Temporary Stasis

This blog is going into temporary stasis whilst I mess around with the layout, domain and whatnot.
And that's why I haven't posted for two weeks as well...

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TWINCG - Finecast Will Become Fine

Welcome to yet another article on This Week In Non-Competitive Gaming, where I make some form of enraged rant about something or another on a weekly basis!

Fun, right? 

Once again I’d like to focus on one of the recent controversial issues of 40k, Citadel Finecast, which personally I like.

After I bought 6 Finecast models, all of which were in perfect condition, I began to like–gasp!-them, and after my recent purchases of two more Shadowseers, which are also perfect, I thought I might defend them a bit more.

This time, however I’m not going to force evidence and whatnot down your throat, rather encourage you too remember the launch of plastic models why back when.

Back in the day, when plastic models were released for the first time, they were the source of great controversy.  The moulds GW were using would mean they could only sculpt conservative, boring poses, unlike the dynamic metal models, the models were in one piece and there was great weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Nowadays, after GW put real effort into building upon these shaky foundations, we have truly remarkable plastic kits, with more components then you can shake a stick at, though why you would defeats me; perhaps someone could elaborate. 

Anyway, most players were /raging at these new kits initially, but soon, as the benefits outweighed the costs, they began too love them.

So how does this link to Finecast? Games Workshop have never actually made any resin models prior to this release, as with the plastic models, so if the models are truly terrible now, give them a chance to learn and build from their mistakes.  Remember, virtually all of the sculpts that are now Finecast were designed to be metal models, not resin, so if you hate them, that’s probably because GW is trying to sell a donkey as a racing horse. 
And with that note, I urge you to wait some time before condemning GW, who as you frequently point out, are far from infallible. 

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Exodites: Conversion Tutorial

I know I've been quiet for a while, but Uni sucked up a lot of my time this week.  So, to make up for that, I decided to throw together a tutorial for converting Exodites or plastic Rangers/Pathfinders, for a relatively cheap cost.
WHAT YOU NEED
1x Guardian Defender Squad ($55 AUD)

1x Wood Elf Glade Guard Kit ($50 AUD)

This gives you enough to construct 10, individually posed models that are already cheaper then the Finecast Rangers which are $110 AUD for 10, with only five poses and also will have an additional 6 spare components for future conversions.

Now, onto the tutorial.  Once again, I apologise for the picture quality, I am looking for a camera right now, but for now I am still limited to my iPhone.

STEP ONE

Assemble the guardian as per normal, however using a Glade Guard head and leaving the back off.

Here I used the hooded head, though it is generally best to go for a 70:30 mix of hooded to non-hooded heads for variation's sake.

STEP TWO

If you turn over the model, you will notice that the entire back half of the torso is missing, and there is a peg sicking out the back

At this stage, you need too clip off the peg on the back.

STEP THREE

Slice off two small pieces of excess sprue, ensuring that they will fit on either side of the model's back.

WARNING: DO  NOT GLUE THESE ON YET

STEP FOUR

Clean up a Glade Guard's cape, removing any flash or mould lines.

STEP FIVE

Apply plastic glue over the entire back of the model and put the two pieces of sprue into their previous positions.  

Quickly apply glue over the entire back again, including the off cuts and attach the cape, with the circular component of the cape sitting in between the two off cuts of sprue, which should give it an area to adhere upon and also filling the large gap where the backpack of the Guardian normally goes. 

Leave it sitting face down until the glue dries then paint as you see fit!

So that's how I do them!

Any thoughts, criticisms or unfathomable rages?

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Exodites: Resin Bases?

I know, I know...
Today was meant to be a Codex Review Day, but I haven't finished it yet, Seer Councils require significant depth.
Do not despair however! I will put it up on the weekend, provided it is completed by then of course.

Rather, today I am going to discuss the main choices of resin bases for Exodite armies.
Such bases tend to be more urban orientated, so there is a very limited choice, however with any luck, the ones I've found will suit your taste.

First up we have Dragon Forge's Lost Empire base range, which only cos about $1 a base and have a wide variety of sizes for all models you have.

Our next items are from the Back 2 Base-ix's Forest line.

