Plastic Battletech (More Plastic Mechs, Please?)

We’re going to take a bit of a different look at Battletech today.  I’d like to talk to you all about the diversity of the plastic miniatures that Catalyst is producing and marketing under their in house production team.  No slight to Ironwind Metals, who produce all the metal miniatures for the Battletech franchise.  If you’re looking for a specific version of a specific mech, tank or fighter, Ironwind probably has a metal version for you to pick up.  Let’s take a look at what plastic battlemechs are available from Catalyst Game Labs

Adventurer's League Season 1 (Part 2)

Adventurer’s League Season 1, part II

Afternoon Game Fans, last week we talked about getting you started with the D & D Adventurer’s League organized play campaign, and we’re back to get you started with a couple more adventures, and gear you up for the newest season of organized play.  More on that at the end, but right now we’ve got two more adventures to cover.  Let’s get going on our review of the Tyranny of Dragons.

Today’s adventures are DDEX1-2 (Secrets of Sokol Keep) and DDEX 1-3 (Shadows over the Moonsea).

 

Privater Press, Part II (Hordes Time)

Privateer Press has taken the cover of their new line of starter boxes for Warmachine and Hordes.  They are gearing up for the release of their newly revised rules set for the game and part of the roll out involves new starter boxes for the individual factions and a brand new two player starter for both lines.  Last Week we took a hard look at the new starters for Warmachine, so let’s take a look at those fearsome beasts from Hordes.

Shows you should be Watching

All right Game Fans, we're back for another round of Shows you should be watching.  Today's two RPG streams are amazing, and I am going to talk about a couple of wargamer channels you should check out.

Marvel Universe Miniature Game (New releases)

Marvel Universe Miniatures Game

All right Game Fans, Knight Models has released some new models for the Marvel Universe Miniatures Game (and a quick shout out to their newly advertised soon to be released Suicide Squad for the Batman Miniatures Game).  We’ve got a new starter kit, some new individuals, and a new discovery we made poking around the shop. 

MDF Terrain (Two Good Looks)

 

 

All right Game Fans, today we’re going to take a closer look at one of the two major types of scenery you’ll find for your tabletop wargaming (or Role-playing) needs.  Today we’re going to focus on MDF terrain kits.  Now I'm sure two questions just popped into your mind.  First “What the hell is MDF?”  We’ll get to that in a minute.  Secondly, “What’s the other major kind of scenery?”  The other primary type of terrain you’ll find are plastic kits that need to be assembled like the models for your Wargame.  

 

 

Week in Review 8/29/16

Week in Review 8/29

All right GameFans let's look back at the week that came to pass.  As always, feel free to check out the facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ZardozIndustries/ and the blog at http://zardozgames.blogspot.com/.  Let’s get started with our look back at the depths of Kickstarter

Friday Forecast

All right Game Fans, this a brief look at what we plan to do next week

Campaign Operations Part V (Oh God the math)

Hordes starter sets

MUMG released a bunch of new models that we'll look at

A closer look at This is not a Test

More shows you should be watching

A look at terrain for a few games we like (Multiverse, Sarissa to name a few)

A look at a couple of youtube studios we like

an article on some theory for success in games (this will involve math, you've been warned)

an article on the new plastic models for battletech (new is used very loosely)

If we've got our thinking caps on, pictures of models for a couple of things

a look at the factions of Warhammer 40,000

Oh, major shout out to the awesome folks at Hyper RPG. Friday night is Weekly Affirmations with the wonderfully talented Strix, and the glory of Death From Above with the whole crew.  Check them both out.

Weekly Affirmations starts at 3 p.m. pdt
Death From Above is at 6 p.m. pdt


http://hyperrabbitpowergo.com/
http://twitch.tv/hyperrpg

#battletech #DFA, #Hyperrpg

Campaign Operations Part IV (we're going to get all of our robots this time)

All right Battletech Fans, we’re back for the fourth installment of building a unit using the Campaign Operations rules set from Catalyst Game Labs.  Before we dive into that, we’re going to clear up a little bit of information and have some follow up from last week.  

Last Days (Campaigns and things)

Until our favorite game publisher, Ash Barker, releases the rules for Last Days, we really can’t do a full breakdown on warband construction, gear, or the factions.  We just don’t have enough information to give you a full breakdown, but we’re going to make some educated guesses.  

