(Kickstarter) Steam Pulp from Pulp Figures

Bob Murch with Pulp Figures has launched a new Kickstarter to provide a healthy start to his new Steam Pulp line of figures.

There are a wide variety of British figures coming out, ready to fight the Zulus, or any other corner of the Empire that needs saving.

The existing Pulp Figures Zulus minis are also available as add-ons.

#RPGaDay2022 - Day 11 - If You Could Live in a Game Setting, Where Would it Be?

Day 11 of #RPGaDay2022 - "If You Could Live in a Game Setting, Where Would it Be?"

Here's the deal, I'm perfectly content with the here and now as my preferred setting.  I'm not getting shot at, Things Man Was Not Meant to Know aren't trying to turn my brain into mush, and I'm fine with the mix of dystopian society controlled by corporations. 

If I had to choose an actual setting, I would go with the classic and modern variations of Space 1889.  

(Space 1889) Lieutenant Nicholas Gordon, Royal Artillery - #charactercreationchallenge - Day 10

For Day 10 of the 31 Day #CharacterCreationChallenge, I'll turn to a game I've never played: Space 1889.  Heck,despite owning numerous versions of the rules over the years, I've never made a character!  Character creation for a military officer, like Lt. Gordon below, was pretty easy:  Determine your ability scores to the ability of your choice (each number 1-6 may be used once).   Professions add points to particular skills, and if a listed twice, only a special subset of the skill has a skill bonus.  

 

Lieutenant Nicholas Gordon, Royal Artillery

Height:   5'5"          Weight:   140

Income:                 Nationality: British

Strength      2

*Fisticuffs

*Throwing

*Close Combat

*Trimsman

Agility    6

*Stealth

*Crime

*Marksmanship

*Mechanic

*Mechanic - Machinist 8 

Endurance            1

*Wilderness Travel

*Fieldcraft

*Tracking

*Swimming

Intellect   5

*Observation

*Engineering

*Science

*Gunnery  

*Gunnery BLC 6

Charisma      3

*Eloquence

*Theatrics

*Bargaining

*Linguistics

Social Level      4

*Riding 

*Piloting

*Leadership

*Medicine

Languages: 3

Native:  English         

Others:  None

Picture found on Duncan's 20mm Colonial Wargaming Blog

Apathy of the New Releases (Jan '19)

I know Alliance Games Distribution loves to promote their Game Trade Media online footprints with creating RPG character, board game overviews, and "Painting Happy Lil' Minis."

I just want them to consistently release Game Trade Magazine, especially the pdf version.

Regardless, issue #227 has finally arrived, and it is surprisingly chock full of stuff, although nothing that instantly screams "Take my money!"

ViscountEric's Want List
Nothing

ViscountEric's Money-Is-No-Object Want List
Modiphius
John Carter of Mars RPG .................................................... $60.00
John Carter of Mars RPG Narrator's Toolkit ....................... $35.00
John Carter of Mars RPG Notebook .................................... $15.99

The Imaginary Store (The Pegleg Gnome) List
Alderac Entertainment Group
Space Base:  The Emergence of Shy Pluto .............................. $29.99

Arcane Tinmen
Dragon Shield Art Playmat: Hunters in the Snow ................... $17.99
Dragon Shield Art Playmat: The Astronmers .......................... $17.99
Dragon Shield Art Playmat: The Oxbow ................................. $17.99
Dragon Shield Art Playmat: Mist Dashat ................................ $17.99
Dragon Shields Art Sleeves: The Astonomer .......................... $12.49
Dragon Shields Art Sleeves: Hunters in the Snow .................. $12.49
Dragon Shields Art Sleeves:  The Oxbow ............................... $12.49
Dragon Shields Matte (100) ..................................................... $11.00
Baby Blue, Lilac, Mist

Asmodee Editions 
K2 ....................................... $39.99
Rory's Story Cubes: Classic .................... $ 9.99
Rory's Story Cubes: Actions ................... $ 9.99
Rory's Story Cubes: Voyages .................. $ 9.99

Asmodee officially produces Story Cubes now?  The pegboardable blister pack is fabulous for retail, not great for someone transporting them. 

