Minecraftin'

I kinda regret not recording or streaming this game. iHavoc was over for the weekend and we decided to play some Minecraft. But not Pixelmon or any minigames we had been playing recently, we decided to actually play a game of classic Survival.

We spawned in what appeared to be a Forest biome, right next to a Desert biome and right near a cave. iHavoc tunnelled an entrance/shelter while I gathered wood to make tools and a crafting bench (we also started with a bonus chest so we had at least some basic wood tools and a couple of apples) We spent some time mining and making stone tools before I noticed a village off in the distance. So after collecting some iron and making a couple of iron pickaxes and a couple of pieces of armor we set out to build a house near the village, so that the villagers could do all the farming and we can steal their food. There was also what appeared to be a large cave nearby as well.

So we began gathering wood and started building the house. I built the walls and iHavoc decided on granite floors (at least on the first floor). In the meantime a cow took up residence in our house, so we named him Steve and built a pen for him once the house was completed. There were quite a few cows around and since we started raising them we are all set for food (mmmmmm steak). Unfortunately we only found a couple of sheep and so we don't have enough wool to make a bed, since iHavoc decided to kill them rather than pen them in so that we could shear their wool. He probably thought we would find more.

Once the house was finished (double door with pressure plates, glass panes for the windows, a couple of double capacity chests, crafting table, furnace, some decor) I started tunneling under the house so that we have a secret entrance to the Batcave. I installed a trap door and a ladder as the entrance starts with a shaft that goes straight down for a ways before turning towards the cave, secured with another door. Also lots of torches so that mobs don't spawn inside our tunnel hopefully.

Then came exploring the cave itself. I think at this point iHavoc has put both a crafting bench and furnace down there as we found SO MUCH STUFF and don't want to have to always run all the way back to the house to prep it. I have never found so much iron in a game of Minecraft, so I'm pretty sure frequencies of raw material spawns have been increased (this was a game on default settings; we didn't even know about the new custom game option when we set it up).

As I continued on my way, gathering iron and some coal (we found so much iron that the two of us are wearing full iron armor and using iron swords, plus I made six buckets and there's still a pile of ingots left), and killing a few monsters (some creepers helpfully exploded entrances to new sections of the cave network as well), I came across some gold ore. I carefully moved around it as there was a pool of lava nearby, trying to get a better sense of how much gold there was, and calling to iHavoc to bring an iron pickaxe as I had forgotten mine, there it was. DIAMOND ORE. The first I had seen in a legit game of Minecraft. Needless to say iHavoc hurried his way down there even faster. Initially we saw 2 ore. Mining the gold and surrounding stone revealed a third. Happy that we found 3 diamonds, we scooped them up to find 3 more underneath! So we have a total of 6 diamonds now.

iHavoc proceeded to make a diamond pickaxe and mine up the obsidian that I had found not too far away while I kept exploring. I then discovered craploads of redstone ore. Altogether I think we came away with 75 redstone on the day. So we've discussed plans to make powered minecarts leading to the village and around our cave network.

All in all a fun and productive weekend in Minecraft!

Guilty Pleasure: Power Rangers

Yep, that's right. I like Power Rangers. I was pretty happy when Netflix picked up the franchise. My youngest son loves the show, primarily Power Rangers: Dino Thunder (he likes dinosaurs after all).

Yes, I realize the acting is comically bad, the writing often incoherent and the villains ridiculous. That's part of the show's charm though. The costumes are pretty cool (particularly when the Rangers' helmets are lacking a mouth) and the action sequences enjoyable, even with the sometimes ludicrous special effects.

What some of you may not realize is Power Rangers is the American version of a Japanese show called Super Sentai (collectively; each season has its own name), which has been running since the mid-1970's. Starting in 1993, Saban Entertainment began porting the show produced by Toei Co., renaming it Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Generally the footage used from Japan is the action sequences after the heroes transformed, with the rest filmed domestically, though they will also shoot their own morphed action footage when necessary.

Mighty Morphin was the first, and for a time, only multi-season run of Power Rangers, and actually utilized footage from multiple Super Sentai shows (Sentai had long since adopted a self-contained season format), primarily Kyoryo Sentai Zyuranger, but later adding Gosei Sentai Dairanger and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, mainly for new Zords (the Rangers' giant robots). The costumes were from Zyuranger, though towards the end they used the costumes from Kakuranger. Originally a team of 5 Rangers assembled by a powerful being called Zordon, this show also began the tradition of adding a "Sixth Ranger" later on. They originally fought a villain named Rita Repulsa, who was replaced by Lord Zedd, who then ended up marrying Rita. It's a bit of an odd show...

