Last weekend saw the running of the 2013 'HotT Winter's Day' event, an annual wargaming competition hosted by the Christchurch Wargaming Club - so I headed home to Christchurch with a specially prepared 'Doctor Who' themed army.
For more details about HotT (Hordes of the Things), check out my last post on this blog.
The army that I had put together was based upon the 2010 episodes The Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone.
Amy Pond, Father Octavian, the Doctor and River Song in The Time of Angels (2010)
For those interested, my HotT army's composition was as follows:
24 points from:
7x Shooter Bases (soldiers of The Church; 2 points each)
1 x Artillery Base (3 points)
1 x Cleric (Father Octavian; 3 points)
1 x Hero (River Song; 4 points)
1 x Sneaker (Doctor and Amy Pond; 3 points)
Father Octavian (right) and some of his unit. Figures are from Caesar Miniatures' Modern British Army set.
'Heavy Hitters' - artillery of The Church. Figures are from Caesar Miniatures' Modern British Army set.
Because there are no officially licensed suppliers of wargaming figures representing the characters in post 2005 Doctor Who (Black Tree Design only caters for the "Classic" Dr Who market) I had to look for appropriate substitute figures to represent the Doctor, Amy Pond and River Song. Fortunately I obtained some good substitutes through Crooked Dice Game Design Studio. Introducing Melody Lake, Tweedy Mattison and May Killan from the Crooked Dice range of figures (once again, thank goodness for the resemblance!). I must say, these figures were a joy to paint!
Tweedy Mattison
Melody Lake (left) and May Killan (right)
Here are some photos of my army in action on the day - against a British Victorian Science Fiction Army (eh wot?!) ...
Unfortunately, the competition was not my best in terms of results - in fact, I failed to win a game (although with a couple of different die rolls at crucial times things may have been quite different!). Nonetheless, there were some hard fought but enjoyable match-ups and I look forward to the next chance I get to have a game.
For more pictures and a brief 'battle report' (if you are interested in that sort of thing) click here.
WARNING: The following post contains one of the cheesiest intros I've ever written ...
Hi All,
According to Dorium Maldovar, the "fall of the Eleventh" will occur on the fields of Trenzalore:
Well, hopefully Trenzalore is a long way away from the Woolston Working Men's Club in Christchurch on Sunday July the 7th as this is the date and venue for the 2013 HotT Winter's Day event organised by long-time Christchurch wargamer Robin Sutton and hosted by the Christchurch Wargaming Club. As this year is Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary I have decided to build a Doctor Who themed army to use at this year's event. HotT (or Hordes of the Things) is a set of fast-play fantasy wargaming rules written by Phil Barker, Sue Barker and Richard Bodley Scott. For those of you that have no idea what the heck I'm on about - check this (appropriate) example out:
Armies in HotT are constructed according to a points value system - armies are limited to a maximum total point value and elements (bases with one or more figures attached) of different troop types are worth different values based on their typical effectiveness in play. The great appeals of HotT are that games are usually wrapped up within the hour, which allows a tournament consisting of 5-6 rounds to be completed in one day, armies typically only consist of up to a dozen elements meaning that one can produce an army from scratch fairly quickly and cheaply and, as long as a few simple rules regarding army composition are adhered to, the armies that can be used are limited only by one's imagination. Seriously, I've seen a My Little Pony army wreck havoc on a HotT battlefield ...
The army that I am putting together is going to be based upon the 2010 episodes The Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone.
Amy Pond, Father Octavian, the Doctor and River Song in The Time of Angels (2010).
The bulk of my elements are going to be members of The Church, a religious and military organisation in the 51st and 52nd centuries responsible for interstellar security, protection of human populations and special covert operations. The bulk of these will be a standard troop type (relatively cheap in terms of army points) called Shooters, representing troops with long distance attack weapons (e.g. bows or guns). The great appeal of doing this particular army for me was the chance to use a special type of troop that I have never used before in a HotT army - a Cleric. Clerics, in HotT is a troop type that includes all holy priests, priestesses, mullahs, hermits or military leaders of an organised ethical religion with psychic powers which are protective rather than offensive (i.e. "faith"). I thought Father Octavian fit the bill perfectly! Magic is a (potentially devastating) means of attack in HotT and Clerics provide some protection from this.
