[40K] Some Real Content!

There was no 40K for the past couple weeks- due to a break between leagues or holidays or whatnot.

Last night kicked things off again, with a new league starting. This one is kind of an interesting twist on Planetary Empires--  there are two required lists. One is 200 point Kill Team list, and the other is 1800 point "main" list. You play a Kill Team game (sort of scouts, if you will) and whoever wins the game gets an advantage in the main game.

I had planend to sit this league out for a variety of reasons, but have since been convinced (read:dared/bullied) into playing, if nothing else, as a backup in case someone bails. Words such as "chicken" and "scaredy cat" were thrown around, and I just can't really have that, now can I? I sat out this week but should catch up next week with a quick early game and then a regular game as per the schedule.

I'll be busting out my Templar again for this league, and maybe I will get some painted colors other than "blue". (Despite advice to the contrary, Necron Abyss is NOT dark enough to be a proxy for black.)

Speaking of my Templar, despite not being fielded by me, they got on the board in a game.

Big Sword is having sharp words with me, as I allowed his faithful brothers to be proxied as Xenos by my best pal, who is new to 40K. He wants to play Orks. He has a friend who will loan him the models, but he forgot to send a list to the guy with the Green Dudes. My pal showed up last night and my Templar were commissioned to stand in as the Spores... with hilarious results.

The "orks" face down a Dreadnaught

My friend (BB) made his list based off of the models I had on hand- I brought my bag to help out a different friend (FunDave) and having the extra models made it possible for BB to play . BB's list was pretty kick butt for something he threw together in a couple minutes, based on what was available from a Space Marine player's bag.

The night was a blast- it's always great to get back to the guys, the fun, the camaraderie, and the games.

I'm afraid that I well and truly stink, though. My pal BB picked up the Ork codex and blasted out a list that had a veteran player on his toes all night- in less than 15 minutes. I've been trying to get better for a while now, and I still lose all the time. I read tactics, articles, strategy, net lists, advice and ask my friends for help- and still get smoked every time. I think it's a fact that I'm an easy win, and I just gotta deal with it.

Or maybe getting better will take more time for me, and I just have to keep at it. I'm hoping I'm a slow learner.

[RPG] Character Ideas I Can't Use #3- Chad Black

I've talked about Chad before- at least once. He was a character I "played" in a PBEM Wrestling Federation. His moniker was The Exemplar; literally an example for those around him.

At first shine, Chad came off as arrogant and haughty- pretentious and prideful. After some careful examination, he displays a serious desire (almost a need) for approval, for a place to belong.

The base idea for Chad was pretty simple. He was a failed priest novitiate, wanting redemption and a place to release his aggression. He was a good, honest and generally decent man- but with an abundance of fury. He held  very little dear, but was fiercely protective and loyal to the things he did value.

I've toyed with the idea of Chad in many guises, in many game systems. I've envisioned Chad as a priest to the outcasts and homeless- as a vampire and as a Changeling. I've seen Chad as a superhero- a strong man, a judicar or a very misguided  vigilante. I've seen him as a government agent for any number of conspiracy type games, and I've seen him as a street dude, for the Shadowrun style games.

The problem is that he's so versatile, and so personal. I got to write for him for over a year, and he feels so ingrained to me it's hard to share him with anyone- to let anyone else in on the process. Someday I'll find a home for him... I hope.

[RPG] Character Ideas I Can't Use #2- MIA

Sorry for the very long absence from the blogsphere, folks. I spent the past week dealing with some weird personal stuff, and reading. I've found that reading gets my creative juices going again and I needed some juice pretty seriously.

The next character idea that I can't use is also for Champions/Hero System. This idea is a little less fleshed out as my previous idea- but it's also much newer and in many ways, much more personal.

The idea, in its base form, is taking a personal trait of mine (which I and many others see as a weakness) and turn it into a power. One of my more famous tendencies is the ability to get lost literally anywhere. I have quite honestly gotten lost inside a pretty small mall (shaped like a big X), parking lots and most famously, my own walk-in closet. (I got turned around and couldn't find the door. Gimme a break.)

Rather than having this ability be a failing, what if I could turn this into a positive? This was the line of thinking that helped bring about MIA.

MIA is a mentalists with a weird twist. Her background is that of the "spotter" for a sniper/swat team in crisis situations- the eyes in the sky, so to speak. Her training and specialty lay in seeing the enemy, and conveying to the team the enemy's locations.

She was really good at it, with a flair for almost implanting a "picture" of the enemy into her team's heads- and the brass noticed. They hooked her into a program intended to expand her abilities further, with the ability to convey images mentally the ideal end result.

