Wednesday Warriors at Good Games Melbourne

Name: Wednesday Warriors
Location: Good Games Melbourne (365 Lonsdale St, Melbourne)
Time: 12pm-1:30pm every Wednesday
Cost: Free
Army Size: 750 points

Let me introduce to you Wednesday Warriors, a lunchtime 40k meetup in Melbourne CBD. For all of you who aren't getting enough 40k in your week, this is an opportunity to squeeze in an extra game without impacting on your busy schedule.

Get Ready For Some Blogging Action!

Hello loyal readers... well those I still have :) After writing a post a week pretty consistently over the last two years, I have been on a bit of a blogging holiday over the last few months. Its pretty standard as a gamer to hit a lull in one part of the hobby, and I've gone from checking my blog hits daily to not even logging on to blogger in the last four weeks. Of course you can't keep a good gamer down, and I have been busy playing a bunch of great board games and obsessing over the Netrunner LCG.

Do not panic however, because I write to you now reinvigorated with blogging energy. As discussed I am looking into starting a new 40k meet in the city of Melbourne. This is ready to kick off, and I will dedicate a post to it very shortly. I also need to continue my articles on Tau in 6th edition, as delayed as they are. And expect further 40k podcast reviews as required.

Silent Blog, Not Wholly 40k

 Pardon the weak pun in the title

Sigh. I hate starting my posts by apologising, but its been over a month since my last post so I guess I am a little bit sorry :) So why haven't I been posting? Well I haven't played a game of 40k in months with no sign of the drought ending any time soon. And after working hard painting my Russian Imperial Guard I lost traction on that project. Haven't painted a Space Marine in a couple of months. Hey at least I have picked up the 6th edition rulebook.

So what I have been doing? Playing Android:Netrunner, deckbuilding Netrunner, browsing Netrunner forums and resisting starting a Netrunner blog. I absolutely love this game, the latest LCG from Fantasy Flight. But I've in general avoided posting about it here as this has always been primarily a wargaming blog, and I don't want to spam you all with off topic card game crap :)

That said, I am getting the 40k itch again. I want to play 6th edition games with my Crimson Fists! As a father of two I struggle to find the energy to organise a new playgroup and get out there. I guess  I am going to have to make time for it.

One thing I've been considering is starting a 750 point league at Good Games Melbourne on Wednesdays. I actually love playing at this points level because you have to think on your feet and cool stuff happens. Perhaps I'll get that off the ground in the new year.

Otherwise I have recently bought a couple of good board games so I could post reviews of those. I'll also post a toolbox Space Marine list I have been working on recently. Perhaps I'll get some painting done over the summer holidays and have some pretty pics to post!

Anyway, Merry Christmas to all my loyal readers and I hope you have a happy year of gaming to come in 2013.

Tournament: Judgement Day 7

So I'm back and recovered from a day of 6th edition 40k action at the annual Judgement Day tournament. This 750 point tournament is hosted by the Western Suburbs Wargaming Association, and this was the 7th year of its operation.

I had just finished painting this army the night before. A bunch of rats from the Warhammer box set painted up as Horrors and Nurglings, lead by the big man Kai-rat Fatecheeser himself. The display board was a plate I bought from a $2 store on the way home from work the night before, covered with air-drying clay, and spray painted and dry brushed in the morning. Here's the list:

• Fatecheeser
• 6 Horrors with bolt and icon
• 5 Horrors with bolt
• 5 Horrors with bolt
• 4 Nurglings
• 4 Nurglings

Podcast Reviews - Mantic + 40k

I have three new podcasts up for review this week. Interestingly two of them are Mantic related, which has been so rare up until now as to be non-existent.

Before I get into the reviews, just a quick note that The Overlords podcast has finally switched to a biweekly format. This is great news for me, as I had dropped them from my subscription list strictly due to time constraints. They are back on now and I enjoyed hearing those familiar voices.

