Blue Table Painting

Music Lists

A friend of the studio gave me these Pandora playlists:

http://www.pandora.com/music/song/ivy/lets+go+to+bed
http://www.pandora.com/music/song/kate+havnevik/sleepless
http://www.pandora.com/music/song/motorcycle/as+rush+comes+gabriel+dresden+chill+out+mix
http://www.pandora.com/music/song/jem/wish+i
http://www.pandora.com/music/song/everything+but+girl/wrong

http://www.amazon.com/Tipa-Little-By/dp/B002KWZARO

SomaFM's Lush channel: "Sensuous and mellow vocals, mostly female,
with an electronic influence."
http://somafm.com/

My Pandora Bookmarks:
http://www.pandora.com/people/lars.rasmussen#tbl_track_bookmarks,all

__________________________________________________________
And check out this sweet and romantic video --Shawn

Oh excellent Shawn! I'm very glad to hear that. By the way the models for the Skaven arrived today. Let me say this Shawn, there are many reasons to use Blue Table Painting for business, from the ease of ordering exactly what you want and receiving it in a timely manner to the reassurance of being able to reach you anytime to know the status of my order. But what keeps me coming back each time? The amazing work your team does on each an every model. Tell Brigh that he has truly outdone himself with these models. I now see that even my epic conversion for a Mechanical Hellpit pales in comparison to his work on that living Plague Furnace. The slave conversions were a wonderful idea, Shawn, and work so well with the theme of the army that I'm astounded no one ever thought of doing it before. And I can not stop raving about those gutter runners. Here I just thought you guys were going to take the old tired gutter runner model and just paint it up pretty. I stand by my previous statement that those gutter runners are sheer genius, and when I get more time and money I will defientely being order more of those.

-AF

[Editor: PS BTP didn't paint or build the robot rat thing, that just got in there]

Routinely Medicated

Some echoes of what I think here. School is not going to hold water with new realities.
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Forced participation in public programs (ie taxes) allow outdated modes to survive when they should rightly be shed. It holds the phoenix in the ashes.
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"Revert. Revert!"
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Another video by the same speaker

Up and Atom!

I am up today as of 5am. I am standing by for inquiries and emails and new projects. I'm ready to go. Got my bluetooth in and everything.

In personal news, my wife and three older kids have been out of town with cousins and Aunts for five days leaving me and Willow to run the fortress. But she's back now and the house has come to life again; her gentle snoring like rolls of miniature thunder.

Special for the day: 2000 pt Cadian army for $950
100x infantry
9x weapon teams
7x tanks (those listed plus a Punisher to match)

All on hand and ready to ship today.
http://www.bluetablepainting.com/view_gallery.php?galleryID=3562
http://www.bluetablepainting.com/view_gallery.php?galleryID=3563
http://www.bluetablepainting.com/view_gallery.php?galleryID=3564
http://www.bluetablepainting.com/view_gallery.php?galleryID=3561
http://www.bluetablepainting.com/view_gallery.php?galleryID=3566
http://www.bluetablepainting.com/view_gallery.php?galleryID=3567
http://www.bluetablepainting.com/view_gallery.php?galleryID=3568
http://www.bluetablepainting.com/view_gallery.php?galleryID=3569
http://www.bluetablepainting.com/view_gallery.php?galleryID=3570
http://www.bluetablepainting.com/view_gallery.php?galleryID=3571

Justice For All

I watch all sorts of stuff. Everything amplifies my views somehow. It's like panning for gold. It takes a lot of mental effort to get the sludge and the gold separated out. Tell me if this following has any merit.

We are trained in the US to view things as Right and Left. I have started to view things as Statist or Libertarian; Collectivist vs Individualist.

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By voluntary consent, voluntary cooperation of free men, unforced

Reading for the day

Or if you prefer video.

This is week-old news but I thought it was worth re-visiting. It helps to see subtitles.

B-slap

I haven't written anything personal for the last few days, maybe even a week.

I had a heart stress test (with treadmill and electrode-thingies) the other day and of course I am in perfect health as usual. I am not living for myself-- a lot of people depend on me, so I am keeping closer tabs on my health and cutting out more unhealthy things with every passing month.

