Tag Archives: Warhammer

On the Tabletop

Tabletop is a Gift 2024

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Introduction

If you read my last article on tabletop gaming, you know that I chose Warhammer as my tabletop is a gift 2024 winner. While I played less over the last few years, my history with tabletop gaming goes back to my high school years. Some friends and I played Dungeons and Dragons weekly. Then, in college, I discovered Magic the Gathering.

I collected MtG up until earlier this year. Then, the tenuous playgroup we put together fell apart. I became more interested in other mobile games. That cut into my phone gaming usage. So, Warhammer wins mostly by default this year. If you’ve followed the page for any time, though, you know that doesn’t mean that the game isn’t deserving.

It took me some time to come around to Warhammer. I tried the other version, Hordes. But, it never quite kept me entertained for long enough. It might have been the time in my life. But, Warhammer now fills that space in my life.

Why Continue to Play Tabletop?

Part of the reason I continue to play tabletop is it gives me a way to spend time with my family. They all enjoy the traditional games like Scrabble and Monopoly. But, through me, they learned about new games. So far, we like Catan and Ticket to Ride the best.

But, I always look out for new games for us to play. I downloaded a holiday themed D&D adventure for us to try playing again. We tried a few years ago. But, I wasn’t in the right frame of mind and I didn’t set the right mood. So, I want to try again.

Tabletop gaming allows us to put aside our phones and computers for about two hours at a time and have fun as a family. And, D&D lets me share one other part of my history with them.

Why Warhammer Wins

I wrote earlier that Warhammer wins by default. While true, that sounds like it isn’t deserving. I promise you that Warhammer comes by this victory honestly. I spent at least one hour every week assembling, painting, and sometimes running through the tutorials. I haven’t spent this much time with a single game since a couple years ago when I wrote the two adventures for Quinn for D&D.

On the battlefield

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Hell, Warhammer did what D&D never accomplished. Both Chris and Christine asked to play the game at some point over the year. All of the boys showed some interest in the models as I worked to bring them to life. Also, a student asked the other day about Warhammer, so we talked some about the game together. The community will find you if you give it a chance.

The other thing that keeps me engaged with Warhammer is the rules. I’m not a huge rules nerd, but I do appreciate a game that has a massive rule set, but also condenses that rules set to make it easy to learn. The subscription that I subscribed to gives you one part of the game to play through at a time. This allows you to learn the game at your own pace. For all of these reasons, Warhammer wins this year.

What Makes Warhammer a Gift?

In addition to the reasons already mentioned, Warhammer is literally a gift every month. I receive a box (lately a bag) of models and guides. Sometimes they send paints and brushes. Twice, I received a larger scale model as a surprise inclusion. Receiving and opening these is one of the things that I look forward to every month.

Then, in addition to constructing the models, I need to organize and file the guides away. Part of those guides is lore that I haven’t even mentioned in any of my articles. You know me. I love a good story. World of Warcraft. Portal 2. The Final Fantasy series. Dungeons and Dragons. Most of my joy comes from the story within the game. While I haven’t read all of it, from what I see, the Warhammer story is a good one.

The Verdict

I think I made my case for Warhammer as our tabletop is a gift 2024 winner. It checks many of the boxes for me as a fun and interesting game. I keeps me occupied. It builds community. Speaking of that community. If you have any stories of your own from this year about Warhammer, reach out here or on any of our socials. I’d love to discuss them. Join us next week for our final gift of the year.

On the Tabletop

Tabletop Games of Present

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Introduction

As my celebration of 10 years of maintaining my own little corner of the internet, I came up with the idea of writing about my past, my present, and the future of gaming. Last week, I wrote about my past (and a little about my present in comic books) and today I start with tabletop games of present.

Most of the tabletop games of past for me took the form of the classics. Games like Uno, Monopoly, Sorry, Backgammon, Chess, and Othello dominated my childhood. When I went to high school, I discovered role playing games. Then, when I went to college, I found Magic the Gathering. Both went dormant during my early adulthood. I never found the time to play D&D or Magic the Gathering.

