Unboxing Robotech RPG Tactics

It finally arrived!  My wave 1 Robotech RPG Tactics Kickstarter pledge:




This is by far the largest box I've gotten for a kickstarter, and it's only the first wave.  While it had some space inside, there was still a lot to be found waiting within:



Once I got it all out it took up a pretty big area on my bed:



While I have another wave coming with a bunch of expansion stuff, this is definitely the lion's share.  This was a good buy, to be certain.  In the above pic you can see a couple of prints I got for adding on a Homecoming pledge onto my original Battlecry pledge.  Both pieces of art are ones that I like, and they were printed on semi-glossy paper that has a good feel to it.  They will look great on my geek-wall once I get them framed.  There's also the art print I got from my Battlecry pledge, and it is a great piece as well.  So much art!

Ok, let's take a look at the inside of the box:



That's not a site that I feel comfortable with.  It looks like the sprues were just placed in their haphazardly.  Considering the amount of shifting/turning that can occur during shipping this could become an issue.  That being said, my box arrived shrink-wrapped, and not a single piece was off the sprue, so my concern may be misplaced. 



The books and cards were undamaged, and on the bottom of the box, so they weren't affected by any shifting.  I haven't done a base count yet, but I should.  Normally I'm not as worried about bases as I have a good stock of pre-made bases as well as extras.  The bases for Robotech are different, so I'm going to have to manage what I have.  One problem I did notice was that the bag of RDF dice was open, and the dice had spilled all over the inside of the box.  At first I didn't think anything of it, but after counting I noticed that I was missing two, and one of them had an extra drop of plastic on it that must have been a manufacturing defect:



I've sent off a message to the Robotech Kickstarter as I imagine it's a simple fix.  So there's a lot of stuff in the main box, but I also got some extra stuff.  There was a plethora of additional/redundant models, which means my collection is going to be pretty awesome to start with:


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The 76 base box of Robotech retails for about $100 USD, and comes with approx 40 miniatures.  The add-on for the kickstarter adds on another 36 miniatures in wave 1 alone (there's more to come in wave 2!).  One thing that I'd like to take a moment to point out, and congratulate, Ninja Division & Palladium books on is the inclusion of these:



Instructions!  Over the past four or five years miniatures companies have been making the switch to plastic.  Some companies like Reaper have left their plastics fairly simple, but plenty of others have gone more complex.  There's nothing wrong with having a complex assembly, but a lack of instructions can be very frustrating for many hobbyists.  I have seen many complaints on the lack of instructions included not just with kickstarters, but with plastic miniatures in general.  Companies are starting to get the message and rectify things, but I wanted to give a hearty, "Bravo!" to Palladium and Ninja Division for including these from the get go.

You may have noticed a couple additional add-ons on top of the main box.  I got these to either round out my forces (I'm liking the number four in the case of Robotech) or because I wanted to have a different loadout.  One case of this is the Artillery Battlepods:



  I got a group of four with the main box, and I have a feeling I'll try to magnatize the weapons, but I wanted the heavy particle cannon.  Originally it was going to be included as a bonus, so I picked up an extra set of artillery pods, but it turned out that they could fit it on the sprue so now everyone can have the joy of heavy Particle Projection Cannons!



Continuing with my need for groups of four I picked up an additional set of Destroids so I could field up to four Excalibers Tomahawks, and four Raider X's Defenders.  All that is left now is to trade my services for other Robotech miniatures to round out other groups of four as I need at least two more Spartans and two more Gladiators.

The Gamers: Hands of Fate (Review!)

So being a backer to the latest Gamers movie means I got a chance to see the film a day early!  Woot!  Short version:  The movie is great.  Go watch it.  It's free for a couple of weeks!  Go here: http://watchthegamers.com/

If you're having trouble with the above link try it on Vimeo



Ok extended review time.  After watching this movie I've found myself invested on two different levels. There's the level of the plot itself, which is fun and whimsy, and then there's the subplot of women in gaming, which has become a larger issue in the gaming community.

If you liked The Gamers: Dorkness Rising then you're going to love The Gamers: Hands of Fate.  Matt Vancil weaves another wonderful plot involving the world of gamers and their struggles.  This time around the focus is on the realm of Collectible Card Game (CCG) players, and the fictional game of Romance of the 9 Empires.  The movie makes use of some scenes in green-screen to help create a representation of the fictional world of Countermay, which is the setting of R9E.  Rather than use the world of Countermay for gags and jokes it actually gives the fictional characters their own subplot.  It delivers exposition in the form of a small vignette that gives the audience a deeper connection to the setting of the game, and helps them to understand the level of passion the players for R9E feel.


Half of the movie occurs at Gen Con, the best four days in gaming!  Most of these scenes were filmed at Gen Con 2012, and for me it was quite a rush to see a place that I am quite familiar with as I have been attending Gen Con since it came to Indianapolis in 2003.  A film about gamers that goes to the biggest convention for gamers, and uses the environment to its advantage?  Brilliant!  It really blends the background into the movie seamlessly.  Steven Wolbrecht's music helps to add a layer of emotion to the plot and subplots as they unfold around the characters.  Overall it doesn't dominate, but you would notice if it was missing; which to me is the sign of a great score.

