(Kickstarter) Amazons & Dwarves - 28mm Female Minis by Bad Squidoo

Bad Squidoo Games has launched a short Kickstarter for an expansion on their Amazon and female Dwarf minis . 

The figure are well done, pledge levels and shipping prices seem quite reasonable, and if you don't want to do full set, a la cart pledges for figures is available (and current Bad Squidoo figures are available for the campaign to boot!)

Another Month of New Gaming (June '19)

A little more than eight and a half years ago, I wrote a somewhat whiney, slightly sarcastic, kinda rantish review of the new game solicitations out of Alliance Games' Game Trade Magazine (GTM) #129.

In defense of my narrow tastes, and the lack of new gaming product hitting the demographic, a christened is "The Apathy of the New Releases (Nov '10)."

Fast forward all this time and 103 issues of GTM reviewed later, and I'm still making saracastic comments on certain product line decisions, but things have evolved into a listing of my "must haves," my "If I only had extra spending cash!", and, despite my claims to not do this in the first post, a list of items I would order if I still operated a gaming store.  My turn-of the century gaming store sensibilities don't always match up with the current market, but I've had a decent track record of avoiding/pulling product lines early that ended up being spectacular failures (Re: Dystopian Wars/Legions, not matter how cool, always seemed like one minor failure away from disappearing forever.  I was not far off.)

The "Apathy" was always derived from my narrow tastes.  Between style, rules, and pricing, not much fit into my demographic, or small budget.   But times might be changing.

Although a promotion or pay raise usually evaporates by the end of payday, my recent promotion should guarantee a little extra spending cash each month, with 80% of my weekends still free.  My new weekend schedule as a member of the local community board of directors will keep my Saturdays local, but I foresee some lunchtime family time while we wait for the next game (or I get a call that some coach tossed a chair out onto the court during one of our Biddy League games).

With that being said, I have a lot less Apathy about the game industry (current worries about tariffs notwithstanding).

Starting with GTM #232, each month's review of the new game solicitations through Alliance will be labelled "Another Month of New Gaming."   A slight hint of Apathy, just for old times sake.


ViscountEric's "Must Have" Want List
Nothing


ViscountEric's "Money Is No Object" Want List
Wizkids
Wizkids Deep Cuts: Well ............... $4.99
Wizkids Deep Cuts: Fountain ........ $4.99

ViscountEric's "Imaginary Store (aka The Pegleg Gnome)" Want List
Alderac Entertainment Group
Curios ......................................................... $24.99
Point Salad ................................................. $19.99
Walking in Burano ...................................... $29.99
Space Base: Command Station Exp .........  $39.99

Arcane Wonders 
Volcanic Island ........................................... $49.99

The Army Painter
D&D NOLZUR’S MARVELOUS PIGMENTS: UNDERDARK PAINT SET
...... $24.99

Artanna
Lovelace and Babbage .............................. $25.00

Asmodee
PInnacle ..................................................... $19.99
Until Daylight .............................................. $49.99

Battlefront Miniatures
Flames of War: Fury .................................. $35.00
Flames of War: Hit the Beach .................... $50.00

Burning Wheel 
Burning Wheel RPG, Revised Edition ....... $35.00

Catalyst Game Studio
Shadowrun 6th Edition Beginner Box .................. $35.00
Shadowrun 6th Edition Core Rulebook ...............  $49.99
Shadowrun 6th Edition Core Rulebook, Ltd Ed.... $99.99
Shadowrun Sprawl Ops Board Game .................. $49.99

Ceaco
Bloom .................................... $11.00
Hello My Name Is .................. $10.00
Punto ..................................... $ 8.00
Sushi Roll .............................. $24.00

Chaosium 
CALL OF CTHULHU: BERLIN - THE WICKED CITY .......... $44.99

Cubicle 7
D&D Adventures in Middle-Earth Lonely Mountain .............. $39.99
Warhammer Fantasy: Enemy in the Shadows Companion .. $34.99
Warhammer Fantasy: Enemy in the Shadows Enemy Within Vol 1 ............ $34.99

Fantasy Flight Games
LotR: Journeys in Middle Earth - Villains of Eriador ............. $14.95
Star Wars Armada: Rebellion in the Rim .............................. $29.95
Star Wars Legion: Battle Droids ........................................... $24.95
Star Wars Legion: Imperial Shoretroopers ........................... $29.95
Star Wars Legion: Clone Wars Core Set .............................. $99.95
Star Wars Legion: Phase I Clone Troopers .......................... $24.95
Star Wars Legion: Dewback ................................................. $24.95
Star Wars Legion: Upgrade Card Pack ................................ $ 9.95
Star Wars X-Wing 2nd Ed: BTL-B Y-Wing ............................ $19.95
Star Wars X-Wing 2nd Ed: Nantex Class Starfighter ............ $19.95
Star Wars X-Wing 2nd Ed: Punishing One ........................... $29.95
Star Wars X-Wing 2nd Ed: Inquistor's Tie ............................ $19.95
Star Wars X-Wing 2nd Ed: M3-A Interceptor ....................... $19.95
Star Wars X-Wing 2nd Ed: Ghost ......................................... $49.95
Star Wars  Destiny: Spark of Hope Boosters

Fireside Games
Castle Panic ................................................ $89.95

Free League Publishing
CORIOLIS RPG: SCENARIO COMPENDIIUM ......... $19.99
MUTANT: YEAR ZERO RPG - ELYSIUM .................. $49.99
MUTANT: YEAR ZERO RPG - ELYSIUM Deck ......... $16.99
MUTANT: YEAR ZERO RPG - ELYSIUM Map .......... $14.99

Gale Force Nine
Dune Board Game ................................... $50.00
D&D Monster Card Mordenkainen Tome of Foes ......... $25.00
D&D Monster Card Volo's Guide to Monsters ............... $20.00
D&D Vault of the Dragon, Blessing of the God ............. $20.00
D&D Of Ships and Sea DM Screen .............................. $14.99

