New Member Monday - Rules Lawyers and Dakka

Hey everyone!  I hope you're having as amazing a Monday as I am!  Actually, I hope your Monday is better than mine.  There's a touch of a hang over about me and I sure could have used a few extra hours of sleep.

But that's what happen when Sunday Funday stretches out a little longer than anyone had anticipated and you end up at a bar called "Bob's Butternut Hut".

The actual bar

In better (and less Lauby-centric) news we have a new member on the blog rolls and I found something cool for you all to look at.

First, the cool thing: FINISHED DAKKAJET! IN 720° VISION!

PX of PX40K has an excellent Ork Fighta he painted up and then, using some kind of techno-wizardry, photographed into one of those 360 degree views.  Only his is twice as good!

New Member Monday

The Rules Lawyers
Keywords: 40k, Rules Interpretation, Listbuilding, Conversions, Codex Reviews, Competitive gaming
60% of the time, we're right every time.

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UK Games Day- The Cynic's Perspective

 Hi all,

On Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the annual UK convention for Games Workshop- Games Day. Now, for all the US readers out there- you guys know how to do conventions. You tend to be quite good at it- enthusing people for the coming year, knowing that the biggest fans of whatever product is being shilled are all in one place. In the UK, it's now the same; conventions tend to be roughly equivalent to a big club night. 

 

As result I went to UKGD2012 with... expectations. I expected to queue in the rain for 2 hours before being let in. I expected for no new information to be forthcoming. I expected to waste a full half of the event to wait in line to buy the Blood Angel Captain (Fantastic! I now have a limited edition model of the most redundant entry in the Codex....) Yes indeed, my cup runneth over.

So what actually happened?

I'll start at the beginning. I went up to Birmingham on the coach with the local store. This was- quite good actually. I was surrounded by genuine hobbyists, rather than screaming kids. Yes indeed, the children in attendance were genuinely interested and could carry a hobby conversation -special mention to Adam, who was talking on the way about how cool his new Chaos toys would make his army. The whole experience was made even better by the on-coach entertainment. no quizzes, no chanting "Waaaagh"- instead, we were treated to Transformers- the Animated Movie, which remains one of the top 5 Geek Flicks of all time. 

When we got there we queued- in the warm. They actually let us inside. They didn't confiscate our food or drinks, we got through the doors quickly- it was all very civilised. Apparently, the lessons of the past have been learned. Once we got inside the hall, it was a short stop until the hobby was in evidence- ForgeWorld had a decent sized hobby stand, showing off their kits- some old, some new. I grabbed a Seminar ticket (more on that in a second) and snapped a few photos. Then I went running off to the Sales stand....

Which now had its own room, was organised, and took about 15 minutes to get in to. It was all laid out fairly well, and the new till system worked well. All told I was in, grabbed what I wanted, and out in the space of 30 minutes. In all, I was impressed by the new system. No, the Chaos Codex wasn't on sale.

There were a few tables which deserve a special mention. One Lizardmen table had a real-life water feature. There were some truly enormous tables where people could take part in one of two “theatres” for a central objective- one of these was Moria, with the Watcher at one end, the Balrog guarding one end of the centre, and the hills at the other end. This was an epic table, but unfortunately I couldn’t get close enough for a decent shot.

On to the event itself. In the past, I've always had a sense of rush and hurry-up and Games Days. Not so this year. I was able to walk around at leisure and take in the bits that I wanted to. Some of the games they put on were impressive; some were the same-old same- old. Anyway, enough with the introduction, here's what I got up to after spending my money!

ForgeWorld Seminar:

Yes, I got in to the Seminar. Tony Cottrell was speaking, and told us all about the very few things coming out for Fantasy over the next few months, but that we can expect the Black Fire Pass book at some point- complete with Empire, Orcs and Goblins and Dwarves. I'm quite looking forward to this but there was, of course, bigger news. Yes, the new Imperial Armour book will be out in the near future, and will be the wet dream of Necron players everywhere. There was also a firm promise that FW is not abandoning the current series of books- they will continue to provide support to Xenos races. Finally, there is a new Imperial Armour coming out, detailing the Imperial vehicles in all of their glory and updating the existing rules. 

They also had this nice little diorama to show off....

I also had the chance to talk to a few of the Studio guys. In no particular order:

John Blanche I spoke to about his personal hobby journey. By which I mean going from an artist, to a modeller, to a sculptor, to a gamer. It transpires that this may well feature in a future Blanchitsu, so I'm deliberately not going into a hell of a lot of detail here- but I do enjoy talking to the old geezer about his art, and he remains one of my favourite GW illustrators.

Brian Nelson had a long chat with Mr. Harris (who was in attendance) about sculpting eyes, hands, and the use of different putties in sculpting, as well as building armatures. I asked him about how to treat Green Stuff, and he suggested using it as thin as possible. The reason? Green Stuff heats up as it dries, and so it expands- the more you have, the more it expands. They use Fimo for the base and Super-Sculpey for the larger details, and then finish off with Green Stuff. Handy hint for budding sculptors.

For budding Games Designers, Jervis had this little gem: "Artists steal; Plagiarists copy." In essence, there are a million different games mechanics out there, and you probably won't come up with an original idea. However, the mix of ideas into a finished product is unique, and if done right is a work of art in its own right. The catch is that taking an existing ruleset and simply shuffling a few bits around isn't creative, it's just a different method of coming up with House Rules. I found this quite useful, but I'll let other people disagree in the comments....