Combat Manual: Kurita Book Review

Combat Manual: Kurita

Howdy Game Fans, Zardoz back with another book review for Battletech.  This time we’re going to cover the next book in the Combat Manual series, Kurita.  CM: Kurita covers the state of the Draconic Combine Mustered Soldiery (DCMS) during the late succession wars/early clan invasion eras.  It shares the primary layout of the previous entry in the combat manual series and follows that game plan.  So, by the numbers, let’s break down each section of the book. 

Privateer Press Part I ( The Warmachine)

Privateer Press has taken the cover of their new line of starter boxes for Warmachine/Hordes.  They are gearing up for the release of their newly revised rules set for the game and part of the roll out involves new starter boxes for the individual factions and a brand new two player starter for both lines.  

Adventurer's League Season 1, Part 1

So we’ve talked about the setup for Adventurer’s League and what you should bring for your first game, but what about the first game itself?  Fear not friend adventurer, we’ll try and make sure that you are ship shape for your first outing on a magical quest.  The first thing we’re going to look at is the first season of the adventurer’s league, Tyranny of Dragons.  This season has 14 adventures in it, and you can find all of them for sale at the DM’s Guild.  (They are 2.99 per adventure, as of the writing of this article).  

So I heard you guys like, play Dungeons and Dragons....

Getting started with Dungeons and Dragons (the newest, shiniest edition) can be as easy as finding your Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS).  The fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons is very player friendly and can get you into your first game in less than twenty minutes.  You’re going to need a few things though to make the best of your first outing.  

This is Not a Test (First Looks)

              This is Not a Test is a skirmish war game created by World’s End Publishing.   Set in the nuclear wasteland of a post apocalyptic America.  It’s set in the northeast, focusing on the Tri-State Wasteland (made up of parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia)  and the areas surrounding them.  The background and setting are very comfortable to a new player.  It embraces the nuclear wasteland aesthetic and embraces themes that we’ve seen in other media, notably the Fallout series of games, and a host of movies including A Boy and his Dog and the Mad Max series. Gamers looking for role-playing games in this vein should take a look at the old classic Gamma World, and for a more animalistic approach, After the Bomb.

Shows you should be watching (Part I)

Shows that you should be watching

Death From Above

#DFA, # HBS

Getting Started with Miniature Wargaming (The Models)

Morning Game Fans, we’re back with another article on getting started with miniature gaming.  After some consultations with wizened sages, (thanks Ash) we came to a perspective for miniature wargaming that basically flows from the idea that “You either got here from the game first, or minis first.”  Most players will have either visually been drawn to the aesthetic of the models and that’s what pulled them in, or they were pulled in by the game’s mechanics after borrowing pieces from a friend.  The best part is that either way completely works from a gamer perspective.  

Week in Review 8/22/16

A week in review

All right game fans, we’re going to take a quick look back at the week that was.  Hopefully you find some things you like and some things you hadn’t seen.  Looking forward for this week, hopefully we will have some other new articles for your amusement.

Getting Started with Warhammer 40,000

Warhammer 40,000 or (Warhammer 40K, or just 40K) is a miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop.  It is a science fiction setting that embodies the tagline “In the Grim Darkness of the Far Future There is only War.”  It’s five minutes to midnight, and the human race is losing ground against the myriad horrors and threats that face off against them.  It is a setting that defines itself by the warriors that fight its battles, and conflict is the most common thing that drives interaction between the various faction choices. 

You’ve probably seen the game if you’ve been around a game store or have been exposed to the computer and video games.  Black Library has been publishing novels and stories from the Warhammer 40,000 universe for years, and there are a lot of neat, interesting looking things that may have caught your eye.  Hold on to that thought about what caught your eye, we’ll circle back to that in a minute.

Dungeons and Dragons Adventurer's League (Just Add Dice)

Dungeons and Dragons Adventurer’s League

Adventurer’s League is the Organized Play program for the 5^th edition of Dungeons and Dragons.  Put together by Wizards of the Coast, it gives players the opportunity to get together at their local gaming shop, visit a convention, or play around the kitchen table with friends.  As part of a seasonal campaign of adventures that share a theme, players will work together to move the story forward and become more capable heroes. 

Campaign Operations Part 3 (We're going to need another company of battlemechs)

All right BattleTech fans, we’re back for part 3 of our series on unit construction using the Campaign Operations rules set for Battletech.  Looking back at least week’s write-up, we’ve got the first company of the Tombstones identified and their battlemechs acquired.  This week we’re going to try to fill out the second company and make some moves on some other unit ideas. 

