Tag Archives: warhammer

Corehammer presents: Dungeonpunx Podcast

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LogoAfter much procrastination we have finally got our finger out and recorded the debut episode of the Corehammer podcast, which I have dubbed Dungeonpunx. I had been wanting to try my hand at podcasting for a while but the opportunity to get the rest of the OG Corehammer mournival around the table on the regular was proving to be an impossible feat. Despite my best efforts, conflicting schedules, geographical hinderance and a generous serving of good old fashioned apathy amongst our ranks put the clappers on my plan for full media dominance. I sulkily resigned my podasting ambitions to the steadily increasing mountain of ‘that could have been cool’ ideas.

Regular readers may recall my crisis of faith a few months back HERE Increasing pressures from work and university as well as recently volunteering a couple of Saturdays a month to work with autistic kids have led to a gradual withdrawal from regular posting and editing here, as well as a re-evaluation of what I really want out of the hobby. And whilst my 13th Company have not graced a battlefield since last years Corehammer Christmas party, I HAVE been playing D&D 5th Edition on the regular for just over a year and absolutely loving it.

A change in personal  responsibilities meant that I recently had to take a hiatus from my usual Wednesday night  D&D sessions. In anticipation of this I set up a regular Sunday afternoon session with a group of close friends that were keen to give D&D a try but had very little experience of actual RPG’s. Being the only member of the group familiar with 5th Ed D&D I grudgingly found myself sitting in the DM’s chair and after a few clumsy sessions we have found our feet and really got stuck into it. The natural rapport that already existed between Boardy, Max, Ager, Tom, Connor and I translated well into creating a comfortable and entertaining gaming dynamic. It soon occurred to me that this gang of cocky dungeoneers could perhaps serve a dual purpose and so I revived the idea of starting a podcast with the rest of the crew as my conspirators & co-hosts and lo, Dungeonpunx was born.
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Self Reflection in the Age of Sigmar – Brinton Williams

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imagesCAWPFW2YGiven Corehammer’s current propensity for causing minor upset to specific corners of the gaming community, we figured it was time to cement that position and add our two pence worth to the (R)Age Of Sigmar discussion. My man Brinton Williams of San Francisco, California, stepped up to the plate to lend a calm voice of reason to the debate that’s currently causing perhaps the most intense nerd-rage meltdown since Uncle George decided that Greedo shot first. Here’s what Brinton had to say….

So it’s happening…probably the largest shakeup in Warhammer Fantasy Battle in 20+ years (some could argue ever) and the Old World as well as the old edition we once knew has been blasted away and replaced by the folks at Games Workshop (GW). Age of Sigmar, released this week online and in White Dwarf (and this weekend as a boxed set), strips away so much of what was believed to be core to the Warhammer experience that it is difficult to see it as the same game. What is left is a remarkably streamlined and entirely odd release that bears examining on a deeper level, even if you don’t specifically play Warhammer Fantasy. The folks over at GW have extraordinarily pulled away all of the safety nets around the game, forcing a player to stop and ponder exactly what kind of gamer they are, and crucially, who they choose to surround themselves with. Age of Sigmar challenges the player to consider a much wider range of social and competitive engagement, and in doing so, has fulfilled a design direction that GW has been pushing towards for years (and some could argue since the beginning).
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This is the end: What next for Warhammer?

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PrintWhen you spend over 300 quid on 5 books, the accompanying novels, a sweet t-shirt, and the net result is the destruction of the Warhammer world and 3 decade’s worth of fluff and literature, you have to question your sanity. The clue was in the name, they called it the End Times for a reason. Typically, the crybabies are upset, it’s all Matt Ward’s fault, and they’re firing shots from the cover of their keyboards. See this example directed at Josh Reynolds (author of the book 5 novel). So much rage, I’m guessing a new Chaos god of tears has been birthed

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Follow Your Heart, Follow It Through – Punk Art and You

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Punk: a style or movement characterized by the adoption of aggressively unconventional and often bizarre or shocking clothing, hairstyles, makeup, etc., and the defiance of social norms of behavior, usually associated with punk rock musicians and fans.

Of course, we all knew that around here, didn’t we?

A few years back, hobby blogger and all-round thoughtful bloke Dave G posted a very well considered post about the… not to put too fine a point on it, the saminess of the high-end paint-jobs that you see around the place. The point was not to deny the skill, talent and bloody hard work that goes into learning to paint the Serious Business way, but to ask whether we can or can’t and should or shouldn’t be doing something different, just because… well, you see one realistically-done lovingly-weathered pseudo-historical not-a-brushstroke-in-sight Khador army, you’ve seen ’em all. Is it good form to pursue the Golden Daemon or Cool Mini Or Not style, or is it better to follow your heart and realise your own vision?

