Journal of a Warmachinist, 17th Entry

Warmachine Philippines Impromptu Christmas Party at Mang's Pitshop!

Kim, Emp, Fred, Obi (plus his kid brother), Mang (kahit tinatrangkaso) and Arvin! Pizza Hut and Pepsi all around! "Pwede ba ipadeliver naten?" LOL!

Game 1: Kim's Khador (Sorscha) vs. Emp's Cryx (Skarre) - Scenario: Foothold (Khador wins!)
Emp gambled to advance Skarre and Skarrebomb Sorscha, but missed by several inches!

Game 2: Emp's Cryx (Skarre) vs. Fred's Cryx (Deneghra) - Scenario: ? (Emp's Cryx wins!)
I didn't get to see this one because I was gaming against Obi. Although I did hear Emp's joyous cries, "ANLAKAS NI SKARRE!" I guess Emp won that one.

Game 3: Obi's Cygnar (Nemo) vs. Kim's Khador (Sorscha) - Scenario: Foothold (Khador wins!)
Obi's first game, I think. After an eye-opening shock (literally) from his Stormblades, I maneuvered Sorscha for a whoosh, delivered a damage-boosted Hand Cannon shot and a damage-boosted Razor Wind against an Icy Gazed Nemo.

Game 4: Obi's Cygnar (Nemo) vs. Kim's Khador (Sorscha) - The Rematch, Scenario: Pendulum (Khador wins!)
Obi tried to split my forces, using the clumpy terrain to his advantage. After a barrage of spells that made my Kodiak useless, I came in again with the same whoosh from the last game.

Game 5: Emp's Cryx (Witch Coven of Garlghast) vs. Obi's Cygnar (Nemo) - Scenario: Pendulum (Unresolved, probably a draw)
It was getting late, and we had to pack up. The game could have gone either way.

+++

Personal Ranking

Games played: 7
Wins: 7
Losses: 0
Draws: 0

Opponents:
VS Cryx: W4 L0 D0
VS Khador: W0 L0 D0
VS Cygnar: W2 L0 D0
VS Menoth: W0 L0 D0
VS Mercenaries: W1 L0 D0

Armies played:
Khador: W6 L0 D0
Mercenaries: W1 L0 D0
Cryx: W0 L0 D0
Cygnar: W0 L0 D0
Menoth: W0 L0 D0

PAGE 5

P R I M E

Warning: Not suitable for wussies!

Sissies. Little girls. Nancy boys... go home. This game is not for you.

If you cry when you lose, get lost -- you're going to lose. If it hurts your fragile sensibilities to see your favorite character get pounded unmercifully by a rapid succession of no-holds-barred iron fury, you'd better look the other way. If you've ever whined the words, "That's too powerful," then put the book down slowly and walk away before making eye contact with anyone or they'll realize your voice hasn't changed yet.

This game is about aggression. This is the game of metal-on-metal combat. This is fuel-injected power hopped up on steroids. This is WARMACHINE -- the battles game that kicks so much ass we have to use all capital letters.

We didn't set out to reinvent the wheel with this game -- we just armor plated it, covered it in spikes, and rolled it over your grandma's house.

WARMACHINE is simple. It's easy to learn, has no reference charts, no heavy arithmetic, and doesn't require constant trips to the rulebook. At the same time, WARMACHINE possesses deep strategy. The ability to unlock combinations of abilities and spells and maneuvers is practically limitless. For every perfect strategy, there is a foil. For every immovable object, there is an unstoppable force. Just when you think you've got it all worked out, you'll be blindsided by something you never saw before. The more you dig, the more you'll find.

WARMACHINE favors the aggressor. You've got to throw the first punch if you want to land on top! Too many games set players up to be timid. Games drag out with little action because the game favors defensive strategies. Players park their soldiers behind walls like old ladies hiding from a loud noise.

Not in WARMACHINE! If you want your opponent to come to you, you're going to get steamrolled. You've got to have balls to play this game! You've got to charge your opponent and hang it all out there! You've got to break his formations. You've got to be relentless with your onslaught. You have to go for the jugular and latch on like a rabid dog that hasn't eaten in days. Anything less and you'll be hamburger.

You're playing with power now. Don't be afraid! Few things are more satisfying than slamming your opponent's warjack into a unit of soldiers and watching them fall like bowling pins! (We call this jack bowling.) Try picking up an enemy warcaster (with a warjack, of course) and throwing it across the battlefield! It's almost more fun than you should be allowed to have with miniatures game.

The miniatures of WARMACHINE deliver on every level that the game does. These warjacks radiate power! We're pouring so much metal into these things that at our current rate, we'll deplete the world of pewter by 2006. And these things were made for modeling. The incredible detail and expert sculpting will create one of the most enjoyable painting experiences you've ever had.

This is a new era in tabletop miniatures wargaming. This is a game made for you, by people like you. It's not a load of sterilized mass market drek designed by a room of corporate meatplow. This is raw. This is brutal. This is WARMACHINE.

So play like you've got a pair, or put down the metal and go find something made of plastic.

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E S C A L A T I O N

It started as a manifesto of our disposition -- the philosophy with which we created WARMCHINE. We never expected it to be the pavement of our common ground, the doctrine of a movement of players, or the center of controversy and a source of unlimited debate. Love it or hate it, though, you can't avoid it.

Is it about sexism? An anatomy lesson for the testicularly impaired?

No.

Page 5 is about honesty. It's a self awareness of what we're doing, why we're doing it, and who we're doing it for. It's a declaration of our stance, the 10-40 on our attitude. It's about the kind of people we are and the kind of people we want to face across the table.

We pour blood and sweat into this game, into the stories, into the art and into the metal. We want to see WARMACHINE experienced the way we intended it.

Escalation takes it to the next level and we're piling it on heavy. We've spent a year hammering away at this gallery of ass kickers and ensuring that everything you see is as borken as you expect it, but nothing here stands alone. Escalation raises the bar, but it stands on the shoulders of the nine-ton giants who came before it.

This is the triple shot in your 8AM espresso. This is the nitrous injection in your 426 Hemi. This is the depleted uranium tip on your armor-piercing round. We threw out anything that slowed down the fight. This is the final cut -- pure grain, grade A, distilled aggression.

You're going to need a hernia belt to lift these new warjacks. They're bigger, badder and pissed off. They don't fill the cracks in your armies; they work your opponent over like a school girl who wandered into a back-alley cage match. We've given you the warcasters to lead them too -- professional name-takers specifically designed to kick your foe in the nuts and bolts while a procession of solos, troops and blazing field artillery run through his back-entrance like a freight train on a mission from God.

Still, the new models are only half of the pants-soiling experience found within these pages. The Escalation campaign pitches you headlong into a conflict between four nations that will leave no on unscarred or uncharred. If you like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, show tunes, romantic comedies and happy endings, then you're crying into the wrong Kleenex, pink boy. This is a story about war. It's 87 pages of mud-slogging, blood-drenching, mind-blowing brutality. We've given you the lenses to see the Iron Kingdoms through our eyes. Better wear a helmet.

Page 5 was only a page number on a freshly printed book a year ago. Now it's the creed for a new era in wargaming, the banner for players looking for a challenge, and the battle cry for a game with serious stones.

You just hefted two scoops of whoop-ass for your Wheaties, Waldo. Remember to lift at the knees. We've given you a year to master the basics, and it's time to do your business or get off the pot.

And now that we're all on the same page --

Play like you've got a pair.

+++

A P O T H E O S I S

Remember that school girl from the back-alley cage match? Well she's all grown up now and that feeling between your legs is her yanking you tidy-whities up over your head for the holy mother of all atomic wedgies. Scream if you want to. It only makes her want to hurt you more -- just like your opponent across the table.

Welcome to the top. This is the pinnacle of power. It doesn't get any bigger than this, folks, or we run the risk of throwing the planet out of alignment. We've pushed the envelope of game and model design and taken it to the limit of human endurance. Don't look down; we're a long way from where we started.

WARMACHINE: Apotheosis will challenge your strategic and tactical muscles like never before. Contained within are multitudinous combinations of warcaster abilities waiting to be unlocked. Each on is capable of unleashing nothing less than a severe beating about the head and shoulders of your hapless adversary. Don't hold back; he wouldn't want you to. We all know we're here because we believe the next best thing to delivering a complete and thorough ass punishing is going down in a white-hot blaze of agonizing glory. This is pure power in your hands and a free license to abuse it.

The Apotheosis models are off the scale. We crammed so much detail and complexity into these mountains of metal that you're going to want to quit your day job in order to tackle them. This is no slag fest in pretty packaging meant to con you out of your hard-earned coin. These are expert works of art made with the highest standards for the most discriminating modeler. In every way, they have captured the essence of the characters they depict and radiate all the raw, relentless aggression each one embodies. Even before your opponent knows what you're packing, the mere sight of these brutal sculpts will send him running madly for his mommy's skirt.

This is the blue box, people. Time to put up or shut up. Apotheosis will rock the foundation of the world you thought you knew and understood. It's a vicious reminder that around every corner is something more merciless than what you could ever imagine. In every dark alley is a ruthless bastard waiting to carve another notch in his bat with your face. And across every table, in his unassuming faded black t-shirt, is a cold-hearted killer mentally tearing you limb from limb. Good thing you came in heavy -- now kick him right between the femurs...

... AND PLAY LIKE YOU'VE GOT A PAIR.

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H O R D E S P R I M A L - A N I M A L S T Y L E

For those who have experienced Privateer's games before, what follows will feel like a warm and cozy familiar blanket. For the uninitiated, this is the moment where we open up your bloodshot and beady little eyes to the cold, hard reality of the truth -- the truth that what you hold in your hands is nothing like you have never seen. This is going to change how you play games, and the difficult truth is that right now, most likely, you can't handle it.