Catan Studios
Catan: Rivals for Catan - Age of Enlightenment Expansion .................. $20.00

Chaosium
King Arthur RPG:  Pendragon  .............................................. $39.99
Prince Valiant RPG ................................................................ $29.99
Prince Valiant RPG: ............................................................... $29.99
CoC: Terror Australis ............................................................. $47.99
Wurm RPG: Core Rulebook - Ice Age ................................... $39.99
Wurm RPG: Black Machairodus ............................................ $ 5.99
Wurm RPG: Voice of Ancestors  Vol 1: Antler Bearers ......... $12.99
Wurm RPG: Voice of Ancestors Vol 2: Man Eaters ............... $12.99
Wrum RPG: GM Screen ......................................................... $12.99
Storypath and Whimsy Card Display ..................................... $12.65

Cheapass Games
Button Men: Originals ............................................................ $12.00
Richochet Poker ...................................................................... $10.00

Chronicle Books
Alakazam!  The Game of Dueling Wizards ............................ $14.95

Creative Goods Companies
Catan: Bandana................................................................... $11.00

Catan: Play Board Mat 20 x 20 .......................................... $21.00
Catan: Window Sticker Set 3 x 18 ..................................... $15.00
Catan: Beach Towel ........................................................... $32.00
Catan: Hand Sanitzer Pen .................................................. $ 4.50

DPH Games
The Gate of Rlyeh .............................................................. $39.99

Dynamite Entertainment
Red Sonja:  Hyrkanias Legacy Board Game ...................... Please Inquire with FLGS (PI)
Red Sonja: Tarot Card Set .................................................. PI

Fantasy Flight Games
Star Wars X-Wing 2nd Edition: ARC 170 Starfighter ............... $29.99
Star Wars X-Wing 2nd Edition: Delta 7 Aethersprite ................ $19.95
Star Wars X-Wing 2nd Edition: Vulture Class Droid Fighter .... $19.95
Star Wars X-Wing 2nd Edition: Z95 AF4 Headhunter .............. $19.95
Star Wars X-Wing 2nd Edition: TIE/SK Striker ........................ $19.95
Star Wars X-Wing 2nd Edition: Separatist Alliance Maneuver Dial Upgrade .... $9.95
Star Wars X-Wing 2nd Edition: Guardians of the Republic Squadron .............. $39.95
Star Wars X-Wing 2nd Edition: Servants of Strife Squadron ............................ $39.95

Gale Force Nine
Aliens Cooperative Board Game ............................................. $60.00
D&D: Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage  DM Screen ... $14.99

Geek Tank Games
Tabletop Tokens: Camping Set .................................... $15.99
Tabletop Tokens: Castle Furniture ............................... $15.99
Tabletop Tokens:  Castle Siege .................................... $15.99

Goodman Games
DCC 2018 Holiday Module - Home for the Holideath ................. $9.99
DCC Grimtooth's Trapsylvania ..................................................... $24.99

John Wick Presents
7th Sea : 10 Adventures ................................................ $39.99

Konami Digital Entertainment
Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG  Savage Strike Special Editions
Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG  Soulburner Structure Decks

Modiphius
Coriolis RPG: Dice Set ............................................... $19.99
Coriolis RPG: Aram's Secret ...................................... $19.99
Coriolis RPG: Emissary Lost ...................................... $39.99
Coriolis RPG: Last Voyage of the Ghazali .................. $19.99


Monte Cook Games
Invisible Sun RPG: Secrets of Silent Streets ............... $49.00
Numenera RPG: Priests of the Aeons .......................... $44.99
Numenera RPG: Slaves of the Machine God ............... $39.99

Osprey Publishing
Bolt Action -  Campaign - Fortress Budapest ............... $30.00
Ragnarok  ...................................................................... $35.00

Paizo Publishing
Pathfinder RPG: AP Tyrants Grasp #2 - Eulogy for Roslar's Coffer .............. $24.99
Pathfinder RPG: Flip Mat Wicked Dungeon ...............................$14.99
Pathfinder RPG: Heroes of Golarion .......................................... $14.99
Pathfinder RPG: Pawns - Return of the Runelords ..................... $24.99
Starfinder RPG: AP Dawn of Flame #2 - Soldiers of Brass ....... $22.99
Starfinder RPG: Critical Fumble Deck ....................................... $10.99
Starfinder RPG: Flip Mat Warship ............................................. $14.99

Pokemon USA
Pokemon TCG: Sun & Moon Team Up Boosters

Reaper Miniatures
More of the large figures from the Bones 3 Kickstarter are finally offered, including the Mystic Circle (which I finished painting a year and a half ago at half the price).
Swiftpaw, Catfolk Monk (metal) ................................. $6.99
Trilladour, Catfolk Bard (metal) .................................. $6.99

Gormgaw (bones) ........................................................ $29.99
Mystic Circle (bones) .................................................  $29.99
Shub-Niggurath (bones) .............................................. $39.99
Viridius (bones) ........................................................... $29.99
T'Raukzul Boxed Set (bones) ...................................... $49.99

Steve Jackson Games
Bullet Dice ................................................. $9.95
Cthulhu d6 Dice Set .................................. $11.95
Muchkin: Warhammer 40K ...................... $29.95

Wizards of the Coast
D&D RPG:  Tactics Map Pack ........................ $24.95

Wizkids
More Noluzur's Marvelous Unpainted Minis, including $15 giants and (small) dragons!

