D&D Adventurer Magazine… another look (part 1)

 

Around this time last year, Hachette Partworks did a trial (4 issue) release of a new D&D magazine.

At the time, they didn’t make it clear that it was only a trial (I have since found out that this is a common practice), and so I subscribed – as I thought it was an interesting idea.

However, because it was only a trial (i.e. it went on sale in a very limited area) – they didn’t actually charge you any money if you did take the time to subscribe online… but instead sent you a free (random) issue when the trial concluded (as a way of saying thank you for being part of their market research I guess). 

 

So, that was nice… the issue I got sent was #1… and if you want to see what I thought about it back then, I have a separate blog post HERE which I wrote at the time.

Anyway, I assume the trial went well – as they’re now going ahead with a full release… and because I subscribed previously, they automatically renewed my subscription for the actual release.

And while that in itself was mildly annoying – the sweetener was that they would be sending out the first delivery for free – once again, as a thank you for taking part in the trial (so I can’t really complain). 

 

And, true to their word, this is what turned up the other day:

 

 

...and so I thought I’d see what’s changed, and share some of my thoughts here on the blog!

So first off, it looks like issue one has been reworked somewhat. I think it still contains most of the same information, but the art and photos are different, the sections have been moved around, and stuff like that.

Noticeable changes are things like, including a reference to Gygax and Arneson this time, changing ‘races’ to ‘species’ (to be more inline with current thinking) and lots of references to D&D Beyond (there also seems to me more ‘DM tips’ sidebars in the adventure section - which is a nice addition). 

And, once again, to someone like me, the contents makes perfect sense (as I’m already familiar with the system and RPGs in general) – but, just like I said last time, it’s hard to know if that will be the case for someone coming into this completely new (as it does jump around a lot). So, it would be interesting to know if anyone that’s completely new to D&D/RPGs picks this up, and is able to actually run the encounter at the end (just using this issue) without any problems (i.e. if that sound like you, then please do let me know how you get on).

A few minor quibbles from me is when they explain that 1d8 means that you roll one eight sided die, and then go on to say that 4d8 means you roll four (I think it would have been useful to clarify that you total that result, because in issue two they describe advantage/disadvantage as being 2d20). There's also the fact that they state that you can sketch-out/photocopy the map of the inn (for the encounter at the end of the magazine) instead of just providing it as a separate handout (I mean #1 of the similar Warhammer ‘partworks’ usually come with a small battlemat to play on – so it’s not like it's something they don’t already do in similar products). 

They’ve also partially fixed the position of a trapdoor in the encounter text… so it’s now in the correct room – but they forgot to change the wording. 

But yeah, one the whole it’s the same kind of thing with the ancillary booklets (i.e. their content is similar to the trial material – just switched around a bit). However they seem to have (thankfully) taken a step back with the dice you’ll be receiving… as it seems like the old plan was going to be dice, dice and more dice… 

 

-pictured above: the trial blurb-

...whereas now they’ve broadened their horizons a little… 

-pictured above: the new blurb-

...though I do fear that it’s still going to be heavily dice focused – I mean they openly state that each adventure will have it’s own colour coded dice – which seems a bit odd to me. Sure, we gamers like dice, and we sometimes buy a new set for a new campaign or a new character or a new system… but for each individual adventure? ...I can’t say I’ve ever done (or heard anyone do) something like that.

So, while I understand that front loading the subscription with dice is probably a good idea (so a group of players has enough to get started), if it ends up being dice every two or three issues – that’s a bit excessive I think.

Anyway, on the whole, my opinion has stayed the same – for £1.99, issue one is a good deal. You get a set of dice in a little tin, a little starter encounter, four pre-generated characters and enough information to pique your interest if you’re new to all of this. So you can't really go wrong!

-what you get with #1-

However, as a slight aside, those similar Warhammer partworks that I mentioned earlier – they usually have an insert that shows you exactly what you’ll be getting over the course of all 80 issues. There is nothing like that with this one – which is rather disappointing to be honest (as I'm still not sure what I'll be getting if I decide to continue the subscription).

But yeah, that’s my thoughts about issue 1 (i.e. nothing has really changed)... and I’ll take a look at what’s in issue two (and also one of the ‘free’ gifts you get for subscribing) in my next post.

Painting some ghouls

 

As some of you will know, I've been playing some Rangers of Shadow Deep (RoSD) lately... and that has meant building specific terrain pieces, and buying/painting certain models. And, as you've probably guessed, in this blog post I'll be talking about ghouls... lots of ghouls... :)

* * *

So, first off, a while back I picked up this fellow for £1 (from the bargain bin of Too Fat Goblinz - a store in Stafford), and I figured that would be a good mini to practice my colour scheme on (as I wanted to do something pretty quick - basically just letting 'washes' do most of the work).

