Thursday 24 November 2016

It's been a while.....but


Greetings Sinners!
It's been quite awhile since I last posted. I'd like to say I had very good reasons for this, but the truth is, is that my enthusiasm for 7th edition has waned considerably over the last few months.

Ennui
noun
1. A feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom:

It's the curse that haunts all disciples of Slaanesh, but slowly, ever so slowly, my mojo is returning once more.




A couple of things have brought about this dissatisfaction with 7th edition. 
The main reason was the state of the Tournament scene. 
I've always enjoyed tournaments, they're great places to meet up with old friends, or make new ones; and what could be better than spending a weekend chatting to like minded people over a few beers?
Unfortunately (for me), most UK tournaments have become ETC clone events that are all about throwing the background out of the window and designing lists that stack as many USR's (Universal Special Rules) as possible into them and using a myriad of sources to do so. This Stackhammer isn't my thing. Because of this, I'll only attend events that offer something different to the norm, which has led to another problem.

Just use whatever you want kiddies :-(
I have recently changed my shift pattern from days, to Continental days and nights. This has been a major cultural change for me. The few events that I have fancied have fallen on weekends when I've been working, and to make matters even worse, my shift patterns have played havoc with my regular games with Rob.
These are the main reasons I haven't been posting, but there is one other reason that has seen 40k take a back seat, 8th edition is only 6 months away.
I've heard from multiple sources that it will be out in May and that there will be quite a few changes. I'm not going to go into what I've been told, but look at any rumour site and they're all pretty much spot on with what they're saying (the background is about to get very interesting!). Anyway, I'm not a rumour site, so enough of all that, but because of what I've heard, I'm refusing to purchase anything else until 8th is released.......although I will be getting the Chaos Legions supplement.....and maybe Fenris part 2......the new Thousand Sons are not without their charms, so maybe......no, no, I refuse to buy anything else.....honest ;-)

So that's all of my whining out of the way and I apologise for moaning and the lack of updates......before I forget, I would just like to thank all of the people who contacted me, concerned by my absence. It's nice to know that some people have missed me and I really appreciate you getting in touch.

So what's next for our intrepid hero?
While I haven't been blogging or playing much over the last few months, I have been immersing myself in the evocative background and imagery of 40k. The Grimdark is a fascinating place, full of wonder and terror in equal measure.
I've been thinking how I want to incorporate that into my gaming world. The miniatures speak for themselves, GW make some truly evocative miniatures that I'm sure we all enjoy.....well, apart from Tau, I really dislike the aesthetics of the fish-heads....and I'm not too keen on how brutal they are in the game as well ;-) No, I'm talking about the world in which the game is set, the background to the background so to speak. Gothic architecture, industrial complexes, dark and brooding corridors or the cluttered multi-levelled Underhive.

Okay, so maybe that might not be manageable, but there is no denying that it's evocative

The Gothic alcoves and archways really spur the imagination 

Twisting, tight streets invoke a creeping menace

The shanty buildings drive home the Dystopian society of the Imperium.

Dilapidated industrial corridors hint at the Imperium's decline.

Some battlefields can be a bit uninspiring at times; we spend so much time and money on our miniatures that we often overlook the battlefield itself. I'm as guilty of it as the next person. As much as I like tournaments, 40k has always been about the imagery and the story element rather than winning games.....although that can be nice as well ;-).
Smaller point games such as Path to Glory, Kill Team or Heralds of Ruin (a fan based set of rules that are far superior to Kill Team) really benefit from terrain that captures the imagination.
With that in mind, I have begun work on a small mining refinery that I hope will tempt Rob from his hibernation.

Rob gave me some Mantic buildings that he had knocking around with the infamous words of "Fancy a bit of a project?" a while ago, so I thought I'd put them to good use.

These are very early work in progress shots, so please bare that in mind. I'm still toying around with names for this little project....Prospect City is a working title, so if anybody has any suggestions, please feel free to share.

I wanted to incorporate as many different levels as I could. Various levels will be great for smaller games and will offer cover for larger games of 40k.

  The walkway going across the conveyor belt is magnetised. That's because the base will be cut in half for ease of storage.

I intend to build additional 'tiles' to add to it. I'm aiming for a 4'x4' board eventually, some will be more cluttered than others.

This is the building that houses the mine shaft.....

.....complete with mining cart.

Plenty of ventilation for those unfortunate enough to work below.

You can just make out the mine shaft lift inside.

