Episode 10 - Chafing on Chaff

Greetings and welcome to episode 10 of the Unstable Dice Podcast, the fastest growing podcast recorded out of my office. Starting with this episode, we are now posting episodes about two weeks after they have been recorded, so a few of the references at the beginning are going to sound dated. The reason for doing this was to allow me to release two episodes a month that were reasonably sized instead of releasing one gigantic episode each month. It also gives me a chance to invite more guests onto the show and do a better job of editing each episode.

With regards to the audio quality of the show, I hope people are finding that the more recent episodes are sounding better. Thanks to some very helpful feedback from David Witek, I have been able to make some improvements to the sound quality. Our goal with the show is to improve the quality of it while still maintaining the feel of a couple of guys sharing their experiences and thoughts about the hobby.

Going into this episode, the main topic of this episode is chaff. We talk about what it means to have chaff in your Warhammer Fantasy army and how to use it. Once we define what chaff means to us, we explore the various army books and talk about which units from each book we would consider to be chaff. Before all of that though, we raise our standards and marshal the host once again.

Lastly, this episode has an additional audio section that is available to folks who subscribe to the podcast. These additional mini-episodes are intended to fill in little things that may be more time sensitive, such as tournament announcements and news about upcoming episodes.  Quick tip of the hat to Ben Curry and the Bad Dice Podcast for being the inspiration for these mini-episodes.


Episode Timeline
0:17 Opening Discussion
10:05 Marshaling the Host 
48:00 Chaff in Warhammer Fantasy
01:21:35 End of Episode Discussion



Download: Direct Download | iTunes

Download Bonus Episode: Direct Download
 
Andrew's Email: andrew@unstabledice.com
John's Email: equinox@unstabledice.com
Nerd Rage: nerdrage@unstabledice.com

Show Links
Arcticon Website
Adepticon
A Gathering of Might X
Bad Dice Podcast
Big Mek's Garage
Chuck's Blog
The Unstable Dice Podcast 40K Combat Patrol Tournament

Sponsors
Rare Choice Games: Facebook | Youtube

40K Combat Patrol Adepticon Primer [2/23 - Kenosha, WI]

The Unstable Dice Podcast Presents: 
40K Combat Patrol Tournament and Adepticon Primer 
Hosted at Rockhead's Comics and Games 
Date: Feb 23rd, 2013
Time: 11 am - 4 pm
Entry Fee: $5.00 in advance/$10.00 on the day of tournament (Paypal to equinox999equinox@yahoo.com) Registration: Email equinox999equinox@yahoo.com or post in this thread
Player Size: 16 (We will expand if we sellout by Feb 14th.)
Tournament Rules: The event will use the Adepticon 2013 Combat Patrol Rules. Painting and sportsmanship will scored as per the guidelines in the rules pack.
Painting Requirements: Players are required to field models that are painted. No bare plastic/resin or primed only models.
Beverages and Snacks: As part of the entry fee, players will be provided with an assortment of beverages and basic snacks


Registered Players
1. Andrew Karolus (Seahawk)
2. Ernie Hall
3. Tyler Cooley (Chubs)
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16. John Gaszak (Equinox)*

*As the TO, I will be playing in the tournament but will not be eligible for any prizes or awards.

Tournament Tuesdays - IWFB #4 (Part 1)

Did not get a lot of pictures from the first round. Murphy's Dark Elves vs John's Daemons of Chaos

The Waaaghcast Cup: Kalima Killers Week #5

Snotlings scurried to gather the pile of teeth that had been thrown into the betting pit of the orc team. The orcs had a feeling that this would be a good old fashion bet down, so they were betting on who would cause the most bruises in the game. With the last of the bets placed and collected, the orc team began to chant their team motto.

"Crush, Crush, what a rush... Smash those mummies into mush."

The chanting continued until the team was worked up into a fevor and went screaming onto the field. The crowd erupted into cheers and brawls as the orc team took to the field. Finally there was a team on the pitch that would do something other than stand motionlessly like the Kalima Killers. The Killers had been on the field since the prior night, but had not moved since getting into their positions for kickoff.

The first half was a one sided affair as the orcs used a simple plan called pop and run to score two touchdowns. How pop and run works is that the orcs pop the closest skeleton and then run with the ball after it is dropped by the opposition. If there was a bright spot for the Killers, it would have been them being able to knock out the orc's star goblin player.

