Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Lots of New Stuff Coming Soon ! Infinity Starter Set, DUST 2.0 Rulebook and Dropzone Commander Faction

Well it looks like Infinity is finally coming out with a starter set for all those gamers that were on the fence. I got these images from the guys at Beasts of War and I know there is a lot of talk about what will be at GENCON this year. So here is a look.

http://www.beastsofwar.com/infinity/corvus-belli-infinity-operation-icestorm/


 
 
 
The image does not show the units but you can go to the Infinity site to see the models that will be included. So far a lot of complaints about the price point but I am interested in seeing the box contents before I make that decision.
 
Next up is the New DUST rulebook. This is Battlefront's new take on the rules and we will have a physical copy here any day. BF has provided a PDF of the rules for free and if this link doesn't work go to their website and under Gaming you can find it.

Check out the Tactics rules here...

 
 
Dropzone Commander has really gained some momentum lately and new pictures and artwork about their upcoming faction continue to surface daily. 




 
 
So there is some new stuff to look at and we will keep updating with more information. 

Monday, July 14, 2014

Robotech RPG Tactics

Well I remember being a fan of Robotech and Macross when I was a kid. I am glad that this has gotten some attention. The kickstarter on it was very successful and from the current news, there will be some starter sets available for all of you attending GENCON, but they will be limited. Here are some pictures of what you will get and how the models look.


 
 
The Kickstarter cost is 80$ but the retail is 90$ I think, of course you can find that discounted on sites like miniature market and other online stores. So there it is, it looks promising and I know I am going to get a set when it comes out. Once it hits the shelves we will dedicate an article to opening the box and checking it out. 

Monday, July 7, 2014

Work in Progress DUST Hammers, Grim Reapers and Big Boss Command Squad plus Rhino

Well here are some works in progress.. By no means are they done and I am not a great painter but I was really looking for tabletop ready and not time consuming.




 
 
 
So her are some basecoats done and some primer work. I used Vallejo paints and some Flames of War GErman armor spray paint. I know they are allies and I used German armor but I liked the look of it. The bases were sprayed British Desert tan and they will have sand and tufts added later.
 
 



 
 
 
I used Army Painter's Quickshade and I always love how easy it is to use. I am still in the process of applying the matte to seal it and take away the shine. But these guys are pretty much the core of my 100 and 150 point force for the new DUST tactics rules.
 
 
This is just the start and we will keep posting updates. The first week of August will pit the Allies, SSU and Axis fighting against one another with the new rules which we will be able to review. 


Saturday, July 5, 2014

New Stuff Coming

Well we have a ton of new stuff to catch up on and we will be posting more articles this week and in the following days. Lets take a look at some of the new topics:

DUST Operation Babylon
DUST 2.0
X Wing Wave 4
X Wing Wave 5
My experience at the Imdaar Alpha Tournament and how I took first place

So these are some of the topics we will cover and they are not all of them. Hopefully we can give you some quality articles and insight into some table top gaming. Stay tuned for more news.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Lack of Updates

Sorry for the lack of updates but I recently had a baby boy and I have been a little busy. Today will be my first outing into some gaming and it looks like we will be playing some X Wing with the Epic rules and the Medium Transport. Thanks for checking on us and expect some updates soon.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

X Wing Tournament Roundup

Well unfortunately I did not get to take any pictures but we had an X-Wing tournament a couple weeks ago and it was quite the fun event. Our local store, Frontline Games provided the venue and the prizes. We had a good turn out and the event was decided with four rounds of play.

 I will attempt to briefly describe how each of my games went but it has been a few weeks so bear with me. My list was based on the durability of the YT 1300 and the hard hitting power of B-Wings.


Dagger Squadron B-Wing with Fire Control System (26)
Dagger Squadron B-Wing with Fire Control System (26)
Chewbacca with Engine Upgrade and Expert Handling (48)



 



So at 100 points my idea was to send in Chewbacca, eat up some opening shots and while people start focusing on him, my B-Wings sit back and lay on the fire with target locks. So this is how it went:


Round 1:
Opponent: Alex
Four A-Wings including Tycho Celchu, three of them had missiles and only the last one did not. I believe Tycho Celchu had Push the Limit as well.


My opening thoughts: The first thing I thought was this was going to suck and Chewie was going to die pretty fast. I immediately thought that the A-Wings would outmaneuver me and just tear me apart. I decided to stick with the plan and go for it.

Setup:
I put Chewie in the middle, with my two B-Wings supporting each other next to Chewie.
My opponent scattered all his A-Wings and it was at this time that I thought I might just have a chance. His units weren't really supporting each other.

