Getting the Band Back Together!

The Blood Bowl has been picking up around here lately, and there's a very specific reason why. I've got one of those large round numbered birthdays coming up. Now, I'm not the sort of person who goes for all that celebratory nonsense. To me, my birthday is just another day. However, my wife is bound and determined that we will celebrate this birthday somehow-- so much so, that she threatened to have a party with all HER friends if I didn't come up with a better idea! So, I did.

Norse Blitzers

Blood Bowl Norse a photo by The Gonk on Flickr.

I finished my two Norse Blitzers this afternoon. I'm pretty pleased with the team, they're turning out nicely. Nine linemen, two Ulfwereners and a Yhetee to go...

Lessons in Anti-Monarchicalism

SIC SEMPER CERISIAE
Originally uploaded by The Gonk

I've carried some cheap bottle opener on my keychain for about fifteen years. It was given to me by some long ago unreadable vendor, and has served me long and dutifully, well above and beyond the call of duty for a normal bottle opener. He finally gave up the ghost, and I got an almost identical replacement the very next day from Mik. However, this replacement was in name only, not spirit, as he lasted only a few short months. I decided to purchase one, and figuring with luck it would amortize at under $1 a year, I bought a $20 one and got it engraved. I thought I had picked a cool quote any wargamer would recognize...but apparently, I was wrong, as none of my friends appeared to know the reference!! "Sic semper tyrannis!" shouted Brutus, when he stabbed the tyrant Caesar (or so the dramatists say). It is a phrase I've often considered getting as a tattoo, on the off chance I could become the king of Sweden (Field Marshall Bernadotte was rumored to have had this tattoo). The translation: "Thus always to Tyrants!" Listening to the History of Rome podcast, he mentioned how Emperor Diocletian ordered (unsuccessfully) price fixing across the Roman Empire, and how these prices have survived history and included the names of three different types of beer. A little research on the Interwebs turned up CERVISIA as a Celtic wheat beer. As a big fan of Hefeweizen, the epiphany struck-- a keychain with which I could exclaim, "Thus always to beer!" as I killed yet another one.

Blood Bowl Norse

Blood Bowl Norse a photo by The Gonk on Flickr.

I finished the first four of my Norse team-- the two Throwers and the two Catchers. The team colors are purple (in a nod to the Vikings) and gold. I have the two Blitzers about half completed. After that, I have nine Linemen to finish, two Willy Miniatures Ulfwereners/Norse Werewolves in the mail, and a Reaper Yeti that I'm considering having a go at sculpting a winged helmet for...

The Next Project Begun!

Blood Bowl Norse
Originally uploaded by The Gonk

With our Blood Bowl league underway, we have several coaches new to the game that don't have teams. We have plenty of teams to borrow, but most of mine aren't painted! Here is my attempt to rectify that, by painting my Norse. We have two players in the league who are playing them, so we'd better have two teams painted for the day they both show up for a game!

Sixth--FINAL-- 29th ID section done!

29th Infantry Division
Originally uploaded by The Gonk

Cue Fanfare for the Common Man. Imagine the slow motion scene of me applying the last bit of Gryphonne Sepia to the beach bases, exhaling, and slowly moving the brush to the paint water. Wearily, I shake the brush, wipe it, lick it to a point, and place it back into the brush stand. Slowly, I collapse back into my painting chair and gaze satisfied upon what I have completed.

Welcome to the Painsphere!

The Painsphere in Public
Originally uploaded by The Gonk

We recently started up a local Blood Bowl league in Knoxville-- the Painsphere! I'm pleasantly surprised by the response. We've had a couple of game nights with 5+ coaches showing up, and eight coaches playing thirteen matches so far, just from within our own gaming groups and associates. Last Tuesday, we played in a local gaming shop, centrally located for many of the coaches. This is the first time I have played in a local gaming shop in a number of years!

Total War

FoW: Total War
Originally uploaded by The Gonk

We've put together a few Flames of War games since our primary driver has moved on. One thing that was irritating me was how much support stuff I was putting on the table to fill out points. Eventually, I started to think about using multiple companies per side, to consume points with company level troops and using fewer points for support. Then I bought Das Book, and found the rules for Total War, which are essentially that.

5th 29th ID section done!

29th Infantry Division
Originally uploaded by The Gonk

Fifth section of 29th Infantry Division completed! I actually had these guys mostly completed last weekend, and was pretty stoked to be well ahead of my slow "two weeks per section" norm lately. I had visions of having the sixth finished this weekend and was ready for it! Then, life happens as it tends to. School functions, neighbor functions, etc... Plus, mid-week I came home for lunch, and just browsed by my painting table to gaze upon them momentarily, and I found the whole table standing in water!! Somebody had dumped my paint cup over on my painting table!!!!!!

Paper Blood Bowl Players

Make Your Own Game Pieces contains foldable paper cubes to represent Blood Bowl players. It's an interesting idea. Obviously, it's not as nice as a fully painted team, but it's probably easier to use than proxies when trying out a new team.

4th 29th ID section done!

29th Infantry Division
Originally uploaded by The Gonk

Fourth section of 29th Infantry Division completed! I keep churning these guys out...the fifth one is primed and ready to start painting, and the sixth, unfortunately, is still back ordered (although I got a shipping notice recently, so I should get it soon). I've settled down to about two weeks per section, which isn't too bad, I suppose. I am only painting 2-3 nights a week or so, around family and work stuff. I'm mostly glad that despite a pretty strong pull towards Blood Bowl lately, I haven't given up on painting these guys! Next up, I need to order some paint for my LCVPs...

A Return to Three Coach Blood Bowl

Threeway Blood Bowl
Originally uploaded by The Gonk

We played an impromptu game of my old hack for Blood Bowl with three players. It actually played fairly well, despite a few oddities. We played with 11 players per side and a single ball, with the kicking team able to place the ball in either receiver's third. What we found was that once the ball was well into somebody's third, he was playing 1 on 2 as both other teams had only a short distance to go to score! I might try to assign scoring end zones instead of letting teams score in anybody else's end zone. We also had a kick-off in which the next player to take a turn was not the receiving team. But, overall, the changes to play felt minor, this still felt like Blood Bowl to me.