Games Workshop announced a price hike in Canada. The raises can be read here. It's a big raise this time.
I'm pissed off because it's a very large increase (and not tied to the rate of inflation), and I don't want my spending power for my favorite hobby to be decreased. It makes me sad.
It's really as simple as that.
4/30/2006
Guns A'-Blazing
I think the weapons turret on the Games Workshop Wave Serpent sit too high. I wanted something a little more low-slung (you know me)... so I did these:
I like low-slung.
In other news... I think I have enough Eldar weaponry to last me for a while.
I like low-slung.
In other news... I think I have enough Eldar weaponry to last me for a while.
4/26/2006
Concept Drawing
Hastily drawn, and just the first draft of what might be many... but this, my friends, is the basic idea behind the "Cityfight" terrain I'm hoping to add to my already existing Eldar game table.
Two Neat Things
Two things.
This first one should come as no surprise, but the blast marks have come along quite nicely. Here are a couple of them. Others are half-painted or have glue drying, but you'll see more of this soon.
The second thing is a bit more interesting.
I was looking at some of the Games Workshop online catalogue and reflecting over years of looking at extremely expensive products. Some of them are pretty fair, of course, but others are surprising. In particular, I think about the hill you can buy (not a whole hill, mind you... just two quarters of one)... and the other grassy hill that's foam underneath. These are pretty expensive things, I have to say. Though the prices have dropped quite a bit, I'm still pretty surprised at the cost.
So I had this idea where I'd do something *I* thought was funny, but not everyone else seems to.
I grabbed a couple rocks and put them on my stove (the white part). Then I took some pics and did a little photoshopping. Then, I posted this on Warseer to see if anyone thought it was funny.
They didn't. The thread got deleted without warning.
Sigh.
This first one should come as no surprise, but the blast marks have come along quite nicely. Here are a couple of them. Others are half-painted or have glue drying, but you'll see more of this soon.
The second thing is a bit more interesting.
I was looking at some of the Games Workshop online catalogue and reflecting over years of looking at extremely expensive products. Some of them are pretty fair, of course, but others are surprising. In particular, I think about the hill you can buy (not a whole hill, mind you... just two quarters of one)... and the other grassy hill that's foam underneath. These are pretty expensive things, I have to say. Though the prices have dropped quite a bit, I'm still pretty surprised at the cost.
So I had this idea where I'd do something *I* thought was funny, but not everyone else seems to.
I grabbed a couple rocks and put them on my stove (the white part). Then I took some pics and did a little photoshopping. Then, I posted this on Warseer to see if anyone thought it was funny.
They didn't. The thread got deleted without warning.
Sigh.
More Blast Holes
Little bits of plasticard to make it look like there are blasted tiles about. Heavier sand in the deeper holes.
Who knew that my life would become about making foam look as though it's been blown up by a rocket?
Who knew that my life would become about making foam look as though it's been blown up by a rocket?
4/25/2006
Eve Of Destruction
Sometimes a guy just wants to sit at his table, drink a bit of Pepsi and paint some blast holes. It's not a very demanding dream if you ask me. Nonetheless, it seems to be too much to ask for tonight.
It started when I stood up and dumped a 2L bottle of Pepsi on the floor. At the moment I keep my Eldar terrain in plastic Coca Cola bottle trays (the irony isn't lost on me btw). The bottom of said tray is open like a grate of sorts, but that doesn't matter because the Pepsi sprayed all over my Striking Scorpions Shrine. I took a deep breath and headed off to the bathroom to do something I really didn't want to: Wash it off. I figured, however, that the model itself is foam and the pieces are glued together with white glue, so... if I didn't do anything other than rinse it in tepid water then I should be able to get the Pepsi off without any damage.
Right now it's sitting on the counter with an electric fan drying it off (so water doesn't lurk in the cracks).
Then came the job of mopping up the Pepsi (believe me: If you spill Pepsi, do not leave it be or just wipe it up with paper towels. Mop that thing with warm water and cleanser). I grabbed the mop and got to work. After I was done, I leaned the mop against the wall. It then fell, and the handle sheared off the top part of my Eldar Warp Gate.
The thing is now glued back together, but I don't really know if it'll hold. I guess we'll see.
