The Quiet Limit of the World

Treekin Painted, and Hopefully Not Too Horrible!

2012-01-31T06:49:00.001-05:00

I was pretty worried when I started my Avelorn army about painting the Treekin models. I've only seen them a couple times where they looked good, such as Bobby's Wood Elf army. The models themselves are...not great, but I've never seen an acceptable substitute unless one changes the entire theme of the army.

One of the things that changed my opinion of the models somewhat was the fact that I got them in finecast. Call the material whatever names you like, but I once again got flawless models. The benefits of having finecast was that I could easily change out the parts that I used for each Treekin. My front rank, rather than having multiple unwieldy tree limbs all over the place, now have more "human"-like limb structures, which I think makes them more dynamic and easily recognizable as moving monsters, rather than weird, mutated trees.

The second thing to do was to make sure that there was plenty of color on the models so that they weren't dull. I picked out all the faeries in light purple, and did the eyes in the light blue from the regular elf models. Then I made sure all of the vines and leaves were bright green, and even gave some treekin green hair and beards as the model allowed. Basing was kept dense and colorful as well.

I hope you enjoy the models, and comments and criticisms are welcome.

Weekend Update: January 30th, 2011

2012-01-30T06:39:00.002-05:00

Man, what a great weekend!

I'm not going to pretend that a ton of hobby stuff went on, and that's because we had yet another weekend with weather in sixties (F). So I got some frisbee golf in and some hiking and rock climbing.

On the hobby front, I was able to construct my Wood Elf display board, which I think will be very nice. I also worked on the Ghorgon model, and I think I have hit the critical part of painting the model in which I really start to look forward to the painting. Finally, I've finished Age of Legends and Deliverance Lost from The Black Library. All in all, it was a great time this weekend, and I look forward to delving into some of those topics.

The Heldenhammer: Or How I Learned A Big Lesson From A Tiny Ship

2012-01-26T06:31:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, in an almost afterthought to finishing up the painting and basing on my Treekin, I decided to paint the Heldenhammer. I don't think it's the most exciting ship in the box, but it's one of the few left, so I'm marshalling on to finish the box. In painting the ship, I learned something very important that is probably self-evident to most people.

I know that there are models, such as the Doomwheel, that require painting sections followed by assembly, rather than the other way around. I had even heard people say that the Dreadfleet ships needed this process, but I shrugged it off because I wanted to assemble them and play the game. Whoops!

Those sails were a monster to paint. There was no space, and I did good just to get some gold on there. It's not sloppy, but I wish I could have gotten in there to really work on the finer details. Keeping the sails off the ship until they were painted could have accomplished that.

Oh well, you live and you learn, and I'm glad I had this lesson driven home by a Dreadfleet ship, rather than something like a Screaming Bell.

Oh Jabberslythe, Where Art Thou?

2012-01-24T06:40:00.000-05:00

He's a painted Jabberslythe, and he's been out on the town. The trick was to get the reddish orange hair in, and the leathery purple wings, so as to match him to the rest of my Beastmen.

On the battlefield, he's done his Jabbery best. I played him in a tournament a couple weeks ago, and he took out a group of Empire Light mages in game one, and then killed a High Elf Level Four in the second game. He's not super tough, but his mobility is very nice in getting around the board and into areas your opponent doesn't want.

Still, I'm not sure he does much that couldn't be done by a Razorgor at one fifth of the cost, so you'll probably see him in my army, but as a nice Gor unit filler like in the picture above.

Weekend Update - January 23rd, 2011

2012-01-23T06:34:00.001-05:00

A productive hobby weekend all around, although there aren't pages of things to report. I finished painting and basing six Treekin. They were the GW ones, in finecast, and although I don't love the models, I think they came out well since I was able to rearrange the limbs and poses, making them a bit more aggressive looking. I also painted the Heldenhammer, which is the main ship from Dreadfleet. Finally, I got a couple base coats and washes down on the Ghorgon for my Beastmen, but am not sure which skin tone I will choose, or if I'll go another direction. We'll see!

In other news, I was hoping for a San Francisco win last night that they fumbled away. Yuck!

Painted Ezren the Wizard

2012-01-19T06:32:00.001-05:00

Like the Warrior Priest, I had to paint Ezren in a couple hours in order to get him ready for Pathfinder, so some of the detail work is a bit vague. Overall, though, I really like the model and am happy with the paint job I got on him, especially the blues. Ezren (going by the name of Smek'lee) had a good game of Pathfinder last Saturday, frying up some Gor and a Jabberslythe in the name of truth, justice, and treasure.