To represent the members of The Church, I will be using 20mm Plastic figures from Caesar Miniatures' Modern British Army set. I obtained these through Cyril (Stan) Walker, a Christchurch-based wargamer and importer of a wide range of plastic wargaming figures.
Unpainted figures from Caesar Miniatures' Modern British Army Set
Because there are no officially licensed suppliers of wargaming figures representing the characters in post 2005 Doctor Who (Black Tree Design only caters for the "Classic" Dr Who market) I had to look for appropriate substitute figures to represent the Doctor, Amy Pond and River Song. Fortunately I obtained some good substitutes through Crooked Dice Game Design Studio. Introducing Melody Lake,
Tweedy Mattison and May Killan (thank goodness for the resemblance ... but note the figures will (hopefully) look a lot better once they are painted. If you want to see some painted examples of these exact figures, click on the names below each photo)
As for what I'm going to use these figures as in the HotT army, I've decided not to say for the time being, as some of my potential opponents may end up reading this. I've got to leave something up my sleeve for the big day! ;)
And finally a Stronghold (or base-camp if you will) for my army. It really could only be one thing (the model is by Hornby Hobbies) ...
I've previously posted about Doctor Who DVD releases for 2013 - you can read that post here.
Since then additional releases and details have been confirmed (all dates are UK release).
The newly colour-restored version of the Jon Pertwee serial The Mind of Evil (1971) now has a confirmed release date of the 3rd of June.
A special edition of the Peter Davison serial The Visitation (1982) - 6 May
Series 7, part 2 (including The Snowmen (2012) - 20 May, with a complete Series 7 Boxset scheduled for release in the UK Autumn (Australian/NZ Spring)
A special edition of the Jon Pertwee serial Inferno (1970) - 27 May
Classic Doctor Who hits Blu-Ray on 15 July with the release of Jon Pertwee's debut story Spearhead from Space (1970). Also features the introduction of the Nestene Consciousness and the Autons that featured in Christopher Eccleston's debut story in 2005, Rose.
A special edition of the John Pertwee serial The Green Death (1973) - 5 August
The Patrick Troughton serial The Ice Warriors (1967), the debut story for the Ice Warriors, who have returned to our screens this year. Two of the six episodes are missing from the BBC archives and have been reconstructed using animation, as was done with missing episodes in previously released serials The Reign of Terror (1964) and The Invasion (1968) - 26 August
Here's a preview of the animation:
Scream of the Shalka (2003), a flash-animated Doctor Who serial with Richard E. Grant as the voice of an alternative 9th Doctor - 16 September
The Tenth Planet (1966), the very first regeneration story and the debut of the Cybermen. The missing fourth episode will be reconstructed using animation. Read more about it here - UK Autumn.
This is in addition to the June 24 release of the Tom Baker serial The Terror of the Zygons (1975) mentioned in the earlier post.
For those of you watching the latest series of Doctor Who on Prime TV in New Zealand (or anyone else that has not seen all the episodes that have been aired in the UK/US - "Hide" being the latest), the following entry may contain SPOILERS!!!
Trying to juggle a bit of stuff at the moment. As it is no doubt apparent I am not posting in depth analysis/reviews of each new episode as it screens on this blog - there are plenty of other places on the web that these can be found.
I am aware that some "Whovians" can have some pretty strong opinions on certain Doctor Who-related issues/personalities. Steven Moffat (the current head writer/executive producer) is one such personality that tends to attract the ire of many long time fans of the show. Matt Smith is another. I suspect to a certain degree the anti-Smith sentiment is particularly the case with fans of the show who are only really familiar with post-2005 Doctor Who. Christopher Eccleston was great in the role (in my opinion) but sadly - for reasons I don't really want to get into here - decided to leave after one season in 2005. David Tennant took over at the end of that season and remained in the role until The End of Time part 2 in January 2010. Now, Tennant was superb in the role and by the time he decided to leave had endeared himself to a new generation of fans for whom he was the first Doctor they knew. For others, who had watched Eccleston's Doctor regenerate and become Tennant's Doctor in 2005, this time around they were losing someone they had been watching long enough to develop a real affection for. It probably didn't help either that Tennant's last words were a tearful "I don't want to go!" Introducing a different actor to play the same character in a series is actually a very radical concept in television when you think about it. For those who were familiar with the show pre-2005, regeneration was an old hat - after all, the Doctor had done it eight times previously (once not seen on screen) when Eccleston first appeared on our screens. And in case you've missed any of them:
I'm going to put my cards on the table (so to speak) by stating that I have enjoyed the latest series up to now and Matt Smith's performances in the title role have been as vibrant as ever.
