Another Month of Meeples (July 2026)

Still trying to grok the feel and usefulness of Meeple Monthly, but another issue appear in the portal, so I will whine and lament as I continue a tradition that's over 25 years old

I'll figure out my new system of monthly solicitations eventually, but I'm not going to complain when I click on over to ACD and find out the latest issue of Meeple Monthly is on it.

ViscountEric's Want List

Nothing

ViscountEric's Money-Is-No-Issue Want List

Arc Dream Publishing

Delta Green: Grace Under Pressure ........................... $19.99

Catalyst Game Labs

BattleTech: Core Rulebook ....................................... $49.99

Mr B Games

Ace of Aces: Powerhouse Series ............................... $89.99

Random House

Logical Chess: Move by Move .................................. $24.95

The Imaginary Store List (Infinite Shelf Space Games & Hobbies)

1985 Games

Yanari: The Witches Market ......................................... $39.99

25th Century Games

Orbita .......................................................... $15.00

Phantom of the Opera ................................. $15.00

Pultizer ........................................................ $60.00

Six of VIII ................................................... $14.99

Alderac Entertainment Group

Into the Machine .......................................... $49.99

Space Base: Genesis .................................... $29.99

Tiny Towns: Architects ............................... $29.99

Archon Studio

D&D Pre-Painted: Underdark Terrain Set ... $139.00

D&D Pre-Painted: Carnage Tract ............... $79.00

D&D Pre-Painted: Chambers of Agony ...... $79.00

D&D Pre-Painted: Combat Arena ............... $79.00

D&D Pre-Painted: Maw of the Abyss ......... $79.00

Dungeons & Lasers: Iron Crown Monarchs .... $25.00

Dungeons & Lasers: Dwarven Train Set ......... $49.00

The Army Painter

Speedpaint Marker: Metallics Set .............. $63.71

Speedpaint Marker: Mega Set .................... $356.40

Warpaints Combat Se7ens Black Relic Armour Army Paint Set ... $30.03

Warpaints Combat Se7ens Purple Xeons Flesh Army Paint Set .... $30.03

Warpaints Combat Se7ens Field Gear Green Army Paint Set ....... $30.00

Atomic Mass Games

Marvel Crisis Protocol: Operation: Zero Tolerance ...................... $44.99

Beadle & Grimm's 

D&D Dungeon Master's Guide: Premium Map Collection... $160.00

Bezier Games

Warp 99 ..................................................... $14.95

Board&Dice

Tilanxia: Silk Road ................................... $30.00

Catalyst Game Labs 

BattleTech: Starter Box ............................. $29.99

BattleTech: Core Box ................................ $69.99

Critical Kit

Terra Fantasia ............................................ $25.00

Triple-O ..................................................... $20.00

Fox Curio's Floating Bookshop................. $38,00

DedBoi ...................................................... $20.00

Folk Hero .................................................. $38.00

Davinci Editrice

Raindrops .................................................. $29.99

Dead Alive Games

Kittens in Space ........................................ $16.99

Dranda Games

Crispy Critters ........................................... $20.00

Dyce Games

First to Worst: After Dark ......................... $24.99

Exploding Kittens 

9 Lives ....................................................... $ 9.99

Boba Blast ................................................. $19.99

Exploding Kittens Rage Mode .................. $19.99

Horrible Therapist: Holiday Edition ......... $14.99

I Suck at Drawing ..................................... $19.99

Match My Freak ....................................... $24.99

Sell Me a Sasquatch ................................. $19.99

We're a little early, but I'm seeing a full multi-copy display of all of these games for the holidays. 

Evil Genius Games

Everyday Heroes Adventure: Bridge to Nowhere .............. $19.99

Fanroll by MDG

D&D Mists of Ravenloft Halloween Advent Calendar ...... $59.99

D&D Mists of Ravenloft Barovian Bats Inclusion 7-Die Set ..... $24.99

D&D Mists of Ravenloft Folding Dice Tray ............................... $24.99

D&D Mists of Ravenloft d20 Single Oversized Liquid Core...... $24.99

D&D Mists of Ravenloft  Dice Tower ........................................ $24.99

Free League Publishing

Dragonbane: Arkand: City of Waves and Flames ....................... $44.99

Dragonbane: Book of Magic ....................................................... $39.99

Dragonbane: Friends & Foes Standee Set ................................... $24.99

Games Workshop 

White Dwarf - August 2026 ............................... $13.00

I long for the days where Wargames Illustrated was the expensive mag at $5, then $6, $7, and so on.... Having looked at some issues todays while I was at the FLGS I have no clue why the magazine is worth that much. 

