40K: Clan Raukaan supplement - review

It's been a bit under two weeks since the Clan Raukaan supplement for 40K was released, and I think it's time to take a look at it. Naturally, being the Iron Hands enthusiast that I am, I picked it up. After dealing with the frustration of GW's poor support for non-iPad versions of their books, I read it from end to end pretty much in a single day.

TG: The SAS Constitution

Been a bit quiet here lately, hasn't it? Oh, the life of a game developer. I do have a couple big blog entries planned, just need to sit down and write them. I'll be taking a look at the new Clan Raukaan supplement for Warhammer 40K, of course (gotta share my thoughts on all things Iron Hands related), as well as sharing a sort-of essay about characters in stories, based on a recent revelation I had.

But I'll get to those later. For now, I thought I'd share something I hammered out a little while ago, a bit of extra background for my universe.

40K: A look at the new Space Marine codex

So, just over two weeks ago, the long-awaited 6th edition update for Codex: Space Marines arrived. For the first time since 2nd edition, the Space Marines weren't the first army to get a codex with a new edition. That dubious honor went to the Chaos Space Marines (and most folks I talk to these days feel like they'd have rather waited in the hopes of codex creep making their army somewhat stronger). Anyway, just over a year after the release of 6th edition, we got a new codex. I've managed to get two games in thus far, so I'll talk a bit about my experiences with it, as well as give a general run-down of the book for those that haven't had a chance to get it yet (or don't plan to), my impressions/opinions on the new stuff, and what I think should have been different.

NaNo: Writing Sample #10

Well, I think it's about time for another sample of my novel. I've done quite a bit since the last update (almost 10,000 more words!),  and the whole novel is up to around 35,000 words now. I'm frankly amazed the story has run out the way it has. I had intended The Fall to only be maybe the first 5-10k words, but I'm at 35k now and I could easily see this story going another 15-20k until it's played out. And that's just the opening events of the history of Terranis.

40K: My first victory!

Ok, I'm too excited to sleep right now, even though it's nearly midnight, because I just won my first game of 40K this year. I admit, I haven't been playing nearly as often as I used to (I'm down from 1-3 games a week to 1-3 games a month), but still. I haven't won yet this year. I don't know why, but I've been having a REALLY hard time adapting to 6th edition. Maybe it's just the lists I'm using (mostly vanilla Space Marines or the newer Chaos Marines with an incomplete list). I know I still don't have all the new rules down very well. Maybe I just ran too hard in 5th edition and there's too many habits for me to kick.

In any case, that all changed tonight.

Big Announcement!

After a long, protracted battle and seemingly endless series of real-life delays, my first video game project is finally getting off the ground! For real this time!

The Whiskey Oddysey

Update 6/27/13: I went back to Stella's this past weekend, and tried a couple more kinds. Notes below!

I'm going to get a little personal again today, though in a slightly different sense. When it comes to drinking, my preference is for liquor, typically rum, but especially whiskey. I got my start on the standard stuff, Jack Daniels No. 7, buying the occasional bottle of Gentleman Jack's or even the Single-Barrel Select. Sufficed to say, enough of the nicer stuff got me to start developing a taste for it.

On New Year's for 2012, right after getting back from my study abroad semester in England, I discovered a bar in Grand Rapids called Stella's. Turns out they serve over two hundred kinds of whiskey. The bar itself is very nice, too (I highly recommend a visit if you're ever in the area, and their fries and burgers are both amazing). I tried a couple different drinks that night, and afterwards resolved to go on a "Whiskey Odyssey" to try as many kinds as I could in the remaining year and some change I'd have in the area.

Each time I went, I (usually) brought my trusty moleskinne notebook and a pen, and took some notes. I recorded the individual drink, the type of whiskey it was, the strength, and had two shots of it, one straight, one mixed with Coke. Typically, I'd sip each, try drinking them quickly, and enjoy the ambiance in the process, even going with friends sometimes (or running into them there), not to mention making a few new friends with some of the discoveries I made.

Here's the notes I compiled, as best as I'm able to find them (I know a few times I had to use something else to record the notes, and those entries are probably lost, unless I want to dig through months of Facebook activity, which I kind of don't).

40K: Iron Hands - Part 3

I think I've gone too long with pictures on here. So let's get some up! I've made some more progress on the Iron Hands army. Not finished yet, but I'm liking how some of these guys are coming out. Painting black and steel seems like it might be a boring scheme, but I've found that to be pretty disagreeable if it's done right. I know GW's Iron Hands, what few they've painted over the years, have the standard red eye lenses and such, but I elected to forgo any warm colors at all, to better fit in with the cold, mechanical nature of my favorite Chapter.

