Primed and Ready | DtG S4E5
Deploy the Garrison S4E5: Primed and Ready takes a more relaxed turn this week, diving into hobby motivation and the challenge of keeping your painting queue moving forward. Alan and Kris share their own hobby struggles and successes — from miniatures photography to getting past the mental block of the “grey tide.”
In the Officers Mess, Kris recaps his visit to UK Games Expo, including a community highlight moment with Will Shick and plenty of Legion buzz. Alan shares his recent painting goals and talks about how seeing Kris’s work helped reignite his own hobby drive. The duo also discuss community energy around recent Legion releases and the value of painting momentum.
Also in the Officers Mess, Kris breaks down a recent league game where his Wookiee list faced off against a GAR force led by Anakin and Ahsoka. They explore how an early aggressive play shaped the flow of the match — and how over-committing early can sometimes leave your key pieces exposed in the late game.
Whether you’re looking for hobby inspiration, a tactical Legion recap, or just a bit of podcast camaraderie, this one’s primed and ready.
Officers Mess: UKGE Energy & Tactical Recap
This episode opens with a catch-up from UK Games Expo, where Kris shares his experiences seeing the Legion community thriving under the new era — and where he couldn’t resist apologizing to Will Shick for the now-infamous "giant Will Shick head" TikTok clips. The community buzz around the AMG stand and Legion games was palpable, reinforcing the hobby’s momentum.
Also in the Officers Mess, Kris walks through a recent game against Simon’s GAR list — a 501st-themed force built around Anakin Skywalker and the newly released Padawan Commander Ahsoka Tano.
It was a match defined by an early tempo swing:
On Turn 1, Simon positioned Anakin aggressively on the left flank using Prepared Positions, intending to contest Kris’s Bunker objective. But after an early activation left Anakin exposed with only a single Dodge token, Kris committed to an all-in response.
Opening with Luminous Beings Are We for Aim token generation, Kris’s Ranged Wookiees inflicted two wounds on Anakin, prompting a full commit: all three Fluttercraft and Chewbacca were activated in sequence to pour fire into Anakin and remove him before he could shape the game. The gambit succeeded — Anakin was eliminated Turn 1.
However, the aggressive push came at a cost. In concentrating his Fluttercraft to secure the kill, Kris found them clustered and out of optimal positions for objective play. Rather than leveraging their mobility across the board, they were forced into awkward repositioning patterns for several turns — giving Simon windows to counter-attack with ARC Troopers and pressure Kris’s own objectives.
Mid-game, the tide turned again through clever play with Size Matters Sometimes. After Yoda survived a desperate ARC charge with just one wound remaining, Kris used Chewbacca to pull Yoda to safety and execute a pivotal late-game swing:
Chewbacca double-moved toward the enemy Bunker, carrying Yoda and the Bomb.
Yoda then used Guidance and Force Wave to clear the contesting GAR units and secure the Bunker — delivering a critical four-point VP swing that cemented the game.
The takeaway? While the early Anakin kill was impactful, overcommitting to an aggressive opening compromised board tempo and positioning for much of the match. Kris reflects that in Legion, controlling board state often trumps chasing an early attrition spike — a lesson reinforced by the game’s close finish despite the Turn 1 heroics.
Main Topic: Hobby Motivation & Grey Army Escape
The heart of the episode focuses on hobby psychology: why painting can feel like a chore, and how to build habits and momentum to break through it.
Alan and Kris reflect on their personal cycles of hobby burnout and recovery, with Kris offering the “dirty little secret” — it’s always a chore, but finding systems that make it tolerable and enjoyable is key. Topics include:
Building visual momentum: prioritizing noticeable progress over perfect technique
The power of basing: simple tricks to elevate even a quick paint job
Minimum effort baselines for event readiness
The value of sharing progress (Instagram, Discord) for accountability and community support
It’s an honest and relatable discussion for any Legion player looking to push their painting forward — and a nice complement to the more tactical tone of prior episodes.
Community Spotlight
If you missed it, be sure to check out Kris’s recent interview with Will Shick from UK Games Expo — a deep dive into AMG’s evolving vision for Legion and the broader community:
Watch on YouTube →
Listen, Subscribe, Support
🎧 Listen to Deploy the Garrison S4E5: Primed and Ready on your favorite podcast platform, or watch the full video on YouTube.
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