Happy New Year!

Didn't want to say much more, just wishing everyone a Happy New Year! I have been starting to write more, so you can expect to see some posts soon!

More than Monthly Summary for September 2020

Yeah... I've been busy the last few months- work has restarted, so I haven't had much time to update the blog.  But I have some time now, so let's try to update this with everything that I've done from July to September.  I'm sure this will be long, so I'm sorry.

Games Played

• July
• Marvel Champions - three games, two with Rob, and one by myself.  My solo game was using the Black Widow and Doctor Strange pre-constructed decks, that I hadn't tried yet.  Because they both were new, and Doctor Strange has a different mechanic than usual, I decided to go with my old testing Villain - Rhino with Bomb Scare.  This combination made this game... very very easy.  But hey, at least I learned how these two heroes play.  The two games with Rob were to help him learn the game, so the first game was also against Rhino/Bomb Scare, since it's an easy one to learn with.  I took the Black Widow/Justice pre-con, he took the Thor/Aggression pre-con, and we easily won.  We then switched to a harder scenario, Mutagen Formula/Goblin Gimmicks, and he switches to the Dr. Strange/Protection pre-con.  We do fine, but after making it to the second stage, we get swamped, and lose the following turn.
  
• Marvel: Crisis Protocol - one game against Matt, using a Cabal roster against Matt's Avenger focused team.  I don't have any good notes about this game, other than I managed to win 16-15, a VERY close game.
  
• Reichbusters - one game with Bob.  This is a co-operative game, where we (generally) start out in a stealth mode, try to get as far into a mission as possible, and then usually must shoot our way out.  We played the first scenario, and only triggered the alarm at the very end, so a very easy win in our first experience with this game.
  
• Star Wars: X-Wing - one game against Matt.  I took my old Resistance Rey/Poe list, against a Scum list Matt was running.  I make a lot of dumb decisions early, and take tremendous amounts of damage for it, eventually losing Poe.  With only one ship left, I start flying much better, and somehow stay out of arcs with Rey, while gradually killing Matt's ships, eventually winning the game with Rey at three remaining damage.
  
• August
• Marvel Champions - four games.  The first was a solo play, using the recently released Hulk pre-con along with Justice Iron Man to play Klaw/Doomsday Chair.  Things go south very quickly, as Klaw blows through his schemes, and I never manage to threaten before losing.  The final three games were with Rob, first using Justice Iron Man with Rob taking the Hulk/Aggression deck against that Klaw/Doomsday Chair combo.  We get MODOK against us four separate times, but manage to kill him each time, and slowly eat through Klaw, eventually winning.  Then, we took the same decks against the Wrecking Crew.  We each have a GREAT early setup, but then Piledriver triggers, clearing both of our board states, and we just can't recover, and get killed. Finally, I switched to a Leadership/Dr. Strange deck, with Rob sticking with the Hulk, and took on Wrecking Crew again.  We go to battle, and quickly drop two of the villains, before Hulk is killed.  Things are looking grim, but Dr. Strange hangs on long enough to get us the win!
  
• Reichbusters - four games with Bob.  I am going to admit, I didn't take as great notes as I should have (I'll do better next time we play this).  First, we played the second scenario, and do accidentally trigger the alarm, but we are so close to the end of the game that it proves to be irrelevant, and we win.  We played scenario three over two sessions and switched in Brick for Red Hawk. This scenario starts in combat mode, so we start off swamped with enemies.  Most of our characters are slammed near the entrance, but somehow we get Sarge with the Scientist behind all of the enemies, and even though Brick takes a beating (and several permanent wounds), we are able to complete the mission with Sarge basically sneaking out the back.  We then play scenario four... where I didn't take any notes, but I know we switched Red Hawk back in, and I know we won.  I think we each have two skills at this point, too.  So far, the game has proven to be pretty fun!
  
  
• Cat Lady - two games with Rachael and Marina.  The first game, we play only with the base set, and I teach the game to Rachael.  My strategy is to grab every toy on the table, which I do, and end up winning very handily.  The second game, we include the expansion, and I think I'm doing quite well, but Rachael ends up beating me by like 10, and I end a single point ahead of Marina.  I must admit, for three players, the expansion doesn't really add all that much- a lot of the cards are only usable in 4+ player games, and I mostly play 2-3.
  
• Star Wars: X-Wing - two games with Matt.  I take a Scum list in my first game, running a bunch of decent Initiative pilots, and once again, I lose a bunch of ships early, and have to play comeback against Matt's Empire list.  I do, and eventually win.  We play a second game soon after, and I take a double Defender Empire list, and get off to a great shot, kill one of Matt's Separatist drones on the first turn with a long-range shot.  From there, though, it just goes downhill, as I just can't handle all the ships I'm facing.  He wears me down and beats me.
  
• Cthulhu: Death May Die - one game with Rob on TTS.  We play the very first scenario as we learn the game.  He takes Rasputin, I take whichever person has the Connected ability.  Our Elder One was Cthulhu.  Game goes fine, and we have fun, but we NARROWLY win, as in we win on the last roll of our turn, with certain defeat the result if we fail.  Can't ask for a closer finish than that!  This is a game I'd love to play more, too- lots going on, and lots to do, all of it fun.
  
• September
• Marvel Champions - four games.  The first three games were Rob and I tackling the Rise of Red Skull campaign, both with us taking the decks included in the box- Leadership Hawkeye, and Justice/Aggression Spider-Woman.  We don't actually run into any problems.  Campaign wise, Rob uses his once per campaign ability against Taskmaster, and at this point has two campaign allies in his deck.  I haven't used my once per campaign ability, and only have one ally.  Later in the month, I play a solo game using Protection Black Widow and Aggression/Justice Spider-Woman against a Masters of Evil/Power Drain/Running Interference Crossbones deck.  Several Masters of Evil come out early, engaging the heroines, but I stun them as they come out, gradually kill them, and after a few turns, I'm taking big chunks out of Crossbones every turn.  I manage to win before he even gets to his second stage.
  
• Space Hulk - four games against Bob.  We play the first two scenarios twice apiece, switching sides.  Scenario one ends with a Genestealer win for both of us, although I admit Bob actually was quite a bit closer to the target room than I was.  In scenario two, I take the Space Marines first, and focus heavily on the part of the map with the long corridor, eventually sealing it off.  Unfortunately, this gives Bob a lot of time to get all over the corridors on the other side of the board, and I lose some Marines clearing them out.  Overall, I'm doing fine, and end up with my Assault Cannon guy (4 ammo left) against two Genestealers.  I walk up to take a shot on one of them, which would almost certainly seal my victory.... then roll triple ones, blowing up, and ending the game.  *sigh.  We switch sides, and Bob is better about keeping pressure on both sides of the map.  I take a lot more risks, and manage to get some Genestealers behind his lines, but I make too many stupid choices (for instance, I waste like 7 Genestealers trying to kill his Sergeant with Storm Shield and Thunder Hammer).  He clears the board, but declares it a loss for him, because he accidentally overspent on CPs one turn.  Personally, I consider that a win for him, but I guess the official record will show otherwise...
  
