Wee Gamers from Northern Ireland

Seasame censored

2008-07-14T22:54:00.000+01:00

This made me laugh very hard

Back again for more

2008-07-14T11:15:00.003+01:00

Well i have not been the most regular updater of a blog, but at least it hasn't lain idle since 2005 like some.

I have some photos to upload and a wee report on the first real Games Workshop 40k tournament in Northern Ireland, which happened at Q-Con in Belfast. It were right bloody brilliant.

More 40k goodness has been happening lately as well and i have recieved my package - the gamers edition - with much delight. Not to mention the up-coming Apocalypse Reload book. Huzzah.

I have not been roleplaying or reading that much recently but i hope to get back into it again - just too many commitments with 2 kids a job a wife and numerous other things sucking away my time. Not that i mind too much.

I have almost finished painting my first Baneblade so will put up piccies as soon as posible.

40k: Revolutions

2008-05-08T20:33:00.002+01:00

Well by now you should already be aware of the imminent release of 40k 5th Edition.

Some nice rumours can be found at Bell of Lost Souls

There is also a mother of all cheesy trailers on the GW website at

Surprised that they have it hosted on Youtube, but there you go the money meisters are at it again, probably knowing full well that they do not have to do that much of a hard sell.

I have dibs on the Gamers edition which will, apparently, be in a nice ammo crate box with some counters.

I also received via the 40K underworld an alleged copy of the 5th edition pre-finished in a pdf format. I wonder if this is a real thing, and if it is - is it a deliberate leak to get people playing with the new rules now so they will be used to the difference come July when it is launched??

End of 2008 will come with a thud

2008-04-03T22:59:00.003+01:00

The news I have been waiting on is here, even though the game is not. Cyanide, the erstwhile makers of Chaos League, will be making a major contribution to the diverse Games Workshop portfolio by producing the computer version of one of the most popular board games ever – Blood Bowl.

Chaos League was a great game and was seen as Blood Bowl on the PC in all but name. This led to a minor kafuffle with GW, but all seemed to end amicably with Cyanide gaining the official license to produce Blood Bowl based computer games and that the Chaos League title was transferred to GW. An undisclosed amount of money was coughed up by cyanide for the privilidge.

However, it seems to have paid off with even the tiny amount of info on the website looking beautiful and making me drool too much.

Methinks this Christmas is going to be good.

Below is the official statement on the game from Cyanide.

Release Date : Year-end 2008 Official Website : http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/

The Blood Bowl game, currently being developed by Cyanide and to be published by Focus Home Interactive, is an adaptation of Games Workshop's highly successful board game. Matches, involving two teams of 11 players, are as tactical as American football, but far more violent! The winner is the team that scores the most touchdowns (i.e. gets the ball into the opposition end zone) and it's basically no holds barred to that end! It even happens that the players on one side are completely wiped out... Despite the best efforts of the Apothecaries.
Discover or relive furious Blood Bowl matches via the turn-based mode which fully respects the rules of the Living Rulebook 5. If you're up to it, there is also a real-time mode which will seriously test your nerves and your reflexes.

Become coach of an unmerciful team of Blood Bowlers and recruit players from 8 different races: Chaos, Dwarfs, Goblins, Humans, Lizardmen, Orcs, Skavens or Wood Elves.

Lead your players to victory and progress them through multiplayer championships (Internet).
Renew and upgrade player equipment so as to improve their characteristics, making them even more dangerous and pitiless during a game.

Customize your players, creating your own identity for your team.

Blood Bowl development is on-going and the game should hit the shelves (with a heavy thud) by year-end 2008. Keep up to date on events via the official game website (news, screens, videos...). You can also interact with the development team and ask all sorts of questions via the game forum.

Beta-testing is under way thanks to a full complement of dedicated players. At present, we are seeking no more beta testers.

Thanks for your interest in Blood Bowl.

In memory of Gary Gygax who has died at 69

2008-03-07T09:36:00.002Z

Gary Gygax, one of the co-creators of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, died on 4th March 2008 at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Gygax designed the original D&D game with Dave Arneson in 1974, and went on to create the Dangerous Journeys and Lejendary Adventure RPGs, as well as a number of board games. He also wrote several fantasy novels.

