POP!!! Goes My New Years Hobby Resolution

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Scorpius_GLC

As many of you are aware I am a magpie gamer, a hobby whore, whatever you want to call people who: COLLECT LOTS OF DIFFERENT ARMIES FOR LOTS OF DIFFERENT SYSTEMS!!!! What you may also know is that each year I make a New Years Hobby Resolution and each year since I left Games Workshop as a Store Manager this has been the same: Plan a new GW investment, work out its cost and then try to do 2 new systems/armies with a combined cost less than that of the GW investment. So we are now 6 months or half way into 2012 and I thought it about time I look at what I have done so far in 2012!

The Year so far:

I began 2012 with a catch up of my 2011 hobby resolution and the wonderful game of Dystopian Wars by Spartan Games. This was a total break from my plan but I needed to play games with my Prussian Naval Fleet, for this SteamPunk game, to finish off my previous years hobby resolution. A massive thanks to Ian Hill, Andie Harper, Edd Barfield, Dave Amos & Gordon Snellgrove for the company while doing this system, I had a Broadside Blast!!!

At about the same time:

I had the chance to paint up my Christmas presents from my brother….my MERCS USCR! I have yet to play a proper game of this system and as I didn’t buy them I can’t claim them as part of my New Years Resolution.

So by this point I thought it was about time to get on with my actual planned stuff for 2012 and the first being SAGA.

This is a really great game. It was not at all what I expected, I had images of historical wargaming and the quality of the models used for these games and these preconceptions were wrong. SAGA is a beautifully bloody, fast paced Viking-age skirmish game. I bought, built, painted and played with a Viking force. I planned out a 6pts army and have had an awesome time sending the enemy troops to the pile of the dead and wishing my battle brothers a safe journey to the gates of Valhalla! My gracious troop of fellow gamers collected themselves 4pts forces, 2 welsh warbands, a Scots warband, 2 Viking warbands, a Norman warband and a Joms Vikings! Thanks needs to go to Andie Harper for the AWESOME games on very late nights at Portal Wargaming!!

a little bit of this thrown in for the mix:

GRUNTZ is a 15mm Sci-Fi game that allows you to use any 15mm Sci-Fi models in your games and I decided to build a quick and easy force of humans from GZG and paint them up, don’t think I’ll actually get to play this game but I do enjoy painting 15mm models so it was a great experience!!!

and for the best part of the year I have anticipated and then rejoiced in the release of Empire of the Dead:

A total distraction from my New Years Hobby Resolution, I am totally in love with this game from West Wind Productions!!!! Victorian, Infernium fueled horror this game has absolutely everything you can want from a skirmish game! It is elegant, fast paced, fun whether you play it as one off games or link your games using the beautifully written Mordheim-esque campaign system!!! I have played so many great, memorable games of this that I have to say this has been my game of the year so far!!!! I have painted my way through 3 crews for this game and have a 4th waiting to go!! Thanks to Ian Hill, Andie Harper, Ben Cox, Edd Barfield, Stu Gadd & Damion Dakin for the great games so far and here’s hoping for many more throughout the year!

So what does the next 6 months have in store??

Later in the year I will be doing a Crusaders army for Warlord as planned but the title of the post you are reading is: POP!!! Goes My New Years Hobby Resolution so even though sticking with my Hobby Resolution was the plan, something has happened to make my pledge go POP!!!

It was pointed out to me that I haven’t actually done anything Games Workshop Since I left the company and have been focusing on mainly skirmish games, a rumour is spreading that I don’t have it in me anymore to paint more than a handful of models for a system and so I feel a challenge has been set and so it is time to break my Hobby Resolution and actually do some Games Workshop!!!

PROJECT ASTRAL IS ON THE HORIZON!!!

Advertise Here - Click To Find Out More

MERCS – My USCR Faction

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Scorpius_GLC

Christmas 2011 was a MERCS Christmas!