• Marvel: Crisis Protocol - three games against Matt.  First game was Avengers against Matt's Asgardians.  We trade shots back and forth, score a bunch of points, and things get close... I end up winning 16-13 as I manage to narrowly hold a middle objective that gives me the final points I need.  Second game, I play Cabal against his Black Order.  This may have been the most one-sided game I've ever played- I just destroyed everything he sent forward. Dazed multiple characters in one activation, scored a ton of points... just a really punishing game for him.  The third game was a Cabal roster of MODOK, Red Skull, Zemo, and Iron Man against Defenders with Black Widow, Dr. Strange, Wong, Shuri, and Valkyrie. Gamma Shelters and Skrulls Invade were the scenarios. Matt manages to get the Skrull with Black Widow... then moves her into the center of the board, where I move her with MODOK, kill her, take the Skrull, park in the back, and just contest him in the middle enough to get the win (16-12, I think).
  
• Nemesis - one game with Bob.  We each take two characters. I move around the ship, accomplish my objects just fine for both of my characters. Bob focuses on finding the Comms room and ends up getting swamped with Invaders. We end up calling it as things started getting worse and worse.
  
  

New Arrivals

I know there's a lot here, but please remember that this is over three months.

• Devastator Deck for the Transformers TCG.  Wanted to try the game, and wanted to make sure I had two decks to play with.
• Riot Quest Miniatures - Flugwug, Malvin and Mayhem, and Weird Wendell.  I'm up to 19 total figures, almost enough to have two full teams!
• Warmachine/Hordes miniatures - Eilish2, Cephalyx Overlords, a Shrieker, a Tormentor, a Khador Heavy jack, two Crucible Guard heavy jack kits, Omadamos, the Minicreate for Lord Carver and Issyria.
• Monsterpocalypse miniatures - Smashville campaign box, and a Downtown Highrise.
  
  
• Trois Batailles en Allemagne from Legion Wargames.
  
• Issue 12 of Counterfact magazine, containing the game The Mannerheim Line Campaign.  Magazine was quite interesting, but it sounds like it might have run its course, which is unfortunate.
  
• Rebels and Patriots - a ruleset for miniature battles in Revolutionary North America.
• Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika - the first wave from the Kickstarter arrived!
  
• Warhammer 40K (Ninth Edition) - received the Indomitus box.  Looks like I'm playing 40K again.
• Everdell base game.  My wife was interested in this, so I picked it up.  Still unplayed, haha.
• Twilight Imperium (Fourth Edition).  Looked interesting, so I grabbed it, even though I know Rob owns it.
• Against the Odds issue 52.  This contains the game Operation Ichi-Go, covering the 1944 Japanese offensive in China.  It also contained a bonus mini-game Imua!: The Unification of Hawaii.  The magazine was excellent- if you've not read Against the Odds, I would recommend them.
• Battles Magazine issue 14, with the game Storm Over Madrid 1936.  Battles is a FANTASTIC magazine, another one I would recommend to anyone who is interested in conflict simulation games.
• 1565 St. Elmo's Pay, a card wargame about the Siege of Malta.  I have the first game in this series, on the Battle of Hastings, which I also haven't played.
• Bloody Mohawk: The French and Indian War.  This is my first game on the French and Indian War, and I received this from Lock 'n Load Publishing for subscribing to War Diary magazine.  Looks like a very great intro wargame.
• A bunch of expansions for various card games, such as the Investigator starters for Arkham Horror, a bunch of Nightmare decks for Lord of the Rings, the X-Files set for VS2CG, and so on.
  

Miniature Assembly/Painting

• I've done a lot of assembly, but I didn't keep track of exactly what, so I'll just skip that, and talk about the more interesting piece...
• I have been painting!  I've been working on my Stalkers, and have actually made great progress! 
  
  

Reading

• I finished the Dragonlance Chronicles series, and mostly enjoyed it.  I think it got a bit worse as it went on, and honestly, the ending book felt... weak.  But it was still worth the read.
• Broken Legions and Rebels and Patriots - two rules systems from Osprey Games.  I don't have miniatures for either of these currently, but the rule systems look to have some potential.  Maybe someday!
• The new Warhammer 40K rulebook.  This was part of the Indomitus box set gifted to me by a friend (thanks BK!).  I have read it, and I gotta say... it looks like a blast!  

Kickstarter

• I am going to skip this for this period, because I totally didn't keep track of this for the last few months.
  

Resolution progress

• Painting Points: Currently 0/10.  By the time I've written this, I've actually completed some models, but that is for next month!
  
• Number of Unplayed Games: We aren't going to talk about this one :(
  
• Warmachine/Hordes games: Still no games played.  Still want to try Wartable.
• Number of Books Read: I am at 20 books right now.  Doing well!
  
• Weight lost: I gained some of my weight back, sadly.  So only down 8 on the year, but I've been starting to be more active daily, so I still will try to turn this around.
  

Monthly Summary for June, 2020

A little delayed!

Games Played

• Europe in Turmoil - Two plays of one full game.  I played the Liberals, and Rob took the Authoritarian powers.  Early game went Rob's way fully, as I struggled to get momentum anywhere on the map.  At one point, he is sitting on 12 Victory Points (I think 20 triggers an automatic victory).  I start to catch back up with play in Austria-Hungary and the Balkans, and I'm in good position to score some serious points on the turn that Rob manages to trigger the Great War.  We play a war round, closing the gap further, but when we do final scoring, I'm not able to make enough ground, and the final score has Rob beating me by five points.

New Arrivals

• Project: Elite - A Kickstarter I backed that arrived this month.  Looks to be a super interesting game, and something I think I can get played at some point upon things opening back up.
  
• Elder Scrolls: Call to Arms - Received this for my birthday from Rob, a new minis game set in the Elder Scrolls world.  Rules and minis look pretty good.  I currently have the Core Box and the Stormcloak faction starter.
• Advanced Squad Leader: Red Factories - Received this from my wife for my birthday.  I've actually been pretty happy to get some new things to expand my ASL collection, I can't wait until I have some time to play these!
  
• The Operation Nightfall starters for Spycraft: The Collectible Card Game.  After playing this on TTS with Rob, I figured I enjoyed it enough that I wouldn't mind having some cards.  So I got some!
  
• Some cards for the Transformers TCG.  Eh, I was curious about it.  Picked up some cards, and I'll give it a shot.
• The new Commander 2020 decks.
  
• A few other miniatures - Roget d'Vyaros, Doctor Stygius, Targ, Megaton Mashup, 100% Mayhem, two mini-crates.  Clearly a bunch of Privateer Press stuff.
  
• The Men of Hawkshold box for Battleground, from the Kickstarter.  I love this game, and I have the original set of these guys, but wanted the updated cards (as some errata has been incorporated).  I'm eager to back the new faction, too!
  

Miniature Assembly/Painting

• Still mostly assembly.  More Riot Quest, Monsterpocalypse, and Warmachine minis.  I am fully done with every Star Wars Legion model I own (need to buy more).  Painting on my Stalkers slowed down, although I did sit down for a major painting session only to discover my metal paints were all bad.  I bought new metal paints, so I'll be set to go when I can get some time.

