tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32099933770038586062024-03-18T02:48:29.847-07:00Gonzo History: Gaming EditionJames Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.comBlogger415125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-8135150119725786502022-11-29T02:42:00.003-08:002022-11-29T02:48:37.775-08:00Photos of my boar engine<p> I never post here any more, but here are some shots of a recent project I completed and am proud of. </p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I made this project from a toy I found in a charity shop and then kept around for years, lacking anything to do with it. A group challenge provided the motivation I needed to get it converted, crew it with models, and paint it. It's got models from Reaper, Northstar, Grenadier, and the short-lived Magic: the Gathering board game. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I think of it as some primeval boar god corrupted by the coming of chaos and finally entombed alive in this brass and bone nightmare, with the <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>high-pitched shriek of the saw blade being like the squealing of the boar.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlqPAWgxR4ajC9JtXHnKMHIBhG9K7fJC5vPz6zOGj-dOX6-UIPSGhi9GSF9-Iq6cd9oMCesNrpR-NB3PcFh7NETy5u7PqVwEi1Ha-b-NKa3fLnQuFBxOG1HJa1gC5OHZ8_f1_l_DsPWbyyd62sLV-UB91UoY5TO5_UxEEIGrnSJ7JeuikPh53LTPyDA/s976/PXL_20221129_093811733.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="976" height="578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlqPAWgxR4ajC9JtXHnKMHIBhG9K7fJC5vPz6zOGj-dOX6-UIPSGhi9GSF9-Iq6cd9oMCesNrpR-NB3PcFh7NETy5u7PqVwEi1Ha-b-NKa3fLnQuFBxOG1HJa1gC5OHZ8_f1_l_DsPWbyyd62sLV-UB91UoY5TO5_UxEEIGrnSJ7JeuikPh53LTPyDA/w640-h578/PXL_20221129_093811733.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKtRI42do77UYQ8Y4ci4j8ZKRrEmRtj-Aaibn8oA6Cib7meBKhzLOwkdbHmm9XvpJMPz7FHDmYE-Urh9Tj0qo_nzVuu_UVQz2bN9aOKMR--OwTjcsxOM7iQ1QAmzp7vMMHa4xqqY4V9RhtzSzYNIqS-nbSOdiwsFl0fc-8ue4k4egqTK7OduB3AiMLA/s1237/PXL_20221129_093851547.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="879" data-original-width="1237" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKtRI42do77UYQ8Y4ci4j8ZKRrEmRtj-Aaibn8oA6Cib7meBKhzLOwkdbHmm9XvpJMPz7FHDmYE-Urh9Tj0qo_nzVuu_UVQz2bN9aOKMR--OwTjcsxOM7iQ1QAmzp7vMMHa4xqqY4V9RhtzSzYNIqS-nbSOdiwsFl0fc-8ue4k4egqTK7OduB3AiMLA/w640-h454/PXL_20221129_093851547.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1562" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmGxxuD9xHCu8xX5vtACrGkije4g5nrHYk9D93ziVSJwjTsdkDBwYO0uXB4JxKb5D9-_3CDo85V3LwiCfHzbczY7Xn_xSw961G9_1gmTJV1Q2W0Rq9Ai6zw54qCoAXZDzZeYTNsJsYIc623Z94Mx08K6BxKXVBn2nF1fbu59ff3XEdfH583oQel3Iew/w640-h360/PXL_20221129_093931241.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEjncoG8fe-uGD-zROv-ZSY4qfwNl4_ThkoBEZ8TGPPHaf9ivBLkK7ojwzivD05oQr6QU5Tjqv_PQvO1n-_r5pnZa69eTMujszBuDVrbDs_l5FyUczdQdtly5AnRaJUqHkTXuvbY7jvJgsV1IYh2p_0t5ZjDZiWwgZyGLGzFKBTu58wjYFunrURry2w/s1920/PXL_20221129_094018755.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1920" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEjncoG8fe-uGD-zROv-ZSY4qfwNl4_ThkoBEZ8TGPPHaf9ivBLkK7ojwzivD05oQr6QU5Tjqv_PQvO1n-_r5pnZa69eTMujszBuDVrbDs_l5FyUczdQdtly5AnRaJUqHkTXuvbY7jvJgsV1IYh2p_0t5ZjDZiWwgZyGLGzFKBTu58wjYFunrURry2w/w640-h288/PXL_20221129_094018755.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="879" data-original-width="1633" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjDg-O-OGSbbd_eZu2Gkl2COo4DgMYQ7Ryq2xivwLEfwGU5ScCoGbusXl9sndW3un52e5JxLtKuoJU_RvV0oS-iV-pt697mrdONI7dRdHzsG4lTk-U0NbAMatsbM5SVT-HGhSJCvDEiaWjn6dHEBqttIlLRMvruvbSNxp6AzXfrzFyvIzCTP4XXmQ_g/w640-h344/PXL_20221129_094040283.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_lSYhQiA3wUgu-RKsT5wYi2nNhXDImk2ux5gAmTmqeXDSnuEq7T1wqAyqvjkE8JAyQaSGErscy3VsAzMW39CQVEskXyOmUsgjID_C2_Cp5HHcJKwwt0-Uie0O678VaUaFuZMfnucNHEerzaM9JTG6uFalYn0e2iaP4MQ9moQqpVEovaizmFHxr_4-w/s1366/PXL_20221129_093833641.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="879" data-original-width="1366" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_lSYhQiA3wUgu-RKsT5wYi2nNhXDImk2ux5gAmTmqeXDSnuEq7T1wqAyqvjkE8JAyQaSGErscy3VsAzMW39CQVEskXyOmUsgjID_C2_Cp5HHcJKwwt0-Uie0O678VaUaFuZMfnucNHEerzaM9JTG6uFalYn0e2iaP4MQ9moQqpVEovaizmFHxr_4-w/w640-h412/PXL_20221129_093833641.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div>James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-49062466065306088272021-07-30T01:16:00.001-07:002021-07-30T01:16:09.654-07:00Kickstarter AAR: The Pamphlet of PantheonsIn February 2021, during Zinequest 3, I Kickstarted a small project called <i>The Pamphlet of Pantheons</i>. This was something that came to me on the spur of the moment in late January when I was reminded that Zinequest was happening. I'd been thinking about the concepts behind it for a long time, and I decided that the resulting project would be a good size for Zinequest. I wanted to try out a Kickstarter before launching a possibly larger one for <i>The Magonium Mine Murders, </i>and the limited scope of Zinequest made it seem like this was a good opportunity. <div><br /></div><div>In this post, I'm going to go over lessons learned and look at some of the things I did right and wrong. Let's start with what I did right: </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Keep It Simple</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>This was the first thing I decided when I started planning the Kickstarter. I had no stretch goals, and only two reward tiers: digital and print. I knew that the more complex the project was, the more opportunities there would be for me to make a miscalculation somewhere. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Do It Yourself</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>I did everything for this project apart from the cover art, which had both good and bad effects. On the one hand, I think you could call the graphic design and layout "functional," but on the other hand I learned a lot and saved some money. I also did all of the shipping and fulfilment myself, which did wind up costing me extra money and time at a time when I really needed to be focusing on other things. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Be Lucky</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Probably the best thing to happen to the Pamphlet was an offer, out of the blue, from a friend who arranged for my Tim Molloy cover art. In addition to just being a cool cover, this did several things for the project: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>It let me have a B&W cover but still look great, saving me some money. </li><li>It gave me a great image to use on social media to promote the book. </li><li>It added a little buzz and credibility -- cool Old School types recognise Molloy from <i>Knock!</i> </li></ul><div><b>Appeal to an Existing Audience</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>I would characterise myself as a "minor gaming community figure." I have about 900 followers on Twitter and a core podcast audience of probably fewer than a thousand people, of whom about 150 back me on Patreon. In absolute terms, that's not a huge number, but it's a lot better than shouting into the void, and it does mean that I have a platform to hawk my wares. It's possible that the Pamphlet would have done as well without <i>Monster Man</i> to promote it, but given the number of my listeners' names I recognised among my backers, I have my doubts. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Benefit from Community Expertise</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>There's a growing number of RPG zine makers out there, and a lot of them have been through the bits you're struggling with. I received great advice about paper stock, cover weight, postage, and more. I'm very grateful. </div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, not everything went perfectly. Here's the thing I will definitely do better next time: </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Postage, Postage, Postage</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Postage was by <i>far</i> the biggest expense of the whole Kickstarter. I did not anticipate how many orders would come from the US (over half of my print backers were in the US), and I calculated the postage a little too low on those orders considering that if you do postage through Kickstarter, it's counted as part of your Kickstarter and therefore Kickstarter takes a slice. I still made a profit on those US backers, but I could have done much better. <br /><br />Seriously, postage <i>alone</i> -- exclusive of packing materials -- cost more than everything else put together. <br /><br />Next time, I'm working out a separate US print run and getting myself a North American fulfilment partner. It will also save the nice people at the post office a lot of aggravation and I bet it won't be that much more expensive. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also, I ordered the wrong size of envelopes at one point, which cost me some money. Anyone want to buy some capacity book mailers? Going cheap!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Pricing</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>I have a bad habit of selling products at very low prices. This is partly because of, I don't know, low self-esteem or something, partly because I myself am very frugal, and partly because my mental index of what something costs in dollars is fixed at the last time I lived in the US, which was nearly 20 years ago. </div><div><br /></div><div>This was a bit of a mixed bag: I do think that there were a lot of people who shelled out for the digital edition of the zine because it was only £2, and since my overhead there was essentially nil, that's a good source of profit for me. But I bet almost all of them would still have backed it at £3 and been happy, and I would have made 50% more. And this low price was much more of a problem for the print edition, where there were real expenses to cut into my profit margin. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Adding it Up</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>So here's a rough calculation of how the money went. Some of these expenses are functionally lower -- I'm registered self-employed and do report the income, so I'll be claiming the expenses as deductions. </div><div><br /></div><div>Kickstarter (after fees etc.): £1378</div><div>Direct and distro sales: £90</div><div>Online sales: £270</div><div><br /></div><div>Total: approximately £1738</div><div><br /></div><div>Software: £24</div><div>Packaging and stationery: £75</div><div>Printing: £140</div><div>Postage: £385</div><div><br /></div><div>Total: approximately £624</div><div><br /></div><div>That leaves me with a profit of about £1114, which is better than a slap in the face but not exactly retirement money. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now, the good thing is that at this point a lot of my main expenses are done but there's nothing to stop the book making more money. At present, I'm not promoting it very hard on DTRPG, but I still get a steady little trickle of sales, essentially money that I don't have to do any work for. Same goes for digital sales on Itch. It's also definitely done a lot for my follower count on social media and on Itch. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some of my new Monster Man patrons came to the show via the <i>Pamphlet</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also, while it seemed to me like I never shut up about the project, that doesn't mean that much outside of the communities I belong to. Big boosts to my sales post-KS always came from posting in relevant FB groups or having other people talk about the Pamphlet on social media (one Instagram post in particular got me a pretty substantial sales spike). Do more of that next time. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, for next time: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Price more realistically </li><li>Work with partners for international shipping </li><li>Be as loud about the project as I <i>thought</i> I was this time</li><li>Explore new avenues for promotion</li></ul><div>Overall, not too bad for a first Kickstarter: the backers got their books on time or close to it, I didn't lose money, and I learned a lot. </div></div>James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-73125954542241051392021-07-19T03:14:00.006-07:002021-07-19T03:14:44.449-07:00More Frugal Gaming: Grimdark Future Challenge, Part II<p> In my last post, I introduced a project I'm currently working on: creating a 2,000-point army for Grimdark Future while spending less than £55. To create the core of my Human Inquisition army list, I picked up some Frostgrave and Stargrave sprues, and used them to assemble the Inquisitor's retinue. This is going to include: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>four <i>assassins</i>, badass killing machine characters who eat up a lot of points. </li><li>three <i>daemonhosts</i>, hapless souls who blast out gouts of demonic energy. </li><li>three <i>crusaders</i>, heavily armoured sword-fighters. </li><li>three <i>psychics</i>, just this side of being a daemonhost. </li></ul><div>In this post, we'll take a look at some sample models I've built for each of these units. We've already seen the sniper assassin. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34BBOppG-HOAMLcR41BqDQoxN_9IAzJ0PDeOUuqWjDS3QbRNaqOglF2hvgnRsp4cY_DT_5QHecrCOCLomASJsn-AiHLvOKn9WDi8O6dJQEAs-wqle672aTTBgoyBtbazU90mxQfX7cOZb/s3279/PXL_20210708_090908560.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2663" data-original-width="3279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34BBOppG-HOAMLcR41BqDQoxN_9IAzJ0PDeOUuqWjDS3QbRNaqOglF2hvgnRsp4cY_DT_5QHecrCOCLomASJsn-AiHLvOKn9WDi8O6dJQEAs-wqle672aTTBgoyBtbazU90mxQfX7cOZb/s320/PXL_20210708_090908560.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Here he is again, though, just for completeness.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysISek6B6nFTLnOKkGRtkB-Myw2d2O-vmfh0750hH82XseHoaDF7kqxLvCJ55J3Iok6AlyQcF4wWGUcDC5QoIIyk0GYEjAy-Tc1v5YWX6FTP7fASPbRs1XLZG9sBtMKQy2fPPuTlwNW_7/s2480/PXL_20210713_101037928.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2480" data-original-width="2218" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysISek6B6nFTLnOKkGRtkB-Myw2d2O-vmfh0750hH82XseHoaDF7kqxLvCJ55J3Iok6AlyQcF4wWGUcDC5QoIIyk0GYEjAy-Tc1v5YWX6FTP7fASPbRs1XLZG9sBtMKQy2fPPuTlwNW_7/w358-h400/PXL_20210713_101037928.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="358" /></a></div><br /><div>Here's the first psychic. I've decided to go for quite simple paint jobs for this army, but I think they'll look nice anyway. He has a Frostgrave cultist body and arms, with a hand swap from a Stargrave sprue to give him the regulation pistol as well as a melee weapon from the Frostgrave demon sprue. His head is another Stargrave head.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>When you think of the Inquisition, you think of red robes, so I want to give all the models in the core retinue some red and off-white (except for the assassins, who of course will be in sinister black). </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtB4T61B75QYNvkT1O0fbW90cJ6Q6S67HT9vbPVtq5CqAZZZzFMA8eVONyaD5KE5t7XfwjwqP0E5sjbcTrZGLjx6Wk4I5eU70lwK-5KMZ4nZkez0Y9JEuXxwPIq_RbN6VQRDqDepgOGlEu/s2518/PXL_20210719_100346225.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2518" data-original-width="1769" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtB4T61B75QYNvkT1O0fbW90cJ6Q6S67HT9vbPVtq5CqAZZZzFMA8eVONyaD5KE5t7XfwjwqP0E5sjbcTrZGLjx6Wk4I5eU70lwK-5KMZ4nZkez0Y9JEuXxwPIq_RbN6VQRDqDepgOGlEu/w281-h400/PXL_20210719_100346225.MP.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The second psychic has the body and arms of a Frostgrave cultist, although I've replaced the blade of his spear with a bead to make it a staff. The head and holstered pistol come from a Stargrave sprue. His pistol is holstered for drawing with the right hand, which is going to be inconvenient if he's got a staff in it, but no one said these guys were military geniuses. I tried a little OSL effect from the staff, but it doesn't look great in the photo -- in real life, the different swirling colours on the orb are more distinguishable. I may touch up the face, but it looks OK at arm's length. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACTsZQWaXbplb9bhl86BNqDeVHuS-EeKBMwEvYBx6lWe0ZBYRYGtLOXhErdsTNSPSPb1h8lufCxDa73tgLdHwSOjVW95EysCqaDwW_gq8HOLBA-1BI7NiOfnHHwwskD0SdAKMyLqeC89W/s2278/PXL_20210716_082118225.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2278" data-original-width="1913" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACTsZQWaXbplb9bhl86BNqDeVHuS-EeKBMwEvYBx6lWe0ZBYRYGtLOXhErdsTNSPSPb1h8lufCxDa73tgLdHwSOjVW95EysCqaDwW_gq8HOLBA-1BI7NiOfnHHwwskD0SdAKMyLqeC89W/w269-h320/PXL_20210716_082118225.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Next, we have the first daemonhost. The body is another Frostgrave cultist, and I wanted to suggest that this is a former psychic; the other two bodies will be more Crusader-like just because that's what I have. The head is a Stargrave head, the arms are from the cultist sprue, and the tail is from the demon set. I wanted to give the impression that the daemons in these bodies have warped and mutated them but are still restrained by some kind of ward, so I gave him a glowing chain of relics around his neck. The daemonhosts are going to look quite different from one another, but hopefully the unit as a whole will work out. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSptYwcWJV_PIrnn0ozJm9rPF1CQLV1wQLJM2-82d1v4F3I7Y0v1n5Hohrqk7Up39MGK7RPBzRJVEotIcQlm525U_XYLqq75Q02uBSdl_7-wlFK6XI6Q6iPMVWZDgpTrMqpb_E7qxRdO3r/s3064/PXL_20210719_095633592.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3064" data-original-width="2322" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSptYwcWJV_PIrnn0ozJm9rPF1CQLV1wQLJM2-82d1v4F3I7Y0v1n5Hohrqk7Up39MGK7RPBzRJVEotIcQlm525U_XYLqq75Q02uBSdl_7-wlFK6XI6Q6iPMVWZDgpTrMqpb_E7qxRdO3r/w303-h400/PXL_20210719_095633592.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><br /><div>This is the first of the Crusader unit. These are heavily-armoured melee fighters equipped with energy swords. I used the body and shield from a Frostgrave demon sprue to give a suitably gothic look -- these are supposed to be very medieval figures -- but added a sci-fi head from a Stargrave sprue to link it in to the rest of the army. I reversed the balance of the white-and-red colour scheme seen on the psychics so that the unit will be easily distinguishable but the army's colours will stay consistent. I think he looks not bad. I wanted to make the armour look weathered and battered partly for thematic reasons but also partly because I worried the bright red would look a little too Space-Marine-y otherwise. </div><p></p>James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-70353877269568920772021-07-08T02:27:00.002-07:002021-07-08T02:27:27.354-07:00More Frugal Gaming: Grimdark Future Challenge<p> Over on Facebook, Badger Bodges proposed a challenge: create a 3,000-point army for the sci-fi wargame <a href="https://onepagerules.com/portfolio/grimdark-future/" target="_blank">Grimdark Future</a> while spending only £55. I decided to undertake it. In fact, I'm not even going to spend £55: I'm mainly going to use models already in my collection, but I will keep track of what they cost and not go over £55. </p><p>£55 is the cost of a Start Collecting Astra Militarum box from Games Workshop. Start Collecting boxes are a more affordable way to, er, start collecting Citadel miniatures, and I don't know if Badger picked the Astra Militarum one because it's singularly unimpressive, but in it you get: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>10 Cadian Shock Troops</li><li>A heavy weapons team</li><li>A Commissar</li><li>A Leman Russ</li></ul><div>So that's ten regular troops, a character, a heavy weapon, and a tank. Nice variety, but I think we should be able to do rather better than that. </div><div><br /></div><div>After looking at the Grimdark Future army lists, I decided to go with a mixed force. My starting point will be the Human Inquisition list. This is a very weird army list full of small, specialist squads and unusual characters. It should provide a core of unique characters to build the army around, which I can then bulk up with some regular infantry squads built using the Human Defense Force and Battle Brothers lists. </div><div><br /></div><div>To get things started off, I'm going to buy some sprues online (well, I'm not; I already own them. But for the purposes of this exercise let's assume I am). These will provide the materials for some of our characters, and also help us build up some bits for conversions when we come to cheaper figures later on. One of the challenges I'm dealing with here is working without my bits box: I have a pretty good collection, built up over decades, but I'm trying to do without it here as a way to show that this is possible using only resources available to everyone. </div><div><br /></div><div>So here are my starting expenditures, based on eBay prices. These may seem high given our limited overall budget, but I think you'll see that they come in handy throughout the project: </div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Frostgrave cultist sprue: £6</li><li>Frostgrave demon sprue: £6.50</li><li>Stargrave mercenary sprue: £6</li><li>Stargrave trooper sprue: £6</li></ul><div>So that's £24.50 spent so far, but as I hope you'll see, these bits are going to go a long way. We'll also need some bases for this project; I don't know how many just yet, but I'm keeping some room in my budget for them. I'm basing my cost on 3mm MDF bases on eBay, which is what I use for my Stargrave and Dragon Rampant armies. Let's spend £2 for now, which should get us all the bases we need for this phase of the project. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>First things first, let's make some of the characters at the core of the army. Not only will these make a fun visual centrepiece for the project, they'll eat up a hefty chunk of points. Taking a look at the Inquisition army list, a team of assassins seems useful. I'll start out by using the sprues to make a Sniper assassin. This is a mixture of bits from the Frostgrave Trooper and Mercenary Sprues </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBYLoajr0GPeUa1uu15X9ObsRDKsRCptIzJ0FR3gSqQ5mM_o-KC9qyz0oA7pv5tREzOdw3vibveViu3QPjEarF_6MdY_nDkxQIb4tMMegdVUoBKkR7XGjQWYjMJQEWPIIYDPzJK8_Q00c/s3279/PXL_20210708_090908560.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2663" data-original-width="3279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBYLoajr0GPeUa1uu15X9ObsRDKsRCptIzJ0FR3gSqQ5mM_o-KC9qyz0oA7pv5tREzOdw3vibveViu3QPjEarF_6MdY_nDkxQIb4tMMegdVUoBKkR7XGjQWYjMJQEWPIIYDPzJK8_Q00c/s320/PXL_20210708_090908560.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>I need to think of a good logo for my inquisitors that I can use to mark the plate on the back of the armour. Otherwise this model is good to go once I touch up that splotch on his leg.