I'm in the studio today until super-late maybe as late as midnight, so don't hold back on calls and inquiries. I should be all caught up before I leave. We are all working double-time to get it all sewed up.
Hall of the Gods
Just wrapping up day two of Valhalla. Got three twenty minute vids ready to upload first thing Monday, probably another two by tomorrow.
It has been a bone-crunching effort, but every bit worth it, effectively running a miniature convention. But more like a weekend with friends. The concept of highly narrative games that emphasize the actual experience rather than scores has been a wild success.
Scourges and other Conversions
Just saw these scourge conversions, very nice.
We can make these at $11 a model unpainted and $19 a model painted.
Also, I got in an absolute ton of raw materials for other unpublished Dark Eldar figures. Conversions. Notably these hounds.
Valhalla is going well, we are just now past day one of three (or four depending on how you count it). At least an hour of footage forthcoming. Apparently there is internet access up here after all so that's a big deal.
Captain's Log: Supplemental
It is right around 4:30am up at the mountain fortress. A gentle snow has fallen, perhaps four inches, wrapping the valley in a soundproof layer of perfect white. I am in the rec room downstairs writing up the scenarios for today's event.
Score after the first round is: Imperials 5, Orks 5.
For those that may be interested, here is the mission and some of the supplemental items from Thursday's Round One.
Evac
+++ Imperial’s Briefing
Vorlax Prime has been overrun with Orks. Only a few valiant rearguard remain, but even those are scrambling to find a ship and break orbit. The last flight out is the Rogue Trader Alkonost. Your force has been sent to scatter the Orks so a high value target can be extracted.
Location: Vesper Crystal Fields Random Game Length
Target: Muri Retrov Imperials go first
Your force begins the game entirely in reserve as outflankers. See p94 of rulebook.
1-2 Your left side
3-4 Your right side
5-6 You choose left or right
Since no reserves arrive the first turn, you will not go until the second turn. However, if you have infiltrators or scouts you may have them enter from any board edge on the first turn, and they may act normally.
The Orks have a deployment zone in the center of the board 14” from every edge. They have to prevent you from clearing a dustoff zone. While it does not enter play as such, you should imagine a flying vehicle hovering overhead, the defenders trying to shoot it away.
At the end of your fourth and subsequent turns, if you can fit a 10” apocalypse template entirely inside the Orks’ deployment zone without touching an enemy model then you win the scenario. Muri is airlifted to safety.
Because of the Primary Generator, all models on the landing pad, ramps or generator have cover.
Imperials Secret Objective: Destroy the Primary Generator
There is a single large generator of AV12. A glancing or penetrating hit destroys it. However, they are protected by a powerful defensive field. Any shot from more than 4” away is met with AV15. Also, ignore the first glancing or penetrating hit.
Stratagem: Precision Strike
You have rescued Muri Retrov. You get to use him at no points cost in your army in subsequent games. He has a stat line and abilities. Muri gives you the Precision Strike stratagem. Reveal in the shooting phase of one of your player turns (one use only during Round Two or Three). Pick one enemy unit (not a flyer); all friendly models that fire at the chose enemy unit and are found to be in range hit on a 2+ in that turn’s Shooting Phase.
Stratagem: Shields are Down
You have destroyed both generators at the crystal fields denying the Orks crucial materials for their super-heavy war machines. Use this after deployment during any game. One Ork super-heavy immediately loses one structure point.Valhalla Imminent
Thursday through Saturday.
I've got a few emails saying "I know you're busy with Valhalla". Don't hesitate to contact me for any matter. I still need to keep the studio running at the same time. If you are a supporter/fan of Valhalla the best thing you can do? Order something.
I will be taking plenty of footage for your viewing pleasure.
Quote of the Day
"Bureaucracy is the art of making the possible impossible."
- Javier Pascual Salcedo
Scattered Showers
It's been raining out in Utah. The large mounds of snow piled up on the side of the road are starting to dissolve. It is quite beautiful. I love rain.
