Tale of an Epic Game - June Goal finished

My goal for the month of June has been completed.  These will be added to my existing Eldar forces and will give me a reasonably sized force.  I've still got more to add, and will likely commit another month to the Eldar before the year is over.

Doomweaver Battery

Falcon Host

Spirit Host

The additions this month

These models add up to 1,100 point for NetEpic Gold.  With my previous work, I now have 3,700 points painted and ready for battle.

I've not decided on what will be hitting the paint table in July.  I'm thinking about going back to the Guard.  I have a pile of tanks ready to be painted and I really liked how they turned out.  But the Orks are feeling left out.

What would you like to see on the paint table?

BattleTech: Alpha strike - Kill Them All - 6-13-15

My friend, Forrest, and I played a game of BattleTech: Alpha Strike last weekend.  We played a straight up battle with no real goals other than killing to other's army.  While I normally like having some objectives to accomplish, a blood bath worked for a quick friendly game.  

We each brought a 500 point force for the game.

Kurita Forces ready for action.  Almost everyone is skill 3 except the Battlemaster that is skill 2.

The enemy forces.  4 lances of skill 4 mechs

The battlefield

The mechs advance and open fire on each other.

There are no good places to hide here.

A Spider manages to get behind my Awesome and opens up on the rear armor.

The two battle lines face off against each other.

The mechs are protecting their backs with the building.

The unpainted enemy has advance across the board while the Kurita forces have lost many mechs and are falling back.

Say good-bye to the Dragon

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I chose a force of elite pilots, while my opponent went with basic skill levels and got more units.  The open field allowed him to put lots of shots on my guys and he was better about focusing fire than I was.  His fast units where also quick to move forward and get behind my guys.

This was a fun game and while I lost in a big way, I learned a bit in the process.

Misery Campaign - BT: AS - Thrust and Parry

BattleTech has been around for 30 years.  There is a tremendous amount of fluff available for the universe.  I started playing the game back in high school and have gone back to it from time to time over the years.  

With the release of Alpha Strike, I've been playing a lot more of the game.

In order to provide a little historical flavor to my games I purchased the Historical Turning Points: Misery PDF.  There is a whole series of the Turning Points PDF that provide a series of linked games that let you play through some event the the game universe.  I typically play in the early era of the universe so choose the Misery PDF to play through.  

I found an opponent, Cody, put together some army lists and we played through the first scenario.  Thrust and Parry.  

Situation:

Hamar Valley

Misery, Draconis Combine

23 April 3028

The Dragoons' mercenary contract with the Draconis Combine has expired.  The Dragoons move their forces on the planet of Misery toward the main Combine forces on the equator.  The Dragoons use scouts to make probes and see where the Draconis will defend.

The attacking Dragoon's consist of 4 lances of Mechs: 2 light and 2 medium.

Light Lance

Hermes	HER-1B
Panther	PNT-9R
Commando	COM-2D
Commando	COM-2D

Light Lance

Jenner	JR7-D
Panther	PNT-9R
Spider	SDR-5V
Commando	COM-2D

Medium Lance

Hunchback	HBK-4G
Dervish	DV-6M
Griffin	GRF-1N
Centurion	CN9-A

Medium Lance

Hunchback	HBK-4G
Assassin	ASN-21
Whitworth	WTH-1
Vindicator	VND-1R

The defending Kurita forces consist of 4 lances: 2 light, 1 medium, and 1 heavy.

Light Lance

Stinger	STG-3R
Panther	PNT-9R
Jenner	JR7-D
Jenner	JR7-D

Light Lance

Spider	SDR-5V
Spider	SDR-5V
Locust	LCT-1V
Wasp	WSP-1K

Medium Lance

Hunchback	HBK-4G
Assassin	ASN-21
Phoenix Hawk	PXH-1K
Griffin	GRF-1N

Heavy Lance

Dragon	DRG-1N
Catapult	CPLT-C1
Dragon	DRG-1N
Warhammer	WHM-6K

The Attacker must scan the enemy forces off-map.  To do this, an Attacker unit must spend three consecutive turns within 6 inches of the Defender's home edge.  The attacker unit may move, but cannot fire while scanning.  The attackers can use multiple units to reduce the time required.  (200 points if achieved)

The Defender is trying to stop the attackers from completing the scan. (200 points if achieved)

Both sides can earn points for killing enemy units as well.  (50 points per enemy unit killed)

The battlefield and my opponent.