Gygax went beyond the role of game developer and appeared as himself in episodes of Futurama and Code Monkeys.

He will be missed.

Fantasy Flight Games to Exclusively Publish Board Games, Card Games, and Roleplaying Games based on Games Workshop properties

2008-02-26T17:06:00.002Z

Latest announcement from Black Industries

22/February/2008 - Fantasy Flight Games Announcement

Fantasy Flight Games to Exclusively Publish Board Games, Card Games, and Roleplaying Games based on Games Workshop properties.Roseville, Minnesota (February 22, 2008) – Fantasy Flight Games (“FFG”) and Games Workshop (“GW”) jointly announced today that they have reached an agreement for Fantasy Flight Games to become the exclusive publisher of board games, card games (including collectible card games), and roleplaying games based on Games Workshop’s family of renowned intellectual properties including Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40,000.

Additionally, the deal will grant FFG the exclusive rights to publish new versions of the classic board and card games titles published by Games Workshop over the last 25 years.Additionally, a second agreement between the parties will transfer the publication rights and system of the Universal Fighting System CCG, formerly published by Sabertooth Games, to FFG.“We are just so thrilled to partner with Games Workshop in such an encompassing deal,” said Christian T. Petersen, CEO and founder of FFG. “Not only will we be able to continue the publication of some phenomenal roleplaying, card, and board games currently on the market, but we look forward to creating new games for the popular GW universes!”

"In Fantasy Flight Games, we’ve found a partner who shares our passion for gaming and our dedication to producing the highest quality products,” said Andy Jones, Head of Legal and Licensing for Games Workshop. “e legacy of our board, card, and roleplaying games is in the best possible hands with them, and we are extremely excited about the prospects of seeing some fabulous new games set in our universes as well. ”

Mobile blogging

2007-09-17T14:55:00.000+01:00

Huzzah blogging from my mobile

The Flixter Test

2007-08-07T10:02:00.001+01:00


	My Flixster

I win!!!

2007-07-22T20:35:00.000+01:00

Went into GW Belfast and entered the miniature competition and guess what??

I won. Huzzah for me.

The winning entry was.......

A grand day out to get trashed

2007-07-15T17:03:00.000+01:00

Well, my army of Space Marines got their asses handed to them for breakfast – twice. Once by the Ultra Marines and once by the Imperial Guard.

The first game was against Trev and his Ultramarines, tooled up with a Land Raider, a Predator and a Whirlwind. Throw in some scouts with sniper rifles, a few Space Marine troop choices (one with a Razor Back Rhino), jump troops, close combat terminators and a jump packing Chaplain. My God, what a ton of stuff for 1700 points.

Mine looked piddly compared with his – and as ever numbers can be the real key. The more bodies on the ground the more shots you can fire off.

The scenario was Take and Hold, where the table was quartered and to capture the quarter you had to have a scoring unit in the quarter without any opposing units contesting it.

Unfortunately, I became so engrossed with the game I did not take notes. However, some of the highlights were the vindication of blowing the hell out of his whirlwind, predator and razorback with a few well placed lazcannon and krak missile shots – but alas these small victories came too late in the day with his tanks leaving my lot in a devastating mess. His termies were just shit hot but I took him down from 5 to 2 with an immobilised dreadnought and a couple of ordinary troop space marines – very pleasing indeed. I just imagined the space marine carrying the lazcannon bashing out the brains of one unlucky terminator with lightening claws.

My Command squad could have done better but in the end held their own for 3 turns with the Chaplain, Master and Champion still alive at the end. They did well but still not sure if they are worth the points. That said I really enjoyed the way they were hard enough to take one 4 units at once, including the assault marines with the Chaplain.

My two dreads were both immobilised but kept fighting and shooting as much as they could and the Land Raider went out of action around turn 3 or 4. My Terminators were knocked off early and thus I lost my ‘Assault cannons of Death’. Though I was stupid in setting them up in full view of his shooters. Ah well. In the end I think it would have been a narrow solid victory as it would only have taken another round to finish me off and he had two quarters to my one. The last quarter being contested.

