Cerridwyn1st

I hope this isn't an over-simplified question that's been asked (and answered) a dozen times. How exactly do the activation cards work? Does a unit activate ONLY when the card that represents it comes up, or do all units under a single command take their action when ANY significator for that commander comes up? Can a unit hold its activation in order to move with another unit? The book suggests using a specific suit to represent players. In games I've been playing, the commanders don't have more than four cards, but I may have more than four players. It's much less confusing to give people their place number at the table as their significator (person one gets aces, two gets twos, etc.). Is there any conflict in using this method in official play instead of the "suit to a player" as given in the rulebook? Nuts, I meant to make this a new thread. Could one of you moderators please move it?

Actually, I think the female Skoli makes a nice Elven Long Thorn. Cut off the horns and use an exacto knife to shape the stumps into hair. Whittle the thorns off the knees and smooth them out. Shorten the toes and sculpt greenstuff over them to make boots. She's got beautiful hair, a delicate face and pointed ears. I've converted two of these to be my Thorns until the "real thing" comes out.

Well, um, could it be that there is nothing for Razig and crew because it's an entirely dfferent type of terrain than anything offered in the core book? I mean, it takes an entirely different set-up for battles at sea than stuff set on the land. It would make sense to leave Razig out of the basic rules, then spring him in a book specifically for water-based senarios. This is not based on any "knowledge" of what Reaper plans. It is purely speculation, based on observation of what Citidel has done lately. BTW: They used a Reaper treasure model on the deck of one of the ships in their magazine- specifically, the pile of scrolls with rats on it.

A little earlier in this thread, you guys were talking about the Linebreaker ability. This has become the Breaker ability. A model runs up the the oponent's line. Hf the model scores a sucessful hit, then the breaker gets a free move to get out of the way and let other models in the hole that it just made. OK, here's where I get confused. I thought you should resolve all moves, then attack and resolve all attacks. Or attack, resolve all attacks, and then move. But this sounds like you have a couple of models move and attack, then have other models move and attack. So how does it work? Can you have one or more models move, resolve those attacks, then move the rest of your stuff and attack with that? Having part of your company move and attack, then the rest of the company move and attack is the only way it seems to me that Breaker would be useful.

If you want easy datacards for your models, check the Black Lightning resources page. The file for the Starter Armies includes data cards for the models. That would allow you to play units with 750 points. It would also ease the headache of choosing which models to play and setting them up with spells, equipment, ect. With the resource file, all you need are the appropriate models, and you are good to go. I was playing out of the OLE Saturday and yesterday. My players had a blast.

I’ve got a question about Goblin Skeeters. I’ve noticed that the Goblin Skeeters have the “Small” ability. To me, it appears that these guys would have a size category of 0, which means a normal-sized model with a size category of 1 would have Line of Sight over the top of the Skeeters. If I’m interpreting this correctly, you could have Goblin Skeeters ranked in front of Orc Archers. The orcs can see over the goblin’s heads. Why is that important? In order to Volley, each model in the group starting the Volley must have LOS on the target. In rough terrain, the smaller the width of the group trying to get LOS, the more of them will be able to see the target. With the Skeeters, you could have ten models in an area of width that would normally only accommodate five. The goblin Bogul and the skeeters have Mob ability, so you could have a lot of models under the direction of a single commander. Just wanted to check and see if I’d interpreted this correctly. Oh, and would the same thing apply to a Centaur archer standing behind a group of Elves?

I've had this problem with Tamiya fine primer. The primed surface is so slick, the paint doesn't stick. The only solution I've come up with is to not thin my paint quite as much on the first coat, the thin as normal afterwards.

Has anyone heard from Dominic lately? He kind of let the Miniature Painting.net site sit for a while. Has anyone heard if there is another VIC in the offing?

Sorry to hear you were sick. Glad you are back.

What I've been doing for demos is using a typed sheet with data cards for all models being used in the scenario being played. The stats on the sheet are from the OLE version of the rules. I wonder, is something like this going to be acceptable for regular play, or will players be required to have "official" cards?

Speaking of data cards, that was something I saw at Origins that I've been using for demos. Putting all the stats for the demo forces on a single sheet for the players to use makes things very easy for the players. I suppose I could make up actual cards and put them in sleeves to use for demos, but having a single sheet of paper for the players would work better, IMO. If you do the sheets in Excel, you can add as many data cards as you want to the sheet, then hide or unhide the ones you want for a particular scenario and print them out as needed.