These are limited too 3 sizes, 25mm, 40mm and 60mm but only around $8 for a pack of ten.

It may also just be me, but I feel like these are too awkward with regards to placement of your models, particularly with my exodites, whose capes would never agree with the logs and whatnot. 

Next is Evil Mushroom Games' Rock/Slate range.  

These come in the same sizes of Back 2 Base-ix's bases, but are much cheaper, costing around $6 for 10 25mm bases.

The final range I am going to present here is ForgeCraft Games' Highland Crag line, which come in many sizes and are also very affordable, costing $16.50 for 25 bases, which seem to be of decent quality as well.

However, they do appear, for want of a better word, gloopy, almost like the resin wasn't fully set when removed or something of the like.

So that concludes my resin base catalogue, so to speak.

Personally, I am going to choose the Dragon Forge bases, which I really love, contrasting nicely with the colour scheme of my exodites.

What's your choice?

Thoughts, criticisms, unfathomable rage?

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TWINCG - Mantic Games: Defender of Decency!

Yet another week has gone past, so it’s now time for yet another This Week In Non-Competitive Gaming!
Though it is more This Week In Competitive Capitalism, Or Lack There Of.
Recently, after my daily trolling over on BOLS, I have found myself infuriated by the comments on Mantic’s new game Warpath.

The main criticisms of the game are that Mantic are just ripping off GW’s ideas. The ignorance of this statement, while versed in some from of truth, is quite annoying to me. Firstly, GW are not the sole owners of the Fantasy in Space setting, which was built upon the Fantasy setting, which was built upon the Middle-Earth setting and so on so forth.
There are no entirely original ideas these days, ok? I wish people would accept that. Scriptwriters and authors claim that there is only 5 storyline themes, with each, so called, new idea being just a variation upon these initial ideals.

Lets have a look at some comparisons between Mantic’s Warpath concept art and GW’s actual models

Orx Marauder, from Mantic

GW’s Typical Ork

The similarities here, while somewhat obvious, only play a minimal role between the art, with radical differences being observable.
Firstly, the gun is more vicious and deadly than GW’s sluggas.
Secondly, the armour is far more minimalist in GW’s Orks than those from Mantic.
The proportions of head, body, arms, teeth and hands appear more balanced.
I could go on further, but honestly cannot be bothered to rant anymore…. Apparently some people don’t like reading my rages for 58 pages, who knew?

So for those who TL;DR
Yes, Mantic has done Fantasy in space
No, they have not done a blatant copy of GW’s range
Yes, there are similarities, being Mantic’s niche in the market. Most people I know bought the models as a far cheaper alternative to GW, with no real interest in the game. After a few months we played some KoW and loved it. Too put a long story short, people buy their products primarily as an alternative, so it makes sense to include this similarities.

So, as a final point, everyone hates GW’s business model. Just take a glance at any large, online 40k community and try not to find over 9000 examples of such rages. Mantic has a much better one in my opinion, with their game being open to changes based on criticism and being very in touch with their fan base.
If you want to have a discussion with the higher ups, help them out or rage at them, it is all easy to do, and they are open to external help. As proof of this currently I am drowning in code, creating a list builder for their armies in KoW, something I am happy to do for such a company and they seem happy to receive.
Everyone has rages at GW’s price hikes, and then rages at Mantic, who are providing a far cheaper alternative for said models, yet they rage none the less!
Hypocrisy of the internet never ceases to amaze me, and trust me, I have seen terrible, terrible things…. 4chan for example

And so ended yet another This Week In Non Competitive Gaming Article…
Thoughts, criticisms, unfathomable rage?

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Exodites: It has just begun...

Well, this is the humble beginnings of my new Exodite army...  I'm still restricted to my iPhone, so once again I apologise for the quality of the pictures; they look much better in real life, I assure you!
Well, without further ado I shall begin!

War Walker

Back of War Walker

Blurry Exodite

Rangers/Exodites

I do intend to have a conversion guide or painting guide up this friday, one of the two.
They are mainly a kitbash, but with some fiddly bits and the painting is also somewhat straight forward, albeit time consuming.
And there we have it!
Thought, criticisms, unfathomable rage?
How do you guys go about it?

