Read any good books lately?

Lizardman Saurus Part 2

The other day I posted pics of a rather wonderfully painted model which I thought would be a great Lizardman Saurus.   It turns out that the model is actually "Kartikeya" from the Heldorado range (currently being re-released), and it size is more appropriate for a Kroxigor.
http://helldorado.fr/factions/les-egares/kartikeya/index.php
Pre-order is available from Maelstrom games (with free worldwide shipping) here: http://www.maelstromgames.co.uk/index.php?act=pro&pre=cis_hld_lst_ofc_121_000

I also found this beauty the "Isha Akshay"....oh the agony of choice!
But I figure I earned myself a "Good Samaritan" present this week :-)

http://helldorado.fr/factions/les-egares/isha-akshay/index.php

Gunship: First Strike on final countdown

I posted last month about a cool looking new game called Gunship: First Strike (http://tasmancave.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/gunship-first-strike.html).  Since then it has smashed all requirements for production and met every stretch goal.  You still have a few days to get in on this one and get all the startup goodies: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1291246114/gunship-first-strike

I'm really impressed with the way the designer Steve Wood has been responsive to input and feedback, in the production of what is clearly a labour of love.  He has great plans for developing the game with community input and is releasing a free campaign system to go with it. see here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1291246114/gunship-first-strike/posts/195894

Only 3 days to go - you know you want to!

Lizardman Saurus

This amazing bit of painting was posted at Ausbowl today, its origin unknown.  Whoever painted it is one talented guy or girl though.  Anybody seen this before?  (click for larger pics)

Suddenly everything smells a little bit sweeter

I had quite an experience on the weekend and am still trying to get to grips with it to be honest.  Perhaps the act of writing it out will help.  Basically, I resuscitated a builder who had had a heart attack when his truck hit an overhead power line.

I had enjoyed a day off and was just leaving the house when we had a blackout.  I didn't have time to investigate as I was off to get the kids from school, so thought I would sort it out when I got home.  Into the car and 200 yards down the street was a guy lying in the gutter next to a tip truck with 3 people standing over him (not doing anything).  When I asked if they needed help, they in turn inquired if I knew anything about CPR.  I took this to be an answer of "yes".

So being a First Aid certificate holder I got into it.  It was definitely one of those "time slows to a crawl" moments.  He was unconscious with dilated pupils and his face was bright purple.  I cleared his airway (fair bit of blood, think he broke a tooth in the fall), found no pulse and got into the compressions and breaths.  Worked like a bastard I can tell you and lost awareness of pretty much anything else except a lady on a mobile taking to the Ambulance service.  That and the feeling of his ribs and sternum breaking under my hands.

 The Ambos arrived about 10 mins later - great I thought, I was pretty tired and needed a break.
"Good job" they said "Keep Going".

So I keep going as they set up oxygen and a defibrillator.  We zapped him and kept compressing.  A few minutes later (and getting REALLY tired now) he had a weak, thready pulse.  So we put him on a stretcher, loaded him into the Ambulance and off he went.  Somewhat shaky, I went and got the kids from school.

About an hour later I remembered that I has a CPR mask in the first aid kit in the back of my car.
And then I went back to the scene for my jumper, sunglasses, mobile phone and all the other stuff I had left there when I left in a daze.

The next day I spent giving statements to the police and being checked out the hospital.  I had done a good job they said, well done.  "Now lets talk about Hepatitis B and C and HIV, all of which you may have been exposed to".  Great.  A bunch of blood tests for both me and the patient and 12 long hours later I was given an initial all clear.  Full clearance will have to wait another 3 months.  Yes, I put myself at risk and I knew it at the time.  But the guy needed air and couldn't wait.  I don't think I could have lived with myself if I didn't just crack on.  I simply did what needed to be done, as I'm sure you would all have done too.

So beer tasted a little better than usual afterwards, as did the BBQ and everything else I did on the rest of the weekend.   And the patient? He is still in Intensive Care but has now stabilised.  Great news indeed.  I hope he gets to enjoy one of those beers in due course.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/passerby-performs-cpr-on-unconscious-truckie-20120325-1vsum.html

ManCave Bowl - Part 2

Instead of a brass plaque on the trophy, we recorded the win thus on the reverse side of the trophy!

