Considering that it’s been a little over a month since my last update, it’s fair to say that my grand plan to write 31,000 words during January did not go as intended.

I knew going into this that it wasn’t going to be easy to meet the word count, but I didn’t think I’d fail as badly as I did. I was hoping for at least 20,000. Let’s take a look at what went wrong…

I got off to a decent start. Not as strong as I might have liked, but then it’s difficult to dedicate every waking moment of every day to writing. This is especially true during a month that usually involves a great deal of social events. Add catching up with multiple TV shows into that mix and time starts slipping away pretty rapidly. It doesn’t help that I don’t have a room that I can retreat to where I can write in a distraction-free environment. On top of that, I came to realise that I find it easier to write in the evening. I don’t know if it’s because the temperature is cooler, or because my internal clock is a few hours slow, but it seems to work out that way.

Does this mean that MyJanWriMo was a failure? Honestly, no. I still wrote a fair bit, and managed to set a few other gears in motion. It was also very encouraging to see regular page views (I think I managed to get up to two weeks without a quiet day). I have a couple of posts that are partially completed and will be published sometime in the near future, as well as a few more that haven’t even been started yet. All I need to do now is keep the momentum up. I don’t think I’ll be setting myself any epic challenges for a while, however. I’m just going to post at a more normal rate and not stress about it.

That said, I have started playing Star Wars The Old Republic. I wanted to hold off until the game was officially released in NZ sometime in March (apparently), but certain corrupting forces as work dragged me over to the Dark Side. Whenever I’m able to tear myself away from Republic Trooper Ropata and Imperial Bounty Hunter Temuera, I’ll make sure to put as much effort into this blog as possible.

Late in October last year a project appeared on the fundraising site Kickstarter. It was a simple proposal, a roleplaying game where the players took on roles within an acting troupe about to perform a Shakespearean play. There was a catch, however. Each player would be allowed to alter the play to better suit their character’s desires. Richard III could end up the hero, while Romeo and Juliet could live happily ever after.

Magpie Games aimed low with their fundraising for The Play’s the Thing, with a goal of only $500. This goal was met, and passed in less than 48 hours. Realising they were on to something, more goals were set. If the project reached 200%, a Teacher’s Guide to the game would be produced, helping teachers use the game in classroom situations. In addition to this, each donation of $25 or more would result in a school receiving a free PDF copy of both titles. At 300%, these PDF copies would be upgraded to print copies.

By November 5th the 300% mark had been met, and backers were still signing up. By the time the clock ran out on the project they had received over $5000 worth of pledges, almost 1200% of the original target. Because of this, over 100 schools will be receiving copies of the game, and there will be 12 monthly expansions released in 2012 that will expand the game into all new genres like horror and superheroes.

A couple of days ago, Magpie emailed out a link to all of their backers. The link took them (well, us) to a pre-layout copy of the finished game. I’ve only had the time to give it a quick look over, work and sleep being rather necessary evils, but I like what I’ve seen. Overall, the game is fairly straight forward. Each Player creates their actor and the Playwright (GM) informs them which play they will be performing. They then pick their roles and any props they will need and play begins.

Like most roleplaying games there are stats, but while D&D has Strength, Dexterity, and so on, The Play’s the Thing has Logos, Pathos, and Ethos. These each affect a different aspect of the play and will determine how best the actor can influence the plot. Each player must also decide the Type of actor they are portraying (Lead, Villain, Ham, or Ingenue). Each Type grants the player special abilities, as well as providing a way for the Playwright to affect them.

One of the great things about The Play’s the Thing is that the setting is completely open. Your actors could be a 16th Century troupe performing at the original Globe, or if you prefer, a group of high school students putting on a school play. Anything’s possible.

Well, maybe not anything

The potential for this game is huge, doubly so when you remember the 12 supplements releasing over the rest of this year. It will also be a valuable tool for schools and drama clubs that cater to young adults. Performing Shakespeare is good, but being allowed to alter the works of The Bard takes things to a whole new level and will hopefully encourage a tomorrow’s youth to discover his work for themselves.

Keep an eye on Magpie Games’ website for release details.

The entry discussed how gamers are usually broken down into two groups: Win At All Cost (WAAC) and Fluff At All Cost (FAAC). The titles are fairly self-explanatory, but just in case: WAAC gamers will bring anything to the table that will ensure their victory, will be vainglorious in victory, and will insufferable when defeated. FAAC gamers, on the other hand, insist on taking a more narrative approach to the game, even insisting that ‘fluff equal rules’. Frontline Gamer goes on to describe how this simplified method of defining gamers is, basically, a complete load of bollocks and that actual gamers are a lot more nuanced. There’s a bell curve and everything. It’s well worth reading, if you’re interested in that sort of thing.

Anyway, I got to the end of this article and felt that familiar sensation of my brain starting to process and interpret what I had just read. Overall, I agreed with the article. There is a lot more than two types of gamers, not just in general either. Each different game system has its own strata of gamer types. The more I thought about it, the more I realised my position within each game was more or less the same. I’m a fluffy player. Not re-enacts battles from novels fluffy, more fluffy lite. I let the story inspire me, but ultimately the rules are still in control. Before I go on any further, I should perhaps provide a little background.

My first wargaming experience was a very casual one. It consisted of plastic WWII vehicles and infantry (the sort you can still get from companies like Airfix) and a set of rules I found in an old book about designing wargaming rules. I didn’t understand all of the theory behind how they came up with the rules, but the rules they used as an example were straightforward enough that I just used them. I copied them into a now long-lost notebook then pulled out from models and tried them out. The result was an entertaining half hour or so of pushing figures around on my desk, measuring ranges, and rolling dice. All in all, an entertaining experience, and one that took place many times over the following months.

With a little work I could even recreate the famous battle between the U.S. Cavalry and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

I started high school a couple of years later (which was called a college to the perpetual confusion of my American friends) and discovered Games Workshop’s range of products, in particular Warhammer 40,000. This was a massive step up from my WWII desktop reenactments. There were a lot more rules, much bigger models, and a whole new way of putting an army together. I don’t recall the exact method the WWII rules used for ensuring some balance between the opposing forces, but it wasn’t a points-based system. It took a little time to get my head around, but it all came right eventually.

