Finished up some more models for my colonial marines! These guys come from a variety of different Stargrave kits, including the first ones I've built from the Crew II and Mercenaries II kits.

The vehicle is actually a matchbox car I saw at the grocery store. I believe it is one of the Mars landers. I thought it would look cool to paint it up and use it as an industrial 'drone' - a vehicle that miners could use to quickly load and process ore, or farmers could use as part of the planting process... I mean, basically, it's just a cool little piece of terrain, and I think it scales really well with the figures.

I Make Pie!

 

Reaper Bones minis sculpted by Bobby Jackson.

Silent Death - The Ptolemean Wars Begin!

Last night I went to the local gaming store for a bit of Silent Death action! For a long time now (seriously, nearly 30 years), I've been wanting to play through the Ptolemean Wars campaign - the very first supplemental campaign created for the game (contained in two, long out of print and unavailable books). Having found a friend who is also interested in the game, we decided to give it ago. Last night, we played through the first two scenarios, completing both in less than 3 hours - speed is a strength of the game.

Now, honestly, despite planning the games for over three weeks, neither of us were fully prepared. I thought I was going to have a new flight of fighters painted up, and maybe even a bit of space junk terrain. Instead, I had no terrain and had to use old fighters models that don't actually match the ones used in the scenarios. My opponent, on the other hand, couldn't even find his painted ships and had to go unpainted! We both vowed to do better next time!

The games were a heap o' fun. The first was played in stages, where we both started with a small force and received reinforcements a few turns later. Torpedoes flew everywhere, but it was cannons that did the most damage. In the end, my invading forces had wiped out the defending force, losing only one man in the process.

The second game was smaller, with just two fighters a side, but no less entertaining. This time, it was torpedoes that won the day, as both of my fighters suffered heavy strikes and became easy prey. 

So, one victory, one loss, and a great evening's gaming. That's 2 scenarios down, with 10 to go in the first book! 

Grave Mutations for Frostgrave (and Others!)

The d20 was not enough. Now is the time of the d1,000! 

Grave Mutations is my new, self-published book that contains 1,000 different mutations for Frostgrave, arranged in a handy d1,000 table. With a bit of imagination, the book can also be used for Stargrave, Ghost Archipleago, and Rangers of Shadow Deep. 

 Extra eyes and animal parts, explosive sneezes and ink sprays, bodies of stone, iron, and glass, innate spells and exo-skeletons... There is no specific call for using the table, just a whole lot of weirdness with mechanical rules for each one. 

To make the whole thing even more fun, my friend Barrett Stanley drew over 100 illustrations for the book, while Frostgrave veteran aRu-Mor provided the cover.

Ironically, this is the largest supplement I have ever written and comes in at 127 pages! So, head over to DriveThruRPG where you can check out an extensive preview and pick up the book both in PDF and in print-on-demand!

Blasting Wererats!

Got a bit of painting done this weekend, continuing my work on boardgame figures. The barkeep with shotgun comes from Zombicide: Undead or Alive, while the rat warriors come from Mice & Mystics. I was surprised by how well they fit together. This bodes well for Weird West games of the future! 

I've been spraying these figures with a heavier layer of varnish than usual, under the thought that boardgame figures probably get handled more than wargame miniatures. That might explain why I've got a bit of reflection going on in the photo, the shiny sheen isn't as noticeable live. 

Still got a little over half of the figures from the Mice & Mystics box to go. The Zombicide one contains so many figures that it isn't worth count yet!

 

Cosmic Wimpout

I recently introduced my family to Cosmic Wimpout, and it has proved an immediate hit. It's also the first competitive game that hasn't caused any bad feelings when people lose or are losing (a constant danger when gaming with an 8 and 6 year-old).

I first played Cosmic Wimpout at university and then promptly forgot about it for the next twenty-something years. Recently, I came across it again while reading The Hundred Best Hobby Games and decided to get a set. This proved slightly harder than expected, and I eventually had to order a set through ebay, from the USA. Even with shipping, however, it still only cost me £6, though I did have to wait about a month.

For those not in the know, Cosmic Wimpout is a simple dice game, with fun-looking dice. Players take turns rolling all five dice and collecting points. The game has a fantastic press-your-luck mechanic. Essentially, as long as players keep scoring points on a roll, they can keep rolling. However, they only keep the points for that round if they stop rolling before they 'wimpout'. There are also several situations that force a player to reroll, which really ratchets up the tension.

So, the game is easy to understand, it plays very quick, and no player is ever out of the game, as it is always possible to score a huge round. It can also handle as many people as want to play. 

Considering its small size, it's just about the perfect game to throw in your bag and take it wherever. Because you never know when you are going to need a good game! 

Boardgamey

 

I spent a good deal of the weekend painting up board game pieces. I must admit, I do find it a bit of a strain, as the details are much shallower than on the traditional metal miniatures that I have spent most of my life painting. That said, with a bit of work and will, I think I've managed some pretty good results.

First up, we have the wizard mouse for Mice & Mystics, with a little ladybug on his arm. Then we've got a couple of figures from Zombicide: Undead or Alive, which kickstarted last year and which I just received. Normally, I don't like backing big, expensive kickstarters, and I only backed this one at a minimum level, but I really wanted the figures to use for Deadlands and the like. If I end up liking that game, that's a bonus! So, we've got a high-style lady packing a pair of revolvers and a giant mutant zombie thing (only about 100 to go!).