Hobby supplies in Kapiti to break the drought

Paraparaumu Beach Pharmacy to stock model supplies!

Good news for all us Kapiti Coasters. Fellow modeler and gamer, Scott Bowman has opened a modeling corner in his pharmacy in Paraparaumu beach !

He will soon be stocking the Warlord Games range, Woodlands scenics, Army Painter and Vallejo.
Bolt Action will be the primary thrust, but I have already ordered other figures from the Perry Range

Says Scott:

" Guys , I am going to be opening a hobby corner in the pharmacy (Paraparaumu Beach Pharmacy), and will be stocking a range of Warlord Games products .

My primary thinking was Bolt Action, as this games system seems on the rise,
and the Army painter range of paints brushes washed and hobby tools etc.

I have also had some interest from comments about Frostgrave, so could add that if wanted? (would you just want rules or figures too?)"

He attached a products list, which you can get from him: " I was surprised at what extent of stuff is on there - PERRY Miniatures, Judge Dredd, Terminator, Gates of Antares, Hail Caesar, Black Powder, 4Ground Scenery etc etc."

"I  won't obviously be able to keep everything in stock - its going to be a hobby corner after all, not a hobby shop! ;-)

I will be able to place regular orders for whatever you want and will be receiving stock via airmail, so fairly quick (1-2 weeks) supply time (Minimum order level having been attained).will try and keep pricing competitive, though cant promise to be able to beat a certain large gorilla in the corner - but I will be a 'bricks and mortar store' on your doorstep... so any support you can give me will be greatly appreciated."

 Scott will be running a loyalty scheme as well, so head down his way for your hobby fix!


Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Paraparaumu-Beach-Pharmacy-1413364908990368/

Age of Sigmar: Leaked Rules 4 page pdf

So the WH world is reeling. There is to be no 9th Ed. AoS is the new Warhammer. No more Armybooks. No more Rulebooks. Simple ruleset? Or just the starter set, with rules to follow. Wording certainly aimed at a younger (ahem...) player base. Child Friendly.

So here it is, Merry Xmas everyone (apologies to Slade)
Thanks to Jossy over at Plastic Crack:
Jossy scooped the breaking news here in NZ.

OK. So now it is Magic/Buffs first, then movement, shooting, THEN charging, Combat and resolution. No more turns, they are called ROUNDS now. 

No indication on how armies are compiled. " According to War scrolls" 

So a fixed prescriptive army composition ahead to make it simple for entry level players?

You can still march/move at the double. Lets call in RUNNING. M+D6

Flying still there.

Rolls to hit and wound remain, resolve damage.

2 spells, Arcane Bolt and Mystic Shield, Rest probably race specific.

Magic missile or Buff to saves. Simple

No points, but sudden death victories over numerically superior forces. Presumed Coup de Caput serpentis type rule (Taking the head off the snake) or it may be a sudden death taking of objective.

Terrain allowing for smaller scale tables ala 40K. Seems there are a 4 rules, bottom 3 visible in the clandestine snaps below:

So again: Simple rules per rumours has said, condensed some pages with easy and short texts (and child-friendly) language. Whether this is the basics of the new Warhammer or not time will tell, but assume it is the shape of things to come.

Here's also some info regarding the boxed game and more, all via Bell of Lost Souls. 

Ok, first some basics on the set:

Price: $125 US, Expect ca $200 in NZ, $180 in Aus, shafted again, folks? Rumour is $250.

Rules : Included in box + Free Download (Will this freebee remain?)

Backwards Compatability: 100%, rules for EVERY EXISTING WFB mini will be provided.

(Hopefully not at the speed FAQs and updates came out in the past)

No comments on size of the models

Box contents:

47 plastic miniatures – 18 Stormcast Eternals and 29 Warriors of Khorne.

A 96-page Warhammer Age of Sigmar background book – exclusive to the box set.

A 4 page rules sheet.

12 dice, 2 range rules and 2 transfer sheets.

Lets give away some freebies to try and hook em: 

Via Dr. Caligari 6-29-2015

White Dwarf

– WD 75 WILL include a free Stormcast Eternal.

– WD 75 will include all four pages of AoS rules in it.

Rules

– There are no point values in Age of Sigmar.

– All units will be represented by warscrolls.

– If your side is severely outnumbered, there are several “Sudden Death” objective you can pick from that success will result in your victory.

– Warscrolls have all the rules for the models with them.

– New models will come with warscrolls in their boxes.

– Army books are gone.

– Bases will not matter.

– Measurement is based on closest point of the models. (So yes, a sword that thrusts well past your base is where you’ll be measuring from.)

The Nagash Cat's out of the Bag: Writing on the wall for WHFB for me ?

