I didn’t have any luck with the local quote requests, so last night I uploaded the magnet jigs from RP Archive to Shapeway. I went with first available plastic, so they’re supposed to ship by 1/21. Provided a comet passes between us and Pluto at the proper aspect or a 6-legged highland goat is born breach under a full moon. If I knew what to sacrifice, I would probably be sorely tempted. I paid for UPS as my last few postal parcels have been…colorful. At least you can’t do too much damage to a pair of safety gloves and a pack of googly eyes. I swear they’re staring at me.
Speaking of shinies…
The Nerdforge mat is heavier than I expected; it’s satisfyingly solid. I can’t wait to trash it. The Guider Pro 2.0 must have gotten updated instructions since the BMC assembly video, as it’s a lot more sensible now. Faster than expected shipping too; the new US affiliate really cuts down on the wait.
The ruins finally toddled off for play testing. I should have sent some of the monsters too, cleared more space. After they were gone I realized I’d forgotten to base the doorways and rubble with gravel and sand; they’re just painted black. Oh wells. That being said, I think I need to build and paint a little less. I’ve gotten into the habit of discounting plotting, planning, sketching, organizing, etc. etc., and doing some sort of active hobbernation every night. Smells like burnout, and, in combination with the day job, my wrists are getting a little huffy about it.
The hobby desk has rather eaten up all of my gaming time as well. I keep saying I’m going to start Gloomhaven and then fire up the wire cutter instead. Not to mention subsuming all of my existing hobbies, as new obsessions tend to do. This is the first time I’ve pulled out the stitchcraft in an epoch. I still have an eastern water dragon to finish. #hobbystreak was a nice jump start, but not everything needs to be posted. I might hop back on the train if I start slacking off, but at the moment I have plans and I could use a few days to decompress now that work is baking my noodle.
Saturday morning was gorgeous – clear skies, nil wind, and 48 degrees by noon. I finally braved the balcony again. I made it about 2.5 hours before I couldn’t feel my ass or close my right claw. I made it through all of the varnish and most of the priming. The Khainite Shadowstalkers, Scions of the Flame, and Corvus Cabal warbands are ready for basing, just a few pieces of terrain left to get to. I also tested a few different airbrush grips, and I think Brent at Goobertown has the right idea. I don’t care what anybody says, I am more comfortable with my thumb on the trigger – its the only way my hands don’t cramp and it’s not like I’m missing the models.
I tested a few layouts for Tamir, but I really don’t want a ginormous board that serves no purpose and is impossible to store. I’m going to start with the modular cottage and house from the Archive, and shipwreck cabin from BMC, and go from there. The biggest issue is scale – Sierra games were rather loose with their spacial relativity. Tamir shows the fisherman’s one-room hut, the ogre’s two-story house, and the haunted manor as about the same size overall, but the insides are 1, 4, and I think 8 screens, respectively.I’m going to have to decide how to reconcile things eventually.
If I fix the screen size to limit the overall board, the size discrepancy is going to be wonky AF and probably make my left eye twitch. A lot. If I go modular, I can keep the scale consistent, but the overall will be guano gargantuan. But if it’s modular, does that even matter? It would probably only be together once (likely on the hardwood floor), and then broken down and farmed out for play testing. With the modular river tiles, the waterfall and stream are much less of an issue. If I put my folding table together with the kid’s beer pong table, that might be large enough. Either way, this build touches on a lot of different styles and aesthetics.
- Fisherman’s Shack – Wood siding, shingled roof, metal chimney pipe, round porthole, wooden pier
- Ogre’s House – Stone walls, thatched roof, iron banded door, sashed windows
- Haunted Manor – Pseudo Gothic, eagle emblem, webs, broken windows, tower (only pictured from interior)
- Cemetery – Headstones, short fencing, creepy dead tree with hole in the middle, crypt with stone columns and lion statue
- Dwarven House – Waterwheel, tree root roof, brick chimney, attic popup window
- Dwarven Mine – Packed earth ramps, wood frame and door
- Witch’s Cave – Shaped like a skull out of Scooby-Doo with smoke escaping a crack in the pate, forest of spooky living trees that throttle people
- Stone Bridge – low stone arch (golden ball hidden underneath), willow tree
- Stone Pool – Lined with stone columns, swimming cupid
- Pond – stand of birch trees, lily pads, frog in a crown
- Grassy meadows – Trees, bushes, wildflowers, stump in a flower patch where Pan plays his pipes, boulder next to the path, where bard plays his lute, grazing unicorn
- Beach – stretch of cliffs, ocean
- Mountain – Winding path, creepy castle with stable out front (and limited exterior presentation)
- Waterfall – feeds the stream
