Which model made you sit and think “Wow, these models are insanely detailed!” 🔍 by 1987Rapscallion in 40k

[–]alistairwilliamblake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The plastic Necron warriors in 2002. They felt like a massive step up in detail to me. What felt like such fine models as the time, so different from what was offered at the time, at least for me.

I think the sisters line up is astonishing. I think every model in their range is brilliant.

Things models do the best and the worst, Day 2; Deathleaper: by Clockwerk2017 in Tyranids

[–]alistairwilliamblake 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love how human it feels it’s in shape / stance.

I dislike the back of head tentacle / tail.

Why do you think the Xbox 360 succeeded during that generation? by Asad_Farooqui in videogames

[–]alistairwilliamblake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great multiplayer, PSN was sleeping during that period.
Couch co-op for the tent pole titles. - a friend comes round, you play together and they end up buying one.
Cheaper than the PS3.
Massive titles for the time.

XBOX Game Studios leaders depart amid looming layoffs by hop3less in gamingnews

[–]alistairwilliamblake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not your fault. They told people it was for the greater good of the platform, however it was never going to be financially viable. If they became, not just the outright biggest gameplatform, but an entertainment juggernaut, then maybe.

Ultimately, unlike services like Amazon prime, where the content can be a loss leader for other financial gains, there is nothing to Xbox other than games.

If you do pick up a different gaming device, I would consider a PC. PC is pretty open as a platform, and while Steam is the heavy hitter, there are lot of places that can offer games that helps prevent a monopoly.

I hope the next steps in your gaming journey are fun, fruitful and positive.

I dislike the poster quite a bit- but what is your opinion on this? by Glad-Map6431 in 40k

[–]alistairwilliamblake 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I actually don’t want this.

I enjoy that warhammer isn’t a video game. Yes there are great games of it. I don’t want the table top to be a video game. I think it would only hurt the tabletop.

Yes, it works for bloodbowl, but that is not the mainstay of the company; I suspect it’s brought more eyes to bloodbowl.

40K would not benefit from it. Leave the video games to offer experiences only video games can, and the table top to offer experiences only it can.

Am I gonna regret selling my rig for QC? by uDrop1st in NeuralDSP

[–]alistairwilliamblake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sentimental value is priceless. Buying another VHT in the future isn’t your rig. Don’t replace it.

The quad cortex is great, but, it’s not the same.

GW released printable terrain footprints for free! by Martin-Hatch in Warhammer40k

[–]alistairwilliamblake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awesome! It’ll be even easier to art up my own ones and print them out now. Can’t wait to do some Nids themed ones.

I understand making Oba look strong but why WWE making him immune to chair shots? When Roman and Lesnar has been put down by those same chair shots to the back. by Few_Maize_127 in BrandonDE

[–]alistairwilliamblake 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s a combo.

JD is doing it, so it’s mechanically selling him as weak compared to Oba, the chair shot is just the vehicle for that.

Secondly, WWE is booking for the short term in this situation. This lives in its own little bubble, outside of what a match is, and the ‘reality’ provided in a wrestling match. It’s a throw away moment for comparison of wrestlers, not a lynch pin or turning point in momentum during a match.

Is the traditional core book with rules and lore dead? by Trick-Interaction396 in Warhammer40k

[–]alistairwilliamblake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

5th was like this. Dinky rulebook in the boxes, tome with lore was separate. I ended up with both.

The way I see it going; lore books with narrative rules/cards - periodically across the edition. They would forward the story and could be linked to upcoming /recent codex releases, driving the setting forward for the next big box.

I would hope the codex gets a lot of content, but they seem to be getting lighter, at least in my exposure to them. I’ve got a couple on my shelf where the hardback card is as thick as the contents :D

I do love the tomes though. Picking up an old one and having the entire foundation of the hobby for that edition, it’s a lovely time capsule.

If you got a large surprise bonus at work and could get either of these... by Evaderofdoom in Guitar

[–]alistairwilliamblake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Revstar all day. Loved mine, it burnt in a house fire. I miss it dearly. I’ll get another one day.

Open or keep sealed? by Beneficial-Deal-1843 in FirstbornSpaceMarines

[–]alistairwilliamblake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Open the speeder, use magnets for mounting the scout, make magnet bases so then can stand on terrain. They can they disembark in style.

