Month: August 2019

Gah The Heat

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On 27th August 2019

In Blog

The heat is literally making it impossible to do anything, my body isn’t built for hot weather of any kind, at least not without copious amounts of ice cream (thanks diabetes) and access to a swimming pool!

I have been having a lot of issues sleeping, damn brain weasels keeping me awake and attempting to get again put a story on to paper, I am not good at writing, but I always feel like I want to write a story. Sometimes I consider fan fiction, but I really don’t have the confidence to do that.

And to top it off, I woke up quite ill today and that’s thrown everything into chaos because I have stuff I want to do.

What I am Modelling

This week I finished off the Wall of Martyrs Killzone along with the two extra Defence Lines that came with Advance Team Starpulse and the Exalted Scythe, so that’s another half of a table for Company of Legends done giving us 10 tables we can put out right now.

The club wants to play Warcry today, so I painted up my Iron Golems, but the girls have forbidden me from going because of the ill.

What I am Reading

I have finally finished The Beast Arises, it’s taken me years to get through this series as I have been reading it in a very much on again, off again way, but I am glad I have read it now.

The last book The Beheading was really good, Guy is an excellent and stupidly fast writer, the only thing I disliked about the book was the big time jump, that felt kind of jarring.

I am now going to read some T’au stories to get me in the mood for doing my T’au Empire army eventually, so I have started with Farsight by Phil Kelly.

I also listened to the audiobook of Claws of the Genestealer by Cavan Scott, and that was actually pretty good, the Warhammer Adventures stories are perfect for the audience they are aimed at, and full of excitement. And in this one, the characters have gotten a bit more development which is good, you can only do so much in a kids book, but they really have crammed a load in there. I have now moved on to its sequel, Secrets of the Tau.

What I am Playing

My last game was Catch the Moon, I even wrote a review of it that you can read here, I am thinking of going back through my collection and reviewing everything I have, apart from promotional items.

What I am Backing

I have caved and backed Fiasco, I wanted to go all in and get all four expansions, but money is an issue, so we are only backing on expansion.

Yesterday we worked out my total spend on Kickstarter and it comes to £3602 since 2014 including shipping, which isn’t that bad, I mean it’s only £720 a year, so not terrible right???

The most I have thrown at a single project was £190 and that was on the Alhambra Mega Box Designers Edition, with every expansion ever made, plus a bunch of new modules and the Alhambra Special Big Box, interestingly enough, that’s due for delivery hopefully in the next month!

What I am Cooking

Ready meals don’t count

What I am Spending

I bought myself some paint but other than that not a lot.

Catch The Moon Review

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On 26th August 2019

In Board Games Reviews, Reviews


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So I think I am going to try and write a review for every game in my collection, so what better way to start than with a game that isn’t actually in my collection!!!

The copy we played with actually belongs to Megan’s mum, we played it at the UK Games Expo earlier this year and upon describing it to her, Jane insisted we bring her back a copy, which we duly did.

The Jist

Catch the Moon is a dexterity game by Fabien Riffaud and Juan Rodriguez in which you start with a nice plastic base, into which two sets of straight ladders are inserted. You will be using these as a basis to stack other Dalí inspired ladders

You then roll a custom D6 which will produce one of three results, either you need to have your ladder touching two and only two other ladders, or one and only other ladder, and the third result is that your ladder be the highest in the structure.

Simply enough, but if you fail then you revive a teardrop token, any ladders which fall, you remove from the game, and the player that caused them to fall gets a teardrop.

The game ends when the last teardrop is taken or you run out of ladders. If the last teardrop was taken, the player that got it, is immediately eliminated, and the winner is the player with the fewest teardrops remaining.

This is a bit hash, I have had no teardrops, then gotten the last one and been eliminated, allowing Lindsay with two teardrops to win. But when checking around for other reviews, particularly Tom Vasel review from the Dice Tower, I have to agree, it’s only a short game, so it’s not like you put hours into something only to lose to a silly rule.

Components

The plastic base is great sturdy and just what you want, the dice is lovely and warm feeling, but the ladders do feel a bit flimsy.

But I would counter that same thought, because whilst not being the most solid material, they need to be light so they can stack easily, so I would say they are right for the game.