(Kickstarter) Space: 1889 - The Mars Sourcebook

Celebrate American Independence the best way you can, by supporting the Space 1889: Mars Sourcebook Kickstarter started by German company, Uhrwerk Verlag. 

C'mon, its got a more realistic Space Force!  

(Kickstarter) VSF Airship

It's a quick campaign that's ending soon, but if you're interested in a 25mm airship for Victorian Sci-Fi, check out this Kickstarter.

$106 for an MDF piece that will be the focus of just about any gaming table isn't a bad deal (US Shipping included in that).

(Kickstarter) Venus 1888 Woman at War

Dragon Bait Miniatures has launched a Kickstarter for their Venus 1888 Woman at War 28mm line. 


When men are driven mad by the atmosphere of the second planet in the solar system, it's up to women to colonize it!

 The figures are pretty nice, but at $28 for a pack of five, they're prohibitively expensive when compared to something like Hinterland's Germans.


And the cavalry are simply ridiculous.

(Kickstarter) Massive 28mm Zeppelin Model

"Do you want to buy a Zeppelin???"


As a perfect example of crazy stuff meant to be put up on Kickstarter, you can now spend $350 for a 7-foot long 28mm scale model of a Zeppelin.  The model is created using laser-cut mdf for the structure and chipboard (the same material you find on the back of notepads) to form the outer skin of the ship.

Perhaps the best part is the Kickstarter had such a reasonable goal (for a project with a $350 item), that they already reached it. Hopefully, the designer won't go too overboard with additional stuff as the total rises.

Victorian Space Ship Crew Available from Artizan Designs

Artizan Designs has announced the release of The Crew of the Hesperus, a Victorian space ship crew. 

They look like a fine crew of naval characters... with goggles.    They should be available at all distributors of Artizan as soon as possible.

MSRP:  £27.00

The Mike Lung Gallery #41 - The Venus-Congo Connection

Our intrepid correspondent, Mike Lung is busy slaving away finishing up the details of a massive gnome/mousling gonzo space game for Cold Wars.  I'll be linking to Jim Stanton's Gnome Wars and Stout Smurf blogs for any updates he posts.  After Cold Wars, I'll post the remainder.  To quote a Danish toy company, "Everything is Awesome!"

While that's going on, I figured I'd continue to clean out my e-mails of Mike's mad genius rambling, and post two attached pics of his Gnome War big game hunter he sculpted for personal use.

Western Imperialism, On and Off World
                                                        By Mike Lung

The discovery of these gates connecting the Earth to other worlds in our solar system would set off a new colonial scramble.  Earth colonies would, of course, gain even more importance as well. Belgians creating a Venusian colony via the Congo, England to Mars via Egypt, Italy to Mars via Somalia, US to Mars via Arizona and Venus via Panama, Germany to Venus via a U-boat accessible cave in the Antarctic, and etc. Mysterious plateaus in Mongolia and up the Amazon are unclaimed by major powers...could it kick off a new scramble or a new war?

Also, I had always thought that the gate to Venus via the Congo would be the perfect background for a CoC game and some miniatures skirmish games. Adventures arrive in Belgium Congo and sent via Steamer up the Congo to investigate or help put down unsettling native rebellions. On the surface, the native rebellions appear to be caused by the cruel inhuman rule of the Belgians and their rubber trade. However, these rebellions are particularly barbaric. Turns out it is much worse than it appears. There is a major zombie outbreak in the heart of the Congo…whole tribes are being consumed. Further investigation, shows that a zombie virus (Venusian Flu) is in the water supply. After battling zombies, deep ones (i.e., Creature of the Black Lagoon), and dinosaurs, the source of the water is discovered to come from a strange river valley entered via a chasm. The chasm is the remains of an Old One gate recently discovered a crazed Belgium scientist/explorer who tampered with gate and destroyed it along with himself! The destruction of the gate caused a huge earthquake and allowed Primordial Venus to bleed into the Congo. Depending on how it pans out, the Explorers could become Belgian heroes, the gate valley would be named after Explorers who discovered (rediscovered) it, and this could set off the Belgians' colonization of Venus. Of course, Venus is also the source of the deep ones strange gold…may be a good lead to why the characters are there in the first place. It could be that the explorers unknowingly cross through the ripped gate and leave Earth to have lots adventures on Venus among the Deep Ones, lizard men, primitive ape men, and dinosaurs. Lots of room to throw in Old Ones or Great Race of Yith and other friends. Why do the remote mountains valleys of Venus have Cavemen and Mammoths?...another gate back to Earth during the Pleistocene?!

