Flames of War Vietnam !

I have been out of the loop lately but here are some pictures of a Rifle Platoon (Airmobile) that is the beginning of my core force for Tour of Duty which is Flames of War's Vietnam supplement. I picked up the mini rulebook that Battlefront has offered fro Flames of War and for 15 dollars it is a great deal. The squads were very easy to assemble and the painting was pretty quick to make happen.

X Wing Repaints

These are some X-Wing ships that Vic from Black Heart Gaming has spent some time on painting up to be a little more exciting and true to the Star Wars universe. Some of the ships represent the squadrons that they belong to with represented colors. Others like some of the TIE Interceptors are part of the infamous 181st Sabre Squadron. Fantasy Flight pre-paints these things but as you can see they look nice with a little hard work and time. Thanks Vic for giving us these shots and hopefully we will see a big ship soon.

Fate Of A Nation

Ok, so I got this in yesterday and I am really excited to try this out over the next few months. For those of you who don't know what this is, it is a supplement for Flames of War. Flames of War is a World War II game made by Battlefront and it is in the 15mm scale. The game is growing quite popular and it is on it's third edition of rules. I have not jumped onto the Flames of War wagon yet but this supplement is probably going to push me over the edge.

About a year ago I had seen their Vietnam supplement and I got pretty excited seeing the AirCAV units littering the battlefield. It looks likes we are going to try out the Arab-Israeli War and possibly the Vietnam era as well.

Now after skimming through the rules supplement, and by the way it was free with my purchase of Wargames Illustrated Issue 312. Inside the actual WI issue was a ton of helpful material and background on the Arab-Israeli War of 1967. The force organization charts are laid out and you get to see three armies with their special rules, compositions and viable units that will be released for them. The booklet also details some terrain features that you would come across and it highlights Battlefront's pre-painted line of terrain and how it applies with this new release.

I really feel like this is a step in the right direction for some modern wargaming and I think if Battlefront does this right they may have an increase in gamers and interest in their Flames of War line. After seeing Dropzone Commander's two player set I really believe the standard has been set for box sets and intro games. Hopefully they can capitalize on this for the Christmas season. Well we will keep everyone updated and see what happens with this new game.

Rob

Romans on the Way !

Well this is a picture of Nick's Roman Centurion that he has been working on. He is currently involved in the Hail Caesar  project that we are starting, and his Romans are coming along nicely. This particular model is from Warlord Games and we were both impressed with how easy the models were to assemble and paint. We will keep posting pictures of the models, we are trying to paint over 150 models by the end of the month so we will be hard at work.

Rob

Update: Empress Miniatures Marines First Glance

Well here they are ! I wrote an article a while back about putting money towards the Empress Miniatures Kickstarter. I personally ordered some boonie hat marines from the Kickstarter and I am definitely enjoying they way they are coming out. These new pictures are the latest news and previews from Empress. The models will ship before Christmas and I think the progress is excellent. The notion of some sort of 28mm Pacific War is definitely taking shape and I think it is just a matter of time before a solid rule set is developed. Keep checking out the site for more pictures and once the total package of the Kickstarter is unveiled I think Empress Miniatures will be selling these Marines pretty fast.

Rob

Flames of War Arab-Israeli Units

I have never played Flames of War but as a historical student I have always enjoyed seeing their miniatures and I have been tempted to try them out. When I saw this article and the units I was instantly interested. I like seeing some modern games and I now that Flames of War has a Vietnam Era game called Tour of Duty. This may just be the supplement that kicks me over the edge and forces me to try it out. Well if any of you are FOW fans feel free to comment and fill me in on any particulars that I may need to know about.

Rob

Beasts of War Site in Danger?

http://www.beastsofwar.com/games-workshop/announcement/

So I read this article yesterday about Beasts of War and how Games Workshop has been contacting them and attempting to regulate their reporting. I was very concerned about how this was turning out and I am a huge fan of Beasts of War. If you get a chance check out the article and try to throw some support their way even if its just commenting on their site.