So that's what I'm working on at the moment.
My next post will be all about the Caledonian Highlander event that I went to last weekend. I promise you won't have to wait quite as long for that post.....honest!
Until next time.....may Our Lady grant you her number!

20 comments:

  1. Good to see you back posting and things are ok.

    Burn out can happen to everyone., glad the keen for the hobby is returning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers Rory
      Hopefully my enthusiasm will grow and I'll get more games in :D

      Delete
    2. Always liked reading your blog. Hopefully Traitors Hate, Wrath of Magnus and the Legions book will help ye.

      Actually I would love your opinions on my latest list on my blog.

      Delete
    3. Thanks for that, I'm glad you enjoy my ramblings.
      I'm sure Wrath of Magnus will be well received by our Tzeentch cousins, they're long overdue some attention and I hope they get something help their long war. I'm really looking forward to the Legions supplement, I'm trying not to build my hopes up too much but it would be great to get some Sonic Termies and what not back :D

      Delete
    4. Sonic terminators would be great! But yes hard not to get hopes up.

      Delete
  2. Lord Adiatun Varunn24 November 2016 at 11:36

    Welcome back!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great read Gaz with you finding your way out of the warp it may give me my mojo back;)

      Delete
    2. Cheers Dyl.
      If you you find that your mojo has left for good, feel free to give me your Bikes ;-)

      Delete
    3. Lord Adiatun Varunn29 November 2016 at 03:57

      I finally have time to respond as it should be! I'm really glad you're back and that there were no other problems... I hope your enthusiasm may not fail, especially in this new golden age for our hobby, and that our gods guide you on the path of Champions!:-)
      Really, Brother, really WELCOME BACK!

      Delete
    4. Cheers buddy.
      I'm not sure it's quite the golden age but GW are certainly giving us plenty of things until we get there ;-)
      I was a little disappointed with Traitors Hate, mainly because I prefer not to use psychic powers and without using them the options seemed a little limited to me.
      It's great to see the Thousand Sons getting some love, they're long overdue. I've heard that our Nurgle cousins will be receiving something similar in a couple of months, so that should be good for Rob.
      I'm looking forward to the Legions book in a couple of weeks, the thought of being able to use a pure Slaanesh army has me pretty stoked.....but I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much ;-)
      So there's plenty out there for the Chaos player, hopefully some of it will be of use for a not-so humble Slaanesh player ;-)

      Delete
  3. Looking good Gary, but you'll need to be careful as a Mining Complex such as that can easily be infiltrated by a nefarious Genestealer Cult :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers mate, that's exactly what I'm hoping for! I know Rob has the Overkill game, so hopefully it won't be too long before they infest the place ;-)

      Delete
  4. Glad to see you posting again, scenery looking good. Hope to see more of the castigators

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers Markus.
      Good to see you at the weekend......but not your army ;-)

      Delete
  5. Good to see you back.

    I fully understand the frustration. That's where I'm at with CSM right now. I always liked 7th. It's not perfect, but it's the best we've had since I got into 40K with 7th. CSM though, it may as well be a 4th edition codex.

    I know we got new stuff coming, but I had high hopes for Traitors Hate too, and that didn't work out as well as it could have.

    Anyway. Don't mean to piss in your parade ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers Thor.
      I don't mind 7th as a stand alone game played between like minded people.
      It's the tournament scene in the UK that I find disheartening. I don't like the random generation of psychic powers, if a player has more than a couple of psykers, then I've lost interest in the game before it's even started. I really hope that they radically alter how psychic powers play in 8th.
      Allies (or being allowed to take 4 or 5 different sources) are my biggest bugbear, we might as well be playing unbound.
      My next post will be about the Highlander event and will show just how good 7th can be with just a few restrictions.....hopefully ;-)

      Delete
  6. Hiya, Mr Castigator! Your frustration with the state of things is understandable. I'm having a lot of fun with like-minded people playing at low point levels, 1000 pts or so, rarely above 1500, with the combined arms detachment and Maelstrom missions. I'm focusing more on the painting and hobby aspect of this entertainment than on the competitive side - it's hopeless to give this a try unless you are willing to go broke. Anyway, I'm glad to hear from you after this time and looking forward to reading more about Nestor and his partners in crime. Cheers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The point size makes all the difference for me. 1850pts has become the acceptable standard in the UK and I prefer smaller sized games.
      Like you say, there are still plenty of positives in the hobby, I've always enjoyed the modelling and painting side, so my focus will remain firmly fixed on those aspects.....at least until 8th edition comes along ;-)
      Thank you for your reply.

      Delete