Tying Up Loose Ends

With the end of the year rolling at us at full speed, it's time for me to follow up, wrap up, or otherwise update some of the incomplete aspects of the ol' blog.

The Last Call crew. It was fun while it lasted.

The Last Call

The end of my Five Parsecs From Home campaign was ugly.

The battle of turn #2 didn't go well. Painting up a set of figures to use as Psychos was taking too long, so I resorted to using proxies to move on with the campaign. The battle turned against The Last Call crew due to a combination of poor die rolls, the opposition performing better than expected, and admittedly suboptimal tactical decision making. The result was a bitter grind as The Last Call crew put up a spirited, but futile struggle.

If I were gamemastering it as a RPG campaign, I might have fudged a few die rolls and had the Psychos fumble around a little to give The Last Call crew a chance to pull things together. Even using the options in "The Stars of the Story" section only mitigated things to a point. The outcome wasn't a true TPK, but was still a demoralizing setback. A hole that big would take a long time for The Last Call crew to dig their way free. I would have to bring in a bunch of newly painted miniatures to represent new crew in order to continue. Why not end it, call the whole thing a learning experience, and start fresh later?

I started a draft of the final stand of The Last Call crew, but left it undone. Few of the photos came out well. This would make the resulting battle report an almost unbroken wall of text. The writing alone would have to keep a reader engaged. I know the last stand has a long tradition, but I couldn't come up with a narrative that made the fight anything other than a depressing grind. I ended up abandoning the draft. Everybody only has so much time. I felt that mine would be better spent doing other things.

Beginning a new Five Parsecs From Home campaign is in the cards for next year. The ubrupt end of The Last Call campaign was rough, but it was fun while it lasted! And it fulfilled the goal of motivating me to paint more miniatures. Next time, I'd like to have a model to represent the ship and more terrain, but neither is a requirement that's cast in stone. Any decisions about the ship model or terrain will ultimately come down to time and cost. Having some more miniatures painted up and ready to go would also be prudent. Or I could just wing it. Let's see what the new year brings!

The Last Call - A Very Short Five Parsecs From Home Campaign:

Turn 0 - Crew generation

Turn 1 - Pre-battle steps, also includes campaign start steps

Turn 1 - Battle report

Turn 1 - Wrap up

Turn 1 - Error correction

Turn 2 - Pre-battle steps

I'm still not sure what I'm doing with this thing.

The YouTube Experiment

I'm still messing around with the YouTube Channel I started this year. Learning how to record audio and video, editing it, and finding ways to present it has been an engaging challenge. I think I'm closing in what to do with it, but I also want to experiment with the subjects I cover a little more.

For now, some links and short descriptions of what I've posted over there as of this post are below:

Coffee Bag Freebie Greeblies & Bits?

Short video on the scratch building parts that can be pulled off a bag of coffee.

Fixing a Squishy Based D&D Beholder Miniature

The base on this unfortunate miniature from Wizards of the Coast was far too soft to hold the figure up. Even a mighty Beholder isn't that scary if it's falling over! Fixing it by replacing the base was a quick and fun little project.

Plastic Soda Cap Greeblies & Bits?

Short video on trash bashing with these parts that come with a tasty drink!

Weathering Terrain with a Silver Marker

A quick guide on producing the appearance of bare metal exposed by wear and tear.

Soy & Teriyaki Sauce Bottle Bits

Short video on the junk build parts that come with a bottle of salty, umami flavor.

Some glass I got on my birthday. Both are helpful in the making of this blog.

More Miniature Photography Posts

Writing follow ups to The Post Where I Go On About Photography Gear and Kenko Extension Tube Set - First Impressions has been an exercise in hitting a moving target. There were several times when I thought that I had a handle on a process and started drafting a post, only from something new to upset the whole apple cart.

The simple truth of the matter is that I'm still learning and refining. How I approach miniatures photography has changed radically multiple times since I wrote those posts back in April 2021. A specific piece of gear might come and go and come back again. The camera settings have gone from one extreme to the other as I play with what works. This isn't a good place from which to teach others. I have tried to document my learning experience, but every draft has been tossed aside as no longer reflecting what I do by the time it's nearing completion.

It's going to be awhile before I dial into a preferred method and turn it into a time-tested formula. When I do, I'll be happy to share it so that others can benefit from my experience and improve their own methods.