After 3 seasons Saban adopted the new-team-per-season format (at least partially) with Power Rangers Zeo (adapted from Chouriki Sentai Ohranger) , though this retained the characters from the end of Mighty Morphin. Now they started bringing new footage from Japan annually and didn't try to make the hodgepodge that Mighty Morphin had become toward the end. Ironically, the Red Ranger for this show was Tommy, who was the original Sixth Ranger in Mighty Morphin (originally the Green Ranger, but later became White Ranger and was promoted to leader), while the Sixth Ranger in Zeo (the Gold Ranger) was Jason, who was the original Red Ranger in Mighty Morphin. The enemies this time were the Machine Empire.

The next season saw the Zeo Rangers become Power Rangers Turbo (adapted from Gekisou Sentai Carranger) and adopt a car theme. This time however there was a casting change partway through, and for the first time we had an entirely new cast of Power Rangers. They fought a villain called Divatox. Sixth Ranger was the Phantom Ranger, whose identity was never revealed. SPOILER This season actually ended with a full defeat of the Power Rangers and the capture of Zordon, probably the only true downer ending the franchise has ever had. This resulted in the Rangers (minus the Phantom Ranger and the Blue Ranger, who was a 12-year-old kid for some reason) seeking out another Ranger in space, leading to...

Power Rangers IN SPAAAAACE!! Joking aside, this is the last, and arguably best, season of the so-called Zordon Era (adapted from Denji Sentai Megaranger). The Turbo cast was mostly intact, though they changed roles within the team. The Red Ranger became the Blue Ranger, as they brought in an entirely new character named Andros to take on the role of Red Ranger. The villain this season was Astronema. Sixth Ranger was the Silver Ranger. This was expected to be the last season of Power Rangers due to Power Rangers Turbo being generally bad, and the finale certainly felt like it. However, as people got on board with it and ratings went back up, it was renewed once more, and the next season was...

Power Rangers IN SPAAAACE AGAIN!!! Or, officially, Power Rangers Lost Galaxy (which actually had more of a nature theme, just set off-world. Adapted from Seijuu Sentai Gingaman). Where Space Rangers was still set on Earth (the Rangers base of operations was a starship they kept in orbit), this took place on a space colony called Terra Venture, and this season began the annual tradition in full of New Season/New Rangers/New Theme. This also began the tradition of This Year's Rangers Should Team Up With Last Year's Rangers, teaming the Galaxy Rangers with the Space Rangers. It also had the first Ranger to be SPOILER killed in the line of duty (of the noble sacrifice variety). The villain was Scorpius, followed by his daughter Trakeena, and then (upon being sent to the eponymous Lost Galaxy) Captain Mutiny (though they escaped the Lost Galaxy and fought Trakeena again). Sixth Ranger was the Magna Defender. Next came...

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue (adapted from Kyukyu Sentai GoGoFive). These Rangers were rescue workers (sort of: they were a firefighter, lifeguard, stunt pilot, nurse, and extreme sports athlete), and were the first to openly act as Rangers as well, rather than concealing their identities. There was also no mysterious source of their powers and Zords, it was all some kind of government superhero project. Villain this season was a group of demons, originally led by Diabolico, then Prince Olympius. Sixth Ranger was the Titanium Ranger, who, interestingly, had no Japanese counterpart and was created solely for the American version. This was followed by...

Power Rangers Time Force (adapted from Mirai Sentai Timeranger). This team of Power Rangers was from the future (mostly, as SPOILER the Red Ranger was killed and they needed someone with the same DNA to unlock the rest of the team's morphers so they recruited his identical grandfather). The show's intro implied a time travel theme but this ended up not being the case, as the show took place in the present-day (the Zords were stored in the future however). That said, this is considered one of the strongest Power Rangers seasons, in terms of writing, special effects, even acting (it was actually decent for a change) and is the only Power Rangers series to be nominated for an Emmy Award (for sound editing, but a nomination is a nomination). Interestingly, the Red Ranger was not team leader this season, it was the Pink Ranger (the Red Ranger was a rookie after all) The villain this season was Bennett Ransik and his daughter Nadira. Sixth Ranger was the Quantum Ranger. Follwed by...

