Warcraft Millionaire, if you have not yet heard of it, is a brand new gold making guide from the only player on earth to reach the 1 million gold mark in the game and probably the richest MMORPG player of all time.

The premise behind the guide is simple – by following Brad Johnson’s simple gold making tactics, you can start working your way toward what he has accomplished in the last four years – a massive fortune that most people cannot quite believe exists.

There has been a lot of argument over whether Brad’s claim is even possible. I was one of the many who took to forums to pick up various sides of the argument, but as the facts surfaced and I looked into things, I found more and more that the truth was just as surprising as it has seemed – Brad really has reached astronomical gold heights. Here are the arguments I’ve heard and the truth behind them:

1. The Gold Cap – The Gold cap for a single character in World of Warcraft is 214,748 gold, 36 silver, 48 copper. Blizzard limited the amount of gold a player can carry in the coding with an algorithm. Basically, once you reach this maximum, it’s like hitting Level 70 and getting experience – they’re meaningless. Brad has multiple characters that have hit this gold cap and has a video on his website showcasing each of them – argument debunked.

2. The Time Issue – Another problem a lot of people have with Brad’s guide is that the time just doesn’t work out. At 400 gold/hour, a total at the very limit of feasible gold making for many players, it would still take 2500 hours to reach 1 million gold – 105 straight days of gold farming. But, Brad never claims he farmed his gold. Rather, he openly discusses how he has used the Auction House to make massive profits in short times by knowing the market and playing it effectively.

3.Cheating – The final sect of players who don’t believe Brad’s claim simply state that he must have cheated. Their claims are not entirely baseless. There are hundreds of thousands of accounts that have been banned for using bots, hacks, or cheats to make gold, steal from other players, or farm it illegally. But, Brad’s track record has proven his riches and the screenshots and video are the hard proof to show that he actually has the gold and knows how to make more.

I didn’t believe it at first either, but the more I researched and the more I learned about Brad’s gold making methods, the more I realized that he really is near the 1 million gold mark and that his gold making guide is probably the most effective one on the market – after all, who better to learn from than the guy who can claim the largest in game fortune of anyone out of more than 9 million players?

Click here to check it out

Well - We made it!

As mentioned in earlier posts, Earl, Lee, Shawn and myself of DIY Terrain have been working on an Aeronautica Imperialis game board to bring to Gamesday.  After a few months of building and even more time testing, we finally finished our two sided board to attend GamesDay Baltimore 2008 on June 14th.

We were the ONLY AI game board at the event.  As I stated above the two sided board depicted a canyon run where  Chaos had an objective of destroying an Eldar Warp Gate.  After this session, we flipped the board over and proceeded to have a Combat Dog Fight or what we like to call a “Fur Ball” where the Tau Air-Cadre faces off against the Imperial Air Force.  This side was a sky board complete with 3-D clouds.

Check out our Canyon Run images below.

Imperial on the board for a photo shoot. (Not involved in the Canyon Run)

Eldar ready to defend the Gate

Next week I’ll eagerly publish the Sky board and go into more detail on how the TAU (My Army) kicked the Imperial Air-Force not once, but twice.  (In all fairness, that normally does not happen)  As a matter of fact, the guys call the TAU Battle cry “EJECT! EJECT!, EJECT! 

AI is a great game! It is simple in concept, yet offers the stragic thought that goes into playing chess.  You have to be thinking three steps ahead while evaluating what are the logical and illogical moves your advisary may or may not make…

Until Next Time - Remember the NEW TAU Battle Cry…”Bogey 1 Splashed, Bogey 2 Splashed”!  Sorry Lee

Just thought I’d show you my painted Tau Manta.  This paint pattern is the one I am using on my Air Force.  I will be posting some images of some of the other forces painted by Lee and Earl. 

Also, we will be uploading some painting techniques and tips on how we went about painting them. 

Next post will include images on the process of our AI board we plan on bringing to Games Day Baltimore!  See you there

If you are reading this article, I can only assume that you already enjoy, or wish to begin the satisfying hobby of building realistic, war game terrain and accessories.

The rock formation we are building can be used for any popular Sci-fi, historical, or fantasy related tabletop war game. They create an amazing visual view of your war board, and enhance the realistic feeling every wargamer enjoys when their armies are on the field.

Here, I will explain how to build a simple rock formation from start to finish, including the tools and materials used to create it.

We will build a small foundation (about 3-1/2 in diameter) with 2 oblong rocks jutting out in two directions and roughly 5 - 6

inches high.