2012-01-18T07:05:00.003-05:00

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Weekend Update: January 16th, 2011

2012-01-16T07:21:00.003-05:00

It wasn't much of a weekend for modeling, but it was a great weekend for gaming. I spent Saturday gaming with a group of friends, and had a great time. I played a "Song of Blades and Heroes" game for the first time, which is a miniatures skirmish game. The game isn't very balanced, but the core mechanics are fun and it was great! I then ran my Pathfinder game for six player characters, which ended well with the party defeating an evil Jabberslythe that had been plaguing the area. Finally, I got to take a crack at Wings of War, and defeated the British forces in the sky.

While I would have liked to get some painting in over the weekend, the gaming itself was highly satisfactory, and I very much enjoyed it. I have a few weekends off with no real plans (to my knowledge) coming up, so there should be plenty of progress on the painting and modeling front.

Speed Painting: Warrior Priest

2012-01-11T06:41:00.000-05:00

I wanted to get models painted quickly this week in order to use them in a game of Pathfinder this weekend. While I could come up with models for a rogue (Dark Elf Assassin), ranger (Wood Elf Glade Guard Champion), and fighter (barbarian model I once painted), I didn't really have anything for a human cleric or wizard.

I ended up digging a warrior priest out of my bits box. I have no idea where he came from or why I have him, although I most likely won him somewhere as a door prize or something similar. Regardless, he was assembled and primed and sitting in the box, so he was ready to go.

I spent about an hour painting him up, and am decently proud of the white robes, especially at speed.

These Dryads are Finally Painted!

2012-01-10T06:36:00.000-05:00

Man, you'd think Dryads would be the easy part of a Wood Elf army to paint. In a way, they are, but for some reason with me they sucked up a ton of time.

I initially basecoated a dark gray for the wood, and then highlighted up to white. The wood area is then washed with Ogryn Flesh, which makes a nice brownish gray which you'll see on a lot of actual trees, instead of the straight brown colors that most people use on Dryads.

The most important part going in, though, was to paint all the details that could have any real color. The problem with dryads/treekin/treemen in my opinion is that they look quite dull in most armies, due to the colors that make the most sense to use when painting the models. So I went out of my way to pick the Dryad parts with leaves, and to paint those leaves brightly. I also took some liberties in making their "bark skirt" into a set of green leaves around their waists. I finished that off with bright blue glowing eyes, and bright basing. I think they came out well. Comments and criticism are always welcome.

Weekend Update: January 9th, 2012

2012-01-09T06:36:00.002-05:00

A short weekend, but a good one. I got a few things done.

* The miniatures I got/had for my Pathfinder game I'm running next week are all painted. I'm bringing five premade level ones: a wizard, a cleric, a fighter, a rogue, and a ranger. I'm really looking forward to this, and will be tweaking the adventure all week in preparation.

* I played in a fourteen person Warhammer Fantasy Tournament at Sci Fi Genre, and came in a round the middle of the pack with a minor loss, a draw, and a massacre. I ran both the Jabberslythe and Ghorgon, and realized that I've got to stop mucking around with all the big monsters if I want to return to form. The Ghorgon never saw combat in any of the three games, simply evaporating to shooting and magic, and the Jabber, while amusing, could have had his place taken by a Razorgor for two hundred and twenty fewer points. They are fun, in theory. In practice, they really hurt compared to other options. They'll end up as good unit fillers until the new Beastman book.

* As you can see from previous posts, the Scenarios for Grail Quest are all written. White glass pips to represent the Korcain are on order, and I'll have to see about how to best represent Gary Busey on the table.

So yeah, not a bad weekend at all.

Grail Quest Scenario Three: I'm Getting Too Old For This S***!

2012-01-07T07:05:00.001-05:00

Scenario Three: I’m Getting Too Old For This S***!

As the city of Losangles collapses around them, the Syndicates have holed up in their Tower/Explosives Factory. Now is your chance to bring them to justice (or steal all their stuff)! Furthermore, Ser Riggles and Ser Myrtog have been captured inside the factory, and can be rescued or taken hostage by your army as they fight their way out of the building.