The Kurita forces advance up, but aren't able to hit the Spider in the woods.

A close quarter fight between some Jenners and a Vindicator and Hunchback.

This Panther tries to destroy the Assassin, but has taken a fire control critical hit and can't connect with its weapons.

The trees offer protection to the Commando on the hill.

The Dragoon's have successfully scanned and are now pulling their forces back.

The Assassin and Vindicator take more fire from the Kurita forces.

On Turn 3, the Dragoons had moved 4 mechs across the board and within 6 inches of the defender's table edge.  With four mechs scanning, it only took 1 turn to scan and achieve the mission objective.

They now had to race back off the board while keeping their forces intact.

The Draconis forces were not able to stop the scan and found hitting anything to be a bit of a challenge.

The Dragoons win with 350 points.  200 for scanning and 150 for killing 3 mechs (Wasp, Locust, and Panther).

The Kuritans only killed 2 mechs (Whitworth and Vindicator) for a total of 100 points.

It was a fun game and I enjoyed having objectives besides just killing the enemy.  I am working on getting some more models painted so I can actually use the Random Assignment Tables.

Thanks to Cody for the well played attack.  I look forward to trying out the other scenarios in the PDF.

Zombies!!! - Solo Variant Reveiw

I sat down during my lunch on Friday to play Zombies!!!, published by Twilight Creations.  This game was originally published in 2001, but is still going strong and has at least 12 expansions.  Think of all the "B" zombie movies you've seen and add in a heavy dose of cut-throat game play.

ZOMBIES!!!

I picked up a used copy of the game at Gauntlet Games, my FLGS.  It tuns out the game included the base game as well as some additional zombies.  Woot!  Woot!

I've liked zombie movies since I was a kid and have seen most of the classics, as well as the recent movies and shows.  I've also seen a few obscure gems that were a bit crazy even for a zombie film.

This game is very beer and pretzels with very low complexity, but a good time if you come in with a good attitude.

I've been on a solo kick lately so decided to see what kind of solo variants I could find for Zombies!!!  Well, I wasn't disappointed; BoardGameGeeek.com had some different options on their forums.  I chose a variant shown in Shaun Rice's YouTube channel "Living out of Suitcases".  The rules are very straight forward and it plays quickly.

The board at the end of the game.

Shaun presents his solo rules in the video, but I'm going to put them down in writing for anyone that is interested.

Zombies!!! Solo Variant by Shaun Rice

• Mix Helipad tile into bottom 50% of tile deck

• Hero gets no event cards at beginning of game

• Hero starts with 5 hearts and 3 ammo

• Hero has 3 extra lives.  If used, the hero respawns at town center as normal with 3 hearts and 3 ammo.

• Zombies placed on tiles should be place in the closest spaces to the hero.  Zombies place in a named building should be placed inside the building as normal.

• When drawing event cards, if it is a negative event, it should be played immediately.  If the event card has an option between negative and positive effects, the negative effects must be taken.

• When moving zombies, you must always move the zombies closest to the hero toward the hero.

• Once the Helipad tile is revealed, the hero can't win with 25 kills.  He must get to the helipad and escape.

This is a fun game with lots of flavor and works with 1 player as well as 6 players.

Tale of an Epic Gamer - June 2015

Well, June is half over already and I'm just now getting around to posting my goal for the month.  That isn't to say that I haven't been working on anything though.

I'm back to the Eldar this month and will be bolstering my forces with a few more units.

NetEpic Gold

Spirit Host - 1 Warlock stand, 4 Wraithguard stands, 8 Wraithlord stands - 500 points
Falcon Host - 9 Falcons - 450 points
Doomweaver Battery - 150 points

NetEA

Swords of Vaul - 9 Falcons - 450 points
Engine of Vaul - 2 Void Spinners - 500 points
Wraithguard unit upgrade - 4 stands - 200 points
Wraithlord unit upgrade - 6 walkers - 350 points

***There are no Doomweavers in the NetEA army list so I will use the models as Void Spinners.

Wraithguard ready to be based.

