Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 47: FTGT Back From Warzone

What is up Everyone? Chandler, Evan, and Bryan sit down to talk about the Warzone Atlanta Tournament that was held back in November.  Evan and Chandler break down their games, talk about the fun shenanigans that happened at the tournament, the awesome opponents we went up against, and some of the beautiful armies that made their way to the tournament.  This is one of the premier tournaments in the nation and we love going to hang out and play in it whenever possible.

Recapping a hell of a Tournament with the boys.

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 46: The Lost Episode

What is up Everyone? Over a month ago, Chandler, Evan, and Bryan sat down to talk about Genestealer Cult, Tourney Prep, some games that we got in, and the amount of painting and hobbying we had accomplished.  Unfortunately, That episode was lost in the warp, UNTIL NOW.  The guys sit down almost a month out and after not having done a podcast in a long time, it turned into one of our old fashioned podcasts.  Lots of rambling, lots of talking, and of course, lots of Nids.

Even the Lost Episodes are eventually found.

Warzone Atlanta 2016 Pic Dump

I got back from Atlanta about 12 hours ago, as of writing this post, and have slept for maybe two hours, so, for today at least, I'm just posting up a pic-dump from the event, primarily of the armies on their display boards as I never finished a round all that early (as could be expected playing a swarm list). I'll do a wrap up with thoughts and the like, but for now will just say it was a blast and I hope you enjoy the mostly unedited influx of pictures (I'll resize and Caption as I get a chance, so check back!):

Geoff's gorgeous Blood Angels army

The Swarm Arises - Warzone Atlanta Prep

Yo, this is Ronaldo, the greatest Tyranid Player in the history of mankind. If you don’t know you will soon.

For this, my first post, I wanted to go through the list I’m going to be taking to Warzone Atlanta, and why it’s just flat out awesome. I mean, obviously, because it’s Nids.

I know a lot of people complain that the Nid codex is bad, or it’s underpowered, or whatever. It’s all crap. They’re pretty clearly just not seeing all the great stuff Games Workshop has given us Nid players that we can use to totally dominate the galaxy.

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 45: Genestealer Cult Review with Heroic Intervention

What is up Everyone? This week on the Podcast, Chandler, Bryan, and Evan come together with Andrew and Chad from the Heroic Intervention Podcast to give the most in-depth Codex review for the Genestealer Cult.  We dive into everything from Winners to Winners to the couple of losers from this Codex.  We talk about some of the initial lists, some of the initial controversy with some of the rules, and have a good time connecting with another member of the Greater Hive Mind and his Dark Eldar Brother.  It is probably the most comprehensive podcast we have ever given for a Codex.

No need to roll a dice for this Heroic Intervention, it is automatic!

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 44: Back At It Again

What is up Everyone? This week on the Podcast, Chandler, Bryan, and Evan come together to talk.  It has been a long time and the boys have been busy.  Evan returns from NOVA with some insight, Bryan is getting ready for The Renegade, and Chandler and Evan talk about their initial prep for Warzone Atlanta.  Since the last show, Genestealer Cult drops, Blood Angels have been summoned, and 40k is crazier than ever.  The boys jump from topic to topic after a long hiatus.

Episode 44 goes from Point to Point before bringing it home.

NOVA Recap Part 3 - My Experience

For part three of my NOVA recap, I wanted to finally get into my own experiences at NOVA. Part 1 was a pic dump primarily from the 40k hall, while part 2 dug into some of the stats from the 40k GT. I'll cover my games briefly, and hopefully discuss them a bit more in an upcoming podcast, and overall share my experiences at one of the premier hobby and gaming events out there.

NOVA Recap Part 2 - 40k GT Stats

For this part of my NOVA recap, I wanted to dive back into my stat analysis role from Torrent of Fire and break down the results. Field of Fire took a crack at the stats from the event, and I'll probably be retracing some of that ground but looking to dig a little deeper. Part of this is massaging the data a bit to get slightly more accurate results. For example, Chaos Space Marines as listed did very well, but we need to differentiate between any Chaos Space Marine primary lists and those that were actually Renegades primary.

NOVA 2016 Recap Part 1 - Pic Dump

A bit behind my normal schedule, but finally time to begin the NOVA Recaps. As always, I had a total blast at the event, and might have had more fun this year than in previous years. For this first post I'm just going to do a bit of a pic-dump of many of my favorite photos from the weekend.

A selection of Greg's DreadMob

NOVA Bound: The Final Push

Amazing how time flies; NOVA is less than a week away at this point (more exact time in the side-bar counter), and I still have a good bit to do (to the surprise of no one). I've got a couple projects I need to finish up before I head out the door to NOVA, and some more I will probably be working on in the hotel room.

