Adepticon 2012, Part II: About KILLZONE and Oh, How the Tables Have Turned!

Yeah, I know, I know, I'm slacking, but I'm still relaxing after what was an amazing convention and (just this weekend) my 22nd Birthday! Time for some more coverage..

The Eldar Waygate at the Forest Table

Adepticon 2012, Part II: About KILLZONE and Oh, How the Tables Have Turned!! 

Adepticon 2012, Part I: Deliverance and Swag!

Huzzah! I survived my third Adepticon in a row!
And as always, my oh my, what a long, strange trip it's been, my friends. Yet again I have to say that this has been the best convention I have ever been to and certainly the best Adepticon for me and I meant that on so many levels. I suppose I'll try to capture the awesomeness of this event in the near future simply because I.. just have to!

So let's begin with..

 Part I: Deliverance and Swag! 

This is what they ended up lookin' like!

This year's perspective was different for me. On Thursday, while most players were surely finishing (or starting.. yikes!!) their armies for the smorgasbord of events and tournaments that Adepticon had to offer I was about an hour drive away from the con with Brian from A Gentleman's Ones.
What were we doing? We were finishing the ten 3x3 tables for the Special Operations: KILLZONE event, of course.

My favorite table!

Early in the morning yours truly got on the train to Chicago where Brian was already working hard, delivering the finishing touches on the tables. We were blessed with beautiful, sunny weather with just enough wind to speed the process of drying. Honestly, I don't even remember what we did that day. It's a blur because it really seemed like we were each doing 10 things at the same time: from fixing smaller imperfections to gluing down lichen, undergrowth, touching up the vehicles and the rust effects. Basically a lot of small things that just brought things together, and yet they were all necessary.

The Gentleman

I'm sure Brian is going to write a lot about the intricacies of the table-building, the many, many challenges we had to deal with and the decisions we had to make. It was pretty much like the Odyssey, except without Vanessa Williams as Calypso. But in the end we managed to return to Ithaca and there was much rejoicing.
Look at the picture on the left. See Brian? See how stressed out he looks onnit? See the table? That's the desert trench table which you can see right above. Literally two weeks ago all we had was a wooden board, some pink foam, 6 lines and a couple of circles drawn. We had no idea what was going to be on it. It was the least finished table, we had run out of ideas, materials and even some steam...
... it turned out to be one of the best pairs of tables. Glorious.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

That day felt like packing for a long vacation.
The tables were as finished as possible given the time we had, everything was neatly arranged inside a truck (something that we didn't have last year), the packets with the rules were printed out (at a disgustingly high price....), the cards and tokens were in a box. Basically all we had to do was drive to Lombard.



Brian and I were at Adepticon around 4:00 pm where we met up with "Frozencore" Joe. Now, to kind of show you how big the line for the Registration/Badge pick-up was lemme steal a picture from Adepticon's Flickr pool..

Original

The line was so huge that it wrapped around the entire grand hall and then it got inside it.. and wrapped around it!
Everyone wanted to be one of the lucky 500 - the first 500 attendees to pick up their badges got a limited edition version of Battle Foam's Shield Bag ($36.99) for FREE! 
It even has a nice patch on it to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Adepticon! 
Now, we got there at 4:00 pm and the whole thing was supposed to being at 5:00pm. Actually we were just in time, because the bag ran out a couple minutes after I got mine, which was lucky I guess. I definitely can't wait to use it - probably for my Warmachine army and/or my Ogres! 


WAIT, THAT REMINDS ME - Brian, you owe me a case of Guiness!!!!


And now for the bag itself.. 
My FIRST real swag bag. I did my best to register on time this year, so that was nice. 

• From Privateer Press I got the sweet Trollbloods Battlegroup for Hordes! Trollbloods were actually the first models I saw by PP and for a while I was actually considering to play them rather than Khador. The Motherland's call was louder, though. It's okay, now I have both! 
• From Mantic Games I got a sprue with enough bits to built x2 Forge Father Steel Warriors! The models look very nice. I'll probably keep them for bits, though, since I already have plenty of gaming systems and projects under my belt.. 
• Let's not forget the lovely metal AdepticConstruct for Adepticon's 10th Anniversary. It's simply gorgeous and it actually stands pretty tall. I think I might actually use it in my army for Adepticon 2013's Team Tournament.

• From Secret Weapon Miniatures (a great website!) I got a 20% Off Coupon, a Dark Sepia Wash and resin base! 
• From GaleForce Nine I got the Mysterious Waters Markers. I really don't have a use for them, though. I wish I had gotten their measuring tool thingy instead. I really need one. ; / 
• From Wyrd Miniatures I got the rulebook for Malifaux game! "Frozencore" Joe plays it, but I honestly can't see myself picking it up any time soon. 
• Wreck Age gave me a metal Drifter Chieftain. I don't know a whole lot about the game, but the mini is alright. 
• Got a yellow paint sample from Badger.
• An Adepticon pocker chip for $25!  
• Tons of promotional brochures, leaflets and coupons that I am never going to use! 
• I bought the Adepticon anniversay glass and the T-shirt as well.