ManCave Bowl !

January saw us play a small resurrection tourney while Comrade James was here for CANCON.  It was a round robin setup with 3 players, everyone playing the others once during the week.  Tourney points were 5 for a win, 3 for a draw, 1 for a loss, +1 for scoring 3 or more TDs, +1 for inflicting more casualties.

Game 1 saw the Lads's Thor's Thunderers (Norse) drive down my Black Orc Down in an embarrassing 2 nil defeat.  I managed to out-casualty him, but at 1:0 it wasn't much to brag about.  His dice were hot and he pulled off some awesome hero plays I wouldn't have tried (like dodging into 3 tackle zones, picking up the ball in said 3 TZs, and then throwing an accurate pass while standing in 3 TZs...all without any rerolls) - Nuffle blessed his courage accordingly.

Game 2 The Lad faced off against Comrade James and his Undead team.  The boy's dice remained hot and he again was victorious, this time with a 2:1 Victory.

Being a round robin event, and with the Lad winning his two matches, James and I moved on from the dead rubber and declared the Lad the hero of the Tourney.  Accordingly, this home made trophy (made made by my talented friend Ken) now proudly resides in his bedroom!

Blood Bowl Referees

In the old days Referees were an active part of the game, but now they are just a bit of sideline fun.
Here are mine, which reflect the multicultural nature of the game!  I still have a gobbo Ref to finish off to complete them.

Shamrock Cup: 2012

Long time readers may recall that Comrade James and I play a Blood Bowl grudge competition every Olympic year called the Shamrock Cup.  This coveted trophy has a proud and beer filled history and so far the honour board looks like this:

• 2000 - Paul (Skaven)
• 2004 - James (Human)
• 2008 - Competition scratched due to excessive Warpstone consumption

So this year its time to once again contest the Shamrock Cup!  I'm taking my Skaven for the third time in a row, while Comrade J is taking Dark Elves after all his recent experience with them in Northbowl.  My standing 1 million gp Skaven team is 2 Blitzers, 4 Gutter Runners, 1 Thrower, 5 Linerats and 2 Rerolls.

The contesting teams line out for the fans in front of the glittering Prize!

Game 1: My Dice completely deserted me.  Thats my excuse anyway but I must say I was well out of practice with my rats, and I think 3 double skulls qualifies me to proclaim 'crap dice'!  James was up 2 nil at half time after I kicked to him, and then quickly smashed me for a third early in the second half.  I managed to squeek in a TD before the final siren, and thus didnt have to undergo the ignomy of a 3 nil drubbing.

Game 2:  My Skaven had their revenge this week (despite the significant pre-match beverages), climbing to a 2 nil Victory to equalize the competition standings at 1 match apiece.  The rats were in a particularly vicious mood, killing two pointy ears and KOing another 2 or 3 during the match.   The rain didn't help the Dark Elves' usual short passing game style either, but I call that exploiting the environment.

So Match 3 will be the decider, though it will be a little while until we can get together again as we live in different states.  Will the Rats take back the Cup? or will James become the first coach to take back to back pennants...

Nedd Killy: Star Player

Nedd Killy is a limited edition Star Player who was made available for the 2011 "Bushranger Bowl" last year and is based on a certain infamous character from Australian folklore (I managed to grab one at CANCON in Jan).  Here is ours, resplendent in his traditional plate armour and classic Aussie DrizzaBone coat, ready to fire a Hail Mary pass downfield! (click for bigger size pics)

And here is his Star Player card with the Stats and price:

I killed an Elf...and I liked it!

I played the much delayed Game 2 of my Rookies Season this weekend: against the Woodland Stryders.
Oddin's Champions went into this game carrying 3 Journeymen and missing the Thrower Hagbard the Hairy, so it was expected to be an uphill game.  I had 50k available for inducements and took a Bloodweiser Babe, but the Woodies had a stack of fans and got 2 FAME (just like last game!)

This game saw the batism of the new Norse stadium pitch!

On the first turn my Norse killed a wardancer who got apothed but it stayed cold on the slab! But the celebrations were short lived when the elves got up 1 nil by halftime and one of my Berserkers died on a failed dodge.

