This week's Better Know a Blogger features Greg (AKA Greggles) from Feed Your Nerd, Greggles Tabletop.
If you have never heard of Greggles before, then welcome to your first day of 40k blogging! When I first started blogging, Greggles was everywhere. You could always count on finding him to be amongst the first commenters on any blog article to do with 40k, always with something interesting or insightful to say, or with some encouraging support for the bloggers gaming or painting skills. For a long time, I had my suspicions that there was no "Greggles", he was merely a fall guy frontman for a team of highly skilled internet bloggers. That was the only explanation for how he could be everywhere at once. I'm sure if you do a reverse google images search for his photo, you find "Random man with glasses, number 4". Open your eyes sheeple, see the truth, there is no....... [text redacted by the Inquisition]
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| Greggles (on the right). |
I think what first brought me to Greggles Tabletop was his vast array of Adepticon and Nova photos, and I doubt I am the only one. Adepticon is a massive wargaming event over in the US featuring thousands of players and a host of tournaments and games to take part in. Every year, Greggles takes his trusty camera and takes hundreds of photos at Adepticon, featuring high quality shots of players' armies, ongoing games, special displays, etc. Every year, I pore over these glorious photos and it makes me extremely jealous that I will likely never attend such an event and get to see it first hand.
Not only does Greggles provide some great photos those of us on this side of the Atlantic to appreciate and comments for bloggers, he also has a fantastic Ork Walker army ready to clank and shuffle its way across the board. I don't know if this gives you some insight into Greggles' mind, but in an edition where Walkers are rubbish, Morkanauts/Gorkanauts are rubbish, assault is dead and Orks are a low tier fraction, he chose to combine all these aspects into a stunning Bad Moonz walker horde army- it's not about how many games you win, it's about how much fun you have and how fabulous you look doing it!
So here are Greggles answers to my questions.
1. What age did you get into gaming and what started it off?
I was an avid video gamer growing up. Lots of Atari, Nintendo, and eventually a PC as my interests in 3D design crossed over into art as well as gaming. For tabletop games, my adventures surrounded the game Battletech, and it’s 2d6 dice and hexagonal combat. I loved BattleTech, and even ran a tournament or two (with prizes even!). As I got older and got into school, it faded into the background. After many years the miniatures disappeared, and I mainly concentrated on gaming when I had time.
One day my friends and I were all sitting around at a BBQ, talking about games they played when they were younger. Warhammer came up, and stories erupted about trying to shell together money to get a figure or two. With some level of disposable income, it was mutually decided that we should all start armies and play together. Everyone picked an army at random (basically which one you thought looked coolest). I picked orks, because they were the COOLEST LOOKING BY FAR of all the choices in 5th edition :)
2. What was the first model you ever bought/painted?
When I was younger, I had a great love of airplanes. I would purchase model kits and assemble them, but never paint them. I had quite the collection of various military aircraft…all unpainted. One day the shelves they were on collapsed, and they were all wrecked. I tossed them away, not realizing I could have made the most epic terrain ever from the parts of 20+ plastic model kits. (hindsight!). I experimented with painting a few battletech figures, but never more than a rattle can.
The first model I put brush to, was an ork boy. I still have him sitting around just so I have a gauge of my progress over time. I do have an art degree in Design (so it’s not my first painting ever), but it was my first painting at that scale…and my professors always yelled at us to go larger instead of smaller!
3. What is your favourite aspect of gaming?
I really enjoy seeing the paintjobs everyone comes up with. It’s part of the reason I go out of my way to try and document as many armies as possible at events I attend (boy does he!- Mike). So much time, love, and effort put into each component, a beautiful diversity on every table. Just love that part of the hobby so much.
I also really love narrative play, as most of the time these players have very beloved and excellently painted armies, which just make for some of the best games I’ve ever played.