My wife is out of town for four days on a family vacation. As often is the case I have to stay and keep the fortress running. Somebody has to keep this family in the lap of luxury. Bonus points for knowing what movie that is from. I am home with just Willow who is staying with someone from the ward for the day.

She is my little buddy. I just love that kid more than words can say. Last night she was crying at like 3am so I brought her to bed and put on Ponyo and gave her a sippy-cup of milk. I just drifted off to sleep when she open-palm b-slapped me right in the middle of the face. As I focused on her she held up her cup as if to say "hey, what are you sleeping for, shouldn't you be getting me a refill?"

She has a few molars showing through now. At this moment she is "combing" my hair saying "comb! comb!".

The studio is at the worst of all phases right now. Busy from orders and work to do but a lull in work coming in. I need to get some new projects booked. I am absolutely frustrated that I have all this manpower, and all this talent and not enough work to go around. I don't like idle hands. So, we are ready to go at a moment's notice. I hope to have most current projects completely done in about ten days, so if I order new stuff now we will be ready to hit the ground running.

I am working very hard to keep the quality up and shorten the turnaround time, as some of you may have noticed.

I've also got a lot of armies and individual lots for sale. I think the real steals here are the Tau and the Dwarves.

All the archers (x132) for the Rainforest Elves are assembled and ready to be painted. Unfortunately, they will not be ready for the game I have set up for tomorrow morning. You will be seeing a Batrep with them about one week from now.

___________________
Viewer comment:

You asked for comments, but the comments are restricted to team members, so I thought I'd sent you my ramblings directly.... PS: always enjoy watching your stuff on youtube ;)

I love the hobby and I'm a big PP fan.

But lets take a look at my thoughts on 40K..

Great background!
Some nice models (but why is a 7'6" marine the same size as a 6' imperial guardsman?)
and some really sucky rules.

So for me its the rules rather than the silly prices that push me away from GW. I mean 40K is in its 5th edition, surely they have to have solved some of its flaws by now... we no they haven't and they keep adding more (flaws i mean).

And Fantasy is on its 8th edition... I mean come on are the rules so bad that they need to be updated every 5 years?

I can understand the 'no alternatives' policy even if I don't agree with it. But in the end I just cannot be bothered with GW any more...

I've gone over to Warmachine / Hordes, Infinity and I'm looking into Malifaux right now.

I don't have time to paint I once did and I want to play a game that lasts a couple of hours tops, so I want smaller games, with fewer minis that I can really spend time on making look good.

I'll off topic I think... but yeah GWs policies strike me as little more than greed.

Is Games Workshop the "Evil Empire"?; A Short Retrospective on Games Workshop's "No Alternatives Policy"

Guest Article from SM- Opinion

[Note from Shawn: this is an opinion piece! I haven't even read through the whole thing. I'd love to hear what you think]

Many of us would agree that 40k is by far the most prolific wargame to date. With a wide and well established line of miniatures, a large quantity of followers and a renknowed company to back them, 40k has made numerous strides in dominating the market. 40k's popularity is now getting to a point where other forms of media are being employed to bring it to the attention of a broader audience, with the most notable example being the incredibly successful line of video games, a feat which no other wargame has been able to replicate (though Privateer Press did announce they were in the process of producing and releasing a game based on Iron Kingdoms.) Yet for all of its accomplishments, I am left with a bitter taste towards GW's poster child. I love 40k for its qualities as a game, and even more so for its fantastic narrative (well, I like it at least.) Nevertheless, its GW's monopolistic policies that I despise. For several years now GW has focused primarily on the locking the market down, and creating a set of policies governing how their rules can utilized. In this respect, I am primarily focusing on GW's policy of being restricted to Citadel models.

I am by no means a "beardy" player. My time with wargames has been short, but in the course of about two years they have had a profound effect on my life. I was first reeled in, oddly enough, by the Dawn of War games, which lead me to investigate their background. When I came upon 40k, it was love at first sight, and a day after learning about the existence of it I went my nearest FLGS to purchase a copy of Assault on Black Reach, and a week later I had already started purchasing my first army. Many months have passed, as have several armies, and I am currently without any of GW's models (with the exception of the AOBR marines.) Recently, I have been trying to get rid of all of my wargaming stuff, and trying to get on without wargames. But between several youtube channels (cough... BTP and BOW cough cough) I have still maintained ties to 40k. And this has lead me down the dark path of wanting to get back into 40k. Unfortunately, I am on a severely restricted budget, between school and my car and all the myriad expenses that are associated with everyday life. Nevertheless, I have found alternative ranges to be quite economically viable, yet when I present the idea to local gamers, the immediate response is a frown, a sigh and an explanation that I don't care to hear. Perhaps they are to absorbed into their game that they cant see GW's folly.

