Astronomi-con complete, and Tabletop Fix blog

Astro has finished for this year.  Wow, what an experience.  I'd say that most of the armies there were quite well painted, and with the exception of maybe 1 or 2 players, very casual and fun to play against.  Overall, I think I'm quite happy with the event and will probably show up next year, with a few minor tweaks.  I'm going to aim for making a proper display tray for my army in the meantime.  :)

Also, check out the Tabletop Fix blog.  They're pretty much amongst the top few tabletop wargaming blogs that I check out on a daily basis.  As you can see, I've put up a banner to participate in their contest.  :P

Astronomi-con

Astronomi-con is a 2 day Warhammer 40k tournament held in various cities across North America, and Vancouver happens to be one of them.  First time there, and it was a blast.  Some really great armies were on display, and some great games were played.  Can't wait for Day 2!

Fantasy Flight Games announces DUST Warfare

Found on Tabletop Fix
All I can say is, sweet!  I love alternate history stuff, and WW2 is no exception.  Giant mechs with WW2 weapons?  Bring it on!  :)

Chimeras done!

Well, it took a long time but I'm finally done with my Chimeras for Astronomi-con.  My list hasn't been finalized yet, but I'll probably bring at least 2 of these.  Armour plates were fun to do, and it was a great exercise on learning about molds and casting.  Kind of wished the washes went on better but I'm very happy with the end result, nevertheless!

A Game of Thrones

Started reading the first book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, by George R. R. Martin.  Extremely well written and engaging, if not a bit... explicit, in a few parts.  ^_^;;  Very much looking forward to reading the rest of the series, and it will be an excellent excuse to purchase the miniatures from Dark Sword Miniatures.  :)

Mech Goodness

A nice surprise showed up in the mail today - a squad of 3 Light Assault Walkers from Micropanzer (32mm scale).  Can't wait to put it together!  Strangely enough, the parts seem to be made up of 3 types of material - some light plastic, resin, and metal. Will be using them as stand-ins for Sentinels in my IG army for fun.

Terraclips - Streets of Malifaux preview

For those of you who play Malifaux or 28mm wargames in general, there's been a review posted on Gamer's Lounge a couple of weeks ago about the upcoming Terraclips - Streets of Malifaux set (think modular, cardstock, wargaming terrain held together by small plastic clips).  Been thinking of cost-effective, lightweight, modular terrain to use for 40k, and since this series is in 28mm and also appropriately "grimdark" it might just fit the bill.  The company that makes this, WorldWorksGames, also produces their own proprietary cardstock terrain called TerrainLinx, which supposedly is compatible with the new Terraclips stuff.  Definitely worth considering!  If anyone out there has any other suggestions for low cost (but nice looking terrain) that won't break the bank and promotes modularity (i.e. Dave Graffam's stuff), please feel free to mention them too!

Truth

Some humour courtesy of Ryan McGechaen inspired by our discussion of LA Noire the other day :

 Well played, Ryan.  :P

In the girm darkness of the future, there is only grimdark humour

Spotted on the DakkaDakka forums in a thread about pre-made gameboards and Games Workshop's offering, the Realm of Battle Board:

"There's a difference between grimdark and farce. If I wanted skulls, I'd add them myself in a way that actually makes sense, not as a rich vein of cranium."

Yup, that pretty much sums it up:

I guess in Warhammer (both Fantasy and 40k) skulls are a dime a dozen if you can just mine them from the ground like that... ^_^;;

WIP IG Chimera w/extra armour skirts

Just spent the evening putting together one of several Chimeras that I'll use for my army, the Arborealis 317th Regiment.  Track guards are from Forgeworld, but the armour skirts themselves were inspired by a Forgeworld design.  I used plasticard sheets with a tile pattern for the reactive panels.  The panels were then molded in silicone rubber and then I made resin casts of them, and mounted them on a plasticard beam assembly.  The assembly was then magnetized so that I could remove the armour when the scenario doesn't call for it.  Had lots of fun making this, but obviously still lots of touchups to be made, not to mention the paint job.  ^_^;;  Fun times!

Hello World

Standard first attempt message goes here.  Like mold on food, perhaps this blog will grow on its own.  :)