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next we're going to add some Battle Brothers. These elite infantry are going to serve two purposes: they're going to give us some versatile armoured troops who can engage enemies at medium range and hold positions for us, and they're going to soak up a big wodge of points in our army list. Actually, three purposes: they're going to provide us with a few spare bits that will help us make our other units down the line. </div><div><br /></div><div>For my Battle Brothers, I'm going to be using Space Rangers. These monopose (well, duopose) plastics were released by Grenadier in the early 1990s as an alternative to Space Marines for the budget-conscious gamer. I was a budget-conscious gamer even at that young age, and my brother and I bought a big box of these. These are in fact those self-same models, bought over 25 years ago. However, you can still get them from em-4, a snip at just £2.99 for five models, bringing us to a total of £29.49. We're going to include five to ten in our army eventually, but let's start out with a single test model for now. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqCYcjdTvf5a_dx4a1uidz3K60FxzyYxXV9Ah211p_uM13ixyVyQlUMXB2PC0ROBnnWJXMyONeGM3ZeF4yI4Z8V6uxU3792ERQcaJCcxR14LkINVBkPVDqtiy0u_gSFEuin3_C-UPRLwe/s3151/PXL_20210708_090928851.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2720" data-original-width="3151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqCYcjdTvf5a_dx4a1uidz3K60FxzyYxXV9Ah211p_uM13ixyVyQlUMXB2PC0ROBnnWJXMyONeGM3ZeF4yI4Z8V6uxU3792ERQcaJCcxR14LkINVBkPVDqtiy0u_gSFEuin3_C-UPRLwe/s320/PXL_20210708_090928851.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div>These are nicely massive models. Like the assassin, I'm going to add some inquisitorial heraldry when I figure out how I want to do it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br style="text-align: left;" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Using the sprues, I am now assembling twelve more models: three Daemonhosts, three Crusaders, three Psychics, and the remaining three assassins: Spy, Assault, and Terror. Here's a little look at these models in progress: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWUaX4VM5OFCgQQHCvoEDmWIE_14XStb__Zbxe0PNkPb6SJ8AMkdAcvCTtprY_PO5QvI7wFrx4Xhz3TEuzhLR_kxs1AEAv0ss9PBavst7vpCokFHN-94cE6czEqqEnWMzjpvbvZxtt6ho/s3610/PXL_20210708_092155381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1915" data-original-width="3610" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWUaX4VM5OFCgQQHCvoEDmWIE_14XStb__Zbxe0PNkPb6SJ8AMkdAcvCTtprY_PO5QvI7wFrx4Xhz3TEuzhLR_kxs1AEAv0ss9PBavst7vpCokFHN-94cE6czEqqEnWMzjpvbvZxtt6ho/w640-h341/PXL_20210708_092155381.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, we've spent nearly £30 of our £55 budget so far. How are we doing on points? Well, here's the list as it stands: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Assault Assassin: 180 pts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Spy Assassin: 185 pts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sniper Assassin: 185 pts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Terror Assassin: 200 pts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Crusaders (3): 70 pts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Daemon Hosts (3): 70 pts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Psychics (3): 95 pts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Battle Brothers (5) w/ Veteran Infantry, Standard, plasma pistol, energy sword, plasma cannon: 260 pts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Total: 1225 pts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now we need to add a little mobility and some anti-vehicle firepower, together with a few foot troops to defend objectives and widen the range of targets. But as you can see, we're well on the way to 2,000 points, and we're right on budget for now -- plus there's still a lot of good stuff on the sprues that we haven't used yet. </div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><p></p>James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-76541884723586862342021-05-08T14:14:00.000-07:002021-05-08T14:14:07.032-07:00The Good Bad Idea: Some speed-painted orks<p> The other day I had one of those ideas that comes to you as though in a dream: an idea for how to bulk up my year's painting total, provide a team for anyone who wants to play Stargrave with me but doesn't have models, and test some techniques in the process. It preyed on me all of Monday night, and on Tuesday I got to work. By Saturday morning I had this: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfvkHjZn6UsAdLCZWc3DWe_IY5RsfbFkDJf6d4EAFSSOCRbfPWdsUC18cYwLguxjO_askfvfFIyKRu9vAXENxNhe7IZzTLuV0DT_4gw_9C2PvtwrOoOpMCTFng8r-X_yFvP0K5UQQ3_YY/s3859/PXL_20210508_090822413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2229" data-original-width="3859" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfvkHjZn6UsAdLCZWc3DWe_IY5RsfbFkDJf6d4EAFSSOCRbfPWdsUC18cYwLguxjO_askfvfFIyKRu9vAXENxNhe7IZzTLuV0DT_4gw_9C2PvtwrOoOpMCTFng8r-X_yFvP0K5UQQ3_YY/w640-h370/PXL_20210508_090822413.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>If you are a British gamer, I think you have some Space Marines. You may never have played Warhammer 40,000 in your life, but you'll have some. I think they grow in cardboard boxes or someone puts them through the letterbox. Only marginally rarer are the multi-part plastic Orks from ... Assault on Black Reach, I think? Anyway, I have a few, plus some other Ork kits, in a big tackle box, and I'm never going to use them because they don't blend well with my Ork army, which is in an older style. So I put some together, with some spare parts from the bits box (mostly Ramshackle Games stuff). This was actually a pretty long process -- about two to three hours. I mounted them on plastic bases from Renedra and textured their bases with acrylic modelling paste from Hobbycraft. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XCamy26sDdnuWEQnGMb7tV6SbhEw8PVfZ69tiMw8LSWYx1aPTpqUnMyoMGOzGAK29LaQsZ6A-U6PWgYL8TBYhkZKx34sJBwrybxRfW7d6mDNBog_cRkXIa6pky-W6t1jcDBvX9E-_1lF/s4032/PXL_20210505_182018743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XCamy26sDdnuWEQnGMb7tV6SbhEw8PVfZ69tiMw8LSWYx1aPTpqUnMyoMGOzGAK29LaQsZ6A-U6PWgYL8TBYhkZKx34sJBwrybxRfW7d6mDNBog_cRkXIa6pky-W6t1jcDBvX9E-_1lF/w640-h480/PXL_20210505_182018743.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I primed them with Halford's matt black spray paint and then gave them a zenithal spray with Halford's grey primer. This is a quick and dirty way of creating some shadow and contrast: very important for speed painting. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4Jh9lvfkrgEIJoP1zx4mAgGQck20baTGtPaxmFrV5va8rlEKAe5YT9ul3YfQuR8Ko4bcQxolcJPybcu6mxBhm2bklCat_ddsKKWvJ03ypMcMKONMLRTXI-kuMES62LKiVXZH0aJW9r9r/s3597/PXL_20210506_134534144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2364" data-original-width="3597" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4Jh9lvfkrgEIJoP1zx4mAgGQck20baTGtPaxmFrV5va8rlEKAe5YT9ul3YfQuR8Ko4bcQxolcJPybcu6mxBhm2bklCat_ddsKKWvJ03ypMcMKONMLRTXI-kuMES62LKiVXZH0aJW9r9r/w640-h420/PXL_20210506_134534144.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Now the actual painting process began. I mainly used cheap craft paints in dark red, brown, ochre, silver, black, yellow, and white. I did use a few actual miniatures paints, which were: </div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Citadel Mephiston Red. My go to mid-red base colour. </li><li>Citadel Evil Sunz Scarlet. My orky bright red. Remember when Citadel reds were just trash?</li><li>Citadel Warboss Green. This has been in my paint box ever since that lying swine in GW said it was a good match for old Goblin Green, which it is not. </li><li>Citadel Ushabti Bone. A pleasing colour for teeth.</li><li>Your friend and mine, Agarax Earthshade. I actually intended to use Army Painter Strong Tone, but it turns out I haven't got any. </li></ul><div>I flicked brown, black, and white paint at the models with a toothbrush. This might seem like a mad thing to do, but it's really just there to help create a feel of texture and weathering that should show through the coats of paint. It'll save a lot of time, especially on the metallics. This process took about 10 minutes. </div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNm1dIthpxl4wNEwYlhWCNNW4EGM8gGd20Z3d754fZLJTZDpZGjjynve-DgPab3zdvUzbpbzIIcf-WWsnnkB_VOGo-WWDT1ZJ4G5GDTgHe44NTio9Sf5fPsEQ9O1RjBAjCq4xAR7057AU/s3293/PXL_20210506_135728767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2588" data-original-width="3293" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNm1dIthpxl4wNEwYlhWCNNW4EGM8gGd20Z3d754fZLJTZDpZGjjynve-DgPab3zdvUzbpbzIIcf-WWsnnkB_VOGo-WWDT1ZJ4G5GDTgHe44NTio9Sf5fPsEQ9O1RjBAjCq4xAR7057AU/w640-h502/PXL_20210506_135728767.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Next I blocked in the base colours using thin layers. I didn't both to make the coverage very even on anything but the skin, and I really just jabbed the silver paint (mixed with a little black) onto the metallics. As you can see, they look rusty and nasty, which is what you want for orks. I did this in a series of steps, each about 10-15 minutes, but the whole process took about an hour and fifty minutes. Counting flecks, that's two hours. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Q_6XgiNmKXRye-bygZTR2s_KPQ96CLjsMYZ9Ev9Hng5xO-hUE68O7FvkTIS2fiMlQQcRyruQ8qmdNuQMUc5Aw_UE4gQLdZqmiNP3xuL6EO3nW9In1Ab84f4cjWsSFRxw4apyaKyRSdIn/s3124/PXL_20210507_064600256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2141" data-original-width="3124" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Q_6XgiNmKXRye-bygZTR2s_KPQ96CLjsMYZ9Ev9Hng5xO-hUE68O7FvkTIS2fiMlQQcRyruQ8qmdNuQMUc5Aw_UE4gQLdZqmiNP3xuL6EO3nW9In1Ab84f4cjWsSFRxw4apyaKyRSdIn/w640-h438/PXL_20210507_064600256.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY17Ei4EhvCNG5p2P93S_QIojk24GU4jUpFCnZmZtSCl4IpdTokzLRtTCn_Y7VjZNrwJIPtQq23WfWwNbQ5UhoFkoZ2oAeYL7_PDfydvG64jbSxPtN2_aPKUusCQlmV-zynwYEDWplf2nd/s4032/PXL_20210507_070154728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2393" data-original-width="4032" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY17Ei4EhvCNG5p2P93S_QIojk24GU4jUpFCnZmZtSCl4IpdTokzLRtTCn_Y7VjZNrwJIPtQq23WfWwNbQ5UhoFkoZ2oAeYL7_PDfydvG64jbSxPtN2_aPKUusCQlmV-zynwYEDWplf2nd/w640-h380/PXL_20210507_070154728.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the whole crew with their base colours hastily applied.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I did a tiny highlight of the skin with a mixture of green and yellow, and then I hit the whole model with that Agarax Earthshade wash -- including the green areas. It looks OK! This took about 15 minutes.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWGHHHsr1_Qc5z_G4BAwmSbL1Fy3D2MlbCEXlbkxYtKUwlu8PYkWUNpnv-VIBmWcXQJ1datDoZ8V61hwblMTgbQmqASqSTGyXcJfHUQH1hPdfJcwzQOMSHCG4f5jLaCRpFE9AhBIe8tEK/s3024/PXL_20210507_082334470.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2556" data-original-width="3024" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWGHHHsr1_Qc5z_G4BAwmSbL1Fy3D2MlbCEXlbkxYtKUwlu8PYkWUNpnv-VIBmWcXQJ1datDoZ8V61hwblMTgbQmqASqSTGyXcJfHUQH1hPdfJcwzQOMSHCG4f5jLaCRpFE9AhBIe8tEK/w640-h540/PXL_20210507_082334470.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Then I went back and touched up and re-highlighted the skin with that green-yellow mixture. I also dotted in the eyes with ochre and then a little splotch of yellow in the centre. This took about another 15 minutes. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOolP6INaygqNs7z7Kd1G43qrRgb77mcWHb262Sed_UvycT7IDdSqPopV3I2MjN4cP5NyIXq-KxBtxQAYnvwGmOQTtDakz8KPMB4xrzq3y40I2-MDmXcHKjx0F7WjBNRkjLEplOzW3UkI/s2247/PXL_20210507_105150888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1976" data-original-width="2247" height="562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOolP6INaygqNs7z7Kd1G43qrRgb77mcWHb262Sed_UvycT7IDdSqPopV3I2MjN4cP5NyIXq-KxBtxQAYnvwGmOQTtDakz8KPMB4xrzq3y40I2-MDmXcHKjx0F7WjBNRkjLEplOzW3UkI/w640-h562/PXL_20210507_105150888.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, I took each model and spent a few minutes doing the individual details -- picking out pouches, straps, fur trim, goggles and so on. I didn't want them to be perfect, and I could have skipped it, but it didn't take that long and I think it helps, particularly on fiddly areas like the captain's goggles. I rehighlighted some of the metals as well and just touched up a missed patch here and there. This was actually one of the longest phases, taking nearly an hour. </div><div><br /></div><div>When you add up all of that time, the process took just under three and a half hours. Adding in priming and some other things I'm probably forgetting, I'm happy to round up to four hours, or an average of 24 minutes per model. I think that they're pretty good-looking for that level of investment, and I </div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVWqN-C0VKkTAE-kzqF784qlTNal0b-MLp3Tk2XBvylzjg9nsB4guy3EHVgyaKkn1fQZXpHmzGDfyUMJVKuga9ni-jGoEkgBT2OCMIyxFI599Fb6iZ_jd6nyw3ix8Q_bzCKSSdvGGfClX/s3859/PXL_20210508_090822413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2229" data-original-width="3859" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVWqN-C0VKkTAE-kzqF784qlTNal0b-MLp3Tk2XBvylzjg9nsB4guy3EHVgyaKkn1fQZXpHmzGDfyUMJVKuga9ni-jGoEkgBT2OCMIyxFI599Fb6iZ_jd6nyw3ix8Q_bzCKSSdvGGfClX/w640-h370/PXL_20210508_090822413.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crew assembled</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKL9d462MTjZjDAHHn_hT5E-Xhdet8g293eewnp8bYtkDdnNarDnqSQtIRFrRVkpfkNgjU7XD7U_Tz6xbsRPM7ZRZxLq-tjsxhHHWJm_jUJKZ1YG5z2yXJjZcx_nTuwlZd_uwEY_aV3o5m/s4032/PXL_20210508_090901233.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKL9d462MTjZjDAHHn_hT5E-Xhdet8g293eewnp8bYtkDdnNarDnqSQtIRFrRVkpfkNgjU7XD7U_Tz6xbsRPM7ZRZxLq-tjsxhHHWJm_jUJKZ1YG5z2yXJjZcx_nTuwlZd_uwEY_aV3o5m/w640-h480/PXL_20210508_090901233.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captain (Cyborg) and First Mate (Veteran)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89lU_LlDDf80_lANW4y4MBgMeqsa4MicbE2LFxuyf73cPx_A3zRi5jbgMD_ZDK8udtXtn3hvcrfCGuAsNoGTYmWErMPAk7ilUIxwxnszG3sAmFRmC3b30-gi6H3We5rpUQVpQEb94ycMB/s4032/PXL_20210508_090945459.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89lU_LlDDf80_lANW4y4MBgMeqsa4MicbE2LFxuyf73cPx_A3zRi5jbgMD_ZDK8udtXtn3hvcrfCGuAsNoGTYmWErMPAk7ilUIxwxnszG3sAmFRmC3b30-gi6H3We5rpUQVpQEb94ycMB/w640-h480/PXL_20210508_090945459.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Sentries and a Commando, or a Trooper, I forget.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwTmLTB83c8llwhrZ_BDpypKyI_RbKrS6hyphenhyphenOAMw-xUN0oUPmYTZZEQX6ZmAOtW9UbBH-5qTb2Bc1vbOH8PZNlKrAW0ISTT1dtkw4aok5AJhtZhRUYSU3C0VXfcWLHUXD4s1JfQ-zTh5gU/s4032/PXL_20210508_091029799.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwTmLTB83c8llwhrZ_BDpypKyI_RbKrS6hyphenhyphenOAMw-xUN0oUPmYTZZEQX6ZmAOtW9UbBH-5qTb2Bc1vbOH8PZNlKrAW0ISTT1dtkw4aok5AJhtZhRUYSU3C0VXfcWLHUXD4s1JfQ-zTh5gU/w640-h480/PXL_20210508_091029799.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gunner and Burner</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuPKrVK5Dng0h-mg2Br5ODb49kIIX5QCztvUov6hk3gnbKzHGkC2_AVE35FQH2B3oddASQSSfR2HPSmQMD9Al9tl2EX1B69M2DdW8ml2LIXOHZ6FAmyJBl_7ao6daWE7mAte42gX1gVp4/s4032/PXL_20210508_091104046.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuPKrVK5Dng0h-mg2Br5ODb49kIIX5QCztvUov6hk3gnbKzHGkC2_AVE35FQH2B3oddASQSSfR2HPSmQMD9Al9tl2EX1B69M2DdW8ml2LIXOHZ6FAmyJBl_7ao6daWE7mAte42gX1gVp4/w640-h480/PXL_20210508_091104046.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Recruits</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLo-inNrEffjiYh21WuFJY4kV4vOl9g0i4yylLCYgbHkBtI4LkwkESnGrVO5K5WgYUO897ZRt40VHAu3Q6gAVi4SqKCRLomWGarkodzjPObbEziyBVab1s6H1vNkbv49hg2RElbbNxJU6O/s4032/PXL_20210508_091113331.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLo-inNrEffjiYh21WuFJY4kV4vOl9g0i4yylLCYgbHkBtI4LkwkESnGrVO5K5WgYUO897ZRt40VHAu3Q6gAVi4SqKCRLomWGarkodzjPObbEziyBVab1s6H1vNkbv49hg2RElbbNxJU6O/w640-h480/PXL_20210508_091113331.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Runner</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-77451914301356659912021-05-03T06:17:00.000-07:002021-05-03T06:17:07.164-07:00Some solo Stargrave<p> It's been nearly a year since I updated this blog! Honestly, most of my gaming content is on Twitter or Facebook these days. Still, if I want to tell a story with pictures, this is the place to do it. </p><p>Picture, if you will: Captain Horatius Mortsafe and the brave crew of the <i>Simple Misunderstanding</i>, reluctant to do the law's work but equally reluctant to get thrown into a black hole by the pirate syndicate to whom they owe an alarming amount of money, take a contract to hunt down galactic malefactor <b>Chrysophon Marrs</b>. Weeks of fruitless searching, and then: a lead! The elusive Marrs is getting ready to take ship from a small spaceport on a backwater world. Mortsafe, his first mate Berenice, and their band of space scoundrels are in hot pursuit!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuflX9-pkiwlREBjrYyJDYXoprsRGOW5f0x2_2Q2TCwLI9t6wXQ8mDOvCLgTiobK08lpfIlIwAR9BZ9vk4hgpqyfwM6-dEYU5oOjTWxX_YYDFVwjpQZI0mFxw_fPDhWbjhuGcDNg3DK3q2/s3024/PXL_20210502_135052210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3014" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuflX9-pkiwlREBjrYyJDYXoprsRGOW5f0x2_2Q2TCwLI9t6wXQ8mDOvCLgTiobK08lpfIlIwAR9BZ9vk4hgpqyfwM6-dEYU5oOjTWxX_YYDFVwjpQZI0mFxw_fPDhWbjhuGcDNg3DK3q2/w638-h640/PXL_20210502_135052210.jpg" width="638" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The small spaceport!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>But who do our heroes find waiting for them as they arrive at the launch pad? </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZg-XW0kS16JFMhcM2nWmu54RKZp-R_9kAB6KuIJK73s78aI59jlYxoRrG9F4hHc95tQpn4JWY35Ngkpn-2FmlsnHXi92JUCPPUdEilBQLyjXeVa6NGNmrHfrykC8WjsSGeAkhBXlLNAh/s2060/PXL_20210502_140813189.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1737" data-original-width="2060" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZg-XW0kS16JFMhcM2nWmu54RKZp-R_9kAB6KuIJK73s78aI59jlYxoRrG9F4hHc95tQpn4JWY35Ngkpn-2FmlsnHXi92JUCPPUdEilBQLyjXeVa6NGNmrHfrykC8WjsSGeAkhBXlLNAh/s320/PXL_20210502_140813189.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruffians!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPLUWI1lf_owTS33I1z2mqVJjdCPyKil8bTOh79Y9GtD4HKkn_rIhl2dcRlIeVlhwwflSaMwEMkDz-FJ7c6I9mM3fNvydgj9eOu0SyWzhRKizfHDIww4h7qH5ltveqporOaVVJ2fD7ILz/s2298/PXL_20210502_141113721.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1783" data-original-width="2298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPLUWI1lf_owTS33I1z2mqVJjdCPyKil8bTOh79Y9GtD4HKkn_rIhl2dcRlIeVlhwwflSaMwEMkDz-FJ7c6I9mM3fNvydgj9eOu0SyWzhRKizfHDIww4h7qH5ltveqporOaVVJ2fD7ILz/s320/PXL_20210502_141113721.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nogoodniks!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP67zHt9NxmHR1Q3RQ55Vgr1oTxcthAsj345WkHMMoY-WTk44a5HWa0o7UTTzt66WcDhyphenhyphenDDQMSIjxJJbxmV7DO-JdDL4ARdcjFm8zbga1dTDYZ8vFhrrvv33CV5_IgZJ2XKCETvAs90Xuj/s2352/PXL_20210502_141139915.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2059" data-original-width="2352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP67zHt9NxmHR1Q3RQ55Vgr1oTxcthAsj345WkHMMoY-WTk44a5HWa0o7UTTzt66WcDhyphenhyphenDDQMSIjxJJbxmV7DO-JdDL4ARdcjFm8zbga1dTDYZ8vFhrrvv33CV5_IgZJ2XKCETvAs90Xuj/s320/PXL_20210502_141139915.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ne'er-do-wells!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWubV2iRH61U8-FDMIUAKC7c3EkoxSCUjX7hgBw8cX9VVRQBzk_mYXZZ5LMEqMC_i6ltQdnmT12ejMMdnL4h5RN-bsTxIs4sMy-JNMrWGNPipjFkU7UQ8CaMT4wqYv1DR5iY9IPxxsgU_/s4032/PXL_20210502_141150035.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWubV2iRH61U8-FDMIUAKC7c3EkoxSCUjX7hgBw8cX9VVRQBzk_mYXZZ5LMEqMC_i6ltQdnmT12ejMMdnL4h5RN-bsTxIs4sMy-JNMrWGNPipjFkU7UQ8CaMT4wqYv1DR5iY9IPxxsgU_/s320/PXL_20210502_141150035.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snipers! Actually, that's quite scary.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE58ieYfDHrCxBGcyK6nKlWsy0ZG-H9lvHw_7t4HteiF2gPb3mQR3O-3aGqQq2oxcHSQT27NarUy-5oBSKFD70O7lVMeIZ9Tgb6AkvpYMBSh74vkL-jqkPXGFFLvev-FwuFiUVDLFrQMzF/s2849/PXL_20210502_141156625.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2590" data-original-width="2849" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE58ieYfDHrCxBGcyK6nKlWsy0ZG-H9lvHw_7t4HteiF2gPb3mQR3O-3aGqQq2oxcHSQT27NarUy-5oBSKFD70O7lVMeIZ9Tgb6AkvpYMBSh74vkL-jqkPXGFFLvev-FwuFiUVDLFrQMzF/s320/PXL_20210502_141156625.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And all sorts of general-purpose scum.</td></tr></tbody></table>Meanwhile, Marrs herself rushes among the different areas of the spaceport, getting her ship ready to make a getaway. The battle commences!<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mudAlt62AVVURX7Y_DnXaaTSjnDOv4wbZk0D0TL5rRJae3FJANhEjidSPAsEVJQJG-cwlECdBlq4P2y0vEKcI1iG0JMFmX1w5FnDGwpPX7-Kpl36xnugvC3MLwEWrjs8_kpCKWoEvP18/s4032/PXL_20210503_093537140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mudAlt62AVVURX7Y_DnXaaTSjnDOv4wbZk0D0TL5rRJae3FJANhEjidSPAsEVJQJG-cwlECdBlq4P2y0vEKcI1iG0JMFmX1w5FnDGwpPX7-Kpl36xnugvC3MLwEWrjs8_kpCKWoEvP18/w640-h480/PXL_20210503_093537140.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berenice and her team take up firing positions.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUPAkAf0AP0BY8UUyur0NzOE5XFrWFEhGIz09iFyXNY4yGuc-UJ2d9DoZE-CH69BN0z2jleACR_MRWRJciK2xHrHWrnZvu11_lZivrYbajPgQP5P28IjGf_cucCcVQl4sStfuy6b_0QJh/s4032/PXL_20210503_094004414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUPAkAf0AP0BY8UUyur0NzOE5XFrWFEhGIz09iFyXNY4yGuc-UJ2d9DoZE-CH69BN0z2jleACR_MRWRJciK2xHrHWrnZvu11_lZivrYbajPgQP5P28IjGf_cucCcVQl4sStfuy6b_0QJh/w300-h400/PXL_20210503_094004414.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smokebomb!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHbCh5YsisuEudWDYa7GKeXZ_oQrwrTTYGaVyKtEhhHV5lK_dkq36AUHNFpgN7kd8Dz_nd3dQD5_DYwmCnzG6v-QY3juHOGafAWAu63Y1l3xAFCXTLwxbA2eYgQW22rUIUcz8gwXthUwK/s4032/PXL_20210503_095641163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHbCh5YsisuEudWDYa7GKeXZ_oQrwrTTYGaVyKtEhhHV5lK_dkq36AUHNFpgN7kd8Dz_nd3dQD5_DYwmCnzG6v-QY3juHOGafAWAu63Y1l3xAFCXTLwxbA2eYgQW22rUIUcz8gwXthUwK/w640-h480/PXL_20210503_095641163.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smokebomb!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTicyPYYzk_0rRvku8crQNNEyvdoq4lwGS7WgIMm4728QoOP0bowA7BmWfMbMFwrmWasUkrw3vgn1s7SQqVymWiJm_CWyBddGDS2SBOfHM15lPUZ45axa0OzjtZPdzFP_J97Fsr5Q09jG/s4032/PXL_20210503_100303504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTicyPYYzk_0rRvku8crQNNEyvdoq4lwGS7WgIMm4728QoOP0bowA7BmWfMbMFwrmWasUkrw3vgn1s7SQqVymWiJm_CWyBddGDS2SBOfHM15lPUZ45axa0OzjtZPdzFP_J97Fsr5Q09jG/w640-h480/PXL_20210503_100303504.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berenice gives Yoyo some encouragement to improve his marksmanship.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBovJxeIA0HCWVBX4TXMPLDrpy_TbLjSiQIsgXI1YTjocDaZRH6J76vRuks_ds8vVHXlCgwlXddh1J_ZfMXB-svE94oNzjsil-d-8pg-TU_OHelDgasHCyp10-dGh1m0G6PCT1XcDZ9GD/s4032/PXL_20210503_100448511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBovJxeIA0HCWVBX4TXMPLDrpy_TbLjSiQIsgXI1YTjocDaZRH6J76vRuks_ds8vVHXlCgwlXddh1J_ZfMXB-svE94oNzjsil-d-8pg-TU_OHelDgasHCyp10-dGh1m0G6PCT1XcDZ9GD/w480-h640/PXL_20210503_100448511.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SMOOOOKEBOOOOMB!