Board Games of Present

On the other hand, we bought and played a ton of board games over the years with the boys. We obviously started with the classic kids games like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. Then, we moved on to more complex games. Yahtzee and Pass the Pig became big hits during camping trips. Many laughs were had over Apples to Apples. Cards Against Humanity never interested me because “edgy” comedy that mostly just comes off as sexist or racist in the guise of a joke just isn’t my thing.

To help with content for the web page in the early days, I joined an ill fated and short lived board game subscription box. Never mind, I just searched for it on a whim and it still exists. I swear that it closed up shop. Maybe I just stopped subscribing. Or, maybe, someone bought the web address and brought it back. Ultimately none of that matters. Never mind again. I did some digging and the page appears to just be a placeholder.

The games that came in the box were always fun and entertaining. We played all of them at least once. One of our favorite games that we played several times, Professor Evil and the Citadel of Time, came from one of their boxes. That led to us playing more cooperative games because I never understood the need for competition in the house. It just leads to bad feelings and sore losers. Then again, how can you not be a sore loser? Whatever, just another thing about society that makes no sense to me.

However, last Christmas, I finally caved and bought Catan to try to jump start family game nights again. We tried several times to put together family games nights. Usually, we succeed during school vacations and then after a few weeks, it falls apart. So far, Catan suffered the same fate, but we played it with some friends and had fun, so there’s hope.

Dungeons and Dragons

Quinn and I famously played a couple sessions of Dungeons and Dragons together. I also tried to put together a family session that, unfortunately, ended in disaster. I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind at the time to be DM and I think I turned them off from the game. Every now and then, I look at one of the local groups or try to put together a club at my current school to scratch that itch. I ran the D&D club at my previous school for two years and it grew exponentially in that time. I give Stranger Things most of the credit for that, but the kids said they liked the way I ran things, too.

So, instead, I order each new source book at it released. I most recently ordered Vecna: Eve of Ruin and Quests from the Infinite Staircase. Maybe I will take some time tomorrow to write up a quick review of them to give you more of an idea of where I am with Dungeons and Dragons at this point in my life.

Magic the Gathering

Chris and I played MtG monthly or semi-monthly for quite a few years. Mostly just kitchen table stuff to have fun, but the games got pretty intense, too. More recently, we hooked up with another guy and played a few rounds of Commander. Unfortunately, that group is currently in hiatus, too, right now. But, as the weather gets colder and we spend more time at home, maybe we can get a few games going.

Otherwise, I only play Magic the Gathering Arena daily to finish quests and collect rewards. I stopped purchasing new sets because, frankly, people are right. They release too many and the cards just end up sitting in a binder or boxes. I shifted that money to my Warhammer subscription and enjoy that so much more.

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar

Most of my tabletop games of present are currently miniatures. I know now that I made the right decision. Chris came over this weekend and one of the things I suggested was playing Warhammer. I also thought about playing D&D with the boys, but none of them were home. Anyway, I showed off the models and he seemed impressed by them. We both agreed that the money spent on the models made more sense that the Magic cards as I just discussed.

We never actually played the game, but he sent me a reddit post later on that night about one of the really cool models that are out there. So, next time we get together, I think I might suggest actually sitting down and playing. I still don’t have all of the rules, but rules are just there so that people can rules lawyer one another to death.

The Verdict

I started this page because both Chris and I loved games. Growing up, so did the kids. But, I also worked ridiculous hours for most of that time. While the page never reached the audience as I hoped, I still like having the various creative outlets that it offers. And, I continue to search for the chances to play these tabletop games of present.

On the Tabletop

Warhammer Age of Sigmar 8 Paint Update

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Introduction

Another paint update comes with Warhammer Age of Sigmar 8. Next time, or maybe the time after that, we build a new model. I split the new colors on the models into two sessions because the painting became much more intricate this time around. Also, painting white on a darker color. I messed up a few times, but that’s all part of the learning curve. I think the models still look good and will bring something to the table if I ever find another person to play against.

The White Parts

When you look closely at the pictures, you’ll see what I mean when I say that I painted much more intricate details. Other than the insides of the capes, I painted around the border of the shield and the crests on their shoulders. The camera picked up the blue underneath (or maybe around) the white and tinged it light blue. But, in real life, I painted three layers, so it looks white to me.

Last time I wrote how much I looked forward to this part because I finally got to add more colors to the army. I still think that. However, that joy is tempered by the fact that I need to be more patient in my painting. Also, with practice, I’ll just get better.