Anyway, here it is with just the basic colours added:

And here it is with a few tactical washes (i.e. I've not put one dark wash over the entire thing - rather a different wash over each of the colours):

...which doesn't look too bad. However, after being varnished and properly based (and held at arms length ;) ), it looked a whole lot better:

So, armed with this basic colour scheme (note that I'll list all the colours I used at the end of this article), I made a start on putting some Mantic ghouls together... eight of them in fact... and undercoated them with (brush on) Army Painter Grey primer:

Next I applied all the basecoats...

...then the various washes...

...and finally, based them with some Geek Gaming 'scrublands' (though I did kinda smooth out the step between the integral base and the mdf base with some AK texture paste first). And, just like the test model, once all that was done, they didn't look too bad!

* * *

Anyway, for some of the missions/scenarios in the RoSD core book, there's a couple of different ghoul variants - the first of these being Ghoul Fiends (essentially more powerful ghouls... perhaps akin to D&D ghasts)...

...and for these, I simply did a few hand swaps (you get some weapon holding hands on the Mantic sprues - so that's what I used), and I also used the heads with hair to distinguish them further. However, you only get one 'hair head' on each sprue - so to add a tiny bit more variety I added a second head from the Frostgrave cultists that I've also purchased recently (again, for RoSD).

And, while I did have to dremmel out the neck area, it's a pretty good match I think!

Furthermore, the keen eyed among you might also have noticed that I added some spare pouches and stuff from the Frostgrave gnolls that I painted up previously - again, just to make them stand out from the regular ghouls.

* * *

Anyway, next on the list was some ghoul 'rotters' (disease carrying ghouls that have continued to decompose) - and for these I just opted to use some Mantic zombies straight out of the box...

...and, since they've been painted in the same scheme as the rest of the ghouls - that should (hopefully) differentiate them from actual zombies on the tabletop (that's the plan at least).

* * *

Now, for the final type of ghoul (the 'flingers' - creatures that throw bits of bone etc. at their prey) - that proved to be a bit trickier. But what I settled on was a few hand swaps (using some of the Mantic zombie arms that are clutching a severed arm)... and also drilled out some hands and put some bones into them (again, from the Frostgrave gnoll accessories I think).

I also added a whole bunch of accessories from most of the kits I've mentioned thus far (ghouls, gnolls, and cultists) - just to make it look like they are carrying around a ton of stuff that can be thrown at their enemies:

And, while I'm not 100% happy with the colour that I went for on the dismembered body parts (I think a slight greenish hint would have been a better option), they too haven't turned out too bad:

So, with that, I think I've got all the ghouls I'll need (at least for a while)... and while the main plan was to get them done for RoSD, they'll be useful for RPGs... and I also made sure that I have 20 of them in total... just so that I can use them as a unit in Oathmark (or similar) too:

* * *

Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, if you're interested in knowing what colours I used, here's the list (note that they're all from Army Painter):

BASECOATS

Flesh: 1 part Mutant Hue / 1 part Filthy Cape / 2 parts Corpse Pale

Bones: Skeleton Bone

Rags: Monster Brown

Rocks & Hair: Field Grey

Wood & Leather: 1 part Dark Stone / 1 part Leather Brown

Metal: Gunmetal

Severed Body Parts: 1 part Barbarian flesh / 1 part Kobold Skin

WASHES (in this order)

Bones: 1 part Soft Tone / 1 part Wash Mixing Medium

*Severed Body Parts: Light Tone

*Flesh: 1 part Light Tone / 1 part Red Tone / 1 part Purple Tone / 3 parts Wash Mixing Medium

Rocks & Hair: 1 part Strong Tone / 1 part Military Shader / 1 part Wash Mixing Medium

**Rags: 1 part Strong Tone / 1 part Wash Mixing Medium

**Metal: 1 part Strong Tone / 1 part Wash Mixing Medium

**Wood & Leather: 1 part Strong Tone / 1 part Wash Medium (add an extra wash: 2 strong tone / 1 mixing medium, over the top to darken it further)

*an extra red wash was applied to any open wounds on the 'rotters' and to the severed arms.

**these are all applied at the same time.

Catching up...

It's been a while since my last post - so I thought I'd take the time to run through a few things that I've managed to get done over the last month or so.