But don't despair, there's a legion of die-hard, stone-cold, tabletop killers waiting to beat your ass until you can.

At Privateer Press, we inject our games with a special blend of testosterone-laden aggression and grade-A, cold filtered reality. We treat the tabletop like the battleground it is -- a place to prove your might is right. We don't suffer whiners, sissies, momma's boys, daddy's little princesses, or punk-mouthed pukes with more excuses than moves. We come for the beat down -- deliver it with gusto or take it like a trooper. There is glory in both as long as you got the rocks.

Don't be deceived. HORDES is simple on the surface. You roll some dice, you add some numbers, and you mark some dots on the cards. It's the deep strategy that is going to turn your brain into a pretzel. Whether you're a seasoned veteran of tabletop conquest or some doe-eyed rookie who accidentally wandered into this den of ruthless vipers, the mental gymnastics you're going to have to master are not going to come without some severe bruising along the way. Keep your head and hands inside the window, face forward, and pay attention because you only get to hear this for the first time once, and if you don't get it then, you're going to look like 200 lbs. of ground beef praying for the sweet release of death.

Punch first, hit hard, show no mercy, and expect none in return.

The beasts we've bred for HORDES are fury-fueled monsters, and the only way to handle them is with the same disregard they have for each other. HORDES is powered by unchecked brutality. It's not survival of the fittest, meathead. It's survival of the most badass, and the winner takes all. If you can't hand with the animals, you best get out of the jungle now before something mistakes you for a snack.

Privateer Press is building upon a tradition of untarnished honesty, unwavering respect, and unrelenting gratitude for the people who play our games, blazing away a new era where quality of game, experience, and inspiration are worth the hard earned coin you just traded. We freed the shackles of corporate mediocrity and have charged ourselves with delivering unto you only the most visceral episodes you can encounter in adventure gaming. We throw our blood, sweat and souls into these creations, and we back it up with a simple creed.

This is primal. This is savage. This is HORDES.

PLAY LIKE YOU'VE GOT A PAIR!

+++

+++ On being "First"

I've seen this in Warhammer and evidently, it's also in Warmachine, too ~ people clamoring and bragging about being the first: first to find out about the rules on new models/armies, first to make an army list of said new stuff, first to get the rulebooks, first to get the model. A lot more "firsts"... I guess some people get the "I'm-more-superior-than-you-because-I-got-to-it-first-than-you" kick more than everyone else. And no, I don't see that in WMPH. I just see it everywhere else.

Frankly, I don't give a flying fuck who got to what piece of shit first. It never fails to strike a nerve how people go brag about it. Most of the time I can ignore it, but I guess I'm in the mood to rant (it's probably those 711 peanuts).

I don't care if you thought of this-that combo first, because I'll still beat your sorryass army.

And if on the chance you beat me, might as well get ready for another fight because I'm just gonna get up again and have a go at dishing out more punishment as well.

I don't care if you "bought" the model first, because I know I can always paint it better than you.

And if you paint better than me now, might as well try and chop my hands off because I'm aiming to be better than you.

Learn some humility, foo'.

Because snotty blowhard braggarts are the ones I have no regret of humiliating utterly. Or beating up outside.

Take your best shot.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 15th Entry

I just got a hefty acquisition of Khador additions today. Barring any lists or what have you, my single warcaster (Sorscha) can head off into battle at 769 points! And Gorman and the Widowmakers should still come soon!

Next time, I'll be getting those Khador tokens, too. ^_^ Maybe next payday. Then bag Irusk and Vlad as well.

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Journal of a Warmachinist, 16th Entry

Game 1: Kim's Khador vs. Emp's Cryx

Emp played his warjacks defensively behind the hill, away from my Bombards. After much outmaneuvering, I got Sorscha to pop her Icy Gaze feat, freezing Deneghra and a big lot of his army. That and I had Eiryss and my Manhunter very much in assassination range. All Deneghra could have done is cast some spell, but my trio was too close already. The following Khador turn, I would have Sorscha boost up a Freezing Wind making the Cryx warcaster stationary again, then have Eiryss and the Manhunter charge (bayonet charge in the case of Eiryss) at her.

Emp conceded and Khador was at a good start.

Game 2: Kim's Khador vs. Pork's Magnus Mercenaries

Playing at a different table, I got to set my forces up behind a big hill, all the while everyone was jeering me about Page Five LOL! I would have brainlessly blundered forward, but I was wary of that Obliterator Cannon he carried. On Pork's second turn, everyone was out in the open, and Magnus wasn't even screened. I generously provided my Behemoth some focus on his Bombard subcortex and proceeded to pummel the mercenary warcaster. AFter two strong hits, Magnus was still alive! But my WG Mortar were already perched on top of the hill after my first turn. Taking his third Bombard (this time POW 16 pa!), Magnus fell, and his five warjacks went inert.

Second turn kill. Not bad against someone who's been playing a lot more Warmachine than I have. And Lito was there. Pork never heard the end of that one LOL!

Game 3: Khador (Ace) and Magnus Mercenaries (Kim) vs. Cryx (Joel and Fred) -- "The first ever Warmachine multiplayer game ever played in the Philippines"

Honestly, I wanted to lose the game so badly. To be brutally honest, I was pissed when Ace mishandled my Eiryss. After the countless "ingatan mo yan ha" and "pag nasira yan, bilhan mo ako ng bago", he perched the Eiryss model on top of a two-level terrain, probably because he emulated by deployment during Game 2. When Eiryss fell and her arm broke off, I wanted to hit him. Then Eiryss fell a second time. I wanted to hit him even more. Call me mean, but I spent a lot of time and effort onto THAT model! And here's this guy that I just met a while ago, wanting to borrow my models. And he let my preciously-painted model fall! That's just so fuckin' against the goddamn Ten Commandments!

So there I was. Pissed as hell. Playing with the dude that nearly ruined my day. So I just Page Five'd it and had Magnus and his troops charge forward. I did get to use the Obliterator. Very nice. In some unforeseen circumstance, I had a Nomad engage a bonejack at one point in the game but having very high DEF, the small critter came out unscathed. After several turns, I had Magnus and another warjack hit by some Cryx spell and knocked down courtesy of Fred. He even left the table to park his car right after that move. I mean, what else could I do after that, right?

But I did manage to pull off something. The engaged Nomad was still in Magnus control area, and Fred's Deneghra was close enough to be engaged by that Nomad. Receiving three focus from Magnus, the Nomad ignored the bonejack it was engaged with (got damaged in the process), and advanced to the Cryx warcaster. The boosted onslaught put Deneghra to the ground.

Joel conceded after. Facing two opponents will not turn out to be a fun game (more like facing me with two armies). Fred came back. "What happened?" "Your Deneghra was killed by a Nomad." "HOW?"

Game 4: Kim's Khador vs. Joel's Cryx

This one was an eye-opener for me. I may have Jacob's Escalation but I never read on Goreshade. I know he can summon Bane Thralls and do a teleport thing with his units. But I didn't know he has buffs like avoiding being targeted by spells or ranged weapons, or a large area spell which prohibits enemy feats and spells!

He managed to charge at my Behemoth with his Bane Thralls, doing some heavy damage. Seeing how pointless it would be to whack away at the Bane Thralls surrounding it, I made the Behemoth trample towards another unit of Bane Thralls, hoping to get into melee range with Goreshade (which I missed by a half inch!). The Behemoth fell under a barrage of weapon master fury!

Joel managed to charge at Sorscha with some Bane Thralls, reducing her to 4. But I managed to bring her back up after careful dissection of Joel's army. Primarily I was just lucky. The Kodiak would not have been able to Vent Steam if it was totaled by the Bane Thralls that charged it (good thing I ended it's move in some difficult terrain). The Vent took out three of those nasty bastards! Eiryss came into the same woods and cleaned up the last Bane Thrall.

So technically, we didn't have a set objective. So he pushed for just keeping Goreshade alive, moving him as far from my models as he can. I flanked out Eiryss, the Kovnik and the Kodiak with Sorscha bringing up the center. On the turn that Joel gave up his anti-feat spell, I came in with Sorscha and held him with Icy Gaze. The rest is history.

+++

And since this is my FIRST ever OFFICIAL Warmachine game (since no proxies were used), I'll start my personal ranking now.

Games played: 4
Wins: 4
Losses: 0
Draws: 0

Opponents:
VS Cryx: W3 L0 D0
VS Khador: W0 L0 D0
VS Cygnar: W0 L0 D0
VS Menoth: W0 L0 D0
VS Mercenaries: W1 L0 D0

Armies played:
Khador: W3 L0 D0
Mercenaries: W1 L0 D0
Cryx: W0 L0 D0
Cygnar: W0 L0 D0
Menoth: W0 L0 D0

+++

The Art of War, Week 50

Drifting Between Light And Darkness, Fourth Drift

vomit (v.) To eject part or all of the contents of the stomach through the mouth, usually in a series of involuntary spasmic movements.

I went home yesterday at around 9am, watched some TV and did some hobbycraft. I planned to go back to work around 6pm. But as it happened, I drifted into sleep and woke up at 9pm! My head felt like mush and all I had to eat the entire day was a tall can of Ketchup-flavored Pringles and a half-bottle of Sprite. I decided to take what was left of the day off and continue to rest.

When I woke up this morning, my head hurt even more. I assumed it was due to the hunger caused by missing most of the meals the day before. I went out, had a meal at Jollibee at Welcome Rotonda. Remembering last year's adventure buying the office exchange gift, I decided to head on to Cubao and look for a gift. My head was in pain, and the FX ride was no help! Dumbass FX with dumbass AC! I should've taken a jeep!