So then I sit back down and I notice one of my paint bottles is stuck, so I shove a toothpick down the hole to try and open it up. Worked great, except for the fact that the toothpick got stuck. I grabbed some paper towel and started to pull (realizing fully that this was begging for trouble) and *pop*... out it came. All over my shirt, which was white. Experience has taught me that you can get any paint off of any article of clothing if you run immediately to clean it with a brush, some Shout and warm water. It's cleaned up and soaking now... right next to the Scorpion Shrine which is being blown dry.
Back to my table to resume what I was doing, but not before I accidentally kicked the spire off of the Dark Reaper shrine.
With this final disaster having splayed itself out at my feet, I couldn't help but feel like Godzilla... rampaging through a city... destroying all in my path. I have vowed to sit and not move for the rest of the night.
It started when I stood up and dumped a 2L bottle of Pepsi on the floor. At the moment I keep my Eldar terrain in plastic Coca Cola bottle trays (the irony isn't lost on me btw). The bottom of said tray is open like a grate of sorts, but that doesn't matter because the Pepsi sprayed all over my Striking Scorpions Shrine. I took a deep breath and headed off to the bathroom to do something I really didn't want to: Wash it off. I figured, however, that the model itself is foam and the pieces are glued together with white glue, so... if I didn't do anything other than rinse it in tepid water then I should be able to get the Pepsi off without any damage.
Right now it's sitting on the counter with an electric fan drying it off (so water doesn't lurk in the cracks).
Then came the job of mopping up the Pepsi (believe me: If you spill Pepsi, do not leave it be or just wipe it up with paper towels. Mop that thing with warm water and cleanser). I grabbed the mop and got to work. After I was done, I leaned the mop against the wall. It then fell, and the handle sheared off the top part of my Eldar Warp Gate.
The thing is now glued back together, but I don't really know if it'll hold. I guess we'll see.
So then I sit back down and I notice one of my paint bottles is stuck, so I shove a toothpick down the hole to try and open it up. Worked great, except for the fact that the toothpick got stuck. I grabbed some paper towel and started to pull (realizing fully that this was begging for trouble) and *pop*... out it came. All over my shirt, which was white. Experience has taught me that you can get any paint off of any article of clothing if you run immediately to clean it with a brush, some Shout and warm water. It's cleaned up and soaking now... right next to the Scorpion Shrine which is being blown dry.
Back to my table to resume what I was doing, but not before I accidentally kicked the spire off of the Dark Reaper shrine.
With this final disaster having splayed itself out at my feet, I couldn't help but feel like Godzilla... rampaging through a city... destroying all in my path. I have vowed to sit and not move for the rest of the night.
Eldar Rumor Roundup
Updated May 15, 2006
Lots of Eldar rumors out there. Some credible. Some not. I'm going to list the rumors I'm aware of which I consider to be credible.Note that there are three kinds of "rumors":
- "Officially confirmed": This is a rumor which is confirmed by Games Workshop by way of a Sneak Peek or a statement made on the record in public at an event like Games Day. Private conversations with designers or sculptors don't constitute "official confirmation", nor does typing your favorite rumor in all caps or holding your breath till you turn blue.
- "Actual rumors": Persistent chatter about something which is at least tied to a possibly credible source. Private conversations with designers or sculptors fall into this category, as do leaks from playtesters.
- "Wish Lists": Something which has no credible basis as a rumor, but is a very popular concept among the community (or some of its louder members). Due to the fact that "Wish Lists" are often discussed over and over, people sometimes make the mistake of thinking that they must be actual rumors or officially confirmed.
Make sure you take a moment to remind yourself of what those differences before you read, and note that everything described here falls into the[i] "Actual Rumor"[/i] category.
The codex (which is due in October, according to White Dwarf and recent seminars at Games Day Baltimore) is reportedly going to remove all Craftworld-specific lists. In an effort to curtail "sub-lists" of all kinds (such as those found in codices like Armageddon and Eye of Terror), Games Workshop is going to be introducing a greater level of flexibility and customization into the vanilla list that will supposedly lend similar variety to the Eldar army without having to resort to Craftworld specific Force Org Charts and special rules.
Eldar psychic powers will get a major re-working. I've been hearing that Mind War and Eldritch Storm will disappear, but Doom (a 2nd ed power) may make a return. The emphasis will be on modifiers and buffs rather than offensive psychic attacks (especially for the Farseer). The Farseer is also getting a new metal model that's supposed to be absolutely brilliant. Some rumors claim that he'll be reduced to T3. This appears to be in keeping with their desire to delineate between the psychic power of the Farseer and the combat power of the Autarch.