The blue players from Dad's Human team were my Journeymen for the game

In the second half I killed another Elf but rolled badly at the cost of 2 TDs.  So the Norse went down 3-0 with 4-4 casualties (2-1 kills to me).  3 of my casualties (including the death) were from failed dodges!

So I lost, but killed two elves so its kind of like a win :-)
The official Match Report is here: http://www.southernvalley.bloodbowlleague.com/default.asp?p=m&m=1161

2 Dead Elves is better than 1!

Annoyingly, my Blitzer who died had a few SPP and it was a Journeymen who got the MVP.  I hired him but didn't have enough cash to hire the other one who has a Casualty to his name.  Only got 30k in winnings, for a total of 60k overall between the two games.  Leaves only 10k after I bought the MVP Journeyman, way short of the Apoth I need with all my 7 Armour, and I'm now down a Blitzer too.  Nobody has skilled up yet and I'm down to 920k Team Value.

Round 3 is vs High Elves, but at least my Thrower will be back and I will have only one Journeyman.
Should be able to afford a Wizard too, or maybe a Wandering Apoth and a Babe.

Right Stuff Reilly

Zombie Pinups

Tempted despite the fact you'll likely have your brain eaten?  Don't worry, you aren't alone...
http://www.myzombiepinup.com/

SAGA: Northern Fury!

Got this email update from Gripping Beast today - Sweet!

SAGA: Northern Fury Release Date & Pre-order Info!

'Northern Fury' is the first expansion for Tomahawk Studio & Gripping Beast's 'SAGA: Dark Age Skirmishes' and it is now available to pre-order.

'Northern Fury' contains details of four new factions for your SAGA games: the Bretons, the Jomsvikings, the Scots and the Anglo-Saxons. Along with a description of each faction, there are all the rules you need to muster yourself a warband (including new Heroes,) plus of course a brand new Battleboard for each faction. Each of these new factions presents new and interesting challenges, both to command and to face across the table.

Also in 'Northern Fury' is a new, multi-player scenario called 'Wooden Oaths.' Multi-player SAGA games are great for club-nights and bring their own set of challenges and rewards and this scenario is a great way to start if you've never tried multi-player SAGA games before. 'Northern Fury' is 22 pages, full colour and comes with 4 separate card Battleboards and is £12. It is released on 3rd April 2012. At the same time, we will be releasing new Starter Warband sets for the Anglo-Saxons, Bretons, Jomsvikings & Scots, plus re-enforcement figure packs for the new factions and some new SAGA dice for the Scots. These are also available to pre-order now. As if you needed an incentive, pre-order 'Northern Fury or any of the new 'Northern Fury' based deals now and get a FREE limited edition Scots Warlord sculpted by Bill McThornhill (pictured right, the Warlord that is, not Bill.) 'Northern Fury' will also be available from and distributed by Architects Of War (USA), War & Peace Games (Australia) and Comitatus Figurines (France,) and they will all have a limited stock of the FREE Scot Warlord too! UK shops can order their stock through our Northstar Military Figures, our UK distributor.

Fur Mats

Wonderfully realistic terrain, and easy to store!  I might try to use the left over teddy bear fur from my thatched huts.  I'm sure its a lot trickier to paint than it appears...
http://www.elladan.de/055%20Fur%20mats%20for%2015%20mm/055.htm#3.
http://www.elladan.de/001%20fur%20mat%20test%20pieces/001.htm

Orc Stadium: Games Day 11

Doing some research for a Blood Bowl stadium I intend to build this year, I came across this wonderfully detailed showpiece by GW (though the spectators are conspicuously absent).  Typically immobile, it would nonetheless look pretty good in the Man Cave!
http://www.youmagnificentbastards.com/2011/09/terrain-showcase-blood-bowl-stadium.html

Cobblestone Tutorial

A great looking tutorial (why do they always look deceptively simple before you start?) for painting up textured cobblestone terrain
http://www.stronghold-terrain.de/seiten_inhalt/Tutorials/Kopfsteinpflaster_bemal_eng.html

