Far Side Newsletter issue #3: New Beginnings

Heyheyhey all, and welcome to a new unregularly timed issue of what`s hot and what`s not at the TSA Far Side gaming group, Exploring the Outer Reaches of Insanity.
In the spirit of the Holiday Season that is rapidly approaching (my Go.. Myself, a year is nothing anymore), today we will be visited by the ghosts of Far Side Past, Far Side Present and Far Side Future

The Ghost of Far Side Past: Wrapping Up



So, quite a few things have come to closure in the past weeks, as more and more projects where put of, put forward, shuffled around and turned upside down.

A Regiment a Month

It`s ended. Six months long, the idea was that 7 people would be painting a full regiment each month, in order to
a. Get armies ready for gaming and
b. slice a tiny bit of of Lead Mountain

It`s a pity, but it didn`t really hit the mark, with only two persons reaching the finish line, and 2 never getting of the starting line.
But personally, I don`t mind that much, it got me occupied and motivated to swagger my brash instead of ramming away on my PS3, netting me in the end 7 units for various game systems, mostly ACW Union.

I don`t know if I`m going to try set up something like that in the near future again though, as at the moment I got like 149 full units to paint soread over 3 armies, and that is not counting things like my Gundams and the likes. I`ll be quite busy the comming weeks me thinks hehehe. I`m surrounded by literally hundreds of Tau, Chaos Dwarfs and Union infantrists for the moment (but hopefully they`d be all in boxes and stocked a bit decent by the end of next week).

It`s safe to conclude...

... that some games probably died a silent dead by now. ACTA Babylon 5 foremost on the list, even with the Star Trek set they are now releasing, and which I`m buying just for collection sake, the game has literally been torn assunder.
The same fate seems to have befallen Where Heroes Dare! Even though I know that when Andy reads this, he`s gonna say it ain`t true, but fact of the matter is that no-one has looked even over his shoulder to the set. It was fun, but let`s move along shall we.
Some games are in the walhalla at the moment, like Historics. Not much animo after the initial get go, but at least all those ACW regiments can be of use for the annual ACW weekend, just click the link on our all new and sparkly club website for more information: TSA Homepage

The Ghost of Far Side Present: Indecisiveness Galore



The Glue has been Chosen, but will it set?

So as I said in a previous post, we needed another game that we could `bring and play`. In a topic I opened on our club forum, the 9 regulars of the Far Side managed to suggest no less then... 23 games! In other words, a hopeless cause.

But then a series of coincedences happened...
* Forge World released Throne of Tamurkhan, with an official, tournament legal army list for... the CHAOS DWARFS! After years of limbo, we`re spared the Squat fate, though even if it is in the sidelines, the dawi Zharr of Hashut are still alive and kicking.
* The second fact was that I was, at that moment, sorting out through the remnants of my old, trashed, chipped army.
* Thirdly, in all the talks I had with Far Siders, the memories, both good and bad, of the `GW Days` came to the fore. More importantly... most people still had armies for Warhammer and for 40k, or both, around.
* We needed a fresh influx of people, and what better to get fresh people to play against then by revisiting the classics. We where Magic`ing anyways, so what the heck, we can go all back to our gaming roots and start over then. Well, apart from those 15 odd years we can`t rewind on our biological clock that is...

So the decision was made, and for 2012 the Far Side is throwing itself back onto the games of GW, not necessarily with their models but heck, a game is still better then twiddling thumbs due to nothing happening that evening.

A Hedgewizard with Parlor Tricks

Or how my current level of `back to Magic` is progressing, I get whoopied a lot, but I`m learning. Drafts are great for both getting easy cards, and more importantly to learn to build a deck with what`s literally in hand...
DCI numbers are registred, the Far Side is comming to zap you! Well, in due time... perhaps... from behind you... when you aren`t looking.

Invasion Earth!

The title of the finale of the 6mm Future War Commander, starting the 11th of november. The setup this time is a bit different from previous campaigns we ran, as this one is, being a finale, invitational only.
Only regular Far Siders and the two very commited rookies from the grand one from the beginning of the year have received an invitation to take a spot.
The idea is to make this one a frantic race to the finish. The system, instead of map or pointbased, is this campaign TIME based. Humanity, having won the first campaign, holds the whole map, and the Aliens have to force their way in. Instead of grid selection, they can attack anywhere (let`s say they drop `em from orbit for easiness sake, iight) BUT have only 50 games (and that is ALL players combined) to score at least 26 victories, otherwise their last ditch invasion has come to a halt and the remnants of the forces annihalated.

And now to ruin the budget

Well, two weeks ago it was FACTS and next week our club is hosting Crisis... needless to say, my wallet doesn`t like this period, but I still have pledged myself to try and keep the extra space I created for my Saints Cloths effectively for those... wish me luck hehehe

The Ghost of Far Side Future: no comment...



Is it a Launch?

So that brings us to things in the pipeline, and my own personal rating of wether or not I see this taking of...

ACTA Star Trek: not going to happen. I can`t imagine people buying the new rules, or models, and as i said earlier, after almost 7 years it`s been good but done with the rule system

Uncharted Seas: This might just work. I don`t see it becomming an every nighter, but I can see a few Siders play the game IF we communicate when we`re playing, not when suddenly two turn up and by the time the rest painted their fleet it is buried again... the fate of many a game in many a group around the globe.

SuperSystem: I HOPE this will take off. Problem is that it ain`t the simplest of rules, and errrm, let`s say Far Siders aren`t the most focussed rules-studiers in the gaming world. But I`m going to try and run a series of linked battles, titled `Zombie nation` (insert German trance classic here)

*editor`s note: okay*



which will be featured on thos very own blogspot as a team of Heroes and a team of Villains will work their way to a common finale. Think of it a bit in prgressing as Marvel`s EXCELLENT Civil War series from not to long ago, where lines became more and more blurred until the climax of the storyline.

So that is about it for this issue, as CRISIS is upon us, and I will be there a couple of days helping with the build up and all, so if you read this blog, and are one of my loyal fanbase (or, alternatively, you want to punch me in the nose), make sure to drop by on saturday to say hi. If it`s for the punch, i`ll probably point to my neighbour claining `he`s Tomsche` teeheeehee

Ciao Ciao, and till the next time!