Whilst on the subject of Games Design, the Chaos Codex was on display. Yes, I managed to look at it. No, I'm not going to give you any spoilers- that's the job of other people online, and you can all see it in a few weeks. 

I gushed over the White Dwarf team. I LOVE this new edition of White Dwarf, it has a feel of old editions about it and I am now hopeful that the magazine is going to go back to being one of my regular purchases. Decent painting articles, a good-length battle report, good quality photos. If they bring back Chapter Approved and Olde Weirde's, then I'll be ecstatic- and it was hinted that this will be coming, along with more hobby articles. The overall ambition is to get White Dwarf back to a hobby magazine rather than an advert- fingers crossed. 

 

Finally, the digital team told me that they are aiming to get the products onto other digital platforms (specifically Android and Kindle platforms) within the next twelve months, but no promises could be made. 

I had a browse around the Golden Daemon entries, and thankfully the standard was up this year. There were some truly inspirational models there. Unfortunately, I still have the same bug bear with GD as always- they insist on sharp, bright highlights. Don’t get me wrong, this really suits some models, but others I like to see in darker, more natural, earthy tones. The judges, on the other hand, immediately discount these entries- for me, it’s like saying Picasso isn’t a great painter because he doesn’t paint natural forms naturally. But anyway.

On the note of painting, Armies on Parade- the best entries were the ones where people spent time painting their armies, and not building the most elaborate board. Part of the reason, probably, is that most of the 2’ or higher boards were obviously rushed- you make something that big, it has to be made well. Just a passing observation.

All told though, I had a great day. I caught up with some old gaming buddies, possibly made a few new ones, and got a big ol' injection of Hobby Crack over the course of the day. The day went a damn sight better than expected, and I find myself, rather bizarrely, wanting to congratulate GW on a well run, well-organised event that didn't seem like it was just aimed at 12 and unders. If this is the track they follow for next year, then I heartily recommend it to GW lovers (Haters, obviously, can just join me at the giant car-park which is Salute...)

Hmmm, is there anything I've left out....?

Oh, yes, the Horus Heresy. (You thought I was going to leave it out, didn't you ;) ) Yes, there will be more than 1 book- the next one will deal with Istvaan 5 (the first part) and will include Salamanders, Iron hands, Word Bearers, Iron Warriors and the Mechanicum (not a full list, just a few units.) The next Primarch will be Fulgrim- however; the Primarchs will be interspersed with Diorama's of characters, the next of which will be Abaddon and Loken.

Abaddon and Loken WiP

What else.... They will be dealing with all of the spheres of war eventually, so there will be a Blood Angels vs Daemons book, a Prospero book, a Calth book etc. Robots will probably feature, but be Legion specific. Imperial army factions will feature, but will be a runner-up to the Space Marines. There is, apparently, a desire to increase the Titan range and do Knights, but they haven’t completed the basic 3 yet (the Imperator doesn’t count.) They aren’t going to be supporting Epic/ Gothic any time soon, so don’t hope for a copy of Heresy in little scale.

And the final snippet which I am willing to divulge.....

Mr. Cottrell revealed that there will not be, in no uncertain terms, any model for Leman Russ.

Comments, as always, are welcome.

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The Politically Incorrect Gamer Part Two- Video Game Connection

Hey, folks. SinSynn here.

Ermahgerd- Borderlands 2. Entirely too much fun.
Da purple loot am mine! Gimme! Y U take it? DUAL NOW!....Awww. Y U kill me?
Must. Stop. Playing. Slots. At. Moxxy's...Soon. One more pull. Gimme Iridium! Three Bandits NOOOO!!
Hold that Golden Key! I'll wait till Level 50...but wait, won't one of the DLC's bump the cap to 60?
0_o

Sigh...My tentacles are cramped up and locked into the shape of an XBox controller right now, so I'm experiencing technical difficulties with typing.
GUNS FOR THE GUN GOD!
Far more interesting to say than 'Blood for the Blood God,' since GW went and made the new Chaos Codex FIFTY BUCKS! Lolz! Or you can haz da 'limited edition' book for eighty three.
It's a whopping 104 pages.
No, I won't be buying that, G-Dubs. I WILL, however, bootleg it offa da internet and slap it on my smartphone, you idiots.
Oh, and single figs costing twenty to thirty bucks? Aspiring Champion 20, Warpsmith 30?
-_-
No. Just no. Especially since I know you'll beef those guys up in yer overpriced Codex and make them 'must-haves.'

Clearly, the folks over at Games Workshop have lost their tiny lil' minds.
Which brings us, in a sorta roundabout way, to the subject(s) for today's post- video games, and the folks in 'the industry.'

*And then you charge ridiculous amounts of money for it, amirite?*

So, last week I said that video games are killing our lil' hobby (perhaps a dramatic overstatement, but I'm prone to doing that), and while I think that our hobby will likely never disappear fully (like...opera music), this is a concern of mine.
SandWyrm, over at the Back 40k (another cool blog you should be reading), posted this a while back, and I think it's pretty darn interesting. Sandy is da man.