Doomweavers finished except flocking the bases.

Falcons have been started, but I still have a bit of work to do on these.

Eldar are expensive points wise in the game so a few go a long way.  I'm sure I will be able to get all these done before the end of the month.

Tale of an Epic Gamer - May Goal Achieved

The Imperial Guard are numerous, but I just love them.  I set up a bit of an assembly line to paint all these models and was able to finish them in May.  I didn't, however, get the army pictures taken until now.

Here is one unit of tactical infantry.  Yep, this is one unit using the NetEpic Gold rules.  33 stands in total.

Next up is a unit of Leman Russ tanks.

The last unit for the month is a Sentinel Squad.

The army preparing to march to war.

NetEpic Gold

Tactical Infantry Company - 30 infantry stands, 2 command stand, 1 commissar stand - 600 points

Leman Russ Squadron - 3 tanks - 200 points

Sentinel Squadron - 5 walkers - 150 points

Total points: 950 points

NetEA

Infantry Company - 12 stands - 250 points

Infantry Company - 12 stands - 250 points

Sentinel Squadron - 4 walkers - 100 points

Tank Squadron - 3 Leman Russ - 175 points

Total points:  775 points

The eldar are on my paint table now and I've made decent progress on them this month.

BGG's Star Realms Solo Challenge #8

I've posted about a review of Star Realms on my blog in the past; Star Realms Review.  I enjoy the game and have introduced it to many people since I learned about it.

BoardGameGeek's 1 Player Guild is running a series of solo challenges for this game.  I played through the Star Realms Solo Challenge #8 and thought I would post a little about it.

"Ships have been disappearing from the Fringe for years. What do you expect when you venture into unexplored space on the edge of the Galaxy.  However now there are more insistent rumors of something out there.

Multiple ships are disappearing including powerful Dreadnoughts and even Space Stations.   Proof of a malignant influence is accumulating, with the final transmissions from the lost vessels indicating an enemy presence.  And probably the most damning proof is the dark indistinct image from Fortress Oblivion before contact was lost.

Now we know that there is something unknown out there.

You have been charged with investigating the events and bringing these "Shadows" under control.  Will you be able to defeat this menace and make the Fringe safe again?"

I choose the Flagship to add to my starting deck.

Set-up at beginning of game

The game started out slow for me.  I got a couple of turns very early in the game that I had to discard my whole hand.  Essentially this means I had to miss my turn while the Shadows were building authority.

I did manage to get a few good hands.  My winning attack dealt 19 damage and wiped out the threat of the Shadows.  The game only lasted 11 rounds and was a great time.

My final attack that destroyed the Shadows

Tracking the authority of the Shadows and my fleet

This is a good game and there are lots of different ways to play it.  There are different multi-player options and an active player community that has created a variety of solo options as well.

The price point of $14.99 MSRP is pretty decent for a game and this one offers a lot of game for that price.  

Skull & Shackles - play through A0S1

My first play which will be the start of a solo quest.

I played this solo, but used 2 characters.  I chose to use Lem and Valeros.  Lem was born a slave, but using his wit, was able to escape from bondage.  Valeros was a noble hearted mercenary,  but his desire for adventure has led him to a life fighting for those in need.  These two men's paths crossed some years ago and they have developed a great friendship.  They now fight along side one another seeking noble causes and working to defeat evil wherever they may find it.

Lem and Valeros now find themselves in The Shackles.  This is a string of island spinning off from the western coast of Garund.  These waters are infested with notorious pirates, treacherous scalawags, and vicious sea monsters.  Our heroes have used their savings to purchase a Merchantman sailing ship and will test their skills and wit on the high seas.

Their first test will be the Plunder and Peril adventure that comes in the base set.  The first scenario is Island Hopping.  There is booty to be had in these waters, but there is also an enemy ship who's captain will likely feed you to the sharks if he were to capture you.  The heroes must find the adaro barbarian and remove him from these waters.