It was then that the number crunching began. Trying to get as much punch for my points as possible became the name of the game. Not a fluffy way to play at all, but then I was young and hadn’t really read any of the game’s already expansive background. My inexperience also meant I was often picking things either at random or because they sounded fun or powerful. Any experienced gamer will tell you this is not the best way to pick an army, but I was young and foolish. I also tended to limit my unit choices to the models I had available; the word ‘proxy’ not yet having entered my vocabulary. This led to some rather odd armies, but back then it was more about the fun of the game. Running over an entire squad of Eldar Dark Reapers with a Space Marine Rhino was enough to hold my interest in a game.

As time progressed I became aware of gaming tournaments. This is where things started to go downhill. I was fine with playing casual games with friends. Nobody complained if your models were poorly painted, or didn’t carry all of the equipment you had purchased for them. Tournaments were a wholly different affair. Models had to be painted to a certain level, weapons and equipment had to be modelled, and games were a lot more serious. The more experienced gamers took things very seriously, making battle plans and calculating probabilities of success for different actions. It was like playing a game of Chess where the Bishop weilds with a rocket launcher and the Knight can race across the board and start wailing on your King on the first turn.

Kinda like this. Kinda.

It didn’t take me long to start disliking tournaments. Sadly, this seemed to be the way the hobby was progressing. Games became less about having fun, and more about preparing for the next tournament. Army lists were trialed, refined, then trialed again. Frankly, it all became a bit boring. Eventually I just stopped playing altogether. I still bought the models, glued them together, and even occasionally put some paint on them, but that was it. Then, in the early years of the 21st Century a new game came along. It was the dawning of the age of Warmachine.

Playing Warmachine was a bit like playing Warhammer 40,000 back in the day. Armies were smaller, and play was a lot more casual. Also, proxying was fairly common, especially at first. Privateer Press didn’t command the same resources as Games Workshop, so it took a while for all of the models featured in the first book to be released. It was a fun time, even if some of the characters were a touch more powerful, or simply easier to play with. For the first time since I gave up on GW I was able to enjoy casual gaming again.

As Warmachine grew, however, things started to change. More models meant more variety, but the internet was very quick to break down these models into the ones that were ‘good’ in a game, and the ones that weren’t. People started working out the best combinations of characters and units, and the first net lists appeared. A net list is basically an army list that some has posted on a forum or blog. Often times these lists are particularly potent, and sometimes aren’t too far from being cheesy or broken. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against these lists. Not everyone has the free time to play a dozen games and test out a list of their own creation. Also, not everyone will play a list the same way. What’s unstoppable for you might never even come close to winning for a friend.

And what works in North Africa doesn't always work in The Low Countries

It was around this time that the first official Warmachine tournaments were held. It was then that I realised something. One of the things that had attracted me to the game (aside from the giant steam-powered robots) were the rules. Privateer Press spent a fair bit of time making rules that were concise and easy to understand. There was very little ambiguity and this led to smooth gameplay. This also meant that tournaments were much easier to run, with rules questions kept to a minimum. It also made it easy for people to game the system in a way. Once again, certain unit combinations fared better than others and, soon enough, these were the ones that appeared the most. Yes, tournaments are about winning, encouraging this sort of behaviour, but as with 40k it began to spread to casual games.

Once again I found myself becoming disillusioned with the gaming scene. I tried to stick with it but eventually I stopped playing Warmachine, just as I’d stopping playing 40k. I kept buying the models and books, however, because Privateer Press had built up a genuinely interesting world for the game to inhabit, one which advanced its plot with every release. The cynic would see it as a way for PP to justify bringing out a whole new selection of models each year, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t always happy with the plot’s direction, but it never got bad enough for me to pack it in altogether.

After a few years, Privateer Press decided that Warmachine, which now included the sister game Hordes, was getting a little plump around the edges and needed to lose some weight. Warmachine Mk 2 released, bringing with it two things that were new to the game. First were the Elves of Ios, complete with bright white armour and weapons that looked more sci-fi than fantasy. Next were the Theme Lists. Each Warcaster gets one; basically some special army selection rules that limit the models available, while granting bonuses for including certain models in the army. Each list ties into the fluff while also encouraging people to field models they might not normally use.

The Theme Lists are a great addition to the game. Not everyone’s a fan, especially those whose favourite Warcaster ended up with a not so good list. The lists are purely optional, of course, but the very idea of them got my mind going. It was soon after that I figured out my preferred method of gaming. I realised that I prefer to play themed armies. Not strictly Theme List armies, but ones that have their own internal logic. Here is an example:

Captain Damiano’s Filthy Fifteen – Mercenary Four Star Syndicate List

This list is loosely inspired by The Dirty Dozen and features 15 named character models. While it sounds like fun, this list would probably have a lot of trouble taking on massed troops or multiple heavy warjacks. It would still be fun to give it a go, and the low model count would certainly make it easy to collect and paint.

• Captain Damiano
• Rocinante, Character Heavy Warjack
• Dannon Blythe and Bull, The Bounty Hunters
• Herne and Jonne
• Lady Aiyana and Master Holt
• Alten Ashley, Monster Hunter
• Eiryss Mage Hunter of Ios
• Gorman di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist
• Gudrun the Wanderer
• Kell Bailoch
• Wrong Eye & Snapjaw

(Click the links to take a look at the models)

The above list is not even close to fitting within Captain Damiano’s Themed List. It’s purely there as to show what I want to get out of the game. I have no doubt there are one or two good combinations of characters in there (Eiryss is pretty nasty on her own), but that isn’t deliberate. I simply picked 35pts worth of models (Warmachine works on a different points scale to Warhammer) that fitted my rough concept. I am kinda tempted to put this list together (I already have half of the models) and try it out on the table. Maybe one day. Maybe.