Deployment: Battleline

The Explosives Factory is the lone building located in the center of the table. It has the following rules:

• Boarded Up: The Syndicates have barricaded themselves in the Explosives
Factory. It is treated not as a building, but as impassable terrain.

• Rescue!: A unit beginning its movement phase within three inches of The Explosives Factory may choose to rescue Ser Riggles or Ser Myrtog. Each one can only be rescued once. A unit that rescues Ser Riggles gains +1 WS for the remainder of the game and hatred in the next round of combat. A unit that rescues Ser Myrtog gains +1 BS and +1 Ld for the remainder of the game. Ser Riggles and Ser Myrtog are treated as augments for the unit, and cannot be captured or removed from the unit.

• BOOM!: Any unit beginning its movement phase within three inches of the Explosives Factory at the beginning of its movement phase may choose to blow light the explosives within. Any units within six inches of the building may then attempt to save themselves by turning directly away from the Explosive Factory and making a normal march move in a straight line away from the Explosive Factory with no turning or wheeling allowed. This represents the units trying to throw themselves away from the coming explosion. If the units contact another unit or impassable terrain, they will stop one inch away. The building will then explode 3d6 inches, inflicting 2d6 Strength 6 hits on each unit it reaches. Remove the building from play, and outline the former location of its base with sufficient markers. The area where the building was is now considered difficult and dangerous terrain.

Scoring: The player(s) that rescues Ser Riggles and/or Ser Myrtog gains 50 VP per rescue. The player who blew up the building gains 50 VP. A player within three inches of the building (or where the building was) at the end of the game gains 500 VP. If both players have units within three inches of the building (or where the building was), then each receives 200 VP.

Grail Quest Scenario Two: Diplomatic Immunity!

2012-01-06T06:25:00.001-05:00

Scenario Two: Diplomatic Immunity!

The Syndicates have taken hostages, and it’s your chance to rescue them (or take them for your own).

Deployment: Meeting Engagement

The hostages are being held in the two towers/buildings on the board. These should be treated as normal Warhammer buildings, except due to the screams of the hostages units holding the building cannot take advantage of the stubborn/steadfast bonus that buildings usually provide. They can, however, count their rank bonus as if the surviving models were deployed in a five-wide (three-wide for Monstrous Infantry/Cavalry/Bretonnians) formation for the purposes of rank bonus and being steadfast.

Diplomatic Immunity: Each Player is provided with a marked card that can either be used for the powers “Diplomatic Immunity!” or “It’s Been Revoked!” Once the card has been used for either “Diplomatic Immunity!” or “It’s Been Revoked!”, the card is discarded and cannot be used again. By playing “Diplomatic Immunity!”, a player can cause one of his or her units to become immune to shooting for one turn. By playing “It’s Been Revoked!”, a player can cancel another player’s “Diplomatic Immunity!” card.

Scoring: Each building a player controls at the end of the game is worth 100 victory points to the controlling player. In addition, the first player to “break” the other player’s fortitude as per the Blood and Glory fortitude rules gains an additional 300 points.

Grail Quest Scenario One: Cleaning Up The Streets

2012-01-05T06:25:00.001-05:00

The Syndicates are supporting themselves through the smuggling of Korcane, a powerful and deadly drug made from ground snotling droppings. The incursion of your armies into Losangles has scattered the Syndicates’ shipments, and now your must gather it up for yourself, whether to destroy it or to put it to use in more nefarious ways. However, the Syndicates have sent their own man to protect their shipments…

Deployment: Battleline

Four pips of Korcane have been placed on a line across the center of the table. In addition, Gary Busey is in the center of the table. Each pip of Korcane can be picked up by any unit moving over it.

Gary Busey – Before each player’s movement phase begins, the Gary Busey phase should take place. He is here to protect the Korcane, but in true Busey fashion has sampled quite a bit of it himself, making him a bit unpredictable. Gary Busey has the following statline and special rules:

M- Random, WS – 7, BS – 0, S – 6, T – 5, I – 7, W – 2, A-3, Ld – 7. Hatred and Unbreakable.

In the Gary Busey phase, roll a scatter dice and move Gary 2d6 in the direction indicated. If he comes into contact with a unit, he counts as charging that unit.

Korcane – Before each player’s movement phase, but after the Gary Busey phase, roll a d6 for each of the players’ units that are carrying a Korcane pip. This represents the effects of the dangerous fumes coming off the Korcane. Use the following results for the unit that turn.

