CanCon: Bloggers Meet-Up

This weekend is CanCon, the largest gaming convention in Australia.  By far the most fun part was all the socials with friends old and new.  On Saturday a few of the Aussie War-game Bloggers got together for a photo:

Note Dux kindly pointing to he who is believed to be a GIMP

From Left:

Chris of Moruya Marauders (Moruya Marauders)

Barks of Wargaming with Barks (Wargaming with Barks)

Yours Truly

Kaptain Kobold from The Stronghold Rebuilt (http://hordesofthethings.blogspot.com)

Dux of Dux Hormunculorum (Dux Homunculorum)

Millsy of Canister and Grape (Canister & Grape - A Website for Wargamers)

Steve of At the Double! (from http://144paces.blogspot.com.au)

After a full day of gaming (and spending at the traders of course) some of us were able to get together for a some beers and a feed.  It was a real hoot with many stories and tales told including the genesis of the GIMP label that Millsy now bears, banter about Analogue Hobby Challenges past and present, and laughing at jokes that only gamer geeks would understand.  Names like Miles, Tamsin, Curt, Dave D may have come up in conversation and yes we had a beer (for each of you in turn) in absentia.

We were also joined by Craig Woodfield, author of Ronin and En Garde!  A really nice bloke, it was very interesting to hear his behind the scenes perspective on being an author and getting his work published.

At some point (late in the evening it must be admitted) we decided that what was missing most in our lives was a campaign system for SAGA.  Clearly the only appropriate course of action was to write to Alex at Studio Tomahawk...on beer coasters.  These will be hand delivered by Ian from War and Peace Games when he goes to Salute in April.  I'm sure Alex will treasure them!

Dux pours his heart out

Wise words soaked in antipodean beer

What a great day and night out- thanks guys!  We must do it again next year.

Aussie Bloggers meet-up: 1 week to go!

The rally point is the gameboard playing area in the upper hall at 1pm - see you there!

Jugula: First Impressions

The Dux's lovely figs - look at that hand painted shield!

This even I had the opportunity to attend the local gaming group "Odin's Night Games Club" where Dux and a few of the boys introduced me to Jugula.  A fun, card driven game that was highlighted by using Dux's beautifully painted gladiator figures, and by our efforts to try and outdo each other in Latin cursing (and that's some next level geekiness!)

My familia gladiatoria prepare for the evening's entertainment

The game is definitely about entertaining the crowd and putting on a show, as opposed to just carnage and slaughter.  The card driven mechanic is quite good, making deck management a key resource aspect off the game.  In my experience you either like card games or hate them - there isn't much middle ground.  This is a well executed card system.

We played a 3 player game for extra crowd pleasing action

The game also allows, in fact requires, you to fight 4 gladiators from your Ludus.  Not many gladiator games can do that so its quite a fun spectacle, though at the cost of a bit of granularity.  It also can play up to 4 players (each with 4 fighters) simultaneously on an 8x8 grid so chaos and mayhem abound.

The mad lanista cheers on his stable of fighters!

My Dimachaerius wounded Dux's Retarius in this combat

and a few turns later my Thraex manoeuvred to strike him down dead from behind - take that Dux!

The card mechanism means that you never know who can do what at any one time, including you!

The Dux strikes back - my Scissor falls to his Murmillo but is vulneratus non victus

The state of play when the crowd got restless and went home - 1 fallen fighter apiece and a few carrying wounds

All in all a most enjoyable game - cant wait to get my WestWind gladiator figures out of storage and start a campaign with the lads (after painting them of course!).

18,000 Kms of Adventure!

What a whirlwind of a month!

We departed the US in mid December, enjoyed a fantastic week sightseeing in London and spent an amazing week in Norway enjoying Christmas with friends.  We then journeyed home via Singapore, enjoyed New Years in Sydney (and Catching up with the Dux! of course) and then visited family and friends in Melbourne and Canberra. The Lad enjoyed his 15th Birthday amongst that lot too. Phew!