I've been working insanely hard this last week: preparations for Valhalla, staying up on communications, and the preparation work for the new studio. I have kept the Valhalla boards and miniatures mostly under wraps. You won't see them until around next Saturday or Monday. Don't let that stop you from contacting me. Our turnaround is better than ever right now. We need money to fund our projects.
We are reviving part of the downtown of a small town. We are clearing the weeds, old boards and returning an abandoned old building to productivity. We are hiring new people. Humans are being lifted from the mire of unemployment by you. We are into all sorts of charities and positive community works.
I took the kids to Wal Mart (yes, still shopping there for the time being) for a treat and also to pick up some new fish. We got two freshwater fiddler crabs. I love those little critters; scuttling around snapping at the fish if they stray too close and stuffing their little faces with scum nuggets. One of the fish died and the two fiddlers just went nuts. They fought like gladiators over the carcass, circling and snapping until one finally dragged it under a rock and ate the whole thing to the bone. It would be like me eating a 200 pound steak in one sitting. I don't understand how it was physically possible.
As for me, I'm healthy and feeling good. I'm off the wagon with diet, though, but still eating better than before. Down about five pounds still. My family life is a dream. My son just got glasses so he looks like a little nerd, like me. He's the smart one so it's a fit.
Willow is my little buddy. When I get home, and I'm decompressing in front of the TV she sits right next to me and drapes one leg over mine and plays with my fingers. She is getting vocal and verbose. As an odd developmental quirk she doesn't like people to sing around her, a real problem at our house. Even I, off-key and tuneless, like to sing parody songs and little children's tunes that I make up. Last week at church when the opening hymn was struck up, she became quite disconcerted and stood up, turned around (this little cute blonde girl in a cream dress) and started yelling at the top of her lungs "STOP! STOP!" and waving her arms wildly. Hilarity ensues.
After playing Dark Eldar the other day I really want to make a Dark Eldar army. They are ever so enjoyable to play, quick and deadly with TONS of options. I want to make an army with 6-9 Venoms and three supersonic flyers. Voidraven. What a great name. But that is a month or two off before the budget will allow it.
Ron Paul talks a lick of sense
I came across an interesting idea during my various readings last year. Let's say that in the US we have economic system A. People come along and say A is not working, is disadvantageous, and that B would be better. The A people come back and say "Well, B is just a theory and they don't have a leg to stand on, it's never been proven." Do you see the genius of the argument? It assures that system A is perpetuated forever. That's where we are in the US. We are coming up on a hundred years of the Federal Reserve (2013). We were born in the Emerald City, we don't know any color besides green.
I don't believe that. I want to abolish the Federal Reserve, abolish the income AND corporate taxes completely, replacing them with nothing, and prune back the Federal Government by 90%. Sounds like heresy doesn't it? If you love a tree you must prune it. And our tree is groaning and rotten with too many branches, dark, moldy and sagging to the ground.
Those resources do not disappear. If the Federal Government doesn't get the money, it is then released for use by states, counties, cities and individuals. Abolish the department of education and what happens? Private schools will fill the void. Will it be perfect? No, but you the individual citizen will have more control.
.
Ready
I'm in today, Saturday. Ready to take your order.
Friday night I played a game with Mike D. That's going on youtube soon.
Shawn
40K Radio
Blue Table Painting is (apparently) the official painting service of 40K Radio. Their favorite and most special guest? Me!
Pretty sure I'm on this week.
Games Workshop Profit Margin
Since Games Workshop is a public company you can access their yearly reports online. They give a pretty clear view of what their costs and profits are if you want to wade through it all. Here is their latest filing for the fiscal year ending May 2010:
http://investor.games-
From the Highlights, they made 125.6 million pounds in gross sales with a pre-tax profit of 16.1 million pounds. This gives a margin of 12.72%. Further down it lists taxes paid, etc. Their corporate tax rate was 6.5% which on page 25 was a bit over 1 million pounds.