There are a few more things on the picture but I got them on Friday and Saturday, so I'll cover them in the next few posts. Overall a very satisfying Swag Bag! Around ~$100 worth of stuff with tons of interesting bits and pieces.

After the swag we set up the 10 tables. We needed a length of 30 ft. and we got exactly that. The tables fit perfectly on the tables and there was no extra space! We were actually worried that one of the tables wasn't going to fit, but in the end all was well.
We didn't get a pot in the Grand Hall this year. Instead we were in the big hallway with all the other skirmish games, which was not a bad spot to be honest, but we were expecting to be in the spotlights again just like last year - between the Team Tournament and the Crystal Brush area. It makes sense, though - this year there were more spots in the Team Tournament and the Combat Patrol event and the Crystal Brush had to be in one of the hallways as well.

I learned that I should make some business cards - having to write down my name, blog address and e-mail on random scraps of paper is so annoying and unprofessional. Not that I'm a professional, mind you. Any takers that are willing to help me out with a cool design for gratis? :O .. No? Didn't think so.

Next I'll cover the two Friday events for Killzone and some other miscellaneous thingamajiggers. 

Slapa-a-da paint, mon! Painting Da Silensurz!

Some of you probably still remember the conveted Ork Kommandoz I was building for eventual games of Killzone - you know.. Da Silensurz? Eight models, each with their own.. charm and back-story.

Well, after sitting in my new Battle Foam case for a month or so I decided to prime them.. and after priming I really, really wanted to start painting them. I got this surge, this need to do it.. 

You see, after Adepticon 2011 I had lost my mojo (if I even ever had one). I was sick of painting, building, even stopped playing games for a while, because I was just tired of it all. Not in a negative way, mind you - I was just tired of hobbying after painting 2,000 points of Space Wolves and playing so many game in such a small period of time. But I've been a "busy" bee these past few days and finally have some pictures to show. 

I know that I haven't really been showing my stuff as much on this blog. It has to do with the fact that I just never really had anything special to offer to the community. I'm not saying that by showing you my WIP Silensur Kommandos I am doing you a huge favor, but I feel like they are going somewhere. You know? You've probably noticed that the last handful of posts were either by Frozencore Joe or interviews/guest posts from 4chan. I guess you can say that they have inspired me to start slappin' some paint on models..

Da Silensurz!

I decided to paint my Silesurz kommandoz like I painted my orkz for Adepticon 2010. I really like the brighter, slightly irradiated/glowing skin tone for my Orkz. I also like highlighting and heavy dry-brushing to give ork shin that weathered look. After all they don't really use any lotion. 

This is my WIP so far:

All models are primed with Chaos Black primer. Too much of a pussy to try a different brand. 

Orkz always look like shit, before you start washing and fixing things. Keep that in mind.

Skin: 

"Ugh! I'm kovur'd in paint!"

First, the models are base-coated with Knarloc Green foundation paint. After the paint dries a heavy, slightly wet dry-brush of Goblin Green is painted all over the skin surface, followed by a light-to-medium dry-brush of Scorpion Green. This will give the skin a very bright, almost glowing look. The dry-brushing gives the skin a rugged, "tough" look. A very generous wash with Thraka Green bring everything together, tones down the brightness. Then you will apply a cautious, light dry-brush of Scorpion Green when everything is dry - focus on the facial features, top of the muscles, the fingers, etc. A glaze (very watered-down wash) of Devlan Mud is then painted in the recesses of the skin and also where the skin is too bright. Remember, we are painting Kommandos, so then need to be dulled down. 

Metal Bitz:

Simply base-coat Tin Bitz, then drybrush Chainmail and wash Badab Black. This is it for now.

Shirts:

Notice Killface's bandana. See the painted-in recesses?

Decided to do blue shirts, which was two parts Mordian Blue and some Chaos Black, If I am not mistaken. Then, instead of washing the blue I mixed some off same color with a lot of Chaos Black and started painting in the recesses, the folds, etc. Where there were no folds in the shirt I simply created some by painting them. What you want to do then is go around the folds that you painted with Mordian Blue, thus creating some depth.

Pants: 

Urban camo! Fenris Grey foundation paint all over! Then, grab some Chaos Black and start drawing pretty thick lines all over the paints. Don't be too smooth and fluid, be harsh and angular. Think of rubble. Then I grabbed Astronomicon Grey and started to paint little clusters of dots all over the pants. And then you wash the whole thing with Badab Black.

Othe Gubbinz: 

Leather is painted Calthan Brown - which means gloves, shoes, belts, straps. etc. Then wash Devlan Mud. 

Backpacks for now are painted Catachan Green, I believe. Later on I will paint Jungle camo on them.

