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Archive for the ‘40k’ Category

Community lessons learnt from a returning player

18 May

It’s been interesting coming back into wargaming, and so far it’s been very enjoyable. Having spent the last however many years blogging and podcasting in the MMO and console space there’s some things that I’ve noticed that I think are quite interesting.

Everybody is a lot nicer.

Reading the comments on blogs there’s a lot less dicks. There are some really retched MMO blog commentators but eveybody seems a lot nicer with tabletop games. Everybody just feels much more mature, even the people who are being nasty.

Forums are actually useful.

If you look at a 40k forum the number of posts that are actually useful and positive is staggering. Look at an MMO forum, you will be lucky to find many positive posts at all nowadays.

Podcasts are a lot longer.

Even if we ignore 6 hour podcasts from 40kuk most  podcasts are just so damn long. Nobody seems to bat an eyelid at 3 or 4 hour shows. It makes listening to more than a couple really hard. I guess it’s because people paint to them, but still I’d like to be able to hear more different opinions during the week with the hours I have free to listen. Shorter weekly shows instead of long monthly/fortnightly shows would be better. They can be recorded in the same night but segments being separate shows that are spread out is a lot easier for me to listen to what I want to from more shows. At the very least having the different times for each segment in the show notes embedded in the file gives me a chance to skip, for example, the 10th description of the same tournament. That’s not to say the quality of the content isn’t good, it’s just too hard to listen to everybody!

Most of all I’ve learnt that I don’t miss MMO blogging or podcasting at all.

 
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Posted in 40k

 

A link to a battle report (DE vs Orks 750pts)

15 May

My nemesis has written up a nice post about our last game. He’s always had a better way with words than me so it’s a quite fun read.

I think he pretty much described what I was thinking during the game except for my tactically awkward discovery of exactly how weak Dark Eldar vehicles are. I’m tweaking my list for next week and hopefully I’ll not get quite as close to being tabled.

Orks really do seem to be a bad match for Dark Eldar as I just can’t get the momentum up through killing squads. By the time I’ve knocked 20 boyz off the table my unit is so depleted that it doesn’t stand a chance against the next wave of green. I think I need to take a look at more pain token shenanigans, starting the last game with two really helped and I can increase that quite easily.

So what did I learn? Dark Lances are good, as are feel no pain and liquifiers. Getting your ride shot out from under you by an Ork who was lucky to hold the gun the right way round is less so. Most importantly not looking up the answers on the Internet is even better as it’s far more fun to work it all out myself.

 
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Posted in 40k, Gaming

 

White Dwarf 144 – December 1991

13 May

After last months Epic-tastic issue it’ll be nice to see some other game systems get a look in again. 40k is seeming more and more like the second system behind Epic, which is why I stopped reading back then in the first place. Well there was also going to college and therefore distractions from girls and drink, but mainly it was too much Epic coverage.

We’ve lost all of the store housekeeping sections from the table of contents this week, but they’re all still there. There’s no news section though.

Epic Assault Scenarios (6, 8 pages)

More new rules for Space Marine. It adds fortifications, assault and defence strategies as well as being dug in and hidden setups. There’s some counters to support all of this as well as some colour templates for minefields and razorwire.

Elven Lords (14, 2 pages)

A page of pictures and one of text for the studio Elven Lords models.

Modelling Workshop (16, 7 pages)

What’s this? It’s not a fantasy building this month! What we have instead are similar techniques to make walls and bunkers for Epic. It does use my favourite thing in these articles though, which is to use a base as part of the model. In this case it’s a cavalry base as the roof to a bunker.

Their technique for razor wire is much cheaper than the solutions they sell today. You take the aluminum mesh you use to fix car bodywork and cut that into think strips. I must remember that trick.

Armies of the Imperium (24, 10 pages)

Actually this is a piece on new Epic units in general, with the following getting new rules.

  • Eldar Warp Hunter
  • Eldar Wave Serpent
  • Eldar Deathstalker Prism Cannon
  • Hellbore
  • The Mole
  • The Termite
  • Drop Pods
  • The Leviathan

‘Eavy Metal – Epic Vehicles and Titans (34, 2 pages)

Some more nicely painted epic vehicles. Well the Termites are too heavily drybrushed, but you can’t have everything.

