Strategy Battle Game, Redemption

A few months ago, Games Workshop announced a new commitment to continuing support for the Strategy Battle Game(SBG) rule set. New figures, new rules, new terrain, and best of all, re-release of out of production models.

If you are a collector of these figures you know the OOP ones go for crazy money on eBay. I think I paid $30 for the mounted Gandalf above. Well the good news is now that figure has been re-released! As well as a lot of other figures.

Of course they renamed the rules as the new movies came out, but still the same rules. The lastest book they are releasing is to cover the 2nd and 3rd movies of the Hobbit triolgy.

New Dwarves released from GW's sister company, Forgeworld. They are spectacular if not a little pricey. I will eventually get a box or two.

There has been pictures of a Laketown building since the 2nd movie, but it was never released. Today it just went up on GW's site for preorder.You can get a single building or a 3 pack. I ordered the 3 pack.

Once I get them painted up I will post photos and some game reports. Can't wait!

Xin

Twilight Struggle

I just played my first game of Twilight Struggle. Best Boardgame I've played all year. It's 2 player, USA vs USSR during the Cold War. In your turn you play event cards that are real events that happened during the Cold War. Sometimes they are good for you, and sometimes they are bad as you try to influence other countries into your sphere of control. If you trigger WWIII you lose.

In our game, on our third turn, we both had cards if not played carefully would have triggered the war. The world hung on a knife's edge for that turn.

I'm of a certain age, that I remember a lot of those events or some of those events were recent history and they still reverberate in today's world. This is one game for the boardgame library.

Xin

Scratch built Mausoleum

I recently ran a large 8 player game of Frostgrave at Fall In 2016. I used about 90% of the same terrain I did last time at Cold Wars 2016. I did add some new pieces and one was this mausoleum.

Renedra made some stone floor plastic pieces which I think are the base for there towers. I thought they would be great for ruins or village cotteges. I bought a few packs.

I used MS Publisher to draw a template for the walls

I used Elmers glue stick to glue the template to foamcore that I had stripped the paper off of.

Once cut out the template is easy to peel off the foamcore. I made 2 templates with different sized arches to get inset windows and doorway. I used a low temp hot glue gun to glue the 2 walls together.

Test fit with figure for scale

Here you can see the Renedra floor sections. I glued 2 sections to one piece of foamcore and used a ball point pen to score the stone work.

I made double thick walls of foamcore.  

Using a ball point pen I scored in the stone work.

All glued together. I used a tin foil ball to scuff up the inside walls to add texture.

The roof is made of Foamcore and pink insulation. Again scoring with a pen. The skull is a halloween plastic ring, sold at dollar stores.

As I was using this piece to enlarge a graveyard, that was mostly GW's Garden of Morr, I used those pieces as inspiration for style. Torches are from a Kickstarter,

Large spikes are bamboo skewers and small spikes are spear tips from GW's State Troop box set.

I finished painting the this piece on the morning we were heading to Fall In. Didn't get any pictures of painting it, other than the partial coat above. Also not finished was the interior. I would use as is, but I brought along a crafting kit box to finish the interior if I had time at the convention.

 Here I set up a crafting table in the hotel room at the convention.

The interior of the Mausoleum are open crypt niches with skeletons. I had these pieces I got off ebay year or more ago sitting around doing nothing. So I cut foamcore sides and hot glued them into the niche shelves that will get mounted inside the building. Again, no more pics as I had to set up the game in about an hour so was rushing.

Here is the finished Graveyard with Mausoleum. Gate, statue, and smaller crypts are from Games Workshop. Sarcophagus are from Reaper Bones. Metal fencing from Dept 56 found at garage sale. Green Led tea Lights from Amazon.

Completed building and on the game table.

I was "just" happy with the Mausoleum when I finished it at home. When I got the time to add the crypt niches in the hotel, that sent the piece over the top for me.   It was a fun build, and I will use it as a stepping stone for more foamcore buildings. I'll make a post about the game in a few days.

Cheers, Xin/Jeff

IT from the Pit

In my unending quest to clean up the basement(wife's words), or re-organize my gaming space(my words) I came across a fun game I played with the kids when they were a lot younger. It From The Pit!

Your an Indian Jones type treasure hunter with 4 lives. you have to make around the pit and reach the treasure.

It will reach up and drag you into the pit.

You can go the fast and dangerous path or the slower and safer path.

It's a crazy fast paced game. Great fun.

Xin/Jeff

Upgrading my workbench

Over the summer I bought a new workbench from Amazon(Link here), and have been slowly getting it together. I'm almost all done, but there are a few more odds and ends that I need to finish.

