Strength_Hammer

Weeks ago I decided to finally begin Airbrushing in earnest. Until that moment I was honing my skills with a brush (and even did a lot of priming with a brush) with a plethora of techniques to still learn. Here is my weapon of choice. Found a great deal online. I managed to find a great deal on the brush above and purchased it without a second thought (over one year ago). Then I let it sit in the box unopened for about eight months. To be honest I was intimidated by the thought of starting down the path of learning this new tool. After my eight months of fear I decided to open and examine the device and shortly realized I needed an air compressor (which allowed me to delay a few more months as I searched for the right compressor). Shortly after Christmas and Birthdays rolled around and my friends and family bought me everything I could need to begin airbrushing! I had no more excuses so I delayed a few more months anyway and finally began. I decided to go right into it by priming models from minute one and after some trepidation I began to get a feel for the flow and flew threw my Army to what you see above. After the initial night of airbrushing I was fully invested and I spent the entire next day creating the concept Aelf Army (Dubbed "The Survivors of Rhana Dandra") you see above. I created a black to white gradient in about 5 different layers using all the techniques I have heard about over the years. To top it off I did a spot color of Electric Blue with a small highlight of blue mixed with a bit of white. I don't feel this army is done, by any means, but I plan to go back to it soon with some subtle washes to add the illusion of color to a few more pieces of each model. With my motivation high I tackled a few more small projects with some Dark Angel Terminators, an old White Dwarf model and some converted models below. I had a few Witch Aelves left over from my Dark Elf army and converted them up to be a Mistweaver Saih and a Tenebrael Shard to lead my Concept Army. Currently I have moved sprayed a sea of Green as I have begun my Orc force for Age of Sigmar. Let the WAAAAGH Commence. Looking at it all now I can say the thought of airbrushing is much more frightening than actually airbrushing and I encourage everyone (if able) to look to add this tool to your painting tool belt even if its just blocking colors as you see me here. Listen to podcasts and pick up insight they may offer and I can highly recommend checking out Kenny Boucher and his weekly Twitch stream(Here is a link to his YouTube Channel). His stream is was great encouragement to finally begin airbrushing. Kenny and the podcast he is on The Long War is a great source for Warhammer 40,000 tactics and they are committed to "Bringing Hobby Back". Until next time. #OnlyTheFaithful Also I promised big news in the last Post. I am planning on starting a YouTube channel the beginning of next year. Keep and eye out for updates! View the full article

I have run bits and pieces with my local club, but with an update to do linked battles I think it is time to start a "New Army Escalation League". Thanks for the continued support your pouring into this!

This is a follow up to a previous post entitled "Preventing Hobby Wobble between Projects" It has been just about 2 months from my previous post regarding hobby wobble and I wanted to discuss how my attempt at embracing the wobble in a controlled way to knock out smaller projects went for me. Over these past few months I have managed to knock out the following projects. Two Battlefleet Gothic Fleets, Ten Dark Angel Terminators, Five Stormcast Judicators, and a handful of one off individual Models. Check out my Twitter feed for pictures! (@odiamh) Pro Tip #1: Completing a bunch of one off projects doesn't feel this good. I must admit that the ability to jump between different models and games was a refreshing change for both myself and my brush. At times it felt as if I was not making meaningful progress, but over time I saw the mini projects begin to fill up my shelves and it was a relief to get these one off projects completed. However, I found my motivation slipping away as the time went on and I spent fewer and fewer evenings at the painting table. The issue I had was a lack of excitement in completing a large project. That feeling of seeing an army 90% painted on the shelf with only a few bare models begging you to finish them so they can join their brothers and sister in glorious battle! That very high sense of accomplishment simply was not present in my hobby. Over that time I have managed to purchase a small Sylvaneth Force, five more Judicators, a Lord-Castellant with Gryphound (in fairness this was for a local tournament), the Harlequins from Death Watch Game, and The Burning of Prospero box. (I also managed to base my Large Orruk Army that is up next on my army projects List). Lastly, I have committed to a Chaos Force Path to Glory Campaign (yet another army). Pro Tip #2: Do not buy more then one army at a time (This also annoys the spouse) Overall I made great progress and put myself behind the eight ball once more as I stacked up multiple army projects. With no current army on my mind I felt free, but perhaps a bit to free and I managed to get myself in over my head a bit for the future (time will tell). What I have taken away from this experience, however, is a new found willpower. I can go into my FLGS and walk out with only the paint I went in for and not that character model that I want to paint because "it looks fun". Time for the next army....WAAAAAAAAGHH! Pro Tip #3: Waaagh! #OnlytheFaithful !!!!!Keep a look out in the next few months as I have some big plans coming your way!!!!! View the full article

Congrats on your win! I'm hoping there ate a few new armies out by next year. Something Aelfen!