Look

There really isn’t much in the way of artwork, the cover of the box is beautifully illustrated by Emmanuel Malin, but other than that and the instructions, there isn’t a lot to really talk about.

What’s Good

To be honest, I love this game, it’s simple and what you get at the end is a unique piece, almost like a work of art.

What’s Bad

The elimination of the last player to take a teardrop isn’t great, but honestly, that’s kinda clutching at straws to look for a fault.

Final Score

I feel confident in giving this game a solid 7 out of 10, I want to give this an 8, but it still leaves me wanting something with more meat, but then I do prefer more in depth games.

That said, this will not be a bad addition to anyone’s game collection, and it’s going on my buy list!

Last Day @ WorldCon and the Return to Blighty

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On 22nd August 2019

In Blog

Day 5 of WorldCon and by this point I was barely functioning!

We decided that we would use the Luas for the last day and it was only a 10 or so minute walk (with frequent eat stops) to the Smithfield station, and we only had a short trip to the CCD, but boy was it packed.

When we got to the CCD we headed straight up for the Library Bards concert and that was amazing, utterly loved it and it was a real highlight of the Con.

After this we had Games for Science with Steve Jackson and Tom Lehmann which was very good, although I was disturbed part was through it because there had been a small fire in our apartment and we were going to have to move room when we got back, thankfully none of our stuff was damaged.

Then I went to a panel on 2000AD the Irish Connection, which I hoped would touch on things like Murphyville, but it mostly just covered Irish artists and writers for 2000AD which was still pretty good.

Then me and Lindsay met up for Holy Forking Shirtballs – The Good Place Panel, and thanks goodness I had an access sticker, because it was a very popular panel, which doesn’t surprise me as the show is brilliant, but me and Lindsay were able to get in which was great.

The we did a two hour shift on the Glasgow 2024 fan table and had many a fan come and offer pre-support or become a friend of the bid, which was great, I have a lot of confidence that Glasgow will win. And I managed to with great difficulty get into the DeLorean for a photo.

And sadly at this point it was time for the closing ceremony, which was very very emotional, amazing speeches and performances and when James handed over the gavel to CoNZealand it put a lump in your throat.

And this we headed away from the CCD for the last time and it felt very sad to leave our home for the past five days and see our little village being dismantled.

We did want to do the Dead Dog Party, but figured we needed to get back and move room plus we couldn’t really afford the drinks.

So instead we headed to O’Connell Street and had a Supermacs for tea, followed by a trip to Dunnes to grab a few bits for people who wanted us to bring them home, specifically Rock Shandy for Paul, Jane and Rob.

Then we jumped back on the Luas and walked back up to Thomas Street, which was very hard and I had to stop a ton of times, but once we got there we saw that the Spar has disappeared during the day, and realised we forgot a present for George, so we walked down to Tesco and grabbed him a bottle of whiskey, before going back to the hotel and moving room, and then we settled down and read before sleeping.

Return to the North East

The next day we managed to sleep in and miss our taxi, but thankfully we were able to get one very quickly, and we getting through security was a breeze, so we had a Burger King for breakfast and then boarded our flight back to Newcastle, which was sadly very uncomfortable for Lindsay.

But we landed safely and were picked up by Paul and Megan, who literally had to be prised off me and Lindsay when she gave us a hug, so we headed home, to find out that there had been a small fire at the BT exchange which means we are without internet again.

I phoned Sky who have agreed to compensate us for a months worth of broadband, plus helped us cut our bill down and moved us onto Sky Q for free as compensation.

So exhausted I headed up and had a bit of a nap, after which we went to the Beefeater for tea before popping into see Megan’s mum who had just had a knee replacement operation.

So action packed few days!

What I am Modelling

Obviously I have been away and my painting had been a struggle before that, but on Wednesday whilst Lindsay was away at Megan’s parents working because we had no broadband at home, I picked up my paintbrushes to try and get myself back in the zone by painting some scenery, these are big chunky bits that’s don’t require detail.

After any long break from painting I find it difficult to get back in the groove because my hands really do get very bad, so stuff like this is helpful.

Anyway I painted a Wall of Martyrs Defence Line and a Wall of Martyrs Imperial Bunker.