I bought my brother the Kemvar Faction and he bought me the USCR Faction Leader, Medic & Behemoth. As the astute reader will know I have talked about this briefly in an earlier post on this blog. In that post I stated that I had planned for MERCS to be one of my 2 new games for my 2012 New Years Hobby Resolution, now getting these bought for me broke rule number 1 (I MUST Buy the models) and so couldn’t claim this faction as one of my 2 for 2012! I also said that I had been sidetracked at the start of the year and painted the models. I have had a couple of Demo Games and have read through the book but have yet to play with the USCR faction.

So What is MERCS?

The Website says: “MERCS is a fantastic near future Sci-Fi tabletop skirmish game. Fast moving, with a strong emphasis on good tactics, and supported by ultra dynamic miniatures, MERCS teaches inexperienced players solid fundamental gaming skills and rewards good players with advanced realistic combat action.”

Scorpius GLC Says: ” MERCS is a single squad based game pitting upto, but not exceeding, 5 models from a Faction (or MegaCon in this setting) against each other. The game is ULTRA-REALISTIC and uses a card based system for movement and to keep track of stats, etc. The game is D10 based an relies heavily on the use of terrain but not as much so as Infinity!”

Who Are the USCR?

The United Social Corporate Republic or USCR for short are one of the Factions or MegaCons you can use in a game of MERCS.

The USCR’s reach is long. Possessing the widest variety of assets in terms of land and natural resources, USCR is clearly the most national of the corporate nations. They operate much less like a business and more like a government. The trappings and regalia of the past intertwine with the realities of the present. Their holdings stretch from Moscow over the Bering sea into the Yukon Territory in the east, from the traditional northern border of the old USSR to the Amur River in the south.

In the 2120s, the USCR recognized the need to be flexible within the government structures of the past. This allowed them to bring the full power of a singular government into a business merger. This corporate identity serves the citizen-workers of the USCR well, and reveals the true strength of the USCR. They are a paradox. They collectively have more freedom than any MegaCon presently existing, yet are one by choice.

Their simple company mantra, “We were. Are. Will always be” is as compelling as it is true. In 2168, they began to secretly ramp up the testing and manufacture of a ultra-heavy armored MERCS and the Behemoth 202 prototype.

After that introduction I thought it best that I showcase these models and no doubt they will see action this year!

2012 New Years Hobby Resolution

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Scorpius_GLC

It might be the middle of February but I’ve only just started to blog!!

Ok my 2012 New Years Hobby Resolution is as follows:

BUY, BUILD, PAINT AND PLAY MY WAY THROUGH 2 NEW ARMIES FOR 2 NEW GAME SYSTEMS DURING 2012!! Sounds simple? Well I have to follow these rules:

I MUST Buy the Models
I MUST Build the Models
I MUST Paint the Models
I MUST Play with the Models
AND LAST BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE -
The 2 new systems combined cost MUST be less than investing in 1 Games Workshop Core System!

I have chosen my 2 Game Systems and would like to put them here as a record:

Saga by Studio Tomahawk & Gripping Beast - A 28mm Viking Age Skirmish Game

Warlord by Reaper Miniatures – A 28mm Fantasy Skirmish Game

I have decided my faction for Saga will be Vikings and aim to set about building a force and as I have managed to persuade some of the gamers at Portal Wargaming to join me this should be quite fun!

I am yet to decide on a faction for Warlord as this will be a game I do later on in the year (so watch this space for more info) as I haven’t found anyone to play against I’ll end up having to do 2 factions so that I can lend one out, so a Good and Evil faction I hear you say!!!!

SIDE TRACKED ALREADY…. THATS A SHOCK!!!

Yep as you will have noticed from my other posts I am currently playing games of Dystopian Wars as catch up for 2011 AND I was bought the USCR MERCS Faction for Christmas by my Brother and so have painted them up and have yet to play games with them….if I’m totally honest MERCS was going to be one of my 2 games this year but as I didn’t actually buy the models (breaking rule 1) I can’t claim them! I am also painting up some commission fleets for Dystopian Wars for some friends at Portal Wargaming so can’t get started on my Vikings just yet…….

Stay tuned for further developments!!!

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