[40K] Update, Upsells, and Ugh- I don't get it

So it's time for a Mexi-Marines update! I've had them on the backburner- a lot of real life stuff got in the way, and the real truth: I got stuck.

TheDude had his brilliant color scheme in mind, I went at it like gangbusters. I did the jetpacks and they turned out absolutely brilliantly. Here's a good example of the final pack:

I painted happily along and got them all done. Things were pretty good until I got to the details. Things like: hoses, belts, weapons, helmets, etc. With the exception of eyes, TheDude is letting me do whatever I think works.

Finding a balance with this color scheme is pretty tricky- I don't want any one element to overwhelm the already schizophrenic look of these guys. I tried something subtle- grey hoses. They sucked. See?

TheBoy suggested a tan or leather look- something suggestive of having torn apart bandoliers to use as makeshift hoses until something else could be cobbled together.

Here's what I've got so far. I think it probably needs a light drybrush or highlight, but I like the look much better.

I have to figure the "hoods" and "housings" for the Termies- I've got them Astronomicon Grey right now to keep them neutral until I get a grip on what I want to do. My next problem is weapons, which look like crap.

I tried a light coat of Gunmetal with a Griffon Sepia Wash, and it looks terrible. I'm not sure where to go with it, but this isn't it.

You can see a bright spot on this guy- I didn't screw up the chest eagle!

I'm saving a lot of cleanup and finalization for after I get a better sense of how everything will "fit together" and have all the parts figured out if not painted. So, yes these guys are messy. I advertise myself that way!

So the update is over- now, for something completely different! A couple guys are trying to seel their armies and I figured I'd throw out a word to the masses and see what happens. 

There's an absolutely beautiful, wonderfully painted Eldar army up first (yes, it's the one I considered a while back). My buddy  is trying to find a home for the following force:

(All painted unless noted otherwise) $350.00, grav tanks, webspinner, and two Codexes (Eldar & Eye of Terror) for free, plus old rulebook

1 Avatar

4 Farseers with various weapons

8 Warlocks with various weapons

4 Dark Reapers

1 Dark Reaper Exarch

10 Rangers

5 Warp Spiders

7 Howling Banshees

Jain Zar, Howling Banshee Exarch

20 Guardians w Shuriken catapults

1 Lascannon & crew

1 Starcannon & crew

1 D-Cannon & crew

1 Webspinner (unassembled/unpainted)

10 Dire Avengers

2 Old school War walkers

2 Vyper jet bikes

6 Jet bikes

2 Falcon grav tanks (partially assembled/unpainted)

1 Fire prism (partially assembled/unpainted)

1 Resin Wave Serpent kit (turns a Falcon into a Wave Serpent)


His army is lovely! And a deal. Email with questions or interest.

This same buddy has a WHFB collection of goodies. They include:

Warhammer Fantasy Battles

Cult of Slaneesh Dark Elves (140 figures) $300.00

(All unpainted)

1 Dark Elf Champion

3 Dark Elf Sorceresses

24 Witch Elves

22 Dark Elves with repeater crossbows

40 Dark Elf Spearmen (2 regiments of 20, includes standard bearer, musician, and leader)

7 Dark Riders

2 Reaper Bolt Throwers & crews

7 Cold One Knights (unassembled)

6 Daeomanettes on Steeds of Slaneesh (unassembled)

Morathi on Dark Pegasus (unassembled)

10 Daemonettes of Slaneesh (unassembled)

Chaos Warriors Regiment (12 figures, unassembled)

All old Warhammer books (thrown in for free)

Again- let me know and I'll help you get in touch with him. 

Next up, a different  friend has a Tau "Cheese" Army to get rid of ASAP. No price listed- but if you're interested, let me know and I'll get you in touch with him. Most items are unpainted but are in various stages of completion.

List is as follows:

10 Crisis battlesuits

3 Broadsides

4 Skimmer bodies (enough to make 2 hammerheads and 2 devilfish)

9 Stealth suits

30+ firewarriors

24 Kroot
 
May also part with several Forgeworld Battlesuits as well:

2 XV-9 Battle suits

4 magnetized XV-84 Battlesuits

3 Forgeworld Broadsides

That's done, too. Next- 

I am trying to understand CSM. I don't like them. I think they are UGLY, UGLY, UGLY, and some more, UGLY. However, they get all the good bitz and the best conversions I've seen are CSM. I'm finding myself perhaps straying into just the slightest, oh so slightest, interest in those crazyed dudes of all directions.

