Writing a battle report worth reading.

Da Masta Cheef of Da Long Wayz Dezert Groop recently tried his hand at writing a battle report and was honest about it being a "learning experience". I swung by and was giving some tips, got long-winded (as I'm wont to do) and decided to spin my tips into a new post for all to read.

So how does one go from this:
to this?

Well, focus and figs helps, but clicking on the links will tell you even more...

Now I've also written a battle report here or there and think they're fairly easy reads. Here's a few tips I've picked up over the years:

1. Fiddle with your camera before the game. Take the time to read the manual, adjust the auto-focus, set it for the right lighting mode, etc. Nothing can ruin a good report as quickly as bad pics.

2. Don't try to photograph everything. At the start of each player's turn, take two only pics of the board. One is for posterity and the other a backup. Then put the camera down! Don't try taking more pics unless there's something particularly epic. Too much camera time slows down the game, write-up, and reading.

3. Use images. If you forget to take a pic, have a cheap camera, or otherwise don't have an image? Make one. Use something like Vassal or Powerpoint to recreate the battlefield. (Though asked to C&D publishing by GW, the Vassal 40k module is still around if you do some creative hunting.) Many people are visually inspired and it will help break up the "wall of text". Even if you're just posting a funny "FAIL" pic, it's better than nothing.

4. Write down notes. Don't expect to remember everything, especially if you're writing the report days or weeks later. At the end of each player's turn, document the BASIC items that happened. Keep it simple: "X shot Y, 6 dead. Z had fail and broke. Right flank push looking weak." Remember that these are also just notes, not an outline. You don't need to publish every single little detail, just the critical or spectacular ones.

5. Involve your opponent. Documenting a game will slow things down until you get good at it. So make sure your opponent is okay with the process from the start. Better yet? Get them to help! You'd be amazed how many people are willing to help out on something like this. When they're a participant in the process they can help with notes, remind you to take pics and otherwise not be bored with the process. Also, you're taking an hour or more to play a game against them... why not take an extra 5 minutes or so to get their post-game analysis? Not only will it help your report, it will also improve your game.

6. Be honest. Win, lose, draw... don't let the outcome or a bad ruling change your report. Admit it, accept it, learn from it and go on with life. Try to keep a fairly neutral voice when writing. Compliment good gambits from your opponent. You don't need to gloat and you never know who might be reading. It was a heck of a surprise when I found out the owner of my FLGS and some of the guys there read this blog...

7. Don't sweat the little stuff. The real reason you should be there is to play game. If you get a little behind, bored or otherwise find it impinging on the game experience? Maybe you're trying for too much detail. Forget about it, enjoy the game and fill in the details later. We don't need a blow-by-blow recounting of things anyways.

I'm sure I could say more, but I think those are the main points... Cheers and see you next time!

***Pics above courtesy of Toy Master's War Journalist, DLWDG's report and SandWyrm's stellar battle report.***

Shadows in the Warp

So what does Shadows in the Warp really mean? Well for one, that you're way too close to a big, nasty bug... But for those of you still wanting to cast or running those big bugs, here's the math-hammer:

Shadows in the Warp forces Psychic tests on 3d6. Additionally, if any of them are double 1s or double 6's, the Psyker suffers Perils in the Warp. So really, it works similar to Eldar Runes of Warding*.

Unmodified Ld 9: 80.6% Success, 13.9% Failure, 2.8% Perils & Success, 2.8% Perils & Failure
Shadows in the Warp Ld9: 37.5% Success, 47.7% Failure, 7.4% Perils & Success, 7.4% Perils & Failure
Unmodified Ld10: 88.9% Success, 5.6% Failure, 2.8% Perils & Success, 2.8% Perils & Failure
Shadows in the Warp Ld10: 50.0% Success, 35.2% Failure, 7.4% Perils & Success, 7.4% Perils & Failure

So what are you really looking at? 2.6 times as many Perils tests and a pretty harsh drop in Success. It's not quite as painful as Runes of Warding, about as successful as Space Wolves's Runic Weapons (but with more Perils), and better than a normal Pyschic Hood. Psykers near a big bug might want to cast that power a little farther away or just skip on it entirely.