The Avatar will get a new model and be made into a Special Character, complete with new rules. The model is supposedly twice the height of the current one, but sources say that it's being redone because studios aren't happy with the sculpt. Word has it that, rules-wise, he'll be brought into line with stats similar to a Greater Demon. Forgeworld has also reportedly claimed in private emails to individuals that they [i]will[/i] be doing an Avatar, but it will get done after the four major Chaos Daemons are complete.
Autarch. Though rumors persist it'll be metal, this Uber-Exarch is supposedly going to be customizable to the nines. Sources say "He can be anything you want". Apparently he'll be able to take wargear and powers from various Aspects, but what those wargear and powers look like in the new codex, we're not sure yet. Apparently he will also have an influence on certain strategy-related factors of the game, such as reserve rolls. For good fluff on the Autarch which explains his role in relationship to the Aspects and their Exarchs, check out Games Workshop's downloadable rules for Epic: Armageddon.
No-one can really say if the Phoenix Lords are going to be removed from the line and just remain in the fluff or if they'll be relaunched as playable characters. Lots of strong arguments in both directions, but only in "wish list" form. Still nothing from GW. The fact that the models have been removed from many store shelves and even at this late date no whisper has been uttered as to their resculpting, that should tell you the tale.
There will also be new Warlocks, I'm hearing, but no info on that, either.
One of the stranger bits of news/rumor going around is that there WILL be a Bonesinger model made... just no rules. It'll be a Special Edition model. Not sure what the deal there is, but it may be released with the army box.
Harlequins will be returning in the new codex as an Elite choice, complete with new models. The Shadowseer, Solitaire and Death Jester have been confirmed as being recreated by Jes Goodwin, an will be playable in an Eldar army (there may also be Mimes). The thrust of the Harlequin presence in the new codex is that, for now, they will exist solely as an Elite choice for the Eldar. If they are popular enough, GW may consider giving them their own codex at some later date.
Rumors persist of plastic Wraithguard. Can't tell yet if this is going to be legit or what.
Fire Dragons have been redone with models which more closely resemble their 2nd ed counterparts (same with the Howling Banshees). Striking Scorpions and Dark Reapers (with targeting vanes returning) are reportedly going to be redone as well and, like the Dragons and Banshees, all in metal. No word on dramatic rules changes for them, however, but rumors persist that the Striking Scorpions are going to become Troop choices in the new codex (though this is mostly "wish list"). There are on-again, off-again rumors about Shining Spears being redone, but no final word and no sculpts to show yet. No-one can seem to get any traction on whether Warp Spiders or Swooping Hawks will be redone or not. Right now the consensus seems to be "no" due to time constraints... though some rumors have started to surface that so much community-level stink is being made about the Warp Spiders not being redone that they may fast-track some new models through. Take that with a grain of salt, as GW hasn't officially confirmed that there will be no Warp Spider resculpt, so it's unclear how the community is supposed to object to something they don't know about yet.
Dire Avengers are in for lots of changes. They're being completely remade in plastic and the rules are getting a huge rewrite. For one, they will be able to shoot their Shuriken Catapults (which may or may not be of the same class that Guardians get) a full 18" and, if they employ a power called "Shuriken Storm", they can fire 3 times in a turn (rather than 2) and give up the chance to fire in the following turn (though they can still assault). This has all been corroborated by so many sources that I'd be surprised if it didn't happen.The models come with two sprues (5 Avengers each) to a box. It seems that GW would like to see more people using Dire Avengers, as they are identified in the fluff as the most common Aspect of all.
Speaking of Aspects and rumors: When an Exarch takes a power, it now affects the entire squad. Exarch powers will be retooled somewhat to make this more practical (specifically, the Dire Avenger power "Defend" will allow enemies to hit on a 5+ in CC instead of a 6+), but it seems like this is a done deal.
Guardians will get some changes, but probably just in the form of new gubbinz and so on. Jes Goodwin (who is doing most of the Eldar stuff) says the current gubbinz aren't "Eldary enough". Not-quite-as-for-sure rumors say that the basic Guardian box will be reduced to 12 Guardians, but could include the Heavy Weapons Platform (redone in plastic, which most of you have already seen). No change is apparently going to be made to their 12" Shuriken Catapult range, and rumors persist that no changes will be made to the rest of their rules except to say that they're more likely to be relegated to support roles (i.e. manning artillery or piloting vehicles) than kept as the front-line troop choice. That seems to be the Dire Avengers' role now.
