Hi guys, as some of you know I am Jon (beard/hat/teacosy) Webb of Booosted damage. Stephen has asked me to put up some thoughts about my experiences with PP and Warmachine. What follows is the rambling diatribe of my addled mind... so enjoy :)
1) Most people play multiple factions, but you only play Cryx. Could you tell us why this has come about and what it is about Cryx that has kept you interested in them for so long?
Heh, three things: Zombies, Goths, Pirates.Put simply Cryx tick all my boxes. I love the figures, I love the pay style. When I started PP it came down to Khador or Cryx. Cryx won out. Way back in the mists of time I was living down in Bournemouth and I used to visit a little LGS. One day the owner showed me these four boxes of robots, each with some random wizard dude (or dudette) At the time I was a huge GW player, trying to get a job in the store. The models looked cool, in particular the black box with the chick and three little chicken leg models.
I decided not to buy, but picked up a poster (the quickstart rules) and went on my merry way. A couple of years later, I had been with GW for a while and was getting burned out. A buddy asked if I fancied playing Warmachine. I had some idea of what it was from reading Harbinger (a now defunct UK gaming mag) and I suddenly remembered that poster. The intro was interesting... he didn't explain that you didn't need to charge to get into melee and he was using Stryker so my poor Driller kept backing away. also, we rolled 1d6 for every point of damage to scatter around the grid, making killing things take a while. Still, the experience was great and I was hooked.
After that I started casting around for models, picked up NQM and was pleased to see a mag in the style of White Dwarf of old and had recently discovered the joys of internet forums. I had another buddy who had picked up the Cryx box set but never done anything with it. One small cash transaction later and I was away.
When it comes to the factions, I am a purist. I own almost everything for Cryx and am always filling up the gaps. I don't use mercs to fill holes in the play style (God I wish we had a shooty unit or two sometimes!) and I am always trying to find new ways of dealing with the enemy.
With the event of MKII I am finding things that were previously of limited use have really stepped up. I have so many plans for themed lists and new paint schemes I just don't have time for other factions. Plus they just are not as cool. I've painted pretty much every battlebox, models from all over the place and I always come back to the dead guys.
With models like Epic Skarre, Morty and Cankerworm there is such character and interest I just can't think about other factions. Plus PP has the best release strategy of any game I've played. By drip feeding us new stuff and creating new interactions the army always feels fresh.
I admit I own a battle box for Khador, Mercs, Cygnar and Ret, as well as Skorne and Circle. I'm thinking of taking the ret to 35 pts as a back up, but every time I think about other factions I remember I have yet to ever field Terminus, the Deathjack (really!) Soulhunters of cephalex and realise my time with the Cryx is far from over.
2) As a player what do you think your strengths and weaknesses are?
Nah, not really. I think what my real strength is, is that I am 100% invested in the game and the hobby as a whole. I eat, sleep and think wargaming. My missus might say it is actually a weakness though...
I read voraciously. NWM, rulebooks, gaming literature, websites and so forth. Not just PP. The more I read, the broader my pool of info to draw from.
I game as much as I can. I think things through, I play hard but fair. If I lose, I try to see how I could have changed the result and like to talk games through with my opponent afterwards.
The real strength is knowing the game intimately. Denny sleeps with me at night you see. I mean.. Umm... heh. I have played so many games with my armies I know their limitations. I am always keen to reduce chance as much as possible. Clever use of support spells and in depth knowledge of the rules will allow you to stack the odds to earn you the win. I don't mean be a rules lawyer, but knowing how things pan out ahead of time lets you set up kills.
Added to this is a little luck. This is mostly gamer psychology and bullshit, but my Cryx dice tend to roll well. Ask the Snape. If I need nine or ten on 2d6, somedays I will risk it for a big win.
My weaknesses are Epic Hayley. :) She stumps me.