Goodman Games
DCC: #99 THE STAR WOUND OF ABADDON ........... $ 9.99
DCC Annual (Compilation) ………………………….. $49.99
DCC LANKHMAR BOXED SET …………………. $59.99
DCC LANKHMAR Complete Collection Boxed Sets … $120.00
DCC LANKHMAR Cloth Map ……………………. $39.99
DCC LANKHMAR #1 - GANG LORDS OF LANKHMAR   .................... $ 9.99
DCC LANKHMAR #2 - THE FENCE’S FORTUITOUSO FOLLY ........... $ 9.99
DCC LANKHMAR #3 – ACTING UP IN LANKHMAR .......................... $ 9.99
DCC LANKHMAR #4 – VIOLENCE FOR VOTISHAL  .......................... $ 9.99
DCC LANKHMAR #5 - BLASPHEMY & LARCENY IN LANKHMAR .. $ 9.99
DCC LANKHMAR #6 - CHEATING DEATH ............................................ $9.99
DCC LANKHMAR #7 - A DOZEN LANKHMAR LOCATIONS ............. $9.99
DCC LANKHMAR #8 - THE LAND OF EIGHT CITIES ......................... $9.99

Konami Entertainment
Yu-Gi-Oh! Battles of Legend – Hero’s Revenge Boosters
Yu-Gi-Oh! Rising Rampage Boosters

Luma Imports
Gaia ………………………………… $26.99

Modiphius
John Carter of Mars: Players Guide ……………. $21.00
Kult: Divinity Lost Black Edition ……........…… $99.00
Kult: Divinity Lost Reference Deck ……............ $16.00
Kult: Divinity Lost Tarot Deck ……........……… $33.00
Star Trek Adventures RPG: Iconic Villains …..... $49.99
Star Trek Adventures RPG: Landing Party …...... $49.99

Monte Cook Games
Invisible Sun RPG: The Key ……………....….. $49.00
Numenera RPG: Explorer’s Keys ……….......... $29.99

Paizo Publishing
Pathfinder RPG: AP – The Tyrant’s Grasp 6 – Midwives to Death ……. $24.99
Pathfinder RPG: Flip Mat Classics – Hamlet ……….............................. $13.99
Pathfinder RPG: Flip Tiles – Urban Sewers ………...........................…. $19.99
Starfinder RPG: Alien Archive 3 HC ………………….......................... $39.99
Starfinder RPG: AP – Attack of the Swarm 1 – Fate of the Fifth ….......  $22.99
Starfinder RPG: Flip Mat Ice World …………………............................ $14.99
Starfinder RPG: AP Dawn of Flame 6 – Assault on the Crucilbe …....... $22.99
Starfinder RPG: Pawns – Tech Terrain Pawns ……...........................…. $24.99

Petersen Games
Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos for 5e …………… $59.99

Plaid Hat Games
Batttlelands ………...................……………… $14.95

Restoration Games
Fireball Island: Spider Springs ......................… $39.95

Steve Jackson Games
Deadly Doodles …………..................…………. $19.95
Fantasy Trip Companion …………..................... $19.95
Halloween d6 Dice Set …………................. ….. $10.95
Munchkin: Warhammer 40K Kill-o-Meter .......... $9.95
Munchkin: Warhammer 40K Chaos Dice ............ $6.95
Munchkin 6: Double Dungeons ….....................  $19.95
Illuminati d6 Dice Set …….................………… $10.95
Robin’s Laws of Good Game Mastering …........ $12.95

Studio 9 Games
DCC: Reckoning of the Gods – Into the Shadow .. $14.99

Troll Lord Games
Castles and Crusades: Monsters & Treasures Complete …. $49.99

Wizards of the Coast
D&D: Acquistions Incorporated ……………… $49.95
Transformers CCG: War for Cybertron – Siege Boosters

WizKids
D&D Icons of the Realms Premium Figures – Wave 1
D&D Nolzur’s Marvelous Unpainted Minis – Wave 10
Marvel Dice Masters: Spider-Man Team-Up Campaign Box.. $39.99
Marvel Dice Masters: Spider-Verse Team Pack …. $12.99
Marvel Heroclix: X-Men Animated Series – Dark Phoenix Saga
Marvel Heroclix: X-Men Animated Series – Dark Phoenix Saga Dice and Token $9.99
Marvel Heroclix: X-Men Animated Series – Dark Phoenix Saga Fast Forces …… $16.99
The Orville Heroclix: 2-Player Starter Set ……………………… $34.99
Pathfinder Deepcuts Minis – Wave 10
Wizkids Deepcuts Minis – Wave 10.
Wizkids 4D – Jungle Shrine ……………………… $69.99

Z-Man Games
Choose Your Own Adventure: War with the Evil Power ….. $24.99
Love Letter (Clamshell) …………….. $11.99

The Hamsters Journey 40 mm by Cartoon Miniatures

Cartoon Miniatures, in collaboration with ScaleBro, has launched a a fun Kickstarter:  The Hamsters: An Unexpected Journey of Rodents.

I'm done with hamsters taking up the roles of some beloved fantasy literature.  The look great, but I must question.

40mm hamsters???

That's huge in the realm of all fantasy minis, much less anthropomorphic ones.   It also jacks up the price to $18 a figure, or $73 for all five.  Shipping is a flat fee of roughly $9 and things should be shipping from the Netherlands.

Lost Dispatches of Feraso #29 - The Hauffen Farm

WEISSMACH LETTER #8

Village of Nav-Bodu, Principality of Trevodich, Kingdom of Nevskia

To His Lordship, the Viscount Wilfrick of Verbobonc,

The Order of Merit was able to enter the Kingdom of Nevskia without issue.  As it has been quite some time since I've made an accounting of my traveling companions, so if I may,

I remain Eldsderth Greyhawk, a scribe formerly in your service, I continue travelling the lands of the Old "Ancien" Empires, regaling tales of the adventures of my companions and I, while correcting some of the erroneous information some of our books maintain.  I also admit an unhealthy fascination with a dastardly elf, Talanth Blackash, who we seemed to just miss crossing paths as he's wrecked havoc from Verbobonc to The Weissmach.

Morya Silverbough is still a brilliantly ruthless warrior from Wyrmnal.  I have not seen her happier than when we left Ras-Prythax into the Weissmach.  Perhaps she was overburdened with civilization.

Murag Moutainhammer, our dwarf, if also far more mellow than the early weeks of travel, but I account that for our time together.  Despite the loss of  Rolgrim to the undedad General Balfas, and the loss of our cleric, Alwin, to the position of acting Freigraff of Amberstoll, I believe he finds us as trusted companions, dare I say, friends.

