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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 18:19:18
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Fixture of Dakka
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During the game do you stop to take notes for something you're doing? Do you have a bystander watch and take notes? I can't see myself bringing up the battle from memory. I'm thinking I'd love to start doing Battle Reports because they might help me figure out what I'm doing wrong.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 18:22:58
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Drop Trooper with Demo Charge
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Just scratch down a couple notes while your playing or take pictures! whenever i do mine i always try to add pictures and the pictures always help tell me figure out what is going on and I could usually figure it out there with the pictures and the notes.
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Cyanide & Happiness @ [URL="http://www.explosm.net/"]Explosm.net[/URL |
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 18:25:37
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Decrepit Dakkanaut
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I take pictures.
Then, that evening or the morning after, I edit them. This doesn't just mean cropping them and fixing the color balance, for me it also means drawing little arrows and putting down little X's where units died. Not only is my memory still rather fresh, and seeing the pictures is a GREAT reminder of what happened, but I can also just look at the pictures and clearly see where there aren't models any more (which need X's), and where things moved (which need arrows).
The combination of pictures as a refresher and just being able to notice the difference yields the end result of these nice battle diagrams. At that point, pretty much ANYBODY could write a battle report using my diagrams, even if they weren't actually there. The only things missing are which particular units shot at which other particular units, any outstanding luck, and reflections of what I was thinking at the time. These are once again helped by seeing pictures, but are actually less necessary to the overall picture of what happened, and don't, strictly speaking, need to be accurate in order to still advance the report as a whole.
I also make sure to take some close-in pictures, because they're cool, and because they give me inspiration for the narrative I weave into my reports.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 20:16:06
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Lethal Lhamean
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I just take pictures, usually writing up the battle report within the next 1-3 days isn't hard as I tend to remember the general flow and the pictures serve as a great reminder of things I might not have remembered.
When I first started out I also would take quick notes (scrawled in bad handwriting on the back of army lists) and between the pictures and notes I never had any trouble, but I soon realized the notes weren't that helpful.
For your first attempt I'd do a test game (make it a smaller game 500-1000 or so) and do it with an opponent who is your friend and willing to put up with some delays. Also, pick a location you can take some time doing the report at - the game will take longer than you suspect as notes plus pictures will definitely increase the time you spend playing.
Afterward you can do up the battle report - frankly I'd even suggest waiting a day to do the writeup just to see how your memory holds up and how often you need to refer to your notes.
Also, definitely look over other batreps on this/other sites and see what formatting options or picture types you tend to prefer. Try to replicate those styles as much as you can so that the batrep will look like something you'd want to read.
Hope that helps,
Thor.
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Thor665's Dark Eldar Tactica - A comprehensive guide to all things DE (Totally finished...till I update bits and pieces!)
Thor665's battle reports DE vs. assorted armies.
Splintermind: The Dark Eldar Podcast It's a podcast, about Dark Eldar.
Dashofpepper wrote:Thor665 is actually a Dark Eldar god, manifested into electronic bytes and presented here on dakkadakka to bring pain and destruction to all lesser races. Read his tactica, read his forums posts, and when he deigns to critique or advise you directly, bookmark it and pay attention. |
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 20:27:57
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Decrepit Dakkanaut
Mesopotamia. The Kingdom Where we Secretly Reign.
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I attempt to do what Thor665 does, with varying degrees of success. My Mspaint fu is still improving though!
I take a picture at the end of each player turn, and whenever something sufficiently epic happens.
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Drink deeply and lustily from the foamy draught of evil.
W: 1.756 Quadrillion L: 0 D: 2
Haters gon' hate. |
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 20:48:05
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Longtime Dakkanaut
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I take shorthand notes during the turn like:
TacR -> FWR - 5
That would mean that a Tactical squad of marines on the right side of the table from my vantage point killed 5 Firewarriors on the right side of the table from my vantage point.
Assaults are noted the same on the same line. I can usually scribble that all down while an opponent rolls saves and removes models. During the opponents turn it's much easier to write.
In WH40K it's easier to wait for moments to write the notes but in games like Warmachine or AEWW2 it's important to mark each action in order it was performed so after each action a note must be marked .
Then, at the end of each player turn I take multiple shots. I use the on-board flash and put a turn marker down on the table so I know exactly what each shot is of.
After the game I set up posed shots of something epic that happened during a turn.
The notes and the turn pictures help me to make the diagrams I use in my batreps and write the description as well.
http://avacomicsgames.com/battlereports/battlereports.html
Usually the pics I take of the player turn never make it into the report since the diagram covers all of that.
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This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2010/12/28 20:51:30
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 20:49:02
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Decrepit Dakkanaut
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Also, I'd like to point your attention to the GIMP, which is a crappier version of photoshop, but it's completely free, thanks to a GPL license.
That way you're not stuck with MSPaint.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 20:51:33
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Decrepit Dakkanaut
Mesopotamia. The Kingdom Where we Secretly Reign.
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The Gimp, eh?
I will investigate this! Thanks for that, Ailaros.
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Drink deeply and lustily from the foamy draught of evil.
W: 1.756 Quadrillion L: 0 D: 2
Haters gon' hate. |
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 20:52:43
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Boosting Space Marine Biker
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Like most others, I usually take pictures at the end of deployment and the end of each player turn (so each game has at least 12-16 pictures, depending on game length).
I also try to get in some good shots of combats and how the board is set up. This generally gives me enough into to know what happened and what my plan was and how it unfolded.