These three were the glaring examples of unfinished business that I feel I should address. If there's anything else I've left undone that folks are curious about, feel free to fire off a question in the comments. Note that some projects are on hold due to the holidays. They will be resumed when time and weather permits - spray painting in the cold and wet is questionable at best.

D&D Beholder Miniature Rebasing

I was reminded of a problem with this Beholder miniature after using it on the thumbnail for the "The AD&D Monster Manual (1979) A - Z: Episode 3: "B - Baboon to Beholder"" video. Basically, the material used for the base is too soft for the job.

Replacing the base was a quick and fun project. This video provides an overview of the process.

Coffee Bag Freebie Greeblies

A quick video about a couple of bits useful for trash bashing salvaged from an empty coffee bag.

Since the video came out to 41 seconds, I decided to play around with the Shorts format for this one.

The AD&D Monster Manual (1979) A - Z: Episode 3: "B - Baboon to Beholder"

Commentary and opinions on the "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual" by Gary Gygax. This video covers the first half of the "B" section.

The following is the original script. Changes were made during recording and editing the video. This version doesn't reflect those changes. It is provided for those who prefer a written version over video.

I was hoping to get section B done in one go. However, since it is twice as long as the previous section, I've decided to break it up into two episodes. This episode covers section B from the Baboon to the Beholder. Next episode will cover the rest of section B.

Baboon
Curiously, "Climbing" is listed as a Special Defense of the Baboon, but no details are given. Much like the Ape, Baboons are relatively non-threatening to an adventuring party. While they will defend their territory, half the group will be young who will not attack and there is a 90% chance that the Baboons will flee if pressed. This is another entry that I question. It doesn't seem to have much in the way of utility.

Badger
The Badger is described as "typically solitary" but their Number Appearing is listed as 2-5. Badgers were historically hunted or trapped for their fur and the entry gives the value of a Badger pelt as 10-30 gold pieces. This presents an adventuring party with an option for supplementing their income while moving through a wilderness area. The entry also describes the Giant Badger as being twice the size with scaled up combat stats. It does not state that Giant Badger pelts are any more valuable than the regular variety.

Baluchitherium
This was based the world's largest land mammal, which lived roughly 35 to 24 million years ago. Combat wise, it can deal a good amount of damage while tanking anything an adventuring party can throw at it with its 14 hit dice. In the end, it's another prehistoric animal converted into an AD&D monster. Given its lack of treasure, I'm not sure why an adventuring party would choose to take one of these on.

Barracuda
An adventuring party is unlikely to encounter these animals unless they were diving in the ocean or deep sea fishing. It's possible, given the existence of various magics, but is a situation that I've never personally encountered.

Basilisk
This slow-moving, eight-legged reptile is inspired by medieval European myth. It has a bite attack, but who cares because the only reason a DM would bring one in is its petrification attack. Any "fleshy creature" that meets its gaze gets turned to stone. Presumably a saving throw is allowed, but the entry doesn't specify. Reflecting its gaze back will cause the Basilisk to petrify itself, but it is noted that there needs to be enough light around to make this effective. Interestingly, the Basilisk can see into the Astral and Ethereal Planes. Its gaze is lethal in the Astral Plane while victims in the Ethereal Plane are turned into Ethereal Stone, which is invisible except on the Ethereal Plane. This makes it a threat for almost any adventuring party and no doubt inspired groans and thrown objects from generations of players. The Basilisk is a monster with a strong legacy, appearing in later editions and in other F20 games having lost none of its fearsome reputation.

Bear
This entry features the Black, Brown, and Cave Bears. Black and Brown are based on the real world animals of the same names. The Cave Bear could be described as a "Dire" Bear in more recent editions, being larger, more aggressive, and preferring a carnivorous diet. In the real world, most bear encounters involve bears detecting a food source controlled by humans and the resulting interactions. It is entirely plausible that a Black or Brown Bear might investigate an adventuring party's camp site and raid it for their rations or trash while they are away or asleep. The Special Attack of all Bear types - the Bear Hug - is described in detail. It is also noted that Brown and Cave Bears will continue to fight for a short period after reaching negative hit points, although damage pushing them below -9 hit points will kill them immediately.

Beaver, Giant
Giant Beavers are based on the real world animal, but are larger and intelligent enough to grasp abstract concepts. They are sometimes willing to use their skills in building structures out of natural materials - dams in particular - in exchange for "coins and other valuables". This explains their Treasure Type of C, which is presumably stored in their "castle-like" dens. Not all interactions with Giant Beavers are assumed to be equitable, since the value of their pelts and young are also given. This entry is much more interesting than I remember it being.