To make the long story short, I found myself sitting in a grocery at Cubao. I imagine I was pale because I was dizzy and had cold sweat. I also felt my recent Jollibee meal trying to push its way up my throat. After several grueling minutes, I stood up and decided that if the meal wanted out, it's gotta go out. And as luck would have it, there was a pay lounge a few steps from the grocery.

At yung putangenang babae sa pay lounge counter, tangena nakita nya na ngang namumutla sa yung tao at pinipigilang lumabas ang suka sa bibig, e putangenang ambagal-bagal pang ibigay yung lintek na tiket para sa lounge CR! Tangena dapat sinukahan ko na lang yung putres na yun eh!

So I rushed in, shoved the goddamn ticket to the guy at the door, headed for the nearest empty cubicle and hurled. It was fucking horrible! I don't know what caused it but after all the bile and undigested food, my head was cleared of the dizziness but the headache was still there. It's been years since my last vomit (teen years, I think). I don't want this to happen again but I don't know why this had to happen today.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 13th 14th Entry

Bought Catachan Green and Enchanted Blue yesterday at NG Madison. Eiryss is about 90% done. Just a few more work on her crossbow and rapier. Also did some basework on the Behemoth and Kovnik.

Drifting Between Light And Darkness, Third Drift

Still no sleep and I've a Warhammer tournament finals to judge over later! My back hurts and I drift into a snooze when my body stops at rest for at least a minute. And after the tourney, I have to go back to work and update the websites!

I have developed a heavy flash web component for GMA's latest season for StarStruck. Then I have this week to finish the movie microsite for Mulawin the Movie. Daily updates on iGMA.tv, GMA Pinoy TV, and soon updates for QTV and the new News site. Then more microsites down the line.

Well, you've always said that service is a reward in itself.

And I still have to paint my miniatures. At least I hope to get those done before I expire LOL! Social life? What is that? Overtime pay and time differential? I don't understand. "Thank God, it's Friday!" and weekends? What do those words mean?

Journal of a Warmachinist, 13th Entry

I managed to put some assembly work into my Behemoth. I was never fond of the raised-right-foot pose of the model, so I did some minor conversion. I took some cork and glued it onto the base, and glued the right foot as if stepping on the cork. Like the Winter Guard Mortar, I'll paint the cork to make it like a big slab of rock. I didn't put too much basework on the Behemoth because I wanted the model to be stable when it stood. I'll just make extra effort into painting it.

After the model assembly, I took some time to prime the Eiryss model I had on my workbench. I used the bottled GW Smelly Primer and handbrushed it onto the model, making sure the details were not obscured. I also primed the Behemoth afterwards.

The reposed MOW Kovnik still lacked a standard. I was playing around with plasticard but decided to go for a glue-formed paper banner for him instead. Maybe when I get back from work.

The Hammer Of War

A lotta things being thrown about on or behind the scenes in the local gaming community? Nothing new to me. Conflict, evidently, is an integral part of the Warhammer hobby. Taking the conflict beyond the small soldiers? Nothing new to me, too.

Whatever anyone does, everyone won't be pleased.

Nurture the conflict, I say. Or turn a deaf ear and blind eye to it. Let the sensible people talk it out and compromise, and let the hotheads have at it in the streets.

Orestes

Metaphor for a missing moment, pull me into your perfect circle
One womb, one shape, one resolve
Liberate this will, to release us all

Gotta cut away, clear away
Snip away and sever this
Umbilical residue
That's keeping me from killing you

And from pulling you down with me in here
I can almost hear you scream
Give me one more medicated peaceful moment
Because I don't want to feel this overwhelming hostility

I used to be good at poetry. I don't know exactly when or where but I lost it. Now, whatever semblance of poetry that makes a distinct impact to me are mostly from the songs I listen to. Perhaps there's something in the underlying melody or noise that implants the message in my head.

Orestes is a nice song. Beats me where A Perfect Circle based it on. I can relate though.

Keeping me from killing you

I'm a skeptic when it comes to this biorhythm crap. Maybe I shouldn't have downloaded the damn widget in the first place. Or asked Jio about it. It looked nice on my Konspose' but these past few days, I've been too burnt out with the monotony of everything that I've been doing - work, Warhammer, lovelife (the wracked uncertainty of it) - all of that just drained me. And yeah, the funny thing is that biorhythm widget kinda showed me it's how I was supposed to be.

Because I don't wanna feel this overwhelming hostility

I've always inquired about what would push people into consciously committing a criminal act. Sure as hell I don't wanna be slave to what a goddamn widget tells me, but I don't want to come in for work with a bomb strapped to a vest I'm wearing. I don't think I'd want to drag in my co-workers to my supposed criminal act. I don't think I'm a crowd person. One-on-one torture and domination would be for me. Maybe if I go at good enough, I'd make Hannibal Lecter for real. Too bad I don't have a medical degree.

Forgotten Realms

Been playing good old-fashioned tabletop pen-and-paper RPG for the past two Sundays with my old friends. A very enjoyable alternative, given the disconcerting environment the local community has been experiencing for some time now. Such rants belong to another topic on their own, one which I am too exhausted to pay attention to.

I play a cleric, with domains on Luck and Protection. Experienced d20 RPGers would know the combo with such a build. I took onb the role of support -- casting buffs and healing on my comrades while hiding behind a Sanctuary spell. All my skills and feats attribute to the role I was filling in - Endurance, Heal, Great Fortitude, Eschew Materials.

But all of that matters little. Tiny plays on high-end heroism. The rules are there but for his campaign, are a little more than guidelines. Nothing wrong with that. But to me, it is a bit lacking. Having been exposed to numbercrunching at tabletop wargames like Warhammer, Confrontation and Warmachine, where each skill and ability score point matters, I am not used to disregarding many of the technicalities.

I should have created a fighter or paladin instead, racked up on HP and Strength and started wading in on hordes upon hordes of barbarians. A cleric, sad to say, is not cut out for frontline bashing like the rest of the fighters. He can cast Prayer now, but the bonuses from the spell matters little compared to the magical enhancements the others already have from their items.

And here I was planning my character to take on the path towards divinity. Well, it won't happen being overshadowed by the carnage any of the other characters can easily deal out. And yes, the group is about heroic combat. Very little in the nitpicking as I would envision a cleric seeking such a path.

I can always charge stupidly into combat, kill off my cleric and make another one. I tried that, charging first up to meet a supposed boss. I did piddly damage. When he retaliated, I was reduced to less than a tenth of my HP. Instinctively, I casted Sanctuary. Then suddenly the boss dispelled my Sanctuary, which I observed Tiny felt a bit broken so he had to do something about. It's irritating to look at my model in the midst of combat, and not being able to be hit. DM's call I guess.

The challenge rating that I faced against, that boss, was way beyond my normal measure. It was only by sheer luck that my character still stood after that barrage.

It's starting to look like a rant. And maybe it is. I've read the 3rd edition books, and I have a grasp on how to DM a campaign. Tiny runs his differently, far from what I do. I should not compare both. I guess after reading through this entry, I should have my cleric stick to what he should be doing -- staying in the back and playing support character. This campaign's for the heroic fighters. Spiritual guides have no place in the front ranks.

+++

Torpor

...

So Many Things, So Little Time

To make a long story short, I got to do some basic plumbing work - replaced an old faucet with a new one (with a short extension no less, so that it's not parallel with the wall) and got to turn back my water to its old running glory.

It got me thinking how much work I need to make the house... liveable.

I need to sort out all the old stuff in the house. A lot are Indz' old clothes and effects. Need to buy boxes for those. A lotta boxes.

I got several black garbage bags piling up. Need to take them out at least one bag every time I actually do go home.

Then there's the junk outside -- old furniture, books, broken computer. Maybe I should just dissect the computer and use the parts inside for bits for my miniatures.

Speaking of which, there's a hella lotta minis I still have to paint, too! Not to mention Lito's Ogres!

Then I wanna learn PHP, more Flash, more design! I also wanna learn to model-paint better...

Pff...*

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I scratched my hand while doing all that work earlier. Such small flesh wounds. Would hardly leave scars.

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Painted up a Chaos Fury using that two-headed Chaos Dragon's scheme. Came out ok. But I'll fix up the details more. I noticed I'm vrey impatient with my painting. I shall curb that soon.

I need a lotta visual stimulation to make me paint. I'm pretty envious of many works online. Maybe I'll print them out and make a book. Kinda like reference or whatever.

The Art of War, Week 43

Journal of a Warmachinist, 11th Entry

Last night I metagamed a 500-point Foothold between Vlad and Kreoss.

+076 Vlad, Dark Prince of Umbrey
+100 Doomreavers
+126 Destroyer
+105 Juggernaut
+043 Greylord Ternion
+025 Winter Guard Mortar
+025 Winter Guard Mortar

+064 High Exemplar, Kreoss
+076 Repenter
+076 Revenger
+093 Crusader
+069 Knights Exemplar
+060 Deliverer, with Arms Master and 7 Troops
+034 Exemplar Seneschal
+018 Deliverer Sunburst
+005 Wrack
+005 Wrack

I made sure that the game would be evened out when it came down to tactics and smart deployment.

But it was the unfortunate charge of the Crusader (just a little above an inch away) after Kreoss popped Menoth's Wrath that really cost the Menites. It was supposed to finish off the knockdowned Juggernaut and make its way to hit Vlad, but alas Menoth was not with them then.

Vlad's feat was not really maximized, having only two warjacks. But he was tremendously awesome with Blood of Kings. I haven't tried Signs & Portents yet. Maybe on the next metagame I'll be holding when I get home.

Doom Reavers are nice, but better to end their charge with multiple opponents, preferably with a light warjack. The initial sweeps were enough to bring down four of the Knights Exemplar (including the Warder) and the Exemplar Seneschal. Unfortunately, one Doom Reaver was exuberant enough to take down two of his brothers down as well.