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5AwVcETDlXRROjxALfTn6UYEGk0xk5zAQUKbKh1Ncj8AEMTUjBfRtYbNTr0gxFqfYJdLCfF91u-dkTu8QhsUH0eDXhKkO7Roiufb0EhyphenhyphenOAj9HsIJGc0e0ZoyUnAW7HfILCPv7g7RaunPG/s4032/PXL_20210503_100531016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5AwVcETDlXRROjxALfTn6UYEGk0xk5zAQUKbKh1Ncj8AEMTUjBfRtYbNTr0gxFqfYJdLCfF91u-dkTu8QhsUH0eDXhKkO7Roiufb0EhyphenhyphenOAj9HsIJGc0e0ZoyUnAW7HfILCPv7g7RaunPG/w640-h480/PXL_20210503_100531016.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louise, Perry, Berenice, Clara, and Aron lie in wait for the gang members.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmS5eu6K53kZWQOvZ1025k9kCQowKVVwK1Eef8RUM-SKefNSHxmTE5GmNcrVRPholeipwoPlfQapZjJ67fhkZg6UZchvt-Lkf2dPdCC7YrxsIFOPVO23cQydnTtlRpi7Xj0Cr1xxvhBoYa/s4032/PXL_20210503_101144761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmS5eu6K53kZWQOvZ1025k9kCQowKVVwK1Eef8RUM-SKefNSHxmTE5GmNcrVRPholeipwoPlfQapZjJ67fhkZg6UZchvt-Lkf2dPdCC7YrxsIFOPVO23cQydnTtlRpi7Xj0Cr1xxvhBoYa/w640-h480/PXL_20210503_101144761.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoyo hoses down the advancing enemy sentries with bullets, stunning both of them.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62hRheIoMZmPuUBEcpFzDz-3ORxFZdgE4biTCqOhRbFN4HRDfLdDN5DHV_MlqHpdHYCm5x-gomWvjQOwZie7HzefNxzYvMOCACPCKHTW_zfj4l8WGdgciktgt087YipKGdRnxpHIvRG2h/s4032/PXL_20210503_101209323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62hRheIoMZmPuUBEcpFzDz-3ORxFZdgE4biTCqOhRbFN4HRDfLdDN5DHV_MlqHpdHYCm5x-gomWvjQOwZie7HzefNxzYvMOCACPCKHTW_zfj4l8WGdgciktgt087YipKGdRnxpHIvRG2h/w300-h400/PXL_20210503_101209323.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoyo chortles in self-satisfaction, an unlikeable quality.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gj8boJWUGXhYRr22gn7spoin94GS_3O3dVABA3Zb6zviDdyD8Da9yqh8blS9srkePK9MBLl6qdKFxiwOApcfwmryxL7718y5ZnQ9jMjcGaWnIxr_L7dEEJFvBA1d30y0jjcJKJU2xolF/s4032/PXL_20210503_102217510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gj8boJWUGXhYRr22gn7spoin94GS_3O3dVABA3Zb6zviDdyD8Da9yqh8blS9srkePK9MBLl6qdKFxiwOApcfwmryxL7718y5ZnQ9jMjcGaWnIxr_L7dEEJFvBA1d30y0jjcJKJU2xolF/w640-h480/PXL_20210503_102217510.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gangsters advancing through the smoke are met with a hail of short-range fire and grenades.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Chh-drB9dx6-lD-AXWJAVEGwkb4yT1zZNdh-oDOiIV-6uCJxfaMGPwW_66lLnk6Ae1iPvDLd8W9g05YXtyD3IF7gz_jTLWXbjSWkWB0iyXgXWqVuzuicp4PNMaKxsjx68oPAZv4i8UmK/s4032/PXL_20210503_102809189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Chh-drB9dx6-lD-AXWJAVEGwkb4yT1zZNdh-oDOiIV-6uCJxfaMGPwW_66lLnk6Ae1iPvDLd8W9g05YXtyD3IF7gz_jTLWXbjSWkWB0iyXgXWqVuzuicp4PNMaKxsjx68oPAZv4i8UmK/w300-h400/PXL_20210503_102809189.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Despite not having even been shot at, Mortsafe activates his Energy Shield, the absolute wiener.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58dh1LSXCtNXjNu2ZnbqnR5m_Poe5xDF-t-km66yy8IFr849gJDficGTSqMkWT_YDdTHkvKYw-jL05p_l_Rh57PyXnyDvTcVh9XjE6pewjBhuWsGZt_THMsM3YffWVJHiSzmChQPGjSXa/s4032/PXL_20210503_104554815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58dh1LSXCtNXjNu2ZnbqnR5m_Poe5xDF-t-km66yy8IFr849gJDficGTSqMkWT_YDdTHkvKYw-jL05p_l_Rh57PyXnyDvTcVh9XjE6pewjBhuWsGZt_THMsM3YffWVJHiSzmChQPGjSXa/w640-h480/PXL_20210503_104554815.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not bulling ahead like a doofus seems to be working out for the sniper, who is causing all kinds of problems for the crew. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cS-f8bi2SlsD42XZJZfQLLyCGndNSVTRpOt0LOXFePocBmm18wYNOhSSf1SCDiTObnYFnBeYSmeohlPJ1b_xnytkjoQpoQhCjskxiVwubbjMq0ctwoGiEcO7fHOV3At9mIeFFCXxUH0a/s4032/PXL_20210503_104605462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cS-f8bi2SlsD42XZJZfQLLyCGndNSVTRpOt0LOXFePocBmm18wYNOhSSf1SCDiTObnYFnBeYSmeohlPJ1b_xnytkjoQpoQhCjskxiVwubbjMq0ctwoGiEcO7fHOV3At9mIeFFCXxUH0a/w640-h480/PXL_20210503_104605462.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The enemy sentry on the flank hangs tough, firing back bravely. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jZ4nJLerZs8gJJU6KKxiXMRjbDEwLThwJ6EcyZwStRqL4kMps4iVpSqrpRR_Svymephzth6Vpl2J_qJtYjWFhKymXV8vIHtNzpv2VFjCcvLYrIdy3L1dylh0UYHqs9eknkw34wUJWA-6/s4032/PXL_20210503_105116025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jZ4nJLerZs8gJJU6KKxiXMRjbDEwLThwJ6EcyZwStRqL4kMps4iVpSqrpRR_Svymephzth6Vpl2J_qJtYjWFhKymXV8vIHtNzpv2VFjCcvLYrIdy3L1dylh0UYHqs9eknkw34wUJWA-6/w640-h480/PXL_20210503_105116025.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crew pour fire onto Chrysophon Marrs, whom Berenice has helpfully pointed out. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7XA270G9mKK42IZ9BeeHTsJBZ3cbTkswiKTqh1SPSbPnVGhhI1aLGVIffVM3xNNqL8BKRATPOfiUjbIY7scn0gPxgBK0yYxiuUkMeBLEn6nJWs4mftYRyduwWqQxnbGw-2JeVDAktNkC/s4032/PXL_20210503_105618521.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7XA270G9mKK42IZ9BeeHTsJBZ3cbTkswiKTqh1SPSbPnVGhhI1aLGVIffVM3xNNqL8BKRATPOfiUjbIY7scn0gPxgBK0yYxiuUkMeBLEn6nJWs4mftYRyduwWqQxnbGw-2JeVDAktNkC/w640-h480/PXL_20210503_105618521.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The enemy Burner charges through the smoke and straight into a walloping.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxR-Yt7QnYN4vTLSzSLxNfQmd9_5zIqVPL1i1Sk_m2hqi_sxkYTih0wXAufqkjqWsMNlsaksIFaGKvf5C4CRwvbp7khBGee8CaoAHDZ-Ny494Pmn5LenSsFTn5XNpJfgz7VEJJ8_-RZm6/s4032/PXL_20210503_111034083.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxR-Yt7QnYN4vTLSzSLxNfQmd9_5zIqVPL1i1Sk_m2hqi_sxkYTih0wXAufqkjqWsMNlsaksIFaGKvf5C4CRwvbp7khBGee8CaoAHDZ-Ny494Pmn5LenSsFTn5XNpJfgz7VEJJ8_-RZm6/w640-h480/PXL_20210503_111034083.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Return fire pins the sniper long enough for Captain Mortsafe to climb the ladder to her nest and lock her in combat. When she tries to shank him, he demonstrates that you can in fact hide a cutlass in an overcoat and hacks her down. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UlFWLvpjUTRxOOiP3N2V0x6SSHVadqluJauWySMBgXlgFC9Z3ktXUd1y2ibUk8sumt2bYDYPlLDS_S4ceJspGxc08v-WwdkysPDqH0A8mujdJuofDFctnnPR92py_KqrH-2v4PPOqT3d/s4032/PXL_20210503_111054081.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UlFWLvpjUTRxOOiP3N2V0x6SSHVadqluJauWySMBgXlgFC9Z3ktXUd1y2ibUk8sumt2bYDYPlLDS_S4ceJspGxc08v-WwdkysPDqH0A8mujdJuofDFctnnPR92py_KqrH-2v4PPOqT3d/w640-h480/PXL_20210503_111054081.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While Brains retrieves the loot, Perry goes for a little climb on the getaway ship.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Now, I will confess that I played the scenario three times because I kept getting walloped in the early rounds, but once I got the hang of it it went pretty well. And I think the crew is looking good, which is nice!</div><div><br /></div><div>So yeah -- don't expect regular blog updates, but when I have a story to tell, I might try to do one now and again. <br /><p><br /></p></div>James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-69536575416578263332020-05-18T03:21:00.001-07:002020-05-18T03:24:52.590-07:00Inquisitor on the cheap: fun with 54mm models<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A few months ago, I was chatting with Curtis of <a href="https://shop.ramshacklegames.co.uk/index.php">Ramshackle Games</a>. I had just been notified that a lot of my classes had been cancelled (I am fine; please don't worry) and I was feeling a bit down. We got chatting about playing games with larger-scale figures for that proper "toy soldier" feel; we also discussed the old GW game Inquisitor, which used 54mm scale models and consequently always felt a bit inaccessible because of the high price point. He mentioned the cheap toy soldiers produced by Russian firm Tehnolog. Browsing eBay, I discovered that I could get a random assortment of 50 models for under £30. </div>
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I have always had a bargain problem. The mental conversation goes something like this: </div>
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<i>Me: Wow, James, 50 models for £30. That's 60p a model. What a bargain!</i></blockquote>
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<i>Also me: It's not a bargain if I don't want 50 models in the first place. </i></blockquote>
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<i>Me again: But think of the savings!</i></blockquote>
So that's how I wound up ordering 50 random 54mm models off eBay. It was a nice little treat to get myself in an uncertain time, and as I made the transition to working from home I had the fun of anticipating when my armyman playtoys would arrive. And arrive they did!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ulaPk5_S5E63z-sarSgp9SlqV6uedeu7AvJtqhkOAFT-UHSNQCPDsYChJMJKExkOym7GhUzVpbaTN10oSVYoDlv4eLvWiAo2JVrUKZ_ooTZmVvJqjy90rMU0AvlmBifFMoPK33gvOhBh/s1600/IMG_20200402_135523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="617" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ulaPk5_S5E63z-sarSgp9SlqV6uedeu7AvJtqhkOAFT-UHSNQCPDsYChJMJKExkOym7GhUzVpbaTN10oSVYoDlv4eLvWiAo2JVrUKZ_ooTZmVvJqjy90rMU0AvlmBifFMoPK33gvOhBh/s640/IMG_20200402_135523.jpg" width="390" /></a></div>
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As you can see, I got a pretty good mix. There are elves, dwarves, knights, Vikings, samurai, orcs, undead, futuristic soldier types, historical soldier types ... all sorts. A pretty promising start for some future-fantasy conversions. I decided my party would be the crew of a Rogue Trader. These are the flamboyant space pirate crews who act as deniable agents of Imperial interest but often include lots of shady characters. Unlike most groups in the Warhammer 40,000 setting, Rogue Trader crews are highly diverse, and could include robots, aliens, mutants ... whatever! It seemed like a good start for an adventuring party. </div>
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I began with my Rogue Trader himself. I loved the authoritative pose of the Cossack officer figure, but I wasn't wild about the hat. I decided to cut the fancy tricorn-hatted head off one of the figures representing soldiers of the Preobrazhensky regiment. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3l5JUXtT7LgBph7P0ixZsVRj_JrDyTIpvcGIuqkY9PM6XwJ1ur0xz76cVOHPerE2PtgVZfoe7JMMkxhxbYwLg6dIr85yJQCBcm4dZ76TITCdWgZgm3zkxKAYfT0mL0yxIDsqsn9IzT3Ih/s1600/IMG_20200402_225233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="1438" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3l5JUXtT7LgBph7P0ixZsVRj_JrDyTIpvcGIuqkY9PM6XwJ1ur0xz76cVOHPerE2PtgVZfoe7JMMkxhxbYwLg6dIr85yJQCBcm4dZ76TITCdWgZgm3zkxKAYfT0mL0yxIDsqsn9IzT3Ih/s320/IMG_20200402_225233.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdedvMsJpmTTaAsoLpbAXy47StBdwyZYsKxhyphenhyphenlCrSNk7Lu1dyejyYU2dwpjI1-Zg7eVpgXbt0v5j_o0dE4LX-ZZxQj2RtEwAF9yjthUlobDrvyC_fwY4pLjlflpCqbjkGB29CcW88uk94/s1600/IMG_20200403_123528+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="609" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdedvMsJpmTTaAsoLpbAXy47StBdwyZYsKxhyphenhyphenlCrSNk7Lu1dyejyYU2dwpjI1-Zg7eVpgXbt0v5j_o0dE4LX-ZZxQj2RtEwAF9yjthUlobDrvyC_fwY4pLjlflpCqbjkGB29CcW88uk94/s320/IMG_20200403_123528+%25281%2529.jpg" width="203" /></a></div>
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I added a few flourishes and we were off. One of the things I learned here was that scale is very much an illusion. The plume and ornament here are from GW models -- nominally 28mm -- but they look fine on the 54mm character. In the heroic sculpting style of GW minis, items that the viewer should focus on, such as weapons, can be very exaggerated in size, meaning that they look much larger when you put them on more realistically scaled models. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixesCyb0m804bLrkKs8qR0qRgZU7aeHTPoAtzWu6zSNcCMZapfIqPn9q6jO3st9lUhkp8-Tcn9yaACuPLb95zF9XgCd1U-fQp4Y9SPfMdvMSCtasrg4XZqARB3VnWvBNnGqyLSBNGXfJMR/s1600/IMG_20200411_150553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="718" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixesCyb0m804bLrkKs8qR0qRgZU7aeHTPoAtzWu6zSNcCMZapfIqPn9q6jO3st9lUhkp8-Tcn9yaACuPLb95zF9XgCd1U-fQp4Y9SPfMdvMSCtasrg4XZqARB3VnWvBNnGqyLSBNGXfJMR/s320/IMG_20200411_150553.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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I also gave him some Imperial bling for the back of his cloak. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPQm3J5pq8O3CPlvV4bphtlu6TkdfRvp2KTXKCwlUlqo-uLX7HVMnZKjnyoIhkfr7kp1h3BQP-SwfXrHQWz8-yR74LWWzBlwbJPz3Ule7dSApeUQrT5H553lNZ8ORhTU44xU9lkNVdX47/s1600/IMG_20200403_171538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1162" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPQm3J5pq8O3CPlvV4bphtlu6TkdfRvp2KTXKCwlUlqo-uLX7HVMnZKjnyoIhkfr7kp1h3BQP-SwfXrHQWz8-yR74LWWzBlwbJPz3Ule7dSApeUQrT5H553lNZ8ORhTU44xU9lkNVdX47/s400/IMG_20200403_171538.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As soon as I saw this Joan of Arc type model, I knew she would be a great Sister of Battle. She even has the distinctive bob haircut that you see on a lot of those models. I didn't like the weapon she was carrying, so I cut it off, together with the whole forearm. The replacement right arm is from an old Chaos Warrior, and the sword is a Reaper accessory. I thought the hooded, winged figure looked suitably spiritual. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfhaQPaMQi08WCrQ4pbuanNXRHcLxfiIK4Dsr4SU1ZKqLZh-B6jWIAIZaCVXrpjCkKCpoGk67wdKwClxEsGxghZPDISKbfQSxwgxf5f7ZEqrx5Oni5kyFB6CUk-zesR5v1qC0LNo6XMNx/s1600/RT1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="1119" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfhaQPaMQi08WCrQ4pbuanNXRHcLxfiIK4Dsr4SU1ZKqLZh-B6jWIAIZaCVXrpjCkKCpoGk67wdKwClxEsGxghZPDISKbfQSxwgxf5f7ZEqrx5Oni5kyFB6CUk-zesR5v1qC0LNo6XMNx/s640/RT1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And here they are, my Rogue Trader crew! From left to right: </div>
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<li><b>Ron Jambo</b> is an Imperial guard veteran who became a mercenary after his unit was betrayed and left to die on a remote death world. The only conversion I did to this model was to cut off the feathers tucked into his headband, which I felt were a bit much. You can't see it, but he has an Imperial Aquila tattoo on his left shoulder. </li>
<li><b>Sister Eleutheria</b> is a Battle Sister of the Order of the Sacred Rose (I picked them because I liked their colour scheme: white armour and black robes with scarlet linings). But she's also Captain Mortsafe's cousin, and the family pulled some strings to get her assigned to this mission. Her power sword provides some close-up punch. </li>
<li><b>Lord-Captain Anaximander Mortsafe</b> is a dandy space pirate with a fancy hat. He is more of an investigator than a fighter, but he can handle himself if he has to, fighting with exotic alien sword and dagger. The reliquary at his neck also houses a force field generator. He is accompanied by his loyal servo-skull, <b>Skully</b>. </li>
<li><b>Combat Automaton 80-N35 </b>is an experimental device created by Mortsafe's chief engineer Volund (whose model I plan to get started on any day now). 80-N35 lays down heavy firepower with his shoulder-mounted plasma gun. </li>
<li><b>Major Kuznetsov</b> commands the detachment of Mortsafe household troops stationed aboard the Lord-Captain's vessel. He's a disciplined and determined officer, often driven to frustration by his employer's reckless curiosity. He bears a hot-shot laspistol as his sidearm. I decided this was a lasweapon despite its bolty barrel because the question of what the magazine was doing <i>right behind the muzzle</i> was driving me nuts. I decided that it was clearly just a battery pack and could therefore attach to the weapon anywhere. </li>
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And that's the crew! Next I need to work on some opposition for them. I'm thinking a Chaos cult -- and, unusually for me, I'm thinking Khorne rather than Nurgle! Time for a little change-up. I'm going to make them as filthy and gore-splattered as these guys are clean and colourful. </div>
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I also sent off selections of models to a couple of other people who created their own warbands. One of those was game designer and publisher Grant Howitt, who has just posted photos of his cool Inquisition party. <a href="https://twitter.com/gshowitt/status/1261944683724517376">Check them out here!</a>James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-37211250276662558952020-01-29T01:47:00.000-08:002020-01-29T01:47:58.663-08:00Warband in a week!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me that he'd booked a space in a Frostgrave tournament in London but wasn't going to be able to make it. He asked me if I'd like to take his place, and I said I would. </div>
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Later that night, as I was cycling somewhere, I thought to myself "you know, I'm not completely happy with how my current warband looks; I could maybe put together a new one ... </div>
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Oh, did I mention the tournament was a week away? </div>
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Anyway, I took a quick trip to the lead mountain and the two big file drawers known only as Sprue Hell, and then I did some clipping and sticking while watching TV with my wife. The result was this 650gc warband (not pictured: warhound). Their base textures are circles of textured wallpaper. </div>
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Before I started, I decided that I would run a Necromancer, the wizard type I know best. I decided that I would have a very simple colour scheme, partly based on what I'd done with my last warband: I would use black and neutral colours, with just one accent colour. Lower-ranking characters would be mostly or half black, while the higher-ranking ones would have more red.<br />
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I primed the models in black except for the zombie: I was unfamiliar with the kind of plastic it was made of and haven't always had success using Citadel black primer on new materials. I knew that the base red colour I was using, Citadel's Mephiston Red, would cover reasonably well over the black primer. If you're going to prime black, you <i>have</i> to know this in advance, because bright colours over black can be a real challenge.<br />
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These work-in-progress shots show how I handled the basic painting. I used the Mephiston Red on some parts of the clothing and then lightly drybrushed black areas with a mixture of brown and grey to bring out the texture. I picked a small number of neutral colours: Citadel Xandri Dust, Rhinox Hide, Mechanicum Standard Grey, Leadbelcher, and Retributor Armour. I also decided to paint the faces in slightly varied tones, including Vallejo Base Flesh and Citadel Bugman's Glow, Cadian Fleshtone, and Rhinox Hide. Once I had the base colours on, I gave the whole thing a wash of Agrax Earthshade (except here and there where I washed the faces with Reikland Fleshshade). </div>
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The zombie had a slightly different skin tone -- Citadel Death Guard Green. I also added some rust with Vallejo Leather Brown, my go-to rust colour.<br />
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Once the base colours were on, I re-highlighted the red and the faces with the original colour, then went up one shade on the red, adding a very faint highlight of Evil Sunz Scarlet. Lastly, I painted the bases and added some Army Painter snow flock to give them that Frostgrave look.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZLoh6kIk-qagsMfZENe0BrCugSXBVFtXRw966feefFvcIBUkjCB6q1uiDoLhcxWKbvToCGNQPtJNadvSOeE_Mpys8W51mLO_rsmFI2cI0jiEMikeSOLEJKRuZF6yqMRRH-FliNRzImjb/s1600/20200116_091015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1199" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZLoh6kIk-qagsMfZENe0BrCugSXBVFtXRw966feefFvcIBUkjCB6q1uiDoLhcxWKbvToCGNQPtJNadvSOeE_Mpys8W51mLO_rsmFI2cI0jiEMikeSOLEJKRuZF6yqMRRH-FliNRzImjb/s320/20200116_091015.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wizard!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGd1bsHnrc93FxAj3MhjKCRuZKJM6yANH3nPpWP-sGAYMHAWjtb2W9BDnKYQowhW3JSyWGthVoE1PGdRZ3tsu_Li5Km55q4zFoYc9KEQ6D0Te6G85Nevqp_hpb5nRG0fQLaXPKswHwJFO/s1600/20200116_091032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1054" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGd1bsHnrc93FxAj3MhjKCRuZKJM6yANH3nPpWP-sGAYMHAWjtb2W9BDnKYQowhW3JSyWGthVoE1PGdRZ3tsu_Li5Km55q4zFoYc9KEQ6D0Te6G85Nevqp_hpb5nRG0fQLaXPKswHwJFO/s320/20200116_091032.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His apprentice!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvT9lfvVMt3zDQBOqU9HVV4SM1uODPCf8DwsMhUBp18U1n8Y8dERh6bKZy_nuApLYFgFo6BM1P9gZBezzdg8GtEz_8JG5TWIwi5Sm-c9ebtOR6YYxt8qvULVvzKCm6DwfppCZWZa-yJY9/s1600/20200116_091059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1204" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvT9lfvVMt3zDQBOqU9HVV4SM1uODPCf8DwsMhUBp18U1n8Y8dERh6bKZy_nuApLYFgFo6BM1P9gZBezzdg8GtEz_8JG5TWIwi5Sm-c9ebtOR6YYxt8qvULVvzKCm6DwfppCZWZa-yJY9/s320/20200116_091059.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knight</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypOkp5-5yJPARA25ZDzA6LfW0SPD4FWVMYYeuhQXWjQrwTFr-pA9HTnnRLF0jJNGkoT8ZZnmq10C1VcGEv8krMUK00fv7jGB8xLzGA1pvIZHlVLQkWna6Sh2mvlj0yT_KZZOaz2cMYsag/s1600/20200116_091131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1251" data-original-width="1600" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypOkp5-5yJPARA25ZDzA6LfW0SPD4FWVMYYeuhQXWjQrwTFr-pA9HTnnRLF0jJNGkoT8ZZnmq10C1VcGEv8krMUK00fv7jGB8xLzGA1pvIZHlVLQkWna6Sh2mvlj0yT_KZZOaz2cMYsag/s320/20200116_091131.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Treasure Hunters</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AiZZsJVvnaM55k1tts4cl2Ru6MCMZvscYy8x_A_mhJF4rxp5FjupAClGPhuNCYGcpQ7Hj9a550G9ze1nfAoFV3xicbWkJDst6uxmb4fGj5FQlq7IISah6lQZP1zLPiNRCPvcYY03-ygH/s1600/20200116_091151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1343" data-original-width="1600" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AiZZsJVvnaM55k1tts4cl2Ru6MCMZvscYy8x_A_mhJF4rxp5FjupAClGPhuNCYGcpQ7Hj9a550G9ze1nfAoFV3xicbWkJDst6uxmb4fGj5FQlq7IISah6lQZP1zLPiNRCPvcYY03-ygH/s320/20200116_091151.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossbows</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiIkPDrdGF4g_EUkHYskG_xlf9-P97DaB7nyiPCyEFDArxIvPWYvGm6PbmMzKTgZzl6A6OBGEiSpiT1Kk-gjGXAttjI9PAwqSee7J59S7I4mqcm0DyWn-b17yP-vjpPXPjwqsu_Bg9gHF/s1600/20200116_091210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1428" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiIkPDrdGF4g_EUkHYskG_xlf9-P97DaB7nyiPCyEFDArxIvPWYvGm6PbmMzKTgZzl6A6OBGEiSpiT1Kk-gjGXAttjI9PAwqSee7J59S7I4mqcm0DyWn-b17yP-vjpPXPjwqsu_Bg9gHF/s320/20200116_091210.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thug and Archer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElpur9wiQWJd_VcYDWPR7ZwY_hmiaN-Epy4mx7jY6L75N_dcE4mo7PXhJZ4nnNuYobEUya0_1EWCHU6-i3izLYZ9DBOmhc3o8bhY73qOl-XFy6hRs1tSSEjz_H-hn8L3xmMLLekR1AoPV/s1600/20200116_091231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1310" data-original-width="1600" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElpur9wiQWJd_VcYDWPR7ZwY_hmiaN-Epy4mx7jY6L75N_dcE4mo7PXhJZ4nnNuYobEUya0_1EWCHU6-i3izLYZ9DBOmhc3o8bhY73qOl-XFy6hRs1tSSEjz_H-hn8L3xmMLLekR1AoPV/s320/20200116_091231.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zombie and Warhound (a reused model I'd already painted).</td></tr>
