Otherworld Miniatures; Labyrinth Lord Level 2!

 

My new Otherworld miniatures arrived today and I'm super excited!  As you can see above they come in their own case (Feldherr I believe) with a sleeve wrapped around the case.

Each miniature has its own slot, there are two levels in the case.  My only complaint would be that many of the bases do not have slots which means I will need to cut them myself.  This is different from the first set which all had pre-slotted bases.  Some of the figures also have VERY tall tabs at the bottom which will need to be sliced in half to get them to fit in the bases.  Unfortunately the material is quite thick, its going to take some elbow grease to get them cut.  Other than those minor complaints I am very pleased with the set, the sculpts looks awesome and I really like the giant ooze!  More pics to come as I get to work on these later this week.

Queen of the Spiders

 

Queen of the Spiders is still considered one of the greatest Dungeons & Dragon adventures ever printed.  It's also one that I have never owned and I have decided to rectify that.  I checked Noble Knight Games, they have no copies availible.  Next up was Amazon, they have copies running from $100 all the way up to $2936 (really?!).  I've been burned several times on Amazon with old modules, missing maps or in really bad condition so I'm a bit wary to purchase this piece from them.

What I need from you oh faithful readers is your feedback, I really cannot see paying $100.00 for an adventure, no matter how good it is.  Is there anyone out there that is aware of an alternate source (I already own a .pdf copy but would really like a hard copy) where I can pick up my own dead tree version?  Is anyone aware of some little out of the way online store that might have a copy that will not cost me an arm and a leg?

This might be a long shot but I figured its one worth taking.  I will be wrapping up my Temple of Elemental Evil campaign soon and was thinking of running all the way through Queen.  Anyway, thanks in advance!

Surviving K2! Brrrrrr.

My wife and I found some time last night to give K2 a try.  Adam Kaluza is a board game designer and avid mountain climber.  He has released several climbing games with K2 being the first, followed up by and expansion called Broad Peak (which I do not own....yet) and finally his newly released Mount Everest.

Being a person that loves to camp and hike and climb these games are right up my alley.  I'll keep my comments focused on K2 as I have not had a chance to play Mount Everest yet.  

Each player is assigned two climbers each with their own tent.  The goal is to climb as high as possible to gather as many victory points as you can.  Points from both of your climbers are added together at the end of the game to find your final score.  The game is simple but offers many choices and changing conditions.  As a player you hold six cards in your hand but can only play three per turn, these are movement cards, rope cards (which can be used to move faster down the mountain), and acclimatization cards.  The three cards you play can be split between your two climbers.  Each space on the board has a movement cost and acclimatization cost which can be positive or negative.  You gain victory points by reaching higher spaces but if your climber dies (by going below one acclimatization points) you get only one victory point for him/her.

My wife plots her red climbers strategy.  Points track is on the right edge of the board.

Fun stuff included in the game are the tents, which can be pitched once for each climber.  This changes the acclimatization in one space for that climber to +1 instead of negative points.  Pitching tents are essential to making the summit, when and where you put your can can help win you the game.  Tents are setup by paying extra movement points, once placed they are there for the game and can only be used by the matching climber.

Pushing toward the summit.  You can see the weather track to the left of the board.

Weather is another big factor in the game, there are 18 game turns, each with different weather.  You can see the weather for the next few days and can plan your assault on the summit accordingly.  Weather can cause negative acclimatization or movement in different altitude bands.  This is why tents are so important, if you are losing acclimatization points due to the altitude and also due to the weather your climbers would quickly expire.  As you near the peak there are also rules allowing only so many players in each space, you can pass through but cannot stop and exceed the maximum number allowed.  This allows you to block other players and force them to use more movement cards exposing them to risk factor tokens.

The game board includes two sides, one harder than the other, also included are two sets of weather cards, one good weather with the other being winter weather for increased difficulty.  My wife and I played on the sunny side board with the good weather cards.  Next time we will try the harder versions of each.

My wife's first climber made the summit and then died from overexposure.  My climber is two spaces below the summit in his tent waiting out the storm.

Its a great game that plays smoothly and takes a bit of strategy to plan out your turn.  You never have enough movement and acclimatization cards to execute all of your plans, you need to adapt on the fly to be successful and to keep your climbers alive.  If you have any interest in climbing themed games give K2 a try, you will not be dissapointed!

My climber in his tent is blocking my wife, she needs to play extra movement points to advance past him.

She leaped over me and then I returned the favor and reached the summit!

Here's how the game ended, ten points for each that summit-ed and six for my other climber.  My wife's second climber died giving her only one point which gave me the win!