I have to say though over all I loved the game. Nail biting for me at times but fun. One of the main things I learnt was watch were your opponent sets up, use cover and take out as many light to medium tanks before the bigger ones. I spent two much time trying desperately to blow the hell out of his Land Raider. I glanced it and penetrated that sucker nearly every turn and all I could roll on damage was ones or twos. I had my assault troops attack it as my sergeant had a power fist. I hit, I penetrated and ……. I destroyed an armament. Ended up being a bloody pintle mounted storm bolter. AAAaaaahhhhhh. His termies launched out of the Land Raider on one side and a group of six space marines dumped out the back of their razorback on the other side. I was still scraping my assault troop’s sorry asses off the table when the game ended.

The next game was against the Imperial Guard. They ended up being hard as ….. well, as hard as a really hard thing. I committed the cardinal sin of underestimating the imperial guard and how they can be upgraded – carapace armour and plasma guns. My friend had a great time ripping the marines to shreds.

I stupidly fell for a ‘come and get me if you think you’re hard enough’ trick when he placed a full squad of guards close to the front of my Land Raider in which I had my Command Squad. My idiocy knew no bounds when my Command Squad leapt out and had fun decimating them only to have hordes of the bloody imperial guard spend the next few turns turn my Command Squad, slowly but surely, into plasmatic gloop. Never, ever, ever underestimate Imperial Guard, their cheapness and the number of plasma guns they can bring to bear. Tank Shock, damn it, tank shock!!!! His command squad was right behind.

Leman Russ Tanks are a real bastard to kill. As hard as a Land Raider on the front they were nigh on indestrucable to my firing as I kept up my luck from the last game – rolling ones and twos on the damage charts.

Mind you in the very first round of shooting I took out his Hellhound and in retaliation he blew up one of my dreadnoughts. He also fired his nice battle cannon at one of my squads and took them out to a man. Wow, blatant weapon of mass destruction.

He essentially wiped out my assault squad and command squad with cheap troops tooled up with plasma guns.

Ah well, back to the drawing board.

I may have lost both battles but I was still happy with the moments of small victories and good dice rolling. The command squad was expensive but I loved them to bits.

I will upload the list I used in the next post – hopefully – and then tweak. I like the army but I need to just get a bit more out of them.

First Outing for GT Army

2007-07-14T20:43:00.000+01:00

Well today i had my first outing with my Grand Tournament army as a dry run for the actual event in August.

I used the Dark Angel veteran models for my command squad with a Company Master converted from the Azrael model. Make no mistake though, this is no Dark Angels list.

It is just an ordinary Adeptus Astartes Codex Chapter, with a leaning towards the darker ritual based side of the Space Marines.

I am going with the Marines as, basically, i like them and i have a lot to learn in tactics. I can think of them afterwards but never, it seems, at the time when it would help me win a battle.

To the left is a picture of a Sergeant from my Chapter. It is a very nice model and i like the style. The colours are metallic silver, metallic gold and black with a little bit of crimson thrown in every so often.

This style came from the beginnings of my Daemonhunter army, which i only have one full 10 man squad of Grey Knights in Power Armour and one 5 man squad of Grey Knights in Terminator Armour. I really liked the colours i was able to come up with and how them all seemed to complement each other, or at least i think so anyway.

I thought they looked Gothic, dirty and powerful. Something which always appealed to me about 40K.

To the right is my Grey Knight Brother Captain in terminator armour. Hope you like it, but he is far from finished, paint job wise.

I think that is what i like about metallics - they can look finished fairly quickly. Which helps as i am a lazy bastard when it comes to painting.

I will put up the army list i used tomorrow as well as a couple of write ups on how they went.

Lets just say that its not the winning that matters but the taking part.

A GT Virgin am I

2007-07-04T20:27:00.000+01:00

I love playing 40k. It is a load of fun and i always puts me in mind to paint those damn minis i have bought.

There is a yearly grand tournament on the outskirts of Dublin and this year i am taking the plunge by having a go.

A grand tournament is basically a big excuse for over 16s to play wargames. The tickets are 60 Euros or about £40. So i phoned Games workshop mail order and placed my order.

