Stop, Hammer Time!
January 17th, 2012
Well so far I haven’t exactly broken my New Year’s resolution of posting more often, however I had wanted to put something up a little sooner than this post.
Anyway, lots happening in the hobby for me at the moment, perhaps first and foremost is that I am now several weeks into being a member of a local tabletop wargaming club – Thor’s Hammer. A friendly, great bunch of guys (and gals) who regularly play WHFB and 40K, alongwith a number of other tabletop and card-based systems. It’s been a real boost to my grasp of the 40K rules as I’m enjoying at least one game a week (thanks to my extremely helpful mentor, and tabletop nemesis) and has given me extra impetus to focus on building a larger Space Marine army. Incidentally, it’s also encouraged me to start thinking about starting my own Chapter – further information and updates on that in future posts.
I’ve also made a concerted effort in the past couple of weeks to get most (if not eventually all) of my painted miniatures photographed and uploaded to the Showcase Gallery. I will endeavour to add to it on a fairly frequent basis as I build and paint new stuff. I’ve also still got a couple of terrain projects on the go in the background which I hope to finish before too long. These are 40K themed and are a refreshing diversion from copious amounts of green flock.
Right, time to get back to studying the Codex…
New Year, New Start
January 3rd, 2012
A hearty welcome to 2012 one and all.
Now, I’ve never been much inclined to make New Year’s resolutions as I know right from the get-go that just a few weeks into the year and any that I have made will fall by the wayside. However, when I reflect upon the fact that my last post on this blog was October 30th 2011, it has made me realise that I owe it to myself (and to anyone else that might be marginally interested in reading my inane drivel) to post here just a little more frequently. And since October, I’ve actually been making some progress with my hobby – not just in painting, but in learning to play 40K too – so I feel I should at least let the Interweb know about it.
So there you have it folks, my one (and most likely only) resolution for this year – to put fingertips to keyboard a bit more regularly.
First, But Not Only
October 30th, 2011
Black Library was founded in 1997, so when I was originally painting Citadel miniatures in the mid-80′s the idea of reading detailed stories set in the realms of Warhammer and Warhammer 40K was a completely unknown one. When I returned to the hobby a couple of years ago then, it was a while until I was aware of the extensive range of novels, ebooks and audiobooks that Black Library has to offer. To be brutally honest, my first impression of these books was that they were probably a plethora of pulp fiction, written purely as money-making tie-ins to ride on the back of successful tabletop games.
I was very wrong.
I downloaded First And Only as an ebook for my Kindle for free when Black Library first starting releasing their books in a digital download format. With a list of books I was already working my way through, it took me some time to actually get around to reading it. The Warhammer 40,000 based novel has been my first experience of the quality of literature that Black Library has to offer, and I must admit I’m impressed. Ok, so it’s never going to be listed amongst the great classics, but the standard of writing is high and the story was both engaging and interesting. By focusing in on a few key characters in a single regiment of Imperial Guard, Dan Abnett has managed to highlight the seemingly insignificant frailities, limitations and often unnoticed acts of valour that humans display, amongst the vast sprawling chaos of war raging across a million worlds. And I’ll also admit that I’ve now become sympathetic enough towards the challenges facing the Tanith First And Only – ‘Gaunt’s Ghosts’ – that I know that this novel is just the first step for me in following their continuing exploits.
I would encourage anyone who hasn’t yet savoured what Black Library has to offer to give at least one of their books a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Eldar Days
October 12th, 2011
THREE MONTHS?! I can’t believe so much time has passed between now and my last post. Things around here have been quite busy – enough to keep me out of the studio and my paint palette well and truly dry. But now the leaves are starting to turn and a chill can be felt on the breeze, all the signs are there for some Autumn/Winter hobbying to really start.