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 43: Ben Cromwell Jumps In

What is up Everyone? This week on the Podcast, the boys welcome back Ben Cromwell.  Ben is an awesome painter who is helping Evan with the FTGT Painting service, but he joins us to talk about the Iron Halo GT.  This is an ITC Major Event in Barlesville, OK.  He also talks to us about his thoughts on Deathwatch and the Necron FAQ.  He also drops his ideas about Eldar and what he is planning to run at the Iron Halo GT.  We are excited to talk to him, get the updates from Ron and Evan about their lists for NOVA, and Bryan and Chandler are still working towards their individual tournaments coming up in the fall.

Ben joins us for fun, shenanigans, and to talk about a cool tournament for a great cause.

FTGT Showcase - Warhound Titan

I just recently completed this absolutely awesome "miniature" commission: a Warhound Titan. This was an absolute monster of a project and I'm really happy with the final result.

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 42: NOVA with Phil

What is up Everyone? This week on the Podcast, the boys welcome in Phil R. who is the co leader of the Warhammer 40K GT and Warhammer Invitational Tournament at the NOVA Open.  He stops by to give us some knowledge on the Tournament, some of the rules and mission setup, as well as break down some of the cool hobby, tournament, and little tid-bits of information that could help you have a great weekend at a spectacular event.  The NOVA Open runs Labor Day Weekend September 1st - 4th, and if you need any additional updates see the show notes below.

Phil joins us with plenty of knowledge towards the two big events.

NOVA Bound: List Building Again

As is my norm at this point, I'm still debating what list I'm going to take to NOVA this year. That said, I'm coming closer I think to settling on something, which is good seeing as we're just a little over a month out. 

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 41: Tournament Prep with the Boys

What is up Everyone? This week on the Podcast, the Crew is BACK!  Bryan makes his grand return to the podcast and just in time to run down his ideas for the upcoming tournaments that we are all playing in.  With Evan and Ron heading to NOVA, Evan and Chandler heading to the Warzone, and Bryan stomping into Renegade, we have a lot of list ideas, a lot of stuff to finish, and a lot of BS to sort through.  We also dive into some of the differences when getting ready for tournaments and some of the differences from tournament to tournament.

It is a Competitive Grey Tide washing ashore.

Miniature Monday FTGT Painting Showcase: Reaver Jetbikes

For today's Miniature Monday, I wanted to share with you a part of a Dark Eldar commission I recently completed. These are the five Reaver riders. I also recently finished painting 30 Kabalite Warriors for the same army, but they're not based yet so I can't call them completely done.

FTGT Ron - NOVA Update 8+ Weeks Out

Hey Everyone,

This post is a status update on my Tyranid painting progress for NOVA.  If you missed my first post on my army and work remaining, you can find it here : http://ftgtgaming.blogspot.com/2016/06/ftgt-ron-back-in-2-part-epoxy-putty-mix.html.

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 40: 40K Recent Games and Updates

What is up Everyone? This week on the Podcast, Evan, Ron, and Chandler sit down and discuss some of the recent games they were able to get against each other when Chandler got married.  Evan and Chandler talk about their first game that they had: Space Wolves and Knight vs. Raven Guard and Ron and Evan discuss their game: Nids vs. Raven Guard and Nids vs. Necrons. Evan runs down his time at a recent tournament in the Tri-City Area of Tennessee, and finally we talk a little bit about NOVA missions.

When Dice get to fly, good times are had by all.

Tournament Wrap Up - Mulligan's June RTT

Last weekend I made a bit of a trip to Mulligan's for their June RTT, which was an ITC event with 16 players showing up. I had decided to go pretty last minute, so I took a Necron list I was pretty comfortable with and took a Wraith-star list with the Start Collecting! Necrons formation, the Retribution Phalanx.

WIP Wednesday - Kabalite Warriors and Spyder Bases

This week I've gone back to the Kabalite Warriors from about a month ago and have been working on the details.

 

FTGT Ron - Flying Hive Tyrant (Flyrant) Conversion #4

Hey Everyone,

Here is my fourth flying hive tyrant pose conversion.  This guy has been sitting around ~95% finished for a while. I finally got around to finishing him, and dug up some WIP shots for a post.  

FTGT Painting WIP Wednesday - Spyder Bases

Hey guys, back again for another WIP Wednesday update. Things have been a bit slow the last couple weeks, despite knocking out the Tankbursting Mawloc over the weekend. The Warhound was temporarily shelved, but I should be getting back to him next week.

FTGT Painting Showcase: Mawloc

I recently had a chance to finish up a model that's been brewing for over a year now - another Mawloc making a dynamic entry. This one is bursting up through an Ultramarines Rhino.

FTGT Ron back in the (2 part epoxy putty) mix

Hey Guys!

