Teaching Games

Lately, we've had an influx of new players into our Warhammer Fantasy group.  That's a great thing to have happen.  However, I've been trying to figure out how to best go about teaching new players about the game.

Does one go with a "burned hand teaches best" method of gaming, and just play normally in teaching games, rolling over the new opponent?  Or should I mollycoddle new players with easy play until they find their footing?

I'm inclined towards the latter, but in my last teaching game, Warhammer decided to remind me that it was indeed Warhammer.  My dice went red hot, and his went ice cold.  It didn't matter that I was fighting Saurus with Gor, for the Gor rolled like lords of war and smashed everything up in front of them.  I need to get rolling like that in some tournaments!

Anyway, I've got more teaching games coming up in the future, and was curious as to others' thoughts on the best methods to use.

Weekend Update: Thanksgiving 2011

Well, another weekend gone, and some more hobby done.  Not as much as I'd like, but at least there was some.

As I guessed, Skyrim is destroying a lot of my hobby time.  I kept up the work on the twenty-four dryads, getting them basecoated and drybrushed.  I think they'll have to go on the bases before the basing goes down, as I don't think I can pin them with their tiny, bent legs. 

This Tuesday we have more Dreadfleet, and plots and plans are being laid for two tournaments that are coming up this Spring.

Thoughts on Dreadfleet, Halfway In

My gaming group is roughly halfway through Dreadfleet.  It's a great game, and a ton of fun for a few people (or more) on a Tuesday night.  Here's some things to know about it if you're looking to pick it up around the holidays:

*  It's pretty random at times.  You can lose a ship or lose the game on what is often a single card draw.  For instance, the other night we had a ship take two damage cards...and they were a hull card followed by a double hull card.  That ship was crucial and ended up costing us the mission. On the other hand, we've had ships limping along with 20+ damage cards that just wouldn't sink.

*  You can't take it seriously.  This is a great naval combat game, but not a serious naval combat game, and the randomness is the reason. 

* It's a ton of fun.  Once you realize that there's a ton of chance involved, it's a really good time to play. The mechanics are tight, and it's easy to introduce new players.  In each game we've played, we've had people just walk up and watch, and we'll offer to let them captain one of the ships.

*  It's a lot of fun with a lot of players.  It's a great game for a big group, as everyone can take a ship or two and (try to) work together.  Setting up two teams and an overall "admiral" for each side seems to work well.

*  Beware the Skabrous!  Seriously, that thing can move quickly, handles extremely well, and its shots ignore armor saves!  It's been the bane of the Grand Alliance for a couple scenarios now.

Pictures of GW's New Beastmen Monster Models - Ghorgon, Cygor and the Jabbersclythe!

Whoa!  I told you there'd be posts this week!

From @Channel_4_News on Twitter, here are pictures of the new Ghorgon, Cygor, and Jabbersclythe models.  The Ghorgon and Cygor are apparently one plastic kit, and the Jabbersclythe is Finecast.   I actually run these things pretty regularly (I call them my 275 point handicaps) and am pretty psyched to add the big monsters to my Beasts!

Weekend Update: November 21st, 2011

Okay, so I took a week off there for the first time in, well, forever.  I worked ridiculous hours for a couple weeks, and was basically coming home to sleep.  Anyway, with the holidays coming up things are slowing down a bit, allowing me to get back on the horse.  I did get some hobby done over the weekends:

*  Dryads are now all assembled and primed.  I'm torn between attaching them to the base now and trying to pin them.  I think they'd look better pinned, but they have very thin, bent legs which will be difficult to put pins in. 

*  I played in a Fantasy Tournament last weekend, and got my very first last place finish.  My Beastmen couldn't work through several goblin hordes in Round One, and then missed a Vampire General and BSB by inches when it was critical in Round Two.  I actually had the last place bye for round three.

*  We continue to get in some Dreadfleet on alternate Tuesday nights around here, and it's a ton of fun.  The trick is to have a few people and give them each a ship, and to remember that the game is pretty random. 

*  In non-hobby news, I've played a bit of Skyrim, and am loving it.  To me, it corrects the problems with Oblivion and makes a truly great one.  The story is engaging, the graphics and play upgraded, and the world immersing.  I also got back out a couple times this weekend to the Frisbee Golf course, an old passion of mine.

So there should be some posts this week.  See you then! 

Upcoming Distractions

I've got four more dryads to put together.

