Tuesday 2 October 2018

Gates of Antares - Ghar: Assault Suit


I started by undercoating the Assault suit with a matt black primer 


Next I used a flat headed small drybrush to apply GW Ceramite White, in a drybrush style (as in I removed as much of the paint as I could on a piece of paper) I brushed over the armoured areas trying to leave the gaps in the armour free from paint. Ceramite White is classified as a base paint so it needs to be used lightly to give a good coating.








I then followed the same process using Bonewhite (72.034), but this time applying several light coats to get a consistent covering; as free from streaks as possible. Using the Bonewhite stops the black showing through, helps the next stage provide a consistent coating and applying it on top of the Ceramite White helps ensure that further.



Next I used Dead white (72.001), again in the same fashion as the Bonewhite, this creates a solid white covering.
The next stage may seem a little odd, but bear with me: In this stage I drybrush Ceramite white over certain edges to bring them out. The reason for this is that Ceramite white has a brighter white pigment than Deadwhite so, I feel, you can see the difference.




As you can see the white process leaves the model looking somewhat messy, and as I want the other areas black (apart from the “power nodes”) I go over those areas with Black (72.051).
Next I applied GW Mephiston Red to all the power nodes and sensors, washed them with Army painter strong tone, then painted them with Blood red. The blood red was applied to the majority of the node/sensor but leaving the base in the dark washed red I started with and in several light coats an all over smooth red finish was achieved.



The black and white areas where tidied up where required, then as I can’t leave the black areas looking so flat, so I drybrushed them with Stonewall Grey (72.049).




Red wash was then applied to the gaps.




I then applied Matt Varnish all over; It was at this point that I discovered (to my horror) that the red wash hadn’t dried and was smearing over the model. So I stopped, waited 24 hours and tried again only to experience the same issue. This has meant applying white to cover up the smears, ruining the original white coat I had applied. In future I think I’ll use red paint. Was that situation was resolved I applied gloss varnish to the power nodes and sensors.
Next I glued sand to the base using PVA. Once dry I painted it Charred Brown (72.045), drybrushed with Plague Brown (72.039) and then drybrushed with Bonewhite (72.034),  after which Static grass was added.







Wednesday 28 March 2018

Armoured Digital - Kickstarter now live!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wordforgegames/armoured-digital-miniatures-wargame?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=armoured%20

Unfortunately due various personal commitments I missed the launch at 2000 BST, but that doesn't stop me reviewing over 12 hours later.

So first of all the I think the opening video is good and really grips the potential backer.

The layout of the Kickstarter page is nice and flows well. I think it's important that a kickstarter is laid out well to really draw in the backers.

The contents of the box set are covered by a lovely image:
It seems like a nice compact set without too many tokens.

The kickstarter then covers various aspects of both the rules and the fluff.

There are only two pledge levels (three including the early bird pledge): £45 "Digipath" Pledge which includes the box set and any freebies. Then there is the £60 "Sector Commander" pledge which is the box set, £24 of freebies and then all appropriate freebies.

Currently there are no stretch goals, which I am disappointed about, but it's been said that once the main target has been reached stretch goals will be listed.
However add ons have been listed, the choice is some what limited and I would have liked to have seen tank bundles as opposed to single tanks, but then the kickstarter has not long launched, and as veteran kickstarter backers will tell you kickstarters change, develop and evolve as they progress so hopefully we will see more choice and bundles in the coming days.

For me the one real negative part of this kickstarter is the shipping, for those of us in Europe it will cost between £10 - £15 to ship whereas our brothers & sisters in the rest of the world will have to fork out £20-£25. Personally I see that as quite steep at this stage in the kickstarter but my view on that may change depending on the stretch goals/freebies.

Despite the shipping I am tempted to back this kickstarter, I'll certainly watch it over the coming days and weeks, then make my decision.

Monday 26 March 2018

Armoured Digital - rules overview





So with the Kickstarter launching in less than week and as I've been privileged to get a view of the draft ruleset I thought I'd shed a little light on the game.

Layout:
As it stands it's not all that friendly and little difficult to follow/read, however I have been assured by the author that this will change and it will become more user friendly.

Dice:
I feel this is key to any new game, getting the dice right that are used in a game can make or break a game. In this case the author/creator has gone with the humble D6. This is a good choice in my opinion as almost everybody has D6 laying about the place and us gamers have bucket loads. How does this transpose onto the game I hear you ask, well I'm unsure exactly how but by reads of things it works well.

Measuring distance:
A bug bear of many a wargamer: pre-measure or not to pre-measure.
This is a sci-fi game after all, Units have sensors, and all other sorts of equipment as such pre-measuring is allowed.

Turn initiative:
As it stands I find the process rather convoluted, but that could be just my understanding.

The Turn:
Now I won't go into too much detail here but essentially the turn consists of deciding what commands will be issued to units, what Logistics will be issued then allocating those commands and issues.
From reads of things commands/and logistics are limiting, allow one or another order.
This opens up a potential of a very tactical game

Shooting
A nice straight forward system with a base roll across all units that can be changed via modifiers. This is followed by a save based on armour type against weapon type.

Terrain
Rules for terrain that covers how they affect units as well as definitions for terrain type

Units types
A definition of each type of unit in the game and special rules associated.

Factions 
There are six factions: Templar, Skald, Hoplites, Bastions, Bushi and Nomads. Each faction gives three things: a bonus, a tactic and an additional victory condition (in addition to any other traits).

So all in all this looks to be a different type of game to what's currently out in the market with lots of tactical options. I'm quite interested in the launch of the kickstarter and will be watching it closely


Once again why not check out their facebook https://www.facebook. com/ArmouredDigitalGame/ and twitter page https://twitter.com/ ADWargame for more details.


