Cygnar: a Year in Review

This may be a few weeks early but I am going to write this up anyways.  Also it is long and wordy.  Really more of a summary.

A Christmas present from my folks

Hobby resolutions for 2015

As cheesy as it is this time of the year is rife with reflections.  What was our favorite thing of the past year?  What were the important events in our life?  How have we made progress in the things that matter to us?  As a blogger it's pretty tempting to jump on this trope (heck, I recommended it Arch and other team members).  I even had half a draft written up about how we discovered Warmachine and advanced our hobby despite being scattered across the four corners of the midwest.  Then I realized something: If you want to know what 2014 has been like for Team Waynedale all you have to do is read the blog.  That's kinda why we're here!  Instead for today, I'm looking forward to the future of my hobby and making some resolutions.

What will the future hold for these machines?

Read on for some resolutions!

Legion Battlegroup finished!

I finally got the Legion Battlegroup done, and I'm pretty pumped about the results!  Here's some shots of the newest additions to my force:

More after the break!

Mastering Focus Induction: Moving focus through the battlegroup

In my last Convergence post, I detailed what vectors needed focus for, and which where the most focus intensive.  In today's post, I'll go over how to use focus induction to get the most out of your battlegroup.  I'll cover order of activations and how to load three focus on a vector without actually allocating them that much.

Managing all of this focus can be a daunting task!

The cool thing about Focus Induction is that one unit of focus can move throughout your battlegroup, enhancing one model after another.  This makes Convergence armies much more resource efficient than any other Warmachine faction.  However, with this trick comes a lot of risk.  Other factions simply allocate and burn off focus.  A Convergence player will have to track the movement of focus and make sure it does not enter a "dead-end," where it is spent without being inducted.  Convergence vectors rely more heavily on boosts than warjacks, so wasted focus will really hurt.  Here's how I manage focus during the game:

Rangers

Legion Battlegroup WIPs

Between writing Convergence posts, I figured that it would be a good time to show some love to my other faction: Hordes' Legion of Everblight!  Here are some WIPs from the starter set, which includes pLylyth, a Carnivean, and four Shredders.  All of the models have their basecoats, and will be getting shaded soon.  I'm hoping to have them done by the next TWG event!

Let's start things off with the warlock, Lylyth!

Game Time! Hands on with Super Smash Bros. (Part 1 of 2)

There are some game series that leave indelible marks on our generation.  Games were it is evidenced that all of a team’s heart, soul, and dedication went not only into getting it right, but making something truly fantastic.  A touchstone in gaming history.  Super Smash Bros. is one of those series.

Some of TW’s members are gearing up for the latest release in the series, the simply-titled Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS, even to the extent of purchasing Nintendo’s much maligned, sales-challenged console.  The big N has given us a taste of this iteration of Smash already in the 3DS version and while it’s not perfect, it truly delivers on the SSB experience, albeit in compact form.

(Note:  Part I of this review will focus primarily on the 3DS version of the game as I have enough of a sample to make a fair assessment of the game.  Part II will come along after I get some hands-on time with the console version that is releasing today)

Mastering Focus Induction: what's worthy of a Boost?

Arguably one of the most important things a Convergence player has to do is get the hang of Focus Induction, the mechanic that allows one vector to pass focus to another vector nearby when spent.  This isn't so much a bonus as much as it is a core mechanic of the Convergence.  Without effective focus inductions the vectors (especially the light ones) will underperform and cost you many a game.

[Mmmm.... Focus]

In this post I'll talk about how what/when your vectors should boost.  I'll be using my Syntherion battlegroup as an example, but most of these tactics are universal to the whole faction.

Convergence tactics: Corollary

Most every force in WMH has a model that functions as a support piece and/or a force multiplier.  For the Convergence that model in the Corollary, a light vector that serves as a warcaster attachment.  The Corollary is also very good at what it does, and I would say that it's an auto-include for any Convergence list.  In one form or another this vector has something for everyone, and I can't think of any list that wouldn't be better off without it.

And it looks cool as well!

So what exactly does this mighty vector do?  Well I'm glad you asked, as we'll get into more detail in this post!

Terrain Time #2

 

Two weeks of posts in a row?!!? Let me explain... So as I said in my last post I had my birthday.  In honor of the occasion  I will be getting the Indianapolis division of Team Waynedale together.  Yes, 3 of us in the last 3 years made the 2 hour move south to the state capital.  As and added bonus the Oxford division also is also able to join.  We are doing things a bit differently this time around and meeting at my place on the south side instead of meeting up at Clint's place on the north side.  This event gave me the motivation to finish two pieces of terrain I'd been working on that have fallen to the way side in the past few months.

Privateer press has made a fool of me (again).

