Trevy's Painting Table

Games-Workshop just revealed its planned release for a new expansion for Warhammer Fantasy - Storm of Magic.  They're promising 'cataclysmic spells' and effects that change the way the tabletop affects models.

I couldn't help but realize that this sounds very much like the change between 7th Edition Fantasy and 8th Edition.  Well, minus the annihilation of effective cavalry in the game as well as a drastic change in most of the tactics.  I'm pretty sure that the last thing this game needs is more stupidly powerful magic spells and complex terrain rules.

I talked with one of the members of my local gaming club about where 8th Edition Fantasy went wrong - don't get me wrong, I love Fantasy to death, but there's something about it that just makes it more goofy than a tactical wargame.  We figured that the magic system, while certainly flawed, was an excellent mechanic that works well.  What breaks the magic system are spells like Purple Sun and Comet of Cassandora, spells with the ability to easily wipe out entire units without breaking a sweat.

I've gotten to the point where I will not play a friendly game with someone if they decide to take either of those spells.  Removing an entire unit a turn from a 15+ spell is not exactly what I consider fun.

Where 8th Edition falls down in another respect is the charge distance allowed by the new rules.  While the random charge distances are cool (the fact that a unit could charge exactly the same distance every time seemed weird to me), but a range of 6-16" for a normal infantry unit is enormous.  I think the mechanic would be better suited for a distance like D6+2+move", which makes it random but with a larger degree of certainty and significantly less range.

The third change that I'd like to see is the removal of steadfast if a unit is Disrupted.  This would make flanking enemy units and actually maneuvering one's forces much more useful!

That was a pretty serious digression from the main topic...

So anyway, I have little faith that this new expansion will be something to write home about - the only other memorable expansion that GW has produced was Apocalypse back in the day and everything else have been flops since then, but here's to hoping for some cool terrain and new models!

I've been going on about Planetstrike for the past couple months and it appears my tirades are almost at an end as actual Planetstrike models are now being sighted in the not-to-distant future.  So, let's get down to business to defeat the evil deepstrikers.

First we have a Bastion, and whoever said that this model was 'scratch built and not set to be released' should be thrown back into whatever hole they came from.  I love this model, and while lacking the giantism of a fortress and the firepower of an anti-air battery, would look great in any game, not only Planetstrike.  A great centerpiece, simple yet effective (unlike those Imperial Ruins sets), this model would make a great objective, peice or terrain or even the center to play a game around!  For larger games I think it looks a little small to be used on its own, but whose to say you can't buy two?

This model is slated to cost around 30$, with a Chaos version costing around 45$.  Why you can't just buy the Imperial one and a Chaos Vehicle sprue is beyond me.  I wouldn't buy it for 45$!

While I think the name's a little too melodramatic for what is essentially a mobile airstrip, this would make a nice, if big, objective in any game.  While I really have to wait for the expansion to be released before making a final judgement on this, I really don't think I want to pay the rumored 40$ for it, however nice the heat-resistant tiling is.

Awesomely modeled barricades?  Check.  Quad barrelled Autocannon?  Check.  Conversion ideas abound?  Check.  Affordable low price?  Check.  This set has 'Epic win' written all over it.  For 20$ you get several lengths of defense barricades as well as an autocannon on an Anti-Air mount.  I don't even need a rulebook to tell me how awesome this is.  I can just taste the cheap Hydra flak-tank conversions stemming from it.

Mmmm...

But that's not all, folks.  GW is also releasing a number of mine markers, bombs, booby traps and objectives.  Also, in the French WD, there are whispers of the Planetary EMpires expansion set to be released shortly after Planetstrike, so stay tuned.

Whew, I've had quite a busy time so far.  I don't reall know why it's been busier than normal but it has, so deal with it.  Sorry for not posting in a while, however.  Hopefully, now that summer's set in I'll have more time to post on this and paint miniatures than I have.

Not a lot of news in the wargaming channels.  Some tidbits here and there about new Dark Eldar, Necrons and Tomb Kings, but nothing really to be excited about.  The biggest peice of information I've found (and trust me, it's big) is the GW price increase listing.  The link below will take you to a thread on DakkaDakka that lists every change in price over the entire range of Games Workshop games, tools and supplies.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/240756.page

Just to be clear (and this confused me too), the first price is the original, unchanged price (if the price hasn't changed or the minaiture has not yet been released this will be 0.00), the second is the new price and the third is the amount the price increased by (if the set hasn't been released yet then this will be it's entire price), while the percent at the end is the percent the price increased by.

Awesome.

Now, if you've read the title, you're probably wondering what the heck all this price change information has to do with not being wargames only (although in my defence, GW is raising the prices of a myriad of hobby items and equipment), so I'll get to the next part of my post.

Apparently, a couple weeks ago, a model train modeller stumbled across my website and liked what he saw, so he decided to send my some of his new models as a 'test drive' of my skills (a 45$ test drive, but a test drive nonetheless).  The following stemmed from that commission:

These models are from a Washington state company known as Riveresco that produces moderately detailed metal miniatures for train setups and historical wargames.  While not as detailed as Games Workshop miniatures, these models did present a challenge and a lot of freehand work.  Vetam (as my client calls himself online), seems happy with my work and I hope that I will see his models again soon.

Hey kids, quick update...

With the release of Planetstrike looming, GW is announcing some new Space Marine kits to go with your planetary invasion force.  The new Ironclad Dreadnought has a confirmed release date of July (GW sent out a notification a couple days ago) and appears to be simply a Dreadnough equipped with extra armor, a larger Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon and a Seismic Hammer.  Fortification defenders, beware!

