*yawn* It has been a very very long week. The amount of sleep I want, and have even gotten, has been through the roof. I spent all last weekend snoozing through the warm sunlight that we had, and that was having a 3 day weekend thanks to asking for a 'personal day'. I was meant to be preparing for the move I have to perform in less than a week, but I haven't really done much in that respect. I cleaned up a little, washed my clothes, put some DVD's in a box, put some figures into another box, and that was it. I was lost otherwise, and spent most of my time pacing around the room thinking "I know I should be doing something, but I don't know what to do".
My room isn't a horrid mess or anything, but there's lots of iddy biddy things all over the place. The place I'm moving into looks good, and because Dee has bought the place, she has put up a reasonable digit for rent which isn't too far from what I'm paying now. She's looking for a third person to move in, so instead of having me pay half the rent, she has lowered it to something more reasonable until we get the third person in. In which case, the overall goes up and my share goes down.
What's going to be great about this place, aside from being a townhouse that has one neighbour because the other sides are a Tennis Court and a School Footy field and that the different train station I have to go to is the same distance as where i am now to my current station, is that I'll have a wardrobe to use. A wardrobe man! At the moment, I've got this shitty Ikea thing that is only good for hanging my wallet and keys from, and doubling as a long bedside table!
It's the simple things in life...
I AM going to have to get myself that Desk I always wanted and bookshelf. My collection is slowly growing and I really just want to have them easily accessable rather than having them hide in the TV unit that Richard and Mel gave me. Same thing with my games, I want to put them into a fucking shelf, rather than have them piled up next to the respective consoles.
My eyesight is starting to worry me. I think it's the low light that i'm regularly subjected to at work and at home. Work's lightbulbs, those long cylindrical ones that I've forgotten the name of, and the light here at home are both rather dull. I can hardly see the floor when the light at home is on, and it doesn't help that I've got visual snow too. Seriously, can't look at black and see just black. It's like TV on bad reception. It could just be the sleep though, because my eyes are starting to ache a little every so often. Could be I need a new prescription on glasses too, I dunno. I've only had them for... 2 years I think? I'm not sure. I know it's at least a year.
Today I was meant to go out with mum and see a movie. I'm pretty sure we were meant to, but I think mum forgot? Or I told her not to? I don't know. I just know she's not here, and that's a little inconvenient because I wanted to grab some boxes from the local self storage place so I can do some packing over the week. Then come saturday, i get my bro-in-law with my Ute, that i'm legally not allowed to drive becuase I'm still on my L's, and we just do a few trips and Bam. Just like last time and the time before.
The only thing we really have to worry about is the rain. Which came almost torrentially on thursday night/friday morning. Well, maybe not Torrentially, but there were torrents involved. There was a lot of it, okay?
Then there's Nats party that I'm going to that night. I have my clothes pretty much picked out, and I must remember Jennys present to Nat. Jenny got a block of chocolate, and now Nat gets her return present sooner than later.
Jenny and I are doing really well. I'm actually going to leave the ambiguity of that line open, because it's all true.
Video games are video games. I've been playing Borderlands incessantly trying to work my way up to max level. It's really hard getting up to level 61. Level "Hurr Hurr" 69 is going to be nuts when the download comes to allow everyone to that level.
But that's my life at the moment. Nothing else has been happening except being that little bit more exhausted than usual and money pouring out of my pockets like piss through a seive.
09 October 2010
30 September 2010
Mum always called me the blue screen of her life.
If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If you poison us, do we not die?
NO! Because we're better than all you stinking fleshbags!
Viva La Robolution!
- Quote from a Claptrap Propaganda Tower
If I haven't said it before, I'll say it again. I love Borderlands. It's a game that takes itself as far from seriously as reasonably possible, then throws in a few extra feet for good measure. The gameplay is fun, where you run around and shoot as many bullets as possible at something to kill it. At least that's my experience as Roland, who has ammo regeneration. That's probably cheating.
But I've had a lot of fun playing the game, and especially their expansions. Some of the bosses aren't that fantastic. The Destroyer is quite a let down, Dr Ned kinda needs a new tactic, and Generall Knoxx should probably consider getting out of the robot suit.
The fourth expansion takes on a new boss, as you'd expect from something that isn't designed to be an arena *cough*Underdone*cough*. This is Claptraps New Robot Revolution. He has let loose the clap traps from their bonds of slavery and brought forth havoc among the populace of Pandora.
As far as I've found, Claptraps have got about three different classes themselves. Master Samaurai, which are a variant of 3 different figures (A boxer with punching gloves; a random dude with a pair of wooden mallets; and Mr Tee with a pair of knives); Freedom Fighters, firing off a shotgun or a combat rifle; and suicide bots. They also tend to come out in hordes, filing out of a spawn point one after another for much longer than one would hope.
Then he has assimilated older enemies into Claptraps. Psycho-traps; Lance-traps; Skagg-traps; Rakk-traps. Pretty much every enemy has been turned into a variation of a Claptrap, with skin that has been tarnished with mechanical blight, and a giant
The best part is that Claptrap revives old bosses, who are extremely surprised to have been revived.