Rangers are already redone in metal. Most of you have seen that. No firm word on changes in rules for them, but the new models no longer carry Lasweapons, so I imagine that (aside from Swooping Hawks), that'll be the last we see of the 2nd ed Eldar Lasweapon trend.
Jetbikes will not be redone (apparently time constraints make it impossible, though Jes would like to and may get to it later), but the torsos will be. Interesting new thing that's come up recently: There will be Farseer and Warlock torsos in plastic included with the bike.
War Walkers are already redone and, in general, the public seems to really like them. No confirmations of rule changes for the War Walker, but rumors suggest two things might happen: 1. Instead of two weapons, it'll be one twin-linked weapon (this seems to be unlikely due to circulating photos of the WW armed with two different weapons), 2. They'll get the Scouting Universal Rule. There's also "wish list" talk that they may see a splash release of 3 to a box, like the recent Tau Pirhana splash release.
We don't know much about the new Wraithlord rules, but much chatter about the sculpt exists. Not only will he be in plastic and made by Jes Goodwin, but he'll look like a miniature Revenant Titan (with the blank face and "collar" in the style of the Wraithguard). He'll also have an optional sword and shield. Lighter weapons (flamers and Shuriken Catapults) will be up on the shoulders instead of the wrists. The joints will all be ball-joint sockets, so that's good for posability. The sword and shield suggest better CC rules for the Wraithlord, but no confirmations of that yet. This has been corroborated from at least three independent sources... so I'm confident that it's true. Lonnnng ago (like over a year) I heard that the Wraithlord would stay the same, stat-wise, but be increased in points cost. I haven't heard anything since then, though. The Wraithlord's toughness being reduced to 7 from 8 is a popular topic of discussion, but not one credible rumor about it has surfaced.
I've now heard a few times that playtesting saw Dark Reaper Exarchs with an ability to upgrade the squad so they can use indirect fire (one shot per squad). As this was part of the playtesting, there's no guarantee it'll end up in the rules.
There are small murmurs at the moment that the Fire Prism will get a plastic turret, but the sources are good... so keep your fingers crossed.
The Shuriken Cannon will not get the Rending ability.
Starcannons are expected to stay exaclty the same, stat-wise, except for the loss of one shot per turn, reducing it to Heavy 2.
Lots of Eldar rumors out there. Some credible. Some not. I'm going to list the rumors I'm aware of which I consider to be credible.Note that there are three kinds of "rumors":
- "Officially confirmed": This is a rumor which is confirmed by Games Workshop by way of a Sneak Peek or a statement made on the record in public at an event like Games Day. Private conversations with designers or sculptors don't constitute "official confirmation", nor does typing your favorite rumor in all caps or holding your breath till you turn blue.
- "Actual rumors": Persistent chatter about something which is at least tied to a possibly credible source. Private conversations with designers or sculptors fall into this category, as do leaks from playtesters.
- "Wish Lists": Something which has no credible basis as a rumor, but is a very popular concept among the community (or some of its louder members). Due to the fact that "Wish Lists" are often discussed over and over, people sometimes make the mistake of thinking that they must be actual rumors or officially confirmed.
Make sure you take a moment to remind yourself of what those differences before you read, and note that everything described here falls into the[i] "Actual Rumor"[/i] category.
The codex (which is due in October, according to White Dwarf and recent seminars at Games Day Baltimore) is reportedly going to remove all Craftworld-specific lists. In an effort to curtail "sub-lists" of all kinds (such as those found in codices like Armageddon and Eye of Terror), Games Workshop is going to be introducing a greater level of flexibility and customization into the vanilla list that will supposedly lend similar variety to the Eldar army without having to resort to Craftworld specific Force Org Charts and special rules.
Eldar psychic powers will get a major re-working. I've been hearing that Mind War and Eldritch Storm will disappear, but Doom (a 2nd ed power) may make a return. The emphasis will be on modifiers and buffs rather than offensive psychic attacks (especially for the Farseer). The Farseer is also getting a new metal model that's supposed to be absolutely brilliant. Some rumors claim that he'll be reduced to T3. This appears to be in keeping with their desire to delineate between the psychic power of the Farseer and the combat power of the Autarch.