Ron here, back from a somewhat lengthy 40k break.  I hung out with Evan and Chandler last weekend and managed to sneak in a pair of 1850pt Nova style games.  These were my first 40k games in 10 months, and they reminded me that I actually do still enjoy playing the game .  Yes, some rules are creeping more than a guy in a white van with a mustache, but Tyranids are still my first tabletop hobby love.  As Sheryl Crow put it, the first cut is the deepest.

Throwback Thursday: Fantasy Tournament Rules

I was digging through a box of old books recently and came across the Warhammer Fantasy Battle Book from Fantasy 5th Edition.

I flipped through it and happened to stumble across some pages that caught my eye: Tournament Rules

WIP Wednesday: Warhound Titan Assembly

Hi all! Back again with another WIP Wednesday from the FTGT Painting Desk. I've been putting in a lot of the unglamourous early work required in a big kit like this Warhound Titan. Last week was literally simply laying out pieces and cleaning flash and mold lines from larger pieces. This week I've finally been able to begin the process of assembly.

 

Facing The Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 39: 40K Army Lists, Tyranids, and Thoughts on GW

What is up Everyone? This week on the Podcast, Evan, Ron, and Chandler sit down to talk about the hobby, what they have been working on in the last couple of weeks, and talk about the army list.  The Boys discuss their Space Marine lists using the New Space Marine Supplement, their wish lists for Nids, and then talk about some of their ideas about what GW could be doing in the near future.  They also discuss thoughts on some upcoming tournaments, and Evan talks about his painting service FTGT Painting.

The Lists are out, and clearly, the Nids need some help!

FTGT Painting Desk: WIP Wednesday

Hey guys, FTGT Evan back again with another WIP Wednesday post. I missed last week in part because I didn't have much in the way of an update. I have made a little bit of progress on the Kabalite Warriors I've been working on, but also took a bit of a detour to jump-start my painting mojo, which had been dragging for a bit.

Painting: Imperial Knight Showcase

Over the last couple weeks, since I picked up the Renegade box, I have been working on the first Knight. During assembly, I magnetized the four arm options (I forgot to attach a magnet for the carapace weapons - kicking myself for that). After looking into it, I decided to simply assemble the Rapid Fire Battle Cannon, as there were too many accessory pieces on the main gun frame for me to be happy with a swappable version. Instead I'll simply assemble the second with a Thermal Cannon.

Facing the Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 38: The FAQ Breakdown and Death from the Skies

What is up Everyone? This week on the Podcast, Evan and Chandler are back to talk about the new FAQs from GW and the Death from the Skies supplement. There is a lot of content here, so hang on as we blast through the new and updated rules

Throwback Thursday: Space Marine Command Squad

Back in 1999 (I think), GW released a command squad box that unveiled the current style of Bolter. Previously, all bolters were the small, "heresy" era style. Despite the fact that I wasn't a Marine player at the time, I fell in love with the models and picked them up on a whim, and painted them up to the best of my, at the time very limited, ability.

Death from the Skies: Dogfight Phase Examples

With the release of Death from the Skies there has been some discussion about the newly introduced Dogfight Phase and what that will do to games. A common concern is that it's complex and will add a lot of time to games. This is particularly concerning for tournament goers and tournament organizers as time is often a factor for games as it is.

NOVA Bound: Early List Building and Speculation

While NOVA is still a ways off, I have already begun the yearly debate on what I'm going to bring to NOVA. I'll also be competing in the Invitational again this year, so may opt for two different armies. I will have the Necrons to fall back on, and the list I brought to NRVCon is probably about the ideal list I would take.

FTGT Painting Desk: WIP Wednesday

Hey guys, I'm back again from the FTGT PaintingStudios. Over the last week I've continued working on the Kabalite Warriors from last week. I had hoped to have them finished, and they're getting close, so I should have the final product to show next week.

Bat Rep: Monster Mash vs. Logan's Kingsguard

Last weekend, Chandler and I got in a couple games using some goofy/fun lists at 1,500 points. Both of our lists were designed to be almost exclusively CC beaters. As such, we opted to play Purge the Alien, but threw in a Maelstrom mission as secondary, but mostly planned on lining up and smashing each others' faces in. 

Facing the Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 37: NRVCon and New Marines

What is up Everyone? This week on the Podcast, Evan, Bryan, and Chandler are back to talk about everything new in the World of Space Marines.  Then we realized that there was a lot more going on.  We run down the Tournament NRVCon (this is two nights before the event.  Evan talks about the tournament, his list, and we talk about some of the rules for the event.  We discuss the differences among the 7th edition books, and we finish up by running down anything that comes to our minds, including a fun list building challenge.

A tournament, talking about a Codex, fun challenges, and shenanigans!  It's all good in the hood.