The total profit was 15 million pounds so their margin was 11.8% so for every $100 they sell, they keep as profit $11.80. Then of course they need to give the share holders their dividends. On page 32 the dividends paid were 7.7 million pounds meaning the company added 7.3 million pounds to their balance sheet. They gave $6.03 out of every $100 to their shareholders and... drum roll...
After all is said and done for the fiscal year that ended in May of 2010, they kept $5.77 for every $100 they sold.
M
Brief History of Gately
1969-1979
I was born to a gun-toting Oregon hillbilly with a pack of cigarettes rolled up in his white t-shirt sleeve and a naive southern Californian girl. My father always worked in menial jobs, the lengthiest and most notable as a school janitor. For a time he demolished houses by hand. He told me that if I was willing to get my hands dirty I would never want for work.
Growing up, I was shuttled between family members. It always seemed to me that they just all loved me and couldn't get enough, but the truth is it was stormy seas between mother and father. Messed up stuff. Buried deep. Not suitable for print.
I was the golden boy. The firstborn son and only male on my maternal line. My maternal grandmother feeds me well, takes me on bike rides, and makes sure I read my bible.
1980-1983
I grew up below the poverty level. But I always felt rich. Sleeping bags, tents, trailers. Running around in the back woods in rubber boots, unsupervised, catching lizards, snakes and newts with my bare hands. Exploring old abandoned mining and milling buildings.
There are two memories I have of Dad leaving. Mom gathering my sister and I to the kitchen table and telling us that he wasn't coming back. Deep inside I realized that I would have to take care of myself. I detached mentally.
The other is a bit hazy. I think Dad came back and then something happened. Mom ran and got the gun, screaming, and forced him out the front door. To cope I hollowed out part of my own mind. I filled it with a fantasy world. Dungeons and Dragons. Lots of it. About age 13 now. Happy as a clam, long summer days.
Now I remember, he fell off the wagon again. One day it was just he and I in the house and he came home zombie-drunk. Mom had laid out a sheet on the bed and a bucket nearby. He missed the bed and the bucket and was wallowing around in his own sick. Standing at the door to the bedroom I made a decision, deep inside my little boy heart to never drink. I saw how it tore our family apart. Good man, achilles heel. I have never had even a sip of alcohol my entire life.
1985
I converted to Mormonism at age 15. Those sister missionaries literally saved me from all the things that were happening around me, and also the things that I might have started up. I glommed on to a church family. They took me in. Informally of course, I was just over there all the time. They were like the Partridge family.
1986
Summer of my junior year in high school my mother informed me that I had a full time job a the mill where she worked. My biceps were bulging. I learned hard manual labor. It was then that I decided to get educated. My mother shouldered a heroic burden, sometimes working 80-hour weeks of back-breaking labor to make ends meet. When the bank came to repossess her car she cried bitter hot tears. How was she going to even get to work now?
From that time on I was virtually emancipated. I paid $84 a month rent for one room in a trailer. I worked at McDonald's for $3.35 an hour in the evenings. I started at the bottom, no literally the bottom, scraping gum off the bottoms of the booths, crawling on my belly to get at it. I flipped burgers then worked my way up to the register. I was also briefly a "fry boy" at Taco Bell. My shoes were worn through and when I scrubbed down the oil stains on the drive-through the water would drench my socks. I bought a new pair of shoes with my first paycheck.
1987
The summer of my senior year I went to southern California on a bus to stay with my grandparents. I built a redwood deck with my grandfather. I was too stupid to enjoy my time with him. I had headphones in the whole time. I had six-pack abs from swimming, long sun-bleached hair and a hot girlfriend. I worked as a security guard in Burbank (or was it Van Nuys?).
1988
For the next few years I lived with room mates in Medford, Oregon. More roleplaying than you could shake a stick at. I worked in a video rental place. This was just before computers and we filled out all the forms by hand. Can you imagine that? It was a magic time, a dark time.
1989
I was the manager of a map warehouse. I developed new methods of packing. The owner of the company gave me my first lessons in how to run a business. He opened my eyes. I rode my bike everywhere. My legs were like think branches, all muscle. Girls broke my heart. I saved up my money, enough for a few suits and my stay at the missionary training center.