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In addition to my warband, I had to create some slimes, both small and large. These were made from hot glue and given a quick paintjob that began with Coat d'Arms Goblin Green and worked up to Vallejo Yellow-green. I think they look pretty nice for being basically free.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRctf9qYw9f5__6rNLzy0M7tHY1nWuqyxwJshy_mjcaopSlBvY4E5SOP6EG8XCO_zD5a-JbwZ9aOSDSPRAUwfCuQHIwO2ydnq7JSVssgoPXtbrln07e_lKZPFoT2k6-Jye6WWPlihhyFh1/s1600/20200116_160838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1498" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRctf9qYw9f5__6rNLzy0M7tHY1nWuqyxwJshy_mjcaopSlBvY4E5SOP6EG8XCO_zD5a-JbwZ9aOSDSPRAUwfCuQHIwO2ydnq7JSVssgoPXtbrln07e_lKZPFoT2k6-Jye6WWPlihhyFh1/s320/20200116_160838.jpg" width="299" /></a></div>
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This Slime Lord is a Melty Man from ThunderChild Miniatures.<br />
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Overall, I'm pretty happy with how my warband came out. I managed to get the entire thing done in a week. I think it demonstrates that the tricks to speed painting like this include: </div>
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<li>Choosing a very simple but bold colour scheme that creates an appropriately thematic effect en masse. </li>
<li>Painting over black. Your mileage may vary, but while light undercoats give you better bright colours, I find the black undercoat more forgiving for speed painting (unless I'm pre-shading over a grey undercoat which is a whole different story). </li>
<li>Concentrating on the bits people look at: faces and bases. </li>
<li>Working in manageable batches. I did these in sub-groups of 5 or 6, large enough to be efficient but small enough that I could see measurable progress quickly. </li>
<li>Having a regular painting night. Every other Wednesday, I get together with a friend to paint (or sometimes play games) and it really helped my productivity. </li>
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It was a rush, but I pulled it off and I'm pleased with the results: 13 models from bare plastic or metal (and three of them I "sculpted" in the first place) to ready for play within a week. </div>
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Overall, then, I think the warband went well. However, I got walloped in the tournament. C'est la vie! Anyway, here are some photos: </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejSWqrlRq5oiebhNbxAAcsWAu2eenIr1969CAbJYrCfppohQ1RzuK2omVsoHIB1shzqiSgocSdiVWhRjqsjRjDcvDavVApURcmayAIrBiDACA49X91SHbcYhFdGt7fofr4uO-TK6HhW98/s1600/20200118_135032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejSWqrlRq5oiebhNbxAAcsWAu2eenIr1969CAbJYrCfppohQ1RzuK2omVsoHIB1shzqiSgocSdiVWhRjqsjRjDcvDavVApURcmayAIrBiDACA49X91SHbcYhFdGt7fofr4uO-TK6HhW98/s400/20200118_135032.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's my Wizard Eye marker.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEFWWgXT8wHwrOyzbXWE-P4YeerC7mGZt7EJkBYzCZ8HrRfrEw47FyF5XIIRiPuJVbE6ejgzOvwwowac4kPWCyLvI6f2i1c2ls1ugkzJWJXc2VXcPguuYQMEPhyphenhyphentTxwlaQeC4sWJxUh3u/s1600/20200118_143948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEFWWgXT8wHwrOyzbXWE-P4YeerC7mGZt7EJkBYzCZ8HrRfrEw47FyF5XIIRiPuJVbE6ejgzOvwwowac4kPWCyLvI6f2i1c2ls1ugkzJWJXc2VXcPguuYQMEPhyphenhyphentTxwlaQeC4sWJxUh3u/s640/20200118_143948.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-15658980828018888222019-09-29T01:20:00.000-07:002019-09-29T01:20:50.226-07:00Redeeming some not-great miniaturesEarlier this year, I replied to an ad on Facebook Marketplace offering a big job lot of Warhammer figures. I really wanted the plastic Rogue Trader Imperial Guard and some Genestealers that were in the lot, but I also wound up with a bunch of the early multi-part Chaos Warriors. These miniatures are ... not kindly remembered. They're hunched and ugly, and usually thought of as not as good as the subsequent, more upright models with the cloaks. But I had a load of them. <div>
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As you can see, they have a stooped, hunched posture with weird, long, gangly arms, and the metal halberd arms are pretty crude. The upper and lower parts of the halberd don't even line up clearly. </div>
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Anyway, I decided that since these models were a bit crude and since I tend to play Nurgle, I would paint them up in a beat-up and rusty paint scheme that would focus on overall effect rather than individual detail. </div>
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I was inspired by a rust-painting workshop I did at BOYL 2019, taught by Curtis Fell of <a href="http://ramshacklegames.co.uk/">Ramshackle Games</a>, whose rusty paint jobs have always impressed me. Here's the rust-work I did on the model from that workshop (I later went back and did the cloth and so on). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgV64gCnoXsw9F8f7NrDBywEm1LZpKYf-4A9vYxNy-F3eY8kwXfiib7kDNCAh1zqpt32b2juw74HlM66LWmx41puf76S7QRlHdvwLGfoqUj9JxJxt2N7YTk6mLlriYz7SXSJi2iDnhJ5c/s1600/20190804_161117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="998" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgV64gCnoXsw9F8f7NrDBywEm1LZpKYf-4A9vYxNy-F3eY8kwXfiib7kDNCAh1zqpt32b2juw74HlM66LWmx41puf76S7QRlHdvwLGfoqUj9JxJxt2N7YTk6mLlriYz7SXSJi2iDnhJ5c/s400/20190804_161117.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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I don't think I achieved the same effect here, but that was the inspiration. </div>
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I put my test models together and primed them black. This will be more forgiving for the loosey-goosey paint scheme I'm going to apply. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EbkeEYUgyEpNAxzZpDxHMKwi3_Am3b5IP3zGtdn1sZePFi4PiCjIbMnkrXbWm0eKNr7h7QY1-6pznamhXX87_GC_N4uAxs8p8z6wm7ZOcvbCeFZ8GGbichKub6cyUZvkKRez-n60ikgp/s1600/20190829_153536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="968" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EbkeEYUgyEpNAxzZpDxHMKwi3_Am3b5IP3zGtdn1sZePFi4PiCjIbMnkrXbWm0eKNr7h7QY1-6pznamhXX87_GC_N4uAxs8p8z6wm7ZOcvbCeFZ8GGbichKub6cyUZvkKRez-n60ikgp/s400/20190829_153536.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
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Next, I just took a big brush and jabbed this thing over and over with brown masonry paint to give it the necessary flat, dark brown colour. I didn't care if this clogged up the detail, because ... well, you know.<br />
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Then I applied a few more stages. Again using a big brush, I applied gunmetal grey over the exposed edges and points, bringing out the edges of the armour plates, blades and so on. Then I flicked watered-down orange-brown paint at the model with a toothbrush to add some rust.<br />
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I picked out a few details in a bright fluorescent green that I thought would stand out against the dull background.<br />
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Next, I went back and tidied up some sections with thinned-down black. If there were soft boots I did those, for instance, I painted the weapon hafts, and in some places I cleaned up the joints between armour plates. I also added some bone colour to the decorative skulls, the horns, and what have you. </div>
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I wanted to add one feature to each of these guys that would stand out, and I resolved on giving them weird shields. I went into the bits box and pulled out various bits and pieces that would do, including some Reaper Bones shields and a Renedra tombstone. Then I did the bases. </div>
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I've got three in so far, and I think they look pretty OK! I'm going to do a leader and a standard bearer to bring them up to a standard unit of 5, just to complete the project. But for models I can polish off in a spare hour or two, I'm really happy with them. </div>
James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-38105303301689913162019-09-28T01:35:00.004-07:002019-09-28T01:35:47.753-07:00Simple terrain from scrapsAs you know if you read my blog, I like making cheap gaming materials from junk. This is for several reasons: I like the stimulus to creativity, I like the affordability and I like reusing things that would otherwise wind up in landfill.<br />
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So imagine my delight when I discovered the <a href="https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/scrapstore">Cambridge Community Scrapstore</a>. This is a place you can go that's just basically a big warehouse full of crafting bits and bobs. I bought a membership and have been a few times, filling my cheek pouches with bits of fabric, card, and miscellaneous junk.<br />
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Among the things I got on my first trip were some sheets of fake grass material. I marked out some rough shapes on the back of the sheets with a silver Sharpie, then cut them out with a utility knife.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDO9GO_AD7pdK0BlX1pL_EwWWkz4CjqSpe7CnScq1bope2yh6vJglBPmB5iyJFmRBe32mWTNsyHtto03YLwuV2FuWHYFUmfrUMlUY0dpri6HiV3795gtK4JGZqBj4ZNeYmXg32dLiB17V/s1600/20190912_132446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="1600" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDO9GO_AD7pdK0BlX1pL_EwWWkz4CjqSpe7CnScq1bope2yh6vJglBPmB5iyJFmRBe32mWTNsyHtto03YLwuV2FuWHYFUmfrUMlUY0dpri6HiV3795gtK4JGZqBj4ZNeYmXg32dLiB17V/s400/20190912_132446.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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At this stage, I also brushed the fake grass material a lot because it sheds like mad, especially if the cuts go through the base of a tuft.<br />
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The base of the material is flexible, but I wanted to stiffen it a little, so I hot-glued the pieces to sheets of card, which I also got at the scrapstore.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhig6en8FkpNI4qSxzgeODxU6MgjIcizXuCuQYp_-I2mLUaRFftpaUU8cfyl3FyMWaH2ymlKVBy0CwTKG0wRGdYjLCRUuXk4ljEcL9XZoeqD4MOFy480PeY9SXHDyiiM3nJU2D3CNxduM4u/s1600/20190912_132438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="1600" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhig6en8FkpNI4qSxzgeODxU6MgjIcizXuCuQYp_-I2mLUaRFftpaUU8cfyl3FyMWaH2ymlKVBy0CwTKG0wRGdYjLCRUuXk4ljEcL9XZoeqD4MOFy480PeY9SXHDyiiM3nJU2D3CNxduM4u/s400/20190912_132438.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I then cut out the shapes, leaving a little bit of a lip around each one. After cutting out about a third of my grass material, I had enough to fill a shoebox.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2am9nPlQp5PDvH7sp0urAQ6mddv2WzP0_kIwRumn-6tLIKmn6p_zPYIkCg5nNxZGFYuYuQBg7_70PG412j2vGNgibrjnlkDEyhDNxw0fp1Ius7-WBgP01CFuTNYOt21PgNAhuxtCnzg-/s1600/20190928_085902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2am9nPlQp5PDvH7sp0urAQ6mddv2WzP0_kIwRumn-6tLIKmn6p_zPYIkCg5nNxZGFYuYuQBg7_70PG412j2vGNgibrjnlkDEyhDNxw0fp1Ius7-WBgP01CFuTNYOt21PgNAhuxtCnzg-/s400/20190928_085902.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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These pieces then got a bead of hot glue to seal the edge between the grass material and the card, then a layer of PVA and sand. I let that dry, then painted it light brown with a lighter drybrush and called it good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWyPRF4mVaPI9MhHm4Nm0dqyk__wsKYrm3zwHvX7si0o1aHZOpncxltxMnG9FcgYv81w4vwQzs_Ic9synT0XQPUyLBIdYufS1s9OTvD14U7EhyphenhyphenOXvwnDt-rHrr7GMSx2TAow3NN4k0QbuN/s1600/20190927_123949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="883" data-original-width="1600" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWyPRF4mVaPI9MhHm4Nm0dqyk__wsKYrm3zwHvX7si0o1aHZOpncxltxMnG9FcgYv81w4vwQzs_Ic9synT0XQPUyLBIdYufS1s9OTvD14U7EhyphenhyphenOXvwnDt-rHrr7GMSx2TAow3NN4k0QbuN/s400/20190927_123949.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you can see, they're a bit rough and ready, but at a price of pennies I'm perfectly happy with them. They'll serve as reed beds in Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago or my Crusades games, or long grass in other settings. Here's the same patch of long grass with a model for scale.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_jQdzGututlvcurPsdjgtrybgiI31O-kqUe25JLtUvly8tLkiivAsrL2M8mR1h_-lOuSSC5mBwczkmRv-1Xzr38c_5wyksXrYthULGyj66-2jq21BSyAFHUsuNeHPk4c5qZSccYvuyXQ/s1600/20190927_124013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1117" data-original-width="1600" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_jQdzGututlvcurPsdjgtrybgiI31O-kqUe25JLtUvly8tLkiivAsrL2M8mR1h_-lOuSSC5mBwczkmRv-1Xzr38c_5wyksXrYthULGyj66-2jq21BSyAFHUsuNeHPk4c5qZSccYvuyXQ/s400/20190927_124013.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Apparently, these scrapstores aren't uncommon, so if you like to trash bash you should see if there's one in your area. I expect more frugal gaming posts inspired by the things I find there.James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-33804648788656005892019-08-15T01:11:00.000-07:002019-08-15T01:11:22.781-07:00I have been painting some things!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I realise this blog has been quiet for a long time. Blame the siren song of Facebook and the less siren but much more remunerative song of blogging for the Gaming the Crusades project! However, I was inspired by my annual trip to Bring Out Your Lead to get some painting done in the week or so afterward. </div>
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First on the table were these models from a standby of this blog, <a href="https://www.tcminiatures.co.uk/">ThunderChild Miniatures</a>. By now you know that I love Jason Fairclough's 3D-cartoon style, and these little guys are no exception to that rule. I bashed the whole squad out in a relaxing Sunday afternoon. Very simple paintjobs but I think they came out quite nicely. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKP7mlMtIYYrnU7fvAmdQstN7EzNuSsDyPnupeo66Y77EVX6LBauiO-OT8oWoWs0UKNd0voXIw99Oo1fszBWB4kLwyOTfGLD5b69zw_41-8kQ410em7alfSHDyRYzTbBjFkr0OsdWj8K02/s1600/20190812_102725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1600" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKP7mlMtIYYrnU7fvAmdQstN7EzNuSsDyPnupeo66Y77EVX6LBauiO-OT8oWoWs0UKNd0voXIw99Oo1fszBWB4kLwyOTfGLD5b69zw_41-8kQ410em7alfSHDyRYzTbBjFkr0OsdWj8K02/s640/20190812_102725.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Next up is one of Mark Copplestone's lovely halflings from the old Grenadier fantasy range. I believe this little guy is still available from Mirliton, although I haven't checked. He was part of a very thoughtful gift from a friend literally years ago -- in fact, I got him around BOYL 2016, maybe? Anyway, he is great and will represent my character, Lucullus Mortsafe, in a D&D game even though the game does not include miniatures. If I had him to do over again I would redo the sleeves; the contrast between the layers is too stark. Also the primer went on quite grainy, although you can't really see it here. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5K_Ueil2M-aIqaS_hJWcXGiS7uM5f6FDsiI4bG3LzGXggFD3tXmCqruarcVvytGZnaMZEg1X5eiacacHmEEboEGDtKpriMfzfM8Y44qScvTkjVux3j4vKm3dAXDOnpeB29N3lkZbxDeM/s1600/20190812_104953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1586" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5K_Ueil2M-aIqaS_hJWcXGiS7uM5f6FDsiI4bG3LzGXggFD3tXmCqruarcVvytGZnaMZEg1X5eiacacHmEEboEGDtKpriMfzfM8Y44qScvTkjVux3j4vKm3dAXDOnpeB29N3lkZbxDeM/s320/20190812_104953.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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These Daleks are from Doctor Who magazine and now that I look at them I realise that they are of two slightly different designs. Curious! Anyway, I primed them and then "painted" them with silver and black Sharpie. I'm not gonna do that with the grey primer again; it was a real hassle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJocn1FMfMrclG-D3gu-Iv3ZCfkUkSzkT2BLTzOvWvokOaLyTLaIDcecsf_dzvaXlH0A4xFlWaAH25PApyF5QlkDeyFL5sHzGn1k805sRyQROhBKR8dv1l7YGvqmD_oFWtASaxC3S5sgF/s1600/20190807_143657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="1600" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJocn1FMfMrclG-D3gu-Iv3ZCfkUkSzkT2BLTzOvWvokOaLyTLaIDcecsf_dzvaXlH0A4xFlWaAH25PApyF5QlkDeyFL5sHzGn1k805sRyQROhBKR8dv1l7YGvqmD_oFWtASaxC3S5sgF/s400/20190807_143657.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anyway: I am not dead.James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-13116233754573214462018-11-14T02:20:00.000-08:002018-11-14T02:20:52.608-08:00Battle Ravens, wargames, and historyIn my <a href="http://gonzohistorygaming.blogspot.com/2018/10/battle-ravens-from-psc-games.html">recent post about playing the upcoming game <i>Battle Ravens</i></a>, I talked about the challenges of writing historical wargames and board games. It's something I've been thinking about a lot lately in conjunction with my work on the <i><a href="http://crusadercastle.wordpress.com/">Gaming a Crusader Castle</a></i> project.<br />
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<i>Battle Ravens</i> is an interesting game in this respect. In one way, it's essentially an abstract strategy game. You could absolutely rename the two sides Red and Blue and change the Ravens to Energy Points and you would still have a fun game. Indeed, the currency being called "ravens" doesn't make an <i>enormous</i> amount of sense other than thematically. Ravens, like wolves and eagles, are associated with battlefields in Old Norse poetry, but you'd think that <i>more</i> ravens would appear as the dead started to pile up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDm3LjuhTRp1YZAtBlhHLmziwCsLU-H7XJ7K1_kt2eSpJjfKDVn1qsvVnWYCGjqi8cUrnIrM4Gl_J3HOUM-o0xRXdy5ge78DvxVhaXjLsMs3rmYpsQ6rYNFIHgxHGGdIO4FwdqOup3uDz/s1600/20181025_203232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDm3LjuhTRp1YZAtBlhHLmziwCsLU-H7XJ7K1_kt2eSpJjfKDVn1qsvVnWYCGjqi8cUrnIrM4Gl_J3HOUM-o0xRXdy5ge78DvxVhaXjLsMs3rmYpsQ6rYNFIHgxHGGdIO4FwdqOup3uDz/s640/20181025_203232.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These ones are getting ready for it to pop off.</td></tr>
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People often talk about historical gaming as a "simulation," but I don't know that that's really a useful idea for a game like this one. Simulation presupposes a level of knowledge about the realities of early medieval combat that I just don't know we can claim. Historical accounts of battles are either highly poetic or very matter of fact -- "and the Danes had the victory," that kind of thing. We don't necessarily know what shieldwall combat was really <i>like</i>. Was it the kind of tentative skirmishing envisioned by John Keegan, with sudden bursts of fighting flaring up here and there, or was it more of your phalanx-style shoving match? <div>
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<i>Battle Ravens</i> takes the view that it's all about the nebulous quantity represented by the ravens -- "momentum," perhaps, or "initiative," or maybe "cohesion" -- and about forcing a breach in the enemy's line where both numbers and elan are lacking. I think that is as reasonable an understanding of shieldwall combat as any. </div>
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Of course, in reality there's no thousand-foot general allocating "initiative" to the different parts of the army, but other than directing reserves I don't know what a general in this kind of showdown is supposed to do in real life. It feels like most of the real tactical work is done before the fighting starts -- or at least you hope it is. </div>
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So in general what I'm looking for in a game -- in historical terms, that is -- is not so much "does it accurately model this aspect of early medieval life?" I'm not sure I believe that's really possible. I'm more interested in "does it <i>feel</i> early medieval," but I recognise that that's a very subjective question. Perhaps I mean that I want to know if the game <i>makes you think</i> about some aspect of the early middle ages. And I think that <i>Battle Ravens</i>, for all its simplicity, does a bit. </div>
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Here's the info about <i>Battle Ravens</i> again: <i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Battle Ravens</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"> is going on Kickstarter on 20 November 2018; the Kickstarter will go until 6 December. Expected release date is April 2019. Retail price will probably be £35, but Kickstarter backers will be able to get the game for £30 plus a free Scottish army pack. The core game will include Anglo-Saxon and Norse armies, but they plan on making Norman, Scottish and Welsh ones for separate purchase; each will include counters and tactics cards. I reviewed a promotional pre-production copy of the game. </span><br /><br /></div>