Nagash, the writing on the wall for me?

Enter Herohammer! Monsterhammer. Take your pick: The shape of things to come ?
Or just a (costly) diversion? Disillusionment for me.

Undead rising. the beginning of the end of WHFB for me?

So pictures of Nagash are now flooding the net, and the new Manfred, or is it Vlad?, and Neferata? and new Spirit hosts, and, and...

So hot from Europe, shamelessly reposted off the Interweb:

Nagash

Not Aghast, but Morghast!

Aghast is also my reaction on seeing the price in NZ. Lovely models. Beautiful, fragile, too expensive.
Anyhow, form your own opinion.

"Warhammer, The End Times is noted to contain new rules that change the way a game of Warhammer can be played. It is not a new edition."

(So read supplement or expansion?)

The Releases:

Warhammer: Nagash

2 hardback books in a slip case. ($165 NZ)

1. Book 1: 296 page fluff book detailing the return of Nagash and events that affect every Warhammer race

2. Book 2: 96 page book containing rules for Nagash, new miniatures, the Lore of Undeath, Undead Legion, fighting underground and more apparently.

3. Nagash - no mention of him being a dual kit, rules are included in the box. $175 NZ (Ouch) 65 pounds in UK, $105 US.

4. Magic Cards Lore of the Undead ($12)

5. Nagash Novel ($50)

Pew! Goes my excitement... Can anyone please explain to me how 50 Pounds becomes $160 (One pound = NZ$ 1.97 today) Even in China it is only 500 RMB (NZ$ 96) Why is GW screwing their fan base in NZ and Aus so badly? The US is getting the Limited Ed for the price of the standard in NZ. Come on GW!

"What the background in the WD tells us:

- I hope you didn't like Kislev, because there is no longer a Kislev.

<Ok, there goes another of my armies>

- Archaon advance have been stalled by Vlad under the order of Nagash (the Empire was in major trouble).

- Nagash goes fighting to unite the Tomb Kings and VC (one of the scenario pictured in WD translate into "the Fall of Settra").

Regarding miniatures/rules:

- Nagash is magnificent, and very very tall thanks to his flying posture (he is supported by a bunch of souls).

- But he's not that massive overall, I have no idea how he managed to reach the 85€ pricetag.

<Come live in NZ mate, and feeel the pain>

- Not a dual kit.

- No other models that week, but the ones serving under him are hinted at the end of WD for the week after (so I suppose Vlad and that Arkhan dude, note that I know the WFB lore very poorly).

- As people expected, the new magic lore appear to work like Demonology for 40k (except with undead).

- Rules are changing with that extension, 50% lords for example."

Quick Cost tally:

$175 model

$165 books

$12 Magic cards

$50 novel

$402      

So were talking $500 by the time we've bought glue, paint, etc. How about a few more miniatures?

I think not, sorry GW.

So maybe the End Times are Nigh for me too. 

Much as I love the Warhammer World and WHFB I fear that GW and their pricing structure in NZ has finlly succeeded in killing it for me. I have a gaming room full of miniatures that are becoming obsolete faster than I can build or paint them. You got me really excited about Nagash's return, but now shattered this with your pricing practices.

Oh yea, and you've shut down the online retailers in Aus. Not that this rant would make any ripples in Nottingham. "We don't listen to our customers. their opinion is otoise, serving no practical purpose or result, superfluous" Let me tell you something from my business: You cannot afford NOT to listen to your customers.

I suspect this rant heralds my exit from the game. If this is the shape of things to come, I'd rather not be part of your otoise customers.I  have had enough of the arms race you are creating. 

Rex, I think you were right in your post. GW does not care about its customers. Definitely not those in NZ and Aus.

I have just reread Tom Kirby's preamble to the annual report again:

The Future

"Next year, internally, there will be some disruption remaining from the big reorganisation we have just made and from the one man store programme. Nevertheless I, and all the rest of Games Workshop, still believe we should be growing by opening new stores; particularly in North America and Germany."

External events that may affect us are only those things that bother everyone: interest rates, tax rates, exchange rates, directives from Brussels, war, pestilence and disease. What will not change is the eternal desire for some always to want yet more of the small, jewel-like objects of magic and wonder that we call Citadel miniatures.

Beyond next year, the business ought to be able to increase sales (single digit growth, not more) for many years and to provide owners with a steady flow of dividends. I say ‘ought to’ because no plan survives contact with the enemy and we will not promise what we cannot deliver — in particular our policy of only returning surplus cash as dividends will remain. We will not borrow (nor engage in fancy financial engineering) to pay a coupon.