Space Hulk Questions and Answers (36,  3 pages)

A selection of questions that came up at Games Day 1991.

Noise Marines (40, 2 pages)

40K content at last! Chaos get one of their iconic units. There is, of course, a song lyric from D-Rok included because of Warhammer Records still existing for reasons I still can’t fathom. I’ve said it before but why on earth did they become a record label?

Dark Elf Army (42, 5 pages)

Nice army overview piece and example list.

Warhammer Fantasy Battle Playsheet (47, 2 pages)

Cut out and keep summary sheet.

Wardancers (50, 2 pages)

Clearing up more questions about Elven Wardancers for Fantasy.

Basic Terrain (52, 5 pages)

Really nice introductory piece on basic gaming terrain. How to make hills from polystyrene (that your models won’t fall off), Woods, Hedges and the table itself. Of course tables were 8×4 back then instead of 6×4 so no wonder people had a problem fitting a dedicated board into their homes.

Dwarf Army (58, 4 pages)

Wayne England runs through his expansions to his Dwarf army. I really like these pieces, but I do wonder if they are accurate about if you really would have those in a viable force. They’re almost the precursor to the tale of 5 gamers pieces today.

Titan Data Sheets (62, 11 pages)

Titan weapons and their data sheets.

New Releases

  • Noise Marine (£3.99 for 2)
  • Slasha Gargant (Epic)
  • Imperial Leviathan (Epic)
  • Eldar Wave Serpent (Epic)
  • Eldar Deathstalker (Epic)
  • Eldar Warp Hunter (Epic)
  • Super Cyboar and Snakebite warboss.
  • Bionik Boyz
  • Ork Heavy Weapons (extra options)
 
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Posted in 40k, Epic, Space Hulk, WHFB, White Dwarf

 

Games Workshop Price Rises 12th May 2012

12 May

It’s a big Space Marines release this time as the range moves over to Finecast. There’s a few interesting things in there like the Apothecary with Chainsword that wasn’t listed before so that’s an old model coming back. This isn’t the whole range moved over so I suspect we are about to lose a few of the less popular models from the range.

Overall it’s nearly all price rises across the board, just one sneaky price cuts this time I’m afraid.

  • Space Marine Thunderfire Cannon. Was £30.75. Now £36.00 +£5.25
  • Marneus Calgar, Lord Macragge. Was £10.25. Now £11.00 +£0.75
  • Chief Librarian Tigurius. Was £10.25. Now £11.00 +£0.75
  • Chaplain Cassius. Was £8.20. Now £9.50 +£1.30
  • Sergeant Telion. Was £8.20. Now £9.50 +£1.30
  • Chapter Master Pedro Kantor. Was £8.20. Now £11.00 +£2.80
  • Captain Darnath Lysander. Was £12.30. Now £13.00 +£0.70
  • Sergeant Chronus. Was £10.25. Now £11.00 +£0.75
  • Kor’sarro Khan. Was £10.25. Now £11.00 +£0.75
  • Forgefather Vulkan He’stan. Was £12.30. Now £13.00 +£0.70
  • Shadow Captain Kayvaan Shrike. Was £10.25. Now £11.00 +£0.75
  • Space Marine Librarian with Staff & Book. Was £8.20. Now £9.50 +£1.30
  • Space Marine Librarian with Force Sword & Bolt Pistol. Was £8.20. Now £9.50 +£1.30
  • Space Marine Librarian with Force Axe & Plasma Pistol. Was £8.20. Now £9.50 +£1.30
  • Space Marine Chaplain with Crozius & Power Fist. Was £8.20. Now £9.50 +£1.30
  • Space Marine Chaplain with Skull Helmet. Was £8.20. Now £9.50 +£1.30
  • Space Marine Terminator Chaplain. Was £8.20. Now £13.00 +£4.80
  • Space Marine Techmarine. Was £12.30. Now £13.00 +£0.70
  • Space Marine Apothecary with Chainsword. Was not available before. Now £9.50
  • Space Marine Captain in Terminator Armour. Was £10.25. Now £11.00 +£0.75
  • Legion of the Damned Squad. Was £20.50. Now £22.50 +£2.00
  • Space Marine Damned Legionnaires 1. Was 2 packs at £10.25. Now £20.50 No Change
  • Space Marine Damned Legionnaires 2. Was 2 packs at £10.25. Now £20.50 No Change
  • Damned Sergeant with Bolt Pistol & Power Weapon. Was £8.20. Now £9.50 +£1.30
  • Damned Legionnaire with Flamer. Was £8.20. Now £9.50 +£1.30
  • Damned Legionnaire with Multi Melta. Was £8.20. Now £9.50 +£1.30
  • Damned Legionnaire with Heavy Flamer. Was £8.20. Now £9.50 +£1.30
  • Space Marine Veterans. Was 2.5 packs at £8.20. Now £25.50 +£5.00
  • Space Marine Veterans Mk 2. Was 2.5 packs at £8.20. Now £25.50 +£5.00
  • Space Marine Masters of the Chapter. Was £20.50. Now £20.50 No Chnage
  • Ultramarines Tyrannic War Veterans. Was 2 packs at £10.75. Now £20.50 -£1.00
  • Space Marine Bike Squad Upgrade Pack. £6.00 + 3 packs of £7.50 bikes. Was £25.50
  • Crimson Fists Shoulder Pads. £6.00
  • White Scars Bike Squad Upgrade Pack. £6.00 + 3 packs of £7.50 bikes. Was £25.50
  • Crimson Fists Tactical Squad Upgrade Pack. £6.00
  • Crimson Fists Assault Squad Upgrade Pack. £6.00
  • Iron Hands Tactical Squad Upgrade Pack. £6.00
  • Space Marine Casualties. £15.50
 