James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com166tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-84614832373802232712018-10-29T03:07:00.000-07:002018-10-29T03:07:02.178-07:00Battle Ravens from PSC GamesThe folks at <a href="http://theplasticsoldiercompany.co.uk/">PSC Games</a> were kind enough to send over a pre-production copy of their new game, <i>Battle Ravens</i>. This is a two-player board game focusing on shieldwall combat in the Viking age; it's designed by <a href="http://merseybooks.blogspot.com/">Daniel Mersey</a>, the creator of <i>Dragon Rampant</i>, <i>Lion Rampant</i>, and <i>The Pikeman's Lament</i>. A colleague recommended me as someone who knows a good deal about the early medieval period and also likes to play games, so I wound up with a copy. Let's take a look!<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The box has an atmospheric illustration by Peter Dennis. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rulebook is brief and includes a few pieces of historical detail to put some of the rules in context.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemgNhrAoa56BjZVsHrTzlwbs51vlJ71r71Qcv-B4ULIw_w5iz5KufpVtGCkNJz47SlK3zlw9CsfNTlHLFB1iAMtkEDnrWDlX0z2_nomOOwYueJc59u-qQu6Vh9vLhCT2-m6tib07slh2D/s1600/20181021_171921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="1600" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemgNhrAoa56BjZVsHrTzlwbs51vlJ71r71Qcv-B4ULIw_w5iz5KufpVtGCkNJz47SlK3zlw9CsfNTlHLFB1iAMtkEDnrWDlX0z2_nomOOwYueJc59u-qQu6Vh9vLhCT2-m6tib07slh2D/s640/20181021_171921.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The board; this is a mounted version of the board, which will be a Kickstarter stretch goal. <br />I don't know what the unmounted version looks like.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YbVBEGaYwOWlEUlDVWUmpV-oVUDI2BI_xQNAZ_ysn8iIjrmXRp-DTm2iUQVMmfOal8jyowsTnuot-GcEfR5Wo_WaE4V0pyJdtuVo_dQdd69PoSjGvfHHn1Lu606ppsZWynwCLkj1qEUR/s1600/20181021_172007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1600" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YbVBEGaYwOWlEUlDVWUmpV-oVUDI2BI_xQNAZ_ysn8iIjrmXRp-DTm2iUQVMmfOal8jyowsTnuot-GcEfR5Wo_WaE4V0pyJdtuVo_dQdd69PoSjGvfHHn1Lu606ppsZWynwCLkj1qEUR/s640/20181021_172007.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46qPs2Tq38dLTbApa_rfXtY2YzzQ4MLcZggMnSQFknhOQqY2Yv5jtNJPoHjgBFZ6Ee5UvMaw4mN3EX3vXUJzMUOfml7tQQ-QavvbQOqbwtoAg2I2HKOfJYTlo4DYmF0fqVsNvjeMUA5qp/s1600/20181021_172010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1600" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46qPs2Tq38dLTbApa_rfXtY2YzzQ4MLcZggMnSQFknhOQqY2Yv5jtNJPoHjgBFZ6Ee5UvMaw4mN3EX3vXUJzMUOfml7tQQ-QavvbQOqbwtoAg2I2HKOfJYTlo4DYmF0fqVsNvjeMUA5qp/s640/20181021_172010.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTxMWh4fmjG1o4qEzLHRFg9A05dlkH0n4GIQN8GfW2Ko83zPtPKJk8ut0JwPwclLVQGT9Ef1piVL7iAuBooWWXjf_QdYUyryQ9ifOPK9l-Rd6a_ZiMGVPaDk5qh4NyeGCwDxQ4TgOPz89/s1600/20181021_172043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="1600" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTxMWh4fmjG1o4qEzLHRFg9A05dlkH0n4GIQN8GfW2Ko83zPtPKJk8ut0JwPwclLVQGT9Ef1piVL7iAuBooWWXjf_QdYUyryQ9ifOPK9l-Rd6a_ZiMGVPaDk5qh4NyeGCwDxQ4TgOPz89/s640/20181021_172043.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOxKd1rfyXnivPRM17HN0zObjWK7MNmweDZC5lzSqgSk0AHRBxNbdJcbw8rwHfR4TV0Lu5lXQs7nEaQyw62BtF5A7pKq6vBJhMqEKZwyELf0X9KMN638RW9N8p-teqpBOT1-cg58t7LCub/s1600/20181021_172045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1600" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOxKd1rfyXnivPRM17HN0zObjWK7MNmweDZC5lzSqgSk0AHRBxNbdJcbw8rwHfR4TV0Lu5lXQs7nEaQyw62BtF5A7pKq6vBJhMqEKZwyELf0X9KMN638RW9N8p-teqpBOT1-cg58t7LCub/s640/20181021_172045.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You get two sheets of card unit counters, again with illustrations by Peter Dennis. <br />Each sheet also includes 20 raven counters, which are really the core game mechanic.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMHI878ItzpgunbtHhzoX21KQDH-olEfxVbf-6wmO8Y6BdnlIb35EGZDpFkVV70_Pazto3-apGpv-iKEIjmO4asOkNbM6YPcl3LGfz2NUhyphenhyphenzWu08nNFac3Mi0nXlLc-pl5hNnVmCPkpzB/s1600/20181021_172153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1101" data-original-width="1600" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMHI878ItzpgunbtHhzoX21KQDH-olEfxVbf-6wmO8Y6BdnlIb35EGZDpFkVV70_Pazto3-apGpv-iKEIjmO4asOkNbM6YPcl3LGfz2NUhyphenhyphenzWu08nNFac3Mi0nXlLc-pl5hNnVmCPkpzB/s640/20181021_172153.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvXU735367Qtb6Y1oqVcCquFsOLr7i2f7IbsfbXfVL6suiqTUV_PyhtJidd4Z87LUGguMvLuIDEy29w5be5qtDW898wZwo5UymbSSS9l791_DwSKgzShncNTB8STnOPrsz-Bf_lU6zf03/s1600/20181021_172320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1159" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvXU735367Qtb6Y1oqVcCquFsOLr7i2f7IbsfbXfVL6suiqTUV_PyhtJidd4Z87LUGguMvLuIDEy29w5be5qtDW898wZwo5UymbSSS9l791_DwSKgzShncNTB8STnOPrsz-Bf_lU6zf03/s400/20181021_172320.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like the mounted board, these tactics cards are a proposed Kickstarter stretch goal.</td></tr>
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There are also some dice, which I did not take a picture of because you know what dice look like. </div>
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The game itself is simple: each player controls one side of the board and populates it with troops. Soldiers are either bondi (regular troops) or hirdmenn (more heavily armoured). There's also a pool of thrall, light skirmishers who function as a pool of rerolls for dice. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtQEKQZzdhVKsDBPU0v1krbt2zAb4iCLw6jnWnSr20rMthUJqWNaIuHv2LPV4apWk-nZ4NP_fxyKek_xe00IcIC0z5czKn0CkhnOtywLJ87TyfgjWdVdt5GgQEeqiSL1c3KEhN9gh00A7/s1600/20181022_081625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1600" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtQEKQZzdhVKsDBPU0v1krbt2zAb4iCLw6jnWnSr20rMthUJqWNaIuHv2LPV4apWk-nZ4NP_fxyKek_xe00IcIC0z5czKn0CkhnOtywLJ87TyfgjWdVdt5GgQEeqiSL1c3KEhN9gh00A7/s640/20181022_081625.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few troop counters.</td></tr>
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At the beginning of each turn, players allocate raven counters to each sector of the battlefield. Ravens are the game's currency: you spend them to attack, defend or move. Allocating ravens to the correct areas of the battlefield is the key to victory here: you want to have enough to power your main attack against the enemy's weak sectors while not weakening your own defenses, and there's a bit of a cat-and-mouse game as players try to work out each others' intentions. The goal is to kill all the defenders in an enemy-held square; if the area is empty at the end of the turn, your troops in the opposite square move in and capture it. Capture three squares and you've won. </div>
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It's very simple at heart, but when Allison and I sat down to play it there proved to be enough little wrinkles to make it quite interesting. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulE2ybTG24YTOvxKSKtjo90JSsiJ6y9w7gAT7eUTY79kE6oVMRmSj-2TujN3zetsCE5Uu3FYda6Ez6qgwLTQhVbEvobBvtld0LuG0uaoHAigiLRuerwGKzfG9egByxNwNPOWhcCur4Bma/s1600/20181025_201736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulE2ybTG24YTOvxKSKtjo90JSsiJ6y9w7gAT7eUTY79kE6oVMRmSj-2TujN3zetsCE5Uu3FYda6Ez6qgwLTQhVbEvobBvtld0LuG0uaoHAigiLRuerwGKzfG9egByxNwNPOWhcCur4Bma/s640/20181025_201736.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two armies face off!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwySdJe5PQO0yLuVunOcl-IPuVC_GfEkY37L9Y0JkkySTmvDEb27t_wB4Gn-BGJZE6WVSZSKW452aWGczkGZBanqLEZ_G9i6Udv-IGE4mu4cWenRQVGjyPM8CzuC7vqvTuB7oxFSRl4LY/s1600/20181025_203232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwySdJe5PQO0yLuVunOcl-IPuVC_GfEkY37L9Y0JkkySTmvDEb27t_wB4Gn-BGJZE6WVSZSKW452aWGczkGZBanqLEZ_G9i6Udv-IGE4mu4cWenRQVGjyPM8CzuC7vqvTuB7oxFSRl4LY/s640/20181025_203232.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ravens allocated.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8CuA6wShiRrVf-fdkT5ogmTU_PXJuFYONPro3sK5mJQpNauwkN8E-iou3la8IMoxxrdSoDotegqVDgK0IIRyXvSguOqfCdCIEIA38QziMZPdqB_zcKncZqeRgr6RafEL5o6Pb9lwD7bi6/s1600/20181025_203505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8CuA6wShiRrVf-fdkT5ogmTU_PXJuFYONPro3sK5mJQpNauwkN8E-iou3la8IMoxxrdSoDotegqVDgK0IIRyXvSguOqfCdCIEIA38QziMZPdqB_zcKncZqeRgr6RafEL5o6Pb9lwD7bi6/s640/20181025_203505.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new threat appears!</td></tr>
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The question of how to allocate troops is an interesting one, and -- and here's what I'm <i>really</i> interested in -- it seems to produce some of the concerns that we can see from what little we actually know about shieldwall strategy. For all that's been written about warfare in the early middle ages, we don't necessarily have a very clear sense of what battle was like. The sources do suggest some concerns, though, and they turn up in <i>Battle Ravens</i>. For instance, when you clear a square, at the end of the turn all of your troops in the opposite square will rush into it, and they'll never come back. This is something that we know happened; faced with a breaking enemy, troops in a shield wall would sometimes just rush off in pursuit, abandoning their position within the wall.<br /><br />Now -- and this is the really weird, counterintuitive aspect of the rules -- attack effectiveness is independent of how many troops you have in a square. Troops are just hit points; you use ravens to attack, and ravens are all that matters. You could have one guy in a square, and if you give him enough ravens he'll run in there and beat some heads. So in theory you could avoid the problem of losing all your troops to a follow-up by, paradoxically, evacuating the square you're going to launch your attack from. It feels a little weird, sometimes. </div>
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Fortunately, the game doesn't really work out that way in play. While it's theoretically possible to send in your one-stand wonder team to clear out an opposing square, you have to worry about the possibility of a preemptive strike or counter-attack. If you fail to kill all the enemy stands and they hit back, your one-stand army is going to get murdered, the victorious enemy are going to flood into your square, and you're going to feel pretty foolish. So in fact, a balance of ravens for offense and troops to absorb damage is the right choice in most cases. </div>
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Allison, who is generally not a wargames person, and I played and enjoyed this game. It took about an hour -- maybe a little longer with setup time, since it was our first time playing, and we had good fun. I won in the end, but I think we both learned a good amount about improving our raven and troop placement that could make for an interesting rematch. </div>
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In my next post (well, no promises. A future post!), I'm going to talk about the thoughts <i>Battle Ravens</i> provokes in terms of historical conflict and games, because I think they're quite interesting.<br /><br />Here's the rundown on the game: <i>Battle Ravens</i> is going on Kickstarter on 20 November 2018; the Kickstarter will go until 6 December. Expected release date is April 2019. Retail price will probably be £35, but Kickstarter backers will be able to get the game for £30 plus a free Scottish army pack. The core game will include Anglo-Saxon and Norse armies, but they plan on making Norman, Scottish and Welsh ones for separate purchase; each will include counters and tactics cards. </div>
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James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-84493928735262799942018-10-08T03:09:00.003-07:002018-10-08T03:09:41.530-07:00Speed painting Martians!I bought some Mars Attacks models at Salute either this year or last, thinking I'd use them for ... oh, I dunno, something. I am now painting them up just for fun and they seem to be getting a better response than a lot of other things I post. I think they may be well-suited to my speed-painting style.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEq6B9OmAhmAbe9A5-1aXxtbfe4qUufZ1EK-f-mjbMmKDSQKSo7FZP0nbU0lrJbvKy1HZ16QC-tUUNOzXimes9nvjikIlVn-XV44GRpcM3LaBHrqPdBvr7B9WwHJ387tMYDITZqMM_mPz/s1600/20181005_092223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1585" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEq6B9OmAhmAbe9A5-1aXxtbfe4qUufZ1EK-f-mjbMmKDSQKSo7FZP0nbU0lrJbvKy1HZ16QC-tUUNOzXimes9nvjikIlVn-XV44GRpcM3LaBHrqPdBvr7B9WwHJ387tMYDITZqMM_mPz/s400/20181005_092223.jpg" width="395" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ACK! Ack-ack!</td></tr>
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<br />Anyway, I thought I would do a step-by-step of how I painted them, just to illuminate the technique.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TAjgImv4YVQZtXeeIHCQw1hynpwN1e1mFAESGzpUehGBaTmZdIm__0PuBmbWwsK1GzkNJn8pMNAUzy5x_AYym6kX0yuGuyirPwgJ_P0RATBdAXE1JsVvK-Hlq08srwsoUK_7YBuIBRb6/s1600/20181007_161859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1038" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TAjgImv4YVQZtXeeIHCQw1hynpwN1e1mFAESGzpUehGBaTmZdIm__0PuBmbWwsK1GzkNJn8pMNAUzy5x_AYym6kX0yuGuyirPwgJ_P0RATBdAXE1JsVvK-Hlq08srwsoUK_7YBuIBRb6/s320/20181007_161859.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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First I texture the base, prime the model with grey car primer and drybrush it all over in two stages, first with a mid-grey and then with white. Normally I would also remove the mould lines, but the material of these Mars Attacks minis makes that a giant pain in the butt and I think if you look at the photos they're not too visible in the finished product.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvu-BU69IWilq0n8OzMya1Ad8gLV6aMkhfdw4QLAB8i5nWiCEf9iy3z_ighO2mPgXbYIGfUlGnR6ZiVXSDqh8RzufWpB6aFSvdmQwKlTcmO6fZmR1jy5IYkiYlA49WjlnPhXMD1lQUBMJ/s1600/20181007_185006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="903" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvu-BU69IWilq0n8OzMya1Ad8gLV6aMkhfdw4QLAB8i5nWiCEf9iy3z_ighO2mPgXbYIGfUlGnR6ZiVXSDqh8RzufWpB6aFSvdmQwKlTcmO6fZmR1jy5IYkiYlA49WjlnPhXMD1lQUBMJ/s400/20181007_185006.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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Next I apply the base colours in a thin layer. The main areas of the suit are VMC emerald thinned with blue Army Painter quickshade. The thinned paint lets the highlights created by the drybrush show through. The head is just washes; the very textured surface doesn't really need much else. The photo showed some blank spots, which I went back and touched up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZGjuTl2dm3olc84FqN1nJyUynQn0Z7N-tcQIk0NfbWXCdfY9wnXfMdGYtABs6Bc5wDwu1b42dU0FyAYYDL3ft3O_uAjr2-VK3wUXPIkABhVHIw46RNCxLRUxBBtBdQ69G7tzw71EEd5G/s1600/20181007_193831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="942" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZGjuTl2dm3olc84FqN1nJyUynQn0Z7N-tcQIk0NfbWXCdfY9wnXfMdGYtABs6Bc5wDwu1b42dU0FyAYYDL3ft3O_uAjr2-VK3wUXPIkABhVHIw46RNCxLRUxBBtBdQ69G7tzw71EEd5G/s400/20181007_193831.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
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Next I Just give the whole thing a black wash. Again, the highly textured surface of the model really makes this effective. There were also a few areas I wanted to be brighter, so I spotted them in after the wash -- the glowy coil on the gun (which I have kind of failed to cover) and the goggles are examples of this.<br />
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I also drybrushed the base.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhPOoNoo_fRiJ0JUY8qPF0mWhJdyfEO_RDdL2-2gZM9xMXvwH-K0ouYdEQFxxtqAq80jmrW9rD57rF-ZhOQV2aIyRGmUV53AmyWkkFw8KUW0LfvCPPDxaP712yCw1t37EIBMDOv7FvFdD/s1600/20181008_084630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1040" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhPOoNoo_fRiJ0JUY8qPF0mWhJdyfEO_RDdL2-2gZM9xMXvwH-K0ouYdEQFxxtqAq80jmrW9rD57rF-ZhOQV2aIyRGmUV53AmyWkkFw8KUW0LfvCPPDxaP712yCw1t37EIBMDOv7FvFdD/s400/20181008_084630.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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In the final stage, I went back and did some spot highlighting, picking out the goggles again with a lighter shade of blue-green and lining the edges of some of the suit plates with the original colour. I neatened up the base and applied the helmet, which is a bit of a tricky process.<br />
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Anyway, here is the expanded squad. I've still got a few more to do but I think they're coming along nicely.James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-48855038518675203072018-08-07T00:34:00.001-07:002018-08-07T00:34:22.366-07:00Monster Man Contest II: Winners!The second Monster Man contest called on listeners to create monsters based on neural-network-generated names. <a href="http://gonzohistorygaming.blogspot.com/p/monster-man-contest-ii-voting.html">You can see all the entries here</a>. The votes are in -- I've received votes by email, on G+, and here on the blog, and it was tight, but we have winners!<br />
<br />
<b>Tied for second place: </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/107236986444211881886/posts/EMgBo7SRzqK?cfem=1">The Owlborn by Luke Slater!</a><br />
<br />
A fairy-tale horror monster with some classic weaknesses and a cult of brainwashed woodland folk surrounding it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://gonzohistorygaming.blogspot.com/2018/07/monster-man-contest-ii-entries.html#unicorn">The Unicorn, Black Willow by Daniel Lofton!</a><br />
<b><br /></b>
A fun environmental and aesthetic twist on a classic D&D / fairy-tale monster.<br />
<br />
<b>And finally, our grand prize winner:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<a href="https://exilian.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5703">The Wendless Wolls by James Baillie!</a><br />
<br />
A <i>second</i> win for the winner of the first contest! The Wendless Wolls combine a fun background, an adorable image, and an unusual twist relative to other humanoid tribes.<br />
<br />
I'm going to be on holiday throughout the end of August, so those prize packs should be heading out in September. I'll be in touch to get addresses and so on. Congratulations to our winners and thank you very much to everyone who entered, voted, or supported the contest. A very special thanks to our sponsors: the <a href="http://hyqueousvaults.blogspot.com/">Hyqueous Vaults</a>, <a href="http://spesmagna.com/">Spes Magna Games</a>, and <a href="https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/StoreFrontDisplay?cid=61057945">Diplomatist Books</a>!<br />
<br />
<br />James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-55874011996578602802018-07-16T00:52:00.000-07:002018-07-16T00:52:38.712-07:00Monster Man Contest II: Entries!This page features some of the entries for the second Monster Man contest. It doesn't include entries sent to me as an external link, so if you want to see all of the entries, go to <a href="http://gonzohistorygaming.blogspot.com/p/monster-man-contest-ii-voting.html">this page here</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="Cloud"><b>Cloud of Chaos by Roger Duthie (illustrated by Roger, Amy, and Elodie Duthie (age2))</b></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8EgYTloOmrvPgIf-H_Obj9OOQ-Z56Q147g1eveNWjBzD5Yych-IIhcXWqs-HQtShuOrZWpZP4u63CW1-oRbMMPyPBmr_uIGhU2Q_0NaqNWjuFxRSiv6a-hULYuE-mwqCp4xFW6Z-7J3lB/s1600/Cloud_of_Chaos_DungeonMutator.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1434" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8EgYTloOmrvPgIf-H_Obj9OOQ-Z56Q147g1eveNWjBzD5Yych-IIhcXWqs-HQtShuOrZWpZP4u63CW1-oRbMMPyPBmr_uIGhU2Q_0NaqNWjuFxRSiv6a-hULYuE-mwqCp4xFW6Z-7J3lB/s320/Cloud_of_Chaos_DungeonMutator.png" width="286" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">The "Cloud of Chaos" is a manifestation of a cross-dimensional shift in magical energy, where magic is drawn to the corporeal plane by the, usually sudden, presence or absence of magic in some form. It is generally thought to exist due to the excessive use or blending of magic, although it can also be created after the sudden death or dimension-shift of a powerful magic user. It is also thought that a cloud may form as a result of magical shock or magical pressure gradients within the multi-planar system. Similar to air which rushes to fill a vacuum, or sea fog rolling in to shore due to the differences in temperature and humidity between land and shore. The chaos cloud accumulates in the corporeal plane for reasons that only the well versed in multi-dimensional magi-physics can hope to comprehend (i.e. mostly only those whom are considered completely mad). It is typically a mixture of magical forces, hence the chaotic description given to the phenomenon. The cloud might have mutational or necromantic properties, or even have the ability to heal creatures which are engulfed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Conditions for the creation of a cloud of chaos may include, for example:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">the aftermath of a pitched battle where powerful battlemages were present</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">the sudden, unexpected teleportation of a powerful sorcerer to a distant realm, or nether-dimension</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">the experimentation of a novice magic user with magic more powerful than their ken</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">the deliberate creation of a cloud by a summoner wizard</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">the creation of a small chaotic cloud by a circus entertainer using a simple cantrip</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once it has manifested, from afar, a cloud resembles a regular cloud, mist, fog or smoke, but it may have some striking colouration: very dark and brooding, a mix of bright neon hues, or like a astronomical nebula. The properties of the cloud from within can vary depending on the mixes of magic that the cloud imbues.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Its size can vary greatly, from a few centimetres across or less, to the size of an entire city. The extent of the cloud will be dependent on it genesis: the aftermath of a battle between powerful mages may cause a cloud the size of a valley; the unexpected teleportation of a sorcerer may cause a large brooding cloud around the high tower on the crags from whence they were transported; a failed magical experiment causing small puff of smoke; or a human-sized cloud can be deliberately created for storage in a bottle or magically bound within a lamp.</span><br />
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Its behaviour is unlikely to follow the normal laws of physics and it may even seem to possess a pseudo-sentient character - being able to follow an individual like a dog, or be able to choose one dungeon corridor over another, or fight against a wind to stay stationary.</span></div>
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The games master should choose whether a cloud has a given set of bizarre characteristics or determine them randomly. The process of random generation will be dependent on the game system used. A table with some ideas is given below; of course, this should be expanded by the GM or ignored completely:</span></div>
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D6</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mutational: will mutate living creatures within the cloud; roll random mutations for living creatures within the cloud (if your game system has a handy mutation table, you're all set!); all mutations will persist even if the cloud is dispersed, but can perhaps be cured if the game system allows</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Void: creatures within the void will experience a lack of sensation, like they are in a place devoid of stimulus (e.g. black void, or white void)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Time-warping: time runs backwards in the cloud; players within the cloud still get older, but exit the cloud at an earlier time</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Portal: the cloud acts as a bridge between random locations in space and time; this could lead to transportation to other places near the original place, or on other continents, other planets or even other planes of existence.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Necromantic: the cloud raises the dead</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Elemental: the cloud exhibits extremes of elemental character: extreme cold, extreme heat, water, sand, plant growth, ...; the games master can choose one or randomise one, or randomise a new one every so often to keep it interesting (which is the most chaotic way, anyway!)</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, the nature of the cloud can change on a whim, every so often (e.g. D10 combat rounds/D6 minutes/at the GM's will), roll a die: on an odd result, re-roll on the table above. This is optional.