 Naturally there's a lot left. Orkz are really hard to paint when you focus on a few models. The details never end.. I need to dirty-up the skin, paint more camo on weapons, skin, backpacks and then highlight it all. Of course basing the bases is also needed, but it will be the last thing I do. I need to go over some of the places where I slapa'd-da-paint too much.


Obviously very much WIP, but I figured some of you might find the process interesting enough.

Next time I will show you my Ogre Kingdoms models, but before that I have something else in store for you..

Adepticon 2011, Part II: Da Loot!

Hehe, I bet you can't wait for the actual tournament coverage.. Trust me, I can't wait to type it.. But for now, lets see what I spent my cash-money-dollars on! After all.. loot is pretty important.

Adepticon Poster and T-Shirt

We're starting with the old Adepticon poster everyone got for free with their swag bags or during registration. Not sure if I like the white on he top and bottom of it, but I was too lazy to play with the scissors when I taped it to my wall. It now sits next to my Games Workshop Academy Diploma. Ah, they don't make them anymore.. $5 also got me the 2009 Adepticon T-shirt with the exact same design. It was pretty much a steal..

 

x2 Bags with 5 Kroot on Spue

On Sunday I was able to snag these bad boys at a discounted price. There were a bunch of bags and I just knew that there were Kroot lurkin' around. Standard GW price is $35 for 16 of 'em, so that's a nice deal right there, right? I'm going to be collecting a small Kroot Mercenary Special Operations: Killzone team, but that's going to be only in the near future. I was thinking one or two with wings, a few sniper guys, a hunter followed by two Kroot Hounds. Can't wait to see what comes out of them..

Assorted Bitz!

$9 got me some nifty bitz! I got the top part of a Fantasy Orc Boyz banner, a chained snotling from an unknown kit, two sets of Sisters of Battle wings (for trading, possibly for flying Vulturekin Kroot) and a painted Space Wolves Rune Priest in Terminator Armor ($17 value!) that's missing his storm bolter arm. I also picked up a GW cube of green dice for like $6.60, because all of my friends tend to agree that green dice roll better and I lost most of mine. Plus, my local store never got any new shipments of green dice..

Micro Art Studio's Forest Bases and Engima's Ulkurz

Ulkurz!

Frozencore Joe persuaded me to check out Engima's miniatures and if I had to choose between GW's miniature line and their before I got addicted to 40k I would have chosen Engima. Simply superb. I quickly picked up Ulkurz who at 32mm is just big enough to pass as a Savage Orc Warboss. I'll just have to get rid of that shield he's carrying and give him a suitable second hand weapon for more choppiness. Adn warpaint. Lots and lots of warpaint. I also asked the vendor if he could recommend me a base for the model, simply because the selection was so big. I wanted something to make him stand out, make him even bigger and scarier without being too cliche and at the end I decided to pick up
Micro Art Studio's 25x25mm Forest Bases.

Autographed "Prospero Burns" by Dan Abnett

Next is definitely a very valuable item! While I was walking around the vendor's area I saw a familiar face. And whaddaya know, Dan Abnett was there, signing books. And he looked lonely. So, just like any good Space Wolf player would have done in my power shoes I asked him to sign "Prospero Burns" for me! I have yet to read it and I still need to get my "Thousand Sons" on, but eventually I will. I'm planning to give away my first copy of Prospero Burns. Not sure if people would be interested.

Gale Force Nice Massive Wound Markers

 These always come in handy, especially if you are a Wound Allocation Jerk like me!

Special Operations: Killzone cards

Got myself a set of the Secondary Objective and Fate cards for the Special Operations: Killzone game. These bad boys are Superior POD's doing and look pretty sweet. Brian was kind enough to save a set for me
and I can't wait to open them for my first game of Killzone at the FLGS. Price was a bit steep at $25 but I realize that the supply was limited. Besides, they look friggin' sweet-tastic! I also got one of the printed out rule booklets after the Killzone event, which was neat. I really cannot stress how much I want to play this game. It's like a breath of fresh air... of awesomeness.

Adepticon 2011 T-shirt

I've been having a lot of fun collecting shirts from various conventions and events and this one is no exception. the gray color is a nice touch and the logo is beautiful. Also, I was extremely lucky to pick up the very last XL T-shirt on Sunday. Kind of awesome, right?

Battle Foam P.A.C.K. 720

P.A.C.K 720, also known as the "Arm and a leg splurge". I had to, I just had to. I'm sooo sick of Citadel cases barely holding my stuff with only one of the latches remaining. Or.. you know, with spiders living inside them. My current way to carry miniatures has been 2 Citadel cases (both with the left latch missing): One for Warhammer 40,000 and one for Warhammer Fantasy. I try and cram my rulebook, codices and dice and stuff. If I'm going to play, I put both of them in a Aldi bag and plop a metal foam case with my vehicles in it. Otherwise it's one case and a small tool/tackle box with my paints and hobby supplies. The 720 is going to be able to fit all of them.. hopefully. Plus I've got some cool iron-on patches from various events that I can't wait to decorate it with.