It went better then expected. I took First Place!

It is that time of year for us to muster our forces and display them proper in Armies on Parade! Every year I watched as hobbyists across the globe created armies and display boards for their local Armies on Parade. Seeing the projects was always a great way to get my hobby mojo going either through the White Dwarf or Online posts by the community. This year I finally have a Games Workshop location within driving distance and I am finally able to participate. I decided to use my Stormcast Chamber (The Reik Eternals) as they are one of my newest armies and only had minimal work to finish the army from a painting stand point. Then came to the decision of designing my display board. Such began the process... The outline of my board Thankfully I work in the building industry so foam insulation board is easy to come across. I gathered a few pieces and after some wire and glue I had a base. I decided to go with a raging river on my display board to represent a variation of the River Reik. The foam was a new medium for me and after some guess work it began to come together. I cut the River into shape and used a candle to create the wavy pattern for the river you see above. After adding some foam rocks created from the scrap it was time to paint! The color blocked out The river comes alive! I have to admit painting the river was an exciting challenge. I know there is plenty of room to improve, but I am proud of what I was able to accomplish. After some quick drying with a hair dryer I was able to flock and trim the board which admittedly was my least favorite part. With added scenary I even added a sign complete with sloppy hand writing! The whole process took me 3 days from start to finish and while there is much I would like to redo I am very happy with the finish product and will take my knowledge with me to next years display board to make it bigger and better! Good luck to everyone participating this year and I look forward to seeing your work online (I hear rumors GW is putting up all pictures from the stores on one website)! I will leave you know with a few shots of my Army on Parade and I will report back if I manage to pull out a podium! #OnlyTheFaithful View the full article

Hello again everyone. Sorry for the delay between posts recently, but you will be happy to know I will be back to my regular posting twice a month! We all have experienced Hobby Wobble and as Wargamers we have come to almost accept it as part of the process. It sneaks into our hobby time like a Nurgling dancing around distracting us from the Great Unclean One that is our current (or next) project. What are some of the ways to prevent Hobby Wobble? Is it possible to use Hobby Wobble to your advantage? I will explore these ideas (and maybe more) while sharing my current plight as I finish my latest army and attempt to stave off the dreaded Hobby Wobble. Ignore the large hobby project behind the curtain! I am currently finishing a large Wood Aelf Army (also my final army to be on Square bases! Woohoo!) and as I grind out my last models my mind keeps asking what should I put on the painting table next? I have no lack of options that is for certain. I have a few more Stormcast bodies to add to my chamber. Perhaps I could begin growing my Sylvaneth Wargrove or even begin my Orruk Warband that has been slowly taking shape on my Airbrush Table. Lets not forget the 40k projects that have been untouched since Age of Sigmar dropped from the Heavens. Slaughter your Hobby Wobble! As you can see I am on the verge of; if not dipping my toes into the Hobby Wobble. I decided to find a small goal (a mini project of sorts). This has staved off the Wobbly feeling as I shift my focus entirely to painting my Slaughter Priest that came free from the latest White Dwarf for the competition on TGA.community (Click the link to access the competition being run by Ben Curry of Bad Dice Podcast). While I plan to spend quality time on this lone model and attempt to paint beyond my standard I know the wobble will come back in force. So what do I do when it returns? It may sound strange, but I will embrace the wobble for a short time although with a bit of guidance to the madness. So here is the plan. I will gather up all my small projects (be they a single model or unit) and just put them on my hobby table and let my mood dictate which one of the assortment I will paint that day. I will let myself bounce from Space Wolves to Dreadfleet, but I will set a 1 or 2 month time limit (undecided right now). Once that time frame hits I will finish the current unit/model I am on and end the wobble and begin working on my Orruk Warband in earnest. While the other projects might take a back seat they will still be there and hopefully I can use them as a break from the Army project to prevent burnout (another scary hobby predicament) from time to time. Behold the KanBan! I will report back in a future post with how this strategy has worked or if I abandon it completely and fell into a larger rabbit hole. Time will tell, but with tools at my finger tips like my KanBan board (pictured above) it will help keep me focused while being unfocused at the same time. Feel free to follow my updates on twitter as well ( @odiamh ) Until Next time... #OnlyTheFaithful View the full article

Finishing up a few High Elf models kicking about later today.

