Doctor Who Exterminate! The Miniatures Game

I've nearly completed painting the free Warhammer Age of Sigmar set that came as a result of our Warhammer+ membership and, of course, I'm still dreading the massive array of 3D-printed buildings I have yet to tackle. (At least I've been smart enough not to print any more buildings!) 

How else can I procrastinate? Why not invest in an entirely new wargame and paint all of those miniatures first?! Done! 

I just ordered a copy of  the rather awkwardly titled Doctor Who Exterminate! The Miniatures Game from Warlord Games. The starter set has plastic Daleks and Cybermen, but the rest of the line appears to be pewter. I'd prefer plastic, but I'm very keen on staging some cool Whoniverse battles, so if the minis need to be metal, fair enough. I don't know anything about the game stats and how the individual factions play, but I will most likely look to field a strike team of my beloved Ice Warriors. Maybe a team-up between those stolid Martians and Earth's plucky UNIT troopers against a massive Dalek invasion? 

Cats on the Prowl!

Last season, the expansion Bearcats went 2-11-7. Rookie of the Year goaltender Hap Holmes showed flashes of brilliance, but two wins in twenty games is...well...two wins in twenty games. Late in their inaugural campaign, the Cats traded for power forward Scotty Davidson and then in the offseason they  swapped captain Billy Gilmour for offensive defenseman Graham Drinkwater. They also used the first overall pick to draft "Phantom" Joe Malone, a rookie winger with unlimited potential. With an improved roster, the Cats looked to take a step forward in their second campaign.

A step? More like a pounce! The Cats surpassed their year-one win total after precisely three games and now sit in sole possession of first place at 3-0-2 at the one-quarter mark of the season. How are they doing it? Their offense (2.80 goals per game) and power play (a league-worst 17.65%) are modest improvements over last season, but the real reason is goal prevention, where their 1.60 goals allowed per game and 87.50% penalty kill are both ranked second in the league. A much-improved Holmes has a lot to do with that. 

Are they truly the league's best team? I don't think they'll be in first place at the end of the regular season, but I definitely see them making the playoffs. And with Holmes playing at such an elite level, who knows? Maybe they run the table and follow in the footsteps of the previous expansion team, the Millionaires, who won the Creighton Cup in just their second season of play.

So...many...buildings...

We've made a lot of 28mm-scale buildings with our 3D printer. A lot. The intent is to use all this 3D terrain for modern-setting campaigns in the Front Porch multiverse. For example, our Tales of the Ternion superhero campaign currently uses flat maps, but it's just crying out for a more dynamic environment to host all the larger-than-life action of characters who can scale walls, leap over buildings, hurl vehicles down the street, etc. I'm also knee-deep in narrative for a spinoff campaign that involves a zombie outbreak in a sleepy little town. With scores of zombie minis from Zombicide, the vast array of 3D buildings we've printed, and custom hero minis from Hero Forge, it's going to have absolutely blockbuster visuals! 

There's only one problem: I have to paint all this stuff!

Looking at the gargantuan pile of gray plastic in the corner of our game room actually fills me with anxiety. First-world problems, I know, but I'm kind of freaking out about how long it's going to take to paint these buildings. I'm also looking for any excuse to put it off, so various other paint projects keep moving to the head of the line. Just yesterday, in fact, I received the latest free mini that comes with my Warhammer+ subscription; it's a chaos sorcerer (with a bevy of cute-yet-evil little familiars!) for Warhammer Age of Sigmar, but I'll repurpose it for our Shattered Realm D&D campaign. After that? Well, do I have any other unpainted models besides the buildings...?

Phantom Joe

I'm now underway with another season of historical hockey, and each of the six teams has played one game apiece. Last night featured the Millionaires visiting the Bearcats. As an expansion team last year, the Bearcats went 2-11-7, and one of the few bright spots was securing the first overall pick in the entry draft. They used that selection to nab left wing Joe Malone, a phenomenal offensive talent. Malone struggled for much of his debut, however, and the Millionaires led the Cats 2-0 after two periods. Rookie defenseman Harry Cameron led the way for the Millies with a goal and an assist, stealing Malone's thunder. In the third, two goals in thirty seconds lifted the Cats into a 2-2 tie, and it looked like the game would end in a draw. Then, in the closing seconds, Harry Trihey's slick pass found Malone in the slot, and the rookie snapped the puck past new Millies goaltender Riley Hern to give the hometown Bearcats a stunning come-from-behind win. Phantom Joe, as he was called in real life, had just appeared out of nowhere to record the winning tally after over 59 minutes of frustration. I'm excited to watch his (and Cameron's) rookie season unfold!

Lego D&D

Check this out! D&D as a Lego Ideas set!!!

Six Questions

I have a new team -- the undead! -- lined up for my next season of Blitz Bowl, but I have to admit that I'm longing to get back on the ice. I'm leaning toward bumping Blitz for Season 8 of my historical Strat-O-Matic hockey league. Below are six burning questions, one for each team!

• Bearcats: With top-ranked rookie Joe Malone and perhaps some better luck for promising goaltender Hap Holmes, can the Bearcats contend for a playoff spot in their second season of play?
• Bulldogs: Goaltender Paddy Moran carried this team and covered up a lot of poor play by the guys in front of him. Can Gord Roberts, Bruce Stuart, Frank Patrick, and all the underperforming Dogs return to form?
• Comets: After a first-place finish and career years from Forward MVP Blair Russell and Defenseman MVP Mike Grant, can the Comets rebound from their playoff collapse and dethrone the Vics?
• Millionaires: Can new netminder Riley Hern, a two-time Goaltender MVP, help the Millies recover from a league-worst -20 goal differential and 3.30 goals against per game? 
• Thistles: Will trading for former Playoff MVP Hugh Lehman (their third goaltender in eight seasons) help the Thistles end their curse and win their first-ever Creighton Cup?
• Victorias: After winning titles in Seasons 6 and 7, will the lordly Vics pull off a threepeat behind superstars Cyclone Taylor and Newsy Lalonde?