What I am Reading

I have a lot of recommendations of books from WorldCon, but first I want to get through The Beast Arises, and have gotten half way through Shadow of Ullanor by Rob Sanders, which is really good so far.

What I am Playing

I haven’t played much at all this week apart from a play test of Cthulhu Dice 2nd Edition and a couple of games of Timeline Inventions, one of which I won and one of which I lost.

What I am Backing

At the moment I am backing Munchkin Parhfinder 3 – Odd Ventures, but I am having to do it in a way that sees the game shipped to a friend in the US for them to forward it on to me as Steve Jackson Games are stopping supporting international backers, which is sad.

We are taking a good look at backing Fiasco and I will be honest, it’s likely to happen.

What I am Cooking

Nowt since I got back from Dublin.

What I am Spending

Apart from a few presents in Dublin, nowt.

  • Current State of Projects: Rest of Killzone Wall of Martyrs on my desk

Penultimate Day At WorldCon

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On 19th August 2019

In Blog

Sunday was a wonderful day, absolutely amazing!

We managed to get a bus to the CCD reasonably easily, and made it to our first panel which was How To Start A Podcast, which have me some interesting insights which will hopefully let me make improvements to Edge if Empire.

I then attended a panel on Social Media Marketing Tips And Tools, which I admit was a filler panel, but I did learn some stuff which I can apply to the podcast.

We then got into queue for Polyamory In Theory And Practice which was really good, but it was in a small room and they could have filled it three times over, few little bits I disagreed with, but mostly very good.

Then I went to Game Writing And The Story which was a bit meh, I mean it had some good stuff in it, but it wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be.

We then had a wander round the hucksters room and saw the DeLorean kitted out as the one from Back To The Future and had lunch, Lindsay had salmon pho and I had a cheeseburger.

And then we headed up for other panels, I went to The Audio Acting Bug to try and pick up tips to improve CoL audio recordings, and I did learn a lot from it.

After that I went to The Evil of Gaming and got Tom Lehmanns autograph, and well it was obviously a very timely panel!

I then did an hours shift on the Glasgow in 2024 fan table and it was a bit slower than other days but still busy.

Then Lindsay convinced me to join her in a panel called Ships Ahoy, which well, I don’t need to go into in any great detail, but it was hilarious and I ended up very very red after it, and now Megan and Lindsay are threatening to write slash about Edge of Empire!!!

We then went to the France bid party and they had good food there, it was really nice, and the bus seems pretty good, there was however some unpleasantness and we ended up on a table with an extremely racist American lady, and my own microaggressions made the lovely non binary black person were we sad with very upset.

We did catch up with her, I apologised and we sat and chatted for nearly an hour and a half and she opened my eyes to a lot of stuff.

They were an amazing person and I hope to see them today at the con before they head off back to London.

We then went to see The Doubleclicks in concert which was absolutely amazing, I have wanted to see them for years, and I am so so glad that I have finally done so and crosses something off my bucket list.

The whole room loved the songs, and the sing along to Noting To Prove was very moving, and yeah it was a real highlight and on of my favourite concerts of all time ever. Lindsay had some tears over Sensitive Badass.

And then we were able to get a selfie with Laser, and I think I have managed to help convert Lindsay into a fan of theirs.

We then got a taxi home after spending a bit of time in the game room with our friend Clare from the Clockwork Tea Party and had super noodles for tea, before falling into a very deep sleep!

Saturday at WorldCon2019

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On 18th August 2019

In Blog

Saturday at WorldCon was a lot less busy than Friday, but the place was a lot more crowded as weekend visitors were able to attend.

We missed yoga again to have a lie in again, but we started with a panel on the History of Tabletop Gaming with Steve Jackson and Tom Lehmann which was a lot of fun.

Then I attended a panel on Patreon: The Evolution if Supporting The Arts, which was moderated by one of my favourite authors Jaine Fenn, which was very helpful for Edge of Empires Patreon.

At this point it was my turn to do a shift on the fan table for Glasgow in 2024 which got us a few friends signing up, which was nice.

I then decided to skip the Inclusive Game Design panel because I just wasn’t feeling it as much of the participants seemed to be video games people.