Games Workshop manages to post a tidy profit every year, and I think they've made some wise decisions when it comes to expanding the 40k brand- mainly with video games licensing. The Space Marine game was met with a warm reception, and honestly it was a pretty well produced product. Dawn of War II wasn't so hot, though; the first game had a bunch of expansions but the second...did not. That says it all.
Pretty sure we'll see a part three, though, and hopefully a return to proper RTS form.
Oh, and lest we forget, there was a Blood Bowl video game!
Y U NO MAKE BOARDGAME, GW? Y U GIVE US DREAD(ful) FLEET?

Licensing accounted for what, like, forty percent of GW's profits last fiscal year? And that licensing went where?
Video games.
Funnily enough, the rise of the 'free to play, but pay to win' MMO games, like World of Tanks, drove a stake through the heart of the 40k MMO Dark Millennium, and I believe THQ is reworking it as a single player/multiplayer RPG kinda thingy. I'm not sure, I stopped paying attention to it, to tell ya the truth.

*For a hot minute it looked cool, though*

I'm sure that video games aren't directly responsible for so many FLGS's going out of business here in the states over the last few years- the rise of the online retailer had far more to do with that. From a business perspective, this makes sense. Ours is a niche market, not likely to support a lot of brick and mortar locations anyway. Having a low overhead allows online retailers to offer a steep discount. Combine that with the convenience of shopping online, and well, the results are inevitable, albeit sad and tragic.
Isn't that what happened with the whole model train thing? It kinda...dried up and blew away, right? It still exists, but on a...smaller scale now.
Ooof- bad pun. I'm sorry...sorta.

Where are people playing their wargames? I have to travel an hour or more to get a game on with someone who isn't the Ultimate Rival, and the place where I play is basically held aloft by Magic the Gathering, collectables and comic books.
MTG requires no table, little commitment beyond spending money, and is dirt cheap compared to 40k. Compared to conventional tabletop wargames, it's doing pretty darn well. Easily three times the amount of people show up every weekend at my not-so-local games shop to play Magic, even when we throw a 40k tournament and there's NOT a Magic tournament.
There are no more Fantasy tournaments held there (no one shows up), and we've never seen a LoTR player. We're convinced they don't exist here in the states.
40k is king at GW. The breadwinner.

Games Workshop is wise to push 40k out into the realm of video games. The franchise is well suited to it, after all. Fantasy, on the other hand, could never hope to compete with the Elder Scrolls series. Not many 'swords and sorcery' things can, though. Not LoTR (despite the popularity of the movies), and not Game of Thrones, either.

*Sigh @ cash-ins*

The best thing that will come of 40k expanding into the video games market is that it just may attract the odd person to an actual game table. It makes me think that maybe, just maybe, the people that make 40k aren't quite as dumb as I tend to imagine they are.
Honestly, the decisions that GW makes in regards to their tabletop games tend to befuddle me. Also honestly, I am easily befuddled.

*Well, I start my day befuddled, but whatevs dude. Let's do this*

Being constantly befuddled is...prolly not good for a blogger. We're supposed to like, know stuffs. Have an informed opinion, use big words and whatnot. At the very least, we're supposed to be like, actually good at the games we talk about, or be super-duper painters or whatever.
I am none of those things.
It comes as no surprise to me that the many bloggers who bless me with their comments are far better informed than me in regards to who actually makes our games, or are heavy hitters/important players in the industry.
I rely on them, and anyone else who leaves a comment or e-mails me, for many things- to edumacate me, to tell me when I'm being an ass, and to give me ideas for stuffs to write randomly and somewhat haphazardly about.

My intention with this series is not to point fingers and accuse the companies that make our games of stuffs like racism and sexism. I could never believe that anyone seeking to turn a profit would go that route.
Nevertheless, our hobby is white-guy-centric, and as someone who lives in a multicultural, multi ethnic neighborhood and sorta takes that for granted as 'the way life is,' I find it odd. Compared to many of you, I'm kinda new at the whole hobby thing, having only been doing this for like...six years, I guess. Most of my games are played against the Ultimate Rival, who's Puerto Rican and Irish. My buddy Nascar, who we recently inducted into the gaming garage, is Dominican.
Whatevs, we're Americans and we live in the Bronx, NYC.

You know what I think when I go to a 40k or Flames of War tournament?
'Holy crap there's a lotta white people here!'
Since every one I've attended has been upstate, it doesn't take long for someone to recognize that I'm from the city, since I'm usually rockin' my crisp white Nikes and yeah, my Bronx accent is pretty thick, from what I understand.

*Never, ever scuff my Nikes. An ungentle tentacle probing will ensue*

The people I meet at tourneys tend to find me greatly amusing, and I them. Our differences make for interesting discussions over a table top. I enjoy it, very much. Yes, I've met the odd...disturbing person, but I meet disturbing people alla time, so I'm not put off by that.
If anything, I come away being pleasantly surprised by how readily the good folks in our hobby accept me.
I slip right in, just an average gamer. I rarely mention to the gamers I meet that I blog, cuz I've found that most gamers don't read blogs, and I don't wanna sound pretentious (or like I actually know sumpthin,' cuz I don't for the most part). A lot of them hit various forums, and a few are aware of Bell of Lost Souls, but that's about it. In my personal experience, the folks I game with don't really care about 'who makes the games,' either.