Sales

Reported sales fell by 8.2% to £123.5 million for the year. On a constant currency basis, sales were down by 6.5% from £134.6 million to £125.9 million; progress was achieved in Other sales businesses (+20.9%) and Export (+2.7%) while sales in UK (-7.1%), Continental Europe (-10.6%), North America (-7.5%), Australia (-9.4%) and Asia (-3.3%) were in decline.

Trade

Sales fell by 9% in the year, partially due to the continental european reorganisation and a disappointing year in North America.

Mail order

Our new online shop was launched this year and our online sales are broadly in line with the prior year.

We are vertically integrated. We design, manufacture and distribute ourselves; we have our own stores and web store. With the sole, and rapidly declining, exception of products from Tolkien's books we use only our own imaginary worlds. They are rich enough and deep enough to accommodate anything we may want to make, and they remain our property.

Risks and uncertainties

That we are ex-growth is a big risk seen by some. As I said above I do not believe it. But if it is true we have built a wonderfully efficient cash-generating machine. The bigger risk is the same one I repeat each year, and that is management. So long as we have great people we will be fine. Problems will arise if the board allows egos and private agendas to rule.We also need a constant flow of great managers for our stores. In the end that is still the most important thing of all.

Our market is a niche market made up of people who want to collect our miniatures. They tend to be male, middle-class, discerning teenagers and adults. We do no demographic research, we have no focus groups, we do not ask the market what it wants. These things are otiose in a niche.

Opinion: Very little mention of us, the consumer, it is all about management and the personnel being the key to profits, no explanation for why profits are down across the board, except it must be all be related to management reorganization. This report is designed to reassure investors that GW will continue to print dividend checks no matter how many employee sackings and price increases it takes. And it cares not how many long-time fans and customers in NZ and Aus they loose.

- See more at: Blood of Kittens

To the Dark Sphere and Back: Circumnavigating the globe

To the Dark Sphere and back: In NZ again after 30 days circumnavigating the globe

Back to blogging: I am back at the keyboard after 30 days of travelling the world, many great experiences and more additions to the ever growing pile of un-built models.

 Luc and I are now working on our lists for the NZTC Warhammer  Tournament (NZ Team Champs) coming up in March. He plans on fielding an Ogre list, and I am working on my Dark Elves (No surprise that, eh, with the great new rules and models)

Our trip took us around the world, from NZ to the land of cheap electronics (Malaysia), beach paradise no 1 (Koh Lipe, Thailand) The land of affordable Warhammer models and Anglophile history (UK), the land of Guiness beer, whiskey in a jar, and folk music (Eire), the land of great cheese, foi gras, garlic and red wine (and things Napoleonic and Francophile history) - France, to Tinseltown (US), and finally to beach paradise no 2 (Moorea, Tahiti) before winging our way back to Aotearoa (NZ)

One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to Dark Sphere, London's biggest gaming store, now in Lambeth, London. They recently moved, and are now situated a stone's throw from the Imperial War Museum.

This shop just cannot be missed! We arrived at this gaming cornucopia after a visit to the Natural History Museum. (Trade-off with daughter Lisa, as she didn't want to go to the IWM, and they are renovating for the 100th Anniversary of WW1 anyhow.)

The bulging shelves of the right hand side of Dark Sphere's new home.

The purveyors of joy at Dark Sphere were still unpacking, having just moved into the new premises. Boxes of models were piled up to 3 metres high in places, and it took great discipline to stay within budget.

Needless to say, being free of the mark-up we have to endure in NZ made the experience all the sweeter. We had to unwillingly tear ourselves away, as it was getting late, and as usual when fellow gamers meet, we fell into taking about our hobby with the store staff and fellow afficionados.

Looking forward to the next year of gaming the two of us had to discipline ourselves severely to stick to the agreed budget. We ended up buying a DE cauldron/medusa, warlocks/dark riders, and scourge runner for me,an Ogre fire belly and a unit of ogre bulls, an iron blaster (Yes, Luc felt he needed more ogres and another blaster!), and Gor Rok, and a Carnosaur /Troglothingy,for his Lizard army and he also spied a board game that retails for $120 here,all  for the grand sum of 150 pounds ($300) Would have been even cheaper had we ordered it online beforehand, and collected from thye store!

I had to refrain from getting more Chaos Daemons and Empire stuff, as we still had 2 weeks of travel expenses ahead of us, and I resolutely looked past the racks and racks of Warmachine and other 28mm Privateer Press, and almost any other model maker and scale you could imagine. Ok, I looked. Just a little.

