A Fluffier Apocalypse

^ Not the "Genesis Effect"

> The "Genesis Effect"

Fantasy

I'm learning the new version of Fantasy--Warhammer Fantasy.  Switching from 40k, I'm making rookie mistakes logjamming my blocks of rank and file soldiers.

However, I get the feeling some people are living in a Fantasy.  One analysis of U.S. special-ops in Afghanistan actually uses the phrase "1,066 rank-and-file insurgents killed."  I realize what the phrase "rank and file" has come to mean, but also knowing what it has mean makes this a funny phrase, given that rebels are usually so grossly outnumbered that they cannot afford to line up to be killed like most rank and filers.

Another interesting tidbit that can be inferred from this article: the Afghans think we're cowards for making raids at night.  So no more Nightfight scenarios!  I never liked them anyway...

Cool

Cooler:

Coolest:

Q: What's an SLR?

I was at War Games Con 2010. I had lots of fun. Probably the most fun was tinkering with a point-and-shoot camera. But I found my fingers twitching to twiddle an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) Camera. One would think that “point-and-shoot” would be faster than a more complex camera and that is true if you want just a snap shot (though most digital SLR’s these days do come with automated “point-and-shoot” features in addition to manual controls). However, I encountered many artful armies at WGC 2010 and very much wanted artful records of them: composed photographs that captured the beauty brought by the hobbyist. And even beyond this, I personally believe that a good photographer, with nothing more than perspective, style, and skill can create beauty out of ugliness.

With a compact camera, the range of possible photos is less, and so I had to take multiple shots, learning that of which the camera was capable. With an SLR, I could have taken twice as many photos that would have been at least twice as good. So am I complaining? Not at all. If I had had a tool equal to my skill and/or interest level, I could not have in good conscience left off photographing all the great material I saw at WGC 2010. I could easily have spent 3 days straight viewing the Con through the lens of a good camera. However, I spent more time drinking beer than photographing, and I enjoyed that immensely. And honestly, you have to have priorities, or this hobby will consume your life. I mean, I might go too far with alcohol, but I'll always have AA if I need help; what is there for the obsessive hobbyist?

On a related topic, wouldn't it be cool if some tournaments introduced a hobby-themed photography contest? What you see in GW publications is advertising. I'd like to see some artful photos that add story to the minis: A Seer Council enwreathed in star trails; An Ork horde six feet deep and compressed into a single mob by a telephoto lens; miniature faking the Con ballroom and then shooping in your army as participants above the table rather than just on them. (As above, so below.)


These pictures you see are NOT miniatures. They are actual, full-sized structure that have been made to look like miniatures by creating an extremely narrow depth of field. This can be done in the camera when the photo is taken or (more easily) by manipulating the photograph digitally. Since I don't have a good camera right now, I would like to mess around with this digitally--once I get my desktop computer set back up. For now it is in pieces until such time as I can find the nuts and bolts needed to reassemble my desk. 2010--worst move ever!

See how even people can be reduced to miniatures? Wouldn't it look cool to see Space Marines towering over us in the photograph, looking every bit as "real" as we look? To see our surroundings suddenly take on the dreamlike appearance of our tabletop games? To blur the line between what is real and what is fantasy?




My kingdom for an SLR!

At WAR Games Con 2010

Writing is reality. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. In the beginning, God spoke creation into being. He told a story and we’re the sequel.
If you weren’t there, then the word, in this case written, is your reality. Must write faster. Writing is processing, mediating, preserving. No deadlines, but must write faster. Digest more so I can consume more. Repeat.
Over and out.

Potential: Realized vs. Squandered

I don't have much time to sift through the myriad comments people make on my blog, but one gem did catch my eye:

"Um...I expected more...It's funny...but I'm still a little disappointed."

Ah, how many times have I heard that in my life? If not in reference to me, then in reference to my work. I can't tell you how often I've let a deadline loom too close for me to think about actually engaging the task at hand. Instead I'm forced to look for a clever way to impress the person that can cut me some slack. I'm probably as lazy as I am because this strategy usually works. What little work ethic I have is probably due to the few people who were @$$h0l3$ to me. (Is that adequate self-editing?)

So does this skill carry over into 40k? Well, anyone familiar with gamesmanship knows that you can put an opponent off of his game by being a real ass OR by being really friendly. You know that saying, "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"? Well, it is easier to win a game if you can first catch the fly (or some part of his attention). Obviously trying honey first is most effective.



However, is gamesmanship beneath a true sportsman? Or is psychological warfare part of the contest between generals facing off across a table of miniatures? What do you think? More importantly, how do you think your opponents feel on the subject?

In Defense of Censorship

What can I add to this? You either get it or you don't.

On a side note, I am curious how old my son will be before I let him read GW books. What do you think they're rated? PG-13? TV-14? R? Well, he's only just learned the alphabet, so I've got a while to decide that one.