play : adepticon 2013

In the weeks leading up to Adepticon 2013, I was debating whether this year would be my last. I've made the 15 hour drive five consecutive years now and, to be honest, I ended Adepticon 2012 on a particularly bad note (Through no-one's fault but my own). For that and other reasons, I've been eyeballing the potentially greener pastures of other conventions - GenCon, WargamesCon, DuelCon, etc. Now that Adepticon 2013 is over, I find myself reinvigorated - jazzed on mind-blowing displays of hobby, gaming and friendship. Sunday night, while chatting post-con with friends who came into this year's con with a similar mind-set, we resolved to once again make the pilgrimage to Chicago next April.

Highlights of the convention, and things that swayed me into coming back include, in rough chronological order...

• "Give me your muffin!" - Celso
• X-Wing Miniatures Game - Ran several folks through demoes of this one and most bought in by con's end. It really is a fantastic little game, even without the 2nd set of ships. I definitely learned the value of a Y-Wing equipped with an Ion Cannon! Depending on schedule conflicts, I could easily see playing in a tourney of this next year.
  
• The William Wallace Burger - a nice, thick hamburger with a sausage & beef patty, gently breaded and fried, topped with a fried egg. Serve it quartered, pulled to the edges of the plate with a heaping helping of beer-battered onion straws drizzled with ketchup and a side of blue-dyed ranch just big enough to dip half of each burger in. (Doesn't exist, but MightyTim and I think it should. Makes more sense than Tilted Kilt's "Braveheart Salad.")
• Cards Against Humanity - Yes, it often devolves into racist, sexist, sexual or grotesque humor... but I'm okay with that. I laugh too damn hard not to enjoy the game. I particularly liked when, "Life for the Native Americans was forever changed after the white man introduced them to scalping," and "White people like smallpox blankets." were played within cards of each other.
• Dreadball - Fast paced game with crazy simple mechanics. Played in the tournament on Friday and had an absolute blast. I plan to do a better write up of the tournament later this week, but the short of it is that I'm dying to get the local guys into it and start a league. Teams are cheap, and I think they'd love it if they gave it a try.
  
• "Slaanesh!" - Damon... at first. Then e'rybody.
• Display boards - Always inspired, often inspiring, these monuments to gaming and hobby never cease to be a highlight of Adepticon for me. One of these days, one of 'em will be mine.

  

  

  

• Roman - anyone looking to go from gamer or hobbyist to artist needs to watch this guy in action. His build process is downright Bob Ross-ian in it's flow - he's got a general idea of what he wants to do, but lets it come out organically, ebbing and flowing with each new addition to the base. His paint style isn't much different and provided my biggest "Holy crap! Mind = blown!" moment of the con. What he does is amazing. And it's art - not the rigid process that Games Workshop uses (for better and worse) to get people into the hobby. I'm already looking through models to see what inspires me to work in a similar fashion.

  

• The people - I got to catch up with old friends (Celso, Damon, Fish, Rich, Tim, etc.) and make new ones (Loopy, Starminer, Jen, et. al.). I got to hang out with folks whose work I've been wowed by for years and they got to be wowed by my "Rice Whiskey Treats with Bacon." No matter how much time I spend with these people, when Sunday rolls 'round I'm jonesing for the next year to get here so I can hang out with them again.
• Portillo's - Between the Italian Beef & Hot Pepper sammich literally dripping with au jus and the diabetic bliss of a Cake Shake, it's probably for the best that I don't live anywhere near one.

  

• BootaTown - MightyTim did a stellar job taking the abandoned reins of BootaTown and putting together a fun, laid back event for Sunday. Fun people, fun games, amazing swag. The fact that he's already soliciting advice for next year makes me confident that BootaTown is in fantastic hands for the foreseeable future.
• The atmosphere - The Adepticon council made several changes this year (separate vendor hall, changing order and length of some tournaments) that I think drastically improved the overall vibe and feel of the con. I've been coming for 5 years straight, and I don't think it's ever felt this relaxed and accessible. Big thumbs up to Hank, Greg, Matt, Jeff and the rest of the crew.

