Northeast Wars X

The Colonial Angle is a website dedicated to “the hobby of collecting, painting, and playing games with tiny but perfect miniature figures of Victorian soldiers and their savage opponents.” Among the resources offered is an article entitled How to Run a Great Convention Game, focusing on techniques for miniatures and wargames. It covers twenty point for “setting up a game that will excite the players and keep observers interested on the sidelines.” For example:

Assign victory conditions, and make sure players understand them.

A game will be a lot more fun if players have an objective beyond kicking the enemy’s butt. The battle should have a goal, a reason for being fought. That may be to seize the crossroads, to delay the enemy’s advance, to hold the village, or even to inflict casualties. Players will make better plans, and you will get a better game, if the operations are oriented toward a realistic goal.

Sound advice like that can go a long way to enhancing your next tabletop skirmish or battle royale When considering what system or battle to make your next convention offering, don’t forget the Colonial Angle’s advice.

Previously Inside the Hobbyist’s Studio, I showed how I approach magnetizing my bases.  Today’s article will continue in this theme and I will show how I currently am producing magnetic movement trays.

Magnetic bases and movement trays are very useful to keep “unit cohesion” when moving a unit across the battlefield.  Not having to constantly stand models back up that have tipped over is great.  And let’s not forget those situation when your unit of beautifully painted but metal minis stops on the slope of a hill and they all want to slide into a pile of bent lances and chipped paint.  Also, if the minis are stuck tight to their trays, the trays themselves can be part of how to store them for transit.  Instead of plucking each mini out of a foam nook before each game and then having to place them back in, wouldn’t it be a great time saver — as well as way cool — to be able to just lift movement tray full of already ranked troops out of your movement case? Continue reading

This is the first in a series of articles I intend to write regarding various projects I am working on while waiting for next year’s Northeast Wars.

Today’s article will be about how I am currently magnetizing my bases.  I make no claim that this is the best way, it is simply the method that is working for me now until I start tinkering with a different method.

But before I get into technical details, some of you maybe asking what I am talking about in the first place.  Magnetizing bases and or movement trays  is a process where magnets are used to make the base of a miniature and a movement tray stick to each other.  This is useful for two reasons.  The first is that movement trays are much easier to use if the miniatures resist tipping over as you move the movement tray.  This is especially true with heavy and/or tall miniatures.  The second reason is that transport is easier (and safer for the mini’s) since the mini’s are stuck tightly their trays and not bouncing around.

Now with the “Why” covered, I will move onto the “How.”  The aspiring magnet master must first decide if they want to have the base of the mini, the movement tray, or both to be magnetic.  I have gravitated to a solution where I glue neodynium magnets inside the base and either attach a piece of steel to a movement tray or (more recently) simply use a piece of steel ( a tie plate to be exact) as the movement tray.  This article will cover how I do the first part.  A future article will discuss how I make movement trays out of hardware for building a house that blends nicely onto the table top. Continue reading

The epic struggle to achieve victory in the painting race for the Battle of Skull Pass is done and I have enjoyed a period of time away from my painting desk. But lately I’ve been feeling the need to have the paint brush and exacto knife in my hands once again. Also, I have been spending a little bit too much time on eBay and have somehow become the owner of the makings of three more armies (Empire, Lizardmen, and Beasts of Chaos) in addition to my nearly finished Skaven.

While I could chip away at my armies in solitude, I found it alot of fun to have to post my progress (and mock my stunty opponent).  So, I have asked Krug if I could continue to post here.  He graciously bellowed something about wrestling a yak which I interpreted as hearty approval.

So, what you may be seeing in the future here:

• Converting on the cheap ( such as making a dragon ogre out of an ogre top and a cold one bottom).
• Pimp my Chariot
• Dr. StrangeMagnet or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Neodymium (a guide to magnetizing bases)
• Blood Bowl team paint off!
• A Stompa is a Wonda, but a Slasher is Flasher! (I am filled with the madness to try to make a Slasher Gargant for next year’s con)

Any thoughts or requests would be great.

As was twittered at the time, but not reported here, several new players were introduced to Warhammer Fantasy and a rousing Megabattle was waged (though why the ‘Good’ side would be made up of Skaven and Dark Elves in addition to Wood Elves will not be covered in this post).

When the dust settled, it was decided to give the painted Battle for Skull Pass set to the father and son pair of Steve and Ben Tyler.

