Tuesday 16 June 2015

Video Update... Hobby Update V: It's Been A While

I filmed a short update this morning. 


Saturday 6 June 2015

My Summer Campaign

This year many wargamers will play a summer campaign. At my local club there is currently a Warhammer 40k summer campaign underway which forms the backbone, the fighting season if you will, of our gaming year. I must confess that my life is far too haphazard to allow for the planning required for such things, hence my predilection for solo wargaming. Frankly, between trips to Cardiff to play with the Dark Pact and painting my Poland 1939 Campaign figures I find myself with precious little time for much else. Life has this way of making itself busy.

I am, however, confronted with a stretch of stability up ahead as the long summer days lull us into that wonderful sense of ease that makes one tend toward leisure. So, I sat myself down and decided that what I really needed to do was make a list of what I aimed to achieve this summer. My campaign is to be fought with the brush against the ever-present foe, unpainted miniatures, and I am hoping to sweep the field.

Ravenwing & Dark Angels Vehicles: I still have a tonne of Dark Angels to paint. The Ravenwing contingent is coming along nicely and I am keen to have a sizable Ravenwing element that has the capacity to be fielded separately. Furthermore, as I have said before, the black scheme makes the painting a real treat and eminently doable.



Additionally, I have a dreadnought and a Vindicator to finish. I've ordered the washes and oil paints I need to achieve this. I have also acquired a Razorback and a Rhino. I feel as though I need to give my Dark Angels greater mobility, especially my command squad. The only snag here is the fact that I would very much like the Dark Angel doors from Forgeworld from my command vehicle, which necessitates an order. Of course, with the imminent release of Horus Heresy Ultramarines I will be placing an order soon, but it is very much a case of trying to consolidate my order and not spend too much on postage costs, which are still off-putting with Forgeworld.

Ultramarines: The Dark Pact Horus Heresy project continues apace. With the release of resin shoulder pads for the various marks of armour I am in a position to push on with it. However, I am in a little bit of a limbo as I wait out a little longer to see what is coming. What is clear, though, is that I need some character figures. Praetors, that sort of thing. Again, this leads into that Forgeworld order I mentioned above, so at this point I must content myself with hurrying-up and waiting.

The aim is to get the Ultramarines playable as a Zone Mortalis force, for small games of combat patrol and that sort of thing. The Dark Pact chaps haven't really achieved much more that our initial push, but I think we should all have enough for small patrols.

15mm American Infantry Company: Lady K is now over from the States for good, and we spent last weekend in London. While over at Waterloo waiting for our Duck Tour (Highly recommended, very entertaining, and doesn't cost a fortune), we were next to Dark Sphere, who were moving and had a 50% sale on. Lady K doesn't really understand "The Hobby", so it was a good way to introduce her. Needless to say, she was affronted when she found out that I didn't collect Americans in 15mm for World War II. Her remedy was to buy me a Rifle Company, insisting that the Company commander be called "Buck", and be from Texas (She is from California, so I think it has more to do with the fact that apparently Texans are often named "Buck"). It was a sweet gesture, and now joins the pile of painting.

Vikings: I now have a largish mob of hairy chaps. The only things missing are bannermen and leaders. I am keen to get some gaming done with them in the near future as I want to try Dux Britanniarum (modded for Vikings) and Saga with them, so the number of figures needed isn't prohibitive. I have also added quite a lot to my collection of terrain so the table is unlikely to be sparsely decked out. I am rather excited. So to that end I have a few character figures that need painting up. I have my Erik Bloodaxe and Haakon the Good miniatures primed and ready for painting. Beyond that I just want a few champions and a banner bearer for each leader, so that they look the business.

Poland 1939: I'm still plugging away at my Poles. With the arrival of Black Tree Design reinforcements and their German counterparts, I am in a position to crack on in earnest. I'm thinking that I could get two small scouting parties done in short order for a few border skirmishes that opened the war.

Warmachine: I still have contents of the starter set to complete, and am quite keen to get them done so that I can learn the rules and get playing. I went so far as to purchase the sleeves for my cards today.

So, clearly I have much to do. However, with my airbrush in hand I am confident that the 40k bits are going to be much expedited. The Dark Pact is keen to meet again, either in July or August, and I would very much like to head over to Cardiff with swollen ranks. I'll be working on these projects a little bit every night, and posting my progress as it happens.