AS vs SW/BA 400 Power BatRep!

Welcome to the first Batrep in a while, a battle between Imperial factions no less. One consisting of 200 power of Astra Militarum commanded by myself and Mark, the other army a 100 power Blood Angels force commanded by Lewis with a 100 power Space Wolves detachment led by Adam aka Fuzz. It had been a little while since we played so we kept it reasonably simple with 6 objectives and drawing upto three cards a turn per side. Secondary objectives as usual, line breaker, slay the warlord and first blood. 

"Howls cried in the distance as the mist began to clear from the nights embrace. Morale was low, although the Cadian 193rd had tried their best to get the hive gangs spirit lifted in what would probably be the moment they meet death. Their home, Hive Probatious, had been obliterated by a crashed starship and the onsuing battles that came afterwards. Sightings of everything had been seen, from multilimbed aliens to power armoured giants and even green skins. War had come to the world of Corbel and what was left had to fight back to survive. Many of the gangs had fallen but each house still had some strength. Adelia's father had once been an officer in the Corbel Tank Regiment and his stories were better than any school for Adelia. The hum of the engines of this Leman Russ she now commanded made her feel comfortable, as if her father was at her side. She took a glance at the dataslate and could see the defences were all in place. The Escher had found an old factory and apprehended some Leman Russ tanks, a couple Chimera APCS and given the Goliath gang that still stood, aptly, a Goliath truck. The Cadians who stood with them also had several of their own tanks, more Leman Russ, Taurox and even a couple of the Basilish with their huge Earthshaker cannons. Hope filled Adelia that survival could be a possibility, until she heard the howls again. "

 

"The sun never shone that brightly on Corbel but with Give Probatious in ruins its rays crashed through the dome ceilings, bringing more light into what was left of the hive than it had ever seen. 'Defenders of Corbel, death is imminent, but what we take with us is not an option. You may face the most elite and fearsome enemies today but you shall stand and you shall fight". Adelia listened as Commander Creed took to the vox. She looked around as his voice filtered through, the infantry standing on edge taking some level of courage from Creeds inspiring words. "Your homeworld burns around you, but your spirits must burn like an inferno if we are to walk away with victory. Stand for your homeworld and your Emperor shall stand with you!" Cheers went up all around the lines as Creeds message hit home. 'So we're gonna die' said Ophelia, the driver of Adelias Leman Russ. 'Probably, but we have plenty of guns to try and kill them with, lets pound at least some of them into death before we get fucked up' Adelia replied. The vox flared again, and the ruff voice of Ghrox came into life. 'You heard this Creed, we aint got much chance of seeing this day through but we get to kill some of them Astartes bastards. Why they attack we dunno, but we make em pay.' The abhuman was a strange one Adeila was sure, but as different as he looked there was no doubt he was one fo them. A horned beast like head whose mouth always had a cigar smoking from it, Ghronx was a bounty hunter in the Underhive before the war came and had now become a leader of sorts in the defence force. Birim, one of the few Demiurgs had also become a figure of command and both were capable fighters she'd seen. "

I was using my hive gang guard for the first time, and had managed to get together a brigade to give our side 9 command points giving us 18 in total. Obviously we had to take the trait and relic that let us regain or steal command points. The armies were faced were much smaller but very elite. Adams Wulfen and Thunderwolf cavalry were scary, whereas Lewis' Terminators could hit us from anywhere via deepstrike and Land Raiders are always hard to damage. 

After both armies had deployed the BA/SW combo won the right to go first. I rolled to seize and rolled a 3. To command point or not? Ah go on, we had 18 command points to use so why not. What did I roll? Lets just say some Leman Russ tanks lumbered forward to get the first shots in! I rolled a six!

We managed to get first blood after the Hellhound burnt up some wolves but to be fair out first turn wasn't the most effective. Now we had some scary Astartes coming at us!

