Workbench: The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Mag Guns...

Last week was almost a bust thanks to the changing seasons.  Gotta love allergies.  Thankfully things are slowly getting back on track this week and I decided to dive into expanding my terrain options.  I've been brainstorming some ideas for buildings constructed from foam core but need to grab a couple of white pens before I can really push forward with those.  Why white?  Instead of using the plain white boards, I decided to use black boards instead.  This should make the painting process a bit since there is no base coating required; it's already black!  It'll be interesting to see how it actually plays out but fingers crossed.

In the meantime, I dug out a utility knife and started cutting up some of the spare insulation board to make some hills.  Inspiration for the technique is straight from the Tabletop Warlords, specifically the Modular Hills episode from their Antares Build playlist.  Currently it's the only episode in that playlist but that's because of all the other Gates of Antares content they've been churning out which I definitely recommend checking out.

For my hills, I followed most of Kevin's suggestions and so far I'm really happy with the end result.  I did "flock" mine slightly differently (aka not at all) because I glued cut fabric to the tops instead of going whole hog with more traditional basing material.  This keeps them in line with my other terrain pieces though and I think that will help pull them all together visually.

Just a quick shot for this week but I think they look pretty good.

In addition to the hills, I've also started shaping some of the off cuts into boulders so I can put together some rocky outcroppings.  This will mix up my terrain options a bit more and add more variety to the mix.  So far I'm sticking with my more verdant board but eventually I'll start working on putting together my desert world as well.  As I already had a head start with the green board, it only makes sense to finish that one first and then move on.  This also works well for other gaming options as the green board can be used for other systems a bit easier than my shocking yellow desert.

I'm also going to try to do something to kick start my painting.  With my three armies nearly complete, I've been having a heck of a time sitting down to finish the few models that I have left.  I've tried painting other genres to try to kick the painters block to the curb but there's been enough of a break that I'm really frustrated with the quality that I'm producing.  Only I get the current projects situated, I'm going to try to work out a painting routine doing just one figure a day to keep my hand in practice.  Most of these will be just quick paint jobs but that seems like the perfect thing for this time of year.  After all, it's almost Zomtober.  Normally I'm not a big zombie fan but I did pick up some of the Zombicide Black Plague game.  These will fit into any fantasy setting quite nicely and this will be the perfect excuse to get some paint on them.  Until next time...

Workbench: Civil War - It's Not Just For Marvel Anymore!

Back when I first started picking up miniatures for Antares, I decided right away that I didn't want to field any of my armies with the studio paint schemes.  This wasn't because I didn't like them, but because I really liked the open sandbox approach that Warlord and the Antares community have as a whole.  It's your army, paint them anyway you like!

As time has gone by and the story has started to advance, I must admit that I am going to start collecting figures using schemes inspired by the studio paint jobs.  It only seems fitting as I start working two new Algoryn forces inspired by the recent talk of potential civil war.

On one side, you have the disgraced Tar Es Janar.  After his treasonous behavior at Xilos, Tar Es Janar was exiled from the Protectorate but not all felt that this was justified.  While he did break normal protocols, his actions helped deny the Ghar a foothold on Xilos.  Forced out into the wilds of the Determinate, there are those still loyal who have been quietly gathering their strength in anticipation of the day of his return.

Meanwhile, the vacuum left by his exile created the ideal opening for Ess Ma Rahq to ascend to what she feels is her rightful place.  Already the commander of the Special Division, the success of the hazard armor has brought her even more favor with the Council.

So my plan for this is to build a small force for both sides of this conflict.  For the exiled legions of Tar Es Janar, I want to focus on assault squads supported by standard AI squads.  Meanwhile, Ess Ma Rahq has been able to tap into the power her position in the Special Division so her force would consist of mostly hazard squads and infiltrator squads, possibly with some standard AI squads to fill things out.  Of course since they are all Algoryn, the color scheme will be the big difference here; the traditional Algoryn red for the exiles while the ominous forces of the Special Division will be black.

This is still just in the concept stages right now but it's something I want to work towards.  Still, the journey of a hundred minis begins with a single brushstroke.  Until next time...

Workbench: Making A Better "Tabletop"

As I've mentioned, I am currently traveling for work which makes gaming a challenge to say the least.  Thankfully it an extended stay so I have the same hotel room which does make things easier, but there is still the overall space issue.  A two room suite is not even close to the amount of space in a typical home or apartment.

