Weekend At Alex's

Sunday 19th June was a good day. A very good day indeed. To say it was very, very, incredibly, amazingly geeky would perhaps be an understatement of fairly epic proportions. After a bumper breakfast cooked by yours truly (BYOB; bring your own bib, £10 feed fee, chance of salmonella included in the cost), Alex escorted me back to his war vault (although I'm beginning to think of it more as a Keep of Geek) for a day of gargantuan gaming. Alex is a half-silent OB member, being a regular pundit on our podcast. You can peruse his blog here!

Starting with a couple of Euro 2016 inspired Guild Ball matches (Alex being the Turkey to my Spain, as well as just being a jive-turkey in general), we entered the often abstract realm of cardboard. Quentin Quilt the Pedantic Pawn was our guide through Patchwork, a two player game about making a quilt tetris-styles, before entering a very-familiar-but-not-unwelcome dystopian world of Specter Ops, a hidden movement game about stealing genetically modified ice cream (or rather activating 'objectives'. I wish they'd been more specific in the theme, but oh well). Our hard paper escapade finished in the sepia stained land of Stratego, bringing back memories to Alex from before the war. Which war? Why, all of them of course.

We ended our day back in the future, in the more tangible plain of Dropzone Commander. Secure the Flanks was the mission. I was using a 1500 point Shaltari army for the the first time in about 70 years, and Alex his 22 infantry base Resistance army. The same army that finished above Mike at Summer Invasion. I'll never get tired of hearing that.

Fun jump break fact: I blog on my phone so much that the word Shaltari is in my auto-correct!

OB Podcast Episode 15: Hilton Hobby Holidays

Oooooooh it's only that time again! It's that time of the year when you need to change your socks, because they're dirty and they hum. literally, they are actually humming. Is humming the opposite of whistling?

Well all of that yes, but more importantly it's time again for a new pod! We all met up last week to regale you of tales from the UK Games Expo and Summer Invasion, as well as run through all the new news. That's like regular news, but newer.

So sit back, get your paints out (or whatever gives you your jollys to the pod) and let our grating voices flow over you like a cheesegrater! Oh, and if you're our Top Hat listener on Soundcloud prepare for a shock.

Joe vs Hawk or David vs Goliath??

My cyclones hoping to get some sneaky shots on Sean's type 1'

So now life has calmed down a bit, I've managed to get to some words into a bat report for you all.

Who ever said planning to get married, going to Cardiff and the UK Games Expo, then on my stag do in 4 weekends in a row couldn't be done?!!!!!

First off, Firestorm Games in Cardiff. Easily the best hobby store I have visited.
Beer on tap... he he, and a small kitchen that could cater for any gamer's needs. chilli, chips and cheese, need I say more.

It has all the toys in the shop from board games to airbrush stencils. The actual gaming space is huge and could probably hold 200+ people with ease. They have all the scenery and even hand out trays to carry your army around on for tourneys. I'm telling you its gaming heaven!!!!

New Build, Red Horrizons

I love my yellow Shaltari. They were the first 10mm models I ever painted, as well as the first Dropzone models my brush had laid it's sweet bristles upon. These striking Hogs romped wildly about the DzC tourney scene for a while, blinding all in their way, and even made it into a copy of Tabletop Insider!

That yellow though. Oh boy, the yellow. I can't- I just can't. Even thinking about painting it again gives me the shakes! You see, I painted these a long time before I had my airbrush, and any of you out there who have painted yellow by hand can surely feel my pain. Starting with a red coat I built up to the yellow, which required a few coats because of the stupid, weak yellow pigment.

Firestorm Games Tourney Vid

A couple of weeks back Joe and I made a crazy trip to Cardiff for a weekend of Tournament goodness. It was held at the fantastic Firestorm Games venue, which is a great, cavernous venue and had all the modcons a modern man could desire. It boasted many tables for gaming, food and drink which was served all day, and a hobby store which made my gamer spirit jangle madly!

If you're in the South Wales area, or even within an hours drive I would definitely head on over to see it.

Expo & Summer Invasion

Sad Joe on Sunday morning. Last day at Expo.

It's Thursday when I'm writing this, back from the Expo for 4 days, back at work for 2 days and I'm still buzzing from all the sights, sounds and smells of the Expo. I had such a good time and I seriously can't wait to go back next year.
There is not much better in life than hanging with your mates chatting shit and playing games for 4 days. Still, it is nice to come home to your own bed.
I think I'm just in a happy mood altogether. Forgive me, I must try and be more whiney, otherwise Dan will shut me down..........

Quick reminder about Critical Engagement 2016 on 9th July - still some spaces left. Get in quick guys and gals. Facebook link here and tournament pack here

This post will run through my Expo and Summer Invasion and also there's a load of pictures too.

Back From The UK Games Expo

Queing like bosses

There's little in life more satisfying than that first sleep in your own bed, after coming back from a hectic weekend of gaming (apart from perhaps the first shower after a festival weekend, to wash away the thick layers of grime). As I woke on Monday morning I was sad to not be gearing up to play games all day, but smiled as I reflected back on the weekend. For any of you who haven't been to a con I encourage you to gather together a small group and attend for the full duration!

London Busses

Wait ages for some rules, then 6 come along at once.......just like London busses!

So we wait for what seemed like an eternity to finally get the rules for the Corrupter, Menchit A2 and Firebird, then low and behold, Hawk surprise us by getting the May release rules out on time. 
Has the hell frozen over, is the moon blue, have England won the World Cup? 

All the recent releases are here if you want to download the rules/buy the new stuff

If this is the new face of Hawk, colour me impressed. Long may it continue. 
That's enough of my ramblings, on to more of my ramblings! 

This months releases seem centered around artillery pieces.