Sunday 8 June 2014

It's a liebe-fest

Phreedh has kindly nominated me for a Liebster (darling? beloved?) award. I'm embarrassed to say that this was now over two (three? four? five?) weeks ago and that I've taken my sweet time writing it up. My excuse is that I have had too many games to play and models to paint. Also, writing is hard.

So after doing a little research it turns out that the format is 11 truths, 11 answers and then 11 questions for 11 other bloggers. That's a lot to get through so I won't prattle any more and will just dive straight in instead.

That's a lie actually - just a little prattle. You may have noticed that I've finally worked out how to add a follower button to my blog. If you find anything I write interesting, please click it and let me know. It should be about here.

Thank you for this prestigious award.


11 Truths


Truth #1: As a child I played a lot of home-made game systems with both my friends and my father, mostly due to his dissatisfaction with the Warhammer rules (him coming from a historical background). We had our own rules for 6mm WWII/Modern, Lego battleships and even medieval battles played with tiddlywinks! So, like many other gamers, I tried my hand at games design and the result was a 6mm Mecha game called Core Control which is based (quite unashamedly) on the Armored Core franchise. I'll be bold enough to say that it wasn't awful, just rather clunky. I may try and resurrect the project and make a couple of posts about it at a later date.


Mechs by EM4 Miniatures

Truth #2: I came extremely close to failing my degree due to a rather low score on my dissertation. It turned out that engineering maths was/is not a strength of mine and a significant portion of my final project required it. Needless to say this was not a good combination! Fortunately I just about scraped through the write-up and the rest of my modules pulled my score up to a half-decent grade. But it was very, very close.

Truth #3: I've been almost evicted from rented properties three times by different landlords failing to make mortgage payments. The first two times it was accidental, the third time it was because my landlord was laundering money from over a dozen houses. It all came good in the end though as we were able to purchase our property at a knock-down price after it was repossessed from our locked up lessor.

Truth #4: I've just had my hair cut short for the first time in my adult life and it is taking a lot of getting used to. Within days I was sunburnt on my neck and shoulders as it's the first time those parts of my body have seen extended sunshine in over a decade. I've also just about started to recognise myself in the mirror again.

Truth #5: I can't cycle - I don't trust anything with only two wheels, I mean, how does it work?! Not only can I not cycle, but I can't drive either - I'm a perennial pedestrian.

Truth #6: I was at a couple of the Scientology protests that took place in London in 2008. It was an amazing experience and I ate a large amount of cake at the events. The protests were rather surreal actually; it was as if the Internet was bleeding through into real life. I wonder what the police made of it all.

I'm somewhere in that bottom row. 
Image taken from RT.com (Reuters / Luke MacGregor)

Truth #7: If I could try any job then I'd quite like to try brewing beer. There are few things more pleasant than a perfect pint and I'm a big IPA fan. I also really love the idea of the scientific side to the process.

Truth #8: I have a bad habit of spending a good chunk of money on whatever models catch my fancy without considering the fact that I need the time to actually assemble, paint and play with said models. Having an eBay app on my phone is seriously detrimental to my self-control. Latest purchases include a number of Inquisitor (54mm) models that I don't even really have a plan for yet!

Truth #9: One day I'd like to go GenCon USA, I attended the UK GenCon for many years and it was always an amazing event - I may have even enjoyed LARPing whilst there (the shame...). At some point next year I'm aiming to go to a convention or tournament abroad.

Truth #10: The idea of public speaking (especially giving presentations) terrifies me. There is no logical reason for this as nothing bad has ever happened to me whilst doing so but I'll still avoid it when possible.

Truth #11: My least favourite 'permanent' job has been working in a call centre where we were telephoning people to ask them for charity donations. It was a thoroughly depressing experience and I lasted only two weeks, I still can't understand how other people can do that sort of work long term as  found it utterly soul destroying.


11 Answers


1. Which currently unfinished piece (model or terrain) in your collection has remained a work in progress the longest?
I guess that would be my Lizardmen. They were amongst the first models I picked up (the very first may have been some Tallarn Imperial Guard from a car boot sale - but they were already painted) and sat neglected and/or drowned in paint for many years. I've stripped them down and started work on them again though and the army will be completed! One day... maybe....

5th Edition skinks - The foot soldiers of Lord Ribetti.

2. What’s your biggest, most guilty of musical pleasures?
The biggest, guiltiest most musical pleasure possible? I'm a little torn, but I've probably got to go with teenage-angst favourites Linkin Park. They were the soundtrack to my adolescence and I still put them on for a spin every now and again.

This is what my adolescence sounded like.

3. What do you cook for a friend or date in an effort to really wow them?
I'd probably pull out a Hungarian dish, something like stuffed peppers (toltott paprika) or stacked potatoes (Rakott Krumpli) - they are long standing family recipes and most people in England haven't heard of them before, or at least not like this! Note: Not to be cooked for health-nuts, especially the second one. Layer upon layer of egg, sausage, potato and sour cream is not for the faint of heart.

4. Presented with the choice of three large cookies or five small cookies, what would be your choice and why? The total mass of cookie is identical, as are the cookies.
Three large cookies - I prefer the gooey softer middle to the tougher outer crust. Bigger cookies should give me about 25% less crust. I'd post some maths to justify this, but I'm afraid it will be wrong. See Truth #2 above.