Perhaps now you have an idea as to why I am so against GW's policies. But there may be some justification to their ideas. From a purely financial point of view, their policy of limiting the market to only incorporate their models gives them unprecedented power. They are essentially guaranteed 100 percent of the profits, due to the fact that they require that people only use their models. And at their price point, GW's models bring in a huge level of profit. After all, more than 90 percent of the sticker price is to account for that oh so wonderful packaging that GW places their sprues in. GW at this point is a huge monopoly (though not in the historical field) and their position of power is unlikely to change. This is especially true when you consider the obstacles that face a new company, between the financial elements (finding the means to actually produce a range is quite difficult) and obtaining the business savvy to keep a company afloat, especially in these troubled times.

The community at large also seems to reflect GW's policies. As I have stated previously, I am not too familiar with GW's past, but I am inclined to believe that at one point they catered more to the players. I have heard that White Dwarf used to be extensively invested in the hobby, with guides on painting, modeling and even producing alternative rule sets to be used by gamers. As GW garnered more and more money, they obviously decided to shift their business model, and are now focused on getting as much money as quickly as possible. This has seemingly been reflected by the people who play the games, as more and more people at my FLGS adopt a snobbish and unwelcoming attitude, as if they are somehow superior. I honestly hope that this is a exceptional case, as I would hate to see this in every store that caters to the hobbyist.

Nevertheless, there does seem to be a possible change in the way wargmes will be played, as Mr. Gately has hinted at in one of his videos. He proposed that there would eventually be a universally accepted rule set, and that models would be designed to be utilized for this rules set, with the player deciding which models to purchase based on several factors (price point, quality etc.) This would replicate the ideas of a free market, in that the individual would decide how to spend their money. I am inclined to agree, as many alternative ranges are starting to adapt this idea. One such company is Wargames Factory. Though their range is incredibly limited at this point (at least in the vein of alternative figures, as they have numerous historical ranges), their models are incredibly crafted and more than reasonably priced (at about a dollar per model, despite the fact that they lack bases.) If you havent heard of them, I would give their models a look (if of course you can find people who will put up with your choice of models.)

Another company, and perhaps a possible contender in the market, is Mantic Games. Their ranges were primarily designed to be used for Warhammer Fantasy, but as more and more people have decided to back the company, they have grown measurably more bold, and are in the process of creating their own rules set. Perhaps they will become akin to Privateer Press, a company whose track record is incredible, with over ten years of experience (which is rare in this business.) I would definitely keep an eye on Mantic and see where time leads them.

But perhaps competition is what gamers need. Should adequate competition arise from the likes of Mantic and Privateer Press, than this would force GW to react, mostly likely by dropping their prices. As we have seen with AOBR and the new IoB, GW is more than capable of producing beautiful models at an extremely adequate price point. But with their current dominace, they are bot required to do anything that would cut into their profit margin. Of course, the only way this will occur is if the community at large decides to back these companies, and stray from their long ingrained passions for GW's games.

As Matt Ward has so admirably stated in the Blood Angels codex , "Only time will tell."

-- SM

____________________

I'll take a crack at a comment first (email them to bluetablepainting@gmail.com). GW does a good job. They produce great models and not necessarily overpriced when all things are considered, namely support over the course of years.

There are no GW police forbidding that local tournaments have GW-figures only. I am a huge fan of using any model I please.

_______________________

Hmm, i guess I see slightly where this guy is coming from. I am recently out of school so i have an idea about being tight on money, and I do believe that GW's models are a bit overcosted, However, GWs kits have a lot more flexability (in that you build the model how you choose, with extra bits left over for other conversions) so this is a huge advantage when compared to other companies. I also believe that GW probably adjusts prices due to inflation, in that their prices follow the countries inflation rate. What do you think?