"Her thoughts started to shift to all the people standing with her. Aldreyus the Psyker, whom many still took wide berth of, his powers had saved many of her fellow Eschers and despite his dangerous skills they happily stood with him. Commissar Graven was a very old man as war had come to Corbel but had taken up his bolt pistol and uniform again after being saved by some of the local troops. Birim had got the last of the Demiurg on Corbel together and they hunched together in their Chimera ready to take the fight to the enemies wherever they need to be. The Goliaths had taken an astropath called Nelsium amongst them, their attempts to persuade some local Ogryns to the cause had failed however. The howls started to sound louder as the mist had almost cleared. Adelia realised that battle was upon them as the Cadian tanks engines roared into life, drowning out the wolves. The defences turned to offence, as the Cadian forces lurched forward cannons erupting towards the grey and red lines that opposed the defenders. The enemy opposite Adelias lines began advancing, and the battlefield lit up. Lasers streaked across the battlefield, cannon shells tore holes in both lines. A massively large giant lumbered towards the lines surrouded by huge wolves, warriors in both grey and red armour accompanying it. The Goliaths and one of Adeilas Escher gangs rode forwards in their APC's, autocannons blazing away at the lines but only killing the wolves. It would silence some of the fucking howling she thought as she commanded another tank to concentrate fire where Cadians were firing"

Fuzz'es Wulfen were slicing through a lot of Marks units on the right, but our tanks were making them pay. Logan Grimnar found his wounds cut down quickly but as he made it to combat it was hard to finish him off. The thunderwolf cavalry scared us a lot too, but we were slowly able to push them back.

"Reports on the right flank were that the grey armoured Astartes were advancing with great speed, some like bestial demons leapin forward with great speed, raking the Cadians tanks with claws and axes butchering the troops inside the Taurox. Others rode the backs of massive wolves, pistols firing wildly into the allies lines as they too tried to close the lines and wreak havoc with their own axes and thunder hammers. As Adelias Leman Russ fired she glanced out of the cupola to see the air shimmer and buzz, before 5 huge armoured marines appeared. 'Fucking terminators!' she cursed as they storm forward into the local defence troops, lightning claws tearing their bodes apart and hammers collpasing skulls. Just as Adelia was beginning to lose hope Birim and his fellow Squats disembarked and unleashed a fusilade intot he terminators alongside more of Adeilas fellow eschers. 3 fell as hundreds of lasgun shots bounced of their armoud. Aldreyus concentraded and from his hand another Terminator fell as energy surrounded it and made its armour collapse. One remained however and with a pack of wolves that had sprinted towards the defenders lines smashed its hammer into the Leman Russ Exterminator whos autocannons and heavy bolters had taken its toll on the enemy. The explosion took out most of the wolves, a few of the Demiurg were caught and even a sentinel looked to take some damage from the blow."
 

Marks lone Cadian sergeant surviving against all odds! Those odds don't include those terminators though that sluaghtered him

After a few of my infantry units and the Veteran Goliaths were able to take down Lewis' Terminator Captain I got duly charged by Bjorn. The battle ended before he did more damage thankfully but I did lose a few transports and a sentinel to him and a couple of meltaguns held by accompanying troops. 

After racing out to a 9 point lead in the first two turns our objectives became dry with some difficult ones to attempt. Make the Astartes fail morale and defend 2 objectives for two turns. Both were too far away! The Blood Angels and Space Wolves clawed their way back and on Turn five it was 10-9 to the Astartes. 

As turn 5 finished the Astra Miliatrum had managed to collect 11 points to the Astartes 13. It was a close game and if we'd have remembered a couple of things then who knows. Either way we had a cracking game! The amount of tanks that blew up was astounding despite sixes being needed and did a lot of damage. 

"The left flank however did seem to be keeping together, although the huge grey Dreadnought still advanced, with 5 of its smaller brethren and five of the blood red troops too. Another Terminator teleported nearby, this time one that looked to be a commander, its armour more ornate than the others that had come into play just moments earlier. Once more Commander Creed took to the vox. 'The Emperor will protect, the Emperor inspires, whatever is sent to destroy us will ultimately fail as our faith shall never fall!' Seconds later Commander Creed was dead, wolf like warriors tearing him and his command squad apart in an attack down the right flank. Scions had been killed, and the Basilisks were now being stalked. One of Adelias Leman Russ tanks had been charged by the wolf cavalry, but survived and reversed as the Executioner Leman Russ behind it levelled its weapons dropping some of them dead. A couple more died from the Cadian firepower, as a wolf pulled chariot that hovered above the ground flew foward into the Cadian lines butchering more of the guardsmen. More vox chatter came in, the Goliath gangers had levelled the Terminator Captain with some of the other troops on the left, but the Eschers nearby were torn apart by the Dreadnought. The red armoured troops had taken down more of the infantry but had also almost been wiped out by chimeras. The centre seemed to be holding but both flanks were collapsing. One of the Basilisks blew up, taking some of the enemy with it but it gave little solace. Wolf cavalry was wiped out by a combination of Leman Russ fire and infantry squads, and the wolf chariot was also blown out of the sky which seemed to anger and confuse the wolfen forces even more. Adelias tank fired again taking more of the red astartes down, but the battle was over. Both forces had taken a pummelling, the Cadian lines were almost wiped out, the Goliaths barely surviving. One of the Escher gangs had been wiped out and only half the Demiurg were left. The Astartes had suffered too, but whatever their mission it seemed to have been fulfilled. The rocky outcrop in the middle of the battlefield seemed to be a point of interest to the Astartes and Adelia could only hope it wouldn't be the end of their world. For now, the defence would rage on."
 

