New style White Dwarf

So I walked into my local newsagents, and saw the new copy of White Dwarf sitting there, in a plastic outer bag with the words New! splashed across the top. I had vowed not to but another copy after the disappointing decline the magazine has taken over the past few years, but I picked it up and it felt, well, quality. So I purchased it, and eagerly rushed home.

The covers are of a fantastic quality, the pictures embossed on the cover. The magazine now has weight, probably due to the extra 32 pages now packed in. The magazine now has a brand new team, and it shows.

There is a in-depth look/showcase of chaos space marines, and this theme rubs through the magazine. A decent battle report, which shows off the new Chaos codex, and painting guides. Not as in depth as they used to be, but still useful for beginners to learn new techniques and advanced painters to better themselfs.

A new article, called kit bash, looks great. Focussing on the Ork Dakkajet kit, it shows some ideas on how to convert this model into some stunning pieces.

Also in this, which is quite unheard of, is a detailed look at the new Forge World Horus Heresy books, along with the models that Forge World are producing. I never though I would see the day when Forge World would get even mentioned in White Dwarf, let alone have a article about their new miniatures!

The photography has also gone up a lot. There are some really nice, well planned photographs all the way through out. Gone are the boring shots of old, the new photography really brings out the new models, and the mood set by the theme aswell.

There's loads more in this magazine that's new, and whilst being predominantly about Warhammer 40000, I suspect that it will switch between fantasy and sci fi on a monthly basis just like it used to.
It also looks like the 'Eavy Metal team are back on form, the paintjobs in this issue are definatly miles better than the rubbish that has been seen recently.

For the extra £1, this issue is defiantly worth it. If the new team can still keep up this level of quality every month, I may even re-subscribe to the magazine. Yes, it is still a glorified catalogue, but this time it appears to have some substance, with useful articles that you want to read, and fantastic photography. Keep it up guys, and you may have rescued what used to be a fine magazine.

Warhammer 40000, solo?

I think that all of us must have tried it at somepoint. You can't find someone to play a game with, and you think it cannot be that hard to play against yourself. You set everything up, and play the first turn. Suddenly, it dawns upon you that this is a huge undertaking, and you get so confused you give up. Well, that was my findings from trying to play just 1000 points aside. There is just too much that you have to think about, and I always favoured one side over the other.

With the new release of Dark Vengeance, Games Workshop seem to have addressed this fact, even just a small amount. Two of the missions, (the first two infact) are solo missions. The first one pits the Chaos cultists against a out of control Hellbrute, and they must deactivate it before it gets them all. The second puts the Dark Angels Ravenwing squad against three waves of cultists, the aim to get the bikes off the table edge three times.

These missions have been designed to ease the new player into the game, to help them learn the rules on their own before they introduce someone else. There are instructions that control the "enemy" in each game, namely that they will move towards and attack the closest models.

This has got me thinking, that you could introduce these ideas for when you have no one to play with. Using the enemy will move and attack the closest unit, and always following them, some intereting games could be played, and will also teach you more about the game as you play.

Just some food for thought, and I expect solo missions to be popping up over the net over the next couple of weeks, maybe even some will be featured in future White Dwarfs or on the GW website if it is popular enough. I am even going to get my thinking cap on, and may post some of my own devising up here.

Warhammer 40000: Dark Vengence

Games Workshop released the details of the 6th edition 40k starter box set.

Included in the box, 49 finely detailed miniatures, in the flavour of Dark Angels and Chaos Space Marines, the Crimson Slaughter.
 
What interests me most about this box, is the Dark Angels side. You get some Deathwing, Ravenwing and normal troops, which is a solid start for a new army.

On the chaos side you get a dreadnaught, Space marines and Cultists. Again, another great start for a army.

In the box, you get the usual dice and A5 rulebook (although I really think this should be sold outside the box aswell) and quick start guide.

All in all it looks another fantastic starting point, be it beginners just starting or veterans looking for a new army to try out.

We will have our hands on a copy soon, so expect a full review soon!

Aegis Defence Line

These are the latest part of the game table that we are putting together that has been completed.

Great as part of a battlefield, what I like about the new WH40k rules is that these can become part of your army. Fortifications are a new addition, and come in the form of these, skyshields, bastions and the Fortress of Redemption, with more to be release as time goes on by GW.