I have to keep telling myself that, because all I'll really want to do this weekend is play some Skyrim.  It comes out Friday, and I've been a fan of the Elder Scrolls series since I played Arena when I was twelve.  I've never actually finished any of the Elder Scrolls games, but I sure have put in the hours getting distracted and running around in the big sandbox.

I'm also going to get to borrow Batman:  Arkham City, which is an unexpected pleasure, and UNC Chapel Hill College Basketball is coming up soon, which is another great interest.  And there's a Warhammer Fantasy Tournament this Saturday, as well as the twenty hours of overtime at work I'll put in by Friday this week.

Those poor four dryads are up against a lot of competition.

Weekend Update: November 8th, 2011

An emergency project at work kept me glued pretty much to my seat all weekend and yesterday (and most of today), but I did assemble twenty Dryads (and acquire twelve more via trade).  I have four more to assemble when I get a spare minute. Spare minutes are in short supply, however, as you can see by my Monday post coming in on a Tuesday.

Also, I got the Space Marine bug for the first time in a while, and decided that if I'm going to work on Blood Angels any longer, they'll need an upgrade.  I have two squads finished, one of the Death Company and one Assault Squad, both with Rhinos.  They're on plain sand bases, and I'm going to move those over to new bases with black sand, grass, stone, and barbed wire.  The new models I'm assembling need more conversions in general.  I put together a test model, using Bretonnian bits as well as the Tactical and Assault Squad kits, and have assembled a new base as well.   Hopefully, I'll get to paint him up soon, and it will propel me back into painting up some 40K.

Get Some Trays and Bases from Shogun Miniatures!

It's always fun with Glade Guard to be able to pick them up, metal character included, and wave them around upside down.  Honestly, it's the kind of security you want from your models, that they'll stay on their trays and not fall over and break/get scratched up.

I recently bought sheet metal trays from Shogun Miniatures, and highly suggest their products.  They have flanged trays and flat trays at great prices, and I ended up ordering quite a few of the flanged ones for Avelorn army.   The trays are extremely well made and are comparatively cheap, and arrived at my home only three days after I placed my order.  Also included in my box, free of charge, were some of Shogun's magnetic bases, which were also very nice. 

I plan on spraying my trays dark brown and green and then giving them some matte varnish to hold off scratching from the magnets.  

So for nice, neat looking trays at a great price, check out Shogun Miniatures.   The trays are great and I've had a positive experience. 

Painted Dreadfleet: Skabarus

I painted Skabarus, the Skaven undead fish hulk monter, this past weekend once I finished my Glade Guard.  He's a nasty looking guy, that's for sure. 

In game, we ignored Skabarus at first, but it has two major advantages.  First, the Warpfire cannons that ignore ship armor allow it to take on tough ships and do major damage.  Second, it's very maneuverable, and can dance around ships like the Heldenhammer.  These two attributes combined make for a ship easily able to dance around larger, bulkier ships while pouring out significant damage.  

Painted Dreadfleet: The Sea Drake

Dale painted up The Sea Drake.  He asked to do so after finishing The Curse of Zandri, and I was happy to have him do so. 

At first, I was a little wary of having other people paint some of the ships in my copy of Dreadfleet.  I enjoy painting very much as my relaxing hobby, and wasn't sure how I felt about having people paint what I should be painting.  However, I've really come to enjoy and value the experience from Dreadfleet, as each of the pieces now has a connection with various people around the game group, and benefits from their different styles and techniques.  It's a cool thing, a club in miniature, and I like it a lot. 

Army of Avelorn - Painted Glade Guard

I'm working on my Tale of Painters Avelorn Army on Warseer, and today is the day to report my monthly contribution. 

UNIT: Nineteen Glade Guard

HIGHS: I think my overall painting has improved from my last army, and continues to do so.  The basing looks great.  Every model has eyes.  I also wanted a banner that was easy recognizable as my flaming banner, so I bordered it with red and yellow, drew the elven rune for fire (thanks Google!) on it and put some jets of flame around the rune. 

LOWS: I'm not sold on the brown wash over green, and may have to go back and fix it.  The Glade Guard models also suffer from the same molding era as a lot of the Beastmen models, in that they have quite a few vague, half-formed details on the models that I find to be a pain. 

POINTS: Nineteen Glade Guard + Full Command and Flaming Banner = 262 Points.  Overall points are 262 + 350 for the Spellweaver for 612 points. 

NEXT MONTH: Dryads, which are surprisingly fun to put together.