NRVCon Wrap Up

NRVCon 2016 is in the books, and while the 40k tournament was a bit smaller than we hoped, it was still a great time. Thanks to everyone who played. You can see the results on Torrent of Fire. Also, before I get into the event, a ton of thanks to the TO Elle for running the event.  I had three great games and ended up taking home Renaissance Man, being runner up, third in BPs, and second in Paint Score, but more on that toward the end.

Painting Desk: Dark Eldar Commission

Over in my FTGT Painting Studio I've been working on a Dark Eldar army commission for Bryan. It's taken a bit longer than I originally anticipated, and is still ongoing, but I have some of the first completed models to show off. The army is being done in the Kabal of the Flayed Skull scheme. I've finished off the Venoms and Razorwings, and started on the Reavers and Warriors.

Facing the Grey Tide Podcast - Episode 36: We Are BACK!

What is up Everyone? This week on the Podcast, Evan, Bryan, and Chandler are back at it again.  After a little time off because of some changes in our lives, the boys are back to talk about everything that has kind of happened in the last couple of months.  We talk about Evan's new Painting Service, discuss the thoughts on where GW is going, Talk about the new books/formations that were rumors at the time, and finish out by talking about the hobby in our lives.  So join us as we roll through everything in our minds.

The boys are unleashed which can only mean a lot of ranting, questions, and good humor.

NRVCon List Building III - 1,850 NOVA Necrons

As I mentioned last time when I was reworking my Eldar list, I also had started considering going back to the Necrons. For the last week or so I've been tweaking a few varieties of list and think I've settled on the Necron list I'm most likely taking. This list uses the Retribution Phalanx formation from the Start Collecting! Necrons box.

NRVCon List Building II - NOVA 1,850 Eldar

Last week I posted a couple lists I was considering for the NRVCon 40k Tournament at the end of April. After my game with Aidan, in which I was thoroughly trounced by Aidan's Daemon Incursion list (which went on to win elphilo's RTT at Huzzah Hobbies the following day), I felt a need to go back to the drawing board a little bit for the Eldar list. I'm also debating jumping back to the Necrons as the tournament is quickly approaching.

FTGT Turns 3!

A little belated, but the blog has just recently turned three years old. Despite the slowdown in content (and podcasts) over the last 6 months or so, we're still working on generating content and keeping involved with the readers we've gathered over the last three years. It is thanks to you that we keep coming back to this, even as life gets full and busy at times.

Commission Showcase: Deathwatch Marines

I just finished up Phil's Deathwatch Marines to a display quality. These are some amazing detailed and characterful models. Plenty of images below. One thing I need to work on is taking better pictures. A lot of these aren't as clean or as focused as I'd like. Nonetheless, enjoy.

Kill Team Cassius

NRVCon List Building - Eldar - 1,850

Tomorrow I'm getting my first practice game for NRVCon, which is using the NOVA packet, against Aidan. Just a reminder, NRVCon will be in my hometown on April 23-24; if you're remotely in the area, definitely consider coming down for the 32-player tournament. The top 4 will continue on to single elimination rounds on Sunday. A bit more information here, and registration here. With that out of the way, on to list building. I've more or less settled on Eldar as my army for the event, so let's get into it.

FTGT Painting - Patreon and New Website

As I mentioned on Monday, this week marks the first week of me working full time as a commission painter (in addition to being a stay-at-home dad, so full time is more like 4 hours a day if I'm lucky). In addition to painting, I've started a Patreon page, as well as created a new website just for my commission service. The website is primarily a portfolio of completed work; I'll still include in progress and completed project posts here.

FTGT Painting - A Brand New Day

Today marks my first day alone as a stay-at-home dad. With this, it also marks my first day devoting nap time to commission work, which I'm looking to do more or less full time. In support of this, over the last couple weeks, my amazing wife suggested and helped build up a pretty awesome studio area for me in our house. Nearby are plenty of baby hangouts and supplies.

Malifaux Bat Rep: Neverborn (Zoraida) vs. Arcanists (Rasputina)

For our second game of the gaming weekend, Chris made some minor changes to his previous list, while I decided to change things up and run Neverborn. After revealing schemes I chose to try out Zoraida over Lynch. Unfortunately for this report I didn't take any pictures, so excuse the ensuing wall of text.

 vs. 

Review: The Emperor Expects - The Beast Arises, Book 3

In February we had the third installment of The Beast Arises series, The Emperor Expects by Gav Thorpe. As with previous reviews from the series, SPOILER ALERT for the remainder of the article.

Malifaux Bat Rep: Gremlins (Ulix) vs. Arcanists (Rasputina)

A couple weeks ago I hosted the guys for a gaming weekend. On Friday night, Chris and I got in a game of Malifaux. He brought Rasputina using her box and a couple other minis. I picked through my Gremlins collection to come up with a list based on the Strategy and Schemes.

 vs.