The second half was more of the same as the orcs continued to break skulls and score touchdowns. The orcs didn't have much trouble enforcing their green will on the Khemri team. The game concluded with the Killers taking a few cheapshots on some of the less experienced orc players.

After the game, the orc team rushed eagerly back into their locker room; each player on the team assuming they had won the bet. To their shock, they discovered that the equipment manager had won the bet. Seemed none of the players realized that a team composed of skeletons and mummies cannot actually be bruised. The orcs are now looking for a new equipment manager.

On the Bench: Fimir Purple Cloth

When it came to painting the cloth sections of the fimir model, I needed to use colors that would help unify the model with the color scheme of the ogres. At the same time, I wanted to make the fimir to look distinct and not just a retread of the same colors on the ogres. To this end, I decided to include the purple scheme I used with the ogres, but only in a minimal fashion.

The process of painting the purple begins with a solid coat of Vallejo’s Hexed Purple [4:1; Paint:Thinner]. I usually need to apply this layer in two or three coats to ensure that the white primer is not bleeding through the purple. Once the layer has dried, I give the model a healthy coat of GW Leviathan Wash and set it aside until the next day.

Upon returning to the model, the first layer is a couple of coats of Vallejo’s Hexed Purple that has been mixed with some Vallejo’s Medium Glaze [3:1:1; Paint:Glaze:Thinner]. When applying this coat, I try to paint it away from the sections that I want to remain the darkest purple. The first layer of the mix is also started a little deeper in the model compared to the second and third layers of the mix.

Moving to the next mix, I begin the highlighting process by applying a thinned layer of Vallejo Hexed Purple mixed with Vallejo Violet Blue [4:1:1:1; Hexed Purple:Violet Blue:Glaze: Thinner]. Since this layer is less opaque, I only apply one full layer and follow it up with a slight touch-up on spots that don’t meet what I am wanting. After the last layer is applied, I quickly move to the next layer which is the primer mixed with the addition of a drop of Vallejo Skull White and a drop of Vallejo Glaze Medium. Similar to the prior layers, I apply it with a brush stroke that moves away from the darkest sections. Once the layer is applied, I go over the highest points of the model with the mix.

The next few layers continue the process of highlighting the purple sections by adding either more Vallejo Skull White or Vallejo Violet Blue. With each layer, I try to gauge whether or not to add more paint thinner or glaze to the mix. I also switch from a 00 size brush to a 0/10 size to better control the application of each layer.

The WaaaghCast Cup: Kalima Killers Week #4

A green mist settled onto the field as the Hellsburg Stealers took to the field. The skaven needed every advantage they could get against the undead might of the Kalima Killer's front four, so flooding the field with warpstone mist was just another tactic in their arsenal. If the Killers took notice of the mist, they gave no sign of it.

The game began with the Stealers receiving the opening kick-off. Gutter runners quickly dodged the front four of the opposition and moved into a position to receive the deep ball. Having not anticipated the speed of the ratmen, the Killers were caught off guard as they skillfully moved the ball towards the endzone. The crowd went wild as the double hand-off lead to an early lead for the Stealers in the second turn.

The Stealers would find themselves quickly returning the ball to the endzone in the fourth turn as a well placed blitz resulted in a loss ball. The Killers attempted to retreive the ball, but undead hands could not compare to nimble rodent claws. The Stealers drove into the endzone as the Killers turned on the slower rats and began to put them on the bench.

As the teams began to set-up for the next kick, the warpstone mist finally made its way to the hordes of cheering fans in the stands. A riot broke out on the pitch. Having lost control of the game, the refrees needed to turn back the clock by a turn to reestablish order. This gave the Killers a much needed chance to make the slow drive into the Stealer's endzone and score their only point of the game.

As the halftime show played on the field, the skaven engineers increased the levels of mist pouring into the stadium. As the teams stepped back onto the field, the results of the engineers' efforts took shape in the form of a rain storm. In moments, the sandy turf of the Killer's stadium became a quicksand trap that hindered everyone. The ball slide around the field as players from both teams attemoted to snag it. In the end though, the skaven were able to slide it into the endzone and score twice before the game concluded.

