The first staff Steamroller 2013 tournament has come and gone, and it was awesome. Eighteen players came together and threw down over four rounds of intense and viscous combat, with only one emerging as champion. That champion was none other than Development Manager David “DC” Carl.

Surprised? Me neither.

Tricks of the Trade: Dealing with Dust

One of the challenges you must deal with when building and maintaining an army is dust accumulation. Dust builds up on miniatures very quickly and can cause issues for priming, painting, and overcoats. On miniatures that are already painted, dust dulls colors and sometimes even obscures details. It is also a big issue for terrain, which typically sits out more and can look washed out if dust is not dealt with. With all the work you put into building your collection, taking a little time to maintain and clean it shows you’re serious and ready for battle.

The past few weeks have been pretty crazy for the writing and editorial staff at Privateer Press. We’re working hard to wrap up the second book of the Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game, titled “Kings, Nations, and Gods.” Doug Seacat, Jason Soles, and I have endeavored to place the nations of the Iron Kingdoms (Cygnar, Khador, Llael, Ord, and the Protectorate of Menoth) under a microscope like never before. We’ve examined the history, culture, people, cities, and politics of each nation in excruciating detail, argued extensively, and not-quite-come-to-blows over the finer points of dueling culture in Llael, the operational jurisdiction of the Prikaz Chancellery, and just how the internal economy of the Protectorate functions (short answer: badly).

Part of my job is to keep an eye on the Privateer Press forums and answer questions about painting. Recently, a number of commonly asked questions have cropped up. Below are some of those questions and the answers.

Fools Rush In, the official intro adventure to the Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Roleplaying Game, was unleashed a few weeks ago. This adventure is a great entry point into the setting, as well as a fantastic way to learn the game’s basic mechanics. Since Fools Rush In was released, Press Gangers across the world have been demoing the adventure for players interested in the game.

Working in a creative industry typically means maintaining a steady stream of ideas and then working to turn those ideas into an actual thing (inasmuch as you can classify a video as a thing). Some days the creative juices are flowing in torrents and some days they slow to a trickle. Usually a good night’s sleep will help refresh creativity, but for more dramatic inspiration, sometimes you just gotta get out of town.

Though I’m working at a frantic pace on a ton of things I’d love to talk about, I’m afraid they’re all still a bit too confidential. I will say that 2013 is going to be an amazing year for Privateer Press, but that’s about as far as I can go without winding up with a highly redacted Insider Blog. Again.

In today’s blog, I want to talk about one of the best aspects of WARMACHINE and HORDES—the hobby.

I dare say it is the hobby that attracted many of us to WARMACHINE and HORDES in the first place. There is something almost magical about seeing a table filled with painted and converted miniatures, whether yours or your opponent’s. By themselves miniatures are works of three-dimensional art that represent an investment of hours of work just like any type of art, but I ask you, what other artwork culminates in smashing your opponent to paste?

There have been many requests for a step-by-step on how to paint the black and gold of the Abyssal Cohort. In fact, Ásgeir Helgi Hjaltalín, A.K.A., "Ace," of Iceland requested in person I tell the world how I paint the black and gold Skorne. So, Ace, here you go.

Whenever I start a new unit I always paint a single control model. This control mini is a single figure from the unit that I completely paint to my liking before I commit to the entire unit. To ensure I achieved the composition I wanted, I had to paint some smaller areas on this Venator Slinger several times before I was pleased with it. I tried a number of different approaches when painting the sling pouch, the ropes, and other smaller supporting areas. The major areas (black, gold, skin, and brown) are always painted the same way.