I participated in a mega game called "Watch the Skies" last week. Megagames have many players in teams, have a narrative created by the players as the game progresses, include strong interactions between and within teams, and have sub games that add to the narrative. This one had teams of four players representing countries in the near future along with a team representing the media as well as the game controllers. Oh yeah...and the team of aliens!
Each nations four players represent the leader, defense minister, foreign minister, and science minister. There are phases for each turn where the counties plan together, then separate to conduct their roles: Foreign minister to the United Nations, science minister to a scientific conference, and defense minister to the world map. The nations leader flits around and makes deals, smooths tensions, talks to the press, and places their nations agents on the board.
I played the defense minister and was in control of the armed forces and space interceptors. The results were by the flip of a card from a common deck. It was quite tension filled as the aliens placed each ship and everyone had to choose whether to react to it. Decisions made could and did influence how the nations dealt with one another as they questioned allies and could create enemies. Spies were placed after the results of the battles, and they could disrupt alien influence, look for alien bases, steal technology from other nations, or anything they could explain with imagination and rationality.
It was played over seven hours and can take up to eight or end as early as six or sooner. As the narrative is up to the players terrible or wonderful things can happen.
Here is a 45 minute video from "Shit up and Sit Down" on playing an earlier version of the game for what it is like including a review. If one is organized in your city, I recommend it.
Model base made with Basius 2 Victoriana plate. Painted dollarstore black then painted Sanguine Highlight, drybrushed Skorne Red, and lightly drybrushed mix Khador Red Highlight/Menoth White Highlight. Drainway painted Pig Iron. Rubble painted Battlefield Brown and drybrushed Beast Hide. Model washed with Agrax Earthshade. Rim painted Moldy Ochre.
Lady Ligeia is the totem for Jack Daw in the Guilty as Charged crew box.
Primed black. Skin painted Khardic Flesh, drybrushed mix Midlund Flesh/Wurm Green, and lightly drybrushed mix Ryn Flesh/Wurm Green. Dress painted Trollblood Base, drybrushed Underbelly Blue, and frills drybrushed Frostbite. Hair painted Thamar Black and drybrushed Coal black with lighter drybrush mix Coal Black/Menoth White Highlight.
Base made with Basius 2 Victoriana plate. The it was painted with dollarstore black, rough Sanguine Highlight, drybrush of Skorne Red, then light drybrush of Khador Red Highlight/Menoth White Highlight. Rubble painted Battlefield Brown, and drybrush of Beast Hide. Models washed with Agrax Earthshade. Outer rim painted Mouldy Ochre.
I had the pleasure of purchasing templates from Miner Creations recently at a game convention. I bought them specifically for Guildball but will be using them for any game that uses 30/40/50mm bases.
The steppers are perfect for determining how far you can go when weaving in and out of your opponents models. I also got two sets of melee gauges which are really handy for determining how close you want to get and better assist in movement.
I also chose the colour to go with my other range templates from Muse on Minis that I bought early this year. Also shown are the base markers (left side) so that you can mark where your model is before moving it around.
Now I just need a good universal case to have these in with some other doodads.
The Guilty are the minions of the Jack Daw Guilty as Charged crew box and are available separately here. They are some of the grossest models I'm painted for Malifaux.
Primed black. Skin painted Khardic Flesh, drybrushed mix Midlund Flesh/Wurm Green, and lightly drybrushed mix Ryn Flesh/Wurm Green. Prison outfits painted Trollblood Base, drybrushed Underbelly Blue, lightly drybrushed Frostbite then lines of Cryx Bane Base. Straps painted Beast Hide and drybrushed Rucksack Tan. Metal painted Pig Iron and highlighted Quicksilver. Wood painted Umbral Unber, lightly drybrushed Iridian Flesh, and an even lighter drybrush of Beast Hide. Hair painted Thamar Black and drybrushed Coal black with lighter drybrush mix Coal Black/Menoth White Highlight.
Lightning painted Meridius Blue, the lightly Arcane Blue, then even lighter a mix of Arcane Blue/Menoth White Highlight.
Bedding painted Meridius Blue, the lightly Arcane Blue, then even lighter a mix of Arcane Blue/Menoth White Highlight.
Blood painted Khador Red. Base made with Basius 2 Victoriana plate. The it was painted with dollarstore black, rough Sanguine Highlight, drybrush of Skorne Red, then light drybrush of Khador Red Highlight/Menoth White Highlight. Rubble painted Battlefield Brown, and drybrush of Beast Hide. Models washed with Agrax Earthshade. Blood toughed up with GW Blood for the Blood God. Outer rim painted Mouldy Ochre.
Metal painted Pig Iron and highlighted Quicksilver. Shoes painted Coal Black and drybrushed mix Coal Black/Menoth White Highlight. Socks and shirt painted Trollblood Base. Hair painted Thamar Black, drybrushed Coal Black, and lightly drybrushed mix Coal Black/Menoth White Highlight. Model base made with Basius 2 Victoriana plate. Painted dollarstore black then painted Sanguine Highlight, drybrushed Skorne Red, and lightly drybrushed mix Khador Red Highlight/Menoth White Highlight. Drainway painted Pig Iron. Rubble painted Battlefield Brown and drybrushed Beast Hide. Model washed with Agrax Earthshade. Rim painted Moldy Ochre.
Attack-X is a gaming convention in Kamloops BC, Canada. It has mostly miniature gaming but also board and roleplaying.
The numbers are not in but the friends I traveled there with recon around 350 people attended the weekend. Below is a picture of the Warhammer 40k area with around 90 people. Where I played in the Guildball tournament, with 12 participants, was on the right hand side.
On Friday I played a friendly timed game, Saturday was the tournament with four games, and Sunday had a fun doubles game with six non-captain players each side. Mine are the purple painted Union models.
The painting competition had many participants and many prizes and raffles. One of my friends won two categories and best in show with the red Warhammer 40k dreadnought on the right.
There were other games going on. The most participants, after Warmachine/Hordes with around 36 participants, were tied with us at 12 participants: Age of Sigmar, X-Wing, and Flames of War. Below was a friendly Star Wars: Legion game.
Speaking of Star Wars, a friend and I played a demo of the second edition of X-Wing that just came out.
The 40k players had some great displays of the models they were playing.
Below is a scratch built Ork dirigible.
Myself and my friends would like to come back again next year.
Dystopian Wars, now owned by Wayland Games under their Warcradle line, is going through its third edition beta testing. They have decided to do open beta testing but when giving feedback you have to fill out a form. The rules look streamlined but I have to playtest it to be sure. Unfortunately the many ship types have been combined into classes (Battleship rather than the two types of battleships previously made for each faction) with options for making it like the old ships. The ships also have fully operational sides and damaged sides, which is an interesting change. The factions have also been altered to fit in with Warcradle Games' Wild West Exodus miniature game.
I am quite happy that after a year since Spartan Games folded that Wayland is doing something and doing it in this way, as an open beta. It wets my appetite.
