I assure you, there will be a full write-up from Friday's Gnome Wars MEGA-GAME, but the first in a series of quick shoutouts to players that were as equally as excited as we were to play this weekend.
Friend of the blog/friend of the gnome Dennis over at The Wachtmeister's Patrol presented his take on the Gnome Wars Hawaiian gnomes, giving them a full Easter Island stone look from head to toe.
And the little shout out to the blog at the end of his post didn't hurt either....
Right on the heels of #FreeRPGDay comes the listing for #RPGaDay, the monthlong event in August were we cover a topic a day to convey our love and enthusiasm for role-playing games
I do believe the full list is posted on the RPGaDay Facebook group, as well as the blogs directly linked to the organizers. I'll post the full list here right after I finish the last two painting projects, where I'll pause my blog performance to focus on these.
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
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.
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.
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| 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.
Lead shouldn't be magnetic, but these two figures somehow emerged from the lead pile and was part of the painting line-up for the Mos Eisley Cantina boxed set I mentioned for #StarWarsDay.
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| Oola (x2) SW96 |
Like most of the West End, Oola was packaged in two way: the Jabba's Palace boxed set (40310) as well as in the 3-figure blister labelled as Jabba's Servants (40445).
I still haven't gotten around to the Mos Eisley cantina game I referenced when I painted up that box set, so perhaps I'll attempt to integrate these two into the scenario to introduce all of them into my Death Planet Iota game using Fistful of Lead.
Next: More Death Planet Iota buildings and a my Macrocosm Kickstarter arrived, so they're already based, primed, and pushed to the front of the line.
Project 350: Staying steady at 452 (289 draft/163 scheduled) from 452 posts (289/163) two weeks ago. My work schedule and pending projects are slowing me down.
May the Fourth be with you!
(And also with you....)
It happens that Star Wars Day corresponds with my recent trip to Mepacon 50, trying to figure out events to run for Mepacon 51 (complete with survey!), and my attempt to start painting minis after a three month hiatus.
The theme continues as my first project I started in April was the Mos Eisley Cantina boxed set for West End's Star Wars minis line that I happened to pick up for retail at the... Mepacon 49 Auction.
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| WEG 40309 |
The set is ten different figures featured in the classic cantina scene from the original Star Wars. We're not building armies here, we're developing characters for your RPG/skirmish game.
And I'm more surprised that I finished them before May 4th.
The most amusing thing about the boxed set literally fell in my lap when I opened up the shrinkwrap.
The back of the box, including the the product bar code, pictures of the figures of the figures and the logos for both West End Games and Grenadier Miniatures.
Flipping the paper to the other side, West End has provided Star Wars d6 stats for each figure!
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| Kabe (SW86) and Hem Dazon (SW81) |
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| Muftak (SW87) Kerru (SW84) and Sivrak (SW85) |
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| Garindan (SW83) and Labria (SW82) |
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| Bartender (SW90), flanked by Cantina Musicians (SW 88 and SW89) |
In the Queue - A number of Death Planet Iota buildings to kitbash and get off my painting bench, some more Star Wars figures that weren't part of the boxed, then some Reaper Bones fantasy, and then maybe, just maybe, the Great War Teddy Bears.
Project: 350 - This is my self-actualization that I'll never get around to all the stuff I've stowed away as a draft in the back of Blogspot. My initial goal years ago was to have 350 or fewer blog drafts and long-term scheduled posts.
That number still makes me laugh.
As of this post, I'm currently at 452 posts (289 drafts /163 scheduled posts). That number is up from 451 (284/167) from the last time I reported when I last painted in February. I would have made headway, but I have set up some placeholders for about a dozen ideas for next year's #CharacterCreationChallenge in January. Outside of my weekly Gamma World episodes, there's not much coming off of the scheduled posts through Historicon, and let's be realistic, I'm more likely to run games off on the fly, rather than the saved ideas, but with little prepping necessary for Historicon, there's always hope.
I've previously painted up some the "Vellori Cult" Troopers from Battle Valor in the style of a somewhat popular movie franchise. I realized during the process that the figures bear a closer resemblance to the Dinkfrom Spaceballs!
Queue some Deco Art Rich Espresso Metallic Paint, and I didn't have to break out glitter....
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| SCI-FI 36B Aliens "Vellori Cult" Troopers |
In the Queue - Mummies, Teddy Bears, and a full cantina of characters I'll paint and present collectively.
Project: 350 - Post #CharacterCreationChallenge swelling, up to 451 (284/167) from 439 (283/156). I finally added some holiday filler, a few entries into next year's #CCC.