The Season of War is almost upon us! What a year we have had in the Age of Sigmar. The End Times had come and gone while the remnants of our community clung together and shape our destiny with the new game we loved. I want to applaud everyone who came through The End Times and stuck with Age of Sigmar particularly the community leaders (Dan Heelan, Wayne Kemp, Russ Veal, Dave Witek, Big Jim, and others I am sure I am missing). This community focused and maintained course and now we are reaping the rewards! Right now we have the opportunity to shape the story of our game through a month long Campaign (July 14th - August 14th). I have the benefit of have 2 FLGS within a 10 minute drive of my house, but the AoS scene was on a life line. One store supported it fully and so I supported them from Day 1 by buying the starter box and all the campaign books as they came out. I ran events monthly for the few of us wanting AoS to be a success. The second store pulled back as the local community reeled from the backlash caused by The End Times. Their shelves usually reserved for Fantasy shrunk and other systems took over. I still showed up and played an AoS game here and there to gauge interest and network to little effect and bought the odd AoS item here and there in hopes the community would grow. I focused my efforts on my FLGS that supported the game and continued to bring in the new AoS models time and time again. This paid off initially for our small group as Gamesworkshop gave us a nice bit of credit to use for scenery on our tables and some prizes for a small tournament. I am proud to say we can easily fill 3-4 tables of nice Gamesworkshop Scenery Kits. The event was small, but a success. Now with the summer campaign kit out the continued efforts paid off once more as my supporting store got in the kit for the event and handed it to me to run as I see fit for the event. I took the early copy of the Generals Handbook in hand (expect my review soon) and began to flesh out what we wil be doing and began my campaigning to get more players hooked to try the game out and be part of the story. In a twist my second FLGS decided it was time to join in and also got a kit and are allowing me to run their event. Last night I got the ball rolling by talking up the event, game, points system, and free swag being given out. Long story short it worked and we have over 10 sign ups and models being sold at both locations. It feels like a true David and Goliath story with this little community exploding into the big guy in town (knocking down x-wing, and 40k in my area at least for a bit it seems). My efforts are now clear. I need to run these events effectively and most of all do it in a way everyone has fun to keep the momentum going. My little core group are ready for the next challenge of shaping our future community as we battle to shape the Story of Age of Sigmar. Good luck with your events everyone and I encourage you all to keep it relaxed and open. My events will allow large armies battling on the field to simple duels to help decide the fate. We even have some people who just wish to paint to provide support to their chosen alliance. All will be counted and recorded and the new players are chomping at the bit for the 14th to come. The Realm of Ghyran is ready for War in earnest...and who will prevail in the coming war? Only The Faithful! View the full article

Sigmar's Storm has come and War is everywhere... Like most of you I thought War was already here... I can only imagine this post from Games Workshop's Facebook Page is getting us hyped for the living campaign. The time will soon be upon us to take our armies to the field and battle it out for the fate of the Mortal Realms and I cannot think of a better time to bring those old and new players on the fence into the game. There are still plenty of scattered players out there who may not realize how large and connected our community is at its core and I would challenge everyone to invite one friend this summer to join you in this hobby. A good way to get started would be the Age of Sigmar starter set. It is a great way to begin a new (or grow an old) army with your friend and not only game with them, but hobby with them as well. Help them pick out a unit that draws them. Help them build and paint it if they want. Then bring them into the stores to play and have a hand in the future of the story. They will be buying into this lifelong hobby and the actual events of the campaign. It has been almost one year since Age of Sigmar arrived and the game finally has traction. Heads are turning and the interest is growing once again. Those of us that remained faithful need to be the catalyst in getting the scattered groups directed to podcasts, forums, and social media pages so the community can become stronger them Sigmarite. I am very excited to see what this week brings and I hope the above rambling encouraged all of you just the same. If we each get one friend involved in this game/hobby then we can enter year two stronger then anyone would have imagined this time last year. #OnlyTheFaithful View the full article