They just play them.
I can toss around the names of the GW staff, but even names like Mat Ward and Robin Cruddace don't produce the reactions I would expect. Those names make me pretty darn heated, but even the Ultimate Rival gives me a blank stare, and he's firmly a hated Imperial.

The bloggers who left comments last week suggested that a broader spectrum of people would be attracted to our hobby if the gaming company staffs were more diverse. This...kinda makes sense to me, since many of these companies put their staffs up front on their websites, in their forums and even in their magazines, if they've got one- GW, PP, and Battlefront all have magazines, after all.
On the other hand, I could give a crap who the heck is working at Battlefront. I really don't care, even though I enjoy Flames of War. There's usually a staffer name attached to their announcements, but I don't pay attention.
I stopped reading White Dwarf like, forever ago. I used to care about who was doing what at GW, and I ended up with Mat Ward.
-_-


Our hobby, and the games we play, are a luxury form of entertainment. Like video games, or goin' to the movies, or whatever.
So- Grand Theft Auto 4 was a huge hit worldwide, featured a black protagonist, and was made by dudes in...Scotland? Yes, Scotland.
The Avengers movie was also a pretty big thing, but featured a mostly white cast (one of the Avengers was green, sometimes), was directed and produced by white folks. How did it make so much darn money in non-white countries? Did they show up for Samuel Jackson's lil' part?
Admittedly, Samuel Jackson is pretty bad ass. Why else would we suffer through Snakes on a Plane?

*To hear him say 'mother fucker,' that's why. Cuz we love that*

I love the Blade movies, cuz they're bad ass too. I own all of 'em. Again, black protagonist. Not just any black protagonist, either, but Mister 'always bet on black' Wesley Snipes. Yes, an awesome badass.

*Nobody, but nobody, does the 'superhero pose' better than Wesley*

The movies and games I've mentioned here have sucked money outta people of all kinds, as they were designed to do. They are almost universally considered awesome.
I don't think 'awesome' is tied to one race, or creed, or type of people. No one cares that the actor who plays Sheldon Cooper is gay when they're laughing at his completely awesome, hysterical antics, do they?
Could Niel Patrick Harris be any goddam funnier in the Harold and Kumar movies? I don't think so.
We love those guys, and Wesley, and Samuel, and a whole host of actors and actresses, regardless of...whatever, amirite? We love 'em cuz they're awesome.

I personally believe that successful forms of entertainment are successful simply because they're awesome. I usually suspect something is awesome because I get hooked on some lil' marketing thing they do to convince me it's awesome.
Damn you, Wimoweh trailer...damn you!

GW is showing a broader spectrum of people how awesome 40k is, by giving a license to THQ to market it through video games. I, for one, applaud them for doing that. I've seen a Warmachine video game trailer as well, but I don't believe it showed up at E3 this year. I hope it's still gonna happen.

I think our hobby is awesome, but how would it best be served? How do they go about getting more people, different types of people, not just to the game table, but past that and into the design studios themselves? Companies like GW don't seem interested in 'conventional' marketing, that's for sure. It's pretty awkward when they try stuffs like that, anyway.
Personally, I think they should hire these guys to make viral videos for them.
(Warning- not for children and NSFW!!!! But so friggin' funny!)

So, hey...video games (and movies. Actual good ones, hopefully) based off of our favorite hobby franchises. Why not?
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?
Is this one way to draw new people into the hobby?


Now that I've gone on for entirely too long, I'm relying on you guys to tell me if I'm being a knucklehead.
I...sometimes am.
:D


Until next time, folks- Exit with catchphrase!

-SinSynn

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The Politicaly Incorrect Gamer Part One- Intro

Hey, folks. SinSynn here.

So this is a series I've been plotting for a few weeks, and ugh...what a week to begin.

As I'm sure all of you know, Tuesday was 9/11. As a New Yorker who suffered through that horrific day, I tend to get very melancholy every year 'round this time. Not just on the day itself, because that was just the beginning. The misery that occurred extended for many months afterwards, and virtually every flat vertical surface in my great city was covered with tragic lil' posters that no municipal authority would dare remove.

*Images like this still hurt me. Very much*

Don't get it twisted, New Yorkers are a tough bunch. We bounced back fairly quickly, but our hearts will forever bear a great Twin Towers shaped scar.
It is what it is; our mighty skyline was forever altered, and our city and selves as well.
I'd probably be OK now, except that...well, on the 11th anniversary of that day, a series of attacks began that extended throughout the week. I'm sure you all know about it, and that's not what I'm here to discuss, so whatevs.
It just seems like an odd time to begin a series about 'political correctness in gaming,' is all I'm sayin.'


Apologies for the miserable joke free intro, dear readers. Anyone interested in sharing their own 9/11 memories can head on over to my buddy Purgatus' blog, Best Overall. While yer there, be sure to click 'follow,' and check in when he posts. I'm loathe to use terms like this, but he is 'a gentleman of rare distinction,' a thoughtful writer, and a gosh-darn smart gamer.
He's also a great big ol' knucklehead.
:)

There, I've called someone a knucklehead...I'm feeling a lil' better.
*Deep breath, clearing of throat*
Ok, so here we go...

