Random Updates: Five Parsecs From WAAAAGH!!!

So short week in the field, but between last week and this I was able to get some stuff done.  First and foremost are my crew for Five Parsecs!

There will be a more "formal" introduction of them soon, but wanted to show what I'd been up to.  There is one more member that isn't present because I left him back home, so I'll grab him over the weekend.

On top of that there are a couple of more Orkz for da Waaaagh!!!

These two were my conversion for Kommandos.  In addition to the face mask, my Kommandos are all wearing backpacks just to make them a bit more distinctive.  Pretty minor changes, but they worked for me.  Oh yeah, and one of them isn't quite done but he's coming along nicely so that works for me.

And as you can see from the group shot, I'm really having fun playing with the various skin tones as well.  I first did this kind of thing with my Trollblood Frostgrave warband and love how it looks.  Just grabbing random shades of the base color and then hitting them with shades to add some depth.

And... speaking of the Trollbloods... they will be heading out into the field with me next week!  I want to try something crazy and put together a Warlords of Erehwon army for them using the Dwarf list.  Might work!  Might not but... we'll have to see.  Until next time...

From the Workbench: Taking a Look at Skargob'z Boyz

As I mentioned earlier, the Challenge is underway and so is my painting! So far I have assembled and almost completely painted one entire mob, Skargob's Boyz. Here is a picture of them in all their dirty, Orky glory.

I still have to paint Skarbog himself but the rest of them are ready for basing. Now I just need to assemble the next mob, add a few finishing touches to all the Nobz and the Warboss, and then get them all painted up. Should be a piece of cake since I am using a super-secret-ninja-shortcut for my painting.

Right from the start, I knew that I was going to be painting a lot of Boyz. Orks and giant mobz just go hand in hand from everything that I have seen. With this in mind, I decided that I should keep the paint scheme relatively simple but I didn't want to have it completely uniform. They are Orks after all, right?

For a base coat, I used the tried and true method of spray painting them with Dark Angels Green. This gave me a nice base to work with and let me take care of Ork skin tone all in one step. Next I highlighted their skin, first with Goblin Green, then with Snot Green, just to give them a little bit of depth. The next step was to start adding some of the details to make them really stand out. First I batch painted several different colors of shirts, then pants, just to mix things up. Having a cohesive looking force and painting uniforms doesn't have to mean the same thing after all.

Once their clothes were done, it was time to paint on the various leather straps and belts that Orks are prone to wearing. I originally tried to use Snakebite Leather for this (seems fitting somehow)but I couldn't get a good layer on with one coat. This wouldn't be an issue for a single mini or even a small unit, but I am looking at about forty Orks that I need to get done pretty quick. To solve this problem, I switched all the leather bits to black and it went on like a dream, as you would expect. The last step for the painting was to hit the sluggas, choppas, and all the little plates and buckles with some boltgun metal.

This gave me a unit of painted Orks but they still weren't quite done. As a finishing touch, I went over all of them with Vallejo Game Color Sepia Ink. This gave them a nice a dirty look and really just made them pop IMO. As I said before, they are Orks, and everyone knows that Orks and hygiene are two things that will never go together.

And there you have it! As I mentioned before, Skargob is still not done but I'll get him taken care of with the next batch of Orks, which I should have assembled and at least base coated by this weekend. This will give me an eighteen strong Boyz mob to throw down onto the table.

Up next is Wazgut'z Boyz mob which I am hoping to make some serious progress on this weekend, and yes more pics (perhaps even with better lighting!). Until then, may all of your dice come up Dragons!

Sin City Dispatch Update: Welcome to the Steel Cage Challenge!

Hey everyone and welcome to another special Dispatch update!

At the end of the last issue, I mentioned that I might be taking part in a list contest related to 40k. Well, we decided on the rules and the Challenge is on! So what exactly is the Challenge?

One of the podcasts that I listen to is 40k Radio. If you play Warhammer 40,000 and you haven't checked them out, you just don't know what you are missing. When they first started, they did what they called the Steel Cage Challenge. The three hosts challenged each other to build, paint, and then play a brand new army against each other. To make things even more interesting, they placed bets on each of the challenges. For the first round, the loser had to wash the winner's car. The second, the loser had to mow the winner's lawn. I thought that this sounded like a lot of fun but I didn't know anyone that was just starting to build an army so nothing came of it.

Well, here we are months later and there are two friends of mine that are just looking to get serious with 40k. Dylan has decided to collect a Tyranid army and Eddie has decided to collect a Chaos Marine army. I actually have three armies sitting around in various stages of generally being unfinished and I made the comment to Dylan that it's too bad that we couldn't do a Challenge since I already at least have things assembled. After talking with Eddie, they both decided that they didn't care and they wanted in on the Challenge, so here we go!

We are doing things a little smaller than they did at 40k Radio, starting with a 500 point block, then expanding to 750 points and finally 1000 points. This is not your typical full 40k army but it will give all of us a strong core to build from.

For each block, we will have a set amount of time to assemble and paint those models. At the end of that time, all three of us with face off against each other to determine the winner for the round. Rinse and repeat three times, and at the end we see who the winner is.

So what's the prize? Well, just bragging rights this time. Depending on how it works out, I might be doing this again in the future since I know of another player who is waiting until the new Space Wolves codex comes out to start working on his army. Of course I think that he is just using that as an excuse because he seems to have a hard time with the whole painted army concept, but I'll give Matt the benefit of the doubt this time.