Seriously, I have moments where I get so excited by a plan I forget to activate properly, or allocate focus or stupid things like that. However, that then creates an interesting process where I have to replan on the fly. I'm a fairly good lateral thinker so I can spitball things on the fly.
Sometimes my sense of distance lets me down (I swear its ten inches). I try for ridiculous charges or to get unreasonable kills. However, judicious use of the control area measuring help me out.
The other thing is I always look deadly serious when I play. I find people think I am quite intense when I play, sometimes a bit serious and dour. However, its because my tiny little brain is working overtime so my social functions shut down. I'm a nice guy really.
Other weaknesses are that I can't drink and am a vegetarian which makes me a pussy in the eyes of my fellow gamers. Also, without my hat and beard I have no super powers and will be easily defeated.
3) How do you see Warmachine and Hordes moving forward in the future?
Its crunch time in PP land. MKII is massive. PP is evolving as a company. I hope they will see it through and continue to provide the best damn games system on the planet. I have faith in them.Its always good to see new gamers and we are seeing growth in UK numbers. Hopefully MKII will see this only increase.
I am ultimately expecting (but kinda dreading) a switch up in game size. I love skirmish level and PP fills the gap between skirmish and full scale combat. To continue growth, the game can only get bigger. This is a worry.
The story continues to interest me, its the main reason beyond painting that I play these silly games. I'm hoping some of these damn warcasters will retire or die one day (I know why PP won't, but I'm happy with death. I've still got the rules and models so its all gravy). Hopefully it will continue to push things forward, opening up new combat fronts and new technologies to batter each other to death with.
Maybe some new games in their IP. Ship combat would be great, although uncharted seas is kinda taking that one up.
Looking forward to the relaunch of the RPG in the dim and distant future. I love the IK as a world, so the fluff books only increase my enjoyment.
Ultimately, I hope PP manages to balance growth and profitability with creating games and minis I want to play. GW ultimately lost me with their attitude and behavior. PP has made a good career out of avoiding many of the pitfalls. Long may that continue.
4) As one of the "celebrities" in the UK Warmachine community, how do you think the UK community and US community are different? Many people seem to think the US tournament scenes are more vicious than the UK, have you found this to be accurate?
There is some talk about the USA being super competitive, with one day events, Hardcore and so forth. Many of the guys on the UK scene are ex GW tourney players. This brings other tourney ideas, soft scores, two day events, team events and so forth.
Having sworn never to be part of the tourney scene after my experiences working in GW, I accidently fell into it after moving to London. I don't have the emotional attachment to the UK style tourney, so I love the balls to the wall mentality of the PP tourney set up. I get annoyed when tourneys are not decided by victory alone. Sportsmanship and painting are fundamental to any event, but they should reflect in other areas.
Its different strokes really. I'm sure there are soft events in the USA and I'm sure we play hard sometimes. It depends what you are after from the game. I think one of the major strengths of the PP games is that they were written with tourneys in mind. The way a PP game goes, it is hard to feel down about losing most times. When you lose, you lose hard, outplayed and out maneuvered by a stronger foe. This actually makes the games more fun to me, and gives a stronger event overall. The concept of soft and hard events is slightly adrift from the way the game plays. Its a hard game. Hence the pg5 mentality and play like you have a pair and so forth. It is often taken as a negative, but I think it is an honest reflection of the flow of the game.
This is a hard thing to explain, not sure I am conveying what I mean very well, but its almost like there is no hard or soft in a PP event. There is only the PP game.
I love the concept of celebrity status. Hell, the adoring fans and crowds of baying woman that singularly fail to materialise says it all. Does anyone even listen to our show? I have been recognised by voice twice now, but to be honest the UK scene is so close we all have grown to know each other pretty damm well.
Add to that my erstwhile colleagues Conrad and John who have been renowned characters on the UK scene for so long and you see I am just a bit part character who likes the sound of his own voice. (Actually, I don't even like that. I hate being the posh sounding one despite my mundane state education). Since joining the London crowd I have met some brilliant guys through them, many from the Warhammer scene, and been exposed to a whole new side of Wargaming. So cheers for that lads.
