Half Price Books Finds #1 - Four AD&D Modules

My latest score from Half-Price Books: four AD&D modules from way back when. All in pretty good condition.

S2: White Plume Mountain. Go into volcano dungeon, kill things, get past traps, and take stuff.

I2: Tomb of the Lizard King. Find source of evil, go to source of evil, and try not to get killed by source of evil.

C2: The Ghost Tower of Inverness. Go into dungeon, kill things, get past traps, and take stuff.

Q1: Queen of the Demonweb Pits. Go into extra-planar space dungeon, kill things, get past traps, and wonder why invading the lair of Lolth ever sounded like a good idea.

Now, as the name of this blog suggests, I've been gaming for awhile. Modules like these were among my first gaming products. I've parted ways with many gaming books over the years. Some got lost during moves. Others were sold off during lean times. Purchasing nostalgia items like these modules is a chance to reconnect with my earliest days as a gamer. It's a luxury that I've come to relish.

Of these four modules, C2: The Ghost Tower of Inverness is the only one that I owned previously. I missed out on the others the first time around, but I'm familiar with them from other sources. I'm looking forward to reading them. Maybe I'll get the chance to run a couple of them in the First Edition game I started recently.

Of course, I don't think I'll be able to convince them to take on Lolth on her own plane of existence.

Tectonic Craft Studios 30mm Bases

It's always nice to have a little something show up in the mail. Last week, for me, it was a set of 30mm round miniature bases from Tectonic Craft Studios. All of their bases, terrain, and other game aids are made from laser cut MDF. Tectonic Craft Studios got started early this year when they ran a Kickstarter to raise funds to buy their equipment and get things rolling.

For my very modest pledge of $3 USD, I got twenty of these bases. I opted for four different types, Gangplank (lower left), OrthoGrid (upper left), Diamond Tread (upper right), and Cobblestone (lower right). I already have plans for some of them. The rest will likely get used up when the Reaper Bones Kickstarter miniatures show up next year.

I had a very positive experience with Tectonic Craft Studios and their Kickstarter. Updates came often enough to show their progress and I received exactly what I requested on their survey. These bases are a clear demonstration of their commitment. Going from funded to shipping product in a matter of months is not something every company can achieve.

It doesn't look like the Tectonic Craft Studios is taking orders on their website yet. But I'll be keeping on eye out for when they do.

Matchbox Finds for 15mm #2

All of the models below are part of Matchbox's Real Working Rigs line.

Abrams M1A1 Tank



The level of detail on these models is outstanding. A more realistic paint job and they fit right in on the tabletop. The scale may not be an exact match for 15mm, but it is close enough to work.

I've picked up a total of four of these models over the past few months. Two are the gray/blue/black scheme seen in the pictures. The scheme actually looks pretty good, but I could do without the “United Alliance” markings. The other two were part of Mission Force packs and had a hideous black and green paint scheme. Even worse, the paint was thick enough to obscure the details of the models. I've already stripped one and the other is going through a long soak in Simple Green. I'm thinking about a jungle green scheme might work well over the green plastic pieces.

Stryker M1128 MGS



These are based on the real world Mobile Gun System version of the U.S. Army's Striker. The gun in question is a 105mm cannon. My understanding is that the vehicle was designed for situations calling for a large bore direct fire weapon, but not the tank that usually comes with it.



The detailing is excellent, but the models are a little too large to be in scale with 15mm. That's fine with me, since I have no plans to use them in a modern game. These will likely end up being repainted for sci-fi wargames like Tomorrow's War. They have the right look to be convincing as tank destroyers or in an infantry support role. Unfortunately, placement of the cannon and the fact that the rear hatch opens to a blank panel makes using one of these models as a troop carrier problematic.

Tracked Missile Launcher



As far as I know, this model is not based on a real world vehicle. Most of the large missile launchers that I am familiar with are wheeled rather than tracked.

The model is nicely detailed, although there are some mold lines on the plastic missiles. This model will likely see use as an objective in sci-fi wargames. A planetary defense force would be wise to keep some of its missile launchers mobile and in the field to survive a surprise attack The missiles are big enough to convincingly threaten a large target – like part of a planetary invasion force or the ships that deployed it.

The Workbench #5 - Alien Plant Terrain

These were the results of a couple of experiments in terrain making. The goal was to some "scatter terrain" useful for sci-fi miniature games. The terrain had to be small, inexpensive, and within my current skill level. It also had to work with both 15mm and 28mm scale miniatures.

A little research introduced me to the idea of using drinking straws as the basis for alien looking plant pieces. TerraGenesis has an article covering the basics and Miniwargaming has a video demonstrating the techniques involved.

