Quick Update 3-25-13

Just a quick update from the weekend.

Got some painting in. I finished 5 stands(1 unit +) of Orc Guard Heavy Infantry. I also got about 90% through 3 units of Orc Heavy Infantry with Double Handed Weapons(swords). I have to finish teeth and faces on about 50 Orcs, then finish freehanding the 3 standard bearers. so I may just power through tonite and finish them. That would be 4 new heavy units for the Orcs. Once completed, I need to square away all the terrain and stuff for my game at Recruits.

Played an old favorite with the family last night: Carcasonne. Its a great family game and with expansions, can also be a nice big game of screw your neighbor.

I'll get some pics up of the newly finished Orcs this week. Have a good week.

LA

Arrgh!!!!! I hate you snow. And random crap.

Forget In like a lion, out like a Lion, It's just been all Lion around here in the Midwest. I'm sick of cold and wet and snow, and snow and snow. And this weekend, its another 5-10 inches for us in good ol KC. I hate you snow. I am tired of shovelling.

Now KC can be beautiful in the winter with a blanket of snow, but I want spring. It's March Madness time, when it looks like Xmas time. Enough, alright? Give us some rain and 60 degree weather and some sun. Is it too much to ask?

On the bright side, my K-State Wildcats won the Big 12 Football Championship, shared the Big 12 Basketball Championship(Regular Season), and are in the NCAA Basketball tournament. Its been a fun year for K-State Athletics. Funny how good sports teams make you feel more attached to a place you love so much. Go CATS!!!

Modern Logo. Great Power Cat. Very Nice. Simple and Clean.  Stolen by every High School and Pop Warner team named the Wildcats.

The logo when I went there. The other one was a GIANT 'K'.  So you had this guy, who got beat up in the back alley of the Mascot convention, or a super original block letter as a mascot. He looks like the inbred idiot cousin of Tom Cat from Tom and Jerry. We deserved to lose every time we  played. And we did. Oh how I hate you 1980's Willie the Wildcat.

 And I guess with all this snow, its more painting time this weekend, and more games of Zombicide. I was thinking of going and picking up Small World at Target as well.

So I think I will have 3 more units of Orcs for Hail Caesar Fantasy!finished up over the weekend because of this, which aint so bad I guess. Here's what I hope to get done (THESE are the company shots from Ral Partha Europe, not my painted figs):

Here's a shot of the cards and card backs for each Unit.

I am putting on a Orcs vs. Wood Elves game at Recruits Convention the first weekend of April. Come on by if you are in the area.

This is a program cover from last fall that the Baron did. Inspired by the incomparable Jack Kirby. this marked the 10th  Anniversary of this awesome Con.

Finally, had a very fun game with the BG's last night. We had 9 people for a Nappy slugfest with Nick Wilkoxski and his Eagles to Empire rules. It was a minor victory for the Prussians after some shaky 'intel' deceived the French on just what was an objective. Much fun and consumption of spirits and ales was had and an all a round good time. Thanks Nick for the game and Ze Baron for hosting as usual.

Have a great weekend everybody. I will be building an igloo.

Check This Good SH!T - MacPhee's Miniature Men

I feel its all of our duty to be heralds for great wargaming stuff we see on the interwebs(thank you Al Gore). So I give you my semi regular installment of ...Check This Good SH!T!

Scott MacPhee over at Mac Phee's Miniature Men has been at it again. His 15mm Napoleonic an Civil War stuff I profiled before in the blog. But he has outdone himself now.

He is painting 28mm Napoleonic Russians. All Foundry. Be still my heart. And the quick skill and cleanliness with which he paints them makes me believe he is the baby of Tom Weiss, Steve Dean, and Kevin Dallimore. Here is some of his work:

Its a very expressive and clean style that screams english toy soldiers. colors are vivid and will look absolutely great on the table. these are figs that would amaze en masse on the table. 

Very nice Scott, Indeed. 

From Sad to Glad - Bless You Internets

A tragedy has befallen the Workshop of Doom. It is with heavy heart that I went down this morning to sneak some paint time before a dentist appointment and my dual lamp long arm painting light had been broken. The clamp that holds the light head had snapped because I stupidly put  a way too heavy lamp in and the old girl just couldn't take it.

 It is a 60's era vintage Drafting lamp that was a part of the history of my company. I rescued it from the threat of a dumpster 15 years ago. Its heavy, hefty and well made. And as I tried to highliht boots and gloves on 15mm orcs in the light of florescent shop lights I just about cried at having lost it. I looked for a make or model but no luck. I really can't see in the Workshop without it. I can't imagine using a flimsy one from walmart that has only one light and short little stubby arms.SIGH...