After a month of fooling around with role-playing characters, I'm still cleaning things off the painting bench.
The Werewolf is from the original Reaper Bones line (77009). It's honestly one of the better Original Bones sculpts, and at $3.99, was quite affordable. It looks like they've transitioned it to the Bones USA grey plastic and the price has doubled.
The Duck is a leftover from the ones Millie printed up in class for me. God help me if more start showing up.
And after a thorough cleaning, I finally recovered the road cone from the Reaper Modern Accessories pack that I dropped off the painting bench and it vanished.
In fun news, I finally found employment. It's a step up from entry level, I like my coworkers, and I shouldn't have any issues coming forward with Mepacon or Historicon. Being a single guy on a limited budget means my evenings are getting focused on RPG sessions, painting sessions, and working through the back catalog of games, particularly Gnome skirmish, Mousling campaign, and prepping for more Egypt games with the girls.
In the Queue - Teddy Bears (and another "fun with paint colors"), Death Planet Iota characters
Project: 350 - 441 (283/156) from 466 (282 /184)
Dear readers might remember me sending love to my new obession: Bill Making Stuff. I love the kitbashing, the ideas, his world of the Gutterlands. I've expanded my collection of bits, pieces, and miscellany thanks to his inspiration, if I'm avoiding creating zines, sculpting, and more massive projects.
His latest episode #105 he sculpts his own scrap beast with a near comedic series of errors, but an awesome final result.
Day 15 of the #CharacterCreationChallenge and here's my part two for the Mall Kids RPG 'zine by Matthew J Gravelyn.
Character Name: Anthony "Tony Pepperoni" Sordoni Pronouns: He/Him
Look: Jeans & T-shirt, always a hat of
Style: Preppified Security Uniform, small backpack.
Where Do You Work? Tony's Pizza and Subs (no relation), about a half mile from the mall.
Who are You? Nobody
What do you Want? Ask someone out
Cred: 4
Corporate: 2
The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads - they all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude
The above quote from Grace Wheelburg describes Ferris Bueller to a T, but not Tony. Rather, all those groups might consider Tony a "good dude" maybe just "a dude," at worst "it's the pizza guy, he's decent."
Tony "Pepperoni" worked at the neighborhood pizza shop even before they began paying him under the table... and he's not even family! He's worked up to deliveries, usually riding a very illegal moped, or his parent's very ancient Chevette when the weather's bad.
He's a fairly likeable kid, never gets into too much trouble, and can attach himself to just about any group... except the preps.
He's trying desperately to attach himself to Sabrina Marks, edgy former preppy (?). He's found himself wandering into the new scene-core/alt shop, the Velvet Alley, and purchased to many keychains, stickers, and other cheap random crap just to talk to her.
He has moved up his imaginary totem pole of importance to her. Doing little errands, grabbing her a drink, easily getting friend-zoned with the "lifesaver" descriptor. He probably (and doesn't) have a shot, but it was better than just waiting around with the skaters until the next shift at the pizza joint.
The influx of the preps at the store have made everyone uncomfortable, definitely the customers, but especially Sabrina. Tony's too good to do anything illegal, but to get in Sabrina's really good graces, he'd do the teenage equivalent of burying bodies.
A little insight on Tony: When I completed my first #CharacterCreationChallenge back in 2022, I swore I wouldn't do it again. I did return for 2023, planning out things a little earlier in advance. I actually made some great characters for 2024, but ran out of steam on day 13. Last year, I planned a lot out much earlier, be it concepts or random AI art inspiration, with a healthy reliance on D&D 5e or Gamma World 4e.
This year? I had about 13 days plotted out, but not statted out, by mid-year. Tony was a little later, probably the end of summer, when I created a new blog draft with "Pizza Delivery Boy - #CharacterCreationChallenge."
I could use a bunch of systems, but remembered Mall Kids from last year. Except *gasp* my concept for Tony doesn't perfectly line up with the 20-page 'zine. A tiny nudge with concepts, a need for a second character, and voila, Sabrina Marks was created to fill that void.
It's funny, I when I looked back for links to the previous years', and to remove the rose-colored nostalgia, I realized that the next couple days of characters will be an undertaking two years in the making, that keeps getting pushed back.
I also must say I finally need to sign up for the Patreon for Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff. I have a pile of scenario ideas from the podcast hiding in my drafts, inspiration for some obscure Gnome Wars units, but I also built about a Hackmaster character back in 2023 based entirely on Favomancy. You can make nothing but D&D characters, or Star Trek, or Villains & Vigilantes, or the hottest indy RPG, all month long. I do like a little flair and variance from mine, even if they're bean diviners or pizza guys.