So instead I wandered through the hucksters room and then took a walk across to Point Square for George RR Martins autograph, as a person requiring access I have no complaints as I was allowed to go to the front of the queue and didn’t have to wait long at all, I only had 30 seconds which him, but he seemed very nice.

I wandered back to the CCD and tried to get into a panel on Tabletop RPGs As Inspiration For Creative Writing, but sadly I couldn’t get in, so me and Lindsay hung out in the bar instead, before doing another shift on the Glasgow fan table.

I then did a panel on Audio Dramas and Radio plays, with Phil Foglio which has really got me interested in doing some short audio dramas, cause I have ideas, but just have always never thought I could do it, but to hear how people are saying that anyone can do it, well it has me inspired!

At this point me and Lindsay went to help out set up the Glasgow in 2024 party, where there were Tunnock’s Caramel Waffers and Teacakes, samples of various whiskys (a very limited supply) and Irn Bru.

The look on some people’s faces when they tried Irn Bru for the first time was priceless, some loved it and some hated it, was cool talking to lots of people and telling them all about Glasgow and how it would be a great place to hold WorldCon in 2024, and people were very very positive about it.

Lindsay started to get overwhelmed after an hour of the party, so we decided to make our way back to hotel, where we yet again had nesi goreng (what can I say, it’s cheap and has vegetable, carb and protein), before turning in to sleep.

Day 2 at Dublin 2019 WorldCon

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On 17th August 2019

In Blog

Day two was better in many ways than day 1, primarily because Lindsay didn’t get a migraine, yay!

We started by getting a bit confused about buses, you see the Google Maps information for buses in Dublin is utterly useless when it comes to what stops they use, and we ends up walking to a stop a bit further away because we knew the bus left from there whereas the stop that Google Maps told us about had no information at it at all and said it was a put down stop only.

But we now know where the right stop is after asking the driver.

We missed Accessible Yoga sadly, but I arrived int one to get into line for signups to Kaffeklatchs, but I missed out on the one I really wanted to do by one space, because the git right in front of me signed up his friend despite it being only one signup per person, so was very annoyed by that, especially as the people manning the signup tables shrugged their shoulders when I made them aware.

But what can I do, anyway I made it to my first panel which was Making the Transition from Player to Games Master, and I got a lot of useful information from that, and I followed this up with The Impact of Kickstarter on the Gaming Industry which was really good, but sadly in the panel Steve Jackson said that it’s likely that SJG will stop offering their Kickstarter projects outside of North America, which would b devastating if they did that before Car Wars.

Then we walked off to Point Square for some seminars over there, and it’s not the easiest walk in the beating August sun, but we got there and found a great waiting area for people with access stickers, which was great, Lindsay did a panel on women in STEM and I did one on Webcomics with some amazing comic creators including Tamsyn Muir and Phil Foglio.

We then took a Luas back to the CCD to try and get into the interview of Parris McBride and George RR Martin, but we didn’t get in I am afraid, but that was alright, we just decided to go do our souvenir shopping where we got presents for Megan, Paul, Mary and Janes boys.

We did manage to get into the Steve Jackson interview, he is a guest of honour and the first from the gaming industry ever, so it’s a big deal, and it was great hearing him talk about how he got where he was, and the background to the Secret Service raid on his company over a GURPS supplement.

Then we got into a panel on the Representation of Marginalised People in Gaming with Laser Malena-Webber from the Doubleclicks, and Tanya DePass which was brilliant, I am very passionate about representation in games, because the same white European troops get very dull in games, and I am really desperate to see games with big influences from outside Europe.

Then I went to a panel on Modern Alternatives to Classic Boardgames, which was alright, but it was a bit simplistic for me, I was hoping for something that goes beyond 101, but it was very much a 101 to board gaming panel.

I managed at this point to have a seizure and had to be helped by first aid, it was very very very mild, I think it was because the panel room was facing the sun and it was quite low and in my eyes, but I was fine.

This was followed by a bit of a let down in Introduction to Grimdark, the discussion was good and interesting, but half the panel had no idea about what Grimdark was with one panelist’s having never heard of the term before, and the moderator had no voice, which meant that the panel was a bit unfocused, but still the discussion and book reccomend and the were good.

We then had a sandwich for our tea, and I had a good sit down after my seizure to kind of recover, so it was a bit of a worrying time because Lindsay was being very worried about me.