This also can be used with colonization of Polynesia, Samoa, New Guinea, etc.  Does a gate exist to Venus exist on one of the Samoan islands, too?…is that why German, England, and the US all want to control this vital point so they all can gain a new entry point onto Venus? Are some Samoan tribes not as human as they appear…is there a deep one colony off the shore…I wonder what they would have to say about this intrusion?   A mere coaling station may not be worth the effort the powers are putting into the territory...

 

This concept works extremely well for a straight Call of Cthulhu campaign (I pray no one wants to wander into the jungles of the Congo after visiting Kenya in Masks, but I wouldn't be surprised), it gives yet another angle for moon (and other) colonizations that the Stout Gnomes will cover in their game at Cold Wars, and it allows a traditional Pulp Game to expand into the weird science of other worlds.  Sure, my game with the kids has had some undead, gnomes, an elf, a dinosaur, and a talking mouse with a bow, but we've yet to visit Martians.... and after all the trouble obtaining artifacts, perhaps Maja Millie the archaeologist needs a relaxing Polynesian vacation.  RAFM, where are my Deep Ones!!!

Apathy of the New Releases (Feb '16)

Another month, another book of soliciations in Alliance Distribution's Game Trade Magazine.  Despite the name of my monthly post, there have actually been a few items that tickled my fancy in recent months.  Of course, just about none of it has arrived at my local FLGS, so I'll leave most of the items on my secondary wish list and perhaps rename it my "Things I Want to Physically Salivate Over in Person Before I Purchase Them" list


My Must Have Want List
Osprey Publishing
Tiny Games for Kids ......................................................................................... $8.00
Tiny Games for Trips ......................................................................................... $8.00

My Things I Want to Physically Salivate Over in Person Before I Purchase Them List
Modiphius
Space 1889 RPG .................................................................................................   $49.99
Space 1889 GM Screen .......................................................................................  $24.99
English versions of the German edition with all the glitches edited out (I hope).

Osprey Publishing
The Barrett Rifle ...............................................................................................    $20.00
Horizon Wars:  6mm Hard Sci-Fi Wargames ...................................................   $30.00
Nazi Moonbase ..................................................................................................   $19.00

Osprey just unleashes a plethora of interesting books.  None are special order worthy, but I'd bet five bucks I would snag any of these if I saw them on the shelf in a store.

My Imaginary Store List (The Pegleg Gnome)

Alderac Entertainment Group
Twilight Squabble .......................................................................................... $19.99

Asmodee Games
Zombies vs Cheerleaders ................................................................................ $19.99
I'll admit that have a bias against Asmodee.  So many games that 'somebody' finds cool, yet they're not within my demographic of friends.  Perhaps the recent purchase of Settlers of Catan will change things.  Regardless, I usually wouldn't want to stock anything distributed from Diamond/Alliance with the word cheerleader in the title, but this one looks fun and humorous.

Atlas Games
Fast and Fhtagn ............................................................................................... $29.95

Avalanche Press
Great War at Sea:  Central Powers ................................................................. $29.99

Bully Pulpit Games
Fiasco 10-1, 11-2, 12-3 ................................................................................... $20.00 each

Catalyst Game Labs
Shadowrun RPG:  Boundless Mercy ............................................................... $19.99
Shadowrun RPG:  Rigger 5.0 HC .................................................................... $49.99

Cheapass Games
I know, I know, the definition and economics of things that are "Cheapass" changes every decade and I owned most of the originals of most of the games.   I guess ten bucks is the new definition of cheapass, the fancy anniversary edition of Kill Doctor Lucky being the notable exception.

Decision Games
Folio Series: El-Alamein ................................................................................ $19.95
Folio Series: Germantown .............................................................................. $ 9.95
Folio Series: Saratoga ..................................................................................... $ 9.95
Folio Series: Mortain Counterattack ............................................................... $19.95

Fantasy Flight Games
Elder Sign:  Omens of Ice Expansion .............................................................. $24.95
Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Special Modifications HC .............................. $29.95
Star Wars: X-Wing Minis:  Imperial Veterans Expansion Pack ...................... $29.95
Talisman:  Cataclysm ....................................................................................... $49.95

FASA
Demonworld Miniatures Core Rulebook .......................................................... $29.95
Demonworld:  Dwarf Army Book .................................................................... $19.95
Demonworld: Thain Army Book ...................................................................... $19.95
Earthdawn:  Gamemaster's Guide ..................................................................... $44.95
Earthdawn:  Gamemaster's Screen .................................................................... $29.95
Earthdawn:  Travar - The Merchant City .......................................................... $34.95
Fading Suns - Criticorum Discord .................................................................... $34.95
Long live the new FASA, the exact opposite of the old FASA of days past.    In the 20th Century, Battletech and Shadowrun had a solid base of players you could rely on to purchase the latest releases.  Nowadays, it appears that 21st Century FASA is where  cool, mediocre games go to die.  I remember Alliance pushing Demonworld pretty hard back in '99-2000.   They may even have backstop from that release way back....