Last official painting post for the year... and it's a big one.
I've finally completed the Hawaiian Gnome Pineapple Catapult for Gnome Wars!
In the Queue - Teddy Bears (and another "fun with paint colors", Death Planet Iota characters, and a possible new convention project.
Project: 350 - We finally officially end 2025 at 466 (282 /184) another decline from 469 (281/188 scheduled posts). I am behind on Gamma World actual plays and a few other things, but with the #CharacterCreationChallenge coming up, we'll see a good number peel off until the next Project 350 update should be 2/6/26.
In my journey to clean off the painting bench, one more figure to finally give my Green German Gnome unit (Die Leinenkugels), the Bier Doktor they deserve!
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| German Bier Doktor |
In the Queue - Teddy Bears, Christmas minis, and looking into new projects for the new year.
Project: 350 - We are almost at the end of 2025 with a backlog of 469 (281 drafts/188 scheduled posts in the queue, a tip down from last week 470 (281/189). Everything January (#CharacterCreationChallenge) and August (#RPGaDay) I stop my obsession with everything cluttering behind the scenes on the blog, just so I can participate in the RPG challenges. I always post some painting and AARs during the month, but the focus is on the 31 challenge posts.
Although they were never properly statted out, did you know Brigade Games actually produced Princess Gnomes for a short time?
They were produced a bit after the Americans were released. My only point of reference is that when Maja was around three, we were using the female medic/nun/Florence Nightingale as a stand-in princess for our games.
We'll be integrating them in to the Historicon Mega-Game. Helpless captives, or royalty gone feral, leading their own tribe?
In the Queue - It's beginning to look like Reaper Christmas minis, a few more Gnomes, and continuing to work on the Soviet females... and Tomb of the Serpent filler figures.
Project: 350 - Not tracking during the holiday week cures my fragile ego, as the backlog drops significantly to 470 (279 drafts/191 scheduled) from 482 (283/199) way back on the 21st of November. Probably will follow up right before the holiday post deluge, which is followed up by the #CharacterCreationChallenge in January, one of the months (along with August) that I don't track my productivity.
If someone put up a table at a flea market, swap meet, church basement solely to attract me, they would need to start with Evil Hooded Minions by Pulp Figures.
I know my first pack of them came either from a distributor at a con or one one of my direct orders to Bob Murch in Canada. Since I've reorganized the painting bench and the lead pile, I keep finding packs of these figures, which are a dream to paint up, and every time I swear I remember the last time I grabbed them off a table at one of the HMGS.... and then I find another pack.
Fun fact: Of course this was just a baggie of figures I grabbed off of a table. In reality its a mixture of Evil Hooded Minions 1 and 2 from the Pulp Figure "Weird Menace" line.
I think I've run out of unpainted minions, but I wouldn't be surprised if I find at least some loose items.
Also off the bench, is the Egyptian vase they're surrounding... from Windsword Accessories, which I'm sad to say, no longer seems to have a website. They have a bunch of Egyptian stuff that Maja's painted over the years, and this was in her queue, but I specifically needed to paint this for a scenario objective for Episode 4.4 of the Pulp Egypt Game (Tomb of the Serpent).
We're almost finished with the second month of my gaming year, and I'm already at 70 things painted. It's good enough for Top Five output for the year in the last 15 years since I started tracking these things. Outside of some residual sci-fi groups for Death Planet Iota, and maybe the Great War teddy bears, there's not many larger projects on the top of the lead pile.
In the Queue - Surprise, suprise, I change my mind like I change my socks (and I always have plenty of socks), We have some Soviet female characters I need to research and base coat. I also have some one-off Gnome Wars figures for some world-building posts, as well as seven Reaper holidays figures which would be great to post up next month. After that? Balancing Death Planet Iota figures with one-off minis for Tomb of the Serpent.
Project: 350 - Despite putting in work to remove the backlog, I keep adding to it, with 482 posts in behind the scenes (283 drafts/199 scheduled) still down from 484(283/201) last week. Besides some holiday game fodder, I did add placeholders for these special gnome projects, but foresee very little else to whittle away the number.
In this crazy, messed-up world, it's still nice to find new blogs popping up that are sparking my interest.
Potters Independent Space Traders P.I.S.T. is predominantly a 15mm sci-fi blog, but it has that same fun, gritty feel that's right down my alley. Check them out!
Like a lot of us of a certain age, Steve over at Tiny Painted Heroes has not been having the most fun with gaming, and real life has proven a bit more adventurous than most of us want.
