It's that time again.

I am procrastinating on my homework and I figured this would be a great chance to maybe post something for you guys.  I do have to say 'thank you' to everyone for being patient with me.  I went from a couple of posts a week to one every other quarter.  I'm not going to be able to get back to the old pace anytime soon, but I can at least remind Blogger that I have a page.

This blog is just to say what I'm thinking and doing over these last few months in super-abbreviated form.  I'm also going to introduce some 'cunning plans'.  Let's get this over with...

First, everyone knows that I moved way back in November.  I am still not fully moved in and I've only barely gotten used to the house since I spend so much time at work.  One of the key qualifiers for this house is my workshop.  No longer is it located in the garage because I have a whole room!  This means I have shelves and a game table set up in a climate controlled area where my buddies and I won't be dying of heat stroke and freezing to death while trying to play a game.  I have a pretty sweet setup in there with some more cool features to add (a magazine rack, a couple more chairs, and some visuals on the walls).  The only problem with the new workshop, and I tested this last night, is that there's not enough room for 6 grown adults.  When I lay the game table up against the wall and give more room (this is the format for certain games like RPGs and card games), I should be able to fit five people in there comfortably enough.  In addition, my new garage is now the 'warehouse'.  When I have the time, my buddies and I will spend an afternoon going through everything, building shelves, and organizing it all.  I have a couple of POS rack systems and typical garage shelves, so this is going to make the newly dubbed 'Jay's Warehouse, distribution center of Jay's Workshop' comfortable as well.  I'm really excited.  Jay's Workshop is still 'brick and mortar'.

Then, we've had a few armies get released.  Everyone knows about my Eldar vs. Tau campaign.  My buddy and I have played 5 of the games, with the two previously posted at 1000 points, 2 at 1500 points (still to be posted), and 1 at 2000 points.  Currently, his Tau are beating my Eldar 3 battles to 2.  I am having a bugger of a time trying to defeat that massive wall of pulse fire and avoid all that cover-ignoring firepower coming at me.  I have one last chance to tie  up the series, but I suspect I am going to die.  I will finally use my Wraithknight and we'll have a comparison of that and the Riptide.  The Wraithknight is awesome, but the Riptide takes too much focus for me to feel comfortable.  It matters not for now, as my Eldar have been replaced for a moment.

Wait, what?

Space Marines got released.  I love the codex.  I still don't like Centurions, but they are really effective.  I've seen a unit destroy a couple Land Raiders, a couple of Termie squads, and a Dreadnought in a single game.  I watched them recently disembark and completely destroy an entire Chosen squad.  As much as I hate the models, I cannot deny their effectiveness.  Curse you, GW!!!

Then came the Imperial Knight.  I acquired one and have painted it up (yes, I know guys, pictures will be coming).  I actually used it in a battle last night and it was awesome.  But that's another post (there's the introduction I promised).  I just can't say enough how happy I am with the Knight model.  Anyone that plays Imperials in 40k should have one, and I'm finally thinking about getting another one to paint up different and use for another of my armies.  The models are fantastic, the rules are great, and they really add that extra element to the game that has always waited patiently in the fluff (and Epic) before finally joining us in the actual game.  I mean, seriously, this model is awesome!!!  It might be one of the few things that GW produces that is actually worth the cost.

  Quick squeeze in for Adepticon- my team went and played in the 40k Team Tournie again this year.  They did well enough and are ready to get started on next year.  Half of the team also played in the X-Wing Team Tournie and walked away with Best Sportsmanship.  Our team is known for that.  I'm very proud of them and hope that I finally get to participate next year.  I'm not sure how much longer this drought can last (it's been five years now)...

On top of that, I have my fantasy stuff out because our game group has fallen deep into that.  I haven't had an opportunity to play, but Valkia the Bloody is waiting to kill some Dwarfs.  I want to use my Empire, but I need to add some mobility to the army.  I want to play my High Elves but I'm afraid that they're not fair in the game right now (not unbeatable, just a bit much against certain armies), which leaves my Khorne Warriors begging for their chance again.  And what is a Khorne army without a Gorequeen?

And now IG, er, I mean Astra Militarum, have been released.  I just got the book yesterday and I'm not seeing anything that really stands out so far.  My buddy has gotten the Crimson Slaughter book and I'm thinking that these two books may need to be tested against each other (IG suffer from 'Fear', so that army-wide special rule will actually mean something).  This subject will probably result in more posts.  Here's to hoping!

In Heroclix, I've almost got the entire Legion of Superheroes set (minus my all-important Superman chase).  I actually ran a tournie a couple of weeks ago and had to play three games in a row.  By the third game, I was almost a competent player and was causing some real damage.  Next week may see me play in the AvX final round with a team that I build myself (I had to borrow a team last time since I didn't bring my Marvel stuff), and I might actually win a game.  I doubt it, though.

The expansion for the DC deck-building game was released and I haven't lost a game of it yet.  It's an awesome set and really focuses on the combos.  In addition, and this is my favorite part of the new version, the players get to dive into their decks and discard piles many times throughout the game.  There's something so utterly rewarding to being able to control your hand in that way.  The expansion isn't necessarily better than the first game, but it certainly added some new angles.  Like my previous post about the card game suggested- get the game!  It's perfect for those quick 1-hour gaps with your buddies and it requires little skill or focus to play.  It's typically how our game group finishes our game days.


Let's finish this off with a gem- I have pulled out an old game that some of you may remember.  This game set the bar for fantasy board games and really allowed GW to get a foothold and brand recognition in the US in the early 90s.  The game is so popular that single sets sell for hundreds of dollars to collectors (and I have four full sets plus some!).  I'm not looking to sell this game, I'm looking to play it and introduce my game group to this game.  What game is it?  I've mentioned it briefly before- Heroquest!!!  That's right, that old goodie is coming back out of the 'warehouse' and my buddies are going to bask in the glory that is.  Oh yes.  And that will be many posts, as I have painting articles and a linked campaign of games to show off.  Needless to say, I'm excited.  But, again, that'll be another post...

Okay, I may not post often, but I still do things.  Stay barely tuned to my infrequent updates and even let me know what y'all have been working on out there.  I still troll the blogosphere, but I'm not nearly as in-touch as I was a year ago.  In the meantime- Happy Hobbying!!!