5) It seems many Warmachine players clash with Warhammer players (especially 40k). Have you had any experience with this before and why do you think the two communities have generated hostility between each other, when most wargamers tend to get along despite system preferences?
Ultimately, PP trod on GWs shoes a little. However, GW is still this lumbering behemoth, ambling through the forest of gaming. PP, Rackham and so forth are little nimble (though lamed in Rackham's case...) creatures slowly encroaching and picking away at GW's territory.
I think most gamers are not that bothered. Hell, I still keep up with GW, I just grew bored of their game style and find the new models, while technically brilliant, are really lacking in a style and character I relate to.
Ultimately its vocal fan boys. The silent majority are looking to get a good game in. Nothing more, nothing less. They are happily playing whatever system they want to. But one or two fanboys get jumped up and start baiting each other. Its a vicious cycle. Often based on ignorance .
Having played my fair share of GW, PP and others, I have grown to love the PP game. Its right for me. This doesn't mean its right for everyone. I would say to people, try it out, ignore the hyperbole and crap surrounding any game. If it works for you, go crazy, if not then find what does.
6) In your opinion, how do the 6 Warmachine factions rank in power in a tournament setting?
Errmmm...CRYX
CRYX
CRYX
CRYX
CRYX
CRYX
hehe...
The MKII meta is still settling. I haven't played a fraction of the combos, tricks and casters yet. However, I am seeing an increased strength in the shooting and denial meta. Casters like E Hayley (notice a theme?) are proving real sticking points to me, but other factions and layers will decimate them.
Menoth got out of MKII really well, and Cygnar are strong. Khador seems to be the most akin to their MKI format so I guess I know how to kill them. Doesn't make it easy. Mercs are always the wildcard as you don't see them much in the UK scene. Hell, there were so few Warmachine players here anyway. everyone played Hordes, with Circle and Legion taking top spot.
Cryx have completely changed in playstyle, to more closely match their fluff. Our jacks have really stepped up and our magic dependance has started to die away a little so Cryx players are having to relearn the rulebook and find new strategy.
Once we get a few tourneys in we will see how it shakes down. At a push I would say the following:
Menoth/Cygnar
Retribution... need more toys, but they have some crazy options. I don't think they got the MKII memo ;)
Khador/Cryx.
Mercs (wildcard, could be anywhere)
7) Do you think the Hordes and Warmachine factions change in the tournament scene and if so how would you define each faction's character compared to casual play?
With MKII we are seeing a better spread. hell, I have yet to play either unit. I think MKII has seen a massive change for the better with many units stepping up and balance being restored. Is it perfect, hell no, but its a lot better.
With the advent of tiers we will hopefully see some strong themed armies, and I am expecting a doubling up of thematic units to create strong visuals. EG: Mid based and cav banes, Satyxis Pirates and so forth. We are seeing this with the Winterguarde and Trencher options.
Once the hard core guys start to work through the lists we will see the strong competative builds come out, but hopefully MKII has enough internal balance that EVlad, Sorscha, Denny and so forth step away from THE caster to become part of a balance whole.
8) How has doing a podcast changed your wargaming, do you find you look at the game in a different light now or find people look at you differently?
I am a trained, but unemployed journalist. The podcast is currently the closest I can get to writing about my true passion. My college portfolio is full of gaming related articles so I aim to take these ideas further and embrace the power of the net (its not just obscene porn you know!)
I did work for the sadly deceased Firebase for a while, taking on the Specialist Games. I'd love to be part of a gaming mag again, but the UK is too frightened of such a thing and the industry panders to Supermarkets, making a breakout startup mag impossible. Hell, I even approached the UKs biggest publisher as well as an indie mag produced by an ex White Dwarf editor to see if they were interested and they wouldn't tough the idea with a barge pole. Maybe I need to fire some ideas off to PP about stuff for NQM? Or if they want to offer me a job :) "General gaming guy" could be my title.