Basing the Romans

I have nearly 40 Romans near completion and one thing missing is the basing. I decided to use Gale Force 9 magnetic bases and I am a little torn on how I want to do the basing. I may do one unit with some green flock and grass while the other has a more mixed dirt and grass look. Depending on how many Roman units I end up getting, certain legions may have one type of uniformed base and another legion a different style. I will post updates as I plan on finishing their bases this weekend.

Bob

Roman Legion+ Work In Progress

Well I started working on my Romans, and these 20 guys took me about 3 hours after they were primed and glued to Gale Force 9 magnetic bases. I still have to do my touch up work, decals and basing so I still have some stuff to do but the big part is done.

I used Army Painted , primer that doubles as a base coat with the plate mail color. Then a combination of Vallejo paints and Army Painter paints knocked out the rest. I really enjoyed putting these guys together and painting them. I loved how simple they were to assemble but still gave me some weapon and pose options. I used to hate assembling certain models that required me to look at directions very attentively to match torsos, arms, hands, and weapons or else the model would not work.

I still have another twenty to do and two scorpions to build before I purchase anything else. But this is a start and it has been almost a year since I've painted anything so it felt good getting back into it. Well I will keep posting the progress and the final result will be up here soon I hope.


Rob

Warlord's Hail Caesar

Well this is a game that we are starting to try out. We started collecting models and immersing ourselves in the game. The rules are done by Rick Priestly and there are quite a bit of reviews on them and the actual rule book. The starter set comes with the complete hardcover rule book, 60 Celt Warriors, 30 Roman Imperial Legionnaires, and a Roman Scorpion catapult. The starter set has an MSRP of 96$ but can be found online for about twenty dollars less. The rules are a bit lacking but we have been told that the addition of the army books helps out quite a bit. So we are gearing up and getting ready to start playing. One aspect of the rule book is that it encourages using house rules and creating scenarios that are agreed upon by both players. This has already led us to start creating unit cards for the troops at our disposal. Just some basic stuff on a word document but something easy to reference. So we are going to start trying out some new stuff and we have also picked up the rule book for Drop Zone Commander. Well we will keep everyone updated with more posts.

Rob

Dropzone Commander Two Player Starter Set by Hawk Wargames

   Well this set just looks great, I have watched a couple of the unboxing videos on the set and it really does have everything you need to start playing. Not pictured is a 4x3 play mat that is also included in the set. The release date is September 28 and the retail price is $90 but I have already seen online retailers selling pre orders for $76. The two armies look great and we are dying to get our hands on a copy and do a review. Dropzone Commander has really started to take off and if you have not checked out Hawk Wargames and Dropzone Commander I highly suggest you do. Nick from Blackheart Gaming was at GENCON 2013 and he was able to get a look at their new units and the new box set. We are definitely looking at getting into DZC as it is referred to. We will have some pictures from GENCON and we will be updating everyone on some X-Wing games, and DUST tactics games in a few days. We also picked up Warlord Game's Hail Cesar so keep an eye and check out Dropzone Commander...


Rob

TIE Interceptor: First Impressions

TIE Interceptor

 

 

 

So I got three games in with my TIE Interceptors this weekend and without turning this into a Battle Report, I’m just going to quickly highlight some of the pros and cons of this ship. To start off I was unable able to use every version so my findings will be based off of my experience with Thurr Phennir, Soontir Fel and a Sabre Squadron Pilot.

 

Pros

1.       Maneuverability

2.       Firepower

3.       Actions

4.       Agility

 

 

1.       Maneuverability

This basic function is an extremely important aspect of the X-Wing Miniatures Game. The unique dial system of movement lends to the playability and unknown factor. The TIE Interceptor as with the basic TIE Fighter is very maneuverable and I enjoyed the speed and tight turns that were very useful for outmaneuvering the enemy and getting behind them. The TIE Interceptor did not let down in this category and its maneuver options are one of the attractive features of this ship.

2.       Firepower

The big difference between the TIE Interceptor and other TIE variants is the firepower. The TIE Interceptor has three attack dice and rivals the X-Wing in firepower. The higher attack value was the most notable difference that I recognized which most players would easily see on the card. When I was playing I noticed that being able to maneuver and bear down with the increased firepower was very beneficial and it is the deciding factor for me when I consider the TIE Interceptor in my list.

