Still powering through a clean-up of my email that started Memorial Day weekend. I'm still not a 100% fan of 3-D minis, especially since for every time I here a great story about figures, or most notably terrain, I here ten stories of the hours of set-up, resin issues, or so forth that could be me putting in a fewer hours in overtime just to have the equivalent produced and sent to my door.
But friend of the blog and AWARD WINNING GM Mike Lung mentioned these gnomes from Red Nebular for proper sci-fi Swiss gnomes for his Mousling Cheese Planet game, and I can't support these enough.
Mike did give me a number of other pictures that I can't find on the site, so I assume they might be available via their Patreon
The figures are suitable for 15 or 25mm, a more intimate set of figs compared to the hunks o' metal that Gnome Wars makes.
It's a good time to mention that Alternative Armies is in the middle of their Spring Mega-Sale, running till May 6th. Orders automatically get 20% off!
I'll be honest, December has been a large pile of suck. A handful of job interviews, a larger pile of rejections for mostly "filler" positions, and a LOT of driving to see the kids up in Albany. There's a moment in those drives where the Spotify playlist just soothes my black heart and fractured soul.
Additional bummers?
No children around this year helping me make my Kjottbollar (Swedish Meathballs) and Limpa and other breads.
Nobody coming over Christmas Eve for dinner (Christmas Eve is always the superior holiday to Christmas Day), then me transporting them back to their Mother after pancakes Christmas.
Christmas Eve: With my sister visiting her in-laws in the Great White North this year, I packed up the food and drove down to Easton to visit my mother. I took care of stuff around the house, ran her errands, including a trip to Wal-Mart I never thought I'd return from, and we ate. Basic. Simple. She enjoyed the food but did NOT have a good day. Sixty years of smoking have caught up like gangbusters.
We didn't exchange gifts, but one arrived when I got home on the perfect day to count it as one.
Palladium had a Kickstarter for a new, expanded edition of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness. Two years later, eight months late, and a $25 flat shipping charge for the core book, my copy of the rules arrived two days earlier than projected. Trust me, I'm well aware of Palladium as a whole, and their Kickstarter history, so I'm not surprised, just miffed enough. But it's in my hands, and if that's not a Christmas miracle, nothing is.
Early Christmas morning, I recovered from a night of full-strength egg nog, and trekked the three and a half hour drive to see the kids, with a cooler full of bread and meatballs, two stockings, and a single wrapped gift.
I almost miss those early days of K-Mart/Wal-Mart Layaway, paying off the balance, and figuring out the logistics of it all. Most of it nowadays is Ulta, Sephora, and Barnes & Noble, so most of it fits in the stocking.
Paints. I had specifically requested Citadel Seraphim Sepia wash, since I recently had an accident with one of the older, big bottles, and could not find it in stock at the last four stores I frequented. They actually have a Warhammer store within twenty minutes, and every was on stock (and allegedly on sale... although thirty-five years of history might bias be on believing that claim from the girls.
Not one for just getting an $8 jar of paint, they also got me
Zandri Dust - A Desert-y Tomb Kings color. I'm half-tempted to use it on my American Teddy Bears.
Mournfang Brown (Air-brush sized pot) - Brown is my favorite painting color, in all its shades, so I'll try it out. A little miffed the GW guys didn't question them (a simple "Do you have an airbrush machine?") but perhaps that is gatekeeping... from the hobby or the profit margin.
Nihilakh Oxide - A Necron corrosion color. All of the paints I can certainly use. (Michael's has been rubbish this past year, and they are strongly anti-Hobby Lobby, so I can't expect other sources.)
Christmas Playing Cards - When we played our Christmas Game this year, I mentioned my displeasure with the Gilded/Pulp style playing cards we were using for Fistful of Lead. Millie took that to heart and got me "Home for the Holidays" Bicycle deck. Very clean, gently themed... and guaranteed to be used for the Christmas games in the future, and hopefully more.
Glitter Ducks - We certainly had a bit of a duck theme this year (with one more discovered and added t other painting queue, see one of next year's posts for that one. Apparently I missed the Glitter Quacks at Five Below, but Millie did not. They're cute, plentiful, and after discovering Fishing28, I'm certain we can make a Duckin' 28 game. Worst case I'll collaborate with the young lady running a larger scale duck game at HMGS/Historicon.
Oh, and despite me packing a tote-full of games, we kept ourselves busy (and bruised) playing Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizaa repeatedly.
Outside of grabbing another copy of A Place for All My Books for my sister and husband after their return to Canada, I'm satisfied with my haul....
Scratch that, despite the distance and irregularity of my visits, my Dad Christmas List has never changed.
Underwear
Gold Toe Socks
Undershirts
My undershirts have held up, I just got replacement socks last year (and not moment too soon, as the older pairs are disintegrating.
