A Festive Mikmas to You

It's very hard to believe that a year ago today I was posting news that we were going to have a new baby, and that it was my birthday to boot. Well that grape-sized, in utero critter from the ultrasound is now a six month old healthy boy, and me, your thirty six year old host, is now a thirty seven year old host.

As you can see from the birthday loot pile above, the girls know me pretty well. More on the UFO Abduction set later, having already built it though I must say it's pretty cool. As for L.A.Noire, I was pleasantly surprised especially since I hadn't even hinted towards it.

EDIT: Ironically enough, I'm not the only adult out there gaming, painting Space Marines, and getting cool Lego sets for their birthdays from the family, ahem, Sons of Twilight.

Chaos Pact; Small, Medium, and Large

I finished up some of my non-human players on the Blood Gryphons. They seem pretty glossy because I haven't Dull Coted them yet, the weather in my neck of the woods has been about ninety-five degrees every day with about 90% humidity...not good sealing weather. Since my Blood Bowl figs see the most (and roughest) action, I really varnish them down to protect them. Once the Dull Cote goes on they're good to go.


Slab Crag-Iron, my Chaos Ogre; Ogre Kingdoms parts


Lomnis Spannerback, Goblin troublemaker with a one strength


Critt Hakk'ck, Skaven with the (bone) claw mutation

LEGO Thursday: Zombpocalypse Survivors

Not all roleplaying adventuring parties are fantasy based. We ran a short-live (no pun intended) but incredibly fun Zombpocalypse game using the d20 Modern rules some time ago.

Our GM, Rucht, threw some interesting curve-balls in on us and turned what we thought was a run-of-the-mill zombie romp into something a bit more creative.

I believe we all ended up on a boat, marooned at sea, unaware that the zombies were approaching us underwater. Like I said, lots of fun, and any game where the GM has you make a back-up character at the same time as your regular character you know things are going to be rough!


My first character, a thuggish, street-wise hooligan is on the left here. He was eaten by zombies fairly quickly. In the middle we have the local preacher, armed with a buzz saw and revolver, he was a zombie-whacking machine. Speaking of whacking, on the right was a local professional baseball player armed with his bat. He could also throw baseballs with deadly accuracy. A rag-tag bunch of survivors indeed.

Mail Call

Yesterday's mailbox venture yielded more than bills and spam fliers for new roofing contractors, it yielded free geek stuff. Plus the two items cover the two main genres of my gaming world, tabletop minis and roleplaying games.

First up is issue number one of Loviatar, a 'zine dedicated to fleshing out an urban fantasy setting. To boot it's set loosely in the Forgotten Realms for those franchise-inclined but can easily be ported to a homebrew setting. It's also neat because it takes me back twenty years to the indie-published days full of these types of endeavors. Head over there now and get a subscription, you won't be disappointed.

Speaking of places you need to head over to Land War in Asia, this blog never disappoints in the batrep department, beautifully done tables and armies, and a scope of genres across the board. His content is consistently solid and always a good read. Recently Donogh held a reader contest, and I won two excellently painted mounted cavalrymen from Dixon's American Civil War range.

Thunderstone Mini-Campaign

This past weekend we broke out the Thunderstone and played for an evening. After toting this one to the cabin and back, the handful of games before and after said cabin, and this past weekend I can now feel satisfied that I've gotten my money's worth. It's a great game mind you, but with so many great games on the shelves it's hard to find time to make for new additions. This of course says nothing about Race for the Galaxy I got for Father's Day, but more on that much later, I've yet to even break the seal on that one.

Instead of playing a bunch of separate games and calling it a night we came up with some on-the-fly tweaks to the rules to link the games together. In essence we could play a "campaign" in one evening. Below I'll go over the changes, it was dead easy and did give a sense of continuity from one game to the next. There's probably better detailed and thought-out ways to do this, and I'm sure Thunderstone die-hards on the BGG have come up with versions that far surpass this. I've also got the Wrath of the Elements expansion, so this includes cards from that as well. All right, let's do this thing.

Game #1

• The first game is standard Thunderstone, we used the randomizer decks for everything, and had the expansions just mixed in with the regular stuff.
• The post-game was where it gets a little different. Each player got to keep two of the cards out of their deck for the next game. These could be anything; heroes, items, weapons, even slain monsters. The latter is a good idea if you have a monster that yields a particularly high gold value or even a high victory point value. It's also important to note at this point that none of these hero or village cards will be present in the next game.
• The winner of the game gets to keep a third card, and if a player was able to snag the Thunderstone itself, they keep that as well.
• We used the expansion TStone in the first game because it yields some light on its own and would be marginally worth something in your deck next game.
• Finally, randomly draw one of the three monster randomizer cards that were in the first game. This monster that you draw is your "theme" monster and will show back up next game.

