Why hello mybattalion, how's everything going?

lately i've been having some trouble and i want your opinion on the matter. The question i want your opinion on is simply a matter of personal preferance because of my indecisivity. yes thats a word. 

ah! the question: What camo scheme should i use on my wood elves? I have narrowed it down to two catagories though and that is either mid spring or fall.

now to get back to me on it write on my wall or message me via inbox, and if you want to take from GW's book feel free to check out some pre-done schemes @ GW's website

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?catId=&categoryId=cat50018&section=&pIndex=0&aId=1800011&start=1

Aaron Dempski-Bowden is one of the freshest faces to the Black Library team, and carves his way into out hearts with bloody sci-fy action from the far future, he brings along a very unique and creative tool to tell the stories of our honored (and sometimes worshiped) characters that we love so much. In certain instances in books you cannot relate on a high enough level to the challege, which is where first person comes in. No, not like the shooter, although I'm sure we're all awaiting the 40k video game releases. As in "It's been a long battle, and although we've lost many brothers in this crusade, I feel like we can come out of this". In my history with Black Library, this is entirely new.

 Now onto the story! Helsreach is the tale of the 3rd War for Armegeddon, told in the perspective of Brother Grimaldus, the new High Chaplain of the Black Templars. The story follows him and his command squad's valiant, but somewhat futile, defense of Helsreach along with the several legions of Guardsmen and the Legio Invigilata. After inheriting his master's title he, as well as several of his battle brothers, do not feel he is deserving of his master's skull mask and relic Crozius. What's worse is, he knows he will not survive the armageddon campaign. 

 A siege story comparable to the fabled Storm of Iron, Helsreach brings the savagry of Orks, the valiance of the Space Marines, and the resilience of the Imperial Guard speeding into your mind with little to no slow down for poorly written dialogues with no meaning. No, the only dialogous you need here are the battle plans, and, like most Space  Marine Battles Novels, it come's with a fantastic map of the hive and of armageddon. 

If you're looking for a desperate holdout of the mighty Black Templars, a desperate siege from the Imperial Guard, a titan obliterating kill fest from the Titan Legions, or some good ol' fashun 'umie stompin' then you'll love this book. I give it a solid 8/10

Let me start off by warning you, this is not a religious tirade against 40k expanding, because it isnt. What took place over the weekend is what video gamers all over the planet consider a religious holiday and even treat it as such. E3. the biggest convention in the world of rpg, mmo shooter, and so many many more. Now, i present to you for your viewing pleasure/displeasure are the videos that you should only care about (maybe the legend of zelda one too but no)

http://40k.me/THQ-SpaceMarine <- shooter

 http://40k.me/THQ-DarkMillennium-E3 <-MMO (LOVE THIS)

basically, 40k is about to grow to be an ENORMOUS thing on the planet. the second one gamer picks this up, all his friends will, and then one of them finds the hobby and it will grow exponentially. GW's decision to introduce a hobby related video game franchise was probably the wisest decision they've made, now the only thing the could do is lower prices (yea right)

Now go watch

what did you think? respond with status' wall posts anything. I want to know what YOU think of this whole thing

Well, here it is everyone. I present to you the second half of my interview with George Miller

Are there any you would refuse to play against?

I get a little put off by "Hammer Head" gamers. We have a couple locally here, but I haven't refused to play them. These are the guys who's whole world is their hobby, and lack social skills and social intelligence in favor of their hobby. When you win against them it's like their world collapses, so I try to be judicious and point out what they're doing right as we play. Usually I only run into playing Hammer Heads at RTTs so it isn't very often, but they're not intolerable.

Any armies that you particularly enjoy playing against?

That kind of depends on what army I'm using at the time. I love playing armies I already play because it's easier to hurt the ones you love. I know how to deconstruct Eldar, Tyranid, CSM armies pretty well. I like playing armies I don't encounter often, Tau, Orks, DE, would be a few, just for the novelty. I also like playing against an army with a great theme. For instance, it's easy to put together a "Chaos Salad" army to make it competitive, but it takes talent, creativity and good planning to play an all Tzeentch Thousand Sons army, or an all Iyanden Eldar Guardian / Wraith Host.

