Workbench: The Ortegas Ready For The Hunt

Back about a year ago I finally got around to starting work on my Ortega boxed set for Malifaux (here's the original post about it here...).  Unfortunately one thing lead to the other and the rest of this project was shelved as I still hadn't gotten around to getting a replacement for my original Nino which was missing some bits.  Well I finally got off my butt and got him taken care of so I could get the whole crew to the table.

I still haven't picked up the new 2nd edition rulebook so I'm not sure how the Ortegas will stack up from a soul stone point of view but I really like seeing the whole family together and ready for action. Wyrd Miniatures are loaded with as much character as detail making them a lot of fun to paint.

I still have a couple of more figures to finish up for my Guild faction but at the rate that I've been managing I should have all of them done before the end of the year, making this the second miniature faction that I will have completely painted for a system (my Cryx army for Warmachine being the first to earn this rare and esteemed honor...).  Of course I'm sure there is more that I'll be adding to the faction before too long but it's really exciting to see them complete.  Next up, Sonnia Criid and her Witch Hunters.  Until next time...

Workbench: The Magical Circle Of Runic Goodness!

I happened to look at one of the games my daughter was playing on my wife's iPhone and was immediately taken by the artwork.  Apparently it was some kind of fantasy game were you are supposed to raise dragons or some such but there was this really cool ring of glowing runes that really caught my eye.  A quick sketch later and I was off to build my own magical runic gateway... thingee.

I'd originally planned on typing up a whole step by step tutorial on this project but unfortunately my inspiration got the better of me and before I knew it I was done!

Overall I'm really happy with how it turned out though I might go over the symbols carved into the stones to give them more of a glowing effect but we'll have to see.  I'd actually tried this for a couple of them but it didn't look quite right so I'm just going with the plain stone for now.

So what's it for?  Well, damned if I know but I've talked with the Munchkin about giving Song of Blades and Heroes a try and this seems like it would be a fun piece of terrain to throw onto the board.  When and if it happens, I'll be sure to type something up about it.  Until next time...

Sunless Sea Kickstarter: Victorian Gothic Horror... On A Boat!

Years ago I stumbled across an online narrative game called Fallen London.  I still remember reading choose your own adventure books when I was a kid and this game was perfect to scratch that itch (without the ability to cheat and see which option is best... come on, you know you did it too!).  More that just the story, I also found the setting fascinating and mysterious! Here you are trapped in the Fallen city of London, consorting with Rubbery Men, Devils, and the Masters of the Bazaar as you try to discover what this place really is and how you got here.

Now the folks at Failbetter games are looking to spin off into new and unknowable directions with their Kickstarter for a 2D seafaring exploration and survival game they are developing.  Welcome, my delicious friend, to the Sunless Sea!

Setting out from Fallen London, you guide your vessel into the unknown waters of the Sunless Sea.  Will you find endless wonders or horrors beyond imagining?  There is no way of knowing as each game is a unique experience leading itself to massive re-playability especially when combined with the deep story engine that is wrapped into the game.

Visually this game also looks stunning with its use of lighting effects.  You are literally exploring a world with no sun so even that becomes a resource you must manage.  Do you blaze your prow-light at full strength and risk attracting the attentions of pirates and monsters or run with the light low and slowly drive your crew mad?

Gameplay Concept shot from Sunless Sea

What's even better is this game will be available for digital download with a pledge of a mere 10 pounds (which equates to roughly $16 USD currently...) which is an incredible bargain! Right now this Kickstarter has about two weeks left and is nearly funded so I definitely recommend hopping over and checking it out.  Until next time...

Wrath of Kings Kickstarter: Yet More Goodness From Cool Mini Or Not

Since I had suck a pretty penny into the Relic Knights Kickstarter last year (which I'm unfortunately still waiting to receive...), CMoN sends me a heads up when they post new projects on Kickstater.  Most of them haven't really peaked my interest but their latest one... well, that's a different story.  It's time to get all fantastical and face the Wrath of Kings!

Set in the fantasy world of Arikania, five powerful kingdoms all struggle for the throne of the Ancient King.  An uneasy peace has existed between these powers but that is all about to change as their power hungry schemes lead the world into open war.

The miniatures for this game look really nice and each of the five factions has a very distinct look to them and from what I've read of the flavor all of the factions sound like they will have interesting stories behind them.  What I've seen of the game system looks pretty compelling as well as they've reduced combat to a single d10 roll rather than the usual two rolls (hit then damage) so games should flow along at a good pace.

As for the Kickstarter itself, its also driven ahead at a pretty steady pace.  Blowing through its $50k goal within the first day, it looks like it should meet all of its current stretch goals and maybe even a couple more beyond so all of the pledge levels give you a very respectable army that you will be able to play right from the start.

Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to back this one but I wanted to make sure to get it out there for people to see as it does look pretty cool IMO.  They are in the tail end of their drive though (only 10 days left as of this posting) so if you're going to check it out I'd suggest doing it soon.  Until next time...

And There Go My Eardrums Again...

I recently picked up the Edge of the Empire Beginner Set and decided to see if there were any actual plays out there so that I could see how other people had run the game.  I wasn't really expecting to find anything but lo and behold, there was a podcast that covered it!  And then the screaming began but that's only to be expected with...

Focus: Dungeons and Dragons 4e actual play.

Audio Quality: Three and a half sonic screams.

Content Quality: Four tangerines.

Average Length: About an hour to an hour and a half

Release Schedule: weekly

I gotta be honest, I really wanted to hate this podcast.  Between the random screams and the sonic hyena laughs, my ears probably would have loved me more it I had just turned around and walked away but for some reason I listened to more... and then I got hooked.

As I mentioned, the first of their games that I listened to were a short series of Star Wars APs and that is just an absolute train wreck.  Between the players screaming about strange dice and them just running around  blindly attacking everything in sight all I could think was "WTF?"

Just to make my pain complete, I decided to check out their regular 4e feed to see just how bad it was in comparison.  I don't know if my senses had just been deadened from the previous exposure or I had been driven to the brink of madness but I actually kind of liked it.  The players have a much better handle on the rules in 4e so there is a lot less complaining about the dice and a lot more actual playing.  There are still a ton of tangents sprinkled liberally throughout the episodes and if you're listening on headphones you still need to watch out for those ear splitting moments, but overall this podcast has been a lot of fun to listen to and I'm looking forward to more.  Until next time...