Gifts Given, Gifts Received
“Christmastime Is Here” – Charlie Brown ‘Tis the season of gift giving. You don’t have to celebrate Christmas to give presents in December. There were a few game-centric things happening in my orbit this past week. I’m over the moon to receive Warhammer Quest: Darkwater as a present. I’ve read the book and assembled the first four heroes and the Mire Kelpies. Ready to kick things off! Other game type things that were given/received were Heroquest First Light, a Gnome Blitz Bowl team with Treeman, and a complete (beginner) paint setup. Oh, did I forget to mention… NURGLINGS!!!! Pretty fun stuff. I just splurged a small amount on a ghoul judge. Surprisingly affordable compared to lots of single model sets. Maybe this faction doesn’t sell all that great and GW tries to pump them up into Warhammer Quest (Both Cursed City and now Darkwater) . This is in anticipation of…
Reading & Watching vs. Painting & Playing
It’s an easy trap to fall into. It’s a lot easier to put on YouTube than it is to sit down at the painting desk. Starting a game is even more involved, especially if you don’t have dedicated space for your hobby. Something I do is make a goal, a note really. I write it down. I don’t share it with anyone, I just keep it as a reminder of something that I want to do. Tha goes for writing too. I’ve been a little lax getting posts up this December. Too many commitments and responsibilities happening. I don’t mind though. We’re a Christmas household and this time of year is fun. Though, it’s definitely easier to burn a few minutes on YouTube than it is to write up a blog post. Sadly, I need to get better about my personal goal to be more productive and less consumptive. It’s…
What’s on the Table?!
Warhammer Quest 1995 We played yet ANOTHER abbreviated Little Monk adventure, available here: https://bwarhammerquestcustomized.runboard.com/t393 Castle of Darkness! I talked about this last year, but didn’t quite make it on the table. Here’s the minis that we used. It was a lot of fun. I think we did nearly everything right this time.
What’s on the Table?!
Torpedo Run! Some of the rubber bands were shot; we had replacements for the subs, but not ships. My kids were surprised at my accuracy. I’ve still got it! Fun times. We also played Trash, King of Tokyo, and Ravine.
Give Us a Generous Game
The Ghosts of Games Past come to visit us on this cold December day. I’m writing this in the liminal time between when Darkwater has been announced, but not yet available. To me, Pre-orders are in the future. Youtubers don’t even have reviews out yet. Which seems… a bit odd. I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I want Games Workshop to give us a generous game. A game that is more than just one thing. A system. A lush setting full of mystery, intrigue, and adventure. I want a GM-less RPG that satisfies! So here’s a look at generous games of the past. Space Marine (Epic) Three armies. Terrain. Markers. Counters. Rules. Reference Sheets. So Good. Man O’ War Fleets! Counters! Great art! Cards! Mordheim I’ve never played, but there’s a city in this box! It’s still a super popular system. Necromunda Another one I haven’t played, it’s…
Cursed City could use a Healer
I’m kind of surprised I haven’t heard someone else say this. There’s no player with a straight-up healing ability. Sure, every hero can try to heal on their own, but vitality rolls aren’t a sure thing unless you’re a stalwart. I think our record for most-missed-vitality-rolls-in-a-row is 14. Yup, we’ve had blue or bone dice miss healing rolls 14 times, IN A ROW! Sure, there are healing potions, yes Cleona can remove an affliction. But no one can truly heal your character. I find, due to our atrocious dice rolling, that we rarely can spare the activation nor destiny dice to try to heal. Same goes with searching mysterious objects. We’re normally on the run, on the ropes, and hoping that we can get a solid hit on a monster. We rarely have time to loot and pillage. It would be really great to have a character, like the wizard…
Warhammer Quest Day (2025)
Today is Warhammer Quest Day, in a way. Pre-orders for Warhammer Quest: Darkwater go live today at 1:00 pm EST. I’m looking forward to the game system that I care most about getting some coverage. I, and the whole world, expect the game to sell well. Despite a price tag that rivals an eBay copy of Warhammer Quest 1995. I’m hoping for a good, fun game, despite some obvious cutbacks. The board-book is unproven (for WHQ), the new character and activation system looks “a bit clockwork” as a youtuber described it. Removing unnecessary grind from the game is a good thing. Cursed City was bloated with grind out of the box. Luckily that is easy to skirt, just play the missions that you want, based on your level. We’ll see. Fingers crossed. Word on the street is that there are no special incentives to pre-order. No limited edition foil character…
Did Tariffs Kill Games Workshop Bookshelf Games?
This is speculation, but I’m guessing that tariffs and other economic chicanery killed GW bookshelf games this year. 2025 has been slim pickings at B&N. We’ve definitely had more the last few years than this year. Dawn of War: Onslaught came out this year, but that’s it. By my count, at least 14 games 2019-2024. Only one in 2025. So here’s a summary of some of the most interesting boxed (bookshelf) games released by Games Workshop. I’m not even counting “mainline” games like Age of Sigmar, Kill Team, or Underworlds starter sets. Combat Arena In previous years, we had three versions of Combat Arena: Warhammer Quest: Lost Relics This is a bookshelf stand-alone Warhammer Quest game. I haven’t tried it yet, but I hear is a puzzle/optimization type game, rather than a true dungeon crawler. Blitz Bowl We’ve had three editions of Blitz Bowl, plus all the team expansions from…
What’s on the Table?!
Warhammer Quest 1995 We played ANOTHER abbreviated Little Monk adventure, available here: https://bwarhammerquestcustomized.runboard.com/t393 Castle of Darkness! I talked about this last year, but didn’t quite make it on the table. Here’s the minis that we used. It was a lot of fun. I made fewer mistakes this time!
Something I thought I’d never say
I miss high school. Or maybe, I miss being 20 years old. I just walked two miles home on a beautiful fall night. I miss doing that. It reminds me of all the parties that I walked home from. Fun social randomness. The liminal time between Halloween and real winter. It can still be spooky, but doesn’t have to be. I guess I miss that fleeting time in my life, though it lasted half a decade. I enjoyed it then, and still do, and was reminded of it tonight. It’s fun to walk past everyone’s houses, and get a glimpse of their home life. Orderly, disorderly, quaint, TV, seasonal, isolated, etc. I romanticize homes with enough space and wealth to have “wings”. It’s a very Poe season. I’m here for it.