________________________

I read the opinion article with great interest. As someone who not only plays GW games, but has had a retail account with them for 14 years. I have seen lots of good and bad when it comes to dealing with the company. When I opened my account back in 1996 Games Workshop did a lot of work on building relationships with the retailers. They had a program called Rogue Trader for stores that had accounts in good standing, and provided support in the form of a large binder filled with tips on running various kinds of game scenarios, how to order product to support leagues and tournaments. They would also update those materials on a regular basis. The retailer information was also good and covered topics like inventory restocking, inventory placement and product promotion.

The first time I got a taste of the bad side of Games Workshop was in 1997 when they released Epic. A very small scale version of Warhammer 40K. The rollout for it was impressive and I even went to GAMA in Las Vegas to talk with the representatives there and played a few games with some GW executives. All seemed good and I invested a considerable sum into the game. However, about a year later the game was removed from the companies main line, and the only way I could get the product was in the same way that customers would get it. Leaving me with no way to get any margin out of it. This essentially made Epic a 'dead game' for me, and to top it off the company refused to take back any of the sealed Epic product and would not even entertain the idea of giving me a credit towards other GW product.

This same scenario played out with some other games. Does anyone remember Necromunda, Mordheim, Gorka Morka, Battle Fleet Gothic or Inquistitor. In each case the company would do a lavish launch of the game, tell everyone how wonderful it, was and that it would get support. Then usually in about a year or so the game would quietly fade away, and stores would be unable to order it unless they went through the mail order department. Which is exactly what my customers could do. Again, removing any incentive for me to support the game any longer. After having this happen more times then I like to admit. I decided to only support Warhammer Fantasy and 40K. The only games that have ever gotten constant support from the company for any real length of time. Even though I really love some of the other games it doesn't pay to support them when the creator of those same games will not make the effort to do so.

The relationship hasn't always been a bad one. I remember getting Games Workshop volunteers to help me at many of my store's Warhammer Fantasy and 40K events over the years. As well as getting some really good prize support from GW. Getting my events into the White Dwarf in a timely fashion could be very difficult given that it was published across the pond. But when it did happen it helped my events be successful immensely. Back in the early 2000's GW did something that I really liked. They decided to split the country into very small sections, and have a Manager for each one. This manager would try to visit each of the store's in their area once every three months minimum. During each visit they would lay out what GW had planned for the next three months, look at my store's stock level, and give me ideas on what to order (new releases, restocking, etc.). This was the best support that I got as a retailer, and it lasted for about three years. I was sad to see it go because I thought it might have been a sign that the company was going to improve support for independent retailers over the long term. Sadly the program was cut due to downsizing at GW, at least that is what I was told. Shortly after that GW really started pushing the Battlebunkers and small mall stores all over the country.

A manufacturer deciding that they need to compete with their independent retailers with their own chain of retail stores makes no sense. Its a slap in the face to every independent retailer. We helped make Games Workshop what they are today, and to reward me by directly competing with me is in my mind a terrible blow to any relationship I thought I had with the company. After talking with many retailers at GAMA conventions over the last few years, and seeing examples of what I am hearing from other stores happening in my own area. I am sad to say that Games Workshop is more of an enemy then a friend to retailers. They use the sales figures from independent retailer accounts to help them decide where to put down their Battle Bunkers and smaller mall stores, and it has put many a retailer out of business. Its no wonder that companies like Privateer Press and Mantic Games are doing as well as they are. Independent retailers want alternatives to Games Workshop.

-DL

Lick of Sense

How is this wrong?

Is it possible to be a partial slave? 10% enslaved?

_____________________
[OK, I got the first public response. Anyone want to respond to this response?]

Shawn,

Like many, I read your articles and watch your videos quite often. I highly respect your poltical opinion, especially as I disagree on many things. Also, like you, I do put my money where my mouth is. I canvass, phonebank, and I was even a Field Organizer in 2008. Normally I read your political articles, and leave it at that, but this time I felt I could contribute something. In this partisan atmosphere, it's becoming increasingly difficult to understand 'the other side', so I though I'd offer some insight of a different point of view.

Judge Napolitano makes a very strong point, and though I consider myself progressive (even a liberal) I agree that healthcare is not a right. However, two questions still remain in my mind.