For the above reasons, and many more, I had an absolutely fantastic weekend. The doubt is gone. I'll be queuing up to register for Adepticon 2014. Can somebody save me a spot in the VIG line?

paint: dreadball: rammers of krass brokkr

So, amongst last year's Kickstarter backings I pledged at Striker level on a little game called Dreadball. I've got mixed feelings regarding Mantic's handling of this project - Primarily that my FLGS had it for sale a good two-three weeks before I got my copy and that flashing on my Veer-myn is so bad that I stopped assembling them from frustration. - yet I was still incredibly excited when I got my box around New Year's and quickly assembled both the Forge Father and Orx teams and grabbed for my paints.

Rammers of Krass Brokkr : Striker (Gorim Ironstone model)

Because I tend to use paint schemes with a ridiculous amount of steps, I decided to change things up and see if I could strike a balance between speed and visual appeal by only using base-colors, sloppy highlights and an all-inclusive wash. The results aren't my favorite figures I've ever painted, but I think they do look like a coherent team on the table-top and I'm not ashamed to call them my own.

Rammers of Krass Brokkr : Team Photo

Oddly enough, the color scheme was picked out long before Dreadball was even a game! Several years ago, when I saw Mantic's Dwarf infantry models for Kings of War, I was struck by their similarity to one of the few He-Man toys I ever owned - Ram-Man. I always thought it'd be fun to paint up a regiment with colors that drive home their aesthetic similarities, but never had reason to purchase the models. Fast-forward to now, and I've finally got my hands on Mantic figures that, while not holding the aesthetic quite as well as their fantasy Dwarfs, they still hold close enough to follow through on the concept.

Rammers of Krass Brokkr : Guard

And, because I can't ever be too big a nerd, I decided this homage needed a team name and logo that helps solidify the connection between these guys and their Masters of the Universe roots. With a little research I found that Krass was Ram-Man's name prior to donning the armor that makes him literally spring into battle head-first and that Brokkr means mine and/or blacksmith. So the name roughly translates to "The Ram-Men from a Mine named Krass" The typography is a vectors-from-scratch throwback to the old Masters of the Universe logo.

I like to think I pulled it off.

Despite finishing these guys in January, I've still not given the game a whirl. One of the local guys took my Corporation team off my hands, but we've both been too busy with life and other games to get it to the table yet. I hope to remedy that soon, as I'll be playing in the Dreadball tournament at Adepticon this April, which happens whether I've gotten in practice games or not.

build: tau bunker and cannon

It took me FAR too long to settle on the design of this Christmas gift. So much so that I finally shipped it the Tuesday before Easter. Yeah. Not my finest hour of timing, but I do think the results are kinda cool.

I don't own Tau, so getting the aesthetic right was a new challenge for me. After a few false starts, I ended up using wood and plasticard to make prototype "feet" before casting copies in the hardest plaster I could find locally. A few passes with a scribing tool using the lines of Tau weapons and vehicles for inspiration later, and I think it captures the Tau aesthetic pretty well.

And here's the card that accompanied the bunker...

build: x-wing: "asternoids"

Been awhile since I've posted an update here, but I have been busy. I hope to spend the next few weeks trickling in pics of various projects and my thoughts on the games they're for.

First up, some terrain I slapped together for Fantasy Flight Games' Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game. When I was working on them, my 3-year-old son would watch what I was doing and say, "Daddy, I love you asternoids." I've called the that ever since. Unfortunately, I don't have any WIP pics to show, but they're not too difficult to figure out.

SHOPPING LIST

• Lava rock (10 lb. bag in the gardening section of Home Depot)
• Bosch BlueGranite Turbo 1/8" drill bit (conveniently fits in a Dremel)
• 1/8" dowel rod
• Hex nuts and/or washers with 1/8" holes
• Wooden discs (wood isle at Hobby Lobby)

I dulled a couple drill bits on the first three rocks before I found the bit specified above. Once I got the Bosch, it went through the other 26 rocks I set aside with no sign of slowing down. Do yourself a favor and just start with that one. Grab it off Amazon if you have to.

