The Dram Awards and My Ideal Cocktail List

Ahoyhoy internets, DaveHowitzer here with some more well thought out, and super awesome filler content. So I was up for Young Bartender of the Year recently -employ me for lots of money...- unfortunately lost out to another fantastic bartender, but being there in the first place was a fantastic experience, here's some awesome pictures of the event with some description of what on Earth is going on!

The theme was Mardi Gras so we had our own crazy band

The Awards Hall was amazing, and we were right on table 2 at the front of it.

Drunken times!

Further, my experience with these other great bartenders got me thinking about their bars -all of which I've been to and are fantastic- their cocktail lists, their influences, their style and their tastes. Drawing on all of this and the experience of the incomparable Andy Gemmel I took a couple of days to invent what is my ideal house list to work with. This list showcases what I think I've learned in the couple of months I've been working with these other bartenders in the run up to the Dram Awards and proves to myself and others (mostly myself) that I've still got what it takes! So enjoy guys, comments are welcome in this post.

"Vivant" The C.S.N.S Cocktail List

Also if you wish to use any of these cocktails, please send me an email and let me know, it would be much appreciated considering the work I've put in.

Love, Dave

ARMY LISTS: CroweCoteaz 1500

Ok, so was battering out a list that suits my need for fluff, Purifiers and an Inquisitor so this came this incarnation of my GK list. Its rough, and needs playtesting but everything is scoring...which is a cheeky bonus at this level of points. Thoughts, gripes and everything else is appreciated.

Inquisitor Thaddeus Drake (Coteaz) 100
[To make our Henchies scoring and to give Sanctuary]

Crowe 150
[Crowe tax...plus am I the only one who doesn't think he's THAT bad]

Purifiers x5, Psycannons x2, Psyback 190
x2
[Bread and butter Purifiers]

Purifiers x8, Psycannons x2 Halberds x5 MC Hammer Rhino 272
[Gives some midfield threat, I know they aren't "all that" in combat but its a decent unit to finish off anything that's weathered the torrent of Psycannon and PsyHeavybolter] 

Henchmen Warband- MM Servators x3, Warriors x2-Bolters Chimera 95
[Coteaz's unit, bolter henchies for army fluff and point filler. Servators provide some reliable tank killy]

Henchmen Warband- Warriors x4, Psyback 66
x2
[Henchmen to sit on home objectives]

Psyrifleman 135
x2
[Duh]

I'm unsure if this is as good as a pure Crowe or Coteaz list, but any input you guys could give would be awesome.

Love, Dave

Grey Knights Test Model Progress

Test model about 40% complete, I', fairly happy with the way it's turning out, however i need a better method for the power armour, can't decide if I want it dark metal or bright silver.

What I do when I'm bored....

Long may the cocktails and dreams continue....further all Mojitos should be served in pint glasses...it's just super ;)

Love, Dave

Cocktail: Banilla Frappe

First cocktail in a while folks, so let's dive right in;

Banilla Frappe

25.0 ml (1oz) Cariel Vanilla Vodka
25.0ml (1oz) Creme de Banane
25.0ml (1oz) Squeezed Lemon Juice
12.5ml (.5oz) Sugar Syrup
1 Whole Egg

Method

Add all ingredients to a shaker over ice -making sure to not get any egg shell in the drink- and shake well for 10 seconds. Fine strain into a chilled coupe/martini glass and garnish with a slice of banana. The end result is a very dry and creamy cocktail that has a heavy taste of banana ice cream and is awesome. Now people may be put off by the addition of a whole egg, I would stress that it is a binding agent and only the yolk really changes the taste, but on a frappe it is quite a pleasing taste. Also the citric acid in the lemon juice will kill any form of bug or salmonella present in the egg, so there is no health risk whatsoever from that perspective.

Happy shaking!

Love Dave

Grey Knights Progress

Current Force (Lascannon will be changed for H.Bolter)

Inquisitor Drake conversion.