Jen Haley said she used dressmaker's pins for pinning minis. The wire is very strong and thin. Use a super-fine drill bit to drill the minis. That should give you something both small enough and strong enough to hold the dancing girls in place. I pin a lot of my stuff, even small things. Thanks to Errex for the tip on "roughing up" the surface to be glued to make it stick better.

likely not under the Reaper Umbrella of events for this year. we'll talk there to see what we can work up for next year. That sounds awesome, Cheryl. If you need someone to help paint the required minis for next year, I'd be happy to help. I got interested in running Warlord to support my LGS. I love painting, but my LGS is more into selling games than craft supplies. As they already had an extensive line of Warlord minis, it seemed the natural choice. But having played the game, I've become very excited about it on it's own merit. If I get a little over eager as a result, please take it in the spirit it's intended.

That's where I've been going. They don't seem to carry it here. The game stores around here don't have the Floquil stuff either. Just crappy Citadel and Armoury stuff. I'm sorry about that, Flynn. Where do you live? A friend of mine swears by Plaid metal mediuim. That stuff you can get at Michael's. Only problem is it's clear, and if you want a white or black "base" to paint on, it isn't that helpful. Like I said, on my really delicate stuff, where I want good even primer without shiney spots on the recesses and overspray on the high spots, I use brush on primer. Usually, I'll use Plaid Glass medium and then put a coat of Reaper brush on primer on that. Even if your LGS doesn't carry it, if they have Reaper figs they can order you some. Keep in mind too that your LGS lives off your purchases. If you don't see what you want, ask for it. Most of the time, a store will oblige.

yeah, Menqu! I like Tami Fine, too. It doesn't get grainy, ever. I've also tried Floquil lately, for the simple reason that my FLGS carries it. The hobby shop with Tamiya seems to have run out, they haven't had any when I've been there. Flynn, if you want to try Tamiya Fine Primer, you have to go to a hobby store. Tamiya makes historical models, like tanks and things. I think they make cars, too. So you will find the Tamiya products in a hobby store that carries these products. Most gaming stores don't have the stuff. Floquil is just a little cheaper, is usually carried by gaming stores, and has just a little more tooth than Tamiya. Either or is fine in my book. For stuff I'm really putting a lot of detail into, I'm leaning more now towards brush on primer. Anne kept coming by and bumming my Reaper brush-on primer at Origins. I figure, anything good enough for her is good enough for me. LadyStorm, have you had any bubbles with your brush on primer? Do you have any method you use to prevent this?

Funny thing about mold release agents. I talked to Anne about this at Origins. She said it is rare to have mold release still on the mini, so she rarely washes hers. She does however put her stuff on painting jigs - even if it's only a bottle cap - so she minimizes touching it while she's painting. I've had problems with bubbles in my primer when the fig wasn't dry enough before I primed it. I noticed that Plaid metal paints suggested cleaning the metal with alcohol. I read the bottle, though I didn't buy the paint. So now I'm trying that, cleaning the fig with rubbing alcohol. Mostly I want to make sure there is no skin oil on it, more than I'm worried about release agents. On my "high end" stuff, I've been giving them a coat of Plaid metal medium, followed by Reaper brush on primer. For more generic stuff, spray primer. I'm trying Floquil and liking it pretty well. Killed bottle of white in one weekend. I also use Krylon and Tamiya Fine White primer. If you really want to use brush on primer, Reaper brush on works pretty well. The only suggestion I'd make is to get a Citadel flip top bottle to put it in, so it's easier to get at. Vallejo brush on primer is pretty nice too. Just make sure you use a painting jig. Poster tack and bottle caps work fine. You might consider and undercoat of metal medium. It's a trick I got from a "tread head" (historical armor painter) and those guys have the neatest tricks and tips.