The game ended with a final score of 4-1. As the teams left the field, the Stealer's couch could be seen handing a large bag of coins to another skaven, one with the marks of clan Moulder. As for the lowly Kalima Killers, their coach could be heard yelling about someone needing to learn how to tackle.

Tournament Tuesdays - NIMGC Fall 40K Tournament (Part 1)

A few pictures from the first round of the October 2012 NIMGC tournament.

1st round of the tournament was my necrons vs chaos daemons.

Episode 9 - Basing the Discussion on Arcticon

The first episode of 2013 has dropped.  Andrew and John begin this episode by talking about the 40K events at Adepticon.  Next, the guys catch-up on what they have been doing in the hobby.  Afterwards, they talk about basing models for this episode's Hobby Corner.  The episode concludes with an interview of John Ontto, the TO of this year's Arcticon Fantasy Tournament.


Episode Timeline
0:17 Adepticon 2013 40K Events
25:40 Marshalling the Host
53:23 Hobby Corner: Basing Models
1:27:42 Arcticon 2013 Interview (Guest John Ontto)

Download: Direct Download | iTunes
 

Andrew's Email: andrew@unstabledice.com
John's Email: equinox@unstabledice.com
Nerd Rage: nerdrage@unstabledice.com

Show Links
Arcticon Website
Adepticon
Big Mek's Garage

Sponsors
Rare Choice Games: Facebook | Youtube

On the Bench: Fimir Skintone

It has been no secret that I am madly in love with the fimir models from Warhammer Forge. Since they were revealed at the end of 2011, I was determined to incorporate them into one of my projects. Originally, I planned on using them in my daemons army, but there were no unit rules that reflected the look or base size of the fimir models. This lead me down the path of fitting them into my ogres list as I saw the potential in them being count-as maneaters. For today’s edition of On the Bench, I am reviewing the process I used to paint the skin tones on my first fimir.

The process begins with priming the model white using white primer.
Since the fimir are described as having yellow-greyish skintones, I tried to go with a scheme that was similar but still unique from what I could find on the internet. To this end, I began with a basecoat of Reapers Golden Skin Shadow. [4:1:1 paint:glaze medium:thinner] Once the basecoat was dry, I applied a wash of Vallejo Scrofulous Brown [1:1:4 paint:glaze:thinner] to the recesses of the model. This was followed by a wash of GW Septia [1:0:0] into the deepest parts.
I allowed the shading to dry completely overnight before beginning the process of building up the layers. I began with a couple of coats of Reapers Golden Skin Shadow. [4:1:1 paint:glaze medium:thinner]. With each layer, I moved ever so slightly away from the darkest parts of the model.
 
As I continued to move towards highlighting, I added Reapers Golden Skin to the Golden Skin Shadow. [8:2:2:2 Shadow:Skin:Glaze:Thinner]. I continue to add Reapers Golden Skin with each additional layer until I eventually get to a mix that is very close in color to the paint straight out of the bottle.
Moving into the extreme highlights, I begin with a mix of Reapers Golden Skin and Reapers Golden Highlights [8:2:2:2 Shadow:Skin:Glaze:Thinner].
 

With each additional highlight, I add more Reapers Golden Highlight into the mix. I usually also add a little more glaze and thinner, just to keep the paint flowing nicely and for the layers to blend together.

Next time, I will review my approach to painting the purple sections of the model.

WaaaghCast Cup: Kalima Killers Week #2

The arena was flooded with the smells of bloodweiser, dirt, and sweaty men as the skeletal members of the Kalima Killers stepped onto the pitch. This was the second stop on their tour of the northern wastes and they were focused on facing the brutality that was the hallmark of the norse teams. What the Killers would learn is that this tendency towards violence was purely a cover for a skilled offense determined to put points on the board.

The first half began with the Northern Knuckleheads receiving the opening kick-off. The ball had no sooner landed into the hands of one drunken norseman, that his drinking buddies ganged up on the two tomb guardians on one side of the field and clobbered them into the turf. With one side of the field open, the Northern Knuckleheads had an open shot to the end zone. As they moved the ball, the Killers responded by working over the norsemen and proceeding to knock them out one at a time. At the point in which the Knuckleheads stepped into the end zone to score, six members of the team had been carted off due to being knocked out.

