Gaming Table, Part V

The progress continues on the table, even if it sometimes feels like it's two steps back for every one forward.  After getting expert advice from Loki and Anne I, of course, ignored it all and did my own thing.  We are getting ready to lay some tile and I was digging through the garage to see what supplies I had on hand and what I still need to buy.  I found a mostly used bag of tile cement and had an epiphany.

The tiles with cement over the foam lines.

Battle damage. It's a dangerous world

I was sitting at my desk the other night, cruising through my blog roll.  I dropped my eyes below the monitor and saw what looked like a mech leg under there.  I dug around, moved several pictures and found the scene of a miniature massacre.

Dead Mech.  Good for salvage.

In addition to the Mech, above, there were two 15mm infantry that had been broken off at the ankles.  Clearly Rhys had been playing with things he was not supposed to.  The infantry were un-salvageable and went in the trash.  The mech can be made whole.  I'll have to find a base for it as the leg will need another point of contact to be strong enough to stand up to gaming.  The left arm weapon will get pinned for the same reason.

Rhys and I had a talk.  While I reinforced the idea that this is why he doesn't get to have models yet, my real concern was that he tried to hide what he had done, rather than coming clean and telling me he'd messed up.  I have the same problem with a couple of my grown up employees, so it's hard to hold it against an eight year old.  At least it's just stuff.

The Major General Commandant's Clerks and Writers - IHMN VIII

I have completed the eight Marines for my Company for In Her Majesty's Name.  The list can be found here.  The models are all Paroom Station, bought through Brigade Games.  There are two more models for the list.  The mysterious Mr. Smith and a surprise model, who will be revealed after the first game.

The final four Marines of the Clerks and Writers.

Gaming Table Part IV

Another step done on the table.  I have picked up many paint samples in the discount section, one of which was a nice, dark, brown.  In the last installment, I said that I planned on gluing down some kitchen rags to use as grass.  In the intervening weeks I changed my mind.  I've decided to make this first batch of tiles much more generic, to get the maximum flexibility out of them.  To that end they will be double sided, green terrain on one side and desert on the other.

Sample size of paint.

A giveaway, with a twist

Anne, over at O'Leary Miniatures is having a give away.  This is some of the same and some of the twist that Anne gives to everything she does.

Twist #1 is that this is co-sponsored by a Sci/Fi author.  That's just pretty darn cool.  Also some smart marketing.  So, the required information for his part in this:

"This give away is being sponsored in part by author Patrick Hatt. You can find Mr. Hatt's Amazon Writers Page at http://www.amazon.com/Pat-Hatt/e/B00AGFMYVC."

I have never read any of Mr. Hatt's work but this looks interesting, so here's hoping I win, otherwise I might actually have to buy his book.

The next bit of awesome twist is that Anne is going to tailor each prize to the winner.  Now this is really cool, and sort of insane.  I think it will also be very interesting for the winner to see themselves through Anne's eyes, based on what she chooses to add to their prize.

I'm not normally one for advertising the give aways.  This one strikes me as something different and fun and worth taking a look at.  Please don't enter though.

The next project

The year is rapidly drawing to an end.  Much to my surprise, autumn is here.  This is somewhat disconcerting as it means temperatures are dropping rapidly.  It is much too cold to prime in the winter here so I need to get things prepped in the fall so that I have stuff to paint over the winter.

This realization has thrown me into a frenzy of assembly.  In the last two weeks I've assembled 24 Auxiliary infantry for my EIR army.  I've also just completed 49 Romano Brits for Dux Brit or HC.  These were a late addition as I adjusted my plan back in July.

Romano British heroes for Dux Brit.  Arthur is in front, pointing with his sword.

Sci/Fi containers

People tend to fight for things that matter.  Very often that includes cities, towns, ports and airfields.  In the far future that will be just as true as it is today.  One thing that all of these places have in common is containers.  Again, this will probably hold true in the future as well.  It is always necessary to move stuff from where your stuff is to where you want your stuff to be.

15mm containers.

In Her Majesty's Name VII - Painted miniatures

I've finally gotten some painting done.  It's been months.  When I'm away from the brushes for too long I build up an immense amount of inertia.  The amount of work it takes to reach over and pick up the brush to slap some paint on something seems equivalent to a twenty mile hump (hike).

The first four Marines.

Natural Disasters

This last week in Colorado has seen the worst flooding in our history.  Thousands have been rescued by the National Guard and local first responders, rescue teams and their neighbors.  Almost 200 people are still missing.  It just doesn't rain like this here.  The last time we had flash flooding of this sort was in 1976.  That was in one valley.  This storm is affecting the entire front range.

