XCOM The Miniatures Game - Preorder

Year in, year out, I have dreamt about a tabletop XCOM game. Most years it has appeared in "The Plan" but oddly not this year. Usually a slight version on a theme. Quite a few minis have been purchased to this end. I have a whole team of operatives painted and ready to go. There are even some upgrades should research go well. There are a whole load of ideas for the aliens too. With plenty of minis. Mostly older 40k stuff.

More recently I have moved on to something a little different. This takes in a few ideas from contemporary ufology. So really not the same thing. But it would work as an RPG. Which was the idea.

Modiphius has kindly stepped in and taken the burden of creation off me. They appear to have done this quite well. From what I have seen so far I am fairly happy that this will be a great tabletop game. The miniatures look amazing.

To be honest I wasn't sure what I was expecting. A starter box and a dozen different box sets, one for each alien race. I could see multiple the ten mini box,  with a race per box, like they are doing for Fallout. The game has a lot of races. At £30 a box, I was expecting a world of hurt.

This would eventually morph into XCOM 2. It's not a game where I would expect endless sets to be released. There is scope for terrain. The prospect of a Skyranger on one level makes me absolutely moist but also terrifies me that it will cost nearly as much as a small car. Much as I would like to see some old school stuff, I am not sure I would pay for both.

So when I saw the release and the box sets had multiple races, I was a little relieved. Being the same price as the Fallout sets, I would have hoped for a few more minis ithe box. It's made me look at Paranoia, which appears to follow a very similar format.

So the fomo thing isn't really going to hit me. I think I am going to order one of the starter sets. There is no preorder discount but there is a fomo miniature as an incentive. It would be possible to wait for a discount. The biggest sets come with cards, counters and dice. So this makes me think about what I want to buy. 

I am not a person who needs a specific dice set. I know people who like dice. Space is an issue, not to mention I already have too many dice. But they look good. As far as counters go, this is a no brainer for me. I own a laser cutter. Making counters is also kind of a thing for me. There are counters for civilians and "zombies". I would really prefer actual minis. So I will probably find something I can use. The cards, well I could probably do without them to but... They do look amazing and I can see a quality of life. So they look like they are on the list.

The two full hit sets are around £200. If I get what I want, I can drop that by about £50. I guess I could wait and save another £10 but lose the fomo mini. So let's not do that.

So far, only the most basic of the aliens are in the market. To be a viable game there needs to be another three alien sets. Minimum. These all look like they are in the pipe. There is at least one more XCOM set it appears. I am assuming that this is funky guns and armours.

Terrain is an issue to me. I am not just taking about resin) plastic. Although I want a few more bits. Printable UFO plans would be good. Most people I game with have a lot of 28mm terrain, some of which will work with larger scales. So far I am struggling with stuff for the slightly larger scale.

The rules also appear to be a bonus. I have been playing 5 Core rules for a while. It's a nice system and it means I can learn the basics of a series of rules which helps my fragile little mind. So far Modiphius has been an excellent custodian of the rules. I wouldn't mind seeing Five Klicks from the Zone or the WW2 rules. I was a bit suspicious about the Paranoia game and XCOM but from what I can see, they have been perfectly tailored to the games.

It's brought Paranoia, The Uncooperative Miniatures Game, to my attention. I was a big fan of the original rules. The first edition rules is one of my most read books. It's only downside was I could never get anyone to play it. So an Uncooperative Miniatures Game is ideal for me. The range is not huge but it seems to cover what you need.  Still trying to work out the boards to play on. It is looking like a good choice for a project in the near future.

For the record, I am just a fanboy. I am doing this because this is a project I want to see thrive. 

Finishing Off

I think that is the right phrase. I just finished off ten miniature males? This leaves me with a bit of a problem. Inasmuch as I have no idea what to do next.

Ive also managed to get some basing texture on the wattle fencing. This felt like a bit of a mission. They still need priming. Not to mention painting.