1990-1992
I went on an LDS mission to South America. I spent two years in Chile. It was an adventure beyond reckoning. I suffered diseases, fleas, and lived in rooms as small as six by ten feet with a rope nailed in the wall on which to hang my clothes. I learned how to speak Spanish. I learned how to put in sixteen hour days with a smile on my face.
My family didn't want me to go on a mission. A local dentist paid my way. When I got home, my sweetheart broke up with me. Oh, well time to move on.
1992
Once home I plowed into church work and I also worked as a bag boy at a local grocery store. I didn't stay there long. I got a job at a local gift shop. I learned an important skill there: quote a price with a straight face. Everything there seemed so expensive to me, but the owner (bless her) taught me and opened my eyes; to give professional service like a high class butler.
1994
I met my wife at church. She was wearing a green dress. We were engaged less than three weeks later and married in six months. She is a hard worker, Russian blood, daughter of hardy Mormon pioneers. Forgiving. We are firstborns of firstborns; high strung and outspoken, but with so much love that it cushions the impact. We have been married seventeen glorious years.
I was in college for six years getting my degree in Spanish. Tamie worked and I pretended to work. It took six years rather than four because I started a game shop and that took a lot of my time. That and Starcraft. We lived in little apartments and barely scraped by. I wish I hadn't taken out all of those student loans, I'm still paying for that. Not a big fan of college. My kids can pay their own way. I will pay for business startups, though.
1999-2003
The year I graduated we were kicked out of our house, my firstborn (a daughter) was born, and I got a job as an elementary school teacher in East Palo Alto (NOT Palo Alto), which might be considered the inner city. Up at 4:30am. I messed up my back with the commute. My eldest son is born. He's just happy to be around. Somehow we made do in that tiny little condo, paying an exorbitant $1200 a month for rent. And that was a good price!
2003
My father dies of terminal cancer. We had been in touch since he came back when I was nineteen. It takes a lot of time to heal that. I can't say more than that. It's not simple. I start Blue Table Painting. Every month is a struggle.
2004-2010
We move to Utah and buy a moderately priced home. With the advent of children three and four, my life seems complete. Every month feels like nine rounds of boxing, but I am growing strong inside. Each time it gets a little easier to handle the stress. The company grows to about a dozen employees.
Blue Table Painting started in my garage. I literally built it out of nothing, just the paints and brushes I had accumulated as a hobbyist. I acknowledge the good hand of God in all these blessings. He has shown mercy to me, a sinner. I've had a lot of good business mentors and other people who have helped us along the way.
Life seems to have progressed in reasonable increments, each challenge building on the last. I never thought life would get this good. I wonder what the next forty years will bring.
And now for this week's episode...
Saturday
I am at the studio today. I hope to get in a Batrep and also set up some new projects; ready to take your order.
Red Hunters
Got this 2000 pt Red Hunters (Space Marines) army on the block for $850. Army list is rock solid (Renn made it). I highly recommend.
Pics here
Necrons
Got in a Necron army on trade, just models ready to be painted.
List is:
1x Monolith
2x Lords
32x Warriors
3x Wraiths
6x Destroyers
1x Heavy Destroyer
10x Flayed Ones
These are only available as a commission ie we produce a finished product for X dollars. Effectively, you get 50% off the cost of the figures.
Options are as follows:
Painted at L3/5 split = $925
Painted at L3/5 split with Artistic License = $810
Painted at L2/4 split = $795
Painted at L2/4 split with Artistic License = $740
Sons of Sanguinius
Blood Angels, my favourite 40K army. But what makes them my favourite army? And how do they differ from normal Marines? In essence, I will tell you what makes Blood Angels what they are how they differ from other Space Marine armies.
In this article I will have a look at the different unit entries and what roles they play in the army as a whole.