Ebay: Space Hulk for sale

Ahoyhoy internets, DaveHowitzer here, finally having some time away from work/painting to post something. Since the new GKs are costing me an arm and a leg, my better half is making me get shot of some of my precious plastic crack to make room for the Knight of Titan. It's a sad day when you start having to sell your old models -even ones unpainted, lying at the bottom of a box...sad times- 

Regardless, thought I'd let you all have the scoop on a bit of a find from the vaults of Howitzer-towers.

BRAND NEW UNOPENED- Space Hulk 2009 BNIB

 

Yeah, it's been lying there waiting to be painted, but life right now isn't for letting it happen, which is a shame, but I'd rather it went to an owner who can give it the love and attention that these models deserve.

If anyone fancies it and has any questions, don't hesitate to give me a shout and I'll see what I can do. More Ebay shizz and Grey Knights to come

Love, Dave

40k: Grey Knights Review Part 2- The Heroes of Titan

Ahoyhoy internets, we make our return to the Grey Knights review by addressing the next important group of HQ characters; Grand Masters, Brother Captains, Brotherhood Champions and the all important Librarian.

Grey Knight Grand Masters

Grand Masters are a decent buy at 175 points for a solid combat statline, good wargear as standard and with a useful special ability. Let's take a closer look; For our buck we get Terminator Armour, an Iron Halo, Nemesis Force Sword, grenades and a storm bolter, pretty standard for most of the GK characters but with Mastery Level 2. Our weapon options are reasonably priced when we consider CC upgrades -you can't really say no to a 5pt Halberd- but our ranged ones are insanely overpriced, being 35pts for a Psilencer (if it was free I'd consider taking it, hell if it was 5 pts I'd take it!) and a staggering 45pts for the holy Psycannon. Yuck. The 5pt Incinerator is a steal in comparison. GMs also have access to servo-skulls and rad grenades which is cool and nifty, setting them apart from their special character counterparts with this added utility and can also take an Orbital Strike relay, which is cool, but worthless unless you are writing a Orbital Strike spam list, because at 50pts it's not the kind of thing to throw on a character lightly.

Building a GK Force - The List

Ahoyhoy internets, DaveHowitzer here with another list variation for the new GKs, but this one I think I might well build on the cuff whilst I'm typing. I'm doing this to give an insight as to what I'm thinking for my 1500pt list, plus it gives me a visual aid in order to keep my thought process constructive and to the point, which can only be a good thing when building a list. I have a rough idea, so let's get down the business and get writing shall we!

First our Troops, I was considering MSU, utilising GKSS and Psybacks to gain fire supremacy in the midfield however, in my mind max MSU lists are a bit squishy -does that go against the rest of the internets?- and I'd prefer to get some meat in my list, so lets start with a maxed out Grey Knight Strike Squad with 2 Psycannons and a Rhino. This is going to be our advancing guard, moving opponents off of objectives and intercepting enemy infantry closing in on the GK midfield line, so we need to give them a little "umph". We add in a Master Crafted Hammer on the Justicar so we have more of a chance of popping open some sweet tastey transports at close range and psybolts to increase our chances of killing infantry at 24 inches. Sod it, lets have two of them for a solid advancing guard. So;

ARMY LISTS: Rough Crowe 1500

Ahoyhoy internets. After reviewing the list from yesterday I decided it was trying to do something silly...and I really wanted a Purifier list...so here we go. Enjoy, feedback is appreciated:

Crowe 150

Purifiers x5 120
-Psycannon x2-140
--Lasback--80
220
x2

Purifiers x8 192
-Psycannon x2, 5x Halberd, Hammer-227
--Rhino 40--
267

Purifiers x7 168
-Psycannon x2, 2xHalberd Hammer- 197
--Rhino 40--
237

PsyRifleman 115
-Autocannonx2 15 Psybolts 5- 135
x3
405

1499


The idea was to have a more solid midfield than the GKSS units would allow. Yes it's still power armour, but now I have the added utility of extra psycannons and better statlines for slightly more cost. The larger units are there to hold midfield till midgame then to objective grab and advance if needs be - they should be an ok assault force should a unit need finishing off or slowed down. They won't take down TWC but they'll get the job done with Tactical Squads and other similar units. Plus Cleansing Flame is the boy. Crowe hides behind the tanks until something gets too close or gets behind the midfield lines. Simple.