In the last few years I’ve also become involved with other, smaller games. Infinity was the first I actually spent money on, largely due to an interesting setting and beautiful models. The other attraction was that the average army consists of even fewer models than either Warmachine or Hordes, with forces less than a dozen models strong being the norm. It is a proper skirmish wargame, a fact which it plays up with its innovative (and often annoying) Reaction mechanic. It’s a regular occurance for an army to be shot at during its own turn more often than it gets to shoot back. The first expansion book also introduced something similar to theme forces: Sectorial lists. Each faction can be divided up into two or three distinct themes, each of which gets its on optional list that bends the force construction rules in the main book.

If it’s easy to build a fluffy list in Infinity, it’s downright encouraged in Malifaux. This steampunk magic gothic horror game is set up so that each of the leaders, called Masters, work best with certain units. As with Infinity you only need a handful of models, and once again the models are high quality. I picked up a couple of Masters and their crews at GenCon last year: C. Hoffman, master of machines, and the hag Zoraida. If you follow the links you’ll see that they even recommend the best Crew choices for each Master. I haven’t gotten around to putting them together yet, but I’ve gone through the available units (there’s a list builder on the official site) and already have some ideas of where to go next.

One game I was interested in, but eventually drifted away from was Dystopian Wars. It features an alternative history where imperial armies battle each other on land, at sea, and in the air with vehicles that are a century or more ahead of their time. It’s steampunk on a grand scale, but it just hasn’t grabbed me. I suspect the reason for this is that there is so little variation in the models. At such a small-scale it is hard to customise the models to make them stand out from one another, so a Britannian army will end up looking like every other Britannian army, differing only in livery. Maybe in a few years when they’ve released some more models I’ll have a change of heart, but for now I’m happy just watching.

Not like that!

So there you have it, the real reason I don’t attend wargaming tournaments any more. It’s not that I’m no good at playing games, it’s more that they simply don’t do anything for me. If you thrive on the stress that comes with playing in a tournament then that’s marvellous. I hope you have fun and win all your games. As for me, I’ll be over in the corner putting together Legion of Everblight army where every model can fly.

MyJanWriMo Update
This post’s word count: 2381
Total word count: 10435

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Private Declan checked the bayonet mount on his rifle for the third time in as many hours. Some of the men in his unit thought he was being over-cautious, but Declan didn’t want the blade falling off at an inopportune moment. The mount was fine, as usual, but that would only quiet his worry for so long. If something interesting didn’t happen he knew he’d be checking it again soon enough.

Declan’s Trencher squad was one of two squads assigned to the command of a haughty Journeyman Warcaster named Bridges. He, in turn, was protecting some professor from Corvis University. An odd fellow by the name of Pendrake. Pendrake had arrived at Point Bourne three days earlier and immediately approached Declan’s Platoon commander. He requested a small force be put together that could aid him with investigating ruins that lay to the north. The front had been quiet for a while now, so the commander agreed and set about assembling the necessary men.

Even though Declan was new to Point Bourne, there no more than a month, his squad was one of the more experienced there. He had been assigned to them to replace a man killed during the last battle against the Khadoran invaders. As a replacement, Declan was not accepted as readily as he would have been in a newly formed squad. His squadmates gave him a hard time, but were kept in check by their sergeant, a grizzled man named Davis.

The commander also assigned Journeyman Bridges to command the trenchers. Pendrake was cagey on the exact nature of the ruins, forcing the commander to cover his bases. Rumour had spread among the men that Bridges had friends in high places, as evidenced by the Minuteman – the most recent creation of the Cygnaran Armoury – that accompanied him. He would provide the group with magical support while getting a chance to test his ‘jack in the field. Declan had heard about the Minuteman, but couldn’t believe such a heavy machine could live up to the stories.

The force had set out the following day; crossing the Dragon’s Tongue, following the shoreline of Lake Thornmere north for an hour, then leaving the water and heading into the Thornwood. Pendrake carried no map, and Declan was not sure how exactly he knew where they were going. He would pause occasionally, taking notice of the geographical features before continuing on in a slightly adjusted direction. After a number of such adjustments, they found themselves in a large clearing. In the centre of the clearing rose a small hill topped with a cluster of stone structures.

As they approached the rise, Journeyman Bridges motioned to the two trencher officers. They, in turn, ordered their men to form a defensive perimeter around the stones with slit trenches and good sight lines. As the men set about digging, Pendrake took a close look at the stones and Bridges made sure his Minuteman was in full working condition. There was little communication between the three groups. Pendrake focussed on his studies, Bridges largely ignored the trenchers, and the trenchers knew their place.

With the defences completed and the first watch organised, two of the trenchers built a fire and started cooking some dinner. It was only when the smell of the cooking food wafted in his direction that Pendrake took a break from his work. He joined the trenchers and regaled them long into the evening with stories of his exploits. His work had taken him all over the Iron Kingdoms and many of the tales sounded larger than life, particularly the one with the giant. The ones the men listened to most intently were the ones that took place in the Thornwood itself. Stories of great wild beasts controlled by savage druids and militant trollkin were already shared between the men stationed near the forest, but Pendrake talked of working with these groups.

Pendrake told the trenchers that most of the people in these groups where just trying to live their lives in a world that was becoming increasingly violent. There were times where the pressures became too great and they were forced to strike back. Declan knew his fellow trenchers understood what Pendrake was saying, but when it came down to it a charging trollkin was still a still a charging trollkin, and they would shoot it just as quickly as they would an advancing Khadoran.

The night passed without incident. The men standing guard claimed to have heard noises both bestial and otherworldly come from the forest, but nothing dared step into the clearing. After a quick breakfast, the trenchers manned their positions while Pendrake returned to his work. He remained canny about the nature of the stones, but said he only needed another day at the most before they could return to the relative safety of Point Bourne. Journeyman Bridges had spent the night alone, seemingly preferring the company of his warjack to that of the men.