Right, if you haven't stopped reading in disgust ... I'll continue.
As a long time fan, one aspect of this series that I have enjoyed in particular are the references to the show's history. This is rather appropriate, to say the least, as 2013 is Doctor Who's 50th anniversary year.
In case you have missed any:
The 2012 Christmas Special, The Snowmen, and Series Seven, episode 6, The Bells of Saint John, saw the return of The Great Intelligence - previously a controller of the Robot Yeti in The Abominable Snowmen (1967) and The Web of Fear (1968):
It may look like a big cuddly Teddy Bear, but beware the Robot Yeti!!! (The Abominable Snowmen, 1967)
Series 7, Episode 8 saw the return of another monster first introduced during the "Troughton Years", the Ice Warriors. Previous TV appearances (not including "flashbacks") are The Ice Warriors (1967), The Seeds of Death (1969), The Curse of Peladon (1972) and The Monster of Peladon (1974).
The Doctor and an Ice Warrior (The Ice Warriors, 1967)
Incidentally, it was announced earlier this month that The Ice Warriors (of which two of the original six episodes are currently missing from the BBC archives) will be released on DVD later this year (August release in the UK) with the two missing episodes reconstructed using animation and the original soundtracks. Here is a brief animation preview that has been released by BBC Worldwide:
Here is a comparison of an animation still from one of the reconstructed episodes with an existing telesnap:
Source of Image: www.doctorwhonews.net
In Episode 7, The Rings of Akhaten, the Doctor mentions to Clara that he has visited Akhaten previously with his granddaughter. This of course refers back to the very beginning of Doctor Who, and the Doctor's original traveling companion, a girl called Susan who refers to the Doctor as "grandfather".
In Episode 9, Hide, Doctor uses a crystal from the planet Metebelis III to boost the natural psychic abilities of Emma Grayling and to create and sustain a wormhole to the pocket universe where Hila Tacorien was trapped. Metebelis III, located in the Acteon Cluster, is one of the more famous alien worlds of the classic run of Doctor Who, referred to on a number of occasions in particular by the third Doctor, played by Jon Pertwee. It has been established that the blue crystals of Metebelis III can break hypnotic spells and mind control and enhance psychic powers. In this episode the Doctor also utilised a "subset of the Eye of Harmony" to enter the pocket universe by running cables from the TARDIS. The Eye of Harmony is generally considered the source of the power of the Doctor's people, the Time Lords.
And of course, more monsters from the Classic series of Doctor Who will be returning to our screens this year - Episode 12, Nightmare in Silver, written by Neil Gaiman, see the return of the Cybermen, after the Daleks surely the most iconic of the Doctor's enemies?:
And, in case you missed the news, it has been announced that the Zygons, who have only appeared on screen in one story, The Terror of the Zygons (1975), but have been referred to on more than one occasion subsequently, will appear in the 50th Anniversary Special. Also returning are David Tennant and Billie Piper (Rose Tyler). Personally I'm most excited by the return of the Zygons, but it will be good to see David and Billie back too! :) Incidentally, the Terror of the Zygons will be the last complete classic Doctor Who adventure to be released on DVD - due for release later this year. In my opinion this is as good a case as any of saving the best till last ...
