Mastering Masters

Yesterday was Australia Day (or Invasion day as the indiginous population calls it), meaning that this weekend is Arcanacon in Melbourne, and CanCon in Canberra. Controversy, angst, and an unfair share of drama has flown in the leadup to what is often forgotten to be the big weekend of Australian Warmachine and Hordes.




Contrary to my earlier tweet, this is NOT a kangaroo skeleton, but a random sculpture photographed this morning at 0530 in Adelaide Airport before I flew over to Melbourne to run Aus Masters. I'm sitting in Morsla's loungeroom spread on the couch while Samuel L Jackson says blatant copisms in SWAT, but naturally I can't shake the worry waiting for tomorrow and the last minute running of the buggest event I've touched.

It's not that it's last minute, but more there's always been drama in our scene, all the way back to our first nationals many years ago. Then there was the GenCon Nationals fiasco, and the eventual crumbling of that awesome event causing a last minute venue change amidst attempts to hijack the event itself. Fast forward to around three weeks ago and yet more shit hits the fan with a TO drop out and the AU PG (aka Antipodean Thralls flying into an organisational frenzy.




This is Morsla's year off, but here his arm holds aloft part of that last minute effort. Player packs won't be quite the 2009 Nationals level (although I plan to wear my '09 shirt sunday), with some of the PP loot held back by yet more incredible snowstorms in Seattle this year, but it's all coming together. Badvolks got the terrain sorted, and I'm reasonably sure I didn't forget anything bar the phone charger - so why the nerves?




Who knows, so let's talk about what we DO know, sorta.

I'm workin on Cygnar lately, having assumed I'd take my Conny T4 list to GenCon Indy in August. I decided to give Kara Sloan a try with my trenchers, after a few flops with Haley2, and here's where I'm at.

Army Name: 50 Kara
Cygnar
50+6 points, 24 models

Captain Kara Sloan +6 points
* Cyclone 9 points
* Defender 9 points
* Grenadier 5 points
* Sentinel 4 points
* Squire 2 points

Ogrun Bokur 3 points
Reinholdt, Gobber Speculator 1 point
10 Trenchers 10 points
* Trencher Officer & Sharpshooter 3 points
* 3 Trencher Rifle Grenadiers 3 points
** Ironclad 7 points

Holy crap, it's not a theme list! I know, right, totally out of character, but what can I say - I DON'T really like long gunners, and this girl just screams for Reinholdt. I'm converting him to a trencher, that much is decided and inevitable, but what else to take with her?

The Ironclad is there to take objectives (Morsla's first question), while Kara's battlegroup is there to do what she does best - Blam-tha-fuk-ko. The trenchers are a love of mine, having as heavy an influence on my paint schemes now as my Morrowans have, but are there to use and abuse Deadeye, Kara's feat, and keep those lovely smoke templates up after my shooting.





This yet to be named beauty is my new favourite girl, with 12" range POW12 covering fire templates proving incredibly fun already. That's the logo of my grandfathers Commando unit on her shoulder, the 2/3rd Commando Squadron, and she's taking a prideful place by Stargazer in the list.

The Cyclone's a lot more fun AND punch than the chaingun crews I have, and I'm already thinking of retiring them in favour of more room in the list - sure, they're cheaper and do a ton when they do something, but thats so rare compared to their death to snipers or pocket rocket solos that I've just come to feel of them as dead weight. Cyclone it is in this list, but notice the magnets - she's my Omnijack girl, and a custom Stormclad dress is on the cards.

The Grenadier is in asalways, although it's in new girl's battlegroup rather than 'marshaled as usual, and the Sentinel has followed her in to give some Shield Guard, along with a Bokur for now. He might not stay, but gives me another objective/flag hunter if need be.

So. That's a Warmachine distraction for a Warmachine stress problem.

Hmm, didn't work a bit.