Monday, February 17, 2014

Countdown to Tournament!

So even though the date hasn't been officially set, there is a tournament coming up with the Midwest Warfare group, and I have managed to do a fair bit of playtesting for it lately.  Trying out and tuning a few variations of my biker list.  Right now, I think I've got almost all the models I need.  I just have a lot of models to build and a fairly short amount of time to build them in.  Six landspeeders, and probably more than a dozen bikers.  Lots of magnets, too.  This should be fun... 

The podcast thing that I've been talking about with Snibble has taken a step further and we've had out first planning discussion.  I think we're off to a good start.  I'm gonna hit him up about it again.  I'd like to aim at the first weekend of March for our launch time frame.

So, to make it a bit more clear what my 40K list is right now, here is the rough outline.

     Kahn with Moondrakkan

     Chapter Master w/ bike, auspex, burning blade, shield eternal, and artificier armor.

     Biker Squad w/ 5 extra bikers, 2 grav-guns, attack bike w/ multimelta

     Biker Squad w/ 2 extra bikers, 2 grav-guns, attack bike w/ multimelta

     Biker Squad w/ 2 extra bikers, 2 grav-guns, attack bike w/ multimelta

     Biker Squad w/ 2 extra bikers, 2 grav-guns, attack bike w/ multimelta

     Tactical Squad w/ plasma gun, razorback w/ assault cannon

     Tactical Squad w/ plasma gun, razorback w/ assault cannon

     Landspeeder Squadron w/ 2 landspeeders, both w/ typhoon missile launchers

     Landspeeder Squadron w/ 2 landspeeders, both w/ typhoon missile launchers

     Landspeeder Squadron w/ 2 landspeeders, both w/ assault cannons

The list is a bit in flux, so there may be a few things in the list in flux as far as upgrades go.  The other things that go back and forth are the landspeeders.  If I had the cash, I'd probably replace them with two Storm Talons and a pair of Thunderfire cannons.  But after a game with the Landspeeders, I actually really like them.  So I don't think I'm going to mind playing the list this way in the upcoming event.

In other news, I've played a little multi-player Civ V online and it's fun.  It was faster paced and since my partner quickly outpaced me, I'm pretty sure it shows that I'm not very experienced at the game.  But it was still fun and kinda a learning experience.  So now I'm tuning it in singleplayer again.  It's fun.

Alright, that's all I've got for now.  Maybe next time, I'll touch on Magic a bit more.  We'll see.

May the dice gods bless you, as they have blessed me!

SD13

Monday, February 10, 2014

Long Time Coming

So, it has been quite awhile since I wrote last.  A lot has happened.  New place to live, some new people around me, and some older ones had to go.  That's all the more explanation the break needs, since it wasn't gaming related, and that's what this is all about... Now that that's over with, on with the show!

Magic has changed a bit since last time I was pursuing it competitively.  Theros is in full Swing, and Born of the Gods just dropped.  I've been slowly working on a Heroic Boros deck I like a lot, but it is in need of some serious tuning.  It needs to find answers to a few of the big decks in the format like Blue Devotion and Mono-Black.  The changes to the format have made it imperative to find answers to the key cards right away.  Specifically in the testing I've done so far, if I don't have answers to Blood Barron or to Master of Waves, I just lose.  But then again, I feel like a lot of decks have the same problem.  So yeah, I'm excited about Magic.  Theros block so far seems very flavorful and well put together.

So now, let's talk about some Warhammer!  I've actually gotten to play a few games lately, and with a list that I've always wanted to build.  Since 6th edition came out, bikers are actually good.  So I've built a White Scars list, and a few variations on it that make concessions for budgeting reasons.  I've played a couple of games with it, and I'm sad to say that I have to make the concessions!  Someone sponsor my nerdiness!  But anyway, running a 2000 point list with that many bikes is fun.  Surprisingly effective, and I found being able to redeploy my entire army before the start of the game really really helps.  I'm already sure there are a few lists and specific armies that are going to make me cringe.  Specifically Chaos armies that pack Helldrakes.  Those will suck.

In digital gaming news, I've also been playing Civ V a lot over the last week since it is currently featured in the HumbleBundle.  It's a load of fun!  I've played a few of the older Civ games and liked them, but this one is by far the most comprehensive and flavorful.  The multiplayer online support is great from what I can tell as well, and I'm looking forward to starting up a few of those in the not-so-distant future.

Also on the video gaming front, I had a mun-base challenge going with my brother in Texas.  He's kicking my ass now, since I haven't been playing much KSP.  None at all since my computer crashed and needed to be repaired.  But I think I may do that today after I finish up with my homework for the evening.  I feel the need to watch rockets explode and leave poor, unfortunate Kerbinauts stranded in orbit.  Or dead on Mun.  Or in floating in open space.  They're easy to lose to accidents.  I'll have to put up some pics of the Ducktopian Space Agency's exploits next time I post.  It's fun because when I post about it on FB, I try to make it feel like a newsreel kinda thing.  It's a laugh.

Speaking of computer repairs though, I had a crash at the beginning of December or so and didn't have time to get it worked on or the money to get it repaired until recently.  So I had to tear the thing apart and troubleshoot part by part, which was really frustrating at first.  But I got lucky and found that it was my video cards that were bad.  I had already budgeted some money aside for the fix since I expected it to be the mobo/CPU that was bad at first.  When it was the graphics cards instead, I pounced on the opportunity to use the budgeted money on a general upgrade.  I got a better video card, another stick of ram, and a better CPU cooler.  The beast is humming along like clockwork, and I love it.

Anyway, I'll get some pics and some updates on here soon about more gaming exploits.  Coming up soon:  40K podcast/blog with Snibble from Snibble's Games in Robinson, IL as a cohost/author, possibly with another good friend as well.  Also on the horizon is another 40K tournament there at his store, sometime in March.  That's pretty much all for me for now.

Stay frosty.

SD13