The Raw Dogger, the Salty Banana, Phat J Sleaze (NOT FAT), the Bitter Banana, the Fat Banana. I’ve been given many titles in my life, though, the most important title I’ve received is that…. of friend.
Hello all, it’s been a while since I’ve written anything for Frontline Gaming. 6 years to be exact. 6 years since I abandoned my post on the Frontline(s). What have I been up to during this time you may ask? Well I’m glad you did ask. It’s nice to feel like someone cares about my life. After Frontline Gaming I got a job at a logistics/trucking company. I did hang around for a year of so and help out with the paint studio and the Las Vegas Open, but eventually that got to be too much and said my final farewells to Frontline Gaming. From what I have seen Reece, Frankie, Adrianne, and the rest of the crew have done an amazing job and continue to grow the business. Eventually I transferred back to San Diego, where I moved in with my then girlfriend, who later became my wife. A fateful interaction with an old friend saw me throw out an application to the police department, where against all odds I passed the background process and the 6 month academy. Mind you I was about 260 lbs. wearing a 40 inch slim fit pair of pants when I put in my application. Waking up at 4am every day to run three miles BEFORE going to the academy to then run and do burpees will have you shed that fat REAL quick, let me tell you. It’s been around 3 years since I joined the department and honestly its the best job I’ve ever had. Well, other than running rubber mats through an oven in a hot warehouse on a Sunday for Frontline Gaming of course!
Ok I get it, you’re getting impatient. ‘SALTY, I DONT GIVE A **** ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE, WHAT ABOUT WARHAMMER?!’, I can hear you clammer. How about you shut up and let me get to it, huh, loudmouth? THANKS.
I’ve actually been fairly active in the tabletop gaming community over the past 6 years. Now, I would say that my attendance at tournaments and conventions has been severely lacking. One of my goals for 2026 is to attend more conventions if for nothing else than to see some old friends.
Warhammer 40,000
As usual, Warhammer 40K took up the bulk of my attention since 2000. I’ve collected quite a robust Blood Angels army and am in the slow process of building up an Astra Militarum force. Honestly, 9th edition did not do it for me and I could probably count on one hand how many games I actually played in that edition. 10th edition has been more exciting for me but I still can’t seem to fully get into it. I don’t know if it is nostalgia for the days of 5th – 7th edition, which for me was when I was most heavily involved and going to tournaments. I believe we are at the tail end of the edition and 11th will release this summer. I hope to release a few articles where I share my hopes and dreams for the new edition.
Warhammer The Old World
Oh yeah this right here has been my main jam since 2024. Warhammer Fantasy is what first peaked my interest in tabletop wargaming way back in the mid-90s when a friend brought a copy of White Dwarf on a boy scout camping trip. Since then I have been hooked. I was active in the Fantasy community when Games Workshop decided it wasn’t making them enough money and pulled the game in 2015. Like many other players I was ecstatic when the game was re-released as The Old World and have been active in the community ever since. I have been slowly collecting my ’90’s’ High Elves consisting of models from the 90s and have a large ‘modern’ High Elf force. I’ve recently begun building a Goblin army and also have designs for something for Bretonnia in the future. I plan on doing a lot of content for FLG for The Old World since that is my main passion at the moment. I am a part of several local leagues and will be attending local and interstate tournaments in the near future that I would love to cover for the site.
Warzone Eternal
I wouldn’t be the Salty Banana without caring deeply for a game that no one else seems to even know exists. The Warzone Mutant Chronicles universe has been something that is near and dear to my heart for as long as I can remember. Around the time I discovered Warhammer Fantasy and High Elves, I also was introduced to the Warzone Mutant Chronicles universe and the Paul Bonner artwork that went along with it. I was captivated and as a small skirmish squad based game it couldn’t be more different than Warhammer Fantasy or Warhammer 40K. The game has gone through many iterations and owners over the past 30 years, the latest being Warzone Eternal. The game was taken up by the team at ResNova with amazing models being provided by Trenchworx. Distribution is from Trans Atlantic Games (Two Thin Coats fame). Its something that is new and slow growing but with all these professional players involved I have high hopes for the future of the game. As usual, finding opponents for the game has been and will be difficult but I would love to occasionally write on the topic as it truly is what got me into miniature wargaming.
It feels nice to be back in the swing of things with my old friends at Frontline Gaming. It’s a funny thing how this hobby continues to pull us back in, despite life and all of its joys and hardships. Nothing makes me more happy than to see old friends at events that are still chucking dice and laughing. Seeing the return of podcasts like The Independent Characters, Life After the Cover Save, and Signals from the Frontline have gotten my nostalgia cranked to an all time high! I’ve even seen the old man himself Reece Robbins busting out his miniatures and getting back into the swing of things.
A single tear drops from my eye.
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