The morning passed largely without incident. Around lunchtime the quiet was suddenly shatter when a single shot rang out from the treeline. The trencher on guard on the western edge of the encampment toppled over, killed instantly. The men instantly sprung into action, diving into their trenches and readying their weapons. Declan stopped investigating his bayonet and joined his squad, weapon raised and at the ready. There was no sign of movement among the trees. No hint as to their assailant’s identity.

The men sat at the ready for a full two minutes before anything happened. Another shot rang out, this time accompanied by a half-dozen more and from a different direction. This time the trenchers were ready and not one of the shots found its mark. As the men adjusted their position and prepared to return fire a great bellowing sound rang out through the clearing. As if summoned by the sound, a dozen lumbering trollkin rushed out the treeline, heading straight for the encampment.

Most of the trollkin carried simples axes and shields. One particularly large trollkin to the rear of the group appeared to have abandoned his weapons in favour of what looked like a stone column while another wore a flaming brazier on his back like a banner. It was this last troll who was the source of the noise. Declan suspected it was one of the trollkin fell callers. He’d heard of their vocal exploits, but never had the chance to see one in action.

As the trolls continued forward, Journeyman Bridges and his Minuteman joined the trenchers. He shouted for the men to stand firm while casting protective spells on himself. Pendrake was nowhere to be seen, and Declan assumed he was taking cover behind one of the larger structures. The trolls were half way across the open ground before Sergeant Davis gave the order to open fire. The men picked their targets carefully and squeezed the triggers on their rifles. Many of the shots hit their marks, but were not enough to slow the trollkin advance. Their salvo was returned in kind by the snipers from the treeline, who were equally ineffective.

There was enough time for the trenchers to reload their rifles and unleash a second salvo before the trollkin were upon them. Behind the trenchers, the Minuteman opened fire. It’s forearm-mounted guns tore into the trollkin, and combined with the fire from the trenchers was able to down two of them. The close quarter fighting between the trenchers and trollkin was particularly vicious. The trencher bayonets were no match to the hefty axes and shields wielded by the trollkin, but they balanced things by being more agile than their hefty opponents.

To one side of the battle, the trollkin armed with the stone column swang it in a wide arc, sending two trenchers flying. The fell caller stuck to the rear of the group, preferring to vocally motivate his allies than engaging the enemy directly. Journeyman Davis noticed this and sent a mental command to his warjack. The Minuteman moved forward, crouched, than sprung back up suddenly leaping through the air over the battling forces and landing right next to the fell caller. The warjack shook slightly as its shoulder-mounted grenade launchers released their deadly payload, sending red-hot shrapnel into the trollkin forces.

Before the fell caller could react, the Minuteman aimed both of its slug guns at it and fired. The fell caller collapsed backwards, his voice silenced as a large hole appeared in his chest. Having come under heavy fire from the warjack and seeing their ally cut down so easily, the ferocity of the trollkin attacks quickly eased. It seemed like the trenchers would soon be victorious when a cry rang out from behind them. Pendrake shouted a warning to the troops. While engaged with the trollkin, a force of similar size had emerged from the trees on the opposite of the clearing and had almost reached the encampment.

Journeyman Davies rushed to the other side of the encampment, taking the Minuteman with him. The trenchers drove off the last of the trollkin, making sure they were in full rout before shifting attention to the new front. They had already suffered a few casualties and Declan was starting to worry that they might not be making it back to Point Bourne after all. Pushing that thought to the back of his mind he reloaded his rifle and fired off a shot at the advancing enemy.

This new group of trollkin was indeed similar in size to the one they had just fought off, and included a well armoured troll who lead them from the front. Realising that they had been spotted, their fell caller let out a sonorous cry. The trollkin picked up speed as their neared the defenses, raising their shields to protect themselves from the trencher attacks. As before, the trollkin crashed against the trencher line like a vast blue wave, their axes easily overpowering the trenchers meagre bayonets.

Journeyman Bridges tried taking out the trollkin fell caller with another airborne assault from his Minuteman, but this time the warjack wasn’t so lucky. As it landed, a trollkin wielding another hefty stone column caught the warjack with a lucky swing and knocked it over. Seeing his warjack go down, the Journeymen let out a cry of anger and leapt forward into the fray. He hacked at the trollkin with his sword, killing a couple before coming face-to-face with their armoured leader. The two dueled for some time as the trollkin gradually wore down his defences. Around them the battle raged on; trollkin cleaving trenchers while trenchers returned the favour with lucky shots and well-placed bayonets.

Declan had been particularly lucky so far. His first shot against the trollkin had managed to wound one of them, and he had managed to finish it off with a well-aimed bayonet thrust to the face. One by one his squad fell around him, some felled by trollkin axes, a couple literally shouted to death by the fell caller. The fell caller had not lasted long after that particular stunt, the trenchers having turned their attention to him until he lay motionless on the ground.

Eventually, there were only three of them left. Declan watched as Journeyman Bridges and the armoured trollkin faced off surround by bodies. It was clear that the trollkin was winning and it would only be a matter of time before it landed a fatal blow. Not having time to reload his weapon, Declan instead charged the trollkin from behind, hoping to distract him long enough for the Journeyman to gain some advantage. Unfortunately, his plan did not go as well as he hoped. As he got close to the trollkin, one of its mighty arms swung back, knocking Declan clean off his feet and sending him flying back into the trench.

He didn’t see the trollkin land the final blow, but he heard Journeyman Bridges cry out and then fall suddenly silent. Turning is attention the Declan, the trollkin started advancing on him. Declan tried to get back onto his feet but found himself unable to move. As he tried to force himself to move he heard a creaking some come from behind him. As he struggled he felt an itching sensation in a corner of his mind. He couldn’t explain it, but ignored it in favour of survival. The more he struggled, the more the itching grew until his whole head felt alive with electricity.

The trollkin was almost upon him when a shadow fell across him. It was the Minuteman, back on its feet and leaping to Declan’s defense. It landed next to the trollkin and grabbed it with both of its hands. With a creak, it lifted the trollkin above its head then flung it across the clearing. As the trollkin landed, the warjack leveled both of its slug guns at the armoured warrior and fired. The warjack then returned to Declan and held out a metal hand, which Declan grasped as he was pulled to his feet.