So my first outing with the Imperial Guard was a very enjoyable one! Compared to Space Marines they are a lot more varied in how well dice rolls do, as you're 50/50 compared to most Space Marine rolls where its 70/30. When you get those good rolls by Emperor you appreciate them! I can't wait to get more games in with them. I'm planning on a box or two of Orlocks to upgrade soe of my infantry, I love the Squat infantry but the models just don't fit in. I'll keep them around if needed but they will probably become retired in time, especially as new gangs are released for Necromunda. 

What else to add? I think a couple of heavy weapon units would be useful, and I'd like to try out my Vendetta and Stormlord at some point too just to see how they are in a game. I just love Leman Russ tanks though! I have another two to get painted up which will give me 5 plus the Tank Commander. The sentinels disappointed me although they were my most recent purchase so wasn't surprised. Psykers are fantastic, the power giving you +1 save was especially useful in cover to make my goliath veterans much more survivable. 

Hopefully my next game is soon to try out more combinations and remember those bloody stratagems! More soon on all the Necromunda info coming out of the HH Necromunda weekender with thoughts, hopes and holy Emperor fantasies for the game!

The fiction bit was written by myself and is probably terrible. Its been a while so I hope you weren't expecting much!

The Glory of D&D

Welcome, to a somewhat rambling yet glorious honouring post dedicated to one of the most iconic tabletop games of all time. 

Dungeons and Dragons.

Over the last few years it has regained an incredibly popular following like much of the tabletop scene. Geek and Sundry has helped with its Critical Role series, a weekly show starring voice actors playing Dungeons and Dragons and putting on an entertaining 3-4 hour session. Stranger Things has also placed the game in the public eye after capturing the imaginations of millions on Netflix. Celebrities like Vin Diesel, the late Robin Williams and Kevin Smith also among those being fans.

Its popularity is also strong at our club, the Gwent Reavers. We've gained new members through it, after myself, Gav and Bam started the Mines of Phandelver around a year and a half ago. Its always been something I've personally been interested in, just didn't realise others were too. So we got together and now we have three different sessions run by three different Dungeon Masters going on currently. And thats with a variety of different players too. Some have come to the dark side of tabletop gaming, be it miniature games or board games, some are dedicated to the D20 and the roleplaying aspect. 

So what about Dungeons and Dragons is so captivating? The depth of narrative and background are certainly an aspect that draws people in. There is such a wealth of information out there, be it tips to playing, background to set your adventures in and even guides as to how to create your own world. 

This leads on to being able to create. Like open world videogames you have a lot more ability to do what you want, even more so in tabletop roleplay as it really is just your own imagination that limits you. Not only do your stories get told, but those of the players who create characters that are a huge part of the stories being told. In fact, when dm'ing my own campaign I try to let the players tell the story while guiding them through certain events. You can plan how a certain event will play out, for example how a battle will go with a great beast but the players will always come up with ways that surprise you as a DM and have those events change. Its incredibly fascinating to see how your friends will solve different problems and ace different creatures in battle. 

One other side of D&D that is probably its strongest appeal, is the social side of it. Getting together with your mates to act out these crazy adventures is something you will absolutely love. Running jokes, how you remember certain events and recall those moments is something you have to experience. From deceiving a huge amount of cultists into following us to get out of a Dragon Cult camp, to new interesting ways to pull a kobolds body apart like a christmas cracker its been an absolute joy to partake in the game. 

