Madelyn Corbeau

Without any attacks of any kind, some dismiss this model's abilities. Her ability to seduce enemy models to advance and attack other models as well as move a friendly model 3" if an enemy is in her command area is extremely useful.

Primed with White Krylon primer, then brushed with P3 Skorne Red. Then drybrushed with P3 Khador Red and lightly drybrushed with P3 Khador Red Highlight. The hair, gorget and bike pants were painted with P3 Thamar Black. The Hair was drybrushed with Coal Black and bike pants drybrushed with Battlefield Brown. The knee and back armour was painted with Bootstrap Leather and drybrushed with Rucksack Tan.

The skin was painted with Khardic Flesh, drybrushed with Midlund Flesh and lightly drybrushed with Ryn Flesh. Menoth White Highlight was used on the waist and upper arm frills. Khador Red was used on the lips, Trollblood Blue on the eyeliner and Solid Gold on the earrings, dress trim and fittings. The "Popeye Candy Stick" was painted with Menoth White Highlight, Thamar Black and Khador Red Highight. The whole model was washed with Army Painter Strong Tone wash.

Now for Rhulic Searforge models!

Dungeons and Dragons Next (5th Edition)

A friend purchased the new edition of Dungeons and Dragons, D&D Next. There was hesitation and scepticism on this incarnation, as the 4th edition was very average and felt more like a video game.

Although we have only played two sessions, and already we are talking of playing the rest of the adventure but also playing more of this edition.

What impresses me the most is the simplicity of the core of the game. It gets down to the meat of what Dungeons and Dragons is about...the flavour. Sure they have all the feats and do-dads that you can add to the game but this edition really feels like the classic Dungeons and Dragons. A sort of a D&D real 3rd edition.

Gone are the little bonuses that took away from the game when adding them up. You can have advantages and disadvantages. If you have all advantages, you roll an extra d20 and keep the best. If you have at least one disadvantage you roll two d20s and take the lowest.

Characters are as fragile as they were in 1st and 2nd edition. Goblins can still take down a 10th level fighter if you are not careful and they are more careful. Bonus abilities are handed out sparingly so it doesn't clutter a player with too much choice. Feats are optional as well. You can also download the rules to play the four main classes (fighter, cleric, wizard, rogue) for free here. The main books are excellently laid out and the Dungeon Master's guide is great for new and old players alike.

All in all a great product and one that will get more use than 4th edition ever did for me (read them and shelved them) and a strong contender for standing on the same platform as Pathfinder. May make me bring out my old Mystara collection for converting.

No Thanks!

No Thanks! is a great card game for three to five players. The objective is to get the fewest amount of points. The deck is made up of cards from three to thirty five. To start, the deck is dealt and nine cards are set aside, in the box, face down. That way it is unknown what is missing.

Each player starts with eleven chips (kept secret from other players once distributed) and the top card of the deck is flipped face up. Starting with the first player, players decide if they want the card or not. If they don't they put one of their chips on it. The next person clockwise also decides if they want it.

Play continues until someone is willing to take the card. They get the chips and the card. The card is viewable by all players.

The next card is flipped face up and the player clockwise from the player who took the card starts. Play continues until the deck is exhausted. The reason why you want the cards in the middle is for two reasons. One is that you get chips because if you have no chip to put on the card, you must take it. Two is that if you have cards in series, you only score the lower card value. As well, the chips are worth minus one point per chip.

Here is an example of end game scoring. You score the 7, 11 and 25 for a total of 43. Subtracting five chips leaves you with a score of 38 points.

Now see how having more cards mean less points. here you score the 7 and 25 for a total of 33. Subtract five for 27 points. Remember that players may take the card you need and eat the points so that you don't get the sequence you need.

Rociante Jack

The Rociante jack is a good one for additional long range damage and for melee casters because of the bonus to defence against melee attacks when the caster is nearby. It is Diamyo's personal jack but it can be useful for others, including Constance Blaze in a mercenary list.

I started off with Krylon black primer spray paint. Then a rough brushing of P3 Traitor Green and shading with P3 Thornwood Green. Additional shading was done with GW Gryphon Sepia and P3 Coal Black mixed 50/50. For highlight I used Traitor Green mixed 50/50 with P3 Menoth White Highlight. I then drybrushed P3 Bloodstone on the jack to make it look like it had been hastily painted over weathering and damage.

Then it was P3 Pig Iron drybrushed heavily on the metal parts. For the damaged slashes I used P3 Thamar black to paint a line and then just below it painted a line of P3 Cold Steel. The wood part under the gun was painted Gun Corps Brown and drybrushed with Rucksack Tan. I then washed it with Army Painter Strong Tone Ink. The base was painted with P3 Gun Corps Brown and arcs painted with P3 Bootstrap Leather.

Its not my best job but now I can move onto my Rhulic forces.

Malifaux 2E Crossroads

The next Malifaux 2E book came out a few months ago. It has more Masters, Henchmen and other model statistics.

Each of the Masters in the book have their own short story and themed story encounter to play, but any Masters can use it.

As with the large rulebook, each model has the stats and short synopsis of who or what they are.

This book brings the total of Masters to seven for each of the seven factions for a total of 49 Masters. They have not made available many of the plastic kits for these models but it lets you know what ones you may be interested in. A great product.