The Game:
Well, what happened was my opponent failed to use his missiles and only got off one shot. He went for Chewie and kept chasing him around. The engine upgrade really helped me out and force my opponent to come after me while the Dagger pilots just kept knocking him down. About turn 4 he realized what was going on and turned his A-Wings on the Daggers. This didn't work out too well because Chewie was still going and had four hull points left which left me pretty confident that he could still fight. This round allowed me to test my list and it did quite well. I did not think that my opponent would get stuck in going for Chewie the whole time but he did and I had a total victory and I did not lose a single ship.

Victory 3 points awarded. Win:1 Lose 0

Round 2
Opponent: Cant Remember His Name
This list had two B-Wings, Ten Numb and Ibtisam along with Garven Dreis. He had some good equipment as well, including an autoblaster on Ten Numb. He had some other equipment as well but I cannot remember what it was.




 

My Thoughts:
I really didn't take the time to examine his list which I should have but I knew it was going to be a hard fight. I basically was hoping he would try to go after Chewie and I knew I would have to take out those B-Wings.

Setup:
I deployed the same way as before taking a middle of the board approach.
He countered and did the same thing keeping his ships supporting each other.

The Game:

This was a nail biter. I was not ready for that autoblaster and he just tore up Chewie on the first round of fighting. All his shields and two hull were gone. By the third round Chewie was flying around using his engine upgrade and barrel roll to stay out of firing arcs. The positive point was that he started chasing him with Ten Numb but Garven and Ibtisam stayed on my Daggers. I was able to knock out Garven and Ten and my opponent realized that it wasn't going well. He took out a Dagger but my other Dagger still had shields. Chewie was down to two hull so he stayed flying around. Ibtisam was finally taken down by my Dagger and I claimed another major victory.

Points awarded 3: Win: 2 Lose 0

Round 3

Opponent: Scott
Dual YT-1300
Han Solo and Chewie with some upgrades


My Thoughts:
Well my opponent said he just googled " What list to use to upset X Wing players" and he came up with this. I was not upset at all and I wanted to play it because up until this point he was undefeated. I wanted to target Han first so that was the plan.

Setup:

I did the same setup while he put both his ships in the middle as well

The Game:

This was a very close game, I was unable to target Han first and Chewie had to go down. I lost a Dagger for Chewie and this was pretty crucial. My opponent was rolling very well and I did not roll a hit with Chewie until round 5. But as Han started taking damage and more importantly critical damage the tide started turning. My opponent made the same mistakes that the others did and he was going for Chewie. He realized that this was the wrong idea and started going for the Dagger. I took a chance since we were reaching the time limit and moved Chewie into range three with one hull left. My opponent was at range 1 with my Dagger who had two hull left. He went for Chewie and the end result was two hits. I rolled two evades and he was in awe. The B-Wing laid into him and took him out after Chewie took off some hull points. This game was very close and probably the closest.

Victory Points: 3 Win: 3 Lose:0

Round 4
Opponent: Brendan
My friend Brendan and I made it to the final round. He was running Wedge with Ibitsam and Ten Numb, with some equipment of course that was very effective.


My thoughts:
Well I know Brendan is a great player and he places very high in our local tournaments. I decided to stick with what I knew and played the list I had. I knew that he was going to try and focus his B-Wings and Wedge on Chewie early on to knock him out. So that kind of worked out since that is what I was hoping for.

Setup:

Usually Brendan uses the corners, which is usually what I do as well but he decided to mirror my deployment and we both knew that this would be a fun game.

The Game:

This was the most fun I had at the tournament and Brendan is a great player. He took out Chewie in round 4 but at the lost of Ten Numb. This exchange worked in my favor because was out of place and Ibtisam was no match for two B-Wings firing on him the next turn. Ibtisam was down to two hull and Wedge came in to save the day. He shot up my Dagger pilot but failed to knock either of them out. The next round I was able to knock Wedge out with both Daggers. Now it was down to both of my Daggers and Ibtisam. While we were maneuvering I took a range three shot that had two hits and a critical. Ibtisam rolled one evade and the game was over. That game only lasted about 20 minutes because Brendan and I were in the zone.

Victory Points: 3 Win:4 lose: 0


Final Thoughts:

The Tournament was a blast and I walked away the champion undefeated but feeling like I could have lost any of the four games I played. I literally put my list together the morning of the Tournament but that is the joy of X-Wing. I basically thought that everyone would go for Chewie since he is a tank. All four of my opponents shot at Chewie for at least three rounds before working on the Daggers. Brendan was the only opponent to destroy Chewie and the engine upgrade helped out a ton. The Daggers getting free target locks was just awesome. This helped me barrel roll or focus which either helped them stay out of firing arcs or if it was inevitable then I would focus and make my shots count. The list did well and it is by no means unbeatable but it was fun. This was a great time and our local store really supported us. Thanks again for reading up on this Tournament and next time we will get pictures.

Rob

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Rebel Aces

Here we go again, another Fantasy Flight Release on the horizon that will be sure to be a winner....