Being a sufferer of insomnia, creating and adapting stories and guiding players through them has been fantastic. Character development is interesting to watch and hopefully as we play through sessions each player will see their characters grow, and not just through stat building and gaining new skills and feats. Having the characters personalities develop in front of you is incredibly rewarding as a dungeon master. 

Even though many times things you write about and plan for a session may not always happen, its still rewarding to be able to come up with these ideas, even if they never come to light. I've written backgrounds for npc's that the players have hardly talked too, but its helped me to put myself into their shoes better and react and talk more as I feel they should, and hopefully that comes across to the players immersing them even more.

In the future I may share certain ideas about the stories I've created on this blog, things that happen during sessions with other DM's (possibly even their own accounts if I can bribe them with rations and gold) and even ideas for you to use in your adventures.

Dungeons and Dragons, and many other tabletop RPG's are a hugely enjoyable and engrossing thing to do with your mates, whether you play or run the session. Go and try your hand, and have some of the best fun you'll have while rolling dice with your friends.

Many Moons Have Passed....

Well its been a while hasn't it? Probably not far off a year to be honest since I've posted on this glorious blog. Well, this time I won't be making promises to keep posting regular, as its not worked for me before. But there is hope I will! So far 2017 has been good gaming wise, and it follows a strong 2016. The Gwent Reavers, the gaming club I am part of, has had a good time with gaming and it looks to continue. Many board games have been played, 40k once again is being played, Age of Sigmar is picking up some serous momentum with members and other new games are taking root like Blood Bowl an Tanks.

We've had some new members too which is great, fresh blood is always good to sacrifice in the name of the blood god! Lewis and Adam are both in a similar spot where they've always been interested in the hobby but its only now they're starting to get stuck in and its great to see the enthusiasm. Another new member Patrick is also incredibly enthusiastic about his Necrons and its good to see some 40k kicking of again. I need to get my Genestealer Cult painted up and my Space Marines are also itching for some games... perhaps the setting of Fall of Cadia will be a good place to shoot some bolters and launch some assaults. 

As I mentioned Age of Sigmar is taking off at club although I'm the least enthusiastic about it seeming as I annot get any luck when playing! I've got Khorne Daemons, and heres how the blood thirter looks so far having started painting him yesterday. Trying to get a bit of a blend on the wings, shall be going over it with a wash and seeing how it looks 

If theres something that has got everyones attention at club, its the old faithful roleplaying game, Dungeons and Dragons. We currently have three different sessions at club with various dungeon masters and players, and every session is going well. I'm currently running Out of the Abyss, which is set in the Underdark. The story so far has been a little of my own creation, where a Derro called Buppido, who is in the book and is convinced he is an insane god of murder has killed a couple of the parties allies and they've gone to chase him down. I'll report more on this in another post as theres a lot to speak of! 

Something I've been working on occasionally over the last year is a small warband for an Inquisitor 28 style idea. Blanchitsu is one of my favourite parts of White Dwarf and above is a picture of two models I've melded together. .A large gun servitor on the left, and an adeptus mechanicus chef on the right, complete with power spatula, krootox burgers and some kind of sausage. Green stuff chefs hat too which I was proud of! I'm looking to add more when I can and get some interesting bits to play with.

Over Xmas club stalwart Morg picked up Scythe and its a really interesting game. I find the larger games a bit intimidating to play and really need to get myself in the mood to play them, but from what I have played its a really good game. Some interesting mechanics, a theme thats not in your face and done well with some really nice looking components and a rules system thats not too complicated. The amount of components are scary mind, but persevere theres a good game there!

Higgy and Jay had a large game of Tanks recently too, playing up the board starting off with a beach landing making their way into a town. If you've not played think X-Wing with a simpler system, much cheaper models but still looks really good, the boys are well into it and we're hoping to host a Tanks tournament at the end of February. 

In the future we have possible trips to Warhammer Fest, the UK Games Expo, events we'd like to host too along with many other things. I haven't even spoken about Blood Bowl yet and my Skaven team.

Like I said, no promises about lots of posts, but this is a start and we'll see how it goes!

Space Marine Command Tanks + Update

Well, talk about feeling like a stranger in your own house!

Yes folks, its been a while since an update has taken place on this very blog, but theres been a lot happening. Unfortunately not enough hobby wise! But rejoice, for there has been some goings on. 

First of all, as a huge Space Marine fan I'm gibbering and foaming at the mouth over these new additions to the Astartes.