The last couple of weeks have provided me with enough time to almost finish my ten-man Ultramarine tactical squad, with only a bolter carrying marine and flamer to paint. I was able to batch apply decals to the other eight marines just this weekend past and I’m pleased at just how tight and complete they now look. Some pics on a new piece of terrain I’m building will follow soon.
This week I broke open a box of Eldar Guardians that I’ve had sitting on the shelf for some time and decided to assemble and paint a single model as I’ve not painted any Eldar before. Having been used to painting the Ultramarines recently, I was surprised at just how small and intricate they are to paint and being a little rusty in my skills at the moment I must admit I found it challenging. I’m not overly pleased with the result to be honest and I think I will be trying another couple in the near future to see if I can improve my results.
I chose a Zahr-Tann Craftworld colour scheme for the first model as I don’t find the garish colours of the other Craftworlds that appealing, but I think for the next one I will choose a colour scheme that’s a little less sombre.
Scroll On November
July 28th, 2011
It’s been a long time coming and I think most people feared that a fifth installment of the The Elder Scrolls series was never going to see the light of day. Bethesda Softworks have certainly played their cards close to their chest by not announcing the continuation of the franchise until just last December. Now nearly eight months on, there’s just another four months left until release. Four LONG months as far as I’m concerned.
My first experience of the Elder Scrolls series was through playing TESIV: Oblivion, a game that I quickly considered to be a near-perfect implementation of the RPG genre. I can clearly remember that my first visit to Sancre Tor was like every Fighting Fantasy novel I’d ever read made real. The sheer scale of the open world environment that the game offered was enough to make it exceptional and the almost unlimited number of community created mods have made it legendary. In fact I enjoyed it so much that I’ve sourced a copy of its predecessor – Morrowind – and have started playing through that with a whole load of graphic and gameplay improvements.
But, can The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim really bring anything new to the genre?
Resounding Success
July 21st, 2011
I’ve just looked at the date of my last post and I cannot believe it has been over a month since I’ve done anything 40K/Warhammer related. Just been too busy trying to scrape together a living it seems.
I wanted to briefly revisit the issue I was having with running Dawn of War II on my PC as there was a further development in my efforts towards a resolution. I outlined what I had originally believed to be the fix in my post Dawn of Core 2, but despite vast improvements in the stability of the game, sadly it wasn’t a complete solution. I was still experiencing the odd crash. I didn’t feel there was much else I could do software-side, and as I had also received word from Relic staff that my crash reports were showing up as a unique occurrence, I decided that it was time to investigate things hardware-side.
Ultimately, the solution lay in the sound card – a Creative Audigy 4. Firstly, I uninstalled all drivers for the card and then physically removed it from the machine. I re-enabled the on-board AC97 audio chipset in the BIOS and installed the latest drivers. Then I ran the game again. Disaster. The game crashed rather horribly the very moment I started a mission. So I reversed the above procedure, and re-stalled my Audigy 4 – but this time placing the card in a different PCI slot and installing the latest drivers afresh. Since then I haven’t (as yet) experienced another crash, even during some quite intense battles, so I’m hoping that this was at last the real solution to the problem.
Five Man Army
June 17th, 2011
It’s taken a little longer than I expected to get this far, but I’ve finally completed a five-man squad for my Ultramarines army. It’s actually half of my final ten-man Tactical Squad which will include a rocket launcher and flamer. I’ve probably put more detail into my batch painting than is sensible, but I’m pleased with the results and feel I can now move on to the next five troops to fully complete the unit.
Sharp-eyed purists out there may have noticed that only one of this squad actually has a Chapter emblem on his left pauldron. The reason is simply that I’m going to sit down and batch apply all decals to the whole ten-man squad once they all painted!
Here are a couple more photos of the squad, again placed on some of my own scratch built terrain.
Wetting The Palette
June 17th, 2011
While browsing through some of the other members blogs on From The Warp, I stumbled across a post on The Wild Riders that has inspired me. You know that feeling when there’s something missing from your hobby, but you haven’t quite got around to figuring out what it is? Well, today I found out what that thing is: a wet palette.