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Posted in 40k, Prices

 

Games Workshop Price Changes May 5th 2012

04 May

It’s a big Necron release this week so we have a bunch of new models, but only two have changed price by being replaced with Finecast and even then it’s one up and one down. There’s a scary amount of Marine changes in a few weeks so there will be another update later in the month that I expect to be full on price rises.

Necrons

Both of these changes are based on the Destroyer hull and have become upgrade packs instead of complete models so the price of the Destroyer (£12.50) is factored into the new prices.

  • Destroyer Lord. Was £15, now £17.50 (+£2.50)
  • Heavy Destroyer. Was £20, now £18.50 (-£1.50)

Not a bad compromise if you ask me. The model you only need one of goes up, and the one you need more comes down in price.

New Models

  1. Necron Triarch Stalker (£28.50)
  2. Necron Tomb Blades (£24.00)
  3. Necron Canoptek Wraiths (£28.50)
  4. Necron Canoptek Spyder (£20.00)
  5. Nemesor Zahndrekh (£11.00)
  6. Vargard Obyron (£9.50)
  7. Illuminor Szeras (£13.00)

Mostly priced as you would expect, with the Canoptek Spyder seeming expensive but coming in at the old Heavy Destroyer price so there’s some precedent there. I will have to see the size of the model in person to know if it’s overpriced.

The big shock is the sub £10 Finecast HQ model with Vargard Obyron. I had been getting the feeling at £11 was going to be the new minimum going forwards.

 
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Posted in 40k, Prices

 

White Dwarf 141 – September 1991

14 Apr

It’s our first proper 40k battle report! Yay! 4 years in for anybody who was counting…

Games Workshop Store News (2, 2 pages)

The usual. Still no Welsh store.

Games Workshop and Citadel Miniatures News (4, 2 pages)

D-Rok have a new album out, but in gaming news Space Fleet is being joined by three new games in the easy beginner range. Mighty Warriors and Ultramarines are the Fantasy Battle and 40k equivalents, and Kerrunch is for Blood Bowl. I’m not sure any of these were ever that successful, and obviously GW don’t release beginner games nowadays so that probably says a lot about it.

Space Marine (6, 6 pages)

It’s the start of the Games Workshop obsession with cards as Epic gets a new edition as Space Marine. For years the game was dominated by these cards and in this case it replaced army lists. Of course in game the are actually useful as it stops you having to keep digging through books to find stats. I think it was the first time holding objectives was introduced as well.

The gap between 1st and 2nd edition of 40k was long and a lot of the innovation came from Epic. Shame the game is relegated to specialist games now, but who knows. Maybe GW will do a limited edition new game in the style of Space Hulk and Dreadfleet.

Canadian Grand Openings (12, 2 pages)

Adverts for new Canadian stores.

Wood Elf Army (14, 10 pages)

Another in the series of collecting/painting articles that they have been running recently. This time it’s for a Wood Elf force created by Mike McVey.