“Hehe, I'm baaack. Wait, I'm back?!”
General Knoxx -trap
I love this game. I can't wait to finish it. To boot, it's got an additional Eight levels to earn!
27 September 2010
Ausnats 2010 Results
http://www.wargamerau.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=103567
Hey all,
My final task before turning in after a long weekend: reporting the results!
First off a few Thank You's.
To all of our sponsors: Ace Comics, Privateer Press, The Tin Soldier, Phoenix Forge, Irresistible Force, Back2Base-IX, Infinity Games, Mana Bar and Stewart's Trophies. They all provided excellent support and the event would not have run at all without them.
To my helpers: Skarburn, Discombobulate, Meatshield, Tilaurin, Norton, Richard & all of the Oz and NZ Press Gang (local and overseas...).
To my family: my ever patient wife, my son, Aunt Mavis and my parents.
To the players: without you all there IS no event and you were a fantastic and patient group. Easily the best group of players I have ever run an event for.
Now for what you all came here for - results!
2010 Warmachine & Hordes Australian Nationals
1 James Kerr-Reeve Protectorate of Menoth Champion, Best of Faction
2 Allen Love Cryx 2nd Place, Best of Faction
3 David Harris Cryx 3rd Place
4 David Lancaster Trollbloods 4th Place, Best of Faction
5 Damien Hutchins Protectorate of Menoth
6 Kieran Moore Cryx
7 Nathan Burns Legion of Everblight Best of Faction
8 Neil Pohlman Mercenaries Best of Faction, Best Dressed (Painted Army)
9 James Rothwell Khador Best of Faction
10 Aaron Davies Trollbloods
11 Kerry Clarkson Minions Best of Faction
12 Leigh Callahan Cygnar Best of Faction
13 Ben Hayes Protectorate of Menoth
14 Ben French Protectorate of Menoth Best Sportsman
15 Daniela Kuckhahn Circle Orboros Best of Faction
16 Rob Blacklock Cygnar
17 Tobias Ford Retribution of Scyrah Best of Faction
18 Rory Cartwright Khador
19 Dave Trueman Cryx
20 Prasant Moorthy Khador
21 Terry Masson Cryx
22 Rolf Heissleitner Cygnar
23 Joshua Claridge Protectorate of Menoth
24 Jonathan Van Vugt Cryx
25 Glenn Blair Protectorate of Menoth
26 Jamie Shirlaw Khador
27 Adrian Roberts Khador
28 Thom Weston Cryx
29 Alex White Cryx
30 Scott Shaw Legion of Everblight
31 Jason Cooper Cygnar
32 The Medway Khador
33 Grahame Roberts Khador
34 Aharon Claridge Cryx Wooden Spoon
Prizes:
First Place: Jackhammer Trophy, Signed copy of Hordes Primal Mk2, $250 Ace Comics Voucher
Second Place: 2nd Place Trophy, $150 Ace Comics Voucher
Third Place: 3rd Place Trophy, $100 Ace Comics Voucher
Fourth Place: 4th Place Trophy, $50 Ace Comics Voucher
Best Dressed: Privateer Press Art Print of Choice, Warmachine Cuff Links
Best Of Faction: Framed Certificate
Best Sportsman: Engraved Tankard, $50 Mana Bar Bar Tab
Wooden Spoon: Wooden Spoon, Hordes T-Shirt.2010 Slam-a-palooza Results
1 Tobias Ford Skorne First Place, Most Warjacks Destroyed (6), Most Successful Power Attacks (12)
2 Scott Shaw Legion of Everblight Second Place, Most Assassinations (3)
3 Kerry Clarkson Minions Third Place
4 Ben French Protectorate of Menoth Most Beasts Killed (4)
5 Rob Blacklock Cygnar
6 Alex White Cryx
7 Dave Trueman Cryx Most Infantry Killed in 1 Turn (13)
8 Nathan Burns Legion of Everblight
9 Jamie Shirlaw Khador
10 Neil Pohlman Mercenaries
11 Daniela Kuckhahn Circle Orboros
12 Rolf Hiessleitner Cygnar
13 Terry Masson Trollbloods
14 Jonathan Van Vugt Cryx Fastest Win (19mins)
15 Glenn Blair Protectorate of Menoth
16 The Medway Minions
17 Aaron Davies Trollbloods
18 Thom Weston Cryx
Prizes:
First Place: Oz Discordia Trophy, $150 Ace Comics Voucher
Second Place: 2nd Place Plaque, $100 Ace Comics Voucher
Third Place: 3rd Place Plaque, $50 Ace Comics Voucher
Other Awards: Plaque, $10 Phoenix Forge Voucher
Painting Competition:
Best Warcaster/Warlock/Solo: Patrick O'Connell (macmusic22) - Major Markus "Siege" Brisbane
Best Warbeast/Warjack: Daniela Kuckhahn (nailyon) - Feral Warpwolf
Prizes:
Framed Certificate, $50 Irresisitible Force Voucher
Thanks again everyone!