If you look past the fighters, you can likely piece together the assembly instructions.

1. Drill into rock.
2. Drill into base.
3. Wood glue dowel into base.
4. Super-glue washer and/or hex nut to base.
5. Hot glue rock on top of dowel.

After that, it's a simple matter of painting them however you like. Personally, I primed them white, then split them into two batches. Half got a thorough coating of a deep reddish-brown followed by a heavy drybrush of a lighter brown. The other half got a thorough coating of a dark grey, followed by a heavy drybrush of a mid-grey. Then they all got a zenithal drybrush of a light blonde to tie them all together.

I think they came out pretty well for a weekend's work and look snazzy on the Gale Force 9 Space Game Mat.

paint: jake 15

Back in September I helped Kickstart Impact! Miniatures set of Ice Hockey miniatures with the plan of turning "Hockey Defenseman" into this year's Christmas present for my younger brother, who played hockey from age 3 to High School. Here are the fruits of those labors...
(click for LARGE version)

Making the rink segment was a nice challenge and it was great to finally pull the plasticard back out and muck around with it. It's been far too long since I've used that particular set of skills.

As has painting. Particularly when I'm attempting to paint him to a high standard. I've never really had to paint black before, which was a fun challenge. Taking bits and pieces of several Adepticon classes to heart I primed white, blocked in a thin layer of mid-grey, and then washed down to black in the shadows while gently painting up a thinned, lighter grey on the highlights. The freehand didn't fare quite as well, but I think I did a passable job of recreating the Coppell Cowboys logo. It's certainly no award winner, but I'm proud of it. I think it's probably the single best bit of work I've done on a figure to date and has me in the mood to paint up more "showpiece" figures.

...after I get all these Infinity and Dreadball figures painted up...

build: mobile frame zero: miscellaneous frames

I've been absent for awhile. No excuses, just explanations.

After Adepticon 2012, I was burned out on 40K. Some of that may have had to do with how poorly I behaved myself Saturday evening, some of that may have had to do with an impending rules revision, who knows. Either way, I've spent far more time on getting fit than hobby of late. I'm not sorry for that, I feel the best I've felt in my life, but I do feel bad for not blogging what hobby progress I've had.

For a brief period I was completely infatuated with Dust Warfare, and I'll definitely post pics when I get back to it, but most of my hobby energy of late has been consumed by Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack. I was one of the Kickstarter backers back in April, but it took inheriting decades worth of LEGO bricks from my little brother (some of which I and my cousins had passed down to him) to get me really going.

After a couple weeks sorting through two huge tubs of LEGO bricks, I started building. My first creation was inspired by the Mobile Frame Hangar "Frame Chef" challenge for July. I think it's far too animalistic for the setting, but think it's a pretty neat little creation.

IF Beetle

NDI "Soldier"

The "Soldier" torso was also crafted with July's Frame Chef part firmly in mind. I think it's both a better fit for the universe and a better springboard for future tinkering. The legs are cribbed heavily from Soren's "Conscript" and "Commissar" design (which we'll see again soon), but the torso/hip attachment is a bit flimsy. The shoulder connections could use some shoring up as well. I plan to revisit this one soon, replacing the arms with massive guns and possibly sticking it on a tracked or wheeled base.

451st Militia

When I saw Soren's Conscript and Commissar frames, I knew I'd be building some. The design just clicks with me, so I built up four with parts on hand. There are a few minor aesthetic tweaks (backpacks, feet) to lend unit cohesion, but they're mostly stock. I'm still figuring out what systems I want to put on these guys, but I do know I want dual flame-throwers. His weapons and backpack are of my own design, and I love how they work with the "Come at me bro" stance.

The twins' napping and me dinking around with bricks ended up with this little scout flyer that looks like it'd fit in pretty well with Soren's Ijad forces. I even went so far as to come up with some in-game fluff to tie it in to the MF0 universe.

