Kicking off 2024 with lots of gaming!

I’ve had a great gaming start to 2024. So far, I’ve played Ogre, Captain Sonar, Bolt Action, Twilight 2000, and one exciting game of Close Quarter Battle.

Ogre at Tactical Retreat.

My local gaming group is playing a Stalingrad campaign. Sam was nice enough to handhold me through the rules while he attempted to cross the river Volga with his Germans. My Russian troops technically won, but at a huge cost.

Germans storm over the Volga River in a game of Bolt Action.

I’m now a bit closer to playing Legions Imperialis. Check out my Death Guard infantry below. I’ve completed two boxes. I enjoyed painting the miniatures, but I hope I will not need more to play… I’ve started assembling my tanks. Also pictured are a few titans I had from Adeptus Titanicus.

Legions Imperialis Death Guard

Six new packs for Close Quarter Battle are currently in production! I hope to show these off and have them available for purchase by April. Below is a picture of the Casa De Baile Shootout mission setup. The game ended with a messy shootout on the balcony and the operatives completing their mission but succumbing to their injuries before they could get away.

Close Quater Battle Mission 5 Casa De Baile Shootout table setup.

I just started a weekly game of Twilight 2000 (4e). The rules are really good, and I look forward to seeing where this campaign goes. Also hoping to add some of the 1e material I have too. One day, I’d like to try Twilight 2000 (4e) as a miniature campaign, I think it would adapt very smoothly.

Pictured below: I participated in a game of Twilight 2000 at Tactical Retreat.

Twilight 2000 (4e) at Tactical Retreat.

Coming up, I have a game of Bolt Action, Twilight 2000, and Close Quarter Battle. Need to complete my Legion Death Guard before I schedule a game.

So, all in all, a great start to 2024. Hope your gaming endeavors are successful, too!

Running silent in 2023 / plans for 2024

My last post was September 2022, the longest dry spell of no posts since I started this blog. Why no posts? Well… I’ve been busy with a big miniature project. During September/October of 2022 I successfully funded a miniature game I created. I then delivered in June 2023. My time has gone into creation, development, and release of Close Quarter Battle (CQB). Go check it out at www.closequarterbattle.ca.

In 2024 I hope to post more hobby ramblings on Metal Miniatures, but most of my modeling efforts and creations can be seen following CQB.

Looking ahead to 2024 will see six new CQB model packs. I’ll be working on videos showing these new packs off. I’m super excited about them!

Also, in 2024, I hope to try Legions Imperialis, play more Warcry and refurbish an old GW boardgame. I’m also hoping to play something from Warlord Games though I just can’t choose what just yet… Judge Dredd is front runner so far, though I really want to play Bolt Action with my local group.

My first CQB painting video can be see on YouTube

Below: some of the models from CQB

Happy holidays and new year. See you in 2024!

I played Age of Sigmar 3e!

Long time no blog.

I finally finished 750pts of Ossiarch Bonereapers and played a game with them.

It was my first game of AoS3e. Relearning the rules was a bit daunting but when I got playing everything came together. I recommend using AoS reminders to help you with all the things your army can do.

Here is my force

Ossiarch Bonereapers 710pts

My friend played Soulblight. Since it was a Death fight, I made a playlist of Entombed, Death, Unleashed, Deicide, and Bolt Thrower.

Age of Sigmar Army Builder #1 – Ossiarch Bonereapers Mortek Guard

This year I started an army builder project for Age of Sigmar. The idea is to casually build up a force and slowly learn the rules in stages. The intent is not to play tournament games (matched play), just play Open Play games. The summer goal of the “builder” is 750 points played on the smallest board size of 22”x30”. If myself and the participants of the builder enjoy our games then we have the perfect foundation to continue to build larger forces.

We have a loose builder schedule to get us to our goal by summer time.
Step One: Paint one Battleline unit. Most participants have completed this stage or close to completion. My completed Mortek Guard can be seen below.
Step Two: Paint one Leader model. Keeping in mind this leader will fit into a 750pt force. I’ve built my leader and hope to prime it this weekend!
Step Three: This step is very open ended. Paint up the rest of the 750 points.
A fairly simple plan, I think. Once complete we will have small forces ready to try out Age of Sigmar.

The benefits of starting small are huge:

• Most forces will be less than thirty models. Thirty models in an achievable painting goal.
• Less rules to remember! Learning the mechanics of the game and the basics of what your army rules are will be much simpler.
• Faster games. It will be easier to fit games into a busy schedule, or during an evening of play getting to play two or three games. I’d rather play multiple games during a game evening than one massive game. Sometimes a massive game can drag on and just be boring. Playing more games allows me to try different tactics and see a better variety of opponents forces in action.
• Time to collect more than one force.
• Painting up a themed 22”x30” board is much more achievable than a larger game board. I already have two boards I painted for Warcry.

I think this is a solid plan to get me back into playing my favourite table top war game. Hopefully the other participants will be able to keep up and have a summer of playing a few fun games with me.

Below are a few of my opinions. When I’m approaching a new project, I consider the following.

