Not a battle report - Star Wars Legion Droids Vs Wookies

Afternoon, here we are again with Star Wars Legions. This was a game from a month or so back. It's worth noting that Ben had decided to get a vinyl forest gaming mat to create Endor. This was a controversial decision as Otty is very much against such 'artificial' backgrounds. He's much happier with his own flocked boards, particularly the new ones he'd just completed that were overlooked for this! Much gentle ribbing of this mat followed. For me, I like neoprene mats. I like the sound of dice on them and if it's a cool pattern I'm all for it. This one is OK, but as it's vinyl you can see the reflective sheen, which doesn't help with immersive play. I would recommend it if you're on a budget, but if you can stretch to something more substantial, or build your own then it's worth the effort for a better experience.

Anyway, this game was Droids, with General Grievous.

Including Liam's 3D printed Droid tank.

Versus Wookies, including Yoda, Chewbacca, 

And some Clone Troopers on their BARC Speeder and another unit out of shot on the far right of this view.

As I recall we won the order bidding and managed to get relatively far up the board. Wookies are great climbers, so can ignore climbing checks. Yoda jumped on Chewie's back, which gave us some bonuses and benefits we planned to make use of next turn. However, they also made a prime target and took 4 wounds. Not sure if that's to Yoda or Chewie but those Super Battle Droids and Grievous put the hurt on them. The Fluttercraft had done a great bombing run but had overextended and got wiped out. The second Fluttercraft with the rear gunner did OK, but it was clearly a challenge to get a firing position to use the gun effectively.

Our Clone Troopers on the far left focused on the rolling Droidekas. I knew they'd be nigh impossible to shift off the objective when they stopped and got their shields up. They took one down and wounded the second.

While another squad of Wookies halved the unit of Super Battle Droids facing them in the trees.

Yoda eventually got to General Greivous, for a suitably impressive looking battle with wholly unimpressive results as the Jedi Master was cut down by Grievous - underwhelming.

And that's about all we could fit in in one evening. Once again, entertaining but so slow going. With Yoda gone [maybe Chewie too at this point, I forget] and many order benefits lost with his death the idea of continuing this game next time around was less appealing.

But we persevered and the Wookies got into the Super Battle Droids.

While the BARC Speeder went for Bossk, who'd been a thorn in our sides taking out the second Fluttercraft. It's such and ugly design, but in game it was proving extremely effective.

Three Wookies became the command squad and were out for revenge for the loss of Yoda and Chewie.

They charged down Grievous.

And pulled his arms from his sockets to soothe their loss!

On the right far side a lone Wookie took on a spider droid.

While another squad faced the last of the Super Battle Droids. I have no idea if we won. I think perhaps we did because we prioritised getting on objectives. I'm not sure if we even scored points per round or if it was points at the end of a specific game turn [not that we ever get though many of them]. I think despite our losses we may have swung it our way due to objective control.

But ultimately, it's not about the result. It's two nights of hanging out with these guys and having a laugh!

Painting Points System - I've decided to accept it and think I've succeeded!

Random picture to illustrate painting & keeping track of it?!

Afternoon #Warhammer Community in 2014 I looked in-depth at painting points systems and went round in circles so much, I decided not to adopt one! Over ten years later I'm reassessing if they may be of benefit to me and I think I've come to accept them. Dale's Realm of Warhammer no longer exists but when I thought of points systems I had no recollection of even making that 2014 post. Instead I had spotted WeeMen's own system on their blog. Siph and Lord Halfpenny have been keeping track of their hobby progress since 2009. They follow a very similar scoring system to what I noted down from Dale's, but simplified without all the extra bonuses. Those bonuses proved somewhat defeating for me when I originally looked at them. Although I felt there was some value in scoring certain extras, the sheer amount of them discouraged me from pursuing them further.

