Hammer Time

Today Daniel and I went over to my buddy's house in Heidelberg to learn to play Warhammer.

Warhammer is a miniatures wargame, where players command vast armies of model soldiers in the struggle to outmaneuver and outfight one another on a tabletop battlefield. This gaming action is set amid a fantasy world like no other, where sorcery and monsters are common on the field of battle. The aim of every person who plays Warhammer is to pit their force of miniatures against other players across fantastic battlefields. Win or lose, all fantasy battles are entertaining challenges in which you try to out-think and out-play your opponent, taking advantage of what good luck comes your way, but ultimately relying upon sound tactics to
win the day.

Drew, my buddy and co-worker, taught Daniel and I how to play (he's been playing and collecting since he was 8 years old- 1983. So, naturally he has a large amount of miniatures from all sorts of armies). Daniel chose the High Elves, and was particularly taken by the High Elf Spear-men (and archers, which he used later during our three-on-three skirmish).
I on the other hand felt closer to my kin folk- the Dwarfs:
Daniel and I fought a couple of battles fighting as units, with Leaders (heroes), standard bearers, and soldiers; and I had to use my unit musician. An army cannot go into battle without the band! Needless to say I lost both battles. My Dwarven units were routed and forced to flee the battlefield "ala organized chaos".Our final duel pitted my dwarfs (regular soldiers with a few dwarven crossbowmen against Daniel's High Elf archers and Elf Knight on steed, and Drew's human army from the Empire which included a few archers, footsoldiers, and a knight.
The task was to attack the small outpost with your respective skirmishers; the purpose to occupy and deny the enemy entrance into the outpost; the end state-your skirmishers retain possession of the outpost by denying the enemy skirmishers entrance or defeating them (destroy is o.k. too!).
Daniel kept his archers back on high ground and took his time picking off the helpless human and dwarf skirmishers. Drew and I quickly closed on the outpost to occupy. I ended up entering the outpost (my dwarf's stubby legs didn't fail) and holding. Daniel's archers wiped out a majority of Drew's footmen, at least to the point where my dwarves easily finished them off. In the end, I was able to retain control of the outpost with minor losses. Daniel's elves lost a few but poor Drew's human skirmishers of the Empire were wiped out to the man!
Victory to the mighty Ironbelly Clan! Thanks to Drew and his lovely wife for opening their house to Daniel and I, providing refreshments, fun-filled wargames, and most importantly, friendship.

Warmachine - Show Your Metal

I am surrounded by great people at work. The team works hard and accomplishes the mission. We share some common interests as well. Mike, one of my “wingmen” and fellow SCI-FI/Fantasy aficionado recently introduced me to a table-top, miniatures game called WARMACHINE. It's a fast-paced and aggressive 30mm tabletop miniatures


battle game set in the steam-powered fantasy world of the Iron Kingdoms™.

In WARMACHINE®, the very earth shakes during fierce confrontations where six-ton constructs of tempered iron and steel slam into one another with the destructive force of a locomotive, where lead-spewing cannons chew through armor plating as easily as flesh, and where a tempest of arcane magics sets the battlefield ablaze with such Armageddon-like proportions that the gods themselves fear to tread such tormented ground!

The Iron Kingdoms™, an environment that combines the best of traditional fantasy with steam-power and gunpowder. Across the realm, ancient rivalries among nations are exploding into all-out conflict. Players take on the role of an elite soldier-sorcerer known as a warcaster. While a warcaster is a formidable force on the battlefield, their true strength is in their ability to magically control and coordinate the actions of their mighty warjacks—steam-powered combat automatons that represent the pinnacle of military might in the Iron Kingdoms. A "Redeemer" warjack from the Protectorate of Menoth (my favorite faction):

Each warjack is a fifteen foot tall ironclad behemoth, a coal-fired engine of destruction with a primitive magical brain. On its own a warjack is capable of only the most rudimentary actions, but when controlled by a warcaster its efficiency and deadliness increase dramatically. Warcaster "High Exemplar Kreoss":The primary rulebook for the game is Warmachine Prime Remix. The miniatures are sold individually or in box sets so you can build unique armies. Additionally, you have to paint the miniatures. So, the game also serves as a collectible hobby for modelers. Finally, the legend and lore behind the "world" and factions is fun to read. I haven't played the game yet but it looks to be fun. I figure I'll find some time after a hard day's work to get together with Mike and other "gamers" and put the smack-down on their armies...after I build my indestructible and unstoppable army.

Victory shall favor the bold! So bring it on, if you’ve got the metal.