Back In the Saddle

Since I posted last, this summer, I've gotten married, moved across the country and started graduate school. Obviously, I've had very little time to model or paint, much less play.

However, my first quarter of graduate school is under my belt, and I have three weeks of free time before getting back into the swing of things. I think I'm going to work on my Cygnar army!

Mage Hunter Strike Force - GO!

PP has posted the next Retribution reveal - the Mage Hunter Strike Force. By their very definition, mage hunter are 'caster assassins. And how!

Mage hunters are expected to function in extreme circumstances, such as surviving hand-to-mouth deep in enemy territory while isolated from friendly support. At home in any environment, they learn to scavenge and improvise, and to kill without hesitation. Their first priority is always the elimination of enemy arcanists and mechanikal constructs—which they believe harm Scyrah.

I think the look awesome, particularly the the crouching model. Then again, I am biased toward awesome female models. Furthermore - out of a team of six, only one model is a repeat!

The Retribution Marches to War!

Privateer Press has posted an in medias res photo of a fight between the Retribution of Scyrah and Khador. Be careful, it's pretty big! A few of my thoughts on the matter:

- We finally get to see what the Dawnguard Sentinel models look like! They're the ones cresting over the hill running the length of the picture. I think they look really sharp, especially the running model. Also, it looks as if they're on medium bases - interesting!

- I also think that the Sentinels are led by an as-yet unannounced female warcaster - or at least a solo, given that Vryos is front-and-center in the photo. She's on the right half of the picture, standing by the ruined Iosan column, carrying some sort of two-headed axe weapon. From what I can tell, it's a really badass model.

- In action, the myrmidons look pretty neat.

Retribution: Fluff and 360° views posted

Privateer Press has updated with fluff descriptions of the Retribution of Scyrah models - as well as the very awesome 360°! Hurrah!

Out of this, two things strike me:

- The 360° view betrays just how stiffly the PP crew modeled their showcase Myrmidons. I'm not complaining about the models, persay - dynamic posing is always possible, and the plastic Heavy Myrmidons makes me even more hopeful. However, I think it would have been better for everyone if the new units didn't look so... arthritic.

- The fluff pieces have explained that the Retribution does have ranged warjacks - those ranged weapons just aren't the obvious cannons and guns and mortars of the other army, but I guess some sort of particle beam or laser coming from their glaives and gloves. Honestly, up till this information was posted I thought the Retribution might have only melee-oriented 'jacks. I'm a little disappointed - I wish the army had more obvious guns.

Retribution: I guess I'll jump in with them there opinions

Now that's what I'm talking about.

I've been reading alot of peoples' opinions about the Retribution (in order, that's GS, LS, and LH). I've been on the fence about how I feel.

I agree with Jen of Ghettokore Studios about how they fit into the universe: the Retribution springs from the minds who have delivered us years of rock-solid Immoren content. I grant that there are instances where creators screw up their own universe (GEORGE LUCAS, seriously, just let BioWare handle Star Wars from here on out, ok?), but I have faith in Privateer Press. I mean, I think that Ironclads fighting trolls looks weird, but hey, it actually works. Once we start seeing dirty Myrmidon, and artwork of Myrmidons locked in life-and-death struggles with human 'jacks, I think the Retribution will seem more "realistic."

A few other points that others have made, or at least alluded to, and that I agree with are: the models we've seen are just a fraction of the total army; that plastic models rock; and that it's actually a good thing that not everyone likes the Retribution, because it would be boring if everyone started playing the new army.

Granted, there are really valid points made by dissenters. For starters, the models are really smooth! For me, that's a little annoying: I'm enjoying painting my Cygnar army because the model construction, in collaboration with the details, lets me paint with some really nice metallics. One of the reasons I'm turned off to the Retribution is because their sleek builds are more akin to my Tau army, in terms of the painting style necessary. I can't paint my futuristic, plastine skimmers with metal colors, and it looks like it'll be hard to do that with the Retribution (those power lines excepted).

And, well, the Retribution's style is really different from the armies that are out there. And honestly, some of these elves look really odd - I look at Narn, and and that bald Invictor (sorry, LH, for the pic steal!), and I think... Remans. Just me, I know, but... still!

Anyways, that gets me to today: damn, dudes, that Houseguard Rifleman concept art is sweet. It's a combination of Long Gunner and Trencher - what's not to love?!

That Blighted Feeling

So I've not even finished assembling and painting - much less playing! - my small Cygnar force, but I (foolishly) have an eye pointed toward Hordes. The whole "big monsters" thing isn't really the first thing to float my boat, but it has a certain charm all its own.

That said, I've got a question for those of my readers who do play Hordes: why is it that people seem to dislike the Legion of Everblight? Is that a wrong impression?

Privateer Press' New Website

Just yesterday, bobaferret alerted me to the brand-spanking-new Privateer Press website.

Color me impressed. The new site is a bit more resource intensive than the old one, but it is well-laid out, and pretty to boot! I like that each part of the website has a slightly different theme, and I'm glad that the IK stories are still there! I'm a little uncertain about the galleries - I liked the light blue/white backgrounds that were there before, but the darker backgrounds really do make the models pop off the webpage.

I know, I know, I know I shouldn't make this a "Privateer Press vs. Games Workshop" thing. It's just a (really well done) new website, not necessarily a corporate announcement of any sort. And I'm the guy that owns armies from both companies, and thinks that they could get along.

But... Games Workshop redid their website, and turned it into a steaming pile of crap. They turned it into a crappy, slow-running online catalog, gutting all of the fluff and most of the modeling articles in favor of.... showing off the price of their kits.

GW turned their website into one big store, and it;s the less for it. I'm really glad that Privateer Press didn't do the same thing. Keep up the good work, PP.