I'm Back!

You guys probably thought you had gotten rid of me! Hah! Not by a long shot!

However, I have had a lot of time to think about what I want to do with this blog and I've finally come to a conclusion. 

I've decided that I don't want to blog about games as much as I used to. I have other interests now, which I want to explore and discover. As such, I probably will not be posting on Creative Wargaming anymore. Instead, I plan to do some microblogging on my Google+ Page, Sam Westlake. This page was always more popular than the blog and I decided it was high time to move over to Google+. So come follow me on Google+ and let's embrace this change together!

Freeblade

Hey, guys, I know it's been a while since I posted last, but I absolutely had to tell you about this, despite being out of town right now.

Less than a two days (from time of originally writing this post) ago, the news for the newest Warhammer 40K Mobile Game was released. In this game, you play as an Imperial Knight, fighting alongside a chapter of Space Marines. Hopefully, (and most likely) there will be a ton of collectable items to create your own unique Imperial Knight. You can fight with both ranged and close combat weaponry. I have not yet learned whether it is an "on-rails" shooter or if you can move about the map freely, but judging by the trailer, I would guess that it is, at least, partially free movement. 

Platforms for the game include both IOS and Android, so far. It is currently unknown of the game will be Free to Play or Paid, but, judging by previous 40K Mobile Games, I would say it will be paid. 

Looking at just the screenshots provided, I have to say, the game's graphics are beautiful! The worlds have a much more grim and much less gritty feel than Warhammer 40,000 Carnage, which was a great game, just had some mediocre animations and lighting. The game is in the Knight's 3rd-person perspective, so you will be able to admire your customized Knight for most of the game.

Anyway, that's about all I can tell you about this game, but I am super excited for it! Look for it wherever you buy your apps starting this fall! (Go to freebladegame.com to learn more)

Brickwarriors Review (Without Pictures)

Even though I'm sort of on vacation, I decided to post for you guys anyway, cause I appreciate all of you and this post needs to get done.

Here I'm going to review products recently sent to me by Brickwarriors, a company that makes 3rd party LEGO minifigure accessories and weapons.

First, let's talk about shipping. They mailed my order out promptly, but it came in 5 days, when their estimate 2-4. Take what you will from this, but in my opinion, this is NOT a deal breaker in any way. The order came tightly sealed and in a bubble mailer, so there was no chance for the products inside to get damaged. 

Next, the products themselves. Brickwarriors has some awesomely detailed pieces, ranging from the Islander Mask to the Demon Armor, made of a durable and tight fitting plastic. My only complaint, however, is that they don't have that many colors to many of their products, which was a bit disappointing. I kind of understand how difficult it is for them to get different colors, though,

because of their methods of mass producing parts.

Really, Brickwarriors is a great company and I gave my honest opinion in this review, so if you don't believe me, check them out at www.brickwarriors.com and thanks to Brickwarriors for making this review possible!

Review Package

Look what I got in the mail today!

I got a package from Brickwarriors! (www.brickwarriors.com) they make awesome custom LEGO minifigure accessories that are very unique! I'm planning to inbox this package on video and then come back and write up a review for the blog, so stay tuned!

Papercraft?

Lately, I've been going back to one of my older hobbies, Papercraft! Papercraft is, usually, where you cut and fold flat "nets" (the proper geometric term) finally gluing the tabs to their corresponding edges. The more complex the shape, the harder it can be to close. Also, papercrafts with more parts can sometimes be easier to do then those with less parts, because with more parts, you can have much simpler shapes. 

Now, because paper and even card stock are somewhat flimsy materials, you might think papercrafts are quite delicate, and you're not entirely wrong. However, there are ways of strengthening papercrafts to make them almost as sturdy as plastic miniatures! Without going into detail, I've heard EVA foam works well, but I like cardboard because of its inexpensive and surprisingly strong structure.

There are TONS of papercrafts, ranging from Minecraft models to paper versions of Warhammer 40K miniatures, so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding one that suits your hobby!

 

Thanks for reading and remember, it's Papercraft, not Paper Craft!

Lately...

I've been constantly building a bunch of little LEGO robots for Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack! It has become kind of a zen thing for me, building when I'm bored, exhausted or just any time it seems good! At this time I've nearly completed a faction for myself and one for my friend as well. With the summer officially started for me, I think it might be the "Summer of MFZ" for me, if I can sneak a few games in over my very busy summer! Here's to hoping Summer 2015 is a summer filled with games, barbecues, swimming and whatever else you'll be doing!