The Verdict

Warhammer Age of Sigmar 8 paint update leads into another play through. This time, they add measurement and movement to the game. Of all the rules in these miniature games, that one gives me the most trouble. Because once you start adding elevation, too, then things get a bit complicated. But, I think that taking it in parts like this will help me to learn the rules quicker.

If you want to grab the subscription, head on over to the page.

On the Tabletop

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar 7 Paint Update

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Introduction

I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. It finally adds new color and new detail to the models. I admit that looking at the same green/silver and gold/blue started to get old after a while. But, Warhammer Age of Sigmar 7 brings us brown leather and white!

About the White Part

I meant to finish both armies last night, but simply adding the brown to the leather bits on the Orcs took almost a full hour. By the end of that time, my eyes got tired along with my hands. And, frankly, I just got bored of painting. Therefore, you must wait until next week for the white parts of the human armor. They also have some brown that I suppose I could have finished last night. Maybe I will take care of them over the weekend. That way I can do just the white parts next week.

Personally, I love how much that simply one new color adds to the models. When they went from strictly green to green with silver, I smiled. Now that they have some brown in there, too, they look almost table worthy for play. I know there are more colors and more minor details to add that will make me even happier and more proud of my talent. For now, though, I love these guys and want to see what the white brings to the humans.

The Verdict

If you told me last year that I would have completed this much of an army, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. I always intended to get into painting. Initially, even purchasing the subscription wasn’t enough to push me to paint them. They just sat in a box in an unseen pile of shame. Then, I put together a schedule for my hobbies and that gave me the inspiration that I needed finally. Warhammer Age of Sigmar 7 brings me to a new standard in the hobby and is forcing me to refine my techniques going forward.

If you want to grab the subscription, head on over to the page.

On the Tabletop

Battle Report 3: Warhammer Age of Sigmar 6

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Introduction

I painted the new models two weeks ago. Then, I missed last week’s deadline to play with the new rules. Therefore, battle report 3 for my Warhammer game waited until this week. I just finished playing through the scenario and realized that I need to be more careful when playing this game. As a result, the game ended quickly in a rout. Let me explain.

Ranged Attacks and Cowardice

At this point, set up is a breeze. You simply follow the picture in the book and make it look as much like an actual battle as possible. I thought the same about gameplay. However, as they add more rules to the game, things start to get lost if you’re not careful. This time, they added a ranged class. Okay, that’s fine, I understand. They only attack from a distance. Additionally, if they are the only ones left on the battlefield, they retreat. Okey dokey.

Fortune Favors the Faction with Overwhelming Numbers

Where I messed up is with the number of attacks. I forgot that some models have more than one attack dice. Therefore, inevitably, the faction with 21 units on the board simply overwhelm the one with only six on the board. I started to wonder why the overwhelming victory. Maybe the dice just rolled in their favor. Perhaps. More likely, though, I stole at least half of the attacks for the Forces of Order. Oops. We are supposed to have a family movie night tonight, and I don’t feel like replaying. So, you’ll have to wait for the non biased version.

Verdict

Reading is fundamental.

As I say, I plan to return to bring an unbiased version of battle report 3. As it stands now, I enjoyed the new rules and the variety that it brings to the battlefield. A couple of games ago Christine asked to play the models too because, “it looks sad when you play all by yourself.” I refused that offer. However, in addition to being sad, with another player, maybe it would force me to be more true to the rules.

If you want to grab the subscription, head on over to the page.

On the Tabletop

Battle Report 2: Warhammer Age of Sigmar 5

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Introduction

It’s that time again. I finished building and doing preliminary paints on another model. With that model and some of the others, I played through another scenario. So, along with it, I need to write the battle report 2 for Warhammer Age of Sigmar. I just realized that I forgot to get a picture of the winning message. It just excited me so much that the “good guys” came back to win this one that it slipped my mind.

Clarification

Unlike the last time, there are no rules added to the sequence. Instead, as you see, they simply clarify the processes of turns and the combat phase. As a result, I jumped right in and started playing.

