Being the Better Gamer

Recently, within the last few months, I had the opportunity to play in two tournaments.  My LGS is small, and the tournaments had a max player count of 10. In each, I was presented with the option to be either “that guy” or be the sportsman.

 In the first tournament, I ended up in a draw for second (there were only 1^st and 2^nd prizes).   The TO gave us a choice: roll off for 2^nd, or have our HQs battle.  I had a Daemon Prince with Mark of Nurgle and Warptime while my opponent had a Warboss with Attack Squig, ‘eavy armour, and Power Klaw.

Which would you have done?

With the decision left to me, I chose the roll off.  Although I had a much better chance of taking 2^nd with the HQ battle, the prize would have been bittersweet, and it would not have been a satisfying result.  Unfortunately, I lost the roll off, but I don’t regret my decision in the least.

The second tournament presented me with a similar outcome.  In my final game, it was Guard vs. Guard.  A slight odor had accumulated in the LGS from the bodies of the gamers, and Febreeze™ was used to clear the odor.  Unfortunately, my opponent was allergic to the active ingredient in Febreeze™ and rushed outside to clear his lungs, unable to re-enter the building and finish the game.

The game looked like this.  Final turn, he has last turn.  I’m up 2 to 1 on objectives.  If we end the game, I get 2^nd. If he plays his turn (an impossible feat due to the Febreeze™) he could kill one squad holding an objective, tying the game and costing both of us 2^nd place, kill both squads holding the objectives, giving him the win and 2^nd place, or manage to kill neither, giving me the win.  Again, the result was left to me to decide.

Again, which would you have done?

I analyzed the table.  How did I feel his turn would have gone?  I couldn't tell, and it depended entirely on the dice.  So I conceded the battle, giving him the win.  Why? Same as before, the prize for 2^nd would have been less than fulfilling and those models would have reminded me of my decision for as long as I owned them.

My point here is that as gamers, we should always be willing to give up a prize for the good of the hobby, and the good of ourselves.  We always hear about those cutthroat players that take every advantage possible, even if it requires grinding their morals into dust.

If you are ever presented with a scenario like this, think about your choices carefully, and don’t act on impulse; you just might surprise yourself when you make your decision.

Sons of Medusa Terminators

I am not a good photographer.

This is, essentially, my first test image with my new, scratch-built light box.  I took the image with flash, as I don't have enough light and I get some pretty strong shadows from my light source.  You can see the shadow caused by the flash of the camera, but it's not as bad it was before.

There's not a lot of detail, I don't consider myself a good painter, and I haven't done any conversions, but it's a good start. For those who want a better look at one of the models, here's a close-up on the sergeant.

As you can see, I haven't done any detail on the face. I don't feel comfortable doing that kind of detail yet, but I think I'm going to attempt it with my Scout snipers. Hopefully I can get more painting done on my Sons of Medusa, as these were painted 4-5 months ago. Again, questions, comments, and concerns are always welcome.