Power Rangers Wild Force (adapted from Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger). This team featured a VERY heavy nature theme. The Red Ranger was a kid who grew up in a South American tribe and had to find a way to not only fit in with the team but also lead them despite the other Rangers being much more experienced. This was a transitional year, as the series went from Saban to Disney, and arguably suffered for it. Still featured great team-up episodes. Villain for the season was Master Org. Sixth ranger was the Lunar Wolf Ranger, who for some reason got to have 3 Zords all to himself. This was followed by...

Power Rangers Ninja Storm (adapted from Ninpu Sentai Hurricanger). The Rangers are trained Ninja (duh) with a bit of extreme sports thrown in, and this series played with the traditional 5+1 format of the team. The original team is only 3 Rangers from the Wind Ninja Academy, and are pitted against 2 Rangers from the Thunder Ninja Academy who are brainwashed into working for the villain. They eventually team up but it leads to duplicated colors: there are 2 blue and 2 red Rangers rather than a team of 5 different colors. This was thought initially to be a reboot of the franchise due to the transition to Disney, as well as the lack of a team up episode (this was due to production moving to New Zealand). This is proven to be untrue in later seasons. The villain is space ninja Lothor. Sixth Ranger is the Green Samurai Ranger. This was followed by...

Power Rangers Dino Thunder (adapted from Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger). The team is dinosaur themed again, and this season features the return of Tommy, who has somehow managed to become a respected paleontologist in an absurdly short period of time. This did, however, give us a clip show featuring each season to this point, as well as Tommy having to battle his previous Ranger forms (it makes sense in context, as much as Power Rangers can anyway) before becoming a Ranger yet again himself. This season actually never had six Rangers, though the fifth was functionally the Sixth Ranger. The original team was 3 Rangers again (red, blue and yellow, as the previous season) with Tommy joining as Black Ranger later on (with some lampshades being hung in the process). Villain was a dino-man named Mesagog. Sixth Ranger (despite technically being the fifth) was the White Dino Ranger. Followed by...

Power Rangers S.P.D. (adapted from Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger). Basically Power Rangers as Space Police. There is an entire academy of S.P.D. Rangers, and as I recall multiple Ranger teams, though the focus remained on one. The main squad is the B-Squad and is pressed into front line duty when the A-Squad vanishes. The season started off strong but became very inconsistent, and was criticized for some decisions made on the team up episodes. Villain was Emperor Gruumm. There were multiple Sixth Rangers: primarily it was the Shadow Ranger, but they also added the Omega Ranger, Nova Ranger, and briefly the Kat Ranger. This was followed by...

Power Rangers Mystic Force (adapted from Mahou Sentai Magiranger). Power Rangers with magic powers (and capes). These Rangers didn't summon Zords per se; rather, it was another transformation sequence as they themselves became their Zords. This season was the first in a while to lack a team up episode. The villain was Octomus the Master. Multiple Sixth Rangers again: White Mystic Ranger, Solaris Knight and Wolf Warrior. This was followed by...

Power Rangers Operation Overdrive (adapted from GoGo Sentai Boukenger). Power Rangers as adventure archaeologists. Generally regarded as the worst Power Rangers series, nearly ending the franchise. It still managed to feature an awesome team up episode (though not with the full Mystic Force team). The Rangers have to collect a set of jewels to keep the bad guys from getting them. Villains are Flurious and Moltor. Sixth Ranger is the Mercury Ranger. Followed by...

Power Rangers Jungle Fury (adapted from Juken Sentai Gekiranger). Power Rangers with Kung Fu animal powers. Team of three with multiple Sixth Rangers. Also these guys transform into their Zords like the Mystic Force Rangers. Considered an improvement over operation overdrive but no one watched it because Operation Overdrive was just that bad. No team up episodes. Villain was Dai Shi. Sixth Rangers are the Wolf Ranger (the first Purple Ranger) and Rhino Ranger. Followed by...

Power Rangers RPM (adapted from Engine Sentai Go-Onger). Power Rangers in an alternate universe post-apocalyptic world (but with cool cars again). The last Disney produced series and regarded as one of their best, but no one watched it because Operation Overdrive was just that bad. The franchise would go on a brief hiatus before being reacquired by Saban. No team up episodes, though the Red Ranger appeared in a couple of episodes in the next season. Villain was the Venjix Computer Netowrk (yes, it's basically Skynet). Sixth Rangers are the Gold and Silver Rangers. Followed by...