The Avatar will get a new model and be made into a Special Character, complete with new rules. The model is supposedly twice the height of the current one, but sources say that it's being redone because studios aren't happy with the sculpt. Word has it that, rules-wise, he'll be brought into line with stats similar to a Greater Demon. Forgeworld has also reportedly claimed in private emails to individuals that they [i]will[/i] be doing an Avatar, but it will get done after the four major Chaos Daemons are complete.
Autarch. Though rumors persist it'll be metal, this Uber-Exarch is supposedly going to be customizable to the nines. Sources say "He can be anything you want". Apparently he'll be able to take wargear and powers from various Aspects, but what those wargear and powers look like in the new codex, we're not sure yet. Apparently he will also have an influence on certain strategy-related factors of the game, such as reserve rolls. For good fluff on the Autarch which explains his role in relationship to the Aspects and their Exarchs, check out Games Workshop's downloadable rules for Epic: Armageddon.
No-one can really say if the Phoenix Lords are going to be removed from the line and just remain in the fluff or if they'll be relaunched as playable characters. Lots of strong arguments in both directions, but only in "wish list" form. Still nothing from GW. The fact that the models have been removed from many store shelves and even at this late date no whisper has been uttered as to their resculpting, that should tell you the tale.
There will also be new Warlocks, I'm hearing, but no info on that, either.
One of the stranger bits of news/rumor going around is that there WILL be a Bonesinger model made... just no rules. It'll be a Special Edition model. Not sure what the deal there is, but it may be released with the army box.
Harlequins will be returning in the new codex as an Elite choice, complete with new models. The Shadowseer, Solitaire and Death Jester have been confirmed as being recreated by Jes Goodwin, an will be playable in an Eldar army (there may also be Mimes). The thrust of the Harlequin presence in the new codex is that, for now, they will exist solely as an Elite choice for the Eldar. If they are popular enough, GW may consider giving them their own codex at some later date.
Rumors persist of plastic Wraithguard. Can't tell yet if this is going to be legit or what.
Fire Dragons have been redone with models which more closely resemble their 2nd ed counterparts (same with the Howling Banshees). Striking Scorpions and Dark Reapers (with targeting vanes returning) are reportedly going to be redone as well and, like the Dragons and Banshees, all in metal. No word on dramatic rules changes for them, however, but rumors persist that the Striking Scorpions are going to become Troop choices in the new codex (though this is mostly "wish list"). There are on-again, off-again rumors about Shining Spears being redone, but no final word and no sculpts to show yet. No-one can seem to get any traction on whether Warp Spiders or Swooping Hawks will be redone or not. Right now the consensus seems to be "no" due to time constraints... though some rumors have started to surface that so much community-level stink is being made about the Warp Spiders not being redone that they may fast-track some new models through. Take that with a grain of salt, as GW hasn't officially confirmed that there will be no Warp Spider resculpt, so it's unclear how the community is supposed to object to something they don't know about yet.
Dire Avengers are in for lots of changes. They're being completely remade in plastic and the rules are getting a huge rewrite. For one, they will be able to shoot their Shuriken Catapults (which may or may not be of the same class that Guardians get) a full 18" and, if they employ a power called "Shuriken Storm", they can fire 3 times in a turn (rather than 2) and give up the chance to fire in the following turn (though they can still assault). This has all been corroborated by so many sources that I'd be surprised if it didn't happen.The models come with two sprues (5 Avengers each) to a box. It seems that GW would like to see more people using Dire Avengers, as they are identified in the fluff as the most common Aspect of all.
Speaking of Aspects and rumors: When an Exarch takes a power, it now affects the entire squad. Exarch powers will be retooled somewhat to make this more practical (specifically, the Dire Avenger power "Defend" will allow enemies to hit on a 5+ in CC instead of a 6+), but it seems like this is a done deal.
Guardians will get some changes, but probably just in the form of new gubbinz and so on. Jes Goodwin (who is doing most of the Eldar stuff) says the current gubbinz aren't "Eldary enough". Not-quite-as-for-sure rumors say that the basic Guardian box will be reduced to 12 Guardians, but could include the Heavy Weapons Platform (redone in plastic, which most of you have already seen). No change is apparently going to be made to their 12" Shuriken Catapult range, and rumors persist that no changes will be made to the rest of their rules except to say that they're more likely to be relegated to support roles (i.e. manning artillery or piloting vehicles) than kept as the front-line troop choice. That seems to be the Dire Avengers' role now.