1. Overdose! – The unit takes d6 wounds with no armor saves allowed.

2. Safe – Nothing happens.

3. Safe – Nothing happens.

4. Zip! Zip! – The unit gains +3 initiative and take d3 wounds with no armor saves allowed.

5. Pretty Colors – The army gains +1 power or dispel dice this turn and the unit takes d3 wounds with no armor saves allowed.

6. ZOOM! – The unit gains +d6 movement for its next march or charge, and takes d3 wounds with no armor saves allowed.

Scoring: Each Korcane pip carried by one of your units at the end of the game is worth 100 VP. In addition, the army that slays Gary Busey gains 150 VP.

Grail Quest Introduction Fluff

2012-01-04T06:30:00.003-05:00

On Thursday, Friday, and next Monday, I'll be putting the three Grail Quest scenarios that we'll be using at the tournament up here and on the Sci Fi Genre forums for people to peruse and/or practice before the tournament in February. Before I do so, here's the background fluff to show where we're working from:

The criminal syndicates of the Warhammer world have gathered in the Border Princes, taking over the city of Losangles for their own nefarious purposes. Whether you’re here to bring the villains to justice, take over their place in the underworld, or just find a bit of a scrap, you’ll be fighting your competitors as you battle your way into and through Losangles. Will it turn out that you’re getting too old for this stuff, or can you turn your army into a truly LETHAL WEAPON?

Scoring this year is based on how many Victory Points you kill off your opponent’s army, including the standard bonuses for banners, etc. In addition, additional victory points can be earned in each scenario through achieving certain objectives.

Weekend Update: Happy New Year Edition!

2012-01-03T07:03:00.001-05:00

Ah, a short vacation away from work and such, as it turns out, is pretty darn good for some hobby. I had a short trip down to Florida (where there was no hobby) to recharge the batteries and visit family, and when I got back, it was time to sit down and crank out some hobby goodness. So here's what I've done.

- I got the Pathfinder Beginner Box and Core Rulebook for Christmas. I've been reading through the rules and the starter set, and am going to be running a short game on the 14th. I've broken out some old miniatures for that purpose, and also found a warrior priest model to be a cleric and purchased a wizard model. These will need to be painted up relatively soon.

- I painted all twenty-four of the Dryads I had on the table. They're all based and ready to go, although I can't hit them with a varnish yet as it's too cold outside (high of 34 degrees Fahrenheit today).

- The Jabberslythe is painted and based as well. What a monster, and what a pleasure to paint! The detail on the Jabber is incredible. I put him in my Beastmen list, along with a Ghorgon, for this evening.

- Assembled the Ghorgon. When I was putting it together, I thought it was roughly the same size as the Giant, but in comparison it is much, much larger.

- The Scenarios and background for Grail Quest are written. I'm looking forward to February and the fun to be had. I'll have the scenarios up on this site and the Sci Fi Genre forums this week.

Yep, it was a ton of hobby, and it was a ton of fun. I'm hoping to keep up the momentum over the next couple weeks and paint some Treekin, the Ghorgon, and the wizard and warrior priest models.

Gone Fishin'

2011-12-21T06:40:00.000-05:00

I'll be out of town and away from the internet until next Thursday. I'll see all of you after the New Year!

Grail Quest IV: Lethal Flagon

2011-12-19T08:31:00.002-05:00

Grail Quest 4: Lethal Flagon is coming to Sci Fi Genre in Durham on February 18^th, 2012. Don’t miss out on North Carolina’s best (and only) Lethal Weapon themed Warhammer Fantasy Tournament.

Date: February 18th, 2012

Time: GQ will begin at 10:00 a.m.

Rounds will be 2.5 hours, with a one hour break after the first round for lunch.

Location: Sci Fi Genre

3215 Old Chapel Hill Road

Durham, NC 27707

(919) 490-7900

store@scifigenre.com

General Information

Grail Quest IV will take place on February 18th, 2012 at Sci Fi Genre in Durham, NC. Start time for Round 1 will be 10 a.m. The address is 3215 Old Chapel Hill Rd. Durham, NC 27707, and the store phone number is (919) 490-7900. This will be a 2,500 point tournament. There will be three rounds, each lasting 2.5 hours, with a 1 hour break for shenanigans and/or food after the second round. Round scenarios will be themed to the tournament, but not extremely unusual. Entry fee is ten dollars.