The acting was beautiful.  Each of the actors did an amazing job bringing their characters to life, and you can see the story/struggle being told in their expressions and body language just as much as the dialog and setting.  To my personal delight there were several crossovers and allusions to other productions from Zombie Orpheus Entertainment, including a couple of very hardcore cosplayers speaking in Orcish!  There is so much fun in this movie that it's another must-see for all gamers!

The main plot of the movie could best be described as: Cas (Brian Lewis) attempting to earn the attention of Natalie (Trin Miller) who has zero interest in just another gamer guy.  This might seem like a classic love story at first glance, but the reality is much different.  Cas seems to be completely unaware of the conflict that Natalie faces as a gamer.  Through the events in the movie he gains an understanding of a different group of gamers as well as being a vehicle for showcasing the conflicts that all female gamers face.  The dialog is very natural, but a bit harsh at points.  Matt Vancil and Nathan Rice chose to tackle the issue of women in gaming head on rather than tiptoe around it, and the entirety of the film is stronger because of it.  There may be some parts that are uncomfortable to watch, but it shines a light into a darker area of the gaming culture that needs to be looked at.  There is a lot to take away from this film, and it is definitely worth your time to watch whether you are a gamer or know gamers.

There's a lot more I'd like to address, but I'd like to wait a few weeks before doing a more in-depth look in order to give others time to explore it and discover what lies within.  I head out for Gen Con soon, and my next post will have more pics from me onsite.

Breech Bag Review

I nice UPS man came this morning to deliver my long awaited Breech Bag!  Made by Battlefoam, the same company that made the original Malifaux bag, the Breech Bag is pretty and offers some new upgrades.  So let's take a glance at it.



The bag is supposedly airplane friendly (I wouldn't know what to look for since I don't fly) and be able to be a carry-on and fit according to the necessary dimensions.  A full loadout bag has two stacks of foam trays with each stack containing: a 3" pluck foam tray, 1.5" pluck foam tray, two 1.5" foam trays with thirty two (32) 2x1 slots, and a 1.5" foam with eight 2x1 cutouts and thirty six (36) 1/8x1 7/8 slots.

 

The big thing from the trays is the change in that last tray.  The original Malifaux bag had a tray that was 1" in height which left bases for models, which are 30mm in diameter at a minimum, peaking out over the edge.  Here's a comparison with the Breech Bag on the left and the old Malifaux bag on the right.



So it was time to start moving models over.  I had already made plans to move my Arcanists into my Breech Bag so I could have them for impomptu demos, and I made an interesting discovery when I was preparing to move the large foam pluck tray from the old to the Breech Bag.



The old large tray was 2.5" while the Breech Bag has a 3" tray!  This is very nice as some of the models become a bit larger, but it does mean I'm going to have to carefully plan what I want to put in the bag.

Moving right along I found that the Breech Bag has a decent number of pockets on it.  There's one large pocket on the top, and each side has a medium and a small pocket for five total.  In the large pocket I was able to fit three Malifaux book, and although it was snug it wasn't so tight you couldn't get em out.



This brings us to the other pockets.  The small pocket is great for fitting in rulers, counters, and it's even large enough to fit a handful of laminated cards.  I put two small measuring tapes and a blister that I use for counters in one of the pockets.  The medium pocket is actually big enough to fit the rules manual with extra space left over!



I managed to fit two rules manuals, and three decks of cards in one of the two medium pockets!  This is perfect for running demos.  So this leaves me with a set of pockets which I plan to use for my laminated cards.  I think my only down point in this regard is that I think I'm going to need a little bit more space to fit all the cards for the models that'll go into the Breech Bag.



Comparing the Breech Bag space to the old Malifaux case the pocket space offers some more carrying space overall.  The old Malifaux bag had a pocket on the front, and a pocket on the inside of both openings.  This allowed me to get three books total in there compared to the five I've got in my Breech Bag.  I was able to use one of the slots in my old bag to contain the large number of cards that I carried around.  The old Malifaux bag had three spots where I could fit: a measuring tape, one deck of cards, plastic blister with counters.  It also had a slightly longer pouch where I could fit a handful of laminated cards, as well as two spots for my dry-erase markers.  There's no doubt that I have far more space for storage on the Breech Bag, but if you look at the original picture at the top you'll notice that there's an empty spot on the side which is mirrored on the opposite side of the bag.  These would be a perfect spot for more pockets!


In conclusion I have a feeling that the Breech Bag will become my standard means of transporting my Malifaux miniatures, but I'll also be keeping some of my old bags for traveling light or for storage.  The cost of a standard load-out Breech Bag is a bit high, but in the end I think it'll be worth the cost if you have a lot of miniatures to carry around.