Well, that's it for this Update, but I want to put up more about the Challenge in the next few updates. I am thinking post our army lists along with our own thoughts as far as our unit choices, along with at least some written Battle Reports to let everyone know how the games go.

Now I have some Orks to paint so until next time, may all of your dice come up Dragons.

Sin City Dispatch #11: Ork on Ork action!

Hey everyone, welcome to the latest issue of the Dispatch!

In this issue, we will finally have that Battle Report that I hinted at in Dispatch #10. Was it worth the wait? You'll have to read on to find out, so sit down and strap in because we are about to hit the ground running!

Battle Report: Hot and Heavy Ork on Ork Action
(Wrong in so many ways, but it had to be said!)

For this game, I decided to try something a little different. With my 'stealer cult still in the works, I decided to break out my growing Ork Waaagh to see how it would handle Matt's army. Another interesting twist was actually putting the right amount of terrain on the table! The 40k Rulebook recommends covering one quarter of the table which is exactly what we did.

Rolling for deployment, we managed to tie on the first two rolls before Matt finally won. It's always a good sign when you have that much trouble just figuring out who is going to be first. We deployed our troops and infiltrators, then I pulled out the Big Book o' Sneaky Gits to try to steal the initiative! And it would have worked if I didn't roll a one! Grrr... Ah well, on with the show!

Moving all of my forces forward, I tried to get as much into cover as possible. Not much else happened except that my shoota boyz with their trukk were able to get Matt's kommandos to turn tail and run!

On the other side of the board, my kommandos had moved out of the woods that they deployed in to open fire on the deth koptas.

The end result was lots of dakka and I was able to inflict a whole one wound. This left them kind of hanging in the wind but hopefully they would survive to the next turn so that they could shot at those pesky kopters again.

Matt went next, trudging his force forward. With the terrain in the middle of the table, there was little that Matt could do as far as firing. The two exceptions to this were his big mob of boyz who managed to take out one of my slugga boyz with their big shootas and of course the deth koptas. Moving around to one side of my kommandos, the koptas opened fire with their twin-linked big shootas. You would think that this would be the end of my kommandos but no!

When he moved, Matt actually positioned his koptas so that I was able to get a cover save from the rock spire. This was the only thing that kept my boyz from getting torn apart by those koptas, which I very much appreciated.

Going into the second turn, I moved the main core of the Waaagh further into cover while the big shootas took their pot shots to inflict another casualty or two. The big action happened on the right side of the board as the kommandos moved forward to shoot at the koptas again.

This time they managed to blast two of the koptas out of the air in the shooting phase and then charged forward to pull the last one down out of the air. I finally managed to get rid of those pesky koptas! Sweet!

For as successful as the kommandos were, the shoota boyz were the exact opposite. Moving forward and hopping out of their trukk, they openned fire on the last four boyz and failed to wound any of them. So much for shootas...

For Matt's turn, he continued the slow plod forward, moving his massive boyz mob closer to my troops, firing his big shootas as he plodded along.

Just under thirty boyz with a warboss in there to boot. Not looking forward to that one getting into assault range of my troops but hopefully I would be able to take down some more of those troops before they are able to close.

Rallying his kommandos, Matt moved them toward the shoota boyz and managed to gun down three of them in the process.

Frenzied by the sound of the dakka, the kommandos charged forward and managed to pull down two of my boyz while only losing one of their own in the process. Passing my morale test, the boyz held their ground as we moved into turn three.

Moving forward through the woods on the right, my kommandos opened fire on Matt's big mob 'o boyz, inflicting a few casualties before they charged forward into close combat.

Was this a suicide move? You betcha, but I had to do something to weaken that big mob. I managed to kill seven of his boyz while the kommandos were all cut down in return.

The closest of the two slugga mobz charged forward next, at which point thing ground to a halt as we checked the rulebook. Yep, that's right, I screwed this one up. D'oh! Instead of resolving each combat individually I should have moved the boyz up as well before Matt piled in against the kommandos. Oopsy! Still, Matt said that he was okay with fighting this one as a seperate combat and away we went!

Outnumbered two to one, my boyz smashed into Matt's and managed to pull down seven of his boyz before being slaughtered in return. This made that massive mob a much more managable size but I still had the nobz and meganobz to deal with, though my other boyz mob had taken down one of the four nobz with their big shoota.

On the left side of the board, the trukk moved away from the shoota boyz to attack the meganobz. A useless gesture but I had to try something, right? The boyz proved to be slightly more effective as they wiped out the kommandos and then chased after their trukk.

Going into the bottom of turn three, Matt moved his boyz and nobz toward the center of my force, taking out some of my boyz with their massed volley of slugga shots.

Moving into his assault phase, we moved to the left side of the board to deal with the ongoing fight between his kommandos and my shoota boyz. The fighting was fierce, but my shootas managed to drag down the kommandos once and for all. Now free to move, they consolidated by moving back toward their trukk up on the hill. Next Matt charged his boyz and nobz forward to attack what was left of the core of my army. Piling my troops in, the battle quick paired off to nobz vs. nobz and boyz vs. boyz. The cover worked in my favor as my nobz and Warboss Dakkagrub tore apart his Nobz, taking no casualties in return! The boyz did not fair quite so well as they were wiped out while they only managed to take out three of Matt's boyz.

While all of this was going on, the meganobz plodded forward to attack the trukk. Facing three Orks with power klaws, the trukk never stood a chance and was quickly reduced to a smoking wreck.

