INITIATIVE 1 PODCAST

So it's been a while since anybody has posted any articles on here, so I thought I would post one about something that may interest you all.

As most you know by now, Powerfist Gaming has got it's own podcast, Initiative 1 Podcast. And if you don't know this already, where have you been?

So far there have been three episodes, which have seen multiple hosts (including myself), all of which bring there own personalities (and senses of humour) to the show. We try to cover a variety of topics, such as news and rumours, product reviews, what we've been up to, and... well... anything else that may pop into our heads at the time.

Currently I am arranging some times for interviews with two other well known podcasts, The 11th Company, and The Overlords.
These will be airing on their shows at some point in the future.

Anyway, thats all I have to say at the moment, so please check us out and give us a listen.

You can find us on iTunes by searching for Initiative 1 Podcast, or at our blogspot, http://initiative1podcast.blogspot.com/.

And please, leave us a review and a rating (a five star rating will help us get seen more).

Cheers,

Jim.

SPACE MARINE!

Now it may just be me, but does anybody else think that the Space Marine game may succeed in where the Ultramarines movie failed? You know... by bringing some new people into the hobby.

Now don't get me wrong, I really, REALLY enjoyed the movie. In fact, I've watched it a fair few times now. But it was obvious that without the right advertising (or a bigger budget), people who weren't into GW's IP originally in any way, were not going be interested in it.

Now the game? Well thats another thing altogether.

First of all it's being developed

and published by companies Relic and THQ, who have handled the IP before. They know what 40k is, but more importantly, are established in the gaming industry. And I'm sure this means a bigger budget.

Secondly, as I'm sure everyone will agree, it is most definitely going to be advertised, be it on TV, in magazines, or in stores.

And thirdly, it will be on shelves.

Unlike the movie, which was only available by ordering it online, this will be readily available to buy in stores. But not just game stores, but in supermarkets and other media/entertainment stores also. Which means that it will be seen by more than just the people who know about GW and 40k.

Anyway, I know that I can't wait for it. And who knows, maybe someone who hasn't even heard of GW might buy it, and then (if we are really lucky) end up playing the tabletop game.

But for now, I'm going to get back to watching Ultramarines.


ASTARTES!!!

Ooooooo, shiny...

I really need to stop looking at all these pictures of Grey Knights. All it makes me do is want to buy the models. In fact, writing this article probably isn't going to help.

You see, the thing is I don't even want to play Grey Knights. Sure the fluff seems cool, and yes, I'm also sure they will be fun to play, but all I want to do is paint them. Sad I know.

But it's this kind of thing that could lead to me starting a third army I REALLY don't want.
I know that I wouldn't have to put much money down to start the army, as point costs on individual models are generally higher than that of your standard Space Marine. And this appeals to me, but only because it would mean less models to paint.

Now the paint scheme is also something I have not tried before, and to be honest, would be quite nervous about. Which makes me want to do it even more, just to see if I can pull it off.

Take the Nemesis Dreadknight on GW's website for example. The one with the Nemesis Greatsword. The large amount of metallic paint, shading, and work with an airbrush really makes me want to see if I can paint one anywhere near that level. And if not... I want to learn how to do it.

And then there is the Jokaero Weaponsmith. Just looking at this fuzzy little critter makes me want one... or several. And that's just to paint them. However, the other day I did start having thoughts about using them as servitors, but I'm still trying to make my mind up about that.


This obsession with wanting to paint these models has even got to the point now that I told one of my friends, who doesn't currently play but is looking to start, that he should start a Grey Knight army. I then went on to add "But don't worry, I'll help you paint them."

I HAVEN'T EVEN FINISHED PAINTING MY OTHER ARMIES!!!

Why would I even want to paint another army when I have two at home that need lots of work doing to them still. I really need to stop thinking about it... maybe I should stop typing...


...nope, it didn't help.

You must be Jokaering?

The Grey Knight Codex was leaked quite some time ago now, which was useful for all the Internet rage nerds to get a heads up on what to whinge about come April. My interest was more focused, I have had a hankering for an Inquisition force of late and the new codex might well offer me a chance to field one. So naturally I turn to the Inquisitorial henchman and sit down for a light perusal of what might be available to me should I choose to take the dive… and that’s when I discovered the gem that is the Jokaero Weapon smith. Being too young for rogue trader era stuff I had no idea what a “Jokaero” was but when I found out it was like being hit by a ten-ton truck of pure awesome.

Its a fucking space ape! …Apparently in the 40k universe orangutans have a bit of a penchant for firearms and don't mind helping you out as long as you got the bananas.