Reading

• Finished Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software.  Found it pretty interesting.  Several of the patterns I have used multiple times, so the refresher was nice, and I did manage to pick up some new ideas from the book.  Should help me think about how I design software in the future.
• Finished Simulating War: Studying Conflict through Simulation Games.  This is a topic I find endlessly interesting, and this book proved to be worth the time, definitely.  It was super interesting to not only have different design strategies discussed, with examples, but also I found some new ideas that will be a huge help if I ever decide to try my luck at designing a wargame.
• Finished Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football.  This is a memoir by John Urschel, who played football with the Baltimore Ravens, but is also a dedicated and successful mathematician.  A very quick, enjoyable read.

Kickstarter

• I honestly can't recall.  The summer has kind of run together.  I'll try to update this correctly next month.

Resolution progress

• Painting Points: Currently 0/10.  I actually sat down to paint, realized my paints were bad, and then bought more paints.
• Number of Unplayed Games: Down another three.  July will see me start playing games again, so although I won't hit my goal, I should try to keep it even.
• Warmachine/Hordes games: No games played this month.  I really need to try out Wartable.
• Number of Books Read: Up to eleven, so a little behind schedule.
• Weight lost: Down 18 pounds on the year.  Still going well.

Monthly Summary for May, 2020

Another rough month for gaming, as even with the lockdown lifted, our options for gaming are still pretty limited.

Games Played

• Cataclysm - Two plays of the same game, as we finished our multi-session game.  I was playing as Germany, Dan as Italy/Japan, Rob as the West, and Mark as the Soviet Union.  This month started with Germany in a rough situation, with the USSR right on my eastern border, having attacked into Germany with moderate losses.  I had managed to conquer France and knock it out of the war early, however, which meant I had some time before I dealt with my Western Front.  The game proceeded well, however, as I do cause the USSR some losses quickly, and push them back some, and Japan helped by attacking the USSR in the Eastern side of the map, causing them to lose victory points, and keep some units in Moscow to prepare to recapture their lost areas.  The UK re-invades France, and pushed me back into Germany.  Things were starting to look pretty bleak until I made a very bad attack back into France, rolling one dice (with a plus one modifier) against Rob's three dice.... but then I rolled a 6 (became a 7), he rolled triple ones, collapsed, and offered an armistice.  With no western threat, Japan, Italy, and Germany could all focus on the Soviet Union, already stretched thin, and they decided to call it with an Axis win.
• Spycraft CCG - Two plays, as Rob taught me the game on Tabletop Simulator.  We just played with some starter decks, and I played two different decks, and won both games.  Overall, game seemed to be a lot of fun.  Maybe something I'll pick some cards up for.

New Arrivals

• Issue 51 of Against the Odds Magazine, containing the game Almost a Miracle!, a game related to the earlier Tarleton's Quarter, and covers the American Revolutionary War in the north.
• A bunch of new Warmachine/Hordes/Riot Quest/Monsterpocalypse miniatures.  An Infernal Gate, Captain Crawtooth, Ledfoot & Tredz, Assault Apes, and a Tormentor.
• Forgotten War, the Korean War module for Advanced Squad Leader.

Miniature Assembly/Painting

• I continued painting my Stalkers, doing the drybrushing on them.  I now just need to decide what my next steps will be.
• More assembly of random items.
  

Reading

• Finished reading the Dungeon Master's Guide.  Very interesting read, and actually, I feel like I have all the tools I need to start running a campaign!
• Finished reading Against the Odds # 51, covering the American Revolutionary War campaign in the north.  Overall, a pretty good issue, although I think the main article was a bit underwhelming- it was too much 'this campaign happened.  Troops moved here and here.  Then this campaign happened.'  Maybe it would make for a good overview, but I think it could have been a bit more developed.
• Continued making progress through Simulating War and Design Patterns.  In a non-fiction period at the moment, I suppose :)

Kickstarter

• Completed the Pledge Manager for Marvel United, as I thought it would be a good game to play with younger gamers.

Resolution progress

• Painting Points: Currently 0/10.  Hopefully June sees me complete my minis.
• Number of Unplayed Games: Down another one- I can't play anything, really, and a few small things come in.  Really hard to move in this.
• Warmachine/Hordes games: No games played this month, but really, this isn't my fault.
• Number of Books Read: Eight books completed, with two more I think I can finish in June.
• Weight lost: Down 16.5 pounds on the year.  Going VERY nicely :)

Monthly Summary for April, 2020

Oh, what a month.  All month at home, with my in-laws living with us, led to a lot of stress, and a lot less free time than I would've liked.  They've gone home now, so at least my home time should be a bit more relaxing.  I hope that translates to me actually getting more done though.

Games Played

• Root - Three plays, amounting to a single full game.  This was a five player game on Tabletop Simulator.  I took the Marquise de Cat, Dan took the Eyrie Dynasties, Rob took the Underground Duchy, Mark took the Lizard Cult, and Kaitlyn took the Riverfolk Company.  I had never taken the cats before, but they seem like the easiest faction, so I felt like I would be fine.  I did okay, although I never did expand much past the Keep clearing, and the three adjacent clearings, as at different times, the Duchy and Lizard Cult came and cleared out any attempts to expand further.  Overall, I'm pretty happy with how I did.  I ended the game tied for second with 21 points, with Kaitlyn winning handily.  I had a chance to keep the game running, by clearing her last trading post on the map (meant she could've only gotten to about 28 points instead), but I rolled double zeros in two straight combats, and couldn't get enough done to finish things.
• Cat Lady - Two games against my wife, with each of us winning one game.  I don't really remember more details of the individual games, sadly.
• Triumph & Tragedy - Two plays of one continuous game on TTS, with me playing as the Soviet Union.  Rob is playing the Axis, and Dan is the West.  At the end of the last turn, the West and Axis are at war, and I'm actually slowly building with few things challenging me.  I don't know if we will continue this, sadly, but if so, I'm in pretty good shape!
• Expedition Altiplano - One play with Marina, but we didn't finish.  Marina wasn't super into the game, and since she would likely be the only person I would ever play it with, I ended up throwing it out after playing :(.
  
• Jenga - One game with Marina, on the floor, with our cat... helping, I guess?  Anyway, Marina ends up winning.
  
• Star Wars: Rebellion - One game with Rob on TTS.  I play the Empire, expand aggressively, and put him on the run.  I carefully limit how much I have on its own, trying to negate potential easy victory points for him.  He flees once, but misremembers where, and I make a comment towards the end of the game that he can only be in one of two places- one I could get to and conquer, and one I couldn't.  He realizes he's messed up, and concedes.

New Arrivals

• A package from DiscountGames, with a bunch of Privateer Press stuff- Great Princess Regna Gravnoy, a Void Archon, a Power Plant for Monsterpocalypse, Gorman the Mad, and Scythe.
• Old School Tactical, Volume III, covering the Pacific Theater!
  
• Some paint and superglue.

Miniature Assembly/Painting

• I have been making steady progress on my Infernals army, my Riot Quest minis, and what I need for both Blackstone Fortress and Monsterpocalypse.  Good, steady, assembly work.
• I've also been painting some!  It's slow going, but I'm working on my four Stalkers, for my Cryx army!
  

Reading

• My reading through the Dungeon Master's Guide, Simulating War, and Design Patterns is all ongoing.  I finished no additional book this month, sadly, although I'm almost done with the DMG.