Are there any other games or ranges of miniatures that interest you such as Privateer Press or Mantic Games?

Not so much Privateer. I've bought some models to paint because I liked the sculpts, but never really got into the Steam Punk thing. Mantic is getting better, and with their price point they'll do well. I kind of hope they don't come out with a game system, so the emphasis will be on the models and not tying them to a particular system. I do play Firestorm Armada, which I think is a brilliant system for a start up.

As far as models, I gravitate towards what I think is interesting. I have a closet full of models from long dead game systems. Warzone, Chronopia, VOR, all are long gone but I still have armies worths of models for them that I've been trying to creatively incorporate into 40K. I also buy up fantasy blisters, usually from Rackham, Reaper and some off brands when I see clearance sales and such. I tend to hoard them, because I want to use them in some capacity. I also have a real bad habit of trolling EBay for very old Ral Partha and Grenadier models from back when I was in my teens playing D&D just to see how well I can paint them now.

Does your family life impact your gaming schedule?

Who's doesn't? I've been married for 14 years and I'm the father of a 12 year old daughter, so I definitely have to plan my leisure time accordingly. I do a lot of other things besides game too. I have my own art studio in my home and about a quarter of it is dedicated painting / modeling space. So I do paint a lot and I'm still available to help with homework on a moment's notice. I think it's important for a guy to establish his Man space early in a relationship. My studio and the garage are my territory. I'll let the wife put on all the fluffy toilet seat covers she wants in the bathrooms and theme the living room too. In my studio, it's my world.

Do you read Black Library novels? If so, what is your favorite story?

Oh hell yeah, they're like crack. I've gone through over half of the Horus Heresy books and I'm currently reading A Thousand Sons. So far I think my favorite's been False Gods, but Thousand Sons is really good so far. I can see why it made the best seller list.

How do you decide on what to paint next? Do you go for what looks interesting or do you try to paint something you haven't done before?

A little of both. If I'm painting for an army it's really determined by what I need next for a list build or to round out the whole army. Recently I've been painting individual models. Right now I've got a Reaper Ogre Mage on my table. I chose it (from my stock) because I wanted to do some techniques that I don't normally do and it's a pretty complex sculpt with all of the Japanese motifs. I want to include a lot of patterning in the clothing, a little non metallic metallic, some stylized skin tones, etc.

For artsy miniatures I gravitate towards minis that have a story to them. Just like a good illustration, there's a narrative to the sculpt. Rank and file wargames soldiers don't really do that without a lot of conversion, but in fantasy sculpts, where it's about story and role playing you can develop a game scenario just around a really good model if it's done right. That's kind of tough for 40K models where the narrative is already established in the codex. Even if you decided to paint Kharn the Betrayer in regal blue, he's still Kharn the Betrayer. You kind of NEED to modify GW models to make them your own and tell the story yourself, whereas Reaper and other brand's models tell their story through the sculpt.

Outside of 40k, what is another of your hobbys such as sports, activities, ect. ?

I lift weights real early in the morning, heh. I play golf, I fish, of course I do a lot of art, painting and drawing mostly, I try to sculpt which leans over into modeling. I've played guitar and been in various bands throughout my life - among other things, I've done all the music for 40K Radio. And as Art Director for Van Gogh Vodka I do a lot more creative things for a living.

Well, firstly how did you first discover Warhammer 40k?

I first ran across 40K in 1988 at a local game store and actually I thought the concept of fantasy races in space was kind of a lame stretch. Later in 1991 while working my way through college at another game store I came across Space Hulk and fell in love with the game. I didn't realize then that it was based in the same game universe, but I quickly got hooked on the fluff.

What was your very first army?

