Five Parsecs from Gaming

It appears to have been a while since I've updated. That's due to the lack of painting or gaming since the beginning of July. 2021 has not been kind.

First, a bit of catching up. Early in July I posted my wrap-up for the 2021 Old World Army Challenge. I've never had difficulty finishing a painting challenge until this year. In fact, I skipped everything other than the OWAC. (No "Big April", "Month of Marsh", or "Orctober" for me.) But at least I'm happy with the end result of OWAC 2021!

https://oldworldarmychallenge.blogspot.com/2021/07/zerotwentythrees-post-owac4-eldar.html

Recently (last two weeks or so) I've squeezed out some time at the painting desk again. Thank FSM. I needed it. Painting is my anti-stress, my meditation. And I needed it.

I've been continuing with the sci-fi theme, participating in the "squad challenge" that the OWAC group does as an off-season warm up or something like that. Essentially, it's painting 10 figures with a common theme over 2 months. I'm continuing with sci-fi, painting some more "supporting characters" for a hopeful solo campaign of Five Parsecs From Home. More on that later.

So the painting...

First 3 of the 10 figure challenge. Nulltron, washed up egotistical robot overlord; Slem, time and space displaced fianna Fimir turned galactic fringe bounty hunter; and Jaz, just Jaz.

David Rattenborough, famed Spaven naturalist & mutalogical engineer, with his field assistant, Gleek. Seen here with a vox caster, no doubt presenting the findings of his latest expedition.

99% done painting. Still need inspiration to hit for something entertaining to paint on the scroll.

Not sure if she's summoning them up from below ground or about to get eaten. Pic could be telling either story.

Stalking the crystal fields.

Small terrain piece kitbashed from various bits of trash.

Mostly I work. This year we had an official OK for costumes on the Friday before Halloween, we decorated like we never have before, and our last hour of the work day was "trick or treat."  So this was my casual Friday look. Unfortunately I didn't have any video meetings. "Yes, behold the wraith who designs your retail stores!"

Sci-Fi Future

I've had on & off plans for a return to sci-fi painting & gaming. There have been several project or potential projects brewing for years now, and I think I may not only move ahead with some/all of them, but I'm going to try to tie them all together.

Let me start with the brainstorm I had over the weekend on this topic. It all started with the Gothmower.

Yes, Gothmower. I bought a new electric lawnmower towards the end of last Summer. The start button, for some reason, looks like a green coffin. I usually listen to music while mowing, and last time I decided I should honor the Gothmower by listening to some music in that theme. Because I am of a certain age, the first band that came to mind was Bauhaus. Turns out I don't really like most of their music anymore. So this week I put together a playlist from another suitable band...

That went much better. I hadn't listened to ASF for a long time, but this was inspiring. The lawn didn't stand a chance.

As I rocked out and mowed, thoughts drifted to painting and gaming. What if I started with Rogue Trader as a base, and then drifted off into my own cobbled together crazy space-opera setting/theme, sort of like I started with Warhammer but made it my own Althammer. As the heat and music kept my mind drifting around, I remembered that Rogue Trader was already a bit of an "open sandbox". The 40k setting didn't start getting fleshed out with tedious officialdom until later editions. So I won't really be diverging -- sort of a retro-hammer sci-fi thing.

But I'm not sure how much Rogue Trader I will actually be playing. In fact, right now I'm on the hunt for some solo rules. I just bought Five Parsecs from Home and will be reading through the rules this week. I also have a few others on my radar. But eventually I'd like to play some games with live opponents someday, too.

So here's a brief summary of the projects/plans that I'd like to pull together:

• Meat Hating Robot Pirates. Previously mentioned, and I've already collected quite a few 'bots.
• Rogue Trader Eldar. They were my first RT/40k figures, before I even bought the rules. I just liked the figures. As happened a lot, I sold them in college. But I have been working on collecting figures for next year's Old World Army Challenge, which is opening up for 40k as well as fantasy.
• Spaven. Cheese Stealers. Not sure I'll go any further with them. Maybe a few odd figures if I get inspired in the future.
• Adeptus Mechanicus. I've been planning an AdMech Kill Team force. So I will hopefully break my block on building & painting the figures.
  
• Miscellany. Civilians, mercenaries, beasts... I don't know. I'm sure I'll add some oddball stuff in at some point.
• Gaming surface & terrain. Still thinking about this a bit. Thinking about a dark alien world look like on the Spaven bases, but also doing some sort of semi-modular starship/building tiles -- along with all the accessories.
  

Only one robot painted so far.

Some of the Cheese-Stealer Cult.

Eldar on deck.

Ring My Bell

Finished painting on this one.

Kill Team & Memories

Over the weekend I played my first two games of Kill Team and enjoyed it quite a bit. There's a lot to like in the game. It was also great seeing old friends as well as meeting some new players. I'm looking forward to playing some more.

My 40k minis are all gone, and I have not yet painted my Meat Hating Robot Pirates -- and from the look of it, they're not very suited to proxy for anything in Kill Team. BUT, I did have something else, something old. My old Nurgle chaos cultists, which were built from old Skaven. I used them as proxies for the Genesteal Cult. Thus: Cheese-stealer Cultists. I just needed to paint two large aberrant (didn't get the second one completely finished... yet) and a model with a mining laser (old half finished jezzail conversion.)

I played two games, one against Eldar, the second against Tyranids. Opposite styles of play, and my Cheese-stealers were right about in the middle it seemed - not overwhelmingly good at close combat or shooting, but decent at each. So they did well.

I'm now looking into acquiring some legitimate Adeptus Mechanicus minis. (Though I may turn them into AdMech renegade meat hating robot pirates...)


In addition to playing a few games and visiting with friends, I rummaged through my friend Rich's collection and pulled out a few things to take home. I picked out some wormie things and some beat-up chaos knights, and a pair of old warriors. But the most important thing to me was to have one of his WWI planes. He's the reason I got into WWI aviation, both in terms of gaming and history. I chose an Albatros D.V -- my first love in planes of the period. I never had much luck with it, but I used this model many times over the years (decades!) in games of Blue Max & Canvas Eagles. It's a fine looking model of a fine looking plane. Maybe someday I will finish my own planes (currently stalled... haha) and play some more. Until then, I'll have this one out on display.

I couldn't pass this next one up...

The Grenadier giant on the right was on display in Rich's living room at both houses he had while I knew him. In the latter, he was on a hill facing a dwarf giant slayer (I should have looked for the dwarf so I could recreate the scene at home!) situated on a table beside the TV/entertainment center. He will obviously have a place of honor in my giant collection. If not for the memories, then possibly as the heaviest model I own! I'll need to find a spot for him in our family room.

I also picked out the second giant, on the left as well. It's based on a Larry Elmore painting, a print of which hung in Rich's game room alongside many others.


One final, totally unrelated item. I picked up this from the local craft store...

The Marienburgers need an airship. The basket will be replaced with a suitably sized armed & armored gondola.