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Painting classic Genestealers. Quickly.

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It’s now been 10 months since I agreed to paint up some classic metal ‘stealers and Termi’s to go with a full set of Space Hulk tiles obtained from eBay. 10 months and I’m still not finished, although getting tantalisingly close. I’m the first to admit that I’m a slow painter in general, but this delay has arisen more from a lack of general painting inspiration than any physical slowness. There is however a new box recently dropped that once again has the gaming community abuzz with excitement, or at least has gripped those who missed the last limited edition run; and there’s nothing like a bit of communal excitement to get motivated and gather supplies.

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The Art of Ian Miller: Studies in Transmogrification

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‘Twitch once, Miller and you are king of the heap.

Twitch twice and you’re inconsolably lost.

Carry on and remember the twitch’

Last year as part of our Jagged Visions series, I wrote a gushing account of my personal experiences with Ian Millers work.  Shortly after, Titan Books contacted me to say they’d read the piece and would I be interested in taking a look at a retrospective volume of Ian’s work that they had recently published. Naturally I leapt at the opportunity and given my current obsession with surfing the Fighting Fantasy zeitgeist, it seemed an appropriate time to post this review of a man who’s cover to House Of Hell caused me many sleepless nights all those years ago.

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CH Single Figure Challenge: May 2014

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Hanneman Is King

If page hits and commentary are any indication of success, then our first Single Figure Challenge definitely sparked some interest both within our hallowed ranks and amongst our loyal and gradually expanding readership too, so thanks for all the positive feedback. As I explained before, the purpose of the Single Figure Challenge is to serve as a gentle exercise in self improvement no matter your skill level, rather than a conceited hobbyist dick swinging exhibition, because no one likes those guys. We’re big on sharing knowledge and tips amongst our group in order to raise everyones game and push things forward and the Single Figure Challenge is nothing more than a documentation of those progressions.

As you’ll see from this months offerings there’s stuff from greenshoots novices still learning the basics through to intermediate guys who have a decent grasp of technique and a few lads who have been painting a while and consistently pushed their game to produce some really impressive effects. Sitting back on your arse complaining ‘I’m rubbish blah blah blah” and bemoaning your abilities accomplishes absolutely nothing. If you are going to be that type of fanny you might as well not bother because all that negativity does is create a state of inertia, and that is the true enemy of the hobbyist. Over the course of the last six months I’ve seen dudes who’d always convinced themselves they hated painting and were content to play with bare plastic (I’m looking at you Boardman) start to churn out really solid creative work simply off the back of a bit of encouragement and some shared tips from an enthusiastic community.

It really doesn’t matter where you are at with your hobby skills, what matters is that you’ve got some paint on your brush and you’re getting stuck in and having fun with it and you WILL move forward. I’ll leave you with this wisdom that Minor Threats vocalist Ian Mackaye once retorted to Henry Rollins, when chided over his clumsy glazing technique.. ‘ At least I’m fucking trying….what the fuck have YOU done?’. Preach it brother…. Continue reading →

Rosemary & Co. paint brushes

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I’d usually begin an article with a preamble, setting the scene, leading the reader in, but this time, I’m not going to.

Having been using the 33 series of brushes from Rosemary & Co for some time, I am absolutely blown away with the quality of the brushes and the service received from the company itself.

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Corehammer Single Figure Challenge

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IMAG0877[1]Here at Corehammer we are all great believers in striving to push ourselves and our hobby abilities forward, both as a group and as individuals. Within our circle we have a small number of very talented painters whilst the majority of us hover around the ‘tabletop standard’ mark. In order to push our skills we’re kicking off the monthly Single Figure Challenge (it does have another name but I realise that not everyone is as au fait with Street Level vernacular as us!)  alongside the Oath Of Moment challenge we detailed earlier. Rather than smashing through a load of troops like the Oath Of Moment however, the Single Figure challenge focuses on developing ones painting and modelling skills and throwing a lot more technique at a miniature than you might do for your normal army standard. Hopefully we’ll all raise our game a little and learn new techniques as a result of the positive peer pressure. Once again this challenge is open to anyone who wishes to particpate, just drop us a line and get on board! Continue reading →