So, 2025 and I'm looking at Siph's painting points:

• 1pt - Troop type mini (25mm/32mm)
• 2pt - Termie/Bike type (40mm/50mm)
• 5pt - Rhino/Terrain/Dread/Armiger/ Flyer/AT Titan
• 10pt - Landraider/Drop Pod/Character
• 20pt - Imp Knight/Superheavy
• 50-75pt - Titan (WH50, R/WB60, WL75)

And I am going to adjust it slightly:

• 1pt - 25mm-32mm
• 2pt - 40mm-50mm
• 5pt - 60-70mm / AT Terrain*
• 10pt - Dread / Armiger / Tank
• 20pt - Imp Knight / 40k Terrain*
• 50-75pt - Titan (WH50, R/WB60, WL75)

With only two bonuses*

• * Every terrain project gets a 5 point bonus
• ** Sculpt & paint = double points

There will be some occasions were points are adjusted to suit the effort, but I'm going to find a happy balance as I think worrying too much about it is what put me off way back when. For instance, in 2014 I cited this example: 

• I completed making and painting my Skyshield Landing Pad, this would be a Terrain Feature worth 20pts +1pt for blood, so 21pts total.
• I painted 20 Termagants for 20pts, +10 for the bases, +4 points for completing 2 units and it's debatable whether the glow effect on the toxin sacs are 5pts for 'extra options' or 10pts for a 'gore/weathering' option I would add under FX, but even so it's a minimum of 34pts total.
• A Tervigon, something I said I would never paint again, 10pts +0.5pts for a base, +0.5pts for extra options +1pt for the glow FX +1pt for the blood and +2pts for completing a unit 15pts total.

But in 2025 it would look like this:

• Skyshield Landing Pad, this would be a 40k Terrain Feature worth 20pts. Sculpt & paint = double points so 40pts +5pt bonus for terrain feature = 45pts total.
• 20 Termagants for 20pts total.
• A Tervigon, interesting, because this is bigger than a dread at 10pts, but smaller than an Imperial Knight at 20pts. So in some respects I might include it in the 10pt slot, but make it worth 1.5 = 15pts total.

Bottom line it's what I think it's worth. If something doesn't feel right, then it's not and I can adjust up and down as I see fit. That's why there is a 5pt bonus for terrain. Ultimately, if I'm painting terrain I'm not painting my own army but models everyone will benefit from. You deserve a bonus for gifting your time for the benefit of others. Having a little more flexibility around my scoring makes it less prescriptive and easier to manage. Throw in a spreadsheet with all these points built in and very quickly I've been able to score every hobby season back to 2013/14 [which is where I discovered my previous attempt to keep track]. I'm sure there's improvements to be made to the spreadsheet formula, but I'm no expert. Anyway, adopting the same WeeMen principle of an 'arbitrary 100pts a year [season] to keep the grey plastic/resin tide at bay' I've discovered I've done that every season! Even years where I felt I'd not been productive I did enough. 

Now, I'm not going to beat myself up, even if I don't meet, or exceed that goal. But, it does help to motivate a little bit. Currently this season is the most productive ever. I still have plenty on my To Do List, and also off list that I'm motivated to get done this season. That will feel so special now I can measure it. It's a more tangible achievement. Back in 2014 I concluded that the To Do List and Hobby Season Review was sufficient, but now I think I'm ready for painting points too. It might be a little bit of extra admin but there's definitely added Serotonin in it for me, so I'm well up for that.

Not a battle report - MESBG Orcs Vs Orcs

Afternoon #Warhammer Community I've been #PlayingWarhammer with a game of new MESBG. I think this is Azog's Legion versus Azog's Hunters with the main difference being the hunter's ridiculous movement value of 8". Meaning Otty had a huge manoeuvrability advantage. Liam had originally looked at Bolg as the hero but saw the new rules for the Troll Brute, so we switched things up. 

As I have a huge issue with matched play games having missions with scoring points for taking a banner, when not all armies can take banners - I was adamant we take one, because we could. This caused a lot of debate how wrong we were but I think 50% of the missions score this way. Obviously we rolled a mission that didn't, but that doesn't stop us using the re-roll to duels within 3" benefit.