*As an interesting side note, running these numbers made me note an error in my Runes of Warding post. I'd love to blame Colonel Corbane's Multiple Edition Syndrome, but it really was a case of thinking one rule entirely replaced another. The reality was that it only replaced PART of the rule and that I was short changing myself. Heh. I knew blogging could improve my game...

***Image borrowed from Matthew Jue's art page and will be removed if asked***

Eldar: More Jetbiker Sculpts

Continuing my quest to upload some more of my stuff, here's a Jetbike Farseer and three Jetlocks I did up several years ago. These were done shortly after I completed early sword-wielding version of my Farseer. So these were some of my early forays into larger sculpts. This was also prior to my getting a second lamp, so the source lighting is a little painful. Still, maybe they'll inspire anyways. Plus, I think it's good for people to see that everyone starts somewhere...

This first was a Farseer I've not ever put on the web. Again, I wanted a more dynamic pose than the slouched normal Jetbike look. Still, he's not quite as daring and only rising up enough to cast his spell.
Here's the initial fit test. Most of the basic pieces are in place but there's little to no glue and no sculpting yet.And BAM!, here's the nearly completed model! Sorry, I didn't have much "in progress" on this guy. Most everything was single run sculpts anyways.
The right "casting" hand was taken from an old Guardian arm. Two of the fingers were CAREFULLY cut with a very sharp X-acto knife and then bent to give shape. The middle snapped anyways and was repositioned with some glue and filler putty.
The left arm was also a Guardian arm. (I think...) The upper arm just wasn't converting right, so I just sculpted the whole thing. The legs were also converted from a Guardian's. I don't like the "feel" on that foot position, but it wasn't enough to redo everything.
And here's another view. The right foot was later bent to fully touch the footrest. He also got some other clean-up on the neck and back of his jacket, but otherwise was done.


Then there's Warlock 1...
Here's the basic wire-fit version as usual. There's hidden heavy pins running through most of the model, but concealed by other parts at this point. I promise I'll show more on that sort of thing sometime.Here a basic spirit stone was added to his chest and other filler sculpt done. His head was from a miscast Ranger I had around and the sword from a Howling Banshee.
And here he is with the simple vest/jacket done. The main torso used was a Guardian. Legs and right arm were from a normal Jetbiker.


And Warlock 2...
Another guy sourced from the same basic kit as Warlock 1. Again, dry fit and nothing spectacular here...
And here's the raw sculpt of the runes on his chest. I hadn't really learned fine line control and I didn't shave his chest down, so they REALLY bulked his armor out. Hah. I hadn't realized that bottom line was off-center either. :-p
And here's the final. The coat/vest thingy reduces the bulk of the Rune Armour, but it's still a little off. It was a great learning experience.


And then my favorite of them all, Warlock 3...
Here's the raw wire fit. Note the pin visible at left elbow and how her head is "floating".
Finished version from the front, and a cameo of some of my noble Dwarves! (I still miss them every now and then, but would never have finally quit Fantasy if I'd kept them...)
An over-exposed view from her right. The head was taken from an old Wood Elf Wardancer. I still consider it one of the best female elf sculpts I've ever seen. Has the right touch of "otherworldliness".
Sadly, I screwed up on an alignment cut when removing the head from the original fig. In the process I managed to whack off the bottom 1/2 of her jaw. I tried resculpting the piece but couldn't get the GS to work for me. Every attempt just looked off. So I sculpted over the entire flaw and just gave her a rebreather mask.
My first attempt at blending hair. Wow, it was much easier than expected. It was literally just "stipple with a bit of flick down and in when removing the blade".
And a close-up of the final.


Cheers and hope you've enjoyed this rattle around my images folder!