The inevitable has struck…

Mixed blessings really. Firstly and happily, the Lad has discovered his own gaming buddies at his new school. I felt a bit left out actually, when he advised he was going to to play games with his mates! But great news for him, particularly with me being away so much now. The bad news: yep, you probably guessed it: its 40k.

I suppose its siren song was inevitable really. Fortunately for my wallet, I was able to unearth an old but unfinished project and not only give him the rulebook, but also present him with all the figs he needs for a SM force too. So its back to the future with our Salamander Army. 

Not quite 100 points of painted figs finished yet...

 Much of it needs painting, so I see it as an opportunity to show him the other half of the hobby – and after under and base coating a tactical squad of 10  figs I think he is starting to appreciate the work that has gone into all his Blood Bowl teams!

So we are now working towards a 1000 point force consisting of the following, but I’d appreciate any suggestions for those who know the game better than us!

HQ: 1 Librarian in Terminator Armour (tda, gate, null) 125
ELITES: 

Terminator Squad (5 termies, assault cannon) 230
Dreadnought with Multi-melta and CCW 105
TROOPS: 

Tactical Squad (10SM, flamer, multi-melta) 205, 1 rhino
Tactical Squad (10SM, plasma, lascannon) 190
FAST ATTACK: Land Speeder (multi-melta) 60
HEAVY: Predator (autocannon, 2hvy bolter) 85

150,000 hits!

Thank you sincerely once again for all the support and encouragement!

Right Stuff in the Lost World

The Face of Excitement!

Here is a treasure he wont thank me for posting: "Right Stuff" playing one of his first wargames (a Lost World Dinosaur adventure), aged 4 and a half.  This was the game I mentioned in my WI article.

I seem to have had more hair back then...

A Thanks.....with some Mead!

hi guys it's Right Stuff

Thanks to Comrade James for giving me this board for my birthday- 

just in time for my Odinn's Champions match against the wood elves of  the Woodland Stryders!

Cross Border Raid - AD 474

A great scenario and story by Too Fat Lardies - cant get enough Dark Ages massed battles!
https://toofatlardies.co.uk/cross-border-raid-ad-474/

Gunship: First Strike

This new venture is a SciFi combination card/counter game in which each players tries to take out the other's carrier with a Gunship and space fighters.  Different weapon system combinations are available, with varying reliability and damage potential.  Customise your ships and pit them against one another.  The game is now well past its minimum pledge amount, and has met a number of stretch goals to include a bunch of extra content cards.

The Dice Tower review here is pretty descriptive:
Read more about it here: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/109215/gunship-first-strike
and at the Escape Pod games website here: http://escapepodgames.com/
And/or pledge up at the Kickstarter page here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1291246114/gunship-first-strike

I'm pretty tempted with this- looks like a fun game, my only concern would be re-playability and the potential for it to get old quickly.  The campaign rules to come may address that.    In any case, the designer's diary of how he developed this game over 20 year is a pretty great story.
Read it here

Monster Dice Counter

Love this guy!  Like our Dragon Dice, this is another Blood Bowl turn or re-roll counter by Fantasy Bowl Dices

 Again, we put a bit of felt on the bottom surface so he doesn't scratch up the pitch or dugout

A Ginger for the Brat Pack

If you haven't seen it before, Tristan from the blog GW Pertinent (and who kindly got tme the swag and figs from Chaos Cup last year) is putting together a Necromunda Gang based on Eldar Harlequins named the Spire Brats. His concept is that the figs are painted by people all around the world and then sent to him.  Its coming along great and he has seven already as you can see here.

Well here you go buddy - this will be number 8 for your Brats!  I went for the traditional loud colour scheme with a quartering style, but made sure the colours were different to the other models.  Then I specifically gave him flaming red hair for the ginger painter!  He will be in the mail this week for the journey from Oz to Canada.

Dragon Dice Counter

This is the limited edition (only 140 made) resin Dragon Dice counter made for the Australian Blood Bowl Championships. Right Stuff wanted his done up as a Red Dragon, like the old D&D 'red box' artwork!

Underneath is a small piece of felt so it doesnt scratch up the dugout and field

Blood Bowl Australian National Championships - Part 3

I found a few pictures I had forgotten to post earlier, these being some lovely display pieces which were at the tourney. First up the champion’s trophy - the Dragon dice model was the ‘swag’ for the competition, and not many were made.

Tourney Commissioner 'Drakeular' also had these cool numbers on display from his personal collection!