A hiatus as Disney re-aired Mighty Morphin for a bit and eventually sold the franchise back to Saban. Followed by...

Power Rangers Samurai (adapted from Samurai Sentai Shinkenger). Power Rangers as Samurai (obviously). Saban switched to a two-season format starting with this series, the second season billed as Super Samurai. Basically they gain a second-level, more powerful morph for the second season. Goes back to a lighter tone after RPM's rather dark setting. Villain is Master Xandred, and later added Serrator as a second Big Bad. Sixth Ranger is the Gold Samurai Ranger (the team is 5+1 again). Followed by...

Power Rangers Megaforce (adapted from Tensou Sentai Goseiger and Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger). Another two-season series. No specific theme, sort of an animal theme but not a huge part of the series. Second season billed as Super Megaforce and as the 20th Anniversary season features many past Rangers. Villain is the Warstar led by Admiral Malkor, followed by Prince Vekar. Sixth Rangers are the Silver Megaforce Ranger and Robo Knight. This will be followed by...

Power Rangers Dino Charge (adapted from Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger and Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters). Power Rangers with dinosaur powers yet again, because dinosaurs are awesome. Looks like 8 Rangers slated to appear, so expect multiple Sixth Rangers.

So there's an overview of the series so far. I'll follow up with my favorite team up episodes.

GTA V mayhem

My wife went to visit her parents for Labor Day weekend and took the little ones with her. I had my oldest son for the weekend so I stayed home (long story). We recorded a Minecraft video that I hope to have up this week. It was originally supposed to feature Pixelmon, but it wasn't working out the way we had hoped so that plan was scrapped and we featured some minigames. It's also the official introduction of my son as iHavoc (this will be his YouTube channel when he gets a computer that can actually produce gaming videos)

But the most fun was had in GTA V.

I believe I've pointed out before that GTA V is the first in the series I've played. Never appealed to me before (I don't really know why). I have played some GTA IV since, as iHavoc gave me his copy (he acknowledges it was a great game but it's completely outclassed by GTA V).

He has completed the story mode on his PS3, so we had to start fresh on mine. After playing some story missions, which didn't go entirely well as I'm getting used to the controls, we ended up deciding to A) cause some general mayhem and B) steal a fighter jet from the airbase.

General mayhem was accomplished by me. I busted out The Liberator monster truck, then pulled out my RPG. I proceeded to blow up a bus, the person walking next to the bus, and the car driving by the bus (all with one rocket). I then climbed into the monster truck and proceeded to run over all the cops. I eventually got away by going off road but fell into a bit of a ravine and the truck blew up.

The jet heist we both attempted, and we each pulled it off once, only to be foiled by my terrible piloting skills. iHavoc flew a helicopter near the base and then bailed. Free falling for a bit, he parachuted pretty close to one of the jets and was able to take off before the military could mount a defense. He then handed me the controller so I could try to see what flying is like and I promptly ejected.

The other strategy we devised I dubbed "Fast & Furious". We take a fast car (such as a Zentorno or Turismo R) and drive through the tunnel under the airbase. We turn around and use the side of the hill as a ramp to get over the fence. It usually takes a minute to figure out there's an intruder, and with one of these high powered exotics you can cover a lot of ground. Then it's a matter of getting into a jet before the tanks show up. This succeeded once. I then promptly flew the jet into a mountain. But it was all in good fun.

Then I started up a GTA Online game and had some pretty bad luck. I didn't get to race Lamar one on one as another player apparently started the same time, then bumped me off the road. So I came in second place as Lamar has a crappier car than you get to start with. One of the first jobs was to knock over a gas station. Which would have gone OK had the cops not responded so quickly and immediately shot out the tire of the Vapid Dominator I had stolen, making getaway fairly difficult. I ended up ditching the car in the aqueduct but I was able to steal a Sabre Turbo shortly after.

Extra Life Livestream

I've talked about it before, but here's the video as a reminder.

Basically I am trying to raise money for Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, RI. My son has been a patient there and I have had friends who have been patients there so I'd like to give something back.

