Under Siege's Top 10 Posts of 2014

A year ago, I did a top ten list of the most popular posts of 2013.  It was very popular and fun to do so, I thought I'd do the same this year.  If you are a new reader or follower to the blog, these lists are a great way to get a feel for the kind of stuff you may find here and, it is also a great way to see what the readers are interested in reading.  If interested in checking out last year's, you can do so HERE. The list that follows is based on the number of hits it has received without advertising any particular Kickstarter (there was one instance where a C&C related Kickstarter was a surprising number of hits and I felt it shouldn't be counted as part of the top ten).

10. Weekend R&R: X-Wing Miniatures

X-Wing Miniatures proved to be a 'dangerous game'.  I had avoided trying and buying into it because I knew I would end up loving it and become hooked.  I regret nothing.  My Rebel and Imperial collection has grown considerably since this review and have thought about joining a league at my FLGS.

09. D&D Next, Higher Costs, and the FLGS

So many people were complaining about the costs of the books of the new editions of D&D when it was announced that I decided to write up this post.  I picked up the books as I knew I would and ended up getting them at 50% off the cover price thanks to Amazon.  Of course, I love supporting my FLGS and don't need much help in dropping a lot of cash when I go there.  ;)

08. Weekend R&R: D&D 5th Edition and C&C

This post was one of the longer ones and I felt it necessitated a 'condensed post' to accompany it in the event that the reader wanted a quick comparison instead of a detailed writeup.  Since then, I have played a lot more 5th Edition and while I like many things and changes it brought about, I ultimately find myself leaning more towards C&C.  This post certainly deserves a follow-up.

07. To Games Workshop... I'm Cashing Out!

This was a fun post to write and a few of my fellow gamers were very supportive of my declaration.  It almost felt like a support group.  I successfully sold most of my GW models save for the handful I decided to keep and recouped a bunch of my investment.  Seeing what they have been up to for the past six months or so, I don't regret it one bit.

06. Weekend R&R: Codex Nordica (C&C)

Most of Troll Lord Games publishing ventures this past year has been done using Kickstarter very successfully.  I was able to review the material based on the PDF which I got an advanced copy of.  I have since gotten my hands on the physical books which included a nice leatherette version.  It is a fantastic book.

05. Skeletons: Painting Guide

I didn't manage to do nearly enough painting as I had hoped to this past year and this was one of the simplest to do.  I hope to do a lot more in 2015.

04. Weekend R&R: Castle Keeper's Guide to the Haunted Highlands

The Haunted Highlands Kickstarter was a pretty fantastic one given what came along with it.  I was happy to back it and, TLG had the wisdom to release the PDFs of this and the Players Guide to backers before it went to print.  A few issues were caught which enabled them to fix the books.  However, one of the last fixes right before the printing caused a problem which forced TLG to issue a map booklet to be included with every copy of this book.  The problem meant that something like 3 or 4 pages ended up blank when they should have included maps.  It was unfortunate since this effectively mars an beautiful 400 page book and I really don't think we'll be seeing a reprint anytime soon.

03. Weekend R&R: Games & Gears Ichiban Studios Pro Line Brushes

Previous backers of the so-called 'Pro Series 7 Brushes' which features dual brush heads with  Kolinsky sable hair had mixed reviews due to what sounded like production issues.  Many users were satisfied with the brushes but others equally unhappy with the quality.  In a follow-up Kickstarter, they partnered with Ichiban Studios to produce a new line of 'professional' brushes.  I was happy to receive them and, on the whole, am still please with the brushes.  I still find them to be GOOD brushes but not perfect -- despite care and cleaning, one of the brushes tends to split at tip as opposed to keeping the point.  It might be a fluke since I have had NO issues with the other brushes.

02. Weekend R&R: Storyteller's Thesaurus

I originally reviewed this almost a year ago and a few months afterwards, TLG launched a Kickstarter to produce a physical copy of the book.  From what I understand, it has (finally) begun to ship.  I look forward to my copy of what is a surprisingly great resource.

01. Tools of the Miniature Painter: .177 Caliber Steel BBs

This post was not only the most popular post of 2014 but it was also the highest read post since Under Siege began a few years back.  There's some good advice in there but in the year that I've been doing these I've experienced a couple of issues in the 10 or so paint pots where these were being used.  To be clear, it took a while and it wasn't all of them but the quality of the BBs being used were not the highest or without some defects.  The coating seems to have eroded away and, depending on the 'integrity' of the steel BB, started to corrode.  The weight makes them ideal but a plastic or glass route might be better in the long run so, painter beware:

From left to right: New BB, BB with no coating, BB which started to corrode.

I will still use BB's but I think I'll have to go with another brand or try and find a higher quality if I need some agitators for long-term use.  However, if this is a pot that is on it's way out, given that that I've only really noticed some problems with a couple of pots several months down the line, even these will do in a pinch.

Thanks for reading!

M