I did not get my underwear (and I wanted a smaller size to boot after all these years! Huzzah!). Time to venture forth into the retail wasteland after our ice storm is finally cleared up for a pack of two.
(They did through a gift card in my stocking for said underwear... I just felt like ranting).
With the way this world is, I'm happy the Weekly World News is back on my radar.
Unfortunately, I'm also burying the lead. The event listing is finally getting published for Fall-In! 2025 over at Tabletop Events. I regret to inform the gnome masses that I will be one of many Stout Gnomes not in attendance at the con, as a player or GM. Our "Gnome King" himself, Jim Stanton, is currently working on a new title "Crokinole King" by organizing tournaments at the convention (sponsored by the Connecticut Crokinole Club), so as of this time, there will be no Gnome Wars games.
I know we're still making decisions regarding Cold Wars and the February dates, so I guess we need to triple down on a classic Mega-Game for Historicon 2026. I'm thinking a return of the three table Treasure Island game from Cold Wars 2012! A perfect warning for everyone purchasing the Tiki/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Easter Island units from Brigade to get them painted up and guarantee a spot on the tables.
Just a happy note, that I found an link on a Patreon covering Clerics of Baervan Wildewander for Greyhawk. It appears to be publicly accessible information. I personally love the artwork.
In the enchanted woods, industrious gnomes and chill-yet-surprisingly-clever capybaras clash over resources, land, and influence. Will diplomacy or fur-flying combat win the day?
Gnomes vs Capybaras is a 2 or 4 player strategic card game for ages 12+. Players gather resources like Courage, Berries, and Crystals, deploy quirky Workers, Soldiers, and Diplomats, and face off in locations alive with magic and mischief.
Every card brims with charm, from gnome inventors muttering about “experimental features” to capybaras who insist “every day’s a hammock day… until it rains.”
International Gnome Week is back, baby! What originally was something completely different for Wikipedia (so much so that Wikipedia removed most references to it), it's time for a week of gnomes, garden gnomes, painted gnomes, and some Gnome Wars related stuff.
In a weekend where Maja had play practice, Millie travelled to watch their high school basketball team completely crash and burn in the state playoffs, and their mom handled all transportation, I had a free weekend, and.... a date.
It was decided we would spend the Saturday afternoon in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. She had never been, and I had been with the complete family when the girls were younger.
I won't go into full rant mode about the lack of street parking and the public parking monopoly that rewards hardcore tourists, but discourages casual and local foot traffic. We were coming from two opposite directions, but next time I would drive down and take one car.
Jim Thorpe has prided itself on the train rides downtown, and the Victorian architecture developed from the wealth of the Pennsylvania coal boon, the canals, and most certainly the railroads. The main tourist trap is maybe six square blocks, with cutesy shops, and a LOT of caffeine and alcohol.
Curiosities Coffee and Ice House - 77 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA - She was impressed so much the first pass that we came back for another round on the way back. She gives it Five out of Five Cheshire Cats, for the drinks, the service, and an all-in Alice in Wonderland theme.
Notch Eight Craft House - 107 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA - One reason not to visit with kids. There is an alternate universe where I just sit at the bar and drink the Belgian Quad they were serving until the end of time. The Japanese Burger I had was way out of my comfort zone and was still spectacular. More importantly, SHE was wildly impressed, and she's quite picky about her alcohols. Five out of Five gnomes, even if the senior citizens came in halfway through our meal and asked for Guinness and (Yuengling) Lager, despite being directed to the board for available brews. I believe the craft beer samples they were provided may have generated the theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
At least they didn't ask for Coors.
Stonekeep Meadery - Also 77 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA - Another reason we went back for more coffee. The building with Curiosities had multiple shops on two floors, full of shops of trinkets, plants, and what have you.... plus a small room serving mead and wine samples. The two meads tasted like Yule and Summer, and I actually tried one wine and ended up buying a bottle.
It was almost a requirement:
It was described as a red and white blended wine with a red aftertaste. I bought it without concern, but haven't cracked it open for a full review.
Final notes on a great day:
It's just over twenty bucks for the train ride for an adult, actually a cheaper and longer excursion than Strasburg's down by Lancaster.
If the bakery is set up in front of the train station, it's a much visit. Yes, the eclair was a bit much for my delicate constitution, but it was worth every penny.
It's been awhile since Kickstarter had a gnome-themed campaign that piqued my interest, so Gnome Village showed up at the perfect time.
Each player builds their own gnome village made up of tiles that represent different environments, paths, and workshops. Each workshop will have associated actions.
You can challenge or help fellow players, visit each other's villages, and even expand your own village with businesses and workshops.
It looks like a fun little game. My only drawbacks are the price is slightly high (that would be a "me" thing at the local FLGS too, and everything is based from Europe, and dear readers know how the only thing more annoying that USPS shipping rates are European shipping rates.