“Proceed with the countdown. All groups assume attack coordinates.”
    –Admiral Ackbar
Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of the Rebel Aces Expansion Pack for X-Wing!
Rebel Aces features one A-wing and one B-wing miniature, both of which come with alternate paint schemes. You’ll also find four highly skilled unique, new pilots; thirteen upgrade cards; maneuver dials; and all the tokens necessary to launch these starfighters into the thickest action of your space battles against the evil Galactic Empire. It also includes a new mission, which thrusts some of the Rebellion’s finest pilots into a desperate rescue effort that highlights the B-wing’s durability and the A-wing’s agility.
Heroic New Paint Schemes
Fly with the best! The alternate paint schemes on the starfighter miniatures from the Rebel Aces Expansion Pack allow you to battle for the Rebellion’s cause while representing the heroic efforts of the pilots who first flew its A-wings and B-wings as experimental prototypes.
Only ace pilots were granted the right to fly prototypes for the Rebel fleet. Piloting the agile A-wing required tremendous focus and lightning fast reflexes. Still, by helping the Rebel Alliance develop and improve upon its original designs, their efforts benefitted everyone dedicated to the cause of galactic freedom, and the A-wing ultimately proved its worth during the Battle of Endor by helping to cripple Star Destroyers.
To honor those prototype pilots who first flew the ship, the A-wing in Rebel Aces features the paint scheme depicted on the Prototype Pilot ship card, with a bold blue central stripe and red and yellow highlights.
Meanwhile, with its heavy weapons array and resilient shielding, the B-wing quickly established itself as one of the Rebellion’s most formidable assault fighters. The fighter’s unique gyrostabilization system ensured that its cockpit always remained stationary during flight, better enabling its pilot to coordinate complex flight and attack maneuvers. However, its rotating cockpit and complex Fabritech ANv-9q sensor system could only be mastered by seasoned veterans, and it took the Rebellion longer than it had initially anticipated to qualify pilots who could fly the ship in battle.
The pilots of Dagger Squadron were the first to be equipped with the B-wing in its experimental stages, and they were the first to be activated and sent into battle with the starfighter. Accordingly, Rebel Aces features a B-wing painted white with red highlights to match Dagger Squadron’s color scheme.
Both the A-wing and B-wing included in Rebel Aces share the same 1/270 scale sculpt as the miniatures found in the A-Wing Expansion Pack and B-Wing Expansion Pack, respectively.
New Pilots and Upgrades
Just as each A-wing and B-wing is merely a powerful tool within the Rebel fleet, the expansion’s variant starfighters are just the beginning of what it offers players.
To fly a starfighter, you need a pilot. to fly one of the galaxy’s most challenging starfighters, you need one of the galaxy’s greatest pilots. In Rebel Aces, you’ll find four unique, new pilots who not only rise to the challenge of flying these demanding vessels, but who can make them dance.
For example, Jake Farrell came out of retirement to teach Rebels how to fly against Imperial forces and was recruited to help design the A-wing. In X-Wing, he appears as one of the game’s most focused pilots. Every time he performs the focus action or receives a focus token, he may perform a free boost or barrel roll action.
Similarly, the tremendously skilled B-wing pilot, Keyan Farlander, enters the game with a potent ability of his own. Any time he attacks, he may remove a stress token in order to change all of his  results to  results. This not only allows him to convert a detrimental effect into a positive attack modification; it also permits him to perform stressful red maneuvers with impunity. If he chose, Keyan Farlander could potentially perform the difficult Koiogran-turn maneuver every round.
Additionally, Rebel Aces introduces thirteen upgrade cards that may very well reinvent the ways in which these ships are used in battle. You’ll find a new missile, a one-cost system upgrade, Title cards for both starfighters, two Rebel only crew, and the game’s first upgrade with a negative squad point cost, Chardaan Refit.
With all these upgrades, your A-wings and B-wings will be more customizable, more versatile, and more useful than ever.
Jump to Subspace
Additionally, Rebel Aces introduces a dramatic new mission, Jump to Subspace, in which a Rebel operative has captured a high-ranking Moff. However, that operative and his captive also happen to be adrift within an escape pod headed toward an asteroid field. As Imperial forces close in on the escape pod, the Rebel Alliance races to the rescue, relying upon the agility of its A-wing and the resilience of its B-wing.
The Rebels begin this mission with more squad points than the Imperials, but they’ll need all those squad points – and the elite skills of their A-wing and B-wing aces – in order to fend off wave after wave of Imperial fighters, even as they must guide the escape pod through a jumble of asteroids.
Don Your Flight Gear
Do you want to prove your piloting skills? Then, here’s your chance to suit up as one of the elite pilots the Rebel Alliance calls upon to fly and perfect its prototype starfighters. The Rebel Aces Expansion Pack is scheduled to arrive at retailers and intensify your X-Wing battles in the third quarter of 2014!