Tools, Materials & Costs

The tools required for this small project are:

1. Hot Wire Cutter.

2. Hot Glue Gun

3. Acrylic Paint. (Black, White, Gray)

4. Assorted Brushes

The materials needed are:

1. Insulation Foam (Blue ¾ in thick usually in a 4′x8′ sheet)

2. Mod Podge ©

3. Lichen Material (Woodland Scenes)

4. Grass (Woodland Scenes)

5. Cat Litter

6. Utility Knife

Insulation (Blue) Foam Board - This can be found at any home improvement store and usually comes in sizes of 4′ x 8′ x ¾”. It costs around $12.00. But you can make many terrain pieces from one board.

Wire Foam Cutter - These range from simple battery operated ones found at any hobby or flower shop to plug in heavy duty ones found mainly at hobby shops. They range from $6.00 - $40.00 depending on the type you decide to buy.

Hot Glue Gun - These can be purchase at most department stores, home improvement and craft stores. (I use the mini gun) The cost range is again from $6.00 to $40.00 depending on what you want.

Acrylic Paint & Brushes - For this project, you will only need Black, White, and Gray. Each tube costs from $.75 - $3.00 depending on the brand. These too can be found at most popular department stores and craft shops.

Grass Flock and Lichen - These come in a verity of colors and are used to create a realistic look to your rock formation. They are usually found at Hobby Shops and online.

Cat Litter - Yes, that right Cat litter makes great realistic rocks and stones.

Mod Podge© (Matte) - This is used to glue the grass and cat litter.

Utility Knife

Step 1.

Using the utility knife, cut an 8″ x 8″ square piece off of the blue insulation board.

Draw a circle about 2-1/2″ in diameter towards one end of the square. Next, draw an oblong stone shape about 5 - 6″ long, about 1-1/2″ inches wide, flat on the bottom and tapered on the top. Next draw a smaller oblong shape tapered at the top and flat at the bottom about 3″ high and 1″ wide.

Step 2.

Using your foam cutter, first cut the 2 oblong stones, following the lines you drew. You will notice that they are rather squared on the edges. To round it off, simply cattycorner the cutter, and run it up the length of each stone, rounding them off. Next, holding your foam cutter at a 45 degree angle away from the circle you drew, cut it out so that there is a smooth taper, wider at the bottom. To trim the top, run your cutter along the edge of the small of the cone, rounding it off like you did with the stones.

Step 3.

Using your hot glue gun, position each stone on the round base, and glue them down. Wait a couple of seconds and check to make sure that they are secure.

Step 4.

Next, use a large pain brush (1/2″ wide) and paint the entire piece black. After it is completely dry, we are ready to dry brush the entire piece. First, use an older brush with stiffer bristles. Using your gray paint first, dip your brush and wipe off most of the paint in a paper towel until it is dry looking. Lightly brush the piece with the brush. You will notice that the gray paint is adhering to the higher portions of the rocks and base. As it does, it begins to create the appearance of depth. The black paint creates the shadows, the gray creates a base highlight, and in turn a realistic piece is coming to life. After the gray dries, do the same with the white paint, only this time, focus on the edges of the rocks and the base. This step will really begin to bring out the highlights.

Step 5.

At this point, your jutting rocks are completed. In this step, using a brush spread the Mod Podge © over the base of the rock formation where you want the grass to be. To leave rock showing on the base, simply leave bare. Sprinkle the grass flock over the glue (Mod Podge© ), let set for about 10 minutes and shake off the excess grass.

Step 6.

After the grass has dried, use more Mod Podge© around the base of each jutting stone. Sprinkle the cat litter and let dry for about 10 minutes before your shake the excess off. In this step you will simply hot glue lichen along the base and over any gaps that may be showing.

Step 7.

Finally, LIGHTLY spay the entire piece with a matte clear coat protective spray. Remember, you painted the entire piece black in the beginning. That step had two functions, 1. Create depth. 2. Cover the foam so that it would not melt when you spay your clear coat.

Congratulations. You have created a great looking piece to add to your collection. One thing you must keep in mind is that not two pieces will ever come out the same. In nature, there are no straight lines. In terrain building the same rules apply.

Until next time

John

Here you will find updated posts on how-to topics such as terrain building, table design and creation, miniature painting tools tips and ideas.  For now, we have been getting ready for Games Day Baltimore (2008).  We are building a great board for our newest gaming habit…Areonautica Imperialis or as we call it - AI.  You will be seeing some progressive posts of our board as the days go on, as well as tips and tactic on how this fast moving, exciting game is played.

In the mean time, subscribe to our blog and you will know when we’ve added some more goodies.  Until than, take care and talk you you later.