 

3.       Actions

The TIE Interceptor has four actions in its action bar. The actions are: barrel roll, focus, evade and the new boost action. I won’t dissect each action but I will say that the ability to pick between four actions was very helpful and the boost actions quickly developed into me getting into range one to utilize the higher attack and get off four shots. This was extremely effective when it was combined with Thurr Phennir who can then barrel roll or boost out of a firing arc. The actions helped out immensely and they combined with the firepower and maneuver to make a very deadly ship.

4.       Agility

 

Having three agility was a great defense to the enemy firepower and it repeatedly proved useful and blocked the enemy attacks. The high agility was  great and it really helped this ship survive throughout the fights.

 

Cons

1.       Shields (lack of)

2.       Options for attachments

3.       Points

 

1.       Shields

 

As with most other TIE ships excluding the TIE Advanced version the Interceptor has no shields and relies on its agility to spare it damage. The lack of shields was not as noticeable since the agility value was three. I knew coming into the game that there were no shields and this was not the big negative factor that I worried about.

 

 

2.       Options for attachments

 

The TIE Interceptor has very few options and some of the cheaper versions have no options at all. This does limit the amount of customization but with the new upgrade cards like stealth device, engine upgrades and shield upgrades you don’t need as many upgrade icons on your ships. The options are limited though so prepare for some pretty standard combinations.

 

3.       Points

 

The point cost is higher than the TIE fighter which is expected but the named characters start getting into the high 20 point range and with some upgrades they can even exceed 30 points for a ship that has three hull with no shields. The points are one of my cons that I am not too worried about because the damage output that the Interceptor provided was well worth the points.

 

 

 

Nuts and Bolts

 

 

So from my opinion, I absolutely love the TIE Interceptor and Thurr Phennir with Veteran Instincts was just awesome. He would move, then boost to range one, shoot then barrel roll or boost out of a firing arc. This tactic proved very effective and he claimed many rebel pilots. The damage output combined with the maneuverability of the TIE chassis made a very capable ship that offset the points and usual glass hammer moniker that is attributed to the TIE series of fighters. My next problem is convincing the guys form Blackheart to keep letting me play as the Imperials, somehow I am the default Rebel Player. So those are some basic takeaways that I had with my Interceptors, hope everyone enjoys.

 

What Tactics Articles Do You Want?

We are planning on writing up some articles and Battle Reports but we want to hear from you on what games you are interested learning more about. Right now there are a few out there that have caught many gamers and we are going to try and get some articles on the popular games. Before we get going we want to make sure we do articles that you want. So here are some games that we are considering reviewing or doing articles on:


Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures

Dust Tactics

Bolt Action

We play plenty of other games and if you have questions or want us to review something let us know.



Rob

X Wing Miniatures Wave 2 restocked !

Well we have been waiting a while to get our hands on these and I know there has been plenty of unboxing videos and battle reports following the Wave 2 ships but Fantasy Flight Games has been a little slow on getting product out there. Some were selling for 30$ or more because of the lack of stock. Today some online retailers got restocked and if you are fortunate you may find some for retail price or less. I thought I would let everyone know considering how hard it is to find these ships. The Firespray and Millennium Falcon are a little easier to find but the TIE Interceptor has been very elusive followed by the A-Wing. We will be posting a battle report soon on some of our X-Wing games. Good Luck picking them up and get them while you can.


Bob

Empress SAS

Here are some more pictures of the Empress miniatures. The top picture shows the British SAS team of 4. The bottom picture has one of the SAS team painted in MultiCam. Both of these pictures were simply taken from a Google search and are not from Black Heart Gaming. We did get some of the SAS models and we will be painting some of them soon. Four of them are primed and we are trying a few different primers to get some nice colors. We do plan on using them as proxy models for our future game for play testing but we thought we would show off some of the quality of Empress Miniatures on the site. I like the basic look of the top picture but I have to say that I a very impressed by the MultiCam effect that the second picture has and since our game will feature a time line of approximately 2050, we could incorporate both types of clothing. I hope you enjoy the pictures and if anyone has questions or comments feel free to post them.

