“You're Big. Fought Bigger.”

So up for a couple of big games in the next coming months. First and Foremost: Warmachine.

Unbound Rules have long been released and I'm running over them now. Though I'm kinda surprised at how much, or how little, you can activate in your turn. In turn, it also means that designing a list could be finnickey.

The trick is that when you activate a Warcaster or Warlock, you activate their entire battlegroup. Then after that, you can activate up to 4 Units, 4 Solos, 2 Battle Engines and 2 independent Warjacks or Wild Warbeasts. That can work out to be a fairly large portion of your army. Though I suppose if the player wants, they could just not activate that much and save them for later turns.

But trying out the Unbound rules sounds fun none the less.

Next is Dystopian Wars. The other day, I saw someone playing the Naval and Ground forces in one game across a large table. I'll have a dabble in that, thank you, because I have both those Battle Groups, and when the Aerial Battle Group comes out I'll chuck that in for size. I think that works out to be about a 2200 point game?

Lastly, when I eventually invest into a Megacon, I want to play Mercs. Better yet, I invest in two Megacon and play them as a team game, Six Models a squad, 12 models a player. Makes for a massive game, considering the size of a standard game.

The year is 1870. The World is at War.

Who's that ugly bastard in the beanie?

Saturday started off way too early. It was 6am and I began pressing the sleep button my phone. Eventually by 6:30 I had gotten up and toddled off to the Bus Stop so I could make my way to Kels. The plan didn't go quite as I'd hoped. Got to the second bus stop that should have taken me to Kels, but I had to wait 40 minutes before it turned up. With having to get to Kels by 8am, and the bus arriving 10 minutes before 8, I decided to take a taxi.

So I crossed the road and called up B&W Cabs to pick me up from the Caltex on Beams Road, Carseldine. Twenty Minutes later, no Taxi. Another call ordered in the next cab, making sure it was going to my Caltex since there was another one in the same suburb on Gympie Road. Fifteen minutes later, still no driver. A third call confirmed it was just down the road, and then I was off to Kels to go play Dystopian Wars at Blind Pig.

Dystopian Wars is a Steampunk Wargame that covers sea, land and air (not necessarily at the same time, fighting with a large arsenal of vehicles from battleships and double decker Aircraft Carriers, to Tanks and Giant Robot Walkers, to Air Fortresses and Blimps with Aircraft Decks. These examples are just from one faction, the Federated States of America.

It's a fun game and I spent the better part of the day playing it on the weekend. It was a battlebox based game, with full upgrades and no plane tokens. That's fair enough. My Federated States of America should have a fun time KICKING ARSE!

Sadly, I thought I was prepared. I remembered my models. I remembered my dice. I was not prepared. I did not remember to cut out my templates. I did not remember to bring a tape measure.

So for the better part of the day, I was shared tape measures and templates. Aside from such asshattery, it was a pretty awesome day. I tore apart my first opponent, my second gunned the crap out of my Battleship (Yes, he sunk my Battleship alright), and my third opponent just ripped shreds off me.

Overall it was a fun day though. And I got myself some more toys as well. I picked up the Aircraft Carrier, which is a Fkn huge model; and I picked up a battlebox of Land Forces, containing tanks and an Amphibious Landship.

Luckily I got the box for free because when John, the event Organiser, gave a random draw prize with $50 give cards for Phoenix Forge, a small company that comes down to Blind Pig every month and sets up a stall, and if there's an event he supports he'll provide gift vouchers.

Now I have about another dozen models for my Dystopian Wars army and I'm liking it. Aaron was even convinced to play because after jumping into Firestorm Armada with an Army for Aesthetics, and feeling quite Impotent against Scott with his model choices, Aaron had interrogated me about Dystopian Wars and what Army would be best suited for himself.

I may have convinced him to play a Prussian Empire Force. And hopefully we'll play a small game sometime during the week.

What I like about Dystopian Wars is that it's a nice Dice Rolling game. While Warmachine has all these various stats that count towards various attacks that add up and everything. Dystopian Wars only requires you to turn up particular faces, and then count those faces. The only numbers you have to follow by are the volume of dice you're allowed to roll and what range band you're at which adjusts that volume of dice.