Kickstarter

• Filled out the Pledge Manager for Successors.  Going to get the new game, and the upgrades to Hannibal.
• Completed the Pledge Manager for Warcaster.  My wife gave me some additional money (I begged :) ), so I was actually able to spring for the big reward level, giving me a playable army in every single faction!  I can't wait to see this one start delivering!
• As mentioned above, Volume III of the Old School Tactical Kickstarter arrived!

Resolution progress

• Painting Points: Currently 0/10.  I have actually made good progress on some minis (see above), so I should be able to add points soon.
• Number of Unplayed Games: Unchanged- this was a rough month to play games, and really, none of the people I play online seem interested in anything I own.
• Warmachine/Hordes games: No games played this month, but really, this isn't my fault.
• Number of Books Read: I am still at seven books for the year, but I'm close to finishing one, and hopefully can finish two this weekend, which would put me back on pace nicely.
• Weight lost: Down 14 pounds on the year!  This is one resolution where I seem to be doing well!

Monthly Summary for March, 2020

Well, I've been forced to spend some time at home due to COVID-19, so I actually managed to get parts of this written ahead of time!

Games Played

• Marvel Champions - Four games, all solo.  First, after getting the new Thor pack, I ran it along with Justice Black Panther against Klaw/Running Interference.  The fight went back and forth, but I managed to see Thor at his best, and managed to win.  Then I played two games with Aggression Black Panther and Justice Ms. Marvel.  Game one, BP dies early into Risky Business/Under Attack... but Ms. Marvel hangs on, builds up, and eventually manages to win.  Game two, Ms. Marvel dies early into Mutagen Formula/Under Attack... but Black Panther just goes crazy, killing things easily, and wins.  I guess I need to figure out a way to make both of these a bit more survivable.  Finally, I took Protection She-Hulk and Leadership Thor against Mutagen Formula/A Mess of Things.  It... really didn't go well.  Honestly, the problem is that I can't figure out how to make She-Hulk work.  She feels SO limited, and everything I've tried just really isn't working.  I'll just keep trying her out, and hopefully I'll find something I can win with.  Some day!
• The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game - Three plays with Joey.  We play through the quests in the Khazad-Dum box. I had Elrond, Spririt Glorfindel, and Eowyn. Joey ran Dain, Gimli, and Gloin.  Into the Pit- we actually breeze right through it, clearing each location in successive turns, killing the enemies, and winning. Final score: 146. The Seventh Level - Once again, no real issues. Kill, quest, win. Final score: 151.  Flight from Moria - We get the right quest early, and decide to just stick it out, and attempt to get the Tools we need. They were the second to last card in the deck. I lose two heroes from the Nameless Fear, but still, we manage to win. Final score: 331.  Overall, we did get through all of them, and mostly did it easily.  Pretty happy!
• Keyforge - Two games with Frans.  Frans takes a deck he has seen online, a double horseman deck... and when he gets the pair of horsemen that returns the horsemen to play.. I concede.  Just no way to recover from that.  We play a second game, and I end up losing again, but it was a closer game, at least.
• Gingerbread House - One play with Rob, Pete, and Marina.  I move kind of slow to start, but everything kicks into gear towards the middle, and I start doing well. I end up winning scoring 61 points, Rob ended with 51, Pete had 43, and Marina had 29.
• Small World - One play with Marina, with her making great moves, and me dropping 5 VP to buy Berserk Elves. I end up wining 86-83.
  
• Star Wars Armada - One play with Matt, with him taking the lowest cost Super Star Destroyer.  He destroys one small ship, but I'm too nervous about tangling with him, and so don't score any points, and he wins handily.
  
• Star Wars Legion - One play with Matt.  I end up winning 3-1, with Luke eating Veers and a unit of Death Troopers in the middle of the board, which allowed me to get quite a number of points.  He spread out too much, and couldn't threaten the center when the time came. 
  
• War Room - One play, as we finish our long game.  The Axis powers (Mark and I) finished clearing the biggest threats to us, but things weren't going great everywhere.  However, Asia was completely under Japanese control, the Middle East was temporarily embattled, and Africa was about to be under Allied control again.  However, most importantly, I launched a large army into the Atlantic, and pushed toward Moscow on this turn.  The next turn, I would have likely taken Britain, and had a 50/50 chance to win the Initiative bid which would let me take Moscow, which would have triggered the auto-win condition.  With this in place, the Allies (Rob, Dan, and Scott) surrendered.
• Warmachine - Only one game with Joey.  75 points, Asphyxious1 Dark Host into his Kozlov Armored Korps. I move really aggressive, backing him off the scenario, and I score a point on his Turn 2. I clear out a bunch, but don't clear the last thing I need, and end my Turn 3 up 4-0. He fights back, contesting, and killing, and scores to bring it to 4-1. I clear a bunch more, and go up 5-1 on Top of 4. He can't contest my flag, and I win 6-1 bottom of T4.  My longest game in a while, and honestly, pretty close- I was running on fumes on my left, and my right was completely empty.  One more turn would've seen the game change badly.
  
• Cat Lady - One game with Marina.  I end up winning pretty handily by going after all the catnip on the board, and scoring a bunch of low point cats.   Final score was about 68-58.

New Arrivals

• Once again, I didn't really get all that much last month, as I've been saving some money.  I did get a few Lord of the Rings packs, two Star Wars RPG books, the Galactic Empire Conversion Kit, and Six Days War from Against the Odds as part of their annual.  This came with a game that covers the battle with the same name.  So yeah.. that's basically all I received in March.

Miniature Assembly/Painting

• Steady work on Warmachine, Crisis Protocol, Star Wars Legion and Imperial Assault, and Blackstone Fortress.  As I mentioned last month, the plan is to start painting in April!

Reading

• I finished the Player's Handbook for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.  I want to run the game, so I need to know the basic rules.  Now, I do!
• Storming the Gap: First Strike. This was a book written to go along with the World at War 85 game.  Overall, I really liked it!  Really good read that gives you a feel for how the early part of a 1985 war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact could've gone.  Loved the structure, as it really made for a very fitting pacing.  A great book that I would very much recommend.

Kickstarter

• Given the economic uncertainty from the COVID-19 situation, I didn't back anything, despite REALLY wanting to get in on the Warcaster Kickstarter.  Unfortunately, I need to make sure I have money for my bills and my family, so the Kickstarters couldn't be funded this month.  Sad, I know.

Resolution progress

• Painting Points: Currently 0/10.  Behind schedule, but I expected that so far.
• Number of Unplayed Games: I did not add any new games, and got one new one.  So down one :(
• Warmachine/Hordes games: One this month, putting me at seven for the year.  Slightly behind schedule, and likely to get much worse due to the COVID lockdown in Maryland. 
• Number of Books Read: Per Goodreads, I am at seven books read.  I must have missed putting them on here at some point.  Whatever.  No one reads this anyway, haha.  Anyway, seven books means I am on pace here.
• Weight lost: Down 6 pounds on the year!  Still slowly moving in the right direction.

Monthly Summary for February, 2020

Oops!  A 'few' days late :)

Games Played

• Marvel Champions - Six plays, all solo.  I have been playing usually once a week, as I try out different things.  I finally beat Ultron, and can say I've beaten every villain!  I'm trying a few random combinations of Aspect and Hero, seeing what I like, and see what I don't.  Been fun!
• Warmachine - Four games.  We started the month with 25 point games, and I played BK and Joey, losing both, with Skarre 1 in Dark Host.  Just tough to play at 25 points.  From there, I played some 75 point games, first against Joey, where I dropped Iron Lich Asphyxious in Dark Host into Ossrum in Hammer Strike.  He kills my Wraith Engine really early, and I struggle to do anything against his feat.  He then kills me on the next turn.  Finally, I played against BK's Menoth with Skarre in Dark Host.  He took Reznik2 in Creator's Might.  He wasn't quite prepared for what I could do, and I win by scenario early.
  