Stunned by what had just happened, Declan slowly came to realise that the Minuteman was somehow obeying his commands. He had seen trencher officers order warjacks around on the battlefield, but never at this level. He was so engrossed with his new-found power he was oblivious to the figure of Professor Pendrake emerging from the safety of the stone structures. He observed the unlikely pair for a moment before approaching them.

“Soldier, I think the Strategic Academy are going to want to have a word with you.”

MyJanWriMo Update
This post’s word count: 2320
Total word count: 8054

Both of these books contain with great content, but there’s just one problem. Once they’re gone, that’s it. If you miss out, you’ll be forced to trawl eBay or TradeMe looking for a second-hand copy. This wouldn’t be so bad if Games Workshop had not also released miniatures specifically tied to each the book. Want to include a Cockatrice or Truthsayer in your army but don’t have Storm of Magic? Looks like you’re out of luck.

If only there were a way that Games Workshop could keep selling these books, but without the added cost of actually printing them…

Luckily we live in the future, where things like digital books are common place and easily purchased. Anyone can pay a few dollars and download a digital copy of a book to the device of their choosing; be it a laptop, a tablet, or even a cellphone (for those with exceptionally good eyesight). Unless, that is, you play either of Games Workshop’s big two games. Here’s where things get odd. If you go to Games Workshop’s site, you can download free PDF copies of the rules for many of the titles in their Specialist Games line. This is a great way of keeping these out of print games alive, especially when GW partners with outside groups who help keep the rules up to date, as is the case with the Living Blood Bowl rules.

However, if you’re looking for a Warhammer Fantasy Army Book and your local store is out of stock, your only options are to either wait for them to restock or order one online. Not exactly the best way to get people into the game. To be fair, this isn’t a problem for most game stores. They know how much to order to make sure that there’s almost always stock on their shelves. Of course, that still doesn’t help someone who wants to purchase a limited-run book that is no longer available.

Games Workshop aren’t the only ones with an aversion to releasing digital copies of the books either. Privateer Press only release their books in printed form, though some digital copies of their bimonthly hobby magazine are available online. It seems that they are using Wargames Vault to distribute copies of No Quarter that have sold out in printed form, which is an excellent way of selling books. Imagine if such a service were available for back issues of White Dwarf. There is a lot of nostalgia to be had there.

I still have fond memories of my first White Dwarf

So why don’t these companies fully embrace digital sales? It’s hard to know for sure without asking the companies directly, and even then they’re not likely to give a straight answer. Chances are it comes down to one or more of the following reasons:

• Decrease of physical sales: Digital copies might increase sales, but at a cost to sales of printed books. Sure, there will be a few people who want to own both a digital copy as well as a physical one, but there will be a few who only want one or the other.
• Piracy concerns: There’s no doubt that supplying content in PDF form makes it more likely to end up on the internet as an illegal download. Wizards of the Coast found this out the hard way when they released Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition.
• Version control: While releasing books on PDF makes releasing errata and updates easier, it would also make it harder for players to know if their opponent is using an up to date version of their army book or not.
• Lack of price control: If Games Workshop were to use a third-party site like Wargames Vault, it will be harder to control the prices for international customers. Most of these sites use current exchange rates to work out these costs, not prices set by the publishing company.

There are ways around each of these concerns, of course. If digital sales do lead to a decrease in the number of physical books purchased, it means that they need to print fewer books in the future. PDF files can be secured through watermarks and other methods that make it easy to determine the person(s) responsible for sharing the files, a line could be added to the book’s content page stating the date it was last updated, and companies could simply sell the PDFs through their own sites in the same way they currently do with their other products.

There is one other thing standing in the way of these companies making the switch: money. It would cost these companies money to set up these new systems and processes, and with the current economic climate, they’re unlikely to be willing to risk even a small amount of it trying this. If we see anything, it’s likely to be in the vein of the periodical back issues that I mentioned above. This is the easiest way to keep these magazines available, especially the more popular issues.

Case in point: White Dwarf recently featured a mini-codex for the Sisters of Battle. This is a good way to get some updated rules out to the players while they wait for an official Codex to be released. But what happens, when those issues are no longer available? Unless they can get hold of the rules from someone else, they’re stuck either waiting for the Codex (which could still be a year or two away) or using the previous rules. They could also illegally download the issues – a quick Google search gave me a few places where this could be done – but we’re trying to build the hobby here, and illegal downloading is not going to do that. Especially once players realise how easy it is to get any of the other books online.

As is the case with TV shows and movies, if you don’t give people a legal option for attaining the content there will be a segment who will just download it illegally. This can be a surprisingly large segment in some cases. But, once people have a legal option, including one where they would have to pay, they’re more than happy to do so. I suspect there would be a few people out there who would happily pay a few dollars for the White Dwarf Sisters of Battle content. Sure, it’s a relatively small income stream when compared to other products, but it’s one that has a fast setup and is easy to support.

Ultimately, I don’t think we’re likely to see any big changes any time soon. I guess Privateer Press will keep adding out of print issues of No Quarter to Wargames Vault, but that’s probably about it. Hopefully, they will see the value of PDF releases once their new version of the Iron Kingdoms RPG releases later this year. As for Games Workshop, who knows. Perhaps the best thing we can do is walk into our local store and ask, particularly in the context of Blood on the Badlands. Let them know that we want to give them money, they just need to provide us with a way to do so.

MyJanWriMo Update
This post’s word count: 1299
Total word count: 5734

Saturday had not yet dawned when we started getting ready. Sadly, Saturday would not properly dawn all day due to a thick, persistent layer of cloud over the North Island, so it was more of a pallid murk. It felt like the Dark Lord was already casting his shadow over our expedition, but we were not deterred. There was just enough time for a quick bite to eat and a drink before our friends arrived and we were on our way.