Konami Digital Entertainment

Yu-Gi-Oh!   Legendary ARC-V Decks

Lazarus Rising Games

OverPower CCG: Skybound Starter Decks.

OverPower CCG: Skybound Booster Packs

OverPower CCG: Skybound Power Card Station

OverPower CCG: Skybound Omni-Man Playmat

OverPower CCG: Skybound Michonne Playmat

OverPower CCG: Skybound Invincible Double Sized Playmat

OverPower CCG: Skybound Invincible Learn-to-Play

OverPower CCG Deck Protectors

Negan, Michonne, Omni-Man, Invincible, Atom Eve, Battle Beast

Leder Games

Root: The Homeland Expansion .............................................. $60.00

Root: Homeland Hirelings Pack .............................................. $20.00

Root: Squires and Disciples Deck ............................................ $20.00

Root: Playmat Marsh/Gorge .................................................... $30.00

Loke Battlemats

Deck of Fateship ........................................... $19.99

Lucky Duck Games

Pocket Golf ................................................. $ 9.99

Mantic Entertainment

I'm going to skip over the Kings of War armies to focus on the TerrainCrate Offerings:

TerrainCrate: Fantasy Battlefield Pack ............................... $115.00

TerrainCrate: Jungle Gaming Mat (6'x4') ........................... $ 85.00

TerrainCrate: Highland Hills  ............................................. $ 25.00

TerrainCrate: Village Buildings Pack ................................  $ 60.00

Mariposa Games

Garage Rock: Retail Edition ......................... $49.99

Marvel

Marvel Multiverse RPG: Secret Wars Expansion ............... $49.99

Mongoose Publishing

Traveller: Vehicle Handbook Update 2026  ........................ $49.99

Traveller: The Fifth Frontier War: Brushfires ..................... $49.99

Monte Cook Games

Cypher: Character Rulebook ............................................... $49.99

Cypher: Game Master's Guide ............................................ $49.99

Cypher: Corebook Slipcase Set .......................................... $99.99

Oink Games

Compress ..................................................... $23.99

The Frozen Passage ..................................... $23.00

Osprey Publishing

Donbas 2014-15 .......................................... $25.00

Florence 1944 .............................................. $25.00

New Guinea 1943-44 ................................... $25.00

Tanks in the Caucasus 1942-43.................... $20.00

F4F Wildcat vs A6m2-N "Rufe" .................. $23.00

Royal Mediterranean Fleet 1793-1805 .......  $23.00

US Tank Tactics in World War II ................. $21.00

Soviet Cold Wars Destroyers ...................... $60.00

D'You Hear There! ...................................... $15.00

Roman Army Units in the Eastern Provinces .......$20.00

Pegasus Spielle

Bloom Kingdom ......................................... $14.95

Pelgrane Press

Fear Itself Shattered Veil Edition ................. $44.95

Fear Itself: The Ocean Game ....................... $44.95

Fear Itself & The Esoterrorists: The Book of Unremitting Horror Shattered Veil Edition ... $49.95

Swords of the Serpentine: Pillars Built on Sand ...................... $39.95

Pine Box Entertainment
Doomtown: Weird West Edition Base Set (2nd Printing) ............................. $59.99

7th Sea: City of Five Sails - Blood & Salt Expansion .................................. $39.99

Pendragon: Glory of the Round Table Card Game ....................................... $29.99

Pokemon USA

Pokemon TCG: Mega Evolution 5 - Pitch Black Boostersf

Possum Creek 

Last Train to Bremen ............................. $45.00

Ravensburger North America

Disney Lorcana Set 13: Attack of the Vine - Illumineer's Trove Pack 

Disney Lorcana Set 13: Attack of the Vine - Boosters

Disney Lorcana Set 13: Attack of the Vine - Playmat

Red Raven Games

Six Sojourns ............................................ $45.00

Renegade Game Studios

Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition - Courts of the Damned Sourcebook .... $55.00