The cool thing about this bench is you buy the lumber separately so you can customize the size you need. It can handle plywood sheets as large as 4x8. I went with 3x6 as this fit the space I had.

I added a pegboard back to the workbench. And added under shelf lighting. 

I might be obsessive compulsive about organization and my flock. 

I need more red lids. I can't have them different colors. I need help.

Later, Xin  

Another game of Dragon Rampant with some add on rules.

I really like the base mechanism of DR but I think it's a little too generic. Just a little bit. Also I was looking for a more "warhammer like" game. So I asked on The DR facebook group if anyone is playing with House Rules to add to the game.

Apparently one of the playtest versions before going to print had rules for flanks and rear attacks. I thought these were a good start. Copied from the Dux Rampant Forums:
• Models may move in any direction without penalty, but at the end of the unit’s movement, ensure that all models are facing in one direction.
• To change the direction a unit is facing requires a Move activation, even if the models just turn on the spot.
• Units may only Shoot at targets across the 180° arc to their front, measured from the unit’s forward-most model. At least one model from the target unit must be fully within this arc.
• Units may only Attack units within that same arc; the same applies for Wild Charges (they may not be made against units outside of the arc).
• Units shot at or Attacked by a unit beginning its move or shooting from behind its front arc count their Armour as 1 lower than normal (so Armour 2 becomes Armour 1). This is pretty deadly so don’t get flanked!
• Schiltrons cannot be flanked.

With those rules above we added the following:

• All troops must be formed(base to base contact), exception for skirmishers
• Troops can move forward/wheel/echelon normally
• Movement sideways or backwards is half speed. 

With these rules in place we sat down for a 48 point game...

Empire vs Dark Elves

Empire Army
Elector Count and bodyguard - Elite Rider w/ Level headed(Army General) RMU 3 figures
Empire Knights - Elite Riders w/ Level Headed
Empire Pistoleers - Light Riders w/ Short Range Missiles(pistols) 
Wolf Knights - Elite Riders/Mystic Armor, RMU 3 figures
Empire Spearmen - Heavy Infantry
Empire Halberdiers -Heavy Infantry
Crossbowmen - Heavy Missile
Crossbowmen - Heavy Missile

Dark Elf Army 
Elf Sorceress - Elite Rider (Army General), SMU with Spellcasting
Cold One Riders - Elite Riders
Cold One Riders - Elite Riders
Dark Elf Xbow - Light Missile Dark Elf Xbow - Light Missile Dark Elf Xbow - Light Missile
Witch Elves - Bellicose Foot
Dark Elf Inf - Heavy Foot
Dark Elf 2 Handed - Elite Foot, RMU
Dark Elf Inf - Heavy Foot

Scenario, grab and hold 3 objectives in the center of the board. Highlight in blue.

Troop types left to right, Light Rider - Elite Rider - Heavy Missile

Heavy Foot - Heavy Foot

Heavy Missile - Elite Riders - Elite Rider

Good guys

Bad guys

Elite Rider Sorceress(off screen) - Elite Riders - Light Missile - Elite Foot - Heavy Foot - Bellicose Foot

Light Missile - Heavy Foot - Elite Riders - Light Missile(Off camera to right)

Dark Elf player goes first. Elf Sorceress, Cold One Riders and Xbow advance to the objective on the hill, turn ends

Empire turn, 2 Heavy Foot move to the center objective and my Xbow kills 2 dark elves.

On the left my Pistoleers move thru the village to shoot at the Cold One Riders, no effect.

This is after turn one, things get fuzzy here because we blow alot of activations and not much gets done on either side.

I finally get my Wolf Knights going and Xbow advance.

Dark Elf Xbow advance.

I lose a Pistoleer to Xbow fire. My opponent is very happy. He hates my Pistoleers.

I continue to fail rolls while the Dark Elf player gets most of his line advancing.

My Wolf Knights make a Wild Charge and kill a Cold One. They flee.

The Dark Elf Heavy foot charge my Wolf Knights and I beat them off, they flee. But I take a hit.

Still not getting my troops moving but I am shooting the crap out of his advancing troops.

Pistoleers evade a charge and kill another Cold One. They Flee again.

On the far side I lose a Wolf Knight to xbow, but I massacre them in return.

Back in the center, my foot inches forward.

Witch Elves charge and are beaten back. The other Dark Elf foot unit also charges and is beaten back.

At this point we call a minor Victory for the Empire. I have 2 of the 3 objectives and it's getting late.

I enjoy DR, and with the additional rules I really like it. More games and a few more rules tweaks and we are in business.

Cheers,
Xin/Jeff