Heading into turn four, my nobz and Dakkagrub opened fire on Matt's boyz and managed to take one of them down as they charged headlong into close combat.

The fighting was vicious, but in the end Warboss Dakkagrub was left standing triumphant over the body of his counterpart.

This left Matt with nothing left on the board... except for those three meganobz. My shootas climbed onto the wreckage of their trukk to fire down on them but the armor was simply too strong to be able to do anything.

Moving into the bottom of the fourth turn, Matt moved the meganobz forward to engage the shoota boyz and quickly ripped them apart consolidating back toward the last two models that I had left on the board.

Charging forward, Dakkagrub and the nob slammed into the meganobz.

Trading blow and vicious blow, I managed to pull down two of the armored behemoths before the final blows were struck and Dakkagrub fell the ground, defeated.

The battle was over and Waaagh Black Primer had won... but only just. As the last meganob plodded off of the battlefield, the painboyz came and took away the broken body of Dakkagrub. He had been defeated today but he would be back for his revenge!

The Parting Shot...

And that's about it for this issue of the Dispatch. Shorter than I had originally planned but some new/old projects have cropped up that have been taking up my gaming time at the moment. What is it, you ask? Check back in the next issue to find out! Until then, may all of your dice come up Dragons!

Sin City Dispatch #6

Hey everybody, welcome to the sixth issue of the Dispatch!

In this issue, we will start out with Incoming!!! as we take a look at some of the new 40k Ork miniatures that will be coming out in January, plus we will take a look at the new annoucement released by Rackham Entertainment. Then we will head on over to the Workbench as we look at creating custom objective markers for 40k. So sit down and strap in because we are about to hit the ground running!

Incoming!!!
Upcoming Releases for AT-43 and Warhammer 40,000

New on the preorders section for 40k are the latest and greatest for the Orks! Due out in Janu-Waaagh-ry (their joke; I only stole it, I didn't write it...) all of these are really nice looking plastic sets with lots of modeling possibilities.

First up among the new releases is the often "official" model for the most scratch built piece in the game, plastic Battlewagon.

Unfortunately this one is kind of a disappointment in my opinion. It looks more like a heavily armored trukk than anything else but then again I am only going by the few pictures of it that I have seen. Even so, there are tons of bits for it so this set will be worth getting even if it is just to cannibalize for parts.

Next up are the biggest, baddest, and greenest of the Orks! That's right, we are talking about the new plastic Ork Nobz.

Packed with options (including kombi-shootas, power klaws, and big choppas just to name a few...), this set will have enough bits to let you customize all of your Nobz. This will be a great addition to range as it will let you add those personal touches that will really set your Nobz apart.

Right now the only way to field the Stormboyz is by using the regular plastic boyz and adding on the Stormboyz conversion pack, but that will all change once the new plastic Stormboyz hit the shelves.

As with all of the other sets there are bits galore so that you can create some truly unique looking models. I hadn't really been looking at adding Stormboyz to my Waaagh, but after looking at these things I am really tempted to give them a try just to give me an excuse to get these minis!

Last but not least (though most Orks would probably disagree...) is the new plastic Gretchin boxed set.

Packed with ten grots and a runtherd, this finally gives people a cheap way to field a giant grot shield, not to mention all of the conversion possibilities that these plastic models should have. Getting all the grot minions that you can shake a bosspole at just got that much easier.

On the AT-43 front, things are actually just as interesting. In a news release from the newly formed Rackham Entertainment, the makers of AT-43 laid out their plans to match up release dates around the world over the next couple months. As of Wave 9 they are expecting to have the release dates in Europe and North America matched up which is definitely good news for the folks on the other side of the pond.

Next year will also see the release of the next two races in the AT-43 universe, the Cogs first then the Oni later in the year. And if that is not enough AT-43 goodness for you, Code White, the first of a trilogy set in the AT-43 universe should be out in the first quarter as well.

There are two other items among the other things mentioned that really stood out for me. First is a teaser for Rush N' Crush, a new game that sounds like a Car Wars style racing game set on Ava. Not much information on this one yet but the concept pictures have definitely piqued my interest. The second item is the new Rackham Model Kits. Set for release in March, this line is supposed to include kits based on the models in the AT-43 universe Ever want to really customize a Nakovalny? Sounds like this might be your chance!

Overall, the announcement sounds like a very ambitious goal that Rackham Entertainment is aiming for. Only time will tell just how well they are able to do what they say but so far things are sounding pretty promising.

From the Workbench
Creating Custom Objective Markers

With 5th Edition 40k, objectives really seem to have come into their own as two of the three scenarios are focused on controling them. I really like this in a game as it seems somewhat more realistic. If you think about it, most modern warfare is focused more on taking and holding different objectives rather then simply trying to kill everything in sight. But how do you mark these objectives in the game?

Among the possible solutions are using counters or those glass beads that almost every gamer has in their collection. GW even has their own solution in the 40k counter set by providing half a dozen neon green flags that you can set on the board. All of these are fine but I really like the idea of making something with a little more character just to keep things interesting.

The first marker that I made was "The Dead Genestealer".

Mounted on a large cirular base, it features a partially chopped up genestealer with a choppa through on of its arms. I made this by cutting up an extra genestealaer that I had laying about and then cutting a choppa from the Ork Boyz sprue.

My next one is "Alas Poor Yur-Ork".

I had to dig a little deeper in the bits box for this one but I really like how it turned out. Using some metal barrels from a scenery sprue, some boxes from some old Rhinos, and one of the plastic Ork boyz, this piece has the Ork chatting with an Ork skull. See what happens when you get into the fungus beer too early in the day?