Love, Dave

ARMY LISTS: Two Rough GK Lists

Ahoyhoy internets, I have 2 lists here for your critique, they're basically just a buyer's guide for me but I want to see what you think of this 1k list and then its 1.5k big brother.

GK 1000pts

Ordo Malleus Inq, 3 Skulls, Power Armour 42
-3 MM Servators, 1 Warrior with Bolter (I know, it's there for fluff...you'll see when you see the models...), Chimera- 90

GKSS x10, 2 Psycannons, MC Daemonhammer, Rhino, Searchlight 276

GKSS x5, Psycannon, Psyback, Searchlight 161  x2

Psyrifleman x2 270

And the bigger bro:


GK 1500pts

Libby, 3 Skulls, Shrouding, Sanct 175

Ordo Malleus Inq, 3 Skulls, Power Armour 42

-3 MM Servators, 1 Warrior with Bolter, 2 Warriors with Meltaguns Chimera, Searchlight-118

GKSS x10, 2 Psycannons, MC Daemonhammer, Rhino, Searchlight 276

GKSS x5, Psycannon, Psyback, Searchlight 161  x3

Psyrifleman x3 405

Thoughts and changes?

Love, Dave

40k: Grey Knights Review Part 1- The Lords of Titan

Ahoyhoy internets, DaveHowitzer here with the first of the promised articles on the shiney ones themselves - the Grey Knights. Today we're starting right at the beginning and looking at the neumerous HQ options featured in the GK codex and discussing their merits on the tabletop. So here we go!

Lord Kaldor Draigo

"Slayin' Daemons, like a boss"

Draigo is a monster put plainly and simply. He comes with an upgraded Grand Master statline which is fairly nasty in the first place -he's running about with WS 7, T5 and 4 attacks & wounds man!- He's running along with Terminator armour, a Storm Shield, the usual complement of GK Termy grenades and a storm bolter like most of the book is with some shiney extras. Mastery level 2 is nice with being able to use his unique power, Sanctified Flame -basically a heavy flamer with no AP- and charge in using the Titansword as a force weapon or casting Hammerhand in combat. The Titansword is nice, a MC force weapon with Daemonbane that resolves attacks against a unit with a Daemon or Psyker in it as S10, but it would be better if it counted as a Nemesis Force Sword that was MC and had the cool S10 bit, although is a 2+/2++ in combat fair? Probably not. Eternal warrior is here, along with Fearless and the Grand Strategy rule from the GK GM entry, but we'll get into that later. Finally with the Lord of Titan rule, he makes Paladin Terminators troops, which is interesting, but with the lack of option for Storm Shields, they are far more squishy than other Terminator builds. The option for Psybolt ammo would have been nice, making that bog standard Storm Bolter a bit more mean, but you can't have it all.

Finally after 2 long months....Cocktails and Knights and cool shizz

Fear not friends...the Great One returns...

Ahoyhoy internets! I know what you're thinking -"Jesus Dave, where have you been, we were so worried about you, we missed your face! Why Dave, why leave us, please never do it again. I think we should see a movie sometime, maybe go for dinner...a few drinks...some dancing...- It's ok, I won't be doing it again.

Monday Pimp #4: A New Pimp

 This week's Pimp focuses on loving the game and playing for fun with each other -pimp style...yeah- Enjoy!

1) How Important Is My Army List by GDMNW @ gdmnw.com

I only just discovered this site and I'm unashamedly loving it. This post here really caught my eye as it voices a lot of what experienced players have known for a long time. There is a culture online of focusing on the army list -I suppose this is due to the fact that whilst you can talk about tactics, you can't teach someone effectively to play the game online, it takes personal tuition and time- and this article tells it how it is; that there is so much more to the game than that.