Celeste Sonnage de la Souer was a wandering Cleric of Akana the fell in with us at the barrows of General Balfas outside of Krigsgrave.  Despite her previous affiliation with Blackash, I believe she is attempting to atone for those sins, although I do not believe they were all her fault.  As a needed spiritual replacement for Alwin, I find her an improvement on bookish cleric, who made my martial skills look impressive in comparison.

Our newest companion was based out of dialectal necessity.  Nevskia is the first land we've encountered where the vast majority don't speak at least the most basic of Trade Prythax.  A few merchants, local scholars, and nobles in high self-esteem seem to have a grasp on our language, but most commoners speak the Base Purvmo tongue. 

It is a quick, yet slurred language, that to the outsider sounds like a rapid succession of guttural noises.  As none of us could pick up the least of the conversational tones, we quickly acquired a translator and guide.

Andrei Krasimir is a bastard son of the local lord of Sheagov, just educated enough to be a problem with the local constabulary, but wise enough to know how to avoid them.  Quite talkative in multiple languages, we offered a retainer and rations for his services.

Andrei Krasimir

Stopping in the village of Nav-Bodu for a few days rest (and to dry the resilient mud cake on every surface of our being), Andrei would regale our tales to the other folk in the Traftir TalusCeli (Tavern on the Far Road).  He must have been quite good, as the locals bought us drinks, and after an accounting, we were neither robbed nor poisoned.

On the evening of the third night, a trio of full-blooded Purvmo men. They were all cousins within the Hauffen family of farmers outside of the village and they plied us with drinks with begging us to help them with a local dispute. 

In short, the Purvmo people are no less petty or ignoble than your lesser subject, My Lord.  A generational dispute between this Hauffen family and the neighboring Naglys escalated into vandalism, mischief, and the alleged kidnapping of the family dog.

Using our positions of Freigraffs, we were able to enjoy Purvmo hospitality while keeping the peace Both patriarchs, Hopman Naglys and Tomac Hauffen, were quite congenial hosts, possibly due to our positions, but the families were absolutely delightful.

 Primulen (l) and Tomac Hauffen, Our Hosts

While most of the alleged offenses were nothing more than a bit above a friendly local rivalry, we did uncover some supernatural occurrences.  It seemed that good man Tomac was digging along an agreed upon "buffer zone" between the farmers' fields, to build a new outbuilding, and in his haste may have opened a chamber housing a Wilas.

A Wilas is some kind of spirit of a woman trapped between here and the afterlife.  The descriptions Andrei gave us afterwards pointed towards a vengeful type of fairie-kind, and I would equate those to be the nicer versions of the entity.  I can confirm that they can be tricksters, as most of the missing items of both houses were discovered in her recently opened tomb.

But to the common man, encountering such a spirit would be instant death.  Luckily, our enchanted weapons and the Blessings of Akana that Celeste wrought onto it, seemed to dispatch the entity... long enough for everyone to retrieve the items in the lair (and the remains of the Nailus, the missing dog).  Both families and our Order of Merit worked feverishly to repair the damaged wall created by Tomac's digging, and Celeste performed her best prayers and invocations to secure the creature, if she was still there at all.

I must also admit that I finally saw my first living Giantkind.  Epstenstein was a simple laborer in the village, but he was also a stone giant, a bald-headed man three times the size of the tallest person in town.  He was a simple soul who used his immense strength to help the local farmers in return for just enough coin to keep his massive frame fed.

Compared to the other (deceased) giants in the evil Elemental Temple, I hope I encounter more of this man's folk.

Yours in Service,

Elsderth Greyhawk
Sage of the Order of Merit, Former Sellsword - Extraordinaire,
Freigraff of the Totenlinden of Amberstoll.  

DM Notes: When I ran this campaign nearly 30 years ago, I was a high school student of meager means.  With 2nd Edition in full swing, I had the PHB, DMG, Vol 1, 3, and 7 of the Monstrous Compendium, and a smattering of other items.  Nostalgia and early onset dementia have me swearing up and done that I owned and ran certain adventures out of Dungeon Magazine... until I realized that particular issue came out two years after I graduated.

Dungeon #12 is NOT one of those modules.  And I fondly remember the leprechaun and the feuding halflings from "The Huddle Farm," but I can't for the life of me remember when it happened or with what characters.  

So I've done the one thing I wouldn't have dreamed of doing 30 years ago, I converted it.  As our traveling correspondent and his friends are entering Kievan Rus with half-orcs, I've tweaked it to reflect the mud-strewn landscape.  The Purvmone "Mud People" are half-orcs with some barbarian, and Ferasean genes mixed in, exactly the type of people you would expect in Medieval Rus.  

And the friendly leprechaun is replace with a Wilas, a very vengeful female spirit of Slavic legend and lore.  And a good reminder than most scenarios with a good framework can be converted to fit your campaign needs.  

Andrei is a plot twist I demanded of myself due to my campaign logic.  Nevskia is certainly a foreign land with odd languages, an orcish (Cyrillic) runic alphabet, and customs slightly deviated from Ras-Prythax.  An educated outsider is a perfect pick-up for translator and guide.  And perhaps he would have gone into the priesthood if he was the second legitimate son of the noble, or even if he been treated like anything other than a pariah by the family.  So with Andrei deciding against the path of his innate ability, and looking at the treasure haul from this adventure, let's make him a dabbler in the arcane arts.

Treasure:  Dagger +1 (Andrei), scroll of Magic Missle (Andrei) Scroll of Protection from Undead (Celeste), plus a thousand gold 

Next: #30 The Dwarves of Warka

The Weekend is Cancelled!

The Weekend, a small Pennsylvania wargaming mini-con, has been cancelled.

Otto Schmidt is the primary organizer of the the event, and with immediate cardiac bypass surgery in his future, and with his intimate knowledge of operations required to make The Weekend happen, it will not occur this June 16-17th in Myerstown, PA.

Here's wishing Otto a speedy recovery!

If you haven't been to The Weekend, here's what you missed during years prior.  

Happy Memorial Day

For those gnomes who served, those who gave all, those who hung close to the medics and hijacked a beer truck to get the heck out of Dodge when the going got bad....  Remember this day.

