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Wednesday 26 October 2016

How to fix Art of War Studios tokens


So you may or may not have ordered product from Art of War Studios, a UK-based store that makes and sells gaming aids, like token's and measuring sticks.

Before I ordered anything from them, I've seen lots of complaints about the quality of the products they received from this company. People who are happy with the quality insisted that the customer service at this place was great, and the company could be contacted, to receive better crafted product.

The main complaint I've consistently read about was that the words were un-readable, and it's not what people were expecting compared to the sample pictures on their website. I decided to order some myself, and even if it was a bad batch, I knew I could probably salvage it. Besides, the company has very cheap products compared to the competition on the market.

We ordered a few products: Union Influence tokens, Alchemist tokens, Mortician's tokens, and measuring stick sets for a variety of factions. We received the product, and we definitely had product that was not as good-looking as those pictured on the website (See first picture). Not only were the token's symbol's really dull, but more than half the tokens looked like they were scuffed. However, I will show you how to easily fix these tokens.

Now, before you ask me, "why don't you contact Art of War? Their customer service is really good, and they'll send you a new batch!" like I suggested before... it seems that they have given up on making and sending out clear, legible tokens, as our order came with a slip of paper that basically said "here are a few ways you can bring out the detail in your tokens."

Well, here's a simple guide on what to do to make your tokens look sweet and vibrant!

1- Paint the surface with paint. I chose white because I think it 'pops' the best.

2- Use your thumb to wipe the paint off the surface of the token. The idea here is, your thumb will easily remove the paint from the smooth surface, but leave the paint in the recesses of the token.

3- Use your fingernail to scrap off the scrapes from the token. They aren't really scrapes. It's just excess material that hardened on the token when the company was trying to color the detail on their tokens. Your finger nails are tough enough to remove this material, but soft enough that they wont scratch your tokens.




As you can see from the photo, here are the before and after tokens, side-by-side.

This whole process takes very little time, and as a miniature gamer, you probably already have paint lying around at home.

You don't even have to use your good paint. I just used dollar store paint.

Hope this guide helps!

-the aY

Thursday 13 October 2016

Guild Ball Primer: Morticians

Hello again, all!

It's time for a beginner guide on a faction, and just highlighting some basic's that are useful for newer players to know.

This entry is about giving you a basic overview of the Nightmare-Undead-Dark-Faction equivalent in Guild Ball... the Morticians!

The play style you can expect: debuffs, control, and overall just messing with your opponents. If you are the type of player who likes to actively screw up the way your opponent wants to play, Morticians are the faction for you!

The first point to discuss: The captain from the starter box, Obulus. He is practically the definition of being annoying and controlling how your opponent plays. Main things to think about:
-Obulus is hard to pin down with a combination of Unpredictable Movement, and a Momentous Dodge on his first column on his playbook, and a Double Dodge on 2. So, if your Obulus is being attacked somehow, just remember: counter-attack to escape!
-Puppet Master! This ability is so good, it's almost never a mistake to use it. Take advantage of it, to really control your opponent. Whether it's forcing your opponent to pass you the ball, or artificially extending the threat range of your other models... This character play alone is what makes Obulus special.
-Good use of Rigor Mortis (or not using it!). This ability controls the whole pace of the game. As long as you have it available for use, your opponent has to be very mindful of how much Momentum they hold. No opponent will likely let you steal a stack of 10 momentum. But if your opponent thinks you have a chance of using this ability on any given turn, they will spend any momentum they gain, just to deny you from having it. This is not a bad thing. This means you are controlling how they want to play! For a more detailed explanation on more advanced concepts, look at Slothrop's articles, "A Gravedigger's Handbook."

The next model, I feel is pretty much an auto-include in any Mortician's list. Ghast. He is arguably the best defensive model and tank in the game, and he does this through a combination of control and brute force.

He has a few abilities that are just so good together, that some players may not be able escape his grasp. A combination of being a medium base and having a 2" melee range gives him a big area he can threaten. The momentous KD on his second column, combined with a TAC of 6 means two things: One, you can generate a lot of momentum and Knock down a lot of models. But more importantly, once engaged, they can't leave, lest they be knocked down by Ghast's parting blow's. If your opponent's don't have 2" melee? Most of them are pretty much stuck if they started in base contact with him! Add in Fear and Rising Anger, and it just add's to your opponent's frustration when trying to deal with him. Essentially, Ghast is kind of like a big black hole that you can park somewhere, and your opponent will generally have to make a tough choice whether to try and take out this 21 hit-point monster, or just deal with being controlled until he can be dealt with later.

The next model to really focus on is Silence. He generates 3 Influence, which by itself is very notable. But the fact that he can bring back Dirge from death is sweet too. He is randomly a good kicker. Oh, and has 5+ defense with 15 hit-points. All-in-all, he would be a solid addition to your team, even if he didn't have great character plays.

But, it is his character plays that really add more to the control aspect of the game. With access to both Tucked and Shutout, he literally can control your opponent's turn. Certain teams, like the Mason's, who rely on very specific order of activation's really don't like being told which model has to go next and which model has to go last. Really, Silence is just gross, and you, Mortician's player, will probably put him in every team you ever make!


There are plenty of other Mortician's models to look at, but these three are the one's I feel you should learn to use first. Not only are they excellent rule's-wise, but they allow you to play the whole aspect of control and denial in Guild Ball. They also require more practice to make sure you are fully utilizing their disgusting powers. The other character's are pretty much used exactly as written on their cards, and are more "obvious", more or less. I may go over them in the future, but for now, learn the nuances of using these guys. The more you can learn about these models, the better a Mortician's player you will become! Oh, and I'm sure I'll have a Scalpel discussion sometime in the future.

Have an amazing day, and welcome to the world of annoying your opponents intentionally!

-the aY