The M42 Project - A 40k Alternative

I should have posted this a long time ago. I want to bring to the attention of all my readers the brave and original efforts of the crew at the M42 Project. This site is an attempt to build a set of balanced, simple wargaming rules in order to provide a directly competing alternative to the behemoth that is the 40k rulebook.

The site's progenitor is Sandwyrm, one of the contributors to The Back 40k; an excellent 40k blog that I have been following for years. I always liked his content there and so when he dropped the bombshell that he was making a serious attempt to write an alternative rule set for his 40k armies it got me excited. I quickly subscribed to the new blog he set up to document this endeavour.

Life Sized Space Marine Armour and then some

Sometimes people do amazing things. And then you meet some dude named Thorssoli. This gaming legend has done the most awesome thing that a 40k fanatic could ever do - he's gone and built himself his own full scale Space Marine power armour suit!

Actually he's making a whole bunch of them, even one with a heavy bolter AND the custom backpack. They stand 8' tall for christ's sake! Of course words fail to convey even an ounce of the ability this guy have. Have a look for yourself!

Want the full story? Then do what I have been doing over the past few months - start on page 1 of his forum blog and keep reading.

The Forum

As I am apparently terrible at providing in-depth articles at the moment, I thought I'd try to spam you with a few little things like this until I am inspired to write something with more heft. Anyone else nervous about 6th edition?

Still more 40k podcasts!

The TCP Podcast (link)


Over a year ago now, I wrote a review of The Codex Project (TCP), a website dedicated to the development of fan codices and rules for 40k. Obviously as a developer of fan rules myself I was intrigued. I tried to get involved on the site but it was something I didn't really have the spare time for. It's hard enough developing content by myself without having to do it by committee.

A year later, and it appears that TCP encountered issues similar to my own. The original potential has not been realised. However, Big Jim an Stucarius (Jeff) have now started a TCP podcast, with the mission of discussing alternatives to the published 40k rules and codices.

Trading by Forum: WargamerAU Buy Swap & Sell

I have often heard from both podcasts and blogs the bad experiences people have buying second hand models from forums and eBay. I wanted to share with the world some of the great experiences I have had buying 40k models from the Buy Swap & Sell forum (BSS) on the WargameAU site. I also have a few ideas on why we on this forum have had a better experience than the average.

Blog Culling Time

I went through all of my Blog subscriptions in Google Reader tonight and unsubscribed from 8 blogs - I also added two more after following a few interesting links. I've found myself skipping through a few blogs consistently of late and its cramping my blog-reading style! Also between podcasts and blogs I am struggling to find time to write my own blog posts, so its time to cull the chaff.

I'm looking forward to a new streamlined blogging experience. One of the bigger decisions was to unsubscribe from Blood of Kittens. The content has changed a lot since I subscribed a year ago, and rarely held my interest. It was the post criticising NOVA that was the final straw...

A Time of Reflection

    This fella above is my rough skeleton for the Squad Smackdown prize. Look out for further updates over the next few weeks as he gets assembled and painted. I'll be going for a sandy arena style base, with judicious application of blood, and green stuffed internal organs :)  
(Battle Bunker Aki suggested he should be wielding a knife, as part of the story of dismemberment being told; I can see his point...)

Things have been a little bit quiet over here on A Plague Spreads recently. I've suffered from a nasty case of blog burn-out after having made it through the grueling Squad Smackdown series of posts. With my precious little free time it was a lot to take on and I needed a break from the blog afterwards. Dont panic though, because here I am again, re-energized and with a tonne of ideas for new posts. Expect content on the following:

• Some innovative scoring ideas that could be incorporated into existing frameworks
• An in-depth look at Terminators across all the codices (this was inspired by The Independent Characters)
• Trying my bit to help change the Games Workshop corporate mindset
• Flames of War

In addition, I'm looking forward to writing a new series of posts subtitled "Crunching Fluff". The premise is to take a fluffy list and optimise it - without tarnishing the original theme. I can come up with themes on my own, but if you have a list that needs it's fluff crunched then please email me - I'll be happy to help!