As the crowds cheered the first score of the game, the lovely norse cheerleaders went to work on reviving their team. As the referee whistled for kick-off, only two of the norsemen were able to regain enough consciousness to step back on the field. Having the advantage, the Killers made their move on the endzone. As they moved in for a touchdown, another member of the Knuckleheads was brought down, this time with an injury. With the close of the first half, the Killers scored to tie the game at 1-1.

The second half started with the Killers receiving the kick-off, though not actually picking up the ball. As the teams only Thro-Ra picked up the ball, one of the tomb guardians tripped over an empty beer mug causing a turnover. The Knuckleheads capitalized on the opening and swarmed the ball. Not being able to match the speed of their opponents, the Killers could only watch as the Knuckleheads scored for the second time.

As if the ancient gods of Khemri had turned on their followers, the Killers found themselves once again in a bad situation as another tomb guardian fell while trying to tackle an opponent out of bounds. The roar of the Knuckleheads could be heard across the northern wastes as they moved to snap up the ball and run it into the endzone for the last score of the game. The game concluded with the Knuckleheads getting in one more shot on the Killers and putting one of their players on the injured list.

Tournament Tuesdays - Duelcon 2012 (Part 1)

Every Tuesday in 2013, I will be posting pictures from a tournament I have attended in 2012/2013.

Today's images are from Duelcon 2012.

Equinox's 2012 Year in Review

Since I feel like being a follower this week, I am writing a little retrospective on my 2012 and where things are headed in 2013. As the New Year began, I looked at my wife and told her 2012 would be forever known as the Year of Dreams since most of mine were fulfilled over the last twelve months. It began in March with me visiting Japan.



Since I have been a small child, I have always dreamed of going to Tokyo, the home of Godzilla, anime and video games. I truly thought I would never get there, or at least not until much later in life. It just happened that I had to visit the Philippines for work, another first, and was able to schedule a few days in Tokyo before heading to Manila. I spent the next few days playing games, visiting stores, and experiencing the city of my dreams. My only regret was not having my family with me for the trip, but I know that in a few years we will all go back together.



The next dream that was fulfilled was the movie Avengers. Anyone that knows me knows that the movie was more of an event for me than anything. The chance to watch the Marvel universe fully realized on the screen is beyond my ability to write. Since it was released, I have seen it seven times in the theater and more times than I can count on DVD. The fact that my son has taken a liking to Thor and Hulk and wants to always watch them with me just makes the whole experience that much more memorable.

Another dream of mine was to take my family to Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida. I know many people do this, but for my daughter, it was her chance to experience something magical while still being at an age where the cynicism of life has not polluted her ability to fully imagine the world as different from what it is in reality. There were a million great moments from our two week trip, but one of the biggest for me was when we first arrived at the park. As we watched the Halloween themed show under Cinderella’s castle, the evil witch appeared and a series of fireworks went off. My daughter’s response was one of excitement and fear as she grabbed onto me tight and yelled into my ear, ‘It’s real magic’. In that moment, I knew she was having a special moment that she would not experience again until she has kids of her own.



I could share more, but I know folks reading this blog are interested in stuff related to Warhammer and not the ramblings of an old man. With that said, 2012 was really a light year when it came to the hobby. I only attended five events as a player. Of those five events, I won an award at 4 of them, so I would say that I had a pretty successful year in that regard. The total number of games I played was also down from 2011, which I believe was a direct result of my focus on non-gaming activities. I also didn’t accomplish much when it came to actually painting new models. I finished a few things, but not anywhere near what I accomplished in 2011.



When it came to major hobby accomplishments, I really only had two of them. The first was Invasion Kenosha IV. Everything went well and it was the first year that I didn’t really need to kill myself to get everything ready. The portable table toppers I made worked and there didn’t seem to be any major complaints. The other accomplishment was getting a monthly podcast started. I admit that it is not as well polished as many of the other ones out there, but I always intended it to be more of laid-back type of experience.



Looking ahead to 2013, my first major hobby goal is to complete my ogres for Adepticon. I am only playing in one fantasy event at this year’s convention, so I want to give it my all. My next goal is to prepare for A Gathering of Might in August, which is really an extension of my Adepticon goal since I will be bringing ogres to that event as well. Next, I am jumping back into 40K and returning to Eldar. I have a lot more to say about this goal, but I will save it for another article. Finally, I am feeling very aggressive with the new year, so I am going to make this year about taking a more competitive approach to the hobby.