Rangers are already redone in metal. Most of you have seen that. No firm word on changes in rules for them, but the new models no longer carry Lasweapons, so I imagine that (aside from Swooping Hawks), that'll be the last we see of the 2nd ed Eldar Lasweapon trend.
Jetbikes will not be redone (apparently time constraints make it impossible, though Jes would like to and may get to it later), but the torsos will be. Interesting new thing that's come up recently: There will be Farseer and Warlock torsos in plastic included with the bike.
War Walkers are already redone and, in general, the public seems to really like them. No confirmations of rule changes for the War Walker, but rumors suggest two things might happen: 1. Instead of two weapons, it'll be one twin-linked weapon (this seems to be unlikely due to circulating photos of the WW armed with two different weapons), 2. They'll get the Scouting Universal Rule. There's also "wish list" talk that they may see a splash release of 3 to a box, like the recent Tau Pirhana splash release.
We don't know much about the new Wraithlord rules, but much chatter about the sculpt exists. Not only will he be in plastic and made by Jes Goodwin, but he'll look like a miniature Revenant Titan (with the blank face and "collar" in the style of the Wraithguard). He'll also have an optional sword and shield. Lighter weapons (flamers and Shuriken Catapults) will be up on the shoulders instead of the wrists. The joints will all be ball-joint sockets, so that's good for posability. The sword and shield suggest better CC rules for the Wraithlord, but no confirmations of that yet. This has been corroborated from at least three independent sources... so I'm confident that it's true. Lonnnng ago (like over a year) I heard that the Wraithlord would stay the same, stat-wise, but be increased in points cost. I haven't heard anything since then, though. The Wraithlord's toughness being reduced to 7 from 8 is a popular topic of discussion, but not one credible rumor about it has surfaced.
I've now heard a few times that playtesting saw Dark Reaper Exarchs with an ability to upgrade the squad so they can use indirect fire (one shot per squad). As this was part of the playtesting, there's no guarantee it'll end up in the rules.
There are small murmurs at the moment that the Fire Prism will get a plastic turret, but the sources are good... so keep your fingers crossed.
The Shuriken Cannon will not get the Rending ability.
Starcannons are expected to stay exaclty the same, stat-wise, except for the loss of one shot per turn, reducing it to Heavy 2.
Scorpions & Blast Holes
I'm not doing tons of posting here because I'm not doing tons of work on Warhammer stuff. I did assemble my Striking Scorpions and primed them, as you can see here:
The one that's partly painted sort of looks like a certain kind of superhero, but he's not quite done yet. There'll be Wraithbone and other goodies all over his Scorpion hide when I'm done.
Another thing I'm doing right now is roughing up my terrain. You all probably have seen and remember my Great Big Eldar Table by now, so I won't go into a lot of detail there... but I have been carving blast holes out to make it look more abused and war-torn. You see, I'm finding the overall look of the table is slightly disunified and lacks cohesion. I'm working on bringing all the peices together so they look like they belong on the same board. Part of the way I'm doing that is to make them all blasted and pock-marked so that they all appear to have been part of the same battle (whereas before some parts were given battle damage while others were clean and untouched). There'll be more on this later.
To make the blast holes, I tore up the foam with a needle-file and then dug the extra out with my thumbnail. I then filled them with watered-down glue and poured in some sand. Tomorrow, when they're dry, I'll seal with more watered-down glue.
One thing I also have to do is finish dry-brushing both sides of the table. One side is done, the other isn't. As you can see, the one to the right is Black-> Shadow Grey -> Bleached Bone -> White. The one on the left is just Black and Shadow Grey.
I'm also going to try to paint over the pink parts that show between the two sides because, well.... that looks kinda... you know.
The one that's partly painted sort of looks like a certain kind of superhero, but he's not quite done yet. There'll be Wraithbone and other goodies all over his Scorpion hide when I'm done.
Another thing I'm doing right now is roughing up my terrain. You all probably have seen and remember my Great Big Eldar Table by now, so I won't go into a lot of detail there... but I have been carving blast holes out to make it look more abused and war-torn. You see, I'm finding the overall look of the table is slightly disunified and lacks cohesion. I'm working on bringing all the peices together so they look like they belong on the same board. Part of the way I'm doing that is to make them all blasted and pock-marked so that they all appear to have been part of the same battle (whereas before some parts were given battle damage while others were clean and untouched). There'll be more on this later.
To make the blast holes, I tore up the foam with a needle-file and then dug the extra out with my thumbnail. I then filled them with watered-down glue and poured in some sand. Tomorrow, when they're dry, I'll seal with more watered-down glue.