To remove a cloud, there are number of methods:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">magic: a fairly powerful wizard may know the way to disperse the cloud in a safe way; a planar-rift spell or certain element spells (air/ice/...perhaps others...) might suffice; depending on the size of the cloud, the magic may have to be more or less powerful</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">containment: a small cloud can be contained physically - e.g. within a sealed room </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">time: the cloud may disperse over time as the magic fades. A rule of 10 seconds per cubic centimetre would mean a small puff of chaotic smoke would disperse within seconds, a human-sized cloud would last about 5 days, a cloud atop a wizard's tower may last a decade and a vast city sized cloud may last many millennia, causing stark changes to the landscape it has consumed.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">magical weapons: edged magical weapons may be able to slice the cloud. This may allow portions to be collected in receptacles for later use.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Stats for this entity depend on your game system and the nature of the cloud. Its strength may be negligible (it is a cloud with no form), its agility either negligible or anything up to very high (reflecting the ability to react to attack or capture), its intelligence would be fairly low in all cases as it only possesses pseudo-sentience (i.e. no more than animal-like intelligence). Its magical presence is very high, which might make a difference to a stat line.</span></div>
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Other ideas:
</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">the cloud could take human form, this might be gigantic in size (i.e. they might be giants!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">the cloud could take the form of a beast which is on another plane of existence</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">the cloud might take on intellegince and an agenda, reflected by a magic user associated with the manifestation (e.g. a sorcerer trapped on another plane) or a random being trapped on another plane</span></li>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="dunebat"><b>Dunebat, Giant by Ben Paulson</b></a><br />
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Health: 4 Monster Rating: 6 # of Dice: 1 Personal Adds: +3<br />
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These dog sized bats hang from the ceilings of caves and tombs found in deserts. Sentient and wickedly clever, they covet all sorts of gems and gold commonly held by adventurers. As a result, Dunebats tend to congregate in one darkened, fearful room of their home and send scouts out into their dungeon. When a scout sends word of coming adventures, the Dunebats use their mimicking voices to set the stage, drawing the adventures over with cries for help. Then, when the adventurers arrive, the Dunebats will open their eyes in unison, and put on theatrics. The room, now lit up only by a thousand tiny gem-red eyes, will let out screams, the laughing of devils, the grumbling of mummies and the rattling of chains.<br />
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Most adventurers will run for their lives and conveniently drop their treasure. Those that keep their<br />
senses and light a torch will learn that Giant Dunebats are actually a type of extremely lazy and<br />
surprisingly cute fruit bat. Seeing as that they are unable to fool the wise adventuring party they trade<br />
instead – fruit and coin for information on the dungeon, magic items and of course impersonations of<br />
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local celebrities and political figures.<br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxS5c_IzTihMvutosQkyvvpUmPbMqfDsJSprv8gPR9pXeH869tlCYCMn10AKu7grjbi3qXDzkln-_mrFcPWbOLkDlXb5nTpPMZNcMaZcVUKlvFB86JMYoqOfs9YJak7c2zSRcpwVAxc6W/s1600/boondi.ke.ladoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="620" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxS5c_IzTihMvutosQkyvvpUmPbMqfDsJSprv8gPR9pXeH869tlCYCMn10AKu7grjbi3qXDzkln-_mrFcPWbOLkDlXb5nTpPMZNcMaZcVUKlvFB86JMYoqOfs9YJak7c2zSRcpwVAxc6W/s320/boondi.ke.ladoo.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="ladoo"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lycanthrope,</span> Wereladoo by Daniel Lofton</b></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">FREQUENCY: Very Rare</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">NO. APPEARING: 1<br />ARMOR CLASS: by armor type or 10 (in bowl of ladoo form)<br />MOVE: 12" or none (in bowl of ladoo form)<br />HIT DICE: 4 + 1<br />% IN LAIR: -<br />TREASURE TYPE: -<br />NO. OF ATTACKS: 1<br />DAMAGE/ATTACK: by weapon type or curse<br />SPECIAL ATTACKS: Curse<br />SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only by silver or +1 or better magic weapons<br />MAGIC RESISTANCE: 15%<br />INTELLIGENCE: Average<br />ALIGNMENT: Neutral or evil<br />SIZE: S-M (by race) or S (in bowl of ladoo form)<br />PSIONIC ABLIITY: Nil<br /> Attack/Defense Modes: Nil/nil</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The origin of the <span class="il">wereladoo</span> can be traced back to a spiteful warrior, who jealously poisoned the ladoo served at the wedding of his unrequited love. After the crime, on the fourth day of the waxing moon (and each after that) he turned into a bowl of ladoo. Since that time the <span class="il">wereladoo</span> curse has spread in the following manner. The ladoo smells and tastes bitter to those of good alignment, and sweet to those of neutral or evil alignment. If all the ladoo in the bowl are consumed before the dawn, the curse is transfered to any who ate them. The original cursed individual will reappear wherever the bowl is when the dawn comes. <span class="il">Wereladoo</span> can be cured by casting remove curse on the affected individual.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are rumors that some particularly evil <span class="il">wereladoo</span> have learned to control the curse and can transform at will to try to tempt the unwary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Smashing the bowl of a <span class="il">wereladoo</span> will kill it instantly and it will revert back to its humanoid form.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If a character of good alignment contracts the <span class="il">wereladoo</span> curse their alignment changes to neutral.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="mancan"><b>Man Can by Christopher Cale</b></a><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">For Fighting Fantasy</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Skill: 6</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Stamina: 6</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Attacks: 1</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Habitat: Store Rooms</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Number Encountered: 1-6</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Type: Mimic</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Reaction: Hostile</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Wits: Average</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Size: Small</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Damage: 1</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Treasure: Rations.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The dreaded </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">MAN</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">CAN</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> lurks in dungeon store-rooms, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting adventurers and devour them. These small creatures look like ordinary food cans, until an unfortunate adventurer gets too close to the shelves they are roosting on. They are surprisingly resilient for their size, due to their armoured bodies, but </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">can</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> be held at bay by strongly presenting a </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">can</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> opener.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">MAN</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">CAN</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> is typically encountered when an adventurer decides to search a store room; 1 to 6 of them will suddenly reveal claws and fangs and leap on the adventurer. The adventurer must successfully test their LUCK or lose 1 STAMINA per </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">MAN</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">CAN</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">. They must then fight them off as normal. Once the </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">MAN</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> CANS have been defeated, the adventurer may take them as Rations. Each </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">MAN</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">CAN</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> becomes one Ration, though the adventurer will require a </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">can</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> opener to be able to get into them. The cans have no labels and have a roughly equal chances of being beans, peaches or spaghetti hoops.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="unicorn"><b>Unicorn, Black Willow by Daniel Lofton</b></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Frequency: Rare<br />NO. APPEARING: 1<br />ARMOR CLASS: 2<br />MOVE: 24"<br />HIT DICE: 5 + 2<br />% IN LAIR: 10%<br />TREASURE TYPE: X<br />NO. OF ATTACKS: 3<br />DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6/1-6/1-12<br />SPECIAL ATTACKS: Charge<br />SPECIAL DEFENSES: See Below<br />MAGIC RESISTANCE: See Below<br />INTELLIGENCE: Average<br />ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Good<br />SIZE: L<br />PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil<br /> Attack/Defense Modes: Nil/nil</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This unicorn is dark brown to black in coloration with a mane consisting of thin, leafed <span class="il">willow</span> branches. Its horn is shorter than that of the standard unicorn, curves upward slightly and resembles dark, twisted wood. Black <span class="il">Willow</span> Unicorns are found in swamps and wetlands and are the protectors of these fragile ecologies. As such they are much more fierce and territorially protective than a normal unicorn. When in these environments they have 15% spell resistance. They may allow themselves to be ridden by druids or dryads. Black <span class="il">Willow</span> Unicorns are immune to poison and may cure poison at will, with a touch of their horn. Possession of a Black <span class="il">Willow</span> Unicorn horn renders the bearer immune to poison.</span></div>
James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-12204065171854989252018-06-26T07:40:00.000-07:002018-06-26T07:40:20.342-07:00Monster Man Contest II: Questions!With the Monster Man Contest II underway, I have received some questions about the rules. Here are the answers, which I will also add to the original post when I get a moment.<br />
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<b>Who has the publishing rights to my entry? </b><br />
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You do, of course! I'm not intending to publish these, except insofar as putting them here is "publishing" them -- it's just a fun exercise in community creativity.<br />
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<b>Can I publish my entry on another forum, blog or website and just send you a link instead of emailing you? </b><br />
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Certainly; please do!<br />
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<b>How many times can I enter?</b><br />
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Let's say up to three entries per person, but no one contestant can win more than once -- in the unlikely event that someone places in the top group with multiple entries, I'll just count whichever one has the highest number of votes.James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-6771790148693402602018-06-25T05:29:00.000-07:002018-06-26T07:43:18.277-07:00Monster Man Contest II!OK, so last time I said I would run a second Monster Man contest it ... basically didn't happen. I was too busy to promote it effectively and I only got a handful of entries, and I just let it slide. But no longer! <b>Monster Man Contest II </b>is in full effect, and there are fabulous prizes to be won! How would you like ... a print copy of <i><a href="http://hyqueousvaults.blogspot.com/">The Hyqueous Vaults</a>?</i> Or a £15 gift certificate to <a href="https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/StoreFrontDisplay?cid=61057945">Diplomatist Books</a>? Maybe you'd like a collection of monsters from <a href="http://spesmagna.com/">Spes Magna Games</a>? Or a special monster surprise from yours truly? Well, all you have to do is make a monster!<br />
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Here are the rules:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1. Go to </span><a href="http://aiweirdness.com/post/172170729017/dungeons-and-dragons-creatures-generated-by">this article about D&D monster names created by neural networks</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">2. Pick a monster such as the Slug, Spectral or the Mommy, Greater</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">3. Create a Monster Manual-style entry for your chosen name, with a description and stats for your favourite edition of D&D. Or your favourite RPG, whatever it might be. I'm not the boss of you! If you want to add a picture, that'd be double cool.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">4. Send it to me by July 14th. You can email me (gonzohistory@gmail.com) or share it with me on Google+. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">5. I will post the entries here and ask listeners to vote on them by August 1st, choosing the top three entries. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">6. I will create an episode of Monster Man for the winning monsters. Winners will also receive a print copy of <i>The Hyqueous Vaults</i> (with removable cover!) and more. And everyone who reads this will get tons of fun monsters to read about and enjoy!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">7. You can enter more than once if you like, but you can't win more than once.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">And that's it! Go make some monsters. Share this contest with your friends; the more the merrier.</span>James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-71218381622352777162018-06-20T03:22:00.003-07:002018-06-20T03:22:43.196-07:00New year, new campaign: the Great Mutant Caper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My ongoing campaign of the post-apocalyptic RPG <i><a href="http://drivethrurpg.com/product/103502/Other-Dust?affiliate_id=17916">Other Dust</a></i> is ... well ... ongoing! In the last few sessions, the players have been solving a murder mystery and looking for a treasure map. This culminated in a heist at the closest thing a junkyard bartertown has to a luxury hotel. I decided to set the whole thing up with miniatures, because representing multiple different things going on simultaneously is an important part of the heist genre. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIArsQEpcKt_GUqrf16e1lOnRZK7RYysFH7I2YotNhpxj1PAuI5JYaEB_r3xtfv4w_M-y_LG9V4lKWC3N5gYeFhtQW960NzexuFjesC2cCr23rzfaTe_5QnCkgpcKN_RH3B3qKA0OXiP28/s1600/20180619_154710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1554" data-original-width="1600" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIArsQEpcKt_GUqrf16e1lOnRZK7RYysFH7I2YotNhpxj1PAuI5JYaEB_r3xtfv4w_M-y_LG9V4lKWC3N5gYeFhtQW960NzexuFjesC2cCr23rzfaTe_5QnCkgpcKN_RH3B3qKA0OXiP28/s640/20180619_154710.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hotel and its compound.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The caper-comedy genre is one of my comfort zones, I think, and part of that is because it's possible to introduce consistent genre elements in a way that's still surprising. I decided to just make a quick random complications table that would let me keep things moving without having to plan everything out in advance. I rolled once every so often to get things like "a vehicle arrives" or "unwanted social interaction" or "room service!" just to keep the NPCs moving around the space.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAave8ZKRnBCJtg6hPkjTKvjnHRmzLL4cq-Kl5wqMQOoEaPXPs7YYfhw90mnNLCPg0t0wzkqf4Tl1kdXn-TMIC2-aOMnzS7OkLUmT8yDFHf5NVQ1oueX-FnMFbwRZzMhjPYVIt5yqJKY0R/s1600/20180620_094910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAave8ZKRnBCJtg6hPkjTKvjnHRmzLL4cq-Kl5wqMQOoEaPXPs7YYfhw90mnNLCPg0t0wzkqf4Tl1kdXn-TMIC2-aOMnzS7OkLUmT8yDFHf5NVQ1oueX-FnMFbwRZzMhjPYVIt5yqJKY0R/s640/20180620_094910.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A consortium of investors try to get Jeb interested in their new product. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyf_Ydr32ccfd38eXxUeKYCv2FkrKgza0oa0Okf8ba-jGDQFx5lkTgGevZHCxA2kYopg_03bZSCqn52k3_ArXrAl0X6kYng7RrBp4MT4-pgrljkDRdGQkglERvKBE1-HU1lDRwG1VJu7D/s1600/20180620_095043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyf_Ydr32ccfd38eXxUeKYCv2FkrKgza0oa0Okf8ba-jGDQFx5lkTgGevZHCxA2kYopg_03bZSCqn52k3_ArXrAl0X6kYng7RrBp4MT4-pgrljkDRdGQkglERvKBE1-HU1lDRwG1VJu7D/s640/20180620_095043.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The law! The red-robed junkborgs, merciless enforcers of The Perfesser's law, turn up when Jeb sets off the alarm.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ10UmfEnLlZgqR4C6l-alc9WY81fD9pxX-Cl55Kh95NwW8tWp09U0mNZvIO20hHi3tNRox8l_eeIxUcGOBZJLD1ShPuSZApB1OO3182DnbzyIQfThuRw-_j5Or9R1nDOuYQPipUbvqg80/s1600/20180620_095319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1482" data-original-width="1600" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ10UmfEnLlZgqR4C6l-alc9WY81fD9pxX-Cl55Kh95NwW8tWp09U0mNZvIO20hHi3tNRox8l_eeIxUcGOBZJLD1ShPuSZApB1OO3182DnbzyIQfThuRw-_j5Or9R1nDOuYQPipUbvqg80/s320/20180620_095319.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twiggs spots lizardy medical genius Patches tampering with the ingredients outside the kitchen.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHiOtiefBCSvFGiF_NE7T-ECbXT5ZPxpD9PU837kOnnAZ9HtGLx81Pv2qLjRWLEG1k14il8P-WLFYOQvY2fgbNzNDHU7HSbZZlcwOyRrpBoOIOzCA4ymgS9kmbqTVIMwrPFVoRTgCM53EE/s1600/20180620_095432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1305" data-original-width="1600" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHiOtiefBCSvFGiF_NE7T-ECbXT5ZPxpD9PU837kOnnAZ9HtGLx81Pv2qLjRWLEG1k14il8P-WLFYOQvY2fgbNzNDHU7HSbZZlcwOyRrpBoOIOzCA4ymgS9kmbqTVIMwrPFVoRTgCM53EE/s400/20180620_095432.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twiggs fails to talk his way past the housekeeping staff.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbIpKwWIiGv95prPdHavq_ngbI3wZwvIdFqcNNH205i1_xpbEZYbwuyBDMEprAJwRfRFlWQzsxrPmliQsFyi17h4_ijVZfXYT1Q6dWGSxwNyTda5TwLXTDm9RjPipdzFKtkFtUXyGEVvd/s1600/20180620_095741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbIpKwWIiGv95prPdHavq_ngbI3wZwvIdFqcNNH205i1_xpbEZYbwuyBDMEprAJwRfRFlWQzsxrPmliQsFyi17h4_ijVZfXYT1Q6dWGSxwNyTda5TwLXTDm9RjPipdzFKtkFtUXyGEVvd/s640/20180620_095741.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our heroes(?): L to R: Jaime, Twiggs, Jeb, Reesix</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQP8wp8sPmV6vwwDkE1ttp14bUjHLNJsaheXrZNqd5mKgG5MzXNV3H4v3JLlPhOL2zT5tAVLZUHJZCJQoX81UgT0eHp3qaMDxXT1NImTKaAdtm6Tp-SjCKSWPpZso47mpqmtUOt-wXmqjc/s1600/20180620_095938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1323" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQP8wp8sPmV6vwwDkE1ttp14bUjHLNJsaheXrZNqd5mKgG5MzXNV3H4v3JLlPhOL2zT5tAVLZUHJZCJQoX81UgT0eHp3qaMDxXT1NImTKaAdtm6Tp-SjCKSWPpZso47mpqmtUOt-wXmqjc/s640/20180620_095938.jpg" width="528" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The night manager is having a pretty bad day. </td></tr>
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<br />James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-54953803253677115432018-05-27T02:55:00.001-07:002018-05-27T02:55:27.990-07:00Another thing I'm working onLast year when I went to Salute, I mentioned playing in a game refighting the battle of Lodi Vecchio. This was a lot of fun, but it also wasn't just any Lion Rampant game, it was part of an ongoing project exploring the relationship between medieval history and wargaming. I'm happy to say that the project is now in its second phase and I'm helping out with the web aspect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHsSnA4tnBg7pbKtWrllKck2UKxtP0yBCEpXSpCsa4UqdSqeAwMQb560VP16dZZrMD-N6tRjCngobCDwL_aIPaCForbPVMHVbunKWoFRjP5PmyfP8WwAEJZXWkQmbxl_83BrJItPRS_L6/s1600/20170422_133335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHsSnA4tnBg7pbKtWrllKck2UKxtP0yBCEpXSpCsa4UqdSqeAwMQb560VP16dZZrMD-N6tRjCngobCDwL_aIPaCForbPVMHVbunKWoFRjP5PmyfP8WwAEJZXWkQmbxl_83BrJItPRS_L6/s640/20170422_133335.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So check out <a href="https://crusadercastle.wordpress.com/">Gaming a Crusader Castle</a>, won't you? There'll be more stuff going up on there in the coming weeks as we create scenarios, write articles and more. We'll be going to games shows throughout 2018 and 2019 to show off the Byblos Castle keep model by Supreme Littleness Designs and also to run some games using a range of different historical systems, starting with Claymore 2018 in Edinburgh.James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-30166304132220197042018-05-19T01:17:00.000-07:002018-05-19T01:17:47.804-07:00In the meantimeA lot of my time lately has been taken up with various projects that I have either talked about here or will hopefully talk about soon. But I haven't stopped playing games! Despite my enthusiasm for Ghost Archipelago, many of my local gamers remain devoted to Frostgrave, and that's fun too. We've been playing a lot lately at the games night hosted by a local book store. In fact, their games selection is pretty good -- and as a Cambridge University alum, I'll get a discount, at least as soon as my alumni card arrives. So that's pretty good!<br />