Then had my best event of the day, Romance Plot or Not, which was a blast, we were supplied with four ridiculous romance story plots and had to guess which one was a fake, and my team finished fifth which was cool, and as a result of that Lindsay wants to read a book featuring a bad boy biker, who just happens to be a werehedgehog!

After this Lindsay went into a panel on Sex Positivity and I went to some parties, the DC party’s was cool, the China party was very good, Frances party was kinda dead and the Japan party was also quite good, I may have eaten lots of snacks!

Then we had to rush off for the bus back to the hotel and we ordered in a spice box for tea, which was really good, and then at about 01:20 we went to sleep utterly exhausted!

Dublin and WorldCon

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On 16th August 2019

In Blog, Uncategorised

Me and Lindsay flew out to Dublin on Tuesday for WorldCon, which is the convention of the World Science Fiction Society, and is a pretty big deal, it’s also where the Hugo Awards are handed out.

So Paul kindly dropped us off for our flight on Tuesday morning and the first thing we do is grab a bottle of Rock Shandy each, which is a Dublin favourite of ours, it’s a combo of lemon and orange pop, the only issue is that lemon and me don’t get on, it causes a reaction in me that whilst not quite an allergy, raises my temperature, makes me feel sick and makes my temper fray, but damn that stuff tastes good!

We then went straight to Bewleys for lunch, which is an amazing tea house on Grafton Street, we had mushroom and tarragon soup, I had mine with an open sandwich and Lindsay had here with a scone and it was a most delicious lunch when paired with a cup of Irish Afternoon tea.

We then headed to our hotel, well it’s actually just some student accommodation but it’s nice enough, but warm and the bed isn’t quite a double, but comfortable.

We had a pizza for tea, a large one with sausage, egg, bacon and mushrooms on it, after popping into Lidl for some supplies to make sarnies with.

The next day we headed into Dublin in the later morning where we registered for the Con at the CCD, then we took a slow walk into the city, with lots of stops for me, and we called Megan to have a chat with her and take a photo of a DART for Paul.

When we reached O’Connell street we went to Supermacs for our lunch, we both had 5oz bacon and cheese burgers, Lindsay had hers with curry cheese fries, I had mine with garlic cheese fries, and it was really nice, much nicer than a McDonalds.

We then walked to Games Workshop via Forbidden Planet, because you know, we have to find a Games Workshop wherever we go!

The we walked down to Bewleys for an afternoon tea and then to Dunnes to pick up some Rock Shandy, Taytos and Cadbury’s Mint Crisp to take home to the UK, then back to the hotel where we chilled out, even popping up to the roof top terrace where Lindsay attempted to do some of her daily exercises and we had nesi goreng from Lidl for tea.

The next day we made our way to the CCD by bus and began the day with some Accessible Star Trek Yoga, which is a lot harder than it sounds. After that we attended a panel on Liking Problematic Tings and then a workshop on an Introduction to Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, which I have yet to play properly.

Then we had a little break where Lindsay went to the quiet room because she had a developing migraine and I did an hour on the Glasgow 2024 Fan Table signing up people as pre-supporters and even a few friends too.

After that I went to the gaming room and talked with my Asmodee friends who are there doing some demoing and playing of games, and pretty much all of them I have worked with before, so that’s cool.

And I also got to playtest the next edition of Cthulhu Dice with Steve Jackson, who also signed my autograph book and copy of Munchkin Warhammer 40,000, so I squeed a bit at that!!!

At this point Lindsay is very unwell and she decided to remain in the quiet room, I then attended a Podcasting panel, at which one of the panellists recognised my voice from Edge of Empire and complimented our shows quality, and considering that he is a pro-podcaster, that made me blush a lot!

After that we headed back to the hotel, Lindsay was really unwell and needed to sleep, it’s a little trek for the bus stop back so I didn’t want her doing it alone.

She then zonked out, so I went and grabbed us some bits for lunch the next day, had Lidl nesi goreng again and then read for a bit.

She is feeling a lot better today as we sit on the bus on the way back to Con, so hopefully today she will last longer.

I am having a great time in Dublin!

