Monday, May 23, 2011

I'm on a boat!

L'orenoque
http://www.modelexpo-online.com/product.asp?ITEMNO=MV23W

The above link is an image of a model sail and steam ship. It is actually a kit that goes for about $500.

Never fear I won't be buying anything like that... anytime soon. What I will be doing is using it as inspiration. Remember that board I said I was working on? I mentioned pictures? The pictures were full of lies but the board was not. It falls on my shoulders to add to the harbor scene the raiding vessel!

Here's the plan:

  • Steam and sail ship
  • 7" wide by 26-27" long
  • 2 masts
  • 2 decks
  • 6 guns (3 on each side)
  • wide open deck space so raiding player can set up her/his forces on the ship with enough room
  • paddle wheel will be one large wheel in the back of the ship with the engine room also in the back with the exhaust pipes coming out at 45 degrees
  • fore section will be built up if time allows
Construction
  1. foam core base
  2. office depot stirring sticks for wooden planks
  3. balsa wood dowels for masts
  4. aaaaaand I'm still working on the rest, more to come

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The time has come my friends...

...to speak of many things. Of shoes and ships and ceiling wax of carpenters... building ships.

Despite the silence I have been active.

The NoVA open tournament is coming up in August. Tim (I sent out the pictures of the house he was building) and I are building a board to submit to a scenario tournament. Best board wins. Additionally I signed up for the Warmachine/Hordes "softcore" tournament. Basically for the new folk who don't want the crap kicked out of them in the regular tournaments.

I need to build a ship.

Also if you don't follow the webpage Massive Voodoo then you are missing out:

http://massivevoodoo.blogspot.com/

http://www.coolminiornot.com/278799

Pictures to follow!

The more things change...

If you haven't heard it by now: GW is raising prices.


The best part about GW news (hell any news from anywhere really) is to read the blog chatter about it. Like wildfire the news will spread between popular blogs and websites. Granted the most vocal people (the ones with websites) aren't always the best informed or even have best perspective of the event they are commenting on. I like to think that by reading several different sites I'll get a better idea of the whole picture.


The sad fact is, you do not, in fact, get a better picture. You get a bunch of poorly informed fans screaming into the guano strewn, dank bat-cave that is the Internet. Why you stepped into the putrid hole we'll never know. Perhaps you thought there would be a kernel of truth amid all the offal?


What I have learned is that everyone can really be broken down into two camps: 1. pillars of frothing rage vs. 2. melancholy indifference.


The later category might be the most intriguing because of their sad and resigned tone; as if they were expecting this sort of behavior and have become inured to it.


The first group, the angry crowd, tend to focus on how GW is destroying themselves as a company. These posts generally read like a date who was dumped before prom night, someone in the throws of a "deep relationship" who has suddenly and unceremoniously been blown out of the water by the other person's behavior.


A bit of advice, sugar, is GW doesn't love you, it is not your friend, it is and always will be a business with shareholders to appease.


I do not have a business degree. I know enough about money to handle my own finances. As such I am free to comment about the business practices of GW my words ring a little hollow with my amateur-at-best understanding.


Despite this, though, there is an underlying theme of general dissent and displeasure about the company even from some of the more stalwart apologists. However, despite that GW's business practices have paid off because I believe they posted record (for their recent trend at any rate) earnings.


Let's get a few things straight though: we are a niche market. The demand for this particular product is low. Most people who wander into a GW store think they sell traditional board games (Monopoly, Scrabble, etc) and often walk away confused or chortling, "NERDS!" as they walk back to their SUV's. This is not a poor man's hobby. Even if you somehow manage to scratch build an entire force you're still going to sink a significant amount of cash into the project, nevermind time.


Then you have all of the other miniature companies who are not raising their prices.


What. Does. That. Mean?


I don't know but it upsets everyone to the point that many are flocking to other gaming systems. A friend of mine is a long time 40K player. He jumped ship to Flames of War and Privateer Press in response and he is not alone!


Only time will tell what happens. It would be hard to imagine a world without GW. But a franchise THAT big does not go down easily.