Slugfest Games 

The Red Dragon Inn 10 ......................... $49.95

Sophisticated Cerberus Games

Lemonade Wars Card Game ................... $29.99

Steve Jackson Games

Munchkin: 2nd Edition .......................... $39.95

Troll Lord Games

Castles & Crusades: Engineering Names ........ $12.99

Castles & Crusades: Engineering Towns ......... $10.99

Tsuburaya Productions

Ultraman Card Game: Converging Bonds Boosters.

Weird Giraffe Games

Surplus of Sloths .................................... $12.99

WizKids

Marvel HeroClix: Hell's Kitchen Heroes 

HeroClix Iconix: Stranger Things: The Upside Down

HeroClix Iconix: Power Rangers

D&D Icons of the Realms: Adventure in Faerun Boosters

Mike Lung Gallery #95 - Tales from an Old GnomeTale #InternationalGnomeWeek

Another year, another June where I misappropriate International Gnome Week for my own nefarious (and non-monetized) needs!  

From sculpting, to painting, to just some whimsical sketches, with or without digital help, Mike's very talented at just about everything.  His picture of Winkiestink, the old gnome telling stories (or giving information) for a drink or some coins is a perfect reminder to support you gnome veterans.   It was easier for them, before the Gnome Wars, where the ill and infirm where simply dropped off by the mole tunnels, or scooped up by some rogue owl.... 

"Tales From an Old Gnome" original art by Mike Lung

 

(Painting) Gnoman Centurion Ronaldus Iavorski #InternationalGnomeWeek

It can't be #InternationalGnomeWeek, if I can't post at least one new gnome painted up!

The problem is, I've done a good job keeping the Gnome pile low, so I experimented with some different colors for this Holy Gnoman Empire Centurion

One of the famed heroes of the Gnoman was Ronadulus Iavorski, the "Vandal Vision" himself.   First gaining recognition for his accuracy in the bow and sling, Iavorski was bribed to join the Legion, and worked his way up to be the Centurion of one of the foulest Legions of all: the Aquilae Amoris Fraterni.  One of the rowdiest units in all of gnome kind, they jeered when they needed to show respect,  punch horses of their enemies, mid-charge, beat-up natives for fun, terrorize herders and rustlers, even turning their trebuchets onto Santa! 

.... and to be honest, I'm a Giants fan.  Painting up a figure Kelly Green just ain't right...

Next:  Shanties and gnomes, maybe the never-ending supply of Star Wars figs.

Project 350:  It's been a month since I tracked the drafts and scheduled posts hiding behind the scenes at the blog.  I'm actually pretty satisfied that I'm at 456 (292 drafts/164 scheduled) up from 452 (289/163) a few weeks ago.  Looking back at last year, we were a little higher, but managed to finish July strong before #RPGaDay always skews the numbers.  

Gnome Wars Nostalgia: 2011 with De Nerdibus #InternationalGnomeWeek

 As the makeshift #InternationalGnomeWeek continues to roll through, there's still a few lingering gnome-related posts, and given our proximity to Historicon, this one is a necessary throwback.  

Flashback to 2011.  Casinos were just getting their foothold in Pennsylvania.  HMGS thought they had the footprint (and volunteer base) to run a convention at the Baltimore Convention Center, then cooler heads finally prevailed, despite some legal shenanigans.  

The abortive attempt at Baltimore forced a quick replacement site for Historicon, and the Valley Forge Convention Center (again pre-casino) was the place to be.  

I believe 2011 was the second (and final pre-casino) use of the hotel.   Byzantine hallways and room should intrigue lovers of history... until you have to lug your stuff from the hotels to the convention center. 

The Gnome Wars crew had a pretty sweet arrangement, just a few massive games on the Miniature Building Authority "Castle" table displayed prominently near the vendor hall.  De Nerdibus covered it succinctly. 

De Nerdibus

It was a sold board, useful for a number of historical periods... and gnomes.  I believe I ran my first  Gnome Wars game on their Middle East board parallel to it. 