The nearest motorway entrance is not far from our apartment, so we pointed the former Crown car, named Helen, in a southerly direction and began our journey. We would follow the motorway south most of the way, before turning off and taking some smaller back roads to reach our destination. Our friend had downloaded a GPS app on her Android phone and was itching to give it a try on a trip that took us so far out of town. I made sure we had a physical copy of the road atlas, just in case.

After half an hour or so of travel we reached the southern extent of the Auckland region, the Bombay Hills. Before us lay the verdant plains and rolling hills that characterise Waikato. Farmland and forests as far as the eye could see – which wasn’t very far with the worsening weather. Bombay is a popular stopping point for many travellers and, over the years, has become something of a miniature town. There’s a McDonald’s, a large petrol station, and a selection of shops and cafés. We filled our bellies and the car’s tank then pressed on.

It was while we were having breakfast (or in my case, second breakfast) that our friend mentioned his son had not yet seen the first Lord of the Rings film. He had seen parts of the other two, in particular the battle scenes. To help remedy this they had bought with them a laptop and the Fellowship on DVD. We decided to start watching the film once we got back to the car so that the lad had some idea of where we were going. Even though he is only nine, he’s a pretty smart kid. He knows the monsters in movies are not real, is well versed in the art of CG, and is even comfortable with kissing – certainly no Fred Savage.

One cannot simply walk into Hobbiton, unless you're coming from Matamata

Half way through the film we arrived at Hobbiton. Well, not Hobbiton exactly. The set is not publicly accessible, for obvious reasons. Our destination was actually Shire’s Rest, a café, gift shop, and ‘sheep farm experience’ where visitors can gather before being driven down to the set on private buses. It’s a fairly simple setup, with plenty of parking around the back. There are also buses available to bring in visitors from Matamata and Rotorua for travellers who are lacking their own transport.

Once we had parked, we headed into the Gift Shop to purchase our tickets. Their prices are reasonable, especially considering the location’s popularity. Adults pay $66, children 10 and up pay $33, while those under 10 can get in for $5. It may seem a little unbalanced, but then how many five year olds are clued up enough to know what’s happening, let alone have seen the films? Sadly, not many. It was at this point that I realised this story was going to be a lot shorter than I had expected. As the Hobbit films are still in production, Hobbiton is still a live set. This means that, at any point, Peter Jackson, the cast, and crew could return to film new or extended scenes, or reshoot some existing scenes. Because of this, any photographs we took of the set were not allowed to be posted online until both movies had been released.

Feeling a little deflated, we signed an NDA, collected our tickets, and headed back outside to wait for the bus to the set. Despite the murky weather, there were quite a few people waiting for the bus with us. So many in fact that they had to bring in a second, slightly smaller bus to get us all down there in one go. Along the way, the driver told us the story of how Peter Jackson discovered the farm, how they had approached the owner to ask permission, and how the army were contracted to build an access road to the site. All fairly standard stuff, and a little tedious if you’ve watched the DVD Special Features.

This bus was once grey, and a little friendlier

I was getting a little tired of photographing sheep (and not even the same type of sheep used in the movie, I might add) when we crested a hill and got our first glimpse of Hobbiton. We were still a ways away and it was hard to make out any detail, but it was still enough to get the excitement building again. My right index finger started to twitch anticipating the photos I would soon be taking… then filing away until December 2013. The embargo annoyed me, but I could understand why it was there. In this age of instant digital communication, it is far too easy for secrets to leak. Also, we’re not the only ones being affected by such rules.

There’s not a lot that I’m allowed to say about our tour around Hobbiton, so I’ll keep it brief (and lawyer friendly). The set isn’t that big, even by Hobbit standards. They were particularly clever with placing holes and landmarks to make the most of the limitations, but it is still a nice place to walk around. The tour moved at a fairly leisurely pace, pausing often to allow visitors to take photos and have their photo taken in front different parts of the set. By this point it had started raining. Not heavy rain, but enough to make the ground a little treacherous in places. Fortunately, there were enough paths to allow us to get around and still keep our shoes clean.

There isn’t a lot more that I can say without possible incurring legal wrath, so I’ll hand over to Peter Jackson to fill you in some more of the details. They start talking about Hobbit half way through the clip.

Looks good, doesn’t it. Jackson probably isn’t kidding when he says he wants to retire there. I felt the longing myself, and there were a few people who asked if they could stay the night, or a little longer.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end and we were soon back on the bus back to Shire’s Rest. It was sad to leave Hobbitin, but at least we can always go back. As Peter Jackson mentioned in the video above, they’ve rebuilt the set with permanent materials so it will be looking good for years to come. Also, if the council approves certain resource consents it will be an even better place to visit in a few years.

By the time we made it back to Shire’s Rest the rain was coming down hard. We decided to skip the sheep farm portion of the tour and head straight to the café for some food. They had the usual offerings, sandwiches, hotdogs, hot chips, but there was only one item on the menu that both my friend’s son and I wanted to try: Second Breakfast. A large plate of sausages, tomatoes, bacon, eggs, hash browns, and some toast. Everything a hobbit needs to get him through to elevenses. I also purchased a bottle of Sobering Thought to go with my meal. This is the official beer of the Lord of the Rings movies, as it was especially made for Bilbo’s party and used for every drinking scene from that point on. With only 1% alcohol, you could get through quite a few takes before this had any affect.

The weather had cleared by the time we had finished eating, so we headed downstairs to the gift shop to see what they had on offer. There wasn’t a wide range of merchandise, only the usual products from Weta, some possum merino products, as well as a few Hobbiton-themed items and bottles of Sobering Thought. We had a good look around before returning to the car and starting the journey back to Auckland. It had been a long day, but one that was well worth it. Even with the rain.

- Mungo Hamwich of Buckleberry Fern (courtesy the Hobbit Name Generator)

MyJanWriMo Update
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Total word count: 4435

It is understandable then that I was rather excited to hear that someone was making Tintin movie. Sure, it isn’t the first to be made – there where three live action attempts back in the 60′s that received mixed reviews, the animated movie Lake of the Sharks, and an animated series from the early 90′s. What got me so excited this time around was who was behind the film. Steven Spielberg as director, Peter Jackson as producer, and Weta handling the CG. Could it get any better?