Games Day 1991 (25, 7 pages)

The programme for Games Day 1991.

Alaitoc Craftworld vs The Blood Angels (32, 14 pages)

Amazingly this is the first 40k battle report in the magazine. Andy Chambers and Jervis Johnson go at it with Space Marines and Eldar and of course Marines win. It’s a very substantial piece at 14 pages, but then again it is the only 40k content in this issue.

Golden Demon Awards 1991 (46, 4 pages)

Pictures of winning entries.

Space Fleet (50, 20 pages)

Flagships and new missions for Space Fleet.

New Models

  • Annihilator Battleship 077843/1+2
  • Dictator Battleship 077829/1+2
  • Thunderbolt Cruiser 077831/1
  • Stalwart Escort Ship 077856/1

Battle reports were still new and so I guess this wasn’t a bad issue, but the Space Fleet content is a little wasted with retrospect and the Space Marine piece is really just an overview of the new game so it’s not that great an issue for 40k and co.

 
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Posted in 40k, Epic, Space Fleet, WHFB, White Dwarf

 

White Dwarf 139 – July 1991

08 Apr

It’s time for Space Fleet, the latest Games Workshop boxed game.

Games Workshop Store News (2, 2 pages)

More shops have opened. Wales still has none.

Games Workshop and Citadel Miniatures News (4,  2 pages)

Mighty Warriors is coming, a game aimed at younger players (see also Space Fleet later on). They’re really making a push to get younger games into the hobby.

Golden Demon Awards 1991 (6, 2 pages)

Words and pictures about that year’s competition. No model shots, just pictures of crowds.

Space Fleet (8, 27 pages)

The game has only just come out, but already the are expanding the rules in order to make them a bit more complex for more experienced gamers. For those who don’t remember, Space Fleet was a game like Battleship Gothic but only a lot simpler. It came with four ships (two Imperial and two Eldar) and so was very small scale battling. Extra ships were sold of course and this issue has rules for the first batch.

Games Workshop Coventry Grand Opening (37, 1 page)

Advert with money off tokens.

Illuminations – John Blanche (42, 3 pages)

Illuminations returns with more John Blanche black and white pictures.

Blood Angels Space Marine Army (46, 9 pages)

Another piece that gives an army list and then details how it was built and painted. They’re getting to really be a form of filler as they really don’t need that many pages to say what they do.

Games Workshop Cambridge Grand Opening (55, 1 page)

Another advert.

Advanced Heroquest Treasures (57, 16 pages)

New treasure rules for Advanced Heroquest.

New Releases

  • Emperor Capital Ship 077733
  • Gothic Battleship 077772
  • Ironclad Battleship 077721
  • Firestorm Cruiser 077719
  • Cobra Destroyer 077706
  • Castellan Shield Ship 077721
  • Eldar Wraithship 077784

A disappointing issue with only the new rules for Space Fleet really being worth it, and even then that still wasn’t a very engaging game in my experience. Still, I’ll add it to the list of games I should replay one day so I can be proven wrong.

 

 
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Posted in 40k, Advanced Heroquest, Space Fleet, White Dwarf

 

White Dwarf 138 – June 1991

06 Apr

More adverts this month, mainly because the catalogue pages at the back are back.

Games Workshop Store News (2, 2 pages)

Stores are opening late every weekend over the summer, which is nice. The rest is just generics and a list of shops.

Games Workshop and Citadel Miniature News (4, 2 pages)

Space Fleet is coming! The precursor to Battlefleet Gothic was quite a different beast, so that should be interesting. Aimed at a younger demographic it was never exactly complicated… Also coming is the Warhammer 40,000 Compilation, which contains some of the last few years White Dwarf articles for those who don’t want to fiddle with backissues. There’s also a book of Space Hulk campaigns coming that contains the White Dwarf content as well as four new campaigns to play.

Finally Games Workshop have moved to Howard House in Nottingham.

Games Workshop Middlesbrough Grand Opening (10, 1 page)

Money off coupons and an advert for the store.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Social Level (11, 8 pages)

Whats a fantasy world without a strict social order? Fantasy Roleplay rules for letting you know your place in life.