Last Days (Must be Thursday Again, and we're covering the turn sequence this time)

Last Days:  The cycle of game play

All right game fans, we’re going to start today off with a look at setting up and playing a game of Last Days.  Once you have your warband and your opponent, you’ll need to setup the board for a game.  Remember, a 3 foot by 3 foot board is the recommended play area.  A larger board will take longer to get your people into the game and increase the likelihood that a zombie horde will overwhelm both sides. 

Marvel Universe Miniatures Game

Marvel Universe Miniatures Game

Our tour of excellent skirmish games rolls forward with the Marvel Universe Miniatures Game (MUMG) by Knight Models out of Spain.  It’s a licensed product, using characters drawn from the Marvel Comics family of characters.  Currently there are three factions that are playable, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the X-men.  Each faction has a starter set and an assortment of additional characters that you can add to bolster your force. 

Genre: How it Shapes Game Design

I often find myself looking across the breadth of the internet, hoping to find something interesting to share with other gamers.  Sometimes it’s a product, like the Wyrmwood Deck Boxes I’ve reviewed in the past.  Other times, it’s a game, like Last Days or This is Not a Test.  However, every so often I end up asking myself a question like “Is there a Steampunk minis game, or has anyone made a post human experience role-playing game?”  (The answer to both questions is yes, as Malifaux is definitely a Steampunk minis extravaganza, Eclipse Phase defines itself by the post human experience it offers.)  However, I’m overlooking a basic assumption in my decision process.  Why was I looking specifically for a Steampunk Minis game, or a post human experience RPG?  

Hargq's Barq (Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition)

The mystery of lost Hargq’s Barq (A campaign background piece for Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition)

Hargq’s Barq is a rumored dwarven settlement somewhere in the northern half of Faerun.  Allegedly settled by Dwarves after their original settlement in the mountains of Yehimal, Hargq’s Barq is a sticking point for dwarven historians for two principal reasons.  Firstly, it was settled in secrecy at the time, with few interactions with other dwarven realms.  Indeed, many times a dwarf would simply disappear from their home settlement, disappearing from their own lives among their clan holdings and eventually fading from their clan histories.  

Campaign Operations (Part II We're going to roll dice and pick up some big stompy Robots)

Campaign Operations Part 2 (The epic saga continues…..)

So from last week’s article we’ve come up with some defining traits for the unit we’re going to build.

·         It’s a Comstar unit, which opens up access to the Comstar availability table for combat units

·         With some amazing dice rolls, we came up with 252 million c-bills for our starting budget for our unit.

·         We’ve settled in on a battalion sized unit, with a preference for assault weight class units

 

Working from that, and using the master unit list (if I had access to the Combat Manual: Comstar that I hope is in development, I could use it instead of the Master Unit List), I am ready to start filling out the unit full of big stomping robots.

Last Days (A Closer Look)

A Closer look at Last Days… (Part I: Anatomy of a Card)

Today we’ll be taking a closer look at the anatomy of a unit card for last days and hopefully shine a little light on what the numbers mean and how they are going to influence game play.  Each character in last days has their own specific unit card that represents their abilities and equipment on the tabletop.    From what we’ve seen so far, the cards are supplied blank with the expectation of writing your character’s stats in, and then using a trick familiar to the old school warmachine players, using a dry erase marker to track wounds and other situations that occur. 

Campaign Operations in progress (or OH MY GOD WE ACTUALLY HAVE FORCE CONSTRUCTION RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Pt. 1

Okay, Battletech Fans, today we’re going to be taking a look at the Campaign operations rules for constructing a Force, and trying out the nuts and the bolts.  So starting on page 8 of the campaign operations book, we’re going to go step by step through the process.  As an aside, I wanted to build a force that I could represent for the most part on the table top with the battlemech minis that I have, so I will be attempting to field multiple mechs of the same design.  

Thoughts on Last Days

Thoughts on Last Days: Zombie Apocalypse

I really enjoy the look and feel of this indie miniatures game from Ash Barker.  It combines the best aspects of survival horror and skirmish gaming with easy access and simple rules.  Like most skirmish games, each player controls a core group of figures and they, in most cases play a scenario where each player tries to accomplish their objectives while denying their opponent success (and in this game’s case, not get eaten by zombies).

New Things, some old things, and changes

Long Time no post game fans. 

To make a long story short, I am making some changes to the blog after looking at several different ideas and options and going forward, we're going to focus most of our time and energy on games and gaming related "things."