Hobby Update...

     Hi. My name's Ryan and I play Circle Orboros.
Hi Ryan.
     Somehow my intro paragraphs always make me feel like I'm in front of a group of  folks telling them 'my story' of how I came to be where I am and/or why I'm here. Something like Gamer's Anonymous I guess.
     Anyway, in keeping with the first line of this mini -post, I play Circle in Hordes. More specifically, I play Baldur (that's him to the left there standing in a 4inch forest template whacking Deneghra with a stick) and boy am I having fun.

     Templates. I run several models that require I use templates. That seems to be the word of the game for Warmachine and Hordes. Say it with me now; Templates. Templates are one of the items that gamers can carry along as 'gamer bling'. You know, that customized, unique piece of 3rd party gear that gives your army a distinct visual difference from others.The custom dice, measuring tape or display board; your pieces of gaming flair.
     As you can see in the pic, I've been using construction paper. Cheap, effective and it comes in a variety of colors. I have a number of brown 4 inch circles cut out for use with Baldur's regrowth spell as well as my woldwarden's animus; both of which create a section of forest. I also have some smaller, 3 inch, green circles cut out to denote the forests my woldwatchers create when destroying enemy models.

     While these both accomplish their intended use, they're not ideal for 1 main reason. Whenever I need to place them, they almost always require I move several models out of the way which then need to be put back in their original places. So, while scouring the internets for ideas on how to make my templates more visually appealing (and maybe a bit easier to use) I came across an idea on the privateer forums. Macrame rings. These rings are made of brass and come in sizes that range from 1 or 2 inches across all the way up to feet in width.

     After a quick trip to the local craft store, and $8.02 later, I now have 13 new templates in various sizes. As you can see from the pics, the 3 inch rings come six to a pack. The 4 inch rings come four to a pack and a pack of 5s will get you three rings. I measured them and the outside edges of the ring are 3" exactly across. These will make plunking down a forest so much easier for me. I can just center the ring on the affected model and shouldn't have to move hardly anything out of the way. I haven't had a chance to play with them yet (that comes Thursday evening) but am fairly excited about the prospect.
     I've got some ideas for green duck tape and a forest cut-out along the outside rim, but I'm not getting too fancy yet before I try them out. I'll report back how useful they are or if the rings cause more of a problem having the raised edges. Until next time.