Griffins

So I recently picked up a few more Griffin miniatures (Conscripts, Thallions and The Priestess of Steel) to expand the miniaturs I recently picked up in a trade.

I now have enough figs to play a medium sized game but I am wondering if its worth the time to learn the existing rules or just wait until the Confrontation 3 rules are available.

Supposedly the core rules and Divination are in for some significant changes so it may make more sense to wait.

Conf3 due soon

Just got news that the Confrontation 3 rulebook has been pre-ordered by my FLGS and that he is also getting in copies of this nasty looking Wolfen LE fig as well. I wonder if he is a merc?

Seems like an ideal time to be getting into the game as the new rulebook will not only save my eyesight (how do people manage to read that small booklet??) but also balance play out a bit as more experienced players adjust to hte new rules.

Now I just need to start painting my Griffins

Update: The figs name is Varghar and now having seen a better (read "larger") image of the cover I realise that he is on the cover.

New focus

When I first started this blog I intended it to be primarily focused on Epic gaming. This was rather easy to do since at the time pretty much all I was doing was playing Epic, testing Epic and writing Epic rules.

Currently though almost all of my Epic gaming is playtest games and even then those games are not as frequent as I would like. Primarily this is because most of my gaming group stopped playing Epic. Not that anyone dislikes the game but the "reorganization" of Specialist Games made most gamers re-evaluate their priorities and its difficult to want to spend time and energy on a game system that even its manufacturer won't support. For the most part the local gaming group here doesn't play any Specialist Games any more.

So lately I have been playing a lot of Flames of War, Warmachine and have even begun to give Confrontation another close look. I've also gotten rid of most of my WFB books, an Ogre Kingdoms army, most of a WFB Chaos force and all of the Space Marine figs that I had collected in preparation for a 4th Ed Marine army. Frankly if GW wants to promote the "core" games and not support any other games then I guess I need to examine what GW games I play.

And there are other companies that seem to want my money. GW only seems to want my money if I jump through hoops to give it to them. I can go to a GW store but if I want any Specialist range game items I need to catalogue order them. Quite stupid. even moreso given the precipitous drop in sales they have registered with the bursting of the LOTR bubble.

So to reflect that this blog is going to change to be my musings, comments and photographs regarding all the miniature gaming I do and not just Epic.

Update: I am in fact still working on Epic. I am still on the ERC, still working on the CSM and OGBM lists and waiting to start working on updating the current rules. I just am not looking to "play" with GW on their terms.

CSM 3.5

Version 3.5 of the CSM list is getting ready for public release. There are a few more test games that we are waiting for results from and then once we get a chance to analyze those we can finalize the current version of the list and sent it to Fanatic for posting.

One issue that might delay posting is that Andy Hall is still on vacation and he needs to approve anything posted to the SG website.

Sentrek Freemen

Following Audrey's lead I am taking the name for the Traitor PDF army from the list of forces that fought in the Eye Of Terror campaign. There is a list of Traitor PDF formations that fought and while I am not all that thrilled with the name it at least doesn't imply anything about the structure and focus of the force like some of the other names.

Some basic concepts and special rules that I am toying with
Special Rules

Dawning Awareness
Many of the Traitor PDF units are not aware of the dark pacts that their superiors have entered into. The realization that they are in league with the Powers of Chaos can be a traumatizing moment for many of the Traitor PDF troops.

Any PDF formations that has units within 30cm of a formation that summons daemons receives 1D3 Blast Markers. Any PDF formation that is within 30cm of a formation that contains cultists, daemons or any other Chaos units suffers a -1 modifier to all Rally rolls.

Feed the Ruinous Powers
Any formation that has the Daemonic Pact upgrade can sacrifice a unit to receive an additional D3 summoning points. A formation may only do this once per turn. Every PDF formations within 30cm and LOS of the sacrifice will receive 1 Blast Marker.

Design Concepts

• Limited access to specialised units. Some,like Stormtroopers, may not even be available
• Limited access to Chaos troops
• Non-infantry formations are non-uniform in structure to represent ad-hoc formations being created from limited numbers of tanks and other vehicles
• A mixture of old and new vehicles in formations
• New patterns of existing Guard units to represent less effective variants of units like the Leman Russ

Army lists limitations
0-1 SHT Company
0-1 Alpha Legion Infiltration force (Basically access to a Forlorn Hope made up of Alpha Legion troops)

Unrelated Images

Nothing related to Epic really. I was just playing around with a new Mac app I found called ComicLife and threw together this quick sample.

You know you're a geek when…

Traitor PDF update

Work on this is currently awaiting the next version of the LatD list on which it will be based. As well I am also waiting for the Summoning rules to be, close to, finalised before I start thinking on how to integerate Summoning into a PDF list.

New CSM list and private playtesting

Version 3.5 of the CSM list has gone out for playtesting.

Changes include

• Limit of four upgrades per formation
• CSM Retinue down to 8 CSM units
• Cult Marines now an upgrade
• 0-2 limit on Assault Co
• Forlorn Hope only CSM units
• Price decrease for CSM Retinue
• Summoning Changes (extensive and based on Neal and Audrey's Daemon Pack rules)
  
• Helltalon now 2BP with no Ignore Cover
• Critical Changes to Titans
• Strategy roll of 6 adds 1D3 daemons, roll of 1 loses 1D6 daemons
• IB no longer Inspiring
• Champion now 2D3 Augment Summoning
• Daemon Prince is now Fearless
• Limit of one GD per faction on the table at any one time

Now if you are a Forum regular and are wondering why you haven't seen an announcement of this that is because all initial playtesting of the list is being done via a private Yahoo Group. I'd like to stress that this is only initial testing. The list will eventually be put into the public for commentary (heck feel free to post comments here) but with the changes in the Forum it was thought that having a distinct playtesting group would make it easier to get the list developed and tested.

The playtest group is currently 15 people but there is room for it to expand as we add new members based on their comments in the new Fanatic Forum.