Thanks for the help, Tips~

Saturday Potpourri

well CRAP!

So due to some interesting developments in my life, today will be a rather short post. But it won't be light on content, so worry not.
Today I'm going to post a few of my favorite videos from around the interwebs concerning painting and modeling, that I found very informative and useful!

Rules in Dispute

Thursday Theories

I'm ALWAYS RIGHT!

Rules. They exist in gaming (and society in general) so that people can get along. They are there to resolve dice rolls, to tell you what you can and cannot do in the bounds of the game and to keep things (relatively) argument free so everyone can get on with the point of ENJOYING their chosen game. But what do we do when both sides see the rules differently?

Now there are as many different styles of rules resolution as there are gaming styles. Roll a dice, call the judge, punch each other in the throat, pistol duels at dawn... But most don't solve the actual problem of the dispute. That both sides see the rule differently. Whether it's one sides inability to read a rule through to the period (the natural conclusion to a sentence and, therefor, the natural conclusion to most rules) or one side interprets the rule differently, rules disputes are a reality for every gamer. Worst of all is that when it happens, the game being played comes screeching to a halt as both sides argue their case and challenge the other to prove them wrong (again often leading to pistols at dawn... or maybe my gaming group just does things differently?).
The aim of this article is to explain a few of the different, more common, ways of resolving these arguments, their pros and cons specifically, so that all involved can continue doing what they came to the table to do... play and have fun.

Effective Army Building Part THE FIRST!

Tutorial Tuesday

Welcome to the first installment of  Tutorial Tuesday!

Today I want to talk a little about a topic near and dear to the Wargamers heart (or possibly groin...): Army Building.  Simply put, Army building is the idea of taking the various bits and pieces of your collection together to create a cohesive, functional, whole.
Now obviously you (and everyone else) is going to want the best units in their army always. The best armor, the best equipment, the best moral, the best everything at all times, because, of course, if everything is the best in your army, you will always win. Alas, this is not the truth at all.
Think about it. No matter the game you are restricted by 3 things. Money, availability, and cost. Not everyone has the MONEY to buy only the best units. Companies purposely make the most powerful units the most costly, cash wise, because they know people will buy them. It's just good business (unless you're Games Workshop, in which case it's witchcraft and pure, unadultered, hatred for humanity that drives your prices up... or so the internet would have us all believe)... On that same note, not everyone can take only the best units in their army, even if they do have the cash to buy them (lucky bastards... you should donate money to me instead!), because many of the best units in the game are subject to low unit caps, restricting their AVAILABILITY in peoples armies.
Naturally I'd love to take only Veteran Kazaks and Chasseurs in my Ariadna force for infinity, or only Ghost knights in my grey knights army (shut up, I like them... come on, they are led by GHOST ARAGORN FOR FRIKSAKES!!), but I have a limit on those units availability in my army list.
Lastly, the best units in the game are always rather high in COST in regards to points spent on the models, or slots occupied, or whatever. To get the best units, you need to give up on other, necessary evils like medics or support weaponry or other units that can make you're operate as a cohesive whole.
So, as you can see, you can't only take the best units. You need to support them, and this is the subject of my article (took me a while, but I got there eventually).

To build an effective army you need a few essential elements:

• Effective leadership
• Strong core elements of troop type infantry (light, medium, and heavy)
• Proper support for your engaged elements (artillery, counter assault/stop-gap, ancillary support units such as medics, engineers, etc.)

Movie Magic and the Modern Gamer.

Saturday Potpourri

Welcome to the first installment of Saturday Potpourri, where i delve deep into.. well... whatever the hell I feel like today!
Seriously though, thanks for dropping in. Today i want to talk a little about Movies as inspiration for gaming. I think I can safely say that everyone loves movies. Everyone. They take us to places we never thought about before, they make us laugh, they make some cry, but inevitably they make us forget about whatever is bothering us and whisk us away to somewhere else for 90 minutes or more.
So, i figure, if they are doing something right... then we should straight up jack their ideas for our games!
Think about it. How many Roleplaying sessions have you attended that seemed terrifyingly familiar, but you couldn't put your finger on it? Or even realized you were playing a scene pulled word for word straight from the silver screen (I'm terribly guilty for this when i GM)? Well it's said that imitation is the most earnest form of flattery, so lets be earnest (Verne can stay at home... wow.. i bet that comment dated me a bit) and discuss a few great movie  scenes and see how we can adapt them to some of my favorite game systems.

But what movies should we steal adapts scenes from? (glad you asked Mr.Strawman) How about:

1. Heat (1995, starring Al Pachino, Robert Deniro, Val Kilmer).
    Scene: The bank heist/major shootout at the climax of the movie

2. The 13th Warrior (1999, starring Antonio Banderas, Vladimir Kulich)
    Scene: The journey to the besieged North-man hold

3. Aliens (1986, starring Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton)
    Scene: The last stand of the USMC Marines inside the complex.

And now, to choose the Game Systems:

1. Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition
2. Star Wars Saga Edition
3. Dead Lands
4. Mutant Chronicles
5. Rifts Rpg
6. Deathwatch Rpg

So let's get started!

Patience and Perseverance

Thursday Theories

 

the·o·ry  

[thee-uh-ree, theer-ee] 

noun, plural the·o·ries.

1.  a coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regarded as correct, that can be used as principles of explanation and prediction for a class of phenomena: Einstein's theory of relativity. Synonyms: principle, law, doctrine.

2.  a proposed explanation whose status is still conjectural and subject to experimentation, in contrast to well-established propositions that are regarded as reporting matters of actual fact. Synonyms: idea, notion hypothesis, postulate. Antonyms: practice, verification, corroboration, substantiation.

3.  Mathematics. a body of principles, theorems, or the like, belonging to one subject: number theory.

4.   the branch of a science or art that deals with it's principles or methods, as distinguished from its practice: music theory.

5.  a particular conception or view of something to be done or of the method of doing it; a system of rules or principles: conflicting theories of how children best learn to read.

Welcome to the first of, what i hope, will be an ongoing Thursday series about my (many) theories about Roleplaying, Wargaming and Gaming in general. In Thursday Theories I plan on discussing various ideas and concepts that I've come across, read about and put into action, to hopefully help people in their gaming. I plan, in the future, to be able to sit down with other GM's and players i've met over the years and get their views on certain concepts or ideas that they have to running solid roleplaying sessions or tournaments or what-have-you for the various gaming types (Wargaming, Roleplaying, boardgaming, etc.) and to garner their tips and tricks for succeeding over the years.

AAAAAAnyways, today I want to talk about the single most important topic when it concerns gaming with others.... After the break

Don't Panic

It'll be alright. It's Ok. Relax.

So I finally did it. I've started up a Blog (as I've been threatening it for years) at the insistence of my comrades. Let the inaugural ceremony begin!

Seriously though, i do plan on actually adding quite a bit of content in the next little while. I'm sure no-one wants to see a blank blog filled with naught more than a donut debacle and little else, so I'll put up some actual content in here quite quickly.