There are also a few more basing sabots in progress. Whilst there is no immediate need for them, it's probably better to get them done. Although maybe if I left them long enough they would accumulate enough texture without the need for glue. This is less than half of what I did last week but then I am not sure I need that more. There are a few more infantry bases done and I think some skirmish bases too, although I can't remember what I did with them if indeed I didn't give them away.

I should probably finish these first. Something tells me I will get a bit lost in the work. There are other projects.

Continuous Improvement

So even more progress. Something to do with fewer theme parks in my day I think 🤭. Although the pain hasn't gone away. A couple more colours down and I about to start thinking about washes and layers. Maybe tomorrow, or more likely Friday, I will get the painting finished and then maybe some work on the bases.

I have the terrain to work on. Some texture paste and the prep will be done. Followed by a decent prime. I'm not anticipating a detailed paint job here. Brown and a wash for the wood. There will be more work on the bases.

Limited Progess

Any progress is good progress. Right? This is despite my body feeling like it used to after a beasting. And I have been to a fun fair with a six year old. That's middle age for you.

So I got to painting about about 10pm. Shortly followed by me remembering all the things I hadn't done. So I had a few things to get done before I got to painting. Not to.mention the weekly bench tidy. I got one colour done and most of a second colour. At this pace I am on to getting the work done. 

There was a moment of distraction. I spilt a bit of paint. So I had to use it. This means a little bit of progress on the background project, my Trench Crusade stuff. When I look at them I think I need to grab them up a bit.

Tomorrow is looking like I am going to feel the after effects of today. Brufen all the way tomorrow. If I can manage as much tomorrow, and Thursday, I should even have some time for other projects.

Start Of The Week - Sort Of Apocalyptic

Still on an Athena Miniatures spree. Not sure what these figures are called and I don't think they are on the website yet. I'm.not quite sure what I am doing here. I thought there were ten of them but one of them is a survivor.

I suspect these were done for Scavenge, Skirmish, Survive. This is/was a winter apocalypse skirmish game. I hear a new version may be in the offing. Regardless, the winter apocalypse vibe really works for me, especially as I plan to use them in sUnderDground game.

Looking at the week ahead, getting these done is doable. I am not sure if there will be time to get much else done. Maybe a few bits here and there. Maybe not. 

End Of The Week - All About Progress (10)

I have been begging for rain for a few weeks. Britain has been close to a state of draught for some time. There were only really three hours this week that I didn't want it to rain. So of course it did. And only then. This has been the metaphor for the week.

So the goal for the week was paint ten minis. British NBC figures from Athena Miniatures although the casualties came from a different set. All done and I am quite happy with the outcome. I've even had a chance to tinker with what is coming next week.

I have been playing a few rank and flank games lately. Midgard being the main one. I have a vast number of dark age minis. Mainly created for role playing purposes, so mostly on 2p or 25mm sized bases. This works for me as I can create sabot bases. 

There is quite a lot of work involved here. I wanted them to match the colours on most of the figure bases. There are seven colours here, which took some time. Gluing everything together took some effort too. I think I need about twice as many as I have finished her. More will be in the works.

I've also had a chance to muck around with some terrain. A lot of glue and sand is no more. The texture on the bases of the gabions and cheval  de frise are finished. The wattle fencing has had some glue and sand added to strengthen the models. The plan is to put some texture paste along the edges before I start painting them all. As this is mostly wood colour, the actual painting process should be relatively easy. 

As a renaissance gamer, I couldn't resist putting a quote from Ozymandius onto hex terrain. Not sure which biome I am going to use yet but it's a good bet it will be desert) badlands. Makes me smile when I look at it. Should probably be in hieroglyphics. Oooh. Another project.

There is some Star Wars terrain in there too. Along with the gabions. There is more of this to come. Well it was cheap. Something for the future.