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If I give you a cookie, will you go away? If I give you the bag, will you go far, far away?
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 20:53:56
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Longtime Dakkanaut
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Too true Ailaros. Exalt!
For those who don't wish to pay stupid prices for software, GIMP is awesome and Excel can even be used to overlay arrows and markers on images too
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 20:58:58
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Decrepit Dakkanaut
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Glaive Company CO wrote:Excel can even be used to overlay arrows and markers on images too
Lol!
I would really like to see a jpg that used Excel to mark it up. That's too mad for even my insanity to comprehend.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 21:01:33
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Infiltrating Broodlord
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djphranq wrote:During the game do you stop to take notes for something you're doing? Do you have a bystander watch and take notes? I can't see myself bringing up the battle from memory. I'm thinking I'd love to start doing Battle Reports because they might help me figure out what I'm doing wrong.
I used to draw out the units and terrain and after each players turn I would draw out what happened, but now I just record my games on my camera.
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Ayn Rand "We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality" |
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 21:42:11
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Longtime Dakkanaut
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Ailaros wrote:Glaive Company CO wrote:Excel can even be used to overlay arrows and markers on images too
Lol!
I would really like to see a jpg that used Excel to mark it up. That's too mad for even my insanity to comprehend.
Yeah, it's low-tech but it turns out OK.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 21:43:09
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Decrepit Dakkanaut
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also, some people use Vassal to show what happened in a game, but if the game wasn't actually played on vassal, I think that would just entail more work for the reporter.
Glaive Company CO wrote:
Touche, sir. Touche.
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2010/12/28 21:43:44
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/28 22:07:41
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Longtime Dakkanaut
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I've heard the same about Vassal too. In fact, I've gotten comments that my diagrams look like Vassal screenshots.
If anyone here does that, can you use images of your own terrain and stuff? Can you custom color the icons?
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/29 08:21:26
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Pulsating Possessed Chaos Marine
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I usually just pull things straight from memory. If I'm taking pictures then that will help out if I seem to get something incorrect. If taking pictures it's nice to do post deployment, then the end of each players turn, and then close up's of exciting things.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/29 14:22:26
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Ladies Love the Vibro-Cannon Operator
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Well, I usually take pictures, one per player's turn and give a small description in the figure caption.
Sometimes I take no pics. Then its better to wait til the next day to write up the battle report,
because then the battle(s) has/have been settled.
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Former moderator 40kOnline
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2010/12/29 15:31:19
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Deadshot Weapon Moderati
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Take pictures as you go along. This looks good when you write the report and joggs your memory
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"Innocence Proves Nothing... Except That You've Done Nothing Wrong"
Welcome to the Daemonhunters, the ranks of the exalted Ordo Malleus and their cannon fod....er, I mean, loyal allies. Remember...the only ones who need fear the righteous might of the Ordo Malleus are the Daemonic.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2011/01/07 08:05:45
Subject: Re:How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Longtime Dakkanaut
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I use to record by writing on notepads, but that double the duration of a regular game. After that, a lot of players didn't want to play me.
Nowadays I take pictures and use a cheap digital voice recorder. I don't need to record for the movement phase because I take pictures of the entire table at the end of movement phase and compare them to the ones before. During shooting and assault phase, I briefly summarize the events such as who shot who (or who assault who) and how many died. If I'm using an MSU army, such as my Immolator Spam army, I would describe the units base on location or which enemy model they are closest too.
Sometimes I play games where I don't have the time to take pictures and do audio recordings or someone else forbids it. My recent series of GT battle reports is good example where the tournament organizers forbid pictures, video, and audio recordings. They did allow battlereports, but all straight from memory. At the end of each a round, I would sit down and write notes of everything that happened while it was still fresh in my memory.
However, if you don't like taking pictures or using voice recordings, then consider doing video battle reports. It's quick, easy, and has the added element of motion and background music. Personally, I don't like doing video battle reports. I like reading text in a story format with pictures. But to each their own.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2011/01/07 09:54:03
Subject: Re:How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Norn Queen
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I Take pictures and write it up then form memory.
Although recently I got a dictaphone which should help immensly.
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Dman137 wrote:
goobs is all you guys will ever be
By 1-irt: Still as long as Hissy keeps showing up this is one of the most entertaining threads ever.
"Feelin' goods, good enough". |
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2011/01/10 21:35:28
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Krazed Killa Kan
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I use a pencil, but if I can't find a pencil I'll use a pen. Oh and paper. I use the pencil to write on the paper. Again, if you can't find a pencil a pen works just fine.
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2500 4000 4000 5000 5000
DE 2500 TS: 2500 2500 |
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2011/01/12 04:12:03
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Decrepit Dakkanaut
Mesopotamia. The Kingdom Where we Secretly Reign.
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What if your pen runs out of ink?
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Drink deeply and lustily from the foamy draught of evil.
W: 1.756 Quadrillion L: 0 D: 2
Haters gon' hate. |
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2011/01/12 08:55:36
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Longtime Dakkanaut
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Monster Rain wrote:What if your pen runs out of ink?
Then you bite your finger and use your own blood as ink.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2011/01/12 15:16:48
Subject: How do you collect info for your battle reports?
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Krazed Killa Kan
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SabrX wrote:Monster Rain wrote:What if your pen runs out of ink?
Then you bite your finger and use your own blood as ink.
That is a little out there. I'd simply check the drawer to check for another. Or like stated earlier. Use a pencil
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2500 4000 4000 5000 5000
DE 2500 TS: 2500 2500 |
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