The Gnome of Ecstasy #InternationalGnomeWeek

 When gnomes hit the BBC, it's either a crazy old lady in a cottage... or it's drugs.

"Officers in the southern Netherlands have found a garden gnome weighing nearly 2kg (4lb) and made of the drug MDMA.  "Drugs appear in many shapes and sizes, but every now and then we come across special things," Dongemond Police said in a translated social media post.

The gnome was found among suspected narcotics during a large drug search.

"In itself a strange place to keep your garden gnome," the force said. "That's why we decided to test [it] for narcotics".

"The gnome himself was visibly startled," police said, referring to the gnome having its hands covering its mouth....

MDMA - which is an illegal substance in the Netherlands - is a synthetic party drug also known as ecstasy."

That's a double-over redundancy... all gnomes are ecstasy! 

(Gamma World) Not a Test #122 - A Weasel in My Meat Attic

Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, have decided to embark on an epic quest to reach Lathar's long-lost father.  They have stopped in Fair-Town, for municipal meetings, bread-encrusted sausages, and random encounters with your first litter's breeding partner.... Squiggles has been recovered, however not only is Ubenda, his breeding partner,  dead, but her body is missing!

==============================================================

Lathar Bracken: A pure-strain human from River Bend.  He's got the muscle, the face, and a mount for most encounters.  Lathar's trusty beast of burden, No Name, travels wherever he does.   Looking for trouble in all the right places. The two-time champion of the Fair-Town Queen's Joust.  Recently married to the now-pregnant Thunnelda Haycock.   Just received a letter from his long-lost father, and has convinced the others to accompany him to the Wildlands.

Sneaky Pete: A mutated weasel scout.  Pete's telepathy and night vision take a backseat when he whips out his electrical powers.   Apparently addicted to his newly uncovered yellow powder found at "The Pool House"

Sonny Helianthus: an over 10' tall sentient sunflower artifact examiner with four arms, and trusted Restorationist ties. Knowledgeable,  but not a good one with device repairs or upgrades.   Sonny may have recently detonated an atomic device in the petrified woods... although no one else knows. 

Slitheran Wurmtail (aka Squiggles): a mutated earthworm scout, in impromptu power armor, looking for trouble in all the wrong places,  and finding it often.   He  has been subject to genetic testing and developed super-human strength, a more human body, and a thick coat of shaggy white hair.  Recently attacked and kidnapped then left for dead by an unknown group.  

and two new additions....

Poppy and Speedy: Two of Squiggles' offspring from his first... litter(?) They're now teenagers in worm years, old enough to grab diminutive muskets and help their Manchi and his friends on this epic quest. 

===============================================================

Lathar and Sneaky Pete walked back to the center of town, where the main barracks and armory were located.

And the offices of Brom Hallloway, Captain of the Militia/Town Guard.  They weren't sure what would happend in Brom didn't have the right answers into the disappearance of Ubenda's body.  

Brom was surprised to see his fellow council member.  "A surprise, fair friend!  You haven't left on your trip yet?"

Lathar explained he was doing his duties, overseeing the reconstruction of the wall, and still wondering about the status of the body found during the attack on Squiggles.

Brom was very complimentary of his hands-off, eyes-on work to make sure the crews did their job. 

On the even of the death, he cast his eyes down...    Despite Lathar's charismatic fast-talk to attempt to make Captain Halloway misspeak, mentioning vague personal effects on Ubenda's body that needed to be retrieved.    Brom kept with the same story from the guards, placing all blame on Sergeant Malvek Trenholm for bungling resources that night and not properly moving the body of Ubenda to Tower 14.  Malvek was already interrogated, stripped of rank, and behind bars... and the barristers were desperately reviewing town law to see what they could charge him with that would be a slam-dunk conviction. 

Lathar and Pete were not satisfied.  Lathar demanded to know the location of Malvek and a chance to talk to him.  Brom acquiesced, but only for Lathar, as a "courtesy of your station, and nothing more".

Malvek was actually secured in the cellar jail of the barracks, enough stone and steel to seem to affect Pete making a continuous psychic connection with Lathar...  The sergeant was in rags, obviously beaten and demoralized, his head hanging as he sat on a rickety bench bench the black bars. 

