Warlords GT Blog - erm... well....

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm weak. Really, really weak. Not as soon as I used the magic system picker to pick the army I want to take to the Warlords event (it's now been retired to picking Lottery Numbers and for deciding what to have for tea tonight), I'm already looking at other armies and thinking how much nicer they look. And I'm now building something completely different. It was probably my subconscious mind, but you may have notice I added a picture of a High Elf Prince riding a Dragon in one of my earlier posts. Yes, that's right folks I'm now collecting High Elves!


You see I was thinking about the different lists you could make with the Warriors of Chaos and I found them all a bit boring too be honest. I'm not too sure if it's the tournament gamer in me trying to escape, but I found myself constantly coming back to the Tzeentch Lord on a Disc for some Gateway fun. While the other choices were interesting, I couldn't see myself using them more than once for this event. So I started thinking about the armies I wanted when I was younger and just started playing Warhammer. These armies are - High Elves, Skaven and Chaos Dwarfs.

I started a Chaos Dwarf army when I first started playing but never managed to collect more than a thousand points and somehow I've lost the models over time. I still read my White Dwarf Presents now, but unfortunately I wouldn't be able to use them. The army isn't one of the ones you can use at the Warlords GT due to it being a unsupported list by GW (no current book or models but rumour does have it that GW are working on them now!!!!). Next up would be Skaven, but with the new book out soon and time scales being a bit tight for painting, I've put them on my to do list. So High Elves it was.

The High Elf list is one I quite like as it's very flexible and I quite like the models and the background. I've also always wanted a army of them. So I'm busily trying to assemble a small 500 point force of them to act as some motivation to get the army finished. Hopefully my next post will include some pictures, once I find out where my Wife has misplaced the camera!

Warlords GT Blog - The Winner is....

As mentioned in my last entry I would be plucking my army for the Warlords GT out of a hat. Well I haven't got a hat to hand so a little plastic container was used and the winner was....

.... wait for it .....

Warriors of Chaos!

With hindsight this is probably an ideal pick as they can have lists of very few models and can be painted quite quickly. A small part of me is still thinking about other things but I'll stick with these guys as this will be the only way I can get started!

On a different note. I have spent most of tonight having 'fun' with our washing machine. I replaced the paddle with ease (cost bloody £20 though!) only to discover when my wife put a wash in, we had water spewing all over the place. I guessed it was a blocked filter but had to spend an hour on the net trying to work out how to get to the filter to empty it (on our washer it's cunningly hidden round the back and behind a sealed panel). I always laugh how something pops up when I want to do something hobby related.

Anyway, Warriors of Chaos it is and I need to get started. Hopefully I can get a chance to get some stuff done by the weekend......

Warlords GT Blog - Indecisive Monkey!

I've decided to start a blog to try and cover my progress with my army for the Warlords GT. Unfortuantly being the scatter brained person I am, I'm having problems deciding on what to use. I think the problem is because I can see so many good ideas to try I can't make my mind up! So I've decided to let Fate and Lady Luck decide for me.

One of my mates has suggested that I pick the army out of a hat and stick with it, so later tonight after I've repaired our Washing Machine due to a faulty paddle in the durm (the joys of being married and having a real life!), I'm going to do this. In the interests of sanity and what is possible, I've only included armies which I feel are possible to paint for September and that I like the models for. So the list is ......

• Vampire Counts
• Dark Elves
• High Elves
• Warriors of Chaos
• Daemons of Chaos
• Empire
• Dwarfs
• Lizardmen

So just over half the available armies and a mixture of playstyles and minatures, it makes a interesting list.

Fantasy Thoughts....

Well it's been a few days since my last post but I've been away celebrating mine and my wife's birthday's so I'll forgive myself. Anyway, this week I have been mostly thinking about Warhammer Fantasy Battle.



I've signed myself up for a tournament in September and I've decided I want to bring something new along. In other words I want some new toys and this is a nice excuse (plus I get to spend some of my birthday money).

The tournament is being run by the Northern Warlords and it's a nice two day event that has managed to attract 120 players! This is quite impressive considering that this is the first event they have run for a few years. The rules can be found here but it can be summed up as any current published book up to 2250 points using the standard pitched battle scenario. There are some army restrictions to try and stop people taking the default choices that a lot of top tournament lists use now (like Empire with two Steam Tanks as for this event a Steam Tanks counts as Two Rare choices).