Right, so anyone that knows me knows I think enforced political correctness is a bunch of crap. What it seems to result in is people using their own special interests as an excuse for seeing everything they don't particularly like as an attack on them.
Some individual gets fired from his/her job, and it's gotta be because he or her is...whatever (choose yer thing), not because he wasn't any good at it, or took too many sick days, was a liar and/or thief, or any other possible reason.
This attitude has pervaded the world we live in until now we've got a literal plethora of laws, rules and company policies seeking to make us behave like some sorta robotic sheep, afraid to give voice to our own opinions.

*Get back in your cubicle!*

I firmly believe that good and decent people should treat each other with kindness and respect simply because it's the right thing to friggin' do, people should earn what they expect to receive, and should receive what they've earned.
Sure, occasional altercations may occur, angry words may be bandied back and forth in the heat of the moment, or whatves, but hopefully when we cool off we'll reach a middle ground of tolerance, acceptance, and possibly understanding.
Rational people are capable of this, I think. I aspire to rationality.
...I do, really.
...
...
Shaddup, youse...and don't you judge me.
I said 'aspire.'
:P

Be that as it may, I've been doing some thinking 'bout 40k lately, and I've been hitting the links here at the HoP, trying to find some direction for my next 40k 'thing,' and for a second, I was like hey, what about the ladies?

*So much coolness*

I mean, seriously, if I was ever gonna do Imperial Power Armor, it would be the Sisters of Battle. Look at the models, man...they're da awesome. Baroque in an obsessively detailed manner, the Sisters present any hobbyist with a completely unique modeling/painting opportunity, not for the faint of heart.
The models themselves will challenge your abilities, of that there is no doubt.

*Simply amazing*

It doesn't take long for the Hamster That Lives In My Head to spin off in wacky directions, however, and before long I found myself wondering why the heck Games Workshop flat-out hates the Sisters.
Y U hate them, GW?

Spinning a lil' deeper, it becomes clear that females in general don't fit into the universes they've created. Deeper still, and it's not just women- it's blacks, Latinos, and pretty much every ethnic group except one.
Inevitably, the Hamster's lil wheel snaps off the spindle, and whoosh...
...Our hobby doesn't do a good job portraying and representing women, does it? Or many of the various peoples that actually populate our planet, huh? Religion and politics tend to be either ignored or glossed over, as well.
Virtually any other medium used as entertainment would at least seek to be inclusive, or pay lip service to these things, for the sake of 'political correctness' if nothing else. And who knows? That might actually lead to someone learning sumpthin,' expanding their horizons of thought, or whatevs.
It could happen, but you've gotta actually touch upon these subjects to open a line of communication, don'tcha?

We play games where most of the issues we're presented with are resolved by killing stuffs. For the most part, video games do, too. As the video game industry has grown, it's had it's share of troubles in the matter of political correctness, but that industry moves quickly, and before you know it, they'll be trotting out a game where you can play as a ginormous, naked black lady while you blow up everything...and why the heck not?

Total Side Note: Hey Ash, Watcha Playin'? (aka HAWP) is one of my fave things. Check out the Minecraft Episode. So funny.

Still, the video game industry takes a lotta heat over it's portrayal of characters like Sheva, from Resident Evil 5.

*Racist and sexist! It's a twofer!*

When stuff like this jumps off in the video game industry, oh boy...heads roll, official apologies are issued, etc, etc.

Our hobby rolls on, as it ever did, in it's gloriously politically incorrect manner, seemingly reveling in it's ignorance of pretty much everything that isn't a white guy.
Sigh.

Sure, I may enjoy a scantily clad model for no good reason, but when I look at the bigger picture I worry that my hobby is doing nothing to be inclusive, nothing to encourage diversity, and nothing to attract customers and new players that are outside the group that's already buying and playing.
Every other industry on the planet courts business from every group of humans, everywhere, and they do so shamelessly. The companies that make our games do not, and our hobby is losing ground and becoming more niche as a result.
Video games are killing it. Period.

Ok, so...now that I've said that, I thought I'd approach this series in a different manner than I usually do.
Why? Cuz I'm a dumbass, that's why.
Sexism, racism, intolerance and ignorance.
I want to discuss these issues with you, but I'd really, really like not to piss anyone off this time. So I will do my best to keep the inappropriate comments and bad jokes to a minimum, and present my thoughts as just...thoughts.

*The forthcoming Relic Knights. A lot of the models are like this. Waddaya think?*

I want you, my readers, to tell me what needs to change in our hobby for it to more than survive, but to grow beyond where it is now. And I'm not talking about awkward change like the medic in Battlefield 3 somehow becoming a black guy following the Beta, which is Lolz-worthy, but genuine change.
The kinda change that'll help it stay alive, and vital, as we move forward- not with enforced political correctness, but with kindness and respect.


Until next time, folks- Exit with catchphrase!

-SinSynn

EDIT:
If you are a member of any group that is misrepresented, under represented, or whatever, and have something to say about this, please feel free to e-mail me at SinSynn@hotmail.com. I have some questions I'd like to ask you, and I'd love to include your opinion.
Thanks.

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Mass Appeal

...If I have to, I go all out- with no mic. Yeah, that's right, cuz I survived mad fights
And for my peeps I truly care, cuz without some of them I wouldn't be here
And they all know how I feel, cuz suckas be like playin' themselves to have mass appeal
- Gang Starr (RIP Guru)


Hey folks, SinSynn here.