• Building the prefect competitive force is a fool’s errand! Commonly these forces are not fun to play against and sometimes boring to command. Generally building the prefect list found on the internet is full of models I’m not enthused to paint anyway.

• Don’t build a force consisting of one model type. Boring! These are commonly called spam armies. They are boring to play against, boring to paint, and boring to play.

• Armies with variety are fun to paint, and visually look great. I try to choose a leader model I’m excited to paint but is not a giant point sink. I also try to include a centre piece model something larger than the rest of the model that grabs the eye.

• Don’t include a high points character/monster. I don’t want to fight one figure for 2-3 turns straight. Boring! If a character is more than 50% of your points its too much.

• I love converted models! They are fun to include in my armies and fun to play against. BUT the model must be identifiable as what it is representing in the force. If you have to explain what the model is don’t include it in your force. I once walked away from a game were the opponent had a savage orc force but was using the wood elf rules. He called the force his wood orc army. Lame!

• Play with completely painted models only. I could go on for a very long time about this point, but I’ll try to keep it brief. I want to play against people who are putting their complete effort into the hobby experience. Unpainted models take away the emersion of the gaming experience table top wargames provide. I hate it when my opponent says “I did not have time to finish these highlights or complete my bases.” Or “I assembled these figures just try them out”. I find these are lame excuses and take away from you and your opponents game experience.

• I always start a Warhammer project with my battleline unit. I must have this unit in my force so its is the best place to start. Also, it’s a great place to nail down what my colour scheme for the army will be.

• I always start with the unit I’m least excited to paint (generally this is my Battleline unit). Starting with the model I’m most excited to paint leaves me with nothing to look forward to. When I start a force, I have a ton of enthusiasm, I use this to paint the boring stuff then I’m left with the exciting models, which sustain my enthusiasm. Therefore, I’m more likely to see the project right to the very end. I see hobbyists make this mistake all the time, they start with that exciting model then fizzle out and their army project is never completed.

• Don’t forget about the terrain! Immersing into the wargaming hobby is 25% your force, 25% your opponent’s force and 50% terrain. Make sure it looks good!

Enough said! Its time to get painting.
Here is my fist unit of my army builder project. Ossiarch Bonereapers: Mortek Guard.

Mortek Guard

Start of Aeronautica & Descent Legends of the Dark.

My first squad of Aeronautica! I’m still playing around with my colour scheme. My Dakkajets are mostly painted with Citadel Contrast paints. I have two more Fighta Bommers to paint, then I’ll be ready for a game. I think when I get on a roll, I could paint a fleet of ships in a few days. I’m looking forward to a game!

Aeronautica Ork Dakkajets

I had an opportunity to play Descent Legends of the Dark. My buddy painted the entire set! Mini based board games look so good painted! Not sure I can play a game like this with unpainted models ever again!

YES! The dungeon has multiple levels!

Final confrontation with the blood witch.

Finishing up 2021, hello 2022!

Wow, last post was June 2021! I have tons of projects on the go, most of which I’ll talk about in a few months. In the meantime I thought the first post of the year will be what I finished during the last quarter of 2021. Stormcast Eternals! I painted the Dominion box. I now have a bunch of starter set Stormcast and yet to play a game with them… I’d like to paint a few more Annihilators. An all Annihilator army sounds fun.

I have lots of plans for 2022.

1.Slow Grow Age of Sigmar army build. More on that soon…

2.I’m painting Aeronautica Orks. I hope to play some games soon.

3.And some big plans that will soon dominate my blog.

Happy 2022! And may all your games be WAR-games!

Urban building terrain and some trash…

Finished up the last of my Walking Dead Terrain. The four building kit from Mantic is fantastic. I highly recommend it.

Most of the painting is done with my air brush, then some quick brush work.

Also painted some trash and a couple of Safes.

You can also combine two of the buildings to make a two story building.

Soulbound RPG

I’ve now played a couple games of Age of Sigmar Soulbound RPG.

Soulbound’s rules are easy to learn yet not “basic” and the group dynamics are great and well explained.

I look forward too many more sessions.
I’m playing a Stormcast named Danzig… cause the model looks like Danzig.

Why is Danzig standing on a pile of brick?

Why is Danzig searching the Mortal Realms for Henry?

Warhammer Underworlds Margwaeth’s Blade-Coven

I’m still waiting to get a game of Warhammer Underworlds… So in the meantime I painted another warband!

I followed the GW painting tutorial. Easy to follow and I’m happy with the results.

Margwaeth The Bloodied

Kyrssa

Lethyr

Khamyss

Kyrae Hunter

The Band 2

Duric died, so a new Dwarf joined the band. Meet Edith, she is a crazy barbarian.

The Band 2

The band is currently travelled to the Province of Averoigne looking for way to escape this cursed dimension!

Edith has already given a few band members nicknames…

Left to Right

Kalanar “Herby”. -Fighter

Muurg nickname TBD -Monk?

Edith – Barbarian

Zamar “Jiber Jaber” -wizard

I also played a one-shot D&D session a few weeks ago. I decided to play a character based off Warduke.

Warduke died BUT was resurrected.

Warduke