Behold the Command versions of the Rhino and the Land Raider.  The pintle mounted plasma guns intrigue me, but the thing I like the look of the most is the Graviton gun on the Land Raider. I'm hoping its a grav cannon, that'll be an awesome addition to the tanks armament and I'll be scooping one of those up!

I actually started to put together a box of the new tactical marines earlier this year, but so far only have this guy painted up to some sort of standard. He was used in a little tourney I participated in a couple of weeks ago which I'll have more info on in a bit. I've got another 5 marines built but so far no paint on them either. 

I did get my grubby shovels on this too. I'm still yet to play or build any of the models but I've always been an Assassin fan so felt this was a needed purchase. The quality of the board and models is stunning, and I'm intrigued that its also one play too. When I've had a few games on my own and with people, I'll share some thoughts!

Its been a while since I've played 40k, so when I heard that the Crow Valley Crusaders in Cwmbran were holding a nice little tournament I had to get down there for it. 1500 points per army, 3 games played over the day. I didn't really hope to win or anything but I did want fun as I'd been missing the game a little. 

My first game was against Ultramarines, and a player called Shane I believe. My first turn went pretty well, taking out 4 of his fivce devastators, two centurions and a few other marines. He hit back hard though and we got bogged down into a game of who can make the most armour saves. And for the first time, I actually won that stand off! Such a close game though and if the game had finished early I'd have lost but was able to grab the relic and get a win. Thats better than expected already!

My second game was drawn and lo and behold, it was Mike! Yes the same Mike that myself and Alun has had some run ins against, this time against his jetbike heavy Eldar army. Another stupidly close game but this time edged by Mike claiming my objective and being unable to get to his. As always though we had a lot of fun, and much blood was shed! His Fire Dragons saving 11 hits from a heavy flamer toting Dreadnought only for my thunderfire cannon to flatten them in a devastating bombardment. Damn those Dire Avengers though!

My third and final game was against Byron, who was using Dark Angels. His first turn went well as he killed my Thunderfire Cannon, Missile Launcher Devastators and Lascannon armed predator. I almost wept! I did manage to get back in the game though, I blew up his land raider with a single meltagun shot and my storm talon came on to down his nephilim, and the game swung back and forward until I just managed to wipe him off the board. Another user of centurions and they were pretty effective in this game as Byron managed to get closer to me and use those devastating grav cannons to full effect. Really close game though but a second win!

As the results stood at the end Mike and Scott had won, both using Eldar and I finished in a rather good 5th place out of 11. The best bit though was every game was close and every opponent was fantastic to play against. Having not played for a wee while its always a bonus to come back and play three games in one day, all of which were immensely fun. I need more 40k!

Lastly from a couple of weeks ago a game of Xwing myself, Bam and Louis played at club.

With Scum coming out (which reminds me that I'll have to show off my repaints at some point) we now have three factions for three player games. Louis took Scum, I took Rebels and Bam took the Imperials.

It was an edgey game with all of us worried who'd make the first move, Louis splitting his forces to attack both me and Bam. As our forces reacted we ended up in a fierce firefight and left Louis after a couple of his headhunters were blown up. His Slave One was unmolested and by the time me and Bam had finished slapping each other it was easy pickings for Louis. I was wiped out first, then Bam. Really good game though and the dynamic is much different to a regular two player game of Xwing.

The new ships coming out look great too, already eyeing up a K-wing, Hounds Tooth and the Kirhaxz Fighter. Hopfully some more news on when they'll be out will arrive soon.

Anyways thats the end of this update, hopefully the next won't be so far in advance!

Love Your Gaming

So last weekend was that time of the year everyone gets a little soppy and loved up, and for me it was no different. One of our fellow Welsh clubs, the Crow Valley Crusaders, once again had another Longest Night event. open for 30 hours people could come in and out as they like to game, or be mental and stay the entire time.

As a wee tribute to Valentines day however I made a nice wee heart, despite the terrible luck I have with them I still love rolling dice!

Obviously a couple games of Xwing was on the cards, and once again myself and Gav did battle. 150pts say 4 large ships, including 3 YT-2400s and a Falcon do battle. Fair play the game looks so much better played on a proper mat! I managed to edge Gav in this game, and so he sought revenge.