I absolutely love the Destroyer and Winter Guard Mortar! I'm sure they'd work better with Vlad's Signs & Portents on! Gotta get these models first.

Greylord Ternion also rocks! I was exclusively using only Ice Cages but will try the other two spell abilities next time.

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Drifting Between Light And Darkness, Second Drift

Doesn't it just absolutely pisses you off when you say something and you keep to your word with as much honor as you can muster, whereas SOME people just throw words away to neglect?

And when it comes to question, they have the gall to lecture you about trust?!?

Fuckin' hypocrite!

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Twenty-Second of October

Today is my dad's birthday. But he's already passed away. I know I've left him more sour memories than joyous ones when he left, and there's always mixed emotions when I see people with their dads. I don't know for sure, but I just tell myself he's still watching over me and my folks even now. Yeah, I'm sure he is.

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I'm such a horrible person when it comes to dates and names. Honestly, I wouldn't have remembered today to be his birthday until I came into the office and punched in my time card. It read - 22:22 with another 22 sideways to mark the current date.

Hoy, gago, birthday ko ngayon! Kahit "happy birthday, pa" lang, pwede na saken!

My papa would usually treat us out to some fancy restaurant during special days like birthdays. It's usually at Cabalen's (spell check). It's always a lot about food when it comes to him.

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What is 'pares'? I think it's some Chinese dish that's made up of sliced beef in sweet bean sauce coupled with some house specialty fried rice, hence 'pares' or pair. Or at least that's what I've concluded upon myself. I love the stuff! It depends on the establishment though. And the taste varies from place to place. Some have really tasty beef sauce (colloquially monickered as 'lotong'). Some have nice fried rice. Some have nice beef broth. Heck, some even have yummy chili or hot sauce!

What's stupid about it is that we used to make them at home! Right in our kitchen! Shit, I pass by that kitchen all the time, seeing people cook it right then and there! And I disliked it back then! Stupid!

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Journal of a Warmachinist, 11th Entry



Ignoring the nauseating effects of the Warwitch's spell, Sorscha finished the final gesticulations of a spell of her own. Suddenly, the world around seemed as if time slowed. She felt a cold wind rising up from beneath her, pushing her forward. As the Khadoran's boots touched the ground several feet from where she started, the warcaster unleashed the full strength of her will, sending sheets of white crystal in a billow all around her.

Deneghra felt the sudden numbness of her entire body as a strong blast of icy wind enveloped her. The Warwitch saw her bonejacks crumple underneath the bombardment from the Winter Guard entrenched on a nearby hill, and her precious Slayer fall at the brutal axe of a Khadoran Juggernaut. She tried to fight the numbness, but only saw the Khadoran woman finish the final wordings of another spell. Once again a blast of icy wind smothered Deneghra. The Cryx warcaster knew she will not last long.

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I've fought Cryx before and I've read up on them enough to have at least some semblance of a game plan against them. I know Joel has put in more games in Warmachine than I have, so he was several notches above me in terms of gaming experience.

Joel used Deneghra as his warcaster. The Warwitch's battlegroup was composed of a Slayer, two Deathrippers and two Nightwretches. The warband was filled out with two Pistol Wraiths, a Skarlock and a big mob of Mechanithralls. I had Sorscha, two teams of Winter Guard Mortar, two Destroyers, a Manhunter and a Juggernaut.

I was planning on having my Manhunter do some serious damage to his bonejacks, but it turned out the Manhunter being Deathripper lunch very early in the game! And surprisingly, the model that I had painted the night before, the Juggernaut, was my MVP! Having survived a back-attack Combo-slam from an angry Slayer, and finishing it off (with the help of Sorscha's Icy Gaze though), the Juggernaut came off with some hard-earned battle honors.

I had my lock set in after popping Sorscha's feat and was close enough to continue the drill with continuous castings of Freezing Grip. With the Juggernaut close by, Joel graciously withdrew.

+++

I also demo'ed a game with my Khador starter box against Les who was using Romy's Menoth starter box.

Les was cageing up, maintaining protective spells on all three of his warjacks. Unfortunately, he left a nice gap between his Crusader and Repenter, enough for Sorscha to whoosh through with the help of her Wind Rush. Popping the Icy Gaze, she blasted at a stationary Kreoss with a boosted Hand Cannon and a boosted Razor Wind. Acceptably softened up, I finished Kreoss off with a shot from the nearby Destroyer.

The game ended with me blabbing about the fluff on Warmachine and some tactics (which I think Les already knew).

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Kingdom of Loathing WIP

Since I can't paint my miniatures here at the office, I tried my hand at another thing I like - drawing. I was browsing online and stumbled on really nice anime art. So I grabbed the nearest white sheet of paper and a pencil and just started sketching. I realized I always wanted to doodle up my KoL character so I did.

I'd have done more work on him, but I still have to update the website. Maybe later.

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Journal Of A Warmachinist, 10th Entry

Here's a mock-up of what my battlegroup will look like after I get all of the components together. So far, it's just the starter box - Sorscha, a Destroyer and a Juggernaut.

Ah, soon... ^_^

Showbiz

I got kissed by a female celebrity last week! Here in the office! And I didn't force her or anything! ^_^ Get your mind outta the gutter, pervs. It was a kiss from sweet and charming Ella Guevarra. Ella and her dad hung out at the webteam frat house last Friday. Yeah, even small kids get me starstruck, too. Next time, I'm gonna take a picture with her LOL! Reminds me a lot of my sister, Deanna. Miss her a lot ^_^

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I managed to unearth a collector's edition of FHM (the one with Francine Prieto in front) and brought it to the office. Maybe I can get Connie to have the sexy celebrity beauties of GMA sign it for me. Strange though - it's a collector's edition but Diana Zubiri wasn't featured inside.

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Oh yeah, last 12th was my first anniversary here at GMA NMI ^_^ Woohoo! Now to file for a vacation leave LOL!

The Art of War, Week 42

Journal of a Warmachinist, 9th Entry

I finally had some time to sit down and put some more work on my Warmachine models. The Juggernaut came out pretty OK. I'm thinking of settling with my current Khador painting style instead of stripping off the paintjob now. Maybe I'll put in some practice with Jio's airbrush on some other models before committing it on my Khador warjacks.

Retouched my Sorscha some more. The result came out good enough for me. I put in a different painting style on the red armor and the red clothing areas on Sorscha. She's still red, but the cloth will be distinct from the armor. Glued some grass on her base, and freehanded on the split for front and rear arc.

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Tomb Fleet Vyr Phases Out At The Kolat Cup

I can only blame myself for not putting in too much practice with 40K which attributed to many, many wrong moves at the recent Kolat Cup. Too much WFB but not a Kolat WFB tourney in sight. Ah well..

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Drifting Between Light And Darkness, First Drift

From some book that some of my friends are familiar with, there's a line that goes, "The Wheel turns as the Wheel wills." And right now, I'm at the bottom spoke choking on road dirt and drowning on gravel and mud.

Yeah, I fucking hate people who whine but do little to help themselves out of the shithole they let themselves fall into.

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The Longest Friday

Slow day. Start of an even slower week. Burnt out. Exhausted. Lethargic. I need a vacation. This has gotta be the longest Friday. Because it's still only Monday.

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Yu-Gi-Oh: Joey The Passion

Forty-eight cards, lockdown using Chain Energy or library depletion using Needle Worm, Card Destruction and Morphing Jar ^_^

2x Giant Soldier of Stone
3x Aqua Madoor
2x Labyrinth Wall
1x Jinzo
2x The Bistro Butcher
1x Witch Of The Black Forest
1x Sangan
1x Cyber Jar
2x Penguin Soldier
3x Needle Worm
2x Morphing Jar
3x Man-eater Bug
1x Sinister Serpent
2x Magician Of Faith
2x Spirit Of The Breeze
1x Harpie's Feather Duster
1x Pot Of Greed
1x Monster Reborn
1x Card Destruction
1x United We Stand
1x Raigeki
1x Chain Energy
1x Dark Hole
1x Swords Of Revealing Light
1x Change Of Heart
3x Mystical Space Typhoon
1x Ring Of Destruction
3x Trap Hole
1x Mirror Force
2x Magic Jammer

Daemonic Scrivenings, 6662

Played against two Bretonnians last Saturday - Ryan and Emcee. Both of them were heavy in armor-clad cavalry, but the similarities ended there. More often than not, Bretonnian cavalry can easily tear through any of my units. Having held up against the lance charge of heavy cavalry was a stroke of sheer luck which favored me last Saturday. Well, a very rare instance of two strokes of luck.

Both were well-played, being seasoned strategists both of them. It was more of who rolled the dice better than out-thinking each other.

+++

I'm planning to change my Daemonic Chariot. I'm planning on dropping the whole chariot idea and just mount an ominous monster on a chariot base, putting a more daemonic theme to my army. I already propped off most of my existing chariot's parts, but left enough for it to be playable.

I'll be making some sketches on my envisioned monster later. ^_^ Ideas welcome of course.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

I'm old. I used to be pumped up watching something as phenomenal as this. Sad to say, I slept though a good part of the middle of the movie. But that's not the reason why I blogged this. Anyone who's played any FF SHOULD watch this movie. Personally I didn't like FF: Spirits Within. I slept through that, too. But I'm sure if I wasn't sick when my brother popped the DVD in the player, I'd have been wide awake and as giddy as any kid watching his favorite cartoon.

I'm pretty shallow when it comes to plot analysis and crap like that. That's just not for me. Don't expect an engaging story, too. If you're looking for that, go watch a TV series (like the exceptionally-done Full Metal Alchemist). Movies always seemed rushed to me.

