My dreams are crushed!

I had, after weeks of deliberation, finally determined my army list.  It wasn't an overpowered one, but it had a definite strategy and the tools to accomplish it.  I had it.  HAD is the operative word.

You see, Adepticon's team tournament has some specific rules that govern army design.  As part of a 4-man team, players will pair-off and battle against another team's pair in a scenario that the AWC boys invent.  Each player brings a 1,000 point army, using 1 HQ, 1-3 Troops, 0-1 Elite, 0-1 Fast Attack, and 0-1 Heavy Support.  A single player from each team is also allowed to take an extra Elite, Fast Attack, or Heavy Support.  Outside of that, there's not too many other restrictions.  Even Forgeworld models are allowed.  But there's a list for which FW models a team can bring, and limitations on how many may be taken (one of any FW unit per team, so no repeats).  And here's where I got excited.

My army is based on a very specific theme (which I'll go into later as I describe my team's theme), which was based on the Black Library novel, "Know No Fear".  In the book, 5 chapters of Word Bearers gather on Calth with 20 chapters of the Ultramarines in a mighty mustering to supposedly crush a massive Ork Waaaagh in the galactic south.  Little did the Ultramarines realize that this was a very well-planned ambush of treachery.  The majority of the Word Bearers' legion was with their primarch and speeding to Terra to aid Horus in over throwing the Emperor.  But the part of the legion on Calth was awesome nonetheless.

Led by Erebus, the planetary forces consisted of thousands of cultists (who looked like terribly shabby soldiers, and not even good ones at that), thousands of Astartes, and armor in the form of Land Raiders, Land Speeders, and Rhinos (and I'm sure there was a Predator in there somewhere).  Kor Phaeron, on the other hand, led the space-borne assault, using hundreds of Astartes, some Dark Adeptus, and even daemons.  I chose to use the land-bound forces as my theme (for obvious reasons) and developed a strategy to fit that theme.  Here it goes:

First, I have to bring cultists.  Two big units should do the trick.  They didn't have anything special, one would have autoguns and the other would have the CC build-out.  Add to that a typical unit of Marines and BLAM!  3 Troop choices and 55 models on the field already!  To lead the force, I was going to convert up an awesome Erebus model and 'counts-as' him using Huron's rules (on suggestion of one of my 'cheezier' gamer buddies.  Good call, right?!).  Knowing that it wouldn't be enough to cause any real damage to enemy, I chose to take some armor.  That would start with a Predator with lascannon sponsons.  That tank would go armour-killing as well as spraying high-strength firepower into those foolish enough to come at it.  But a Predator is not resilient enough to withstand 2 missile launchers, so I tossed in a Land Raider Proteus.

The Proteus was going to be my 'baby'.  It's a RT-era model, so it represents the Horus Heresy time-frame perfectly.  Its rules are available online, so I don't have to bring an oversized, $80 book to use it.  It's also not great as an assault vehicle (being able to carry less doods and  not having the front ramp make this pretty obvious), so I was content to use it as a firebase.  Most importantly, it is an Elite choice, leaving me to fit into the required FOC and not taking away from one of my other teammates.  With two vehicles on the board, one armor 13 up front with 3 hull points, and the other with armor 14 all around and 4 hull points, I figured this would become a hassle for anyone to handle.  And that hassle would allow my weak Troop choices to do their jobs.  Brilliant, I say!

And then Adepticon put out the 'Allowable Forgeworld Models List', and the Proteus wasn't on there.  I know that the boys in AWC already stated that Horus Heresy stuff wasn't going to be allowed (despite some stuff being on the list), and I know that the rules aren't available in any normal Forgeworld book, but I was surprised.  And crushed.  And frustrated.

After weeks of deliberation and some sense of confidence in my usually-terrible strategic decision-making skills, I was blocked.  And now I'm back to square one.  Yay.  Oh well, I only had 23 army lists written so far, what's a few more?

Work taking away from work

Remember how I started a Demo board and said I'd be done in a week?  Remember how I started building some of my old RT-era models and waxed about the start of my Adepticon army?  Remember how I promised to have my Ultramarines finished by the time the world ends in two weeks?

Yeah, I seem to have been very wrong on all of that.  I've made progress on everything (except the blue-boys) for sure, but I've been killed in the arena of TIME.  Let me explain...

I got a job at the beginning of November.  This job came with the typical 9-5 hours during the week.  What did I do?  I was an operator for a Healthcare company that deals with Medicare (as well as other private plans, to be fair).  Why does this matter?  It was the last couple of weeks of our 'Annual Enrollment Period', where millions of American seniors had to get signed up for their healthcare benefits.  How did this affect me?  Remember that whole 9-5 routine?  That turned into 9-10.  That's 9am until 10PM.  Suddenly, I lost all the free time I had to take care of stuff outside of work.  Make no mistake, I was good at that job (which is why they asked me to work all those extra hours), but it definitely killed any chance I had of accomplishing much.  That's okay, I was released the final Friday and I would have Saturday to start fresh on my projects.

