March 2015 Newsletter

Well according to the calendar spring has sprung.  I look outside and see that the trees are budding getting ready to spew they allergy causing pollen over everything.  So as I reach for the Zertec it is time for another newsletter.

March has been an extremely busy month.  Of course first there was Adepticon – and a fantastic time it was.  We had 18 people in the Clash of Kings tournament, and Dayton’s own Kara Brown walked off with the championship.  She already has a target on her back for next year!  Plus there was Dreadball and Deadzone tournaments – check out the latest Mantic North America Podcast for all the details, including Ronnie’s question and answer session at the Mantic Open Night ( http://manticblog.com/2015/03/30/mantic-north-america-ep-4/#comment-9643 ).

One of the real exciting things that happened while we were at Gencon was the new Kings of War 2 Beta rules were released.  A few minor tweaks to the rule set (goodbye true line of sight – don’t let the door hit you on your way outta here!).  As of this writing you can find the latest version of the open beta test here ( http://manticblog.com/2015/03/27/kings-of-war-2nd-edition-beta-update/ ).  They are getting ready to update this yet again (possibly by the time this is sent off) with a version that ‘should’ lock up the ruleset, and just ask people to play and test the army lists and point values.  We already had a playtest day down at the Hobby Shop last Saturday and found the new rules work very well, clearing up the few minor issues that exist in the current version (yes, shooting units are now worth it (making Elf shooting even better – like THEY needed it :))).  We will probably have a few people at the Hobby Shop on May 4th in the afternoon doing more testing as well.  If you are interested in giving the new rules a try and having your opinion heard, give me a shout.

But wait, there’s still more on the Kings of War front.  The kickstarter pledge manager which was scheduled to end on March 31st is being held open a bit longer due to some technical issues.  The only real time constraint on it is if you getting an existing mega or starter army (i.e. not Forces of the Abyss or Nature) which they need to order fairly quickly.  However don’t think you have all the time in the world, it will be closing soon.

Speaking of closing soon – I’m sure everyone is aware of the newest Kickstarter that Mantic is doing.  The Deadzone: Infestation kickstarter introduces the Veer-myn to Deadzone, and is building out full hard plastic core troops that are also usable in Warpath.  Not only are they making new plastic troops for the rats and the Enforcer pathfinders, but new industrial battlezones – so you now can have pipes and fans and all sorts of other cool terrain for Deadzone or any sci-fi miniature game.  Plus they are making a new version of the rules that will be cleaned up, points rebalanced and all in a single book.  You can pledge for the book only for $35, terrain only for $100, or the Quarantine package with book, terrain and the new miniatures for $115 (this is the sweet spot – currently including the hardback book, PDF mission pack, 10 Enforcer pathfinders, 2 dog drones, 2 jet bikes, 15 Veer-myn Night Crawlers / stalkers, 2 Veer-myn shredders, a free faction booster, 6 sprues of scenery, 2 sprues of accessories, 2 connector sprues, a paper gaming mat, dice and Blain on a jetbike!  This isn’t everything, and much more is sure to be added before this is all done.  However you don’t have much more time to pledge – this will end at 6:59 pm on Monday, April 6th.  Oh, and if you don’t have Deadzone yet – they have a fantastic deal on it as part of the kickstarter – you can pick up the game and all three supplement books (the third includes ruined scenery and 30 zombies) for only $100 – which is almost half the retail cost.  The least you can do is check it out at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1744629938/deadzone-infestation-sci-fi-skirmish-game - you know you want to!

Mantic has declared this is the year of Dreadball – and if you haven’t tried the hyper-kinetic sport of the future, there is no better time than NOW!  We are running a league at the Hobby Shop on Monday nights from 6-8 pm – and we are having so much fun that we have decided to extend it through April!  You can always check out the league standings at http://www.puggimer.net/dreadball.htm .

