Distractions

Last night I went over to the Leamington Games Club to hang out, chew the fat, and watch people playing games (as well as try to drum up business for Dragon's Hoard). It was good to see the usual crowd again after quite a long absence, and I watched a few good games, too. I also decided to throw my hat in the ring for a Dark Heresy pen-and-paper roleplaying game campaign that one of the club members is going to run.

So I have been perusing my rulebook and have decided to play a Hive World Scummer - Darling of the HellBitches, no less! Armed with a shotgun, autopistol, and her underhive smarts, she'll be more than a match for the effete fops and dandies of the rarified investigations of the Inquisition... I hope. Watch this space for more on her and her story later.

Massively unforgiving close-up of Darling.

Ah, I'm going to have fun blasting heretics, mutants and aliens with her and her shotgun!

In addition, I recently found Old-Games.com, a website that has almost 7,000 computer games from the 1980s to early 2000s which can be downloaded for a ridiculously nominal fee. I paid £4.03 and got Close Combat 2: A Bridge Too Far, Populous: The Beginning, and Dracula: Reign of Terror. These were all games that I played endlessly in my youth (along with such gems as Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and Age of Wonders), and which I haven't played - for one reason or another - for years.

Suffice it to say that Operation Market Garden is taking up much of my time at the moment...

...oh yes, and I am painting Al Front's allotment shed for him.

Angry Eggs, Blue Space Elves, And St George

Happy St George's Day!

Today and yesterday were actually quite productive. Well, sort of. I am tantalisingly close to making my first order as a retailer of toy soldiers (wahoo!) and have an idea of the sort of website I want for Dragon's Hoard. I also posted the Nemesis Dreadknight to its new owner.

In terms of actual painting...

This is the Powered Armour squad from Force Generica: four of Ground Zero Games' Oceanic Union 'eggs on legs' PA suits, and their 6x6 wheeled APC's driver. The squad contains two troopers with rotary support MGs and manipulator hands, one trooper with 9 one-shot guided AT rockets, and a squad leader with C3/EW package and two standard high-powered large caliber semi-automatic weapons.

Which now means that Squad 1 and the four troopers of the Command/Recon Squad on their hover bikes are all that's left of the infantry component of Force Generica - then it's on to the command jeep, the APC, and the two remaining trucks.

In other news...

Biel-Tan Eldar: Dire Avenger Aspect Warriors! £15 for five! Buy 'em now at my eBay shop!

Painting Points: 5

2013 Total: 118 (78x 28mm, 2x 54mm, 2x tanks)

Force Generica Rolls On

I have slowed my painting of stuff for ATP's eBay shop, mainly because I've been sorting things out for Dragon's Hoard and trying to drum up more business for that venture. I have also been trying to sort out things on ATP's Facebook page (please 'like' if you do!) so I haven't had that much time to paint the Black Legion that are staring threateningly at me from my painting table.

However, because they're nice and simple to paint, I have finished off some more of Force Generica:

2nd Squad, Red Platoon, Yellow Company - the squad's truck driver is on the far right, while the two three-person fireteams are shown together. All wear the khaki-green and grey armour of GENFOR. I am tempted to paint the command section (or at least the platoon CO) in camouflage fatigues to show that this lot are low down the priority list for anything more than basic kit.

I also painted the driver for 3rd Squad:

The driver can be seen stood between the 'support' and 'maneuver' fireteams led, respectively, by a lance-corporal and a corporal. Ideally the maneuver fireteam would also have a grenade launcher but as this is a reserve formation they have to make do with small arms.

Were this a 'proper' Slammers infantry unit then they'd all have 2cm powerguns, and they'd be supported by a tribarrel 2cm machine-gun on a 'combat jeep'. But they're not, so it's grit and determination instead!

Painting Points: 8
2013 Total: 110 (70x 28mm, 2x 54mm, 2x tanks)

New Rules, And A Grand Venture

Today I received my copies of MechWing and First Contact in the post, which was good:

But I didn't get to finish the squad of Force Generica that I'm working on, which wasn't so good.

What I have done, however, is made progress towards making both ATP Painting Studio and Dragon's Hoard viable businesses. I opened a new bank account to enable my PayPal to function properly, and I took some initial orders for Dragon's Hoard. Basically, if you're interested in Games Workshop stuff, and don't like paying the ridiculous Retail Price, come to me instead - I will be selling GW kits, figures, books, paints, etc, at 22% off retail!

But, as I am a (very) small business, the first few orders will have to be paid for by the customer first - so, you give me the money for whatever you want, I order it from GW, and then send it to you - or you collect in person if you happen to live nearby. Then, as I build profit and capital, I will start having items in stock on a regular basis that can be purchased via a webshop.

In other words, Dragon's Hoard is starting small but thinking big - 22% off big. That's even cheaper than Wayland Games! Eventually I hope to sell all manner of wargames stuff, and maybe - in the distant future - open up my very own toyshop somewhere in this scepter'd isle.

So if you want to know more, or order something, contact me at: dragons.hoard@mail.com and I will do my level best to answer any and all questions you may have, and procure you whatever you want from the dungeons of Games Workshop.