To try to work around this, I had brought down four 2' x 2' boards that I had attached some cloth to so I could use them as terrain board as is.  Unfortunately the one and only table in the hotel room is pretty thin so putting the boards on it can be a little nerve wracking.  During the game I played last week with Concord vs Algoryn, there were a couple of times that I nearly flipped one of the sections when I leaned on it.

Functional but mildly stress inducing

To get around this, I went out and picked up an 8' x 4' inch thick insulation board.  My original plan was to chop off a 2' section from the end so I could have a 6' x 4' topper.  After some thought, I decided to cut it down to a 4' x 4' topper instead due to the size of the room.

This still left the issue of the overall size.  4' x 4' is a good size for gaming but its still tricky to store it away in a hotel room.  The solution for this was to split it into two 4' x 2' tables and add a "hinge".

The "new and improved" table top

In this case the "hinge" is made with duct tape.  I laid out the two boards next to each other and ran a line of tape along the seam.  Then I folded the "table" in half and ran another piece of tape along the two edges along the seam.  This lets me fold the topper in half and the extra tape should make it a little sturdier.

It's so shiny...

Of course I'll have to see how it works in application but I thinking it should work out nicely.  And as an added plus, I also have all of the extra foamboard to start making some vertical terrain.  That's right, it's time to get some hills!  Huzzah!  I really like how all of my vegetation has been turning out but I'm really excited to add the third dimension to the board.  More on that soon.  Until next time...

Random Updates: Having The Wrong Kind Of Flood

Little light on the miniature front this week thanks to some flooding by the pressure tank for our well.  Thankfully nothing was seriously damaged and the bill wasn't as bad as it could have been.  It does mean that I was a bit late getting down to Boston though so I won't have much chance to do anything miniature related.

That said, I did manage to play some games over the weekend that were a ton of fun.  On Saturday we went over to our friend's house after they helped us get the flooding under control.  To get our minds off of things, we played a game of Azul and Bohnanza, and then later I played a game of Wingspan.  Great fun with all of them, though I'll admit that I'm not sure if Wingspan would be one my wife would enjoy.  Beautiful looking game and interesting to play, but the engine building mechanic on a game about birds... not sure if it fits.  I definitely want to play it again as it had a nice crunch to it, but I can see it not being for everyone.  Azul on the other hand, that's one that I will definitely be adding to our gaming collection.

As for the miniatures, I must admit that I'm showing a massive about of restraint.  Currently Warlord Games is running their End of Summer Celebration Sale and the deals are both crazy and really tempting.  That said, I think I'm actually going to pass on this one so I can focus on some very important things; namely terrain (aka: a better gaming board) and miniature storage.

I currently have four 2' x 2' boards in the hotel so I can put together a 4' x 4' table but its not the most sturdy.  In fact I almost lost a chunk of miniatures a couple of times last week so I'm thinking I need to pick up a 1" thick piece of insulation foam.  This comes in 4' x 8' boards which means I'll be able to chop off a couple of feet and use that to build some hills while still having a full size surface to play on.

I also don't have any way to safely transport my Ghar or my T7 transport so I really need to take steps to correct that.  Sure they are at the hotel right now, but I found a game store up in New Hampshire that wants to start running Antares games.  It's a bit of a drive but I think I'm going to try to head up that way in the next couple of weeks to check things out.  Thus, good storage in general is kind of a priority.  Why spend all the time painting them if you are just going to throw them into a box, right?

Sometimes it sucks being logical but at this point, I think the best use of my gaming dollars.  Then again, if it leads to more and better gaming... well, that's definitely not a bad thing.  Until next time...

Gates of Antares Battle Report: Algoryn vs Concord Reinforce the Position, Part Two

And now the conclusion of the Reinforce the Position battle report.  At the end of turn three, neither side had managed to gain the upper hand.  The AI assault squad had taken a lot of pins from a net round early in the game but managed to quickly shrug them off, only to be hit with another net round.  The Algoryn were giving as good as they were getting though, lobbing multiple net rounds at the Concord support drones, rendering them virtually useless.  Which side will reign supreme?  Let's get back to the game and find out.