On Saturday I attended the Auckland leg of the Australasian 'Lords of Time' tour. This was the largest dedicated science fiction convention ever held in New Zealand (with over 500 attendees packing into the Dorothy Winstone Centre at Auckland Girls' Grammar School). Special guests at the event were four of the actors that had played previous incarnations of the Doctor - Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann - as well as Nicholas Briggs, executive producer of Big Finish Audio's range of Doctor Who adventures and the voice of the Daleks, Cybermen, Ice Warriors, Judoon and the Nestene Consciousness in Doctor Who since 2005.
From left: Nicholas Briggs, Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker and Peter Davison
Saturday also happened to be Peter Davison's 62nd birthday. When he came out on stage for his panel he was met with a rendition of 'Happy Birthday' from the audience!
Another highlight of the event was the presentation of a replacement 'sonic screwdriver' to Paul McGann.
Three years ago, at the Armageddon Pop Culture Expo event in Auckland, McGann, who had often expressed a desire for a new outfit for his Doctor if he was ever to reprise the role on TV, was presented with a new one designed by NZ's Weta Workshop, complete with a 'sonic screwdriver'.
Above: Paul McGann on stage at Armageddon 2010 in Auckland, modeling a brand-new costume for the eighth Doctor, designed by the Weta Workshop, complete with 'sonic screwdriver'. Below: McGann wearing the new costume on the cover of Doctor Who Magazine in 2012.
McGann's costume in the 1996 TV pilot
Unfortunately, the 'sonic screwdriver' presented to McGann in 2010 was stolen. Nicholas Briggs, who has worked with McGann often on the Big Finish Audio adventures had arranged for Weta to make a replacement, and presented it to an unsuspecting McGann on-stage during his panel on Saturday (alongside event organiser Bill Geradts):
As well as individual and group panels and autograph and photo sessions the day also featured screenings of a fan-made Dr Who film, The Power of the Daleks, based on the lost 1966 serial of the same name and a 1997 Dr Who spin-off production, Auton, written and directed by Nicholas Briggs. The Power of the Daleks is on You tube. Click here to follow the link to Part One.
Here are some other snaps from the event:
All five guests together on stage for a group panel
A surprise guest interrupts the Doctors' panel ...
Dalek
K-9!
Yours truly with K9!
Don't Blink!
A group photo of convention attendees in costume plus guests, with event organiser Bill Geradts sitting in the middle.
Whew! Haven't had too much spare time this last month as things have been a bit more intense at university than I anticipated, but I haven't forgotten about this little side project of mine.
Just a short one tonight! I'm sure there has been a lot of anticipation building with the return of the Doctor and the mysterious Clara Oswin Oswald to UK, American and Australian screens in "The Bells of St John" this weekend. Unfortunately us Kiwis are going to have to wait a bit longer (Officially I couldn't in good conscience encourage online streaming!!!), with Prime TV announcing that they will begin screening the new series a disappointingly long 12 days later on Thursday April 11 at 8.30pm.
Anyway, here are a few bits and pieces that I've found online - including a prequel "minisode" written by Steven Moffat, a TV trailer for the first episode, "The Bells of Saint John", and a teaser clip from that episode - as I look forward to watching Doctor Who again in New Zealand on the 31st of March ... oops, I meant of course to say April 11th!
*wink*
The prequel "minisode":
The TV trailer for "The Bells of Saint John":
And a wee teaser clip from "The Bells of Saint John":
Just a quick post to let you know that I'm heading away for three weeks on an archaeological excavation, so this blog will go quiet until late February.
For those of you that know New Zealand, we are going to be excavating at the site of a contractor's camp near Pukerangi that is associated with the construction of the Otago Central Railway. The camp was occupied in the 1880s.
As I like to think of it, an archaeological excavation of the site is going to give us the best understanding of the daily lives of the workers at this camp site that we can get without our own TARDIS!
I've enjoyed posting so far. When I get back, I'll start on the first of my Doctor Who themed HotT armies. The first of these armies is going to be based upon the 2010 episodes The Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone.
In the meantime, I'll leave you with this, which I stumbled upon again recently on Youtube and had a good chuckle at:
Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death, a Doctor Who parody written by Steven Moffat, current head writer and executive producer of Doctor Who and broadcast during the Red Nose Day charity telethon in the United Kingdom in 1999.