Along the way we managed to see some fantastic stuff and in addition to the typical tourist sights:

Catching The Force Awakens in a London Cinema

A few pints with David - my old mate from A Wargaming Odyssey

A bona fide Dalek at the BBC

The truly inspiring Agincourt diorama at the Tower of London: 2,000 28mm figs! 

Norway - it had to be done

One of the many delights of the frozen North!

1:1 Scale X-Wing gaming: up close with a T-70 at Singapore Airport - very cool!

NYW Fireworks at Sydney's Darling Harbour with the museum ship HMAS Vampire in the foreground

So back to reality now (finding a house, cars, etc) which is far more humdrum.  On a brighter note I did just retrieve my box of paints from my Dad's shed.  So at least now I can start to consider applying some pigment to something - I am a little behind even in my meagre Analogue Painting Challenge this year...

Covenanter Horse

More goodness from the brushwork of Sir Dux, MP to add to his northern rebel force

ECW Relics at the Tower of London

Some eye candies we found while visiting the Royal Armouries exhibit at the White Tower recently:

Harquebusier's Breastplate, buff coat and equipment (but not the colt .45 next to it though!)

Helmet detail

The inlaid armour of King Charles I

Cuirassier armour

Period pikeman's uniform

Long barrelled cavalry pistols

Period Falcon cannon

Catching up with the Dux!

Day 3 in country and the Dux has already taken me out for a beer and a game - what a guy!

A mate, a beer and a game: a feast for a King!

We met up today after he was kindly babysitting my car for the last few weeks.  After a quick trip to the local Good Games shop for a hobby fix we attended the Bavarian Bier Cafe for a schnitzel, a litre of beer and a snappy introductory game of The Battle for Hill 218 (The Battle for Hill 218) - a fun little game with clearly a bit of depth which I am yet to consider sufficiently closely to prevail!

Great chatting up and planning our assault on this year's projects including Jugula, 6mm ECW and Muskets and Tomahawks.  To start with anyway!

When the schnitzels came out, the gloves came off!

I also received a kind gift of a Palm Tree to celebrate my recent elevation in status:

In case of confusion I refer you to the classic movie "Mister Roberts"

It was fantastic to catchup after two years and we will shortly be starting our Wed night gaming sessions - cant wait!

The Cunning Plan for 2016

Happy New Year to you all!

After our adventures through London and Norway in recent week (posts to follow), we saw the fireworks last night home in Sydney.  So now its time to contemplate what I might attempt in 2016, particularly as I will be reunited with all my gaming and modelling stuff in a month or two. First up is:

- Analogue Painting Challenge: I've yet to complete an entry.  I have a special 10,000 mile entry to complete and I'm hoping to get some 6mm ECW stuff completed too.  Fingers crossed.

- Attending CanCon 2016 later this month, including the Aussie Bloggers' Meet-Up (Aussie Bloggers Meet-Up: CanCon 2016)

- Get into some regular gaming with Dux and his merry men.

Gaming releases I am really looking forward to this year:
- Battlegroup Tobruk - WW2 Desert expansion for my favourite period rules set
- Blood Eagle - Viking skirmishing by the author of In Her Majesty's Name (I already have the figures and terrain right?)
- Dragon Rampart
- Poseidon’s Warriors – Fleet actions in the Classical period 480BC-31BC
- The Hunters - WW2 solo submarine boardgame against the Imperial Japanese

Hmmm...this looks to be a suspiciously small list, what have I forgotten?

Projects in no particular order:
- 6mm ECW.  I'm doing the Royalists while Dux does the Parliamentarians
- X-Wing campaign
- 15mm North Africa
- Finish off my Irish and Norman armies for SAGA
- Muskets and Tomahawks/Flint and Feather
- whatever the Lad gets himself into with his school gaming group - Jugula might be the first starting point
- rediscovering my trove of Epic miniatures and 15mm Vietnam goodies
- Napoleonic Sail gaming

Plus the inevitable shiny, redirection, and more shiny.  Overall though, a refocus on painting and playing after 18 months without 'stuff'.  But first I have to get into the new house and setup the new Man Cave.  A much smaller abode in Sydney so no permanent gaming setup this time. C'est la vie