Bob

Dust Tactics New Unit Preview

Armor 4 NCO Command Squad for the SSU

 

 

So for those of you that have played Dust Tactics these guys are quite impressive. They have a wide variety of weapons although mainly anti-infantry weapons, they do have a little anti-air with the Dual DSHK. The NCO Command squad rules are pretty good and having recently played in the 2013 Regional Tournament I used the Allied NCO Command squad and the NCO rules were very helpful. I will say that the armor 4 value on these fallen heroes is really going to make them hard to kill. The damage output is good and the cost doesn't seem to high when you have these considerations.

 

From a hobby standpoint, these models look great in my opinion and are a welcome to the Dust Tactics community. The pre-primed models are of course easy to paint and the low cost of a box is a nice addition. So here are the final armor 4 units that the SSU have added to their inventory and we will be writing a review of them and some hypothetical tactics that may be used prior to their release. Well, good gaming and if you have questions or comments feel free to post.

 

Bob

 

Empress Insurgents !

Here are a couple of pictures of some painted insurgents from Empress Miniatures. Nick from Black Heart Gaming painted these guys up for some upcoming play testing of our future tabletop game. The insurgents have some reinforcements coming and Nick will be finishing off his full squad of guys soon enough. The miniatures are quite detailed and the weapons are very accurate. We have invested in Empress Miniatures Kickstarter and those models will be here around Christmas, so we will also preview those. We picked up about 40 models from Empress and we will continue showing everyone the level of detail that have and how much we like them. If you need some modern models you should check these guys out.

X-Wing Tutorial By Starlit Citadel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YesRnPXtHi0&feature=player_detailpage

 I thought I would post this link and let anyone who has questions about X-Wing or is interested in joining the ranks take a look at a quick review. I will agree that you need more than just the starter box to really feel the game. Luckily a few of us here at Black Heart, have pitched in and we can build some really good lists with the amount of expansion ships we have. If you are not aware the Wave 2 ships are sold out for the most part. There are a couple of online sites that may still have the Millennium Falcon or Slave 1 but the A-Wing and TIE Interceptor have been sold out for some time and there are many people that are anxiously awaiting their return. I hope you enjoy this quick tutorial and if you have questions send them our way.

Bob

More Dust Tactics Previews

Ok, so here are two more previews from Gale Force 9 on their upcoming Dust Tactics releases. I will have to say as an avid Dust Tactics player I really like where they are going with these new units. The SSU snipers just look deadly and with both the spotter and sniper ability they are going to be really tough to deal with especially with Range 10 and Armor 4. The Allied Bunker is a Beast ! 25 Hit points is just so tough and I am curious to see the new rules regarding bunkers. The SSU definitely have some new units that are really going to shine, although you are paying quite a bit of points for them the Armor 4 characteristic is hard to take down. I know a fellow gamer that is with Black Heart Gaming is already getting his German laser units ready as his main defense against the new SSU units. We will keep posting these units as they come out and if you get a chance check out the Gale Force 9 website and you can see more screen shots there.

Fantasy Flight Reviews Upcoming Units

 

So here are some previews from the Wave 3 expansion of X-Wing. Two of the ships featured are the B Wing and the Lambda Class Shuttle. These two ships have quite the punch and some serious shields. The article details some of the upgrades that these ships can take and that bring some new elements to your games of X-Wing. If you get the chance check out Fantasy Flight Games and see all the details surrounding these new ships.
http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4236

Star Wars X-Wing Battle Report

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5L83jJwb1U&feature=player_embedded


This is a good battle report on the new Wave 2 Firespray with some TIE fighters versus some X-Wings and Wedge Antilles. If you haven't checked out X-Wing yet I highly suggest you do, it has really taken off and it has a strong following. It is a very easy game to learn and play and the starter set is a great value. If you want to know more about it let us know and we will do a review of the basic set and the game.



Bob