Is there any cure? I don't want to like them- and honestly, I don't. But I love their TOYS!!!! What's a girl to do? I mean, really- they have the best accessories this side of the Warp. How can I resist? Help. Please; please, please help.

Maybe drooling over my Holy Exarchs will help. hm....Emperor's Chosen, I'm over here. Love that visor... Ok, that worked, for now.

Tell me all the bad stuff about CSM so I can make a file to reference while I wait for my dudes to arrive. I'll need it!

Be Well!

[Blogging] Comments Cause Content

I just have to give a big heartfelt thank you to you guys. You're great as readers and I've seen some fantastic comments in the past couple of weeks.

My Weekly Whimsy posts have truly been getting some great discussions going on, and I love it. I truly enjoy sharing ideas and thoughts, as well as listening to other people's viewpoints. At least one or two of you have brought up some things I just never considered, and that's been pretty darn cool.

Some of your comments have directly influenced me and my musings- and some of them have inspired others. I've done some impromptu schedule changes due to an inspiration hitting me out of the comments section in my blog (and now and then at other people's blogs as well). I really find you challenging and exciting to interact with.I have a couple of responses to comments up my sleeve pretty soon. (Harald and grumhelden- you've both given me something pretty cool to work on, thank you.)

While I have a list of topics and a fairly regular schedule I intend to stick to, I like hearing what you have to say. I'd love your opinions on future topics, questions, or suggestions on things I need to ditch.
You read that right- I said schedule. I finally have a good handle on what I'm doing when. It's generally going to be pretty close to this:

Monday- Blogging
Tuesday: 40K
Wed: RPG session write-ups
Thursday: Mom-related
Friday: Eile stories (for at least a couple more weeks; then I don't know)
Sat-? (maybe a day off?...)
Sunday- Weekly Whimsy

Let me know what you think of this- Does it suck?

In the spirit of this feedback oriented post; I'd like to ask Harald over at Book of Worlds to share more (if he can without spoiling for his players) about his GM style, his process and what he does when those 'guys with stones' push him against a wall.

Also, Nikephoros- MORE PICTURES! I loved your bike posts and would love to see more of that.

See? I know how to dish it out, and I can take it. I'm a work in progress, but I love improving.

Be Well.

[Weekly Whimsy] The Girlfriend

Welcome to Weekly Whimsy! Meandering into more mature material, mumblings and missives maintenant. Guys, I'm gabbing on the glamorous, gorgeous, garrulous, gamine, gracious, and gratifying gender; germane to gaming and giving guys a gamble.

[One of these days I'll find a tougher letter. On to the subject at hand! As hinted to above, this is a little more serious. I still plan to be lighthearted and fun, but this is a slightly more adult topic today.]

Hey little girl, I wanna be your boyfriend

Ramones, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend

over heard at the game store:

Gamer 1- “So, after 9 months of dating, I finally told my girlfriend I played [insert game title here]”

Gamer 2- “What was her response?”

Gamer 1- “ I still have a girlfriend.”

[remainder of conversation irrelevant]

Seen at the game store:

Gamer C brought his girlfriend to a MtG event. By all accounts, she wanted to play and was hanging out with C's friends A & K. C generously and willingly paid for her entry. A & K teased C mercilessly for paying and being a gentleman, but in a gentle, chiding sort of way.

Girlfriends. While as a rule, gamers seem to want them (a few notable exceptions come to mind); they seem to be a strange and compelling quandary for the men I know.

[WOD] The Hedge Tales, Week 2- The Turning

[Welcome to the 2nd week of the Hedge Tales. This is personally my favorite of the five stories. I wrote it first, and came back to it throughout the series as a touchstone whenever I was stuck. Enjoy!]

I woke up different. I’m long and lean, covered in soft brown fur, with whiskers and ears that telescope on the top my head. My mouth is elongated, and full of big teeth. My eyes are sharper, with clearer vision, but in a much lower spectrum. Colors are washed out, and bright things look a touch grainy. My nose is aflame with a million scents and textures in the air. It’s like a factory of information and my brain is on overload at the moment. I can’t help but notice that I have four legs, with bends going the wrong way at the joints, and weirdest of all, a tail. I shake myself in a strangely dismissive gesture, and I make a slight chuffing noise. I try to get back to business.