Now I don’t know why I’ve never thought of using one before, although I have experienced my paint drying out on me on numerous occasions. And it’s one of those things that once you’ve started using it, you begin to wonder how you ever got by without one! Now, I’m currently on a tight budget so my wet palette has been put together from things that can be bought at any typical supermarket. Here’s what I bought:
- 1 x low profile resealable plastic food storage container
- 1 x pack of 5 kitchen cleaning sponges
- 1 x roll of greaseproof/baking paper
After cutting all the sponges to fit the food storage box, I filled the whole thing with water. It was surprisingly heavy once the sponges had done their thing! The greaseproof/baking paper forms the top layer for the paint to go on. I’ve read since that baking parchment is preferable to use as greaseproof paper doesn’t really absorb and hold water, but until I find some or use some artist’s acrylic/blotting paper then it will suffice. Anyway, at least now when I’m batch painting my remaining Ultramarines they might all be a consistent color.
If you don’t currently use a wet palette I thoroughly recommend that you make yourself one. It’s easy and cheap and is a major aid in mini painting.
Dawn of Core 2
June 14th, 2011
Games Workshop’s recent price increases, while expected every year, seem to be somewhat excessive this time around and as a result I’m not currently able to allocate any funds for purchasing any new models or accessories. I know it’s something alot of people are experiencing right now. So alongside painting some of my long-shelved Fantasy miniatures, I’ve managed to pick up a copy of Dawn of War II: The Complete Collection very cheaply in order to get a 40K fix.
I’ve played demo versions of both Dawn of War II and its predecessor before and enjoyed them immensely, so I thought it was about time I got stuck into the full blown campaigns. I always feel a quiver of excitement when opening, installing and playing a new software title and in this case the effect was going to be doubled as it would actually involve two of my favourite pastimes. Everything went swimmingly during setup, but things began to go wrong just a few minutes into the tutorial mission…
Space Marine – A Step Too Far?
May 26th, 2011
I noticed today that Space Marine has become available to pre-order in the US on Steam. I have known about the game’s development for some time now, but haven’t managed to get around to really taking a look at any trailers/media for it. So with the announcement fresh in my mind, I decided to head on over to the official website and take a look.
THQ and Relic have recently been issued with extended licenses to produce further video games for Games Workshop and I would imagine that the company wants to keep expanding its interests in the video games marketplace, hoping to capture a wider audience and get them interested in Warhammer 40K. Space Marine is surely one of those attempts. However, from what I’ve seen of the gameplay today, I’m beginning to wonder if it hasn’t taken things just a step too far. A 30 sec viewing of any of the gameplay footage will immediately reveal what I’m referring to… gore, and plenty of it.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not naiive when it comes to Warhammer’s 41st millennium. It’s always been a future of visceral and brutal combat, a future where only the most battle hardened survive on blood-drenched and blasted battlefields. It’s not a pretty future and let’s face it, there is only war. That to me all seems fine when it’s being described in black and white on the printed page and through some very static Codex and Rulebook illustrations. What Space Marine does though is leave nothing to the imagination and to make it all extremely graphic. I mean, we all know what a chainsword does and how it works. But actually watching it carve through rank upon rank of howling Greenskins who erupt in fountains of sprayed blood and severed appendages? Is that really necessary?
I love this hobby for the very reason that what is sometimes lacking on a painted miniature or in the detail of a piece of terrain can be made up for by imagination. Background information and ‘fluff’ inspire rich mental images that only serve to enhance what can sometimes be rather lack-lustre and mediochre gameboard or conflict. Replace that with frenzied, remorseless and near limitless explosions of blood and entrails in HD and somehow for me the whole thing just suddenly feels very empty and cheapened.
Has Space Marine just taken things just that little bit too far? Your comments and thoughts on the matter are welcomed.