Finally, I would also like to thank “Always Hungry” Chance and “Silver Tongued” Drew from the great BB podcast Three Die Block for their recent shout out to Right Stuff about his performance at the Tourney (episode 64 dated 12 Feb 12, at 1:15:35) – he really loved it!

An Ominous Omen…

Don’t you just love it when you find a new use for an old treasure in your collection?

This is Mortarion – Primarch of the Death Guard Traitor Legion from the 40K universe. Actually, this is an old Epic scale (6mm or 1/300) version which I painted up quite some time ago. I came across him accidentally while looking for something else, but he is now the Turn marker for my Undead Blood Bowl team!

Of course, he might appear in a future Pulp/Horror game too…

Petersen's Field Guide To Cthulhu Monsters

This great book is available online posted at this blog - a wonderful resource!

A good start to the Season!

Hi guys, Its "Right Stuff" here and I come to tell you about my first game in the ACT Rookie League.  As you may know it was against a Necro team named Pulp Horror United (see their roster here), coached by Luke who was also kind enough to host us at his place.  They were Greebo figs which are really nice but had as yet only been undercoated.  Having seen Luke's painting skills on other figs these will look awesome when he is finished!

The game started off with the stadium being swamped with Pulp Horror United fans (plus 2 fame) and them electing to receive after winning the toss. Then he caged up and progressed down the field..... but I broke the cage with my Yhetee, picked up the ball and threw it to a waiting catcher who ran in on turn 5. 1 nil to Norse.

The Necros received again and tried to throw to a werewolf but fumbled it (having only 1 re-roll really hurt Luke at times) On turn 8 in response I had cas-ed a ghoul (only badly hurt) then had a catcher pick up the ball in 1 TZ dodged out and ran in with 2 GFI's. Half time and 2 - 0 to me, all going well with a casualty to me as well, or so I thought.

The second half started with me not getting my KOed players back - while the Necromancer was doing a good job patching up the undead KOs.  I received with touchback and in his first turn he got a casualty (a lineman who MNG) by one of his nasty werewolves (#3 Cheli) who then advanced to my ball carrying thrower.  I tried for a quick crazy score by throwing a long bomb to a catcher in the end zone - of course I failed but when I re-rolled a 3 from pass I rolled a one and fumbled it.  Luke decided not to blitz my catcher and surf him, but to just move him in front.  Then he blitzed my ball carrier with a werewolf, picked up the ball on with a wight and started running.  My defenders were down from a flesh golem breaking the protection of the ball carrier and no one could stop him.  Meanwhile, with the catcher about to get surfed I blocked the werewolf and knocked him out. His next turn (turn 5) he runs it in: 2 - 1 still to me, 1 -1 all casualties.

In the next drive I tried a pass with my Thrower but fumbled it again and then got charted by the same werewolf (thrower MNG) but I picked it up with a blitzer and did long pass to a lineman (the catchers were tied up) who caught it and was in a position to score next turn.  But with all my casualities and KOs mounting up I had nobody to protect him.  Next turn the Lineman with the ball got casualized by a zombie (badly hurt) and on the other side of the pitch the werewolf #3 Cheli got another cas - this time killing a lineman (unfortunately it was my Lineman who had done the earlier casualty to him and gotten 2SPPs).  In his last turn Luke naturally tried a big play to even the score but an inaccurate pass from the Wight saw the game end there.  A great finish which could have gone either way, but final the score was 2 -1 to me with him inflicting 4 (including 1 death) against my one.  In winnings he got 50k and I got 30k.

Norse Lineman "Sigard the Paranoid" was sent to Valhalla in style at the after match party

Overall it was good start but I'll have 3 journey men next game against Wood Elves...but whatever happens from here, at least Oddin's Champions wont finish the season without a win.  And because nobody else has posted their results, I am on top of the League standings for a little while! (click for bigger versions)

More Beer!

The Man Cave Brewery is back in full swing now in  the new cave.
First up is this one, brewed on the Anniversary of the Battle:

And then there is this one themed for the Lad's Norse Team, but the Team's Co-Coach may have to do all the sampling!

Proud Finalist and Well Done to the Angry Lurker

In case you missed it, the deserving winner of the Figgybloggy best blog of 2011 was the Angry Lurker.  I don't know how Fran gets time to get seemingly everywhere and provide encouragement to everyone, as well as game and paint some wonderful figs.  I was thrilled to be stacked up against him and other amazing blogs: Paul's Bods, Saxon Dog, and Tiny Solitary Soldiers.  If you haven't seen them- go now and see what you are missing!

