Tale of Four Gamers

[Fritz]

Ummm...has anyone looked at the Lore of Shadow lately? That lore looks straight up broken. Okkam's Mindrazor in particular really caught my eye. WS4, ASF, S8 spear elves fighting in 4 ranks? YES PLEASE.

[Thomas Fitzcharles]

Good Day, Fritz.

I am really starting to understand how big a loss your army was! Not just in monitary terms but in the time and effort that goes into painting these bloody things. I can't imgaine having to paint them all again. I don't know if I am just slow, but it has taken me at least 48 + hours to paint 16 knights and I am still not finished. I really didn't believe it when jason said it takes him 2-3 hours per model. I am really sorry for your loss!

Sincerely

Thomas

[Fritz]

It really isn't that bad. There were really only about 4 or so totally complete models in that army. Plus, I have bright shiny object syndrome, so I've always been making and re-making armies. Putting the army together has always been my favorite part. The play style of an army on the tabletop is probably the most important thing for me. It's hard to make that exact determination until you actual put your theory to the test in a game.

You can see my dwarf theory from just a couple weeks ago. In theory I was making a hand to hand army with potential to maneuver. It sounded great on paper, but when I play tested it with Jeff using other models to represent the dwarfs their natural low movement value could not be compensated for despite the anvil of doom and changes to the basic rule set. I like an army that can maneuver, and the dwarfs just kinda marched forward and won through sheer attrition.

I've played High Elves before and they were probably the best match for my preferred style of play: heavy maneuver and strong punch, but limited staying power. I think I abandoned them last time not so much because they didn't play the way I wanted them to, but because they weren't very powerful at the time. I worked for GW at the time and was surrounded by the win-first fun-second attitude that permeates regular, competitive players.

The Empire army was my first real post-GW army. It had a very strong theme (SIGMAR BABY) and forwent a lot of the "mandatory" choices of more competitive players in favor of a strong 'poor religious fanatic' feel. I won most of games with it, but those were against mostly Jason and Jeff in what were always pretty damned close games. The few games I played against random people in GW stores were just plain not very good. I have no doubt that the army would have been utterly crushed by super-competitive players. However, it was an army built for 6th and 7th edition and would need to have some work done to make it functional for 8th edition. I have ideas for making it work and if it was returned to me, I'd do just that. I still like the theme, but the idea of remaking it from scratch is just not appealing.

I have no idea why I felt the need to write all of that, but I'm very bored at work right now and excited by the prospect of starting a new army.

[MorGrendel]

That's OK, I'm think about starting a Ogre Army. J/K

[Thomas Fitzcharles]

Good Day, Fritz.

I glad it is not as bad as I was thinking. I suppose I am frustrated in how long it is taking me. Once, I have my core units togather. I can take my time and just enjoy all the fine detail work.

Sincerely

Thomas

[MorGrendel]

In a recent game with Fritz the order of challenges came up. One the quick:
1. Player 1 issues a challenge with selected model.
2. Player 2 responds with his challenger (issuer does not pick, yet).
3. The two challengers fight it out.

If Player 2 does not accept the challenge, then Player 1 may select a character to retire to the rear of the unit. Player 1 can not select a Champion (However, champions may accept challenges).

[Berserker]

What? You're saying that player 1 gets to pick what character from player 2 goes to the back of the line?

That cannot be correct! Is that truly the rules in the book? I always thought that the challenged player decides if he accepts the challenge or not, and if not the challenged player also decides who runs away in shame to the back of the line.

I mean even logically it doesn't make any sense. Think about it! You come to the enemy line and shout "Come here and fight me you dog". Either someone from the enemy line responds, or one of the characters in the enimy line shamefully retreats and says "I'm too weak to fight that". But the challenging character does not get to choose who they are challenging, nor do they know who would be expected to take up the challenge in the enemy unit.. hell, even in SCA where we know our enemy cause we fight them all the time, we still don't know who their champions are half the time! How much less would you know if you were fighting some unknown enemy?

[Fritz]

Once you start fighting, though, it is pretty hard to hide a fighter who is far and away better than others. If you're looking for a challenge you would work your way toward them and call them out.

It is more a gameplay issue anyway. If you're such a git that you decline a challenge, you don't get to keep your super awesome character in the front rank slaughtering everything and send your little champion to the back. Cowboy the fuck up and go mono-a-mono.

[Berserker]

Yeah, I had a discussion about this with jeff and jason. The way they put it was: You go to the enemy line and directly challenge their bad-ass king. A lowly champion may decide to jump in and say "sire, let me slay this foul smelling beast!" and he will accept the challenge instead of the king. But if no one steps up, then the king gets to retreat in shame, not the lowly champions around the army.

That makes sense. I concede this point.

[MorGrendel]

Figure its time for an update.

paint4.jpg

[Fritz]

Very nice!

[Thomas Fitzcharles]

Good Day, Jeff.

Very nice, What ever happen to my paint lessons. Now that I don't need a Ark to get out of the house we should set something up.

Sincerely

Thomas

[MorGrendel]

Yes, Let's. Going to a baseball game tonight, but set a date after SBB, and let's do it.
I know Serban wants one too, maybe you could head up here after work and we could meet here or at Serban's.

[Thomas Fitzcharles]

Good Day, jeff.

lets make plans this weekend for sometime next week.

Sincerely

Thomas

[Titus]

Jeff, could you please post four pictures instead of one cobbled together one that we have to scroll around on?
Bezerker, what ever happened to trying to find a way to have pics aut resized when they were posted?

Looking good though, Jeff