The above links do a fine job of describing the idea and the process. I see no real need to repeat the details here, so my descriptions will mainly focus on where I varied from the sources above.

Manufacture:

I used a candle as a stationary heat source to deform the straws. A word of warning about this step - it uses an open flame to melt plastic. Do it in a well ventilated area with a bucket of water nearby. The plastic can get plenty hot even if it doesn't liquefy enough to drip down on your hands.

Assembly:

I reshaped a pair of flat wood pieces with a craft knife for the bases. Next, I mixed some Milliput to use as mounting point for the straws. The Milliput was pushed down on the wood bases to form small mounds. I pushed the straws far enough into the Milliput to provide firm support.

Painting:

The undercoat was some black spray paint left over from another project. The coverage was not perfect, so I watered down some black craft paint to cover up the bare spots. I paid particular attention to the areas where the interiors of the straws were exposed.

The base coat was a couple of layers of thinned down dark green craft paint. I drybrushed on some lighter green craft paint to serve as highlights.

Basing:

I applied some watered down PVA glue to the base and over the Milliput and covered the glue with sand. Next was a watered down mix of brown craft paint and PVA glue to color and further fix the sand into place. Finally, I drybrushed some linen craft paint over the sand.

Results:

These pieces look like they should work well as sci-fi scatter terrain. They were simple to make and the costs were very reasonable, especially since I had some of the materials on hand already. As the picture indicates, they look convincing with different miniature scales.

The Workbench #4 - Alternate Energy Scenery from Scene-A-Rama

These were a lucky find in the local Hobby Lobby's clearance section. I had previously passed them up at full price, but a few bucks off made them worthwhile. I wasn't the only one to think so. Every other Hobby Lobby in the Austin area has been sold out for awhile now.

These models are made by Scene-A-Rama under their Scene Setters line. Each package comes with two windmills and two solar panel arrays. The windmills are are roughly six inches tall and the solar panel arrays are about an inch in height.

These models are largely scale independent, although I did have 15mm in mind when I purchased them. They can be an objective for a sci-fi game on a distant colony world. Destroying or capturing the power generation for a small colony or outpost is a realistic mission for an attacking force. Alternately, they could just be terrain to add some flavor to a board.


Ambush Alley Games uses these models for their Tomorrow’s War demos, as seen on their Facebook page. They can also be seen in the Tomorrow’s War rulebook on page 103.

Assembly was straightforward. I used plastic cement to attach the pieces and gave it a day to cure. The windmill blades could either be glued down or left to move freely on the shaft. I left them free to spin.

The bases that came with the windmill models were too small to be stable enough for a gaming table. I fixed the issue by gluing the original bases on larger plastic bases. Then came the sand and a watered down mix of glue and brown paint to hold the sand in place and give it a base color. After it dried, a quick drybrush with a linen acrylic craft paint finished things up.

Reaper Bones Kickstarter Update

The Reaper Bones Kickstarter funded with 11,430% of its goal, so I'm reasonably sure they have enough money to go forward with expanding the Bones line. I ended up pledging just shy of $250. That's the $100 "Vampire" level pledge plus some of the extras made available by stretch goals.

Yes, I did end up raising my original pledge amount. By about a hundred dollars.

Reaper's shipping target is March, but I wouldn't be surprised if the date slips a little. Some of the stretch goal miniatures were still in the concept art stage when Reaper presented them. There is the whole process of getting the infrastructure in place to start production. And 17,744 backers is alot of folks to ship miniatures to.

The over 200 miniatures showing up early next year has put a deadline on clearing my worktable. It will be much easier to prioritize the Reaper Bone Kickstarter miniatures if I have my backlog of miniatures related projects under control first. To that end, I've been knocking out some quick and easy projects first. Expect to see some progress reports soon.

Reaper Miniatures Bones Kickstarter

I've been keeping an eye on Reaper Miniatures Bones Kickstarter. The original "Vampire Level" pledge was a pretty sweet deal at a $100 for over 60 fantasy miniatures. Still, I decided to wait and see.

When it hit the point where the $100 level worked out to less than a buck a miniature, I just couldn't justify waiting any longer. It was too good a deal to pass up.

At the time of this writing, the Vampire pledge gets 111 miniatures. This includes the original 67 and those unlocked by the project achieving several stretch goals. It does not include the optional rewards that require raising the amount pledged. Those optional rewards include paint sets, a figure case, and additional miniatures. All of which was nice deals at the prices Reaper is offering.

Which presents me with two problems.

First, that's gonna be alot of miniatures to paint.

The second is the temptation to raise my pledge every time this thing hits another goal...