(Review) Back of Beyond for Contemptible Little Armies 3rd Edition

Most books going over the "Back of Beyond," the conflict in Central Asia and Mongolia in the 1920's, have a background piece that covers the ten-thousand foot view the campaign.  It's a good view for an interested party to start, because if descend down onto the bloody battlefields themselves, one has trouble discerning the atrocities of the various sides, and the moral high ground might only be a shovel-full more of dirt.

Sinister Laboraties, in collaboration with Rattrap Productions, published their third sourcebook with Contemptible Little Armies 3rd Edition (CLA) as Back of Beyond.  It properly covers the conflict at the 5,000 scale, admitting some horrible details with bloody mechanical efficiency, while allowing a vibrant background for campaign play with a wide variety of forces.

When dealing with settings, both historical and fantastical, the one thing that really piques my interest beyond playability and multiple factions, is the idea of effective campaign play.   Warhammer 40,000 has a wide variety of armies great for one-on-one play, but group and campaign play seems to bog down.


The first twelve pages covers background, including the Russian Civil War, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Tibet, Chinese Turkestan in enough details to whet your appetite, along with a bibliography to expand your research.

There are six pages of army lists and troops, just stats and special abilities, that fans of CLA can easily put into their games.

The bulk of book is the listing, breakdown, and explanation of the armies available.  Nineteen possible armies are presented, with variations available:

1. Bolsheviks
2. White Russians
3. Czech Legion
4. Baron von Ungern-Sternberg's Asiatic Cavalry Division
5. Regular Chinese Warlords
6. Regular Chinese Bandits
7. Tching-Kai
8. Mongolian Tribesmen
9. Ngoloks
10. Basmachis
11. Japanese Army
12. Central Asian Bandits
13. Afghan Army
14. Army of British India
15. Turkish Army
16. Tibetans
17. Army of God (a unit of Indian Muslims)
18. American Army
19. Dinosaurs Hunters (let's call these guys the "fun" factor who could fall into the conflict

The one great thing of the Back of the Beyond is the wild, varying armies with weird rules, including in battle desertion, and the fact that it distinctly states that two like armies CAN fight each other.  History is chock full of confusing storylines.  

Outside true fantasy skirmish games, Mordheim, original Necromunda, and Frostgrave,  it's difficult to assemble something with a long range story with multiple players.  Back of Beyond seems to handle it with style.

The ultimate goal in the campaign rules is to have one army reach the city of Kashgar first.  Even if you don't wish to use a map, a simple grid can be used to document the twelve steps towards victory.  A step is made by either conducting battles and making your army travel by forced march (a 50/50 proposition in the Central Asian weather).  Casualties and forced march results in prevent units from appearing in future engagements, or may make them delayed deployments.

In addition to the prepared scenarios from the main rules is the ability for baggage and looting to take place.  So, beyond a traditional ambush, forces hit the limited supply lines (re: pack mules and camels), sustaining the rival army.

The other new rule they add is that for individual characters.  Hearkening back to the days of Chainmail with unnamed masses and unique, evolving characters leading them, you can pick a variety of characters to supplement your army.   They can certainly help you, but they are also independent, so they could get separate, they could get lost, they get captured (and executed), they could even join a rival army.  There's twelve characters in total, which makes unique painting opportunities

Twenty-five bucks for a 45 page book is not a great deal, but since I'm interested in the topic, each page seems far informative than a book double its size.

On the Five Gnome Gaming with the Gnomies Rating System, I give Back of Beyond four out of five gnomes.

Back of Beyond for Contemptible Little Armies is available in print and pdf through Brigade Games.

Dungeons & Dragons:Renault Kwid Outsider commercial!

Earlier this week, I started seeing pictures of a live-action/cosplay of the old Dungeons & Dragons cartoon.

I actually like this one much better the first one floating around the internet.... Uni!

Apparently it's for an ad for Renault Automotive in Brazil.   And to make my young geek cry out for joy, it appears to be a full blown commercial?!?!

Not only does this have better special effects than the D&D movies, it ties-up the series and gives us a happy ending *question mark*!

Curse of Nevoz #4: Spring Break - Denver Airport

May '94 - Medicine Hat College, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
With the snow finally melting and still a month to go before finals, it could only mean one thing:

Canadian Spring Break!

Bob Krebs: A college student in his third Sophomore year, Bob's a Liberal Arts major at Medicine Hat College with a minor in Art History Appreciation (he's failed the same class so many times, they gave him a minor in it). He enjoys listening to lumberjack grunge music, wearing lots of red flannel, looking for "the mara-who-juana" and hanging with his friends.  Bob had started dating Jewel, but a relationship built upon the terror of watching random people getting devoured by an invisible entity was never meant to last.  They recently broke up, but Jewel's cool enough to hang with the crew, eh...

Alan Jonas: A Junior at Medicine Hat College, studying Geography. He was an academic drop-out at the Royal Military College of Canada, known for academic guffaws and short, violent outbursts.  Nowadays, he's relaxed a bit and can be found chilling with his friend, Bob and his recently ex-girlfriend, Jewel.

Jewel Fischer:  Ex-girlfriend of Old Man Ralph, and recent ex-girlfriend of Alan. This Junior Canadian-English major still enjoys the company of her new friends, especially after her previous roommate was killed in a gunfight between Canadian Commandos and the Russian Pizza Mob.

If she could only sing or play guitar...

The trio couldn't decided where to go for Spring Break:  Quebec?  Prince Edward Island? Gram Fishcher's house in western Calgary?

Finally, an American magazine and a toll-free number gave them a new world to explore.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

After working with a local travel agents, and bumming money off their parent's for "next semester's book prep," they backed their luggage full of flannel speedos, mooseskin condoms, and a bottle of ELK: for Men, and bummed a ride to Medicine Hat Airport, boarded the back of FedEx plane and headed to beautiful, scenic....

Fargo, North Dakota, United States of America.

The layover at Fargo International Airport was a few hours, and thanks to the security second only to Air Israel, the trio was allowed to walk right out of the airport, pass the International Museum of Snow Blowers, and end up at everyone's favorite establishment, The Vinyl Taco.  After a great meal, and some shopping for "cheesy American clothes, they learned that Fargo was the destination of the fated flight of Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper on the "Day the Music Died", before returning to the airport, and getting on their own flight.  Next destination:  a layover in Denver, Colorado.