Hit. Wound. Save. Repeat

I took their advice of starting with the single units during each turn. It felt like by doing so, maybe I could eliminate some of the smaller units and make subsequent turns go faster. I succeeded on some level but not nearly as much as I hoped. Instead, the Orruks overran the Praetor and joined the Killaboss to try to take out the rest of the humans.

At this point in the combat, the two forces went back and forth, eliminating several of their foes. Eventually, the teamwork and higher skill of the humans overcame the sheer violence of the orruks and defeated them with one final blow.

The Verdict

Mind you, it was a Pyrrhic victory. All but two of the humans survived and their leader died relatively early in the battle. However, they rallied and ultimately defeated their enemies. Playing through for battle report 2 went much quicker due to understanding the rules better and not having to constantly refer back to the Warscrolls during combat. Now I can’t wait for some true heroes and heroics.

On the Tabletop

Basecoating Stormcast Eternals: Warhammer Age of Sigmar 3

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Introduction

Last night, I finally got brave enough to attempt basecoating Stormcast Eternals models. I also (b) remembered, and (c) set the time aside to make sure that they got done. You may remember a couple of weeks ago, I spent far too much time doing the undercoating of the models. Then, as mentioned, I meant to pick right up with the next step. But, I got gunshy.

A First Attempt

Eventually, you just gotta “nut up or shut up.” And, you know me. Eventually, whether motivated by fear or courage, I always choose the former. If I’m being honest, some of my reticence comes from a pursuit of perfection. Even yesterday, while painting, they stress, “Don’t worry about messing up. You can always paint over it later.” Yet, several times I wiped up my mess with a paper towel. As you can see, there’s really not all that much for me to be worried about. I think I did a pretty decent job for my first time using this particular technique.

That Splash of Color

I felt a massive sense of pride when I completed the undercoating and removed them from my pile of plastic shame. Multiply that feeling by at least a thousand now that they have those little touches that the blue paint gives them. Next, I plan on working with the Leadbelcher to highlight them more and bring some color to the Kruleboyz. Look for that update most likley next week.

The Verdict

I joined the Age of Sigmar subscription with the intent of both learning the game and developing my painting techniques. So far, I succeeded on both counts. Now that I conquered my fear and perfectionism to start basecoating Stormcast Eternals models, I can keep working on the paints and pepper in new tutorials and playthroughs. Who knows? Warhammer might find a place on the YouTube page.

On the Tabletop

Age of Sigmar Painting Update #1

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Introduction

For much of the last decade, I wanted to learn how to play one of the miniature based combat games. I tried Warmachine and Hordes because I heard they came with a lower price point for beginners. Then, for some reason, I picked up a Warhammer 40k Battle Box a few months ago. I pained a couple of the models and played through the tutorial scenarios in the game. More recently, I saw an add for a subscription box for Warhammer. It takes a step by step approach to the hobby. And, so, I come with my Age of Sigmar painting update #1.

Instructions for undercoating the models.

Stormcast Eternals

I started with the forces of order, mainly because that’s how the instructions went. Also, they only make you paint 6 models for the Stormcast Eternals. That way, if I flaked out again, I could just work to finish them instead of undercoating a bunch of models and having colorful piles of plastic in my pile of shame.

Both sets of unpainted miniatures

Painting the Stormcast Eternals came quite easy actually. They warn that you may need to paint up to 3 coats to cover patchiness and mistakes, but I only used one for them. See for yourself, but I think they came out pretty good after that first coat. Before moving on, I will probably assess again and add a contingency coat if necessary.

Kruleboyz

After the quick success of the Stormcast Eternals, I wrongly thought that the Kruleboyz would go just as smoothly. I should have known better. As forces of chaos, they want to make my life a living hell. While that’s a bit dramatic, after a first coat on them, I see what they meant with the warning of patchiness and needing extra coats.

Unpainted Kruleboyz

I didn’t take a picture after a first coat for them. You might be able to see some of the streakiness in the picture after the second coat. But, they definitely look better already with that second coat. My schedule allows me to work on miniatures on Wednesday. This week, I plan to finish their third coat and then next week I can start on the next step with the models. I also think I need to play through a tutorial from the paint issue.

After the second coat.

