Things to come...

     2012 comes to a close tonight and in looking to the future, I'm already starting to make plans. For 2013 I want to make a return to wargaming in league, tournament and casual play. For the last few months I've been consent to make up excuses not to head down to the shop and partake in the hobby. In the coming year my hobby motto will be: Get in more games!
     I also hope to to hit the homebrewing hobby, hardcore. I shall dub 2013 the Year of Beer as I branch out from the 2 passable batches of Mead we've made so far to making dozens if not hundreds of batches of homebrew. Obviously, for legal reasons, when I say hundreds, I am referring to 1 gallon batches, and no more than 200 at that as ours is a household of 2 or more adults.
     I'd like to get some painting back in on the miniature hobby side of things. I've had some of these minis for over a decade and it's high time they get some color.
     I'm shedding my shelves of GW. I haven't played a GW mini game (or video game come to think of it) in over a year and a quarter now, and I have to say, I'm not missing it. That being said, ebay, here I come... The funds from which should help fund both my Privateer Press gaming as well as the homebrewing.
     Speaking of homebrew, my lovely wife supplied me with a year's membership to the American homebrew association, so I have tons of content to go through over there. So much to learn and do. Can't wait.
     And lastly, maybe an idea for the brew-pub/bakery combo: http://growlermag.com/spent-but-valuable-ideas-for-using-spent-grain/.
   Have a happy new year's eve folks and we'll catch you on the flipside.

Before we brew...

     Before we brew our own, we had to try out the Kegerator* and see how it works. Well of course the proper beer for operating our keg fridge here in Texas would be Shiner Bock. I did the math and we got 15 gallons of tasty tasty beverage for around six cents an ounce. That's great considering it sells in bottles for roughly eleven cents an ounce.
     So here we are, my brother, myself and Andrew looking like a pack of rejects from Swamp People or the catfish show standing proudly around and blocking site to, the kegerator. Got the tank filled, the keg installed and enjoyed a number of tasty, albeit foamy, beverages last night. Just need to figure out the proper pressure on it and we should be good. It's working fairly well and to be honest, I can't wait to get some Cornelius kegs and get our own brew in there.

*every time I hear that it still sounds like a dnd character name to me. Kegerator the Barbarian! Wielding his massive axe of Inebriation. He shall vanquish your thirst!

Doctor, ain't there nothing I can take...

Yes, you have to give it back.

     Two weeks passed and we cracked open the fermenter to see what golden treasure waited inside. We each took a taste to see how it was progressing and yes, I think it's at the 'not bad' stage. Alec sure seems to think so. We all tried it and it gave us a good idea of where the mead is heading flavor-wise. It shows promise.
     I definitely want to brew a melomel next year when peaches are in-season, and I may even try a metheglin in the spring so we have some good spiced mead for the holidays next year. So much fun and easy to do. I'm somewhat disappointed we missed the peach season this year, but it's good to get a fresh batch of basic mead with the guys so they can see how the process starts out. After all, there'll be plenty of time for peaches in the summer.

Put the lime in the coconut...

Or, adventures in HomeBrewing!
Non miniatures related, mead brewing project details below the break...

Clash was great. My record, notsomuch...

     Had a great time at the Clash for a Cure this last weekend. Picked up a door prize (see the pic over there). Received 2 Windsor/Newton Series 7 brushes in my swag bag. Lost my first two games on Saturday. Tied my third. Even with 3 tiebreakers, we still just ended up with a tie. Won my fourth. Baldur and constructs with Tharn vs. eHaley and her bonded stormwall. Came in on Sunday and my dwarves were eliminated first round of the Highlander by eMadrak and his trolls. Thoroughly enjoyed seeing the results of the raffle. Talk about a fistful of dollars raised to fight cancer.
     All-in-all, a good time was had and I can't wait for next year's event. Maybe by then I'll be fielding fully painted lists. We shall see.
A couple table-shots after the fold:

I got a fever...

     Guess what? I got a fever! And the only prescription.. is more  cowbell Wolds! So I got an assembly bug last night and I put together my Druid gone wilder, General Ossrum, a Scarsfell griffon, a Grey Lord ternion and the newest member of team construct, the great stone gorilla.
He'll be fielded in the Clash for the Cure tournament most likely after I gain some experience using him this weekend. Think I'll be trying out Cassius' new theme list and Seeing how the Baldurs like the big guy.

Clash, Ah ah!

     Laadies and gentlemen, children of all ages, gamers of all shapes and sizes... Come one, come all to the greatest little gaming show benefiting the American Cancer Society. It's time for the Clash for a Cure! There will be mayhem, murder (note, no one actually gets murdered, just figurative deaths of little plastic and metal 'army men') and destruction.
     Come check out the festivities and see what all there is to play. I'm told we'll have some fun with Malifaux, Dust Warfare and of course, Warmachine and Hordes. For more info on the events in question, hit up the website: here. Or check out their facebook page here.