Game #2

• The second game's setup is the same as before, just set up as a standard game with a couple of exceptions.
• Only two monster randomizers are drawn, remember you're keeping one monster type from the first game.
• Players shuffle in their 'keeper' cards from the previous game into their starting decks.
• At the end of the game players keep three cards each this time, with the winner keeping four. Note here that although none of the hero types are coming back, the third (and final) game's village will have all the cards randomized back in. Mind you, with all of the cards available, it's still a gamble if that favorite item of yours will show back up.

Game #3

• Setup for game three is a bit different. You'll randomize three monster types from scratch per usual, then add in the recurring monster from the first two games. This will give you four total monsters in the dungeon.
• You're going to shuffle in two Thunderstones in the bottom of the dungeon deck. Yes, you have to get both of them out to end the game. If the players didn't manage to actually grab the stones previously, just use those. Otherwise you can use the xp cards or something to proxy them in.
• The village gets an upgrade as well, we called it a 'city'. Just add in a third row of village cards to the village, this will give twelve village cards plus the standard four that are always present (dagger, iron rations, militia, and torch).

By the third game you should have some cards you've really come to dig over the course of your journey. You're also going to find these cards, presuming you kept good cards, are going to allow you to tackle the dungeon sooner and more often. We followed the format above and had a lot of fun, which was the bottom line. You could fill in the blanks easily enough and come up with a real narrative too. Our recurring monster for this evening were dragons, so that could've been worked in easily enough. It was nice to have the games linked however loosely they were, and it did give a sense of a bigger picture when it was all said and done.

A DnD Character is You

I saw a new "what DnD character would you be?" questionnaire floating around, thanks to Joe over at Lead, Paint, and the General. These are fun, but I don't always post the result, since this particular quiz was over a hundred questions long however, I felt compelled. I gotta say, I like the character I "rolled" up, too bad DnD is off the books right now for us, until then...enjoy! Art by my all-time fave, Wayne Reynolds, quiz link at the bottom of this page.

Nerys Par-Salian
Neutral Good Human Ranger/Sorcerer (3rd/3rd Level)

Ability Scores:

Strength-14

Dexterity-14

Constitution-15

Intelligence-12

Wisdom-12

Charisma-16

Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment because it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Primary Class:
Rangers are skilled stalkers and hunters who make their home in the woods. Their martial skill is nearly the equal of the fighter, but they lack the latter's dedication to the craft of fighting. Instead, the ranger focuses his skills and training on a specific enemy a type of creature he bears a vengeful grudge against and hunts above all others. Rangers often accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. His skills allow him to move quietly and stick to the shadows, especially in natural settings, and he also has special knowledge of certain types of creatures. Finally, an experienced ranger has such a tie to nature that he can actually draw on natural power to cast divine spells, much as a druid does, and like a druid he is often accompanied by animal companions. A ranger's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.

Secondary Class:
Sorcerers are arcane spellcasters who manipulate magic energy with imagination and talent rather than studious discipline. They have no books, no mentors, no theories just raw power that they direct at will. Sorcerers know fewer spells than wizards do and acquire them more slowly, but they can cast individual spells more often and have no need to prepare their incantations ahead of time. Also unlike wizards, sorcerers cannot specialize in a school of magic. Since sorcerers gain their powers without undergoing the years of rigorous study that wizards go through, they have more time to learn fighting skills and are proficient with simple weapons. Charisma is very important for sorcerers; the higher their value in this ability, the higher the spell level they can cast.

What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?

Four Stars (and Stripes)

Last night a big group of us got together and went to see Captain America. The biggest accomplishment of the night was that we managed to get twelve seats together in a packed theater. We had some serious service issues at dinner beforehand, but this isn't a review about that, it's about the latest Avenger flick.

They did some things I always wanted to see in a Cap flick, namely squarely setting the action in World War II. I would've liked to see more details in this department, but it was still cool. The Howling Commandos were present, just not by name. They were kind of cameo at best really, but Dum Dum's signature 'stache was on screen, that's good enough for me.

There weren't any blatant Avengers movie tie-ins, but I was surprised at all of the tie-ins Captain America had with the Thor movie that just came out. The cast was solid, the action wasn't too over the top, and the effects were spot-on. I say the cast was "solid", but Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull was just plain awesome.

Four out of five stars, as the title says, that's what I would give it. It wasn't a cinema masterpiece, but the trend of "better than bad" comic book movies continues.

The Blood Gryphons; Chaos Pact Team

With about a dozen games under my belt with the Gorgons I thought I would switch things up and try a new team. I'm not hurting for choices in the extra teams department and had some decision making to do. I settled on a Chaos Pact team for many reasons.