Watch FFVIIAC. The only regret I had was dozing off on it. But I've watched it a good four times since Monday. ^_^

Daemonic Scrivenings, 6661

My brother, Koi, bought me three blisters of Chaos Furies. I'll be working on these as soon as I get my other pair from Arvin. Played last Saturday at Galleria. Here's a rundown of what I can remember

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Vs. Emcee's Bretonnians

Emcee used an unusual build - he dropped Questing Knights and Grail Knights and opted for lotsa Knights of the Realm and a Trebuchet. It was Emcee's first game against my KDL, but we've locked horns before at 40K. I'm sure he's familiar with how I play. Having Ryan as my constant WFB opponent, I got used to playing against Bretonnians. The staple of Bretonnian characters these days seem to be Questing Knights with Great Weapons and Virtue of Heroism - hefting in at S6 and can Killing Blow Large Targets such as my Bloodthister (I should surprise them with my old Undead army one of these days). But it's a welcome challenge. Outmaneuvering and out-thinking the enemy is better than just dice-chucking and relying on cheeseball army lists. And Emcee is definitely one of the better generals. I'm sure he'll be ripping me apart as soon as he gets his grips more on WFB.

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Vs. Carlos' Vampire Counts

With the latest White Dwarf out, Carlos used the special character, Heinrich Kemmler. And what a spellcasting monster the new Kemmler is! And what's worse, there I was with just two dispel dice! The game was decided by bad positioning for both of us - he had bad positioning for Kemmler, I had bad positioning for my Bloodletters. It was a fun game nonetheless. I hope I'll be more physically prepared next time I play (Top tip: never go on a Warhammer marathon if you came from a late shift at work!).

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Vs. Lesther's Wood Elves

This was my first game against the new edition Wood Elves. And this was by far the most entertaining game I ever had for quite some time. Wardancers in WFB had a bad rep since Tiny baptized them with the Sexbomb theme. Seeing Les sing and dance while his Wardancers whipped and slashed their blades was absolutely hilarious! It was costly for him though, since he deployed at the 12" edge. I got into combat on the second turn with my fast units. I was wary of how he might use his tree singing spell to block my charges. I'd have to counteract that tactic with a salad bowl of my own.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 8th Entry

Sorscha is about finished. Basic Khador color scheme, the same as the one in the Escalation rulebook. Varnished and snow-flocked. Just needs the grass flock I did on the Destroyer.

Did some initial work on the Juggernaut, too. A bit dynamically-posed as compared to the Destroyer. Tried on some battle damage on this one. Hope it works.

Will be getting Apotheosis and NQ#2 later this afternoon.

Nurgle Doth Blesseth Thee

Upper Respiratory Tract Infection. That's what caused my brother, Koi, to cough up a blood-smeared phlegm blob. Thrice. Waking up early in the morning to see my brother rasping to utter unintelligible words knowing that all three of you had fever the previous days was certainly more than enough to kickstart you into action without caffeine.

I love my brothers. I love all my siblings. Heck, I love my family! I may not show it often (if ever at all), but I'd happily take a bullet for any of them. It was all a selfish blur before. Separation can really do something to a person. Nothing is taken for granted, despite whatever advancements technology offers us.

All three os us, Koi, Jei and myself, all suffer from sporadic episodes of lethargic fever. These two say their throats hurt. I know mine hurts when I try to gulp or swallow. But not when I drink Coke or Nestea. I'd rather be up and about, because I feel worse just lying down, bedresting.

I accompanied Koi to Delos Santos Hospital along E.Rodriguez to have him checked up. The people there ran an x-ray on him. The result came out negative. Thank God! Then came CBC (Complete Blood Count) test. Nothing out of the ordinary, too. Whew! Doctor surmised that there was indeed something irritated in the throat area. My bro was prescribed meds, and we went home. I think now Jei's up and about, out with Trixie. Koi's in COC, playing computer games.

I hope the fully recover very soon. Now all I gotta do is keep the house as clean as I can.

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Journal of a Warmachinist, 7th Entry

My current beta test standing: W0 - L1 - D0

I have revamped my 500-point list. I would have settled with a Juggernaut instead of a Berserker, but I just won't have enough points for the Kovnik (which replaces the Manhunter, too).

Sorscha's Battlegroup

Sorscha • Destroyer • Destroyer • Berserker

Support

Winterguard Mortar • Winterguard Mortar • Kovnik

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Update 2005 September 16, 4am


Tried several shots to get some detail on Sorscha's face, but obviously I need to work the cam better. Also started work on the Juggernaut. ^_^

To NMM or not to NMM

I need a concensus from you guys. Do I keep doing the NMM method on my Warmachine, or do I stick to the standard metallic paints? Please post reasoning and discussion on this topic. Thanks.

For those who don't know NMM is an abbreviation of Non-Metallic Metal. It's a method used to emulate the shiny-ness of metal on a 3d miniature model but without using metallic paint. Unfortunately, my paltry attempt at NMM resulted in a flashy shading of brownish-yellow, as seen in the picture above. All you non-Warhammerers, non-Warmachinists, non-miniature hobbyists can comment, too.

Home Away From Home

Cliche' but you do value something only when you know it's going away. Yesterday would be Cheryl's last day as part of our team. Despite the fact that she's not moving THAT far away, things will STILL be different. All we gotta do is just roll with life's punches.

Good times ^_^



This is the family that adopted me. And despite whatever petty bickering we may have, we're still family. My home away from home. ^_^

Journal of a Warmachinist, 6th Entry

Khador Destroyer (Queen's Royal Elite)

Not only is it my first Warmachine model, it's also the first one I did with NMM.

Putty-work on the dreaded Khador gap. Still needs a bit of detailing. Top tip with Khador models: basecoat and paint the inside of the "hood"; I've ruined a fine-detail brush because I forced to reached the inside of one that I didn't paint earlier on.

The next project: Khador Juggernaut.

At long last, I can display the model here LOL! I've been swamped with too much responsibilities that I put painting way down on my list. The Destroyer may have been rushed a bit more than expected, but it came out OK I guess.

Deviate

Something I whipped up with Adobe Photoshop CS and a WACOM tablet. Just trying something non-traditional as influenced by a great co-worker ^_^

Journal of a Warmachinist, 5th Entry

Sorry, no pics yet. Will get to it when I'm able.

Did some major work on the Destroyer's body since my last entry. You'll be seeing some freehand, too. I also superglued the bombard arm (which lacks some finishing touches on the gold NMM). I sealed the model with Vallejo medium gloss varnish and matted it with Testors Dullcote (spell check). It was fun at first to see the warjack all shiny and glossy, but it looked better when dulled.

I hope I get the Sorscha base soon. I'd be more inspired to finish when I get the warcaster done first. Ah well...

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Additional entry, 7 September 2005 1555h

I've decided to go on ahead and numbercrunch a 1000-point list. Here's what I'll be expecting:

• Kommander Sorscha
• Winter Guard Mortar x2
• Manhunter x2
• Destroyer x2
• Juggernaut
• Kommandant Irusk
• Eiryss
• (4) Widowmakers with Kapitan
• Kodiak
• Reinholdt
• (9) Winterguard with Sergeant
• (6) Doomreavers with Lieutenant

My Little Green-rimmed Mirror So Close Yet

Oskar Schindler was a noble man. A hero. So says the Steven Spielberg movie. Yeah I've just finished watching it. And I must say I was moved. It was years ago when I first saw it. I can't remember much of the movie. Having watched it, it finally made sense.

Goddamn fucking six million people murdered.

And yeah, you may be a basketcase, but I think I've fallen on my face again.

I've always humored at never being a good ruler or president. For fear of being a Hitler. Although now, assassination attempts can be easily arranged. Heck, I can even be bombed easily nowadays. But despite all those threats, is progress really worth it? At the price of being chained into abject slavery... er service, everyone gets to contribute at helping a nation prosper.

Is it lust? Is it love? Or is it the sweet balance of both? It feels like the sweet balance of both? So bite on the goddamn apple already!

Fear would be a great factor to that. And the best way to instill fear into the hearts of your subjects is to let them know that you can kill each and every one of them at your slightest whim. Or kill those near and dear to them. Such will guarantee unquestioned obedience.

I wonder what's up in those thoughts. Is there any sexual tension there? Or am I just imagining things?

Of course, make a complete turnaround and put yourself on the shoes of those being oppressed. I would rise up against the tyrant despite facing death. Better to stand up and fight than live life crawling, mewling and begging like godforsaken maggots.

In the end, there should always be balance. One must know when to show compassion. And when to be an asshole.

Make the first move. Just make the first move. And everything will be alright.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 4th Entry

Here are some more pics of my Khador Destroyer. Of course I haven't glued on the arms yet since it'll be hell to paint the details of the undercarriage with the arms in place.

Preparing the model

After thoroughly washing and brushing the parts, I cut a portion from the 50mm base to fit the metal slot that served as the model's mount. The Destroyer comes in 6 bits - the lower portion of the body which is from the waist down, the head, the right arm with the executioner axe, the left arm with the bombard cannon, the front half of the torso and the rear half of the torso. After filing off the flash and other unwanted residue, I prepped up the legs onto the base.

Tools used: Exacto (spell check) knife, Quiktite super glue, miniature file set
Difficulty: 3 of 5

Basework

After setting the legs, I brushed on some watered-down PVA glue (that's the typical Elmer's glue we get locally) onto the base. It was hard when I got to the space between the feet, since I didn't want to paint on any glue onto the model. Then I dipped it onto some sand mixed with some crushed eggshell. Yep, ladies and gents, this hobby doesn't have to be uber-expensive. Those large fragments you see are tiny bits of eggshell.

