Quick Test Game

I am due to get in my first proper games of Anima Tactics in April, which will be against my main gaming buddy Rob.

Before then I thought I would trial on my own what I plan to use for the first introduction - a simple two on two game pitting Lostaroth Marchosias and Grey against Hiro and Lorenzo.

The game saw some basic Attacks; Charges; Special Actions and Special Abilities being used - all good.

Pictures:

1. Hiro ready for battle
2. Lostaroth Marchosias spots Hiro after moving up a hill
3. Lorenzo successfully Charges Grey and uses up an Energy Token to boost his Attack
4. Grey loses Life Points and is Thrown back by Lorenzo
5. Lorenzo follows up against Grey with Dual Buster

I was able to recall the basics that I needed; remembered to use Dodges; got a better feel for Action Points management. All in all pretty successful.

What was evident, and I had a strong inkling about this, was that by Turn 2 at most you should be able to engage Enemy models in base to base.

In only 3 Turns of play I felt comfortable with the basics of the game, and had employed a few different Action types, all of which bodes well for introducing others to the game in time I hope.

Bring on the proper gaming!

Sarah Reindhold

Another one down - number twelve ('gotta collect them all' - I may very well take that literally!).

I understand that Sarah Reindhold is related to the Azur character Reindhold (also known as Alfred Reindhold Webber), but cannot confirm until Saga III and/or IV book is out. Whenever that may be.

In the meantime this is my third Church mini, but has not really been painted towards putting into a Church Party at this time, more simply to keep up my painting momentum. That said, she is my first Summoner, so maybe she will get some use sooner or later. I did mention that I wanted to get some Summoners and Summons painted up, but I have more in mind Samael characters for that aspect of game-play.

Sarah's Actions are all around buffs and de-buffs, and one o the most interesting looking to my eye is her Upkeep Action Nathaniel's Incense which provides a Turn on Turn Life Point recovery. The only way to tell if it is as workable and useful as it appears is to get some games in of course! The down side is her de-buff ability appears to possibly switch off Nathaniel's Incense too.

My colour scheme for the various Saints in the Church will be the white clothing or robes with red shawl so their should be some uniformity as they start to appear.

I am not too happy with the face on this mini; the eyes have been done twice, and I am not doing them a third time - they stay as they are. Also the shininess around the red should be taken care of when I can eventually hit my minis with the Purity Seal.


Running Totals
Anima Tactics Minis: 80 (added: Azriel; Alastor; Saint Aestrega; Vayl)
Anima Tactics Minis Painted: 12
Painted Minis Percentage: 15% (that percentage growth has slowed down with recent purchases; I have another 9 minis on the way - so I need to get 2 done just to get ahead again when they have arrived)

Drake

Not much I can say about Drake, as being a Saga III or IV character, he is not covered in the first rule-book (Sagas I and II).

His blurb as listed on Anima Tactics Oracle cites him as a vagabond mercenary warrior, possessed of some form of the Blood of the Dragon, the same power that surges through the veins of Dereck Shezard.

Drake is part of Team The Condemned Lovers along with Cenette; the pair the bloody warrior and the on-the-run princess. I have yet to pick up Cenette, but inevitably will do in good order!

In game terms, at 50 Levels Drake looks like a slightly watered down alternative to Dereck Shezard at first glance: both are Neutral Wanderers; both Warriors; similar emphasis in terms of characteristics relative to their respective Levels. In addition Drake has an Action called Dragon Overdrive which is functionally like a weakened but cheaper to use version Dereck's Neo Genesis. however there are differences, with Drake backing up his Actions with a Charge and Dereck having a Ranged Attack. That said, I look forward to using both in time when I do get some gaming in.

This one was tricky to get my head around in painting and there are some bits I am quite chuffed with, other bits less so, but I am fairly pleased with the overall result. I do think the flesh and 'gold' look better with the model in hand than the photographs suggest.

I will try and turn my attention to getting some more Church models finished to allow me to make up a 200 level Church Organization Party since I can now do a 200 Level Wissenschaft Party (by including a Wanderer). I really, really want to get a couple of Summoners and at least 2-3 summons done soon since I think they will be a fun part of the game.

In the mean-time, stay tuned for my sporadic updates!

Running Totals
Anima Tactics Minis: 76 (added: The Colonel; Reindhold; and Dinah)
Anima Tactics Minis Painted: 11
Painted Minis Percentage: 14.5% (percentage of minis owned and painted)

The First Ten

The first in what I *hope* will be regular update summaries, chronicling my most recent batch of 10 minis for Anima Tactics, while giving me a nice group shot as a milestone.

I really am determined to paint one of every Anima Tactics mini, so it will be a long slog, no doubt about that!

I have tried doing something similar for Pulp City (click for my Pulp City blog), and with that project I am around 90-95% there at a guess. So it is doable, but only if I sustain progress. Last year was petty poor with only 24 minis completed. Already this year I am up to 11 completed minis; I would like to achieve 12 minis finished per 3 months across various genres and ranges, so thus far I am approximately on course with a couple of weeks to go in this first quarter.

In the painting queue for Anima Tactics I currently have: Yuki; Sarah Reindhold; Deimon; Genma; Saint Evangeline; Shinobi; and Valentine. However as my main gaming buddy will attest  stuff can drop in and out of that 'queue' quite randomly...

Anyway here is to 'the Next 10'; of those Drake is already finished so keep your eyes peeled!

Team Bella & Aqua

Bella and Aqua form a Team in Anima Tactics. That has certain implications for their use in a Party, for example they count as just a single Wanderer for the purpose of Party-building.

Usually Teams have their rules listed on a dedicated game-card, with special rules gained for taking the Team that apply to one of more models; however for this Team they are incorporated into the cards of both Aqua and Bella. that is because neither can be taken without the other, and all benefits are incorporated into their own rules and the fact that you get 2 units with combat Actions for a mere 60 Levels.

What it appears to me is that it means there are extra opportunities to Activate and Attack. Bella offers versatility, while Aqua offers annoyance and potentially a devastating Charge, or even Charge threat which in itself should be tactically useful, that even if not pulled off correctly, still will only likely lose a Level 15 model.