4. Fondest memory in gaming?
Lots of fond gaming memories. From being a kid and just making up RPG’s on the fly out on the playground, to running battletech tournaments, to playing my ork walker army vs Dan’s steel legion list at Nova. I think the greatest thing about social gaming, is that your fondest memory is just around the next corner!
5. What are you working on right now?
Right now I am working on selling off old minis (to pay for new ones), working on a flying deff dread and grot squad for the nova open charity, figuring out how to ork up two imperial knights, setup an emperors children army, and start adding color and contrast into my older ork walkers. Also have a buzz gob big mek to paint up (to replace my old stand in mek).
6. When you are not conquering the tabletop, what do you do?
I currently work as an IT Systems Manager for the State of Maryland. You breaka the computers, I fixum. My hobbies include video games, driving cars around tracks (haven’t done that in a while), finding delicious food to eat (foodie), cooking delicious foods (lotta food here), and taking photos of miniatures en masse. My original employment before IT was furniture design. Had a bit of falling out with friend/business partner, so we went our separate ways. (top tip: Don’t start a business with your friends).
7. What would you say about your blog to someone who has never read it to draw them in?
Do you like photos of mini’s? Well I’ve got a ton of them! Roughly 3-4 thousand photos of armies from the past two years, from Las Vegas Open, Nova open, and Adepticon. They are definitely the main draw of the site. The other draw is the fact there are multiple people on FYN, not just myself. Shantz does two webcomics a week, and Arwyn streams games, while Macuthu reviews comics, music, and mead!
8. What is your favourite article that you have written?
I was pretty proud of Dreadtober. Both Todd (sincain40k) and I came up with it, and ran it together. The community engagement was absolutely amazing. Outside of a tournament photo extravaganza, it was the 8th most popular visit (lifetime) of all the pages in the blog. I really hope to do it again this year, only this time, I will actually complete a dread during it :). Misterjustin from secret weapon has already stated he would be happy to provide another reward for those participating. So look out for the 2016 Dreadtober!
9. Which rule would you like to see changed or removed entirely?
Not so much a rule, as an entire phase. The psychic phase needs to be completely redone or removed. It massively slows down the pace of games when it comes into play. The thing is, it’s really cool…it is just the entire process seems really clunky and bogs things down. (but some armies wouldn’t even function without it). Maybe it’s a bit of my black Templar player sealing through.
10. Which of your armies is your favourite?
Orks by a landslide. They are just so filled with furious comedy. A lot of their rules have shifted away from that, which is a bit saddening, but I’ve never found a sad ork player. They usually are the ones having the most fun and really embracing the armies. With orks, you always win, even if you lose, because all orks want to do is fight. If they get beaten, it was just a propa fight, and they’ll be back later, stronger and more kunnin.
11. Secret wargamer or loud and proud?
Short side note. When I was re-joining the dating scene, I decided to be as honest as possible in my dating profile. I put that I paint tiny Warhammer figures pretty obviously in my hobbies and profile section, and it snagged me my current fiancé. (the honesty, not the painting of the figures). You should always be proud of the things you love and be honest about them! Never know where it will lead you!
12. Any hobby tips or cheats to share?
Don’t stress about it too much. Painting should be an enjoyable process. Try to turn mistakes into accomplishments. My dakkajet was a horrible error, due to me not awaiting the proper amount of time to wait for the chipping fluid to dry. I did it wrong, I messed up, and it made the model utterly magnificent beyond comprehension.
13. Tournament or Casual?
Casual. I think I would enjoy a tournament with its competitive spirit (especially the guys on the top tables, they are really friendly) if my army wasn’t made of straw. To really play in tournaments, you have to adapt to the current metas. If you don’t, you are going to be playing at a large disadvantage. Tournament players do not pull punches. They will hit you with the nastiest units they can come up with. (There is nothing wrong with that, that is the whole point of the tournament!). But because I don’t want to adapt to the current meta, I will generally just play narrative, friendly, or casual games. More drinking, less stressing! (Not only a great hobby tip, but a good life philosophy too!- Mike)
14. Nintendo or Sega?
Nintendo all the way (well original Nintendo, all these new ones just make me use the pc instead)
15. Xbox or Playstation?
Used to do both, then I built a nice TV PC, and I just use an xbox controller with steam and a 970 GTX card, so it’s like having a PS4/xbox one, except all the games are anti-aliased with max graphics (Anyone know what Greggles is talking about?!? Looks like he's been on the squig juice again......-Mike).