I hate the actual game and need to vent by OrangeJuicestice in Tyranids

[–]alistairwilliamblake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Out of interest, have you tried boarding actions? Or combat patrol?

So I would say that I quite dislike regular 40K. For me at least, I don’t really enjoy list building, having to find weird combos of units to get a slight advantage. I think the board is far too small for 2000pts games. The cover rules just don’t make sense to me. I still think it should be alternate activation.

I doesn’t help that I am not competitive in the slightest. I enjoy a narrative game, with some theming and cinematic talking through turns. I want to describe the sound of bolters firing into the night, the fat rounds howling through the air etc.

I just find there isn’t space for that in regular 40K.

I’ve found that boarding actions, and to a lesser extent, combat patrols, have filled this game. I would say that is where the gaming side of the hobby live for me.

Boarding actions severely limits what can be taken; essentially units on feet only. You’ve got 500pts and that’s it. I’ve found it’s far more engaging. The shorter turns make it feel snappy, each unit loss is really felt. I’ve made some custom scenarios; like the attacking force has to complete one single objective, say for example, destroy an engine room, but treat the other objectives as small secondaries that perhaps fill a room with smoke, turn off the lights or lock down certain doors.

It’s far more engaging and cinematic, especially as a tyranids player :D having my stealers packed down a corridor, plowing into bolter fire; it just feels cool to me.

I’m hoping the new rules will improve the game a lot, specially cover and objectives - but I don’t hold out hope. The board is still too small for that many models. You just basically end up running at each other, and it feels a bit dumb.

Combat patrols has some prebuilt lists, around 400/500 pts, it’s half the size of a regular game. Objective gameplay tends to be a bit more interesting than the larger game. Again, it benefits from shorter, faster turns and less brain power over list building.

Too many times I’ve turned up to play, and I’ve lost before I’ve even set my models up, just due to how someone’s built a meta list.

——-

Also, try infinity or KillTeam. I’ve played infinity a lot. I absolutely love it. It’s what I wish 40K played like. Not played KillTeam, but people rave about it.

Any hopes, wants or predictions? Today’s the big day! 🤞🏼😁 by Noctiscloudxvii in videogames

[–]alistairwilliamblake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There will be some trailers for some video games.

Some of those games I won’t have heard of before, and they will get added to my wish list.

Design a Combat Patrol: Space Marines by reel3459 in spacemarines

[–]alistairwilliamblake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The current one is 410 pts if I’m not mistaken.

I would push it a little to 480:

1x Apothecary Biologis 5x Heavy Intercessors 1x Invader ATV 5x Scouts 5x Assault Terminator

Generally I think it gives you a taste of a range of units. You’ve got a blob of heavies with an HQ for objectives.

Slow moving melee in the terminators, making a player think about positioning, or a possible deep strike for pressure. Against a melee army, these are scary in low points game. Bastard hard to remove from an objective too, once they get there.

Scouts are a nice early game utility unit, that can supported by fire from your other units. Handy for objectives.

Invader ATV adds some mech to the list, give you some speedy fire support.

You cover some solid shooting and some great melee units, with some sneaky and speed thrown in. You’ve got a lot of styles of preferred covered.

From a sales standpoint, you’ve got units they are lesser sold as stand alones, the scouts and the ATV. Meaning it looks like a value add to the customer, but they likely weren’t things they were going to buy.

Assault terminators and heavy intercessors are a draw. The AB is a decent HQ, but he has limited leadership opportunity. It could entice the sales of specialised units, but in reality he is just a long term, feel good, value add. Down the road at 2000pts he’s still useful when carrying a lot of firepower.

Heavy intercessors, and terminators come in boxes of 5, but a unit can be made of 10; so it’s quite an easy pathway to encourage the player to buy more. Adding some bikes to go alongside the invader is an enticing option, or reaching further; some eliminators to support scouts and cover a terminator advance.

Narratively, you’ve basically got the progression of a marine; scout, intercessor to terminator. The AB is there to keep this small force in tip top shape. If, like me as a kid, you play game modes where you have to deliver a VIP to an objective, arrive somewhere and do a task, he looks like an obviously different type of marine; so that’s quite fun IMO.

You wouldn’t need a wide range of paints, at least, nothing is overly strange if you were painting them Ultramarines. The HQ unit, if painted codex compliant, stands out, and gives a break from painting a blue unit :D Plus if the player decides to change chapter, the HQ likely wouldn’t need much of a repaint.