In addition to these two, I am also going to make a marker using one of the spare Devilfish engines and some of the Hive Nodes from the Genestealer boxed set. All very simple ideas that really work to visually spice up the game. As an added plus, they are also a lot of fun to make so if you don't have any of these I definitely recommend taking some time to throw a few together.

The Parting Shot...

And that does it for this issue! A short one this time but the next issue will be longer since it will be featuring the return of the battle report! Yay!!! My Tyranids take on Matt's Orks in a bitter rematch. Last time the Orks were able to gun down the 'Nids before they could even engage. Will the green menace be triumphant again or will they just become more biomass for the Hivefleet? Check back soon to find out but until then, may all of your dice come up Dragons!

Sin City Dispatch #5

Hey everyone and welcome to issue #5 of the Dispatch!

In this issue, we have a new segment called Meet the Neighbors where I will be taking a closer look at the background for the Cogs, (aka send in the clones). Then we sill be going back to the Workbench for another look at how Waaagh Dakagrub is shaping up with their new "Tau-rrific" custom trukk. No Incoming!!! this issue since GW is currently pushing their Warhammer Fantasy releases and we are still waiting on Rackham to finish getting their ducks in a row but I do have a brief (make that very brief...) Battle Report instead! So sit down and strap in because we are about to hit the ground running!

Meet The Neighbors
Taking a Closer Look at the Background for the Cogs

The latest issue of Cry Havoc Online contained excerpts from the upcoming Cog Army Book, giving us the first glimpse at who these critters really are.

From what little fluff there is, it appears that the Cogs are a race of genetically engineered warriors who are further enhanced by various cybernetic devices. Commanded by earlier generations of clones, the rank and file troops blindly follow the orders of their leaders which sounds like they might be immune to the morale rules.

It is also mentioned several times that their ranged and melee weapons are among the best in the galaxy and I can see how this might not be too far off. It was the Cogs, not the Avans, who first held back the Therians. It would only make sense that they would be quite a tough opponent in the game.

Another interesting part of the excerpt was the description of the Cog vehicles. There is mention of four light walkers that are more specialized (all of which appear to be type I striders) and one support walker (aka the type III). This would make the Cogs the first race to not have any combat walkers at all. These beasties are also described as being unpiloted but then again the only time that the pilots have really come into play has been when heroes are mounted in them. Still an interesting bit of fluff in my opinion though.

All and all, the Cogs sound like they will be an interesting addition to the AT-43 world and the miniatures are looking pretty cool too now that they changed the paint scheme. Only time will tell how good they actually are in the game but regardless of that these are some pretty unique looking miniatures that could make a nice addition to any collection.

From the Workbench
And the WAAAGH!!! rolls on...

Since the last Dispatch, I have been focusing on one miniature in the Waaagh to the exclusion of everything else. What could possibly be the object of since intense scrutiny? Why my "Tau"-rrific Ork Trukk of course! In the previous issue, I had shown you this picture of my trukk, still in it's early stages of conversion from a streamlined Tau APC into a ramshackle bit of Orky know-wots.

After getting my hands on some styrene sheets of various thicknesses and a couple of empty medicine bottles (see what happens when you go off your meds?), it is now looking like this.

It is still not finished but so far I really like how it is turning out! As an added plus, I am having a great time working on it as well. Being able add my own touches is a lot of fun and being an Ork vehicle makes it very forgiving as well. No exact measurements are needed for something like this as the cobbled together appearance only helps make it more look even more "Orky". Don't get me wrong; working on something that requires more precision has many of its own rewards but something like this is great for a first project as it really lets you explore your modeling options.

On the next Workbench, there will definitely be more on the Waaagh but I have also been looking over my Tyranids to see just what I have and what I would like to be able field. Here is a look at what most of the swarm looks like right now.

Besides all of this there are still at least another couple dozen warriors, genestealers, gargoyles and gaunts floating around, giving me a very solid core to any army list I might want to try. Even so, I really want to get some more of the "specialized" 'nids that are out there, namely a few of the plastic Carnifexes. Awesome looking model and they can eat a tank for breakfast. What more could you ask for?

Battle Report: Orks vs. Tyranids
Well, kind of anyway

This past weekend I was finally able to play a small game of 40k against Matt. Huzzah!!! Since we were both really sinking our "teef" into 5th Ed. for the first time, we decided to keep things simple and only field 500 points each. As Waaagh Dakagrub is still a work in progress (and since Matt was already fielding his Orks), I decided to dust off my old Tyranid collection. With minis ranging back to their first incarnation since Rouge Trader, it was nice to be able to get them onto the table for the first time ever (Having the minis and actually using them are two totally different things in my dictionary).

With our meager armies selected, we put the "terrain" on the table. I would have taken a picture but no. I think that we have all seen enough cardboard boxes to know what they look like. Yes, that's right. We were gaming old school with random bits of cardboard on a wide open table. This ultimately worked against me in the worst possible way (aka I was slaughtered).

As for the action itself, there is not much too say really but it was a good way to get used to the rules. Hopefully we can get in another game and I will be taking pictures this time; I am going to make some terrain to stick out there and break up those wide open fire lanes. After all, what exactly is the point of having a cover save when there isn't any cover?

The Parting Shot...

Well, before I go I have a confession to make; I thought I had already posted this issue which is why it has taken me so long to get it out. I had worked on it the weekend that I went gaming and completely forgot that I didn't get it finished and posted. In the immortal words of Homer, "D'oh!"