To start with are the Blood Angels specific special rules. ‘Red Thirst’ and ‘Descent of Angels’. The first one applies to almost all non-tank units and makes them fearless and furious charge on the roll of a ‘1’ at deployment. The second makes that models with that special rule scatter only 1D6” when deepstriking and can re-roll when they come in. These two rules already define the general lay-out of Blood Angels, they are fast and combat oriented.
Tactical Squads: Same as vanilla marine option, good troop choice for claiming and holding objectives.
Assault Squads: Troop choices, so they can claim objectives, combat oriented marines with short ranged (12”) range weapons. They can choose to take a dedicated transport, by giving up their jumppacks at a discount. These are very good in combat and have a lot of anti-horde and anti-tank weapons.
Devastator Squads: The static shooting unit of the space marines, great weapon upgrade options. No mobility due to heavy weapons, so either move or shoot.
Veteran Squads: Expensive but effective marines. Vanguard veterans don’t scatter at all. Able to be upgraded with numerous weapon options.
Terminator Squads: Same as normal terminators, assault terminators with lightning claws are slightly better, because they have the possibility to get furious charge.
Dreadnoughts: The standard dreadnought is not much different, it is a Heavy Support choice however and not an elite.
Furioso Dreadnought: A Blood Angels only Dreadnought, it’s tougher, has different weapon options, and can be equipped with a Dreadnought sized shotgun.
Death Company Dreadnought: The monster of all dreadnoughts, with fleet this thing will be within charge range before you know it. The amount of attacks (3(4)) with the combination of blood talons makes that this Dreadnought can decimate whole units in one turn.
Furioso Librarian: A Librarian inside a sarcophagus, S6 Force weapon, the possibility to move as jump infantry. It makes this dreadnought very versatile, only downside is you can not equip it with different equipment than it has.
Bike Squads: Same unit as in the vanilla marine codex, although it fits very well with the fast moving Blood Angel army.
Scout Squads: Nothing new here, novice marines, lower toughness and armour save. Cheaper though and can be very useful in certain situations. Good for camping on objectives in cover, with snipers and camo cloaks.
Drop Pods and Land Speeders: Nothing special about them, still the same entry as they are in the Marines codex.
Rhinos, Razorbacks, Predators, Whirlwinds, Vindicators: The same as in the Space Marine codex, with one big difference, they are fast vehicles, so you can move further and still shoot. You will get your precious cargo where they need to be faster. And the Whirlwind can surge forward and then still shoot his S4 missiles.
Baal Predators: A fast, anti infantry tank, which can outflank and has the options to take a flamestorm cannon or Twin-linked Assault Cannon.
Land Raiders: The big sturdy tanks, have the possibility to deep strike, the only vehicle in the codex which is not a fast vehicle.
Stormraven Gunship: A flying tank, very versatile, it can transport models (even with jumppack), can arrive from deep strike, can transport a Dreadnought, is an assault vehicle and has Power of the Machine Spirit. And it can take an array of weapons. Anti-infantry and Anti-tank alike. Downsides are that it is an expensive unit with only AV12.
Techmarines: Same unit entry as in codex: Space Marines. Can be very handy to have running around when using a lot of tanks, has a good array of weapons, both shooting and close combat.
Captains: The standard Space Marine HQ choice, a shame that we do not get any relic blades or digital weapons and hellfire rounds. Still a good CC hero.
Captain Tycho: One of the special characters, he is unique in the way that you can take two versions of him, the normal one and a crazed Death Company version. A bit overpriced or 175 points in my opinion.
Chaplains: Elite instead of HQ, same rules and profile as in the Space Marines codex. Very nice to buff units, but it is an Elite choice and not HQ. There is however the option in HQ section for a Reclussiarch, a stronger chaplain.
Lemartes, Guardian of the Lost: A unit upgrade for Death Company. He becomes crazed when he gains a wound. Becoming even better in CC than he already is. Next to re-rolls to hit he also gives re-rolls to wound.