Beetle, Giant
This entry features the Bombardier, Boring, Fire, Rhinoceros, Stag, and Water varieties of Giant Beetle. All Giant Beetles are described as "basically unintelligent and always hungry". Gygax takes particular care to note how beetles tear their food apart while ingesting it and that "nothing actually eaten by giant beetles can be revived in any manner short of a wish". I'm guessing that the situation must have come up at least once in his campaigns.

Every type of Giant Beetle has a gimmick. The Bombardier Beetle can expel a cloud of acidic vapor a couple times of day. The sound made by releasing the vapor is loud enough to stun or deafen those nearby. The Boring Beetle is a little dull when it comes to social interactions and feeds on rotting wood. Large groups may develop a communal intelligence, but no game effects are noted. The Fire Beetle possesses a pair of glands that glow brightly enough to be a light source. This makes them a target for miners and player characters who don't want to bother with torches or lanterns. Unfortunately for all concerned, the glands only produce light for a few days. Rhinoceros and Stag Beetles are both characterized by their large horns, which they use to attack. Finally, the Water Beetle is found in deep bodies of fresh water.

Of all of these, only the Bombardier and Fire Beetles made any lasting impression on me. I vaguely remember using Bombardier Beetles in a game, where they thoroughly annoyed the players. Fire Beetles featured in many games, since players would seek them out as light sources until Continual Light spells became available to the party.

Beholder
The Beholder is an iconic D&D monster. This is a monster that can wipe whole armies of low level hirelings and the adventuring parties that employed them in one go. In many ways, the Beholder embodies the wild, anything goes nature of early D&D. The Beholder also shows some of the weaknesses of early D&D when compared to more modern RPG designs.

Nine of those ten eyes are on stalks that sprout off its top. The other is larger and located above the mouth. By the way, the Beholder has a bite attack, but who cares? Each of the Beholder's ten eyes can generate a magical attack. The entry goes into detail about how many eyes can attack a target depending on its position relative to the Beholder and how many eyes stop functioning depending on how much damage the Beholder suffers. The entry does not specify which eye possesses which magical attack. Do the listed attacks go clockwise starting from the front-most eye-stalk? Counterclockwise? Does the count start with the main eye on the body? Or is it randomly determined when the encounter is generated?

While the entry listed the magical attacks, it doesn't provide any details. Most of the attacks duplicate spells or the effects on magical items. However, the burden of knowing what these spells and magic items do is placed squarely on the DM. The DM would either have to possess a working knowledge of these spells and magic items or reference the books during play. The first demands an experienced DM, the second slows down the game. Now, it is true that, in an ideal world, the DM would study the rules beforehand and taking notes as necessary. However, this is not an ideal world. Later systems avoid this issue by providing the required information in the monster entry. This was likely an oversight on Gygax's part. This information was likely second nature to Gygax. Also, he may not have internalized the need to convey all of the necessary information on the page. There is also the issue of space. Including more information in this entry would have meant reducing the size of others. However, I have already pointed out monsters of questionable utility. One or more of them could have been omitted to free up space.

Next time, I'll be starting with the Black Pudding and finishing up the rest of section B.

The AD&D Monster Manual (1979) A - Z: Episode 2: "A - How Is Anhkheg Pronounced, Anyway?"

Continuing a series expressing a middle aged guy's opinions about the AD&D Monster Manual (D&D First Edition) from 1979. This video covers the "A" section. Warning: Attempts at humor include a dad joke referencing a decades-old sitcom.

This video is shorter than the introductory episode, mainly because the "A" section is only a couple of pages long. I decided on a longer shot to make it easier to get hand gestures in frame. Might try a middle ground for the next one.

Let's Start a New Venture - YouTube!

I decided to try my hand at YouTube with a look at the AD&D Monster Manual. This video is an introduction covering the Forward, Preface, and Explanatory Notes. My first lesson learned is that video editing is challenging. Please excuse the choppiness resulting from me cutting every "uh..." and awkward pause. My second lesson is to come up with a thumbnail before uploading the video to YouTube. Early days, but I like figuring out new skills.

The AD&D Monster Manual (1979) A - Z: Episode 1: "Introduction"

I'll see about making more videos when I get the chance. This new venture won't replace this blog. It's intended to be a new way of expressing my lifelong interest in games. Enjoy!