Australian Warmachine Nationals Weekend - Day 2
Huh? W hat's the time? I don't have my phone here. Look for the laptop. Nope, it's on the floor. With my phone. Cool. What's the time? 6:24. Right. Isn't that late? No no, surely we should be up at 6:30. Fuck it, I'll got back to sleep.*ding ding ding ding*
Kelvins phone tinkled in the background from across the hall and made me groan in my mind. Nobody should be awake at 6:30 in the morning. It's an affront to the Powers that Be, who gave us the blessed Sunday to spend sleeping into the wee hours of the afternoon.
No no no, we're playing games today. We're going to enjoy playing games too. Well I am, while Kel runs himself that little more ragged running the event. Today was the SLAM-A-PALOOZA, a stuff around day of gaming for all with fun tables to play on, with their own little themes and features.
The favourite of the day though was “GIT OFFIN MA' LAWN!” where straight in the middle was a small shanty house that house an old man that runs about shooting someone with his... well a good description would be an Elephant Gun.
“Fetch me ma' killin pants!”But it wasn't entirely fun for all, as we had the finalists from yesterday set up on a table in the corner. The tp four players were facing each other off with larger armies and the determination to go home with the Jackhammer trophy. All four of them would go home with trophies, made up by Humph and Kel themselves, along with other prizes, one of which was picked up by myself at Gencon Indy (A book of Hordes Primal signed by the staff themselves).
I had a fantastic time, even looking after the “Sausages inna bun” stall that was served at lunch. One less thing for Kel to worry about, really, and he was running around like a chook with its head cut off that day. I had myself 3 sausages inna bun, two for the usual and another for my efforts. It went down well with breakfast...
Yes, breakfast: 2 Servo Pies (a normal 'meat' pie, and an Angus Beef pie) mixed with 2 Red Bulls. Everyone could see what was going to happen, and they were standing at least a good metre away from me when they could.
And fuckin jesus they were right. I kept myself moving, just to make sure it doesn't concentrate into a biohazard in that area and that if anyone caught a whiff, they would only catch a small scent of it if anything at all. Kel was the only person who caught it, and that was while we were packing the terrain and stuff into his Man-cave. “Oh Medway that's wrong. Wrong wrong, it's all full of wrongibility.”
Back to the game, and away from the chemical warfare in my bowels, it was a day full of interesting fights with my pig army. Oh man, the Baconation list wasn't going well for me, as first game I lost within the first few turns; the second game was a buy (I don't get why it's supposed to be called a bye); the third game was on “GIT OFFIN MA LAWN” where I almost annihilated the old man in the house on first turn (Looking at my army it looked like everyone was revolting against the farmer) and I lost because Rob was playing a dude who shoots someone so many times that if they're not dead then they're pretty much bullshit; and the fourth game was on a temple table and I lost because I just couldn't roll well enough. And when I roll 5 dice, and have to take away the two best, and I still don't get above 9, it was pretty obvious where the game was headed.
All in all, it was extremely fun. And I know that Kel won't be organising another event for a long time, if at all. It was also a tiring game, so I'm going to go to sleep now. G'night.
26 September 2010
Australian Warmachine Nationals Weekend - Day 1
It was a dark and stormy night. A Friday actually, and it wasn't really that dark but it was definitely gloomy and it wanted to storm so bad that it jumped up and down trying to wet itself with anticipation. And it was still only evening.
I'd gotten home to Dee in the kitchen talking with Mel about shenanigans as I packed up my gear to go to Kelvins for the night. Stop to take a call from Scotty to make sure where I was; my two privateer press related shirts; my laptop in case he wants two people to check lists; a network cable in case he didn't get one; stop to take a call from Scotty to ask Kel about whether he could stay the night; pack both my Warmachine: Prime and Hordes: Primal; make sure my wallet is in the bag; pack a pair of pantaloons to sleep in; take another call from Scotty to ask if I'd asked Kel the questions or not, to which his disappointment lay with how I hadn't gotten to Kels yet because I was still packing up my shit.
It was at this point that I was starting to remember why I don't like organising things with Scotty, because he will call you to make sure you're going to do that thing that you were going to do right then and there. It's almost as if he doesn't trust in people. I could understand with Aaron, because Aaron is quite unreliable and will either leave things to the last minute on principle or he will just not turn up at all without notice.
After bumming a lift from Dee to also discuss things like numbers for the house she's buying and I'm renting out of, I finally got to Kel's place, asked the questions Scotty wanted me to ask, and got a call from Scotty to ask if the questions had been asked.
This was the last night though, the night before the Australian Warmachine-Hordes Nationals. I was helping Kel organise the finishing touches with the event, such as event bags and checking army lists that people had sent in. To help pass the time with having background noise, Kel put on Alice in Wonderland, the Tim Burton one. Yeah, didn't really like it. Looked too sensible. And the girl looked like her innards were about to burst out like a waterballoon.