I have yet to rebase my old armies....and I do not intend to do so. Over the past months I have really enjoyed Age of Sigmar. The Campaigns, Narratives, Fluff, and all the new hobby abound have filled my time. I have seen many people rebase their old armies to the new round bases and it is great seeing people embrace this new system, but I simply could not bring myself to rebase (even my unpainted models) despite them looking much better on rounds. I couldn't understand why I was hesitant. My local scene is mostly square, but they admittedly do not have the time or urge to rebase. I had the urge (and time) many times, but always chose not to go through with the process. At first I assumed I simply wasn't entirely done with 8th and would go back to play a game here or there until AoS had an abundance of scenarios and campaigns. We all know that there is more then enough of these now and I still chose not to rebase. My painting table currently has this block of Executioners on it ready rank and file to victory, but I truly doubt I will use them ranked in an 8th ed. battle (and I have no intention of playing 9th age or KoW). I realized that I am pretty much done with 8th ed. and will be playing AoS and if an old scenario from 8th grabs my attention I would rather rework it to fit into AoS then bust out the movement trays. I realized that I was done with 8th ed. game play, but I wasn't done with the army. I wanted to pay my tribute so to speak to the 8th armies I had been working on. I had a vision of what they were going to be and that vision didn't change with AoS. I still see Ranked Armies in my head and I still enjoy the thought of the army being finished in this way. So I will finish my Dark Elf and Wood Elf armies on squares because that was my vision. However, I embrace AoS Fully with a new army and a new vision that includes round bases. Besides I could always use Aelfs... #OnlyTheFaithful View the full article

Well It looks the same so far.... Over the past year and a half our game has gone through big changes. We had our End Times both in game and within the community. As of now the Faithful (#OnlyTheFaithful!) feel pretty happy with ol' GW and for good reasons. Let's go back a bit and see just how it all has changed (from my part of the world anyway). Who can forget this guy? There he is, the Silent Guardian. What seemed like a permanent fixture at Warhammer World was always there to greet those lucky Tabletop Generals who could travel and play at Games Workshop Main. However, the times would change.... Sigmar Arrives! An audible gasp was heard across the globe as the statues and wings were replaced as Games Workshop began to push their new baby. Age of Sigmar had arrived and all bets were off. Sadly the initial launch was mismanaged and the community suffered for it. Some held true while others went looking for greener pastures. Thankfully this error would be recognized by Games Workshop and the upswing would begin! Back in the game. Games Workshop is back on social media and interacting with all of us and simply ignoring the hate that may come there way. The have released the First Draft of the FAQ to ask our input. They invited some of our favorite pod-casters (Listen to them here!) to come play test and offer input to give us what we needed and have been asking for from the start. A points system that is official and allows anyone to play someone else easily. They are running a painting competition on their page. Recently I was even given direct Games Workshop prize support for my local club to increase of scenery foot print and prizes (as well as a campaign pack to use for the event). They are finally listening and those Faithful can be happy as we enter this exciting new time in Age of Sigmar. More and more new players are getting in and hopefully some of those that left long ago will return. So lets be ready to put some toy soldier son the boards and throw some dice as our community grows again! View the full article

WAAAAAGH...and all that... Orruks (previously Orcs) have always had a special place in my heart. It was an army I almost began my hobby with due to their comical and bestial nature. Look at the jolly guy above. He screams Warhammer to me in all the right ways. Look how happy he is for a fight Now we finally see Greenskins return in force to the Mortal Realms and I cannot be more pleased. They look great and still held onto the Warhammer Orc Charm that I thought would be lost or adjusted with the new setting. The fluff bits that are out pretty much cement the fact that Orruks are still the lovable Orcs we knew from The World that was. They are still scrapin' for a fight and carry the same accent as always, just a bit more armored. My Orc from WAR Even with my love and preference for Aelfs (Elves) above all else these Greenskins always found a way to capture my attention and with the new relase I find it harder and harder to resist jumping in for a scrap with da boys. I happen to have the perfect general(s) as well... A repaint and rebase would be in order Now to continue my futile attempt at not joining the WAAAGH. View the full article