Developing Warhammer Neophytes

By

On 11th August 2019

In Blog

Over the past month or so, me and Megan have been working to develop a new podcast, which is actually going to be a video podcast hosted on YouTube.

It’s called Warhammer Neophytes and it’s a show focused at younger hobbyists taking their first steps into the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

We have the first episode fully written up thanks to some amazing feedback from the pilot we did for a select audience, and we are recording the first two episodes upon my return from WorldCon, those being an introduction to the hobby and the podcast, then the second episode will be about building and painting your first models.

The idea is to do about 10 or so episodes, between 15 and 25 minutes long, building up to a small game between the forces found in the First Strike boxset.

If the show works we will be looking to take it further and bring in Age of Sigmar as well, but for now we are going to get the 40k shows recorded over the next couple of weeks and put them out there and see what the feedback is like.

Lindsay is going to try and knock up a logo for us, and hopefully she can get that done whilst before we take the first one on the air.

The idea stemmed from a friend who’s son is getting into Warhammer asking of Edge of Empire was suitable for him, and I went looking for a show that was, and didn’t really find anything, so we hope what we are planning fills a gap.

Graham and Chris are in the background giving their silent blessing and letting me do this under the Edge of Empire Banner so hopefully that helps builds an audience.

Dice and Dice Tray

This week I took delivery of something really cool, 201 Edge of Empire dice I had made up by Dice International Limited, and they turned out really cool. 30 of these bad boys are mine, 18 for Graham and 20 for Chris, with the remainder going out to the shows Patreon backers, and being given out to attendees at Company of Legends next two events. Cost us £97 including VAT and delivery for these, which works out at about 48p a dice which isn’t bad.

These are printed rather than engraved which would have been nearly twice as much and to be honest, the printed version looks really really good.

I am over the moon with these, they really have made my week, and I can’t wait to start rolling them!

We also have been in discussions with Deep Cut Studios about doing some custom neoprene Dice Trays for Company of Legends, and I got a sample done and it was delivered this week and I have to say, it’s really nice, you can see it in the Instagram post above.

A few minor changes are needed, specifically making the logo a touch smaller so it doesn’t curl up as much when the tray is put together.

But overall it’s great and we are looking at doing one for each table in 2020.

What I am Modelling

This week has been a hard week for anything, my hands have felt like useless claws, and I haven’t been able to grip anything without my hands shaking or seizing up.

All I have been able to do is a bit of building, I am trying to make space in my shelves by building my T’au army, but with my hands being all but useless this week, it’s been difficult.

On Saturday night I managed to get a decent grip of a paintbrush to start on something, rather than risk butchering one of Nikis models, I started On a T’au Stealth Suit Team and managed to get the main ochre colour of the armour down and then wash it, but it’s not a great job.

On Sunday night and Monday I managed to complete the Stealthsuit team, and its the first models I have completed in nearly two weeks.

I have managed to build, a Ghostkeel, a Breacher Team, Crisis Suit Team, two Coldstars Commanders, a Stormsurge, two Devilfish, two Broadsides, a Sun Shark and a Cadre Fireblade. The pile of T’au to build is considerably smaller now and I have been able to fit some more stuff on the shelves!

I also built a second Land Speeder I bought for my Blood Ravens this time as a Typhoon with a Multi-Melta.

What I am Reading

I have been reading everything but novels this week, mostly games rules books for a project I am helping out with, but I can’t actually say anything about it beyond that I have an NDA in place!

What I am Playing

Not a fiddle this week, my hands have been in too much pain and too clumsy to do anything, which really depresses me.

What I am Backing

Noting new, still backed Cognition Vol #1 by my old school pal Ken and that has now successfully funded.

I did get my reward today for Transformers 1986 and it’s utterly wonderful, the Cybertronic Spree did an amazing job brining these classics to life and putting their own twist on them, dead pleased with that.

What I am Cooking

Again my hands have left me crippled and unable to cook at all, I had planned to do sloppy joes on Thursday but that kinda failed 🙁

What I am Spending

Somewhat less this week than last!

I did buy myself another copy of Conquest issue 47 from Forbidden Planet for a second Land Speeder for my Blood Ravens.

Most of the units from that partwork from The Space Marines are going towards mine and Megans Blood Angels, all so far apart from the Aggressors and Redemptor Dreadnought, which we already had for them.