Dave's Day Off #6

Win. Have a good weekend everybody, buy yourself a Whisky Sour on me -except not on me because am I hell giving you money to get drink while I'm not there. Heck, invite me to drink with you, I might buy you one, but only if you are awesome. Like really awesome-



Please drink responsibly this weekend, it's people like me that have to clean up then mess but you have to live with the consiquences.

Love, Dave

Intense Debate - Yes or No?

A lot of blogs use Intense Debate as their comments service. I'm happy with Blogger's own brand at the moment, however looking at site's like 3++ and HoP, the Intense Debate system looks rather groovy. You get your own profile and can reply to other comments directly and even like/dislike comments.

What do you guys think, would you be happy to sign up to another service just to comment or is it added hassle?

Comment away , I want to hear what you think.

Love, Dave

Internet Fame: Kirby's a Babe

Big thanks to first fester (yes, with a little "f") and Kirby for having faith in my writing ability and reposting my Edenbreaker article on 3++ is the new black. It's a great honour for me to have a piece of mine on such a fantastic blog and I hope I can produce some more Edenbreaker articles that meet the standard.

Regards to the points Kirbs made, I agree with the majority:- however it's all situational. Yes, Prisms are fantastic anti troop units, but if there's only one exposed unit that isn't a threat in my opinion its best to try to take out a low armoured tank that will be a threat instead. However, on principal yes; you are very right =]
Also, I take Kirbs point on the shooting order, that's coming up in the very next one, you're quite right to point out that what I said is a bit silly.

Most of the issues seen in the article are there because its just the beginning and we are discussing it at the most basic level, so any concerns he's had will be addressed in a future Edenbreaker tactica =]

Hope you guys check out 3++ and drop them a line for any of your list/tactics needs, because they are awesome.

Love, Dave

TACTICA: "Edenbreaker" Musings on 5th Edition Eldar

The concept behind "Edenbreaker" really is the cumulation, in my mind, of where the Eldar game has been going since late 4th Ed into what we can safely say is over halfway into the lifetime of 5th Ed. Eldar have evolved from a hybrid foot/mech army into a forced full mech state. The exception to this is of course Footdar, an interesting concept but one that is usually played poorly but by those who have a real solid understanding of the synergy used in such a force. -like all Eldar armies, it should be wielded like a scalpel as opposed to a sledgehammer- Eldar do not have a hammer or an anvil type unit which hurts when we play Marines or MEQs. We do not have a reliable gunline/mech gunline like Guard.

The internet has shown us over the years on sites such as YTTH, 3++ is the new black and Fritz 40k, that playing Eldar is to go for the harder option than many. It's far from a bad army, but its not balanced like the majority of 5th edition codexes. As we have seen from tournaments, battle reports, tacticas and even from a shift in GW rules, we must take advantage of 3 relatively well known factors;

Happy Burns Night

If you think he's a romantic...
you're right! He died of syphilis!

It's that time of year again where once again, all us Scots will be running round hills to catch a Haggis (or Hagii as the plural) for the anniversary of the birth of the greatest poet to ever live, Robert Burns. To celebrate, I'll be tucking into one this evening and addressing it in the traditional way :

TOURNAMENTS: 2 Week Prep, The Eldritch Storm returns?

Ahoyhoy internets, I'm in a bit of a tizz because the gauntlet has well and truely been thrown towards my face. -really hard too, like it The Rock had thrown it or something- It's come to my attention that the Hallowed Halls club is running a knockout tourney next Saturday. Naturually, being the competitive minded gamer I am -yeah right...- I'll be attending and covering it for CSNS.