So, what shall we talk about this week?
*grin*
Hmmm...I wonder what hugely important social/economic/racial/gender issue thingy I can poke fun at in my unique (and perhaps tragically misguided) fashion this time? What gremlin-like misbehavior shall I perpetrate?
Gotta tell ya, I'm rubbing my tentacles (and several other appendages) together in anticipation just thinking about it....

Since I'm legally obligated to keep the intro and opening paragraph completely inoffensive, however, you're gonna hafta click to find out.

*You guys know I'll totally press this, right?*

Did you click?

Ok, good. My job is done.

Sorry, folks- no content today.

Studies have shown that I don't need actual 'content' to be a successful blogger. I can just use sex to peddle my wares...

*Check him out. He's heroic*

But, hey, knowing me I'd probably screw that up an' make a big ol' mess of things, huh?

Sigh.

Ok, well...maybe I can just spout a bunch of hot-topic nonsense and draw attention to myself...

*Fair and balanced? That'll never work*

Nah. With my luck I'd hop into the comment section and come off looking like an ass.

We certainly wouldn't want that, would we?

-_-

No, we wouldn't.

Controversy! That always works, right?

*Grey Knights player. Ran a 'Naked Draigo' proxy model*

I could always crack jokes about some group or another that claims to be oppressed. 

*Poor people ruin our hobby...cuz they can't afford stuffs*

Ouch- maybe not. I'm likely to offend somebody, and that ain't cool.

Dammit! What to do?

I could write about something I feel passionately about...I could wax poetically about something I adore...I could rail against the all of the injustices in the world...

*Megan is pregnant and the baby isn't mine...WHY DOES THE UNIVERSE HATE ME?!?*

If all else fails, I guess I could just post a bunch of pics, throw in a few jokes, and call it a day.

Oh, wait...I can't be trusted with jokes. Or pics.

:P

And, really, who would actually bother to comment on a post that was just a handful of pics and a few bad jokes?

I'm gonna hafta try a lil' harder than that, methinks.

Blah.

Crap. If I wasn't such a knucklehead, maybe I could get away with those kinds of shenanigans.

Hmph.

I could always start an argument...but I might've managed to do that already in the course of these ramblings.

I'm good like that. I have a gift.

Nyah.

Meh. Whatevs.

Maybe I should fall back to, I dunno...talkin' some hobby.

So, if you've come for sex, hot-topic nonsense, controversy, discrimination, some sort of actual 'good writing,' or an argument, you can just skip to the comments now- hopefully they'll feature all of that and more!

;)

Anyway...what to talk about?

Jeez, I dunno. Wadda you want?

As a matter of fact, what do I want? What do WE want?

...that's a pretty big question, I suppose.
 

 *Adding the 'multimedia explosion' tag to posts is clinically proven to make bloggers popular*

We all want our hobby to be 'better,' right? But that means something different for everybody, and wow- where to start? I suppose you could start with broad strokes. Like, 'oh, we'll just get rid of this thing over here, because we think it reflects poorly on us...'

...wait a second. That sounds...not good. That line of thinking never ends well...

Or maybe we could insist that our games accurately reflect realities. Surely that wouldn't take any of the fun out of them, would it?

...except maybe it would, wouldn't it?

See? This gets complicated quick.

Our hobby. We love it so much we get all amped up and carry on about it, don't we? But it's a strange place, filled with both high-minded concepts and ideas, and blatantly provocative imagery. That imagery is so ingrained into 'what we do' that I don't even need to post a pic this time, do I?

But, y'know...I will anyway.

:D

*This one hits all the notes, doesn't it?*

So is what the normals see in their heads when they think of 'our thing'? 

Did the Lord of the Rings movies help change that a lil' bit?

*This is much less dumb. Frodo is undressing me with his eyes, though*

HBO's Game of Thrones has been well received, critically and ratings-wise, and certainly demonstrates that genuinely well conceived Fantasy offerings can be smart, geared towards adults and still become popular.

*It's actually...really good. I read the books and wanted to hate it, but I can't, dammit*

The thing is, we're like, actual fans of this stuff, and we know it can be better than how it's generally portrayed or presented to the world at large. Since we love it, we get defensive about it when we think it's being dumbed down, or sold short, or attacked. We feel like our intelligence is being insulted, sometimes.

And yet, ours is a world with Red Sonja, and 40k's Lelith, and sexy elf-girls (and guys), and Tentacle Bento. Maybe you'll think less of me, or even get mad at me for saying this, but...I like all of these things.

I'm gonna refrain from posting a Red Sonja pic here, though.

...Must.

...Refrain.

*Ah, who am I kidding? See? This is why I get in trouble...cuz I'm an ass*

Gosh darnit I know Red Sonja's armor isn't...armor, and I know how silly (and maybe awful, and maybe sexist) the whole thing is. 

Still, I read the comic books when I was a kid (that's the story I'm going with...don't you judge me...), and I'm sorry, but I  can't bring myself to hate on Red Sonja. Nor do I feel like telling Lelith to 'put some clothes on.' Likewise the elf girls (and guys). Nuthin' wrong with a scantily clad elf guy, I say- and yeah, the world could use more of them, fer sure.