Age of Sigmar is considered a living game, but what does that mean? For decades we have had a "stagnant" game with Warhammer Fantasy. While the rules did update and units/characters came in and out of the game the overall setting and story remained the same and if any advancement was made it was pulled back to a prior time to keep the Fantasy Setting intact. With Age of Sigmar we have a continuously evolving story where each new book can potentially move the story forward, kill off characters, or possibly add new characters. This can be very exciting, exhausting, and even frightening. Look back at The End Times to see an (Extreme) example of a living game. While it can be a roller coaster ride as far as the fluff is concerned the benefit to rules can be great. My favorite example of this would be X-wing. The game releases Waves with new ships and cards and even new factions in the case of Scum. While there is no official story for X-wing they do utilize the fluff from the Star Wars Universe to create their pilots, ships, and upgrade cards. As I have stated in a previous post I enjoyed The End Times and so far I am enjoying the fast pace of Age of Sigmar. While my Wallet is still hoping they step off the gas a bit I do hope the living system continues at a consistent pace regarding fluff and rules. I want the story to move, but not at a snails pace or leaps and bounds and as new Warscrolls are introduced I would prefer they mix up the "Meta" for gaming without turning into needing to buy the newest toy in order to compete. While I would enjoy having a Grand Alliance Book not be outdated weeks after its release I am not opposed to buying yearly updated copies (at the nicely costed price) as new scrolls are added. I can not complain to much considering the Warscrolls are being printed in White Dwarf and updated in the App, but seeing books being incomplete very quickly is not a trend I would like to see continue. Gamesworkshop is getting more involved in our community once more and as these issues arise I hope our voice will be heard (above and hate or mocking that may be present) so our living game can continue and evolve better as the Ages roll on. View the full article

I will begin with saying SPOILERS!!!! as I will be discussing parts of the recent Balance of Power book for Age of Sigmar. I have recently completed my first read through of Warhammer Age of Sigmar: The Realmgate Wars (book 2) Balance of Power. The book moved the story ever forward as we have been promised with the new Game and The Mortal Realms are as exciting as ever, but this time around there was more focus on the gods of the realms. In the realm of Life Alarielle is continuing her escape with add from the Sylvaneth as well as the Hallowed Knights (ONLY THE FAITHFUL!). She begins a metamorphosis along the way and her (literal) Right hand decides on a path to cleanse any possible corruption and allow her soul to absorb the honor and glory from fallen heros so she might be reborn as warrior queen so she might lead her armies to retake the realm from Nurgle. During a final climactic battle Sigmar sends down his Celestant-Prime and boy does this guy deliver. I wont go into much detail on his battles, but if you get a chance to read anything about when he comes to battle get ready for an enjoyable time. Ultimately the battle ends with only Stormcasts alive as the Prime uses Ghal-Maraz to turn the Nurgle Champion leader into a fine red mist. However, it is not the end for this guy as we find out. Nagash makes a (very)small appearance as A new Stormhost is sent to aid Neferata and seek to parlay with the Lord of Death. There is plenty of Slaanesh in this battle which is great to see. The God of Excess is very much alive....somewhere. Sadly, not much else happens in this arc, but we will probably see more in the novels and dramas coming out soon. In the realm of metal we get to see Vandus Hammerhand (the golden boy himself) continue to lead his Hammers of Sigmar into battle, but this time around it doesn't go as it has. Archaon himself comes in battle ensues between the two. Archaon is able to vanquish Vandus and send his soul back to be reforged and I am very much looking forward to seeing how this changes Vandus. His Chamber does not fair much better, but died to a man in the death of heros. During this part there is a small line as a Tzeentch Sorcerer is conversing with one of the Four Greater Demons that fought Sigmar oh so long ago. He tells of Archaon's true name and how he could be swayed back to the light. At first this seems like a throw away line until we get to the very last page of the book... Remember that Nurgle Champion? Well it was explained that he was corrupted by Nurgle despite being a stalwart champion of the realm of life. He never died, but was slowly corrupted which is why Sigmar was not able to sweep him up to be reforged (Even during the battle which he died to the Primes hammer he has a small moment of doubt in what he has done). So here he is reborn as a Hallowed Knight ready to take revenge on the Chaos that so long corrupted him. This is the balance of power. For so long Chaos has been able to tempt and taint mortal beings to fight for them. Chaos has always had the upper hand in this as when one began to fall there was no escape. It seems Sigmar has found a way to purify these souls who are corrupted. Sigmar can now possibly redeem any (noble) Chaos Champions/Warrior killed in battle by pulling their soul to Azyr to be reforged and rid of the Chaos taint. So what about that throw away line about Archaon? Is it possible for Archaon to be reforged as a Stormcast (possibly as powerful as the Celestant-Prime himself?). It all would appear so if someone can kill Archaon to allow this to happen. Either way I am very excited to see how this plays out in the next campaign book! View the full article

