More Guardsmen

This next set of models were not part of the Challenge, since I had started them years ago. I finished them up while I was working on the 21 models for the last Challenge entry.

A rifle squad and a heavy bolter team

Entry 3 - Painting Challenge - 21 Imperial Guardsmen

My next entry in the Challenge was 21 Imperial Guardsmen from GW. These are 28mm models, mostly plastic. I can't stand the 40k rules. I bought an army of these guys before I realized that though. They've sat, assembled and undercoated for years.

A friend and I are planning a campaign for 2016. We'll see if it gets off the ground, but if it does, these will be the core of my ground forces. We'll be using the Chain of Command rules for the ground combat. To start we'll just play them out of the box. Once we have a handle on them we'll mod them for Sci-Fi, things like hacking, ECM, teleportation. They are candidates.

The full group

Defiance Games UAMC

Look what came in the mail.  I've been waiting for this package since February.  Defiance Games has finally sorted out their production issues and gotten their production line in order.  My order of USMC, now re-named UAMC due to copyright issues, is finally here.  (Yes, you read that correctly, the United States Marine Corps has copyrighted USMC).

Look what just came in the mail.

The box, looking remarkably like what it looked like on the Defiance web site. 

This box holds twelve sprues.

Warhammer 40,000

I finally did it.  I played my first game of 40k.  Warhammer is my first love.  LOTR was second.  I'm not sure how I feel about 40k.

Tim has been offering to teach me for months now.  I just never had the time.  I like the fluff.  I like the models and have collected most of an Imperial Guard army.  It is much easier to get a game of 40k at the shop.  I have just avoided it up to now.  I finally took the plunge.

I made up a 500 point list.  It had a little bit of everything, just to see how things work.  A platoon of Guardsmen with two squads.  Special and heavy weapons.  Company HQ.  Veterans, who I played with normal guardsmen stats the whole game because I'm not very SMRT.  A squadron of scout Sentinels, just to see how a sqdn works.

Tim had to tactical squads and a captain.  We rolled kill teams.  Bad for me.  The game was fun but there were just so many rules that I didn't like.  I'll play a few more games but at this point it is not high on my list.

1.  I hated no armor saves.  Marines shoot at guardsmen, all the guardsmen die.  Yeah, fun game.
2.  The assault rules.  No real tactics there at all.  Pile in and you get to kill as many models as you want.  Dumb.
3.  What do you mean my missile launcher scatters 2d6 - BS?  What the hell is the point of that?  Minus BS?  No.  That is total BS.
4.  Small table.  Oh yeah.  Turn three we are in assault.  That's exactly how battles with firearms work.  Everyone tries to get into hand to hand combat because that is actually more effective than using a rifle. 

I suppose I'll give it a few more chances but I was not impressed.  The more I think about it the more I didn't like it.

Doldrums

I am having a hard time getting back in to the swing of things.  I started painting up the rest of my Gondor army but I just can't bring myself to finish them. 

I think I need to play.  Playing always motivates me to throw some more paint on my models.  When I'm throwing dice and my opponent's army is painted, and mine is not, it is a huge motivator to get it done.  I'm always good for at least a week after that.  Likewise, if my opponent's army is not painted I think about how crap it looks and want to get mine looking better.  Either way the gaming is what keeps me painting.

The other thing that helps is having a deadline.  I got more painting done in the lead up to the GitD than I have in any given year before.  Having that sort of goal is hugely helpful to me.  I have always worked best under a deadline.

Bottom line, I need to figure out a deadline or play some games.  We have our warbands league this weekend, so I may be able to get some gaming done then.  That would get me kick started on my Empire.  I have a lot painted for that army but there is more I can do.

Next weekend is our 40K league.  I have not played any games yet, but we are doing kill teams from the Battle Missions book.  That would give me a chance to learn the rules and to get motivated to paint my IG.  I have one squad of them painted.

I also got an American Rifle Company box for Flames of War for my birthday this week.  If I get them assembled then I could play some practice games of that.

I guess I just have too much hobby and not enough time or motivation.  I know what I need to do, now I just have to do it.