A Couple of Characters

Slowly getting some painting done. Here are a 17th-18th century female swashbuckler type (could be a cavalry trooper), and a 19th century British (Grand Thidwickian) officer.

(I don't remember where the female figure came from; the officer is from Foundry)

Lots of Little Soldiers

I don't usually post stuff like this, but I just came across this youtube video and thought some of you might enjoy it.

Soforth Highlanders on the North by Northwest Frontier

The Soforth Highlanders have arrived on the Frontier. Figures from Foundry. (Painting plaid is slooow work! ha ha)

Guide and Sikh

I finally got back into painting and finished a few figures.

First up, a Guide from Foundry. There are a few more on the painting desk waiting to be painted, but I wanted to try color schemes on this one first.

Next, Teatray's Sikhs. I'm not sure I like the turbans. I always have difficulty getting nice straight even lines. I think they actually look better in the photo than in person.

A pair of tigers lurking in the brush.

Sikhs and tigers also from Foundry.

They have seen the elephant - African elephant from Northstar, with Indian elephant from Foundry for comparison. This put a big dent in my "lead mountain"! He's all metal, 4 parts but not a lot of empty space, and is pretty hefty. In scale I figure he's about 13 feet tall.

Prelude to a Foray into Solo Fantasy RPG?

Inspired by such blogs as Tabletop Diversions and especially his solo excursions, and some of the retro and/or simple rpg rules around the net, like Chronicles of Arax, etc., I have been thinking about trying a bit myself. I haven't settled on rules yet, but I have downloaded a few free (and simple) sets from the interwebs and have started thinking about what kind of game/adventure I might want to run.

A few sites/rules that have caught my eye are:
Old School Hack
Adventure Games Guild
Gnome Stew
Chronicles of Arax at rpg drive-through

I really like the look of the Old School Hack rules. Even the graphics and layout are appealing and yet simple.

I figure, for a solo game, I could go with a single main character, or multiple characters. With a single main character I could concentrate on his or her story, pick up sidekicks, companions, hirelings, etc. along the way, and see how that develops. With multiple characters I could go with a team of equals, a "stable" of characters that I can cycle through, or a group that may have varying abilities where members may come and go. Another idea is something along the lines of the old Mission Impossible tv show, where Jim Phelps was always in charge, but the team varied over the course of the show. I always remember how, at the start of the show, he would go through a folder of photos of possible team members to include (of course the team was usually the same few people most weeks, with the occasional cast member change making a change in the usual team.)

I'm leaning towards the single main character idea. I could start that character off as a "newbie" and let the "team" or companions, sidekicks, etc., come together as the game evolves. Of course there is the danger of that single main character getting killed, but there are ways of dealing with that. From things that "stave off" death (but maybe exact some other penalties, such as permanent injury, interruption or obstruction of/towards their goal, etc.), to promoting a surviving character to the main spot to bringing in a new character, such as a relative, to carry on.

Other things I want are to have the game take place in my own imaginary world, rather than a pre-designed world or set of adventures/modules. And with characters, especially the main one/s, ones I have designed.

I've always enjoyed the dwarven race in fantasy settings; the Tolkeinesque, gruff, even stubborn, sturdy types with a strong sense of honor. So I'm thinking my game would start with a young dwarf coming of age and making his way out into the world on a quest to retrieve some long-lost family heirloom, like a fabled war axe. He would have some skills to start with, probably trained in axe-fighting, a bit of knowledge of languages in preparation for having to deal with other peoples, a little knowledge or some clues about the axe, such as something to help point towards where or how to find further info. (yes, I realize this has some aspects in common with The Hobbit and plenty of other fantasy stories. I'm not looking to create some new genre-shattering fantasy story. Just looking for a bit of fun playing the kind of story I enjoy reading or game I enjoy playing.)

So the first step, I think, is our hero would have to set off on his own and maybe follow some clues to the "big city" (which may not actually be "the" big city or even big) to do some research and/or consultation, or maybe the clues he already has (handed down from ancestors?) lead him to some location like a ruin or minor dungeon.