The first is that though the Constitution does not implicitly demand that the government provide healthcare, it does not implicitly say that the government cannot provide it either. To me, healthcare is not a question of constitutionality, but of a value. Some people value providing healthcare to those who cannot afford it, others value people taking care of themselves more. With this in mind, I still do not agree on the constitutionality argument. How is it unconstitutional to want to offer welfare in the form of healthcare? Why was medicare and medicaid never challenged as passionately and aggressively if the government being involved in healthcare is inherantly bad?

My second question is more of a concern. I understand completely if people do not like healthcare, but by the end the speaker began using words like thievery and slavery. I feel those terms are a bit too emotional for my taste, and suggest something more sinister is at play than it really is. The intent of healthcare is that it is the 'right' thing to do to not let someone die who cannot afford it, or who cannot be covered under the current system. Though govenrment control may be a biproduct of healthcare reform, at the very least the intent is genuine. Once the debate no longer becomes about what we should do, and becomes more focused on claiming the other side is criminal, it no longer becomes a debate. I feel as if his strong arguments at the beginning of the video were wasted by what he said at the end. Calling people thieves and slave owners to me seems inappropriate in a political setting. It is far more likely to create resentment than encourage discussion. How can we hope for any progress, whether for ,or against Healthcare, when such language is being used?

When it comes to healthcare, the thing that I generally point out is that Barack Obama continually said he was going to reform healthcare throughout his campaign for the Presidency, and once he was elected, did the very thing he claimed he would do regarding Healthcare. Though healthcare was not necessarily the reason he was elected, it was part of the package deal. It was not some scam or lie, but something that was seen coming a long way away.

Thank you for providing the link though. It did make me reconsider the Healthcare debate.

Sincerely,

Matt

Use of Monstrous Creatures in 8th Edition WHF (Guest Article)

8^th edition has made the big beasties incredibly stronger but are they really that strong and cost effective?

On their own they are but if you put them in a bigger perspective they are not. A block (3-6) of minotaurs or trolls is great to kill a war machine or some cavalry but against a unit of 30 infantry their chances decrease enormously. They still can shred them but steadfast and at least 10 attacks (probably more) will make a bigger comb.res. and since big beasties don’t have the best LD (4 for trolls) they will run away easily and then you have 200+ points in a position where you don’t want it.

Therefore you want to pair your units of monstrous infantry or cavalry with a nice and sturdy block of infantry. As example I will take the Khorne Deamons army of the studio. In the last battle report against the High Elves the Bloodcrushers didn’t get back their points value at all, that’s because Shawn rushed them forwards (which is almost never a smart move), you should keep you battleline a line as much as possible and then in the same turn storm forward. In the Deamons army you should charge with the Bloodletters in front and hit with some monstrous cav. in the sides (not to break ranks just to have more comb.res.). This will mean that you got 2 charges, 1 flank, some ranks and 1 or 2 banners. That means a static combat res. of 5+ and a lot of attacks (and stomp attacks) left to increase it and break your opponent, once that is done the monstrous inf. or cav. probably has a higher movement and is likely to catch your opponent. Meaning you got your victory points.

This is of course not fail proof, you could miss your charge or lose the combat, if that happens your opponent still has to make a choice, does he charge the monsters or the infantry, either way he is getting the one or the latter in the flank next turn. And that is what it’s all about, being sure of your own actions and letting your opponent make a choice with the dilemmas you put forward.

Martijn

Menoth (Guest Article)

Get Started with Warmachine!

Looking for an inexpensive and fun tabletop miniatures game? Warmachine MKII, by Privateer Press, might be exactly what you are looking for!

Warmachine is set in the fantasy realm of the Iron Kingdoms. The game mechanics feature a magical spell caster, called a warcaster, and his retinue of gigantic steam-powered golems, called warjacks.

To start skirmishing, all you need is the rule book, a warcaster model, and a handful of warjacks. Conveniently, Privateer Press offers reasonably priced battlegroup-sized miniatures kits. Each battlegroup comes with a warcaster and his or her personal retinue of warjacks. Plus, you also get quick start rules.

You may choose a battlegroup from any one of the four major factions in the game: the prosperous and technologically advanced Cygnar, the northern Khador, the dark and undead Cryx, or the crusading Protectorate of Menoth.