After last year’s successful Highlander themed tournament, we’ve upped the ante and are diving into a Lethal Weapon theme this year. That’s right, you’ll not only be facing your opponents, but will be challenged in scenarios featuring the Triad, South African gangsters, and of course, Gary Busey (all in a fun and balanced way).

Special Scoring System

Fighting battles isn’t always about preserving your troops carefully, sometimes it’s just about the sheer amount of damage you can cause even if you do get beat down in the process. Therefore, at the end of each game, each player will report the amount of victory points he or she scored, regardless of win, loss, or draw. Scenarios will give each player a chance at additional VP’s as well. For the best overall prize, sportsmanship and painting scores will be added in, and will be combined worth around 25% of the overall score.

Fabulous Prizes!

Prizes will be awarded for Best Overall, 2nd, and 3rd Place, Best Generel, Best Painted Army, and Best Sportsman. I am beginning by contributing fifty dollars to the prize pool, and then adding in the entry fees.

So if you think you’re getting too old for this stuff, man up like Murtaw and get here for Grail Quest IV: Lethal Flagon!

Registration

It is not necessary to preregister for Grail Quest, however, space is sometimes limited. If you would like to reserve a spot for the tournament, please email us at grailquestregister@gmail.com, or reply to this thread on the Sci Fi Genre forums. http://z6.invisionfree.com/Scifi_Genre_Forums/index.php?showtopic=7162&st=0&#last

F.A.Q.

Q: Do my models have to be painted to play in the tournament?

A: No. Painting and Sportsmanship scores will contribute to your overall score and ranking, however.

Q: Will there be a composition score this year?

A: No. Note, however, that the Power Scroll is not allowed in lists at Grail Quest.

Q: Can you use proxies?

A: Yes, within reason. As a general rule, as long as you make it very clear to each opponent what represents what, and the model choices are not misleading (such as having the same type of model represent two different types of models) we are generally okay with proxies. The size of the model's base must be the same as the original model (since otherwise, it could change things like maneuverability and number of models in combat) but otherwise, feel free to use proxies as needed.

Q: What about conversions and/or non-GW miniatures?

A: Same rule as proxies; same base size, and make it clear what it is. Feel free to use Reaper miniatures or whatever else you find. We actually encourage this, since it fuels creativity and gives people something really neat to look at. As long as they don't give any sort of in-game advantage, conversions are definitely fine.

Q: Do you have to submit your list to the organizer at a point in time prior to the start of the tournament?

A: No. Please bring a list for inspection before the tournament. If you ever feel the need to check your opponent's list for any reason, do not hesistate to request it, and call over the TO if it would make you feel more comfortable. Any illegal list will be disqualified.

Q: What materials are you required to bring?

A: Your army book, your army list, your army (of course), dice, templates, and a measuring tape. Pens are readily available at the store and not required.

Q: Are there any list restrictions?

A: There are no special characters allowed.

Jabbersclythe Model Review

2011-12-14T06:45:00.001-05:00

My lovely wife got me the Jabbersclythe for Christmas, and I couldn't wait to put it together over the weekend. This is my first large finecast model, and it had its ups and downs.

Overall, the Jabbersclythe didn't really have big finecast problems as much as it had some bad model problems. Parts of it really didn't fit together well at all, which is something I've had happen on quite a few metal models from GW and Privateer Press. There was a nice theory that the arms should attach well to the hands and tree trunk and ground piece, but in practice, that was where I had to do a majority of the greenstuffing.

In terms of miscasts, I did have to fix a small piece of one of the Jabbersclythe's horns, and fix one of his wing bones back together. This was a total of about five minutes of work. There were gaps between joints, as in any model, that were easily filled with liquid green stuff.

The model itself is gorgeous and nicely detailed, and I'm excited to paint it. I'm also glad to have the wings be a light material that went on easily, as I've had nightmares with metal wings in the past. So while the Jabbersclythe did have some structural faults, it's still a decent model overall, although perhaps a bit much for a beginner or someone uncomfortable with green stuff.

Weekend Update: December 12th, 2011

2011-12-12T06:29:00.002-05:00

I feel like Weekend Update should just be renamed as "Nope, the Dryads aren't done." I was supposed to have a long weekend, and instead went to work some more. Such are the trials of being an adult, I suppose.