Death Company: Close combat monsters, with Feel no pain and relentless they are very hard, they pay for it however, with the rage special rule and high point costs. A lot of special weapon options, from pistols to thunder hammers. Next to the rage and high point costs they are a non-scoring troops choice, and there shall only be one unit of them (3-30 models)
Astorath the Grim: Guardian of Death Company this guy is no joke. He is a chaplain with all sorts of nice little extras such as fearless to the unit he joins. Red thirst on 3- instead of a 1 and an axe that makes you re-roll invulnerable saves. Downside T4 and high point cost.
Librarians: My favourite HQ choice. Half decent in Close Combat, with the potential of becoming über killers. The Blood Angels psychic powers include some very nice options. Shield of Sanguinius for 5+ cover save, Unleash Rage for preferred enemy, Sword of Sanguinius for S10, Blood lance for killing tanks and I can keep going. These guys are a must in my opinion. They are a bit fragile due to the 2 wounds and no Inv. Save, but they can put out some real hurt and protect your units or boost them very well.
Mephiston, Lord of Death: Well chosen, the name for this guy. He is a monstrous creature in infantry size. Too bad he is no Independent Character and will always be on his own. He also costs a hefty sum of no less than 250 points.
Sanguinary Priests: THE best unit in the codex. Elite choice, independent characters. They are apothecaries which also give the Furious Charge range to any unit in 6”. Options to take jump packs, special weapons, powerswords, terminator armour and the like, be careful though that you don’t make them too expensive. A jump pack is enough most of the times, although a power sword or infernus pistol can also be nice.
Brother Corbulo: Unit upgrade for Sanguinary priests. Stronger in CC, and gives you a free 1 time re-roll on any roll in the entire game (only 1 re-roll per game). Can not take any other equipments, so is on foot, with chainsword.
Sanguinary Guards: Very strong elite unit. Master-crafted power weapons. Options to take chapter banner, Deathmasks and all pistol variants. Plus angelus bolguns, a stormbolter with AP4. These are the ultimate Blood Angel units, in looks and play. They are elite (can become troops) and costly however.
The Sanguinor: An interesting fellow, were it not he costs 275 points. He does however have really nice special rules, that make one of your sergeants better, gives extra attacks to units close by and has rerolls on 1 enemy HQ of choice.
Honour Guard: The Blood Angels variant of a Command Squad. A nice choice to take. All models can be differentiated and it includes a sanguinary novite (a priest) so you always have furious charge.
Commander Dante: The Chapter Master of the Blood Angels, confers Hit and Run special rule to joined unit, makes Sanguinary Guard troops, does not scatter when entering from deep strike and downgrades the stats of opponent’s Independent Character of choice. A nice choice, especially when you want a lot of Sanguinary Guard, still quite the investment for 225 points.
Chapter Master Gabriel Seth: The Flesh Tearers chapter master, rightfully so, a fearsome force to deal with in Close combat due to his special rules and special weapon. 160 points of total worth, too bad he does not have a jump pack.
And this was my overview of the Blood Angel units. I hope you like it and you learned what the Blood Angels are all about.
Martijn v.
BTP Correspondent from the Netherlands.
Grind
Monday and Tuesday flew by in a blur. I mean up at 5am and then collapsing late at night. I am keeping up with you, oh BTP client. I am caught up.
Everything is scheduled and underway. Everything is battened down tight.
I am standing by to take your order.
Monday
Back in the saddle and ready to respond.
Email is best for the next hour or so, my cell phone is charging.
Shawn
Battlestar Gately-actica
Another glorious Sunday is drawing to a close.
There's an awful lot of pegboard on Battlestar Galactica. I started watching season one and lost interest, if you can believe that. Now it's time to watch all four seasons on Netflix! Hooray for wasted time!
I got up at like 5am this morning. Couldn't get back to sleep, all sorts of ideas formulating like silver trains in my mind. It was Stake Conference today. Tamie wasn't feeling so hot, a touch of sore throat and scratchy voice so I went with the older kids. Not much to say, got some inspiration, had some ideas and my soul got smoothed out.
