Like the title says, about a week ago I finished painting up the hero quest expansion, The Jungles of Delthrak. Michelle and I actually painted this one together, which was a lot of fun.
A small caveat: we didn't paint the gem or fire, because Michelle really likes them as they are. And so they stay that way.
Either which way, that's two bingo squares!
Rather, my niece and nephews had spring break, which was nice, because it meant that they could come up to visit and hang out and paint with their strange uncle! And thus we did.
We painted some hero quest figures, and my nephew brought up a few miniatures of his own (Tau and Necron guys, I believe) that he's been gifted. The ones pictured he painted, and he even gave them snowy and icy bases of his own design! A good time overall.
A few days later we got in a game of Fireteam, the Kill Team lite that I actually prefer. My second oldest nephew and I played, and the game ended in a tie. (There's a mechanism for settling ties, but we decided to leave it that way)
Fun times for all, and also two bingo squares. Though in this case that's the least important part.
Some other random things that I've managed to put some paint on during this winter break, featuring Hero Quest, Shield Maidens, and an overuse of shade paints.
First up is four of the slingers I got back in October. I had one painted for over a month, but yesterday I was at last able to finish up the other three.
I also painted some elves from the Hero Quest Elf expansion. We've still got to finish getting through the Frozen Horror, and I'm hoping to get this whole expansion painted before we do. Including the furniture! Maybe. Unfortunately, my dad is sick with covid right now, and while it seems very mild, we're waiting on a negative test before we play again.
It's been a while since my last game, and honestly this game... probably doesn't count, as it was a quick, unbalanced thing that my wife and I threw together just to get reacquainted with the rules. Nevertheless, here it is! Elves vs Abyssal Dwarves in a short battle with tiny units. My wife played the elves in this case.
It started off simply enough, with the two forces maneuvering for advantage! No gladestalkers for the elves, but including the tree herder was probably a mistake, balance wise.
Combat begins! The blacksouls did some damage, but never managed anything spectacular.
Flanking action! The elven archers also put on a pretty poor showing overall, being outshot by both the Abyssal dwarf mortar and the decimators. For shame, elves.
The mortar actually did quite well, blasting some holes in the elven lines, but good morale rolls kept them in place. And two terrible rolls did the decimators in.
Finally, numbers and huge trees took their toll, and the surviving Abyssal Dwarves were forced to retreat back to their dark, fiery holds. The elves win!
So, maybe not a very official or rules accurate game, but it felt good to play again. Hopefully the next one will be soon.
Like the title says, the holidays! Busy times. Also for my family, times of illness. It seems like everyone's getting a one of the various respiratory sicknesses that are going around, myself included.
But my wife and I still found some time for a fun project to do together. One of our favorite board games is Grimm Forest, a competitive game where the... four little pigs try to race to build three houses before the others can. My wife is the master at it, and wins almost every time.
But more on topic, the game came with some surprisingly solid miniatures, and this winter we finally found the time to paint them together.
What will the new year bring? Hopefully better health, for everyone.
One thing I haven't talked about much on this blog? Hero Quest! And yet, it's a game that my wife and I play almost weekly with my parents. It's a game that, mechanics wise, probably hasn't aged all that well, even with the new version, but that's part of the appeal for my family, I think. My parent's usually aren't in the mood to learn a whole new set of game mechanics after dinner, and my nephews are still a bit too young for the crazy complex games of today. Hero Quest is easy enough to pick up and play for everyone, and just balanced enough in the direction of the players so that kids don't get frustrated.
Last week we managed to finish the final of quest of Kellar's Keep, with some suitably dramatic moments. I'm Zargon most games, and while I personally want my family to win against me, it's nice to have a good challenge for them. And the gargoyle at the end surprised them and gave them some tense action, so all was well.
All in all, a good time.