Could this actually be happening? Is GW really going to allow the eldritch and puritanical Grey Knight force to employ Dr Zaius to fiddle with their guns? I could imagine a few a slack jaws if they did. Surely there will just be a complete reworking of the Jokaero, they will become some sort of other, less comical, species. GW have reworked fluff before, and the Jokaero have been long since forgotten in the ever churning foundry of rule book updates and codex reworks. But my god if they were to keep them as orangutans… well I think I might rediscover my love for this hobby all over again.

And thats when I found this.

Feast your eyes on the new Jokaero Weapon smith. I will be fielding three.

Breaking The Mould: Mould Making and Resin Casting (Part II: Resin Casting)

And a two part mould it is. It came apart fine, and now it is time for me to FINALLY try my hand at casting resin. But first, here is a photo of my mould:

And here is a picture to show you what each part is:

So, as I was saying before, time for the fun part.

Step I:

I put a wall of lego on either side of my mould, then wrapped a few elastic bands around it. This helps keep the mould together when casting, thus minimising the flash.

Step II:

The instructions on the resin I bought said to mix the two parts in equal weight for 30 seconds. After doing this I poured it into the mould, topping it up every now and then when it

starts to settle. I then waited 45 minutes to let the resin cure.


Step III:

I opened the mould, and this is what I had made:

On close inspection, there are a few little bubbles, but nothing I can't fix with a tiny bit of "green stuff". Altogether though, I'm very happy with how it turned out.


Well thats all I've got to say for now, and I hope this was helpful in anyway to people.

+++IMPORTANT PLEASE READ+++ The future of Powerfist Gaming.

Last night was our last night of gaming at MWGUK. From this Thursday onwards (10/03/2011) we will be gaming at St. Johns Ambulance first aid training centre which is just off Wolverhampton road, meaning it is within walking distance for many of you. There is also a bus route down there.
It will still cost £3 per person to play, there will still be a small tuck shop open, and a painting area as well as HEATING!!! We'll meet from 5:30 till 12:00 but your games will need to be finished around 11 at the latest as we have to pack away our stuff at the end of the night.
Here is the address:
St John Ambulance
Garden Street
Stafford
ST174DD

We look forward to seeing you all there at the beginning of a new age for Powerfist Gaming!

Breaking The Mould: Mould Making and Resin Casting (Part I: Making the Mould)

So over the past couple of months I've gotten really interested in mould making and resin casting, but actually had no idea of how to go about it. I say had as if I actually know what I'm doing when, to tell the truth, I'm still not sure.
Anyway, it was recently my birthday, and after listening to a fair few podcasts, searching through forums, and watching some videos, I decided where I would "invest" some of the money I was given.

I decided to make a sprue up of some Space Marine weapons, which means going straight to making a two part mould. Yes it would have been easier for me to make some bases, and get a feel for how to use everything, but i thought I might as well go in head first.


Step I:

After knocking up a mould box out of Lego, I built up inside it with plasticine, then arranged the items I wanted to cast. Starting with a channel running from the top of the box to the bottom, then back up through the weapons, and out of the top. After mixing the first part of my mould rubber, I poured it in from the corner, letting it spread over the sprue, and then leaving it to cure.

The next day I checked it, and was very pleased to see it had all gone well. Now for the tricky bit.


Step II:

After rebuilding the box around the first part of the mold, I applied a release agent to all of the rubber. If I hadn't have done this, everything would surely come out in one giant block of rubber.
I then mixed up, and poured in the next load of rubber to create the second part of my mould, and left it to cure...

...and that's it. That is as far as I've gotten. Even now, I don't know whether or not it has turned out well, or if it is now one big block of rubber.

Well, there is only one way to find out...

Space-Brick: A Tale of Hatred

Most of you reading this will barely need to read any more. There are very few single models that will make a xenos player face-palm the minuet they enter the deployment zone. What with blogging being 99% hatred and 1% useful info I thought I might swing in favour of the majority for my first contribution and beat down on a vehicle that even Jeremy Clarkson couldn’t make me like.

The space marine Landraider.

It is completely un-called for. Why do you need an armour 14 all round brick that can shart out terminators straight into assault and blow the snot out of any other one of my units with an armoury so large it makes the US marine corps look like a scout group with a single slingshot between them. On top of that you can bolt on a bloody storm bolter – why! Is it not doing enough! Did they test it and think, “Wow this really is lacking something…” What am I supposed to do to that?

Yes I can get an armour 14 vehicle for 95 points in my codex… with nothing on it! I can’t fire a peashooter from my battlewagon without shelling out points – and its only A14 on front, how big is the front? About the width of my thumb. My answer to the landraider and you couldn’t even hit the one bit of it that has decent protection if you tried, kick it in the arse however and it falls apart immediately. Armour 10 baby – well thank you very zogging much.