As for the next issue, it should be interesting as we will be taking another look at the Cogs. The difference is that this time we will be looking at some stats so we can start to see just how nasty these bad boys will be. As for the rest of the it... Well, you'll just have to come back and see what I manage to dig up. Until next time, may all of your dice come up Dragons!

The Sin City Dispatch #4

Hey everyone and welcome to Issue #4 of the Dispatch!

In this issue, we will start out taking a closer look at the upcoming releases for AT-43 and Warhammer 40,000 including a little bit of information about the "big announcement" that Rackham had for us. Next we will continue our look into the squiggly bits of the gamer mind as we kick it back up a notch. Last but definitely not least we will head to the Workbench again to see how the green glory of Waaagh Dakagrub shaping up. So sit down and strap in because we are about to hit the ground running!

Incoming!!!
Upcoming Releases for AT-43 and Warhammer 40,000

Rackham finally had what I am assuming is their "Big Announcement" this week as they have become Rackham Entertainment. While this is a new company, they say that they will "continue to count on the unique expertise of the RACKHAM SA Design Studio". The announcement goes on to say that the Design Studio has already "conceived the products" for the next twelve months and that Rackham Entertainment will be able to "market these new products within a very short period of time". Part of this plan involves new releases coming out at the same time worldwide and on a monthly basis, starting with Wave 8 at the end of November and Wave 9 at the end of December.

They go on to say that they will be work to "ensure the North American stores will receive on a regular basis these new releases as well as marketing and promotion tools...including the establishment of organized play" and that "Very soon we will be able to tell you more about...all the surprises we have ready for you."

So what does it all mean? From the sound of things, Rackham has been purchased lock, stock, and barrel by a new company that will be picking up where Rackham had left off. This is good news for veteran players since it sounds like they will not be doing anything too radical to the game system other than making sure that releases actually come out on a regular basis. What other "surprises" they have in store we will have to wait and see but for now the future is looking better for AT-43.

Speaking of AT-43, there were more pictures of the Cogs released and it looks like someone in charge agreed that the whole orange thing was totally ridiculous. This is what the new Cogs look like.

This is a definite improvement over the old paint scheme. After all, who doesn't like red body armor? No news at to a release date for the Cogs yet but from the announcement also said that a new release plan should be coming soon.

Another thing of note is the new format for the attachment boxes that will be coming out in Wave 9 but more on that in the next issue. (Don't you just love teasers?)

On the 40k side of things, there are only two major releases coming out at the end of the month; the Realm of Battle Game Board (which you can see pictured below) and the Scenery Painting Pack.

Both of these are...interesting products. The board looks cool and the Scenery Pack seems to have a lot of useful items in it for terrain building but the price...youch! The Game Board comes in a $200 while the scenery pack is another $40. Sure this is not a bad idea but I mean really, why would anyone spend that kind of money on this stuff when you can get it elsewhere for much, much less? Great concept guys, but I just can't see this as being worth it. I'd much rather buy a ton of miniatures instead.

What A Tangled Web We Weave...
A Look Inside the Gamer Mind

Bringing Your Game Up A Notch

In the last Dispatch I talked about bringing your game down a notch for friendly games. This time we are going to take it back up again for the serious stuff.

Leagues and tournaments are great ways to get in some more competitive games. What you are playing for varies (anything from pure fame and glory all the way up to cold hard cash) but the idea remains the same; you are there to win. Period. Well, almost anyway but more on that later.

When you are preparing for a tournament, it is important to remember that you need to have an army list that is flexible and can handle a variety of situations. It is all well and good to have a rock hard force to crush your enemies but if you can't take control of objectives then you might be heading straight for disaster. Controlling objectives in the game is a key aspect in both AT-43 and 40k, but in both cases this can only be done by certain units. You need to make sure that you include enough of these unit to be able to take the objectives and also weather the storm of enemy fire as they try to take those objectives away from you. Skimp on these core units and you will wind up with an army that can't do the basic things you need to win.

Once you get to actually playing the game, it is vital to remember just what your objective is. While it can be a ton of fun to just blast your enemies apart, it may be all for naught if you ignore your victory conditions and lose the game. Staying focused should be simple enough to do but getting distracted during the game can be even easier. I know that I can think of a few times that I became so focused on destroying a unit that before I knew it the game was over and getting sidetracked by my bloodthirsty little rampage had cost me the game. Stay focused, secure your objectives, then kick butt in the time you have left.

The final and most important thing is make sure that both you and your opponent are having fun. When the game start to go your way it is easy to get carried away and before you know it you start saying things that could rub your opponent the wrong way. Nobody likes a sore winner so try to keep this in mind before the trash talk really starts to fly.

The opposite of this can happen as well. You can get angry and frustrated by how poorly your army is preforming and all of a sudden the whole gaming experience has gone to hell in a hand basket. I have been on the receiving end of this frustration before and let me tell you it is no fun! I actually had such a bad experience that after winning that particular game I was literally ready to pack up and put the lot on Ebay as soon as I got home. My opponent told me later that he was just frustrated how poorly his army kept performing but even so the incident left a bitter taste in my mouth that has kept me from playing the game again. Sore winners can be bad but a sore loser can be a thousand times worse.

This wraps up our dive into the gamers mind on bringing your "A" game but remember that the most important thing is to always make sure that everybody has a good time. After all, it is just a game.

From The Workbench
the Next Big WAAAGH!!!