For Empire! For Sigmar! When Age of Sigmar released I knew I would be picking up the starter set. Not for a love of either army (in fact I would trade the Bloodbound for some Dark Elf models), but to support the new game system. What I did not expect was that I would begin to love the Stormcast models. After listening to the audio dramas it gave me fresh insight and new appreciation to the army. When deciding on how to paint my Stormcast I went with a theme I created back when Paint Hammer ran a painting competition using the free Stormcast that came with the White Dwarf at the time. The Reiskguard were always an army I wish I had time and money to do. The look and story behind them always captivated me. Sadly the World would end and they would be no more? Or maybe they would? So for the competition I painted my Stormcast in Reiksguard Red and White and used a few Empire bits I had. My First Reiksguard Stormcast... (Lord Celestant) After I picked up the starter set I let this idea take shape. I didn't overload the army with Empire bits (in fact there are only a few models with anything directly tied to the Empire models), but I used a few kitbashed models as leaders and put the color scheme to work on the rest. Below is the continuation of this idea. Knight Vexillor Lord Relictor Knight Azyros Lord Celestant on Dracoth Celestant-Prime Prosecutors Paladin Retributors Liberators So there is the picture dump of my Army. These models are great to build and paint and I intend to grow the force in the future. However, I am currently working on my new Aelf Army for AoS so it may be some time (that and I have countless other projects I am on as well). Hope you enjoy my take on the Stormcasts and I will leave you this week with the fluff I wrote up for this army. #OnlyTheFaitful View the full article

The Tomb Kings are exiting the scene and it is indeed a sad day. While they will be around the gaming tables for a while to come the lack of support from Games Workshop means they will most likely fade away at some point. Lost somewhere between The World That Was and The Mortal Realms. The models may be going away, but The Tomb Kings cannot ever be fully forgotten. Nagash appears to be permanently ingrained within the Age of Sigmar Lore and he is surrounded in the Mythos of The Tomb Kings. Not to mention Settra is running around The Realm of Chaos still. It is possible that this army will return down the road one day. Age of Sigmar is a constantly changing narrative with endless possibilities. I would not bat an eye to any player using Tomb Kings in a game and writing their own fluff to support why they are still around. I would encourage such a thing as it is how to make your army your own and drive the narrative. I remember joining in on the race to gather resources to allow our our Dwarf Airship to Venture to The Tomb Kings Lands in Warhammer Online Age of Reckoning. When I made it I set to work chopping down skeletons and picking up some trophies to adorn my armor and a beautiful Tomb King Themed Great Sword for my Swordmaster to wield in battle. Sadly this game would also experience its own End Times and be no more...except for fond memories. In The tabletop version will be much longer lasting thankfully. Even if I do not play a Tomb Kings army again I will remember my victories from 8th ed. and The World That Was from the trophies I gathered from my victories over them. My First Trophy ever claimed in any Warhammer Game during my very first Gamesday (Looking back on it they probably let me win...) Ever see a Pheonix Guard block hold up half a Tomb Kings force? This guy has and lived to tell the tale! So whenever I field my High Elves (whether they get rebased or not) there will be reminders of the Tomb Kings for me and my opponent. So they will never truly be buried to me as I will carry these mementos into this unknown future. Settra did not kneel when faced with Death(Nagash) himself and neither should the Tomb King Players out there Kneel at the Face of Death(Squatting?) of their line. #OnlyTheFaithful View the full article

My original plan for this weeks post was to talk about my "top secret" Age of Sigmar Aelf army, but while working on said army today I began thinking about rebasing and base sizes. That train of thought gripped me to the point I decided to make this post about my thoughts on the subject. Remember when this picture dropped? Many people have rebased an old Fantasy Army or are currently in the process of doing so. Some are using inserts while others are clipping models from their old squares and putting them on "appropriate" size round bases. So what does appropriate mean? What looks the best? What may give the best advantage in game play? What I have laying around? There are valid points for every argument here so what are we to do? My local scene is still small and most were very upfront and vocal that they will never rebase. I thought about rebasing as well, but with my local scene keeping squares for the chance of old edition games I decided it was best to leave my square based model as they are and simply begin a new army and use rounds (until my local scene changes its mind). Everyone has seemed to settle on some standards for basing and that is a great thing, but something written (and proven to work) would help resolve any left over feelings for staying square. Thankfully the SCGT 2016 packs dropped and BAM (timing is everything)! We have something written down to push the community to rounds. Is it required? Yes...and no... You must be on rounds, but you can blue tac your squares to rounds. A simple fix that shouldn't bother anyone to much. On top of that I really like how you wont lose paint score, but are not eligible to win painting awards unless you are fully committed to rounds bases. I really like the concept of being able to go up a base size if you choose. I can see this being adopted across the Tournament (and eventually the casual) community in the months to come. Just like Mo/Clash Comp came around and suddenly turned this whole AoS tournament ship in the right direction I believe SCGT Pack will push the community toward round basing as the standard. The community is still growing and it is an exciting time to be one of the faithful! Now back to basing my army.... #OnlyTheFaithful I have no affiliation with SCGT or Heelanhammer Podcast, but if you are interested in viewing the tournament packs or checking out their podcast please do so here: http://heelanhammer.com/ View the full article