NaNo: Writing Sample #9

The story continues! I have some good ideas for upcoming posts, including a couple of book reviews, updates on my Iron Hands army (yay pictures!), some detailed commentary on an aspect of my universe I've never really touched on before, and even a comic! More on those later, though.

Fast-forwarding a bit with the story. As it stands now, all attempts to destroy the Great Enemy capital ship have failed, and the situation grows increasingly grim. Captain Legun has argued to withdraw from the system, but the Admiral insists that's not an option, both for the people of Terranis and the secret it hides. It seems the pressure of the situation might be getting to him.

The Nature of Home

For my birthday, I thought I'd be a little more introspective. I graduated college last month, ending yet another chapter in my life, and transitioned right into the next one with a job in Detroit. I've done an insane amount of traveling in my life, particularly in the last decade, and it got me to thinking about home, and what that means, both in general and for myself.

NaNo: Writing Sample #8

Hello again, everyone! A little longer in between updates than I'd have liked, but I should have several over the coming weeks! Now that I'm settled in with a job (alas, one that has nothing to do with writing or making video games), my schedule is vastly more predictable without the vagaries of homework, meaning it's easier to find time (generally) for things like writing. And I've been pretty busy on that front! I've added over 5,000 words to my NaNo novel in the last month, so I thought I'd share another small sample.

No word back from Analog yet. Keep your fingers crossed!

Anyway, when last we left off, the Solar Alliance forces were dealt a terrible blow by the Great Enemy capital ship. The Bastille has retreated for now to lick its wounds, and Admiral du Saniel actually finds a little quiet time. We also learn a little more about him as a person.

TG: "Departing" extract + random updates

Good morning! As I write this, I have barely a week to go until I finally graduate college (a five year journey) and return to the real world. My amount of spare time to do things like actually paint models (which I haven't done in over a month now) and work on things like my ACTA reference cards and Star Trek: Durandal will increase vastly, and the flow of content should hopefully become more regular.

In the mean time, I wanted to share an extract from the draft of "Departing", the next story in my "Walking" series! I was told I needed a new story to bring in for workshopping in my fiction class, so I wrote this draft over the last weekend. I thought I'd share part of the draft, and not the finalized story, so you can perhaps see a little bit into how much my stories may change in the revision process.

Finally, I did indeed submit my story "Cold Warriors" to Analog a week or two ago. No word yet.

TG: "Arriving" extract - and other news

Well, new month, new story! Here's an extract from my latest work, Arriving. It's part three in an on-going series I'm writing in my universe, which I hope will eventually lead into a game idea I have (though that's probably a few years off, still. Good to start early, at least!). It's set on a new world, separate from any others I've detailed, and follows the adventures of a thus-far-nameless narrator who apparently has the ability to perceive possible futures, and is using this ability to restore a world devastated by the Great Enemy.

The story will be appearing in the upcoming Winter 2013 edition of Running Out of Ink, the official publication of the Grand Valley Writers' Club. Hopefully I can get it, along with its prequels, published in something more professional in the future. Anyway, enjoy!

TG: Ghosts of the Galaxy

Hooray, I got to write creatively again! Well, ok, I've been working on the novel some more, but still not as much as I hoped. Ugh. Still, I got this short piece done for my fiction class, having to tell a ghost story of some kind. So I decided to take it in a slightly different direction, and write about ghosts in a more metaphorical sense, i.e. the ghosts left behind by our passing, the sense of presence one might feel in an empty house that isn't theirs. Only this is on a galactic scale.

And yes, this is set in my universe, which my novel is. But written as a historical article. I've done a bunch of them for my game, and I'm sure this'll go up on the website there in some capacity at some point. Anyway, enjoy!

A Commentary on Storytelling

So, yes, it's 2013. Been a couple months. I'd like to say I've been waist-deep in new works of writing for myself, but that'd be a bit of an exaggeration. If I'm using double-space, I'd say I was just past ankle-level. My NaNo story has largely ground to a halt as I'm suddenly finding myself worried about the quality of what I write without a looming deadline bearing down on me like an angry Meteor about to blow up the planet. I've gotten a few flash pieces done, and am halfway through the third installment of my Walking series, having discovered an interesting new way of writing at the behest of my professor.

But I'll share all that later. For now, I wanna pretend I know what I'm talking about when it comes to writing and stuff.