Friday, August 8, 2025

A year... ...in a post

 Wow, we have been busy.  Just not busy posting. so here's a minimal text update (its looong...)

Starting with gaming

Mini-Me and homies have taken up DnD

GZG ECC was Star Wars, these are all 18mm 3d prints (Wakesemporium)

Sith, Ventress is a mild convert

Jedi

Clones

more clones, a convert Jedi on ATRT

Command Droids, including a command head so we can play the Lego Star wars mission capture the head mission (the boys asked for this one immediately when they saw the command droids)

STAPs

B1s

B2s

mini-spiders

Droideka


Vehicles a mix of Revell kits, Micromachines and opportunistic shopping at Target

We did a LOT of scouting stuff
Camping, mini-me discovered the axe

and really likes it.

More Scouting, we took another crew up to Maine High Adventure Base
There is no road, you enter/exit via a boat

The crew decided to paddle the upper Allagash wilderness waterway (from Churchill dam to the top)

Some of this (Allagash falls)
And much of this, pristine weather and awesome days of adventure.  It was a great trip (both mini-Mes went)

One of my favourite pics, Mini-Me Minor poling on our final stretch up the Allagash.

And a bonus, Mini-Me Major and I paddled the lower Allagash a couple of years ago.  This trip meant that we have now completed the whole length of the Allagash.  We were quite pleased with ourselves...

Other trips/stuff we did
Mardi Gras was great as usual (Mrs OA is from Nola, so it a combo Mardi Gras and family trip)

Skiing the frigid NE area

New MTB toy

New Commuter toy (I do about 100mi per week commuting)

Trip back to England, visit Grandma and some cool spots

A bit of a country garden

Mini-Me Major is thinking of college, this is Manchester

and of course it rains.

And back to gaming, this was a banner year
Mini-Me Minor got his grades up and came with me to play soldiers at the GZG ECC !  

Woot!, stick a fork in me I'm done.


Monday, May 20, 2024

Back Down the Rabbit Hole?

Not quite...  ...Mini-Me-Minor's friend likes the toy soldiers, the two of them use them to play wargames and RPGs.  He does, however, keep asking me if I have rules for 40K. 

We have a new independent games store open in the next town over, I went in to buy paint to support them and while I was there I thought I'd check out the new version of 40K.  I was completely floored by the current GW prices, so, no new version of 40K for me.   However, there is a new store I'd like to support plus they also have gaming tables open to all games, which solves the challenge of me and a bunch of kids playing games in my house/basement, something I'd prefer not to do. 

So now for my cunning plan, Mini-Me-Minor and friend(s) want to play 40k, I would like to support the new independent store, lets do both.

While I don't have the modern version I do have a rules for 1st ed 40K with the old Rogue Trader book, a crappy scanned copy the Astronomican (my original fell apart many years ago) and my old copy of the Compendium.

__

Like every RT newbies I'll get them playing the rules using the intro scenario "Battle at the Farm".  For that I need Marines and Orks, as I don't want to pay GW prices it's time to do something different, enter the 3d printer.  Or at least that was the plan.

Off I went to the C-site and the T-site to look for cheap/free STLs, and was somewhat surprised to see them literally vanishing in front of my eyes.  I'd search one day and go back a few days later to see them removed in some sort of weird purge.  I did manage to get some files, and later guessed at what may be happening.  Apparently GW has some new battle-focused game with smaller figs, while folks had previously 3dprinted Epic figs, these were what was disappearing in the purge.  My guess was GW were issuing take-downs so folks had to buy their new figs instead of just scaling up the Epic 3d print figs.  

Anyhoo, I got some files and I've been printing, all have been scaled to 20mm.  Why 20mm?  Its small enough for small battles but big enough to skirmish properly and for characters to really stand out.  And Its my favourite scale, and I'm making them, so 20mm it is.

Orks, in the cartoony style of the earlies.  There's 30 plus leaders, plenty of Orks.
Then there's the Marines.  These are not all for me (honest), most are for Mini-Me-Minor and Friend.
Mk6, beaky Tac Marines.  In groups of 5, the squads of 10 came later.  Support weapons and other alternatives near the rear.
Tac Marines with Jump Packs
Comms, Techs and Dreadnoughts, one with laser cannon and two with heavy bolters.
Jet Bikes (plus dismounts) and Land Speeders
I found this funky stretched transport speeder, as yet I've no seated crew.
Chaplains
Officers
Medics and Psykers
Commanders and banners

The file for this one is called a FireRaptor, no idea if this is cannon or not, but I liked it.  I did this one in FDM, however, it is too small, its more 15mm than 20mm.  This one will be the in-flight version, I'll print an up-scaled version for a landed one (or two).

I've also printed a ruined farm, some walls and crops.  Painting is progressing, I'm doing the Orks and scenery, Mini-Me-Minor is going to paint the Marines.  We've been chatting about playing and painting, he's already bagged his pick of the Marines, its been really fun doing this project with him.  

Hopefully we will get to do the actual playing soon.

Friday, March 29, 2024

Another one in the bag

GZG ECC  XXVI, done.  And what fun it was too.  Turnout was a bit down, but we had some new folks too, so evens out.

All ready to go!

Gundamit! in is tiny glory.  The players enjoyed it, and even took home my home brew rules to play for themselves.

Votoms, using Stargunt2. 
The hover frigate was there, for the game it had been disabled by EMP

Sopedogs ready to charge in.

A great GZG ECC.  I ran Gundamit! and the Votoms game, I played a cowboys,  Alphastrike and a Galactic Grenadiers game.  Fun games with great players.  Only 360-ish days till next year


Sunday, March 17, 2024

Ready to pack for the GZG ECC

 Figs painted (OK, the Frigate needs decals, but I have to get new ones), and ready to pack

VOTOMs ready to go
Scopedogs, power armour snatch team, command and transports
Opposition commander (with photonic Katana) and personal retinue (retinue are Peter Pig, leaders, Kremilin Miniatures)
Frigate Crew (some VSF, Armchair General?), bots (GZG), repair techs (15mmco.uk)
Standing Turtles ready!
Gundam game
Asteriod complex, blown up Full Thrust terrain, forgot whose
Earthforce (CEGA)
Jovian

Mini-me-Minor's fav mecha, a stormrider.  Why?  Big guns, goes fast, of course...

And off to pack we go!  GZG ECC this weekend coming, can't wait.