The Work Bench #3 - More Gamecraft Miniatures Buildings

These are the other two MDF terrain pieces I purchased from Gamecraft Miniatures. Much of what I wrote about the Small Cargo Module applies here: 15mm, made for Ambush Alley's Tomorrow’s War, and expect a wood smoke smell after getting the parts out the package.



The larger piece is named the Garage/Shop Module (15MTW003) and has the Optional Raised Detail (15MTW003-1) added. The cargo door and the building itself are a little small to hold most 15mm vehicles, so I'm not sure about calling it a garage. It works fine as a workshop or storage building, though.

The Small Module (15MTW001) also has the Optional Raised Detail (15MTW001-1) offered for this piece. It could represent a small residence, office, or storage building by itself. On the other hand, Gamecraft Miniatures made it just the right size for another option: stack it on top of a larger piece in the same product line. Placed on the Garage/Shop Module, it becomes a second story office or on-site residence.



Assembly was fairly simple, but I did run into an issue not present on the Small Cargo Module. I used super glue for the initial assembly followed by watered down craft glue to seal off any gaps. The roof and corners were still uneven after assembly. The MDF parts fit together well, but not perfectly, resulting in small gaps. I spread some filler (the same stuff used to fit holes in drywall) over the top and on the corners. A day and a little sanding later, the issue was mostly resolved. Some of the gaps can still be seen, but are not really noticeable at table top distances.

I used almost the same painting methods as on the Small Cargo Module. The only difference was going easy on the weathering for these pieces. I wanted them to look used, but still kept up.

The laser etched detailing is pretty good. It is deep enough to be seen after painting, especially if using thinned paints and washes.

The optional raised detailing does add to appearance of the pieces. It has a much stronger effect than the laser etching and is clearly visible even from across the room. It also almost doubles the cost of each piece. Personally, I like the optional detailing, but I can see how the choice between it and more pieces for roughly the same price might be an issue for some folks.

Overall, these are good, solid pieces that I'm looking forward to putting on the table. I plan on buying more when time and finances permit.

Austin Boardgame Bash 2012

Spent most of Saturday afternoon, all of the evening, and a fair chunk of early Sunday morning at the Austin Boardgame Bash. It's only the second year for this convention, but it's already proven popular for the local gaming community. I tried out some new games and enjoyed the chance to catch up with some familiar faces. Best of all, some commemorative dice to remind me of the event!

The Work Bench #2 - Gamecraft Miniatures Small Cargo Module

I picked up three of Gamecraft Miniatures' 15mm scale MDF terrain pieces during one of their recent sales. The ones I purchased were made for Ambush Alley's Tomorrow’s War game. That said, there is nothing so distinctive about these pieces that they can't be used for any futuristic game.

This particular piece is a Small Cargo Module (15MTW031). Not being familiar with assembling and painting MDF, I decided to use it as a test piece before working on the other two (which will be seen in a later post).

The piece came unassembled in a plastic bag. I noticed a strong, smoky smell immediately after unsealing the bag. This is to be expected as the parts are laser cut wood. It wasn't unpleasant, but the smell was still noticeable days after taking the parts out of the package.

Assembly was straightforward. Test fitting revealed that the parts fit together well. The piece went together quickly and without a struggle. I used super glue to hold the parts together during assembly. After the super glue set completely, I applied watered down craft glue to the seams to strengthen the piece and to seal any gaps.

Although it is called the Small Cargo Module, the piece is a good size for a terrain piece. It is big enough to provide cover, influence maneuver, and effect lines of sight. It is also small enough to be added in without dominating the board or getting in the way as players move and measure.

The assembled piece is very durable. It survived getting knocked off my desk without damage. This piece should survive years of gaming with nothing more than touching up the paint.


Painting took longer than I expected. Online research suggested that priming would not be necessary and that the best approach would be multiple layers of thinned paint. The MDF absorbed the initial layer while barely changing color. It ultimately took four layers until I was happy with the coverage of the basecoat.

My initial concerns with filling in the laser etched details on the piece proved unfounded. The etching is deep enough not to be effected by the layers of thinned paint. I did apply some Reaper Black Wash (09255) over the etching to being out the details a little more, just in case.
The next step was highlighting. I gently brushed on a thinned down linen color over the medium gray basecoat. I paid particular attention to the upper edges where light would catch on a real structure.

Finally, I detailed and weathered the piece. I used some thinned down Reaper Black Wash to simulate shadows in between and below the panels. Some thinned down Reaper Brown Wash (09254) went into the lower parts of the piece to represent the build up of soil and dust over time.

I'm pretty happy with the piece. Its price is offset by its quality, durability, and utility. It would not look out of place as part of a near-future location here on Earth or in a far-future space colony or industrial world.