As of late I have been assembling a unit of Obstructors to get a feel for the 30mm infantry models in the Convergence/WMH.  So far I'm a fan.  With the pegs present on the legs and torsos, it's easy to rotate parts and create multiple, dynamic poses beyond what's on the display box.

Painting infantry is incredibly tedious, but seeing other hobbyist's work is inspiring me to get my butt into gear.  This unit was done by Ridmasta over at Fanplastic Little Men

Still, as with most PP models, there was a moment of weirdness.

Speed painting: New Solo for the Swans

So yeah, I know it has been a long time.  Like I've said before, I am finishing up my thesis so I can graduate with my Masters of Science.  So between that and my lack of finances I really haven't been able to devote a lot of time to Warmahordes.  Clint and I have had a few pick-up games here and there.  But, really my involvement in the hobby has taken an extreme down turn in recent months.

Optfex and Axis finsihed!

It's been awhile, but I finally made time to finish the Optifex.  On top of that I painted Axis, the Harmonic Enforcer to boot!  I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to use them on the table top, but hopefully it's soon!

For something that looks so sinister, all they do is repair and buff vectors

 I'm really happy with how the Optifex turned out.  Inking the warm colors really made them pop, plus I love the fiery "crazy eyes," which gives the models a flair of fanatical zeal not seen elsewhere in the Convergence faith.

On the Culture War, Gaming, and that Minor GamerGate Thing.

On the Culture War, Gaming, and that Minor GamerGate Thing.

Waynedale Gamer

            I know what you are all thinking right at this moment.  I do, you are thinking “Holy shit, Waynedale Gamer speaks after a long silence, I must, at all cost, hear what this god amongst us lowly mortals is going to say.”  It is okay; you can think like that, I am comfortable with my mantle of divinity.

            Without getting into everything, and regardless if we wanted it to happen or not, the modern culture war has spread into the gaming world and it is not a good thing.  Well, let me tell you who to blame, and how to fix it.

            You see, unlike real life, there is actually a meaning to the existence of the gaming world, and that is to provide us all the entertainment we want and need so we can forget about our meaningless existences in the real world.  The gaming world is not the place for a culture war, the gaming world is a place to play games….albeit I guess someone could make a game about a culture war, but that would be different from fighting the actual culture war…I think.

        

Model Gallery: Fenris

Whew, what a month for Team Waynedale!  Between international globetrotting, surprise moves, newborn humans, genocidal campaigns against mice, and leaving for priest school, the world’s been pulling the team in different directions.  As summer draws to a close, though, TW is hoping the foot can come off the throttle a bit and return us to a somewhat normal posting schedule.  Thanks to anyone reading this for hanging in there with us!

Earlier this summer, I went through the horrendously long and not-too-cheap process of assembling all of my loose minis, getting them stored in foam and stacked into bins for easy storage instead of being sprawled all over my garage.  Once this was done and my workstation cleaned up, I was itching to start painting something.  I had been working on the Heldrake and Chaos Terminators for some time, but I wanted to try my hand at getting one of my Khador models painted.  Naturally, I went all-in with one of the most awesome models in the range:  Fenris, the Doom Reaver Dragoon with not one but TWO crazy-swords.  Unfortunately, the model would end up giving me a few more headaches than I bargained for.

For starters, painting Privateer Pewter is a little bit of a different animal than Citadel’s plastic kits.  It’s been fashionable to throw a lot of shade at GW lately (justifiably so, at least in most cases), but make no mistake, their plastic kits lately have been killer.

Case in point…

Let's Paint! with Valus: Convergence Optifex (Part 1: basics and basecoats)

Man, how long has it been since I've posted in my own blog?  At this point most bloggers would apologize for being behind on posting due to real life, but forget that.  There's no point in making excuses to the tens of people (ha!) that have been left hanging in my absence, but I will thank Andy and Popculture for towing the line while I was out.  Seeing what the kids are doing with these new-fangled video games is pretty awesome, and the Trollblood and Cygnar updates are awesome as well.

Pretty much me and video games

But now it's time to break my posting dry spell, and the real question is what should we do to mark the occasion?  Well, if you are any good at reading titles, you'll know that this is my first paining post!

Destiny Beta: What The Heck Is This Game?

Welcome back Ladies and  Gentlemen.  So, this week I have been playing the Destiny Beta.  I wanted to collect my thoughts and write a bit about the game in case you haven't had the chance to play it yourself.