I did preorder the new Ultramarines Dice, I am a big fan of the 13th Legion, I have 14,000 points worth of them for Heresy after all, and I am going to eventually do an all Primaris army of them for 40k. I also preordered the new Space Marines Codex and the Ultramarines Codex Supplement. I will get the data cards next month when I can afford it.

I also picked up my comics from Forbidden Planet, well the Marcel Ultimate Graphic Novel collection and I am now at issue 199, and once I got 200 I am stopping, I simply don’t have room to go beyond 200 books.

It’s gonna be weird not getting them every month, but I have been collecting this series since late 2011 so it’s a good thing to stop now, and the money I save is going towards my hand fasting with Megan!

Looking Forward to WorldCon

By

On 6th August 2019

In Blog

Next Tuesday me and Lindsay fly off to Dublin to attend the 77th World Science Fiction Convention, AKA WorldCon.

It’s my third WorldCon after I attended a day of the 53rd WorldCon in Glasgow when I was 13 to see Gerry Anderson’s Guest of Honour Interview, and my time working at LonCon 3 the 72nd WorldCon.

This time I am going for the full time as an full adult member for the first time, and I am really looking forward to it, I will be helping out with the Glasgow in 2024 bid as much as I can, spending time in the games area and doing as many cool panels and activities as I can, and I will do my best to keep people up to date.

We both wish Megan was coming, but she simply didn’t feel like she could handle it, so I will do all I can to help bring WorldCon to Glasgow in 2024 so she can attend, as can Paul, Mary and Willem.

What I am Modelling

Had more chance to do some painting and modelling this week, although it has been rather busy, so not as much done as I would have liked.

I started off by painting some scenery, I got finished the Killzone Sector Mechanicus by painting the Thermic Plasma Conduits form the set, along with the Galvanic Servohaulers that came with the Krogskullz’s Boyz expansion pack.

Then I finished up the last part of that Killzone which was a Ferratonic Incinerator, which was a great excuse to break out Lupercal Green and Sons of Horus Green.

And finally I finished off a T’au Empire Kill Team I have been working on for three years, and in that time we have changed edition of both 40k and Kill Team and the Tau gained an apostrophe!

I have done a bit of model building, yesterday I built four Space Marines bikes, five Space Marine Scouts with Bolters and today I built a Land Speeder Tornado, and a Broadside and Riptide for my T’au.

What I am Reading

I am bad I have mostly just been listening to audio dramas and reading Codexes, I really need to finish Last Son of Dorn!!!

What I am Playing

I have played a bit of Heresy this week, on Friday I played Graham at Battle Bunker, with my Death Guard, and he took his Solar Auxilia, and I lost, not by much, but I really struggled against his Leman Russ tanks, I just didn’t have enough anti-armour to deal with them, so that is absolutely something I need to add to my Death Guard, perhaps some Rapiers, not sure if I should go with Laser Destroyers or the more Death Guard like Quad Mortars.

On Sunday I and Graham went to Heaton Games Society for a Heresy Doubles events, we took 750pts each, Graham took Solar Auxilia, I took Ultramarines, and it’s my first time using Ultramarines in a long time, so was good to give them a run and it reminded me why I liked them so much.

We lost every single game, because we thought it would be lighthearted, fun and fluffy, and it really wasn’t!!!

Our first game was against two top blokes, Ed and his pal, who’s name I can’t recall, and they had White Scars with seven jetbikes, two Javelins and a Fire Raptor, a Custodes Caladius, Shield Captain and five Custodian Guard, that was brutal, my Invictarius Suzerain were good, but they just couldn’t do enough against the Custodes.

Although Graham did manage to shoot the Fire Raptor out of the sky with his Quad Mortars!

Our second game was against Will and Caesar with a Sons of Horus Justarian list and an Armoured Breakthrough, and that was horrific, we ended up with just one guy on the table, we just could not do anything against that list but kill two Predators and a Dreadclaw, and Graham may now be sold on the effectiveness of the Sicaran Punisher.

The last game was against Luke and Dans Alpha Legion and Salamanders and this game was the game for the wooden spoon, and we accordingly lost, I tried to deep strike my Invictarius Suzerain in with the Void Walker warlord trait, but they kept mishapping and ended up being displaced all the way on the other side of the board away from all the action.

