AMA is Reborn

[ArchMagosAlchemys]

The combination of a bad cold and a terrible pollen season here in Atlanta (120 per cc is extreme, the high was 5780!) laid me low for the last couple of months. Almost the only relief I could get was lying flat on my back for 12 hrs a day to let the fluid and pressure drain from inside my head. With teachers being laid off by the hundreds and private school numbers falling, I cannot afford to take sick days and risk losing my job to the healthy ones.

At times I have so many pills in me, I rattle when I walk. I cannot afford the advanced zombification of the side-effects of strong drugs if I am to teach either.

Still no real clue to the cause, but some kind of allergy or auto-immune problem is the best guess (and I emphasize guess) at the moment. Even in moments of pain-driven weakness I have refused to allow general rummaging around in my skull without a definite plan of action. Next time, we may have more 'luck' divining a cause,

I just don't know when the next attack will be and that makes me far less reliable that I'd like to be. I have three more weeks before the end of the school year and then a week or so of post-plannning. In the summer I hope to have a lot more time.

It is wonderful to be able to sit upright at the computer after school without worring about the feeling that the pressure inside my head will blast my eyeballs through the screen. I am still not completely well and the chronic lack of sleep has its side-effects too,

Anyone care to give me a summary of what I missed and what is new from the couple of months.

[Beithir Seun]

It's great to hear from you again AMA! Welcome back I think I can speak for pretty much everyone when I say you've been solely missed

The illness does not sound at all good, or pleasant, especially as you still have no solid diagnosis of what it might be. Still, it's good to know that you're still with us and still mostly alive



As for what you've missed, well there's one big thing - Asrai.org is in the process of developing it's own site campaign (in a similar vein to those run by Da Warpath and Warhammer-Empire...). So far things are progressing well. You can read a bit more about it here and here

In other news, 8th Edition Warhammer is just around the corner and rumours abound regarding the changes we're likely to see. It looks like there is going to be a pretty major overhaul of the core rules which could see a lot change for everyone, including Wood Elves.

There are a few other things going on on the site as well; we're just about to run another WFO tournament (more info here). The Winter Modelling Challenge has concluded - you can take a look at the results in this thread. We've also continued with the Monthly Modelling Challenges and the Artisan's Contests, both of which have produced some great entries so far for 2010.

There are a few things going on with the LEAF as well, so you might want to have a read of the forum about those. Primarily, we've recruited two new members (Tuhis and Herald) to work on expanding the P&M articles in particular. There's actually a PM sitting in your Inbox regarding the LEAF which is particularly relevant given the contents of your post. When/if you have the time, we can have a chat about what you want to do with regard to the LEAF

That's all I can think of right now It's great to see you're still with us - there were quite a few people getting quite worried about not hearing from you for so long!

[ArchMagosAlchemys]

Yes. I have not been checkin my e-mail in case there was something there I just had to respond to and I would have felt guilty for not doing so. Better not to know.

What's the next new army book?

I'll catch up on the modeling things and I feel very bad about not being able to hold up 'my end'. Unfortunately, depression is a side-effect of both the condition and the medication, and that's not something I've ever had to deal with before. Just getting up and going to work can be a struggle.

How have the Beastmen turned out?

Thanks for the re-greeting too. It's great to be welcomed back.

[Beithir Seun]

The next new army book is up for debate at the moment. It was going to be Ogre Kingdoms, just after 8th Edition was released, but apparently they've put it back in the schedule due to compatability issues with the forthcoming rulebook...

Next on the list after Ogres was Tomb Kings, and that's looking increasingly more likely.

Don't worry about the modelling things; I know you would hold up "your end" if you were able to, so it says a lot for the seriousness of your illness that you weren't. Don't beat yourself up about it

Beastmen look pretty good on paper; certainly powerful, but not quite OTT. Unfortunately, I've not had the chance to play against them yet (or any other army lately for that matter...) so I can't really say too much. I'm sure someone like Unicorn would be able to fill you in though

[Minsc]

Ah, my favourite teacher that I haven't even met!
Welcome back AMA!

If you're curious about the new beastmen, head over to The Herdstone. The ammount of whine (borderland to Ulthuan) there should give you a hint about the powerlevel of the new beastmen. (I however think it's rather balanced - I guess thats the source of most of the whining - they didn't get to the same powerlevel as the big 3.)