First up is that it is, in essence, a human team with its Marauders. I have a lot of experience playing a human team from way back when so this was a good foundation. Next up is that you can opt to field a Skaven, a Goblin, and a Dark Elf, so my desire to play any of those three teams (more if ccount all the different Elven teams) is satiated. Finally you get choices in your big guys, you're not just stuck with one. These can be Ogres, Trolls, or Minotaurs, or if you've got a huge treasury...a combination of the three.

Admittedly, Brian's nicely painted Chaos Pact team over at Repple Depple was the final straw that persuaded me to go in this direction.


I am using my leftover Norse team as the basis for the Chaos Pact, and the horn-helmed Norse make for perfect Marauders. The team photo at the top of the post shows most of the original paint jobs which were there when I got the team. I've only painted two members so far, the two directly above, but you can see where I'm going with the color scheme. Also, you can see I am using a female model for my team's Dark Elf.


The only good news is that this team is being made up of models I already own, or ones I am trading for. In the case of the old school Troll above, ones I'm receiving from friends for free (thanks again John). I have too many teams in storage to justify spending another dime on a new team. You can also see some of the primed figs I whipped up for the team and haven't gotten around to painting yet. In the case of my Ogre, I was too late; he died by failing a 'go for it' roll causing him to trip and break his neck. That's right, no apothecary!

Anyway, I'll still paint him up along with the others. Since there are no 'catchers' on the Chaos Pact team I plan to use the 'bear claw' gloved Norsemen figures as those players who receive the 'claw' mutation upgrade, seems a pretty natural choice. There's actually no positonal players whatsoever, you kind of create them as you go along with the wide variety of skills they are eligible for. The jar full of figs and fluids is the Simple Green soak, waiting for the next batch to prepare for painting.

WFRP; the F is for FATE

a fighter, a halfling, a priest, and an archer walk into a bar...

With two sessions under our belts I'm a bit late to posting about our recent roleplaying endeavor; FATE rules in the world of Warhammer Fantasy. The more and more I think about it, the Warhammer Fantasy world is my ideal stomping grounds for a setting. It's got magic, but on the PC side of the table it's very limited and keeps its mysticality quite well.

The fantasy staples and tropes are all in there with extra spice thrown in with a few setting-specific details. The world in and of itself is definitely gritty and definitely dark and sinister, so there's lots of room for intrigue and gray areas.

Using FATE under the hood, well that's just icing on the cake. There's a few systems out there I've played lately that appeal to me, but FATE is near the top of the list. We're using the Swords of Algiers sourcebook (do you see what I did there?) which just helps to expand on all the wonderful fantasy goodness within.

The party above is a good mix starting with the Kislevite on the far left, a "veteran of a thousand battles" type soldier who is slowly coming around from being a mere sellsword to a defender of the weak. Next to him is my character, a sneaky spy/thief who talks and eats rather than fights. The fellow in the brown robes is our Priest of Sigmar with the distinction that he goes way beyond giving sermons and has legitimate divine healing powers. Lastly, on the far right, is the party's archer (and capable swordsman), an ex-military scout forced on the run due to a series of false accusations and a misunderstanding concerning the death of a nobleman's son.

These four are in the employ of a shadowy benefactor that sends them on covert missions presumably for the well being of their home, the city of Altdorf. Their secrets and skeletons in the closet are safe as long as they are able to keep delivering on their tasks.

LEGO Thursday: Salvage on Far Proxima

Far Proxima became a halfway point in the jump lanes during early human colonization. Essentially it became a junk planet, and unless you were refueling at the orbital station, there wasn't much to do dirtside. After five hundred years of junk, refuse, and trash being left behind (not to mention dangerous mutant carrion) someone decided to investigate.

The Miktron Foundation specializes in revitalizing defunct terraforming colonies, trash planets, and adrift space stations. Here they are exploring and salvaging Waste Mountain #42. Some older technology is being recovered, and so far none of the acid-spewing viper-worms have been spotted. Given the viper-worms penchant for chewing on polymer deck plating however, it's only a matter of time.

A pile of semi-precious minerals is collected


Though no one's claiming the planet, the Miktron flag is planted nonetheless

Electronic components, AI wiring, holographic displays...

Piles of primitive weapons, tools, and crates

Metric tons worth of deck, hull, and structure plating

Fuel rods, antennae, power pylons, and more

An old rover is found and the crew try to get it operational

Guards stand vigilant against viper-worms

LEGO and DC Comics

Start saving your pennies now, news as of today is that LEGO has locked in a stranglehold of a licensing deal for DC Comics. Not just a few Batman sets that most of us didn't buy when we should have, but the full ride; Superman, Wonder Woman, the Joker, Bane, Harley Quinn, Lex Luthor to name just a few. There's thirteen characters slated in the initial January lineup.

Sure, LEGO X-Men would be awesome but something tells me we're going to get more mileage for our brick, err buck, out of a mini-fig lineup from DC.