But after that, he really brought on the good stuff by playing Flash Gordon. I'd never seen it before, and neither had Scotty, but sweet jesus titty cinnamon. My favourite character is Dr Zarkov, because he's so ridiculous. "The Sun is not out? CHECK THE ANGLOVECTOR OF THE MOON!"
Also, Scotty and I were sad to discover that Hot Hail is quite lame. With such a fiendish machine that can create a variety of natural disasters, earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes, why would you even bother putting Hot Hail on there?
Long into the night we prepared, organising prizes, table top terrain, etc etc etc. Midnight we eventually go to bed.
At 5:30 we rose to victory, which smells like reheated hawaiian pizza. Much like the delivered pizza I had last night...
We drove off to the venue, Comic Warriors in Annerley, and we got into the venue thanks to Glen the Owner and we set up the tables with the assistance of Disco, Allan and Olaf. I have no idea who Olaf is, I assume he was here either for "Magic the Gathering" or because he worked there. He was very keen on the game though, and we let him have a browse through the general rulebook to see if there was anything in particular he was keen on.
The day was divided up into 5 rounds between the 34 players that had registered and turned up. Four had to pike at the last minute for various reasons that I'm unaware of and will remain unaware of, so I will just say that they're off saving the galaxy from the moon being drilled by a gigantic laser and eventually causing it to land and making us explode.
The day for me was divided up into 7 parts, and behind the scenes I was messaging Jenny as much as possible to keep her updated with what was happening.
The first part was the first round of the tournament. We got right into it and I was faced up with the only Girl at the event. Righto, I'll take my Heavy Infantry List full of dudes in Steam Powered Armour.
Yeah, she ignored them and took out my Kommander with Teleporting Boulders. Oh sorry, Baulder. My bad. He's the big hippy guy who looks like Brian Blessed? Yeah, he disappears in a group of trees and teleports into a different set of trees near him.
She was nice though. Dani is dating Terry from Adelaide, who is a really nice and funny guy. I faced him at the end of the day at part 6. We found ourselves at the table closest to Kel and, because of the particular list he was fielding which is a REALLY nasty mob of skeletons with massive fuck-off axes, I said he was wearing a Dick Hat to compensate for using said list. Oh how we laughed. A few of the guys next to us were just wanting to get a tape recorder and place it on the table to listen to us yell at each other until we were stupid.
Second game was against Rob, with him using a Themed list as well full of the heavy infantry of his faction, and me using Karchev the Terrible who only lives up to his name when he gets assassinated by a zooming dude with hair spiked up with enough gel to straighten the tower of pisa, waving a big sword and thinking he's oh so scary because he remembered his dick hat this morning and the only reason he wasn't wearing it is because it got crushed in the luggage.
Third game was after lunch, to which we reach the third part. Lunchtime was simply a sausage sizzle out the back. Kel had gotten his aunt over to cook, and boy was she a bloody good sausage cooker (See, I haven't had a decent sausage in months because my roommates always leave them juicy and just that little bit undercooked rather than grilled), and I helped out by guarding the table from fiends who were very keen on the sausage sizzle, not that you can blame anyone. For about an hour (at least it felt it) i was guarding the table and saying the following lines.
"Okay, do you have your white card? When you want your drink, go to the counter, hand it over and grab you drink from the fridge."
"You don't have a card? Go up to the counter, they'll ask for some money and you get a raffle ticket. Bring that to me and I'll take it off your hands."
"You may have two sausages in a bun."
"Yes, that's two... of a sausage in a bun."
Everyone was really good about it, so I was happy with that. I had an extra half sausage for my efforts. Can't go wrong with a cold half sausage that has been cooked properly.
Third game, now, was against a fairly new player with one of the more difficult to face armies. One of those armies that has big buttons all over saying "This is good, and this is good too". Playing the Karchev list again, because he was really fun the other times I played him so why not play him again, I got the moral victory for making him kill EVERY single piece of my army. I think we sat there for a good... 6 turns before he finally whittled me down to nothing.
I was a little disappointed that I didn't have much more of an effect, because I had some bad rolls. Particularly a half dozen Snake Eyes (which are an auto fail on attacks) which would've been wonderful for them to hit. I would've also done better if that fkn elf who turns your warcasters impotent every turn she gets a chance, wasn't there.
Fourth game was my first, and only victory where he had made the fault by spreading himself a little TOO thin across the field and inevitably just ruined his chances for any sort of success. So I threw everything I had with, yes, the Karchev List. I felt a little bad because he knew he had spread himself thin, but *Shrug*.
Skipping the fifth game because we already know about Terry, we move onto the aftermath. Kel, Scotty and I were wasted. We wanted to get some food, and go home. So Terry and Dani joined us for dinner at the Pub across from Comic Warriors, got ourselves a dinner of steaks, lamb cutlets and pies (not in one serving, all different orders of course), before we made the trek back to Kels place to get the last bits and pieces for the event tomorrow and get what shuteye we could.
Speaking of which, goodnight. Talk to you latre. I mean later.
