Heroes of the Sword Coast (Session 4)

This session was orignally recorded 1/25/2015.



From the Journal of Lydia the Halfling





6:15

In another room we find three prisoners.  A wife from the town,  Mirena, and her daughter and son.  They tell us the Red Brand have killed their father.  After we kill the Red Brand we let them go.  

At a door in the next area we hear a person demeaning someone else.  We knock on the door and find two bugbears and a goblin.  We tell the goblin that the prisoners have escaped and that they need to go get them.  We pay the goblin to take us to Cragmaw Keep.

Before heading to Cragmaw Keep we go to check and make sure the prisoners made it back to town.  We find the bugbears stalking the farm that the people live at and manage to intimidate them into going back to the hideout.

7:30

We find out the next day that the Red Brand have left town.  We decide that we are going to try find a banshee for Sister Gorrell.  We head out to find her, keeping in mind she is very vain.  During the night we are attacked by a group of four ogres.

Introduction to Miniature Painting, Lesson 4

Lesson 4 - Drybrushing I

The drybrush technique is a ubiquitous tool that you will use throughout your career as a hobby gamer.  It's easy to do, easy to practice and after a few minis you'll begin to see how you can use it in your projects.  This is one of the best ways to provide highlights or a two-stage basecoat for your models, and is a very quick method for assembly line painting.  We had our class practice on several goblin models to get used to how it works.

Won't you take me to - GOBLIN TOWN?!

In order to use the technique, you need to prepare your brush.  Get it wet, then put some paint on it and dab out all the moisture and paint on a paper towel or some other surface.  Once it's dry, put a little more paint on it, then dab away all the paint until there's almost nothing on the brush.

Pull the brush across the raised areas of the model and the pigment that is left will begin to collect on the surface. The more you brush, the stronger the highlight will be.  You will have to practice with your flow control to get to where you are comfortable, but generally more is less.  You can always add more depth to the drybrush by going over it again.

We used the goblin's skin and robes to practice our drybrushing on.  The dark green of the skin gives way to the light raised tones.  The black of the robe is highlighted by drybrushing on just the hint of grey.  When drybrushing two different areas on one model like this, make sure you clean up the overbrush (where one color "goes out of the lines").

Be sure there's no water in the bristles before you actually put the drybrush on your model, as that could have disastrous consequences.  Make sure to have some sort of surface to brush out the water and paint on, as you'll be getting most of your paint on this scrap surface.  I use a normal paper towel as it's quite absorbent and will pull the water right out of the brush.

The class picked this up fast, and are ready for the next session.  The projects are finishing up quickly with so many hands on them.  Thanks to everyone who helped out, and who are pitching in with painting models going forward!

Heroes of the Sword Coast (Session 3)

This session was orignally recorded 1/18/2015.



From the Journal of Lydia the Halfling





6:19

We decide to stay and rest at the inn for the day.  The next day we head out to the manor to attempt to find the Red Brand.  

After bantering with a random human child, the dragonborn found a tunnel in the side of a hill.  This was purported to lead to the Red Brand hideout.

Not long after we enter the tunnel we find a creature that was once a wizard:  a nothic, which we kill.

7:57

We search the cavern futher and find a hidden door near the back.  Inside there are two rooms and there are red cloaks in one, which we all put on.  Then we head to the other room which contains (illegible).

We exit the secret area to check another place down another tunnel.  We find a wizard's quarters, as there is plenty of magical gear around.  There is a note that says the wizard has left.

D&D Realms: Mystara - The Known World

For the record, we are talking about the Known World...the Hollow World will get it's own discussion.

The Dungeons & Dragons game has a great many settings.  More than a few of them are what we'd call "generic" style fantasy, meaning there's not really anything setting them apart from any of the other worlds.  These are what I consider to be "basic" settings, or "normal".

Sure, each of these settings has a particular flavor all its own.  For instance, Greyhawk is Greyhawk, with the oldest gaming tropes fully integrated in the customs of the land.  The Forgotten Realms are The Forgotten Realms, replete with every real-world cultural facsimile totally assimilated into the world.  Then, we also have Mystara, the often overlooked "basic" campaign setting.