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Anyway, I've created (or more accurately recreated) a Frostgrave warband and returned to my age-old practice of just getting my butt kicked. We usually manage to get two tables playing at once, so here are some photos from the most recent event -- they're mostly the other board, since the lighting was better over there.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46g_zzBO7kuPUT9S1TrQWyAm1ytYQNbW3z4PgypY5d_6z0HvGlBuFpug0eYkMZPyjakaJYnYtZWPQp04cJy0j8P8V2yDz9B2XMfaMnzhBPiczv9bkFFIr3HmRrr5EV64dyjmnj88t6AJ6/s1600/20180518_214900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46g_zzBO7kuPUT9S1TrQWyAm1ytYQNbW3z4PgypY5d_6z0HvGlBuFpug0eYkMZPyjakaJYnYtZWPQp04cJy0j8P8V2yDz9B2XMfaMnzhBPiczv9bkFFIr3HmRrr5EV64dyjmnj88t6AJ6/s640/20180518_214900.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cultist sniper takes aim high above the battlefield.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XYduyXg01Z6P9X7lYUiNu9WqWNNBfW-yDIkf7tX_DV1HBCOVdQhWyZC81DWxQ7xNYy76B5iJP1qXh4wJLdCk6_kG4cukZ1p9vIT-JggSNtHEj7pnm85zUeAPKAy2AvIBgai_AJeemcBY/s1600/20180518_214833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1588" data-original-width="1600" height="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XYduyXg01Z6P9X7lYUiNu9WqWNNBfW-yDIkf7tX_DV1HBCOVdQhWyZC81DWxQ7xNYy76B5iJP1qXh4wJLdCk6_kG4cukZ1p9vIT-JggSNtHEj7pnm85zUeAPKAy2AvIBgai_AJeemcBY/s640/20180518_214833.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's something sinister about these nuns. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEtgdR-63DDSRw-sfBIK_2j8f4HXYIMR9bx1eJafGdU2gUUt9P9syh5RpiqUyc91YDsjD4XmZ1xOP_FbyuBwdLZsyoJGTuo9podj8ruLv0R_BcCOcSYjt-cbV2owYtoWwWLOgMMk-ykhs/s1600/20180518_214818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEtgdR-63DDSRw-sfBIK_2j8f4HXYIMR9bx1eJafGdU2gUUt9P9syh5RpiqUyc91YDsjD4XmZ1xOP_FbyuBwdLZsyoJGTuo9podj8ruLv0R_BcCOcSYjt-cbV2owYtoWwWLOgMMk-ykhs/s640/20180518_214818.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This player's warband is made mostly of classic Citadel models.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEK4KOVnqVSbzm-bgYnyAdkf-0whgT1BlngkCLrvME4ntATc9i-sh0pU_5Y4cdh3erZD8HCwEGaeyNfGNVupXxMkOkBkO6Jpid_JjwWjTaPCFvdYEgSOcODxEWVJMpRZ3UtWQlIkUTgR4D/s1600/20180518_212652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEK4KOVnqVSbzm-bgYnyAdkf-0whgT1BlngkCLrvME4ntATc9i-sh0pU_5Y4cdh3erZD8HCwEGaeyNfGNVupXxMkOkBkO6Jpid_JjwWjTaPCFvdYEgSOcODxEWVJMpRZ3UtWQlIkUTgR4D/s640/20180518_212652.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of the shots of my table came out a little blurry, but it looked OK on the night. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIhHT4Al1dk6dlEg00NI0mb2S5Pnui5UKLnL8FYbD5tdGBCrwTDKbWcsCLi2aDNec6rI5ybDiKqDBysstky94pmnKk3GqHpzMW0E_ROhpn12_Y2rFnj__8EMqPGwcg99cyIWmT-nddkcB5/s1600/20180518_205520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIhHT4Al1dk6dlEg00NI0mb2S5Pnui5UKLnL8FYbD5tdGBCrwTDKbWcsCLi2aDNec6rI5ybDiKqDBysstky94pmnKk3GqHpzMW0E_ROhpn12_Y2rFnj__8EMqPGwcg99cyIWmT-nddkcB5/s640/20180518_205520.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Although we did eventually take out this warhound, he earned his kibbles, holding us off for several turns.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLe2ip6kw6Nd16445mWzo_gzvFKPrwu9k_prFwnkgKwU_R9EWj0jNMvtQC9XvMgPt3bxTvrn8a4s8rqXiKDbQNd989L0_I0WBwk2GlOCmuO-HBGmpyJWF0dbCmFxWO7JvbJFB3BBsYB1k/s1600/20180518_201026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="1600" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLe2ip6kw6Nd16445mWzo_gzvFKPrwu9k_prFwnkgKwU_R9EWj0jNMvtQC9XvMgPt3bxTvrn8a4s8rqXiKDbQNd989L0_I0WBwk2GlOCmuO-HBGmpyJWF0dbCmFxWO7JvbJFB3BBsYB1k/s640/20180518_201026.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My apprentice and his team spread out among the ruins to look for ... "clues."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1A29S255xZVrWtmmy9e6sxsDAeDnB103cWgEUEJdaRLRnZk2mcEH6rVLII7k5V4ysRqNAppZBPFPwSVbBUKSedU-Uw6Wi4e-ipwPtRMEtugFIdtS2qjy5MiObU_ILi1ol5EI_JLFaxS4/s1600/20180518_195504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="1600" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1A29S255xZVrWtmmy9e6sxsDAeDnB103cWgEUEJdaRLRnZk2mcEH6rVLII7k5V4ysRqNAppZBPFPwSVbBUKSedU-Uw6Wi4e-ipwPtRMEtugFIdtS2qjy5MiObU_ILi1ol5EI_JLFaxS4/s640/20180518_195504.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the variety of colours on these cultists; mine are very drab. </td></tr>
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Anyway, I'm having fun and really pleased with the effort a big book store is making to cultivate its gaming community. It's mostly board games there and a little D&D, but we do make a fun spectacle. People often come by and ask what sort of game we're playing; I should put together some starter warbands for kids or whatever.<br /><br />James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-28087359236481156362018-05-07T00:41:00.002-07:002018-05-07T00:41:39.411-07:00Diceni 2018Diceni is a gaming show in Norwich that I keep meaning to go to and never do, but this year I found myself at a loose end and decided to pop over and visit it. <div>
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I really like the format of the show: it's a ring of traders surrounding a core of demo and participation games in a big open area in the centre of a building called the Forum. This is a big sort of community centre that also houses a cafe, a theatre, the public library and so on. What this means is that people are always moving in and around the show. I saw a lot of parents there with their kids, and lots of those kids happily playing games. Entry is free, which I imagine helps there. </div>
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Here are some bad photos I took of the show floor: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfjel3imNczqHgR2OQ7YzKVAQ4NFoOIIDTH8OaDNO1RA5275zHUgrr5FOD74j69baYyIz5vluS-UIlmzh7fGW3z2VcC_cQhpngks1UAX66sGt2BEnGIBhtfDrSJC9yP3n2UXZsN69DRBX/s1600/20180506_121643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfjel3imNczqHgR2OQ7YzKVAQ4NFoOIIDTH8OaDNO1RA5275zHUgrr5FOD74j69baYyIz5vluS-UIlmzh7fGW3z2VcC_cQhpngks1UAX66sGt2BEnGIBhtfDrSJC9yP3n2UXZsN69DRBX/s400/20180506_121643.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKy-gY5MYa9S6HaeXwIiRaIYhcvnxbXwMdso4kjw36cLttT1n0snYr4KIUtAKqSv0AWGj2XGRxTgRfNNMTyG6aMZgGyD-3RT-9J-JTcIooRnF3oWwvaShyPkOOWeRG8trX7u9WS3VROCZ/s1600/20180506_121630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKy-gY5MYa9S6HaeXwIiRaIYhcvnxbXwMdso4kjw36cLttT1n0snYr4KIUtAKqSv0AWGj2XGRxTgRfNNMTyG6aMZgGyD-3RT-9J-JTcIooRnF3oWwvaShyPkOOWeRG8trX7u9WS3VROCZ/s400/20180506_121630.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you can see, it's pretty big, but not huge; it's very much set up for people to rock up, do some shopping, maybe play a quick game and then head out. Here are some of the things I saw: </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0EB9vReV1H0Fu1gzUEhutEZXu3CjkJPRMAEqQ47OLMrXb2KYtuM5Bx6ZA0E_DOl9ZkegQvS06OTNwVlo4Vg1Hn_jtjj_VVSLzT7CzSIO9-vRVsYgzsHq5MwFngViVoR_Ajea65L5LrBI/s1600/20180506_144250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0EB9vReV1H0Fu1gzUEhutEZXu3CjkJPRMAEqQ47OLMrXb2KYtuM5Bx6ZA0E_DOl9ZkegQvS06OTNwVlo4Vg1Hn_jtjj_VVSLzT7CzSIO9-vRVsYgzsHq5MwFngViVoR_Ajea65L5LrBI/s400/20180506_144250.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Have I ever been to a British gaming event where Bez wasn't doing his thing?<br />He was at the first ExiliCon, that's how dedicated the guy is. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IKVMC-nIdT39RiF9xeP2WycH0FqM2zlayXqEa-P5dkInDYJu9aA0sxFzr4uTGi3Da-iZm5tHD1yt_tA7bvrGwjeslm5NQO0YgGAs1xsQEQ_qo8EnpcaQ4iKoSHXqM3srF-lLI3LfyEPp/s1600/20180506_144245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IKVMC-nIdT39RiF9xeP2WycH0FqM2zlayXqEa-P5dkInDYJu9aA0sxFzr4uTGi3Da-iZm5tHD1yt_tA7bvrGwjeslm5NQO0YgGAs1xsQEQ_qo8EnpcaQ4iKoSHXqM3srF-lLI3LfyEPp/s400/20180506_144245.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpiYeJvAkrM9P8cqO050JqIjDVChwSvKav57-6mQiYvwvXqEGBWKVktWggBnVN0RzdD6JEh72liZPxTW9bIjzXERdJPasRa_T1cEAYaqbDAwzrrGNCLbB6dHLYtcRJ0SHS6_W-HSTUtJus/s1600/20180506_113405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpiYeJvAkrM9P8cqO050JqIjDVChwSvKav57-6mQiYvwvXqEGBWKVktWggBnVN0RzdD6JEh72liZPxTW9bIjzXERdJPasRa_T1cEAYaqbDAwzrrGNCLbB6dHLYtcRJ0SHS6_W-HSTUtJus/s640/20180506_113405.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This game was being run by people from the <a href="http://www.randomplatypus.com/">Random Platypus</a> forum.<br />It's a sci-fi variant of the Walking Dead: All Out War rule.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswho-XVVqeergsi68gk7I0uS0EDosghDavT897b2bm8xmjohHM8zOPeSHyWbKzwH0mNg4SjqxMtbk3fUPFhuizq30FqW_yNQCAELSkGiGcxngiwJY_m41m6C5W2klUPMadxpRS3zCBnMg/s1600/20180506_110409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="1600" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswho-XVVqeergsi68gk7I0uS0EDosghDavT897b2bm8xmjohHM8zOPeSHyWbKzwH0mNg4SjqxMtbk3fUPFhuizq30FqW_yNQCAELSkGiGcxngiwJY_m41m6C5W2klUPMadxpRS3zCBnMg/s640/20180506_110409.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxhitAAAjn_B7Ha9c4ecrX_XCax0QxC8W1Bog3c1DSpZYOGMbQDiAMO-eixGFb8UDLyZaCqdObZFhGKAM8uNaul0f7TA5RYcWspU-yaTYdvAXjvAbt19lbSj88dcGVXwz2E3mZhYaOxc3/s1600/20180506_110210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxhitAAAjn_B7Ha9c4ecrX_XCax0QxC8W1Bog3c1DSpZYOGMbQDiAMO-eixGFb8UDLyZaCqdObZFhGKAM8uNaul0f7TA5RYcWspU-yaTYdvAXjvAbt19lbSj88dcGVXwz2E3mZhYaOxc3/s640/20180506_110210.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA07rG0ykG6RJrI3WXaxkhoEaAb11ZjPrRiQos7XburInp65YAQ4wBk6rTGBJ-RIlAXJThwNHc4tnAzYtl5jN5oCf0MeNl8vaC5zoZYjwactLXKpXKkKvbujZg0IMtr9HsxCVIAmdp_ybA/s1600/20180506_110202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA07rG0ykG6RJrI3WXaxkhoEaAb11ZjPrRiQos7XburInp65YAQ4wBk6rTGBJ-RIlAXJThwNHc4tnAzYtl5jN5oCf0MeNl8vaC5zoZYjwactLXKpXKkKvbujZg0IMtr9HsxCVIAmdp_ybA/s640/20180506_110202.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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I played a game of the Osprey samurai game, <i>Ronin</i>. </div>
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I got thumped quickly, but it was a good-looking table.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZysxF5gNEU867ZY154vCSqHC6Pi1fhS6OFbxh9l4cS1BErZD-j65t8KdLZzrtS0LVjmLLDj-TUErcvtcEP4a0fkgQhd7Wi0tg0IcAFL7DHKBv3uVhk5zDER7lgHyvAIPdCeJFsOtH-guB/s1600/20180506_110115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="1600" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZysxF5gNEU867ZY154vCSqHC6Pi1fhS6OFbxh9l4cS1BErZD-j65t8KdLZzrtS0LVjmLLDj-TUErcvtcEP4a0fkgQhd7Wi0tg0IcAFL7DHKBv3uVhk5zDER7lgHyvAIPdCeJFsOtH-guB/s400/20180506_110115.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakGrw8-TpHQZdJaG2qXPVx5BXvXdjSRSgotJA4H_yiMcj2mWuXoPezOsD3rrXxUqJSfye2O68bWOXON0Zi3Hluls-5jO2abeq45AuWOQgk8irWTzuettRCSl_KqWhSWG20iUva0-i68h4/s1600/20180506_110059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1600" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakGrw8-TpHQZdJaG2qXPVx5BXvXdjSRSgotJA4H_yiMcj2mWuXoPezOsD3rrXxUqJSfye2O68bWOXON0Zi3Hluls-5jO2abeq45AuWOQgk8irWTzuettRCSl_KqWhSWG20iUva0-i68h4/s640/20180506_110059.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This big Marvel participation game seemed to be very popular. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsPRxLObWCZclwDft7DtUDu_Sx-C5Soar57P26mgGzj3m1FzN53qoBNaKYwMD4u_1pM0GVkTwMayybNqYcAocbIPZb1eFsWAIXBiyyMP0joFIYpxjGM4KaCaoIIPglmJK3GzGRejz8pj_/s1600/20180506_105922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1600" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsPRxLObWCZclwDft7DtUDu_Sx-C5Soar57P26mgGzj3m1FzN53qoBNaKYwMD4u_1pM0GVkTwMayybNqYcAocbIPZb1eFsWAIXBiyyMP0joFIYpxjGM4KaCaoIIPglmJK3GzGRejz8pj_/s640/20180506_105922.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQBJ21UcZkUKPOnP-UJHKG6XlJqEZfAms8dF6dplv1dFTVzIW2qz2wfL09Jy4jqviI4_qVYb9Ig3iYe1sb2HvoU9dtoz4QqaZD0BiAhYrx1iZ96llmBYbLpvlIlT1GrwvNQECJNJPalBH/s1600/20180506_105903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1600" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQBJ21UcZkUKPOnP-UJHKG6XlJqEZfAms8dF6dplv1dFTVzIW2qz2wfL09Jy4jqviI4_qVYb9Ig3iYe1sb2HvoU9dtoz4QqaZD0BiAhYrx1iZ96llmBYbLpvlIlT1GrwvNQECJNJPalBH/s640/20180506_105903.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People playing Warmaster. Seems like a thriving community!</td></tr>
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There was a pretty good mix of traders there, including Ainsty and The Assault Group on the miniatures side, as well as another historical manufacturer -- Hellion? I don't recall. There were a couple of other minis game companies around, including the guys who make Mythos and Purgatory. There were also board game companies, people selling dice and other accessories, and the thing I like most: second-hand games!<br />
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Guess who bought Kryyyyooomeeeeek?<br />
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A friend of mine is very into this game, so I thought I would pick it up when I found it for £4. I flipped through it at lunch, and while I don't have much to say about the rules, the way the setting material is written is <i>bananas.</i></div>
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Anyway, I also took the chance to visit a friend who works nearby, and had a walk around Norwich, looking at some sights and doing some shopping. </div>
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I liked the concept of Diceni as a very accessible show in a public space. The location makes it good for drop-in visitors, and most of the display games were fun and colourful. I feel like if you're going for a drop-in event, Saturday might be better, but I expect there are more potential clashes on the Saturday of a Bank Holiday weekend, so it's a trade-off. If, like me, you have other stuff to do in Norwich, it's a fun way to spend a few hours. </div>
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James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-2321076664963768762018-04-15T04:59:00.000-07:002018-04-15T05:01:31.783-07:00Salute 2018 recapI went to Salute in London, as I do. I was trying to be responsible in my spending, but I still saw and did some cool stuff. I didn't take as many photos as I normally do.<br />
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Anyway, here's what I did: </div>
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I participated in a speed painting contest, and I won! My job was pretty rough; lighting wasn't great, tools weren't perfect, etc. I think I won because I did a little rudimentary wash on the armour plates and the hair. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJhUghifvU3HMBl1hgxh7pHhwfCZyEvzi-fjAzGK5SsSkehB6Fv3UOQsWGZ7kzpP5bqSTl_ni1ur2jc7ym9xV10EhfJXShR3QADWsJbPm8yDcSKaWK1st5lkx3CK9JKjItV7NERVTE-gC/s1600/20180415_114917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJhUghifvU3HMBl1hgxh7pHhwfCZyEvzi-fjAzGK5SsSkehB6Fv3UOQsWGZ7kzpP5bqSTl_ni1ur2jc7ym9xV10EhfJXShR3QADWsJbPm8yDcSKaWK1st5lkx3CK9JKjItV7NERVTE-gC/s320/20180415_114917.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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I won a bunch of swag as a result of this contest, including Salute exclusive models from previous years and a set of brushes. I'm pretty excited about these brushes, actually: brushes were on my shopping list. I'm probably going to sell off the surplus models, since I already have one of each of these. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMJE4rVNs9Feqnb87zUM7ChAr0cBoFcnKnmQ1c9I54_r8jYzkJ1h4ASVyvDkTkwQvCL2lm2tvbZHp_OViwfqZHqny8B7nMur_zM-fuu6DvO4u8_UoIhad5IM9x65ruZMmCceG00J2cs4_/s1600/20180415_114834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="1600" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMJE4rVNs9Feqnb87zUM7ChAr0cBoFcnKnmQ1c9I54_r8jYzkJ1h4ASVyvDkTkwQvCL2lm2tvbZHp_OViwfqZHqny8B7nMur_zM-fuu6DvO4u8_UoIhad5IM9x65ruZMmCceG00J2cs4_/s400/20180415_114834.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Speaking of free models, the theme for this year was WWI. Last year's theme was a centennial one as well -- the Russian Revolution -- and this year's model was not just one model but three, a little diorama showing British, French and German soldiers at the end of the war. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpX3IIkPoa_zqNgQLDqGrkgKVvYaGdXx9s3w5Md3L8akN0JvKpRGDxX06IaaHSRd1ldZlizvs4_8qTBDD0_EFENnD6DWdOKuN9J9EkI3BKX8iSj2i2zG_9JuKbt5M3hG-NmUFLbnk71P7m/s1600/20180415_101959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1431" data-original-width="1600" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpX3IIkPoa_zqNgQLDqGrkgKVvYaGdXx9s3w5Md3L8akN0JvKpRGDxX06IaaHSRd1ldZlizvs4_8qTBDD0_EFENnD6DWdOKuN9J9EkI3BKX8iSj2i2zG_9JuKbt5M3hG-NmUFLbnk71P7m/s320/20180415_101959.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm going to mount them on a plinth and paint them up as a war memorial sort of a scene, I think. </div>
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Speaking of WWI, there were some living-history types around, and they had brought a very imposing looking mockup of a WWI tank.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95j_NRvP7SJvlv-7eJXwttU3qPbN3PvKk8NYn8ziios_TZHn0wCL087YJ9nlTtAf6LAoG1F5G6UWuqYavlz69BH1dN3up3AX3iWmlGWn_z76AQIEjH77Cb7e_IbNTgJs06zyVO6XqGPWV/s1600/20180414_150509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1381" data-original-width="1600" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95j_NRvP7SJvlv-7eJXwttU3qPbN3PvKk8NYn8ziios_TZHn0wCL087YJ9nlTtAf6LAoG1F5G6UWuqYavlz69BH1dN3up3AX3iWmlGWn_z76AQIEjH77Cb7e_IbNTgJs06zyVO6XqGPWV/s320/20180414_150509.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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What else did I do? I painted some models at the Mantic paint-and-take, including a couple of the new models from Star Saga. I don't know that I'm going to play the game, but a character in an armoured spacesuit armed with a length of pipe will certainly come in handy in my post-apocalyptic game. </div>
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Here are some things I saw: </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8NTfqDRtNMoXs1qqnTCPspMuR1ZJpuK3t4v-eMSiY-BWu-hQp_8E8ljv6h6gYwwM2Yxzh-5UK2oOMCyJRcrYRf5PdXK8n8TbWAGF8NWYQUjNNXvvyMA1Pp1WwLbnH-GnHTtR2Q57HBbh/s1600/20180414_154903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8NTfqDRtNMoXs1qqnTCPspMuR1ZJpuK3t4v-eMSiY-BWu-hQp_8E8ljv6h6gYwwM2Yxzh-5UK2oOMCyJRcrYRf5PdXK8n8TbWAGF8NWYQUjNNXvvyMA1Pp1WwLbnH-GnHTtR2Q57HBbh/s640/20180414_154903.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really liked the colour scheme in this dungeon created by Mierce Miniatures.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tXlOlAFog52j10K_4msOBCe6SNBO0sXL7IaQLmIfpHWvxPRvuunx9omnM9tVRSfPerg9HcrzYwI1vWwlFWe0l7z97gZP21s8OtaSPI1aDkbpLuIUCUpnJJH4TCaWHjUs5YzPakSrg96U/s1600/20180414_150434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tXlOlAFog52j10K_4msOBCe6SNBO0sXL7IaQLmIfpHWvxPRvuunx9omnM9tVRSfPerg9HcrzYwI1vWwlFWe0l7z97gZP21s8OtaSPI1aDkbpLuIUCUpnJJH4TCaWHjUs5YzPakSrg96U/s640/20180414_150434.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this cool-looking science fiction board was at the Wild West Exodus stand, <br />
