Welcome to the Autopsy Room (Where Dead Men Tell Their Tales!) Monday, Mar 9 2009 

BLOG INFORMATION , , , , Quixotic 9:33 PM

“Raise the red flag, and come broadsides! Make ready for murdering, you salty dogs!”

Greetings and salutations, fellow Blog reader.

This Blog is more of a journal of geekdom. I will ramble on about my recent hobby exploits.

Updates will be random, and sporadic kind of like blasting away with a shotgun. The one thing that I can promise you is that you shouldn’t take my posts too seriously. I’m not an expert. I’m not a hobby professional.

I’m just some idiot with a keyboard, a paint brush, and miniatures.

They say that dead men tell no tales.

This is not true. In the Autopsy Room, dead men tell tales all the time while they are laid out on the Autopsy Table. Of course, I am referring to my Hobby Area and Painting Table. I’m constantly dealing with dead men there, having recently been eradicated on the Gaming Table. With a few dabs of glue, or a swipe or two of the paint brush … they are ready to do battle again.

And I sometimes tell their tales here.

In any case, I recently watched the movie Igor, and picked up something worthwhile mentioned by one of the characters: “I’d rather be a good nobody that an evil somebody.” Sounds like a good goal.

See you soon. I’ll keep the saws sharp for when you’re ready to tell me your tale, too.

 

TempleCon Day One: Panel Discussion Saturday, Feb 6 2010 

Discussion , , , , Quixotic 11:21 AM

Welcome back to the Autopsy Room.

Many of the honored Cygnar soldiers lay around my swanky hotel room, telling me their tales. Khador, Cryx, and Legion have laid low many of Lord Stryker’s troops during Eternal War. Stormblades lay dead or dying, and ‘Jacks are in need of repair. I try not to hear the clanking and cursing coming from the mechaniks. I ignore the Bodgers running around the room looking for spare gears and replacement parts. While I step away from the groaning of the wounded, I set down my autopsy tools to discuss the WARMACHINE/HORDES panel discussion.

Panel Discussion

Many folks have already blogged about the WARMACHINE/HORDES panel discussion. I will not pretend to be better equipped to comment on the panel in any capacity other than what has already been blogged. Check out the Iron Agenda Blogging Network to see Larkin Vain’s post as well as the post written by gdaybloke. Highlights here include: changes in the presentation of fiction to enhance continuity,  changes in the way League and Steamroller are presented to the community at large, a short explanation of how and why MKII came to be, a short discussion of how some characters evolved beyond their original intent, explanation of how feedback was utilized during playtests, a brief explanation of the playtesting done to balance WARMACHINE vs. HORDES, discussion of seasonal errata and FAQ rather than second by second updates by Infernals, acknowledgment of the Regional Groups forming with the help of Press Gangers and Gaming Clubs, explanation of how the Events website will be changed to be more user friendly, even possibly allowing for local searches for players and volunteers, and hints at new WARMACHINE/HORDES expansions beyond the Forces books. They are already conceptualizing the next WARMACHINE book expansion and are saying that Minion models will be expanded in the future. (Whew!) I am excited to hear that League will focus on community building and various aspects of the hobby. Meanwhile, Steamroller 2010 will be breakneck, curb-stomping Page 5 type fun on a competitive level. You will be able to participate in League not only by rolling dice, but also by helping to create terrain, painting models, and various other aspects of the hobby beyond just playing WARMACHINE and HORDES.

You can check out the podcast of the panel discussion on Guts n Gears with Sam Sedghi when it airs. All in all, the panel presented themselves professionally while keeping that feeling of accessibility. Excellent job, gentlemen.