Once the plane was up, the first question to the players, "Which character has a good piloting skill?"

Response:  "I have a high stealth.  Can I fly a stealth fighter?"

Regardless of what happened to the pilot, Jewel was able to jump in and not only keep the plane aloft, but successfully land it at Denver International Airport.

The boys weren't too terrified of Jewel landing a plan to not notice the odd-Swastika looking layout of the runways, but Nazis were only the cool dressing villains of the Indiana Jones movies, and not a modern threat, so they didn't worry about it.

After that flight, not much phased the normally paranoid team.

Not the tent like construction.

Or the disturbing murals dotting the complex.

Or the demon bronco outside with the ominous stormclouds off in the distance.

Jewel tried to find a place for breakfast in the airport, Bob mumbled to himself a lot almost like a hallucination, and Alan tried to swap local souvenirs with locals for the "yeti hair" famed at Medicine Hat Regional Airport.   Yeti hair was the response to the glut in beaver whiskers back in 1986.   To avoid a crash in the commodity markets, local entrepreneurs bundled the excess together as "Yeti hair," and it was a runaway success.

As Jewel navigated through the terminal in search of a decent doughnut, screams could be heard from the luggage carousels.  Large, demonic-looking creatures made out of stone were flying towards her, laying waste to the all the poor souls just trying to get to their Samsonite luggage.

Jewel grabbed one of the stanchions set up for the queue and started swinging.  Alan scampered into the airport's Sam Goody hid in the Celine Dion collection.

And Bob... he went into a trance.  While the other two dodged the attacks of the mythical beasts and the panicked travelers, Bob stood just outside the men's room, with a dazed look upon his face, but unaffected by the wholesale slaughter around him.

When he came to, he grabbed Jewel, dodged her swinging stanchion, and only said, "We need to go into the men's room.  There's a hole in the third stall."

Running to Sam Goody to grab Alan, they found him fumbling over racks of cassette tapes, playing a dangerous game of tag with a gar "How did you discover the whole?"

"Oh, the CatPope told me..."

"Saywhatnow..."

Apparently, Bob's insanity-driven daze caught him face-to-face the the the holiest of felines, the CatPope.

The other two did not wish to argue, and when the third stall revealed a concealed hole in the wall, they made sure Bob went first.

Amazingly, no one died.

The hole led down in a vast constructed underground passage. Outside of an inordinate amount of pistachio shells, and an odd plaque stating,

Secondary Luggage Transportation System and Escape Tunnel, 1994, New World Airport Commission
They meandered unmolested to a door which opened to the correct terminal for their final flight.... and an in-terminal Waffle House.

Alan learned the Rocky Mountain Oysters are not seafood.

Compared to a gargoyle attack and Jewel needing to fly a plane nearly 800 miles and landing it safely, the actual week in Fort Lauderdale was rather tame.
Alan brought home a collection of coconut monkey banks.

Jewel got caught up in the misogynistic Spring Break by being forced to compete in, and win a chocolate pudding wrestling tournament.

But the most scandalous pics were from Bob, who won an all-men's chocolate pudding wrestling tournament... all while wearing his flannel speedo.

Keeper Notes: Yes, yes, Canadian Spring Break in May is a total joke.  Apparently Pre-K to 12 schools have a week-long "March break", while Canadian colleges and universities have an equivalent "Reading Week"

While I expected the Canadian College Cthulhu game to devolve into some absurdity, it should be the straight shooter when compared to my Risus: Illuminati University (IOU) game.  However, concept of the conspiracy-theorist's wet dream of the Denver Airport opening straddled the middle ground between the game.   Sure, it didn't open for another nine months in the real world, but the 90's such ancient history, according to my kids.

And the CatPope?  Another cross-over from the world of IOU.   Hidden among my blog drafts behind the scenes, is my IOU Plot file, filled with over 70 ridiculous storylines and tropes peferct for IOU, but equally as perfect for a dude suffering hallucinations after suffering a SAN loss.

Can't wait for the next session, when we retroactively role-play Paul Rochon Jr, and his new friend, the talking fortune cookie, Ed.

(Review) Big Bloody Balkan Battles

Bloody Big Balkan Battles! is perhaps the one item on Brigade Games' e-mailing list that has actually caught my eye.

I have an interest in the "little-known" wars that are ignored, and the Balkans definitely fit the bill.  To find a collection of history and scenario in 68 pages surprised me greatly, even for 25 bucks.

Disclaimer: I don't play Bloody Big Battles, but the fact that they dedicate pages of this book for manufacturers of Balkan figs from 2-3mm up to "Historic" 30mm means the book is far more valuable to a larger, if still niche, group.

Besides an a twelve page historical overview of all the conflicts lumped into the Balkan Wars, and some of the major characters leading the armies, there are TONS of scenarios.  

One page is given to each side for the Order of Battle. An incredibly dense sidebar covers unique scenario rules set-up, victory conditions and even other options to run variants of the battle.  Since I'm not an expert on the Balkans, I can only say the author appears to have great knowledge on the subject and has relayed the information into understandable encounters.  

The maps appear to be largely set up in 4'x 6' grids, sometimes larger..  For 2mm up to 10mm, I can believe you can cram enough figures and terrain on the board, but 15mm+, with these Orders of Battle, the troop ratio must be large enough to allow maneuverability.... or perhaps the maps presented can be broken down in two or three maps for still large-scale skirmishes.  Heck, I could imagine some of the scenarios broken down into min-campaigns.  Some of those alleged square feet have four villages in them!

Heck, thinking of this as a supplement to my current Great War era interests (Gnome Wars), I could very well see multiple skirmish+ level games breaking out and their collected results would determine the winner of the scenario.  

The bibliography appears very solid, and I have a few new reading selections to look out for.

With tons of scenarios, lots of historical overview, and a well organized, put-together book, on the Gaming with the Gnomies Five Gnome rating system, Big Bloody Balkan Battles earns four and a half gnomes out of five.

It has the potential for being far superior from what is presented, but it will require a bit of work to be properly used for my Gnome Wars games (but it will be better than another ambush scenario or raid on the brewery).  Big Bloody Balkan Battles is available in print and pdf through Brigade Games.

Outstanding Kickstarters

Around my birthday, I received a pseudo-gift of my Reaper Bones 4 Kickstarter pledge.