Liam did most of the movement, tactics and rolling in the early turns. Trying to find a way to make Otty's movement redundant. Unfortunately his dice rolling was appalling and he couldn't manage above a three. 

Eventually he handed the dice to me as I've had a run of 'getting exactly what we need recently' but hilariously I was also getting ones and twos! 😂 The Troll Brute had some fun trying to trample through the Hunters.

About halfway through the game we realised we'd not remembered to use the Banner's reroll ability afterall! To make matters even worse we discovered the Legion has a faction rule that means we get can get a Banner reroll over the entire board each turn, or a couple of other benefits instead. This represents Azog's banner orders from The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies. So we'd forgotten to use them for most of the game.

The Brute managed to get into some meaty combat with Lurtz eventually. Then Otty took the decision to fire with his archers into combat at the Troll Brute rider [not actually on the model]. Both hit, but both got 'in the way', so hit Lurtz!

He had one fate point left, a 4+ save and this was Otty's role!  😂 

Oh man, it was such a funny game. Once again MESBG delivering fun outcomes that make you laugh so hard. I don't know why this plays so hard with comedy moments. There's something about the game mechanic that makes so many dice roles pivotal and yet offers 50:50 chances that come as such a surprise when it doesn't pay off.

Whatever the reason we're going to keep on playing and having fun.

Star Wars Legion Barricade - TO DONE! 🔴⚪

Afternoon I've been #PaintingStarWars with hindsight I should have posted this for 'May the 4th', but I wasn't on the ball. I'd made a comment to Otty about some barricades in the rulebook looking cool with the orange accent colour, which he responded with a comment about them being "a bit too much rebel scum"!

But he had 6 unpainted ones and told me if I liked them so much I could paint my own.

So this came out of nowhere and I just got the urge. 

Simple and straightforward, I managed to keep my tendency to over-complicate things in check.

Sure I added a bit of extra details on the bizarre control systems on the back.

But I do think they reflect the original Star Wars control panel aesthetic in the black.

I had flashbacks to my Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer, but in a good way.

I don't know why but I did find this type of barrier much easier to paint.

Which is odd as this one looks like it has less detail.

I definitely prefer them.

Some random panel colours. Some work much better than others.

It's a weird thing to do and no one is checking they make sense.

But there are definitely some choices that don't sit well with me. I can't explain why but equally it doesn't make any difference to them whatsoever.

Less battle damage on the back.

Super happy with the control panels.

Even the little ones,

The black housing just evokes that Star Wars design style.

Chalk it up!

Another Great Big Wooden Stamps of Approval.

#MESBG Middle Earth Goblin Town Goblins - angry red

Afternoon #Warhammer Community I've been #PaintingWarhammer on my Middle Earth Goblin Town Goblins. There feels like so much to do at this stage. Not so much the sheer numbers of models. In fact the many goblins feel quite manageable. 

What is slightly overwhelming is the character models, like the King, the Scribe and Grinnah. Not to mention the King's throne and some pieces of Goblin Town terrain I also need to do. Because they're different it feels like a challenge to throw them in amongst what are a pretty uniform bunch of models.

Although, there is some variety with some weapons being bone, some stone axes and all the models that have angry mutated growths. There were quite a few times I had to subdivide the groups to make them easier to manage and not miss painting elements on all the figures.

I also went back in with the Heavy Red to make their growths more red and angry. 

It's a different vibe now. I may have lost that pasty albino look but I have recaptured my typical over-saturated mass off colour. They may be a more Warhammer style of painting than Middle Earth but I do like where they're going.

Once again I considered movement trays in an attempt to speed up my gaming but Otty isn't sure. At least that means I don't have to repaint them or buy new ones.

So, quick poll: I had intended the eyes to be black, with a gloss finish. But I can't decide if glossy red dot eyes work better. What do you think?

Meanwhile, Otty and I got all spruced up for his wife's birthday. He wanted us to look like we play toy soldiers in our Sunday best 😂