Protectorate of Menoth was my choice. I enjoy their religiously devout, crusading background fluff. Although Menoth units are sometimes weaker than those fielded by their enemies, their units may be combined in synergistic ways on the tabletop— making playing Menoth rewarding, challenging, and exciting all at the same time!

Over time, you may add models to your battlegroup. You may collect additional warcasters and warjacks, or even add troop selections and independent models of amazing variety. Your battlegroup may grow into a formidable army!

Blue Table Painting is more than happy to help you get started with Warmachine troop selection ideas and painting services.

Right now, I am eyeing the new “Scourge of Heresy” Heavy warjack kit as a possible expansion to my Menoth battlegroup. Watch out, Cygnar players!

Campbell Venn

BTP Correspondent

[If you like this article, email Shawn at bluetablepainting@gmail.com]

Rain Forest Elves

Wood Elves are an old love of mine. And now that they are considered a bottom-tier army (possible the bottom-most with Competition from Brettonians), no one can complain if I manage to take them to the cleaners.

As usual, I can't just do the regular thing.

I thought about doing desert-themed wood elves, but that seemed like it might be a tad plain. I have settled on Rain Forest theme. That will be dark and bright greens to contrast with splashes of color: true red and dusky orange.

Warhawk Riders = Giant Dragonfly Riders
Giant Eagle = Hunter Dragonfly
Forest Dragon = War Toucan (or maybe a War Frog since flying creatures actually hop more than fly)

Shrunken heads
Lizardmen-type aztec accountrements and totems

I'm using Privateer Press Megaliths for Treemen, and Woldwatchers as Treekin. And I'm thinking of the new Wold Guardian as a Treeman Ancient.

Wood Elf Tactics

Check here.

"Do not try to duplicate powerhouse characters from other armies. You are simply not going to get a character that can win a fair fight with a properly kitted Dwarf Lord or something. This is normal. Wood Elves can’t ever win fair fights, the entire trick of playing Wood Elves is to make sure all the fights are unfair."

Also found this great article on "Sethayla" tactics.

Forge World Now In

I have about five projects waiting for FW stuff. Those are now out of the gate.

Khorne Daemon Prince
Chaos Spiked Beast
Space Marine MK3 armor and accessories (still waiting on shoulderpads from other company)
Vulture Gunship
R'alai
Broadside

I need a client who would be willing to order Forge World stuff for us, sending it directly to the studio, and willing to accept a credit in exchange for this. This would be at a higher rate of +20%. For example: you order $500 worth of Forge World stuff* that we need and we give you a credit of $600 for painting and assembly. If interested drop me an email.

We order about $500-1500 worth of FW each month.

*ie $500 is the actual amount you are charged. We will cover and expand at 20% all related charges.

Dangerous Social Net

Here's how it works. Every month, as a business owner, I have to write a check for many thousands of dollars to the IRS. This is called with-holding. I am effectively a tax collector per force. If I do not collect it or do not pay it, it doesn't take long for the notice to come-- a threat against my life (time/effort) and property (money). The money then goes to the Federal Government where those who are more virtuous than I decide how it is to be used best.

This is income tax. It is a tax levied on the labor of the common man. Not a tariff on a foreign entity, nor a tax on a for-profit corporation. There is a difference.

My objection to social programs is the "who should administrate". I believe that the individual or even a business owner is better suited to do it. I believe there should be a social safety net, but the Feds are not competent or worthy to hold it. The neighborhood is competent and worthy to hold it.

A worker of mine chipped a filling but didn't have $150 on hand to have it fixed. I would have preferred to have that with-holding money to just write her a check. A worker of mine had a sinus infection. I would have rather just pulled money out of the coffers to take care of this.

Instead, as a group, we have to pay twice. We pay tribute to the Feds and we have to take care of ourselves.

The same regulation and heavy-handedness that is meant to moderate the wealth-gathering of huge corporations also hurts very small businesses like my own in a very real way. I call this "dolphins in the nets".

Again, I believe in the common man. I believe in the goodness of the Average American. If left to our own devices I believe we would do good on the whole out of our own free will and choice.

This interview with Ayn Rand brought to the fore of my mind a few things that have been percolating in my brain. I'm not saying it's right. But there it is. What do you think?

Be sure to listen to it twice or three times. It take a few takes to digest.