Games Workshop
As the kids were saying a few months ago, " I can't even..."    If I wanted to see shelves of $200 MSRP products and tiny $30 accessories I'd go to an electronics store.   

Modiphius
Mutant Chronicles RPG:  Player's Guide ............................................................   $19.99

Mongoose Publishing
Traveller RPG:  Core Rulebook ...........................................................................   $49.99
Traveller RPG:   Referee Screen .........................................................................    $19.99
Really?  ANOTHER iteration of Traveller?  Sweet baby die-during-character-creation Jesus!

Osprey Publishing
Finland at War: The Continuation and Lapland Wars 1941-45 ............................   $40.00
Imperial Chinese Armies  1840-1911 ....................................................................  $18.00
The Imperial Japanese Navy of the Russo-Japanese War ......................................  $18.00
US Army Green Beret in Afghanistan 2001-02 ......................................................  $19.00
US Marine in World War 1 ...................................................................................... $19.00

Paizo Publishing
PATHFINDER AP:  HELL’S VENGEANCE PART 3 - THE INFERNO GATE ...  $24.99
PATHFINDER CAMPAIGN SETTING: HEAVEN UNLEASHED .......................   $22.99
PATHFINDER MAP PACK: ROAD SYSTEM .......................................................   $14.99
PATHFINDER: ULTIMATE INTRIGUE HC .........................................................    $44.99
PATHFINDER MODULE: IRE OF THE STORM ....................................................  $24.99
PATHFINDER PLAYER COMPANION: ARMOR MASTER’S HANDBOOK .....  $14.99

Palladium Books
Rifter #73 .................................................................................................... $13.95
Rifts RPG:  Coalition States:  Heroes of Humanity ................................... $16.95
Rifts RPG:  Coalition States:  The Disavowed ........................................... $16.95

Pinnacle Entertainment Group
Savage Worlds RPG:  Necessary Evil - Breakout Ltd Ed ........................... $24.99
Savage Worlds RPG:  The Sixth Gun .......................................................... $19.99

Pokemon USA
Pokemon TCG:  Mega Scizor and Shiny Mega Gyardaos 3 Pk Pin ............ PI

Reaper Miniatures
Old West Kids (2) .......................................................................................... $6.79

Rand Daingerfield .......................................................................................... $6.29
Retro-Sci-Fi Weapons .................................................................................... $6.79
Tess McFadden ............................................................................................... $5.99
Halfling Farmers   ........................................................................................... $7.49
Pumpkin Minions    ........................................................................................$15.49

I usually don't list individual Reaper figures, but the Old West Kids and the Pumpkin Minions look great.  I may need to move a few items over the 2nd wish list, but for now, they stay here.

Rogue Games
Colonial Gothic RPG:  Adventure ................................................................. $15.95

Steve Jackson Games
Chez Geek: Spring Break Expansion ............................................................. $10.95
Munchkin: Puppies Blister Pack .................................................................... $ 9.95
Munchkin 6.5:  Terrible Tombs ..................................................................... $11.95
Munchkin Legends: Deluxe. .......................................................................... $29.95

Strat-o-Matic Media
Baseball Championship 2015 Edition ............................................................. $19.99

Triple Ace Games
Halfling Feast Card Game ................................................................................ $24.99
Rocket Race Card Game .................................................................................. $24.99

Troll Lord Games
Castles & Crusades RPG:  Falls the Divide ...................................................... $ 9.99
Castles & Crusades RPG:  Harvest of Oaths .................................................... $ 9.99


Ultra-Pro
Fun fact about Ultra-Pro.  Despite having a slew of cool CCG accessories (including metal life counters!), everything they have listed doesn't have a price.  We don't know if it's $5 or $25 and that more than likely will dissuade someone from even asking about it, much less special ordering.

USAopoly
Munchkin Marvel Universe ................................................................................ $24.95
Of the many times Munchkin could have jumped the shark, this might be the longest, highest jump yet.

Zveda
Tiger I ...................................................................................................................  $11.50
T-60 Soviet Light Tank ........................................................................................  $ 4.95
 

(Kickstarter) Space: 1889 - THE MOVIE!

Those Germans know a thing or two...

Not only did they run a successful Kickstarter for the German translation of 1889, AND released supplements for it, but now a group has started a KS for the Space 1889 - The Secret of Phobos movie. 

I have to admit, I like the idea of all practical effects (no-CGI).   With mediocre acting and "nostalgic" special effects, this would be far better than, say, John Carter, and I was one of the handful who was amused by that movie.

So long as this gets funded and The Terminizer (A short film about a killer robot driving instructor who travels back in time for some reason. His best friend is a talking pie.) doesn't, there may be hope in the world. 