DOs and DON'TS of the GW Australia Boycott

A thread came up on WargamerAU recently with someone asking where they should buy their models now that the overseas stores have locked us away from fair pricing. The discussion devolved into a more general discussion about what we should be doing about buying models in general. I made a post that seemed to resonate with a few other posters, so I thought I'd repost it here for the blogging crew to ponder:

DON'T buy from GW
DON'T buy GW models from your FLGS
DO support your local FLGS by buying non-GW products. Now is the time to replace your green sheet and books with proper terrain. Or get into Flames of War.
DO buy second hand rather than new. Sell those minis you will never finish, so that others can avoid buying GW too.
DON'T introduce others to the GW hobby. Point them to other systems.

DON'T be afraid to flex our collective consumer muscle.

3 New 40k Podcasts

It's seems like 40k podcasting is experiencing a Renaissance. New podcasts are appearing overnight and starting to fill up my "To Listen" pile. Well I have made good progress getting through them in the last week but if this keeps continuing I am going to have to start making some hard decisions about my podcast diet :)

The first new podcast on the block is Preferred Enemies. I have listened to 4 episodes and a bonus now and I've got to tell you - I'm totally hooked! The hosts are down to earth and just doing a great job of providing interesting content. I think I just really relate to them. Their discussion on the current calls for a GW boycott was open-minded and level headed.

The second podcast is Screaming Heretic, a "sister" podcast of Eternal Warriors (aka Dice Like Thunder for the old school out there). The hosts are friends with the EW crew - girlfriend in one case. Huh? Yes that's right, this one has GIRLS. Huh? Yes, that's not a typo, it's a plural. Last time I heard girls on a 40k podcast was that hobby segment they used to have on DLT - and someones partner delivering fresh muffins on 40KUK. I've only listened to a couple of episodes so far, it's been mostly a "get to know you" so far. Stand by for more opinions...

The final podcast I hasn't actually listened to yet, so this one is at your own risk :) Told you I was getting behind in my podcast listening queue. It originally started out also being called Preferred Enemies (!) but that obviously wasn't going to work. Check out Tyrant's Due. I'm downloading the 4 available episodes now from iTunes...

Hope you find these little updates helpful. If you haven't seen the phenomenon that is the Squad Smackdown, check it out and place a bet on whose got the best CC troops in 40k - there are prizes to be had!

An Aussie Perspective on GW Pricing.

In case you rely solely on "A Plague Spreads..." for all your GW news, those bastards have switched all their metal to resin combined with a price rise of up to 25% on some models. Simultaneously they have banned their UK resellers from servicing customers from outside the EU.

First of all I want to give a heartfelt thank you to those of you in the northern hemisphere who are expressing their anger at the way us Aussie gamers are being treated by GW. Actually I am excited to see the blogging community responding to this crisis. Our international community might just be a new power in the fight for the rights of GW customers.

New Podcast: 40K UK

If you have been listening to The 11th Company over recent months then you would have heard the "40K UK" segments. Its content covers the UK tournament scene hosted by Dave Symcox, with his trusty side-kick (who's name I can't remember - it's not my fault they have nothing about him on the website!). To be honest they have become a highlight of the podcast to me. So when I found out that Dave was ready to cast off a new podcast into the internet sea you can understand my excitement.

On The 11th Company the boys were basically reporting on their tournament experience. They live in Nottingham which is the home of Games Workshop, and the center of 40k activity in England and perhaps the world! The segments consisted of them discussing the outcome of each tournament they attended, and Dave interviewing opponents and others live at tournaments. I like Dave's relaxed competitive outlook and enthusiasm for the game.

An Exciting New Podcast

It's turning out that the things I want to see in 40k are actually happening. Firstly, an FAQ for Dark Angels was released that makes an all terminator force a competitive reality. Now the 40k Basement podcast crew are back in the game! If you don't know what I am talking about, check out my podcast reviews - you have some episodes to download.