Once I got home I made some chocolate chip cookies with the boys, then lay in bed watching Monk with my wife and making myself sick on them, washing down wave after wave of chocolately goodness with ice cold milk.
My wife made a lasagna. I need that plus water and veggies to wash out all those cookies. Tamie and I are seriously off the wagon.
It's just plain old family goodness. I am enjoying my wonderful family life to absolutely no end. I never thought it could be this good.
Hunter's Bow
I'm going to say something unpopular today, so take a deep breath and just take it for what it's worth. Read it again: please remain calm while reading this article. It's only an idea.
I am speaking today to men who have wives who work outside the home.
If you are married and have children then you have a right. The right to the hunter's bow.
Your wife should quit her job immediately to stay home, no matter how bad the financial situation. Then, she should look at you expectantly to pay all those bills. "Go forth, husband, and bring home meat for the tribe!" she should say.
The reason is the fabric of the universe. It is the man's primal, spiritual heritage to provide for his family. If you take up the hunter's bow in your hand and head out into the wilderness to find meat, God and the Universe will smile on you. You will find that your abilities and opportunities will multiply to meet the challenge. Your arm will be strengthened.
Now, I don't mean to offend. If you're doing it another way I don't personally condemn that. God bless America, home to "the people who do it the way they want". It also doesn't mean that the woman can't be productive and bring in money while at home. I suggest only that there is another way to look at it.
I can also personally attest to how this works. When I graduated college Tamie was huge and waddling pregnant with K. She stopped me as I got off the podium with my diploma. "Shawn, I made an investment in you and now I expect to get my payoff." and she told me she would be leaving the workforce for good when the baby was born. That did something to me. I did crazy difficult stuff to get a job and pay the bills.
Tamie has almost always found a way to bring money in, on and off, but without leaving the house. And she has worked her butt off to keep the house in good order. She is the heart of the home.
The hunter's bow hangs on the wall, ready to be taken up.
______________________________________________________
Shawn says: this is bound to get testy. Here's the first comment.
George says:
But Shawn?
How about all those ladies that work at your company? How do they react to your "hunter's bow" idea?
Shawn replies:
Yup, that post was bound to offend, it's a hot button. But I had to stay true and put it out there.
To answer your question: most (possibly all) work at home or during school hours only/mostly. That's their decision, I don't force it.
If you read carefully, I am not condemning that situation in the article (two working parents), only saying that there is something positive available as a possible alternative. The article was not condemning working moms but beating an ancient drum to the heart of the working father.
Single moms are an exception. Deadbeat dad has run off leaving her to take up the bow. The children have lost both father and mother in a way.
________________________________________
I can talk. My wife did this to me. She informed me that I would be the sole breadwinner and then proceeded to give notice at her job. Up until that time I was hobbling along, relying on student loans and my working wife to give me a life of Starcraft, Magic and D&D. Not a complete deadbeat, but not really taking up the Bow either. Of course, I didn't have any kids either.
When K. was born eleven years ago I was just weeks out of college and living in a trailer in her mother's driveway (Oregon). I was looking for work high and low. I ended up taking a rental car down to the San Francisco Bay area (California) to get a job as an elementary school teacher. The maze of freeways and buildings was like a concrete forest. That was my cosmic "hunter's bow" adventure. I believe that opportunity, that dreadful and bone-crushing opportunity, wouldn't have opened up to me if my wife had not forced me to take up the Bow.
I had to get up at 4:30am every morning for an hour commute. I found the strength every time I looked into the face of my baby girl. Every time I came home to my warm and loving wife.
Professionally, I had opportunities open up. When I was looking for work in Oregon I opened the classifieds one day and decided to look for the top-paying job advertised. I tried to get that job with all my might, but failed pitifully. I remembered that number. Within three years at the school that's how much I was making. Of course, I was working long hours, effectively multiple jobs at the same school (I ran an after school program and did HR for two schools). And I was in California where the cost of living mostly canceled out the extra money.
Also, note that my wife never wanted to work outside the home. It was her dream to be a stay-at-home mom.
It's not for everyone, but there it is.