which may mean I have misunderstood that game. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvlPUg1r6bRnryLj9J_qtgJPLiBdeATllmHUAVNnCj0pmEBrMqQnFH3FvxlZWyAQk35QQAh_R-iEBmVYq2IrBG3qx4RQEC-dE4qXtIq2Qg8iJNZAP2dmEQ1iKxmo0AOfMvNYYCDdbkKEn/s1600/20180414_150313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvlPUg1r6bRnryLj9J_qtgJPLiBdeATllmHUAVNnCj0pmEBrMqQnFH3FvxlZWyAQk35QQAh_R-iEBmVYq2IrBG3qx4RQEC-dE4qXtIq2Qg8iJNZAP2dmEQ1iKxmo0AOfMvNYYCDdbkKEn/s320/20180414_150313.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8_qPM5Yc3VhY-LfMqQIYYpTU1zInJkSM8bq-uZOXIV3dmDmsZRS8mLQz-lYatTh9z_5tKrygw2cvbelhyphenhyphenSNP1fSo69wn-e7bnTj7It1v6ue98G7ZW0gwg0usDBLeCDrLGdQOqYXMkGtu/s1600/20180414_150245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8_qPM5Yc3VhY-LfMqQIYYpTU1zInJkSM8bq-uZOXIV3dmDmsZRS8mLQz-lYatTh9z_5tKrygw2cvbelhyphenhyphenSNP1fSo69wn-e7bnTj7It1v6ue98G7ZW0gwg0usDBLeCDrLGdQOqYXMkGtu/s640/20180414_150245.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I always enjoy a VBCW game.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhical5lomAQOyJfQ0rWRvTawnisiYBcBqTLc0tQzFskWWn_wn9Jb3473LtxcG0AJizZ9jmKlN9Wp79GCzBiKyBTaY3GI6cvLXAQpaQtj4W40xDwNEFlQ3AjzV2MwQC8XheYAO9sYdlgK2K/s1600/20180414_135827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1600" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhical5lomAQOyJfQ0rWRvTawnisiYBcBqTLc0tQzFskWWn_wn9Jb3473LtxcG0AJizZ9jmKlN9Wp79GCzBiKyBTaY3GI6cvLXAQpaQtj4W40xDwNEFlQ3AjzV2MwQC8XheYAO9sYdlgK2K/s640/20180414_135827.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVXLB-bYNkKzRdwH8X_wpsCuYaXvFnz_kGdM_8fT36Auwa2E0vAfa9J2YLczSwUdI3FFmkSUQn8uw6cw1v3hoap4OMo7yCumz4OBlka-q7yylBJSzOaYPyyA5jSwW9gAArHopv3eoyf8wl/s1600/20180414_124849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="1600" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVXLB-bYNkKzRdwH8X_wpsCuYaXvFnz_kGdM_8fT36Auwa2E0vAfa9J2YLczSwUdI3FFmkSUQn8uw6cw1v3hoap4OMo7yCumz4OBlka-q7yylBJSzOaYPyyA5jSwW9gAArHopv3eoyf8wl/s640/20180414_124849.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Seven Years' War game was all done with paper miniatures. <br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2H0pyvr">There are a bunch of these books</a>, including one for Hastings. I'm kind of tempted to check them out, although I think the ones with brightly-coloured armies in serried ranks are probably the best candidates.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-trktVFZu85_aXXwEo_xmBqpEhE8ibvwtbMv9KvI1-hAPuaFC8cwFG5Ohgm4RfqyEXy9u_Gyt3Z_7h_w1rBUSNJcCutBqqdR-an9Izq-5s8JXbFGpBCqw7ObePuFO7vmpfYGCC7ucPp5/s1600/20180414_122807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-trktVFZu85_aXXwEo_xmBqpEhE8ibvwtbMv9KvI1-hAPuaFC8cwFG5Ohgm4RfqyEXy9u_Gyt3Z_7h_w1rBUSNJcCutBqqdR-an9Izq-5s8JXbFGpBCqw7ObePuFO7vmpfYGCC7ucPp5/s400/20180414_122807.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This board was for a game called The Drowned Earth. If it's got apes hunting dinosaurs, it has my interest. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItrmSGmBJjaXOV8DNp7wQYGi-fWsofAs-Q8yTRwWI4SmjeYVOYbk0C2w-b-gla60ZwIB74mHb9EoFJrzjxepM3UhTzgvCQ2D-hdZefFP0f7QJL-A69MRN2M2chiDn-5I4Cj1l-CqJJFLH/s1600/20180414_122125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1529" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItrmSGmBJjaXOV8DNp7wQYGi-fWsofAs-Q8yTRwWI4SmjeYVOYbk0C2w-b-gla60ZwIB74mHb9EoFJrzjxepM3UhTzgvCQ2D-hdZefFP0f7QJL-A69MRN2M2chiDn-5I4Cj1l-CqJJFLH/s320/20180414_122125.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some friends of mine were playing a game called Moonstone, which features a goblin riding a pug.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nLxXHG0HXi2_3J3tIJ5yKx-_feVSeDxvOTwYdKntTo9wyXNnKGr8aoNrReedJxzceWpak5Q3ei6wlWDfNolgoweA5ZNiGY87R-VGSK60RzaJdKiIXRCga1gfeQFsGZI7XRx7ARv41zRe/s1600/20180414_112725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nLxXHG0HXi2_3J3tIJ5yKx-_feVSeDxvOTwYdKntTo9wyXNnKGr8aoNrReedJxzceWpak5Q3ei6wlWDfNolgoweA5ZNiGY87R-VGSK60RzaJdKiIXRCga1gfeQFsGZI7XRx7ARv41zRe/s640/20180414_112725.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfjbRkYMrmfu_EzYc-ITbh9OjPhtHWZ8xjIoBl0_XeENfdpmnyiro4Bg8ddSOJSgsM01vkiRqLjfzmYsUQOkDuSwgpXzuCK7N3XeZUo4hsVD66mYgz83PZo4fLUlIvZq-1dFsXV6ToeY-/s1600/20180414_112645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfjbRkYMrmfu_EzYc-ITbh9OjPhtHWZ8xjIoBl0_XeENfdpmnyiro4Bg8ddSOJSgsM01vkiRqLjfzmYsUQOkDuSwgpXzuCK7N3XeZUo4hsVD66mYgz83PZo4fLUlIvZq-1dFsXV6ToeY-/s640/20180414_112645.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_x6EscQpdDm9iyCqC-_qWp9QZgzE500C_7X20iPFosR7pTTBJExfso0bisp6bTTwEIvvRzzpJknPbhtToXnvJVdWKrKZY_HO_vpe0rmv_9iBeEyUoUS-kelQ1nEuEFv3zqxQUupwIqDVs/s1600/20180414_112431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="1600" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_x6EscQpdDm9iyCqC-_qWp9QZgzE500C_7X20iPFosR7pTTBJExfso0bisp6bTTwEIvvRzzpJknPbhtToXnvJVdWKrKZY_HO_vpe0rmv_9iBeEyUoUS-kelQ1nEuEFv3zqxQUupwIqDVs/s640/20180414_112431.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wargames Illustrated were hosting this cool board for a druid-themed game.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVpw9K9b4-sdfRsvZuFNXXMVQQmJxg8peR5RDecU0KNOrle-vmwKlxpFSXZXxhm5QvR1RQo4QNGxTtciPEm2OrqWolkw2aSioGkii_fCLtDKWR-ADuwPj5qZ1EStqvJF9r3pW_IoxVRsS/s1600/20180414_112420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVpw9K9b4-sdfRsvZuFNXXMVQQmJxg8peR5RDecU0KNOrle-vmwKlxpFSXZXxhm5QvR1RQo4QNGxTtciPEm2OrqWolkw2aSioGkii_fCLtDKWR-ADuwPj5qZ1EStqvJF9r3pW_IoxVRsS/s400/20180414_112420.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a close-up of the Wicker Man. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwME_UI8nOUQQ0zFhjNmeCCnAg40_ZP8ac7Gca2BT0CYSeqhTKezcaHwJ7YK8WhE70Ho6X7bSAF07qjsW5C7gGwtQn6DCKSgsicvG-QmSWyP7oM-UgR_sCB96fvy10Zna-lT1WuFxJb1b-/s1600/20180414_111930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwME_UI8nOUQQ0zFhjNmeCCnAg40_ZP8ac7Gca2BT0CYSeqhTKezcaHwJ7YK8WhE70Ho6X7bSAF07qjsW5C7gGwtQn6DCKSgsicvG-QmSWyP7oM-UgR_sCB96fvy10Zna-lT1WuFxJb1b-/s320/20180414_111930.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfcgo3ODPhbp1NMdBS_u6cYxGoWWo-BhYeVkXSK8TmRRg_LtlcBiZ_LftcNUZLUbsx5V5aST8qzVxXbnqmUEHo_52UK3V-eijRcYV8OhZvX-H-HFM83tV0kgmepouUQwiphgIFgT1xMKZ/s1600/20180414_104137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfcgo3ODPhbp1NMdBS_u6cYxGoWWo-BhYeVkXSK8TmRRg_LtlcBiZ_LftcNUZLUbsx5V5aST8qzVxXbnqmUEHo_52UK3V-eijRcYV8OhZvX-H-HFM83tV0kgmepouUQwiphgIFgT1xMKZ/s400/20180414_104137.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This amazing sci-fi vehicle is a Poundland Toy with some added bits and a hell of a paint job. </td></tr>
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I was pretty restrained in my purchases. I collected some Kickstarter models from Bad Squiddo Games -- photos coming soon, hopefully -- and I bought some models from Bear's Head Miniatures as well. I also picked up some scenery for Frostgrave and Frostgrave Ghost Archipelago, as well as the new FGA book, <a href="https://amzn.to/2JKXUjC">The Lost Colossus</a>. I'm gonna have to make some colossal scenery. Speaking of scenery, I picked up a prototype Wasteman piece that I hope to be able to show you soon.<br />
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It was also good to see friends, including people I don't often get to see other than at wargames shows. You never get enough time to talk to people at the show, but it's still good to catch up and say hi. I do like the post-show social atmosphere of BOYL; honestly, it's the main reason to go on Friday. I had a few conversations that reminded me that BOYL is actually pretty soon and that if I'm meant to be participating in some of the things I hope to participate in I had better get a move on.<br />
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The downside is that I have a big project deadline coming up and a lot of words I need to write over the next two weeks, so painting time is going to be pretty limited. In fact, I'm <i>forcing</i> myself to schedule some as a form of stress relief. </div>
James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-41000521289178986732018-03-29T04:10:00.002-07:002018-03-29T04:10:32.977-07:00Another Monster Man contest!Hey, do you folks remember the cavalcade of awesome creativity that was<a href="http://gonzohistorygaming.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/the-monster-man-contest-winners.html"> the Monster Man contest</a>? I sure do! I enjoyed it so much I'm gonna do it again .. but this time it's going to be a little different!<br />
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Last time I asked people to design a monster based on a cheap toy, like this one:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujRIEduf-jw-z9ZQYNOitAJzVI1RzpDNTMFkfuoA47Wo6yiCSQfyTiNDDynw5kjsnbBeA4kfD3a6RSJ1bpFGN-f_E5XLp5fPBQAKPbMnNqz5-vLuXm8awbPHwiGHTOXbPTI-tZhjz_ird/s1600/20171114_151808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1558" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujRIEduf-jw-z9ZQYNOitAJzVI1RzpDNTMFkfuoA47Wo6yiCSQfyTiNDDynw5kjsnbBeA4kfD3a6RSJ1bpFGN-f_E5XLp5fPBQAKPbMnNqz5-vLuXm8awbPHwiGHTOXbPTI-tZhjz_ird/s320/20171114_151808.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>
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That was fun, but I'm not gonna do the exact same thing again, at least not just yet. Instead we're going to do a quicker contest based around a different source. I explain in<a href="http://monsterman.libsyn.com/bonus-episode-neural-network-monsters"> today's bonus episode of Monster Man</a>.<br />
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But if you don't have time to listen to that right now, here's the rules:<br />
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1. Go to <a href="http://aiweirdness.com/post/172170729017/dungeons-and-dragons-creatures-generated-by">this article about D&D monster names created by neural networks</a>.<br />
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2. Pick a monster such as the Slug, Spectral or the Mommy, Greater<br />
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3. Create a Monster Manual-style entry for your chosen name, with a description and stats for your favourite edition of D&D. Or your favourite RPG, whatever it might be. I'm not the boss of you! If you want to add a picture, that'd be double cool.<br />
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4. Send it to me by April 14th.<br />
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5. I will pick, by methods as yet undecided, a handful of winners.<br />
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6. I will create an episode of Monster Man for the winning monsters. Winners will also receive a Monster Man goody bag full of prizes. I've already had some offers of prize support, but if you have an RPG product you'd like to give away to our winners, give me a shout! Otherwise I'll think of something. It'll be a surprise!<br />
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7. You can enter more than once if you like, but you can't win more than once.<br />
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And that's it! Go make some monsters. Share this contest with your friends; the more the merrier.James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209993377003858606.post-81334014245231080932018-03-26T03:30:00.000-07:002018-03-26T03:30:38.615-07:00Shadow War Armageddon retrospective: or, in defense of bad gamesBack in the autumn, I joined in the Shadow War Armageddon campaign put on by the fine young people of (deep breath) the Cambridge University Roleplaying and Tabletop games Society, hereinafter CURTS. This was just after Shadow War Armageddon had come out, and I was keen to put my Orks to good use. The campaign has now wrapped up with a big final bash, and although I missed a few sessions I feel like I played enough to prompt some thoughts.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB07A25Yk8E7WY_HAO-uEhcVePYaFfZq0fIkAYQ4KNzdXtRQnMzALpKANeucnf-2TWC7UMkDAFeMZX-feXlNTO6-sAadWxPsToTB0RbZaur2UkKtIEuuURFadBZRWHLZo1g57mOWGQnHeM/s1600/20180304_150923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="1600" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB07A25Yk8E7WY_HAO-uEhcVePYaFfZq0fIkAYQ4KNzdXtRQnMzALpKANeucnf-2TWC7UMkDAFeMZX-feXlNTO6-sAadWxPsToTB0RbZaur2UkKtIEuuURFadBZRWHLZo1g57mOWGQnHeM/s640/20180304_150923.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Splatgut takes aim with his Big Shoota</td></tr>
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So, first off: it seems like I spend a lot of time talking to people who care a lot about game design, and I <i>sort of</i> care about it myself. This leads me to think about games in design-y terms sometimes. In those terms, Shadow War Armageddon is ... well, I don't know if it's a <i>bad</i> game, but it ain't great. It has the following flaws:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Although its core mechanic is the simple Warhammer 40K second edition ruleset (which is simple to me, at least, because I grew up with it), it piles on layer after layer of exceptions and special conditions, virtually guaranteeing that you will forget at least one of them during a match and feel like a dummy. Special rules for the weapons, special rules for the scenario, special rules for the factions. I admit that I am not a rules guy at the best of times, so maybe this is just me. </li>
<li>It is, hands down no foolin', <i>the</i> worst-organised rulebook I have read, or at least it has the highest ratio of budget to quality. Not all the kill teams are in the same section! Kill teams and their special ops are in two different parts of the book, except only for some teams. Some teams have their weapons in different sections, but others don't. I realise that this is because some teams are "core" and others aren't, but how is that relevant? That's not how people actually play the game, a fact that ten seconds' reflection would have revealed. </li>
<li>Despite its complexity, its advancement system is so limited that it's not really all that much fun. </li>
<li>It is not balanced for toffee. In particular, the rules were designed for a game where everybody starts out with a Move of 4 and a BS of 3 (and an I of 3 as well) and gunsights are limited. I'm not just bitter because I spent a lot of time pinned, but when a significant chunk of your opponent's team starts the game hitting on 2s, there's only so much cover you can take. Similarly, the introduction of kill teams with a move of 6 should have made the designers rethink the scenario rules. There are loads of scenarios which try to prevent turn-one charges with 8" distance restrictions, which is not a big deal for kill teams where some or all of the models have move 6. </li>
<li>It does, to some degree, compensate for its lack of balance by being random as anything. I think my win-loss was about 50-50, or slightly less, but I cannot attribute this to any tactical merit on my part. I just slugged forward and sometimes I got into optimum Ork range and shredded my opponents with sustained fire and face-punches, and sometimes I didn't. I did sometimes win by remembering to focus on mission objectives, but that's partly because I just find missions with objectives fun. </li>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJm-Hppx2_M098E1_Yz_JGNuhkQNWIgV-zWJZO-zWfIqc7NmxL1hTZdodxZ33ipMZMtgEAdOpI4Yt_-4HdseOQ3uPm_5jhzJEH5vBtrVRvP5lOA9vJ9B6c0wuOOF58DbMdjZa4pmR19XXF/s1600/20180304_160438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJm-Hppx2_M098E1_Yz_JGNuhkQNWIgV-zWJZO-zWfIqc7NmxL1hTZdodxZ33ipMZMtgEAdOpI4Yt_-4HdseOQ3uPm_5jhzJEH5vBtrVRvP5lOA9vJ9B6c0wuOOF58DbMdjZa4pmR19XXF/s640/20180304_160438.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Grotmob advances, ready for action!</td></tr>
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Now, all of this sounds like I didn't like the game, but actually ... my view on it is much more equivocal. I had a good old time playing in this campaign, although getting all the terrain to a place far from my house was a bit of a nuisance. Still, I was getting the hang of it by the end. I'm gonna buy one of those crates with the little rolly wheels.<br />
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Sorry, yes -- I enjoyed it! I mean, it's not going to win any awards, and if it does there's something fishy, but its very goofiness works in favour of it. Its high level of randomness and its goofy exceptions wind up provoking more laughs at the table than frustration, and it produces the kind of wargaming moments everyone likes -- moments that illuminate the personalities of the players and get retold at subsequent sessions. The thought of one of my Orks running around carrying a lectern, proudly proclaiming that he was the Boss now because he had a table, or Badlug squishing people like grapes with his power klaw and then, surrounded by the corpses of his foes, deciding it was time to bottle out, is good for a laugh.<br />
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I've mentioned that randomness cancels out the balance issues to some degree, but another thing that can compensate for balance issues is a general attitude of insouciance and/or inexperience. In a group that was half veteran killers and half total rookies, the weird disparities between some of the kill teams would have been frustrating, but in a group mostly composed of beginners no one really tried to build some ultimate murder squad. I encourage this attitude. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KUaXv4nTFBxxWdyPJ0ee-NWMdZHhgJ73j72z01du6LIvP7-SNS44vpa88iKKEivRbcAwRLZvlkURSyobijFm4FELjR5XHmIvNrSojKobx94A9uFmy7PT5AyWuOvEKbLe0oNwpQam7HFk/s1600/20180203_163439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="1600" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KUaXv4nTFBxxWdyPJ0ee-NWMdZHhgJ73j72z01du6LIvP7-SNS44vpa88iKKEivRbcAwRLZvlkURSyobijFm4FELjR5XHmIvNrSojKobx94A9uFmy7PT5AyWuOvEKbLe0oNwpQam7HFk/s640/20180203_163439.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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GW games are expensive, but they have this weird effect where their shared vocabulary works in favour of them. If Shadow War Armageddon were released as a spin-off for, I dunno, Beyond the Gates of Antares, no one at CURTS would play it, partly because they wouldn't already have models knocking about to play it with and partly because it would be <i>unfamiliar</i> to them. It was really interesting to see how the one guy in the group who didn't have a lot of familiarity with 40K struggled -- you sometimes forget that not everyone grew up with this game and take for granted the ability to, I don't know, tell a flamer and a meltagun apart at a glance and assess their relative capabilities. <br />
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(I feel bad because I think I was a little hard on that guy, actually; I am 90% more chilled out than I was when I was younger, but sometimes I still get impatient and I ought to learn to relax about stuff more.)<br />
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My main point is that the familiarity does have genuine benefits. On paper, Shadow War Armageddon is a hard game to learn. In practice, a <em>huge</em> segment of the gaming population already owns the miniatures and already understands what the statline means. <br />
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This may be for historical reasons that are more to do with savvy marketing and fun IP than how good the <em>game</em> is, but here's a question for you: who cares? Game designers, I have no doubt. Other than them? <br />
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So take a look at that photo. That's the final game, with seven players playing on an 8 x 4 (ish) table. You can see that there's painted terrain, stuff scratch-built out of foamboard, fantasy terrain, terrain made from junk, army man toys, I mean the whole bit. The whole thing's a mess. But it was a <em>ton</em> of fun. <br />
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And that's really important for me to remember. Like a lot of people who are into miniatures gaming, I spend a lot of time paying attention to the writings and works of people who are much better painters and terrain makers than I am. When you do that, it can be easy to feel frustrated about what you perceive as your own lack of progress. But this game was set up pretty quickly and there were all kinds of interesting sightlines and tricky angles and people cursing the terrain and people forgetting where models were hiding, and much laughter. And it has stuff people made themselves, and creative use of found objects -- the things I love!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1PELjOQf0CnxDiBzkRH8NCD8MQNVq3NjvIPUk5Dv_CphyphenhyphenE7nVISE4QCPK-6BJQjAv_lC2AjYlEFmZeQnXJTpWy1K5bqPHZqGKhUh41PwmcL7sdnDDGWnex3OWP1avPoeVUUbBX6-sSsQ/s1600/20180203_163315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1438" data-original-width="1600" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1PELjOQf0CnxDiBzkRH8NCD8MQNVq3NjvIPUk5Dv_CphyphenhyphenE7nVISE4QCPK-6BJQjAv_lC2AjYlEFmZeQnXJTpWy1K5bqPHZqGKhUh41PwmcL7sdnDDGWnex3OWP1avPoeVUUbBX6-sSsQ/s400/20180203_163315.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The buzzchoppa isn't <i>the</i> most supremely pointless weapon in the game, but it's close.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxprw0E5IsPbBOpKrOe0CZNoK7LekMziERY8INPoUJdPwYbjncrzziXUq9NClhHo6kb3jjkBJNCpZd8Zm-fNjWExD-H1KmxpqaNoOXuhYsuXQ0nnx_zo58fsvqrHsbicJA4XAghHVmUs-z/s1600/20180203_163246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxprw0E5IsPbBOpKrOe0CZNoK7LekMziERY8INPoUJdPwYbjncrzziXUq9NClhHo6kb3jjkBJNCpZd8Zm-fNjWExD-H1KmxpqaNoOXuhYsuXQ0nnx_zo58fsvqrHsbicJA4XAghHVmUs-z/s640/20180203_163246.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boss Badlug is your basic Evil Sunz boss: a status-obsessed meathead consumed with the need for the latest gadgets.</td></tr>
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I have often lamented that there doesn't seem to be a sci-fi Frostgrave. I have to confess that I haven't tried Mini Gangs yet, even though I have the rulebook, and I have backed the Factious Waste Kickstarter, so I guess there's that, but I haven't found a game that gives me the simplicity and the ... interesting swinginess? ... that Frostgrave does. I absolutely accept that it isn't perfect, but right now I think it's very close to my preferences in a skirmish game. I just want the same thing but with aliens and zap guns, which may be the root of my problem. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSM2TlIhyvO_EEl-ZHIIa8oTvjfMBEUqWE8o1gfUJJUsAhoST-RXs7wtalE9mAK2XV3CaqK8943XDYqfbbNeiyOmNnRktkiOEoe_55Hqy6CAqLjlSLRN9v4WMvNNdVqklODv-J2_iODmy/s1600/20180203_163509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1586" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSM2TlIhyvO_EEl-ZHIIa8oTvjfMBEUqWE8o1gfUJJUsAhoST-RXs7wtalE9mAK2XV3CaqK8943XDYqfbbNeiyOmNnRktkiOEoe_55Hqy6CAqLjlSLRN9v4WMvNNdVqklODv-J2_iODmy/s400/20180203_163509.jpg" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These Ramshackle Games terrain pieces make great cover and great objectives.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIqrfwrzCa1U6usnDQvRB0AMVsK1H8keJBjhq3BAh2Y1bgCpEO94q1UjKG3_qgkXpe7zcsOwezpR2JRSwOpaaTKs8MWDl-PwXRiOQR9DluLfVZwxRvVkF0NGNBvpyqOJ-keI_M6Hnfpps/s1600/20171203_211853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1506" data-original-width="1600" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIqrfwrzCa1U6usnDQvRB0AMVsK1H8keJBjhq3BAh2Y1bgCpEO94q1UjKG3_qgkXpe7zcsOwezpR2JRSwOpaaTKs8MWDl-PwXRiOQR9DluLfVZwxRvVkF0NGNBvpyqOJ-keI_M6Hnfpps/s400/20171203_211853.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High above the deck of the Space Hulk, Badlug battles the dreaded Nunboss!</td></tr>
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In short, then, I have had a good old time over the last two terms playing a game that is ... let's call it <em>flawed</em>. My enjoyment of this may be more revealing in terms of my priorities than the actual game, but as I've got older I've found that I care about games in the abstract less and much more about my own priorities -- this is because I'm no longer really interested in universalising from the stuff I care about. I'm just interested in meeting my own specific goals. <br />
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And that's why a game that isn't all that great can still be a lot of fun. James Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09037978157160974070noreply@blogger.com14