  
  
• Star Wars: X-Wing - Three games, all using the first order.  I beat Matt once, and lose to Joey twice.  I really just am not great with First Order, but I'm honestly not sure what I need to do to improve with them, other than play more.  They just don't seem to fit my style.
  
• Keyforge - Two games,  both against Matt, using some new decks from the Worlds Collide set.  I end up going 1-1.  Both of these decks look like a lot of fun, so I definitely look forward to playing them some more.
• Magic: The Gathering - Two games of Commander.  Game 1 against Matt, E, and BK. BK is using E's Lord Windgrace deck. He builds up, gets a bunch of creatures out, then manages to ultimate Vraska, killing us with 1/2 Plants.  Game 2 against Matt and E, I run Kalemne again. E's Goblins swarm the field, he gets up to like 40 something, and kills us both.
• War Room - Two plays, continuing our long game started this year.  In February, we managed to beat back the armies invading Germany through Russia long enough to give me some breathing room, and we manage to clear the middle east and threaten India.  The allies move their forces into position, but they don't leave certain places well defended... something that is going to be a problem for them, potentially. 
• Arkham Horror: The Card Game - One game with BK, playing the standalone Murder in the Excelsior.  I took Selfina (an artist?), and he took someone who has a hunch deck. Ended up going real well, we do fall behind a few turns in, but manage to claw into contention, find the final monster, and kill him, easily. Our leads were the Manager's Key, and a Locket. Really cool scenario!
• Core Space - One game with Rob.  Played mission three in core book, basically both trying to get to some traders who are to join our team or whatever. We both end up dying to Purge.  System seems okay, but I think the map system would end up getting on my nerves.
• Star Wars: Armada - One game with Matt, taking Rebels against his Imperials.  He marches an ISD right up the middle, but Raddus and his buddies manage to slowly chew away at it, killing it. I win about 300ish to 160ish.
• World at War 85 - One game against Bob. Played the first scenario, and lost pretty handily.  We played a few rules wrong, but got a good feel for the system.

New Arrivals

• I actually didn't take great notes for what I received last month, but there was nothing big, for once.  A few Warmachine miniatures, maybe a pack of cards or two... but really, that's it.  I've ordered a few things on Miniature Market, but I've had them hold the order for some time, so it wasn't shipped in February.

Miniature Assembly/Painting

• Steady work on Warmacine, Crisis Protocol, Star Wars Legion, and Monsterpocalypse miniatures.  I have finally ordered foam to protect some miniatures, so I intend to start painting in April!

Reading

• Almost all of my reading this month has been rulebooks.  I've read the rules for World at War 85, as I prepared to play it, and then finished reading so that I was ready for further game.  I also made good progress in reading the Player's Handbook for Dungeons and Dragons, giving me a good sense of the rules and how to create characters.  Didn't quite finish it by the end of the month, sadly.

Kickstarter

• I don't think I received anything new past month.  I backed the Marvel United Kickstarter at a very low level (10 dollars, maybe?), and I intend to back it higher when the Pledge Manager opens.  Beyond that... I think I've been pretty low key this month!

Resolution progress

• Painting Points: Currently 0/10.  Behind schedule, but I expected that so far.
• Number of Unplayed Games: I didn't add any new games, and played one off my list!  Movement in the right direction!.
• Warmachine/Hordes games: Four this month, so six total. On pace!
• Number of Books Read: Still at three, but I'm partially through some books.  So slightly behind, but not too badly, really.
• Weight lost: 2 pounds!.  Slowly getting there.

Marvel Champions LCG Decklist - Justice Captain America

Image taken from the FFG home page

Let's look at Captain America out of the Justice aspect.  Overall, he's fantastic in basically ANY aspect, but frequently no matter the aspect I'm in, I find myself thwarting with Captain America quite frequently.  With a 2 THW and the ability to ready himself once a turn, he's going to be able to get a lot of work done all over the game.  His hero cards give him a lot of ways to influence the game, so really, you can pick and choose what you want to focus on.  He also has multiple cards that stay on the board and generate resources, which is incredibly valuable.  Whew, what a great hero.

Okay, let's look at the deck I've been using with him:
Captain America
Packs: From Core Set to Ms. Marvel

Upgrades
2x Heroic Intuition (Core Set)
1x Captain America's Helmet (Captain America)
1x Captain America's Shield (Captain America)
2x Super-Soldier Serum (Captain America)
1x Followed (Captain America)
1x Endurance (Ms. Marvel)

Events
3x For Justice! (Core Set)
1x Great Responsibility (Core Set)
2x Fearless Determination (Captain America)
3x Heroic Strike (Captain America)
2x Shield Block (Captain America)
2x Shield Toss (Captain America)
3x Concussive Blow (Ms. Marvel)

Supports
1x Interrogation Room (Core Set)
3x Surveillance Team (Core Set)
1x Avengers Mansion (Core Set)
1x Helicarrier (Core Set)
1x Steve's Apartment (Captain America)

Resources
2x The Power of Justice (Core Set)
1x Energy (Core Set)
1x Genius (Core Set)
1x Strength (Core Set)

Allies
1x Daredevil (Core Set)
1x Jessica Jones (Core Set)
1x Mockingbird (Core Set)
1x Agent 13 (Captain America)

It's done quite well, but I admit it still needs some changes.  I find that I don't value drawing many of the cards, including Great Responsibility, Interrogation Room, and Surveillance Team.  Although, admittedly, Great Responsibility has proven to be helpful to me with the Wrecking Crew.

As I expected, he's really had no problem dealing with schemes, and gets plenty of opportunities to put some damage on the table, as well, which is nice.

He's been great into the Wrecking Crew, and the first Goblin scenario, so far.

Anyway, that's where I currently stand with this- anyone tried him out, and if so, how has he fared?

Marvel Champions LCG Decklist - Aggression Spider-Man

(Image taken from MarvelCDB)

Today, I'm going to look at where Aggression Spider-Man stands, and write out a deck for him.  Unfortunately, the Thor pack hasn't released yet, which would contain a bunch of new Aggression cards, but I'll work with what I have, and see how it goes.

Spider-Man seems like a natural fit for aggression.  He has a good ATK value of 2, and already comes with some pretty powerful attack cards in the form of Swinging Web Kick, and has the tools to keep himself alive and safe with Backflip and other cards.  He'll naturally be going in and damaging the villain, so why not add some cards to keep that damage dealing up?

