Heavy Gear Blitz! Tournament: Part 4

The Results

Prizes were given for first and second place in the tournament, as well as one for best painted army. I came in last in the tournament, which I don't mind. I rarely win at wargames and have learned to just enjoy playing. Here are the tournament winners according to Dream Pod 9:

1st Place: Gambit
2nd Place: Attila of Terra

Gambit received two squad boxes and decal sets of his choice for winning first place. Attila of Terra received on box and decal set for second. Everyone else received a decal set for participating. I was a little shocked about the prizes, thought I shouldn't have been. Dream Pod 9 had created such a wonderfully friendly atmosphere that I hadn't even considered that there was any purpose to the tournament other than getting together to play Heavy Gear Blitz!.

My opponent kept pressing forward with his Hovertanks, eventually extending to far from friendly support, allowing me to wipe them out. Unfortunately, I was still taking to many casualties from moving to slow.

There was also an award for Best Painted Army. Since Mason hadn't finished his army I was the next in line. This is where the advantage of an army painting style compared to a display style comes into play. Many people look at the brilliantly painted miniatures by Rackham, Privateer Press or Games Workshop's Golden Demon winners and think that those are the miniatures that win Best Painted Army awards. They are not, they are the miniature which win individual painting competitions. Stories abound of people with basically painted armies winning painting competitions because their army was finished and solid. Applying paint cleanly to a miniature is the most important technique to army painting. Only after you become proficient at that will the more advance techniques make any difference.

The Best Painted Army award was a squad box of my choice and another set of decals. I picked a Recon squad and Northern decals. They look good and have a lot of useful decals on them, such as army insignia, hazard markings, numbers and various decals which can be added to add a lot of detail to the miniatures. Take a basically painted Gear, just a shade in the crevices and a highlight on the edges. Add the decal packs and it will look, on close inspection, like it took 100 hours to complete. The decals say that there's enough for 10 Gears. However, I'm mostly interested in the numbers, of which there are twenty sets. This means I'll be able to mark 20 Gears with one decal pack, or 10 Gears with numbers on the Gear and base. At $5.95 US, they seem like a great deal. When I use some I'll give a fuller review.

My winnings. A Northern Recon squad, two CNCS Decal sets and a Northern Infantry squad. I didn't win the infantry, I'd brought my old blister to get it replaced. It originally contained Southern grunts and Northern officers. Talk about discipline problems!

Aftermath and Plans for the Future

I left Cangames with a feeling of well-being. I was very satisfied by my experience and look forward to next year's tournament. All of the players were very friendly. I saw no one unhappy about how their game went, even when they lost. The representatives from Dream Pod 9 were welcoming and friendly. I spent much of my time before the game hanging out with Mr. Le Clerc and chatting. It was a great experience, well worth a trip from out of town for those considering attending next year.

What I'm currently painting.

When I was finishing the last of the painting prior to the tournament I was sure I wouldn't touch another Gear for a good long time. I felt sick of painting little metal robots and was really looking forward to some of my 1-piece historical miniatures as a welcome change of pace. I am painting some Front Rank Napoleonic British Infantry, and it is a welcome change.

However, walking out of Cangames, clutching my loot in my hand, I was thinking about the next thing Heavy Gear related that I would paint. The Recon squad was tempting, but I think I'll be painting up my infantry. I've always been more interested in infantry over armoured vehicles, plus their low cost in the game will allow me to field an extra Combat Group cheaply. After that I may paint up the Jaguar and Hunter I have left over as a display vignette, to test myself to see if I can match Mason's painting style. I also have a couple of Mammoths that would add some heavy punch to my army. Even now I'm getting excited at the possibilities.

It seems the best remedy for burning out painting is to play a few games with your miniatures. When I am getting into a new project I am always excited. I plan my miniatures and starting working on an army. Often my plans are vague and unfocused, especially if I have never played the game before. Once I play a game I know what to add to my army, so my ideas become more focused. This creates a different type of excitement which should be followed up on quickly before it dies down. Something which I plan to do.

Tyler