The GT is taking place in the Clarion Hotel in Liffey valley and i am bringing my own command squad (wife and little pink daemon now 10 months old)

I got kicked into action at Q-Con 14 in June this year when i met up with Martin Morrin from GW who organised a 40k 1000 point tournament at the con. I could not take part as i was not able to arrive in time. I had visitors in the morning and that scuppered the old plans - ah well.

So - hotel booked and tickets booked - what next. Ah yes the army. At 1700 points it looks like i can have a good go at making a good list.

Unfortunately for me it is so damn hard to do, but i will give it my best shot. Hopefully on the 14th July some of my friends and i will have a run through but i have a feeling my ass will be handed to me on a plate as usual.

I will put my list up as soon as i have something finalised but i keep changing my mind!!

A Picture of the back of my head at Q-Con 13

2007-03-31T17:34:00.000+01:00

Here's the link

http://www.dragonslayers.org.uk/gallery/v/Q-con/friday/84.jpg.html

The Secret Lives of Mobs

2007-03-31T14:56:00.000+01:00

Just found a really nice little webcomic called The Secret Lives of Mobs.

It is a web comic based on the forthcoming Warhammer Online game.

It seems to have just started but looks really funny.

Q-Con 14

2007-03-31T00:30:00.000+01:00

Q-Con 14 is on its way. Online pre-registration is now open

A troll comes a knocking - Q-Con 2006

2007-03-29T22:27:00.000+01:00

This is one to reminisce over. This was one particular scene from last years Q-Con. My friend Trev ran a Lord of the Rings game which was absolutlely fantastic as the win was in the very last throw of the dice.

I have been looking through my picture database and lots of memories are coming through. This was a great Q-Con. I got my ass handed to me by everybody ina 40K tournament that some chaos guy won.

For more Q-Con 13 photos go to my Q-Con 13 album and leave a few comments.

I have been toying with trying Flickr but i am not sure yet

I R NPC

2007-03-27T12:58:00.000+01:00

I had a really strange gaming session last night at TTN.

I had not been for a while and had missed out on joining in with a super heroes campaign. Hey ho.

But last night i got a chance to visit TTN and floated around a bit before joining some friends to chat about lots of different gaming crap while they waited for their GM to arrive. They are currently playing a True D20 game called 'The Savage Tide', a sort of pirates meets made adventurers looking for loot and experience.

I was invited to play some of the NPCs they would meet as well as another guy - sorry can't remember his name. This might be interesting, i thought. And so i sat down ready for the moments i would be needed.

The group of adventurers last night were

Vash - a halfling of indeterminate alignment with a disturbing obsession with giving opponents a brutal vasectomy without anaesthetic.
Rakim "the Monkey" - not a monkey but an adventurer who looks and acts very like Errol Flynn. God bless 'im.
"Grim" Tom - a big black mofo who is grim and called Tom. 'We're doomed'
Solomon Prune - a wizard with a yellow streak a mile wide but unlucky for the enemy to have near them as they constantly seem to fall over or trip up unexpectedly during combat.

They are down a hole in the ground and start looking around. Above the the noise of running water close by they hear ..... not much. Vash stumbles over a door and SNEAKS through in true Order of the Stick fashion. The group find themselves in a corridor and start hearing - or thinking they are hearing - voices. At least the voices were not in their heads. More doors are discovered and they move through the closest. A small antechamber with a table, chairs and a set of playing cards strewn across them. And ........ another door. They hear movement on the other side and Rakim decided to surprise them. Only he got a surprise - it was a sword trap that almost sliced him in two but he did his Errol Flynn thang and somersaulted back into the safe room where his comrades stood laughing.

Moving back down the corridor in the other direction they once again came across a door with voices behind it. In burst our erstwhile heroes to find a load ofroguish like rogues practicing mugging people onhanging dummies. This is where i came in with a trusty d20 and a very dodgy west country accent 'Oilave you, moi lovelies'. I think the 6 npc goons lasted slightly longer than normal,a total of 8 rounds i believe. Vash agian kept going for the goulies while Grim Tom and Rakim had a whale of a time down a few of the inbred goons. Butmy d20 kept my favourite goon going til the very last - almost survived the encounter. With a light cornish accent and effeminate approach, he was as camp as a row of tents and had taken a fancy to Rakim, which i thinkkept putting him off his swing. But he had his revenge on the annoying oik with a swift kick to the head when 'camp' boy was knocked off his feet.