I suppose it was Blood Angels because that's what you got in the first Space Hulk box. I had a good amount of BA marines, however, Eldar were really my first formal, structured army. In the early days you had to rely on White Dwarf for army lists and there was no such thing as an army battalion boxed set like today. Almost everything was packaged in blister packs then and you basically waited for something new to show up on the racks. I loved the Eldar's background and the models. I still use my Rogue Trader Era models in my games today.

What was your favorite thing to paint and why? (individual model, unit, and/or army)

Individual models. I make more progress as a painter staying focussed on one model. My goal these days is to improve my techniques. I can put an army's worth of effort into a single model and practice every trick I can think of. In the back of my head I'm thinking "damn, this is time I could spend on adding new units to a playable army" but I'm trying to break out of the army painting mode I've been in for about 4 years now. I'm getting back to technique.

What was your most memorable bad painting experience or mishap?

Oh lord. I have learned my lesson with regards to how Citadel primers and matte coat sprays work in varying temperatures and humidity levels. I had an Eldar Warlock I was painting for an upcoming painting contest and I'd done about 16+ hours of shading, blends, freehand, flawless gemstones, beautiful display base, crystalline witchblade, everything I could muster onto one model. Then I decided to hit it with some matte clear coat from Citadel. I had just relocated to Florida and wasn't familiar with how hot summer humidity affects spray can propellants. After a healthy two or three shots I had warlock that looked as if he'd been hit with christmas tree flocking. I was hulking up I got so mad. But I learned my lesson. I ended up stripping it and repainting the model, but the mojo was gone and it didn't measure up to the first job. Tragic.

What type of things do you get excited about when working on a new project?

I really enjoy the modeling side of the hobby, so getting to work up my own interpretation of something to field on the table is an aspect I draw a lot of inspiration from for painting the model / unit / etc. I also like opportunities to do things I wouldn't normally do like freehand, or NMM.

What is your best advice for people who are new to painting?

New painters need to understand that painting for gaming is a separate art from painting for competitions or artistic aspirations. 90% of new painters start painting because they just got into a game system and saw other players with their painted models on the table. It's a necessary side of the gaming hobby, but there are many time saving techniques that make an army look cohesive with minimum effort.

For the painters who want to compete or just want to be great artists, my advice is to diversify your model selections. GW isn't the only miniature producer, but you'd hardly know otherwise since they're the most visible. Paint outside your genre - pick up an old Ral Parth model or a Reaper model if you're mostly about sci-fi. Do an historical or some old west model. I see otherwise very talented painters never move beyond their current skill set for no other reason than that they stay with one particular genre of miniatures.

Against whom would you most want to play a game of 40k?

Someone with the patience and passion to field a beautifully painted army, who's got a long appreciation for the fluff and narrative of the game, and is also an excellent opponent strategically. I've won tournaments. I usually get best appearance, but I've taken best general and sportsmanship at times, but I really love playing a fun, imaginative, narrative game on my own table with my own custom terrain that I made.

Do any armies or style of play tick you off?

This is where I have to say I loathe the win-at-any-cost power gamers, but I wont. I think they have a place in the highly competitive side of the game. I know (and have painted the armies for) some very competitive GT and 'Ard Boyz winners. Having them hand me my ass has made me a better player of the game. Losing sucks, but you'll learn more from defeat than victory.

The armies that tick me off are the ones that get hobbled by their not having had a new codex done for them in ages. I know Dark Eldar are supposed to get theirs soon, but there are definitely army "tiers" with regard to how long the codex has been viable in the current edition of the game. I always hear these stories about how some guy took best overall with Necrons, duct tape and some bailing wire at some tourney, but these are exception to a rule, played by exceptional players. I understand it's all about the archer and not the arrow, but there are some general consistencies that make an army better or worse - if it weren't that way no codex would ever get updated.

Are there any you would refuse to play against?

I get a little put off by "Hammer Head" gamers. We have a couple locally here, but I haven't refused to play them. These are the guys who's whole world is their hobby, and lack social skills and social intelligence in favor of their hobby. When you win against them it's like their world collapses, so I try to be judicious and point out what they're doing right as we play. Usually I only run into playing Hammer Heads at RTTs so it isn't very often, but they're not intolerable.