The training was rigorous and somehow went awry- she developed abilities, but almost exactly opposite of what was wanted. Instead of being able to show pictures of where enemies were to her team, MIA was only able to convey a sense of being "lost in the fog of war".

Further exploration discovered that this ability was not limited to a single target- it affected just about anyone around her when she tried to project images. This lead more than a few people being missing in action (hence the name), while both the team and the individual being targeted fumbled to get their bearings.

The idea is very cool, in my opinion. The problem comes in the execution- the power level of the ability is ridiculous- clocking in at 97 points MINIMUM, for the true effect I want. That's one single power. No skills, defenses, modifiers, movement- nothing else is included in this. With 400 points the maximum for starting heroes, and most GMs capping powers at 60-70 active points, a power with nearly 100 active points just isn't going to fly.

Additionally, while the concept is sound, the actual results of taking even a single villain team out this way is pretty staggering. An example?  Dr Doom and the Doom Patrol are fighting the Brotherhood of Evil  when suddenly, the BOH has no idea where they are and Monsier Mallah is attacking the Brain by mistake because he thinks the Brain is somewhere else...

I'm still looking to start the Home for Unwanted Heroes.... I think it might be filled with all the "D" List guys... but who knows what might happen. I COULD find a home for these guys, eventually....

[RPG] Character Ideas I Can't Use #1 -Effigy

A long time ago, I played in a Champions 4th edition game TheDude ran. I played a "Green Arrow" type, but as a girl. The character's name was Huntress, and she was pretty much utterly devoid of personality or motivation whatsoever.

I got to a point where "going through the motions" got really boring and I wanted my character to die.I talked to TheDude about it, and he agreed.  For those of you that read TheDude's blog, don't be fooled by the genial tie-wearing demeanor. The man is pure evil, in red-haired maniacal form. He listened to my pleas, and actually went through with kill- just in a way I ^^^REALLY^^^ did not expect.

Not only did he kill my character, the then brought her back- as a villain. Not any villain, nope. He brought her back as a she-demon from Hell. Instead of bows and arrows, she used claws and blood. She could project "blood bullets/needles", and then once they punctured a victim's skin, track the victim anywhere for a day. She had some other cool talents, but the ability to track her victim by her blood really intrigued me.

I had that concept in my head for a while, and I played with ways to make it cooler, different, or just interesting in some way. I finally came up with something that took TheDude's basic idea and turned it on it's ear. I came up with Effigy.

Effigy is a shapeshifter with mentalist abilities- and absorption. Effigy does a mental attack on someone across the battlefield, and then takes on their shape. Once he does so, his defensive absorption abilities kick on, and his teammates start to beat on Effigy. The damage done to Effigy is absorbed and directed to the mental attack, and the opponent goes out in just a few well placed blows.

It's a simple, beautiful and effective idea. It's also, admittedly, insanely powerful. Even when I first built him at 250 points, Effigy had an effectiveness of 400+ points, if not more. I've pitched it to no less than 5 separate GM's, and each and every one of them has said "NO".

Effigy has a reputation, and I didn't even do the work. TheDude did all of the warning- he was so impressed with the idea and so sure he didn't want it in his game he figured he'd share the news. I've had fun conversations where I'm about to pitch ANY idea and the GM will come up with "but first, let me say- NO EFFIGY".

I've accepted this as a fact, and tried to move on. I throw around the idea of turning him into a villain, but it never feels right. Maybe I need to build a "Foster's Home For Unloved Heroes", or something.

That's just the first of at least a couple ideas that are beautiful in theory, but improbable and/or impractical in "reality". I mean, we are talking about games...

[40K] League Silliness

This week wraps up the league's tournament, and I saw some free play going on as well.

We have a light-hearted, generous group- one of our regulars brought in a piece of terrain that he donated to the store. Here's a shot of his lovely work.

The Defiler and space marine are for scale comparison. I love the marbling effects he got in there.

I also saw some very pretty Dark Eldar raiders - I've wanted to show them off for a while now.

I'm really taken with the colors here... truly vibrant and well done.

And last, I have one of the silliest conversions around. I can't help but giggle when I see it.

The guy did a lot of work- he made 6 of them... I just love them.

Whimsy but not the Weekly Kind

Please take a moment to read my missive on GW's price increases over

here

I hope it's a good, worthwhile read.

[40K] This Guy's Got It All

What a hunk!

He has a really great rear side, too!

Check out this guy's guns!

I love his biceps- so well defined!

Very striking!