Viva la Gnome! Viva la France!

One of the items that remains on the back burner for is my Gnomish Space Marines.  Outside of finishing up the 'Runtherd from the new 40k Gretchin set as a prototypical Hill Martian, I'm more focused on getting my traditional gnomes back on the battlefield after a long hiatus. 

Lucky for us, a French wargamer Le Fil a Plomb has taken a concept of Gnome: 1889 on Mars and run with it. 

Besides setting up a Martian city, he has assembled a fine Prussian army that easily mixes the Olley's Armies Prussian Scrunt and Brigade Games' German Gnomes.

I can't wait to see what he does next!

Evil Bob's Miniature Painting: Dystopian Legions: Empire of the Rising Sun and Pr...

I've made mention of Dystopian Legions on my Apathy of New Releases posts.  Victorian Sci-Fi in 28mm always sounds like a great idea.  It's the application that counts.

One of the painting service blogs I follow is Evil Bob's Miniature Painting.  Recently he completed two factions: the Empire of the Rising Sun and the Prussians and posted a ton of pics.

The worst job I've seen Evil Bob do is still far superior to anything I can do, and the mosto fthe time that work he and his wife put into their commissions inspires me to work on my painting. 

That being said, the paint jobs on these are fantastic.  They almost make up for the fact that the miniatures themselves are simply horrid.

All the soldiers look waif-thin and have enough steam punk or ethnic paraphenalia that just make them look unbalanced. 

That being said, the vehicles look simply awesome!  I question the practicality of some of them, but we do that with modern equipment and 40k stuff as well.  The exhaust/steam from the Rising Sun Steam Cycle and the Prussian Jet(?) Packs is so subtle that it blows my mind. 

In my Apathy column, I decided against further stocking any Dystopian product in my imaginary store.  Upon looking at well done versions of the figures, and the comments of a professional painter, I stand by that non-binding decision. 

I also stand by my decision to follow Evil Bob's blog.  Despite the figure quality, I'm inspired to snag a few Japanese and German gnomes just to experiment with paint schemes.

Historicon 2014 with the GwtG Intrepid Reporter

The minor fact that I was absent from Historicon this year, doesn't mean I won't be posting pics and commenting on it.  For we here at Gaming with the Gnomies, had award-winning Gnomie Mike Lung at the con, and he brought back pictures to shove in our faces and go "Ha-ha!  I was there and your weren't!  Nya!"

Mike had a long weekend and is very tired.   I'll give him a break on the teasing.  

Disclaimer #1: I only asked him for pics of certain games and his discretion for anything else.
Disclaimer #2: All pics are distance pics done with a iPhone and I did not add the ones that proved he had a bit too much caffeine at the con.

Wizard of Oz

Wizard of Oz:  Dorothy Surrounded by British Winkies

The Wizard of Oz game was the one of the games that really stood out in the PEL, and Mike told me it was a big disappointing, with Napoleonic figures and a definite lack of flying monkeys.  Guess I'll continue my quest for movie and book appropriate figures (Army of Revolt I'm looking at you!)


US in the Philippines

More US in the Philippines

The Philippino War looks much simpler than I had imagined it, but it's inspired me to add to my existing Spanish-American/Samoan Civil War collections.  Woo!

Looks like the same Trench Wars game I played at Cold Wars

Great War - Assaulting the Trenches

What everyone (including my guy) was talking about was the All Quiet on the Martian Front Battle of Memphis.  Twenty feet of tripods and frantic humans trying to hold the half-built wall. 

The Memphis Wall and the unfinished section/trench to the left

Originally posted on the Alien Dungeon Facebook page.  Share!

Token Gnome Wars Picture

I posted the last two pictures together for a reason.  According to the folks at Alien Dungeon, the little boy and the father in the Battle of Memphis game not only held the center of the table, but when the wall was breached, the young man destroyed the science tripod, thus preventing a Martian victory and saving the day for mankind!

According to my sources:
"I forgot to mention that little boy in the final pic and his Dad are now big time Gnome lovers.  They played in both of Jim’s regular games and had a great time.  Both were super nice, and the young man was really excited by the whole thing…but in a good way." 

You couple these two cases with the HAWKS Armies for Kids Project and I think, if we continue down this path, the future of the hobby will be in good hands.  Kids playing social activities?  Parents and children playing together?  I think these kids will do alright...

There's also a nice YouTube Video of the con from the guys at Warlord.  Gnome Wars gets some respect around 17:00 or so.

I'd Like to Pre-Order Human Prey, Please

The rollout for All Quiet on the Martian Front continues with a 2nd wave of preorders.  Nothing too exciting, but I get a big chuckle out of the "Unarmed Civilians."