You can donate here http://bit.ly/1ipcMOb
And then my brother (YouTube's mysterysquick) and I team up to do a 24-hour gaming livestream on October 25 at 8 AM EST. We will be streaming on my Twitch channel: http://bit.ly/1ocRRog

A preview of things to come can be found on mysterysquick's YouTube channel: our The Legend Of Zelda 1 player race of the first quest from last year's livestream. This year we will run the second quest. Other games slated to appear:

DOOM
Marvel vs Capcom 3
Space Hulk
Awesomenauts
Dawn Of War: Dark Crusade
Dawn Of War II: Chaos Rising
Gun Monkeys
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time
Magicka
Loadout
Starbound (if I can talk him into getting it)
Ice Hockey
Worms Reloaded

The list isn't finalized yet and is subject to change. Most likely in the form of adding to this list.

Dawn Of War III Wishlist

I love the Dawn of War series. I own all but the Soulstorm expansion for the original Dawn of War, and I own Dawn of War II plus Chaos Rising and Retribution. The original Dawn of War is our go-to game during our Extra Life livestream (we play that while we figure something else out). I'm hoping to get some DoW2 this year as well but mysterysquick only has Chaos Rising, and somehow missed out on a great Steam sale on all 40k titles earlier this year. I was hoping he would get Retribution, though that was more because of the supposed demise of Games For Windows Live (which vanilla DoWII and Chaos Rising require to run), but that is apparently no longer a concern. Anyway, here's what I'd like to see in Dawn Of War III (which I believe was in development prior to the demise of THQ; it's status is likely in limbo right now):

1. Bring Back 4X-style RTS gameplay. I loved the squad-based RPG style of Dawn of War II, but I'd also like the return of large-scale battles seen in the original. Squads of troops, tanks of all shapes and sizes, and in the newer editions of the tabletop game there are flying units, so no reason not to add those.

2. Large Scale Combat. While this may seem redundant, I would like to emphasis just how large. I want to see potentially a couple hundred units (and I mean UNITS, not individual troops. Space Marine tactical squads are 10 strong, for starters. Ork Boyz travel in mobs of up to 30!) plus tanks and aircraft, as well as buildings and structures bristling with guns.

3. Super Heavy Units. The original Dawn Of War gave us such gems as the Baneblade tank and Squiggoth, but go even further than that. Imperial Titans, larger Baneblade variants, Tyranid Bio-Titans, Ork Stompas and more.

4. All Playable Armies. Anything with a Codex should be playable, but keep the customizer so we can make our own Space Marine chapters or Eldar Craftworlds. Space Marines, Space Wolves, Dark Angels, Blood Angels, Grey Knights, Eldar, Dark Eldar, Tau Empire, Tyranids, Sisters of Battle, Imperial Guard, Daemons, Chaos Space Marines, Orks and Necrons, all playable. FROM THE START NOT AS DLC.

5. All Special Characters. Everyone from Papa Smurf Marneus Calgar to Pedro Kantor to Logan Grimnar to Ghazkull Thraka to Trazyn the Infinite to Commander O'Ra'Lai and so on and so on (there are a ton of characters). Each based on their tabletop counterparts and perhaps even leveling RPG-style.

6. Customizable Heroes. Basically the generic HQ characters from the Codices. Want a Space Wolves army with a Terminator Wolf Lord with Storm Bolter and Thunder Hammer? Go for it. Want a Crisis Suit with its crazy mix-and-match weapon and support options made to your liking? DO IT.

7. Campaign for each army. This is arguably the most unrealistic request, as you're needing to come up with a lengthy story mode for a large number of armies. But then no one feels left out.

That seems to be all I can come up with now. If you have anything to add to this feel free to comment!

Warhammer 40.000

I have mentioned previously (certainly on my introductory video) that I recently became a fan of the Warhammer 40,000 franchise. So I figured sooner or later I would blog about it.

Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop wargame set roughly 38,000 years in the future, during a time of grim, darkness, grim darkness, dark grimness, and there is only war. Everything is hilariously over-the-top grimdark (except for the Tau, but they have nice guns. I'll get to that in a bit.). You build an army, literally, they are small plastic figures that are pretty customizable, and then you get to paint them any way you wish. The franchise has grown considerably, there are a number of novels, video games, comics, and a full-length movie that is better off forgotten (likely killing off the hopes of another, hopefully better one). So I thought I'd give an overview of the factions and armies on the tabletop. Here are a couple of primers first.