Here's my deck, as it currently stands:
Spider-Man
Packs: From Core Set to Ms. Marvel

Upgrades
2x Spider-Tracer (Core Set)
2x Web-Shooter (Core Set)
2x Webbed Up (Core Set)
2x Combat Training (Core Set)
1x Endurance (Ms. Marvel)

Events
2x Backflip (Core Set)
2x Enhanced Spider-Sense (Core Set)
3x Swinging Web Kick (Core Set)
3x Chase Them Down (Core Set)
2x Relentless Assault (Core Set)
1x Uppercut (Core Set)
3x Melee (Ms. Marvel)

Supports
1x Aunt May (Core Set)
3x Tac Team (Core Set)
1x Avengers Mansion (Core Set)
1x Helicarrier (Core Set)

Resources
2x The Power of Aggression (Core Set)
1x Energy (Core Set)
1x Genius (Core Set)
1x Strength (Core Set)

Allies
1x Black Cat (Core Set)
1x Tigra (Core Set)
1x Mockingbird (Core Set)
1x Nick Fury (Core Set)

So far, I've run this in a few situations- Rhino and Risky Business, at least, and both times, it's worked great.  He keeps the damage up, and can afford to spend a turn in Alter-Ego form to heal or even build up.  Overall, he's a very strong hero, and a great damage dealer.  I'll be sure to update this as I play more, and more cards come out that he can find valuable!

Monthly Summary for January, 2020

Games Played

• Three plays of Keyforge with my brother, giving my decks from the newest expansion a run.  I end up going 2-1.
  
• War Room - Three sessions, all part of one play of this game that started in the new year.  I am playing as Germany and Italy in this play, with Mark as Japan, Rob as the United States, Dan as the UK, and Scott as the Soviet Union.  The game started with everyone pouncing on me, blunting me mightily, and I am fighting back, but things are definitely going downhill, as I've already dropped one stability level, and am one stress away from dropping again.
  
• The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game - Two plays with Joey.  I was running Boromoir, Legolas, Beravor, Joey was running Eowyn, Aragorn, Theodred.  First we play The Dead Marshes- we actually blow through this in no time. Gollum ends at five resources, 10 is commited on the Escape test, 9 is drawn, and we get through it with very few actual challenges. Score: 110.  Then we play Return to Mirkwood- we get hammered early, we get hammered late, but we cling on, and manage to not threat out long enough to win. Score: 142.
• Marvel Champions: The Card Game - Two plays by myself.  First game was Justice Captain Marvel and Aggression Spider-Man against Rhino with A Mess of Things. I blow through it, and win before being seriously threatened.  Second game was Justice Spider-Man and Protection Iron Man against Risky Business w/ The Doomsday Chair. I end up winning, but ended up struggling quite a few times as I just couldn't manage the Threat effectively.
• Warmachine/Hordes - Two games.  First game was 75 points against Joey using Asphyxious1 in Dark Host against Butcher1 in Armored Korps.  I threaten the scenario, he comes up to fight back, and I end up assassinating him.  The second game was a 25 point game against Matt S, using Trollbloods, to learn them some.  I take Minions, I feed him my army, so he gets to see his army in action, and end up losing.
  
  
• X-Wing Second Edition - One game against Joey, taking Resistance against Empire.  I flow my YT-1300 off the table when it was down to one remaining Hull, but I manage to keep my T-70s in the fight long enough to wear him down and win.
  

New Arrivals

• Pocket Landship - Newly arrived from Kickstarter.  Primarily a solo game.  Small, and looks like a blast!
• Imperial Assault: Heart of the Empire - The last big expansion for Imperial Assault that I didn't have.  Now, I just need to start finishing out those small expansions.
• A bunch of new Privateer Press miniatures- Boomhowler, Solo Artist and Black Bella, Duchess of Dread for Riot Quest, Strike Fighters and a Rocket Chopper for Monsterpocalypse, and Scrap Thralls, Lord Longfellow, and a Tormentor for Warmachine/Hordes!
• X-Wing: Rebel Alliance Conversion Kit - Figured it was time to finally get caught up on 2.0, haha.
• The Battle of Hue! - From Flying Pig Games, as part of Yaah Magazine #13.  Don't know much about it, but it might be interesting to play this and compare it to the Battles Magazine game on the subject!
• Root - Received from Kickstarter, this is a game I really enjoyed the one time I played it, some time ago.  With the recent Kickstarter, I decided to back it, and ended up getting it and all of the expansions.  Such a cute game! 
• Descent into Avernus - An Adventure book for Dungeons and Dragons.  Figure if I'm going to run a campaign, may start grabbing some resources.
• Some LCG packs - The Journey of Rhosgobel Nightmare pack and Escape from Mount Gram for Lord of the Rings, The Red Wedding for Game of Thrones, Space & Time and H.A.M.M.E.R. for VS 2PCG, and Heart of the Elders for the Arkham Horror card game.
• The new version of Cataphract from GMT Games.  This is the last game in the Great Battles of History series I was missing... and I finally have it!  Finally!   Just, super, super exciting.
• The new World at War 85 game from Lock 'n Load, via Kickstarter.  I loved the first version of this game, several years ago- what a cool theme!  WWIII starts hot in 1985 with a Soviet push into the Fulda Gap.  Great fun, and looking forward to getting this new version on the table.
• Space Infantry: Resurgence, also from Lock 'n Load, via Kickstarter.  A solitaire game with both head-to-head an cooperative modes, this game looks awesome!

Miniature Assembly/Painting

• More assembly- I'm really getting into getting my Infernals assembled, and attached my Wretches to their bases.  For Blackstone Fortress, I have three of the explorers assembled, finally.  And for Marvel: Crisis Protocol, I finished Red Skull.

Reading

• Finished The Great Pretender by Susannah Callahan.  Here is my Goodreads review: 4/5 - "Received as a Goodreads First Reads.
  
  There is three aspects to this book, each of which I feel like needs to be talked about.
  
  First, the discussion of Dr. Rosenhan's study, which I have to admit, felt a bit disappointing. This is a book with this as the primary subject, and sure, she's doing research about it. But as you find out during the read, there's a lot we still don't know regarding the study. How much was made up? How much wasn't? There's enough evidence to suspect that there's quite a lot to be suspicious about, but really, the book went on and on, and given what was (or really, wasn't) discovered regarding the study could've been told in a much shorter way. The discussions with the pseudo patients she was able to reach was very very interesting, however.
  
  Second, her (and the interviewed professional's) feelings on the direction of mental health care felt a tad out of place, although I guess it somewhat follows from the above. I felt that this kind of meandered a bit, unfocused, and was probably unnecessary.
  
  Third, a look into investigative journalism, and its process. I actually found this the most interesting part of the book, honestly. Some of the paths she uses to try to get information, going out and talking to people, even just basic internet searches... I don't know, I found it interesting!
  
  Overall, the book is fine, and it is pretty interesting. It is a bit all over the place in structure and content, which did make reading it a bit of a chore at times, but I'm glad I managed to make it through."
• Finished In the Blood by Michael Lynes.  What I posted on Goodreads: 4/5 - "This is a prequel novella about a Demigod (a son of Prometheus), his magic sword Betrayer, and his interactions/challenges/I'm not sure what you'd call it with a part of the pantheon. It's a short book, so there isn't too much to say. The writing style is fine, the character and his development over the course of the (very short) story is fairly bland. It's a quick, enjoyable read though, so I can't say too much bad about it."
• Finished Memoria by David Van Horne.  What I posted on Goodreads: 3/5 - "I received this as a Goodreads first reads.
  
  So.... this one was okay. The world building certainly seemed compelling, the characters were interesting, and sure, they were developed, but needlessly so, truthfully. The story.... well, it felt basic. Really basic.
  