Despite some dreams to the opposite, it never was a great pile of swag.

• Frost Giant Raiders (simply phenomenal sculpts!)
• Rocky the Red (in his five poses)
• Hill Giants
• Villagers (only for the pig pulling the cart)

If I regret not picking up any other figures in the campaign, it might be the Fire Giant Huntsman, but that's about it. 

Finally clicking the "Got it!" box on my backed projects page, it's time to see what else is pending (and how late it is....)

Flying Circus: A Roleplaying Game of High Flying Adventure

Reward: Just the pdf of the rules.   

Expected Delivery: August 2018 (9 months late).  

I keep confusing this one with Noir World, a PbtA game that's almost two years late with little progress in sight.  In fact, Flying Circus has continually shown progress, albeit slow.  The latest update this month still has the designers in a playtest beta, but I have read through a copy provided to backers.  It's less of what I thought the game would be when I first pledged, but I assume that's my skewed interpretation.

Sandstorm Wars and Sandstorm Wars: Forgotten Heroes

Reward:  Planetary Control Force #2 (and the two figures from Forgotten Heroes

Expected Delivery:  June 2019 (with admitted delays forthcoming) July 2019 for Forgotten Heroes.

Pretty good communication here, with some warnings a little while ago that delivery would be delayed... probably a weeks at this point.  I got a little worried when the smaller Kickstarter was launched before any word on production, much less fulfillment of the first.  I'm slightly more concerned that they've just launched another Kickstarter for large scale mythical monsters with still no solid dates regarding a target for the production/fulfillment.  However, as I compiled this post, their Facebook page posted pictures of finished figures from the second Kickstarter.  We shall see....

Pocket Box Games of the Eighties

Reward: Car Wars Package + Seven Pocket Games of My Choice

Expected Delivery:  October 2019

Car Wars, OGRE, Illuminati... I've already got a spot carved out in a drawer for all of them.  Thinking my 46th Birthday will be a Old Timey Steve Jackson-palooza!

Girl Underground

Reward: Zine + pdf

Expected Delivery: June 2019

Just about done, I expect it to be ever-so-slightly late.  

Life of the Party Volume 3

Reward: Book & PDF
Expected Delivery:  November 2019

I believe this was just sent to the printers, so Travis Hanson has another well-run campaign under his belt.

Bag of Bags!

Reward: Bag of Bags and two empty Pocket Boxes

Expected Delivery:  October 2019

Cthulhu Wars: CATaclysm

Reward: Base set of figures

Expected Delivery: January 2020

Lost Dispatches of Feraso #28 - The Purvmone of Nevskia

WEISSMACH LETTER #7

Village of Nav-Bodu, Principality of Trevodich, Kingdom of Nevskia

To His Lordship, the Viscount Wilfrick of Verbobonc,

With all necessary pleasantries done in Weissmach, we have begun our travels with the Cleric Celeste to find the trail of the infernal Talanth Blackash and his associates.  We have arrived in the Kingdom of Nevskia  unmolested.  Apparently our badges as Freigraffs within Weissmach hold the same sway in Nevskia.

I never realized how far east we had traveled into Weissmach to reach Sandomir, so as we crossed the border into Nevskia we were shocked to discover we were mere miles from the uncivilized plains of Galmar, a few measly leagues from our possible destruction by the barbarian horsemen.

With the last known location of Blackash's crew located in Regan along the Mer Bal, we headed northwest, with one eye over our right shoulder.  Needless to say, we never saw one "uncivilized" barbarian, much less the pressing horde alluded to in the tales to scare children to sleep at night.

Nevskia is a surprising melting pot of cultures over the course of hundreds of years.  In the early days of the First Ferasean Empire, this area was the domain of the Lentvar Horde of orcs.  The early Emperors alternated between making war and making peace with the orcs, and ultimately they fell in with the human overlords.  "Civilzation" allowed the culture to make great advances, and intermarriages between humans and orcs created a unique and thoroughly mixed ancestry that is labelled as Purvmone or Purvmo.  Some of the brilliant minds of the country are quite orcish, and some uncommon beauties of both sexes have an unbecoming tusk jutting out of their lower lip.

...still much more becoming than the general disdain elvinkind gives to those not cursed with eternal life.

It appeared that the threat of orcish blood among its citizenry dissuaded the Galmar chieftains from attacking the territory.  This created two waves of new overlords to rule over the people.

First were the cowards who dared bare the heraldry of the Knights of Feraso.  While many brave knights defended the Empire, a few craven groups headed east into the Purvmo territory.  There, they conquered the chieftains, shamans, and half-civilized nobility and set up their own personal fiefdoms under the false banner of Feraso and the Church of Akana.

As the barbarians warriors returned to their desolate plain with the spoils of society, their camp followers, tradesmen, laborers, and families, retreated at a slower pace.  Many ended up lost and wandered into the land of the Purvmone.  They were taken advantage of and abused by the Lord Commanders of the Knights, but the local adopted many of them as their own, and the Purvmone bloodline had barbarian blood added to the half-orc lines.

The leaders of the rogue knights consolidated their power far north in their territory, building castles in the land of the Talmark.  The southernmost lands of the Purvmo were fleeced for taxes to support the knights, but were left to their own devices.  As more actual knights left for the decadent (and barbarian-free) lifestyle of Talmark, the remaining Lord Commanders consolidated their power.

The most famous Lord Commander is, of course, Adomas Nevsky.  The Lord Commander of Kalvaria was a fair ruler by most standards, and nearly divine by that of the Knights of Talmark.  He united the Purvmo people of Kalvaria and expanded his control, expelling fellow knights one week, and wiping out native villages refusing to swear loyalty to him the next.

Ultimately, the vast majority of the people fell under the rule of Nevsky's descendants, the current Kings and Queens of Nevskia.

The weather is poor, the food is bland, and mud covers everything, regardless of a drought or a deluge.  But the folk of Nevskia are no pale visage of their stereotype.  They are a strong and fierce race onto themselves.  Men and women were actively recruited by the 2nd Ferasean Empire and the Church of Akana in a mixture of martial roles, and the thought of a strong paladin of "half-orc" blood is reassuring to even the far reaches of the old empire's borders.