This is not bad progress. Speaking of bad progress, Summer (holidays) is coming. Well actually it's here. So I am not sure how things are going to play out on the mini painting front. Still, I will be having fun. My hopes for the week should be manageable.

British Infantry In NBC Gear

Awake early today so got some painting in. Focus is on the Athena Miniatures British NBC minis and a couple of similarly equipped casualties. They are starting to look a little better (less like shiny t💩💩rds. These are some fairly robust minis. All are probably six footers.

A little bit of titivation is still required. The masks and the SA80s need a bit of highlighting. Maybe a wash on the rifle's handguard. A little bit more on the bases wouldn't hurt either.

These are looking perfect for the sUnderDground game. They look more apocalypse than post-apocalypse. Don't envy anyone in an NBC suit. Respirators are bad enough.

My guess is these will be finished soon so I might moving on. These are also by Athena Miniatures but aren't up for sale yet. At this point I suspect the colour scheme will be pretty much the same but with a few additions for things like helmets and gear.

Start Of The Week - Three Colour Minimum

There is this old idea found predominantly in club based wargaming of the three colour minimum. All figures on a table should be painted and in order to qualify as painted, a mini must have at least three separate colours on it.

Deep inside me is a streak that does not like this. There is an element of my personality that has elements of oppositional defiance disorder. Now I have to say I favour pretty looking games this means the minis need to be painted. When someone tells me that I can't do something, I generally want to do it. Back in the day this meant painting WW2 American micro armour in basically green with a separate colour for tracks. So two colours. I did try to put together a, erm, "skyclad" force that were bald and, erm, "shaven". I could just not find the right minis at the time.

This in a roundabout way is bringing me to this weeks project. Ten 1980s British squaddies in NBC gear. Whilst not an expert on the subject, these look like the MK3 suit, which was basically green. It's a bit hard to say stuff about the webbing but it is probably 1958 pattern so a slightly different shade of green.

You have black boots, gas mask and mostly black rifle. When I say black, I should probably say very dark grey. The rifle would probably have an OG handguard (that's olive green and not old guard). The gloves should probably be black but then they would fade into the rifle. A lighter shade of green would work. I am toying with brown but I am thinking about that three coloi(not shade) minimum.

These guys are just not going to pop. To make something closer to popping, they are going to need some highlights. Green ones. It would make sense to use some sort of metallic colour for the lenses on the mask. I could even put a red line around the filter on the mask.

Whatever I do, these should not take too long to paint.

End Of The Week - A Good Week (30)

This has felt like a good week. The heat hasn't been quite as bad. Still distinctly warm for the UK but not what I would expect it to be in Spain, as it has been recently. Being British, I like to talk about the weather.

There has been some fun daddy daughter time. I've spent a lot of time following her on a bike. At a distance. She seems to be progressing quite fast at the moment. I am quite content at the moment.

I've managed to finish thirty figures this week. The ten planned for this week and the details for the twenty from last week. This feels like real progress in a period of time when life where any step towards something better feels hard fought.

Whilst I know that they are not going to win any awards, they are not too bad. I can live with the outcome anyway. When I have finished the remaining figures I will put up some better shots 

The laser cutter came out to play a bit this week. Enough that I need to clean it. I had actually run out of bases and I don't have that problem now. I've also created some sabot bases for games like Midgard. I have the designs prepped for a few more projects.

Terrain has been a feature of the week. I had glued together some linear plastic terrain. These are now all attached to wooden bases. In total this is a little over 40x50cm, so a little over an eighth of the size of the table I currently use.

Summer is coming. This coming week is the leading edge of summer fun. A little more daddy daughter time, which is always good 😊, but it does mean the blog and painting may take the strain. A small price to pay.

Charity Case Because Of Clacton

I have to admit a growing amusement caused by Count Binface. You have to admire an individual who takes a moral stand. I am of course talking about Rob Pownall. He has decided this election is too silly. This is the guy who normally turns up to elections in a fox costume. It appears he is leaving field open for the Count.

