Dear friends, my dice did betray me last weekend at the ATC Horus Heresy event in Chattanooga. Despite that, Blake and I went 3-0 in our 2,000 point doubles games on Saturday and 1-1 in our Zone Mortalis games on Friday. The level of betrayal was such that I was tempted halfway through to buy some dice from a vendor, but I’m trying not to spend on non-essentials. (I’m convinced the problem was due to color. I don’t have blue and gold dice to match my army. I was rolling white dice.)
Blake won a trophy for being awesome, and we both got swag. In fact, the miniatures I got as rewards were worth more than twice what I paid for the event. Huzzah! Everyone in the Heresy space was friendly and awesome. The much larger, Warhammer 40k tournament next to us looked intense. I hope those folks had as much fun as we did.
Here are a couple of pictures from the event. We also went to Ruby Falls, ate lots of good food, and had a blast. Big, big thanks to Blake, Tiffany, and Aubrey. I could not have attended the event without y’all, and if I could have, it would not have been nearly as much fun.
Note: I haven’t finished painting my Ultramarines. I made them event ready. Each unit is about 75% complete. I still have to paint details, apply decals, and finish the bases. Please don’t judge me 😬
For those of you who don’t know, Warhammer: The Horus Heresy is a tabletop miniatures wargame. Below is the description Chat-GPT gave me when I asked it to describe the game in the style of H.P. Lovecraft. After I removed all the errors 🙄.
(It was mostly errors. This technology may eventually replace a lot of us genre-fiction writers, but I figure it’s at least a decade away from that. I say that not as an expert but as someone who spent a couple of days playing around with the technology.)
Beware, intrepid souls, for within the inky shadows of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy lies a harrowing tabletop miniatures game that delves into the abyssal depths of a grim and forbidding future in the 31st millennium. It is a saga steeped in eldritch lore, entwined with the cosmic cataclysm of the Horus Heresy, a civil war of cosmic proportions that threatens to unravel the very fabric of the Imperium of Man. Herein, players shall assume command of arcane legions, intricately molded into figurines that bear witness to their dark allure. Amidst hauntingly detailed miniatures, one shall navigate treacherous battles across the stars, their strategies intertwined with an ever-looming sense of existential dread. The forbidden allure of narrative storytelling intertwined with tactical mastery beckons those who dare to traverse these accursed realms, awakening a chilling sense of awe and terror that echoes through the boundless cosmos.
I have been playing miniature wargames since I was… 14, starting with Battletech. Then at 17, I got my first taste of Warhammer 40,000. I enjoy all aspects of the hobby: assembling and painting the miniatures, working on my lists, playing the game, learning the lore.
If any of you are into miniature wargaming, leave a comment and let me know what you play.
This Week & Next
I released two more Storm Phase chapters this week, and there will be another next week, along with the final installments of Gadda Bisby’s Grail.
The July issue of Rogues & Starships Monthly will go out to Superfan members soon. This will be the first one, and I’m still exploring how to handle the cover art and arrange things. It will also go up for direct sale, too.
Books I’m Reading
I frequently listen to audiobooks while painting miniatures. Over the last couple of weeks, I have been listening to the Outworld Ranger series while painting. Peter Kenny does such a great job narrating the books that I sometimes forget that I wrote them. (Having a terrible story memory helps in this regard.)
If any of you picked up the Outworld Ranger box set, it would be a huge help if you could give it a rating. The first review it got was two stars, which isn’t great for bringing in new readers.
Movies & Shows
I finally saw Ant-Man: Quantummania. Loved it. The movie felt like a Marvel comic to me.
I also watched Fast & Furious 5 and 6 last week. Or was it 4 and 5? It’s my first time seeing these films. They’re the sort of dumb fun that makes for a perfect end to a long, taxing day.
And I started the latest season of The Mandalorian.
Otherwise, I’m watching Law & Order Criminal Intent at lunch and Supernatural at dinner. I haven’t finished Supernatural yet, but I’m going to be sad when I reach the end.
It’s difficult avoiding spoilers for all these shows. I never seem to watch things when they come out, and I just don’t have the time to see all the shows, even the ones I’m excited about.
Poker Face is the best show I’ve watched this year. How about you? What’s your favorite show lately? No spoilers!
Best wishes and happy reading,
David Alastair Hayden
Want to control which posts end up in your inbox? Go to your account settings.
All right! I finally sat down to catch up on fun and exciting news. I'll be catching up over these next days and it's so great to see someone totally Going For It!