So the rules looks interesting and not too restrictive and I know a lot of the players aren't going to be WAAC (Win At All Costs), so I'm going to have a fun time (hopefully). Only downside is that I'm not staying overnight but I get to save a bit of cash and stay in the good books with my wife. Only problem is what to take and with 9 weeks until the event I need to pull my finger out! Watch this space......

Rumour Mill

Even though GW seem tighter than a Yorkshireman about their releases for this year, rumours are starting to trickle out. Here's a brief roundup of what people seem to be talking about....

40k - Space Wolves



The Vikings in space are rumoured to be getting a new codex in October and have some new toys. Firstly it's rumoured that they won't be getting Lighting Claws but Wolf Claws which allow them to re-roll to hit or to wound! It's also rumoured that there will be a Special Character called Canis Wolfborn who rides around on a big Cybernetic Wolf! We also see the return of Njal Stormcaller with a new model which is holding a gnarled staff out before him.

The last rumour for them is kind of interesting as it sounds like Space Wolf Characters will be getting something called Sagas which seem to be similar to how Exarch Powers or Vampire Powers where you customise your character to be a big hero (For Example, we could see something a bit like 'Orkslayer' where the Character gets a bonus fighting Orks). Other than that they will be getting the mandatory plastic kits that enable you to customise your Marine Models into Space Wolves in a similar way to the Dark Angel or Black Templar sets.

Disappointingly there is still no news about how Grey Hunters are equipped as I'm hoping that they will be getting a Bolt Pistol, CCW and Bolter in a similar way to Chaos Marines to represent True Grit.

WFB - Skaven



Skaven are rumoured to be out later this year and it looks like the Adepts of Clan Eshin have been able to contain the rumour leaks as there is very little out about them. One rumour which keeps on popping up is the return of the Doomwheel as a plastic kit but that could be wishful thinking. Either way it's a release I'm looking forwards too as I have a soft spot for the evil ratmen.

Other Stuff

Well Planetary Empires is out next month for 40k which is basically a 40k version of Mighty Empires, so expect to see lots of coverage in White Dwarf and how to link it in with Planetstrike.

Fantasy Flight Games have a cool looking board game out soon called Chaos in the Old World which is set in the WFB world. Players basically take on the role of one of the Chaos Gods and have to try and conquer the Old World in their own way (Plagues for Nurgle, War for Khorne, etc).

Finally we have the mystery box which GW are releasing in September. Again they have been very tight lipped about this apart from that it will be a limited release and it's something cool. I'm hoping that it's Space Hulk but nobody is confirming anything!

PODCAST-O-RAMA

Like millions of people around the world, I own a iPod (iPod Touch to be exact) and besides being able to listen to music (and watch movies depending on what you own), there is a wonderful thing out there known as Podcasts. Now I'm not exactly describing a new thing here as Podcasts have been around for quite a few years, but what I do want to do is highlight to you that they are a wonderful tool in making your hobby that little bit better. For a start they are a useful thing to listen to while painting because you don't get distracted by them like you would do listening to music or watching the telly. Secondly, they are a welcome break from Internet Forums where you can get tainted by the views of Internet Warriors getting carried away by the latest army book and how rubbish/over the top it is.

So what Podcasts should you be listening too?

Well it depends on what games you play as well as your personal preferences. I play a variety of games, so I listen to a variety of Podcasts but I don't listen to many US Podcasts. That is quite simply because I tend to find with most US Podcasts that the guys doing them are a bit too 'chatty'. There's nothing wrong with this but I prefer the hosts getting stuck into the topic of the show, rather than chatting about some random rubbish. A good example is the guys who do 'D6 Generation' as they like to have a good natter about random stuff before going on about any hobby related things. You best bet is to download some shows and decide yourself!

So what do I listen to?

A bit of everything too be honest, but here is a quick rundown in no particular order.....

PODHAMMER - Generally regarded as 'the' Warhammer Fantasy Podcast this is a very good show packed with lots of good info and humour. It has had a bit of a 'blip' due to personal issues with the Host but it is still very, very good. Just don't listen if you are easily offended as it's a bunch of Australian guys and they don't pull the punches!

40K RADIO - This is generally regarded as 'the' 40K Podcast and is the most slick presentation wise out of all the ones I listen too. US guys hosting so they can natter a bit but it's still a good show. Only bugbear is that their Codex Overview can be a bit boring due to the guys stating the obvious!