One of the things that had bugged me about the previous live action attempts was they all seemed to end up with Snowy, Tintin’s faithful dog, being a little too realistic – mostly because they used a real dog. Sure, there were limitations at the time. They couldn’t just add a CG dog in later, and using a puppet or animatronic dog would have just looked wrong. I also believed that having characters on the screen who actually looked like the ones in the books would help the movie enormously.

I’m pleased to say I was not disappointed.

Sure, they had taken some liberties with the original story, borrowing heavily from Secret of the Unicorn, Red Rackham’s Treasure, and Crab with the Golden Claws, but the result was well worth it. What we end up with is, effectively an origin story for the adventures of Tintin and Captian Haddock. Early in the film there are references to some of Tintin’s earlier adventures, but only three or four of them. Spielberg and Jackson (would that be Spielson or Jackberg?) have left themselves plenty of stories to base future movies on, and there will be future movies. Spielberg confirmed last month that there will be a sequel. Jackson will be directing, but not until he finishes work on The Hobbit.

Each character’s appearance is faithful to how they look in the books, to the point where you can recognise them on sight. The only one that seemed a little iffy to me was Bianca Castafiore. He face was a little too smooth, and it looked like she was wearing some sort of mask. Fortunately, she only makes a brief appearance in the film. My favourite character was undoubtedly Snowy. Sure, it’s easy to make a dog look like it does in a cartoon, but it was more than that. There was a vitality to him that you don’t normally see in animated depictions of real animals. There was more expression in his performance than Keanu Reeves’ entire filmography.

Thomson (Simon Pegg) and Thompson (Nick Frost) were also a hoot. Or was that Thompson and Thomson...

I must admit that I was a little disappointed that they mashed the stories together in the manner they did. Not so much that they cannibalised much of the plot of Crab with the Golden Claws, but more that they left out so much of Red Rackham’s Treasure. I can understand their reasons for doing so. You wouldn’t want to introduce a main character two-thirds of the way through the movie. The story would have also been far too drawn out. Sadly, we’re not likely to see it on-screen, but that’s ok. I like the implication that Tintin has a lot of these adventures and we only see the particularly epic ones. Also, it may encourage children to pick up the books and give them a read.

Overall, I think Tintin is the closest we’ll come to a perfect kids action movie. The violence is kept to a minimum, the heroes have to use their wits and skill to overcome the bad guys, and there’s still plenty of action and laughs to entertain the adults accompanying the kids. Sure, there was a lot of concern about the often racist depictions of other cultures in the comics, but I don’t think that will be a problem with the movies. The process used to export the characters from page to screen helps smooth out a lot of the more egregious features.

Finally, the big question: do you need to see the movie in 3D? The honest answer is no. Sparing and subtle use of 3D throughout the film, with very few ‘rushing at the camera’ moments means you are not overwhelmed by the technology. If you don’t mind paying a little extra for the experience then go for it, but you’re not going to miss anything if you don’t.

MyJanWriMo Update
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Total word count: 2911

Aside from a couple of rumours that were more hopes and wishes than anything else, this is the first I’ve heard of a new Vampire Counts book. There has certainly been a lot of speculation about which armies would be upgrading to 8th edition in 2012, but then there’s always a lot of speculation about these things. Games Workshop have shut down the leaks so effectively that this really is a surprise.

From looking at the photos of the new kits, it looks like they’ve done a lot of work in expanding the Vampire Counts range beyond the traditional Vampires, Necromancers, and blocks of undead troops. Sure, they got a Storm of Magic-related boost back in August 2011 with the Zombie Dragon/Terrorgeist and a plastic Necromancer, but this is something a lot more substantial. Sadly, it is also a little sterotypical.

Starting with the most recent Skaven army book, each army has received a few plastic kits that can be modelled one of two ways, with a large model for at least one of the kits. Examples of this are the Orc and Goblin Arachnarok, the Tomb Kings Warsphinx/Necrosphinx, and most recently the Orge Kingdoms’ Thundertusk/Stonehorn. Now, more kits with lots of options are always a good thing, but it’s leading to an odd form of power creep that could lead to some interesting developments further down the track.

In this case, the power creep I’m talking about is really more of a size creep. It seems like each new army book gives its respective army these new ‘big’ units, as well as mid-range models. Based on the photos linked to above, it seems like Vampire Counts is no exception. Their ‘big’ unit is the Coven Throne/Mortis Engine. It’s hard to see all the detail, but they look amazing and remind me a little of the undead army from Return of the King. I don’t know how these will measure up to the other ‘big’ units, but I’m sure they’ll be able to hold their own.

The two other kits are the mounted Black Knights/Hex Wraiths, a welcome upgrade from the old metal Vampire Counts cavalry, and the Vargheists/Crypt Horrors, a unit that fits the midsize infantry slot (alongside Trolls, Rat Ogres, and Ushabti). The cavalry is nice and dynamic, and their increased use should scare people used to the old, shambling undead horde-style armies. The other models are a slightly different story. The Vargheists look like the missing link between the old Strigoi vampires and the monstrous Varghulfs, which isn’t a bad thing (except for the mini-wings adorning the back of one of the models). The Crypt Horrors are basically ‘roided up Crypt Ghouls. Nice and gribbly, and could have some good non-Games Workshop uses, but that is discussion for another post.

The new characters look great as well. I do have one quibble with the plastic Necromancer and Wight Lord, however. Why don’t they come with a mounted option? Both the Empire and High Elves have plastic kits for their characters that include both a foot and mounted model. Sure, this does lead to a small drop in model detail, but then you also don’t end up with all the models looking the same. There probably is a small amount of customisation possible with the kits, but certainly not as much as with the older ones.

Overall, I’m happy with the army’s direction. Making the Barrow aspect more prominent feels like a good option. I’m still a little annoyed that they all buy got rid of the old types of Vampires (especially my favourite, the Strigoi), but there’s not much that can be done about that now. The refocusing of the army has worked well overall, and most of the old factions have reappeared as different units within the army. The Strigoi, for example, are now Ghoul Kings. It sounds like a downgrade, but they do get the Terrorgeist as a mount.