But as is the case now, in our unbelieveably small world, I have already found the manufacturer(LUXO) that is till in operation(unbelieveable) and they have a parts service with pictures(even more unbelievable). After just a few minutes trawling their site I found the parts that will hopefully get the old girl back on her feet.I have it ordered and paid for in about 5 minutes. It has taken longer to write about it.

I guess the only other down side to this is realizing you cant see unless the surface is illuminated. I think I am getting old.(get's monocle out of vest pocket, cleans with handkechief and places jauntily in right eye socket) That's better old boy.

Gamer Dad - 3-17-13 - Zombiecide

YA know what's fun? Playing Zombicide scenarios 1 and 2 with a 19 yr old, a 13 yr old, and a 10 yr old. These guys are experienced tabletop and board gamers and really experienced FPS video games, especially zombie killing kinds.

So when they were bored on Sunday of the last day of Spring Break, I offered Zombicide up for their enjoyment.

And I got much joy from watching their cockiness early on and their sheer horror as they advanced and unleashed holy hell on themselves by killing to many zombies as they got greedy searching.

TPK on the first game as they felt the game out. And one character survived Scenario #2 who had Slippery, while the rest of us succumbed to huge waves of zombies. This was especially fun as my 13 yr old had a molotov attack that he carefully planned that killed 34 zombies at one time. That also put him at Red level and that really screwed us when I ran out of walkers and all of the walkers got an extra move. Boy was he mad.He thought he had it all figured out. I got much joy from the whole thing.

He is insisting we play tonight and he was thinking of a strategy to win instead of be zombie chow.

So I may have to buy the Season 2 Prison and Mall games on Kickstarter.

Its good to be a gamer Dad.

Hail Caesar Fantasy! - Orc Army Pics

Finally had time to get some pics of the Orc Army. Here's an image dump:

Lots of cavalry on wolves and spiders. Lots of supporting heavy infantry monstrous types. lots of light infantry shooters. And a core of Orc spearmen. I am working on 2 units of heavy infantry guard, plus 2 units of black(huge) orcs, another unit of spear orcs, then as many units as I can get of horde orcs. Add a couple of siege engines and voila done.

I am going to do massed horde bases for a bunch of my savage orcs. I will be using 2 cavalry bases for a unit. That should make 8 units of Horde Orcs. I will play them like Barbarian horde troops. Great on the attack, not much on the sustain.

So next up are the Orc troops above, (Cause the Orcs need some heft in the middle based upon their collapse in the game last night). After that, who knows. Maybe the undead, or maybe back to finish the Spanish Nappies.

And a final note: RECRUITS CON is coming up the first full weekend in March 5-7. As usual, I will be going with the boys. I was going to run a Hail Caesar Fantasy Game but may just sit in on some games. We shall see. 

Excelsior!

LA

Hail Caesar Fantasy! - Orcs - Quick Update 3-11-13

Just a quick update on the Orcs for Hail Caesar Fantasy!

The existing Army is completely based and painted and flocked and resting happily in their new boxes. A nice accomplishment for a cold Friday and Saturday. It went a lot faster than anticipated. HOORAY!!!!! Pics to follow this week.

I also got a chance on Sunday to paint so I finished 3 units of Orc Wolf Rider Archers (this box set):

Image from Ral Partha Europe Demonworld line

Since my Lt Cav units are 2 figs a stand, and 3 stands a unit, I got 3 units out of this blister. Pretty nice way to bolster the forces. That makes for 7 Cav units for the Orcs painted right now, 3 Lt Cav with Bows, 3 Med Cav with Swords, 1 Lt Cav with Lances(Spider Riders). I have a few more yet.

The next Units for painting are the Orc Heavy Infantry Units:

Image from Ralp Partha Europe Demonworld Orc Guard

These are the Orc Guard Units which I am doing as Hvy Infantry. One half are guards(with hats), the other half are heavy infantry.

I should get another 4 Units out of the 2 blister packs I have. So 2 Guard and 2 Heavy Infantry. Since I mount Heavy Infantry as 6 figs a stand, I will need a few stand ins here and there. Sword Armed Orcs will do the trick I think.

I hope to have these added to the Army by the end of this coming weekend. that would put the Orc Army at 24 Units +.

Once I finish What I have mounted on paint sticks (3 Orc infantry units and 2 War Machines), I will move on to another Army. Undead or......?