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Storm of Magic. Son, I am Disappoint

Well, initially, I was very excited about the release of Storm of Magic, being a Fantasy player myself. However it has turned into a bit of a failfest.
8th Edition already has some serious flaws, like OP magic and hordes and now these are becoming even more pronounced in the new expansion, and I quote

...With monumental spells, wizards raining meteors out of the sky and monsters the size of houses tearing up enemy units with impunity.

Added to that, they have got none other than Mat Ward to write the damn thing, with his previous foray into Fantasy resulting in the monstrosity  that was the Chaos Daemons Army Book, one which even a inexperienced player could throw down almost any list and have a excellent chance of winning.
Needless to say, Mat Ward should never ever be given permission to write an Army Book again, yet alone an entire expansion.

Some of the models are nice though, like the Dark Elf Dragon, however some are be quite lacklustre.

Then, in their brilliance, they gave us this... thing

Yes that's right, a giant, finecast chicken.

What is it even meant to resemble? Some snake, lizard, griffon, chicken?  From here on in, I shall call it the Snazariffonken.  Much more of an accurate name in my opinion. 

GW then call it a sniper, which is utterly insane.  If I was on a battlefield, I don't think  a gigantic chicken would be very concealed, more sticking out like a tumour, which is incredibly accurate in describing what it is.

I don't think my Wood Elves will be coming out much in the near future, rather, I'll stick to Eldar, where GW can't feth us up any more than they already have...

And now I've jinxed myself...

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TF2 Now Free

Team Fortress two is now free on Steam!
Get it here!
If anyone wants to play some games with me, drop a comment below.
For those of you who have never heard of it, it is a crazy FPS by Valve, who made for Left for Dead, Portal, Half Life and Counterstrike, all amazing games in their own right.
It's a light hearted, fun and incredibly addictive game, so downloaded it, I mean, it's free you know...

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Calling all Eldar Accepters

Calling all Eldar bloggers!
Do you want to support our cause in creating a far more accepting and non-segregated blogging world
Do you have a genuine love for Eldar?
Do you wish to save their species from extinction?
Do you want to change the galaxy, saving one Eldar at a time?
If so, join our blogroll!
Drop a comment with a link to your Eldar related blog and I'll add you quite happily. Hopefully, this site will eventually become a meeting point as such for all Eldar players, but we need your help to achieve this dream!

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Eldar Codex Review: Farseer

Next up is the Farseer, the pimp daddy of all HQ choices in the Eldar codex.  If you’re not using one, then your either using Eldrad, a dual Autarch build or have no intention of winning games.  Essentially, if you don’t have him/her in your list, you might want to make an appointment with a Phsyciartrist.  And that is said in all seriousness.  Of course there are some exceptions to this rule, however they are few and far between.

TACTIAL VALUE

I can sum this up in very few words: Space Elf Chuck Norris.  S/he tends to be orientated towards beefing up other Eldar units.  While they can hold their own in close combat, they generally wish to avoid it, in addition to other offensive tasks, unless you wish to run a full seer council (covered next week). 
The Farseer essentially revolves around the use of the warp, having 5 main spells, almost all of which are extremely useful.

++Doom++

One of my favourite powers, don’t leave home without it.  If you want an enemy killed quickly, use doom, shoot it, then assault, considerably buffing Banshees, helping them overcome their limitations of having S3 and Dire Avengers, particularly with Bladestorm used in conjunction with them.    I know I wouldn’t like to receive an obscene number of shuirkens with re rolls to wound coming at my squad, particularly if I were playing Grey Knights, with large amounts of points relying on that passing that 3+ armour save numerous times over. 

Also, be sure to shout out DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! every time you use it, particularly if your opponent shouts out “FOR THE EMPRAH!’, “METAL BAWXES?”, “SPHESS MAHRIEENS” and “WAAAAGH!”.

Think of it as a hypocritical indulgence

++Fortune++

Another excellent power, though it only benefits a single unit, however will benefit them greatly, particularly when hiding in cover.  If you are running a foot list, this is a must take power, even more so with the Avatar, being a essential component of such an army.

TL;DR, if you have the points, grab it.

++Guide++

If you have Warwalkers of lots of Guardians, then not even Big Brother and the entire damn ministry of peace should be able to convince you not to take them.