Turn Four

This turn opened with the AI assault squad trying to take advantage of their position to charge the nearby Strike squad.  Unfortunately they couldn't manage to pass their command check and were forced to go down instead.

The nearby AI squad showed them how it was done, charging into assault against the same Strike squad.  The Concord troops tried to ready themselves against their opponents only to fail their reaction miserably.  This combined with the incoming fire from the Algoryn left the Concord troops seriously rattled and made them useless in the assault.  Loosing one of their own, things looked grim for the Concord soldiers but somehow they managed to keep it together long enough to weather a follow up assault and even take down the micro x trooper in the AI squad.

After the fight, both squads consolidated back towards cover to try to get into a better position for the next turn.

The AI squad in the center of the board went next but they were still too rattled by the previous attacks, going down as they failed their command check to run.  The Algoryn streak continued though with one of the x-launchers firing.  They dropped another net round on the support drones and this time it was too much for them to process.  The drones broke and fled the table, leaving one of the Strike squads standing in the middle of the board with no batter field.

Hoping to return the favor, the Concord x-launcher lobbed its own net round at the AI assault squad, adding another single pin to the unit trapped in the woodland.

The second AI support team fired next, this time using a conventional x-launcher round against the severely shaken Strike squad on the western side of the board.  Unlike all the net rounds, this one went wide and exploded harmlessly in front of the Strike troopers.

The Strike squad in open middle of the board braced themselves and opened fire on the assault squad.  Several shots hit home but bounced off the reflex armor with no effect.

The Strike command squad ordered the nearby Strike squad forward and the two units ran into the woodlands by the AI squad laying in ambush.  Most of the AI troops couldn't get a line of sight though so they held onto the ambush order a bit longer.

The mag cannon team felt differently, letting loose a round that blasted a hole right through one of the Strike troopers.

The turn ended with the western Strike squad rallying to shed a majority of their pins and the AI medic team moving up to support the AI squad in the nearby woodlands.  Wrapping things up, the AI squad on ambush return their die to the bag, and the down AI squad and assault squads both pass the test to return their order dice as well.

Turn Five

Concord started this turn with the deafening sound of silence as their x-launcher team tried to fire a dude round.  Ironically enough the Algoryn didn't fare any better as their assault team, now free of pins, got too tangled in the woodland to move at all.

The western AI squad went next, opening fire on the nearby Strike squad who took the opportunity to fire back.  A flurry of rounds later and both units had lost a trooper to their opponents fusillade.

The Strike squad in the center of the field advanced brave as brass and fired on the batter AI squad that had run to get into cover.  They didn't have line of sight to the whole unit but they were able to get them down to a sole survivor who bravely stood his ground.

The eastern Strike squad went next, advancing out of the woodland to open fire on the AI squad.  Most of the rounds bounced off harmlessly but one of them did strike home, killing the AI squad leader.

Undaunted, the AI squad charged the Strike squad, taking down the Concord squad leader in turn as they charged forward.  Neither side could get an upper hand in the ensuing melee and both squads fell back to regroup.

One of the AI support teams tried to follow up against the same Concord squad, dropping a standard round right on top of them.  The Strike troopers were to well dug in though and easily weathered the blast.

The Strike command squad opened fire on the AI squad but their plasma bolts bounced off the Algoryn reflex armor, having little effect.

The rest of the turn was the Algoryn troops repositioning and readying themselves for the final turn.  The medic team held their position, the mag cannon support team went into ambush, and other support team moved forward into the woodland to try to get a line of sight.

Going into potentially the last turn, things were still fairly balanced though casualties were starting to pile up on both side.

Turn Six

This turn a miracle happened; the AI assault squad actually did something!  Charging forward from the mass of brambles they had been tied up in, the assault squad slammed into the Stike squad in the center of the field.  The rejoicing was short lived as two of their number were gunned down by the Strike troopers but the caused a casualty themselves so all wasn't lost.

With their d-spinners set for plasma grenades, the three remaining assault troopers tore into the Strike troopers... and took only took out one of them while two of the assault troopers fell.  The squad leader was undaunted though and held his ground!

The Concord troops followed up their advantage and dog piled onto the assault leader, taking him down though another of their numbers fell in the melee.  Overall not the most impressive showing but it was definitely better than being stuck in the woods.