Panel Discussion

 

GETTING THERE IS HALF THE FUN? Thursday, Feb 4 2010 

Discussion , Quixotic 7:42 PM

Okay, so I’ve arrived at the Crowne Plaza and TempleCon. I’ve been informed that getting to a place is half the fun, and man did we have some fun today! I rolled out of bed at about 500 this morning. We started out from DuBois around 6:30 in the morning. We realized that we would be able to enjoy the sunrise … which seemed cool. And then the horrible reality was realized when we were blinded by the rising sun to the point that we couldn’t really see anything in front of us for about ten minutes during the trip! I felt like my skin should have been glittering! I put on my wanna-be Cygnar Warcaster goggles (aka ski goggled with blue mirror lenses) … and it only turned the iris blaxing sun into a slightly blinding orange glare. But soon all was well, and we were able to see again. Then we got stuck in traffic for about ten minutes in Stroutsburgh, PA where I-80 went down to one lane. No big deal because we cranked up the music and rocked out until we were free to move on again. I had planned to sit cross-legged in traffic reading my MKII book. This would have been a good Gamer Hooligan picture for No Quarter, but traffic never actually stopped completely so no such luck! After that, all was well until we got close to Somerville, NJ where we were stupid enough to get off the interstate to eat at McDonalds. We ended up almost getting killed by several people who apparently were in a big hurry! Apparently tailgating and cutting people off is the way to get things done in NJ! And evidently everyone there is required to have fuzzy dice on their rear view mirrors because honestly, everyone seemed to! I think it was all a NJ S.O.B. plot, I tell you! The crazy drivers, not the fuzzy dice … anyway… So after escaping New Jersey … (It was free to get in … but I had to pay $5 to get out!) we reenacted Mad Max with all the other people driving on I-95. Apparently the posted 55 mph speed limits are secretly 90 mph because now matter how fast my little P T Cruiser was driving, people were gesturing and honking their horns while passing me. Ah, maybe they were just telling me I was #1 … who knows. Maybe they just read this blog and were telling me how much they like my rambling posts … that would explain the middle fingers in the air. But in the end, we arrived at the Crowne Plaza, checked in, and all that jazz. Now my wife and dog are passed out on the bed, and I’m making a list of all the stuff I want to do during my stay.

Other than all the WARMACHINE related stuff, mainly ETERNAL WAR … I have the following…

Friday:

  • PG Breakfast!
  • WARMACHINE PANEL DISCUSSION in the BALLROOM
  • ETERNAL WAR begins!
  • Malifaux Demos in the Foyer. I gotta try that game, dude!
  • Unhallowed Metropolis Discussion in Suite 2
  • Steampunk Discussion in Suite 2
  • I’d go to the bellydance thing but it’s hands on, and there’s no way this big belly is doing any dancing during that seminar! :)

Saturday:

  • Unhallowed Metropolis demos in the Atrium
  • Deco Punk Jewelry thingy in Suite 2
  • Dance Performance in the Atrium
  • Steampunk Seance until midnight – ooooh spooky!
  • Annabel Lee movie in Suite 1

Sunday:

  • Brillant Gameologists podcasty thing
  • Goggles & Gears in Suite #1

So that’s all for now. I’m sure there’s a bunch of other stuff to do and see while I am at TempleCon! Hope to see you guys there!

Keep rollin’ sixes!

 

LEAVING FOR TEMPLECON 2010 Thursday, Feb 4 2010 

Discussion , , Quixotic 5:00 AM

Well, the countdown is at zero hours and we’re leaving for TempleCon 2010.

This has been a foul week.

I had to drop $900 on my car, my dog was diagnosed with cancer, and my Mom had to go into ICU for a short time to get some stents put in. Now the weather channel is all buzzing about a bad snow storm coming this Friday. But we’ve got our minds set and we’re heading out to TempleCon anyway. Damn the torpedoes.

I have my Cygnar models packed, although I don’t have a army picked out right now. I was hoping that my Press Gang order would show up before I left but no luck. So I’m leaving without my Cygnar Forces book, Cygnar deck, new Press Gang shirts, and the new template set. However, I did pick up MKII at the LGS and I have a basic Cygnar set of MKII cards to use until I get my full deck. I’m planning on using Seige and/or Caine during Eternal War. Don’t plan on playing in any of the actual tournaments. And interestingly enough, I am leaving without any Press Gang shirts because I couldn’t locate either of them!

No worries though because we’ll be in Warwick in about 8 hours. I’ll figure it all out once I get there.

Leaving DuBois, PA

See you at TempleCon 2010.

 

TOM TOM ONE XL Wednesday, Feb 3 2010 

1 Quixotic 7:02 AM

Before delving into this post, please read my first note about my Tom Tom One XL.