Some areas have been destroyed while others are completely untouched.  Happily, my town has had nothing worse than some roads closed.  My family are all safe.  Most of my friends are unaffected, but some have had their basements flooded.  The last week has seen the most people rescued by helicopter since Hurricane Katrina.

Here's a photo album of scenes from the Front Range.

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/flash-floods-in-colorado-slideshow/

Happily,  the rain is supposed to stop today and turn to sun.

Gaming Table Part III

After several weeks of not touching it, I've gotten some more done on the table.  I have enough tiles to fill it, with some left over.  I've got four corner hills, one ridge, one alien landscape and one river.  I'll need more rivers but I want to make sure the first one works out before I use the time and materials for the rest.

The table with the textured paint on the tiles.

X-Wing with the boys

There has not been much hobby action this summer, as stated before.  The boys still love their two main game pastimes though.  The first is D&D, which they have only just discovered and which is good for a quick hack and slash session before bed.

Their long term passion is X-Wing though.  We hadn't played in a few weeks and Owyn has been badgering me to play ever since we got back from camping last weekend.  I promised him we would play this weekend and that he could fly the "Million Falcon".

The big boys passing in the night.

Gaming with the Wee ones

It's been a long hard month since I last posted.  Summer is always rough but this one was especially so.  I'm looking forward to a nice slow fall and winter with no drama.

I've been doing a lot of assembly, mostly more commission work putting together 90+ Cryx models.  That work will fund my Dux Brit army, so worth the pain.  I've also plussed up my 15mm Sci/Fi with my CMG Kickstarter, more models for my Sahadeen army and some Khursan vics to mechanize them.  I'll be covering the Khursan models in a post all their own but let me just lead up to that with "WOW!"  These things set the bar for awesome.

I've also been dabbling with painting my company for In Her Majesty's Name.  I have four of nine models painted, though not based.  I'll get a picture of them up soon as well.

The big news though, and what this post is really about, is the latest gaming with the boys...

Treasures from the past VI

More treasures from my childhood.  In a Battletech box, along with the mechs, there were a bunch of miniatures.  These were used for roleplaying.  They are a little bit worse for wear, but nothing that can't be fixed.

The lot of them.  Divided up, more or less, by faction.

Treasures from the past V

Dragons of Glory.  Wow.  I have no idea if this was a great game.  I just know I loved it.  I'd read the books.  This was simply amazing.  Fighting the entire war out on the planet of Kern.  It was fantastic.

Treasures from the past IV

Yet another bit of my juvenile past, pulled from the dusty doom of a storage unit.  I played a fair bit of D&D as a kid.  My first exposure was when I got the Red box from a distant relative at the beginning of a long summer on a mountain in Wyoming.  It was hit or miss over the next few years, but it was a steady part of my childhood.

Re-discovered modules.

Treasures from the past III - Mechs

In all of the bits I found a couple of months ago, some of my favorites are the Battletech stuff.  I played this obsessively, as only a teenager can obsess about something.  I played full, two battalion games, solo.  That's 36 Mechs on a side, with all the record keeping that goes with it in a game like Battletech.

Notice the sharp black paint scheme.

The Company List - MGCC&W - In Her Majesty's Name VI

Yesterday I posted up an introduction for the main players in my Company.  Today I'm posting the company list with stats and characters.  I only have eight models so far, one officer, one Sgt and six Marines.  I have a model for Mr. Smith on the way, but it's coming from the UK so it will probably take another two weeks to get here.  I still need to source models for the sailors.  Some of the more exotic options will wait until I've played a few games and to see if official models are released for the USMC.

Marines in Cuba.

The Company is formed - In Her Majesty's Name V

Maj Waller stood in the ward room of the Rattlesnake as the steamer plowed it's way across the Atlantic.  With him in the room were the leadership of the reinforced platoon he had formed.  Before him stood some of the greatest Marines of his time, men who were already legends in the Corps, if not in the wider world.

Sitting just in front of Waller was his second in command, Capt David Dixon Porter, known as Dave.  Porter had been with him on Samar.  He came from a long line of naval officers, the black sheep of his family.  Porter already held the Medal of Honor, as did several of the other men in this room.

Capt David Dixon Porter, XO of the Clerks and Writers.

Gaming table, Part II.

I've been working on the tiles for the new table.  They need quite a bit of work, and I needed to pick up some more materials.  The table holds twelve 2ft x 2ft tiles.  There will be a few tiles that are just plan, flat terrain, suitable for placing other terrain on.  Others will have terrain built into them.

1/4 hill.  The profile on the edge matches the other three.

The best laid plans of mice and men...

The year is now half way over.  Give it a minute.  If you're like me, that's pretty mind blowing stuff.  I can't actually account for about half of that time.  I had some big plans at the beginning of the year.  I think it's time to stop and take stock and see if I'm on track to make my goals.