Mmmmm... yummy.

I have to say, however, in all honesty that the weapons look a little too big for this model.  The current Dreadnought ones are pretty good looking, and bordering only on the slightest side of large, but these ones look a little too large even for those futuristic pistons.  The rest of the model looks pretty awesome, though.

This wonderful vehicle is not the only addition to the forces available to Space Marine Commanders.  Also in the works, but not with a set release date are Land Speeder Hurricanes and what look like some alternative parts of Dreadnoughts and Ironclads, as seen on BoLS.

For all you Empire players out there, I bet June was a month worth waiting for.  For you this month holds many exciting new releases, like Greatswords that were hyped up long before they even went on advance order, a plastic Steam Tank that will soon be feilded in numbers greater than those that even exist, new archers and some very tasty looking characters and heroes.  The excitment of this month is probably lessened quite considerably by Games Workshop's announcement that their annual price update will encompass more than simply their books and army deals this year.

GW's annual price change is an event that happens annually (an-nu-al, adjective, it happens every year, you dolt!), so that means it happens every year (you dolt).  I almost laugh when I hear players moaning, whining and complaining about the price change.  It does happen every year.  Maybe you didn't notice that the books were five dollars more expensive or that the price of a battalion was sligtly increased.  "Where were your glasses?"  I ask them, because GW announces it every year.

It is an annual event.

Now, the thing about this price change that is particularly moanworthy, and for that I will forgive some of the less obnoxious complainers out there, is that Games Workshop has specified that this change will cover actual models.  Dang.

If GW really thought that a failing economy and less money to spend on little miniatures meant that people were going to shut out that powerful need to eat to feed their hobbies, then I think it needs new management.

But anyway, here's that actual announcement from GW:

"In June we will be increasing the price of some of our metal,plastic and hobby products. This price change will take effect from the1st of June."

Note that word; some.  Some models and products.

Now, nobody really knows how much some is, but it seems to me that it would encompass the majority of GW's range of models and hobby products.  So buy now, right?

The other thing nobody really knows is how much the update will be.  I've heard anything from a 6% or 7% increase to a full 25%.  That would hurt...alot.

So here's where the Empire comes in:

The Imperial second wave is set to release on June 6th, after the price change comes into effect on June 1st.  To accurately display price so that Advance orderers are not getting money off their purchases, GW has posted the prices of the new Empire models, prices that are meant to be after the price change.  This gives us a clear view of the amount we should expect for this price change.

So, if we take the posted price of the Empire Archers for example (10 models for $24.75), and compare that to a similar boxed set under the current price, Empire State Troops (10 models for $22), we get a $2.75 price increase.  Now we do some super duper math, and we get that 2.75 is 12.5% of 22.  According to this, the price update will be a 12.5% increase.

Now let's check our work by comparing the new Empire Captain models ($13.25) with the older Empire Hero models ($12).  A little math later and we get 10.5%.

Looking at this, I think it's safe to say that the price increase will be somewhere around 10%.  Please don't look at me about the Greatswords though, they seem to be ridiculously overpriced, and I have nothing equivalent to compare the STank to.

But I hope this at least gives us an idea of what to expect from the upcoming price change.

Oh, and guess what's being released for Planetstrike.  (Thanks, Lone Pilgrim)

Well, it's the big news out there in the 40k world right now.  It's gonna be epic, huge, maybe-not-Apocalypse-but-awesome-anyhow.  It's gonna blow your socks off, and the shoes with them.  If you don't know what I'm talking about by now just look up, it'll hit you like a ton of bricks come July.  So just stand there and wait.

Yes, children, this amazing thing I keep going on about happens to be Codex: Planetstrike.  Just in case you have been living under a pile of dung for the last four months, Planetstrike is a book that details a certain way to play, like Cities of Death.  In Planetstrike, player set up as the defender and attacker; the defender gets all sorts of cool forticifations (GW is releasing a fortifications sprue along with Plansetstrike, which looks very tasty), while the attacke gets to Deep Strike his entire army, or something equally as nasty.

According to the gents at BoLS, the FOCs get upped for this type of game as well.  The defender goes up to a minimum of 1 HQ, 2 Troops and 2 HQ, 3 Elites, 6 Troops, 3 Fast Attack and 6 Heavy Support optional.  The attacker gets minimum 1 HQ (I could feild a Broodlord as my entire army!) and optional 2 HQ, 6 Elites, 6 Troops, 6 Fast Attack, 3 Heavy Support.  As you can see, games just got considerably larger in Planetstrike, making it a "kind of 'half-way house' between the standard game and the 'no-holds barred' of Apocalypse," according to BoLS.

Now I want to see someone use the two expansions alongside each other.

As if this release wasn't enough, the book will also come alongside some inredible new miniatures.  As I said before, some new fortifications will be released (which can be found in the main rulebook, if you know where to look), along with a rumored 'modular landing pad,' much like the one that has been plaguing GW battle-reports for the last couple of months.  The biggest release, though, is the new model of Vulkan He'stan (although this will be quickly eclipsed if the rumors are true about a plastic Thunderhawk).

He's so...pretty...

Does anyone else think that Salamanders are awesome?  I may be biased, and it may just be the fact that the 'Eavy Metal team decided to aint well one day, but this model is beautiful.  The detail looks absolutely superb and distinctly Salamander.   Very nice.

Now let's see about that Plastic Thunderhawk.

Anyway, that all comes out in July, but while you're waiting, here's a wonderful video of the new releases.  Que the ominous music.