While most wargamers would eschew civilians on the battlefield for the sheer guilt of collaterol damage, in a game with giant Martian tripods firing heat rays, it makes perfect sense to me.  Heck, I would love to see a scenario where the sheer amount of fleeing civilians is used as a cover for the Martians as they block the advance of an overwhelming human response.

Want a Free Martian Scout Tripod?

With the Kickstarter orders hopefully at every pledge's door, Alien Dungeon has not slowed down in their promotion for pre-orders for the All Quiet on the Martian Front launch on June 16th. 

Now through May 22nd, if you order $100 of All Quiet product directly from Alien Dungeon, they're going to throw in a free Martian scout tripod.

 They've been pushing pre-orders for the game since the Kickstarter started shipping, and even for those people, if the pre-order was $100 or more, they're throwing in the scout tripod.  Pretty sweet. 

Check out the Architects of War website for more info.

(Kickstarter) Alternative Civil War: 1861

I'm almost through my little flurry of Kickstarter madness, and we don't have to eat cat food.  Then the Alternative Civil War pops up from across the pond. 

So far, it looks more like 28mm Mr Franklin's War, than another full-blown steampunk dystopia, and it's skirmish, so there's no demand to accumulate large armies. 

Personally, none of the figs really make me go "Wow!" except for the Freemason-Alchemist-Rifleman.

The Most Badass D&D Multiclass EVER!

All Quiet on the Martian Front Starts Shipping in May

It was almost a year ago that the All Quiet on the Martian Front Kickstarter was funded, and Tuesday they announced that the first shipments would finally be going out in May.  If I had been a supporter, I would have been a bit concerned about this if (a) I hadn't played the game at Cold Wars and seen the minis in action and (b) if there wasn't so much STUFF to manufacture.  Tons of vehicles, tripods, and loose infantry was bad enough, but they added trenchworks in the latter stretch goals.  It's a LOT of stock to create and manufacture from the ground up.

Then there's this:

The Land Ironclad, FOUR POUNDS of resin, metal, and plastic, ready to obliterate the Martian scum.  It's 12 inches long, six inches high, four inches wide, MSRP was $85, and the supporters could purchase them as an add-on for only $55.   As the designers noted, it's quite certain the the MSRP will be going up once the KS units are mailed ($100+ probably).   Not bad for something that's 15mm.

The Apathy of New Releases (Sept '13)

Hello again, to another month of solicitations!  This month I detected another glut of miscellany product, and for every dice bag offered, there are two puzzles, pre-K board game, or licensed pair of socks.  If there is anything you are looking for like that, I advised jumping online and reading the Games listing in issue #163 of Game Trade Magazine. 
My must have list:
Back to the usual nothing

My money-is-no-object list
Thank God I word it like that, because the only item that makes the list this month is the Dystopian Legions Empire of the Sund Ke-Ho Ironclad, at a measly 102 bucks!  It is pretty sweet:

The Imaginary Store List
ALDERAC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
Thunderstone Advance: Numenera............... $59.99

ARES
Wings of Glory.............................................$15 per plane
Another game that if the store can promote it, it should do well, but $15 for a single plane is a bit too much for some to pay

ARMY PAINTER 
Another wave of paints, sets, and related items.  Their pots are 18ml, which is significantly more than GW (12), a bit less than Foundry (20), and substantially less than Howard Hues (30) or a Hobby brand such as Americana (54).   Still a decent deal for $2.99 for paints, and $3.25 for washes.

BATTLEFRONT MINIS
Dust Tactics still looks like an interesting game, but like Dystopian Legions, it's the one or two models that win me over, not the entire line.  The new bunker guns look great for Victorian Sci-Fi or Gnomes, although $45 is a bit steep.

BLUE PANTHER
Hex dice tray                ....................  $20.00
WW2 dice tower          ....................  $20.00

CHESSEX
Don't know if it's new designs or a basic restock or a price increase but there are a lot of dice listed.

CRYPTOZOIC ENTERTAINMENT
Adventure Time Card Wars .......................... $20.00
Ender's Game Battle School Board Game ......$25.00
Assassin's Creed Board Game  ......................$50.00
Archer board game             ...........................  $40.00
The Hobbit Desolation of Smaug Board Game $40.00

CUBICLE 7
Advanced Fighting Fantasy RPG - Blacksands ..... $24.99
Hobbit Tales Card Game               ........................$29.99
Doctor Who: The Gamemasters Companion ..........$34.99
Rocket Age: Blood Red Mars Expansion ...............$29.99
World War Cthulhu: Europe Ablaze .......................$24.99

DGS
More Freeblades, probably from the Kickstarter.  Still trying to wrap my head around $7 individual minis, regardless of strength or power, and how a mounted fig is only $2 more.
Fantasy Flight
Winter Tales ......................................................... $49.95
A narrative storytelling and fairy tales adventure board game