The MFZ:RA "Punishment" frame I built for the Ijad (a game faction). (Name subject to change)

Results

Well, since it's been raining all day and I've been neglecting my blogging duties, I decided to finally tell you how my MTG draft went!

So, let's just start by saying that Blue was completely open. Not a single other player had drafted Blue, so that was one of my choices almost from the start. My deck started with the color Black and I was about to move into White, when I fully realized that I could take Blue, so I did!

My first match was up against a Black/White deck that got continually land-locked. I won 3-0.

My second match was a lot tougher. I was up a against Red/White aggressive army! I managed to build a massive wall for myself and then basically force my opponent to tilt out in the first match, but in the second match, my opponent continued to fly over my wall, chipping away at my life. The time ran out before I would have lost the second match, so I went 1-0-1 that round, winning me my block of four players at the tournament!

I had a great time drafting my deck and a lot of practice playing against flying creatures and an aggressive deck!

Pre-Draft!

Here we go! It should be lot of fun!

MTG: Booster Draft

Well, since there is a local booster draft for Magic: The Gathering, tomorrow, I figured I'd go enter. Honestly, I've never drafted before, so I really can't say how I'll do, but I'll let you know. From what I do know, we'll be playing two rounds Swiss.

Wish me luck!

Pulled This

So, I opened up a few packs of Buddyfight Neo Enforcer (yugiohmint.com sent them to me) and look who I pulled! 

Buddy Police Decker Drum was one of my main goals for the set and I got him as foil! Looks like I'll have to find an opening for him in my Hero World deck!

Delivery!

Look what came in the mail for me!

It's my order from yugiohmint.com! I ordered on Monday and it arrived on Thursday (today) which really shows that they are not fooling around when it comes to customer service! I bet you're wondering what's inside, eh? Well, you'll have to wait until tonight, when I'm going to do a video in boxing on my YouTube channel. 

Super big thanks to yugiohmint.com! They are so good and knowledgable in their products and it's easy to see just how much they care about their customers and the players of various card games!

Buddyfight Hundred

Today is the day that the first two trial decks of Buddyfight Hundred are released! First, there's Crimson Fist, introducing the new Crimson attribute for Dragon World! Then, Hero World enters the fray with the first-ever Hero World trial deck, titled Radiant Force! 

Make sure you check out yugiohmint.com since they always stay up to date on the new releases!  

Warning!: Hot

Yesterday, my friends and I created a very interesting custom scenario for Mechwarrior. My friends presented the idea for a volcanic scenario and I added my thoughts to create this crazy mission.

The goal was to capture the volcano in the center of the table, but we had to be careful, because the volcano could destroy and heat up units inside it!

Now, keep in mind that we were very ready to lose units to the rather dangerous volcano as we had brought 900-point forces. I brought a faction-pure Dragon's Fury force that was fast-moving  and rather adaptable. My opponent brought a Spirit Cats force, with Clan Nova Cat allies. My opponent had a much more slow-moving, but fearsome force.

I had the first turn, which I was happy to get, because it allowed me to get my 'Mechs into the volcano on Turn 1! Surprisingly, the volcano took very few casualties, only killing a few units, albeit a 153-point one amount those. 

Here was one of funniest moments of the game:

I had carefully moved this formation up, meticulously measuring to make sure they would get the opposing 'Mech in range while staying out of range the very scary enemy tank formation. I would move a tank, measure, move it a bit more, measure some more and so on until I was satisfied with its placement, then move onto the next unit. My opponent and I had quite the chuckle over just how much I cared about those units. It actually did pay off, however, as my units managed to severely damage their target without taking too much fire, or just being destroyed entirely!

Anyway, this was an awesome game! The 900 points really allowed my opponent and I  to take more risks and try out whole new strategies. The Dragon's Fury are still treating me great, especially when fighting against heavily armored lists.

Oh, and as a side note, I won!

Micro Tank Battle!

Look what just came in the mail for me!

It's the rule book for Brickmania's new WWII tabletop miniatures game! (The one demoed at World War Brick) Now, I'm sure you already know I'm a big fan of using Legos for miniatures, so it should come as no surprise to you that I was extremely enthuisiastic to review this game when Brickmania gave me that chance!