I'd gotten home to Dee in the kitchen talking with Mel about shenanigans as I packed up my gear to go to Kelvins for the night. Stop to take a call from Scotty to make sure where I was; my two privateer press related shirts; my laptop in case he wants two people to check lists; a network cable in case he didn't get one; stop to take a call from Scotty to ask Kel about whether he could stay the night; pack both my Warmachine: Prime and Hordes: Primal; make sure my wallet is in the bag; pack a pair of pantaloons to sleep in; take another call from Scotty to ask if I'd asked Kel the questions or not, to which his disappointment lay with how I hadn't gotten to Kels yet because I was still packing up my shit.
It was at this point that I was starting to remember why I don't like organising things with Scotty, because he will call you to make sure you're going to do that thing that you were going to do right then and there. It's almost as if he doesn't trust in people. I could understand with Aaron, because Aaron is quite unreliable and will either leave things to the last minute on principle or he will just not turn up at all without notice.
After bumming a lift from Dee to also discuss things like numbers for the house she's buying and I'm renting out of, I finally got to Kel's place, asked the questions Scotty wanted me to ask, and got a call from Scotty to ask if the questions had been asked.
This was the last night though, the night before the Australian Warmachine-Hordes Nationals. I was helping Kel organise the finishing touches with the event, such as event bags and checking army lists that people had sent in. To help pass the time with having background noise, Kel put on Alice in Wonderland, the Tim Burton one. Yeah, didn't really like it. Looked too sensible. And the girl looked like her innards were about to burst out like a waterballoon.
But after that, he really brought on the good stuff by playing Flash Gordon. I'd never seen it before, and neither had Scotty, but sweet jesus titty cinnamon. My favourite character is Dr Zarkov, because he's so ridiculous. "The Sun is not out? CHECK THE ANGLOVECTOR OF THE MOON!"
Also, Scotty and I were sad to discover that Hot Hail is quite lame. With such a fiendish machine that can create a variety of natural disasters, earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes, why would you even bother putting Hot Hail on there?
Long into the night we prepared, organising prizes, table top terrain, etc etc etc. Midnight we eventually go to bed.
At 5:30 we rose to victory, which smells like reheated hawaiian pizza. Much like the delivered pizza I had last night...
We drove off to the venue, Comic Warriors in Annerley, and we got into the venue thanks to Glen the Owner and we set up the tables with the assistance of Disco, Allan and Olaf. I have no idea who Olaf is, I assume he was here either for "Magic the Gathering" or because he worked there. He was very keen on the game though, and we let him have a browse through the general rulebook to see if there was anything in particular he was keen on.
The day was divided up into 5 rounds between the 34 players that had registered and turned up. Four had to pike at the last minute for various reasons that I'm unaware of and will remain unaware of, so I will just say that they're off saving the galaxy from the moon being drilled by a gigantic laser and eventually causing it to land and making us explode.
The day for me was divided up into 7 parts, and behind the scenes I was messaging Jenny as much as possible to keep her updated with what was happening.
The first part was the first round of the tournament. We got right into it and I was faced up with the only Girl at the event. Righto, I'll take my Heavy Infantry List full of dudes in Steam Powered Armour.
Yeah, she ignored them and took out my Kommander with Teleporting Boulders. Oh sorry, Baulder. My bad. He's the big hippy guy who looks like Brian Blessed? Yeah, he disappears in a group of trees and teleports into a different set of trees near him.
She was nice though. Dani is dating Terry from Adelaide, who is a really nice and funny guy. I faced him at the end of the day at part 6. We found ourselves at the table closest to Kel and, because of the particular list he was fielding which is a REALLY nasty mob of skeletons with massive fuck-off axes, I said he was wearing a Dick Hat to compensate for using said list. Oh how we laughed. A few of the guys next to us were just wanting to get a tape recorder and place it on the table to listen to us yell at each other until we were stupid.
Second game was against Rob, with him using a Themed list as well full of the heavy infantry of his faction, and me using Karchev the Terrible who only lives up to his name when he gets assassinated by a zooming dude with hair spiked up with enough gel to straighten the tower of pisa, waving a big sword and thinking he's oh so scary because he remembered his dick hat this morning and the only reason he wasn't wearing it is because it got crushed in the luggage.
Third game was after lunch, to which we reach the third part. Lunchtime was simply a sausage sizzle out the back. Kel had gotten his aunt over to cook, and boy was she a bloody good sausage cooker (See, I haven't had a decent sausage in months because my roommates always leave them juicy and just that little bit undercooked rather than grilled), and I helped out by guarding the table from fiends who were very keen on the sausage sizzle, not that you can blame anyone. For about an hour (at least it felt it) i was guarding the table and saying the following lines.
"Okay, do you have your white card? When you want your drink, go to the counter, hand it over and grab you drink from the fridge."
"You don't have a card? Go up to the counter, they'll ask for some money and you get a raffle ticket. Bring that to me and I'll take it off your hands."
"You may have two sausages in a bun."