  One thing to note- time travel is part of this book, and the narrative jumps all over the place. In some books, this can be really awesome, and done really well. I would not say that is the case for this book. It really really feels like the chapters of this book were dropped on the floor, shuffled, and printed in the order they ended up in. It makes the book feel... a bit scattered, honestly. I know I've seen this done effectively in some books, but this isn't one of them.
  
  Anyway. It was okay. If you like scifi, you'll probably find enough in the book to enjoy it."
• Started book three of the Aftermath trilogy by Chuck Wendig.

Kickstarter

• Received Pocket Landship, as mentioned above.
• Received Root plus all of the expansions, as mentioned above.
• I backed Car Wars, at one of the Double Ace levels.  It looks like a blast, looks like it will be good value, and my friend Mark is backing it, so I'll have someone to play against! 
• Received World at War 85, as I mentioned above. 
• Received Space Infantry Resurgence, as mentioned above.

Resolution progress

• Painting Points: Currently 0/10.  Behind schedule, but I expected that so far.
• Number of Unplayed Games: I gained five new games.  Going in the very wrong direction.
• Warmachine/Hordes games: Two total.  Slightly behind schedule, but not horribly so.
• Number of Books Read: Three, so I'm on pace here.
• Weight lost: 0.  I'll get there :)

Marvel Champions LCG Decklist - Protection Iron Man

Image taken from MarvelCDB

Oh boy, who doesn't love Iron Man??  I've played him in quite a few aspects, but this is my first time trying him with Protection.  Let's see how he looks for the moment:

Iron Man
Packs: From Core Set to Ms. Marvel

Upgrades
1x Arc Reactor (Core Set)
1x Mark V Armor (Core Set)
1x Mark V Helmet (Core Set)
2x Powered Gauntlets (Core Set)
2x Rocket Boots (Core Set)
2x Armored Vest (Core Set)
3x Indomitable (Core Set)
1x Enhanced Awareness (Captain America)
3x Energy Barrier (Ms. Marvel)
1x Endurance (Ms. Marvel)

Events
3x Repulsor Blast (Core Set)
2x Supersonic Punch (Core Set)
2x Get Behind Me! (Core Set)
2x Expert Defense (Captain America)
2x Preemptive Strike (Ms. Marvel)

Supports
1x Pepper Potts (Core Set)
1x Stark Tower (Core Set)
1x Med Team (Core Set)
1x Avengers Mansion (Core Set)
1x Helicarrier (Core Set)

Resources
2x The Power of Protection (Core Set)
1x Energy (Core Set)
1x Genius (Core Set)
1x Strength (Core Set)

Allies
1x War Machine (Core Set)
1x Luke Cage (Core Set)
1x Nova (Ms. Marvel)

This is at 41 cards, which was surprising, as I thought I had cut it down to 40.  Anyway, there are a few important things to mention.

First, I'm not the first to notice that Energy Barrier has the Tech trait.  Iron Man likes the Tech Trait.  Three of those were the first addition.

Having to balance the need for Energy Resources (for Repulsor Blast), and Science Resources, in order to give Iron Man Aerial, was pretty tough.  I am trying Enhanced Awareness to give me a few reliable turns of it, and Pepper Potts certainly helps.. but yeah, it wasn't available every turn in this deck.  Something I have to play around with. 

Anyway, I've played this once, and it did a lot of work, but of course, Iron Man is amazing as a character.  Have you tried this combo?  What did you think?

Marvel Champions LCG Decklist - Justice Spider-Man

(Image taken from MarvelCDB)

I've been playing at least a game a week, and one of the random combinations my generator told me to play was Spider-Man out of the Justice aspect, and I decided to give it a shot.  It's a bit of an odd combo- Spider-Man only has 1 Thwart, which isn't really a good fit for what Justice's goal is... but his other stats are good, and the Justice cards could be used to offset that weakness.  There certainly could be some potential.

My deck:
Justice Spider-Man

Spider-Man

Upgrades
2x Spider-Tracer (Core Set)
2x Web-Shooter (Core Set)
2x Webbed Up (Core Set)
2x Heroic Intuition (Core Set)
1x Followed (Captain America)
1x Endurance (Ms. Marvel)

Events
2x Backflip (Core Set)
2x Enhanced Spider-Sense (Core Set)
3x Swinging Web Kick (Core Set)
3x For Justice! (Core Set)
2x Great Responsibility (Core Set)
1x Concussive Blow (Ms. Marvel)

Supports
1x Aunt May (Core Set)
2x Interrogation Room (Core Set)
3x Surveillance Team (Core Set)
1x Avengers Mansion (Core Set)
1x Helicarrier (Core Set)

Resources
2x The Power of Justice (Core Set)
1x Energy (Core Set)
1x Genius (Core Set)
1x Strength (Core Set)

Allies
1x Black Cat (Core Set)
1x Daredevil (Core Set)
1x Jessica Jones (Core Set)
1x Mockingbird (Core Set)

Okay, so my main plan with this deck is to use all of the Justice cards to help handle the schemes on the board, and still leave Spider-Man free to bust some heads.

There aren't many Allies available at this point, so I included all who I thought were sensible.  Likely, any that come out, I'll use to thwart, except for Black Cat, who will just attack.

Interrogation Room feels like it's a good fit, as Spider-Man has decent offensive abilities, so there could be ample chances to trigger this.  The Surveillance Teams may end up doing a lot of lifting, and combined with For Justice! may end up being the primary means I handle threat on the board.

Followed hasn't impressed me, so I will likely replace it before I play again.

Anyway, so far, I've taken on Risky Business with the Doomsday Chair, and it wasn't exactly easy, but I did manage, and Spider-Man's ability to take on even strong Minions came in handy quite frequently.

Hopefully the upcoming Justice-focused release gives this sort of deck some new toys to play with!

Posted a list of my unplayed games!

In an effort to get my gaming more focused on my goals for the year, I've posted up a list of all of my unplayed games here.

If there's a game you particularly want to read about, or better yet, would like to play, let me know, otherwise I'll be working on going through these very soon, as soon as I clear up some of my other gaming commitments :)

Marvel Champions LCG Decklist - Aggression Captain America

Image taken from the FFG home page

I have played a few times with the Captain America preconstructed deck (a Leadership deck), but I wanted to try something different, and decided to give Aggression a shot, as my experience with it wasn't super impressive.  Here is what I ended up with:

https://marvelcdb.com/decklist/view/323/all-fun-and-games-until-you-get-a-shield-in-the-face-1.0

Captain America

Upgrades
2x Combat Training (Core Set)
1x Captain America's Helmet (Captain America)
1x Captain America's Shield (Captain America)
2x Super-Soldier Serum (Captain America)
2x Enraged (Captain America)
1x Endurance (Ms. Marvel)

Events
1x Chase Them Down (Core Set)
2x Relentless Assault (Core Set)
3x Uppercut (Core Set)
2x First Aid (Core Set)
2x Fearless Determination (Captain America)
3x Heroic Strike (Captain America)
2x Shield Block (Captain America)
2x Shield Toss (Captain America)
2x Melee (Ms. Marvel)

Supports
1x Avengers Mansion (Core Set)
1x Helicarrier (Core Set)
1x Steve's Apartment (Captain America)

Resources
2x The Power of Aggression (Core Set)
1x Energy (Core Set)
1x Genius (Core Set)
1x Strength (Core Set)

Allies
1x Hulk (Core Set)
1x Tigra (Core Set)
1x Mockingbird (Core Set)
1x Agent 13 (Captain America)

My primary goal of this deck was to stock it with physical resources to enable Hulk to stick around for a long time once I got him out, and to allow Heroic Strike to have a lot of opportunities to trigger its stun effect.  The Super-Soldier Serum, if I could get that out early, was a huge help to the latter.  In two games, it's actually played pretty well.  Captain America is actually great for handling threat on his own, and he can certainly put damage out as needed.  Overall, he's just a fantastic hero.  He can hunker down and take some blows, too, which is really helpful, keeping your allies on the table longer.