Hey Shawn,

Just a quick opinion on they video you posted a couple of days ago: I believe history have proven her wrong, at least in some points. Mainly, welfare and industrial regulation are not "bringing the world (or single countries for that matter) to disaster". My assertion is backed by the fact that the country I live in (Denmark) has one of the worlds most comprehensive welfare programmes - and yet has maintained the position as one of the most prosperous and rich societies. (Of course, with the recent and pending economic crisis/collapse no "fiat economies" are safe, but that is another matter.) I'm not saying the same extensive welfare system would provide the same benefits when implemented in other (larger) countries/systems. Personally I think the further the citizen is from his/her democracy, the more corruption and waste of Resources(tax) occurs. I resent the current movement in Europe towards centralized sovereignty in the EU and I whole-heartedly support your wish for a minimal federal government. In my mental Utopia the only legislation comes from a county/city-state level of power, and individual cities are absolutely free to implement whatever regulation they wish (You could have complete communism, extreme corporatism, fiat currency or not, etc.). On the other hands I believe it should be easier for every citizen to revoke the personal "contract" that we all essentially have to our government, and then move to a city that fits better, politically, culturally, and so on.

To return to the subject - I just wanted to point out that personal freedom is not necessarily in opposition to welfare politics.

Please keep the political inputs coming on your blog :-)

Regards,
LC

Power Core Ogres

Shawn,

I just wanted to let you know that even though my army isn't your average rank and file. I still am going to try something that you might find rather nasty. My plan is to have a Ogre Army core unit (Ogre Bulls) that is 18 models in size. Each rank is 6 across so that the Ogres get the benefits of being a horde. I did a test with dice on this unit last night against some Dwarves with double handed weapons, and they did very well. The Dwarf unit was a core unit, and was 50 units in ranks of ten, and the unit of 18 Ogres made them route after the second round of close combat.

Here is what happens when all 18 of these successfully charge a unit. The bull charge does six strength 6 impact hits. Then every bull in the unit does all of their attacks. Without a champion that is 54 attacks at weapon skill 3 strength 4. Then they get their six stomp attacks when the combat is over. That is 66 attacks on the charge using 18 guys. Not bad if I do say so. I have eighteen Ogre Bulls and am going to use this unit on Sunday against Dwarves. I will let you know how it fares.

David

Student Loan Thing

Just realized the graphic I posted a few days back didn't expand properly when clicked.

Here's a much better version.

Ya-hikes!

What is going on over in the UK that this seems to be the concept of the female form? Or is this a dude? Please tell me it's a dude.

All of GW's female sculpts (possible exception last metal Daemonettes, but even they had some serious yikes factor with those feet) are pretty intimidating. All burly muscles and spiked corsets.

Now, the French seem to have it right:

Some of the Reasons I think College is a Giant Waste of Human Life

...unless your parents are paying for everything, then by all means go. You're only wasting your time then.

I graduated from college in 1999 with a degree in Spanish. I will be eighty years old when my student loans are paid off.

As follows (you got to click on it):

Wood Elf Shooting Strategy

[This from a viewer]

Hello Shawn,

I'm not sure if you already do this but here's a tactic I've found very useful with small unit shooting armies in 8th edition:

Normally you only get 2-3 rounds of shooting, but failed charges don't move very far at all. The strategy is to move a couple of units forward from your main line to bait charges and then flee. You have to be very careful about the ranges as being caught is especially bad. But if you start near their maximum charge range there's very little to worry about. Another complication is that they can redirect and force several of your units to have to flee. Placement of your units, in this case, is key. I'm not sure how well this tactic works with wood elves as I'm not as familiar with their leadership value. With dwarves it's outstanding. They don't move that far and even if they move through an ally, none of the other units are likely to run. And they're almost certainly going to rally next round.

You can really slow down your enemy if you can manage to force them into trying to make long charges and failing. And if they go for short charges, your units are small enough to get blown through in a round. They either overrun into wide open shooting territory, or reform to face another of your units. In either case you get another round of shooting on them.
So, as you can see, while march blocking and redirecting are much more difficult in 8th edition, you can still slow down approaching armies. Having cavalry move 3-4 inches forward every turn because your target keeps fleeing is frustrating. Also, as I'm sure you can see, there are a lot of complications that come up with the strategy so you need to be very careful about placement and distance. It's not easy, but when successful it can be
devastating.