Since the last Dispatch, I have managed to add some more details to my Kommandos to really make them stand out from the rest of the Boyz. The first of these modifications were face masks quickly followed by some backpacks.

The metal Kommando minis made by GW are wearing a cloth over their faces so by using a little bit of ProCreate epoxy I was able to make the same thing on mine. The backpacks are made by Pig Iron Productions and come on a metal sprue with seven backpacks and twelve pouches. The main downside to these is that they are a little small of Orks (gettin' inna doz pouches wud be fiddly) but I still like the effect that they add to the miniatures. I have also been able to get ahold of some burna bits for my Kommando heavy weapon troops along with more Boyz so I will be able to field the full mob of fifteen Kommandos if I want to. Bigger is always better with the Orks so it is good to have that option.

I also made some changes my Kommando Nob Skumgrot Nazshak to give him that extra "punch" in close combat.

First I cut off his big choppa just above the wrist. This is a breeze to do because the plastics are soft enough that I could actually do it with just an x-acto knife. Next, I took an old Space Marine power fist that I had lying around and I cut it off at the wrist as well. Then I pinned the fist onto his arm and used some more ProCreate to sculpt a bandage around the join. Voila! Instant Nob with power klaw. I also like the position of the power fist because it looks like he is waving his troops forward as they sneak up on their enemy.

Some changes were also made to Mad Doc Gutsnaga. In addition to a surgical mask and apron, he finally has the needle on his syringe! Yay!

I actually did this after I accidentally broke off the old syringe but I really like how the new one turned out so it was all for the best. The only downside right now is that I still have to get my hands on some Grots for the Mad Doc and my Nobz. I had wanted to wait until the new plastics were released but I think that I might be better off getting the Warhammer Fantasy Goblins and converting them just so that I can get them onto the table.

For the core of my horde of Orky goodness, I have been able to pick up a bunch of Ork Boyz minis putting me well on the way to having a pretty good sized army. My primary focus for my troops is going to be boyz with sluggas and choppas but I want to field a unit or two of shoota boyz as well to give my horde a little bit of range. To give them a little bit of maneuverability on the battlefield I am going to mount them in a trukk but there is a twist. Instead of using a regular Ork trukk I am converting a Tau Devilfish.

As you can tell this is still a work in progress but so far I am pretty happy with how it is turning out. I especially like what I have been able to do for the new engines on this thing but more on that in a future Dispatch...

And The Parting Shot

Well, that just about wraps it up for this issue of the Dispatch but before I go there is some good news; more battle reports will be coming soon! A new LGS just opened up much closer to my house and the owner is really interested in getting some in store 40k happening so once I get a little more work done on my Orks the battle reports will be back!

Well, that's all for now but until next time, may all of your dice come up Dragons!

The Sin City Dispatch #3

Hey everyone, welcome to the new home of the Sin City Dispatch!!!

In this episode of the Dispatch, we will be looking at the latest releases for both AT-43 and Warhammer 40,000. Next I have a new segment where we delve deep into the mind of the gamer... and try not to touch all those bizarre squishy bits. You never no where they have been. Last but not least we will be taking another look at the Workbench to see how my Waaagh!!! is coming along in all of its green glory. So sit down and strap in because we are about to hit the ground running!

Incoming!!!
Upcoming Releases for AT-43 and Warhammer 40,000

The big news for AT-43 right now is that Fantasy Flight Games will no longer be distributing either this game or Confrontation. There seems to be no official word from Rackham about what is going on except some remarks about a big announcement later this month. After my time with Mongoose Publishing and all of their wonderful "big announcements", this really doesn't seem to boad well for the game but only time will tell exactly what will happen.

In sharp contrast, the Games Workshop front has a number of new releases for the Space Marines that have already hit the shelves. I am not going to touch on all of them but there are a few that really piqued my interest.

The Sternguard are one of the new elite choices that are available for the Marines.

Proving some serious ranged support, the Sternguard have a number of ammo options that they can choose from which really gives them the ability to handle almost any situation on the battlefield. I have even heard that they can all be equipped with their own combi weapons which is a nasty little trick. Kit a bunch of them out with combi flamers and then say goodbye to those cover saves! As for the models themselves, they are certainly not bad but they are kind of pricey especially if you are going to be fielding a full unit of ten. Personally I think that I am going to use the regular Tactical Marines with various bits to make my own Sternguard.

The Vanguard squad is another one of the new elite choices that the Marines can field.

Equipped with power weapons, these guys pack a nasties punch than the regular Assault Marines and they are able to Deep Strike in using their jump packs. The downside is again the miniatures. They look cool and all but with true line of sight would you really want a bunch of guys that are that high off of their bases? Then there is the cost which is pretty high for these ones as well, making this another unit that I would rather just convert some of the plastic Marines so that I could field them.

On the vehicle front there is the new Land Raider Redeemer

Equipped with a twin-linked assault cannon and two massive flamers, this beast will let you charge right through your enemies lines before openning up to unleash its payload of Marines. The kit can also be used to make the Crusader variant but personally I don't know how you could pass up on those flamers.

The last one that I am going to cover is the one that I have loved the concept of ever since I first saw them in the old Rogue Trader. The Space Marine drop pod.

While drop pods have been made by Forge World before, this is the first time that they have been available for a reasonable price. Now you can finally field the Marines the way that they were intended, as the Angels of Death falling from the sky to smite the heretic! Yep, I love these things. And as an added plus you can equip them with a Deathwind launcher so that you can start dropping templates on you enemies while your Marines charge into combat. What's there not to love about this?