The Verdict

Like many, I imagine, I freeze up when faced with the prospect of painting the models. Therefore, this Age of Sigmar painting update #1 represents a huge step forward in the process. Come back next week for the final coat and the tutorial play through. Then, the week after, I start to add some detail.

On the Tabletop

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar Part 2

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Introduction

I wrote about my new subscription to Warhammer models about a month ago. In the meantime, I received another shipment from them. This one came with snippers, glue, a couple of new models, and some paint. Because things got so busy at school these last few weeks before break, I only now got around to actually looking at everything. So, I’m finally ready to give my Age of Sigmar Part 2 impressions.

Your First Paints

Obviously, not entirely true. I painted several models over the last few years. However, in this subscription, this is the first mailing to include paints. So far, they only include the base color and an accent color for each of the two factions. Also, as often happens and you can see in the photo below, I wasn’t able to start painting the models just yet.

But, having some experience, I feel good about getting them done before the next update. Also, I think they included some new rules in the other two books in the shipment (more on that in a minute), so I need to incorporate them into my play and report back on that.

New Mechanics

One of the books introduces “Warscrolls” that look like the character sheets for the game. They suggest you use them to quickly look up stats and attacks for your character. The other book expands the combat to include ranged warfare. Both also include paint guides for the new models included.

See. The “Warscroll” looks like the character sheet. I went back to take that picture after putting the books away. Don’t say that we don’t go the extra couple of centimeters here for you at 2 Generations Gaming. In any case, I expect them to become more intricate with more information as they expand to spells and other possible attacks.

The Verdict

Even after looking through my goodies from Warhammer: Age of Sigmar 2 subscription box, I still feel like I’m getting a good deal. If you believe them, then each book is worth 13.99 alone, so the additional miniatures and paint more than cover the remaining price of the box. As Chris said, he’d like to get into miniatures but they are so expensive. This subscription spreads some of those costs and alleviates others, which makes the whole thing worth it.

If you want to check it out yourself, go to the page and do some digging.

On the Tabletop

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar

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Introduction

Facebook adverts got me again. I often like to think that I’m immune to advertising. And, most of the time, I am. However, every now and then, the targeting bastards get me and I throw some money at an impulse buy. So, when I saw that they offered two instruction booklets and two sets of Warhammer armies for only 7 bucks, I pulled the trigger. The actual price for each successive shipment for Warhammer: Age of Sigmar is around 80 bucks. So, not insignificant, but still a good deal for what they offer.

What Do They Offer? (Part 1)

Well, if you want to check it out yourself, you can go to their web page and see. But, we try to go above and beyond whenever possible here at 2 Generations Gaming. As such, I’m going to show you what came in the first shipment. Then, each month, as I work my way through the new box, I will update with the new stuff. Already, I’m excited for this series.

The first models and source book

I took Thursdays as my miniature day. I missed one day, so it took me three weeks to assemble the first two sets of miniatures. Then, I played through the scenario this afternoon to get some pictures of the actual set up and battle. The orc ended up coming from behind with a scorching 3 damage turn and finished off the priestess on the next turn. If he hadn’t, she most likely would have taken the win the turn after.

Character Traits for Knight Arcana

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Rolling a d6 to determine her destiny

What Do They Offer? (Part 2)

The second set of miniatures and source book.

I messed up a couple of these miniatures while taking them off of the holders and assembling them. Luckily, I had my trusty glue and that allowed me to fix them quickly and easily. As you can see, I still haven’t painted them, but that’s coming. I know, I know, just adding to my pile of shame. But I have my schedule now, so perhaps I can dig into this one like I did my Lego pile. I have only 2 more models to build there.

The second source book added armor saves to the battle. I only played through one round of combat to show the difference. But, now that I’ve played this one and the tutorial for the Starter set, it makes me want to play even more. By the end of the year, with the assistance of the subscription, I will no doubt be an expert noob of the game.

Armor Save

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Not so fast, fellas!

The Verdict

The Warhammer: Age of Sigmar subscription is pricey. I won’t lie to you and say it isn’t. 80 bucks a month is a bit of a non-starter for many of you, I’m sure. But, if you’ve ever wanted to get into Warhammer, it is one of the cheaper price points out there. Nothing says you can’t join and then quit after a couple of months. I intend to keep my subscription for as long as I can afford it and build this army to its fullest.