One thing I also have to do is finish dry-brushing both sides of the table. One side is done, the other isn't. As you can see, the one to the right is Black-> Shadow Grey -> Bleached Bone -> White. The one on the left is just Black and Shadow Grey.
I'm also going to try to paint over the pink parts that show between the two sides because, well.... that looks kinda... you know.
4/24/2006
Meet the Mayor
I've been making some plans to expand the existing table (which you've already seen), but rather than type it all up for you, I think this chat I had with my friend Jason over MSN sums it up nicely.
Me says: (1:04:05 AM)
Did I tell you all about how I want to put a cityfight area on the table?
Dros says: (1:04:13 AM)
no :-O
Me says: (1:04:19 AM)
Ah ok.
Me says: (1:04:27 AM)
Well, the table, as it is, is 8X4'
Me says: (1:04:54 AM)
I'm going to create a smaller surface that'll be about 4X3 or so
Me says: (1:05:01 AM)
And it'll sit right on top of the already existing table
Me says: (1:05:11 AM)
So right there you've got a little elevation
Me says: (1:05:28 AM)
And then, on that surface, there will be four Eldar buildings and some areas that can best be compared to trenches
Me says: (1:05:35 AM)
You'll be able to get up into the buildings and stuff
Dros says: (1:06:05 AM)
sweet!
Me says: (1:06:06 AM)
And I've been doing sketches for a while
Me says: (1:06:09 AM)
And I have to say they look great
Dros says: (1:06:16 AM)
eldar cityfight? hardon city and Im the mayor
Me says: (1:06:36 AM)
That's going in my blog.
4/12/2006
4/03/2006
Eldar Judgment Day: The Workshop
Creating Dunes. I wanted the Craftworld table to have sand dunes sweeping in upon it, as if centuries of being left on its own screwed up the ecosystem enough that the desert started to flow freely through the populated areas. My original idea was a lot more ambitious; sand flowing much further forward and being mingled with the terrain but, like many epic (that's epic, not "Epic") ideas, it was pared down to a more manageable concept in the end. And I'm fine with that.
The forumula wasn't a very difficult one: Cut giant, curvy shapes out of foam, glue them together, and smooth over the cliff-like edges with the plaster-like filler compound that one usually uses to patch drywall. I also shoved some little bits of debris in the plaster/filler to simulate wreckage from ages gone by. Then, just to further establish my role as the nerd-pariah in my neighborhood, I put the "dunes" outside to dry in the spring air.
Later that day, Bill came over to help me finish up terrain and other things for the big game (which was the next day). As you can see, sand was applied to the dunes at this point. Dirty, nasty sand. A light layer of glue underneathe to keep it in place, and then a thin wash of watered down glue (PVA glue, that is) over top to seal it and keep it from falling off.
I hate laying sand down on terrain. It's messy and uncontrollable and, no matter how careful I am, I always have to sweep about ten pounds of it up when I'm done. Luckily, I had two huge sheets of plastic (in which two mattresses from Ikea were delivered six months ago) which were spread under the dunes to keep the sand under control. Finally, an electric fan was used to accelerate the drying process, as the clock was ticking and we were down to only a few hours before game time.
Later it was painted with Graveyard Earth and drybrushed with Bubonic Brown (I didn't have enough paint to do my intended drybrush of Bleached Bone over it), and you can see the results here and here.
Fire Dragon Shrine. The last of the four shrines was built from an idea that Benoit suggested, and that was to use the helmet of the Fire Dragon Exarch as inspiration for the shape of the shrine. Benoit also wanted it to be a tower so that his Titan could hide behind it, but... maybe next time, Ben.
So basically I used a bowl and a plate to trace three circles onto the foam (two small, one large) and then used a egg-cup and (I think it was) a bottle cap to cut smaller circles into the foam and, thereby, emulate the shape of the Exarch's helmet. Yet another circle (I think a drinking glass?) was used to cut a curve out of the foam to give it that "hooked" shape. Added some stick-on gems and thereyougo. The best thing about this shrine is, beyond a doubt, the battle damage. I figured out (FINALLY) how to make it look great; use a sharp file to carve lines into the foam and then peel the foam roughly away from the groove. I also tried to emulate the effect of this shrine having taken several hits from, say, a missile launcher, and used the file to tear little chunks out and then spread the foam away to make it look like a blast hole. The final product can be seen here, after it was painted black and drybrushed first with a Blood Red/Red Ink combo and then with Bleached bone, topped with a bit of Skull White. I also included Fuegan in the shrine as a statue, but it's hard to see him from the angle the picture is taken. Here are some pics of how it got to that point:
Like a lot of the terrain that got to the table that day, the gems weren't all painted. That's regrettable to me, but no-one complained, and even if they did...
