The Ageing Gamer  ⁄  ABC Warriors

Seven Robots to Tame a Planet! – The ABC Warriors Miniatures Game!

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What could possibly be so important to drag me back to this, my barely/rarely updated blog?

Why, only the unexpected release of The ABC Warriors Minatures Game.

Surely not, I hear you cry.

This beggars belief, I hear you shout!

Who the hell are the ABC Warriors?, I hear you mutter.

The ABC Warriors was a comic strip in 2000AD, the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, about a mysterious Colonel who gathered together seven robots, who could withstand Atomic, Bacterial and Chemical attacks, to go to Mars and save the planet.

In subsequent stories they joined Nemesis the Warlock in the far future to help stabilize the time tunnels, then returning to Mars to fight the Volgans, the original villians of the series.

Along with Nemesis, the ABC Warriors were my favourite strips in 2000AD, which already was crammed with quality content.

And Warlord Games have seen the light and turned their later war, against the Volgans, into a miniatures game.

Have a look at this:

Ooh, very nice indeed.

Previously they’ve made games for Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog, two other popular 2000AD strips.

Links:
ABC Warriors – Warlord Games
Judge Dredd – Warlord Games
Strontium Dog – Warlord Games

Musings  ⁄  New Year

So here it is, 2023!?!

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Like a hatchling, sitting in the palm of our hand, shaking with the energy of unlocked potential… Or something else that doesn’t resemble the shit-show that 2022 was. Hmmm.

Good luck everyone.

Already I’ve reached two of my daily creative milestones. This is how you do a New Year’s resolution. Small, achievable and scalable.

And I’ve blogged! Truly it’s a New Year’s miracle!

The Ageing Gamer  ⁄  Konflikt '47

Battle Ready 2022, part two

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Battle Ready didn’t really work out in January, or (no) Grey Knights (painted) January as I like to call it.

February is Konflikt ’47 month.

As usual, beautifully presented…

That’s the collection as it stands. Two British Army infantry sections, two Airborne weapons teams and officers, and the weird war walkers, automated infantry, armoured dudes, A M5 half-track and a tank.

I spent the weekend putting them together, and I’ve started undercoating.

Let’s see if I do a better job this month. 🙂

Links:
Bolt Action – Warlord Games
Konflikt ’47 – Warlord Games

The Ageing Gamer  ⁄  Mothership

Mothership RPG, part one

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(Sorry for the radio silence. Space Madness and all that…)

Check this out. It’s a kickstarter for a new role-playing game with the kind of retro-futuristic style I just love.

There’s also this. It’s an anthology of material for Mothership. It looks amazing.

That’s it. 🙂

Links:
Mothership RPG – Kickstarter
Hull Breach Vol. 1 – Kickstarter

The Ageing Gamer  ⁄  Warhammer

Battle Ready 2022, part one

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Grey Knights. That’s the army for January.

Currently I have a very small amount of models painted. I’ll try and dig them out for a group shot.

A few months back I bought some out of print metal Grey Knight Terminators from Troll Trader, enough to make up 3 squads of 5. I have a box of the current plastic Grey Knight Terminators that I’m making up as an Apothecary, a Standard Bearer and a 3 man Paragon Squad.

They’ll be the core of my GK army, adding to the Stormraven Gunship, Dreadknight and a few other odds and ends.

Even the already painted models will be getting a wee spruce up with some paint.

I’ll dig the other models out of the cabinet later and I’ll try and get a picture up for tomorrow.

🙂

Links:
Troll Trader
Plastic Grey Knight Terminators from GW

The Ageing Gamer  ⁄  Warhammer

Things to do for 2021 – The Warhammer List, part one

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This year I didn’t get as much painting done as I would have liked. Not fine art but the subtle art of painting tiny soldiers for the purpose of table-top wargaming.

I have loads of models built and very little painted. They’re on my shelves of shame.

I think, rather than setting a goal of new armies or any foolishness like that, I’m going to do an army project a month. To clear through an army a month is achieveable, and it stops things from getting stale. If I haven’t finished an army by the end of the month, then back on the shelf they go and the next one is given a once-over.

This gets certain projects, like my Grey Knight Terminators, Adeptus Titanicus Titans, Aeronautica Imperialis models, and a few other small projects, a set amount of time to progress the models.