Star Wars Rpg: Edge Of The Empire - Enter The Unknown  $29.95

GAMES WORKSHOP
Warhammer 40k: Apocalypse                       GAW 40-03-60...........................$74.25
Chaos Space Marine Khorne Lord Of Skulls GAW 43-20..............................$160.00
Imperial Guard Baneblade                             GAW 47-24..............................$140.00
Necron Tesseract Vault                                 GAW 49-19..............................$160.00
Imperial Targeting Templates                         GAW 40-48................................$25.00
Wall Of Martyrs Aquila Strongpoint              GAW 64-59..............................$115.00
Wall Of Martyrs Firestorm Redoubt              GAW 64-58................................$65.00
Wall Of MartyrsVengeance Weapon Battery GAW 64-57................................$50.00

Nice, inexpensive items.

Gamesmith
Twelve Days                 .................. $15.00
From James Ernest

Green Ronin
Mutants and Masterminds Deluxe Heroes Sourcebook  ....................$39.95

Lost Shade
Inexpensive dice bags for once. satin/fur 4x6   2.99/3.49

Louis Porter Jr Designs
Pathfinder: Horrific Fears

Mantic
The Ogre Army is solicited this month, and the figures look a bit... stiff.  Like each figure should have kung-fu grip stiff.  Still, if you want a full army with fewer figures, this one's for you!

Ogre Army... 19 total figures  for $74.99
Ogre Shoots    3 figures for 29.99 (I hope they're metal)
Ogre Warriors 6 figures for 29.99

Mayfair
Settlers Of Catan: Explorers And Pirates  5-6 Player Extension  $29.99

Offworld Designs
Another "accessory" item that rarely gets any love: the quality t-shirt Offworld is offering a Pathfinder t-shirt, as well as the Dork Tower "Your dice really do hate you."  No prices, but if they aren't in the concert tee category, it's worth it to stock a couple.

Osprey
Bolt Action Armies of Italy and the Axis......................................$24.95

Paizo Publishing
Pathfinder Adventure Path: Wrath Of The Righteous Part 4 - The Midnight Isles $22.99
Pathfinder Campaign Cards: Chase Cards 2 - Hot Pursuit!                                 $10.99
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Npc Codex                                           $19.99
Pathfinder Pawns: Bestiary 3 Box                                                                       $39.99
Pathfinder Flip Mat: Wasteland                                                                          $10.99
Pathfinder Player Companion:  Magical Marketplace                                          $12.99
Pathfinder Module:  Tears At Bitter Manor                                                         $24.99

Palladium
Robotech RPG Tactics
Another groovy game that had nice buzz at GenCon.  I would love to see Palladium pull this one off.   $90.00 core set   $30.00 for each other set to expand our forces.

Pelgrane Press
Trail of Cthulhu - Eternal Lies        ..........................   $39.95

Steve Jackson Games
Chupacabra: Survive the Night Dice Game               $19.95
Munchkin Apocalypse: Mars Attacks Booster Pack   $5.95
Munchkin Pathfinder: Gobsmacked Booster Pack      $5.95
Zombie Dice: Deluxe Game                                      $24.95

Stronghold Games
Space Sheep  $49.95
This company has a good number of run-of -the-mill, possibly overpriced, board games, but I'm a sucker for a good sheep game.  We all have our weaknesses.

Warlord Games
Another slew of new product for all their lines, including some sweet looking WW2 Tanks in 25mm.  The problem is the dreaded "PI" (Please Inquire) for all their prices.  More work for the customer, and a smaller profit margin for the retailer (PI is a set discount from the distributor, many times significantly less than the normal discount, which is usually determined by sales volume.)

Wizards of the Coast
Dungeons & Dragons: Lords Of Waterdeep Board Game - Scoundrels Of Skullport Expansion $39.95
Dungeons & Dragons: Murder In Baldur’s Gate        $34.95

I'm getting that dying days of TSR/2nd Edition vibe again with these products, and D&DNext won't be for another year?  Not good...


WizKids
As usual, just the listing...
Dc Heroclix: Superman Quick-start Kit  2-pack
Mage Knight Board Game: Krang Character Expansion
Marvel Heroclix: The Invincible Iron Man
Marvel Heroclix: Thor - The Dark World Movie Expansion
Pathfinder Battles Builder Series: Undead Horde
Pathfinder Battles: Legends Of Golarion Standard Booster Brick (8)
Star Trek Attack Wing: Expansion Packs
Star Trek Heroclix Tactics: Series III

Z-Man Games
Another wide range of products that vary between pretty decent and poor.  My biggest gripe is the re-release of Ricochet Robots.  It was the one game that was on the shelf at Griffon Games when I got hired long ago, and it was still there when we closed the doors... after an 80% off sale.