One other thing which is not out just yet but should be coming soon (at least that's what I'm hoping anyway...) is plastic Grots. Yes, that's right. Soon it will be possible to field a reasonably priced Grot shield for your Ork horde. What is there not to love about that? Appearing to be almost the same as the current metal minis, the new plastic Grots are supposed to be a one piece figure. And the great part is that now I don't have to convert a bunch of Warhammer Fantasy Goblins to make my Grots. The Orks just keep getting better and better.

What A Tangled Web We Weave...
A Look Inside the Gamer Mind

Bringing the Your Game Down A Notch

Your first thought might be "What a minute. Doesn't he mean up? Why would I possibly want to take it down a notch?" Normally I would agree but read on and you will see what I am talking about.

As gamers we get together with others to have a good time pushing around some miniatures and maybe win a couple of games. In some cases you want to bring your A game; tournaments, leagues, when you are playing that really annoying guy that no one can beat. In these cases, there is nothing wrong with making you list a hard one and bringing the hammer down on your opponent. Friendly games are a beast of another color though as these are usually just played to have a good time. This can make them the perfect opportunity to just go a little crazy and try some things that you normally wouldn't.

A good example of this would be try an very vehicle heavy list in AT-43. Since most vehicles can't control objectives you are really putting yourself at a disadvantage but visually it would look pretty cool to just see a ton of walkers out on the board.

Conversely, you could try the opposite end of the spectrum and go infantry heavy. This option would be especially hard against an opponent that can throw out a lot of indirect fire templates but it would be one heck of a challenge. Heck, you might even stumble on a new tactic to try out in the next "serious" game that you play. The great thing about doing this kind of thing is these games are just you and your friends having a good time and maybe a laugh or two as well, even if it is just because of how crazy that list was.

So remember; bring your "A" game to the tourneys but if you are just playing with friends then don't sweat it. Just get out there and have some fun!

From The Workbench
the Next Big WAAAGH!!!

As I mentioned before, I have had family in town so unfortunately I have not had as much time to work on my army as I would like. Even so, there has been some progress made so let's take a look, shall we?

First up is my Warboss, Wazgul Dakagrub.

Nothing special here really, I just like the miniature so I wanted to put up his picture. I might add a little something to it to personalize it but on the whole I think that GW did a great job with it.

Next up is the leader of my Nobz unit, Mornob Ursog.

Mornob is a really basic conversion as all I did was build my own Waaagh pole for him. The pole itself and the cross piece are just a piece of sprue cut to size while I cut the glyph out of some spare styrene sheet that I had lying around. As a finishing touch, I added a skull with a top knot that I had chopped off one of the other Nob minis.

Next up is Mad Doc Gutsnaga, the painboy for my Nobz.

Instead of using a Nob mini for him, I decided to just convert a regular Ork boy. His back pole and glyph were made out of more of the spare styrene though the pole itself it actually a small I girder. To make his bone saw, I just cut off the end of his choppa and carved some saw teeth into it.

The 'urty syringe was a little more involved though I am having a heck of a time finishing it. I cut off the barrel of his slugga and then attached the clip to the top of this piece to make the back half of the syringe. The tube that forms the main body of the syringe is actually just part of a stirring straw that I cut down. I added a few bits of styrene to this just to add some detail but the real problem is the needle. I had cut a piece of styrene and glued it on but it broke off pretty easily so I am not quite sure what I am going to do to fix it. Maybe some brass rod or part of a paper clip so that it is stronger. I also still need to do some putty work on the Doc so that I can add a surgical mask and an apron. More pics of that once it is finished.

Rounding out my HQ choices (at least for now) is my Warphead Gorbog.

I have heard that weird boyz aren't very useful in the game but I really liked the idea of making my own just for the fun of it. Just like the Gutsnaga mini, I went with the regular boy for his figure. It seemed really fitting in this case since I see the weird boyz as some kind of runt compared to the rest of the Orks. For his staff I just cut the head off of his choppa and then added a top knot to the bottom of the handle. To top it all off, I drilled out a spare Marine head that I had lying around and stuck it on the top.

Just like Gutsnaga, Gorbog is not done either. I want to try to make some Waaagh lightning out off some thin wire and the have it shooting out of his eyes, hand, and the Marine helmet. I have never tried anything like this before (painting lightning yes, making lightning no) so I am not sure how it will work out but I am excited to see what I can come up with.

Last of my conversions from the Black Reach set is Wortslag Gorgut, the Nob leading the Boyz.

This one is another pretty easy conversion as I just added a back pole with a glyph but this time I also added a Marine shoulder pad for a bit of flavor.

As you can see, all of these are for the most part pretty minor changes and additions to the basic miniature but I really like the way that they have added to the whole flavor of the force. Now I just need to get them painted but more on that later.

And The Parting Shot...

Well that about wraps it up for this issue but I wanted to share this picture before I went.

This is a scratch built Chaos Warhound Titan. This is done in scale for 40k which means that it probably stands about 12 inches tall. The really sick thing is it is made out of paper. Isn't it amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it? Wonder how many paper cuts he got while he was making it...

Well, that is all for now but until next time may all of you dice come up paper Dragons. :)

Sin City Dispatch #2

Hey everyone and welcome to the second issue of the Sin City Dispatch

In this issue we will start by taking a quick look at the latest pictures Rackham has released of the Cogs. Most of it we have seen before but there is a little something extra as well. The rest of the issue will be all about the box of plastic goodness that is the Assault on Black Reach. So sit down and strap in because we are about to hit the ground running!