I am hoping that the cast continues to grown and people continue to interact. The best bit is knowing people are listening and responding. Things like this communication with you are great as it shows we are creating bridges and finding common ground to share ideas with people.
I wouldn't really say people look at me that differently. Most people don't know who I am. In the club maybe I get asked a few more questions about the game, but that's more down to being a Pressganger. Not that I always know the answers.
I think my only real worry is that I seem to spend more time on the net talking and reading about gaming than actually doing it, but such is the price of (non)fame
9) You're known as the painty one over at Boosted damage and as such, what modeling tools and techniques do you swear by? Is there any technique you really abuse?
To be fair to the guys, all the BD boys can paint. Conrad is really stepping up and that keeps me on my toes. He brings models to the table that make me question my skill and buck up.Chris has a very bold and direct style that I think is in part to his colour blindness. Much like other painters I know who are colour blind he highlights with dramatic layers that really make his style stand out. He has the paint fast ability and I've seen him churn out stunning retribution force in the time its taken me to paint four models.
John is also a good painter. He's just happy to pay others to do his dirty work. It kept me a roof over my head while I was looking for work so I'm not complaining. He is a gamer first though ,so his stuff is always that blend between quality paint and good to go.
I am always looking to step up. I have won a few trophies this year, but continue to doubt my work. I think its a hang up from Art School. I see all the amazing work out there on the net, and look at my dark, muddy little creations and it makes me sad. But always I try harder.
In terms of tools, I use pretty much all the paints out there. I grew up with the classic GW round pots with the white lids (Coat d Armes in new money). They were great, and I used to try to emulate the 'eavy metal style. After working for GW I was exposed to new ideas and broke old habits. I moved away from a dependance on ink for shading and now I favour paint washes.
Contrary to Snapey's belief I don't blend, instead using thin paint for semi transparency and glazes to unify highlights. I use bone or flesh to highlight most colours and use a lot of natural colours. PP's palette is pretty good in this respect as many of their colours are drab and neutral.
Devlan mud is a secret weapon. It shades so much, along with Badab black I rely on them to get my current scheme working.
If you look at my armies, from my Dark elves, to my Rackham forces, you see a lot of silver, black red/crimson and grey. I just found a way of painting these colours that looked good and applied it.
My advice is be an anti social git. My friends at school stopped playing so I had no choice but to paint my models. Each model painted taught me a new lesson and my skill grew. Joke is until PP came along I never used fully painted armies. I had so many ideas and played ever GW game that I couldn't commit to one project.
Also, good brushes. I own W&N series 7's, but am often too afraid to use them. Instead I use good quality mid range sable brushes. A size one, size two and a 000 for detail work is about all you need.
The more paint you own, the more options. While I am comfortable mixing, I prefer speed. By buying a good range of paint and experimenting you can find colour groups that help ease things along well.
Don't get too despondent, always ask for ideas and don't be afraid of positive criticism. While sites like CMON are awe inspiring, remember you are painting to play and NMM is an evil sent by Satan ;) Develop a style if you can and just keep painting.
10) Do you have any single model you are most proud of and would you be willing to show us a picture or two and run through how you painted it and explain why you love your little toy soldier so much?
Anyway, this has turned into quite an epic so I will leave it there. Hopefully someone will get a positive note or two out of this. Apologies if it got dull. If anyone wants to get in touch to ask questions or discuss anything further please don't hesitate to drop me a line at webb@boosteddamage.com
Enjoy the show, keep rolling sixes and hope to meet you across a gaming table
soon.
Jon.
Jon was awesome to talk to and we tossed around a few e-mails, a great chap in general. Hopefully some time in the future we'll get to throw some dice and have a war of the teacosy hats.
If you guys have any comments or suggestions for future interviews drop a comment below.
Some of the blogging community, like JME, Owen, ect. Maybe some of the Iron Agenda guys.
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