I love gloss varnish but it really doesn't help my already piss-poor photography non-skillz. These two are resin toys from Ramshackle Games, painted in a sort of Blanche style with limited palette, red, subdued bases, chequers and lashings of gloss varnish. While it isn't obvious from these particular figures, they are the start of an Adeptus Mechanicus warband based upon a whole load of robed-with-crude-cyber-bits-hanging-off-them figures that Curtis at Ramshackle produces.
Chaos Renegades Brothers Shitbastard and Uterusbiter from the Insane Abortionists chapter. Evil Empire plastics, also Blanche tribute in style.
So what am I going to do with these? Well, wouldn't it be great if there was some of hardback science fantasy wargame that was published this century that didn't just propose tedious competitive, equal points "encounter battles" between people who think winning a cookie-cutter wargame somehow reflects back upon their "skill" and "generalship".
Something that encouraged and cajoled gamers into creating their own scenarios and forgetting about balance and including optional "here, try this for a fun and memorable game" stuff like rules for fighting in hard vacuum, on planets or space stations where the gravitational constant is not equal to 1, entertainingly explosive terrain, orbital platforms where you can be blown away into space by template weaponry, lightning storms, corrosive atmosphere, sub-zero temperatures, dangerous fauna, dangerous flora, toxic rivers etc.
You know, all the stuff that makes the tournament wargamers whimper "my optimised build is nerfed". Something I could play while wearing my Oldhammer scene shirt.
Handy that, because there is. This bastard.
FFFFuck!!!!!!!!!!! Steady on Coop. Shurely shome mishtake?
No. I have recently acquired a taste for humble pie served with side platters groaning under the weight of roast crow.
This is such a sea change from previous GW offerings that it almost ought to be put out under the Specialist Games label, ignored by senior management, not supported, removed from shop shelves and then nixed because an Excel spreadsheet told them to. 6th edition is encouraging gamers to make up their own planets and campaigns and characters, nagging them to at least set their game amidst the background (rather than just 2000 pts Black Templars vs 2000 pts Tau) and start mucking about with the game setup so that balance and optimisation get fucked.
Someone on Frothers described this as a bloody great big two fingers up to the tournament crowd.
So why did I notice this? I read a post on one of the "40K is teh greatest evah" boards in which a stateside 40k player who had bought the book on midnight of the release day claimed to be a (very near quote) "47 year old player who is in tears at what they have done to my game".
Let's be honest if my own Father said something like that I'd immediately kick him in the bollocks although he admittedly wouldn't since he doesn't give a toss about gaming unless it's Tiger Woods on the Wii and I really ought not to since I still owe him a favour for him taking Das Coopwagen for it's MOT retest because I was at work.
But if a 47 year old competition manchild can be reduced to tears by a game becoming far less "BEHOLD ME PROVING MY RAW PURE SKILL YOU ARE NOTHING LESS THAN NOTHING" than it was before, despite him being of serious need of a kick in the bollocks if indeed he has any, the likes of muggins here gets very interested. And hence the £45 missing from my wallet now.
Anyway, Grandfather and Grandson at a happy family reunion. Grandfather was telling young 'un about Abdul Goldberg, Catachan Face-Eaters, graviton guns, flowchart-following robots, and Space
Marines with captured shuriken catapults.(*)
IN BATTLE THERE IS NO LAW A 432 PAGE RULEBOOK
(*) I believe this may be the first time I've knowingly used an Oxford comma in print. I say them all the time though.
