Goodbye Google Friend Connect for all non-Blogger sites

[Sigh!] One of the things I liked most about Blogger was the ability for non-Google folks to follow blogs. That's all about to change, "for the better". Really? Better for who?

"In 2011, we announced the retirement of Google Friend Connect for all non-Blogger sites. We made an exception for Blogger to give readers an easy way to follow blogs using a variety of accounts. Yet over time, we’ve seen that most people sign into Friend Connect with a Google Account. So, in an effort to streamline, in the next few weeks we’ll be making some changes that will eventually require readers to have a Google Account to sign into Friend Connect and follow blogs.

As part of this plan, starting the week of January 11, we’ll remove the ability for people with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut or other OpenId providers to sign in to Google Friend Connect and follow blogs. At the same time, we’ll remove non-Google Account profiles so you may see a decrease in your blog follower count.

We encourage you to tell affected readers (perhaps via a blog post), that if they use a non-Google Account to follow your blog, they need to sign up for a Google Account, and re-follow your blog. With a Google Account, they’ll get blogs added to their Reading List, making it easier for them to see the latest posts and activity of the blogs they follow.

We know how important followers are to all bloggers, but we believe this change will improve the experience for both you and your readers.

Posted by Michael Goddard, Software Engineer"

Not much we can do about but it still stinks...

Cheers,
Millsy

Why let others tell you how to have fun?!?

As you may or may not have noticed I've been conspicuous by my absence of late. This is entirely through events outside my control (a rather nasty ongoing illness, now thankfully resolved and a soon-to-be-completed office move). So for those one or two people with nothing better to do with their time than read the blog, I sincerely apologise!

One thing I have been able to do in my relatively incapacitated state is read the odd blog post by my fellow gamers. With time to read and ponder I've become aware of a rather disappointing trend, especially amongst fans of a certain now defunct* fantasy universe.

There seems to be a rising tide of reacting to the discontinuation of a favourite game system by the throwing hands in the air, refusing to ever play it again and moving on elsewhere. Presumably this means armies people have lovingly lavished time and effort on painting and then enjoyed playing with for years will now sit unused and gathering dust or even be sold off.

WHY, for goodness sake?!?**

Are we so dependent on being spoon fed by games companies that we cannot continue to enjoy something just because they stop selling it? And why the bitterness if they do? I can understand a certain level of disappointment but some of the material I've read makes me wonder how some of us are so willing to put our enjoyment in our hobby*** seemingly entirely in the hands of others.

If [insert company name here] stops making your favourite game then screw 'em. If you enjoy a game system then keep playing it and the rest of the world can go jump. Become the owner of your own hobby and enjoy yourself. Don't let someone else tell you how, when or where to have fun. YOU decide.

There, I've said it. Rant over :-)

Cheers,
Millsy

* only if you allow it to be!
** clearly not what I was really thinking.
*** NO, they do NOT own the HOBBY, just some IP, despite what they might think or say.

Soooooo........ Reaper Bones...

If you've not heard of Reaper Miniatures' "Bones" project you may well be the last person alive who hasn't. Since it was launched it has been something of a phenomenon. Yours truly was sorely tempted by the Kickstarter but in the end resisted. I'm glad I did. Read on for why...

Last week I thought I'd give Bones a stab and duly picked up a handful on the cheap whilst at MOAB. Some where unwanted figs from someone else's Kickstarter, some where from the blister range. Having now spent a bit of time with them I've got some seriously mixed feelings and thought I'd share them to see what people think and what kind of opinion others have of the Bones range....

Price
POSITIVE. This one's a winner obviously. You can't argue with a list price around 50% (or less) or the equivalent miniature in pewter. What's not to like?

Detail Level
POSITIVE. Again, a winner. Despite the fact they are plastic the detail is right up there and I've found there is no discernible difference between the plastic and the pewter.

Sculpting
POSITIVE. As they are for the most part copies of existing Reaper Minis and therefore from the same stable of sculptors the miniatures are as a rule quite lovely sculpts. Lots of character, interesting poses and not too bad scale-wise. OK, some are gigantic but I could see that before I bought them.

Plastic Material
NEGATIVE. They're bendy. Like seriously bendy. Much bendier than I had expected. Which is fine for the majority of the miniature but I found removing mold lines a pain. Painting small or thin parts like weapons and belts was also seriously tedious as the miniature flexed away from even the gentlest brush strokes making a smooth finish very difficult to achieve.

Why Are They Standing on a Soap Box?
NEGATIVE. The bases are thick. Amongst the thickest I've seen for some time and out of step with what the majority of manufacturers are capable of. I've had to apply gloop around the base to avoid a noticeable step between the figure and the rest of the base. Something I never normally have to do and which just added more time.