But the question is dearest reader, with three armies currently being worked and reworked with new models, which deserves an outing? The Eldar, Deathwatch or Dark Angels? The most complete -aka the one that would cost the least money to complete- would be the Eldar, but with a club filled with MEQs and Guard, playing with a Fast and Slow Eldar army like my Ulthwe is could prove problematic. The Deathwatch are in no fit state as yet, not even primed and missing 6 tanks -Rhino, Razorback, Speeder and 3 Dakka Preds- and the Doublewing Angels are in no state, I haven't even started updating them. Besides, I need to replace all those Assault Cannons with Cyclones and get a ton more TH/SS.

It's a real problem that's bothering me, at the moment I'm leaning towards the Eldar because hey, it's what I used to be known for at the club and heck, it might actually surprise someone to NOT see power armour. I really don't know. Let's see what I can dig up in time.

Love, Dave

MONDAY PIMP #3: Return of the Pimp

Ahh Bill, by far the Playa's President

Ok guys, once again my rare list of my favourite blog posts of the week / shameless grab for filler content! Enjoy some pimped blogs.

1) Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know by Sorrowshard @ Rant in E Minor
Some very nice DE themed conversions have been coming out of REM over the past couple of days and I have to say, and my favourite is the Baron. Take a trip over and look, just a really nice kit bash that once it's painted will look very nice. It's clear that Sorrowshard has great love for his army. Plus, the flying circus army looks sick.

2) Deepstrike Radio Queensland Flood Appeal
I'm sure you've seen the recent chaos caused by the recent heavy flooding in Queensland and we can all agree that it's a horrible disaster to befall anyone. Deepstrike Radio have stepped up to the plate and are doing a charity auction of sorts. They are asking for donations of money or of Space Marine box sets to auction as an army deal on Ebay, along with signed books from Dan Abnett and Graham McNeill AND a painted Captain model in your choice of colours by Dave Taylor. I think it's something very much like the Storm Warden project that the entire community could, and should get behind. Please check it out.


3) The Challenge: Completed by fester @ fester 40k
Finally he's finished his Battlewagon after weeks of work and you know something folks? It looks damn good, very fine quality. Our favourite Aussie has even included a comic and a BLANK comic strip for you to use for your own little creations. What a nice chap! Check out fester40k for more information on Centurion and fester's general happenings. I mean come on, he writes for 3++, he can't be all that bad...or can he ;)

4) Friday Night Internet Fight Round 47 by Dethtron @ Dick Move on the BoK Network
It's no secret amongst my blogger friends that I love Dethtron...like an unhealthy amount...seriously...he should be worried....yeah, and this week's FNIF just gets me going. A perfect example of how a decent conversation can go horribly wrong, this is a must see and a standout in the series. You will laugh at stupidity, cringe and want to throw your monitor at someone's face. Nuff said, check it out.

Special Mention) Video Battle Report: Chaos vs Imperium Team Game by Brent @ Strictly Average
Brent, superstar of the blog universe and all round good guy gave us a great treat warly this week with an excelent video battle report showcasing his Daemons and a friend's Chaos Space Marines against Blood Angels and Flesh Tearers. I thought it was a quality battle report and an excelent game, even if the two guys that Brent played seemed dejected and unhappy by turn two. Morale of the story? Don't mess with Chaos that stalks Jawaballs.

A new playa has entered the game...

 -Ahoyhoy internets, DaveHowitzer here very happy to introduce a new author for CSNS, none other than the man featured in our flagship Battle Report; Dan aka Rogal Dorn. Dan has been in the hobby for a long time, has seen three editions of 40k and enjoyed playing three editions of Fantasy to boot. He has more models than a GW store too, so hopefully we'll get to see some of them in the near future. He helps to run a gaming club in Ayr, Scotland which definately needs some pimping, so here we are featuring it on CSNS. Article wise, we'll be getting a club related post every Sunday afternoon and C:SM articles as they are written. I'm very excited about Dan's inclusion and you should be too! So without futher adeu, take it away Dan! Love, Dave-

Greetings brothers, I am Rogal Dorn, first time blogger and a good friend of Dave's.

