X-Wing and Lethality in Beginner Games | Gaming

Recently, I ran some re-introductory games of X-Wing for my gaming group. Everyone has played before, but it has been some years. So many in fact, that the last time they played was first edition. To keep things easy, I decided to simplify matters and only fly pilot cards, no upgrades at all. Ordinarily I would say this logic is rather sound and helps avoid feels bad moments, but in this case I actually think it was a mistake. 

How I Painted 3rd Edition Tyranids | Paint Recipe

Like many Tyranid enjoyers, I find the cover of the 3rd Edition Codex to be a particularly evocative cover. It just has this look to it that oozes aura and dread that a seething mass of ever-hungry aliens with exude. As such, when it came time to pick a color scheme for my escalation league Tyranids, it was an easy choice. I actually used the hobby section of the 4th Edition Codex to find the right colors, so don't ever get rid of your old books! 

Gaming | Advance! 2026

And just like that a whole 'nother year has passed and we're back at Advance!, the local wargaming convention put on by the San Diego Historical Miniatures Wargame Club (SDHMWC). Once again, while the focus is definitely historical, there are a ton of other genres to match whatever flavor you're looking for. I was able to stay a little longer this time around, so I got some more games in than last time plus I managed to enter some minis into the painting competition. 

Review | 1490 Doom

Recently, I tried out these neat little skirmish game, 1490 Doom. It's set in a an alternate history in the titular year, where a miasma known as the creeping death has emerged, forcing everyone to seek shelter high above. This translates to the game rewarding the team that can get to the highest position, with some scenarios even forcing you to climb or suffer the consequences. We played a more simple introductory game with three players. 

WIP | Tyranid Bioforms Detected

It's been like what, pshht, I don't know, almost 3 years since my last 40K post? And in the post before that I was talking about how much 40K I was going to play (spoiler alert: none). Where do I find myself since then? A ton of Mordheim, a smattering of other games like 1490 Doom, and a whole fleet of little ships. I guess I did play some Necromunda, which is in the same universe. Hated it though. So why am I picking these models up again? Well, the game group I play with all of the time is planning on slow grow campaign using One Page Rules (OPR) Grimdark Future, which is to say a simplified clone of 40K. I finally had an excuse to get some work done. 

Hobby | A Graveyard of Splinters

Closing out the last bit of Dreadfleet for now before my focus shifts elsewhere, I've completed three of these neat little shipwrecks that'll make for some excellent scatter terrain in Black Seas. There's quite a few islands and wrecks included in the game, but these three are perhaps the easiest to pass as historical. 

Hobby | Mechanical Horrors of the Deep

With the ghost ship now painted and completed, I had one more major piece of nautical folklore to add to Black Seas. The kraken is such a famous bit of lore, so much so that I'd be remiss if I didn't include one. Luckily, Dreadfleet also has a kraken model, albeit of a mechanical variety. Very 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea-esque. One could almost see Captain Nemo piloting this about. 

Hobby | The Dead Ships with their Skeleton Crews

Dreadfleet is a game that to many was a disappointment. Instead of heralding the return of Man O' War, a game in which I am too young to have formed nostalgia towards, it was this odd little narrative boardgame/wargame hybrid. I've never played it, and to be honest it doesn't seem like a lot of people ever did, because I picked up a copy dirt cheap a few years ago. There is one place that the game excels in that I  think most people can agree on: the models (and the game mat I guess, it is pretty cool...). Surprisingly, these models are fairly in scale with the 1/700 Black Seas models. While Black Seas is a historical game, they do have rules for some of the "standard" fantasy elements of maritime folklore, like sea serpents and krakens. The focus of today is on the Shadewraith, perhaps the best miniature rendition of a ghost ship that I've seen. 

Hobby | Merchant Marine

Unlike most wargames where objectives are static points on a map, in certain naval scenarios the objectives are ships just like any other model. These are the merchantmen, the unsung engines of commerce that hauled bulk goods all across the globe, ever the prize for a hungry young captain looking to make it big. In games of Black Seas, merchants come in two flavors: large and small. 

Hobby | Black Seas Barbary State Reinforcements

I've painted a lot of ship-rigged models, of many different varieties. But, all more or less the same. The most exotic ship I've painted so far has been the xebec, which also belongs to the Barbary States. I've now added a small galley and a trio of gunboats to the force, which should make for some fun pirate actions.