Major Army Update

Have quite a few updates to my army. Been a little too busy painting to be posting:

Quick Update: A Few More Figures

Not a whole lot to talk about today. Just dropping in to add a few more pictures of my army in progress:

Figure Gallery: Getting Started with Warmachine

The last few weeks I've been pretty focused on getting my Warmachine army started. Normally, I'm one to go with the blue colored good guys in any game I play, but for once, the knight in shining armor wears red. Khador has a lot of themes I generally like. They're heavily armored with heavy melee damage and ice based elemental powers. One thing that greatly interested me was that Khador doesn't make any of the game's smaller robots. Every Warjack they make is as big and heavy as they come.

The first thing I picked up was Vlad, the armored knight styled warcaster to serve as my primary avatar in the game. Along with Vlad, I picked up two of Khador's Heavy Jack Kits to build myself my first machines of war. One really cool thing about the plastic jack kits is that they come with a single chassis, but give you all the parts you need to make four different Warjacks. In theory, you could buy one for every figure you wish to build, but luckily I found a great tutorial online that showed me how to magnetize the different arms and weapons to allow you to easily swap your kit into any figure in the set.

This take's a fair amount of work, but the results are well worth it. You'll need a small Dremel tool and a set of 1/8" rare earth magnets. With the Dremel tool, you'll want to drill a small hole in any joint you wish to magnetize and then insert a magnet into the hole with a dab of super glue. The magnets take some practice to get used to. They're quite strong and on more then one occasion I dropped one only to have it yank its brethren from some of my completed pieces. Keeping a good distance between your finished bits is rather important. The other thing to keep in mind is that you need to be very careful to watch your polarities. You don't want to put a magnet in backwards and find your arm repels itself from the socket. I did well for the most part, but unfortunately, the shoulders are reversed on the two figures. Not a major problem, but it means each figure has a set of arms that only works on that figure, rather than arms that can be used interchangeably.

The results of this are really quite exciting. It's sort of like building your own toy. Arms can be adjusted and posed all sorts of ways, letting you tweak your figure however you like. It's a great way to start off in the game, as you'll get a good variety of big figures to try out. I'll also mention, the two Warjacks in the Khador starter set use the same parts as the heavy kit. While you don't get all of the parts for each figure available in the heavy kit, if magnetized, you can buy another heavy kit and have three chassis to swap around.

From there, it's back to my last article to paint up the figures. I didn't actually use the wood stain on this one. Seeing as they're a little nicer figures than I normally use, I decided to try a wash. A wash is pretty easy to use and acts much like the stain. It's very watery (and generally should be watered down further). The nice thing is that you can brush it over the figure and it will run in and darken the crevices, while still being easy to tone down by drying your brush and using it to absorb. I probably went a little overboard on the wash here, but I'm happy with it. Certainly not something I'd do for cheaper board game figures, but for these really detailed guys, it works really well.

In addition, these were the first figures I every made custom bases for. This was pretty simple for the most part. I started by painting the bottom of the base white. For the jacks, I glued a tiny rock to break things up since it was such a large base. Then, I simply poured some good old white Elmer's glue down and used an old brush to spread it around. With snow, it seems to work best if you get a pretty thick layer of glue to start with. From there I got a little tub of snow flock and just poured it over top. After waiting a bit to let it dry, I shook off the extra and that was it.

Anyway, enough rambling. This is really supposed to be a gallery post, so lets dive into the pictures. Enjoy!

Pilotwings Resort - Into the Wild 3D Yonder

Nintendo has built themselves a new bit of 3D tech and in keeping with tradition, that means we get another entry in the Pilotwings franchise to help us test it out. Originally debuting on the SNES, the first Pilotwings was largely a showcase for the system's Mode 7 effects, returning years later as one of the sparse launch titles for the N64 to teach us how to use the analog stick. Nintendo's latest offering in the series, Pilotwings Resort once again gives us a set of airborne ring courses to help us get used to Nintendo's latest innovation; stereoscopic 3D.