COCKTAIL: Molecular Mixology Session

So, Thursday night Dave McJ and myself set about making some interesting creations with his Molecular Mixology kit that Santa had brought him. For those of you unfamiliar, molecular mixology is the application of scientific analysis and techniques to mixology, similarly to the trend of molecular gastronomy being popularised by many high profile chefs around the world. At the basic level, this uses principals such as maceration, gelling, calcifying and foaming to create interesting drinks and edible tipples to shock and surprise. We are absolute beginners at this, so let's see how the pair of us got on:

CSNS Battle Report #1: Deathwatch VS Space Wolves 1500pts

Ahoyhoy internets, today we have something I've been wanting to do for a while but never found the time for, A BATTLE REPORT. -Woop woop- A proper beer and pizza game was set up played and won -and a lot of beer and pizza consumed too- and a great time had by both parties. Here's the story of that game:

Ravenwing: Not quite as horrible anymore

Ahoyhoy internets, DaveHowitzer here once again continuing discussion of the new GW FAQs for 40k just like everyone else on the internet. Since we've now discussed Deathwing (check out Deathwing: Now with viable Death-wing-star) let's now discuss the Dark Angels seond company, the Ravenwing.

Let's look at our typical Ravenwing Attack Squadron. At a basic level you are getting 3 bikers (2 regular 1 sergeant) armed with a Bolt Pistol of Chainsword, Frag/Krak grenades and a bike with T/L Bolters AND a teleport homer. -which is pretty awesome if you are running Doublewing - Further, the bikes are Fearless, get Combat Squads and have the Scout special rule, which is awesome. For this basic unit, you are paying 120points, which is 30 points more than you're paying for the C:SM equivalent that comes without the homer, the Fearless and the Scout move.

The song that best describes 5th Ed so far...

YES??

Love, Dave

40k: Deathwatch Test Mini

Executive Transvestite? If you understand why I said this you win.

Ahoyhoy interwebs, DaveHowitzer here with some Deathwatch progress. I had this model laying around for years from back in the days of my 3rd Ed Dark Angels and felt he had a date with some Simple Green. Thus, Grand Master Draco has turned into Watch Captain Ignacius.

Pardon the picture quality, lighting wasn't the best, but the model is a WiP so he's a long way off done. I'm currently loving the Crux Terminatus on him though so I might try to emulate that with the Deathwatch chapter pads on the Kill Teams. Standard gold eagles obv needing touched up on this model but the idea is there. I don't know if you can see the scratched detail on the blade in this picture, but it's there, ill get a better quality one up soon when it's done.

Love, Dave

ARMY LISTS: Quick and Dirty Deathwing 1750

Thank you GW FAQ 1.1

Quick and dirty Deathwing list I made 15 minutes ago to try out, has a libby in it for psychic defence but I'm unsure if I'm going to change it for an Interrogator Chappy to stick to Belial's unit.
Basically Belial and his unit with the Apoth and the Libby's unit start in the LRCs and the other 3 squads Deathwing Assault onto the table. Simples.

Deathwing: Now with viable Death-wing-star?

This is a good day for my Deathwing

Ahoyhoy internets, DaveHowitzer here with a little pondering -for a change- If it hasn't come to your attention as yet, GW have just released a new batch of updated FAQ articles for Black Templars and Dark Angels which brings their wargear up to 5th Ed Marine standards. -2 years late GW...but at least you did it in the end- This means good things for my lovely DA who have been gathering dust for the past couple of years when games quickly became a matter of my army of Terminator goodness being outgunned, out manouvered and generally trodden on.

But with this new update to the rules, what does this mean for the humble 1st of the 1st?

CSNS Strikes Back, now with added Chaos

Well what a few weeks that was. A record breaking month of December saw me make more drinks than I would care to ever see, burn myself on more coffees than I would ever care to drink and deal with more annoying people than I would ever care to happy slap. -though there were some good times too as always with crimbo- 

So besides being ass deep in booze what's been keeping me from you. Well...being ass deep in booze, but on the right side of the bar! 

"I feel the need...the need for speed!"

So aye...that was fun!