Yes, Battlefront was also there, but with price equity in NZ$ (Funny that). Only Plastic Soldier Co was absent from the racks, and some of the more obscure brands, such as Wargods of Hyperborea (Crocodile games, which I had hoped to find there)

I have just calculated the cost of our GW haul if we had bought it here - $563NZ! (Not counting the $120+ board game, which would have brought the cost to $680+ had we bought these here)  We are talking almost a 100% mark-up. Surely this cannot be justified on transport costs alone.

Anyhow, we got the expected scolding from mommy dearest when we arrived back at our accommodation with 4 bags bulging with models and games. We swiftly de-boxed the models and posted them back to NZ for the princely cost of 15 Euros when we got to Dublin. (26-28 NZ$).

Lots of building and painting to be done now!

Wargames Swap day a big success

The Kapiti Wargames Club's Swap Day 2013 a big success

So what did you bring to the swap day?

Kapiti Wargames Club: Swap Day Photos (Click here)

New Dark Elf releases: Warlocks and Kraken, whole rework of army coming: Dark Elf Rumour Drums

The Dark Elf Rumour Drums are stepping up the beat: Major revamp coming

Looks like we are in for DE release in Oct. Major revamp of the DE's seem imminent

Early sightings of high-res pictures and info from " insider friends that work for GW" claim the following:

Lion275 over at Warseer :

" We can't and won't show pics unless our source gives us the ok. The pictures we have received are the high res pictures that will be in the WD. As of right now we only have the pics, no details on the book. Last time we got the pictures and then the book a little later. As soon as we get more info we will pass it on. So as far as the weapons I can only go off the pictures. Here is what I see:

Warlocks appear to have one hand weapon
The new chariot crew is armed with spears and what looks to be a large crossbow or bolt thrower on the chariot.

The new Warriors look quite different to me. But then again I am a big geek that notices stuff like that. They have cloaks that come down their back and all the helmets don't cover the eyes any more.

The warlocks are bare chested, and the weapons look mundane...aka not glowing. They look like large jagged daggers. They are held in reverse grips which looks pretty slick. The warlock champions eyes are glowing which IMO hints at some magical abilities. md as far as the warriors go I think a big difference will be the size of them. Look at the size difference between Isle of Blood Lothern Sea Guard and the normal High Elves spearman.

Im really excited to hear about a plastic hydra finally.It looks bigger and beefier. Like we said Dark Elves are setting the bar for the best range of models in WHFB.  Can you tell what size base the hydra is on?

I can't really tell from the pic. The two handlers are actually on the base so I don't have their base size to compare to. .

The cloaks hang down from underneath the shoulder armor and cover the back of the chain mail. It definitely is new for them but it looks really cool. The Druchii warriors also have shoulder armor. It makes them look simply awesome. The skull embossed on their shields looks great too. Yes the Hydra does have 2 handlers.

The Warriors, Black Guard, and Dark Riders all have cloaks. None of them appear to have face coverings. The Executioners appear to have skull faced helms. The theme to me appears to be a more sinister version of their High Elf bretheren. The plate armor has very spiked and jagged edges. The style will still fit well with the Shades and Reaper but next to these new models they will look very dated.

-The Kraken has 5 heads/fanged maws. The have spines and scales with smooth neck and belly flesh. Scales are painted a Dark Grey with the softer flesh painted blue. Looks awesome.
-The pictures we have of the Witch Elves has them with two hand weapons. 
-Black Guard look very stalwart with large halberds and high helms with 3 spikes on each side with a flowing plume on top. Their armor is black trimmed in gold and they have dark purple cloaks. The unit champion is holding a sword by the hilt with the blade planted in the ground. Musician is a drummer.
-The executioners have what look like skull helms, and their armor is a brighter silver than the Black Guard. Their tunics are red in color and the Draiches are all held on the left hand side of their bodies (their left our right). They look very cool ranked up.

The Dark Riders are very cool looking. Sleek looking horses with only a bit of armor. All of the Riders are hunched over in the saddle to give the illusion of speeding fast cav. The helmets appear to be open faced and they are armed with spears in the picture I have, once again that doesn't mean they wont get crossbows (in the pictures we have they are in the back ground behind the Warlocks). The Kraken doesn't have tentacles, it has four legs with webbed appendages ending in claws and it also has a tail.

The Cauldron of Blood/Blood Throne looks very cool. If you are a fan of the newer larger models GW has been putting out for WHFB you will really dig it. It is a bit toned down compared to the Empire Celestial Hurricanum/Luminark of Hysh and has blades and hooks on it to make it very sinister and Dark Elf. I also want to say thanks for such the warm welcome. I am glad that you guys are fired up for this release. As soon as more info becomes available to us I will share it on our Facebook and post here too. I will continue to answer questions about the models to the best of my ability and thank you for being very understanding as to why we cant release the pictures sent to us."