I look myself over in depth, and the closest I can come to understanding it is to think of myself as lupine, maybe a coyote. I hear a weird “meep-meep” in my head, strangely familiar, but terribly disconnected. I don’t know where it’s from. I circle around, getting used to the pads on my feet. I’m more than a little wobbly, confusion hazing my every thought. I rest my head on my paws, smelling the loam and the world around me on their fur. I doze off, a strange cloud of unease and bizarre thoughts running through my head.

I wake, and the world is different. It’s a vast forest, full of life. I spend the longest time drinking in the leaves, the trees, the bushes, the pollen, the flowers, the birds, the rabbits and the many other creatures that dwell here. I catch a whiff of a vole, and I straighten, trying to determine how many strides it will take to catch it. I know it’s not what I really want to hunt, but it’s near, and it’s small; so it will do.

I make a leap, pouncing after the terrified little rodent. I feel the air rushing under my chest, my legs rippling as I tear after my target, my muscles bunching and loosening under my pelt as the earth glides beneath me. My teeth catch the skin behind its little head, my snout all fangs and fury.

I clamp my mouth, and the world is different. It’s an arid desert, dry and empty in the hot sun. The rocks and sand are blazing in the mid day, and all around me is bleached out under the torture of the solar blast. I take a moment to smell the immediate area, and I can sense water, but it’s hidden. I know I won’t last long with my tongue hanging out, panting away my hydration. I head to a large section of boulders, and find an outcropping. I begin to dig a small hole, and wiggle myself into it, using the slight umbrella of shade from the overhang. I rest my head for the slightest moment.

The world is different again. I can’t remember how many times the world was changed. Weeks, months and maybe years of perpetual change passed me by as I struggled to accept this form. This existence is alien and difficult, but a part of myself recognizes its usefulness. I know that I learned to live in each new place, adapting and using the little resources I had every time something is made again. Every time I came close to any kind of solace, or indulge in my primal desires, the world was different.

I encounter others in the lupus families as I make my way through these strange lands. I learn their languages, their ways of communicating. I make some mistakes, to be sure. I quickly learn the many ways to show that I'm not after territory- to keep my tail low, to avert my head, to dig a makeshift latrine, not to howl, and to stay out of the way of alphas marking their areas. I don't want territory, but even if I wanted it, I couldn't keep it. I learned that lesson very quickly here.

As much as things change here, there are some constants. I can easily predict that as soon as I pursue prey, or show interest in an area, or find myself settled, I'll be shaken into a strange new place where I have to learn to adapt again.

Something jangles in my head- a fitting little ditty that seems so close but so far away. "How do we sleep when our world is turning?"

I keep it in my head every time the world is different.

[Shout-out] QUICK- look over there!

Thor, an amazing source of all manner of knowledge and resources, has posted his response to the interesting thoughts posted in my comments earlier this week.

You need to check it out. Like ...now.

He's over there at Creative Twilight.

[Mom Time] My kids

I've mentioned that I HAVE kids a few times. I have made some passing references to the fact that they game, but haven't talked about them specifically very often.

I have 2 kids- a teen boy, and a teen girl.

TheBoy- Is kind of "gonzo" a la Hunter S. Thompson. He plays a lot of crazy stuff: Magic the Gathering, Dark Heresy, D&D versions 3.5 or before, World of Darkness, Savage Worlds- all games with pretty fantastic settings. It seems to me that the more "out there", the better, for him.

TheGirl- Is still "cutting her teeth". She's in a tabletop game run by a fun loving, wacky GM, and the World of Darkness game as well.

Last night, I heard TheGirl saying: "I call in the face punching!".

I have to admit I was both proud and a little mortified at the same time.

A General Musing of the Random sort

[This is sort of filler due to not having an RPG session to write up this week. It's also on my mind.]

So I am fairly well known for misreading things on a pretty regular basis. Sometimes, I SEE things "wrong" too.

The FTW logo? I did not "get it" for MONTHS.

Wanna know what I saw?

I saw an Egyptian Mummy (with the wrapped beard and everything) facing to the right; with a really -really-really WEIRD hat.


I just didn't see a Space Marine in profile facing LEFT, spewing bullets. Just... didn't.