Ijad "Screamer"

Designed as mechanical version of the the songbirds that congregate near Ijad villages on Celial, the "Screamer" is a small, light craft that uses specially tuned sensor and communication systems to scout ahead and alert Ijad frames to danger. The usually melodic songbirds, frequently ridden by young Ijad to experience the freedom of flight, get their name from the high-pitched, extra-sensory wail they emit when predators lurk near.

While in a "tiny aircraft" mode, I made a human flyer as well.

M&S Industries' A47 "Thunderbolt"

Borrowing its name from ground attack craft of yore, the M&S Industries' A47 "Thunderbolt" doesn't so much fly as it uses brute force to defy gravity. This brute force is echoed in the A47's twin, forward-facing, high-caliber machine guns with StrafeTrack™ technology for increased time-on-target and increased accuracy. Need even more time-on-target? Powerful engines and tilt-wing design combine with M&S's lowest-yield repulsor drive to date, making the A47 capable of extremely low-speed hover and pureVERTICAL™ take off and landing.* * Professional pilot in closed airspace. Take off and landing within 10 degrees of perpendicular.

I feel I'm starting to get the hang of building at this scale. There's lots of neat little tricks I've learned from the Mobile Frame Forge and MF0 Flickr galleries, and there's always somebody doing something new/inventive with parts. My goal is to get three distinct sets of frames built up, slap together some terrain, and then start learning the game in earnest. It looks like a fun little system, and who doesn't like the idea of having a battlefield literally littered with the blocky remnants of their enemies forces?

miscellaneous: battlefoam

Back in November I took advantage of Battlefoam's Black Friday sale and ordered up a whole mess of custom foam for various projects. Last Friday, it arrived.

Two trays of custom-sized foam, two trays of Battlefoam-sized foam, and eight trays of Spartan-sized foam snuggly packed inside a new Spartan Bag. All the foam was custom-cut based on designs I sent them.

First we'll look inside the bag...

I used the Battlefoam Custom Tray Creator for my Dystopian Wars FSA foam. As you can see, it fits the models well and I added a little room for expansion of my forces.

The remainder of the foam in my "Spartan Games Bag Custom Load Out" bundle was designed for my Aeronautica Imperialis models and made from designs I mapped out in Illustrator and sent in as PDFs.

All 6 trays fit quite snuggly in the P.A.C.K. 216 I bought at Adepticon a couple years ago.

The Battlefoam-sized trays were designed using the Custom Tray Creator and laid out to fit all 2000 points of Iron Warriors I have planned in a single Spartan Bag. My only quibble here is that the "Vindicator" hole from the Custom Tray Creator is extremely tight at the dozer blade. While this'll help during transport, I worry about wear on the paint job as I pull the model in and out of the tray. We'll see once I've actually painted the damn things.

Last, but not least, is the custom-sized, custom-cut foam trays I had designed for Wizkid's Star Trek: Fleet Captains. The foam has been made mostly unnecessary in the latest printing of the game, as Wizkid's has re-jiggered the inside of the box to better support the models and cards without breakage. However, I'd already designed this thing up in Illustrator and paid for the foam, so I went ahead with it.

As you can see, some of the ships sit pretty low in their holes. I had Battlefoam send me the insides of the holes, and will likely pull out the wire foam cutter to make varying height bases in the bottom of each hole. As with the Aeronautica foam, I probably could've designed the holes a bit tighter, but this being my first experience with Battlefoam's foam, I played it safe rather than sorry.

The lid sticks up a 1/4" or so due to the foam's base. I think it's a small price to pay for the protection the foam offers.

My initial impressions overall are positive. The foam appears to be of high quality and fits most of the figures snug. All quibbles are based less on practical application than theoretical at this point. With one of the Fleet Captains foams winging its way to Los Angeles soon, and most of the other trays headed to Adepticon with me, we'll see how the models, and my impression of the foam, hold up.