Yours in Service

Elsderth Greyhawk
Sage of the Order of Merit, Former Sellsword - Extraordinaire, 
Freigraff of the Totenlinden of Amberstoll

DM Notes:  Since the first few hours of owning 1st edition AD&D, I felt sympathy for the half-orc.  The ability score changes and level restrictions far outweighed the benefits, and even as a teenager, I found very few "socially acceptable" ways of justifying even a minor population without stressing certain subjects that I deemed taboo for the table. 

Early on, I allowed half-orcs to have a larger range of character classes, albeit most of them still capped off before "Name" level.  The idea of noble, virtuous half-orcs leading Akana's military and pastoral arms seemed plausible to me.  Heck, the players didn't blink when I brought in Zabty of Halfwater, a half-orc paladin, in my 2nd Edition game just before the reigns were loosened by the free-wheeling days of d20. 

But this is the first attempt to justify their prevalence in society, all the while fleshing out the stolen/adjusted history of Russia/Novgorod, the Teutonic Knights, and the tribes of Old Prussia into my World of Georic.  

The general acceptance of latent orcish blood by most humans (except by the Galmar barbarians) and not for elves creates an interesting environment for all my players who came in looking to min-max some elf and kit from the Complete series.

Next: #29 - The Hauffen Farm

Games of Thrones, Game of Gnomes, and the Master Scheduler....

First off, not a fan of Game of Thrones.  I started reading the books and watched a few episodes over the course of free HBO weekends, and I felt it akin to some deranged historical political drama (Tudors, Borgias, etc) mixed with George R Martin's D&D group as a teenager as the main characters. 

To be honest, I haven't seen endgame yet, either.

You're telling me Tormund Giantsbane isn't every barbarian that's come across the table since they appeared in Unearthed Arcana? ... and he's  a character that's believable and that I LIKED.

Second order of business, if you're an HMGS (formerly and incorrectly referred to as EAST) member, please don't forget to vote for the Board of Directors.  Gaming with the Gnomies happens to be huge fans of Jim Stanton and John Spiess. 

And to segue to my third point, you're now reading the blog of the Vice-President of the Mountaintop Youth Basketball League (MYBL).  Unlike the current local political madness of Pennsylvania Primary season, this was a case board members resigning and me volunteering to help out in any capacity for MYBL.  For the Summer league, it just means I'll be at the community practices for an extra hour to field and resolve issues.  For the Winter league, I'm in charge of background checks and scheduling.  The calendar looked to be our friend this year, so a good portion of the schedule can take place before Christmas (and guaranteed bad weather). 

But the optimal schedule and cooperative school administrators creates a personal problem. 

The opening weekend of games is Saturday, November 16th. 

Right square in the middle of Fall-In! in King of Prussia. 

Since Dad is now the Master Scheduler, and last year's set-up was acceptable, I imagine Maja and I taking the day off to go down on the 15th, get home late Friday night, and let them sleep in while I run around to make sure the K through 2 leagues go off with minimal grumbling. 

The silver lining is that the league's season and big championship weekend, even with snow delays, should be two weeks before Cold Wars.

As goes the fabulous lifestyle of ViscountEric.

The Treefolk Awaken From Their Slumber

During the first week of my new promotion, I finally got to see daylight at home on Thursday night, and immediately to the effort of mowing the lawn.... in it's entirety for the first time. 

This netted us a nice cleared lawn and the opportunity for the neighbors to come over for a playdate... a neighborly pizza party.... and gaming.

In the five years we've lived at our house, we've had three sets of neighbors on the right. 

The first couple had marital strife and dogs way to big for the house, even in Suburbia.  They gave way to Steve, Amanda, and their three kids.  They were truly beloved by our family and it was sad that they had to move out of the area on a job transfer. 

Enter our third family, James and Amy and their two little ones.  They were younger replacements of our old neighbors, and things seemed to work out well over the winter. 

While my girls were over at the house playing/watching their kids, Millie spied James looking at trading cards with his moment of peace at the house.  Getting a closer look, she proudly exclaimed, "My Daddy plays with cards like that too." 

James plays Magic (and Yu-GI-Oh! and Pokemon... and listens to RPG podcasts)

It's taken awhile since that chance happening, but with the neighbors over for pizza, wings, and beer, the fathers slid over to the dining room table for a little Magic: the Gathering.

And my Treefolk deck got to see the light of day... and the mostly Common-Uncommon Alpha/Beta version won a few matches! 

Fact that makes me feel old?  James was born the year after Magic was first released.  I've been out of the active play community for quite some time, but it's difficult to wrap around my head that I have cards older than the very adult neighbor with a full-time professional job, and who legally brought libations to the party. 

I have an office to clean up this weekend, but the Magic cards get a more accessible spot in the drawers

Emron.... er, Emeron Unleashed

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, especially for a GM.

My Georic campaign has been adopted by some of my fellow friends over the years.

My friend Hoyce, famed for Zorin Redrock in the Burning Trogs Rule!, Talis Makolin in Ballad of the Pigeon God, and Dr Eric Bowsfield in my Cthulhu game, was one of the players who took the basics of the campaign world (third, or even fourth-hand I believe) put his own take on things and carved out a successful corner of his "Goric" world for almost two decades of gaming. 

Hoyce, in the rocking chair as part of the Boston Experimental Theatre, circa 2007, I didn't even know this and other pictures existed....  and he is credited as Hoyce McGurgle.(not his real name)

Follow me here, it's a little loopy for me.

I originally placed the land of Emron in the far off corner of my original map.  A carbon copy of Glantri in the D&D Known World, when our friend TOWN (The Other White Nate) ran a parallel game to mine at college, to avoid cross-campaign contamination, I let him take complete control over it.  I only made the the PCs in my campaign make a quick (and disastrous visit).  The rest was Nate's; adding characters, tweaking geography and politics, etc.  TOWN dropped out of school, and Hoyce ultimately took over the mantle that game and a number of others over the years. 

When I retrofitted the campaign to fit the fantasy Epic of Aerth, my Emron naturally assumed the territory of Italy and the Balkans, with heavy politics and magistocracies reigning supreme for Hackmaster.  The princes (and princesses) were fleshed out, geo-politics expanded, with new threats, orcish and Atlantean. 