In his recovery time, he did ponder and post something plaguing most of us: "How do I address having too many games and not enough time to play them all?).
Minor spoiler, so I make you read his post: He asked AI that question and got a 5-step process, then spent the rest of the post on his step 1: the "Joy & Utility Audit" and a spreadsheet.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I've done my own tracking systems over the years, so I plugged my data in and generated my own audit.
I did cover everything: all 194 board games, cards, RPGS, CCGs, and miniature rules I've played since 1990. Steve's spreadsheet he provides is awesome, and I'm still tailoring it to my own personal needs, but it has created a new data set to compare:
Wargames:
Role-Playing:
Dice Games:
Card Games:
Board Games:
CCGs: Let's just say that the formula (and the current market) justifies me getting rid of the last of the valuable Magic cards, although I'll keep my Battletech and INWO cards stowed away in a box.
I can't wait to see see what Steve does with the next four steps in his AI-Overlord gaming manifesto.
There are just certain figures that draw you in. Although I had no idea of the reference when I purchased Brigade Games' Veteran with Pickaxe and Pistol, I knew I needed to order both sets of Female Armed Civilians. Having done my due diligence, and enjoying every second of it, the full squad is ready to take on any threat that I put in front of them.
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| Female Armed Civilians 1 |
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| Female Armed Civilians 2 |
We just started Tomb of the Serpent recently, and with the girls and I forming three new leagues, we exhausted my supply of painted female minis. This is the stop-gap, just in case we need more, and I've adjusted the queue accordingly.
In the Queue - More Pulp, a few select Gnomes for a special series, and aforementioned female figures... Soviet style.
Project: 350 - 484(283/201) from 488 (281 drafts /207 scheduled). Most of the next two weeks are already scheduled out, and we're looking at something like 50 out of the next 75 days already have material. I've mentioned it before, the only think keeping me from my goal of 350 blog drafts/scheduled posts is that 113 of those 207 scheduled posts are for holiday filler in 2027 or later!
The big Gnome Wars release was what I was told was "Hawaiian" Gnomes. Since then there is great debate over the masks and dress whether they're Polynesian, Tiki, Hawaiian, and even a healthy dose of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
I've decided for my first unit to have some diversity, so here are the Rapa Nui-inspired Hawaiian Nā Koa Pohaku: The Stone Warriors
Perhaps I don't understand Gnome physiology, but it's unclear is the figures have decorative garb completely around their necks (painted green), or if they just have very odd shoulder blades. I'm assuming in most cases, you won't see their shoulder blades... although if you're properly terrified the Island Gnomes might see yours running away.
There's also a unsubstantiated rumor that the Gnomes should be completely stone Rapa Nui, from head to toes. Does that mean the loincloth is stone too?
(Edit: I did complete the rest of the Island Gnomes, in Tiki-related style. They can be found here.
In the Queue: More Gnomes, Star Wars, and some Pulp trickling onto the bench.
Project: 350 - I'm adding just as much as I'm finishing... almost. 481 posts "in production" (287/194) from 479 (285/194) .
Is it karma? Is it Kismet? Is it Serendipity when you're cleaning up the containers and cases in the office, a bin of minis fall over and spill, and the first pack isn't just what you'll need for the weekend, but easy to paint as well?
That's the uninspiring explanation for a pack of Evil Hooded Minions 2 from Pulp Figures jumping the painting queue. Great figures to paint up, great spots for shading and highlighting, and a perfect foil, whether it's the Cult of the Hayride God, or a certain group can't wear white after Labor Day.
And the best part? I found another pack of Evil Hooded Minions 1 to paint up last night.
In the Queue: I though I had a set list to work on, but cleaning the office activate lead-pile hyperactivity. I knew I got 146 Star Wars figures from the Fall-In 2024 flea market, In my cleaning I finally found all the Star Wars blisters I got at the Fall-In 2023 flea market. Almost everything got reorganized back in the totes, but "somehow" 10 figures for my Soviet Cthulhu game 5 of the Evil Hooded Minions 1, 5 oversized Shaolin Monks, and a few Star Wars core character minis may have filled the space created from the minis I just finished this past month! Still in the queue from before: The Tiki Islander Gnomes is a mad science experiment in painting and styles. Rebel Commandos are still right there, so the mounted OG Mouslings may not see the light of day for while longer.
Project: 350 - We're the same at 479 (285/194) from last week 479 (284 draft/195 scheduled). I am clearing stuff off the back end of the blog, but.... I'm adding stuff on just as fast.