You guys can probably guess how I feel about Tentacle Bento.

;)

Without even bringing the subject of violence and death into the discussion, is it kind of strange that our hobby is sort of like cable television? So many channels, so many different particular interests and subjects, and each has it's own dedicated lil' space, seemingly! You flick through, pausing to take in this one or that one for a moment. They're all kinda neat, in their own way...

..and then BAM!

The Naughty Channel shows up.

0_o

Wow- that caught you out there, didn't it?

While some might get upset about the hobby equivalent of the Naughty Channel, there's a plethora of other...very important sounding social/political/gender/racial/class-based issues we wish were handled a bit more delicately by our hobby, as well.

We know the genres we love are capable of being better and smarter than they're generally perceived, and yet...

Well, Tentacle Bento.

*Many of us will rush to defend this when it's attacked*

Since cable television has like a thousand channels, there's bound to be some you just never stop at once you know where they are, for whatever reason. I kinda think our hobby is like that.

Is it a big ol' mess, that sells itself short by using things like sex, or controversy, to try and sell us things? Do the games we play perpetuate discrimination somehow? Have the genres we love 'matured' enough to enjoy more widespread popularity? Would that, in turn, help or hinder 'our thing,' ultimately?

I...don't know.

Tell ya what, though, I get a kick outta the whole thing.

Waddayagonado?

Until next time, folks- Exit with catchphrase!

SinSynn

P.S.

I just wanna thank all the folks who show up to read and comment- you guys are da awesome. Fortunately for all of us (but especially me), people much smarter than myself (which, for the record, is pretty much everybody) are around to foil some of my more harebrained schemes.

I don't deserve youse guys- but I am forever grateful.

*big, sloppy Xenos hugz*

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Gaming Moments to Remember

Hey folks, SinSynn here.

You know what sucks?

Getting in that 'hobby funk,' where you get all disinterested for one reason or another, or real life hits you about the head and neck area for a hot minute, or whatever. It's times like these that you might find me in full-blown 'woe is me' mode, flailing my tentacles about in anguish.
A lil' over a month ago, I prolly sounded something like this:
'Waaah! Of all the garages in all the world, why did someone hafta crash their car into the Ultimate Rival's? Why? What are the odds? It's the Dice Gods! I know it is! This is their doing! Curse you, Dice Gods...Curse yooouuuu!'
...later of course, I retracted that statement, and prostrated myself before a cube of Chessex 12mm's.

*Maybe sacrifice the occasional Justin Bieber fan to the Dice Gods. Keeps 'em happy*

You know what feels good?
...
Well...yes, that feels good too, you sickos, but this is a hobby blog, so how about we focus on that as our topic of discussion today, huh? I know what you were thinkin'...

*And this is what I was thinking...wait, no...HOBBY! I was thinking HOBBY!*

Ahem.
So, anyway, like I was gonna say, snappin' outta that funk feels good. Real good.
The gaming garage is back in working order. Better than that, even- it's been improved, and given an all-new, minty-fresh coat of paint and everything.
So this week the Ultimate Rival and I were back in there, cursing mightily at one another from opposite sides of a 6x4 foot table with tiny model tankie-tanks on it, and all was right in the world again.
:)

The game we played that night was beyond epic.
I lost, of course (sigh), but it was a game of such incredibly epic epicness that I know it'll be forever remembered. It was one of those games, and one of those nights, that will make me smile every time I think about it. At the same time, I'll always wonder how I could possibly shoot nine tanks in one turn, but only kill three and bail six.
It's only a lousy 3up to kill 'em, fer cryin' out loud.
Really, Dice Gods? Really?
-_-

Hey, these things happen, amirite? Anyhow, I've got another great addition to my gaming memoirs. File this one under 'bittersweet.'
Heh.

I came home and immediately started fiddling with lists, which led to plotting some new purchases/additions to the army...
Don't you judge me!
This is war, goddammit. I need armored mortars for smoke, see? Sure, I have some other models that could do that, but...but...
Hmmm...I'll need a tighter argument to slip this one past the Crazy Lady I Live With.
:P

I'll hafta ponder that. In the meantime, I thought I'd lay out some of my favorite hobby memories for you, starting from my initial jump off the proverbial cliff, up until the present day.
I'll be forced to update this, once my plan to conquer the world is complete (notice I didn't say 'successful.' Stupid Dice Gods will prolly betray me. Nyah), but here's where I'm at, so far....

*Note- as a bonus, instead of boring old hobby pics, which we've all seen before, I thought I'd include some Katrina Bowden pics. She plays Tina Fey's assistant on television's 30 Rock, and starred in a pretty cool lil' flic called Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.
You're welcome.

*If anyone would prefer like, pics of 40k, FoW, or whatever models, lemme know and I'll prolly ignore you*

The decision is made- I'm doin' this!
The Ultimate Rival described 40k to me on the phone, and I was all like, 'Sure, man, that sounds fun. What do we need to get started? I'll throw in with you.'

Wow, I made 'the decision' so casually...Lolz! Little did I know what I was getting into, huh?
I'll tell you what, though, I had a tingly feeling in my stomach when I decided, though. There was definitely a feeling, a rightness.