* * *

OK then - the first thing I want to mention is two new 'print & paste' videos...

...in which, I make a bunch of ruins that end up looking something like this:

And, I have to say that, I'm quite pleased with how they've turned out - though I did resist the urge to try and draw vegetation growing up the sides - as I want them to be as versatile as possible. For example, while I'll likely be using them in fantasy settings for the most part (I could probably use them as Osgiliath ruins too... if I ever manage to paint up some of my LotR models) - I also wanted to have them be capable of maybe representing a bombed out World War II building... or possibly even 40K ruins (though for the latter, I might need to make a few sci-fi accent pieces to make them look a bit more suitable for that particular setting).

And while I'm talking about terrain... I've also been putting a few bits and pieces together for the Rangers of Shadow Deep game that I've been playing with my brother.

However - these are bits and pieces that have usually been cobbled together in a bit of a hurry (just to get something to the table) - and have included things like...

1) Making some clue markers from my existing crate textures:

2) Creating some house interiors for some of the small buildings that I've made (these go under the building itself, and I just remove the building to reveal the tile beneath when they are entered):

3) I've also dabbled with making a few different kinds of trees (you might have seen these at the end of the first 'ruins' video):

4) For one of the missions/scenarios I also needed some 'nest trees' - so I converted some trees I made several years ago here on the blog - just by using some of that cheap Halloween cobweb stuff to give them a suitable look (I also made a few flame markers to show which ones have been set ablaze).

5) These next pieces were very rushed - but by using a similar technique to that of the marsh video, I was able to put together a couple of passable river tiles...

...which worked well enough for the 'bridge guards' scenario pictured below:

6) For that same scenario I also needed to put together a small camp of sorts (I think the crude tent has some potential, and it might be worth seeing if I can do something more with it - like a little 'adventurers camp' video maybe) :

7) Now, when I was making the ruin textures, I was thinking ahead a little bit, and made them so that the plain wall can also be cut into 3 parts... essentially making three separate 1" high wall sections. And, the reason for this was so that I could also use them to make some 'half-high' dungeon walls - if that makes sense. Basically, something that's still not quite 3D - but taller than the usual 2.5D stuff - here's a picture that explains it a bit better...

 

 

...and using those, I was able to put together a quick map to represent the tower of Tor Varden (upper and lower levels):

 

 

 

 

8) And, for the keen eyed among you, I did (again, very quickly) put together something to represent the huge pile of wood for the beacon fire...

 

 

...and while I'm not very happy with how it turned out (I think if I am to revisit it for a video, I'll make it smaller, and more cube shaped), it did the job, and allowed us to play the scenario :)

 

9) Miniatures... I've also been painting a lot of mini's for 'Rangers' ...but since this post is getting quite long, I'll save that for another time.

 

* * *

 

Anyway, I don't know if any of this has been of interest, but I thought I'd share what I've been up to - because some of this stuff might make it into future videos at some point (for example, with a bit of tweaking, the textures I made for the wood pile might actually make for a nice little raft) - plus it's nice to collect all these pictures into one place (rather than have them being scattered here and there on the various social media sites).

But yeah - that's it for this entry... with any luck I'll have some pictures of the mini's I've got painted up later this week (and I'll maybe list some of the paint recipes I used to get them done quickly - that is, if anyone would be interested in that kind of thing :) ).

Travelling Terrain Kit (for fantasy RPGs)

As I’ve mentioned in a few other places, I’ve recently started playing at the FLGS again (Asgard Games in Walsall) ...and even though I’m just a player in a game at the moment, it’s inevitable that I’ll start running a few sessions there at some point.

Furthermore, in a recent interview-type-thing I did over on AJ Pickett’s channel (HERE is the link if you want to check it out), I was asked if I have some sort of ‘game night kit’ that I take with me when gaming away from home (and/or what do I consider ‘essential items’ to have in such a kit). 

So, in answer to AJs question (and also because it’s something I might need in the near future) – here is a little travelling GM’s kit that I’ve put together:

And, as you can see, it really isn’t that large… it’s just something I can keep at the bottom of my backpack/rucksack (alongside a simple one-page-dungeon) – so that I’m ready to run a game at a moment’s notice (should the need arise :) ).

Giant Spider Accessories / Scatter-terrain

 Just a quick post to say that I've got another video out...

...and that the pdf file can be found HERE.

Hope you like it!

Gravestones (print & paste terrain)

If you follow the YouTube channel, you'll have seen that I've just released a new episode in my terrain building series...

...and (like it says in the title) in this one, I've been making some gravestones.

