The beginning of the end...

Ok that might be a bit much, but it fits the purpose of this blog.  I have been inspired by another blog that I found.  Company of the Damned found here.

So a litle about me and the reason I am starting this.  I have a fairly regular gaming group, but we seem to flounder a bit when it comes to doing anything other than playing random pick-up games.  I have been playing Warhammer, 40k, and LOTR/WOTR for about 6 years, and I have decided that I want to hone my hobby skills.  Like I said I was inspired by the Company of the Damned blog, so I am going to chronicle my trek to become a more complete hobbyist.

First up, I need to hone my gaming skills.  Used to be that I was a pretty descent player.  I ran High Elves before ASF, and was pretty descent.  On three different occasions I was contending for top army in the store.  Then came a day that will live in infamy.  I stopped having fun.  There was something about the army and it's tactics that I just didn't like.  It took a few conversations but ultimately it came down to this, I couldn't deal with the small size.  My play style and HE just wern't a good fit.  I loved the theme, and imagery of the army, but on the table I was just not feeling them.

So a change was born, I re-examined my army choices and I desided on Skaven (again before the new book).  They were footsloggers, a horde, disposeable, and not afraid to run from a fight.  Exactly the opposite of my HE which were cav, damn expensive, small, and couldn't afford to run away.  I became descent with the Skaven, and felt reborn when I didn't care if a unit died or not.  Then the new book came out, and I think I got lazy.  Fights that used to be a struggle became easier once Skaven were given a beefy army list to use.  In conjunction with that I started playing less due to life.

Now I want to be competetive again, so I'm going to write an army list and train my skills in using it.  No more "let's try this" shenanigans util I feel like I know my list inside and out.  It's emabarassing to me now that I don't know my own rules.  I need that fixed.

Second, I want to paint an army I can be proud of.  Confession time, I paid someone else to paint my HE (back when I thought I had money).  I have 3000 points of Skaven painted, but I litterally painted it in 7 days (Last minute decision to enter a tournament).  You can imagine what they look like.  So one I settle on a point value, I'm thinking 2500, I will paint the entire thing. And this time in more than 7 days.

And lastly, I'm going to go to a tournament (don't know which one yet), and I will be competitive.  I don't expect to win, but I don't want to be at the bottom either.  My major tournament experience was with my High Elves at the last GW run Balitore GT.  I didn't win a game until the last round, and niether had my opponent.  (A lot of things go into that story, but that story will wait.)

So until next time...