Austrian Death Machine

I'm spending a lot of time in the car at the moment, and always looking for something new to listen to.  I have a bunch of podcasts and audiobooks, but someone gave me the tip on the band "Austrian Death Machine"

Essentially. they are a thrash metal band playing Schwarzenegger movie-themed songs and including an Arny mimic on the voice overs.  Pretty funny stuff and each one is like an Arny trivia quizz.  As an example, here are some of the songs of the first album, Total Brutal: Get to the Choppa, I Am a Cybernetic Organism- Living Tissue Over (Metal) Endoskeleton, Who Is Your Daddy, And What Does He Do?, You Have Just Been Erased, Here Is Subzero- Now Plain Zero, Screw You Benny, If It Bleeds We Can Kill It, and It's Not a Tumor.

Funny stuff.   I'm not really into speed metal, so it wont be one I listen to frequently- but its worth checking out for a laugh!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian_Death_Machine

Patton Jnr

Another blast from the Lad's gaming past: here is the boy playing with my new (at the time) copy of Memoir 44, which would make him about 4 when this was snapped.

I remember him explaining that he stacked all the US tanks at one end so his soldiers could hide behind them!

Playing the same game a few years later (though a few years ago now!), must be time to break this out again soon.

Comrade James does not seem happy with his cards!

JC of Mars

The girls went out to the Taylor Swift concert tonight, so naturally the boys sneaked out after they left to see John Carter of Mars.  Its had a bunch of mixed reviews, but our opinion? Epic!  A great adventure movie with amazing effects.  It had some slow spots, but these were necessary for the plot and I guess they just seemed slower after all the action bits.

Seriously, ,the Green and White Martians and the associated special effects are fantastic (and should be for 250 million dollars!)  If you are looking for a good, fun adventure yarn this is a great ride.


PS Its pretty WoW in 3D!

Vietnam Pilot Wisdom

"Everything I needed to Know in Life I learned as a Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam", Anon.

a. Once you are in the fight, it is way too late to wonder if this is a good idea.

b. It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are instinctively drawn toward trees, stumps, rocks, etc. While it may be possible to ward off this natural event some of the time, it cannot, despite the best efforts of the crew, always be prevented. It's just what they do.

c. NEVER get into a fight without more ammunition than the other guy.

d. The engine RPM and the rotor RPM must BOTH be kept in the GREEN. Failure to heed this commandment can affect the morale of the crew.

e. Cover your Buddy, so he can be around to cover for you.

f. Decisions made by someone above you in the chain-of-command will seldom be in your best interest.

g. The terms Protective Armor and Helicopter are mutually exclusive.

h. Sometimes, being good and lucky still is not enough.

i. "Chicken Plates" are not something you order in a restaurant

j. If everything is as clear as a bell, and everything is going exactly as
planned, you're about to be surprised.

k. Loud, sudden noises in a helicopter WILL get your undivided attention.

l.. The BSR (Bang Stare Red) Theory states that the louder the sudden bang in the helicopter, the quicker your eyes will be drawn to the gauges. The longer you stare at the gauges the less time it takes them to move from green to red.

m.. No matter what you do, the bullet with your name on it will get you. So, too, can the ones addressed "To Whom It May Concern".

n.. If the rear echelon troops are really happy, the front line troops probably do not have what they need.

o.. If you are wearing body armor, they will probably miss that part.

p.. Happiness is a belt-fed weapon.

q.. Having all your body parts intact and functioning at the end of the day beats the alternative.

r.. If you are allergic to lead, it is best to avoid a war zone.

s.. It is a bad thing to run out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas all at the same time.

t.. Hot garrison chow is better than hot C-rations which, in turn, is better than cold C-rations which, in turn, is better than no food at all. All of these, however, are preferable to cold rice balls, even if they do have the little pieces of fish in them.

u.. Everybody's a hero ... on the ground ... in the club ... after the fourth drink.

v.. A free fire zone has nothing to do with economics.

w.. The further you fly into the mountains, the louder the strange engine noises become.

x.. Medals are OK, but having your body and all your friends in one piece at the end of the day is better.

y.. Being shot hurts.

z.. "Pucker Factor" is the formal name of the equation that states the more hairy the situation is, the more of the seat cushion will be sucked up your butt .