I've been a little surprised with the reviews I've read of this game to be perfectly honest. They largely complain about the game's rather short length and tendency to require you to perform absolutely flawlessly to get a perfect score. In short, they largely describe Pilotwings. It has always been a series that demands a certain amount of perfection, though if all you wish to do is clear every test once, the game is far more lenient. While I have yet to completely finish the game, perhaps the one feature I miss from its predecessor is the human cannonball challenge. Nevertheless, this game is still Pilotwings at its core, with several fun, inventive challenges to help you put your new system through the paces. You'll get a chance to pilot planes, hang gliders, and the every popular rocket pack, though every once in a while they throw you a bit of a curve via a more specialized vehicle.

Unfortunately, as a test of the system's 3D capabilities, I find it rather distracting and discouraging. One of the tricks to the 3DS is that you have to find the sweet spot to properly see the 3D effects. There are several good screens in the game with solid, colorful objects to help you adjust, but the game doesn't allow you to hold this calibration into gameplay. Before starting a challenge, you'll have to select a test from the bottom screen and when you look back up, you'll find an odd, transparent text box that makes it extremely difficult to tell if you're still in the sweet spot. Hopefully as the system matures, developers can find ways to help players find the proper viewing angle, but sadly, I'm finding I'm enjoying the game more with the 3D switched off.

That said, the game is doing a great job letting me toy with the system's analog pad. As a game built upon small, steady movements, it really lets you see how wonderfully the analog works. After years of disappointment with the PSP nub and the attempts at virtual analog on the DS and iPhone, playing a portable with nearly flawless analog controls is simply wonderful. Nintendo has certainly set the bar for portable controls as far as I'm concerned, and Pilotwings Resort is a terrific means of trying them out.

Overall, Pilotwings Resort shares much in common with its fore bearers. It's a bit of a tech demo among a rather anemic launch lineup. It's probably not enough to keep you busy until the next wave of games hits the system, but its a lot of fun while it lasts. Players looking to kick the tires of their new system can certainly do worse than spending a few hours soaring leisurely above Wuhu Island, while those looking for more of a challenge can spend hours going for a perfect run. While it may not be the killer app for the 3DS, it's certainly a solid game, well worth using to break in Nintendo's shiny new handheld.

Nintendo 3DS: First Impressions

Depth perception and I have never been on the best of terms. I can't parallel park to save my life, baseball was always an exercise in blind luck, and to this day, I have yet to see the stupid sailboat in those magic eye paintings. Despite my considerable z-axis shortcomings, I was still pretty excited to try out the new Nintendo 3DS. Regardless of the actual effect, it's still a new Nintendo handheld and that's more than enough for me to rush home today to scoop the package off my doorstep. Unfortunately, I had convinced myself the system was coming out about 2 days later than it actually did, so I neglected to get around to ordering one of those nifty game cartridge things to play in it, so for now, we're just going to take a look at the system itself.

First of all, the thing is about what you'd expect from something with the DS title. It's just a little bit larger than the DSLite, but not as much as you may have heard. It took me a few good stare downs to see the difference, but then again, I'm not a very good judge of distance. The system sports the same clamshell style we've seen since the GBA SP and opens to a nice, widescreen display. Buttons have a nice springy click to them all around, including the shoulder buttons which have always been a bit spongy. The new analog nub feels terrific, though I currently don't have any games to verify this against.

The UI has a nice modern feel, though I find it oddly reliant on the Home button despite having used Apple's iOS for several years now. The system comes with a few games to test out, both of which rely on a terribly low resolution camera for some simple, alternate reality fun. Face Raiders has you taking blurry pictures of your friends to shoot in floating heads that smash through the video for you to swing around and shoot for some mindless, unsettling fun. The other AR Game, succinctly titled AR Games, has you put a card on the table that turns into a box of targets to shoot. I actually found this to be pretty fantastic and would have played it for hours had it not turned out to be a single 60 sec level. In both cases though, I'll be happy to ditch the grainy, Sega CD style background of my home for some nice, colorful polygons.

Now that I've wasted a good amount of time talking about all the things no one cares about, lets get to what actually matters. The 3D effect is nice, and while I don't suspect I notice it as well as others I can tell the difference between when its on and when its off. There's clearly an optimal range of where you can really see it that will take a little practice to adjust to naturally. Luckily, being a handheld it's rather easy adjust the screen to the proper angle. It seems though, that the Dual Screen nature of the DS actually hinders this somewhat, as peaking down at the lower screen regularly will throw you off. Overall though, it seems to work and will ultimately be up to the games to determine if its a solid innovation or a gimmick, and whether or not the 3D slider is toggled on or off.