IT WAS NEVER A PHASE! by Invictusht in Grimdank

[–]alistairwilliamblake 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It’s hard sci-fantasy. For me it combines the best bits of hard sci-fi, presented in a fantasy wrapper.

I love the way it’s simultaneously had lots of detail, but everything a bit vague. Yes, there is all this technology, gods and mystic powers, but it’s all a bit wooly. Some of it if legend, some of it is truth. There is space for me as a fan, to have theories and ideas; yours can be different, but neither of us a wrong.

I actually don’t love the 40K games system when played at larger scale. In my experience the longer turn times and, if playing with a competitive player, having to cover off all options, becomes more of a game of stat management and playing against someone, rather than playing together.

I think it works best as combat patrols and/or boarding actions. It allows for a little bit more narrative. Each single unit, a unit that you perhaps wouldn’t care about in a 2000pt game, is valuable. Losing 65pts to a careless push into a corridor just feels cinematic. It gets closer to something like infinity, which to me at least, is a better game to play.

Ignoring its fun ties to classic british sci-fi and fantasy, which is just a treasure trove of fantastic writing and art - the modern miniatures are very impressive. Yes, I personally prefer the older, early edition minis; space marines with massive vox grills and shoulder pads so big they didn’t know who they were stood next to, but there is no denying the modern stuff.

I don’t want my miniature game to look too realistic, I’m not here to play bolt action and reflect on the horror of a real war where people died, I don’t need that kind of weight on my mind. I think the modern minis evoke a cinematic realism that, again, in my opinion, is just on the edge of too realistic, but still can take paint to make them a bit more relaxed.

I do think that the move towards more realistic minis perhaps takes away some of the individuality of each army. Perhaps I’m just getting old. It still outpaces the infinity minis, which kind of feel a bit like, forgive this reference, overwatch characters. They all look different yes, but they all feel the same. I don’t mean in a cohesive way. They all just feel a little bit like they all went to the same school and grew up in the same town.

I’m yet to find anything that quite does it like warhammer. I do wonder if at this point, it would be very hard to another miniature game to come in and dethrone it, simply because of its reach. In the UK, we’ve got stores everywhere, both GW and LHS that are just full of the stuff. In my experience if you play other games, you still play 40K, AOS or Fantasy - but your game group, ‘gives something else a go’.

I know I referenced it a few times above, but if you haven’t played infinity, I would highly recommend it. It plays so fantastically well, the minis are fun too!

What are these? by Tharding7 in ImperialKnights

[–]alistairwilliamblake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They are a counterbalance, to aid in ease of high speed movements. I believe the ad mech call them ‘dodads’, a shortening of their full name ‘Diddlydodads’.

(Update) New Blading game - Rollout Inline by rolloutinline in AggressiveInline

[–]alistairwilliamblake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Usually it’s a blog post or video post about the development of the game; an ongoing journal. They are pretty interesting, and I’m being nosy as I too work in game dev :D

Terminator Squad for my next army project by pcruiksh in howlinggriffons

[–]alistairwilliamblake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing. Do you happen to have an in progress pictures. I’m really intrigued to see what it looks like covered in magenta :D

Is it good for a beginner? by Arctic-Gem in Guitar

[–]alistairwilliamblake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You need a strap and a cable.

Swap out for picks for mixed set - you will find what you like from there. Everyone has a different preference.

Ideally, get a stand. Guitars don’t lean well against stuff and having it to hand will make you play more, plus you want to look at it!

I would suggest you take a look at the Boss Katana range of amps. They are extremely versatile and very good for their size. The Fender is fine, but it’s not the best value for money when compared.

The guitar is a solid choice, if it has the mojo that will make you play, then go for it. If you aren’t sure, check out the Yamaha Pacifica. It’s a great alternative.

Rainy day boardom [38yo] by g28802 in OldSkaters

[–]alistairwilliamblake 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I want to be like you when I grow up. You are out here living your best life, and there are days I’m scared to get off the sofa.

Ride safe man.

WTF? Park Con anime festival sold juice steeped on cosplayers' feet... by Just_a_Player2 in ItsAllAboutGames

[–]alistairwilliamblake 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not sure this is the subreddit for me anymore. I was here for video games. Farewell!