16. McDonalds or Burger King?
About four years ago I went on a live style change. Cut out bad foods, exercised, etc. Lost a substantial amount of weight. Since then I can’t really stomach most fast food (makes me sick). I do sometimes have a craving to eat about 40 McNuggets though….
17. Coke or Pepsi?
Gin and Tonic.
Thanks to Greggles for answering the questions. You can find his blog at Feed Your Nerd or find him on twitter at @3dgreg
If you would like to be featured on Better Know a Blogger, please get in touch (corrm83@gmail.com). It's a great way to get the name of your blog out there and will hopefully get you a few new views or followers.
So here are Greggles answers to my questions.
1. What age did you get into gaming and what started it off?
I was an avid video gamer growing up. Lots of Atari, Nintendo, and eventually a PC as my interests in 3D design crossed over into art as well as gaming. For tabletop games, my adventures surrounded the game Battletech, and it’s 2d6 dice and hexagonal combat. I loved BattleTech, and even ran a tournament or two (with prizes even!). As I got older and got into school, it faded into the background. After many years the miniatures disappeared, and I mainly concentrated on gaming when I had time.
One day my friends and I were all sitting around at a BBQ, talking about games they played when they were younger. Warhammer came up, and stories erupted about trying to shell together money to get a figure or two. With some level of disposable income, it was mutually decided that we should all start armies and play together. Everyone picked an army at random (basically which one you thought looked coolest). I picked orks, because they were the COOLEST LOOKING BY FAR of all the choices in 5th edition :)
2. What was the first model you ever bought/painted?
When I was younger, I had a great love of airplanes. I would purchase model kits and assemble them, but never paint them. I had quite the collection of various military aircraft…all unpainted. One day the shelves they were on collapsed, and they were all wrecked. I tossed them away, not realizing I could have made the most epic terrain ever from the parts of 20+ plastic model kits. (hindsight!). I experimented with painting a few battletech figures, but never more than a rattle can.
The first model I put brush to, was an ork boy. I still have him sitting around just so I have a gauge of my progress over time. I do have an art degree in Design (so it’s not my first painting ever), but it was my first painting at that scale…and my professors always yelled at us to go larger instead of smaller!
3. What is your favourite aspect of gaming?
I really enjoy seeing the paintjobs everyone comes up with. It’s part of the reason I go out of my way to try and document as many armies as possible at events I attend (boy does he!- Mike). So much time, love, and effort put into each component, a beautiful diversity on every table. Just love that part of the hobby so much.
I also really love narrative play, as most of the time these players have very beloved and excellently painted armies, which just make for some of the best games I’ve ever played.
4. Fondest memory in gaming?
Lots of fond gaming memories. From being a kid and just making up RPG’s on the fly out on the playground, to running battletech tournaments, to playing my ork walker army vs Dan’s steel legion list at Nova. I think the greatest thing about social gaming, is that your fondest memory is just around the next corner!
5. What are you working on right now?
Right now I am working on selling off old minis (to pay for new ones), working on a flying deff dread and grot squad for the nova open charity, figuring out how to ork up two imperial knights, setup an emperors children army, and start adding color and contrast into my older ork walkers. Also have a buzz gob big mek to paint up (to replace my old stand in mek).