I was gifted the Tom Tom from my Dad-In-Law, so a discussion of why I own a Tom Tom vs. something else is not logical. I own it. ‘Nuff said.

Okay, so I have been using R2D2 without any problems since last time. The main reason for this is that I went to Staples and bought a Home Charging Kit. Now, I know that the Tom Tom comes with that handy cigarette lighter plug-in thingy – but it’s not for charging. It’s intended to give just enough juice to the Tom Tom to keep it going while you use it. To get the Tom Tom to full operational power, you have to buy the $30 dollar home charging kit and use it – often.

Also, update your maps and operating system by using the software. This is pretty easy and free. Keep in mind that if you want to update to deluxe maps or something – you will have to pay for it. Just get the free stuff, and be happy.

I have found that if I plug in R2D2 at home before a trip, and then keep him plugged in with the cigarette charger, I can make it through about a 3 hour trip without a problem. I will be using my Tom Tom during my trip to TempleCon this week, so I’ll report back on how it works.

 

FIONA ADORES SEWER FLOOR TILES Wednesday, Feb 3 2010 

Gaming , , , , Quixotic 12:58 AM

I found this website a while ago, and added it to my favorites. I wanted to share these PDF tiles with the few people who actually read my Blog, but I also wanted to log the URL here so I can remove it from my already overflowing Favorites! Check them out.

http://www.fionaadoresheroes.com/pages/gaming/sewer.htm

These would be handy to use for the D&D adventure I was talking about called “The Stink.”  With a bit of tweaking, I’m sure that The Stink would make a cool IK RPG adventure.

There is also a set of Dungeon Tiles avaiable at Fiona Adores Heroes.

Enjoy!

 

Unhallowed Metropolis at TempleCon Monday, Feb 1 2010 

Event , , Quixotic 9:57 PM

Blatantly copied and pasted from the TempleCon forums:

The staff of Unhallowed Metropolis are excited to be a part of this year’s TempleCon. We have an amazing program of events lined up including the debut of our live action Theater Game! Before I get into the details of our event track, allow me to talk a little about Unhallowed Metropolis for those who have not yet ventured down the ashen streets of the New Dark Age.

Set two-hundred years after the advent of a zombie Plague, Unhallowed Metropolis is an apocalyptic Neo-Victorian dystopia created by Jason Soles and Nicole Vega. Inspired by the works of Mary Shelley, Edgar Allen Poe, and Robert Louis Stevenson, and painstakingly researched by the authors, Unhallowed Metropolis provides a rich role-playing experience steeped in alchemy, mad science, and undeath.

Unhallowed Metropolis is the gas-mask chic role-playing game of Neo-Victorian horror.

Set in 2105 AD – it has been two hundred years since the first outbreak of the Plague, when without warning the dead rose, spreading undeath through the world. Countless millions perished in the chaos that followed. It was the dawn of a new dark age.

London, the capitol of the Neo-Victorian Empire, is a vast, densely crowded, fortified city. Beneath the towering walls and crackling Tesla towers, where the fallout of a thousand crematoria darkens the streets, ten million souls live in squalor, breathing the choking fogs. Predators, human and inhuman, stalk slums and rookeries, preying on the unwary and the helpless. Driven by an insatiable hunger for immortality, physicians search tirelessly for the Elixir Vitae, the fabled alchemical solution that promises life eternal and a cure for the Plague. Above it all, the aristocracy looks down, pristine and enduring behind their walls of privilege, but preyed upon by dangers more insidious than those that infest the street.

Undertakers, Mourners, soldiers, and scientists do battle with the horrors of the age, keeping a solemn vigil over the Unhallowed Metropolis.

 

The WarStore at TempleCon 2010 Monday, Feb 1 2010 

Event , Quixotic 12:00 PM

From the Warstore.com:

Next weekend, February 5th – 7th TheWarStore will be embarking on a voyage to Rhode Island to attend TempleCon 2010.  This years “retro-futuristic” gaming convention will be held at a new location, The Crowne Plaza Hotel Providence-Warwick.  “Newly renovated in 2007, the hotel features beautifully appointed and spacious rooms, with marble baths, 25-inch televisions, and PlayStation systems standard in every room.  We are quite serious when we say that this is gaming in luxury.”