In the rematch I wondered what else I could fit into 150 points. Xwings... oh five rookies come in at 105 points... that leaves enough room for... an Ewing! I gave it a few upgrades and we got into the battle. The first turn we could fire one of my Xwings was destroyed but in retaliation all my other ships fired at Keyan Farlander in his Bwing and blew him up. Gave struggled a little from there on although he did kill Corran Horn and a couple more Xwings before I wiped him out. I really had fun with this list and can see myself trying it out again!

Some of the guys at CVC were busy building their purchases from the Heresy Weekender, Chris painting up this lovely Iron Warriors Deredeo Dreadnought. I'm still unsure if I like the model, but it is growing on me. Chris also got the event model which I'll get some pics of soon and some of the other stuff I saw being built/painted was awesome.

 

To finish our visit off myself, Gav and CVC Chairman Byron sat down for a game of Catan. This was about my 5th or 6th game and I'd yet to do well, so didn't expect much but a good old laugh. Yet, I actually won! I'm not entirely sure how but I pulled it off, and happily agreed to another game. At which point Byron absolutely brutalised me and Gav! I don't think I came fourth and there was only three of us playing! All in all though a great visit to the Crow Valley Crusaders, if you're about the Cwmbran area they're well worth a visit, especially when the pizza order goes in!

Back to Monday and it saw myself and Bam playing a 150 game with as many ships we could fit in. Dirty bastard got a shuttle in there! My dice rolling was terrible in this one and a rare smile on Bams face made an appearence as I gave up after losing 4 ships and only killing one of his. Eugh!

I also played against Louis who was using Scum and Villiany (from what we knew of the rules anyway) and I edged him for a win. I think when the proper cards are available (which is hopefully out by this time next week) Lou will pick it up more and be a lot more deadly. 

After that game of Xwing me and Louis had a go at a game I'd have for about a year or so and not really tried except for once, Evil Baby Orphanage. Its recommended for 3+ players but as there was just me and Louis available (Bam and Gav were having a really good game of Xwing, ended up just two hull points in it!) but we thought we'd have a go just to get a grasp for when we would play it with more players.

I absolutely adore the art style of this game, the babies being well illustrated and every time new babies would come into the time stream me and Lou would laugh at the new additions. Gmae mechanics it seems ok, it didn't take long to pick up and seems to play quickly which is a benefit. Hopefully we'll get a proper game in soon and will write about it then in much more detail. 

So this next week will hopefully see Scum and Villiany appear, and I know a of the Gwent Reavers are looking to pick some ships up, so should be interesting to see a new faction join the Rebels and Imperials. Thats it for now anyways, hopefully I'll be able to post again soon!

Dragondaze Convention!

So Dragondaze has come and gone, and I can honestly say it was a great day! As you may or may not know, myself and Louis from the Gwent Reavers went down to represent the club and also the GCN along with our brother GCN clubs to run demo games and chat about the Gaming Club Network. We ran Gorkamorka, there was also Deadzone, Warmachine, X-Wing, Heroquest, Bushido, Warhammer 40,000, plus a multitude of other games being played and shown off. More on these as we go!

Heres our table, quite simple as we have been so busy with moving and I myself have been getting the business up and running that what I'd like to have done just wasn't anywhere nearly possible enough. I wanted a small representation of Mektown, but we played it simple and used what we had. Still looked cool though if I'm honest and was glad to get my Grots more or less finished.

Heres Andy setting up a massive game of Deadzone! They'd been working hard getting everything painted and it looked great fair play.

A game of Relics was set up for people to enjoy and try out, some really good looking minis for this game.

More of the Deadzone table by Mid-Wales Wargaming, below you can see it almost finished.

Hats off to you lads!

Heres a game of 40k being ready to be played out, Space Marines vs Orks. Kill the Orks and their oppressive ways!

Special mention to this, Across the Dead Earth. Some really nice ideas and terrain features here for a game not yet out, such a lot of promise though!

Love the use of toy cars to add to the rubble strewn streets. The games maker, whose name escapes me (sorry man!) showed me one of the buildings that shows multiple levels for models to explore and fight over.

I'm sure this is how the X15 looks when it takes kids to Crosskeys College every morning. Broken tank too!

Heres the maker himself, handsome bugger too! You can visit his facebook page at Across the Dead Earth so go check it out!

I believe we have a Mayor here!

Winner of the most smartly dressed fella award goes to this chap! I don't remember the name of the game but it involved dragons flying around on a hexagonal based map, and if the game is as good as he is dressed, it was a classic!

