Editorial: the Karma Deck

A couple of weeks back I was having a conversation with a long-time friend about 40k.  We often will discuss Warhammer 40k and, despite me rarely playing the game anymore, he appreciates my insight on various topics.  For now, I still keep up-to-date on the goings-on of 40k.  I think of 40k like an ex-girlfriend: we broke up a while ago and while I will never return to her, I do admit that I like to know what she's doing and how her life has changed.

During the course of my discussion with my friend about 40k, I had an idea come upon me.  We were discussing how dice can throw everything and it can be really frustrating when the dice are supposed to come back to help you, but sometimes never do.  It's a poor consolation that the dice should have rolled average over the course of a game but don't.  I came up with an idea that might maintain a level of randomness that is necessary for a game but with a greater degree of predictability and with proper probabilities that dice don't really offer.

Selling off my collections

I'm one of those individuals who tends to branch out into other factions instead of adding depth to just one.  Back when I played 40k, I simply didn't understand (and still don't) why some people owned 10,000 points of Space Marines, when they could just have 2000 points of 5 different factions and playstyles.  While I think that my perspective on owning multiple factions is mitigated in Warmachine/Hordes a bit - since each faction has different warcasters/warlocks that have different playstyles - I still find myself itching to branch out into different factions!  Unfortunately, I have come to the realization that I simply don't have enough time!

Random: Playing in a Sandbox

Originally I was going to start by writing an article on making some gaming tables for cheap (still, look for that article coming soon!) but I stumbled upon the site www.allsandboxes.com in my quest for good quality sand for basing.  Once I started browsing I had a crazy idea, "What if they make sandboxes that are 4 feet by 4 feet?" - that is, the standard table size for a game of Warmachine/Hordes.  Sure enough, they do!  Granted, it's about $100, but it does come with an optional cover.

"OH. MY. GOD.  I WANT TO PLAY WARMACHINE IN A SANDBOX!!!!!"

Scenario Table, Templecon video, and Trolls!

I'm still recovering a bit from Templecon so I haven't had enough material to cobble together a coherent article yet (even the one yesterday took me some time to put together), so today I will share a mish-mash of information for you all.  I'm still riding the wave of fun from the weekend and have been more highly motivated than usual to both get some teaching work done as well as continuing to get some hobby stuff done.  That said, today I will share with you what's been up lately and what to expect in the future!

Dealing with *twitch* wargaming wthdrawals

That's right, I need my wargaming fix.  Unfortunately, I now live in an area where the closest "local" game store is about 30 miles away.  The real problem, though, is that they don't really have a web site and although I've been there about a dozen times, I still cannot find anyone with whom to play a game.  The regulars at the store clearly prefer playing 40k, and although I make sure to bring a 40k army with me every time, it seems to be quite the insular crowd.  So what's a guy to do?  While I play board games with colleagues at least once every week, I find my senses are dulled from a lack of wargaming and I feel less motivated to do things that I normally would enjoy doing.  Do you feel the same way sometimes?  What can we do about it?

Random: Downsizing my Collection

 

Much like any adult, I find that my professional work life interferes with my desire for more gaming time.  I miss the days of yore when I had 8 hour blocks of time that I could use to play games or paint models, but alas, that is no longer the case.  As a boarding school teacher, I find that I either have very little free time (when classes are in session) or way too much (vacation time rocks), but in either case I find myself having a hard time getting around to painting models because I hate stopping in the middle (in the former case) or I have so many video games that I want to play (in the case of the latter).  Therefore, I am questioning whether I should try to downsize my collection so that I may meet my painting goals and ensure that I can devote enough time to my favorite factions.