Also, on a completely unrelated note (though I guess partially related to "weak" armies in 8th edition warhammer), I *highly* recommend watching OnceBitten360's Brettonian battle reports on YouTube if you haven't already seen them. I happened upon them looking for how people play the army successfully in this edition and was not disappointed.
Jason Patton

Beastly

General Conference is also a great time to make army lists! Here's what I came up with for Beastmen along the lines of the Power Core concept.

Twenty (20) units of six Ungor Skirmishers. Ten deploy, ten in Ambush. That's a total of 120 figures.
1x Taurox
1x Gorebull BSB
1x Gorebull Hero
4x Minotaurs with two hand weapons
2x Ghorgons

Easy, put the Ungors out one at a time in the middle roughly until your opponent is completely deployed, then drop the big boys all on one side and proceed to roll up the flank. I need to try this at least one time before I die.

We can create this army for $1900 everything included. Limited quantity = 1.

General Conference

I'm watching General Conference right now. What a great day to stay at home and be with family!

Night Sky

Last night I had a dream that I was staying the night in a cabin* in the hills east of Ashland (not my normal location for Ashland dreams). I was playing cards with Cameron and some other people that were staying there. I looked outside and noticed that the stars were much brighter and more numerous than normal. I called the others out to the grassy hill and then to the west as I made the turn around the building I saw the galactic core hovering in the sky. Then a woman noticed to the north a star even brighter than the others, I almost had to turn away. She thought it was Venus.

After we went back inside it started to rain, harder than I have ever seen rain. I went outside again. It felt like I was in the shower with my clothes on.

*it was more like a four-room hospital or recovery center with windows nearly taking up the entire wall in places, and lots of plants.

Power Core

Recently I've been thinking of the various army books and how 8th edition may have changed everything. It's obvious that the rank and file warriors are now the heart of the game, but I don't think that has really sunk in.

The main change is that the second rank now gets a piece of the action. For archers this means something important: reduced frontage.

When making an army, most people look at the core and think "how can I fill the minimum requirement of 25% and then move on to the good stuff?" What if that were reversed? What if you made a 2500 point army where 2300 is spent on Core units?

Armies like Skaven and Empire perhaps we think of having 100 or maybe even 200 figures. But what about an army like High Elves? What about 150 Sea Guard? I'm thinking of trying a Wood Elf army with 140 Glade Guard. They can move and shoot without penalty and have Glade Guard Longbows (S4 at close range). That still leaves room for a pair of Treemen to dish out a beat down.

And Beastmen with 200 Ungor Raiders (only using 1250 pts). Granted their low leadership means a possible domino effect for fleeing, but maybe not since half can come in as Ambushers and move around the sides.

I'd like to at least try it with proxies. I have 160 goblins done up. And the rest can be whatever.

Silver Certificates

I dream of paying my workers in commodity-backed currency.

It is technically legal to pay workers in cash. But it's not really *wink* legal according to the IRS. I get that sometimes from my accountants; "Shawn, you can do that, it's legal but the IRS doesn't like it." What happened to rule of law?

But I've found that what the IRS likes or doesn't like really does matter because they have inquisitorial power. For example: when an examiner (read: auditor) rules against you in a review, you can appeal. Who decides the appeal? The exact same examiner. It's a joke.

This system makes sure that payroll goes through the banks-- that they have that money available to inflate into debt and saddle the commoners with it.

The IRS should be abolished, the 16th amendment repealed, and the income tax replaced with nothing. This could happen if the Federal Government were half (or a third, depending on who you ask) the current size. The government should rely on tariffs and be strictly limited to its enumerated powers.

And now a few words related to the rebirth of the Republican Party. Rachel asks the right question here "will this ultimately strengthen or weaken the R. Party?"

Khorne is Displeased

I decided that my Khorne Daemons army needed some magic in it so I whipped up a Khorne-themed Sorceror (to represent a Herald of Tzeentch on Disc).

See pics here

My first game he got killed on the first turn and I got completely tabled.

Anyhoo, as you all know I'm selling this army. I've decided to peel off the Flesh-hounds and reduce the price back down to the original cost of $1150. The hounds will be a separate lot. And the Sorceror a separate lot as well.