Sol Tachi (Star Wars Edge of the Empire Character)

 

Edge of the Empire is another game that I have not had the time to actually play.  Its a big beautiful book with fantastic art throughout.  For my first character I decided to roll up a Bounty Hunter, Sol Tachi.  He come from a poor background, his father was an unsuccessful local system Bounty Hunter.  Sol learned the trade from his father at a young age and decided if he was ever going to be a success he needed to get a ship and leave the planet.  I gave him Freedom for his motivation, Sol is driven to do what he wants when he wants, he strives to be his own man.  For an obligation I gave him a criminal record, he had a brush with the Empire on his home-world of Fondor.

I figured he was technically proficient so I gave him the Gadgeteer specialization.  Gadgeteers are a mix of tech and combat experts, equally able to jury rig failing equipment or blast their way out of a dangerous situation. 

 

He has good Cunning and Presence and is a descent pilot and has good underworld connections. He's armed with a standard Blast Pistol with a filed down front sight but also has several non-lethal weapons to take down his marks, including a bola, two Stun Grenades and a pair of Shock Gloves.  Check out the rest of his stats below!

 

 

New Labyrinth Lord Miniatures on order!

 

Well this morning I ordered the next set of Otherworld Miniatures made for Labyrinth Lord.  I'm very excited for this set, it comes in a Feldherr case and includes the following minis; 3 Gnolls, 3 Ghouls, 3 Zombies, 4 Troglodytes, 2 Shadows, 3 Large Crab Spiders, 3 Berserkers, 1 Green Slime, 1 Yellow Mold and 1 Evil Magic User.

I'll make sure I post some pics once they arrive and again once I start painting.  Hope you all had a great weekend!

Painting Operational Detachment Alpha - Complete!

My Delta Team is complete! Today I washed the figures in Citadel Devlan Mud, let them dry and then went back in and highlighted them.  I finished with two coats of Citadel Matte Varnish to help protect them.  I enjoy these figures, though I'm not super happy with the kneeling guy but I think that's more the pose that anything. If your looking for 20mm modern figures check out the Elhiem line available here in the US of A at Syr Hobb Wargames.

 

 

 

 

Painting Operational Detachment Alpha - Part II

 

I finished the base coat on all five of my Delta Force members yesterday.  I'm not going to describe what color is where, to be honest I didn't write everything down, I was busy watching World Cup games while I was painting.  Later today I will give them a wash and then go back in an paint the highlights.  I hope you're all having a good 4th of July weekend!

Happy 4th of July!

Lincoln riding bear, because AMERICA.

Happy 4th everyone, be safe and enjoy your weekend!

Painting Operational Detachment Alpha - Part I

ODA Team Leader.

Heya folks,

I managed to spray coat my Marines with a clear matte varnish and I'm pleased with how they look.  I tried to take a few more pictures but they looked exactly like the last batch so I'll just move on to my Delta Operators.  I was able to get a little painting done this morning, I'll be working a bit more on these guys this weekend.

The Team Leaders coat is Citadel Fenris Grey with Vallejo Stone Gray pants.  His webbing is in Vallejo English Uniform.  All the skin tones are again either Vallejo Basic Skintone or Citadel Mournfang Brown.

Base colors blocked in.

Delta Operators Two and Three.

Operator Two has his pants painted in Vallejo Flat Earth, Operators Three and Five have theirs in Vallejo Iraqi Sand.

Delta Operators Four and Five.

Four has a pakol (afghan hat) painted in Vallejo Flat Earth and pants in Vallejo Grey-Green.

I am going to be painting these guys in earth tones but mismatched so they don't look like standard uniforms but more like men that have been operating behind enemy lines.  More to come this weekend, be safe and have a good July 4th weekend!

Painting Marines - Part IV

McNulty is locked and loaded.

I love Citadel's Devlan Mud Wash.  It's really nice for giving your minis some depth of color.  I use a pretty wide brush and slather it in all the cracks, it really helps to make the base colors pop out.  Once I was done with the wash I went back and began highlighting.

I used Vallejo US Field Drab for the highligts on the the webbing, body armor, knee pads, bags and goggle straps.  Then I used a mixture of Vallejo Deck Tan and English Uniform to highlight the uniforms.  The only step left will be to let them dry for twenty-four hours and then spray them with a clear matte varnish.  Overall I'm pretty happy with how they have come out.  You can see the rest of the squad below!

Next up is the Delta Force unit, stay tuned!

Painting Marines - Part III

Private McNulty looking dapper.

Work continues on my lean mean Marines.  Today I have painted the guns, night vision connectors, sunglasses and microphones black.  The helmet straps, SAW magazines and gloves were all painted with Reaper Stained Olive. 

Weapon laser was painted in Vallejo English Uniform.

The goggles received a base of Vallejo Dark Grey with the edges of the goggles and the goggle covers being painted in Vallejo Dark Sand.  I went back over the guns and goggle lenses with a Vallejo Light Gray highlight. Boots were up next, they were painted with a 50/50 mix of Vallejo Flat Earth and US Field Drab.

The troops ready for a wash and then highlights!

Next up will be a wash of Citadel Devlan Mud and then highlights!