Actually, the first step may be to look through my miniatures collection and find "our hero"; create a character; and then start figuring out what happens next.

Assuming this goes anywhere I will probably start posting any adventures on my Tales of Mirth blog, but I will be sure to make a note on this blog, too.

Other than this foray I have plenty of miniatures on the painting desk and/or lead mountain. Terrain projects in the works, with more profile hills and mountains, trees made from plastic plants, buildings to make, etc. I have board games and card games to play, and should have some free time during the holidays to maybe even get a miniatures battle on the table.

Blogness

You say Liebster, I say Lobster - Let's call the whole thing off. ha!

I guess most regular bloggers (readers/writers) have seen the latest blog award going around. Alan "Tradgardmastare" over at http://tradgardland.blogspot.com/ nominated my blog as one of his 5 picks. I appreciate the nod, and would've picked his as one of the blogs I enjoy reading, for his imagination and ImagiNations, his bits about gardening and such, and his general enthusiasm.

You may also be aware of the fact that I don't always go by the "rules" so I'm not going to bother with making sure the blogs I list follow the Lobster rules.

So, without further ado, here are my 5 picks (trying to avoid ones already picked by others):
http://tidders-kingdomofwittenberg.blogspot.com/ for his "scrounging" - he finds the best stuff at car boot sales and the like and adapts them to his colorful and characterful settings, great scenics and vignnettes, and good-looking games in a restricted space.
http://solonexus.blogspot.com/ for lots of solo ideas, as well as irreverent and quirky humor.
http://saxe-bearstein.blogspot.com/ for ideas on campaigns, excellent pictures of games, organizing the group blog EvE, and general inspiration and knowledge.
http://tabletopdiversions.blogspot.com/ more inspiration and ideas for solo gaming
http://saskminigamer.blogspot.com/ for quantity and quality and variety of output, everything from magical fairy princess unicorns and fluffy bunnies to hardcore modern-day or near future armed and armored soldiers and vehicles, and great game reports involving friends and/or family.

Lots of fun and inspiring reading! Thank you! And thanks to all of the other blogs I read. I look forward to checking Google Reader everyday to see what's new!

As for my own gaming and hobby doings of late, I have purchased miniatures, and even prepped some, and repainted a few. Most of my precious little gaming time and energy has gone into board games and cardgames. I have played a few "deck-building" games, like Thunderstone and Rune Age, and am revisiting the Lord of the Rings "living" card game. I have played Castle Panic, a fairly light game rules-wise, but still tense enough to be interesting and fun. I also have a few other games I have yet to try. All games that can be readily played solo, with fairly quick setup and playing time. Key factors for me at this time. I hope to get back to painting up some of my "pile of lead" soon! And I still have plenty of ideas of where the Soweiter League, the Batrachian Empire, and various Colonial gaming efforts might head in the future.

Still Alive (and even gaming)

I haven't done much in the way of miniatures gaming or painting since my last post, but I have been trying out various board games and card games. Especially ones that can be played solo, without too much setup, and go pretty quickly. I have enjoyed a fantasy card game called Thunderstone - there are several expansion sets, and a second game called Thunderstone Advance, which apparently is sort of an updated version but with different cards and its own expansion sets. I think most cards from both base games and their expansions can be used in any combination. Another game I have enjoyed is Castle Panic - a lighter game, but with a fair amount of strategy, as well as plenty of luck; it works well solo, an hour or less to play including setting up and putting away, and looks like a fun game to play with other people, too; even people who are not "hardcore" gamers.

I bought a few other games, but the only other one of those I have tried to play so far is Mage Knight. This takes more time to setup, more space, more complicated rules. I think it will have to be saved for when I have more time and energy to spend a few hours on it.

In addition to being fun in their own right I find these games to be a good source of ideas for solo play in miniatures games and other games as well. For example, one of the ways some of these games put pressure on the player is to have some sort of "countdown" and/or "ramping up" of the enemy. So, as you play through the game time runs out to accomplish your mission, or the enemy gets stronger.