"Yes, that's two... of a sausage in a bun."
Everyone was really good about it, so I was happy with that. I had an extra half sausage for my efforts. Can't go wrong with a cold half sausage that has been cooked properly.
Third game, now, was against a fairly new player with one of the more difficult to face armies. One of those armies that has big buttons all over saying "This is good, and this is good too". Playing the Karchev list again, because he was really fun the other times I played him so why not play him again, I got the moral victory for making him kill EVERY single piece of my army. I think we sat there for a good... 6 turns before he finally whittled me down to nothing.
I was a little disappointed that I didn't have much more of an effect, because I had some bad rolls. Particularly a half dozen Snake Eyes (which are an auto fail on attacks) which would've been wonderful for them to hit. I would've also done better if that fkn elf who turns your warcasters impotent every turn she gets a chance, wasn't there.
Fourth game was my first, and only victory where he had made the fault by spreading himself a little TOO thin across the field and inevitably just ruined his chances for any sort of success. So I threw everything I had with, yes, the Karchev List. I felt a little bad because he knew he had spread himself thin, but *Shrug*.
Skipping the fifth game because we already know about Terry, we move onto the aftermath. Kel, Scotty and I were wasted. We wanted to get some food, and go home. So Terry and Dani joined us for dinner at the Pub across from Comic Warriors, got ourselves a dinner of steaks, lamb cutlets and pies (not in one serving, all different orders of course), before we made the trek back to Kels place to get the last bits and pieces for the event tomorrow and get what shuteye we could.
Speaking of which, goodnight. Talk to you latre. I mean later.
23 September 2010
'Jacking in Prime
If there's one thing a Steampunk game must have, it's Giant Robots. Warjacks are that equivalent in Warmachine and fill a particular role of being pillars of Strength and Utility. With high health, armour and damage, they bring a worried face to many of the forces of the Iron Kingdoms.
Khador has a particular playstyle which, personally, can be described in three words: Axe To Face. Three of the Warjacks featured in Prime are a starling example of this. To start, they all have the same stats. Low Speed, Defence and Ranged Accuracy, Average Melee accurasy and High Armour and Strength. While they all match in stats they do come in a variety of flavours and armaments, from melee monsters to the handful of ranged killers.
So what do we have? There's always more than one way to skin an Argus, and the Juggernaut is first to give it a go with his Ice Axe and open fist. He throws himself at the opponent and whales down with such vigour that it leave a massive dent in whoever he's whaling upon, if not destroying them. The Juggernaut is well known for the utility of having an open fist and a very high strength Ice Axe, so strong that only four figures in the game have the same base Power and Strength.
But that's not the only thing that the Ice Axe offers. It's not made of Ice, which is a roaring positive since during summer it would be a little impractical, but it does turn opponent into ice. Critical Freeze is an ability that is few and far between, and even rarer is the immunity to it, and if caught under the effect of it then a figure is in a bit of strife. Melee attacks Automatically hit, and Ranged attacks have to hit a DEF that can only be missed on a roll of Snake Eyes.
But there's a small problem with having a Juggernaut with Critical Freeze. It's not the shake off rule, that's a problem for a lot of figures that can cause Stationary or even Knockdown. And it's not the immunity to it, because you can count the number of figures immune to cold damage on one hand. But it's the fact that the critical freeze is on a very high power attack, which means that even if you freeze a target they probably won't be around for the next attack. Though if they do survive, then you have another attack that doesn't need any boosting to hit, and ranged attacks you can throw in for good measure.
On the other side is a towel draped over the forearm, and holding an engraved silver platter serving what is colloquially known as the Knuckle Sandwich. The Open Fist gives the wonderful option of more Power Attacks, something that can change the game phenomenally... or not at all. You can Throw someone into another figure or you can stop someone from attacking by grabbing onto their weapon, or even their head!
But it's not necessary to have an open Fist to make Power Attacks. You can always perform a Headbutt Power Attack, where you knock them down so you can lay into them a little. While facing small based infantry, Trample has always been a wonderful option as you run over and destroy them by stepping on their heads.
The last option, and wonderful as part of an opening or final move, is Slam. Slam is great for throwing your target into his friends and knocking them down. If a Warcaster is behind a Warjack, for example, the Warjack is thrown a long distance and is knocked down, while the Warcaster is knocked down, along with damage taken everywhere!
There's only one Warjack in Khador that can do a better job of Slamming: The Marauder. Originally a mining jack, Khador figured that if it can do such damage to stone then imagine what it could do to a Warjack! Armed with a pair of Ramming Pistons the Marauder can pound a target into a murky paste, or he can Slam them far away with one single King hit by combining the Power of both of the Pistons.
However, a single high powered attack is not the be-all and end-all of some targets. Occasionally there's the necessity to follow up with something else, such as more hits from a Juggernaut (which will certainly destroy someone) or maybe a ranged attack even. This is where the Destroyer comes in follow his namesake and... well destroy targets.