Applying Paint
NEGATIVE. This one's the killer. I read plenty about prep beforehand and am generally quite careful. Unfortunately despite that my preferred enamel spray primer remained extremely tacky no matter how long I left it. This lead to a lot of bleeding and certain brands of paint, especially Citadel, to require multiple coats. In one case even a fifth coat of paint still cracked the following day. Now I've heard tell you can apply paint directly to the plastic but why would you if you really like to paint? My preferred primer gives a consistent, smooth surface which paint adheres to really well and which helps me produce a consistent standard at a great pace. Note: To be fair regards cracking and bleeding, the current Citadel paint range is also awful and I'm replacing them but still other paints like Vallejo and P3 had similar issues...

EDIT: I've just taken some photos of how easily the paint rubs off. One good swipe of my thumb and my golem is back to bare plastic.

Paint rubs off easily. Most likely a primer issue but why the issue to begin with?

Paint cracks and bleeds over time. This is just a couple of days. How about a week from now? A month? A year?

Thoughts?
Over all, NEGATIVE. I'm NOT a fan. I didn't enjoy painting them, all the extra effort extended the time required considerably and in the end the result is nothing I can't get from metal or traditional plastics. If I worked out a cost benefit then my time lost cost a lot more than I saved in the purchase price.

Who else has painted them and what do you think? I'm really curious to see if I'm the only one who is more than a little underwhelmed.

PS. A rant for a 300th post? Sure, why not :-)

Cheers,
Millsy

Surgeon's Table Saturday

Let me start this by making it quite clear I am not normally a violent person. Despite my interest in things military I have definite preference for the more peaceful pursuits. However, having gotten that out of the way I can now say that if I *ever* actually meet the gobsmacking idiot who cut these wonderful miniatures off at the ankle with a pair of side cutters I *will* do him a lasting and visibly gruesome injury. [ahem!]

All four needed both legs pinning. Number two is missing over half his foot and both ankles!

Today's efforts at the painting table have included very little in the way of brushwork. Rather I've been stripping, drilling and pinning these absolutely gorgeous Oldhammer trolls I bought on fleaBay years ago. Each of them had been removed from their original base with something clearly more suited to forge-work than Forgeworld. What possessed the previous owner to do such a thing is beyond me and I will take great pleasure in finally restoring them to their rightful state, despite the work that will eventually entail. For those who remember the Winged Nightmare Episode, this is if at all possible even more complicated a restoration.

The pins go all the way up through into the legs and bend back beneath for strength.

As you can see in the first pic Troll Number Two is by far the worst. Not only were both legs cut clean through, his left foot is now more than half missing. He'll now require the kind of work normally performed by Dr Richard Steadman at an eyewatering hourly rate (OK knees not ankles but you get the idea).

It's a month on crutches and then 9 months rehab for you matey...

And having finally gotten that off my chest I can now ask a question. Does anyone know anything at all about these particular miniatures? Endless Google Foo has revealed only the very early Marauder or (I suspect later) Citadel versions. I'm fairly confident these fall in between but can't find a single image. I'm keen to know if I have the whole set for starters.

And that's it for today. Rant over. Stay tuned for "Green Stuff Sunday"... :-)

Cheers,
Millsy

Basing, a Prince's New Coat and a Warning from the UN

Hello all. Something of a mixed bag to finish the weekend...

First up, I've finished the last couple of odd Necromunda figs I was working on and based the lot up. Remember to click for larger versions of the image.

Secondly, Grand Prince Dmitry IV Dmitrovich of Velikye Byelgorodniya has a new coat! Click away to read all about it.

And finally, the UN met recently and have added a new item to their list of prohibited terror weapons. Henceforth it will be illegal under the Geneva Convention to allow small children to roll dice on behalf of grown men. You have been warned.

Cheers,
Millsy

What defines a skirmish game?

I've just been reading a rather interesting post over on House of Paincakes. The author Cedric is talking about the current proliferation of new games, at least in part driven by Kickstarter. He talks about what happens when you want to try something new but nobody else does. What do you do? Abandon the idea? Do two (or more) factions yourself?

Often the cost of a single faction for any given system can be the most an individual can afford, leading to a number of commentators suggesting playing skirmish games like SAGA, as the cost of entry is lower.

And that brings me to my point. What defines a "skirmish" as opposed to a "wargame"?

Wikipedia defines skirmish games this way.

