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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Jomsvikings DONE!

One of the great things about Saga is painting an entire warband in just a few weeks.  Here's the warlord and his right hand killer.  And then the whole warband crowded in for a shot too.  If only my minis could take selfies, the quality of photos on my blog would surely improve!


Thanks to a touch of OCD, I usually finish one project before starting another.  Lately though, I've pitched that so I can work like the rest of you.  With the Joms done, here's what's on my table.

Old West: I've got a commission for 28 Great Escape old west figs including Desperadoes, Cowboys, Outlaws and Lawmen.  I'm looking forward to a demo game once I'm finished.  Back in the day, I spent many, many hours playing the old RPG Boot Hill so I'm really looking forward to this.
Anglo-danish:  I gave this warband a spin in Saga over the summer and won my first time out. If that's not reason enough to buy a new warband, I also enjoyed their battleboard.  If you already have a Viking warband, then Anglo-danes are an easy lift as you can port figures between the two warbands.
Dailami: Technically, they're not so much on the painting table as they are near it.  FoG has slipped off our schedules of late, dampening my motivation here.  Sorry fellows, you're on ice until I run out of things to paint.  As summer winds down, I'm happy to report my painting table is double-plus-full.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Jomsvikings, pt. 3

As I was posing these, I though "I  MUST upgrade my 28mm terrain!"  I only have two 28mm huts in my collection, so each new warband I paint is forced to raid the same huts over and over again. This is fairly demoralizing for the wee fellows as once a hut is looted, there's no payout for the next band of marauders.

I really like the stylish balloon pants on these figs as they're a nice space for putting down color. And it's official; the Jomsvikings are my favorite Gripping Beast figures to date.  All that's left for this warband is a warlord and a standout figure.

Right...this one's been looted! 


Searching the woods for leprechauns...is that what this raid is down to?
Over the weekend, I drove my son to the IU Jacobs School of Music. He was all smiles as we set him up in the dorm and very quickly, he was making new friends.  Grant's dorm is all music students and I told my daughter "Just think, this building holds 400 Grants!" To which she replied, "Get me out of here!"

At registration, he discovered he'd finished enough general education requirements in High School that he could do a composition major with a conducting minor and an oboe concentration.  He conducted his first big piece at 14 so he's thrilled to add conducting to his plate.
Sweet freedom!
My wife and I choked up as we said our goodbyes. To keep the return drive from turning gloomy, I spent  it reminiscing about our college days, friends, and adventures at the University of Arizona. Good luck and godspeed, son. I can't wait to hear your stories, and perhaps trade a few of my own!


Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Jomsvikings, pt. 2

I'm a bit rushed this week as we get ready for the Big Move.  No, I'm not moving, sadly.  My son is soon off to the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and there is much to be done before we load up the minivan to drop him off.  My wife is taking it quite hard.  All of a sudden, I am too.  I was cleaning the minivan for the long drive when it really hit me. When I think of all of the fantastic opportunities that await him, I feel much better.  I'll concentrate on that.

I was telling Grant that back in my day, I lived in the cheapest dorm on campus and we had one payphone for the whole wing.  Thank goodness for Skype and FaceTime!

So, back to the Joms.  These hearthguard are Gripping Beast. Once again, they're great figures to paint and the Joms may be my favorite GB models ever!

For those readers who are playing Saga and thinking about a Joms warband, here's a link to 4 pages of discussion on tactics for running Jomsvinkings. Enjoy!