BUT WAIT!!!  On Saturdays, I work at the comic shop and run the game club there!  That requires me to teach assembly, painting, and even gaming.  I have very little time to enjoy my personal hobby and even less time to crack open a comic book.  Add to that how poorly I felt after working 40 hours in the previous three days (and far more hours that week besides) and suddenly I'm unable to even fulfill that part of the job.  I had to go home early.  I fell asleep as soon as I got home and slept until noon on Sunday.  And that's okay, because Sunday I could finally step up and work on some stuff...

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!  On Sundays every week, I become a sports-writer.  At the very least, I have to watch as many American Football games as I can and copy down every play, player, yard, penalty, and change of score.  I usually have multiple games on every three hours, which is alot to follow.  Add to that my three 'Fantasy Football' leagues (one of which I run and another which I'm the first-place guy) and suddenly I'm overwhelmed from 11-11 all day that day.  Forget the fact that I still have kids that need to get showers done and dinner made and lunches prepped...

And then there's the week again.  I am lucky this week insofar as I don't have a job until Thursday, when I start working for a Travel company.  But I was so exhausted (and running a fever, mind you) that I didn't even have the motivation to get out of bed.  Until today, that is.  And what did I realize?  I realize that I start work all over again tomorrow and won't have any days off again until maybe Christmas.  Maybe.  My new job usually works on holidays, so we'll see how that goes.  And I realize that I've been making promises to all you guys about all the things I'm doing and plan to get done.  Sadly, as I make those promises I get completely swamped and can't complete anything.  And for that, I'm sorry.

What's the moral of the story here?  Well, the moral is that the quickest way to ruin a hobby is to treat it like a job.  Funny enough, I actually DID have this hobby as a job for a loooooong time and I got very little done that wasn't directly attached to schedules and plans.  I have been out of work for almost two years (not counting the few months of work before my car decided to teach me a lesson) and I accomplished quite a bit.  Now I'm trying to accomplish my hobby projects while working and during the season where I create even more work for myself.  My hobby has become a chore.  This cannot continue.

Here's my cunning plan:  A little here and a little there.  I have primed the buildings I need for my demo board and even primed the new models for my Adepticon army.  I want to paint them so bad right now, but I don't want to stress while doing it.  I need to get this stuff done right away but I don't want to feel obliged to accomplish something I'm supposed to enjoy.  So let me take a little bit of time this week for myself.  Let me just admire the progress I have made in the last two weeks and just relax.  Let me bask in the glory of the HOBBY, not the job.  And in this process, I'm going to set up some games next week so I can remember what it's like to roll dice.  That should give me the motivation I'm looking for.  

Whatever you do, don't let your hobby turn into work.  It's a lesson I learned years ago, and yet I have to be reminded of.  Well played, real life.  Thanks for reminding me...

NOT Forgeworld!

I've been exposed to something very funny these last couple of weeks.  One of my gamer-buddies has been showing up to club day and bringing his super-old Chaos Space Marine army, which happens to include the ancient Rhinos.  Half a dozen times now, other gamers have walked up and asked if those models were Forgeworld.  Of course, the answer is an emphatic no.

I bring this up as 'funny' because it reinforces something that I know- I'm an old gamer.  I've been playing with these models since the late 80's and rolling dice for them since the 90's, but most of the people that play this game now are new and only found the glory that is 40k within the last 10 years or so.  That is amazing to me, even though I'm responsible for thousands of these 'newer' gamers.

There's even some more proof that I came across recently.  The one that had me flipped was on one of the big blog-sites (everyone should know which one it is) where someone started a comment thread trying to argue what the standard Land Raider variant is known as.  Anyone who knows anything about the 'technical' side of the hobby knows that it's called the PHOBOS pattern. But dozens of people tried to argue that it was known as the 'Godhammer Pattern' (which is what the lascannons are) or the 'Godwyn Pattern' (which is what the heavy bolters are), and even the 'Mark I' (which hasn't existed since '87).  Anyone who has been playing or collecting since White Dwarf issue #245 (summer 2000) would know this information.  But alas, most people are newer hobbyists than that.

But it's even 'funnier' these days because Warhammer 30,000 has finally hit the shelves and a huge portion of the hobby base has decided to go back in time and play this out (that'll be another post someday), which requires the use of a ton of Forgeworld models.  Let's look at these and the old stuff and see just how different it is.  Hopefully, this also serves as an education for the newer hobbyists on just how UNORIGINAL the new FW models are (and this isn't bad.  The FW stuff is supposed to look like the old stuff).

RHINO

Rogue Trader era Rhino, which lasted until the early 2000's and was the oldest model in the 40k line...

Forgeworld Deimos Pattern Rhino

PREDATOR

Rogue Trader era Predator, affectionately referred to as the 'Spoon-top' version

Forgeworld Deimos pattern Predator

LAND RAIDER

Rogue Trader era Land Raider (the second version) and the first heavy tank model available to ALL armies

Forgeworld Proteus pattern Land Raider

See?  Same old models for us old gamers, but new Forgeworld conversion kits to copy.  I like the FW stuff, but the differences are also obvious.  My hint:  If you don't want to show your age in the hobby, please don't walk up to everyone using what seems to be old models and asking if they're Forgeworld.  THEY MAY NOT BE!  Some of us are just too poor to buy the new models (especially Rhinos, which all the old gamers have too many of) and are WAY too poor to buy the FW versions just because we may want to play 30k instead of the real game.