Its always seeing the look on your opponents face as he realises what casting it on a bunch of Warwalkers with Scatter Lasers will do to those little Marines of his. (Assuming that like everyone, he is playing Marines…. Sigh; don’t get me started on that) Suffice to say, they now know fear… That was a pun! Geddit? Geddit? Sigh, my comedic genius is being wasted on you guys.

Also, when used with Doom, particularly on your heavy hitting units like Fire Dragons and Dark Reapers, carnage should ensure.

++Mind War++

I want to love it, I really do.  On paper, it looks pretty awesome, capable of sniping those pesky characters and squad leaders with power fists etc. with relative ease.  However, it doesn’t successfully translate during gameplay for several reasons.  Its targets tend to have high enough Ld to make the power a bit of a gamble, also the Farseer needs to get too close to the enemy for my liking to use it effectively.  I don’t really recommend taking this, unless you are confident in using it, perhaps having a different play style to me.  If so, please drop a comment below to enlighten the masses.

++Eldritch Storm++

No.  Just no.  I have enough S3 already thanks, and I’d rather buy a better power that actually is useful.

Our heroic little seer also has several wargear options worth considering.  The Singing Spear is a love/hate weapon for Eldar players.  For 3 points, I take it every time, also buffing your anti-tank potential.  If you’re complaining about losing the extra attack, then I ask, why are you planning on using that? Don’t get your seer into close combat, unless absolutely necessary, so you really shouldn’t worry too much about losing the attack.

Runes of warding, put simply should always be taken., period.  It increases their average chance of perils by almost 7 times and successes drop to 50% on a Ld 10 model, which should be expected with the marine spam we see these days.

Grey Knights’ new spell spam takes a massive blow as well from RoW

Let’s back it up with some maths then… (Rounded to the nearest percent)

Unmodified w/ Ld 10:        Perils and failure,      3%

                                                Perils and success     3%

                                                Failure                        5%

                                                Success                       89%

Ld 10 against  Runes:         Perils and failure,      38%

                                                Failure                        12%

                                                Success                       50%

Point proven? Take the damn things….

Our other Runes however, namely Runes of Witnessing, are more controversial.  I love them, others don’t.  They increase your chance of rolling a double 1 sadly, but do help avoid results far too high.  The choice is yours. 

Spirit Stones should always be taken.

Spirit Stones should always be taken. 

Spirit Stones should always be taken.

Spirit Stones should always be taken. 

Spirit Stones should always be taken. 

Honestly, I can’t drum that into your head enough, though I am sure you’ll disagree…

The jet bike really should only be taken if your list has numerous jet bikes, or else it becomes redundant.  The 3+ save is very useful, however without sufficient support from the other bikes, it quickly will be shot down.  The Farseer can hide in a unit safely on foot, with the squad taking the wounds for her/him, reducing the likelihood of wounds than going solo.

Tl;DR, if you use lots of jet bikes, get one.  If you don’t, well don’t.

THEME

Well, I’m getting tired here so I may just paraphrase… This is taking some time.  Anyway, Ulthwe armies will almost always require a Farseer for fluff purposes, as with many other craftworlds as well, though not to the same degree, as each relies upon those who tread the Path of the Seer.

Harlequin counts as armies can use one as a Shadow Seer and Exodites will also be justified in choosing one.

Living like Bear Grylls doesn’t mean that the race forgot how to use the warp overnight, they just would be somewhat wary about its use, lacking the security given by the path. 

PAINTING AND MODELLING

To stop you guys from going TL;DR on me, I’ll keep this short and sweet. 

There are lots of models, all of decent quality and available in both resin and metal, hopefully appeasing both opposing parties. 

Painting is fairly simple, if you keep an eye out for all the bells and whistles.  Just paint it in your Craftworld colours and the rest as so you choose; though GW’s general scheme for these parts will work for most colours of the Farseer.

If you read all of this, give yourself an Internet cookie! All comments, criticisms and unfathomable rages are welcomed, except maybe the latter… My view differs to many others, so please post your own thoughts below!
Conflict is my friend, so I suppose that makes me a Fascist now.  Crap. Anyway, enough waffle!/thread

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