The Destroyer is a simple jack with an Axe in one hand and a long range cannon in the other. The Axe is reasonably powerful for a Warjack of it's design and, given the opportunity from a critical hit, can cripple both hands of a Warjack in a single stroke. The Cannon is a bit more special, with the Arcing fire ability to help target the poor hapless saps that have been knocked down by the Marauder by ignoring the intervening models.
These are the basic tools of Khador. The only differences between these three warjacks are the weapons they are equipped with. They all have low defence, high armour and are all a bit slow off the mark. Combined with the right Warcaster or 'Jack marshall, they can either make up for the lack of Speed or the accuracy of their attacks.
Marshalls of Khador, however, will be discussed in a later post.
Khador has a particular playstyle which, personally, can be described in three words: Axe To Face. Three of the Warjacks featured in Prime are a starling example of this. To start, they all have the same stats. Low Speed, Defence and Ranged Accuracy, Average Melee accurasy and High Armour and Strength. While they all match in stats they do come in a variety of flavours and armaments, from melee monsters to the handful of ranged killers.
So what do we have? There's always more than one way to skin an Argus, and the Juggernaut is first to give it a go with his Ice Axe and open fist. He throws himself at the opponent and whales down with such vigour that it leave a massive dent in whoever he's whaling upon, if not destroying them. The Juggernaut is well known for the utility of having an open fist and a very high strength Ice Axe, so strong that only four figures in the game have the same base Power and Strength.
But that's not the only thing that the Ice Axe offers. It's not made of Ice, which is a roaring positive since during summer it would be a little impractical, but it does turn opponent into ice. Critical Freeze is an ability that is few and far between, and even rarer is the immunity to it, and if caught under the effect of it then a figure is in a bit of strife. Melee attacks Automatically hit, and Ranged attacks have to hit a DEF that can only be missed on a roll of Snake Eyes.
But there's a small problem with having a Juggernaut with Critical Freeze. It's not the shake off rule, that's a problem for a lot of figures that can cause Stationary or even Knockdown. And it's not the immunity to it, because you can count the number of figures immune to cold damage on one hand. But it's the fact that the critical freeze is on a very high power attack, which means that even if you freeze a target they probably won't be around for the next attack. Though if they do survive, then you have another attack that doesn't need any boosting to hit, and ranged attacks you can throw in for good measure.
On the other side is a towel draped over the forearm, and holding an engraved silver platter serving what is colloquially known as the Knuckle Sandwich. The Open Fist gives the wonderful option of more Power Attacks, something that can change the game phenomenally... or not at all. You can Throw someone into another figure or you can stop someone from attacking by grabbing onto their weapon, or even their head!
But it's not necessary to have an open Fist to make Power Attacks. You can always perform a Headbutt Power Attack, where you knock them down so you can lay into them a little. While facing small based infantry, Trample has always been a wonderful option as you run over and destroy them by stepping on their heads.
The last option, and wonderful as part of an opening or final move, is Slam. Slam is great for throwing your target into his friends and knocking them down. If a Warcaster is behind a Warjack, for example, the Warjack is thrown a long distance and is knocked down, while the Warcaster is knocked down, along with damage taken everywhere!
There's only one Warjack in Khador that can do a better job of Slamming: The Marauder. Originally a mining jack, Khador figured that if it can do such damage to stone then imagine what it could do to a Warjack! Armed with a pair of Ramming Pistons the Marauder can pound a target into a murky paste, or he can Slam them far away with one single King hit by combining the Power of both of the Pistons.
However, a single high powered attack is not the be-all and end-all of some targets. Occasionally there's the necessity to follow up with something else, such as more hits from a Juggernaut (which will certainly destroy someone) or maybe a ranged attack even. This is where the Destroyer comes in follow his namesake and... well destroy targets.
The Destroyer is a simple jack with an Axe in one hand and a long range cannon in the other. The Axe is reasonably powerful for a Warjack of it's design and, given the opportunity from a critical hit, can cripple both hands of a Warjack in a single stroke. The Cannon is a bit more special, with the Arcing fire ability to help target the poor hapless saps that have been knocked down by the Marauder by ignoring the intervening models.
These are the basic tools of Khador. The only differences between these three warjacks are the weapons they are equipped with. They all have low defence, high armour and are all a bit slow off the mark. Combined with the right Warcaster or 'Jack marshall, they can either make up for the lack of Speed or the accuracy of their attacks.
Marshalls of Khador, however, will be discussed in a later post.
22 September 2010
Australian Warmachine Nationals Weekend
I'm excited for this weekend. This weekend is the Australian Nationals for Warmachine-Hordes. I've even gotten my Press Ganger shirt, complete with lanyard holding a small collection of Privateer Press related Badges, and my Whitemoon Dreams shirt folded up in a corner with my gear waiting to be worn over the weekend. My figures are all laid out in the rather large, and now very heavy, gaming case filled with other nicks and nacks like Reference Cards, Dice, and AOE and Spray templates. There's also gum in there from when I was in the US, because fresh breath is good for the community.