I started out by dividing the guys up and sending them to what appeared to be the easiest locations to close.  I got lucky and did manage to close both fairly quickly.  I left them on their own as they moved to the other locations, but I quickly realized they would need to team up to finish the mission.

Things went well, until they ran into a Ghost.  To defeat a ghost you need to have a magical thing.  This posed a challenge, but I eventually was able to pull a magic missile and took care of the ghost.  The villain, the adaro barbarian, is tough, but I had a good mix of spells and a good weapon to help me defeat him.

Summary
Since this was my very first game, I was learning the rules and didn't have much strategy.  The game played well and I picked it up pretty quickly.  Future games will go smooth (mechanically), but I'm sure they will get more challenging as I move through the various scenarios.

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game - Skull and Shackles Review

At the end of April, I picked up a copy of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game - Skull & Shackles.  It was a second hand copy, but still in the shrink wrap.

The base game is playable with 1-4 players, but if you buy the character add-on deck you can play up to 6 players.  The character add-on deck isn't just for more players; it also gives you access to additional characters to play.

This game has a heavy pirate theme.  This is seen in the artwork, available items, possible allies, etc.  If you like pirates, then great, but if not, then you might not like the game.

The cards a decent but maybe a little on the thin side.  I choose to sleeve the cards in the game.  FYI... there are A LOT of cards in this game.  The number of cards is a plus as it offers more variety to your games as you play more and more scenarios.

This is a deck building game, but unlike other deck building games you get to improve your deck as you play more games (assuming you are playing a campaign and not just a one off game).  Each hero starts with a deck of cards that must fit certain criteria.  However, during the game, you will find items, weapons, armor, allies, spells, and blessings that can be added to your hand.  These things will help you in completing the tasks set forth in each adventure.

After you complete the adventure you are able to keep some of the things you found in your deck as you prepare for the next adventure.

You deck of cards also serves as your hit points, so you will have to be careful with how you use the resources available to you.

I have played this game once and I really liked it.  It was a fun experience to play an RPG style game without a GM.  Keep in mind that this is a different kind of experience than having a GM sitting there who can adjust things as you play through the adventure.  Having said that, this still fulfills a gaming area for me that I'm not always able to make time for.

I'm not sure this game would be a good one for one-off style games.  The ins and outs of card interactions is something that you will become more familiar with as the game progresses.  The advancement of the characters is also a highlight of the game and if you are only playing one game you will miss out on that aspect of the game.

If you like deck building and pirates and plan to play through the adventure packs, this is a good game.

As far as replayability goes, I think this game will have plenty.  You can mix up the heroes that go on the quests, the location decks get random monsters and the base box has the basic adventure plus it includes the first adventure path deck.  There are also 5 more adventure path decks that you can purchase and play through to follow your heroes through even more exciting quests.

I picked up a couple of models from my FLGS to represent the models at the locations instead of the token cards.  These are not necessary, but I like them.  I'm guessing I will be painting these at some point.

71st Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion - Memoir 44

June 6, 2015 marked the 71st anniversary of the D-Day invasion of France by allied forces.  About 160,000 Allied troops took part of the invasion that was a major stepping stone on the way to the Allied victory in Europe.

In remembrance and honor of all those that took part in the D-Day invasion, a group of my friends got together to play a Memoir 44 scenario representing a small piece of the battle.

We used the D-Day Landings expansion for Memoir 44 and fought using the Omaha Beach and Utah Beach Maps.  Randy and Marty took command of the Axis forces, while James and Martin shared control of the Allies.  I served as official and helped some of the new-ish players.

Each side was working toward acquiring 28 victory points.  Points could be earned for taking control of beaches, taking control of a cities, and destroying enemy units.  The Allies had a bad day and failed at their attempt to take these beaches.  The final point total was 28 points for the Axis and 10 points for the Allies.  In fairness, the two new-ish players were running the Allied forces, so with a few more games under their belts, it might have gone the other way.

Thanks to the guys for joining me in the game and thanks to all those who served (or still serve) in the armed services.

Below are a few pictures of the game.