This is pretty big news and is spreading around the brick blogs around the net. It originally broke online at Variety, for full details check out their writeup.

EDIT: Thanks to aptly named minifigure below (no really, thanks!) there's even better news. Looks like we can have our cake and eat it too since Lego's also getting a Marvel Comics license as well. It's toned down comparatively but Lego X-Men, Avengers, etc. are now a reality. Seriously, start saving your money today.

Here's a couple of solid links that give even more information:

The Brick Life's article about it

The official Lego website about it.

Four Days to Go, Four Armies on the Line

We all share many of the same blogging circles. Chances are you've already seen the massive Heroes of Armageddon project that's been undertaken this year in the same vein as the Storm Wardens project last year.

Well if you don't know, it's four times the undertaking this time around and the armies are each and every one drop dead gorgeous, making anyone proud to own one of them. Well you can own one of them, and you can help a great cause while you're at it, Doctors Without Borders.

Each of the army pics below is a link to that army's specific page on the official Heroes of Armageddon blog. Click the photo to get individual shots and closeups of these great models completed by some of the more talented names floating around these parts.

Ghazgkhull Thraka's Goff Horde

Gutsmek's Speed Freaks

Lord Dante's Blood Angels

Commissar Yarrick's Steel Legion


This is the artwork y'all should be familiar with already, my treat for you is the rough draft at the top of the page. Monster Master artist Chris "Biscuit" Miller whipped this up as he did for the Storm Wardens project and multiple others. He's available for commissions, his prices are reasonable and I've never seen him turn something down.

He's not going anywhere anytime soon, however these armies are...and very soon. As the title says, you've got about four days, that's it. Get over to the main page and get in on all the action while you still can. This is one you do not want to miss.

Mecha-Love Power

My niece got married not too long ago, making me feel even older of course since she was the flower girl at my wedding sixteen years ago. Anyway, they had an empty scrapbook book and a table full of Sharpies. They hadn't considered the "Uncle Mik" factor...

LEGO Thursday: Captain Speede and the Rocinante

There's the mini-fig we all know and love, and when we build ships for those little guys and girls we're building in mini-fig scale. Micro-scale building is a different animal (and not what you see here) and uses a tiny scale making it easier to build whole fleets of ships (and huge capital ships). I do have some of those queued up too.

For me and my MOC here I went with the scale of one cylindrical piece representing one human, though I don't know what the official name of this scale would be. In the photo above you see Captain Speede standing out in front of his ship, the Rocinante.


The Rocinante has been modified to be able to accept a number of modular sections on its starboard side. In the photos here a container module is shown. It's a tight ship but has enough accommodations for a crew of six, though Captain Speede prefers to run a lighter crew of four (larger profits to split less ways).


Starboard module dock (left) and main airlock (right)

Crew look out of their quarters at a third outside washing the windows

Upper plates removed to show a rough floorplan

Communications and long-range filter array

Captain Speede (in blue) leads his crew down the gangplank



Just a couple of "ship prawn" photos to wrap things up with. This was a fun build, its been long disassembled by now, but it's nice to see it show up here. I'd say this is about eight years old? Maybe a little less? I don't know, but now that it's been reborn I kind of would like another shot at building it again. Enjoy!

40k Kill Team

Released just yesterday is this pretty cool 40k based game called Kill Team. I downloaded the demo and played through one level of it and I can safely say it's worth the mere ten bucks to download the whole thing. I'm on the Xbox, but it's also available for you PS3 owners out there.


It's not going to give you a deep immersion into a world full of 40k goodness, but it is going to give you a fun romp mowing down hordes of Orks with a heavy bolter arcade style. The action is frenetic as you run around dispatching enemies with gun and sword alike, collecting power ups and health tokens old-school Gauntlet style.


I was pretty impressed at the game beginning where you can pick between Sternguard, Librarian, Vanguard, Techmarine, and more for character options (each one offering their own attacks and such). Also they gave you about half a dozen chapter choices to boot, I recall: Ultramarines, Blood Ravens, Blood Angels, White Scars, and Salamanders. They lose points in my book for not having Dark Angels in there, but so be it.


The coolest part of this 'mini' game is that it is a prequel to the full, robust, power-armored title Space Marine coming out...soon (but when?!?!?!). Kill Team takes place before the Ork Kroozer hits the Forge World spilling out its marauding greenskins on the surface. All of the adventure takes place inside the Ork's ship while it is hurtling that way.

It's a fun game, and if you enjoy the 40k franchise and universe, it will be nice to step into the boots of a real Space Marine doing what they do best. Even if you know nothing of 40k, it's a fun sci-fi shoot 'em up. The game itself is more of an action platformer, its controls will take some getting used to, but from what I played it was certainly enjoyable. Also, if you're into such things, achievements you unlock in Kill Team can carry over in Space Marine when it comes out, the power sword, for example, is one such item.