That's it for 2009 - now for 2010

Well, I've wrapped up all of the tournaments I can play in for 2009 for Lord of the Rings, now it is time to consider 2010. I've definitely decided to go with Mordor - I've got an absolutely huge stash of Mordor models, so I am hoping to create a "buffet" of options I can pick and choose from and use different forces for each tournament. Some of the models I really want to use:

- The Witch King
- Orc Drummer
- Orc Shaman
- Mordor War Catapult with Troll Loader

I've put together my first list, which I may use for the Gathering, depending upon how it play tests.

Nazgul

The Witch King of Angmar (2/10/0)

Cirith Ungol

Gorbag with shield
Orc Drummer

20 Orcs with shields
8 Orcs with two handed weapons
11 Orcs with bows and spears
Mordor War Catapult with Troll Loader and extra crewman

Points: 600
Models: 47
Might: 5
Bows: 11/44

I'm thinking of this force partly because of the experience at the Gathering last year. There were a lot of horde forces, particularly with high defense. Anthony's Uruks (which have appeared two years in a row, so I think I can count on them being there again) and Sean's Minas Morgul are examples of this. While I can try to go horde as well, I really like playing with models that people don't normally see in tournaments. Yeah, the drummer is becoming de rigour these days, but when was the last time you saw Gorbag, the Witch King, or a Catapult? These guys can definitely be used well, and I can see very bad things being done with all of them.

One other thing that I'm doing is modifying all of my plastic archers. I want to be able to use them as both trackers and spear carrying orcs, so I'm adding small magnets to their quivers, which I'll then use to hold paper clip spears. I've only got about 30 orc archers together, so now I can do both without having to buy any more models, and still be able to field a horde of trackers or spear/archers if I want!

All of the warriors cloth highlighted

So there is the cloth of all the warriors highlighted with one more level. This layer really makes the models pop, and brings the number of layers to five. This one is less subtle than the others, but it just works better. Now I can make out fingers, folds in the cloth, and the fact that there IS cloth in some less obvious places.

The lighting is a little different - earlier I had daylight bulbs in two task lamps which attached to my painting table with C-clamps, but now that room is the nursery and the table has been folded up and stored. So now I'm at the kitchen table and back to my halogen desk lamps. They have a different color light, so that's why the pics look different.

Next up: highlighting the cloth of Ecthelion, then I think I'll do the Guards of the Fountain Court. If I've got enough time after doing them, I'll base and prime five more rangers to replace the metals.

First projects planned

I managed to pare down what I really, really wanted to get done over the next year. I'm having a very hard time making massive cuts in what I have, but I was at least able to decide what I want to work on the most.

First up will be getting the Errand up to a competitive GT standard. I'm budgeting the rest of July (pretty much up until the dice start rolling at the Necro) for this one. Expect pics and such soon for this.

Second, I'm going to get started on my army for next year, which I think will be back to the Evil side for me. In totaling up my models, I have more Mordor models than anything else (possible exception of Empire for Fantasy), yet I don't have a painted army for it. So that is going to change. I'll run a Barad-Dur list with lots and lots of Orcs. More on that later.

I'll probably finish my Trafalgar minis next - I've got one more to build, then a total of five to paint.

After that, I'm going to get some Legends of the Old West done! I tried to start a gaming group up around this system right after I left GW, but some people moved, school started, and I never got terrain built. I'm going to start simple - get my Lawmen finished, then do some Outlaws and Hired Guns. Total models - 22. It will be nice to have something smaller to work on.

Following LotOW, I am going to get really historical. Many, many years ago, I decided to get some Revolutionary War models. This was what actually started me into model painting. Alas, these lovely 15mm models have been sitting in a box since I discovered 40K back in December of 2001. I've got enough models there to do the Battle of Cowpens, and its time they all got some paint on them.

Then it will be back to Lord of the Rings, but in a smaller scale - Battle of Five Armies! I was hired at GW back when Bo5A was released, and I got the special deal of the boxed set plus all of the expansion models for something like $80. It's a beautiful set, and I'd love to get some games in with it.

Somewhere within all of that, I'd like to get some more terrain built and painted, plus paint up Gandalf the White (just to torment people), and Saruman the White. I'll need to plan out how I'm going to do all of this time wise, but I figure that will keep me busy when the baby isn't doing so.

Deciding what to get rid of was tough. I managed to come up with over 200 models to sell (out of 2650 counted so far), including my entire planned Dwarf army for Fantasy. I'll be putting it up on eBay, and probably do some "mystery bag" type stuff for $1 or so. I can't imagine what I'll have to ditch next - it might be my Flames of War stuff, which I've played about three times.

Sigh. Next up is getting my Errand out and photographing it so I can get some feedback on what to improve.

Ignornace. It is bliss.

Well, the school year has wrapped up, the Necro is less than a month away, and with the month ending we decided to close our storage account and bring all of my gaming stuff back into the house. In accordance with my earlier plan, I went ahead and inventoried ALL of my uncompleted miniatures so I could set up a priority list of projects and the like.

The horror... the horror...

I decided on a completely rough-stick estimate of 1 hour per model or stand of models, figuring that the drybrush specials will balance the big models and showpieces. I also figured I could reasonably put in about five hours a week with a new baby coming up. Optimistic, I know. So given that, I figured out how many weeks it would take me to work through my stash of models.

10.2 years.

Oh. My. God.

Note that does not include the Minas Tirith models that I need to touch up after my piss-poor painting showing at the Gathering. Oh, or the rest of my Dark Angels company that still needs to be done. My baby will be getting ready to take classes from me in middle school before I'm done!

The scale of this is almost completely overwhelming. I have no idea how to start prioritizing. I need to just cut sling load on a bunch of this stuff, but I don't even know when to begin.

I'm almost depressed. I need to get my brain wrapped around this before I can really proceed. Well, and get cracking on the improved paint jobs for the Necro.

Just don't look at the huge pile of mini boxes...