And so I will now proudly wear this little banner - thanks again for everyone's support and encouragement.

Stone Circle WIP 2

Thanks for the advice and comments on Part 1 of this WIP.  I went with just the single symbol, and added some extra highlighting and some yellow ink around the sign to enhance the glowing effect.  In hindsight I overdid it a bit on the base stone (it isn't quite that bright in real life), but that will help in the dim 'thematic lighting' and it certainly looks eerie.  I also added a few blood splatters...

Now to finish up the detailing

Iron Sky Movie poster

The official poster has been launched - some of the pics look cool, will be interesting to see this movie when it is released: full of promise in both directions I think!
http://www.ironsky.net/site/propaganda/pictures/

Norse Turn Marker

I bought this piece of resin terrain at CANCON and have painted it up for Right Stuff to use as a turn marker for his Odinn's Champions Norse team.  I was really happy with how it came out after I did a few layers of snow basing effects.

Rookie League Commences!

Right Stuff's Blood Bowl Rookie season this starts this week, in the ACT Blood Bowl League.  The League runs four Divisions - Majors, Minors, Open (Challenge) and Rookie.  The Rookie division (by definition) has only starting teams so you get a chance to build up some skills and not get destroyed by veterans. 

His first game is against the Necro team "Pulp Horror United" - you can track the team's progress via the link on the left hand side of the page which will take you here - and stand by for match reports here at the Man Cave!  

From the North they Came, the Warriors of Odinn. Their dragon headed ships 

appearing out of the mist to strike without warning. Giving up their previous 

hobbies of fighting, looting, and burning they have swapped their axes 

for Blood Bowl armour to take on all comers and return home with 

Glory and Honour!. 

Under the direction of new Coach "Right Stuff" Reilly, the future bodes

 well for these raiders who show no mercy on the seas or on the pitch!

Man Cave makes the finals!

Due to a 5 way tie, voting for Figgybloggy's Best Blog of 2011 has been extended for 5 days...
...and the Man Cave is in the final draw (and in very illustrious company too!)

So get over there and cast your vote, whoever that may be for!: http://figoblogotheque.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/aaaaaaaaargh.html

Again my sincere thanks to those who have nominated this blog, I'm humbled and chuffed!

Stone Circle WIP

This is a my first Pulp/Horror/Cthulhu style game terrain piece and I am trying some techniques which are new for me. I want to create an 'eldritch glow' style effect coming off the cultist symbol on the stones.  Its coming along well, but I'm a bit stuck on how to make it 'pop' just right (and not just look very mossy!) before I do the final flocking etc.  Any suggestions welcomed.

Would more cult symbols on the rocks detract by making it too busy?  
Or is the one, single symbol pulsing with evil more effective? ....bwagahahahah!

Oh yes, its a resin piece made by my friend Glynn at Fernvale Scenics

In full lighting: 

And in dim, thematic lighting ( we played our last game by candlelight!):

Blood Bowl Australian National Championships - Part2

Right Stuff got his certificate for the Blood Bowl Nationals today, showing that he was in the top 10 at Round 5! Many thanks again to the tourney commissionaer Drakeular for making this up for him

Here it is in pride of place on the Man Cave beer fridge!

Our Dark Ages Participation Game

Essentially we set up a 6 x 4 tale depicting a Saxon villiage which the Vikings would naturally want to attack and loot.  There were three major objectives, which could each be attacked by two Viking warbands.  This gave us a scalable game depending on how many players there were.  The objectives were the Church (and its gold and relics), the village (good plunder and slaves) and the great hall (plunder and the illegitimate sprog of King Hagar the Horrible, who he wants back).

Either it was a good game, or it was a convenient stop next to the lavatory...

Essentially, each objective had a Fyrd defending it with poorly equipped peasants, but strongly armed Saxon reinforcements (either Huscarls or Mounted warriors) were sure to arrive shortly after the alarm was raised, so the Norsemen had to be quick about it.  I must admit that we were too busy playing the game to take too many pic, but here are some pictures of how it turned out...

We even managed to interest one of those rare Lady gamers!

A Saxon watch mans the pallisade walls

And sentries patrol the perimeter

Bugger...

The gate is breached!

Defend the Holy relics!

Shield walls clash

Little Pig, Little Pig, let us come in!

The Saxon village

...which is hotly contested by its citizens!

The professional raider at work!

A good time had by all!