[ArchMagosAlchemys]

It will take me about a month (or more) to catch up on the ZILLION new posts since late February.

I've been catching up on 8th rumours. Scenarios will mean we lose our free wood unless pitched battles and I'm not sure how TK and VC will function at low point levels with a 25% point limit on Characters.

I hope that we at Asrai.org will be more sensible and analytical when we discover what got nerfed (and discover what unit developed superpowes). No matter what, in general, speed kills, and we should still have that.

Unfortunately, I have not playeed a game in SO long.

[shiodome]

Ah man-flu, dreaded scourge of half the population throughout history.

[Salamander]

I was begining to think about where you had gone

Glad to see your back here (sorta)

[mabelode]

Welcome back Trying to sound Yoda-ish; "sorely missed you were".

[Herald]

Good to hear you've kept your fighting spirit, AMA! We certainly miss you here, but that's hardly important, other than perhaps to bring a little relief. Keep the faith, brother, you will be all right again.

[Mist Walker]

Oh good, was starting to get quite concerned.

Beithir's list is pretty extensive as to what's happened. Beastmen aren't broken, they have some nasty choices and rules but over all they balance out fairly nicely I think. And there might be and Orcs and Goblins book round the corner but I'm not sure how reliable that is or where it's from

Again, welcome back

[Beithir Seun]

And there might be and Orcs and Goblins book round the corner but I'm not sure how reliable that is or where it's from

That depends on how far "round the corner" is I don't think it's too far away - right now, Avian and Hastings (of Warseer fame) have a bet on that the new O&G book will be out by February 2011. We do know that it's being written by Jeremy Vetock...

[t12161991]

Glad to see that you're still alive!

[ArchMagosAlchemys]

Thanks for the knid words.

I feel like dog doo-doo and my bed time is about 8:00 PM if I wish to survive the next day, but it's better than before. I don't anticipate playing any (many) 8th ed games this summer, so I'm worried that I'll get totally irrelevant to the board. Hope my 1000 point Sethayla (with 2 x 10 GG and 2 x 5 GR) will still work, it's a gem of an army and has worked well for me.

There was talk of GW Blood Bowl game with WE. How did that turn out?

I am reluctant to commit to anything so I don't let people down if I suffer another relapse,

[Beithir Seun]

There was talk of GW Blood Bowl game with WE. How did that turn out?

Do you mean the computer game?

[ArchMagosAlchemys]

Yes. Supposed to be a digital incarnation of the board game. No sign of it in the local ads I was reading, on my back.

[Beithir Seun]

Yeah, it's been out for a while. The adverts have probably been and gone.


I've got the PC version. The turn-based mode is an exact copy of real Blood Bowl - a faithful reproduction of LRB 6.0. The Blitz mode is a looser but more fast-paced interpretation, but it's absolutely great fun

I've not played the multiplayer version yet, so I can't really comment.

[ArchMagosAlchemys]

The PC version is worth it over the board game? (If I can find it)

[Beithir Seun]

Well...


There are positives and negatives. First and foremost, you can play the PC game by yourself against the computer and at your convenience. It's also cheaper than the board game. You can play any of the 8 teams from the off (9 if you get the Dark Elves version) and don't need to do any paperwork. The AI will never come close to giving you the same challenge as another human, but you can play multiplayer online or a "Hot Seat" turn-based mode game with 2 players on the same console...


Honestly, I don't really think it's a fair comparison. Get both! The PC game will never match the full experience of real Blood Bowl, but real Blood Bowl is only any good if you've got someone to play against In the meantime, the PC game is a good stand-in I think.

[ArchMagosAlchemys]

I already have the board game; rather old and tattered and not used for nearly ten years. I have an Undead/Vampire team; love Mummies.

Seems like you think the PC version is OK. I'll see if I can find it.

[Beithir Seun]

Well, if you've not used the board game for ten years then the PC game becomes the more attractive option. I think it's more than OK, so definitely worth getting.

[ArchMagosAlchemys]

Yes, a little like my Mordheim and BFG. I'll get it if I can find it.

[Beithir Seun]

Looks like you got back just in time to celebrate another completed circuit around the Sun as well Happy Birthday!!!

[ArchMagosAlchemys]

Yes, and other circuit. Thanks for remembering.