For Hoyce, the last two decades have allowed him to tweak Emron into completely opposite directions, filling in the blank canvas all around.  After years of gameplay, it's now called the Kingdom of Emeron, an Anglicized version of the original concept, but still as awesome as ever.

He's been writing up his current campaign on his blog, Hoyce's Gaming. I'm not a fan of Wordpress and at the time of this writing there are over sixty entries, so I've taken up my rights as the initial shadow concept from long long ago, and collected (and linked) the stories to a page on this blog, Emeron Unleashed. 

Obviously things aren't going to jive with some of the stories, but as I would back in the college days, by Viscount Decree, everything in Hoyce's Emeron campaign will affect the Emron in my Georic, only 100 years later than the dates on the post (1259 is perfect for the setting... I might be able to make the Great Chasm a  reality with 115 years since the last campaign.

So by all means, check out Hoyce's blog, read to your heart's content, and see how much Hoyce, and his players, love that game.  

Free RPG Day is Back!

This year Free RPG Day will be on Saturday, June 15th. 

As it was in previous years, Friendly Local Game Stores participating in Free RPG Day will offer numerous RPG products from a variety of publisher, large and small, all for no cost (at worst I've seen a limit to the free stuff, 2 per person, for example.)

Last year, I took a weekend drive to visit the nearest participant for me, The Portal in Bethlehem.  While my girls and I didn't have the time in our schedule to jump into the numerous RPG sessions they offered, we grabbed our allotment of free stuff, partook in some of the sales offered, and had a great family outing.  

Gamers Gasp as Latest Trump Tariff Might Affect Beloved Cheap Gaming

The latest Chinese tariff proposed by the Trump Administration is going to hit nerds where it hurts: minis and dice!

The proposal puts a 25% tariff on board games, dice, and scale figures.

I'm no economist, but I'm very happy Reaper Bones 4 didn't have many more delays to the process, less everything become a wee bit (ne: a LOT) more expensive

Lost Dispatches of Feraso #27 - A Letter From the Viscount Himself!

To Elsderth Greyhawk, in care of the scribes of his Royal Highness, Krugraf Mykul I

It is considered rude, without taste, and at best, quite unusual for a Head of State such as myself to relieve unsolicited correspondence from a mere commoner, even one that was in my rough employ, such as yourself.

But you are quite an unusual man yourself, Elsderth Greyhawk.

The audacity to personally pen me a letter, from paper from my own personal collection, no less, was almost infuriating.  Your tendency to to assume my geographic acumen in regards to the domain I rules was wanting would have elicited calls for your capture and execution among lesser rulers.

But I must admit a certain base admiration towards your effort, a recognition of your determination to continue to send letters from remote locations, and a particular amusement as you have your endeavor has been adapted from seeking knowledge to finding adventure wherever you go.

Let this letter state boldly that this letter, the first an unknown quantity to be sent in care of the Krugraf Mykul's scribes, was my first response to your entries.  The letter marks the arrival of your letter from Feraso City and confirms you never returned to your hometown, where Seneschal Torben Mikkelson was sending and hiding my responses.  In response to this knowledge Torben has fetched my letters, and in respect for your great efforts, I will attempt to answer your concerns and update you on the situations you first addressed.

In your second letter, you addressed the number of costumed banditry, illegally assuming the roles of legitimate toll takers harassing the travelers of the River Road along the Serrault River, specifically between Taymouth and Eastguard

While my trade advisers have never reported such issues, to comprehend the veracity of your statements, I ordered my military leaders to assemble small units of soldiers dressed as peasantry and merchants in attempt to draw these vile individuals out, if they indeed, in fact, exist.

Almost instantly, reports of engagements between the soldiers and your very surprised bandits returned to my hand, as well as letters from the local constabulary and trade officials, protesting the secret use of the Viscount's barracks for undocumented needs.

I discovered a sudden need to replace the local trade officers, as well as all local constables, some with aged but experienced sergeants and officers who should have retired after their recent "secret mission."

As the title of Viscount demands of me, I can assure you that stretch of road is as safe as I can make it without removing it from existence and chasing all forms of life away.

I have instructed my new Trade Minister, the gnome Lord Fulco Wanderblaze of Osnabrolt, to reinforce road patrols with members of the river patrol.  I have also instructed Lord Fulco to direct any horsemanship lessons to Master Mork in Taymouth, but to make no mention as to why he is benefiting such a windfall from the Viscount's men.

If barge pirates do emerge from this, the river traffic is much more important the lives of basic travelers.  I hope you, an educated scribe would understand, but I will not pine away, waiting for your acceptance.

***The next few paragraphs discuss the apple crop in Verbobonc in the season.  The crop looks successful, with only some minor concerns***

DM Notes:  The Viscount of Verbobonc is reading Elsderth's letters!  And has been for quite some time now, only Elsderth hasn't returned to Feldkurton to retrieve them!  With the new address for correspondence, Wilifrick has attempted to restart two-way communication with his agent in the field with some positives he acted upon his intelligence, but the success might be fleeting if the road bandits turn to raiding the river barges.

He's also warned Elsderth through the apple harvest.  As a scribe, Elsderth would frequently use apple harvest letters and documents to hide coded messages for the Viscount and his envoys.  Now, he has been given his own personal code for dealing with Royal Court and his advisers.  I pray we see his response whenever he gets back to Feraso City to fetch this letter.

At this rate, I anticipate a few more letters from the Viscount in the future.

Next #28 - The Purvmone

I Got Past the Puns

Maja's birthday and Mother's Day trumps just about any celebration, but I present this in honor of Saturday's 42nd O.Henry Museum Pun-Off World Championships, in Austin, Texas.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Tenth Birthday Maja!

Our recent trip to Pittsburgh that my wife and I took in February marked the first time in ten years that I was actually impressed with my wife that she didn't elbow me awake in the middle of the night, worried that something dreadful was befalling one of our girls.
Ten years ago today, Maja Evelyn Jacobson blessed us with her presence.  Who knew on that first day that the little peanut in our arms would grow up to be the little woman she is today.

And thank God she still wants to hang out with dear old Dad, no matter how grumpy he gets.

Even More Amusing Post-Apoc Minis from Brigade Games

A recent email blast from Brigade Games alerted me to a few new releases in their Post-Apocalyptic line:

Fauxcahontas

Double-Shot

Preacher with Shotgun