conflict to be examined in future Age of Sigmar fiction and games.

So in conclusion, if your playing these Legion of Nagash armies, you'll most likely get this one as it's the replacement for Legions of Nagash (seriously, that name is no longer used in the web store and the book is no longer available). If your wanting to play an army of Skeleton, Zombies, Vampires or a mixture of the three, then this is also the book for you. If your on the fence about picking this faction for your army, I suggest either looking through the book at a local hobby store or checking out the miniature range and see if they connect with you (you can also check out the Warscrolls both on the web store or Age of Sigmar App). 

I can't wait to work out new army list with this one.

Site and Health Update

I figured this was well overdue, so a quick update on what has been going on. So obviously my mental health has not been great, with the Christmas period hitting it quite hard. However, it is the physical health that has taken a big hit, with a nasal/sinus condition I've had for a few years taking a sudden deterioration around the September/October time and it causing all sorts of frustrating problems for me. Luckily I get to see a specialist on Monday, so with luck they can figure out all the problems and we can work on fixing it.

So where does this leave all those planned projects?

Eeerrrr......

So my housing situation hasn't changed, so as such I still don't have the space to work on any of the puppets and puppet based projects, so sadly they are still on the storage and wait status. Very disappointing for my, but this limitation is a real motivation killer. I'll still work on putting ideas together, I just can't do anything with them.

Miniatures are in a similar boat, with some of the larger models being unsuitable to work on just now, while the recent Warcry faction books have really been a massive let down and so working on new warbands has halted as such (I'll most likely review one such book to explain why I'm so disappointed). Many of the Moonstone, Malifaux and Burrows & Badgers miniatures have been based and undercoated, but not much else.

Painting has been problematic. With the recent medications for nasal along with my usual Asthma ones, the shaking in my hands has gotten bad at times. As such fine detail work like highlights, patterns, eyes etc. have been difficult, if not frustrating, to do. So I've been needing something to do that didn't need me to be too neat.

So I've gone back to a batch of models I did previously and have chosen to expand on them. These are the Warhammer 40K Death Guard. So back in......oh wow, July 2019 (just looked back on the Blog history to find a post on it, no idea why the pictures are gone though) I put in for the local paining comp using a Pox Walker and a Myphitic Blight-Hauler for two of the categories. I found Death Guard are painted to look too clean, so I wanted a messy bunch. At that time I got a few more Pox Walkers and a few Plague Marines done. Though I don't remember the exact paints and techniques I used back then, I still plan on finishing more of them off. As such, these will be what I focus on, paining the base colours on a bunch of different ones at once, then focusing one each one separately to focus on washes, rusts and other effects. Will also give my thoughts on the Codex and the game in general in the future too.

As such, this is the current plan. Sorry I've been gone for a bit, but hopefully I can do better this year.