For now though, I'm ready to leave it on and give this whole third dimension a try. In the worst case scenario, it's another solid, Nintendo portable device capable of sporting some notably improved visuals over its predecessor. The potential is there, just waiting for developers to unlock it. Hopefully, like the DS before it, they can once again far surpass our expectations.

Warmachine: Heavy Metal

So... not a lot of games lately, which has given me a critical case of writer's block. Partially that's just the post Christmas doldrums, though I have a few I just haven't yet gotten to. Mainly however, I recently lost all of my time and sanity by deciding to try painting up some really nice figures from one of those finicky hobby games. After perusing Games-Workshop's 40k universe for a bit, I found a set of figures I really liked from Privateer Press, the makers of Monsterpocalypse and decided to start up an army for Warmachine. Unfortunately, there's not really much of a hobby gaming scene in my area, so I'm probably far more interested in displaying figures than playing them, but luckily I have a friend with a few figures from the compatible sister game Hordes to run against occasionally.

I've only played a single game thus far using the proxy, print and play rules found on the Privateer Press Website, but I thought a little introduction to the game was in order before introducing the figures I've been working on. Warmachine takes place in a fantasy universe with a heavy steampunk influence. You control a Warcaster, who's a sort of super powerful battle mage who casts spells and most importantly, can control giant mechanical men known as Warjacks. The Warcaster is really the heart and sole of the game, as they are given a limited number of focus points each turn to cast spells, buff their army, or direct their 'jacks to their maximum potential. The degree in which a warcaster affects gameplay is particularly impressive, and one of the most enticing aspects of the game is the fact that simply switching out this single figure will completely change how the rest of your army plays.

Players take turns moving their figures, using special abilities, and attacking. The game is one of those bizarre, tape measure based games where movement and attacks are all literally handled in inches. Historically, this has been a huge turn off for me, but I found one aspect of it in Warmachine I particularly enjoy. Namely, whenever you wish to attack a figure, you have to declare your target before doing any measurements. This really encourages an aggressive playstyle as trying to stick to the edge of your range can often lead to completely wasted shots. There's a bit of uncertainty and judgement that really couldn't be captured through other means. You have to be absolutely certain before charging into combat or you may find your blades swinging in the air inches away from their targets, who will be all to happy to counterattack the next turn.

The goal of the game is to destroy the opposing Warcaster. No matter how well you're doing, you lose if your opponent captures your "king". Warcasters have a limited range in which they can use focus to boost their troops, however, so having them hang back where its safe generally isn't an option. Each warcaster also has a "Feat" which serves as a once per game super move, capable of deciding the match if timed correctly. Our first game ended with my caster seeing an opening, and rather than support her troops, simply used all of her focus to boost herself and take my friend's warcaster in a single assault.

I don't have nearly the experience with the game to comment on how it plays beyond the small array of figures available in the starter kits, but after a look through the complete rules, it appears to be a well thought out, highly engaging game. The rulebook itself clocks in at a massive 255 pages, though to be fair this mostly consists of backstory, fluff, artwork, and advice for painting the figures. However, the real rules still make up 67 pages, dwarfing my previous complaints about the Monsterpocalypse rules. Some of this appears to be an attempt to make the game nearly impossible to rules lawyer, leading to some long winded explanations of extremely simple concepts. Much like Privateer's other game, most of it plays far better than it reads, and there appear to be few instances where the rules appear disconnected from expectations.

Overall, I'm extremely impressed with what Privateer Press has put together; I'm simply disappointed that there isn't the kind of community required for me to get as much out of this game as I'd like. Certainly, its important to remember the "hobby" part of hobby gaming and that much of the draw is bringing color and life to the figures, crafting your own toys, as it were to play. The flip side, of course, is that it requires an intimidating amount of effort to get into. Its a terrible shame the bar for entry to the game is so high, as it would otherwise be an extremely easy recommendation. Heroscape remains one of the best introductions to miniature combat available, but for those willing to give the terrors of painting and rulers a try, I don't think there's a better place to start.

Pardon the Interruption

Sadly, I haven't gotten in a whole lot of gaming in the last week and have fallen a bit behind on my updates. I'll be taking a break this week and get back to my regular schedule on Monday.