While waiting for it to dry, I got to watch my SE7EN DVD (which was starting to gather dust at home). It was a good thing, too, because I needed the base to be completely dry before painting over it.

Tools used: Old paintbrush, PVA glue, beach sand (thanks Kage ^_^) mixed with crushed eggshell (crushed, not pulverized)
Diffidculty: 2 of 5

The Torso (aka The Dreaded Khadoran Gap)

Man, what they say is true! When you clap on the two halves of the torso together, there will be a gap no matter what you do. I had to do something about it.

I used Liquid Nails to hold both halves of the torso together. Ah yeah, industrial strength adhesive. Can't go wrong there ^_^

After the Liquid Nails set, I mixed together some epoputty and smoothed it onto the model to cover the gap. I covered it pretty well. One good tip which I will reiterate is to keep a cup of water nearby when working with putty. Keep your fingers wet while sculpting. It not only keeps the crap off your hands, but it also keeps as little fingerprints on the putty as well.

By this time, I also superglued on the Destroyer's head and primed the arms with Smelly Primer (it doesn't actually smell THAT bad BTW).

Tools used: Liquid Nails, Quiktite superglue, Epoputty, water, Smelly Primer
Difficulty: 5 of 5 (goddamn hurt my fingers)

Painting the base

I started off with some Chaos Black. Once that was done, I did over with some Space Wolves Grey. It still didn't look like snow to me so I went on and drybrushed Skull White. I wanted the gritty walking-on-snow effect on the Destroyer so I drybrushed some of the white onto the model itself. Came out pretty well actually.

At this point, I superglued on the top half of the model.

Tools used: Large area brush, large drybrush, small drybrush, Chaos Black, Space Wolves Grey, Skull White
Difficulty: 1 of 5

Bring on the pain!

I primed the whole model white, as opposed to the usual method of priming it black. You need to prime the model so that the paint you slap on later with stay on more evenly. This is especially true with metal miniatures.

For the majority of the model, I based it with Scab Red. Then I progressed with Red Gore and finally Blood Red. To bring out the shading, I mixed the Blood Red with Bubonic brown and progressed that onto the model as well. And to mute the yellow of the Bubonic Brown, I washed down the whole thing further with watered-down Blood Red.

For the blacklining effects, I mixed Blood Red with Ultramarines blue and watered it down. I used a size 0 brush and dabbed it onto the recesses of the model. If you want to do some fast shade work, add some blue to your primary color to darken it. There's always blue in dark colors ^_^

I used black metal (since I was going for NMM) instead of the usual silver/grey/metallic. I settled with picking out the highlights with Codex Grey, then progressed the highlights by adding Skull White. And muting it down with watered Chaos Black to kill the glare.

For some solid metal parts like the model's face guard, I brushed on Codex Grey and progressed with Skull white, but this time onto the whole surface area (not just the highlights).

For the face (you can't see it on the pics though), it's supposed to be lit up. I used the picture on the box as reference. So I started with Fiery Orange and built up to Golden Yellow. I might put in some OSL effect afterwards.

For the gold, I started with Snakebite Leather, then progressed to Bubonic Brown and finally Skull White. Yep, I'm going NMM, baby!

Tools used: lotsa brushes, lotsa paint, lotsa time, lotsa effort
Difficulty: 4 of 5

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And as a bonus, I included my hand there in the pic for size reference. I hope my eyes don't give up on me anytime soon. I still have a shitload of stuff to paint at home ^_^

Visions Of A Madman

I had a dream. I was with my webteam buds and we were having our fortunes told. With everyone, their fortunres were the typical good ones. When it was my turn, the fortune-teller told me:

"You have one and a half years to live. And when you die, people will mourn."

It felt real. But I ain't scared. Go figure.

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[5:04 am] And oh yeah. For those who'll mourn, thanks.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 3rd Entry

I may have lost the Pitshop Minitourney 2, but I did get my hands on the Khador starter box. As a standard procedure, I opened the box to inspect if it had all the parts right. Unfortunately, Sorscha's base was not included in the box. I hope Mang will get me a WM 30mm base soon. I wanted to paint Sorscha first but it seems I'll be working on the warjacks in the meantime.

I still had an unclear scheme in my head while I was washing the parts (yeah, you have to wash the parts to get rid of the releasing residue from the metal). I also decided against massive conversion and settled on making a good paintjob.

Work in progress: Khador Destroyer

Details on color to follow. And yeah, it will be NMM.

Tomb Fleet Vyr Fails Pitshop Invasion

Last Saturday was the second minitournament at Mang's Pitshop. Tagging a P150 game fee, all the games were preset at 1,500 points and all Gamma level missions.

Game 1 - Jacob Reynoso's Black Templars: Tomb Fleet Vyr Massacred!
Game 2 - Mark Lim's Grey Knights: Tomb Fleet Vyr Massacred!
Game 3 - Arvin Tan's Iron Hands: Tomb Fleet Vyr Victorious Slaughter!

They were all fun games. Jacob, Mark and Arvin were all great opponents. Thanks to Mang for the tourney!

Journal of a Warmachinist, 2nd Entry

I have gotten hold of the most venerated War Machine Prime rulebook today. It's pages are wider than the usual GW books. And the pages are heavier and more durable. For P1,100, that's saying a lot.

A lot of buzz on RHGCers jumping onto what now seems to be the War Machine bandwagon. Not that I'm complaining, it's actually a good thing. Now all I have to do is blissfully ignore the pressure of buying my first 500 points. And I still have to order War Machine Escalation and War Machine Apotheosis.

As one of The First, I decided on a solid theme for my Khador. These guys have similar blind faith (for lack of better terms) but not in some deity like Menoth. Khadorians (is this even right?) are utterly loyal to their country. They have a genuine love for the land their forefathers fought for. And offer the same devotion to their Queen. Service. Duty. Ironic. Looking around, that is what THIS pisspoor country lacks. But that's a different rant altogether.

And so my theme will be an elite force. One that answers directly to the Queen. Veterans and royalty in their own right. No qualm or hesitation with crushing those who stand before them.

The Queen's Royal Elite.

I'll be pouring on the extra juice on such few models. The starter box will have Kommander Sorscha and two warjacks -- a Destroyer and a Juggernaut. I'll be decking on five years worth of conversion, freehand and masterclassing on this wargroup. Something that I can never appreciate in Warhammer, sad to say. After that, it will depend if I get Escalation and/or Apotheosis.

If I don't get either, I'll consider a box of Widowmakers. That's four more models. But maybe I'll get a Manhunter (solo) first. Then six Iron Fang Pikemen. And six Winterguard. That'll be enough for a 500-point Prime-only list.

If I get Escalation, it'd be another Destroyer, the Manhunter, and two Winterguard Mortar teams.

If I get Apotheosis, well, I'll just hang on to this one (pray that the stuff contained won't be too tempting). I'll cross the bridge when I get there.

The scheme will still be predominantly red. Coat-of-arms for the warjacks, since they are elite. And war honors like medals, ribbons. I doubt these will have purity seals though. But I think my approach on it will benefit the warjacks more than the characters and units.

I can't wait to get my first starter box.

But for now, time to hit the book!

My Little Green-rimmed Mirror Hates You

There are times when you just stop and look around and think. Then you just feel a desire welling up inside you. The desire to submit to pure hatred.

My sin is submitting to regret. And my regret begets my hatred.

Why the fuck do you wanna be the center of attention?!? Why'd you always have to be a goddamn celebrity?!? You haven't fucking changed at all?!? What the hell have I been wasting all this effort for all this fucking time?!? Bitch! Go goddamn break someone else's heart...

Dude, you're almost thirty. You should file up your paper for Australia. You should save up for your future. No plans on settling down? You're not getting any younger you know.

Fuck you! If I wanted your opinion, I'd have pulled it out of your skull together with your spine. Fuck you and all your goddamn standards. And don't fucking judge me! Living your life won't grant me the happiness that I want! So don't goddamn dictate on me!

Dude, you shouldn't have hit him THAT hard. He's bleeding... Oh, God!

Tangena anlalabo nyo lahat! Hindi ko pinapakialaman buhay nyo! Wag nyo pakialaman buhay ko!

Dude, maybe you should call someone. That's a lotta blood...

Start of turn. My Bloodthirster causes Terror to all your models within six inches of it. Roll for a Terror check. Jeez, they all fled?

Tao Of The Machine

Notes for the Journal of a Warmachinist

Despite the limited number of factions presented in War Machine (and maybe the additional factions presented in Hordes), all this game takes to succeed locally is a good push in the right direction. And I think I've succeeded in doing my part.

From the humble start of four players (Mang, Arvin, Jacob and myself), now there's a promising player base of nine. And as I mentioned in the WMPH blog, I'll give myself until December to have a standing 500-point wargroup.

+++

Things are becoming more and more mechanical at work though, and there will be pros and cons on the issue. Adapt, survive and surpass. Sounds like a goddamn familiar tagline sheesh!

Why Warmachine?

Notes for Journal of a Warmachinist



It's the best alternative to WFB and 40K for me. Everything about Warmachine just plain appeals to me -- the models, the rules, the fluff, the rpg element! I might just jump back into RPGing with my old buds because of this.

Warhammer has just been pure pressure for me -- fully finishing my army in time for big events, the political backdrop, transporting a hell lotta figs. It's not fun as it started. Warmachine presents something fresh and convenient for me -- few models to masterclass, the relatively conflict-free environment, and did I say few models, so it's easy to transport.

Naysayers can blah all they want. I'm going full throttle with this baby! ^_^

My Little Green-rimmed Mirror Legalized Barely

I will come on to you. I will praise you for your attractiveness - be it your pretty face, your full breasts, your nice bottom, or even just dressing sexy. I will come on like a sex-depraved maniac though. But I have enough brains not to physically come on to you. Well, unless you physically come on to me first.