What are you doing October 20th and 21st?!

Hobby time?

     So many things to do these days. So many concerns. Fitness, housekeeping, gaming, work, family, hobbies, business opportunities, etc... With all that to worry about, how to find time to do all is what I'm working on now. Obviously, working on minis, painting, converting and playing with them is a priority for me, especially since I picked up the big guy over there at GenCon. Yes, I have my own stone gorilla now. Oook, Oook, Ahh Ahh! I have special plans for him.
     The key though, is how do I implement all the plans I have. It's easy to decide I want to eat better, or to walk more or paint more but how do I put that into action? What I'm finding out is, you just do. Like Nike says, just do it. Make the time. That's what I'm working on now. Making time. Making time for the hobbies I want to pursue, making time for the beer I want to brew, etc... We'll see how it comes out. Oh, and here are some highlights from GenCon:

Radio Silence

     Between craziness at work and our pending trip to GenCon, the blog is on a small summer hiatus. I'm sure I'll have plenty of hobbying to do once we return from Indiana, especially with what I'm hoping to acquire there. Not to mention, it's getting close to time for some of the kickstarter projects I've backed to start sending out rewards...

Back in the saddle...

     Well now, it's been a while since I've actually had anything to post up here that involved myself assembling or hobbying anything. I've really wanted to put my Celestial Fulcrum together and start the painting process but the weather and a full schedule have kept me from doing so. I wanted to prime the pieces and paint them before assembling and every time I thought about pulling the parts out to spray them it was raining or the humidity was off the scale. I tried one last time to prime them last night before I eventually broke down and glued everything together and my wife opened the back door to display a clear blue sky and rain pouring down. With the sun out no less. Gotta love Texas weather.

Then and now

     Then was last year. August actually. The tournaments we attend normally were concluded and I was looking ahead to the projects I wanted to accomplish. One of them was my Orks. Another was my Purge warband. Now is almost a year later and not only is a new edition on the horizon (I should have my copy this afternoon) but there is also a new codex for Chaos looming large. Even without codex revamp, just having the options available from taking Daemons as allies in 6th gives me a new lease on the army I want to play. Speaking of allies, the image to the left over there is the new chart and while some of the options on it are downright confusing, it all adds up to what could be some great visuals at tournaments this year. I can't wait to see what folks are going to do with all of the converting and paint options available from that list.

Finally the Rock has come back...

     I never was a huge wrestling fan, but I did like the Rock. It always seemed like he was 'finally coming back' to somewhere though. Well, in that vein, I may finally be returning to 40k after a year of shunning GW in all forms. What sent me away was a combination of things really, and the straw that broke the gamer's back eventually. With the release of 6th Edition looming ever closer, I'm feeling the urge to play again. Whether it illustrates just how much I dislike their policies, or how much I love their game-developing, it's taking a whole new edition and a shiny new codex (Chaos Space Marines, hopefully soon!) to lure me back into the fold. And I'm still not 100% sold on the idea of returning. That's not going to stop my wife from getting the Gamer's edition version of the rulebook when it comes out though; she likes the bag. Will I return to my prior role of lovable 40k gamer, or will the 'evil empire' find another way to alienate me once again? All will be made clear in the fullness of time...

Locked and Loaded...

     Or, the cool stuff I gleaned from following blogs that posted about Lock and Load weekend. This is the 2nd annual L&L convention for Privateer Press and details regarding the pending Colossals book were strewn about the place like so much dirty laundry. Updates were lying about all over the internet this last weekend. I greatly enjoyed following it all. And while I am excited about the release of the Colossals, not playing one of the main factions for Warmachine (card carrying member of the Rhulic tough-love party here) I'm really only interested in one model in that book. General Ossrum. Here's the infantry caster my Dwarves have long desired. But I digress. Over the course of the weekend, other tidbits were dropped and pictures were displayed. Here are the ones I'm all fired-up over...

Generally Awesome...

     Privateer, by way of BoLS, has released the theme list for the new Rhulic warcaster, General Ossrum and as the Pointer Sisters put it, "I'm so excited." As dwarves are my favorite fantasy race in just about any game system, and as I have a good number of mercenary dwarves for warmachine already, I'll most likely be picking up a copy of this model as soon as he's available. He may even be one of my first GenCon purchases if he's out by then (after I secure a copy of the IKRPG of course). The closer we get to GenCon, the more I feel I cannot wait.

In the air, it's a bird, it's....

     It's BiiiirdMan!
     I really want to pick one of these up when they come out as the model looks fantastic. I just really don't like the little guy on paper. If he was just a tad stronger, or faster, or had a higher mat, or charged for free, or something... I just can't really convince myself to pick him up in his current state. I really think, had he been given a point or two more of speed that I'd be fine with him. That said, I still really dig the model and can't wait to see if/how those wings get used in conversions for other models.