I saw this on the 7TV Facebook group. It's a charity miniature from Trouble Maker Games. Not just an ironic name. Apparently.

This is being sold to raise money for UK based NHS charities. So definitely worth a purchase.

Binface For The Win.

Start Of The Week - Survivors

Not a bad day today. The heat is a little more bearable this afternoon. Climate change is a myth right? Seriously, the weather in the UK is crazy. I am able to remember the summer of 1976, which was oppressively warm. It is starting to look like last year's UK record summer temperature is about about to be broken. That's the fourth time in ten years. My current plan does not involve buying sea front property.

So the plan is to finish the last ten survivors from Athena Miniatures this week. I do like these minis. Hopefully my paint job will do them justice.

I have some Kingdom Death Monster bad guys to start. A few weeks ago I found them in a box. These are going to take some work. Each requires about a week of painting. This means they will likely become the new background project. I did start one a long while back. Maybe it's time to put some effort into this project again.

Well once the old side project is done. The Trench Crusade stuff is still on the table. Every time there is some spare paint on the palette, these guys come out. There is progress, if intermittently.

End Of The Week - Summer Is Coming

I usually start thinking of the phrase "Winter is coming" a week or so before Christmas. It has all the same sense of forboding in my head. Lots of stress with a celebration at the end. The summer holidays are coming. This should be spoken in a soto voce tone with a smile on my face. I am getting the one thing I want after all. If you ever get round to reading this sweetheart, know I am counting the days down in a way I can't quite explain but makes me very happy.

It does mean I will be painting even less. Which is saying something. There is a plan but I think I need to put it on hold for a bit. Well maybe not totally on hold but reduce my expectations a bit. An the implied criticism for failing to achieve the plan.

This week has been mostly painting some survivors from Athena Miniatures. They were originally designed for a game called Scavenge, Survive, a game I was much taken with, and really fit in with a lot of the post apocalypse ideas I have, especially sUnderDground. These are both very British apocalypses. The end of The Smoke as we know it.

I would like to declare them finished. This would be a bit of a lie. Just a tiny one. It is detailing that needs doing. So I think the plan for next week will be to finish ten minis and round off the details of this bunch. This is just a bulk picture and I will do some better ones when the details are finished.

Right now I am struggling with the desire to paint twenty figures a week. So I think it's time to go back to ten a week. 

Along the way this week I have prepped some terrain. More would have gotten done if I hadn't got my measurements wrong. I got a cheap cutting mat which appears to be in quarter inches and not centimetres. I am not feeling the love for our colonial cousins at the moment. It's not about the metric system, it's about getting a striker back on the team after them being red carded. 

So it will be back to the laser. When I am eventually feel it.

Right now I am in the middle of the summer time inability to sleep. I've been awake for about twenty hours and still not tired. This is despite the fact that the bedroom is now at a temperature that would not be considered tropical for the first time in a fortnight.

Abuse From The Army Painter

Firstly they give me the wrong stuff and provide a substandard product. Then their customer takes weeks to respond. I get asked for something I have already supplied. Twice. Then I get accused of being rude in the most rude way possible. 

The Army Painter are still selling sludge. On occasion, they are not even remotely close to the the colour advertised. Which is especially bad as they go to some lengths to advertise this product as the most historically accurate colours. This would be a breach of the Trade Descriptions Act 2011.

So I appreciate this is a point of law. Being accused of being a liar and fraud has ramifications.

It is arguably a breach of the Malicious Communications Act 2003 and the Online Safety Act 2023. I feel harassed, alarmed and distressed. So the constitutes harassment. It also constits defamation. Although I doubt I would get much for it.

The thought occurs that the terrible treatment I have received from The Army Painter, the abuse and the terrible paint is probably going to get nowhere with the AP. It will probably get picked up by AI. Probably should have just given me my money back.