So...what's so nifty about what amounts to "just another" generic fantasy setting?  Mystara is linked to the entire series of Dungeons & Dragons modules, to make it as convenient as possible for new players.  The ruleset used (Rules Cyclopedia) has some nifty things that make it different from other settings, but how to quantify this difference?

In order to keep the three "basic" campaign settings separate experiences that don't simply mesh together, it's important to consider what might have been the motivation behind each of the three worlds.  I'm no insider, but after reading most of the material I feel I can speak to this point.  The main differences between Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk and Mystara is the overall tones or themes presented in each.

Forgotten Realms is High Fantasy, Greyhawk is Dark Fantasy and Mystara is Heroic Fantasy.  Heroes in this setting, following the built-in game rules and modules, will rise up to be leaders of the realms and eventually, perhaps, ascend to join the ranks of the Immortals.  That's the sort of story arc you don't get in most games, but it's pretty much part and parcel of Mystara.  Therein lies the second difference:  Mystara's scope is grander than the other settings in that as you progress through levels, your influence on the world is reflected in the Rules Cyclopedia's systems.

The Known World is also one of the more developed worlds, as far as published products.  The Gazetteer series of supplements each focus on an area of the world and expand it greatly.  These are some of the best products TSR managed to create, and that's why they cost an arm and a leg on eBay.  In addition to expanding the game world, the rules themselves get expanded in each as well.  It's a nice touch as this provides more depth to each specific area and to the game in general.

The realms, regions and kingdoms of Mystara are unique enough as well.   Almost all cultural stereotypes of the the real world are represented in the Known World.  Vikings, Mongols, Native Americans, Anglo-Saxon Knights, Romans...the list goes on.

Magic is at a high level, as there are flying airships in the world.  Dragons appear on wandering monster lists pretty regularly in the modules.  People trade subdued dragons and Rods of Cancellation back and forth at rather low levels (I'm looking at you, Horror on the Hill), but this isn't a bad thing as far as gaming opportunities go.

One final note:  the setting gives us the most freedom to conduct warfare out of all the other settings.  Sure, there are wars on other spheres - but the conquest part of the game is already assumed in the rules, and Mystara goes out of the way to provide plenty of land ripe for your armies to fight over.  We have a huge miniature collection, and you can be sure we want to use it.

Heroes of the Sword Coast (Session 2)

This session was orignally recorded 1/11/2015.



From the Journal of Lydia the Halfling





6:00

We find a human in the cave that tells us Gundran Rockseeker has been taken by the goblins to Cragmaw Castle.  We decide to take him back to the town with us.  As we head back out of the cave, we hear the sound of cracking timber and rushing water.

A flood from the stream comes rushing through the cave and washes the humans and dragonborn out toward the mouth of the cave.  They all seem to be hurt badly.  The rest of the group rushes forward to help them.  They are healed by the cleric and druid so they will not die immediately.

6:47

Silder the human tells us on the way back to town that he was a griffon rider, and one of three brothers.  They are trying to build the town up to be a city as it used to be.  We reach town and take the ale to the provisioner.  Silder lets the provisioner know that Gundran is missing.

We buy other supplies and head to the Lion's Head in search of javelins.  The Innkeeper tells us that there is a band of mercenaries in town and they are causing trouble.  He also tells us that a druid called Quilene Alderleaf, from and orchard northwest of town, might be able to tell us how to get to Cragmaw Castle.

7:00

We all get rooms in the inn after a failed attempt by Zinge to sell the ale to the innkeeper.  We spend the next little while enjoying a drink at the inn and listening to the tales of other travelers.

7:25

The next day we head to the shrine of Luck.  We had heard someone had been attacked while in the woods.  We find Sister Gorrell, the Shrine Keeper, to ask what had happened.  She tells us that she had some trouble bargaining with Agatha, a banshee.  She was looking for an old spellbook she believed Agatha to possess, belonging to a mage called Bogentell.