You imbecile! You still get charged with sexual harassment for that!

Price to pay? Hey, being brutally honest can get me brutalized, true that. Women should be flattered with whatever I say to them. Shit. I rarely compliment anyone at all.

Why the fuck do you have Victoria Court as your contacts in Friendster? Are you whoring yourself now?

Unfortunately not all share the same open-mindedness as you. Makakahanap ka rin ng katapat. Someone who can basically slap the taste out of your mouth.

Stik-O Is My Yosi, Pepsi Is My Beer

At RHGC HQ with the rest of the boyz (and of course the pretty muse). Photo by Romy.

Twenty-nine years and still no wanting to try a stick of Marlboro or have a bottle of San Miguel (itoh ang beeeeer!). Surprisingly, I have grown fatter even without those things. Sitting in front of a computer, munching away on Lay's or V-Cut and guzzling Coke Light or Pepsi just doesn't help. I feel I'll die young, but at least I can donate my tar-free and alcohol-free organs to someone who needs them. They should all be stark drunk by now.

+++

Golden Daemons Swimming In My Head

I've been mulling over numerous websites on excellent miniature painting in the hopes that their talent and/or skill rubs off on me through subtle osmosis. Ah, how I wish I could paint so, and for all my armies.

I have yet to finish my Daemonic Legion, Necrons and Vampire Counts. And I've still Space Wolves and Warmachine to look forward to.

Yeah this is my drug.

Nothing beats the sense of fulfillment of seeing a model you've toiled on for hours reach completion. You know how it is to convert and basecoat and progressively blend and freehand. Soon everything will be done, neatly painted (dare I say masterclassed).

Nothing also beats the feeling of overcoming a strong opponent. Week in and week out I seek the best and do battle with their armies. I know I still have a long way to go in terms of tactics and numbercrunching. Soon every move taken, every tactic issued, every calculation crossed and checked, will come as second nature as breathing.

Beyond the normal geeky office life I live, I fight. And I fight constantly. To better my craft and always seeking the next true challenge. Live for the fight? I would say so. Bring it, fool.

+++

On A Horse. With A Lance. He's Unbeatable. I'll Beat Him With A Stick Or A Knife When He's Asleep

Warhammer's an expensive enough vice. And I'll be adding on Warmachine to that as well. So basically, I do have no time for drinking and smoking while hanging out. I'd rather you have a Warhammer army and face me on the table.

Besides, miniature painting's a fuckin' way cheaper alternative to getting professional therapy.

My Little Green-rimmed Mirror

"It's funny," the voice in his head was hazy, "this predicament we're in. We may lead different lives but our lives seem intertwined no matter what we do. Inseparable?"

The memory exited his head, abruptly forced out as he rubbed his eyes. Staring at the monitor on his desk, he pondered on the technological advancements of man, and how a double-bladed sword that can be.

Fast. Everything's fast nowadays. If you're hungry, pop open some instant noodles in hot water and you have a meal (sometimes you get a bonus of some Skyflakes, too). If you're thirsty, an accessible vending machine and a 20-peso bill is all it takes and you have a cold soda. If you want to communicate with someone, key in an SMS message or open up a chat, and distance almost becomes nonexistent.

Now you can take pictures with a hand-held mobile phone. And of course, most of the people who do post them on Friendster or Multiply or Blogspot. I am guilty of that sometimes, too.

Why did you end up like this? Why couldn't you be more of my standards? That will never do. My mom will have a fit seeing you like that! That will never do at all!

I wish I had some Shakey's Hawaiian Delight thin crust right about now.

Ties That Bind

At the reception: Mark, Kei, Odie, Tiny, Gay, Jun, Me, Anna and Jerome

An old friend, Jerome, finally settles down with lovely Anna ^_^

Everyone around me is settling down. Joel's having a baby soon. Alvin's gonna get married, too. Asking myself that question, I guess domestication isn't part of my overall agenda anytime soon. Unless I go dumb and get someone pregnant, I'll be living a good deal of my life painting toy soldiers and enjoying the bachelor life. Weird... as I have always sought settling down myself and it evades me. Better this way methinks.

Congrats to the newlyweds ^_^

Rise From The Ashes

I've never had any luck with free webspace providers at all. Some will have limited space. Others will choke your speed with ads. There are even some which allows fifty files (regardless of file type). As it turns out, my original blog on CJB.net has become unstable. And so the journey so to speak has led me back to Blogspot. The stability they provide is the one thing I'll settle for now.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 1st Entry

Being a veteran of Warhammer for five years, it's hard for me to keep track of all my achievements in the hobby. And now here I am trying to pioneer Warmachine into the local gaming scene. So I've decided to put into detail my start into this new miniature tabletop game.

I have been reading about this game for quite some time now, but moreso in the recent days. It's time I put the gears into motion. I have emailed the company asking for specific retail stores in Brisbane, Australia, since my family is there. I have emailed my ninong, in case he feels generous and sends me the items I want. But I have also asked some close friends as well as prominent members of the local Warhammer community if they want to start it with me. Time will tell.

Now, I am awaiting the news on the rulebooks I ordered. I will have them in my hands soon. *insert sinister villain laughter here*

+++

Oh, and it's still Khador for me. ^_^

Tomb Fleet Vyr Invades The Pitstop

In the recent minitournament held at Mang's Pitstop, I got to enjoy a little 40K action. Here's what I had on my 1,500-point army list:

• 1 Necron Lord with Warscythe and Resurrection Orb (150)
• 1 Necron Lord with Staff of Light, Resurrection Orb and Gaze of Flame (155)
• 12 Necron Warriors (216)
• 12 Necron Warriors (216)
• 10 Necron Immortals (280)
• 6 Scarab Swarms (72)
• 3 Necron Destroyers (150)
• 2 Necron Heavy Destroyers (130)
• 2 Necron Heavy Destroyers (130)

1,499 points out of 1,500 at 43 models (which phases me out on 10 models)

Round 1: Gamma Seek and Destroy

· Mang's Necrons vs. Kim's Necrons (Result: Victory - Kim's Necrons)
· Jacob Reynoso's Black Templars vs. Fred Escalona's Space Marines (Result: Victory - Jacob's Black Templars
· Arvin Tan's Iron Hands vs. Emp Fernando's Tyranids (Result: Victory - Arvin's Iron Hands)

Round 2: Gamma Recon

· Mark Lim's Grey Knights vs. Kim's Necrons (Result: Victory - Kim's Necrons)
· Mang's Necrons vs. Fred Escalona's Space Marines (Result: Victory - Mang's Necrons)
· Emp Fernando's Tyranids vs. Jacob Reynoso's Black Templars (Result: Draw)

Round 3: Gamma Take and Hold

· Kim's Necrons vs. Fred Escalona's Space Marines (Result: Victory - Kim's Necrons)
· Mang's Necrons vs. Jacob Reynoso's Black Templars (Result: Victory - Jacob's Black Templars)
· Arvin Tan's Iron Hands vs. Mark Lim's Grey Knights (Result: Victory - Arvin's Iron Hands)

+++

Three victories. Not bad. It goes to show that constant playing does help I guess. I got me a nice new fine detail brush for that, too. ^_^

Congratulations to everyone for a well-played minitourney! And thanks to Mang for providing for the event. See you guys again in two weeks.

Journal of a Warmachinist

Journal of a Warmachinist, 1st Entry
So I've decided to put into detail my start into this new miniature tabletop game.

Why WARMACHINE?
It's the best alternative to WFB and 40K for me. Everything about Warmachine just plain appeals to me -- the models, the rules, the fluff, the rpg element!

Tao of the Machine
Despite the limited number of factions presented in War Machine (and maybe the additional factions presented in Hordes), all this game takes to succeed locally is a good push in the right direction. And I think I've succeeded in doing my part.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 2nd Entry
I have gotten hold of the most venerated War Machine Prime rulebook today. It's pages are wider than the usual GW books. And the pages are heavier and more durable. For P1,100, that's saying a lot.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 3rd Entry
I may have lost the Pitshop Minitourney 2, but I did get my hands on the Khador starter box.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 4th Entry
Here are some more pics of my Khador Destroyer. Of course I haven't glued on the arms yet since it'll be hell to paint the details of the undercarriage with the arms in place.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 5th Entry
Did some major work on the Destroyer's body since my last entry. You'll be seeing some freehand, too.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 6th Entry
At long last, I can display the model here LOL! I've been swamped with too much responsibilities that I put painting way down on my list. The Destroyer may have been rushed a bit more than expected, but it came out OK I guess.

To NMM or not to NMM
I need a concensus from you guys. Do I keep doing the NMM method on my Warmachine, or do I stick to the standard metallic paints?

Journal of a Warmachinist, 7th Entry
Tried several shots to get some detail on Sorscha's face, but obviously I need to work the cam better. Also started work on the Juggernaut.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 8th Entry
Sorscha is about finished. Basic Khador color scheme, the same as the one in the Escalation rulebook. Varnished and snow-flocked. Just needs the grass flock I did on the Destroyer.

The Art of War, Week 42 ~ Journal of a Warmachinist, 9th Entry
I finally had some time to sit down and put some more work on my Warmachine models.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 10th Entry
Here's a mock-up of what my battlegroup will look like after I get all of the components together. So far, it's just the starter box - Sorscha, a Destroyer and a Juggernaut.

Twenty-Second of October ~ Journal of a Warmachinist, 11th Entry
Ignoring the nauseating effects of the Warwitch's spell, Sorscha finished the final gesticulations of a spell of her own. Suddenly, the world around seemed as if time slowed. She felt a cold wind rising up from beneath her, pushing her forward. As the Khadoran's boots touched the ground several feet from where she started, the warcaster unleashed the full strength of her will, sending sheets of white crystal in a billow all around her.