Currently, the products on the list for sale at TempleCon include: Privateer Press, Games Workshop, Malifaux, Uncharted Seas and Firestorm: Armada, as well as Infinity, Avatars of War, Pegasus, and the usual glues and accessories.

If you need more information about registration or directions please check out the TempleCon website.

 

Clockwork: February in NJ Sunday, Jan 31 2010 

Event , , , Quixotic 10:12 PM

Clockwork is a monthly night for steampunks, retro-futurists, wanderers, and ecclectic folk of all sorts. It’s got a Steampunk theme, and is open to all. This month…

CLUE!

Was it Miss Scarlet in the library with the pepper box? Or Colonel Mustard in the ballroom with the copper pipe? Or was it… you?  If you feel inspired by this month’s theme, we invite you to come dressed as your interpretation of the classic Clue characters and play along! …but as always, you are welcome to come dressed as you like! Be steampunk, be retro-futurist, or hell, be dressed in whatever you wear every day; we want you to have fun!

More information on Facebook: here.
February 2nd!
6:30 doors open
$15 at the door (gets you admission, 2 drinks or 1 full dinner, access to our cookie buffet, games in the library, legos in the dance hall, a chance to buy from our lovely vendors, AND live performers AND DJs! Best deal around!)

Live performances will start at 7pm!
Dance the night away to our DJs starting at 9/10pm

Psyche Corporation returns!! (www.psychecorporation.com)
Along with DJ Baron von Crankshaft III!

FEATURED GAME of the evening:
“Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen” – A storytelling gaming that takes place between a group of 18th-century boasters. If you’ve read a book of the Baron’s adventures, or seen the movie, you know what sort of stories are told: balloons to the moon, conquering nations with a handful of companions, inventing outrageous devices, wooing the empress of Russia, etc. Those unfamiliar with history should not be too put off, however, as the Baron had access to a time-traveling device at one point in his career, and you can certainly use it in your story … THIS IS OPEN TO ALL SKILL-LEVELS!

 

Return of the Mad Hatter Friday, Jan 29 2010 

1 , , , , Quixotic 1:40 PM

The Mad Hatter is a odd fellow, and he stops by the Autopsy Room from time to time. He showed up all the sudden while I was trying to clean up the table a little, and flopped down on the floor. He started rambling about rules, and such … so here we go …

[Rules]

  • Harlan Versh’s Multi Fire allows you to make 1 initial attack + 3 attacks.
  • In Steamroller 2010, Trollblood Whelps cannot control an area bur can contest it. They are solos.
  • Pivoting is considered moving.
  • When a model leaves play, all effects on that model immediately expire, so there is no damage from Spiny Growth if the Carnivean is destroyed in the attack.
  • When slamming Ol’ Rowdy into Stryker … interpret “when slammed” to mean “when a model makes a successful slam against” Ol’ Rowdy, so he would be moved unless he was in B2B with Stryker at that time. The knockdown effect is resolved at the same time as the collateral damage, so if Ol’ Rowdy ended up in B2B with Stryker at the end of the slam movement, Stryker could avoid being knocked down.
  • If the Choir is singing their “No Shooty Jacks” song, Gun Mages can still shoot the jacks. Magic weapon vs. magic attack is the key to this.
  • Counter charge requires the target to end the movement part of its activation as well as advance. As Overtake is an out of turn movement effect, Counter Charge does not trigger. Movement = Any movement a model makes, in or out of turn, voluntary or involuntary. Normal movement = Movement a model makes during the movement portion of its activation. Advance = Any voluntary movement, in or out of turn. In this case, Counter Charge triggers on an advance that ends movement within 6″, so it also works on out of turn (but only voluntary) movement. Overtake is an ‘advance’ movement, so it qualifies for Counter Charge.

That’s all I managed to glean from his ramblings before he got up and wandered off looking for a cup of tea. Maybe I will see him again soon!

 

You sure got a purty … Thursday, Jan 28 2010 

Discussion , , , , Quixotic 11:16 PM

… WARMACHINE Coin.

So what do you guys and gals think of the return of faction coins?

Simple and to the point, just looking to start a discussion. Leave a comment, if you like.

See you at TempleCon 2010.

 

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