Well, now that Coyote_Down has given you reasons to join Mybattalion I'm going to give you an example. Like most social networking sites, Mybattalion is all about making friends. Some 40k players -like myself- are isolated, so there's my reasoning for using Mybattalion (other than fantastic articles and great people). Now, its story time.

May 23rd was Evil Dice 40k's Team Recon event. The title says it all. I saw that Gunzhard was an MA resident like myself so I pm'd him when I found out and asked if he would go, and just like that I turned an online friend into a real friend. We attended the tourney, his BA Blood Angels and my Flesh tearers vs.  the world. In the end we didn't place, but we had a damn good time playing. 

The moral of the story is, Mybattalion is a social networking site. Whether you make real life friends using it is up to you, but I suggest you try.  

the following is a rough draft of the fluff i will be taking with me to a team recon event with Gunzhard on the 23rd. it is a rough draft and "the enemy" is to be assumed whatever army i play against. its a rough draft so i expect CONSTRUCTIVE criticism from EVERY ONE WHO READS THIS. thank you, sincerely, the fluff hammer master, Matty

Team: Crimson Tide

**--- In an effort to reclaim Imperial territory in the ongoing campaign the Flesh Tearers undertook in partnership with their Blood Angels brothers,  Captain Michael Rektus sent Assault Squad Derrin on a scouting mission to gather intelligence on enemy positions and to completely obliterate any scouting parties they were to come across. Although Sergeant Derrin Tyrus had fulfilled these orders he and his men continued to push into enemy lines, cutting a bloody swathe through enemy scout parties and checkpoints. Sent with nothing but their weapons, ammo, and 3 of their brothers who had fallen to the Blood Curse, Sergeant Derrin and his men were on the verge of falling back when Sanguinary Priest Gonzalo Arrius (Gunzhard) and his scouting party came to their aid….---**

Profiles:

Sergeant Derrin Tyrus

This grizzled veteran was personally cited for bravery by the Chapter Master Gabriel Seth himself for his leadership and bravery in the defense of Bastion 666 on the planet D’Ark Angellum. His constant training against the animals and killer plantae on Cretacia have made him a skilled combat veteran against anything the galaxy can put in front of him. From slaying the savage tyranid or ork in combat to outshooting the galaxy’s greatest shooter: the tau. Derrin has a personal vendetta against his foes in this campaign, as they have slain many of his brethren and even wounded his Captain.

Brother Ohman Ferro

 Brother Ferro was recruited from the native populace of Cretacia at a young age. Picked from countless other youths for his sheer stamina and determination, Ohman Ferro has been wounded countless times on numerous battlefields and still fought on for the glory of his chapter and He on the Throne. He was chosen out of his squad to bear the holy flamer, the symbolic cleanser of taint, for his reliability and ruggedness.

Fallen Brother Kamm

Brother Kamm was a former member of sergeant Derrin’s own assault squad. In an engagement with enemy forces he fell victim to his blood’s curse and became mad with rage. He lived to fight another day, his superior will able to control the madness enough to stop his bloodthirsty rout. He was stricken of his jump pack and sent as a disruption tool for Derrin’s squad. Derrin has deep sentiments towards brother Kamm but realizes this could be his own fate as well. Brother Kamm was one of Squad Derrin’ s most senior and most skilled warriors, and was due for a promotion likely after the very same battle he fell in. Kamm is somewhat able to control himself, but when he engages his enemy he loses all control and moves at an increasingly manic pace.

What does this mean? Well, if you are like me then you know this is the ever popular catch phrase of several Star Fox Characters (with the exception of Fox). Doing a barrel roll is basically rolling your star ship out of harms way, onto a different path, and with a second chance at avenging your father or whatever the plot line is for that game....I digress. How does this pertain to anything that you should care about? Well, its simple really. I love 40k and I think its one of the greatest things I've ever gotten the opportunity to enjoy, but it is time to expand my pallet of wargames to Fantasy. 