The rest of the evening consisted of the group convincing the other 'Deliverance' wannabes that a molotov cocktail was in fact the 'mighty Prune' firing off a fireball -which seemed to work until they found themselves trying to also run away from what seemed to be a jabberwock - looking forhis jub-jub tree probably.

I left at this point as i had to get home to see my own little munchkin and wifey. I have never had such fun playing an NPC and winding up the player characters. Thanks Gary, Trev, Tim, Scott and Tony for making me laugh so much i nearly had an asthma attack - and i don't have asthma!

Games acoming

2007-03-26T12:49:00.000+01:00

Recently i have been quiet again because i have had very little time to roleplay and any spare time i have had i have been painting minis.

I have a load of old plastic Space Marines (the Rogue Trader plastics) that i am putting together and painting becuase i thought "waste not, want not". I also bizarrely have loads of plastics from the 2nd days - nice and quick clip together minis.

Currently i have a Grey Knight terminator squad decently painted and a grey knight 10 man power armour squad aslo not bad in the old painting stakes - although it is very easy to paint the blighters as they are silver. The old drybrushing is a god send.

A friend showed me how to base them and let me tell you a good basing is as good as a good paint job on the figure. I will take pics and upload in the next week.

I am going to use them as allies with my own army the "Headhunters" chapter 231. Still doing the background fluff and i am not yet sure of the complete backgroud and where they come from.

Pictures of the lads will be forthcoming.

All your Firebase are belong to us

2007-03-19T13:28:00.000Z

There are plenty of really good Warhammer 40K websites outthere but one of the best is called Warseer.

There are forums, rumours, galleries, and tons of goodies.

They also run an online 40k magazine called 'Firebase'- very good stuff in there. These guys are dedicated.

Life ploughs on

2007-03-15T13:08:00.000Z

Unfortunately i have not been able to attend TTN for a while now and am missing out on a good roleplaying session of superhero type goodness. Ah well, i may get back at some stage.

I want to host a few table top games at TTN, though i am looking forward to a massive space marine vs genestealer slugfest in April. The whole set up looks really good and it won't be using entirely Warhammer 40K rules and should be a good laugh. I will give an update and hopefully post some pictures of what happened.

Some friends and myself are getting ready for a big 40K game over Easter and i currently drawing up a scenario for it. Again i will update the site when the event happens.

DM of the Rings - I give it 8/10

2007-03-12T19:19:00.000Z

Ok try this one for size.

The DM of the Ring

Absolutely brilliant piss take of a D&D rules campaign in Middle Earth. The Guy who runs the site, i guess is called Shamus Young, has creatd the web comic by using stills from the LOTR films and it works a treat.

"Horn of Gondor - Blow this horn in a moment of need and allies will arrive in time to give you a proper burial"

I give it a serious thumbs up. 8/10

Getting medieval onyour but-tocks

2007-03-07T12:16:00.000Z

Gump Fiction. Says it all really

Finally a new post

2007-03-07T10:47:00.000Z

Yes, finally a new post.

It has been a whilei know - in fact it has been too long and this is not really good enough.

I will try to re-jig the blog a bit and start updating more regularly again.

I have been out of the gaming scene fora while and with a new baby and work I have not been gaming as often as i would have hoped.

However, I am nothing if not determined. I want to add a few more categories and jazz up the site a bit.

I am a lazy Bastard

2006-10-26T14:39:00.000+01:00

Yes i am. It is almost Halloween. And i have not posted here for some time.

I have been doing many things, including playing Guild Wars, messing with google products, creating other blogs for messing around and becoming a dad.

I just could not be arsed writing anything on this blog.

I will try to get things together again. Soon. Very Soon.

Oh i like the blogger beta. If only they would do something about the Goggle webspace - it is really quite shit at the moment and really needs to have template access.

The Ninja will see you now

2006-09-01T12:28:00.000+01:00

I have been reading this one for a while now - and i love The Adventures of Dr McNinja - a ninja who's a doctor. The title kinda gives it away.

The drawings are good quality black and white with some seriously bizarre storylines.