Or an ultra-condensed hilarious version:

Now, without further ado;

THE IMPERIUM OF MAN

The largest unified (mostly) faction in the galaxy. Here are your humans. As most players are human, the Imperium tends to be well-represented by the players, not hurt by Games Workshop's marketing either. They are ruled by our most Holy God-Emperor of Mankind, whose name is lost to the ages and is essentially a slowly decaying corpse whose psychic essence is the only thing keeping the horrors of the Warp from entering Holy Terra (aka The Planet Formerly Known As Earth).

They break down into several sub-factions who inevitably end up fighting each other almost as much as the enemies of Man.

   Imperial Guard (aka Astra Militarum aka Redshirt Army)
     The Imperium's regular army, these are average Joes whoe are given a high-powered laser rifle that is equivalent to a flashlight in this setting as their main weapon. They have lots of nice tanks, and Commissars to BLAM! some unlucky bastard and rally the rest of the troops back into battle.

   Space Marines (AKA Adeptus Astartes aka Spess Mehreens)
     The poster boys of Warhammer 40,000 (they get enough publicity, hence not mentioning them first). My first army consists of these guys from the Crimson Fists. They are genetically altered, bio-augmented, power armored super soldier warrior-monks typically armed with chainsaw swords and guns that shoot armor-piercing mass-reactive rockets. Also PAULDRONS. They have some nice tanks, though not nearly as powerful as the Guard, due to the whole super soldier thing I mentioned. They are divided into Chapters of (usually) 1000 Marines (formerly Legions of thousands). Most adhere to a document called the Codex Astartes (written by the Ultrasmurfs Ultramarines Primarch) There are several sub-factions that get their own rulebook:
         Blood Angels
           Angel Vampire Space Marines. They have anger management issues, manifested in the Red Thirst and Black Rage. The Black Rage is when the Blood Angel in question gets to relive the death of their Primarch (it apparently caused some sort of psychic feedback in his Legion) and completely lose their sh*t. The only way to overcome it is in death (though there is at least one who managed it through sheer force of will). Such afflicted Angels are given black armor and assigned to Death Company who act as shock troops, generally murdering everything in their path.
          Dark Angels
             Extra grimdark Knights Templar Space Marines. They have a fetish for plasma weapons. Also they hunt down their traitorous bretheren known as Fallen Angels WHO DO NOT EXIST and were almost traitors themselves WE WERE JUST RUNNING LATE after the destruction of there planet WHICH WAS TOTALLY UNEXPECTED AND NOT HERESY.
Anyway, very secretive and woe to anyone who gets too close to the truth. Loyalists though, definitely loyalists.
          Space Wolves (aka Wolves of Fenris)
             My favorite Chapter, and the second army I started building. Space Viking-Werewolf Space Marines. While the Blood Angels try to follow the Codex Astartes, and the Dark Angels at least pay lip service, the Space Wolves openly reject it. They are the Emperor's Executioners (there are 2 Legions of the original twenty who have been expunged from the Imperial records; it is heavily implied the Space Wolves exterminated them on orders from the Emperor, who is admittedly kind of a jerk). Their troop organization differs somewhat. Also somewhat hypocritical (We don't use psykers, we use Rune Priests, which are totally the same thing but we won't say so) but I won't get into it too much as people get touchy about these things :)
I think they're awesome. So there.

   The Inquisition

      Nobody expects the Inquisition. Their job is to root out heresy in the Imperium. They tend to be a little too good at their job, because grimdark, and so anyone who kind of almost might perhaps resemble a heretic in the right lighting is probably going to be BLAMmed just in case. In addition to the normal humans (with shiny toys for destroying heretics) this includes:
           
           Grey Knights
             Psychic Super Space Marines. Shiny, shiny armor and absolute (almost?) unbreakable will vs Chaos. Though Space Marines, they are not part of the Adeptus Astartes, rather they are the Ordo Malleus of the Inquisition. Their augmentations (aka geneseed) are supposedly based on that of the Emperor himself. They get bonuses to killing Daemons and all carry force weapons (chance to instagib multi-wound models).

     Sisters Of Battle (aka Adepta Sororitas aka Nuns With Guns aka Bolter B*tches)
         Female Space Marines (basically; they have Power Armor but lack genetic alteration and bio-augmentation, at least to the ridiculous extent of Astartes). Even more religiously fanatical than most Space Marine Chapters. GW hates them so they tend to suck. Moving on...