Down the pipe...

     One of my new favorite minis is coming out soon from the fine folks at Privateer Press. As a player of both the Blindwater Congregation and Circle, I'm really looking forward to this 3 point utility solo. Granting a unit both undead and tough? Now there's a guy I want running around with my voodoo gators throwing mojo here and there. As if the Gator Posse wasn't already built like a brick house. Throw in a guy who can tag along behind them and increase their survivability, and can then turn them into Pow 16 missiles? Color me excited. And here I thought I was done building on my gator force for a while. Ah well, back to the wishlist. Looks like I still need this guy, Wrong Eye and Snapjaw, a second gator posse and a feralgeist or two. Might as well add Maelok to the list of models to pick up while I'm at it.

Bipolar motivation gremlins...

     Well, it's happened. My biploar motivational gremlin has hit an upswing. He's gone manic, which bodes well for the piles of unpainted minis on my hobby table.I've decided to start with the minis I field the most, so over the course of the last couple nights, I've taken my full unit of Ravagers, the UA Chieftain, Kromac (human and beast form) and my White Mane, from primed or bare metal to all primed with axe heads, flesh base and green armor details painted. It's not a ton, but it is 10 models, and it is a start. They are well on their way to a tabletop-quality paint job. Until next time...

McFeely always sounded so dirty...

    I arrived home for lunch today and was greeted by a large cardboard box.
     Hello, it seemed to say to me. See what wonders I hold for you...
     So, of course, I obliged this, the talking box, and cut the tape oh so gently to reveal...
     My Celestial Fulcrum! It has been delivered. Sweet! I know what I'm doing tomorrow while I'm off work. Thank you Mr. Postman! I love getting boxes in the mail.

We built this city...

     In a couple of weeks I ding again in this crazy mmo we call life. Pursuant to that, we've been receiving packages at the house that my wife squirrels away in her side of our Gimondo Closet of Doom®. Recently, however, she surprised me with one a bit early. I think in part because she was just as excited about it as I was once I figured out what it was. And more than likely due (I'd bet mostly) to the fact that I was the one who checked the mail and brought the box in. The box with the very large print on the shipping label. The very large print on the shipping label that said, "Wyrd Miniatures" as depicted to the left.
     Heck, I can almost make out the word in that tiny pic without clicking on it to zoom in. So yeah, the sender did somewhat give away the contents, but honestly, I was still surprised as I wasn't expecting this one at all.

Not Kudus, KUDOS!

     Seems like great customer service experiences are so few and far between these days that when one comes along, I feel like it should be celebrated. Consider this post to be part rant, part review and part kudo. Is that the word? When one gives praise, it's referred to as giving kudos but is the singular term kudo, or like deer and sheep is the plural form the same word? Who knows.
Enough digression...

Grape Ape grab bag...

     First up, Colossals. I'm excited. The scuttlebutt and speculation around the interwebs and the circle forums seem to point towards the druids fielding a massive wold named the woldwrath. As a pBaldur player and fan of the constructs in general, I've gotta say I'm eagerly awaiting any and all forthcoming info from Privateer regarding these new models. The pic I've seen circulating about the woldwrath shows basically a massive stone construct in a gorilla stance. If this is the case, my army of awesome beasts will be nearing completion. Brun and Lug provide the bear. Blindwater has the gators and octopus/squid thing covered. Circle will have the concrete gorilla and all I'll be missing is the shark. Gotta find a way to get a skorne basilisk to work for my army...

Circular Logic...

     So yeah, got to thinking that I needed to get my Hordes figs painted. Felt good after getting that first Satyr done, so I decided to apply myself to the project and get my Circle army all painted up to a tabletop quality standard.
     To that end, I've spent the last 2 nights assembling, re-assembling and priming my minis. Most of my collection was already assembled but we had a mishap with a woldwarden and some Tharn bloodtrackers last night that needed to be addressed. I also just picked up eBaldur, so he was crying out for super glue as well.

That really gets my goat...

     So yeah, finally got motivated and painted something up. This is one of the satyrs for Kromac's battlegroup in the current journeyman league. This is roughly 1/3rd of the reason I have an 11:4 win ratio. Really enjoying the living warbeasts for a change from constuct-ville. One goat painted up. 2 more and a bunch of tharn left to go.

5 games in...

     We started our Journeyman league this last Friday night and while I wasn't able to make it in to the shop to get some games in, I did make it in on Sunday. Over the course of the day, I got 5 games in and my win/loss is currently 3-2. Not too shabby. I'm also starting to figure out how/when to use my assets and what I should look for in my opponents force and turns to react to. Our Journeyman league rules are pretty much copied straight from the Privateer Press site, but with one great exception. Look here if you want to try and find it before the break...