More WH Backlog

I freely admit to people who don't play that Warhammer is a very involved and potentially expensive hobby. While you can sub in a few items like rulers, dice, props to serve as terrain, other cheaper brands of paints, etc... Heck, you could conceivably play and never own a rule-book (you just share a copy with someone else). There are a few things you can't really substitute: the models themselves. It would simply be too confusing to remember what miniature is proxy for what Warhammer unit.

Then there's the little upgrades which can signify two things... either you have gone hardcore... or you have money to burn. :p

So anyway, here's what I found in my mailbox today (here's a hint: if you hunt around a bit, you'll eventually find a lot of places who will sell below the "official MSRP" from Games Workshop:Yup another Crisis Battlesuit (I have plans for this box which I will explain later). What I'm really laughing at myself for buying is the two tins of official Warhammer dice. The box on the left is the WH40K edition dice that I can't seem to find in stores any more. I'm just sort of geeking over it because now I have my own set. What I'm REALLY amused about is the middle box: a tin of "Big Gun Dice" that goes with the recent Apocalypse "anything-goes" book.
Here's a pic of my collection of specialize Warhammer tins... none of which are absolutely necessary for playing...Far left: WH40K-themed dice set - 8 with "bullet holes" for the dots and the Imperial "hawk" emblem for the "1" face. Also includes the scatter die.
Middle left: the Big Guns Dice - oversized dice featuring the Mechanicus Adeptus logo (I think) for the "1" face. Also includes the scatter die.
Middle right: Vehicle Damage dice - each face has a corresponding icon representing the possible damage caused by weapons fire on a vehicle.
Far right: Cities of Death "stratagem" markers - plastic chips with a bunch of icons on them for use in marking buildings and locations on the play field.

And... really, you need NONE of these special dice to play. Often you can always find a way to randomize anything with normal dice with faces marked 1 through 6. And that includes the directional scatter dice (just say 1 thru 4 for the four directions of the table edges and 5 and 6 are "on-target"). But it makes me feel totally geeky to know I have all this crap at my disposal now. :)

Eldar Firedragons

So yeah, my brother sent over another photo of his latest...

I'll be brutally honest. I know nothing about these dudes except that in Dawn of War they have really flashy weapons flare effects... and they're supposedly good at taking down vehicles and buildings.

Food meme

stolen from ...well, the blogosphere, of course.

1. How do you like your eggs?
Fried and over-easy. Poached is an option.

2. How do you take your coffee/tea?
Very little sugar and a touch of cream in my western beverages. If eastern, obviously it'll be black.

3. Favorite breakfast food?
The Sausage Egg McMuffin from MacDonalds (I know it ain't healthy, but it tastes so good).

4. Peanut butter - smooth or crunchy?
Smooth.

5. What kind of dressing on your salad?
right now it's raspberry vinigrette ...this answer is likely to change by tomorrow.

6. Coke or Pepsi?
Coca-Cola.

7. You’re feeling lazy, what do you make?
Instant ramen (any variation)

8. You’re feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order?
Whatever they offer as "fully loaded" - I figure if I'm not going to do the work, somebody else should.

9. You feel like cooking. What do you make?
A casserole of some kind.

10. Do any foods bring back good memories?
Canned pasta. I ate a lot of that when I was little.

11. Do any foods bring back bad memories?
Poutine when served in a small bowl - high-school cafeteria. I hated high school, btw.

12. Do any foods remind you of someone?
Chocolate milkshake - I never had one until college... and a special someone there introduced me to it.

13. Is there a food you refuse to eat?
Anything that still resembles its living animal state. I once had Chinese roast duck and the butcher included the head (duck is traditionally roasted whole) in my take-out container... I totally freaked out. That said, I still eat roast duck today, I'm just more careful about what's on my fork before taking a bite out of it.

14. What was your favorite food as a child?
Lasanga... it was an unusual treat to have non-Asian meals in my household.

15. Is there a food that you hated as a child but now like?
Steak... took me years (decades?) to discover that if cooked properly, beef could be juicy and tender. All this time my folks were over-cooking steak!

16. Is there a food that you liked as a child but now hate?
KFC ...don't know if its just me, or if the chicken's actually gotten smaller, greasier, and more overpriced over the years. But I distinctly recall it didn't suck as much as it does today.

17. Favorite fruit and vegetable:
Fruit: orange - because that's where OJ comes from. Vegetable: brocolli.

18. Favorite junk food:
Milk chocolate.

19. Favorite between meal snack:
Tall glass of milk. Kills my appetite for an hour or so.

20. Do you have any weird food habits?
I have a running list of food establishments I refuse to enter. If they do something wrong, they go "on probation" and I won't return for at least a year. Does this qualify as "weird?"

21. You’re on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on?
I have no idea.

22. You’re off your diet. Now what would you like?
MacDonald's food. Despite how inherently disgusting it can be (especially after watching "Supersize Me", they also make really tasty food.

23. How spicy do you order Indian/Thai?
I'm not big on "hot." I like to actually taste my food and "hot" is not a taste - just a "sensation."

24. Can I get you a drink?
OJ if you have any. Or make me a cup of tea (any style).

25. Red wine or white?
Depends what I'm eating.

26. Favorite dessert?
Chinese egg tart - but it has to be warm and fresh, otherwise these things are gross.

my apparent age

I don't know how obvious it is from my tone or the occasional photo that pops up, but I'm in my early 30s.

Last Friday a door-to-door survey lady rang my doorbell. When I answered, she asked if my "mommy or daddy" was home. She apparently thought I was in my teens. We laughed with each other over it once I told her I was indeed the "man of the house." But I then thought, I'll take that as a compliment because I do intend to outlive each and every one of you. And I'll be damn good looking until the end too.

Eldar Guardians

My bro just sent this image over. Looks like his Guardian squad is ready for action. They are joined by Warlocks and Support platforms...
I didn't used to take Guardians seriously but when they're in numbers like that. They're as good a meat-shield as Tau FireWarriors. ^_^;;