You're welcome, Menqu. I can relate to wanting to see painted minis on the field, because the whole reason I got into painting in the first place was I got tired of the "sea o metal" playing D&D. Couldn't tell an orc from the Paladin, very confusing. Here's a technique you can use to get your Grunts playable. Spray with black primer. Drybrush the cloth areas with white to bring out the highlights. Glaze those areas with Slate and add white trim. Drybrush your metals with metalic paint. Seal with a satin sealer - NOT dullcoat, or you will wreck the shine of your metals. Krylon Satin is excellent. The technique of painting a lighter color under your main paint is called "underpainting". It has some very high-level applications, but it is also a great way to get started painting shade and highlight, since the primer/underpaint do most of the work for you. With this method, you can get your Grunts playable in an afternoon. Line them up on the table in front of you. Do all the drybrushing, then all the glazing, metals, etc. By "production lining" your army figs, you can get a lot done in a little time. I did my Unforgiven in about three hours. And people will be asking you how you got such nice shade and highlight. One last thing - try not to paint on the areas you want metalic, like the helms and swords. It can be a pain to paint metal on top of white. Good luck, Mengu, and keep slingin' paint! Speed comes with practice, just like skill.

Can't offer much help on sculpting, but I did get dental tools at the Flea Market for less than $2 per. Pretty cheap, you might try that.

I have another question - what would affect, if any, would a familiar have on a Dispelled spell? Would it be returned to the caster?

You can also call your local Reaper retailer and ask if there are any demo games. This would give you a chance to learn the rules and probably try out some factions before you plunk down a chunk of change. You can get started with a Warlord and a couple packs of grunts, or put minis you have on 1" square bases and try those. You can learn the basic rules in about ten minutes and run a simple game in under two hours. RAV, by the way, is Ranged Attack Value. Something you shouldn't worry about until you have a couple of games under your belt.

To each his own, Mengu. You should try preparing five or six skirmish groups in about six weeks. Trust me, my painting standards have changed a lot since I decided to demo Warlord. With so much stuff needed, I'm pretty much happy if a fig will stand upright and has enough detail that you can distinguish one from another. Unfortunately, I'm getting to where I'd rather play than paint, and I keep expanding the Elves (my favorite faction) faster than I can paint them. I managed to get faces on two Selwyns last night - I can't wait until they are ready for the table.

Why don't you start a painting workshop at your LGS? Keep your reapers so you have paints for other people to use, or donate them to the store and have the owner keep them on hand for newbies. If you have a bunch of unpainted lead, prime some up and have them for people to get started with. Oh, wait a minute, that's how I got started in all this... My brother gave me a bunch of figs and I had a bunch of paint, hated painting by myself, and started a weekly painting workshop. Then I got involved in Black Lightning, and it snowballed from there... Still, getting others into the hobby has been a blast. Just don't expect to get much of your own painting done while you are teaching.

Those would be grunts. They should come three to a blister pack. How many blisters you get depends on what else you field in your unit.

Which starter sheets where? If you mean the one Bryan is talking about, it is available for Black Lighting Reps via their board as part of the support info. If you have access to the site, go to the page and click on the link. It brings up an Excel spreadsheet. Look on the bottom of the Excel sheet and you will see two tabs. Click on the tabs to move from one workbook to another. One workbook has the list of the figs, their order numbers, and all the additions to create a 750 point force. Click on the other workbook and it is a list of datacards to be used by players in a damo game. I had to adjust the margins on mine a bit, but it printed six nice lanscape-oriented sheets for players to use. Each one even has the Reaper logo and the Faction logos in the margins of the pages. These are great sheets. I look forward to using them with my students.

Menqu, as long as both sides have a command model and a few grunts, you can play. And playing with stuff that isn't fully painted is fairly common. This is a skirmish game, so it is intended for smaller units. I've been running demos with 8 - 10 models per person and everyone had a blast. In that group, it's a Warlord, a "special", and 6 -8 grunts, depending on the balance between them. By "special", I mean Elite, Captain or Sergeant. Sort of lump them together for the purposes of a demo game. As a matter of fact, if you are just starting, I'd highly recommend using small groups with only a few abilities, and ignoring Magic and missle combat until you've learned the basics. Trust me, a Crusader Warlord and six grunts can rip the tar out of just about any other faction in small skirmish. A good opponent might be Dwarves, since both are more formation fighters than anythng else. Against and equal number of Elves or Necropolis, you would rule. Those factions are particularly weak in simplified play, as they rely heavily on their special abilities and magic to be effective. So play what you have and have a blast. If you are worried about damage to your not yet complete stuff, hit them with a single layer of matte sealer, which will protect them for the time being and you can paint right over it. Get out there and get some!