Tough game, we did our best as Graham really didn’t want the wooden spoon, but now I have four of them, three of which were gained in the last twelve months!!!

What I am Backing

I am still only backing my old school friend Ken’s Kickstarter for Cognition Vol #1.

I have started seeing people get their rewards for Ogre Battlefields, but alas us Europeans have to wait a few months more.

What I am Cooking

Does a Pot Noodle count???

What I am Spending

Well you can tell it’s pay week!!!

I have bought myself a few bits for Warcry, I grabbed the Starter Set, cards for Stormcast Eternals and Ironjawz and the Ruler.

I also picked up two sets of bikes for my Blood Ravens, plus a Land Speeder and some Scouts, all of which I have already built!!!

I also got a paint restock, along with some new colours in both standard and contrast, the Loyalist Titans of Legends, Loyalist Dice and Loyalist Stratagems for Adeptus Titanicus.

Mood: Excited

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: 2

In My Ears: Be Prepared from the Lion King

Game Last Played: The Horus Heresy

Book Last Read: The Last Son of Dorn by David Guymer

Movie/TV Show Last Viewed: Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Current State of Projects: I have a clear desk!!!

Thoughts on The Lion King

By

On 1st August 2019

In Reviews

I saw the Lion King on Monday and I thought I would share a few thoughts about it, a little bit of a review.

Right I am gonna start out with saying that I have read other reviews since I saw the film, so some of the ways of putting into words what I am feeling are highly influenced by those, I am trying to be as original as possible, but there is a good chance I will word it similar to those.

First off the bad stuff, I like to finish these things on a high, especially as The Lion King is one of my favourite Disney films.

The length, it’s just a touch too long, the original source material, is rather barebones, there’s not a lot to it, but in the original, that works, because it’s very compact and well timed. But in this the thinness of the material is laid bare because it’s been stretched out a bit too much.

Beyoncé’s singing style, I will be honest, just doesn’t suit the film, she is an incredibly talented singer, but her warbley style just doesn’t fit anything else and it stands out badly. Donald Glover has adjusted his singing style to be closer to the original and you can tell, but Beyoncé just sings like Beyoncé.

I am not keen on some of the changes to the story they made, Be Prepared is one of my all time favourite Disney songs, and they utterly butchered it, that really made me upset.

And the loss of the line “they call me Mr Pig” is a miss, but I get why they took that out, my parents would have got that reference, but I guess fewer people in my generation would, which is a shame as In The Heat Of The Night is a classic. But replacing it with an anti-bullying message is pretty good.

Also the hyenas are poorly served, they have had a lot of their lines cut and don’t stand out at all, which is a shame because they have some great actors in the roles, just criminally underused.

Also James Earl Jones, well his voice just doesn’t have the same power as it did in the original, it’s feels more fragile, and I guess given his age this is inevitable, but given his performance in Rogue One just a few years ago, the decline in power is worrying.

Ok so what’s good then, well the actual CGI and animation is incredible, it’s so realistic you could be forgiven for thinking that these lions are actually talking, it’s simply mind blowing.

Some changes to the story make a lot of sense, like the way Scar leads Simba to the gorge, the explanation of his taking him there is a lot better.

The casting is amazing, not one choice is bad and they all make the roles their own rather than trying to imitate the original actors, Donald Glover stands out as per usual and Seth Rogan and Billy Eichner are amazing together, I would love to see them team up in more stuff.

The music itself is great other than Be Prepared and really gets the nostalgia pumping.

Overall, I am gonna give the film 6 out of 10, as I said I love the original, but this feels almost soulless and doesn’t stand on its own feet.

It just feels like it was done for the sake of it, rather than for any real passion, which is a shame because the amazing cast deserved better.

I came out of the cinema, and I didn’t feel the same joy as I felt with the original, it doesn’t spoil the original for me, but it’s a film of wasted potential.

Anyway, I saw it with Megan, Lindsay and Paul at the Odeon Gallery in the Metrocentre, which is always a treat for the nachos, popcorn and drinks which are unlimited and the very nice seat, and thanks to both me and Paul having CEA cards it only cost us £8.88 each!

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