The Aegis line costs 50 points, and with addition of  a Icarus Lascannon (+35 points) or a Quad Gun (+50 points), this can really sway the tide of a battle. Giving a 3+ cover save, there are a few useful applications for these.

Get your low save troops inside: Imperial Guard players will find these of great use, Hole up in one of these to gain your 3+ save, and issue orders like "First Rank Fire!" and you could have a devastating shooting phase, and at only 50 points, will not take to much from a IG army. Add in a Quad gun, and you have one powerful unit.

Or, take over a enemy line. You will get the save, and being right in their lines could cause some trouble.

The use of these are pretty much down to your imagination (getting a tank behind it to get the cover save...), and its great now that they actually play a part in your army.

Warhammer 40000 players...

Don't forget to go and check out the updated errata and FAQ's for your armies now 6th edition is out! Here's the link to the official GW page:

GW errata and FAQ page

Be sure to read carefully, there are a quite a few things that have changed with the new rules, like double toughness value models ONLY using the value in brackets, ignoring the (usually) lower value. Well worth the read, and check out your opponents armies aswell so you don't get caught by a nasty surprise!

Painting Miniatures: Paintbrushes

Painting miniatures is a skill that can be learnt. Of course it helps if you have an artistic flair, but it is one of those skills that CAN be learnt, and learning how to do it well takes a different amount of time for everyone.

One of the main stumbling blocks that I myself came across was paintbrushes, and which one to use and when. I have been through many brushes of almost every size, and have come to the conclusion that I need 3, no more and no less. I think this will apply to most people who just paint for the tabletop and themselves. If you are painting for competition or display purposes, all the sizes will have a purpose, but for the average gamer/painter, I believe that you only need 3.

So which ones? Well, I have a size 000, for detailing, a size 1 for everything else, and a old Games Workshop large dry-brush for, well, dry-brushing. I paint everything from large aircraft to the smallest Grot with these brushes.

The size 1 I use for just about everything. Get a brush that will always come to a good point (personally I use Winsor and Newton, expensive granted, but ALWAYS come back to a point.) With a brush with a good point, no matter what size it is, you will always be able to do detail, and be able to switch in and out of doing large areas, such as armour, back into doing wristbands and necklaces with ease.

The 000 is used for those hard to reach areas and other things, like eyes and gun scopes. That’s all that’s used for, don’t even think to use one of these for flat surfaces, you will get brush marks and be there painting for a long time.

The large dry brush I use is defiantly at the end of its useful life. Any large stiff bristle brush will do the job for dry brushing though, even other brushes that don’t keep the tip can be used for dry brushing, as it kills brushes fast.

The most important aspect however, I practising with a size 1 brush. The size of it at first may seem prohibitive, making you think that it could never be used for detail, but when you get used to using just the tip of the brush with different pressures, you will be amazed at what can be achieved with such a large brush.

Practice, practice, practice. Paint to your best standard you can, and other times just go out and buy a cheap model and just paint. Don’t care too much what you do to this model, keep it fun. Get good brush control and the rest will come.

The night that was TNG...

TNG being Thursday night gaming!

Well, it was a good turn out, many games were played, and more drinks were consumed. Everyone had a great time, and I hope to see them more at the next meeting!

A difficult question needing discussion...

The night kicked off with a group playing the great game LOGO. I heard lots of laughing and joking just from this group, and they played the game about 4 times I think. Just goes to show how a game so simple can be so social. Moving around the room we had a mahjong game going on, with a brand new player and a experienced player showing them the ropes. I did have to jump in and help the new player (even though I missed the most obvious move..oops!)

MageStones, a game that I highly rate and love, got a good airing, with two players having a good few games of it. A simple game like naughts and crosses with a twist, I can see this being a great hit with everyone.

Take that lowly monk!

Talisman was next, and although only two players, quite a few were involved, laughing at the undeafeatable monk, and a dragon slaying bard (!). That game ended messy, with a unanimous win for the monk, again. It seems like you draw him you win....

Around the room there was a game of Monopoly going on, with a improvised rule I overheard “its only cheating if you are caught”, which I like the sound of.

....But all in good jest

The point someone cheated....

And finally we had a game on Warhammer 40k 6^th 

Edition. I think the new rules shine much better than previous, and a testament that the players had almost no experience of the game, it went smooth with a somewhat predictable Space Marine win (best moment, a dreadnaught assaulting a 10 man group of Ork boys...)