Altaitoc Craftworld Eldar Army (20, 10 pages)

Tough one this, but in reflection I’d have to say it’s more 40k than just modelling. This piece details the studio 2000 point army, how it was painted and how it is organised.

Space Hulk: Necromunda (30, 16 pages)

Space Hulk isn’t just for space hulks you know. It’s also for Hive Worlds such as Necromunda. This is a campaign set there and has the usual new room piece.

Advanced Heroquest: Henchmen (30, 6 pages)

Expanded and clarified henchmen rules for Advanced Heroquest.

Bretonnian Knights (52, 4 pages)

A slightly less tough call, this is more modelling than anything else and continues with the painting Bretonnians theme of the last few issues.

Confrontation (59, 15 pages)

The second part of the combat rules.

New Releases

  • Eldar Guardians 071584
  • Eldar Scouts 071545
  • Eldar Avatar 091597
  • Eldar Warlocks and Farseer 071604 (expanded range)

Another lacking 40k month that is good for other games in the universe. Confrontation is taking up a lot of space at the moment, and that is hurting the content for the core games. The question is whether this is a good or a bad thing…

 
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Posted in 40k, Advanced Heroquest, Space Hulk, WHFRP, White Dwarf

 

A random thought about me quitting in the early 90s

04 Apr

As I’ve mentioned before I dropped out of the hobby for the whole of 2nd edition and then didn’t come back until a good way into 3rd. This got me wondering exactly when I stopped reading White Dwarf as it seemed quite a while before 2nd started. Last night I grabbed my stack of the rest of the issue in 1st edition (still scarily large) and worked through looking for all of the elements I remembered. Each time I got an issue I couldn’t remember then something big turned up in the next one that I did.

The best I can tell I quit buying the magazine (and having anything to do with the hobby) about 2 issues before 2nd edition was announced.

My timing really sucks.

Still, I own a copy of 2nd edition now so I’ve made up for it.

 
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Posted in 40k

 

White Dwarf 136 – April 1991

03 Apr

Hope you like Orks…

Games Workshop Store News (2, 3 pages)

Change in format this month. There’s no longer a big list of events listed by store, now it just says the kind of thing that is happening and has a map of the stores in Britain and Scotland. Poor Wales gets none. Poor Northern Ireland doesn’t even get a map.

Space Marine – An Epic Battle (5, 13 pages)

We have our first battle report! It’s for Epic though so poor old 40k is still a way off from getting one. Orks (Burzuruk’s Bad Boyz) face off against Marines (Valedictors) in an Epic struggle (see what I did there?) on an 8×4 table (remember those?)

The Marines of course won. I’m going to keep a running tally of these I think! So far the Marines have a 100% win rate then.

Eldar Guardians (18, 4 pages)

How to paint Eldar Guardians. It’s a nice enough piece, and one I remember working from back in the day.

The Magician’s Son (22, 8 pages)

A short story taken from a book. I’m going to be generous and call this Fantasy Battle content as it’s the main system.

Games Workshop Croydon Grand Opening (25, 1 page)

Advert.

Bretonnian Knights (36, 5 pages)

‘Eavy Metal for painting tin cans on horseback.

Games Workshop Reading Grand Re-Opening (25, 1 page)

This was my local store at the time. More useless information about me coming soon.

Warhammer Fantasy Battle Questions and Answers (42, 2 pages)

Another FAQ. Was the current version of Fantasy Battle really that complicated? We’ve still not got one for 40k beyond a small clarification in a new rules section.

Ork Freebooterz (44, 14 pages)

More rules for Ork Freebooterz.

Ork Stormboyz (52, 2 pages)

There was a time when Stormboyz were very different. No jetpacks here, just a very military feel.

Marauder Undead (60, 1 page)

More painting information that includes the difficult technique known as drybrushing. I guess before the Internet then you would have to explain this every so often for new people…

This is actually an ‘Eavy Metal

Modelling Workshop: Ork Battlewagons (62, 10 pages)

More scratch built vehicles! These are templates that you make out of card. My brother actually made the Gobsmasha, but the glue would never hold it together.

New Models

These all look like older models to me.

 

Another Ork heavy issue, and I can see why we all loved Orks at the time. Some people rebelled a bit and went Eldar but it was always between the big three. Imperial Guard and Squats really were on the back burner for most of the time.

 
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Posted in 40k, Epic, WHFB, White Dwarf

 
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