Malvek, in better times...

Malvek seemed remorseful, but was emphatic that he had given the order to clear out the crime scene, including the body of "the creature" as he referred to Ubenda.  Lathar's questions seemed to exasperate Malvek, like he had already been asked (and beaten) many of the questions, and that some of the questions were simpler than routine.

Despite his assurances, he could not remember who was there to take the order.

Pete was able to make a sketchy connection with Lathar, mentally shooting out two word questions:

"See ... Dog?"

"Ask.... Glasses..."

 "Needles"

"Perceive Lying"

It took awhile for Lathar to comprehend the questions about the dog tracks, the alleged man with glasses, and the syringes stuck to the worms.  Malvek showed ambivalence to these odd questions that he didn't seem to have the answer to... or could figure out the relevance.  

Pete's illness from visiting Tower 14 seemed to continue to affect his telepathy, unable to make a steady connection to Lathar, as well as picking up dour and grumpy feelings from Brom.  

Brom assured Lathar and Pete that if they found anything related to this attack, that they would keep it safely before they returned to town before the major frost.  When he pressed the duo for the specific possessions they should look out for, Lathar was quiet and mumbling. 

Meanwhile, Sonny returned to Mr Holt with the White Hands at the Driftwood Inn for more information, and the timing of the White Hands' handling of the crime scene.  

Holt remembered leaving as the crowd was just being dispersed, leaving his subordinates, Kerrith and Marla to wait with bodies.  

He did fetch for Kerrith and Marla, and in separate interviews, they admitted leaving after standing out side with Ubenda's body for some time, before coming back inside the walls as the guard cleared out the last few people. 

Regrouping at the Triple Comfort Inn, they all found Squiggles, sipping on warm cider, his children, Poppy and Speedy still hanging out beside their "Manchi".  They provided the worms with their update, or a lack of update on the investigation, and asked him what he wanted to do next...

Squiggles took a sip of cider and spoke: "Revenge...."

And Squiggles took most of that revenge duties upon himself.  The next day, hee went quite a bit up the wall and set up his own burrow near the wall.   While he dug, Lathar's was adapting Sonny's "Curry in a Hurry" trap for underground use and a trip wire, use at the entrance.  

Pete borrowed Lathar's rifle and scouted out the neighborhood by the wall, finding an adequate, second floor window.  He was happy that the it was easy to break in, even happier when it was used for storage.

He was delighted when he realized it was a local butcher shop and there were salted pieces of meat and sausages hanging from the rafters... if he stayed quiet, he would have to snacks to stake out the entry.  

Sneaky Pete, the Charcuterie Sniper

The burrow entrance inside the wall was noticeable, but outside the walking path between the wall and the neighborhood buildings.  The guards seemed to pay no attention to it.   Per Pete's advice, Squiggles built an escape tunnel, just in case. 

After two days of digging, Squiggles was relaxing, waiting for a noise or the Curry in a Hurry to be tripped.  Peter was up in his meat attic, sampling the wares, mixing it with curry... perhaps a bit distracted from everything. 

Despite being well rested, he started feeling oddly sleepy, then felt something odd crawling on him... and he just didn't have the energy to flick it away...

Squiggles turned his head with great effort in the direction of the crawling sensation... the world turning fuzzy... and he was nose to nose with a green dragon.  

It took all his effort, but he pulled out his flintlock pistol and fired it into the tunnel.  The explosion seemed make the green dragon smaller and smaller, and a familiar voice came out of the ether.  

"Manchi?  Are you okay?"

Squiggles was most certainly NOT okay.... 

GM Notes (PG-13+):  The investigation of Ubenda continues, finally with some traps and stakeouts! 

The prospect of Pete the weasel sitting in the attic brings back an image I found earlier in the campaign because it amused me... and slightly horrified that it was sexual in nature. 

Next: #123 - Who Are You Calling a Lizard Licker? 

Burning Gnome! #InternationalGnomeWeek

Thanks to Western Mass News for covering the important issues.

I did not have a 30-foot tall fire-breathing gnome at Burning Man on my bingo card for 2026.

This does raise questions for a scenario involving a full sized garden gnome in a Gnome Wars game...