The new repackaged teams are shipping even as I write this.  It is just completely unthinkable that Mantic would raise the price of a base team from $24.99 to $29.99, and give you four or five (or even the case of the Zee team eight!) more figures for that.  The new teams now include the alternate sculpts, keeper parts, a prone figure and a Dreadball in addition to the eight (ok six if you are playing Judwan) starter figures.  So you don’t need to go and buy a booster anymore as you add a couple more members to you team in the league.

In just over two short weeks OHCon will be upon us up in Toledo.  This is the second year for this, and once again we are having a Kings of War tournament on Friday night (Saturday and Sunday are full up with Warhammer and 40K GTs), with registration starting at 4 pm (first game starts at 5).  This allows for special characters and should be a blast.  Plus there are getting to be fewer and fewer opportunities to watch your opponent hang their head as your artillery destroys half their units on the first turn (KoW 2.0 is so nerfing my Abyssal Dwarf mortars!).  Check it out at http://ohcon.squarespace.com/ to register – the cost is only $15.00.  I look forward to seeing you there!  And if we don’t have enough players then I’ll have to be the ringer with Arhak Soulbinder giving all my AD artillery elite (yes, re-rolling misses) – and friends don’t let their friends face that across the table.  It is up to you to prevent artillery fire!

Not only is OHCon coming up, but so is Cincycon!  This has moved to the Butler county fairgrounds this year, so it is much closer for people in the Dayton area.  Friday night May 1st is a Dreadball tournament starting at 6 pm, and then on Saturday May 2nd is a Kings of War 1500 pt tournament starting at 9 am.   Go to http://cincycon.org/ to sign up (look under Events->Tournaments for both).  Badges are only $15 for one day or $20 for the weekend – and there is no additional cost for the tournaments.  And to sweeten the deal – I walked out of Adepticon with a big stack of Mars Attacks! and Deadzone prize support from Mantic as well – so you could even win one of these great games (and who doesn’t need a Big Stompy Robot?)
Cincycon to be a great time again (we had a lot of fun last year).  One new factor is that I have been talking with Daniel over at Game Table Adventurer in Newark Ohio – they have started stocking Mantic product, and will have it at Cincycon for all your Kings of War, Dreadball and other Mantic needs!  Please come and support them as it has been difficult to find stores that carry Mantic’s products, especially at conventions.

The Dungeon Saga: Dwarf Kings Quest beta testing is still going on for kickstarter backers, and the production of the game is on schedule.  Ronnie talked about showing off some of the great new miniatures being created for this game – and of course his visitors were most excited about doors!!!  Plus keep an eye out for a big announcement for Dungeon Saga – it is really cool and should provide a great boost for the game (yes, I know what it is, but I can’t say).

If you are fed up with this long winded spiel, you can always check out my gaming blog.  I actually decided to commit the outrageous sum of $12 to purchase the domain for it – so it is now at http://blog.untilsomebodylosesaneye.net/ .  I am attempting to update it at least once a week, and promise to do more than just whine about my coworkers like I used to do years ago in my other blog.

As always, here is a list of the confirmed events coming up in the area.  All the events should (or will have soon) pages up on my web site at http://puggimer.net
- now - 4/26/15 - Dayton Dreadball League
- 4/17/15 - OHCon (Toledo OH)- 1500 pts Kings of War - allowing special characters!.
- 5/1-3/15 - Cincycon (Cincinnati OH).  Dreadball and Kings of War.
- 5/23/15 – Nashcon (Nashville TN) – Dreadball and Kings of War
- 6/5/15 - 6/8/15 - Origins (Columbus OH) – Dreadball and Kings of War.
- 7/30/15 - 8/3/15 - GenCon (Indianapolis IN) – Mantic will be there!

In addition, we would like to have a local Dreadball tournament after the league finishes – provided I can find the time for it!

Feedback is ALWAYS welcome and appreciated, and if you ever have any questions, drops me at line at puggimer@gmail.com

Because it is all fun and games . . .


Mike Carter
Your Friendly Local Mantic Pathfinder

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