Well the new show is El Pee and The Man, and actually it's just Mr Hyde and Parker from the 40k Basement. These two guys are hilarious and have great chemistry together. They are actually doing a live show with video (of them sitting on a couch), and releasing this as a live stream, as YouTube video, and as a podcast. Each hour of the podcast is a different download, because there is an hour in the middle of the live show where they eat pizza, drink beer, and interact with listeners through the chat feature.

Old Stuff Day: 40k Podcast Review

This article is always getting hits from Google. I have updated it with the last three month's changes in red!

I spend a lot of time listening to podcasts as I commute to work by bike or train every day, selected from a mix of gaming, science and parenting subjects. It's a special treat to find a 40k podcast run by a likeable group of people, but that stays on topic and is full of good advice and interesting stories. The following list gives a brief review of podcasts that I have subscribed to (at least for some time).

Before I start, I'd like to list briefly what I look for in a podcast:

• clever and insightful advice that helps me with my game
• advanced hobby tips
• inspirational battle reports and hobby project discussions
• a good variety of opinions and playstyles
• respect for other people
• all 40k all the time!

The Codex Project

Now this is an intriguing happening. A respectable group of 40k net-celebs have joined forces in an effort to create a new online community. Their goal (which I share) is to create a respected central body that publishes and certifies fan created Codices and other rules. They have a vision of clubs and even some tournaments allowing the use of alla new online community certified Codices. Check out The Codex Project for the lowdown.

There might be something you can do to contribute! Rules, photos, artwork, layout, playtesting, editing and fluff writing are all required for a TCP codex. They are built by a team with a single leader - but that leader will be changed if progress stalls. They anticipate that it will take a long time for a Codex to reach certification from scratch - perhaps in the realm of 6 months to a year.

After hearing about the site on an episode of The Overlords podcast, I got very excited and went straight to the site. Ended up my introductory post on the forums was their virgin post! I have started posts linking to each of my fan Codicies - the Crimson Fists and the Death Guard. I am happy to contribute these rules to TCP in the hope of seeing some set of rules certified for these forces.

Oh by the way I have another Codex in the works - hopefully I'll have it ready to publish in a couple of weeks. Sadly I don't enough models to give it a proper playtest but hopefully TCP can help with that.

Send in the clowns...

The Battle Bunker Crash

I'm getting excited about a new tournament coming up on February 13th - the Battle Bunker Crash. It's of course being held at my local store The Battle Bunker, and the price is $30. This includes 4 games at 1500 points (it's going to be a long day) and lunch will be provided as we can crank up the BBQ. It's being organized by Josh, who is a regular club member and a great opponent. Expect favoritism to be shown towards Daemons and Dark Eldar ;)

Interestingly the winner is based solely on Battle Point scores - there is no comp! This is relatively rare in Australia and I am looking forward to pushing my list building and tactical skills to their limit. I usually play balanced lists that don't get punished by comp in my experience. It will be interesting to see what others bring. My only concern is that I dont want to be playing games against unpainted armies - I always make sure that my army is fully painted at tournaments.

Another novel twist is that they are going to provide 8 missions on the day, and the final 4 will be determined by vote. Not something I have heard of before - we will have to wait and see how this pans out.

I am thinking of bringing my Tau out of retirement for this. I've been playing my Crimson Fists recently and having fun, but I suspect that I am more competitive as a Shas'el. Tau are best at low points values as they quickly fill the FOC. I am going to take this opportunity to fill in a few gaps in my Tau collection and take the most vicious optimised list possible - the list is made but I'm not going to publish it until after the event :P Anyone got a spare Piranha or a couple of Broadsides lying around?

Feral Ork List

Recently we had a 750pt league at the Battle Bunker. Ty, one of the regulars at my local club, built an awesomely themed new army for the league - Feral Orks! Ty has a reputation for being highly fluff driven as you will see from the list he took (which was something like this):