Neither the book nor the models are currently available on Games Workshop’s own site, but Maelstrom Games do have the first wave listed as pre-orders and they are due to be released in about two weeks time. I would place an order myself, but, well let’s not go there (again).

Moving past the new models, this continuing trend of releasing large kits does raise an interesting question. As more army books come out, what will each army receive that fits this formula. The Beastmen have been given an early update with the recent release of the Ghorgon/Cygor and Jabberslythe kits, but what about the rest. There are some armies that seem like they would have more trouble fitting into the formula than others, like the human armies, the Empire and Bretonnia, and the Dwarves. Neither are known for having troll-sized infantry units, for starters. Bretonnia is something of an exception for their heavy preference for mounted units, but the Empire and Dwarves are a different kettle of fish. Both armies have a heavy focus on artillery pieces, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Games Workshop give them some more mobile options. Maybe we’re able to see the return of the Dwarven Gyrocopter (or a new flying unit), or something more mechanical in nature for either army. The Empire already have an engineer riding around on a mechanical horse, so they’re part way there already.

As for each army’s ‘big’ unit, It would be nice to see both the Empire and Bretonnia get a plastic kit of a character riding a monster (like the Vampire Counts Zombie Dragon). The High Elves got a Prince riding a Griffon in the Islands of Blood box – easily one of the best looking models in the Warhammer range – so why not something similar for these armies? The Empire also have one unit entry that hasn’t seen a new model in almost as long as I’ve been involved in the hobby: The War Altar of Sigmar. Sure, the model is still available, but put it next to any of the recent crop of models and it just looks pathetic. Hell, an Arachnarok would probably eat it for breakfast and still feel hungry.

Rumour has it that the Empire are on the list of armies to get a new book this year, and if they are, I hope that Games Workshop are seriously looking at bringing out a new War Altar model. They could even draw a little inspiration from this piece of concept art from the Warhammer MMO. It may need to be scaled down a little, but that is a proper looking War Altar. That will strike more fear into the hearts of the enemies of the Empire than the old cart with comically oversized statue ever could.

As for the Dwarves, we can once again draw some inspiration from the Warhammer MMO with this contraption. With a little work that could be turned into a handy vehicle for an Engineer to ride around in, a bit like a Steam Tank. Ultimately, it may be the fate of the dwarves to end up with no vehicles, opting instead for dwarf-powered methods of getting around. Lords carried into battle on shields held up by specially chosen kinsmen, Runepriest anvil altars pushed into battle in a manner akin to the Skaven Screaming Bell, and special characters borne aloft on ornate palanquins are all good options, but do ignore the mechanical aspect of the army.

I guess only time will tell if any of these actually make it to print. One thing is almost certain, however. They’re going to need something to deal with the gigantic spiders, shaggy mammoths, and varied nasties that assail their borders.

MyJanWriMo Update
This post’s word count: 1398
Total word count: 2111

I’m going to break by resolutions into two groups; one for those that are geek-related, and one for everything else. Not because they’re in some way exclusive of each other, but it’s so I can, in my own little pseudo-OCD way, may sure I have the same number of each.

For once I'm not going to use this one

Geek Resolutions

Write, write, write: This year I’m going to get as much writing done as possible. It’s starting now with the MyJanWriMo project. Once January’s finished I’m not going to return to my old behaviour, I’m going to keep it up as long as possible. I may not write as much as I plan to write this month, but I’ll do the best I can. There are already a few major events on the calendar for this year, so I will have to spread my time around a little.

Watch my spending: I’m planning another trip to GenCon later this year, but this time I want to actually do what I say I’ll do every year – only buy what I need. Every year I tell myself I’ll only get a few things. Every year I end up buying a lot more, some of which never ends up getting used. I’m sure there’ll be one or two impulse purchases, but I’m going to make myself justify them in mental triplicate before I do so.

Get to the movies: There are a lot of movies coming out this year that I want (and in some cases, need) to see. Sadly, I do have a bit of trouble getting to films before they’re replaced my the latest teen-vampire-madness or whatever the latest film fad is. It’s particularly annoying here in Auckland as any film that’s not considered ‘big’ tends to disappear after a couple of weeks. Fortunately, the movies I most want to see are fairly well spaced out, so it shouldn’t be too hard. Don’t expect much from my in December, however.

Life Resolutions

Eat better: The perennial favourite of many a resolution maker, including myself. I’ve tried several times, but there’s always something that trips me up. I’ve been at my current weight for a few years now. It has dipped a couple of times, but it always seems to return to this same number. Oddly, it never seems to go over, so maybe this is the natural equilibrium for my current lifestyle. Hopefully, some small tweaks will start me on the path to getting it down.

Keep better hours: Going to bed earlier (or at least before midnight) and spending an appropriate amount of time at work are the focuses here. I find it all too easy to stay up at night, even on ‘school nights’. Part of this comes from having a late dinner, but that can’t be helped. For a while I was able to make myself go to bed around 10pm, but it might be pushing things a little to go back to that point immediately. I think I’ll try for something a little more reasonable like 11pm. As for work, hopefully as projects end, it will become easier to keep ‘normal’ hours.

Improve my HQ: No, not headquarters. By HQ I refer to Husband Intelligence Quotient. Best I can tell, this isn’t an actual, measurable thing, but I’m defining it as ‘being a good husband’. This will be my first full year as a married man, and the first year where I don’t have to think about things like a wedding or honeymoon (at least not mine). It will be the first Valentine’s Day after the wedding, and I’ve always had a bit of a spotty record with that particular day. This year, I want to start fixing that. I’m not expecting a miracle, but some noticeable improvement would be good.

Right, three resolutions a side seems like a good amount. Most should be easy to stick to, but if you happen to see me slacking in a particular area do let me know.

MyJanWriMo Update
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Total word count: 713