Incoming!!!
Upcoming releases for AT-43 and Warhammer 40,000

Since the last issue of the Dispatch Rackham has actually released two issues of Cry Havoc Online, both of which have some pictures of the Cogs that we have never seen before. One of the most startling ones (for me at least) is the picture of what they look like without a helmet on.

I hate to say it but this is nothing like I expected them too look. From the concept pictures I think a lot of people were under the impression that the Cogs were somewhat Cthulhuian (does that word actually exist?) in appearance but this looks more like a typical Grey from Hollywood. I hate to say it again but this is another disappointment in my book. I am sure that just like the Karmans some people will like the look of these minis but I am really finding that I am falling into the camp of those who don't.

There is also another preview picture of the Cogs but this time it is what looks like their type III infantry.

The pros of these minis are the sculpts look kind of cool with an Anime flair to them. The problems is the paint job. Again with the orange! At first glance they look like some kind of an alien construction crew or chain gang instead of a powerful faction that was able to put the hurt on the Therians until the Karmans were thrown into the war. Something that looks worrying from a play point of view is the variety of weapons these guys have. It might be that these are from various type III units (such as the various types of the TacArms for example) but if they are just one unit then having that jumble of weapons could have an impact on how effective they are in combat. Of course only time will tell how good or bad any of the Cogs are but so far I am really not sure about the direction they are taking with them.

On the 40k front, this month is all about the Space Marines baby! Of all the releases, the new Codex is without a doubt the most important one.

Coming in at 144 pages, it will include all of the rules for fielding a Space Marine Chapter so if you are looking to build that Marine chapter that you have always dreamed of or you just want to see what new nasties they will be fielding, then this is a must buy. The bad news is that this is the first Codex that will fall under the new pricing, coming in a $30. On the plus side, this book is bigger than most of the current Codexes by at least 40 pages so it should have a bunch of new goodies and information in there.

A majority of the remaining releases are new minis for the Marines (including a plastic Drop Pod kit!) though there is one other product that really jumps to my attention and it is something that I will definitely be picking up; the Dice Cube.

For a mere $6 you get 27 20mm dice inside of a giant die. How could any gamer pass one that one? "I think I'll use the giant die for this roll." Plus the price actually isn't half bad so I would definitely recommend grabbing at least one of these right away.

To find out more about these items and the other new releases, head on over to their site and check out the Advanced Orders for 40k.

Taking a Closer Look at...
Assault on Black Reach

Cracking Open the Box

Everyone knows that there is nothing worse than opening a game only to realize that you just paid for a box full of air. The good news is that this is not something you need to worry about with Black Reach. From top to bottom, this box is packed full of stuff. In addition to the four sprues of minis, there is also a small version of the rulebook and a starter book. As far as I can tell the rulebook contains all of the information that the hardcover has (minus the fluff and color painting sections) while the starter book is more of a basic overview of how the game plays with a bunch of full color pictures thrown in as well. All of the templates that you need are also right in the box as well as some dice. Definitely not enough dice in the long run but it is a start in the right direction. A scatter die is also included so overall you are ready to go right out of the box once you have assembled the minis.

Taking a Closer Look

Looking at the miniatures, the first thing that struck me was the level of detail. From purity seals to scroll work, they managed to get it all in there. The symbol for the Tactical squad is even sculpted into the shoulder pads! And it is not just the Marines that received the love either as the Orks are very detailed miniatures as well. From my own experience, I think that this is great. While it might seem that having the extra detail just means that the figs would be harder to paint, I think that the opposite is true. With the higher level of detail, everything is so well defined it really seems to make the figure much easier to paint so I am really looking forward to getting to the painting. First I just need to cut them all off the sprue, assemble, and prime them. Definitely different than the AT-43 "open the box and go" feel but I am still really excited about these which really says something to me.

And The Verdict Is...

So is Assault on Black Reach worth the $60 price tag? In a word, definitely. The hardcover version of the rulebook alone costs $50, while you get all of the information that you need in a smaller size in Black Reach plus a ton of miniatures for an extra $10. In fact I have heard about a number of people getting two, three or even more sets of Black Reach just because of the value in the miniatures. Heck, I know that's what I am going to do.

From the Workbench
the Next Big WAAAAGH!!!

After some slow progress to start with, I have finally assembled most of my Orks from the Black Reach set though I am doing it slightly different from the what the box lists the contents as being. Rather than fielding a twenty strong Boyz mob I have decided to split the group and I have assembled them as a twelve strong Boyz mob and an eight strong Kommando mob, both of which are lead by a Nob. This is actually pretty easy to do and make them somewhat different as I simply used the helmeted Ork heads for my Kommandos while the rest of my Orks running around with a bare head. Here is a picture of the Kommandos...

And the regular Boyz...

To take it a step further, I am looking for some seperate backpacks that I can mount on the Kommandos to give them the appropriate "military-wannabe" look. This will really make them stand apart from the "regular" Orks (if there is such a thing...) by giving them a very unique look. Combined with just the other miniatures from Black Reach (the Deffkoptas, the small Nobz mob, the Warboss, and the other conversions that I will be doing with just this set) this should go together to make a pretty good starter force for my Ork horde. It is by no means finished of course but it is definitely a solid start to getting my Waaaaagh!!! underway.

And that is all for the issue of the Dispatch! Be sure to come back for soon for more Sin City goodness and until then, may all of your dice come up Dragons!