Troll Tactica: The Basics

Hello again, readers.  Two weeks in a row?  How did I manage to do that?  Anyways, this week will be the debut in a series of articles I am calling, “Troll Tactica.”  With this series I am aiming to provide to my fellow bloggers a general idea of how my Trollblood army functions.  Not everyone has time, or the desire quite frankly, to read into every faction and see what they do and how they play.  I intend to address everything from individual units / models, tier lists, match ups, and whatever else may pop into my head.  This first article is going to be a snap shot of the faction as a whole.  So, let’s get trollin! (more bad puns may await you inside)

The Stormwall Gathers

So recently I have been working on a very special project...... I broke down and purchased a Stormwall.  For those of you who may not be in the know Stormwall is the most expensive model both point wise and money wise in the Cygnar Faction.  This model is also HUGE it is about 6 inches tall. These monstrous machines are classified as a Colossal and they are that; expensive tough killing machines that raise the game to a whole new level.  Why did I break down buy such a beast? There are a few reasons,  1.  I really wanted one. 2. Clint started the trend by purchasing one of the two mercenary faction colossals the Earth Breaker (this thing is a monster flat out).  3.  It is one of the best units for Cygnar in the game. 4. I have been playing around with the idea of getting into competitive warmahordes and this is the last piece I needed to really be able to do that. And 5.  This thing is awesome, it was a blast putting it together and painting it.        

The box that the Stormwall comes in

Watch_Dogs: A Post Mortem

Hello again readers, if you do exist.  After a whirlwind few weeks I am back and actually writing a blog post.  I will spare the details of my personal life and get to the article.

So, this week I finished Watch_Dogs on PS4.  By finished I don't mean I 100%ed the game.  I finished the main story and the majority of the side quests.  I currently sit at over 75% completion and I don't feel particularly compelled to try to eek out the mythical platinum trophy.  Why?  Well, come along and let me tell you about a game that I felt like I played before which has no soul.

Love Me

Saturday school: Diffuser light vector tactics

In an earlier post I discussed tactics with Forgemaster Syntherion, a warcaster in the Convergence of Cyriss .  Today, I'll look at the Diffuser light vector and what it brings to each warcaster in the Convergence.

In general, the three lights all share a similar three-legged chassis as well as goofy names (Diffuser, Galvanizer, Mitigator).  They also have all-around vision, which is really useful for positioning and drawing LoS.  They also share average defensive stats and 20 damage grids.  Light vectors aren't the most durable warjacks in their class, but with the abundance of repair that the Convergence has access to they can stick around for awhile.

So, what makes the Diffuser worthwhile?  Alone, it is pretty underwhelming.  However, when used in the clockwork fashion that defines the Convergence, wonderful things can happen.

The Claw's Intro

Woo! Look at me! I’m blogging! How 2009 of me.

Can I do it with Kale?....Will my Labradoodle fit in it?

Welcome to my chunk of the internet.  I call myself The Claw, an old nickname my high school Latin teacher bestowed on me.  Here I promise to deliver thoughtful posts about gaming and life, minimal spelling and grammar errors, and a sanctuary from cat memes.

Odd Job: Storm Warrior

Hopefully you've been enjoying the posts from the other members of TW as much as I have.  There's a lot of personalities and interests in the group, which means there's something for everyone!  Today I have an update with a small project I've done on the side while my hand-me-down Tau lot sits in Super Clean.

I received about 1250 points of Tau from TW member Tom Hoger, who is shifting his focus to Warhammer Fantasy.  He was working on the classic Tau Sept color scheme (above), but soon they'll join the ranks of Kai'oran!

Sometimes when you grind out model after model for an army (especially larger ones found in 40k), it can wear on you.  This is our hobby, and the last thing we want is for it to feel like a job!  Whenever I find myself in a rut like this I take a break by going to a Reaper model.

Fountain, ruins, Palisades, and cygnar stuff oh my!

Alright folks here is my first official post on the Team Waynedale blog!  I am beginning a new segment called Terrain Time.  As stated before I have a knack for scratch building things.  I've done some converting my Orks forces, a Kustom Force Field Generator here, a few Grabba Klaws there, and a Wazdaka build.  Recently however, I've turned my attention towards building terrain from scratch to make games of Warmahordes more interesting.  We've been playing 40k for years and over that time we have obtained a large amount of 40k terrain.  However, thematically this doesn't fit with steampunk fantasy battles. While it is true that some pieces can overlap fairly well (hills, rock formation, trees, as well as some of the more gothic and generic buildings)  the difference in scale and time setting called for some minor expansion or the team's holdings.  I had some raw found materials sitting around and some free time so I decided to get crafting.  All of these pieces are constructed from 95-100% found materials gathered from my home, old employers from when I worked there a few years ago or stuff I've saved form other projects.    

First up is the fountain:

A fountain that looks very Cygnar like

This is derived from the bottom of a mint tin, 2 bottle caps, a portion of plastic bottle, and a few plastic pieces that I saved from being thrown away.  I then spray painted a with a light brownish greyish color called fossil.  After that I painted portions blue, gray, a light wash of turquoise to simulate marble, and left other the fossil color.  Things that help are the existing shapes to the bottle caps (arches), holesaws, and a rotatory cutter.