The End times had begun. The great necromancer Nagash was born again and the world would never be the same... I was excited when The End Times kicked off and rushed to secure a copy and jump right into the story. I was enjoying the battles and the intrigue as I read through my copy and then it happened. Eltharion The Grim was killed. That was when I knew something was different. It was when I began to hold my breath for what was to come and found myself clinging to hope as my favorite characters were doing throughout the series. The Fall of Altdorf, Naggaroth, Eight Peaks, Lustria, and countless other places would sting as they happened, but as an Elf Player nothing prepared me for Rhana Dandra (The Elven Last War on Chaos)... Seeing Malekith rise as Phoenix King and Tyrion's fall (and romance with Morathi?) from grace managed to mix every emotion I had in a blender to figure out where I would stand. At long Last I sided with the True Phoenix King...Malektih. Ulthuan would sink as would my heart, but Life continues and so did the story. I saw many people get conflicted at the Rules and the Story. I chose to embrace it all and enjoy the journey I was on and looking back I am glad I did. I never refused a game with Khaine Magic wheter I was playing my Elves or Dwarfs. I played multiple games with all the rules out the window when Archaon dropped. I enjoyed it all and I am glad I did so and still hope to get more End Times games in the future. The End Times happened with our community as well. My local scene would collapse as I watched the global community explode. I stayed my course and held onto the spark in the darkness along with Sigmar until we finally arrived at The Age of Sigmar. The community was small, but the few the survived have begun rebuilding and I am happy to add my efforts to make this new World(s) great as The Old World once was. For those that left I wish you good gaming and hope to see you keep gaming in whichever system you choose. For those who made it through the realm of Chaos to The Mortal Realms I am glad to stand shoulder to shoulder with you as we take War to this new Age. To this New Beginning! View the full article

Welcome to The Realm Gate Blog where I will be bringing you my thoughts and ramblings on Warhammer Age of Sigmar (and probably Fantasy and 40k from time to time). Join me as I add my voice to the community (as an amateur and very new blogger). This box is where it all began for me in earnest. I received it as Christmas gift from my folks after showing interest in the game at my local shop. It wasn't my first model kit, but it is where I finally began to understand the scope of this hobby. This box sat somewhere in my house for far to long as my interest in Warhammer originated from the MMO Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and not from a desire to model or paint. Soon this would change... (My Character from Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning) After the MMO became old news I finally decided to begin assembling and painting my models. I gave myself a deadline of the next Gamesday in my local area (May 2013). I had a little over two months so I felt quite confident I could accomplish my goal. Needless to say I had no idea the amount of work this hobby required, but I stuck to it and after many sleepless nights and long weekends I was feeling excited. Then this issue dropped.... I had points to spare so I decided to paint a Flamspyre Phoenix to join my Host. The model released the day of the event and thankfully my local shop gave me the model a day early after I informed them of my plan. I probably slept 2hrs that night as I painted like a mad man with excitement of my first battles ahead of me! I went 1-2 that day and I am pretty sure my one win was handed to me, but it was a great day and I learned a lot that day and my first steps into this hobby turned into a full on sprint. My journey continued with additional armies, local tournaments, narrative games and I enjoyed every bit of it. Soon this mild distraction on the side became my main hobby and would take up more and more of my time as I delve deeper and deeper. I would eventually find pod casting such as Garagehammer and Heelanhammer (both who are still around in the Age of Sigmar) as time went on. I would continue on my journey and along the way improve myself as a gamer and hobbyist and eventually became one of leaders for Fantasy (and now AoS) in my local scene. My true test was yet to come. It was a test many faced. It was The End Times and I will explore how I made it through next time... View the full article