CHAOS

The Warp is Hell and Hyperspace (seriously; the Imperium relies on it for faster-than-light travel) and home to the Ruinous Powers. I won't go into detail, but the 4 Chaos Gods are: Khorne, Tzeench, Nurgle, and Slaanesh. There are essentially two sub-factions for tabletop purposes:

        Chaos Daemons
         Yep, Daemon instead of Demon. I don't know why. Anyway, the Warp manifests all emotions generated by living beings, particularly those with a strong Warp presence (basically psychic connection), such as humans and Eldar. And because the Warp was long ago twisted into the source of all evil, everything gets horribly messed up. The result is typically Daemons, horrific monsters with unspeakable powers. Most normal humans are driven mad simply seeing these guys. Others tend to get BLAMmed by the Inquisition because of potential corruption. All Daemons belong to one of the Chaos Gods. They range from minor Daemons up to the truly terrifying Greater Daemons such as Bloodthirsters, which is pretty much the incarnation of horribly brutal murder.

       Chaos Space Marines (aka Evil Marines aka Spiky Marines)
           These are the Legions that betrayed the Emprah during the Horus Heresy 10,000 years ago. Some serve one specific Chaos God (such as the World Eaters serving Khorne) while others serve them as a unified pantheon (such as the Black Legion). Others don't care for the Chaos Gods and just see them as the means to an end (such as the Iron Warriors).

ELDAR (aka Space Elves aka Elfdar)

Manipulative space elf ninja wizards. Powerful psykers. They use the Webway for FTL travel. While generally regarded as one of the, ah, "good" factions, this is the race that helped birth a Chaos God (Slaanesh, who is actively trying to eat their souls) and will happily wipe out a planet of several billion humans to save a few of their own (they have something of a superiority complex). Still, Chaos is their common enemy with the Imperium and so the two factions have been known to put aside their differences from time to time and maintain relatively friendly relations... sometimes.

DARK ELDAR (aka Deldar)

Evil space elf ninja pirates. Powerful psykers, though they don't really use them to stay hidden from Slaanesh (their less evil brethren have a work-around for that). Also users of the Webway. These are the guys who are not so sorry for the whole birthed-a-Chaos-God-and-damned-our-whole-race incident and are still out looking for the highest highs and any other form of pleasure (or any feeling whatsoever, torture and bondage are common themes). Arguably the most grimdark race in the game.

ORKS

ORKS IS MADE FOR FIGHTAN!!! GREEN IS DA BEST!!! NOW GET TA KRUMPIN DEM PUNY 'UMIES!!!!! WAAAGGHHH!!!!

Ahem, anyway, highly aggressive football hooligan fungal humanoids with ridiculous technology that literally runs on wishes and dreams. They love dakka and need moar of it. These maniacally violent/violently maniacal creatures serve as the settings comic relief. Let that sink in for a bit.

NECRONS

Formerly Terminator expies. Now Terminator expies with an Egyptian theme, or Tomb Kings IN SPAAAAACE!!!! depending on how you want to look at it. Once they wanted to destroy all life in the galaxy, but this was retconned because the Tyranids were doing that too so it made them redundant or something. They want to destroy most life but need some to take over their bodies or something, they apparently don't want to stay regenerating murder robots. They like tesla weapons and giant battle pyramids (it's actually pretty awesome).

TYRANIDS

Neutral hungry space bug lizard things bent on omnomnomming all life in the galaxy. Sweet, sweet models. Arguably the largest army in the setting (some ridiculous estimate says their biomass is equal to one third of the galaxy or something). If you like huge creatures and swarm armies, this is the army for you.

TAU EMPIRE

Space communist weeaboo fish people with sweet guns and Gundam suits. These guys are arguably the nicest race in the galaxy (though they may or may not use mind control, prison camps and forced castration for those who don't get with the program). Generally the least grimdark race in the setting, which is played up as naivete, as grimdark is needed just to survive. They lack Warp presence and as such, their FTL travel sucks so their Empire's expansion has been painfully slow. But they have absurdly powerful railguns and jetpacks on their Gundam suits. Shootiest army in the game. Do not get into close combat if you like winning or not looking like a complete idiot.

So there's my condensed and probably not very insightful take on the armies of Warhammer 40,000. Let me know your favorite army in the comments (or why I am stupid for supporting the Space Wolves and not the Dark Angels or Ultrasmurfs Ultramarines).