6. When you are not conquering the tabletop, what do you do?
7. What would you say about your blog to someone who has never read it to draw them in?
Do you like photos of mini’s? Well I’ve got a ton of them! Roughly 3-4 thousand photos of armies from the past two years, from Las Vegas Open, Nova open, and Adepticon. They are definitely the main draw of the site. The other draw is the fact there are multiple people on FYN, not just myself. Shantz does two webcomics a week, and Arwyn streams games, while Macuthu reviews comics, music, and mead!
8. What is your favourite article that you have written?
I was pretty proud of Dreadtober. Both Todd (sincain40k) and I came up with it, and ran it together. The community engagement was absolutely amazing. Outside of a tournament photo extravaganza, it was the 8th most popular visit (lifetime) of all the pages in the blog. I really hope to do it again this year, only this time, I will actually complete a dread during it :). Misterjustin from secret weapon has already stated he would be happy to provide another reward for those participating. So look out for the 2016 Dreadtober!
9. Which rule would you like to see changed or removed entirely?
Not so much a rule, as an entire phase. The psychic phase needs to be completely redone or removed. It massively slows down the pace of games when it comes into play. The thing is, it’s really cool…it is just the entire process seems really clunky and bogs things down. (but some armies wouldn’t even function without it). Maybe it’s a bit of my black Templar player sealing through.
10. Which of your armies is your favourite?
Orks by a landslide. They are just so filled with furious comedy. A lot of their rules have shifted away from that, which is a bit saddening, but I’ve never found a sad ork player. They usually are the ones having the most fun and really embracing the armies. With orks, you always win, even if you lose, because all orks want to do is fight. If they get beaten, it was just a propa fight, and they’ll be back later, stronger and more kunnin.
11. Secret wargamer or loud and proud?
Short side note. When I was re-joining the dating scene, I decided to be as honest as possible in my dating profile. I put that I paint tiny Warhammer figures pretty obviously in my hobbies and profile section, and it snagged me my current fiancé. (the honesty, not the painting of the figures). You should always be proud of the things you love and be honest about them! Never know where it will lead you!
12. Any hobby tips or cheats to share?
Don’t stress about it too much. Painting should be an enjoyable process. Try to turn mistakes into accomplishments. My dakkajet was a horrible error, due to me not awaiting the proper amount of time to wait for the chipping fluid to dry. I did it wrong, I messed up, and it made the model utterly magnificent beyond comprehension.
13. Tournament or Casual?
Casual. I think I would enjoy a tournament with its competitive spirit (especially the guys on the top tables, they are really friendly) if my army wasn’t made of straw. To really play in tournaments, you have to adapt to the current metas. If you don’t, you are going to be playing at a large disadvantage. Tournament players do not pull punches. They will hit you with the nastiest units they can come up with. (There is nothing wrong with that, that is the whole point of the tournament!). But because I don’t want to adapt to the current meta, I will generally just play narrative, friendly, or casual games. More drinking, less stressing! (Not only a great hobby tip, but a good life philosophy too!- Mike)
14. Nintendo or Sega?
Nintendo all the way (well original Nintendo, all these new ones just make me use the pc instead)
15. Xbox or Playstation?
Used to do both, then I built a nice TV PC, and I just use an xbox controller with steam and a 970 GTX card, so it’s like having a PS4/xbox one, except all the games are anti-aliased with max graphics (Anyone know what Greggles is talking about?!? Looks like he's been on the squig juice again......-Mike).
16. McDonalds or Burger King?
About four years ago I went on a live style change. Cut out bad foods, exercised, etc. Lost a substantial amount of weight. Since then I can’t really stomach most fast food (makes me sick). I do sometimes have a craving to eat about 40 McNuggets though….
17. Coke or Pepsi?
Gin and Tonic.
Thanks to Greggles for answering the questions. You can find his blog at Feed Your Nerd or find him on twitter at @3dgreg
If you would like to be featured on Better Know a Blogger, please get in touch (corrm83@gmail.com). It's a great way to get the name of your blog out there and will hopefully get you a few new views or followers.