Monday, March 30, 2020

"Painting" More 40K Chaos Space Marines (Black Legion) with Sharpie Pens

I recently "painted" additional models to add to my small contingent of Black Legion models that were speed painted using Sharpie pens and a limited number of acrylic paints.  This time I added a few Chaos Cultists and two Possessed models.

The Chaos Cultists were primed using a Desert Yellow Army Painter spray primer.  I then used a variety of Sharpie pens to add different earth shades to each model.  Metallic Sharpies were used to highlight the metal areas.

For the Possessed, I used metallic Sharpies to highlight many of the areas on each model after first priming them black, (with a zenithal overprime of dark grey).  The purple areas were then Sharpied over using a reddish pink pen.

I dipped all the models using Tudor Mixwax Polyshade.  I used regular acrylics to paint the bases and added some flocked foliage to complete the models.

I think the models turned out fine for the time spent, and they complement the Black Legion Space Marines well.  However, these models also showed me the limits of the Sharpie painting approach as I found the paint job to just barely achieve what I consider tabletop quality.  Still, sometimes getting painted models to the table is more important than a quality paint job.  I plan to use all the model for a One Page Rules Kill Team, and for that purpose, I believe they will serve me well on the battlefield!

Friday, March 6, 2020

Emerald City Comic Con Postponed to Summer 2020

Not surprisingly, Emerald City Comic Con has just announced that they will postpone ECCC 2020 and are looking at new dates during summer.  Below is the email that was just sent out:

Hey ECCC fans,

Each year the Emerald City Comic Con team works their hardest to do right by the thousands of fans that come together in Seattle. We want to create a space for you to gather, be yourselves and make memories with those who matter to you most. We have been closely monitoring the situation around the COVID-19 virus in Seattle, and, after many hours of conversation internally and consultation with local government officials and the tourism bureau, we have decided to move next week's Emerald City Comic Con to Summer 2020 with date and detail announcement forthcoming. We did everything that we could to run the event as planned, but ultimately, we are following the guidance of the local public health officials indicating that conventions should now be postponed.

>> To all of our fans who purchased tickets, you will receive a refund on your tickets, no further action is needed on your part. Due to the volume, we expect you will receive your refund in 30 days. We appreciate your patience and understanding. <<

Our hearts go out to the entire Seattle community, everyone impacted by the COVID-19 virus, and all of you, the nearly 100,000 amazing human beings who look forward to this event each year. Our team was incredibly excited to see you at Emerald City Comic Con next week, however, fans, artists, exhibitors and the rest of the community are what make Reedpop events so special and it is our duty to make sure that your safety comes first.

We know that this decision is going to greatly impact many of our individual creators, small businesses and service workers. To those whose careers depend on ECCC - we will do everything that we can over the coming days and weeks to highlight your work and we ask that our entire community support you as we realize your personal livelihoods may be impacted.

Reedpop remains determined and committed to running Emerald City Comic Con in 2020 and we are working closely with Visit Seattle and the Washington State Convention Center to secure alternate dates this summer. As we explore options for new dates, please know that our priority is to bring you an equally amazing event.

We appreciate all the messages that we have received over the course of the past week. The feedback was invaluable in helping us determine next steps.
Stay tuned to our website and social channels for additional information about when we will next see you in Seattle.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and Gaming Community Impacts

The impacts of the COVID-19 Coronavirus are many, and the gaming community is not immune from its effects.  A number of boardgame manufacturers have cited potential supply chain impacts based on  manufacturing disruptions due to the virus.  The best example is in Seattle, where the Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) is still scheduled to start on March 12th, despite significant concerns in King County over the local spread of the virus. 


Although ECCC is now offering refunds to all attendees, many wonder whether ReedPOP could be opening themselves up to legal action by not taking reasonable health precautions by cancelling the event.  This is especially true based on today's announcement from King County that local businesses "avoid bringing large groups of people together" and "consider postponing events and gatherings." Many are saying that ReedPOP would be better off to cancel the convention right now in order to give attendees time to cancel their travel plans.  With all the vendors that have dropped out (and more likely to cancel within the next few days), it could be a near worthless event to attend anyway.