The Art of War, Week 43 ~ Journal of a Warmachinist, 11th 12th Entry
Last night I metagamed a 500-point Foothold between Vlad and Kreoss. I made sure that the game would be evened out when it came down to tactics and smart deployment.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 13th Entry
I managed to put some assembly work into my Behemoth. I was never fond of the raised-right-foot pose of the model, so I did some minor conversion.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 13th 14th Entry
Bought Catachan Green and Enchanted Blue yesterday at NG Madison. Eiryss is about 90% done. Just a few more work on her crossbow and rapier. Also did some basework on the Behemoth and Kovnik.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 15th and 16th Entries
I just got a hefty acquisition of Khador additions today. Barring any lists or what have you, my single warcaster (Sorscha) can head off into battle at 769 points! And Gorman and the Widowmakers should still come soon!

PAGE 5
Play like you've got a pair!

Journal of a Warmachinist, 17th Entry
Warmachine Philippines Impromptu Christmas Party at Mang's Pitshop!

Journal of a Warmachinist, 18th Entry
Warmachine Weekend!

Journal of a Warmachinist, 19th - 22nd Entry
Formalized the ranking into Sessions. SO any game you play, at whatever pointage, as long as you're playing it in a group of four or more WMers, you're ranked.

Journal of a Warmachinist, 23rd Entry
Played against Lesther and his Menoth using Kreoss. Using a wargroup without Sorscha and the Behemoth proved more difficult than I thought.

C2 Apple Flavor ~ Chapter One: Cold Winter
The Greylord Koldun, Sergei Makara, scribed on the final locking rune over the cold iron chest in front of him. The icy blue sigils slowly faded into the air as the koldun blanketed the chest with a heavy black cloth.

Smells Like Teen Spirit
Got the Spriggan from Alger. When will I be able to use it? Abangan!

AEGIS Open Meet
Once the tables were set up, the boyz started playing. If I remember right, a Warhammer game and a Warmachine game were played at the same time side by side.

Warmachine + Hordes
The terrain proved troublesome for my two Winter Guard Mortar. There were many blind spots where Pork's units could hide behind, barring me any good bombard shots. So I decided to force him to push forward and abandon any safe cover in lieu of securing senario objectives.

Singapore Order Update
I believe Mang is going to order again soon. Some of you might want to ride on those orders na lang. If you guys still want to push through with your orders through Alger, let me know ASAP so I can inquire on shipping costs as well.

If You've Got The METAL, Bring It ON!
I have missed this year's Warhammer Grand Tourneys for WFB and 40K. But being a founding member of Warmachine Philippines, I really couldn't afford to miss it (WMPH's first WARMACHINE tournament).

Kommandant Irusk: Tactical Genius or Blatant Coward?
Irusk's Inhospitable Ground proved a bit useless to Amon's Mobility, but I kept casting it so that he spends up his FOC.

Weekend Gaming
Steamroller 2. Bloody hard. Bloody fast games, too.

For The Motherland!
A checklist of sorts for my Warmachine.

Unranked
One of the more memorable games I had that wasn't included in the WMPH ranking was due to the lack of players gaming at that time (we kinda put a requirement that in order to be ranked, there must be at least four players gaming at the same time).

The old office Nikon + Dulce's Date
A Man-O-War Demolition Corps (MOWDC) Kapitan. Black basecoat by Semco. Face colors used also by Semco (just mixed the right stuff to get the flesh color). I'm out to prove a point with this one.

Welcome To Our Neighborhood
Painting some Knights Exemplar.

Trollbloods at the Fortress +
"Hey, Arv, I got fewer models than your Khador."

Weekend Gaming Fun
First turn kill, baby. Doesn't get any better than that.

Journal of a Warmachinist: Khador at the Haven
Personal differences must be put aside for the greater glory of Khador Motherland.

Brass Balls Anyone?
If the fight is easy, you're not challenging up the ladder!

2007
Looks like another year's about to come to an end. 2006 has been a very good year for me. I've been blessed with many new friends, had many nice games, improved on my painting and achieved some dreams.

Happy New Year
[WARMACHINE] Lost my first game against Raymund's Vayl. 98% finished painting the Spriggan (flock and varnish to go). Started painting IFP standard bearer.

BBL Report
As the year rolled in, my performance in the WARMACHINE Brass Balls League has been mediocre. To the credit of my opponents, their game was ace. And as I have given my best at my games, I have little regret except that I should have played more.

BBL Winding Down
Just updating my league results.

BBL - River Rats
I played my last BBL game last night at Hobby Haven. It was using the River Rats scenario and my opponent was Romy Estrella.

New Leather
It was my first game this year using Dark Prince Vlad. And at Hobby Haven, I got to go up against Zig using his Seaforge Alliance Gorten Grundback. And yeah, three Ogrun Bokurs will clear up your sinuses for sure!

Gorten Grundback
Presently, there's only one local player who uses the Rhulic warcaster, Gorten Grundback - Zig of Hobby Haven. I've heard many stories about his old list with two Drillers and how brutal it could be at eliminating any opponent that stands in his way. Pork often recounts how his Ashlynn got grabbed by the Rhulic heavy `jack and literally got drilled to death.

Old Gamer
I've been gaming as far as I can remember. I've gone through traditional outdoor games like mataya-taya, taguan and patintero to Rockman and Goonies on the NES. Now, I'm into strats and RPGs on the PS2 and GBA and of course miniature wargaming.

Fred's Iron Lich Asphyxious
Fred (Escalona, one of our more regular photogs) has been consistent with using the Lich for a big percentage of his WM/H gaming. He's won games with it via raining Breath of Corruption or Hellfire, or face up Soulsplitter slaughterfest. And in the months of constant playing, Fred's learned to go aggressive especially with the addition of Tartarus in his forces.

Blood of Trolls
In any other time this week, I did nothing but assemble and paint my Trollblood models - Hoarluk, the light warbeasts I got from Romy, and the Mauler. They're just a few points short of 400, but I wanted to play on the 500-point weekend games, so I proxied my five MOWDC as Trollblood Champions. As always, I gave my ace game, and the results were excellent.

Thirty-One
Played against Pork's Ashlynn D'Elysse and won!

Page 5 FTW
We've recently implemented gaming our WARMACHINE and HORDES with the default time limits, 45 minutes for 300-point games and 60 minutes for 500-point games. So far, I've done pretty well with more Page 5 in the bloodstream. Very little convenience of time for baiting tactics.

Rock
Played another Weekday Warrior session last night. Dick and Tiny made an appearance. Dick played two WMH games against Obi's Nemo using Vlad and Irusk (Obi's first brush versus the Khadoran kommandant). There was an instance where Obi failed to kill Dick's Drakhun, and another where it looked like the Hot Gates scene from 300. Obi seems to be flipping tactics against Khador and at the same time getting more familiar with his Cygnar.

Man In The Machine
It's a rarity that Chicco Cuema Quema breaks out his Khador to play a game against us whenever we play at Hobby Haven. But there was one day that he honored me a game to go up against his 4-model Karchev list.

Hakuna Matata, Bitch!
Got to play WARMACHINE using the Butcher of Khardov last Saturday at Hobby Haven -- won against Tiny's Captain Victoria Haley and Ronald's Master Tormentor Morghoul. And, man, was the Butcher awesome! On the feat turn, he downed the Thunderhead with two swings in one turn! On a separate feat turn, he dropped a Titan Cannonner in three swings!

Better Late Than Never
Got an email from Fred Escalona. Attached were pics from way back, shots from Hobby Haven during many of the gaming sessions there. Good times!

Any Cost Of Blood Or Steel
"We shall bring victory to the Motherland at any cost of blood or steel. Let every loyal citizen make it their mission that whatever our price, the enemies of Khador shall pay tenfold." - Queen Ayn Vanar XI

For the coin!
Well, I can't say I did my best on that last Total War 2 tourney because I lost my last game against Carlos. I blame no one else but myself for that loss, and it was because I did not follow one of the prime rules of war - to know thy enemy.

RHGC Gamesday
Small blurb on what happened at Lito's. Got me Doomreavers from Luigi! Yay!

No Title
Small bullet points on the Juggernaut. Lots of non-WMH entries.

Pass It Forward


Summer Rampge Week 1
SUMMER RAMPAGE officially started last Saturday at Hobby Haven. I was up for some games but I was a bit apprehensive because I know I won't perform well in the campaign due to work responsibilities. It's July and it's SONA month. Plus there's some major disagreement in Basilan which had to do with some soldiers being chopped up, literally. So, I'll just prop up some fun lists here and there and give my opponents hell.

Summer Rampage Week 2
Some little updates. I've resigned to the fact that I won't do well in this campaign because of my work responsibilities. The previous month went to the Total War. Looks like we all don't stay long on top of the wheel.

Pit Fight
Kei's Madrak Ironhide victorious over Kim's Kommandant Irusk. Kei won by objective, rendering my Juggernaut broken in the middle of the objective area. DTM FTW!

Pit Fight 2
Kim's Kommandant Irusk victorious over Mang's High Exemplar Kreoss. I won via objective, capturing the center ring. My Juggernaut with Superiority charged at Mang's Castigator and broke it (dealt very heavy damage) on its activation. With one system left from being destroyed, I had my Widowmaker Kapitan under Undying Loyalty and aimed at the Castigator even if the Juggernaut engaged it. Muzzled zing and all, the Menoth heavy jack was destroyed.

New Blood, Old Blood
Instead of competitive Summer Rampage gaming, I opted to reintroduce some old friends into WARMACHINE/HORDES. On a smoldering Saturday afternoon, Ryan , Lesther, Kei and I enjoyed some WMH and Guitar Hero at home.