All in all it was a great night. There was plenty of space left, so we want more people to come! Bring your own games, or come and see what we have there ourselves. There will be something for everyone, and I can nearly guarantee that there will be a game there that you will not have played, so come on down and let us show you what you are missing!

Thursday Night Gaming will be every on Thursday night at the Thimblemill Pub, Smethwick, from 730 pm till late. Entry is £2, and there will be at least 10 games supplied by Farlands Games every week, ranging from Scrabble all the way up to Warhammer 40000. Come on down and say hello, we welcome everyone and there will always be something to play!

Painting a Ork Dakkajet

So I painted a Ork Dakkajet this weekend. I have wanted to paint one of these since GW released the model, so decided what the hell, lets do it. And was I glad that I did, this was a fun model to paint!

So from the beginning, here is how it comes out of the box:

Only three sprue’s, but these are packed with fun little bits of detail and items on them. All was cast well, no problems there.

Putting it together was a breeze, but watch those wing supports! I put them on upside down to begin with, which gave me a headscratch moment when I tried to connect the exhausts.

As I have found with most GW instructions for models, its best to use these as a example of how to put these models together, not the be all and end all. A little experimentation can yield some simple yet nice conversions straight out of the box.

It took about 45 minutes to put it together to this stage.

Note the pilot and weapons are not built at the moment, this allows for easier painting of the main aircraft.

I under-coated it with Tamiya Grey Primer, then put a base coat of Humbrol Crimson down over the top.

After that, I just had fun with this model. I used a variety of different techniques to get the battle damage in place, and played around for around 3 hours until I liked it. (One note, Humbrol crimson spray is a pain to paint over. It has a very gloss finish, and shows up every brush stroke on top of it. Lesson learnt, next test will be with a coat of matt varnish over the top before painting.)

Like I said, I had some real fun painting this, and it is going into the commissions folder to show people what I can do. For now, this is on ebay. Go and check it out if you want, maybe you might even want it, I don't know. More of these can be painted, so if you want a squadron painting, head over to facebook.com/farlandsgames and drop me a message!

Warhammer 40000 6th Edition – First Impression

I just received my copy of the new rulebook (I know, a bit late, but there were some supply issues) and have decided to share my initial response.

The book itself is gorgeous, big and heavy. The paper is thick, and the printing is impeccable. And this is only the normal version, I would love to get my hands on a collectors edition.

As with most of the GW rulebooks, the rules come first in the book, followed by 300+ pages of background, missions, hobby related items and reference tables. I have yet to read through the 130 pages of rules yet, but a few new rules such as mystery terrain and artifacts really stood out on a quick flick through.

There are a lot of pictures of beautiful boards and army’s in this book. I think maybe to many. I do believe there should be two versions you can buy, this version and an version with just the rules. Yes there will be a A5 rulebook in the new box set most likely, but the option to get it on its own would be nice, and most gamers would have both anyway.

Overall, I was very impressed with the presentation of this book. I cant comment on the rules, there will be another post soon dicussing them, and only time will tell if they stand up. If you have a spare £45 knocking around I would recommend getting this if not for just the pictures and story alone.

First impression presentation: 9.5

Only War free beta

So I announced to a group of friends about how I wanted to run a RPG session, and it came to the decision that we would try Fantasy Flight Games newest offering, Only War.

It is a true RPG game along the lines of their other games such as Deathwatch and Rogue Trader. At the moment, it is only in beta stage, and the beta rule book can be downloaded over from the guys at RPG Drive Through until August for the nice sum of $20. Alternatively, take a trip over to the FFG website and download the free starter game. Here you will find a cut down version of the rules, and a campaign/ story for you to play through.

I decided I was going to use the free download, as I did not fancy paying for a PDF that potentially would only be played once. However, I will now be getting that PDF, but more on that later.

The game is based on the Warhammer 40000 universe, and deals with the Imperial Guard. Players can choose a range of characters that are pre generated, and there are no options for making any more in the free version, but these will get the players off to a nice start. The bundled story is nice, long enough to run 3 sessions out of it (sessions being around 2-3 hours), with enough detail to be really immersive.

The problem I usually find with RPG's are the combat systems, most usually seem really clunky to me. The combat system in this however, is fantastic, and makes sense in my head. Initiative can change with a bad roll, so not every combat is going to see the characters going in the same order, which as we found out can have a big impact.