There were some high points.

Games Day in High Point went off well, from what I hear.

My wife and I celebrated our Christmas early (we travel on the holiday, so we give each other gifts earlier) and she got me a Jabbersclythe! More on the Jabber later this week, but it sure was a nice gift! I even assembled it this weekend.

The Brawler Bash WFB GT has been announced for April 21st and 22nd in Raleigh, North Carolina. Save the date!

Branchwraith Painted

2011-12-07T06:30:00.001-05:00

This is my Branchwraith for this month's Tale of Painters on Warseer, and is an addition to the Army of Avelorn. She's converted from the Dryad kit, as I'm not really sold on any of the Branchwraith (or Drycha) models I've come across. I'm running her as a Level One with a Cluster of Radiants (extra dispel die) for 140 points. To keep her thematically consistent with the rest of the army, I've empahsized her leaves and used blues for her eyes, the owl's eyes, and on the stone behind her.

This brings my total painted army so far up to 752, so not bad progress. I would like to get the full contingent of Dryads done by the new year if possible and not derailed by lack of time and Skyrim.

Weekend Update: December 5th, 2011

2011-12-05T06:23:00.001-05:00

So it wasn't a bad weekend, hobby-wise. On Friday, I played a game of Fantasy with Erik, of Brohammer and Brawler Bash fame, and faced the wrath of his Orcs and Goblins. Let's just say that while my Beastmen are some fierce fighters, they can't survive the wrath of one good round of Foot of Gork. Good Lord!

I also finished my Branchwraith, which should be up on the site this week for your viewing. I've ordered a Jabbersclythe, as well as a copy of Blood in the Badlands, and will be picking up the Ghorgon and Cygor kits from the local store this week.

So yeah, not bad at all!

Teaching Games

2011-11-30T06:27:00.001-05:00

Lately, we've had an influx of new players into our Warhammer Fantasy group. That's a great thing to have happen. However, I've been trying to figure out how to best go about teaching new players about the game.

Does one go with a "burned hand teaches best" method of gaming, and just play normally in teaching games, rolling over the new opponent? Or should I mollycoddle new players with easy play until they find their footing?

I'm inclined towards the latter, but in my last teaching game, Warhammer decided to remind me that it was indeed Warhammer. My dice went red hot, and his went ice cold. It didn't matter that I was fighting Saurus with Gor, for the Gor rolled like lords of war and smashed everything up in front of them. I need to get rolling like that in some tournaments!

Anyway, I've got more teaching games coming up in the future, and was curious as to others' thoughts on the best methods to use.

Weekend Update: Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T06:41:00.001-05:00

Well, another weekend gone, and some more hobby done. Not as much as I'd like, but at least there was some.

As I guessed, Skyrim is destroying a lot of my hobby time. I kept up the work on the twenty-four dryads, getting them basecoated and drybrushed. I think they'll have to go on the bases before the basing goes down, as I don't think I can pin them with their tiny, bent legs.

This Tuesday we have more Dreadfleet, and plots and plans are being laid for two tournaments that are coming up this Spring.

Thoughts on Dreadfleet, Halfway In

2011-11-23T08:02:00.001-05:00

My gaming group is roughly halfway through Dreadfleet. It's a great game, and a ton of fun for a few people (or more) on a Tuesday night. Here's some things to know about it if you're looking to pick it up around the holidays:

* It's pretty random at times. You can lose a ship or lose the game on what is often a single card draw. For instance, the other night we had a ship take two damage cards...and they were a hull card followed by a double hull card. That ship was crucial and ended up costing us the mission. On the other hand, we've had ships limping along with 20+ damage cards that just wouldn't sink.

* You can't take it seriously. This is a great naval combat game, but not a serious naval combat game, and the randomness is the reason.

* It's a ton of fun. Once you realize that there's a ton of chance involved, it's a really good time to play. The mechanics are tight, and it's easy to introduce new players. In each game we've played, we've had people just walk up and watch, and we'll offer to let them captain one of the ships.

* It's a lot of fun with a lot of players. It's a great game for a big group, as everyone can take a ship or two and (try to) work together. Setting up two teams and an overall "admiral" for each side seems to work well.

* Beware the Skabrous! Seriously, that thing can move quickly, handles extremely well, and its shots ignore armor saves! It's been the bane of the Grand Alliance for a couple scenarios now.