Birthday Wish List

It's actually now officially past my birthday, but I suppose this could double as a Christmas wish list as well. (Or Easter? Father's Day? Arbor Day? National Doughnut Day? Any excuse for stuff). So without further ado, here is my current Top 10. Note: Not everything here is feasible unless you are a wealthy individual who does not like to stay wealthy due to buying really expensive stuff for random strangers.

1. DONATIONS TO EXTRA LIFE: I am as of this writing at $50 of my personal $250 goal. So there's still a ways to go, but hey, I'll be streaming the marathon on my Twitch channel (I think mysterysquick and I will be alternating Twitch channels each year) and it goes for 24 hours so you also get to see us slowly descend into madness. We will play games new(ish) and old (squick and I have a fetish for classic console games) and squick's Wii U will hopefully make an appearance. So help out some kids at Hasbro Children's Hospital!

2. PINNACLE STUDIO 17 ULTIMATE: The biggest need I have for my YouTube hobby right now is a better video editor. Movie Maker is adequate but it lacks certain features that would be helpful (such as photo/video overlays). I don't need 4k support as my videos are produced in 720p, but the more features I can get the better, and this is one of the more reasonably-priced suites that I can tell. Feel free to offer suggestions in the comments if you disagree :)

3. 1969 CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1: A bargain at 6 figures. OK, maybe bargain isn't the right word. But it's the rarest Camaro ever built, only 69 of them were made. It packs a 427 ci V8, normally reserved for the Corvette of the day. I will also accept a 1969 SS 396, 1990 IROC-Z, or a 1992 Pontiac Trans Am.

4. Full Size Quad Cab 4x4 Pickup Truck: Ok, no links here since I don't ultimately care that much if it's a Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado 1500 or Toyota Tundra. This is a bit more practical that the muscle cars above, as I've run into situations where I've said "Gee, I really wish I had a pickup truck right now." It would have to be a quad cab due to children requiring that I have a full size back seat. Unfortunately that means less bed but oh well. Of course, that's only if I replace my sedan. If it's to be a third vehicle then I imagine a regular cab should be fine.

5. Grand Theft Auto V preorder for PC: I'm starting to get a bit hooked on this game with the limited play time I have gotten. I would certainly run a YouTube series chronicling my exploits.

6. Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade preorder: Specifically the Warrior Pack. The game will have a free-to-play option (Orks) but I ultimately want to play a Space Marine which requires the full purchase. This will also get me access to the game's beta which would allow me to preview the game on my YouTube channel.

7. New Space Wolves Codex and Stormclaw Boxed Set: I have mentioned before that I play the tabletop game. I currently have 2 armies: Crimson Fists Space Marines and a small detachment of Space Wolves Space Marines. My codex is the previous edition and is now outdated (or will be when the new codex is released on Saturday). The boxed set will not only give me more Space Wolves (likely allowing me to run a full army) but will also get me a small army of Orks which is the army I'd like to run next anyway, as well as a miniature 7th edition rulebook (still annoyed that my 6th edition rulebook is outdated. Only got it a year ago). Where was this box 3 years ago??? Sadly the box is going to be a limited run.

8. Condenser Microphone Kit: I love my Razer Kraken headset. It's the most comfortable headset I have ever used, and it sounds great. The microphone is the area where it's lacking, and this is a common thread among headsets. It's serviceable, to be sure, and it's not a huge hassle to use Audacity to clean it up. But at some point I'll need to simply break down and get a new mic. This includes a USB condenser microphone with stand, pop filter and polishing cloth.

9. Castle in the Scottish Highlands: Running item from when I used to give my parents humorous Christmas lists. And who wouldn't want their own castle?

10. Steam gift cards: As I am back to being a PC gamer first, console gamer second, I have greatly expanded my Steam library through the Humble Bundle (while helping out charity no less!). But there's one issue with the Humble Bundle: No control over which games are offered. This is obviously not a deal breaker. After all, they offer bundles of games starting at just $1. But that's also left me with games I don't necessarily want (though I will still likely run YouTube vids on them). Steam cards will allow me to get the games I want and take advantage of the many sales Steam runs over the course of the year (including the big ones: the Summer Sale and Holiday Sale).

So there's my current Top 10. Now get out there and start spending your hard earned money making my wishes come true! (I have no idea why you would do that. I'll just assume you're a wealthy individual who does not like to stay wealthy due to buying really expensive stuff for random strangers)