 After looking the rules for a bit, I've decided that I really like the simple, but useful combat chart and damage application and everything is super easy. As a result of this, it appears that the game is both fast and fast paced, the base game taking a bit under half an hour (at casual game speed). To be honest, the more I write about this game, the more it makes me want to play it!

Also, let's not forget about the awesome Lego miniature tanks! There are several different tanks for each side (Americans and Germans) and, although the rules for making your own Battleforce are not provided, I'm sure you could make a "points per tank" chart fairly easily. I haven't built any tanks yet, but when I do, I'll try to remember to post pictures!

Make sure you head over to Brickmania's website, www.brickmania.com to pick up a copy of the rules, or even the complete starter kit. Thanks for reading and thanks to Brickmania for the awesome rule book!

ITD

Happy International Tabletop Day! I hope to get a game in but I'm not sure if it will happen...

Shocked

Wow. This post is so right. (https://thetransitgate.wordpress.com/2015/04/08/table-talk-mfz-isnt-a-wargame/) It is well-written and addresses some very real concerns for the way MFZ is played. I'm still having trouble coming up with words to describe just how correct this post is! Anyway, go check out The Transit Gate Podcast while you're there. You won't be disappointed!

Mechwarrior Team Smackdown!

I played a great game of Mechwarrior today! It was a team game, with each player on each two-person team getting 450 points and three orders per turn. My teammate selected a Spirit Cats and Clan Nova Cat house alliance and I decided on a faction-pure Dragon's Fury force. Our opponents were playing a dangerous, long-ranged game with House Liao and the Highlanders.

The fifty minutes passed incredibly fast. It was a cautious game, each team advancing slowly and staying in cover. When the fighting finally got going, however, it was intense! The three mechs on our opponent's side began taking potshots, some of the coming out of cover to fire at one of my teammate's tanks. Then, my Jupiter mech stomped up and started pummeling the enemy mechs. Even though not many points were scored in this game, my team was victorious by getting some hover bike kills earlier in the game!

This just makes me more excited for my next game!

Last Night's Game

Well, in a sudden turn of events, I managed to get an 1850-point game of Warhammer 40K in last night. I was playing Space Wolves against Orks. 

Now, I thought that I would have a few turns to shoot at them and then be able to beat them in close combat once I had whittled them down.  I was very, very wrong. My first indicator that this was going to be difficult was that my opponent deployed only wheeled units. Something like fifteen Warbikes and five Trukks! Three of the Trukks had a deadly team of Bully Boyz each and the other two had small squads of Boyz inside. The Orks got the first turn, killing my bigger squad of Long Fangs and a few terminators. Then, on my turn, the carnage began. The Warbikes and Skyclaws clashed hard and my Blood claws attacked one of my opponent's Trukks. I wasn't actually doing too bad at this point! On my opponent's turn, most of the rest of my units got bogged down in close combat, pretty much ending the game for me. Now, I did manage to hold on until Turn Five, when the game ended and I had three miniatures left on the board. Ouch!

My opponent had built a great list that blended protection and efficiency into a ruthlessly fast game. 

Oh, yeah, the reason I don't have any pictures posted is because my phone died as soon as the game began...

Well, I had a lot of fun playing against a super nice opponent and it was a great way to spend the night!

Game Day!

Haha! Today I'll be getting together with some friends for a day of gaming fun! Hopefully, we'll be able to play some of my group's favorite games, like Seven Wonders and Mechwarrior: Age of Destruction! It promises to be a fun day!

Mechwarrior: Dark Age and Age of Destruction

About a week ago, a member of a gaming group I am in said that they were getting rid of their collection of Mechwarrior clix miniatures and that they would give them to whoever could give them a new home. I quickly volunteered, since I've had a fair amount of experience with the miniatures and own a small collection of them.

On Saturday morning, (03/14/15) we both pulled into a parking lot where we had agreed to meet after a sudden change of plans. As they opened the trunk, my jaw dropped, literally. The  entire trunk was filled with toolboxes, fishing boxes and a bag. I never guessed that a collection that I was getting for free, would be that big! To be honest, I'm still not positive of everything I have. I have to keep going back and digging through it to check if I have that faction or this miniature here or there. It's such an awesome collection and I'm very happy I was able to give it a good home.

Basically, what I am saying is that you may be seeing a lot of Mechwarrior stuff very soon! I'd like to even do a Battle Report at some point, but we'll see...