Here is a picture of event organizer Brian giving the prize to a Warhammer Warlord of the future!

WAAAAGGHHH!!!!

The goblin contingent of the Battle for Skull Pass has arrived ready for battle in all their painted glory. And in case you cannot make it to Quarterstaff Games in Burlington to check them out in person, here is a picture.

If you are curious about Warhammer Fantasy and have never played before or have only played a few games, you should definitely sign up for MINI312: Warhammer Skirmish Battles on Saturday morning, where you will be provided with an army as well as a patient person to teach you the rules. More experienced players can also sign up, as they can either use their own armies or borrow one at the con to play some great skirmish games.

Any and all interested parties should stay for MINI316: Warhammer Megabattle: The Battle for Papelotte, which finishes off Saturday in a wild conflict of several armies clashing across the board.

During the course of the day, we will award these painted goblins, the painted dwarves, and some gift certificates or other prizes as well in such a way that experts and new players alike can have a chance to walk away with something cool.

Goblins rule!  Dwarves drool!

At Northeast Wars, we will be running many open tables of Warhammer 40K complete with great scenery, terrain, and some armies to try out.

We are also pleased to announce a very special guest, Juan Phillipe De Wompa III (don’t ask about senior and junior).

He will be making the rounds of the tables and is happy to make new friends.  In fact, here he is making one right now behind the jump… Continue reading

Turn your back for a moment and suddenly the place is infested with dwarves. Somebody really should do something about that, somebody like a huge horde of goblins! Muahahahaaha! *foams at mouth*

The goblins have not lazed about quaffing beer and bothering mountain goats in the past few days. Their forces near completion with the spiders already jumping off the sprue in search of dwarves to inject toxin/digestive juices into and then suck dry, leaving nothing but a dry husk twisting in the breeze.

Cry “Eeeek!” And let slip the spiders of extreme creepiness!

Can you smell the delicious Bugman’s brew of beer, and fine odor of beard? That’s right, have no fear, the dwarfs are here!

As everyone knows, it’s not how fast you start something, but how well you do something! The filthy gobbos may think they are faster, but dwarf determination shall prevail in the end.

The beard, being most important to the Warhammer dwarf, of course has taken precedence, and are all complete. Each dwarf warrior is proud to appear in his luxurious new beard. The goblins, shamefully beardless, have already lost!

Next will come the steely glint (of boltgun metal and mithril highlights) on each axe, handgun, and pickaxe; then truly the goblins shall quake and run! I will be painting the gloves, belts, and weapons next; then the highlights on the edge of the armor, the cloth, and finally the extra details. I hope to have time to add some details to the cloak of the Thane; it deserves the extra attention.  Overall, although the Skull Pass models are single-piece, I have found them to largely have great detail.  The Cannon Master and the Thane, particularly, are excellent models and a joy to paint.

I am very unhappy with the Dragonslayer model; it is simply not well molded. The metal model that is available (but is not in the Skull Pass boxset) is so much better that there is no comparison. (Okay, so dwarfs have a tendency to grumble . . . )

We see that the goblins’ green skin is already fully painted; and how much green there is!  It is obvious that the goblins do not understand how to make armor, and so instead show so much foul green skin to the world. Sensible Dwarfs know better, and wear heavy steel armor instead!

We raise a pint to all our fine dwarf ladies; the goblins appear jealous that we get to share those ladies’ company, seeing how much the goblins prattle on about them!  Since they like them so much, perhaps only the dwarf ladies shall come out to fight; they would trounce the whole lot of goblins easily!

Over a week has passed and one might almost be excused for thinking that perhaps the SheepLord has been distracted by shiny things and had forgotten about his goblin horde. But one would be WRONG!

This weekend I got the green on about half of the troops and went wild with the red and not only added some color to fletching and straps, but did their beady little eyes! Now they will glare menacingly across the field of battle at any dwarf force that is so fool hardy as to to stand against them!

I have also been working on the giant spiders that are ridden by the goblins into battle. I have played around with some of the new Games Workshop washes as well as some GW inks that I have had kicking around for over a decade (oh wait, make that almost two decades) to try to give them a bit more pop.

The dwarves are rumored to have had two colors applied to them so far. I would have expected more, but I suspect the painter gets distracted by trying to figure out which of the dwarf warriors might be lady dwarf warriors.  e can expect that the Master of Stunties to make an appearance on this page in the near future. Look for a post as soon as you smell stale beer and unwashed beard.