Abandoned Blogs
There’s something wistful about abandoned blogs. Someone started a site and poured their creativity into it, then, eventually… stopped. Maybe their interests changed, maybe they got out of the hobby, maybe they got too busy, maybe they had kids, or maybe the march of time caught them as it will catch us all. The most poignant aspect is the lack of a farewell. It’s a normal post with a future ahead of it. But then, that’s it. There’s no wrap up. No conclusion. It’s a cliffhanger. It could happen to any of us, even me. Disclaimer: I don’t know anything about the owners of these blogs. My most sincere condolences to those that are not longer with us. I hope everyone is still painting and playing. Take care of yourselves and others. Hug those kids, even if they’re all grown up! So here are some of the best abandoned hobby…
3D Print Skarburn Zapdakka for Blackstone Fortress
One of the fun things about Blackstone Fortress is that you can have NPCs tag along. Now this is something I haven’t worked into a game yet, but I really want to give Skarburn Zapdakka a try. A brief blurb about Retinue Characters is available here: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/12/03/blackstone-fortress-building-your-retinuegw-homepage-post-1 If you can get your hands on old White Dwarf Magazines, or the 2019 Blackstone Fortress Annual, you’ll have all the details. You play a mission to “unlock” the new characters, then they can hop into your outer space adventures. Skarburn Zapdakka appeared in the October 2019 White Dwarf. I’m sure GW a Flash Git model can be procured, but there aren’t many available for less than $30 US. Though I do really like the “Flash Git with Targeting Squig“. So instead of dropping real money on a real model, I went with an amazing 3D print from Lost_Heresy: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/ork-big-shoota I think it…
The Merry Mushmen
Have you ever heard of the Merry Mushmen? Now, I know that sounds like weird lyrics to a nursery rhyme from the 1700s, but it’s very much modern. But old-school. They’re contemporary is what I mean to say. The Merry Mushmen publish some EXTREMELY cool RPG stuff. They have their own games but most content is very much rules-agnostic, though heavy in the D&D universe. Their contributors, art, and layout are second to none. Take a look at their freebies, especially CRACK! They’re absolutely worth a look.
Check out this awesome UR-025
From reddit, painted by bunface123.
Blackstone fortress terrain
Also check out Cursed City Terrain. One of the keystone differences between Blackstone Fortress and other Warhammer Quest game family is that combat employs cover. To indicate cover, lines are printed on the game tiles. Here’s a video that explains it. The gentleman in the video is non-coincidentally the designer of most of the terrain that I use. I REALLY like using the terrain. Without it, I guarantee I would forget about cover effects every single time. I really need those vertical elements for me to notice them. I haven’t inventoried every single tile so there may be an enormous map that requires more terrain than I have. I’ll deal with that if it comes up. Me – 2023 The tiles have three themes: tessellating geometrics, rocky crystals, and sci-fi elements. I’m not particular about when I use them, and many are tile-specific. There are also some blocking hex elements…
Modern miniatures and the uncanny valley
I’d like to revisit a topic I talked about a couple weeks ago. Modern Games Workshop models. This is a controversial topic because people are passionate about both old and new. It’s really great that people have found things they genuinely enjoy, and I do not meant to diminish anyone’s interest in anything. This is a longer article than I usual write, so if you want to skip right to the uncanny valley section, it starts in section 3. I’ve been trying to psychoanalyze myself as to what drives my personal preference in miniatures. Opinions and biases are 100% subjective. I am in no way saying something is right or wrong. I’m going to be talking about my own personal preference. I’m sure this won’t ingratiate me with anyone. To break it down, I’d say there are 3 factors driving my preference toward older miniatures. All of those are real…
Hand sculpted vs computer sculpted
Why do the new GW models look the way they do? Is Computer Aided Design (CAD) affecting the aesthetic? I don’t even have the words to describe how they look. They’re less-characterfull? They’re more generic? They’re overly uniform? They’re abnormally standardized? They’re too boardroom flowcharted? They’re too scale-accurate? They look like they the sculpting was outsourced and they’re designed to spec. Maybe they’re designed in-house, but the really look like they’re designed by a completely new staff. In some ways they’re great. In other ways, they do not look like a GW model. They don’t have a GW feel to them. Do I like them? Yes, I suppose. Do I own many of these? Not too many. Also, the Warhulk pictured to the right costs $55.00 USD. The days of finding an interesting GW blister pack for pocket money are long gone. I find that some of the magic, whimsey,…
One Man Army
Old Man Time has really started cranking the wheel hard because believe it or not, it’s been over a year ago that Warhammer Community published rules to use some truly mighty heroes in Cursed City. I printed up the cards and was ready to roll right away. I have absolutely no problem proxying minis that are a close facsimile to the originals. Take the Cryptguard ghouls for example. I’m not going to spend $50.00 US on 20 ghouls when I have perfectly good ghouls at home! However, I’m loathe to proxy character models. So I got all three. Well, I already had Gotrek Gurnisson, so getting Cursed City rules was an added bonus. I’m a big Gotrek & Felix fan -Me (2005) I really had a blast playing a couple games as Gotrek. I have to admit, I was a bit star struck. I even got everything painted up! I…
Warhammer Quest – Cursed City: What early reviewers missed
Pretty much all reviewers left out the Trait cards. I don’t completely blame them; out of the 100+ cards, only eight are Trait cards. Some reviewers mentioned that they didn’t care for the leveling-up system but no one ran an on-camera adventure using anything other than level zero heroes. Is the leveling up as momentous as Warhammer Quest 1995? No. Does leveling up unlock new and nastier monsters (other than boss fights)? No. Can leveling up change the development path your character takes? No. Will new levels unlock fun and exciting equipment? No. Wait, I’m not selling this very well. What I mean to say is that even though leveling up in Cursed City isn’t monumental, Trait cards add a lot to the game. Most characters have two or three actions they can take every turn. Adding Traits greatly expands the thoughtfulness needed every activation. It’s fun imagining your characters…
White Dwarf 500 (2024)
Now this is something I can get behind! A new White Dwarf mini AND rules for Cursed City! Count me in! (sold separately, purchase necessary) He looks great, very majestic. His fellow White Dwarf breathern will welcome him into the fold!