Does our hobby encourage meglomania?

Yeah, I know, but the fact is...what else could it be when we acquire mountains of lead we're always behind in painting. Or, worse, we never get around to it. How about rules we NEVER play. I am as guilty as the rest, but the fact is, would we have it any other way? I dunno, for all the statements about "The Pledge", frugal gaming and other such ideas, the gact is, we've got a bit of a pricy hobby. But to be honest, for all of it's acquisitiveness, I've also met some really great folks here. Folks I am proud to know..Murph, CLDecker, Gallowglas, Hrothgar, and that's just the TMP folks. There's the DC Writing Group, the Friday Night Mechwreckers, I am damn happy to be a part of this hobby, even if I am a shopping whore. But I try to trade more often now, even though now it's more about space than it is about money...and to be honest..it's a problem I am glad to have!

In other news, I am trying out this new Zemanta extention, it autopops suggested links and makes tagging a lot easier. We'll see how well it works out.

I am rather happy about the new Rebel Miniatures releases for their 15mm sci-fi line. It looks rather good, and to quote Murph, there is a real renaissance in 15mm these days. I think there is a movement towards smaller scales, easier on the wallet and more space friendly..and with the new generation of rules like Ambush Alley coming to the fore, where a 4x4 table is all you need for a cracking game, the smaller is better movement is catching on...now to find folks closer to DC who want to do micro-armor!

Also, got a question related to storage...I know I asked the Guild this, but I wanted to ask everyone else. Has anyone tried the magnetic paint instead of sheeting to line the bottom of their transport/storage cases?

Cork buildings are done!

Another weekend done

It was all in all a productive weekend. I am working hard on my Twilight 2000 items and they're really coming together. I anticipate that I will be done with the US vehicles soon, and then it's on to working on my Soviets, getting them cleaned up and to a standard I like. I really am proud of the work I am putting in thus far, and so far, all seems to be going overly well. Also updated the AA terminator rules..upped the defense dice and played with the movement rates. I think this will work better and hopefully, there will be more playtests.

Also, played CBT this Saturday with my old group. I think as much as I wanted to support the GM of this event...and I really did, I made a mistake going to the event. The company was well, juvenile. It wasn't everyone, and some of the members of my old group, I genuinely enjoy their company...others..let's say they need a Dale Carnegie book or three (and I can't stand the guy, but some of his advice is sound). Also, CBT is losing interest for me..the game is falling into the "Ok, folks are losing interest, let's introduce a new army with all new wiz-bang toys orders of magnitude more powerful than than what's in the game already!" trap that 40K wrote the book on. Not good. Worse, folks are fretting about the battle value system as it was supposed to give "balanced games"..there's a myth if I ever heard one...no damn such thing. If you make things totally equal, you get nightmares like Iran-Iraq or World War I. Battletech, last I looked, was supposed to be about armored warfare, of concentrating all available assets at the point of decision and smashing the other guy! Now, it's nothing more than a fanboy arms race with the "faction-de-jour". And now, they're throwing around tons of nukes to do it. I point out the last time someone did that in another game I love...Megatraveller. Dave Nielsen said it best, "have the cataclysm, then game the aftermath". People don't like their sacred cows becoming hamburger, and worse yet..having the ending resolved with an inferior product (Down in front Mechwarrior! At least it keeps me in cheap 15mm VTOLs and 'Mechs).

I know this might not make me popular with some. Know what? Don't care. I am pretty convinced play balance is achieved by giving out realistic victory conditions that both sides have a decent chance of achieving, and an even handed ref who isn't looking to screw one side or the other. Like I said..if you're doing the Seelow Heights in 1945, and you're bitching that you've got a scratch force of rear-area types, cadets and HJ for your Germans, with a pair of Stug IIIs and a couple of PaK 40s, and you're expected to hold off a company(+) of Russian tanks...well, that's the way it was, and perhaps you're playing the wrong game. One victory condition is for the Russians to exit X amount of troops off the table in a VERY short amount of time..or to kill or capture ALL the Germans? Not so easy no matter HOW many troops you have. See, balance? The Germans, they have it easier...knock off X amount of Russians or have X amount of their force still alive. Balance is possible, and points/values IMO, aren't a magic solution!

Two LAVs and an M113...I like 'em

The M1s are done and a LAv's being worked on!

Some M1s I am working on for Twilight 2000!

Not much to report..but fun is ensuing

When last we left me, I was working on a lot of Twilight 2000 in 20mm and some 15mm sci-fi. I'll be able to report some progress soon on both as some of the items are approaching completion. Keep watching this space.

In other news, I am working on building a Romanian army for WWII and my problem is this, what captured stuff did the Romanians have? I am guessing Russian, but did they get their hands on any lend-lease stuff like Shermans? Anyone who could answer that question would be VERY helpful.

I am very happy to see 15mm Sci-fi is taking off and we're seeing lots more in the arena...just one problem...terrain. We need more of it. Old Crow, to their credit, put out some apartment blocks, but some more non-gothic sci-fi terrain (specifically buildings) is needed. I could always make it myself out of cork, but the rubble is proving to be tough to cut...I should have gotten that Stanley knife!

I also am going to put together some more kits and I hope to have some more items in my WWII armies done soon for public parousal.