So, I've gotten two games in with this combo so far, both wins, but both against Rhino.  I'll take him on a tougher challenge as soon as I can manage.

Current Warmachine/Hordes Status

I just wanted to write some notes where I stand with my Warmachine and Hordes stuff, by faction.

Minions - This is a faction where I currently have a fully assembled and ready to go list pair:

https://conflictchamber.com/?cb201b_-2ncr4cbNjNjWfIj_bHbOhmjV7y7FbF2N___-2l494cbN4djWj_bOk6k6jXkckckckc

Minions
[Theme] Will Work For Food

[Rask 1] Rask [+27]
 - Blackhide Wrastler [16]
 - Boneswarm [7]
 - Swamp Horror [15]
 - Gatorman Soul Slave [0(5)]
Bog Trog Mist Speaker [0(4)]
Bone Shrine [2]
Dahlia Hallyr [17]
Gatorman Witch Doctor [4]
Gremlin Swarm [3]
Kwaak Slickspine & Gub, Croak Sorcerers [4]
Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor [0(5)]
Rorsh [15]
Wrong Eye [17]
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew [2]

Minions
[Theme] The Blindwater Congregation

[Maelok 1] Maelok the Dreadbound [+28]
 - Blackhide Wrastler [16]
 - Boneswarm [7]
 - Bull Snapper [5]
 - Gatorman Soul Slave [0(5)]
Bone Shrine [2]
Gatorman Witch Doctor [4]
Thrullg [0(5)]
Thrullg [0(5)]
Boil Master & Spirit Cauldron [5]
Gatorman Posse (max) [16]
Gatorman Posse (max) [16]
Gatorman Posse (max) [16]
Gatorman Posse (max) [16]

The Rask list is in need of some updates- I admit I haven't had much success with it, but I think if I am smart about choosing which list to drop into which scenario, I should be fine, as Maelok can handle most situations.  My next steps for this faction (which I may get to this year) is to update the Rask list, and get a playable, decent Jaga-Jaga list.  I own a bunch of stuff, much of it assembled, but I have a tremendous gap on the Farrow side of things, but I'll work slowly to correct that, starting with some Farrow caster in WWFF.

Cryx - I'm currently working on a Skarre1 Dark Host list:
https://conflictchamber.com/?c4201b_-1U0F1h1h1h1h2Ai22E2o2oi5nkdVbBbB

Cryx
[Theme] Dark Host

[Skarre 1] Pirate Queen Skarre [+28]
 - Stalker [8]
 - Stalker [8]
 - Stalker [8]
 - Stalker [8]
 - Skarlock Thrall [0(4)]
Bane Lord Tartarus [0(6)]
Darragh Wrathe [9]
Scrap Thrall (3) [2]
Scrap Thrall (3) [2]
Bane Knights (max) [15]
 - Bane Knight Officer [0(4)]
Bane Riders (min) [12]
Wraith Engine [15]
Wraith Engine [15]

I'm currently assembled the Wraith Engines, and I need to buy the Scrap Thralls, but I've tested the list in a few games, and it seems to play pretty well.

I am unsure what I should do for my second list.  I don't have many of the miniatures I would need to play Slaughter Fleet Raiders or Ghost Fleet, and the former seems to be a pretty competitive list.  I do have plenty of jacks to play Black Industries, however, so I may just play some random Black Industries list as I buy what I need for Slaughter Fleet.  So really, this year, I'm going to finish getting that Skarre1 list fully assembled, and then work on a second list.

Skorne - I haven't really done much work on my Skorne yet, and I don't think 2020 will be the year it gets on the table.  If I do, it almost certainly will have to played in Disciples of Agony for some time- I don't have many Immortal related pieces yet, but I suppose I'll have to at some point.  I do own a TON of beasts, and a good assortment of the small based infantry.  Maybe a Winds of Death list?  I don't know.  Like I said, not this year.

Circle Orboros - I currently own over 250 points of Circle and have enough that I could do Devourer's Host or The Wild Hunt.  So far, I haven't really assembled all that much (just the old Mk1 Battle Box and a Gorax).  I would like to get them assembled and give them a try, but I just haven't had time.  Maybe next year (i.e., 2021).

Infernals - I am actually interested in trying to field Infernals in 2020.  I have enough stuff to run a list (due to various sales I've been taking advantage of), and I'm working to assemble it.  It might not be until nearly the end of the year, but by golly, I'm going to run an Infernals army this year!

Cygnar - I have enough stuff to run Storm Division and Heavy Metal, but I would have a ton of assembly to do. Maybe 2021.  I really enjoy running Cygnar, but I've got so much to do with the other factions, I just don't have time for them yet.

Convergence of Cyriss - I literally only own two colossals.  That's it!  Hard to do much with that, haha.

Protectorate of Menoth - At this point, I could almost run a Creator's Might list, but I would need to buy Choir and solos.  They are in a good place now, and would be fun to play, but I already have a friend who plays these guys, so not a super high priority.

Retribution of Scyrah - This is an odd one, I'm not really a Ret player at all, but I've accumulated so much stuff for it that I actually could run quite a few lists.  I've also just been randomly assembling things.  I may drop a list or two this year.  Nothing fancy, I'm sure, but I wouldn't say it's impossible.

Mercenaries - These were a faction I played occasionally in Mark II, but with the current theme forces, I don't have enough of anything to actually play this.  I'm probably closest to being able to run Llaelese Resistance, but I have no plans to invest more into them at the moment.  I also want to run Cephalyx, and have some models for it, but not enough.  Someday!

Legion of Everblight - I have the starter box, a few extra beasts, and a few solos.  Not enough to run a list, but I've mostly assembled everything I own.  My beasts aren't the ones popularly taken, so they may not be that good.  Who knows?  Who knows when I'll want to spend more money on them, too?

Khador - I own the Mark 1 battle box.  That's it.  I won't be putting them on the table for years and years.  Fortunately, my friend Rob plays them, so I don't feel any rush to get them on the table.

Trollbloods - I won the Mark 1 battle box, and the Mark 3 battle box.  We have Matt S and Ben J in my meta who play these guys, so there's no real reason for me to push to assemble and play these guys, either.

Grymkin and Crucible Guard - Ummm... I own the Child, and some solos?  No one I know plays them, but I own so little of these factions I can't reasonably start them anytime soon, and I don't think I can assume anyone I know to either.

Anyway, that's where I currently stand.  I am going to try to play more this year, and assemble a bunch, so I'd love to be able to say next year that I've made a ton of progress!