For myself, I'd suggest that the generally accepted view is that skirmish games are where:

1. the number of figures required is substantially lower
   and
2. (as a consequence) the cost of entry is lower
   and
3. the figure scale is typically 1:1 - individual figures are "units"
   and
4. (as a consequence) the level of characterisation is substantially higher

The interesting thing for me was that Cedric's opening put these types of games almost in opposition to GW's various Warhammer flavours (hereafter "Warhammers").

To me, the Warhammers ARE skirmish games and here's why:

1. figures are based individually
   and
2. there are lot of characters who act individually
   and
3. the figure scale is 1:1
   and
4. an "army" in reality consists for a couple of hundred models (at the extreme)

BUT conflictingly (at least for Warhammers):

1. there is a high level of characterisation
   and
2. the cost of entry is anything but low

So are Warhammers skirmish games? If not, what are they? And if they ARE skirmish games, what does that make SAGA (or anything else of that size)? They may well both BE skirmish games but it means that you're defining "skirmishes" in very broad terms...

OK, semantic rant over ;-)

Have I missed something blindingly obvious? Comments? Thoughts?

Cheers,
Millsy

History of Wargaming

A quick post to share a fascinating link I came across a couple of days ago. Bob Beattie has put together a timeline of wargaming publications and important milestones which contains all sort of useful and interesting information.

Check it out if you're interested - A Timeline of the Historical Miniatures Wargaming Hobby.

Cheers,
Millsy

Goodbye 2012, hello 2013...

So that's another year of gaming almost under the bridge. Another rather productive one to be precise, both in terms of painting output, games played and blogging activities.

On the blogging front the number of posts (57 for the year including this one) and the number of followers (now 60 and almost double last Christmas) have grown at a pleasing and steady rate. My good mate Evan and I also started up a new blog entitled Die Kriege des Zobelshuts to chart our progress on a new Age of Reason imagi-nations project. We also joined Emperor vs. Elector and had some terrific blogging fun over there too.

Painting has gone mostly to the plan I established last Christmas, although not without some quite significant diversions. I had four main projects for the year so how did I do in 2012?

Warhammer Dogs of War
Solid progress to say the least. A good number of units painted and a couple of games played to boot. See below for what got completed.

Gruntz 15mm
Whoops. Some progress made, mostly finishing up my New Israelis and the vehicles for my second force. On the plus side I made great strides in 15mm sci-fi terrain so not all bad.

Colonial Sudan
Really good progress here with plenty of Empire and Mahdist units painted plus a couple of cracking games played to boot. Cap it off with both a village and a fort in cork all complete and it was a great year for colonials.

1938 A Very British Civil War
A bit of a bust on the VBCW front. Next to nothing painted apart from a single unit of White Russians. A couple of games played here too but we're not 100% happy with the rules we're using so we're going to try again soon with Disposable Heroes.

All things aside though, I made massive strides elsewhere when there were previously no plans to do so (hapy days!). In addition to the above I managed to complete the following:

• The best part of 180 x 28mm English Civil War pike and shotte miniatures, plus rebasing all my cavalry
• A very large chunk of a 2,000 point Flames of War MW German Grenadier force for the Ostfront
• A monstrous amount of desert defences for Flames of War, used to great effect in our Alamein game
• Two regiments of 15mm French Napoleonic Chasseurs, plus a good few games with Nug
• Rebasing of approximately 80 x 28mm SYW figures, painting of another 20 and a bunch of other reorganisation

Phew! Quite a list if I say so myself... Not that I expect you to believe me without proof so here's some documentary evidence of the year gone. ;-)

 

So what's on the books for 2013? Plenty of games I hope, plus the following painting:

• Some more ECW, mostly command stands plus a unit of dragoons
• A division of Saxons in 15mm for my Napoleonic force
• The remaining grenadier platoons for my Flames of War MW German Grenadiers
• About 30 or so 28mm Napoleonics for Cory and I for skirmish games
  and finally...
• A very large number (200+) 28mm imagi-nation troops for both Evan and myself

Right, that's all that needs to be said to close off 2012. Thanks for popping by during the year and for all the positive comments and feedback. Thanks also to all the other bloggers who share their work and enthusiasm. It's a great motivator and a huge pick-me-up when tired or lacking drive.

Best wishes all and here's to a great 2013 for all of us!

Cheers,
Millsy

Are you a proper Wargamer?

In answer to a quiz from Phil B's blog...

To genuinely call yourself a Wargamer, then you must have done most or all of the following;

* Spent at least £500 on figures / tanks - and you get extra kudos for every £500 you've spent
Absolutely. I try not to count. See my last post.

* Pricked your finger or thumb on a pike block - several times
Hell yes. I lost count of how times many painting the pike blocks for Cory's 40th alone...

160 nasty little spikes...

