Play Nine

Me and my wife went down to my local games store (Gauntlet Games) this weekend and played a round of golf with Play Nine.

For those of you that don't know, this is a card game for between 2-6 players, ages 8 and up.  You get a hand of 8 cards placed face down in front of you.  You try to match pairs before all the cards are flipped face up.

Getting ready for the first hole.

This is a very simple game, but it tons of fun.  We were hoping to have 5 players, but one of our group had to leave so we ended up playing with 4 players.  I played fairly aggressively, going out even when I had 10-12 points because I was leaving my opponents with 15-20 points still showing.  I didn't always win the hole, but I did force some bad holes on others throughout the game.

I ended up winning by a good margin.  Of course, my score was nothing to write home to Mom about.

This game is on my list of must haves.  It if a quick play and works for lots of age ranges.  I've played this game 100 plus times and still enjoy it.

Spiders

Many of the games I have played are based around military forces fighting other military forces.  This goes for fantasy settings, near-modern settings, and sci-fi settings.

I've used (and seen) monsters mostly in fantasy settings.  The idea of a bunch of beasts joining together makes sense when you have orcs and elves running around.  I think they can work in sci-fi settings as well.  Starship Troopers for example.  Many of the G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. games I have played have made use of individual monsters that don't necessarily belong to either side and just add an element of unpredictability.

I painted up some spiders for this purpose.  The models are old GW goblin spider riders and Warhammer Quest spiders.

These have been used for Lord of the Rings games, but I think they will be seeing the field of battle in some other games as well.  These are great because they can be used in 6mm, 15mm, or 28mm games.  Their power can be adjusted to reflect the scale.  In a 6mm game these guys are monstrous and will tear apart tanks.  In 28mm these guys won't do a lot to a tank by themselves but will be a challenge for infantry if they get into close combat.

I did not paint most of the colorful spiders.  They were part of a purchase of used miniatures at some point.

Do you use monsters in your games?  Is it whole armies of monsters or just a few hear and there?

Genestealers

I used to play Warhammer 40K quite a bit.  Like many others, I acquired a large collection of models.  I have since come to the realization that the rules for the game are not what I like to play.  There are way to many other rule sets out there that are quite simply more fun to play and that don't focus on simply selling models.  (Ok, I'm off my soap box now.)

During my tenure with 40K, I collected primarily Imperial Guard, Orks, and Space Marines.  However, I played most of the armies as one time or another.  As noted in a previous post, I have always loved the Alien movies, so the Tyranids are a natural extension of that love.  Well to be more specific, genestealers are a natural extension of that love.  You even used to be able to play an army of only genestealers.

I think the models are great. (GW does make very pretty models.)  One day while looking around in one of my favorite websites, (eBay) I found an auction for some genestealers.  160 genestealers.  Why would you ever need that many?  Who knows, but the price was right and I bought them.  I have been working on painting these up and below you can see the results.

This is my first batch.  Nothing fancy.  Really just a test run.  I like the results.  The bases need some work and the next batch has textured bases that will look like they are running around inside a space ship.

These were base coated with a bone color then washed with GW Leviathan Purple ink.  Next I dry brushed them with bone.  I painted the claws black and then red and the tongues were painted green.  The bases were painted black and then dry-brushed grey.  Simple, but effective.

These guys have seen action in some double-blind games of space hulk (Kind of fun, but a lot of work for a two player game), large monsters in some 15mm games, and could even be used as huge beasts in 6mm games.

The best part about these guys is that they can work with so many scales and can be used for any ruleset that has a bitey, clawey, scary alien.

What do you think?  Any other ideas where these guys can fit into your gaming?

Salvation Falls - Old West Buildings

I have a few buildings that I put together for use in some Old West gun fight games.  These are all scratch built and painted by me.

This one was my first attempt.  It is made with a wood frame and then I added the planking.  The windows are made from cereal boxes and wood strips.  They were then glued onto the building.  I use this as a bunk house.