As per tradition when I mention that I'm going to play a game, Jubs pipes up and asks “Are you gonna win?” as he has often forgotten my usual reply of “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I'm not very good and I don't go to win.”
Which is true. I'm not a bad player, but I'm definitely not going to win the nationals or anything. I'm playing a trio of themed armies. The first is full of guys in what can be easily described as Power Armour, called “Man o' War” (http://enjoymedway.blogspot.com/p/warmachine-goal.html), and all it really does is play a mind game with the enemy who; The second is full of Robots going around and causing havoc where possible and led by a dude in his own Robot Suit; and the last is a farms worth of Pig people with rifles and a tendency to yell out SOUIE! They aren't what you'd call competitive, and that's how I like to play.
What's mostly exciting is the event itself. For one, players from all over Aus are turning up, young and old players, and they're all good to play against. Smack talk will be thrown across the table everywhere, a tradition of our local community, and some of the interstate players who have attended before will join in with us.
For another, this is going to be a massive event and very awesome compared to the others. I've been working up Behind the Scenes with Kel. He's shown me the the scenery to be placed everywhere; the prizes and goodies he has made up; the shenanigans he wants to put up on day two. He's done a fantastic job and I couldn't imagine anyone better to do the job of making it the best Nationals held in Brisbane. (there's my bit of brown nosing for the day)
Sidenote: I just realised I've still got superglue on my pinky-nail. I haven't put a figure together for about a week and a half...
Lastly, there's more Hordes books that are coming out on that weekend that I can browse through in my spare time! The Trollbloods book is coming out and I've always had a soft spot for them in my gamers heart. They're big, they're tough, and they're the comedic relief of Warmachine-Hordes. Yes, I realise that's a big thing to state after saying that I have an army of Pig Men that yell out SOUIE! but it's true!
When Hordes first came out, my friends and I each took our factions and conveniently we were all different. I was with Skorne then, but since then I have lost a large portion of interest. Since then, I have sold most of my stuff (or organised the selling of stuff) and now I'm down to a few things that I want to keep, such as Morghoul, Cyclops Warbeasts, a few Titans and whatever I really want to keep.
I have a small collection of Trollbloods, including the battlebox, a limited edition figure of the Dire Troll Mauler, and a Mercenary unit of Boomhowler and Co. (Who I want to bring back the Stink Bombs). Not much, but just enough to have a good game.
This weekend is going to be pretty sweet. Now to see what the downlow is for Auscon next year... Apparently instead of the Logan Entertainment Centre, they've moved to the RNA showgrounds!
As per tradition when I mention that I'm going to play a game, Jubs pipes up and asks “Are you gonna win?” as he has often forgotten my usual reply of “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I'm not very good and I don't go to win.”
Which is true. I'm not a bad player, but I'm definitely not going to win the nationals or anything. I'm playing a trio of themed armies. The first is full of guys in what can be easily described as Power Armour, called “Man o' War” (http://enjoymedway.blogspot.com/p/warmachine-goal.html), and all it really does is play a mind game with the enemy who; The second is full of Robots going around and causing havoc where possible and led by a dude in his own Robot Suit; and the last is a farms worth of Pig people with rifles and a tendency to yell out SOUIE! They aren't what you'd call competitive, and that's how I like to play.
What's mostly exciting is the event itself. For one, players from all over Aus are turning up, young and old players, and they're all good to play against. Smack talk will be thrown across the table everywhere, a tradition of our local community, and some of the interstate players who have attended before will join in with us.
For another, this is going to be a massive event and very awesome compared to the others. I've been working up Behind the Scenes with Kel. He's shown me the the scenery to be placed everywhere; the prizes and goodies he has made up; the shenanigans he wants to put up on day two. He's done a fantastic job and I couldn't imagine anyone better to do the job of making it the best Nationals held in Brisbane. (there's my bit of brown nosing for the day)
Sidenote: I just realised I've still got superglue on my pinky-nail. I haven't put a figure together for about a week and a half...
Lastly, there's more Hordes books that are coming out on that weekend that I can browse through in my spare time! The Trollbloods book is coming out and I've always had a soft spot for them in my gamers heart. They're big, they're tough, and they're the comedic relief of Warmachine-Hordes. Yes, I realise that's a big thing to state after saying that I have an army of Pig Men that yell out SOUIE! but it's true!
When Hordes first came out, my friends and I each took our factions and conveniently we were all different. I was with Skorne then, but since then I have lost a large portion of interest. Since then, I have sold most of my stuff (or organised the selling of stuff) and now I'm down to a few things that I want to keep, such as Morghoul, Cyclops Warbeasts, a few Titans and whatever I really want to keep.
I have a small collection of Trollbloods, including the battlebox, a limited edition figure of the Dire Troll Mauler, and a Mercenary unit of Boomhowler and Co. (Who I want to bring back the Stink Bombs). Not much, but just enough to have a good game.
This weekend is going to be pretty sweet. Now to see what the downlow is for Auscon next year... Apparently instead of the Logan Entertainment Centre, they've moved to the RNA showgrounds!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