It can be expressed in its mathematical formula of S (suction) + H (height) above ground) + I (interest in staying alive) + T (# of tracers coming your way)

aa..Thus the term 'SHIT!' can also be used to denote a situation where high Pucker Factor is being encountered.

ab.. Thousands of Vietnam Veterans earned medals for bravery every day. A few were even awarded.

ac.. Running out of pedal, fore or aft cyclic, or collective are all bad ideas. Any combination of these can be deadly.

ad.. There is only one rule in war: When you win, you get to make up the rules.

ae.. C-4 can make a dull day fun.

af.. There is no such thing as a fair fight-only ones where you win or lose.

ag.. If you win the battle you are entitled to the spoils. If you lose you don't care.

ah.. Nobody cares what you did yesterday or what you are going to do tomorrow. What is important is what you are doing-NOW-to solve our problem.

ai.. Always make sure someone has a P-38.

aj.. Prayer may not help . . . but it can't hurt.

ak.. Flying is better than walking. Walking is better than running. Running is better than crawling. All of these, however, are better than extraction by Medivac, even if it is technically, a form of flying.

al.. If everyone does not come home, none of the rest of us can ever fully come home either.

am.. Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It is far better that you fear the media, for they will steal your HONOR.

an.. A grunt is the true reason for the existence of the helicopter. Every helicopter flying in Vietnam had one real purpose: To help the grunt. It is unfortunate that many helicopters never had the opportunity to fulfill their one true mission in life, simply because someone forgot this fact.

Verdigris

I've always wanted to do some statues in the archetypal green that you see for 18th century (ish) statues, but have never found a technique that works.  This one may give me the impetus to give it another shot.
http://agentlemansones.blogspot.com.au/2010/11/my-way-weathered-statues.html

Old Stuff Day+1: More Vietnam

There was some interest in my Vietnam figures yesterday so I though I'd expand a little on that.  Comrade James and I got into the genre 5 years ago to play an emerging and fun looking game: "Flashpoint Vietnam".  Unfortunately, as cool as it was the mechanics didn't flow so well and our games were less than satisfying.

In the rewrite to a second edition the author moved countries, sold his company etc and it all fell apart.  I would love to try FoW: Vietnam with these guys, but unfortunately an entire state separates the antagonists for now.  Anyhow, here are some other goodies I made for my USMC force:

Ontos: http://tasmancave.blogspot.com.au/2008/03/two-ontos-join-platoon_7313.html

M48s: http://tasmancave.blogspot.com.au/2008/02/another-m48-joins-orbat_6443.html
http://tasmancave.blogspot.com.au/2008/02/m48-project-part-2_03.html

And yes, the LVTPs are still sitting half done in the box, along with a bunch of other great goodies...

Old Stuff Day: Vietnam!

Today is "Old Stuff Day" so I thought I'd dig out some figures I painted in July 2007.

After 2 months of preparatory training, my first USMC Rifle Patoon is ready for deployment to South Vietnam, Republic of.

Click pics for larger versions

I'm very pleased with they way these figs turned out, actually and they are probably the best 15mm troops Ive done (No, I havent done many!). The Figures are all Flashpoint Miniatures, and the sculpted resin bases are by Battlefield Accessories (in FOW sizes). See my earlier posts on the clour used for painting the fgures. The Pacific themed bases pack has the nciely molded palm leaves, vines and rocks. I thought they were excellent, though the basing of the miniatures took longer than I had anticipated because of the extra spaces around the figure bases which had to be filed in.

The bases were spray undercoated black, drybrushed with Tamiya Dark and Flat Earth and detailed - rocks with Ral Partha Slate and the Palm leaves with GW Jungle green and a touch of Sunburst Yellow. Foliage is All Woodlands Scenics - Dark and Light course turf with some grass tufts added in using PVA glue. Actually, the grass tufts need some work still, I'm not really happy with most of them.

Heres the LT and the boys from 1st Squad (comprised of a Squad HQ of 2 men and 3 four man fireteams). Closeups of the other individual squad bases will follow shortly.























Now its into the boonies to find Mr Charles...