Here is the gallows and water tower.  These are staples of any old west town (right?).  The water tower is missing a few boards on the top that need to be replaced.  Damage from poor storage.

Here is the mercantile shop.  For this building I used foam core board for the walls.  Same process for the windows.  The roof comes off of this one so you can put models inside.  I plan to add more color to the interior at some point, but basic black works for now.  The roof is cereal boxes.

Here we have the livery for the town.  The doors on this model open and the roof comes off.  There is a loft inside for models to hide in.

Here is the train station.  The roof comes off on this model as well.  This is the only building in town that has been painted a color other than brown.  The railroad ponied the coin for a few gallons of paint.  Everyone else prefers the raw wood look.

Here is the town post office.  The roof is attached to this one so no one can get inside.

My last building is the hotel.  This is two levels and has access to both by taking it apart.  Again, the interior needs something more than just the basic black, but I have yet to get to that.  Someday.

I have plans to add a few more buildings and I purchased a couple from Gamecraft Miniatures to try out.  I just haven't got them painted yet.

What do you think?  What should be added to the town next?

Lizardmen Blood Bowl Team

This group of slimy beasts is my Lizardmen Blood Bowl team.  I found some cheap metal skinks and some  old plastic saurus models.  Painted them up, and here they are.

 Here is the whole team.  I have 13 skinks, 6 saurus, and 1 kroxigor.  This gives me plenty for a starting team as well as options as the team grows.

 Here is a close up of the skinks.  I don't usually paint eyes on my models, but the eyes on these guys are so big, I had to paint them.  Some look okay, others are a little off.

 The kroxigor is ready to smash someone.  I used a WH fantasy model and clipped off the weapon.  His pose is a little weird, but he works.

Finally we have the saurus.  These guys aren't very agile, but they work hard for the team.

What do you think?  Do you like the bright colors?

Orc-rested Development - Ork Bloodbowl Team

BloodBowl!!!!  This is one of the GW games that I still really like.  I don't get a lot of time to play it, but it is a good game and if you can find a good group of players, you will have tons of fun.

I even got my wife to play a few games.  Here are some pictures of the team I painted for her.

She is a big fan of Arrested Development.  All of the players are named after characters in that show.

Here is the whole team.  I need to add a few more players, but this is the basic team.

Here are 4 Black Orc Blockers.  These guys are the brutes of the team that everyone is scared of.

The team captain is the Orc Thrower.  Not a lot of skill, but can make the difference for you on occasion.

Orc Lineman in the front with the grey base.  The basic team member.  These guys are on the team pretty much only because they have to be.

In the back with the red base are the Blitzers.  These guys are the workhorses of the team.  They end up with the ball a lot.  Once they get a few skills they are real beasts.

Next time you will see my Lizardmen team.

Have you played Bloodbowl?  What is your favorite team?

6mm Building Designs

As you can see in my previous posts, I have been building some 6mm forces and have played a few games using them.  I have made some terrain for those games and have a few more projects planned.

One item I am missing is buildings.  There are lots of great designs out there, but it seems that nearly all of them are in the UK or some other European country.  I am unable to find what I am looking for here in the US.  I don't have a problem buying from overseas, but shipping can get a bit pricey.

So I decided to see what I could do to change this.  My first step has been to get a 3D modeling program and see if I could make some building designs that would work.  In high school (many years ago) I took quite a few drafting classes.  Very little of it was on the computer and even less was 3D, but that training is helping me with this process.

I've put together a couple of basic building designs and some stand alone doors.  I will continue to play with these and see what I can come up with.  I want to make some designs that are clearly "alien", but human colony buildings and structures are going to be my first efforts.

Here are some examples of what I've come up with so far.

This one is the basic structure.  Good for an outpost or rows of habitats.

A little variation from the basic design.  

A bit larger building and I added a floor to add depth to the city.

I offset the design above to add more variety.

These doors have can be used to scratch build structures or to add doors to the buildings.  The round door will also work as a vent fan.

Let me know what you think?  How could I do these better?  What am I missing?  What would you like to see?