Anyway, like most of the things I make, I've been meaning to have a go at something like this for a while now (the to-do list seems to get longer rather than shorter) - and in an attempt to make this blog post a bit more interesting than 'here is a new video and and new pdf' ...I thought I'd share some of my early sketches and prototypes again.

So, as is often the case, the process usually starts with a few basic sketches (just to kinda 'record' the idea - as I sometimes have periods where I'm coming up with idea after idea, and I can't possibly make them all at once - so it's good to get something sketched out so that I can remind myself about it later :) ).

Then I'll normally make a few prototypes with some scrap card and the like... just to test out the idea, and make sure that the size of everything looks about right.

Once I'm happy with that, I'll usually get the basic shapes drawn in inkscape...

 ...and then I'll start adding all the details in photoshop...

...which eventually leads to the finished 'product' (for want of a better word):

And, like I say in the video, I think these work really well with the trees that I made in the swamp/marsh video (Ep.73).

Anyway, as always, you can get the pdf file for these over on DriveThruRPG, and (as I also say in the video) if you're a Patreon supporter or YouTube member, then look out for the relevant post if you want me to make a custom gravestone with one of your character's/NPC's name on it :)

A new Sci-Fi episode AND a quick look at some ‘War On Terra’ miniatures

As you might have seen, I’ve just released a new sci-fi episode over on YouTube (if you’re new here, then I make ‘print & paste’ terrain tutorials for use in various miniatures games)…

...and in this latest episode I’ve been making some more stuff for the sci-fi range - i.e. bunks & lockers (note that you can get the pdf file HERE if you want to make some yourself – just put a zero in the little ‘pay-what-you-want’ box if you want to grab it for free ;) ).

Anyway, at the end of that video you’ll see some miniatures that were sent to me (for free) from AWA Game Design.

Now, these mini’s are from their War on Terra game (they have a kickstarter running for it at the moment), and they arrived in this rather nice looking box...

 

...which contained a whole host of goodies.

 

And one of the first things I noticed is that they have some left-handed models – which is a nice touch.

And, as you can see, the assembly of the models is pretty straight forward – and while their isn’t a great deal of poseability, there is enough... as some of the models come with multiple arm options, and the arms themselves can be swapped around between models to change things up a bit (i.e. they all appear to be interchangeable - which is nice).

Now, the miniatures that I received look to be 3D resin prints (I’m not sure if the mini’s you get with the kickstarter will be cast, or printed, or something else entirely) – but this was my first time working with 3D prints… and I didn’t have any issues assembling or painting them…

...though I will say that there were some visible print lines on a couple of the models – the most noticeable being on the chest circle of the guy second from the left - though if I were a smarter person I could have just run a file over that, and that would have got rid of it (and I’m not really sure why I didn’t do that to be honest… oh well :) ).

And as far as scale goes… they are on the larger end of the spectrum – and to illustrate that, here’s a picture of one of their tesla marines standing next to a GW primaris marine...

 

...and while I personally would have liked them to be a bit smaller (so I can use them in other games – alongside some of the other sci-fi mini’s I already own), I expect that will be a non-issue for most folks (doubly so if you’re only using them as intended – i.e. for the War on Terra game).

But yeah, I’m happy with how they’ve turned out. I mean, I’ve gone with a pretty basic colour scheme, and they still look pretty good I think (as I’ve said before, I do prefer painting miniatures that are not overburdened with too much unnecessary clutter – and these fit that bill).

I’m also wondering if, since all of the human sub-factions have their own circular emblem/iconography, I wonder if they have plans to release some of those as little pieces that can be glued into the circle of the chest plate (as I think that would be rather cool).

Oh... and, as a slight aside, I also want to point out that the box itself (which I’ve already said, is rather nice)… with a little bit of padding, it can easily accommodate the half-size trays that you can get from places like KR Multicase (because once you’ve got all this assembled and painted – you’re gonna want to keep your models safe… right?).

Anyway, if you’re interested, the War in Terra guys did an interview over on The Painting Phase channel if you want to learn a bit more about them and the game they’re producing (which is well worth a watch):

 

...plus the painting phase chats are always entertaining :)

 

So yeah, thanks for making it to the end of this article. I hope you can get some use out of the new (bunks & lockers) terrain, and feel free to check out the War on Terra* kickstarter if it looks like your kind of thing!

*note that I am not affiliated with AWA Game Design in any way, and I have not been paid to write this article (I just agreed to take a look at some of their mini’s, as I thought they looked like rather cool models :) ).