5. If you were allowed to use only one web-forum for the rest of your life, which forum would that be and why?
Just one? That's a toughie for sure. It's not that I post a lot on forums really, I'm definitely a serial lurker (sub 200 posts after 9 years on Warseer, for instance) but I tend to absorb a lot of information from whatever I am interested in at the time from forums, be that wargaming related or just general browsing. Overall I'd say I've got to go with my local gaming club's forum - Vanguard Wargaming - as that's where we book and arrange all our games! The Oldhammer and Infinity forums would be up there too due to their great communities.

6. Do you really expect to be able to paint all that stuff in your lifetime?
All the stuff I have currently? Possibly. All the stuff I'm likely to buy? Not a chance. My painting speed is glacial and I can't see that changing. As I write this I may have just purchased an Escher and a Ratskin gang for Necromunda so the problem of collecting more models clearly isn't abating.

I've considered trying out the the block colour and dip method for painting, but I can't help but feel that it's a bit soulless. I have no doubt that the results look fine and it's the quickest way to get a painted army on the tabletop, but it's just not for me.

7. What’s your favourite go-to board game for a spot of recreational gaming fun with non-gamer friends?
This is a bit of a cheat as it's only a card game - but cockroach poker always goes down well. It's a really simple bluffing game, easy to carry around and to teach. No gaming knowledge required.

Cockroach Poker
Image from BoardGameGeek

8. Do you have an irreplaceable pot of paint that you dread the day it runs out?
For many years I thought it would be Chestnut Ink, and then it was Devlan Mud - but actually I'm getting by okay without them. I think my most cherished paint at the moment is Citadel's Mournfang Brown. With just a simple base coat and brown wash it creates a fantastic leather look.

9. Pets?
None. I can barely look after myself most of the time and even house plants are a tricky proposition. One day I'd quite like a Corgi though - they are adorable!

Look at that face, how could you not want one?
Image from SupsSSR via Wikipedia
10. In 10 year's time, what do you expect or hope to be up to hobby-wise?
Much the same as I am now, albeit with a greater circle of like-minded gamers and with more painted (and unpainted, no doubt) miniatures. Ideally I'd like to be running and playing in longer term story-driven campaigns of some kind. Some of the campaigns that Padre runs on the Oldhammer forums are really inspirational. Mostly I just want to have a couple of armies finished off that I feel that I can be really proud of.

11. Which currently available miniatures range is your favourite?
Infinity the Game without a shadow of a doubt, but rather than me getting all fanboyish in this post, I'll just link anybody interested to my introduction to the system. Of unavailable miniature lines it would have to be the Citadel Beastmen here, here and here. They simply ooze character and really have the look of a ragtag bunch of mutants and misfits.


11 Questions


So, I figured I'd mix things up a bit for my 11 bloggers of choice; there are some wargaming questions and some general ones too. Hopefully they will be at least somewhat insightful.

I hope that the owners of the websites chosen below will pick up the gauntlet and manage to answer these questions. Hopefully they'll do it faster than me too!

  • Role play games, do you play them and if so which ones?
  • What is your single favourite miniature that is in your collection?
  • Do you attend wargaming tournaments? If so then do you prefer it to 'casual' gaming?
  • What was the first miniature you ever purchased?
  • Have you ever tried writing your own game system?
  • Would you rather it was always windy or always raining?
  • What is the greatest sandwich you have ever made?
  • What did you want to be when you grew up?
  • What is your favourite TV show - current or past?
  • Pick your favourite - beer, cider, wine or spirits?
  • Describe your perfect day.


11 Blogs


A Battle of Colours - Mark's fledgling Warhammer and 40 blog with some glorious conversions in the pipeline.

Miniature Strategy - S Reid's blog about everything gaming, including reviews of up and coming rule sets.

Games OrkShop - Fimm McCool's work featuring lots of fine sculpting work, including a new wave of fimir models.

BudgetHammer - Wargaming for the budget conscious gamer, authored by Trumpkin.

The Wargaming Monkey - Liam's general blog covering a range of game systems. Also my local Mantic Pathfinder.

Mr Papafakis - A brand new blog featuring gorgeous rogue trader marines and great scratchbuilds from 'The One'.

Lost Lead - Naagruz's fledgling blog - not much on there at the moment but what there is looks great. Some cracking oldschool models.

JustForFunHammer - A blog by Moseguard, containing a scenarios, conversions, and both old and new models. Nicely painted too.

OldHammer Blog - Written by 'Metroid Hatchling'. Contains a treasure trove of models being painted up for Fantasy and Blood Bowl.

Wargaming Trader - IJW's blog on Infinity, Epic and general wargaming goodness, go look now.

Hobby Blog by Bobman - Blood Bowl, Infinity, X-wing and more.

Thank you for making it this far on what is essentially a non-wargaming post. I promise that pictures of painted models will resume from my next post as I've just had a package of Foundry models arrive. They even came with a free blister of extras.... Oh dear, how will I ever get all this painted...?

Right, that's my lot then, thank you again Phreedh. Ich Liebe dich.

2 comments:

  1. You're welcome Peter! =) Good read too, I had no idea you were of Hungarian ancestry. I've been to Budapest a few times and each time the food have been bloody great all the time. I make a point to pick up a few tubes of paprika paste each time. Best "secret ingredient" ever, even better than ajvar relish.

    Great show!

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    1. Absolutely, I'm always pleading with my family to bring the stuff back as it goes in/on almost anything!

      I swear Hungary is a dangerous place though, you can put on a lot of weight whilst out there if you aren't careful. ;)

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