BAD DICE - A Warhammer PC hosted by two guys from Northern England and is mostly about UK Tournaments (The hosts are some of the best players in the UK). A good show with loads of advice and tips but international listeners may struggle with the accent.

HEELANHAMMER - Another UK WFB PC but is a bit more general and not as tournament focused as Podhammer or Bad Dice. Lots of good tips and advice and well worth listening to.

WORLDS END RADIO - Another Australian PC and covers all GW games and the hobby in general. Can be a bit hit and miss due to this.

BOOSTED DAMAGE - About Warmachine and Hordes in the UK and it's really good. I'm getting into Hordemachine a lot more now and this is a cracking PC to listen to. Can be very tournament based but still good!

GUTS N GEARS - Another PC about Warmachine and Hordes in the UK but is a bit more general. The hosts seem to have the ear of a lot of people as they have even received a letter from Matt Wilson (The game creator I think). Can be a bit poor due to the quality and the hosts do get very excited but still a good show.

And that is generally what I listen to on a regular basis. I'm no way saying that these are the only ones you should listen to but they are well worth it if you have never heard of them. If there's any shows you think I should be listening to, please leave a comment!

Having TB or Tournament Blinkers

Wot ho folks and welcome to 'The GT Files' which will be a blog about my antics in miniature wargaming and associated things. Hopefully it’ll be regularly updated as well!

So I suppose some background about me and the hobby. Firstly I’ve been involved in the hobby now for over 15 years. I can’t remember the exact number but it did start with Hero Quest but I didn’t get into things properly until a few lads I knew at school introduced me to 40k and since then I’ve been a fan of GW and their toys. I play all kinds of games and I’ve had a go at lots of different systems but I always wander back to GW. Like a lot of people who get older and other commitments (My Wife, House and two Cats), I seem to be playing less and less and painting less and less, and I want to change that. So using this blog as a platform to kick myself in my bottom and get started doing more stuff. I’m also using this as an opportunity to change how I approach the hobby and my gaming.

So what am I blabbering on about when I say changing my approach then? Well like a lot of people who enjoy wargames and the social aspects of the hobby, I like tournaments. I’m not a massive goer to these kinds of events but when I do get chance to go I do enjoy them, and of course I tend to approach the gaming side of things from a tournament point of view. Unfortunately this view point can give you a very blinkered view of the hobby and it leaves you combing through army books looking things to exploit or telling people that the army they have spend the last six months painting is rubbish due to them including Unit X. So with my blinkers on, I plodded away with the hobby and I found all the fun slowly draining away from it and it wasn’t until myself and a friend were thinking about going to a GW WFB GT that I saw what was happening.

Now the story is as follows – Myself and my mate decided to go to a GW WFB GT and we wanted to qualify. For those folks who live under rocks, a GW GT is where anything goes and you often find some of the strongest/cheesiest lists in existence running amok. So as normal I’m dithering about what race to take while my friend has decided to take Dark Elves and a Shade Deathstar style army and the more both of us think about going to the event, the more both of us seem to be coming to the same conclusion. The conclusion is that we would both not find the event that much fun because we would be trying too hard to qualify to get into the Final (by painting up one dimensional armies) and we would much rather go to the indie events around the UK to get a more enjoyable set of games for a lot less money. It’s not a terribly exciting story but it is a big one for me as it shows that for all those years I was thinking about the best combo for my Lord/HQ or jumping from bandwagon to bandwagon, I could have been rolling dice and having a laugh. I’m not saying that tournament gaming is a bad thing but I am saying that my approach to it was because I over analysed things and never got anything done or painted. So hopefully I can chill out a bit now and have fun playing with my toys rather than worrying about how to beat that Daemons of Chaos army or how to slim down my 40k force because I have too many kill points.

On a different note, I popped into my local GW store for the first time in ages yesterday, and the new Planetstike stuff looks really, really nice. The new terrain is some of the best that GW has ever produced and the best thing is that it doesn’t cost the earth to have. I’m a big fan of Cities of Death and it’s nice to see GW coming out with similar stuff rather than another Army Codex. They just need to do something similar for WFB now! Anyway I’m going to sign off now as I’ve written a lot of words and my brain is fizzling. If you’ve been affected by TB (or Tournament Blinkers) or quite simply think I’m talking a load of tosh, drop a comment on here.

See you all soon ;)