Now, right now you may be thinking that I'm being a 'bitter old man' and using that as an excuse to write a blog.  You're partially right, especially considering that I've been too busy to make my weekly post as normal.  But there's a second reason- I actually built something last night!  Let me show you some pictures...

I bought this from ebay a decade ago for $40, when this model was selling for triple that amount at minimum.  It was a deal, to say the least.  The original owner did a fantastic job building the core body of the vehicle and even added some leftover engine parts from some model car (he really loved this model, and I'm honoured to have picked it up).  Specifically check out those instructions.  Anyone that complains about GW's instructions is ignorant considering what they used to be...

I don't understand why the picture is flipped.  Sorry about that.

 Last night, around midnight, I got bored and decided to bust the model out and finish it.  I build the hedgerow-cutter, some other small accessories (such as headlights, smoke launchers, and viewing port), and finally assembled the weapons.  I know this is an ugly model, but I can't help but to love it.  PLUS- Forgeworld released rules for the Land Raider Proteus, which means I can actually use this in games (FW being allowed, of course).  If you have this model and want to use the rules, you can find them here:
Forgeworld LR Proteus rules

Not being one to simply have something for the sake of having it, I have to disclose that I'm very seriously thinking of using this model in my Word Bearers army.  Not only does it fit the theme of 'Heresy-era', but I never did like that renegade Legions have the same equipment as the loyalist chapters.  The XVIIth Legion is actually the only Legion left over after ten thousand years and they must have tons of the old equipment left over.  Not to mention that I still have almost two companies of RT era 'beakies' which are seriously wanting to be painted gray.  But those decisions are yet to be made firm...

But wait, there's more!  I made sure to acquire an old Predator tank as well and I'm extremely tempted to build and use this as well.  Ever think GW's model kits have too many pieces?  Check this out-

You may not be able to tell, but there's a ton of parts in there.  Anyone old enough to have built the old Rhinos can tell you how much of a pain they were to build.  Now add more guns...

And to be preemptive before everyone comes up to my table and begins the 'oohs' and 'aahs', this is NOT Forgeworld!  I'm just old, dammit...

As always, Happy Hobbying!

Genesis of a Demo Board

I finally got the bug.  After weeks of not picking up a paintbrush or a hobby knife, I finally broke down and forced myself to do it.  The great part is that I actually had a buddy over and he willingly helped, so the motivation was certainly injected from an outside source.  Regardless of why I finally did it, the fact that I did some hobbying made me proud.  And, of course, this should lead to more.  Much more.

I'm going to show off pictures of the stuff I started working on last night and then talk briefly about what I'm going to do about it.  This will eventually lead to pictures of this new terrain project being finished and posted up here, and will lead to me using it to recruit even more hobbyists

First comes the tabletop itself.  I have 5 display boards, but they're all 16"x20", and that's just too small for a proper demo game.  While I worked for the company, we moved from 4'x4' tables (way in the early 90's) to 2'x2' tables for our demo games.  And rummaging around, I found this perfectly-sized board in the workshop!  Yay!  Notice that it's already got a texture to it- this was achieved by priming and drybrushing the rough side of the hardboard.  The bottom (not seen in the pic for obvious reasons) is the smooth side, which is unnecessary for this.  The board, with its texture, is perfect to as the base of a city, which is altogether perfect for this sci-fi game...

I built some buildings many months ago (in fact, it was soon after my accident and I used this assembling to retrain my shattered arm.  Buildings are simple and fit that perfectly).

And I have three more kits to make more buildings.  I don't have any idea yet of what I would like to use for the demo board, but having too many buildings is better than not having any or enough.  Plus, this demo board will be modular and I plan to use whatever goes on this board on the main table also, when I feel the urge to rock some cityfight...

This kit was what got my buddy excited.  He had never seen it before and, after laying eyes upon it, ripped the box open and slapped the parts together.  After all, what good is an Imperial City (even in ruins) without a giant Space Marine statue?

While still working for the company, I had the urge to buy some Forgeworld models, and HQ didn't have anything I was terribly interested in.  So I found this crater set and grabbed it instead.  Paying far too much for it, I was proud to have craters that would grace my planned ruins table.  Funny enough, we released the plastic craters only a few weeks later.  I have them, but I needed to get these FW ones done for fear of forgetting that I had them.  If you look closely, you can see one of my favorite aspects of GW models ever- nothing but the feet of a Space Marine in the middle of a crater!  It's the little things...

Finally comes the 'bitz' for the battlefield.  Tank traps, barrels, gas cans, and a few other items shall add that extra something to the board, giving troops something other than windows to hide behind.  Again, it's the little things...

That's it for today.  I plan on doing some drybrushing, some 'rusting', and some other painting to get this stuff done soon.  My goal is to have a complete demo board done by next weekend.  Will I finish it?  A little motivation should see this happen, even if I start my new job this week.  After all, how long can it take to paint this stuff?  Stay tuned!

Happy hobbying!