 The upcoming Blogs are not going to be bogus wastes of your (and my) time, but will be chronicling my tasting of several new gaming systems. How will it not be bogus? Well, this time there will be proper funding for what I want to do. This time, I will have an income, a budget, and idea of what I plan on doing. This time, there will be no showboating (maybe a little) it will be a straight narrative of me sampling games like (but not limited to): Warhammer Fantasy, Warmachine, Hordes, and whatever becomes popular along the way. This is an adventure I wholeheartedly invite you along with whether you are a veteran of one or several gaming systems.

 Now; to sum it all up: I'm gonna try not just fantasy, but Warmachine and other gaming systems. This is not bogus like my last blog, this time around I am starting armies. I more than welcome you to join along and if you do, share your experiances. Now that this is put out there its time to write a book review. 

We love our hobby, but its not every day we meet someone off the street who are interested in the super human astartes crushing the puny eldar under their ceramite boots. Miniature gamers are few and far between, and even more-so if you play game systems that games workshop invented then stopped caring about. Finding a gamer is all about probability and what contributes to it, and i don't really want to get that into probability in this article but it always comes down to one thing: Location, location, location.

Here is where the term hot spots comes into play. There are 4 major global gaming hot spots, listed in order of heat: United Kingdom areas, United States, Australia, and Canada. Its odd that Asian countries don't give out that much heat but later they'll come up. 

Firstly, we  have the UK and areas around it (Germany ect.). According to what research i've done and common knowledge the UK is the grounds of the hobby. Born in raised in England, it slowly spread to the U.S. and then the rest of the world. If, like me, you play xbox all night you will find a person with an accent most Americans find humorous and if you ask if hes heard of Games Workshop he'll say yes. He'll probably play too. 

Next up: America....f*** yea...for the more interweb oriented readers you know what i'm talking about. for those of you who don't go to youtube and type that in.  America is a huge center of gaming, with players spread far and wide like sugar crystals making rock candy (my all time favorite). Adoring gamers all, we have one fatal flaw; Hot Spots. There are 3 immediate hot spots that come to mind when measuring centers of gaming: The Washington D.C. area, Florida, and of course, Texas (not listed in size order). Of course we have Chicago, but thats only because of Adepticon (no offense i'm a Steelers bro). One of GW's biggest buyers, all thats left to get is our own Forgeworld. 

Third and Fourth: Australia. The Aussies are huge consumers as far as i'm aware. I'm not aware of any big tournies, but Bo Bo sure does represent with his models. They've kinda got the out of the way shaft along with Canada, who just got their own half of the website as well.

Next type of hot spot: Painting. I know of many major hot spots but the top three (according to me) are as follows:  United States, Japan, Australia. Gaming Centers are one thing, but the ability to paint golden demon class models is as rare as it is spread out. Few and far.

United States is a fanatic's paradise. Every gamer you meet loooooooooooooves to talk about the hobby, loves talking about golden demon, loves talking about the game, loves everything Warhammer.  Painters start at an early age, and become skilled painters around 5-10 years later, depending on how much they paint.

The biggest surprise is Japan. I know so little about Japanese gamers other than their love for Tau and hidden skill for painting. Google images Japanese painting, and you'll see for yourself.

Those are just some hot spots of gaming, areas where the raging fires of chaos meet the righteous faith of the loyal. Places where you're sure to find a friend or three, and where you'll find works or art that blow your mind. 

Last  

again, more MCAS today. I'm done with essays (thank god) and now i've moved on to the reading comprehension. while reading a sonnet by shakespeare this thought occured to me

I should write about ColCorbane's Imperial Guard 

dont ask me where that came from, but Col if you're reading this now go check your inbox.

i also thought about the two missing legions and decided that because all of them are based off of some personality trait the two missing legions must be sadness and humour because none of the other legions quite fill those gaps. 

well, now i'm off to go write about other things