Wednesday 21 March 2018

An attempt at a return to blog and Armoured Digital...






Well it's been a long time since I've posted on my blog. As I've been painting items I've already blogged about then it seems, to me, pointless to post about them again and again.

So my blog sits unattended, further to this I've recently moved house and hit a somewhat hobby slump, finding little-to-no motivation to do anything remotely hobby related, which then becomes a vicious circle of lacking in motivation and sadness as I'm not motivated to hobby...

....anyway I was recently approached by a company called Armoured Digital asking if I would be interested in covering their proposed Kickstarter "Armoured Digital" which will be launched on 27/03, so here I am.


Here is an their press release

Armoured Digital Miniatures Game: a new way to wargame
Armoured Digital (AD) is an exciting new tabletop miniatures wargame from Word Forge Games. Players take control of small forces of drone tanks and fight for control of ground and resources. It’s a game that takes an innovative approach to several aspects of wargames, as players program their orders, harvest resources and build new units during the game.
Armoured Digital will be coming to Kickstarter on 27 March 2018.
Programming combat drones
The key mechanic in AD is programming drones. Unlike other games where each unit can choose to move, shoot and assault, in AD you have a limited number of orders programs (represented by cards) and decide how you will distribute them. A key unit that has all of its commander’s focus may receive multiple orders in one turn, while some other units may not receive any at all. Players select orders from their deck at the start of each turn and then alternate playing them.
Each orders card allows the unit that receives it to perform one action, like moving, shooting or using a support system. All orders are designed to have the same level of power, with orders that bring greater rewards balanced with more restrictions or risks. Using the right orders card allows players to fire artillery, adopt a defensive position, boost communications or even crash enemy CPUs or reprogram enemy drones to make them yours.
The cards explain the action that players need to take, so once a new player understands the turn sequence and how to move and shoot, they can play on with only the cards. However, choosing the right order to play at the right time on the right drone with the right target is a challenge that ensures no two games are alike, and mastering the game is not an easy feat.
Building new units
Players send their transports to capture resources from an automated mine in the centre of the table and return them to their mobile factories. Those factories build new tanks to replace a player’s losses during the game, opening new tactical options. Players can respond to the enemy by choosing the right units to deploy, or they can try to surprise their opponent by switching force mix in the middle of the game. It also means that players can put more of their collection onto the table by rotating in other vehicles during the game.
A detailed setting with a basis in real life
AD is based on a high-tech post-apocalyptic version of our own world. From a golden age where AI and drones did almost all of our labour, a terrorist attack successfully deactivated key safety systems in AI overseers and led to global chaos. A global war between humans and AI slowly ground down to a stalemate, but in the process, we discovered Digipaths, people whose brain structures allow them to reprogram computers merely by thinking.
 The remaining AI are scattered across the world, roaming the wilderness and still trying to grow food that people will never eat, or build apartments that no human will ever live in. The remains of the human population live in heavily fortified refugee camps known as enclaves. And the Digipaths? With the generals dead or missing, the Digipaths are now choosing their own course. And like any human beings, they disagree on what needs to be done.
Players take on the role of one of these Digipaths, fighting for resources, prestige or power. Choosing a faction brings with it special bonuses and new victory conditions on top of the standard ones.
Easy to collect
AD doesn’t bother with points values. Each unit has an equivalent power level but a distinctive role on the table. There is also a scissors/paper/rock attack and defence system, where choosing the right weapons technology to use against a particular defensive technology is the key to destroying your target. No single unit can be the king of the battlefield alone.
The starter set comes with two complete forces, each consisting of a command vehicle, a transport, a mobile factory and three combat tanks that each take up a different role. Players can use these same units no matter which faction they are playing. The starter also comes with a 54-card orders deck and one commander from each faction.
As players expand their forces, they can purchase individual tanks to swap in to their starting lineup or build during a game. Each new tank comes with the miniature, the unit’s stat card, a production specification for the unit and a pair of new orders cards designed to work with that unit.
The Miniatures
Miniatures in AD designed in 1/100 (15mm) scale. Each miniature draws on the game developer's real-world experience with armoured vehicles, and all the vehicle's stats are clearly modelled on the vehicle itself.
The miniatures will be cast in high-fidelity flexible resin, built in as few pieces as possible. Players will be able to simply place turrets into hulls and be ready to play. There are also recesses for magnets in both turret and hull. The quality will be on par with all of Word Forge Games’ products, including Devil’s Run and Goreball.
Future expansions
There are plans in place to expand the game with combat drones other than tanks, including hovercraft, insect-like walkers and aircraft. New units are either being actively playtested or are planned for stretch goals and future releases. Super-heavy tanks, new game modes and faction packs with new commanders and orders are all in progress.
About Word Forge Games
Word Forge Games is games company with a seasoned team behind it. We are focused on developing top quality board and card games. We have successfully fulfilled 5 Kickstarters, including The Devil's Run, Goreball and D-Day Dice. Our team also has experience in running more than a dozen Kickstarters in the past
Word Forge Games has been casting in resin for several years and casts miniatures both for our own games and for other manufacturers as well.


All round some interesting ideas; seems similar to games like DropZone Commander or Grunts, as well as the classic computer game Command & Conquer, either way I'm looking forward to the launch of the kickstarter and seeing the outlined proposal, as well as it's progression.

Watch this space as I hope to provide more information in the build up to the kickstarter launch, the meantime why not check out their facebook https://www.facebook. com/ArmouredDigitalGame/ and twitter page https://twitter.com/ ADWargame for more details.