The story bundled is nice, based on the remnants of a Imperial Guard squad trying to get off a deathworld before their commanders “glass” the area with a orbital bombardment. It has a interesting mechanism, as the characters only have 11 hours to get to a firebase many kilometres away from their current position, and most of their decisions will result in the clock ticking away.

Is it worth getting? If you are a fan or tabletop RPG's, then I suggest that you give it a try, either by getting the free version, or downloading the paid beta PDF. All in all all my players enjoyed it, and talk about it quite regular, and I will be running it again in the near future.

Paint Planning

As I sit here waiting for my copy of the new Warhammer 40000, I decided to have a little chat about planning when painting.

Why is it important to have a plan and stick to it?

Most of the miniatures that we paint all have some sort of regimental cohesion, such as Ultramarines being blue and gold, Blood Angels being red, yellow and orange, and Imperial Guard mostly being greys and greens. I am guilty myself of starting a army project, finishing it, and all the models look different, down to the actual main colour being different. This has come from a lack of planning, using different colours, and results in a disjointed look to the army.

How have I got around this?

Basically now I make a list at the beginning of each project. I write a rough idea of each stage of the paint job, what colours go where, even down to the time taken for each stage. I then take a look at what paints I have. If I have less than half a pot/bottle left, I go out and get a new pot/bottle. I do this as there is a variation between each pot of paint, some being stronger colour, some being weaker, even within the colour range. I hate starting, running out, and getting a new pot that is darker or lighter. Here we go to a earlier point, it breaks the cohesion of the army.

I then paint a test model, just to see if the list I have written works, and I make amendments to it as I go. It becomes the final list, what I work to on every model.

I usually paint in batches of 10, keeping the models moving like a conveyor belt. Base coat all of them, and by the time I have completed model 10, model 1 is dry enough to be worked on again. I have found this also helps cohesion within the squad, and keeps them looking even.

So we get all the models in each squad looking the same colour wise, and all the models in the army are the same colour wise. In my eyes, it makes a much better impression when people see it, and looks better on the table.

Give it a try, make a list of the stages that need to be done, and stick to it. You might be surprised!

Talisman 4th Edition Review

I first played this game many years ago as a child, when it was in its third edition. Back then it was a great game, that I could play with both my family and friends, and it will always have a dear place in my heart. So how does the Fantasy Flight Games 4^th reprint stack up?

This game oozes presentation. From when you first pick up and feel the weight of the box, you know you have a great game in your hands. This carries on when you open up the box for the first time, and see all the cards and the miniatures, and that board.

The board is huge, with beautiful artwork all across it. You can play this game many, many times and still see new things on the board, things that you missed the last time. All the other componants are wonderful aswell, with nice finishes on all the cards, and all the plastic pieces just feel right.

The rulebook is the usual fare, and I feel way to long for this game. It makes the game feel complicated when you first read it, but play the first game, and you will see how it all fits together seamlessly.

The game plays really smoothly, and even with brand new players, once you have played the first turn, every one will know what to do. Gameplay is simple: Roll a dice, move your character that amount of spaces left or right around the board, and do what the space you land on instructs you to do. Usually, it will be draw a amount of cards, which you then follow the instructions. These can range from fights with monsters, to items that you can pick up or special events that affect everyone on the board. Then its the next players turn to do the same.

The whole idea is to build your character into a strong warrior and work your way into the center of the board, where the Crown of Command exists. At this point, the character with the Crown of Command kills everyone and wins. It sounds easy, but as you work your way into the center of the board, spaces get harder, as do the monsters that you encounter. Couple that with the fact that when you make a dive for the center, you become a target for everyone to get.

I have found that this game takes about one hour for each player playing. So a four player game can last four hours, but don't let this put you off, that time will fly by. It really is a fun night in game, so grab your friends, get some drinks and snacks and see where this game takes you. The tales that can be told from playing this game are wide a varied, and peoples misfortunes will make you all fall around in laughter. Take for example from a game I played. We had a hapless druid, who on his turn drew the mighty dragon to fight. Having not a chance, he still fought it, and lost. Play went around, and he swiftly moved on, only to draw a demon, the most powerful enemy in the deck! Needless to say, his character did not last long, and proceeded to get drunk in the tavern (it had been a rough day).

So, do I like this game? Yes I do, and so does everyone I have introduced to it. This definatly goes in my top 5 games of all time. So get this, you will not regret it one bit.

Rating: 9.5/10