Some Warmachine ready to start.

Dreadball ready for kick off.

Heres Tris from the Towy Valley Tyrants, demo-ing Mantics upcoming Mars Attacks game. I don't think Tris had much free time so you can tell he was busy!

View from up on the balcony in the Newport Leisure Centre.

Some of the trade stands.

Our little GCN display stand.

The Bitz Box I believe, another of the busier stands! A wealth of bitz and boxed sets, I know a few people who had some cracking little bargains.

Paul from Gemini Miniatures explaining his game Bloodfued to a potential customer.

There were some great costumes being worn throughout the day, the gentleman in red came up to watch some Gorkamorka later on, seemed like a nice guy!

The Battleboards stand showing off some great additions.

I'm not sure who produced these, but I did chat to some roleplayers who mentioned the models were really good for what they wanted in their games, Andrew from our club purchasing some for himself.

Just one of the many talented people at Dragondaze, Jon Gibbons. Some incredible art fair play!

A huge selection of historical models by Eagle Figures.

Some of the board games on offer looked great fun, King of Tokyo is on my to get list for sure.

The incredibly awesome Dice Bag Lady was a last minute addition to the convention, and it was great to meet her in person. My dice bag is now outdated as it has our old club logo on, so I will be getting my new blog logo ready for a new bag. Get that hand fixed Annie!

More of the costumes at Dragondaze, hug the face not the shoulder!

Another talented artist showing off their work, this time Linda M Jones of She Black Dragon.

Warmachine!

More of the Deadzone.

One group brought Bushido, I love this little board and was well impressed with the trees.

Another view from up above.

There was a lovely couple who had come all the way from Belfast to show off Dust Tactics, nice little display and looks like a great game.

Lord Vader with his personal bodyguard inspecting the destruction of a Z98 Headhunter being flown by Rebel scum.

Gorkamorka in action, both my vehicles were wrecked, Louis crushing the mast on my cutta which proceded to fall and smack 6 grots off tkae them out. Not fair! I did beat his nob to a pulp though in combat.... make of that what you will!

Deadzone in action.

Andrew on his 41st trip to the Bitz Box.

Now this was a delightful find! Counters, The Board Game Cafe had brought an immense collection of games to Dragondaze where people couple pick a game, play, or even be taught by one of the Counters staff how to play the game.

Heres Edmund and Cheryl playing some Sons of Anarchy with one of the lovely staff from Counters. Myself and Louis managed to find a bit of time and so she showed us Forbidden Island, which we nearly completed on the first attempt until the Helicoptor Port was sunk before we could save it!

More games being offered by the Counters for people to play.

The raffle prizes were immense, I myself had managed to contact a gentleman at Games Workshop HQ who donated some Black Library and gaming goodies, which was one by Lee from Mid Wales Wargaming! Didn't know what to say when he proclaimed that 'Your name is on my box!'.

The Forearm of Blockages doing the rounds in Xwing.

Couple of classics ready to be played, Ticket to Ride and Pandemic,

Another couple of great costumes, this time representing the National Roman Legion Museum.

Lee having the shock of his life after being scream at by a sneaky Dalek!

I think the Dalek wanted to try Deadzone.

Andrew getting in on some Gorkamorka, where they both decided to pick on me. Again, my mast was crushed rendering 5 grots knocked down and my Lugga damaged too. Andrews Nob trying to get off a careening buggy, slipping, then dying was hilarious though!

More of the Gorkamorka game.

And thats it from Dragondaze! So much more happened I just didn't have time to get as much coverage as I'd have liked, nor played as many games as I'd have liked! I did purchase the Sons of Anarchy board game however so I'm looking forward to playing that, and Gorkamorka was hilarious, several onlookers enjoying my torrid luck.... swines!

And so its left to give Simon Powell a huge thank you for having us on behalf of all the GCN clubs, and congratulations for running a great day. You've built a great foundation to work from so 2015 Dragondaze will immense! Also huge thanks to our GCN brothers, always great to catch up with you all and bang some ideas around. Also a massive thanks to all the traders, staff and visitors who made the day run so well. I'm already looking forward to next year and hopefully bigger plans for our display board, fingers crossed we'll have more time! 

Hopefully Barnardos Young Carers will receive a welcome boost from the event, not just in terms of money but awareness. All in all a great event, look forward to seeing you there next year!