Choosing an Army- Tau for the win, baby!
My fishie dudes. I heart my fishie dudes.
After making the decision to play 40k, I figured I better see what 40k is, actually. I go to Games Workshop's website and fall in love with the Grimdark. I stay up all night reading Black Gobbo.
I knew I was goin' Tau the second I laid eyes on them. I'm not gonna lie- I'm an anime guy, and this is a no-brainer for anime guys.
I know the very fact that the Tau exist, and are blatantly anime-ish (and not exactly grimdark-ish), bugs some old-school 40k players, but whatevs. They're friggin' cool and I luvs 'em.

There goes the rent- First trip to the place of wonder known as...the Gamestore!
Oh, man. This is a big one. The sights, the sounds...there were games being played, models being built and painted, gamers hanging out talking games, and, and...the stuffs.
So.Much.Cool.Stuffs.
What got me was the models. So many...all so awesome. From dragons to tanks, spaceships and sexy warrior women...
My brain explodes, and when it did, it emits a long, very high-pitched girly scream of joy that only dogs could hear.
Thankfully. Woulda been awkward, otherwise.

*Imagine an 'interior of gamestore' pic here. Or don't.*

Learning 2 paint- Thank the heavens for online tutorials!
If it wasn't for the internet, I never would've gotten anywhere. Like every aspiring Golden Demon winner, I had big schemes, big plans...now if only I had a friggin' clue!
To the interwebz!
Aaaaagh! New terminology to learn!
:)
I still have some of my 'revision one' models. They're so bad it's hysterical, but it makes me feel pretty good about my abilities now! The rev. one models look like they were finger painted by a blind man with leprosy.
:D


The learning curve- from noob to 'at least I haven't poked my eye out with a burst cannon...yet.'
Well, this one is kinda bittersweet, I must say. Simply put, I learned to play 40k by getting my butt kicked. No one offered to play 'gentle, friendly' games. No tutorials, demo games, or anything like that.
I learned the Dangerous Terrain rules when one of my Crisis Suits jumped into it. I went to move another model, and my opponent grinned and said 'Dangerous Terrain test.'
I rolled a one.
Figuring there's no way that could happen twice, and needing to get my suits away from incoming Black Templars, another Crisis Suit hopped in.
Hey, guess what? It can not only happen twice, it can happen three times in a row, as I found out moments later.
Sheesh. My tactics eventually improved. Maybe one day I'll sacrifice enough Hobos and/or Justin Beiber fans to get some love outta the Dice Gods.
I learned more terminology, I memorized stats, rules and fluff. I'm more of a 'learn by doing' type, however, and getting seal-clubbed repetitively was trying, for sure.
I got through it, though, and I do my part nowadays by helping the new guys. Good karma should give you re-rolls in game, right?

*Pretty good homage to the genre, actually*

The next level-off to a tournament we go!
I've come to treasure these days of pure hobby. A tournament is basically the biggest 'gaming fix' you can get and still have it be legal. Cool armies to ogle, cool people to meet, and games, games, games!
The night before my first tournament, I got zero sleep (I may have been a tad nervous, and still painting a ton of stuffs), but my army was fully painted when I arrived (although a few models may have still been tacky). I got spanked in all three games, but it was so much fun that I go to every one I can now.
The internet sorta casts a bad light on 'competitive events' nowadays, but for a knucklehead like myself, it's not about the competition. Besides, the Dice Gods are clearly punishing me for something I did in the past life, so...yeah.
I go for the lolz, the friends and rivals, and to see the cool armies and whatnot. Most times I don't embarrass myself too bad!
But then there's those other times...

And you may ask yourself, 'How did I get here?'- SinSynn goes blogging!
So there I am pestering Brent over at Strictly Average, and Lauby hits me up in the comment section....
;)

*As much as I like Brent's 'Empty Digital Headache,' this is easier on the eyes*

Well, I'll leave it at that for now. Thanks to Lauby, and all of you wonderful, weird folks out there, I get to share my madness with you...
But I bet some of my experiences are pretty darn similar to yours, aren't they?
I wonder if there's a one-eyed hobbyist out there, who during his first game, bent over to check Line of Sight and misjudged the height of that custom banner...
I'm glad I'm not that guy!


Until next time, folks- Exit with catchphrase!

-SinSynn

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New Member Monday - A Simple Question

If your minis were made out of spare ribs and you were starving would you eat 'em?

Alternatively, you may also discuss that the P3 color 'Coal Black' is neither coal nor black.

 
Aaaaaand that's all the SNL greatest hits from the 90's I have time to steal.  But do feel free to engage in discussion on these weighty matters.

New Member Monday

The Uplifting Primer
Keywords: 40k, Imperial Guard, Positive Good Vibes (tm) and Dangerous High Speed Spinning Chakras.

Guardians of Latefall
Keywords: warhammer, fantasy, wood elves, army and "holy shit someone recruited this guy for us!"

The Geek Garage
Keywords: Painting, Terrain, Warmachine, Hordes, Confrontation, Warlord

The Sustainable Center
Keywords: Warhammer 40k, Warmachine, Dystpoian Wars, Infinity, the business aspect of gaming companies

NestorV's Minis Blog
Keywords: Both kinds of games - Fantasy AND 40.  Both kinds of music - country AND western

No winning essay this week, so enjoy this awesome video on Jump'n shoot man:

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