The sad thing is that I haven’t even faced one in battle. But my green gods I am dreading it. Not because it will drive over the only models in my army capable of felling it as though they were tyre-tracked squirrels squashed against the M6 but because I know that the player decimating me with it will actually feel a sense of achievement. He will look up from the table with that wry smile of a commander who has just outclassed his opponent as though there was some merit in what he has done.

“OMG I cant believe you just managed to take down my one anti armour unit, which could only have glanced you anyway, with your great bastard tank all the while surviving the two rockets that do come your way each turn courteously of my BALISTIC SKILL 2 orks. The talent. It is unbearable.”

Perhaps you wonder why I single out the LR and not, say, the Necron Monolith. Frankly it is because the image of the Monolith hasn’t been permanently burned onto my retina in quite the same way. I don’t mean to say I see nothing but land raiders at my club but is it just me or is white dwarf just a 42 page spread of landraiders these days? Find me an issue without a land raider and I will find you five landraiders in that issue. Minimum. Its like paying four quid to see a magazine consisting entirely of your future rapists face – and then giving stats and tactics the rapist might use to best rape you, followed by a breakdown of some new Apocalypse formation of rapists with special rules that mean they get more dicks TO RAPE YOU WITH!

Still it could be worse. It could be a space wolf.

Burn Out: How to notice it, and finding the cure.

So for my first article on here, I thought i would post an article I wrote on Burn Out. I hope you all like it.

Are you playing the same games day in, day out, hoping for a change? Is looking at those 90 unpainted Orks getting you down? Have your dice failed you too many times? Are you thinking about quitting the game?

That's BURN OUT.

We've all been there at some point, and if you haven't... you will? But I thought people should know how to spot it, and how to combat it. It's as I said at the start of this, it could be anything, or a combination of things. Here are a few examples:

• Losing several games in a row, or in general, losing more than you win or draw recently

• What seems to be an endless sea of unpainted models, and finding it a chore to paint them

• Not seeing the hits, but only really noticing the misses

• Accidentally breaking a model, or damaging the paint

• "That guy" telling you that your army is poorly built, or you are playing it wrong

• Finding yourself stuck in your local meta game, playing the same game all the time

• Even waiting for GW to release new stuff, whether it be models, FAQ's, or a new codex

And for all of these things, there can only be one outcome.

DEPRESSION.

Sure it may be of a very mild form, but that is basically what it is. And I'm sure that out there somewhere, there is someone who it can effect more. It can even, in extreme conditions, effect your health. Mentally and physically. So, how do we combat this. There are several things I can think of to help in some way:

• Mix it up!

If you are bored with the games you are playing, then play them differently. This could be done by playing a doubles game. Play a game out of a GW or DLT missions book, or Big Jims Kill Zone. Or if you need to... play a different game system for a change, be it Warmachine, Malifaux, Battletech, or anything else you may of been interested by. You'll be surprised how a change of pace can make you feel better.

• Road Trip!

This is to do with local meta, and getting trapped in repetative games. Find another shop, store, or club to play a game at. Look outside of your local area. You may even want to enter a tournament. The change in tactics will make your brain do some work, stopping you from getting stale in your way of thinking.

• Take One Step At A Time!

All those models may be very daunting to look at, but this can be solved fairly easily. Take only a few models out at any one. This may be something like a single monstrous creature, a tank, or ten man squad. You'll find that not seeing all those other models doesn't bring you down. Get a few friends round and have a painting party, as painting alone can get very... well... lonely. Also taking breaks helps. Stand up, walk around, or make yourself a drink. We all know what its like being stuck in the same hunched position for a long time.

• Read!

Pick up a Black Library book. Read battle reports. Check out forums. You may get inspired and want to play a game, or finish that project.

• Listen!

Podcasts are great to listen to, and there plenty out there, as I'm sure you know. And the more the merrier. Listening to all those people who share the same love as you do will help re-affirm your faith in the game and the hobby.

• Take A Break!

I don't like saying this, but maybe taking some time away from the game completely will give you the chance to get over your slump. And finally...

• Friends!

They are always there for you when you need them, to lean on, and to talk to. Friends will ALWAYS help you personally feel better about yourself.

Anyway, that is all I can think of for now. I hope this is of help to people, and that anyone out there is having a bad time gets over there rut.

Remember, this is a game, and is meant to be fun.

And as for "that guy"...
FUCK YOU!

Welcome to Stafford Wargames new blog and forum!

Hello and welcome to the new site everyone! I've just got this blog up and running where i will post my many musings and thoughts on all things wargaming as well as everything to do with the club. The blog is new and I am new to blogging so go easy :D

If you're interested in joining the club or just popping down to play one evening get on the forum and you'll find everything you need to know.

Happy wargaming everyone!