The remnants of the Concord squad fell back into the nearby woodland to try to get some cover from the other AI squads that hadn't activated yet.

The Concord support team went next and landed a net round right on top of the closest AI squad.  This proved to be too much for them and they quickly ran from the field.

The western AI squad opened fire on the same Concord team as last turn but this time the Strike were caught by surprise with one of their numbers falling to the incoming mag rounds.

Looking to press their advantage on the shaken Concord squads, one of the AI support teams launched a net round to try to break them.  The round went wide, just falling short of hitting the nearby Strike command squad.

The second support team fared better.  Their round deviated but still managed to hit their target, racking up a number of pins on the command squad.

The central Strike squad tried to take a shot at the closest AI squad but it the strain was too much, forcing them down for the turn.

Meanwhile, the AI medic team advanced to the edge of the woodland and opened fire on the western Strike squad.  Their tender ministrations dropped another C3 trooper and sent the last one running for the hills.

The eastern Strike squad opened fire on the lone AI trooper hiding behind the building but weren't able to get any of their shots to connect.  He responded by firing back but wasn't able to pierce their hyper light armor.

And with that... the game was over.  The die roll for an extra turn came up with a 1, definitively drawing the action to a close but the question remains... which side won?  Since neither side was broken, the point values of the units that were removed are used to determine the winner.  On the Concord side of the table, the C3D1 light support drone unit was taken out along with one of the Strike squads, coming up with a grand total of 273 points.  On the Algoryn side, they lost the AI assault squad and one AI squad for a total of 267 points meaning they just barely squeak by with a win.

Mistakes Made and Things Learned

I believe this was the first time that I tried fielding such well rounded lists and it was interesting to see how the pieces all fit together.  The support units really do help round out the forces and can be a valuable asset to have though in the future I want to try running them differently.

I think it would be better to split up the C3D1 drones and give them each a batter drone.  This would let them move around the battlefield independently and provide cover for other units as they advance.  That said I think I would leave the spotter drones off of them.  Since I see them a supporting tactical units which should already have spotters, it seems a bit to redundant and kind of a points sink to put them on the support drones as well.

Meanwhile, I think I'll skip the batter drone for the support squad with an x-launcher.  With overhead spotter patching, the support team will probably be out of line of sight so the points for a batter drone would probably be better spent elsewhere.

On the Algoryn side of things, I want to get some more AI assault troopers so I can field a larger squad.  I'll admit that they really haven't been very effective for me but hopefully with another couple of bodies in there it will help.  I really like the concept behind them so it would be great to have them be a viable choice for an army.

The other thing I might do is drop the medic team.  I've never had them in position to use them as medics though having a small two man team with mag guns isn't a bad thing.  Still I can't help but wonder if perhaps there might be a better use for the points.

Something that applies for both factions is the various special ammunition types.  This game I primarily used net ammo to pile on the pins.  I looked at the other kinds and tried to look for situations that they would be helpful but I just wasn't seeing anything.  I might try dropping the other types for now and then expand to include more as I identify situations that they could be useful.  This would probably be easier from a rules point of view as well as I would only have to remember one type of speical muntion instead of five.

The same applies for the special munitions for the micro-x and slingnet launchers.  I genuinely forgot about overload and slingnet munitions so I might drop down to one of them for now so that using it becomes second nature.  Once this happens, I can look at adding or swapping in the other type as needed.  It will also free up some more points and give me a bit more to play with.

Of course none of these things are really mistakes, but there was a doozy that I was making; spotter OH patching can only be done through one spotter drone.  I was thinking that you could patch through multiple drones which is the main reason there was some much overhead fire in the first couple of turns.  Whoopsy!  Let's count that as a lesson learned, shall we?

Final Thoughts

So now the question is what's next?  I'm thinking I might break out the Ghar and give them a test drive; see how the distort die and all their other rules change the game.  That said, it also might be good to do another game or two with the more normal armies to make sure some of these rules are second nature first.  I also have a friend that has said he would be interested in a demo so I need to figure out when we can fit that it as well; it's always better to have another opponent to play against instead of just pushing around the models solo.  There is also at least one gaming store locally that I want to check out, plus another in New Hampshire that I know hosts Antares games so there are definietly some options out there.  Until next time...