A very fun day had by all. Especially Luke from Phoenix Forge, who couldn't tell who I was at first and had to ask me to make sure he was right. Oh how we laughed.

Scale of the Game

I was thinking about it today. There are a large variety of games that I've looked at, and they all go from varying scales. Not just in model size, but in description of the size of game, though they do go hand in hand. But what would it be like in the minds eye to combine the lot?

Here's an example. 40k Standard at 1:60 scale, a skirmish game with Orks and Space Marines fighting over a communications array. A way down the way, an Epic 40 at 1:600 scale fights to control an area of land. A few hundred miles straight up, there's a Battlefleet Gothic game at it's own scale fighting to stop either fleets from landing more troops.

See what I mean? It's not just a skirmish, but it's one big massive battle.

Dystopian wars has a similar thing but at a wider scale rather than a focal scale. Dystopian wars covers Air, Land and Naval. It doesn't get smaller and it doesn't get into space, but it's still impressive. Though if you cross it over with Firestorm, armada and invasion, you get pretty much all varieties of table top games. Small Skirmish, Large Battle across all territories, and a space battle up above.

So what would you do with this? Personally, i'd try and figure out a way to put it into a role play game. The players would be in control of the situation. They'd have their scenario with their own characters they made, and then situation would arise that they'd have to control a series of boats down a river so they can reach a fortress they're going to defend from a contingent of tanks making their way along. then word comes you have to fly yourselves to the space port to help with the battle in orbit. Maybe give the battleship or dreadnaught some extra stats to give the players an advantage, but nothing majorly significant. Maybe like extra health, or extra weapons.

Perfect reason to do a Dystopian Role Play game. The players are a group of privates who work their way up to take full control of every situation that arrives, from performing artillery strikes to escorting a naval fleet across the sea to their new destination. Then after dealing with the situation there, they fly off to the mountains in a carrier plane and fend off enemies in fighter planes, or heavy bombers.

This is sounding cooler and cooler every moment.

Latest in Wargames

Recently there has been an addition to my collection of Models and some more thought processes. For one, there's Dystopian Wars. My friend Juffo has picked up a mega deal and gotten a starter box of each faction.

I am going forth with the Federated States of America. Giant Paddleboats are awesome. And the starter comes with a load of stuff too! It's awesome!


Other news, the Imperial Idea is coming along with small, but effective, details being layered onto the Xdestroyer and is turning out cool. In my opinion it is anyway.



Operation Remix hasn't gotten any further than a repositioned Juggernaut. Currently waiting to do a bulk order to Privateer Press before I move any further on that.

Bulk order also includes some other bits and pieces I need/want so I can fix up or 'Improve' on old models. Not to mention Battle Mechaniks for my next Man-o-War addition. And Parts for my Dioramas.

One idea is a Man-O-War Spriggan, so I've bought arms, the Lance and a Bombard Muzzle so I can convert them up into Shocktrooper-esque pieces. Another is the Gudrun Diorama with Gudrun himself and the Scared Girl from Nightmare, and also the Cryx Battlebox so I can do the Remix Diorama. Then there's replacing the head of my MK1 marauder, and also fixing my Karchev's legs because I can't seem to get the ones I have fixed.

Note to self: Must dig out Karchev Skirt for Imperial.


Something cool I heard the other night. Apparently there were going to be rules for 40k talking about Space battles on the sides of Space Hulks. I reckon that would be an awesome gaming table for 40k. Though watch out for the stained glass windows else you fall in.

Make some ramps; various bits and pieces jutting out from the side for cover; various dents for improvised trenches; a chasm or which open into the space hulk; an exposed reactor. Awesome stuff.

The year is 1870.

In other news, more models have come my way thanks to Kel. This time it's Dystopian Wars. Victorian Steampunk Naval Battle? Sounds freaking awesome!

I had a little trouble working out what faction I wanted. Kel had chosen his two, the Prussian Empire because they have an Aircraft Carrier sitting on top of a freaking Zepplin, and the Kingdom of Brittania, so that he could impersonate the Colonel from Dr who.

"Righto lads. Chap with the teeth, five rounds rapid."

I didn't really want to go with the Empire of the Sun, because I just didn't find an interest in them, so I went with the Federated States of America. Which is good, because they look pretty awesome.