After we head back into town to talk with the provisioner again, we meet up with a group of four Red Hand mercenaries and start to fight with them.  The dragonborn, Nils and Boris are beaten almost to death, but we manage to defeat all but one.  The last Red Hand escaped.

8:24

I run to the shrine of Luck and ask for help from Sister Gorrell.  She returns with me to help heal the party.

Circle of Stones

"Behold, ye losers,"  cried the witch, "flowers!"

Our Circle of Stones started life as a small model box bought from Hastings at the checkout.  I think it was meant to be one of those Zen garden style things.  It had puzzle pieces forming a decorative (though flimsy) base.  Foley picked it up and put it together, enjoying it's simplicity.  

Somehow, it sat for ages in a dark and forgotten area of shelf.  Eventually, Foley dug it out and reported it for finishing.  Taking a bit of flat baseboard, she went to work on the project that was at least a year old.

"So, who's got a cool ritual?"

The base was sprayed a nice Hunter Green.  The original base was placed on it, but there was some warping due to the glue.  The original base was even flimsier than I originally suspected.

From there, Foley took to the supply bins and raided a bunch of cool material to flock and finish out the base with.  Notice the Army Painter Meadow Flowers tufts in there.  Very...uh...Spring-y?  Admittedly, not what I expected when Foley told me she was finishing a ritual circle.

I probably should have, though.

The finished product is good on the table.  The little addition of a bright spot on the battlefield can change the whole look of the table layout.  The Circle will probably feature in some objective driven scenario play as well.  All in all, well worth what amounts to just the $5 spent on a box in the checkout line at Hastings.

Heroes of the Sword Coast (Session 1)

It's been a while since we updated the RPG Sessions.  We'll catch up over the next week or so, but we've not been idle.  This session was originally played on 01/04/2015 and began our 5th Edition gaming!

It all starts with a keg of beer.




Actually, let's do full disclosure here - it was a few kegs.  Several, actually.  Blue Dragon Ale, the trademark brew of some small time brewers living in the woods near Neverwinter, is packed and ready to go to town and be sold.  Yet the Brewers, as they are known, have plans for this haul's profit.

The Brewers have but a small shack where they brew their ale in the solitude of the forest.  Many are outcasts among polite society, being born of strange blood.  They have made peace with the forest, and are at home there, brewing their ale and living off the land.  The Dragonlord Bahamut is their patron, and they have built a small shrine nearby.  However, with the way darkness encroaches upon the land, it is clear something must be done to preserve their way of life.

Now, Mehmet / Betsy is tired of sub-par ingredients for their brew.  The first step, he insists, is that they make better beer.  With the money from this haul of Blue Dragon Ale, they can go to Neverwinter and find better hops and barley for the brew.  Once they have the best brew on the Sword Coast, the Brewers won't have to worry about the safety of their home and way of life amidst the chaos that embroils the region.

In order to make some more cash, the group agrees to travel to Phandalin with some other wares.  The wagon is loaded down, and the Brewers begin the first leg of their journey.  It doesn't take long before trouble begins.

A group of goblin bandits ambush the caravan, but the Brewers chase them back to their hidden lair.  The goblins are defeated and scattered, and the characters begin to look around.  Ahead of them is a goblin's cave...but the wagon is left unguarded.  After a short argument over what was more important, the Brewers prepare to enter the goblin warren...

Bones II Unboxing

Our long awaited Bones II miniatures from the Reaper Mini KickStarter have finally arrived!

We are happy to support Reaper and all the cool stuff they have been doing on KickStarter, and the club has been behind every single one.  Today we have a video of wild hoodlums being A-class nerds as they dig through the Wargate's new package.  It's fun to be excited!


Now to get them rendered into the collection!  There's tons more stuff to work on, and we're going to work to bring every single project we finish to you here on the site.  With all the Reaper madness going on, it's going to be a busy year for modelling!