Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Super Dungeon Explore WIP: Assembly and WTF





Good Lord. Okay, got my kids Super Dungeon Explore for Christmas (shhhhhhhh), nonchalant about getting the minis together and painted before December 25th.

What the hell was I thinking.

So, two nights of assembly down… all-in-all, not bad on that front but damn that’s a lot of figs. I needed 2 tubes of super glue and a thumb-sized cake of greenstuff to get it all together, which isn't bad... a testimony to how well engineered this figs are, which is REALLY awesome. Total assembly time: 4 hours. 

I had to dip some models in boiling water to bend them into position: Ember Mage, some Kobold spears, Barbarian axe, Palidan sword and parts of the dragon. Total correction time: less than 15 minutes.

I’ll be using my own modified dip method for this, it’s the only shot at getting it all done.
Over the next few nights, cleaning, some gap filling, soap and water then  prep for priming.

Friday, November 16, 2012

WWZ: Scotland Philly?

Caught some footage of a set in Glasgow for WWZ, loaded with Philly street signage and local-ish vehicles.

Would love to know why they don't just film it all here (edit: they did film a lot here judging from the official trailer). I get interrelated budgets, proximity of flexible sets, etc. Guess they needed Europe to film both a New England -looking location and something that looks like India or Pakistan.

Still. If Philly is in the movie, shoot it here, so says the Always Sunny in Philadelphia fan who seldom sees the crews here... but I did actually see Danny DeVito near Liberty Place in a hospital gown; a place which also appears in Z.

Also, WWZ drops on my birthday so I guess that means I'll definitely be seeing it then.


NEWSFLASH: I paused the clip to figure out where the exteriors of Philadelphia were. In the pic below you are looking due West from the Ben Franklin bridge, the roadway on the bottom left is the foot of that bridge. That makes the roadway 676 going down to Broad St.

THAT MEANS THE BURNING PLUME ON THE LOWER RIGHT IS MY OLD HIGHSCHOOL, ROMAN CATHOLIC HIGH!

Thank you Zombpocalypse!






Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Christmas: Games for the Kids?


 I have a 10 year old daughter and an 8 year old son. We like playing games together and naturally, the boardgames and cardgames are a big part of solid quality time, way more than what the Wii can manage.

My son in particular enjoys modified Memoir '44 and Space Hulk. My daughter will play anything.

So, with Christmas coming I have 2 frontrunners for game ideas. I realize that some adaptation may be required for either.



Super Dungeon Explore (SDE) may be really fun given the simple goals and familiar aesthetics of the game.  My brother-in-law and cousin are also coordinating with me on getting the same game for their kids of similar age, the idea being they can all play when they get together. SDE seems to appeal to all the parents involved.

My #2 pick is the new Mice and Mystics game. It seems a more playful game that delivers story at the expense of the boss battles of the usual crawl; this is perhaps more risky as it may make it a ridiculous hit or still-enjoyable miss. My kids are readers and would probably enjoy acting out the story... so I give points to the experiential mechanic of the game while wondering if the replay is really any different than SDE. The other parents in on this plan may not be cut out for a rodent dungeon master, as far as shepherding their kids through this game.

Anybody have any practical opinions on these games for family night? Other options?

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Strange Aeons: Servitor of the Outer Gods


 Look what Sandy deposited on my doorstep! I've been wanting this model for aeons but never had a gaming reason to own it until the last Shocking Tales of Madness and Mayhem #3 came out. Not bad when a 14bp model is US$10.00.

The plinth will be based normally, to be used as an objective marker or tombstone. I may make his little dais floating or just base it as-is.

Thoughts? Floaty or non-floaty?

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Strange Aeons WIP: Mutant Venus Flytrap




 Strange Tales #3 sees lots of super-sized gribblies inside, new Lurkers just waiting to make you re-equip your Threshold team (again).

I was smitten by a few things in the Black Dossier but the Venus Fly Trap was something I already had my eye on doing as a Scene of Horror. So, I was thrilled to see a 2 point Mutant Venus Fly Trap and Plant rules staring back at me from pages 11 and 12.

I hit the pet store on the way home and grabbed the “Naturalist Flora” terrarium decoration that I saw a bit ago, promising that someday I’d drop the US $12 and turn it into Strange Aeons terrain. You can find these onEbay too.



With barely a change in plan, I popped it out of the package, trimmed it so it fit on a CD, hot glued it on and textured it with my homemade brand of “stinky stuff”, aka texture mud. It’s drying now. 



Tomorrow I will mask the plants and zap the base with water based spray, detailing as usual.
You could easily scratch build something similar with false eyelashes, aquarium plants, strips of paper and floral wire but I just don’t have time for that. Stay tuned!