Slicing and Dicing
In spite of the pic of a wicked venom before you, this post has pretty much no game-related items. You can buy an assembled Venom unpainted from us for $60. Painted for $90. We do them with magnetized base and sail (for storage) on request.
So here's the deal folks, not much on the blog these days because I am running myself ragged on big projects. And not in a bad way mind you, I am loving it. Plus keeping up with the studio, so keep those inquiries and projects coming.
There is a building a few blocks away. We are moving into that building on March 30. Until then we will be in our current location, doing business as normal with all hands on deck, so don't worry about an address change until I say as much. And even then don't worry as we will have things forwarded.
It's in the works for us to own the building. I can't give out more details than that but it's a big deal. About the new building: It's an enormous rectangular bunker with foot thick concrete and brick walls. The building's origins are lost in the mists of time. There are two main beams, over a foot and a half thick and running nearly the length of the entire fortress and no knots as far as I can tell. They don't make 'em like that any more. The main level is 4000 square feet and with maple hardwood floors (like an open dance studio) and the partially subterranean lower level is another 4000 square feet (like a pillared hall). On top of that there is a warehouse out back. And something like fifteen dedicated parking spaces. It's an outstanding piece of property.
One thing being considered at this time: wouldn't it be great to have a game shop on the lower level? Would you like to be BTP's game shop neighbor? It would be a great combination.
The place needs some love, no doubt, and we are getting that all together in the next eight weeks. We are going to make it a place of goodness, light and healing. Yes we're doing this, Valhalla, and Adepticon apparently. So, let's keep it ramped up folks, the dream is in motion.
And it will be televised for your viewing pleasure.
Website Soon Up
Got a few emails saying my website was down. We are working on it. Should be up again soon.
Shawn
Got Me Again
I took my wife out on a date last night, just a modest affair for a bit of Indian food up in Provo. Before we left I said that I was only up for just the one outing, a needed disclaimer as it usually ends up being three or more subsidiary stops. Better to stay one step ahead of her.
I tried something new: chicken Dhansak (lentils and pineapple). Not my new fave, but still good. After we left she said hey let's go for a walk at the mall. She likes to take two or three miles of rounds. Aha! No so fast lady! I already disclaimed the date for no extra trips! Well OK, she conceded, how about we just stop for some milk (as I had been brutally nagging her about no milk).
That sly lady made me power walk all eighteen aisles of that grocery store. Power walkers coming through, step aside you regular walkers!
Foiled again.
Kromlech
These little cottage accessory businesses are cropping up everywhere. I don't know if it can be stopped. In fact, you can't stop the free market, it simply can't be done.
When I was in Chile, I spent an afternoon downtown in the capital of Santiago. There was a grand walking avenue lined with shops, really nice places, but in front of them an enormous row of ragged dirt-poor vendors with their wares spread out on a cloth. When the carabineros (police) would come into sight they would gather up their miniature shop by the four corners and blend in with the crowd. Even with uniformed military police with machine guns the free market, the black market, could not be stopped.
This is why the suit by GW against Chapterhouse is so important. I only skimmed it, but if I read it right GW is claiming that they own as IP not just their specific items, but a broad sweeping set of ideas and concepts. It's an insane power grab.
Anyway, Kromlech miniatures produces at least twenty different items. They are carried by Warpath Games in the US. Thanks to BoLS for turning me on to them.
The only problem with Kromlech is that they are in the EU.
I'll be making an order soon and getting them into the Ork army for Valhalla. Which by the way is coming up on February 24-27 and also March 24-27. Four days and three nights. It's not too late to pick up a ticket. Remember you can pay half up front and half within 30 days AFTER the event.
Work on the alien jungle table is underway. We have one or two more in the works. Again for Valhalla.
And while you were sleeping Infinity created a miniatures range with about six hundred different items. I bought a second edition rulebook for the game, just for giggles and that should be in today.
Pandora is Back!
The Pandora's Army special is back. Limited time only, at least during the month of February, maybe longer.
Here are the details.
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