* Tried at least 10 different rule sets and vowed never to play half of them ever again
Yep. Five sets of rules for Napoleonics alone at last count.

* Bought an army off EBay
Yep. See my previous post ;-).

* Sold an army on EBay
Yep. Several in fact.

* spent months painting an army - then used it in anger once
Yep. I have a couple that have never even been played once. I really must do something about that.

* tried several different periods and genres
Yep, all the way from ancients to moderns with barely a gap.

* dropped a box of figures on the floor from a great height
No, thankfully. When Cory did I fairly thought someone had died when he phoned up.

* lost a battle on the last throw of the dice
Yep. Won it that way too.

* made at least one enemy for life
No. If that ever happens I'll give it all away. It's a GAME.

* had a proper, stand up argument over a wargamers table
I've come close. ;-)

* thrown a dice across a room
Yep, and set fire to one too. That little blighter has never let me down again.

* rebased an army for a different rule set
Absolutely. My ECW are on their third basing scheme for starters.

* inflicted a whopping defeat on an opponent
Yep.

* suffered an embarrassing defeat due to a stupid tactical decision
All the time. Once even when the supid decision was by the opposition.

* joined a wargamers club
Yep.

* bought a ton of lead that remains unpainted
Haha. See my previous post ;-).

* been to a wargamers show
Yep.

* have more dice than is logical or necessary to own - and have used most of them
Logic doesn't come into it. When you play French you need red/white/blue. Same for Yanks. For Russians you need red. For Germans you need....

* have taken boxes of troops down to a club just to show them off to your mates
Does making there come to my house count?

I think I qualify.

Cheers,
Millsy

The Cupboard of Shame

Wandering about on my Sunday morning blog read I came across a couple of post regards various other gamer's lead piles / cupboards of shame - one from the Big Red Bat and another from Legatus Hedlius.

In the firm belief that the first step to dealing with a problem is actually admitting you have a problem, I'm baring my own compulsive collector's soul. I should point out at this point my post title is a little misleading. It should have been plural cupboards. Umm.... VERY plural. So here we go...

First up is the actual, original, Cupboard of Shame. In here we have a good 10kg or so of lead, resin and plastic at a very rough guess. Some of the box bottoms are actually giving way due to weight. All the plastic containers are pretty much brim full with the exception of the ECW which has taken a good pounding on the painting table of late (thankfully!). Once this was where all shame lurked, but like my blogging brothers mine seems to have escaped into the wild.

ECW, SYW, Flames of War, Conquistadors, Medievals, Ancients, Naps, Dystopian, Necro and others...

Sliding sideways we find another two cupboards (which to be fair contains almost entirely painted armies) BUT even then we manage to find two full boxes of Perry metal Catachans and metal 40K Space Wolves.

Over 100 Perry brothers metal Catachans

And a good pile of metal 40K Space Wolves as well...

Next up is the evil twin of the original Cupboard of Shame. Not so much in here as I recently had to evict most stuff to make room for painted stuff. More Flames of War and umm... I don't actually know what else. Maybe 15mm sci-fi? I can't find them right now so that's a good guess.

More Flames of War and... I have no idea...

Dropping down to the shelves below we find the clear plastic containers that supposedly encourage me to paint the contents as they glare accusingly back at me from their transparent prisons. Men such as myself, hardened by years of accumulation and denial are unfazed by this. Ha I say! Ha!

WFB Savage Orcs, Elves, Lizzies plus Perry WotR, pulp, more pulp, 1:1200 naval terrain, LotR and more...

Sliding right again we uncover a bit of plastic in the form of more Perry WotR, 1/72 WWII and WFB. I had to actually look in the brown box to find a good 50+ VBCW metal figs and some 28mm Naps. It's like Chrimbo come early in there!

I have no idea how this got here. I don't even remember moving it.

And lastly the 20 litre Storage Container of Shame plus a couple of boxes of GW stuff... Roughly 4,000pts of WFB Dogs of War including a large proportion of the rare and hard to find stuff (a real weighty sucker that one), another TWO complete Space Marine chapters plus 4,000pts of Warmaster Empire. Also a stack of Void (didn't really need em but they were cheap so what the hell and they'll make great mates for the Catachans), more Flames of War, and more stuff I can't remember.

Doggies, Space Marines, Warmaster Empire and more...

And that's it, I think. It probably isn't but I have no idea what might be lurking elsewhere right now. That was actually better than I thought to begin with. I'd best order something else...

PS. This is what happens when you have too much on the go. Spiders attack...

Arrrgggghh! Get this off me!

Fess up lads. We know the rest of you are just as bad. Except my best mate Cory but he's just plain weird. ;-)

Cheers,
Millsy