It’s a different plan, in that I have a plan at all.

Tomorrow I’ll have a look at the shelves of shame and try and set a more solid list.

Musings  ⁄  Microsoft

Bloomin’ Microsoft…, part one

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Evening Campers,

I’ve just finished setting up my daughter’s child account on her new Christmas laptop.

Windows 10. And a Microsoft Account. Since moving back to Windows from Ubuntu, I’m aware of just how user unfriendly Microsoft products are. Jumping through hoops, things not syncing, settings not updating properly. It’s all very frustrating.

The temptation, which is very real, is to install Ubuntu on my current laptop. I’m holding back, because having access to a Windows machine is hand, and it annoys me that I have to say that. There’s always the Dual Boot option but that’s just an annoyance.

Maybe in 2013, once the laptop is a few years old, I might build a new desktop computer. The laptop is handy, but it’s not all that.

On the other hand perhaps Win 11 is the next great hope?!?!?!?

The Ageing Gamer  ⁄  Dysmantle

Dysmantle, part one

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Head over to Steam, or wherever you get your pc games from, and buy a copy of Dysmantle. It’s a Strategy/Open World/Crafting thing.

You leave your underground shelter and find the Island, belonging to some fictional nation, swarming with various types of undead. What follows is you trying to figure out what went wrong.

The big mechanic of the game is that, with the right weapon, you can break down nearly everything you find. Road signs, fire hydrants, bins, the contents of houses, houses, fences, trees, rocks, and anything else you find. All depends on the strength of the weapon you use, and you discover and can upgrade these as you go.

I’ve had it for less than a week and, to be honest, it appeals to the obsessive-compulsive part of my personality. And it’s not TOO difficult, which for this ageing gamer is a benefit.

Links:
Dysmantle
Dysmantle on Steam
Dysmantle on GoG

Writing  ⁄  Write Your First Adventure

Write Your First Adventure | Call of Cthulhu, part one

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This is the main reason for my Creative November, Storytelling Collective‘s Write Your First Adventure – Call of Cthulhu path.

It’s another creative thing I’ve always wanted to have done. Write a Call of Cthulhu roleplaying adventure to a professional standard and have it for sale through DriveThruRPG or similar. It doesn’t even need to be available for sale, but if I’m putting some real effort into something then what’s a bit of financial renumeration?

Anyway, there’s a handy workbook to work through (and who doesn’t like a workbook to work through?)

The first so many days are all prep work with the actual writing commencing around day 7 or 8.

But I’d like to post some of the progress here too.

The first activity is a bit of personal reflection.

Activity One

How do you currently feel as you embark on this workshop?

I’m nervous. But excited.

What is one thing you hope to get out of it?

A completed Call of Cthulhu adventure of a reasonable quality, that other folks can enjoy too.

Also, to have another completed project under my belt. I’m not good at finishing things.

What do you feel nervous/anxious about?

Just the uncertainty of a project I’ve not done before. I’ve written wee scenarios and adventures for RPG gaming in my teens but nothing coherent.

Write a positive affirmation for yourself.

I can do this. Others can and I’m not an idiot. I’m a creative person. And I can finish this if I apply myself.

I’ll post the next one later.

Links:
Call of Cthulhu
DrivethruRPG
Storytelling Collective

Writing  ⁄  Creative November  ⁄  Musings  ⁄  Mental Health

Creative November, Part One

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First things first, I’m not doing NaNoWriMo this year. But I am doing a Creative November.

What does that mean?

Well, a bit of writing everyday.

It doesn’t have to be main story stuff. Could just be a bit of worldbuilding, some character work or expanding on some in-world terminology.

I’m using a new notebook I treated myself to a week or so ago. I’m a whore for a new notebook. 🙂

So, yesterday I put the first few hundred words down on a new story. It has no proposed length but I have an end(of sorts) in mind.

There’s no pressure, just committing some mental resourses to something I used to enjoy. Also, it’s good for the mental health to have something to do that isn’t just the mundane housework.

What’s the story?

It’s starting as a police procedural type on a distant, recently settled world. I have some mad ideas to add to it. No wizards or giant robots though. I don’t think it’s that kind of tale. 🙂

Links:
NaNoWriMo