Bill. And then there's Bill; that kind soul who showed up on the night before the megabattle to help me finish off whatever needed doing so that everything would be good to go when the boys arrived. Most of his night was spent doing one of two things: Cutting grooves in the foam playing surface (for painting and drybrushing later) and drybrushing Bleached Bone on something... anything... and everything. I really wouldn't have been able to pull it off without the additional manpower in the 11th hour.
All of the guys who came to the game are, in my estimation, good friends... but Bill was a real soldier to sit there and drybrush so much that his arm was sore the next day. Still, it was fun... we drank soda and listened to bad internet radio and ruminated about the battle to come which, as it happens, turned out to be extremely kick ass.
The forumula wasn't a very difficult one: Cut giant, curvy shapes out of foam, glue them together, and smooth over the cliff-like edges with the plaster-like filler compound that one usually uses to patch drywall. I also shoved some little bits of debris in the plaster/filler to simulate wreckage from ages gone by. Then, just to further establish my role as the nerd-pariah in my neighborhood, I put the "dunes" outside to dry in the spring air.
Later that day, Bill came over to help me finish up terrain and other things for the big game (which was the next day). As you can see, sand was applied to the dunes at this point. Dirty, nasty sand. A light layer of glue underneathe to keep it in place, and then a thin wash of watered down glue (PVA glue, that is) over top to seal it and keep it from falling off.
I hate laying sand down on terrain. It's messy and uncontrollable and, no matter how careful I am, I always have to sweep about ten pounds of it up when I'm done. Luckily, I had two huge sheets of plastic (in which two mattresses from Ikea were delivered six months ago) which were spread under the dunes to keep the sand under control. Finally, an electric fan was used to accelerate the drying process, as the clock was ticking and we were down to only a few hours before game time.
Later it was painted with Graveyard Earth and drybrushed with Bubonic Brown (I didn't have enough paint to do my intended drybrush of Bleached Bone over it), and you can see the results here and here.
Fire Dragon Shrine. The last of the four shrines was built from an idea that Benoit suggested, and that was to use the helmet of the Fire Dragon Exarch as inspiration for the shape of the shrine. Benoit also wanted it to be a tower so that his Titan could hide behind it, but... maybe next time, Ben.
So basically I used a bowl and a plate to trace three circles onto the foam (two small, one large) and then used a egg-cup and (I think it was) a bottle cap to cut smaller circles into the foam and, thereby, emulate the shape of the Exarch's helmet. Yet another circle (I think a drinking glass?) was used to cut a curve out of the foam to give it that "hooked" shape. Added some stick-on gems and thereyougo. The best thing about this shrine is, beyond a doubt, the battle damage. I figured out (FINALLY) how to make it look great; use a sharp file to carve lines into the foam and then peel the foam roughly away from the groove. I also tried to emulate the effect of this shrine having taken several hits from, say, a missile launcher, and used the file to tear little chunks out and then spread the foam away to make it look like a blast hole. The final product can be seen here, after it was painted black and drybrushed first with a Blood Red/Red Ink combo and then with Bleached bone, topped with a bit of Skull White. I also included Fuegan in the shrine as a statue, but it's hard to see him from the angle the picture is taken. Here are some pics of how it got to that point:
Like a lot of the terrain that got to the table that day, the gems weren't all painted. That's regrettable to me, but no-one complained, and even if they did...
Bill. And then there's Bill; that kind soul who showed up on the night before the megabattle to help me finish off whatever needed doing so that everything would be good to go when the boys arrived. Most of his night was spent doing one of two things: Cutting grooves in the foam playing surface (for painting and drybrushing later) and drybrushing Bleached Bone on something... anything... and everything. I really wouldn't have been able to pull it off without the additional manpower in the 11th hour.
All of the guys who came to the game are, in my estimation, good friends... but Bill was a real soldier to sit there and drybrush so much that his arm was sore the next day. Still, it was fun... we drank soda and listened to bad internet radio and ruminated about the battle to come which, as it happens, turned out to be extremely kick ass.
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